Summary

Hello dear readers (if, in fact, there is more than one of you) I'm still here. I apologize for seeming to be MIA and assure you that I've still been focused despite my internet absence. Real life temporarily bogged me down with inane things like work, medical mumbo jumbo, and bathing.

So, my 100 days are over. While I have not succeeded, I don't think I have completely failed. I didn't maintain my foundation for 100 straight days but something amazing happened! When I stepped on the scale on Day 115 I was only 10 pounds away from my goal weight! ONLY 10!!! This is the first time in YEARS (like, probably over 10 years) that I have been this amazingly close! So that, my friends, I refuse to categorize as a failure!

I'm going to take a short break. A short break to enjoy Passover sans guilt and a short break to refuel my engine. The goal really and truly is just to fan the flame, not to make backward progress. On Thursday April 8 I will sign on again to tackle these last 10 pounds (and maybe more?) to charge full speed ahead into the summer months. Maybe I'll go about it in a slightly different manner, in 3-30 day (more manageable) chunks or something. Also, in addition to weighing myself, I took my first set of measurements! Now I can focus on pounds and inches. Woot.

I CANNOT WAIT to start my aerobic workouts again. My back flare up certainly threw a wrench into that piece of the puzzle this time around. I don't know if it can necessarily be integrated realistically in the immediate future. My physical therapy is going just "meh" so I scheduled an appointment with my orthopedist for Monday. I've also stopped wearing my crazy shape-up shoes. So, in short, I have to be psychotic about food intake. Luckily, I am well practiced in being a psycho.

Day 94

Oh snap! It's that Shamrock Shake time of year again and I need to get my hands on at least one before they go into hibernation for another 350 days. I don't know why I love these little bastards so much but I just do. It could be nostalgia, it helps but I don't think so. They're just really goddamn good. One spring break during college I think I had one every single day that week. Large! Kinda gross...but that was when I was young and naive. A small one is 9 points. Not horrible, but definitely requires some thoughtful planning to work it into my budget.

Easter is the best candy holiday. It's still a little bit early but I'm starting to see those lovely pastel-y wrappers appear. Together, stellar candy and a tangible sign of impeding spring make me so so happy! How will I resist? I guess the right answer is by indulging but not overindulging. When you get down to the nitty gritty, most Easter candy is the same exact candy as it normally is all year long aside from pretty wrappers and fun shapes. Although it splendidly changes up the chocolate to peanut butter ratio of Reese's, these are the types of candy I should avoid. The ones that are super special and only available this time of year: Cadbury mini eggs and coconut bird's nests, those are my target. (Although, I did see those Cadbury mini eggs at Christmas time this year-still 10 months away!, and I've spotted love nests around Valentine's Day and buzzard's nests for Halloween.)

Day 92: Week in Review

So, this is a few days late. I'm sorry.

I can't believe it but I finished this last week really well. After an out of control hullaballoo of a Saturday I straightened myself out, including a Sunday evening meal out complete with shared desserts. On Monday I was super duper strict. I find that these are the situations that usually break me. The kinds where I put all this pressure on myself to be perfect OR ELSE. I'm not sure what was different, it could have been sheer exhaustion but I ate as I had planned and went to bed by 8:00.

Things that did fall to the wayside while stressing myself out over meticulously counting calories and overcompensation were coffee and artificial sweetener consumption. Oops. I had 4 or 5 cups of coffee last week and probably about a liter of diet soda over three days. They were all decaffeinated though...

If anything, I learned this week that I do have enough self control to be "perfect" and to pull through at the end. I also successfully jumped back on this horse speedily after falling off and being nearly trampled to death .