Week Ending in October 9, 2010

I really need to get better about updating this! lol

October 9th was my evaluation. I knew I wasn't at my goal, but I have made progress!!

The biggest thing is the percentage of body fat. In April, my body fat was 32%, which is overweight. It is now 28%! I've lost 3% body fat and I am now in the normal range for my height. I hope to lose at least another 3% by the time I'm done. I figure since I'm halfway to my goal, that is possible.

I weigh 146 pounds, so I've lost 10 pounds since March. My goal was 135 by this point, but there was a lag for awhile, but I'm back. Lori says if I stay on track, I should be at my goal by Christmas. My main goal is to be between 135-140.

I've lost 3 inches on my waist and two on my hips. So my waist is 30 inches and my hips are now 39. It's the area between my waist and hips that need work, but I have lost inches there, too. My 10s are baggy on me. I can fit into a size 8, but the pair I tried on was just a little too tight around my midsection. If I knew they were going to stretch, I would have bought them. But I wasn't going to take a chance. So, within the next few weeks if I can stay on target, I'll fit into a size 8 for the first time since my Freshman year of college! There is a possibility that when I reach my goal weight, I will be a size 6. If that happens, I may cry. I don't ever remember being a size 6. Even in high school, when I weighed 130-135, I think I was still an 8. Actually a 9 because I was wearing Junior sized clothes. And we all know they run small. EDIT: I remember wearing 7s in high school. I was a 7/9.

I'll miss my favorite jeans. But I am sure that I will find another favorite when I reach my goal weight. I am looking forward to buying AE jeans again, but I won't spend that much money on jeans when I'm going to grow out of them.

I also lost 2 inches in my chest, which I figured since I've dropped a number on my bra since I've started. I'm back to a 36! Yay. I don't really have a goal to lose more haha. They usually are the first thing to go, but I really don't want to lose more.

I don't have a PT session this week and this is my non-weigh week. (I don't weigh myself when it's that time of month) So I'll update at the end of next week. I hope to be at 144-145 by the end of next week. I've been able to maintain my weight (and I see that as a positive that I know how to) but I need to work harder and lose some more. My eating habits are still going pretty well. The week of my time of the month can be difficult. Sometimes I'm just so hungry and all I want to do is eat. I just have to remember to eat healthy stuff rather than other stuff. I tend to crave salt and sugar at that time. I'm pretty good at saying no, but then there are times like yesterday where I ate a lot for lunch. Even my mom said she hadn't seen me eat that much in a long time. Here's what I had: Two eggs, two pieces of French toast, 3 pieces of bacon and some hash browns. I never eat that much, but I finished my plate! (We went to Bob Evans for lunch) Wow, I almost feel guilty admitting that I ate all of that, but that's what I ate. I usually never eat that much food. But it was so good. Of course, the fat levels were high and I felt really tired an hour later.

Here's to hoping today goes better!

One of the best confidence booster I had this past week was last weekend and I wore a dress that I felt comfortable in.

That hasn't happened in a very long time. I looked good in it and I felt confident that I didn't look fat in it. That is motivation for me to keep going. Looking back at pictures of myself and then pictures of me now, I've also noticed I've lost weight in my face. Another confidence booster.

What I really want to look good in is one of those knit sweaters and leggings. Maybe that will be soon.

Okay, this has been long enough. I'll update next week! Thanks for reading!

Jen

Week ending August 28th

Hello all!

I started out having a rough week. I was sore from my PT session from the previous Saturday (the 21st) which I expected. On Monday night, I slept crooked and woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and shoulders (mainly my left one). Tuesday, I could barely move my neck. Wednesday evening it started to feel better. Because of this, I decided to take an easy and I didn't go to the gym. I guess I could have done cardio..

Anyway, I went to my training session on the 28th feeling better. So, I worked out and afterwards, I felt elated! This is why: when she was doing the plan for our workout that day (Kyra usually comes with me, but she was still getting ready to move) Lori (my trainer) knew Kyra could do it, but wasn't sure if I could, so she was thinking of ways to tweak it. Well, turns out, I didn't need any tweaking! I have a hard time doing things that require me to hold my body weight up and have my butt up, for lack of a better description. I was in push up like position and then had to use sliders to spread my legs out to either side. Well, I did those work outs without having to pause! I felt really confident as I continued to finish the exercises with more ease than I had been. I still can't do crunches, but I sure tried! We did an exercise involving a weighted ball and 4 step crunches. It went over my head, touch my tummy, over my knees (I couldn't get up like to do a crunch, but it was enough movement that I was sore the next day haha).

Anyways, I think I almost shocked myself with how strong I am getting! Lori said she was proud of me and that I was making excellent progress! And THAT feels great! Not only was Lori proud of me, I was proud of myself for keeping with it. I am proud of myself for what I have done. It was such a confidence booster to do things that I couldn't have done a few months ago. And to do them well without too much of a struggle! I'm not saying it was really easy, but I didn't look at the clock wondering if we were almost done. I have those days. However, this was a day that I was actually sad that our session was over. I was so pumped I probably could have gone another 15 minutes. However, it's probably good I didn't. I was sore enough on Sunday and helped Kyra move that day. I count that as a day at the gym. I actually thought that would make me more sore (moving) because I was moving stuff as I was sore, but I woke up this morning in better condition than I thought I would be.

So, that was my week! I didn't lose any weight, but I am hoping to lose at least one pound this week. I am now about 13 pounds from my goal weight. I would like to get to between 135-140. I weigh 148 right now, so I've actually gained a few pounds. But that won't stop me! Especially after the weekend I had!

We'll see how this next week goes and my next training session goes.

Thanks for reading!

Jen

Week.. I have no idea!

Well, after I went to Colorado, it took me awhile to get back on the "going to the gym wagon." I finally went back last week. I haven't gained any weight since I stopped going to the gym, I just haven't lost any either. I'm glad I know how to maintain my weight, but I would still like to lose 10-15 pounds...

Saw my trainer yesterday morning. I lasted about 15 minutes before I thought I was going to hurl. I don't know what went wrong, maybe it was the heat, but I couldn't get past it. Sometimes when I do certain workouts, I feel nauseas.. like abs. But I usually can take a few breaths and be fine. Not yesterday, so I stopped. I'm sure part of it is that I haven't worked out in forever and my body is rebelling. I am even more determined now to go back and start seeing results like I did before I hit my slump.

I am sore today, though. My legs hurt and it's hard to walk up and down stairs. Not as bad as the first time I saw the first trainer who evaluated me, but enough to be a bother. My shoulders hurt, too. But I am getting back on the wagon!

There's my update for now. I'll write soon!

Jen

Weeks 7-9

Yikes!! Have I really not updated in this long? I am really slacking off!

I am down to 149! I made it to the 140s. I really wanted to be 145 by the time I went to Colorado, but that isn't going to happen. That's okay, though. I have been losing inches, which means more to me. The weight is still important, but inches is really what I need, especially since I am now under 150. And according to the BMI index, I am no longer considered overweight! That doesn't mean I am going to slack off, though! My new goal is to be 142 by my wedding anniversary, July 18th. So I have just under 8 weeks to lose 7 pounds. We'll see how that goes. I am leaving for Colorado Wednesday. I hope I am at least able to maintain my weight while I am out there.

Since I am going to Colorado, I probably won't be updating this until I get back.

I have really been slacking at the gym. My work hours have gotten a little longer and sometimes I just don't feel like going to the gym. I just want to go home. But I will push myself to do it more often.

I took my first spinning class Tuesday, I loved it! It hurts a little to ride it, but I guess they make special pants for it.. which I may invest in, because I want to keep going!

Eating is going fine for the most part. I really don't go out for food. I try to limit it to once a week. That doesn't always work, but that is my goal.

Anyways.. that's my update. See you in a few weeks!

Jen

Weeks 5 & 6

So, I slacked a little off in my updating.. sorry about that!

Well, I am 151 exactly right now. I haven't lost too much weight, .4 lbs since I last wrote, but I am seeing changes in my body.

I had to go one hole tighter on my belt (which I may have already said) but when I do that, the front of my jeans bunch up. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and I am starting to really like what I see. I am losing inches on my lower back, which really excited me. I wore a shirt today that I hadn't for awhile because it was too tight and my midsection looked bigger, but today it fit much better! I caught myself looking in the mirror at the bookstore today and was like, I am slimming down! I don't want to sound conceited, but I thought I looked good! I still need work, but I was impressed with myself. Something I noticed was that I can see my belt poking out under my shirt now. I don't know if that made any sense, but it looks like I may have to find a flatter belt. I still need to lose more inches on my midsection, but to see it start to go down almost makes me want to cry!

I haven't lost a lot of weight, but the inches is what I'm really going for! I mean, I still want to lose the weight, but if I lose inches faster than the weight, I'm cool with that!

The fact that I am liking what I am seeing is keeping me motivated to keep going. I know I keep saying that, but it's true! To finally start seeing real results and know that if I keep going it is only going to get better makes me so happy. It is a real confidence booster. I even notice my face is getting smaller. My chin is thinner! Thank goodness! I'm hoping it goes away even more.

I hope this isn't TMI, but if it is, oh well! lol. I am finding that my panties are now not as snug and they are almost too big now. I'm kind of sad because they are VS, but I'll keep wearing them until they are too big and I'll buy more when I reach my goal weight. My sports bra is also getting loose. I'm losing inches around my ribs, I guess. My cup size hasn't changed. Yet. My regular bras still fit the same. Although I wear a 36 in sports bra and 38 in regular bra (which I am hoping to go down to 36 again). Maybe my sports bra is just getting stretched. Who knows, but I do think 'they' are getting smaller. They usually do when you work out. It's just hard to find the right sports bra when you actually need support.

My goal this week is to get to 150! I am so close to the 140s. It's like my body is saying "wait for it.. wait for it... just a little longer." It is a bit frustrating. I am sure I can get there as long as I stick to my 3-4 days at the gym.

I'm going to start taking yoga classes. They are included in my gym membership. My trainer suggested them because my balance still needs work. As does my core. My core is weaker than she thought, so that affects everything I do, so yoga should help that, too.

Well, that's all for now.

Thanks for reading!

Jen

Week 4

I reached my goal for this week!! Yay! I weighed 151.4 Saturday morning. So I lost 1.5 pounds for the week last week. I'm so glad I was able to do it!

Workouts are going well. I was sore for a few days from Kyra and my workout with Lori on Saturday. Although I am sore still because we worked out last night, too. I can feel myself getting stronger, though. And that is another motivation to keep going. Eating is still going pretty well. I enjoy my time with friends and while I try not to gorge myself, I still let myself have something extra that I wouldn't eat during the week.

Fage Greek yogurt is the BEST! I tried the Yoplait and it doesn't even come close to being as yummy. Plus, Fage is all natural. Not sure if Yoplait is. Fage is a little more expensive, but totally worth it.

I'm starting to see more definition in my legs now. I can see a little bit on my upper abs, too. I mean, they obviously still need a lot of work, but I am seeing progress. Nothing was overly difficult this week. Working out and eating better has definitely improved my mood and how I sleep.

That's all for now. I may update again this week or wait until the end to do the weekly update.

Thanks for reading!
Jen

Week 3

Well, this week I think went better overall than last week.

I didn't lose any weight again.. HOWEVER I think I may have lost some inches. Usually when I take my jeans out of the dryer, they are tight and I have to wear them out so they'll fit just right. This time, though, they weren't tight! They are also a little baggy around my thighs and I had to go to the next rung in my belt because I kept pulling my pants up. So I see that a huge plus this week!

I am also feeling much better physically and emotionally. I am also sleeping much better! So even if the weight isn't coming off as fast as I would like it too, I am seeing improvements in other areas.

My goal this week is to lose one pound! I am going to be even more careful about what I eat. It's hard when there are birthdays and you go out to dinner. But that had nothing to do with it this week, as my weigh in was Saturday morning. I haven't gained any since then, either. I just want to lose some! I am getting so close to 150. Once I it 149, I'll be so stoked! I haven't seen that number in awhile.

My first workout with my trainer, Lori, was Thursday. It went well. She had me do some exercises to see where I was physically. The reason why I have trouble balancing and the major reason I can't do normal sit ups are because I have weak hip flexers. (flexors?) They are weak, so I have a hard time doing lunges and squats because of that also. But she taught me some exercises, such as squats, to make them stronger. she also taught me how to do them correctly. I watch myself do them because I know you are supposed to keep your back straight, but since my muscles there are weak, I tend to lean forward.

She says I have a strong core, though, so that's good! It obviously needs help, but she says it's strong. It's nice to know not all of me is weak! haha.

She also showed me this machine that you can either use as kind of stair master or you use it kind of like you are jogging. She recommended it because I prefer the elliptical to the treadmill. I also hate jogging because it aggravates my left knee because of the impact. So this is almost like jogging on air. It feels like you are pressing down on air. I love it. It does take some getting used to and I have to work up to the minutes that I want to be able to stay on it. So right now I'm on 6 minutes at a time. I'll do 6 minutes on there and then 15-20 minutes on the elliptical along with my other exercises I do when I am at the gym. I'm actually going to try for 7 minutes tomorrow. I started at 5 last week. The new machine burns calories much faster because it gets your heart rate up quicker. I think I burned 27 calories in 6 minutes. If I get to 30 minutes, that's 162 calories. Once I can go quicker that will hopefully go higher. So I plan on doing that instead of jogging. Those machines also have TVs on them, so if I don't want to listen to my IPOD or Kyra isn't with me, I can watch TV.

So goal this week is to lose one pound! If I workout like I did today for the rest of the week, I'm thinking that will be possible! I am working out Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Also, as long as the weather is nice, I'll also be walking with Josh on most, if not all, days.

That's this week's update (well, for last week lol). I'll try to do better about posting on Saturdays like my original plan.

Thanks for reading!

Jen

Week 2

Well, this week didn't go as well as week one. I'm sorry for the delayed post, my weekend was busy.

I didn't lose any weight this week, but I didn't gain any either. So I'm at 153. My Monday workout went great as usual. My Tuesday one didn't last as long. I wasn't feeling very well, but I went anyway. I did a little cardio and abs and called it a day. Thursday I met with my trainer for my evaluation and then worked out a little bit afterwards.

Lori, my trainer, took my measurements. Here they are:

Bust: 39 (although I am a 38 bra right now. I'd like to get that back down to a 36)
Waist: 33
Hips: 41

I thought my waist would be bigger than that. My hips made up for it though. My preliminary goals for my measurements are:

Bust: 36
Waist: 28-30 (maybe lower. We'll see)
Hips: 36/37

That may change as I go along. Besides my bust, I have no idea what my measurements were before I gained the weight that I have.

My thighs I believe are 24 inches each. I can't find the sheet I wrote them down on. I know I need to lose weight in my thighs. I don't really have a goal of what I want them to measure, I just know that they need to be thinner and more toned.

My calorie intake went pretty well this week. Friday night we went out for my Dad's birthday for pizza, so I know I went over my goal that day, but I'm not feeling totally guilty. I did say no to dessert! :)

My goal for this week is to lose at least a pound. I will work harder at the gym this week. That's a fact. I meet with my trainer on Wednesday for my first workout. Wish me luck! I hope I'll be able to walk.. lol.

Giving up sugar products are pretty easy for me so far. I didn't eat a lot of sugar before, so it hasn't been totally difficult. I have cut soda completely out of my diet. That isn't really hard. We don't have any at home and I've just been getting unsweetened iced tea when we go out. The only problem of the sugar thing is I have to have a little sugar in my coffee. I try to use only creamer, though since a lot of creamers already have sugar in them. I can't drink coffee black. Or I just can't find one that I like black. So I am trying to drink more tea since I don't like my tea with cream or sugar in it usually.

The only goals that I have come close to going over is the fat goal. I don't realize sometimes how much fat is in certain things. So I'm changing to 1% milk instead of 2%. I can't stand skim milk, so 1% will have to do. I need to make sure I am getting low fat cheese.

Hmm, what else? Not much. If I think of anything else, I'll post.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Jen

My Nutritional and Fitness Goals

I joined a website called Sparkpeople.com. I heard about it from a friend of mine. I also joined caloriecounter.com too. Both seem to be helpful. I've been using SparkPeople more in the last few days. After seeing my before pictures, I knew I had to take this whole losing weight thing more seriously. I entered my info and they gave me these goals, so hopefully I can stick to them.

Daily Nutritional Goals
Calories: 1,200 - 1,550
Carbs: 163 - 236
Fat: 32 - 56
Protein: 60 - 127

For the past two days, I have stuck to that. Although I've been doing pretty good since I've been working out about counting my calories. Even before then, I was doing okay, but not good enough. I'll let you know at the end of the week if I met my goals.

My fitness goals vary by day. I switch the exercises that I do when I go to the gym. I'll have a more set pattern soon. I've kind of been following Kyra's lead, but I'll try to pay attention to what we are doing when we go. I always aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio a day, whether I go to the gym or not. With the weather we are having I have no excuse to not do it. Although abs are usually a must whenever I go to the gym. I love medicine balls. I'm not strong enough to do crunches when I'm lying on the floor yet.

I meet with my trainer tomorrow. Hopefully no car batteries will die! *knocks on wood* She will take my measurements this time *takes deep breath.* I'll post them tomorrow and then tell you my goals. I'm really looking forward to meeting with her.

Anyways, there is a small update for this evening. See you tomorrow!

Jen

My Before Pics

Well.. I had Josh take my before pictures. I wore a bathing suit bottom that I used to fit into and my sports bra because I couldn't find the top. Wow. I need to lose weight. It's amazing what a picture can make you see.

The one from the back really looks bad. Ugh. It is just driving me to keep going to the gym and eat right and whatever, but that one is really hard to look at without cringing. I don't think I'll post them yet. I know you guys won't suddenly judge me and think I'm horrible or anything, I just don't feel comfortable sharing them with the world yet.

It was another wake up call. I need to lose the weight. Josh says I look beautiful. Okay, I may be beautiful, but I also still need to lose the weight. I'm not perfect. I don't plan to ever be perfect. But I am overweight and I need to do something about it. I know, he's my hubby and would never call me fat. I wouldn't want him too. But he can acknowledge what I am saying. I'm only stating the obvious. I want to be healthier. I have diabetics in my family. I don't want to get diabetes. My dad and my uncle (half uncle) both have had heart attacks. And my dad wasn't even overweight at all! However, he did smoke. My uncle was overweight and also smoked (and maybe still does) My dad doesn't smoke. I quit smoking. My next hurdle is losing the weight.

I don't want six pack abs or whatever. I just want to be healthy. I want to buy a dress and not worry if my sides look horrible in them. I want to wear a two piece so I can finally show my belly button ring that I got when I was 20!

Okay, I am done ranting. That was just hard to see. The last time I put that pair of swimming bottoms on, I looked great in them! And I was 20. And when I am done, I will look great in them again.. but I'll have to buy another suit. I can't find the top to this one haha.

Alright, that's all for now.

Jen

Week 1

Hey guys!

Well, my first week went pretty well. After seeing the trainer that I mentioned last week, I found it hard to walk normally for a few days. Lunges killed my legs lol. Kyra is a great support for me. She pushes me to get out of my comfort zone. She makes me want to go the extra step. She's been really supportive and encouraging too. Seeing her lose the weight that she has lost has helped inspire me. Also, seeing the progress through the week when I step on the scale is a huge motivation to keep going. I'm going to miss her when she is in Vegas for the next few weeks, but I'll hear her in the back of my head going "Come on you can do it! Just a little more!"

So I weigh myself every morning, so yesterday morning was my first weigh in. The 156 I posted last week was with my shoes on when I was at the gym. The first time I weighed myself on my new scale at home, I was at 155. I think that will stand as my starting weight since I wasn't wearing shoes. Well, yesterday morning I weighed 153 pounds! So I lost 2 pounds! Yay!! :D

My weigh ins will now be more consistent since I do have a scale and I weigh myself at the same time everyday.

The eating part is going pretty good. Not perfect, but well. I make sure to eat breakfast every morning. I allow myself to still enjoy food and if one day I don't do so well, I don't curse myself. I'm going to the gym 4 days a week, so I'll work it off. I love going to the gym. I love how I feel afterwards. I hope that feeling keeps going after I start working with the trainer.

I was supposed to meet with the trainer on Tuesday, but my car battery died, so I had to reschedule for this Thursday. I made it to the gym three days this week. I hope to make it my goal of four times this week. The things I hate working on: Abs and calves. Both will be the death of me haha. But I will keep working on them. I just want to curse when I do calf and ab exercises lol. I also hope to improve on my jogging skills.

I think I have inspired Josh also. He bought workout shorts and wants to check out the gym with me this week. We'll see! :)

So here's to hoping I continue to make progress this next week!

Thanks for reading! :)

Jen

The First Step of a Long Journey

Well, here it goes!

I have joined a gym with my friend, Kyra in order to lose weight and to get into shape. Here are my stats now. I may or not be posting my before pics now. I will post them at some point, but I don't know if I can do it now. It will be hard enough sharing my stats. I met with a personal trainer today, so here's what they found out.

Current stats:

Height:5'5

Weight: 156

Body fat: 31.1 percent. Yikes!

I have 48 pounds of body fat! Wowza. So I have 108 pounds of muscle. But I'm pretty sure that isn't all good muscle. I don't have the sheet with me, so I can't say exactly what that means. I'll try to clarify later.

Jean size:10-12; Dress size is 12 or 14 (Because of my boobs mostly)

Here are my goals!

My height obviously won't change.

Weight: 135. (Less would be great!)

Body fat: No more than 20%

Jean size: 8. I have never been lower than an 8 in my life, even when I weighed 125 pounds. EDIT: I have not been smaller than a size 8 since my teen years. I'm pretty sure when I made the crossover from girls to women's jeans I was a size 8. That's what I was in high school. My hips are big. But you never know!

So, there you have it. I am sharing my goals with all of you.

Kyra and I will both be working with a personal trainer once a week for awhile, then I think it goes up to two. We'll be doing that part for a year. I will now be held accountable even more now that I am going to a trainer. I think I need the extra push. Although I am scared. But I am sure the results will be well worth it! I just hope I'll still be able to walk after my sessions haha. I will also be going to the gym 3-4 days a week. If I only get to the gym 3 days, my 4th day will be a workout elsewhere.

I will try and update this at least once a week to talk about how my eating has been going as well as my weight. My body fat I may only update once a month or so, as I don't think that will change much every week.

Thanks for reading! :)

Jen