22k(ilograms) for 22q...FINAL WEIGH IN!!!!

It's time!!!

Today is the final weigh in for the first 22k(ilograms) for 22q challenge.  How'd you all do?  My sincere desire is that it was so much more than just a numbers thing for you, were you able to learn something about yourself in the last month?  Did you find the benefit of setting aside time for yourself, no matter what chaos life threw at you?  Did you face an obstacle--be it a chocolate cake or a sleepless night--and find a way to overcome it?  Did you find a way to focus on a healthier lifestyle, and maybe find ways to sneak in some 22q awareness?

This was my first month back as a single mom after my husband headed back overseas again.  The boys are in school.  There's been a lot of change this month.  I also struggled through some life decisions of my own, my husband returns to America (for good) the end of January, and unfortunately returns to no job.  What are we going to do?  Who is going to work?  What will our income be?  I evaluated several options and decided that I want to go back to work.  So I've spent the past couple weeks searching and applying for some jobs.

I've never been unemployed before this year, and I've never faced rejection in the job market.  Anytime I wanted to change jobs, the job I wanted was available to me.  I thought I had found a great job, a job that was a good match for what I WANT to do, not just what will pay the bills.  But I got a rejection email today.  I won't lie, that didn't feel good!  Not all is lost, I have plenty of other applications in, other opportunities to apply to, and I'm certain that the right path will become available for us.  Somehow.

But here's the difference...I didn't medicate my disappointment with food!  That's always been my go-to.  Stress, failure, disappointments, they can all be dealt with through food.  I've always been an athlete, so it didn't matter that food was my vice, I stayed healthy anyway.  But now that I'm well into my 30s, I'm finding that my metabolism doesn't work that way anymore.  Neither do my joints!  I can't work out at the level I used to, which means I really can't eat the way I want to.

SO...  Drum roll please...

My final weigh in is X-7!  (3.175 kilograms)

I'm pretty happy with that!  Just like the title of this blog, I know that this is a marathon, not a sprint.  I know that healthy living is not about crash dieting, depriving myself, or running myself into the ground.  It's about making better choices the majority of the time.  Being active more often than not, even if it's just a walk.  Or maybe some planks at the bus stop while waiting for kids to get home!

So...report in!  Tell me not just what your weight is now, but what you've learned this month!  Give me some examples of challenges you've faced.  I'll begin to tally everyone up tomorrow and post the total :)