You Slimy-Double-Crossing-No-Good-Swindler!

Well. Last night was the first time that I ACTIVELY cheated on my diet since starting Nutrisystem. I didn't go off the deep end or anything but when my boyfriend showed up to the sushi restaurant, he said that he'd rather go somewhere he hadn't gone before so I quickly had to change my plans and got thrown for a bit of a loop. We ended up going to Veselka, a Polish restaurant down the street, which is really good, but everything on the menu was pretty starchy. I probably should have gone with a simple salad, but it had been a really long day giving tours and the rain had been abysmal and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Plus they didn't have any lowfat dressings and the additions to the salads seemed really out of control. Long and short was: I wanted some comfort food. So I got a vegetarian platter with mushroom stuffed cabbage and perogies that came with a salad and matzah ball soup. I ate the whole garden salad without dressing. I had the soup part of the matzah ball soup and just a few bites of the ball in the center and then two of the four cheese perogies and half of the cabbage, which was COVERED in mushroom gravy which I scraped most of off. 

In any case I exhibited some self control and portion sense in how I went about enjoying the delicious meal that arrived at the table... but after dinner, Brandon really wanted desert. Well across the street, was MUD coffee. We went in, found a quiet table and we decided to share a brownie and he ordered some hot chocolate as well. I knew I could only have a few bites because it would be so rich, but after the day that I'd had... I REALLY wanted some. Ugh. So I did end up having four or five bites and a sip of his hot chocolate. But that combined with a dinner that I felt really pushed it in terms of flexing on the plan, really made me feel guilty. 

Anyways, I've been weighing myself every day (just to keep myself honest), and I couldn't resist stepping on the scale this morning to see the damage I'd done. I felt like I owed it to my progress to face up to my cheating in the light of day. Turns out I lost .2 lbs yesterday. 

Who's SCRUFFY LOOKING NOW, CONSCIENCE!?

I suppose I shouldn't feel too bad because I didn't gain anything, but given the fact that I've been sort of struggling through a plateau, I felt like today was not the time to cheat. Anyways. It's nose to the grindstone today. I'm not going to let this get to me because it's a new day and I can always make better choices, but I felt like I should chronicle the experience and hold myself accountable for it instead of sweeping it under the rug. So there you have it. I'm a cheater now. :( I know it's a milestone that we all face at some point, but I suppose what I wanted to say is:

"Just because you make a poor choice one day, doesn't mean you can't do better the next."

Still Flying

I didn't want to post last weigh-in because I hadn't lost any weight. Not one pound. It really got to me. I mean I've been working my ass off, packing my food, and forgoing all temptations during social engagements and it just made me really frustrated that I hadn't dropped anything. I just kept telling myself that for the past three weeks, I've been losing 3-4 lbs every weigh-in and that my body was probably just trying to catch up, not to mention the positive side which is that I didn't GAIN anything. Meh. Anyways. I was sad, OK? Sue me. :)

Today I was thinking about how this is a life change and not just a means to an end. When I really think about what I've accomplished so far, I can be proud of that, and I shouldn't beat myself up because I didn't go backwards. I'm physical every day of my life now, which I definitely wasn't before. On days when I work, I don't necessarily make it to the gym because of my commute, but at work I give tours that require me to walk at least 3 miles a day. On other days, I go to the gym and I push myself. On Sunday, the guy I'm dating took me to Central Park and taught me how to longboard. I would NEVER have gone on a date that required me to do physical activity before because I was so embarrassed. Plus, it was really fun (even though I took a few spills due to my abundance of clumsiness! Ha!). Also. Rewind. I'm dating someone? WHAT?! That's crazy! And he's awesome, intelligent, and treats me well. Let's just focus on that for a second. Usually I let myself get bullied by the guys I've dated but I don't ever worry about that with him. ::grins like a loon:: Progress made, if you ask me!

I've been so focused on the scale and the plan and entering all of this info into my calorie tracker app and the Nutrisystem website, that I haven't opened my eyes to the real changes that are happening in my life and the support of everyone around me. So I decided for this week, I'd let myself weigh in every day despite the frustrations of fluctuations (cause I feel like it keeps me from doing tempting things because "I'll just work it off by weigh-in"), but I wouldn't enter any of the food info into my tracker app on my phone. I would just do the plan as I've been doing it for the past 3.5 months. I know what to do and what I need. Sidebar: I wouldn't recommend that to someone just starting the program, but with where I'm at, I feel confident in that decision since it's just a week long exercise before I'll get back to my old way of doing things. Anyways! We'll see how it goes. As a result, the scale did nudge down .8 pounds today so yippity skippity! And! My dad said if I lose 10 more lbs, he'd get me a longboard, since I enjoyed it so much the other day. So huzzah! Thinking positively about myself from here on out. 

Never Give Up. Never Surrender

Another week, another 4 lbs GONE! Just 1.2 lbs from my 30 lbs lost weightloss goal for New York Comic Con (which is just a little over a month away). I'm not one to count chickens before they hatch, but it looks like I'll be CRUSHING that goal, which is exciting. 

I've been sick this week, but I still went to the gym. There is nothing worse than exercising whilst you're sick. I've only been able to muscle in a half hour on the elliptical for the last few days. It was definitely a struggle for me and I really felt unable to go at it the way that I normally do. At least I did SOMETHING instead of throwing in the towel. Hopefully I can lick this cold and get back in fighting shape. It's slow season for work so I'm only scheduled a few days this week. I'll be buckling down at the gym and pushing myself to get back to where I was before the storm of sick hit me.

I also realized when I weighed myself that I was due to put in measurements for the month. Last month, I sort of winged it, but I wanted to make sure I was doing it right so I looked up how to do it on YouTube and found I was measuring the waist wrong and that I was supposed to include the love handles and cross over the belly button, as opposed to the thinnest part of my torso which is just a few inches below my bust. So sadly, that added 7 inches to my waist measurement, BUT I lost about 7.5 inches from all the other areas combined. I'm sure, had I measured the waist correctly, then I would have lost there too instead of gained. Measurements are so important because sometimes when the scale won't move, they will. I can be a really great motivator in the midst of a plateau.

Anywho! Nose the grindstone! I'm off to the gym.

25 lbs Lost: The Suck-It-Corset-Saga

I already wrote about last weekend's trip, but I wanted to post again because as of yesterday, my corset laced all the way up this week! How bananas is that?! I'm actually sort of nervous it won't fit next year since I fully intend on seeing this journey all the way to the end. Anyways! I just wanted to share this "yippee" moment. Only 5 more lbs till my next goal of 30 lbs lost for New York Comic Con in October. I'm gonna kill it! :)

My newest skill set is eating responsibly when I'm straying from the Nutrisystem plan during outings. I definitely spend time preparing myself for the choices I'll have to make. Planning everything ahead of time is really key to being responsible. It means that I make everything from a healthy frame of mind rather than being easily swayed by temptation in the moment.