Slow...but Sure.

Yesterday I found a scrap of paper with my measurements from the beginning of last summer.  This evening as I walked by and noticed the pink paper sticking out among the pile, I got the urge to measure myself again.  Mind, I couldn't find my inches measuring tape, only the one in centimeters.  Overall, I am still smaller than I was at the start of last summer.  I have gained an inch here and there, but I've lost an inch here or there.  Funny how it works that way!  I have even managed to lose 15 pounds since the start of last summer!  An effort that is finally beginning to pay off.  

I must add that this past Saturday I jogged almost 5.5 miles, a personal best in the past 2.5 years.  It's been a long time since my body and mind have cooperated with each other, and it has been a case of where the mind was willing, the body was not and vice versa.  Small steps and keeping to my core goals (even when I fall off the wagon) have helped me to feel like this is not just a vain effort to feel younger or prettier or more socially acceptable... or any of those things that many feel are important when changing your body and losing weight.  This is becoming a way of life!  

OMG, I sound like I am on a Weight Watchers commercial - but bear with me here.  Changing the way one thinks about food and eating AND exercise is hard.  It takes a long time and has many ups and downs.  Bottom line though, is understanding that it's ok to lose your way here and there.  It's not important if you gain a few over the holidays, so long as you snap yourself back into the swing of things when it's all done with.  This past holiday was the first of many, where I didn't completely stuff my face at every opportunity or become swayed by 10 tons of carbohydrates.  I even found myself wanting to exercise at least every other day.  The end result:  I have already lost the few pounds I gained.  Sometimes food just isn't worth it. 

I think of my relationship with food and exercise like this:  it doesn't matter if you don't eat right or exercise all the time, but it is important to eat right and exercise most of the time.

In comparison to my last post WAY back in August, I am feeling very positive.  But perhaps it's because I am finally feeling like I'm getting somewhere.  It's slow, but I'm sure I'm getting where I want to be.