Path to success....

I saw this on facebook and thought it was super fitting for my blog post today. First an update from the last few weeks. I got back on track July 1st with the plan of following a carb cycling program....3 days low carb followed by one day high carb. I have been playing with it all month to try to hit the sweet spot. I find that a carb up day every 3 days is likely too much for me. It sets me back and more importantly, I don't feel very good afterwards. My knees start aching and my PCOS symptoms come back almost immediately. I truly believe (as much as I wish this wasn't the case) that the way I am supposed to eat is lower carb all of the time. The research shows that for PCOS sufferers, this is the only way they should be eating and if I truly listen to my body, it is the only way I should be eating for sure. The good news is that I am down 10 pounds in July. Granted it is 10 pounds I had put back on but I am moving in the right direction. That makes me down 30 pounds so far and if I can release 10 pounds every month, I will be down 80 pounds by the end of the year. Not 100 but better than a kick in the ass.....which is precisely what I need some days :)

July kinda sucked. It was a month full of stress and strife in all areas of life it seems. Work was crazy busy, home life was stressful, finances were in the toilet. August will be much better, I can feel it. It begins today with my beautiful mother's birthday and then my little bro's birthday is tomorrow:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUYS! LOVE YOU!

 

In a few weeks I have a weekend yoga retreat which I am looking forward to immensely. I need to start taking better care of myself and I think yoga will be a big part of that. I am still very intimidated by classes but I am hoping this retreat will help to build my confidence. People around me are experiencing great success in so many areas that it is very inspiring.

• Krista and Lindsay whom I have mentioned before have reached new weight loss milestones and look amazing.
• My friend Dean has turned into a super athlete and is getting ready to compete in his first IRONMAN!
• My friend Roberta is moving outside of her comfort zone and beginning a new job in a few weeks.
• A new friend Glen, has transformed his health and way of eating after completing a candida cleanse.
• My friends Jamie and Jodie have moved their life to another country on a quest to heal and grow, I think that is so brave.
• Our dear friends Jim, Jane and Jack are living out their dreams of travelling the world and just began a stint in Vietnam.

 I am surrounded by people who are kicking ass and taking names. How can I not find hope and strength in that? Which brings me back to the picture I posted up top. Success is not a straight line. We are all on our own path and that path gets tangled up and messy at times. We veer off course but we don't give up, we change our strategy or just recommit to the process. The important thing is that we keep the end goal in mind and continue moving in its direction. Sometimes you have to experience failure so that you know success when it happens. These days, success is much more than just the number on the scale for me. It is feeling my clothes getting looser. It is making food choices that heal my body. It is having a treat and not beating myself over it. It is because of the failures on the scale that I have experienced oh so many times that I can finally appreciate the bigger victories.

 

So this journey to lose 100 pounds might not be the straight line to success that I envisioned at the beginning of the year but it is still my journey. My tangled, messy, confusing journey that is helping me grow each and every day.