Spring has (almost) sprung! Which means that the weather is turning warmer, the days are getting longer, and fitting in outdoor activities is a whole lot easier. Spring is a time of renewal, and in the spring of 2014 I’m living my life in full bloom! Now that I’m in the home stretch of my weight loss journey, all the pounds I lose this spring are just like extra petals on a flower, making my life just a bit more beautiful. I want to enjoy each day of this season, soaking in the sunshine, blue skies, and happiness. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. My Sunday progress updates will be called Super Spring Weigh-Ins.
Week 44 started off great because I spent hours on Sunday going through both closets in my house and going through every single item of clothing, deciding whether to donate or keep it. My wardrobe is is organized and streamlined, which makes me feel so much better. At work, I was able to complete all the grading that had piled up, which feels like a huge relief. I ate well and logged everything. The one area that slipped a bit was in my workouts: I got some in, but didn’t do the Tone It Up strength sessions as often as I would’ve liked. Now that everything is in order in the various areas of my life, the main thing I want to do is maintain it all. Which means grading a bit at a time, keeping up with the housework/laundry, and setting aside the 1-1.5 hours a day to get my workouts in. I know I can do it, I just need to set my mind to it.
So, what did the scale show?!
When I weighed in this morning, I was 183.0, which is a loss of 1.6 pounds this week,and a loss of 94 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 132 pounds from my highest weight!! I have 33 pounds to go to my ultimate goal weight of 150 pounds. I’m really happy with this week’s loss, especially because of the fact that I completed fewer workouts than I would’ve liked. It really does go to show that weight loss is 70-80% food. One thing that went really well for me this week was my water intake – I’ve found that making sure I have a water bottle or tumbler with me at all times makes all the difference.
One week from today I’ll have been in Hawaii for a day already! I’m so excited about this trip, and I’m really looking at it as a reward for my hard work and determination. It’s been over six years since I went on any sort of vacation. Six years since I’ve been on a plane. The last time I had to use a seatbelt extender, and that was when I was nowhere near my heaviest weight, in fact, I’d lost 50 pounds on that medically supervised fasting diet. If I’m honest, I avoided any sort of vacation where I might need to fly because I didn’t want to have to deal with that scrunched-in feeling of spilling over into my neighbor’s seat. No to mention the look of dread on the seatmates’ faces when they saw me coming down the aisle. I can’t wait to see how different it all is this time.
This week it’s all about making sure I have everything ready for Hawaii. Yesterday I had a major shopping trip at Target, picking up travel sizes and a few more swim essentials. Remember those Victoria Secrets bikini tops I’d bought? They fit, and looked pretty good, but they were cut fairly small and showed more cleavage than I was comfortable with. Especially for water sports like snorkeling or taking surf lessons. I didn’t want to accidentally “pop out.”
See what I mean? I’ll definitely still wear it at the beach or walking around, but not when I’m doing something more physical.
So yesterday while I was at Target, I saw that they had swimwear on sale, and I found two other swim tops:
This black bikini top has a lot more coverage, even though you may not be able to tell it in the photo, and that makes me feel more comfortable. The tankini also offers good coverage, although I’m not sure whether or not I’m going to tuck it in. What do you guys think?
The plan for this week is to make sure I fit in 5 Tone It Up workouts, along with cardio:
Sunday: Arc Trainer + run/walk intervals
Monday: run/walk intervals
Tuesday: hybrid elliptical
Wednesday: Arc Trainer
Thursday: hybrid recumbent bike
Friday: run/walk intervals
{I’ll update the toning routines as soon as the new weekly workout is posted on Toneitup.com}
As I mentioned, next week I’ll be in Hawaii, so I won’t be posting a weigh-in update. It’s going to be really weird not having a scale there and not weighing myself everyday. But I know I’m going to make great choices (more on that in another post), and get in plenty of activity, so I’m not worried about my weight. Plus, taking a break from the scale while I’m on vacay seems right. I will write a Sunday Smiles post, though, because I’m sure I’ll already have lots to share.
Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!
Bella on the Beach 
Lady, you look AMAZING! I’m a long time lurker and it just brings tears to my eyes to see you morph into a gorgeous woman. But at the same time let me make very clear, I recognize that you have always been gorgeous on the inside. Your caring nature has come through your writing in your blog. I can’t wait to see what comes next for you!
I love the bathing suits. The bottom one has a cute top piece. Your transformation never fails to inspire me.
Thank you so much!!
Wow, you look absolutely fantastic! You have reason to have such a great smile. Congrats on the great week. You have reminded me that I need to make exercise a top priority, especially when I don’t want to do it!
I think Gloria’s comment nails exactly what I’m thinking. You look stunning Bella, but it’s the energy coming from your smile that really makes you glow. I hope you have the best time ever in Hawaii!!