At the end of 7 months of Eating Less and Moving More, we find ourselves here:
JOURNALING READS: Seven months in and all is copacetic. This month finds me down 3 pounds from last, and it would make sense that things are slowing down just a bit. I’m moving 6 days a week (4 runs of varying length and two days of either biking or swimming) and I’m finding myself hungrier than I’ve been in a while. I’ve been blowing through those extra weekly points every week. I really feel my body needs them right now. I’m trying to be a better listener.
Speaking of better listening, I know I have to be careful with not over-doing the running. I’ve got some heel pain I’m trying to address right now. I can’t deny my fear of injury resulting in the inability to run at all. Yes, I DO have other options in swimming and biking, but there’s something about the run that is just a bit more lucrative from an overall fitness bang-for-your-buck standpoint.
I decided to join a running group, which feels pretty big to me, considering my tendency to do things on my own. I’ve gone to 4 of their weekend runs and each time I’ve almost talked myself out of it. But each time I go, I am rewarded with a run I would have never taken on my own. My overall mind set right now, while still wanting to eat well and continue to move toward my goal weight of 135, really has shifted into thinking like an athlete. If you would have told me that back in January, that I’m dreaming of running a half marathon some day, I would have belly laughed at you. And Lord knows, I had the belly size to REALLY laugh.
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Not a huge difference from last month, if you recall. Still, three more pounds? I'll take it. As one kind blog reader pointed out, "Go grab a pound of butter and look at it. Now you feel better about a pound, don't you?" Indeed, I do.
Since January, I've lost 36.9 pounds. That's a whole toddler. Or two chubby babies. Or one smallish-sized Golden Doodle. Or 36.9 pounds of shredded cheese.
Any way you look at it, it's an accomplishment.
I need to remind myself of this on those months where the numbers don't reflect much in the way of change. I need to remind myself of the complete transformation I've had and continue to have in my journey from Dieting Person to Wanna Be Athlete.
Do I have a weight goal in mind? Yes. 135 to be precise. I think that's a nice number for a 5'6 woman in her mid-40s. If I reach that number, will there be a part of me that wonders how it might look and feel to re-visit the land of the 120s? Of course there will. I may be making strides in my fitness life, but I still have some body image issues lodged pretty far down in the old limbic system.
But for now, I'm not focusing on that. Instead, I'm focusing on what I am learning to be the only thing that really has to happen to maintain a healthy lifestyle at a weight I feel good at: Eat Less and Move More.
I think people want a secret pill, or a magical combination of nutrients, or a machine that does the work for you. I say that, because I am those kind of people. Or at least I was. I was the kind of person that didn't want to do the work. I just wanted the results. I was the kind of person who came up with a whole bevy of can'ts whenever I tried to figure out my issues with food and chub.
I can't run. I can't eat healthy. I can't lose weight and keep it off. Can't. Can't. Can't.
The one thing running has taught me this year is to stop being such a whiner. Stop selling myself short on what is possible for my life. Stop dismissing things before you at least give 'em a fair shot.
I don't think I have all the answers here and I'm not saying that indulging the occasional pity party isn't part of this process. But what I have discovered is that you don't have to hit rock bottom and wade around in a mucky pool of self-loathing to really start making changes in your life.
I simply believe this: Eat Less. Move More.
Make and renew the choice every single day.
Some days will be goo gobs better than others.
And then pray to God that injuries don't send you into a downward spiral of Kelloggs Frosted Corn Flakes and salt 'n vinegar potato chips.
Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Want to join in? Or document your journey? Or whine along? Or celebrate successes? Both the template above and this one are available at Designer Digitals for those who want to track their progress along with me. There's a Flickr Group as well, to share your pages with others making similar changes.
SUPPLIES: Layered Template No. 38 (Cathy Zielske) • Krafty No. 7 Cardstock Pack (Katie Pertiet) • Aki Solids Paper Pack (Michelle Martin) • Avenir and Archer fonts
To read more on my journey of Eating Less and Moving More, all posts on fitness related issues can be found here.
