ShrinkYoSelf 2012 - Week 4

I saw this picture this morning on Facebook and it seemed to fit perfectly so I borrowed it for today's Weigh in post with the Sisterhood.

For the first 2 weeks in January I was on track and doing great with my goals for health and fitness. The last week and a half I have seriously been slacking. I could give you a laundry list of excuses but instead I choose to just suck it up and say I haven't had my head in the game. I have been going through the motions but haven't been doing what is necessary to apply the knowledge I have to lose the weight I want to lose.

So...here are the facts based on the numbers:

Starting challenge weigh in: 1/1/12 - 205.0

Last week's weigh in: 1/18/12 - 199.6

This week's weigh in: 1/25/12 - 201.0

Like I said I could give you tons of excuses for why I gained more than 1 pound this week but bottom line is I have been eating more calories than I should and at least 1 day this week I ate more than double the calories I should have eaten in 1 day. I HAVE been tracking my food and calories and workouts in MyFitnessPal app so I knew things on the scale were NOT going to make me a happy momma. I got off my "eating ONLY low glycemic index" foods and it is hurting me.

I HAVE been VERY consistent with working out. As of this morning I have worked out 25 days in a row, doing the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and an additional 10 minutes of Ab work, since that is the area of my body I am most unhappy with. I'm looking at options of different kinds of workouts for the month of February and feel like it is a good idea for me to commit to doing a couple of different kinds of workouts. I think my body gets too used to doing the same things too quickly and then doesn't change. My Marine bought me The Biggest Loser for Kinect game for Christmas so I want to use that at least 3 days a week and then do something else the other days of the week that I work out. I am most content and happy with myself if I am working out most of the week so I will probably commit to doing a workout 5 days a week but most of the time I will workout every day.

As for my discipline issues with the eating right??? I just need to do what I know is right. I need to decide I want this weight loss badly enough. I need to accept that there are some things in life that aren't easy or fun and this is one of them. I know I can lose weight. I know I can do it! Every time I have decided I'm going to do something and pour myself into it 100% I have done it!

Now, the question is "how bad do I want to lose the weight?"
I guess next week's scale and My Fitness Pal chart will be able to answer that pretty clearly!



Speaking of pouring myself into something I am once again pouring myself into the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk. This past weekend we had a team meeting to go over details for this year's walk. I am getting excited to start raising my $2300 and doing my part in finding a cure to breast cancer. You can help me by going to my fundraising page and making a donation! No donation is too small or too big! Please help by donating HERE!

Some Good Confessions

Today is 10 days into the new year...about the time I usually cave in on my resolutions or weight loss journey. Today is the day that I usually just decide I can't do this anymore. Today is usually a hard day to do the right things in my journey and then I figure if I can't do it longer than 10 days then I obviously can't do this. In other words I give up on myself.

HOWEVER, I am happy to say that today was a new day! It was a new year! Not only did I NOT give up on myself today but I had a major victory! If you've been around me long you know my love of ice cream! I passed this love on to "My Marine". Tonight after dinner (a new recipe yummy!) he said he wanted ice cream! I told him "we have chocolate ice cream in the freezer; help yourself." (Yes, chocolate ice cream has been in the freezer since the beginning of the year and I haven't had any!!) He said he didn't really want that. I had to go out to run an errand and was going to be near Braums so I asked him if he wanted that. He said, "yes." Then I asked the hubby if he wanted ice cream since he has been asking for junk food for the past week or so. He wanted it too! So I ran my errand and went through the Braums drive thru and ordered 2 (not 3) ice cream mixes!! Victory for ME!!

And in reality it wasn't even a temptation. I smelled it all the way home and wasn't tempted to even have a sample! Whooohoo!

In other confessions for the week...I have been doing really well following the low glycemic index plan. Basically if it's lower than 55 on the GI list I can eat it. If its higher than 55 I can't! And surprisingly it hasn't been too difficult while eating at home. BUT...Saturday I was out all day doing a fundraiser for the Komen 3 Day that I am gearing up for. So I went to Subway thinking that would be a great choice for food. It was, except the sandwich wasn't enough so instead of ordering the chips which is what I normally would do I ordered the yogurt parfait. It tasted great and added something to my sandwich to make me fuller. BUT...after I got home and logged it into MyFitnessPal I found out it was very high in SUGAR! UGH! Oh well, I moved on and just took it for what it was. The best choice for me at the time (best I could tell!)

Other than that flub up on Saturday I have had a really great week. I have been getting plenty of water! This weeks 52 Weeks Challenge is to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep! I can really tell a big difference when I don't get enough sleep and it's an area I really struggle in so I'm glad this challenge is pushing me to sleep more!

I'm really excited to get on the scale tomorrow morning! This is new for me...as I haven't looked forward to the scale in some time.

I'm also moving up to Level 2 on the 30 Day Shred tomorrow morning and although I know it will hurt I am looking forward to it! I have done Level 1 of the workout every morning and I'm feeling like I am getting my exercise groove back! My plan is to continue with the Shred this month along with the ab work that I have been doing, but I feel that maybe I should do something else too, so I'm trying to figure out what to add to it.

2012 is gonna be my year!! How is your year going so far??

It's A New Year - 2012

It's a new year and I'm ready to make the most of it! The Sisterhood wants us to start it off right so they are offering a great new challenge to start 2012 off with a bang!



I'm excited and ready to see what I can do when I pour myself into it 100% and that's exactly what I'm planning to do! In fact I already started, by getting up this morning and changing clothes, putting my contacts in and EXERCISING! Yes, that's right I've decided that I need to exercise first thing in the morning so I have no excuses to NOT do it!

For the month of January I have decided to do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred! Yes, I know January has 31 days but I figure I can start February a day early since it only has 29 days in it! Since Jillian's workout is only about 20 minutes (plus about 4 minutes of warmup and cool down I decided to some sort of ab workout to bring my minumum total of workout to 30 minutes. Today I pulled up Netflix's Target Toning and I did the 10 minute Ab workout. Normally I would say that this workout would not be a good enough workout for me but after Jillian it was enough! I feel like I'm starting over with my fitness and this was a great start!

As for my starting weight for this challenge: Sadly it was 205.0 and honestly I was surprised it wasn't more. Over the past couple of months I have basically not had any exercise and I have been eating and drinking way more than I know I should! This challenge lasts 8 weeks and goes till the end of February. That gives us plenty of time to make some good changes and a great start to meeting our goals for 2012!

At the end March of 2009 I started my journey of weight loss and I weighed in at 226.8, so over the course of 2 years and 9 months I have lost and maintained a loss of 21 pounds. For that I am happy. For that I am grateful. BUT I really want and NEED to get the rest of this weight off. It's for my health! It's for my sons! It's something I need to do for ME! So here I am again at the beginning of a new year saying one of my goals for the year is to lose weight. I really believe that if I follow the Low Glycemic Index Diet Plan (that the doctor told me to follow nearly 3 years ago) I will meet my goal of 150 - 155 pounds by the time my birthday shows up on the calendar in late July.

So...how will I ensure that I follow the diet and exercise plan I KNOW will work for me? I will hold myself accountable. I will beg my friends to help me! I will make sure that I don't buy junk that I will be tempted to eat! I will focus on the things that help me do what I know I need to do. I will also make sure I exercise EARLY in the day so that I'm not "too tired" to exercise! Just an excuse really since I don't EVER go to bed early but it was an excuse I used for the past couple of months!

So...my goals for the month of January?

** Workout with Jillian every morning as well as an additional 10 minutes of ab work! (My abs will thank me!) for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day.
** Follow along with the challenges that the Sisterhood throws out there!
** Follow along with the "small changes" that Christy will share with us on the 'hood!
** Follow the Low Glycemic Index Diet Plan! If it's not on the plan it's not going into my mouth this month! (I'm not planning to be this strict the whole year but I really think my body needs some "detoxing" and this is a great way to do it!)
** Weigh in at the end of January at 195!

If I do everything I have set out to do I know I can meet this goal! Yes, it will be challenging. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, I'm gonna need my friends to help me out sometimes. BUT....I know in my head and heart that I am worth the effort!

So are you participating in the new challenge? It's gonna rock!! Let me know what your hopes and dreams are for the new year so I can encourage and help you meet them!

Happy New Year friends!

Quick Update

I didn't have time to check in while I was at home today so I'm trying to post from my phone. A little tricky but I want to tell ya'll how excited I am to be joining in with the new challenges over at the Sisterhood. I obviously need this because when I got on the scale this morning I was very disappointed with the numbers showing up there. 205.0 I thought about sittin there in my underwear and crying but quickly realized what I really needed to do is get my workout clothes on and start the 30 Day Shred with all my sisters. and I am happy to report that is exactly what I did! i did pretty well with it only struggling with the cardio aspect of the workout. Maybe I will be able keep up with Natalie soon!
I am part of Team Q and we are going to have a great time getting to know each other and helping to meet our goals for this month. My personal goal for this month-do all 30 days of the Shred, continue with my C25K training and get rid of 10 pounds FOR GOOD!
I started taking measures to eat right today by packing yogurt, cheese and fruit for my work lunch. At home today I fixed grilled burgers (our usual Sunday lunch) and fixed some oven fries. I stuck with a small serving of fries and ate a whole wheat bun with my burger. I did indulge in a coke because eating a burger and drinking water just seems wrong! lol
I better stop now so I can get this posted before my lunch break is over. Gotta do some shopping during my last break which will keep me from eating just to eat!
Hope you meet your goals this week!

It's 3 am! Why Am I Awake???

Because my sleep schedule is so out of whack that now that it is the weekend and I don't have to work I am hungry and not really feeling like sleeping. I don't want to mess up my sleep schedule too much for during my work week! So here I am while the rest of the house and Sisterhood world (except maybe Karena) is sleeping I am blogging and making comments on peoples blogs! I have a lot of catching up to do on the weekend because I just don't have the time to blog, comment, exercise, sleep, work, and the other stuff I need to do during the week. What goes? Blogging cuz as much as I LOVE it it just ain't necessary!!

My second week of working is complete. I survived and I feel like I am somewhat adapting. I have awesome friends that are helping out with That Other Kid, so that I can sleep longer during the day and that is really important. By the time I leave for Thursday night I am pretty much toast. I am averaging 4 - 5 hours of sleep a day/night. Except for Thursday morning when I have been able to sleep 6 hours both weeks. I am tired, and my muscles are being worked in ways that I have never dreamed of using them!

On the plus side....I get my first paycheck this coming Thursday and it will be for more than 80 hours for the 2 week period! I have worked a bit of overtime both weeks and I am fortunate enough to be paid for those hours! I'm planning a mini celebration, btw so if you are looking for me on Friday night plan on checking out one of my favorite restaurants. Not sure which one, yet, but I am definitely going to celebrate!! And I won't be watching my calorie intake that night either, sorry SynErgy ladies!

So...on to some of the highlights of my week.

I have been tracking my walking with my trusty pedometer (that I haven't taken the time to EXACTLY figure out yet) and I have been averaging anywhere from 1.5 miles to 5 miles a night of walking while at work. That is not walking only...that is in addition to bending, lifting, pushing, pulling and such throughout the night! Every day when I come home I am feeling my muscles that have been worked throughout the night.

I have also tried to exercise some right after I wake up in the early afternoon. I have 4 more Wii EA More Workouts to do to complete my 2nd 6 week challenge! Gosh it's going to feel good to complete that! But it has been a great way for me to stay on track with "formal" exercise during this transition time of going back to work.

I have also tried to do the 30 Day Shred with the girls over at the 'hood! I have not been very successful with this, though. I've only done it 5 out of 12 days, so I have some serious catching up to do. Hopefully, I will do better with it once I am done with the Wii Workout challenge. Maybe I can get my friend to do it with me when we are done with the Wii challenge we are doing now. I really do love to be challenged by Jillian. You know the kind of love I'm talking about, right? The love/hate relationship...when you love the results but hate doing it!

Things are really popping over at the Sisterhood and we have some great people over there to help keep me motivated and headed in the right direction which is vital for me right now.

So with that in mind I will happily report that during the period from last Wednesday the 3rd of March to this Wednesday the 10th of March I went from

192.0 to 190.4!! .

I really needed to psychologically see a drop in my weight this week and I did! I wish it could have been more but I will take any kind of loss right now and not set myself up for disappointment if I don't accomplish my goal!

I have been drinking more soda than I want to while on my breaks but I am also drinking anywhere from 1 - 2 liters of water throughout the night, so that is a good thing. Most of my coworkers drink absolutely NO WATER throughout the night! I don't see how they can not be dehydrated. Especially since they are drinking sodas and coffee instead.

I have set a goal for myself to be doing some kind of formal exercise at least 4 days a week and so far I have been successful. I hope I can follow through with this and even extend it, but I am trying to be realistic as well.

My dh has been doing a great job helping out around the house since I started working. He has loaded and unloaded the dishwasher, folded and put away laundry and made sure the house has been relatively clean by the time he goes to bed so I don't come home to a mess that I feel obligated to clean up before I go to bed. It has made my life a lot easier and for that I am grateful! That Other Kid seems to be adapting pretty well and he is getting some school done during the week, so I don't feel that I am a totally slacking homeschooling mom! I am planning to do school on Saturdays and do a little one on one time with him so that he doesn't feel like mommy doesn't care about him. He has been watching more tv than I approve of but for the most part he doesn't watch tv that is "bad" so he is getting some educational value from it.

Well I am getting to the point of rambling so I am off to bed...early for me! Hope ya'll have a great weekend!!

Week In Review: Shredding, Weigh In, and Work!

Wow! This is going to be some kind of mixed up jumbled post...kind of like my week!!
Hope ya'll are ready for a lot of different topics to be covered in one post. If not, then maybe you can just pretend that it is several posts and break it up in your reading time!

First of all I will start with my "work week". This was the first week of work for me and it was a doozy. As I mentioned before I haven't worked in nearly 7 years and I have NEVER worked at a job during what is known as the graveyard shift...10 p.m. to 7 a.m. It has been over 20 years since I worked a 40+ work week, too. I have a new respect for police, firemen, and hospital staff that are required to work this shift. It is not for the wimpy! I have been a night owl for years but when it hits 1 a.m. I turn into a pumpkin and go to sleep. Not now....no, now I am just getting started at 1 a.m. My responsibilites are varied from night to night but for the most part I am moving for most of my 8 hour shift. Thursday night/Friday morning I logged nearly 5 miles in the 8 hours I worked. Not only did I walk but I carried, lifted, bent, and pushed and pulled. Plenty of exercise going on at work for me. It is physically demanding but not so much that I can't handle it. Boy am I glad that I have been working out over the past 11 months! I would never have been able to do this job if I hadn't at least started on this journey of weight loss and exercise! There are some younger women (and even men) there and they are wiped out after their shift and they didn't work nearly as hard as I did! YAY for exercising!!

The hardest part of the job is not actually the job it is getting enough sleep and getting my schedule adjusted so that I don't want to sleep before my shift is over. I have a good friend who is helping me with That Other Kid a couple of days a week by having him at their house. She is working on school with him and letting him play with her little boy. I got to sleep uninterrupted from 8:30 to 3 the day she kept him...Pays to have friends, let me tell you!!


As you know the Sisterhood started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Monday. Never one liking to feel left out and one who apparently likes the pain I decided to do the Shred with everyone! I have to say I am glad to be doing it but I am not going to be able to do it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY like I want to and like it is designed for, but I am doing it as much as I feel I can. It only takes about 25 minutes and it is a GREAT workout! I did it Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday of this week. So I say 4 out of 6 days is pretty darn good! I really do love exercising and working out now...it keeps my body healthy and keeps me from being depressed and mentally "blah".

This week's weigh in --- let's just say it SUCKED, shall we? Of course, I know in my head that this was going to be a bad week and with all the changes that occurred this week I was bound to have a sucky week but man I did not like looking down and seeing that I had bounced UP 2 WHOLE POUNDS!!

Last week I weighed -- 189.0
This week I weighed -- 191.0

I'm hoping that it is a temporary gain and with all the working out, walking, lifting, bending, pushing and pulling that I am doing these 2 pounds plus more will come off by this upcoming weigh in. Everyone I know has said that the first week of a change like this plays the biggest havic of your system, so now that the first week is over it's time for my system to kick it up a notch so I can continue losing weight. I am eating healthy at work (fruit, cheese, peanut butter, and crackers) and only succumbed to a coke 1 night. I am looking for alternative caffeine injections!! I hate coffee so don't even suggest that! I'm not really a iced tea person, although that may be my best option. I am drinking between 32 and 64 ounces of water during the night so that is a big deal for me. Of course, I am 'dying of thirst' at break times though because I am used to drinking water all day long and now it is reserved for break and meal time or when I am at home awake!

Just one more thing before I move on. Please pray for my dh as he continues seeking work as an architect. He is starting to really get depressed and down. Now that I am working I think that he is feeling even more down. He doesn't sleep well when I am not in bed with him and now that I am ALWAYS gone at night he is having problems sleeping. If this continues I'm afraid that he will get sick and then not only will he not be working but he will be sick. BAD combination, let me just tell you!

He had an interview on Friday and he felt it went well but we won't know anything for awhile about it. He has a couple of possible "contracts" (independent contractor type projects) that are supposed to happen this week. We NEED these projects. Not just for his well being but for our financial obligations and needs as well! Thanks so much for your prayers and friendship!!

First Day of Shredding

Well I did it!! I just Shredded with my Sisters!! Ya'll really have no excuse!! I just worked 8 hours doing physical labor and walking around ALL NIGHT LONG, came home and slept 4 hours and worked out with the 30 Day Shred!! Come on, ya'll kick some butt with me!! After looking at my pictures that That Other Kid took of me I still have A LONG WAY to go!!

Now off to shower, work on some schoolwork with That Other Kid and try to find a little more time to sleep before I do it all over again!!

Have a great day!

Time For New Challenge....Weigh In

Isn't this the prettiest logo you have seen in a long time?? I need Spring!!
I could definitely go for some Spring-y-ness around here so in preparation for Spring the Sisters are having another Challenge, this time with TEAMS!! I'm on Team E (we get to come up with our own names!!) with Trish (don't you just love this blog name??), Mendie, Donya, Leslie, and Melissa. Teams are a ton of fun and very exciting when we get to encourage each other to succeed!!

I'm so excited to be starting this challenge right now. I'm about to start working (overnight; as in 3rd shift) and I haven't worked in over 6 years. I have never worked overnight...but I am confident that I can continue losing weight with some serious will power, and some love from my sisters! I'm not making any promises on consistent exercise during the beginning of this new schedule, but I will be exercising some since I will be moving constantly and lifting and carrying boxes and what-not.

The past couple of months have been stressful for me, since there has not been any income coming in, but now it looks like dh is finding at least a bit of work, and I will be working so maybe my mental stress will go down. Now I just have to control my emotional stresses of a new schedule and routine.

Ok...so down to business. Weigh in time -- It's not pretty but I didn't expect it to be. Did you read my Confessions? I'll wait if you want to read it now. That way you'll understand...You're back? Ok...so here goes...

Last week -- 188.0

This week -- 189.0

Actually I was surprised that it wasn't more of a gain. So I start this new challenge at 189.0. My goal for the 8 week challenge which takes us into the end of April is to lose 4 pounds so that I am at 185. I would love to lose more but I think if I set up a bigger goal than that I am going to set myself up for disappointment. The next couple of months are going to be difficult enough I don't need to add anything else to it.

My One Year Anniversary of Healthier Living is 30 days away and I would like to hit a major milestone by that date. I think it would be great if I could weigh in at 186.8 on March 25...that would mean I had lost 40 pounds in 1 year. When I look at that number I kind of get discouraged but then I think about all the obstacles that I have conquered in this year. Not to mention going through a year of financial unstability with dh's work situation. So I'm going to be proud of myself and not get down. Instead I'm going to get HAPPY!! And I'm going to workout harder and stick with my healthy eating even better!!

I hope that ya'll will join in this new challenge. We always have so much fun! Oh and I almost forgot to mention -- The Sisters are giving away 11 copies of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD!! You only have 24 hours to get your chance to win, so hurry!! I already own it and I can tell you it is a "killer good workout"!! We are going to start the workouts again on March 1. I hope I can find a way to do it every day...hum...when to exercise?? sleep, eat, spend time with That Other Kid and do everything else that momma needs to do??

Word of Advice

If you are doing the WiiActive 30 Day Challenge with the Sisterhood and for whatever reason have to take 2 nights off in a row, DO NOT try to do the HIGH intensity level! I was not able to workout in the evenings the past 2 nights due to scheduling complications. On Thursday night I bumped my intensity up from medium to high and did OK. I was sore, but not in a "I'm gonna die" way. Then I had to take Friday night and Saturday night off. Tonight I didn't really think much about it and just got started as it was set up for High Intensity --- OUCH!! My legs hurt, my b*tt hurts, my arms hurt!! Maybe it would not have been so bad but there were a TON of LUNGES tonight and a 4 hour kick back walk around the track (not really but it seemed like it)!! Oh my gosh, I hurt!!

Now I'm going to try to do my 30 Day Shred routine with Jillian. I'm on Level 2 and it still kicks my b*tt every night, so tomorrow if you don't hear from me, maybe I never got out of bed, cuz I couldn't move my legs!!

Hope ya'll had a productive weekend!!

Edited *** I didn't Shred after all!! By the time I was ready, my legs were hurting so I went to bed and got almost 8 hours of sleep even though I stayed up late exercising and catching up on some of my favorite blogs!!

This Month's Pictures

You may or may not remember but I have taking pictures of myself to watch the process of my weight loss in a visual format and today is picture takin' day. I have gotten to the point where I actually look forward to this bit of visual stimulation. It helps me SEE what I have done in the past month. For me this almost as important as seeing the numbers on the scale going down. So without further delay....

this is last month -- August 11














and this is today -- September 11













I can actually see these pants sagging at the b*tt and legs! And is it me or does my b*tt actually look smaller in today's picture?? When I first started working out I couldn't wear these pants comfortably. The shirt is still snug around the stomach but it's not as much as it was several months ago. I am amazed at the amount of stretch my clothes had to do just so I could wear them!

Anywho...I just thought I would show you the progress I've made...although I still have much more to go I'm seeing some real results! In other news, tonight was my "rest" night in the Wii Active 30 Day Challenge so I did the WiiFit Hula for the first time in about 2 weeks...boy did I lose a lot of momentum! I also have been working out using Jillian's 30 Day Shred and tonight was the first night of Level 2! Man that is a killer....I still struggle to keep up with some of the cardio workouts and I did a good part of tonight's workout following Anita (for beginners) but it felt good to push myself and sweat!! Now my muscles are sore and tired and I need to go take a shower and go to bed...maybe it'll only be 12:30 tonight instead of my "as of late" 1:00 a.m.!!

30 Day Challenge --- Wii Active

Yesterday started another new challenge with the Sisters. I'm excited about all these challenges because they will keep me moving in the right direction -- DOWN!! I will be continuing on my track of good health and I will be helping others at the same time with the Weight Watchers Lose For Good Challenge. I'm also going to start the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred tonight. This will be the third time I have done it, so let's see how many of the routines I can do with "hard-core Natalie"?!! Anyone want to join me in the torture??!

Anyhooo...last night I was running behind my "normal" workout schedule and didn't get started till VERY late. I was already extremely tired and my quadricepts were sore from the practice routine I did SATURDAY night. What's up with that?? With all that in mind I figured I better set my challenge up for "easy routine". Plus everyone else that I had heard from earlier in the day said it "kicked their butts" and if it kicked their butts being at least 10 years younger and way less weight I better just start off slow, ya know? So, I did the easy setting and other than all that freakin' running I did well and wasn't really all that sweaty and tired! So I guess I'm in better physical condition than I thought I was! I absolutely HATE RUNNING, though and they kept telling me I was going "too slow"! It was awful! and my "girls" were bouncing around like they were unsupported! So time to double up the support system, I guess!

So, bottom line is I'm going to LOVE this new challenge and I'm excited that they give me "assigned" days of rest! So that will allow me to do some different routines or even take an occasional night off from the Wii. I will continue to do the 30 Day Shred DVD because I know myself too well. If I take time off from everything I will just sit on the couch, blog, watch tv, and EAT! Not a good combination for a girl who still has 60 pounds to lose!

So all in all, I say I'm looking forward to this challenge and all that it will mean for my overall health! And get this....last night dh was watching me do the Wii Active and he said that it actually looked like something he might enjoy. What a great way to be healthy together!


Edited** Wow I just noticed that this is my 400th post! Wow have I been doing this that long?? Um, maybe I need to celebrate, huh??

New Exercise Plan

I finished the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Micheals last Wednesday and I decided I wanted a change of pace. I have done a great job with this workout but felt I needed a change. Due to my schedule Thursday and Friday I knew that I really wouldn't have time to workout so I wanted to get back to it Saturday, so I went looking for a new DVD Saturday morning. I went to Target and Walmart to try to find the "perfect" DVD. I didn't really find the perfect DVD but I did find one that will work at least for a while. Saturday and Sunday I wasn't really sure if it would but I changed the way I did the DVD tonight and I'm feeling it.

What did I buy, you may be asking?? Well I tried to find it online and it's not out there anywhere...but I did find it at Walmart so if you go to your local Wally-world you may be able to find it or something similar. It is called "10 Minute Solution: Sculpt, Tone & Reshape with the Figure 8". This DVD comes with 2 different resistance bands and is designed to work different areas for just 10 minute segments. Saturday and Sunday I worked out with the easier band...tonight I used the harder one and TRUST ME I can feel it!! I did 3 different 10 minute sessions each of the 3 nights and this is the way I plan to continue doing it, working the ABs every night since that is the area I need help with the most.

I'm not sure how long I will stick with this DVD but I'm going to try to stick with it 30 days and see how I look after working out with it for a month! I have my measurements and my pictures for before and after shots....can't wait to see how much my body changes!!

I'm still working out with my WiiFit Hula and tonight I hit a new 10 minute record of 3308! I also worked out on the elliptical machine at the gym today for 30 minutes, then spent about 1 1/2 hours in the pool with That Other Kid! I think I exercised enough today...what do you think??!!

Some Gross Pictures....

If ya'll have a weak stomach you may want to skip this post...I'm going to show you some pretty gross pictures....ME!! But the good news is the second set are better!!






These pictures were taken on May 11 after my first session of the 30 Day Shred. They were taken right before I started Round 2 of the 30 Day Shred.
NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT!! I JUST LOOK LIKE IT IN THIS PICTURE...which explains why I am working my tail off to lose this weight.















After the second 30 Day Shred session -- taken on June 11. Although I am noticeably still FAT I am looking better now that I have completed the second round of the 30 Day Shred. After taking my measurements I found I have lost a total of 8 inches total from my waist, hips, thighs, upper arms, and chest in this 1 month time period. I have to say that is exciting to me! I also lost about 2 1/2 pounds during this time period, not great but not too shabby either considering all those inches that aren't there anymore!

I am looking for other options to continue working out...something different but just as effective or maybe even more effective. I'll be looking at Target and Walmart this weekend for options. I have many more inches and pounds to go, but I am progressing and that is the point, right??

Oh and over the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans I won this cool journaling book to help in my continued weight loss! It is amazing what can happen to you when you use willpower and talk about your struggles and your successes with your friends. I can not tell you how grateful I am to these ladies. Every week I get continual support and praise from my new friends.

Thanks everyone....and let's hope my next month's pictures make me look like I am no longer pregnant since my baby is 5 1/2 years old!!

Weigh In Time!! Go Team BLUE!!

I have to say I was excited to go weigh myself this morning for 2 reasons. My team is counting on me to lose weight and I had taken a sneak peek on Monday to see how I was doing and I had already lost 1 pound so I wanted to see what I done in the past 2 days! I was pleased!!

Last week's weigh in -- 211.3
Today's weigh in -- 210 EVEN!! Yeah!!

Only 10 more pounds to go till I get to my short term goal of 200 EVEN on July 27 (my b-day)!! I haven't seen that weight in about 4 or 5 years so I'm looking forward to it again.

Tonight is also my last day of the 30 Day Shred -- round 2! I have actually done EVERY DAY of the 30 Day program this time around (I got 28 of the 30 days last time). I will take my measurements in the morning to see how much I have lost in inches. I'm not too sure about the progress I made this time around, but I have to remind myself that I didn't get overweight overnight and I won't get "skinny" overnight either! Have you guys been Shredding with me?? No one is really talking about it, so I'm beginning to think that I'm the only one actually doing it this time around! That's ok if I am, cuz the point of it is to shred me! I think I'm going to take a couple of days off (Thursday and Friday are going to be crazy with college registration for That Kid) and then start on something different next week. Not sure what yet...I have had a number of good suggestions, so I'm going to look at Target and see what they have or maybe I'll just use the gym membership that I have and kick some butt there!!

So how are ya'll doing?? I know the Blue Team all lost a pound or even two this week!! Go Blue Team!!

Wii Fit Rocks!!

March 30th the Sister of Shrinking Jeans challenged me to work out on my Wii Fit and do the Hula. The challenge was for 1 week and we were supposed to log our "spins" to see who could do the most in 10 minutes! My thoughts when I heard the challenge, "You've got to be kidding me 10 minutes on that thing is just NUTS!" That night I started off with the 70 second session and I tried over and over again. I finally managed to get up to 21 spins! I felt like I was gonna die after doing that thing, but I kept at it....

And I have kept at it over the past 10 weeks and have continually improved. After the first week I finally managed to finish the whole 70 seconds. After that I progressed to the 3 minutes and kept at it. I have been doing the 6 minute session now for a while and have continually set record after record. I have accomplished more than I ever thought I could with it....but tonight....I decided I wanted to "kick it up a notch" in the words of Jillian Michaels on her 30 Day Shred DVD (oh and btw, I have continued working out with Jillian every night). Tonight after my 70 second warmup on the Hula, I decided, "what the heck, let's see how I can do on the 10 minute session!!" The worst that could happen is that I don't finish it, right?!

Guess what?? come on guess!! I did it -- all 10 minutes!! I could hardly believe it myself!! I even had the breath and energy left to call dh in to witness my score!!
What was my score, you ask?? Thanks for asking! My score for 10 minutes was 3204!! Thankyouverymuch!!

Man it felt good to accomplish something so good for myself. That bumped my workout time to nearly 50 minutes tonight....yeah for me!!

That Kid, being a teenage boy discovered something this past week that he told me about last night. If you have a I-Pod touch, or an I-phone you can download this cool application called "Lose-It". It helps track your calories, and exercises. It also helps you set goals for losing weight. I have been been thinking about getting a new cell phone and thought maybe this would be a good excuse to buy a I-Phone, but then dh said "hey, you can use my IPod touch, since I don't use it anymore...." He got an I-phone for Christmas and has barely touched his "touch" since then. So he erased it and then I loaded it and immediately put the "Lose-It" application on there. It's going to be fun to use and will be a big help in my weight-loss journey. I'm excited about this new application. It told me that it would take till January 6 to lose the weight I am trying to lose....Let's see if I can beat the I-Pod's goal!

Accomplishments!!

Yesterday was a day full of accomplishments for me....

First of all, I finally got our 2008 taxes complete so that I could fill out the financial aid papers for That Kid's college this coming fall. Then early (for me) this morning I filled out the financial aid information for the college he is attending. Next on the list is filling out all the supplemental forms for even more financial aid. We are seeking everything we can since business has been so slow for dh the past 6 months and we are wondering how we will be able to pay for this extra expense.

Secondly, I finished filling out the high school transcript for That Kid and got it printed, signed and in an envelope with postage to mail. I didn't get it in the mail before they came at 9:30 a.m. this morning so I will need to run it by the post office later today. I also got the information compiled for the Residence Life and got that ready to mail, too. It looks like everything is coming together. Registration and Orientation for DBU is next Thursday and Friday so it's all working out! I'm kind of nervous and kind of excited!! How can my baby be ready for college already??

Next on my list of accomplishments -- I decided that I really need to watch my food intake and to increase the fruits and veggies. I managed to eat 4 servings of fruit yesterday! I am really bad about "good intentions", but never following through with the fruits and veggies. It seems there are always other things that I want to eat, ya know?? We are out of veggies, so that will have to wait till I get to the grocery store.

Finally, I did Day 5 of Level 3 on my 30 Day Shred DVD! That means that I only have 5 more days till I am done with the 30 Day Shred AGAIN!! I feel like I am doing really well with it, and I have managed to do some of the reps with Natalie although I am still struggling with some of the moves, even following Anita. I still can't do a full on sit-up!!! So I am just doing crunches....maybe some day I'll get there!

I am ready to find another DVD to do...I'm getting a bit bored with this and feel like I am ready for another challenge...I hope the Sisters has an idea of something different to do....It is so much easier to do if I know other ladies are going through the same pain as I am!! I'm sure you know what I mean!!

I am ready to start writing my post for That Kid's graduation tribute, but every time I start thinking about it I get all weepy, so I'm just going to have to suck it up and cry and write at the same time!! That will truly be a major accomplishment!! Look for it over the weekend...maybe I'll be able to get it done since I have lots of time while waiting for That Other Kid during hockey practice.

New Hula Record!!

1885 spins in 6 minutes on the WiiFit Hula!! That's a new record for me, and just think I wasn't going to do it tonight, since "my visitor" came today and I thought "ah, I'll just skip it tonight". I was just going to do the Body Test portion of the WiiFit. Once I did the Body Test portion I decided to just go ahead and do the warmup of the Hula -- the 70 second section. Once I did that I just went on ahead and started the 6 minute... It's kind of addicting!! You don't want to stop till you are po*ped out!!

Before I did the WiiFit Hula I did Day 2 of the Level 3 on the Shred DVD! I managed to follow through with a couple of Natalie's moves, too! Yeah for me!! The last ab set I did with Natalie and didn't DIE!! I'm feeling good about this exercise program.

DH told me he was impressed with my dedication and that made me feel really good since he is not usually so easy to hand out praise. I have noticed that when I don't feel good or am tired, he is pretty fast to say, "maybe you should skip exercising tonight". My response has been "skipping out on exercise is how I got in this predicament, I'm not skipping unless I am physically unable to do it!!!"

In other news, but related -- I'm on the Blue team for the next challenge with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans! We are going to be a great team!! and a wonderful support system....Go Team!

Time for Level 3 -- Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred (Day 21)

Today is the Day 1 of Level 3....Day 21 of the 30 Day Shred! I only have 10 more days till I complete the 30 Day Shred, Round 2! Level 3 takes it up a notch, but I think I'm ready...I'll let you know later tonight when I get That Other Kid to bed and get a chance to do it!

In other news I went to a friend's house today and she had a bunch of pants that will fit me, so I got several new pairs of pants that I won't have to wear a belt with. I'm looking forward to trying them on and having some pants that fit again!
My friend's husband noticed that I was losing weight, too...which was kind of a nice feeling!!

I'll check back in after exercising tonight...

Edited*** I made it through Level 3 and then moved right into the WiiFit Hula! I was really tired when I finished both, but not so much that I couldn't move to the bathroom for my shower, ya know what I mean??!! I stuck with doing everything with Anita, except the sit-ups which I still can not do. I just modified them and did crunches...kind of wimped out there, but I don't have the ab muscles or the pelvic/bladder strength for regular sit-ups:((( I did manage to do a couple of the strength routines with Natalie!! Yay for me!!

So how are you doing on the Shred??

This Week we are starting a new Challenge over at the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans and we are working as teams. It will be exciting to challenge our team mates and help motivate us to be the winning team!! Join in if you want....Christy will hook you up with a team, I'm sure!

I Wore Smaller Pants TODAY!!

This morning I got up and showered and got dressed as usual...but as I put on my pants I felt really frumpy in them. They felt baggy and saggy. It's a problem that up till the past month or so I haven't experienced in a long time. I've adapted the past couple of weeks and worn a belt but today I thought....hum, I wonder if I have any pants in the closet that are smaller? So I shined the light into the closet and started looking. I dug around and found 1 pair of pants that were capris which worked fine since it was supposed to be 95 degrees today.

I tried them on and zipped them up and buttoned them and although they were a little snug they were comfortable!! My muffin top kind of hung over the top of the waist line, because they are low rise waist (which I don't get on "fat lady" pants) but I decided I didn't care....I wanted to wear pants that were not falling off!! I wore them all day and did not have marks on my stomach from the pants being too tight!! I am thrilled!! Problem now is I think that was the only pair of pants in my closet that are that size :((( so now I have to go back to my baggy pants tomorrow!! I'm hoping that this week I can go to the JC Penney Outlet store and buy myself some "cheap" pants in the smaller size.

I'm going to the gym in the morning to weigh myself to see how I'm doing. The Sisterhood is taking a couple of weeks off, but I'm not!! I have goals!! and I can't meet them if I don't work at it every day! By the way, I just finished Day 15 of the 30 Day Shred DVD -- round 2!! I haven't missed a beat yet, although I'm still huffing and puffing by the time I'm done. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that I still can't breathe real good yet, from my sinus allergy problems. I'm still coughing and have to do the inhaler before and after the workout, but I am doing it!! You can too!!

One more thing....I received my new Ipod in the mail today! It's blue and very cute! I can't wait to get some music loaded on it and start listening to it! Thanks to the Sisterhood for blessing me with it!!

I WON!!!

Over at the Sisterhood they were giving away some great prizes for all our hard work during this 8 week challenge!! And I WON!! Can you believe it??? I'm so pleased that I actually won at something so important like losing this unsitely and unhealthy weight!!If you will remember I now weigh 11.2 pounds less than I did 8 weeks ago, thankyouverymuch!! I won an IPod Shuffle which is awesome!

This challenge is over but they will be starting a new one on June 3 and I plan to win that challenge!! Not to win a prize mind you....but to win a healthier and happier me!! So you guys wanna try to beat me?? Join the Sisterhood and keep me on my toes!! Summer is never easy for me...we have lots of birthdays and of course lots of ice cream, but I have worked hard to lose the weight so far and I'm not gonna blow it just cuz it's summer time. I plan to be SKINNY by Christmas and that's not gonna happen if I overindulge this summer...so Keep me honest and keep me working out, Ok????

By the way, I started Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred tonight and did ok on it! I even managed to do some of the workout with Natalie! Today was Day 11 and I'm feelin' good!! If you haven't started yet...go buy the DVD and join in! You'll love to hate Jillian with the rest of us!!