The day before weigh-in is here and I’m pretty sure I will go up on the scale tomorrow.  This was a challenging week because I felt the pull of old habits,

•  wanting to turn to food after having stressful encounters.
•  strong food cravings for ice cream, and pizza.
•  picking at foods and thinking about not tracking.

Any of these could have triggered for old habits. That is why it is important that I take some time for reflection and self-care. It all comes down to food, activity, and feelings.

Food: I exceeded my weekly points balance. I was craving sugar for most of this week. I think it’s because I overindulged at my nephew’s party. I ate sugary foods and that’s not typical for me anymore. Over the course of the week, I ate two and a quarter of those delicious scones. At the party, I ate a quarter of one, then I ate a whole one on Monday, and the last one, Tuesday. Also, during the party, I ate two small pieces of cake. Then I had a slice (2 ounces) of cake last night for my husband’s birthday.  I did track it all, so that’s how I know I’m over my weekly allotment of extra points.

Activity: I went to spin class two days this week: Sunday and Thursday.  The classes were really good and I am feeling much stronger. I also did yoga two times, Monday, and Friday. Yoga is very good for me because it is making me feel more flexible, strong, and balanced. I love that I enjoy doing these activities and that doing them, is becoming part of my self-identity. I am also enjoying the Polar Heart Monitor I got for my birthday. It is a tool that is helping me to work way more efficiently and it gives me great insight for training while making me more self-aware.

Feelings: Right now, I feel really empowered. I saw the potential to fall back into old habits before it actually happened. I saw it coming and went in a different direction.  I elected not to turn to food when feeling stressed. That’s a big deal. I tracked, weighed and measured all the foods I ate. There was not unconscious eating, I tracked even when I didn’t want to face it. That’s a big deal too. I disrupted my habit loop. So, even if I go up on the scale tomorrow, I learned something vital. I am in control of me.

There is no mystery or superstition at play here. There are only my choices.  My choices that are rooted in my “why”. I am doing all of this so I can feel good about myself physically and mentally. I want to grow wiser about who I really am living an energetic lifestyle. It is very important to me that I enter this next phase of my life with a sense of grace and gratitude for the body that got me here.  Thank you for listening to my story. I encourage you to write yours as well because it really does help. Wishing you joy on the journey.

#SelfLoveChallenge

DAY 23: Revisit (and do) an activity that you loved as a child, whether it is finger painting, playing a sport or a video game, Rollerblading, or twirling.

Hands down, it’s riding my bicycle.  I’m going for a bike ride at some point today!