Good news!

I am feeling very motivated and , somewhat, accomplished today so I wanted to do a quick check in.  I decided to weigh myself this morning, although I swore up and down I was not getting on the scale again for another two weeks.  But, I figured that it is important for me to know where I am, especially heading into the weekend.  Transparent moment: I tend to over-indulge on the weekend and allow myself to eat things I normally don't during the week.  I am not proud of this, but I am working on it.  I can at least say that when I do cheat on the weekend, it is for one meal of the day and not the entire day.  Either way, I felt that I needed to know where I was before allowing myself to have a cheat meal (or two)!  So to my surprise, I have lost another 2 pounds and I couldn't be happier.  I think the change in my eating, as well as, the two-a-day workouts have helped. 

This brings me to the results of week 1 for the new challenge: it was a success.  I was able to stick with my exercise plan and complete 5 days of working out ( 3 days with two-a-day and 2 days with 1 1 1/2 hour workouts).  It wasn't  easy to stay consistent daily because I was exhausted after getting home from work, but I continued to remind myself that challenge is necessary in order to see change.
That's it for now...just wanted to check in. 

Exercise Challenge Results and New Challenge

Well, month one results are in and I am down 9 pounds.  I tried my hardest to lose an additional 2 pounds last week, but I did not experience any change.  I got on the scale Friday morning and was exactly the same weight I was at the beginning of the week.  That was extremely discouraging and made me feel as though all my hard work was for nothing.  I know the weight will not come off over night, but I still feel as though I should be making consistent progress.  Considering how much I weigh at this time, it is too early to be experiencing any type of plateau.  I was hoping to be close to 20 pounds lost by this time. I guess I will just have to keep going and figure out any adjustments that need to be made in order to see changes.

With this being said, I have decided what the next challenge will be.  I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but I have decided to go with the two-a-day workouts for the next month, somewhat.   I am going to challenge myself to do two workouts a day for 3 days a week and for 2 days a week I will work out for an hour and a half.  I honestly do not know if or how I will be successful with this challenge, but the point is to push myself beyond what I think is attainable.  My plan is to go the gym for a class and then do the elliptical for an hour, either in the morning or late in the evening.  Thinking about this next challenge is already exhausting, but it is necessary to work hard for what you want in life.  And Lord knows, I want this.  I want nothing more than to be healthy again and confident with my body.  Because of this I am willing to do what I have never done before in order to achieve this goal. As difficult as my goal may seem, I am willing and ready to put in the work that is required. Every time I want to give up or cheat, I take a look in the mirror and remind myself of why it is imperative that I lose this weight.  I have really let myself go and I don't even recognize the person staring back at me, at times.  This daily reminder allows me to persist, regardless of how tired I may be.  I must fight through any deterrent during this process.

The challenge actually started this past Sunday, August 16th and I have been successful thus far.  As far as my eating, I am meal prepping and adding more veggies and protein.  Another issue I think I may have had is that I was not eating enough.  Due to the amount of exercise I do and the calories I burn, I don't think I have been taking in enough calories.  This could also be why I have not seen movement in the scale.  So, I have added more protein to assist with this and I eat about 5 to 6 small meals a day.  I am not going to weigh myself again for a couple of weeks to see if these changes make a difference. 

I will do my best to keep everyone updated.  Just know, I am not giving up and I am pushing myself harder every day. 

Almost done!

So, the challenge will come to a close on August 13th and I can say that I have been successful with completing at least 5 days a week of exercise.  I am loving the small changes I can see and I look forward to exercising daily (well, kind of).  I am still trying to think of what my next challenge will be.  I will continue to do at least 5 days a week but, I want to incorporate a different element; so I will get back to you with an update at the end of the week.  I can finally say I was brave enough to get on the scale this morning and I was ready to see weight gain or no change at all; so, I braced myself for this.  To my surprise, I have lost 2 pounds and that puts me at 9 pounds lost in a little less than a month.  I am extremely happy and surprised by this.  Although the process seems to be slow and steady, I feel as though I am adopting better habits and this will allow me to keep the weight off. This makes me want to go even harder, so for the remainder of the week I have decided to complete two hours of exercise per day.  I am starting to toy with the idea of making this the next challenge: two-a-days for at least five days a week.  That would definitely be a challenge for me because I hate getting up early in the morning but if I want it bad enough I will sacrifice, suck it up and do it.  I now understand that sacrifice will be a big part of this lifestyle change.  I will need to be uncomfortable for a while and sacrifice activities I love (sleeping in, going out to eat with friends, etc.) in order to obtain the results I so desperately want.  I will confirm on Friday what the next challenge will be and when it will start.  Until then...stay healthy and motivated!

Update

Checking in! Although I was extremely discouraged by my results last week, I am still progressing and doing my best to meet my weight loss goals.  To be honest, I did indulge this weekend; but, I do not feel bad about it, nor have I beaten myself up because of it.  I understand there will be ups and downs and it is up to me to keep moving forward.  I have still been consistent with my exercise and have maintained doing five days a week since I started the exercise challenge on 7/13/15.  I am happy to say that it will be over next week and I have not let anything deter me from meeting my goal.  I can honestly say, that regardless of how defeated I may feel at times, exercising is what keeps me going.  Once I have completed my hour, I feel so rejuvenated and energized. Even if the scale has not moved, I definitely am seeing small changes in my body.  No matter how small, it is still a change, so that is still success in my eyes.  Also, one of my toughest critics has said that they can see changes in my body.  This motivates me to keep going until I reach my goal. 

As far as my eating, I am not depriving myself; but, I am mindful of what I put in my body.  I will be making minor changes as this challenge comes to an end and the next one begins.  I want to continue to challenge and push myself beyond what I think is possible.

This journey is still a daily struggle and I don’t expect that to change.  This is a battle I will continue to fight and there will be many wins and losses along the way.  Keeping the end goal in mind continues to motivate me and allows me to keep pushing.  I plan to do a final weigh in and overall assessment next week when the challenge comes to a close.  I will be sure to update the final results here.  I will also discuss the next challenge at that time.  Until then, stay healthy; stay motivated!