Well here I am at the end of April…4 months into this journey. Just to recap – the first 2 months were pretty strict 4 Hour Body way of eating. By March, I hit my lifetime legume quotient and basically ate a more paleo diet. April came and I was ready to buckle down for another month. But it didn’t really happen. I ate well probably 75% of the time. The other 25% was filled with mostly sweets…donuts (who am I eating donuts all the time?), gummy bears, starburst jelly beans (thank you Easter Bunny!), brownies, and whatever else was around. I also had my fair share of fruit throughout the month. As much as I thought I would have some pasta or bread or other grain, I really didn’t. (progress?) I actually had 2 different nights where I had brown rice pasta and it was just ok. I piled my plate high and barely touched the pasta. I would’ve been better off with a bowl of meat sauce.
The good news is that I didn’t gain a single pound in the month of April. I have remained at the same weight as my last weigh-in. I consider this lack of weight gain/weight loss as progress. Now I know what I can do to remain at the same weight!
However I don’t feel like I’ve hit my goal just yet. My 35th birthday is in exactly 2 months. And I want to start my 35th year in the best shape of my life! I want to be healthy, I want visible abs, I want to do the splits! And I’m almost there. Seriously, I’m healthier than ever, I have a hint of abs, and I can *almost* do the splits!
I want to focus on cardio this month. I want to commit to walking 30-45 minutes per day during the week – which sure seems like a lot to me right now considering I do about 0 minutes of walking for exercise per day. But May 1 is a new day and a new month and I’m going to start new habits. I’ve been going to Bar Method about 2-3 times per week and would like to commit to 3-4 times per week. I like the 12pm class which has been on MWF only and starting in May they will offer it MTWTF – so I might even be able to make it 5 times some weeks. And so I continue on in May with renewed efforts!
alisonreinvented 
May 01, 2011 @ 00:48:08
Congrats for your 4 month anniversary! 🙂
Now you know why Tim said “just follow the rules” in the book. 😉 Because they work. You started to fall back into your old habits and the weight loss stopped.
One advice from my own experience: Don’t go overboard with hour-long cardio sessions. Do intense workouts and try to build a good amount of muscle. The time is better invested, because more muscle = higher BMR.
I’ll add 30min of running on weekdays to my routine again starting next week, but that’s about all the time I want to sink into cardio.
May 01, 2011 @ 13:57:28
Thanks! And great advice. I’m going to start out slow, just adding 30 min of walking during the week. The Bar Method uses minimal weights (although I use heavier than most of the other people) and is mostly strengthening and stretching the muscles. No hour long elliptical sessions here! 🙂