Weight and Other People's Pantries

I weighed in at 257.6 this morning. I am down 1.2 pounds! I worked out on the elliptical for ONE HOUR this morning! This is a personal record for me. The longest I have gone before was for fifty minutes. That has probably been at least four weeks ago. I burned 671 calories! The workout felt so good.

Now, onto the subject of other people's pantries. I have babysat for this family for right at three years. They are all normal "healthy" weights. My eyes really have been opened since having surgery to not only how I view food, but how I see that food impacts the lives of others. I am at their house at least once a week, but up to 7-8 times a month. I feel that I have gotten to know them pretty well. Here are a few things I noticed about them...

1. They have food that stays in their pantry for a long time. I'm talking "bad" type foods. Cookies...that will take them a month to consume (if they don't end up throwing them out because they are bad).
2. They eat fruit as a snack often.
3. Although the dad is a Chief Advertising Executive for a major fast food company, they maybe have it two times a month....if that.
4. They always have leftovers in their fridge. They seem very discerning about when they are full, and don't go back and get more just because it is there.
5. Physical activity is a part of their lives, but not a huge part. They exercise maybe two-three times a week.

It is just interesting to see the little things that can be done to help you achieve/maintain your goals. There are many things about myself that have changed since I had the DS.

1. I rarely have fast food. (Maybe 1-2 times a month. Usually that is chili from Wendy's or grilled chicken with no bun.)
2. Although I didn't exercise for the first 4 1/2 months, I am now a consistant exerciser.
3. When I buy food it lasts a whole lot longer. Granted my stomach size is much reduced, I could still eat a whole lot of something over the course of the day. I just don't do that.
4. Coke...I have not had a Coke since surgery. This is a huge deal to me. I was majorly addicted to Cokes. (I once calculated that based on the Cokes that I consumed each day, I had the potential to gain 54 pounds a year. How scary is that? What is even worse, after calculating that, it didn't make me stop drinking them.)

Surgery was not a major fix. Yes, it is a major help. I have to do my part. I really am trying.