4lbs in 5 days

21st May 2012

Well, I went for a run this morning. I did consider going on Sunday to finish off day 3 of week 1 but I decided against it and instead skipped the last run. So today, I did day 1 of week 2, which is 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes brisk walk repeated 6 times.

For the first three runs, I stopped about 4 seconds before the end. For the last three however, it felt much easier. I always forget that I am built for long-distance and always took part in the long-distance events in swimming i.e. the 800m (32 lengths), 200m butterfly (8 lengths), the 400m Individual Medley (4 lengths of each)....

I think that the last three were easier because I had warmed up properly by then. I need to remember this when I next go on a run that, yes, it will be tough to start with, but it will get easier.

I have also come some way in combating my bad habits, namely looking down at the floor which in turn causes me to slouch, meaning that I then also sit heavier in my hips. This morning, I realised that I was running with my head up and my abs were pulled in and my shoulders down. I did catch myself slouching in one of the later runs and corrected my posture  immediately. Since that was the only time however, I am pretty damn pleased with myself.

I also caught myself selling myself short. The goal is to be able to jog around the course for Race for Life. I told myself today however, that that wasn't going to happen and that I may have to console myself to walk-jog. It is all too easy to fall into a negative way of thinking and think that you are not as good as others.

I then immediately made a list of what I have achieved so far:

1. I am actually out running
2. I haven't needed my inhaler
3. My posture has improved
4. I feel less stressed
5. My diet has improved
6. I have lost weight
7. I am outside getting vitamin D
8. I am outside getting sunlight to help stave off my S.A.D.
9. I have recognised the running as part of a long-term lifestyle change
10. I am taking responsibility in preventing health complications caused by obesity i.e. diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure....
11. I am helping to raise much-needed funds in order to help fight cancer
12. I am showing myself that I can exercise and enjoy it and that I am worth more than I have believed previously.

So yes, I very well may end up walk-jogging around the course but hopefully the running will get easier as I continue to lose weight. There is still about 8-weeks to go and a lot can happen in two months.

With regards to my diet, I have to say that I love Slimming World. I remember when I did Weight Watchers and I had to count everything! I couldn't even reach for an apple without calculating whether or not I could have it. No wonder I didn't stick with the diet!

This weekend, I wasn't a saint; I had a burger when I was out with my Dad. Originally I wasn't going to but he said that I have to treat myself occasionally and that protein is important. Obviously I know about protein, I was more concerned about the greasy fat and undoing all my hard work. Slimming World does have a Food Directory and I knew from that, that the 'healthiest' (and I use that term loosely) thing that you can have from McDonalds is a beefburger. So that is what I went for....with onions. It actually didn't taste of anything. All of the taste came from the onions. Still, the protein would have been used by my muscles and I am learning to include the things that I like in moderation. I went over in syns due to also eating a roast dinner later on but as I hadn't used all of my syns for the other days, I actually only went over by 2. So yeh. I have lost another two lbs over the weekend. Go me!

Although I have decided that I shall tell my Dad of my weight loss, I am not telling my Mum. She goes really funny about it and starts plying me with fatty stuff. I hate it and so I am not telling her. She may very well notice at some point but I shall cross that bridge when I come to it.