Stalled

This week has not been a good one as far as my diet and exercise goals are concerned. I knew it would hit sooner or later, and it has. I seem to have a couple of main issues.

1) Summer is over, and the fall schedule has begun. I have less free time and more demands that interfere with walking or working out. This has always been an issue. In fact it is a reminder of what people who are seriously making changes in their lives while raising a family or holding a job go through all the time. It's tough keeping up with the schedule AND making sure that exercise has a priority. I haven't done well with that before. I will have to find a way this time.

2) With fall comes a number of challenges to the diet. Activities that serve snacks; cold temps making comfort food much more desirable and salads less desirable, holidays--my birthday, for starters.

3) I am easily discouraged from walking when the temps drop and the wind picks up, which really happened this week.

I did not gain anything this week, but neither did I lose. Worst of all, the inches around the middle, that
trouble spot on my body that I want to see improve the most, started creeping up again.

It's not going to get better until around May, so I'm really going to have to work at finding a solution. I have to find some way to push through each obstacle so that I can be an 'Overcomer'!

Resuming a Normal Lifestyle

I survived the 'party' last weekend, but not entirely unscathed. I hopped on the scales on Monday, and immediately hopped off again. Eww! I moved the scale around the floor, let it reset itself and clear its memory, and tried again...4 times. The scale was very consistent and very uncaring. I had popped up 2 pounds.

I relived the weekend, and thought about each treat I had allowed myself. It was no good. I just wasn't up to a guilt trip. I had such a good time and everything had tasted SOOO good! So I did an instant 'reset' on my status. Here were the facts.

I rewarded myself for losing 'almost' 10 pounds by enjoying friends, good food, and a fall festival. Why should I feel guilty? It was simply time to resume my normal lifestyle. Hmm, I liked looking at it that way; Resume my Normal Lifestyle. The weekend wasn't my normal lifestyle. It was just a weekend.

So I did resume my routine. I've walked, worked out, eaten reasonably, and enjoyed the occasional treat. At the end of this week I was 1/2 pound less than last week, which meant I had also re-lost the 2 pounds..

Of course, I probably would have fallen below the yellow line on Biggest Loser. And my team mates would have voted me off because of my cavalier attitude.... but that's why I'm 'Losing it Without Jillian".

Weekend Off

If Jillian was here she'd say:
Pumpkin cake with Cream Cheese frosting???? REALLY?
If Jillian was with me this weekend she may have thrown herself on the waffle maker to save me.
Hee hee. Well, maybe she wouldn't have, but it would have been funnier than the stare she would have given me as I covered it in butter and maple syrup. You've seen that face on Biggest Loser. It's pretty humbling.

I have almost lost 10 pounds. 9.5 is pretty close! Even though I haven't quite made it I decided I was going to reward myself early. The corvette club I'm a member of had planned a trip to a local restaurant with the absolute BEST Breakast brunch anywhere. I could have done the brunch without the waffle or the pumpkin cake. They had so many scrumptious choices, from Eggs Benedict with turkey and no hollandaise, to shrimp, crabmeat salad, and fruit.

Another week I probably would have skipped the sweets. But I didn't. This day was about fun, friends, and (yummy) food so I treated myself.

I'm almost down 10 pounds!!!! Sorry Jillian. I know what I did, and I'm not sorry. Today I was a good girl. And I will be tomorrow. That's what rewards are for.

10 pounds!!! I can't wait until I hit the next 10! (Maybe by Christmas??)

Re-learning Old Tricks

Before I went to Iowa, I was walking regularly. I had gotten to the point where after walking the 'easy mile' I didn't need to stretch. My legs and joints had become accustomed to it. The 'hard mile' with my two favorite hills, still tested me. But even those walks left me hot, sweaty, but not really tight. Stretching had become less important. I always stretched after a weights workout, or doing floor exercises.
Walking in Iowa was easy by comparison and I never bothered to walk afterwards.
Now I'm home and the shin splints have returned! I guess it's time to re-learn old tricks.

I'm home!

Coming home and hitting the road has been harder than I thought. I was ready to get back into my routine but I ran into two obstacles. The first one was RAIN! 4 days of it! I know some people say they walk rain or shine, but I'm not that good. If the weather is bad, I'm probably not walking in it. I did get out one day for a short walk, but I couldn't talk myself into the longer, 2 mile one. I have managed to do a light workout one day and a good workout yesterday...complete with shin splints today. Forgot that all important 'End of Workout STRETCH"! Oops.
I also find that it takes me a few days to get back into my routine. Unpacking, sorting mail, cleaning up all seem to grab my attention. I wish I could say I'm like a rabid dog and work like crazy until the house is all ready, but that's not me either. Instead, I look at what needs to be done, work at it, and find lots of reasons to interrupt myself. I can be very ineffecient when I feel like it.
As a consequence it takes a few days before I can get up and say "FIRST, LET'S WALK!!!!" I hope maybe I can do that tomorrow.
The rain has stopped. My house is organized. The lawn is mowed. Nothing to stop me now. Tomorrow I hit the slopes...walking that is.
On a GREAT note, I checked the scales when I got home. I lost 1 1/2 pounds while I was gone!!!!!!
YIPPEE!!!!!!!! I do believe that is a first. On occasion I've maintained. Usually I gain. Never do I lose while away from home.
Till tomorrow....