So I promised you an update two weeks ago about my plateau, formerly known as “not a plateau“.  I had discussed changing my eating habits even further by cutting out some of the sweet cheats I’d still been eating and by adding more healthy calories to my diet.  I did those things, and to a large extent, they did not make a difference.  I was surprised because I really thought for sure that those changes would help solve the problem, and they didn’t.  They did, however, help me to realize some things about my frame of mind during this plateau.

I’ve realized, through prayer and talking to friends, that I am relying way too much on the number on the scale.  And I don’t think it’s healthy.  And aren’t I trying to just be healthy?  Well I can’t let my weight loss become an obsession and go and screw up my mental health, right?!  So this has all brought me to the conclusion that I need to cut my time on the scale down to once a week for a weekly weigh-in and that’s it.

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This week’s Useful Website is one I just discovered yesterday and am already finding it to be tremendously valuable.  Maria’s Last Diet was created by a husband and wife team that specialize in the psychological aspects of losing weight and keeping it off.  They have put together a large database of articles concerning the typical weight loss issues but the advice given in the articles is anything but typical.  The focus is centered on the mental aspects of losing weight and answering those questions relating to our struggles with food and weight.

The About page on Maria’s Last Diet describes the website as the following:

Members of the Maria’s Last Diet community share one thing: a true desire to lose weight and keep it off.

Maria’s Last Diet is here to help women diet successfully. It is not a diet in the usual sense. There is no one particular food plan. Our mission is to help you stay on whatever diet you choose. Sticking to your diet is the key to your weight loss success.

The right diet and weight loss tools, information and support will enable you to reach your weight loss goal. Maria’s Last Diet applies psychological principles, tried and tested in research and clinical practice, to the universal problems that women have with sticking to their diets.

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How do your vacations usually effect your weight loss?  Is it hard for you to stay on track?  Do you take a diet break?  Does going out of town throw your routine out of whack?  I’ve grappled with these questions before and gone into some trips very unprepared for what temptations are out there.  In the past, I have completely stopped my diet and ate whatever my heart desired.  I’ve had other times where I’ve done ok being out of my routine and managed to eat healthy and get some exercise. 

Fighting temptation while on vacation can be a tricky thing.  We are going to Disneyworld in a few weeks and how I will handle myself while there is definitely something I am considering.  I decided to do some research and find some tips from the experts to help me have a plan and a better idea of how to be successful on vacation.  (You mean I can’t eat a churro!?) 

This article from Diet & Body has tips for the different types of vacations people take.  Road trips, staying with friends or family, airport tips, and advice on returning to your routine when you get back home. 

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Okay, time to be brave, folks!  I was inspired by Betsy from Girl Gone Healthy’s brave posting of her “before photos“.  I think it’s high time that I put mine up as well.  Why?

Accountability.  So you know why this weight loss mission is so important to me.  Facing me fears. 

And most of all, simply admitting that that was me at 198 pounds, my heaviest.  I’ve since lost 42 pounds and am well on my way to my goal.  But it’s always good to remember where I came from and why I’m here doing this. 

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Can a salad really be this easy to make?  Really?

That’s what I was asking myself as I compiled the ingredients for my lunch salad today.  I’ve always imagined making a salad as being a very time consuming, arduous tasks.  At least that’s how it looked from my view on the couch.  But today, I made the simplest yet, yummiest salad I could have asked for!  And it was SO easy!

Here’s what I did.  And I’m warning you, this is the EASY way to make salad, not the cheapest (although it’s not like I broke the bank). 

Lettuce:     I bought some pre-washed romaine lettuce leaves.  Everyone has their own favorite lettuce, right?  So pick your favorite type of lettuce and buy the pre-washed version.  (Check out the photo to see the brand I got.)  Grab the cutting board and chop up the lettuce.  Romaine is so easy to chop (chop it length-wise for perfect bite-sized pieces of lettuce).  I love it.

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Okay, now I know this is for real.  Check this out:  This morning on the treadmill, I ran for 21 straight minutes!  Unbelievable!  Crazy stuff going on here!  And the really amazing part is that I’m not sore or tired.  I feel invigorated!  Although as soon as I dropped to a walk after the 21 minutes, I started walking crooked for a second.  Not sure what that was all about!  Probably delirious excitement.  It translated to 1.75 miles.  WOW!

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I’ve added another layer of accountability to my weight loss efforts.  I have decided to join the Healthy You Challenge (HYC).  HYC is a group of bloggers who are dedicated to blogging about their weight loss efforts and who support and are supported by other members.  I only joined this morning and I am already finding that support here on my blog.  How cool is that!? 

The HYC is described by it’s founder as the following:

The challenge is a support system to work on building a better you. No matter what your goals from losing weight, exercise or staying at goal, we all need the support of people who are going through the same things or have been there. It’s not about obsessing over a number on the scale; it’s not about exercising until you drop; it’s about challenging yourself and pushing yourself to stay focused on your goals as well as getting and giving support.

The idea of building a community with other people who are facing the same challenges, setbacks, and successes is a powerful thing.  The support and accountability gained from honestly “putting yourself out there” is amazing!  I’m very excited to a part of this group and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone.

I’m taking the plunge into uncharted territory!  Something I never dreamed of doing in a million years, something so far beyond what I ever imagined for myself, yet something so very representative of my new way of life.  I’m signing up for my first 5k run!  Holy moly!  I know!  (If you are fan of the show Friends, just imagine Monica screaming, I know! and you’ll understand how I’m saying it!) 

So my race (because now that I’m joining, it is, of course, my race) is on July 26th in Asheville, NC at what is known as Bele Chere.  It’s a fun street festival that we’ve been to before, and yet somehow I never knew about the race.  (Too busy stuffing my face with funnel cake?  Perhaps.)  The last time we attended Bele Chere, it was a very hot day.  Luckily the smart people that set these things up have the run scheduled for 8:00 am.  Here is some basic info on the run.

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Something I am learning as a new blogger is that the many people that read blogs, actually have blogs of their own.  A pretty cool concept, really.  I suppose I have just become enthralled with the world of blogging this past weekend and I’m really seeing how it benefits people and their lives.  The community that is out there amongst the people is just an amazing thing to witness and to be a part of. 

Another thing I have learned is that blogging can be quite time consuming.  As most of you know, blogging takes on a life of it’s own and it can require some balancing to fit it into our already busy lives.  That’s why I found the guest article on Zen Habits to be so interesting this morning.  The guest blogger discusses how he finds balance in his life between maintaining his health, spends time with family, and still managing to blog.  Definitely some food for thought.

There is, my friends, an absolute blogging paradise out there.  After spending some quality time with my laptop the last couple of days, I have been amazed at the number of blogs out there that are well-written and easy to relate to.  I thought I would share some of the ones that peaked my interest.  A nice leisurely blog post for a nice leisurely weekend.  (Oh and one side note:  Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!  You are rockin’ the 80’s like nobodies business and I love you very much!!)

First awesome blog I found:  The Mom Crowd

This is my new favorite blog! There is so much that I enjoy about this blog including their very cute and easy on the eyes format, the idea of a collaboration of four mothers writing a blog together that aims to help other moms, and their topics. I found this blog very easy to relate to and especially enjoyed the posts about Amanda’s Picky Eater, the competitive parenting that exist between moms, and a simple straw sippy cup review.

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