![]()
Yesterday I had my trainer weigh and measure me because yesterday marked the end of five months working with her. The last time I was officially weighed/measured was April 26, and although I've only lost 1.2 pounds since then, I've lost 4.5 inches! Since I started with Demi at That Gym On Grandview (see my post about how great she and her partner are
here) I've lost a total of 9 inches!! My actual weight hasn't gone down as much as I'd hoped, but Demi did point out that since I've started with her, I've lost a total of 57 sticks of butter, and I like that stat the best! I used to obsess over that number on the scale and it never led to anything good, so I've decided this time around, I'm only going to focus on how I feel physically and how my clothes fit. Demi and I set a goal to lose another 5 pounds by September 1 (my birthday month!) making my total weight loss 10% of where I started. This is a very attainable goal and with my marathon training increasing dramatically between now and September 1, I think I can do it!
I know exactly why I've only lost 1 pound in two months. One word: weekends. Now that the summer is in full swing, it's hard to resist a night out with friends. And why should I? It's part of the reason I work so hard during the week, because I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. And, I must admit, I have some pretty fun friends! However, since I'm an all or nothing personality, there is little to no moderation, which is one of the things I've struggled with my whole life. Moderation is the theme of my summer. I've also developed three guidelines for myself to really focus on. They are designed to be fairly easy changes with a minimal guilt attached so they can eventually become habit.
Disclaimer alert: They are created specifically for me, by me, so I don't suggest or recommend any of these guidelines for anyone else, nor have they been proven to help with weight loss. Although, it was a fun challenge to come up with them and maybe you can come up with your own guidelines!
Guideline 1: Just because the food is there, doesn't mean I have to eat it. This has always been an issue for me, even as a child. If there was food around me, I would eat it whether or not I was hungry. I acted, and still do, like it's the last time I'm ever going to eat, which is completely whack. Especially in social settings, I'll eat a chip here and there until I realize I've been standing at the chip bowl for the past hour and a half. I need to tell myself, "you will be able to eat chips again, you don't have to eat them all right now."
Guideline 2: No late-night eating. This became a habit in college. At OU, almost all the restaurants would be open until at least 3am and of course they're all located right next to the bars, so it was too easy to grab a burrito or some pizza on the walk home. Only, I don't stop at one piece of pizza...I've been known to eat a whole medium pizza, by myself, at 4 in the morning. Although I don't do that as much anymore, I still wake up in the morning mad at myself for eating the night before when I really didn't want or need the food. Step one, don't eat it in the first place. Step two, if I do eat something, eat one of something.
Guideline 3: Don't compare myself to others. This is one of the reasons I got so thin my second year of college. I NEEDED to be the thinnest, the smartest, the best at everything. I would constantly look at other women and think to myself "I need to look like that girl." I've really let go of my need to be perfect and to be the best, and it has really made me such a happier person. Who wants to go through life comparing themselves to other people? It's exhausting.
This weekend will be a great place to start with these guidelines because of all the parties going on for the 4th of July. I'll let you know how it goes...heh
With all that said, I am very happy with yesterday's results. Right now, I think I'm the happiest I've ever been with who I am. I've stopped worrying (so much) about other people and have begun to realize I can only control myself and my actions. My confidence is returning and that's more important to me than the number on the scale or the number of sticks of butter.
If you have any other tips on how to not let the weekends ruin a whole week's worth of efforts, please send them my way! I'm all ears!
Happy 4th of July everyone! God Bless America!
Els was a surprise. Jamie and Tiff were not at all trying to have a child and my brother didn't know the first thing about babies OR girls...so a baby girl was like WAY more than anyone could comprehend. But, I'm a firm believer that "everything happens for a reason," and I know there was a reason little baby Ella was created. She has been the brightest light in our family since, well, me (HAHA totally kidding!) Even my dad has said, "I feel different about her. I don't know what it is, but there's a different kind of love I feel for her." I feel the same way and I know Jamie and Tiff do as well. She makes all of us happy, she's certainly brought our family together more than she will ever know, and her mom Tiffany is such a fantastic person, I know Ella brought Tiff into our family for a reason as well (if only to be my partner in crime.) I've always had so much respect for my brother, genuinely proud to be "Jamie's little sister." He's always been a great role model for me and I've always looked up to him. Now, watching him with Ella almost always brings a tear to my eye. Every time Jamie enters the room, Ella instantly smiles and reaches for him. Fatherhood suits him, which I think surprises him more than anyone else.
Before you start rolling your eyes at me, I am perfectly aware that Ella isn't the Second Coming and wasn't brought here to end wars and create World Peace, but she has definitely brought Dupler Peace to my world and that's all I can ask for. With that said, feel free to check back when she starts her Terrible Two's and, although my love for her will never fade, I may have some other, um, less pleasant words to share...heh
