Pictures

June 9, 2011

September 16, 2011

June 9, 2011

September 16, 2011

June 9, 2011

September 16, 2011

I wanted to update my new measurements with new pictures, too!  It was a little overcast today so the brightness of the pictures are different and it's a little hard to see details like the first ones.  I wore the same pants and was going to wear the same shirt but decided that it wasn't that big of a deal.  The pictures don't "scream" change, but I can see overall results!

Today I didn't work and I wasn't going to make a special trip to S.C. just to go to the gym.  I decided I wanted to dig my bike out and go for a bike ride.  My initial intentions were to ride my bike to Mapleton (6-7 miles) and meet my friend, Kylee, to go for a walk, then ride my bike back home.  Well, the walk wasn't going to workout and I was initially bummed because I really wanted to try to make it to Mapleton, but I decided that I'd go for a bike ride anyways.  I called up my friend, Mindi, to see what she was up to.  She was going to be around... now I have a "reason" to go to Mapleton!  I got my bike out and the tires were really low.  Probably because it hadn't been touched in at least a year.  I got Jeremy to air them up... since I don't really know how to make the air compressor run.  I dug my helmet out and spent about a half hour adjusting it to make sure it fit right.  I downloaded a couple songs and made a little play list of my current favorites.  I grabbed my cell and a little cash just in case I needed to stop for something to drink when I arrived.  I was finally on my way!  I rode a couple blocks and had to stop to adjust my seat height.  By the way, my legs are still sore from Wednesday!  I'm not sure if it's from the Group Power class or riding the bike at the gym so much... probably a combination of the two.  It was pretty chilly out today but I wore a hoodie and was pretty comfortable.  I got about a mile or so outside of town and stopped because I wanted to adjust the seat height again.  Something just didn't feel right.  I thought the seat had been slipping down or something.  When I stopped, I realized what I thought I had noticed before... my back tire was pretty low again.  I don't know if it just didn't get aired up enough, there was a leak, or the temperature outside was causing it to go down.  Whatever reason it was I knew I wasn't going to make it to Mapleton and headed back to Danbury.  The way back was worse I think.  The wind was coming at me from my right side and was blowing my pants into my chain, I felt like the wind picked up, my legs were burning, and I was nervous about the status of my tire.  I made it home but was a little bummed that I didn't get to go further.  In hindsight, it's probably a good thing because I'm not sure if I would have made the whole trip.  I think that it's going to have to be something I work up to... or try on a more temperate day.  I was still out riding for about a half hour, though! ...I should measure my trip because it must be more than a mile out of town.  I can't imagine that I only rode 2 miles in a half hour.

This weekend I have to work and it's also my birthday on Sunday!  I'm not sure what I will get in for workouts this weekend.  I could go to the gym tomorrow morning but I don't really want to have to make two trips to and from Sioux City.  Sunday I could go before work but I think I want to spend as much time at home with everyone before I have to go to work.  I really should do something this weekend since I have to weigh in on Monday.  I'm trying really hard to get as close as I can to a 4-5 lb loss.  We'll see what happens!

Feelin' the Burn

Yesterday, I went to Group Power, one of the classes the Y has.  My friend, Jodi, is the instructor for it so I thought it'd be a good one to go to.  Plus, I was thinking I should start incorporating weights into my schedule and I'm not super comfortable hanging in the weight lifting equipment area yet.  I don't know why, I didn't have a problem at the Rec Center but I feel kinda self conscious at the Y.  I also think that in my limited time I would rather get in as much cardio as possible.  I know that building muscle helps with weight loss, too, that's why I thought I should start going to the Group Power class, when I can.  Yesterday, at the class, I thought most of it was pretty easy and that I should add more weight next time... aside from the shoulder exercises!... I definitely felt the burn there!  After class I did a little on the bike- crushed my previous personal best time on one of the 1 mile courses by 9 seconds.  It doesn't really seem like much but I was pretty worn out from the class and the first bike course I did, so, I was pretty pumped.  After that, I did about 20 minutes on the elliptical.  I decided that since I hadn't had lunch yet I would treat myself to Sushi.  I haven't been to this place before and have been wanting to try it.  I got salmon and it was delicious!!  I was WAY under my points yesterday, but I didn't feel deprived at all.  Although, I did come home from work and have some cake that was left over from the girls birthday... still under daily points though.  This morning I'm feeling the burn from yesterday.  The tops of my thighs are burning and my shoulders are sore.  It's a good burn though! :)

I decided to take measurements again.  The last time I did was the first part of June, before I started the 30DS.  I will have to take pictures again like I did then.  But for now, here are the measurements:

Rt arm: 18 1/2" (-1")
Lt arm: 17 3/4" (-3/4")
Rt Thigh: 31" (0)
Lt Thigh: 31" (0)
Rt Calf: 19 1/2" (-3/4")
Lt Calf: 19" (-1)
Chest: 55 3/4" (-2 1/2")
Upper Waist (smallest): 48 3/4" (-5 1/4")
Lower Waist (at belly button): 57" (-2 1/4")
Hips (biggest part): 50" (-3/4")
Symphysis to Sternum: 27"

I'm pretty excited about the loss!  The first one I did was my right arm and I thought, I couldn't have lost 1" on my arm?!  I put the tape measure to the previous measurement and looked at what it was... that's pretty awesome to be able to visualize the progress!  The best was the chest measurement!  I put the tape out to the previous measurement and can not imagine that just a few months ago my chest was that much bigger!  Now, the upper waist measurement I was confused by.  I'm not exactly sure where I measured last time because I just can't imagine that I've lost over 5" in that area!  Just so I'm clear next time, this time I measured in the area a couple inches under my bra line.  I also wanted to make sure I noted that I did all measurements standing and when doing the legs I put my weight on that leg.  I read somewhere that that is how you are supposed to measure your legs.  Oh, and I took my chest measurement with a bra on.  I also added a measurement.  Once before I took this measurement and I hope I can find it because I would love to see how it has changed.  This measurement is something I may have made up but since I have such a big belly, I figured it'd be a good way to measure how it's shrinking.  This measurement is from my symphysis, following my skin all the way to my sternum.  It's pretty much the same measurement they do when you are pregnant and they measure your uterus... only I'm measuring my belly.  I will have to take some pictures, too!  I have noticed the T-shirts I wear are a lot looser, which makes me smile! :)  I guess now I know why!  I've lost 2 1/2" in my chest and 2 1/4" in my waist! 

YMCA!

So, I joined the gym last Tuesday!  It has been a great week of working out.  I got up (really) early Tuesday morning so I could join and workout before I had to go to work.  I got there at about 6:15am and was all signed up in about 15 minutes.  He was pretty shocked when I walked in that early and wanted to join... he said it was the earliest he has ever started someone!  I jumped right in and started on the elliptical.  It took me a few minutes to figure out the TV thing but I think I about have it mastered now.  After I did about 25 minutes or so on the elliptical, I went on the treadmill for 10-15 minutes... I had to start getting ready to go to work.  I felt pretty good the rest of the day, but I was tired.  I'm not used to getting up at 4:45am!  The next day I went after work and started a new thing, the Expresso Bike!  I really like this thing!  It's a stationary bike that is very similar to a real bike.  The handlebars move and it's hooked up to a system that you can go through and ride paths.  As you go up hills the resistance gets harder and you have to turn around corners, just like you would a real bike.  The first day I signed in as a guest but the next day I decided to make an account.  I have done it three times now and it is so fun!  It keeps track of your times and the next time you do that trail you can race against your best time.  It really helps to make me go fast and work hard!  I am usually sweating about 2 minutes in... the first day I forgot a towel and the sweat ran down my face and over my nose, as I breathed out the sweat would go flying... lol!  Saturday, I took the kids.  Since Brayden is in Kindergarten he actually has to have a membership to go into the youth center (where the older kids go to hang out.)  I did the math and it's cheaper to just get him a day pass when he goes instead of getting a family membership.  The girls went to the child watch room.  I actually expected a little bit of whining when they realized I was leaving but I think as soon as they saw the other kids and all the toys, they completely forgot I existed! haha!  They were off and having fun, so, I took Brayden over to the youth center, which is just next door.  That room has tons of fun things for kids his age to do and he went right to the Foosball table to play.  I went off and started with the bike for 30 min, then the elliptical for 30 min, then went to the pool!  I was pretty excited to do the lap swimming.  I think I only swam 1 time this summer that I can remember and it was a couple weeks ago in a friends pool.  I love swimming!  I remember one summer when I was a kid I went to the pool every single day.  I have never really lap swam before but it was pretty nice.  There were a few others swimming, too.  I had to stop after each lap, but I was OK with that.  I tried to make my breaks only a few seconds or so.  The weirdest part was that I think I was sweating.  I'm not sure if I've ever really sweat in a pool before.  Maybe it was just leftover from before, I don't know.  I did learn a very important lesson though.  I did not have goggles and I opened my eyes a lot under water so I could make sure I was going straight.  When I left my vision was so blurry.  We went in the morning and the rest of the day my vision was blurry and I felt very strange, almost sick.  We went to Wal-mart right after the Y to get a few things and I bought some goggles.

During the week, I was pretty upset about what was going on with my body.  I knew how much I was working out and I was doing a decent job at tracking my foods, but I went and did a quick scale check in MRI and I had actually GAINED a couple pounds!  I could not figure it out!  I spent the next couple days with that on my mind thinking that it was crazy and impossible.  Finally, it occurred to me that I had forgotten a few things that I had not been tracking.  I hadn't been tracking my fluids!  I usually don't have to worry about tracking my fluids because I usually only drink water or diet pop.  The beginning of the week I bought some TruMoo, the chocolate milk that is supposed to be a lot better and less sugar than the regular chocolate milk.  I wanted to try it and I occasionally buy chocolate milk as a treat for the kids.  We always half it with regular milk, so it's not as thick and it also makes it last longer.  I also had read that chocolate milk is a good thing to drink after a workout.  In 2-3 days I had been drinking milk and not tracking it at all.  I also had had some ice cream one night and failed to track it and one day I had a handful of M&M's.  I thought I had been doing so well and had blanked out all the foods that were holding me back.  I had used up all of my "free" points for the week in a matter of 2-3 days!  I made sure to pay extra close attention to tracking everything the rest of the week.  I also decided to track my activity and earned 58 points in the gym!  That doesn't include my work yesterday of throwing hay bales yesterday while we baled hay.

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited to see, today, what my weeks work has done!
*Update*  I'm down 4.4 lbs.  I'm pretty happy considering last week I was sitting at a gain!... and I weighed in jeans.  4.4 lbs in two weeks is pretty awesome. :)  Although, I hope I can lose about that this week.

Wedding Countdown

4 weeks 6 days until the wedding that I am going to be in!  To reach my goal, I'd like to lose about 17 lbs by then.  I am pretty motivated, so I think it's possible!  Actually, I don't really know where I sit right now with my weight because I weigh in on Monday's.  (I do sneak in a few weigh-in's now and then in MRI but since the scales are about 5 lbs different it makes it hard.)  Since it was last weeks weight (316.4), if you do the math, I only have to lose about 3 lbs a week... I can do that!  I just REALLY want to be under 300 lbs by then.  It's every really heavy person's goal to get to change that first number of you're weight and I hope that I can do it twice!

I think this week I am going to join the YMCA in South Sioux City.  A couple weeks ago I did a little tour and it's a really nice place.  I worked at the Y when it was downtown and liked going there, so, I've always been drawn to they Y.  I have been thinking for quite awhile that I want to join but didn't know if I'd use the membership enough to make it worthwhile.  Luckily, they Y gives discounts to Mercy employees so I get $7 off my monthly membership and they waive the joining fee... which is really nice.  My goal is to be able to go before work when I work 3-11's and before/after work (depending on Jeremy's work schedule) when I work 8-4's.  I want to take advantage of some of they group classes they have to offer... my friend, Jodi, is a teacher for one of the classes so I'll probably check out that class.  I have been dying to swim recently so I think I'm going to do some swimming in the lap pool, too.  Oh!  They have treadmill's, elliptical's, and bike's with TV's built right into the machine!  I know, I know... this is probably old technology but I think it's really neat!  The rec center I used to go to didn't have that stuff!  An awesome thing they have that was hard with the rec center is they have a child watch!  So, I'm thinking on Saturday mornings when Jeremy is sleeping from work and we need something to do to make sure the house is quite for him... we can to to the gym!  I just have to decide when I'm going to join.  I think I might join this week.  I really think going to the gym will help me in a lot of ways.  Besides helping me reach my fitness goals, I think it would help me relieve a lot of stress.  I always feel better after going to the gym.  It's a combination of a feeling of accomplishment and also the time to myself to just be able to think is great.  I get a lot of thinking time in my car but it's not the same, I don't think.  So, possibly, Tuesday I will have an update about my first morning at the gym! :)

You may have noticed that I changed my beginning weight.  I decided to do that because the weight I had as my beginning weight was the weight I was at when I started this blog, which was the weight I was at at the beginning of the weight loss challenge I was in.  My heaviest weight was about 360 lbs (maybe even over that.)  I have always used that weight as my heaviest weight so, I decided to change it on here.  Actually, when I was pregnant with the twins I was heavier than 360lbs... I have no idea how much though because after I couldn't get weighed on the regular scale in the room and had to be walked to a different scale (one that had to have weights added on to make it accurate...how embarrassing!) I stopped paying as close attention to remembering... basically I blocked it all out of my mind because it was horrible.  I don't think it was much over 360 lbs, though.  I always figured when I got to my goal weight I would ask.

Reality Check

Hey everyone!

I've been working (somewhat) hard.  I got into a little slump of not tracking my foods or keeping track of points.  I did manage to get down to 319 lbs, which I was pretty excited about!  Then the two weeks following I gained back 3 lbs!  I was so disappointed but it was a good thing because it zapped me back into reality.  I DO have to keep track of what I eat and I DO have to start exercising more.  So, this week, my friend, Kylee, and I have gotten together a few days and worked out.  I feel so good about this week!  I have been keeping track of what I eat and tracking my points.  I did go over my points last night when I made a stop thru the Taco Bell drive-thru.  I realized that I hadn't eaten much that would stick with me and I hadn't used my points.  I think that the deprivation lead to my intense craving.  So, I'm going to make sure I get in satisfying foods during the day to make sure I don't cave later. 

I did jump on the scale here at work in MRI.  I know that scale weights about 4 lbs lighter than the WW scale so I try to take that into consideration but I'm really excited about what my efforts have done in just a few days.  I'm not telling the results until Monday.  I want to make sure it's real! haha

Yesterday, Kylee and I tried some yoga poses.  It was pretty hysterical!  We were falling and looking at the magazine page like it was impossible the pose it was trying to instruct us to do.  We did do (kinda) it though and decided we should start doing Yoga more often.

I have been tossing around the idea of joining the Y.  I think that I could benefit from the gym.  I am going to do a month to month pay so if after awhile it doesn't work for me I don't get stuck paying/wasting the whole year.  I went on a tour and I'm excited about the equipment that have TV's!  That is new to me and I'm pretty pumped!  I'm also excited for the variety of classes and the swimming! 

One thing pushing me (still) is the upcoming wedding I'm in!  I went and tried on my dress and I'm actually excited about how it looks on me!  I was a little worried but I think it's pretty flattering.  I have 6 weeks until the wedding and I'd still like to loose about 20 lbs.  I know that is a pretty big goal but I think if I stay on track and start working out it is achievable.  The next goal is VEGAS!!!  We are going to Las Vegas in November and I'd like to loose about 35 lbs or so before then.  These are pretty big goals but I know if I work hard I can do it! 

30 Day Shred (Week 3)

So, this week of the 30DS challenge has been... I don't want to say completely failed but ... I think I only did it 3 days.  BUT!  I did do some sort of workout everyday.  I am proud of the fact that this challenge has pushed me in the right direction of working out daily.  For Pete's sake, I got up at 5:30am 3 days in a row!  That is one thing that I've never been able to do... get up early in the morning to workout.  I always hit the snooze.  I felt energized at work after an early morning workout, too!  I also don't feel so pressured in the evening after the kids have gone to bed to have to get in a workout.  Usually, by that time I am exhausted and ready for bed.

After my workout in the gym, yesterday. (sweaty!)

Last week, the other girls doing the shred decided that this week we'd post a picture of what we'd like to fit into.  I don't know why, but my goal clothes are usually a pair of jeans.  Someday, I'm sure it will be a cute dress...I guess if you count the dress for the wedding that I am working to fit into, I am now!  Anyways, I immediately thought of an old pair of jeans in my closet.  I have a pair of jeans in the next 3 sizes down in my closet... excited to fit into, soon! -At least one of those still has the tags on them.  So, last week I dug into my closet and put on a pair of jeans... a pair that is actually two sizes down from what I'm currently wearing.  They zipped a little and didn't button shut.  I got them back out to try on again so I could take a picture wearing them.  I pulled them on, and with a little work -lol- got them buttoned and zipped.  The don't (obviously) fit well, but I can't believe that I was a size 28 not that long ago and those jeans are a size 22.  I think I'm going to keep up with posting my goal clothes... it's kinda fun!  I wore my swimsuit under so I'd be sure everything was covered while showing off the jeans.  Also, I didn't have anyone to take the picture (except Brayden and I tried it and it didn't work- haha)  so, I had to set the timer on my camera and set the camera on the counter, that's why it looks a little funny.  I have a ways to go before I'd wear them in public but... it's not jeans weather anyways!  Maybe by the time it is they won't fit! ...as in too big! :)

Size 22 jeans that *almost* fit! 

Yoga

I just put in my yoga meltdown with jillian michaels dvd and ... I think it's a little advanced for me.  I attempted it though and made it through the first 9 minutes.  A few of the things I could do... kinda.  The majority of it though was basically impossible.  I will try it again another time... maybe after I've lost some more weight.  I will continue to do the 30DS as much as possible.  Tonight, I'm going to go to bed... I'm getting up early again to go to the gym.  I think one good thing about this challenge is that it gets me thinking about exercise.  A month ago I wasn't doing anything.  Now I do some sort of workout everyday!  Even if I don't do the 30DS everyday, I feel good because I've done something.  I decided to start tracking activity points with W.W.  I am going to make it a goal to earn 100 activity points.  They are based on your weight and right now the 30DS DVD gets me 10 points.  I hope with all of the extra activity this week I can reach 319 lbs at my next weigh-in. 

This morning I got up at 5:30 and went to the gym.  All of the High School football players were in there lifting weights.... I guess they could have been baseball players... idk.  Anyhow, I was going to go with a friend but she slept in.  I stayed and jumped on the elliptical for 25 minutes.  I was a sweaty mess when I was done but felt good!  I also felt like I was in a good mood all day long... added bonus! :) 
 

Water

The majority of girls also doing the 30DS challenge have a goal of drinking more water.  I have to say that I am a great water drinker!  ...as long as I'm at work!  I have a mug that I believe is 32 oz.  I drank 3 of them today!  ...and I was in the bathroom about 100 times! lol  A good thing about water is that it is good to drink when I otherwise might have the munchies.  I get flavored drink powder to mix in with it.  I could drink water plain just fine but the flavor is good.  One thing that happened that I didn't even really realize (which is odd) is that I am drinking a lot less pop!  I was getting really addicted to it, too.  And I was drinking the full flavor stuff!  I would fill my mug from work with fountain pop from the cafeteria a few times a day!  I got the mug for giving a donation through work and as a "reward" was able to get 25cent refills.  I still can but I choose to drink the water instead- YAY ME!  I do have to say though, that I drink a lot less water at home.  Lately, I've been drinking more because I usually drink a big glass after I workout and Jeremy put a water pitcher in the fridge so we have cold water... which helps us all to drink more water!  I am also proud that my kids are great water drinkers!  They will drink water over other things often... although, they do love their Juicy Juice once in awhile. :) ...and of course milk, too.

I can't wait until the banana bars are gone!  I had another 2 today!!  There are 3 left and I am done with them.  I really like them and they are really hard to resist!  At least I know that and will not make them to be able to sit around my house for at least the next 3 1/2 months! haha

Tomorrow, Kylee and I have planned to go to the gym to workout before work.  I'm not sure where I will shower afterward... so, I have to figure that one out.  Since it's already after 10pm I should give her a call and get it figured out!  It's so hard to wake up in the morning... but if I know she is depending on me to be there, I will do it.

Bad Mood

I just got done doing the 30DS.  I feel like I'm in such a bad mood.  I just did the whole workout and I just felt like I was going through the motions but not really into it.  Everything was driving me crazy.  The front door was open so I kept thinking that my neighbors were probably on their front porch watching me jump around my living room.  Brayden was crawling around, kept trying to talk to me (which for some reason drives me crazy...bad mom, I guess) and would run by me or crawl around me the whole time.  Zoey, our dog, wouldn't leave me alone when I was on the ground doing those things... I think she was trying to lick the sweat off of my face or something... ew.  I think the real reason is, is that I'm kinda beating myself up for not doing the 30DS on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  I realize that all of those days I was far from sedentary, but I really wanted to do something that felt like a workout.  Other things that are making me cranky are: I am tired (got to bed late last night, after a busy day and got up early this morning), my house is a wreck and I don't feel like I have the time or energy to get it all cleaned up... actually, I feel like every time I do one thing to try and get it cleaned, ten more things happen to destroy it.  Also, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today expecting a high number and I lost 3 lbs.  It's really hard for me to be disappointed about 3 lbs, especially since that is my weekly goal, but I feel like I worked pretty hard this week and I know that the closer to my goal date the harder it will be to lose 3 lbs per week, so I know I need to lose larger amounts early in the game.  Actually, I was pretty excited this morning because I got to work and went back to MRI to do a pre-weigh.  That scale showed I lost 7 lbs so I was really excited!  That is exactly what I was hoping for!  That would put me past my 5% goal and lower than what I've been in a long time.  So, I was pretty bummed when I went to my meeting and it was only a 3 lb loss.  That's a 4 lb difference.  I CAN NOT be stuck on the number though.  I have to think positive.  I have been working hard.  I went to a family reunion yesterday and did pretty freaking awesome!  I didn't over eat and didn't feel sick after we ate.  I did feel satisfied and had so much fun!  Bad thing though... I made banana bars (at the request of my dad) and had practically the entire pan leftover.  I ate like 5 of them today.  Why did I do that?

Back to my workout I just did.  I was thinking during it that jumping jacks are a lot easier for me - YAY!  The butt kicks hurt my right ankle and knee, so I more or less just jog in place.  The push-ups are...difficult and I do them the "girlie" way!  The bicycle crunches are H.A.R.D., I look like a turtle trying to get off of its back, rolling side to side.

Goals for this week.
-Do the 30DS everyday
-Try one of my new workout DVD's
-Keep track of points, everyday

Zoo Day

Today was Brayden's birthday and we celebrated by going to the zoo.  We spent all afternoon there.  If any of you know the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, then you know that it's pretty big and has quite a few steep hills.  We had the girls in the stroller and Jeremy and I took turns pushing it.  The last hill we went up I pushed the stroller and I was pretty much out of breath by the time we got to the top!  It was so fun to spend the day with the family.  Before we reached Omaha, we stopped at a rest stop and had a lunch that we packed.  It was a simple lunch, but we figured it was better than getting food in the zoo.  Also, it was really nice out so it was nice sitting at the rest stop at a picnic table.  We didn't have to worry about people or anything really.  There was a nervous sparrow flying around and about half way through our lunch we realized there was a nest in the roof above our picnic table.

Brayden is playing a game and since it's his birthday, I figured I'd let him play.  I could kick him off and send him to bed so I can do my 30DS but... to be honest... I kinda don't feel like it.  I am going to use the pathetic excuse that I walked a lot today and it was a pretty good workout pushing the stroller up a few hills.  Right now, I'm having fun watching him play the Wii.

I was looking at some pictures I have and found one that I feel represents me.  I think I may have posted this before but I like it.  I do feel like a skinny, athletic girl, stuck in a big girl body.  I do feel like I could just unzip and walk right out.

 Jeremy and I were looking through an old photo album of mine and I envied the girl in the photos.  If I could only go back and tell that girl that she wasn't as disgustingly fat and ugly as she thought she was.  I didn't let it hold me back as much as I feel I do now.  I will scan some of those pictures and show you all.  I was quite the catch in High School! haha :) My skinniest is still 7th grade though.  I came to 7th grade after jumping on our trampoline every single day all summer.  I didn't even realize it then but I slimmed down quite a bit from 6th to 7th grade.

I scanned a couple of the pictures... they are both from prom, I believe, so we are all dressed up with our hair and everything nice.  I like these pictures and am excited to feel pretty like this again... to feel good when I see a picture of myself.  It does kinda seem like I'm down on myself or that I'm having a pity party but I guess that's how I feel.

This one is with my best friend, Linda.

This one is with a girl I went to H.S. with, Amy.

Measurements and Pictures

I finally got a chance to get pictures taken and take my measurements.  Pretty scary but there they are.  At least I know that #1 I have been larger and #2 The measurements won't this be this way for long.  I added a few measurements to what the other girls are doing because there are other areas I'd like to watch change.  

Right Arm: 19 1/2"
Left Arm:18 1/2"
Right Thigh: 31"
Left Thigh: 31"
Right Calf: 20 1/4"
Left Calf: 20"
Chest: 58 1/4"
Upper Waist (smallest): 54"
Lower Waist (at belly button): 59 1/4"
Hips (biggest part): 50 3/4"

Here are my pictures.  I was on uneven ground so that's why it looks like I'm standing a little funny.  And the grass is bad there because we just cleared out some pine trees to put in that fence a few weeks ago.  I hate looking at pictures of myself because I don't really think about what I look like until I see a picture.

I went to Target yesterday and bought the Zumba Wii, a Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown video, and a Bob Harper Ultimate Cardio Body workout video.  They were having a sale on all of them.  I decided I wanted to try the Bob Harper one since one of my friends has been talking about it and how she likes it, I wanted to get a Yoga one to try, because I know yoga is great for you and I want to also work on my balance...I'm sure this will help.  I've been really wanting to get the Zumba one for a long time and since it was on sale I decided it was time.  I did one of the things on it today (still haven't completely figured it out) and it was a lot of fun!  ...and hard!  I'm sure I will catch on to the moves quickly.  From what I did today I was already catching on pretty well.  I was a sweaty mess when I was done... and I took a little break to help Jeremy with something... and was still sweating!  I took a picture when I was done with it.  I wanted to do a face picture, because I saw another girl with a before and after, after a month of doing the 30DS.  The picture was of her face and it was a very inspiring before and after!  I can hardly believe they were taken only 30 days apart!  I am going to try to do pictures every week and I still haven't decided how often I will measure... I'm thinking every month.  The reason I think I will try to do pictures every week is because I read somewhere a girl did that and she was so happy she did.  She could see the progress she was making and it helped her to keep going!  

This morning my friend Kylee called and we went to workout together.  The last time her and I worked out together I got down to about 290-295 lbs.  I'm happy she is wanting to workout because it means a workout buddy for me.  She is getting married in October... which is her big pusher, I'm sure.  I am in her wedding...which is my big pusher.  Right now that is my goal date.  I'd like to be down to 270-275 lbs by then.  I figure if I lose 3 lbs. per week, I should be able to get there by then.  Since the gym was locked for some reason this morning, we went to the track and walked around it ... I jogged a little... a very little.  We also stopped and did ab work and push ups a couple times.

I did the 30DS 3 days in a row!  Then last night, for some reason, I was so tired and pretty much fell asleep around 8pm.  I didn't get it done last night but I thought I'd work extra hard today to make up for it.  I also plan on doing it tonight.  That's 3 workouts in one day... impressive! :)

Weigh Day Monday!

Weight Watchers meet on Monday's at noon.  I like having them on Monday's (for now) because it helps me to stay honest on weekends.  Sunday night at work someone wanted to order out... I thought right away about the scale and declined.  I was anxious all day about what it would show.  I had weighed in MRI first thing this morning to get an idea but the scales are usually about 5 lbs off so it's hard to say what it will be for sure.  I got in line, stepped on, and I lost again!  I'm currently at 327.2 lbs.  Which is 5.6 lbs less than two Monday's ago (no meeting last week because of the holiday.)  To be honest, I was hoping for a little bit more but I'm pretty excited.  I'm also excited to see how next week will be, now that I'm doing the 30DS.

Speaking of... I've done it two days in a row!!  haha!  I know that's not that big of a deal but I am pretty proud of myself. :)  I did it yesterday before work.  It definitely was hard but I got through it.  I struggled through some of the jumping jacks and the jump-roping.  Also, the reverse crunches were pretty difficult for me to do.  I ended up doing the jump-roping for all but the last set one leg at a time like jogging-jump-roping.  I did the last set the correct way... I was determined!  The bicycle crunches are very hard for me, too!  I hope, someday, to read this back and see how far I've come.  Tonight was pretty neat.  Brayden did it with me the whole time ... the best he could, anyway.  I was so proud to be such a good example for him... that was worth it alone!  He did it with me a little bit yesterday in the end but tonight he did the whole thing with me... and he was breathing hard, said he was tired, said his legs were tired, and was sweating in the end!  I wasn't alone! lol :)  We both got a glass of cold water and are going to chill for a little bit before bed.

I NEED to get my measurements done and pictures taken!  I read somewhere to take pictures every week so you can go back and see how you've changed.  If I get organized, I'm going to do that!  I thought about doing that picture a day thing, so at the end of the year I could have that fast slide show thing like you see online for different things.  I could probably handle doing that for my face... that's something I can manage alone!

Jeremy gave me a compliment yesterday... actually a couple.  I decided to lie out in the baby pool with the kids while they played, so I could catch some sun and watch them at the same time.  Well, I dug out my swimming suit and he said he could tell I've lost weight since the last time I wore it... last time it didn't fit well in the bottom half area at all.  I guess the last time I wore it, I was probably about 25 lbs heavier.  Then, when I got done with my workout he told me I did a good job. :)

Well, I'm going to watch Makeover.  It's a show where they take a person over the course of a year and help them to lose weight and show their weight loss journey.  I watched last weeks show and it's really neat.  She went bungee jumping!  That is on my bucket list!!  That and skydiving!  Both I am super scared of but I think it would be the thrill of a lifetime.  Both also have a weight limit.  I will, someday, do at least one of those things.

Last quick thing... I tried a new little recipe tonight.  Mix box angel food cake, a can of crushed pineapple, and a tsp. of vanilla.  Bake 350* for 35 min.  I have some strawberries and cool whip to put with it!  Haven't completely figured out the points but I think it will be pretty good! :)

Measurements

Well, I'm going to have to do the 30DS when I get home from work tonight because this morning I didn't get a chance. Saturday mornings we have to flee the house so Jeremy can get some sleep from working the night shift. So, we went over to a friends house to hang out for the morning. By the time we got back from there, I only had enough time to take a quick shower and leave for work. This stinks because it's already the 4th and I have yet to do a single session of 30DS! --I know I only found out about all the wonderful girls doing it 2 days ago but still...

Right Arm:
Left Arm:
Right Thigh:
Left Thigh:
Chest:
Upper Waist (smallest):
Lower Waist (at belly button):
Hips (biggest part):

Anyone can join us and I hope you will. If you do you will love the end results. I am so excited to see the results. They say you can lose around 10lbs and a dress size. Want to know what to do?

We are all doing before pictures and measurements. For your measurements take a soft measuring tape or some yarn and cut to the sizes then you can use a flat ruler to measure the yarn.

Where to measure?

•Each arm (thickest part)
•Each thigh (thickest part)
•Upper waist (smallest)
•Lower waist (at your belly button)
•Your hips (biggest part)
Write this info down, or put it in Excel so you can come back to it after 30 days. After we complete the whole 30 days we are going to remeasure and take after photos.

Day 1 of 30 Day Shred....

I set my alarm to get up earlier... something I've done many times! but!... this time I actually got up when it went off! haha I got up and zombie-like walked around aimlessly, trying to wake up. I decided to open the drawer that held the DVD of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I pulled it out and walked over to the recliner and sat down. I sat there holding it with my eyes closed hoping just holding it would give me some momentum to actually get up and do it. Finally, I opened my eyes and started looking at it, reading everything on it. Then, I opened it....to find no disc! What the heck?! I knew it had to be in one of the 100 other DVD cases and I def. wasn't going to go searching thru all them cause who knows if it's even there! I did search around a little tho... that stinks! So, instead of doing something else productive, I checked out Facebook for a little bit...made B some breakfast and started getting ready for work/clinicals. On my way to work I decided that I should just get another DVD, if it's cheap enough. I could spend the next 30 days looking for the one I already have somewhere or get another one. I figured when I find the other one, I will give it to my sister. So, I pulled into Target, ran in and found where they were and it was only $9.00! -So I got it! I know I could have gotten it cheaper on Amazon but I didn't want to put off starting any longer. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better "Day 1"! haha

In food world, I went over my daily points by a bit. I know I have the weekly extra points to fall back on, but I am going to try to work towards not using them.

This weekend I work, but I still want to make sure to get some working out in my day! Beyond the 30DS I want to do my other 2 days of walking I promised myself I would do this week. I told myself I would do 3 days of walking this week.

So, my friend, Kylee, is getting married this coming October. I am using her wedding as my goal date. I would LOVE to be the weight I was at when I got pregnant with Brayden....274 lbs. That would mean I would have to average 3.5 lbs per week until her wedding. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! I'm not sure if this is a goal I want to set for myself or not. I think a secondary goal (haha) should be 289, which would be lower than I have been since I had Brayden. A couple years ago, a couple friends and I (Kylee, actually) worked out quite a bit and I ended up losing a good amount of weight...but it was so hard to keep up that workout schedule and still have time to be with my family, so, it kept slowing down until it finally just stopped. Anyways, the DVD of 30DS says you can lose up to 20 lbs in 30 days... that would pretty much be 5 lbs per week. So, I figure, if I can do that, that would take down the average per week to almost 3 lbs per week. ....I think too much about all this. I should just get to work and see what comes of it! lol Another note about the wedding is the dress I ordered. I took my measurements and called them in. I said I wanted to order a size smaller than what the measurements suggested but she didn't think that was a very good idea because "it's a lot easier to bring in than let out". I figure they have a lot of girls that say they will lose weight before a wedding and end up having problems with the alteration. As long as it all works out...I don't care!

Weekend Goals
-track all points
-do not go over daily points
-walk 3 miles Saturday and Sunday
-do 30DS both days
-get measurements and "before" pictures taken and posted
-burn some calories doing some housework!

30 Day Shred Challenge

My friend Mandey and a bunch of other girls in the blogging world are starting a challenge... Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I am going start along with them! I will post my pictures and measurements as soon as I can.

I will take a minute to catch up... I spent the last 4 months or so not moving outside of work and eating whatever, whenever. I gained back quite a bit... (insert extremely sad face.) My only excuse is the toll of being so busy with work, family and school x2... I guess that's a decent excuse...I will tell myself that anyway.

The WW location that I was attending closed down and started back up in a church, with meetings only a few times a week. The times they had meetings I could not attend because of work and school conflicts, so I basically just paid for my membership and ...that's about it. Where I work has an at work program. They were starting up a new session and I decided to join it! It started three Monday's ago. The first weigh-in I was at 337.8 lbs. -ugh. My first week I stayed dedicated to my points. At the second meeting I weighed in at 332.8... 5 lbs in the first week and can you believe I ate pizza a couple times, McDonalds once, and had some Oreo's.. ok several Oreo's... but I just tracked the points and look where it got me! :) This last Monday was Memorial Day so there wasn't a meeting. I'm excited for next Monday to see how I've done. I do have to say I believe I feel better already and definately, without a doubt am not as hungry all the time! That obviously has a lot to do with my food choices... I'm eating a lot more protein and a lot less carbs.

In the last couple years, during the times I have been working on being good to myself and trying to lose weight, I always go back to wanting to start running. I will do this! I am going to start small... that's the only way! I guess I should start with walking. haha

Goals:
-get out and walk at least 3 times this week
-track points all week (including weekends)
-start the 30 Day Shred

I almost forgot! I have an added pusher... I have to not only fit into but look good in a bridesmaid dress this fall! I still cringe when I see photos from the last wedding I was in.

It's A New Year!

A lot has happened since my last post! I actually thought about quitting this blog but it's kinda fun for me to look back and see how far I've come.

My family has not slowed down at all! If anything we have gotten more crazy!! Jeremy is taking a couple classes and so am I! I started CT training Jan 3rd and started EMS classes a few weeks ago. I may be crazy but in a few short months I'll be done with those and have somthing to prove for all my hard work.

Last October I started Weight Watchers. I LOVE it!! I have the monthly pass so I can use the online tools and go to as many meetings a week as I like. Since I started at the beginning of October I have lost 18 lbs! Which brings up an important topic... since I started WW and weigh in there once a week, I now use whatever that scale says as my current weight. I was weighing in at work in MRI and that scale is off from the WW scale... by about 5 lbs. So, the MRI scale always reads about 5 lbs. less than the WW scale. So, really, my actual weight loss is about 40 lbs!! That's pretty awesome, I think!

Well, right before Christmas I went to a meeting and didn't go to meetings for the next 3 weeks or so... not on purpose I just got busy with life! I decided I needed to get back to a meeting because I felt like I was spiraling out of control. I just knew I had undone all that I had accomplished and I did not want to weigh-in. I went anyway and had to weigh-in with the receptionist (whom I don't really like) and she looked at me with a frown and her judgemental eyes and said, "You're up a pound." I was like, "REALLY!!" I was so excited that I hadn't gained all my weight back I didn't care what she thought. HAHA I spent the next week not really tracking and didn't feel motivated to do anything but knew I HAD to get to the meeting. Both of these meetings were days of blizzards and I walked in just in time to weigh-in and go. This time I stepped on the scale and got my book back and was shocked, embarrassed, and mad at myself. I was up another 2.6. GRRR!! That was on a Friday and I spent the weekend trying to be more careful- still not tracking, though. Monday I went down to the WW at work meeting a little early so I could talk to Marilyn- my wonderful leader. I had to talk to her and figure out how to get out of this rut and how to get myself back in control. I talked to her and she told my how it was a great week to try to get back in control and the weeks meeting was all about it! I couldn't stay for the meeting but took the weekly to read. She told me to check out my weight and start from there. I stepped on and cringed... then I realized that I was down 3 lbs! Over the weekend I had fixed everything and gave me a positive attitude and definitely gave me a jump start to get on plan again. Marilyn was like, Wow! See, you are always too hard on yourself! I got to thinking, I am sometimes too hard on myself. I set my goals too height and beat myself up if I don't reach those goals. So, I decided to set my goals low. I thought if I make a goal of losing 5-7 pounds a month for the rest of the year that adds up to a lot of weight! If I could do that I would be down to the weight I was before I got pregnant with Brayden! I have never really thought about how much the little things add up. A goal like that means that I only have to rely on myself to lose somewhere between 1-2 pounds a week, which is acceptable.

We got a Wii for Christmas! I LOVE it!! I love the Wii Fit!! Added bonus is that Brayden loves playing it, too so it's a fun game for us to do together. I played a game on there for about 30 minutes straight one day and found myself to be sweating. Jeremy and I played the boxing game the first day a lot and both of our arms were so sore we could barely use them for the next few days! haha

So, now that I'm back on track, I'll try to keep this blog updated! I know there are a few of you out there that like to read and see what I'm up to in my weight loss world... most of you I work with everyday and are just nosey... JODI! LMAO