Day 79, Progress

Losing weight through establishing small healthy habits and building on them only once they are established is a slow way to lose weight but Velma assured me that the changes I see in my body will be permanent because of the slow process I’m using and because I’m remaking my life at the same time that I remake my body. About three weeks ago, my neighbor, Leesa told me to stop weighing myself daily and instead use a measuring tape to show progress. I measured myself on July 5. The healthy habits I’ve been trying to establish, for the last three weeks (since starting my coaching with my health advisor, Velma), are eating healthier and making certain I get vegetables at lunch and exercising for at least ten minutes a day. I’m still working on the exercise habit. When I get busy, the most I can fit in is walking the dog but I’ve renewed my efforts today. I’m going to make a very dedicated effort to workout (my preferred method is dance) for at least ten minutes daily and build in that a minute or two each day until I’m back to where I was two weeks ago, 24 minutes of sweat inducing movement. On the diet front, I’m doing much better. I have not been keeping track of my diet in my diary but I have become far more aware of what I’m eating. Steve and I are trying to include a green salad at dinner every day. I’m watching our carb intake, eating lean protein and trying to have a serving of vegetables at every meal. We also are using fresh fruit as our treats and dessert. It’s a great time of year to eat healthy with so much fresh produce available. We aren’t heavy salters so that’s not a problem especially since we gave up chips(for the most part, lol.) So, even though there’s always room for improvement, I’m very pleased with the changes we’ve made even though they are small. Despite the fact that I have at least 75 pounds to lose, you all know that wasn’t my main goal. It is however, a good measure of progress. The scale has only shown 3.4 pound loss in the last three weeks but Velma tells me that one pound a week is good because it’s fat not muscle. But what about those measurements I took 21 days ago? I’ve lost: .75 inch from my waist, 1.5 inches from my stomach (above my waist), and 2.4 inches!!! from my hips. I knew my pants were getting loose! 😁 I also lost 1.5 inches from my right thigh(only measured right side because it is generally larger than the left) and a quarter inch from my right upper arm (I hate the size of my arms so any loss there is a reason to celebrate...plus, I’ve got a pretty blouse I want to fit into before Summer’s end.) I’m taking small steps but I’m definitely making progress!