WLJ: Not feeling guilty

As you might know, last Friday was my birthday. For me, this meant dinners out (four, to be exact), ice cream and a few drinks. Birthdays are about celebration and indulgence.  I let myself do all of it. I was due for a bad week, and my birthday was a good excuse.

I knew I would probably see an increase on the scale this week.  And I told myself I wouldn't get upset about it.  I wouldn't beat myself up or make myself feel guilty.  And I'm trying really hard not to feel bad about it.

Instead, I'm trying to balance it with better food and exercise decisions this week.

I'm back to my good eating.  Last night, I made an outstanding steak and avocado salad.  Not as good as the fajita salad at a local restaurant, but still pretty good.  And cheaper.  This morning, I had a really healthy (and filling) breakfast -- a hard-boiled egg (I finally mastered this!), greek yogurt and a banana.  And my coffee, of course.  I'm going to monitor my points really closely this week and stay within them.

Exercise has been harder for me lately.  The heat makes it unappealing or unwise to get out and run (even though I really want to).  I'm not yet a morning person, so my runs usually happen in the evening, when it's in the 90s with 80+ percent humidity.  Ugh.  And since I'm still watching my fitness funds, I only go to Zumba once a week.  I have plenty of workout DVDs and games as well as a treadmill and some hand weights.  I have absolutely no excuse not to get a workout in each day.  But the heat is not motivating.  And I'm seeing exactly why I started classes at a fitness center -- if I go there straight from work, I will get a workout in.  If I go home, it's easier to find something else to do.

I need to build up my self-discipline and get back to it, not only for my physical health but also my mental and emotional health.  Working out, for me, is a way to clear my mind and sometimes just exhaust it so it won't bother me with silly worries and thoughts.

I've done OK on the July fitness challenge. The second set of dips kill me and my arms are still shaky when I finish, but I'm better at push-ups, so that's a win, right?  I'm already starting to think about what I'm going to do in August.  Any ideas or suggestions?

Weight-loss goal: 40 lbs.

This week's progress:+1.2 lbs.

Progress to date: -28.8 lbs.

Non-scale victory: I finally learned how to hard boil eggs.  It's easy, right?  I haven't always thought so.  I don't think I was boiling them long enough before.  But I nailed it last night.  I'm so excited. Next up -- learning how to fold a fitted sheet.  Ha.


P.S.  For those curious to see the outcome of my big DIY dresser project, you can check it out over at Beyond the Aisle!