What's with the name?

What's with the name? In my mid-twenties, I had essentially gone through one kind of life and am starting to enter another. The people that are probably going to read this blog know exactly what I'm talking about - but for those who don't know, here's a brief rundown . Cheers to Chapter 2! A journey in health in many ways, and to be the best version of myself I can possibly be. I am also a blogger for GreenMommas.com. This is my blog.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Week Three of the Uber-Long 21 Day Cleanse Diary

April Weight Loss: -12lbs
Running Total: -90lbs in 14 months

We're on the last week! The start of the third week was also our weigh in for the Slim It To Win It competition. Imagine my surprise stepping on the scale and seeing I had lost 12lbs in April! It was an incredible feeling and also a notable success; in 13 months of consistent weight loss, I had never hit double-digit weight loss. The closest I had come to breaking 10lbs was the first month I started on this journey, losing 9lbs in March 2012. To see such a high number at this point in the journey was amazing.

The day after the weigh in, I was off to Boston to see my brother graduate from Northeastern. I packed up my blender, supplements, frozen fruit and spinach and headed down:



 It was a weekend of celebration but my food intake was really good. I had the smoothies twice a day and a manageable dinner of either fish or chicken with some veggies. I refused all of the bread & cheese plates at each dinner. Friday we had a lunch after the graduation. I ordered chicken & broccoli with Ziti in a garlic & olive oil sauce. I asked for double veggies and handed off the ziti to someone else. While everyone went to the hotel to nap after this lunch, I headed to the hotel gym, getting a few miles in on the treadmill and lifting some weights. We used the hotel pool on Friday night, getting a few laps in.

Saturday morning I experienced hot Yoga for the first time with my brother & sister. It was, for lack of a better word, sweaty. I've never been a fan of yoga but doing it in the heat brought it to a whole new level. After the class, our drenched selves walked around Jamaica Plains for awhile trying to find breakfast. We stopped in to a lovely coffee shop that had fresh carrot juice! What a great, refreshing reward after yoga. I was pretty that I really didn't crave coffee despite the small coffee shops and Dunkin' Donuts we stopped by the whole weekend. By Saturday afternoon I was starving and managed to find a nice little Lebanese place in the mall food court. I found - in a mall - lightly seasoned chicken kebabs with a small side salad.

This weekend was a test. It proved that you can have so many hurdles (temptations) in your way, but it's your will power and desire to be healthy that will help you overcome them. You can only accomplish health if you really desire it and the momentary temptations become not worth it. And I REALLY want this - to be healthy.

I had one of those defining moments this weekend that I will never forget (well actually there were many non-health involved ones like driving in the car with my siblings singing to 'Hey Jealousy'). Sis, Jen & I went shopping in the mall - in H&M. Now, this is one of those stores tailored to the younger women, a place I would normally never dare go in. I bought a dress off the rack without trying it on and it FIT! A large, from H&M. I got a little teary eyed seeing how far I had come to be able to shop anywhere in a mall. Not just plus-sized stores or department stores, but the trendy, girly shops! Most people underestimate such a small thing like that - being able to shop for clothes anywhere - but it was such a huge moment for me. That moment, shopping in that store, makes everything that I have done in the last 14 months so worth it.

I stepped on the scale Monday, I had lost another 1.5lbs in Boston. Hooray for gluten & dairy free, it's really paying off! I didn't hate any of the pictures that were taken of me either - here's a picture from right after the graduation of my whole family: