Just in case someone stumbles upon this blog, I thought I probably should post and let you know that I haven't given it up. The expat life usually means that I live somewhere "exotic" (translate: somewhere else) for most of the year, and return to "home" (translate: the place where family resides) during the weeks that we have no school.
I am currently, living at "home."
I am still doing "the challenge."
I am still shedding the pounds, but much slower than I'd like. How slow? I'm not sure. You see, I weighed myself just before leaving Hong Kong. I weighed myself again, the morning after arriving back in the USA, on different scales. If those scales are correct, I gained 5 lbs in flight! (Depressing!!!) The thing is, I did fairly well with my eating en-route, so I'm not sure how that could happen. I've decided to just keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward and I HOPE, that when I head back to Hong Kong, I will lose those 5 lbs once again.
Notwithstanding those 5 questionable pounds -- the scales currently show that I have dropped a total of about 19 lbs.
I have found it much easier to get the fruits and veggies I need, and in large quantities - here in the USA. I have also found it much easier to exercise, because my husband bought me a wonderful new elliptical. But, I it has also been much harder to schedule my day. There are many more people making demands on my time and, on my meals. While my husband was in town (he never gets as much time away as I do) we did a lot of running around and that means meals on the go. Most places where you can grab a quick (and hopefully cheap) meal, do not include a large selection of healthy foods on their menus.
And don't be fooled by the things that seem like healthy choices. The other day, I ordered some "sweet potato fries" thinking they would be a healthy choice. When I got home and looked at the calories, they packed 100 more than their regular potato counterparts! Hopefully, the vitamin content was enough to make that worth it.
Well, gotta go. If you have stumbled upon this blog and are stepping up to the challenge....hang in there, even when the elements seem to conspire against you. It's worth it!
