I've come a long way since I joined SparkPeople over a year ago. I reached my initial goal of losing 15 lbs. But I found a love of working out and realized I still have a ways to go to be fitter and healthier.

I recently completed physical therapy for my hips, which are slightly rotated. During my two and a half months of PT I was told I couldn't run, couldn't do any lower-body strength training, no high-impact cardio and not even any yoga. Basically, all the things I had recently ...

I've come a long way since I joined SparkPeople over a year ago. I reached my initial goal of losing 15 lbs. But I found a love of working out and realized I still have a ways to go to be fitter and healthier.

I recently completed physical therapy for my hips, which are slightly rotated. During my two and a half months of PT I was told I couldn't run, couldn't do any lower-body strength training, no high-impact cardio and not even any yoga. Basically, all the things I had recently discovered I loved doing. I had lost close to 19 lbs. when I started PT, but those instructions completely took the wind out of my sails.

Without being able to do the workouts I loved, I very quickly slipped into my old habits. I also started a new job where I no longer worked second-shift. My entire routine was thrown out of whack. I'd come home from work, too tired to workout (with very little I was even allowed to do) and make a big ol' dinner with the husband and have a cocktail too many.

Basically, I unlearned everything I had worked toward. But now I'm back. I'm done with physical therapy. But I see a huge decrease in my strength and endurance. I can barely get through Level One of the Shred! I was all the way through that. That's how quickly you can regress. A few months without regular training and you're back to square one.

Luckily, I didn't gain back all the weight, but enough to freak me out. Enough to remind me how much I don't want to go back.

Here are my new goals:
-- Track my food daily and stay within my calorie range of 1210-1560 calories.
-- Drink no more than 3 alcoholic beverages a week.
-- Exercise at least 4 days a week and ride my bike to work whenever possible.
-- Restart the C25K program.
-- Ultimately, I'd love to be under 120 lbs, but it's more about fitting into my old clothes. I've got a ways to go on that!

I really missed the way I felt when I was eating well and working out regularly. I had more energy and confidence. I missed Jillian's workouts and Turbo Jam SO MUCH. I'm so glad I can do them again!

Read More About BZOOTY (Updated October 10)

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