Week 2, Day 1

I'll be frank. I think this is the longest I have stuck to anything diet related in quite some time. I can't believe how easy it has been. And I mean easy in that I am not starving, the food's not gross. My workouts have been grueling, but a routine really fell together for me. I'm a little obsessive right now and I kind of think you have to be. I am constantly talking to myself about why I need to do this. I look up success stories and photos online. Even though I am not doing Jenny Craig I read about Sara Rue's journey because, wow, she looks amazing.

I was thinking today that this journey sort of parallels pregnancy in a way. When you first find out you're expecting, it is exciting but the goal is nine months away and at first you don't even get to look pregnant. But as you grow, people begin to notice and then one day you have your child. At the start of this journey, I've got probably nine months or more to my goal and right now no one can even see that I am working on it. And then I thought, as you approach your due date people start hassling you about getting induced and crap and when you reach the ballpark of your goal people start hassling you about getting too thin. Ha!

Week 1, Day 7

I love the weekend but hate it as far as my routine goes. Weekends are usually the kiss of death for any diet I try. This morning my son had baseball games so my husband decided we'd stop at McD's on the way. Thanks, hon. I got the fruit and yogurt parfait, which as it turns out is about 160 calories. It sucked. I mean it tasted fine but it was tiny and I was surrounded by the smell of everyone else's biscuits and hash browns. Hmpf. But I did it. I didn't come up with some reason why it would be OK for me to eat the "good" stuff "just this once."

The really tough thing about the beginning of this journey is how far away the finish line is. So, rather than focus on that, I am trying to focus on much shorter term goals. It'll take forever to reach goal but my clothes can be looser in a couple of months. Just gotta focus on things like that.

Week 1 Day 6

I began in earnest this week to get my shit together. I signed up for the Biggest Loser Club, partially to get some meal ideas (and I was hoping some other tools, but there's not much there that I find useful.) But also partially because I got three books when I signed up and even if I don't continue with the membership beyond the initial three months, that's a good deal. Part of why I haven't lost weight before now is my own head. I have read probably every diet and nutrition book known to man. And with that comes information overload. I know the dangers of fat AND carbs AND protein. But ya gotta eat. So I had this ideal diet in my head and if I couldn't live up to it, why bother? But I have managed to eat well this week, without being terribly hungry. And I am still eating meat and a little processed food, but overall my diet was good. I gave up the dream that I would someday be a super duper healthy vegan who shops only at Whole Foods. But I also gave up the reality of eating crap and too much of it.

I also started going to the gym steadily instead of once every two weeks. I did about an hour of cardio every day plus a yoga class. Except Wednesday, there was no class that day and I chose to take a breather. Now that I have seen the classes, I like the instructor who teaches Mondays and Fridays the best. That works out really well because on Tuesdays and Thursdays there are strength training classes. I think I might make Wednesday a light day instead of taking it off entirely and then take the weekends off. 5 hours of cardio plus two yoga classes and two strength classes sounds like a really good mix.

I started on Monday and I am down four pounds so far. I truly feel like I have tapped into something that I can do for the long haul.