Off the wagon.....

First off, I want to apologize to those of you who have been so supportive of me these past few months for not updating this blog. Stress and mixed priorities took over recently, and as a result, I haven't been blogging (or following program, as you will read below). I am determined to get back into it, and I will be posting some new blogs this week, including a new recipe post!

Progress to date
At this past week's weigh-in I saw my first gain since January 8, 2010. :-(

As you can see from my progress chart below, I have had consistent losses each week for over 10 weeks straight (with one week where I stayed the same).  Seeing a plus on the scale was truly disheartening for me. I know it is only +2 pounds, but that plus sign really sucks (to be blunt)!  I have already gotten back on track (for the most part) to ensure that this doesn't happen again. However, this gain reminded me that the only way I will be able to obtain my goal is to truly make this a lifestyle change over the long-haul. Here are my weight losses since the beginning of 2010:

As you can see, I am still down 14 pounds, which is fantastic, but I still have a bunch to go until I reach my goal.

Why did I fall off the wagon?

The simple answer is I forgot about my priorities and let myself slip back into old habits. These past few weeks I stopped tracking my food, I didn't commit myself to my morning workouts (although I still made it to the gym for the most part for a minimum 4 days per week), and I stopped blogging. The result was the gain. Looking back on all of this, I realize now that I need to re-prioritize so that I have a healthier balance to push me forward towards my goal.  It is a small setback, but it WILL NOT STOP ME FROM REACHING MY GOAL.  I did it before, so I can do it again. It is time to get back on the wagon and achieve what I set out to do!

VICTORIES.....

1) I am so EXCITED to let you all know that I did reach my April 1 running goal.  Although I was unable to get my run in exactly on April 1 (I was out of town for the Easter Holiday), I achieved it the first day I got home and went back to the gym (April 6, 2010).  I am pleased to report that I ran 1 mile in 9 minutes, 53 seconds!!!!!!!! I have NEVER been a runner, and I never imagined that I would be able to actually run a mile, non-stop, in under 10 minutes. However, I was determined to do it, and I succeeded. Looking back on that now, I realize that even though I have had some setbacks this past month,  I CAN do this, and I WILL!

2) Today it was BEAUTIFUL in Buffalo, so I decided to go for a bike ride (I love my new bike that I bought myself last year). Suffice it to say, I am exhausted right now as I write this because I biked 27.63 miles in 1 hour, 53 minutes!!!!  It was so much fun to get outside, and it was also a GREAT workout!  I was very impressed with my ability to go as far as I did. I am so happy that it is getting warmer out, as I know being able to ride my bike will help me out with my weight loss success!

Goals for the week:

In order for me to get back on track, I am going to continue to set my weekly goals here on my blog:

1) TRACK at least 4 days (since I didn't really track this weekend, that means I have to track everyday mon-thurs of this week)

2) MORNING WORKOUTS. Enough said. It works for me when I force myself to do it, so I need to get back into it! 5:30 a.m., I missed you......

3) BLOG. You guys keep me accountable and motivated. Thank you so much for all of your support, and keep it coming!

4) Try out a new recipe. My brother and sister-in-law gave me a suggestion to fix my chicken wing dilemma....I'm going to try this new recipe, and I will be sure to tell you how it worked!

Thanks again for all of your support. I'm back now (no more reprieves), so stay tuned!!!!