The fit and happy life

I waited a while to make this post, mostly because I wanted to give enough time to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Here we are, a few months later and I'm still in a size 8.

This is a big deal for someone who spent college squeezing into a size 18 because she didn't want to admit that she was really a size 20 or 22, maybe even 24 at her largest. Just as fabulous is the feeling I got when I was trying on dresses for NYE and was able to pull mediums off the rack, fairly certain they would fit (they all did).

Now I have my sights set on a size 6, and why not? I don't have that much more weight to lose before I'm at ideal range, but there is still a bit of excess me I'm trying to trim down and tone. More than anything I'd love to confidently wear a bikini when I'm in Florida at the end of March. I don't think one more pants size and looking hot in a bikini is all that far away and it gives me great motivation.

If I succeed, maybe that will be the "after" shot I can use to tell my story. Or maybe it will be the beginning of the next chapter, in which I continue living the fit and happy life.

Beachbody Challenge (and sustaining my lifestyle)

One of the things I've taken on this month is the Team Beachbody Challenge. I decided to join after one of the Beachbody coaches hosted the Holiday Challenge I took part in at the end of last year and I wanted to keep going with some sort of challenge/support. 

I ordered the chocolate flavored Shakeology (I could probably make it cheaper myself by getting a generic protein shake and adding a scoop of greens and fruit, but the convenience has been worth it so far), which I've been having for breakfast, and the Turbo Jam DVD. I've done the Learn & Burn portion of the Turbo Jam for the past couple of days so I'm thinking I'll go ahead and skip past the intro tonight and try a new workout. I'm very excited!

I've also been trying to implement more snacks into my diet to keep me from being hungry once I get home from work. It's been going pretty well and I find myself looking forward to my evening snack to fuel my workout before Joe gets home from work. I'm not entirely sure how this will all change once classes start back, but I'm just going to try to play it by ear.

Last night for dinner I made grilled salmon with a homemade yogurt dill sauce (adapted from Beachbody's dill sauce recipe), roasted brussel sprouts, and brown rice. 

Let me just start by saying, who knew brussel sprouts could be delicious?! I certainly never would have imagined that I would be left wanting more of the vegetable most despise as children. The whole meal, while not very pretty, was very satisfying and tasted great. The dill sauce made me feel like I was having something I shouldn't, but it was fat free and low calorie. 

I'm excited for tonight's adaptation as well. I'm using Beachbody's recipe for teriyaki beef and making an orange beef instead, using diet orange soda the way I've made orange chicken in the past. The difference is that I'm going to bake it rather than boiling it and I'm going to add sliced onions and bell peppers at the end in a stir-fry fashion. Cross your fingers that it turns out!

Overall I'm just so happy that I've committed to keeping up this lifestyle. That's the biggest measure of success for me, that I can sustain what I've accomplished. Losing weight means nothing if it's a fad diet that leaves me just as heavy as before (or heavier!) once I give it up. 

Happy New Year!

With the new year's beginning, resolutions abound. Lose weight, eat healthy, spend less, smile more--people have all sorts of things they want to start doing after the ball drops. Me? I've always been a resolution kind of person, but not just when the new year starts. I'm the type of person to take up some new endeavor anytime. Take when I first started running, it kind of just became a goal I was going to accomplish no matter what. My brother said he wasn't surprised when I finished my first race because he said I always do what I set out to do. So this New Year, as I put 2011 and all of my accomplishments of the year in my rear view and start looking toward 2012, what do I hope for myself?

At the end of 2011 I was part of a Holiday Challenge to stay healthy during the holidays rather than gaining weight. I started off strong, but lost my footing part of the way. I'm back in the right direction now, but not quite where I want to be. To that end, I have joined another challenge, this time with a specific plan in place. I'm excited to break the plateau I've been on and get my body exactly where I've always wanted it. I also want to run another half marathon and hopefully more races in general. I love the feeling I get from running, but have found it difficult to maintain with grad school. With any luck I'm going to find a way to balance my time a bit better this semester.

I've also finally transported my guitar to Boston. I got it not long before starting college and never really got to devote time to learning to play it. While Joe and I were in NC for the holidays, I bought a hard guitar case and brought it back with me. I've already learned more in the past week than I did the rest of the time I've owned the guitar, so I'm very excited (and my fingers are very sore) for what's to come in that endeavor.

Most of all though, I'm excited to continue in this wonderful life with Joe. As I look back through photos of the last year, I can see the change in my face (and my smile) when I met Joe. The only regret I have about 2011 is that I had to go through almost three months of the year without knowing him. Yes, that's cheesy and disgustingly mushy. Don't worry, I'm gagging a little myself. The point is that even the not so great times were great because they were with him and I've learned a ton about myself this year thanks to having him by my side to cheer me on. I know that 2012 is going to be an even better year for the two of us and I look forward to even more years to come.

No matter what your resolutions might be, just be sure you're making them for the right reasons. Mine are about allowing myself to really embrace what makes me happy and the best I can be at whatever I do. Living healthier, pursuing my dreams, relishing the love I have in my life. Those are my resolutions, not just for the new year, but for the rest of my life.

Happy 2012!