No more excuses
I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to my little weight-loss tracker on my sidebar… but it has gone up! As in, I’ve gained some weight.
It all started when my family was out here baking cookies, and I ingested 12 pounds of cookie dough/baked goods. Then Thanksgiving came. I tried to eat healthy, but that didn’t last the whole day. Then, with the stress of changing jobs…
See how wonderful I am at making excuses for myself?
It’s amazing that I can be so hard on myself when I make what I perceive as one little mistake (like eating an extra cookie or something) but so easy on myself when I have been just eating away, piling on the pounds, not really taking care of myself, or caring.
What is that about? Really? Where does this mentality come from? “Oh, it’s okay if I pack on a little weight around the holidays! Everyone does, and it will come right off!”
No, it is NOT okay. Because once I start down that track, it is hard to get off of it. I recognize that right now is not the most sensible time to be losing weight, but I do need to stay on track and only allow myself a few indulgences (except Christmas Day – no restrictions then).
The sad thing is, I recognize the triggers that make me overeat – boredom, stress, frustration, guilt, restriction – but I’ve just been ignoring my inner voice. Well, it’s time for that to stop.
I don’t know HOW, but it is time for that to stop. Or at least, for me to stop making excuses for myself.
In other “health” related news, Steven and I have discussed our plan of attack to train for a half marathon (13.1 miles). We are following two guides from Runner’s World – an 8-week program that takes you from 3 miles to 6 miles, then another 8-week program that takes you from 6 miles to 12 miles. We’ll start the program tomorrow.
There are two half marathons in Illinois in April, but I don’t think we will be ready for them if we follow this training, but I am going to search for a target race for us. I am excited about it! I think this will be a fun adventure to embark on together.
Themocracy
I love the plans for your adventure with your hubby. I think it is always good to have something to work towards, especially something that you two can do together. I hope you find a race that meets your needs soon so you can start getting ready for it. That’s half the fun! And it’s quality time together. 🙂 As for the excuses, I think you have the right attitude. You really are trying to understand yourself and do what you have to in order to reach your goals. I admire that about you.
teeni – Having a solid, tangible goal always seems to help me achieve something! I can’t pay x amount of dollars for a race then not go! Thanks – even though I am struggling now, I really have learned a lot about who I am. So hopefully, that will help me … help myself!
There’s a half at the end of May in Ottawa. That would give you enough time to train! – hint, hint 😛
Try to be kind to yourself – yes, you’ve gained, but you’ve recognized it and are taking steps to course correct. Beating yourself up just makes you feel worse and more like eating (easier said than done, I know…)
Big hugs 🙂
HUGS,HUGS,HUGS. Minor set back. You realize what happened, you’ll settle down
and get back on track. You’ll get there!! Look at how far you’ve come, don’t dwell on mistakes. Learn from them. Weight loss and keeping it off is a constant challenge, for emotional eaters like us. Give yourself a huge pat on the back. You really are doing a great job!!! : )
suze – I saw an add for some of the half-marathons in Canada and was interested! We could reward ourselves with a vacation after our race! I am definitely bringing this up to Steven. It’s so easy to beat ourselves up right? That only perpetuates the problem. I do think I am getting better about that. It’s just hard work 😉
Denise – Thanks so much for this comment. It is really lifting my spirits! That little side tracker may have moved up, but hello… it documents a huge loss (as in, “hello KIM hello!”). I need to focus on my progress and keeping it up. Thank you for reminding me of that in such a kind way.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Life is all about ebbs and flows, ups and downs. As long as your focus is on health, rather than weight, that will take so much pressure off of you. And I’ve found that disallowing myself to eat things makes me want to eat them even more. My goal is everything in moderation (though I know that’s so much easier said than done). I just try to stay super active, so when I want to eat more than I should (veg out), I have an activity planned to keep my mind off the food. Doesn’t always work, but most of the time it does! Also, the training will be GREAT! Will give you something else to focus on, and you’ll be exercising at the same time. Perfect!
marissa – You know what, until you wrote that, I hadn’t thought about how I’ve felt, health-wise. When I was heavier I was feeling so awful, out of breath all that, and now I feel a ton better. When I eat too much, I feel like crap, so maybe I SHOULD just focus on my health FOR ONCE! FOR ONCE!!!
There will always be excuses, just gotta power through them. I keep telling myself this as well. 😉
that’s awesome that you and Steven are planning to run in a half marathon!!! that’s such a good goal!!! i think it’s more fun (and easier) when you have someone working with you- the buddy system i suppose you could say!!!!
don’t feel guilty about gaining a little bit of weight back… look at the big picture, how far you’ve already come!!!! you’re doing a fantastic job!!! we’re all going to slip now and then but you can take measures to fix it… it’s easy for me to say this but i need to take my own advice too… i’ve started slipping and i keep making excuses too… as sad as it is to say, it’s easier for me to make excuses… ouch…
=^..^=
oh good luck with the training!!!
I think it is neat that ya’ll do that together 🙂 I am still in the beginning running stages (read about 10 min before I want to die) but I am learning that it is not the evil creature I thought it was (just one of its distant cousins) LOL 🙂
kapgar – My excuses just aren’t legitimate AT ALL. 🙁
CourtneyInControl – It is a lot more fun to have someone to train with… someone to hold you accountable 😉 Heh! I am trying to look at the big picture, and think about how I feel, not how I think I look, or what the scale says. Yeah, it’s hard.
Felicia – Thanks! Running can feel evil. Somedays is still does to me! I just try to keep going though 😉