Perfect Storm

First week over since hubs has left and we all survived.  Even though, I have been on a warpath between him gone, PMS, and Shaun T.  The perfect storm.

Anyways, so Insanity has gone as well as it can go.  I worry about my neighbors downstairs & my weight pouncing on the floors for 45 minutes.  I'm sure they greatly appreciate it.  The joys of apartment living.

The biggest problem I'm facing is the "nutrition regimen."  According to the previous, my calorie intake should be 1900 calories a day and it should be broken down into 5 meals a day so something like this-

Meal 1- 400 calories
Meal 2- 400 calories
Meal 3-400 cal
Meal 4-400 cal
Meal 5-400 cal

That is a lot of food when it doesn't include refined carbs.  I mean you have to eat a lot of fruits & veggies to add up to 400 and then eat every three hours.  So, the last few days I've only gotten in around 1400 calories a day.  Not sure how it will turn out on my weigh in.  We will see.  It does say I can eat whole grain english muffins/tortillas/rolls, I just haven't made it to the commissary yet.  It is a good way to train yourself to eat healthier and stay on track AND a big thing that has happened I haven't been craving fast food or soda and that is a plus, plus.

Here's my measurements that I took last week before starting Insanity-

arms 12.5
waist 36
thighs 24
calves 15.1

So, not a terrible week.  Just trying to remember
Stay patient, work hard, eat right.  Results are on the way!

Operation: Take That, Fat!

Today marks three weeks since I started officially back on track for Operation: Take That, Fat!

I decided to weigh in every three weeks.  And unfortunately I am little peeved that I haven’t lost more weight.    So today of course was 1^st three week weight check in and my weight was…

149.4

I am only down a measly 1.6 pounds since my first weigh in!!!

I know, I know we did got out to eat once to Chili’s and I did eat pizza one night, and then the 6 chocolate chip cookies BUT other than that I have been keeping my calories in between 1500 to 1723 (that I calculated using the BMR), and I have been pretty consistent with my workouts, averaging about 5 to 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes.

One positive is my pants aren’t as tight and I regretfully just did measurements this week.  So in my next weight check in three weeks, I will weigh and check my measurements again then.

I started to really think about why I am not losing with these changes and thought it would be best to start Insanity again for the second time and really follow their nutrition regimen.

I did Insanity in the past but I only completed the first month BUT I did lose weight and didn’t really follow their nutrition advice but I did track my calories and keep them in check.  And one not entirely official reason I stopped and this is pretty minuscule of me but the workout people in the background during the Insanity videos really annoyed me.  Especially this one chick that made duck faces the ENTIRE time during the workouts.  And not just one of the workouts all of them!  She’s in every freaking one!  Come on Shaun T!

Also, I was only burning about 300 or so calories each workout and I was thinking that wasn’t enough but discovered later that your body does continue to burn throughout the day.

Therefore I am going back to basics and really looking at my exercise regimen and nutrition and going to trim the fat some more, particularly, with refined carbs my guilty pleasure. 




Also, cutting Splenda which I thought was better than sugar so I am switching to Stevia.  The only time I use it is in my coffee and when I eat cereal.  Anyways, I’ve already cut out fast food & soda.   I refuse to cut coffee!  It ain’t happening!!!

Starting today it will be the Fit Test, which I didn’t do last time but I am really going to try hard and stick to all the criteria this time.  Its two months.  I CAN DO THIS!  According to the nutrition guide my calorie intake should be 1900 calories a day.  Which seems like a lot but I am sticking to it!!!

 
Here is some before & after pics.  The first one is from March 2013 and the second is this week, Jan. 2014.  I don't think I can really tell a difference, but it is what is.

 

 

 

My weight in the first picture was around 155 pounds and second about 150.  I swear I am so freakin' short .  It sucks to be a hobbit! 
 
And the other thing!My ASS! 
"Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt."
It looks like I am wearing a fanny pack but in the back.  A fanny pack of fat!  For the love of cupcakes.  It's the size of Kansas.

Anyways, let's do this before it comes down to Kelly Kapoor up in here.








 






 




















Pity Pary over Here!

Yap, I had my very own pity party!  I'm not ashamed to admit it and by pity party I mean I sat on the couch the entire day watching crap TV and ate 6 chocolate chip cookies. 

And why was yesterday a GRRREAT day for it, because hubs left for the distant east for 200+++ days. 
 

Lucky for us this has been only his second big D since several years ago but you never get used to the coming & going.  So I have really got to get my emotions under wrap and focus on my healthy goals and be strong for the kiddos!

Of course, as soon as he left lil' H started with the new edition of poopscapades ALL day so after her fifth bath of the day it was finally bedtime.  And I don't know why I thought then I would get a small reprieve because that's when the vomiting began.  I don't know what it is but my children, all four of them, cannot get to the bathroom in time EVER!  So, she wakes up about 1030 last night and first went and spread the joy on her sister's bed, their purple shag rug, and then when I run her to the commode she totally misses it and scores between it and the wall!  Ugh, it was the worse and it continued all night!  Poor baby.

 

But that's how it always is...

I just have to suck it up and move on and know that there is always someone that has worse than you and thank God for beautiful blessings I do have and remember

 

I'm late

I'm late, but I still wanted to get out my New Year's Resolutions, dammit.  Because since starting them on the 1st, I have totally stuck to it.  All three days!

So, here goes January 2014 goals...

Daily work-out at least 30 minutes.  Which I should have no excuse not to do at least 30 minutes a day.  My gym is free to go to, so do I really have an excuse not to go?  No!

Track all calories in food dairy on Sparkpeople and not continuing to count my serving sizes like this...

 

I've also been replacing at least one meal a day with Shakeology and I swear just using it previously and now for the last three days that stuff works BIG time. 

Water intake 64 oz. daily.

No fast food.

No soda.

Dessert only once every two weeks.  This is a big deal because I would make dessert after dinner at least 2 to 3 times a week. 
 
If I had stuck it out and turned it around likewhen I started back in March 2013, instead of falling off the wagon and hitting a couple of ice cream trucks, donut trailers, and  whatever else I could cram in, I would be 20 lbs. lighter now!

I'm also joining the Biggest Loser Challenge at the gym that runs from Jan. 6th to March 28th.

There it goes.  I am sticking to it no matter what!!!

My starting weight DUNDUNDUNDUN naanana is 151 pounds!!! Yikers! So here goes...

Part One-The Weight

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty AND the real reason I started this blog.  I’m going to address the elephant in the room- myself.  Oh Julia! Unnecessary roughness!   Where should I begin? I have been denying that I needed to lose weight and get healthy for about the last say five, six, seven years. I think to myself, "Oh, you're fine. You’re only in a size 8, size 10, size 12!" THEN, I see a picture of a bleach blonde dumpy person myself and am shocked!  When did this happen?

 Let's go back in time, shall we? I've been lucky and growing up never really had a weight issue. In high school I ran cross country, played softball and other shenanigans but I would not say I was really all that athletic. I mean in cross country I was at the back of the pack. If it hadn't been for athletics I would have been hefty because I have a strong devotion to consume calorie enriched foods. 

Hello my name is Julia and I am a Reese’s peanut butter lovin’, nacho hoarder, Dr. Pepper guzzler, passionate junk food devourer and hold the unofficial honorary title of Donut Queen.   And my family is fantastic cooks of homemade cinnamon rolls, buttermilk pancakes, & cornbread.  We never met a carb we didn’t like.  Fast forward through high school and wham bam thank you ma’am I’m twenty & married with two kids.  The first kid I walked into L&D weighing 150 pounds and four weeks later was back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 105 pounds.
Then came the second kid, exactly two years later, and the weight after that continued to creep up and up and I completely ignored it by eating more food.  That’s the first problem.

The second problem is…a hereditary circumstance.  I’m a hobbit.  There I wrote it.  It’s true and I can’t deny that somewhere in my bloodline, I am first cousins to Frodo.  Other than the fact that I am not hairy and have relatively small feet, my physique is pretty spot on.



See the family resemblance?  I'm the one on the left.

Road Trip-Germany style

Dear Texas,

This past weekend we went on a road trip- Germany style.  Which means Autobahns, high speeds, and paying to potty. A little FYI on Germans and public toliets (WC or water closets to them), Germans will go to the bathroom anywhere.  I have seen more streams than I care to count.  I've learned to divert my eyes.  Hubster once saw a woman squatter.  Why do they all pee on the side of the road?  BECAUSE I don't know why, maybe because you have to pay to pee at gas stations.  I think it's well worth it because that means they have attendants which means clean water closets.  Well, worth the money honey!

 

It was spent in the beautiful Bavarian Alps.  It's about a five hour drive from home.

 

We spent Friday at the Partnach Gorge.

 

 

It was  a hike to the gorge so since Mama's lazy we were lucky enough to hop a board a horse & carriage.

(Of course, the girls were the most excited about it.)

 

 

 Brr rabbit.  It was cold.  You would think by now we would be use to the everchanging Germany weather but we are still learning our lessons.

 You walk through the gorge on a very wet, narrow AND

 

 

sometimes pitchblack path...

 

 

After getting wet and cold, we found the carriage left us so we had to hike back down on our own.

Miss. Priss thinks walking is for the birds.

 

Welcome

Dear Texas,

I thought it would be fun to do 21 questions & see how the answers change a year from now.

1. The TV show I never miss is…The Office when it was still on or reruns.

2.  The most memorable thing I have ever seen is…Paris, absolutely beautiful.  I did not realize how mesmerizing it would be until I saw it in person.

 

3. My favorite comfort food is…nachos & chocolate chip cookies.

4. How many siblings do you have…seven, five sisters & one brother!

5. If I could do one thing over… it would be March, 2011.

6. The best gift I have ever received was… my four children!

 

7. The place I would most like to visit is…Ireland!

8. The one thing I always wanted to learn how to do… is play the piano.

9. The best thing I ever bought myself was…snack size bag of Reese's cups haven’t gotten it yet!

10. If I could design a perfect day, it would be spent with …my husband & children in London.  "Look kids Big Ben, Parliament..."

11. The person I would most like to meet, living or dead, is… Mother Teresa.

12. What do you do when you get bored…Bored,what's that?

13. The thing people always think about me that is wrong is …that I’m snobby or a bitch.

 

14. If I could be reincarnated I would come back as….Harper Lee.

15. My worst bad habit is… procrastination!

16. What are you most scared of…a shark attack.

17. If I had a million dollars that I had to spend in one day I would buy donate it to Giveforward and max out as many fundraisers as possible.

18. Where we’re you born…in a small East Texas town.

19. The best book I ever read is Gone with the Wind.

20. The most important goal I hope to achieve in my life… is to write a famous novel or be this...

21. The biggest “YES!” moment in my lifetime was… when I said “yes” to hubster’s proposal!

Ciao, Julia