I started this journey six months ago today. I weighed 284.5 pounds and was worried about my health.
To be honest, I was going to kind of let this post slide today, because yesterday wasn't the best of days. My whole life, it seems, is like a garment with a loose thread (or maybe several loose threads). If I pull on one of those, it seems like the whole thing unravels. I didn't have a productive day at work, I overindulged, specifically on almonds (not a good idea) and then pistachios, and then popcorn. Just a horrible day nutrition wise. And then, I didn't exercise.
So, crap.
This morning, I weighed 213.5, which is 5.9 pounds less than I weighed on December 25, and 71.0 pounds less than I weighed on July 25. I will take six pounds a month, I guess, until I get to the goal weight, as weight loss in and of itself is no longer the primary focus of this program -- it's overall fitness.
I would say that yesterday was instructive. I've had a pretty singular mind about this for half a year. Well, most of the time. And then, I have a day like that. The answer today is to not let that become the new normal. The answer is to have a good day at work, to eat healthy, and to work out. That's why I am pushing the monthly resolution days. I have been successful for six months, but I was unsuccessful for years before that. Every day has to be a re-commitment. Don't worry about tomorrow or yesterday. What matters is today. Today, I will eat right. Today, I will work out. Today, I will be successful at work. Today. To-Day.
String a few todays together and you get to six months and goals reached or at least in sight.
If you had to overindulge, there are a lot worse things you could've chosen. Hang in there.
I don't mean to be flippant, but I think you might be OK to cut yourself a little slack. After all, we are all human and that means good days and bad.
If anything, stressing too much could affect your cortisol levels, which can adversely affect your health just as much as a bit of popcorn. So you had a bad day. You recognized it, and you move on, and that's the important thing, not the mis-step.
Yeah, I know. I wasn't even going to write about it, but I did because (a) it is six months, so a milestone and (b) to encourage people who have bad days to put it behind them.
Yesterday was the fifth spinning class I've attended. I have cranked up the resistance considerably from where I started, and feel way better than the first class less than three weeks ago. I can't believe how quickly I have progressed in endurance and strength (and also how much I want to do the MS 150 again and just attack it).
They are pretty awesome in terms of how fast you can improve.
Did the ING Miami Half Marathon this morning with NBBW. This boyo had been training in cold weather with completely different kit, so had to pick some warm weather shorts as the opening temps were in the 70's at 6:15AM.
I had a pair of New Balance shorts that I've had forever, but the string was missing around the waist. No big deal, right?
Wrong. After mile 7, I had generated enough sweat so that the shorts were drenched, and clinging to the inside of my thigh, so the stepping motion of running was also contributing to a downward tug against the shorts.
I started pulling the shorts back up (again and again). But this action caused them to stretch out even more. By mile nine I was having to hold up my shorts with either my right or left hand (had to alternate because this got quite old. No doubt I looked like Jethro sans rope.
Somehow I agonizingly finished the race - with bad timing and incredible chafing to boot, as the shorts weren't technical and may have even had cotton.
Later I was recounting the story to my wife. Me: "If only I would have had a safety pin!"
She: "You did - you had four of them holding up your race number."
Me. "Doh!!"
Miami was nice tho. 77F when we left (7F when we left H'town).