58 day haitus from the original plan

The original purpose of this blog is to focus on my 30 x 30 list... 30 things I want to accomplish before I'm 30. Which reminds me, I'll be 28 in 4 months so... I have to get rockin' on that list. One of my goals is to get in better shape and live a generally healthier lifestyle. In my last entry I expressed my frustration during this goal. I have a trainer, I log my food, I exercise nearly every day...but I've only lost 8 pounds. It's discouraging and frustrating.

A culmination of a few things happened for me to be inspired to write this post.

1. My sister is a coach for Beachbody and talked me into trying Shakeology for 30 days. These are delicious* shakes that I have for lunch. I'm currently only on day 4, but I've already realized I have more energy and feel fuller, longer. Those things get me more motivated to go to the gym, kill it with cardio and actually feel like I did something in the gym.

                      *At first, the shakes tasted like dog food. By day three, I found myself craving them. So either they aren't as bad as I originally thought, or I'm acquiring a taste for dog food.**
                      ** They are actually good. I'm just used to eating crap, I guess.


2. A girl at work asked me yesterday if I had a blog detailing my weight loss nightmare journey. At the time I was chowing down on a grapefruit as a snack before I left to work out. At the gym, I found myself phrasing what a blog talking about this subject would sound like; things I'd talk about, observations in the gym, and of course my results. I could do this in a witty, humorous way while still documenting this adventure. Why not?! I'll just make it an amendment to my existing blog, since I don't have the time to manage two seperate blogs.

3. I've lost a half pound since Monday. It's Thursday. Bam!

I think also in this intro of my sub-blog (subblog? sblog?) I should detail why I want to lose weight and life a healthier lifestyle. And to mix it up, I'll use letters as bullets.

a. My paternal grandmother had breast cancer (not anymore...she's 91 and still kickin'). Most of the female members on my mom's side of the family are overweight and over time they have developed heart disease, diabetes, etc. They also have a history of poor knees.. mostly due to the amount of weight that's constantly on them. Staying a healthy weight and eating right will not only help me and my longevity but it will give people around me (i.e., my future children), a good example of health.

b. I want to wear a bikini again. I realize how superficial this is, but it DOES serve as motivation. It doesn't even have to be skimpy... maybe something with a vintage feel that's high-waisted... like the picture.

c. I get married in 58 days, which is the reason for the length of this obsession about fitness and health. I. want. to. look. stunning. I get this day once and I don't want to waddle down the aisle being self-conscious about my lunch lady arms and back fat. My fiance loved me 8 pounds ago, he loves me now and this isn't about him. It's about me and being the best version of myself. In talking to my sister about this, she agrees that confidence is one of the secrets to a happy marriage and I want to start it out right.


Me, top right, high school track. Super skinny.

d. I am fed up with arguing with the button on my pants on a daily basis, wearing layers to cover my physique that resembles a busted can of biscuits on most days and jiggling everywhere when I do jumping jacks. I was naturally thin growing up. In fact, in high school, my track coach pulled me aside every year for 4 years to ask if I ate. And if I ate, did I throw it up? Um. No. I ate constantly. My brother and sister were both in school there and were also very thin. In college my metabolism remained high, so copious amount of beer, late night pizza and lack of exercise didn't phase me too much. But, I walked ALL the time on campus and let's face it, I was 21 years old. Out of college, I worked at a desk, sat all day, indulged in office potlucks and thought I could still not exercise and be healthy. At this point, it's caught up to me and I want to look great.

So there you have it. I may do several entries in a day, and I may skip a few days, but I will keep you in the loop. If you want to know about Beachbody, Shakeology or my work out schedules, I'm happy to share what I know.