Movement!

Finally, the scale has budged enough and consistently to report here that I'm down five pounds. I'm not sure having a specific goal weight in mind for a specific date is really the best course for me. I want to handle it surely and wisely, not do anything dramatic. And the course I've been taking is changing my body in the positive ways I was hoping for.

My 30th reunion is one month from today. Losing 25 pounds by then is not something I actually want to do at this point (well, I'd like it, but not at any price I'd have to pay).

My goal now is to stay on course to look and feel as good as I can by then. That's totally doable.

Progress:

40 pounds lighter than top weight (1994ish)

5 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of this blog

10 pounds lighter than I was on my wedding day

25 pounds heavier than I was when I graduated high school (and 1996-1997ish)

*I'll think I'll be pretty happy when I get back to this weight if I'm also physically fit

45 pounds heavier than I was when I started college (my lowest weight as an adult)

*This was nice, but I'm not sure I want my life to be this focused on weight stuff

I Need to Step Things Up

I'm still doing my 3.5 mile run every other day (alternating with walking, now on the canyon path), even though the 5k has come and gone. I feel good about my momentum.

The frustrating thing is that the scale has been stuck at exactly the same place for weeks. I can tell my body has changed - I'm definitely more toned and stronger - but I really want the scale to reflect my effort as well.

I've been making fairly responsible eating choices - and have been for a long time, which is likely why I lost 15 pounds over the winter without actually realizing it. I will work to tighten my diet up a bit more. One commitment we're making as a family this month to help with tightening up our finances is to avoid eating out. That should help with my goal here as well.

I also think that when I teach fall and spring semesters (classes ended just over a month ago), I actually get more exercise than I realize. Not the level of cardio I get running by any means, but I think I'm pretty active standing, moving around, gesturing while I teach 6 hours a week. I also walked a fair distance from my car to my classes. Maybe the 5k training didn't add quite as much exercise to my routine as I thought it would.

Next Friday I hope to report actual weight loss. Yes, that would be nice.