Maintenance

So a few weeks ago I mentioned that I had come to a point where I realized that I'm happy with my weight.  Even though I'm not really participating in the challenge I still want to blog about weight maintenance rather than loss.  Last week I got so busy I didn't have time to post, but this week I'm back on board.  Maintaining a certain weight can be just as much of a challenge as weight loss.




Today I weight 134.something -- can't remember!  I'm right where I was when this challenge first started, and I'm okay with that!  I'm eating well, running well, and I feel good.  It's still a struggle for me to eat healthy foods -- I have good days, and I have bad days.  Running is going great, and I'm hoping to mix it up a bit in the next few weeks.  Here's a quote I came across (from my friend Jenni's blog!) that I think is perfect for talking about maintaining a healthy lifestyle...

Aim for 85%- You don’t have to make 100% healthy choices all the time. It’s what you do most of the time — day in, day out — that counts. The healthier you get, the easier and more automatic healthy choices will become.

Isn't that awesome?  I think it's the only way to do this -- don't get down on yourself if you don't always reach 100% -- aim for it, but if you reach 85% then you're doing great!  Don't let yourself have one bad week, one bad day and throw the rest all away.  Good luck to the rest of you still participating in the challenge!

The Jiggle Challenge -- Week 3

This past week I ran a half-marathon -- woo! woo!!  I tried to eat well, but I also had a lot of meals where I enjoyed what I wanted.  Obviously I crazy carbo-loaded on Friday night at Olive Garden in preparation of my race Saturday morning.  This challenge has really made me think about my weight in a good way.  Ever since I graduated high school I've been concerned about my weight -- even when I didn't need to be.  I can remember being a sophomore in college and chugging slimfast because I had gained 5 pounds.  Totally ridiculous! I now realize how nuts that was, and I don't want to go back there again.  And in some ways I think that I've been creeping back to this place.  The place where I obsess over my image when I shouldn't.  

Here's where I find myself torn -- I want to enjoy life.  I want to be healthy, but I also want to eat pizza and drink beer occasionally (both of which I did last night).  I know that if I cut out cupcakes and other "bad foods" I could probably drop more weight, but at what cost?

I am really proud of how healthy I am right now.  I may not be stick thin, but I know that I'm healthy because of my running.  And I'm starting to realize that health is WAY more important to me than being a size 0 (or 2 for that matter).  I think the idea is usually that health and thinness go together, but I don't believe in any way that the two equal each other.  

I still lost a little weight this past week, and I'm excited about that.  But at the same time I think I'm ready to let go of my need to loose more weight.  I am definitely at a healthy weight for my height, and more importantly -- I feel good.  My clothes feel good, and I am doing a lot of running.  I am going to continue to run and eat well, but I'm also going to enjoy foods at the same time.  When I first started my "weight loss journey" a year and a half ago I did need to loose weight.  I was pushing 150, and I was not living an active lifestyle.  A lot has changed since then, and I'm proud of it.  I think I've reached the maintenance phase now, and that's what I plan on working on.  I'll still check back each week to finish off the challenge, but my goals have definitely changed. 

Starting weight: 134.2

Current weight: 133.4

Pounds lost: 0.8

Pounds left to loose: 8.4

Week Two: Not So Successful...

Starting weight: 134.2

Current weight: 134.0

Pounds lost: POINT 2

Pounds left to loose: 9.0

Y'all, I was not good this past week.  I did terrible over the weekend, and these last few days I've struggled to just maintain my weight from last week's weigh in.  I do think this challenge is good accountability for me, and I'm just glad I lost something this past week.  I will say that I'm still wondering if I need to loose this much weight, but I'm going to keep going through with the challenge to give it my best try.  Even if I only loose 5 pounds (compared to 9), that would be better than nothing!

Hopefully I'll have a better week coming up!

Can't wait to hear how the rest of you did! :)

The Jiggle Challenge -- Week 1

A big part of my motivation to run is to keep my weight in check.  Since I started running a year and a half ago I have lost approximately 15 pounds.  I have really tried to work on healthy eating habits in addition to running, and I feel good about my weight.  But ideally I would love to weigh 125 pounds.  I'm currently at 134.2 pounds, and I've stayed in the 132-137 range for a long time now.  I usually wouldn't post my exact weight, but I've decided to participate in this challenge for the next few weeks...




To be honest I'm not sure if 125 is really the best weight for me, but I thought I'd give it a try.  Numbers are different for everyone, and it's not always the best way to determine physical health.  But with that being said... I'm still going to give this weight loss thing a real "go" for the next few months.  I would love to zip off to Hawaii this summer and be at my ideal weight.  And I'd also love to weigh a little less, because I think it would help with my speed.  So here we go.  My plan is to run, run, run (adding in speed workouts), and calorie count.  I'd like to loose one pound a week, and reach my goal weight by June 9!

I'm excited about the accountability of checking in each week -- I can't guarantee I will be able to follow through on this, but I'm going to give it my best try!  Anyone else who's interested in linking up can go here.

Starting weight: 134.2
Pounds lost: 0
Pounds left to loose: 9.2