Week 8 -- A little late with my post

Max Distance: 1.62 miles

Weight loss this week: 0

Weight loss so far: 0

I went to the doctor this week for my yearly physical. He, of course, told me that I need to exercise and lose weight. He said that not only will losing weight make me feel better, but the actual act of exercising will make me feel better. I can benefit a lot from the stress relief, the endorphins, the "me" time. I agree. I do feel better when I exercise. It just feels like a monumental effort sometimes to get there.

But the doctor also said to remember that I don't necessarily have to be at the gym to be exercising. A bunch of short activities can add up, like running around in the yard with my kids, or taking a short walk around the neighborhood. So, even though I only made it to the gym once this week, I don't feel so bad about it. I did take the kids to the mall this week and walk all over. Another day, we went to the park and did a lot of running around and carrying kids and strollers. Then, Saturday I did some strenuous cleaning -- mopping floors, scrubbing bathtubs, scrubbing toilets. So, all of those things combined probably equal another workout.

But still, no weight loss. I haven't been dieting, but I have been eating better. The only times I have gotten the scale to budge is when I just haven't eaten dinner a few times in a week, like when I've had a migraine or I've been sick. Does that mean I am going to have to not eat to be able to lose weight?

Several years ago, before I got pregnant with my second child, I lost about 18 pounds in 6 months. I think the difference was that I was working. I was too busy to stop and get a snack every time I was a little bit hungry. And I wasn't finishing the kids' leftovers all the time. Maybe I need to go back to work to lose weight!