Lori Smith Feb.8, final check in

[lori]

I apologize for being late. Went to work,then rainy , soggy, workout,
home for a shower and straight to bed, I completely forgot to post.
Anyway, the challenge for me started out very difficult. It confirmed
for me that I am a salt ahlolic. The first 2 weeks were very
challenging. I felt my food was very bland. I used plenty of spices
but I really missed the salt. By the third week, after some great
advice from Nic, I incorporated some butcher's bacon into my diet and
that helped a lot. I also read everyone's postings and tried some of
their recipes and that also made a huge difference. As I have read in
other posts, creativity is the key. Having the same boring meals just
wont cut it. I really, really enjoy food and I like just about
everything but putting it together creatively is really important.
My energy level did not pick up until after the third week. I am
finally feeling full of energy now. I am sleeping much better and I
feel great! I think It gives me a lot of confidence and faith in
myself when I know I am doing the right thing for my body. Even if I
haven't lost a lot of weight, I KNOW I am doing something good and
that in itself is a confidence booster. The most important change for
me is that my high blood pressure has stabilized and I no longer need
to take meds!
I plan to try to stay with this way of eating as a lifestyle change. I
will not be as strict as I have been throughout this challenge but I
will not go back to eating the way I did. I just hope that my will
power will be as strong without the support I have relied on from
everyone here. Thank you all so much.