Heavy Responsibility

Shhh! Don't tell Trey's parents, but my back is really complaining this morning.

When my mother stopped in for a visit yesterday, she picked up Trey and asked, "How much does this child weigh? He's heavier than a sack of potatoes!"

With that, DH received the child into his arms and headed to the scale, just to find out. We were not surprised: 27 pounds.

This week of caring for Trey - bending over to let him hold my finger, picking him up to play, lowering his sleeping body into the Pack-n-Play, putting him into and taking him out of the car seat, carrying him into stores - has been a terrific reminder exactly how much weight 40 pounds is...13 pounds more than I've been hauling around this week! In other words, a Trey-and-a-half. WHEW!

What physical reminders do you have how much weight you've lost?

Totally, Consciously In Charge

When 14-month old Trey heard the garage door open late yesterday afternoon, I wondered if he would be disappointed to learn it was Poppy instead of Daddy and Mommy, who have been away at a convention for three days - and not due back until late tomorrow night.

Au contraire! Squealing with delight, Trey jumped up and found comfort in his grandfather's arms for as long as he wanted. I'm not sure who was more content!

Learning to be content in new or unfamiliar environments is important for us who are developing new lifestyles. Exchanging self-defeating behavior with self-affirming habits makes dramatic changes in our weight, our health, our relationships and our lives.

To achieve permanent weight loss, however, Dr. Phil says we have to be totally, consciously in charge of ourselves and everything we do, think and feel. That's a pretty tall order for those of us who have lived unconsciously long enough and consistently enough to gain back the weight we once lost.

Caring for Trey while his parents are gone has been a good reminder how to care for myself: stay present, be in "the now," engineer the environment for desired outcomes, choose healthy foods and get enough exercise to make sleep come easy.

Quotes from The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

A Healthy LIfestyle Loves Company

Before I quit smoking in 2000, it was uncomfortable to be around friends who had quit. Truthfully, they probably didn't like being around me as much anymore, either.

Dr. Phil says if we hope to keep our weight off, we have to live the motto that "a healthy lifestyle loves company." My company this week is my 14-month old grandson - a precious example of a healthy lifestyle. Hats off to all you moms who are still chasing youngsters! But, wow! It's SO much more fun when I'm not out of breath every few minutes.

As we transform our lives (which is a lot different than "going on a diet"), there is a noticeable difference in how we engage the world. We have changed our momentum to create a life of energy, meaning and purpose - according to Dr. Phil.

"There really are no limits to what we can now achieve, nothing to push us down, because we look better, and live better," he says. "Continue to press on with an optimistic spirit."

Have a great week, everybody, and thanks for all your comments yesterday. I was overwhelmed!

Quotes from The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

Tuesday Weigh-In

Part of the joy of this journey is sharing good news.

Today, I'm pleased to report another successful week on the BestLife program - subtracting another two pounds and 1.75 inches - bringing the totals since January 15 to 40 pounds and 36 inches lost!

Thanks to all the other HYC Challenge bloggers, who have continued to be such awesome support! Here's a video to inspire us this week.

P.S. I've got a 14-month old baby grandson in the house this week, so posts will probably be short and sweet!

Home Again

Saturday was my last day to travel in other parts of Arkansas. Highlights included the stunning views from the Lodge at Mount Magazine, Arkansas's highest mountain, rising dramatically over 2,700 feet above the broad valleys of the Petit Jean River to the south and the Arkansas River to its north.

At the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain, we viewed the new President's Lodge accommodations and drooled at the opportunity to "get away from it all" in such a serene environment, where the biggest attraction is the lack of distraction. On the other hand, the facility is equipped with a broad range of outdoor and fitness activitiesthat once would have been off my radar completely, but which now look rather enticing!

Before I headed home, we visited Subiaco Monastery and Academy, where a group of Benedictine monks has lived for 130 years.

When I got home late Saturday afternoon, menacing weather made working on the computer an unwise choice. The good news is that by making healthy food choices and keeping exercise a priority, I still lost weight while I was on the road! BLING!

For Mother's Day, I got up before sun-up to practice the solo cello pieces I was scheduled to perform at my mother's church later in the morning. Following the service, DH and I joined mom and her husband for lunch. After a healthy meal, I spent the the rest of the day at their home, helping them plan a September driving vacation from San Francisco up the Pacific Coast Highway to Vancouver.

Back home with only enough time for a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood, I joined DH for supper out...after which, I crashed on the couch by 9 p.m. and slept until 9 a.m. this morning!

Tonight, my son and his wife arrive to spend the night and to drop off my 14-month old grandson for his first "stay-alone" visit while the parents - both new college graduates this week - attend a convention in Las Vegas. From now until Sunday, I'll be blogging on the fly!

To all my fellow HYC bloggers, my apologies for lack of comments last week. The schedule was grueling. I'll do my best to catch up this week while the baby is napping!

How Tweet!

Who would have dreamed how much I am enjoying the newly found freedom of exploring outdoors, now that I'm carrying around 38 fewer pounds?! On the phone yesterday, my mom reminded me how she hiked the Grand Canyon and rafted the Colorado River when she was
my age.

Yesterday's soft adventure included a birding expedition at Lorance Creek Natural Area, a deep swamp area that spreads out on both sides of Lorance Creek, just outside Little Rock, Ark. The entire system - owned by Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission - is a diverse mosaic of open water, bald cypress-water tupelo trees, beaver ponds and sandy washes overlain with swamp blackgum. All the features are interconnected by a complex system of streams and seeps which support a rich aquatic flora.

Walking the half-mile boardwalk with Allan Mueller, alias "Professional Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Searcher," we listened to a chorus of birds singing their springtime arias. Overhead, a lush canopy of foliage whispered a welcome as we wandered through the swamp-inspired symphony.

For these new experiences, I am truly grateful. For others yet to come, I am eager...especially those that may include a new bicycle!

What new freedoms are you enjoying as a result of your increasing fitness level?

The Payoff

Ask anybody: Would Rebecca choose outdoor adventure as a press tour activity? Until yesterday, the answer would have been a resounding NO!

Instead, in the elevator on my way down to the hotel fitness center yesterday, one of the journalists rolled his eyes at me, saying, "Oh, you're one of THOSE people!"

And at dinner last night, while discussing MY HIKE at Pinnacle Mountain, somebody else commented, "Oh, Rebecca, I'm sorry you got stuck doing THAT sort of stuff. Was it boring?"

On the contrary! For the first time in my LIFE, I was eager to EXPLORE! Except for a few pesky gnats, I was thrilled to be thinking about something other than whether I could make it back up the mountain after I had hiked to the base. I actually felt strong and confident I can do more of this sort of thing from now on.

NOW I can say, "I have been to the mountaintop, and I have seen the light!"

Now, if I could just win that bike...