The Holidays Are Over

I'm sure I 'm not the only one who can say that the holidays were hard on my will power. My determination and healthy eating plan went out the window most days. Of course I gained weight and now I'm working on repairing the damage.

I had really good intentions of staying on track during the holidays, but I just found the temptations too overwhelming. "I'll start over tomorrow," became my go-to mantra.

Now that the holidays are over, I'm trying to get back into my groove. It's not easy. I'm just going to be real with you, I don't want to do it most days. I want a magic pill that will just make all this fat go away. But, since that's not going to happen, I have to muster up some will power and push through one day at a time.

It has been a slow start. Most days start good, but more times than I like to admit, they end badly. I just am finding it hard to get motivated. I feel like there's no point in trying sometimes. That hasn't stopped me from starting fresh each morning though, so I must still feel like there's some light at the end of the tunnel.

I am starting "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst again. It really is a good book/tool to help with Godly encouragement. There is a book and devotional. I recommend them both.

I share this with you not to discourage, but to just be transparent and real with you. I know there are others who are going through the same thing and I want you to know that you are not alone. I'm certainly not giving up and you shouldn't either. This is a marathon, just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Fluid Retention and Weight Loss

I have been retaining fluid this week.  And, as I shared in my last post, my weigh-in this week was very disappointing with a five pound gain.  So, I did a little research and I found the following tips:

Diet Changes That Can Help Relieve Water Retention

• Reduce your sodium intake.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. 
• Drink up to eight glasses of water a day.
• Add 15 minutes of aerobic exercise daily, especially on the days you are retaining fluid. (Exercise reduces stress and promotes blood circulation, which creates a positive effect on your metabolism and this in turn assists the body in regulating itself.)

This morning I got up and did a 30 minute workout of walking/jogging in place, leg lifts, stretches and a little bit of dancing.  I hate watching a video to workout.  I prefer to either turn on some peppy music or just watch television and get moving.  

After my workout, I went to take my shower.  The whole time I was in the bathroom the scales were calling out to me.  So, against my better judgement, I decided to weigh again today.  (I usually don't allow myself to weigh more than once a week.)  But, it proved to be a positive experience; I had lost one and half pounds.

It was a relief to see a little bit of that gain was gone and it really gave me a boost of motivation for the week to come.

Till next time....God bless!