What a Difference a Year Makes!

(Excuse the double posting today, but I'm an optimist at heart!)

As I mentioned in the previous blog or family went to DC. If you have ever been to DC on a family trip you know you walk and walk and walk. We took the subway everywhere, which was very convenient but rarely did it drop you at a main entrance of anything. We did the traditional Smithsonians, Monuments, Mt. Vernon, the Capitol and even a daytrip to Gettysburg program. Very fun, put a lot of walking.

This active vacation made me put a couple things into perspective. First, it gave me a tangible milestone to go back to next year, wherever our family vacation takes us, to compare my weight too. I could really picture what I would look and feel like with a large weight loss and was really excited.

And secondly, much more quietly in my brain, but much more important, was the realization that one year ago I would have never been able to make this trip. I absolutely could not have done the walking we did. The pain in my knees and especially my heels last year would have kept me home. This year I tied up my decidedly un-hip tennies with every outfit and breezed through the nation's capitol, wincing at all these crazy people in $3 flip flops! I guess that makes me officially old. I'm ok with that!

Also, today is the 4th of July. As we were making plans to view our town's fireworks I remembered last year I didn't/couldn't go. We live in a lakeside community and my family had found a place on the beach they thought would be perfect viewing and it was. However, last year I knew I could not even be dropped off as close to the spot as possible and make it. They went without me and I could get out the front door and see a couple big ones from the street. I was very sad. But this year, since I've taken the necessary fitness steps, it didn't even cross my mind that I couldn't go or would need to be dropped off. I can walk anywhere! I'm still a long way from my ultimate goal, but life is so much better just from taking the steps I have thus far.

So as I continue to look forward with excitement that next year I will be 100 pounds lighter I'm going to be mindful to also look a little bit back and remember and be very proud of how far I have come already. Happy Fourth of July to all!

Deprivation Depravity

Ok, my vacation is over - my family took a trip to Washington DC for about 10 days and then after a week at home I'm back to the blog. (I did blog my vacation, which was fun and completely diet and exercise free - the blog not the vacation.)

I didn't watch what I ate during the vacation. I started out strong on the turnpike getting there, but then the first museum we visited had only McDonald's as it's food vendor. I haven't had McDonald's, since February of this year! It was funny, I had a cheeseburger and fry, I was really looking forward to the cheeseburger, but it turned out it was the fries that really knocked my socks off.

I don't want to go on about the details of my poor food choices because I don't want to make myself or any readers feel deprived. Because as I have learned this week, with my re-entry to healthy eating - I am not deprived by missing junk food, I was actually depriving myself by eating like crap for 10 days. The first couple days I went without junkfood were awful!

It sounds crazy to even me and I lived through it. The first day I didn't eat anything bad for me, (this past Wed.), I was nauseous, in extreme pain in every single joint and had one step below a migraine headache all day. Just ridiculous. Fortunately, I know this is how my body reacts when I take away all it's junk, but it still shocks me every time. Just like a heroin addict knows how horrible another round of heroin will be for him, I'm sure it sure feels a lot better to feed the craving. The stuff that is bad for you - whatever your thing is - sure does some weird things to your body.

Today - Saturday, I'm still fighting the headache but the other side effects are pretty much gone. I've written down in great and graphic detail how miserable I felt this time and plan to review it the next time I try to talk myself into a little Healthy Food Hiatus. I'm a slow learner, but I keep trying.