My scale has been broken for a few weeks now. No really, it is seriously broken. The digital screen is blank. And before you ask...yes, we even changed the batteries. We tap it, stand on it, jump on it... nothing. Blank screen.
I think it probably has something to do with my morning weigh-in ritual. When I awake in the morning, I stumble sleepily into bathroom. A few minutes later ... you don't really need to know what I'm doing in those few minutes, do you? ... I stand before the scale. I tap it and wait as the screen happily blinks on and lands on '0.0'. Slowly, I step on. Right foot first. I adjust my weight until I feel I am perfectly balanced on both feet. Breathe out. The number appears.
I step down off the scale and repeat this process one more time. Hey! Don't judge. I have experienced seriously different numbers when weighing myself two times in a row. That first number really could be wrong. It's sort of like getting a second opinion. If the second weigh in is the same as the first, I accept reality and move on with my day. If it's different, I weigh in a third time and take an average.
I have done this every morning since July 2011. Sometimes I do the ritual after a hard workout just to see if I hit a low number due to sweat loss. Yes, I know this isn't my real weight. I just like to see the low number. Seriously, there should be no judging around here.
The problem is only made worse by the fact that my husband does the exact same thing every day. It's actually quite miraculous that the scale has made it this long.
So, it stopped working a few weeks ago, and neither my husband nor I ran out to get another. After all, the scale had not really been a great friend to us recently. I've been at a plateau for some time and with my lazy summer I knew the numbers had probably moved up a few notches. I've been working out, but I haven't been as disciplined as I should be in my eating or my workouts.
This weekend it was time to face the music. We bought a brand new scale. It's even a different color. I tapped it....stepped on one foot at a time...big breath out. I had gained five pounds.
Actually, I wasn't really upset. My weight stays within a five-pound range anyway, so I don't get too uptight about a couple pounds here or there. But I knew I needed the wake up call from the scale. It's time to buckle down and get serious again. So I've created a workable plan and am already seeing the results! I'm down 2.4 pounds from the weekend!
I'm back to a 1500 calorie a day diet. I'm eating five times a day with the following calorie counts.
Breakfast - 300 calories
Lunch - 400 calories
Afternoon Snack - 150 calories
Dinner - 500 calories
Evening Snack - 150 calories
My workouts will consist of a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 6 times a week and weight training 3 times a week.
Look for actual food and workout ideas in the upcoming weeks.
Chad and I ran a 5K Mud Run a couple weeks ago. There are so many things that I could say about it, but I'm going to stick with this ... it was hard, but it was worth it.
And that is sort of how I feel about this whole healthy lifestyle thing.
It was hard to lose 60 pounds. It's hard to lose the last 30. It's going to be hard to maintain it. But it's worth it.
Perhaps you think being healthy is hard too? Might I suggest shifting your focus? Yes, it is hard. But don't focus on that. Focus on the fact that it's worth it. And it really, really is. A couple weeks ago I climbed 12 foot walls, I crawled under barbed wire through thick mud, I jumped over fire. You might not think that being able to run a mud run is worth the pain and sacrifice to lose the weight. But I can assure you that the fact that I am actually strong enough to do those things is definitely worth it.
...So, I'm not adding a link up this week since we haven't had much participation. But if you decide to post a Tuesday Weigh-In, then leave a comment! You can also leave a comment to keep me accountable or if you'd like some accountability. You can also leave a comment just because I like comments. ;o)
UPDATE: Lynn at Ladybug Chronicles posted a Tuesday Weigh In post as well!
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I didn't realize you did this each week. I will have to write a post and let you know :) Would love to help you and encourage you and have someone to do the same. I hear ya about the scale. I do the same things you do each day :) I have been at a plateau since March.. I really want to lose 8 more pounds but my body won't seem to let go of it.. I'll write a post about it and link back to you.. :)
ReplyDeleteShanna I too am on a roller coaster of weight control. Since my MI in Sept of last year I have been diagnosed with several more chronic (but manageable) illness. I need to lose at least 30lbs but I struggle daily with getting myself to the gym and I hate to admit I am not as faithful about my calorie intake as you. I do avoid having "snacks" at my desk during the day but I am starting to think that maybe I need to add in a few low calories snacks instead of eating breakfast then a nice size lunch. Keep up the good work Shanna you look great and I hope to join you soon with my weight loss!!
ReplyDeleteLynn, sounds great! Yes, I missed the last week or two, but have been posting for several Tuesdays prior. I'll look forward to reading your post!
ReplyDeleteMandy, you can do it! :o) Yes, I do think allowing yourself a healthy snack between meals is helpful. It has been most effective for me to eat small meals/snacks about every 3 hours. From what I understand, it helps to keep your matabolism up. Also, I'm not as hungry once meal time rolls around and I'm less likely to binge on second helpings if I know I'll have a snack later. I read a book that talked about how limiting your food intake is like building up your 'resistance muscles'. The more you say 'no' to that unhealthy food or second helping, the easier it is to say 'no' next time. :)
Here's my post.. Wanted to mention that you look fabulous.. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://ladybug-chronicles.blogspot.com/2012/09/tuesday-weigh-in.html
I'm a new follower of your blog, so I'm just learning the ins and outs. I've been working on losing 50 pounds--I'm down 40 so far. I've been at a plateau for a while, too, and I'm working hard at overcoming it. I know how hard it is to do what you're doing because I'm doing it, too! Great job to both of us!
ReplyDeleteYes, awesome job! 40 lbs is an amazing accomplishment!!
ReplyDelete