Accidental Hiatus?!?

I think that I might have accidentally take a hiatus for a month or so! Sorry, my bad--it was totally not planned! Well, I'm back and LisaD, luckily, has not been as absent as I have over the past 4-6 weeks, so there have been some posts, but in recompense I will have a POST A DAY all week and try to maintain that level as best I can. I mean, really, is there really ever a day that goes by when the interwebs don't deliver us up a new health trend to follow or debunk? Nah, plus of course, where would y'all be without my journaling of my weight-loss/attempts at meeting fitness goals (or Lisa's?).

Anywho, I'll just give a brief over-view of what's been going down with me...let's see, how much weight am I down now, oh, yes: 56.2lbs!!! The other day, I tried to carry 35lbs of cat litter from the trunk of my car into the house and it was SO DAMN HARD, I can't imagine that I used to carry that around on my body!!! I'm more than half-way to my goal, which is an even 100lbs. I've also been quite regular with the Friday Yoga classes, btw! So much so, that not only do I feel a difference in my own form and ability, but in that "body awareness" that you hear all the yogi's rave about--yoga really does help you pay attention. So, those are two good things. What needs improvement, well, I totally skipped the gym and all cardio last week. I've packed my gym bag (since the rain has made it difficult to walk/jog outdoors for a while), charged up my ipod and I'm heading over to the gym right after work. I'm even thinking about taking a Cardio Kickboxing class on Thursday--whadda think? Will I become a super awesome kick-boxer or more likely, will I somehow manage to injure myself or another? If I do start that class, it'll prolly be next week due to scheduling.

Over the Plateau!

So, despite waking up this morning with a blistering swore throat, I did wake up to some good news--I'm over my weight-loss plateau!!! Since September, I have lost 40lbs, but then for most of half of December and all of January, I was on a plateau, as these things happen. I decided not to weigh for a couple weeks, kept up the diet and exercise and this morning I weighed and I have lost another 3.6lbs!!! So, hopefully, I won't hit another plateau for another 36.4lbs (tee-hee, I know that's not likely), but come on body, at least give me another 20lbs--I promise to do the work. So, that picture? Its supposed to be a plateau, ominous, right? Well, plateau's end--even if it takes six weeks. Concentrating on following a "healthy lifestyle plan" rather than a short term diet is what got me through it. I have decided to only exercise at a level that I can maintain while balancing other aspects of life. Maybe if I did do the biggest loser type exercise routine I would have come out of this plateau earlier, but I don't think that I could maintain that on my own. What I can do is go to the gym 2-3 times per week and integrate home exercise, like a long walk or pilates, along with a structured yoga class once per week. I can workout 4 times per week, sometimes three, sometimes five, but seven days a week for four hours is not something I can or will do, so why make weight-loss habits unsustainable? It just leads to a feeling of failure. Instead, I have set up a reasonable goal for myself and met it. I was patient these past few weeks and now its paid off. Also, I should mention that because of the 40lbs loss, I had a little hair thinning which freaked me out. I had my vitamin levels and protein checked out by my doctor and I'm fine. She said that losing 40lbs is a shock to the body and that thinning is normal, but should subside. My hair is no longer shedding excessively (and it wasn't really really bad, just noticable in the shower and on my sweater). The shedding and plateau co-insided, so my body needed a break so that's why I didn't freak out during this plateau. I needed to listen to my body, concentrate on nutrients, proteins and vitamins and just be patient. I'll probably not weigh for at least another week because too much weighing increases my neurosis--I know that some people weigh everyday--but for me, I want to listen to my body in other ways, while still having some idea of the number on the scale. I knew that it was probably okay to weigh this morning because my jeans were getting loose again, if they felt tight, I probably would have waited another week so as not to discourage myself. Also, the elliptical is getting easier again, so adding a little weight there for a better work-out is also an indicator that perhaps weighing is safe again. Anyway, I hope to be able to report another pound or two next Friday.