Banner Day…

For the past week or so I have been walking around hiking up my jeans every 4 steps. It finally occurred to me that I probably ought to pull out a smaller size. When I started the MegaChallenge, I was stressing the outer limits of a generous size 16 (so probably should have been wearing 18s or even 20s). So, even though I have been losing weight, I really didn’t need to go down in size.

Until now.

Well, folks, I am officially a size 12!! And not a lie-on-the-bed-and-suck-it-in-to-zip size 12. I can actually zip a size 10 – but it makes that unpretty bulge above the waistline – and I haven’t lost 20 pounds to wear pants that make me look like I have gained it. So size 12 it is! Happy dance.

I also met 167.5 on the scale earlier this week, and it has held in spite of my adding food back into my day. Today’s workout (44/200 – the first since swimming on Monday) consisted of a 35 minute walk at our local park. I am feeling a little bit better, but I don’t want to push it until I am sure I have licked this virus. The MegaChallenge requires 200 workouts, not 200 marathons. I have to keep reminding myself of that as my all-or-nothing brain attempts to take over.

All-in-all I am pleased with my progress. It isn’t in a straight line, but what in life really is? Unlike past efforts, which focused on getting rid of pounds ASAP and then going back to “normal” life, I am trying to make this new way of life stick. In order to have that happen, it has to be realistic. I am going to get sick/eat out/miss workouts from time to time, and I am going to have to learn to adjust my stride and keep moving. Though only 44 workouts into my “new” life, it seems to be a good fit.

As are my jeans!! Yay me!!

Still Hanging Around…

Though I havent been posting much, I have been updating my stats this week. One really cool item is that the scale finally fell a little more (171 – it is the lowest reading to date and comes just before my TOM) and now when I step on the scale fully clothed after eating all day it reads 173. Kinda cool to not see 175 pop up anymore.

I have been pitching in at my sister’s all week, so the gym trip didn’t make it into the schedule today. I did go Sunday (39/200) and Monday (40/200), so I am not completely falling apart! 20% of the MegaChallenge is behind me. It is so cool to hit these milestones. I suppose I am still a sucker for a gold star – though elementary school is a foggy memory.

In other news, my eldest munchkin turned 7 this weekend. He seems all grown up to me. Of course, put him in a room full of 15 year olds and he reverts to his true stature. I never stop being amazed by my children. A girlfriend once said to me, “Get where they are and just enjoy the moments as they whiz by.” She’s right. Sure, I gotta think ahead a little. Of course, I get misty when I see baby pictures. But right now is the only moment that really matters.

Gotta go smooch my babies.

Peaks, Valley, And, Oh Yeah, Plateaus…

I am working out for an hour 6 days a week, eating an average of 1100 calories per day, and have spent the past two weeks doing a dance around 173 pounds. I don’t know if it is officially a plateau or just some joke being played by the scale gods, but it has me down. I refuse to let a little plateau put me off track, though.

I had to do a bunch of mental games to get my butt to the gym for my workout (36/200) yesterday. I felt awful the whole time – and ended up cutting my cardio from an hour to 45 minutes simply because I didn’t feel like doing any more. That is completely unlike me. I typically feel great all the way through the end. I just didn’t have any legs left.

So, I am thinking about several approaches. I could bump up my calories to 1200 in case my body thinks we are starving. I could be overtraining (thus my lack of enthusiasm and wobbly legs) and might need to cut back on the cardio a bit. I might need to alter my gym routine so that I am getting a better variety, though I am not bored. I might need to just stick with what I am doing and ride out the rough patch.

Since this is about my health – physical and emotional – I am going to try to honor my mood and my body. It may be the added focus of looking at what I eat has turned this from a positive challenge to workout 200 times into a stressful forced over-haul when I am not ready to look so closely at everything I eat and why. I haven’t come to any conclusions, yet. Just laying it all out.

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