SOWL update...

No, I have not forgotten, nor have I ignored, the Summer of Weight Loss and its challenges. As my weight loss ticker shows, I haven't managed any significant progress, unfortunately. Rather infuriating as I have been eating very cleanly and running lots...all I have managed to do is shed a few pounds that had crept on and get back to what appears to be my set point, the 155 neighborhood. I did try a bit of extreme dieting a few weeks ago (for a few days) (by extreme I mean about 200 calories a day lower than my current net calorie goal, which required intense monitoring and abstinence to accomplish), but I've backed off on that because I felt it was depleting too much energy from my running.

But I plug along.

The challenge a couple of weeks ago was to clean out your closet, pull out things that don't fit and give them away, donate them, whatever. That is a really fine challenge, I agree, and my wardrobe definitely needs pruning (although I have gotten rid of most of the stuff that doesn't fit). My problem is I have too much of everything, nice stuff, okay stuff, stuff I bought too much of because it was a good deal and looked cute at the time. I really do need to go through my several closets and pull out items that I just won't be likely to use, and donate them to a good cause. I'll do it by the end of the year, I promise!

This week's challenge is to create your own challenge. Determine what's hurting, not helping, your weight loss journey. Challenge yourself to correct whatever that might be.

Okay, what to do, what to do. I'll cheat a little and start with something I've already began as of August 1...which is to turn off the TV by 10 p.m. (on weeknights, anyway), in order to get to sleep earlier. I have been quite successful with this. I've done it every weeknight I can think of except for Sunday. The reason for that was I was up late waiting for something (don't remember what, maybe oatmeal to cook) and I watched TV in my living room until I went up to bed. Otherwise I've been in bed by 10, TV off, reading a book till I fall asleep.

Hmmm, I might have to stop with that. There's not much more I can do to change things up! I gave up diet Coke, I don't drink alcohol, the sweets are pretty well in check (except that this is birthday week and there will be exceptions for sure), I don't want to change my exercise routine too much until at least the end of the summer, and maybe after I get through this training schedule. The one thing I know I could do is give up half and half in my coffee but I am so reluctant to do that...so for now I am hanging onto my sweet cream.

Even though I haven't reached my next reward level (152), I did break down and get myself a pedicure. Really, my toes were unfit to be seen, with just a trace of old polish left and just general ugliness. Since my birthday is this week, and Eva's baptism (necessitating dress-up) is on Sunday, I thought it was a good time to patch things up. I went with orange polish because I am obsessed with orange this summer. I almost switched to violet when I was reading a little magazine piece saying that purple was the hot color this summer (and the lady next to me was using that color, and it looked nice!) but I stuck with my original choice. I am surprised at how normal my feet look now!