Progress!

I'm convinced that seeing progress is the most motivating thing in weight loss/exersize.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I wanted to lose 5-10 more pounds in the next month or so.... and I figured 5 was the most realistic goal. Sometime around that same time, I had finally graduated down to an old belt that I used to wear in my skinnier days. I was on the last hole on it, but still! I was excited about it!

Since then, i've lost 4 more pounds! Of course, 2 of those pounds are from when I was sick, so I guess I cant take the credit for those 2 pounds. However, with my consistent 5 days a week of doing pilates/yoga, i'm starting to feel differences. I'm close to going down another hole on my belt... i'm right in between holes. I also tried on a pair of my "goal" capri's last night... a pair that I wore in Hawaii. And they fit great now!

To date, i've lost 32 pounds so far! I'd like to lose about 8 more, and then i'll be satisfied. Its taken me WELL over a year to lose this weight. So I encourage anyone else who is trying to lose weight to keep with it! Its not going to come off quickly if you're doing it the right way with diet and exersize, but it WILL come off!

Really, i've just made small changes. I'm the kind of person who will not stick with something if i'm not happy doing it. So, if I were to go on an intense diet/exersize routine, i'd probably fail within a week. I prefer baby steps. Here are a few baby steps that i've taken.

- healthier eating choices. bye bye potato chips, doritos, cheetos, etc. we've started buying veggie straws from Costco which are a healthier alternative to potato chips. More fresh fruits and veggies, or even dried fruits.
- we avoid eating out. I always tend to overeat when we eat out. By avoiding eating out, we are not only saving money, but my waistline as well! ;) The last time we had fastfood was on Jadon's birthday (march 13th), when he picked Arby's for his restaurant of choice.
- portion control. This has been key for me. I love food, and its sooooooo easy for me to overeat! Food just tastes soooooo GOOD to me! I try to tell myself at meals that when i'm feeling satisfied, but tempted to go for seconds, that the food is not going to grow legs and run away, it will be there tomorrow to eat as leftovers. Or, if there will be no leftovers, I tell myself that there will be another day when I can eat this yummy dish again, its not the last time i'll ever eat it!
- get moving. I dont have much problem with this area lately, since the kids keep me quite busy and rarely do I sit down during the day, except for meals. We've always parked far out in parking lots so we have to walk farther to get to the buildings, we take the stairs when possible as opposed to elevators, we go for evening walks when the weather permits. I try to avoid being lazy... for instance, when there's something I need upstairs, even if its just something little, I try to go get it, instead of being lazy and waiting until I have to go up there for something else.
- exersize... this has been a hard one for me, always has been. I've never been much of an exersize person, hate going to the gym, i'm clumsy and uncoordinated, and I hate hate hate feeling sweaty, unless I am able to take a nice shower afterwards. On top of that, something always seems to hurt.... joints, for example. So doing things like jogging and aerobics usually lead to my knees, or ankles or something hurting. I've found that water aerobics is extremely gentle on the joints, and it keeps me from feeling sweaty since i'm already all wet. I havent done water aerobics for some time now, especially since i've been at the pool 4 days a week as it is, and in the pool already on 2 of those days. I need to start it again, as its a super easy 300 calories burned in an hour!
I started doing yoga to try to help my stress levels. But then a few weeks ago, I fell down on my knee really hard on the cement, got a horrible painful bruise on my knee, and was unable to do yoga since many of the moves require kneeling on a knee. I decided to try pilates again during that time, as I dont need my knees as much for pilates. I used to do pilates before Derek and I got married, but I am actually enjoying it now! I've got 3 different DVD's, so I alternate between them, and the yoga, so I dont get tired of the same video over and over.
- and the most recent step i've taken to a healthier me is- something i never thought i'd be able to do..... dun duh duh dun............. cut out soda! WHAT?!?! Most of you know how much i love soda! There's just something about a carbonated beverage that quenches my taste buds! I only drink a can a day anyways.
When I was sick, i didnt drink a soda for several days. It was then that I decided that i'd try to go all week long without a soda, then allow myself to have a can on saturday and sunday. To my shock, I made it!! I almost gave in several times, but i held strong! In doing this, i've increased my water intake, which has made me feel alot better internally, and by cutting out soda for 5 days a week, i've cut out 850 calories a week! This is my 2nd week of doing this, and i surprisingly have not thought about soda much. Have not really had much craving. I think the reason this works for me, is knowing that i get that reward on the weekends.

Hopefully next time I blog about weight loss, i'll be 8 pounds skinnier! :)