CHALLENGE Day #28- That went fast!

Well, today is the last day I am going to be formally tracking my smoothie-ing progress. I am still, however, on the quest to feel the best I can. This is a life-long process, so trust me, there will be plenty more self-imposed challenges to come.

Four weeks really does go by in a flash! It was summer when I started this, and now it is beautifully fall. As much as I love fall, it makes me sad when summer ends. Hopefully we won't get as brutal a winter as last year.

Afternoon canoe ride with my dad!

These fall flowers were everywhere.

The weigh-in this morning went so so I would say. The machine told me I am up 2.3 lbs of muscle and also up 1/2 a lb in fat. This does not surprise me though. Before I started this challenge 4 weeks ago, I looked at all of my weigh-in sheets and it was very common for me to fluctuate (be down one week and up the next). I am happy that I gained muscle though. My next goal will be to focus on loosing fat and keeping the muscle I have gained. Not sure if it is going to happen this weekend with all of the birthday dinners, drinks and Sunday brunch- but I will try not to do any more damage. :)

After comparing today's sheet with my first ever weigh-in exactly one year ago, I am very pleased with myself. It is too easy to beat yourself up over the short term ups and downs, but the real story is told over time. One year ago on October 4th I weighed in at 162.7 lbs, today I am 157.6 lbs. I have lost 10.2 lbs of fat and gained 5.1 lbs of muscle. My percent body fat started at 34.2 and is now at 28.8- that's a 5.4% reduction! That is pretty good over the course of 1 year if I must say so myself. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!! Every year I buy myself a present, but this year I think I feel good just knowing that the 10 lbs of FAT is gone...that is my gift to myself.

Some people would say that I should have been able to get down to my ideal weight by now, but I am more concerned with making long lasting habits than quickly loosing weight. I have done that before and it does not stay off. I am very conscious of making sustainable changes now. For instance, I go to the gym now as much as I can (sometimes it's 5 days a week, sometimes its 1 day), but I still go out and party whenever the need strikes. There is no point in me being strict with myself, because at the end I am going to over compensate and undo all of the progress. I am a true Libra...all things need to be balanced.

What I learned about myself:

• I can do just about anything for 4 weeks. 
• I really do not need to give myself anxiety over finishing things.
• My body is loving all of the fruits and vegetables I have been giving it.
• I cannot eat the same volume of fruit as I can when I drink a smoothie. 
• I still feel the need to "eat" real food. I cannot smoothie my way into health just yet.
• I want my next goal to be to start making raw meals. I think I will start with lunches.
• I pee a lot more when I drink smoothies.
• I stopped my need for coffee every morning. 
• I feel the need to make better food choices throughout the day when I start my mornings off with a smoothie. 
• I don't need to take fiber any more if you know what I mean
• I am craving healthy foods!

I really encourage everyone to go out, buy a blender (if you do not already have one), and start experimenting with making smoothies for breakfast. I promise, you will feel so much better, and it will springboard you into making healthier decisions.