December 19, 215

After skipping last week's weigh-in day due to "technical difficulties" (i.e. excessive bingeing) today's was a pleasant experience - back down to 215 (which was so exotic when I reached 215 last week). But better than that was the measurements. Measurements showed a marked decrease in some of the better places. Neck was down 1/2" again to 14.3". Bicep broke below 14" at 13.8". Forearm reduced for the first time in a while, down 0.15" to 11.25". Chest down a whole inch to 45", Waist down 3/4" to 44.75" (does happy dance), Hips down nearly an inch to 45". Meaning from chest to waist to hips I'm pretty much a cylinder, not an hourglass. - well, measurements-wise - the truth is more bulgy than that. Work in progress, still, and it may not work out the way I want in the end, but work in progress. Legs remained pretty much the same, which is fine, I don't need thinner legs right now, I need a thinner belly and arms.

I have half a mind to go find some size 16s and try them on. That may be a bit ambitious, but these 18s I'm wearing today feel really baggy.

I almost forgot my exercise pledge this week, but remembered finally and forced myself to do it. Yoga on Thursday or Wednesday (finished the session again this time, so that's a goal achieved). Yesterday I did elliptical training and strove to burn 430 or even 440 calories during my 30-minute session. But as hard as I worked (with 6 very intense 1-minute intervals every 4 1/2 minutes) I could see I wasn't even going to match up to my high so far, which would be 425 calories burned, and I only burned 418 calories in that session. I felt like I worked as hard as I could, so either I waited too long to return to the elliptical to see improvements from last time, or it's harder to burn as many calories when your body weight is low, or forgetting to increase the resistance for the whole first minute destroyed my chances that bad (and I don't think it's that last thing.) And just now I have returned from lifting weights for upper body and did succeed in increasing my strength as well as the flexibility in the back of my straight legs.

Anyway, I am feeling benefits of exercise and seeing improvements from session to session. The girlfriend of one of the stagehands on the show is a baker and she sends in cakes and brownies for each show. Last night it was chocolate bark - too extraordinary and too easy to overindulge in. I was able to kill the craving when I followed up the chocolate with some black bean soup I had with me. Bean soup kills chocolate cravings, people, remember that!! Today it was brownies, and they were really too wonderful but also too rich to over indulge in. So I'm trying not to overindulge while also not denying myself a little treat here in there - but depending on the treat, it can be difficult to allow myself a little and not wind up overindulging. That's good to know.

Hope all's well your end!! I confess I don't always read every blog I'm subscribed to these days, but I hope all's well your end.