December 9, 2008
Mari

It’s the 9th of the month, and my turn to write. This month, this week, today, my focus is to get lean so I can be faster on the bike and on the run. You know, for our race in Austin on October 18, 2009!!! Getting lean is turning out to be one of the hardest things I have ever voluntarily chosen to do. Aligning my will, my focus, my time and my energy in such a way as to meet my goal of carrying 15 less pounds around on my frame is a challenge unexpectedly requiring everything I’ve got within me.

I travel for my work, so I was whining, without really knowing I was whining, when I was checking in with Marcey, the team nutritionist. Since starting my weight loss plan in September, I had lost 6 pounds, then gained 2 back. I was really bummed. Marcey stopped me mid-sentence and reminded me that I “always travel, it’s your life, so just DO IT.” Meaning, just find the time to exercise, and make the effort to eat within my daily calorie allocation. Oh yeah, that’s what it means to set a goal and be willing to do what it takes to make the goal. Thank goodness for Marcey and thank goodness for friends and family who get it. And most of all, thank goodness I think I’m worth it.

That meeting with Marcey was last Friday, today it’s Tuesday. That’s five days. In those five days, I’ve recorded all my calories (carbs too, since that info is necessary for insulin dosing) stayed in my range and I’ve met each of my daily exercise goals. In fact, on Sunday night, after our team phone call, I put on my iPod and danced, yes DANCED! in my hotel room for 30 minutes. I had traveled all day and had on my plan to do 30 minutes of cardio, but hadn’t had time to do it before getting to my destination. My blood sugar dropped nicely into a great range and I slept fabulously. Where there’s a will, and a plan, there indeed is a way. Turns out Marcey was right about that.

I don’t yet know if my work and effort has paid off. I am careful to only weigh myself once a week. And, I plan to keep in mind that this is a process, it might take a while of doing the right thing for my body to catch on to what I’m doing . It’s crucial to remember this is something of a marathon or a 70.3 IM, since I want to do it right and keep the weight off.

Tonight, I watched the second to last episode of the 6th season of The Biggest Loser and the challenge they did was to put on weights that equaled what they weighed when they started the show. Then they ran around a track and took off a weight belt at each stop that represented how much they had lost each week on the show. As they were running around with that extra weight, I visualized what I will feel like on the bike and on the run carrying 11 pounds less than I weigh now. I also imagined how heavy a 10 or 12 lb. weight is and how having that much less on my frame will simply FEEL better.

I really want to go fast. Or at least fastER. And this is the first step. I have 14 more weeks and a plan and support, and I am arranging my life to meet this goal. I’m excited for the process as much as for the end result. Here we go!