My journey to health

So, most of you that know me may not know the transformation I started in the Spring of 2009.  It's probably more like an evolution, because I am still changing.  It started with a spark...I got sick and I quit smoking.  Yes, I used medicine as a crutch, but I am proud to say it's been a year and a half since I smoked a cigarette, and it's different this time.  I am a non-smoker for the rest of my life. 

Because of all my stomach issues/heart condition, the quitting smoking was a kind of catalyst for other healthy changes in my life.  I decided to re-join Weight Watchers to lose that weight that snuck up on me after quitting the cigs, and I made a commitment to myself, after losing 15 pounds, to change my dietary outlook and to make exercise a daily priority in my life.  After losing the weight and maintaining for a while, I decided that WeWa was a crutch for me as well, and I started journaling my food and focusing on the overall healthy picture, not just the amount of *points* something was.  With journaling, I am able to track my caloric intake, my calories burned, cholesterol, fat, carbs and sodium.  This forces me to look at the overall picture of my daily diet. 

Besides the fact that I am stalled out with the weight loss (I'd like to lose another 5 pounds), I am feeling so much healthier and I have not had a single flair up with my stomach issues in over a year.  I attribute this to all of the changes I made over the past year and a half.  I can't tell you how good I feel. So proud of myself, and of course fitting into size 2-4 clothes isn't a bad ego-boost either.  Larry, of course, is my biggest supporter and champion to the cause of getting healthy.  He kicks me in the ass when I want to dodge the gym-but he always does it so positively, encouraging me and telling me how wonderful I look and how good I'll feel to just get it over with. 

So here I sit, with 50 minutes left of work and all I can think about is the pizza and beer waiting for me at Rookies Bar.  I guess it's a good thing I really busted ass yesterday at the gym, because I had to earn that tasty treat!