WARNING: This post is, as the title says, for women only. If you’re a guy, you may want to turn away now.

I’ve debated whether or not to write about this topic since I started this blog, but it’s a big issue in my weight loss, so I felt I needed to share it. So, I hope this isn’t too TMI or anything.

Let’s talk about the week I like to call Shark Week.

Ladies, you know what I’m talking about.

Let’s get real here: for me, and for a lot of women I know, Shark Week isn’t actually just a week. There’s a solid week of pain and feeling tired right before it arrives, then the actual event itself, and then a few days of feeling kinda bad.

It happens – no big deal, right? It is, for me, when it comes to weight loss.

When it comes time for Shark Week, I become incredibly fatigued – exhausted, tired, sleepy, there aren’t enough words to describe it – and I am usually in some pretty bad pain. Not only that, but I crave everything that’s bad for me, especially fried foods and sweets. And I want to eat as much of this junk food as possible. I promise, it’s almost like I feel better after I give in to these cravings, whether it’s a bite of chocolate or a french fry.

And thanks to the exhaustion and pain, the last place I want to be is the gym. Even thinking about moving my legs to walk makes me tired.

BUT – I will say this – if you are experiencing PMS-type pains, working out will actually relieve them. If you can get past the initial pain, working out will feel better for your aches and pains than any medicine (too bad the effects aren’t long-term!).

So, what’s the answer? How do you keep up a decent energy level and stay away from junk food? I don’t know.

Midol helps a little, and any caffeinated drink only wakes me up a little bit. I’ve learned that I can have a small amount of whatever I’m craving, and that usually satisfies the craving. But the tiredness? I’m at a loss on that one.

I get frustrated because it always seems to hit about the time I’m doing really well in terms of working out and eating healthfully, so I feel like I’m getting nowhere, or even gaining weight, during Shark Week. It is so incredibly frustrating, but it’s Mother Nature. What can you do?

If anyone has any tips to beat the Shark Week blues, holler!

My birthday was Sunday. I have to admit, I was baaaad.

I didn't go to the gym for the entire week leading up to my birthday, and I ate poorly. Boy, am I paying for it now. I've never felt so sluggish and overall awful. I may have had some fun times while I was gym-less (quick trip to Memphis for Beale St. Music Fest and shopping, and lots of sitting around watching TV), but I've never missed the gym so much. And ugh, eating junk food may taste good while you eat it, but it makes you feel so bad for daaaaaays. Even though I've been back on the healthy train for a few days, I'm still feeling tired and run down.

Anyway.

My mom tried to keep me in line on my birthday, though, with a very cool alternative cake. She knows my favorite fruit is watermelon, so she cut a watermelon in slices, stacked the slices and ka-boom, a watermelon "cake." She even topped it with a candle that played music, and she had Avengers plates and napkins. (why yes, I am a geek) If you or someone you know is trying to lose weight, try something different like a watermelon cake instead of a sugary, bad-for-you actual cake. It's pretty awesome.

Three flavors of La Croix

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Water has always been my drink of choice, and lately I've found two super-powered kinds that go above and beyond basic hydration.

The first: La Croix.

La Croix is lightly-flavored carbonated water. It's not sweetened, so you don't have to worry about sugar or even artificial sweeteners. Because it's not sweet, the taste may throw you a bit at first – it's a bit odd at first to drink something lime, lemon, berry or coconut flavored that's not sweet. But it is SO GOOD – especially the lime, which is my current favorite. The carbonation makes it feel like a soda, but it's not. It's actually healthy.

La Croix can be found at both Kroger locations in Tupelo, and the Gloster St. Walmart.

The second: Avitae.

Avitae is caffeinated water. I know, I know, caffeine isn't all that healthy and you shouldn't drink much of it, but every once in a while you need a kick, and Avitae most definitely provides that. It is not flavored but instead comes in two doses: 90 mg (with a red label; about the same amount of caffeine in coffee) and 45 mg (with an orange label; about the same amount of caffeine in a diet soda).

The caffeine in the water is natural, and because that's all that's in there, your body breaks it down faster. I can't tell much of a caffeine rush when I drink sodas or coffee, but holy cow, I do with Avitae. Unless you just drink a whole lot of caffeine, I warn you not to drink a whole lot of Avitae quickly. I've drank the two doses either together or back to back and have almost made myself sick. Just one dose by itself is plenty, trust me.

The only place I've found Avitae is Papa V's in Tupelo.

As of Saturday, I've lost 51 pounds.

Like any other milestone I've reached in this weight loss journey, that fact kinda blows my mind. At the same time, it's so easy for me to follow that accomplishment by saying, "Oh, but it took nine months," or "Oh, but most of that weight was lost in the first five months, and you've only lost 10 in the last four months..." that kind of thing.

But I'm trying really hard not to listen to the Debbie Downer in my head and keep on my positive path.

My doc says I need to lose 75 total, so I'm two-thirds of the way there. I can't believe I'm THISCLOSE to my goal!

With my birthday around the corner (next Monday!), this just makes this birthday even sweeter.

So here I am, at 51 pounds. It feels pretty awesome. Work outs feel amazing, not exhausting. I could live at the gym if only I had every hour of every day to myself. I don't miss junk food that tastes bad or makes me sick.

Now I've gotta lose these remaining 24 pounds.

Fifty pounds is kind of a big deal, and when I originally set out with this plan, I said I'd buy myself a really awesome reward for losing 50 pounds. My main ideas were a manicure and pedicure (something I give myself at home all the time, but never splurge to have them done at a salon), or a massage, or my favorite expensive (for my budget) make-up.

I kind of accidentally spent my reward money last night, on new workout clothes. I didn't mean to spend so much, but I really needed new workout pants – I've been XL's since day one, and the ones I bought last night were medium's. The new pants, shorts and other necessary workout clothes fit so much better and make it way easier to work out in.

So I guess I'll save the big gifts – mani/pedi, Make Up Forever, etc. – for the next milestones. But right now, I'm sitting pretty at 51.