Weigh In, Week Four

Here it is.... (drumroll please)...


239.1


While I should be rejoicing because I lost three pounds since last Monday, part of me is sad. See, I weigh every other day because it helps take some of the power out of the scale for me. Otherwise, I begin to doubt that my efforts are paying off and I fear the truth of what it says on the other hand.


And...two days ago, the scale read 237.9 which was very exciting. And I have been faithful to my diet. I'm that way. Once I put my heart into it, I will not cheat. If I cheat chocolate, I will list it and fit the calories into my daily allowance. But I won't do that often. I am very focused once I get going which is exactly why this small movement in the upwards direction unsettles me so much.


But I am woman...and I know that this likely is only a signal of my cycle...and not a signal that I have cheated my diet. Or it could be that I'm not eating enough calories for my activity level and I have reached a mini-plateau (highly unlikely this early in the game, but I won't write it off just yet).


But I will keep plugging away...eating the right foods--4-5 servings of vegetables, 2-3 servings of fruits, 3 sevings of proteins (one from a non-animal source), and several servings of starches--all in whole grain form. I am watching my caloric intake, my fat intake, and avoiding empty calorie foods. This is the way I will eat for the rest of my life. That's not to say that I won't ever again eat ice cream or cake. I will. But I won't eat them everyday or every week. Perhaps not even every month.


Instead of a chocolate bar, I eat sugar-free, fat-free Jello pudding cups. When I'm craving potato chips or french fries (a craving for salt for me), I pour a cup of V-8 juice (which is relatively high in sodium, but cuts the craving for me). When I'm craving popcorn, I pop a mini-bag (100 calories, fat free) instead of the big bag of movie theater butter flavored popcorn.


And I walk. They know me by first name at the mall (almost) because I'm up there 2-3 days each week walking laps before the stores open. I had been using the elliptical, but I've been experiencing some knee pain (no doubt from all the extra weight I'm carrying around), so I am staying off of it for a while. I hope to get into some sort of water resistance program at the Y and start a core ball routine soon also, things which will increase my lean muscle mass while remaining gentle on my knees. I'm confident that my knees are just crying out because of the extra weight and stress I've put upon them and will be much better once I'm down 25 pounds or so.

And I will be successful.


Do you fear the scale? Are you struggling with a diet journal? Have you considered that this is not how you eat for 3 weeks, or 6 months, but for the rest of your life?