Circuit Torture Update Goal One Met!

I'm pleased to announce that I have reached my first major goal.  Today I weighed in at 144--a pound under my 145-before-Rob-retires goal.  Yay!  Now, if I am still under 145 on Friday, my personal torturer has promised me a T-shirt!

All the pain--worth it for a T-shirt!

I want to thank the folks that helped me along the way:  Ryion, my personal torturer, who always has a tough routine and a great attitude; Rob, my husband, and our kids, for not sabotaging my efforts too much (No, we are not getting ice cream to celebrate.)  My Great Weight Write Off group has motivated me, as has writing this blog.  So thank you, dear reader.

My long-term goal is 140 and stay there.  If I lose more, great, but I'm old and too lazy and like my sweets, so I don't really care if I see 120 again.

Now, however, I have a question for you.  You've probably noticed that these blogs haven't been as funny as they were.  I'm just not in as much pain, so I don't have as much to joke about.  Also, I'm getting a little burned out on all the blogging.  I'm thinking it's time to let Circuit Torture Wednesdays die down, perhaps once a month, along with my photos update.  I'll still announce when I post, and will keep an eye on stats.  If you're still reading, I'll keep writing the monthly updates.

How Real People Lose Weight: The Vacation Edition

Hi, guys!

Hope you enjoyed the reruns the past couple of weeks.  I was back home after an awesome vacation to Europe.  (Now, that's a sabbatical!)  My husband and I fulfilled a bucket list item by taking an Eastern Med cruise, then hanging out a week in southern Spain.  We went on a lot of tours, relaxed on the deck, read books, and enjoyed each others' company.  When we came back, Rob had lost five pounds and I'd only gained 1.6, but I lost 2 percent bodyfat.  It is possible to stay fit on vacation without a lot of extra effort or sacrifice.  Here's how we did it.

Exercise:  the cruise ship did have a gym, and we went, but not nearly as often, as long, or with as much exertion as we do at home.  However, Rob and I walked everywhere and took the stairs as often as possible, which, since we were on Deck 10 and our dining room was on Deck 3 and the Promenade was on Deck 5, we did a LOT of stairs.  At the resort, we walked around the little town as much as possible as well.

Diet:  We ate the most incredible food on the cruise ship.  (The resort buffet was awful.  Seriously, how do you mess up a grilled steak and bread?) The sad result for me was that I had desserts every night, sometimes two because I could not make up my mind, and resorted to pastries for breakfast because they were the only edible thing the resort made.  However, I tried to keep my meals low calorie.  Also, in Europe the serving portions are smaller, and even then, I did not eat everything on my plate (to be frank, I saved calories for dessert!)  We also had a lot less junk food than normal, which makes a difference.  I also forewent Coca Cola, my personal vice, for much of the vacation.  That's a lot of calories.

Anyhoo, here's the results for July/Aug.  It's a slow, steady progression, so I'm hoping it's one that will endure.  My next goal is 145 before we move, and 140 as an enduring goal.

Remember, I am not sucking in my gut (obviously) or trying to do anything to make myself look thinner.  I have to say, I don't see that much difference in the photos, but I do when I look straight in the mirror.

	15-Jan	3-Aug		total loss
weight	169	148.6		16.8 lb dec
body fat	38.5	29.3		9.2 dec
chest	38.7	34.5		4.2 dec
bust	41.1	37.4		3.7 dec
waist	39	31.4		7.6 dec
hips	42.8	37.5		5.3 dec
abs	42	36.5		5.5 dec
thigh	22	23.2		1.2 inc
calf	15	14.5		.5 dec
bicep	11.6	11.1		.5 inc
forearm	10	9.4		.6 dec
neck	15	14		1.0 dec
Total loss				29.6 inches