Happy New Year !!! and Welcome to Booty Boot Camp :)

 Hello strangers !!! It has been months since my last confession and I could beat myself up about this or just get straight down to business !! So a quick update about last years progress and downfall and then onto bigger better things :)
 Last time I blogged I was down 15 lbs....within months after that going into December I was down 38 lbs. The disaster that is Christmas and winter reared its ugly head and then the 4 K walks were out, too busy for zumba and helloooooooo winter comfort food !!! So sadly I very easily gained 11 pounds back and was starting to feel almost my worst yet. It started with a nasty flu, then weeks later turned into a horrible respiratory infection and then from there a couple weeks later I was told I had impetigo !!! Yes nasty fore head rash....apparently onset by stress and weak immune system...duh !!! This has been one of the most stressful times yet between my dads recline in health and my brief but none the less devastating separation and then the natural gloominess that comes with winter....I was a walking talking Eeyore lol I was starting to get sick of feeling so poopy, and so I have been making all the necessary appointments with all the right docs to start ruling out all my fears....so far diabetes is clear....BIG RELIEF !! Blood work shows low iron and hemoglobin and I have to get more blood work done...yippee !!!
  Last week I saw this posting on my face book wall about aspartame poisoning and it struck a chord...all these years I thought meh...if I get a little head ache here and there but still get to enjoy all the diet pepsi I want then so be it....never knew about all the other affects and boy did it ever describe half the shit that's been happening to me over the last couple years especially !! So I decided then and there it wasn't worth the risk...I want to live a long and healthy life for my family and myself and if that means sayin sayonara to my fav drink then so be it. I was making the choice to have the occasional gingerale or sprite  with meals and enjoy tea and water..blughhhh !!! the rest of the time.
  Then a woman a work reminded me of this diet...now called the military diet but formally known as the recommended meals for patients needing to lose weight in a hurry before a surgery. I figured why not give it a try ?? My ass is in need of a makeover before I even think of stepping foot on a beach in Jamaica and I have only a few months to do it !!
  So heres how it works....for  three days I follow this very strict instruction of meals. Nothing expensive or out there....basic stuff like tuna, cottage cheese, crackers most important a whole lot of water !!! You even get vanilla ice cream every night for dessert :) Apparently these specific things work together chemically to burst your metabolism but you will feel like your starving or so they say....I haven't felt it yet and I am day three thank GOD !!! lol I made it and with no cheats :) Although I did take advantage of the recommendation of sugar free gum between meals since there is NO snacking in between :(  So after the third day you eat normally for four....don't over do it but go ahead and eat some of those things you been missing...for me it will be....almonds, gingerale, a nice home made chicken chow mein with my new general tao sauce...yum !! oh and yogurt with fruits and granola crumble...I was starting to love that for breakfast but lately its toast and egg...although todays breakfast was by far the most interesting....5 saltine crackers, slice of cheddar cheese and apple lol what evs !!! tomorrow is chow down day and I earned it. Must remember to exercise more vigorously on my days off since I will have more energy to do so....luckily for me I already have a day date planned for zumba and a mall walk which is the new 4 k since us girls have decided we still want to walk while keeping our buns toasty :p
 Well there it is.... the run down of my intentions....I know the diet says lose up to ten pounds a week and 40 in a month....but if I can lose 40-50 between now and my trip I will be content with that and work my butt of to keep it going....although whats consumed in Jamaica, stays in Jamaica !!! Less then 24 hours to go and I will have four days to reunite with my long lost carbs...wish me luck peeps !!!

Better late than never

   So since I last blogged there has been some good things and bad things happening here. Maybe I will start with the bad so I can end on a happy note ??
The first being the obvious....I haven't blogged in a very long time...my lying ass was just saying in the last one that I should blog more and for reasons such as it was a good motivator to stay on track and yet here I am a month later. I hadn't even posted my results pic at the end of june and no not because I didn't have good results but purely out of neglect mostly because I have been swamped with work and family fun things to occupy the kids all summer long.
  I haven't been going for the 4k walk nearly as often and since my pup got ill we haven't been doing the walks at home either. I can say with confidence that all the walking and sweating I do at work should make up for the lac there of because nothing gets your heart going and your body dewy like a hundred laps around the over sized sauna I call work. Since Ive been on call and all the lucky full timers have been going on vacation I have doubled my hours pretty much which has been helpful at home since we have had some hefty vet bills, a broken down van, an oven on the fritz and some family outings to dish out for.
   After a month of my pool calling my name I finally went in the other day for fun and not just to vacuum it ! Its such a great place to get a work out while cooling me off.
The to admit it but I have been super neglectful of my vitamins...it hasn't slowed me down from wanting to be on the go but it is a waste of nutrients sitting in my cupboard...I want to try to be more responsible with them but the busier I am the more forgetful I get with stuff like that. I mean coming from a girl who rarely remembers to charge her cell phone for days and then I have angry txts from ppl wondering where the heel Ive been or why I wont return their messages. Im sorry peeps its just me leaving my phone in one of my many purses and then finding it days later when its dead and in desperate need of a good charge.
  I could go on and on about all the shit I didn't do but I think Id much rather get to the good stuff now...not that theres a lot of it. I weighed in at the end of June and had lost another 5 lbs !!! So I am down 15 and hopefully still counting...wont know til end of july which will be here in a flash because this summer is flying by !!! My scrub tops are starting to feel a little roomy and I think it might be time to buy some new under garments because when I walk they start to fall off my butt and I fear the times that I am not in a good place to yank em up and they roll right down to my knees !!! So then I have to rush to a bathroom to adjust myself before they get down to my ankles and trip me lol
   When it comes to food I am still struggling with the healthy choices...I flip flop back and forth so I have good days and totally junk crap days which are usually days when there is a bbq involved because who can choose between a hamburger or hotdog ?? Not I !!! However when I go to the restaurants I still opt for something with veggies, not fried if possible unless it Mcdonalds where everything but their over priced salad is fried !! But most important I still stop when I am full and try not to eat out of boredom or depression.
  I'm looking forward to a zumba class this week...found a place that's flexible and cheap so I will let you all know how it goes !!! Sorry for not checking in often...this summer has me running circles all over the place but I'm keeping busy and I am happy and I guess that's what counts !!!

Blah di dah

  Well its been a while since my last blog and to tell you the truth there isn't much good to report. I feel like I've hit a stale point in this experiment. Since I haven't been blogging regularly I noticed that I have been cheating myself a little more and making lousy excuses like " ahhhh I'll make up for that in tomorrows walk" kind of like I did when I was younger and I would stuff myself at supper and tell my friends..." it's ok...I have dancing " lol ummmm no its not ok !!! Exercise is not an excuse to over eat or eat unhealthy choices....exercise doesn't stop the damage going on inside which will inevitably give me diabetes if I don't watch myself :(
  So why am I breaking bad again ? I am looking at the possibilities and there is a pattern if one looks closely enough. Lets examine .....

1. Though I haven't declared defeat....I am trying to keep a positive outlook on this whole loss of a job posting but having a work schedule meant being on a schedule for other things as well....also meant I wasn't home to binge...I was at work sticking to my pre-planned health nut lunches. Also less money means back to the strict grocery budget and any one who has attempted to cleanse their cupboards will tell ya its far more expensive to eat healthy then to buy bulk junk food....and then we wonder why the world has an obesity problem !!!
2. This weather is enough to make a person down spiral into depression...if this keeps up I'm going to be popping vitamin D pills like tic tacs....bring on the sun already !!! mamma needs a tan and some 80 degree pool water to do laps in !! Honestly I haven't been walking as much in this crap and I still haven't found a fun indoor alternative that I can do and not spend a lot. I'll say it again....I miss zumba !!!
3. I still haven't made my goals list for June. I have an ideal of what needs to be on it but until I actually write it down I wont have the will to accomplish it....don't know why but if its written it will be done....that's how I get my house work done too and it works !!
4. I'm also unhappy to admit that I have some personal burdens on my mind. I wont go into detail but I know that when these feelings creep up on me they become very time consuming....I spend a great deal of the day worrying and then my sleep becomes interrupted as well...I have awful dreams and I wake up pissed off or sad depending on the twisted story line. I know that from past experience when I get these feelings its usually for a good reason...one that reveals itself in time but I am hoping that during this process I will not let myself get so worried that I eat my troubles away....I want to channel this fear and anger into something else that will help me build strength and more confidence....not sure what that is yet but when I think of something I'll  let you all know :)

So there it is..my theory as to why I have lost momentum and even though some of these issues are serious and need to be dealt with and others just rely on the generosity of good old mother nature I cannot use them as an excuse to claim defeat !!! I have to find a way to look past all the distractions and fight for the one true thing...me !!! No one else is going to save me...although encouragement, a fire lit under my ass or even just a swift kick will be welcomed !! I need to work on that goal list...maybe accomplishing some things that are important to me will give me the boost I need to get back on track.
Now as of today I am going to try to get through the week without any junk food, no skipping vitamins, and start that list !!! I am also going to try and blog a bit more because when I am out of touch with it I feel like I am not obligated to keep my promises but if I know that any screw up I make I will be truthfully updating on here then I will be encouraged to only want good things to say and not just cry about how I tripped and fell into a box of drumsticks and then climbed out on bag of licorice....hehehe oops !!!

Times up !!!

BEFORE ~ May 2012

 AFTER ~ May 2012

Well here it is...the moment I have been building up to. My one month mark is over and the jury is in !! So heres where things stand....

In the last four weeks I fell off the wagon once...it was a biggie and the only person I was hurting was myself so note to self....need to practice better self control at buffets...will keep that in mind for my next trip to the all you can eat death trap :)
I missed four of my daily vitamin and green tea doses and honestly the times I didnt take them I noticed the difference. The green tea is the kicker...it gives me energy and keeps me regular so Im not keeping all the toxic crap in my body...mind you a variety of fruits and veggies will do the same but that green burns everything quicker. At least that has been my experience with them.
My weekly walks have been litterally a breath of fresh air !! I try to go every day some times twice a day to make up for days i couldnt go but even then those have been days when I worked and did plenty of rounds there too !!! I havent gotten into the groove of doing much zumba at home lately but it was so much more fun going to a class....its sadly not the same from the comfort of my living room where i could stop if i got tired, run for the phone if it rang and have dogs and kids to trip over in the process. Hopefully some day my finances will allow me to attend the class again on a regular basis....and maybe by then i will have someone to join me ?? I am still using weights during tv time...not as often as id like to but thats because tv time usually means code for folding 10 baskets of laundry so my hands are keeping busy in other ways...not as progressful as the weights would be so must try to do that more.
I am still balancing the meals....eating way more fruit then I ever did. Making smoothies almost every morning has kept me committed to having a breakfast and they are actually really filling...and since i have started getting creative with them they are super tasty too !! I'm still eating take out a couple times a week but I am getting the healthier choices and I STOP when i feel full....no matter how yummy it is !!!
Still have a good handle on the pop...only drinking twice a day, watered down with ice and with my meals but I make sure water is my main liquid...with lemons is the best !!
I feel like since the walking started I am getting better sleep at night...most important...I dont feel like Im having as hard a time breathing when I lay down so maybe my chins are starting to loosen their kunfu grip on me :)
The most exciting part of this process was when I tried the scrub on a week ago and it fit me comfortably again...i knew that meant id' lost in the waist area because thats where she was ready to bust weeks ago when i tried it on !!!
Today was the best reward of all !!! I cannot tell a lie...when I started this I was wearing 3X clothes and anywhere from 22-24. Today I went and bought some sun dresses...I knew which ones I wanted because i had tried them on last week so i went straight for them today and of course the size 20 i tried on last week was gone :( for fun i tried on the x-lg ( 16-18) and sure as shit it fit !!! Of course i had to buy it !!! I have not worn an outfit that didnt have a two in front of the dbl digit in years !!!! I wanted to cry....tears of joy of course :) but then i remembered my weird theory of how they have cams in the wal mart change rooms and how some pervy excuse for a security guard was probably sitting there watching and wondering why i was blubbering all over their precious merchandise and decided to fight back the water works but seriously I was so happy :)
Yesterday I stepped onto the scale for my final weigh in of the month and heres the scoop....
For the last five years i have been bouncing back and fourth between the 265 and 270 mark. My highest was a humiliating 273 lbs...almost twice the weight i should be :(
When I started the revival i was 265 lbs. I had hopes of losing anything at that point...but 10 lbs would have sufficed for me since i was told that the slower you lose it the better chances you have of it coming off and staying off and toning the excess skin at the same time. When i weighed myself two weeks ago I was at 258 lbs...so I'd lost 7 lbs and i was content with that...it gave me the incentive to go on. Yesterday I weighed in at 255 !!!!! I did it !! I lost the ten pounds I'd hoped for and although it doesnt seem like alot it feels like a foot in the door and thats good enough for me ! Trying to figure out where I lost it is like looking for a needle in a hay stack...lol The scale says I'm lighter...the clothes sizes are coming down but my arms still have wings, and the kangaroo pouch is still there. I think the walking is toning my legs and my waste is starting to make a grand appearance but other than that it still looks like me....not that its a bad thing. I know I am not going to be bikini worthy any time soon nor would I want to be but as long as I get to healthy and happy and out of the plus sizes I will have accomplished my goal.
So hopefully June is even better !! Just in time for swim suit shopping ;) That will be my next reward !!
Thank you everyone for reading, keeping me going and being so supportive. Thanks to my girls for walking with me and giving me a reason to be up and out in the morning !! Thanks to my family for putting up with all the different food changes, new recipes and portion controls. You will thank me for that one day :)

Thats a wrap !!!

 

 

  I have been wanting to blog about this for a while but before I could I thought I should do my homework on the subject so I could give my most informative opinion.

I first discovered the body wrap when I noticed friends of mine on face book liking the page...at least several times a day I would scroll down the time line and see more and more of them getting excited about this product. Then to my surprise I learnt that a girlfriend of mine is now a representative for the company and is just starting to form her client base. Curious as I am about it I asked if she would be willing to do an introductory party for my friends and I and she accepted !!! However I am not so sure all my friends are as gung ho about diving into this unknown territory as I am. Especially since we live in a world where every dollar is precious and who wants to waste any on yet another weight loss scam ??? Well me neither !! So here it is.. my research on the "It works" products...the good the bad and the ugly.....

First off the product that took my interest are the body wraps so lets tackle those first !!

They come individually wrapped and ready to go. Thier purpose is to tighten, tone, and firm the body while detoxifying all within hours of application and continues to work up to 72 hours after. They reduce the appearance of cellulite and varicose veins and give a younger apperance with improved skin texture and tightness. How does it do this you wonder ?? It pulls the toxins out of your fat cells, and then, over the seventy two hours the product needs to complete its cycle, it goes deeper and deeper into your tissues so your fat cells start to shrink. It will not get rid of water weight as most of you have made that mistake in thinking but drinking water is crucial for it to work as the less toxic your body is the faster the wrap can work with visibal results !!!It's not a substitute for diet and exercise !!! Obviously you need to nurture the body changes with a balanced life style to maintain progress. It's not something that will make you lose weight over night...there is no such miracle other than liposuction !!! It is NOT fda approved and has different results for different poeple depending on if used correctly, how often, your habbits and how much toxins are in your body to boot. Some have lost up to ten inches on just one application....so in some cases it may be just the quick fix you need to squeeze into that little dress before a special occasion. No matter what your reason....if it works for you its money well spent and you will feel like a million bucks !!!

 So from the facts i have gathered here is your best shot at making this work for you...

1.  Drink lots of water before and after every application....keep your body cleansed and well hydrated !!!
2. Do NOT put more than one wrap on at one time...for example...face and tummy....this tends to cause nausea in most.
3. Before applying...scrub desired area down with a rough brush or loofa to get dead skin off and wipe down with warm towel to really open pores for better absorbtion.
4. On very first application do not exceed 45 minutes just to rule out any skin irritation as most products like hair dye and nair warn also.
5. Try holding wrap in place with clear wrap or tight clothing and once skin irritation is ruled out, sleeping with the wrap on is a preffered option to most.

The other products the company has to offer seem just as useful...who doesnt want to banish their stretch marks ?? Or at the very least lighten and tighten them up !! So the defining gel is something worth looking into if thats an issue for you. The Advanced Formula Fat Fighter with Carb Inhibitor pills are handy for those of us who like to raid the pantry hours after a nice big meal. You take it immediately after and will feel full longer from your meal and not have that urge to binge later.

 

So anyway...its seems like alot of info to take in and many will be skeptical as most should be. As for myself...I am going to burn the $25 just to try it. I will post results with pics and if it works like i am hoping it will then I will go ahead with the party so you can all see for yourselves if you want. If i get the results I want, I will not hesitate to become a preferred customer and save myself the extra money by getting the three month package.

Tomorrow I will be announcing my weight loss for the month of May !!!!! I stuck to my guns and weighed myself twice since my journey began. Once two weeks in and once again two later. I'm excited to do the next blog...I have worked hard, I have cheated a little as I knew I would but I never lost hope and I havent felt this optimistic in a long time :)

Hope I was able to answer any lingering concerns you may have had about the wraps...I am so curious as to wether this product will work for me and look forward to watching the inches come off and turning that cottage cheese into maybe a more firm type of provolone....and yes i just compared my gut to a very stinky dairy product and now whenever you eat either you will think of me and my unwanted belly fat :p

 

 

 

 



Sweat'n to the oldies

 For me theres no better better work out than pulling a double at the nursing home. It all started Saturday eveing when I was asked to work the morning shift for Sunday even though I was already on the schedule to work the same evening. I thought...meh more money and I'm helping out...had no plans for the day so why not ???
 Well, pulling a double is hard enough without having worked the night before. Especially when your not the type to turn in early as I am not !! But Saturday night when i got home I forced myself to get in bed before midnight...which wasnt all that hard since I was getting a migraine at just the thought of waking up at 4:30 !!
 Sunday morning I jumped outta bed at 4:45 with the suspicious feeling that I would be late. I grabbed one of my favorite scrub tops that i had tried on two weeks ago and peeled off immediately because it was too snug !!! However this particular morning i decided to try it again and HOLY MOTHER !!!! It fit !!! My first sign that this healthy reboot is actually working. Mind you I wasnt drowning in it but I knew I could get through the day without a button popping off or a tear in an attempt to sit down. So this was a mood changer, I was suddenly feeling very optimistic about my day. I pranced down the stairs and started bringing my morning shake to life....decided I would drink it at work with my morning smoke. I packed an insanely healthy days worth of food...lets see...my goody bag consisted of...

• first morning break- bran muffin and some plain almonds
• lunch- southwest salad, grapes and blueberries
• pre-supper snack- sugar free jello and lemon water
• supper- chicken ceasar salad..HOLD the BACON, small piece if blue berry pie no crust.

for the finale I splurged and packed myself a small ziploc of jalepeno chips. But i dont care...i love those chips and I dont want to give them up completely so a couple times a week I eat a handfull :) Most important I made sure to drink  ton of water...citrus infused of course but it kept me hydrated all day !!

So back to the sweating part....if only i had a pedometer, I would have loved to know how many steps these tootsies took yesterday !! I knew it was taking a toll on me cause I could feel the burning in my hips and by the end of the night I put the dew in mountain dew :s butt I dont regret it...yeah I was tired and maybe a bit delirious by the end but it was for a good cause and it gave me a run for my money. Do I want to do it again any time soon....probably not...especially if Ive worked the night before...thats the killer part. I am happy though that I was able to put those scrubs to use again...this hopefully means that at my end of month weigh in I will have something to smile about and maybe a reason to celebrate and buy a new scrub !!!

One step at a time

Well, I am happy to announce that I have been sticking to my guns about walking as much as possible. Some days I don't get the chance to go but then I'm usually working those days or doing a massive grocery spree which means I am still on the go !!! My weekly walks at Merritt Island with the girls has been very encouraging and therapeutic. There is something very refreshing about a nice 4 km walk with a serene setting and a couple gal pals to keep you going. The conversations flow, the fresh air relaxes me and my shoes thank god !! keep my tootsies from crumbling beneath me. Gotta love those squishee bottom soles...its like walking on sponges :) I have to admit the first time I did it my legs felt like jello and my hips wont lie...they were killing me !!!! There is still some discomfort but the walk feels shorter and shorter every time and I'm not looking for land marks to keep track of how much further before its over. Now I hardly notice anything except the beautiful scenery and those weird wooden monuments which I'm thinking at some point were play structures but now are old and creepy and kinda look like they belong in Mr. Grey's red room of pain !!! If you haven't read fifty shades then you have no clue what I'm referring to and you also are missing out on a great book !!
Looking back on this weeks meal choices I'd have to say I did pretty good. Almost every morning I have started my day off with a shake, courtesy of my magic bullet. My lunches have been light but satisfying and I finish it off with my horse pills...which is code for vitamins. Suppers have been tasty but healthy. My mango grilled chili chicken was spicy but good, the chicken and penne was a hit with the whole family and I even convinced them that from now on, quesadilla night will consist of one each and a hearty side of veggies...no more chicken a la cart over here...saves money and arteries !!!
My new favorite dessert is no longer a drum stick. Gil is happy about this because now he gets them all to his self lol I have a Edy's outshine fruit bar instead and they are actually really yummy...my favorite is coconut. They are only 40 calories and have real fruit chunks in them. This week I will be trying a few more recipes. I have steak fajitas, grilled chicken burgers with pico de galo and grilled veggie wraps on the menu. Hopefully the family will be on board. I have informed my hubby that with the nice weather here and my new interest for healthier foods we will no longer be putting shepherds pie, meat pie and gravy slathered hot hamburgers on the meal plan. I'd like to barb q more and keep the foreman alive and they can save the deep frying for when Im not around cause the smell of it just nauseates me.
I want to take this time to thank my family and friends for all their support. You have all played a part in the transformation. I am happy to report that I do feel much better and it can only get better from here on if I continue this path. I have yet to accomplish everything that I am striving for. I haven't even made my goal check list. I finally bought a note book to keep track of them and I will be starting that for June. I'm going to focus on keeping them realistic and small so I don't set myself up for disappointment and as I go I will try to make them more challenging and see how much I can accomplish each month.
So that's it for now, baby steps can go a long way...hopefully soon it will be leaps and bounds !!!
.