Numbers and Perspectives

I have been struggling the past week. I have been frustrated. I have been annoyed. I have been stressed. Why? The dumb scale. I know in my head that the number on the scale isn't the only number that matters. But, I also know how frustrating it is to do everything right and not see the scale move. Or worse yet, see the scale move the wrong direction. Yep. That's happened to me this week. And quite frankly, I am over it. I have lost and gained the same 3-4 pounds for the past week. I doubt I will hit my goal of 65 by Wednesday. Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm teetering on the brink of 61. So, I would need to lose 4 pounds in the next two days. It's possible. It's happened before. But, it is still frustrating. Sometimes, for a brief moment, it really makes me want to quit. Don't worry, I'm not. It's a fleeting emotion. I kind of felt that way tonight when (yet again) the scale was stagnant. Then, I came across this motivational quote on Pintrest...and it really helped put things in perspective: 

"Here's to us. Here's to ordering a salad when we really want a burger. To making fools out of ourselves in cardio class. To drinking more water than seems possible. To going five more minutes on the elliptical. To working out twice as much as your skinny roommate. To saying goodbye to the old you. To falling in love with who you really are. The you who you want to become. To looking in the mirror and not seeing any change, throwing on your running shoes and working out anyway. To looking in the mirror and seeing a major change. Here's to veggies, and shin splints, sweaty t-shirts, perseverance, sore muscles, stinky socks, 5:30 a.m. workouts, suicide runs, falling down, getting back up and bottled water. Here's to getting up every day and doing it all over again."

I am reminded of how far I have come in just 10 short weeks. It's been a crazy, wild ride. One I have been privileged to take. It is not a journey for the faint of heart. This journey only has two kinds of people on it. Those who want the journey and those who will drop out. I hope you will be encouraged to be the person that sticks with the journey. Your journey might not be weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. It might be something else. I encourage you to be open about your journey and make the commitment. Find an accountability partner. Stick with it.

"Devote yourself to an idea. Go, make it happen. Struggle on it. Overcome your fears. Smile. Don't you forget, this is your dream." 

I'll be honest. I don't have a goal number in my head other than 100 pounds by August 1st. I haven't thought much past that as far as how much to lose. So, what are my goals, really? I just want to be healthy and live life to the fullest. I want to travel the world (eventually). I want to crazy things! I want to go to roller coaster parks. I want to go to Water Country USA (I've never been there despite living here for 30 years almost)! I want to be comfortable. I want to have normal furniture. I want to drive a smaller car. I want to buckle my seat belt. I want to not have to have things modified for me. Those are my goals. They are hefty. They come with a price.

I'm not focusing on the scale this week. I'm going to focus on upping my game. To doing more this week than I thought possible. To busting my tail at the gym. To sweating more than I am used to. To eating meticulous. To training ridiculous. To succeeding in what I set out to do. This is my promise. Unless my trainer makes me, there will be no weigh-in Wednesday. I'm going to wait until Saturday. Not because I'm afraid of what it will say on Wednesday (although if I'm completely honest, that might be true), but because I find that I obsess about it. I stress myself out about it. Then, I don't have an effective week, no matter how hard I try.

Here's to us. And our goals and dreams. Let's make it happen!