Day 35.......yah yah, so I've been slacking....

Ok Ok.......so I have been majorly slacking on the blog........seems life catches up with me and I don't feel like blogging about every darn thing I ate that day or how much the scale hates me. LOL

So about a month into this challenge and it's been one hell of a month......ups, downs, ins, outs, and I'm only 1/3 of the way through it! Just when I think I have things figured out, nope........so this just goes to show you the process of losing weight and getting healthy is a constant learning curve. We must constantly learn about our bodies and what works and what doesn't. I think I'm just being stubborn especially with the exercise. Let's face it. I'm still fighting the lazy bug. I know what it takes to get me to where I need to be, but I just don't want to do it! HA! Are there 12 steps for losing weight? There should be............seriously............

So I think I've been doing ok, I have my good days and my so so days and then my ok days, but haven't had any horrible days since my last posting. I have noticed that my mood has been sour in the last week or so. I seem more annoyed as of lately and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I got out of the eating every 2 hours thing that I was doing last week, or that my body is changing and everything is playing catch up. My training is getting harder, I can feel the changes in various parts of my body, but my impatience is getting to me.

Ahhhh, the ramblings of the fat girl..............I guess I will always think like the fat girl.......maybe I'm just tired...........

Still doing my 2 shakes a day, that is one thing I have NOT wavered on and even though the scale is slow as hell going down it's still going down. The fluctuation could be blamed on numerous things such as bloat, PMS, not eating enough, working out every day, not enough water, heavier weights while working out, building lean muscle........but on the good note, I can button a size 11/12 pants but too much muffin top hanging over..........so I'll wait awhile longer before I go buy those pants LOL

Hope this rambling hasn't bored anyone who's reading this but I can't put together a single thought.......my brain is toast......speaking of toast........I'm hungry................

Day 25......Motivation Station!!!

Alright!!! The train has pulled into motivation station!!! WOOT WOOT!! ALL ABOARD!!! LOL

I am motivated to not only change my life and my family's lives but anyone reading this or reading my facebook. I feel it is my job and my duty to share this amazing journey with the people in my life. This is why I write this, because we owe it to ourselves and to our spouses and our children to be the best that we can be. I was looking back at some headshots from 2010 and I am horrified that I ever looked like I did. What in the hell was I thinking? No wonder I was so miserable? For those who haven't seen it....................

WOW!!! What a change, what a huge difference.....what a fatass I was.....No wonder I felt like crap....my body reflected what I was putting into it. YUCK. No more, never again!

So today was day 2 of making it to the gym everyday! Training yesterday and today cardio and some machines. I am determined to make it to the gym EVERYDAY if it kills me. I really have no excuse for NOT going. I don't work outside the home, my kids are in school all day and the gym is literally five minutes from my house, so why do i not go daily? Because I am still trying to get rid of my LAZY mentality......no other reason because I am still training my brain to get motivated. I can buy all the workout clothes and new tennis shoes I want but that is not going to get my butt in gear any faster. The only person that is going to change that is ME. I can't sit around and complain about my belly fat unless I am the one to change it, which means getting my butt in the gym EVERYDAY and doing my 2 shakes a day and making healthier choices when it comes to my meals and snacking.

I have also increased my protein intake daily and started eating more. I still do my 2 shakes a day but I have started trying to eat something every 2 hours. Whether it be a yogurt, or string cheese, almonds, toast, something every 2 hours to keep my metabolism going. It's so important now that I'm working out more and burning calories. So I shall see if I see more results.

Oh yeah, I have NOT stepped on the scale for 3 days now! This is a huge thing for me because I have been weighing DAILY and all I found was frustration. The magic is not in the number on the scale, it's in the inches lost, it's in the lean muscle that is being built, it's in the energy I have, it's in the way I feel and it's in the glow that I put to others.....

Today I feel good, not tired, and I'm still working on the eating thing. I guess after 30 years of eating bad and not knowing how to eat correctly, it takes time to re-learn new habits, so I'll keep at it and hopefully I can teach others healthy eating and healthy habits!!!

Day 22...........busy day.......

8/6*Well today was not as successful as I would have liked for it to be as far as eating........

I had 2 pieces of bacon and 2 cinnamon rolls this morning and my shake. YIKES! But I knew that I was going canoeing this afternoon and did not want to get hungry and be starving floating down the river. I took some snacks, and did eat a protein bar and some string cheese and lots of water which helped.......then went to dinner with Damon's folks for my birthday dinner..........but didn't eat much.....had some pulled pork (very little), potato salad (very little), apple coleslaw, green beans, roll and I'm stuffed.....and I haven't gotten my 2nd shake of the day in yet! I guess these days will happen...



I have really made an effort this week with the gym and made it every day but one....today counted as a workout because we were canoeing and that in itself was a workout. I did two workouts and cardio this week and I really felt great that I did that, BUT my weight is going UP!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I have read about this and I am hoping that it's because my workouts are becoming more intense and my weights are going up and because I'm hitting the gym on a daily basis this week?? My diet has been the same....2 shakes a day, lots of water, snacks in between, the only real difference is having dinner instead of doing a shake.........i've been doing morning and afternoon shake vs. morning and dinner shake...........getting frustrated here.....so far this challenge, my weight has gone up and down like a roller coaster and i'm doing everything right, at least i feel that I am and I'm so afraid of the scale going up and up and up and up.........AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Here I go in freak out mode..........guess I go back to the gym and bust my butt...........but i don't know what I'm doing wrong so I don't know what to fix.............this is such a frustrating struggle and I am so tired of trying and trying and not knowing what to do..........

Tomorrow is another day.......I guess I'll keep at it..........

Day 20......

I can't believe it's day 20......I have only measured myself on Day 1, but my measurements differ from my gym measurements so I think I'm going to go by those. My weight difference from day 1 to day 20 has been 6 pounds lighter, so I'll take that. Hit the gym today and did an entire workout from my workout guide on my own! :) That is the first time that I've ever completed one without my trainer breathing down my neck. It felt good to be able to say I did it. I'm sore and stiff now, but glad I did it.

I have to do something to continue to lose....Had both my shakes already today and going to get ready to fix a healthy dinner....some grilled chicken breast and some baked veggies with some salad......I'm kind of excited for dinner...I've been kind of in a so so mood, I think because Damon has been in a mood lately and we seem to feed off of each other. He's having bad pain days and not feeling well so it tends to bring me down too. Trying to keep the positive flow, but sometimes the RSD bleeds into everything. Oh well, what can you do.....

Still keeping at it, still eating my snacks, doing my shakes and keeping my team motivated and I'm finding that is the hardest task! I want everyone to succeed and feel as awesome as I do, but I know they are getting frustrated because they may not be seeing the results they want, but hopefully they will keep at it and get there....

another short and sweet, just not in the mood to blog the last week or so..........been away from the computer for a bit.....

Day 18.....sore muscles

Ahhhh, feeling the burn today.......2 days in a row at the gym.......2 shakes a day....as far as snacks....let's see yogurt, grapes, some salsa and tortilla chips, banana chips, more grapes, homemade black bean chili for dinner.....overall a good day and feeling good energy.

I got my FREE transformation kit today. All because I got my 3 for free! So yes, Visalus does work and I love this company! :)

Today is short and sweet but living life.....just wanted to keep everyone updated but I'm keeping at it!

Day 16, Nothing but rain today....

Sometimes you just gotta have rain to cleanse things........today was one of those days......a day for cleansing.....woke up to rain rain rain.........

Had my 2 shakes today and haven't been to the gym since Thursday, but have been cleaning house, doing chores and helping my sister unpack and organize so it's not like I have been sitting on my ass. I did snack a little today and made spaghetti for dinner with whole wheat pasta. I also had a small salad with a piece of garlic bread for dinner and now having some coffee before bed! HA! Nothing like some caffeine before bed.....back to the grind tomorrow...

Not much to blog about today....not really in the mood for writing tonite....so short and sweet!

Day 15.........running on fumes.....

Fighting to keep my eyes open, it's been a long day and I'm very sleepy......been up since 5 a.m. and I didn't go to sleep till late. My sister got in early this morning (5 a.m.) and I've been up ever since!

Had breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning. Enjoyed some EggBeater's, hashbrowns, a piece of country ham, 1 biscuit and a little bit of gravy with some water. I ate just enough to get full but not too full. I had my shake several hours later, after watching that tear jerker of a movie The Vow......and had a yogurt for my snack. Drank lots of water today because we sat outside most of the day visiting and catching up and it was hot. Unloaded my sister's uhaul and unpacked her stuff, got her all set up so I got my exercise in for the day, sweated plenty!

Had 2 very small pieces of baked barbecue chicken, very small serving of red beans and rice, and a small serving of cottage cheese for dinner then followed that up with my evening shake. I'm comfortable but not really full, my metabolism is really kicking in this evening because my stomach is really growling tonite.

I can't focus on this blog tonite however because I'm so damn tired....I'm going to bed....good day, so glad to see my sister and overall a very good day!

Goodnight!

Day 14.......Bye Bye Germs and fat!

YAY!!! I'm feeling so much better! AND I stepped on the scale to see a lovely 166 pounds this morning!!! HELL YEAH!!! I have not seen a number like that in a very long time and I am over the moon! My size 13 shorts are falling off now!! I am thrilled! :) A little sore from training yesterday but it feels good and my stomach is finally getting back to normal.

I did a good bleach cleanse today of my entire house!! Swept, mopped and said bye bye to all the bad germs! It felt good to do a good cleanse of germs and fat! Got my 2 shakes in today and stayed busy all day. Still no love with getting shrek out of my swimming pool but I'm working on it LOL (my above ground pool is SO GREEN!) I didn't snack a lot, I did have a drinkable yogurt and some applesauce and then had a BLT for dinner with a little bit of baked beans and 1 potato skin with some shredded pork on it. I really didn't eat a lot but got quite a bit of water in. My tummy is rumbling and I'm hungry so might get a snack in before I fall asleep or I'll be up all night.

This is gonna be short.......but had a good day! Never give up!! Live for the good days and breathe through the bad ones! MUAH!

Day 13.......and there IS light at the end of the tunnel....

Yesssssssss!!! Finally.....I woke up this morning and felt WAY better! :) I was even able to get up and have a cup of coffee before taking the girls to school. I came home and ate a piece of whole wheat toast with some applesauce on top before heading to the gym.

I did an hour at the gym....30 minute training session and 30 min of cardio. I definitely felt better but zapped some of my energy. At least I got in there and did it. Also did new measurements today. It's exciting taking measurements every month, so I can see that these challenges DO work and healthy eating habits and exercise DO work. Here are the results from April 9 to today!

Weight: 196 down to 170 (I started my first challenge 1 month prior to starting gym at 208.8)
Body Fat %: 37.7% down to 34%
Body Mass %: 31.6 down to 27.4
FAT Weight: 73.8 down to 57.8
Lean Body Weight: 122.2 down to 112.2
Waist: 43 inches down to 37 3/4inches
Hips: 46 inches down to 39 3/4inches
Right Arm: 13 3/4 inches down to 12 3/4 inches
Right Thigh: 22 1/4 inches down to 20 1/4 inches
Right Calf: 15 inches down to 13 3/4 inches

I lost my measurements taken during my first month of my first challenge due to a computer crash, so I don't have those, but I know my starting weight on March 2, 2012 (Day 1, 1st challenge) was 208.8 pounds. I was in a size 18, wearing XL t-shirts, XL yoga pants/stretch pants and size 8 1/2 shoe, size 9 underwear, 44DD bra.

Today I'm wearing a size 13 shorts/pants, size L workout pants, size L shirts, size 7 underwear, not sure on the bra as the 44DD is huge on me now, shoe size 8......so it works!!! It really does work. Hard work, exercise, eating right and visalus has helped me make this transformation and I'm not done yet! Not even close. I'm really going to try and push my body to see how lean and healthy I can get. I've never pushed myself before, just always thought I would be fat forever, but no more.......

I did get my 2 shakes in today and even though I still didn't eat much, it's getting better....

On a side note......SALMONELLA is what has torn my gut up this week!! AGHHHHHHHH Like I'm not already a food paranoid freak...........oh well, I'm on the mend and it can only get better from here. :) Happy blogging will follow.....(i hope ;)

Day 11 morphed into Day 12 yet again......still no end in sight!

I am really hoping that this blog ends on a spectacular note since it's started on such a stellar note (note the sarcasm in that statement).

I will say again, this is NOT how I wanted to motivate and get others involved on my journey BUT I guess this is the best way to do it since this can show others that there will be times in our lives that we have to face the rough times.....and this is definitely a rough time for me being sick.

Ok so apparently I totally forgot to blog yesterday and didn't realize it until Cruel Intentions was over at 1:30 this morning LOL..so oh well........

I did too much yesterday. I did all my fruit prep and cooked tacos for dinner yesterday and that took all the energy I had. I ended up showered and in bed by 6. Still not feeling well and yesterday I got most of both shakes in. It's just so hard when my stomach is still not feeling well and i just overall still feel like crap. Went in to the gym but my trainer was like ummmm NO you need to go home. So i was thankful for that. I came home and went back to bed!

Today I got the girls off to school (Josh still sick) and went back to bed until 11 a.m. then got up and had my shake. Added some baby spinach leaves to my shake and you can't taste it and i read that it's supposed to be really good for you. At this point I need all the good I can get. I managed to drink that but then no snacks, did get a couple bottles of water in today but that's it. As far as snacks, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with some cardio smart butter to settle my stomach and another strawberry/spinach shake and that one was hard to finish.....UGH....this is SO not me!

I am snacking on some dehydrated banana chips now and drinking a small can of sprite (GASP! Yes a soda for the first time since March!), but it's one of those little 7.5oz cans that is only supposed to be 90 calories per can, so i'm HOPING that this settles my stomach. I may seriously need to go to the doctor if I'm not better soon. Josh is definitely going back to the doctor tomorrow, poor kid has been sick since Sunday, for the 2nd time! He passed out in the kitchen making some pasta so he needs something!

Sorry this has been so de-motivating....i hope this has not led you all astray but shown you that there will be days, weeks.......that you will lose your way but keep going, even if it's half steps......you'll get back on track. Own it, make it yours and make it the best you can, even if it's not your best.....

Hoping tomorrow is better!

Day 10.........nope......still fog..........

Damnit...............AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH................when is this feeling going to go away and my positive energy going to come back? And don't try to tell me when I change my attitude. :p
My brain wants to be positive but my body is on protest. Not only am I still recovering from this god-awful stomach bug but now I'm not hungry and barely getting my 2 shakes in. boo.

I had my coffee shake in this morning and drank 3/4 of it, dumped the rest of it. Did NOT have a morning snack but I was feeling hungry when we had to run to walmart, so I splurged and ate a chicken sandwich with pickles and mayo and a medium waffle fries from Chick-Fil-A and an ice water. :) So there. I didn't feel awful when I ate it, but I only ate about half of it. I just finished my 2nd shake of the day and again I finished all but a few sips of it and dumped it. I was just too full. My stomach is burning and growling but I am not hungry. I'm so aggravated at this slump I'm in. I know that it's a myriad of things going on and I'm hoping that i come out of them quickly because i don't like feeling like this.

Again I did NOT make it to the gym, I just don't FEEL good again. Just getting up out of bed wears me out and makes me dizzy. I guess being sick for 2 days will do that to you. Tomorrow it's shit or get off the pot because i have training LOL.....hopefully I don't pass out and hurt too bad.

Maybe back to bed and start fresh tomorrow. Seems like that's been the motto for the week.....

Sorry for the bummer week of blogging. Here's hoping that this week will be better!

Day 9....the fog is slowly lifting....

Have I mentioned that I HATE, DESPISE, LOATHE being sick? Not just the actual being sick part but the 2 days afterward when even getting up to take a shower takes you back to days post childbirth when the slightest wind takes the breath out of you. :) Ah, the fond memories....

I managed to get dressed today.....go me! I got my breakfast shake in, but it was torture. Must be my tastebuds coming back to life or something. While we were out running some errands (stupid thing to do), we grabbed some lunch at Crisper's. I managed to get about 3 oz of chicken noodle soup down and about half of a half of a veggie sandwich. My appetite is still not up to par but I'm hungry, just nothing absolutely sounds good. Made it through Target, Jo-Ann's and another place without passing out or throwing up. Managed to finish up the red entryway and call it a day.........

Had another shake, this time tried my banana cream pudding shake....the only thing different was I added about half a container of the activia banana nut bread pudding. BAD IDEA.....especially when you already have an upset stomach. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMBINATION! It tasted like throw up and I could not even finish the shake. :( So it's not been the best day and have NOT been to the gym since Tuesday. I blame this vicious little stomach bug for that. I felt off my game Wed and Thursday and sick Friday and Saturday, so recovery today and hopefully back to normal tomorrow!

I want this foul mood to go away!!!! NOW!!!!

Day 7 morphed into Day 8?!?!?!

YIKES! I have lost time! Apparently I was fighting the nasty little stomach bug that my kids brought home from school. WOW!! Was I sick as a dog! I don't think I moved out of bed all day yesterday unless it was to be on the toilet throwing up into the trashcan! What a miserable miserable hellish day. A hot bath wouldn't even make me feel better. Needless to say I ate 2.5 crackers and some sips of water and sprite all day yesterday in between throwing up breaks.  What was amazing is that I am no longer bloated. LOL. I do not recommend the stomach bug diet. I started the day before at 177lbs.....yesterday after the 6th round of toilet/trashcan expelling I was down to 164.1 lbs!!! LOL. If I would have felt better I probably would have jumped up and down for joy but it was all I could do to walk back to bed. Pretty much popped anti nausea pills and sleep aids all day yesterday so I could sleep through that hell. Thank goodness it's passing...........

On the good note, I was able to get up and eat a little bit of soup today, had both of my shakes today (hard as hell to get them down) and drank a 7-up and ate some crackers. I'm starting to feel better but I feel as weak as a kitten. I'm really tired too. Already dreading my gym workout next week knowing this has wiped out any and all energy reserves I had built up. :( My weight has gone up gradually throughout the day, which is a good thing. Means I'm retaining something again and it's not all going out instead of staying in. Hopefully I can get back on track tomorrow and maybe both shakes I did today will help keep my body from being totally wrecked from being sick.....

So what worked in getting past that plateau???????? Obviously puking and having the shits works well, but i don't recommend this method. Back to normal healthy eating and working out. But I would rather do it that way than any other way as I do NOT like feeling like crap. I just want to feel back to normal again......sigh............