I am so close. Yes I made the 5% cut off that was required by the April deadline, but that was never a worry to me. My goal has always been to be below 140. It is just a cut off I created based on my own preferences nothing magical or scientific. I want to be below 140 and I have always hit a while when I get close to it. I am so close but am still not quite there! I was 140.2 at the weigh-in on Saturday. Less than half a pound away! I know I can do it. I just have to keep eating sensibly and exercising!
 
On a positive note, I was able to swim a whole mile in an hour this morning (shaved 45 minutes off my first time!) and I will run my first 5K on Sunday. I am meeting the challenges head on and overcoming them!

As I become increasingly frustrated with the small movement on the scale, I have also been increasingly pleased in other areas. I need to keep reminding myself that health is measured in many ways. It is not just a number on a scale. I can tell the benefits in other areas- I can swim farther than before, my waist is trimmer, I can hold a plank for 45 seconds, I am finally able to do a complete sit-up, and today I ran the equivalent of a 5k in 31 minutes! All of these make me feel proud and help me to remember the work is worth it no matter what the scale might say.

Sent from my iPod

Today I challenged my dad and sister to a weekly challenge. We have been doing a weekly challenge for each other to try to motivate one another and have a little spirit of competition. We have done having to record our food every day and a minimum amount of exercise for the week. Today I challenged us to do at least 3 10 minute sessions of core work this week. Not too much but more than I normally do! I also gave the challenge to record how much sleep we are getting. I know this is not directly tied to our weight loss, but it is related to our overall health. I think we will be surprised when we see how small the number actually is. I know I do not get enough sleep and this adversely effects other areas. One area is my eating. When I am up late at night, I eat out of fatigue and stress for comfort instead of hunger. This is not a good cycle. Maybe recording my sleep this week will help me find a way to correct this.

As we approach the April cut off date for this competition, I am just trying to keep going. I know I could do better with my eating. And yes I could probably exercise more or just be more active, but I am not going to focus on that. Instead I am going to focus on what I am doing right and just keep going. I am doing better than I was and that is the important thing. Each little change and right step adds up to a big difference.

One of my favorite things about this lighten up program is that it encourages me to try new things. Last year when I participated, I tried a fitness class at Lake Health. This really opened my eyes to the fact that I am able to do work with weights and different cardio moves that I normally would not try. Now that I have realized this I am trying all sorts of new things that I normally wouldn't. I did the Iron Man at the Y. I have taken zumba, spinning, trx and cross fit classes. I have started running and am signed up for 2 5K races this spring. To complete my list of new things that I am trying I have started taekwondo. The rest of my family does it and now I do to. I have only gone to two classes but I have started and done so successfully. I like the feeling of knowing that I can face new challenges with confidence and self assurance. Attitude makes all the difference!