You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

I have to say bloggies, no matter how much weight was lost in the past, I still continue to learn so much along this journey of weight loss.  I had been a POINTS counter in the past and I had flip flopped many times trying to count calories instead but for some reason it never stuck. But this time bloggies, THIS time, it has stuck. And it's working.

The lessons I have learned so far this time around is not about calories in v. calories out. That part is obvious. And it's not about learning how to eat healthy because I was already there.  But even though I somehow managed to keep up the pace to lose an entire person the first time around, I still always struggled with being "thrown off" course due to a single circumstance, meal or day.  The proverbial "wrench" that inevitably gets thrown in the way. You know, life. Getting discouraged and feeling like my day or week was somehow "wrote off" due to some particular reason was a common occurrence.

I have learned how to accept less than perfect, to be more realistic about life as a mother trying to balance healthy eating & activity conducive to weight loss and to realize that any day where I've stayed under my maintenance calorie range is still progress. It doesn't have to be 1200 net calories because in general, I have been in the 1500-1600 range and if that is more realistic for me, then I'm ok with a slower rate of loss because this is where it has gotten me so far:

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

At the time of posting this, the ticker says 25 lbs! Since it is dynamic, it will change as my progress changes even a year from now. I'm on my way "all the way" again and that's a fact.  

However, I'm not so sure I'm going to beat my husband in this competition we're having because he, my friends, is a force to be wreckoned with. He's doing amazing and at tomorrow's weigh-in, he expects to hit is 30 lbs lost milestone which I couldn't possibly express to you how happy that makes me. He's really taken his health seriously and has 100% committed himself to getting healthy.  He's feeling wonderful, has lost at least half of his "beer belly" where he carries 80% of his weight (a very dangerous place to carry extra weight!) and notices huge changes in his stamina and fitness level. This is MY HUSBAND we are talking about! I'm floored and extremely happy & proud :-)

I'm not even sure who still reads this little blog, but whoever is still out there, I appreciate your readership and not giving up on me and my sparse blogging. I can't explain why I haven't been blogging regularly other than the good ol' "busy mom" excuse, but maybe that's best left for another day...