The number / Running with Shena

I weighed myself this morning. I knew the number would be higher than last time, and I knew it would probably shock me. It did.

The number is 171.

I had serious reservations about making the number public. I've thought about whether or not to post it all day. Gaining 11 pounds in a few short weeks is obviously not something I'm proud of. Revealing to the blogosphere that the author of "Morgan Gets Thin" is getting fatter is embarrassing, to put it mildly. Still, I decided to just go ahead and tell you, because there's no sense in sugar-coating the world of weight loss and weight maintenance. For a few select people out there, maintaining an extreme weight loss seems nearly effortless. I'm not one of those people. My goal with this blog is to tell the honest, difficult, roller-coastery truth about my daily struggle. And it is just that- a struggle. Sadly, it always will be, but that's the way it is.

I'm not as concerned with the number as the way my clothes are fitting. It's a snug, snug world that I live in. A snug world, indeed.

So, here's the new plan. I'm going back to weighing in every day. Studies show that people who get on the scale daily are better able to maintain their weight loss. I'll post my weight on the site on Saturdays. I've also gone back through my logs to see what I was doing differently during my days as a 160 lb. person. The big difference was that I did a mini-workout in the morning, and ate 2 mini-breakfasts instead of one big one. Oh, another glaring detail was that I wasn't eating CRAP.

So there you go. I've gained 11 lbs. I've gone through denial, bargaining, and now acceptance. Time to move on and make the number go down!

Subject change...

Yesterday I did a 4-mile run with my friend and coworker, Shena. Let me give you a little background on her. She's funny and smart, graduated high school at age 16, ran track, weighs roughly the same number of pounds I lost, and has absolutely perfect hair. I find her intimidating, because I'm insecure like that. After work, we went to the park by our office. She said she'd let me set the pace. In an effort to not seem like the slow-poke I am, I set off at a much faster pace than normal. While I was huffing and puffing, Shena was effortlessly and gracefully bobbing along like a gazelle, her perfect hair blowing in the breeze. During our conversations, I'd manage to get out 2 or 3 words per gasp, while she could have recited a sonnet without pausing for breath.

I can't be sure exactly how fast we were going, but judging from the time elapsed, it was a sub-10 minute mile pace. That's fast for me. Afterward, I tried to pretend I wasn't hyperventilating, until Shena disappeared around the corner, at which time I puked behind my car. Just kidding...it wasn't that bad. In fact, I really enjoyed running with her and hope to make it a regular thing. Next time, maybe I'll even be able to complete a sentence all in one breath. Baby steps...