Bootcamp!!!!

The last six weeks I've been hitting it hard at bootcamp -- I haven't missed one session and I don't think I have cellulite on my calves or upper arms anymore. Imagine that. I'm learning the combination of eating right and exercising it the key to long term weight loss. I'm down five more pounds and I can actually wear shirts that are fitted instead of baggy shirts that I use to cover up Shelia (my belly). There's a lot less of Shelia these days and that's making me smile! It's been about three months since I started dieting and I've lost a little over 14 pounds -- and I know that's 14 pounds that won't be coming back. I'm eating six times a day and watching what goes into my mouth. I'm not ready for a swimsuit yet -- but I know that I'll at least be able to wear a pair of shorts this summer and not be mortified. And I also know that I'll be able to hike, bike and swim with my family and not knell over from exhaustion.
I hope to see some of you at Let's Move Nevada events this June -- check out facebook/letsmovenevada for more info. The key to health and happiness is education!

Working it!

Sorry I've been so remiss. I've been hitting the road a lot the past six weeks -- New York, Las Vegas, Jackson Hole and back again. It's been challenging and I've really had to focus on planning ahead with my meals, but I'm the first one to admit I've been far from perfect. When you're on the road it's hard to eat six times a day -- I feel good if I manage three complete meals. I'm also terrible at taking advantage of the hotel gym -- the thought of a few extra hours of blissful sleep with no children screaming is always so tempting. I went to iMetabolic today thinking that I was going to be very disappointed in myself, but to my surprise the results were not what I thought. I thought I would have gained weight -- but I lost 3.3 pounds of fat and 1.7% of body fat. Wow -- seriously? I was shocked, but I walked away feeling pretty good. I knew that I'd strayed a bit, but I also knew that I'd adopted some good habits that are acting as building blocks to my new diet. Slowly but surely I'm changing the habits that hurt me the most and adding ones that are changing the playing field -- eating more protein is the norm, a shake for breakfast is becoming a habit and eight glasses of water a day doesn't seem so hard anymore. I know I'm not going to lose 50 pounds overnight and nor do I want to, but I so happy to see the results that I'm seeing! I'm on top of the world!

Eight and a half inches

Get your mind out of the gutter! Just got measured at iMetablolic and discovered I've lost eight and a half inches this month! WHOA. I know that has a lot to do with working out, eating right, drinking lots of water and getting enough (or as much sleep as a new mom can get) sleep. I'm thinking twice about sugary snacks, switching to red wine (that's just me trying to justify the wine drinking) and walking with the kids more! Ever had his birthday at Pump it Up in Reno and I did the obstacle course a few times and didn't die from exhaustion. It's working -- it really is!

New York is not easy

Oh my gosh -- the past few days have been TOUGH. New York is crazy, it's hard to find healthy food and it's easy to find pizza, hot dogs and steak. AWWWWW! So -- I've been here for about five days and I haven't done too bad, but I've been far from perfect and that's OK. The goal this week was maintenance -- make smart decisions, don't overdo it, it's okay to stray and don't let yourself feel starving. I kept my protein bars with me at all times -- they were the first thing I ate in the AM and I made sure to eat every few hours. It helped a lot but I am human after all and when restaurants like The Spotted Pig are calling my name it's hard to say no. I did alright this week -- but I know it's okay to fall of course a bit because I'm ready to jump right back on! It's about the long haul baby!

And the Shrink Said.....

I had my first meeting with the behavioral psychologist at iMetabolic this week. At first I thought it might be a bunch of BS but after spending an hour with someone who listened to ME talk the entire time and then helped ME figure out why I eat what I do, when I do and how I do I discovered that it wasn't a bunch of BS -- but something that I should have done a while ago. There seems to be a pattern with my eating and drinking and it's called habit. I feel as if I need that wine when I get home and that it's the only thing that's going to make me relax. Or that I need that plate of cheese, crackers, oil and bread to go with the wine -- after all they do compliment each other. I remember when I was pregnant I would drink my Pellegrino in a wine glass so I felt as if I was getting that glass everyday -- it was more the habit of drinking it while I cook dinner than the actual need for the wine. Now -- I'm not going to lie. I will never give up my wine -- it is one of my favorite things. But I am going to try integrating what the therapist called "pleasant activities" into my evening. Instead of a glass everyday after work I'm going to try a walk in evening, a hot bath (with my two lovely children of course because no one can take a bath without Ever and his toys), writing in my journal, organizing my pictures -- anything really that helps me focus on ME (imagine that) and relax a bit. So -- we'll see how it goes. This weight loss plan is all about breaking habits and establishing new ones so I'm willing to give this a shot. I'm off home to sling back some Pellegrino and write a soppy love poem to Ty in my journal.

My First Weigh In

Greetings Fellow dieters! Today was the big day -- my first weigh in. I was really, really nervous because even though I've been pretty good on my diet I haven't been perfect. But then nobody is really perfect. I met Dr. Pamela Corson first and we went over my challenges with the program as well as my reasons for wanting to lose weight. Lucky for me it's not because I've got my eye on some hot two piece for Memorial Day, but because I want to run around after my kids and not keel over from exhaustion. Dr. Pam is amazing and really helped me re-focus and understand WHY weight loss is important. Love that gal! Once we wrapped up I stepped onto the InBody Machine and to my absolute delight discovered that I'd lost 8.1 pounds of body fat mass -- WHOA!!!! Plus my sexy Kohl's sale rack jeans are starting to get a bit big around the waist. So - today is a great day. My iMetabolic diet is really working and Dr. Sasse's daily tips are keeping me motivated and on track. I love the accountability -- that's what I need to keep me coming back for more!

My Introduction Video!

Why Do I have to Drink These Shakes

So -- I've been complaining about the shakes a bit but then Mark over at iMetabolic sent me this list of reason why drinking the shakes is going to help in my battle of the big belly. I thought I'd share these reason here!

a. Enhancing the metabolic process by sending signals to use rather than signals to store body fat.
b. Eating six (6) meals per day.
c. Permitting the overall caloric levels to come down sufficiently to burn 2 to 4 pounds of body fat per week.
d. Smoothing out blood chemistry and the glycemic index so that the metabolism will function more efficiently and at higher levels.
e. Reducing cravings that often occur for most eaters in the late afternoon and early evening.
f. Allowing a great sense of satiety (satisfaction) by telling the brain that the body is full and not hungry.

Burn Baby Burn

I did make it to the gym last night -- had a great workout for 40 minutes on the treadmill and felt really good after wards! I didn't make it to the gym five times last week, but did make it three times and I think that's pretty good -- you've got to start somewhere. I'm doing personal training at the South Reno Rac and that's really helping me stay committed. We are starting out with two days a week and three days cardio (but as you can see I haven't made it five days yet). I almost died the first time -- I thought my muscles were going to revolt and I invested in a HUGE tub of Ben Gay to help ease me back to health. But the second time wasn't so bad and by my fourth workout I actually felt pretty good -- like I'd been going to the gym for weeks. It's funny how quickly exercise can work -- only five workouts and I can feel the difference. I'm doing my best to stick to the iMetabolic diet and have done pretty good so far -- but life happens and sometimes I slip but I just jump right back on. One M & M isn't going to stop me in my tracks! I'm still reading Dr. Sasse's 101 Medically Proven Tips for Losing Weight. Each one helps me keep on track.

Today's Tip: Don't Eat Directly out of the box

Getting Started

I weigh a little over 200 pounds. Yep -- 200 hard earned, well placed and equally distributed pounds. I've been told I carry my weight well -- my butt is big, my belly is big, my thighs are big. Lucky for me everything is very well proportioned -- so I'm just big all round. I recently gave birth to a perfect little eight pound angel and I really did expect the 50 pounds of fat I gained during my pregnancy to fall right off. I kept waiting and waiting but after two months I'd only dropped 15 pounds -- what was up with that? I thought it would all just melt away. That's when I met the folks from iMetabolic. They reached out to me to help them establish a PR campaign for 2010 and I saw a great opportunity -- why didn't I go on the diet to see if it really works? After all what better way to really rep and understand a product than by embracing it and introducing it into your own life. So -- I cut them a deal. Sure -- I'll help you with the PR for iMetabolic, but in exchange I wanted to do the program from beginning to end.
I met with Tracey, one of the counselors, and we began my journey to health and happiness. I logged in at about 204 pounds and almost half of that is body fat. It takes a lot to admit that, but I'm ready, willing and able to make that change. So -- each week I'll be posting video, photos and random thoughts about my life changing weight management plan! Yes -- photos of me in a bathing suit coming soon.