Re-Assess

Wait, is that right? Or am I just saying "ass" in that title. Eh, oh well.

Now that the half marathon is over, I sort of feel like the world is my oyster. Maybe it's the renewed "Hmm, I really can do anything!" high or maybe it's that the pressure is off, but now that it's done I want to switch things up a bit.

Yesterday at the gym I did a half hour on the elliptical and abs. I haven't done the elliptical in so long without feeling guilty. It was amazing.

As I've mentioned before, when I was training for my half if I was doing any activity that wasn't running, I was having serious guilt issues. I felt guilty for taking long bike rides. I felt guilty for running 3 miles when I was supposed to run 5. I felt guilty for checking out new classes.

Now that that guilt is out the door—I want to give myself new challenges.

And I've realized that the one "goal" I really overlooked while training was healthy eating. Hey, some weeks I was running up to 20 miles, why would I watch my diet?

But I have an admission here that I've got to spill. My eating habits are absolute crap. Garbage.

If you notice, I rarely post on here what I'm eating. That's because it's NOT good! I do make dinners at home but more often than not, they're quick meals that aren't the healthiest.

And that's my new challenge!

I originally lost weight by combining a healthy diet with exercise. And, OMG, it worked!

Now that the weight is off, I've let the healthy eating go by the wayside but I have kept the exercise. I've fluctuated by about 5 pounds for almost a year (wow, can't believe I've kept this weight off for one year! Hmm that's another post) and that's great. But lately, the numbers have been up way more than they've been down. My super skinny jeans are beyond tight and I HATE that feeling. I haven't changed sizes, but I definitely feel the tightness. And that's because of my horrible eating habits!

Yes, I'm still eating better than I was in 2008 when I went out to lunch almost every day, indulged in a buffet a few times/month, and NEVER worked out. But I really don't want to lose sight of everything I've learned when it comes to food.

I realized this yesterday as I was scarfing down cookies. UGH cookies! (yes, multiple)

I know better than that. I'm smarter than that. And I've worked too hard to let myself go!

I do believe that indulging every now and then won't kill you. And I do believe that these indulgences can keep you on track. But I need to pay better attention to what I eat and can't count on exercise to counteract everything. Especially on weekends when I really eat like garbage. (And often skip working out!)

I'm not sure if I'm going to go back to counting calories (that is really difficult for me) and I'm not looking to lose a massive amount of weight here. I just want to go back to the days when I'd plan out healthy meals instead of relying on Hamburger Helper. And I want to go back to the days when I was excited by new meals and didn't fall back on old (unhealthy) favorites. And I NEED to go back to the days when I'd portion out my desserts.

So here I am. Recommitting myself to healthier eating.

The problem: I'm like OUT of cash for this pay cycle so I can't really stock up on groceries until I get paid again. I'm not trying to make excuses. I will start this as soon as I can!

And, of course, I'll keep you guys updated on my progress.