Meeting a Flat Stomach For the First Time

I awoke this morning feeling pretty darn good, a little hungry, but good. I did exactly what every wellness expert would advise you NOT to do and jumped on the scale (like I do every day because obviously if you tell me NOT to do something....you get the point). I was pretty much blown away by the number that I saw staring up at me. I was seeing a number that I haven't seen in probably oh, like 15 years or so.  Not only did that number stare up at me but something else was different: My baby belly, which has been with me every day for the last FIVE years, was not there any more. The bloated, saggy, mommy "pooch" belly was gone. It is gone. It is gone. It is gone. I have not done sit ups for months and it is GONE!

I've said it before and I'll say it over and over again while I do this challenge: I am NOT trying to lose a bunch of weight. I am trying to rid my body of toxins and other "junk" so that it can absorb nutrients and vitamins and minerals at maximum capacity, helping me to tone up my muscles and become stronger and healthier all around. That being said, I was pretty darn thrilled to see that my weight this morning was just under 130 pounds and my stomach was FLAT! It amazes me to think that after having four children in the last five and a half years, that I am healthier and thinner than I've ever been in my ENTIRE life!

At my heaviest in college (beer + pizza = not good) I weighed 45 pounds more than I do right now. I remember running one summer when I was at UNI and when I got to about two miles, I had to stop and throw up in someone's yard. (Sorry whoever lives on the corner of Iowa and 18th St.) Now, at 31 years old I am training for my second half-marathon in the fall.

I always used the excuse that I was just bigger because it was genetic. Well guess what? NOT TRUE! Once Michael and I got married I learned that if I just ate differently that I COULD be thin and I COULD keep it off easily. The thing that clicked with me and helped me to lose weight and keep it off these last few years:  DO NOT EAT UNTIL YOU ARE FULL. Eat a sensible amount of food and then stop for Pete's sakes! I can remember as a kid and young adult eating until my stomach physically hurt, until I honestly couldn't take another bite. Now I just eat slowly, listening to my body to clue me in when I've had enough food instead of waiting for that awful, unbutton-your-pants-cuz-you-ate-too-much feeling.

Now I know that I have some advantages here: I an NOT a food lover. I do NOT like to eat out. I am NOT a pies/pastry/cookie person. I LOVE veggies. I am completely satisfied with having a mushroom burger instead of a T-bone. I DO however have my downfalls and plenty of them; potato chips, pop, bread, ice cream...and the list goes on and on. I of course indulge once in a while and eat some of my favorite junk foods but I always keep this in mind: I EAT TO LIVE. I DO NOT LIVE TO EAT.

I know that there are those of you that struggle and that have much different issues with food than I did. I know that losing weight and getting healthy is a different and difficult journey for everyone. I just hope that by sharing what worked for me and what continues to work for me, that it would help someone else with their weight loss and fitness goals.

Wishing you ALL success in your journey to better health and happiness....

Lindsey