Rest week and NINE INCHES

Last Saturday I knew I was doomed for a nasty cold. I could feel it coming on. I spent most of last week in bed or in our giant recliner. I took 2 days off of work because I was a coughing, congested mess.

I finally gathered my strength and went to Body Pump at 5:45 a.m. on Friday and have made my comeback at the gym.

Last week was a tough food week for me. I didn't feel good, I didn't want to cook, and there were just lots of "special" things. Do you ever feel like your healthy lifestyle takes a nosedive or gets a little side tracked when there's a bunch of special events back to back? Depending on my state of mind I either get through without a hitch or I just give up all together.

I noticed some things I did differently this week. I enjoyed the moments- FULLY enjoyed them- but let them be just that- moments. I didn't carry the moment into the next meal. For example:

• We fed the missionaries for our church on Tuesday. We got Pizza Hut dinner boxes and I ate pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks. When the meal was over I didn't continue eating and I told Dan that he had to take the leftovers to school the next day and whatever he didn't eat, he needed to throw away.
• For Valentine's Day I made Dan's favorite meal with all the good stuff- Alfredo made with heavy whipping cream, butter, and parmesean cheese. I also made our favorite cheesecake. We packed up the leftovers and froze them so Dan could take them to school in his lunches. 
• One of my best friends was in town on Friday. I met her at her hotel so we could go to the breakfast buffet while her kids were running around like crazy. I enjoyed the breakfast buffet in its entirety- bacon and all. After that meal, I continued to eat healthy for the rest of the day.

I knew this week was going to be tough but I've learned that for me I feel like I'm suffering and the moment is ruined if I can't allow myself to participate in the the whole event. I know that these moments will happen for the rest of my life and if I can't figure out how to be a normal person during these times, then I'm going to be miserable forever. I'll either feel so restricted because I don't eat anything, or I'll give up all self control and use it as an excuse to binge...for days.

I accept ahead of time that my progress will be delayed for that week, but that's ok with me. I gained 2 pounds this week instead of losing 2 pounds. I am confident that weight will come off this week and then I'll continue losing once I'm back to my normal routine.

In the past I would have thrown myself off the bridge mentally and emotionally and quit trying for a few weeks- gain back every pound I had lost, and then beat myself up for weeks.

The program I am following has taught me to love myself more and to accept these little bumps as part of the journey and part of life and to not get crazy and over exercise or over restrict to punish yourself.

They also have a little remedy for when you've gone over what you normally would eat- Replace 2 meals with giant quart sized green smoothies filled with as many greens as you can. The greens help soak up all the toxins in your body and help you eliminate the junk from the processed food.

At the end of my 6 week journey I have lost 9 inches total!! 9 inches!!! That matters a lot more than pounds to me. Even though my program is technically over and I'm on my own now, I'm going to continue doing exactly what I've done for the past 6 weeks.

My goal is to average 4 pounds of weight loss per month. I have until March 15 to lose 4 pounds. I got this!