Genius! Genius! Genius!

Whoever came up with this idea is brilliant! I was browsing the blogs at www.priorfatgirl.com, and I noticed a "DietBet" that begins on March 1st. The first thing that came to mind is something similar I had done before. We all put a certain amount of money in the pot, everyone tracked their weight loss, and the winner took it all. Not on this site. At DietBet, everyone doing the bet pays an agreed upon amount. Your goal is to lose 4% of your body weight in thirty days. Here's the cool part: You get all your money that you paid back if you meet your goal (you win). The loser's money is divided up among the winners. 

I know what you're thinking! People will cheat. Believe me, I thought the same thing. Especially since the pot for the prior fat girl diet bet was up to $4,000 as of earlier today. Well, they have referees who requir photos. A full body shot of you on the scale must be posted along with a picture of the weight on the scale. To make sure you don't put some random scale picture, they give you a word to write on a note card. It must be in the picture with the scale. I'm sure there is still some kind of way to cheat, but let's just hope everyone is honest! 

Hooray for this new exciting DietBet. It really got me motivated tonight because I did two hours of Zumba! 

Consistency with Tracking

So my blog, my My Fitness Pal account, and weight tracker were all showing different numbers for my weight loss because I began them all at different times. I've changed it all tonight so they all reflect the same amount. I went back to the beginning of December when Melissa got me to join the gym (thank you Melissa)! This was the beginning of my new lifestyle, so what better place to start than there? So here is an accurate, up to date, number that's consistent across the board.

To be perfectly honest, I was reluctant to post my weight on my blog. I considered starting this blog earlier than I actually did, but I was scared to post that I weighed 196 pounds. I was ashamed, and I was embarrassed. I waited until I dropped down to the low 180s, and that's when I initially posted.

Anyway, here is my updated weight loss tracking and I am glad they are all in order now. I was going crazy updating each week and then figuring out what I had actually lost since the beginning.

161.5 lbs.

down 3 lbs. from last week

down 34.5 lbs. from start

21.5 lbs. to my goal

Weigh Day and 5K

161.5 lbs.

down 3 lbs. from last week

down 20.5 lbs. from start

21.5 lbs. to my goal

Oh my gosh. I have to admit, I wasn't really expecting this. I had a good week with workouts, but I went crazy yesterday on my cheat day. Cut me some slack though people, I started my period today (TMI?), and I don't think Josh could have pried that turtle sundae from my hands last night if he'd tried. Yesterday I had 3,192 calories. That sounds really terrible, but I only went over by 1,162 (thank god for burning 830 calories at Zumba)!  Still, 1,162 calories over is a LOT. 

I'm really looking forward to another 5K we signed up for last night. By we, I mean Josh and myself. It's called The Graffiti  Run, and it's not until June. It looks pretty similar to the other run we're doing in April, The Color Run. Some of our family has already signed up today as well. Go team "Taste the Rainbow!" 

Although I don't plan to run in either of these 5Ks, I think some running might be in my future. And by might I mean I'm going to pretend that I will try it again. Sometime in the distant future. I am in much better shape than I was a few months ago, but whoever said running is easy is a damn liar. I'll take an hour of Zumba over an hour of running ANY day. 

Here is a picture from timeout.com of The Graffiti Run!

This picture is from the Color Run tumblr at tumblr.com. 

Seriously...don't those picture just make you want to join in on the exercise? I can't wait! Have a great week you wonderful, beautiful people!

Well it's been eight days since I've started the Butt Bible. I guess technically I should have posted and took pictures last night, but I was a busy girl yesterday. 

I didn't follow the calendar I posted the other day. I found that I wanted to do a bit more than it suggested, so here is what my week looked like:

It's very exciting because I can already see the progress after only eight days!!!

Peanut Butter Cravings

I needed a great tasting smoothie to satisfy my peanut butter craving. I seriously love peanut butter. Thank God for the lower calorie powdered version, PB2. 

For those of you who haven't heard of this miraculous powdered peanut butter, prepare to be amazed! To make this pantry must-have, peanuts are pressed so that all the oils are released. What is left, is a powdered peanut butter that is not genetically modified or chemically altered. It has 85% less fat that regular peanut butter, and 2 TBSP is only 45 calories. So far I've only used this in smoothies, but other bloggers have suggested mixing the powder with water to create a peanut butter paste. I've yet to try it, but I'll let you know when I do. 

Where can you get your hands on this magic? I ordered mine from Amazon, but it's also sold in most health food stores. 

So tonight I had a very delicious, very filling smoothie that tasted kind of like dessert. It's a little high in calories (655 cals), but it replaced a meal for me today so I was able to stay under my calorie limit. If you love peanut butter, then this is the smoothie for you!

Blend the following in your blender:

• 1 banana
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 3 TBSP PB2
• 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 C Chobani low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 oz. almonds
• 1 TBSP Hershey's chocolate syrup

Volleyball shorts? Yes, please!

My most recent source of motivation for working out: sand volleyball starting at the beginning of April!

I am determined to get my butt into these and look good wearing them!

My team ordered some dri-fit jerseys, and then I ordered the girls tank tops as well, which are super cute! I'm not worried about my arms thanks to Pauline's upper body portion of the Butt Bible. She gets my arms to the point of fatigue every day, and I am already seeing the results only four days into the program. I know they'll be good to go. 

What I am a little worried about is my inner thighs. Hear me people! The Butt Bible lower body workout is KILLING my thighs and butt! Some of the moves target the inner thighs, but not nearly as much as the outer thighs. 

So I'm headed to search online for inner thigh workouts. I'm determined to look good in my new volleyball gear! Volleyball shorts and tank top jerseys...here I come!

Delicious Smoothies

I have always loved smoothies, but have not always been the best at making them. I used to be pumped to get a smoothie from TCBY at the mall on the weekends as a teenager. I've finally figured out the best ingredients for making a killer smoothie. Since my sister loves smoothies (and was supposed to spend the night tonight), I headed to the store to get all kinds of fruits and good smoothie making stuff. I'm bummed that she ended up not being able to come over, but I'm still gunna enjoy my smoothie making. Below are my two favorites, but I really like the pineapple banana smoothie the best. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup Greek Chobani Vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 ice cubes

Directions: Mix all items in the blender until it blends smoothly. 

PINEAPPLE BANANA SMOOTHIE

(my absolute favorite)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup Greek Chobani Vanilla yogurt 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 5 ice cubes

Directions: Mix all items in the blender until it blends smoothly. 

Sunday Weigh Day

164.5 lbs.

down 2.5 lbs. from last week

down 17.5 lbs. from start

24.5 lbs. to my goal

Hooray! I came back from last week and even started a new workout, The Butt Bible. I think that's helped a lot, although I was thinking I may have a gain because I'm getting more muscular in my arms. It's "serious business," as the creator of the Butt Bible likes to say. The workout consists of a 20 minute upper and 20 minute lower body workout each day. My butt really is sore, but I think my arms are getting the worst best of it. When my arms are so shaky that I know I can't lift my little 3 pounders one more time, she says to get down on the floor for push-ups. I don't know about you, but I have NEVER been a push-up kinda girl. The thought of them makes me cringe. So of course, I'm doing the girl push-ups, but hey! The people on the DVD do the girl push-ups too! So I don't feel that bad. 

I'm getting ready to leave for Zumba when I finish up this post. I'm really looking forward to it because my cousin Laura is coming to Zumba with me today. I go with my friend Melissa pretty regularly, but Laura has never been before. I hope she loves it as much as I do! I'm a little nervous though because it's a new lady, so I hope it kicks just as much butt as when I go to my usual instructors. 

One more very motivating things happened this weekend! I saw some friends that I haven't seen in a couple weeks, and they all were saying how skinny I look. Hooray! I have a hate/love relationships with getting compliments. I hate it initially and try to brush it off, but deep down it makes me feel really good for sure. Here's a picture of me and my handsome hubby from Friday night:

Looking back, I kinda wish we woulda taken this before 2:00 a.m. Oh well! Have a wonderful week everyone!

Peace & Love,
Jenny

Beautiful Booty on the Horizon

First of all, I want to say that I love The Butt Bible workout so far. People complained in the reviews that Pauline talks too much, but I think she is motivating and rather funny (she talks about cracking nuts between your butt cheeks quite a bit). 

So in the video, she directs everyone to www.thebuttbible.com to get the workout plan. The problem is that the website doesn't exist. After scouring the internet, I was able to find the workout plan on My Fitness Pal. Here it is:

I'll be posting my pictures in a few weeks :)

Peace & Love,

Jenny

Best Butt with Pauline

I am super excited for my newest workout DVD I ordered on Amazon. Sure. Tons of people say Pauline talks too much and has no silent moments in this workout, which usually I find annoying. However, the reviews say that the obnoxious chatter is worth it because you will see results. 

So starting tonight (can you believe I'm about to work out on Valentine's Day?), I will begin The Butt Bible Challenge. I am going to take my "before" photo when I finish this post, and then I'll take the after photo in 6 weeks. No matter what I'm posting them, so there's some motivation for me...wish me luck! 

Peace & Love,

Jenny

My First Blah Weigh In

167 lbs.

up 1 lb. from last week

down 15 lbs. from start

27 lbs. to my goal

Well well well...I've gained a pound. But I have to say, it was partially expected. Yesterday's festivities were worth it. I got to party with great friends, and it was a super fun day. 

 My dad & me

Gumby, me, and my best friend Sophia

Like I said in my last blog, I went over in calories on Sunday. I also didn't work out Friday or Saturday, and I went WAY over calories yesterday. I'm talkin hundreds, probably even a thousand. I had an orange for breakfast, a bite of a chicken sandwich before I accidently dropped it in the street for lunch, and then I ate Imo's pizza, wings, and salad for dinner. The pizza addict in me came out after one too many Hurricanes. 

Instead of being upset, I'm using the gain as inspiration to get the scale headed back in the other directions. I haven't had a gain since I started my new, healthier lifestyle. That's a victory in and of itself. So I'm beginning the week feeling motivated, and I'm about to look up some great low calorie dinners and snacks for the week. 

Peace & Love,

Jenny

Lazy Bones

Yesterday marks the eleventh day in a row I've worked out. Today I will be lazy like my cute little pup. 

Juno

Seriously. I'm tired. I put on my workout clothes and my heart rate monitor after work. I sat down on the living room floor in search of the workout DVD I was going to use. It was at this point I decided I was way too tired to work out. I ate less dinner so I wouldn't go over calories, and I am resting! 

I'm curious about my weigh in this week. I ate some lousy cookie dough dip on Sunday at our friend's Super Bowl party, which put me over by about 300 calories. Tomorrow is Mardi Gras and also my "cheat day" where I don't necessarily count calories, so I know I'll probably be going way over. But hey, a girls gotta live a little. Josh also pointed out an important fact: this will probably be the last Mardi Gras before we are pregnant/have children. Sooooo with that in mind...it's time to party! :)

Wonderful Weigh In Day

166 lbs.

down 3 lbs. from last week

down 16 lbs. from start

26 lbs. to my goal

Ahhhhhhh! I don't even know how to describe my excitement after my weigh in today. I feel good, I worked my ass off this week, and it paid off. Every week when I weigh myself, I strip down and look at myself in the mirror before I weigh in. Today was the first time I can actually see myself looking good in a bikini this year. I've been trying to not only do cardio, but lift weights, do butt exercises, and ab exercises as well. Although my abs of steel are still hiding under a rather disturbing layer of fat, I can see the definition in the other parts of my body. My butt is getting tighter and my arms are less flabby and more defined. 

I stayed under my calories in My Fitness Pal, except for Friday. On Friday night, we went out to dinner with my grandma and my aunt at Tequila's (a Mexican restaurant). I had a jumbo strawberry margarita on the rocks, a chicken burrito with cheese sauce on top, rice, and beans. I took it easy on the chips and salsa, but I did have some. Other than that, my menu board is working wonders for our home eating. It's great to have all the ingredients for the week, know exactly what we'll be eating, and know how many calories it is beforehand. 

As far as exercise, I worked out every. single. day. Today I will rest! Seriously. But the funny thing is, my body is craving exercise. Even though I know I should take the day off (and I probably will), I actually want to exercise. Here was my exercise routine this week:

Monday - elliptical and treadmill (58 minutes)

Tuesday -elliptical and treadmill (85 minutes)

Wednesday - Zumba and volleyball (109 minutes)

Thursday - Turbo Jam Cardio Party (44 minutes)

Friday - Hip Hop Abs DVD (30 minutes)

Saturday - Zumba with Angel (59 minutes)

Grand Total: 393 minutes

It was a great week, and I am moving forward feeling confident and motivated. When I started blogging, I weighed 182 pounds, which means I've lost 16 pounds since then. When I started using My Fitness Pal, I weighed 181, which means I've lost 15 pounds since then. But the day that I decided I had to change was the day after Thanksgiving. As a general rule, I stayed away from our scale in our bathroom. I never weighed myself. Why? I knew I was overweight, and it would just depress me. The day after Thanksgiving, I decided to weigh myself for the first time in months. I was up to 196 pounds!! After some tears and feeling extremely depressed, I got a slow start to shedding a few pounds and eating healthier. I did a detox to cleanse my system, and started from there. But this means that since the day after Thanksgiving, I've lost 30 pounds!!!

Now I need to head to the store to get some healthy food for Super Bowl today. We're headed to our friends house, and I'm going to need some low cal food to snack on. 

Peace & Love,
Jenny