Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Honeymoon is Over

As I stood outside with the other Arrow Meltdown contestants in the 23 degree weather at 4:55 a.m. waiting for the front door to be unlocked at the Healthplex, someone asked me how my week went.  My response was, "The honeymoon is over!"  Others laughed and agreed.

This week wasn't terrible or even bad, it was however back to reality.  The weeks before the contest began there was so much excitement and anticipation.  I spent hours trying to get prepared.  As in most things there is an infatuation or honeymoon stage where all is happy and right in the world and you kind of lose your grip on the real word.  I quickly graduated from that stage and the real world has come knocking on my door.  I is now down to the nitty gritty...learning to maintain a  healthy lifestyle (which produces weight loss) while living my everyday life.

I worked hard to keep my food journal and stay focused on limiting my daily calories, but I traveled out of town for the weekend.  It is hard to control your food when someone else is cooking it, however by God's grace I was still able to stay on track.  There were also many stressers this week both personally and professionally.  At one point, I stopped to reminded myself that stress is not helpful in weight loss, and I tried to find ways to work through those things.  I am still working through a few.

As today approached, I felt like I had lost weight and I had done well with my weekly exercise, but I was anxious to know the results.  I was also a little anxious about what we would be doing at boot camp.  It seems that last week, Patrick, the Healthplex Fitness Director, was just teasing us with circuit training.  He decided to pull a Jillian (reference to the Biggest Loser) on us.  We had to walk briskly or jog around the track and then go down a flight and a half of stairs and back up and continue that pattern until Patrick said stop.  Not to mention throughout this grueling test of my endurance, he stopped us 3 times to do 20 crunches on the medicine ball.  Once again, I am pleased to report that no one fell out and died which is always a plus.  Also, I wasn't as winded as I was last week and as much as I hate to admit it, in the end I did feel good after making the effort.  Of course, tomorrow when my legs and abs are aching, I might have a different opinion.

The three things I learned this week:

1.  I have more blessings than I can count.  Over and over again this week, my wonderful family and friends have taken time to encourage me.  The attention at times has almost been embarrassing, but truly it is a blessing to know that you are loved and that people want to see you succeed.  I hope to give back and be that same kind of friend!

2.  Be careful what you pray for because God does hear and answer.  Those who know me best, will agree with me when I tell you I am not an adventurous person.  In fact, risk is not a word that comes up often in my life which is why for so long I did not and would not make the effort to change.  I was scared!  Scared of failure, scared of embarrassing myself, scared of change, scared of you name it. (In case you haven't noticed, I have a few control issue) Thanks be to God, He finally brought me to a point of realization, where I knew if I wanted to enjoy life, if I wanted to get married and have a family, if I wanted to serve the Lord more effectively that I needed to be healthy.  I ask God for His grace and mercy to make a change and He led me to Arrow Meltdown.

3.  Keep your expectations in check.  I had hoped for a great weight loss this week.  I mean it is the first week and usually you have a big loss at first.  I just knew the fat would melt off with all the effort I made in the gym and with my healthy meal choices.  WRONG!  Now, it wasn't that I was unsuccessful this week. I did lose 2.5 lbs., but I must admit I was disappointed.  I tried to keep a happy face at the weigh in around everyone else, but it was fake.  I thought about it all  morning and was reminded that this is not a sprint it is a marathon.  It is going to take time, but I need to be proud of every pound and inch I lose because those do not come easy and I worked hard for them.  My frown is now turned upside down and I am pleased to report that I am down 2.5 lbs and have started working on the next 2.5 lbs.  If I keep this up I will be down 10 lbs. by the end of the month and that is a BIG DEAL!  The journey is not over.

8 comments:

  1. 2.5 pounds is something to be proud of, and I've always found that the slower it comes off, the more likely it is to stay off. You are doing great, and I applaud you for making the commitment. You are a beautiful, capable, bright young woman who deserves to be the healthiest you can be. So love yourself and do this for you!

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  2. 2.5 lbs is a great start! You go, Celeste!

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  3. I don't know what everyone else lost, but 2.5lbs is GREAT. Like me you didn't gain the weight over night and you will not loose it over night. Keep your head held high. Today you are blessed to be breathing. Anything else is a plus. By the way you did great with the workout. I was so proud of everyone.

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  4. I am so proud of you. The pounds are a great victory but I am most proud of your lossening the reigns on some of those "control" issues. Wow! God is great! You are my hero.

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  5. This is going to be my favorite part about this year's Arrow Meltdown. You are teaching me what it is really like to be a participant instead of just the nutritionist. 2.5 pounds is 8,750 calorie deficit you created in your life this week. WOW. 8,750 Kilocalories!!! Hold that head up high. You should be proud. I know I am.

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  6. Way to go girl!!! I am loving this blog because as I read, I am nodding my head in full agreement. The beautiful thing about this weight loss is that we will NEVER have to see those pounds again because we are making a life change!! We are in this together and we CAN DO IT!!! Proud of your hard work!

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  7. I'm very proud of You! Keep it up. I'll be cheering you on.

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