Hello everyone! I know it’s been a long time but I’ve been really busy lately with lots of fun things! I went to New York the first weekend in October and this past weekend I went up to Michigan State for my homecoming and I had a blast at both. Before I went to New York, I was really freaking out over my diet and not wanting to gain weight while I was there. I’ve gotten in a groove of eating pretty well throughout the week but it’s very structured. A green smoothie for breakfast, Lean Cuisine or homemade sandwich for lunch, an apple or veggie for snack, and reasonably healthy dinner. Going to New York, I had no idea of what I would eat for any meal and didn’t have my frozen meals to fall back on. I read a few articles about traveling and eating healthy and made sure I packed a few granola bars, apples and almonds so I would always have a healthy snack on hand. When I got there, there were plenty of BAD temptations. Those food trucks you see on tv are everywhere and they smell amazing! The good thing is that they have chicken kebobs, which are probably pretty healthy. They also have gyros and hot dogs which are definitely NOT healthy, lol. The thing I realized when I was there was how much my diet has become a lifestyle change rather than a fad. I have never been able to stick with a diet before and that’s because I always thought of it as something temporary – “Once I lose __ pounds, I can’t wait to eat __ and __ and __.” I have been conscious of what I eat for 3 months now and, even though I slip and eat things I shouldn’t, everything has been in moderation and a conscious decision. “I can eat __ now, but that means I can’t have __ later.” And that is what got me through my trip and a 2 pound loss for that week. My friend and I did a lot of walking, took subways everywhere and were always on the move which helped me also. I had planned on officially working out in the hotel fitness center, but all the walking had my feet so tired, I didn’t want to add to my pain! So now I’m not afraid to travel because I understand food, balance, and most importantly, I have self-control that I have never had before!
If you’re wondering how far I need to go, I have another 30 or so pounds to lose by my birthday (Jan. 15). I have 3 months to lose it, and I’m hoping I can do. I know I can get close, but I would love to actually meet my goal and celebrate with my friends on our yearly ski trip. After I meet that goal, I am thinking I’ll only have another 30 pounds to go before the final goal date of May 1st. I want to go into the summer looking better than I have in a long time! For now, though, I’m splitting these next 3 months up into 2 parts. For the first part (Oct 15-Dec 1), here are some things I will do differently:
1. I am going to focus on eating more vegetables each day. Right now, I consistently get 1 serving with my morning smoothie (baby spinach) and usually another 1 during the day, either for lunch or at dinner. I want to increase it to at least 3 servings a day, meaning I either need to eat a double portion at dinner or eat 1 serving per each meal. I also want to focus on eating a low or no carb dinner throughout the week. Because I teach part-time and workout on the other days, I get home pretty late. I need to eat light when I get home and I’m thinking that cutting off carbs at lunch time will help me lose consistently each week.
2. I am going to consciously plan for a cheat meal on the weekends. Currently, I may have 3 or 4 cheat meals/foods throughout a given week – this could be a fast food meal, a milkshake, some pizza, etc. Moving forward, I want to eat almost perfectly on the weekdays and allow myself only 1 or 2 cheat meals/foods on the weekends.
3. I am going to ramp up my workouts. I recently got a Groupon for 10 classes at a boxing gym and I’ve taken 3 classes so far. Those classes are super challenging for my muscles, but I can definitely do some cardio in addition to the class. So on the days I go to the class (2 or 3 days a week), I am going to also go to the gym and do at least 45 mins on the Arc Trainer. That way, I get the benefit of doing a fun, challenging workout and I get my intense calorie burn at the gym. The days I don’t go to boxing, I will keep going to the gym and doing an hour of cardio and my pushup/situp exercises.
After 30 pounds, other people are finally starting to notice my weight loss, which is definitely encouraging. I feel soooo much better and can actually see the changes myself. I wish I had measured myself so I could have that kind of information to report on, but I am down 2 pants sizes, 1 size down in my bra size (not the cup size thank God!), and my shoes are flopping around on my feet (not good L). When I started this journey, I was the heaviest I had ever been and felt bloated, fat and unsexy. Now, even though I still have a long way to go, I’m at a size now where I can at least put on some control top tights or a light girdle and look good. After 3 months of working out 3-5 days a week, I am in good shape and can keep up with the best of them in my boxing classes. I am looking forward to my birthday in January and then to May, when I can proudly report that I am officially in maintenance mode! In the meantime, keep setting small, realistic goals and knocking them out the park!
| Weigh-in | Date | Pds Lost/Week | Weekly Goal | Total Lost |
| START | 9-Jul | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Week 1 | 16-Jul | -10.3 | 5 | 10.3 |
| Week 2 | 23-Jul | 3 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Week 3 | 30-Jul | 2 | 3 | 5.3 |
| Week 4 | 6-Aug | -2.1 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Week 5 | 13-Aug | -3 | 3 | 10.4 |
| Week 6 | 20-Aug | -3 | 3 | 13.4 |
| Week 7 | 27-Aug | -2 | 3 | 15.4 |
| Week 8 | 3-Sep | -3 | 3 | 18.4 |
| Week 9 | 10-Sep | -6 | 3 | 24.4 |
| Week 10 | 17-Sep | -4.00 | 3 | 22.4 |
| Week 11 | 24-Sep | -3.00 | 3 | 25.4 |
| Week 12 | 1-Oct | -1.00 | 3 | 26.4 |
| Week 13 | 8-Oct | -2.00 | 3 | 28.4 |
| Week 14 | 15-Oct | -2.00 | 3 | 30.4 |
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