It's Over!

I am feeling confident enough to say that I think my slump is over!  Yippeeeee!!!!  Man was I struggling.  And man was it difficult.  Despite how long I've been at this game I am still taken aback by how a period of low motivation can just take. me. down.  My eating was leaving me feeling low and my attitude was somewhat hopeless.  But all that's changed.  The battle is over, I'm back to making healthy choices, to balancing my eating and feeling good about my behaviors.  And most importantly, my thoughts are back on track.  I wish I knew exactly what causes motivation to dip and how to avoid it but I think believe it's an inevitable part of the process.  And surviving those dips is mandatory if I want to keep the weight off.  And I've just survived my first notable slump since reaching my goal.  It was about a month long and it rocked me, no doubt, but I'm feeling a renewed confidence now that I'm coming out of it.

A week or so ago I was chatting with Ian, a trainer at the gym, and he was remarking on how far I've come.  I told him I was struggling and had gained a few pounds.  He gave me the ubiquitous, "You don't need to worry about it, you still look great."  We all know it's not about looks, it's about thoughts and behavior.  And my thoughts and behaviors were not in a good place - which meant I very much needed to be concerned.  And I was, but I tried my best to take my own advice and get through the slump with as little damage as possible.

So when I weighed myself on Friday morning and saw my weight had dipped back down below 140 I felt like a winner!  I was expecting it would take several weeks to lose those few pounds.  Let's hope it stays off this coming week as sometimes a big loss like that means a bit of a bounce-back in the following week.  But, no matter, my mind is back on track and I know from experience that means the body will follow.

Speaking of the body, mine needed a break.  On Friday I had plans to go to the gym after work.  But my lower back was aching all day and I felt like I needed to rest.  So I decided to skip the gym - monumental, I know.  As the afternoon rolled along though, I kept having these compulsions to exercise, "You'd better go now, you'll run out of time."  No, I'm letting my body rest. And then an hour later "Oh, if you go now you can at least get something done."  No, I need the rest.  So after work I called my friend Reina, who is not only a fellow runner but a psychologist to boot, and asked her to tell me I was making a good decision. She said all the right things, "Your body needs rest, if you don't rest you could get an injury and be out longer."  Ding, ding, ding - sold!  Thanks Reina.

I had a very healthy eating day on Friday.  Breakfast, mid-morning tea, a salad with a lean protein for lunch.  Dinner was a bit more indulgent but I kept my portion size small and I took a pass when I had an opportunity to drink alcohol.  I'm feeling too good to drink - if that makes any sense at all.  Today is more healthy vibes.  Here's a picture of today's lunch.

The theme this week in WW was about creating a nice setting in which to eat your meals. I do this a good amount of the time but it was a helpful reminder to use a plate and sit down at the table like a real grown up.   So I sat at the table for my turkey breast and avocado sandwich on Thomas' sandwich thins with tomato, mustard and lettuce. And an apple. And vitamins. And bubbly water. Yummy! 

If there's one other thing I could do to solidify my renewed motivation it's sleep.  I've been staying up WAY too late.  So I'll continue to focus on my eating, think happy thoughts about my 10-mile training run planned for Sunday, and go to bed on time.  That, a family bbq on Sunday afternoon and a (as yet unplanned) fun family day for the four of us on Monday should make Michelle a happy girl.  And I'm a big fan of happy.