August Recap - September Goals

Weight Calculations

Weight August 1st: 369.2
Weight Goal for September 1st: 361.2 (-8)
Actual Weight September 1st: 358.4
Actual Weight Lost in August: -10.8 pounds!


Body Measurements
(Aug 1st - Sept. 1st = Difference)
-
Waist: 52 - 49.25 = 2.75 inches lost!
Hips: 66 - 62 = 4 inches lost!
Neck: 15 - 15 = 0
Thigh: 27 - 26 = 1 inch lost!
Calf: 21.5 - 21.5 = 0
Upper Arm: 16.25 - 15.5 = .75 inches lost!
-
Total Inches Lost in August: -8.5 inches!!
EDIT: Oh, yea! And I went from a size 30 pant to a size 28. And I can fit into 22/24 shirts now instead of 26/28!


Accomplishments

In August I:
* Walked my very first 5k!
* Met my first Sparkies (at the 5k)!
* Became more in touch with myself!
* Began training for a 10k walk!
* Walked 5 miles!
* Hit 50 pounds lost with Spark mark!
* Hit 100 pounds lost from highest weight!
* Found the 350s!
* Was voted Spark Motivator!
* Was honored with 2 Popular Blog Post Awards!
* Was named Done Girl of the Day!
* Took on co-captain challenge duties in Team 300 lbs. Plus!
* TIKI'ed it up!
* Joined the 10 by 10/10/10 challenge!
* Signed up for my first 10k!

So how did my goals work out for August? This is what I said on August 1st:
"So the plan for August? Keep at it. Work the nutrition goals you set for yourself in the beginning and get back on track with eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Play time is over...time to work! (Though I can have fun doing it and then it feels a lot like play time.)"


I worked HARD this month! I challenged myself to the limits (and beyond, which made me sick last week...good to know where they are, though!). I fell off some days, but I kept getting back on, getting back up...and I discovered that THIS is one of the most important things! This life we've chosen doesn't come easy when we're surrounded by food shows like Man vs. Food, in which a man tries to tackle a meal large enough for 3 days worth of calories (at least!). Flip through channels and you'll find yourself bombarded with both modeling shows, things like Biggest Loser and Thintervention (sp?), and then Amazing Wedding Cakes and Cake Boss. What messages are we trying to send? Because if you read them for what they are it says: "Have as much cake and sweets as you want, but you had better stay stick thin, or you'll be punished, laughed at, and forced to overwork yourself thin!" How is that even reasonable to ask?

So yes, the journey is hard. Temptation is around every single corner. The path paved with good intentions sometimes leads to binging hell. The key is to push through. Do your best. Make exceptions. Forgive yourself for "slips" or don't even call them slips, just slip them into your day's nutritionals. And exercise! August was the month of exercise for me! And it was hard, I won't lie. At times it got boring (training can be, I've learned). But it is also extremely rewarding! I am stronger than I've been in a long time, and thinner than I've been in close to 8 years! So some credit must be given to exercise.

September Goals

Use your SP support, but pull from outside sources as well.
Forgive yourself your faults as you do the faults of others.
Keep planning weekly meals and cook on the weekends!
Try at least one new food/recipe every week!
When in doubt, resort to what you know works.
Weight Goal: 349.9!
Give yourself 1 or 2 days a week to just have active fun!
Work to improve endurance.
But don't let exercise rule your life.
Use the tools to figure out how to maximize your time/effort.
Continue to be the general in your own war!
Work up to a 1 minute plank. There. I said it.
Get back to biking! Try new things! Have FUN!

September will be a pretty light month for me. No training scheduled (unless I get a go ahead from the Doc to try Couch to 5k). I have one race scheduled this month - the 10k this Saturday. After that, I plan on using September to have FUN! Like a LOT of fun! I want to make sure that I don't spend all my final waking hours of the day in the gym, for crying out loud! I might try some more DVDs. I might try to start the 30-Day Shred and see how far I get. I'm also thinking my Yoga needs to come back. In a perfect world, I'd find a way to wake up just 25 minutes early to get in my AM Yoga routine before my day even starts, and I'm hoping that's something I can work on this month. Also, in a perfect world, this would be my last month in 28s...but I have no clue how fast this will go (because GETTING to 28s seemed to take SO LONG!).

Still...September is set to be a good, FUN month!

S - Stay active!
E - Exercise within reason!
P - Push-ups and Planks Challenge!
T - Take care of your body and mind!
E - Every day is a new day!
M - Music can inspire, drive, and soothe you!
B - Be what you always knew you were!
E - Enjoy yourself and your family!
R - Remember that this is a gift for you, from you, and that is lovely!

BRING IT, SEPTEMBER!! LET'S PARTY!!