Day 38 - March 31 - Don't Let People Get in Your Head

Like many of us, it can be easier for me to encourage other people than it is to encourage myself. It's too easy to get into a loop of only hearing the negative even when I'm in the midst of so much POSITIVE...but I'm working on it.

The pursuit of getting healthy is not an easy thing to hide. Whether or not you're blogging about it people notice, especially when you've been as big as I've been for so long. For the most part, people have been incredibly kind and generous with their encouragement and for that, I'm truly grateful. Occasionally, though, there is someone who only notices where you're lacking or wants to tell you how hard the road is going to be. My message to them: Believe me, you're not telling me anything I don't already know. I have to face it everyday, each moment, and I've never claimed to be perfect, God knows. Unraveling my old habits, history, moodiness, desires, schedule, physical limitations, relationships, work habits and motivation can be a daunting task and they ALL play a part in this endeavor.

I really don't want to be a gal who denies the incalculable blessings along the way only to focus on the handful of people who unintentionally say things that can be disheartening to me. Stumbling over a hurdle doesn't need to be the end of the race, especially when you're only competing with yourself.

You know the old saying "fake it till you make it"? It's what I've decided to do when I hear something that brings me down. When I get unsolicited criticism in the form of "advice", I'm learning to not get defensive but to say "thank you for your time". When someone tells me how hard this is going to be now that I'm "older" I say, "It doesn't have to be me. I'm willing to put in the work." I may not FEEL it when I'm responding but I also want to get in the habit of moving THROUGH it, not letting it fester in my imagination. I don't need to be my own worst enemy.

Meaningful Movement: 30 minutes of stepladder on the treadmill and 1 hour of beginning toning

Food that fit in a baby bowl, Day 38:
-Juice Plus+
-1 scrambled egg with 1 slice of American cheese wrapped in a homemade tortilla
-1 Red Baron personal pan pepperoni pizza with added pineapple and green peppers

Then, I went off the program:
-At the movies: popcorn and 10 peanut m&m's
-At the mall: 1 small pina colada orange julius and a Chik-Fil-A sandwich on a honey wheat bun
NOTE: It's true I didn't measure the food here but I'm seeing where the baby bowl experiment is starting to effect my perception of food:
-When Marianne and I have gone to the movies in the past, I've bought a large popcorn (so I could get a refill on the way out) and a slushy. This time, hubby came too and we ALL split a MEDIUM popcorn and brought water and juice. Yes, we each got a sweet treat but the natural transition to the popcorn and drink is BIG. -- And I can see us eliminating the candy all together.
-At the mall, I'd automatically get a large strawberry julius Marianne and I could share and after just a few sips Marianne was done. I'd end up drinking the rest of this HUGE drink. I got a small this time and it was MORE than enough. (Be careful of portion perception when you see a display of sizes, like pizza pans and drink cups. It looks smaller far away than it does when you've actually got it in front of you. Small was MUCH bigger once I got it.)
-I also didn't get a meal "deal" at Chik-Fil-A, negating the calories from waffle fries and a soda or sweet tea. I DID have the fried chicken breast instead of the grilled but this is something I THOROUGHLY yum out on. I love too that CFA has a wheat bun alternative.