Tuesday, September 9, 2008

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...


9 comments:

Shena said...

I *am* intimidating. I'm so glad you noticed!

Shena said...

You also left out the part where I'm incredibly unhealthy, ran track in *high school*, and smoke. I *hurt* after our run. It was good, but man...the legs, they still feel it.

WWSuzi said...

I'm just in awe because you can run!! I'll get there one of these days ;)

SuperDave said...

Hey Morgan, Hang in there..
You sound just like me. I too lost over 100 and have continued my good running and lifestyle change, but did not weigh in for >3 months. Frankly, I was just tired of it! I weighed in and gained 12 lbs. back in mid August. POST about that! The good thing is you weighed and are now back on track! Me Too..
Keep up the good running.

SeaShore said...

Thank you for choosing to post about your gain. Everyday I remind myself that this is forever, not just until the weight is off, and everyday I seem to forget all over again.

You bravely stepped on the scale and now you can stop the gain at 11 lbs! You will be out of Snug World in no time.

Anonymous said...

Morgan, I'm glad you decided to post the gain. The truth? Maintaining is HARD WORK. I've never lost a significant amount of weight, but maintaining my current weight is something I have to think about every single day. It rarely feels easy. Just know that you're not alone in this . . .

Anonymous said...

I've been following your blog for a few months now, (lurking), and I have to share that today I was finally motivated to get outside and run. Someone had told me about the C25K site, and I did day 1 of that. Yay! Is that how you got started? Or did you do it on your own?
Anyhoo - thanks for the inspiration and the honesty. I've got about 80lbs to lose, and you help me realize that it can be done!

Anonymous said...

morgan-
i have NEVER heard one person say their weight loss management was easy. i don't think those people who keep their weight off effortlessly exist anywhere except in others minds. =/

Unknown said...

who has it easy? can you point me to that blog? i don't know anyone who can effortlessly maintain a huge loss. if they can, i want their secret.

time to get back to basics... i was there again in august and was not pleased, i too had stopped weighing and was letting go of good eating. but getting back on track makes me a much happier person. you too i am sure.

kudos on the running! i'm jealous that you have that option for exercise. keep it up!