A New Low

I hit 174 yesterday morning - 5 pounds away from my goal. 102 pounds gone.

I'm so freakin close, that I get a little upset when I do dumb things, like eating out every day for 5 days the other weekend.  Things that put on 4 pounds in 4 days.  I was completely focused and on task last week and took it back off.

I'm still losing (very slowly now).  I'll probably get to 169.  But I might not ever get there.  I might waver a few pounds above it for ever, and I'd be completely happy with that.

But this is how it goes.  I'm gonna set a weight that makes me wake up and get back on track.  For me, that will be 175 pounds.  As long as I'm below that weight, I'll try to maintain.  Here's my formula to maintain:

• Eat well 90% of the time (which is 9 meals out of 10, or 9 days out of 10). 
• When I don't eat well, I'll eat OK, 9 times out of 10.  
• One time in 100, I'll eat shitty crap and too much of it.
• Exercise at least 1000 calories worth a week.
• Weigh daily.

The simpler my formula is, the easier it will be to remember.

When I need to get back on track:

• Exercise more and harder
• Shake up the food routine with juicing.

'Cause stuff is going to happen.  I will get down and depressed in the depths of winter and not want to do anything.  I will start dating someone and go out a bunch and have fun and not want to set limits on my eating (gawd I hope!).  I will pull my achilles tendon and not be able to run.

Stuff is going to happen.  What's saved me recently after I pulled the achilles tendon playing soccer is to look at the rules.  I don't think of it as optional.  I didn't want to exercise. I couldn't run (still can't).  But I set a rule for myself to work out 1000 calories each week, so I had to figure something out. And I did.  I used the elliptical.  Unfortunately, I think I used it too hard on Sunday and pulled a muscle in my rib cage.  So tonight I'm going to change again and do a workout video, either step or pilates.  The pilates won't burn many calories, so I'll have to work out more days to get 1000 calories in this week.

I don't get any days off from watching myself. There is no such thing as a vacation from these rules.  They're not unreasonably hard. I think one meal in 100 is completely reasonable for a pig out.  Allowed, but not often.  I can live with that.