My Sunday weigh-in came in at 271.2 pounds, down from 272.7 pounds the previous week.
That’s a loss of 1.5 pounds, and I’ll take it.
If I’m being truthful, I didn’t spend much time thinking about weight loss this past week. I didn’t carefully plan my meals, and I didn’t follow a structured workout schedule. August and fall sports practices have temporarily shifted my attention elsewhere. The days are longer, the schedule is different, and work has taken priority.
Normally, this is where I would start criticizing myself.
I should have worked out more.
I should have eaten better.
I should have been more disciplined.
But maybe there’s another way to look at it.
I lost 1.5 pounds during one of the busiest weeks of my year.
That’s progress.
I didn’t follow a perfect weight-loss program, but I also didn’t completely abandon what I’m trying to accomplish. I’ve been eating more of my meals at home, staying busy throughout the day, and getting plenty of time on my feet.
Maybe right now, that’s enough.
One thing I’m beginning to realize on this journey is that not every week has to be a great week. Sometimes the victory is simply getting through a difficult stretch without going backward.
Life isn’t going to arrange itself around my weight-loss goals. There will always be busy weeks, vacations, long days at work, holidays, dinners with friends, and times when getting to the gym isn’t convenient.
If I’m going to lose this weight and eventually keep it off, I have to learn how to navigate those weeks too.
One More Week
We have one more week of fall practices before things begin settling into the normal school-year routine.
I’m looking forward to that.
My mornings should become more predictable again, which gives me an opportunity to get back into the gym consistently. Maybe I’ll sneak in a morning round of golf while the weather is still good. Maybe I’ll get the bike out and go for a ride.
Most importantly, I’ll have some structure again.
And I’ve learned that structure works well for me.
But there’s also something I don’t want to do.
I don’t want to wait until everything is perfect before I start.
I don’t need to say, “Next week I’ll get serious.”
I can do something today.
Take a walk.
Eat dinner at home.
Drink water instead of soda.
Do a few exercises at home.
Get a little more sleep.
None of those things by themselves will transform me. But repeated often enough, they become habits—and habits eventually produce results.
240 Is Still Out There
The goal remains 240 pounds.
I’m currently at 271.2.
There’s still a considerable distance between those two numbers, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Reaching 240 will require work. It will require consistency. And there will probably be more disappointing weigh-ins along the way.
But I’ve decided something else matters more than whether I reach exactly 240 pounds by a particular date.
I want to find out what happens if I don’t quit.
What happens if I keep showing up?
What happens if a bad meal doesn’t become a bad weekend?
What happens if a missed workout doesn’t become a missed month?
What happens if every time I get knocked off course, I simply point myself in the right direction again?
Maybe that’s what this journey is really about.
The scale says 271.2 this morning.
That’s not where I want to finish.
But it’s where I am today.
And today, I’m still in the game.
Keep moving. Keep making better choices. Keep believing that change is possible.
Next Sunday, I’ll step on the scale again and see where the journey has taken me.