Weigh-in Wednesday: Week 4 of My Weight Loss Journey

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This week was my first week to stick to my weight loss challenge during a major holiday. Keep reading to see how much weight I lost for today’s Weigh-in Wednesday: Week 4 of My Weight Loss Journey!

So, today begins Week 4 for me. As of this morning, I’ve completed 3 full weeks of intentional weight loss practices. In my book, this simply means county my calories and getting exercise!  If you want to see why I did this in the first place, head over to My 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge.

This past week, I only exercised 4 of the 7 days. This may be TMI, but last week I experienced what I thought was joint pain in my hip. Clearly, my body was boycotting any and all forms of physical activity! Not wanting to do damage to my hip, I halted exercise until I could get in to see a doctor. Friday afternoon, after four x-rays and an exam, my diagnosis was finalized: I have Iliopsoas syndrome. This simply means my major hip muscle, the iliopsoas, is inflamed from sudden use! I know you are laughing, I was too! The good news is that it is not serious and can be fixed. Always, always see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right during a new exercise program! 🙂

Bottom line, I’m doing physical therapy 2 days a week to learn how to relax the muscle, but I can still maintain my current exercise regime (brisk walking, Jilllian Michaels DVD and the gym). HALLELUJAH! (affiliate)

Here is what my food & exercise diary looked like for yesterday: Yesterday, I did my 20 minute Jillian workout and then my husband & I went for a walk after supper. The activity tracker I got for Mother’s Day logs my steps, heart rate, stairs, etc. all day long. Then, I enter my meals into My Fitness Pal. The Garmin app merges the two sets of data, so anytime I want I can see a report like the one above! They are geniuses! (affiliate)

I’ve seen a direct correlation with the intensity of my workouts and my weight loss. The weather here if Florida has been gorgeous! Hot, but soooo sunny and pretty. My brisk walks have increased in duration, and my stamina with Jilllian’s training is building! (affiliate) While walking on Saturday, I snapped this pic of a yellow jacket on one of our tropical flowers. Hey, it’s almost football season – go GA Tech Yellow Jackets! 🙂 

On days when I can’t get outdoors or make it to gym, I workout at home with Jillian.

This week I started looking at yoga mats. I really need one for Jillian’s floor routines. Right now, I’m just doing the floor routines on direct carpet, but the benefits of having a non-slippery rubber mat under me is making sense! Do you have any recommendations? Leave a comment below! I’m looking at this yoga mat, but am not sure if I really need a 1/2 thickness. (affiliate) I will let you know what I decide…..

So, I weighed myself just now for a strong finish to Week 3.

As of this morning, I lost zero pounds last week. That’s ok. I knew this weight loss journey would not be a fast or easy fix. Seriously, it has taken me several years to pack this weight on in the first place! I’m really happy to be nearly 5 pounds lighter than when I started, and I’d rather lose weight slowly and in a healthy manner so I can keep it off in the long run.

Recipes like my Skinny Spinach Ranch Dip will help me stay on track while snacking and relaxing with the family without feeling deprived. I am ready for Week 4!

Have a good week – see ya next Wednesday!
xoxo,
Heather