So, I finally did it... Lost weight that is. I recently decided that I am an anxious eater. Not an emotional eater, but an anxious one. And seeing that I am anxious just about all of the time, that means I pretty much eat ALL OF THE TIME. I finally got sick of looking at pictures of myself with my face all porked out and realized that unless I want to be obese before I am 40, I had better change some old habits before it is too late. So I started with soda.
My addiction to Dr. Pepper is a funny story, really. Growing up, my parents RARELY took us to eat out, and anytime we went anywhere, we got water. Not soda. So, it seems rather funny that within three years, I got to the point where I couldn't live a day without at least 21 ounces of what I fondly referred to as "the nectar of the gods." When I was celebrating a big occasion: Dr. Pepper. When I was depressed: Dr. Pepper. When I was stressed: Dr. Pepper. When I had a headache: Dr. Pepper. It became my cure-all. I truly believed it was the fix for everything, the solution to all of my problems!
My road to recovery has been a long process. I tried weaning myself off the addictive substance slowly... That didn't work. I tried going cold-turkey. Nope, no luck. In fact, I'm not quite sure how I have made it as far as I have, with a full 5 months sober. Maybe it was because I gave myself an incentive. I told myself that for every 30 days I went without pop, I would go get a massage. Maybe it was because my life was so incredibly stressful the thought of an hour of free-relaxation time with someone rubbing the craziness right out of me beat me into a soda-free submission. But whatever it was, it worked.
Unfortunately, I didn't lose a ton of weight quickly like I thought I would for giving up my beloved drink. I was disappointed and discouraged. But, once school got out for the summer and I actually had time to think, I devoted myself to the gym at least three times and week, and I started a diet. I was hopeful, but not overly hopeful. I had tried this diet before without much luck (probably because I was drinking Dr. Pepper instead of water that whole time!), so I didn't want to be too optimistic. My goal was to lose weight the healthy way: 1-2 lbs a week. And guess what?! I have actually reached that goal.
I have had several bumps in the road and not followed the diet (I guess that is what anniversaries and road trips will do to you) but overall in the last 30 days I have lost a total of 5 pounds! It doesn't sound like much, and it was closer to the 1 lb a week than the high of 2 I was hoping for, but you know what? I will freaking take it! Even though I am still working on ridding myself of my despised love-handles and arm flab, I am proud of myself. I have stuck with something long enough to see results, and that is something I haven't really been able to say before. And you know what? I feel GOOD. I'm not about ready to climb Mount Everest, but the thought of walking long distances doesn't completely kill me anymore. Hip Hip HOORAY!
So, today in celebration I will do it the healthy way! By staying in bed til noon blogging, then hitting the gym! :-)
On a side note, I thought I would post an update on my summer to-do list, because I was thinking about that the other day and realizing how far behind I am getting and how much bigger that list is becoming. So far I can cross off:
-cleaning out my closet
-reading "Man's Search for Meaning" (INCREDIBLE book by the way!)
-some of my spring cleaning
-booking my dream vacation to Jamaica (which I am totally stoked about and leaving for in less than two weeks!!!)
-taking some time to go visit family (and playing Zilch all weekend until I finally won a game!)
Whew. A few days before school got out, my sister and I said that we wanted to make a summer bucket-list. I think that will be my next project. I need a summer of fun to keep myself sane through what is becoming a summer of work for me. I will keep you posted.
