Pattye O Update

It’s amazing the tricks your mind likes to play on you. Today is my 3 month 100% PD anniversary, so I stepped on the scale. I was a bit disappointed. I had wanted to lose 10 pounds this month, instead I lost 8.5. 8.5 is not bad, but it didn’t put me into the next “set of 10s” that I wanted to be in. Then I started really thinking about it. August 7 was my 51st birthday. Last year, on my 50th birthday, I weighed 43 pounds more than I do now. In the next 9 months I managed to yo-yo my weigh down 14.9 pounds (and about 12 of those pounds was lost while playing around with PD). Then, I finally chose 100% PD. In 1/3 the time I have lost twice the amount of weight. Since 5/11/15 I have lost 28.5 pounds! That’s a lot of weight in a short period of time. Why didn’t I see that before? Because our minds like to mess with us. What I also let slip my mind during “scale time” are the myriad of other gifts I receive by living this lifestyle: I no longer contribute to the abuse, pain and torture of other living creatures (I have been vegan since before PD); I am satiated and excited about my food; My husband and I save money by not eating out; My way of eating impacts others around me (good and bad, depending on what side of the fence you are standing); I have more energy; WANTING to exercise is in my brain! (I started Karate, Yoga and Zumba, plus I like to get out and take a stroll, and I stand at my stand up desk often!). Oh! I won’t have to wear a seat extender in September when I fly (that’s a really big one!). So many gifts in such a short amount of time. Weight loss? That’s only one of the beautiful benefits of this lifestyle. When your mind starts playing tricks on you, take a step back and look at what is really happening. I know my brain likes to sabotage me, but I am retraining it. Cheers to my progress and success! – Pattye O. August 2015

(update)
Today is a learning day. Today is my 6 month 100% PD anniversary, and I started the day out disappointed. Disappointed that my scale had not moved another 1/2 pound to get me to my goal this month of being in another set of “10s”. 1/2 pound! I was going to let that start my day? Almost. But then, reality won out. The reality that every day I am healthier than the day before. EVERY DAY. There’s not a lot of people that can say that. Every day I make a choice (several choices throughout the day, actually) to make my health a priority. My food is the start of my health, my dance and exercise supplement it. Balance in my work/home life is next on the agenda. How I am going to tackle it, I am not sure. But I know that if I watch and actively listen to the archived PD videos, the help I need will be there – just like it has been there for my food and exercise. Julie and Jerry have created a whole life educational experience, and I am so grateful for them.
Another reality: had I not found PD I would still be struggling with how to get the weight off. Dieting since I was 12 years old, I dieted my way up to 304 pounds in March, 2014. I remember clearly that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I first saw those numbers, then I pushed them aside and kept on dieting. In the next 8 months I was able to lose a few pounds, so that by the time I found PD I was down 11. Then, silly me – who sometimes needs a brick dropped on my head to make actual change – did PD part time. The next 6 months had me at another 14 pounds down. But the real change in both my weight and health came when I went 100% PD. The next 6 months brought a weight loss of 49 pounds – double the amount of weight loss in less than 1/2 the time. 49 pounds in 6 months!
I’m down 8 pounds since last month. I’m down a total of 4 pant sizes (it should be more, but I was really squeezing myself into my jeans last year). My boobs are smaller (yes!), my waist is coming back, I’m dancing and exercising, and I want to move! I’m happier. I’m healthier. I am grateful.
What the heck do I have to be disappointed about? Absolutely NOTHING!