Well everyone I realize it’s been a couple of months since I sat down to write an “Adventures with Allison.” It’s not that I haven’t wanted to share with you it’s that I felt I didn’t have anything to say.

But I was talking with my Mom last Friday and told her how I was feeling about where I am at and that I just feel like I am in the trenches. I guess by that I mean that nothing really new is happening. I’m just plugging away with weight loss and exercise. My Mom encouraged me to share that with all of you.

To those of you who have are going through your own weight loss journey maybe you can relate to me. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and trying to find an analogy to best describe how I feel and the best I can come up with is that it truly is like a marathon. I hate to use that analogy because I don’t want to relate everything back to running but it’s all I’ve got.

It’s like a marathon because slowly but surely I am losing weight. And while I am happy to be losing weight and getting healthier the day to day is kind of mundane.

I will go ahead and share a couple of stories/experiences I have had over the past couple of months.

This first story will take us back to August at the Iowa State Fair. If you know me at all you probably know that I LOVE the Iowa State Fair. It’s like Christmas and my birthday all in one glorious week. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit but The Fair is very special to me. My husband, Darvin, and I had our very first date at the Iowa State Fair, ten years ago! We spent the entire day exploring the Fair grounds. We took in an exhilarating Dairy Cow Show, saw countless hot tubs in the Varied Industries Building, and admired photography in the Cultural Center. We even got our caricature done (which I still have proudly displayed on a wall in my house). And yes we ate lots of Fair food.

This year was the first year that the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon 5K was held during the actual week of the Fair. So of course Darvin and I had to run the race. I really had a blast. It was an entirely different way to see the fair. The hill up into the campgrounds nearly killed me but I made it and I even set my season personal record at 41:47!

More recently Darvin and I travelled back to Ohio earlier this month for a friend’s weeding. It had been two years since we had been back to visit so we were pumped to see our friends and visit our favorite old restaurants.

A funny thing keeps happening though. It happened in Ohio and it happened at the Fair as well. Since I changed my eating habits I can’t eat like I used to. It literally makes me sick. While I enjoyed being back in Ohio I felt like crap for the better part of the week. I stayed up way later than normal, talking and laughing with friends, and I was eating pretty much whatever I wanted. And guess what?!? It did not agree with me!

After returning home I discovered that I had put on about 10 pounds. Oy! I have lost most of that weight since returning home but doesn’t it seem to go on so much quicker than it comes off? How annoying is that?!?

I also didn’t exercise while I was in Ohio. And let me just tell you this. While I noticed the effects of that choice on the scale, I noticed it more in my mood and my emotions. I am no expert but I when I got home and started to exercise the positive effects on my mood and emotions were immediately evident. Call it a “runners high” or whatever you will. As Elle Woods said “Exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy.” Touch Elle Woods!

So this is where I am at. I continue to try and make better choices in the foods I eat and I am exercising about 4-6 times per week. I have settled on run/walking two miles a day and when I can I will throw in Zumba.

For those of you going through your own weight loss journey’s I just want to encourage you to keep going. Keep persevering. I know it can be tough, trust me. When you slip up, don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember that tomorrow is a new day. You can do this!