I'm Back, Baby!

So even though I probably could have slept for another few hours, I have gotten out of bed and am feeling much more refreshed and – more or less – ready to face the day. The last half a week or so has been an absolute whirlwind, so I am much relieved to be returning to a more normal paced life for a while.

Thank you to everyone who has been putting up with my super short, not always on topic, and likely rambling posts these past few days. I am behind on my own blog reading, but will be doing my best to catch up over the next few days, plus I will be rereading the comments left on my site just in case I missed comprehending some golden nuggets of wisdom or inquiries into my insanity while I was so overwhelmed and sleep deprived. Something reassuring that came out of all this is that I felt like continuing to blog, no matter how briefly nor nonsensical the entries seemed, was instrumental in helping me keep my focus on the healthier choices while I was amid the chaos. I am proud that I stayed committed to blogging while entrenched in this busyness and I know that journalling really has made a tremendous difference to this whole weight loss experience.

I know that it really worked during this specific trial too. Even though I hit a couple of stumbling blocks, I believe that I came through this exceptionally busy time with far fewer bumps and bruises on the eating and exercise fronts than I would have in the past. My activity levels suffered the most, but I am satisfied with the knowledge that I gave up sleep just to get done the projects which needed to be done and that, therefore, I was genuinely not making excuses about having no time to spare for working out.

Something else that shows me I am still making progress is that a second person finally noticed my drop in weight yesterday (both recognitions have happened right at the fifty pounds mark – go figure). A close friend casually asked me how much I had lost, and after I thanked her for noticing and told her the number, she seemed totally surprised. She proclaimed that I “carry it well” which I found interesting. I have spoken in the past about how I think I am actually – and fortunately – well proportioned (which is really just a nice way of saying I store my fat equally over every part of my body), so hearing her say those words made me consider the possibility that it just shows less as I lose since each part of me shrinks at the same rate. I’m not sure I completely buy that, because fifty pounds is still a lot to lose without anyone commenting, but it does give me something to consider the next time I am out with people and feeling frustrated because they don’t say anything about the changes to my body.

A couple of interesting things that happened while at the birthday party I attended yesterday, whose preparation was the major cause of all my craziness, had to do with the food provided at said event. First of all the treats looked delectable. Yes, I wrote ‘looked’. I actually really wouldn’t know how they tasted. The only sweet that I had at the celebration was a single bite of cake from my husband’s plate. This was a major accomplishment! I was even served a whole piece of my own despite my protests, but I simply put it down untouched next to the cake when no one was looking so that someone else could enjoy it. There were so many homemade sweets at the party that they warranted a completely separate table from the rest of the food, but I barely even felt tempted. I perused the items a couple of times and debated whether I would feel deprived if I went without, but ultimately was more than satisfied with passing on all the sugary goodness. Granted, now I am wishing I had one of those fresh raspberry cream puffs…

The second part of the different happenings concerning the food was another unexpected side effect of changing lifestyles. I did eat while at the event, but the manner in which I choose my food was so different from what it has been in the past that once I left the party I felt hungry. This is not to say that I under ate while there, but simple to point out how drastically I have managed to alter my habits while attending such an event.

Three months ago I would have set up camp next to the food table and gone back and forth between attempting to be subtle about my over enthusiastic intake by sneaking items into my mouth directly from the trays and foregoing any pride by piling my plate high with sweet treats and high carbohydrate options. This time, I got myself a plate of vegetables with dip right at the start and then made myself a relatively healthy sandwich towards the middle of the festivities. Because of these much wiser choices, taking care to not overeat, making sure I was more involved with talking to people than with what was available for consumption, and not feeling like I had to cram one of everything down my throat just to be sure I did not miss out my mind simply wasn’t focused on how my stomach was feeling. So it definitely amused me when my husband and I drove away from the party and several minutes later I realized that I was hungry.

Anyhow, this has turned into a bit of a novel, but I suppose that’s what happens when you try to catch up on several days in a single entry. That’s just one more reason to stay committed to blogging daily. I am really, really hoping to get in some decent exercise this evening although I don’t have anything specific in mind. That’s frightening! I am looking forward to working out. What is the world coming to?