(Un)Safety Pin

This is my last (6th) check-in for milestone 4. Today begins milestone 5 and a whole new (and different) set of goals.

First, the reason for the title of this post. I had the waist band of my pants tightened with a safety pin yesterday. The pants don't have belt loops and fit me adequately everywhere but in the waist. The waists, of almost every pair of pants I own, are too big. Proportionately, my waist is much smaller than my hips and thighs. Makes buying pants a nightmare. Anyway, the safety pin that was in the waist of my pants must have come unpinned at least 4 times during the day. Each time, it jabbed me in the waist. In my mind, that makes it an unsafety pin rather than a safety pin. Isn't the whole purpose of a safety pin to keep you from getting poked?

Milestone 4 did not turn out like I hoped it would. I far exceeded my exercise goals (goal=720, actual=1465) but missed my weight loss goal by almost half (goal=10, actual=6 (Drat!), -31.5 total). I suppose many things contributed to these results:

• counting the 8 days in Dallas, I probably had 12 days where I my meals didn't follow my nutrition plan. In most cases, I did the best I could given the options I had. In other cases, I simply didn't plan well or gave in to temptation. For me, planning is key.
• I wonder if cardio exercises, in the beginning, can add muscle (which weighs more) as well as burning calories and having cardiovascular benefits. 1,205 minutes of my exercise time was straight cardio (step aerobics and my Nordic Track).
• I have hired a personal trainer to teach me appropriate weight/resistance exercises to help build lean muscle and lose inches (rather than only pounds). My trainer, Renee, tells me that I can expect to gain weight according to a scale for a while if I stick to her plan. The more noticeable change is that I will lose inches. After the beginning (she didn't say how long 'the beginning' was) I should see faster weight loss. Renee will mainly be monitoring my measurements as I work with her. She did weigh me (aack!) but she said she wouldn't be surprised to see that increase at first.

Progress is progress, even if it is at a slower pace than I planned. Perseverance is a must. I'm a little disappointed that I missed my goal by 4 pounds but I feel good. I have more energy. I know I'm doing the right thing. And, generally, I think I just plain feel good (better attitude).

So, for my next milestone, I need to adjust my goals. Based on a discussion with Renee, she suggested I change my next weight loss goal to be 6-7 pounds rather than 10. I'm going to go for 7 pounds as my goal. I'll try not to obsess on the numbers on the scale if I stick to plan for nutrition and exercise. I say try because it's very hard to look at the scale and see the number stay the same, much less go up, when I'm working so hard. My exercise goals are 120 minutes per week of cardio and 180 minutes of weight training (total 300 minutes per week). Damn, that's 60 minutes 5 times a week! Can I do that long-term (e.g. 5 years from now?). I'm not sure. I guess I can only find out by giving it my all and seeing what happens. Maybe if I get to my goal weight (which should happen in the summer of 2007), I will notice how I look and feel and say, "Hell, yes! 300 minutes a week is worth it.". So, 7 pounds, 300 minutes, on plan for nutrition. Wish me luck! Until later. . .

Think Smart. Eat Well. Move More.