Early morning workout!

Hello there again! Just got back from our early morning gym session. Did arms...triceps, biceps,..shoulders, chest and leg press. Getting up at 3:30 is definitely not fun, but neither is being fat.  Now it's time to go plan our healthy menu for the week. Probably gonna throw in some abs diet meals in the mix! Love my menu planner. Thanks to Pinterest for the idea. Happy Monday everyone!

I am ashamed at my non-progress....

Um, so yeah, I have not been living a healthy lifestyle at ALL the past few months. I have not kept up with this blog. I have been lazy and overeating like a crazy person. But, here I am AGAIN. Getting back up. Been to the the gym twice this week and actually watched what I ate. So, I shall start this whole process over again, lol. Ok, so here I go!! For today, I shall share with you a picture:

Pistachios. A healthy and delicious snack! We bought a 3 lb bag from SAMs club today and I went ahead and distributed them into serving sizes in small plastic bags. Mainly because I will sit there and eat almost half the bag in one sitting!  So now we can just grab a bag and go, without having to worry about counting anything out. Pretty neat, huh? Ok, so that is about all for this post today. Hopefully I will keep up with everything and stay focused and on track this time. Bye for now!!

Jessica HAS to lose weight...

So apparently Jessica HAS to lose weight, right? Right. Then why has Jessica only worked out twice in the past 2 weeks? Because Jessica is lazy. I looked at the calendar yesterday. My original plan was to have all of my weight lost by my bday, November 10, 2012. I had enough days to complete Jillian Michael's on level 1, then on to level 2 for 30 days, and then level 3 for 30 days. I even gave myself some 'wiggle' room, in case I temporarily gave up. Which I did. And when I looked at the calendar yesterday, I noticed that IF I workout EVERY SINGLE DAY between now and my bday, that I can complete level 2 of Jillian, then start and complete level 3. That is, IF I don't skip a day. Not even one day. Not even one...and like I know that my body needs to rest when its building muscle. So I worked out today, and I am going to try to complete level 2 by the beginning of Oct, and at least start on level 3 by my bday.
So here I am again, picking myself back up again!! Really need some encouragement right now..cause I am lazy.

The next phase...Jillian Michaels level 2

So I finally completed the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred  on level 1...and I only skipped about 3 days total. Which is a lot better than last time, lol. I made those days up, however, and completed Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred on level 1 30 times. Needless to say, I am more than ready to move on to level 2 of this workout. I also decided to take a few days off to let my body rest, but.....a few days turned into a whole week. So I have been inactive for a whole week, with the exception of  an evening walk and light housework.
   It is definitely time to get back to it. I shall keep posting progress pics also. Until next time...

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.....