Round 3 Ready, Get Set, Go!

It's been approximately 6 months since I've fallen off my weightloss groove. And with that fall went along with a 15 lb weight gain (not to mention the muscle mass lost). It's not to say that I've been completely negligent, and in contrary, I've been revving back up several times, only to lose momentum before good habits kicked in.

So about 3 weeks ago, I realized I had gained 15 lbs back from my lowest in Dec 2012, bringing me to a total 21 lbs lost from my highest weight. Unfortunately, due to muscle mass loss that came along with a depleting workout lifestyle, I had probably gained 20+lbs of "fat" back onto my body, resulting in my loose and pudgy old self.

Although people I hadn't seen over a year still recognized the loss difference of "21 lbs" since last year, I felt like I was my pre-weightloss self again, thanks to all the pudginess that came back. Through this fallout, I have a deeper appreciating for workouts that results better toning, especially on my stomach, arms and thighs.

Anyway, the past 3 weeks, I've been struggling to stay active and watching what I consume. It's been a struggle, but I've overcome the 3 week battle and am more dedicated than ever! I've lost 5 lbs since, so my current loss since highest weight is 26 lbs. And that is my loss as of Oct 1, 2013. I've decided to only weigh myself once a month, so the next weigh in will be Nov 1. In the meantime, I hope to increase my workouts at the gym and be able to suppress this appetite that always crave "junk food".

3 months left of this year, I'm aiming to finish strong!

Post Holiday Revamp

The past month was ladened with the holiday spirit, including a variety of social gatherings and delicious feasting. Good news is that I threw a handful of "good" days to somewhat balance my crazy holiday spirit, and I am grateful to have maintained my hard earned weight loss up to date. But as days are returning back to the routine, I am relieved to rediscover the same "healthy" balanced diet and picking up where I last left off.

And to create another challenge, my goal is to reach my "normal" BMI by my birthday, which allows me exactly 6 weeks from today. Hoorah!!

Tomorrow I'm running a 5K with 3 my of besties (pictured above) along with our dogs. I'm pretty excited and super grateful! One of my friends B has committed to run one race each month, and I'm stoked to run with her!

Sodium vs Water

This morning, I finally hit 35 lbs lost! This is a major mile marker and I am feeling so giddy with excitement. I cannot believe I've been able to keep it up this long. Things have definitely become more habit than will power, so living this healthy lifestyle has been much easier than I had ever dreamed of.

I have about 10 more pounds until my BMI reaches the normal zone for my height 5'4.5".

During the past few weeks, I've been noticing my sensitivity to sodium intake. Being Korean, most of the Korean food I love are highly packed with sodium and extremely spicy. I love it, but I realized I can't enjoy them too frequently without feeling super bloated. On days I have more sodium than usual, I noticed that the increased water weight and slight constipation gets me feeling super bloated, not to mention that the scale decides to gain a few extra pounds. But knowing that my body reacts to sodium in such way has helped me not to feel frustrated when the scale shows a slight increase. I know that in just a few days it will shed naturally. But considering that this sodium business creates such uncomfortable body reactions, I have to consider that perhaps it is not good for my health.

Water. I can testify about the treasures of water. And looking back, I spent most of my life dehydrated. No wonder I had such a weird addiction to junk food. When I'm dehydrated, my body triggers an urge, but unless I deliberately allow myself to hydrate back up, I take this "urge" to stuff myself with sugary drinks and other junk food. Yes well because water can be so... Boring. But after working out this relationship I have with water, I'm more dependent on it then ever before. When I'm well hydrated, I don't have cravings. Even when I'm hungry, I have a level headed hunger for good clean food. When I'm hydrated, I can workout without cramps or feeling sluggish. When I drink that water, my system is cleaned and polished, running at its optimal performance. My fundamental component to weightloss and staying healthy is water. I would recommend this to anyone who is trying to get back in shape.

Before and After Face

Pictures say a million words. Here's a picture I came across from Oct 2011 on the left. I tried to take a similar picture just a few min ago on the right. As I embark onto the last month of this year, I'm glad to know that more than half of the year was well spent on challenging myself on this health journey I've postponed way too long.

Eating healthy, portion control, eliminating junk food, running, and drinking lots of water... do these and good things will happen!

Pushing for Excellence

Past month was another one of those chaotic ones. I'm beginning to recognize that I have about 3-4 months in a year where I just get thrown off my typical steady routine due to extraordinary events and vacations.

In the past month, I had a bachelorette party down in Miami and a lovely week absorbing the bliss on the Big Island of Hawaii. This weekend, there is a bridal party for the sister and the following week is her wedding. Amidst all this are holidays and birthday parties.

I managed to gain a few pounds during the Miami and Hawaii trips, but since my return about 10 days ago, I've shed them all and am at a 31 lb loss to date. Good news is, I will easily reach a 35lb loss by the wedding. Unfortunately, the bridesmaid dress is now too big. I'm planning on just stitching the sides  here and there to make sure the snug is there, just in case it decides to slide down in front of the mass audience, which of course we would not want to see ;D I'm also going to use this special tape that I can use to secure the dress since the strapless ones are just too unpredictable.

And I have made the decision to put my hair up. I've been holding off on this in case I needed the extra coverage with my hair. Luckily, I've managed to acquire a nice warm tan and the extra weight I've lost in the last week has made a drastic difference on my upper body. Hair up it is!

And here's the best news so far! I am wear size 10 jeans! Yes, I am now a proud owner of 3 size 10 jeans which are adorable. My thighs are slightly too big, but I'm hoping that too will shed soon enough. Yikes, I don't ever remember wearing size 10 jeans. My earliest memories of my teenage years, I still wore size 12's and 13's. The other day, I did another small purge of clothes. But after trying on a few of these old clothing, I saved a dress and a pair of jeans as my "Before" collection. They are really so freaking big. I can't believe I used to squeeze myself into them. I'll post pictures of them soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the past trips and my progress pictures up to date.

Aloha from the Big Island, HI

Brunch at the Big Pink in Miami

At my 31lb weightloss milemarker

And in celebration, new boots.

Three Weeks Until D-Day

My sister's wedding is in exactly 3 weeks. It feels like yesterday she got engaged, yet all the mile markers have passed, and we are left with the gigantic to-do list of the last "3 Weeks" before the wedding. I've been lucky to have run across some amazing money saving deals online for the decor, as well as this hole in the wall flower shop just 5 mins away that sells fresh flowers in bulk at wholesale prices. I've been experimenting with the flowers, and luckily, flowers are beautiful no matter what I do to them. Here's a picture of the second bouquet I made over the past weekend. Few days later, the roses bloomed so full, they looked like peonies. At the end, we decided to scrap the baby's breath and stick with just roses and greenery.

As I'm wrapping up the final projects for the wedding, I'm reminded of how fast this past year went by. I remember reminiscing about the wedding, and dreaming with my friends about how we were going to lose weight and look fabulous in our first official wedding amongst our group. Somehow, knowing that there is a D-Day, the dream became reality. I actually took action in ways I've never succeeded before. And as I welcome these last few weeks of chaos before the final day, I am reminded of how grateful I am to have changed for the better, and I am less and less a victim to life's misfortunes and more and more a pioneer of my own life.

Outfits Are Fun

See the vast contrast of my Fall vs. Summer wardrobe which were all taken this past week. Best of both worlds thanks to my beautiful vacation to the Big Island and my wonderful Fall beginnings here in Georgia.