FINAL thoughts/reflections: This weekend, we officially broke in my sister & bro-in-law's pool and for the first time in my entire life, I put on my bikini without a single worry as to how I look. The entire day, I didn't worry about my belly sticking out or positioning myself just right so I could hide my fat rolls. The funny thing about this is that my belly and thighs are covered in stretch marks and I didn't think about that the whole day! I just enjoyed being healthy and feeling good about myself. My body is NOT PERFECT and I am totally okay with that. My thighs still touch and my belly is still soft and I will probably never look like a super model. But I am healthy and happy and comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my adult life.
As promised, my bikini finale pic is below! I think I was more self conscious about how white I am! Ha! Mike and a friend of mine made the suggestion that maybe a spray tan was in order. I seriously considered it but decided against it because that's just not me. I'm super glow-in-the-dark white and I wear SPF 100 to keep it that way! So, fair warning to you: you may need sunglasses to see through the glare from my legs! ;)
Also, before I officially end my Resolution Update posts, I wanted to leave everyone with a few tips/tricks since a lot of people ask what I'm doing differently. Here are just a few of my big ones:
1. I ALWAYS have a water bottle with me. I've found that a lot of the times I feel hungry, I'm actually just dehydrated. And if I have water and am well hydrated, I'm less tempted to fill up on the empty calories that are in sodas or juice. Water is just really good for you. Period.
2. I read labels. Our grocery store excursions take a little longer because I read every label before I buy. I've been shocked to find that foods that claim to be low in sugar or fat aren't really much better than their "regular" counterparts. Not to mention that the low sugar or low fat options are usually stocked with "other" ingredients that make them edible. Just because it's low sugar or fat doesn't make it good for you. Eating low fat ice cream every single day isn't healthy.
3. I work out 5 (or more) days a week. I know this sounds daunting but I really feel like that has been a key piece of this. Not only do my workouts help with calorie burn, they also help me mentally feel good about myself and then I'm motivated to keep making good decisions. My doctor asked me how often I was working out when she saw me and I told her this and she said she has patients all of the time who are trying to lose weight and are working out 3 days a week. She said she really believes that working out 4 or more days a week really makes a difference.
4. I was patient. I had GREAT results but this has taken time and patience. I didn't lose 10 pounds in one week, ever. I had to keep at it, day after day, week after week. This will continue to be a day-to-day process for the rest of my life. Being healthy is a life long journey, not a sprint.
5. I gave myself a little grace. Even though I know that working out 5 days a week is best and eating healthy every day is the way to staying healthy, there were days that I couldn't or just didn't. I didn't let that de-rail me though. I just recognized that there are going to be "bad" days and that I can start over immediately. I used to say things like "Oh, well, I ate a cookie today (Tuesday), so I guess I'll just start being healthy next week." WHAT?!?! That's just silly. Now, if I eat a cookie on Tuesday, I re-start ON TUESDAY. There's no reason I can't regroup immediately.
Okay, so that's that! And this is the end! Or at least the end of this series of posts. And here is the New Me!
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