A Whole New Me- Keep Trying!

The goal I set for myself last month (technically the end of August) was to lose 4 lbs of fat. Unfortunately, I didn't even come close. The begining of the month was bad all over the place. We had 4 birthday parties and a wedding in the course of 3 weeks (that was a whole lot of cake...). I still struggled with getting my workouts in on a regular basis. About mid-September, a friend of mine invited me to go to a Zumba class with her (well, more like begged me to go so she wouldn't look like a fool since it was her first time too). I have to say, I totally loved it. It is some serious cardio and you are bound to break a sweat (or, in my case, drown in it). I have consistently gone at least once a week, and tried to squeeze in a a second time. It has been a very fun way to do cardio without the feeling of "working out." I highly recommend it. And for those of you that think that you are too old/fat/out of shape, watch this video:

This awesome lady is 65! She's "old" and probably not in the same shape that she was in her mid 20s. She also isn't on the same level as all the young ladies in class with her. But that hasn't stopped her. She keeps going and keeps trying. THAT is what exercise and being healthy is all about. It isn't about being "perfect" or having the perfect body. It is about constantly getting up in the morning and TRYING. One step at a time.

Take my measurements for example:

I started with this in July 2011:
Waist: 31 in
Hips: 40 in
Weight: 142 lbs
Body Fat: 34%

Goal:
Waist: 28 in
Hips: 38 in
Weight: 125 lbs
Body Fat: 30%

I set my goal so low because I didn't think I could actually get to where I wanted to be. I secretly wanted to have a 24" waist and 36" hips, but didn't think that after 4 babies I could ever get there again, without making some drastically unhealthy choices.

A year later, I hadn't made a lot of progress, except in the body fat area (although I am entirely convinced that the 18% drop came straight from my poor boobies that went from 36 DD to 30 B). I fully believe that this was because I had set my bar SO low that I didn't have any drive to actually reach it.

July 2012:

Weight: 140.8 

Body fat: 16.3% 

Waist: 31

Hips: 38.25

Chest: 29.5

Arms: 10/10.5

Thigh: 21

 

Now, only 2 MONTHS LATER, I am smaller than I ever thought I could get again, and I still have inches to lose if I want. I learned more about my body composition and that the magic number I was constantly reaching for (125lbs) was not going to make me LOOK the way I wanted. Seriously, what was I thinking? 125 lbs with 30% body fat would have meant that I was carrying around nearly 40 LBS OF FAT! Uh, no thank you (think boxes of butter, ew)!

So now, I am here:

Weight: 137 lbs

Body Fat: 15.6% (HALF of what my goal was last year!)

Waist: 27 in (smaller than my original goal)

Hips 36 in (my secret goal)

Chest: 29.25 in

Arm: 9.75/10.75 in (ha ha, I'm lopsided :/)

Thigh: 20 in

I am only carrying around 21lbs of fat and I have already hit my goal in several areas. The sheer difference in muscle/fat percentages is pretty awesome. I went from 94 lbs of muscle and 48 lbs of fat to 116 lbs of muscle and 21 lbs of fat. I can actually SEE the definition in my biceps that I never have before, even in High School when I was curling twice the weight I am now. The best part is that I am nearly the size I secretly always wanted to be and I'm still healthy. I always thought that in order to be as "skinny" as I really wanted that I would have to starve myself, or something. Nope. I just had to work my butt off. At this point, I can still safely lose 5 lbs of fat, putting me at 12% body fat and 132 lbs. With how many inches I lost just losing TWO pounds of fat, I'm kind of excited. In theory, I could lose an additional 11 inches. I don't know WHERE, but I would be totally happy with just another 4 or 5.

So, here's my new, improved goal:

Weight: 132 lbs

Body Fat: 12%

Waist: 24 in

Hips: 35 in (that would be so amazing)

Chest: 29 in

Arm: 9.75/9.75 (it would be nice to be even lol)

Thigh: 18 in

Total to lose: 5 lbs of fat and 6 inches

Think I can do it? We shall see...

July 2011

October 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dang... That is the fist time that I have seen those two pictures together... I feel a whole lot better