Weigh-in Wednesday

ell, it may be Wednesday, but I actually did my weigh-in on Monday this week. At some point (maybe next week), I'll actually change it to Wednesdays, but I'm really glad I didn't this week, because it's pouring rain, and the scale I currently use is next door.

I digress.  After skipping the dreaded week two weigh-in completely (out of town), I am happy to report that I lost another pound and a half, making a total of 8.5 pounds down.  Everybody's gotta start somewhere. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it will grow. And in order to GET to the big numbers, you gotta go through a lot of little ones first.

Not sure why my MyFitnessPal counter isn't accurate right now, but it may have something to do with the fact that I had over 100 pounds to lose and it only goes to 99. I've got to look into that.  In the meantime, I'm gearing up to start adding some steps next month, so maybe I'll see if I can add a step counter or something to hold myself accountable with that. I have a Garmin 235, which adjusts your goal so it gets higher as you do more. So I may not hit 10,000 a day for a while, but I still may be hitting my goal for that day. Baby steps, still...

Anyway, I do feel like I'm back to normal, as far as the head thing goes. My energy level is back, and I'm waking up with less aches and pains. Getting all my water in has been my biggest challenge, but I'm doing better in the last couple of days, so I'm hoping I'm back on track with that as well. So far, so good! Excited to see what the rest of this week will bring!

Ho-Ho-Ho....ly Crud!

hristmas is a time of joy, love, laughter, family....and feasting. For Christians, it's a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Despite that, it seems like the older I get, the more bah-humbuggier I get, though. I love the time with family and friends, but more and more, I just want it over.  It's too much. Of everything.

People that know me in person know me as a loud, boisterous, friendly, outgoing person. I work to achieve that persona, because inwardly, I'm extremely introverted and shy. I'd much prefer to curl up with a good book or a nice mug of coffee and my favorite show and decompress than go...well, anywhere, really. I just am not a people person. So peopling is a lot of work for me, and it just saps my energy to keep up with any holiday hoop-la.

This year, because we had a grandbaby due right at Christmas, we decided to spend it in Tennessee, where I could roll work and pleasure together with a site visit and be there for the birth of the baby, too.  Keith was supposed to join me as soon as the baby was born and stay through Christmas day before heading back to GA, but our plans went sideways when he unexpectedly had to stay home.

Since Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without Poppy, we decided to postpone the gift-giving a couple of weeks and go back up to open presents with our granddaughters then.  This past weekend was a 3-day holiday weekend for me, so it was the perfect time to go back up, have Christmas with the girls, and also see Keith's cousin and his wife, who we're very close to.

This time, all went much closer to plan. I am happy to report that my first trip on my program went well, and even though I didn't pack any food to take with me, I was able to stay well within my calorie counts every day, and make great choices.  So I was very pleased with my progress. Saturday evening, we made plans to meet the cousins for dinner at a local restaurant, and I was surprised to see Keith's cousin looking so exhausted and just....bad.  When he mentioned that he was coming off working 13 days straight with no off-day, I chalked it up to that, and thought nothing more about it.

It wasn't until Monday when we were traveling back to GA that I noticed my sinus pressure building and Keith told me I had probably caught his cousin's cold.

Side note: maybe it's just me....but isn't it common courtesy if you make plans to meet someone to let them KNOW if you're under the weather?? Because apparently, he was. Massively.  

I spent the next three days with some of the most serious sinus pressure I have ever experienced, and only today has it FINALLY started letting up and draining. Of course, that comes with a different set of challenges, but it's infinitely better than feeling like you're head's about to explode.

Needless to say, once the pressure started mounting, all thoughts of logging anything went straight out the window, along with my appetite. I haven't logged any food...even today....since Monday, but I'm quite confident that I haven't come close to my daily caloric limit, either. Tomorrow will be a better day, and although I'm feeling so much better today, I know that it'll be even that much better tomorrow. I'll start worrying about getting back on track with my plan then.  

Life happens. Things will come up, and part of any successful plan is knowing how and when to work around things, and how and when to be kind to yourself.  When you're legitimately sick is exactly such a time.  So...I will start my logging again then. I am STILL making the best choices I can make...I haven't used this as an excuse to jump off the train.  But my log will still be there tomorrow, and so will my food of choice. The best lesson to be learned from this is not to let a pebble on the track derail you.  Locomotives can crush a pebble and keep on chugging like it was never there.

Don't ever sweat the small stuff.  

Reporting In

ow that I'm off and running, I can start looking back to see what I can do better. This week was really smooth until I hit the weekend, and that's when I starting having trouble.  

No....it's not what you think. In fact, if anything, it's quite the opposite.  I'm not eating too MUCH on the weekends, I'm actually eating too little.  During the week, my schedule is defined by my work calendar.  As such, I can set reminders to go off when I need to do things...in my case, like EAT. So...my little bell dings, and I get up and go fix my next meal.  But on the weekends, I don't get that. Consequently, I get up on Saturday morning, fix my breakfast, and start cleaning/organizing/making grocery lists, whatever it is, and before I know it, it's 2:30 and I've literally missed 3 meals that I should have eaten.  That's a problem when you're trying to eat several small meals during the day to keep your metabolic fire stoked and burning properly.  

I think I'm going to have to set some reminder alarms on my phone for the weekends so that I can work on that better.  I want to make sure I'm staying on track every day, and not just during the week.  Consistency is so important. The more consistent I am with this, the more my body responds.

So....I have a game plan for this weekend. Lesson learned. The first of many, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I was able to weigh myself this morning.  First, I lost 7 lbs last week (yay!), and second, I was able to see that first digit drop.  Now I'm officially in the 2's again!  It's still a very long way to One-derland from here, but that's ok. I've made it before and I'll make it again.  This time, I'm going to work on STAYING there instead of just visiting for a minute.

But that's not my only good news. I think the better news is that my body is starting to lose a lot of its normal aches and pains. I'm sleeping a little better (more comfortably), feeling better when I wake up and I've got a bit more energy, too.  I'll take that win any day. It's nice not to feel so old for a change. I'd almost forgotten how good it feels not to have my joints hollering every time I move.

So far, so good. I'm very encouraged by my progress and my mental status right now.  Onward and upward to week 2....

Commitment

here are a lot of excuses people make for not making healthy decisions. Lord knows, I've probably used all the ones you've heard, and made up a few myself.  But by far, my favorite excuse has always been

"I've got to get my head right before I can start."

Now, I know what I mean when I say it, and it sounds Really Good. But the reality, is that it's just another reason I use to keep from doing what I know to do to be healthy....namely, devote the time it takes to prep my food, and get my ass off the couch and moving around a track somewhere.

What I always meant by that statement was that when my head is 'right, everything is clicking, I'm all jazzed up about starting everything up again, I'm motivated, excited, and driven to do the damn thang.

Generally, it is rare that I feel this way until wayyy into the process, when my body starts responding to all the positive changes and my energy starts coming back up to 'normal' levels.  It shouldn't matter where my head's at when I start something, as long as I commit to following through with what I know to be the right course of action.

It's not a head thing....it's a commitment thing.

The question I should be asking myself is whether I'm willing to make a commitment to myself.  I make commitments every day....to my work, to my marriage, to my friends and family, even to my dogs. I never have any trouble with the follow-through on any of them, it's just another thing on my list to attend to.  

So why in the world should it be so different to make a commitment to myself?

What a great question. I wish I had an answer, but the bottom line is that it shouldn't be any different.  A commitment, after all, is a commitment....it shouldn't matter who it's to or what it's about. It only matters that you honor it as much as any other commitment in your life.

Coming into this, I felt like I was kinda shanghaied into getting back into the swing of things, in a way...I had to make a sudden decision and before I knew it, I was committed.  No time to get my head on straight, or to get mentally prepped for the change...the bell rang, and we were off.

Maybe it's better this way. Sometimes I have a tendency to think something to death instead of just getting it over with...sort of like putting alcohol on a cut. You know it's gonna sting, but the longer you think about it, the bigger the sting gets in your mind until you wind up convincing yourself that it's going to be like putting molten lava on your finger and you hit the reject button on the whole thing.  This time, I didn't give myself time to think about it or react....I just acted.

And consequently, I'm very contentedly on day 3 and doing very well, indeed. :) 

New Year, New Goals. 2023, Be Good To Me!

ell, 2023 is here.  A new chance to write a new chapter in a 12 chapter book with 365 pages in it.  I love that concept...the ability to create my own story. 

I've done it before; I can do it again.

It's just a matter of dedicating myself to ME.  That's a really strong statement, and it takes everything I've got, because concentrating on me goes against my very nature. I'm much more inclined to ignore me and concentrate on everyone else.

Why? I wonder...

Why should I be the very least important person of my acquaintance? Why do I deserve less time, less attention, less of everything, than anyone else I know?  I think that deserves some very deep contemplation, because someone, somewhere programmed me to think that way. I don't think that's anyone's natural inclination. In fact, I think our programming would probably more easily go the other way....ME FIRST! LOOK OUT FOR #1!!!

But I've never been that way. I think it's time I find out why.

In the meantime, I've started back on my program, modified slightly to account for the yummy (and healthy!) meals we've been getting from Every Plate each week. I love that I found this company, and am really enjoying their recipes. (In case you're wondering, NO, I am not a 'paid spokesperson' for them, and I am getting nothing for my reviews. I just love their food.)

I plan on having four small meals per day, and then my regular meal in the evening. Breakfast will consist of 2 eggs and half a grapefruit, the other three meals will be 2 oz of chicken and a cup of salad greens or a green vegetable.  

I plan on stopping my coffee intake at noon, and drinking water past that point, and I'm hoping to get in my 8-8's every day.

For now, this is my plan.  Where, you may ask, is the exercise?

Oh, she's coming. Just not quite yet. I think before, I've had an issue with starting too much at once. So for the moment, I'm going to concentrate on getting my food down. February is soon enough to start back with my walks. And maybe, depending on how I feel at that point, I might even start back trying to run a bit in March.

But for now, I'm just gonna concentrate on baby steps. I hope you'll join me on my new journey, and share yours with me as well. Positive support is everything, so if you're struggling, let me know so I can support and pray for you on your journey, too!