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My birthday was Sunday. I have to admit, I was baaaad.
I didn't go to the gym for the entire week leading up to my birthday, and I ate poorly. Boy, am I paying for it now. I've never felt so sluggish and overall awful. I may have had some fun times while I was gym-less (quick trip to Memphis for Beale St. Music Fest and shopping, and lots of sitting around watching TV), but I've never missed the gym so much. And ugh, eating junk food may taste good while you eat it, but it makes you feel so bad for daaaaaays. Even though I've been back on the healthy train for a few days, I'm still feeling tired and run down.
Anyway.
My mom tried to keep me in line on my birthday, though, with a very cool alternative cake. She knows my favorite fruit is watermelon, so she cut a watermelon in slices, stacked the slices and ka-boom, a watermelon "cake." She even topped it with a candle that played music, and she had Avengers plates and napkins. (why yes, I am a geek) If you or someone you know is trying to lose weight, try something different like a watermelon cake instead of a sugary, bad-for-you actual cake. It's pretty awesome.
Water has always been my drink of choice, and lately I've found two super-powered kinds that go above and beyond basic hydration.
The first: La Croix.
La Croix is lightly-flavored carbonated water. It's not sweetened, so you don't have to worry about sugar or even artificial sweeteners. Because it's not sweet, the taste may throw you a bit at first – it's a bit odd at first to drink something lime, lemon, berry or coconut flavored that's not sweet. But it is SO GOOD – especially the lime, which is my current favorite. The carbonation makes it feel like a soda, but it's not. It's actually healthy.
La Croix can be found at both Kroger locations in Tupelo, and the Gloster St. Walmart.
The second: Avitae.
Avitae is caffeinated water. I know, I know, caffeine isn't all that healthy and you shouldn't drink much of it, but every once in a while you need a kick, and Avitae most definitely provides that. It is not flavored but instead comes in two doses: 90 mg (with a red label; about the same amount of caffeine in coffee) and 45 mg (with an orange label; about the same amount of caffeine in a diet soda).
The caffeine in the water is natural, and because that's all that's in there, your body breaks it down faster. I can't tell much of a caffeine rush when I drink sodas or coffee, but holy cow, I do with Avitae. Unless you just drink a whole lot of caffeine, I warn you not to drink a whole lot of Avitae quickly. I've drank the two doses either together or back to back and have almost made myself sick. Just one dose by itself is plenty, trust me.
The only place I've found Avitae is Papa V's in Tupelo.
As of Saturday, I've lost 51 pounds.
Like any other milestone I've reached in this weight loss journey, that fact kinda blows my mind. At the same time, it's so easy for me to follow that accomplishment by saying, "Oh, but it took nine months," or "Oh, but most of that weight was lost in the first five months, and you've only lost 10 in the last four months..." that kind of thing.
But I'm trying really hard not to listen to the Debbie Downer in my head and keep on my positive path.
My doc says I need to lose 75 total, so I'm two-thirds of the way there. I can't believe I'm THISCLOSE to my goal!
With my birthday around the corner (next Monday!), this just makes this birthday even sweeter.
So here I am, at 51 pounds. It feels pretty awesome. Work outs feel amazing, not exhausting. I could live at the gym if only I had every hour of every day to myself. I don't miss junk food that tastes bad or makes me sick.
Now I've gotta lose these remaining 24 pounds.
Fifty pounds is kind of a big deal, and when I originally set out with this plan, I said I'd buy myself a really awesome reward for losing 50 pounds. My main ideas were a manicure and pedicure (something I give myself at home all the time, but never splurge to have them done at a salon), or a massage, or my favorite expensive (for my budget) make-up.
I kind of accidentally spent my reward money last night, on new workout clothes. I didn't mean to spend so much, but I really needed new workout pants – I've been XL's since day one, and the ones I bought last night were medium's. The new pants, shorts and other necessary workout clothes fit so much better and make it way easier to work out in.
So I guess I'll save the big gifts – mani/pedi, Make Up Forever, etc. – for the next milestones. But right now, I'm sitting pretty at 51.
I've been crying a lot lately, for bad reasons and for good. But right now, things are REALLY good, so they are tears of joy.
In fact, I was thrilled to cry in a dressing room yesterday.
Let me explain.
A few weeks ago I weighed in at 179. After staying between 180-185 for months, I was elated. A few days later, I got on the scale and it read 182, and y'all, I cried so hard. I was absolutely devasted and I felt like I'd never lose this weight, never get healthy, never be able to run a marathon or do anything awesome because this weight would always, well, weigh me down.
But lately I've really been cutting back on calories and eating better, been really busting it in the gym (and at Zumba), so I could feel my body changing again. Finally, the scale reflected what I was feeling: 177. Finally!
And then I noticed my pants were, yet again, getting loose.
So I went to the store yesterday and tried on a size 10, and it fit, and I cried, and it was amazing. I've never been in this size, ever. It feels incredible. They're even a tiny bit loose on the legs (not in the belly, but that's OK, and it all just may be how they are cut).
I started this at a size 16. I am now a size 10. I never, ever thought I'd say that.
So, woo-hoo, it looks like I'm gonna finally start losing these last 30 pounds. I am so excited!
