Thank you very much! (but the scale still sucks!)

Wow. Imagine my shock when my email was chock full of replies to my post, as well as personal messages. Thanks! It’s like I wrote to Lee: sometimes I feel like I am shouting in the forest, but the shouting still helps me, even if no one hears. But it is nice to get feedback - I get so much from the blogs I read. And I am going to check Jack’s out for sure once I read his comment. I really enjoy reading men’s blogs as well. It is amazing how supportive people are of each other! And you read so many discouraging things about losing weight (and keeping it off) in the news - it is refreshing to hear from and about regular folks who are doing just that very thing.

Most people start their weight loss journey as a ‘1’ – some turn into 2s. Some never do. And that’s okay – I wasn’t criticizing at all. Some people hate exercise, do the bare minimum, lose weight, and go on with their life. I wish I didn’t have a body that needed a huge exercise investment in order to lose weight, but that’s the way I am. Luckily, I’ve learned to like it. The funny thing is, I rarely enjoyed exercise when I was in the Army. Eight years of doing something nearly every workday, and not really enjoying it. How sad is that?

There were a few runs in Hawaii I loved when I was stationed there – the Aloha run was a great organized race, and I used to run the course of the Kole Kole half marathon on a regular basis. If you aren’t familiar with the race, the first 5-6 miles winds through Schofield barracks and is very pleasant – the next couple of miles is uphill climbing to the mountain pass on a road that cuts through fairly thick jungle-esque forest. At the top is Kole Kole pass (and a huge 3 story cross marking the pass) that supposedly the Japanese planes flew through on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. Once you reach the top of the pass, as the Ranger who lived next door once said to me “then someone steps on the back of your shirt.” Boom. You’re headed downhill through the naval magazine. The plants are cactus and the climate is dessert. The trade wind is blowing off the ocean straight at you, and uphill on the other side is looking real good. Since I was stationed at Schofield, we’d run to the top, and then turn around. Much easier. The running in Hawaii was so gorgeous, I enjoyed it in spite of myself! But really, these past 2 years mark the first time in my ENTIRE life I’ve done exercise for pleasure. That is sad.

This week: Mr. Scale sucks – no weight gone. You think I’d be glad I didn’t gain after last Sunday’s binge, but some people just are ungrateful wretches!

Other than Sunday, food has been good. Okay, I ate a sugar cookie yesterday, but besides that…. Okay, I’ll be more focused on the food side of the equation next week. Getting enough rest I have down pat. And hey! Let’s check out exercise this week, where I totally rocked the house!

M: swam
T: ran 2 mi, 30 min walk at lunch, walked dogs 1 mi in evening
W: 2 mi walk, 30 min walk at lunch, upper body weights
H: 2 mi run, swam, walk 30 min at lunch
F: 2 mi walk
Planned:
F: more weights + swim after work, walk at lunch
S: rest day
S: 13 mi run

I know a tad bit more diligence with the food will pay off for sure next week. And considering its PMS week around here, I think keeping my face out of the bag of dark chocolate Dove bites in the freezer was pretty good!

Hope you all have a terrific weekend!