Success is in the eye of the beholder

This was not a great week.  Well, the weekdays were fine, nothing special, but this weekend sucked.  As part of my job I have to take turns doing evening/weekend emergency response.  I am fortunate that the part of campus in which I work is generally well-behaved, but this weekend the whole campus was a little rough...and of course I was the one on duty for my area.  What made things difficult on me as far as this journey goes, wasn't so much the temptation to eat bad things or even the "stress eating", but the sheer bad timing of everything.  I've mentioned in several posts about how easy the dining hall has made things for me with their always having a healthy option, posting the nutritional facts online, etc.  But I haven't mentioned what makes things difficult:  their hours don't revolve around my hunger/sleep schedule!  This is especially key on duty weekends when I'm getting called out at all hours of the day and night.

Friday night I only had a couple calls, but they were spaced out so that I only got sleep in 2-3 hour increments.  I ended up sleeping in until around 12:30.  I ended up having my first meal around 4:00 - my first mistake.  It was such a late lunch that I wasn't ready for dinner until quite late.  However, by the time I was hungry for dinner, I was in the midst of Saturday night duty calls.  Let's just say it was a really late night and not only did I then have to find myself dinner, but I had to do it in between my calls.  Not easy and I mostly just ended up snacking - baked chips, some fruit, popcorn, healthy-ish stuff, but not an actual meal.  I was up really late and again ended up sleeping until 1.  I decided I was going to eat earlier, so I went onto the food services web site and looked at all the tasty things they were having for brunch.  I used my WW app to check the points, decided what I was going to get before I went, and then realized that it was 1:57 and the buffet closes at 2.  I had essentially no food in the fridge and the only thing open was the grill...which makes burgers, chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheesesteaks, etc.  So, I made the best choice that I could, and had it with a side of celery sticks.  Then, again, come dinner time I wasn't hungry and by the time I was ready for food it was 8 and they were closing.  I looked at a bunch of take-out menus...I had a serious hankering for a steak salad, but couldn't find one anywhere that sounded appetizing.  So, instead of making a bad choice, I made an egg, light toast, and turkey bacon.

I've had the last two days to contemplate how this upset in my normal schedule will reflect on the scale on Monday, and I've come to an important conclusion...I don't care.  I mean, I don't WANT to gain anything, but it won't really bother me if I do.  Because I know that I was dealt a bad hand this weekend and that I did the best that I could, and that's all that I can ask of myself.  I have decided that regardless of what happens on the scale, I'm going to concentrate on celebrating my small victories this week.

1. When I had the choice of all the tasty, yet unhealthy, offerings at the grill and my head, taste buds, and stomach were all saying "CHEESEBURGER!!!"...my mouth said "Grilled Chicken sandwich, please"

2. When it was 2am and I was still awake and really hungry and already in my car, I could have easily driven to the 24-hour McDonalds...and I honestly considered it...but then I thought of the picture from the doctors office of the year old hamburger that looked brand new and I pointed my car home instead.

3. Sunday, after two very late nights and little uninterrupted sleep, when I easily could have spent the day on the couch or in my bed, I made myself get up, do a little light cleaning in my apartment, and I still played Just Dance to get my exercise in since I missed it on Saturday.

4. This week I exercised at least 5 days...and each day I exceeded my goal.

5. Instead of ordering take-out, or eating the box of macaroni and cheese sitting in my cabinet, I chose the egg sandwich and turkey bacon.

6. There are two chocolate bars and half an ice-cream cake in my freezer that went untouched.

7. I tried a Zumba CD this week with a friend and it was super fun!  I may just really buy myself the Zumba for Wii after I get paid.

8. I went to my RAs program where there was pizza, cake, and ice cream and I didn't eat ANYTHING.

9. Aside from this weekend when I needed to stay awake, I have significantly reduced the amount of pop I drink.

10. I just measured myself for the first time since I began and I have lost 1.5 inches off my waist, 1 inch from my hips, 1 inch from my bust, and 2 inches from my thighs.

11. I have lost 15.6 pounds in 6 weeks!!

and last, but certainly not least,
12.  I have the most fantastic support system a person could ask for.  Honestly, after I submitted my first post I thought I was crazy for starting this blog and sharing it with everyone, but I think it's the smartest thing I could have done.

So, no matter what the scale says, I'm counting this week as a success!

Initial weight: 257.2
Week 7: +0.2
Total weight loss: -1546 lbs
Current weight: 241.8

Only up by 0.2??  After the week I had, I will take it and not complain!!!  Especially since I discovered today that one of my favorite snacks costs more points than what I originally thought.....wwwwaaaayyyyyy more points.  And I ate it almost every day this week...no more pretzels and hummus for me!