Getting close to Goal

I am seriously getting close to my goal weight. I need to tell you about my week first. It was stressful. It was very stressful. I did several things to manage.  

1. Exercise. I decided to exercise as I always do. One day, I was actually afraid of a CrossFit workout but I showed up afraid. I hit a PR (personal record) that day. I learned that it's okay to show up afraid because you don't know what you are going to get unless you try. The weather guaranteed that I was flexible with my schedule. I often have 3 plans for exercising. I have a plan A and two backup plans if that first plan does not work. Exercise is so good for me that it is worth making it happen. 

2. Food Prep. I haven't been able to plan my menu as I often do so I was flexible and planned my food in the middle of the week. A few months ago, I thought that if I didn't plan on Saturday, my week just was not going to go well. To my surprise, any planning is better than no planning. I cooked brown rice, black beans, sweet potatoes (baked), roasted brussell sprouts. My husband smoked salmon, which was so delicious! When I have food ready for the week, it is easier to have the strength to manage stress.

3. Sleep. One of the most overlooked stress management strategies is sleep. This week, sleeping helped me think better. It also helped me face my stressful situations with a more balanced mindset. 

4. Eat the treats. There were a few treats that came to our house this week. To be fair, I also baked treats. I ate a few treats. My husband went out to celebrate his birthday and we also enjoyed our food. We ate stuff we often do not eat. I ordered a smaller portion and took a few bites of some of my favorite foods. I tracked as well as I could and I was happy to get back to my normal eating rhythm. 

I honestly was afraid of going to the studio to weigh in. I thought my stressful week was going to show on the scale. 

I woke up after a restful night and went on a run. Before going to the studio, I weigh in at home, just to see how I am doing. 

I honestly weigh in most days of the week. Here's the thing: my scale is not working properly. It is between 5 or 6 lbs LIGHTER than the scale in the studio. I know. My scale is great for the ego but the true deal one is the WW scale. 

It was raining cats and dogs but I decided to go in. Also, I'm not sure if I'll weigh in in-person again because of the holiday schedule so I was happily surprised to hear the scale was down 1.8 lbs!

This is my lowest weight in 16 years. I am so happy, excited and I was a little afraid. I think that sometimes when we get close to a finish line, we entertain feelings of fear. I didn't let those feelings stay for too long because I was just happy to lose weight after such a challenging week. 

I'm 6 lbs away from my goal weight of 136 lbs. I know I will get there. I hope to get to Lifetime by January of 2022. 

Here are a few words of encouragement:
• You can use what you have and still make progress. I started my journey using a pen and paper to track and whatever clothes and shoes I had to walk. 
• You have to tell yourself not to give up. This is what I've been telling myself since I joined WW for the second time in 2017.
• Small steps count as progress. My journey has been slow. I'm okay with that. I'm learning so much. 
• Not gaining weight is a victory too. Recently, maintaining weight felt like a victory. It shows that I am in control, I can enjoy foods and not let them take over my healthy habits
• I have what it takes to finish strong and so do you!