Current Weight: 214.5 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 19.9 lbs

So I’m trying out a different format for this week. We’ll see how long this lasts.

Non-weight loss related victory: I worked out for at least an hour 5 of the past 7 days.

How I’m staying active: Yoga and lots of it. I’m pretty much a hot yoga addict. With all the travel and crazy work schedule of late, I’ve not been as often as I would like. Thankfully, with vacation last week and work slowing down, I’ve been 4 out of the past 5 days. It’s amazing how much better I feel.

A few reasons that I prefer hot yoga over most other workouts:

• I feel thinner after…it’s amazing what all that sweating can do!
• It forces me to drink lots of water. Honestly, trudging through a hot yoga class even slightly dehydrated is a bit like torture.
• It clears my mind. I like to go right after work and no matter how much crap I have zooming through my head, it all seems to disappear the moment class starts.
• I can’t even begin to describe how much better my body feels. As someone who always had to deal with chronic back pain, it has worked wonders. I have yet to have a lower back issue since I started my practice.
• It forces me into healthier habits. Since I don’t want to be full, I tend to stop snacking within 2 hours of class time. And since the heat and all the water I consume during and after class keep me from even wanting food at least an hour or 2 after class, I naturally eat less.
• Since I tend to be injury-prone (see also: my lower back, my knees, and my shoulder), it has kept me injury-free for almost 2 years.
• Unlike running and other cardio, I find I’m not as ravenous afterwards which, again, keeps me from overeating.

What I’m eating: Kale Chips. By the bushel (does kale come in bushels? Bunches may be a better word…). If you haven’t had them yet, you should certainly get on that. (And I don’t mean the kind you can buy prepackaged at the grocery that are loaded with fat and high in calories either…) Below is the “recipe” that I follow for my chips…

Ingredients:

• 2 cups kale leaves
• olive oil cooking spray
• salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place kale leaves on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil nonstick spray. Spritz leaves with the nonstick spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven until crispy, 5 – 8 minutes, for a potato-chip-like snack. If you like, season to taste with additional salt.

Newbie mistake: Definitely best if eaten within a couple of hours of cooking and definitely don’t put them in a ziploc bag after cooking and think it won’t be soggy for when you want a snack at work the next day. Bleh. I plan to test out how they hold up after sitting out (and cooling off) for a bit prior to being put in a ziploc bag tonight. I’ll report back.

How did your weeks go? Any victories you care to share?

(Image via flickr.com user Augusto Mia Battaglia photography)