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Adventures with Allison: Wellness Wednesday

Well this is going to be a bit of a scattered column. Honestly I have been avoiding writing it, which is why it didn’t come at the first of the month.

Truthfully I feel stuck. I am in this cycle of losing weight then gaining a few pound back, then losing the few pounds that I have gained. It’s been going like this for a few weeks now.

I blame the weekends. I do pretty well during the week. I am focused. I work out and I make decent choices in what I eat. Then the weekend rolls around and it seems Darvin and I are always on the road which means a lot of eating out.

Confession time. I love to eat out. But eating out doesn’t always love me back! I find myself struggling to make good healthy choices. Pretty much everywhere you go offers salads, which can be a good option. But I don’t want to eat a salad when I go out for dinner.

So for the past few weeks it’s been lose, gain, lose, and gain.

I participated in the annual Harry Gardner 5K on Friday, July 3. Photo by Anita Townsley

I don’t really know how to get over this bump in the road. I don’t feel like I have completely fallen off the wagon or anything like that, but I can feel myself struggling. I have been avoiding sharing this because lately I have had so much positive feedback from friends and folks around the community. Those moments of encouragement have been wonderful and rewarding and I appreciate them very much. But there is an internal conflict that arises in those moments as well because I don’t always feel like my day-to-day progress always reflects those positive sentiments. However, when I decided to share my journey in this way, I chose to become accountable to those who read. So this is where I am.

I have learned a lot about myself through this journey so far. The biggest thing I have learned is what a routine person I am. I would love to tell you that I am this free spirit that goes where the wind blows me. That’s not my reality though, and that’s okay. I need structure to stay on task.

The good news is that I still very much want to reach the goals I have set for myself. I have a goal weight. I haven’t shared that number with anyone other than my family really. I don’t know why I can’t say it (or write it). I guess it still feels just a bit too personal. As far as my exercise goals go, I would like to run the Dam to Dam half marathon next year. It may sound shallow but I also really want to be able to shop in certain clothing stores that aren’t tailored for plus size people.

Side note: I went shopping last weekend. My mom loves to shop at The Loft. I am like her personal shopper, telling her what to try on and what to buy. But I myself had never tried on anything in that store. It wouldn’t have fit me. Last weekend we went into The Loft. I found a beautiful dress and showed it to my Mom for her to try it on. She told me to try it on. At first I politely declined. My inner monologue was more like “Yeah right, this will never fit me!” But with some prodding I nervously walked to the fitting room, dress in hand. I put the dress on and low and behold it fit! For anyone who has ever been overweight and confined to stores like Lane Bryant, this was a major moment. It was emotional and exciting. The dress came home with me. Now I just need somewhere to wear it!

I will close out by saying that I am definitely not giving up. I still feel too motivated to accept defeat.

My husband Darvin and I participated in The Color Run on Saturday, July 11 in Des Moines.

The past couple of weeks I have had several people comment to me that I am looking good or that they can tell the hard work I am putting in is working. To all of you who have taken the time to tell me those kind words, THANK YOU. Seriously, your words are so encouraging to me and I truly appreciate you taking time to say something.

I recently ran a couple of 5K runs including the Harry Gardner Toledo 5K and The Color Run in Des Moines. Starting this week Darvin and I are also participating in a short online program called DietBet in hopes that we can both refocus and realign our eating habits throughout the next month. Stay tuned next month for a recap of our DietBet experience. Until then, here are a couple of photos from some recent exercise exploits.