Fitness Friday: My Big, Fat, Epic Plateau (Part 2)

Phew. Has it been four weeks already since my Big, Fat, Fitness Plateau post? I ask because y’all, it feels like a friggin’ lifetime ago. And as I explained in that post, I have been on a weight loss journey for a year now. When I started, I was just under 200 pounds (sorry, I do not have an exact number because I refused to weigh myself back then). I lost 40 pounds pretty easily but it a big, fat, fitness plateau in January of 2011, and for the next 10 months I fluctuated between 150 and 155 pounds. And I was FINALLY just over it. So I reached out to the interwebs, shared my struggle, and asked for help.

Image Courtesy of: One Day Beautiful

And freaking got it. TONS of it. And it inspired me to push my ass into gear, stop whining, and commit myself to working harder. And, today – exactly four weeks later, I am so proud to announce that I did and it has – I’m down nearly 8 pounds!

That is what I look like right now (and no sucking in The Shelf [as I call my belly fat] either). The skirt is a size 12 and so baggy that it twists itself around my body (so it’s completely backwards) by the end of the day. The tank top is a size Medium (NEVER, never ever thought I’d be solidly in a size Medium). Also, I am not sucking in my cheeks – those are my actual cheekbones (where HAVE y'all been? Welcome to the party!).

Currently, I am 5’5” and weigh 145.6 with a body fat percentage of 33.8%. This is REALLY exciting since four weeks ago my weight was 153.4 pounds and my body fat percentage was 35.6%. My measurements were: chest (38”), hips (44”), waist (36”), and thighs (25 ½”). Oddly, these have not changed a single bit. However, I'm feeling more confident about reaching my realistic weight/body goal before I go home to Alaska for Christmas:

Image Courtesy of: From Flabby to Fit

As I stated in my original post, my ultimate goal during this whole weight loss thing is to be 125-ish pounds and down 3” all around. I would also like to: jog regularly, have thighs that are smaller than my head, not jiggle during sex, fit into my beautiful wedding dress in May, and make healthy babies (see also: sex, not jiggle during).

All admirable goals (right up there with ending world hunger and finding a cure for AIDS, ammiright?).

Image Courtesy of: Unknown

A while ago, The Boy and I joined a gym and I became a member of My Fitness Pal (it’s free and includes an app for smartphones) plus, I publicly announced my goals for the end of September and beginning of October. Those goals were to:

• Workout five times a week (at least 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training).
• Make better food choices on the weekends.
• Try jogging on the treadmill for five straight minutes.
• Learn to use the Smith machine at the gym.
• Lose 4 pounds.

And guess what? I managed a few of those, specifically:

• I worked out at least 5 times each week. The strength training took a hit due to The Boy’s schedule (we’re a one car family) but I made damn sure to hop on that at-home elliptical for at least 30 minutes 5x a week (in fact, I upped the ante and managed 35-45 minutes most days).
• I was really proud of my food making choices – even on the weekends. No, I’m not anywhere close to eating clean but I paid attention to my portion sizes, ate slowly, stopped eating when I was full (HUGE for me), and even plugged going-out-to-eat menu items into My Fitness Pal before ordering (to calculate exactly how many yummy chicken wings I could eat and stay on track).
• No jogging. When I went to the gym I did strength training and never managed to hop on a treadmill.
• No Smith machine. I had an upper body strength training routine from the latest issue of Oxygen magazine that I was really digging but, due to The Boy’s unpredictable schedule these last four weeks, we barely made it to the gym and I never had the time to learn to use the Smith machine properly.
• Lost 8 pounds! Woot!

So, here are my goals for the next four weeks:

• Workout five times a week (at least 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training).
• Continue making better food choices – start adding iron rich foods to my diet.
• Try jogging on the treadmill for five straight minutes.
• Learn to use the Smith machine at the gym.
• Do one unassisted pull-up.
• Get down to 140 pounds.

Image Courtesy of: Believe to Achieve

I’m putting it out there again and asking Team Tulle for your support for the next month. Bug me on Twitter, Facebook, check out my Fitness board on Pinterest, and be my friend on My Fitness Pal (I’m akbuilt – invite me to be your friend and I’ll add you to my list!). And please, please keep those practical fitness tips and nutritional suggestions coming – they are REALLY helpful to me. Are you in? Do you want to publicly declare a Fitness Journey of your own (if you blog about it, I’ll be sure to follow you)? Did you join me last month and want to share your progress with the rest of the class? Or am I just a whiny-ass fatty and you’d like me to put down the chips and shut up already? You know how it goes, y’all… the comments are waiting for you!