Finally!

I am feeling SO fantastic today!!!

So, today I found out the results of my self imposed hot yoga challenge:

Last week's weight: 203lbs
This week's weight: 200.4
Loss: -2.6
Total loss: 26lbs

Yes!! I am just ecstatic looking at these numbers. Not only have I finally, finally, after weeks of lollygagging around the -20-23lb zone, hit the -25lb milestone. But moreover...I can't tell you how amazing it feels to see 200 (ok, 200.4 but still) on the scale. My heart is racing just thinking that next week; I WILL see a number under 200!

Yes, I WILL. Not I hope, I WILL.

So the hot yoga; I think it's a keeper. I'm planning to cancel my gym membership this weekend and join my yoga studio for good. There's so many things I love about this practice. I love that I actually find myself looking forward to my next class - I can't say that was ever something I experiences with cardio classes at the gym. It also forces me to take better care of myself. For example, I always struggle with drinking enough water. It shouldn't be hard, but I just never do; there would be days when I'd get out of work and realize the only thing I drank all day was my morning coffee. But now, knowing that I'll be spending an hour and a half contorting my body in a 105 degree room, I make SURE I drink enough water. Hot yoga is not something you want to do dehydrated - trust me, I did it once...not good times.

It also makes me think more about what I'm eating and how often - As you're supposed to go to hot yoga on an empty stomach to avoid nausea, I'm snacking less, and reaching for more wholesome foods when I do.

I love the way I feel during yoga. I feel graceful, long, lean....sexy. Yes, sexy, even though I'm literally soaking wet with sweat and red in the face. I'm not able to do every pose perfectly, but watching myself in the mirror, back straight, chest out, shoulders back, moving with the group into each pose, I feel amazing.

I love the way I feel after yoga. I feel strong, flexible...zen. It truly does have an amazing calming and rejuvenating affect.

I can already see and feel the effects that the practice is having on my body, I feel leaner, and my measurements prove it: after 4 classes I've lost a half inch on my bust and waist, and a half inch on my thighs, hips, and arms.

Anyway. I hope you all had a great week as well!

Quickly

Last week's weight: 203.6

This week: 203

loss: -.6lbs

Total loss: -23.4lb

It's always frustrating when I know I've been eating well and working out a lot, but don't lose the amount of weight that I'd like that week. On the upside, I did see a different in inches (I take my measurements every week as well), so hopefully that means I'm gaining muscle and getting leaner.

Last week I wrote about my experience with Hot Yoga and how much I loved it. Thanks to a newbie deal at a local hot yoga studio ($25 for a week of unlimited classes!), I've decided to try hot yoga as my main work out and see how it affects or doesn't affect my weight loss. Besides the lure of shedding pounds, there are other benefits of yoga that really appeal to me, and if I can get the same or better results just with yoga rather than my usual classes at the gym, I'm contemplating a change. We'll see come Friday!

I'm hoping for at least a 1.6lb loss this week - I really  want to hit the -25lb mark! Wish me luck :)

Yoga to the People

Have you ever tried Bikram Yoga?

According to Wikipedia, Bikram Yoga, or hot yoga, is an hour and half yoga session that consist of a series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. It's ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (≈40.6°C) with a humidity of 40%.

Now, I've taken Body Flow at my gym, which is a combo of Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi, and have done pretty well with it. But the idea of doing and hour and a half of traditional yoga in a room as hot as midsummer was quite daunting. Another issue? Price. In my area, hot yoga classes are usually around $20-25 per class; hard to justify when I already pay monthly for my gym membership.

But when my boyfriend told me about Yoga to the People, the opportunity arose.

With studios in Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, and multiple locations in NYC, Yoga to the People "is a unique yoga studio with the goal of recapturing what we consider to be the essence of yoga… simply put, yoga made available to everyone."

How do they do that? By making yoga an affordable and attainable practice for people of all budgets and levels. For their hour long Vinyasa classes, it is a suggested donation of $10. Meaning, there is a box at the door where you leave what you can. No questions asked.

Hot  yoga is a set price, but it's a mere $8, just a fraction of what other studios charge per class, and you can get an even better price by buying a package deal.

With that sort of deal, I had to ignore my misgivings and go for it. Saturday afternoon found me and the boyfriend in the Williamsburg YTTP studio, mats set and ready to go.

So how was it? HOT. Really hot. I'm pretty sure I sweat more than I ever sweat in my life. And by the end of the hour and a half, it was all I could do not to sprint out of that studio. I was out of breath, fatigued, and pretty sure I was melting. Would I do it again?

Absolutely.

Hot yoga is seriously of the the most intense workouts I've ever done. Not because it's cardio filled or chock full of weight lifting, but because you are moving your body deliberately in such a way that you work every single part of it. I've been sore in places I've never been sore before, places I didn't thing could be sore! Like, the muscles in my feet! But at the same time, I feel amazing. I feel strong, cleansed, peaceful.

I think what I loved most about this experience was the studio itself. Yoga to the People is not pretentious. It's not snobby. It's not full of 110lb yogi perfectionists decked out in the latest Lululemon gear looking down at your imperfect poses. It's real people of all shapes and sizes going after the same goals - health, and peace of mind.

If that's not enough to convince you...

Did you know one 90 minute session of Bikram yoga burns anywhere between 900-1300 calories??

Oh yea.

2/1 weigh in

Friday's update, a little late as usual!

I'm happy and proud to report that I am finally back to my pre-holiday weight - on the dot! 203.6lbs!

I really busted my ass in the gym last week and it paid off, and the results were even better than I hoped for. I worked out three times last week, two Body Combat (cardio kickboxing) classes and one Body Flow (yoga/pilates/tai chi) class. Plus, my eating was really good, I stayed with in my points for the majority of the week, and finally got back in the groove of making myself some delicious meals.

Pioneer Woman's balsamic brussels, minus the cranberries and using my misto instead of olive oil from the bottle.

Homemade veggie rolls!

Skinnytaste sauteed brussels and chicken with spinach and melted mozz.

Skinnytaste broccoli mac and cheese.

Yum! How was your week?

Back to life

Man it's been a while since I updated here! I have be completely immersed in the world of "Urinetown" (not the place, of course, the musical...) and have been practically too busy to breathe these last two weeks.

Sadly, we closed the show last night so it's back to real life and back on the wagon. The last week of 5pm-11pm run throughs and two-show-a-day nights has completely thrown a wrench in my good eating - but I couldn't tell you if I've gained or how much as I completely forgot to step on the scale with Friday's hectic schedule.

But it's back to the plan starting today. My food is all planned out as usual, and tonight I'll be hitting the gym for a yoga class. Here's today's food plan:

Breakfast:
Coffee: 1 pp
Egg sammy (2pieces WW bread, one egg, one slice WW cheese, splash of hot sauce): 5pp

Lunch:
Skinnytaste Creamy Mushroom Soup: 1pp
2 WW Smoked Flavor String cheese: 2pp
Carrots and Ranch: 2pp

(Planned) Dinner:
Skinnytaste Turkey Chili Taco Soup: 5pp
topped with Sour Cream and Mexican blend cheese: 2pp

Snacks:
SpecialK Cracker Chips in Southwest Ranch: 3pp
WW Pepper Jack cheese stick: 2pp
Cherries: 0pp
Banana: 0pp
Nectarine: 0pp

Points Used: 23pp

That leaves me with 10pp to play with for dessert :) I love having a lunch like the mushroom soup that is deliciously filling for next to no points!

Motivation.

Last week on my style blog, Fatale Fashion, I did a recap of my favorite outfits of 2011, one from each month. It became and inadvertent but fantastic source of motivation when I compared pictures of myself from January of last year to pictures now. Here's January 2011 next to December 2011:

The most noticable differece has to be my face - Full cheeks, major double chin; both are much less now and now I have, dare I say, the inkling of a cheekbone? Also I think my boobs *might* have gotten smaller?? I hope??

Seeing these side by side show what a difference just 20lbs can make, and I know I never want to go back to those chubby cheeks of January 2011. As the talented Michael Bublè would say:

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
for me
And I'm feeling good.

A new beginning

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm determined to make 2012 my best year yet. It's a fresh start, a new beginning, and will hopefully include lots of changes for the better for me.

My resolution, like many, many others, is to lose weight this year - or to continue to lose weight. I have two goals:

#1. Lose twenty pounds by the summer.

This is a very feasible goal. I'm not trying to overreach myself by setting unattainable goals, like losing 50lbs by July - that's just a recipe for failure in my mind. 20lbs is doable. Very doable. Math is not my strong point, but let's break it down: 6 months until July 1st - that's 24 weeks. If I lost just one pound a week, I'll be at my goal and beyond. And of course there's wiggle room; some week's I might gain, but there are other weeks I may lose two or three pounds. So, -20lbs by July 1st for a total of -40lb and weighing 185lbs it is.

#2. Lose twenty more pounds by the end of 2012.

Same stats, same math. If I hit both of these goals I'll have lost a total of around 60lbs and will weight about 165lbs - a place I haven't been since probably since grade 8 or 9 :D

Anyway, let's take a look at this week's stats! The first weigh in of 2012 and I'm off to a good start:

Last week's weight: 206.2
This week's weight: 205.4

So, a .8lbs loss. Good not great, but better than a gain for sure. Aunt Flo is in town as well so I'm sure there's some bloat going on. I made it to the gym once, but I'm going to try for at least twice next week.

What are your new year's resolutions?