Return from Paradise
Weekly weigh-in: 180.4
Loss: +3.8
Total loss: -47.6
Emotion: Spectacular
I know what you may be thinking: a four pound gain? How does that make you feel “spectacular”?
It’s because I allowed myself some time off, not to stress over getting to the gym, instead focusing on leisurely walks down the beach with my boyfriend.
It’s because instead of counting calories, I ate and drank as I pleased. I tried not to go too far overboard … but there were three mornings with more than one breakfast, and nightly calls to room service for ice cream.
It’s because I spent time with my family, swimming and goofing and lazing around. We even spontaneously went to a yoga class and I was proud to be called a show-off.
It’s because I worked out a lot leading up to the trip, so when people brought out their cameras on the beach, I didn’t cover up my bathing suit or hide, instead choosing to flaunt what I got.
It’s because the whole time I was in Cancun, I felt like I was glowing. And according to some of the pictures, I was:
Weekly weigh-in: 176.6
Loss: -2.2
Total loss: -51.4
Emotion: Gone
And I’m off to Mexico, looking the best I’ve ever looked, feeling the best I’ve ever felt.
BRING ON THE MARGARITAS.
Weigh-in Wednesday
Weekly weigh-in: 178.8
Loss: -2.0
Total loss: -49.2
Emotion: Enthused
Got back on board with the diet healthy eating and exercise … and BAM, off comes the booze weight and I’m back to where I was pre-wedding. Holla!
I leave for Cancun in exactly a week (no joke, at this time next Wednesday I’ll be at the airport), so I’m hoping to drop a few more L-B’s prior to departure … that way I can feel awesome in a swimsuit and take guilt-free advantage of the cabana boys bringing mai tais directly to my hammock.
… Is it next Wednesday yet?
Where it all begins
I just walked past a mirror, saw a quick reflection of myself, thought “Hey there beautiful girl!” and continued on my way. (Well, not really, as I was thinking about this post.)
Maybe it’s the fact that my boss called me svelte a few weeks ago.
Maybe it was the e-mail (subject: “Damn girl!”) from my best friend that said, “I know I have said this several times but.. girl? you fiiiinneee. You look amazing!” (Love her.)
Maybe it was looking at pictures from a recent wedding and finding almost no double-chins, even in the candid shots.
Maybe it was my dad seeing my dress on a hanger and saying, “No way, this is way too small for you!”
Maybe it was the extra hour of sleep last night (holla for early bedtimes) or the papaya color of this sweater.
But I think mostly, it is the slow realization that I am no longer who I was. I am strong and healthy and beautiful, and I deserve much more credit than I give myself.
Wednesday weigh-in
Weekly weigh-in: 180.8
Loss: +3.2
Total loss: -47.2
Emotion: Unflappable
I’m not even going to pretend to be surprised by this. Last week I gained 1.2lbs and this week I gained 2.0, but I’ve been so incredibly busy that my only sense of surprise is the fact that I didn’t gain MORE.
I’ve spent the past two weeks running around like crazy. Had a big work event on the 19th, visitors on the 20th, two singing concerts on the 22nd and 23rd, then on the 26th I left for 5 days for a wedding weekend, during which I didn’t work out and I drank more wine than in the year preceding.
So I started this month at the exact weight that I started last month: 180.8, just like May 5. And instead of being disappointed at regaining the 3lbs I lost in the first two weeks, I’m just going to be thankful at the stability of hovering around 180 … ’cause it could be a lot worse, eh?
Wednesday weigh-in
Weekly weigh-in: 177.6
Loss: -0.8
Total loss: -50.4
Emotion: Flabbergasted
In my head I was already composing a post about how hard it is to travel & how I need to be more careful when I spend weekends away, because Monday morning my weigh was back up at 180.8lb. I guess this shows two things:
1. How volatile weight loss is. Just two days of being back “on plan” (working out and eating not-crap) can be enough to put me in an ok place.
2. How to set up success. I’m lucky that I set my weigh-in date on Wednesday. If it were Fridays or Mondays or (god forbid) Sunday mornings, I feel like I could be constantly disappointed. But with a mid-week weigh-in, I have significantly less distractions.
And now off to work for our biggest fundraiser of the year. Wish me luck!
Wednesday weigh-in
Weekly weigh-in: 178.4
Loss: -2.4
Total loss: -49.6
Emotion: Relieved
I don’t have much time to write, but I just fell back into my routine – weight training, running, yoga. Eating less than I’m burning. And losing the weight in the smart way instead of the fake diety way? So much more satisfying.
I’m itching to break the 178 mark so that my total loss can officially be 50lbs+. Hopefully next week, but work has been so busy that it might take a little bit longer …
understanding of disordered eating
It’s hard to say where it began, and how it got to be so big, but now it’s very time-consuming and is a good reminder of where I am and how far I’ve come.
I’m not talking about the weight on a scale or number of weekly run mileage. I’m referring to my fitness/nutrition/lifestyle blogroll.
Some of them are funny, some are angry, some are verbose while others are covered in photos. Some are corporate promotions but most are just blogs written by real people … and each one of them gives me some kind of information, encouragement, motivation and support that was lacking before its entry into my reading list.
I don’t know how I started on A Weight Lifted (a cross-reference from a different blog, but sadly I can’t remember neither the blogger nor the article), but her recent book review on Geneen Roth’s “Women Food and God” got me thinking and exploring more of Ms. Roth’s body of work. Read the rest of this entry »
Wednesday weigh-in
Weekly weigh-in: 180.8
Loss: +1.4
Total loss: -47.2
Emotion: Rejuvinated
As I already wrote, I feel now like I’m back to normal. I’m allowing myself to do what works and to not obsess. And though this was a relatively big gain this week, I feel like it was still a step forward. My life is insane and my eating/exercise habits will be tough to sustain for the next 2 months or so (between stressful work events, visits from old friends and awesome vacations — I’m not complaining, I’m just saying!), so weight may continue to fluctuate. But that’s just what weight does sometimes, and I’m not going to let a silly number get in my head and beat me. It may occasionally win a battle, but I will WIN this war against my own self-destruction. And the spoils of victory taste so good.
Fitness Nintendo
I know what you’re thinking reading that title. You’re thinking this will be a post about the Wii Fit. Well, you’re wrong. I’m talking around original Nintendo – Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda – the kind of Nintendo that uses a controller like this:
I’ve been thinking about the original NES 8-bit systems because it had two features that played important roles in my childhood – the reset button and the cartridges. I make comparisons to these childhood memories because they both feel appropriate to my fitness mentality this week.
