Day 87: EIGHTY-SEVEN!!!

Cardio 3 this morning. Only 1 more time with this one. You may remember I started it a week ahead of schedule because I got bored with cardio 2 which I started early because I got bored with cardio 1.

Well, it bores me now. Not jillian's fault. I just need to change it up. The strategy of turning the volume down and listening to a podcast instead really helps me get through for now. I've decided that having a cardio DVD is important for those weekends when I'm housebound so I just need a new one.

I'm taking the day off from work to chaperone a third grade field trip. It's going to be so fun. Since I have a day job I can't go into the classrooms a bunch like other moms. Field trips are where I make my appearance. This year only 5 parents could come along so it was lucky I got picked.

As for podcasts, I've been listening to the fit 2 fat podcast that Jessica recommended (thanks!). These guys make sense. I'm going to up my calorie allotment to 1800. The trick is going to be having enough healthful food on hand so I'm not snacking on peanut mnms for the last 300 cals.

Anyway, that's a preview of what's coming ahead for me. More later. Have a great day!

Day 82: procrastinating

I have a planned day off work today because I'm leaving for a camping trip/bluegrass festival in a couple of hours.

I did workout 12 earlier this morning. Fourteen wheel pushups per circuit! Then I got the kids all set and off to school, and now I'm procrastinating doing cardio 3. I obviously won't be doing it this weekend so it's now or never. Im not feeling it.

I actually wouldn't mind going back to sleep for an hour.

I haven't had any coffee yet today though. Maybe that's my problem.
*****

Ok, I just did cardio 3. First I checked Facebook and your blogs. Then I made a pot of coffee and didn't drink it. Then I shut my brain off and just turned the stupid DVD player on. Then I found a podcast to listen to and turned the volume up on that and down on Jillian.

Near the end of circuit 1 I was considering turning it off and was thinking maybe half of cardio 3 today and half on Monday could count. Then I realized that I didn't want to go through this again. I focused and blasted it out.

I'm dripping in sweat and headed for the shower. I have coffee waiting for me when I'm out and no more Jillian till Monday! One week to go!

Day 80: so confused

You know when you get messed up about what day it is? Yesterday I thought it was Monday for half the day. This morning when I woke up I was sure it was Tuesday until I saw disc 12 in the DVD player from yesterday. Kind of disappointing since I was looking forward to doing workout 12, but at least we're closer to the weekend.

Thank you, Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. You are better than a calendar.

I did cardio 3 so I'm down to only 3 more times on this disc. It went by fast today. It wasn't till the 2nd circuit that I felt I was really awake. I'm thinking of adding weights next week like I've seen some people are doing.

Last night was wonderful. I had it all to myself. I went to the mall for some power shopping. I got a couple of shorts and shirts. You guys, it was fun trying on clothes. I don't know what it is about those dressing room mirrors, but my abs looked ripped! Yay!

Then I got my hair cut. That always feels good. Then I bought some groceries and went home.

I made myself salmon and broccoli, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, put laundry away, washed sheets, and rearranged the furniture in the living room so now the window is the focal point instead of the fireplace.

New clothes, new hair, new living room. Happy WEDNESDAY!!!!!!

Day 78: Weekend Update

After pictures are starting to roll in on other blogs and I'm so impressed with the successes! I really wish I'd been better about taking measurements and before/after photos. I'll post my pictures in two weeks but you'll have to take my word for it that my muscles are more defined and my waist is smaller than before.

This is a long post so here's the summary: It was a busy weekend. I did my workout on Saturday. Both days I ate most of my calories for breakfast and lunch and had very light dinners. Not the best way to do things, but that's when I was hungry.

Saturday:
I knew this weekend was going to kick into crazy-busy mode starting at noon so I let myself take things slow and easy in the morning. I had a lot to do around the apartment, but instead I made some eggs and stir fried veggies and read my book and generally enjoyed not being busy for a few hours.

Cardio 3: I've done this dvd a bunch of times now and I still have no idea what move is coming next for most of it because of the switches in circuit 2. I like it that way though. I really notice my abs taking on more of the effort during the plank moves that involve jumping, like plank moguls. It feels really good.

Next was off to take one kid to a birthday party and the other to lunch. He really likes wings so I took him to Buffalo Wild Wings. We split some wings and ice cream. I had 8 wings and just a couple bites of the ice cream. It was really great to get to spend some one-on-one time with him.

Next it was time to get the youngest and head off to baseball. Two games in a row, first the younger son and then the older. I was stuffed from my large breakfast and lunch so hunger wasn't an issue, which was nice since we weren't done until about 8:30. I drove the boys straight to their dad's house. I agreed about a month ago to let him have them for Mother's Day this year because he and his friends planned a rock climbing trip with kids. I thought it would be fun for them and poopy for me to say no.

I was sad, but I didn't have much time to wallow in it because I'd told my boyfriend I'd meet him that night at his family's campout. I stopped by home, ate the 5 leftover wings, and got in the car. The drive was about an hour so I cranked up the tunes and sang the whole way.

It was a beautiful night. We sat by the fire and played music for over 3 hours. There were about five guitars, a harmonica, and me on the banjo. A lot of people were drunk by the time I got there so they thought I played great! Haha. I had one beer but kept my hands full with music for the most part.

Sunday:
This was another day where my calories were front-loaded. My boyfriend made me steak, eggs and baked beans for breakfast. It was delicious. We sat by the fire until about noon then left for home. He suggested we stop by that restaurant I mentioned a month or so ago that has the sign proudly announcing that nothing healthy is on the menu.

I said no thanks. Even if it hadn't been a million degrees out, a plate full of grease and a glass full of sugary soda didn't sound appealing. We headed home, had chips and guac (in moderation) and grilled shrimp for lunch. Two glasses of white wine and a nap for dinner. Then I was up until 1:30 reading.

I agreed to stay at his place last night so no workout this morning. I'll take myself home during my lunch break for workout 11. Tonight there's a work function tonight that involves free food and booze. I'm planning on having water. And food, obviously. There are usually some good options at these things.

Day 73: Workout 12 is da shiznit

Love, love, LOVE! I did Workout 12 for the first time last night. It gets the abs working and was really fun. The only thing I don't like  is the super cheesy "chariots of fire" type music at the beginning. It's so over-the-top, but so is our dear Jillian so I guess it works. Workouts 11 and 12 are going to be a great way to finish this thing off.

Workout 12 makes me feel strong. The moves are creative. Challenging, but doable. The really help me see how far I've come in terms of strength and balance. The wheel pushups are so goofy but I like them because, hey, why not go upside-down in a bridge position and then do a pushup? My back will be much more flexible a couple of weeks from now. Or I may be in a full body cast. Stay tuned!

I went to bed at a normal time last night and hit Cardio 3 this morning. Still kind of sleepy today, but I'll make it through. I have quartet practice tonight after work and then I'm off to check out the new Buffalo Wild Wings that just opened. Good luck to me!

Thanks, everyone, for the comments and encouragement. I had a dream that I randomly met all of you in Houston but we couldn't chat for very long because I had to go defend my family from a man riding a moose.

I haven't had much encouragement from people in "real" life so it's been so nice to get it here. My boyfriend doesn't like that I get up early and have to spend every weeknight at my place and none at his. My usual running buddy doesn't get why I don't want to run to exhaustion every day like before. I don't get a lot of flack, but there's enough.

Anyway, thank you.

Cardio 3 and I are friends again

It took me 10 weeks to realize why the cardio dvds are such a drag, but I finally had a breakthrough today. I went home during my lunch break to get in my Cardio 3 since I won't be able to do it this weekend and I have Body Revolution induced OCD which makes me need to get my workouts in one way or another each week or I fear something awful will happen, like weight gain.

It happened right away. The first two seconds of the first move. I was having an awesome time. It was fun. A couple more moves in and I was jumping as high as David (or imagining I was). I had tons of energy the whole entire time.

My theory is that it was because I wasn't doing it at 5:30 in the morning. My evidence is that every time I've done a cardio dvd on the weekend in the afternoon it's been a lot more fun and I've done a lot better with it.

Conclusion - it's not Cardio 3, it's me. Cardio is funner when I'm fully awake.

In other news. I've felt starving for 2 days now. Really, really hungry. I've already eaten all my calories for today and it's 3pm. I tried drinking water and waiting half an hour and eating a piece of fruit and waiting another half an hour, but I'm legit hungry.

In cases like these I feel like the best solution is to just eat. I've given up on worrying about calories now and I'm just going to focus on eating good, clean food and being mindful.

Full disclosure: I was mindful of a couple fun-size MnMs earlier today and I hope to be mindful of at least one glass of wine tonight. Today that's the best I can do.

Day 66: A reality based weigh-in

I've been using an old school scale and have known all along that it's inaccurate. It told me I dropped 5 pounds in phase 1 and I've maintained since then. My pants fit better and my muscles are getting more visible so I didn't worry about it.

But it's gotten annoying to not see any change in the scale at all. I got curious about my body fat percentage and curious about what a real scale might tell me.

I bought a digital scale. Here's what it told me today.

Weight: 130.6 lbs

Body fat: 22%

Water: 56%

This puts me in the "fitness" range according to one of the first sites that popped up when I googled "body fat percentage women." I also learned that in order to get into the athletic range where I'll see a six-pack I need to drop 7lbs of fat.

I'm on it.

Cardio 3 again today. It was ok. I struggle with the cardio DVDs in general just because I get bored. I found myself spacing out a lot and I couldn't remember how far into the circuit I was. I started fantasizing about replacing the cardio DVDs with long runs and biking. I'm proud of my streak of doing the workouts every day, but how much would it really matter if I dropped 1 cardio DVD a week?

Slippery slope, guys. So far I don't plan on changing anything.

Day 63: no rest day

I had so much energy most of yesterday. I did workout 10, ran around the neighborhood with the kids looking at garage sales, went to a tee ball game, cleaned the whole apartment including laundry, had a kid over for a slumber party...

I was pooped by about 8:30. Absolutely knockered. I fell asleep without meaning to and when I woke up at 10:30 the boys were still awake and doing great. I had them get ready for bed and they did with no complaints. They even fell asleep without me having to go in and threaten anyone which is amazing.

I had no trouble falling back asleep. I woke up on my own at about 5:30 and did cardio 3. I had some concerns because once again my butt is sore from workout 10. I've never had a Body Revolution workout make me sore like this twice in a row. But cardio 3 got the muscles warm so for now I feel good.

Today is starting out rainy but I'm still warm so its perfect. Here's the view from my balcony where I'm sitting in shorts and a sports bra cooling down and hoping nobody's looking this direction.

Day 60: Lows and highs

I don't want to go into tons of detail here, but Monday was a traumatic day for me. I cried all night and most of Tuesday. By Wednesday I just felt foggy and exhausted all day. I slept in. I took cardio 3 to my work gym and set it up but I didn't have the energy so I packed up and drove through McDonald's for a burger and a mcflurry instead.

By last night the fog lifted and I got a great night of sleep. This morning I was up with my alarm and feeling better. I just finished cardio 3. My plan is to count yesterday as this week's rest day and just move on.

The good news is that there's a job opening up at work that I'm negotiating to get. It's still early but so far things look good.

My old boss was doing it but quit to stay home with her kids. I took her to coffee on Tuesday morning to get the scoop. It sounds like a perfect fit and more responsibility, autonomy and pay. And room for advancement which is so important to me.

I set up a quick meeting with her boss for this afternoon. He said she had already sung my praises so that's good to hear. I need to update my resume and submit it as soon as possible.

This would be such a great move for me. I need a change of scenery.

I'm so mopey! Let's end on another high note. Even though I ate a ton yesterday, my abs look pretty damn good today. I have a banjo lesson set up for tonight. I finally heard back from my tax preparer that I'm getting a large refund. There, see? Always a bright side.

Day 55: my phase 2 reward

I've been wanting a juicer off and on for years. This week I bought one. This is completely frivolous. I have no problems eating actual veggies. You've seen my breakfast veggie sauté with eggs. I'm thinking that meal will be less appealing as the temperature rises though.

Basically, I wanted it so I bought it.

I also wanted to try chia seeds so I bought those too. They're actually really good. They're small like kiwi seeds but they have an outside bit that expands in liquid so it's kind of like tapioca. That sounds gross but it's good and makes the juice feel more filling.

The Best Weekend Ever is going really well. I went out to Thai food last night and ordered a curry, dumped tons of spicy stuff on it, and ate half. It was delicious.

Then I went to see a burlesque show. It was a fundraiser for a local music event. I had 2 vodka sodas with lime within 3 hours. Low cal, special, and not overboard.

Today I woke up late and went out for breakfast. I genuinely wanted the smallest thing on the menu. It was still a high calorie item: sourdough breakfast sandwich with egg, turkey and cheese. I treated it as brunch, had this juice and a hard boiled egg for my lunch/snack meal, and will finish the curry after I get back from my son"s baseball game in a couple hours.

Tonight I'm going to a bluegrass jam. I may have a glass of wine if I feel like it. Part of this experiment in making good choices is "no guilt allowed." because I'm not eating mindlessly or excessively.

I just finished cardio 3. Man, that first circuit feels like it goes on forever. Still a fun workout.

This juice here has pineapple, melon, carrot, broccoli, apple, and chia seeds. It was hella good, yo.

Day 52: Cardio 3! Yeeeeaaah baby!!

I waited until the last possible minute to decide if I'd do cardio 2 again for my last week of phase 2 or move on early. As you can see by my post title, I moved on and it was a great choice.

There were a couple of reasons. I'm in pretty good cardiovascular shape and I wasn't really feeling it until halfway through cardio 2. My period started yesterday which for me is a good thing because the premenstual blahs are now over. I slept better last night than in several days so I woke up ready to go. Lastly, Meghan encouraged me to go for it when I was thinking about it this weekend. Thanks, Meghan!

What a great workout! Lots of jumping, but lots of floor moves too. My whole body had to get involved. The moves go by quickly so individual muscles don't get worked to exhaustion except on the jump sequence ending in the lunge jumps. Yeah, that's a challenge.

I see myself doing cardio 3 happily for the next month.

Yesterday I was exhausted and depressed almost all day. Luckily baseball practice was cancelled due to rain so I could just stay home and read and hang with the kids. This sports season has been tough. We have practices or games for at least one of the boys 6 days a week. It's too much. I love kid sports, but I love down time too. I don't know how people with more than 2 kids manage it.

I ate further off plan yesterday than any other time during this program but partly because I need to go grocery shopping and do some planning. There are lots of good recipes I want to try starting with Kelly's Greek nachos. Super excited about that for tonight! I'll have a picture for you tomorrow.