Discouragement

Weekly Stats
Current: 192.8
Weekly Loss: 2.2
To Go: 17.8
Total 132.2

As I listened to the radio this morning, the morning show host were talking about a story by the AP that stated if we keep talking about the dreaded double digit numbers in the economy, that it just might happen. The point being that consumer confidence in the economy in the factor if it does well or not. If we keep hearing that things are bad with the economy and it affects how we spend, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy! I think the same is true of most everything in life.

I was a bit discouraged this weekend. I have really pushed it hard the past few weeks with scout camp, family in town and the usual ups and downs in life. Even the scale was not giving me good numbers. (Stress plays a part in weight loss.) It would have been easy to give in this weekend and not worried about what I was eating. Two things helped. Even though we were camping as a family on Friday night into Saturday, I still got up early and went on a hike. It was a tough climb up a beautiful trail and I got a great workout. After breakfast, we packed up and got home and I kept busy the rest of the day getting things put away and doing yard work, so by the end of the day, I had done a lot of work. Having things to do helped me not give up. Another thing that helped was Sunday was the first Sunday of the month and if you are LDS you know that means it's Fast Sunday where we don't eat for two meals and donate the money to help those in need. That in and of itself helps you see outside yourself, but another great benefit is to get out of the habit of eating whenever your body tells you to. It takes a bit of discipline to not drink when you get a little thirsty or stick something in your mouth because your body says it's time to eat. It helps me to see food from a different perspective. I find it a great time to pray for help to overcome problems that I have had with food. I still worry about how easy it would be to slip back into old harmful habits. I acknowledge that I have serious problems with food if I am not careful. I need help beyond my own at times and I find prayer is a great means to reach out for help. I have been blessed with His help many times! After a discouraging weekend where I just felt like I had lost ground, I woke up this morning, went on my usual Monday run. When I got back, I got on the scale for my weigh in and saw a weight loss that I haven't seen in quite while. 2.2 lbs for the week! I had to weigh twice before I would believe it! This was another reminder of how important it is to keep pushing through, even when you are discouraged. As the character, Rocky Balboa, told his kid, sometimes life is not how many times you can hit, but how many hits you can take and not give up! Great advice!

I need to be careful about getting enough sleep as well. When I get tired, it is much easier to let down my guard. I have been getting less than my goal of seven hours each night lately. I need to get back into some good sleep habits again. A good night's sleep is imperative to renewing your body and getting things back into balance each day. It is something that is sometimes not given enough attention when it comes to weight loss and overall health.

Great job again this week to my heroes and inspirations. Great job Todd and Bill. I don't know how you can put in such great mileage with such great times! You are both amazing. Keep up the great work! Gordon keeps up on his biking and puts in some great workouts. Troy impressed me with his ability to hike with me on Wednesday! I can tell he has been working out as well! Thanks for the fun time hiking and fishing! Lisa, Chris, Hillary - Thanks for encouraging me every week. I really appreciate the support! It has helped in ways that you will never understand. Lastly, thanks to Barbara for the listening ear! It is good to have someone to lean on as good as you! Hang in there and I will too!