Back to Normal…

Week 31 of my gastric sleeve journey! Back to running and eating better to lose the last 28 pounds!

Week 31 of my Down the Scale journey is here and with it comes only a half a pound weight loss. Yes, a loss is a loss, so I’ll take it. And I discovered that last week I miscalculated how much I have to lose to make my goal. Note to self: do not do math while drinking wine on New Year’s Eve! I have 28 pounds left to reach my goal of 112 pounds. Whoo hoo!

I know 28 pounds is a realistic goal, but some days it feels like such a long way away. Getting motivated again after the holidays has been difficult I must admit. Food and exercising issues have reared their heads.

The holiday treats are gone and I definitely didn’t indulge like I have in the past, but I’m having a hard time going back to my mantra of “protein first!” Crackers are my nemesis. Time to stop saying I’m buying them for the kids and admit I’m the one who is eating them. I need to clean out the refrigerator and pantry and get it back to its pre-holiday condition. This means snacks that the kids like, but I don’t like and better protein, vegetable and fruit options for the whole family.

Fortunately, exercising is easier to get back into. I let my running slip and decided to start the Couch to 5K program from the beginning. Today was my third day of week one of Couch to 5K and it felt amazing. Yes, it really is true that exercising is the best stress reliever. Today I wore my new running leggings. I thought it might help me run better, but more importantly it shows me just how much my body has changed in this last seven months. And I run faster because I’m worried my butt shows in these pants!

The fact that I have already lost 84 pounds motivates me more than anything now. I never thought I could lose this much weight! Some days 28 pounds will seem like a mountain, but I hope to get my head in check and remember how far I’ve come, not just have far I have to go. I hope going Down the Scale in 2014 will be as exciting and worthwhile as it was in 2013!