Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol...

It feels like I have missed a week of blogging because I have so much to update on. So, here we go...

Before & After

Check out my new page with Before & After pictures. At this point, they are actually Before & Progress pictures since I haven't yet reached my goals. You can click on the Before & After tab across the top, or just click here.

Couch to 5K

Last Thursday, I successfully complete Week 1. Overall, I felt really good. It's funny, in recent years, I thought I had trouble running because I was getting older, had bad knees, and hadn't done it in so long. WRONG. I had trouble running because I was fat. I think the last time I ran was back at the beginning of March (or about 50 lbs ago). I really struggled, thumping along, feeling like a bull in a china shop. Now, even though I don't yet have the cardio to sustain a long run, I can run with ease, feel "light" on my feet, can find a rhythm. And, let me tell you, it feels good!!

Yesterday I began Week 2. I felt good with the longer run intervals, and I am not sore at all today. Here's the Week 2 workout.

• Brisk 5 min warm-up walk
• Alternate 90 sec of jogging and 2 min of walking for 20 min
• 5 min cool-down walk

Wedding

On Saturday, my cousin got married. For weeks, I have been deliberating how I was going to handle this event. What was I going to eat? Would I drink? I finally decided that I would stick as close to my eating plan as possible, but I would partake in a couple tasty beverages. And, that is exactly what I did...well, sort of. Ate my Medifast all day leading up to the reception, drank my water, brought my snacks, and was able to make a Lean & Green meal out of the salad, salmon, and zucchini on the dinner buffet. So, what went wrong? Perhaps the turning point was when I said to the bartender, "I'll have a rum and Diet Coke. Make it a double." :-) And, so it went as I danced the night away (working off those calories, right?!).

I never felt like I was drunk, but I definitely woke up feeling hung over. And, now, this leads to my next entry...

Mind Games

Waking up on Sunday morning, there was only one thing I knew for sure. I needed GREASE, and I needed it ASAP. You all do know that the only cure for a hangover is greasy fast food, right? So, here was my plan. I would weigh myself, see that I had gained some weight from my alcohol consumption, write off the week, and go get my fast food. Onto the scale I stepped, only to find that I was down 2 lbs. WHAT?!?! Did I really dance THAT much?

Now I needed a new game plan. So, I re-framed my thinking to, "Well, I was already thinking I would write this week off, and since I am down two pounds, I may as well go ahead and eat what I want, gain those two pounds back, and write the week off anyway." Crazy, I know. But, that is exactly what I did. I ate crappy fast food and carry out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The psychoses doesn't end there....

Weigh-in

I decided to record my -2 as my official weigh-in for the week (it was only off by a day, right?), not weigh myself on Monday (my official weigh-in day), so I wouldn't see the damage from my one-day binge, and start the next week as if none of this happened. And, that is what I have done. Right back on track. And, in case you were wondering, I felt absolutely disgusting on Monday. I was lethargic and puffy and dehydrated, but if you want to know the truth, I don't regret it. Maybe 3 meals was a bit much, but I wouldn't have traded those Sonic tater tots for anything on Sunday morning! And, I think I am beginning to see that one day off track doesn't mean the end of working toward my goals.

Weight Loss
Pre-Medifast: 8.6 lbs
Medifast Month 1: 25 lbs
Medifast Month 2: 6.8 lbs
Medifast Month 3: 18.2 lbs
Medifast Month 4: 1.4 lbs
Medifast Month 5: (2.8, 3.6, 2, )
Medifast Total (19 weeks): 59.8 lbs
Total in 2011: 68.4 lbs