Friday, October 26, 2012

Plateau Pictures


I'm stuck.

I'm flat-out stuck.

I've been hanging around the 25-pound loss area for a few weeks. (Which is partly why there haven't been as many blogs - nothing new to write about.) Anywhere from 24-26, depending on the day, the time of day, whether I just came in from walking, whether I've eaten anything yet for the day......

But I'm not finished. I'd still love to drop another 15. That was the original goal. That still IS the goal. Even that will put me 10 pounds over where I was when I went to the hospital to give birth. (Although, admittedly, everyone told me I didn't gain enough weight during my pregnancy.)

I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten a bit lax with my eating. It's still way better than it used to be (I can't eat the sugar, grease or richness that I used to...it makes me nauseous now), and I still watch my calorie count. But I've been less stringent about what those calories are. So I need to get back to that.

The other thing is that I have to do something to burn more, because I can't take in much less without going into starvation mode. (As myfitnesspal.com reminds me every time I don't eat at least 1200 calories in a day.) :) So this week I thought, "Hey, I'll start trying to jog part of my distance." 

Yeah. That lasted a day. The problematic, arthritic knees just aren't going to hold up to that kind of pounding.

So if intensity is out, duration must be in. Which led to my 7-mile, 1-hour-50-minute trek on Wednesday of this week.  I love Wednesdays. The kids go to school later, so Sandi has her older son take her grade school-age daughter to school, which means we can get out and get started earlier, possibly go longer, and still be done by mid-morning.

In four days, I walked 22 miles. Today and tomorrow will be really busy, but I hope to still get out at least SOMEtime in the next 48 hours. If I do, that'll be a new weekly distance record for me.

In the meantime, in order to not get too down on myself, I need to remember how far I've come. 

I need to remember the astonished confessions of two of my girls who, quietly but skeptically, didn't know how long I would stick with this when I started back in July. 

I need to remember how good it feels to put on clothes that have hung in my closet for a couple years because they just didn't look good on me anymore. It's like an in-home shopping spree.

I need to remember the joy of finding tops in a size Large that fit nicely. And the joy of being comfortable wearing fitted "women's" t-shirts. And a size Large lycra/spandex workout shirt.

I need to remember the sight of three of my pairs of size 18 jeans leaving my house because I won't give myself the safety net of saying, "It's okay if I put the weight back on...I have clothes for that."

I need to remember climbing stairs at the parking garage without being winded, much less the stairs in my home.

I need to remember the days when Jim would say that walking the Clear Creek Trail was about five miles, and I would think there was no way on earth I could do one mile, let alone five. And I need to remember that now five miles is standard.

I need to remember the first time I did a mile in less than 15 minutes, and now 14:30 is more my regular goal.

I need to remember the dropped jaw on my daughter's face the first time I popped in to get her truck key and told her I'd just walked five miles from the far south side of town to her office (lapping the office building once to make it an even five miles).

And I need to remember these pictures.....

April 2012 - me & my kids
Amber, Cassie, Matt & Kim

May 2012 - Family Photo Shoot
It's a loose top, but I needed every bit of it

July 28, 2012 - with Matt
First time I made a mile under 15 minutes
Thought. I. Was. Gonna. Die.
August 31, 2012 - with Sandi
15 pounds gone

September 19, 2012
Just over 2 months into it
Sandi snapped this as we walked

September 27, 2012
Hoosiers Outrun Cancer
My first 5K Walk


September 27, 2012 - with Jim
A night out with my man
The first time I'd worn a size Large top in Y E A R S
October 25, 2012
25 pounds gone
October 25, 2012
Size 18 jeans - These fit comfortably 3 months ago

October 25, 2012
We're getting there!
Jim will be gone on travel in a couple weeks. I'm going to lock down and Get Serious that week, just to see if I can break the stalemate. Absolutely the strictest of diets, nicely balanced between fruits, veggies and protein. Walking or conditioning every spare minute I have. (Now watch me be swamped with work and it'll rain every day.) ;)

You hear of the Freshman 15 when you start college. I'm fighting the Final 15. And no matter how long it takes, I will win!

(Apologies for a really rambling blog post.)

3 comments:

  1. You are amazing, Jenni. I never doubted you would stick with it and I love these last few pictures that are proof that you have stuck with it!

    Love you!

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  2. Wow!! Look at that! I love the picture with your thumbs on both sides of your pant waist. It really shows how much you have lost. Way to go!!

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  3. Seeing the before and after pictures are amazing!! Love it!

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