C25K - Day 1

Phew!

I was a little intimidated by the C25K because i'm definitely not a runner, and even at my skinniest have never been one. I have very poor endurance, and so that is something that I definitely wanted to work on. All these blogs about running and loving it have definitely inspired me!

So, I logged in and downloaded the Week 1 podcast from Robert Ulrey (www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts) and uploaded them to my ipod. I have to say that the beats are really fun and keep me going. I will definitely be running with Robert Ulrey all the way through the C25K :)

So I hit the gym after work on Monday night armed with water, my ipod, and the will to learn to love running. The workout went fabulous. I was challenged, but didnt feel as if I was going to die. I worked up an amazing sweat and was really proud of myself for pushing through the discomfort. Since I run on a treadmill, I was running at a 5 speed and then doing my brisk walk at a 3.5 - this seemed to work out just great for me.

All in all, the machine says that I burned around 215 calories. I am going to wear my heart right monitor from now on so that I can gauge how much I'm really burning while running.

I'm goign to run again tonight, but only because tomorrow is St. Paddys day and i'm not anticipating doing much exercise other then lifting a green beer to my lips!

Owwie!

I've had to take a few days off since completing "Legs and Back" because my calves are so unbelieveably tender and tight. Man, that was a great work out.

Tonight I complete Kenpo and I must admit that I do not know what to expect.

P90X - Day Three

Day three was Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. Man, this workout wasnt as intense as I thought it was going to be, and thats a good thing. i still struggled through the moves. I was lucky to hit 12 of anything, and averaged more in the 8-10 range for reps. I will have to keep working on it though, thats all that I can do. I will get stronger. Upper body strength is something that i'm definitely lacking and will be something that I'm looking forward to gaining.

Ab Ripper X was a nightmare. I couldnt do more then half of the moves so I tried my best to work through the ones I could, and then I did a bunch of crunches whenever they did somethign that I couldnt do. Phew. I have a feeling I will come to despise the Ab Ripper X DVD, lol.

The diet was good. Stuck on the plan and had a good dinner. I'm beginning to think of food less as something to enjoy and more like a necessary evil for when i'm hungry. Its fuel for my body to get me through these darn tapes!

Tonight I am having my bestfriend over for dinner and some unpacking. Then, after she leaves I am going to do Yoga X. I'm not sure how i'm going to feel about Yoga X so we will just have to see. I'm taking a mental health day from work tomorrow because I have a job interview at one company and then I have some computer testing for another company to complete. I feel like i'm moving towards putting in my notice at this company on Monday, but we will see how I feel after the long weekend.

P90X - Day Two

Saying that I was sore this morning was definitely an understatement. Yesterday I struggled through Core Synergistics. I say struggle because I was bringing it as best as I could and it just wasnt happening for me. I blame my exhaustion, and the fact that I waited so late in the evening to complete the tape.

Today, I'm sore. Big shocker. I have a feeling that "sore" will be a reoccuring theme as I work towards the big Day 90 finish line. 2 Days down, 88 to go. Ha ha. It seems far away, but honestly, I dont think that its quite as far away. It all depends on how you think about it.

Last night I pushed through it the best I could. Somewhere, in all the boxes from the move, are my resistance bands. My mission tonight is to uncover them and use them (if needed) during my workout.

Tonight is Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. Jon has told me that Ab Ripper X is pretty intense and that I'm definitely going to get a work out. I am nervous, but I will survive. I am going to bring it!

P90X - Day One

Its been a while since my last post and I have had a lot of time to get myself back into the place where I could restart and continue my dieting and my efforts towards my bikini body. We have moved into our apartment and are settling in and unpacking. Seems like as good of a time as any to get my butt in gear and work towards becomming a P90X graduate.

Sunday afternoon I sat down and created a menu for the week broken down into the suggested intake of protein, carbs, veges, fruits, dairy, fat, and of course, a snack. I made it for the entire week and preplanned the menu that I would be consuming. Then, boyfriend and I hit the grocery store and bought all the food that we needed for the week as well as odds and ends that we needed like ketchup and what not.

Last night, I hit the gym with my personal trainer and kicked some behind. I'm getting started with a bang. I will be there again on Friday. After that, I came home to the smell of chicken breasts cooked in hot sauce and barbecue sauce coming from my crock pot. Utterly amazing to say the very, very least. I sat down, had my predetermined salad, and did some work on the computer.

Then it was time to get into the action. Since I had just earlier been to the gym and did my weight lifting I decided that I should probably start with Cardio X rather then Core Synergistics. So I popped in Cardio X and away we went.

Cardio X was pretty intense and I sweat through every minute of it! I struggled with the yoga portion of the video and its definitely something that i'm going to have to work on. I am proud to say that I feel that I really worked out pretty hard! I know I did because halfway through the video I ripped my shirt off. Then, since I was home alone, the pants ended up coming off! By the end of the tape I was standing there in my bra and underwear looking like a hot, sweaty, mess. I may come to like Cardio X, we shall see!

Day One: Completed!

I then hit the kitchen, ate my delicious chicken for dinner with some steamed carrots drizzled in olive oil, and life was good. I managed to hit every one of my needed nutrition elements for the day. So proud of myself!

Just as a giggle, I will share this... I was standing in my kitchen, a sweaty wreck after having eaten dinner, and boyfriend walks in the front door - he came home early to find me almost naked, doing the dishes. He was laughing as he chased me to my well deserved shower.

Ahhhh! Life is good!

Moving Moving Moving

All finished packing! Its been a crazy few few days, let me tell you. I'm not trying to go crazy with my diet because i'm so stressed out about the move this weekend, all the packing, planning, money - to top it all off... I lost my debit card at a gas station Friday night and SOMEONE found it... and then proceeded to use them 5 times at various stores and gas stations. So I have been dealing with this for the past few days. Uhg!

The diet starts again Monday... and so does the first day of P90X!

YES!

Just Recieved My P90X!

My P90X just came in the mail! I'm going through, reading all of the information, and getting familiarized with everything! Eeee I cannot wait to move so we can get started!

Getting Prepped

I just checked my tracking number and it looks like my P90X is slated to arrive today. I have to say that i'm seriously excited. I'm going to check out everything tonight when I get home from my trainers and get myself educated so that I can get everything in place to start the program. I will do my grocery shopping tomorrow, for sure.

Tonight i'm back to the trainers and intend on taking it lightly. They know about my back problems, so we are going to ease me back into my workout routine. I dont anticipate anything crazy happening by any means. Its just good to finally be getting back to the grind.

Last night Jon and I took my "before" pictures for P90X. I've decided not to post them until the 30/60/90 day period has passed because.

My Valentines Day

:) Slept in and awoke to boyfriend and Zoe (his little girl) coming into the bedroom with Jon carrying a bouquet of pink roses and Zoe carrying a pink tennis racquet! "Hi Meana" Zoe kept saying, hah. "Happy Valday!" :) She's a cutie. I got the sweetest card that i've ever been giving. Seriously, I was so close to tears. He wrote to me that he cannot wait for us to move in together and cannot wait to start our lives together and about how he was never going to let me go *tears* - boyfriend is not mushy or fushy at all so for him to write such romantic words floored me! In addition to my roses and pink tennis racquet he got me a new windshield wiper for my car because mine just broke! What a practical man :)

Excitement

Doh! I forgot that today was presidents day and there is no mail. I tracked my packages and we will have them delivered tomorrow. Eee! I simply cannot wait until I have them and can get started. Boyfriend is going to borrow my 30 Day Shred so he can workout until we get moved in :)

Just another Manic Monday

What a weekend. I was more then off plan. I do not even want to relive the bad decisions that I made all weekend. I had an amazing valentines day with the man I love and thats all that matters to me. I seriously love him more then words could even describe. *happy sigh*

So I checked the status of my order and it looks like I may get my P90X in the mail today or tomorrow! WOWZERS! I'm seriously very pumped about it arriving so that I can start as soon as possible! I want to get in bikini body shape before the pool opens at the apartment, for sure. I know Jon is just as excited. We dont move for 2 weeks, and we are plannign to start it after we are moved in - but I may have to get started as soon as possible. I'm really just too excited.

I also start back at the gym with my personal trainer tomorrow. I've been out of commission for almost 3 weeks since hurting my back. I'm finally feeling like I can get back to work. The pain is minimal, if any, and very managable. I'm just happy to be moving in the right direction (which means less weight on the scale!).

Friday Fun Day

Mmm I am having the most delicious breakfast! I took frozen strawberries and microwaved them until they turned into a syrupy consistency, then made oatmeal and poured the strawberries on top of the oatmeal and stirred. Omigosh, I am absolutely in love with this little concoction. What a great breakfast food!

So I ordered the P90X last night and i'm so anxious to receive it! I know that its going to take about a week, but I am just so excited about it. I'm ready to really challenge and change my body. I've read so many blogs by people who are doing P90X and it has changed their lives. I'm ready to be one of them!

I think another reason i'm so excited is because in 2 weeks we get the keys to our apartment. I'm beyond thrilled about it. Hopefully, I will have my P90X before the big move, and we can get started with our new lives together in our new apartment with our new work out plan! Jon has decided that he is going to do the program with me, and I'm so pumped about it. We will be sexy by swimsuit season!

In other news, I weighed in today at 152.8, which is a gain of 0.2 - I'm not very concerned about it and basically think of it as a maintain week. I'm ready to put forth a lot of effort and get moving for the next week!

P90X

I just placed my order for P90X! OMIGOSH! I AM SO EXCITED! I cannot wait for my box to come in the mail. I'm hoping ot have it in the next week or so. I also got a bunch of resistance bands and Jon is buying the chin up bar (which I will probably not be using as I'm a weakling with zero upper body strength!)

YAY YAY YAY!

What day is today?

Slept like a log last night, thank you Mr. Muscle Relaxer - I quite enjoy my little drug induced comas. The only thing that sucks is that my back is all in knots and I cannot take them at work or I will be sitting at my desk passed out or like a slug just oozing around and not getting anything done. So, unfortunately, I must just suffer through the day and hope for the best.

Did fantabulous last night at sticking to my plan. Rang in a few calories under 1200! Not too shabby if you ask me. I also preplanned todays menu last night before the boyfriend came over.

I am proud to report that it was someone in the offices birthday today, and I resisted having any cake - even though it was my FAV - yellow cake funfetti and white frosting. Boohoo! So yes, I resisted having any of that amazingness. Mostly since we are having a catered lunch today at work and I'm planning on having a salad and some of the chicken breast that they are getting for us. Yummy! Still healthy, and tastes way better then my energy shakes!

Last night I started packing for the big move at the end of the month. I cannot tell you how much I absolutely despise packing. I have never, in my entire life, moved so I do not know necessarily how to pack things to make it easier on me to UNpack everything. I also have acquired so much stuff that its absolutely ridiculous and boarding on obnoxcious. I really need to go through and just get rid of stuff. My goal is to pack at least 2 boxes each day in order to not have to be rushing at the last minute. *sigh* Cant we just be moved in all ready?

Things to Keep In Mind

Whatever the question...

Food is not the answer

What the Feeling...

Food will not make it go away

What the problem...

Food is not the solution

Resisting

I'm laying in bed watching Millionaire Matchmaker and I'm feeling so completely compelled to get up and do the 30 day shred. I think that my muscle relaxer has definitely kicked in and i'm feeling just a tiny bit loopy - but motivated loopy! If only I could work out! Reading all of your blogs about shredding with Jillian is making me so jealous!

Darn The Crescent Rolls!

My nemisis is any Pillsbury baked item fresh from the oven. ugh! I went over my calories by 241 calories last night due to some pillsbury crescent rolls. I will admit that they were quite tasty. Oh well, you cant just throw away an entire week just because of one day! This has just strengthened my resolve.

My back, knock on wood, is feeling all right today. I'm going to keep doing the routine and hope that by Thursday I am up and running (and Shredding with Jillian!). I'm sick of being an invalid and not able to do all the things I want to be doing. I want to shred so bad I can taste it! But I also know that if I dont give myself the time to heal, it will take me twice as long to get better. Darn common sense!

Tonight I am determined to hit my 1200 calories and not a calorie more then that! My menu for today is:

Breakfast - Shake (200)

Snack - Applesauce (50)

Lunch - Shake (200), Peaches (25)

Snack - Ritz (100)

Dinner - Mini cheese homemade pizza (255), 2 Cups of Creamed Corn (120), 3 cups of lettuce (20), 2 tbsp dressing (50), 2 Jellos (20)

Dessert - Apple Crisp (160)

Pretty good menu if I do say so myself. I am planning on heading home, finishing up my laundry and putting it away, cleaning out my car (omigosh its horrible!), and taking a nice hot bath to oke my sore muscles. Then I will wait for my lovely boyfriend and go to bed!

YAY!

Manic Monday

So the Super Bowl was a bust. Why? After a few glasses of my friends amazing homemade wine, I was a munchie machine. I'm proud of myself for making it through 6 straight days of eating on target. I'm going to continue this challenge through this week.

WEEKLY CHALLENGES

1. Eat 1200 calories a day

2. Drink at least 96 ounces of water a day

3. IF my back holds up, do 2 days worth of Shred

4. Preplan every single day for 7 days

So that's the goals for the week. Eye on the prize. I'm hoping, despite my munchie monster coming out last night, that I will have a great week and a good loss!

The back was doing wonderful all weekend, but then I must have done something to it last night. Today, i'm frozen and sore and its popping again. I'm icing on and off, taking my medicine, and hoping for a quick recovery. Nothing strenuous planned for this week whatsoever.

Last week I was raving about the chicken pizza I was going to have for dinner, but it didn't end up happening. In order to rectify the situation, i'm making it tonight and i'm pretty pumped about it. It may or may not still be "chicken" pizza but it will be pizza none the less. And quite yummy at that!

Todays Menu

Breakfast: Shake (200)

Snack: Apple Sauce (50)

Lunch: Shake (200), Peaches (25)

Snack: 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Crackers (100)

Dinner: Homemade Mini Cheese Pizza (255), Creamed Corn (120), Pudding (60)

Snack: Peaches (25), Jello (10)

Dessert: Apple Cobbler (160)

Total Calorie Count: 1205

It's Friiiiiday!

Today's Weigh In!

I lost 1.8 lbs!

I'm very pysched about my loss. It's a step in the right direction. I cannot wait to get out of the 150's and back to the 140's where I was standing firmly for all of last year. Surprisingly enough, my pants are feeling much looser, so I can tell that my training sessions have been working to make me smaller, even if the pounds are falling right off quickly.

I have delicious dinner plans for tonight that make me so excited for 5 o'clock to just get here all ready! I'm making mini chicken pizzas. I've going to take a sandwhich thin, put on a piece of cheese, some sauce, and some shredded up grilled chicken and bake em! Omigosh! I'm just so excited. Its going to be a very good dinner, yum yum yum.

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Shake (200)

Snack: Apple Sauce (50)

Lunch: Shake (200), peaches (25)

Snack: 100 Calorie peanut butter crackers (100)

Dinner: 2 Mini Pizzas (401), Lettuce 920), 2 tbsp dressing (50)

Dessert: Apple Crisp (160)

Total: 1206

WAHOO! Sounds wonderful to me!

Determination Challenged

This afternoon and evening has been a true test of my will power. I have had the munchies all day but havent given in. This evening I resisted friend chicken, jo jo potatos, and greasy pizza and instead stuck to my plan and didnt gorge myself. I even asked my dad to go upstairs into the kitchen to get my sugar free jello so I wouldnt be tempted to graze over the pizza box. I'm completely and totally avoiding the kitchen because it is the root of all evil. While the night is still young, I'm getting ready to put myself in bed and on my ice pack. I have a long night watching my guilty pleasure... Real Housewives of Orange County!

According to the Doc...

I have once again misaligned my pelvis and my sacral joint is extremely inflamed. Thats why it hurts more when i'm sitting and I have the shooting pain running down my leg (due to inflammation of the sciatic nerve). Wonderful!

She perscribed a regime of anti-inflammatorys, muscle relaxers, ice, and no exercise for 1 week. GRR! She re-adjusted my back and also thinks I should put a doctor sholls insert in my right show because my right leg is a little bit shorter then the left? Apparently? She thinks it has something to do with the way it healed when I broke it about 15 years ago. Lovely. So yes, I will be putting a doctor sholls in my right shoe from now on. I am willing to try ANYTHING to keep this from happening.

Man. I'm really bummed that I cannot exercise for another week, but I am happy that I started the perscribed regime two days ago, so I have a leg up on healing quicker!!

Day 4 - Feeling Motivated

I DID IT! Last night I officially clocked in with a daily calorie count of: 1197! That completes day 3 of my 7 day challenge of eating on point and not bingeing! *snoopy dance*

Also to be celebrated is the fact that I listened to dear boyfriend and didnt work out last night. I spent the night on an ice pack and laying down. I even went to bed a little early last night and woke up feeling refreshed. I could use a few more days of that, for sure.

Today, I'm seeing my doctor to get a diagnosis on the back and an ETA on when I might be able to work out again without causing any damage. I'm hopeful that we can just re-adjust my back/pelvis and give it a few days to heal and I should be back in the game. I can almost feel the Jillian Michaels burn! I never thought that I would actually CRAVE working out... maybe it's because i'm finally in the "weight loss mindset" or maybe its because I only want what I can't have... either way, i'm going to roll with it. Its in my best interest to just relax, heal, and be good to my body so it will be good to me.

Tomorrow is week 1 weigh in and i'm getting pretty excited for it. I just FEEL like i'm going to have a loss. Hopefully, that is the case for sure. We shall see! I will report first thing in the morning with the morning weight. I feel like i've had a pretty good weight and it feels amazing to be back in the right mind set. I did Weight Watchers for 2 years and lost 53 pounds. Then for about a year I just couldnt count a single point or lose weight anymore. I've maintained my weight loss for over a year without really trying too much. Now, i'm ready to lose more weight! Its taken me a very long time to get this mindset in place and I finally think i'm here!

Since I all ready posted my menu for yesterday last night, I will post my menu for today!

Morning - Shake (200)

Snack - Apple Sauce (50)

Lunch - Shake (200), Peaches (25)

Snack - Peanut Butter Crackers (100)

Dinner - 1 serving of Voila Chicken Parm (260), 2.5 ounces of grilled chicken breast (73), 1 1/2 cup lettuce (13), 1 tbsp of Catalina Dressing (25)

Dessert - 1 Dole Apple Cinnamon Crisp (160)

Total Calories: 1206

Yep! So thats what my day will consist of today. I'm planning on stick with this, for sure. My dad is grilling chicken up tonight, so i'm going to save some of mine for tomorrow and eat the rest with my all ready made penne pasta parm that I have left overs from yesterday. Should be a delicious and ON TARGET kind of day!

All right - headed to the doc!

Calling It A Night

Had a little bit of a menu change because I hit the grocery store after work. Decided to make a Voila Chicken Parmigana Skillet Sensation. Absolutely my favorite. So I had half of that and boxed the other half up for tomorrow. I also got some delicious snacks like 100 calorie popcorn, 100 calorie crackers and cheese, dole apple crisp, and some 100 calorie sandwhich thins. I'm definitely going to enjoy these little snacks!

Here's what I ended up eating today:

Breakfast: Shake (200)

Snack: Applesauce (50)

Lunch: Shake (200), Banana (90)

Snack: Ritz (140), Peaches (25)

Dinner: Voila (360), Lettuce (12), Dressing (50), Cheese (60), Jello (10)

And, just as I promised dearest boyfriend, I resisted the urge to do the 30 Day Shred even after my pain medicine kicked in and I was no longer feeling the intense pain.

Well, time to finish watching last nights LOST and I have a date with my ice pack!

In The Throws...

... of a temper tantrum.

I have been religiously icing my back on and off and taking my anti-inflammatorys for two days now. My goal for this evening? To do a session of the 30 Day Shred. Why? Because I am an overzealous idiot.

It has become apparent to me throughout the day that I am getting worse, not better. Thank the good lord that I have a doctors appointment scheduled from 11 AM tomorrow morning. I dont think I could take much more of this.

Why was I in the throws of a temper tantrum? Because I irrationally believe that my body is sabotaging me purposely so that I will not be able to workout and thusly remain fat. I was complaining to my boyfriend and he all but made me swear I was not going to work out tonight. I was stomping my feet and prepared to have a full out tantrum when he text me: "Its not worth the damage youre doing to yourself" to which I said "I am bitter, its almost summer!" and he texts me back: "I know. Youre sexy to me baby and thats all that matters".... *melt*

I feel better about not exercising tonight... but am hopeful for a fast recovery!!

On Program - Day 2 Completed - Day 3, Here I come!

Tuesday was another victory in my book. While I didnt stay strictly at 1200 calories, I was only up at 1237 which is still REALLY good! I'm considering it another on plan day, because I hit the gym with my bestfriend and we walked for a half hour, then I swam a few laps in the pool. My back was really acting up after I did a few laps, so I sat in the hot tub for awhile and then in the sauna. I think with that activity, I burned atleast the 37 calories that put me over, for sure. Plus, they were a few pickle spears and a sugar free jello - so not exactly an unhealthy choice! Wahoo! So yes, I am now 2 days of on program under my belt, 5 to go to hit my weekly challenge!

Last night I took it easy on my back. Iced it, took my anti-inflammatorys, and a muscle relaxer. I slept pretty darn good. Today i'm being very careful with my back. I brought my ice pack to work and am going to ice it on and off today. That should definitely help. I'm also on a regiment with the anti-inflammatorys to take them twice a day. I'm also taking Excedrin Back & Body to take some of the edge off of the pain. I'm determined to get better.

Tonight I have a date with the 30 day Shred. Surprisingly, i'm actually not dreading it as much as I normally do. My goal is to burn at least 197 calories like I did the first time that I completed the video. I will have to really push through it and bring on the pain, ha ha. I have to be careful with a few of the exercises though, so that I dont compromise my back's healing. I really dont think that it will be that intense though, so thats why i'm entertaining the idea of doing the video. If I should feel at any time that i'm in danger of hurting myself worse, I will stop. Plus, tomorrow I have my doctors appointment, so i'm not worried too much.

Man! Yesterday I put down over 128 ounces of water. I was actually quite impressed with myself. I think the Recreate makes me thirsty, and thats why i've been getting so much water in. I think its amazing though, and I feel like it really cleanses my body out. of course, i'm not exactly a fan of peeing every five minutes, but still. My trainer says that as I put on more muscle - I will have to pee less. Such things to look forward to!

Here is my menu for today:

Breakfast: Shake (200)

Snack: Applesauce (50)

Lunch: Shake (200), Peaches (25)

Snack: Banana (90), Ritz Crackers (140)

Dinner: 1 1/2 cup Voila dinner (315), 2 cup Corn (120), 1 1/2 cup Lettuce (12), 2 tbsp Italian Dressing (50)

Total: 1202 Calories

So that's my daily plan for today! I'm going to stick to it, and be a rock star. My goal is to also match the over 128 ounces of water that I had yesterday. I'd like to meet it, which would be lovely!

Also, last night Jon and I decided that we are definitely going to get the P90x program. I am going to buy it next week! I'm actually really excited about it and cannot wait for March 1st to get started!!

I Did It!

I am happy to report that day 1 of my no binge challenge was a success. I stayed within my 1200 calorie limit and I am SO proud of myself! It was a real tuffy too, because my dad made home made sauce and meatballs. I'm a sucker for pasta. It is my BIGGEST weakness. Luckily, I had leftover pasta from my Voila dinner I cooked on Friday and I ate that rather then the other pasta. It was delicious too!

So yes, day 1 of 7 was a real success. Its the little things that make the most dramatic changes. Now, to tackle today with the same will power. I believe that today will be easier because right after work i'm headed over to the BFF Jen's and we are going to go to the gym. We are going to walk on the treadmill (because of my back) and then we are going to go swimming. Low intensity, low impact. Its better then sitting on my hiney doing nothing! Then for dinner we are going to split a Subway Footlong. I've figured out my calories and I can have a 6 inch turkey sub on wheat with lettuce, onion, spinach, tiny bit of mustard, a mini bag of baked lays, and a diet coke for 420 calories! WOOHOO!

***

Todays Menu:

Breakfast: Shake (200)

Snack: Sugar Free Applesauce (50)

Lunch: Shake (200), Peaches (25), Ritz Bits Peanut Butter (140)

Snack: Applesauce (50)

Dinner: 6 inch Turkey Sub on Wheat with lettuce/onion, baked lays, diet coke (420)

Snack: Banana (115)

Today's Planned Total Calorie Count: 1200!

***

Dearest boyfriend brought me back my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. He was going to do it yesterday afternoon before he went to work and then thought better of it. This morning he was still telling me that his legs are KILLING him and that he will not be doing that tape of his own free will until this weekend, ha ha. I think its absolutely hilarious, because I am feeling much better all ready and he is still hobbling around. I plan on doing the tape again tomorrow night. Going to get buff!

Boyfriend and I have decided that we are going to look into getting the P90X for ourselves. We are looking to start it on March 1st. Seriously, I cannot tell you how excited that I am for this program. If you know anyone who is currently using it, please let me know! We both want to get into shape and this seems to be a great tool to use to get our butts in gear! So after I finish the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, i'm going to put in our P90x order!!

30 Day Shred - Day 3

I'm not exactly sure when this is supposed to get easier, but yowzers! I'm pushing my way through it. I stuggled with this work out because my muscles are completely sore and i'm feeling more then just the burn. Dearest boyfriend did this workout with me again and he spent the rest of the day telling me how bad his legs were hurting him! I'm glad to see that even my very fit boyfriend was having just as much difficulty as I was! Phew! Jillian Michaels is definitely a beast.

My back has been acting up so i'm not on a regiment of anti-inflammatories and ice packs to get the burning fire in my lower back/pelvis under control. I have made the deal with myself that IF I am not better by Wednesday, I will go to the doctor. Until then, I will stick with some left over medicine I have from when this happened a few months ago. Man! Always a wrench thrown in the plans!

30 Day Shred - Day 2

This Saturday I got dearest boyfriend to do the 30 Day Shred with me. By the end, both of us were covered in sweat and needed a shower. I dont think he had previously believed me when I told him that it was super tough! He believes me now. I'm thinking that within the week i'm going to try out the level 2. Maybe towards the end of the week.

Had an incident with some cookies last night. I couldnt resist them, so I had a bunch. Bad bad Manda!

Jillian Michaels Kicked My Behind

Wow. I woke up this morning and i'm VERY sore from last nights Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I'm more sore from that DVD then I have been after my workouts with my personal trainer. Absolutely great DVD. I can't wait to find out what is in store for me when I bump up a level!

Tonight I have an appointment with my personal trainer. I'm going to gain, but I just get so sick of looking at their scale. We've decided that we are going based on my scale and thats the end of the story. It still gets discouraging when you eat and drink all day and then try and get an accurate weight on the scale.

Today my friend Kaleena and I started our Easter Bunny Challenge! We are going to go from today until April 2nd and having a little "biggest loser" challenge. At the end of this, whoever loses the greatest percentage of weight has to take the loser to a movie. I'm seriously excited. I feel like I am a winner either way because I will get to hang out with my Kaleena whether I win or not. It will be nice for both of us too have a little competition with each other, I live for friendly competition!

30 Day Shred - Day 1

Holy OUCH! Uhm, yeah. I definitely underestimated the 30 Day Shred. I'm in Circuit 1 and it absolutely kicked my hiney for all 25 minutes of it. From warm up, two the circuit training, and the cool down - I burned a total of 197 calories. I felt every-single-minute.

I sit here, muscles quivering, hands shaking, completely sweaty and exhausted. My first impression? I never want to subject myself to this pain again... BUT - thats not what this is about. This is about kicking butt, taking name, and getting in my itsy bitsy teeny weeny green and white polka dot bikini. Yes. Tomorrow is another day.

For now... my quivering muscles and I have some Real Housewives of Orange County to watch... it's my guilty pleasure...

30 Day Shred

Yep! I have caved and decided that since I only meet with my trainer 2 days a week, that I need something else to do between then. I was surfing some weight loss blogs and found that many of them had a common element between them: The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

I did some research online and found that most of the people that purchased it were very happy with their purchase. Being the human guinea pig that I like to me, i've decided to add this to my arsenal. I am going to do this video and then give a full report! My goal is to do the complete 30 Day Shred and I shall report my progress, my results, and my overall opinion!

Trip, Stumble, Ouch

Last night's company dinner was a blur of cheese, crackers, wine, and food from the delicious Hyde Park Steakhouse. I'm suffering today from my indulgences. But even though I tripped, stumbled and scraped my knees with my food choices, i'm not going to feel guilty or quit. Today is a new day and I'm ready to keep my momentum carrying me forward.

Today I woke up feeling incredibly achey. My joints and back are still killing me. I've taken some ibruprofen, so i'm hoping that it kicks in pretty quick. It also snowed a couple inches last night and I sit her contemplating why I live in Ohio, hah.

Today I have armed myself with a menu to follow, my full water bottles to drink, and a fresh frame of mind. I'm going to stick to my 1200 today and have a great day. Why? Because I am CHOOSING to have a good day. I'm CHOOSING to be on my plan, and i'm CHOOSING to work towards my next manicure (which I get as soon as I hit 150!).

I'm in charge, I'm powerful, and i'm on my way to skinny!

Starting Day Numero Uno

Tonight is definitely going to prove to be a challenge. We are having our company dinner at a fancy steak house. I've all ready ordered the filet mignon (I cannot pass up tender juicy steak!). I've all ready figured out my calories for the day up until the filet. I'm going out on a limb and thinking that it will be a 6 oz filet, however i'm not sure what they are serving with it. I've left myself a bank of 261 calories for the side dish and salad that I know will accompany the dinner. Oh, and I plan of having a small glass of champagne as well. I've also all ready decided to skip out on any dinner rolls that may be served.

Last night I had the boyfriend take my measurements. I was a little surprised with the numbers, but now I have a beginning point to work from. I'm very happy I had him do it. I officially weighed in this morning at 154.4 on my home scale. The home scale is what I will be using moving forward with this blog. I am going to weigh myself officially every Friday.

I have found that since i've started taking the Recreate I feel a lot more alert and not as drowsy as I have been. Its fantastic. I'm not jittery or shakey, and I'm able to focus and concentrate on my work/homework/whatever. Its been a fantastic addition to my daily life. Starting tonight, I am also going to begin taking a daily multivitamin so that I can build up my immune system and hopefully not get sick again this winter.

So last night I went to the gym and faced the music. I weighed in at 156 lbs. Not too shabby considering I spent the entire day eating and drinking (which dramatically throws off your weight be up to several pounds). I was much happier then I thought I was going to be.

Last nights work out was just upper body because my lower back has been acting up. Sometimes my pelvis comes out of alignment and it causes inflammation in my lower back. So, we skipped all the leg works outs and focused on the arms. I was glad I went, because at least i'm staying in the routine.

Came home and cooked myself a dinner! I had a DELICIOUS mozzarella grilled cheese sandwhich that I made, along with a big salad, a pudding, one of my protein bars, and a delicious Apple Crisp snack that I bought. I was definitely looking forward to my dinner. I even had 30 extra calories left that I used to have two club crackers.

Official daily calorie count for Tuesday, January 26th: 1200

Goals and Rewards!

In the spirit of getting on track, I have created goals based on weight that I have lost. When I weigh in and achieve one of these milestones then I get the reward attached to it!

Here's what I have so far:

150 - Manicure
145 - Pedicure
140 - EA Sports Active Trainer
135 - Facial
130 - Massage

What do you think? I think these are definitely things to look forward too!!

Me Me Me!

In the interest of keeping it real, here's a little diddy about me!

My name is Amanda and i'm a 23 year old college student/full time employee in the beverage distribution industry. I am a recent graduate with my Associates Degree from the University of Phoenix and am back full time and working on my Bachelors Degree.

I currently live at home which I absolutely love and which poses its own challenges in and of itself. We will get into that more later. I have an absolutely amazing Mother who is my cheerleader and my balance. I live with both my Mother and Father and a younger brother. I absolutely love living there, being around them, but I dislike that theres always something available to snack (aka binge) on.

Next month, at the end of February, I'm moving in with my boyfriend Jon. We will be celebrating our 9 month anniversary on February 1st and i'm so incredibly in love with him. We are very excited to be taking the next step in our relationship and co-habitating *or living is sin as my Mom puts it, ha*

I should start out by saying that I havent always had a weight problem. I was a skinny minny growing up, doing gymnastics, playing softball, and doing the dance team in high school. I was very active and didnt realize that without this daily exercise that eating whatever I wanted would eventually catch up to me... and oh did it ever!

Once I hit college I gained the Freshman 15 plus + 35. I wasnt happy with myself, but didnt know what to do about it. Thats when I joined Weight Watchers. In 2 years I managed to lose 50 lbs and was very happy with myself. After doing the same routine for so long my heart wasnt in it and I needed a change. I stopped following weight watchers and went back to the sea of dining on whatever I so desired.

To put a stop to my destruction I joined up with a personal trainer. That brings us to the current time! My trainer has me on a 1200 calorie diet, meal shakes, and protein bars. It has taken some getting used to but I'm doing a good job getting my morning and lunch time shakes in, the bars are shaky, and so is my resolve to only have 400 calorie dinners.

Thats why i'm creating this blog - to be my source of accountability! I'm starting fresh, and starting over. Tonight, I will step on the scale at my personal trainers and have much to account for. But this is the new beginning, so I will live and learn. In my tool box I have the following: a daily planner, Wii Fit, a trainer twice a week, protein shakes and bars, vitamins, Recreate diet supplement, and now this blog.

I will be taking my measurements tonight and posting them tomorrow for all to see. I will also be taking before pictures, and if i'm feeling daring - i will take them in my bikini that I hope to wear this summer without frightening small children or having people blind themselves.

More to come!