Re-evaluated

Ok, so I've been really mulling over my frustration about today's weight and I've come to the conclusion that maybe I deserve this. Ok, not maybe - I DO deserve this. In reality I dodged a bullet last week. I went back into e-tools and entered all my food for the last 3 weeks. I have been "tracking" for 5 weeks, but in my personal journal and not putting it all in e-tools. That exercise has helped me not get off track too far when I do, but I haven't really been calculating my weekly points allowance. If I'm OP one day, I generally try to stay at my target points, knowing that my extra flex points will be used on the days I stray. On those days I journal, but don't really figure out how many flex points I have left, or how far in the hole I've gone.

Well, e-tools did it for me. The cool thing about e-tools is that you can look at the "weekly" view. I put in the last few weeks, and checked out my weeks. Well, it's true that this week I did pretty well. My friday binge used up my flex points and then some, but I ended the week only negative 28 points in the hole. BUT, I had 17 AP that were never swapped or eaten. So in reality I only went over 11 points for the week. Not bad really - that's 1-2 pts per day. This is why I hoped for a loss this week.

But - if we back UP a week, we see that the week prior, I went over my points by 86. Yes 86!! and I only earned 10 AP for the week, and they were used the day I got them. So, in reality the fact that I lost 0.6 last week was crazy. I mean I totally deserved a 1-2 lb gain. It was some fluke of the scale last Thursday that put me at the 214.6 number. So - let's say I had gained 1.4 last week instead of lost .6 (a realistic assumption). I would have been at 216.6. So - if today I'm under that (I hope I am!) then I should consider that a "loss" from this week, right?

I know - I'm playing with the numbers, but I've got to rationalize it somehow. I can't believe that in a week I went over by 86 points I deserve to lose .6 but in a week I only went over 11, I deserve to gain. That just doesn't fly with my logical brain. So I've got to believe last week's WI was a fluke - that I just got "lucky" and that this week I'm really doing better. AND that NEXT week, if I can stay close to "even" and not go over, I will see a good loss. Right?

Another thing I've been pondering lately is metabolism. It's frustrating because last time I did WW seriously, in 2001, the weight literally fell off. I mean I think I had 2-3 gains over the 4 months it took me to get to goal. I had lots of weeks where I lost 2 lbs and 3 lbs. Losses I would DIE for now. I was 23 then. I'm 29 now. Does metabolism change that much? Is it just that I've lost it once and gained it back that my body doesn't want to do it again? Is it metabolism or am I not doing the program as religiously? I feel like it can't be the last possibility because I specifically remember the first go-around that even if I went over up to 30 pts from my "banked" points (used Winning Points back then) I still had around a 2 lb loss. I really think my metabolism has changed.

So - I'm going to TRY to get back into lifting weights. I did that back then, and I know that is the only proven way to increase metabolism (without chemical help). For some reason, though, this time around I just hate lifting. I've gotten back into exercising and am averaging at least 2, usually 3 times per week running or doing other cardio, but weight training just has no appeal to me. I know the scientific reasons it's good though, so maybe this week's mini-goal will be to get in 3 weight training sessions. It looks like the first will be Sunday (maybe Saturday, but unlikely). That will leave me needing 2 more Mon-Wed. I'm going to see if I can do it. Along with my running/cardio of course.

Ok - now that I'm a little more centered about today's weight, hopefully the WI won't screw me up too much. I know we're going out tonight. I know I'm going to drink. But I'm going to try to reign it in. I know tomorrow night is going to be indulgent to, so hopefully I won't go tooo overboard tonight..

Here's hoping.