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Have you ever had a day when you had to drag yourself out of bed?  That was my morning yesterday. I just couldn’t get my body moving. Koda and I even delayed our walk until mid morning, because I had little energy. It seems my body was trying to tell me something.

I know I’m making changes. We are such habitual creatures. Over these 21 days I know that I’m creating new habits with a new eating and exercise plan and that changes in how I feel are to be expected. I just want them to be positive changes!

The biggest thing I’ve noticed over the last week is that I have less energy and I’m not hungry. Yet, I still think, “Hmmm, it’s noon, I should eat lunch”, or “Time for a snack”. In the past, I’d go get something to eat- even when I wasn’t hungry! From that, I put on additional pounds from food that my body didn’t need.

It’s really interesting to me to see how little we actually need to eat to stay alive and thrive. When I look at my food diary at the end of the day and see about 12 pieces of fruit or veggies all day, it seem like so little. Don’t believe me? The next time you reach for something to eat, ask yourself,  “Am I really hungry, or is this just a habit”?  It’s really quite freeing to make conscious choices that will improve our health and  self image.

While I don’t expect that after 21 days I magically won’t ever crave another chocolate chip cookie, I do expect that I’ll be conscious of the habits that I used to have, in addition to the new ones that I’ve created. I’ll make healthier choices  without thinking twice about it.

Last night was a big test for me as I attended a party at a friend’s home. There was an amazing spread of food from appetizers to main dishes to an entire dessert buffet. Interestingly enough, with all of this food, my fruit salad was the only thing there that was either a plain fruit or a vegetable. Everything else was some gourmet dish with cheese, sauce, etc. It looked very yummy, but at the same time, I was surprised that with 50 dishes there, I could eat only one.

Part of me felt deprived and another part of me felt grateful for the fruit. As I sat with friends who were eating a plate of brownies and cheesecake, my taste buds were yearning for what they had. Who knows, maybe after a period of time I’ll no longer choose to eat sugar and dessert items, but tonight the variety of food looked great.

I feel like this experience has made me more of an observer of myself.  I’m watching what I’m doing and paying more attention to how it makes me feel. It’s as if I’m learning and seeing things for the first time.

I’m still happy I’m doing this, but the weight loss is going much more slowly than I anticipated. In the last 5 days I’m  only down one pound!  It feels like such a sacrafice to just eat fruits and veggies. I miss grains and fish. I’m also really tired, so I’m not sure what’s going on there either. I’m normally so full of energy and I just don’t have it this week.

For the first time in recent history, I took a nap yesterday afternoon. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open! I’m going to do a bit of research and see if this is the plan for me. I don’t like feeling so down and sleepy. I’ll keep you posted. Yawn…..

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Gail Lynne Goodwin is the founder of InspireMeToday.com, bringing the best inspiration to the world. InspireMeToday.com provides free inspiration, each day from a new Inspirational Luminary, to a global community of folks from over 150 countries. Gail has interviewed many well-known names including Sir Richard Branson, Guy Laliberte, Seth Godin, Tony Hseih, Gary Vaynerchuk, Michael Gerber, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and hundreds more. According to Mashable, Gail was one of 2009's Top 25 Most Inspirational People on Twitter.

Prior to InspireMeToday.com, Gail spent several years as manager for her recording artist daughter, Carly. As a result of the success of their co-penned song, "Baby Come Back Home", Gail accompanied her daughter to bases in the US and to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where Carly performed for our troops. Gail and Carly created the 'World's Longest Letter' of love and support and delivered the 18-mile long scroll on a month-long tour of Iraq and the Persian Gulf in 2006.

Gail is excited to present her latest course, Love in 21 Days, a step-by-step guide to finding love online. Love in 21 Days is founded on a logical process that has been tested - and proven! - by not only Gail, but also by students around the world who too have found love.

Gail is a published author and a regular writer for the Huffington Post. She offers mentoring and mastermind services to clients worldwide from her home in Whitefish, Montana. Follow Gail on Twitter or Google+.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. We’re going through this at the same time. I started Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet on Aug. 1 I, too, hit a “how-did-I-let-this-happen?” low in March. I’ve dropped most of the weight I wanted to lose, but I yo yo like Oprah. For me, the challenge isn’t losing the pounds; it’s *keeping* them off. Complacency is the enemy of long-term success.

    I wonder if your fatigue stems from not getting enough protein? A little low-fat cottage cheese may be the Rx.

    Anyway, hang in there! I’ll egg you on if you’ll do same for me.

    1. Thank you Beverly! Let me understand what you wrote- you started 8/1 and you’ve dropped most of the weight you wanted to lose? How did you do that in 6 days? WOW, please share your secret!

      I too am wondering about the protein. Planning to talk to my doctor friend later today… I’ll keep you posted. Thanks and hugs,

      Gail

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