Progress Updates!

Tomorrow will mark the end of four weeks doing T25 and Shakeology and I wanted to update on our progress.  Because no post of mine ever just gets right to the point, I'll back pedal a little but about how I feel and not just about the measurements and photos.

Five weeks ago Aaron and I set out on a mission to alter our lifestyle and change our unhealthy patterns.  Total victims of convenience and just succumbing to the chaos that is life.  While we were (and still are) happy, (unhappiness was not our reason for change) we did not feel like the best versions of ourselves.  Sure, we loved going out for pizza, drinking four beers on the patio rapping about our day, but it was taking a toll on our bodies.  I have never really been someone who I would say has low self-esteem, but I did not feel attractive most days.  My clothes were tight, my hair was brittle and my skin was a mess.  Sometime after Brody was born my skin began to resemble a hormonal teenager.  Total hot mess.  I never really thought that food I was eating could cause this, but I am going on four weeks without a pimple so it  must be correlated.

While my goals of this lifestyle change were not to lose weight, I have lost weight.  I have lost 11 pounds and Aaron 14.  It was inevitable that we would lose weight by removing sugars, stop eating processed foods, and drastically reduce our alcohol intake.  We have shifted to to clean eating and this in combination with everything else is paying off.

So what were my goals with this 'movement'?  To increase energy, find passion in exercise again, and improve my level of fitness.  As I said, the number on the scale has never really been something that overwhelmed me.  When I got pregnant with Brody I was 147 pounds but in pretty good physical shape.  I ran a half marathon that spring and was averaging 25-30 miles/week of running.  Pure cardio, but I could run five miles and average 8 minute/mile.

I don't really know what an ideal weight is for my body.  In college, I fluctuated between 132-140 (depending on the season, who was weight training us, how much beer I was drinking, etc.  C'mon, I went to Ohio U, you drink too much beer).  After college, I lost a lot of muscle (from doing nothing) and dropped to mid 130's, but then of course doing nothing and eating pizza will cause you to gain weight, so I headed back to the 140's.  And, I stayed there for awhile, maybe a year.  I decided to take up running, and tried my luck at half marathons, did my first in 2006 and fell in love with running.  I then hung out in the mid 130's again.  Since then I have been all over the place with weight, clothing sizes, etc.  Again, never really concerned with the number, more about how I feel.  It's just a number.

So.... after five weeks in our new life, our happier and healthier life, I feel amazing.  The number on the scale is lower, but more importantly I am getting closer to my goals.  I have found a workout program I am passionate about, I have so much more energy, and I truly feel that everything I am putting in my body is helping me and not hurting me.  Well, most everything.  I am a sucker for some things and will never be able to remove beer and wine.  With pumpkin beer upon us, I am going to need to set goals just limiting my allowed quantities because it is just.so.damn.good.

Now that you have listened to me ramble, here is the rundown on my progress (other than weight we didn't get Aaron's):
               

	Weight	Waist	Chest	Arm	Thigh
Beginning	143	29	35	11.5	20
After 4 weeks with T25, Shakeology and Clean eating	132	27.5	34	11.25	19.5

   
And the evidence: