This Is Working Out Well

My oh my, this is getting ridiculous! 2011 is starting off poorly in the blogging department, that is for sure. But honestly, can you blame me for being a little distracted? I AM PLANNING A WEDDING FOR GOD"S SAKE! (did that sound Bridezilla-y enough for ya?)

Truthfully, planning has kicked into high gear, with less than two months to go. However, that is no excuse for not keeping up with my vow to stick to my writing with this blog. Am I as stressed as a typical bride? No. I chose a destination wedding for a reason, folks. Am I worried about the little details? Hell no. Am I up late every night feverishly working on centerpieces? Nope. There are, in fact, many days I do not work on wedding preparations. And those days, instead of writing, I stare at stupid TV or drool over my adorable kitty. Not the best habits to pick up, I am afraid.

One thing I actually have been spending time on is trying to lose weight before the big occasion. After all, not only are people seeing me in my gown, but also in my bathing suit! And I have chosen to wear a white bikini for the weekend, in honor of being all bride-y and stuff. So I gotta at least attempt to lose the Chicago beer gut I have acquired over the last seven years living here and enjoying myself.

So what have I been doing to lose the weight, you ask?

Well. What haven't I been doing?

1) I joined WeightWatchers and it has actually been helpful. I may not ever actually hit the points number I am supposed to for each day, but just being aware of what each meal will "cost" me in points helps me curb some of my snack cravings and avoid things that will rack up my number for the day. And I think just the awareness alone has been helpful in losing weight. I can track myself and my eating habits and look for tasty alternative recipes and it has been a pretty cool tool overall. Thanks, Jennifer Hudson! You are the first celebrity spokesperson I bought into. And I am pleased I did.

2) I do yoga once a week consistently. Having some close pals open an awesome, affordable, non-intimidating yoga studio in Chicago certainly helped this dream become a reality for me. Because of my love of supporting my friends' endeavors, along with my determination to be able to do a headstand, I have been able to make yoga an official part of my life. It has been great. I think that yoga strengthens you in a different way then most exercises, and there is a long and lean body shape that begins to form after doing it regularly. That leanness was what I think was missing from my workouts for the last few years. And now I am achieving it. Oh, and I can do the headstand against the wall thus far. Baby steps.

3) I forced myself to take up running, and have stuck with it. I hate running with a passion. I do. But I know it is one of the few things that lets the pounds melt away, so I keep doing it. Many years ago, a buddy introduced me to Robert Ullrey's "Couch to 5K" podcast, and I began this experiment with trying to run again after many years of avoidance. I am happy to say that I am far beyond the podcast and can now perform a run/walk/jog combo for about 30 minutes, or two miles. This is a great achievement. Another thing that helped my stamina? I learned that the fastest marathon runners, often Kenyan, typically run barefoot and hit the ground with the balls of their feet first, then their heels, which is better on your body. I tried it, and after a few sore days, my legs got used to the change and now I can run for a longer period without getting sore or tired as a result. It's awesome!

These are my three big things I have been focusing on. And after a little over a month, I am happy to say I have lost about 10 pounds (give or take, depending on the day). It has been tough but rewarding, and the changes to my body shape are pretty noticeable to myself and those around me. In fact, I was not planning on bridal gown alterations, but now I pretty much have to, because the dress is fitting differently now as a result of the weight loss. As annoying as it is to have to budget more cash flow for alterations, I can't really complain. It feels pretty dang good.

As someone who always struggled to actually lose weight despite being fairly active, this progress has shocked me. But I totally know what to attribute the weight loss to--it is the eating habits part. In the past, I would never deny myself tasty meals or drinks. I like to eat and eat well. I would crave a cheeseburger after working out, and let myself have one as a reward. Then I would be puzzled when I worked out three times a week and never lost any significant weight. It's that dumb behavior that kept me from losing the weight. And it is that behavior that I struggle with still--the hardest thing about the last month has been resisting the urge to eat what I want, when I want. But I am plugging along and trying to keep it up.  Sometimes I screw up (mostly on weekends), but I continue to try to get back on the saddle again the next day and not get discouraged with myself. After all, these lifelong habits I am trying to break.

Well, that is what has been up with me and preparations for the wedding. It has been both fun and exhausting to work toward the goal of throwing a fun party for our nuptials. I am confident that it will all pay off in the end. And it all goes by so fast, so they say, so I am just hoping I remember to take some mental pictures of the whole affair that I can keep tucked in my memory forever.