Weigh In

295lbs and 9oz.  That's a pound weight loss for the week.  I'm pleased.  Add that to the 2 inches I lost this week and I feel very much in control of this whole weight loss thing again.

And I'm not valuing myself only because of the weight loss; that's where I got into trouble before.

I'm just really pleased to feel like I'm reversing the trend, even with a bad weekend.

Good days outnumber the bad = good results.

The one thing that sprung to mind when I saw it was just a pound was that I haven't been drinking enough water - we're talking not even a glass a day barely.  I've discovered Diet Dr. Pepper, and have been working on a caffeine high for the last few weeks.  With all I had to do, I needed something with more "kick".  Problem is, not having enough water leads to all the things that caffeine is supposed to cure (lethargy for example), and caffeine dehydrates you.

With the temp in the 90s today, it's time ditch the sodas and reach instead for the water.

Not only is it hot but it's muggy.  Blech.  I wish it would rain.  Let it rain now before I fly on Friday. 

Speaking of flying I have to tell you I'm starting to grow very anxious about it.  I am not the best flyer in the world.  And my younger son tells me yesterday it should be a straight shot down to Cancun over the Gulf of Mexico.

I reached for a paper bag to breathe into.  Flying is bad enough.  Flying over water scares the bejeebers out of me.  I know this because I flew back from San Francisco to Los Angeles and I got to be ocean-side.

One of the other things that inspires a bit of flyers anxiety - the seat belts.  Last time I flew was in August when Steven and I took an anniversity jaunt to Vegas.  I was so pleased to find that the seat belt fit - barely but it fit.  Since I've taken a bit of a backward step these last many months, I was worried that the seatbelt might not fit on this new flight.  I was 278 back in August... I'm 295 now. 

So I went back to my measurement records from August and put it side by side with my measurements I took today.  Believe it or not, I've lost 6 inches since then.  I've gained nearly 20lbs but lost 6 inches.

Weight loss is a kooky, kooky ride sometimes.

Either way, that helped assuage my concerns. 

I also found something I can do in Cancun that doesn't put the pressure on me to learn how to swim fast.  It's the Xcaret Sea Trek Tour.  You don a helmet and go underwater to walk along the sea floor.  No special suits I'd worry about fitting into - and it's tailor made for those of us who haven't yet mastered the swimming thing.  I told Steven that it looks like something I'd like to try to do.  He reminded me that I was claustrophobic.  I told him I had thought about that, but to be honest with all of you, I'm really tired of being held back by irrational fear.

I was looking through the Xcaret site yesterday, its an Eco Park in Mexico, and I - for the first time ever - regretted not learning how to swim.  The snorkling looks like a lot of fun.  I mean a lot of fun.  And I'm going to miss out because I dropped the whole swimming thing.  I know I got sick and all, but I've been well long enough that I could have gone back and finished my training.   I just didn't add that to my long list of obligations. 

I want to finish learning how to swim while we're in Cancun, but I'm not even going to put that pressure on myself.  This trip is about having fun.  It's about going someplace I've never gone, exploring a country and a culture different from my own, doing things I've never done and enjoying myself.  To have the experiences.  To live life.  If that includes learning how to swim, then it includes learning how to swim. 

But I'm not going to make myself uncomfortable in order to meet goals while I'm there.

I deserve to have a good time.  I deserve to have fun.  I deserve to relax.  Anything that doesn't fit that criteria will be scrapped.   The only thing I'm going to expect out of myself is to weigh myself in on the first day of the vacation and the last day - there's a scale at the fitness center.  And I'm going to use that fitness center as well.

That, coupled with the physical activity I expect to enjoy (my first impulse was to write endure), I expect to do pretty well despite the readiness of food and alcohol.  I just have to remember... drink lots of water.

Bottled, of course.

So far the only thing we've purchased is a dolphin interactive experience.  I'm really looking forward to that.  The other thing I want to do is the dinner cruise on Isla Mujeres.  It's a ride on a catamaran over to an island off the coast where there is a calypso cookout, dinner buffet and several types of shows.  Sounds like a lot of fun.

The Xcaret is the other thing I'd like to do.  It has an interactive aquarium, boat rides, the Sea Trek, a dinner show, several exhibits with wild life and the Mayian history. 

Hopefully I'll have enough $$ to cover it all.  It sounds like such a great time.  I love to explore new things - there is no lounging on the beach for this girl.  If I'm going to be in Mexico, I want to explore Mexico.  I was worried that there wouldn't be anything to keep my interest - now I'm worried I won't have the time to do it all.

Life is funny.

Anyway, time to go out and get some walking in.  At the mall... no park.  My whole motto is "excercise should be fun"... and it's not fun to trudge along in extreme heat and humidity just to get a walk in.  Not when there's an air conditioned mall.

And you know what?  Since I adopted this mindset, it hasn't been hard to get me out in the world and being active.

Perception is everything.