On weight, running, and life in general...

The past few weeks have been frustrating for me from a weight standpoint--while I fully own the fact that my commitment to WW has been inconsistent at best over the past couple of months, it's nonetheless very irritating to see the numbers on the scale bounce around (and sometimes in the wrong direction). It's one of those situations where I try to cut myself some slack, but, at the same time, I also know that, come this summer, I'll be hauling around whatever extra weight I have up those crazy hills on the IM course--not exactly a pleasant thought.

I was lamenting a weight gain a couple of weeks ago (and, frankly, beating myself up over it), and Theresa (once again) came to the rescue of my sanity and gave me some perspective. She encouraged me to think of all of the positive things that have happened as a result of WW in my life and come up with a list (she did this as well), and I thought I'd share it--if for no other reason than to remind me when I come back and read this again at some point in the future. So, here's the list of things I like better about life now as a result of Weight Watchers (in no particular order)...

1. Not being ashamed of the way I look when I'm out with my friends
2. Shopping for clothes in real stores instead of the women's section (and being able to buy more than just socks at places like Ann Taylor)
3. Working out to relieve stress and have some serious "me time"
4. Knowing there are finish lines out there with my name on them that I will cross at some point
5. Being in front of the camera instead of behind it
6. Savoring food instead of inhaling it
7. Having other outlets besides food to deal with stress
8. Self-confidence
9. Self-awareness
10. Self-love (most days, at least--not always on weigh-in day, though)
11. Being bolder than I've ever been
12. Taking on new challenges and overcoming my fears
13. Opening up more to others
14. Not really caring what other people think about me
15. Waking up in the morning
16. Life
17. Me

Nothing like writing stuff down to help me pull my head out of my butt, stop feeling sorry for myself, and start taking ownership of my weight and WW program again...plus it helps to have both Sue and Theresa send me email and voice mail reminders to journal, stay on program, and hang in there (not to mention having the support of the rest of the WW group). It should help, incidentally, that I'm giving up Slow-Churned ice cream (my fave) for Lent, and Theresa and I also made a pact tonight that we will both hit our goal weights by the 5K we're running on July 4, so I'm most definitely back on the wagon with a vengeance.

Speaking of that July 4th 5K...it's been really cool to watch some of my friends discover (or rediscover) the joys of exercise, running, and triathlon. Theresa, for example, is training with her siblings to run/walk the Indy Mini-Marathon (a 1/2 marathon) in May--she started out thinking she'd walk most of the way, both in training and in the race, but now she's running like a champ. She ran 5 miles last week in the bitter, bitter cold, and today, had one of those "I can't believe I'm actually saying this" kind of moments when she emailed me that she was going to take advantage of the great weather and her day off to go for a nice long run. I can totally relate--I still catch myself saying stuff that I never dreamed would come flying out of my mouth, but I'm so excited for her and can't wait to see her cross the finish line of both the Indy Mini and the 5K on July 4!! Cecily, another coworker and WW buddy, has also taken up running and will be joining us on July 4--again, very very cool to see her not only start this, but stick with it and enjoy it (and she's converted to the morning workout crew at the fitness center, which is always fun and entertaining). One of my other morning workout buddies, Shawn, decided to train for an indoor sprint triathlon with her husband--and I love hearing the training updates, progress reports, and everything. It's just so cool to see these guys embracing this great stuff and I'm so very proud of them for it--and I'll do everything I can to encourage them along the way. Seems like that might be a good way to start paying back my friends and supporters for all of their help in my little journey...one of those "pay it forward" moments (although it's actually a "pay it back" kind of thing for me).

Lest I forget the journey that started this whole thing (the WW journey), I'm so very very glad that I have an incredible support system in my life to remind me of how far I've come and of the great things that have happened along the way...so thanks, guys (you know who you are)...I'm damn sure I couldn't do it without you!!!