Bikini Challenge Results

I knew when I entered Josie's challenge over at yumyucky.com the end result would not be a bikini...for many reasons. I am better at not putting ridiculously extreme short terms goals on myself and this was a 4 month challenge with a great message. It was about feeling more confident in a bathing suit and overall transformation, not pounds lost. I learned a lot more during this challenge then I had counted on. What did I learn? See below...

1. Challenges will not motivate you when you are struggling with motivation. You have to do it for you and continue to do it for you. Bummer I really thought a challenge would help me escape that when I was really bored with weight loss.

2. It was cool to actually sign up and do something publicly and be held accountable for it. I tend to stay in the challenge closet.

3. Life does not care you have results to report on July 1st. I had bad weeks, illness, stress, and a whole lot more thrown at me. I would get upset and then remember that's what life is. Some weeks are good, some are great, and others are a suckfest.

4. I really do like exercise. I do not need a challenge to do cardio, which is cool. I do however need the push with strength training. I like strength training but hate doing it alone. It was helpful to remind myself I do want to transform my body and strength training is what will do that. Cardio will help you lose fat but strength training will change your shape.

5. Losing weight or transforming your shape is not magic. It takes planning, hard work and dedication. I was not awesome at planning, and my dedication wavered. I took it for granted I could just kick up what I was doing a little and reap these magical rewards. Not so much. Seeing what I did accomplish in four months was cool but sobering. I do not think my results are all that great for a 4 month period and I am accountable for that.

As for the results. I did not lose as much or transform as much as I wanted to but I also did not do enough work to have miraculous results. I kept it as I have this whole time slow and steady. When I stray from that I go real crazy real quick. I get hung up on seeking perfection, seeing imperfections, unhealthy expectations, and extremes. I am achieving my results far slower then I would like, but I am doing it in a far healthier mindset then quicker would be for me. It's tough to stay focused on that and know what I want and what I need are not the same things. I need to do what keeps me balanced despite wanting to be somewhere else. I also did not know this challenge would coincide with me really dipping in weight loss and exercise steam. I am definitely in a slump and have to really spend some time examining that. Slow and steady is great, but half hearted is not and where is that line for me? Not sure just yet. Overall I lost 11 inches my body, and I gained muscle in my arms. My triceps are finally firming up which is so exciting. I did not take traditional before and after pictures because 1. it's harder then you would think, and 2. it makes me a little squirmy like I will meltdown at what I see. I did however take a full body photo of myself which I do not think I have done in a decade.

Before in Feb 2011

After July 2011