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

Late to write this update as today has been crazy. Day 9 was good. First full day back at home which is always easier for me to manage my food. I also got a great work out in the morning. Despite it sometimes being difficult to work out in the mornings, I always feel like it’s better because I get it out of the way. Some days when I plan to work out in the evenings I really struggle once it’s time to go to the gym. Especially if it’s been a long, trying day at work. So mornings are the best for me, but it doesn’t always work out that way, especially if I have early morning meetings. But today I was able to get 90 minutes it which was super! Stayed within my points range and feel great. 🙂

Date: November 6th, 2013

Days Complete: 9

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by a 60 minute Total Body Challenge class at my gym

Feeling: Energized

Day 8 was a pretty lazy day for me. I spent 6 hours a plane going from NYC to SFO and went straight into work. I was so jet lagged I decided not to work out last night, come home, cook a small meal, unpack and go to bed. I ate pretty light considering the splurge on Monday night and the fact that I was sitting for most of the day. I weighed myself this morning and I’m down 4.8 lbs from last Tuesday. I’m pretty excited and hoping I can keep the momentum. First week is always the easiest (and usually the week you lose the most weight) so we’ll see how this next week goes. I’m still feeling very motivated which is a good thing. My schedule is pretty light these next few weeks as well so that should help me stay focused and avoid distraction.

Date: November 5th, 2013

Days Complete: 8

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: Not unless you consider sitting exercise 😉

Feeling: A little tired, but good

Writing this on a plane. Dedication?! LoL Day 7 I spent in NYC. I was there for a benefit where 2 Top Chefs were cooking. Since I didn’t know what to expect at dinner I tried to be really good during the day. Also got a workout in before working. I probably splurged a bit more than I should of at dinner. I didn’t need to eat the dessert, but I did. It’s a minor setback, but at least I recognize it. I walked about 3 miles around NYC yesterday on top of my gym workout so hopefully it helped. Plan is to weigh in tomorrow since I didn’t have my scale this morning in NYC. 🙂

Date: November 4th, 2013

Days Complete: 7

Tracked: Yes

Worked Out: 30 minutes on the treadmill

Feeling: Jet lagged