WWJMD??

What would Jillian Michaels do?
Its no big secret that I'm a big fan of Jillian Michaels. I have the books, the videos, the shirt, read the website, follow her on twitter and face book, I watch her on Biggest Loser, I have her kettle bells but one of my favorite things she does is her podcast. (out since Feb) Ok so here's my super geek out moment here, I love the Jillian Michaels Show podcast, its great! Every week she puts out a new podcast on a different topic ranging anywhere from hormones to micro nutrients and I just love it! In an hours worth of podcast you get so much information that its hard not to walk away a little bit smarter, it just kind of happens. What I really like is that through her podcast she is teaching us about health and nutrition in an entertaining yet truthful way. There's no BS with Jillian, she tells it to you straightforward. The information she shares is interesting because its usually about stuff you don't really think about, for example the different types of hormones your body produces and their affects on your weight, different types of fats and what they do to your body, and she really gets in and talks about this stuff in a way that is easy to understand. She doesn't just regurgitate facts she gives you examples and stories, big bonus if you are somebody that can easily zone out and fall asleep when you hear somebody rattling off numbers. So if you are in need of something to listen to during your commute to work I would suggest the Jillian Michaels Show podcast which is free on itunes, and worth the time spent listening.

Where do you do find motivation?

Where do you find motivation? I need some help finding mine because I seem to have lost it. I feel like I am a very motivated person, but lately it seems like I have been struggling trying to find any ounce of drive to workout beyond playing in the three volleyball leagues I play in each week. Im not sure what it is, or how it started but this little rut Im in has lasted for about a month and its starting to irritate me. So this is my question to the blogging world, what do you do when you need motivation and where do you find your inner drive to work out? My eating habits have been pretty good lately, but my workout habits have been MIA. I even went out and bought the new Jillian Michaels video: Ripped in 30, and nope nada. Im excited to do it, and I cant wait to see how much better it is than the shred....and its only a 20 minute video but nope, still cant find the motivation to do even a 20 minute video and Im usually a no nonsense just get it done type of girl.

Eff you scale!! I dont need you and your negative attitude!

Sooo Wednesdays are weigh in days for me, today's weigh in was more of a slap in the face from my belly bloat (I blame Flo for this, what a bitch) saying sorry sucker no loss for you today. Who weighs in on a Wednesday, I mean for real whats up with that? Its the most boring day of the week right? I dont like weighing in on Mondays because everybody does that and everybody always says "Oh Ill start Monday." (pet peeve of mine, Ill save that for another day) What I dont get is that Mondays arent fun anyways so why tack on a shitty task like stripping down and stepping on a scale on that already shittastic day? Fridays dont work for me because I like to enjoy my Fridays and weighing in wont let me enjoy my super fab weekend that I have planned...so that left Wednesday because lets be honest, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the loners of the week, and weekends well lets be honest here thats just not gonna happen. The best thing about Wednesdays is that after a shitty weekend of drinking two bottle of champagne, half a sixer of bud light lime and two pizzas later, you can still manage to recover Monday and Tuesday in order to tilt the scale in your favor, even if it is only for .5lbs.
Today Im on day 6 in a row of working out, woohoo go me! I should probably take a break but Ill save that for Saturday when Im out of town and not feeling like doing a damned thing. Today I played volleyball so it was like a workout but it didnt really seem like work, not like last night when my shoulders were SCREAMING at Jillian to make it stop, p.s. my shoulders look goooood today, I like you today Jillian but last night we were NOT on good terms. I like mixing it up, every day is different for me when it comes to working out. If its not different then the day before then chances are Im not going to do it. I kind of sorta like running, not sure why although Im almost 90% sure that I like running because I really like wearing my running tights (only because they make my legs look buff) and I LOVE the new nano and nike plus thing that turns me into a super beast when it comes to running. Lets talk about this superbeast thing a little...Im not a runner, I dont claim to be, I never have been and I probably never will be. Im just a poser who does it because it makes her jeans fit better and she likes making new music playlists to sweat to. When I use this Nike plus thing with my nano it turns me into a super beast because you get instant feedback from the talking lady on your ipod. You touch the button while youre running and then magically she tells you how far youve gone, how long youve been running for and what your pace is. Fantastic!! Negative..Because if you are a competitive asshole like myself you think "oh man, Im going to run farther than I did yesterday or Im going to run faster than I did yesterday" but the REAL kicker is as soon as you plug your ipod in to your computer its there....for all to see...your time, distance, pace, calories burned EVERYTHING, and then you cant hide. Nikeplus.com shows everyone everything and then you start to feel a little inadequate because Joe over in New York ran 11 miles at a 8min mile pace, well fuck you Joe! I run 10.14 min miles and the most I ever do on a day is 4 so screw you and the shoes you run around NY in! Dick. But in all seriousness this whole nikeplus thing is great, it helps me make goals, and it gives you training plans and helps keep you on track which is something I am thankful for. I like that I am competitive with myself but I really do have a hard time telling myself no, Im just not very good at it, so I just end up pushing myself a little more and more each day. (we will save the "no" topic for another day as well) I guess its not a bad thing though, sometimes a little self perpetuated ass kicking can be good for you, at least thats what I keep telling myself, and that its not really my OCD kicking in. I hope everyone is still ticking away at those New Years resolutions, me personally Im not a fan of the damned things. Im a weekly goal kind of person, I make them every week and each week they are different. This week my mini goals were to do something active each day, eat breakfast daily and take an allergy pill before bed each night. So far so good!

Eating the good shit

I enjoy feeding myself, in fact i enjoy feeding myself a lot. I never used to think about what i was eating when i was younger, hell a trip to the hostess outlet wasnt a treat it was a bi-monthly occurance. I used to keep at least two boxes of hostess snack cakes in the trunk of my car at all times...just in case. Now i cant stand to eat that crap. Do you remember tiger tails? I used to loooove those, so much raspberry and coconutty goodness surrounding a twinkie, oh yes hostess you hit a home run with those. But things have changed, i like to think that my tastebuds have grown up. Ive seriously cut down on the amount of sugar that i put in my body but it wasnt really a concious effort, it just kind of happened. I blame this mysterious phenom on my new found grown up taste buds. The same taste buds that i have started to pay more attention to. by slowing down and really tasting what i eat i have learned to really enjoy food. Artificial flavors no longer rock my world, sorry hostess. I have really been making a concious effort to buy good food, organic, preservative free, no artificial crap and honestly, things taste better. I didnt think there would be a difference in organic versus non organic but now if you were to give me a sample i could tell you which was which in a heartbeat. Organic has flavor! Good flavor at that, you can really tell the biggest difference when it comes to fruit. My new favorite fruit to eat used to be something i didnt like, blueberries. I have never been a big fan of them until I tried organic blueberries, now i cant get enough of the little scrumptious morsels. Strawberries and apples are another of my favorites. Have you ever stopped to really savor a strawberry? I didnt until i started buying the organic ones and oh boy, they are fantastic! Nothing artificial about them. A fresh strawberry that has not been chemically treated has so much flavor you actually want to slow down and enjoy it. Which is how i have come to believe that my tastebuds have grown up. Artificial flavors are not delicious like a fresh flavor is, they are big fat let downs. After making a concious effort to taste, not just eat, but really taste my food i feel like ive learned a lot about how food makes me feel. I really dont like the artificial tastes, i prefer the fresh ones any day. Now im not suggesting you go out and buy only organic, lets be honest...its expensive, but there are some foods that you may want to consider making the switch on. I live by one rule of thumb when im shopping for produce, if you eat the skin then buy organic. I would like to challenge you to really slow down the next time you are eating and really think about the food you are putting into your body. How does it taste, do you really like it or are you only eating it because youve always liked it and think you still do. I cant go back to eating tiger tails, i wish i could because they used to make my tastebuds so happy, now they just annoy them with their artificial fake flavors. Food prude? Probably, but its helped me cut out a lot of unnessesary, unflavored foods from my diet. I like my new tastebuds, they are on my side as i learn how food makes me feel. All this talk about organic produce has given me an uncontrallable urge to go hug a tree, now if youll excuse me.

Holidays and New Years

hey everyone! Hope your holidays have been great! This year has gone by super fast and now we are getting ready to celebrate the New Years..crazy! I think you can all agree with me that eating and exercising around the holidays can be tough. I was definitely was challenged this season. I didnt do too bad but I went off track a little. I am still working out hard in the gym and eating right. It was a few weeks before Thanksgiving when things at work went into stress overload and I was working on high priority cases...which I still am. It was hard to always get in the gym beause at the end of the day I wanted to sleep or do nothing..which I wasnt doing much of..and I was doing excellent in the gym..killing it! :) Now I am into the Christmas holiday and I realized how little I paid attention to my health the last couple of months. Work took priority and nothing else. I tried to squeeze in workouts and eat right, but in the end I took the back burner. My weight didnt increase or get out of control...it just didnt go anywhere. All I have to show right now is the constant lack of sleep/tired look. I dont have what you call a relaxing job...I am on the go from the moment I walk in the door until I walk out...sometimes not taking my full lunch..and most times working OT. I also have been put through the wringer with buying a house...no joke! I plan on working on changing things so that this doesnt keep happening..and I know its all about the mental outlook on things and how one deals with stress, etc. Sometimes the mental outlook is not enough. Here's to change for the New Year...cause this gal needs it! Good thing about tomorrow is that it's a brand new day...clean slate :) Im looking forward to the New Year! I'm not sure what my resolutions are, I have quite a few on my mind. What are your New Year's resolutions?

Checking in

Hello girls! I wasn't sure if you wanted me on this blog anymore since I'm never on here :) It's hard to get on here when I dont have internet, but I will try to get to this blog more often than I have. Looks like you both are doing very well ---congrats on all the improvements!

As of right now I have lost a total of 40+ lbs. and dropped a few pant sizes. I have been eating very well and excercising. I had a recent health issue with my gallbladder and it made me even more focused on eating right. Gallbladder is doing fine right now on this healthier eating plan. Still a long ways to go, but progress has been made.

Good luck to everyone and I will check in soon.

Day 3... Week 3

Well, I felt defeated last night when I ran.  It was hard.  How hard can running for three minutes REALLY be? Hard enough that I yelled at my husband during it.  Hard enough that at the slightest incline I thought I may die.  Hard enough to where I feel like a total wimp.

Oh well.  Life will go on.  I'm going to try to move on to week 4 but if its too difficult I may step back into week 3 again.  I'm trying to succeed!  At least I'm doing something still, right!?  Nevermind that my counterparts are well into week six!!!

Week 2... or Week 4?

Well, I am still doing the c25k but I took a week off (why!?) then I decided I needed to repeat week two.  So, I did week 1, 2 skipped 3 and am now on 4 but am technically running week 2. Does that makes sense? Oh, who the hell cares. :)

I'm moving onto week 3 (technically 5th week running) because week 2 is no longer hard for me! Yahoooo!

I feel like I've had small success and failure all at the same time. Oh well, moving forward! :)

So Long Couch!

When my fellow blog buddy Jen posted something on her facebook about thinking about starting to run... I jumped on the bandwagon with her.  Only two days later Jen had an entire email list of other ladies that were hopping on the bandwagon to join in the Couch to 5K madness!!!

What did I do?  Duh! I employed Shandy as my personal motivator! Since we have been toying around with the idea of being more active and not being such fat asses since January, I figured she'd be on board.  We're getting into the third week of this business and I'm proud to say that I've stuck with it!

I am going to have to repeat week 2 because... well, it kicked my ass.  But, that's ok! I am still moving this lug of a body of mine!

So... that's the update for now! Hopefully by the end of the summer I will be able to jog for more than 2 minutes at time. Um, that sounds so pathetic!

Kickin ass and takin names

New workout mix made me want to run tonight..and I did!! Girl is making progress over here, two days of running in a row!! Biggest surprise, it was raining and I STILL went. As much as I would have liked to stay inside and watch season 2 of Trueblood I sucked it up and went for a nice little jog around the neighborhood. Another surprise, it wasnt all that bad. The water wasnt as much of a distraction as I thought it would be, it wasnt uncomfortable, and it wasnt horrible, it was just kind of there. So heres the magic mix thats been motivating my legs to pound the pavement..
1) Bad Influence-Pink
2)Funhouse-Pink
3)If You Can Afford Me-Katy Perry
4)Rockstar 101-Rihanna
5)Rude Boy-Rihanna
6)Telephone-Lady Gaga & Beyonce
7)Poker Face-Lady Gaga
8)Ignorance-Paramore

P.S. Running tights make my legs look sexier, I swear! (theyre black of course) :)

1/2 Marathon... My Ass!

Shandy,

Your last comment made me hide under my bed clutching my Costco sized chocolate chip bag for dear life. 1/2 Marathon? Are you freaking kidding me? Remember this last Friday when we went a Hoola Hoopin' at Wal Mart at midnight? Oh yeah, we conveniently bought two packages of mini doughnuts, Oreos and GUSHERS!

Not quite sure that I'll be in Marathon mode or shape by this Fall. However, a 3 or 5k I am up for. Maybe...

Compromise, right? I know you were playin' that game you play in the sand today. Sounds kinda itchy in places I don't want itching, if ya know what I mean. But, I am glad you do it! I excersized too today (of course, you know that because I texted you when I made it up that ginormous hill.)

We're still making some sort of progress, in our own minds at least.  Wal Mart trips aside... we're doing better than we were six months ago. I think?

No marathons for me this year, please.

Your best Wal Mart buddy,
Trixie

progress

I've made progress physically. You wouldn't know by looking at my jiggly parts... but I can feel it. Since the end of January when we started the Shred and then my short lived relationship with 24 Hour Fitness then back to twice a week hour long walks... I'm now able to jog for a longer time than I was before. I am NOT in good shape, far from it. But, progress is good any which way. Brandon has been helping me stay motivated and we've added jogging to the weekly walks. So... we haven't come far but just the fact that I feel a tad better about things seems like an accomplishment.

Motivation

I did it! I finally got out and ran, I did something for once. Last night I went out to play ball and then on my way home I was riding the vb high and decided that I should go for a run. I'm not a runner, nor do I claim to be a runner. In fact, I loath running but I did it. I came home from playing ball and I ran a mile, go me! I know, I know a mile is nothing but the fact that I acted on my motivation made me feel good. It made me feel accomplished. Ya know the running wasn't all that bad either, I mean sure it wasn't easy, but I didn't feel like I was going to keel over and die. The energy that I felt from doing something that my body was clearly craving made me feel good, so I'm going to try this out and see where it gets me. Plus its a good excuse to wear my favorite sneakers, the oh so comfy purple shoes that I just HAD to have. :)
Now if you're anything like me you find almost any excuse not to work out, I've found that headaches are my top excuse. Last night I made a commitment to go play vb with some friends. I had a giant headache when I left, but I went anyways because made a commitment to my friends. (guess what, working out got rid of my headache!) I'm going to attempt this in this journey with you guys. I'm going to make the commitment to myself to work out and make concious efforts to become healthier. I'm also going to make the commitment to you guys that I will make the effort to become healthier.
Here's to friends and motivation, I'm doing this for me but I'm also doing it for you.

I Made It! Hello Gals!

I finally made it on here! Sorry it took it took me so long :)

First off I want to say thank you for allowing me to contribute to this blog and share the journey with you both! The support outside of the blog has been amazing and I feel blessed and lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. Lots of love here :)

So, the snap decision to blog right now at 10:40pm on a Sunday night is because tonight I hit rock bottom with my weight and I had to get it off my mind. I didnt think I could hit rock botom again, but with my bad habits it was bound to happen. I can plan with the best of them and map everything out that I need to do, but the follow through and momentum is the key factor. I used to be very athletic and healthy, people used to always ask me about tips and tricks and how tos of eating right and working out.....I cannot say the same now. I recently gained new stretch marks in various places. I look and feel worn down. Any kind of excercise, even up a hill, makes me breath hard and struggle....and my knee is hurting. I feel the effects of my weight and eating issues physically and mentally.......thats not good... I'm 25yrs old! I'm hiding in sweats and I barely have anything in my closet that fits! No joke! I was down to one pair of black pants that I had to alter by cutting the sides so my love handles had room to breath and it relieved pressure. I was wearing those black pants for the past 6 months (washing them of course!) and I didn't have a pair of jeans that I could fit into for who knows how long. I feared shopping and feared that nothing was out there ofr me to fit into. Now I have a new pair of black pants (along with the old) and a new pair of jeans....all thanks to Shandy and her neverending support and awesome attitude. I fought her tooth and nail when she was trying to help me. I owe her big not only for what she did but for unconditional love and support and great attitude. She's a rare find :) I started the Master Cleanse Detox on Saturday to kick start my body into getting rid of the toxins and sludge inside. Today was day 2 and I went way off track..needless to say I will be starting Day 1 tomorrow (Monday) and being more strict. I know that the MC is not as healthy as other detoxes and I am aware of what to expect. My mom is a nurse and I already heard her side of it :) If I feel like I can't do the whole 14 days then I will stop and ease into my healthy eating plan sooner than expected. I will keep you updated on how I do :)

I am too young to feel this way and to look the way I do.....we all deserve to be our best self whatever that may mean. I cannot change the past and reminisce about the way things were....I often do this and need to stop. I do have control over today and the future hasnt been made yet. My birthday is Sept 4th and I do not want to turn 26 with the way I feel and look.

Sorry about the emotional post and the "Debbi-Downer" attitude....I just needed to get this out. I also had a LONG talk with the man upstairs tonight about everything on my mind....maybe he can magically do something from above :)

I am sure that I blogged way too much info for a first blog contribution..sorry guys!

Thank you again for having me and I will post more soon!

Warm thoughts towards you girls on your journey and together we will get there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care,
Kristi

Weigh In Day...

Damn. I think I sucked this week. I've only lost 3 lbs in the past two weeks that I've weighed in. I know its a loss, but I think I know in my heart I haven't tried 100%. The stress of travel for this wedding next week is getting to me now. Eat.Eat.Eat. Did you know that if you keep eating the WHOLE bag of mini cadbury eggs... you still don't feel less stressed? Yeah, well I know that but I keep thinking maybe the outcome will change. Which brings me to my next thought...

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I've been called insane before. I think I am. So.There.

How's that for a 'Go Get 'Em!" attitude? Meh!

Maybe I'll lose 1/2 lb this week. Maybe I'll gain. Maybe I just won't go to a meeting.

I did it. I joined WW again....

Ok, so it's official. I am a WW member. I am excited, but we'll see how long this lasts. Why do I always have to have a Debby Downer attitude!?! I can and WILL do it! :)

I have done well today. That, my friends... is HUGE! This past month I've done well for certain meals of the day... but never an ENTIRE DAY! WHOO HOO!

Not only do I get a ton of points for each day, but I didn't realize that the momentum program offers 35 EXTRA points for the whole week!!!! YES! That is AWESOME! Anyway, I'm excited to be on the right track here and I need to get my ass back to the Shred. Hello! I am thankful to my blog buddy, Jen for providing some "Weigh In Wednesday" advice every week! Holla! She is rockin' her WW program. Check her out, she does NOT look like she just gave birth in December!

Thanks to the new readers/commenters! We need all the encouragement we can get, right girls?

Baby steps is still progress

Ok, so really Boston didn't set me back too much. I really only gained 2 lbs so thats encouraging. I will do better this week, lots to get done and I finally convinced Kristi to start shredding with us!! Woohoo!! So welcome Kristi to our blog shes going to blog, shred and get fit with us. :)
Target has the new Jackie Warner workout dvd and I have heard good things about it (thank you fitness magazine). Once I finally shred for a complete 30 days then Ill move on to Jackie, but I gotta get through Jillian first.
I didnt work out nearly as much as I wanted to this weekend, but I made progress. I FINALLY got around to mapping out a route of 1.5 miles around my house that I can go for jog/runs on and know exactly how far each loop is. Thanks to the cyclometer on my bike, judging by how long it too me to finally get around to routing a course its going to take me twice as long to actually use it. Such is life. I think Chelsi should let me borrow Jack for about an hour so I can have a jogging buddy, ie. an excuse to run. haha
I have found my new love, beach volleyball. I used to kinda sorta like it, but after playing last night Im in love again, the benefits of playing sand ball is that it tones your ass twice as fast! So this summer I look forward to playing lots and lots of grass and adding in sand ball whenever I get a chance.
Off to face Monday, good luck ladies and happy shredding!

March, really?

Well, here I am in March and still fat.

Surprised? Neither am I.

I'll find motivation... It's got to be here SOMEWHERE!

For the record, I've never had a chocolate croissant. I think I better keep it that way.

Chocolate filled croissants are NOT your friends.

...But they sure are mine!!! I went to Boston for work about a week ago and I swear I came back about 10lbs heavier. Every meal was spent eating out, and when you enjoy food like I do its hard not to order the good stuff. Im talking Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Changs, the food court at the mall and Starbucks for breakfast. So here I am, back at home trying to get back on the wagon and trying hard to fit into some designer jeans. Im trying so hard to fit into them I even went and tried on a pair of True Religions the other day, just to see exactly how hard I need to work, and not surprising to me I couldnt get them buttoned!! I was at least about to get them over my thighs but when it came to covering the booty sadly they just werent willing to cooporate, think sausages stuffed to the point of explosion..
I havent shredded since the trip, but I have played ball like 3 times in the past week so I think that should count for something. Im going to work harder though, thats the plan. Summer is quickly sneaking up on me and my large backside so its time to get back to it. Time for me to visit my friend Jillian for a good old fashioned ass kicking.
*cue music*
"Come on and work!!! Work it girl!!!"

30 Day Shred

The Shred has been suprisingly enjoyable. Shandy doesn't lie, Jillian is a bit fiesty. However, I like her and find her motivating! I haven't been super strict with the Shred. I've done it 4-5 days for the past two"ish" weeks. I'm not seeing a difference in my body (because I still eat like a fatty!) but I definitely see a difference in my fitness level. I've gone from "serious couch potato" to "semi-serious couch potato!" That may not seem like a big difference... but it is! :) Not that I'm really a couch potato... I'm almost always either at work or school. But, I have chosen to use some of my spare time more wisely and for that I am proud. Just like Shandy said... "planning to work out" ends up taking more time than acutally doing it. I feel so much better after getting my ass up and doing something!

GO US!