Day 11

Today was a really great day. I feel like it was one of those days when I made some good discoveries about myself. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and confidant. When I first got here I would freak out every time I walked into the dining room that maybe I wouldn't find a spot to sit next to someone I knew. Now it doesn't really matter, because I can talk to anyone.


Breakfast this morning was fruit...


...and hot muesli. I added some Truvia to make it a little sweeter. Truvia is a natural 0 calorie sweetener.

After breakfast we had our hike, which was called City Creek. It's a new hike that they're trying out to decide if they are going to keep doing it or not. There weren't any rocks to climb or anything like that but it was okay. The great part was that today Allie hiked with me. We talked about our stories...why we think we gained the weight and she gave me some great eating and exercise tips. The thing that really helped me the most was that she was encouraging me the whole time, challenging me to go faster, motivating me. And it feels different coming from her because I know that she knows how it feels. She's been this weight before so if she says I can do it, she knows.
Allie and I on the hike:


After the hike we had stretch class, which felt so great today after the hike. My muscles always tense up after hiking.
Lunch today was really good. We had mushroom soup, which everyone loved.
We also had a green salad with strawberries and cucumber and a turkey sandwich. I've learned to really like Siracha and mustard because they have very few calories.


After lunch we had a lecture on budget: how much to eat, how much to exercise to meet our goals. Of course then we had to discuss how to set realistic goals. It's really all about making the math work and they gave us the formulas to make sure we know exactly what to do.
During the lecture I was sitting barefoot on the floor. I noticed that one of my toes was big and the tip of it was white. I sort of picked at it a bit and then all of a sudden I had clear puss all over my hands. I had to hop to the other side of the room to get a towel. Turns out I have a blister underneath my toe nail. Very weird.
Next was Treading. It's a cardio class. I decided to branch out a little to be easier on my knees. I did the elliptical today. It turns out that if you do any machine the correct way it's hard. So now I know I don't necessarily have to do the treadmill to get a good workout. I just poured sweat through that entire class.
My next class was supposed to be pool but I decided to skip it and do treading again for more calorie burn. Two cardio classes in a row is really hard but was totally worth it. Allie was on the machine next to me in this class and really pushed me. She kept telling me what speed to go at and just kept talking the whole time. "You can do it. Keep going. Faster, faster. You can do anything for 15 seconds." It was so helpful. I wish I could have someone next to me in my face every time I work out.
Next class was called Ball Works. The whole class is done with a pilates ball and it's really hard. I did something to my back in this class and it's really hurting me. I think at this point I should just assume that my whole body is going to hurt and that's all there is to it.
After Ball Works it was time for dinner. I went into the dining room and saw Erin. She got her hair cut and colored and chemically straightened last night. She looks great.


Erin is amazing. She's been here for 8 weeks and goes home on Sunday. She is such a tough girl.
Dinner was stuffed bell peppers. I put some siracha on them and they were good.

For dessert we had a low calorie version of tiramisu. I liked it.

After dinner we had a lecture on meal planning and learned a lot about some of the things we can't have here like caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, etc. It's not all off limits when we get home but they told us why we don't have those things here and how to do them correctly. Basically, as with everything else, moderation is key.
Now that I'm about to go home I'm really missing my family and friends. I miss my fur babies and Chris a lot and I'm happy to be about to see everyone. I'm also a little sad to be leaving. I'm really enjoying my time here. I've met some great people, learned a lot about myself and had a great time. The hard part will be keeping it all up at home, but I'm confidant that I can do it.