More than Four!

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since I started making changes to live a healthier lifestyle. My goal was (and still is) to lose one pound a week for 20 weeks and then maintain that weight/lifestyle. So far, I have been relatively successful. In fact, I have lost more than four pounds in four weeks. (Yay!)

Starting Weight: 168 lbs
Current Weight: 163.8 lbs

I have been sticking with my changes about five out of seven day of the week.  Meaning, about five (usually six!) days a week, I can fit a T25 workout and shower in during Will's first nap, and about five days a week, I eat (and drink) healthy enough that I consume about 1200-1300 calories (by eating mostly lean proteins and vegetables). I feel great too, and when I look at my body in the mirror, I can tell that I have been gaining muscle and losing fat. But there have also been some downs in addition to the ups over these last few weeks. Like...

The Downs:
-Even though it's only 25 minutes, for the first week or so of completing T25, I was so sore that I had to take ibuprofen and reconsider living in a house with three staircases.
-I was really hungry in the afternoons. Even though I was eating three meals a day plus an afternoon snack, I felt like I was starving. I kept hearing the line from The Devil Wears Prada in my head when Emily says, "I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight." Instead of a cube of cheese, I ate a grape and drank a cup of warm tea, which actually works really well for me.
-I attended two birthday parties, a house-warming party, and a baby shower in the last two weeks. All of them had fruit and veggie trays, but there was also Chick-fil-A and Papa John's and cake and high calorie beverages, and I just decided, what the heck, it's a celebration, and ate Chick-fil-A and Papa Johns and cake and high calorie beverages in addition to the fruit and veggies.

The Ups:
-After two weeks of working out almost every day, I went from feeling I-can't-walk-up-the-stairs-unless-I-take-ibuprofen sore to just oh-I-can-feel-which-muscles-I-worked-out-yesterday-sore.
-After two-and-a-half weeks of what felt like starving myself, my stomach/mind has adjusted to my new routine, and I am hardly ever hungry.
-I don't really have to track every single thing I eat every day anymore on the app because there isn't a ton of variety and I can do it in my head.
-Our grocery bill has gone down by about $40 a week.
-I decided on a reward system. When I reach 158 lbs, I'm going to get myself new running shoes. And when I reach 148, I'm going to make a trip to the outlets for a new (smaller) spring wardrobe.

So... there you have it. I'm feeling really comfortable in my new, healthier routine, but it's a relief to know I can cheat or mess up (or attend parties) every once in a while and still reach my goals.

Also, don't worry. I made sure to account in my daily calorie goals for one or two pieces of chocolate a day.