Update: My 40 Day Challenge [13 Days Later]

I'm not where I want to be, but Thank God I'm not where I used to be. Struggles, challenges, ups and downs aside....progress is progress.
Sometimes, you need to see yourself side-by-side to get it.
I've been debating on how frequently to update you all on my journey. I figured nearly 2 weeks later was enough time to reflect and share. Hmm, where should I start? Oh wait, I'll start here:

I'm actually losing weight. Weight that I can see coming off in areas, and on the scale.

For some of you, that may not be a big deal. But for me, it's huge. As I've mentioned in the initial 40 day challenge post, and here on my BHIP reflection, I have a pretty decent workout ethic and pretty sucky eating habits. That combination led to me working out regularly, having pretty good stamina, but my jeans fitting the same way week after week. And the scale not moving.

I didn't realize how big of an impact not eating sweets and sweetened beverages (and being mindful of sugar in other areas, but not obsessing about it) could have on me in such a short amount of time. By the end of the first week (March 7th), I was down 1.8lbs. When I weighed myself on Friday March 14th, I had lost another 2.4lbs. I was beyyyyyyyond ecstatic for both weigh ins -- that's a total of 4.2lbs lost in two weeks! My goal is to sustainably lose about 2lbs a week (a goal I had decided for myself even before Lent began). I do know that the numbers on the scale mean nothing if the clothes aren't fitting right, and I'm happy to report that I'm back in (albeit slightly snug) jeans I had stopped wearing because they fit, but had gotten entirely too tight to be comfortable. I wore jeans all weekend, and Samuel (BF) was like "check you out, jeans again!" If I keep going at this rate, I might be able to drop a jean size by the end of the month!

Just so that we're clear, I'm not just sitting around doing nothing while waiting for the weight to lose itself. I still work out five times a week -- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Each day I do at least 20 - 30 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio (treadmill intervals, suicide drills, cardio circuits, etc.), and some days I get an extra 30 minutes by taking a moderately paced leisurely walk from my job to Trader Joe's or Target. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I do upper body exercises with weights or body weight and a few core exercises. Tuesdays and Thursdays are leg day -- 'nuff said. Saturdays are a total body workout that usually involves an outdoor run, upper, lower, and core workouts, and culminating in a 5 minute circuit. Just as an aside, I work out with my trainer on Thursdays and Saturdays, the other 3 days of the week I do on my own with a workout plan he provided me.

As far as anything special that I'm using goes, there are two main things I'm on tough: MyFitnessPal and Cardio Igniter. I've had a MFP account forever, but I've never been totally consistent about it. I'm happy to report that I'm on a 17 day streak of logging calories (although sometimes I forget to log my strength workouts)! If you're interested in learning more about MyFitnessPal, visit www.myfitnesspal.com. If you're on and need some motivation (and I always need motivation), my username is tinap17.

Now, what the heck is Cardio Igniter? I'll be the first to admit that I'm always on the hunt for some kind of workout booster. I wanted something to help me go hard and maximize my gym time(without feeling crazy or jittery) particularly during cardio, but that wouldn't keep me up at night or have weird side effects. After a go-round with a few different products, I tried and have stuck with Cardio Igniter. I purchased it at Vitamin Shoppe for about $35 bucks (I think it was on sale). It is supposed to help support stamina, increase focus, support building lean muscle mass, provide energy and endurance, as well as help accelerate fat loss (via thermogenic). To be completely 100% honest, this product does exactly that. I sweat like crazy when I'm using it, I feel super focused on accomplishing the task ahead, and I give it my all. Whether it's actually the product or all in my head, I don't know. But I'm almost out, and will be purchasing more! While this post isn't about Cardio Igniter, if you're interested in a separate review (perhaps via YouTube) let me know!

I'm beginning to trust God's word more.

Another amazing thing that has come about for me is a shift in perspective. Although most people that know me say one of my more endearing qualities is my inherent niceness/willingness to help, I do have my moments of unbridled negativity. Moments where I want to curse people out. Moments where I doubt myself. Moments where I want to give up. Slowly but surely, God is doing a new thing in me. Sometime last week, I was beginning to feel defeated in terms of building my brand as a blogger and content developer. I have been looking for jobs left and right, because I am actively pursuing this as a career. I started feeling overwhelmed, as though I wasn't in the slightest qualified to pursue the field. The more I read, the more I realized I didn't know. Then I looked at my scripture for the day:

Philippians 1:6 NIV
being confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus 
 
I couldn't help but praise God. He would never bring me so far and then leave me high and dry. He has a plan for me. I just need to keep working hard and staying faithful. He's done it so many times before, I just have to trust Him MORE now than I did even then! My anxiety has transformed to anticipation. Instead of pacing nervously in my head about who knows more about x, y, and z than me, and what other people may be doing, I am learning to focus all of my energy on Him. On understanding that what God has for ME, he has for ME -- not for someone else. There is no one that can come and take away, or outdo what God has in store for me. I even applied this to my wellness journey. In those moments I feel like I want to give up, I have to remind myself of the good work that He has begun in me. So I'm resting in that, and believing wholeheartedly in Him on every step of this journey -- not just professionally, but on my journey to better health.

More updates in a few weeks! Be blessed everyone!

2 Comments

  1. Wow Christina, just wow! It's like the two of us have been living a similar life. I too am taking eating healthfully more seriously ( I mean who really needs a pint of ice cream a day?) and being more conscious of my overall health. I realized I could not do it alone though and decided to ask God for help. I'd almost forgotten that I could ask him for help for anything, not just my finances, not just my career, but ANYTHING! That's what He desires. He's also helping me to knock down those creeping feelings of "not good enough" as I pursue my passion as a career option. There's more I could add, but I'm not going to take up your entire comment section. So I'll just leave with this...He's got our backs!

    Many well wishes to you on the continuation of your health and career journeys!

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  2. Wow! I'm inspired. I'm going to give up sweets too and see where it leads.

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