Liz: Self

This is the halfway mark for our A New Way to a New You participants. Six weeks down and six weeks to go. We asked each of them to share one word that describes their current state of mind and what they hope that word will be after the next six weeks. Liz's word is SELF.

I would say the one word that best describes this stage of my journey is SELF.

This is a change for me and even challenging to write because in the past it felt SELFish.

Self-Discipline: Food prep is a huge part. If I'm not prepared that's when decisions are made that don't support my goals. Simple.

Self-Love: The more I am able to take the time to slow down, breathe and make sure I am taking care of myself, the easier it is to love and take care of the people in my life.

Self-Awareness: When I hit a rough spot my tendency is to start negatively talking to myself. I now see that and I'm replacing it with all the things I am doing right! It's an amazing, huge difference in my life. One thing that Dorothy said when we were in California together was a phrase she repeats to herself ... "Dear God, more you, less me." I love this and it has stuck with me in my journey.

I am hoping the word that best describes my journey at the end of this 12-week progam is INSPIRING by helping others decide to make healthy changes in their life!

Dorothy discovers discipline and loses eight pounds!

My first week, I lost eight pounds. I felt amazingly different even in the first week. To see results as quick as the first week was really very exciting for me.

Because the plan is structured, I really enjoyed following it – I didn’t need to guess what I should be having or when I should be having it. It was laid out for me, which I really appreciated. I’ve always been a duplicator and not an innovator. That’s why I’ve been battling my weight for 20 years. I can follow a plan, just don’t make me think it up myself!

I love that the recipes are simple and that they’re things I can get right at the grocery store, without worrying about it being some exotic dish I had to make. I’m only cooking one meal for my family and the recipes are quick and tasty – everybody agreed. Plus, we’re eating way more vegetables than we ever did before. I did not feel deprived. Usually with diets, you feel like you can’t have certain things and I didn’t feel like that. It was hard to fit it all in some days because I was eating so many vegetables!

I also really enjoyed getting back in the habit of working out. Before it was hit or miss, because I never deemed it a priority, so there’s something great about a commitment to your own goals and bringing in a huge amount of discipline into my own life. I really appreciated putting the discipline on myself. That was a real control feeling for me.