Choosing My Battles

This week is all about trying hard to get back into the swing of working out 5-6 days a week. The new school schedule, volunteering for the PTO and getting Erin to her enrichment classes have really put a wrench into the works. Not to mention other personal events and projects that weigh on my mind every day.
Still the best way to prepare myself to handle any challenge that comes my way (physical, emotional or otherwise) is to continue to improve my health. I need to find new motivation.

The weight loss contest after-glow is waining. The competitive spirit driving me on during the contest is now gone. So is the shame and guilt I feared from a poor show on weigh-in day. Also great motivators. Workouts have been minimal and my appetite is raging. Wouldn't mind as much if I was only eating larger portions of healthy foods. But the latest trip to Panda Express has left me feeling guilt ridden and run down. If there was only a way to remind myself how lousy I feel after eating a fattening meal before I eat it.
Last week my weight did a scary 7 pound up swing out of no where. Thankfully, that number went back down 5 pounds again but still . . . really pissed me off.

Became my bitch March 2012

Having an antagonist really helped keep me motivated during the contest. Some one or some thing to act as a competitor; an enemy to wage war against. n past posts you will read I had both a man and a machine to battle. (See: At Least I Beat Larry) Late last fall my personal goal was to beat a specific treadmill in the fitness center. Classic battle of woman vs. machine. After months of beating me up I was going make the machine my bitch. Before each work out I would step up confidently and say (in my head thank God) "Bring it ON!" In my opinion you must make it personal. I don't care if your enemy is an inanimate object. Important goals are personal. Make it personal.

Became my bitch May 2012

Next came the elliptical. Bring it ON! First time I tried that machine I hardly lasted three minutes. Now I am upping the tension levels, using faster paced music and jumping back and forth from the treadmill to the elliptical and back again to keep my heart rate up. I am the victor on this battle field.
I need the renewed motivation that comes with a new enemy.

Time to move the battle outside.

Back to School

Back to School time!
In the tradition of going back to school I think a little review of my summer vacation is in order. Would also help me catch up. Have blogged very little during the summer. Was not my original intention. It's just how it goes sometimes when you are trying to stay in the moment. Life is full of change and of course mine would be no exception. In the fall Erin would begin her first year of all day school and I would need to make some choices with my career. But until then we had a full summer planned. The focus was on quality time with my girl and finding opportunity for all three of us to enjoy ourselves in between home improvement projects.
Soccer, gymanstics and swim lessons. Sun, fun, fireworks and birthdays!The annual vacation with my parents, sister and her kids to a lake house in Delton, MI. All the while trying to maintain my new healthy habits and therefore, hopefully, my weight loss. The summer heat was just awful to the point of being dangerous so we may not have done everything we wanted to but we still had fun.

Despite knowing I ate out too much and worked out too little (miracles never cease) I kept off most of the weight lost int the spring. Gained back about 3 pounds. I'll take it! Though this success concerns me. Knowing myself as I do I'm guessing I will put fitness lower down on my list of priorities because I seem to do be doing "just fine." Just fine isn't good enough. I have plans. I have goals.
I have goals? There are all sorts of projects swimming around my head, concerning my daughter's education, home improvement projects, career choices, my own health, the family budget, that stack of recipes I want to try; but are those thoughts really organized in a cohesive plan?  Do I have any chance of succeeding without a plan?
Hmmmm
Time to reevaluate.
My friend Bryan recently took the leap and made his dream to be a chef a reality. All started with a cupcake folks. I'm sure you will be hearing more about him soon. He credits part of his decision to make that leap to an old friend of his, Warren Peterson, who having learned from his own equally brilliant successes and failures choose to share what he has learned with others. I have subscribed to his online, go at your own pace, Successful Goals course. Appears it is Back to school time for me as well.

At least I beat Larry!

I'm a little ashamed it has been so long since I've written. I was taking a little time off from thinking about my weight every flipping second of the day since the weight loss contest I was participating in had ended. When it was discovered by my husband that I had been weighing myself 5-6 times a day, and he called me on it, I knew I needed to back off a bit.
So how did the contest end? Well pretty damn well. I didn't place first but I placed third for the month and overall. Honestly I couldn't have lost any more pounds than I did that final month without purging daily so I am very proud with my final numbers. No pills, no crash diets, just hard work.
I lost 30 pounds!! And it shows! Best of all, I beat Larry, the biggest bs-ing, trash talking guy in the contest. He would tell me all he was eating three days before final weigh-in was tuna and prune juice! Since the contest we have become friends. I believe he felt being the nemesis for the rest of us was the best way he could motivate us all to work harder. He was right. When contest results came out how we placed wasn't nearly as important as whether or not we beat Larry!

Now the next goals for May sounded simple but really were harder than you might imagine.
1) Maintain the weight loss. I didn't have to lose more in May. Just maintain.
2) Do not go crazy on fatty fast foods or large portions just because I no longer had to worry about the shame of a bad weigh-in.
3) Continue a steady workout schedule. Maybe not 7 days a week but at least 4-5. Preferably 5.

My Asics Lady GT 2170

Well I have to say I didn't do as well as I wanted but the result was still the same.
I did maintain my weight loss. Yes!! I am certain the only way that happened was due to continuing to work out at least 5 days a week. Certainly wasn't because I stayed away from fast food. Others may give me a temporary pass on this, and I appreciate that, but if I feel guilty than it is highly likely I did eat out too often and/or often went too big on the portions. I'm sure people would allow a certain amount of celebrating after accomplishing a weight loss goal but I was hoping that my new body with a new attitude would not seek food as a reward. I already had another reward that I hoped would satisfy. New running shoes!! I love my new shoes. They are so clean and bouncy. Look cool too.
I think the tough part of reminding myself to control my food this month has been the lack of properly fitting clothes. I am swimming in everything I own! Not a bad problem to have I know. But if you are trying to keep your appetite in control having tons of room in your clothes does NOT help. You don't feel full or uncomfortable. And you certainly don't get to see your new figure because your current wardrobe doesn't show it off.
I have a long way to go before I have lost all the weight I want to lose. So staying focused on short and long range goals and finding motivation every damn day has become more important now than ever.
So I'm off for a mind clearing walk/jog around the neighborhood to plan out the next move.
As always,
Be excellent to each other.
Barbara