Yeah, that SO didn't last.
I still go to the gym, mainly because in a fit of ill-advised I Love Exercise! I Will Always Love Exercise! I Will Never Roll Around In Butter Again! enthusiasm I signed myself up for a years worth of once-a-week sessions with a trainer and now I can't get out of it. And, to be honest, I like the guy and it is a great way to start every week, you know all glowy and virtuous and pure (translation: sweating 'til I'm blind and breathing stertorously through open mouth like a beached carp). And I even managed to do some classes a few weeks ago and they didn't kill me or make me cry or put me in the hospital. But as the weight slowly ounces its way back on to my 40 year old ass, the guilt about not staying with the program grows and I wonder why the hell I can never stick to this kind of thing.
It seems that I have a problem staying motivated, at least when it comes to mortification of the flesh types of things.
Last week, my friends Robert and William pointed out to me (over a cup of my excellent strong coffee with cream and a pile of fresh baked pain au chocolate that they brought with them, you know the kind where there's so much butter in the pastry that the paper bag turns translucent and the good dark chocolate just oozes out? Mmmmm, that kind.), that when I started going to the gym I was very unhappily employed in a job that couldn't have suited me less, but feeling trapped by the excellence of the salary and benefits. I couldn't leave the job, indeed every attempt to find a new one failed miserably, and I just had to do something for myself that would allow me to accomplish something. So, I started the exercise and diet program and got all high on endorphins and achievement and the thrill of seeing my waistline emerge after many years of hibernation and all was right with the world.
But I couldn't keep it up. Weight-wise, I flatlined for a good half-year or so, which was okay in that I was happy with my size and slightly fine-tuned shape and I always meant to climb back on the wagon of strict eating and exercise habits, but it just never happened. And then my job ended in March and I thought "Hey! With all this free time, I can hit the gym during the day when it's not so busy, this'll be great, I'll be in wicked shape by the time my 40th birthday rolls around in May!"
But that's not what happened at all! Instead of watching what I eat and making daily pilgrimages to the Altar of Fitness, I've been cooking up a storm, perfecting my sourdough breadmaking abilities, puttering around the house and generally enjoying myself. In short, I'm happy. Truly, sickeningly, oh-god-Kara-would-you-ever-just-shut-up-about-it happy. And happy, it seems, is a state that doesn't inspire a whole lot of motivation for me to do the kinds of things required to lose 100 lbs. Now, I'm still much more fit than I was before this all started, much stronger and straighter thanks to the trainer and my now daily habit of long trail walks with the dog, but it would seem that for me at least, happy = fat.
That said, I have a preliminary job interview on Friday. Who knows? I might be back in the rat race sooner than anticipated and that extra avoirdupois might just melt away again.
Kara
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