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My parents left yesterday and I have to say that the week went great! We did eat out and at J and AJ’s quite a bit, but I feel that all-in-all I managed to do quite well with the eating and did stick to my exercise routine! AND as you can see from my weekly check-in, I DID lose weight and continue to do so!

My parents were in a bad accident a year and 1/2 ago. They were hit by a drunk driver while on their motorcycle. My father had a very badly broken foot/leg and has been dealing with pain, surgeries and a lot of therapy. As part of his physical therapy, he does a lot of work in the pool. I have a pool here at my apartment complex so he was able to continue with this while visiting this week. I actually joined him one day and decided that I really do need to fit swimming into my fitness routine at some point as it was quite fun for me.

I’m actually more nervous about sticking with things over the next few days as we are having a bit launch at work tomorrow. We’ve been working quite hard to get ready for this and tomorrow it all happens. What this has meant for me in the past, is a complete focus on work – we’re talking 24/7 between AJ (who I also work with) and myself as we make sure the ordering process and new members are taken care of right away. I will HAVE to plan for exercise and meals during this time as there’s really no reason why I can at least get outside for short (15 minute) walks at a time. And this is good for me as otherwise I’ll be indoors for about 3 days straight! 😉

I’m learning that so much of living a healthy lifestyle is really about planning for things like this. For example, I knew that I had this coming, so even though my parents were here last week, I really wanted to keep the exercise going.

Here’s to healthy living and planning for success! 🙂

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My parents arrived a few days ago and will be here for about 1 week. They are here for a visit (they live in Michigan) as well as helping J with June wedding plans. They are staying with me and it is great to have them here.

In terms of my regular diet and exercise routine, this is a great test of what it means to keep moving through the times that are not ordinary to our day-to-day lives. I’ve decided to keep to my routine (exercise and eating) as much as possible while at home, knowing that there will also be a fair bit of eating out.

So far, so good. I’ve made the decision that I’m not going to pig out, but I am also not going to feel guilty. I think part of my strategy for planning the weight loss challenge is dealing with "real life" situations like this.

I think it’s one thing if you are trying to lose 10-20 lbs or so, but when you have 100+ lbs to lose, there is no real way to rush it. So we might as well live life along the way – especially if we are meeting our targets every month.

I tend to think that a good maintenance plan or "real life" plan for eating follows the 80/20 rule, meaning that if I eat very well 80% of the time (week/month, etc), I’d be fine eating out or have a bowl of ice cream for the other 20%. Makes sense to me!

I’ll post a report later of how the week goes and of course you will see the regular posted weekly results to see what effect (if any) this week has had on my weight loss.

For now, I am going to enjoy this time with my parents!

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I love the 8 Minute Ab workout dvd – it comes in a serious with arms, butt and all that but for some reason the abs is the only one that I ever really got into.

I like it because it is quick (yes, it really IS only 8 minutes) and powerful. To start, I can’t quite get through the full workout for each set, but I know it will just be a matter of time as I have done this routine in the past. I will do a full review of this and other exercise equipment that I am using at a later date. For now, I just wanted to make mention of this addition to my routine.

I also feel great because I am sticking to my fitness goals and I’m really happy with the way that I have been working up to them. The ab work is a good example of that as I’ve been building starting with 1 minute of crunches just a month or so ago. You KNOW I will be celebrating here when I can sail through the whole 8 minutes without stopping.

I also love doing ab work because it makes me "feel" so darn skinny! 😉

I know that it is just a matter of time (OK, quite a bit of time) before I am working to not only get the fat off, but to define these muscles so that I could wear a two piece swimsuit if I chose to. 😉

Hey, ya gotta keep a picture in front of you as you are working through these goals.

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So 2 months into the challenge and I’m now saying goodbye to the 260’s forever! WooHoo!

Now that I’ve lost 21 pounds, I can really notice in my clothes. Things (even sweats) are not as tight as they once were – well, you can imagine…20 pounds seems pretty significant to me!

I’m pinching myself because of the progress I’ve made and I’m right on track with my monthly and quarterly goals.

Physically, I am feeling awesome! I notice a difference while I’m walking and climbing up the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment seems just a bit easier.

It’s true what they say about momentum. I can really feel that at this point and I cannot imagine going any other direction but the way I am headed. Moving forward towards the next 20 lbs and I’m enjoying the journey along the way. 

Are you still with me? 😉