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Year Three, Day 365: The End of Year Three!




Happy Mother's Day to all mother's out there!

It is a beautiful, sunny day in Portland today!  My day started out on a high note. As I sat at the bus stop, on my way to church, I took out my cell phone. I was still determined to beat my son-in-law at Words With Friends.

That little rascal has beat me at nearly every single game so far. But I had a new strategy.  I learned from him. That little rascal!

Anyway, a few minutes before the bus pulled up, I played the final tile and won!  Final score:  Me 370, Rascally Son-In-Law:  348!

I about did a happy dance right there on the sidewalk!

Victory is sweet!

But as the day progressed, I sunk a bit in my spirits.  Now that I have won, I feel like I need to get back to real life.

I do fear that this game is an addiction. A means of escape. Like binge eating or binge television. Is real life so painful that I really need to escape. To numb?

Luckily, I got a phone call from my son and his girlfriend. They both wished me a happy Mother's Day.  He stopped by on Friday and gave me a beautiful rose.  These little acts of kindness from my adult children warm my heart.

Then I got a ping on my cell phone. My daughter sent me my morning collection of Baby Gracie pictures.

And another ping. My mother sent me a Happy Mother's Day image on her cell phone. She learned how to copy and send a picture!  It was the one I sent her earlier, but still!

With my heart warm from loving family interactions,  I made it to church. I am so glad I did. I received much needed inspiration.

I am in need of inspiration.  Tomorrow begins year four of my blog.  I am currently sitting at a computer at the library.  Looking through old blog posts.

At the beginning of Year Three, my post reflected how far I had come in 2 years.  My weight one year ago was 190 pounds.  Today I weighed in at 187.

Here is the post:  http://soulrunnings.blogspot.com/2017/05/year-three-day-1-new-beginning.html

At least I have not gained!  I have managed to stay under 190 pounds for the past year.

Admittedly, I have yo-yo'd. And I still struggle with anxiety and depression.

My daily routine has helped.  Especially daily Bible study, prayer and journaling.

So, yet again I am focusing on eating patterns for year four.

My daughter is doing a 30 day weight loss challenge at her church.  There are prizes involved for the biggest loser. She could win $900!  She is highly motivated to lose her remaining pregnancy weight and she and her husband could certainly use the money, since they are moving out of their trailer into a cute little apartment in June.

The eating plan is similar to paleo, but lower in fat.  She told me that 2/3 of every meal is to consist of vegetables, especially green vegetables, and 1/3 of each meal should be lean protein. No dairy, except for a little yogurt. No fruit, except an apple a day.

Pretty extreme. But she has lost 6 pounds in 6 days. Almost at her goal!

I am not in a hurry to lose weight. But I would still like to lose more. I think it would help my energy level. And my aching bones.

My new goal for this year is to lose 37 pounds.  I need to be more disciplined with my diet, for sure. I am still gluten free. But I am going to go back to reducing grains.  Low sugar.  No dairy, except for a bit of yogurt.

I have been packing raw veggies; i.e. celery, radish, cauliflower and broccoli and a small container of plain Greek yogurt mixed with seasonings for my snack. And an apple.

I think an apple a day really does keep the doctor away!

For now, I am going to keep eating beans. They are inexpensive, and a good source of protein.

I plan to continue my daily hooping and walking. But after my upcoming performance, I'm going to start going to the gym again.

I have more incentive to improve my health now that I am a grandma!

I will post a more concise list of my Year Four goals tomorrow.

Now, I need to head to the store for apples and celery. And then home to practice!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Love,

Zita




P.S. Here is today's hooping video. Day 316!










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