Through Thick and Thin

I am on fifth day of my own exercise challenge to myself, which is to ride our exercise bike each morning for at least 3.5 miles, and to not weigh myself until I have done this every morning for a full week. I am really hoping that this routine combined with all the fresh fruits and vegetables I've had lately will mean something has changed, even if it is little. I dislike exercising every morning with every bone in my body, though I do like the fact that I indeed do seem to have increased energy throughout the morning, though definitely not the whole day-the only thing that beats my mid afternoon slump seems to be another helping of caffeine.:)

I had never worried about my weight before about a year ago. I was one of those women that other women love to hate- petite and thin. I could eat anything I wanted and never exercise. Not to worry, it has caught up with me. I will turn 31 this January, and there has definitely been a marked decrease in my used to be on fire metabolism. Pair that with the fact that I have been truly happy, and less stressed, for the last year or so, and there you have it: weight gain. It is not something any of us like to talk about, and we like to poo poo our friends and tell then they still look great even when their rears have gotten decidedly larger. It's the polite thing to do-right? Well, I'm here to break that taboo. Two years ago I was 35 lbs lighter than I am today. I was at the almost too thin scale in my own BMI. Now I am at the heavy end of healthy. While BMI (body mass index) can be a great tool just to get an idea of where you should be, it is not the be-all end-all dictator of weight loss. It is a tool, and it can't see you or take your activity levels into consideration. Where would I like to be? My heart automatically says 35 pounds lighter, after-all I was at that weight after two children! But my mind says that I'd be satisfied with a 20-25 pound loss. This takes time, eating right, and unfortunately for me, exercising.

Barrett and I did Weight Watchers earlier this year. We both lost weight but we fell off the wagon and quit. I felt like I was starving all the time, and he felt like he was depriving himself of sweets. But we want to get healthy and this time to keep off the weight instead of packing it all back on. Through thick and thin, kind of funny when you think about that part of the marriage vows. Though I am sure it probably doesn't imply through weight loss and weight gain- it is good to have a partner every step of the way. We are starting small this time-building habits that we can carry with us into a program, like the exercise and learning to love produce instead of bread. Your tips are welcome and appreciated.