Weekly Update: Vegan Weight Loss Challenge, Week 5

Another weekly update by Elise. And for all you in on the challenge, don’t forget to report!

Week 5
by guestblogger Elise

For me, this was a pretty great week! My results are not as spectacular, but I think that may be backlash from last week in addition to other reasons I’ll talk about later.

Today I want to discuss exercise. If you’re not involved in an exercise program, I strongly encourage you to be! It is crucial to any healthy living plan. My husband has recognized how critical it is in the past couple of weeks. His school schedule has prevented him from being able to find some good times to exercise. And his results have reflected that.

Not every exercise program will be right for everyone. I know that Janae, for example, enjoys Pilates. My husband likes to run. I do not enjoy either of these things. At all. I am not flexible enough for Pilades, and running feels like mind-numbing torture. I have friends who really like step aerobics. I unfortunately, do not. I am the least coordinated person possibly ever. I could go to this class every day for two weeks and still have no idea how to do the steps.

I do like classes, though. I am naturally a competitive person. So when I want to quit, I look at the people around me who are still going strong and I think, “If they can do it, I can do it.” My favorite class is a Power class (weight lifting). I also take Spin and Kick-Boxing.

Also, I’ve learned that when I exercise in the morning, I eat better the rest of the day. Maybe this is just me, but I find that after I exercise, I have no desire to eat junk. I just worked hard to get that stuff out of me, man!

I have recognized amazing results from exercise–particularly from my Power class. If weight-lifting is not currently part of your exercise routine, I encourage you to make an effort to include it. Weight lifting encourages quick weight loss, the build up of lean muscle mass, and loss of fat. I have lost weight in places I didn’t know I needed to lose: in my legs and my arms. It looks like my tummy weight might be the last to go. Which I guess makes sense. It was the first to go on. I just wish I had taken measurements of my legs and arms before I started.

This week I’d love it if you could share with me some of your exercise routines. What works for you?

Here are this week’s stats:
Elise:
Starting weight: 146
Goal weight: 125
Last week’s weight: 135
Today’s weight: 135
Goal w/h ratio: .84
Starting w/h ratio: .94
Last week’s waist measurement: 31 in. (at thinnest point)
This week’s waist measurement: 30.5 in. (at thinnest point)

Brad:
Starting weight: 291
Goal weight: 200
Last week’s weight: 245
Today’s weight: 250


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