Healthy Lifestyle Update

3 1/2 yrs ago, I joined Curves. I was 174 lbs then. I got down to 164 lbs and then joined Gold's Gym w/ my family. I sat at that weight for a year and no matter what I did at the gym it didn't move. I then decided to pay close attention to what I was eating. I started to journal my food each and everyday and worked out 3-4 days a week. I dropped another 16 lbs and have kept all but 4 lbs off for over a year and a half.

I've not gone to the gym as regularly as I have in the past which I contribute a little to my 4 lb weight gain and mainly it's because I'm bored of the gym. We've been going 3 yrs now, plus another half a yr of Curves before that. I need to do something different. At the end of the month our gym membership will end and will be looking for other ways to get fit. A friend of mine goes to another gym that costs a fraction of what I was paying from $65 a month to $25 a month for our entire family. I may look into that for December??

 

I love the gym only for the treadmill, elliptical and stepper. These things are great for when I can't get outside to run or walk either because there is snow on the ground in Winter to very hot in the Summer. Lifting weights is nice but I do have those at home along with wonderful exercise videos instead of going to classes.

 

This is me today. 4 lbs heavier but still fitting into my small shirts, and 6/8 pants. I guess working your muscles pays off as my dress size has not change even w/ the little weight gain. I do know, I'm not happy with the scale screaming at me 148.. So I am going back to journaling my food each day. I don't want to count calories but to see what I'm eating and how often. It really brings me back to focusing on portion sizes which I haven't been putting enough emphasis on.

 

I hate counting calories. It's time consuming and just plain hard when I make all my meals from scratch and don't have the real ability to make accurate calorie calculations. So portion sizes is the way to go for me. I love that we eat unprocessed, real foods and when I can afford it, it's organic to get away from pesticides/chemicals and GMO's. Since we are hunters, we now have a freezer full of delicious venison which will last us through the year..

 

The most awesome part of all my weight loss is the fact my feet have shrunk as well. I used to wear 7 shoes. I now wear 5 1/2 to 6. I just bought some cute knee high boots and they were size 5 1/2's.. I also buy in the kids section since my shoe size is a 3 1/2 to 4. I was able to score on my camo hiking boots for hunting/hiking by buying a size 4 kids. Saved me $50.00 because of it!!! I also was able to get me some camo slippers that are only in the boys section.. (wink) Can you tell I love camo/hunting?? hee hee.....

 

I would like to journal more on here about the way we eat (unprocessed, whole foods). Share recipes that work for our family and to just share our eating, and healthy lifestyle. Eating right is so important to me and my family. Getting rid of processed, GMO laden foods is top priority for us. I look forward to sharing our experiences with you all...