Back to basics...

It's time to regroup. I have done such a great job since February getting my life on track. It's like I'm a new person. I have been making much better choices every day and am committed to becoming a healthier and happier person. I'm proud of all that I have accomplished and of how far I have come.

But I still have a long way to go. Ever since Thanksgiving, I have definitely slacked off some. I've become complacent and it's beginning to show. I've gained a little weight back and it's a little bit frightening. I'm afraid that I'm on a slippery slope and if I allow things to continue, I am going to wind up right back to where I was a year ago... I can't let this happen. It's time to fix things before they get completely out of hand.

I'm committing myself to (in no particular order) --
1) Keeping up with my journaling. I eventually stopped writing down what I was eating and when I was exercising because everyday looked the same. Everything was a habit. I knew what to do and so I felt like I didn't need to write things down anymore. But after a while, I wasn't doing the same things anymore. I need to start writing again and start doing the things I know I need to do.
2) Follow the food rules Sean gave me when I started. Part of this indiscretion was the holidays and fooling myself into thinking that I deserved to have whatever I wanted at the time. And while my holiday indulgences were much better than in years past, I still gave myself a little too much slack. Well, holidays are over and it's time to start again.
2a...this includes drinking my water!!!
3) Doing my extra cardio 3-5 times a week. Exercise is the key to my success. Not only that, it helps me keep my stress levels down. Over the past couple of weeks I have allowed myself to skip exercise because I've been too busy. No more.
4) Staying POSITIVE. I'm going to start giving myself the credit I deserve about all of the great things that I have done. When I begin to slip however, I continue to beat myself up and just get really down. I need to be my own cheerleader so I can keep myself going. I can do this. I am doing this. I deserve this.
5) Focusing on behavior and not dwelling on results. I've touched on the too-frequent weighing before. It's great when I see small successes but when the scale goes in the wrong direction I really get knocked on my butt. It makes me a little crazy and obsessed. It's not healthy. It would be unrealistic to say that I'm not going to weigh myself anymore, but I will limit my weighing to once every week or two. This is a marathon, not a sprint... And maybe I should start focusing on some results that aren't shown on the scale -- my energy, my mood, my confidence level... these are just as important (if not more) than the pounds and inches.
6) Find a better work/life balance. Part of the problem I've noticed is that my life has become consumed with work and working out... I need a hobby! I need to spend more time with my friends and family. I need to find something to give my life some meaning. This one is going to be challenging, but I need to do it.
7) Write on my blog more consistently. Starting this blog has been really helpful for my journey so far. It really has helped me to work through my struggles along the way. It helps me to vent and gives me a place to encourage myself as well as others. And I love having the support of my readers! So, I need to try and write here at least once a week.

Whew! That's quite a tall order... sorry for the super-long entry. I guess I'm making up for lost time... LOL.

Have a wonderful Sunday!
LP