Working on the Goal Weight

Green Monster Smoothies

When I started this challenge I decided that I would not look at the scales for a whole year. I was able to do that for almost 11 months. I stepped on the scales a few weeks ago prior to my trip to Colorado to check the weight of my suitcase. Since the suitcase wouldn't register a weight just sitting on the scales, I had to weigh myself first and then hold the suitcase and weigh again to get an approximate weight of my bag. To say I was a little shocked would be an understatement. I was at the highest weight I've ever been and let's just say I didn't like the number I saw on the scales. It was definitely higher than when I started. I think I had been in denial that since all my clothes still fit that I really hadn't changed much. With all the travel we did this spring and summer it was difficult to diet because we were constantly eating at restaurants. I figured I'd really concentrate on it when the travel schedule slowed down and I could fix my own meals. The time is here now.  As soon as I returned from Colorado I kicked "project lose weight" into gear. It started with a smoothie I'd pinned on Pinterest. (You can find it here) Hannah saw it and also pinned it and she was the one who tried it first. She sent me a text message saying she had tried it and loved it. That was inspiration for me to give it a try since I knew she was way pickier than me with what she liked.  I went to the store and bought all the ingredients and made a plan to use this smoothie to replace one of my meals. Sometimes I drink it for breakfast and sometimes for lunch and occasionally I've had it for supper. It is delish! Not only is it good for me, it also gives me more energy, something I've been lacking since menopause came upon me.

The next step I am testing that is very much an "unknown" is adding a little iodine into my life. I've been reading several articles online about iodine, thyroid and metabolism. You can find one article here. I've been so very frustrated with my metabolism lately and if I had to pinpoint the one thing that causes me to give up on the weight loss bandwagon it is the slowness at which I lose weight now no matter what I try. The more I read on iodine and thyroid I see that it may be the cause of my metabolism slowness, lack of concentration and achy muscles. So I went to our local health food store and asked them about it. The man recommended that I try something called Atomidine. The bottle was $17.99 so I had to really commit to it to pay that price.I decided to give it a try. I bought a bottle of it before leaving and he told me to get a small glass of water in the morning on an empty stomach and put one drop into the water. I looked at the bottle and realized with using only one drop daily, it will last me quite awhile.  When I look at it that way, the price doesn't seem too high. I've found that less water is better for me when drinking it because it has a medicinal taste to it.  Combining this with the green monster smoothie is really perking up my energy level and I feel like I am more focused and functioning better.....And the fact that I lost 8 lbs in the first week is not too bad either. My goal at this point is to get my weight down at least 20 lbs by the time we go on our New England Trip in October. I have been walking when I can and moving more around the house due to my new found energy. My pants are definitely feeling looser around the waistbands too. Along with the smoothie, I'm following the basic South Beach Diet principles of low carbs (mostly at phase two level). It helps that Russ is doing South Beach with me so that I will stick with it longer. Who knows I've still got a month, I may reach that "goal weight" goal just yet.  I will at least have put in a good effort towards it.  Today, I'm thankful for green smoothies and more energy. Woohoo!