Project 2018 Update: Weight Loss Progress and More

So I’m on week 13 of Project 2018 and I’m happy to say it’s a success! Well, mostly. As I type this, I’m trying to not see the pile of natural cleaning supply ingredients still sitting on the kitchen counter. The husband asked me this morning how long they’re going to be there. Until we use up the regular kitchen cleaner AND I get tired of seeing them there, naturally.

On the weight loss front, I’m proud to say that I’ve lost 11 pounds out of the 21 I’m aiming for. Yeah, for 13 weeks, that’s not as much as I’d like, but I’m not going to let that upset me. I was very sick for two weeks and despite all understanding, I am hungrier when I’m sick. I literally couldn’t get out of bed, so when I did, I ate things like canned soup, boxed mixed oatmeal and all the juices. I still opted for organic and any version that was the most healthy, but I had virtually no activity for those two weeks. Then it took another week before I could even get back on the treadmill to run. It’s now been two months tomorrow since I got sick and I STILL have a nagging cough that my doctor says will eventually go away. I’m trying to believe him but seriously…

The good thing about this whole weight loss journey is that I’ve not made any massive changes to my life. I started eating more often, but smaller portions, and I still eat food I like. Nothing is off-limits. I just make sure that if I want to have some wine tonight, I better eat right during the rest of the day. I have gone away a couple of times and eaten at several foodie events and the scale still moves down because I’m just making better choices the rest of the time.

For extra good measure, I let the doctor weigh me when I got my shoulder re-checked. (I have a rotator cuff impingement that’s finally starting to show signs of improvement.) His scale matched mine at home!

I was dreading it, I had this fear that someone had messed with my scale in some way so I’d fine out that I really hadn’t lost much, if any, weight at all. Instead, it was confirmation that the weight was gone. Still though, I have to admit to not really seeing a lot of difference on my body. My rings are loser. My muffin top is almost gone and my legs are skinnier. And then, uhm, my bras are fitting a little differently. We will leave it at that. I have to remind myself: I LOST 11 POUNDS. Otherwise, I still feel my same chunky self in my head, and mindset matters.

I also have increased my running. I was doing just 2.5-3 miles at first, and now I’m up to six miles three times a week. I do yoga class once a week and I have a day or two of toning and weights at home. Also, don’t look at me when I’m brushing my teeth, because I use that time to do squats. Multi-tasking at its finest.

There are a lot of ways to squeeze in more activity, even when you work a desk job or are at home most of the day like me. When I go out, I park far away so my car is safe AND I get more steps. In parking structures, I try to take the stairs both ways. At home, when I need something, I go downstairs then rather than combining my trips. More steps and on the stairs? Bonus.

The further my runs get, the more motivated I am to compete with myself each time. I’m also considering running a 10k. WHO AM I?

On other fronts, business is going well. I’m on a four-day press trip this week so the blog is doing good and I’m even planning on doing yoga in my waterfront hotel room. (More on that trip later!)

Being more positive is harder than losing weight sometimes. I’ve had to lose some serious dead weight by way of people this year and that made a big difference. I’m putting my time towards the husband, the kids and the furbabies and my wonderful circle of friends. Value those that not only trust you for support but provide support in return. People that you can laugh and joke with…and who can have a conversation without bringing up their problem(s) every single time you speak are worth their weight in gold.

Natural living is a more conscious effort, even if my homemade kitchen cleaner isn’t made yet…or the fabric softener. We’re planning our garden, though we’ve had a ton of rain so now we have a bed full of huge weeds that’s going to delay the start by a week or two. It’s not an easy task to do all that weeding. I’ve switched to non-aluminum deodorant and I’m happy to say it’s worked out! I don’t have odor or wetness issues and I removed a huge amount of chemicals from my daily use. I also switched out my hair products to those with less chemicals, but I honestly will never stop dying my hair. I love purple and having that pop of color.

Now I’m off to take a run. We spent the day yesterday at Knott’s Berry Farm, eating all the things to celebrate the Boysenberry Festival, then we headed right to a bbq with a group of friends, and I may have had like eight bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed jalapenos, a few empanadas, some nopales and rice and two palomas…and two margaritas. I need this run and I need to hydrate all day. So here I go. If you hear a thunk, that’s me falling off the treadmill and napping.

Update: no falling down! 6.6 miles, 1000+ calories burned, I think last night’s indulgences are gone! 😉