Well, last week was a good week with good progress. I continued doing the Pilates Abs video all week long, minus Saturday and Sunday (as I was feeling like crap from my sinuses). I went to bed super-early last night and got a lot of sleep. I feel MUCH better and decided today to check back in on the scale.
Now, full disclosure, I weigh myself every day (and sometimes more often if I'm feeling particularly self-conscious). When I started this two weeks ago I was right on the edge of 160. Yeah, I know, that's about 15 pounds above my fighting weight of 145 (where I settled last summer and where I liked it), but the winter was particularly poor for me.
But, hey, my clothes still fit. They were just tight which meant that it was time to cut back. I'm down to 152 as of this morning and I'm in shouting distance of 145. I don't plan to stop at 145, because I'm setting my sights on the ultimate goal: The elimination of that sad sack of loose skin. I'm going to hit it as hard as I can but not in terms of exercise. That plays a part, yes, but I'll be employing other methods.
First and foremost, let's get to today's workout: The 100 Waist Whittlers. This is A LOT harder than it looks as each repetition just wears you out more. I made it halfway through the video using the advanced movements before I was sprawled out on the floor, done. It'll kick you, it'll get your pulse up and it will make it so everything hurts. My shoulders, my abs, my chest, my back, my legs ... all were feeling it.
I didn't like that I couldn't finish the video, so I went back and did my Abs video (still my favorite video of hers) and did half of that before I was spent. I think I'll be doing the Whittlers every other day and continue to focus on the Abs video, which I still haven't mastered (the Cheerleader Ls continue to be my wall).
I ate well today (I managed a small breakfast and some lunch), and I'm done on that front.
But the continued efforts to eliminate the loose skin are about to get a major boost. I used my rather meager tax return to order some stuff from Amazon that, over the last two years, I've been researching. I don't like that I had to order it (because that's an admittance of failure on my part), as I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use these methods to fix this.
But, I'm doing it. First, I'm investing in Dry Brushing. If you're unaware of what it is, basically it's a way to brush off the loose skin and cleanse your lymphatic system. It's been shown to help make your skin look better and to also help heal damaged skin. That latter part is the reason why I'm investing in a dry brush, as according to the research I've done, the people who employ this method have seen benefits.
Now, is this going to be a quick fix? According to the research, it's going to take about 30 days to see the first results. I'm hoping it doesn't take that long but we'll see. That said, this will likely take months to make any noticeable difference but it's a painless procedure, so I'll give it a shot.
Next, I'm investing in salt baths. This sounds pretty much exactly what it is: A bath with salt. People across multiple sites have claimed that that Salt Baths help detoxify the skin and make their skin look better. Whether this is true or not is unknown as there are multiple claims for and against this across the Internet, BUT any good scientist worth their salt (PUN!) would have to try this out for themselves. So, I am. I didn't buy a large quantity of it but I bought enough to give it a decent test run. We'll see it it helps any as it's only recommended to be done twice weekly.
Finally, I'm investing in Alfalfa. These also have body cleansing properties and boast an impressive list of vitamins. I'm giving these a shot, too, to see if (combined with everything else) I can make a dent in this loose skin. If I've calculated correctly, the supplies I've ordered should last me a few months into the summer and should allow me to test whether or not the loose skin is a permanent part of me (likely) or if it can be reduced/possibly eliminated.
We'll see. But as far as this week goes, I look forward to getting back into the 140s and I'm setting my sights on the 130s (and the mythological 14 percent body fat). Overly ambitious? Perhaps ... but to be honest I have my sights set further than that if I can keep a decent pace. May is a good month and a half away, that gives me plenty of time.
Time to do work.
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