Triple Digits - 100lb's lost

A little over a week ago I crossed a milestone that I'd been looking forward to for some time... I passed the 100lb mark.

That's 100 pounds in six months.

I thought I would feel more like celebrating, but the honest truth is that I was stuck in a rut, and even though I was still losing weight, it had slowed to a crawl. In the last few weeks leading up to this, I had somehow lost the level of enthusiasm I had maintained since January. I had looked forward to sharing my success when I achieved that milestone, but when the time came, I just didn't feel like I had earned it.

When I first got on the MFP bandwagon, I was pretty hardcore ... I lived for tracking every calorie in vs. every calorie out. I bought a digital food scale, a fancy heart rate monitor, and a gym membership. I was rewarded with dramatic improvement. My physique is quite improved. I'm healthier and stronger. I'm much more active. I feel better than I have in years. I'm more outgoing and much more confident.

But as my success grew, I started to develop a level of complacency. I had been slacking off at the gym, and while the diet hadn't gone completely out the window ... it was certainly peeking through the blinds. You start thinking, "I've lost almost 100lb's! Surely some pizza can't hurt!" or "Hey, I've worked really hard, I deserve some ice cream!" Then pretty soon you're not logging as much any more ... you're skipping days. I had logged into MFP every day since January 5th, and I was really proud of my "days in a row" number. I was pretty bummed when it got reset as a result of my own negligence. I had ceased being involved with the community and I had really slacked off in providing support to my MFPeeps (sorry guys).

It's like an alcoholic coming out of rehab and feeling like they've earned a shot of whiskey. It's not a very good reward structure.

The lowest point happened on one unfortunate recent grazing expedition to a local eatery with the family, I actually ate so much that I made myself sick. The sad thing is, that's what I would have consumed before I joined MFP and not thought twice about it. My body just can't handle that kind of gluttony any more I guess. No wonder I used to feel terrible all the time!

The good news is that I'm once again feeling invigorated. I feel like I'm back in the game. I've been hitting the gym hard this week and making healthier food choices. I've got some new short-term goals in place, which I think is important. I'm trying to rediscover whatever it that has allowed me to lose that 100lb in the first place, and I think MFP is a huge part of that.

So, for now, I'll enjoy this success in the hopes that it will lead to others. Thanks for being along for the ride!