Although it seems a very slow go at times trying to eat healthy and some days not watching the scale move at all, I am glad I continue to press on. I am happy that I can use the Netdiary program and still eat most of what I want, but know how much of it I can have. I believe this will make things easier when I transition to the maintenance stage.
I am learning good eating habits literally by doing and by praying. I've cut so much junk food out of my diet that when I do eat it now, it makes me feel nauseous. That's the worst feeling in the world to me and it makes me think before I go to binge on something. My cravings are getting a little better. I certainly don't feel as though I am addicted to food any longer. I think my body has become adjusted to knowing when it will receive a fuel boost and that makes me very happy!!
Running was something I have always enjoyed doing, though at one time I could barely run a 1/2 mile with out feeling as though I was going to pass out. Past issues with my heart had scared me out of running...I would try, but then I would feel my heart acting crazy and I would quit. I can assure you there is nothing wrong with my heart since it was corrected. Because of past experiences, I was still working through a lot of unhealthy fear, praying a lot and remembering Gods promises. I also was over weight which caused me to huff and puff at the slightest physical activity. I can honestly say that when I run now, I rarely even think about what my heart is doing, and if I do, I take that as a reminder to thank God for a healthy heart and bringing me to where I am today.
When I first started out running this year, my exercise goal was to burn at least 350 calories in one gym visit. That wasn't a lot, but it was about 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I wasn't even running. I realized how unfit I was when I started this...10 minutes of anything would kick my butt! I continued on as I saw that I actually was losing weight and that was very encouraging. I am not a fan of the tread mill though I forced myself at times to run or walk at least a mile on it. I'm not sure why I can't bring myself to be friends with it...maybe because when I'm on it, all I see is the two "stop" buttons right in front of my face and maybe subconsciously I feel as though it is telling me to do so!!! I don't know what the reason is, but I do know that I love being outside to run... and it can be 20 degrees, that doesn't matter to me. I love the scenery, the smells, the people, short races with horse and buggy's and especially my alone time with God.
I often would see my neighbor running past our place. I would see her at different places and soon figured out her loop that she was running. I ran in to her one day at school and asked her if she knew how far the loop was. She replied that she thought it was about 4.5 miles. Yikes!! Knowing that I would like to one day run a 5k (3.3 miles), I decided to bundle up and give it a whirl. I took my iPod and cell phone and made sure someone knew what I was attempting so if I couldn't make it, they could come and get me. I absolutely loved the challenge =) I managed to run the entire loop that day and then once more that week. The following week, I ran it 3 times.
Today, I'm not sure what got into me. I had a friend on my mind who is struggling deeply with a broken relationship and I felt today I needed some good uninterrupted prayer time, so I hit the road. I decided since Jim was at home that I was going to try a bit longer loop. I went around the mountain and merged into the regular loop and then back home. I didn't know how far it was but I figured if it was to much, I could always walk. 67 minutes later, I was home. I grabbed my car keys and drove it to see just how far it was. 5.7 miles. I was just a tiny bit disappointed as I had hoped it would be at least 6.3 (that's a 10k), however I did finally meet my goal of running 5 miles. To some of you, that may not be much, but for the girl who couldn't run a 1/2 mile at first, I was pretty happy! A 10k has always sounded appealing to me. I have no idea why, as I was only making 4.3 miles until today. I believe I can do it and if I don't ever run an official 10k, at least I will know that I can =)
All of this has come with an unexpected positive. Never one time did I think about how my diet and exercise would affect my cholesterol, and on a routine blood test for my thyroid, they did a cholesterol test. At one time, it was 248, but would consistently stay at 242 and so I was put on medication. Two different medications later, still no change, so I quit taking it. This time they checked it, it was 184. That was a 58 point drop! I was dumbfounded.
With all of that being said, I am feeling very blessed. I've accomplished things I never thought I would...especially at 42 years old. I believe that with God, all things are possible. I feel good and I'm going to keep on going!
Matthew 19:26
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
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