3rd Times the Charm?

I certainly hope so!

I cannot seem to get out of this funk! I need some motivation and someone to help push me!

I don't know anyone near me or that has the same/similar schedule so that I could COMMIT to meeting with someone and working out. My sister is the only person but she can't go until like 8 or 9 at night, and I'm sorry - I am in sleep/bedtime mode by then lol

AWESOME NEWS though, despite the fact I haven't been logging or exercising I lost another 5 pounds. Course, I was fluctuating for a while between the same 5-6 pounds, something happened & I just dropped it. I'm not going to complain lol - I just have to keep it up and keep dropping!!!!!!

I have been pinteresting in the "Fitness" section & I actually found a couple blogs that will hopefully give me more inspiration! I know I haven't been blogging much lately but it would be nice if I could find some more interactive people to help me a little bit more, I like comments and questions and I just don't get very much of that on here....but yet again, I have like 8 followers so what do I expect? lol ... I need to get out there more!

ANYWAYS, I have a lot going on in my personal life right now, but I need to stop making that an excuse for not working out! I have come to a conclusion that I want to add jogging & bicycling to my list of workouts, but I do need a new pair of shoes & and bike. I will use what I've got for now, but I'll have to start up a small fund until I can get it :)

....OH and I also need to think about HOOPING! Have you heard of this before? ...they sell weighted hoops & you just hula hoop for like 20-30 minutes and you get an AWESOME workout & you also get HOT HOT HOT abs/core....totally gonna get one! I have heard most people recommend Amazon.com, so I might try that.

I'd love to hear from you guys! Please feel free to give any tips, motivation, suggestions you have!

Thanks & Happy Friday!
 (..and Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there, including my dad!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Dun - Dun - Dun!

Today is May 1st - SO - today is the DAY1 I start back my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred hardcore!

I am challenging myself to go the full 30 days without stopping, and to also do each level for just 10 days.

Starting Measurements (*eek! & GAG*)

• Left Arm: 14 inches
• Right Arm: 14 inches
• Chest: 39 in (incl. boobs), 34 in (not incl. boobs)
• Stomach/Belly: 42 inches
• Waist: 35.5 inches
• Hips: 45.5 inches
• Left Thigh: 25 inches (at largest part)
• Right Thigh: 25 inches (at largest part)

I am also taking before pictures tonight - but you won't see those until the after pictures lol.
I will spare you the horror for now lol.

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred - Days 4 & 5

I forgot to post about Day 4 on Monday - oops!

I should be saying "oops" (honestly - I should be saying "BAD!") about taking off Tuesday & Wednesday - but its over with so I can't change that now...oh well - I am still in the beginning stages & so I still have to get over my workout anxiety...

ANYWAYS

I did Day 5 yesterday - and boy did it feel so much harder than the previous days. I am sure it's largely due to the fact that I took off two days - but I can still notice my endurance getting better and better. I have to stick to this and make it something I crave doing as opposed to fighting myself each time to just not think about it and do it...its just so easy to be lazy lol...but after I do the workout I'm tired and all but it's not that bad, I just have to keep reminding myself

One little mini-motivator I got yesterday is - after my workout mind you - I was putting the dishes away from the dish washer & I was leaned over it sorta awkwardly trying to put the cups in the cabinet directly above the open dishwasher, and Cody comes up to me and says "Damn baby, that workout is already starting to do something! It's like everything is 'waking up' & getting tighter" {OK first off - "WAKING UP"?! thanks for that hun lol - backhanded compliment, much?! ..but something I needed to hear him say - he always tells me what I want to hear so I don't get upset so I don't ever really know how he thinks about what I look like right now...and that tells me he thought I was flabby before..true but I was in denial lol}

One thing as a side note - I've had a few people tell me to go get the Jillian Michael's Cleanse, I just wondered if any of you have tried it and if so, what you think about it.

Thanks & Happy Friday!

(PS) Did you see? I lost two pounds so far! (lets hope its not all water weight, right?! lol)

Exercise Anxiety

I have been struggling the past couple of days...

I am seeing a pattern in myself that I really need to get past - and that is EXERCISE ANXIETY

I will do really good for about a week or so, but all of a sudden I get this overwhelming feeling of anxiety about working out - like I am almost scared to...WTF {self}?!?

I don't know what my issue is or why I have this anxiety - and hell, doesn't working out make you have LESS anxiety?!?

...I gotta figure something out! I will get NOWHERE unless I can overcome this!

Have you ever felt like this in the beginning stages of your life-style change? Is it a normal thing or am I a freak?

Any input is appreciated!

Exercise Question: Using a Fan

I was doing my workout yesterday, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred - Day 4 (I skipped Sat & Sun), and holy crap did I sweat (NOTE TO SELF: Don't skip anymore days lol).

I thought about going and getting my oh so lovely stand up fan to put on me as I was doing my workout, but I got to thinking about something: "Do fans HURT your efforts when working out, or does it not really matter?"

After I thought about it for a second, wouldn't a fan be counter-productive because it makes you not sweat/keeps you cool enough to where you aren't really sweating. And when you don't sweat, you aren't losing the water weight that comes along with the fat...am I right?

I wanted to get your thoughts on this, so let's discuss!

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred - Day 3

Today was Day 3 for Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred!

I am realizing more each day that I really like this workout style. I was struggling today to find the motivation to do the workout, but I had to keep telling myself "You can't think about it! Just DO IT!" and come on seriously {self} it's only a half hour!

So despite being sore from Day 1 (Wed) and Day 2 (Tues), I did it! I may be eating my words tomorrow, but I am proud of myself that I stuck to it & pushed past that little voice in the back of my head telling me "oh you can just wake up early and do it tomorrow morning" ...cause I mean, that hardly ever ends up working out lol.

I still have to do my before pics & measurements - I have the worst memory & attention span EVER lol

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred - Day 1

I was sooo happy to get my DVD yesterday - I had/have been reading the reviews for it on amazon.com, and honestly it got me REALLY pumped up & motivated to start, even though many reviews were saying how hard it is.

In my opinion, it was not as hard as I was prepared for.

It does have an intro that you can't skip past so ya that is gonna probably start to get annoying, but I found a solution to this issue. Jillian doesn't give you much more than a couple minute warm up for this DVD, and seriously - common sense stuff - you need more than a minute or two to really be ready for the workout. So instead of complaining about the intro, just do extra warm up exercises while its loading.

I did this as I already knew about the intro thing, and I am probably 50% less sore than most other people after their first day & NOT because I didn't push myself because, trust me, I DID lol. I just had a great stretch out and although I am quite stiff, I feel like it wouldn't be the end of the world to go ahead and do Day 2 like some of the reviewers were saying they couldn't do because of the soreness. I am actually really excited to start Day 2, even though I am sure I will regret saying that when I am in the middle of the workout lol.

One thing I already LOVE off the bat is the moves - they are soooo simple to follow, they are pretty much all gym class type moves like sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks, etc. The intensity & the time frame in which they are done at are what really get you the results. No breaks during the whole workout - but if you are new like me I do take a sec and sip some water and catch my breath, but after that I am right back to it.

I LOVE that the video is only about 30 mins long (including warm up and cool down) and that the workout is set up in 3-2-1 system. 3 mins of strengthening with weights, 2 mins cardio, and 1 minute abs & you will do the 3-2-1 a total of 3 times per workout. It seems to be over SUPER fast, so its great for people who get discouraged easily at working out.

Also, as many of you know - she is really a great motivator as well. She seems to say things to help keep you going just at the right time & I appreciate that. Many other videos are really annoying or too bubbly for my taste - I'm sorry, but I am sweating like a hog over here, I don't want to hear your extra happy tone cause I am def not extra happy right now lol. She's very straight forward and I think its funny she even admits to not being very flexible, she struggles with the stretches at first on the cool down part lol.

So those are my thoughts so far. I do need to do my measurements and take some before pictures (can you say DREAD doing that? lol) because I do want to see what my changes are hopefully in the near future! (some people have lost upwards of 10lb's on the first week or two, so I'd love to be in that same boat myself lol.)

Have any of you tried the 30 day shred yet? What were your results & how did you feel about the program?

Damn You McDonalds!

I left the house this morning and totally forgot to bring myself breakfast, so to avoid starvation until 2pm - I stopped by the McDonalds next to the bank (I had to go put my check in, so it was convenient lol) and got myself what I thought wasn't THAT bad of a breakfast....boy, was I wrong lol

I got a #3 - Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit and an Orange juice. So I just plugged that into myfitnesspal.com, and OMFG it was like 760 calories! I have a limit of 1200 calories per day on there so there is only like 440 calories left for the DAY!

...so, I hope that fills me up for a while cause I am not going to be able to eat much today lol - or I'm just going to have to be ok with going over my daily caloric limit. I guess at least I only ate 1,026 calories yesterday (oops! I was trying to be careful and I guess I went too far lol. It got onto me about not eating enough calories lol) so if I go over today I wont feel SO horrible.

I really can't wait for my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD to come in lol...I am really excited to get started :)

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

My Fitness Pal.com

So I mentioned this website on my last post, but it got me thinking - OK I used this website before, but I got "un-motivated" and stopped using it, so I am going to make sure to use this site again cause like I said...it's a LOT like weight watchers. I didn't realize until this morning they don't use the points anymore but it does count calories for you which is really nice. Not 100% accurate though, but hey I guess weight watchers isn't either.

I put up a new count down ticker thingy on the top of my blog - and right now it says a big fat ZERO, but it's going to be my constant reminder to keep up with everything having to do with my weight loss. The longer it says ZERO, the longer I will feel bad about not having changed any so hopefully, it'll be a motivator lol.

Diet...the dreaded word

SO I've been thinking a lot lately about how I need to actually sit down, and write out a goal plan for myself if I really ever plan on getting healthy in a reasonable period of time.

I do know, however, that when I get into "healthy" mode (and when I get an itch to do something, I kinda obsess about it lol) the moment I start to say "I'm on a diet" it starts going downhill. I think many of us has heard this before or had the same thing happen to us, but I end up being worse about eating than I was before, so here is what I vow to do:

~Drink at least 2 quarts of water a day
~Eat every 2-3 hours, small portions, and what I eat needs to be minimally processed - snacks being fruit or veggies & not junk ANYTHING
~Work out at least 20 mins everyday - I will start this when I get my Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred in (hopefully Monday)
~Get a good night's sleep every night & stretch in the morning

I also have decided that I will try to lose weight in small goal increments - about 10 pounds at a time. When I hit my first goal, my present to myself will be non-food related, so I think some shopping may be in order ;)

I will try to remember to get my measurements tonight, OH MAN...I will hate doing that lol

Here are some really awesome websites I found that can help anyone in their weight loss, and it's all FREE!

~This is a great all-around site for anyone looking to be healthier & they provide a TON of knowledge, recipes, etc: http://www.fatsecret.com/

~This site has a place for you to click on a body part, and get several great workouts that target those spots. Its pretty cool!:  http://www.divine.ca/en/fitness-and-nutrition/exercise-finder/c_266/

~This website is A LOT like Weight Watchers, you can track points & get information, recipes, etc: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Thanks for reading!

Working Out...

OMG I have been soooooo bad lately about working out and eating - it's like I haven't even cared for the past like week and a half at least...

I worked out Monday the 5th, and got sick afterwards - I guess I went a little overboard that time, and like just quit after that lol. I decided that Friday I'd start again on Monday after work, but I started my period that weekend so needless-to-say I didn't feel much like working out cause it felt like there was a watermelon in my uterus all week lol....not the most comfortable thing ever lol.

~SO~

I need to get my butt in gear & keep it in gear! I don't know what my problem is...its like I find any excuse to not workout, but then I look at myself in the mirror...and unfortunately, I hate what I see. Of course, I can't change that unless I start working out on a regular basis...so here I am, stuck in the vicious cycle.

I don't have enough money to hire a personal trainer nor do I have the money to pay for an expensive gym with all the great classes. I have a membership at a gym now, but I do not like it there. They do have Zumba classes that I have always wanted to try, but I hate the times of the classes that I could go to. The earliest is like 6:30 at night and I'm sorry, but that is just way to late to be working out for me.

Preferably, I like working out in the morning but I literally cannot function before like 5:30am so that does not leave me enough time to do anything if I plan on making it to work on time.

See what I mean?!?! My thought process SUCKS when I am trying to figure this shit out...

*sigh*

I guess I will have to figure it out soon enough - I really don't want to go through another summer avoiding having fun with my family & friends due to being self conscious...I want to finally enjoy a summer in a bathing suit & look good in it at the same time!

Someone, PLEASE help me! lol

*****EDIT*****

I just ordered Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred because it had TONS of great reviews on several different websites so maybe that'll help me lol. I'm kinda scared by her but HEY...maybe thats what I need lol

~ Food for Thought ~

Ok, so I know I started this blog all about losing weight - but I just saw this and definitely agree!

Here's to getting skinny - BUT - still maintaining a healthy body image!

Back to normal...

So this week - my [or what I consider them at this point] mother & father in law were visiting from Florida, and I gotta say - I love them, but I'm glad that they are gone.

I am a person who is most comfortable living by a schedule. During the week - I wake up at a certain time, have my morning duties done by a certain time, go to work, eat lunch at the same time of day, etc. When we have guests - especially ones who insist on cooking - it always screws me up [hey, I'm not gonna complain too much - they know how to cook really well & when I don't have to cook thats always a plus]. The crappy thing is, all I have eaten this week is like really rich, heavy foods - and I feel like UGH. I also haven't worked out AT ALL this week which is a "very very bad, Anna!". So needless-to-say, I need to get back on track!

Any suggestions on what workout I should do? Oh - I should also ask, what kind of workout have you found easiest with a dog(s)? I don't think I could handle both my puppies at the same time [especially Cali - she pulls like a freight train], but I would love to find a good workout that I can do with them.

Thanks & I hope ya'll have a great day!

***Special shout out to my sister, Ashley - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!***

First Post!

Hi There!

My name is Anna, and I am 23 years old. I live in GA with my wonderful boyfriend of 5 years (& counting!), Cody, and with our 4 fur-babies: Cali (dog - blue pitbull), Loca (dog - mix), Baby Girl (kitty), and Puss (kitty).

I have struggled with my weight since ever since I can remember. I have been really self-conscious my whole life too. It never really changed until I started getting into horses when I was in my mid-teens, in high school. I got my first horse, and with all the new work & responsibilities - I started losing a lot of weight! I actually lost about 30 pounds and kept it off quite easily. After I graduated high school, I moved out with my best friend, Katie & a whole new set of obstacles were put ahead of me.

On top of moving out (which is hard to deal with on its own at that age) - I had started dating my (still current) boyfriend, Cody - my first REAL relationship. We hung out a lot, and went out a lot and ate very badly - I guess we just got caught up in each other and didn't really think about what we were doing. So what ended up happening is I gained like 50 freaking pounds, and was heavier that I had ever been. I am lucky to have my boyfriend because with a weight gain like that - I think most guys would scare away. He has always told me he doesn't care what I look like & that he just loves me for me - but I HATE/LOATHE myself for letting myself get to this point. Currently I hate to admit it, but I weigh about 190-200 pounds. Its HORRIBLE. For my height, I should be more like 130-140. That's what I was when Cody and I first got together (and I thought I was fat then!).

So I decided to start this blog as a motivator, helpful resource, outlet, etc. on my journey of once again...losing a bunch of weight. I want this not only because it is good for my health, but I want to finally FEEL beautiful, feel comfortable in my own skin, and to enjoy my youth as much as I can - not be miserable the whole time! I also want to look sexy for my man...I mean come on, who doesn't want to look hot for their partner?

Anyways - I hope you all will join me in my weight loss journey & I will always appreciate constructive criticism, helpful tips, motivation, etc!

Thanks so much!