My Adventure Continues!

So, I made it through the first month of changing my entire way of eating, exercising, etc.  What else could there be?  Turns out, a lot more!

Now that Renee' had me eating on a better schedule (and healthier stuff overall), it was time to start adding in different foods.  I was extremely wary of this to say the least.  I don't really like to try new things, food being just one those things!  But, I knew had to try.  So, after I met Renee' one afternoon, I stopped and bought some cottage cheese (which was gross!!) and some plain greek yogurt.  I had been eating the fruit flavored greek yogurt but apparently it has a lot of sugar in it and the plain is a better choice.  It smells really funny!!  It took me a couple of tries to figure out how I like it but as long as I can sweeten it a little with either honey or no cal sweetener, it isn't too bad.

The other thing she wanted me to try was hot green tea.  Sounds easy right?  Just heat up the water and put a tea bag in it... Well, I did that one day at school and it was pretty disgusting.  I texted Renee' and told her I screwed it up and she just laughed and wanted to know how I managed to mess up something that simple... I said, well, it is me we're talking about!  But, I tried again a couple of days later and this time I put a little sweetener in it and was able to drink it - definitely an acquired taste!  I now drink a cup after lunch and after dinner every day.  I think it helps with my metabolism but I'm not sure what else... Guess I should probably research that!  Goes well with york peppermint patties and dark chocolate too.  Oh, and for anyone who wasn't aware, york peppermint patties are made with dark chocolate.... Took me a few months to figure that out.... :)

Throughout the first 6 weeks of my new life, Renee' was training my brother and sister a couple of days a week.  I knew she was telling them about my funny thoughts and experiences and my successes.  I figured they would just smile and be happy for me.  To hear her describe their reactions gave me such a boost in confidence and was one of the many reasons I wanted to keep going.  She said you could see the happiness and pride in their faces.  I never really thought they had much of a reason to be proud of me so to hear her say that felt amazing.  It still does.

My parents were also being so supportive and every time I saw them I could see the pride in their eyes.  My mom even sat down with me one Saturday evening and went through some recipes with me.  She was interested in why they were good for me and wanted to help me figure out what the ingredients were. I'm not sure I explained it well, but at least I had Renee's comments to go off of when she asked questions!

Everyone's support means more than I think they will ever know.

By the end of February, I had lost 18 pounds, learned how to drink green tea, eliminated oreos from my diet (quite an accomplishment for me), and felt so happy and alive for the first time in a long time.  I credit so much of that to Renee' taking such an active interest in me and breaking down all the walls I had built around myself.  I found I was slowly becoming more willing to talk to people, smiling more and just enjoying life more than I ever thought possible.  I couldn't have imagined how many more amazing adventures and accomplishments were ahead of me in the coming months.