Sunday, October 2, 2011

And now we return to our regularly scheduled program....

Well, it's been almost 2 months since my last post - and holy cow, what a 2 months it has been!  Seriously, it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions, pressure, stress, writing, editing, and more as I've spent the last 2 months finishing up my Ph.D dissertation.

But it's handed in now (I did that a couple days ago) and life is slowly returning to some semblance of normal, albeit a strange kind of normal without having this idea of the dissertation always looming.  My defense is in early December, so it's not completely done.  I'll need to go back to it, read, and do a bit more research in preparation for my defense.  And then, in the defense, most likely there will be recommended revisions before it passes.  So the process is not completely over, but barring major revisions, the hard part is done.

Want to see what it looks like?


the front cover

first page of chapter four

one of the prettiest pages to me - footnotes are beautiful!

A few stats about this thing.  It turned out being:
  • 395 pages (352 pages of text + 34 pages of bibliography)
  • 87,859 words in main text 
  • 48,978 words in footnotes
  • approximately 1,200 paragraphs
These 395 pages represent four years worth of work for me, and while I know I need to be proud of this achievement (and I am), it's hard to celebrate fully until I know what my examiners think.  I can think I did the most amazing thing in the world, but if my examiners don't like it, it can all be for naught.  So early December will bring the result and will dictate just where I stand in the whole process.

So it's not over.  But it is over for now.


And so now life returns to what it was before the madness began.


So, where am I on the whole losing weight thing?

Heavier than I had hoped I'd be, but about what I expected.  Shall we reveal the toll the last 2 months have taken?

Drum roll please....

2 October 2011 weigh-in

Starting weight:                          327.0
Last weigh-in (9 August):          270.6
Current weigh-in (2 October):   279.6    
Gain of                                       + 9.0

Total Loss                                -  47.4 lbs

Yeah, it's a little disappointing I have to admit.  I was doing pretty well at maintaining until these last 2 months, and then all health-related habits pretty much took a hiatus with my blog.  
 
I wish I could have continued to lose or maintain.  But at the same time, I know I need to give myself a break.  I have just completed the hardest thing I have EVER done....and probably one of the hardest things I will ever do.  The task was immense, to say the least.  And so, a 9 pound gain, in the big scheme of things, is not the end of the world.

I'm headed back to the gym this coming week.  Time to get back into the routine.  I miss running.  I miss swimming.  I miss feeling strong.  I feel flabby, slobbish, and weak again.  I feel tight, inflexible, and heavy.  My lack of exercise and improper diet (particularly not enough fruit & vegetables) has wreaked havoc on my digestive system, skin, and mood.  I didn't want to go back to that, but this dissertation exacted its price in whatever way it could, and unfortunately, that's what went.

But what's done is done.  
 
And watch out, October, because I'm gonna try hard to knock you out.


What have I missed in your world?  
And what do you do to get back on the horse after a break?

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on being in the HOME STRETCH for your dissertation. That is a tremendous feeling. When you get to your defense, enjoy it. You are the star you know. That is advice someone gave me and it was great.

    You will get back in the weight loss game. Michele

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  2. Congrats on getting that beast turned in! The hard part is over from what I hear! Glad to have you back!

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  3. Just pick up where you left off. That 9 lbs. can be gone in no time and you will be back to even. Don't stress about it. Congratulations on your accomplishment and now you can focus on this weight thingy :-)If you have the commitment and determination to write a doctoral dissertation this will be a walk in the park (at an aerobic rate of course).

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  4. Wow. I am so insanely impressed by this. You must feel such relief. You'll whip those 9 pounds off in no time. No worries. CONGRATS!!

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  5. Hey Jayme,
    I don't know you and I just found your blog doing some research on back pain. I read through your back pain post and your most recent one and just wanted to say: Congratulations on having found your way. It seems to work and your body is showing you that you are on the right path. Gaining a few pounds while finishing your dissertation, that's just a small bump in the road. Congratulations on your great achievements. I gotta say, I feel a bit inspired :)
    Greetings from Germany,
    Kia

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  6. You should be so proud of what you have done!! You completed your dissertation while doing all you could to maintain. The fact that you lived through the final stretch with little impact on your weight is a wonderful wonderful gift! You rock. You are beautiful. You are awesomeness!

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