People ask me “What are you doing to lose the weight?” I have to say it is primarily due to exercising CONSISTENTLY. In the past when I have tried dieting I was not as diligent at the exercise portion as I am now. I still have to motivate myself everyday to do it but once I do I feel great. Due to my schedule lately I have had to miss a couple of my work outs and I end up having a slight anxiety attack, not because of the contest, but I think my body might actually be going through withdrawal (only way I can explain it).
While eating is definitely an important area too, I find that I’m actually eating more food now since I have been participating in the Slimdown Challenge, because I’m making better choices. Instead of eating chips (my downfall) I will grab a piece of fruit or if I feel like I need some salt I will have some popcorn. Now this might be frowned upon but I have one indulgence I allow myself to have an ice cream sandwich, fudge bar or Juice bar everyday. These are all under140 calories much less then if I had a candy bar, cookie or cake. This also helps to keep me from feeling deprived and helps to keep any sweet tooth cravings at bay.
While some people keep an article of clothing to remind them of how far they’ve come, I’m going to keep a picture of my shoes. I bought my shoes after we were chosen for the challenge, somewhere at the end of May beginning of June. When I bought them they were navy blue, pink and white. Usually when I buy a pair of tennis shoes they will last at least one to two years, sometimes even three years. I have attached a picture of what my tennis shoes for the challenge look like now. This is just after six months. Pretty huh??? As you can see by the picture they are grungy, and it is hard to tell what color they originally started off at. To me, this will remind me of how hard I worked to get where I am today. It will be a challenge to keep up an exercise program in order to keep the weight from returning, but I know now, that I can do it.
