Wake Me Up... When September Ends!

When I got back from my vacation at the end of August, I felt renewed and revived. I had lost a few pounds while on vacation, just due to the fact that I had been moving around and going out. When you're out and about, you can't just hunker down in front of the t.v. and eat!

So with this new found motivation and fervor, I set about hitting the gym as consistently as I could. It was very hard when I first started. When I had first gotten back from FR, I could easily work out and not get sore. Getting past that sore stage had always been difficult for me. I would be so "sore" that my brain would talk myself out of going to the gym. No longer though! I know how it works now.

If you want the soreness to stop and diminish, you've got to keep working out! Sure, when you up your resistance or endurance, you may feel a bit sore for a day or two but it's nothing like the soreness of "you haven't moved your ass in months, who are you kidding?" soreness you first encounter when starting a fitness regime. At this point, it's what you call, "A good hurt."

I worked out between 5-6 days a week and made sure that I got at least one full day of rest in and I would rest an extra day if my body felt too tired. I took it slow when I started but made certain to consistently up things when things got easier. I would work out for roughly 2 hours a day, doing cardio daily (treadmill at the time mostly, varying speeds between walking briskly and jogging (3.0mph-5.0mph) while doing an incline of 12.0 for .25 mile at the end in ode to FR's hikes) and weights, alternating between upper body and lower body.

I also changed my diet. I ate 3 meals a day without snacks, (snacks turn into meals for me) had an Orgain for breakfast (look it up, it's an organic meal replacement shake that's really delicious and super healthy, hey Orgain, feel free to send me some coupons! lol) a broth based soup and salad for lunch and lean protein (usually about 8 oz. and sometimes even more) and tons of veggies for dinner. I ate as cleanly as I could and I tried to do away with carbs from grains and got my carbs from veggies instead. When I did crave something sweet, since I'm not a fruit person, I would have a cup of hot chocolate made with water. (Not the best choice but hey, you've gotta indulge just a little bit!) I didn't really count my calories, but I guesstimate that my daily calorie count was between 1200-1400 calories.

After eliminating processed carbs from my diet, I actually found myself feeling a lot better. I used to eat whole wheat bread and brown/wild rice thinking it to be healthier but after eliminating grains, I found that I was far less bloated and gassy, (sorry for TMI!) less prone to acid reflux and just FELT a whole lot better. I had always been against Atkins-esque diets in the past... having tried them out, but Atkins and diets like that eliminate ALL carbs, (at least in the induction phase) even carbs from fruit and vegetables. I still get lots of carbs from my current diet but that's because I eat a lot of vegetables and I make sure to vary the types of veggies that I eat to get as many nutrients as possible. Also, instead of the Atkins grease fest that you're allowed, there's very little oil or heavy fats in my current meal plan. This is what works for me though, I don't know how it would affect everyone else.

After roughly 3 weeks at home, I scheduled a fitness assessment with a trainer and a nurse at my gym. Here are the results:

Body Weight: 168 pounds
Basal Metabolic Rate: 1603
Lean Body Mass: 113.2 pounds
Fat Mass: 54.8 pounds

Body Fat Percentage:

32.6%

Chest: 39"
Belly: 34"
Hips: 42"
BMI: 29.8

So since I started this journey, May 1st, 2010 until this point, September 21st, 2010, these are my stats:

Weight lost: -25 pounds
Chest inches lost: -5.5"
Belly inches lost: -11"
Hip inches lost: -6"
BMI decreased: -4.4 points
Body fat decreased: -7.3%

Here's a picture of me from the end of September that I had taken by a friend.

168lbs and back to pasty pale.

I was very happy with my progress but in order to reach my December goal, I still had another 18 pounds to lose. Not only that, I also discovered my greatest weight loss nemesis... my PERIOD.