The last weight loss update I did was two months ago and what a crazy couple of months it has been. A few days after I posted is when my grandma ended up in the hospital, and in many ways, April felt a bit more like I was in survival mode. I’m pretty confident I made more trips home over the course of that month than I did in all of 2014 combined. In the midst of that, I really wasn’t paying a ton of attention to what I was eating and gained back several pounds by the time Grandma finally went home. Honestly? I don’t really care because the scale dropped far, far down on my list of priorities. Rightfully so.
Once Grandma got home, life started to normalize a bit more and I was in a better headspace where I could focus back on eating healthy, fitness, and weight loss. It took a solid week or so to break myself of the mindless eating habits I had developed because whoa buddy, do those ever re-engrain themselves fast! But, for the last several weeks, I feel like I’m really back in a routine I’m comfortable with.
Since my last “official” weigh-in, I’ve gained a little. I was so excited in March to be back in the 150s, but haven’t seen that decade since!
starting weight (November 2013): 170.8
two months ago: 159.0
this month: 160.8 (+1.8)
The thing is, though, the fact that I’ve gained a little really doesn’t bother me in the way that it used to. I think that it’s a sign of personal growth in this journey, but more importantly, that I’m at a place where I’m (mostly) comfortable in my own skin. I am in the camp that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. In the past few months, I’ve noticed that my clothes are fitting better. I’ve gotten faster as a runner, as evidenced by a PR in both the 5k and 10k already this year. I’ve (once again) re-committed to strength training and the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and I’m lifting heavier than I ever have. I have more energy and I just all-around feel better, and all of that is worth more to me than whatever the scale might say. And, in all of that, I’ve found an inner and a physical strength that will help carry me through the rest of this journey.
So, the past two months didn’t bring the kind of change I would like to see on the scale, but I’m okay with that. I know that if I keep working hard, the weight will come off in time, and I’d rather lose it slowly, keep it off, and really develop the kind of habits that will allow me to keep the weight off once and for all. In my mind, I would love to be at my goal weight of 133 by the time I make another attempt at the Grand Rapids Marathon on October 19, but I know that almost thirty pounds is a lot to lose in less than five months. Doable? Perhaps, but marathon training isn’t necessarily conducive to huge weight loss. I’m not counting it out by any means, but my more realistic goal is 145 pounds by the time I toe the starting line. Less than a pound a week is much more manageable, and feels like a goal I can truly accomplish without going to crazy extremes. Plus, that would put me at my lowest weight since this whole crazy journey began, and that would be pretty legit.
