Just Can't Keep Them On

So it is no secret that I have struggled with issues of weight for quite some time. Some of it was due to the growth and expulsion of three little people from this body, fairly close together. Ok very close together. But most of it is due to poor eating habits, lame coping skills, laziness, etc. etc. I have had a tenacious sweet tooth that has plagued me for quite some time, and rather than demonstrating some discipline and overcoming it, I have simply used it as an excuse.

My husband travels quite frequently, and so I am at home with three little people more often than not. Not so fun to cook for three little people, and then clean. And most days, by the time dinner rolls around, I'm beat and don't really want to do anything anyway. Needless to say, fast food and I had become bosom buddies, and my body was paying the price for it.

A few months before we left for Africa, I had finally joined a gym and was loving being able to exercise while my little people were being cared for in a daycare setting right there at the gym. It gave me no excuse to not exercise everyday, except when I was too tired or the kids were melting down or I just couldn't seem to get everyone moving in one direction at the same time. That seemed to happen frequently. But I was able to get myself to the gym several times a week, which felt very good. And then I discovered that a very dear friend was a drill sergeant, um...I mean spin instructor, so that provided even more motivation to be there.

Also just before leaving for Africa, I watched the documentary Food, Inc., which, while being very informative, was also very disturbing. I learned a lot about the food industry that I did not previously know and did not necessarily want to know. I will never be able to look at a McDonald's the same (which is probably a good thing), and have considered changing my diet to a more vegetarian standard, except that my husband is quite the carnivore and would not necessarily be a fan of that change. So then I began to think through ways to support a healthier, more organic diet, without busting the budget. This is typically not an easy task.

But I did discover Bountiful Baskets just before we left and am excited to get back to them when we return. I was also looking for various farmer's markets and ways to make my kitchen and home a healthier environment in general.

And then I came to Africa, where most damage I could do with fast food is a bowl of beans and some chapati from a local restaurant. Virtually every meal we eat is made from scratch, involving beans, rice, lentils (green grams), or various veggies. This is true organic cooking at it's finest.
So, between the illness that I had the first couple of weeks after we arrived in which my tummy rejected most everything that went into it, and the drastic change in diet, mixed in with the manual labor of life here, my waistline has begun to show the effect. And I am liking what I see.

Until the other day, when I pulled out my only pair of khakis that I brought with me here, and in bittersweet love decided that I could no longer wear them. The belt had been taken in a couple of notches until the pants were flowering out of the top like a cinched up potato sack. It was no longer flattering at all.

So I celebrated tonight by having a ice cream sundae at the local Creamy Inn. It was delightful.

I have had to resort to wearing mostly dresses now, as even my skirts have become quite loose on my waist, and they pose a great risk as little people like to pull on the skirt to get mommy's attention. Not a pretty picture when the said skirt is barely hanging on the hips.

I still have occasional tough moments when I just really am craving a chocolate bar or something really rich and naughty, but fortunately for me, I don't have the access to those things here as I would back home. So I am looking to have a few habits broken by the time I go to the states, and thinking of how I can continue in such a healthy lifestyle once I return, because that tends to be the trap.

This is a good start though, so I'll take it and rejoice in what victories I do have.

Hope yall have a blessed Friday and wonderful weekend!