day 120 (day 1 / week 18)

Today I woke up early and did Turbo Jam's Cardio Party (mix 1). Now that I can actually see results on my body (more specifically my mid section), that is what gives me the extra energy during my workout when I need it. About 10 minutes before my workout ended, I woke Logan up and brought him into the exercise room with me, put him on the floor next to his blankey, and finished my exercises. He laid there quietly and let me finish (such a little sweetie).

I am so excited for tomorrow. I said earlier in the week (maybe last week) that I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but I have TWO things to mention now! So I think I will mention one of them now, so that tomorrow's blog entry isn't super huge.

I think I gave away the first one, in the blog, but it isn't as big as this one.

I am super excited!

My second mentioning is pictured below. Please ignore the ugly/chipped toe nails (lmao). If I had known this was going to be a "moment," I would have better prepared for it lol. Please don't mind the incorrect date on the scale either--I never fixed it after we moved (lol).


Do you see that? 200.4 lbs!!! I finally reached my 1st long term weight loss goal! I took this picture yesterday (I know, some of you are thinking, "what the heck are you doing on the scale girl??" I know--I'm working on it lol) :).

A few years ago, at my heaviest 240 lbs--I have a picture, but it's framed not in the computer, so I need to see if I can find it on a memory card somewhere to post here--I created some weight loss goals. I can't remember if I mentioned them here or not--maybe not, because I don't want this website to be about losing weight, but about being active (as I mentioned in my introduction).

1) 200 lbs
2) 180 lbs (my pre-pregnancy weight)
3) 150
and from there I haven't decided yet.

I guess I can check number one off of my list now! Yaay!

I am so excited to see that number! I'm just so excited and I'm glad I can share this moment with you guys!

See you tomorrow for the new picture and measurements! My other mentionable will be in the picture for April 2009 (it's not as exciting as today's though :)), but I will mention it, just in case you don't notice :).

Have a great workout and a great day! Smile! It's contagious!

I can do this. I am a star!

day 119 (day 7 / week 17)

Today I had my interview. I got there an hour early (lol) and sat in my car for a 1/2 hour and then went into the building and sat on the couch in front of the HR office until they were ready for me.

I don't know how the interview went, but I was honest, and I believe I would do this job well. Hopefully they will see this too. I will find out in "a few weeks" their decision. I don't even know if it's dayshift or at night but they are 12 hour shifts, so I guess I don't really care. I will probably end up exercising after work, if I work the night shift though.

Today I did the 20 minute workout (turbo jam) and was glad that I only had to do 20 minutes.

I have a lot of stuff to do, so I will see you guys tomorrow! Hope you have a great workout!

(can't wait to share my measurements with you on friday! yaay!)

I can do this. I am a star.

day 118 (day 6 / week 17)

Today I feel much better. Got enough sleep, I ate and I'm not cranky and/or whining :).

I just finished Turbo Jam's Turbo Sculpt (39 minutes) and I'm glad I did. I was a bit hesitant at the beginning, but once I started to get into it, I found myself in the right state of mind :). Later this afternoon when I put the Monkey Boy down for his nap, I will do the 2nd part of what the workout schedule told me to do today--Ab Jam (19 minutes).

I can't believe that I am going into 5 months already (on Friday will start the 5th month). This year is going by too fast for me, and I am still a little sad that I haven't lost many pounds, but I really do need to get over it. I'm wearing clothes now that I haven't worn in 3 years (that's enough to turn my frown upside down). Anyway, if you are sitting on the fence or putting off until tomorrow what you can do today, just do it! Tomorrow will be here and gone before you know it! You'll feel much better if you just do it today. Now. Once you get it over with, it's done! Then you just start over again tomorrow :). You can do it! You are my stars that shine bright when I am in the darkness!

See you tomorrow and I hope you all feel as blessed as I do!

I can do this. I am a star too!

day 117 (day 5 / week 17)

Today is a (non)rest day.

I got home not too long ago from running all over town, just to hand in 1 application (for an AMR dispatch position--I have NO experience lol). I drove to the other side of town to drop Logan off at my hubby's parent's house, then drove about 10 miles into N. LV, to take a typing test (71wpm, 0 errors--yaay!). After that I hopped back into the car and drove to a different super busy part of town, to drop off the application. Then had to drive the close to 20 miles back to pick Logan at Papa's and then drive back home. (It feels like I'm whining. waah.).

Anyway I got home, put Logan down for a SUPER late nap, and then started to exercise (Turbo Jam's Cardio Party). Like 5 minutes into my workout, I got a phone call from AMR asking me to come in for an interview this Wednesday at 9am. She said they were "squeezing me in" because her boss is impressed with my typing certificate (lol). I told my hubby, then got back to exercising. I only did 10 minutes more, so all together 15 minutes of exercise today. of 43. I am just exhausted, and honestly I am pretty happy with myself for doing 15 minutes.

I'm tired and need a nap. I got up early to exercise, but my mom brought her drama my way again and so I never got a chance. It has drained me and I am cranky. waah. (lol).



Hopefully tomorrow will better.
no.
I KNOW tomorrow will be better.

Hope you guys are well and are getting your exercise in! Your body will thank you in the long run (and so will your kids/family/loved ones!).

I can do this. I am a star.

day 116 (day 4 / week 17)

This morning I went and took the initial class (again) to get my CPR certification (I let it expire...oopse!). I woke up early, so that I could exercise before the class, but my workout today was almost an hour long, and I futzed around too much before before starting.

The class only took 3 hours long, and the compressions were a HUGE workout (with the dummies)! I know I will feel it in my lats tomorrow. I got home and immediately exercised, which I am so proud that I did!

I did Punch, Kick and Jam (Turbo Jam--48 minutes) and feel great! I also added a supplement to my diet--Omega 3-6-9 which my MIL swears by although I have the less expensive version AND I am only taking the softgels (not the oil). She says the oils (Udo Oil, more specifically) give you better health benefits all around, including weight loss (she was introduced to it when she was doing the Prism diet--which she also swears by). I'm a little skeptical, but I love her and trust her (not necessarily this diet) so I will try it, for her :). I am still doing my research on it as well (cause that's just what I do) :).

I hope you all have a great Sunday!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 115 (day 3 / week 17)

My hubby made turkey bacon while I was working out, and that is all I smell now lol. I'm gonna make this quick...bacon here I come!

I exercised somewhat early today. I am going to do like Ellie suggested and make waking up early a goal. I was a little turned off by the idea because I feel like I'm being a (bacon) goal whore! I think it's sad that I have to make a goal in order to do something. It's sad but true (I heart bacon) so I'm holding to it, and I created another goal on sparkpeople and made "waking up early" a goal. Seeing a box unchecked should be enough motivation for me to wake up early (and eat bacon) (lol so sad but true--I have to make a game out of it lol).

Anyway I (smell bacon) did Cardio Party Mix 1 today (43 minutes). I thought it was pretty funny that Chalene's sister (forgot her name), who is in the Turbo Jam video's that I do, and happens to workout in WOWY --I see her in there from time to time (when I'm not thinking about bacon), well she won the prize yesterday--$300 cash! I don't know if I mentioned that about WOWY--it's called the million dollar body game and when you workout in a live WOWY session, you are entered into the contest. I was in WOWY with her yesterday--she finished 2 people ahead of me, and was in there 1 person ahead of me. Anyway I thought it was funny :).

Ok enough of that. I want bacon. I also have a ton of energy from exercising. I put a ton of energy into it and feel great :).

Hope you guys have a great weekend!

bacon. turkey bacon.

I can do this. I am a (bacon monger) star!

day 114 (day 2 / week 17)

I've learned something about myself. The longer I wait in the day to exercise, the harder that it is for me. I start procrastinating and get easily distracted. For me, afternoon exercising happens during Logan's naps (as I have often mentioned). The only other option I have to exercise, in my eyes (I don't like doing more than 20 minutes when he is awake) is in the morning.

Logan spoils me. He sleeps until I wake him up (usually the case for his naps as well). I don't know what happened, but after moving, it's just been really hard for me to get my butt up before 7:45 am. It was difficult in Sparks, but I was able to push through it.

Today was a late day. We went and visited my mom's dog, Guinness, then I hand-washed my car (I forgot how difficult that was to do in Vegas) and put Logan down for a nap. I logged onto www.wowy.com (my virtual beachbody gym) and then looked at some of the people's profiles who were in WOWY with me. I snapped out of it and got ready to exercise. Somehow I started thinking about what I was going to wear after I took a shower, and then it snowballed from there.

More than an hour later, after throwing a load of laundry in the washer (exciting news, but I will wait until the 1st :)) and before I was about to jump in the shower, I realized I still hadn't exercised lol. I went and logged out of WOWY (it said I was finished exercising anyway) and then I got distracted here, on blogger, catching up on blogs for the day. I blurted outloud, "come on! why do you keep doing this??" and I ran into my exercise room and completed my workout (what the schedule thing told me to).

Today I did the 20 minute workout and Ab Jam. It took me close to 3 hours to do 39 minutes of exercise. oye.

I drank 12 glasses of water though...

Moral of the story? I think so. I need to get over it and just wake up early. Waah. (more complaining for you Jen lol)

I hope you all have a Fun Friday!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 113 (day 1 / week 17)

Today is starting off extremely busy so I have to make this short. I have to go take a shower and get ready, then get the baby doll up, dressed and fed and get in the car by 8:30am. Then we have to go to Henderson for a WIC appointment, which my hubby estimates will take about an hour with traffic. I have never been there before so I really hope I am not late.

Today I did Cardio Party, like the schedule told me to, but I didn't finish--I did only 35 minutes (of 43 so that's not bad). I just have to get going and take a shower. I have also had 32oz of water so far today lol.

During Logan's nap, I am going to do my Love Handler--I finally found the DVD that came with it. Logan stashed it in a shoe box that I found yesterday lol.

Hope everyone has a great day!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 112 (day 7 / week 16)

I have to say that I am extremely pumped right now. I didn't start off this way. In fact, I had a mini tantrum before I exercised, because I REALLY didn't want to.

I had a lot on my plate, as far as exercise. Yesterday I did 43 minutes. Today I was scheduled to do practically an hour--58 minutes to be exact! In exercise years, that's a big difference! (lol I'm such a douche).

This is how you are supposed to feel after you exercise. For the last--I don't know--really ever since I started doing my own thing with Turbo Jam, I have been tired. Last week or the week before I started doing what it told me to do, and I feel great. Have you ever had that moment where you just kicked yourself and said "Why didn't I just do that to begin with?" (that's my life in a nutshell--I always have to learn the hard way).

Anyway, today I did Turbo Sculpt (39 minutes) and Ab Jam (19 minutes). On top of this huge accomplishment (yes, it is, because I REALLY didn't want to exercise today) I got in my 8 glasses of water!

I have to tell you guys about this stuff that makes me suck down my water like I should have been, the entire time. It started because our "bottled water" is tap water. Well, it's tap water in a 5 gallon jug and my mom's hubby refuses to believe he's being ripped off lol. It's free for us so I'm not complaining (really, I'm not. kekeke). Anyway, I have been drinking my 8 8-oz glasses of water a day for over a month now, but I struggle with it. Now with this new and improved tap water, I have been drinking literally twice as much (is it healthy to get in OVER 12-8 oz glasses of water a day??). We buy it at the dollar store (the 99 cent only store--blue and pink). It's called South Beach, Living on the go, Tide Me Over (strawberry banana) by Kraft. It's AWESOME because:

#1 it's sugar free. There is aspartame--as long as I don't grow a tail I'm ok with it lol.
#2 it has a whopping 5 grams of fiber... and
#3 there are 3 grams of protein in it!!!
It's 30 calories per packet, and there is 10 packets in the box (I know this pic says 7 packets but mine says 10 :)).

My reusable water bottle is 32 oz big, so I dump in 1/2 of the packet, and it's perfect. No minerally/stale taste, that the nasty vegas tap water tastes like. I was using orange slices, and strawberry slices, but it just doesn't help me suck it down like this stuff.

Anyway that's it. Sorry for the long post, but I have a ton of energy (I told you!)

Hope you guys have an awesome day and workout! If you struggle with your water intake, try those packets. They do wonders for me, although I'm in the bathroom all day because of it lol.

I can do this. I am a star.

day 111 (day 6 / week 16)

It's getting hot here, so I'm making more of an effort to exercise earlier than later, because in the mid-afternoon, it just gets too hot.

Today I did Cardio Party Mix 1 (Turbo Jam) and I still feel my abs--they aren't so much sore, as I can just feel the muscles. I LOVE that! Tomorrow I think I do Ab Jam again, and I'm so excited to!

Logan woke up early this morning so he was up when I was exercising. It is difficult, but so sweet on the other hand, that he wants to give me hugs and kisses while I'm exercising. He also tried to tickle the TV (well the girls on the TV--he's such a flirt lol). So sweet.

I feel better today, so whatever I had, it lasted for 2 days (maybe 3?) and was super whimpy lol.

Tonight I am making the Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew that I posted about before. My in-laws are coming over for dinner, and I wanted to share with you a recipe I want to make for dessert that I saw on the Create channel on a show called Fast Food My Way (Jacques Pepin). It's sugar free, and sounds so delish! I couldn't find the recipe anywhere, so I will post it tomorrow after I get it all typed out, and enter it into sparkpeople, so I can have the calorie count and stuff for you guys :). It's a Cream Cheese and Fruit Medley and you can see a video clip of it here. It's at the end of the episode :). It's really easy to make.

I hope you guys have a good day! Make it count :).

I can do this. I am a star.

day 110 (day 5 / week 16)

Today I feel better than yesterday. Boy, this sure is a whimpy cold. I can feel that I have a cold, but it's not kicking my butt. At all. (which is a good thing!). Very easy to ignore :). I'm just gonna do like Ellie said, and just sweat it out :) (it's hot enough outside where it can easily be done!).

Today I did the 20 Minute workout and Ab Jam, because my workout schedule thing told me to. This is what my week will look like:

Mon: 20 minute workout + Ab Jam (done)
Tue: Cardio Party
Wed: Turbo Sculpt + Ab Jam
Thu: Cardio Party
Fri: 20 minute workout + Ab Jam
Sat: (rest day) Cardio Party
Sun: Punch, Kick & Jam

They gave me Saturday as a rest day but I will do Cardio Party if I am not out with the family somewhere. Usually when we go out we do A LOT of walking. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but I am a speed walker by nature (I am always having to remind myself to slow down when I am with other people). I think it's because of college--having to trek across campus to make my next class. Anyway I mention that, because with my speed walking, I always know that I get exercise when I walk (whether I consider it exercise or not).

My mid-section is really sore today (good sore), and I'm assuming it's because of the raking I did yesterday. Great workout! It's always a treat to feel sore muscles (for me) because I know that I worked them to fatigue :).

My blisters hurt still. I should take a picture of them to show, but that's just gross. and mean. lol. I can't keep bandaids on them (awkward place), but I will get over it. I just hope they go away sooner than later :). Picking up Logan, and his stupid juice cups make them hurt even more. Stupid blisters. Stupid rake.

I planted some flowers this morning too (seeds from the 99 cent store lol), so if they come up, I will take a picture and share :).

Hope you all have a great day and a great workout! Happy Monday! (How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and Heroes are on tonight! I love those shows!)

I can do this. I am a star!
stupid blisters.

day 109 (day 4 / week 16)

I am definitely getting sick again :(. I wonder if it may be from over training--I read somewhere that getting sick and being tired a lot could be a sign (my FIL was also recently sick, so it could be his fault too lol muahaha). Anyway with that in mind, I tried to take it easy today--but didn't, but it wasn't my fault lol. My intentions were good. I swear.

A bad rake + a yard with a ton of pine needles/dead grass = awesome workout (the baking sun probably helps too). lol. I went out there at 11:07 am and came back in at 12noon (53 minutes of raking isn't bad stuff!).

I had no idea that I would have worked that hard. The only thing I can compare it to is splitting wood--it felt a lot like that. I wore gardening gloves, but I still got blisters in between the webbing of my thumb and index fingers--on both hands. They really sting but I'll get over it :).

Although I'm getting sick, I'd like to believe that hard work is good for a cold. Feed a fever, work a cold. lol. wait. that's how I probably got into this mess to begin with! Oh well, I'll take it easy for the rest of the day. We were considering going over to the pound to get a dog, but then my mother kindly (not so much) pointed out all of the monthly expenses that goes into having a dog, and the lack of independence we will have bla-bla-bla, and that we won't be able to afford it so, that idea is ixnayed.

Hope you all have a great Sunday! See you all tomorrow :)

I can do this. I am a star.

day 108 (day 3 / week 16)

My husband let me sleep in late today. I'm not complaining, it's just that when I get up late, it's hard to "exercise early" lol.

We went to the Las Vegas Scottish Festival today, and we did A LOT of walking (we have been gone all day). My feet are sore and my legs (thighs mostly) are sore from pushing the stroller up and down the mini hills in the park (off-roading it in the stroller lol), on the way to the festival. After that we walked around the festival a lot (we were there for four hours) but I don't really consider that exercise, because it's just like everyday walking. I would say that we walked for a good hour today (maybe a 30 min/mile--definitely no less), where I was huffing and puffing, but my husband says it's more. I am exhausted from the sun and walking, so I will definitely count this as my exercise for today.

Tomorrow, I will get up early to "exercise early" (God and my husband willing lol).

I hope everyone had a great Saturday. We had fun :). It was nice to see the origin of my family names (Bruce and MacMillian) and see all of the Scottsman and women in their kilts with bagpipes and drums (and the drum major competition).

I feel like I might be getting sick, but it could just be from being in the sun for so long (I have sun allergies). Keep your fingers crossed and please pray with me that I'm not getting sick!
Sick + exercise = icky! icky! icky!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 107 (day 2 / week 16)

I did not want to exercise today. *shrug*

I sat here (playing bejeweled blitz on facebook) trying to think of something that I could do, like raking, that doesn't seem like exercise, but is. Then I remembered that I had already said that I was going to do the 20 minute workout today (because the workout schedule told me to), so I got off of my bottom, and went and did it.

To think that I just sat there wasting time thinking about something that I could just get over and done with, if I would just get up to do it (tisk tisk). It's only 20 minutes.

I'm glad I did. Now I can say that I exercised for the day, and I don't have to worry about doing anything more until tomorrow, and I don't have to think about it anymore.

I probably will still go rake though...it needs to be done lol.

Hope you all have a fun Friday!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 106 (day 1 / week 16)

Thank you for all of your comments on yesterday's post. Inspiration, motivation and support really is a full circle thing. You guys help me and I help you (it's such a blessing to know this)! I am just so grateful and blessed--you guys really don't know!

Today I did the 20 minute workout and Ab Jam (because my workout schedule thingy told me to), but not in that order. Five minutes to the end of the 20 minute workout (I did this one last), I started to feel really icky again, almost nauseous, and I thought, "this feels like the other day when I didn't eat before I exercised, but today I.....oh. I guess I didn't eat this morning, did I?" I was thinking of yesterday morning, when I ate. Such a douche. So I did 15 minutes of the 20 minute workout (that bugs me that I forget).

I stopped using my sculpting gloves, and will bring them back into my workout next week. I think I might have been over training with them because every time I try to use them, I get extremely tired (that's not supposed to happen--exercise should give you energy!).

Today is going to be a super busy day (it's Lyric's 6th birthday), so off to start it! Hope you guys have a wonderful day and a great workout!

We can do this. We are stars!

day 105 (day 7 / week 15)

Today while I was exercising (Turbo Jam's Cardio Party Mix 1--I woke up early to do this btw) I was thinking about how lucky I am to have all of your help and support, and how much of a blessing each one of you are in my life.

So many of you have helped to change my life, to make better decisions and to give me the tools to do so. I have new friends and get to read your blogs, and enjoy them so much, from the penny pinching tips, recipes, cleaning tips, to the shared struggles, goals, laughs and slug love. Your comments ALWAYS keep me pumped, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for lifting me up (even when you don't know it!)

You guys have introduced me to sparkpeople.com, which I thought off the bat was a God thing, because I lived in Sparks, NV at the time (see the similarity?). I don't think you guys ever knew that :). It was meant for me to join just because of that reason! I realized that my knees didn't hurt today, and that again is because of you guys reminding me about the glucosamine.

I hope all of you guys know (even you lurkers!) know how much I appreciate you. I hope that God's joy engulfs you as you read this, because when I think about how blessed I am to have you guys help keep me accountable to this goal, God's joy overcomes me.

Thank you! thank you! thank you! You are my stars!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 104 (day 6 / week 15)

I don't think I mentioned this, but I started over my Turbo Jam program. For the past few weeks, I have just been doing whatever Turbo Jam workout out of the Maximum Results program, that my little heart desired. I decided last week (I know I did mention this) that I wanted to start doing what it told me to. Well it's been over a month since I started, so I was at the end of the workout schedule provided, so I decided to just start over (in week 2 so that I can skip all of the "learn and burn" stuff, since I have already learned all of the moves).

Today I did the 20 minute workout and ab jam. This is what my current week will look like according to the workout schedule provided:

Mon: 20 minute workout (done)
Tue: 20 minute workout + Ab Jam (done)
Wed: Cardio Party
Thu: 20 minute workout + Ab Jam
Fri: 20 minute workout
Sat: (rest day) Cardio Party
Sun: (rest day) Cardio Party

You all know I don't have rest days so on Saturday and Sunday I will do "cardio party."

I am waiting for my mom's hubby to stop by (if he remembers) to bring me a rake. The one that belongs here was taken by the previous tenants lol. Yesterday we fixed and adjusted the sprinklers in the front yard, so that the grass will grow properly. Since my hubby is allergic to grass, I get to take care of it. I am totally happy about this because "raking" and "mowing the lawn" with both a gas powered mower or a push mower, are considered exercise in sparkpeople.com, that I can actually enter. Yaay! More (non)exercise! That's exercise that doesn't feel like exercise to me--kind of like walking lol.

Anyway if Dave brings me the rake so I can get the pine needles and pine cones out of the yard today (w/out breaking my back), then I will do more (non)exercise today (despite how windy it is)!

Maybe I should save it for a day when I don't want to exercise, but have no choice...hmmm...

Hope everyone is well and feeling great! Exercise'll do that to ya :). I forgot to mention that I didn't do anything more after Lyric left and I put Logan down for a nap. I did my exercise for the day and wanted to rest :).

I can do this. I am a star.

day 103 (day 5 / week 15)

Today my niece Lyric is here playing with Logan. Logan hasn't taken a nap yet. I don't know if he will. lol. (more of a cry, not a laugh).

I just did the Turbo Jam's 20 Minute Workout. After Lyric leaves and Logan goes down for a nap *fingers crossed*, I might do more. I don't know. It all depends on him :).

Hope everyone is having a good Monday!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 102 (day 4 / week 15)

Happy Easter! I am so excited for when my son gets old enough to tell him the story behind today. It has amazed me since I was a small child and still does as an adult!

Today I got up "early" (not as early as I was getting up in Reno, but not as late as I have been getting up lately lol) to exercise, so that we make our schedule for today.

I put in Punch, Kick and Jam and about 20 minutes into it, I started to feel icky. I pushed through it and even got a boost of energy, but the feeling stayed. About 10 minutes later I started feeling pretty nauseous so I stopped for a few and tried to start up again, but I stopped because my body was obviously trying to tell me something (duh). I didn't eat anything before I exercised so I'm sure that was the problem. It has been such a long time since I exercised early that I forgot my routine (I usually have some yogurt beforehand), and eating just slipped my mind (I know, kind of stupid). Anyway 30 minutes is fine with me. It's better than nothing, and I will get plenty of exercise throughout the day.

Hope you all have a blessed Easter! Stay active :).

I can do this. I am a star.

day 101 (day 3 / week 15)

Today was a good day. I was still a little sore so I decided to make it a (non)rest day and take it easy today. My hubby, Logan and I went to one of the malls here (the one we used to hang out at as teenagers lol) and we walked around it a few times for about an hour. I think giving my body a rest from turbo jam for a day will be a good thing.

Today was very exciting. I always have a hard time trying to find something to wear out in public. This is mostly due to the fact that I am in between sizes. I have been wearing my super-fat clothes just because I didn't fit into anything else, and they have gotten pretty big. Just for kicks I pulled out what I call my "semi-fat clothes"--clothes that are smaller than the ones I am wearing now, but they aren't my skinny clothes (the ones I wore around the time I got married 3 years ago--the pants are mostly 3x's). I was about 180lbs when I was wearing these clothes. Anyway, I put on my pants, totally thinking that I couldn't get them over my butt and they did! Then I thought I won't be able to fasten them, and I did! I was so excited, I did a happy dance and had my 2 year old doing one with me. They were a little tight, and I had a slight muffin top, but they fit! I took them off and tried another pair--a pair that said they were a 2x (even smaller!). They fit even better! I think my sizes are wonky--but they are a different manufacturer. I wore the 2nd pair that I tried on today, and they felt great. I even had to wear a belt.

What a great day!

Hope you all are having a great weekend! The weather is so nice, go take a walk! so beautimus! :)

I can do this. I am a star.

day 100 (day 2 / week 15)

Today's post is brought to you by the word "procrastination" and the number 100.

Today is the 100th day of my New Years Resolution. Yaay!

Today, because the Turbo Jam journal told me to, I did The 20 Minute Workout and Ab Jam. I am sore. Not from today. Maybe a little from yesterday (although I totally futzed around), but still from Turbo Sculpt (I think 3 days ago?). My bottom is still sore (good sore not bad). I am just totally aware of my butt 24/7.

lol.

Also today, God has also been talking to me--in the way that He does. I am a procrastination monger. I do it all the time--especially if my hubby is around (I really don't know why he provokes it). Anyway, I put Logan down, and knew "it's exercise time" but just procrastinated. I went online, and read a sparkspeople article about procrastination and close to the end it said:

Right now – before you read the next paragraph – go do something you put off earlier today…There, doesn’t that feel better? Remember and cherish that feeling.

lol. I was like "awe man!" so I got up, before reading the next paragraph (I still haven't read it) and went and did Ab Jam. After Ab Jam was over, I was switching out my DVD (I hate that ab jam and cardio party are on a separate disk from the rest of the turbo jam workouts) and I just procrastinated... a little. Instead of pushing the disk into the player, so that it automatically starts, I left it there and watched a little bit of, "The Doctors" (a TV show). Like 2 minutes into my watching it, one of the doctors said something about procrastinating and I just gave up and pushed in the DVD. I think God is trying to tell me something, but He isn't saying it loud enough...lol (j/k).

I should go take a shower now. I'm sure I'll use that article to procrastinate a little more, or find something else. No. No I wont.

I can do this! I am a star!

day 99 (day 1 / week 15)

I noticed today that I have had 100 posts (i had an intro) on my blog, and couldn't figure out why I had that today was day 98. I went back and checked and repeated day 86, so I had 2 of them, and kept going (go figure--day 1 of moving lol). I thought something was wrong, because I had always remembered my day 1 of the week being on a Thursday, but for the past 2 thursdays it has been on a friday (sounds funny but totally makes sense to me lol). Anyway I fixed it, so I apologize if it shows 10+ posts today in your blogger feed thing, if you subscribe to my blog. I don't know what it looks like on your side when I edit a post and republish it, so I just hope that I didn't annoy anyone (sorry!).

I exercised late today because Logan just barely went down for his nap. I wanted to post this now, because my hubby will be home from work as soon as I am done exercising, and it annoys him when I am on the computer, and he is home.

I am about to go do Cardio Party mix 1 (turbo jam) because that's what the journal-thingy told me to do. I really wanted to do the 20 minute workout, but I committed to the journal yesterday, or the day before, so I am not going to punk out on it (I don't usually stick to my original plan of things and I want to change this bad habbit). It's 43 minutes long.

My butt is sore today from the traveling lunges and squats I did in Turbo Sculpt yesterday so this will be fun :). thank goodness there isn't any in Cardio Party!

I hope you all have a great workout and a great day! Woo hoo! tomorrow is day 100! only 256 more days left after that!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 98 (day 7 / week 14)

It feels really good to be back. I included a recipe today at the end of my post! So yummy!

Today I followed the manual thingy that Turbo Jam provided to me. Yesterday I did Cardio Party, so today it told me to do Turbo Sculpt (39 mins) and Ab Jam (19 mins). I really didn't want to do Ab Jam, but because I had already programed it into my WOWY, I did it anyway--talk about oxymoronic laziness (I just made that up lol). I was too lazy to just walk into the other room to cancel my WOWY session for Ab Jam, that I just did it anyways lol (too lazy to be lazy lol).

Tonight I am making Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew, a recipe that I found on Sparkpeople.com, and I wanted to share the recipe with you guys. It's low in calories, and I have all the nutritional info to go with it--cause I'm anal like that!

a serving is 3/4 cup.

This is a copy/paste from the site:

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped 1 16-oz can black beans 1 16-oz can kidney beans 1 16-oz can corn (drained) 1 8-oz can tomato sauce 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies 1 1.25-oz packet taco seasoning 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions

Mix everything together in a slow cooker except chicken. Lay chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. This is good eaten with cheese, sour cream, or tortilla chips.

Number of Servings: 14

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user GINGERFISH.
Number of Servings: 14

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 14
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 115.8

• Total Fat: 0.8 g
• Cholesterol: 7.9 mg
• Sodium: 782.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 17.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
• Protein: 7.8 g
  
  
  Ingredients Used For Nutrition Calculations:
  Here are the foods from our food nutrition database that were used for the nutrition calculations of this recipe.
  
  Number of Servings: 14
  • Onions, raw, 1.00 medium (2-1/2" dia)
  • Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Light Red Kidney Beans, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Black Beans, 1.75 cup
  • Great Value Taco Seasoning, 12.00 tsp
  • Great Value Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, 2.50 cup
  • Great Value Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets (Frozen), 8.00 oz
  • Great Value Tomato Sauce, no salt added, 0.88 cup

This is Melissa talking now--I rinse and drain everything--corn, tomatoes (I use just plain diced tomatoes btw), beans--everything but the chicken, taco seasoning and tomato sauce (which would just be dumping that down the sink lol). It's better the 2nd day when the flavors have been able to meddle! I never challenged the nutritional info, because everything going in is healthy, so I don't care. Can't be much more than what it says it is :). For me, it varies with the chicken--how heavy my breasts are (LMAO!!!) or if I use chicken tenders instead.

I eat it with a salad (no dressing--still not a fan of it lol) and my multi-grain LIGHT Thomas english muffins that are 100 calories per muffin. So delish!! So yummy! So yummy! There's a party in my tummy! So yummy! so yummy!

Off to take a shower. Hope you guys enjoy the recipe :).

I can do this. I am a star.

day 97 (day 6 / week 14)

Yaay!!!! I have internet now!!! My hubby did get internet hooked up yesterday so I can log in to WOWY now and can log onto my blog regularly again. I can catch up on all of my blogs and see how all of you are doing, and that makes me very happy.

Today I did Cardio Party Mix 1.

We drink a lot of bottled water, and to cut costs, we bought reusable water bottles that we are filling up with from 5 gal jugs of water, that my mom left here for us. The one I have says that it's 32 ozs but I don't believe it. It's more like 27 (that's 3 cups of water, right? 1.5 bottles of water--I tested it). So I have had to had MANY potty breaks today--2x while I was exercising and 3x's just sitting here updating my blog lol. I am able to easily get in my 8-8oz cups of water though, in fact, when I finish this, it will be 12! Hubby can't take me anywhere though, because I am in the bathroom every 20 mins lol. My bladder will increase though, so it won't be so bad soon.

Yaay! I am so glad to be back online. My hubby got a lame-o job working for a company that placed him in the warehouse of t-mobile. It doesn't pay much, but it's more than we are making now. He also has a lead with another company that contracts for the gov working in janitoral services as a lead worker but we have to pray for that. He would be a good fit and would pay more so that I can focus on finishing school :).

Ironically, I am going to apply to work at the company my hubby worked at in Reno. He refuses to work there because he doesn't liek the people in the Vegas branch (he's not a people person, so it sounds worse than it is lol).

I hope everyone is well! I am going to go catch up and reply to comments now.

I can do this. I am a star!

day 96 (day 5 / week 14)

Monday 4/6/06

My hubby is talking about getting internet service so I am so excited! Hopefully we will have it soon. Getting to the parking lot across the street, is a huge pain, so I am just typing this like a journal entry and then will copy/paste it to my dashboard publisher thing.

Today I did 10 minutes of Ab Jam (the floor portion) and we did a lot of walking, that I am not going to include (I forgot to clock it so I don't know how long we were out for--oh well).

I hope everyone is having a good time and a great workout!

*fingers crossed* about getting internet soon!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 95 (day 4 / week 14)

Sunday 4/5/09

Today I unpacked more boxes in the kitchen and then danced (mostly hopped) around with my 25lb son to make him happy for about 15 minutes. We danced because music was on pretty loud and that's not a common thing for us, always living in an apartment. He has been such a trooper in this move, both leaving and arriving and I am so proud of him. It's nice that we can just rock out like that. I was out of breath after bouncing him around and just pooped. I exhausted him too which takes a lot lol. We danced hard and had fun, and I held him the entire time, so I definitely got some exercise in. My stomach muscles are sore also, from yesterday's workout, which I love--such a great feeling!

During Logan's nap I did Cardio Party Mix 1 (Turbo Jam) again. I enjoy it and I am seeing great results, so it makes me happy to turn on :). I just really need to clean the carpets because they are just...they don't look gross because they are speckled but they feel gross to me. It's burber (? is that how you say/spell it?) and blends the previous renter and my mom's dogs hair in and the dirt/dust, and we are realizing that a lot needs to be cleaned. Anyway enough of that, despite all of my complaining, it's such a blessing to be in a house now, rent free no less (although my mom was just laid off in the management cuts at the Palazzo (?? A casino in vegas) so this will probably change very soon). Such a blessing to just be around family again though :).

On my hubby's cell phone, where I was entering some of my posts at the hotel and in Sparks before we left, I couldn't respond to comments because his phone is funny--it doesn't show all the links available--that I know are usually there. I would only be able to read them through my email as my blog is too large for the phone to load, and that was only if I was able to spot them in all of the daily mailers that sparkpeople sends me (i really need to dump some groups and change some settings lol). Normally, this is how I read the comments and usually I can click on the day in the email that someone left a comment on, and it takes me straight to the post so I can respond to a comment, but his phone doesn't show the link so I can't go directly to the single entry to respond. Incidentally, our cell phone service is horrible here in Vegas--I can't post at the house with his phone anymore because the service isn't that great there, which is why I am in this parking lot right now. When I did this the other day, I was on my laptop, and it doesn't hold a charge for very long so I wasn't able to respond then (I had to pee really bad too lol). It died on me almost immediately after I got the confirmation page that the last blog post had been published *whew*.

Hope you have a great day and an awesome workout!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 94 (day 3 / week 14)

Saturday 4/4/09

Today I went for a walk for about an hour and did the floor portion of Ab Jam (Turbo Jam). Man! I could feel stomach muscles that I haven't felt in a LONG time. It felt good and I am sure that my abs will be sore tomorrow (good sore of course) :).

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and has had great workouts! I know you are there with me, I am just sorry that I haven't been able to catch up on blogs and read about your experiences. I will be able to once we have an internet connection...whenever that is. Despite what you might think, parking lot blogging is not much fun at all, lol, especially with a toddler in the back seat...bless his little spongebob loving heart lol. I updated my blog from april 1st (day 90) and added my measurements if you want to scroll down and see what those are. I lost a total of 12.75" and 6.2 lbs in March! Yaay!

I can do this. I am a star!

day 93 (day 2 / week 14)

Today I did Turbo Jam's, Cardio Party Mix 1 (I think that's what it's called). I haven't done it in a while and it was so much fun! I used my sculpting gloves for 20 minutes and then took them off, cause I wasn't having much fun lol.

My laptop is going to die so I have to get off. Hopefully I will be able to get on tomorrow to update, but if not, this is how I will be doing it until we get an internet connection at home. We are still looking for jobs so it won't be any time soon unfortunately :-/.

Hope everyone is well! I dont have the memory to check my email/respond to comments so I hope you all are well! You are stars!

We can do this. We are stars!

day 92 (day 1 / week 14)

Thursday 4/2/09

It's really nice to have my own exercise room. It's pretty empty, except for a book shelf, a TV on a stand and my love handler.

Today I did the Turbo Jam 20 minute workout. I was so happy to do it! I missed Turbo Jam. :) So much fun!

I hope everyone is well and is exercising!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 91 (day 7 / week 13)

Wednesday 4/1/08

Today is the first and my hubby surprised me this morning by having our extra room cleared out so that I could make it my exercise room.

I set up my "Love Handler" that my hubby bought for me over a year ago, and did that today for about 10 minutes. It works your mid section and is pretty fun :).

I have a picture of me for April 1st, but I forgot my measurements at home. I will update them here later.

I weighed 203.6! yaay! I am really happy to see the numbers drop.

When I have more time I will come back and edit this post to have the rest of the before/after pictures, and measurements. You can click on the label "Measurements" to see my other pictures, to compare the before an after, until I update this.

UPDATE (typed on 4/4/09)

These are my measurements from April 1st as promised. It has been 4 days since I took them, and I haven't been able to compare last month's measurements until now so it was pretty exciting to see the differences. Usually I have them sitting in front of me when I do them, but I don't have the internet access at home to pull up the page to immediately compare. Yaay!

Measurements: (day 90 / day 60 / day 30 / day 10) (- "/# lost in current month)

Wt: 203.6 / 209.8 / 213.4 / 215 (-6.2#) (total lost 11.4#)
Chest: 41" / 42.5" / 43.5" / 43.75"(-1.5") (total lost -2.75")
Waist: 36" / 37.25" / 39" / 41.5" (-1.25") (total lost -5.5")
Hips: 45.5" / 47" / 47.75" / 47.75" (-1.5") (total lost -2.25"
Neck: 13.75" / 13.75" / 14.25" (-0.0") (total lost -0.5")
Under bust: 34.25 / 35" / 36.75" (-0.75") (total lost -2.5")
1" below belly button: 43.25" / 45" / 47.5" (-1.75") (total lost -4.5")
below my bottom (above my thigh): 42" / 42.5" / 44" (-0.5") (total lost -2.0")
R Thigh: 20.5" / 22.5" / 27" (-2.0") (total lost -6.5")
L Thigh: 20.5" / 22.25" / 27.5" (-1.75") (total lost -7.0")
R Calf: 14" / 14" / 14.5" (-0.0") (total lost -0.5")
L Calf: 14.5" / 14.75" / 15.5" (-0.25") (total lost -1.0")
R upper Arm: 11.25" / 12.25" / 14" (-1.0") (total lost -2.75")
L upper Arm: 11.5" / 12" / 13.5" (-0.5") (total lost -2.0")
R wrist: 6" / 6" / 6.25" (-0.0") (total lost -0.25")
L wrist: 6" / 6" /6.25" (-0.0") (total lost -0.25")

In March I lost 6.2 lbs! It's about time! lol I have lost a total of 11.4 lbs since January and I can't complain, especially since the inches are melting off :). What a blessing!!!

In March I lost 12.75" over my entire body combined for a grand total of 40.25" overall throughout my body since January.

This really wants to make me cry, fall on my knees and praise God. I would definitely not be this strong if it weren't for Him. I wouldn't be this consistant if it weren't for Him. I know that I am on my way to a healthier temple for Him and I won't ever have to look back again. I can't believe how far I have come since I started, and it just makes me want to cry (happy tears of course).

Thank you to everyone who is following my transformation. You help me to be accountable and help to keep me on track because I know that there is someone else out there, besides myself that is watching and rooting for me. I really hope it inspires those of you that need it and I just hope that you know that if I can do this, you can too. Just take one day at a time and make it count! Can you imagine where we will be in 3 more months??? How exciting and such a blessing to think about!

We can do this! We are stars!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

Jan 2009

Feb 2009

March 2009

April 1, 2009

I can do this. I am a star.

day 90 (day 6 / week 13)

Tuesday 3/31/08

Today I cleaned the last bathroom--the messiest and hardest to clean. I still need to go back and re-scrub the bathtub and shower area, because it's pretty gross.

I counted this hour of cleaning the bathroom as "heavy cleaning" for exercise, because I was beat red and sore from cleaning. I definitely got a good workout.

Right now I am in a parking lot using a starbucks wireless connection to enter the next few days. We still don't have a connection at home, but I am fine with driving to this parking lot for now. I am still exercising so that's all that matters :).

I can do this. I am a star.