What if I gain one week?

I had a mini-gain last week.  I gain .6lbs.  Now, I know this is minor, but it was the first time I didn't have a loss, and it wasn't even me just plateauing.  It was a GAIN.  But I wasn't too upset.  In fact, I don't think I was upset enough.

See, I know I should be terrified of a gain; terrified of gaining back any of what I've lost or of not losing any more weight.  I've heard from friends in my support group who have experienced this, and my heart goes out to them.  When they share this news, I wish I could take out my Louisville Slugger and beat the fuck out of those gained pounds until they melt away like ice chips.

But when it happened to me, I was...okay with it.  I mean, I wasn't celebrating or doing a feisty jig in my living room (although I do do a an awesome Irish jig when the occasion calls for it), but I wasn't angry or depressed about it either.  I was kind of ambivalent about it.  I knew why I had gained (three birthday celebrations in one week, no matter how careful you are, is a killer) and what I had to do to not gain again (stop celebrating people's birthdays!  Ha!).

I think what also helped was my outlook on losing this much weight.  I try and remember that although I want my weight to get to my goal as soon as possible, this band is something I'm going to have and going to be working with for the rest of my life. So if I have a couple bad weeks where I gain, it's OK, because even though my "fat mind" is freaking out and making me terrified, the reality is, I'm in my mid-30's and I've got at least another 40 years of this banded journey.  Obviously I work too hard to want to see a gain, but at the same time, I'm more aware of my eating and lifestyle patterns than before, and I have the added benefit of restriction from the band.  It simply isn't as easy to gain 50 pounds like it was for me in the first place.  So although a gain isn't a good thing, it isn't the be-all, end-all of my journey wither. I've still got decades to go, and just like life, this is a marathon, not a sprint.  There will be highs and lows.  Peaks and valleys.  Mountains and...canyons?  You get the point.  It's gonna be one tough ride.

Snorkeling

I'm stepping out on my first adventure next weekend!

I joined a group that's all about exploring the outdoors, and they are going snorkeling in Newport, RI next weekend.  I've never been snorkeling, but I love the water, and I've always thought it'd be cool to try it.  Plus, if I ever want to actually get my SCUBA certification and get into a steel cage with great white's swimming around me, I figure I should start with the basics first.  You know, like learning to swim with fins.

When I went on a cruise in 2005, I wanted to go snorkeling on one of the excursions.  However, I was at my heaviest weight then, and I wasn't comfortable with the idea of being the only whale-sized human in the shallows.  But now, having lost almost 50lbs, and, I'm sure, being 7 years older, I've got more confidence and more of an "I don't care what you think of me" attitude.  Plus, I can move easier and quicker and I have more energy now.

So, yes...snorkeling, here I come! :)