So sorry if it’s seemed like I was ignoring you, my lovely and mysterious online friends. Since my last post, I’ve been swamped with the minutiae of daily existence. There was a wedding in St. Louis (photos to follow, eventually), irritation at not hearing back from any of my interviewers, weekly trivia tournaments, housecleaning, relationship stuff, SO MUCH HOMEWORK…all the basics of a thoroughly average life.

Throughout all of the mundane bits, a fabulous thread of awesomeness helped to keep me sane, however. Two great things intertwined and made magic:

1. Bikram Yoga
2. Vacation Planning

Since the new studio opened up just down the street from me, I’ve been going almost every day. I’m trying for an informal 30 day challenge. The last time I attempted to make it to the studio every single day of 30, when I couldn’t make it I got depressed and binged on brie and wine, and life just sucked all because I set my expectations too high for where my body was right then. So this time I’m just trying my best to go every day, with no end date in sight. That way if I miss a day or two a week, but am going for the rest of my life, the benefits ratio is still amazingly high.

And boy, is it high.

I’ve gone to probably 15 classes so far, and my strength and ability to stay in postures has improved tremendously. Even though I’m still soft and chubby all over, I can feel that my muscles are getting tougher underneath. Yesterday I was stretching and saw the ghost of a four pack on my tummy. Freaky, but kind of cool. Last Monday, after a weekend of crazy eating and drinking at that St. Louis wedding, I weighed 162.2 lbs. Today I weighed 156.8. Of course, it’s not all Bikram. It’s also largely related to watching my caloric input, avoiding crap food, and getting my butt off of the couch as much as possible.

I’ve been using Lose It! to count everything I eat and do, and have found that it’s on point. The calories are counted on a little bar that shows when you’re approaching your limit for the day (which is set to allow you to lose weight by staying under a certain level, depending on your personal goals, height & weight). Calories are added as you eat, and then if you exercise, the calories are taken away. There’s also a little counter that tells you exactly how many calories you can still eat and stay in the right range. It looks like this:

I burn a ton of calories doing Bikram and riding my new bike everywhere, and have found that if I’m eating lots of fruits and veggies, it’s really hard to eat too many calories in a day. I typically eat around 1400 or so, and exercise off about 800 of that. Weight is dropping, and I’m feeling a lot better, too. I think realistically, I could be at 150 by the end of the month if I keep working hard and doing the right things.

As far as vacation planning goes, I’ve made my decisions. I’m going to Trieste, Venice, Florence and Perugia, Italy by myself, and then hanging out in Split, Croatia with friends. We’re also going to stay in a small fishing village for a few days, and see some beautiful grottos. I’ll share more about that later. Right now I’m dying for some food, and need to refuel since I’m going on a semi-long bike ride tonight to join my new Quiz Bowl team!

Oooh, so much to blog about. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. XO!