Weight Waiting

I had a goal.  A goal that I am going to fail miserably at.  For now.  My goal was to cross the finish line at IMAZ weighing 150 pounds.  You may not have seen me lately, but those that have will tell you I am no where close to that goal.  And now that we are *gulp* 25 days away from the start line, my goal is impossible to attain.  And at some point, I accepted that it was more healthy (and reasonable) for me to stop attempting to lose weight, and fuel my body properly for Ironman training instead. 

It's not like the inability to lose weight while training for an Ironman is a new concept for me.  It's something I've heard many, many times before (thanks Mary!).  The general consensus is that if you want to lose weight, do it before you start the build cycles for Ironman.  So, I went straight to Ironman training from marathon training, and though it's not as impossible, it's still not the easiest thing to lose weight while marathon training.  And I realized earlier today that for the past 2 years I've been doing a lot of long distance training, or I've been sick for 2 months and laying on the couch doing absolutely nothing.  Not a great combination.  And I've definitely been more focused (I said more, not completely) on training my body than about that pesky little (or not so little) number on the scale.  And since Ironman training, I've been waiting to be able to lose more weight.

So, where to go from here?  Well, I've been frustrated and cranky lately...for a multitude of reasons, but the main one being that I haven't been able to work out as much because I'm supposed to rest my swollen tendons so I can be healthy for the start line.  And now taper is starting.  And at last check, I have no longer been able to maintain the weight that I have been holding steady at for the past 4-5 months.  So there is a new goal to work toward!  Goals are good.  Plans are good.  I can work with this. 

Post Arizona, I probably have until...March-ish where I'm not going to be focusing on long distance stuff.  At least that's the month I have in mind for Ironman build to start up again (it might be April).  That's a good 4-5 months "off."  As I've said in previous posts, I have a few winter goals to accomplish, and one of them is losing those pesky extra pounds.  I have no intention of becoming a waif, and at one point in my life, said that if I ever weighed less than 150 pounds, I would immediately eat a massive burger, and that's still a fairly accurate statement.  And I think I'm fairly safe in this statement.  If you've paid any attention whatsoever to my bone structure (because I know it's the cat's meow to look at) I'll never even be able to be as thin as *enter the name of current anorexic looking celebrity*.  I want to look like a normal human being. 

So, what am I going to do about it?  I re-joined Weight Watchers today.  I know, we're still before IMAZ.  And the goal is not to go crazy trying to lose a ton of weight in the next 25 days.  If I lose the 3ish that I've gained in the past couple of weeks, I'll be ok.  And then after AZ, really kick things up and make a more concentrated effort on actually losing weight, while attempting to maintain a fraction of the muscle that I've gained in the past 6 months. 

Personally, I'm a big fan of Weight Watchers.  It's worked for me in the past.  It helped take me from this:

to what we see today, which is this (please for give the fact that I look like a hot mess, I need to do laundry):

Huge difference between the 2.  I know.  Most probably wouldn't even think that they're the same person.  And in some respects, they aren't.  Some may look at the bottom photo and think that I look just fine, especially compared to where I've been.  But I don't want to look just fine...I want to look fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.  Sorry...I had to do it :)  But it's not for anyone else that I want to do this.  It's for me, my health, my speed, and the fact that I'm going to have to buy a new wardrobe anyway, it might as well be a smaller size.

So, over the next few months, I'll keep you updated on the progress.  Not that that will be all I talk about...because I have way more than that running through my head, but it will help keep me honest, and help keep me motivated.  And if you see me with cookie in hand, I give you permission to take it away from me.  I may not be able to promise you'll come back with all of your fingers.  But know at the end of the day, I will be grateful for your effort.