new goals

OK. Not good. After what my physician said last Monday (that I'm perfectly healthy and my weight is fine, even though it is 10 lb. over the high end of "normal" weight range for my height), I lost my motivation. After a year of trying I was ready to quit. I only worked out twice last week, partially because I had an earache for a couple days and partially because it seemed like a lost cause. And I didn't like how that made me feel.

Losing 10 pounds last year--and keeping it off--was great for my health. I'm not worried about being a certain size or a certain weight. But I think losing another 5 pounds is a realistic, attainable goal to boost my energy and confidence. I figure I'm already doing a lot, so losing a couple pounds would just be for the heck of it--a bonus. The plan this time:

1. Start eating breakfast every day. This is a little tricky for me--the main reason I don't normally eat breakfast is because my daily morning thyroid pill has to be taken either 1 hour before or 2-3 hours after a meal. That timing is easy to mess up in my morning sleepiness/rushing around before work.

2. Continue exercising as I am, 5-6 days a week. This already includes 30+ minutes of cardio 3-4 days a week and 1 hour of pilates 2 days a week. (*pat on the back*)

3. Keep food diary, drink more water, and continue eating healthy.

4. STOP weighing myself daily. And I mean it--no cheating! From now on I will weigh myself only once a week on Saturdays and take measurements on the first Saturday of each month. I'm sure it will be hard to avoid the scale, but instead I will try to pay more attention to how I feel and how my clothes fit.

5. Give myself a break. Five pounds probably won't be noticeable to anyone but me, so there is no pressure. It's important for me to remember I am doing this by choice.

So today I hopped on the elliptical machine with renewed strength and started over again. We'll be travelling to Louisiana in May for George's sister's high school graduation, which is exactly three months from today. If I lose 5 lb. by then, great; if not, I'll just keep trying. This is not life-threatening, nor is it superficial. This is just to be a slightly healthier version of me. I'll let you know how it turns out in May!