The Home Front

In discussing my positive reinforcement the other day, I only focused on one person. An extremely important part of my bigger puzzle, but on only one part.

My husband has probably had to make just as many adjustments in his life as I have in mine. But for different reasons. And he hates it when I talk about him on the Internet, but such is life.

Once he realized I was serious, (side note, I tend to get bored with stuff after a while and we've gotten rid of more exercise equipment and paid off gym memberships than I care to count. I don't blame him at all if at first there was a "yeah, right" moment), he jumped on the bandwagon with both feet.

He never fussed when I would leave the house before 6 in the morning to go walk at the mall. He once again accepted that there would be leftovers in the house and no longer asked if I couldn't eat just a little bit more. I'd get a high-five on Monday nights after the weekly weigh-in, and he'd be waiting at the door to see how I'd done. No reminding him of where I'd been needed. And he would sometimes gently ask me if I was eating something for the wrong reasons. Just to make sure I was actually thinking about my choices and not just letting my emotions control my habits.

He made sure he was being my advocate, not an adversary.

Like everything we do, we try to be each other's partner. That's what we signed up for 20 years ago. I'm sure there's been lots of times he wished he had checked that fine print a little more closely.

He worries that I'm eating enough, that I'm sleeping enough, that I'm not exercising too much and becoming obsessed with all this, and everything else that you worry about with someone you love. But he worries quietly, and keeps being the rock that I lean on.

Rocks are necessary. Find yours. Be one for someone else. No one need go at this alone.

Numbers Game

I confided in my sister yesterday that I had hit a new low. And it was a good thing. It has probably been over 20 years since I actually weighed what the Wii said yesterday morning. She asked if I had hit my goal. No but I was close. I want lose a few more pounds so that I'm solidly in the "normal" range and have some wiggle room. Yesterday I was about a half a pound into the "normal" range.

And that discussion lead to other things, in particular the ideal weight. Andrea made the comment that she didn't trust all those charts since they all said something different and still claimed to be "normal".

She was so right. I did a little Google search for my ideal weight. According to one website, if I decide I'm small boned, which is possibility, I'm 18 pounds overweight right now. There is no one that has seen me lately that would think I'm 18 pounds overweight.

If I'm medium-boned, a more likely option, then I still have a ways to go, but I'm only minimally overweight. But the Wii says I'm normal.

The point is this. Don't get caught up in the numbers. We know that muscle weighs more than fat. I know people that are built like rock walls and are "overweight" according to the charts. Go with how you feel. Are your clothes looser? Do you have more energy? Do you feel good in general? Are you liking what you see in the mirror? That's the important thing.

A number is just a number. It's like an opinion, everyone has one.