50 Days!

Today celebrates 50 days of Running Without a Watch, and it also coincides with my weekly weight in day, which means that I officially reached my goal weight of 160 pounds.  Now that I have reached this pivotal moment though, I realize that achieving this goal means more than just losing a certain number of pounds.  It means that I finally learned how to set a goal that was realistic and achievable.  You see, when I have set weight goals in the past, I also set a prescribed time frame.  This time frame always led to my demise, because when I got close to the deadline and realized that I would not make the cut, I quit trying. 

However, just as Running Without a Watch has helped me to change the goals I set for running, it also helped me to change the goals I set for weight loss.  I realized that it didn’t matter if I reached my goal weight by Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, or even Presidents Day.   What really mattered was eventually hitting that goal weight by maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.  Just as my running got easier when I stopped focusing on speed and time, losing weight became easier when I stopped putting pressure on myself to lose weight by a certain date.

During these past 50 days, I have learned how to manage the ups and downs of everyday life without losing focus and giving up on my goals.  Even today, when I was feeling anxious about a personal matter, I didn’t go to the bakery.  I have been able to eat out at restaurants; even order dessert!  I have taken a few days off from running and jumped right back into it without any problems. 

While these victories are due to the insights I have learned through Running Without a Watch, none of it would be possible without the support of my loving wife.  She has listened patiently, cheered me on through the ups and downs, and taken care of the kids to make sure I could work out.  I truly could not have done this without her.