Hello Patch Friends,

I finished up week 11 this week, and I was a little nervous going into my weigh in on Tuesday. I had worked out five times this week, and really tried to push myself. However, Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, and I did allow myself to go out and have fun with my family to celebrate the day. I wasn't sure if the work I did the rest of the week would allow me to go out and have fun on one of my favorite days of the year.

When I weighed in, I was down .8 pounds. I'll take that! I was very glad to find out that I could offset the occasional night out with working out and eating right the rest of the week. Tuesday was also the night that I submitted to the dreaded measurements. After all was said and done, I lost another 12 inches from around my body. Fantastic!! There is definitely truth to the fact that inches may come off, even when your weight loss is a little slower over a given period of time.

Another big milestone for me this week was dropping down a size in my work scrubs. I was starting to look a little like I was swimming in my scrubs. I don't like tight clothes, but people were starting to say, "hey, you need to get smaller clothes!" That is a pretty terrific feeling.

This week I started working out in EMH's current "Planting the seeds of fitness" challenge. We did a fitness assessment and set some goals. We hope to attain these goals by May. The workouts are both cardio and strength, and very detailed so they are easy to follow. The cardio workout is a true sweat burner, going from treadmill, to rower, bike, stepper, wave machine, then elliptical. The first time I did it I thought that I may need someone to wheel me out! I felt that really good tired though, like when you know you did something good for yourself. The strength workout is just as challenging.

I hope that starting this new challenge will produce some results come weigh in time this week...its always good to shake up the workout routine. For now, I am currently on the hunt for good recipes that I can incorporate into my healthy meal routine. If I'm lucky, I may find some that even my kids will eat. A girl can dream! Until next week, everyone. Be well!