In All My Glory

So over the last few months I have put forth a valiant effort to lose weight. I have exercised every day most days, normally 5-6 days a week. I have eaten extremely very pretty healthy.

Then I kicked it up a notch when deciding to go on a cruise over Christmas break. I exercised longer and harder, and I really started being careful about what I ate. Both of these are extremely hard for me, because I hate to exercise and I love to eat: a lethal combination for any weight loss plan.

When I got serious about losing weight in September, I weighed 160. Yep! There I said it. I put it out there...on the Internet. I mean who are we hiding this from. Some of you will look at say, "Wow! I can't believe she had gotten that big!" While others will say, "Are you kidding me? Where you started is my goal weight. I would give my left boob to be that size!" Of course we must remember that we are all different sizes and all have different goals. (I vow to remember this statement the next time my ridiculously skinny sister-in-law starts complaining about how big she has gotten, again.)

Anyway, I wanted to give it one last push to the finish line this week, seeing as we leave on Sunday. I scoured the Internet for all kinds of ideas of how to lose weight quickly. I kepT coming across the concept of doing a "cleanse". I read all kinds of crazy stuff from cayenne pepper, to nothing but lemon water, to disgusting shakes, to just water. There was no way in H I was doing anything like that. Did I mention that I like food?

So I settled on a cleanse that I felt confident I could stick to: The Fruit and Vegetable Cleanse. It was pretty simple. You eat nothing but fruit and vegetables. All you want, but that is it. I could definitely do that.

Needless to say, when I left the grocery store last weekend I had a buggy full of fresh fruits and vegetables. When I got home, I stocked the fridge to the point that my husband complained about there not being any room (and we have 2 refrigerators). I started each day off with a berry smoothie. For lunch the first day I had salad, the next day watermelon and a tangerine, and the next day cucumbers, carrots, and kiwi. For supper I had a sweet potato, asparagus, and squash the first night, baked onion, zucchini, and broccoli the second night, and the next night...well I didn't make it that far.

By the end of the third day when I finished working out, I thought I was going to die. I had no energy and could barely walk. I needed protein. I needed fat. I needed energy. So I tried just nibbling on a little cheese but that opened the flood gates and one little piece turned into half a block. I mean it was inevitable. And after I found out that I had lost absolutely no weight, I was totally over this whole "cleanse" thing!Now granted, my stomach is now flatter than it has ever been.

So here I sit at 141 having lost 19 pounds in a few months. I am proud of myself. I am far from supermodel status and will still be striving to lose more weight after Christmas, but I think I look pretty hot. And I plan to weAR a bikini on my cruise with no shaMe. Just me In All My Glory.

Kicking It Up a Notch

With 5 weeks until we launch (see previous post), I feel the need to Kick It Up a Notch on the weight loss spectrum!

I have now lost over 15 pounds since I started on this weight loss trek at the end of August. The majority of it coming off in the last month, seeing as the first month was really more of a roller coaster ride of losing and gaining. It took me really getting serious and discovering Zumba for the pounds to start coming off and my body to start changing.

Now my arms are quite tone and have departed from the stage where my tricep flab shakes when I moving my arm. My stomach is actually hard in places, and I have depleted almost all of the cellulite on my thighs and bottom.

But there is still much to be done. Especially now that we have 35 days until we go on our cruise. On Tuesday, my dress arrived. When I say dress, it is with a tone of much reverence because it is the most expensive dress I have bought since getting married. It wasn't ridiculous but it was still much more than I would ever spend on an item of clothing.

I love it! It is sparkly and revealing and very, very sexy. It hugs all of my curves. My newly toned booty, my curvy tatas (which were bought just so ya know!), and my not so toned belly. The top part of my tummy is all tight and hard. However the baby making part appears to be resistant to all of the toning and crunching and slimming attempts. Plus it is causing the dress to lack about 1/2 an inch from zipping all the way up.

So after asking around, a friend of mine suggested getting a waist trimmer. It is a simple little device sold at your local Wal-Mart in the workout section. The one I bought was made by Gold's Gym. You warp it around your waist while you are working it out. It helps you remember to tighten your abs but most importantly it causes you to sweat out all of the water weight from that area.

I admit that I was skeptical. I mean come on how much difference can it make. I bought it Thursday afternoon and wore it during Zumba that night. When I was finished, I could feel the sweat pooling at my belly. It was so gross when I took it off. Sweat was dripping from me and the belt. I looked in the middle and it did in fact look flatter and when I weighed myself the next morning I had lost a pound in one day!

Since then I have used it every time I have worked out and my tummy continues to look more and more trim. Maybe this was the key to Kicking It Up a Notch. A belt and some serious carb and calorie watching and Zumba partying!

Boomeranging

So it is Weigh In Wednesday again, and I am trying to keep true to my word and post when I am supposed to, which is on...duh...Wednesday. I am also trying to post whether I lose weight or not. However, I must admit I am much more apt to post when I have lost weight. Which is of course the reason I am posting today;)

It was with great trepidation that I stepped on the scale this morning. Of course, I made sure that I was completely naked (no need to have pounds added for my clothes), had not eaten (no need to add anything extra), and that I breathed all my air out (Hey! I know the saying "Light as Air" but I think that's BS...air weighs something!). I was delighted to see that I had lost 4 pounds from when I weighed on Friday.

Now before I got all excited, I did remind myself that this is a 4 pound loss after boomeranging when I had gained 5 pounds a month ago when I was sick and unable to exercise. So in the grand scheme of things, I haven't really lost any more weight seeing as I went backwards a wee bit! But, still, it makes me feel better. Especially since I have been working my tail off the last 2 weeks.

Seriously, in the last 2 weeks I have exercised all but 3 days. What, you may ask, has got me (a person who absolutely despises exercise and

thinks anyone who LOVES to do it is INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE) exercising this much? One word...ZUMBA!!!

I absolutely love, love, LOVE Zumba. It is so much fun! Of course, I don't love it when my arms are aching to the point that they feel as if they are going to fall off or when my clumsy self falls to the floor as my feet get tangled up when Sambaing, but I have never, I repeat never had this much fun exercising!

People kept saying how much fun it was, but I have always been of the opinion that nothing that is hard enough to make you sweat like a mule and get out of breath is fun unless it involves someone of the opposite sex;) But those Zumba crazed people are right! I was hooked at the first class I took. I even bought Zumba for the Wii so that I can do it on the days when I can't get to a class.And the competition of getting points drives me to shake my hips like there is not tomorrow!

Anyway, maybe now that I have found exercise that I actually enjoy doing I will stop boomeranging and start on the downward slide to a fitter and thinner me. Now bring on the Zumba party!

It Is On!

It has been so long since I have posted my progress. I am quite certain that my lack of posting has only little to do with my busy life and a lot to do with the fact that my weigh ins have resulted in no progress. Not only have they resulted in no progress, they have also generated much depression as the scale crept slowly back up.

I haven't gained much. Only a pound or two, but still when you are trying to lose weight and the scale starts going the opposite way one does tend to get a little depressed. I know I should not focus on the scale (I did listen to you Kathy!), however, the inches aren't coming off either. The belly is not flattening. The thighs are not slimming. The jeans are still not buttoning!!!

I have determined the problem to be three fold:
1. I am not running any more. Okay, okay there is a reason other than the fact that I hate exercise. I got sick and had no energy for 2 weeks. Therefore, I go out of the running habit and back into the sleeping an extra 30 minutes habit. Heck, I can't blame myself. This kid is still not sleeping through the night!!!

2. I am lazy. Not only am I lazy about exercise, but I do not like getting up and fixing my lunch. It was not such a big deal when I was doing my Fresh Express Salads, because they are so easy. But our local Wal-Mart (which sucks to high heaven) does not carry these and during football season I hardly have a chance to get to Publix over in the next town. So therefore I am eating in the lunchroom, which any weight conscious person can tell you is a big NO-NO!!

3. I like food! Have I said this before? I am quite sure, because as much as I hate exercising that is how much I love food! But I know that food is not the enemy. It is my friend. It is my very, very, very good friend. One that I should spend a little less time with.

So I really must get back on the ball, maybe even the exercise ball. (Never mind, I am the clumsiest person ever. That thing would buck me off before I could ever even sit down on it and then not only would my children get a kick out of my butt being kicked by a big rubber ball of air, but I wouldn't be able to exercise because of injury.) But I MUST exercise and eat less.

I am serious this time! Really! I mean it!!! It is on!! It is on like Donkey Kong!!

Breaking into the 40's

Well it is week 3 of my determination to fit into my jeans. I got another kick in the bum to get busy when last Friday for "Dress Down Day" I had to dress down in my maternity jeans. No one noticed, but I knew.

Therefore, I was careful this weekend (unlike last)and watched what I ate and my portions. I mean, I only ate 2 pieces of pizzas at a birthday party and one little, itty bitty, tiny piece of cake. And that was sooooo hard because that cake was sooooo good (just like everything else that isn't good for you). Boo! But with this new found self control, I just knew I was going to make a dent this week. It was ON!!

The best decision I made was to buy some salad mix (since it is super easy) and take my lunch every day. I bought my favorite which is the Fresh Express Pear Gorgonzola. It is super yummy and taste much like the salad of the coveted Red Bar in Grayton Beach,
Florida, which everyone should experience at some point in time (the restaurant not the salad). Anyway, it is delicious with almond clusters and dried pears, and it only had 120 calories per serving. The bag has 2 servings in it, so it turns out to be a good amount of salad. I just split one bag between two days and divide up the salad dressing. It's that easy!

Alas, the inevitable (see previous post, It's Inevitable) happened. I got sick. I woke up Sunday morning with a sore throat and congestion. What else could be expected when 75 third graders are hugging on me all day, and my own three munchkins were ALL getting over being sick. This resulted in my absence from the road in the early morning. I deemed it more important to allow my body to rest and get better than to get up early and exercise. Given how bad I have felt this week, I would say it was probably a good idea.

So it was with great trepidation that I stepped on the scale this morning. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had lost 3 pounds from last week. I am telling you the key is to count calories, and then exercise will push you in to the next level. I plan on giving myself a few days to get better and then get to that next level starting Monday.

In the meantime, I am super excited because I am Breaking into the 40's...even if it is only at 149.6. Hey! I will take what I can get, which is hopefully to be soon packing away those maternity jeans.

Slippin' and Slidin'

This morning as my feet pounded the pavement and Lady Gaga sang about being "Born This Way" in my ear I was having a serious runner's high. (I use the term "runner" lightly seeing as right now the majority of my "run" is spent walking. I am building up to it though!) Anyway, I was super excited because today was "Weigh In Wednesday" and I could not wait to see how much my hard work had paid off.

Alas, my high came crashing down as I stepped onto the scale and those blasted, evil, spawn of Satan numbers appeared on the screen. I gained a pound!! Seriously??? I gained a pound?

WTF!!! I have worked my tail off. I have starved myself. I have drowned my thirst with enough water to fill a bathtub every day (be it a baby one;). The point is, WTF!!! How can this be?

Well, I guess it could be Saturday. My brother-in-law's birthday was this past weekend and there was a gathering. As you know, gatherings include food and cold beverages, both of which made their way into my belly. I have a thing for snacky dips and appetizers. Sometimes I would rather eat that than a meal. And I never fix a plate, like I know I should. If I fixed a plate, it would probably keep me from gorging myself to the point of misery. Honestly...I blame my brother-in-law. I mean, how dare he have a birthday party! Especially while I am trying to lose weight!

But I think what upset me the most this morning was the fact that I actually FEEL thinner. My husband commented a couple of days ago about how much flatter my tummy looked (and no I don't think he was trying to get some). I noticed less cellulite as I scrutinized my body in the mirror (and no I did not have my contacts out). And one of my coworkers squeezed my arm yesterday and told me how "skinny" I looked (and no I had not just flexed. That is just laughable).

But the one thing that had me absolutely convinced that I had lost weight was that my thighs were now Slipin' and Slidin'. Maybe you don't know what I mean, but normally my thighs are shoved so close together due to the extra weight that when I walk they never actually come a part. They just stay stuck together, never even having enough room to move in order to even rub against each other. It is much like they are one united being. But lately I have noticed that not only are they moving, but they are sliding right past each other with ease. This leads me to believe that although I have not lost pounds this week, I am definitely losing inches.

So over the next week I am going to continue "running" (I am walking 2 minutes and running 1 minute right now). I am going to eat even less and drink even more water. I am going to avoid birthday parties and gatherings where there are plethoras of yummy morsels that threaten to ruin my goals. And I am going to keep my thighs slipin' and slidin' in the hopes that soon I will have lost so much weight that they don't touch at all:)'

And We're Off

So if you read my previous blog you know that the time has come for me to get serious about losing weight. My main motivation. . . fitting into my jeans. Every Friday is dress down day at school, and I can't dress down because my jeans won't zip even with the age old lying down and using pliers trick!! It has time for me to get serious about losing weight.

A few weeks ago I started monitoring what I eat. . . kind of. I have a hard time with sweets and things that are salty and bread . . . and . . . pretty much all food. I do love it so! But I, at least, started limiting my portions.

It is hard to train your stomach to eat less, especially when you have just finished being pregnant and are used to eating large portions. One of the most important ways I do this is by using a salad plate at meal times instead of a regular sized plate. This forces me to get smaller portions and even if I go back for seconds I still only end up eating what would have equaled a regular size plate. This way I almost feel like I am getting more to eat!

I am also trying to eat slower, which is definitely hard with a baby because you have to shove everything into your mouth just to make sure you have time to eat. I am also eating all of my vegetables before anything else in order to feel up on the items that are better for me. Two other things that are
proving successful:
1. Drink a full glass of water before I start to eat.

2. When I am finished with my plate and think I want more I drink another full glass of water. If I still want it then I get some more.

And finally I started exercising this week. This is a BIG deal! I hate to exercise. I mean absolutely despise it. I think people who love to exercise are stupid and just have some innate desire to torture themselves. I hate to sweat. I hate to get up earlier at 5:30 in the A.M. (which I have to do because of the kids). But most of all I HATE to do anything that is hard for me and makes me feel like I can't do it well, and exercise is soooooooo hard for me. Especially running which is the kind of exercise I must do in order to really do some damage to this flab.

So how is it going? Well I weighed in last Wednesday at 155.2. This morning before I weighed I felt quite certain I had gained weight. I mean, it just looked like it to me, but lo and behold I weighed in at 151.3. That is almost a four pound loss! I am pumped, inspired, and finally motivated. I am working and it is working. "And We're Off" (as they say) on this adventure to a healthier, thinner, toner, and happier me, who can fit in her jeans again!!