I Wore A Bikini! My Life Goal Is Now Complete!

I bought one a few weeks ago. I've never even worn a bikini top before that so I was surprised when I tried it on in the dressing room and didn't want to run and hide from my reflection. It looks decent. A bit of extra tummy than I would like, but my new goal was to feel good enough to wear it at the pool at my apartment complex at least once before the end of the summer.

So I've been working out pretty hard the past few weeks. Zumba class started, I started my own version of the Couch 2 5K program (I increase the intervals at my own pace and I'm aiming for running a mile), and I've worked out pretty much every single day. I was 173.2 on the scale this morning, so by no means a tiny bikini wearing girl, but I'm happy so far.

So this afternoon I decided to go for it. I put it on instead of my tankini top and looked in the mirror. And I was actually happy. It wasn't perfect, I had to suck in my stomach somewhat, but I was willing to leave my apartment wearing it. So I did :D 2 hours at the pool later, I was checked out at least once, and I felt comfortable. Whoot!!!

Since I've never worn a bikini before, this goal was probably the biggest one to me. Doesn't matter that I weigh about 40 pounds less than I did last summer, I just wanted to be a normal 23 year old at the pool, tanning in a bikini. And I am! It's nice extra motivation to keep going to lose the next 30 pounds to get to my goal. But I'll be doing it in a bikini...

My First Major Goal Is SOOO Close!

I really want to be 170 by the 4th of July. It's kind of fitting, the US celebrates it independence from Britain (I love my friends over the pond equally, don't worry!) and I'm going to celebrate my independence from being obese.

170 is the magic number for being an overweight BMI and it would be soooo nice to just be past it. I'm starting to feel like a skinny girl, despite how much more I have to go. Normal size clothing fits, I've got a hot hourglass shaped body that I've uncovered, I could spend all day at the pool in a swimsuit and not think about if people are staring at me.

It's such a complete turn around from last summer in California. I was around my heaviest weight and it was holding me back. I wasn't as social, I didn't have the guts to talk to new people because I was scared what they would think of me. Now that I'm at my new job, I don't mind at all. I work with an office that is 90% male (maybe more) and I'm noticing the double takes and head turns. I don't want to sound superficial, but it's new to me and I like it... haha. It helps that I always dress to impress now.

Technically I have a week and 2 days for the scale to go down 4 pounds. I've been stuck at 174.2 since Saturday and the way I lose weight, a big pound or two drop is coming in the next day or two. Not sure if it's me or my scale, but that's my usual pattern. It'll be close but I might be able to do it. If not, I'll be there in a week or so. 

I haven't picked a reward yet, I'm already spending 4th of July weekend in the Poconos (in PA) with my entire extended family. That's a bit of a reward (or punishment depending on how my family behaves... haha). I already spoil myself on a regular basis with mani/pedi's, haircuts, clothes... haha. Not sure what is special enough for this occasion. Suggestions welcome :) Maybe my own fireworks show?

25 (and 26) Pounds Gone! Never To Be Heard From Again!

I'm having a really good morning. And I mean a REALLY good morning. I was kind of bummed last night moping over being single when it seems everyone I know is dating or getting married in the next year. So I woke up this morning feeling kinda blue, stepped on the scale, and the whole day turned around.

I LOST 1.2 POUNDS SINCE YESTERDAY! And not only that, it brings me to having lost 26 pounds, which is only 4 pounds away from my first major goal of losing 30. 30 pounds lost puts me into the overweight BMI category, for the first time probably since I was starting high school. And 25 to 30 pounds is half of what I want to lose all together (I'm not sure where I want to end up, at least below 150). So... halfway there!!! I'm really starting to notice a difference in fitting into clothes and how much smaller I'm starting to look. Since the weight isn't so spread out anymore, losing 5 pounds is more of a change than 5 pounds when I weighed 200. I can shop in almost any store I want and find clothes that fit. That's such a huge change! Shopping used to suck before trying to find things to hide my stomach and pants that fit. I completely lost it trying to find work pants in January before I started my job because nothing was fitting right. I've gone from wearing a size 16/18 pant to a solid size 14 and shrinking. In tops, I've gone from XXL/XL to L or on a really rare occasion M. I think that's the most exciting part... I LOVE CLOTHES. Even more so fitted clothes, I won't buy baggy shirts anymore. The fact that I look good in them is even more amazing. 

So that is my morning celebration. Even more motivation to do what I promised myself I'd do this morning... two levels of the 30 Day Shred in a row! Level 3 wasn't burning enough calories for my taste... haha. So I'm tacking Level 2 onto the workout. I noticed for the first time that when I flex my leg, i can feel the muscles in the outer side of my calf and thigh. I still need lots of work on my inner thigh (where I hold a lot of weigh) and on my stomach (which has gotten soooo much smaller already), but I'm making progress. 

Thanks to all my friends on here that have given me encouragement and inspiration to continue with this! 

I Think I Need A Chill Pill

So after all my freaking out and convincing myself the scale was broken, I realized that my body is more unpredictable than I give it credit for. I'm now pretty sure that the scale has been mostly right all along (aside from one day where it really didn't cooperate) and that it was just water weight bouncing me between what I really weigh and 2 pounds above.

This morning, I caved and got on the scale. I know, I wasn't supposed to, but I felt good about it. And sure enough, 175.6! A solid pound and a half less than yesterday and more in line with when I was getting 176.4 and 176.2 for most of last week. I tend to get realllllly neurotic about things, and what I weigh is one of them for sure. So I'm gonna focus on the long term, stop freaking out on what the scale says on a daily basis instead of weekly, and relax. 

I'm going to the gym today to do interval running again. It's been a week since I did it last time and I feel good going into it. I didn't get much of a workout yesterday because of the dentist and the Victoria Secret sale after work... altho spending 1 1/2 hours in VS is totally a mini-workout! I'm gonna have a light snack before I head to the gym and we'll see how it goes this time :)

And finally, I'm 5 1/2 pounds away from my first major goal of 30 pounds lost! I want to get there by 4th of July, and that's only 2 1/2 weeks away. I think I can do it, I'm just gonna focus on what I'm eating and exercise every day. I cannot wait to see the 160's. I don't EVER remember getting on a scale and seeing 16X. I was probably a freshman or maybe sophomore in high school the last time I was that small. And... it'll take me from obese to overweight! That will be awesome too! I can't wait!

I Think I'm Addicted To My Scale

I read all your encouraging and helpful comments on my last blog post about the scale. I do take measurements around the 18th of every month (I finally get to see the progress of the 30 Day Shred I started about a month ago!). I have noticed that my scale is finicky and if I move it to one part of the floor, the number will change and even if I move it back to the spot before it'll say that same number again. So it's kinda funky. 

However, I tend to be a naturally obsessive person and weight loss is my newest obsession. I spend way too much time thinking about it, logging food, getting on the scale, etc. Weight loss is a great thing, and I'm happier than ever, except it's always on my mind. Especially this past week with the scale bouncing all ove the place. I'm sure there are a few reasons for it, I have made some changes in the past week. Mainly, I've upped in exercise intensity. I've started a pretty hard Zumba class, and I did the first Couch 2 5K session last wed (I'll do it again tomorrow). I also have been eating almost all my exercise calories, and I burn almost 500 a day. So I think I'm going to try a few things to get my brain and body on track and hopefully save my sanity.

1. STOP WEIGHING EVERY DAY. I don't even weigh just once a day, I'll weigh before I go to bed, or if I'm just in my bathroom. It's bad... So I'm going to try to go at least  day in between. Gotta start small...

2.  Cut back to eating half of my exercise calories a day. Since I'm burning so much, I still get to eat 1400-1500 calories a day and still have a few hundred left over.

3. Keep going with my workouts. I'm gonna stick to my schedule from the last post and just let my body adjust to some of the new ones, especially running intervals. 

4. Take my measurements on Friday and be happy with them. I still have lost 7 pound sin the past 5 weeks (and 2 1/2 pounds in a week twice in that time!). That's nothing to sneeze at. So I just need to chill out, let me body do its thing, and keep going.

Ugh... this is gonna be hard, but I'm sticking to it. Starting with not stepping on the scale AT ALL until Friday morning. It's going to be hard, but I'm gonna do it.

Stupid Scale Make Up Your Mind!

My scale and me are having a fight at the moment. Mainly because it's being indecisive. Last week it gave me the same number from Monday-Thursday with a 0.2 lb drop in the middle. Then on Friday, official weigh in day, it decided to give me about 8 different numbers. No joke, every spot on my bathroom floor gave me a totally different number. My normal routine is to use three set spots and the number almost always agrees. But not Friday. So I just logged my weight from Thursday. Then it decided to agree on a number Saturday... a pound higher than Thursday! Grrrr... and now this morning it was a bit confused at first but finally settled on 176.4 again. Same number from all of last week. So scale, I'm happy you made up your mind finally... haha. However, please starting going down again?

I start my first official Zumba class tonight! I've done it a few times before but I'm going to to this class I signed up for every Monday this summer. So my new exercise routine is gonna be this:

Monday - Zumba
Tuesday - Gym with C25K and elliptical
Wednesday - 30 Day Shred Level 3 or swim
Thursday - Gym with C25K and elliptical
Friday - 30 Day Shred Level 3 or swim
Saturday - 30 Day Shred Level 3 or swim
Sunday - 30 Day Shred Level 3 or swim

I don't really take days off from working out anymore... I just feel guilty so I'll cut my workout back to 30 minutes instead of an hour. On days I do the 30 Day Shred, I try to do my EA Sports Active for the Wii on top of it. And now that I'm at Level 3, I might go back and do Level 1 or 2 in addition that day. I'm finding that I need to do more to get my heart rate up to burn those calories... which means I'm getting more fit! Whoot!! So I'll be pushing that extra bit this summer to get these pounds off. I'm nearly halfway to my goal of losing 50-60 pounds! :D

Bikini Babe and Runner: My New Personalities?

So two major accomplishments this week!

#1 - I RAN! I managed 30 minutes of running intervals as per the C25K program (60 sec run and 90 sec walk). I didn't have too much trouble with running the minute at a time until the very end, so yay me for getting in shape with DVDs and the elliptical first... hehe. I didn't really notice the other people at the gym once I got going, and they were doing their own thing. I was just being self conscious. And I was able to run at 5.0 without feeling like it was too fast. Maybe I'll try 4.5 or 4.7 and see if it's a more comfortable pace. At this point, I really want to go for time rather than speed. I'm planning to do it every Tues. and Thurs. when I go to the gym. My goal for the end of the summer is to be able to run a mile without stopping to walk. I think 2 months is a reasonable time frame with running twice a week. And I'll still be doing my 30 Day Shred and anything else I come up with to exercise.

#2 - I BOUGHT A BIKINI TOP! I've never owned one in my life, and never EVER thought of wearing one, even in high school when I weighed less (still was around 170-180 and a size 14 tho). Now that I'm seeing how narrow my waist has gotten (I can tell it's not going to get much narrower, not much fat left on the side), I'm starting to see the possibilities. So I was in Target in the sale section and an XL bikini top caught my eye. I was there for a new swim suit bottom, so I grabbed the top too, just to see them together. 

 I was absolutely shocked when I put it on and didn't hate myself! It didn't look spectacular, since my stomach still isn't sufficiently flat, but if I sucked in to see what it would be like in 10 or 15 pounds, I could see myself wearing it in publc. So, for $10 and some serious motivation, I bought it. And I got better fitting bottoms for my tankinis, the size 16 ones I had were major saggy butt. They'll be my spare pair... 

I'm hoping by August I can wear the bikini top, at least to lay out in the sun at the apartment's pool. The fact that I own one still amazes me. I now officially have a goal piece of clothing. And by the end of the summer, I WILL look decent in it. I'm not hoping for a miracle, but just enough that I feel confident.  These two accomplishments are definitely linked, running is a good way to lose weight, so it'll help me get in the bikini faster :D

Hiding Inside of Me Might Be a Runner

So in the past month or so, I've contemplated trying to run regularly. I've been getting much better with my fitness level from the 30 Day Shred and the elliptical, and I've bought a heart rate monitor to see exactly what I'm burning. I'm down almost 25 pounds from where I've started and I think that running might be a good way to continue to lose weight and to get rid of some of the flabby areas... haha.

I think I'm somewhat a little scared of trying to run, since when I tried in March when I went for a run/walk outside, I couldn't get very far without being out of breath. Then I got a stich in my side and had to walk the rest of the way. I think I went about it all wrong. Maybe this time I'll start with the treadmill and do intervals, basically do the Couch to 5k program on my own pace. There are 2 treadmills in my office gym that I could use, I'm just a little hesistant to run with the people in the gym... what if I get completely winded after 20 seconds? The other people in the gym (all guys really) just hop on the treadmill, run for 30 minutes, and they're done. Wow... don't know how they do that.

Anyway, I think it might be an interesting challenge to try to tackle once I've finished th 30 Day Shred. I have probably another 2 weeks of that. Then maybe I'll go to the gym more than 2 days after work to work on running instead of using the elliptical. I like to kep changing up my workouts every month or two, so this would be my next phase :) Any advice or encouragement is appreciated... I have never EVER thought of being a runner until recently...

Little Things

Now that I'm more than 3 months into this adventure, I'm realizing that a lot of little things add up to a really big result. Now that I've passed the 20 pounds lost mark, I'm focusing on doing what I can to keep that up and to improve my health too. So here's just a few little things that I've done or that have made me happy.

- I started buying more fruits, vegatables, and natural food in general. I have strawberries, bananas, corn on the cob, and peanut butter. All things that I like but never really bothered to buy. Processed food = high sodium, so having my snacks be a banana instead of a 100 calorie pack is a good change.

- I bought a heart rate montior. It's been cool to see what I burn and what my heart rate is during a workout. For the gym yesterday, it wasn't too far off what the machine predicts. But today for the 30 Day Shred Level 2 and EA Sports Active combination, I burned twice as many calories on the Wii as the game told me. I suspected it was underestimating, but now at least I have a better way to track it.

- I bought a new swim suit top... SIZE 12!! WHOOT! I've never really been a size 12 in anything as an adult, so that rocked. It tucks my tummy in and looks great. My tiny 130 pound althetic sister told me I was looking skinny. I was really excited about that. I really don't mind wearing a swimsuit now. Even with a ways to go until my goal, I'm seeing an improvement in how my body looks and how I feel about it.

- I had a cheezy pickup line used on me at the bar on Thursday night. I'm not really used to male attention, especially not 30 pounds ago. So the fact that I had guys looking at me as I passed, and even one sit down next to me at the bar and use a pickup line was AWESOME. Granted, the guy was a creeper, but still. I don't like to admit that I need validation from other people, but it was a nice little ego bump :D

So those are just a few things I've been doing, and my health and confidence are improving. My weight has been going down at a pretty decent rate since I started the 30 Day Shred. So far things are great right now in my life. It's a nice change... :)