Time to Conquer: Weeks 29-35: Re-group and Re-focus

It has been 7 weeks since I shared my weight loss journey with you.  You can read the other posts HERE.

I am embarrassed that I am so far behind.  Of course December was CRAZY busy.  And for some reason I thought in January things would settle back down. Yeah right!  Just trying to get caught up would have been enough.  Throw in all the sick kiddos and it has been nuts, that is for sure.

So here I am to report.  Strangely enough, I have struggled a little in January.  I did great on my plan in December.  I stayed on track and did well.  I didn’t lose a TON of weight, but I didn’t gain any either.  I had some slow weeks where I only lost a pound.  I even had two weeks where I didn’t lose anything at all. But it has been January that I have struggled.  I haven’t gone crazy.  I haven’t gained any weight, but I haven’t lost much either.

I have been thinking a lot about my struggle.  Why would I do well in December with the holidays and then struggle the first few weeks of January.  Isn’t this when everyone does well on diets?  Isn’t this the big Weight Loss time of year?

I think it comes down to change.  Change is hard!  Change is rough, and even a good change can be tough.  Things around me have changed.

I think part of my struggle is that everyone is talking about weight loss.  It is all around us.  Part of me kinda likes that I have been doing this “by myself” for the last 7 months.  I didn’t need the New Year to find the New Me.  And so for some reason I have been rebelling against the New Year and New Year Resolutions.  Silly, right?  I know it doesn’t make sense, but I struggled.

The second reason I think I’ve struggled for about a month or so, is that I am struggling with success and the changes that have come with that success.  That is even more silly than the last reason, I know.  But it is real.  You see, once you have such dramatic weight loss things change.  Everywhere.  They have to.  People treat you different.  People comment a lot.  People are super happy for me, and I do love it, but it is sometimes hard to hear good things about yourself.  Why is that?  I have a hard time taking complements.  And I have had A LOT of complements recently.  It is so nice, and Thank You.  Really!  But it is still new and an adjustment.  So I have struggled with what to say to all the people who comment on how I look now.

After about 3-4 weeks of low numbers on the scale and knowing that I wasn’t really “into it” anymore.  I felt like I needed help.  Heck, I needed a kick in the pants!  So I turned to an old friend.  My friend is a book that I started reading when I first started this journey back in June. Dr. A’s Habits of Health: The path to permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health.

I started reading Habits of Health in May (I highly recommend it – even if you just want to learn more about your body).  I read it for a week and decided then and there that this was what I needed to do.  It was time to change my life.  It was time to learn how to become healthy.  It was TIME!  And so I took the plunge and I joined Take Shape for Life.  It has been HUGE for me.  It was the push that I needed.  It was my jump start to a better more healthy life.

Since I have been on this program for 8 months now, I have gotten lazy.  I have forgotten why I started.  Sure, it was to lose weight.  But it was more than that.  It was to change my life – to reclaim my life.  It was time to become a better more healthy person.

Blogging about it has been a HUGE part of that journey and not taking the time to blog has also been a mistake.  You keep me honest.  You help me dig down and remember why I am doing what I am doing.  You keep me going when I am bored or tired.

So I have a new goal.  My goal is to re-read the Habits of Health and do the lessons in Living a Longer, Healthier Life: The Companion Guide to Dr. A’s Habits of Health.  Then I am going to report back here what I have learned.  So you and I can continue to help and encourage one another.

While this post hasn’t been completely positive, I want you to know that I am succeeding.   I am still losing weight.  I am still bettering my life.  I am on this journey.  It is a journey and there will always be bumps in the road.  But as long as I am progressing, I am learning, and I am succeeding.

In the past 7 weeks I have lost 12 pounds for a total of 92 pounds!  I’m only 8 pounds away from losing 100 pounds.  I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it, that is A LOT of weight. Here is my most recent picture taken on Saturday.

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