Feeling more committed than ever :)

     Yesterday I went on a hike with my class, and we hiked over four miles! I logged over five miles total on my pedometer, and that counts taking it off early in the afternoon at 3 p.m.
     I went to Weight Watchers last night, and I thought for sure I would've lost more weight for how good I ate, exercised, drank water, etc. But, I only lost .6 pounds.
     What's frustrating about that is that I am still making up the 2.4 pounds I gained the first week school was out. I am now at a total of 22.2 pounds (was up at 24 pounds lost).
     But, a loss is a loss, no matter how small! So, I will take it! And, I just know all of these good habits will catch up one of these weeks!
     The good message to me is that it really is important to not get all off track, even if only for half a week! It's OK to have an off day/night, but I do need to stay focused.
     Last night's meeting was GREAT! The topic was about losing weight as a journey. And, how sometimes it feels like we are on Route 66, the scenic road.
     I really thought about this while the discussion was happening. I realized that even though I wanted to see big numbers as I approached my 16th week (got the little hand clapper award last night for going to Weight Watchers for 16 weeks), that 22.2 pounds for 16 weeks is NOT bad. It's still averaging over one pound a week.
     I realized that sometimes I prefer the scenic route as opposed to powering through going a million miles an hour and missing everything around you.
     Then, a lady said something that really resonated with me. She said going slow, losing a pound or two a week, means that you are already on maintenance mode.
     By that, she meant that some people lose their weight quickly, and then have to learn how to maintain it once they have lost it, but she felt like people who go more slowly are actually learning maintenance as they go.
     This made complete sense to me, in that what feels the best about this experience is that I don't feel like I am dieting. I feel like this is a way of life. I feel empowered to make good choices, and I don't feel like I can't have something I really want.
     So, in reality, slow and steady does win the race! I am even more proud of myself for living the "stop and smell the roses" way of life. I feel even more inspired right now to keep this way of life going.
     This morning, I worked out on the bike and I rode for 10 miles! I feel awesome! I am going to work on the weights later today, too!
     Keep positive! Remember life is the journey!