Six.

We had our final weigh in for the weight loss challenge at work today.  In 8 Weeks I lost 6 pounds.  Nothing to get very excited about but I’ll take it.  Especially since the week of and after Fourth of July was a bad time for me, I gained 4.2 pounds over those 14 days.

Since last Friday I am down 1.4 pounds.  This week I took Monday, Thursday and Friday off from the gym.  I was feeling a bit burnt out and achy and thought I might benefit from a break.  Losing that a bit while being out of my usual routine is an added bonus.

This weekend are going to a block party at my in-laws so I am going to keep water in my hand at all times.  That seems to help the constant grazing that happens at such events.  I’m also not going to drink because besides the empty calories, I let my guard down and over eat when imbibing.

I’m not sure if I am going to make my wedding dress goal, but I am going to keep working towards it even if it doesn’t happen by then.

Happy Friday!

Numbers.

There is a reason I do not own a scale.

I used to weigh in once a week at the gym.  Until another regular told me the scale is very unreliable/inconsistent.

My at work weight loss challenge is monitored by co-worker’s scale she volunteered we all use.  Once a week for the past 8 weeks I have weighed in.  And it has stressed me out more than it should.  Every. Week.

I obsess over numbers.  The weight never comes off as fast as I think it should.  A gain of absolutely anything unhinges me.  I forget about all the positive benefits of my 6 times a week exercise: way more energy, better overall mood, inches lost and muscles I have never seen defined are suddenly visible.  I just feel so much better in general on days where I have “sweated it out.”

But I haven’t lost enough weight.  That’s all I can think.

Carrying it around is getting heavy.

Friday is the final weigh in at work.  I am not getting my hopes up, I just hope to move the scale a bit down once again.  Last week I lost 3 pounds (after a two week gain of 4.2).  Hopefully the end of the Weight Loss Challenge will take some of the pressure off of my journey.  I feel like people thought I would do better because I have been at this for an entire 7 months now.

I’m not doing this for them, or anyone but myself.  I am not doing this for numbers on a scale, that is just a side effect.

Fighter.

Yesterday’s weigh showed all those morning gym trips this week paid off with a loss of 3 pounds in one week.  Even with this, I have not gotten back to my lowest weight since the beginning of June.  It is progress and I’m grateful for it, but it is just a reminder of how much of a fight weight loss is for me.

It is a constant struggle.  Choosing to eat better things.  Getting up almost two hours before the sun to hit the gym.  Pushing forward when all I want to do is quit.  It is hard.  It has always been hard.  It will always be hard.  There is no denying this.  There is no reason to let it get to me.  That was my old ways. I would get frustrated with the slow pace of my progress and sulk about it then stop trying altogether.

I’m acknowledging the fact that I am frustrated with things.  I’m pouting about it for the next 30 minutes (while I shower, I just got back from a quick run) and then I’m moving on.

I am going to have to fight for this but I think I owe it to myself to give it all I’ve got.

Start to finish.

Here is how I started my week:

Then how I ended it:

I had my first weigh in since June 30th this morning and that was not fun, but not surprising since I have felt burnt out and in a rut the past couple weeks. Although with Monday/Wednesday/Friday morning runs plus an awesome morning workout at the Rec Center yesterday I feel like this was a good week for me.

Happy Friday!

Calm.

Monday and Wednesday of this week have been early morning run days and this morning I came to a realization.  For me, early mornings are the best part of any given day.  There is a stillness and quiet that seems to calm my usually frazzled being and the possibilities of what the day will bring are endless.  Traffic is light and very few people are even awake in the world, let alone out for a morning jog.  The fact that I have gotten my booty out of bed and done something productive all before 7am makes me happy as well.

I was feeling a bit burnt out on my routines as of late but I think the fresh morning air did a world of good for me.  I reel revived and like everything is going to be okay.  I have also been slacking on logging my meals and snacks for the past couple weeks (I use MyFitnessPal) but I am back on the wagon with that as well.

Normally, in the past, after a few weeks of less exercise and more bad eating choices I would fall back into bad habits.  This time feels different (I feel like I say that a lot recently) and I’m acknowledging that the ebb and flow of life applies to all aspects and I’m tweaking routines and trying different healthy foods to get out of a rut.

Yay me.  That’s all for today!

5:25

Is the approximate time I got up today. Why? Because it is July here in Ohio.  It was already a humid 73 by 6:00am when I headed out for a quick 2 miles.  Quick it was, I averaged out at 12 minutes 21 seconds per mile. Well, at least that is quick for me! When I started this running thing, I was at 15 minutes per mile!

I have been feeling sub-par in the afternoons at work and downright shitty in the evenings lately, so I’m excited to see if reviving my morning runs a few days a week helps out.

Also, this will help me get ready for my first race.  There is a fun run in August (side note: It is the same day as my 10 year class reunion.  I would rather run a 4k in late August at 5pm than attend my 10 year: needless to say, I did not peak in high school, it was an awkward time but I’m A-OK with this fact. I would rather not relive those years at a shitty golf course with shitty drinks with people who weren’t exactly chummy with me back then. The end!) in Columbus called the Tap N’ Run.  You run, then you drink some beer, then you run some more and then you repeat.  I’m making this my first race, because how awesome is that?!

I’ve even got the husband on board to run with me. Nothing like a little marital competition!  I should probably mention, my husband is an ex hockey/football player/track & field runner BUT he isn’t exactly a regular exerciser, so this could go either way (unless he trains, and then he’ll smoke me.)

Til next time!