Week 3 measurements

Hello everyone! I'm willing to bet you thought I dropped off the map, what few people read this thing..... Hi Bethany! But no, in fact after the crazy VBS prep and week I just needed a bit of a break. That and I was beginning to run out of things to say every day. You knew what I was doing this week and there wasn't much to add. 

So I'm being lazy today. I'm going to show you the measurements but I haven't added up the total lost. I'm glad to say that I continue to lose in the stomach area. That is a great thing. Other than they there was no major loss to report.

Neck 17.2"....16.5"....16.2"....16.2"

Above bust 47"....47.5".....47.25"....47"

Bust 49".....49.5"....50.5"....50"

Bra line 47".....45"....45"....44.5"

Right arm 17".....16.3"....16".,..16"

Right wrist 6.75".....6.5"....6.5"....6.3"

Left arm 17".....16.5"....16.5"....16"

Left wrist 6.75".....6.5"....6.4"...6.3"

Stomach (bellybutton) 51".....50"....50"...48.5

Hips 57".....56.75".....54.25...55"

Right thigh 27"....26"....25.25"...24.75"

Left thigh 27".....26.5"....25.75"....25.3"

Right calf 16.8".....18"....17.75"...18"

Left calf 17.25.....17.5"....17.5"....17.3

We're getting to the hard part. This eating plan thing is tough! And I have already messed it up really well. See it is almost easier to eat between 1200-1100 calories a day because I'm hungry all the time and don't feel awesome when I'm doing it. But when I feel average? It's easier to say 'oh one little thing won't matter'. And when I go from eating God Made to eating Man Made I feel like I fail a little just because I'm eating poorly.

 That and I'm no longer working out every day, so I'm not sore anymore. I know I'm strong because I can still do the workout well but because I'm not pushing myself to an extreme it feels like I'm doing nothing.

And this is how I know the hard part has started. The honeymoon phase is over and now I just have to keep doing it. I know the reflection in the mirror won't be changing any time soon. But no one has ever accused me of being patient.

Week 2 Measurements!

Hello, Fellows!

I hope you are having a wonderful day! So are you curious? Wouldn't you like to know? Without further ado...

Measurements Updated for June 26

Neck 17.2"....16.5"....16.2"

Above bust 47"....47.5".....47.25"

Bust 49".....49.5"....50.5"

Bra line 47".....45"....45"

Right arm 17".....16.3"....16"

Right wrist 6.75".....6.5"....6.5"

Left arm 17".....16.5"....16.5"

Left wrist 6.75".....6.5"....6.4"

Stomach (bellybutton) 51".....50"....50"

Hips 57".....56.75".....54.25

Right thigh 27"....26"....25.25"

Left thigh 27".....26.5"....25.75"

Right calf 16.8".....18"....17.75"

Left calf 17.25.....17.5"....17.5"

So if you're anything like me you are not about to do all the math to see the total of what I lost. I lost 5.2" this week! I knew it probably wasn't going to be awesome but boy did you see my hips?! 2.5" just off my hips?! Yes please! You also might have noticed I had a gain again in the bust area... Another inch anyway. But just like last week I will not be counting positive additions to the "wrong direction" category. Also-- what I thought was the addition of muscles to my calves last time might have been a mistake, who knows? I'm still really new to this and there is a learning curve. 

I also learned more about our future, and as yet totally unknown, home back in Oklahoma! The place is ready and waiting for us! I'm so nervous and excited to see the place we will call home for the next year and a half for the first time!

Also, my friends, tomorrow I start the next phase to this whole thing. The God Made/Man Made eating plan, and only having to workout every other day! I will also be switching up the workouts every now and again. The MORE DVD came with 5 to choose from, and I would love to learn them all! The weekly measuring will still remain in effect, so stay tuned.

So tired!

It's basically 11pm midweek on a VBS week, you better believe I'm tired. I did half the workout today, but I did it. It won't shock me if the results this week aren't nearly as good as next week. I'm learning that I should force myself to do this in the morning whether I feel like it or not. But at least now I know!

Goodnight world.

Day 12 of Bootcamp... And my legs look awesome.

Now I have always carried my weight in the middle, so my legs always looked pretty good, but right now they look awesome! Never underestimate the power of increasing muscles in your legs!

In other news, I never thought I was addicted to crafting REALLY... But oh do I miss the feeling of my sewing machine's hum, the smell of fresh baked bread, the clicking of my knitting needles, the wonderful feeling of a creation coming together! I am ready to be able to do all that again. I can do some girly crafts now because my Brother-in-Law and his wife are having a girl!

Other than that, there isn't much to report. The husband is on a business trip, ironically that is in Fort Worth so although he isn't far, he is still gone for a few days. Bible School has really only just begun. Children's Church decorating is beginning, and I only have 2 more days of bootcamp before I move on to the next phase.

I have measured a bit and I continue to lose inches.

Look! Legs! And folded laundry....

Happy Birthday!

I can hardly believe that my sweet baby is 3. Certainly not a baby anymore! I made him a special birthday boy shirt and will pick up a little cake for us to share. He is thoroughly loving every little gift and life is good. We even stayed in bed this morning and me and the boys watched a special movie. 

This makes for a busy day, what with Bible School and workouts and everything that goes with having kids. Speaking of which, my brother-in-law and his wife find out what the gender of their first baby is today! Yes... A very good day indeed.

It looks like weekends will always be "off" days for the blog. Which is good because God and family should always come first. This past Saturday we went to the zoo and then to a go-kart/carnival rides kind of place. According to a fancy app my Mom has, we got more than 3 miles of walking accomplished. So all I did was the Primary Back Stretch. Then Sunday we spent all day at the church, so I didn't do the workout at all. 

If you were keeping track of my bootcamp that means I had two complete days where I did nothing. But I am still calling what I'm doing a bootcamp, especially since the average is 4-7 days and mine is 14. So I will be ending the bootcamp portion of this workout thing on Friday, probably posting new measurements Thursday. The portion of the plan I will be commencing on Friday is the God Made/Man Made eating plan and doing the workout every other day. I will not be counting calories. And this will be lasting for 4-6 weeks. I guess I will decide how long based on what, if anything, I lose. And I am determined to take my time making changes because I know that I will burn myself out.

 It would be really fun to fit into some size 18 dresses when I get back to Oklahoma!

So I have a long day ahead of me, but my sweaty face is already dry and I know my sore legs will ease in an hour of so. Tomorrow, my friends!

Week 2 day 1 of Bootcamp

Hello world! 

So I think I have reached a little bit of 'that' phase of a healthy new routine. You know, when you just had a great week of loss and now you want to reward yourself with a bit of a break? Don't worry, I didn't. But that doesn't mean I'm not fighting it.

The bible says "The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9) and let me tell you that I agree with that whole-heartedly. You can't be married for 6 years, let alone 20, 30, or 50 without understanding that your heart, which wants what it wants immediately and hardly considers long term, does NOT always want the right thing. Especially it seems, in my generation. But hey, I am merely speaking from experience and my faith in God's holy word. Despite what my heart wants I really don't think that it would be a good idea for me to declare that "I'm good now" and resign myself to a life of endless sugar and chick flicks.

So with all that in mind, I am fighting for discipline within myself, because not only would it be good for me to exercise and make wonderful forward progress, but the act of disciplining myself is good for me also. As I believe it would be good for you.

Besides, I have to wonder, if I can do this well the first week, will I do equally well the second if I push myself? After years of weighing myself I know that if I'm losing I can lose 2 pounds one week and maybe 1/2 a pound the next. It would be nice not to worry about all that mess. By the way, if you were wondering, I did weigh myself also. Allow me to again say that you are NOT to diet or restrict yourself in any way during bootcamp (according to the book). Something about tackling one thing at a time and how muscle needs more fuel anyway. So with all that said, I lost 2 pounds.

I'm only 6 days away from the God made/Man made eating plan, 4 days away from my baby's 3rd birthday, and one day away from my Mom coming to visit! Isn't life funny that it is usually a series of count downs? 

Week 1 measurements!!

You have to admit, that is a really catchy title. I thought about calling it "measurement of success" but I plan on having a lot more successes than just this, so it would turn into something like "Revenge of the Measurement of Success" and then "Success Strikes Back", and of course a decade or two later we would have prequels.... I'm getting side tracked.

Would you like to know? I am literally dripping sweat from today's workout, I pushed my legs more than usual. I then decided to not wait the extra day, sit down and do the math for the inches I lost. That's right... Inches. So now for the big reveal!

Measurements 6/19/14- one week

Neck -.7"

Above Bust +.5"

Bust +.5"

Bra Line -2"

Right Arm -.7"

Right Wrist -.25"

Left Arm -.5"

Left Wrist -.25"

Stomach -1"

Hips -.5"

Right Thigh -1"

Right Calf +1.2"

Left Thigh -.5"

Left Calf +.25"

This makes for a total of 7.4" lost!

Now, if you're wondering if I counted the added inches-- I didn't for two reasons. First, when I did my research about changes and results and all that, all women reported a gain in muscle mass which increased inches in places. In particular a certain "lift" in the bust area. I added the gained inches, which came to 2.45", and combined with the other number made for an actual loss of 4.95". Second, if you think about it, that is why inches are better than the scale sometimes. Because the best losses I had were at my most un-favorite places! That fat roll just below the bust? Bye bye! My stomach? Good riddance! You won't catch me complaining. But I will leave your measurement of my success up to you.

If you're wondering if I have noticed these changes, I have. I noticed my clothes were fitting better but I didn't want to think it was the loss of inches because I am a natural skeptic. Something else fun that happened today is that when my kids and I got back from some shopping, I hauled all the bags (milk, eggs, birthday gift for youngest, craft supplies, and more) up four flights of stairs without getting winded! 

This evening our church is door knocking for VBS which means a mile or so of walking in the heat. Sweaty, but fun and worth while.

All in all it has been a great day, and I hope you have a great day too!

I enjoy progress pictures...

Day 6

Hello friendly readers!

So today is day 6 of my fabulous bootcamp weeks. Only 8 more days to go until I begin the God made/Man made eating plan and only workout every other day. It doesn't seem like that long really, and with VBS happening every night next week I think it will probably go by quickly. That also means that measuring day is Friday. Is anyone else looking forward to progress? Like I said before, the previous numbers were painful, and although these won't be awesome, any improvement is good.

So a very good friend in my little Texas church added me to an online group of ladies all participating in a workout or several that fall under the T-Tapp heading. I was able to ask about the progressive easiness of my workout and everyone with advice strongly suggested going back to the instruction video for the rest of the bootcamp.

     I took that advice and went back today and completed the whole thing. See I was reluctant to count the instructional video as an actual workout because it takes so long for her to describe some things that I am left holding the same position for a while as she does. But these ladies emphasized that knowing the form as well as we can is more important than the time it takes. See what makes these workouts so effective is that we are using so many muscles at once that everything gets toned in shorter time. So the reason it was getting easier for me is that I was getting stronger and needed to learn to push myself more in the right way.

Today I was reminded of how little time my family and I have left here. How about a little background? My husband and I were married in 2008 and our first son was born shortly after. At the time my husband worked for a popular fast food company and through the years rose through the ranks and actually did quite well for us. Through the grace of God our marriage is stronger than ever and I homeschool our oldest and take care of our youngest while my very hard working husband works and goes to school full time. It was only a few years ago that he decided to go back and now it is coming to a close. He has three semesters left and has begun looking at jobs. See our little family of now 6 years has always been in a lovely town in Oklahoma (me my whole life!) and this summer he took an internship in Fort Worth. So we have moved down here for the summer and I am totally in love. The beautiful sky, the wildflowers everywhere, the people here, and even the train the comes by every day. Moving here and leaving everyone behind the first time was hard, yet in merely 5 weeks we will be doing it again! 

This next year will be full of changes for us, which brings me to the reason that I do any of this! See in about a year and a half my wonderful husband will start the fancy engineering job he has worked so hard for, and I would like to have an exciting and healthy start to my life too. Fit into a size 10? Yes please! And of course we desire to have a big and beautiful family. So more babies!

It is exciting, scary, and sad all at once. But doesn't reaching a point that everything changes forever always feel that way?

My first mess up, but certainly not my last.

That's right guys, I'm human. And even more... I'm a sinner. Yesterday at the church we had an awesome VBS work night where one of our good friends from church even cooked out for us! On a side note, that was soooo good. Anyway, the plan was to come home a little late and workout before bed again but even after I arrived home at 10 I still had painting to do. So I painted until 12:30 and skipped it. However, remember the human thing? This was bound to happen and I'm glad it happened early on. Sometimes if it has been a long time since something bad happened I can find myself waiting for it to happen.

In other news, I completed the workout bright and early this morning and it looks like Sunday's NSV has kind of turned against me. I'm excited to say that obviously whatever I'm doing is working because I am now strong enough to complete it without much trouble. But now I can complete it without much trouble! Don't get me wrong, I am pushing myself. But I hardly sweat anymore and it's only been 5 days! I'm impressed but a little annoyed that I find myself having to consider another purchase so soon. I was seriously debating on whether or not I should get the MORE DVD verses the traditional workout and I guess I got my answer. 

Don't worry, I know you will hold me accountable for completing the workout I have as intensely as I can, and I will keep you guys updated on what happens on that front. Can you believe I'm almost done with one week of bootcamp? Only 9 more straight days left! And only 2 days left until my first official measurements are taken again. If you were wondering, I tacked on a day because I missed yesterday.

Goodbye for now!

It must be working...

Have you ever heard of an "NSV"? It stands for a "non-scale victory" in some weight loss circles. Although I think the meaning is fairly obvious, in case you don't get it, basically it is something good that happens that isn't related to the typical measure of success. The typical measure of success being the number on the scale and in this case the inches lost.

Anyway! Today, day 4, which I'm sure is usually nothing special as far as improvements are concerned, was an NSV day. I was doing the workout, which up until today I had been unable to hold some moves for as long as I was supposed to, and realized that what I have been doing didn't hurt as much as usual, so I had to push myself further! Basically... Muscle development and flexibility, friends.

I have the same muscle weakness and tightness that I usually do and really nothing else to report. I had a great day in God's house and enjoyed buying my husband a great lunch and giving him a long nap for Father's Day! Happy Father's Day!

Awesome husband

 

For the record...

We got back home at 9:50 and I still did my workout. Who is on top of it? This girl. Sweat sheen, see?

 

Boot Camp day 2

So here I am again. This time I completed the MORE video without instructions. It didn't take long and although the moves are relatively simple, I still find my heart rate up and my face feeling sweaty. And allow me to just say that nothing feels quite as good as plopping on the couch with the fan on my sweaty face with my water.

This week and next week have been and will continue to be sheer madness. Our church is getting ready for a pirate themed VBS and it is so fun! I continue to admire how everyone bands together and the level of creativity that coming up with this stuff takes. I mean, I am an artist by trade (or at least have been trained to be) and I can draw whatever you need me to! But crafting a sky and clouds, a boat and cave, and a beach and pier takes a serious level of ingenuity! 

On another note, I have been perusing the T-Tapp forums to read about various experiences and results and learned several things. One thing that struck me as odd was the heating. What I mean by that is if you are doing this workout with proper form and intensity your legs will heat up during different intervals. I thought that sounded really strange but I have experienced that today! I guess I feel the burn!

In addition to my extremities heating up, I cheated a little. I measured myself. Allow me to just say that when I share my official one week measurements you will not be disappointed.

I am running into a bit of a jam however. I am required, according to how much I need to lose, to complete now 12 additional straight days of this workout. Well tonight we head 5 hours away to Oklahoma to pick up my eldest and  spend the night with the in-laws.  So that means I may not get tomorrow's workout in! I will take it with me, but I am not close enough to them to jiggle and sweat in front of them. If I don't get to, I suppose I will just add an extra day.

Thankfully today, although exciting because I did complete my day, was rather un-eventful and there isn't much to report. Till next time.

Day 1

If you couldn't tell, I wasn't disappointed yesterday! My wonderful husband came home with that little brown package and I was so excited to start today! 

So, with the intention of having a full night's rest, the neighbors woke me up at 2:00 am and I was unable to get back to sleep until about 5:00 am, during which I woke up in the middle of REM to my alarm clock. Oh well. Quite possibly one of the worst ways to start something like this.

So I drove the husband to work in the beat up van, admired the craziest cloud I had ever seen (it seriously looked like the pictures of the eye of a hurricane) and followed that up by driving the highway during the second craziest storm I have experienced in the big city.

Both of these wonderful factors made me so tired I nearly reconsidered starting today! Nearly.

So according to how much I need to lose, more than 4 sizes of clothing, I need to do 14 straight days of "boot camp" and follow that up with working out every other day for a month and a half or so, and complete my goal by working out every 3 days. This comes directly from the book, and although I am way doubtful that I can lose 4 sizes in that short of time, I'll bite. That would make my goal to go from a 22W to a 14 or lower. Something I haven't seen since high school. No scratch that, junior high. Wow.

The MORE DVD is designed for people of the "special case" variety. Heavier, older, special problems, that sort of thing. There are two sets of 6 exercise options, one with and one without instructions. Naturally I started with instructions and got to 26 minutes before I gave up. The instructional video is about 50 minutes long and I am perfectly satisfied with just doing the 15-20 every day... I figure that if I took the instructions out I would be about right. I don't feel so guilty for being unable to finish today.

What has improved or what have I noticed today?

Well for one my legs are tight. I'm not sure how to describe it. They don't hurt, the muscles are just tight. I am delighted to report that for the first 30 minutes after I did the thing I actually had energy! But let's face it, you can't get away with 3 hours of sleep. I'm really tired again.

So there you have it, day one and done. 

Now on to vbs prep, caring for my sweet toddler (almost 3!!), and hopefully a nap.

Reader Beware! There are measurements in there!

So I was right, once again I was disappointed to find I didn't receive my package. Today will likely be more of the same because I realized that I shipped it to my old address. I'm guessing that I need to add more or less 3 days to make up for it having to be forwarded? I am very annoyed at myself. Confined to yet another day of trying to complete this workout out of a book or in pieces off of YouTube. 

Today I sampled YouTube with a few lunges and other bits and pieces. But I heard there were a few free workouts somewhere on her site so I will be trying to find those to help me along a bit. Right now I am sitting in blissful silence while my youngest naps and my legs ache from the "workout" if you can even call it that at this point.

I thought today would be a good day to get some facts out of the way, that way you can't say I just way overplayed the miraculous changes in my body.... Given that I have miraculous changes that is!

- I am 25 and weigh a lot. I'm not sure I really want to confess my actual weight right now but here goes.... 294 pounds. Now please do your best to erase that number from your memory.

- I have this wonderful little thing called PCOS... Or Policystic Ovarian Syndrome. If you don't know what this is... Thank your lucky stars. It's a nightmare. This means that for me... Weight is next to impossible to lose except under the right circumstances. Remember how I lost 60 lbs a few years ago with a 1200 cal/day diet and working out every day for at least an hour over the course of half a year? Unless I'm doing something drastic like that then nothing happens! And it is all thanks to the wonderful hormone imbalances that render my "time of the month" virtually non-existent and makes it next to impossible to get pregnant unless under the right circumstances just like the weight loss. Part of what makes this really fun is that I don't feel like spending a fortune on a doctor (yes I'm one of THOSE people) so I am always game for more natural remedies.

- Because of questionable hormone patterns I take fancy PreNatals called RainbowLight and more specifically PrenatalOnes. These are organic, and I chose organic for a reason! If you look into generic multi-vitamins (which was my favorite budget-friendly option) they are not nearly as closely regulated. As a matter of fact neither are the "regular" vitamins. The FDA doesn't look into vitamins and things of that nature unless people complain about them, but in order for something to have the "organic" seal it must meet a series of requirements including even distribution of content. I chose PreNatals because I would love another baby someday and better safe than sorry.

That is about all I can think of as far as "basic health facts" that could affect the outcome of the T-Tapp experience... And hopefully be improved by it! 

And now for the scary part. The measurements. These could feature in some horror flick they are so scary. I saw them and pitied my wonderful husband for a bit (don't tell him that... I would get into trouble, bless him)...

Measurements 6/11/14

Neck 17.2"

Above bust 47"

Bust 49"

Bra line 47"

Right arm 17"

Right wrist 6.75"

Left arm 17"

Left wrist 6.75"

Stomach (bellybutton) 51"

Hips 57"

Right thigh 27"

Left thigh 27"

Right calf 16.8"

Left calf 17.25

From lowest rib to hips 4"

Hips to knees 18.5"

Knees to ankles 14.5"

The reason for the bottom measurements is to discover my body type according to T-Tapp, which is a "combo" or a combo with long torso tendencies.

Now let us all say a prayer that this is the most painful thing I ever post on this blog. There is one thing I suppose I can be thankful for... God appears to have blessed me with a measure of equal proportions. 

The point.... Or one of them.

    So I'm starting something new, again. That is usually how these things come about, yes? This time around, I am starting yet another diet/exercise thing. Ever heard of T-Tapp? I hadn't until the beginning of this year. 

Lose up to 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks? Yea right.

Balance my hormones? Well yea your hormones are balanced when you lose weight.

Don't lose much weight, but many many inches? Interesting, but okay.

Don't diet or count calories the whole time? Give me a break. If it looks too good to be true...

Don't perform the exercise every day while reaping all these benefits? Whatever!

Needless to say, I am a doubter. A skeptic. I have lost a lot of weight before... Through a strictly cut diet and a mountain of exercise every day! I worked so very hard and loved being thinner, but boy when you have as much to lose as I do the task can get completely overwhelming and seems to go on forever.

I certainly would not be doing this if I hadn't seen a friend of mine look really good lately, and after I complimented her she said she had almost lost 10 pounds. 10 pounds? That's pitiful! I can fluctuate 10 pounds and my dress size doesn't budge. She told me about the inches thing and caught my interest. Okay, okay... I will try it.

So I am waiting for my DVD thing to come in the good ole USPS, and while I have been waiting I devoured her book "Fit and Fabulous in 15" and have been doing a few workouts from there. I don't think I will count my trying to do the workouts out of the book as part of the two weeks. I ordered the T-Tapp MORE DVD and now that I understand the science of the whole thing it does make a little sense. I am in no way surrendering my skeptic status, but I would love to be proved wrong. 

For the record, these workouts are incredibly challenging. From the book I was certainly feeling the burn. 

So today... I will check the mail again and probably be disappointed again, I will buy a measuring tape so I can really test these result thingies I have been hearing so much about, and I will pick up my husband who has been away for a few days for work. I'm sure that excitedly kissing his face can be counted as some good calorie burn.

Getting this out of the way...

Before: 

Feel special, I never share unflattering photos        .                                                                                   with people!