Day 200: Yes You Can

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

A short and succinct quote for today, the 200th day of this Nutrisystem journey. When I saw this quote I immediately thought of the medical professional who told me that "at my age" losing weight would be difficult. That was at least 6 years ago and I've never forgotten it. I wonder what she'd think if she knew I've lost nearly 80 pounds in the past 200 days, considering I'm even older now. I also wonder how many other people she discouraged with those careless words. I'm sure she thought she was being helpful and had no malicious intent but I wonder what she would think if she knew how damaging that comment was. Some people might have taken her words as a challenge and got right to work trying to lose weight, to prove her wrong. At the time I was just trying to survive, so I went the other way. I was pretty fragile so it didn't take much to discourage me. Maybe I just used it as an excuse. Regardless, I gave up even thinking about trying to lose weight and let the pounds continue to pile on. That's not her fault, but those words echoed in my mind for all those years. Today I'm proving that even "at my age" losing weight isn't impossible. Yes, it takes hard work and dedication but it CAN be done .. at any age ! Maybe it's not quite as easy "at my age" but I have no complaints. I feel like I'm making incredible progress ! Whenever I do get impatient with the process I think back to what she said, tell myself I'm proving her wrong and that I just have to keep believing in myself. Nutrisystem advertised up front that you can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week and as long as I'm in that range I have to be patient and keep doing what I'm doing. If losing weight was easy we wouldn't have such a problem with obesity in this country. I'll never forget how uncomfortable I was when Alex and I went to Italy for our honeymoon. We were literally the only fat people ! The only fat people we encountered were other tourists ! So there is something to be said for the Mediterranean diet. Restaurants in northern Italy did not serve the huge portions of food you see in US restaurants, but they sure did love to see you finish every bite ! Fast food was not a thing there and many people shopped on a daily basis, so they were always cooking with fresh ingredients. I don't know if I'll ever "love" cooking but I'm really going to try and cook for myself once I am ready to stop eating Nutrisystem at every meal. I may prepare things in advance and freeze them, but my own homemade frozen meals will always be better than processed foods.

Breakfast today was a 2.1 ounce 160 calorie cherry cheese roll with toasted marshmallow mocha coffee. Second cup was Kahlua. Morning snack was a 155 calorie chocolate shake with peanut butter powder. Lunch was a 4 ounce 220 calorie chicken fajita melt with raw carrots. Afternoon snack was 3/4 cup yogurt (90 calories) and a snack cup of mandarin oranges (80 calories). This left 495 calories for dinner and an evening snack. Dinner was a 9.5 ounce 260 calorie roasted turkey medallions with mashed potatoes and gravy. I also had a bowl of brussel sprouts dressed with lemon juice and garlic. Evening snack was a 1.1 ounce 130 calorie package of milk chocolate covered pretzels. Total calories for the day are 1095 and I got about 80 ounces of water in. Adding the lemon and lime flavoring made a difference !

Weather today was just awful, after such a beautiful weekend. Gray and gloomy and cool with rain on and off all day. I don't mind a cool day in the summer but 66 degrees is a little ridiculous for late July. The rest of the week is going to be warmer so I guess I just need to enjoy this little break from the heat. Tomorrow's high is only in the mid 70's. It was so cold in my office I had to wear my hoodie all day. I won't miss the ventilation system when we move out of there !

Got my workout done but it was a hard fought battle tonight. That inner dialogue of I can't and You Will was going on for much of it. Sometimes I think the fact that I'm a little full from dinner makes it more difficult. I've thought about exercising before dinner but then I'd be going to bed with a full stomach and that wouldn't be very comfortable either. I tend to be tired on Monday's too so that could be part of the problem. Regardless I got it done and as always I feel refreshed ! 

Next up is a warm shower and a soft bed !