On or Off

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since Wednesday. I do believe I've set myself back some paces, not only in the blogging but in other areas as well. My life is completely crazy right now. That's no excuse, just a fact. Here's the stuff, not necessarily in order, of what's going on:

1. I wore my bikini this weekend at a hotel pool. My hubby would not allow me to buy a tankini, because he believes I look "good enough" to wear it. I still am not sure I agree with that, but I'm not a complete embarrassment in it- not slim like I'd prefer, but not 50 pounds overweight either. I still have issues with seeing myself that way.

2. We will officially be moving this spring! The job offer came through. It will be a very big change; we'll be going from small town South Dakota to Minneapolis MN. Price difference for everything is at least $100-300 higher than we've ever paid, which scares us, especially since the job is an opportunity, not a high-pay corporate thing. Meaning I may have to take on a second job. Anyway, here are some details: I'll be working for a camp, helping it to re-build after it was hit by a forest fire last summer, doing scheduling, administrative work, etc. During the summers I will be up at the camp, and during the school year I'll be in Minneapolis. Seem like this is coming out of nowhere? Well, I've always had an interest in camps, especially since I was a counselor in 2000 and loved it. I went back to graduate school to get a Master's degree so I could qualify for higher-up jobs in the camp industry, but the degree is in Sports Science because I want to work especially with kids who are overweight, and there weren't any weight-loss-specific programs in the area. So I've been learning what I can through my program, attaining my personal training certification in the process, and doing a lot of self-learning on the side. The thesis was especially helpful in that regard. It was a good project that allowed me to really learn how the lives of children are affected by obesity, and also what programs are available, which work, and why. I will tell you, the results of many of those programs are as dismal as the results for Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. So it definitely won't be an easy area to work in, because people have free will and often make decisions which aren't good for them. We humans like to take the easy way out, and believe me, our society is built for ease and comfort.

So, that means my life will be making a drastic change come mid-May. It will be very interesting, let me tell you! However, I still want to pursue my on-line "stuff"- the blog, the website, all that, so I definitely won't be disappearing, don't worry about that. It will just be on a different scale and in a different place, with a different perspective.

3. We went to the Twin Cities this past weekend, and I've been "weak." Making choices that weren't exactly healthy or low in calories. I'll be working on that this coming week. I'm not beating myself up about it, I understand the ramifications. Sigh. I like maintenance mode too much, which is why it took me so long in the first place to lose 50 pounds. Does that mean I'll never reach my goal? Who knows. I'm stubborn enough that I likely will.

So the plan for this coming week: after breakfast tomorrow, I will pursue the Eat Stop Eat program for the next 24 hours. I will work on high protein intake on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Wednesday after supper I will do the 24 hour fast again. Thursday evening and Friday, I will eat higher protein, then on the weekend, I will eat as normal (without resorting to this past weekend's caloric intake, let me assure you!). The next week, I will repeat the process. I believe it's what I need, especially as I don't like to fiddle with cycling calories, dealing with high protein-low carb, etc.

4. I got the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook in the mail! I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I think it will be good for me to follow it. At the very least, I'm going to work on following the Anytime meals more than the post-workout meals, and it'll give me some great ideas and ways to make those anytime meals.

5. I re-adjusted my workout, performed it, and like it quite a bit. I'm ready to get lifting again! I'll have to get it posted soon. Workouts are going to include 45-minute Steady State sessions at least once per week, three times if I can swing it. This is on top of the HIIT training. One of the workouts is a bodyweight workout, which will feel great.

I don't believe there's anything else- this is what happens when I don't blog for a few days!