First off, let me start with apologies…

I’ve been slacking on the steps! I want to get them going again, but I have a few reasons why I’ve been silent:

1. I’m living my own advice and working hard on step #5 myself. As I mentioned in step #5, I signed up for the Seattle to Portland Bike Classic and I’ve been busy researching, finding a bike, and beginning my training in full force. I can’t tell you how much I love getting out there on my bike. Especially with friends. It’s amazingly fun, and I’m so glad I’ve decided to challenge myself in this way. (P.S. If you’d like to see the pics I post about this adventure, don’t forget to follow me on Tumblr!)
   
2. I’m trying to find a new “job” and it’s been tricky. Ideally, I’d like a full-time “real job” in Social Media, but I’m having a hard time giving up my freelancer lifestyle. My dream job is to work as a community manager for a fitness/health/outdoors related company so I can combine my passions of social media and health. Wish me luck (and if you know a company who is looking for someone – ping me)!
3. My biggest confession is that because of lots of work and home related stress I’ve been pretty depressed and have fallen off the wagon in terms of my diet. I hinted at this a bit in my January update and things are honestly still pretty bad. I’ve been great at getting out there and exercising (with the help of friends and hubs), but I’ve been eating whatever I like lately. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been gaining weight since the beginning of the year. I’m pretty embarrassed. Not because of the weight gain, but because I have a blog called “Epic Weight Loss Journey” and I’m gaining weight. How can I in good conscious give people “steps to health” if I’m taking steps backwards? I’ve been a bundle of stress and nerves lately, and for me that translates into emotional eating and letting the “hard stuff” slip. I feel really guilty, guys, and it’s time to confess that I need help, motivation, and the emotional energy needed to take care of myself. I’ve been wondering what my next “step to health” should be, and if I have the courage/will power to take it on even with all the scary stuff going on in my life right now.

So, there you have it. My excuses. All those aside, I need to figure out a way to be stressed and STILL take the time and energy to feed myself the right stuff.

Any suggestions? How do you take care of yourself when it feels like your world is crumbling? How do you count calories or measure out food (or just pick the right foods) when you have too many things you have to worry about and work on? How do you squeeze joy out of an otherwise crappy day?

Hey guys, I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve updated you on what I’ve been doing and trying, so I thought I’d give you a quick one for the month of January!

How’s the weight loss progress?

Confession time: Things have slowed down. I’ve officially hit yet another plateau and have been playing ANOTHER plus and minus game with my weight and my measurements since November (stupid holidays). My plan is to continue my exercise routine (hopefully add a few things) and to get my diet back on track (I think this is my biggest problem).

Pounds lost so far: 74 (back up – eep).

What am I eating now?

My diet is out of whack so I’m seeking the help of an online coach for the month of February. I plan on asking her:

• How many calories should I be eating?
• What types of foods should I be eating?
• Should I get some sort of fitness tracker like a body bugg or fitbit?
• Should I eat the calories I burn while working out?

I should probably ask her more questions — What am I forgetting?

How am I exercising now?

On the good side of things, I’m still exercising regularly. I get to the gym or get out at least 5 days a week and have tried to add a walk everyday too. As I mentioned before, I’ve officially switched gyms and tonight I attended my very first kickboxing class. I was nervous, and a little excited, but it was super fun!

What am I working on?

I’ve also started a new personal project (I know, I know, I have a million of them) by volunteering on the board at my local dog park. As you know, I have a lab named Molly, and she absolutely loves the park. My husband and I decided that we wanted to do more with Molly (including therapy dog training and volunteering) and this is the first step in that direction.

A Request…

Lastly, I have a small request. I’m looking for weight loss success stories. Do you have one? Would you be willing to share your story and let me interview you? Contact me!

Also, how are you guys doing? What are you achieving lately? Share it with me in the comments!