Pics...as promised!

On the top: here is a pic of me at an Alicia Keyes concert sometime in 2005. This was definitely my heaviest.

On the bottom: here I am in getting ready to go out for a night on the town. Note the changes in the face/cheeks.

On the top: here I am in Miami in May of 2005. I thought I looked decent at the time, but in retrospect...I was def. chunky.

On the bottom: here I am at a waterfall this past week in PR. Note the 'slimmerness' in the arms, legs, and waist.

I really wanted to be able to show here the progress that I have made. This is was 200 to 170 lbs looks like on a 5'11'' woman. However, note that 170 lbs is still not a size 2. There is a fullness there, and therefore an everyday challenge to maintain my wait/habits and remain healthy.

Well...I'm back from Puerto Rico, and it was F.A.B.O!!!!!!!! It was an absolutely awesome, beautiful time.

Let's see...I didn't have a great week for exercise the week before I left. I got in 30 mins of cardio and 2 hours of yoga for the entire week. It was a far cry from the 3 cardio sessions and 2 yoga sessions that I wanted to get in. I just got overwhelmed and fatigued with all of the stuff necessary to complete before Saturday morning. However, I did stick to my diet, and I think that I successfully lost a pound or two before I left. Unfortunately, since I didn't really get into the gym like I wanted to, then I also didn't get on the scale like I wanted to, so I'm not 100% sure what the final weight was.

While on vacation, I ate to my heart's content. It's kinda my 1 time per year to eat what I want, so I definitely enjoyed myself. I also go in a bit of exercise. On Sunday my conscience and I did some hiking in El Yunque rain forest. The total hike was about 2 miles, and much of it was uphill. We also did a walking tour of the cities of Old San Juan and Ponce. By the time that we reached the end of the week, my legs and calves were definitely exhausted. Also on Wednesday we hit the gym at the hotel for 30 mins of cardio and 30 mins of weights. Now that I am home in ATL, I hopped on the scale (well actually 2 of them) and weighed in at 170lbs. Yay!!! Now, to be fair and honest, I think that some of the weight loss is due to a loss in muscle mass. As I stated, the exercise has been a little weak, and the past week of eating has definitely been 'off the chain'. I want to make sure that I am truly focusing on doing the right things to lose weight. Nevertheless, I am ecstatic to be just a little bit lighter on my feet. Its hard to believe that just about a year ago I was 30 lbs heavier.

So I was talking to my mom yesterday, and she was asking me what I have specifically done to lose the weight. I decided to take a moment here to just go over that b/c I want it to be clear that there is no special secret or trick to weight loss. It is simply consistent dedication and commitment to making the right choices as well as honesty with myself about those decisions that I am making.

Each time that I eat, I really try to think about what it is that I am eating. While I don't keep food journals, I would recommend them if you find that you eat mindlessly or simply deny the reality of what you are eating. When I make a food choice I try to be conscious of making a good choice...not always the BEST choice (for instance I might have stir-fry chicken or a bar-b-que chicken sandwich. it's not as great as a salad or grilled chicken and broccoli, but it is def. better than fried chicken or hamburgers), but still a pretty good choice. I don't completely deny myself anything, but I try to cut back on the frequency of certain items to levels that I can live with long term. These things are sugar/snacks/ice cream/etc (once/month), red meat (once per month...even less for pork), other meats (once per day...perhaps twice), refined flour (pasta/white breads - 2 or 3 times per week for bread and once or twice per month for pasta), friend foods (once per month), carbonated drinks (diet soda - 2 or 3 times per week), alcohol (weekends), and items containing butter/heavy cream/heavy oil (2 or 3 times per week). Now these are definitely averages. There may be a week or a month where I blow one or all of these totals right out of the water, but this is where I am on an average month. Yes, I slip up, and yes I have cheats. However, it is again so important to be honest with yourself. I try to recognize and acknowledge those, so that I can avoid them in the future. If you are not able to do that, then you are kinda sabotaging yourself from the start.

Now exercise. Basically you have to find something that you enjoy (or at least can tolerate) and then do it consistently (at least 4 times per week). For me, I enjoy yoga. It is great for building muscle as well as for increasing flexibility, which is important to me. I also don't mind using the free weights or weight machines when I am just working out at the gym. I can tolerate doing 30 mins on the elliptical, or 30 mins walking uphill on the treadmill, or 1 hr dancing in front of the mirror, or even a 30 min work out video. I am still looking for a form of cardio that I really enjoy, so I hope to try belly dancing or cardio kickboxing. Whatever it is, you have to begin with doing it consistently. I try to workout even when I don't feel like it, but like everyone else, there are plenty of times where I lose that battle. Right now 4 days per week works well for me b/c I have room for feeling tired/busy/lazy the other 3 days per week. If you stall in your weight loss, then you gotta switch up the routine and get your body challenged once more.

Most importantly, it is key to maintain diet and exercise SIMULTANEOUSLY. Without the two efforts working in combination, I simply maintain my weight, but I don't lose any.

That is all...hope it helps.

Final Stretch

Soooooo...here I am in the final stretch of my 'get right for Puerto Rico' work out plan. This is the final diet and exercise week. I am already starting off in a bit of a deficit. I had a minor stomach flu/situation yesterday, so I spent a good portion of the day in bed...rather than working out. As such, I've already missed out on one cardio workout that I really wanted to get in.

However, the diet portion is going well. Yesterday I had a smoothie that I purchased at the airport and a banana (Note: the banana is not a part of the diet, but the smoothie was pre-bottled rather than fresh. It turned out to be more like juice.) for breakfast. I attempted a salad for lunch, but my stomach wasn't feeling it, so I ended up skipping my normal lunch. Instead I had a bowl of black bean soup (240 calories & 1 g of fat) later when I was feeling better. I ended the day with a serving of veggies, white rice, and 1 1/2 skewers of grilled chicken. Today, I've had a fresh smoothie for breakfast, and a grilled chicken salad for lunch. I have Lays Baked potato chips (130 calories, 1.5 g of fat) for my late afternoon snack. I'm not sure what dinner will be yet, but I am planning to keep it light w/grilled fish or another salad.

I have yoga (with a pretty tough instructor) scheduled for this evening. I am debating trying to squeeze out 30 mins of cardio either before or after yoga. Ideally before is best b/c I prefer to stay relaxed and stretched after yoga. However, it also sucks to be the stinky girl in class. We'll see. Either way, tomorrow I am planning to do a work out tape (30 mis or an hour), and then get in 30 mins of cardio + 30 mins of strength on Wed, and 45 mins - 1 hr of yoga on Fri. That's the best that I can do.

Damnit! I'd better be more than pleased with what I see in the mirror next week!

Anywho, I'm going to pop on the scale at the gym tonight. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get back on before I head out of town, so I may not know for sure what my 'final' weight is before hitting the beach. However, I will report back the weight as of today, and then I'll post pics when I get back.

Oh, before I go...I must cop to some minor cheats from last week. I did have a chocolate covered strawberry AND 1 and 1/2 cookies at a brunch that I was at on Saturday. BUT BUT BUT I did not have the ice cream bar, nor the peanut M&Ms that were offered at the trainings and meetings that I attended on Thurs & Fri, which I DEFINITELY wanted to eat. I don't think that little slip will come back to haunt me, but I do want to keep it honest ;-)

Quick update:

I've had some great work outs this week.

Sun - 1 hr Pilates & 1 hr Yoga
Mon - 1 hr Yoga
Tues - 30 mins Elliptical Machine

I'm planning to get in another 45 mins of yoga on Thursday evening, and then I probably won't be back in the gym until Sunday. I'm traveling and entertaining guests this weekend, so that that is cutting into my schedule. However, I am still at 4 workouts per week.

I am feeling really slim and strong. Yoga kicked my butt this weekend, but I feel really good about myself after persevering. I've also been eating right...and next week I begin my diet. It's pretty basic. Smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch, 100 calorie snack in the early evening (I'll need to pick some up at the grocery store when I get back), sensible dinner (grilled chicken/fish/salad). Not too terrible...just a small restriction in calories to help flatten out my stomach. I also want to be diligent w/my work outs. I won't be able to work out on Thursday of next week, but if I get Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri...then I should be in great shape for Puerto Rico!!!!

I'll do a weigh in before I depart next week. When I hopped on the scale this past week, I came in at 177. I'm not sure if my previous 175 was just a fluke or if I have put on 2 add'l pounds. However, I feel really great about myself. I've been diligently working out and eating right, and I love the way that my body looks...so no complaints here.

Yay for Veggies!

So I have been saying that I want to up the fruits and veggies in my life and down the meats. I'm not looking to become a vegetarian at this time, but I do want to get down to no more than one serving of meat per day to start. This week I have been much more pro-active about choosing meatless options. I had a wonderful egg white omelet filled with green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms for dinner the other day, and I had a falafel (chickpeas) pita for lunch. I've also been getting my usual oatmeal or yogurt in for breakfast. Since I've left the red meats alone, then I never really eat meat for breakfast anyway. When I do eat meat, then I try to be conscious to select meat dishes with plenty of veggies, like the chicken stir-fry that I had for dinner earlier this week.

However, I am realizing that in many instances I am simply cutting the meat w/o upping the veggies. Since it is the health benefits associated with lots of fruits and veggies that I am looking for, then I want to be careful not to get too much into the habit of eating starches and carbs as my alternate. According to the Harvard School of Public Health we should be eating as much as 13 servings of fruits/veggies per day (4 1/2 cups). I think that I am quite a ways away from that right now. That's alright though. At least I am now armed with the information necessary to make an improvement. I'm going to head out to Boston Market and pick up a veggie plate for lunch today.

Below is a great article on some of the many health benefits of eating sufficient amounts of fruits and veggies. It addresses some of my specific concerns like high cholesterol, so I'm going to keep it in mind when making future food selections. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fruits.html

As for working out, I've completed 3 great workouts this week, and I am on target to get 5 in (total) by Saturday.

Tues - 30 mins Elliptical + 30 mins strength training
Wed - 45 mins Yoga
Thurs - 30 mins cardio/aerobics
Fri - 30 mins Elliptical + 30 mins strength training
Sat - 1 hr Pilates + 1 hr Yoga

Go Bikini Body!