Overcoming The New Scale Blues

I've been having a lot of trouble with my scale. I always did think it was kind of strange how when I went to my doctor's office, I weighed so much more than at home. Now I did take into consideration that at the doctor's I was fully dressed and had eaten breakfast, but that only accounted for part of the difference. There had to be some other explanation for the rest.

I finally bit the bullet and got a new scale. This morning I weighed myself on it to find the number read 200.2. After my heart leapt into my throat for a few seconds, I stepped on the old scale and saw 180.2. I actually weigh 20 pounds more than I thought I did all of these months! I feel like Ruby when she switched scales and the difference between the two was over 30 pounds. The new scale is definitely in line with what my doctor's scale shows, so I have to deduce that my old scale was faulty.

Learning that you weigh 20 pounds more than you thought you did is not a good feeling. Here I thought I was well below the 200 mark, when I'm really just above it. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about it since this morning's weigh-in. I've come to the following conclusions:

1. I started out weighing much more than I originally thought, but I've still lost a lot of weight.

2. I'm still down over 35 pounds, and whether that started from 237 or 217 doesn't matter. I've still accomplished quite a bit.

3. My clothes are much looser and I'm even in some size 16's now...so I know I'm doing something right.

4. I have more energy, less aches and pains, and I feel much better and can do more. And I'm off my blood pressure meds!

5. I am NOT, I repeat...NOT a number. I'm not the number on the scale or the digits on the tags sewn into my clothes. I am a good person, on the outside and the inside. However those other numbers fluctuate and for whatever reasons, nothing changes that I am a unique and wonderful person. We are all beautiful at all times!

Of course I will continue to eat nutritious foods and get my exercise. I'm still working toward the 5K Race For The Cure in September. I am doing everything I can to be healthier, and I already am. Nothing is going to stop me from doing the things I want to do...not a shocking number or the fact that I'm not a size 2. (Size 2 is not realistic for me to begin with, nor is it for most people.) I am living life to the fullest, no matter where I'm at on the journey!

From Monday...To Run Day!!!

Meet my newest friend. I picked up Runner's World about a month ago at the bookstore, where I was waiting to meet a friend for coffee. I got there early, so I started to read through the magazine. I'm newer to running, having walked on the treadmill or outside all the time. I'm up to a very fast walk, but I know I have to get running so I can be ready for these races that I'm planning on doing, especially Race For The Cure in September.

I was very impressed with the articles and information I found. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or somewhere in between, there is something for you here. They offer running tips, review shoes, and even talk about boosting your confidence level. Also covered are subjects like nutrition, stretching, and ways to prevent injury. Anything and everyting you want to know about running is here. The website is a wealth of information as well, please check them out at www.runnersworld.com.

I have started going outside when weather permits and running sprints up and down the small hill in our backyard. It's going well so far, and soon I will be out there running full force, and you won't be able to stop me! Thank you Runner's World!

Motivational Monday...March Madness!!!

We all know about college basketball's March Madness. But this month is crazy for so many other reasons. The weather is even more unpredictable than usual, especially around here. In my family, it's like Christmas all over again...because there are 6 birthdays for us in March. Five of them fall between the 11th and the 14th, with 2 on the 13th. Then two weeks later is my husband's birthday!

A few of my friends and I have committed to losing 20 pounds by May 1st. We actually started this over a week ago, and last week my loss was minimal. Today I stepped on that scale and lost 1 pound...bringing me to 188.4. (And I have lost 1.4 pounds so far in our challenge.) I really stepped it up this week, and I'm proud of my progress. Guess who's coming to visit any day now...yes, my dear aunt who just has to come and see me every single month. Since I never used to lose anything around the time of her visits, this is a good number. Plus, my clothes are even looser, even if the number on the scale showed only a one pound loss.

My motivational person for this week is my friend Daphne, who hosts "The Thick & Lovin' It" show on Blog Talk Radio. Miss Daphne has lost 230 pounds, maintaining her weight at a size 12-14. She talks on her show about weight, health, body image and other important issues. If you get Discovery Health Channel, her weight loss story will be re-aired this Friday. To find out more on her radio show, go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thickandlovinitshow.

The workout picture above (in pink!) is to remind me of my promise to run Race For The Cure this September...so I have my May 1st goal in mind as well as my September goal to keep me going. What goals are you setting on this first day of March...to keep you motivated?

Motivational Monday...Eyes On The Prize

I wasn't sure what I would find on the scale this morning. Some weeks I do everything right and hardly lose anything. Other weeks I am a little less strict with myself and I lose a lot. But sometimes the opposite is true, so it's always a surprise. I knew that this week I had missed a couple of workouts and gave in to Mickey D's on Saturday. I wondered what effect that would have at my weigh-in today, and hoped the result would not be too awful.

I stepped on the scale, praying the whole time. I saw exactly the same number as I saw last week...196.0. I can live with that, since I know I didn't do everything I could this past week to get the best results. I now know what I need to do to stay strong this week, and I will do it!

One thing that will help me is keeping my eyes on the prize. Not only will I visualize being lean and mean, but the promise I made a couple of months ago to run in the next local Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure will motivate me to move toward that goal. I've had a couple of friends offer to come to town and run it with me this coming September, so that inspires me even more to get there!

My motivational person for this week is Mo'Nique. Our girl Mo has lost 40 pounds, looking fabulous and a little less thick, and much healthier. She has a lead role in the new movie "Precious", and people are already starting to talk about an Oscar for her! If you would like to learn more about Mo'Nique, please check out this article at http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/monique-lost-weight-loss/ .

Here's to a great week for all of us...and remember to keep your eyes on the prize!!!

Race For The Cure - I WILL!

I did not run today in our local Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure. I've been wanting to do it for a few years, but something has always prevented me from participating. I was signed up one year for the walk portion of the race, but wound up with a sinus infection the day before the event, so I did not get to walk. The following year, I knew I would have to work the morning of the race, so I donated to a special part of the race that was called Sleep In For The Cure...if you were not running or walking, this was your category. I was happy to still give my money to the cause, but I've only worn the shirt to sleep in, since I wasn't actually sleeping in on the day of the race: I was at work. I must say, it's quite ironic to only wear a shirt that reads Sleep In For The Cure to bed!

This cause is near and dear to my heart. I lost my mom, cousin, and 2 aunts to breast cancer. As you may have read in some of my earlier posts this summer, I've had 3 surgical biopsies myself on a total of 4 "unusual masses" that showed up on mammogram and ultrasound. Thanks to God...they were all benign, but I still have to watch my body closely, as does my other cousin, because of our strong family history.

Every year, I say I will run the following year, but it hasn't happened yet. This year I couldn't even donate, because my husband got laid off in May and we're having trouble paying the bills. The other thing that has held me back from the race is my weight. I know I need to be in better shape to run this race. I want to make a good showing for my family, and not crumble in a heap on the course because I am not conditioned for it. I also know that by exercise and eating healthy, I am hopefully preventing this disease in my own body.

Today is the day that I make this promise: I will be running in next year's Race For The Cure in Cleveland, Ohio. I am already getting stronger and in better shape, so I am setting this goal for sure. AND...this time, it's not just a promise I am making in my head - now that I've posted it in this blog, it's as if I've signed a contract to run this race. To my mom Helen, cousin Carol, Aunt Jean and Aunt Paula...I love all of you and miss you so much, and I will not let you down!!!