Is this why I plateaued?

Today on "Rob, Arnie, and Dawn" Arnie said that fat people don't want to lose weight, they choose to stay fat. His argument: People know what to do to be healthy and they choose not to do these things. Enter stab to the heart from Arnie and stab in the back from myself. Am I stabbing myself in the back if I make the decision to not follow all the research, studies, advice, and well known knowledge that tells us how to eat and when to move?

I know that food is supposed to be fuel for the body, but really what about the pleasure you get from eating your favorite food? What about special occasions that revolve around breaking bread with your family and friends? Bread isn't good for you and neither are the booze that I want to drink with friends. So am I really making the decision to stay this plump? I guess so.

It really sucks to think that I would be making myself overweight when I'm trying to be of average weight. Talk about burning from both ends of the stick (is that the saying? I don't remember). I guess Ill have to make more sacrifices here even though I don't want to. I don't want to not like chocolate. I really don't want to think about the effects of junk food on my arteries as I consume it, but I guess that's what I have to do if I want to get off this plateau.

Thunder Thighs???

Proof that I shouldn't be allowed out of the house without an adult:

Poor teenage Old Navy employee who had the misfortune of meeting me: May I help you find something?

Me: Yes. Where is the shorts section for girls with thighs?

Employee: I don't understand what you mean?

Me: Where is the shorts section for girls with thighs?

Employee: Everyone has thighs, what are you looking for?

Me: No... Some girls have twigs, some girls are normal, and some girls have "thighs." (Point to thigh to ensure said skinny leg jeans wearing male adolescent understands that a thigh is part of my leg and not my arm).



Employee: Ummmm

Me: Never mind (you are useless to me) <---- didn't say out loud, apparently people in CA are nicer than people in NYC and I have to curb my enthusiasm when it comes to telling people what I really think about them


End result: No shorts purchased, however with a tan and some lipo I will reconsider and not give the Old Navy staff a headache

Today I dont feel like doin' anything....nothing at all

I have been struggling over the last three weeks to find my motivation to continue on with this weight loss journey. I don't feel like tracking (although i have been), I haven't been to the gym in three days (bigger deal than it seems when you go everyday), and would rather eat ice cream and candy than vegetables and whole grains....we all know lean proteins like poultry and fish are never wanted. I have officially lost my drive. I have been yo-yoing up and down between 180 and 182 for three weeks and it just seems like the stress of everything is getting to be too much. I feel like I need a break.....

This all brings me to wonder if you are allowed to take a break when you are "dieting".... I mean attempting to make a life style change. I would assume that if you want a break from dieting, you haven't made a lifestyle change. But I would also argue that the fact that I lost weight this pass week would mean that maybe at least something in my lifestyle is changing.

Here is what I have come to realize this month:

1. I want to eat ice cream everyday after dinner. If I select a weight watcher or skinny cow option this is fine but my weight loss slows down. I wanted to do this in order to keep "normal" eating habits that I could continue for the rest of my life. I have no intention of cutting out all sweets so if I want my weight loss to be permanent I should do things that can be permanent as well. For the record: permanent is apparently a word whose spelling will never be correct the first time I type it.

2. If I eat ice cream everyday I will eventually slip, so if I want to lose weight quicker I need to cut all sweets out. Great!

3. I am so sick of battling this debate in my head I want to take time off.

4. There is no time off if you are making a life style change.

UGH!

Challenge accepted

Thanks to the series of unfortunate events, I find myself up 2.2 pounds. The beer yesterday sure beat last weekends stressfest. Time to start over fresh (the best thing about weight watchers!) so I think two challenges will be self challenged this week.

1. No junk food except on Saturdays. I need junk food (yes I need it) so moderation with a bit of deprevation works well for me.

2. I will hit 100 activity points this week. I did. This once and only once when I was working out two hours a day. I will try again. To give you and idea on what that would take, running an hour would get you 12ish points while a weight training class or free weights for an hour would get you 5 points. I can and will find a way to get to 100.

Challenge accepted!

myTeam Triumph

I have not been around lately, for which I do apologize, but I have good reason. I’m finally working on my TPAs, which are a series of online tests that I have to submit before I will officially receive my teaching credential. Lets not bring up the fact that I completed the program and my Masters fourteen months ago. Some of us don’t multitask well and prefer napping over schoolwork when our babies finally nap. With that said, hello again stranger, you look mighty slim today J

I am writing today to tell you about an amazing experience I had on Saturday when I ran the parkway 5K with some of the other moms from group. First I have to say I ran my fastest 5K ever, shedding two minutes off my previous times. High five! That wasn’t the best part though, on Saturday I discovered MyTeam Triumph. MTT as it will further be called, is a community based program that partners athletes with disabled athletes so that they may participate in road races, duathlons (run, bike, run), and triathlons (swim, bike, run).

On Saturday, the most amazing group of people that I have ever seen passed me. Two teams pushing two teens in MyTeam Triumph wagons joyfully, and what looked like effortlessly, jogged by while one of the teens yelled “go..go..go” the whole time they ran At first I thought he was cheering me on and then it hit me that he was so excited and was having so much fun that “go…go…go” was all he could say to express his excitement and gratitude for the experience of running in a road race. I knew that moment, that I wanted to be a part of his team.

Now we all know, I am a 29-year-old mother of one, who has battled asthma my whole life. I run regularly and participate in several physical activities so my asthma is currently under control. However, it was not when I was younger so I know how disappointing it can be to see others do something as simple as running, when you yourself cannot do it.  As an adult, I want to give back to those who are going through what I went through so that they too can be a part of the excitement and fun.

I really look forward to volunteering with MyTeam Triumph in 5Ks, 10Ks, and triathlons. I have participated in several of each and am prepared to train harder to make sure I am ready to assist my “Captains” (the disabled athlete is a captain and the volunteers are angels). I am ready to prepare any information from my doctor, my personal trainer, and the coaches I trained with for a half-marathon to quiet any concerns that may come about due to my asthma. I really feel MyTeam Triumph is the right fit for me and lets just hope they agree.