It’s official! I finished the eight week Tone It Up Bikini Series!
Without a doubt, I feel so much better than I did two months. My energy is higher, I don’t get a nauseous feeling throughout the day anymore, and my crazy sugar cravings are gone.
And I’m not mad about losing some pounds, inches, and dress sizes along the way.
So in total, here is my Tone It Up Results:
Since July 5th I’ve lost:
Pounds: 13.4
Arms: 1.75
Chest: 1.5
Abs: 4.25
Waist: 0
Hips: 1.5
Leg: 1
Calf: 0.25
I have to say, I’m really happy with my results. The numbers are in the healthy range at a little less than 2 pounds a week. And although I plateaued for a while, I’m pretty much where I hoped I’d be after the eight weeks.
Unlike many other eating plans I’ve done in the past, I’m not thrilled that it’s over.
Normally, tonight I would be heading out to a dinner that I had been craving for the past two months.
Instead, I went to a Barre class after work, followed by a dinner of quinoa and tofu. It might not sound exciting to many, but I really enjoyed it.
The main reason I’m interested in not heading right back to my old ways isn’t so I can keep losing weight. It’s really the way I feel. I feel lighter, better, and stronger. I’m kind of digging this feeling and I’m not interested in giving it up any time soon.
Eating better makes me feel better.
And for me, and for many other people, eating poorly wasn’t about the food.
Sure, I like a good meal just as much as the next person, but I got into a habit of eating food without even really tasting it. I was starving my body during the work day and overeating at night.
It started to feel out of control and unhealthy. I’d also then get really down on myself after one of my eating sprees, which didn’t help matters all. Feeling bad just led to the need for self-soothing with more food. And so the cycle continued.
Do I think that now I’ve figured out how to lose weight and keep it off forever? To that, I would answer a firm- NO.
I’ve been here before. I’ve lost a good amount of weight. Felt better thanks to my new way of eating, and then in a few weeks or months, gone back to my old ways.
I have no clue if that will happen or not, but right now I am just thankful for the way I feel today. I know a lot of hard work and habit adjustments went into this.
Rushing back to the candy jar so I can feel good for a little while and then feel worse for the rest of day doesn’t sound appealing.
So for today, I’m just really thankful.
The past eight weeks have led to a lot of discovery, both physically and mentally. I’m grateful for how much fun I’ve had trying new recipes and doing different workouts.
There has been a lot of joy in the process and it didn’t hurt to lose some pounds along the way!
