Sinuses are the enemy...

It's hard to work out when you can only breathe through one side of your nose, and your throat is scratchy so it hurts to breathe through your mouth. I did the Shred this AM, but wasn't able to keep up very well :-( But at least I tried and didn't just sleep in (like I wanted to)! I'm taking my yoga dvd and mat with me to Tallahassee & I'm going to try to do it tonight and in the morning. Then I'll do the Shred when I get home tomorrow night.
Tomorrow should be challenging for me, food-wise. Class begins at 8:00 AM, and we don't get a lunch break til 11:45. I usually eat six small meals/snacks a day, and this schedule is totally throwing me for a loop. Plus, I had to plan out my food for today & tomorrow so I would know what I have to take with me. While we're in Tally, we're meeting one of my friends for supper after my class gets out. I'm picky, so it will be hard to find something at whatever restaurant we go to that isn't terrible for me. I figure I can always get some kind of grilled chicken...
I'll admit that I was hoping for better results at my weigh-in yesterday. Afterall, the Shred can help you lose up to 20lbs in 30 days. I guess the key phrase is "up to", but still...everyone else thinks my 3.2 pounds was great, so i guess I just need to get over it and keep it up!

And the results are in...

So I lost a total of 3.2 pounds with the first 7 days of the "30 Day Shred". I lost 1" from my waist, 1.5" from my hips, and 0.5" from my bust. Good, but I'm realizing that I really shouldn't have procrastinated with my weight loss. We're going to see if my mother's sister-in-law's mother (confusing!) can alter the dress up to a 14. We'll see...
I'm coming down with a sinus infection or cold or something, so that's not good! I have class all day Saturday in Tallahassee, so I really can't get sick. Plus, if I'm running a fever I won't be able to work out.
Well, I'm going to have a Lean Cuisine for dinner, and after my food settles I'll do yoga and pack for Tally!

Day 7!

Wow! I can't believe I've stuck with the "30 Day Shred for a whole week! That's right folks--this morning I completed Day 7! I still have trouble with the jumping jack/jump rope combo :-( But I'm getting stronger with the weights!
I've done "The Biggest Loser: Weight Loss Yoga" the past two evenings. I've just been so stressed--my daughter's been misbehaving (I think it's the excitement of kindergarten being nearly over!) and I've felt like raiding the pantry. Instead, I did yoga, and it calmed my nerves enough that I made healthy food choices! Yay! So yoga is my new best friend :-)
Tomorrow: weigh and measure day! I'm actually not dreading getting on the scale for once. Can't wait to report what a week of the shred has done for me!

6 days down...

...24 to go! Today I did awesome with the strength training portions of the "Shred"! On two of the exercises that involve legs & arms, I had been unable to keep my arms going the entire time. But today, I was able to on both! Yay! So that is already a pretty big improvement in just a short amount of time. I'm still struggling with the first two minutes of cardio--that involves 30 seconds of jumping jacks, 30 seconds of "jump rope", then another 30 seconds of each. I can do the first minute just fine, but the second minute i usually end up just jogging in place because my jumping jacks and jump rope moves end up just being really floppy and sloppy. So I am hoping I can get to the point where I can do the full two minutes without having to just jog to keep moving.
I'm contemplating moving up to Level Two after ten days is up, and then move up to Level Three for the last ten days. I guess I will see how things are looking when i weigh & measure myself on Thursday!
I have class tonight from 7-9, so I am thinking of eating an early dinner (like @ 4:00) and then around 6:00, go ahead and do the weight loss yoga again. If I'm going to even think about getting into that dress, I need to work out twice a day, every day...
Even after the wedding, I'm going to keep it up. My goal is to be down to 140lbs by the time I graduate with my MLIS--which gives me until August of 2010. Since that's over a year away, it's completely doable. I'll just have to figure out how to maintain it once I get to it!

Days 4 & 5

Well, today was Day 5 and I'm still going strong--yay! The evening of Day 3 I also did "Biggest Loser: Weight Loss Yoga". That totally kicked my butt. I've never done yoga before, so I watched it first to see what the different yoga positions were, and then did Level One. Day 4 I was unable to do another workout in the evening because of church, and tonight I've got a lingerie shower for my friend who is getting married in July (the reason I finally got motivated to lost this weight!). Anyway, I was sore the morning of Day 4--probably because of the yoga--so I didn't up my handweights. Also, I still have to struggle to eke out the last few of each exercise that involves the weights, so I thought I should hold off on moving up until it gets a little easier.
I've been doing well on my diet--no cheating this week! I will have to be diligent at the shower tonight, and not give in to the sweets! Hopefully, there will be a veggie tray and I can just munch on some carrots (they don't count as any points-yay!).
This Saturday I have class in Tallahassee all day, so I will probably just do some crunches & push ups and then do my "30 Day Shred" when I get home that evening. I refuse to take a break from this...30 days straight!
Now I'm off to figure out how to fix my hair for the shower...the theme is "Naughty Harry Potter" and I'm dressing as Hermione (I know nothing about HP, so my friend had to send me some pics of some of the female characters). This should be interesting :-)

Day 3

Thursday evening and all day yesterday (Day 2) I was sooo sore! It hurt to laugh, it hurt to walk, and if I got down on the floor with my daughter I could barely get up! This morning I figured I would still be feeling the soreness, but that was not the case. I woke up at 6:30 (I usually do not set an alarm on Saturdays, but figured I better or else my workout wouldn't get done!) and again did Level One with 3lb hand weights. Afterward, my legs and arms felt like jelly, and I sweated a lot more today than the past two days (so much so that I told my mother I needed one of those dorky sweatbands that go around your head--sweat in the eyes is painful!). I've decided that if I'm not sore in the morning, I will increase to 5lb hand weights.
In addition to my diet, I'm also doing Renew Life's CleanseSmart. This is a 2-part cleanse that is supposed to support normal detoxification and health. According to smartbomb.com's product page for CleanseSmart: "CleanseSMART is a total-body formulation that supports the body’s 7 channels of elimination: the liver, lungs, lymphatic system, kidneys, skin, blood and bowel. CleanseSMART combines 23 natural ingredients, which provide cleansing support for the body’s own natural processes. The Morning Formula is a 15-herb formula and provides 7 herbs to help support the liver. The evening formula contains 8 natural ingredients that help to cleanse the colon. CleanseSMART is easy to take, just 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules in the evening." I've seen evidence of the skin portion of this promise: more breakouts (yuck!) For the first time in my adult life, I've had to buy an acne wash to deal with these. And I won't discuss the other cleansing properties with you, because I'm sure you don't want to hear about my colon :-)
I'm amazed at what three days of working out has done for me mentally. I know exercise is supposed to release endorphins, but I'm surprised at how upbeat my moods have been since starting this. For those of you who don't know, I have a history of pretty severe depression and have been unsuccessful in finding an anti-depressant that works; in addition to that, I have mild PTSD from the experiences I went through with my ex-husband. Those are a couple of the reasons I have trouble staying motivated with diets and things like that. Anyway, overall, I am feeling pretty good about my decision to do the "30 Day Shred" and am looking forward to seeing the changes it produces in my body!

The Journey Begins...

Other than when my ex-husband forced me to run everyday, I've never been slim. All my life I've had issues with my weight, leaning toward the slightly heavy side. After moving back home, I worked at my cousin's bakery for two years--a really bad place to work when you are an emotional eater! I gained a significant amount of weight, and have tried unsuccessfully to lose it several times in the past two years.
In September of 2008, I received a call from one of my best friends, asking me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. Without hesitating, I said "Yes!" I later found out that the dress she chose, while gorgeous, only goes up to a size 12...yikes! So, I immediately started yet another diet, only to lose motivation after a few weeks. Now, the wedding is July 3, and I am still pretty much where I was back in September.
That brings us up to this week--I've been hearing wonderful things about Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" dvd, so I decided to give it a whirl. I've never watched "The Biggest Loser" but apparently, Jillian is TV's toughest trainer. If you haven't heard of this DVD, here's the basics of what you do: a 2 minute warm-up, followed by three circuits consisting of 3 minutes of strangth training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs, and finally a 2 minute cool-down. I'm not a morning person by any means, but I made myself get up half an hour earlier than normal to start the program. Y'all, Level One totally kicked my butt! But I felt so much more energized and upbeat than normal, even after the first day. So today I did it again...and could barely lift my arms to wash my hair afterward!
In addition to doing the "30 Day Shred" in the mornings, I'm going to start alternating between "The Biggest Loser: Weight Loss Yoga" and "The Biggest Loser: Cardio Max" in the evenings.
As for what I'm eating...well, I am trying Weight Watchers again. I have never officially joined, but I have all the little books that tell you how many points foods are, and I have all the info on how many points you should eat based on your weight and that sort of thing. For those of you who don't know me, I am the world's pickiest eater. I was sick a lot as a child, and was never forced to eat my veggies or anything like that, and the result is that I have issues with the textures of foods. Needless to say, it has been difficult incorporating fruits and veggies into my diet. I would rather chug down a can of low-sodium V8 juice than munch on broccoli.
Why did I start this blog, you might ask....Well, I want to be accountable to you, internet. I'll be posting my successes and failures and everything in between. I'm hoping this outlet will help keep me on track, keep me motivated!
Thanks for reading, and let the journey to a healthy life begin!