Healthy Living Update & 2015 Goals

Remember my post about working out with a personal trainer? That was back in July and I was making good progress on my healthy living and weight goals for 2014. As we begin a new year, I wanted to share an update on my progress and my plans for 2015.

At the mid-point of last year, I had lost almost 17 pounds and was feeling healthy and strong. I had set a weight goal of being down to 150 pounds by July 18, however I did not reach that goal. I was at 157 pounds when we headed off for our unexpected trip to Ohio. A day after we returned, we flew to Canada for my birthday trip. Along with getting healthy and regaining my energy, I wanted to be in shape to hike during that trip . . . and we did! I felt great about getting in shape enough to complete several hikes, including two to the top of mountains.

The remainder of 2014, I did not lose any more weight. I basically lost and gained the same few pounds and am starting this year off at 158 pounds. Did you catch the three GREAT pieces of news in all that information?

1. I lost 16 pounds last year!

2. After losing it, I kept it off for the remainder of the year (over 5 months)!

3. I am much stronger and healthier than I was at the beginning of 2014! 

I've spent some time thinking about what happened and why I wasn't able to continue to lose weight during the second half of the year. I think it was a combination of several factors. First, I've read that after an initial weight loss, our bodies adjust and the weight comes off slower. Second, I did not have a definite goal in mind. While I still wanted to reach 150 pounds, I didn't have the added incentive of wanting to hike up a mountain to keep me motivated. Third, as I got healthier and my metabolism changed, my thyroid medication needed to be adjusted a couple of times before it leveled off. This along with the long hours Robbie was working after the company he works for was acquired caused me to feel a little discouraged and stressed. Fourth, I did not track my eating during those final months of the year.

And finally, while I continued to work out fairly regularly, I didn't try anything new and met with the personal trainer only about half the amount of time I had at the beginning of the year. Fortunately for me, Sherri was very understanding and encouraging despite the number of times I texted her the night before to cancel an appointment! (She even gave me this great Christmas gift - isn't it perfect that the body wash and lotion are called ENERGY! Thanks Sherri!)

With these thoughts in mind, I've set a new goal and made plans to accomplish it. I'm sharing these here today to keep myself accountable!

Goal - Lose down to 150 pounds by March 20!

Motivation - I chose this date because it is the first day of spring and the day we begin our first vacation of the year!

Plan for the next 11 weeks:
*Track all my eating, drinking & exercise using the My Fitness Pal app.
*Meet with Sherri (my personal trainer extraordinaire) once (or sometimes twice) a week.
*Ride the stationary bike (45 minutes) and complete ab & back exercises (15 minutes) three or four times a week at home.
*Attend exercise classes at our local natatorium at least three times a month to add variety and try something new.
*Weigh in once a week.

I know lots of people start the new year with resolutions to lose weight, but I decided not to wait. I actually started my plan last Monday and have successfully tracked everything in My Fitness Pal this week, had a great workout with Sherri, and completed three days of exercise here at home. And this morning (despite the fact that it is very cold, terribly gray, somewhat foggy and raining!), I got out and tried a low-impact water aerobics class at the natatorium. I'm excited to be back on track and looking forward to being in even better shape when our nephews (& their parents) arrive to join us for our vacation in March. Once we return from that, I'll re-evaluate and set a new goal, which will likely revolve around our vacation at the end of May.

Did you have any healthy living goals for 2014? How did you do? What are your plans for 2015?