Biggest Successes This Month:

I was still dealing with health issues during April, so I continued to focus on healing.   However, I found that listening to my body was becoming much easier and that resting and eating more healthily were becoming more a part of my life, rather than struggles.  I also became much more comfortable at staying present in the moment.  In addition, I completely stopped drinking Diet Coke, and my cravings for it have ceased.

Biggest Challenges This Month:

One of my biggest challenges this month was not getting caught up in buying food from one of the many diet programs that will gladly sell people lots of food to help them lose weight.  It was very tempting, but I realized that buying this food was a very bad idea for me for two reasons.  First, the food stays on your shelf for an unlimited amount of time and that’s rather scary (what are the chemicals being used to preserve it?) and secondly, and most importantly, buying such food didn’t help me learn to eat in the real world and make better choices.

Insights or Major “A-Ha” Moments:

I came to the realization that weight isn’t everything.  This insight opened up a lot for me – including having less stress.  I am now in the mindset of taking care of myself for my health; not just to lose a specific number of pounds.  I will likely end up looking better because of the actions I’m taking, but it’s not about the weight – it’s about my health.

Additional Thoughts as I Enter the Final Month of the Program:

This month, I diligently went back to the basics.  I had protein for breakfast every day (I had slipped a little bit in the previous month). I also started keeping a food diary again.  It’s amazing how much keeping that list keeps me both with keeping on track at staying within my daily point range and seeing just how many fruits and vegetables I’m eating.  I realize this structure works well for me and needs to be part of my life.

My Goals/Plans for the last Month of the Program:

My goal is to really cement all that I've learned during the past five months and make those habits my own.