Day 91 - Figures and Goals for the Rest of 2010

Weigh In Day was today. After a crazy 8lb gain showed up on the scales last week, I was relieved to see a 6.2lb loss. Makes me think that the sodium-laden meal (light as it was) that I ate 30 minutes before last week's weigh-in skewed the numbers a bit. I'm taking today's weigh as an overall loss (probably about a pound or so) and, even better, seeing this as life's wake-up call to start making healthier choices again... which I have done the last few days. Yay me? Yeah... yay me!

Once again, the hubby, our son, and I piled into the ol' family van and headed for the walking trail; this time without nearly so much sighing and rolling of eyes. Dinner was phenomenal, so we ended up getting out later than we should have, so the walk wasn't quite as long. Still, we worked up a bit of a sweat and had a fun time.

Coming out of this past "low moment" has made me review the goals I had set out for myself for this year in terms of weight loss and health. I think we all start out a new year with hope and optimism, but by now, we're getting skiddish... nervous... fearful... that those goals won't be met, that we'll fail again in some way. I know I am. So, since we're starting a brand-new shiny month (and the beginning of my favorite season of the year!), I'm taking the words of my dear blogging friend Deb over at Deb Will Be Free to heart...  

"Regardless of how we feel, how much or little motivation we have, lets hit September HARD!" 

I agree, so to kick-start the remaining 4 months of the year off right, I'm posting my goals, revised and otherwise, here for ya'll to see. As cathartic as my post the other day was to help me pull my efforts back together, so I hope that by posting my goals here will help me push myself a little harder in achieving those goals.

I'm in "No Man's Land" right now, ladies and gents. My weight is at the lowest it's ever been since I past the 200lb+ mark back in 1993. I don't really remember what it was like to shop for a size that didn't start with a '2'. I was never seen as a "skinny girl" even when I was 135lbs as a freshman in high school, so I have no idea what that feels like at all. I'm working towards a goal where the only thing I know is the number on the scale. It's actually a bit scary when I think about it. It also makes it more difficult for me as I'm usually the type to shy away from totally unknown things; too shy and too easily freaked out. I feel like a person entering a dark cave with no flashlight and no knowledge of what lies within. I know that there will be pinholes of sunlight here and there. I will meet people who have entered the cave ahead of me and can give me their description of what I may find along the way. I know there is a light at the end of the cave tunnel and that light will come from a land I have never been in. All I can say is that there better be good sushi and dark chocolate there!

Ok... my goals at the beginning of the year we're pretty simple...

1) Lose 30+ lbs and reach 199 or less by December 31st.
2) Walk the WW 5K (Did that! Yay!)
3) Work towards making exercise/activity a regular part of my life on a consistent basis.

That was pretty much it. Simple, right? Well, #2 worked out better than I could hope for! I shocked myself with that one. So awesome! As for the rest, it's been harder than I thought. I've been dealing with a tremendous amount of stress, some of which I never saw coming. Really thrown me for some loops to be sure. But, I keep rising up out of the ashes and plugging away at them. Persistence? Maybe... I just am not willing to fail at this anymore. I've been fighting every physical, mental, and emotional obstacle that I've been hit with and I can say now that in the past 8 months, my approach to weight loss has changed so dramatically that I don't think I could go back to the way I was before even if I tried. I believe that is the most positive point to date! So, where do I go from here? Let's look at the numbers for reaching Goal #1...

Current Weight: 226.6
Goal Weight (by 12/31/10): 199
Amount of weight needed to lose to reach goal: 27.2
Number of Weeks left until 12/31/10: 17
Average number of pounds to lose each week: 1.6
Average number of pounds lost per week since May 2009: 0.5

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. I will have to push myself harder than I have been and overcome a number of challenges... Holiday eating... lack of weekly meetings (though I do have a "Plan B" I'm working on)... other matters that I won't discuss here. It's going to be a challenge for sure, but one I'm working on every day. As my hubby says "This is an achievable goal." I can will achieve it! One step at a time...

In the next couple of weeks, the daily patterns around here are going to change dramatically, so for now my plan is to just keep making good choices food and water-wise, keep attending meetings until my membership expires, get back into the gym at least a couple of times per week, keep getting out with my family (or on my own) on those days when the weather is good, and plot my new strategies as I'm able to. By the end of September, those changes and strategies should be pretty well established and then the real work begins. Until then, I shall be like a reed in the wind and do my best.

I leave you today with this thought...

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson

Until next time, my friends,

~Heather