I CAN Do This!!!

Sunday was a bad day, and yesterday morning when I woke up I really wondered if I could pull it all together and get myself back on plan again.
As I'd woken early I decided to get myself to the gym and get my workout out of the way, which would at least be a good start. It was a Bank Holiday here but I was surprised that the gym was still fairly busy. I really wasn't sure what I felt like doing, but knew that after going over a week without a run I needed to incorporate some treadmill work or risk losing some ground there. So in the end I warmed up for 10mins on the cross trainer, did a steady 5.3k run on the treadmill, and then did 2k on the rowing machine, which just about killed me lol. One thing I noticed after last holiday when I didn't run for several days was that when I first started running again the back of my thighs and the back of my hips (love handles) sort of hurt, and this happened again yesterday. Not a muscle sort of pain, more a bouncing pain if that makes any sense lol. Just goes to show I'd better not stop running for several days again had I?!
The rest of the day was hard but I got through it. I went to the supermarket and stocked up on loads of fresh fruit and veg, drank loads of water, ate healthy even though I didn't want to, and just generally put blinkers on so I couldn't veer off plan again. Yesterday evening I started peeing and didn't stop all night, and I mean through the night as well! I must have got up to pee every 2 hours through the night and I was getting so annoyed! But it was SO worth it this morning when the scale showed I'd lost 4.5lbs of the 7.5lbs gain overnight!!! I've NEVER lost that much weight overnight, just shows how much water I retain when I go off plan and don't exercise! So it's given me real hope that the other 3lbs might come off pretty quickly and then I can work on getting into new territory. We are going away again for a few days in about 8 weeks, and I REALLY want to have lost all the regain and another 7lbs if at all possible by then, so I'm going to give it my all.
This morning the gym didn't seem so appealing. I decided to have breakfast with hubby and DD before going, then I got to thinking that I really didn't want to go to the gym and maybe a run outside would be good instead as the weather was lovely. I put it off and put it off then decided that yes, a run was more appealing than the gym. So I got myself ready and went to find Bob to drag him along and you know what?! He was fast asleep, flat as a flat thing! That immediately gave me a perfect excuse not to do anything. I'm still new enough to running outside that I really need Bob with me to help me stop my heart rate from going sky high, and so that I can have proof of what I've achieved afterwards, so setting off without him was never an option in my head. But do you know what I did? I went and put him on charge and told him to pull himself together, and while he was doing that I put on my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and did the Level 1 workout! Last time I did this workout was about Easter I think, and I had to stop several times, but today I did the whole workout and could really tell that my fitness has improved. She still kicked my butt but in a good way lol. And then do you know what I did after that? No, I didn't go collapse on the sofa and have a nap lol. I checked Bob had got his act together a little, strapped him on and went and did a 2.5k run/walk! I ended up walking most of the hills on the way back because my legs were already really tired from the 30Day Shred and it was midday by this time and hot, but I was just SO proud of myself for going out and still doing a short run after already doing the DVD!
Getting back on plan again straight away yesterday and then the workout I've done today has really convinced me yet again that although it might not be as quick as I'd originally planned, I AM going to get to goal and stay there this time. Before when I've lost weight a holiday or stressful time have been all it needed to make me go off plan and never be able to get back on again, only for all the weight to pile back on and bring more with it. I've been on this journey for 13 months now and lost more weight than ever before, consistently. I've exercised regularly the whole time, which I never did before, and am fitter than I think I've been in my whole life. And even though I've had several holidays and stressful times when I've gone off plan and gained weight, I've got straight back on again afterwards, repaired the damage and carried onto a new low. Knowing that I am now so strong and I really can do this for the rest of my life is just an amazing feeling, one I never thought I'd feel...