Finally - A Weight Loss Update

O.K. so I know I have been really bad about updating my progress on my weight loss. I guess so many other things have been going on and I am so used to focusing on my weight everyday that I kind of forget to mention it on my blog. Well, I honestly can't remember how much I weighed when I went to my last appointment with Dr. Hendricks on May 23rd. I guess I could read through my blog and try and figure it out, but as you all know I am so "long winded" it would take me forever to read through everything. Gosh now I know how everyone feels when they read my novels. Oh well, I have always said this blog is more for me to use as an outlet than for anyone else. So am I ever going to get to the point......

YES! It is not official, because I have not weighed in at Dr. Hendricks office, but I believe I have lost another 10 pounds. I have been pretty good about staying on course with my diet. I have found a new "dangerous snack" though. It is the Costco Trail mix. While, it is good for me to have nuts for the protein and fat, it is NOT good for me to have the M&M's that are in the trail mix. So, in the beginning I used to pick them out. Now I just eat them. But, I have increased my exercise routine so much that I really think that is the key factor in my losing the weight and inches. I bought some more clothes when I moved up here, and they are now starting to fall off me. I am now officially a size 12! I can't believe it. I was a size 22 in my pants when I started this diet. I think I only have 25 more pounds to go to meet my 100 pound weight loss goal. I am going to fly to Sacramento at the end of the month for my weigh in appointment.
As far as my exercise routine goes... Thank goodness for the mountains. At my May 23rd appointment with Dr. Hendricks they really emphasized me working out 7 hours a week. I have never been good about 7 hours a week. I would usually do about 5 hours a week which consisted of walking. I would average about 20 miles a week. Well, when I decided to move to Utah the most exciting thing for me was hiking. I go hiking about 3-4 times a week. I have my favorite hike up Milcreek Canyon and it takes anywhere from 1 1/2 - 2 hours. It is about 4 1/2 miles long. I just love it. The time it takes me varies on one thing. If I decide to jog the last part down the mountain or not. I can usually cut about 15 min off my time depending how much I jog. What determines if I jog or not? How bad I have to go to the bathroom. T.M.I. I know, but I drink so much water that sometimes it goes through me faster than other times. So, if I am o.k. I can usually jog the last part which consists of about 20 minutes of downhill. Believe it or not, the trail is so steep it is actually easier to jog rather than try and walk down it. So, I have been getting about 8 hours of exercise a week. And let me tell you, it is killer. Oh my gosh, I always think I am going to die when I am going up the mountain. Rebekah can testify of the difficulty of this hike. (Unfortunately she still has not fully recovered from her knee injury from when we did the 8 mile hike). I would love to do the 8 mile hike each time I go, but it takes almost 3 hours and I need to be more prepared. Like, getting a hydro pack and also packing something to eat. Otherwise, I get too weak. Being on such a low calorie diet, even doing my two hours is very exhausting. I probably burn up all the calories of the two protein shakes I have just on the steep incline alone. Yesterday when I went, I finally got smart and took some trail mix. So when I got to the end of the trail I sat down by the river and ate the trail mix. It made a big difference in how I felt. So I will have to do that from now on. I am happy that I get to enjoy the beautiful mountains so often. It is great!!!!