Summer is here. Are you still being healthy?

Summer brings new challenges.  My summer has been challenging for me thus far and I'm sure you have faced some of the same challenges.  I want to discuss how to handle these challenges before our summer is gone. (Can you believe next week is July 4th already?)

I have been challenged by parties.  There have been parties like crazy in my life......birthdays, graduations, baptisms, celebrations, memorials.  Parties abound in much of our life. We are people who like to celebrate and we like to celebrate with food, good food.  Being surrounded by this food at these many gatherings gives me some major stress.  I would think that after the many years of being on this healthy life journey that making healthy choices at parties would be second nature.  Apparently not. My nature is to eat anything with chocolate on it and sugar in it.  I have to fight with nature.

These are the teddy bear cupcakes I made for my niece's birthday......mmmm, chocolate.

As I have made myself aware of these many parties during this time in my life I have asked myself how I should handle it.  I have come up with a couple of choices. I could just forget healthy eating for those days and eat anything I want or I could do my best to make healthy eating choices.  The latter doesn't seem nearly as much fun but in hindsight, it's a lot better than taking the abuse that I put myself through after eating everything that includes sugar or chocolate at the party.  Paying the consequences is never fun.  Since I want the celebration experience to be fun in every way, I need to listen to my inner voice that tells me no when I am standing in front of the chocolate iced brownies as big a my 2-year-old's open hand.

Parties, cookouts, get-togethers and celebrations are a part of summer.  It's a great, fun part of summer. It's a part of summer I want to partake in but don't want to gain the weight from my poor choices.  When summer started just a few weeks ago I weighed in at the my lowest weight in almost 3 years.  I need to remind myself that the ice cream sundae just isn't worth giving  up all of that success.

This weekend alone, I have 3 celebrations to attend.  On Friday afternoon I will be celebrating the end of our Matthew 25 Local Work Camp a our parish. Bryan, I and our team of volunteers have worked very hard all year to plan this work camp and on Friday it will be over.  We will have tacos, chips, salads, sides and ice cream sandwiches to celebrate a successful week.  I will be helping to serve this lunch celebration so I need to keep myself busy so I eat very little.  I also need to remember that when it is all done, I should not wind down with some food in my hand or it will find it's way to my thighs instead.

On Saturday, we are gathering at my brother's house for our annual birthday party and cookout.  My husband, 2 brothers, 1 sister-in-law and myself all have our birthdays in June and July so we celebrate all of them this Saturday with my mom and some friends.  Food will abound.  Thankfully, my brother who is hosting the party is a health nut so I will have some healthy choices.  It's going to be up to me though to eat those choices in small portions as well as stay away from the unhealthy stuff.

On Sunday, we are partying yet again at my dad's house.  This is our annual birthday party with my dad where we include my step-mom's birthday, my dad's birthday and any other holiday we haven't celebrated lately.  I am going to bring a fruit salad to make sure I have that healthy choice available.

My point here is not to tell you my every move over this weekend or any other gathering that I attend but to prove that parties are part of life.  We need to plan for them.  We need to acknowledge them.  We may even need to eat at them.  We cannot chose to let ourselves go at every party.  As tempting as it is, I know that I would be in a world of hurt if I did.  I would be putting myself back into a situation that I have worked so hard to get out.  I would also be doing myself very little good for the next party I have to attend.  Afterall, summer has just begun.

Enjoy your summer. Party it up, but do it wisely.  You will have yourself to answer to when it is all said and done.

Have a great day,
Corinna

"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." -Psalm 51:2-4

My Weight Loss Progress

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've posted.  Life has just been so busy.  I am still in a busy time with life but I wanted to take a few short minutes to let you know how I've been doing the past few weeks.

I've had many successes that I could tell you about.......and, of course, a few moments of indiscretion.  Let's start with the successes.  Last week, I lost 2.4 pounds, the previous week was a .8 loss and the one before that was a .2 loss.  I also lost the week before that 4.0 pounds.  That gives me a fabulous total of 7.4 pounds in 5 weeks.  That's one hot total as far as I'm concerned.  In fact, until now, I didn't even know that. On the .2 and .8 week I just told myself to keep up the good work and it would eventually add up to something substantial.  Until now, I hadn't taken the time to do the math.

Last Friday was a momentous weigh-in for me.  It brought me to my lowest weight since having Samuel almost 2 years ago.  It's hard to believe that I have been fighting this battle for 2 years but the ups and downs have all taught my valuable lessons.  I finally feel like I am willing to give it my all, no matter what. I finally feel like I can stay away from the food that I just don't need to eat.

For example, Bryan and I went out to dinner with some friends a couple of weeks ago.  I ate a fairly normal day's food with saving just a few extra points for our dinner out.  I drank water with lemon.  I rarely need alcohol to enjoy an evening out.  I ordered the baked fish even though it was one of the few healthy options on the menu.  I ordered a salad even though it wasn't included in the dinner.  I asked if the meal came with any vegetables and when the waiter said no, I knew I needed some veggies.  I picked all of the croutons off of my salad.  In the past I would have eaten some or all of them and was surprised to see the 1/2 of a cup of croutons piled on my side plate.  That saved me some major calories. I only had 1/8 of the dressing that came with my salad and asked for low-fat.  I took the sour cream cup right off of my plate when it came. My  baked potato was just as good without it.  I enjoyed the company and my meal.  I even took 1/2 of my fish home because the portion was so large.  I left feeling so fulfilled.  I knew I had done right by my body and my mind.

I'll save some of my other victories for another time.  This week has been a little stressful and tiring for me and I have found myself eating too much because of those emotions.  I am glad to say that today I have put myself in check but the 3 days previous were the worst eating days that I have had in a month and a half.  The scale wont be in my favor too much on Friday but I am willing to go to the meeting to see the results of my choices.

I hope you are all doing well.  Thanks for all of the kind words in the comments and emails.

Corinna

"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty of hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:12-13