The End of one Journey is the Beginning of Another

By Prudence Lay, Feature Editor

July is always a busy month for me. Along with the usual fun family holiday of July 4th, I celebrate my birthday and my wedding anniversary. As you can imagine, all of this partying involves lots of food – the kind that represents summer.

You know, those hot weather favorites like potato salad, corn on the cob (with butter, of course), baked beans with brown sugar, hot dogs (I love them) and yummy desserts like cakes, pies and ice cream.

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While all of these foods taste fabulous going into my stomach, the results have not looked so wonderful on my body. Everything I listed above is filled with fat, sugar and loads of calories.

When July 1st rolled around, I stepped on my bathroom scale and discovered I had reached my goal weight of 130 pounds. At 5’6” I have reached a weight that is not only in the healthy range, I also like how I look. This milestone represents a total loss of 32 pounds in five months.

After I patted myself on the back, let out a whoop of delight and generally spent the day basking in the glow of a job well done, I got busy talking to myself about what needed to happen next.

You see, maintaining my weight loss after I have worked so hard to reach this goal is a critical step in my process. I just spent five months working hard at something and I don’t want it to disappear into larger sized jeans because of over-indulging or becoming lazy. The answer to my challenge is simple yet complex. To maintain, I must remain focused on my success without getting overconfident and eating the wrong things in the wrong quantities. This sounds easy but can be difficult when you are lunching with a group of friends eating banana splits!

I have enjoyed all of the foods I listed above this month, and, so far, I am holding steady. I now weigh myself every other day, and if I see the scale creep up even one-half pound, I back off of my food intake for a day or so. It really is all about portion control and discipline when choosing our food. Now I have the cookie, I just limit it to one instead of three or four.

As I move into this new journey of weight maintenance, I know I will have challenges. But I have the tools and know what to do. Most importantly, I have God’s help to keep me focused on my new goal of staying at 130 pounds. My motto is: With God, ALL things are possible. That applies to every area of my life, including keeping my weight down.

I have enjoyed sharing my story with you over the past several months. Thank you for joining me in this adventure.

With more than three decades of home interior design and international travel experience, Prudence Lay has developed a sharp eye for how to create inviting living environments and adventurous travel experiences. She is an award winning quilter and resides in Sisters, Oregon with her family. In addition the above, Prudence is enjoying her latest adventure as Home and Garden Feature Editor of LivingBetterat50+.

1 thought on “The End of one Journey is the Beginning of Another”

  1. Prudence- YOU LOOK FABULOUS!! Great job with your weight loss – I am so happy that you have reached your goal. We are so together on this journey – I am only 4 pounds from my goal of 138- and like you I want to focus on keeping it off so that I DO NOT have to do this again! I am so so proud of you – what a beautiful picture! You are most definately an inspiration to me and to everyone who knows you! You go girl!!

    Vicki

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The End of one Journey is the Beginning of Another
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