Scale Saturday 2018: Week 15

Week 15....have I really been at this for 15 weeks already? This is the first thought that comes to me every single week I start a Scale Saturday post. It sounds like such a long time.

My struggle this week has been with the junk food that keeps reappearing around here. Have I said this exact thing before? I feel like I have. I mentioned before the difficulty in sticking with a healthy diet when others in your home insist on buying junk, and cooking elaborate, calorie-laden meals several times a week. I know we're not the only family that struggles with this. When you're together you want to enjoy the time and what better way than eating? We grilled burgers, brats, hot dogs...had German potato salad...breakfast breads...hashbrown, sausage and cheese casserole...pizza...hard salami sandwiches...nachos, cheese puffs, honey roasted peanuts etc. etc. etc.

I'm not going to lie: I shed a couple tears in the effort it took to not load up my plate with some of the amazing food we've cooked. I've watched whole dishes be consumed without getting more than a bite because I could not afford the calories they contained. I didn't want another no-results week like last.

Weeks like last feel a lot like the Seven Days' Battles during the Civil War when the Union failed to capture the Confederate capital. They would eventually win the war, but there were plenty of battles they lost along the way. While it's disheartening taking steps back, keep in mind nothing great was achieved by giving up. We have this quote on the chalkboard in our school room:

He conquers who conquers himself. Each battle you do win, each little victory in overcoming a bad habit, gets you closer to where you want to be. And in the process you build will power, better habits to help hold you up when faced with a challenge.

Also this week, per request, I jotted down a detailed menu of everything I ate (including portion sizes) that I'll be working on typing up to add to a future Scale post. Doing this shed a lot of light on the ways my diet is not balanced. I want to remind you that I am in no way a dietitian or a nutritionist, and I often fail to meet the recommended daily servings of certain food groups. I've noticed recently that I'm bruising a lot (while quite accident prone, this is beyond the norm), losing a lot of hair, and my nails have become brittle. I started taking a multi-vitamin (something I should have been doing from the start). I'm also due for a physical: something that's so easy to put off because it's really hard taking that not-so-fun time for myself when there are a lot of little people here who always need me. But, since this whole journey is about improving health, it's also important to know where you are and to change paths if needed before things get too out of hand.

Weight loss totals per month:

January: -17 lbs.

February: -13 lbs.

March: -10 lbs.

April (so far): -3 lbs.