This week was one of my biggest weeks yet in my Operation Melt journey. I celebrated 3 big milestones throughout this week.
First, Friday was the 6 month point in my journey. I made my decision to get healthy after I walked out of my doctor appointment on June 15th. I spent the next few days figuring out what to do and then I committed and moved forward with my plan, now called Operation Melt. This hasn’t been a daily success because of natural ups and downs, but it has been a success overall and it has been life-changing!
One important note about the 6-month mark speaks to a quote that I read once “motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going.” I saw a Ted Talk once that said 6 months of doing anything is enough to make it a habit. So, if both of these sources are right, I should have reach the sustainability point this week, right? I really think I got there long ago.
The second milestone this week was that, on the eve of the 6-month mark, I hit the 75 pounds lost mark. 75 pounds is 75% of the original goal I set out of losing over 100 in under a year. I lost 50 in 3 months and the other 25 in the next 3, so it definitely gets harder as you lose more weight.
Interestingly, the 75 pound mark is when people are really noticing the change, particularly those who don’t see me everyday. Any time we go to a restaurant or bar where people know us, somebody wants to talk about my transformation and how I am doing it. This is great because it is not only positive reinforcement, but also gives me and opportunity to help others through my journey. I give them inspiration, motivation or just solid tactical advice on how to work through their own journey. I love it!
The third milestone this week is related to my desire to help other people, I launched OperationMelt.com. This website recaps my journey to-date and will continue to track it as it continues. I also shared an article I wrote to accompany the site on LinkedIn to help funnel people to the site. The article was viewed over 1100 times and there have been 275 visitors to the site so far. So, pretty exciting stuff and I hope it helps somebody.
A concern that I started developing this week was that I am now very public about my journey. What happens if I fail? Based on the holiday happy hours and lunches and such, my daily fluctuations of weight went up 2 pounds after I announced the 75 pound mark and I was really disappointed. I know this is just temporary weight (water retention and unprocessed food) and not a true gain but it still feels like a big setback. I know in my mind that by Tuesday morning I will drop like 3-4 pounds, but that doesn’t quiet that voice in the back of my head that is saying “pssst…. You screwed up!” I know it is not, but that doesn’t stop the voice. I just have to remember that my job is to prove that voice wrong and say “go to hell self-doubt, I am fierce and a winner” and then I will probably use some other insulting words too! I am going to win, I am going to be successful and I am going to continue to love the new me!
I guess I left out a 4th big accomplishment this week that I almost forgot about. I ran my first mile without walking on Monday! It kind of happened by accident and I built up to it, but it was a big deal for me. Hitting the on mile mark is a first step for me and it is hopefully the gateway to the 5k where I can meet up with others and enjoy a run as a group. Just 4 months ago, I thought a 25-foot run was a stretch and now I am running a mile – multiple miles if you look across the full 30+ minutes on treadmill!
Last week’s stats:
Distance walked/run: 31.9 miles
Total calories burnt: 26,806
Total calories consumed: 9,064
Weight change: 4.3 pounds lost
