21 day fix. finished... for now.

i have more to say than this, but if you are pressed for time, here's my 21 day fix for dummies soundbite: move more. eat real food. eat smaller portions and eat more often. these sounds like simple rules, because they are. and if you stick with the rules, it's gonna "work" for you, whatever your definition of "it's working" may be.

it's been 3 solid weeks. and save for five days when we were on vacation, i stuck to the eating plan and workouts about 95% of the time. i am really proud of myself for committing to this and sticking to it.

here are my final stats, as of day 21:

• chest: lost 2 inches
• arms: stayed the same
• waist: lost 1 inch
• hips: lost 1 inch
• thighs: lost 1/2 inch
• total inches lost: 4 1/2
• total weight lost: 7 pounds

so that's an average weekly weight loss of about 2 pounds, which is a good pace for me, especially since the scale has not moved in nearly 2 months. but asides from the weight loss, in three weeks i've noticed other things, other ways to measure that i'm on the right track:

• my 3pm cravings for chocolate/sugar/salt completely went away by the end of the first week
• i'm sleeping a lot better
• my posture has improved
• i feel my core engaging more in everyday activities, like carrying kids and groceries, running and walking
• my clothes are fitting better

i would say the biggest thing i love about the fix is that i can eat my favorite foods. i don't have to cut out eating my amazing homemade crusty bread, or pancakes, or spaghetti and meatballs. i just have to eat smaller portions and plan for what i'm going to eat so that i don't overindulge on sugar or carbs.

as i mentioned last week, i'm planning to do another round of the fix, starting on 9/15. i'm really happy with how i've been able to break a lot of bad habits, some of them i didn't even realize i was doing. for example, i didn't realize how much i was snacking during dinner prep, every single night. breaking this habit was really hard, but very necessary. i don't even want to know how many calories i was consuming during that hour.

and so! the daily food journal and workout updates will continue! aren't you thrilled? because having this accountability is really working for me. i hope you're happy.

until tomorrow,

ashley "it's been a long summer" rebekah