More Measuring Sticks, Less Danger

One of the things I had always wished I did in my last weight loss journey was to have taken progress pictures. I do have pictures in every day life from back then, but I mean pictures where I posed with no shirt on so that I could see the progressions. I decided this go around that I will be doing the pictures, so I had Kathy take some pictures here while back, and then this past Monday, I had her do it again. I have to be honest, I almost jumped the tracks when I saw the two side by side, because frankly, I couldn't tell there was any difference. Luckily, I had to be at work pretty quickly, so I didn't really have time to stew on it and really get aggravated.

So here is why the fact that I don't tie my progression in this journey to any one thing is so key to my doing well. That very well could have been a trigger to relapse, for at leas a couple of days, but instead I was able to make some key realizations over the next two days. First and foremost, I recalled that I had just weighed Saturday, and since January 1, 2015 I had lost 9 pounds. I realized I was busy pedaling away on the recumbent bike at the gym on a level 2 levels above where I started not too long ago. I continued to think about it while I was doing a back workout where I was doing assisted pull ups in three sets, 5 first set, 4 second set, and 3 third set when I started out doing 3-3-1. I added weight on every lift that day also. I continued to think about those pictures while I was getting dressed back in my office clothes and was buckling up my belt on not the first notch where I started out, or the second notch I had worked my way to not too long ago, but the third notch which I had discovered I had to have that morning when my pants were not staying up on the way in the door to the office. On Tuesday, I realized I had no reason to be down on myself based on those pictures as I doing my interval jogging/walking workout and the jogging intervals were being done at 5.0 mph, and I was not really struggling at the end of the workout (I started out in December with my run interval speed being 4.2 mph) which means my next run workout, the run intervals will be 5.2 mph.

This was not a post to brag about me and my progress. Not one bit. It was a reminder to me that in this tender stage of reboot, I cannot let the mistakes I made last time and in all my reboot attempts keep me from soldiering on. The mental gymnastics in this game are crazy, and you have to find a way to create successes to beat out the dangers of perceiving you are failing. The more measuring sticks you use, the less danger there is you are going to not find some kind of success to keep the momentum going. This time around, I had to find success in a scale number and fitness sign posts. Next time around, I may have to find success in the fit of my clothes or my energy level. Another time I may have to find success in the fact I have been consistent with 4-5 days a week working out for a whole month (which come this Friday, will be the case). ABC's of lifestyle change baby. Alway Be Conscious!