Broken Record

Are you ready for the broken record? I mean, it just keeps replaying the same moment over and over again. Last night I got on the treadmill because I was actually knowingly deluding myself thinking that I wasn't going to exercise until next week. Yeah, that was never going to happen. And yeah, it was hard. Yeah I could tell I have tons of extra weight I’m packing around. Yeah, it wasn’t a glorious mighty run. But it was good. It was REALLY good.

45 minutes, I ran about 20 of those minutes, did 3.5 miles. Burned 415 calories. My garmin does still work. Yeah, it took me about ½ an hour to get reacquainted with the features, change a battery, etc., but it was worth it for the data. I am a data queen. Anyhow, the best part was suddenly, here comes the broken record, I instantly felt like me again. I felt amazing and alive and great. It is hard. It is never easy to exercise, but it is that good kind of hard. I can honestly say that the exercise high I got after I had finished was the happiest I’ve felt in a year. Yeah, I quit exercising about a year ago and until that moment last night didn’t remember how much I NEED that in my life. How good it makes me feel and how despite my best efforts to duplicate that rush, I am in fact unable to mimic the true high I get from a good sweaty workout.

I cried. Yes, its two fold. Sure I cry at a drop of a hat, but I cried on the treadmill because I was so happy to be on the road to me again. I also cried because I embarked down the Biggest Loser path. You see, I have always steadfastly not been able to watch a moment of the Biggest Loser while not exercising. Just something engrained in my head. So needless to say, I haven’t watched any of the current season. They are all there, on my DVR box, mostly taunting me. I had always planned to save them for when I decided to finally get my ass back in gear. I now the seasons pretty much almost over but how exciting to have the entire thing to watch. And yes, I cried. I can’t help it. So many moments made me want to cry, coupled with the reality that it has been a year and I’m finally finding myself again. Yeah, tears.

I hate that I seem to forget how much I need this in my life. I hate that somewhere along the line it becomes work and in my head an impossible task. I only need to do it to realize how important it is to my emotional well-being. I find many other things to pass my time, pretending that I can live my life and am happy being fat. It just isn’t an option for me. I muddle thru well enough, but ultimately I turn into a social recluse, I am uncomfortable in my own skin and I retreat. I hide away because my own guilt is too much to bear. I don’t care if someone is overweight, but I care how horrible it makes me feel.

This is day 3 of being back at it and I feel a huge sense of relief and contentment because I don’t go down this path without being successful. I will find my way back to goal weight and back of running long distances. I will find my way back to the me I happiest being. I love the girl who comes home from work, slips into her workout clothes and goes for a run. I love the girl who isn’t so ashamed of her body that she has actual confidence in dealing with the rest of her life.

I think I’ve said all these things a million and one times before. I mean, I realize this is officially the 4th time I’ve restarted weight watchers. And did you know on all 3 previous attempts I did make goal weight. I just could never make it stick. I won’t promise it is sticking this time, as its only day 3, but I am certain that in time I will make goal weight again. When I put my mind to something I achieve it. I have always been capable of that.

It’s Friday afternoon and I’m not even sweating the weekend, my resolve is that good right now. I am so excited to have a nice loss on Tuesday that eating something I shouldn’t isn’t even an option. That is the great thing about the first week; it’s always new and exciting. I am going to ride this high as long as I can. God knows it’s going to be quite a challenging summer for me in terms of events so I need all the momentum I can get. I have two cousins weddings this summer, going to be big old parties, my youngest sister graduates from college on June 5th. Chris’s birthday is May 25, mine is May 27. With those weddings come showers and parties. Next weekend is Weddings Shower 1. The following weekend is wedding shower 2. I will manage thru it, because this is the person I am happiest being. The one who cares.

I am just afraid of how my body is going to react to all the abuse I’ve put it thru over the last couple years, the yo-yo train of weight and of course I am now in my 30’s. I am not 24 like I was when I first started weight watchers. My body is older and put up with a shitload more abuse over the past 6 years. I haven’t been worried about what the scale will say, but that’s probably because I’ve been doing good and NOT weighing myself. I actually don’t even have an urge to weigh myself yet. So that’s a good thing. I am bound and determined to keep it that way until Tuesday night’s weigh-in. The anticipation will keep things exciting and fresh and keep me honest with myself. No cheating myself out of things I need for fear of a scale. It’s good to be a little older, wiser. It’s quite honestly GOOD to be back.