UPDATE & Progress Pics

September 10, 2009

May 7, 2009 * June 3, 2009 * September 10, 2009

May 7, 2009 * June 3, 2009 * September 10, 2009

I spaced this morning and turned the wrong way....oops!

I'm seeing some GREAT changes lately...the last few weeks. I don't think I'm quite ready to post my back shots yet. It's looking much better (my ass that is) but not quite there yet.

I thought it'd be fun to show how far I've come since May b/c there are some SERIOUS changes since then. I'm loving taking these 2 week pics b/c it's easy to be in denial but when looking back I can't help but think NEVER again!!!

I'm hoping to be ready by April! We'll see...I'm taking it one week at a time. I really thought this process would be quicker but I'm learning how it works and I'm learning about myself and I wouldn't change this experience for anything ! It's been great! No more time to bulk before the show, but I'm adding muscle and strength while cutting so I think I'll be ok! I'm stoked about my shoulders so I'm thinking by April, I won't be disappointed in my size, but we'll see!!

I had my first refeed this week. I was terrrified!!! I was freaked out to eat carbs at each of my six meals yesterday! I even emailed Erik after Meal 2 and asked him if I really had to finish out the day! Really??? I didn't notice a fatty staring back at me in the mirror this morn! I am so amazed that I didn't look bloated all day or today after that! Again, I'm learning SO much about this whole process!

Off to do my cardio....yuck!!! Good news is that I'm wearing shorts to the gym. Crazy for ME to wear SHORTS! I'm feeling really good and can't wait to see even more changes!! I'm so excited!! Can you tell?

Progress Update

7/11/09 * 8/27/09

7/11/09 * 8/27/09

I haven't done a before and after in a while. I don't see that many changes, but a few...it's happening. I am a little pink from the tanning bed...trying to get tan for my big brother's wedding in a few weeks. We'll see if I can get tan enough by then! I am seeing a difference in my quad sweep/size on the side shots and I'm seeing my shoulders pop more and my waist a bit trimmer in the front shots. I feel like I just can't get the fat off my middle and lower half!!! I can't wait to see the finished product months down the road. I will be amazed I'm sure and feel like I'm in someone else's body - or maybe I feel like, finally, this is the body I always thought I had! I wonder when the cellulite will disappear! Ugh...I have a ways to go!!! I'll just keep trucking along!

I'm finally down to 151....After bulking I got up as high as 167, so I'm down to 151. Haven't moved the scale too quickly but I have seen changes in the way my clothes fit and inches. The last month or so I've lost 2 inches on my butt and an inch on my waist....not too much but noticeable. I still feel really strong in the gym and feel like I'm gaining strength/mass, definitely maintaining my hard-earned muscle and I'm still losing fat on top of that! So, I'm getting the best of both worlds...and I'm rarely hungry.

My back is getting a little better. I'm feeling much better than I was a month ago so it's healing...takes time!!!! Let's hope that's it for sports injuries for a while!

Thanks so much for all of your support!! I'm really excited about getting even leaner and I can't wait to see a 6 pack!

Habits and Update

Today, August 23, 2009 about 8 p.m.

I have been lazy lately with blogging....I'm sorry!!! I took this photo an hour or so ago and thought I'd at least give you a bit of an update. I have been wondering lately if what I'm doing now is becoming a habit or if I'll be so sick of it next year after my comp that I'll rebel and go back to my old ways...say it ain't so! I really hope this is becoming a habit for me.

I can see me later in life with kids, packing up my lunch and snacks and packing up lunches and snacks for my toddler(s) to go out on the town for the day. We'll see. I hope that I don't make my kids crazy with all of my obsessions and preoccupations about weight. That's a topic for another day...moms who have any advice about this....please share!!!

Still truckin' along on my plan with cutting. I'm seeing changes, slowly but surely. Erik has me with no cheat meals for 2 weeks to try to see more results. I really think my cheats were affecting my results. I decided to change my mental theory on them. Rather than planning for them all week and really feeling like I deserved everything I'd craved ALL week in one sitting, I'm not planning a cheat at all, but rather waiting until I truly crave something and if on a training day (a day I can have carbs) and it's been at least a week....if I truly cannot live w/o it...I'll have a CONTROLLED cheat....really truly controlled!!! This is a work in progress for me! But, I'm doing better and as I always say...life is a journey!

Those of us who do this are crazy, yes, but motivated and we keep our routine day in day out, week in week out, month after month, some year after year. I think that exercise is a part of my life now that I could not live without...well, I should say lifting....I can probably live without cardio. Though I think I will get a bike during or after this comp and may enjoy road biking...we'll see. I hope that this diet will also be part of my life after this comp. It is quite easy to keep it up...maybe with a little bit more relaxation and some family dinners that aren't on my "plan."

MY BACK - It's getting better though it's not totally better yet. I had an xray and found out it's musculature, so glad to know there's nothing wrong with my spine or discs!!! But, as you all know, sports injuries take time to heal and I'm working on healing right now. It just takes time and Erik has been great about adjusting my workouts to do what doesn't hurt for the time being....don't get me wrong....my new workouts are kicking my BUTT!!! WOOHOO!!! LOVE IT!!!

Keep up your routines and make them habit!!!

For Caroline and her Mommy

http://www.last.fm/music/Jamie+O%27Neal/_/I+Love+My+Life

(That was the best video I could find, so I suggest clicking on the link above and listening to the recorded version. The sound quality is better.)

I LOVE this song! Since the first time I heard this song, it's made me happy! I used to listen to it during my last job when I was miserable and remember why I was working so hard....for my husband, our future, and our future "little blond haired" children.

Now that my BFF has had her first baby, Baby Caroline, I am in love with this kid and I haven't even met her yet. Now this song makes me teary...yes, me!...me who never cries!! I still see myself in the movie playing in my head, but instead I'm teary seeing Caroline as the "little blond haired" kid and my BFF and hubby as the two "dancing in the living room". So, I'm sure it'll make my BFF teary, since I'm hearing she's crying at Walmart commercials including mom & daughter.

For you, with love, Caroline and your mommy!!!
I know you hate country music, but get over it for 3 minutes!!! :)

"I Love My Life" (Jamie O'Neal)

Her little blond hair's blowin', she's swingin' while her daddy's mowin'
The grass, and the dog needs a bath
But he's chasing the cat up a tree
I'm lookin' out the window, happy just watching my world go round
And I think to myself, how lucky can a girl be

I've got everything, more than I ever dreamed
I love my life
I thank God for all I have
And that I love this man
Who loves his wife
I love my life
I love my life

Twenty kisses goodnight, turn the little butterfly night light on,
'til the monster is gone and she's finally fallen asleep
We tiptoe downstairs, cuddle up and we kiss in the big chair
and I smile and you whisper, now it's just you and me

I've got everything, more than I ever dreamed
I love my life
I thank God for all I have
And that I love this man
Who loves his wife
I love my life
I love my life

Blue and pink in the nursery
Gold and silver anniversaries
Dancing in the living room
Our little girl, and me and you

I've got everything, more than I ever dreamed
I love my life
I thank God for all I have
And that I love this man
Who loves his wife
I love my life
I love my life

Uncovered

I saw the author, Jordan Matter, on the news the other day promoting the release of his new book, "Uncovered" and the part of his interview that caught my attention was not that he was photographing naked, topless women in public, but rather what he was saying about how the women felt about their bodies.

Jordan Matter is a photographer and usually photographs models, who, as he said, are supposed to be the epitome of beauty in our society, right? We all, meaning women, look at these women and aspire to be like them? Or at least at some point in our lives we have done this. And, he said that it made an impact on him that these women, the epitome of beauty in our society, all hated parts of their body and asked him, the photographer, to not shoot the left side of their nose or their fat thighs. Fill in the blanks, they all have the same insecurities that you do!

I also thought it was interesting that most of the women didn't want to get dressed too quickly after being naked in the streets!!! :) One of my favorite photos that was previewed was that of his wife very pregnant and in her bathrobe....very cute! There are a few other pregnant women in this book.

There was also a controversial photo of a child playing in a pool that he put in the book only to pose the question, at what point do women need to start wearing shirts and covering up their chests?

Take a look at the link below, you can see a sneak peak of his book on his site...

http://www.jordanmatter.com/uncovered.asp

WOW! The Shake Weight! Where can I get one?

I stole this from one of my favorite bloggers..... Muscle and the City

All I have to say is....wow! If only it were that easy.

Wedding Dance - SO CREATIVE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0&feature=player_embedded

They have disabled embedding of their video so click on the link above for great fun. What an original idea!!! What fun!!!

Update Pic

I'm sick!!! This is the first time in 11 months that I have been sick with a cold or sinus infection and I didn't miss it when the last 11 months!! I feel awful and hope it gets better soon. This is miserable and I have too much to do to be feeling crappy! I'm hoping that I don't lose any ground by being sick for a few days.

I asked Shawna of styleberryPHOTO to take my photo after the gym the day before I got sick. I never flex my left shoulder enough when I'm not in front of a mirror....I'll have to work on that!

Take your lunch in style

I am so excited about this lunch tote/cooler bag I found in the latest Crate and Barrel catalog! I just ordered mine and I can't wait. Now, i won't stand out quite as much when I'm always carrying my cooler around!! Genius!!! I never leave the house without food and I always take an extra meal beyond what I think I'll need and I usually need it!!

I might have to get a second one. I got the teal to go with my blue Coach bag, though I maybe should have gotten the black....but I thought it might be a wee bit boring! :) Trying to add a little color to my life!

Order yours here

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UPDATE
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I asked Shawna of styleberryPHOTO to take this photo for me to show how small this bag is. It works for a lunch, or a few meals but not much more than that. It's pretty small. We both thought that this was a shoulder bag almost, but it's pretty small. The bag I take now has room for food, 2 cooler packs and a huge water bottle. This is still more stylish for around town, or one errand, but I'll stick to my huge backpack for all day road trips. Just thought I'd update you after I received my purchase!!!

Alias

I'm totally addicted to Alias!!! I'm only on Season 1 (Gotta love Netflix!!!) so DON'T SPOIL it for me if you have seen them all. As always, I dig a tough female lead and of course Garner is a tough and lean female lead! Great show!

Little Black Dress

Oxygen Magazine

I love this idea!!! I have my brother's wedding as my short term goal in Sept but of course my comp next year is the long term goal for me in general. It's nice to have a short term goal or a realistic goal of a moment that you want to look excellent to keep you on track when you want to fall off!!!

Progress Pics (A Little Late)

June 4, 2009 ~ July 11, 2009
Sorry these are backwards! I'm really bad at getting the same shots each week.
I can definitely see the difference a few pounds makes in my abs!! Woohoo!!!

So the last few weeks have been crazy. My parents were in town to visit, my mom for 2 weeks because she's a teacher and can do that over the summer. As you all know I'm also busy working full time and getting my masters! My trainer has added in a few more cardio sessions (not many) but I haven't been religious with getting them done this last week. I am proud of my progress because I cheated a few more times than I should have while my parents were in town and for my birthday and I haven't done all of my cardio, but I still have results!!!!

June 18, 2009 ~ July 11, 2009
Don't pay attention to my mean farmer's tan! I'll have to get rid of that before my brother's wedding in September!!

I'm down another couple of pounds. I'm 2 pounds or more lighter than my last pics in each of those photos as of today! Woohoo! So, I'm still seeing progress, even though I have not been as strict as I know I should have been! I know that I could be seeing more results if I was sticking to the plan more diligently....next week! I will also be out of town for around 9-10 days coming up so that will be a bit of a challenge, and I'm thinking I might skip my cheat today to make up for it. It's been 9 days or so since I've had a cheat and I'm doing ok! I have weak moments, but they pass!

June 18, 2009 ~ July 2, 2009 ~ July 11, 2009
Not feeling this most recent pic of me on the far right...looks like my hips are a bit softer than in weeks prior. I'm not sure if it's the angle or what! I'm at least 2 pounds down from the other 2 photos, so who knows. I feel better and know I'm losing, even if my photos aren't worthy of a magazine and even if I'm not ready to get on stage yet!

I'm really having peace about this whole transformation process. It is SUCH a process! I'm enjoying the process. I'm learning that I can do it and that it's not that tough. I'm leaerning so much about myself and resisting temptation. It's a crazy thing to know I CAN DO IT! I'm gaining the tools I need for later in life to maintain my weight the healthy way and teach those tools to my future children. I'm learning that it takes a great deal of time to lean out at this point but that it CAN be done if you stick to the plan.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT! IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!!

It's Never Too Late

I like this quote because I often look back and wonder what life would be like if I would have started this process earlier towards competition. But, that's the wrong attitude. The point is that I've started now! The point is that life is a journey and the tools that I'm learning daily will help me with the rest of my life. The point is that our lives are a plan and each day builds on the next and each part of life is an important part that prepares you for the next.

It's never too late to do what you've always dreamed of and be who you've always known yourself to be!!!!!

Standing Still

I got an email this morning from SparkPeople and loved this quote. I love this saying because I think there's even more meaning with weight loss and fitness goals. Sometimes even standing still is better than quitting or going backward and gaining weight back. Sometimes standing still, maintaining weight loss and fitness goals, is tough!!!! It appears that is where America fails....we can ALL lose weight but can we keep it off? Can we stand still and maintain our weight loss? That still takes a lot of work and effort (and self control)! That still takes exercise and a maintanence level of calories.

For me, I'm struggling with how slowly the progress is happening but that's what happens when you lose it for good! When you lose it the right way it takes time. When you lose fat and not muscle it's a slow process! I'm working hard and succeeding at enjoying the process....I hope you can too!!!

Inspiration.....Me???

June 18, 2009 ~ in a hotel for work....excuse the background!
Please also forgive the morning hair and no makeup ~ it was 6 am and this is right after getting out of bed at my hotel (I was traveling for work)!

I was at the gym the other day and a man asked me a question about working out....this happens now and then. I usually refer people to the BFL book or answer their questions about what I do, if it relates or if I can give a short answer. This time, though, he said to me that he works out harder when I am in the gym because he always sees me busting my a$$!!!

Me??? Inspiring others to work harder in the gym??!!! That is the coolest thing!!!! So, think of that while you're in the gym ladies, even if others don't say it....they may be thinking it! It's nice to know that not only am I doing a great thing for myself by being at the gym, but to know that I may be motivating others while there is just icing on the cake...no, no icing at the gym :(.

I'm pretty happy with my results so far with Lean Bodies Consulting. I wish they had come faster, of course. And, I feel like had I worked harder or been stricter with my diet or cheats that it would have come faster. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of continued results during this cut. Thanks so much for all of your support! I truly appreciate it.

And, the BFL Challenge that I organized for the wives is starting on Monday!!!! If anyone wants to join with us for the fun of doing a challenge, it starts Monday, June 22, 2009!!!

Progress Pics - Another 2 weeks

Left June 4 * Right June 18

Left May 21 * Middle June 4 * Right June 18

I added an extra picture because of my "stance" I changed it from week to week by accident!

I apologize for the background in these images...I was out of town for business when I took them. I had to adapt. I did the best I could without a camera tripod, using the counter in the hotel room!

I am so excited about my results this 2 weeks. I really see that my waist is trimming. My thighs are leaning out a bit, but I have a ways to go before my jeans will fit. I'm still one size up in my jeans and pants for now. I'm getting much closer though and I'm pretty confident that I will be able to wear my pants again once I lean out. I know I have bulked up a lot in my lower half but I'm hoping that I still have a lot of fat to lose so I can wear my old clothes again soon!!!

I was really worried about my results this week because after my cheat meal last Saturday (full of carbs and sugar as usual) I gained 9, yes NINE, pounds overnight. I'm sure it was only water weight but I've never heard of NINE POUNDS OVERNIGHT!!! Every day after, it was slowly coming down, 2-3 pounds a day but part of my brain said, OMG...I ruined it in one meal!!! I talked to my trainer and he's perplexed as well, it seems. He thinks it might be hormonal....he's probably right! The human body, especially the female body, is amazing!!!

My new iPhone background

Sent from my iPhone

Cottonelle Puppy Gets Pampered commercial

As the proud owner of a "retriever" I have to admit that I love all ads and commercials with retrievers in them....labs or goldens. So, when I saw this commercial I thought it was adorable. I know it has nothing to do with Fitness but it has something to do w/ me...FITori :)

Israeli woman mistakenly junks $1 million mattress

By IAN DEITCH, Associated Press Writer Ian Deitch, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jun 10, 3:32 pm ET

JERUSALEM – An Israeli woman mistakenly threw out a mattress she said had almost $1 million inside, setting off a frantic search through tons of garbage at a number of landfill sites on Wednesday. The woman told The Associated Press that she bought her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise present on Monday — and threw out the old one.

The next day, she said, she remembered that she had hidden her life savings inside the old mattress. "I woke up in the morning screaming, when it hit me what happened," said the Tel Aviv woman, who asked not to be identified.

She went to look for the mattress, but it had already been hauled away by garbage collectors, she said. Searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing.

She said the money was in U.S. dollars and Israeli shekels. She refused to say how she acquired such a large sum. "It was all my money in the world," she said. There was no way to verify her claims, and she refused to disclose key details.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said he was not familiar with the case and no report had been filed.

The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot published a picture of the woman searching through garbage at a dump in southern Israel. The picture shows the woman, dressed in a white top and black pants with her back to the camera, picking through a huge pile of trash that fills the frame about 10 feet (3 meters) in all directions.

Yitzhak Borba, the dump manager, told Army Radio that his staff was helping the woman, saying she appeared "totally desperate." He said the mattress was hard to find among the 2,500 tons of garbage that arrives at the site every day.

He said he increased security at the site to keep would-be treasure hunters away.

The woman said the money had been stashed in a mattress because she had had "traumatic experiences with banks" in the past. She would not elaborate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090610/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_million_dollar_mattress

My Hair Throughout the Years

Childhood 1

Childhood 2

Childhood 3

Middle School

High School 1

High School 2

High School 3

High School 4

College 1

College 2

College 3

College 4

College 5

Engagement Pics ~ Summer 2004

Wedding ~ September 2004

2005

2005 - 2006 A

2005 - 2006 B

January 2008

February 2008

March / April 2008

Summer 2008 A

Summer 2008 B

Fall 2008 A

2008 - 2009

I have a friend from college who did an album like this and it was the coolest thing!! I wanted to do the same, but as always, I'd LOVE feedback from you ladies!! What do you think on length and color? I'm thinking I need to keep growing my hair out for my competition next year. I also think that with a tan on stage, that blond will be the best. I also plan to stick with my curls on stage, because that's me! What about with my pale skin??!!! Should I stick with my natural color or add some more blond? I added some blond but feel like I need to add more blond to make it show up with my curls. Keep in mind the tan vs pale differences when critiquing the images!