I'm Back, Baby!

I'm back from vacation, and I had an AMAZING time!  Orlando was SOOOOO much fun!  I have never been to a city so tourist-focused.  Wow!  Orlando, The Land of Gift Shops and Mickey Mouse.  There was even an electrical pole shaped like Mickey.

We started out at Cocoa Beach.

Then we went to Islands of Adventure.  Every store had a different theme, and the rides were great.  If you've been reading for a while, you will know that I was very nervous that I wasn't going to fit on some of the rides at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.  I am extremely happy to report that I rode on every single ride.  It was a tight squeeze on a couple of them (Rip Ride Rock-It and Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey).  If I hadn't lost 20 pounds already, I definitely wouldn't have made it.

We also went to Universal Studios Florida.  It was like we stepped right into Hollywood.  There was so much to see!

After two days of theme parks, we were ready to cool off.  We went to a waterpark called Wet N' Wild.  It was great!  The rides were crazy there.  I've never seen so many tube slides packed into such a small area, definitely a fun way to end the vacation.

The vacation was just what I needed.  I was starting to feel burnt out from working and finishing up my MBA.  The only downside of the vacation was I went a little crazy with the food and didn't get back on track when I got back last week.  I'm trying not to beat myself up about it, but it is hard because I know instead of taking a few steps backward, I could be a few steps further ahead by now.  The only thing I can do at this point is to get back on track quick.  I am recommitted as of today.  I will be weighing in next Monday for my first weigh-in in about a month.  I'm nervous about what the scale is going to say.  Hopefully it won't be too bad.  I hate that I worked so hard for four months and then feel like I've undone so much progress in just a couple of weeks.  But...I'm still committed to losing weight and I know I am going to see this through this time.  I know I might stumble again, but it's okay.  That's life.

Not MIA

Don't worry!  I haven't fallen off the wagon!!  I know I missed posting my weigh-in this Saturday for the first time in 16 weeks.  I have been SO, SO busy.  I haven't had a chance to post at all.  I finished my coursework to get my MBA last week and celebrated that along with my birthday pretty much all week.  Now I am way behind on work and only have a week to catch up before leaving for Orlando (my graduation gift to myself!) 

I need a brain break!  I am taking a blogging hiatus until I get back from vacation to Orlando on May 23rd and will have my next weigh-in then.  This will be my first vacation where I am attempting to eat healthy, so we'll see how it goes.  I'm not going to be super restrictive, but I'm not going to allow myself to go wild either.   

Just the Facts: Month 4

I can definitely tell I am shrinking.  Every single one of my shirts is falling off my shoulders.  The Size 24 jeans I pretty much lived in prior to January won't even stay up.  I love finding old clothes that haven't fit and are finally starting to fit again!  I wish more was coming off my stomach, but I guess it will in time.

Measurements:
Neck:                16 (No change)
Left Arm:           19 (No change)
Right Arm:         19 (No change)
Bust:                  47 (LOST 1/2 inch)
Upper waist:      44 (No change)
Lower waist:      51 (LOST 1/2 inch)
Hips:                 49 (LOST 1/2 inch)
Left Thigh:         30 3/4 (LOST 3/4 inch)
Right Thigh:       31 (LOST 3/4 inch)
Left Calf:           17 (No change
Right Calf:         17 3/4 (LOST 1/4 inch)

Month 4 Total Inch Loss:  3 1/4 inches

Total Inch Loss To Date:   24 1/4 inches

Weigh-In: Week 17

I can't believe I'm heading into my fifth month of weight loss already.  It's been flying by and crawling by all at the same time.  Does that even make sense?  :)  This was a great week.  I stayed on track with exercising and cooking healthy meals at home.  It's getting easier to plan out all the cooking for the week.  The key is to make a plan ahead of time and then stick to it.  I've also been saving a ton of money on food and gas by eating my meals exclusively at home for the past 3 weeks.  My countdown to graduation has officially begun as well.  Tuesday is my last final.  Only 3 days to go.  I will be paying a LOT more attention to this blog once I am finally done with school!!

Week 16 Weight: 265.4
Week 17 Weight: 264.4

Week 17 Weight Loss: 1.0 pound

Total Weight Loss: 21.8 pounds

Weigh-In: Week 16

I seriously ROCKED this week!  I cooked every meal at home from scratch.  I ate absolutely nothing processed, no white flour, and no added sugar.  I did Power 90 every day.  I feel stronger every day that I do it.  I actually did a push-up yesterday!!  The downside is, I'm exhausted!  Between having only two weeks left until I finish my degree, cooking every meal last week, a heavy workload, working out every day, and just other everyday things, I feel like I just moved from one task to another all week with no downtime.  I need to work on finding a good balance.  Plus, I know things will get better after I'm done with school on May 3rd.  I'm going for another "perfect" week this week.  We'll see how the scale treats me.  :)  Oh, yeah...and I'm finally down my first 20 POUNDS!!!!

Beginning Weight: 267.0
Week 16 Weight: 265.4

Week 16 Weight Loss: 1.6 pounds

Total Weight Loss: 20.8 pounds

Power 90

Have any of you tried Power 90?  I bought the program about 2 years ago but gave up after only a couple of days.  If you haven't heard of it, it's a two-part exercise program with two different levels.  The idea is to complete the program 6 days a week for 90 days.  The first day is Sculpt, which incorporates lifting weights with lunges and squats.  The second day is Cardio/Abs, which combines yoga, kicks, punches, and other torturous moves!

Photo courtesy of Beachbody.com

Last week, my brother Chris and I decided to give all we had to Power 90 until we leave for vacation on May 16th.  Oh, my gosh!!  I LOVE IT!!  It is SO challenging.  I can't do all of the moves without modifying them yet, but I already feel so much stronger.  The Sculpt will make your arms burn like crazy, and the Cardio...well, the Cardio is HARD!  Cardio will definitely kick your butt.  I love that you don't need any special equipment other than some 5-pound dumbbells or resistance bands and that you get such an amazing workout just using your body.

The follow-up program to Power 90 is P90X, which is designed for people who are already in moderately good shape.  My goal is to do a full round of Power 90 after getting back from vacation in May and then move on to P90X.  I have also heard that P90X2 is coming out sometime this year and that it will build on the moves learned in P90X.  If you're looking for a good workout program but you have limited space and limited exercise equipment, I would highly recommend this program.  I have only done the Level 1-2 so far, but the Sculpt is only 30 minutes and Cardio is only 40 minutes long.

I would love to hear if anyone else has had experience with Power 90 or P90X. 

Weigh-In: Week 15

Another week, same old story it seems like.  I am getting frustrated!  This week, I did everything right.  I walked.  I played tennis.  I rode the exercise bike.  I lifted weights.  I feel like I was in perpetual motion all week.  I did good on the eating side of it, too.  I cooked healthy food and controlled my portions.  I just knew I was going to have a big loss on the scale...BUT the scale had other plans.  I only lost a half a pound!  What is up with that?!!  I know if I just keep it up, the weight has got to come off eventually.  It's just getting so hard to keep it up every week and see no results on the scale.  On the positive side, I do feel a LOT stronger.  When I first started exercising, I could barely make it 5 minutes on the exercise bike at 10 mph.  Now I am riding for an hour at 13-15 mph and feeling great.

Beginning Weight: 267.6
Week 15 Weight: 267.0

Week 15 Weight Loss: 0.6 pounds

Total Weight Loss: 19.2 pounds