I’m sad the long weekend is coming to a close. I feel like it was balanced nicely: MEA conference on Thursday, Lora’s birthday on Friday, work at school and dinner with my son on Saturday, and self-care Sunday.

Today I slept in, then picked up a few groceries before making bean chili soup for lunches for the week. I sorted and did laundry, and took a nap. I had kind of strayed from my healthier eating over the past couple days (birthday parties and dinners out will do that), so I was a lot more careful about what I ate today.

I don’t know if I’ve blogged about it yet, but I have been using the Weight Watchers app since mid-late September. I went to the doctor in September and weighed more than I have ever weighed before (with the exception of my pregnancies). I knew my clothes weren’t fitting well anymore, but I hadn’t realized how much I had actually gained. I decided to make a change because I had been feeling crappy and depressed all summer, which no doubt led to much of the weight gain. I’d used a version of Weight Watchers in the past and it helped me learn portion sizes and balance in my diet. After having kids, I never really worried about it because I was always busy and generally stayed within about a five pound variance, so my clothes generally fit and things were fine. But then the election in 2016 hit, things got bad at school, I got depressed, I changed jobs, and there was a lot of stress, and I gained weight.

I’m not sure I would have really cared, except I don’t have the money to buy all new clothes and so I need to fit into my winter work clothes. I’ve lost almost 20 pounds and my clothes do fit better, but I’ve also noticed I have more energy and my foot doesn’t hurt as badly as it used to. I don’t get as worn out as I used to. It’s weird how just that small amount of weight (although it was about 10% of my body weight) can make such a difference. I didn’t think I’d lose much and I was prepared for that. I didn’t think I’d really stick to it.

Maybe one thing I’ve learned from blogging each day and now eating more mindfully is that I can actually stick with things. I wonder what the difference is between these things and the things I can never remember or don’t stick to? Something to ponder.