Feel the fear ... and do it anyway!

[Lizz83]

I am probably one of the most out-of-place people on this board, being 29 and weighing 224 lbs as of today. Feel very much like an alien among all the fit people here but I also find that reading along and maybe bit by bit participating may help me to stay focused.

My relationship with fitness has been non-existent for the first 25 or so years of my life. I was the smart overweight kid, an over-achiever in academic pursuits but never quite feeling accepted or like I fit in with my peers. For a long time I told myself that I don't care about being obese, as this was really the only physical shape I have been in since puberty. But as my young adult life passes, I am becoming more and more aware of all the fun things I have been and am missing out on due to being obese and subsequently shy and subsequently introverted and subsequently socially awkward. And I guess I am also becoming a bit more responsible and wish to lead a long, healthy and as full as possible life. I have no health issues yet, which is a small miracle to be greatful for in itself but neither do I want to sit around and wait until they appear. One day I would like to have a family of my own and I am very conscious of the dangers that being obese or overweight brings along for that project.

Anyways, I hit rock bottom about 2 years ago and have lost about 50 lbs since and kept it mostly off so far. I started counting calories and got involved at gym classes with pilates, zumba and TRX, a bit of everything and enjoying the variety but not really able to stick with either beyond a month or two. Started C25K last summer but only made it to week 3. Overall, people have noticed the improvement and complimented, I wear smaller clothes and feel better in general so the slow progress has been worth the effort. However, I want more. More consistency and more consciousness in my food and workout choices. And I want to hit 30 feeling that I am on the right track to a fit rest of my life.

I picked up New Rules of Lifting for Women and started the exercise program as of today. I had a tough time even doing 60 degree push ups to a set of 15 so look forward to see if and how much improvement may be possible there in a couple of weeks.

My greatest fear is that work will overtake my fitness priorities - as has been the case in the past - and that I will spend my life working on projects that in my heart's heart are of no real importance to me instead of working on myself and thus towards goals that I care about deeply.

But I want to be stubborn and just do this program anyway because I am convinced that I can actually do it.

I do not feel like belonging here but I need to start out somewhere in order to be able to say one day that I do feel comfortable on these boards, and in the gym and in my life and like I could belong wherever I chose to.

Best wishes for all in achieving their own goals!

"If you want it you'll find a way, if not you'll find an excuse."

[frogisco]

Everyone belongs!! Way to go on having a solid plan. Don't give up pal. I did new rules(the original) last year and saw some pretty decent strength gains.....never read the womans version though.
Happy new year!

[Lizz83]

Everyone belongs!! Way to go on having a solid plan. Don't give up pal. I did new rules(the original) last year and saw some pretty decent strength gains.....never read the womans version though.
Happy new year!

Thank you for the encouragement. Happy New Year to you as well!

Mine has been off to a good start so far. I have been good this week with calorie counting and saw -2.5 lbs on the scale this morning and felt content with that start.

Exercising turned out a bit tricky after I strained by left quadriceps. It feels okay when moving about during the day but starts to hurt as soon as I do any lunges, so I am trying to keep it light on lower body and avoid exercises that put a strain on it.

I feel motivated and enthusiastic about making this work!

[krete77]

Interesting read.

Best advice I can give is to stick with it. Results come over time....besides short term, like 3-6 months, which you'll look 10x better...giving it 2 years will have you feeling and looking like a brand new person. And people won't recognize who you are.

Now that's something you want. Good luck

[Lizz83]

Interesting read.

Best advice I can give is to stick with it. Results come over time....besides short term, like 3-6 months, which you'll look 10x better...giving it 2 years will have you feeling and looking like a brand new person. And people won't recognize who you are.

Now that's something you want. Good luck

Thank you, I appreciate the advice. That outcome sounds as scary as appealing actually. But I am of a mind to believe the person whose profile pick indicates that he lives what he is talking about.

This week left me with mixed feelings. I am happy to be down 3 lbs, to see consistency and to have adhered to my calorie goals. And actually it was not as bad as I thought it would be, I haven't been really hungry through it. Though there was also a lot of distraction from work. That is the reason for the mixed feelings. It has just taken up more time this week than I care to devote to it, making me feel a bit grumpy. I exercised Monday and Saturday only this week. On the flip side, my left thigh did not hurt anymore even when doing weighted lunges or squats today, so perhaps the work-forced break from exercise has helped also in making the strain go away completely. So overall, I am happy. Also because with the scale moving downward I can motivate my dad better to come along (we have a weight loss challange open between the two of us until Easter). It will prickle his pride immensely if I take the lead in that and at this rate, I can definitely be there in about 2 weeks and looking forward to it!

[jrod67]

Welcome Lizz83 I am in the same exact boat as you. We can atleast say we did the right thing by joining the site. I am seriously here to change my lifestyle. I am 45 and 373 big ones so my journey will be long but worth it. I believe in you because you are here. Hope u find all the right info and people to help you along. Great place to be.


PS. I do not rely on the scale, I have learned over the years the sale has made me feel like a failure, and so do new years resolutions. That's just me. Hope you stick with us here and a year from now we both can show off our transformation. I know I have a 2 year journey just to get where I want to be,... which will then turn into a lifelong journey, but I know I can do it. These people here are amazing.

[Lizz83]

Welcome Lizz83 I am in the same exact boat as you. We can atleast say we did the right thing by joining the site. I am seriously here to change my lifestyle. I am 45 and 373 big ones so my journey will be long but worth it. I believe in you because you are here. Hope u find all the right info and people to help you along. Great place to be.


PS. I do not rely on the scale, I have learned over the years the sale has made me feel like a failure, and so do new years resolutions. That's just me. Hope you stick with us here and a year from now we both can show off our transformation. I know I have a 2 year journey just to get where I want to be,... which will then turn into a lifelong journey, but I know I can do it. These people here are amazing.

Thank you for stopping by and the words of encouragement. It would be great to compare in a year from now! Thank you for sharing of your enthusiasm and I wish you the best of success ( and stubborness to reach your body transformation goal!

[Lizz83]

So, this week has been overloaded. Work is getting to me in the wrong way, first signs of burn out showing, hurting people with snapping temper ... so must definitely cut back, grrrrr it all.
I have worked out only once so far this week and was 4/5 days over my kcal goals. I dread the scale. And feel ashamed because food is what comes to mind when I think of longing for some comfort. And also because I moan about that, being the girl with a company car under her backside, sitting in a heated seat and driving to work after 8 AM in snowfall and stopping at a street light where an old homeless woman lay bundled up in rags on a door step. I am actually very fortunate and tend to focus too much on what I miss instead of focusing on what I have. And I have a lot, must learn to remember it more often and to appreciate it more.

Tomorrow will be a better day. It must be. I will make it so.

[Lizz83]

Tomorrow, i.e. today has been a great deal better actually. Went skating for the first time in 20 years. It was terrifying and a lot of fun! Did well on my kcal goals.

Also got back to working out today. I am 7 workouts into the program now. Can do the 60 degree pushups with nice form and without trouble. I suspect that paying more attention and doing a longer warm-up helped to avoid injuries. I have started to increase my weights bit by bit, I started with 3.2 kg dumbells and am now at 5.7 kg, so there is some improvement. Exercising every other day is less frustrating than every day. Feels more like an achievable goal. I don't miss cardio.

Can I look like a new person in a year from now? What would that feel like? How will I handle all the unknown stuff when there is no more obesity to hind behind?

[krete77]

Can I look like a new person in a year from now? What would that feel like? How will I handle all the unknown stuff when there is no more obesity to hind behind?

Yes you can and will look like a new person.

I personally wouldn't know what it would feel like but I'm guessing that new parts of your life would be opened. You'd be able to bust through your insecurities and do things you thought you'd never do before.

You won't know how to handle all that unknown stuff until you get there. But that's what you want isn't it? One day at a time.

[Lizz83]

Yes you can and will look like a new person.

I personally wouldn't know what it would feel like but I'm guessing that new parts of your life would be opened. You'd be able to bust through your insecurities and do things you thought you'd never do before.

You won't know how to handle all that unknown stuff until you get there. But that's what you want isn't it? One day at a time.

Thank you. Must be patient and just do this consistently it seems. Being patient is the harder of the two.

[Lizz83]

Week 4 has been good overall though I realize that it could have been better. Had a mini holiday over Friday-Saturday-Sunday morning and was over my calories during it. Must adhere to calorie goals better. Canteen lunch during workdays is hard to estimate so I try to eat the full bowl of soup and only 1/3 of the main course + a small salad which is usually sufficient to make me feel full.

Scale showed -0.5 lbs this week and I got all 3 planned workouts in. Dumbells at 6.4 kg today. Still a long way to go until real push-ups but find myself very much wanting to accomplish those in time and wonder how long it will take. 3-6 months maybe? I don't know.

Level of motivation is high right now, there seems less stress ahead at work in the coming days so look forward to next week and some really good results.

[NatK]

Week 4 has been good overall though I realize that it could have been better. Had a mini holiday over Friday-Saturday-Sunday morning and was over my calories during it. Must adhere to calorie goals better. Canteen lunch during workdays is hard to estimate so I try to eat the full bowl of soup and only 1/3 of the main course + a small salad which is usually sufficient to make me feel full.

Scale showed -0.5 lbs this week and I got all 3 planned workouts in. Dumbells at 6.4 kg today. Still a long way to go until real push-ups but find myself very much wanting to accomplish those in time and wonder how long it will take. 3-6 months maybe? I don't know.

Level of motivation is high right now, there seems less stress ahead at work in the coming days so look forward to next week and some really good results.

Keep that motivation up!! Have a great week.

[Lizz83]

One month now into the change and down overall by 8 lbs so far. It has been not easy with all that has been going on at work but becoming a new person is important to me and I will see it through.

Calorie counting:
- works for me currently around 1500-1700 kcal/day, I can lose with that 1-2.5 lbs/week.
- I can keep that when eating a steamed veggie meal in the evenings and having a soup/salad/small portion of main course lunch at work.
- It has become easier to leave things on my plate during lunch and I feel fuller with smaller portions these days than before.
- I am eating no chips and much less sweets/chocolate. I still crave the spicy taste but can substitute that with spicy veggies and omlettes and can make do without the chocolate on most days. Not keeping temptations at home helps.

Exercise:
- Dumbbells: from 3.2 kg to 6.4 kg in 10 workouts completed in Jan.
- I quite like the program of New Rules of Lifting for Women. It is simple, few moves, so I don't get confused and have seen definitely improvement - 1 exercise occasion takes about 50 mins for me to complete.
- Tracking priogress really helps. I was skeptical at first if I really need that but looking back at the numbers from one month ago makes me realise the improvement and it good for motivation.
- I have learned that a longer warm up before starting and warm up before sets helps prevent injury
- In Jan I have exercised every third day statistically. I think I can and should improve that. My goal for Feb will be to get in 13 workouts in total.

Motivation:
- Hanging out here helps.
- Noticing the prejudice of people towards overweight people in their language helps.
- Defining this as a challange for myself helps.
- Picturing myself lean and confident and healthy for a long time helps the most.

Keep that motivation up!! Have a great week.

Thank you NatK, I am determined to do my best! Have a great week too!

[Lizz83]

I could not focus as much as I wanted on weight loss this week. Still down -1.5 lbs, so a very pleasent surprise!

This week has been on the weekdays about crying - anger - crying - calmness/numbness of desperation - crying due to overload at work. Maybe this job on such high level of complexity is not for me. I feel to have lost control over my work project and don't know how to get it back. If 12-14 hours of daily work result in zero output in terms of difference making, I am probably in the wrong place to make a contribution. Such thoughts are crowding my mind these days, and this preoccupation pushes weightloss into the background.

Eating:
- I binged 2-3 nights (chips and chocolate, definitely stress eating and a sense of "I don't care anymore? Why care anymore?), ate two full lunches and still lost weight??? This is hard to grasp, because in previous weeks I did a lot better (on eating and exercise) and still lost the same or not at all, but I suppose that is part of the fluctuation.

Exercise:
- I worked out only Monday night, as things got progessively worse during the week at work, I was not interested in it anymore, or much of anything else for that matter. Will do another session today. Dumbbells: at 6.9 kg currently and I think that is about at the limit of what I can currently do, so do not expect to progress soon from this. It sounded very strange to me when previously I read that I would feel/be able to determine for myself the right weight to work with a would know when to change and how much, but I think I am starting now in practice to understand this concept.

Motivation:
- I want to do fun things, to lose the weight and be considered normal/average and be more involved in life.
- I had a colleague comment this week positively about my weight loss - but I guess she just wanted to cheer me up, I do not see progress myself.
- Well, that is not quite right, I saw progress with a blouse this week. I had bought it while still a student years ago and even then it never fit but it looked lovely and seemed like a great bounty at the second hand store for a student's budget so I bought it anyway, hoping that one day perhaps it would fit. And I was able to wear it this week and was very pleased with that! :-)

[vanessa40]

Good Morning..
I am so happy i found your journal because you sound a lot like me about 10 years ago. I am 5'2 at at my highest weight i was probably 230. I stopped weighing myself after i hit 225. I was depressed and wanted to lose the weight. I had become a hermit and wanted to get out and do things.

I started out slow,cut out all the junk..man i was a Little Debbie snack cake fool and Mt. Dew..not the diet kind was my drug of choice. I adore the Code Red..but i had to let that all go. It was green tea,water with lemon,lime juice and more fresh veggies,salad and protein.

My workouts i really had to start slow being so short and overweight is hard on your joints so (and please don't laugh too much) i started with the Richard Simmon Sweating to the Oldies video's and walking every early in the morning because i didn't want all the slim running people to see my big fat butt (i still have theses issues today)
After i lost down to 160 i started running which i still love to do off and on and finally weight lifting.
I do all my workouts at home because it seems no matter what my size i just don't like the gym. Too many people..i hate to wait to workout and yes the whole people watching me thing too...lol

So i did lose down to 118 at one time but now Lord help me i am back up to 141. It's always been and up and down thing for me but i just wanted you to know you can do this from someone who has been your size.

Also something you wrote really hit home with me when you said you binge..i do too and the line about I don't care anymore..why care..whenever i binge i say the same thing to myself..it's like i try and try and nothing seems to work so what the heck just eat and feel good..the bad thing is yes i am loving the food at the time but after i feel 10x worse but still that has not stopped me. I try now to keep all the food i binge on out of the house.

I think it great you are here and have started a journal. This is a wonderful place with very caring and helpful people..
I have subscribed to your journal

Hope you are having a very nice weekend and i look forward to seeing more post..

[Lizz83]

Hi Vanessa,

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share your story. It was a really good reminder that I am not alone and that one can turn being obese around with determination and a step by step attitude. A lot of what you wrote sounds and feels familiar to me (not feeling really comfortable in the gym, around fit people, the feelings that justify binging, needing to start out very slowly with exercise) Congratulations to you and thank you for sharing of your experiences as an inspiration and comfort.

Hope you have a great weekend and thank you very much for your kind support!

It's always been and up and down thing for me but i just wanted you to know you can do this from someone who has been your size.

Also something you wrote really hit home with me when you said you binge..i do too and the line about I don't care anymore..why care..whenever i binge i say the same thing to myself..it's like i try and try and nothing seems to work so what the heck just eat and feel good..the bad thing is yes i am loving the food at the time but after i feel 10x worse but still that has not stopped me. I try now to keep all the food i binge on out of the house.

I think it great you are here and have started a journal. This is a wonderful place with very caring and helpful people..
I have subscribed to your journal

Hope you are having a very nice weekend and i look forward to seeing more post..

[Lizz83]

Last week's theme continued, feeling overloaded with tasks and pressure at work though keeping more practical hours than the week before. For the first time in as long as I can remember I put what I wanted (get home for Valentine's Day evening) ahead of what the work project needed (stay on and attend meeting into the evening hours). It was so worth it! My family tells me all the time not to care so much about my work, because work does for sure not care so much about me if I burn out, or fall ill, or ... or stay fat and a recluse because I do not pay enough time and attention to change that due to competing priorities at work. The latter one my folks do not actually say, just paraphrasing for something that is important to me. I think what is supposedly high on my priority list vs. the time I spend on it day by day has become really mismatched and I need to change that.

So the bad news: I am UP this week by 7 lbs! This is really scary.

Eating:
- It was comfort eating all week long, without paying attention to calorie goals. Not sure how else I would have made it through the week with current level of pressure, part of which I am putting on myself (idiot!) and low level of motivation to get anything done. I think this week is a good example though of what happens when I eat like I usually used to eat. People often say they feel like crap after eating yummy and unhealthy stuff. Well, I don't. I feel a little bit better while eating it. I tend to avoid the scale more, dreading to see it go up but otherwise, I don't feel like crap, physically and mentally it is just the usual disappointment in not having been able to stick with the goal I set for myself.

Exercise:
- None and neither did I care about it.

Motivation:
- Seems very hard to muster for anything these days and I am not sure how to get out of this rut. How to get a lust for life/weightloss/exercise/wanting things back.

[Lizz83]

So, my butt got kicked out of the rut today. Thank you to all who helped, like my amazing family and people who don't support me while wallowing in self-pity. :-)

I finally had the courage to take before pictures. Considering to put them on the fridge. I think it would be a very effective deterrent. :-)

Worked out today with a new routine and my arms feel like pudding. Vanilla I think. But at least the week has not passed without a workout this way.

And browsed around for some motivation for my pinboard. Will post it when I have enough posts to share pictures.

It is roughly 9 months to go until my birthday and I will to do this! Period.

[MoEcho]

Just read through your log. Good stuff in here!!

Reps for best journal title I've seen in a while

Cheers! Heidi

[vanessa40]

It's nice to see you back and i can totally understand about the stress. I don't work now but when i did and my daughter was young all i did was stress eat and gain.
The main thing that got me motivated and it's different for everyone is i just got sick and tired of bieng sick and tired. It was an effort for me to do things my friends and family had no trouble doing. Lord just walking up a flight of stairs about killed me. The thing is you have to want it for you and until you do there is nothing anyone else can say ..

To me the fact that you came here means you do want it deep down..
Is there an event or something in your life you want to do or lose the weight for.. Maybe a vacation..or a race you might like to try..i wish i knew what to say to help you more..i hope you find success.. .

[Lizz83]

Just read through your log. Good stuff in here!!

Reps for best journal title I've seen in a while

Cheers! Heidi

The Title is borrowed from a lady named Susan Jeffers, I read a book by her a while ago - not very impressive stuff but good intentions and it popped back to mind when I started this thread.

Thank you for the encouragement!

[Lizz83]

The thing is you have to want it for you and until you do there is nothing anyone else can say ..

So true. I think I am just learning now that I not only need to want it for myself, but I need to want it more than other things, like success in my work that I have been frequently putting before my weightloss and in a way before myself actually. It is still a process in the making but I can finally see a bit of light at the end of the priority struggle tunnel. The last couple days have been good with diet and exercise so I am trying very consciously now to go on like that until the weekend to complete a good week and feel like heading into the right direction again. And then one more day. And then one more day. :-)

Is there an event or something in your life you want to do or lose the weight for.. Maybe a vacation..or a race you might like to try..i wish i knew what to say to help you more..i hope you find success.. .

Thank you Vanessa for the support and for caring. This just reminded me that I have actually a date, my 30th birthday for which I would like to feel like someone on a good track for a healthy new decade, a fitter me. It is roughly 9 months away so using that time well now is also an additional source of motivation to me.

And now I am off to exercising!

[vanessa40]

It is wonderful to see you so positive. That is half the battle right there and i know..some days i feel so down and depressed but i find if i can just get myself motivated to workout i usually feel better. When my daughter was young and i was working i put everyone ahead of me. It was so hard to find any time to just sit down let alone workout. But now that she is in college i see i can still find other reasons not to workout...lol.. It's one day at a time. Hope you had a great workout

[Lizz83]

This week has been much better! Finally started to keep normal hours at work and feel more in control of m life outside of it. :-) I think I have come to a break-through in mindset of how to handle the pressure and tasks in a different way and that really helped to finally calm me down.

Eating:
- Was really good this week. I stayed below my calorie goals 4/5 days. Cheated about 200 kcal on Friday. The scale shows the results, I am down about 4 lbs compared to last week (@ 217.8). Appreciate the confidence boost that by end of next week I can hopefully rectify the terrible week from before and enter March with new enthusiasm.

Exercise:
- Worked out 3 times this week. And promptly overdid it on my calves, so now resting them for a couple days.

Sleep:
- Adding this as a new category for myself to target
- Early rising worked 2/3 days, shooting for 4/5 next week.
- 8 hours/night will be a goal for next week. It means early bed times but I function so much better when rising early and feel much more energy during the day, so I would really like to work on my sleep pattern next week. I also noted that I sleep about 6-6.5 hours during the week and tend to catch up on weekends with 12+ hours. I will try to distribute this more evenly throughout the week.

Motivation:
- Is back on track. The pinboard was a good idea, my eyes wander to it often when at home. Also, putting the exercise tracking sheet where I see it every day, several times was a good idea. Focusing very much on one day at a time is the best idea for me so far. I am sad to say that skipping lunch at work also helps. This way, I am providing all the food I eat during the day myself and can control much better how many calories it contains. I miss the lunch company but my conclusion for the week was that the trade off has been worth it.

[vanessa40]

I am an early riser too. I go to bed by 9:30pm and i am up by 4:30-5am. I get either my run or other cardio in first thing. Sometime i will lift or i will brak it up and do cardio in the AM and lift in the PM. Yoga is great too. I don't do anything fancy. I have an app on my iPad and there is a free site online that is great too.
I have a log where i keep all my workouts too. It is great motivation.

I am happy that you are doing so well. You have a wonderful weekend

[Lizz83]

I did not post anything for Week 9 - the scale went up 2 lbs despite my best efforts and I did not feel like writing.

So this week I monitored my weight daily and realized that it can yo-yo from day to day up to 4-5 lbs. That sort of calmed me down and it helped to keep myself in better check. 6/7 days calorie goals were met, one day 500 kcal extra, I think this is one of my most disciplined weeks so far.

Sunday - 219.9
Monday - 219.5
Tuesday - 218.6
Wednesday - 217.7
Thursday - 219.1
Friday - 214.1
Saturday - 216.3
Sunday - 213.1

Another lesson learned this week: no sweets! I have traded all my sweets that I tried to indulge in moderately and within calorie limits so far for the occasional teaspoon of peanut butter, some days nothing. It is really hard for me to stop on those once I start, so now I try not to start. Taking veggies with me for lunch at works is the other secret to my recent kcal limit adherence success. This was I am trading approx. 800-1200 kcal lunches for a 250 kcal big bowl of steamed veggies and can distribute my kcal budget to far greater satisfaction throughout the day.

I also have corrected by now my lapsed week from February but it is very sobering to see that it took 4 weeks of doing reasonably well to make up for one week of out of control.

Overall, 10 weeks into the project and down 11 lbs.

Exercise, I have switched routines (bored easily) to all pro's beginner one and want to stick with this for now. I am curious to see if I can increase the weights after one cycle (5 wks). Worked out 3 times this week, so OK.

Motivation: I am 1 lbs away from my lowest weight loss weight in recent years, from then on it will be lowest weight since ... high school/early Uni years! Can't wait!

[krete77]

Glad to see you in the next competition. We just had this guy lose 60lbs in 3 months. Talk about motivation.

[krete77]

So, my butt got kicked out of the rut today. Thank you to all who helped, like my amazing family and people who don't support me while wallowing in self-pity. :-)

I finally had the courage to take before pictures. Considering to put them on the fridge. I think it would be a very effective deterrent. :-)

Worked out today with a new routine and my arms feel like pudding. Vanilla I think. But at least the week has not passed without a workout this way.

And browsed around for some motivation for my pinboard. Will post it when I have enough posts to share pictures.

It is roughly 9 months to go until my birthday and I will to do this! Period.

Sorry to hear about family not being supportive. That must be a killer..

I'd totally use that as motivation to show em up.

[Lizz83]

Life is good.

I have been having a really good and balanced week in diet so perfect occasion to dust off this journal after 5 weeks. Definitely heading the right way now. I measure weight daily and the fluctuations no longer bother me, more like interesting to see how my body works in this. The weekly averages are going down by 0.5-1 lb steadily week-by-week.

- I have been cooking a lot more lately and figuring out ways how to substitute traditional ingredients and it makes a great difference for me. I can enjoy a slice of cottage cheese cake with fresh strawberry sauce for 110 kcal and it tastes actually like a real, tasty dessert and is put together for baking in 5 mins and lasts me for 3 days!
- Switching from sugar to no-cal sweetener works very well in cooking and baking.
- Also paying more attention to have 5-6 small meals during the day and finding that I can actually pay attention to it and adhere to it on most days.
- Plates and portions have become smaller, I think it is now one-third to half of what I used to eat for a meal before and I already start feeling full.
- Also learning just now to stop eating when I start to feel full, even if my plate is not yet finished.
- Taking the stairs is becoming a habit
- I breakfast now every morning before leaving the house.
- Learning also to up my protein intake - not a chicken breast kind of person unfortunately - but finding good alternatives with turkey, cottage cheese, egg whites, milkshakes and occasional protein shake.

Small things all these but trying to list them just now makes me realize that there are quite a few that may in the end add up to the changes I feel in my clothes and see on the scale. They are still in progress for becoming habits (still need to pay consciously attention to most) but they have in common that they point towards the kind of balanced and content life that I want to lead, hence life feels good now.