7/3/2012: Hello One-Eighties!!!

Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!  My two week stay in the one-ninety-ones is finally over!!  This morning when I got on the scale I weighed 189.8 pounds!  Wow, I even have trouble typing those numbers in the right order I am so used to typing the one and then the nine!!  Oh my goodness...it feels so good to finally see that change on the scale.

It's been a frustrating few weeks for me, with regard to the numbers on the scale.  Starting over two weeks ago there was a sudden drop in weight into the 191s, which caused me to go, "Whoa...where did that come from?"  It was fun to see those numbers, but it was unexpected and seemed too soon.  Ever since then I've been bouncing around 191.4/191.6.  Sometimes a little more, even getting back up into the 192.somethings, sometimes a little less, but staying in the neighborhood.  My chart helped ease my frustrations a lot, because I only record my weight on my chart on Mondays and Thursdays, and by looking at my chart I could see that I was still close to my predicted trajectory and also still well below my line.  Yesterday morning was the first time I was a little disappointed that I had not actually broken through the 191 mark.  After a weekend of pretty extreme discipline on the road (with the exception of the wedding party itself, in which I did indulge) I was hoping to see some positive movement on the scale.  Unfortunately, my body thought differently and when I marked my chart yesterday, I was still in the 191s; my line was definitely flattening out.  My response to that was a renewed sense of discipline.  Yesterday, I hit the gym hard, made good food choices all day, and saw the results on the scale this morning.  Finally!!

I have a tendency to retain water and I know that is part of the day-to-day fluctuation in my weight.  I try to avoid processed food at home and try to make healthy choices in restaurants, avoiding foods with a lot of sauces on them.  Even salads can be tough, considering the fact that you have no idea what is in the salad dressings.  I usually order my salad dressing on the side so I can control how much I use and just assume that it is about 100 calories a tablespoon (all oil).  On Sunday, Jack and I ended up eating lunch in the airport, it was unavoidable.  I made the best choice I could, a pre-packaged salad from California Pizza Kitchen that was only supposed to have 380 calories in it.  I believe that part, but who knows how much sodium was in the dressing? Also, I have long suspected that they treat pre-packaged lettuce with something to keep it from turning brown and I think "that something" as an impact on my water weight.  Perhaps, also, just flying caused some water retention.  Whatever it was, it's gone now and this morning's weigh-in was much closer to what I was expecting and hoping to see.  It's a little sad that it came on a Tuesday, a non-mark-my-chart day, but I did put a little dot on my chart to mark the occasion.  I also dotted my chart when I dropped below 200 for the first time.  I weighed 199.8 pounds five and a half weeks ago.  Ten pounds in 5 1/2 weeks...that's not too bad...

It's seems odd to me that controlling what I eat is much more frustrating for me when we are traveling than when I am at home.  There is something about being on the road that causes me to want to eat more or less constantly.  Is it the comfort of eating that makes up for the discomfort of being away from home?  I don't really know.  Whatever it is, it makes me feel like I should get more of a reward (on the scale) for behaving well while I am on the road than when I do the exact same things at home.  Silly, I know, but just where are those gold stars?  Today, when I got on the scale and saw 189.8, I felt like I got my gold star for being careful and diligent about my health plan while away from home.  I feel better now.

Thankfully, Jack and I decided to turn Pat and Heather's wedding into an excuse to take several days off from work.  We got home late Sunday night and we took off yesterday and today, in addition to the holiday, tomorrow.  It feels good to be away from work for several days.  I'm feeling relaxed, recharged, and energized.  I know being home will make it easy for me to take care of myself for the next couple of days and that on Thursday, when I get to mark my chart "for reals" (as Sharlynne would say), I will be well established in the one-eighties!

Next mini-goal?  187.0.  That will be half-way to 150!!!!