Weigh In # 7

Once again, a certain time of the month has thrust me head first into a week of food cravings, bloating, water retention, and crampy misery.  While I did indulge in (just a few) food cravings, I stuck with my exercise routine, and even changed it up a bit this week. 

So, this morning, when I stepped onto the scale, I was (once again) pleased to find that the number had not gone up since last week.

Thus far, on week 7, I am officially down 7 pounds!

I talked a few days ago about feeling like I need a jump start.  I still feel this way.  I don't want to lose my motivation, since I am continuing to make progress (however slow), but I do want to shake things up a bit.

As of this evening, I am officially on vacation for a week.  Since I'm not going anywhere, I think that this is a perfect opportunity to implement a "jump start" program - given that I won't be bogged down with the daily routine that comes with taking care of kids!  I'm lucky if I can get in 3 meals a day while I'm working, so hopefully during my time off, I can truly give this whole "eat 5 small meals per day" thing a try. 

Along these same lines, I will attempt to change what I've been eating.  This weekend I will hit the grocery store (trying hard to avoid the cookout and s'mores fixin's that the stores have on display leading up to the 4th) and stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and some lean proteins for dinner.  We'll see how it goes - but I do know that if I don't have healthy foods on hand, I'll raid the pantry and dig out all the unhealthy crap that lives there.

I'm also planning on adding to my exercise routine.  I've begun spending time on the stationary bike that I bought for myself a few years ago (but hasn't gotten used as much as I thought it would).  It's been nice to change up the cardio a little bit - I'm amazed that I seem to burn more calories (according to the little gauge on the bike) than I do when I'm on the treadmill.  In any case, I'll continue to alternate the bike, the treadmill, walking at the park, and swimming laps in the pool - possibly even 2 in the same day!

So, here we go - into week 8...wish me luck!