Habits & Excuses

"We never repent of having eaten too little."
~ Thomas Jefferson

Oh how true that is! You're unlikely to hear me saying "Oh gee, I wish I had eaten more today. I just don't feel full enough.". But you will, all to often still, hear me say something along the lines of "Hoooooo I feel full. I wish I hadn't eaten all that".

As with any habit, our eating habits are also hard to break. The things we put on our mouths, the portion sizes, the types of food....it's all got to be looked at under a microscope when we are trying to lose weight and be healthy.

Last week when I weighed in, I stood there full of confidence. I'd just walked 21kms ... of COURSE I was going to lose weight! And yet, when CuteBlonde wrote down my weight, I had gained 1.5kgs (3.3 lbs). For a brief moment I fell back into the habit of old and started to say all the same stuff.

"I just don't understand how that could have happened."

"But I was so good this week!"

"Oh I must be wearing heavier clothes than normal."

Then I snapped back to my new reality and tossed all the excuses out the window because they were all CRAP! Of course I know how that happened! I was NOT good all week! And I weigh in in the same thing every week! The plain and simple truth is that having managed to survive the half marathon, I promptly gave myself a free pass to eat whatever the hell I wanted. I came home and had a HUGE plate of spaghetti, with garlic bread. Then, because it was my mom's birthday, I had chocolate cake and ice cream. And watching tv that night, I sat and ate a giant bag of chips.

But it didn't stop there, folks. Oh no! Somehow I managed to convince myself that the free pass extended all the way to Monday. So I ate ridiculous things in stupid amounts for the next two days.

I also did NO exercise after that day.

When I stepped off the scale that night and someone asked how I did, I told them. "I gained 1.5 kgs and I know EXACTLY why". That was a huge step for me, and it is still hard to do. Admitting my mistakes along the way in this journey has been one of the biggest obstacles, but I think I'm finally getting there.

"If you wish to grow thinner, diminish your dinner"
~ Henry Sambrooke Leigh

So what did I do different this week?

I exercised. I ate smaller portions of better food. I tracked. I forgave myself for abandoning my 7 week challenge (oh yeah....that fell by the wayside...more to come on that later!). And I drank more water. And I exercised some more.

At weigh in on Wednesday, I was down 1.7 kgs (3.74 lbs). That takes care of the previous two weeks of gaining plus another 100g on top. I'm happy.

"Never, never, never, never give up"
~Winston Churchill

One of the lovely ladies that comes to my WW group on Wednesday nights has been a HUGE inspiration to me. J-M is just gorgeous. I've been seeing her come to the group every week and watching her shrink. She's been coming for about a year and a half but when I first met her, I looked at her and thought "well she's lucky, she's not got much to lose". You know what though?

She just reached 50 kgs (110 lbs) lost!!

She looks so amazing. She was a pretty girl when she was big (I've seen the before pic), but she's even prettier now that she's happy with herself. She just shines. And as I said, she's a big inspiration. She has about 12 kgs (26.4 lbs) to go until she reaches goal and I just know she's going to make it. And I know she'll keep it off.

Her husband is amazing too. He comes to meetings with her and listens and supports her. He loved her when she was big, he loves her now that she's thin. He just loves her.

J-M .... you rock girl! I can't wait to give you that standing ovation when you hit your goal..you'll deserve it!


My fearless leader, Tex, is going away this week. She's flying back to the homeland to visit family. I don't know what I'm going to do on Wednesday without her.

Have a good trip Tex! We'll miss you! Make sure you come back!