SOOOOOOO CLOSE!!

This is going to be another post about my weight. We got back from the cruise on a Saturday night, which meant I had 5 days to try to remedy the overeating/weight gain issue from the cruise before my next weigh in. The Thursday before the cruise, my WW weight was 147.2 (.6 of a pound from officially losing 40 lbs!). I was glad about this.

The Thursday after my cruise, I weighed in at 150 even, a 2.8 lb gain. Honestly, I didn't feel bad about this one bit. I made a conscious decision while on vacation that I was going to enjoy myself. I didn't go crazy (except for that last night!), but I also didn't deny myself too much. I had figured, "I know how to lose 5 lbs, so as long as I don't gain 10 lbs, I'll be fine!" That's why we worked out as much as we did during the cruise as well. To add to this 150 number, I was retaining some water as well (guess why!?!), so I think that had something to do with it. In either case, I wasn't going to stress about it.

This week, I've done much better. I haven't been perfect, but I've been conscious of what I've been eating and how much. I've also been working out, trying to get in at least 4-5 workouts a week. I've got a 5K race coming up in a week and I've also made plans to run the "Speedy Spaniard" 10K on July 24th and the Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon in August. That's a dang lot of running, but I know I can do it. So that's some motivation for getting my butt out on the road for some run workouts, but I'd like to keep up my fitness for triathlon as well. I've been scoping out another triathlon to get registered for, but I'm still leary of open-water swimming. Plus, I really don't want to buy a wetsuit this year. We just got Paul a new one, and I think we've spent enough! There are some pool-swim races that I'm looking into, so I'll let you know when I pick one.

So, the moment you've been waiting for... I had a KILLER week this week on the scale! Today at WW, I weighed in at 145.4! I lost 4.6 lbs this week! HOLY COW!!! I realized a couple weeks ago, that I weigh less after a bike ride than I do after a run, so today I rode my bike about 10 miles before weighing in. It helps, too, to be wearing lighter clothing like bike shorts and a cycling jersey! So, officially, I have now lost 41 lbs. I don't have to "round up" anymore! Pretty much ever since I'd lost 38 lbs, I've been saying that I've lost 40. It's nice not to have to lie now! I need to be really good this week and not blow it! If I can lose more than half a pound this week, I'll have reached my Weight Watchers goal. Then, if I can lose even more or maintain that weight for 6 weeks, I'll become a lifetime member, as long as I stay under 147. I fully plan to keep up the weight loss so I hopefully never have to pay for WW again!

I think the way I've changed my eating habits and increased my fitness levels, I believe that this is a lifestyle I can live with for years to come. I've been very careful to do this the right way and to make my changes in a sustainable way. I think I've also been very careful to keep a steady heart and mind as motivation behind all of this. I haven't blogged about this, but many of you who are close to me have heard me explain "why now." Since I'm an open book, why not share it with the rest of the world (as if they were reading)!

Last year, Paul and I were planning on having one more child. After months and months of disappointment with this goal, we finally got some testing done and figured out that our chances of having more kids are really small. I had just joined WW at the beginning of August (after putting it off for about 6 months thinking I'd be getting pregnant) and 3 weeks into it, I got this news. It was (and still is sometimes) extremely disappointing, but thankfully, not earth shattering. We are beyond grateful for the 3 awesome boys we have. While bummed that we can't add to this, we recognize the blessings we've been given and do not want to take them for granted. I had been running 5K's all through the summer and thinking that I should set a goal to do a triathlon (since Paul's sister had done one!), but again, that "I'll probably get pregnant by then" thought kept holding me back. Once that went away, I knew I had no excuse. I had really been using that potential future pregnancy as a crutch and roadblock. Without realizing it, though, I was able to adopt a "let's see what else this body can accomplish in 9 months" attitude. Somehow, I was able to channel this "loss" into this new goal of doing a triathlon. Paul's help and suggestions for training were very instrumental in all of it, along with his support with the diet. Diet and exercise worked in tandem for me. I was thrilled that with increased training, I'd lose more weight and with more weight lost, I was more successful in training. It only makes sense that "putting Charlie down" would help me run faster (3 minutes per mile faster, actually)! Following a diet plan and working out consistently WILL bring weight loss results, and I guess I just enjoyed the results so much that I was motivated to stick with it.

So, that's how I got here, for those of you who have wondered. Thanks again (for like the 50th time) for everyone's support and encouragement! It has made this journey so wonderful!