Live Moderately

Wow, I am in awe of stepping on the scale this morning! I am now down 20.4 pounds!

I put on my old jean capri’s, which I adore, and they are suddenly HUGE on me! The capri’s are sagging to my ankles! And the crotch of the capri’s has fallen to almost my knees!!! How awesome is that?

[I know these aren’t the best photos…I’m taking them myself, so doing the best I can!] Can you see how much slack I am able to draw up in my hand?

 

Woo-hoo!

On to other things…

For years we’ve been bombarded with how good fish oil is for our heart. Have you heard the latest news? Fish oil doesn’t help to protect our heart. That’s right! Here’s an article from AARP that gives the news. ‘Bottom line: “You can’t think about individual nutrients in isolation,” Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston’ said. Hmmm….I’ve been saying that all along! It’s a combination of eating nutritiously that is the absolute best protection for us. A varied diet of ALL components is needed.

I’m also a huge proponent of reducing the amounts of meats, especially red meats, in our diets [I personally cannot digest meats of most any kind, and have taken them completely out of my meal planning.] Also reduce, or eliminate if you can, processed foods. If it doesn’t come in the package the good Lord provided for it…well, it probably isn’t good for you.

Eat more vegetables. Especially green vegetables. And the fresher the better. Organic or grown yourself is the best… but if not, just be sure to wash it thoroughly. And if you can’t get fresh, then eat canned veggies, but make sure the label says “No Salt”.

Eliminate sugar from your life! Yes… I know, I know. That’s easier said than done for some people! But if I can do it…believe me anyone can!

Eliminate sodas from your life! Believe me, no one was more of a soda junky than I was. And all I drank was Diet Coke. For more than 10 years I drank Diet Coke, and not much else. At times I drank up to 3 (3-liter) bottles a day. No that’s not a misprint. Number 1: Sodas do nothing for thirst. Number 2: Sugar-free or with sugar… it makes no difference, get rid of them! Even if they are sugar-free, and have no sodium! They are simply addicting and there’s no way they are good for you!

Instead… drink water, herbal teas, and diluted juices without sugar. I love water with a little squeeze of citrus juice in it; just enough to give the water a hint of a flavor. I especially love lemon or lime juice in it. Drink a cup of hot water each day, with a touch of lemon in it. This will keep your colon working smoothly. [Seriously! I swear by this!]

Hey, I’m just telling you what I KNOW works. I may have slid back up the scale…. But do as I say and NOT as I did! But dears, I am back on track once more.

Yes… I have a long, long, LONG way to go to reach my ultimate goal. If I hadn’t given up before, I would have been there long before now. It’s sad that sometimes we fall into a pit of despair and literally give up on ourselves. But that’s what happened.

What happened?

Well, my DH lost his job. He wasn’t finding one. There was no income coming in. One of us had to do something drastic. I had to lay aside the dream job I was doing from home and go back to work in order to make ends meet. I did this for six months. Finally, my body was broken and exhausted, and I simply had to quit. By then DH still hadn’t found a job, and we opted for early Social Security retirement.

I had been doing a job that hurt my back so badly that I still suffer daily with the pain. I could no longer exercise. I feel into a horrid depression. And binge eating became the norm.

Dinner plates were suddenly piled high, and I even went back for seconds. My meals became so huge that today I could have fed myself three and sometimes four times from a single meal plate!

I reached the “Ah ha” moment when my daughter told me I could never lose weight and keep it off. It just isn’t in me.

I had to take a good hard look at myself. And I didn’t like what I saw.

And so, I pulled up my proverbial “big girl panties”, and made up my mind that I am going to live the life I was meant to live. With God’s grace I have another 35 or 40 years left to me [I’ll be 53 in a little over a month!] And frankly… I’m too darn young to be feeling this darn old!!!

I’ve been there friends. And I’m not ever going back!!!

How about you?

Are you heading in the direction you want your life to go?

Only one person can change things for you. And that someone is YOU!

As for our income? Sadly, it hasn’t gotten any better since I quit my job. We live entirely off of my husband’s Social Security. But we are making ends meet. Don’t ask me how, but we are doing it! And I had to learn to be content with what I have.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11 (KJV) “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Our daily needs are met. Our home overflows with way much more than we need! We have plenty of food. Clothing. Shelter.

What more could I possibly want?

 I think the key to learning to live in today’s world is to learn to live moderately in all things. Not just in our diet and nutrition, but also in our lifestyle.

 Living moderately suits us. I am happy.

And I feel like, suddenly, my life has just begun.