Week 12 Update

Well folks, I DID IT!  I FREAKING DID IT!!!  I'm not even going to make you wait until the end of this post to find out because I'm just so happy that I did it!!! I lost 15 pounds, and it only took me 12 weeks instead of 15!  By far the best weigh-in of this whole challenge was this past Saturday morning when I stepped on the scale and saw that I shed that 1 last pound to get me to my goal.  I can't even describe how amazing it feels to know that I actually did it, I achieved this goal that I had set for myself, and ahead of schedule to boot!  I still have 3 weeks remaining in my challenge, so I'm going to keep working hard to see if I can lose more weight, but it's nice to know that anything I lose now will just be an added bonus!  

Here's the recap of this magical week:

Physical Activity:
4/20/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
4/21/13: ran outside for an hour (went about 4.5 miles total, ran for about 2.75 miles of that)
4/22/13: ran outside for 35 minutes (went 3.5 miles)
4/23/13: BODYATTACK
4/25/13: ran outside for 35 minutes (went 3.5 miles)

Since I can now run 3 miles without stopping, I started paying more attention to time this week.  Every time I ran I did it in slightly less time, and that's the sort of improvement that's nice to see once you've tackled a goal.  My friends and I are going to sign up for a 5k and I'm really excited for that!

Food:
I have to admit I was not exactly on my game during week 12 when it came to food and drink.  I over-indulged quite a bit, and ended up turning a cheat day into a cheat weekend, which is a really bad habit that I'm still trying to break.  I also went out with some coworkers during the week for drinks to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day, and that was the first time I drank during the week since I started this challenge.  I was happy to see that I still reached my goal, but it was a little too close for comfort for me this week.

Cooking:
This is going to sound like an excuse, but I was literally out every single night during week 12 and just didn't have time to cook anything of significance.  However, I'm doing 2 recipes this week to make up for it! 

Weigh-In:
Well, as you already know I lost...

1 POUND!!!

When I started this challenge I didn't actually know if I'd be able to stick it out and lose the weight.  Seeing that number on the scale Saturday morning was proof that when you set your mind to something, you can make it happen, you just have to work for it.  The past 12 weeks have not been easy and the last 3 to come will be just as difficult, if not more so, but I'm secure in the fact that I started all of this with one main goal in mind: to improve my health and fitness, and I succeeded.  Now let's see how much more weight I can lose before this 15 weeks is up!