I was pretty much expecting to see a five-pound gain on the scale this morning, after the weekend I had. I ate out a few times, and I went WAY over my points on Sunday at Jeanie's party. At best, I expected to have gained about two pounds, but five was more likely.
I think maybe the extra mileage I've been putting in has helped out, because I was very surprised to see that I didn't gain anything this week. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain, either.
After getting the kids off to school, I headed to Weight Watchers. I knew I wasn't anywhere near goal, so I just weighed in with my shoes on. I used to always weigh in with shoes, but I stopped doing it when my weight got very close to goal, because I didn't want to be over goal.
Anyway, I was disappointed to see that Glenda (my leader) wasn't there today. She was home sick, so there was a different woman who led the meeting today. She was very nice, and I felt bad for her--shortly after she started the meeting, a woman walked in, looked at her, and rudely said, "OH, Glenda's not here? I'm leaving then!" The leader (I forget her name) just said, "Glenda is great--I would probably choose her over me, too!"
I find myself really looking forward to seeing the "regulars" at the meetings each week. There are a few Lifetime members, which is nice; I like to hear how they do with maintenance, and all the ups and downs that go with it.
Today, the meeting topic was about plateaus. I've never really experienced a genuine plateau. If my weight stays the same, it's always been because I didn't measure my portions, or I went over my points or calories, etc. I think a plateau is when you're doing everything RIGHT, and the weight stops coming off for a while.
One of the things that the leader mentioned, which I whole-heartedly agreed with, is that when things are feeling stale, it can really help to go back to square one and pretend you're a new member. Set fresh goals and go back to measuring food to make sure you're getting the right portions. I've had to do that lots of times, and it really does help to change my mindset!
Speaking of goals, I decided I am going to go ahead and give up sweets for the month of May. I'm not giving up sugar altogether; just desserts/sweets. No cakes, cookies, candy, etc. But I put a teaspoon of sugar in my tea every day, and I don't consider that a dessert, so I'll still have that. I also won't give up items that contain sugar, but aren't dessert--like ketchup, jam, and cereal.
It's going to be really difficult for me--I love my desserts! But I really like focusing on one particular challenge. In February, I challenged myself to get in 10,000 steps per day, and that was at the forefront of my mind. Since it's "just" 31 days, I should be able to give up dessert for the month of May!
I decided to go for another goal of mine, too--I'm going to train for a sub-1:50 half-marathon this fall. It's definitely shooting for the moon, but I'm hoping that by writing it, I'll follow through and push my hardest to do it (or at least come close) ;) My goal race will be the Monroe Half Marathon on November 9th--that's my hometown race, and it's very small--which is good for a PR. My current PR is 1:52:07, from 2013. I was about 131 pounds when I ran that half, and losing this extra weight would definitely help me get back to that sort of speed again.
Once I complete the Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick on June 7 & 8, I'm going to take a a week or so off, then do a few weeks of easy training, and then start with the training for a 1:50 half marathon. It's going to be tough, but I feel ready to push myself hard again! I'm actually looking forward to it.
I think maybe the extra mileage I've been putting in has helped out, because I was very surprised to see that I didn't gain anything this week. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain, either.
After getting the kids off to school, I headed to Weight Watchers. I knew I wasn't anywhere near goal, so I just weighed in with my shoes on. I used to always weigh in with shoes, but I stopped doing it when my weight got very close to goal, because I didn't want to be over goal.
Anyway, I was disappointed to see that Glenda (my leader) wasn't there today. She was home sick, so there was a different woman who led the meeting today. She was very nice, and I felt bad for her--shortly after she started the meeting, a woman walked in, looked at her, and rudely said, "OH, Glenda's not here? I'm leaving then!" The leader (I forget her name) just said, "Glenda is great--I would probably choose her over me, too!"
I find myself really looking forward to seeing the "regulars" at the meetings each week. There are a few Lifetime members, which is nice; I like to hear how they do with maintenance, and all the ups and downs that go with it.
Today, the meeting topic was about plateaus. I've never really experienced a genuine plateau. If my weight stays the same, it's always been because I didn't measure my portions, or I went over my points or calories, etc. I think a plateau is when you're doing everything RIGHT, and the weight stops coming off for a while.
One of the things that the leader mentioned, which I whole-heartedly agreed with, is that when things are feeling stale, it can really help to go back to square one and pretend you're a new member. Set fresh goals and go back to measuring food to make sure you're getting the right portions. I've had to do that lots of times, and it really does help to change my mindset!
Speaking of goals, I decided I am going to go ahead and give up sweets for the month of May. I'm not giving up sugar altogether; just desserts/sweets. No cakes, cookies, candy, etc. But I put a teaspoon of sugar in my tea every day, and I don't consider that a dessert, so I'll still have that. I also won't give up items that contain sugar, but aren't dessert--like ketchup, jam, and cereal.
It's going to be really difficult for me--I love my desserts! But I really like focusing on one particular challenge. In February, I challenged myself to get in 10,000 steps per day, and that was at the forefront of my mind. Since it's "just" 31 days, I should be able to give up dessert for the month of May!
I decided to go for another goal of mine, too--I'm going to train for a sub-1:50 half-marathon this fall. It's definitely shooting for the moon, but I'm hoping that by writing it, I'll follow through and push my hardest to do it (or at least come close) ;) My goal race will be the Monroe Half Marathon on November 9th--that's my hometown race, and it's very small--which is good for a PR. My current PR is 1:52:07, from 2013. I was about 131 pounds when I ran that half, and losing this extra weight would definitely help me get back to that sort of speed again.
Once I complete the Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick on June 7 & 8, I'm going to take a a week or so off, then do a few weeks of easy training, and then start with the training for a 1:50 half marathon. It's going to be tough, but I feel ready to push myself hard again! I'm actually looking forward to it.