Days 17, 18, 19,20, 21, 22, and 23

Bad news...

Days 17 & 18 done, easily and with tons of energy. Then the weekend came. Bad news.

Went out Friday night for a birthday celebration that ended up being way too fun - like, getting-home-at-3am fun. Combine that with being woken up at 7am on Saturday morning by the loves of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything not even a little extra sleep (I swear I'm being sincere) and I was left with absolutely no motivation or energy to Shred. Enter Saturday night and another get-together at Dana's that brought us home way too late. Still not recovered from Friday, I was pretty much dead to the world. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I decided to take on a pretty big re-decorating project on Sunday too, you know, with all that extra energy.

So no Shredding alllllll weekend. I'm ashamed. I thought I'd hit my second wind but truth be told, I'M BORED!!!!!!!!! I know, I'm a loser. It's only 30 days - the same amount of days that flies by when I'm not working out. The same amount of days that flies by when I'm suckin' up that pizza and ice cream.

Days 21 through 23 have been done though - barely. So I don't know if anyone's reading this or anything but I NEED MOTIVATION! Even if you can't give it to me do ya think you can tell me where I can find it????

Days 15 and 16

Oh my!!! The monumental half-way point and I didn't even write about it. Oh well! Moving on....

Yes, sireeee (or ma'ameeee) I finished my 15th day yesterday. Oh helllllzzzz yeah I did! 15 days STRAIGHT mah homeys (not really sure why I'm all gangsta now but I'm kinda feelin' it). Tried Level 3. Holy toughness. Again, pretty though, but not any tougher than Day 1 at Level 1 so I'm confident I'll be kickin' Level 3's butt by Day 30.

And today. Ahhh, today. Today, also monumental (is monumental too strong a word? mayhaps?), marked the beginning of the 2nd half, the LAST half, of my 30 Day Shred-a-thon. I've decided to switch it up every day and do a different level. Today I did Level 1 again and ROCK IT. Seriously. No joke. I smoked Jillian. No breaks at. all. It was still tough but I did it and it felt oh so good.

I don't know what's going on but I'm feeling pretty re-energized right now. And it feels goooood. I'm going on 5 hours of sleep (a HUGE deprivation for atleast8hoursanight me) and being pretty irritated by someone earlier and I feel grrrrreat! I think I'm back. I was worried for a minute but this is good. I see the end. It's you and me, Ania! It's you and me :).

Days 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Duh-uh-uh-uh-uhne!!!!

Ok, so I haven't been on here in days and I gotta say it's getting tough. Not the work out, that's been tough all along. The monotony of it. The same thing every. single. day. Given I can often have the attention span of a small peanut, this is proving to be the toughest part. So tomorrow I'll move onto Level 3. Not because I'm just that awesome but because if I don't mix it up I just may fail.

'Til tomorrow!

Day 9

I just finished my 9th straight day of the Shred. I'm really tired. It's almost 11pm. We had some friends over tonight so I had some drinks. I need to study for a big test I have on Friday. I want to sleep.

But I did do it. Exhale.

Days 7 & 8

Day 7 - done! BUT...I gotta tell ya I'm getting a little bored. I know it's only 22 minutes start to finish so it's over before I know it but it's me, the girl with an attention span the size of a peanut. It's time to move on...

So ah diiiiid!

Day 8 done! AND I moved right on up to Level 2! OhyesIdid!!!! And I survived to write about it. And it really wasn't much tougher than Level 1 was on that very first day. And I'm kinda hoping I'm sore in the morning cuz I kinda miss that feeling. And I think this Ab workout is going to be waaaay more effective. And I feel shockingly stronger already. And I totally did the pushups on. my. TOES! And I'm kinda sorta pretty proud of myself for actually doing this and sticking to it.

8 days down. 22 days to go.

Yeah, I'm cool ;P.

Days 5 & 6

Days 5 & 6 DONE! Yep, in the middle of working and shopping and Easter I actually did it. This is huge for me.

Not sore but it's still tough. I can TOTALLY see Level 2 in my future. I WILL rock this. I WILL. I WILL!

Day 4

I'm so excited! My 30 Day Shredders Movement recruited a whole 3 members! PLUS me!!! Woot woot! Hey, that's plenty if you ask me :).

So I'm wracking my brain looking for a good way to measure our (imminent) successes at the end of the 30 days. One girl won't reveal her weight, one won't take pictures, and one wants to share even the unnecessary (you know who you are!) :). Soooo, how's this? We set our personal goals and document them for, well, documentation's sake. So here's my goal:

To lose 5 lbs, AT LEAST 2 inches from my belly and thighs, and to tighten up my baby belly. Not sure how realistic the 2 inches is cuz I have no clue about all that but it sounds good so why not!

Now back to my regularly scheduled shredding...

Day 4 done!!!

Awesome. I'm feeling A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Like I-wanna-take-an-after-picture-already awesome. BUT, of course I know it'll look exactly the same so I won't.

I wasn't sore almost at all today so somehow that tricked my mind into thinking the workout would be easier. Uh, nuh-uh. Still tough, my friends. Still tough. But I can feel myself getting stronger. And I can actually see myself maybe even moving up to Level 2. Oh yeah, I said it. I didn't say when. I didn't say it wouldn't be until Day 28. I just said I can see it happening.

This is encouraging, ladies!!! The worst will be behind us SOOOOOONNNNN!!!!

Now get to writin' your goals! Can't wait to read 'em!

Day 3

Day 3 DONE!!!

And unlike the last 2 days, those exclamation points are not put there to emphasize the horrific pain. Dare I say I ACTUALLY THINK I MAY PERHAPS SLIGHTLY FEEL STRONGER?!?!?! Ooooh yeah. Watch yourself Jillian, I'm comin' out!

Aaaand, turns out I'm not alone. Seems a little trend has been started and 2 friends have already started with one (hopefully!) starting as I type. So I'm linking to this post of my Facebook in hopes of recruiting more. 30 Day Shredders UNITE!!! It's 30 days and, like Ania says, it's only 20 minutes. Sounds doable but with the help of some determined friends to keep my rear in check I now KNOW I will do it!

So won't you join us? Come on, Kristie! Only $14.98 at Target! So if we can make this a 30 Day team effort I think we should posts some stats! Starting weights maybe? "Before" pictures? Daily updates? Whatever! But I'm not posting jack until someone says they'll do it with me. If you wanna, just put it in the comments!

Ok! Let's do it to it, people!!!

Wow. I've never tried to start a movement before. Kinda liberating :).

Day 2

Day 2 down! 28 to go!

Ok, so I woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised at the ease I felt in peeling myself from my bed. I felt it but I was ok, I was gooood. The girls got up a little bit earlier than usual so we ate breakfast and decided to get to shreddin'.

Though I'd ususally wait until the girls are asleep to work out I figured I'd try it with them there because I was THAT excited to go on to Day 2 (seriously). (I'm going to go ahead and gush for a sec about how stinkin' cute and caring these girls of mine were, k? K.) As I huffed and puffed, sweated and cursed, Ana and Maddie were by my side with their "matter, Mama?" and "it's ok, Mommy, I'm going to take care of you" as I winced in pain and practically cried out for my own mommy. Ana even rubbed my leg during the lat rows. Yeah I realize this may have traumatized these poor girls but hey, Jillian shows no mercy for anyone! And considering I really could've used that encouragement right then I just let them be.

Within minutes of finishing the workout I was in massive out-of-shape-fat-girl pain. And now, 14 hours later, still in massive out-of-shape-fat-girl pain. To be fair, I'm not in constant pain. Like right now. As I lay here perfectly still. I feel nothing. Nothing at all. So long as I don't move or cough or breathe too deeply I feel nothing at all.

So, Day 2 down. On to tomorrow!

Day 1

About a week or so ago I learned of a Jillian Michaels DVD that promises to reshape and "shred" your body in just 30 days. For only 20 minutes. Results in a month? Only 20 minutes of work? Sold!

Uuuuhhhhh...that's 30 days STRAIGHT. And that's 20 minutes of CONSTANT MOVEMENT. With JILLIAN MICHAELS. H O L Y. C R A P.

I ain't gonna lie. If, at this point, you're wondering how it went given my subtlety, here's a hint. I thought I might actually die. Literally. I had visions of Anthony coming home to find me in a workout coma. My legs were shaking, people. My arms felt like they might fall off if I kept going. I get it, I'm out of shape but sweet Jesus! it's not like I sit on the couch and eat garlic texas toast with cheese on it (uh, yum!) all day long. I AM mobile!

Aaaanyhoo, the positive is that I DID IT! And I'M DOING IT FOR THE 30 DAYS! Oh, that's right. I'm in this to win this! I took my measurements and (get this!) pictures. Hooo yeah. And heeeeck no, they're not getting put on here...unless I really do get totally hot and shredded in 30 days. Then I might just post them just so I can throw some garlic bread (what's my deal??) at them while I point and laugh!

Ok, point is/was.....day 1, DONE!

Day 7: Already off track

No, no. Not with the "diet". With the updates. Remember? I vowed to update 3 times a week. Rememberrrrrrr? I should know better. I wish I was one of those people that actually did the things she said she was going to do all the time. Seriously. I wish I was THAT person. I'm really good friends with THAT person. But THAT person I am not. Life always seems to throw me off course, off my "plan". "If you want to hear God laugh tell Him your plan". No joke!

Anyhoo, back to my regularly scheduled "Fat Tracker" :).

Successes:

1. I successfully got through a Christmas playgroup without overindulging!!! This is big. No, this is HUGE! I can't even begin to describe the amount of food at these things. And it's good food - food made by mamas with little kids that are all about indulging (or at least wanting to impress other mamas with their fabulous recipes!). Like I said, HUGE conquest!
2. I did AWESOME the first 4 days. I stayed right at my target calorie intake of 1200 and can already feel the difference. Since I'm not weighing myself I don't see the numbers but I feel less, shall we say, puffy? Yeah, let's say less puffy.

Ok, so I say I did awesome the first four days not because I fell off the wagon but because days five and six were back to back parties. So I did indulge. BUT I indulged in things like fruit and tortilla chips....and drinks and guacamole. Not the best, but I did write it into my plan.

This is going to be another busy week so wish me luck - 1 playgroup, 2 Christmas parties, and a birthday party. Good luck to me :)!

Day 1: I'm Fat

OK. As previously stated, this is it. I'm hanging out here at rock bottom feelin' all sorry for myself thinking I've never looked or felt so out of shape. I spent the weekend partyin' it up down here but today's a new day. It's a new week and I'm ready to make some changes. I realize I must be completely crazy to try and get my act together right before Christmas. I get that I must be delusional to hop on a diet as we approach countless get-togethers where food is the guest of honor. But I need to do this and I need to do it now.

So today I start a diet. A full-out-count-my-calories-never-actually-done-this-before diet. This is new for me and I'm not sure how either of us will do (me and food) but I NEED TO DO IT. And this is where I'm going to write all about it. This is where I'm going to hold myself accountable.

So here's the plan:

1. Take in between 1300 t0 1500 calories a day with room to "induldge" on party days.
2. Rethink my definition of "induldge". It does NOT have to mean that I eat until I physically, not just figuritively, need to roll out of a party.
3. Do some sort of exercise each day. Even the smallest effort will count!
4. Do NOT weigh myself. Numbers only discourage so instead I'll measure my successes but how I feel and what the heck I can fit into.
5. Find a target pair of pants that I'm dying to get into.
6. Write about my successes and failures at least 3 times a week.

So this is Day 1. And I'm fat. I feel fat. I look fat. My clothes keeping screaming at me "You're fat!!! I don't fit you!!!!" So ok, we go from here. This is where I begin so here I gooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Rock Bottom

This morning I put on one of my husband's sweatshirts as part of my "outfit". My 225 lb, 6'1" husband's sweatshirts. And not in some half-hearted attempt to be comfy either. But rather because almost nothing I own fits me.

I'm here. I'm at rock bottom.

I figure I have two choices. I can either buy clothes that fit or I can lose some of this holiday weight (yeah, I do know we've only had one holiday so far!). And since the ol' budget doesn't exactly allow for a new wardrobe of fat clothes, I guess that leaves me with the latter.

So, I SWEAR, this is it!!!!!

Gimme! Gimme!

Sitting here surfing I found this cool website 5 minutes for mom that has a TON of giveaways.  Who doesn't love free stuff, right?  Aaaand they just so happen to be having a giveaway for True Fit Jeans - you know, those jeans that are made specially for you!  Oh my how happy a mama I would be to finally have a pair of jeans that fit just right.  No more muffin top, no more saggy butt, no more either too big or too tight but never just quite right.  No more!!!!  Can you imagine???

If only for one day...

So my pre-baby pants only fit for one day. Then Christmas came. Sigh....

Hallelujah....

I have just successfully managed to zip up a pair of my pre-baby pants!!!!

It's a Christmas miracle! :)

p.s. Lots & lots of Ana, Maddie, & life updates to come.....

Yep...

I'm still fat. I was looking through my little blog here and came across my vow to lose weight. Sure I've lost some but I'm still not in my pre-baby jeans.

So yep, I'm still fat. Hahaha :).

I have to wear a what????

Labor Day weekend will be our first annual BIG family getaway. It feels like I haven't been away so long that you'd swear we're going to Hawaii. In reality we're just driving 3 hours north to Wisconsin but hey, I'll take it. I've been so excited about this "vacation" since I planned it for us months ago that I've managed to completely dismiss a very minor but very important detail of the trip - I have to wear a swimsuit. Oh. My. God. I have to get my rear into a swimsuit....in front of people...for an entire weekend. What the????

We went swimming at a friend's house a few weeks ago and I did manage to squuuueeeeeeze into an old swimsuit but I was very careful to slither into and out of the pool before anyone had the displeasure of having to actually look at me. Can I do that for 3 straight days? It's doubtful. I will nevertheless try, but it's doubtful I'll be successful. So here it is. Another challenge for me (as I clearly don't have enough challenges these days). I have to get moving on losing this baby weight. The way I see it, Labor Day weekend is just under 6 weeks away and they say that's how long it takes to start seeing the results of regular exercise right? So I have just under 6 weeks to transform my body into something that won't make my family want to swim into the lake never to be seen again.

There's no way anyone will get me to reveal my weight in numbers but I will say this - 2 weeks ago at my post-baby checkup I was about 12lbs from my pre-baby weight. If I could lose 7lbs in 6 weeks I'll be happy and I think our fellow vacationers will thank me for it. Why 7? No idea. Just sounds good. Ok, I have to go. Unfortunately, blogging ain't slimmin' these thighs.