I did it!

I did it!  Okay, there has actually been a couple of "I did it!" moments this week. 

First was the completion of the Beck Diet Solution book.  I have owned this book for 10 or 11 years, but have never completed it.  The farthest I got was day 32 (out of 42 days).  This week I finished all 42 days worth of assignments and read the last two chapters.  When I did the book before, the days seem to drag on, but this time around, the 6 weeks have flown by.  

I will keep this book handy, because there are plenty of behaviors I still need to work on (mainly the sabotaging thoughts that plague me daily). When I start to struggle, I can "re-do" the topics that will help me get back on track.

I am still working my way through the 100 Days of Weight Loss book.  Day 46 and counting.  This book is an easy one to follow, but thought provoking enough to keep me thinking throughout the day.  

My second, "I did it" moment was getting my step average up to 10,000 steps a day.  I've slowly increased my steps day by day until I got to this point.  Now I average just over my 10,000 step goal.  This is a big deal for me... When I started on my walking routine, my average was 4,841 steps per day.  In other words, no consistent or spontaneous activity.  Now my activity is walking 30 minutes in the morning and walking 15 to 35 minutes in the evening to get my step goal.  I stretch every day for 15 minutes and just move more throughout the day.  Feels good to be active again.  As good as the physical activity is, it's even better for me mentally.  Nothing beats the "I can do it" feeling when I complete a walk (or hike... more on that in a moment), or finish a difficult yoga/stretch pose.  

Another "I did it" moment was my weigh in this week.  I had a small goal to get to the weight I was last year on my birthday (which is less than 2 weeks away).  I knew this was attainable goal, nothing ridiculous.  I lost 2.5 pounds this week (bringing the total to 13.3 lbs in six weeks), putting me below what I was last year at this time.  I have lost my vacation weight, holiday weight, and quarantine weight.  Now that is a good feeling! 

WK and RS

My last "I did it" moment happened this morning, just a couple of hours ago.  I had written about reconnecting with friends and going for walks on Friday afternoons (now on Saturday mornings) and I am still continuing with that.  Last week, my friend RS suggested we go walking (hiking) some of the trails not far from where we were.  I've hiked with RS many times in the past and she is an avid hiker.  So I reminded her that I'm taking it easy... I want to walk (hike) the easy trails, no major hills, something relatively flat.  She said no problem.  Because I know RS and how she hikes, I knew there would be hills.  And I still agreed to go.  

RS, WK and I

RS, WK and I meet up at the trail head and headed out for an "easy" hike.  We went slow, we looked at the views, RS pointed out all the mountains surrounding us (many of them I had hiked in the past), slowed to show us the last of the summer flowers, pointed out various trails in the area, and we talked about hikes, WW (we were all in WW together), weight loss, and life.  It was an awesome hike.  Easy?  Well, not difficult, but I did have to take a couple of breaks to catch my breath or give my legs a break.  No hills? RS doesn't know how to hike without a few hills (or gradual inclines).  A flat hike?  Nope.  Did I complete this hike?  Yes!  (with a few minutes of complaining here and there...)

So my normal, 30 minute morning walk, turned into an hour plus hike, over 400 feet of elevation (I never said they were major hills... but there were hills!), and an awesome feeling of accomplishment.  Thank you RS and WK for an wonderful morning.  And I'm already looking forward to next week's adventure!  

With all the major "I did it" moments, there were some small ones as well.  This past week, I've been struggling with insomnia (falling asleep has become a nightly issue), which makes me tired and irritable during the day.  Normally, my answer to being tired, is to eat.  Eat a lot.  It's been rough trying to figure out how to deal with the tiredness, and frustrations from being tired, without eating.  I've taken time during the day to rest or nap (gotta love the advantages of working from home!), I've gone for short walks around the yard to help wake myself up so I could focus on work, and I even made it through a work meltdown (another advantage to working from, no one can see me cry) without turning to food.  Was it easy?  Heck no!  It was all could do not to go in search of something to eat.  But when the emotional crisis or tired feeling had passed, I felt awesome for not giving in to the emotional eating.  

Like every time I write a post lately, I wonder if these good feelings will last.  How long can I keep this positive, I-can-do-it attitude?  How long before one "bad" day leads to a string of bad days?  

The most important question I ask myself, "Can I continue to do what I'm doing for a lifetime?" The answer to that yes.  But "Will I continue to do this for a lifetime?"  That is something only time will tell...