Memory Lane

Hello!

It's time to address the white elephant in the room. My goal date, May 22, passed and I didn't reach my weight loss goal.

Disappointed? Yes, I am but not broken. I lost a net of 5 lbs and while that's a drop in the bucket it's a loss.

May 22 was also my five year wedding anniversary. My hubby and I were on vacation visiting family during that time. I couldn't rightly be depressed during such a wonderful occassion. I would not let weight ruin the celebration.

So, two weeks out from vacation, I'm re-focussed and ready to tackle this thing called weight loss. I spent the weekend looking through wedding pictures with my hubby and wow, I looked great! Tooting my own horn here :) Besides how I looked, the pictures reinforced the fact that I have been successful at weight loss. And not just five years ago but also a couple of years ago although I don't have pictures to document that phase.

What's the next logical thought? What was I doing 'right' during that time? AND more importantly, what should I do to maintain so I'm not in this position again?

Question 1: What have I done in the past to lose weight successfully?

1. Worked out two hours/day - one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.
2. Had a gym membership.
3. Faithfully logged EVERYTHING I ate in Sparkpeople.
4. Weighed-in weekly.

It's not complicated but I haven't been following that plan and I haven't lost weight as I have in the past.

Question 2: What do I need to maintain successfully?

Truthfully, I've never reached the maintenance phase. While I've been successful at weight loss I have never actually reached my goal weight and eventually I fizzle out trying to reach that goal. So my main task is to stay the course. I'll deal with maintenance as I get closer - one step at a time.

I'm going to spend this week checking out the local area gyms. Hopefully I find one but if not I'll stick to the home workouts diligently. Even if I find a gym, I will continue with home workouts but I need interaction with like-minded people at this point.

I'm excited!


- Kareen, RD