Focus on the feeling- Day 54

This is what someone said to me when I shared my weight loss pictures with them.

I'm going to put the scale aside right now and reflect on what I'm feeling.

I have more energy-
I used to sit on the couch most of the day. Unless I was cleaning I was sitting. Now I'm wrestling with my kids for exercise (they love that) and I've made small changes like instead of the couch I sit on the floor and stretch to improve my flexibility.

I don't crave sugar and junk food-
Ok well SOMETIMES I could really go for a cheeseburger. Hey, I'm human.

I had a major accomplishment this month-
I put on a pair of jeans! I haven't put on a pair of jeans in at least a year. None of them fit me. Only one pair fits me now but it's one more than what fit me 56 days ago when I started this thing.

I hardly exercised in the second half of February. Those darn steps put me put for two days and then I got sick, and then it rained for days. Excuses excuses! I admit it! But now it's time to get back out there!

I finished one round of the 21 day shred! Tim did it with me and I'm so proud of him. He was brave enough to just eat whatever I made for him, even when he didn't like it. And it paid off, he lost 11 pounds in 3 weeks! I'll get to my results shortly.

We are now starting round 2 of the 21 day shred.

This March I will focus on my running. I ran for over half of 2013 and was up to almost 6 miles. We moved into our home and I just stopped. I never did get to run an official race. This year however I plan to run my first 5k and 10k before the end of May. (Maybe we'll talk about a half marathon later.....maybe)

I'm trying not to focus too much on my goal for the end of all this, partly because this will never really end. I want to enjoy each phase, think about each pound I work to lose, focus on how I feel in the moment. Enough stalling. These are not my shred results. I'll tell you I lost 5.8 pounds in 3 weeks but my actual goals are monthly so here is what I've accomplished in the month of February:

Weight: -7.4
Neck: -0
Arm: -.25
Bust: -.5
Waist: -.5
Hips: -0
Thigh: -.5
Calf: -0

Total for the year:
Inches: 10.75 inches
Weight Loss: 16.2 pounds

January 5th, February 8th, February 29th

I am deeply ashamed of January 5th. I've been back and forth for 4 hours trying to decide if I should share these. Upon reflection though, as embarrassed as I am, the way I look, miserable and unhappy, is exactly how I felt that night. I looked in the mirror and said "I can't live like this" and decided it would be the last time I looked like this. That should be documented.  I carried 3 babies, my body has done incredible things, and even though I'm not creating life, I'm realizing the incredible things my body can do beyond that.

I went from starting 10 pounds over my pre-baby number 3 weight to 6.2 pounds under it! I haven't seen the 170's in over a year *doing my happy dance*
If you're reading this I hope it inspires you, and if you're looking for support in your own journey I'd love to talk to you about it!