4th Week Blahs

4th Week Blahs 

Friday, August 05, 2011 

I'm nearing the end of my fourth week on SparkPeople, and it isn't exciting any more. 

I'm staying within my calorie and macronutrient ranges. I'm getting more exercise than I did in my immediate pre-spark period, when I was off the exercise bandwagon. I'm tracking what I eat, and using the feedback to fine tune what I eat late in the day. I've lost around 4 pounds, allowing for the imprecision of weighing myself. I'm getting those 10,000 steps per day. 

And it's turned into a routine. I can live with the food tracking routine, as that doesn't take much time. I'm concerned about the exercise routine, long term. The exercise has squeezed out most other forms of entertainment. This is okay for now, but in the fall I'll want to go back to vocal and bell choir rehearsals two evenings a week. Come winter, I'll want to spend some time preparing for volunteer work during tax season. And during tax season, my major focus will be on getting done what I need to in minimum time, because of the extra time I put into the local VITA program. 

I don't think I'll hit goal weight by September. If things go really well in August, I might be back around the lowest I weighed in 2010 by Labor Day. And then, right when other routines gear up to start, further losses will be Uncharted Territory not seen in almost 20 years. 

I guess it comes back to balance. The SP system is working, when it's the major thing I focus on outside of work. I have a month to figure out how to make it work when it's only one of several things I focus on outside of work. 

Put another way, part of why SP is working for me right now is that I'm an empty nester with no life in the summer. Life starts up again in the fall, and I'm not yet seeing how to make the SP system work when life is happening. 

Oh, well. I have a month to figure it out. Maybe I'll be able to let the exercise slide just a little, if I diligently track what I eat and control how much I eat. 

I sure hope that works. It can't do worse than not paying attention to what I eat and letting the exercise go entirely. And I'll probably feel better about it after a good night's sleep. 

That suggests another goal that isn't on my list yet.