Saturday, June 26, 2010

Achieving My Goal and Now What?

Yummy! Asparagus is almost out of season
so I'm eating it all hours of the day.
Calories: 255 Carbs: 18 Fat:15 Protein: 13



Today's breakfast: 1/2 english muffin
3 spears asparagus
1 egg
1 slice swiss cheese
1 tsp olive oil
Saute' asparagus in olive oil, meanwhile toast muffin. When asparagus is tender, fry egg in leftover oil. Assemble on toasted muffin and top with a slice of swiss cheese and ground pepper. Enjoy!
******


A few days ago I stepped on the scale (actually my Wii Fit the only scale in the house) and low and behold my goal smacked me right in the face. The number read 134.8, the exact number the Wii Fit had set for me as a healthy weight. My BMI coming in at 22.89 which is also healthy. I was shocked. Which I realize is a strange reaction to finally achieving something you've been working for.


I've been on this fitness/health/weight loss journey since August of last year. It has taken me almost exactly 10 months to lose 32lbs. That comes out to 3.2lbs of weight loss a month. But that is deceiving. Some months I dropped 10 lbs. Other times the scale didn't move for over a month. And then I have to take in account all the muscle I gained from running and strength training. I had my holiday setbacks (cheesecake anyone?) and many a birthday party and girl's night occasion. I also like to drink. That will definitely slow down the dropping of the pounds.


Back to my reaction though. As I said, I was shocked. I could not believe I had actually done it. But it is real. The proof is in the size tag in my new shorts. A six! I haven't seen a size 6 since before my first kiddo was born. I've gotten to an eight, once and only for a short time before getting pregnant again. It wasn't a toned eight either. More like I can stuff myself into a pair of eights but I should really be wearing a ten for the benefit of the people around me.


Despite my shock, I am elated. And also, kind of scared. How do I maintain this? I know that my activity level will probably continue to increase as it has been doing. I've got plans to train for a 10K and maybe (I keep saying this) a half-marathon. But the eating? I've worked so hard to change my eating habits and I still count my calories religiously, but I find myself cheating more and more. I make sure and write down all my cheats and my bad days but that is not doing much to deter me from doing it all over again a day or two later.


Is this a normal reaction to finally reaching that magic number?

7 comments:

  1. Becareful I started out with those little cheats and over the past 7 months I've gained about 4 pounds back. I am now getting back on track but it has been difficult to get motivated again. Just remember how hard you've worked to get here and keep setting goals. I think that was my problem. I reached and surpassed my wieght goal and met my running goal then stopped aiming higher. You gotta have a plan to motivate you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think the tendency is to say "I made it. Now I can relax!" and then the weight comes back on.

    To combat that, I think the 90/10 principle works. 90% of the time, stick to your healthy eating. And then dont stress about the 10% of indulgences here and there. As long as you keep your activity level up, your new muscle mass will be working 'round the clock to keep your calorie burn up.

    congrats! you made it to your goal! thats awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on achieving your goal! That's awesome! When I reached my goal several years back, I stayed very strict. But we moved, things changed and the weight slowly crept up. Stick to your guns.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Firstly congratulations! I've gotten to goal twice now since the kids have been born, once after my first then again after the twins. I put loads on while I was VERY depressed but kicked depressions butt (after 6 years), and started WW last year. So far I have lost 16lbs but still have 14lbs to go. It is really hard but I know once I reach it I am going to go with the fact that during the week I basically do WW but enjoy myself on weekends. This should work as long as I don't get really stupid. Let us know how you get on, I love reading your blog
    x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations on reaching your goal! We can share clothes, we are the same size : ) My biggest motivation to not cheat is that I love, love being able to wear this size. Go shopping and buy some really cute jeans or shorts and wear them as much as you can. When you feel like falling off the wagon, remind yourself that you will need to pull out the "fat clothes", lol! I also find other "treats" that aren't food (haircut, massage, etc.) Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. PS. That aspargus deal? Looks sooooo YUMMMMMMMY.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Woohoo! Goal reached, that's awesome news!

    I guess you make new goals and challenges for yourself, I mean, if you are goal-oriented and enjoyed reaching it in the first place.

    Otherwise, just enjoy being healthy and active!

    ReplyDelete