Day 67 - Freedom Challenge Final Update (On Vacay!)

Hi everyone! Although I am on vacation this week, I still wanted to make my final Freedom Challenge update and a little update on what's going on here. It was written yesterday, so technically it's for Day 66, but who's counting? ;)

Anyway, here it is and I'll try to post again soon!
~Heather

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Hi everyone! Well, the hubby and I are on vacation this week in Indianapolis and already having an amazing time! I would have posted earlier, but it's been go-go-go since last Thursday and I am only now finding a few moments to update. We arrived here in Indy yesterday, checked in to the convention, received our con goodies and badges, caught up with old friends, and then decided to have a simple dinner to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. The 97+ degree heat made a very convincing argument for keeping up with / restarting my 2 liter + per day water habit. As the heat will continue (though not to that icky extent), I shall continue to drink plenty of good ol' H2O while here!

I am also going to make an effort to keep any “vacation munching damage” to a minimum. As I am in the midst of a gaming convention, with all of the stereotypical gamer food trappings (burgers, pizza, nachos, chips, soda, etc), I have also been vigilant about scouting out healthier options. Being in the heart of Indy affords me a tremendous number of food options and I plan on taking full advantage of them. With my hubby's full support and understanding, I am able to choose places and meals that best fit into my goal... to keep any possible weight gain to a minimum and, if at all possible, to weigh in on Tuesday a little lighter than when I left.

By the way... weigh in on Tuesday was a bit of a shock as my food choices were not the best, my water intake was quite poor and my exercise non-existent. But it was also incredibly enlightening. I lost 2.4lbs and now weigh in at 224.8. I am currently at my lowest weight since 2000. Yes, that's a full decade since I've seen those numbers. Lemme tell ya, what a way to start a vacation! :)

The enlightening part of the whole WI process this week was in regard to my sodium intake. I have been watching very closely over the last few months to see what effect sodium has on my weigh ins and my results are staggering to me. I mean, I knew how sodium makes you retain water, blah blah blah.... but I seem to be particularly sensitive to it, especially in the 3-5 days prior to weigh in. The last three weigh ins where I have showed a gain I can easily contribute to eating higher sodium foods within a few days prior to weigh in, even when what I ate or how much I ate was within my points. This knowledge gives me confidence in knowing exactly what I need to do to continue showing consistent losses each week as well as peace of mind when I see a gain. Yep, more knowledge = feeling good. :)

Ok, onto my final Freedom Challenge Update!

Here we go...

My Goals:

1) To do some kind of organized exercise at least 4 days a week (gym, walking trails, video, etc.)
Well, definitely didn't get this done this past week. Heck, I didn't go to the gym at all! I did get plenty of activity going up and down the stairs at home, working on laundry, my to-do list, prepping for vacation. But the gym or any kind of organized activity? Not once this past week. Ah well, vacation this week is offering me miles upon miles of walking, so I'll definitely be gaining those activity points. :)

2) To work on one project on my To Do List per week.
Tons done and I still have a long list. Some days, it never seems to end. But this goal was easily accomplished this week and for the whole challenge.

3) To get a minimum of 6 hrs of sleep per night, especially during the week.
Another no go this week. 4 hours of sleep nearly every night this week; some of my own doing, some not. What I did learn from having this as a goal was to recognize when I'm really busy and when I'm just being lazy in front of the tv. Big difference and one I need to work on.

4) To drink 2 liters of plain water per day, regardless of any other drinks I imbibe.
Not sure what happened here, but this became so difficult I let it go by the wayside. Not proud of this, but for some reason, to drink water meant me nearly choking down a cup here and a cup there. Not even with some flavoring could I convince myself to drink more than a few cups a day. Since getting into Indianapolis for vacation yesterday, I've been drinking almost nothing but water. I can feel how dehydrated my body has become over the last week and it's making up for lost time.

5) To have 4 new "food adventures" during the challenge time period. This could include trying a new restaurant, making a new recipe, trying never-before-used ingredients, etc.
4 of 4 accomplished! Just by trying out new recipes for my cakes, trying out new decorating techniques, and making a couple of new dinner recipes, I easily surpassed my goal of four “adventures.” While I'm here on vacation, I plan to continue being adventurous while adding in the challenge of making those challenges as healthy as possible!

Well, that's everything for now. I may try out some video blog updates this week as a change of pace. Never tried those before, so it ought to be interesting! :) Stay tuned!

Until next time, dear friends... Always remember your successes and turn your “failures” into lessons. One step does not a journey make. :)

~Heather