Drop 2 Sizes Results

Sorry it has taken me so long to get to posting my results.

I finished the Drop 2 Sizes challenge a couple of weeks ago and I ended up liking it a lot more this time around.  I really got into the lifting part and I definitely gained some strength.

I worked out every week usually 3-4 times but the average came down to just 3 times a week.  I made sure to lift heavy and upped my weights with each phase.

Just for an example on lifting, I started the program doing some squatting exercises with no weights - now I can easily do squats holding 40-50 lbs (probably more).  For shoulders, I would do single arm presses with a 5lb dumbbell, I just used a 20lb dumbbell last week.  Same with rows, started around 8lbs, can use a 20lb no problem now.

My measurements:

Beginning:
Chest:  45"
Ribs:  36"
Waist:  38 1/2"
Hips:  49"
Thigh:  27"
Knee:  19"
Left Arm:  13"


End:
Chest:  41"
Ribs:  34"
Waist:  35"
Hips:  45"
Thigh:  24"
Knee:  18"
Left Arm:  12"

Total Inches Lost:  -20.5"

So while I apparently lost quite a few inches, I've got to be honest, I really can't personally see that big of a difference in my after pics.  However, I do FEEL better than I did when I started.  I also gained strength, and I definitely can tell a difference in my clothing but mainly just my tops.  Due to my hormone problems, my belly fat is what increased what seems like 10-fold.  I was hoping that with all the work I've been doing with my doctor I would see a bigger difference in my belly and hips but alas I did not.  I did NOT lose a pants size of any kind.  And even though I have personal issues with my hormones right now, I think that even if everything was working properly, I would not have lost TWO pant sizes.

But there's hope, I am currently on a new regime from my doctor to try to get that belly fat to go away :)

It's quite the process.

Oh and as for scale weight, I lost 0.8 pounds.  

Like I said, I ended up really enjoying the lifting aspect of the DVDs.  So much that I am still doing the lifting.  In fact, right now I'm doing a combo of 30 day Shred and Drop 2 Sizes.  I'm doing 2 days of lifting from Drop 2 Sizes, and 3 days of 30 Day Shred a week.

I'm very excited to see my results for a couple of reason.  First, I'm working out 5 days a week.  This is truly amazing because when I started the Drop 2 Sizes three months ago, I could barely workout three days a week because I was so tired.  So my energy is clearly improving!  Secondly, there's just something about the 30 Day Shred that I love.  It's quick, simple, and the last time I did it I had some really good results so I'm excited to see what happens.  And lastly, with my new regime, I'm really hoping that this time I'll see some reduction in my HIPS.

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 44

It's that special, precious time again.

It's Friday.

Man I love Friday.

So lets kick off this post with the weigh-in.

Drumroll please ....

Weigh-In: +0.8

Oh fluctuation weight loss how I love thee.  I feel amazing today ladies and gentlemen.  My clothes are hanging just a tad, I woke up pretty easy today, and I feel like I am going to have a kick-ass weekend.

Good times.

What I Did:

1.  I earned about 12 AP.  I did four of my Jillian Michaels workouts (my workout week started Saturday the 13th so I still have one workout to go for "the week")  They were:  30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, No More Trouble Zones, and 6 week Six Pack.  Tonight will be my fifth workout and it will be Banish Fat Boost Metabolism.  Haven't done this one before so I'm excited!

2.  I ate 199 points plus.  (note:  I never eat my AP or even account for them online.)  I usually shoot for around 205-210 so I was under for the week but I wasn't hungry.  Everything I've been eating has been so filling.  I don't know if this is a good or bad thing yet.

3.  I still am doing well with my water.  In fact, I feel worse when I don't drink enough!  You know what that is?  That's called progress.

4.  What did I eat?  I'm still doing my Whole30 and today is day 11 - so I'm still sticking to proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and healthy oils.  If you check out my Whole30 update you'll see specifically some of the stuff I've been eating.  But so far this week I've made:  tomato soup, hamburger mushroom stroganoff, and a really awesome breakfast casserole.  And I've been indulging in apples, watermelon, baby carrots, almonds and sunflower seeds.  I can say that YES I do have moments where I would like to eat candy or even just a side of rice but all in all, it's not too bad.  The feeling crazy good part is a pretty nice reward to sticking with it.

This weekend is going to be yet another challenging experience.  Starting Saturday, I've agreed to house sit for a friend who lives on the other side of Los Angeles.   It's always hard not to be in my own home w/ my own kitchen and have all my lovely cooking utensils and appliances but I'll manage.  I'll just adjust my menu to not require any super fancy kitchen stuff.  

I also have to account for working out over there since I'll be there for the next 5 days.  Thankfully Jillian doesn't require much in terms of equipment so I'll just grab my yoga mat and some dumbbells and be done with it.  If I have time tonight, I'm going to rip all of my DVDs onto my ipad - that will save me having to lug my laptop around as well.

And the silver lining in this house-sitting debacle, they have a washer and dryer in their home.  I am not fortunate to have one in my apartment, so I will be fully enjoying the luxury whilst I'm there.

And that's it for me.

I hope you all have a fun filled weekend.  I plan on hitting the beach, doing some laundry, cooking up some awesome food, working out, and hopefully some relaxing.

Coming up:
I still haven't posted my starting pics and measurements so that's coming soon.  I think I will do it at the 3 week (or so) mark so I can put up some comparison photos and numbers too.  These days the numbers on the scale don't get me nearly as excited as the numbers on my tape measure going down so here's hoping.
 

Vacation Plan Part 2: My Jillian Michaels Challenge

Now that I have the food component of my vacation plan taken care of, it's now time to turn to the second half of that equation.

Exercise.

So far this year I have had great results using DVDs and working out in my home gym.  I still have my gym membership and I'm usually an everyday participant but for some reason working out at home has been pretty successful.  And if it ain't broke ...

Let's do a quick recap:

I did Beachbody's Slim in 6 from March to late April
results:  -7 inches

And then Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred from April to June
results: -8.25 inches
That's -15.25 inches in just about 3 months.

And from the start of Slim in 6 to the finish of 30 Day Shred (I did them pretty much back to back), I lost 5.2 pounds total.

Both programs were effective but I did enjoy the 30 Day Shred much more.  Probably because the workouts were shorter and just a little more challenging.

After the 30 Day Shred, I started Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD.  I managed to make it to the level 2 DVD when I decided to stop.  It had nothing to do with the workouts or the quality of the workouts.  I was just burnt out on the same workout everyday format.  

Since I enjoyed Jillian Michael's program so much, my next thought was to buy her Body Revolutions program.  It's 3 months long and has 15 DVDs.  It is, however, $100.  I mean, that's not too bad but still, I'd rather not spend that much.  So I had an idea.

I really wanted to do the Ripped in 30 and I already loved my 30 Day Shred workouts so I thought, why not just make up my own Jillian Michaels program.

And so I did.

I went and bought a couple more DVDs and ended up spending about $50 on 6 more DVDs (they were around 8 bucks each).  In total, I now have 8 DVDs and from those DVDs I have 17 different workouts to choose from.

$50 is so much better than $100.


So for the next 7 weeks, I'm going to put all of my eggs in one Jillian Michael's basket.

My goal is to do exactly as I did with the other programs: work out 5-6 days a week, eat as cleanly as possible, and just enjoy the ride.

I've scheduled the first four weeks below.

Weeks 1 and 2 are going to look like this:


Day 1:  Ripped in 30 (RIP30):  Level 1
Day 2:  30 Day Shred (30DS):  Level 1
Day 3:  No More Trouble Zones (NMTZ)
Day 4:  6 Week Six-Pack (6W6P):  Level 1
Day 5:  Banish Fat Boost Metabolism (BFBM)
Day 6:  Killer Buns and Thighs (KBT):  Level 1 (optional day off)
Day 7:  off

Weeks 3 and 4 are going to look like this:

Day 1:  KBT:  Level 2
Day 2:  30DS:  Level 2
Day 3:  6W6P:  Level 2
Day 4:  RIP30:  Level 2
Day 5:  NMTZ
Day 6:  Shred It - with weights (SI):  Level 1 (optional day off)
Day 7:  off

I have only done the 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 so I know I like those workouts.  I'm a little nervous to see how the other ones pan out!  I'm sure it'll be fine because hey, I kinda only have to do them, what, 7 times max if that.

I'm beginning to think I'm a genius.

Saturday July 13th will be my Day #1 and August 30th will be my last day as I fly out for the east coast on August 31st.

I'll do the usual and post pics, measurements and updates as I try new DVDs.

I'm really excited about this one folks.  And I'm really hoping Jillian's workouts don't let me down!!

30 Day Shred: Final Results

I finally finished!

Saturday was my final workout and I put everything I had into it.  I tried to do all the advanced moves even if it meant I only did for them for a little bit.

I was so proud of myself because I could tell that I had made big progress.  Especially when I was able to do full on jumping lunges for the first set.  Big win for me!

I'll just jump right into the stats.

Measurements:

30 Day Shred

Day 1:
Chest:  40"
Ribs:    33"
Waist:  33.5"
Hips:    42"
Belly Button:  34.5"
Upper Thigh:  24"
Leg @ Knee:  18"
Left Arm:  12"

Day 30:
Chest:  39"
Ribs:    31.75"
Waist:  32.5"
Hips:    40.25"
Belly Button:  34"
Upper Thigh:  22.75"
Leg @ Knee:  17"
Left Arm:  11.5"

Total inches lost:  -8.25"

And I'm totally loving it.  I keep buying new clothes just because I'm starting to feel so good about myself.  In terms of scale weight, I pretty much didn't lose anything.  And I don't care :)

As long as my inches keep going down, then I'm a happy girl.

And finally, my pictures - - side note:  please excuse the mess in the 2nd set :(

Day 1

Day 30

Not the biggest difference in the world, but I think I can see a little change in the side view pictures.  To be perfectly honest, if I didn't take measurements, I probably wouldn't have thought I had made any progress at all!

Here's another fun fact, I weigh almost the same in both sets of pics. 

And since you know how much I love doing this, I went back in time to check out some stats I had from doing p90x last year.

After 30 days on p90x last year, my weight was 3 pounds LESS than what I am now, however look at my measurements:

Chest:  43"
Ribs:    34.5"
Waist:  36.5"
Hips:    45"
Belly Button:  40"
Upper Thigh:  25.25"
Leg @ Knee:  18.5"
Left Arm:  13.5"

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  take your measurements!

I'm so happy I do.  It really does help me keep my head in the game.  Otherwise, I probably would have given up by now.

Just sayin'

 Today's Menu:
B:  homemade larabar
L:  roasted chicken + veggie salad
D:  portobello mushroom pizza

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 37

Ahoy!

So I'm just going to get right into the thick of things.

Weigh-In:  +3.6 pounds

Where do I start?

Ah yes, Memorial Weekend.

Mine started last Friday.  I went to work that day as usual, and 2 hours in, my superior decided that I had worked enough and should start my holiday weekend super early!

SCORE!!

So, I went home and the fun began.

Actually, I took a nap because I was super tired.  After my nap, I had this surge of energy and I decided to clean my apartment.  Not just clean it, SUPER CLEAN it.  I even scrubbed my baseboards if that tells you anything.  And while I was cleaning, I was trying my hand at a new pizza crust recipe.  It has a 4 hour rise time, so while I waited for it to be done, I cleaned.

How's that for multitasking?

I was even able to get in my 30 Day Shred workout while it was cooking.  So when my boyfriend got home from work, the pizza was done and we ate it.

ALL OF IT.  I usually don't finish all of my portion but I guess all that cleaning really ramped up my appetite.  In any case, I ate too much.  I could tell.

It was good but it definitely has the potential to be GREAT.  I need to tweak the recipe a little and this might end up being my go to Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free crust recipe.

So that was my Friday.

Did I mention that my boyfriend's birthday also falls on Memorial Weekend?

Well, it does.  And I knew I should have made myself a Memorial Weekend Plan.  I even made a mental note to blog one for myself because I had this sneaking suspicion that it was going to be needed.  But I didn't.  I wish I had.

Anyway, Saturday we went out to celebrate his birthday.  We had dinner and saw Fast 6.  We ate at Hugo's (again) and then followed with some diet appropriate desserts.  It was great but again, I ate too much.  You see, it doesn't matter how well you eat, the volume still counts.

CURSE YOU CALORIES!

Sunday was his actual birthday party.  It was a pool party/barbeque at a friend's house.  There was TONS of food.  I couldn't eat most of it due to my food intolerance but I pushed the limit on it.  I had some corn chips and some of this creamy chicken dip.  Actually, it's a recipe I used to make quite often so I knew exactly what was in it.  It did have dairy in it and dairy is one of those food I need to stay away from.  I can tolerate it in small amounts but overall I usually just feel better if I stay away.  Gluten I can't have at all but dairy ... I like to press my luck with.

And press it I did.

You know, to be honest, it feels like I ate tons of it, but in reality I didn't.  It just makes me crazy bloated so I feel like I ate a lot.

That's all I had at the party besides some raw veggies.  But raw veggies really aren't all that sexy to write about.

Monday.  Oh sweet, sweet Monday.

There is this restaurant that I have recently discovered.  Actually, I always knew it was there and it was a favorite in my former life when I used to eat whatever I wanted.  But I recently found out they have a gluten free, dairy free pizza.  I almost wish I never discovered it because it is SO GOOD.  So on Monday, we went to the pool for a couple of hours, lazed about and just relaxed.  We didn't want to do too much because we had a dinner party (another bday celebration) to attend.  However, after the pool, it hit us like a mack truck.  We just had to have this pizza.  So TWO HOURS, before we were to eat dinner, we ate pizza.  I'm not going to lie it was so good.

We then went to our dinner party.  That's right, it was a DOUBLE DINNER night.  I could only eat a few bites of everything, I was so full it hurt.

They even presented me with my own little gluten free, dairy free, sugar free dessert in lieu of the birthday cake.  Wasn't that so nice?  FYI:  It was AMAZING.

Other things I did that I should improve upon:

I ate too many eggs.  I miss eggs so much but when I eat too many they can cause problems.  Dairy.  I ate too much dairy.  The thing with dairy is that it takes days and days to get out of my system.  So until it does, I'm left feeling crappy.  That means since I ate it on a Sunday, I won't feel better until the following Thursday at the earliest.  yuck.  I also didn't log at the end of every day.  I relied on my memory to log after the fact.  This is a blatant no-no.  See, this is where my Memorial Day Plan would have come in handy.

And finally, I think it bears mentioning that I have recently gone off of my hormonal birth control.  I don't know if any of you have ever done this but this was my first time ever coming off of it.  It's been interesting.  My emotions are super crazy, my tummy is craving things it didn't before, and my body is doing very weird things.  I don't want to blame too much on this, but ladies, come on, you know how hormones can wreak havoc.  I went to my doctor last week and she let me know what I should expect and basically anything is up for grabs on this one.  Mood swings, cravings, irregular cycles and even weight gain can happen while your body is regulating.

If I want to be honest, the weekend wasn't that crazy.  I think my emotions right now are a little out of whack and everything really is affecting me more than it should.  I clearly ate more than usual which really isn't a big deal as long as I don't make a habit of it.  I REALLY REALLY think my hormones were the driving force behind this week.  I'm not that concerned with the weight gain because the eating was a temporary thing and if my body needs to do things before it settles down, then so be it.

I just hope it settles down soon!  I feel like a mad woman ;)

What I did:

1.  I earned somewhere around 8-10 AP.  I only got in three 30 Day Shred workouts :(  I should have done more but I let my time get away from me.

2.  I ate 277 points.  WOW!! 

3.  I feel like my water is slipping away from me!!  I'm going to be extra diligent this week.

4.  What I ate?  In addition to all that glorious food I mentioned above, I had some chicken noodle soup, tuna salad with crudites, SUSHI!!, homemade larabars, as egg sandwich, and peanut butter with semi-sweet chocolate at some point.  Wow, 277 points.  I'm a beast ;)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!


Today's Menu:

B:  homemade larabar
L:  chicken noodle soup
D: portobello mushroom pizza

30 Day Shred: Level 3

I'm at level 3 y'all!

And all I can say is ...

THANK GOD.

I was NOT a fan of Level 2.  It wasn't horrible or anything, it was just plain HARD!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE what it did to my body I just didn't love having to do it :)

About Level 3:

I burned 260 calories.

Again, it's the 3-2-1 system (3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs) and I have become a huge fan of this format.  I find that I can push myself harder when I know that any second I get to move on to something else.  I'm only on Day 1 of this level but it already feels easier than Level 2.  Then again, when I wrote my last update about Level 2 I had no idea that that workout would get harder as time went on.  I'd like to think it became harder because I pushed myself each time I did the workout.  In all honesty, I did do that.  I always start a level following the beginner moves most of the time, but I like to end doing as many of the advanced moves as I can.  And push myself I did.  My hips and butt are still sore from doing my last workout from level 2 because of those stupid planks.

Measurements:

Level 1 Day 1:

Chest:  40"
Ribs:    33"
Waist:  33.5"
Hips:    42"
Belly Button:  34.5"
Upper Thigh:  24"
Leg @ Knee:  18"
Left Arm:  12.25"

Level 3 Day 1:

Chest:  40"
Ribs:    32"
Waist:  32.5"
Hips:   41"
Belly Button:  33.5"
Upper Thigh:  22.5"
Leg @ Knee:  17"
Left Arm:  12"

Total Lost:  -6.75"

Today's Menu:
B:  larabar
L:  zucchini boat + bacon wrapped jalapeno pepper + spring potato salad
D:  sushi

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 34

Hey y'all.

Fun fact:  I was born and raised in Virginia where the phrase y'all is used quite frequently, as you can imagine.  I haven't lived there since 2000 and I still use y'all like it's going out of style.

And I probably always will.

It's been a long week.  Nothing too stressful happened.  It was more like time just seemed to move at a brutally slow pace.  However, tis Friday and therefore I shall rejoice.

Hurrah!  Hurrah!

Weigh In:  -1.2 lbs

Rejoice again I shall.

Hurrah!  Hurrah!

If my math is right (and it always is- Tony Stark) since January 2nd, I have lost 13.8 pounds.  That's huge!  If memory serves, that's the most consistent weight loss I've ever had in my adult life with relative ease.

For years I have always either counted calories or points.  I always stayed within what was the appropriate calorie deficit for my height and weight but I rarely lost consistent weight.  And if I did, seeing more than a pound loss total per month was a joyous occasion for me.  And I ALWAYS worked out.  HARD.  I ran, I lifted weights, I played sports, I did it all.  Up until January 2013 that has always been my plan.  I followed my points/calories, I worked out 5-6 days a week and I'd pray for the weight loss to happen.  And I usually felt horrible.  I was usually hungry, craving some sort of take-out/fast food item.  Or counting the seconds til the weekend when I could have my "cheat day" and finally be satisfied.  I also felt like I had no control over the situation.  I felt like I had no control over what I was eating. 

When I was younger, this sort of worked for me.  I was able to keep serious weight gain at bay but never really got the results I wanted.  But as I got older (especially in the last couple of years) it eventually became this cycle that wore me to the bone.  Monday thru Friday I was diligent.  I always stayed within my daily points/calories and I got in my workouts (intense hour plus long workouts).  But I was either always hungry or always wishing I was eating something else.  I didn't want to touch those Weekly Points because I wanted them for the weekend.  And then the weekend would come and I would eat those "naughty" items.  I wouldn't go over my points (most of the time) but I would relish every last one.  And then come Monday morning, I'd weigh 5 pounds heavier due to my weekend splurges.  And then during the work week, I'd be diligent again and slowly would lose those 5 pounds and if I was really, really lucky maybe an extra quarter pound would come off too.  But then the weekend would come and I would do it over again.

And that made for some terribly slow weight loss.  Or rather, it made for some non-existent weight loss.

From mid September 2012 to the end of December 2012 I had been on WW for 15 weeks.  At the end of those 15 weeks I had lost 0.2 pounds total.

See what I mean?  Vicious cycle.

And while I knew this was going on I still felt like something was wrong with me.  Like there was nothing left for me to try to lose weight because it just wasn't working for me.

Then in January of this year I changed everything about the way I ate.  And if I'm going to be honest, I was pretty scared to do it.  I'd like to say I was so frustrated about my weight (and I was) that I was just hell-bent on changing everything to get results.  But even knowing that change was necessary to get what I DESPERATELY wanted (weight-loss), I was afraid to give up eating certain foods. 

It was my own Sophie's Choice.  Did I want to be miserable in my body (because I was starting to become that way) but be able to eat whatever deliciousness I wanted OR did I want to try to make some dietary changes which would most definitely make me healthier and just might make me lose some weight?

I easily made the decision to change my diet but in the weeks leading up to my designated date (I chose January 2), I had all sorts of negative feelings about it.  I was doubtful it would work, I was scared I would miss food too much, I was nervous that my life would be miserable because I couldn't eat whatever I wanted.

I seriously had that thought.  That I would have a miserable existence because I was cutting unhealthy food out of my life.  That's just not right.

There are people who CAN eat whatever they want and maintain a healthy life and weight.  I am not one of those people.

I have NEVER been one of those people. 

So after a couple months of preparation and because of other on-goings in my life, on January 2nd, I started a particular elimination diet that would eventually change my way of thinking.  I cut out the processed food and other items and ended up learning that my body doesn't do well on certain foods.  Apparently my body does not like gluten, dairy and to a small degree soy and eggs.

And from there, my world changed.

I lost weight even though I wasn't exercising.  I taught myself that taking things out of your diet doesn't mean you have nothing left to eat, in fact, there are usually too many choices!  I learned that certain foods have an excessive amount of control over me and when I stop eating them, I take back ALL control.  And  I learned that it's still hard work.

There is no band-aid people.  No matter which path your body takes you on, there will always be hard work along the way.

None of these revelations were overnight.  I still struggle with feelings of success and failure.  I still have moments where I wish I were "normal".  But they aren't as bad as they used to be.  Thank God.  But the best thing I've learned is that changing my diet did NOT make me miserable :)

What I did this week:

1.  I earned probably around 15 AP.  I did five 30 Day Shred workouts.  I took an extra day off due to crazy muscle soreness.  I don't know what it is about level 2 but it makes my hips and lower back hurt crazy bad.  I think it's the last ab exercise, the plank while bringing your knee over.  Whatever it is, it makes for some serious body soreness.

2.  I ate 214 points for the week (I do not count AP towards my total)

3.  Water = :)

4.  What I ate.  This past week I made my homemade Big Macs, chef salad, soup au pistou (fancy name for vegetable soup to which I added chicken), roasted chicken lettuce wraps, and chicken scampi.  I also indulged in some larabars, peanut butter, and sushi.  But not at the same time. (I'll be trying my hand at homemade larabars this weekend.  If I'm successful I'll let you know)

Today's Menu:
B:  Larabar
L:  Chef Salad + Apple
D:  Soup au Pistou ** and probably some sushi ;)

30 Day Shred: Level 2

I had my first workout at level 2 last night!

First, the facts:  It was the same 3-2-1 format,  3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs, and it ran just around 25 minutes total.  The only equipment needed is a set of dumbbells.  I burned 225 calories according to my HRM.


I thought this was definitely a step up from Level 1.  There were a couple of times when I had to do a beginner version of a move or take a five second (but no more!) breather.  The compound moves during this level are definitely more difficult but I guess that's how it's supposed to be.  I remember wishing during Level 1 that the legs were utilized more and this level takes care of that.  Also, get ready to love the plank.  She uses it quite a bit.  I have a love-hate relationship with the plank.  I love what it does for your body but I hate doing it. 

Am I sore?

Not really.  I was pretty sore after level 1 so I guess that means I have gained some strength :)  I can tell I did a good workout last night because I have a slight bit of stiffness in my smaller muscles.  If I roll my shoulders I can definitely feel that I worked them pretty good last night.  It must be those darn planks.

I'm excited for this new level and challenge and have to remind myself that the more I put into each individual workout, the better my overall results will be. 

Also, just as a note, you're supposed to be doing this program for 30 days straight.  I'm not doing that.  Instead I'm doing 6 days a week w/ 1 rest day. 

Today's Menu:

B:  Larabar (blueberry muffin)
L:  French Spring Soup (basically a whole bunch of spring veggies in a delicious broth)
D:  Pulled Pork + Cole Slaw

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 32 plus 30 Day Shred Update

Weigh-In:  -1.6 pounds

A couple of things:  Even though my weigh-ins are on Friday mornings, two weeks ago, I decided to do a weigh-in on the following Saturday morning just for fun.

That fine Saturday morning, I registered my lowest weight for 2013.  It was a nice surprise even though I'm acutely aware of how much my weight fluctuates.  And just for reference, it was about 3 pounds lower than my weigh-in this morning. 

Like I said, that ultra low weigh-in was TWO weeks ago.  And you know what?  I haven't really been able to get it out of my head.  First, I had that giant spike last Friday (+3.6 pounds) and though I lost weight this week, it is still, like I said, about 3 pounds lower than that magical Saturday weigh-in.  I'm really happy that I still had a loss this week but honestly that Saturday reading was still plaguing me.

Until yesterday and today.

I went bathing suit shopping yesterday.  I tried on suit after suit but I couldn't find anything that fit.   It took me 3 rounds in the dressing room before I realized the reason nothing fit was because I was grabbing the wrong size.  On my fourth try, I grabbed one size smaller of everything and though I was skeptic that was the problem, I walked out that day with three different suits.  Yes, three.  All in the smaller size.  I don't know about you but for me that is a giant victory.  And it was a nice start to help me get over that whole lowest weight thing.

Then today, I decided to do a measurement update for my 30 Day Shred.  The first numbers are my starting numbers, the second numbers are my measurements as of today:

Chest:  40"/40"
Ribs:    33"/32.75"
Waist:  33.5"/33"
Hips:    42"/42"
Belly Button:  34.5"/34.5"
Upper Thigh:  24"/23.75"
Leg @ Knee:  18"/17.5"
Left Arm:  12.25"/12"

As you can see, I've made a little bit of progress after only 8 workouts!  I'll be doing my 9th workout of Level 1 tonight and if things go as planned, I'll be starting Level 2 on Sunday.  I'm excited to move on to Level 2.  I watched it last night and it's definitely a step up and I'm totally ready.

Anyway, as I was writing down my new measurements I realized something.  Those starting measurements for the 30 Day Shred are actually my final measurements from Slim in 6.  And you know what?  Those were taken TWO DAYS after my magical Saturday morning weigh-in.  You see where this is going?  The new measurements are my numbers as of TODAY and even though I weigh some 3 pounds more than I did 2 weeks ago, I have actually lost 1.25 inches overall since that magical Saturday morning.

In fact, check out my measurements from February 15, 2013:

Chest:  41"
Ribs:    34"
Waist:  35"
Hips:    43"
Belly Button:  35.5"
Upper Thigh:  24"
Leg @ Knee:  18.25"
Left Arm:  12.5"

February 15th was also one of my Friday Weigh-In Days.  And you know how much I weighed on February 15th?  The exact same amount that I weigh today except that I am smaller by 7.75 inches.

The point is, TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS PEOPLE.  As long as I keep losing inches, I kind of don't care what the scale says.  The scale is just one form of feedback and probably not even really a good form at that.

Now, on to my Weekly Roundup:

1.  I earned around 15 AP.  I think that's a pretty good guess.  I did six 30 Day Shred workouts.  (NOTE:  I DON'T EAT MY AP)

2.  I ate 244 points.  I was aiming for 220-225 but didn't quite hit the mark.  I'm going to aim for 220-225 again this week.  (No AP points are calculated in my weekly totals)

3.  I drank water.  In fact, it's getting easier so I'm hope that means it's becoming a habit.

4.  I ate very well.  I had my weekly sushi and I also ate out yesterday at Hugo's.  I've mentioned this restaurant before.  It's a god send.  They serve all sorts of vegan, gluten free, allergen free options and everything is made organic and fresh.  I had a club sandwich with a side salad.  Other than that, I made everything else I ate.  I made borscht, beef fajita lettuce wraps and portobello mushroom pizzas.  Oh yeah, and I managed to keep the sweets at bay :) 

Today's Menu:

I'm on vacation!!  I didn't go anywhere so I guess it's technically a stay-cation but I don't care,  I love not being at work.

I've only had lunch today and it was a portobello mushroom pizza.

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 31

As of this morning I am + 3.6 pounds.

I am going to blame Jillian Michaels for most of this.  I started the 30 Day Shred Wednesday night and I am SORE.

The big muscles are mostly ok.  They are just tender enough to let me know that I got in some good workouts.  However,  those little muscles that you didn't know you had, those are the ones that are killing me. 

So I'm going to say I'm retaining some water.  And the thought of doing my workout again tonight.  UGH.  It's going to hurt isn't it?

Honestly, I'm not concerned about this weight gain at all (thank God) and I'll tell you why.

First, last night after work, I decided to go through my closet and try on my jeans.  I've been rockin' a size 14 since Dec/Jan and I was able fit back into my 12s.  Some of them looked good, some of them were tight (Don't you love the size differences between brands?).   The important part is they FIT.  And second, this morning I was rushing to put on something for work and grabbed a shirt from my closet that I have worn only once.  Yes, ONCE.  I wore it and before I knew it, I got a little fluffier so in my closet it sat.  I don't know why I grabbed it but I just did.  And it fit.  Not a little bit but perfectly.  Actually, I think it looks better on me now then when I first got it.

So there you have it, the reasons why I'm not too upset about the gain.

Now on to what I did to be so awesome ;)

Weekly Roundup:

1.  I earned 12-ish AP.  Well, I earned however many AP 4 Slim in 6 workouts and 2 30 Day Shred workouts will get me.  All I know is I worked out 6 days this past week!!  Go me!!

2.  I ate 235* points.  It's a little more than I should have.  I'd like to see that number be lower next week by around 10 points.   *Number does not reflect any AP*

3.  Water.  It's official, I am a water goddess.

4.  What did I eat?  Well, part of the reason I ate so many points is because I made some chocolate chip cookies last weekend.  Do I really need to say anymore?  Other than those cookies, I had fabulous meals.  I cooked everything I ate except for the sushi I had for lunch yesterday (yes sushi again - I still can't get enough of it) and some bread products I decided to try.  But examples of my meals include:   Yellow Chicken Curry, Chicken Soup, BLT on English Muffin and Sloppy Joes!  This was the first week I ventured out and bought some gluten free bread products.  I chose the Food for Life brand english muffins which are surprisingly good.  And I chose the Udi's brand hamburger buns for sloppy joes.  Both had a decent ingredient list and fit the bill for me knowing what was exactly in them.  For the sloppy joe meal I just used the bottom of the roll and ate my sloppy joe as an open faced sandwich but it was really, really nice to have bread again.  I probably won't be buying these products very frequently because they are WAY expensive and also I'm really digging making everything myself.  But it was a nice treat.  If any of you are doing the gluten free thing, I recommend both of these items.

And even though I'm not torn about my gain, I am going to be tightening up my eating for this coming week (My Weigh-Ins are Friday so my points reset on Friday too).  I want to be sure to log everything I eat, take a break from sugar (I miss you already cookies), and get in my exercise even if it hurts. 

And with that I bid you Adieu.

Today's Menu:

B:  english muffin + peanut butter
L:  chicken soup
D:  tuna salad

30 Day Shred: Day 1

In case you can't tell by the title of this post, I decided to do the 30 day shred as my next workout adventure!

For those that don't know - the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels is a workout program consisting of 3 levels.  Each level is a separate workout (around 20 minutes long each - not bad right??) that you are to do for 10 days.  When those 10 days are up, you move on to the next level until, you guessed it, 30 days have passed.

So tonight I did Day #1 of my level 1 workout.  It took just under 30 minutes total with warm-up and cool-down.  She does a 3-2-1 system.  That means you warm-up, do 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and then 1 minute of abs.  You then repeat the 3 minutes strength/2 minutes cardio/1 minute abs for 3 circuits total and then cool down.

Sounds easy enough right?

After doing Slim in 6 this seemed like a good step up in intensity.  It moves faster so it seems easier but it's not.  You really do work HARD in those 20 some minutes of time.  I will say this, if you don't put in the effort and really try to get the most out of each exercise, then it probably won't seem very hard.  Also, it goes without saying but I'll say it anyways, your food choices will also play a big role in how well this program works.

I chose to make the most of my workout.  According to my HRM I burned around 270 calories for this one workout. 

Not bad for just around 30 minutes.

I even decided to take before pictures so that, hopefully, I"ll be able to see my progress when I'm done.

I also have my starting measurements since I just took them 2 days ago:

Chest:  40"
Ribs:    33"
Waist:  33.5"
Hips:    42"
Belly Button:  34.5"
Upper Thigh:  24"
Leg @ Knee:  18"
Left Arm:  12.25"

I'm really excited for the next couple of weeks to go by.  I had good results with Slim in 6 and now I'm hoping for even better results with the 30 Day Shred.

I'll keep you posted!