Isn't it amazing what working out can do?

[4.a.healthier.me]

On 7/13/12 I took my baseline body measurements...On 1/26/13 I joined the YMCA. I've been doing a cardio routine 3-6 days a week, and a full body weight circut 3 days a week. I just took my body measurements again, and I've lost 21.75 inches since my baseline .

I also increased my body strength in the four areas that they track by 52#.

Upper back = 16#
Legs = 20#
Chest = 8#
Shoulders = 8#

I have more energy than I've had in years, and even people that I don't know (but have seen in passing at the Y on a fairly regular basis) have said that they have noticed the change .

I'm also about 6# from hitting a new centry mark... I'll be under 200# for the first time since I was in my early teens. I'm hoping that I'll make it to 190 before the end of the month, and that I'll be at 160 before 5/4/13 so I can recieve my lifetime membership @ Weight Watchers and I won't have to pay any more membership fees .

And I'm off and running again...Have a great day everyone.

[Robingen]

Congratulations that is so great! How many people join a gym (especially in Jan) and don't stick with it. Good for you!

[MossStar]

Congratulations Angela, I am both proud of you and inspired by you.

Way to go, you will reach your goal soon.

[carolynnq]

Angela - congratulations on your success! Good for you for sticking with it.

[4.a.healthier.me]

After having emergency surgery on 4/10 (they removed a gall stone the size of a golf ball ) I gained 10# . Thankfully it was off the following week. I'm still recovering from the surgery, (it was done laproscopically (sp?), but because the stone was so big they actually had to make an additional incision that was about an inch long instead of going truough the belly button the way they usually would.), but have managed to loose everything I gained plus some. I still won't be able to work out the way I want to for at least another 3-4 weeks, but plan to get back into the gym at least to start cardio again by the beginning of next week.

This is the first time I've been under 200# since I was about 14! I've had to get rid of almost all of the clothes that were in my closet, and purchase a whole new wardrobe over the past month or so... There is someone at my church that has inherited almost all of it, and she's thrilled. I'm trying to figure out how to finance my new shopping addiction as I continue to shrink and need new clothes at an increasingly rappid rate. (Not that I'm complaining abut downsizing my body by any means!) I must give cudos to whoever it was that first came up with the idea of second hand/thrift stores...they've been a life saver for many of us on this site .

I hope everyone is doing well on their journey to better health.

[carolynnq]

Angela - wishing you a speedy recovery. Glad everything turned out okay.

Did you hear about the six-items-or-less project a couple of years ago? Men 7 women pledged to wear only 6 items of clothing (underwear didn't count!) for 31 days. People got tired of wearing the same things, but the funny thing was - and what surprised the participants - was that their spouses and coworkers either didn't notice or didn't mention that they were wearing the sames things over and over. 6 items seems too few (for most women it was 2 bottoms, 3 tops, and a jacket or sweater). I think I could go for a long time wearing only 10 items, but even 10 items can get expensive replacing every few months.

Love your "Just because no one sees it, doesn't mean it doesn't count" tagline!

[4.a.healthier.me]

Originally Posted by carolynnq

Angela - wishing you a speedy recovery. Glad everything turned out okay.

Did you hear about the six-items-or-less project a couple of years ago? Men 7 women pledged to wear only 6 items of clothing (underwear didn't count!) for 31 days. People got tired of wearing the same things, but the funny thing was - and what surprised the participants - was that their spouses and coworkers either didn't notice or didn't mention that they were wearing the sames things over and over. 6 items seems too few (for most women it was 2 bottoms, 3 tops, and a jacket or sweater). I think I could go for a long time wearing only 10 items, but even 10 items can get expensive replacing every few months.

Love your "Just because no one sees it, doesn't mean it doesn't count" tagline!

Thanks, I'm back up to full speed now, and will be getting a re-eval at the gym on Wed since I won't be able to just jump back in at the weights I left at . I've been chomping at the bit to get back on track.

As of this past Wed I have finely made it into the "over weight" category in the BMI scale here . I haven't been down to this weight since around 9th grade!!!

Hope everyone is doing well