FEELING GOOD ABOUT MYSELF!!

I am doing better about taking care of myself. My lower back has been bothering me so much that I realize for my health's sake I have really got to start exercising more and strengthening my back and stomach muscles. I bought this " Body Wedge 21" at Walmart for $20. It is a blow up plastic wedge that you lay on at different levels for more or less resistance. It looks kind of silly actually, but I tried it last night and it really does give you a good workout and it doesn't hurt my lower back like laying flat on the floor does. It shows 21 different exercises and you can't say you lost the page with them because they have them stamped right on the wedge. lol They also provide you with a large poster of them and a DVD. It's quite a challenge to stay on the wedge, but maybe that's part of the exercise. I may be able to stick with this more because I actually liked it and I like the challenge it provides. I don't like things that are too easy and boring.
My pants are starting to fit a little bit looser, YEAH!. Lisa gave me a book last year, (The Seven Secrets of Slim People". It talks about how it can take up to a year or two for your metabolism to even out after you stop dieting. I have been paying more attention to how my body reacts to things, I'm doing much better at stopping before I get full, and being more aware if I'm snacking because I really am hungry or just trying to comfort myself with food. I let myself eat things I stayed away from for a long time and then would stuff myself with at times. I don't forbid myself foods I like anymore.Instead I am eating small amounts of things I really like and allowing myself to really enjoy them. The book is right, this keeps you from going on a binge of forbidden foods.
I am also finding that since I have been staying more aware of how much I use to comfort myself with food, I am starting to get back in touch with things I enjoy doing. Those are much healthier than using food for comfort. I love to dance, fast or slow, and I don't get to very often. Mike doesn't like fast dances. The one time I can really get out and dance is at our Holiday Party, because most of the husbands won't dance, so the women will. Being a company party I don't mind getting up and dancing by myself or with the other women that are dancing. In the past I have looked forward to the party because we always have great food at our parties. This time I went with the intention of having fun dancing and only ate small portions. I hardly even touched the dessert table. It felt so good not to be concentrating on food. I had so much fun dancing. I was up on the dance floor almost all evening. I also didn't worry about whether people thought I was being foolish or not. What progress I have made! It feels great! Then I had people telling me at work that they really enjoyed seeing up there having so much fun!