Day 136 - A Second Wind

Autumn. It's my favorite season and, by sheer luck I think, we're having a long and gorgeous one here in northern Illinois. Usually, we get 3 decent fall days; the rest are rainy, overcast, windy, then snowy winter blows in. This year, it's amazing and I know I am not the only one who's grateful.

For me, autumn is my season in all ways. I love wearing comfy jeans and flannel pjs, over-sized sweaters and fluffy socks. I love to walk through red-gold leaves and actually enjoy raking them into piles for my son to play in. The apples from the tree in our backyard make great additions to nearly every meal and the squirrels that nest in one of our trees make for free amusement all through the day. I pile my favorite comforters and blankets on the bed and start preparing the fireplace for a long winter of use. Trips to the orchard are a must and soups, stews, and our favorite Weight Watchers Chicken Pot Pie become every day fare. Can you tell I LOVE autumn?!

Autumn is also a time of change for me. Every year around this time, I feel myself change both physically and mentally. My attitude, my moods, my choices (both activity and food) shift dramatically... some for the better, some not. It seems that the end of summer is not my friend and it takes a couple of months to "pull myself together". If you've read my previous posts, you know that my life has undergone some serious changes in the last few months; changes I never could have predicted. My weight loss was put on the back burner as my energy went in a million other directions. Being a bit of a control freak (Yeah, I admit it), this chaos, both internal and external, has been maddening to say the least. Still, I knew that there is an eye to every storm and a light at the end of every tunnel. As the Wilson Phillips song goes "Hold on for one more day" and so I have. While there is still chaos in my life, I have been able to (finally) wrap my head around the situation (mostly) and putting one foot in front of the other has become easier. Life is progressing and I'm trying each day to clear my path little by little. I'm blogging again. That's a good sign, right?

I have started to bring my weight loss efforts back to the top of my priority list. While it still won't be number one until jobs come back into the picture and we are more financially stable, it is no longer buried at the bottom of the heap of issues to be dealt with. Yesterday, that included some healthier food choices: 1.5 liters of water, egg white omelet with veggies, plain non-fat yogurt with chopped almonds and honey, small glass of orange juice, side salad with dinner, small bowl of fresh berries, and a snack-sized McFlurry at McDonalds (to satisfy a week-long craving). While I did indulge with a burger and a few fries at our local Red Robin (sooooo good! 1st burger in months!), I felt good overall in my decisions throughout the day. Definitely a step up from the cookie-and-pretzel feasts I've been having off and on for a month now.

This morning, I did 2 things towards living a healthier lifestyle... the first was catching up on my blog reading. I have found so much inspiration, support, and comfort (and more than a few laughs and tears) within the electronic pages of blogs. I realized, as I read entry after entry, how much reading (and writing) blogs meant to me and how much of a positive effect they have on so many aspects of my life (more on this in a minute). I must find a way to work both the reading and writing back into my schedule asap.

The second was making myself a healthy brunch (as it really was too late to call it breakfast). I chopped up some fresh mushrooms and a fresh tomato from my neighbor's garden, scrambled them up with some egg whites and a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Yum!! Added to that... a Thomas' Light Multi-Grain English Muffin (such a great value!) with a little Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese (thank you Gina!) and a small glass of orange juice. I'm now snuggled up in bed next to my napping son (he's not feeling very well and needs Mommy), sipping my coffee (Highland Grog flavor with Splenda, Coffee-Mate Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel creamer and a little Silk PureAlmond almond milk) and writing this. Feeling full, warm, and happy. :)

By the way, the reason I'm writing about name brands (with links to the products) is because these are products I use almost every day, that I believe in, and that I want to share with you. I have received nothing for these endorsements. They are purely from me by me to you.

The Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese recipe is from one of my favorite sites: Gina's Skinny Recipes. Whether you're on Weight Watchers, looking for healthy recipes, or just want to make something tasty, this is an excellent site!! I have found recipes that my whole (picky) family will eat, including a meatball recipe with spinach that even my son will gobble down. Mr. Non-Veggie and Little Mr. Non-Veggie (i.e hubby and son) both like these recipes and for me, that's a total WIN!

I spoke earlier about inspiration from blogs. Below I'm linking three blog posts that I read this morning; each of which have spoken directly to me in regards to, not just weight loss, but my life in general. These posts are (imho) powerful and bring clarity to areas of my life that have felt very convoluted lately. I have bookmarked them, so I can return over and over again when I may feel down or scattered or otherwise off-track. I know this is only three and I expect to add more to this list over time. For now, I really wanted to share them with you. I hope they will touch you as deeply.

     * Mrs. Fatass - Time For a Comeback - Finding your "second wind".

     * Seattle Runner Girl (via guest blog at Shrinking Kenz's All the Weigh) - Motivation vs Determination - There is a difference.


      * Loretta (Rettakat) - So What's Wrong With Hard? - Never said it was gonna be easy...


Well, that's it for now. I'm hoping my next blog will include an update on hubby and I finally getting our YMCA membership. Woohoo! The Y is wonderful and is working with us through their Financial Assistance. My wonderful mother-in-law will be covering the monthly fee. If all goes well, I'll be back in a pool within a month, swimming laps for the first time in 7 years. With my recent diagnosis of plantar fasciitis (heel spur) in my left foot, my dreams of running are (for the moment) all but gone, so I'm pinning my hopes on swimming laps. I take finding my old size 16 one-piece swimsuit as a good sign (it barely fits, but it's wearable).

My family already has plans to get me back into Weight Watchers as soon as the first job is landed here at home, so please say some prayers for us. I'm hoping to wrangle $13 out of what we have and go to a meeting, if anything to just get an official weigh in. My home scale is saying I'm around 228-229, but it's not the most accurate. Besides, it'd feel really good to be back at a meeting, especially this time of year.

Until then, I'm going to try and post more often. Blogs and blogging are so very key in my continuing success in both weight loss and keeping my sanity. (only 1/2 kidding on that last point) I hope to write again soon.

Ok, really going now. Son is up from nap and it's time for some Mommy-Son time in the playroom! Thank you again for reading. :)

~Heather