This is a Marathon, not a Sprint

* Warning Long post *

I have not done as well keeping a journal here on the blog, in between each milestone other than documenting by videos on my (currently Private) instagram account. This post is sort of a past and present recap to catch you up to the current day…

I have been treating the IG page like it is already live… just in case I ever get the courage to share my progress in the future.

Away from this Blog + Social Media, I do however speak freely to family, friends and Co-workers, and have no problem sharing that I am taking a medication that helps.

Honestly, the medicine does not do that work for you though. I have spent years researching, trying different “diets” and improving my health. The medicine just helps to keep me focused on what my goal is, and it also slows down your digestion, so you have to carefully chose the best foods for your own body.

Like a lot of people, I am an emotional eater. Growing up in a big family, and having an Italian Grandmother and my other grandmother making the best Home Cooked comfort foods, my relationship to food was always full of good memories around family + friends.

Pretty much everyone in my family showed their love through good food, and making sure that your plate was always full –– and if it wasn’t, they would all make sure that it was always filled back up!

I greatly appreciated the love, but growing up, I never realized that we don’t really need as much food as we think. For us, eating emotionally means when you eat when you are happy, sad, busy, bored, stressed + on vacation. It’s a treat to have your favorite meals!

Over the past few years I have replaced some things with healthier alternatives, to make our favorite comfort foods healthy, but still taste delicious!

Once I started taking Mounjaro, it really helped me focus on what I was putting into my body and how it digested as well. The medication slows things down a bit so you are not starving. That extra time allowed me to plans meals better (without cravings and what people call “food noise” getting in the way).

Being overweight, petite and over 40, it was taking a toll on my joints, heart and overall health. Say what you will about weight loss medicines, but I’m very grateful that there is a tool available to help along the way.

I mainly make recipes and eat foods that are anti-inflammatory to help with inflammation, and my arthritis that seems to be getting worse each year. (I will say cutting back on Sodium + Refined Sugar has helped with joint pain)

I’ll share in another post which swaps I made… this post is already a small novel :)

I’m not really sure where I was going with this, other than wanting to explain why I started this journey in the first place. Heart Disease runs in both sides of my family, so taking care of my heart was my first priority when deciding to start down this path. Adding in Arthritis and other uncomfortable conditions, I realized it was time to REALLY take it serious, and never look back.

We want to be around for our kids and grandkids, and be able to enjoy our lives for many years to come. Moving in a forward direction is just the first step…