one down, twenty two to go

I accomplished one of my "once i've lost weight" goals this week. Specifically, "18) Dance at bars or programwides without having to be drunk first."

This programwide I danced as much as I wanted, and just decided that I didn't really give a rat patootie what people might think I looked like. I was having fun, and that's what mattered. And I didn't have a single drop of anything stronger than water the whole time I was in Burr Oak.

The other positive weight loss news is that when I saw my parents Friday afternoon (first time i'd been over to see them in about five weeks), they immediately noticed that I have been making progress. They are now two of the extremely few people who have done so without being told I was trying to do so, so that made me feel more confident. Programwide had taken on a kind of signficance to me to see if people not aware of the blog or any of this would notice the change in me, and when nobody said anything about it I got myself somewhat depressed. I mean, I know that it is extremely likely that it was noticeable to some of my friends, but they just felt it would be impolite to mention it, like when you're cautious about asking a woman friend if they're pregnant unless you're really really sure of the answer. But there were a couple of people I had hoped, based on their general attitudes towards such rules, would say something, and none of them did.

Programwide as a whole was pretty good, and relaxing. In the terms relevant to this blog, however, it was something of a mini disaster.

As predicted, the only options for lunch on Tuesday were hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans (and I have no doubt loaded with both fat and HFCS), potato salad (I know potatoes are technically a vegetable, but I don't count them as such), and potato chips (especially in chip form). I did try a veggie burger, and to my surprise it was actually really tasty. I did go ahead and have it on a bun, just because I wanted to be able to cover it in toppings and I don't have enough practice eating leaf sandwiches to want to do so in front of a lot of other people (I always end up with a huge mess).

Then dinner was a little better, there were steamed (but overly so) green beans with carrots, something approaching a cesar salad with grilled chicken (I skipped the parm. and croutons) and penne with a marinara which had squash pieces cooked into it. I probably should have skipped the pasta, but I was a captive audience with little in the way of options (no car and the closest town about a half hour drive away), and I knew I'd need the energy for the party that night.

Friday didn't go much better. I had lunch at a buffet with my parents, and I did pick healthy options, but I still ate too many of them. I don't think any single item was at all problematic... ok, the grilled chicken did have Teriyaki on it, but other than that everything by itself was great, but two plates of healthy food plus some fruit for dessert still adds up. Plus it turned out to be my only meal of the day, so while I was likely under on points, I had them all at once, which is very not on plan.

I may or may not go back and figure out my points for the past two days. I hate doing so when I'm having something like pasta sauce without having access to that particular recipie or label, as it varies so much by what you put in it. And I know I overate, so I may just put down 40 points for each day and leave it at that.

On the "move more" side of things, I did a lot better. After dinner I went for about a mile walk, down this hill to the lake, around a good chunk of the lake, and then back up an a fairly huge hill (that was really rough, my heart rate felt like it was pushing the max HR boundary by the time I reached the top). Then of course dancing at the party (from about 9 till 1:30, I was probably dancing 40% of the time, and drinking lots of water). Then another walk outdoors yesterday after lunch, prob. about a mile again. Then a strength training when I got home last night. Which was more difficult than usual because I only got about about three hours sleep Thurs. night, and got home at around 9 pm.

And on the "motivate better" arena... well I really have to give major appreciation on that front to Dee and Scale Junkie for their posts here, and to everyone who left comments or e-mails while I was gone. Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself. And to think that other people are looking to me for any sort of example... that's a true shock, and will be a huge motivator as I move forward.

Thank you all so much!