Making Choices

We got home last night after spending the weekend in Chicago.  My aunt passed away last Thursday night in the Chicago area, so the past few days have been busy with family and friends.  It was a hard time and a very good time, all at the same time.

After church and before going to the funeral home, we went out to dinner with my family (my husband and I had grilled salmon and extra veggies).  Because we knew that the visitation on Sunday would be long (3-8 PM), we made sure we had a couple of crunch bars and some pretzels and cheese puffs with us, along with several bottles of water (we kept the extra water in the car).  There was a lot of food available in the family lounge, but it was mostly cookies, sweet breads, sub sandwiches and snack mix - all of which we skipped.

Yesterday was the funeral, so we tucked a couple of crunch bars in my purse to provide a mid-morning meal between breakfast and the luncheon following the funeral (we ate our bars on the way to the cemetery).

Why am I sharing this rather mundane information?  Because it represents how ingrained Maintenance is in our lifestyle.  There are several key components to successfully maintaining our weight:

Breakfast every day
Exercise - incorporating activity into our lives (both through planned exercise and passive exercise such as parking far from the door, taking stairs, etc.)
Support - maintaining a good support network of others who are also committed to a healthy lifestyle (it makes a big difference!)
Lowfat meals 5-6 times a day
Individual plan - planning what we're going to eat and when on a daily basis, and being prepared for the unexpected
Monitor - weighing at least once a week and keeping track of how our goal size fits

This is our BeSlim lifestyle, and it works - even under difficult and stressful times like this past weekend.  Each and every day, we take a look at our schedules and figure out what we're going to eat.  If we're home, those small meals will most likely include things like Greek yogurt, fruit, a few almonds or low-fat cheese, whole grain bread and lean meat.  For times like this past weekend, however, we're thankful for the convenience of Medifast meals!

We made a choice to not only get healthy, but to stay healthy, and by incorporating six simple things into our lifestyle, we are maintaining our BeSlim lifestyle and will do so for the rest of our lives.  For us, there is no other option because we are never going back to where we were.  It means that we have to make daily choices, just like you. 

What choices will you make today?  Choose wisely :-)