Recap on the Boot Camp
So I thought I'd post a recap. I realized that I was too bust at this particular juncture to follow the plan too the letter. I'll revisit this plan in a few weeks time. But here is the takeaways I have learned in the meanwhile.
1. I'll be incorporating more yoga, aiming for about 5 days per week for 20 minutes or so. Besides the obvious flexibility benefits, it did help me get to sleep a little sooner.
2. I'll be continuing an evening ritual of a cup of tea. This seemed to help me tell my brain that eating was over for the day, and cut down my post dinner snacking!
3. I can do it, and make my desserts fruit (or yogurt). I found that keeping the sweets out of the house are a huge deterrent. And what I end up having instead: fruit, nuts or yogurt!
4. Soup before dinner: brilliant idea! I'll absolutely continue this, because it actually keeps me away from making that pot of rice for dinner or pasta. (As a result I have been cutting carbs in my dinner..limiting it to protein and veggies, and cutting calories along the way.
5. I have been sort of counting calories, and it has been mostly working, i am eating less. (I'll start up a food diary soon, but what I can see is that I am getting in the neighborhood of 1400-1750 calories per day, most days, which is down from my old habit of around 2000-2200 per day.
6. Increasing the veggies works. So I have super cravings if I don't load up on the veggies at lunch. As long as i plan for 3 servings in my lunch -- I am not killing myself for a snack later on.
7. Make a plan for dinner. Everyday. Preferably 2 options, one for if you have more time, and one if you get home late. I can always "catch up" at dinner by choosing wisely. When I come home with no idea what to make, I tend to make pasta (whole wheat typically) and I don't have time to defrost my protein, leading me astray to more pasta than I want to have.
8. Get the convenience foods you need to be successful. I tend to like to cook daily, and you now "eat whole foods" but I work late constantly, so I just keep all of my prewashed salad, pre-chopped items, peeled garlic, frozen stuff and of course low sodium packaged soup to keep me on track.
Ok now for the results:
Over the past few weeks, I have been fitting in about 3 yoga sessions per week, and eating less. (But not hardcore in the past week and a half due to a super bust schedule.) I haven't really fit in many of those "circuit training or core workouts" lately, so the yoga pretty much sums up my exercise, besides any post-work shopping errands.
I lost an inch from my waist. I am down about 1/2 on the bust and I am seeing much more upper body tone. Upper body tone where I see more shoulder definition, less arm flab and more upper waist definition. (You know that little area at the end of your ribcage.)
And i realize, that I respond to exercise, so to hit my goal of 30 pounds by my 30th birthday, I need to get cracking on the exercise. (And hopefully tame my pear-shape, I am basically a pear with big boobs in terms of body type, which is good...and bad. The good....I can look more hourglassy due to my big chest. But I also tend to look hippy and put on all weight in my lower abs and inner thighs. So i have drumstick legs. :(
Cheers, and good luck in your efforts on getting healthy.