Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Confession

Time to be honest with myself. 

I've been stuck, and it's nobody's fault but my own. Yes - the last 5-10 lbs probably are the most stubborn....but my daily chocolate habit (and i'm not just talking one piece) certainly does not help. Neither does drinking wine or beer several nights a week. Or eating a bunch of junk before I go to bed. I am practically drooling just thinking about it. It's my inner fattie, she will always be with me.

I don't know what happened. Maybe I got comfortable with where I'm at? Or maybe it's just been nice to be enjoying myself yet still finding that I am pretty much maintaining my weight (I admit I haven't weighed in for a long time, but my clothes, including my size 6 items, still fit). I know I certainly take pride in not just my weight loss, but my overall health and fitness. In fact, I'd much rather weigh 10 lbs more but be strong and fit, than to be 10 lbs less but be weak and tired all the time. If I had to choose between being able to run 13 miles or being 10 lbs lighter, I'd choose running every time. 

Anyhow. So I'm happy with my fitness. Not that I don't strive for more (i do and i will), but I'm happy. Maybe I started concentrating on that more while forgetting about actual weight. I think that is a GOOD thing. I want to continue a focus on fitness. But truth be told, I'm starting to get the itch to "finish what I started". Why did I initially start this blog? Because I was ready to finally lose the weight. That was 2.5 years ago now and every failure and success and bump in the road is here for the world to see. And I've lost weight - but I'm not quite done. It's time to get there, and hopefully I can do that while also keeping up with my newfound overall fitness.  Then will begin a new journey, which is lifetime maintenance!

So what am I going to do in order to get back in action? 

First thing is first - no more daily chocolate/candy binges. I've cut myself off, until I can find a base line again and manage to eat ONE piece on occasion without going into a feeding frenzy that would make a shark jealous. 

Second - No more glass of wine nearly every night, instead I will reserve that for weekends only, or budget into my calories on certain days, for example when I've burned a lot at the gym or whatever. Beer (I'm a sucker for ciders) is way heavier, and I'm not going to be buying it for myself anymore except for specific occasions (like friends from out of town visiting, for example). 

Third - Less snacking after dark, and if I must eat....choose fruit or veggies.

Fourth - utilize MyFitness Pal again. I'm not planning it for the long term, but it helps me get back on track when I log for several days. 

Fifth - Show my blog/FB page some love. A huge part of my success in the beginning was that I was blogging. Staying accountable to both myself and others through the perma-record I created via my blog.

Sixth - Adding in new exercise routines. I haven't been to the gym in months, all I've been doing is running. I love running. I will continue to run (although currently letting a case of runner's knee heal). But I need to start doing MORE. 

And that is my plan. Out there for all to see, so now I HAVE to follow it. 

P.S. Speaking of running, I did my 4th half marathon last weekend - race recap coming soon!

And I leave you with motivation/a reminder to myself. I've come SO far already, as demonstrated by this picture. I can totally go the rest of the way. 


3 comments:

  1. I'm still on the path (hit my goal weight once but wasn't able to maintain) ... it's the eating, I have those junk food cravings too. Luckily the drinking isn't an issue for me, I just have to watch the MILK calories (and of course all the yummy things that are so good with milk). I DO think MFP will need to be a lifelong thing for me. It's just too easy to eat too much if I don't hold myself accountable. I'm an Elliptical exerciser, I've been trying to shake up my routine too. I have no desire for big races, but I'd like to be able to do a 5k without walking. I'm doing the blog thing to keep myself motivated and accountable too. You look great in your picture! I'll be following you :)

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  2. ive heard from a lot of different places that alcohol is a diet killer. some people have found that if they EVER drink it, its harmful. and im not saying that from my anti-alcohol place, im saying it from the fact that i have read that the only way some people have found to improve their health is to avoid alcohol altogether. its like you say you're doing with the chocolate. obviously its taking over a bit too easily, and if you stop completely, maybe you'll find that you dont miss it after all.

    half the battle is the grocery cart. if you dont put it in the cart, you wont put it in your mouth. whoever does the shopping needs to only ever buy whats on the list, and obviously to make that work you gotta meal plan.

    im not good at meal planning and buying only whats on the list. but i AM good at reading the store flyers and only buying things out of there that are on sale. last week at zups was the "chili" sale. everything chili was on sale! i even got a rain check on the chili beans because they were out of them! the only thing i didnt buy was the hamburger which was on a special in the 10 lb tube... but i didnt think i had room in my freezer. :(

    anyway. just some food for thought. no pun intended. :) you've done so much already, and you've been through a lot of stuff in the past year or so. i dont blame you for coming to a halt. if i were you, id be darn proud that you didnt gain, because moving is stressful, and i would definitely have gained!

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  3. It is so hard to lose those last pounds, especially when you are so physically fit and look amazing like you do!

    Consistency is so important - don't you think? I know for me, not allowing myself to slack off just because I looked so much better than I did at 300 pounds was important when I was trying to lose those last few pounds.

    Congrats on all your accomplishments.

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