The end in sight is starting to be scary... but weeks like this help!

Well, I'm not sure what was particular special about this week, but it's in the right direction, so I'll take it!

This week's weight in: -1.0 lbs.
Total wight loss: -20.9 lbs.

I can't say I have too much explanation, other than getting back onto the routine. My one splurge day was dinner out with my husband for his birthday at Clink at the Liberty Hotel, and even though the weekend we had a house full of guests up in NH, all the eating was very reasonable in terms of quantity and quality.

Approaching a house full of guests this weekend, especially mostly men who will be biking 100 miles in one day, but still being healthy, was a challenge, but I was up for it! Here's a sense of what the eating had for me this weekend:

Friday night, dinner at the Red Parka Pub. I had a beer, shared 1 popcorn with my husband (less than I would normally do), and the salad bar. Saturday, I had friends over who are vegetarian! I made gazpacho, a green salad, and watermelon/goat cheese/mint salad.

Saturday evening, there would be 7 of us. Appetizers I served crudite (including some CSA veggies -- fantastic!) with black bean dip (the weight watchers recipe) and a bit of cheese and crackers and chips. I had a few chips, but not an indulgence. Dinner was burgers (i didn't have one), marinated chicken tenders in white wine, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic, the watermelon salad, and macaroni salad, very light on the mayo. For dessert, we had a Dairy Queen cake for Robert's bday, which I had a TINY slice of, but also I made applesauce granita, which is literally unsweetened applesauce and juice of a lemon, made into an icy texture -- very guiltless! Sunday, some egg sandwiches, which we served on bagels or deli flats (me) with turkey bacon (I didn't have any of that). So, lots and lots of food, but all healthy choices, and portion control was our friend! It's great to be able to indulge in a weekend of fun and great eating, but not feel like there was too much damage along the way!

I also managed to get back to the gym twice this week, and still making progress on C25k, though my NEXT session is the scariest so far: 20 minute jog, no stopping. My last one had a running session of 8 minutes run, 5 minutes walk, 8 minutes run. I handled the first 8 minutes okay, but the second one was more of a challenge. By 6 minutes into it, I was convincing myself that pride alone, and the accomplishment of saying I did it without cheating, was the only driver for completing those last 2 minutes. I completed them, with all the sense of pride and accomplishment I bargained for, even only having run at a pace at about 4.2 miles an hour (quick math: could run a mile in 15 minutes or so, but, um, just one of them at a time. ) So, 20 minutes of uninterrupted jogging sounds scary to me. But that's next!

Overall, the math is starting to escape out of favor. I am 70% to goal, but 80% of the way to my timeline. I'll admit that the notion that I'll be able to lose 9 pounds in the next 12 weeks seems kind of impossible to me at this point. I know it's not mathematically impossible, but at the rate I've been going, even with picking up some momentum the past few weeks (for which I'm grateful!) it's not enough to keep me on that path alone.

But I always remind myself that my goal wasn't just about getting a smaller number on the scale. It was about getting healthier and getting in better shape, and I'm hard-pressed to say I won't be declaring victory on that part of it, for sure! I won't be losing my focus the next 12 weeks... 9 pounds might a real stretch, but 4 pounds, even 6 pounds is attainable, I know.

Thank you for all your support, especially in this home stretch! I need all the support I can get!

Thanks for reading!