Mix Up, Not Give Up

I was so tired when I woke up this morning. It took Herculean effort to haul myself over to my satellite gym and decided to forgo the treadmill and did 9 miles on the stationary bike instead. In addition, even though I ate one of my regular and filling breakfasts (strawberries, almond milk and a combo of Kashi puffs and Fiber One cereal), by the time I was driving to work I was already feeling hungry!

So this gets my mind working on what exactly is going on. I got a decent amount of sleep and didn't starve myself yesterday. I did work out a little more than usual -- I walked about 3 miles and did my 20 minute Pilates tape -- but I don't feel sore today.

I really hope I'm not getting sick again. My nose has been kind of stuffy and sneezy, but I've been attributing that to seasonal allergies (spring is usually my worst season).

My real concern, I suppose, is that I'm teetering on the edge of a lapse. It's been a long winter, and just when we thought it was over, we're getting more snow for the next five days. My weight's been pretty stuck for the past month and with Easter coming I don't expect any miraculous drops in the near future. While the puppies continue to be cute, the novelty is starting to wear off a little for me and it comes down to constant Pee and Poop Patrol. So now on top of clearing up my family's dirty dishes and socks, I'm now cleaning the kitchen floor several times a day, when I'm not taking the puppies outside several times a day.

Lord, I sound like a whiner! So what if the weather's crappy and I have loads of housework to do? Why does that mean I have to veer off the healthy course and fall into a vat of chocolate? Am I so weak that a little discomfort automatically sends me heading for the candy aisle?

I guess I'm just having a down week. We all get them from time to time, and I'm no exception.

I keep thinking about Shauna's post yesterday and how much I relate to it. The pressure she felt by posting her weigh-ins was getting to her, and once she quit announcing it, she felt better and has been focusing more on fitness.

The thought of abandoning the weekly weigh-in is tempting. Not having that pressure (self-created, by the way) would be a relief. But the weigh-ins also keep me honest. It's a motivator to not eat a whole box of Girl Scout Cookies on a Tuesday afternoon; it helps to keep me exercising on mornings like today when all I wanted to do was roll over and sleep another hour.

So what should I do? I've got a couple ideas in my head. One thought is giving myself another "bye-week" and get back to the weigh-ins on the 14th. I haven't really given myself one of those since Thanksgiving. Maybe if I have one irresponsible week (of course, the week is already half over!) I'd feel renewed and jump back into it with lots of motivation and verve.

Or, for the next couple weeks or month, still have a weekly "report," but not include my weight. I could report how much I exercised and if I completed five days or more of healthy eating. I could also go back to my food journaling, and while I may not post the actual lists of food, I could report on how many days I successfully wrote down everything I ate.

I guess it comes down to the fact that I'm thinking hard about mixing things up because I want to do whatever it takes to not give up. I don't want to burn out and say "screw it." While I'm thinking about taking a break, I only want it to be brief and temporary. Because the results I've gained are too important to me to throw away.

If any of you have any feedback on this -- getting in a rut, mixing things up, taking a break-- let me know. I appreciate all opinions and viewpoints.