Week Five Roundup: Walking the Fine Line

Figuring out what to eat, when you are doing it on your own, is really hard. There truly is a fine line between FAB and FLAB and making that walk is extremely difficult at times. It's very easy to fall back in to a pattern of eating EVERYTHING that is wrong for you and to go back to the attitude of "it can wait until tomorrow." I have to confess that has entered back into my life this weekend...and my excuses were just that...AN EXCUSE!

Here's my confession - the things I ate that were wrong and the excuse I used to dismiss them:

Thursday: Burger King Whopper for Dinner. Excuse: I worked out for an hour I deserve it.
Friday: McDonald's Cheeseburger: Excuse: I'm in a rush, I have nowhere to stop to get dinner, and I am already late in picking up these linens.
Saturday: A big piece of wedding cake for dinner: Excuse: I had nothing to eat for dinner and this was the only thing left to eat.
Monday: McDonald's Cheeseburger for lunch with a grilled chicken wrap. Excuse: I have to stop to get Anthony something to eat and I really don't have time to stop and get something for me somewhere else.

It's not like I fell off the bandwagon altogether, but I did make food choices that were probably not the best for me this last weekend. I was conscious of it and I also made excuses for it, and I know if I continue on that pattern - those excuses will come more frequently and I will end up back at the sorry state of FLAB.

So, with guilt came working out, which I guess is a good thing. I can totally see how people can yo-yo diet quite easily. Losing weight, rewarding yourself with bad stuff, making excuses, and than dieting again - because if I lost weight before I can do it again. The madness can't ever stop because you know you can always start over, but the fact is YOU WILL ALWAYS be starting over...unless you actually stop the madness yourself. That is so Susan Powter of me.

Eating things you like is not a bad thing; it's the excuses that you make that are. My theory is...when you start making excuses, while reaching for that second or third or fourth bowl of ice cream, cookie or whatever, you justify it by saying, "well...I'll make it up tomorrow" or "I'll just work it off tomorrow." Than tomorrow comes and you make additional excuses to make up for what you didn't do today that you said you would do yesterday.  It becomes a vicious cycle of excuses over empowerment. I think it's healthier to just say, "So...I had a bowl of ice cream...now I can move on!"  But, I think, you have to you move on without guilt or shame...and you have to be in control of the situation.

WHAT I HAVE TO REMEMBER IN MY PERSONAL JOURNEY

• I am making healthier eating choices (even with things I love) because I want to feel good.
• I have control of what I eat and what I do...not visa versa.
• I don't want to go on medication to control things that I have control over.
• My family is important to me and my health will assure that I am around a lot longer.
• I want to wear clothes I love.
• I want to look and feel the best I ever have!
• I want to be HEALTHY and a HOTTIE!

With that said, I did my usual Sunday morning weigh in and I tipped the scale at 207.2 lbs. Just shy of 30lbs lost since 1/17/11. Even with eating the bad things, I lost weight...which shocked the hell out of me, because I thought for sure I gained back a few of the pounds I lost. I attribute part of the success to the fact that I was conscious of what I was eating and made adjustments to make sure that I took care of my body in the right way and I made no excuses to stop me from exercising. It's really helpful that my family and friends are very supportive. It's even more amazing that I motivate myself to work out, even when I would rather be curled up under the covers, watching TV, and eating ice cream.

Someone asked me this week what the secret was to my motivation when I have other things in life that needs to be taken care of. My answer was, "Take care of yourself first because if you aren't around than you can't take care of the other things you need to or want to do." Which at this point in my life I believe is probably the strongest statement I have ever made.

Week 5 Facts
Starting Weight after Week 4: 210.8 lbs
Week 5 Weigh In: 207.2 lbs
Week 5 Weight Loss: 3.6 lbs

Total Journey Profile So Far
Starting Weight on 1/17/11: 237 lbs
Weigh in on 2/13/11: 207.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss So Far: 29.8 lbs

Thank you again for listening to my ramblings! Let me know how I can support you on your journey to health!

-Percy