Day 24, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 2 (day 7)

I already worked out today to get it over with.  Way to go me!

Quote of the day: Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.  ~Carol Welch  

Day 23, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 2 (day 6)

I took 2 days off (at Chuy's on one of those nights) and got back on the wagon tonight.  I was terrified that it would be impossible (I had issues when I skipped days at level 1) but I was able to do it more easily than ever.  I still cannot complete the last ab circuit (it's a plank move after 3 other plank activities so my arms and wrists can't hold up at the end) but I do 30 seconds of the twisty-plank thing and then switch to bicycle crunches.

Either way, I'm excited at my strength and endurance.  I feel so powerful doing my workout.  I always am apprehensive but I feel sooooo good while I do it.  Today I even thought, "Someday I really will make it to level 3."  I don't know when that day will be but it's not that far off I don't think :).

Day 22, 30 day shred (day 5 level 2)

I am up late but I worked out so I'm satisfied!  I almost didnt do the workout but I'm soooooo glad I stuck it out.  Go me! :)

Weekly weigh in a day early

I decided to weigh today so that Gavin and I can get Chick-fil-a tonight (Brady's headed out of town for a couple of days) and I weigh 152.7!  That's 2 pounds in a week, which is crazy!  I think that really shows how much harder level 2 works you than level 1!

Motivational Quotes

"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."

     --Um, yes, this is VERY important to me!

"Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!" - Unknown

     --I hate regret!!!!  And I totally beat myself up over things!

"It's a lifestyle - train like there's no finish line."

     --That's true.  I fully intend to keep working out after I reach my goal.

"There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them." - Ralph Marston, Author and Publisher of The Daily Motivator

"Pain is only weakness leaving the body" - Unknown

     --Jillian says something like that in the 30 day shred

"It's about mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter" -Unknown

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do." - Unknown

day 21, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 2 (day 4)

Woohoo!  I pushed through even though I wasn't motivated and was lethargic.  I had REALLY high bloodsugar (410--not sure why, not normal for this time of day) but I worked out nevertheless.  It was TOUGH!  But I pushed through and only had to stop once to down some agua.

I'm so proud of me!

Day 20, 30 day shred, level 2 day 3

Salad is not enough for a workout and I learned that the hard way today! I cheated and weighed yesterday morning after eating and while wearing jeans and I weighed 154! So hopefully I'll be 153.something on Wednesday!

Here's the cute girl who made Mommy gain all the weight :)



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Day 19, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 2 (day 2)

Did it last night!  It really kicked my butt because I did it before eating dinner.  I can't wait for summer because I should be able to do it while Kailee naps in the afternoon.  Until then, I think my best bet is to eat dinner and then workout about an hour later.

Day 18, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 2

That's no mistake!  I did level 2 and I was able to do MOST of it!  WOOHOO!  I could do more of the cardio in this level than level 1 because more of it was not so hard on the knees.  The only non-cardio move I did not do was the last ab circuit.  I didn't think my arms could hold up for the twisty plank things.

I am soooooooooooo proud of myself!  I was a little bummed that I only lost .5 pound this week and no inches, BUT by doing level 2, I was able to really feel the gains I've made in 17 workouts.  My upper body strength is SIGNIFICANTLY greater as is my endurance.  I physically was not able to really do level 2 on day 6 (when I first attempted it) but today I could.  I've never worked this hard to build strength and I'm so impressed with myself!

OH and my arms are looking thinner this week.  That must be where the half-pound came off. :)

Weekly Weigh in

I lost .5 pound so I'm now 154.7.  I figured it would only be a small loss this week since last week was such a big loss.

I didn't lose any inches this week, still at 37 around largest part of belly.

Day 17, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

Did day 17.... Weighing and measuring tomorrow!

Day 16

Just did day 16 at level 1. I had to make myself do it... By the way, I am so tired of dieting!


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Day 14 and 15, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

I didn't update but I did day 14 last night and day 15 just now.  I am VERY proud of myself for sticking with this!  I'm still on level 1 but may move up to level 2 on day 31.  I still have to use 1lb weights for a lot of the exercises so I'm not sure how good I'll be at level 2 even on day 31.

Halfway through my 30 days!

Day 13

Just did day 13! Still at level 1... I'm drinking a ton of water thanks to my new cup (see below)


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Stats Wednesday, May 12th

Weight: 155.1 (that's 2.2 pound loss in a week--though I weighed at night last week so I probably didn't quite lose 2.2)

Inches around widest point: 37 (started out at 40 around Christmas so that's a definite improvement!)

Day 12, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

It was a fight to do day 12 but I did it!  I feel so out of shape just from taking those 3 days off.  I pushed through though!  Tomorrow I plan to weigh and measure.... Hopefully with some good results!

day 11, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

I took Friday-Sunday off for various reasons and got back on the wagon today.  I can tell a difference in my body which is motivating to stick it out!

Side note: Gavin is 4 today!

Day 9, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

Just did day 9! I cheated and weighed before dinner and I weighed 157.3! That's a loss since Saturday and I didn't even weigh 1st thing this morning, woohoo!!!! I can't wait to be 156 because I haven't seen that number since I was pregnant with Kailee and on the upward climb! I am trying to celebrate the small victories to keep me motivated!

I also found out Brady weighs 165 so he outweighs me, bonus!!!! (at Christmas, I weighed a pound more than he dd).


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day 8, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred level 1

I love a workout that can be done in my flip-flops.... Yes, I totally did the shred with my hot pink old navy flip-flops on.  Since I don't do any of Jillian's cardio besides the punches (I do mine on the elliptical), I don't really need much support from tennis shoes.  I do, apparently, need tennis shoes for balance.  I cannot do lunges very well in flip-flops but no worries, I did not fall and I did not injure myself! :)

I almost did not do the workout today after low bloodsugar at 6pm (I had to wait for it to go up substantially and I'm normally already in bed right now--9:12pm) but I have an online group of women motivating each other so I did not want to "phone it in" to quote Jillian.  By the way, what does that even mean?  I guess I'm just not that cool....

30 day shred level 1, day 7

My knees weren't feeling it so I took yesterday off...

Tonight I picked back up with the program (back on level 1) and tried to do the cardio.  Now both knees don't like the cardio so I decided to hop on the elliptical during each 2 minutes of cardio.  It worked great!  The only cardio I did with the video were the punches.  I am still able to do the strength training and abs for level 1.  I am not sure when I will go back up to level 2 as I think my arm strength is no where near the level necessary.

You would think  carrying around a baby would give you awesome upper-body strength but it really doesn't.  Of course, Kailee is quite petite so that might be why I'm not stronger ;).

Level2

I did level 2 after my pity party and it was too hard! I definitely do not have the upper-body strength necessary for level 2 yet!


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Gonna switch workouts to AM to see if it helps!

Time to switch the workouts to the AM and then keep eating how I'm eating.  We'll see if that helps!

How to Stimulate Your Metabolism and Lose Weight Effortlessly By Isabell Kratz  Article Word Count: 1655 [View Summary] Comments (0) Ads by Google 1 Tip To Lose Stomach FatCut 5 pounds of stomach fat every week by using this 1 weird old tip.TruthAboutAbs.com Drop your Belly FatLose a Bit of Your Belly Everyday Follow these 2 Old Rules1weightlossrecipe.com Controll your hungerunderWay, first true appetite suppresent drink , 877 955 7277www.tryunderWay.com

Susan, 43, has been dieting since her early thirties. Every six to eight months, she goes on a strict diet combined with vigorous exercise. She loses between 10 and 15 kilograms (22 - 33 pounds). She then quits her diet and regains all her weight within the next few months.

Susan, like a lot of yoyo dieters, has three sets of clothes: fat clothes, skinny clothes and a few in between. Her fat clothes are baggy and tasteless; her skinny clothes are elegant and glamorous. Susan lives for the magic moment when she will be slim once and for all.

But she finds it more and more difficult to lose weight and no matter how hard she tries, the figure on the scale won't budge. She now weighs 82 kilograms (180 pounds), and it's the fattest she's ever been. She eats little during the day, and has a late evening meal. She avoids carbohydrates as she thinks they're fattening.

Susan has lost all hope to lose weight. Her metabolism is too slow and her body won't burn fat. She still wants to lose weight, but she doesn't believe she can do it without a magic wand.

Metabolism includes all the processes that occur within the body and that are designed to keep us alive. Our basal metabolism is the energy we require to function while at rest, and we use up a lot more energy when we are active. Weight loss is difficult because we have to spend more energy than we take in, and while we aim at losing fat, we want to preserve and develop our muscles. When there's not enough muscle tissue, we burn less energy, which is a good reason to exercise moderately and to tone our bodies.

When our metabolism is too slow, the body refuses to burn fat. As time goes by, the problem only seems to get worse. The older we get, the less food we need to survive, which is unfortunate, as we often develop a keen interest in food when we get older!

Our need for dietary fat diminishes with age, and children require a higher percentage of fat in their diet than adults do. Because they grow, they need more concentrated supplies of energy in the form of fatty acids. Fat is also important for the development of the nervous system (brain and nerves), especially in babies and toddlers, and human breast milk is surprisingly high in fat.

Our metabolism slows for other reasons besides old age, and some of them are:

- lack of exercise;
- fasting (while eating increases our metabolism, fasting decreases it);
- menopause (the change of life);
- chronic stress (stress can either increase or decrease our metabolic rate);
- alcohol consumption;
- giving up smoking (it's not a good reason to keep lighting up!)
- certain pharmaceutical drugs;
- certain organic diseases, like disorders of the thyroid gland.

A medical check-up is a good way to eliminate physical causes when all your weight loss efforts seem to be in vain.

Excessive dieting has a harmful effect on our metabolism, because we are programmed to conserve fat, not to eliminate it. The body rings the "alarm bells" as soon as our caloric intake becomes too low. The less we eat, the less energy we burn, especially when we reduce our carbohydrate intake.

Because of strong peer pressure and the ideal of a model-like figure promoted by the media, teenage girls often diet even though they're already slim. When I was a teenager I was convinced I had to be as thin as a model or a movie star in order to be attractive. Not only do a lot of models suffer from malnutrition or anorexia, which is not something we should strive for, but dieting when not overweight drastically reduces our metabolism. We end up fat, even though we were slim in the first place.

Frequent changes in weight (the yoyo effect) are also detrimental, and crash diets have a rebound effect. Towards the end of a diet we experience intolerable hunger, as well as a slow metabolic rate. The ideal combination to have a big feast and gain back all the hard-lost kilograms! Dieting makes us fat.

Moderate exercise will stimulate a sluggish metabolism, but over-exercising has the opposite effect. If you exercise too much, your body will only burn a minimum amount of calories, in order to conserve energy. There is a rebound effect after discontinuing strenuous exercise. Your metabolism will slow down if you revert to your couch potato lifestyle, after exerting yourself regularly for a period of time. The combination of strenuous exercise and strict dieting has the worst effect on your fat-burning mechanism, as it conditions your body to hang on to its fat stores.

Certain foods don't enhance weight loss. Eating hard-boiled eggs and salad doesn't work, because the lack of carbohydrates will make you feel hungry and deplete your brain of serotonin, leaving you anxious, nervous and irritable. Carbohydrates are the body's favourite fuel. Of course fat and protein can provide caloric energy, but complex carbohydrates help increase your metabolism, as they stimulate all active processes, especially fat burning.

Take a wholemeal lettuce and tomato sandwich to the family picnic, rather than nibbling solely on hard-boiled eggs. While nothing stops you from eating carrot and celery sticks as well, the carbohydrate-rich bread will stimulate your metabolism, and you can use a low-fat filling or spread. For the same reason, eating only steak and salad doesn't work, as the lack of complex carbohydrates only worsens your hunger feelings, and you end up a nervous wreck.

To prevent hunger attacks and help your body burn fat, have several small meals, rather than three big ones. Small meals ensure you have a constant supply of energy your body can burn. To spread your calories throughout the day is a more balanced way to eat, and it speeds up weight loss.

Our metabolism is not the same throughout the day, and most diets don't take into consideration that we burn more calories in the morning than in the evening. If we know how to take advantage of this important fact, we will be able to eat more and lose weight at the same time! It is not so much what we eat that counts, but when we eat it, and we would lose weight more easily if we ate our meals earlier.

A lot of overweight people are night-time eaters. They eat most of their calories late in the evening, when the fat-burning factory has closed down. They usually skip breakfast, missing out on a time of the day when most calories are burnt instead of being stored as fat. Because they eat too late and have big meals at night, overweight people are not in harmony with their body clock and sabotage their own weight loss efforts. This eating pattern creates an imbalance and their metabolism slows down.

Your biological clock has a tremendous influence on your health and how your body burns calories and fat. Different hormones are released into your bloodstream at different times of the day and night, affecting your mood, your wellbeing and your metabolism. When you're not in tune with your biological clock, your metabolism becomes sluggish.

Eating a piece of chocolate at 10 a.m. is not the same as eating it at 10 p.m. Your body is programmed to burn energy in the morning, but at night, the system shuts down to prepare you for sleep. Everything slows down and calorie-burning stops, which is why all the calories you eat at night are stored as fat, especially those from fat. In the morning, the process is reversed: your body is programmed to burn energy, and everything you eat before mid-morning will be used up as fuel.

We have to take advantage of the body's natural ability to burn energy in the morning. If we starve all day, a big splurge is almost inevitable in the evening. Some people eat non-stop from the time they come home to the time they go to bed!

A lot of us complain we can't lose weight, even though we don't eat much, which is probably true, if we only look at the number of calories. But we eat at the wrong time of the day and our metabolism slows down. Of all meals, dinner is the most fattening, especially if it is a late dinner, with lots of animal protein, fat and sugar. If possible, dinner should be eaten earlier in the evening, and it should be a light meal.

A few suggestions for light evening meals:

- Low-fat cottage cheese, raw vegetables and wholemeal bread;
- Prawns, lightly cooked vegetables and brown rice;
- Chick pea salad and wholemeal bread;
- Home made tomato soup with noodles;
- Grilled cheese sandwich and lettuce;
- Broiled fish, baked potato and cooked carrots;
- Fruit salad, yoghurt and low-fat crackers;
- Chicken with oriental vegetables and brown rice;
- Roast breast of turkey, green peas and broiled tomatoes;
- Lean beef, brussel sprouts and sweet potato;
- Tofu burger and salad;
- Lentils (cooked with onion, garlic and tomato) and rice;
- Home made pumpkin soup.
- Minestrone.

We believe that starving all day is a good way to lose weight. We feel so hungry at night because we haven't eaten all day. After a hard day at work on an empty stomach, we are ravenous and eat a heavy, fat-loaded meal. Then we wonder why the kilograms won't come off, even though we're trying so hard.

The kilograms would come off more easily if we ate most of our calories before the sun goes down.

Strategies:

Avoid strict diets and too much exercise.
Don't be a yoyo dieter.
Have carbohydrate-rich meals.
Spread your calories throughout the day.
Eat a light dinner.
If possible, eat all your calories before the sun goes down.

by Isabell Kratz. Please check out my profile... Visit my blog http://www.isabellkratz.com Email me isabellkratz@gmail.com I wish you all the best and a lot of success! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabell_Kratz

Big FAT disappointment

So after a month of dieting and working out.  I weigh 158.2.  Which means, I haven't lost at all.  I tried on the jeans that were tight on April 1st... guess what, I still can't wear them.  By the way, those are size 12 jeans so that means I'm still on the tight end of size 12.  Which means what's the point of all of this hard work when it's not working????

I don't know what to do.  I've been trying since December to lose weight.  First I started exercising, then dieting, and drinking water.... And to what end?  To not lose anything??????

I am soooooooooooooooooo upset.  How can I stay motivated if there's no improvement?  Why is my body refusing to lose weight?  After Gavin, I ate what I wanted, didn't exercise hardly at all and by this point I was in ALL of my old clothes.  I also gained a lot more with his pregnancy.  I have been stuck from 158-165 since DECEMBER.  Why hasn't ANY MORE weight come off????  This does not make sense.  I'm only 27, my metabolism should not be at a standstill yet.

I am going to spend another summer fat.  The WORST summer of my life was the summer before I turned 21.  I remember being sooooooooooo miserable because I hated my body.  I'm there again and I weigh 8 pounds more than I did that summer.  I can't wear shorts (partially because I'm not going to spend money on big shorts) and I refuse to go out in a swimsuit like this.  God, this sucks!

All I want is to be back in my clothes before Kailee turns 1.  Most people don't take that long to lose the weight without even trying.  I am trying so unbelievably hard and it's not happening.  Since having Kailee the least I've weighed is 157.  I really thought I'd weigh at the most 155 today--that was me trying to set a realistic goal so that if I did better, it would be a nice surprise.  What a HUGE disappointment.

I could not wait for May 1st.  I kept pushing for today all month.  Every time I thought about stopping, I kept thinking, it will be worth it on May 1st.  And I was wrong.