New pics...yikes.

Ok, so since I said I would, AND just to keep myself accountable, here are the new 'progress' pics. Not sure if they show any progress at all actually, but I need to post them nonetheless to keep myself accountable. Ok...so here goes....

                              Ok. Now let's see those pics in comparison to
                                    the very first ones I took.
                                      Here is BEFORE:

                                            And here is NOW:

                                              Again...BEFORE:

                                                And NOW:

So, I can def see a slight difference. On my legs, especially. Today is my LAST day of the Jillian workout on Level 1. Tomorrow, its off to level 2, yay! Until next time...

My husband is right...

Ok,...........confession time. Eeeks. Ok, so where do I begin? For starters, I have skipped the last 2 days of working out. OUCH! I know, pretty irresponsible. I went through a depression type episode the day before last and did not feel like doing anything but being in bed all day. So that is basically what I did. It was pretty bad. I couldn't find the energy to get up and do anything. So, then very next morning, which was yesterday, I got up, felt better and decided to clean the house. I succeeded.

      Then it hit me again. Yes, don't worry, I will be going to a doctor to figure out what is wrong with me. But at any rate, one of the reasons I was so depressed yesterday was because I have been doing the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred workout for 27 days and my clothes seem to fit even tighter!!! I was just amazed. Seriously? After ALL that hard work? And nothing to show for it except a hurt ankle? Without going into too much detail, I sprained my right ankle when I was a child and apparently the stress from so much exercise is making it flare up and hurt. Probably should see a doctor about that also...hmmm.

        So, after having a complaining pity party to my hubby in the middle of Wal-Mart yesterday, he finally said out loud what I knew in my heart. After complaining and saying that I had seen no changes in my body from working my butt off, he then said "Jessica, lets not pretend. You and I both know the one thing that you and I are afraid to speak out loud that has not been happening." I innocently asked "What?", still playing stupid, because I KNEW he was right. Then he said it. Out loud. "Sweetheart, you haven't changed your eating habits one bit." Ouch. That one hurt. Only because it was absolutely true. So here is my confession: I have been indulging in late night snacks, eating out, Waffle House runs at 10 o'clock at night, Taco Bell for lunch, and half price chocolate milkshakes from the Sonic at least twice a week. Yep, there you go. I said it. Whew, I feel much better. So, I guess somewhere in my screwed up head I imagined that since I was working out everyday that I would still lose weight, no matter what I ate. Sounds crazy, right? Well, yeah. Maybe I am crazy. So, that aside, its time to get serious not only about my exercise routine, but my diet as well. So starting today, I have started eating clean and healthy. I have already started researching some clean and healthy food ideas and recipes on cleaneatingmag.com. 

So now, after my meltdown and small setback, I am back and ready for some healthy lifestyle changes! I just seriously am having a hard time parting with the chocolate milkshakes...but that is what the once-a-week cheat meal is for, right? Right. I just need to keep it ONCE a week, not twice or three times....
Anyways, more to come later. Thanks for reading! Until next time...

Another day of exercise down...yay!

So here I am at day 27 of Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred . I got my mile in, at a whopping 11 mins and 45 secs. (Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?) Which is actually better than yesterday, when I did my mile in 12 mins. Anyways, day 27 Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred down...cannot WAIT until I am done with level 1 because I am soo tired of it, needless to say! Then I start Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred level 2. Pictures to come Thurs. Hopefully you will be able to tell a difference in the first pics I posted and the ones I hopefully will post Thurs. We will see. Anyways, until next time...

I cheated on my workouts...

Whew! Day 26 of Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. I admit...I cheated. I skipped Thurs and Fri, which would have originally been days 25 and 26. I went 2 whole days without working out. I felt like crud. I felt myself slipping away, back into my old fat self....BUT NO!!! I must not allow that. I picked it back up, even though I DID NOT WANT TO on Saturday. Ugh. Never hated working out as much in my life as I did on Saturday. I have not been watching what I eat enough either. So, I decided to add some cardio to my Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred  workouts. So I ran/jogged/walked a mile today before I did the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred  Workout. I am not going to post any more pics until Thurs, which should be day 30, if I don't skip. I don't plan on skipping, but hey, you can make the best of plans and well....who knows what can happen. Anyways, I am 4 days away from finishing Level 1. Then its on to Level 2. Yay! And I plan on continuing a mile each day, even if all I do is walk it. Ok, well I need a shower cause I literally just got done working out. Until next time...

Totally did NOT feel like a workout today

I am gonna be honest...I did NOT feel like working out today. At all. Not even close to feeling like it. But thankfully I have this blog and you guys to keep me accountable. Even though I don't think a lot of people, if any, read this anyways. But I must pretend that somebody is reading this, and that one day lots of people will read it and get inspired. I want to succeed, not only for myself, but so I can help others realize their potential to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle also. So even though I did not feel like it, I grabbed my dumbbells, put my good ole' Jillian Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred in the  Xbox 360 4GB Console  
and did it anyways. And you know what? I don't regret it. I am glad I worked out, even though I did not feel like it. It gave me the privilege of writing this little post for today. If I had not worked out today, I definitely would not be on here right now. Oh, I almost forgot. I tried something new and healthy today for a snack: grapes dipped in Greek vanilla flavored yogurt. I used the yogurt as a sort of 'fruit dip'. I am thinking of bringing this to the next family get-together. It is very healthy, and not to mention tasty and a-ma-zing. Anyhow, that is all for today. Thanks for reading!

Workout Motivation!!

Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred: Day 23

So I am now on day 23 of the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred  and here are some updated pics for ya. I maybe see a slight difference so far...I am definitely getting more toned, but the weight is coming off slow. I do notice in my clothes, because they are not quite so tight. But I have diligently been exercising, every single day, still doing the  Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred  on level 1. I have 7 more days on level 1, then I start level 2 of the same workout. Whew, I am definitely ready for a change! I have the level one workout MEMORIZED, and can tell a huge difference in my endurance from the first time I ever did this workout. It is amazing, and I am not kidding. Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred will work you hard, and she kicks my butt every time. But I know it will be worth it when I can put on those size 4 jeans, right? Right. So anyways, here are the recent pics:

A little inspiration to keep going.....

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Day 15-Halfway there!!

Ok, so I have a lot to share since my last post. To start with, today makes day 15 of the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shredfor me! Yay! I am excited that I am now halfway through my first month on level 1 of this workout. I must admit, though, it is still kicking my butt. If you are thinking of trying the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred, I highly recommend it, but beware....if you are not in shape, it will kick your butt. Even after 15 days of doing it, I still sweat gallons, have to have water with me, and my muscles get flubbery feeling during the workout. Now on to my next subject: Food! I confess that I have NOT been dieting like I need to. I do however get a pat on the back for sticking to my exercise routine EVERY SINGLE DAY, no matter what I feel like, or how many calories I have consumed. But my downfall is that my diet has really suffered the past week. I will go ahead and confess my weakness...my number on weakness on the face of this earth, more than chocolate, more than peanut butter, more than ANYTHING....and that is BOILED PEANUTS. Yes, you heard me right, I said boiled peanuts. I absolutely LOVE them. I mean, I am addicted to them. I mean, I would do almost anything to be able to eat them. Especially the green peanuts I can buy at the supermarket then take home and boil myself. Those are the best. But totally loaded with calories and salt. And my job as a band director does not make it any easier, since every Friday night at high school football games I am exposed to their evil temptation. You can read about that aspect of my life on my other blog, Band Director Confessions-Our life as Band Directors. Anyways, those boiled peanuts have been my downfall this weekend. I bought some Friday- about 7 and 1/2 lbs to be exact, and boiled them that night. Lets just say that they are completely gone now. So I have made a vow to not buy them anymore, because if they are in my house, I will devour them and I cannot control myself. Sad, I know. Anyways, I plan on starting tomorrow by picking back up into some good healthy eating habits. I think I am going to have that banana oatmeal smoothie for breakfast and for lunch. It always fills my stomach, and it is full of nutrients and healthy foods such as oatmeal, almonds, and yogurt. For dinner I will just enjoy a smaller sized portion of whatever we are having.
Now for some pics...I meant to post these pics last week, since that is when I took them, haha. But I got busy and didn't make time. So I will share them with you now. I do not see any progress at all since the pics I put up on my first post, honestly. (View those here) But I will still post:

You are probably wondering to yourself, "Why on earth would she put such horrible pics of herself on the internet?" Well let me answer that question for you. Accountability. As a reminder. This is me. This is the me that I have become, that I have allowed myself to become through poor eating habits and not exercising enough. These pictures are the results. This is me, and I am not going to hide it. I already hide every day behind T-shirts. Its time to face reality: I have lived an unhealthy lifestyle, and its time for a change. So having to look at what I have allowed my body to become when I post on this blog really helps me think twice before eating that second helping, or swinging by for a burger and fries. It motivates me to keep going, to exercise EVERY single day, not matter what. No matter how I feel. I know that if I just keep going, keep trying, even when I fail, that I will succeed. That one day I will have some awesome pics to share with yall. Of the me I long to be..the me I actually used to be. Fit. Toned. Skinny. Healthy. Beautiful. So anyways, that is all for this post, thanks for reading, and hopefully I can stay away from the boiled peanuts, lol!

Smoothie Love!!

So I found an amazing recipe for a healthy banana oatmeal smoothie on Pinterest, and I decided to try it. It called for Greek Yogurt with honey, but I only had regular yogurt. So I decided to 'tweak' this recipe and make it fit me, lol. You can find the original recipe here, on ChiquitaBananas.com. (That is where the picture came from also.) But here is how I made it my own:

• Instead of Greek Yogurt with honey, I used vanilla flavored yogurt
• I added some real honey (about a tbs or so, maybe more depending on how sweet you prefer)
• I used instant oatmeal
• I added flax-seed (Its really healthy for you)
• I added vanilla cream flavored protein powder (I work out everyday, so I need this)

The end result? Healthy deliciousness. I like to have one of these for breakfast, and I can attest to the fact that it really does make you feel full! I'm not sure that is what it was originally intended for, but it sure makes me full for 2-3 hours. And its full of nutrition too! Obviously note that tweaking the recipe will change the caloric content posted on the ChiquitaBananas.com page. I also enjoy one of these after a good Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred workout in the evening. Try it, and let me know what you think!