Getting Back On Track

Making progress despite "mistakes" along the way.

I've been (mostly) sugar-free since Wednesday. Mostly only natural sugars from fruits, but you know... it's the holidays and there's lots of goodies being shared. It can be hard to resist.

Thankfully, I was feeling more like myself for my dinner date last night. And he was so sweet. I had been going crazy for no reason (other than the sugar overload coursing through my body and making me feel off).

I did have some homemade candy this afternoon that had been part of a present from a student. It was so good that I couldn't hardly stop myself. Ok, I could have stopped myself, but thankfully they only gave me a little bit so I didn't do too much damage. ...and I spent about an hour and a half on the treadmill/elliptical this evening to make up for it. I'm feeling pretty darned good.

Tomorrow I will weigh in in the morning. We'll see what the scale says; will I make my goal before Christmas? Regardless of what the scale says, I'm feeling really good and looking really good. My clothes fit well. I feel healthy and happy and whole. I feel vibrant.

Now, I just need to remember those things every time I encounter sweets over the holidays so I can stay focused on keeping me healthy and happy.

Finally Past the Plateau!

Well, I did it. I weighed in this morning.

My usual routine is to get up on Saturday morning and just before I step into the shower I weigh in (no clothes, just me on the scale).

Last weekend I was dog-sitting and staying at someone else's house. First I couldn't find their scale (good excuse to not weigh in!) and then my excuse was that it wasn't my normal scale so it might not be accurate. I ended up weighing in anyway and the scaled showed a huge drop (about 6 pounds). I was at 195 on their scale. I was a little afraid to celebrate because what if MY scale didn't show the same weight loss. Would I end up being disappointed the following week if the scale went up?

After a day or so of deliberation I decided to claim it. Go for it. Even if the OTHER scale was off by a few pounds I was still down and I was still past my plateau.

But I didn't let my celebrating go to my head too much or slow me down from working just as hard.

So back to this week's weigh in. Drum roll, please.... the home scale said this morning 198. Hooray!

Wait, what? Did you cheer, even though it's up from the previous week?

Yes. I did cheer. Because I'm still past my plateau of being stuck just above 200 and because I still lost 3 pounds over the last two weeks. So, come on and cheer with me! Hooray!

Celebrate! ...maybe...

I usually weigh myself once a week first thing in the morning. Usually on a Saturday, but depending on plans I may do it on Friday morning. Two weekends ago I weighed in on Friday morning and was down about a pound. Hooray!

This weekend I didn't plan for. I knew I would be dog-sitting and staying in someone else's house. I guess I wanted to overlook my weekly weigh in. I knew the week prior to the weigh in would be stressful and that I might not do the things I usually do to take care of myself. I put myself on the back burner, but that was a conscious choice for the short-term (see previous posts).

As of Thursday afternoon I was back to focusing on myself again.... ok, maybe not Thursday afternoon. I was still very focused on my boyfriend and his leaving for boot camp. But Thursday night I for sure was focused on me again. I got a good night's sleep by going to bed early-ish.

Friday and Saturday I worked harder to take care of myself and did ok, but wasn't ready to face the scale. Conveniently, I didn't know if there was one in the house where I was staying.

Due to some motivation by a friend I went in search of a scale to face it. I needed to know the weight no matter what.

So this morning I stepped on the scale first thing. I had to stare at the dial for a bit for the number to sink in to my brain. Partly it was disbelief. Partly it was just early morning so it was taking a little longer to register. Now granted this isn't my usual scale so it's "zero" may be different from my usual scales "zero", but according to THIS scale, I have successfully moved past my 200 pound plateau and am at 195.

195! I should celebrate! I should be ecstatic! But I'm afraid to celebrate. What if MY scale at home doesn't say that? What if next weekend I weigh myself on MY scale and it's up?

Check out those white legs! Blinding!

What do I do? Forget the numbers and focus on how I feel. I feel good in my body. I feel less bloated than earlier in the week when I was eating poorly. I feel lighter and able to move with more grace and freedom. I feel beautiful and comfortable in my clothes. (And having a beautiful new dress from my boyfriend that I feel pretty wearing helps!)

Pretty polka dot dress from my boyfriend.

Progress Towards My Goal

Doing my weekly weigh in this morning... With some fear and trepidation because I was off my normal routine for several days due to travel. So glad I did it though, because I'm only three and a half pounds away from my short term goal! I WILL be at under 200 lbs by my birthday!