Well, I made it! Where did that time go? I say that with as little cheese and as much incredulity as possible, because I sincerely have no idea. One day, I’m getting the call that I was chosen as one of the Freshman 15 bloggers, and the next, I’m sitting here writing my final blog post. Hot dang.
If you’ve been with me this long, you’ve probably learned that I’m fond of lists, and so I thought it would only be right to end this experience with a list, too. Better than a list—a list of lists, even. A listception, a countdown, if you will, of everything Lose the Freshman 15 meant to me these past two months. Are you ready?
10 minute mile time. This might not seem like a huge deal to some of you cardio bunnies out there, but I am allergic to running. Absolutely allergic. But through the HIIT training that the Drop 10 Diet employed, I was able to not only start running again, but actually have a mile time that doesn’t make me cringe with embarrassment. Sure, I still won’t be running any marathons, but it’s a start.
9 pounds lost. There it is—the final number! I started at 157 pounds and ended at (drumroll) 148. Sure, I didn’t lose the literal fresman 15, but hey – it’s a start. It averages to a little over a pound a week, which I have learned in the past is the healthy zone for my body. So, right on target!
8 weeks that I didn’t give up. For a chronic fad dieter and cyclical fitness bunny who hops on and off the wagon every couple of weeks or so, eight weeks of doing the same thing without giving up is a milestone. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m dang proud of myself for that one. It can be done!
7 weekends that I didn’t make it to the gym—and that’s okay. No one is perfect, especially not me. Despite my persistence and new attitude, there was only one weekend that I actually got my butt to the gym (and that was a weekend that the other bloggers had pledged to get their sweat on!). So, why the confession? Because I still managed to make progress, even though I allowed myself breaks. A new fitness and diet routine does not have to take over your whole life, and that’s an important lesson to know.
6 other amazing bloggers. One of my favorite parts of this journey has been reading the fabulous blogs of Danielle, Hayley, Lindsey, Morgan and the Nicoles. I can’t wait to see the progress that the seven of us have managed to rack up together.
5 new favorite meals. SELF’s Drop 10 Diet was probably the least painful “diet” I’ve ever been on, and there are definitely some meals that I’m going to add into my normal rotation. My favorites? The Honeyed Ricotta and Apple Wrap, the Lentil Soup With Cream Cheese Toast, the Salmon and Apple Salad Wrap, the Southwestern Turkey Burger and the Spaghetti Squash With Turkey Meatballs.
4 friends lost of Facebook because of how much I pimped out this blog. Kidding. But I’m sure I annoyed at least that many people—but it was all worth it.
3 empty cases of ZICO coconut water. Thanks to our sponsors—I inhaled it all.
2 photos. One before, one after. Or at least a “during” and after. My laptop breathed its last breath yesterday, and unfortunately, my computer at work doesn’t have a plethora of progress pictures on it, so this will have to do.
1 changed attitude. When I applied to be a Freshman 15 blogger, my reasoning was pretty much this: “There’s no way I can back out of this if I get it, and I’ll be forced to do work.” And while that was true—having the responsibility of blogging three times a week definitely was incentive—I come to you at the end of these eight weeks with a new mindset. I’ve seen that if I work, these results can happen, and those results are incentive to work enough. I have no doubt that even though this program is over, I’ll keep on making progress and making myself proud.
Thank you to everyone who tuned into my blog, as well as the Her Campus staffers, SELF, and our sponsors, DietBet, New Balance and ZICO. I couldn’t have done it without you!