One Month Into My Journey…

Wow!  Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of my journey.

It is said that 21 days make a habit, and I think that I had almost gotten there, but this past week threw me backwards. I’m still excited about what I’m doing, and where I’m going, but I feel as though I haven’t been fully on track for about 10 days, and was worried that I was losing my momentum.

I let something that happened (too much to go into here) a week ago Monday sabotage the past 10 days, all except for food.  That I stayed on track with.  I didn’t exercise, I didn’t blog (I think I was hiding from you, because I didn’t want to admit that I wasn’t doing anything).  As a Canadian, I didn’t even have the excuse of being preoccupied with Thanksgiving.

Pretty much the only thing I did on the computer other than read the news and check emails, was play games on Facebook. Damn Farmville, Frontierville and Bejewelled.  I came up with every excuse I could think of to not go to the gym, which bothers me, because I look at it as wasting money. (Great, something else to feel guilty about)  I’m paying for a monthly membership, that for 10 days I didn’t use.

On Saturday, I thought about hiding from my scale as well, but realized that I need to know about the good and bad in my journey, so I weighed in.  Thank goodness I didn’t stop doing my food journal, because that kept me on track. Fully expecting no change or a movement upwards, my scale put a smile on my face.

The numbers went down!  1.2 pounds for the week, total of 8 lbs for the month.

I’m not going to analyze what made the weight loss, I’m going to be pleased.  I will however, talk about a number of NSV’s (non-scale victories) these past 10 days.

1. Even though I was sidelined over an upsetting incident, I didn’t choose food as a comfort.  I did shy away from going out and exercising, and chose computer game comfort instead, but I didn’t totally derail the way I would have in the past.
2. My good friend Terry came over to visit me on Friday, and brought me these lovely flowers. It’s been about 3 weeks since Terry and I last got together.  Now, normally when Terry and I get together, we enjoy a few beers and some snacks while talking and playing cards.  We always have a lot of fun. This Friday, Terry came over and brought with her a fruit platter.  How great is that for support!  She noticed the weight loss in my face, and said that my jeans looked loose. Gotta love great friends and the energy they bring!
3. On Sunday my son and I went shopping.  That was wonderful.  My son is almost 17 and like most boys his age will want to do ANYTHING other than go grocery shopping with his mom. I’m blessed that my son likes to try new foods, and we often experiment with cooking together.  I have to say that going food shopping was a pleasant experience this past week, as he and I looked at new foods and discussed how we would add them to this week’s menu.  We bought marlin and red snapper, two things that I wouldn’t have picked up if he hadn’t been there. If you’ve never tried marlin, all I can say is “wow!”  It’s a very tasty fish, costs less than salmon, and only takes a few minutes on the grill.  After dinner we sat and chatted about a number of things, and my son said to me “Mom, I can see where you’re losing weight, and your face definitely looks different.  I can now see how you would have looked when you were thinner.”  I could have cried.  It wasn’t that long ago that my son had found a picture of me in a bikini from 10 years ago, and asked me who that was.
4. I feel as though I walk lighter.  I don’t know how else to explain this.  When I walk I don’t feel as though I’m clomping along, it’s as though my body recognizes that it’s lighter, and I walk differently. Maybe I’m prouder of how I look, and my walk reflects that?
5. My size 16 jeans hang loosely on me, even right out of the dryer.
6. I can put on my size 14 jeans without laying on the bed to do them up. They’re still a little tight, but not for long!
7. Because of the upsetting incident that occurred, I spent some of my down time over the past week taking stock of my life in a number of areas, and am starting to make plans about what I want to do to make my life more positive, with more passion and enjoyment. (I am planning a long post about this in the near future)

I’m trying not to focus on the scale, but each movement downward shows that I’m on the right track, along with all of these other wonderful NSV’s.

While the month of December and all of its food temptations offerings could present a minefield challenge, I know that with the right mindset, I will do well. And if I have one or two extra little Christmas treats?  I’m not going to obsess over it.  This is a lifelong journey for me, and one or two weeks is not going to throw me off course.  Food journaling has and will continue to be my best defense friend,  and I’m learning to make better choices.  I also realize that I can enjoy the season and all it offers, as long as I choose gourmet over gluttony.

December will also see me say goodbye to the 180’s and start to see the 170’s. This will mean that I will start 2011 at a weight that I haven’t seen in about 6 years.  What a great Christmas present to myself this all is!

I’d like to end this blog, by asking you what your last month was like.  What challenges you had, how you overcame them, and the victories you celebrated.

Enjoy your Thursday and the rest of the week!