It's finally happening

Original post is in my blog, From Twenty-Nine On (http://fromtwentynineon.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/its-finally-happening/), but I wanted to share it here as well.

I’m eating healthier, being more active, losing weight, and gaining confidence.

I’ve lost about 19 pounds in a little less than 3 months, plus a few inches in my waist and hips. I can see a noticeable difference in my face (namely the fat under my chin), and my clothes are starting to fit better. This healthy lifestyle is starting to come more natural to me, and I feel like with these results so far, it’s something I can sustain.

I turn 30 on June 15th, and this is definitely the type of lifestyle changed I hoped I could make before my 30th.

I looked through my previous posts and saw a lot of the same thing I’ve said many times before… <i>It feels different this time. I’m really going to do this.</i>

But after my first post in this blog, it took 7 months for me to make changes that are actually staying with me. Here’s a summary of what’s been working and why:

YOGA

In January I took a 4-week Intro to Yoga class. I was definitely the heaviest woman in the class– many people in the class were already runners or active in another way, and wanted to supplement their activities with yoga. But I was determined to not let it get to me. Besides, everybody in the class was just focusing on themselves, not on the other people in the class. After I finished the workshop, I’ve been continuing to go to a vinyasa basics practice once a week.

I liked that the studio doesn’t have mirrors, so I can focus more on how I feel than how I look. I love how kind, warm, and welcoming the instructors are. I love how yoga helps with strength, flexibility, balance, and peace of mind. It is a perfect retreat from the stressors in my life. I’m in a class with other people, but it also feels like alone time, where I can be in tune with my body, breath, and mind.

And most importantly, I feel great after each class, both physically and mentally. The feeling is absolutely addictive, which is why I’ve enjoyed keeping up with my practice. I’m getting stronger every week, and I look forward to continuing my practice.


WALKING AND RUNNING

My wife and I re-started a Couch to 5K program after signing up for the Rainbow Run happening on June 7th. I successfully got through 3 weeks, but I stalled on the fourth week because my knees and ankles couldn’t keep up with the longer intervals. However, I didn’t let that stop me from continuing to go out and run as much as I could, but walk when I needed to.

My goal to run an entire 5K by June 7th was rather lofty, so for now I’m bumping down the goal to run a mile without stopping. My wife and I still plan to attend the Rainbow Run on Saturday, but we’ll probably walk most of it and run when we can. I’ll treat it as a baseline for a 5K, then I can just improve from there! I have a good friend who has gotten really into running and races lately, and he’s been a great motivator in this process as well.


TRACKING CALORIES

I’ve been consistently tracking calories and exercise with MyFitnessPal since March 10th. I’ve re-learned to get more bang for my buck with my food– lower calories/carbs/sugars/fat, higher protein/vitamins/antioxidants. I allow myself cheat foods (ice cream is my weakness), but have developed some pretty good self control.

I think about food almost constantly (hello food addiction), but tracking calories helps me think about it differently. Instead of focusing on the junk food I want, I focus on reviewing the nutritional info of the food I’m eating. Although of course I do still spend plenty of time wanting junk food… But the good thing is that after 80+ days tracking food on MyFitnessPal, I’m very aware of which cheat foods are worth the calories and which cheat foods leave me feeling regretful that I ate them.


TRACKING FITNESS

I’ve been using RunKeeper to track my walking and running, and Fitocracy to track all of my fitness. It helps me feel more accomplished when I can see all of my exercise on a calendar, and view how many calories I burn during each activity. I also share my activities to Facebook, which leads to a lot of encouragement from my Facebook friends.


So, I’m just going to keep it up! I managed to spend a week in San Diego without gaining weight. I cheated a lot on food but we also walked a ton. And now I’m right back to counting calories and continuing my physical activities.

I took a few “before” pictures on March 10th and plan to take progress pics every 10-20 pounds. Pics coming soon!

Feel free to follow my blog or friend me on MyFitnessPal if you’d like to connect. I could always use more support!