30 Days to Better

Eating Pregnant

With my recent pregnancy news you can only imagine that eating has become a minor challenge. 

What is that smell?

Oh ... yogurt, yum. Oh, nevermind.

Cantelope. Yes, that's what I want. Well, wait ....

All day long I think about food because, lets face it, I'm hungry but I'm also not so much.  It's confusing and tiring.   I have figured out that if I eat very frequently, as in, put an animal cracker in my mouth about every five minutes I usually feel okay.  Heh.  I feel even better when I alternate with Hershey Kisses.

In all seriousness I have discovered fresh, local, seasonal fruit and OHMYGOD it is delicious.  Vegetables don't sound too appetizing right now but fruit, oh my lordy-di-dee fruit is sent from the gods.  The past two days my lunch has been two white peaches, cantelope, blueberries and cucumber with vinegar on it. 

I'm going to try and maintain this site but there might be a few months that focus on womanly things and womanly health, you know, like pregnancy and all that crap because, well, I have good first hand knowlegde to dump on this here Internet.

Eating Better, food diary, exercise, today's thoughts

Last night I made a rockin' dinner.  Fish, rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over a charcoal flame.  Steamed broccoli (in a Zip Lock Steam Bag) and baked potatoes.  I made two and the three of us split them.  It was super yummy and super healthy.  Also, it was like eighty-five-thousand degrees yesterday and all that cooking heat was made outside and my kitchen stayed cool. 

Today?

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ flax, blueberries, strawberries and brown sugar, Coffee

Snack: Cheese Stick, (maybe 2)

Lunch:  Big salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, feta cheese, grilled chicken with low fat Ranch dressing

Dinner:  Bowl of Life cereal and popcorn (not so great, meh.)

I did some good exercise today too, I walked for 45 minutes with the dog and the stroller. Overall I'm feeling good and healthy.

I am really looking forward to getting some fresh local produce.  This time of year I love eating tons of fresh food grown in the dirt.  Farmers Markets? Here we come!

May days

I'm taking a break for the month of May from the 30 Days to something Better and reverting to the original intention of this website which was to chronicle my efforts on weight loss. 

I don't want to make yet another blog about weight loss and the ultimate fabulousity of the 30 Day Shred, but I make no promises to avoid mentioning it.  I am resolving to eat more protein and veggies and less animal crackers dipped in whipped cream.  I bought fat free chocolate yogurt today and some 100-calorie snack packs which are great, unless of course you eat four of them.  Which I did not do tonight.  Just last night.

I exercised tonight and it felt great. I have lost a small amount of strength and gained a few inches in my butt, thighs and waist.  I want to fit back into my smallest skinny jeans and see the obliques I had for such a brief time last fall.

The weather has gotten much warmer here and I had to dig deep into my drawers for some shorts and much to my chagrin, they didn't all fit so well.

I am giving myself  one month to feel better, look better, lose about five pounds and regain my confidence and my physical strength.

30 Days to Better Self Esteem

Is your self-esteem tied unnaturally to the number on the scale?  Mine is, sometimes.  I know many great people who battle this issue daily as well. Do you hate your legs or your flabby arms or that roll of chub that lazily hangs over the waistline of your jeans serving no other purpose but to remind you of how many missed workouts?  You aren't alone.  Perhaps for you it isn't physical, perhaps you just don't value yourself in your current job, relationship or lifestyle.  Do you allow the media's devaluing of stay at home mothers to wear on your own views of yourself?  

I am vowing to spend the month of March exploring ways to make myself and YOU feel better about who we are and what we are doing in this life. 

It is often said that if we don't love ourselves, who will.  A statement made with a bit of triteness perhaps but it is true.  Working to maintain and rebuild self-esteem is directly linked to how much respect we show ourselves, our minds, our bodies.  It ranges from eating healthy foods to feeding our bodies with knowledge, relaxation, and sleep to treating others respectfully and demanding the same for ourselves. 

I hearby declare the month of March to be Self-Esteem Month. 

I feel good about myself because I KNOW I am a good mother and I take care of my body.  I will feel better about myself if I carve out some time for exercise (regularly!) and build more emotional intimacy with my husband. 

Now you: What do you love most about yourself and what do you want to improve?               

Day 30: Challenge Met.

I did the 30 Day Shred today.  And I did Level 3.

I know.  I KNOW.

What this means is that I have now done the 30 Day Shred a full thirty times.  In fact I have been doing it much longer because I only started keeping track on September 12.

I began with Level 1 and it almost killed me dead.  I was a sweaty breathless heap on the floor and my legs were so sore that I couldn't walk up the steps for days without the painful reminder of what those squats actually did to me.  I bravely moved up to Level 2 and looking back I think this is the hardest level of all, really.  I was actually surprised at how easy it was, or should I say, how hard it wasn't?  After I did the workout and then early the next morning I was a little sore but I feel fine now.

I was really just afraid of what Jillian could come up with, I was expecting something exponentially harder than Level 1 and 2 combined and it really wasn't, in fact, Level 1 and Level 2 prepared me for the final Level of the Shred.   I have gained muscle and strength and stamina and I was prepared. This isn't easy for me to say because I still don't see myself as fit or in-shape but I am strong, and I suppose this SHRED thing really DOES WORK. 

Now that I have completed my own 30-Day Shred Challenge I will continue to do this workout. I want to master Level 3 and then attempt to do a long workout of Level 1 and 2 combined.  These are my long term goals that I hope to meet by the end of the year.   I have seen results and I hope to see more!!

Day 15 - Measurements

Yo! I'm actually about to tell ya'll my measurements.  I'm going public with my bra and hip size. 

To recap, I've been doing the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred for about a month now. I began back in late August and I didn't start keeping track until September 12th.   The dates are a little wacky because I lost a week to being sick and rather than say oh well, THAT diet/exercise plan is fucked. I choose (with the extreme encouragement of other amazing women) to say I lost a week to being sick, I took care of myself and got better and here I am, continuing right where I left off.

I'm going to be even more honest.  Being sick, falling behind, not sleeping, and taking care of a sick family left me a little worn thin and oh, rather depressed.  I hate that it crept back into my life so suddenly and sharply.  I wasn't expecting it.  I was moving along all energized and happy and managing life and then a few rough patches appear and it really tossed me out of my game.  Writing this is making me face that and it is also forcing me to reckon with the fact that contrary to what I feel, I am actually doing well, I did not gain weight while I was sick.  I took care of myself and I did stay focused on my goals.  I went to the gym and I pushed myself to workout when I was feeling better and I was proud of myself.   I'm not good with self-appreciation and I'm not good at being kind to myself.  Mostly since puberty I've been in a constant cycle of self-loathing thigh-hating belly-pinching zaftig dysthymic inertia.

I'm working on this. It's heavy. Stay with me, please.

So here we are the first day of October (one of my favorite months, LOVE the fall weather) and as I have done since March 1, 2008 I weighed in this morning and took some measurements.

MARCH 24, 2008 (Baby: 3 mos. old)
165 lbs
Hips: 41 inches
Waist: 38 inches
Thigh: 25 3/4 inches
Arm: 12 inches (of soft shaky flab)

SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 (Baby: 8.5 months old)
150.2 lbs
Hips: 39.5 inches
Waist: 34
Thigh: 24 1/4

OCTOBER 1, 2008 (Baby is 9.5 months old)
146.4 lbs
Hips:     37 inches
Thighs: 23 1/2
Waist: 33
Arm: 11 1/2
Body Fat: 29.1%

In one month I lost four pounds, two and a half inches from my hips (bless you Lord Jillian), three-quarters of an inch from my thighs, one inch from my waist and almost 1% of body fat.  I'm really struggling to lower my body fat. It is in an unhealthy range, but it is quite stubborn.  If you have any suggestions please let me know. I work out well I eat well, what else can I do? 

Since March, (7 months) I have lost 19 pounds (12% of my body weight), four inches from my hips, over two inches from my thighs, five inches from my waist (being that I'm losing postpartum weight most of it was in mah belleh) and about a half of an inch from my upper arm.  I have lost just over 1% of my body-fat.  Meh.

I am starting to fit into clothes and sizes that I have never actually seen before and it is thrilling and downright frightening at the same time.   Losing a few pounds doesn't shed your problems or your insecurities it only makes them less flabby.   If you are just starting out on a new healthy initiative, do yourself a favor, take a few measurements, take a few pictures (I wish I did.) because it will help motivate you later and help you realize your goals.

Just start somewhere, if I can change myself in seven months you can make one healthier choice today. 

What I ate for breakfast and lunch today ...

Food is half the battle in taking control of our life and exercise and fitness.  Exercise is great and will make a difference.  A good diet is great and will make a difference. Together, a healthy diet and exercise will do more than slim your waist line and lower your cholesterol.  You will FEEL better, you will have more energy, you will be stronger and leaner and more confident. 

Eating well can be a major change for some folks, unlike our friend Jillian who believes in a full-on balls-out 180-degree-turnaround NOW, I think making small changes will amount to the desire to make large changes. 

Start small. Start today.

Here is what I had for breakfast and lunch so far today. 

I've been writing for the last hour and it's not after 5pm and I don't know what I'm serving for dinner.  Possibly stir-fry with brown rice.  I'll take pictures!

What are your goals?

So we've been at this here 30-Day Shred Challenge for almost a week and we haven't defined our goals. 

Are you in this to lose weight? Just make some time for yourself?  Lose a baby-belly?  Feel more energized?

Leave a comment, tell me how you are feeling today about all this working out.   You are doing great, keep it up!  I bet you feel stronger already.

My goals:  I am hoping to gain strength and lose some weight, 15 pounds by the end of the year.   I am very slowly getting better at making this time for myself every day.  I think that is at least 50% of the challenge for me. 

TIP:  Start the day off well with good nutrition. I eat a packet of Instant Oatmeal and I add a teaspoon or two of ground  flax seed, tiny bit of brown sugar, a dash of vanilla and cinnamon and a handful of dried blueberries.  It took at least a week but I've been eating this each morning now for months and it keeps me going and feeling full until lunch, three hours later.  (Heh.)
I also drink a massive cup of coffee.  That possibly helps with the energy too.

Realities and Relaxes

I have been nervous all day about saying this to all of you:    I didn't workout today. 

I am telling you this and coming clean because in your own 30-day challenge you are going to have days when life and plans and kids and husbands and pets and family dinners just get in the way and whatever it IS Saturday and it is okay to take a day off.  Right? 

(Note: I personally believe it is good to take a day off because your body does need a day to heal and recover.  I'll look into Jillian's suggestion and get back to you on this.)

Excuses? Do I need them?  Noah woke up twice last night and I only got four and a half hours of sleep.  In reality, I am sore.  I am very very sore.  I can't remember a day since Noah was born last December when I haven't woken up with a backache or back cramp of some sort.  In the beginning it was my spine readjusting to accommodate me, not me and a baby and random sciatic nerve spasms.  Then it was the daily grind of trying to get a modicum of core strength back and then a few months ago exercise became responsible for my daily aches.  I try to stretch often and in all honesty, the mild pain and muscle tightness reminds me that I'm getting stronger and that I am working for something.  

So I took a break.  I hope to feel better tomorrow. 

This challenge never defined things like taking a day off, or eating, or really any parameters at all.  Perhaps I should?  I'll get back to you on these. 

I think this challenge, while mostly physical in work is a means to get us to focus more on ourselves, for small amounts of time each day.  Because it is Jillian's workout we will all see physical changes in our bodies and in turn we will feel stronger and more confident as women, mothers, and individuals. 

I, for one have attempted to change my habits and my life and my waistline more times than I can even begin to recall.  I have never taken this approach, however.  30 days. Just do this workout. One workout. 20 Minutes. As many times as you can each week.  My goal is everyday, but I think 5-6 times a week is likely to be accomplished.   If I start small and with a simple goal I will see results that I am confident will encourage me to keep going and instill a new confidence in myself.

Did you workout today?  Did you do a Shred workout?  Did you walk the dog or push the baby stroller around the neighborhood for 30 minutes?  Did you eat a salad and grilled fish for dinner instead of a loaded baked potato and fried chicken?  What changes did you make today to feel better about yourself tomorrow?

Join the 30-Day Challenge

Welcome!  Join us while we suffer through Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred.  Leave a comment and we'll add you to the list of Suffering Shreders.

The idea is that we are supporting and encouraging each other. No more. No less. Set your own goals and make a change in your life. 

20 minutes a day.