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!

Weight loss and healthy motivation...

 Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred






A bit of motivation for today...

My first week.......

So I am starting this blog today, at 1:14 in the morning. I'll just be straightfoward.....I want to lose. I must lose. The weight must go. Away. For the rest of my life. I am documenting everything here on this blog, because I feel that by sharing with everyone to see, I am being held accountable. Let me start with my stats...ugh. Ok. Here goes. Currently, the last time I checked my weight, it was right at 180 lbs. I am 5 ft, 7 and 1/2 inches tall. I am fat. I know that I am fat, and I know that things need to change because I am miserable. I do not want to live the rest of my life feeling and looking like this. I hide under large T-shirts, and own no cute clothing because I am afraid to draw attention to my fat. I cannot even wear shorts above my knees anymore, because of the cellulite that sits on top of my knees. Yes, I am being very graphic, but hey, I said I was going to be telling you everything, right? I took a few pictures of myself last week, probably about 2 days after I started the Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred on Level 1, for the second time. I never made it to day 30 the first time (got to maybe day 17 or so). Here are some pics:

So...........that's the fat me. The me that needs a change. I was not always fat. Growing up, I never was super skinny, but never fat either. Just thick, I guess. Then at age 29 I had a baby, and my body completely changed. And now here I am, almost 2 years later at age 30, going on 31. So here is my plan. It may change as time goes on, but basically here is an outline of what I am planning on doing to change my body back into something that I am not ashamed of. For 30 days straight, I want to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day shred 20 minute workout video, on level 1. I started this last Sunday, July 22. I had meant to start this blog around that time, but band camp took precedence. (My hubby is a band director, and so am I).  I like theJillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred   video, because I need nothing more than Dumbbells  and a T.V. I can do this workout in my living room, and do not have to worry about getting myself to the gym, securing a babysitter, etc. Its just very convenient. Its also cute to watch my son as he mimics the exercise moves I am doing. And it sets a good example for him also. After 30 days on level 1 of Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred, I plan to do another 30 days on level 2. After completing month 1 on level 1, and month 2 on level 2, I plan on doing month 3 on level 3. I know, it sounds crazy. And you are probably thinking I will get bored with each level by doing it so many days. And you may be right. That's why I said my plans may change. My plan is to be back down to 145 lbs (which I WAS about 5 years ago) by my 31st birthday, which will be on November 10, 2012. And then I intend to stay that way, and not gain the weight back. That will be a challenge, but I think having this blog will definitely help keep me active and accountable. Anyways, here are a few pics, taken about 3 weeks ago of me holding my son, the day before my husband and I went on a cruise...

Yes, I am fully aware of how terrible I look in these pics, lol. I had no makeup on, and of course I am fat. I am also crying because I am about to say goodbye to our son for a week (he stayed with his grandparents while my hubby and I cruised). It was my first time away from him for more than 1 night. Here is a picture taken that same day of me and my grandparents:

Wow, I look like an amazon woman! I hate seeing the fat rolls hanging over my size 14 shorts and my HUGE gigantic flabby white arms. How did I ever let it get to this point? 

Now is the time for change. Now is the time to suck it up and just do it. In addition to the exercise routine daily, I plan on cutting back on my portion sizes. No more second helpings! I am always miserable after second helpings, but I continue to do it anyways. Why? No more. Its time for a change. I also plan to try to stick to healthier foods such as turkey meat, boneless skinless chicken breast, wheat bread instead of white, and no sugary drinks or juices. Yes, I do enjoy unsweet tea with artificial sweetner though. I know, I know, it causes cancer and makes you crave sugar, blah blah blah. But I am not ready to cut it out just yet, and may never. It has NO calories, so don't judge me, lol. I also intend to drink 8 full glasses of water a day. Or maybe a whole gallon. I know I need to drink more water. And I am going to treat this blog like a personal diary, or log of my adventures, problems, and progress.

 Ok, one more fat picture before I go....lol.

This is my husband, our almost 2 yr son, and our 'adopted' almost 19 year old daughter whom we took into our home as our own. Ok, well that is all for today (or this morning should I say). See you next time!