Day 29: Be Good To Yourself

Maya Angelou said “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” Truer words have never been spoken. It has been many years since I was good to myself and I never had any expectations when it came to others. I often felt used and abused and really it was because I allowed it. The good news is I’m taking better care of me nowadays and I can feel the difference. I’m less worried about what other people want or need and more focused on what *I* need first. It’s made me a happier person.

Today was Day 29 on Nutrisystem. I stepped on the scale for my Friday weigh in with the usual trepidation. Even though I’m sticking to the program I haven’t been eating the recommended amount of veggies on a daily basis nor have I been getting the 64 ounces of water they recommend each day. I am also often under the calorie count for the day and I’m not exercising. Those little variations are sitting in the back of my mind every day, ready to be used as excuses. When I started this journey I decided I would be completely honest and not make any excuses so I don’t know why I cling to that. Regardless of how closely I follow the plan I am the sole owner of the outcome ! NO excuses ! Do I still have a fear of of failure ? Absolutely ... because I know at some point I will have a week where I lose no weight or maybe even gain. Admitting that won’t be easy .. but it goes back to my Day 27 theme ... it’s ok to not be perfect ! I put so much pressure on myself that isn’t necessary.

Anyhow, I needn’t have worried ... I lost 2.6 pounds this week ! My total loss to date is 21 pounds so I couldn’t be happier. Slow and steady is going to win this race.

It seems the snow that has been hanging around this area finally blew itself out, after dumping over 3 feet north of me ! Mexico was spared all of the lake effect snow - we had nothing more than a brief snow shower late this morning and we had nothing yesterday or the day before. I’d say we got maybe 6 inches over the past 5 days. We did get the single digit temperatures but that is nothing new for this area. Temperatures have climbed out of the single digits now and will be much milder for at least the next week. I guess we’ll call that a tardy January thaw !

I ended up sleeping on the couch last night as I was too tired to even think about going upstairs to bed. This morning I was still not feeling well so I opted to stay home. I’m happy to say I feel much better now. It’s amazing what Tylenol, a hot shower and a clean nightgown can do for you ! Breakfast this morning was a 1.4 ounce 160 calorie Harvest Nut Bar. It was pretty darn good ! I had a piece of string cheese and black coffee with it. My morning snack was a chocolate shake and a slice of whole wheat toast with a bit of Brummel & Brown spread. Lunch was a 4.7 ounce 240 calorie Southwest Fiesta Melt with salsa and the brussel sprouts I cooked last night. My afternoon snack was another slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I also treated myself to a 70 calorie coffee drink - Keurig’s Cafe Escapes Cafe Caramel - to celebrate passing the 20 pound mark. No more treats like that until I pass the 30 pound mark ! Dinner tonight was a 10.5 ounce 240 calorie tub of pasta fagioli soup. I added the brussel sprouts left over from lunch along with some green beans and a couple teaspoons of romano cheese. This was a hearty and very good meal !

Nutrisystem sends you a stuffed bear as you reach certain milestones, along with one to celebrate reaching your goal ! So the 2 guys below should be on their way to me soon ! Let’s just say I hope to have a shelf full of them by this time next year !