Getting on the scale and seeing that I’ve lost 10lbs.

This is the memory I’m most proud of. At least, so far.

Exactly a month ago, on the last day of August, my weight was the highest it had been in over a decade. For the days, weeks, and months prior, every time I got on the scale, I watched the number creep up. Every time, I told myself I was going to start changing things and getting back on track to losing weight. Every time, I lied to myself.

That is, until August 31^st.

That was the day I had a phone call with a good friend, who validated my feelings of frustration regarding my weight, and then talked about how intermittent fasting was helping her. That was the day I threw out the two remaining pints of delicious ice cream, which I had bought because they were BOGO at Publix and I, of course, had to do my part in supporting vegan products. That was the day I got the email from Nautilus explaining that my new treadmill, which I had ordered 9 weeks earlier, had finally shipped. That was the day I created my very own daily Exercise Log, and I made a promise to myself that I would stick to it.

I’m not sure I’ve ever held myself accountable to something, to anything, in my life. I’ve always seemed to look to others to keep me accountable. The dopamine kick my inner child gets when I’ve lived up to my word and pleased someone else feels good. That totally stems from a childhood of striving to make my mom proud. That’s a lightbulb moment. I can do my own therapy now.

Anyhoo, back to accountability. Over the past month, I have not skipped a single day of my exercise goals. I’m certainly proud of that, but even more so, I’m proud of the fact that I did it for no one other than myself.

I’ve averaged 17,557 steps per day, but in the last couple of weeks, that number is up over 21k. I’ve done 30 push-ups daily, whether they be full ones, modified, or a mix of the two. On that first day, I was only able to hold the plank for 40 seconds, and yesterday, I was able to hold it for 1 minute 45.

I also researched intermittent fasting, and have been doing quite well eating only between 10am and 6pm. Granted, the friend who told me about it felt my hangry wrath daily that first week, when my stomach seemed to be growling all. the. time.

My hard work and dedication has paid off. This morning, I stepped on the scaled and it showed a number 10.2 pounds less than it displayed on August 31. I’ve almost lost the amount I gained during my quarantine. I’m still another 10 pounds away from my goal weight, but it definitely feels good to be on the right track again!