April is almost done and I really have nothing good to say about it! Well, at least in terms of my weight loss! There were some good things that happened in April...just not with my weight loss efforts!
The Good
We have been able to start getting out and working on the yard again! The property we bought was rented for quite a few years. Renters didn't do anything to better the property. In fact, when tree limbs dropped, they must have apparently just pushed them into the closest flower bed.....and they stacked up. There were rocks scattered everywhere...in flower beds, under trees, you name it Rocks, we have a plenty! We can envision the yard when it is back into great shape, but we also are realistic enough to know that it will take years for us to have the time (and money) to do what we want. So last year we reclaimed one or two flower beds....and just maintained. This year we plan on reclaiming a bit more and maintaining everything. As we are reclaiming, we are trying to planT perennials. It's more expensive now, but in the long run will save us so much time and money to not have to replant....to just maintain with some mulch some pruning/dividing and a little bit of weed pulling. As spring rolled around, we started to work outside again. It is very satisfying to see a brush pile shrink! We fixed the back steps that were in dire need of help. We enjoyed the time with each other...and our pets! It wasn't a bad month.
The Bad
So the bad comes into play when I got a stomach bug. I rolled into April strong! I was exercising heavily. I was drinking lots of water. I was tracking every bite and eating within the confines of my set plan. I was killing it! Well, I was killing it for the first 2 days! And then I picked up a stomach bug! The bug threw me off my healthy lifestyle. I fell apart on almost every aspect of my healthy habits. Water....what's that? Tracking.......yeah right? The ONLY thing I continued was my daily exercise. I of course didn't exercise the week I was sick. But the following week I was back at it religiously! But everything else was a bust!
I ended the month at almost exactly the same weight that I started the month! Disappointing....but I also know that's a miracle in itself!
The Plan
I had started the month of April with a plan. A challenge for myself. I was so excited about it. It was a points value system for myself to compete against myself with. Every day I would earn points. Everything I did that was healthy would earn me a point..or more. Every day, I would just need to better my number..compete against my previous day! Compete against my previous week. Compete against myself to keep earning more and more points. (the original post can be found here)
I am planning to restart this challenge and I'm excited about it for sure!
So the points system...
Weight - I earn one point for any loss or maintain on my weekly weigh in day. (only one point per week)
Track - I can earn one point per day - just for tracking my food and my efforts
On track eating - I can earn one point per day for eating within the confines of my set eating plan
Water - Every 10 ounces of water I drink I will earn 1 point. If I have a "bad day" and only drink 20 ounces....it's not a failure because I still earn 2 points. But the days that I drink 70 ounces....well, I earn 7. (drinking water is easy points!)
Fruit and Veggies - Quite simply I can earn one point for every fruit or vegetable that I eat. Once again, I am celebrating the ONE serving I ate if that's all I ate. But I am killing it with lots of points if I eat 6 servings!
Exercise- I will earn 1 point for every 10 minutes of cardio or strength exercise I do.
Steps - I will earn 1 point for every 1000 steps I take.
Yoga - (A new addition this month) - I can earn 1 point for a yoga session!
We will always round down. If I drink 59 ounces of water, it rounds down to 50 and I only earn 5 points....this should encourage me to take that extra sip of water to throw myself over the next milestone. If I take 9800 steps, it rounds down to 9000 so 9 points. once again, by rounding down I should be encouraged to take a few more steps to get to the next milestone/point!
I'm ready to kick this weight in the teeth and knock it far far away! April was a rough month, but I can make May amazing!
