Re-evalutations, Redesigns, and Personal Pride

Okay… first things first…  most recent weigh in found me at 338.5 pounds. That is 42.5 pounds down total. It's surreal and exhilarating at the same time. Eight more pounds will put me at 50 pounds, which is 1/4 of the way there. That's a thrilling milestone that almost doesn't seem real. I almost don't dare believe it.

I'm starting to re-evaluate what I've been eating. Obviously what I've been doing is working… but I notice I'm really not getting a lot of fruit or veggies. I mean, I'm getting some. I have been eating bananas every morning with breakfast and I have a decent sized salad almost every evening. But that's really it. When I look at the food pyramid for how many servings of fruits and veg I'm supposed to have… I'm horribly deficient. So, I'm trying to add more stuff in. Also, I'm noticing that I'm starting to get hungry earlier in my shift, so I'm snacking more. I'm also really becoming aware that eating the food they leave for us at work makes it very difficult to account for calories… not to mention… they aren't always serving the most nutritious stuff, so it sometimes leaves you feeling hungry or my estimated calorie count is higher that I really want for one meal. I'm hoping that's where I can incorporate some more of my fruits and veggies. So, we're shifting the eating plan again. We'll see where that goes.

Things have not been working out to get together with that trainer friend of mine… so I finally just set up a time with the trainer at the gym for a re-design. This one was MUCH better. For one it was one on one. For another… I knew enough to ask some questions this time… so I felt like I got a much better idea of what I was supposed to do. I also felt like I got a better workout… HOLY STINK! I am sore tonight! Like all over sore. But I'm satisfied with that because I know that it's usually the sign of a good workout.

However, I had a personal pride moment today too with that. The trainer introduced me to a "machine" located in the 12-minute abs room. I see it every time I do my abdominal machine. And I look at it and think what a killer workout that one machine would be. I figure it was one of those that only those with really killer abs could really do. And sure enough… the only people I've ever seen use it are those that are already very fit. And the trainer wanted me to do it. HA! Yeah, right. I think he saw the look of fear  and doubt in my eyes when he showed it to me. He got me up there and I COULD NOT MOVE! I tried. I really tried, but it was not moving. I said something along the lines of "yeah, that ain't happening." He told me I could do it… it was my brain that was the problem. I took a deep breath and tried again. Not happening. And again. I finally got it to move about 2 inches. I tried again and again. NOTHING DOING. Finally, he told me to get off and he readjusted the height on something and suggested I move my arms forward a little. I was glad that he told me to move my arms… because that's what I kept wanting to do… but he had told me to keep them back, so I was just trusting his judgement.   I mean, what do I know about form? But those minor adjustments made a huge difference for me. I don't know if it was merely a mental thing… of if those adjustments really made that big of a difference to allow me to do it. But I did it. Adjustments or not… I was finally able to do the exercise I had watched for almost 3 months now and thought I would never be able to do it. That was source of personal pride for me. The trainer even gave me a high five and a good job afterwards.

Surviving the Holiday… with Success

After seeing how things went with the wedding and how lousy I felt… I was kinda dreading the 4th of July. However, I wasn't able to get the 4th off of work, so I only had one day (24 hours) that I could be with my family. And I was able to keep in check during that time. Thursday (the 3rd) I had off so I was able to get in a good workout before leaving to see my family. That night for dinner they all wanted to go to Wingers. Hello, calories! I had plenty remaining in my count for the day (about 1000)… but I'm looking online at nutritional information for various dishes there… SHOOT! I finally settled for a salad… which was far from being low-cal… but it was within my calorie limit and it tasted good. The day of the 4th, I ate breakfast with the family (waffles… I just had to watch my portions), but actually didn't eat anything else until I left. Lunch kinda got forgotten due to an accident which included a niece being taken to the ER. When I left, I just had to grab a pre-made sandwich from the gas station. It wasn't great… but it was within a decent calorie range and it kept me satisfied until I got home. And I chose to walk from my sisters house to where we were set up to watch the parade. About a mile. Another sister walked with me… it was nice to have the company and it felt good to be able to at least get some exercise while I was down there. So, the 4th didn't derail me like the wedding did. I was able to get a good workout in on Saturday… so it wasn't bad at all.

And finally… after about a 2 week stall… the scale finally moved again today! Another 5 pounds down. To make a weight of 346 and a total of 35 pounds down. I got to move the bottom slider thing on the scale! That made me ridiculously happy.

And tonight at work… one co-worker, with whom I have never discussed my efforts to lose weight or work out… mentioned "Dang, you've lost some weight!" I know it's pathetic… but that phrase "You've lost weight" is one I've been waiting to hear. My family and a couple of friends have all said stuff like "you look good" or "I can tell your clothes are fitting looser" or "your face looks thinner" other such stuff… but I had yet to hear "you've lost weight" And that was good to hear.