Detour

photo by daCosta1

It's amazing how one tiny piece of new information can nearly derail your whole plan for a healthy lifestyle.

I am pregnant.

I took this new information rather hard. As an emotional wreck, it wasn't that I was turning to unhealthy food for comfort, but rather abandoning the healthy foods that I knew were good for me. My attitude was that of giving up my goal of losing weight and eating healthy. Now that my waistline will only be getting bigger rather than smaller, I felt as if my efforts were in vain. As some time has passed though, {and with the help of my uber great support system}, I have come to realize that my 22 pound weight loss should not be something to just toss aside and has not been all for naught.

The encouraging news is that since I stopped counting POINTS 5 weeks ago {I am 9 weeks along}, I have not gained a single pound. I am starting this pregnancy 22 pounds lighter than I would have, had I not begun a journey towards a healthier life. I have new-found knowledge about what & how much to feed my body to keep my weight in check and also to look & feel great. I have the confidence that after this pregnancy is over, I know that I can {and will!} lose the baby weight that I will have gained. I hope to make this my healthiest pregnancy ever, as I have *always* gained much more weight than I should have.

For me, overall health means so much more than just the shape of my body. There is also emotional, mental, and spiritual health that should be considered as part of my whole. At first, I had begun to think of this pregnancy as a roadblock on my highway towards better health. A roadblock means you can't proceed. Halt. Stop. I am accepting that this is just a detour. I might not be able to stay on the same road I was on before, but my trip continues nonetheless, just with some slightly different scenery than I expected.

So this will now be considered Chronicles of an {Almost} Healthy Foodie: The Pregnancy Edition.

Still sharing my thoughts about being a healthier me, more great food tips, and hopefully encouragement as you continue on towards your destination. I'm just taking the scenic route.