Weight Loss Update Week 19

So, we've made it through Thanksgiving, and we're now in the Christmas season. I didn't worry too much about my calories, because I knew that I would get back on track after that. I forgot to take a picture of my food plate, but I did get my dessert, I'm not ashamed. (That's pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and a pumpkin muffin.) Gotta love pumpkin!

For the most part I've gotten back on track with my eating, although we did get some pizza yesterday for college football rivalry weekend. I've stayed with my workouts, but of course, the eating is more the key to the results. I've said this before, but I'm not out to only eat clean for the rest of my life. That's not realistic. But I AM out to make more healthy than unhealthy choices. So my choice for Thanksgiving was to enjoy the food.

When I weighed yesterday, I had gone back up a pound, but I know it will come back down as I completely get back on track. One of my Beachbody coaches wrote this in her blog, that I really liked, about having a range for your target weight. Of course, I'm still not in the range that I ultimately want to be, but it's the same idea. I know there is going to be some fluctuation along the way. (Although I am a little bummed that my rate of weight loss is decreasing...just a little over a pound a week. But, on the other hand, I'd rather be slow and steady and keep it off than to do the yo-yo diet thing of losing a lot really quickly, but not developing healthy habits.)

Weight Loss Update (Week 15)

We are into THAT time of year. People always joke that it is hard to lose weight between Halloween and New Year's with all of the candy, parties, and family gatherings. Well, I've read recently that the average person gains 7 to 12 pounds during this time of year. Wow. I definitely don't want to do that. I'm going to ENJOY the season, but I will not go crazy. And I will be sticking to my exercise routine and eating plan overall. Remember, it's a journey, a lifestyle thing. Not a fad. So I will enjoy, but I will maintain the discipline that I've been working for the last 3 months. Stay diligent, and don't consider the holidays as a food free-for-all.

I have had some candy for Halloween. But definitely not what I typically would have had. I certainly did more of the free-for-all thing before I started this journey to be healthier. But a lot of it is about planning. Jason and I definitely plan all of our meals for the week. I will stop right here to say that HE is the cook in the house, and not me. So he is more of the planner, but I plan too. And that is more than half of what our success is attributed to. We even brought our own homemade meal to Legoland the other day when we took our daughter for the day. Chicken and broccoli quesadillas. They were pretty tasty. And it was a whole lot healthier than the typical meal you get at a theme park. And we spent less money. Which, by the way, we have been finding our grocery bill to be reduced a lot, despite the common thought that eating healthy costs more.

Another thing that I wanted to explain, in case anybody didn't catch it, is I am only exercising once a day, for about 30 minutes. The cleaner eating really HAS been key in my weight loss. Another thing that Jason and I started doing for the last few weeks is eating at lunch what we typically would have eaten at dinner. That means I'm now eating my salad that I would have had at lunch for my dinner now. This way, we're eating the lighter meal last, before our body's metabolism starts to slow down for the night. Jason posted this picture on his fitness page a couple of weeks ago, and I think it's pretty striking. In fact, check out his page on Facebook, here.

I started the second block of P90X3 this week, and you guys, it is tougher, I think! But, I know I'm getting stronger and soon it will be nothing to me. I love feeling more athletic and healthier. But I also want to see others come on this journey with me. There are so many unhealthy people who just don't FEEL good. It's really difficult to fulfill the purpose in your life if you don't even feel like getting up off the couch to do anything. So, while I'm using this blog to share my journey, I also want some people to come along with me.

I lost another pound this week. One pound closer to my goal. Of course, I know the number on the scale isn't everything. And in fact, I saw some pictures from a couple of years ago when I was at a similar weight, and I think I look a little heavier than I do now. Back then I wasn't building muscle like I am now, and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. So keep your eye out on me during the holiday season, and anyone that wants to join me, let me know!