…back on track

It’s been a rough few weeks in regards to my weight loss journey.

I’ve found a billion excuses why I should eat that cookie, not count those calories, not exercise. Granted, there have been some mitigating circumstances; birthdays, lack of internet, no wife to keep me motivated… so on so forth. In the end though, none of them are really good enough to justify my decline in progress.

I know, a lot of people out there say things like “dude, you still lost weight.” Yeah, I did, and I get that. But here’s the thing, I know for a FACT that I haven’t worked very hard, that is why I’m upset. Not because of what the scale says, but because I have not pushed myself over the course of the last three weeks like I did in the first couple of weeks of this. I’m disappointed in my work ethic, that’s all.

That ended last night.

It’s a swift kick in the junk when your wife looks at you from the passenger seat of a car after leaving Olive Garden (where, by the way, you just smashed three bowls of the never-ending-pasta bowl promotion, two of which happened to be alfredo sauce) and asks you “are you giving up on your diet?” Ouch.

The answer, is no. I am not giving up. I had a lapse, and I freely admit that the “fire and brimstone” of the first couple of weeks of this journey is long gone. It’s become more and more of a test of willpower and commitment. Now is the time for me to step up and walk the walk, be strong, and remember the person whom I want to become.

Today, after I walked three miles this morning, we went to my parents house for lunch. It was all-in-all a really good time. We had turkey burgers and 40 calorie hot dogs for lunch, and an assortment of side dishes… my mom is awesome, she doesn’t quite know how to go small when she is hosting people. I just did the math for how much I ate today, and while it’s a little over where I would like to be, it’s nothing ridiculous (not like last nights trip to Olive Garden) and I will just eat a little less tomorrow now.

So, the excuses are done. Regardless of what the scale tells me in six days (I’m not expecting much, because I’ll be honest, I took the lowest number when I weighed myself this week instead of the one in the middle, like I normally do), I will at least know that I spent this week working hard on getting back on the “healthy lifestyle” bandwagon.

Time to get my water intake back up, time to start eating balanced meals throughout the day, time for more vegetables!

This is a call to arms baby. Do or die… quite literally actually.