Days 23-26: Pas Mal

In French, "pas mal" means "not bad". The French use it when they literally mean "not bad", as in: "How are you today, Jean-François?" And if J-F is feeling fairly good that day, he might say, "Ah, pas mal, pas mal."

The French also say "pas mal" when they mean FANTASTIC! SUPER! LIFE IS FABULOUS! THIS IS THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I EVER ATE! THINGS COULDN'T BE BETTER AND I JUST WON THE FREAKING LOTTERY! The French are kind of understated in that way, and they don't like to rave about anything (especially the Parisians, who specialize in being blasé no matter how excited they might actually be about something). Excessive enthusiasm is not commonplace in France. Except maybe when they're eating; then it's all yummy noises around the table.

I would say my weight loss efforts over the weekend fall somewhere nearer the first definition of pas mal -- literally, I was not bad. I was not necessarily perfectly good, either, but we ate out only once in a restaurant and although I indulged a little here or there, it was minimal. I tracked my food intake about 70% of the time. I drank a lot more water (if my numerous overnight trips to the WC are anything to judge by) and no wine at all. I got in more fruit and veggies than in the 3 or 4 days prior, too. I also got (sorry, men) my period, which being in pre-menopause is an on again-off again thing more and more, and the unpredictable nature of my hormones and yo-yo-ing water weight gain is, I believe, at least a little bit to blame for my slow weight loss.

This week I'm just planning to lay low, work quietly (I have a lot of rewriting of my manuscript to catch up on, now that school is out and my family duties are temporarily suspended for a few weeks), and eat moderately. We have two weeks until our beach vacation in the south, and my goal is to focus on achieving that first full 5 lb loss and to make a dent in the second 5 lbs as well. I might not get 10 lbs off by the start of vacation but by the end of it, around mid-August, I ought to be at least that first 10 lbs lighter! (We do a lot of walking when we're in the south and we tend to eat a lot of seafood and fresh fruits and veggies since they are so plentiful and delicious there!)

So that's the latest. I'll probably be blogging here a few times weekly instead of daily for a while... but I'm still here and my goals have not changed!