Day 19 was a Saturday. Weekends are easier in some ways, more challenging in others. Having more free time allows for more of a work out. But also more opportunities to eat things you wouldn’t normally.

Started out my day with my first official CrossFit class. After 3 1;1 sessions it was time to dive in and see if I was cut out. Surprisingly it wasn’t as scary or as intense as I feared. Don’t get me wrong, it was challenging, but the coaches were really helpful and people were friendly. It made me worry less about not knowing all the movements because there were supportive people. After that I came home, had my normal breakfast of greek yogurt and berries and did some chores, shopping, etc. Dinner reservations at NOPA were ahead so I had a light, healthy lunch. I splurged a bit today so I feel like it was an unplanned cheat day (although I still tracked to the best of my abilities). I had a glass of sangria earlier in the day as well as a manhattan at dinner. Dinner was splurging a bit but 4 of us ended up sharing 5 different small plates and I felt like I didn’t go crazy. Hard to know how many points but I guesstimated. Also went to an amazing concert, so overall a good day.

Date: November 16th, 2013

Days Complete: 19

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: CrossFit and a fair bit of walking throughout the day

Feeling: Good. But nervous for this week.

Friday, end of a crazy work week. This week has gone really, really well. I think in large part because I’ve been home the whole week. Today I managed to impress myself by exercising control a couple of times. First was at lunch. Our team had an early Thanksgiving celebration. They always order a TON of food from Boston Market, and then there were several desserts (brought in by the team). I considered trying to share the meal with them….but ultimately I decided to bring my own meal (salad with ground beef patty) because I didn’t want to risk over-indulging in things like mashed potatoes and stuffing. That being said, it didn’t even look appetizing to me…although the pumpkin pie was very tempting! The thing is, I love Thanksgiving food – but I know I’ll get the best at my Mom’s on day 31 so I’m happy to hold out until then. But I still went and ate my salad and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.

The second time was at dinner. I picked le boyfriend up at the airport last night and we went out to walk his dogs after we got back. He wasn’t really hungry (being the good girlfriend that I am, I made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and brought it to the airport because after being a week in Switzerland, he just wanted something “normal”) and so on our walk I stopped by The Crepe House on Polk Street. They do salads but being that it was Friday night and I’d been really good all week I wanted to “splurge” on a savory crepe. I ordered a Mediterranean one which sounded healthy but once I got it, it basically looked like a crepe quesadilla with a side of roasted potatoes and salad. We got back and I stopped eating when I was half way through the crepe and potatoes. Normally I would’ve eaten the whole thing. But I stopped because I knew I was full (in a good way). That way I didn’t go to bed feeling stuffed. I even allowed myself a glass of wine. These are 2 NSV (non-scale victories) for me and I’m proud of myself. And a tiny scale victory this morning….it’s technically not my weigh in date and with my travel next week, who knows if I’ll end up gaining. But I’ve officially lost 10 lbs as of this morning. Not bad for 18 days in. It’s a bit fast to be losing that much weight, so I may try to slow it down a bit over my last 11 days. I DO want to be healthy and it’s not all about losing weight fast. But it’s a milestone for me as I haven’t been at this weight since about 2 years ago.

Anyway – next week will be the true challenge. Flying Monday/Tuesday, all day at work Wednesday with choir Wednesday night, all day work Thursday with work dinner on Thursday night, then a Friday offsite with dinner Friday night. A lot of meals that won’t be 100% in my control. Send good thoughts to me. I’ll need all the support I can get!

Date: November 15th, 2013

Days Complete: 18

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: Sort of if you count the 40 minute walk with the dogs

Feeling: Accomplished

Another successful day. I feel like I’m a broken record, but things have been really good this week. I have a feeling it’s because I’m home and not traveling or going out a lot. Next week will be a lot more of a challenge because I’ll be traveling Mon/Tues and then have dinners on Thurs/Fri. When food is not in my control is where I struggle. But I’m going to do my best to stick to small portions and avoiding things that aren’t on plan. I’m almost there!

Date: November 14th, 2013

Days Complete: 17

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: Yes. 40 minute brisk walk with boss during our 1:1 and then 30 minutes on the treadmill. Managed to run 2 miles at a 9:13 pace (that’s pretty fast for me!)

Feeling: Happy it’s almost the weekend

Another day passes by with relative ease at staying focused and healthy. I’m unsure what the actual number is as far as how many times you have to do something to make it a habit, but I feel like I’ve passed it. What is really helping is knowing I have to be accountable to friends and family who are keeping up. Thank you to all who are reading because it keeps me focused on staying on track!

Day 16 was a relatively normal day. I forced myself to leave my house around 6am to get to the gym and run for 45 minutes. I knew it was my only chance to work out as I had choir after work. Breakast and lunch were fairly normal. Dinner I splurged a bit because I allowed myself some cheese and crackers as I visited with my 98 year old great aunt! What an inspiration she is to stay healthy. She is still active in her garden (even though she has to wear a back brace) and is as sharp as a tack. And so pleasant to be around. There’s something about spending time with family that really helps pick my mood up. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful family in my life. Anyway, I stayed within my points which made me happy.

Date: November 13th, 2013

Days Complete: 16

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: Yes! 45 minutes running on the treadmill

Feeling: Good. Cold symptoms still here but it’s mostly manageable. Just get annoyed when I start sneezing over and over again.

Yesterday was the two week mark and today is the half way mark. I feel pretty good. I’m down a total of 6.4 lbs. So this second week’s loss wasn’t huge. Only 1.6 lbs. But given that I lost such a huge amount the first week, I’m okay with that. They say 1-2 lbs lost per week is the healthiest way to lose weight, so I’d say I’m right on track. Day 15 was a good day eating wise, not so much activity wise. I was very disciplined throughout the day for food, probably because I was crazy busy. But I ended up being at work for about 12 hours yesterday, so my plan to work out last night failed me. I’ve said it before…. morning work outs are the best. So I did that this morning and I’ll continue to do it as much as I can.

I’m feeling really good about how I’m doing on this challenge. I was thinking this morning that I think this is the longest I’ve been dedicated to staying healthy (consistently) in over a year. It feels good to know I’m half way there, but I’m also considering continuing the challenge into December. I may tweak it just a bit based on what I’ve learned from November….but the weight loss journey won’t be over in one month, nor will my quest to becoming healthier and fit.

Date: November 12th, 2013

Days Complete: 15

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: No 🙁

Feeling: Good although I think I’m coming down with a cold. Trying to fight it off! Send healthy thoughts!

Two weeks in! Time has been flying. Overall I feel like I’ve been doing pretty well. I’ve definitely been more conscientious in my food choices and working out. Last week was challenging with travel and various activities so I don’t think I’ll see as big of a loss on the scale this week (changing weigh in date to Wednesday since I had to do it Wednesday of last week) but I still know I did better than I would have had I not been tracking and trying to make good decisions.

Date: November 11th, 2013

Days Complete: 14

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: CrossFit and 1 hour walking on treadmill

Feeling: Back is feeling better today. Got a massage last night, so it definitely helped.

Day 13 started off like any Sunday should….with brunch! We got an early start and headed to The Grove. I REALLY wanted Eggs Benedict….but I thought about it and didn’t want to splurge that much. SO I did an egg white scramble with avocado and tomatoes. I did get a side of bacon but overall, I felt really good about my choices. The portion sizes were reasonable and I left feeling sated but not full. The rest of the day was spent doing chores, getting 90 minutes at the gym and grocery shopping for the week. Because of the large brunch, I didn’t eat mid day except to snack on some fruit (mixed berries) and an almond milk latte before picking up le boyfriend to take him to the airport. We did a 45 minutes stroll through downtown Burlingame to kill time….avoided all the sugary places quite well. Dinner was a combo egg white scramble/salad. Sounds weird but it was good. Hoping for a good week.

Date: November 10th, 2013

Days Complete: 13

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: 60 minutes on the treadmill, 30 on the bike

Feeling: Good although I tweaked my back. Think in part due to my run but also combined with CrossFit. Taking it a bit easier today.

Today was meant to be my cheat day, and in a sense I suppose it was. I went to a barrel aged beer fest in Hayward. Had amazing beer but shared the tastes with a friend because many of them were high in alcohol. We tried 15 different beers and if I had to guess, I’d say I probably drank around 20 or so ounces of beer. Had some chinese food for lunch and a grilled cheese for dinner. So I chose not to track because I feel like it would be too difficult. Didn’t get a work out in but did A LOT of walking. Today is back to tracking, back to trying to make good choices and so far, so good (despite going out for brunch…but I did an egg white scramble).

Date: November 9th, 2013

Days Complete: 12

Tracked: Not really

Worked Out: No but did a lot of walking

Feeling: Like I want to get back to tracking 🙂

Day 11 was a bit of a lazy day. I opted not to work out, mostly because I was pretty sore after my Cross Fit and my knee was hurting. Since I was planning on running I decided to take a day off from working out. I tracked and splurged a bit but not too much. Ate all whole, healthy food. But I did eat a bit of the rotisserie chicken skin. Not much tho. 😉 Today (day 12) is officially my “cheat” day although I’m not planning on going crazy. Just going to a beer festival. But only doing samples so wish me luck! Plan for dinner is to stay healthy. Had a hearty breakfast of toast with natural peanut butter and honey with an almond milk latte. 🙂

Date: November 8th, 2013

Days Complete: 11

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: No (first day I haven’t done any activity in 11 days!)

Feeling: Good

Wow, I’m one-third of the way through my challenge! It’s been easier than I thought it would be, which I suppose is a good thing. But I still feel like I struggle from time to time. Day 10 was a good day. Had a crazy crossfit 1:1. I’m definitely feeling sore today. Tried to eat light because I knew I’d be going for a beer after work. Dinner was a bit mish mash and I went over my points, but only slightly. Considering I worked out, I’m not too concerned about it.

Date: November 7th, 2013

Days Complete: 10!

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: 60 minutes 1:1 CrossFit

Feeling: Sore