Wow, I can’t believe I’ve made it to the “end” of my 30-day commitment to myself!  It hasn’t been as “perfect” as I had originally thought it would be but it has absolutely given me the kick-start I needed to get back into a healthier, more nutritious lifestyle!  In reflecting on the past month, I wanted to share what I thought went well and what I think I still need to work on.

What went well….

• I kept track of all my food and points in my food diary every single day (not just on the blog, but I actually have a notebook where I write down everything).
• I researched lower-points options and looked up points before eating some things to make a conscious and informed decision about whether or not I truly wanted to have it
• I was active at least 3-4 days a week
• I drank way more water than I had been
• I stopped eating sugary cereal (and don’t really miss it) and started my day off with a protein-loaded breakfast
• I cut back on sugar
• I really cut back on carbs
• I are way more vegetables
• I planned ahead for events that I knew would have many food temtpations
• I packed my own food when I went on vacations so I’d have some healthy options
• I meal planned and prepped food so I’d have something healthy on hand
• I tried new foods and new ways of preparing certain foods
• I attended my Weight Watchers meetings
• I didn’t let the number on the scale discourage me when it went up
• I allowed myself to have some treats without feeling too guilty
• I felt encouraged, determined, motivated, positive, confident, and happy 99% of the time!

What I will continue to work on….

• Seek more healthy recipes so I can eat a variety of healthy food
• Continue to cut back on sugar
• Plan ahead for treats – look up the points before having them instead of waiting until after
• Try new foods and recipes
• Obtain a healthy balance between treating myself and eating healthy
• Establish more challenging workout routines (maybe start running again?)
• Build healthy habits so that they come more naturally and don’t require so much conscious work and effort
• Track every single day in my food journal

With that being said, here’s how Day 30 looks:

Breakfast:  I finally found a granola that is not too high in points!  A friend of mine suggested this Nature’s Path peanut butter granola and 1/2 cup (which is more than enough per serving!) is only 5 points (not bad at all!) I mixed in 1/3 cup Source vanilla yogurt for a delicious and satisfying breakfast (and a nice change from bacon & eggs!)

Since we are leaving town tomorrow, I had a long to-do list today to get ready to go.  I started by tidying up the house, doing dishes, and sweeping the floors. After just those minor tasks though I was feeling really sluggish and tired (maybe not enough energy from my breakfast or maybe it’s the crazy humidity?) I drank some more water and took a quick social media/ TV break.

Lunch:  For lunch I ate my usual grilled turkey burger, sautéed vegetables (in a bit of EVOO) and a sprinkle of feta cheese.  The veggies were nice and fresh (I just bought them yesterday at the market) and were so good!  I topped lunch off with some more water and big slice of juicy watermelon.

After lunch, I had to tackle a job that I had been dreading, and that my husband and I have both put off for months – cleaning out our SUV!  While away last weekend, I noticed that the filth and dirt inside had reached an all-new high and I just couldn’t take it anymore, so even though it was 37 degrees with the humidity today (eek!) I lugged my cleaning supplies out to the garage and got busy!  An hour later, I was sweating like crazy but at least we have a nice clean ride ready to go when we set out again tomorrow!  Plus, I am sure I earned at least a few activity points completing this task!

After that job, I came inside and took another social media/water break (drinking water has made all the difference – I rarely drink anything else now, except coffee and a diet pop once in awhile as a treat!)  Then I got to work cooking and prepping some food my husband and I plan to take on the road with us.  I grilled turkey burgers (we’ll also take lean hamburgers), cooked a pack of turkey bacon, and cooked a container of bow-tie pasta to make a pasta salad with.  Then I chopped red/yellow/green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and red onions and packed them all in individual containers that will fit easily into our big cooler.  I also plan on taking: eggs, yogurt, granola, lettuce, salad dressing, feta cheese, coffee, cream, mini rice cakes, and a pre-bought meat & cheese tray (as a little treat).  We’ll probably eat a couple meals in restaurants as well and may have to re-stock on groceries next week, but this will definitely help us to save some cash while on the road and will help me continue with my weight loss goals!

After all that food prep, I decided to take another little break (I love the slow-moving days of summer!) so made myself a coffee (with cream) and sat down to check social media and watch some more TV.  Oh, I should also mention that I started another book  – Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and it’s really interesting so far!  I am really going to miss all the free time for reading when school goes back in!

Dinner:  For dinner, my husband and I ate leftovers out of the fridge.  He had hotdogs while I had some boneless, skinless chicken breast and made one of my taco salads with light Italian dressing.   My salad and chicken came to a total of about 8 points.

Workout:  We had another softball game tonight (we lost by just a few runs).  It was still pretty hot out so it wasn’t hard to work up a sweat!  This earned me about 6 activity points.

Snack:  When we got home from softball my husband I were both really hungry!  I wanted something filling and satisfying so decided to have another 1/2 cup of peanut butter granola and 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt – it totally hit the spot and filled me up!  Plus, I guzzled a bunch more water.

Well guys, that’s it!  It’s the end of my 30 days!  I still can’t believe I actually stuck to this (and blogged about every single day!)  I weighed myself this morning and I was down another couple pounds so I’m estimating that I lost about 10 lbs over the last 30 days!  I am really happy with that result seeing as in the past it would have taken me months to lose that much!  I have already noticed that my clothes are fitting better and I’ve already had to buy a few items in a size smaller!  My energy levels haven’t changed much but I think that has more to do with the lazy days of summer than anything (hopefully when I get back to work, I will feel the effects of better nutrition when it comes to having more energy!)  The biggest transformation though has definitely been on the inside.  I am so proud of myself for doing this and for seeing it through to the “end”.  I feel more confident and motivated knowing that if I can do it for 30 days, I can keep on doing it until this becomes habit.   I know it will never be “perfect” but that’s not what I am striving for.  I am striving for doing better.  I want to be mindful about how I am treating my body, how I am nourishing it, and how I am challenging it.  I know that that will take work and effort on my part.  But I think the biggest, most important thing to remember at the end of all this is that everything happens one day at a time. As I have mentioned in previous posts, in the past I always fell victim to the “all or nothing” mentality.  I’d always let one bad meal become a bad day, which would become a bad week, bad month, etc.  I thought if I couldn’t eat “perfectly” I might as well throw it all away and just not do anything about it.  Clearly, that was not working for me.

So now, after the last 30 days, I can honestly say I am excited and very motivated to keep going!  I’ve seen nothing but positive results this past month and if I am being perfectly honest, it really hasn’t been that hard (after all, I did indulge several times in the last 30 days!)  More importantly, I know if I keep working at it, one day at a time, I will establish healthy routines that will be good for me mind, body, and soul.  That’s the ultimate goal.

30 days complete!  I DID IT!