Finally on track

After a year or more of spinning my wheels, losing and regaining the same five pounds, I'm finally making some significant progress.

As it turns out, amoebas are a great weight loss aid! Actually, I don't know if what I had was amoebas, but until I remember to call my doctor to get the lab results, that's what I call the stomach bug that I picked up in our travels in Southeast Asia. It wasn't always pleasant, always having to keep tabs on the nearest bathroom and often feeling a rundown, but ~3 weeks of that bug help me get a jump on dropping pounds. It was actually worse after we got home--I lost 5 lbs in about 3-4 days--but it seems my systems are all back in order now.

When we got back, I started working out seriously again--I knew I would need to put in a lot of effort to keep those pounds off and keep losing more once my body could start absorbing nutrients again. Chica and I are running regularly and setting some training goals for ourselves. We're registered for a 5K race in late October and a 10K race in late November. We're also planning to train for a half marathon next spring and a triathlon after that. It's so helpful to have someone to train with--we keep each other motivated and push each other when one of us is feeling sluggish--and it's fun to be training with Chica. This is the first time that she's really gotten into training with me, so it's nice to finally be able to share that with her.

Chica's also doing an excellent job of planning our meals (as of last night, she's got a plan for the next four months mapped out!). She's unemployed right now and has more time to spend thinking about what we'll eat each week and making sure that each meal is balanced and that we're getting a lot of variety. I also bought her a kitchen scale as one of her birthday presents, so we've been measuring out our meals to teach ourselves good portioning. I've been able to stay very disciplined about eating in part because she's got a daily plan on the fridge so I don't end up eating crap because I'm too tired to make something good. But it's not misery: we're making sure to give ourselves things we really like in small doses to teach ourselves (well, mostly me) moderation. Example: one of my snacks on teaching days is an ounce of cheese. I looooove cheese, but I've been avoiding it lately because I don't always moderate. Right now, I just have cheddar, but next shopping trip I gt to buy some yummy artisanal cheese.

So far, I've lost 17 lbs since before our trip. I have ~10-15 more to go. I'm leaving the final goal weight open-ended because I want to see what's really a sustainable weight for me. Even though I've still got a lot of work ahead of me, I'm already enjoying the progress I've made so far. I haven't been at this weight in at least 4 years. And I was able to do back-to-school shopping in my closet, going through clothes that I'd put away in boxes because they hadn't fit in so long. And I don't expend a ridiculous amount of mental energy feeling bad about how schlubby I look anymore.

I know I joke about the amoebas, but seeing some actually progress on the scale was the motivating boost I needed. I'd always work at it for a few weeks, fail to see progress, and then give up. Now that I'm on track, it's just up to me to stay on it.