May you know your purpose in life and take steps today to be the best person you can be. See my Fast Break Goals at the base of this intro.

On July 16, at the start of the SparkPeople 5% Summer 2011 Challenge, I reached my 100-lb weight loss goal and began maintenance mode (now beginning Week 63). I continue to work diligently to get my mindset wrapped around this concept while making healthy choices. As of this writing (January 4, 2013) I'm preparing to begin the 5% Winter ...

May you know your purpose in life and take steps today to be the best person you can be. See my Fast Break Goals at the base of this intro.

On July 16, at the start of the SparkPeople 5% Summer 2011 Challenge, I reached my 100-lb weight loss goal and began maintenance mode (now beginning Week 63). I continue to work diligently to get my mindset wrapped around this concept while making healthy choices. As of this writing (January 4, 2013) I'm preparing to begin the 5% Winter Challenge, and my goal it to remain within a healthy BMI while striving to regain a 22-23 BMI range).

Setting goals and daily tracking of food and fitness have been key to my success. I continue to enjoy weekly check-ins with friends along with the varied learning opportunities at SparkPeople. These work well with my short- and long-range goals. I have come to learn that food and I are best friends and that this may very well be a life-long relationship. I remain on the cusp of an unhealthy relationship with food as I continue to enjoy food more than I should and take particular delight in making hungry-girl selections. The good news is I have learned to eat and love making healthier choices, such as eating fresh fruits and vegetables, curried lentils and spicy veggies. I turn to crushed red pepper in my purse to spice up some of my eating out.

Making good choices also comes with a wealth of improved health benefits and being able to wear smaller-sized clothes. I appreciate that our supermarkets continue to expand on their food offerings and the farmer's market reopen, making it easier to lean towards eating more plant-based foods. Life is good! God is great!

January 4, 2013: My Dad is the 13th child of 13 kids (and I too, am the baby of the family), so I'm honoring these next four weeks to my father:

My Fast Break Goals are:

Nutrition:
1) Eat a healthy breakfast
2) Eat 5 (or more) freggies (fruits or veggies) each day
3) Drink 12 8-oz cups of water each day
4) Track calories eaten each day with the Nutritional Tracker
5) Don’t drink soda more than twice a month

Fitness:
Daily
6) Workout at least 30 minutes each day
- Exercise 10 or more Minutes daily in Strength Training
- Exercise 10 or more minutes daily in Walking0
- Exercise 10 or more minutes while watching TV
Weekly
7) Exercise 30 or more minutes while making work out of cleaning or gardening
8) Try a new workout video, DVD, or class

Motivational:
9) Reward yourself for reaching your Fast Break goals (ooh, this should be fun! -- the slate here is blank. Any ideas?)
10) Get 7+ hours of sleep (6 days a week)
11) Tell one person about your goals (now you know!)
12) Read an inspirational quote each day
13) Watch a motivating or feel-good movie weekly

The above goals are a spin-off to the Fast Break Goal choices shared by Sparkpeople.com (with a bit of customization) as part of a four-week challenge with my "Christians with 100 Pounds To Lose" team. I have since learned that God and my faith goals must be a part of everything I do in order to truly achieve balance. As such, I must live the words as Matthew wrote them, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Read More About EJOY-EVELYN (Updated April 27)

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