If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards

Okay, not really.

I'm not ashamed to admit that these last couple of days have been challenging for me in terms of "the Challenge". Tuesdays through Thursdays are just chaotic. It's difficult to remember where I'm supposed to be at any given time, let alone remember to do my four things. I've been a little negligent in the 15 minute walks and the four glasses of water. However, I have been doing pretty well on reducing my portions and I still have not had a McDouble since this whole thing began.

I realized too why I eat. Rarely, it's because I'm hungry. Usually, I eat because it's there, I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm nervous, I'm bored, it looks or smells good, it's time, blah, blah, blah. But not because I'm hungry. That is starting to change. I find that I'm asking myself "Do I need this? Am I hungry?" If the answer is "no", then I put the food down. SCORE!

So the challenge continues. So far, I think I'm in the lead.

Day 2 & 3--Walking? No, but...

Regular walking on a track, a treadmill or even around my attractive, yet circular neighborhood has never been something that I've done on a regular basis. There's something mundane about being stationary or repetitive. It just doesn't hold my interest (EXCUSE!). So for Day 2 & 3, I found myself being a little experimental with my exercise. Last summer, I bought the Core Rhythms Latin Dance exercise video. It's a lot of fun and I really liked it last year. The problem was that it KILLED my lower back. Well, yesterday, the weather was rainy and cold, not walking weather for me at all (EXCUSE!!). So I decided to break out the dancing DVD. After dancing to this DVD for 10 minutes, I felt as of I had walked around the neighborhood TWICE! This is my kind of exercise! Maximum sweat in minimal time. Yahoo!

Today, I spent most of the day cleaning the kitchen and washing laundry. Trust me, that's exercise too.

One day down...

Day one of my 30-day challenge was a good day. I felt positive about the eating choices I made and I checked off each of my daily goals:
--no fast food
--4 glasses of water
--20 minutes of walking with Sam and Tuffy
--reduced portions; had soup instead of soup & sandwich, had Italian beef without the bun
--an Affirmation--I am faithful and unstoppable.

I do think I need to get a new scale, though. I weighed myself this morning and was six pounds lighter. Oh, if that were only true.

The 30-day Challenge

So today was the day. I've steadily put on weight since I graduated high school, but no one has ever said, "You need to lose weigh." Pretty impressive, considering that I'm almost 2 1/2 clicks on the scale. I suppose that because I've never FELT out of place or fat or shunned or anything like that from those whom I've encountered, I always thought my problems with my weight were solely mine. I could rationalize that it's all in my head and that would be fine. As long as people were still impressed with my personality and could get past the big ga-dunk-gadunk behind that followed me, I was cool.

But today was the day. Someone, who I barely know, asked why I'm overweight. I realized a lot of things with that answer...none of which are comfortable. Being 5'2 and a size 18/20 is NOT a good thing. I realized that I have failed at losing weight not because I'm lazy or dirty or anything like that. I have failed at losing weight because it's not something I can do alone.

It's a hard realization for me. In every other aspect of my life, I am completely comfortable with self-accountability. Not here, though. There hasn't been anyone to help me, really. To tell me what it is that I need to do and CHALLENGE me to do it.

She did. She gave me 4 things that I said I "Can" do...not want to do. There is a difference. And she challenged me to do these things every day for 30 days. I would see a difference. No folks, this isn't acai berries or chromium picolinate or whatever the latest diet is. Nope, this is common sense stuff: 1) drink 4 glasses of water a day (she's easing me into it) 2) reduce portions 3) walk 15 minutes a day 4) eliminate 1 bad food from your eating habits.

So, the gauntlet has been tossed. This blog will be a daily record of my challenges and successes. I've spent 20 years putting the weight on. It won't be easy, but I'm ready.