35 Day Challenge Recape and a New Goal

Long story short: I actually managed to lose bout 3lbs during my 35 day challenge. I won't say that I didn't cheat, because I did. There were a few times when baked goods were just uncontrollably delicious looking and needed to be baked/consumed. I also drank more than I said was I going to. Shoot. I did, however, rock out nearly every planned workout or run, which I am very proud of. Another thing that I took away and have been great with continuing is keeping my walking levels high. Spreading out errands that aren't urgent has been a great way to get me on my feet most days.

Trouble is, I'm pretty sure I ate all those pounds right back onto my love handles while I was away. We did a lot of walking, but pretty much every day was a morning till night kind of day, and I was tired enough as it was, so getting up at the crack of dawn to exercise, just didn't really happen. Unfortunately, I then got sick directly after I came home, and that combined with my lack of exercise on vacation and stress over making a decision about grad school left me totally unmotivated to get off my butt.

I do have motivation, though: I am not at all happy with my body. I can celebrate the small victory of losing 3lbs, but the truth is that I'm still very uncomfortable with the way I look both in and out of my clothes, save for those few pieces of universally flattering clothing I own. Truthfully, I was happy that I never got a chance to wear my swimsuit while in Florida. Both summer and my friend's wedding are rapidly approaching, and I want to get back the confidence I had last summer in a swimsuit, and look awesome in my bridesmaid dress.

Therefore, the new goal/challenge, whatever you want to call it, is to lose 7lbs in the just under 8 weeks that are left before the wedding. I've never lost that much weight in that short of a period of time, so I don't know that I can or will actually reach my goal, but that won't stop me from chasing it, either. The plan will be much the same was it was for my 35 day challenge, with a few modifications/additions:

• Biking! I don't think it's any coincidence that when I was at my lowest weight last year I was biking at least 8 miles, 2-3 times per week. The weather has turned, at least in the right direction, so my tires are getting pumped and I'm hoping to spend lots of time on my bike doing everything from running errands to longer rides.

• Limiting the carbs: painfully, I know this works. I'm not saying no pasta meals ever, but I will resist the urge to buy delicious loaves of bread and eat half of them, and will try to limit most dinners to carbs of the vegetable form only.
  

• Smart cheating. I will not shove my face full of an entire order of spicy fries on a regular basis and be OK with it.

• I am actually going to commit to less alcohol. I absolutely love beer, so I am sad about this one. I just don't need the liquid calories that aren't milk. But hey, if I lose the lbs now, that means I can feel less guilty about the outdoor beers in the middle of hot summer nights!

• And, to keep me more active and make me less of a veg, I'm making an effort to get out more and do more, especially free things! All of Harvard's museums have times when they are open free to Massachusetts residents...I'm all over that! Spending an afternoon walking to and from a museum, and being on my feet for a few hours, is much better than spending it on the couch!