Back and ready for action

Rehab in the Shawnee National Forest
included a backpacking and hiking trip.

Rehab is for quitters. You've heard the joke before, right? Well, for this quitter, rehab was just what I needed.

The week was wonderful. I checked lots of stuff off my To Do list that have been on there for months. I rested, I ate, I was active and I had a generally happy time (except when I got food poisoning - booo).  I also addressed a few truths and am ready to be back with a few changes.

First of all, I am only going to weigh myself each week. I know, that's what I've been doing, right? Wrong. I was doing it every day. I would wake up, pee, weigh myself, then drink water and get started with my day. Everything I thought once I was out of bed was about the scale .. and what I'd eaten the day before and how the scale would interpret my efforts. And that's not healthy. I have become obsessed with the scale. There are many theories about using the scale as a guide for progress, and I completely subscribe to those theories. You don't have to define yourself by the scale, but use it as a measure. Weighing once a week, at the most, is recommended, I've read numerous articles about it because there was a time in my life when I refused to weigh myself (and I ended up getting to my largest size). So, because I am still hoping to drop pounds, I won't stop weighing myself. The scale, however, is officially moved from my kitchen, into the linen closet - and there it will remain, unless it's Wednesday morning.

Second, I don't like running. And that's okay. This is a really hard truth for me to face because I always thought I wanted to be a runner. I mean, the women that grace the cover of Runner's World all look so euphoric in their Nikes and tight shorts, in tune with the road and happy to pound the pavement. But ff I liked running, then I would do it more. It's that simple. What isn't simple is my next move. I have to find an activity that enjoy that is healthy, low-cost, and easy to do several times a week. That will be my focus over the next few weeks. I have several activities in mind and I will definitely keep y'all posted as I figure out which is best for me.

Finally, I have to trust myself. For the most part, I eat healthy. But I've been splurging a lot lately and then beating myself up for it. And that has to stop. I wouldn't define my recent habits as binging, but they are clearly signs that 1300 calories a day is beginning to wear me out.  I've been doing it for 18 months! But instead of assigning myself a new calorie allowance, I am going to continue NOT counting calories.  I wish I could find a nutrient tracker that doesn't count calories, because I want to keep focusing on my fiber, iron, protein, and calcium. But it's time to trust myself for awhile. It's time to relax the rules and have faith in my knowledge of healthy eating.


I promised I would come back with a renewed energy and as proof, I have a fitness appointment tonight at my local gym. I bought a 3-month membership for $20 thanks to Morgan's Deals. I also have a few things planned for the next few months. Spring softball is coming up so I'm looking for a Thursday night league, Abigail and I will be bootcamping it in June (Living Social deal!) and I'm on my search for MY activity. Got any suggestions for me? I'm open to ideas!