Friday, December 30, 2011

Looking forward...

So it has been a little while since I've last written.  Truth be told, I acquired a vicious virus on my laptop which put me out of order for a while.  Thankfully, all, less itunes, has been resolved.

I suppose I should begin with an update as 2011 comes to a close and it has been almost a perfect 8 weeks since I've began my quest for small-dom.  As of my weigh in this morning, I am down 43.4lbs in 8 weeks.  When I think about this too long I have two thoughts that go through my brain. First, I'm bewildered.  I can't believe that so much of me is gone.  It's just vanished, and I'm having such trying issues as finding pants that won't drop to the floor if I exhale too far. I've added holes to belts to counteract the force of gravity on my pants.  My steering wheel and belly have been divorced.  No longer with the car follow a true course with hands off the wheel.  And, driving up to my sister's for the holidays, I realized that there is a much bigger gap between the top of my noggin and the ceiling of the truck which really means that my "Lard Ass, has been reduced to just "Fat Ass".  I'll take it in those terms for now as they make me laugh, mark my progress, but don't get me to fully celebrate yet which, for me, works against my inner motivation to keep going.  Truly, I drank the Kool-Aid at the DFC and it's working. The other thought, and it's the evil, more motivational little voice inside me that says "that's it?".  All this work and effort and that's all you have to show for it?  I find I have to balance this little voice, but in a way, it keeps me going, reminding me that for all the success that I can physically see, feel, and touch, there is still a long, long, long way to go and I am on this path for me and my future. 

So people are noticing my diminishing self.  I lose weight in my face first, my man boobs are going away, and the aforementioned pants tend to gather as I cinch them down in place.  In some ways, I'm trying not to make this the topic of every conversation I have as I need to speak of other things and I find myself deliberately distracting topics in other directions.  But it is very nice and rewarding that folks have taken notice.  To date, probably the largest change besides actual proportion changes is my diet.  I have not had a single french fry, hamburger, pizza, taco, or gyro since I've started this path.  For that matter, I have avoided soups, chili, chips, and for the most part, a lot of red meat too.  I'm eating so much better than I ever have in my life prior, and by my own hand, which is the small miracle in all of this change.  Tonight, I'm having peel and eat shrimp.  One of my top 5 favs, and I'm so thankful that I can let the dogs out with this and hit the shrimp hard.  I will pair it with a cup of green beans, a salad with low fat dressing, and probably some corn or brown rice...TBD.  I don't feel deprived.  With the holidays, I've had a cookie when they arrive, not 20, I've taken part in the Fannie Mae mint melt-aways that come in by the box load from the reps we work with.  I'll limit myself to three for the day and that's it.  My mom's home bakes were hard to hold back on, but that really was limited by exposure.  My guard was loosened considerably for Christmas.  I didn't binge eat or anything, but if I wanted a cookie, it was mine....and I was okay with it.  I lost three pounds over Christmas, and got back on the trail the day after.

So paired with the diet has been the exercise.  I have maintained the 6 days per week plan consistently since I've returned.  My schedule complicates things as there are some days I'm working out at 9pm, and I have to get up the following morning to exercise again because I have the night shift to work.  I've varied what I'm doing, so that it doesn't feel like I got off the same machine 8 hours earlier.  I am continuing with the pool as I still enjoy it.  I have some issues with some instructors who take it too lightly and I have gigantic issues with the 60yr old ladies who like to use these classes as chat time with their buddies and pay little attention to what the rest of us are trying to do.  I just sneer at them in the pool and try to make big waves to irritate them.  Water volleyball is just fun.  I don't care who you are, it's just fun.  It's only offered once a week, but I think I'm staying in form for when I revisit the DFC...they'll have to watch out!

There are two, well three or four, actually, other motivational feeds that I am employing which have a remarkable affect on the psychology for what I am doing and I have been surprised at their impact on how I motivate myself to keep going.

First, I track a lot of information.  I track my weight, BP, exercises  times, calories burned, I have a pedometer and I record that information. If I use a machine that give me calories used and step counts, it is journalized.  I also keep track of four calorie counts: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and other calories.  The "other" category is the discretionary stuff like booze, snacks, ectcals for the day, but I can go to 2500 without issue if I want to....I save those for booze nights.

Second, I signed up for coaching sessions with the DFC that has me speaking by telephone to a behavior/lifestyle coach to help me adjust, address, voice, share and trade information.  This is nice because I worked with this person when I was there and it really binds me to the DFC which is helping to keep the information fresh and top of mind.

Next, I've had a few email exchanges with one of the physiologists that worked with me during my time in the South.  These are really informal and are usually referring to blog stuff, but it is just one more bond to the program that got me going and it is so very much valued to be able to report success back to the folks that helped get me going.

Lastly, I've signed up to be a part of a study by a nurse at Duke U.  Basically, they are trying to dial in on what types of support help people to meet success in meeting their goals.  Essentially, I receive a morning text message every day.  Usually a reminder of something we learned at the DFC, or a motivational thought, or some kind of tip that greets me each day.  There are some valuable tips, but I think what I will do for you is to transcribe them into a separate blog entry so that they are all in one place and I suppose I will update that list sporadically.

I hope this finds you all well.  I am really looking forward to a fresh 2012 and I'm looking in a forward direction, thinking of how much farther I will be this time next year.  Truly I will be a different person if I stay on course.  Cheers!  and Happy New Year!

3 comments:

  1. i think you're doing amazing!!! keep going - do what you're doing - you're only going to continue to be blessed with results. happy new year blair! and cheers!!!!

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  2. Very impressive, Blair! Keep up the great work in 2012!

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  3. So often I need motivation and ive found that i can often find it in the journeys that others are going through. You my old friend, are a great source of inspiration. Good luck on your 2112 adventures!

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