Week Seven: All Fat Goes To Heaven

Copy/Paste any previous week and I think we've nailed down my routine: fairly good progress during the week (when I work) and considerable stumbles and resulting guilt when at home during the weekend. Weigh-in last night and this morning was barely tipping 181 lbs. (22 pound loss since April 2). I started doing situps nightly two days ago and have been eyeballing a fitbit device (pedometer) that all my coworkers are using. They're getting really competitive about who's walking about the most, and I think that'll help me get off my tiny, flat ass.

I did some real grown-up-type stuff this week including reading up on stress management. I've never been to any sort of therapy or frankly, have felt that I would want or need it - but recently have had some serious anger outbursts due to stressing out. Fortunately my work provides some employee assistance programs and they hooked me up with reading material. A half-hour bathroom break later, I felt like I had some interesting new tidbits regarding stress and my management of it.

Obviously I overeat when I'm stressed out. Otherwise I'd probably be on some other forum screaming to the unanswering heavens (LOOKING AT YOU, DAILY OBSERVERS). And since I'm seeing great benefits of this diet and have been sticking to it, I don't have that edible outlet anymore. So. New tactics: 1) make a list nightly of 3 most important things to get done the next day - work the list. 2) Take 15 minute breaks of meditation, or mild exercise (like walking around the block) when feeling overwhelmed. I don't know quite how to meditate, but the overarching concept was take 15 minutes, BY YOURSELF, in a quiet environment and DON'T FOCUS ON ANYTHING (but maybe your breathing or steps). 3) Finally, write down my top 5 major life stressors, prioritizing them in order of importance and influence I have on them -- and then making notes on how to cope when these flare up.

Ok, a bit of a touchy-feely week update, but I thought it may be helpful to someone else who may have problems sticking with their diet or exercise or whatever because of the stresses in their lives.

HOW HAS EVERYONE ELSE FARED???!!! (aforementioned scream to heavens)

Two mornings in a row now I've weighed myself and it's been under 180 lbs. (this is the quality check with my spring scale - consistency) This is the first time I've been under 180 lbs. in . . . hmm . . . 5 years? I think when I first started my last job I weighed somewhere in the range of 175 lbs.

Coming up on the half-way point of this experiment, I think this is exciting progress. I expect to continue to plateau down to my goal. I've found myself doing a bit more in the range of mild exercises - and since the purchase of my Fitbit, I am walking more just to compete with my co-workers. It's working!

Man. The echo in this forum is CRAZY.

I'm down to 164- only 30 from my ultimate goal, and 14 away from my goal for August 15th. I'm feeling good, just got a new workout buddy (we're aiming for 5 days a week), gonna start learning simple silks and trapeze stuff, but I'm nervous about not having the arm strength, so I'm starting a new arm routine. I'm trying to eat cleaner, cause I know diet's the real key to losing weight. I'm also trying to cut down on my alcohol intake, which should be a lot easier since I'm determined to actually break up with my non-boyfriend, and make it stick. I know when I'm not spending my free time with him, I'll be so much healthier, and hopefully that will translate into more pounds lost.

As far as my diet/weight loss goes I have had zero progress. Really it's more like negative progress, since I've actually gained some of my previously lost weight back. I am in the right mindset to fully commit again, so we'll see how it goes this week.

I have been working to improve my jogging, though. I didn't clock as many miles this month, but I did set some new personal goals for myself. Yesterday I decided to see if I could jog a mile. Normally I will jog for a few minutes then walk for a few minutes. Yesterday I did the full mile with no walking. It took me 10:44 to complete it. Even though I don't know that I'd pass gym class with that time and even though I almost puked all over the elementary school playground when I finished I'm still SUPER PUMPED that I did that. It gave me this super burst of confidence.

Now I'm getting back into the mindset of "I know I can eat well, I know I can lose weight - I know because I've done it before." I'm trying to remind myself that I won't always feel bad about myself and if I just keep making small changes instead of saying "f it!" and giving up I'll get to a place where I'm comfortable and healthy and happy. (The most amusing part of my weight gain is I'm not sure where I gained it. I think it's in my stomach-area, because my thighs and butt seem to have shrunk some due to the running.)

The 5k my dad and I are already registered for is not until September, but there is a cheap one at the park in three weeks that I'd like to do. I'm going to start preparing for that by jogging more and keeping up that routine after work. I'm also setting other personal/lifestyle goals, including keeping up with the laundry and doing basic housekeeping/cleaning things to keep my area clean. I've been on a candy binge lately so I'm going candy-free for a while. I'm trying to focus on drinking enough water to decrease the odds of me dying after my runs. (I don't drink soda so I do drink a lot of water, but sometimes I get lazy and just forget to drink anything at all.)

Now I just have to get through work today so I can go home and make progress on things I want to make progress on. I'm so impatient.