Stepping on Up

Or should I say, "Stepping on down?"

The scale hasn't budged from 230. Well, I mean, it did. It bumped back up to 231 but I don't count that, cause I don't consider that one pound an issue. It's water. Or muscle. But it's not fat.

I know this because my eating has been on point this week. No unexpected or unplanned trips out to eat. No "treats" or anything I had to justify to myself. I've maintained consistent healthy eating habits.

I also know this because my clothes continue to get baggier and baggier. I'm wearing my jeggings today and have had to constantly pull them up, and there is extra fabric where it should be clinging to my body.

I have also managed to maintain 10,000 or more steps all week. I mean, I've been working HARD at getting those steps in. Hiking in the woods. Walking during break. Making extra trips while shelving at work or putting things away at home. I'm becoming just as conscious of my body moving as I am as to what I put into my body. It hasn't come as easy, though. It's way too easy to be lazy or give into body aches and pains. But for the past month or so, I've been working hard at it. Working at making regular movement a habit. With no fitbit or apple watch to remind me to get and move, no less. haha No, I've been tracking my steps on my phone app by having my phone in my pocket as much as possible. Sometimes I forget and leave it on my desk and get mad that those steps didn't get counted but I have to remind myself that those uncounted steps are just "gravy."

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to have the apple watch or fitbit strapped to my wrist, counting steps and movement without me having to remember to grab my phone. Or having one of those devices to remind me to get up when I've been sitting for an hour. But then, I'd also probably get annoyed if it reminded me during a meeting when I CAN'T get up and move. So I think I'm probably good being too poor to afford that technology.

One thing I do think I need to do is start wearing a sign around my neck that says, "There is no magical overnight solution. The weightloss you're noticing in me took a lot of hard work and sacrifice the old fashioned way. Stop asking me what I'm doing to lose weight." It never freaking fails that once someone notices that I've lost a bit of weight, they ask me what I'm doing. And you can tell there's a glimmer of hope in there eyes that I will offer them up some magical cure or a sure fire diet plan or a pill or something. And as soon as I say, "I gave up lattes, cut back on Coke, watch my carbs and portion sizes and walk more," their faces drop and they say something like, "I tried that and it didn't work. Or, "I can't give up xyz." Believe me, I know how they feel. I've been praying for a magical cure my whole life because I didn't want to give up certain things I thought I needed to be happy. Or I thought that self medicating with food would make me feel better about my life. Or, I just plain didn't care. And you can tell someone "It's all about your mindset" till you're blue in the face but they just will never know until they have their own ah-ha moment.