Long time no good

OK all you calorie counters out there.... How is it going for you? You know, I haven't been counting as strictly as I probably should. I kind of am just guessing right now, and judging by porportions... which isn't so great..
I have been here before. I always make my way here sooner or later. However, the difference with this time around is... I am still loosing some poundage. I am now a total of 7 pounds down. I may not look entirely different, but I feel much better. My true test was this past week. My Dad was graduating from college! YES! my Dad! he is 63 and finally got his bachelors in business management. I am so proud, and he has inspired me to go back and get my degree. Hopefully sooner rather than later. But that is not the only way he inspires me. My Dad has also accomplished the amazing feat of loosing almost 75 pounds! I was able to see him for the first time since June this past week, and I am utterly shocked at how great he looks! I joked that we have the same frame size now, which isn't entirely too far fetched. But while I was visiting my old home state of Colorful Colorado I was a little nervous about my eating. Because my Dad is on a special diet, I knew that I would be eating out a lot. I tried to do my best and selecting the lesser of the 2 evils. Grilled chicken with out the cheese over the delicious fried chicken smutherd in it. To my surprise it was just enough to keep the weight below that dreaded 150 mark. My true victory was on Tuesday morning, while getting dressed I unpacked the dreaded freshly washed jeans. Now most, if not all of us women know, that after washing and drying even our fat jeans, it takes a minuet to shimmy and jump and shake our way into the button and zip position. So as I grabbed my size 10's out of my suitcase and unfolded them, I could hear the Jaws music in my head. " Duh Duh, Duh Duh, Duh Duh!" I put my right leg in first, because that's my system. Then my left and slowly pulled the jeans to what I like to refer to as my "Bu-Dunk-A-Dunk". To my utter amazement and surprise, no Shimmy, Jump or Shake was needed. They simply slid up my "Bu-Dunk-A-Dunk" and easily buttoned! SUCCESS!
This is a small accomplishment, but it was enough of a boost, for me to eat a small salad for lunch that day and grilled chicken and veggies that night! Sometimes, its the small reminders that our trial and self discipline is totally worth it and we will only truly appreciate it in the end! So keep it up girls and guys! Don't focus on the immediate signs of progress,or the small bumps and mess ups along the way. Keep your head focused on the finish line and what you in-vision for yourself when you reach it. This is just a small tid bit of an encouraging note in my book of Dropin' Poundage.
Sharing a persoanl note, this is my Dad and Me on the night of his graduation! Congratualtions Bob Bailey!

Off the Horse

Whoops! I have missed 3 of my workouts and lets say my passed weekend eating habits were not great. Actually if I was on the biggest loser, Jillian would rip me a new one. I can't really make excuses for myself, that's how I set myself up for failure, but I am doing my best at getting back to it. I have been to scared to weigh myself, so I'm not sure how bad the damage is. I can tell a HUGE difference though in the way I feel. I'm more lethargic and I want to eat constantly. So truthfully getting back in the swing of things is harder than starting in the first place. I guess that's why the notorious statement for anyone who wants to loose the weight and be healthier is " It's a LIFESTYLE change". And why most quick trim diets set you up to fail.
I'm amazed at the difference. How I was only 2 weeks in, and I may not have looked all that different but I FELT so much better. Which in turn made my self confidence rise about 4 bars. now, I feel frumpy and chubby and I have this urge to just lay around and be lazy. My first day back on course was yesterday. I did well with my eating Monday, but I still missed the workout. It was hard at the gym, if I didn't have a friend with me, I probably would have just skipped or half-reared the workouts just to say I went in.
That's another thing. I have 2 wonderful friends who are doing this with me. They are super encouraging and its motivation to see how well they are doing, to know that I can do just as well as they are. Get a support group! My husband is a wonderful husband and father, but when it comes to motivating and encouraging me in this venture, he is a little lacking. I know when I am doing well, he lets me know that, but when I have weak moments or down spells, he is more the peer pressure type. He says " just one isn't going to hurt you" or " Just eat it, you know you will anyway". And lots of times I just have to think about how I will feel afterwards. How will I feel during the scarfing process? Well, those Taquitos would have been AMAZING last night. but I know that after eating them, I would have felt terrible, and its those emotions to avoid. If you let your self slip and you know you will beat yourself up about it later, RUN AWAY! Rewards are good and necessary to being successful. but down right hoarding is destructive.
I am supposed to have today off from the sweat, but seeing as I missed Monday, I will go in. I also decided that when these 30 days are over, I plan to start the book over.I don't feel like I have gone to my full potential with this challenge and that's disappointing seeing as I'm the one to make a big hoopla out of it. But all this goes to show that I am human and a regular person. I don't have a personal chef, or a personal trainer or a PR telling me to drop the weight or the paparazzi will be all over my bikini shots. I'm just your average Mommy of 2 trying to live a better lifestyle, fit into smaller clothes and be a good example for my children. I can't beat myself up over a few hiccups. Isn't that what we teach our children? to pick ourselves up if we get knocked down? Why is it so hard to do ourselves?

Day 11

OK, so its the end of my eleventh day on the Making the Cut challenge. Lets say it hasn't been the easiest, but I am happy with my actions. I haven't missed a day or workout at the gym, and I have added extras in there for a little boost. as for the food, however, I have not followed the menu word for word.
Although the food is edible by my standards, the members of my household seemed to be left wanting. My husband and I are by no means picky, and my children aren't either. But there were 2 meals I prepared from the book, that were returned to the pot, leaving me to eat all the left overs for 3 days..... needless to say I could use to not see shrimp or whole wheat pasta for a while. so I improvise for the fam, and make a separate batch for myself. It can be tough when my family is eating a stuffed crust pizza ( one of my favorites) and I'm eating a roast beef wrap in a whole wheat tortilla that tastes like paper, with low fat cream cheese.
I haven't fallen off the wagon, but I know that I probably have tasted a few of the dieting sin foods. I can now tell if something I try has to much sodium, as Jillians book pretty much cuts any added sodium out. The workouts are insanely tough. some of the exercises she has me do, are so hard it takes everything I have to get 1 out. Try a Scorpion Push up for example. you get in the traditional push up stance, but when you lower yourself to the ground, you raise one leg and twist it behind you. so when you are lowered, your leg is like the scorpions tale, and your side is to the ground, not your flat tummy. when you raise up, lower your leg back to its original position. and repeat with the other leg. Any 'plank' exercise is really tough for me because I have lower back issues and a sad core strength. both of which I am hoping to improve with these crazy exercises. i have been in a constant state of SORE since day 2. I do feel my body is tired, which is probably why I slept most of the day away today. I think I was on the brink of exhaustion with my work, workouts, and family time and duties.
I have many people tell me I need to slow things down, not to wear myself out. But everything in my life right now I feel important and if I were to choose a cord to cut, Id find it near impossible. If a day of napping in 4 weeks is what I need to do to keep going, then thats what I will do. A little insight as to what I am talking about, I currently have 4 jobs. 5 if you count the MOM/ Housewife card. Some are part time and temporary, but I'm the type of person that if my bills need to be paid, kids birthday, Christmas, I will do anything I can to help alleviate that pressure. my jobs are: 'Custodian' (for lack of a better word) for my church building. I clean it 3-4 times a week. its a 21,000 sq. foot building equipped with 6 bathrooms, 5 offices, 2 main worship rooms, and roughly 11 classrooms. I also have my own business cleaning residential homes. I have 5 homes I clean on a bi-weekly basis, and I have about 3 others that call me as needed. I also am a part time receptionist at a local hair salon, which I LOVE. of all my jobs this is one of my favorites. this job kind of fell into my lap. My husbands place of employment was shutting its doors after 20 years of service, and the day we found out I was getting my hair cut at this salon. I was talking with my stylist about it, and she offered me a job. I kind of put it off knowing that I couldn't work there full time like they wanted, but they called me in for an interview about 4 weeks later. They just recently promoted me to manager, which will add 2 evenings to my schedule, but pay a little more. On top of that, my best friend got me to work at a local college football games with her last year. The Missouri Tigers. I LOVED it as well. I work on the media deck checking credentials but really just chit chatting and watching the football game. As this is only a seasonal job, Its good money and great networking. I am hoping an opportunity will arise someday, either for myself or my husband. And on top of all of this, my sister in law and I are toying with the idea of starting our own craft business. Mostly bags and baby items, but really we dab in just about every inch of arts and crafts.
My father in law often tells me I should write a book on entrepreneurship. I don't feel like a successful entrepreneur, but I do like to do many different things. Maybe one day my true calling will come for me. I keep my eyes and ears open and a smile on my face hoping and waiting for that 1 person or opportunity to arise that will take my family and me to a place of comfort and help us put our feet up a little.
The point of that rant was to really say, that although I am tired and sore, working out at the gym is my time to get away from it all, and clear my head. This diet is giving me something to focus my mind on something other than bills, or birthday presents or Christmas. I am challenging myself on a personal level, and I know that when all is said and done, regardless of the amount of weight I loose, or inches that come off, I am proud to be the person I am no matter my size and I know that the people in my life love me the way I am, and that is all I can ever ask for.

Day 2 and starting to crave

Well, my cravings took me a little longer than I thought they would. I know its only day 2, but Im really wanting to snack right now. I think it all stems from, me not keeping the schedule of eating I know Jillian would want me to. Im sure you have heard you should eat every 3 hours, small meals and snacks to keep you sustained throughout the day. Well when you eat a huge fatty carb loaded meal at lunch, you can't fathom having to eat 3 hours later and still be hungry for dinner. Well I have discoverd that when you eat a more balanced meal of your fats, proteins, sugars and carbs, you get hungry much faster. Today I ate breakfast at 7am, and I had a palm full of pumpkin seeds around 9 as I was walking out the door. I didn't end up eating my lunch until 2pm because I thought I wouldn't be home until 8 or 9pm. My plans changed, so I ate just a little at 5:30 when my family ate. On top of eating healthy and exercising regularly, I have also decided that I will not eat anything after 7:30pm. Thats when I want to snack the most. My son is sitting next to me eating a pop tart as I write this and I really want to run in the kitchen and grab the other one. normally I wouldn't think twice after the work out I had in the gym. " Its ok, Im sure I burned more calories than 4 pop tarts put together" is probably what I would say. However, its thinking like that and justifying my bad eating habbits that got me in my border line size 10-12's in the first place.
Speaking of my workout, Jillian is hard core. I can't imagine working out with her in person if her book is so tough. I am already sore from my burn yesterday, but today was much harder. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I have decided to still go in the gym and just do some cardio. The hardest thing she had me do today was a reverse plank with alternating leg lifts. for those of you who don't know what that is, sit on your tush, put your amrs behind you fingers facing inward. keep your legs straight and raise your pelvis until you are a straight line, relax your head back if you can, but I had to grunt like I was having a baby again, so that wasn't an option. raise 1 leg then the other. its easy at first, but after the first 6 or 7 times, you realize that your belly and tushy is on FIRE! good luck!
That is one of my favorite things about working out. I LOVE to sweat. If I'm sweating I'm doing something right. I also LOVE/HATE being sore. I know that if Im sore I did something to improve my muscle strength, but I hate how it paralyzes me for a day or 2. I clean houses for a living so the use of my arms and legs are what I like to call a necessity.
The way I feel already is great. I don't really feel a rush on energy yet, my body is probably still squeezing out the horrible things I used to consume on a daily basis, but I am proud of myself for not failing today! That is something to motivate me for tomorrow. I decided to weigh in every other day, so tomorrow is weigh in day. I have realistic expectations. I know I didn't loose 3 pounds after the first 2 days ( although that would be nice), any poundage off will be well earned and much appreciated. wish me luck as I do you in our journey to DROPIN' POUNDAGE!

Day One

Here I am Blog world. Here are the details of the photos you see before you:
Age 28
height 5'7
Weight as of this AM 153lbs
MEASUREMENTS:
Waist 35"
Hips 41 1/2
Arms 12 1/2
Thighs 24 1/2

So there it is for all of you to see. Many of you would say, WHY? Why am I putting my most secretive information out there? well, I am notorious for starting a healthy lifestyle, but obviously I have never finished. I was sucessful with a program that I paid for about 4 years ago, but when I finally reached my goal weight, I discoverd I was pregnant with my second beautiful child. Ever since then, the rest is a cabinet full of starts and open folders. I figure its because I have no accountability except for myself. I decided if I made a big to do about this, I would have the cyber world to hold me accountable. A little crazy yes, but lets see where this goes, so bear with me.
My first day was today ( yesterday technically) I was so exhausted last night that I failed to finish this post. The food is something to get used to. I realized how much I LOVE the fatty horrible food. I was a little hungry, I won't lie, but I did feel good at the end of the day because I resisted fast food for lunch and the cake sitting on my counter top. The work out was TOUGH. I had to turn up my ipod and really focus. I am not one to push myself and I stated earlier, but I have a determination that I have never felt before. I think the hardest move was a side plank with an inner thigh raise... I have lower back problems and horrible core strength so the plank is hard enough. the cordination it takes to balance on 1 arm and lift your lower leg was insanity in my head. I didn't get my foot off the floor, but hopefully that will happen at the end.
I have a great positive outlook for the next 30 days and so far beyond that. I hope some of you out there are with me. are you?

Here We Go

By no means am I a professional at this thing we call weight loss or what I like to call "Dropin' Poundage". I am just a normal mother of 2 who has fluctuated with my weight ever since I had my first gorgeous child. Although I am extremely thankful for my gorgeous children, I am not however thankful for the extra poundage that pregnancy brought to my life. my pants are 2 sizes bigger than they were pre-babies, and I can feel the jiggle as I try to jog the pounds away. "You have had 2 children" will not be my excuse anymore. I am at the heaviest I have ever been and I vow to change it starting NOW! This, I know, is said a lot especially at new years.
I however did not make the notorious weight loss resolution that a majority of Americans make the beginning of the year. I decided to officially commit after intercepting a weight loss book by a well known TV weight loss guru, Jillian Michaels. It is called "Making The Cut". It's a 30 day challenge for those of us who need to loose 10-20 pounds. Now, hopefully I will be continuing this blog long after the pounds come off. Hopefully, this will be a life long journey to learning new recipies and techniques to keep the pounds off and have a 1 size wardrobe. My first official day is tomorrow, Monday August 22,2011. For the next 30 days, i will publicly blog about my weight, measurements, and journey to my size 8 I long to be. I hope the things I discover along the way are helpful tools, or motivation to those of you out there who are like me and are just ready to Drop the Poundage. We are real people who don't need to be mesmerized by Jenny Craig commercials, diets that make you cut your favorite food and quick fix drugs or surgery. I am dreading and ecstatic about my upcoming challenge. A personal goal for myself is just to show myself that I CAN! Are you with me? anyone?