One step forward, one step backward.....

Sorry that I haven't posted anything sooner!  I left to go out of town immediately after Friday's weigh-in, and as a result I didn't have time to put together a post for last week's results.....thanks to those of you that have been asking for updates!

One Step Forward
I'm proud (and excited) to report that I DID IT! For those of you that read last week's post, you know how frustrated I was with my minuscule losses and I vowed to have a 2 pound minimum loss. I am proud to report that I lost EXACTLY 2 pounds....Below is my weight loss progress since I started this blog in January.

Aside from losing the weight, I was also successful in tracking!  I tracked EVERY DAY! It was really kind of crazy!  I can't even remember the last time that I tracked the entire week. The result was that I never went over my allotted points (including the 35 extra points I spread throughout my week).  I was much more conscious about what I was consuming when I went out with friends on the weekend, and I made sure that I prepared for my events!  I was so impressed with my tracking that I took a picture of my weekly summary (thanks to the awesome online tracking system that weight watchers provides), and have provided it to you below:

As you can see, I tracked EVERYTHING! I also was impressed with myself that i earned 25 activity points even though apparently I only went to the gym four days last week (I could've sworn that I went 5 days......maybe I didn't track on Monday).  Regardless, it was an AMAZING week, and I met every goal I set myself up for. The result was exactly what I was hoping for, and this showed me: (a) I can lose at a higher rate than I was before; (b) it takes A LOT of hard work to be this disciplined with myself; and (c) it's really important to track to keep myself on point with my eating.

One Step Backward

It is Spring Break at law school this week, so to get away for a little bit I went to visit Montreal for the weekend with a couple of my friends.  Going to a different country means I don't need to follow program, right?  Well, needless to say, I indulged in some treats more so than I normally would, and the scale is not happy with me as a result. Part of me is mad at myself for "undoing" all of the hard work I put in last week. Another part of me had a really great time for 3 days and is saying it was worth it.....is it really worth it though?  I need to remind myself how frustrated I was when I wrote my last post because of how much I was struggling with everything. As much fun as I had, I'm slightly annoyed that the number on the scale this week may be an increase rather than a decrease....

Yesterday was an okay day, but I didn't really get back on track food wise. I did make it to the gym though, and pushed myself even though it was kind of hard to do so.....

Either way, yesterday is gone, and all I can worry about is today and the choices I make moving forward! Another weight loss blogger (one who has inspired me immensely) talked about this in a recent post, and I truly believe he is right. He said:

The choices you made yesterday have no impact or influence on the choices you will make today.  Yesterday is gone and today all you’re left with are the results of the choices you made in the past.
That doesn’t mean you have to live with them.

• It doesn’t matter that you’re 5, 25, or even 125 pounds overweight.
• It doesn’t matter what you ate yesterday.
• It doesn’t matter that you didn’t go to the gym yesterday.
• It doesn’t matter that you’ve been gaining weight for the past 25 years.
• It doesn’t matter that you’ve failed countless diets in the past.

All that matters are the choices you make today.  Your previous choices and experiences have no affect on how today starts and ends.  You might be discouraged and look back at previous weight loss attempts and think, “I’ve never lost weight before, why would anything change now?”

 Yesterday and the weekend is over, and thus so is my little detour from my goal. I'm going to work hard to correct my food choices I made this weekend, and hopefully I won't be up more than a pound or so by the end of the week. If I were to stay the same, that would be fantastic! Either way, I will definitely see a loss next week!

GOALS for the week:

1) Continue with my activity. I still need to do a better job at including weight-training in my workouts. Last week I did it one day. This week I am going to shoot for 2 days. I know it is important to have a balance between weight-training and cardio, and I need to start incorporating both....On a good note, my running has improved IMMENSELY!  Last week Thursday I ran 4 miles in 39 minutes!!!!  That is a 9 minute 45 second mile!! I know that I am going to meet my goal for April 1 to run a mile straight in 10 minutes or less!

2) Tracking. Enough said.

3) Go back to no beer. Last week I had a 2 pound loss....I drank some wine and liquor at various times throughout the week, but no beer. The past couple of weeks when I wasn't losing anything, I was drinking beer. I don't think this is a coincidence. Therefore, alcohol consumption for me will be limited to wine or liquor.

That's it for now!  Thanks for all the comments and keep them coming!