Weight: 151.8
Yesterday was an interesting and stressful day, as I took Jack to the hospital for his surgery (see prior post). I ate my normal meals and did not go off plan at all, which is a minor miracle in and of itself! We got to the hospital a little early and knew we would have to wait a bit, but then the surgeon was held up in another surgery and we had to wait an additional hour. All in all, we were at the hospital for about 6 hours. I packed my dinner and ate it a little earlier than normal, at about 3:30 in the afternoon. There were snack machines with candy bars in them that looked tempting, but I didn't buy any candy in spite of being alone, stressed, worried, and a little bored. After we left the hospital we stopped at CVS to pick up Jack's prescriptions. The candy aisle tempted me enough to walk down it, but I did not buy anything there, either; other than a new pair of sunglasses (well, they were not in the candy aisle). After we got home Jack took a little nap and then I fixed him a bit of dinner at about 8:00. Again, I was tempted to eat, but I didn't. All in all, I feel pretty proud of myself for staying on program throughout a stressful day. I was rewarded when I got on the scale this morning and I was finally, after 4 weeks of nonsense, into the 151's!
As far as we can tell, Jack should be completely fine after about 3 months. I'm a little worried about him, but that's normal for me. I'm sure I will fuss over him through the weekend and by Monday we should be into a new routine. I'm kind of glad I ended up having to take today off (per the surgeon's instructions) so that we would have the extra day to get ready for our camping trip. With Jack having only one arm, it is going to be a bit more of a slog to get ready. His right arm is completely out of commission for anything other than things that require only the movement of his fingers, like typing. He can't carry or pull on anything with that arm. It will slow him down a bit. I am hoping that by Friday, July 29th, he gets completely comfortable in his sling and that the injury at that point is just an inconvenience. I don't want him to be uncomfortable on our trip. When I broke both of the bones in my arm I remember being in severe pain for a couple of days, but by the time a week was up, there wasn't any more pain. Just an arm in a cast. That is what I am hoping for with Jack. Not the severe pain for two days part, but the just an arm in a cast part. Prayers to Jackie Deane for a swift and complete recovery!!
I am excited about getting close to my goal of 150.0 pounds. So far, so good, with regard to staying incredibly disciplined for this last 10 days. It's hard to express how much it means to me to reach my goal by the end of my 12 Week Challenge. It is also hard for me to express how silly I know it is to care about 1.8 pounds. I am a goal oriented person. I like the idea of weighing 150 pounds. I know it is a weight I can maintain forever (with normal fluctuations of a pound or three). I like the idea of always staying at or close to 150.0 instead of 152. I can't say why exactly, I just like it.
The fact of the matter is, at about 152 pounds, I feel awesome. My tummy is nice and flat, all of my clothes fit well, my face and neck are not puffy, and I feel healthy. I am sure I will feel exactly the same at 150 pounds, but I will have the added satisfaction of knowing I reached goal. I don't need nor do I want to weigh any less than 150 pounds. I am completely satisfied with the way I look and feel. I am not skinny, but I am not overweight. I'm just sort of average size and that works fine for me! For me, being average size is skinny!
The funny thing is at about 155 - 156 pounds I start to feel not so good. My tummy gets kind of round, my shorts get tight around the waist, and my neck and face feel puffier. That few pounds makes a huge difference. It's probably because when I gain a little weight it's due to eating off program foods and I gain "water weight," which, in my opinion, is a nice euphemism for systemic inflammation. Staying on program is key to feeling terrific.
I am incredibly pleased with the changes to my body that are occurring as a result of the weight training. My arms are getting so toned! I love having firm, well defined arm muscles. I also have nice definition in my shoulders and my back is getting stronger looking, too. My legs are starting to shape up again. All in all, my 12 Week Challenge is bringing about the results I was hoping for! In one more week, I'll chalk up the complete results!
Ruth and I decided to start a new 12 Week Challenge on October 1st. We are opposites of one another when it comes to exercise. She loves the cardio and is not fond of weight lifting, therefore she focuses heavily on cardio exercise, particularly throughout the summer months when she enjoys being outdoors. I tend to focus on the weight lifting, which I vastly prefer to cardio. The end result is that she is in much better shape than I am in when it comes to running, cycling and swimming, but I am stronger than her when it comes to muscle strength. Ruth finds winters difficult, because she enjoys the outdoor cardio training so much, so, starting October 1st, we're going to start a 12 Week Challenge. Our goals for the Challenge will all be strength related, there will be no weight related goals. I'll already be at 150.0 pounds and Ruth doesn't need or want to lose weight. The Challenge will help motivate Ruth to lift weights, but what will motivate me to run? The half-marathon that we've scheduled for fall of 2017, of course! I ordered my new book yesterday, it should be here early next week, and I will start training in earnest. Yes, we are going to have so much fun!!
On another note, I found out this morning that Steve will be coming home from Samoa on Monday. He has made the decision to end his tour with the Peace Corps early, primarily due to the fact that he found the physical abuse of small children that is prevalent in Samoa (particularly in the schools - which is where he was assigned as a teacher) incredibly unsettling. At first, the abuse in his school stopped due to his complaints, but it started back up again a couple of months ago and he found himself getting more and more upset about it until the chronic exposure to the violence became more than he can bear. I am sad that he had such a negative experience in Samoa, but I am glad that he had this opportunity. He learned a lot about another part of the world and about himself. That's a huge win! Also, it will be good to have him home.
That's most of the big news, I guess. I need to run to Target to get Jack some button up sort sleeve shirts. He needs something easier to get on and off while he has his arm in the splint.
Until tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment