Mandy: Aw! He is such a cute boy! He's got a look in his eye that he will be making you run soon!
Laurie: Hard to get caught up after things like that. I hope you get a chance to run.
For me, I'm hoping that the weather stays better today so that maybe we can go for a little hike. It's been windy and rainy, so it hasn't been good hiking weather. Should go running if hiking isn't happening today.
Diane - Hope you got a fantastic run in yesterday, and that your hike is fantastic. (And if you get rained out, that your run today is great.)
More people are noticing my weight loss, and I'm surprisingly uncomfortable discussing it with people. This is not my first rodeo -- I've lost large amounts of weight before. But yesterday, a high-ranking person in my client's organization asked to speak with me privately. I thought we would talk about a project we've been working on, but she just wanted to congratulate me on my weight loss and ask how I did it. We have a good relationship and do speak about personal things, but I didn't love that. I think it's a good thing, though. I used to get high from weight loss compliments. Maybe I will decide I would rather just have people used to "thin" me than be impressed that I lost weight. Maybe, just maybe, I can maintain the loss better with this mindset.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Last edited by LaurieDawn; 10-05-2016 at 10:09 AM.
Laurie! Did I miss you talking about getting into onederland?! I see your ticker is showing a great number starting with a "1"!!! Congrats on the compliments. I know how you feel. It isn't something I like to discuss. I appreciate it when people notice, but it is somewhat embarrassing to discuss. Anyway, good for you!!
Not much new with me. We didn't go hiking because of the weather. Maybe tonight.
Diane - Thank you for the congratulations, Diane! As you may (or may not) remember, I stalled, then creeped up, over the course of about four weeks. But then I didn't weigh for two weeks because of my conference, and dropped about 10 pounds over those two weeks. I weighed at the urgent care center I went to on Monday, then I got official confirmation of it on Tuesday morning. I am officially in Onederland! I started to post something about it after my "official" weigh-in on Tuesday, but I am doing this thing where I am believing that if I don't treat these things as a big deal, I am more likely to be able to maintain this time. Ridiculous, I know. Sad that you weren't able to go hiking last night. Hope the weather cooperates tonight.
I am finding that every time I look in a mirror, I am telling myself, "Nope. Still fat." I then chastise myself for being so unnecessary mean, but I don't know why I do it. And it's true that I am fatter now than I was at this weight 20 months ago or so, judging by which clothes fit and which don't, but I need to try harder to allow myself to appreciate my body. Fat is part of who I am, part of who I have been for 15 years or so. And despite being fat, I am strong, fit, fun, compassionate, intelligent, hard-working, blah blah blah. So why do I keep using the word "fat" as an insult in my head when I am looking at my thinner body? I am still fat. But it doesn't define me today any more than it did six months ago. UGH. I gotta get out of my head!
Laurie: Well, I think it is a big deal. I get what you're saying, but hey, you made it!!! I know what you mean about getting out of your own head, though. It is hard to do, and yet so easy to be critical of ourselves.
Not much new with me. I really am coasting. I'll have to make sure I get back to being diligent again after we get back from hunting. Last year is when I really let down and gained about 25 pounds. Holidays....
Diane - Holidays can be the hardest. But your hunting trip will be full of fitness and fun and memories. Then, we'll all tackle the craziness of the holidays together.
It's casual Friday, and for the first time in forever, I am wearing jeans. Because my favorite jeans FINALLY fit again. They're a bit snug, but comfortable. Going to work on cranking out today's to-do list at work so that I can escape for a run this afternoon. Thrillingly, I have no meetings at all today, except for one that I routinely skip.
Laurie: Congratulations on the jeans!!! That's so cool! We have a casual day every Friday too. It is nice to be able to be comfortable in jeans! And I'm with you, when I get back we'll focus on surviving the holidays. I'm looking forward to the little kick start of hunting workouts, and then I really want to remain in the zone. I don't want to let it go like I did last year. Just makes it harder.
Diane - When is your hunting trip? Historically, if I recall correctly, it's generally October. And you're right about the holidays. They can be so challenging. But it will also be our opportunity to prove to ourselves that we can do hard things. Right?
Had a not-perfect weekend. Went to a party Saturday night. Stupid chips and cheese dip right in front of me. I was really good at resisting for a while, but we were there for five hours. Ate too much of it. But other than that, the weekend was pretty good. I had a lame workout Saturday, but did run on Sunday. Still not progressing very quickly through C25K, but haven't quit. And I'm celebrating the fact that I haven't quit. Going to try to run today again.
Just a quick check-in. Ran yesterday. Two days in a row. Still not where I want to be, but I kept pushing yesterday, and I feel confident I will keep making progress. Lifting weights today. Think instead of my notebooks, I'm going to start tracking my lifting with an app.
Our office was closed yesterday for Columbus Day, so I'm scrambling now to get caught up. Just wanted to check in. Hunting is coming soon, and I am so ready to go. We'll leave Friday, and then gone until Thursday of the next week.
Diane - So excited for your annual hunting trip! Just a couple of days to get everything ready, and then you're off. Can't wait to hear the report when you come back. Hope you get caught up enough that you can avoid thinking about work the whole time you're gone.
I am on track. Someone asked me today how much I had lost. After telling her, she asked what motivated me to change. In the course of that conversation, I admitted to her that I had been just about this weight when I first met her. (She's a coworker, and I was at about my lowest weight since 2007 when I started my current job.) What I am doing right now feels like it could be permanent. I am grateful that my whole family is committed to Tuesday and Thursday night judo(kids)/gym(husband and me) and Wednesday night dance practices. (We do popular line dances with the kids, learning them from YouTube videos, so that they will be able to join in at school dances.) A "fitness lifestyle" that involves the whole family seems like it might be sustainable.
Now I'm rambling. I have lost weight so many times, though, that I do obsess a bit over maintaining the loss. But I can do it. WE can do it. Weight control forever!
Laurie: So awesome to hear your thoughts! You are so set now!!!!! I'm very proud of you and how you've fought through and made it to the good side! Keep up the good work!
Ok, for me... I am so checked out, it isn't funny. One more day of work tomorrow and then I'm done! I know I haven't been too focused on weight loss the last few days. I do plan on taking the needed break away from normal life and getting away from distractions. I also know that when I come back, I'm committing to 100% on plan. Last year after hunting, I relaxed to the point of not keeping on track, and I gained weight throughout the holidays. I'm still working on getting that off. I can't let that happen again. So, I will return. Renewed, refreshed and ready to roll!
Diane - Tomorrow's the day! So excited for you. It is so great to get away and get refreshed and renewed. And it's fantastic when fitness is a joy rather than a chore. Plenty of time to focus when you get back. Can't wait to take on the holidays monster with you.
I did not get out to run yesterday, so I am going to make that a priority, even though I am going to lift weights tonight. I have NOTHING on my calendar today -- no meeting, no hearings, not even a lunch date. WOOT! So I am going to try to take full advantage of the time to get caught up and to sneak out for a run today. Getting cold outside, which makes me feel less guilty about running on a treadmill. =)
Confession: My parents being here for a visit totally knocked me off the wagon and it has left without me. I find myself struggling to catch up and climb back on.
I'm having to deal with a pretty stressful situation with doctors, and billing, and insurance, and it's made me completely apathetic to exercise and eating right. I just want to drink coffee, eat bakery sweets, and read. That's my "happy place" and how I comfort myself when I'm in tough spot. I know it's not healthy, but I justify it by telling myself "hey, at least it's not drugs, right?!" But ultimately I know that not losing weight is pretty unhealthy for me, too. But that nebulous "health" goal has always been a difficult thing for me to focus on.
Also, I took the plunge, and decided to take some money out of savings and invest in the products needed to start making some lip balms, lotions, and sugar scrubs to sell. I guess I'm officially starting a business. EEK. I'm nervous and excited and kinda freaked out about it. Granted, it was only $100, so while a little painful, it will not kill us in the long run... Plus, winter is coming, and I live in the north, and the season of dry skin and chapped lips seems to be a good time to start selling this kinda stuff. Plus, they will make fun stocking stuffers. Everything will get here in the next few days, and I will have product ready to sell by next weekend.
So that's what's going on here. Makes me think of that line in the song, "Welcome to this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life." Nothing's ever all bad, or all good. I guess the balance helps us appreciate the positive.
Now if only I could get myself back on the health wagon...
Mandy - I know exactly what you're saying. That wagon can be so elusive sometimes. I have been exactly where you are too many times to count. A few things that have kicked me back on the wagon in the past (though they are not always effective) - 1. Watching shows or documentaries about the super-obese. Not to gawk. Even at my highest, I was always mobile and fairly fit. However, it terrified me to see how quickly people went from very heavy, but mobile, to bedridden. 2. List reasons I want to be smaller. Not only do I want to be fit so I can enjoy running and playing with kids, but I want to encourage my kids to be active. That's much easier when I can do and not just instruct. And when I am eating healthy and staying active, I am much more likely to encourage them to do the same. 3. Contemplate why I want to eat the food. I love baked goods and reading. But I also love Halo Top ice cream, eaten slowly and savored, followed by a hot cup of herbal tea while I read. Sometimes, it is the comfort of old habits that I am seeking. Other times, there are deeper psychological issues at play.
I know you didn't ask for suggestions, so I hope you don't mind that I've given them. As I said, they work for me sometimes. Other times, not so much. I am a chronic faller-off-the-wagon, and I struggle to get back on. I'm on the wagon right now, and hoping to stay here, but I know that I will fall off. It is really good for me to remember that I have been successful in the past at finding ways to get back on the wagon.
Things are going well for me right now. I am going into the weekend, and feel pretty confident about being able to stay on track. But sometimes, that's when I am most vulnerable.
