A Maintenance Update

I cannot believe how incredibly quickly March has flown by. It feels like we were just watching the Superbowl and celebrating Valentine's Day, now we are just days away from Easter.

March has been a stressful month for me. I was really sick in the beginning and had to take a few days off work. I never felt fully caught up (and still don't) from just those few days. In fact, I just blocked my Friday to be a "catch up" day.  On the days I was working, things were super busy! I had so many meetings, events, and projects starting in March. It's all super exciting stuff, but also super time consuming, and requiring a lot of careful follow up.

Also, looking ahead, I know how busy May and June will be. So part of my stress is anticipatory.

That being said..... the stress, combined with too many carbs, backing down on my workouts a bit and slacking on my water= I gained a little weight. By little I do mean little, 5 lbs to be exact. I'm still at my goal weight (exactly at it). I just enjoyed being 5 lbs under that weight. It gave me some flexibility. So it's nothing crazy, and certainly something that can be expected during stress and changes.

It was a little painful to see it on the scale, at first. I felt badly about myself, guilty, and immediately started planning for what I can do to lose 5 lbs. It wasn't a great feeling.

In the days since, I have calmed down. I've realized it's okay. I don't need to do anything crazy. I could certainly change some things, like less bread (oh my gosh, after the stomach flu all I ate was bread!), more water, and more consistent workouts (back to 4-5 days a week). I can do this, it may take a while, but I've certainly lost more than 5 lbs and I know I can do it again.

I'm writing this because I don't feel like you often see people talk about the maintenance phase of weight loss. I lost over 130 lbs. I've kept that weight off for a year and a half. That is a LOT to be proud of. And I am proud of it. But it's not always sunshine and rainbows. I still get down on myself. I still worry that I need to lose more. I still feel guilty if I eat a piece of cake. It's just the reality. I don't believe that maintenance is "the hard part" (so many people told me it would be). Losing the weight was much harder. But keeping it off certainly takes discipline...and also understanding, which I am slowly learning.

I can do this and I will do this. 5 lbs is nothing. And I'll gain those 5 lbs back again sometime, and have to lose them again. It's part of my life now. I just have to know that, accept and embrace it, and keep moving on through life without being to obsessed with a number on the scale.

Whatever goals you have, please do not beat yourself up when you get a little off track. There's too many other things in life trying to bring you down, your own self talk should not be one of them.