Thursday, May 22, 2014

Hitting My Stride

So it's been just over six weeks since I began this new lifestyle overhaul (see previous post here) and I have to say I am pretty happy with the way things have been turning out. I have lost 14 lbs so far, and have actually, shockingly, taken up running. I don't know if "taken up" is actually the term I would use for huffing along with a cherry red face, pausing every 10 minutes or so to pant heavily in a doubled over position for several minutes as my dog looks downright embarrassed, but we'll go with that for now. It is, for sure, the most I have ever done about my weight/ health/ well being in my entire life, and that makes me feel like a rock star.

I am shocked to report that it's actually not that hard. I mean that in the most liberal sense though, as I assumed that giving up my bagel-based diet and strict policy of never getting up would feel like my arms being torn from my torso. Come to find out (and you will find this insane), I actually feel freaking amazing the more I don't retreat into my own bad habits. I have energy like never before (and all the ladies at work scoff, as they think I am the most energetic person on the face of the earth). But this energy is different. Not a caffeine or sugar-fueled burst that would charge me through life for an hour at a time, only to have me lying prone in a coma when it ends. Now I just feel really really good most of the time, and that is beyond my wildest dreams.

I realize that this probably comes as a no-brainer to all of you thin and fit people out there. But for those of you who have struggled with weight and terrible habits, I know you feel this. I am deathly terrified that this good streak is going to end, and I will tumble off the wagon onto a sidewalk made of quesadillas and inactivity. I don't yearn to be thin (although I am not complaining about my new found ability to button my pants), but I do want to keep up with my children and be the happy, healthy mom that they deserve. So I will set my alarm for 5 am tomorrow and head out to keep on huffing and puffing my way to a new me.