Strip to the Goal

I am the kind of person who is always setting goals and I have big dreams! However, I am not a deadline person. I don't like to put limits and expectations to deliver XYZ by this date, etc. Unless it is a training goal. I will train to be faster and set a specific speed goal that I want to hit by a certain event and I will train towards that goal and have usually been able to exceed my expectations on those type of things. But I don't give weight loss goals a deadline. Like it would not be a common thing for me to say I want to lose 10 lbs. by the end of the month. I might say I would like for my jeans to fit more comfortably by the end of the month. Or I would like to be in the next smaller size jeans by summer.

So, it came to a shock to me when I went to change my weight on my ticker the other day and there was a stated goal to weigh 157 by March 31, 2011. Why that date? I know why that weight because that brings me to a nice round 110 lbs. lost. By why that date? I still can't figure that out. Even now. Hmmmmmm. Interesting. My son is graduation from college on May 21 and getting married on the 22. Why didn't I pick a date closer to those dates? And when did I select that date? I truly don't remember it at all.

At any rate. Today is the 30th and I weighed in at 157.6 this morning. I never had a dream of being in the 150's ever. Which makes that date and weight even more puzzling to me. This all feels a little surreal to me. When I see my weight and the size tag in the back of my pants I can't believe this is mine! I get this, it's my reward and I am enjoying it fully. This body can do things my larger body could not. Oh, and even though I started this journey to get my blood pressure down and to lighten the load on my knees . . . the motivation to continue comes from all the benefits I receive from being healthy, strong, fit and yes that my husband thinks I'm sexier than when he first met me.

I could not have lost weight for someone else, not even for my husband. At the time when I started this journey my marriage was on shaky ground and I wanted to run away. Then I realized that what I wanted to run away from was not a person, it was the pain in my heart and that no matter where I went or who I was with, that pain would be with me and would pollute any relationship I was in, in the future. I didn't want to chance that the best thing in my life might be standing right in front of me, but that my pain was preventing me from receiving it. So, I decided to open myself up to the possibility that my husband was strong enough to catch me if or when I would fall.

Best gamble I have ever made. Guess what I found out? I am strong enough to get back up when I fall without blaming others that I fell and then continue forward along side of my husband. I don't need him to pull me up or push me forward, we are a team. With confidence and full assurance I truly feel each day that my husband loves, adores, admires, appreciates, encourages and supports my every hope and dream. He and I are totally different personalities and move in totally different directions at totally different paces. He doesn't workout with me, but he understands I need my time in the gym. He does run with me when he is home and he does eat most of the foods I eat. Mostly he just sees how happy and healthy I feel and he gives me space to grow and bloom.

Sorry, I'm not so sure how I got stuck talking about my relationship with my husband other than right now he is traveling and I miss him. Suffice it to say that although I did not lose weight FOR my husband, getting healthy, fit and leaner truly has saved my marriage and THAT is a reward worth working for.

Let's talk about the other passion in my life . . . food!

Breakfast: 10 grain hot cereal with strawberries, bananas and pecans!

Super delicious. I add cinnamon to almost everything these days. Did you know that cinnamon helps to balance out the glycemic index of foods? Try it on your oatmeal and your sweet potatoes! Delicious!


Morning snack was half of a red bell pepper and humus. Not usually very filling for me, but I am not hungry this week like I was last week.


Lunch was out of the world delicious! It was a Shrimp and Watermelon salad on spinach with red onions and a tangy balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard dressing. Mmmmmm!

Afternoon snack was a pear and a protein shake.


Dinner was super filling! Salmon fillet, sweet potato wedges with garlic pepper/chili powder/cinnamon and sauteed brussel sprouts.

I gave myself the challenge to drink 100 oz of water a day. I filled my 16 oz. water bottle, made a little sticky note with multiples of 16 on it and would mark off as I finished off the bottle. Luckily I have a water cooler on one side of my office and a bathroom on the other! By the end of the day my pee was so clear I was merely filtering water for Culligan!

I'm on the water challenge again today! Let's go!