Friday, November 9, 2012

Seeing Progress

Today is the last full day of the Whole Life Challenge.

Aside from any weight loss, inches lost, fitness improvement, what I am really proud of is that I stuck to a plan for 8 straight weeks. In the past I've given up too easily - started a diet only to stop after not seeing any improvement after 2 weeks; starting an exercise program then stopping because I got bored etc. etc.

Now I know that they were all excuses (I knew that then, but I was living in self-denial).

Waking up one morning and dropping all sugars, grains, starches, preservatives, and dairy from my diet and sticking to it for 8 weeks sounds insane. Still, I woke up and I started, and I didn't look back.

That's all it takes - focus, determination, and a whole lot of organization!

I spent a LOT of time planning for the first two weeks. Now, things are second nature. I know what things I can/like to munch on if I get a craving for something crispy (walnuts w/raisins, and celery with a bit of raw peanut butter and a few raisins are my favorite snacks); I know what to eat when I want something wholesome; I know what to eat when I need a quick, light lunch ... it all took some time to put together -- but what's 2 weeks of careful planning to the rest of my life (is that too dramatic?) that's been made so much easier?

It's worth the time and effort. It's a bit tricky at first, but it IS possible.

I used to exercise a lot (still do) but changing how/what I ate was absolutely key in dropping the weight.

I don't even remember the last time I was the weight I am now -- maybe 7 years ago, maybe ... anyway.

I'm going to post my progress stats and pix tomorrow. For now I'm just going to say that I'm feeling really happy and proud of completing this challenge.


3 comments:

  1. Wow! Congratulations on your accomplishment:)

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  2. Well done!! You've done brilliantly, planning is so key to knowing what you need to do a lot of the time.

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  3. well done on your challenge you have done brilliantly to stick to it. Will be interesting to know what parts of it you intend to keep as part of your healthy lifestyle now in the future. S xx

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