Inspiration and Motivation

I apologize for the hiatus from blog posts.  Truth is...I'm struggling with my own weight loss and haven't felt like much of a motivator for others.  I know we've all been there...plateaus, dead stops, can't get back on track...whatever you want to call it!

I do have one little thing I'm holding onto...a pair of jeans!  It's the first pair of jeans I bought after reaching goal weight in 2009.  Yes, I do still have them.  They serve as a good litmus test for my weight maintenance.  The GREAT news is they still fit.  They're a little tighter than I'd like, but still wearable.  So, things aren't all bad...but I'd feel better if I lost those few excess pounds.

Instead of a poem to end this post, I'm throwing out a challenge (or maybe a request?).  What poem, saying, quote, anchor, etc. keeps you going during times of frustration?  Would love for us to share in order to motivate and inspire one another!

"The Jeans" -- still able to wear them
5 years later.  That's something to be proud of!!

Being the Boss

I’m continuing to stick with my changes: smaller portions, increased activity, very limited sweets.  It’s a hard battle, as we all know, but it’s working little by little.  I am down 1.1 pounds this week.

I do feel like I should see bigger results.  We’ve all been there, haven’t we!?!  And, we all know that the last few pounds are always the hardest.  I need to remember that I started with only 7 pounds to lose, so I probably won’t see those amazing results you get when you first start losing weight. 

So worth it!

And, of course, it’s easy to get discouraged and give up, but I’ve done it before and I can do it again!  Kind of like climbing a mountain…it’s all up hill and a whole lot of work, but slow and steady will get you to the top for the amazing view.  In this case, the amazing view is me 7 pounds lighter! 

(Okay…so that analogy was a bit of a stretch, but I’m still on a high from my amazing hike this past week.  It was SOOOOO hard, but so INCREDIBLE.  Read about it in my other blog “The Chronicles of Betsy” (www.betsyinkorea.blogspot.com) )

My Own Boss

Victory at the Top!

I’m the boss of me

No one else can be!

I’m working it out

Won’t scream and shout.

Pushing on through

Till I lose a few.

Small changes I’ll make,

My resolve will not break.

Me giving up – NO WAY!

And that’s all there is to say.

Simply amazing!

Finding a Buddy

Time for my weekly check in…and it’s not good news.  I’ve managed to gain back the .9 that I lost last week.  So discouraging!  But I’m not going to give up!!

I need to keep up the activity.  I’m now walking to work in the mornings because the weather is so nice.  It’s about a 40-minute walk, so it’s a good way to start my day and get started on my activity.  I go to Curves when I can (that was only two days last week…ugh!).  I’ve been intentional about just walking more.  I’ll get off the bus a few stops before mine, so I need to walk more.  I ended up earning 42 Activity Points for myself last week, which is really good for me. 

I’ve cut down on the sweets and reduced my portion sizes.  In fact, I’m still getting comments and snickers from co-workers regarding my small portion sizes.  I’m certainly not letting that stop me.

Eating out continues to be a challenge.  It’s such a social thing here and healthy options are limited.  The side dishes are somewhat healthy, but there’s always rice and noodles…so many starches.  I ordered a chicken salad to split with a Korean co-worker last week (she’s the PE teacher, so she’s more health conscious).  However, the chicken came in the form of wings, the lettuce was drizzled with BBQ sauce, and there was a big pile of fries to go with it (sigh!).With certain Koreans, I’m comfortable passing up some of the food.  With others, I don’t want to be rude.  Such a fine cultural line!

Ready for a Bike Ride

I have found that having a buddy is offering me some encouragement and keeping me motivated.  After dinner and a movie with the PE teacher, we walked an hour to another part of town just because it was a nice evening.  One of my co-teachers joined Curves, so now I have more accountability on that front.  The trainers at Curves are also awesome.  They speak limited English, so it’s fun to communicate and teach each other.  On Friday, I went biking along the Taewha River with another foreign teacher.  We biked 27 miles roundtrip…earned 13 activity points that day!

Another friend from the States offered me some good support today.  She said after getting off schedule this summer, she hit the gym hard and consistently starting in September.  She said it took a good month before she started seeing results.  Good reminder to keep going!!

And so I do…keep going…I can do this…I  know I can (“I ‘think’ I can,” doesn’t belong here)!

A favorite trail I often hike
with a Korean coteacher.

 

The Buddy System

Losing weight –

It’s hard to do!

For me and for you!

If it’s hard to do,

why be alone?

Can’t do it on my own.

So I’ll get some help.

I’ll find a friend

So progress won’t end.

Two is better than one.

More fun to exercise

In order to reduce our size.

Hurray! That’s it!

The golden secret

To being more fit!