Mid-Week Update

I feel like the past few weeks I haven't been updating except to brag about my weigh-ins, and that's really not fair to those of you who stick around to read all my whining when things aren't going well. I'm sure (unless you are total sadists, and you aren't, are you?) that you would like to hear good things too!

Well, since the end of February, I have felt a lot more in control of myself and have been able to follow WW more completely than I have since my first go-round with WW in June 2003, when I lost about 25 lbs in 3 months. Granted, it hasn't even been quite a month yet, so I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch ... but this is still longer than I have been able to stay committed in a very long time, and I am really proud of myself for that. I guess what I am most proud of is that it hasn't ben 100% perfect, but the times when I have slipped or struggled, I worked to get myself back on track as soon as possible. I don't think slips here & there are going to destroy someone's weight loss efforts - what causes backslides are when you slip and then don't pick yourself back up for a few weeks or months.

So, things are going pretty well. There are some things I would like to focus more on, namely eating more vegetables and starting an exercise program. I am lucky if I eat one serving of veggies a day, which is far too little. Fruit is no problem - I love fruit and eat it several times a day everyday - but I'm not a huge fan of veggies (especially not salads) so it's harder to cram them in. But I will work on it, because I know how healthy they are. And I don't *dislike* them...I just don't love them so they're not a priority, they are the first thing I skip when I don't feel like making extra items with dinner.

As for starting an exercise program - I really do like exercising, but I don't really want to start a formal program just yet. There are a couple of reasons.

First, my daily Points target is relatively high. As I lose weight, my target will decrease. What I would like to do is make up for the Points I lose by losing weight by earning APs through exercise. That way I will be able to eat the same amount I am now, while theoretically still losing weight.

Second, in the past I have tried to solve all my life's problems in one fell swoop, and then have burned out fairly quickly. As I mentioned above, this is the first time in a long time I have done so well with my eating. I want to continue to master this and make it an ingrained part of my life before I start making additional demands of myself. Furthermore I am also working on other aspects of my life, such as keeping my budget in check and sticking to some cleaning routines to keep the apartment tidy, so the risk of burning out is high unless I continue to take things slowly.

Third, my favorite form of exercise is walking outside. Right now the trail I like to walk on is iced over from the winters, but in a few weeks it will be ripe for walking. I think that might be the best time to start a low-stress workout program of walking outside, which I would like to maintain through the spring, summer, and early fall (using WATP indoors when the weather isn't agreeable). Then in the fall, when I have built up some endurance and a better fitness level, I can join a gym and change up my workouts for the colder months. This is a plan I'm looking forward to, and it seems pretty sensible.

So, that's what has been on my mind. I have finally started taking a multivitamin in the morning, though I realized that since it's non-gender-specific it doesn't have extra calcium or iron. I will need to shop around for a new multivitamin I guess. The main problem for me is that many vitamins really hurt my stomach, even if I take them with a full meal. So, I suppose there is some trial and error to be done.

Well, that's all for now...I'm looking forward to posting after Friday morning's weigh-in. I hope I'll have a nice loss to report! When I hit 10 lbs lost my reward to myself is a cute new purse for spring. 3.2 lbs to go!