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.