Did you miss me?

I have been wanting to get back to writing my blog and have just not made the time and honestly not known what to write about but today I found some inspiration!

I have decided to go back to school and get a masters in psychology to become a LPC.  Before I can I get into actual grad school I must first complete a few preliminary psychology courses that I didn't take in undergrad while getting my music degree.  Right now I am taking Human Behavior & Personal Adjustment and I LOVE IT!!!  This week we are talking about Body & Wellness and Managing Stress, two things I have focused on since this journey began. My assignment was to write a short essay about one aspect of the two chapters, this is what I wrote:

Katy Ely

Group A

Discussion 3

Question 17

Personally these two chapters go hand in hand.  A few years ago I decided to make a change in my lifestyle.  I weighed 315 pounds and was quite unhealthy.  This was due to many factors including chronic pain and limited mobility caused by multiple back surgeries and injuries; in fact doctors told me I was lucky to be walking.  I was tired of always being the “fat” friend and more than that, I was tired of not feeling proud of my size. 

When I began this journey I thought my only obstacle was my weight and my diet… boy was I WRONG!!!  It didn’t take long for me to realize that being overweight was a symptom of other problems.  With the help of a weight loss coach I began to pay close attention to when I was truly hungry and discovered that I was often eating when there was no physiological hunger.  It soon became clear that I would eat out of boredom, when I was in severe pain, and when I was under stress.  This was a major revelation!  Food was my drug of choice, in a way. 

At first I focused on my diet and losing weight.  As the pounds began to shed and I no longer used food to dull my feelings a flood gate of emotions poured out.  Although I was proud of my success I found myself face to face with feelings and issues I had always used my size to protect me from.  At this time I went to see a counselor.  She reaffirmed me that I was human, not crazy.  It was my counselor that walked me through the steps to begin healing my emotional wounds.

I am still a work in progress, I have not reached my weight loss goal nor have I dealt with every demon, but I am getting there.  It is an everyday struggle and some days are harder than others but I feel that I am definitely living a much healthier lifestyle, physically and emotionally.  

 A lot has happened since I last posted... the main change, I'M GETTING MARRIED!!! Now more than ever am I wanting to get to my goal weight.  The difference now is that I'm so happy with who I have become in the past few years that my focus is less on the scale and more on me and what makes feel good and what makes me feel bad, which is a wonderful place to be.  Here are a few of my revelations:

Exercise = Good    

Lazy very often= Yuck   

Healthy balanced meals= energy  

Fast food/junk= lethargic and gross feeling

Lots of water= light and refreshed and my skin looks younger 

Diet Soda ONLY= dying of thirst (don't get me wrong I'm not giving up my caffeine just making sure to drink tons of water also)

Taking time for myself= Sane & relaxed  

Constantly on the go, and neglecting my needs= irritable and overall unpleasant to be around, (I get on my own nerves lol)