BFL Week 1 Weigh-In -10.4 lb

ok, so im serious this time. i really mean it. this is the last week 1.

i got on the scale last monday to find that i had regained all the weight that it took me a month to lose. granted it was only like 7 lb.... and really i spent the first two weeks losing weight and the next two weeks gaining weight.

my husband and i decided to start body for life and really DO it. no more of this crap. if im going to spend 2 weeks gaining weight im going to have FUN doing it... not PRETEND to be on a diet.

i was very skeptical that this program would work for me. it seemed toooo simple.

1. eat a portion of carb and a portion of protein at each meal (even white potatoes are ok!)
2. eat veggies at at least 2 meals
3. drink 10 cups of water
4. do 20 minutes of cardio 3 days a week (seriously??? that's all????)
5. do 45 minutes of weights 3 days a week
6. have an OFF day once a week (candy, pancakes, whatever!! and NO exercising!)

ummmm... this is tooo goood to be true. right???

but the before and after photos caught my attention. and so did the transformation of a friend.

the results. i lost 10.4 lb the first week. yes, yes, yes, i hear you Bubble-Bursters, it was mostly water and blah blah blah. i dont flipping care!!! i am so happy!

i had mini meltdowns all week. i found out that "simple" does not mean "easy"..... yes, the exercise and food prep was hard. but the emotional and mental aspect was even harder. this was the first time i had really committed since the Great Weight-Loss of 2007. and to really commit requires the hardest thing of all....

believing that you can actually lose weight.

i am fat. i am a fat girl. that's who i am. all week i battled (not so much to get to the gym) but with the overwhelming fear that i was kidding myself, fooling myself, lying to myself. wasting my time. it's a horrible feeling.

i dont feel like this body is who i am. i feel like a hostage... yet, the thought of being in a smaller body is even more terrifying. who would i be then? i havent met that girl. i dont know how to be that girl.

but i better start figuring it out. because it's happening. 10 lb down.... 40 more to go!

W3 Weigh-In

so i gained 0.4 lb this week. yeah im sad but im over it.

on the brighter side, i found an incredible weight training program. i was at the gym the other day and ran into a friend of mine....a friend who has been looking rather fabulous as of late. this particular friend is a little on the chubby side despite the fact that she is a total gym rat and faithful weight watchers follower. we dont really talk that much about diet and exercise but in the past she has mentioned her frustration over not being able to lose weight despite her strenuous efforts.

i noticed she was holding a clip board with a printout full of notes. thats when she let me in on her secret. she is doing Body For Life.

yes. due to the fact that i have been living under a rock (apparently) i hadnt heard of it before.











she proceeded to tell me how instead of going to the gym EVERY day (and i do mean every day) and running on the treadmill for miles and miles and doing a weight lifting routine that a "personal trainer" at the gym put together for her, she now only does 45 mins of weights and (are you ready?) twenty (*TWENTY*) minutes of cardio every OTHER day! the results?

fabulous! in just one month she has dropped weight and significantly changed her body. sold!

the basic idea is that for weight lifting is that for each muscle you do 12 reps at one weight, then add weight and do 10 reps, then add weight and do 8 reps, then add weight and do 6 reps, then reduce weight and do 12 reps....THEN you do another exercise for the same muscle and do 12 reps. if you actually care about the details, you can read all about it here.

i walked around the gym yesterday holding my book and reading about every exercise before i actually did it. i felt like a total loser. but the results were worth it. im sore in all the right places today!

Breakfast Blues

breakfast is the most important meal of the day....and the most frustrating. i barely have time in the morning to EAT breakfast let alone MAKE breakfast. and we all know how easy it is to get HEALTHY food FAST....right? so, every morning, i usually end up singing the Breakfast Blues.

but i found it. a healthy, filling and fast breakfast.

GREEN(ish) SMOOTHIE

my awesome and super cool mom bought me one of these for my anniversary this year.














so, each morning i just take a cup of this (no sugar added frozen mixed fruit)












with 1/2 cup of this (vanilla greek yogurt)









and a cup of this (baby spinach)






i also add some water and i get a yummy green smoothie that i sip on the way to work! it's got tons of protein, fiber, and deliciousness.













it literally takes me 3 minutes in the morning to make it. and since i drink it
while driving to work, it takes 0 (extra) minutes to eat breakfast!

and since the blender canister doubles as a to-go mug, there isnt any clean-up!

Scales of Injustice

Week 2 Weigh-In: -1.4 lb

Total Loss: -7.6 lb

seriously??? really???? i followed south beach phase one sooooo good....and one stinking poound??? ok....i can force myself to be happy....

Hello Week 3!!! Bon Jour Phase 2!!! i thought you'd NEVER get here!!

today's menu included apples and grapefruit and sweet potato!!!! ooooh-lah-la!

Life's BIG Questions

should a lane bryant shopper own roller skates? we are about to find out. i bought these puppies on ebay for a screamin' deal!

they are at my house this minute waiting for me to try them on. the anticipation mounts. it's a great and fun way to get in a workout, huh?






speaking of great work outs, i have been doing something that has seriously been giving me some monster guns!








i have been working at a stable! yup!!!! a horse stable! how cool am i???? and guess what im doing to get these major muscles?



yeah......i didnt say it was glamorous....








but i get to see this










even though i have to shovel this.....










its a great opportunity to learn about horses and be in a barn. things i could never do otherwise. for my one month reward i am buying myself a horseback riding lesson....which brings us back to my first question.....

should a lane bryant shopper be on a horse?

we are about to find out!!!

Week on the Beach

i decided to do the south beach diet. do i sound thrilled? i lost 6 lb week 1. terrific. yeah, sure. im not hungry. but i feel like i have zero energy....in a fog. is this carb withdrawal? i just dont know if this is the right diet for me.

there's just something that feels deeply wrong about being a diet and not being able to eat fruit. i dont care WHAT phase you're in.

i always come back to this dilemma. what plan do i follow?????? i dont know.

i heard about this diet called "the 17 day diet".....seems kinda cool. the book is pink. thats a plus.

speaking of pink, i got a cool new water bottle. its the best water bottle EVER.

Thirty Flirty and Thriving

new beginnings. ahhhhh.....beginnings are wonderful arent they? so many possibilities and hopes and dreams. we all believe we can do it in the beginning. it's all so clear and simple and obvious. we know what we want and how to get there. it's all rainbows and lolly pops...

til you get smacked in the face with the middle. the middle stinks. the middle is hard. its full of questions like "what's so bad about shopping at lane bryant?" and "do i really NEED to go to the gym AGAIN?" the middle gets me every time.

well, every OTHER time that is. i have been at this again for a few months. i currently weighed in at 241.8 lb. and i think i got this. i think i can do this. and i have to do this...because there is something even more scary than the Middle lurking around the corner for me.....

this fall, i....willl.....beee......thirty. 3-ohhhh....30!

and i am determined to be thirty, flirty and THRIVING. i want to lose 30 lb by my 30th birthday! talk about the best present EVER! i dont even celebrate birthdays, but i would put on my party shoes for THAT!