Week 10 Update and PiYo Before-After Pics [Sept 22-29]

This post is about the beginning of my journey.

First, let me just say this...I FINISHED A PROGRAM! I am so proud of myself for that. Six years ago my husband and I had started another program, P90X, and got about 6 weeks in, which was not even halfway through. I even started it again another time or two, and never even lasted that long. I also tried to do the yoga component of that several times, but I just lacked the accountability and support that I needed. But not this time, and I do owe it to the people that I have teamed up with, along with my own determination.

I have liked PiYo. It's a great workout for those who want to feel a little stretched, get their hearts pumping a bit, and start to strengthen some muscles. I will probably go through it again sometime. My favorite line from PiYo: "Your hamstrings are saying, 'Are you kidding me right now?' and you're saying, 'No, because I care about you in my bikini.' "

Ok, I have to say that I am nervous and slightly embarrassed to share these pictures. But, I've invited whoever reads this blog to come on this journey with me, and what better way to see that than in the (ahem) flesh? So here it is...July 26 to Sept 28...Lost: 16 pounds, 5 inches in my waist, and all excuses.

Not where I want to be yet, but I am already continuing on the next leg of my journey. I started P90X3 today. I am still determined to finish this one, just like I finished PiYo.

Week 9 Update [Sept 15-22] Fed Up

Click here to read from the beginning of my journey.

My husband and I just watched the documentary, "Fed Up." Even though I pretty much had read or heard most of the information before, sitting there watching it, I felt as if it were the first time that I was hearing it, and I just felt appalled as I watched. But I also felt a bit of satisfaction that it pretty much lines up with where I am right now in my health and fitness. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend that you do. Basically, it focuses on our obesity epidemic, which started in the 1970s and 1980s, at the same time that we started to become more health-conscious and produce "diet food." It also focuses a lot on sugar, and how addictive it is. I really felt for these kids that they focused on, who were so heavy, and you can just feel the defeat they feel. It really is very sad. 

So, for me, that just renews my commitment to my fitness journey. And focusing on my nutrition as much as I focus on my workouts. 

I'm almost finished with my PiYo program. That makes me excited that I will be able to say that I finished it. But my journey is not over. The next leg of my journey is P90X3. When I first started this, my coach told me that I'd probably see more progress with P90X3 than with PiYo. I still chose PiYo, though, because I knew that I needed something that I would be able to stick to. Now that I will have finished it, I have no worries about finishing P90X3, But you can keep following to see for sure.

As for my weight loss, I've lost another pound, so I'm at a total of 14 pounds in 9 weeks. That averages to a pound and a half a week. All it has taken is some consistency and determination. And support from my challenge groups and the team of coaches that I am involved with. 

Week 8 Update [Sept 8-15] and Insights about Weight Loss

I know some people are just joining me on my journey now, so I'll try to recap where I've come so far. This links to my first post, if you want to start there.

I had been watching my weight creep up for some time, which was something I was getting more accustomed to after the last few years. In the back of my mind, I always knew that when I was ready to focus and start counting calories, that I'd be able to lose some weight. I just hadn't been ready. Until my husband and I decided to commit to a Beachbody challenge group, which consists of doing one of their workouts and drinking a daily meal replacement shake. Then, I knew that I needed to get serious about being healthy. After a couple of weeks of cleaner eating, I started the program I chose, PiYo, which is a combination of Pilates and yoga moves. I've progressed from getting slightly winded during the warm-up (seriously) to really being able to push myself during the workout in order to see some results. I can even do burpees pretty decently. I've now finished 6 weeks of the 8-week program. I took progress pictures 2 weeks ago, and I can see a big difference. I plan to eventually post my before pictures on here, but I am not brave enough yet. But, through cleaner eating, healthy choices, and consistent exercise, I am so pleased with my results.

One thing that I keep thinking about is my previous attempts at weight loss. I have used the app My Fitness Pal, for the last couple of years when I've been focused on losing weight. I've always "bragged" that all I need to do is count calories, and I can lose weight. And it's true, I do lose weight. But looking back at the weight loss progress that I've recorded on the app since Dec 28, 2011, I can see that I'm making better progress now. In the same amount of time (each time I started), I lost 7 pounds, then 11 pounds (which I guess is pretty similar to my current weight loss), then I didn't even stick with it this long. But one major difference is how I'm doing it. Back then, I still "had to" have my chocolate, or whatever dessert I was wanting. I knew as long as my weekly average was low enough, I was okay to lose some weight eventually. But, really, I know too much about how nutrition plays a bigger role than even working out does in the ultimate results, and I just can't do it like that anymore. When I still eat junk, just less of it, I still feel sluggish and don't get the benefits of eating food that fuels my body.

This weekend we had a rare night without our daughter, so we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants for some "cheat eating." I wasn't too bad on my meal, I had fish tacos, so they were pretty light, although they were flour tortillas. But we went to the bakery for dessert, and I chose TWO doughnuts. Both with some candy topping. And they were good. Like I've said, I'm definitely not about giving this stuff up forever, but just like my last dessert cheat, I didn't want to well, COULDN'T, eat the whole thing. But more than that, afterward, I just felt gross. And we pointed out to each other that we used to eat like this (feel like this) every weekend, if not each day in the weekend.

So, I'm just really thinking lately about how healthy we really are. We know the statistics, most Americans are overweight, if not obese. When you really remember that the purpose of food is to fuel your body, and you think about all of the crap that you eat, you've got to wonder how much better our body would perform if we gave it better fuel. Just some "food for thought." (Pun not intended.)

So here is my update for this week. One more pound!

Week 7 [Sept 1-8] Consistency is Key

To start at the beginning of my journey, click here.

In addition to working on my fitness, I've been working on my own mental attitude and development, by reading a little bit more. One of the things that I've been learning is that it is the simple things that we do (or don't) everyday that will add up and make a huge difference in the direction our life takes. So I'm trying to apply that to my fitness. Continuing to be consistent will pay off big time.

This is where things start to get tough. I'm starting to see a difference in my body, the numbers on the scale are going down, and I start to relax a little bit. But no, I can't! I'm not where I want to be yet, so I can't stop. Yet at the same time, I still see myself in the mirror sometimes and wish my progress would be faster. I know the nonscale victories are more important. I know how I look isn't as important as how I feel, and I really do feel better than I used to. So I just have to keep reminding myself that.

Everyday when that alarm goes off, I just need to get up, push play, push myself, and trust that my ultimate goal will be met eventually. During the day I need to continue to eat my healthier choices, look at those 250 calorie apple bran muffins sitting on the table at my meeting and decide it's not worth the calories, and not eat after 7 (even if I feel slightly hungry).

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. I just have to stay consistent.

And this week, I did lose 2 more pounds. So really, it's already paying off.

Week 6 More on PiYo and Unintended Consequences [Aug 25-Sept 1]

To start at the beginning of my journey, click here.

I finished my first Beachbody challenge group this week. For those who don't know, a challenge group is typically an online support group that is created on Facebook for a small period of time, like 4 weeks. There can be different types, but the one that I just finished was a general challenge group that allowed the participants to use whatever Beachbody workout they want. This was a 4-week challenge. In the group, everyday the coach running the group posts some type of prompt. For example, it may be to post a picture of yourself after working out, or post a picture of your favorite water bottle, or just to rate how hard you pushed yourself in your workout. Sometimes the prompts contain tips and bits of nutrition information. Outside of the workout, it takes a few minutes to read and comment. Of course, you also want to read the other comments, too, but that's not required (haha). I'm also happy to say that I have worked out every single day that was scheduled. (The workout I've been doing, PiYo, is 6 days a week.) 

I have mentioned before that the PiYo workout is a combination of yoga and Pilates moves. They are done in a way that is more fluid or dynamic than traditional yoga, where you hold the pose/stretch for several seconds. This is more going from one pose to another, making it low impact cardio. It also starts off simpler the first couple of weeks, so that you get familiar with the moves and have the right alignment. It targets your upper and lower body separately, then some of your core. By weeks 3 and 4, you're doing more to target your core, your buns, and just getting a good overall workout. And looking ahead, it's even more of that. The workouts range in time from 20 minutes to 45 minutes, which is long. But I always feel invigorated when I'm done. 

I am working out when I first wake up. For this workout, I don't need to eat anything before I work out. After I shower, I eat some eggs with vegetables for my breakfast. Then about an hour later, right before I leave for work, I make my meal replacement shake. I briefly mentioned before that it's very healthy. Here is a little bit about what it includes/does. It includes protein and amino acids to help build lean muscles, improve skin and hair, improve mood, and reduce cravings. The antioxidants and super-fruits help reduce damage from free radicals, promote heart health, and support joint health. The phytonutrients and super-greens help promote detoxification of the liver, kidneys, and blood. The herbs help protect the body from stress, support the immune system, and balance the endocrine system. There are prebiotics and probiotics that help improve digestion. And there are digestive enzymes that help the body break down foods and increase absorption of nutrients. So here is something that I didn't expect...I am not really into my coffee anymore. I'm finding that I don't need it. So I've recently stopped making it. I haven't had it in a few days. No headaches and I have plenty of energy. Not that I made my coffee all that strong anyway, but I know it's still probably better not to drink it than to drink it. Am I saying that I'll never drink coffee again? I doubt that. Just not everyday thing. (Plus, I was still using sugar, so I can benefit from that lack of calories.)

So here is my update for this week. One more pound lost. It's not all about the pounds, of course.  I also took my measurements for the progress since I finished the first challenge group. I lost about an inch in my waist and 2 in my hips! I saw this picture and thought that it was a great thing to remember. I've had a lot of these "non-scale victories."