Another Monday cha - cha - cha....

Welcome o' faithful readers! Here we are again at Monday! How did we get here so quickly??? It just isn't fair that weekends go twice as quickly as weekdays! My weekend was filled with snow and my roomy playing excessive amounts of Christmas music, laundry and a brief trip to World Market. Incredibly exciting, right?

On a positive note, this weekend was a very contemplative one for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I am, where I have been and where I want to go. And I have come to the conclusion that it would be so much bloody easier if you could just buy a plane ticket to all of the places you want or need to go. Ahhh, but it is never that easy. The last year of my life has been quite an adventure. I have learned to stand firmly on my own two feet, I have learned that a pound of fat does weigh the same as a pound of muscle (it's just less dense!) and that getting fit, not just skinny is the true challenge I've given myself. Amazing how 12 little months can completely change your mind frame. Yeah, I know. I want to be healthy more than I care about being skinny. Where the heck did that come from??? I've also learned that in life, the people you surround yourself with have to love you for who you are -- and there are no exceptions to this rule. I also think I learned that the only way you really successfully lose weight or get healthy is to start by getting to know yourself and fixing the parts of you that are broken first. Losing weight is as much a mind game as it is anything else. Does that make sense?

I also thought a lot about when I started working out with PT last March. I didn't make much progress at all. Sure, I added muscle and lost some inches. But it was a slow and painful processes. I was angry -- very, very angry at the world when I started this journey. I had just been dumped. I was heavier than I had ever been in my life. My job was stressful. Basically, I wasn't in a very good place. We all get stuck in those places sometimes, right? It took me until August to get over myself and move on from all of that pain and hurt and misery. And before you ask, NO, it hasn't been easy. From March to August, I lost 5 pounds. Yeah that is it. Five. Oh, and I gained it back!
From August to today, I've lost 25 pounds.
Yeah, things are a bit different now. I'm not so angry. I've learned there's more to life than being angry. And if you don't like it, change it! It really is THAT simple. I read a lot of blogs and WW boards, and I see so many people getting frustrated with this time of year -- there's a lot of pressure out there to eat, drink and be merry. I find myself typing BREATHE in a lot of posts. And I am constantly reminding myself that I am in control. I am the captain of my fate: I am the master of my soul.....

So how do I get through these holiday times? Well, first I thank my lucky stars that my mom is moving and the kitchen in her new house hasn't finished being remodeled!!! I'm living on frozen veggies and Lean Cuisines for the two weeks I'm home!!! Wahoooooooooo! Second, I make myself some really good plans and set some specific goals for myself. I am 3.5 pounds away from a major goal and right now, there is NOTHING, read that NOTHING I could put into my mouth that would taste better than hitting that goal for Christmas. No I am not blessed with crazy amounts of willpower (ha! I ate a Flake, some Stollen and too much Lindt dark chocolate this weekend!). But I just know that from now until I leave for Christmas break, I have some serious motivation to get to that goal.

Speaking of setting goals, I went back on my word and set some this weekend. It seems to me I do really well when I think of things in three month chunks. Where do I want to be in three months? Well 25 pounds lighter than I am now to start. And I want to be able to run 5 miles.

Anyhoo, the fortune cookie. "Don't live with the brakes on." So many times in my life I've let my weight or my insecurity stop me from doing wonderful things. Not anymore. And really, why live with reservation? What's the point? You only get one shot at this crazy, wonderful, fantastic life! Might as well make the most of it!

So cha-cha-cha your way through this Monday. And just remember as you swing your hips sassily down the hall, it's not about the size of your ass, but how you shake it that really matters!

Thanks for reading....

FGS