All hail the mighty Medline mug!

What is this mug? See below for explanation...

I'm happy to announce that I have a new, healthier lifestyle. This is not a new years resolution or anything like that. Instead, sometime in September or October, I decided I was ready to be healthier and happier. TMI is coming: I was having terrible stomach problems for several months and was unable to pinpoint the cause. I decided to be very aware of what I was eating in order to determine what was upsetting my system so much. To do this, I ate smaller meals and cut out most snacks for about a week or so. I pinpointed the main culprit, but to my surprise I had also created new eating habits that have stuck with me.

I am NOT on "a diet" and I intend to never be on one again. I am simply being more conscious of what I choose to eat and how often I eat junk. During this time frame I also started drinking TONS of water, thanks in large part to a big old insulated water mug that my lovely best friend Tina gave me. Yes, the Medline mug pictured above. Anyone who has had a baby at Harrison Hospital (or had surgery there, I've been told) knows what I'm talking about. Thankfully since Tina generously gave me this beautiful mug, I did not have to birth a baby or have any surgeries to obtain one. Anyway, This marvel of technology holds about 30 ounces of water, and I drink about 4 to 5 of them a day.

Together, these new habits have led to me losing 40 pounds in about 3.5 months. Certainly this is not the rapid weight loss that I have always sought (and frequently found with diets), however, it is quite a bonus when you consider that I was not trying to lose weight! I think the key issue here is that since I don't call it a "diet," I do not deprive myself, I don't feel guilty when I eat something not-so-good for me, and I am HAPPY. "They" say losing weight more slowly is the best way to ensure the weight stays off, and I can guarantee that it IS going to stay off. In the past during my numerous diet escapades, I have dreaded the day I reach my goal weight, because its so hard to maintain the loss when you get off the diet. This time I have no goal weight and I have no worries because there will be no end to this...its a lifestyle change, not a diet! I have so many cute clothes that I've been unable to wear since I gained 50+ pounds after starting at UW, and finally I'm starting to fit in them again. Woot!

Sadly, my Medline mug has seen better days. I have dropped it (yes, I drop things frequently as anyone who has seen the screen of my iPhone can attest to) and can no longer use the handle. A friend and co-worker gave me one of hers (she too birthed a baby at Harrison Hospital), and I subsequently dropped it as well, damaging the handle. I still use both of them, but I would love one that wasn't broken! I have found them for sale on ebay but thus far have not forked over the $21 requested. Why? Because I have convinced myself that I don't need 50 of them. Really though, at the rate I'm going, I could probably go through 50 of them in a year's time...so maybe I should bite the bullet. You know...my birthday is coming up in less than 2 months...this could be a very thoughtful (and funny) present idea. I'm just sayin'.