four-week fitness update

So.

It's been 4 weeks since my last one,

so it's time for another fitness update.

(It's been 4 weeks? How does time fly so fast?!)

I ended up skipping a few days of exercise around Christmas

but I got right back to consistent daily (except Sundays) exercise Jan 2nd.

About 5 weeks ago, I added in 30 Day Shred.

Mon, Wed, and Friday, I'd do that,

and Tues, Thurs, and Saturday, I'd do 2 days worth of 8 Minutes in the Morning, plus my extras.

After about 2 weeks of that routine,

I started noticing that I actually felt a little better after exercising

on the days I did 30 Day Shred (which combines cardio and strength training).

(I hadn't ever noticed an improved mood/frame of mind after just strength training exercises)

A few days after that realization, 

Tyler told me he thought I needed to be doing more cardio.
He'd been talking with a buddy of his about weight loss...

As you might imagine,

it kinda ticked me off a little bit,

Mr Skinnypants telling me what I needed to do to lose weight, 

but I knew he was right.

~ sigh ~

So ever since then,

I've either done 30 day shred or I've done this and added in squats, crunches, and chest flies.
I got tired of doing the inverted pullups - I don't seem to be making any progress
(shocker)
and my arms and shoulders are already perpetually sore thanks to Jillian.

The good news is,

it's getting a little easier, this daily exercise thing.
And I don't cry so much.

The bad news is, my knees and my right heel hurt pretty much all the time now.
(but the knee pain is not the possible-meniscus-tear knee pain, thank the Lord!)

We've purchased a mini trampoline 

(which is quite huge in this tiny house) in an attempt to lessen the pain,

and I just got a couple of books that might help me figure out what supplements I need.
The first one, I tossed aside pretty quickly,
but the second, The Mood Cure, actually caused a feeling of hope to swell up in me.
Of course, that hopeful feeling was quickly consumed by being flat overwhelmed with trying to figure it all out.

Food-wise,
I don't know, I think maybe I need to eat more?
I don't really think eating less is an option...
It's kinda hard to know what I need
when no matter when and what I eat,
and how much or how little,
the scale (and apparently, the tape measure, too) is going to do it's own dadgum thing.
It's downright disheartening.

I still haven't made an appointment with my Dr.
(I don't really know why I'm dragging my feet on that.)
I did make up a fancy chart though,
after carefully taking notes for the past 4 months.

If you flip it upside down,
that's pretty much how the scale moves.
Pretty sure it's related.

And I'm pretty tired of spending the bulk of my life
(haha - bulk of my life ~ oh, I tickle myself... ahem.)
doing eh. ok. and worse.
For a long time, I was fine with that,
because it's sooo much better than
years 
of every. single. day.
feeling
not so good,
UGH!
and way way worse.

~
So.
Here are the not at all impressive numbers.
After all that hard work (and cardio ;-)
I am down a whopping 1.8 lbs.
In 4 weeks.
Like I said - not impressive.
But hey, I'll take it.
Especially when statistically, obese people gain 5 lbs over the holidays.
And it's better than the .6 I lost in the previous 4 weeks...

Measurement wise, this is what's going on:
neck - down 1/8"
upper bust - increased by 3/8" (increased by 3/4" last month. what gives?!)
no change in the bust measurement
ribs - down 5/8"
down 1/2" in my waist
and 3/8 in my hips
down 1/4" each in my thighs, knees and calves
and my wrists are 1/8" smaller

For the amount of effort I am expending, these results are pretty pitiful
and I'm not going to bother with pictures again,
because, really.

Moving forward,
I'm just going to keep plugging along.
Maybe I can actually make some headway in the supplement department, thanks to my new book,
and I can start feeling like myself again.
I have a sneaking suspicion that whenever that finally happens,
my body will let go of the weight more easily.

Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have an appointment
 with Jillian