Hey everyone, time to check in! (Sorry, this is going to be long.)
Check In...
Well, I lost another 2 lbs this week, but just barely. I hit it yesterday. All other mornings this week I was at 1 lb. I actually feel great! I feel so much better that I did 2 weeks ago. The foggy feeling is almost gone, I'm more awake and alert during the day, I'm more patient, my posture at work is better. I don't feel like I'm just trying to make it through the day. And I've been going to bed and actually falling asleep. I was having trouble before. But I have been waking up around 3 am. I've been able to go back to bed, but it's like my body is used to 5 hours of sleep and thinks it should get up. I'm hoping this goes away and I sleep through the night soon.
Goals...
Morning Cardio Workout: I did my morning workout except for two mornings, but I did other things those days to compensate. We went to the zoo one of those days and took my dog for a brisk walk the other.
Morning Breakfasts: I also had good, high fiber breakfasts most mornings. I think one morning I had a pop tart
Strength Workout: I did a workout Wednesday. I felt really sore the next day, especially my arms and abs. I need to do another one today or tomorrow.
Afternoon Snack: This goal was really a mixed bag. I bought yogurt, almonds, and raw broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots, along with an organic ranch dressing. I did eat those, but I also broke down and snuck in peanuts, doritoes, left over pizza.. So I thought I'd really look at what I'm eating and why. I think some of it may be that I'm not 100% eating because I'm hungry. Here's the situation. I work part time and even though my DD is 17, she has special needs and I really don't want her to come home alone. My mom is retired and wants something to do, so before I go to work I pick her up and bring her to my home (she lives about 15 blocks away). She helps around my house, keeps my puppy company and is home for the kids. I love her dearly, she's a wonderful person... But there are many ways she also drives me crazy. Don't want to explain everything, but she moves my things and changes my electronics and let's me know who's called when (she takes notes) and tells me all the horrible things that have happened in the world that day... Uurgh.. I think to some extent I'm eating to help me deal with the frustration of it. So I don't know if I should keep working on a healthy snack for the time or if I should just try and not snack at all during this time. At least until I come to terms with those feelings and find some other way to deal with them. I can't ask her to stop; I've already tried. She's just set in her ways and sees what she's doing as helping me. I think I'm going to try and not snack and see how that goes. Or bring my snack to work and have it before I come home so I have more control over it.
So my goals this week...
Since I don't feel like I really have my goals from last week settled, I'm going to keep working on those before I add more. If I'm up to it, though, I'm going to try to have a salad for lunch at work since it's going to be warmer this week. I'm also going to figure out my BMI and start tracking that along with my weight.
Some other things I did for myself...
I wanted to do some nice things for myself that didn't involve food. So I got contacts. I used to wear them, but they didn't really work for the last year because my near vision is going. I went and got a prescription that has one contact for far and one for near. It's hard getting used to, but I feel better about the way I look. I also got a teeth whitening kit and some face and neck firming cream. Workin' on myself..
Some closing thoughts...
I'm trying to not focus on the weight. If I do, I get this emotion that's a combination of frustration and embarrassment.

I've lost 4 lbs total in two weeks, but as you know I'm approaching this so differently then I have in the past and it's hard for me sometimes to not think in terms of "have I been perfect this week" and just on "was I able to accomplish my goals." I'm 12 lbs less than I was last year at this time, but I'm still 5 lbs more than I was at the end of last summer. So I try not to focus on the feeling that I'm still playing catch up. I can think through it logically, but the emotion is so automatic that I know it's there. Writing this, it sounds more negative than it really is because I'm so thrilled with how much better I'm feeling and I'm focusing on that.
The other thing I want to put out there is I have this milestone of 4-6 weeks. That's the point at which I usually start slipping. And it's coming up in a few weeks. I don't want to do that self-prophecy thing, but it's in the back of my head. I'm really going to need some encouragement as we get to that point.
My kids have Spring Break this week. I'm not sure how that will effect things. We'll see...
To end this on a good note, I'm looking forward to this week and hearing how everyone is doing. There are some people who joined us that we haven't really heard from yet, so I'm hoping they check in this week.
Here's to another good week!
