Getting Down with the Sickness

For the past few days, I've been fighting a nasty chest cold. For anyone that doesn't know, chest colds can play nasty havoc on working out. I did manage to go for a nice run last Friday before it all kicked in. I was able to run a lot more than I expected, and was on the track for about 45 minutes.

I'm feeling a lot better today, although I've still got a bit of a cough. I'm hoping to take it easy tonight and get on the treadmill for a little while - at least until I can't stop coughing..LOL

I reached a huge milestone this week - I finally dropped below the 240lbs mark. It seems like for the past few years, I'd always get stuck at 240lbs and then end up giving up. Well, this week, I kicked that little road block up the ass and weighed in at 238lbs!

I'm really happy, and now I feel like that's been the hardest road block for me to get over - it's all easy sailing from here. It's definately true what they say about getting into a new habit. It has now become second nature for me to check all food labels, buy low-fat, whole grain, or fat-free products, and mentally record everything that goes into my mouth.

So, a lot of people have asked me why things are so different this time. How do I know I'm not just going to fall off the wagon again? I have to say, I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for my amazing hubby. He has been so good at supporting me through this. The big difference is that this isn't a diet for me - we have literally changed our entire lifestyle. All of the food that I buy is for everyone, and all of the healthy meals I cook are for everyone. It really helps keep things easy to deal with. Planning my menu each week is something I actually look forward to. I make a weekly trip to the grocery store and ONLY buy what's on my list. I've also realized that I can't eat "diet" food all day every day. There are going to be times that I eat something that isn't healthy for me, I'm going to go to a restaurant and eat too much, I'm going to have a candy bar once in a while - and the best part to all of it is the understanding that it's ok. My biggest set back in the past was giving up after my first falter. If I ate something I wasn't supposed to, I'd admit defeat and just give up. I don't feel that way anymore. I look at things differently, now. It's not cheating, it's living!! I can enjoy the joys of unhealthiness once in a blue moon - and I don't feel guilty about it. I plan accordingly, I make sure I enjoy every bite of satisfaction associated with it, and then I work out extra the next day.

My new exercise interest is now running. I'm not really sure why I like it so much - and it's not at all easy - but I really find enjoyment out of running. It may be the hype that I've created for myself surrounding the 5K that I'm going to run in a few weeks...LOL This morning, I joined a local running group, so every weekend I will be running with a few people. I really like that idea cause I feel like I'm committing myself a little more because there are people that are relying on me to show up. Also, it will help having people keeping a pace for me to go by. My first run is this Saturday - so I'll have to update on how that goes.

Till next time. :)