- I registered for the Boston Half Marathon in October, so I've been trying to devote more time to training. This has been far from easy.
- My summer grad school class is taking up a ton of time. My first paper was due last Thursday and my next paper is due next Thursday. After that, I'll just have the final.
- My last day of work is on next Thursday as well. While this will mean a bit more free time, it also means that I'm crazy busy in the meantime, trying to wrap up loose ends, train the new people, etc.
- I finally got my Little Sister through the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. She's great! We had our first visit at the Big Sister Picnic on Long Island (one of the Boston Harbor Islands) last weekend.
- I had my first trip to the Cape, which was amazing. Joe and I had a fabulous time and I'm basically addicted to boating now.
Whew! So being busy is part of the reason I haven't posted. The other part is that I've been struggling with motivation. I haven't been eating very well and haven't been able to train as much as I would like because of working late, reading for class, etc. To try to get back on track I brought raw veggies and rice cakes for lunch today. Before I got the veggies out of the fridge, I seriously considered ordering takeout. That's an absurd notion not only because of the calories, but because I'm flat broke!
To that end, however, I have discovered the way to make raw veggies and rice cakes taste better. Behold, my Before and After:
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| "Before" photos |
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| "So Far" |
Nothing in this world makes raw vegetables and rice cakes taste better than looking at photos of yourself from when you were 70 pounds heavier! I still have a long way to go on this journey, so rather than before and after maybe I should refer to these as my Before and "So Far" photos.
On the days lately where I've felt fat and unattractive, I've wondered how I even functioned at my previous weight. Then, when I see people who are even heavier than I ever was, I wish I could find a way to motivate and inspire them. Even those who aren't heavier than I used to be, but who could use a bit of motivation, find their way into my heart. No, I can't always make it to the gym and it isn't always possible to eat super healthy, but I do much better than I did in the past. I am much more active than I have ever been and I watch what I eat much more closely now. It's all about the little steps you can take to move on to the big steps.
This year is the first time I've felt comfortable in a swimsuit. Next summer's goal is a bikini. I have around 20-25 more pounds to lose before I do my true "After" shot, and I know it isn't going to be easy to get there with grad school and finding a part-time job, but I can't let that stop me.
Boston Half Marathon, here I come!
