Weight Loss Wednesday: Unexpected Hurdles And Results

Can you believe it is already Wednesday?   It seems like the first of this week has flown by me. 

Between the wrist/hand pain and the dreary rain that has settled over us for the past week, the days have seemed to all run together.  Finally we have some sunshine this morning and the wrist/hand is much better (though I am still seeing the ortho this afternoon to determine what is going on).

Speaking of the rain, what a difference a year makes!  After last year's drought, I would certainly never think to complain about it.  But this is the first time in years that I can remember the rain staying around for over a week during the heat of summer.  Our yard is water logged and the fish don't know what to do with all this fresh water....but we are so very thankful for it all.

I did remember to step on the scales this morning, though it was with a bit of trepidation.  You see, I had stepped on it Sunday only to watch the numbers climb.  I kept hearing a voice in my head repeating the Weight Watchers mantra from years ago, 'sometimes our hard work/lack of takes two weeks to reveal itself.'   Had my week of vacation fun and food come back to haunt me now? I climbed onto the scale with no small amount of anxiety rising inside.

The result?

Down 2.6!

I was suddenly so happy that I had been sticking to that 'What NOT to eat' list.  I had passed up on non-favorite candy at work in favor of a cup of Greek yogurt.  At my birthday dinner with friends on Saturday evening, I ordered a salad alongside the fried pickles -- ensuring that by the time the pickles arrived I would only indulge in a few.  (Because they really are my favorite splurge right now.)  And I cannot tell you how many times I went to the pantry to fill an empty place left from the constant discomfort I was in, only to find it empty of any of my usual comfort foods.  (See, there are benefits to not doing your grocery shopping.)

This past Monday marked 11 weeks since this journey began...and I am now down 12 pounds. 

As I have said before, a pound a week is nothing to sneeze at.  I certainly put it on slower than that! 

This week's Weight Loss Mission is "How to Burn More Calories: Part 1".  Honestly, I have worked out only once since returning from vacation.  I have just been in too much pain...and gripping a hand weight has been impossible. 

This challenge has revealed my lack of cardio training.   It has been all core and weights.  Though I seriously doubt that I would have been able to swing my arms in a normal walking rhythm at the time, it is something to think about and to correct. 

So, even though I haven't been able to put any of the ideas in this week's mission to use YET, I am planning to add a few days of cardio to my video workouts.

How are you doing in your summer challenge?  Have you met any unexpected hurdles?  (I really did not expect to lose the use of my hand out of nowhere.  I have never had anything like this happen before.)  Have you celebrated any unexpected reward?  I would love to hear from you.