Vacation of a lifetime

So much has happened since my last post on here!  I want to share with you all the amazingness that was my trip to Israel.  I'm not even sure that I can express how amazing this experience was.  Thank you so much to my grandparents for giving me this amazing opportunity.  To give you just a preview of this amazing vacation, i gave you a picture of the beautiful city of Jerusalem.

Pretty amazing, right?  I was a little worried about going on this trip because I REALLY did not want to lose momentum or gain weight.  Going to a foreign country is always a struggle because they often times do not eat the same kinds of food that we do and in a lot of countries you are advised not to eat things such as fresh produce.  Thankfully, that was not the case in Israel.  In fact, their produce was amazingly fresh and delicious! It was fairly easy for me to find salads and such.  This made things so much easier for me! :)  In addition all the walking that we did while sightseeing helped out a lot as well.  As part of my program, I am supposed to wear a pedometer daily.  Over the course of this trip, we walked an average of approximately 11,000 steps a day!  I also packed lots of snacks in my suitcase, however, it was so unbelievably hot there, that I didn't really snack on the trip (bad, I know!).  

One of the most amazing things that we were able to do on this trip was swim (ok, float) in the Dead Sea.  First of all, the Dead Sea is huge!  Much large than I ever imagined.  I would compare it to, maybe one of the Great Lakes?  Here is a photo so you can judge for yourself :).

Anyway,  the floating in the dead sea was pretty awesome.  Its kind of crazy actually because the minute that your feet no longer touch the ground you are so buoyant that your feet fly up in front of your face!  Here is my family experiencing this phenomenon:

Anyway,  I was really nervous coming back from this 10 day vacation and having to go weight in.  I went in the day after I got back with a very nervous feeling.  All I could think about was all the delicious hummus that I had eaten.  However, all the walking must have paid off because I ended up losing 10.5 pounds while I was gone!

July 2012

So now I have completed my 10 week program.  I have lost 40 pounds.  I have lost two (plus) clothing sizes.  However, there is so much that I have gained as well.  I have gained confidence in myself.  I have learned how to eat healthy and how to BE a healthier person.  I have learned that losing weight is something that I can do and that not being overweight will be a reality for me.  I have learned that my family and friends can truly be whatever kind of support system I need and that I shouldn't be afraid to utilize them in that capacity.  Most importantly, I have learned to be proud of what I have accomplished.