Final Update - We Are Famous

The story can finally be all wrapped up nice and neatly. The infomercial is here! Get ready for a treat.

Here's a link to just the video if you want to see it without any other distractions. It's pretty spectacular. And imagine our surprise when we find out that the featured ladies are none other than the three of us. The perfect end to our little story here. Enjoy.

Before and After

Ok, here are the official before and after shots from the infomercial. I must say, I looked goooood! Right now I look about in the middle of the 2, which is just fine by me...especially if it means I don't have to work out like a maniac or eat like a bird. Cause without a looming deadline of possible national television and my dreams of being in an infomercial, it has been hard to keep up with that schedule!
Needless to say, this experience was well worth it. It got me into the best shape of my life...in just one month. And I proved to myself that I can have willpower if I chose to!...and I hope hope hope that the infomercial sells so that all you lovely people out there can witness all the awkwardness for yourselves!

The Great Infomercial Wrap Up!!

But put that checkbook away!! There's more!!

Act now and not only will you get my full account including some great awkward and embarrassing moments, but for the full price of a little bit of patience you'll also receive...

The official Before and Afters and Stats!!!

When I got home on the day of the filming I had such a natural high from my adrenaline pumping for so many hours straight. I couldn't sit still and I'm sure I was talking a million miles a minute (which, no doubt, some of you have heard a time or two before! ;D ). While being someone who usually loves being the center of attention I also get really anxious in front of people and can't act AT ALL, so you mix that with the sheer joy over what I had accomplished and the unbelievable fact that we were filming an infomercial, let's just say I was one insane ball of energy in crazy stage makeup!!! I remember thinking how I couldn't wait until I could write about the whole experience and share it with all of you!! Then I sat down to write and I thought, "you know, it feels a little anti-climactic to post my stats and my feelings on the experience and then post the before and afters at a later date, I think I'll wait and do it all at once". Well talk about anti-climactic, waiting 4 months to give you any information is even more so. Or maybe the suspense is killing you and the anticipation has made this blog much more exciting than it would have been?!?!? Not likely, ;) but to all of you who have stayed interested while I tried your patience, I will finally write my account of my crazy "infomercial stardom" experience. :)

For the entire month of working out I had been weighing myself everyday (I know this is generally frowned upon but it keeps me motivated) but in the days before my official weigh in I had stopped weighing myself so I could be more surprised when the time came. We really kicked in into high gear the weekend before filming and I had just broken through a plateau that I had been on the week before so I was a bit nervous if I would hit my hope of losing 10 lbs in that month, I was still a few pounds away. I hadn't taken my inches measurement all month and was hoping to lose about 2-3 inches. I didn't fit into my size 13-14 jeans anymore so I had to go buy a pair for the shoot I hoped to be a size 12. I went to the dressing rooms with a few pairs in size 12 and one in a 10 which I told myself I was crazy for grabbing, there was no way!! I was ecstatic when the 12s were a bit loose and the 10 fit perfectly!! I can't remember when I was that small!! That was the first indication that I had made progress that month, but somehow, though I was excited, I still downplayed what that meant. It was still hard for me to believe.

Day 1: Weigh in and after pictures

With my new haircut, my new jeans and a red shirt from the back of my closet that didn't fit before, I headed with Joanna to Mindy's for the final weigh in and after pictures. Katie was there taking her pictures along with some of the other girls and I stepped on the scale in my shorts and sports bra from the first shoot. As I watched Mindy move the weight lower, 5 lbs lost, lower, 7 lbs, still not balancing, lower, 8, 9... 10 pounds!!! I had hit my mark!!! I couldn't believe it!!!!! I felt my eyes tear up, 10 lbs in one month, it had taken me 8 months to lose my first 10 and here I had lost 10 in one month!! I was emotionally, excitedly talking with everyone in the room about it and not fully paying attention to the fact that I was still being measured, arm -1 inch, thigh -3 inches, hip -3 inches- blur of emotions, not really sinking in, can't believe I'm hitting my goals of losing a few inches!! Then she moves to my waistline, ahh the dreaded waistline, I'm hoping for a couple inches, talking excitedly with Katie and Joanna, still not really focusing, and Mindy stops, grabs my attention and in shock tells me "your not gonna believe this", she has my full attention now, I'm looking at her thinking -Wow, maybe I did hit my 2-3 inches -could it be as high as 4? that would be amazing, mind racing, and she says... "seven, you lost 7 inches off your waist" -flood of emotion- I'm actually crying now, laughing, flashes of people around the room excited for me, vaguely remember a camera pointed at me, I think I was asking for it to be repeated, hearing people say it was the most inches lost out of everyone, 14 inches total body. Total Shock. I pose for my shorts and sports bra after pictures with a huge cheesy grin on my face asking "Who won the most lbs lost so far?" They tell me Joanna did!! and Katie was pretty high as well! I asked JoRuss- why didn't you tell me?!?!? That's so awesome!!!!! She said she didn't want to take away from my moment! I was so excited for them and Mindy was saying "now that's true friends!!" We had done pretty well for ourselves, Joanna in pounds!! Katie smaller than at her wedding!! and me with my inches!! I guess having the support of each other helped us through the times when we were not surrounded by the comforts of the group!! So I put on my jeans red shirt and wedge heals and took my final pictures and then Katie, JoRuss and I took some "Charlie's Angels" pictures and we headed home to rest up for the next day's testimonial shoot!!

Day 2: Testimonial and B-Roll Shoot

Testimonial-

Wake up early, do my hair, gather my outfits and head over to the Westside to find a warehouse where they are shooting the testimonial. It turns out to be in an industrial part of town and I feel weird in my very high wedge heals with my hair all done walking by men working looking for the right warehouse. This is just the beginning of all the awkwardness. I'm really nervous about being on camera and what I'm going to say and my adrenaline is already pumping, thank goodness they are doing my makeup I couldn't be trusted to keep a steady hand. I find the door, go up a couple of flights of industrial metal stairs, heals knocking, and come in to what looks like a big storage warehouse, this can't be right, I go right looking for the makeup tent and pass right by it without seeing it, find the door to where they're filming, but not where I'm supposed to be yet, some people I don't know start urgently, but quietly because they're filming, ushering me around telling me to be here, no there, wait here, until it's finally figured out that I'm looking for makeup and I'm not the next girl to shoot, already feeling really awkward, anxiety rising!! Find the makeup tent and start to feel a little better, it's very relaxing to just sit there and be made up!! But I'm still anxious about being on camera, trying not to think about it. The makeup artist was awesome and we started talking and she was very excited that I wear red lipstick and like the vintage look, she says that she can really have fun with that, I'm excited she was willing to do a look I was into, I was picturing being made up into a look that wasn't me and it helped me feel more confidant to be made up in a style I liked!! And Katie's right, I've never in my life had that much makeup on!! I felt ridiculous, like I had a mask 3 inches thick on my face!! But she does movie makeup for a living so I'm sure the stage makeup looks great on camera!! Feeling a bit more confident, I get ushered back into the filming area, it's dark with a lot of shades, umbrellas and cameras, I sit on a stool in front of a green screen under a bright spotlight (I'm sure it felt brighter than it actually was ;D ) to be interviewed. As aforementioned, I can't act to save my life and I'm nervous, she asks me a bunch of questions I can't remember because, for the most part, it was a blur, but I think in all my nervousness I was talking too fast and saying too much (surprise, surprise ;D ) and she would pick out the things she wanted me to say again and say them slower, or in a different order, or focus on one part and it was at that point that I felt the most awkward, I could say it okay out of my head but when asked to repeat I couldn't do it. Also it doesn't help that since they can't talk over you because they aren't going to be in the final cut, they would be afraid to interrupt letting you awkwardly trail off not sure if that was what they were looking for. But I was VERY animated and over the top to say the least!! For all you who know me and know how excitable and cheesy I can't be, well let's just say I pulled out all the stops. :) The interview started awkward with me trying to answer all their questions and nervously trying to put in to words what I was thinking and trying to give them what they wanted, they wanted to hear all about my "7 inches off my waist and 14 inches total body and 10 lbs lost in one month using the Zone Dancing Program"- it's a mouthful, you try to say it in one stint over and over in different ways with the proper enthusiasm and not sound nervous while still sounding genuine and adding in all that I did and how I work with chocolate for a living and so on. But at the end of the interview she asked if there was anything else I could say about my experience with Zone Dancing, and that was when I finally felt more comfortable, I excitedly (and over the top) told them all about how this changed my life and I've never loved my body before and about how I've never been in shape before, work with chocolate for a living, have a thyroid problem and I still managed to lose Blah, Blah Blah and if I can do it anyone can!!! I poured it on thick and even teared up a bit at one point!! Now everything I said was true but I really laid it on thick!!! I didn't hold back!! The interview officially ended with her asking me which part was my favorite so I told them "funny story. the one that was my favorite was the one I dreaded and thought I like the least, the Salsa Dancing, I have no rhythm and didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I had so much fun doing it and it made me feel sexy" I said while holding my arms out in front of me and doing a little shimmy with my shoulders. Yes. I actually did that. Does it get more embarrassing than that?... Actually, yes it does. and that brings me to the B-Roll shoot.

The B-Roll Shoot-

So I then walked back through the industrial area in my heals only this time with full stage makeup to head across town to where they were shooting the dreaded B-Roll. This is the part of the infomercials where you act out how excited you are about your experience with the product, to go along with your interview testimonial, and this was the part I was most nervous about. As I was leaving the interview they were saying "this girl needs to do some salsa dancing on camera! and make sure she is shown 'loving her body!' " Oh great, what did I get myself into with all my over the top excitement?!?!? I quickly tried to say that I wouldn't be very good at that as they ushered me out the door but by the time I arrived at the B-Roll shoot it I walked in to find that it had been called ahead that I should do some Salsa Dancing and some "loving my body". Anxiety rising as I sit through make up again and I'm trying to calm myself down. I go out and I start the shoot, and they start off with placing me in front of full length mirror set at an angle so the camera could see my reflection but I couldn't and I was told to look like I'm checking myself out in the mirror and to "love my body". I'm sure I looked ridiculous trying to Ooo and Ahh over my own body and check my self out (the self I couldn't actually see) when the fact is I would even be embarrassed to do so at home by myself!! But now I'm doing it on camera over and over with a director telling me different ways of doing it!! Then I had to look at a measuring tape like I was really excited and pull out to 7 inches, look even more surprised, and show it excitedly to the camera and grin even bigger with a "WOW!!" look on my face! Well, they had me smiling so big to begin with that when I went to show it to the camera and look more excited, there was no possible way I could do so, so I looked to the camera and changed my already cheesy grin to... a terrifying crazy grin!! They immediately stopped me, a little frightened, and told me I looked scary!!! I informed them that I knew I did but I couldn't possibly smile any bigger than they already had me doing!! They then had me do it over and over again but starting out not smiling so I could smile big when the time came. Then I had to take my old jeans and hold them up and "throw them away like I was done with them", well, I took this direction to heart and apparently I threw them a little (or a lot) like I was "done" with them!! I was feeling the motivation and I threw those jeans like I was disgusted with them and I never wanted to see the likes of them again!!! I guess this was a little intense and scary as well!! ;) And finally, they wanted me to, without the video, do a little impromptu Salsa Dancing, I had been a good sport up to this point but I tried to explain to them that people seeing me attempt to Salsa on camera was not going to sell any DVD's, I asked them to trust me on this one. But I think they thought I was just being a tad modest and they asked me to give it a shot. Well, I could not for the life of me remember how the Salsa was done and having absolutely NO rhythm, I sucked it up... and... Gave them the "Rachel Dance"! Yes, I did the "Rachel Dance" on camera. Now many of you might be asking yourselves, "What the hell is a "Rachel Dance?", Well, when I'm being silly (which is often) as long as I can remember I do this little subtle shimmy dance, shaking my bum with my lips puckered up and my fist's up in front of me (at times there has even been pointing), Close friends see it all the time!! Now, needless to say, with one look at the extent of my "dancing" skills, they said that was a wrap and sent me home. :) Way to end with a bang!! I gave it my best acting shot and I hope they were able to get something usable out of all that for their sake!!

All in all, it was an amazing experience and one I will remember it fondly for the rest of my life!! I can't believe I had the opportunity to do something like this!! And now, as I sit here still wearing my size 10 jeans!, my next goal is to lose the rest and train to become a runner!! Something I never thought I'd say!!! I still have a long way to go but I will get there this year!!

And the moment you've all been waiting for (and I've been dreading) or that you just scrolled down to see!! ;D

Here it is!!!!!!!!!

Height: 5'4

Weight: Before- 161, After 151 =10 lbs lost!!!

Waist (belly button): Before 40.5, After 33.5!! = 7 inches lost!!!

Hip (at hip bones): Before 43, After 40! =3 inches lost!!

Thigh (largest part): Before 25, After 22 =3 inches lost!!

Arm: Before 13, After 12 =1 inch lost

= 10 pounds and 14 inches lost total body!!

With the Zone Dancing Program!! ;)

The Final Blog or Eat Less, Move More

It's February 4th, which means it's just about exactly 4 months since the final weigh in/filming.
(Oops)

I didn't talk much in my last blog about the actual experience of the last couple of days, just the results....but for posterity, check out those results!

BEFORE
Weight: 161 lbs
Waist: 35.25"
Hips: 39"
Thigh: 24"
Arm: 12.5"


AFTER
Weight: 148 lbs
Waist: 32"
Hips: 36"
Thigh: 22.75"
Arm: 11.5"

Anyway, I probably won't talk about the last couple days too much here either...less than I would have had I not waited 4 months to finally write about it anyway.

I think Katie summed it up nicely in her most recently blog. It really was awkward.

The photo shoot was kinda fun, while basking in the glow of a successful weigh in. It was nice to take the after photos with Aaron (cute photographer from Day 1) with more body confidence than the first day. But still...bikinis and heels? Really? Yes...really. Soooooo Awkward.

And then the interview. Boy howdy. Lights and camera's all on me and I am not a fan of being the center of attention. Awkward. Then trying to answer questions and try to sound sincere but animated and excited. Then having to repeat things that were good sound bites over and over and each time sounding less sincere (but more animated) and trailing off...you got it...awkwardly. Not that it was all bad, or even really bad at all. It was fun to get ridiculous stage makeup done and go through such a strange experience that I can't help to look back on it fondly. Plus I made Mindy a little misty in one of my more sincere moments (I'll admit, I had a bit of a lump in my throat too) so that was pretty cool.

The B-roll shoot (all the stuff you see during voice overs in an infomercial) was hilarious! Posing in front of a mirror that I couldn't see myself in checking out my flat tummy. Measuring my waist while tilting my head just right. Pretending to weigh myself and trying to feign a look of surprise and joy as if it was the first time. AWKWARD. Let's just say I'm no actress and I would love (and hate) to see a montage of my most awkward moments from that part of the day.

All in all, awkward moments included, this was an amazing experience. So much so that life felt a little flat and purposeless for a couple weeks afterward. I missed the looming deadline and the challenge and the nightly ass kicking from Mindy and the camaraderie of a shared experience. I still do, really.

I'm happy to report though, that I have not put the weight back on so far. I'm pretty shocked considering the last four months have included Halloween (it's been so good to be able to eat candy again!), 3 (yes 3) Thanksgiving dinners, 2 Christmas dinners, New Years, and my birthday.

I've learned the secret formula and so far it's stuck with me, even through the holidays. I gave you a hint in the title, but here it is in more detail...eat less, move more.

I saw a couple of news links saying studies show that more exercise does not necessarily lead to weight loss (gasp!) but they continued on to say that it's because a lot of people reward themselves (sometimes unconsciously, sometimes not) for exercising by eating more food. I realize that is exactly what I used to do and that's exactly why I held onto those 10 extra pounds for years. And though the infomercial diet was definitely a challenge I have upped my caloric intake since I'm not still trying to lose weight and I never feel deprived. I just don't take seconds anymore and I take smaller portions and I chew gum when I'm feeling mouth hungry and I try to not mindlessly eat (unless I'm surrounded by gummies and finger sandwiches on my birthday...bring it on). I also work out more days than I don't and some days harder than others but I take a day off when I need or want to.

It sounds so easy...it certainly seems a lot easier coming from the side of maintaining a goal rather than reaching it...but it can be so hard. I am so grateful for the whole experience and everyone involved (especially Mindy, 'cause she's a rockstar!) because I think it would have taken me a lot longer to figure it out for myself, if ever.



Now, without further ado..... THE BEFORE AND AFTERS!!!




boo yah

Procrastinator Turbo5000

Hi everyone who might still be reading this...desperately hoping for some closure! I am truly a procrastinator and I have embraced it, if you know me, you've probably embraced it too! Let my try to take you back to the photoshoot, and filming days.

The weigh in: it was filmed, hah! Joanna was there, which was awesome cause it made it WAY more fun, and less embarassing! I lost 9 pounds!!! Also we were measured again. I don't have my inches in front of me, but I think it was 2 inches off the waist and 3 inches off the hips...1/2 inch from arms, and 2 inches off thighs!!

The day before I was talking about how I was dissapointed cause I hadn't lost THAT much weight. Afterall, I gained 10 pounds this year...so It felt like I was just getting back to normal. And then I put on my wedding dress. and that was a tangible measure of my progress, cause I REMEMBER how it felt to be in that dress. and it didn't fit anymore! (mostly in the boob area...thanks a lot Zone Dancing)...but also in the waist, and it wasn't as tight over my hips. And that was a real measure of my progress, cause I had lost weight and felt awesome and beautiful at the wedding. But the dress didn't even fit! It would have had to be altered! That really made me feel like I had made progress. and even though I weighed the same as I did a year ago, I didn't look the same, my body really had changed! (if you're noticing my use of the past tense...i'll explain in a bit!)

Photoshoot: Me in platform heels with huge, curly, blonde, beauty queen hair. First we took pictures in our workout gear, same as the before pictures. Then it was time for the outfits. I ended up wearing jeans, and one of Mindy's tank tops. Mindy is like half the size of me, height and weight. So I was a midrift bearing fashion monstrocity. Add a choker and chunky shoes and I walked right out of the 90's. Then I wore my new dress from the Limited....size 6! Woo! and then it was time for the bikini...I felt completely rediculous walking around in a bikini and platform heels. Also, it's horrible to be the only one in a bikini in a room full of fully clothed people. but I did it, and i'm proud of it!

The interview: This happened the next day. It was filmed in HD and I was wearing more make up than I ever have in my entire lift. Honesly I can't even remember what I said. I was trying to be honest, and I was trying not to laugh, cause they were asking me SUCH leading questions. Also if I said something good, they'd make me repeat it over and over...which made me feel super awkward.

B-Roll: This was by far the MOST awkward, and the part I was looking forward to the most! This was me in front of a mirror, "admiring my new body", spinning around, dropping my fat pants to reveal my new figure, holding a measuring tape around my waist....and doing moves from the DVD's over and over. It was everything I thought it would be!

In conclusion, I'm so glad I did this. I lost weight, and changed my body shape. Even more importantly I finished something I started! Hah! However, the extreme diet and 2-3 hours of exercise a day just wasn't realistic for me after we finished. I'm sad to report that i've gained 5 pounds since! Yarg! for a net loss of only 4 pounds! the inches really have stayed off though, I wear a smaller size pants and dress size. I have lost some definition in my abs, but overall I still look slimmer.

I've set a new fitness goal....to run the Bay to Breakers race in SF in May. this is a huge goal for me, because i'm not a runner. i'm really looking forward to begining training in January, after the holidays. For me, this won't be a weight loss thing. I'm doing this to prove to myself that I can, and to try to become a "runner".

Since this was Rachel's idea, and Joanna is in on it too....hopefully we can each write blogs on our experiences with becoming runners! Results Not Typical continues!!!

Also, I never took after pictures, cause I was so DONE with having my picture taken...and the instant it was over I ate lots of food, and my stomach was sticking out! HAHA! If I ever get a copy of the official after pictures, i'll post em for all to see! Cause I looked GOOOOD!

The Final Weigh In OR "You lost a dog"

The last two days have been...well I don't know what to call them yet because I haven't processed it all so I'm going to save my final thoughts for when my brain can produce words. Until then, I will leave you with my final stats because, frankly, they kick ass.


As a reminder, here is where I started:
Weight: 161 lbs
Waist: 35.25"
Hips: 39"
Thigh: 24"
Arm: 12.5"


Final Stats:
Weight: 148 lbs
Waist: 32"
Hips: 36"
Thigh: 22.75"
Arm: 11.5"

Boo.Yah.

I told Tara, the girl touching up our make up at the infomercial shoot today that I had lost 13 pounds and she said "wow, that's like losing a dog" (hence the title). I didn't even know I had 13 pounds to lose. I haven't been below 150 in seven or eight years. And don't forget about those inches, which I think is the real victory, 'cause who cares how much you weigh as long as that muffin top is gone. I look good, I feel good and I ate a brownie for the first time in over a month today! It was a goooooood brownie and I deserved it and I loved it and then I went to the gym. Alright, I can feel a ramble coming on so I shall stop myself for now. Also, I repeat...boo yah.

Fit Fest '09 or Practical Knowledge

As part of this whole experience we Zone Dancing ladies got to go to this year's Fit Fest, a two day convention for fitness professionals to update their credentials, learn new workouts, network, etc. It was so much fun. I got to work out all day with some of the best people in the business, try things that aren't even out on the market yet, and learn a lot about fitness and weight loss.

In this particular blog I am going to share with you what I learned from Dr. Len Kravitz about maximizing your caloric burn (sprinkled with a little wisdom from Mindy and my own experience.) You may have a lot of this before but if you're interested in losing weight, this might help.

Ready?

Get this.

To lose weight, burn more calories and eat fewer calories.

I know, right. But exercise all you want but if you don't reduce your calorie intake you're going to plateau. I just found out that on the Biggest Loser the female contestants are on a 1200 calorie diet and have a daily calorie burn of 6000 (the men are at 8000, not sure of the intake.) If you don't have 8 hours a day to spend in the gym and your goal isn't to lose 200 pounds in 17 weeks then obviously you don' t have to do anything quite so extreme. But don't you think that if people who's weight has spiraled out of control and who may have never exercised a day in their life can do that, that you can reduce your intake by a couple hundred calories and work out an hour a day? What can you cut out? Soda, juice, cream in your coffee (stop drinking your calories)? Less bread, more veggies? Have one serving instead of two? The first week might suck, but give it a few and some of this stuff will really stick.

According to Dr Kravitz, you don't start burning off the fat that gives you a muffin top until a solid hour into moderate exercise. Before that you're burning fat out of your muscles and blood stream. BUT, have no fear. If you don't feel like exercising for 2 or 3 hours a day to shrink your butt, that's where calorie restriction comes in because your muscles and blood will pull fat from your saddlebags to replace what you used up (as long as you didn't replace it with half a pizza before it could use up what you've already stored away.)


Alright, on to the exercise.


7 Calorie Torching Workouts:

1) TEMPO TRAINING
- Continuous aerobic exercise at 14-17 RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion out of 20) for 30 to 60 minutes (basically go at the hardest pace you can maintain for your goal time or your MAX STEADY STATE)

2) METABOLIC BASE TRAINING
- Continuous aerobic exercise at a light to moderate intensity (brisk walk/jog 11-14 RPE) for 60 to 80 minutes

3) SPLIT TRAINING
- 2 to 4 High Intensity sets for 15 to 20 minutes separated by 5 minutes of active rest

4) INTERVAL TRAINING
- Alternate 3 minutes of nearly all out effort (16 to 18 RPE) with 3 minutes of low intensity (10 to 11 RPE)

5) SUPRAMAXIMAL INTERVAL TRAINING
- Alternate 15 to 10 intervals of 1 minute at absolute max (19-20 RPE) with 2 to 5 minutes active rest

6) CIRCUIT TRAINING
- Do 5 circuits of 10 reps (1 second concentric and eccentric contraction with a pretty comfortable weight) each of as many stations as you can think of (biceps, triceps, lunges, squats, abs, back, etc etc) and sprint from station to station (this would be much more fun with a partner)

7) FARTLEK PLUS
- "fartlek" means "speed play" in Swedish (really)
- Basically mix it up, go from anaerobic to aerobic at random intervals doing different types of exercises (walk, run, sprint, jump, etc.) Have fun with it.

So here's what you're going to do...

- Do low to moderate exercise fo 20 to 60 minutes every day. That could be as simple as a brisk walk or dancing around your living room.

- Mix in some high intensity/short duration exercise days....interval training is soooooo good.

- Multi mode training: mix it up, don't get bored, test your body. If you're not having fun, you probably won't do it. If you hate running but like swimming then swim and throw in a treadmill day for a challenge. If you hate swimming but love dancing take a dance class. (I love kicking stuff really hard, so some days I do that and other days I run so that kicking stuff really hard is easier and more fun.) This will also help combat the dreaded plateau.

- Shrink your portions.

- Eat food from the source (meat, veggies, fruit)

- Surround yourself with people that are supportive. Someone in your life just might try to sabotage you. Don't let them.

- Stick it out for 6 weeks. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks to form a new habit. Give it the chance to get there. Week 1 will suck. You'll be hungry and sore. By week 3 you'll be looking forward to your sweat session and you'll realize that you don't need those gummy bears to make it to dinner.

- And finally, some more Mindy wisdom... Be content. Celebrate your victories each day and don't punish yourself for not fitting into your skinny jeans. Be patient (and throw out those skinny jeans).

Note: If you're interested in the science behind a lot of this stuff, check out Dr. Kravitz's website. It's pretty cool.

Panic Time!

So there are about 2 weeks left until the after pictures. I'm freaking out! I realize that I HAVE lost weight and inches, and that without this program, I might never have had the motivation. BUT I can't shake the feeling that I'm not doing enough, and that it's not enough of a change! I really want to step it up these last 2 weeks and concentrate on areas that I know I will see results in, like my abs and arms. I've realized that i'm going a little crazy in the food department, and I really need to reel it in if I expect to have results.
I need to
1) eat more regularly, and not let myself get so hungry that I eat 3 containers of yogurt instead of dinner!
2) Bring my food to work all portioned out, so there's not a bag of frozen mango chunks sitting in the work freezer, calling to me all day! and so I don't go on a crazy broccoli and mustard binge! Is that gross or what?!
3) bring snacks with me on the ambulance, so if we're out on the streets all day, I won't get back to quarters like a ravenous wolverine (and go crazy on broccoli and mustard).
4) Make sure to stick to the diet on my days off and not snack all day (snacking on fruit and veggies, but still)

Now I realize that eating yogurt for dinner, or half a bag of mango chunks, or an entire galon bag of broccoli dipped in mustard isn't as bad as eating bags of cookies, or gummies, or ice cream...but it still made me feel out of controll and I didn't like it!!

So goals for the next 2 weeks are: reel it in and stop being crazy with food, and step up my ab and arm excersizes!!

P.S. I'm not posting halfway pictures or stats, cause it takes the fun out of the dramatic reveal!

I could drink the s**t out of some dessert tea right now.

Our night started with a BBQ where we couldn't eat anything. So we came home to do our homework (do 2 of the videos we were given on friday)! It quickly degraded into muting the video and dancing like idiots in the living room to my chicks rock playlist!!!

So we taped it, so you can all see our sugar deprived and hunger fueled dancing! Then Joanna made this awesome video!

Then we got excited about desert tea (i'm easily excited), and I ran out of the house like an idiot and locked us out! We laughed until we cried and peed ourselves (just a little bit), then laughed some more. So we wandered the streets of Capitola for an hour in search of dessert tea and warmth, until Spencer got home from work!!!

And it was the best dessert tea in the world (only it smelled better than it tasted).

The End

Why are boobs always the first to go??

Seriously! My strapless bra doesn't fit anymore! So on the eve of the halfway point, I am wearing street clothes for the first time in almost 2 weeks! While I was foraging in my closet, how could I ignore, the rack of uniform pants that don't fit me? So all alone in my house, preparing myself for the worst...listening to my "chicks rock" playlist for moral support, I tried on my pants....VICTORY!!!!!!! My pants fit!!!!!!!!!! They are still a little tight in the hips and thighs (and lets be honest, they always were) but more importantly I can zip them up!!!! and NO MUFFIN TOP!!!!!! This is a huge triumph for me cause I had more than a little breakdown about a month ago, when I had to go crying to my hubby to ask him for some of his pants to wear to work (we have the same job)! Whew!! This feels GREAT!

Thank you to all my infomercial ladies for the energy you give me at group class, it makes me keep going!

Tomorrow is day 14 (if I have calculated right) and I will be posting halfway point pictures and stats!!!

Progress Report

My shoulders look bomb.


That is all.

A Salmon Recipe! Or, I'm sick of Chicken

This recipe is modified from Cooking Light Magazine. I made it have less fat, and I added some yummy stuff like mandarin oranges, green onions and water chestnuts. Also the original uses cabbage slaw, but my hubby won't eat that, so I use broccoli slaw. I realize that you all might not have a cupboard full of Asian ingredients, and If you don't feel like investing in some, just use any low fat Asian sesame salad dressing (I think you all know my favorite brand....Kraft makes a pretty good one called Reduced Fat Asian Sesame). Leftovers make a yummy lunch wrap. flake the salmon and serve it in a low calorie tortilla (like la tortilla factory) with slaw and spinach.

Orange Salmon with Spicy Asian Slaw
Salmon:
4 (4oz) skin on salmon filets
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Orange juice (or juice of 1 orange)
Cooking Spray

Slaw:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp bottled minced ginger
2 tsp chili ginger sauce (like Sriatcha)
1/2 tsp honey
1 bag broccoli slaw
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1 (11oz) can mandrin oranges, rinsed and drained
1 (80z) can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

1) Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Spray pan with cooking spray. Place salmon skin side down in pan, cook 4 minutes. Flip salmon over, cook 3 minutes. After the 3 minutes, pour the orange juice over salmon and continue to cook until the liquid reduces. Remove pan from heat.

2) To prepare the slaw, combine first 7 ingredients in a salad bowl, whisk together. Add Broccoli slaw, cilantro, onion, oranges, and water chestnuts. Toss gently to combine.

Serving size: 1 salmon fillet with 1/4 of the Slaw
Calories: 295
Fat: 14g (from salmon, so it's good fat!!)
Protein:22g

The Infomercial Hermit

I've had blogger's block (is that a thing?) for a few days because my days are all nearly exactly the same. I sleep, I eat, I think wistfully of my next meal and how far away it is, I work out, and I (very occasionally) work. My looming weight loss deadline has made me forgo social events because so many of them center around food and alcohol. Why torment myself by surrounding myself with things I can't have? Katie mentioned that she has not worn anything but workout clothes and her EMT uniform for a week. Since my work uniform IS workout clothes (yay 24 hour fitness), I've pretty much ONLY worn workout clothes. I did get to wear jeans two, count em, two times in the last seven days. Once out for a friends 21st birthday....mmmm, water...and once out to the Greek Festival where I pretended to hate gyros and spanakopita (also known as SpankaTopia, if you're in the know.) After those two torture sessions I've pretty much decided to lay low until this is done and focus on getting my butt kicked into a firmer, cuter shape by Mindy and eating spinach. I'm very lucky that two of my friends are in this with me so that we can be social while eating spinach. As for the rest of my social network, I shall see you in three weeks. And hopefully, by the end of this, when I go out with my friends I won't even want those things that I can't have anymore.

Almost a week in!

and the first week is always the hardest!! I've worked out now for 6 days in a row, which I can safely say I have never done in my life!! It's not as hard as I thought it would be. I mean, each workout is hard and I have to push myself through it but getting myself there everyday is not as hard as I thought it would be. I have never done it before because I've always psyched myself out before I even go and then find excuses. But now that I've made the commitment to go whether I want to or not, I find that it's not as daunting as I always imagined. It's just part of my routine and I feel so much better after doing it! I feel like I'm finally starting to learn how to live healthy.

I've been following the diet really well all week but I found the weekend a lot harder. Not so much because I was tempted by bad food as I was just running around all weekend and that makes it a lot harder to plan meals. My cousin came into town and we were all over the place and I didn't have much time to stick to the planned diet exactly. So i stuck to some of the meals and then with the others I just tried to stay within my calorie range and be mindful of what I was eating. It was harder than I thought it would be. I'm trying to put it behind me and not beat myself up for not being perfect! I don't want to be so hard on myself that I lose motivation!! Focus on the positive and be proud of myself for what I've accomplished and what I'm doing!! Almost a quarter of the way toward my goal!!

And tonight is my Advanced Baking class!! from 5:00-10:00! I will make sure I bring my dinner so I'm not so hungry that I can't resist all the desserts!! This is the true test!! ;)

Determination

Mindy gave me one of her workout videos to do at work, when I can't make it to the group session. Here I am, thinking SWEET! free workout video, I love those! I do videos at work all the time, I use my little 5lb weights, grab my yoga mat for the ab section, and break a light sweat on my upper lip...no shower needed! I previewed Mindy's video last night, just to get an idea of what kind of equipment I'd need and what kind of space (my quarters at work is no bigger than my dorm room in college...). I was tired just watching it!

I'm still pretty run down from being up all night on Friday and getting held over for 2 hours and 45 minutes! but I'm SO proud of myself for making it to the Saturday AM group workout. It was lots of running! and I was exhausted! but just 1 week ago, I totally would have used being up all night as an excuse to not work out, and laze around the house all day. I was definitely lazy on Saturday, but it was after 45 minutes of a Mindy workout! again I'm SO PROUD of myself!!!!

So today i'm back at work, and we had a rough morning, I didn't get to eat Breakfast until 11:30...and I woke up at 4:45....yeah, most of the time I LOVE my job, but these last 2 shifts have totally sucked. So old me would have just quit, and not worked out....but instead, I took a nap...a 4 hour nap :) (again with the loving my job!) and got up and did Mindy's video....HOLY CRAP, it was every bit as hard as it looked last night, and then some! I was sweating, out of breath, and praying to the EMS gods that I wouldn't get a call and have to put my uniform on!!!! But it was worth it! I feel great right now! SO SORE, but great!

I don't think i've ever dedicated myself to anything like this, I'm totally a quitter! but i've stuck to the diet (with some adjustments, i'm sorry but i'm just not eating Ramen noodles), and worked out every day even though i'm sore, and tired, and HUNGRY! but it's paying off! i've lost 5lbs and I feel great! I think this thing might just work!

Little Victories

So it is day 5 and had I been attempting this journey on my own this is right about where I would give up, have some ice cream and sleep through my morning workout.

The Real Me: "Wow, Day 5 and no emerging six pack? Eff this. Pass the (insert simple sugar food item here.)"

The Realistic Me: "It's only Day 5, stupid."

The Real Me: "What? I can't hear you over these delicious...mmm...slurp...chocolate covered gummy bears topping my ice cream sundae."

The Realistic Me: "Dumbass."

It's only day 5...of course my body isn't drastically different. Yet that would usually be enough to kill my momentum. Unrealistic expectations have constantly been my downfall. But no more! Since our thought of the day is "everything is a gift" I am choosing to notice the positive (which is something I need to practice more of no matter what I'm trying to accomplish) and celebrate a little victory.

So though I may not have a six pack yet, when I do it will be much more noticeable because after only 5 days my posture is noticeably better. We have done a lot of sculpting and strengthening of our back muscles and my shoulders are starting to pull back. It's glorious! As a massage therapist I lost count of how many people came in with upper back pain. Most of them were surprised when I told them that what they actually needed was to strengthen their back muscles and relax their pectorals (and for many, of course, to lose weight.) "Wow, that makes a lot of sense! Now, can you spend all the time on my upper back." Sigh. But even with this knowledge, I suffered the same issues and did almost nothing about it and it showed in my posture and my muscle tension patterns. But now, only 5 days in, with a little hard work I'm starting to correct years of bad habits and poor self care. Eff yeah.

One snack at a time

As I sit here watching Deric eating lime tortilla chips and salsa I realize that today has been the hardest day so far. It is the first day that I've felt run down from the exercise (we had the toughest workout so far this morning) and the lack of food. Though I was by far my hungriest on Day 2 I still felt good. Definitely really hungry, but good. In fact the past three days I've had a ton of energy and the hunger, though really irritating, was just a reminder that I was challenging myself and succeeding. Today it's just a recipe for crankiness and snack envy. I would give anything for a gummi bear or a lime chip or some french bread with artichoke dip (drool.) Just hook the carbs to my veins. But I know if I start snacking now, I'll never stop and it's only day four. So I'll power through and just keep my mouth closed for fear that something other than a grape will fall into it. Tomorrow is another day.

Missed out

Today I had to work, so I missed the strip workout (kind of glad, but still would have been fun). Instead I did workout videos at work, while my partner slept! I didn't nap today, so tonight might kill me! but apparently I have suicide sprints to look forward to tomorrow at 9AM. I haven't done those since JV basketball!!!
Also I was satisfied for like more than an hour, from the delicious sandwich that was my lunch!! Oh man, it was good! 2 whole slices of bread!
So I did CPR 3 times today, after a core workout yesterday, and an ab video today....my abs, back, thighs, and triceps are SO SORE. Thankfully I'm a stickler for the rules and insisted on switching out every 2 minutes...but still!! That is too much action for 1 day, I don't like sweating at work!

P.S. I just got back from a call at a "naturist" lodge, and I didn't see one naked person! hah! they all had clothes on!

In Honor of Salad Dressing

I just wanted to say that I've been hungry since after dinner last night, through breakfast, through spin class, and still after my mid morning snack...this is gonna be hard! The hunger is like a gnawing constant reminder of my goals though, so I hope I learn to like it!!

Also I talked to Rachel last night for like 30 minutes about salad dressing! Hahaha! I love salad dressing, because it's the best part of the salad. I am always on the lookout for delicious dressing with less than 100 calories per serving (2 tbsp in most cases) and less than 5 grams of fat. Here are my top 5 dressings of all time!

1) The new sesame dressing we got for the program!!...I have no idea where they got it though! 50 calories and 3g fat. I took a picture of it for you (It's blurry! It's not your eyes, it's my camera), so scour your grocery store shelves! I have a feeling it's from a health food store (Whole foods, New leaf...If it's not in the Dressing section, try the Asian Foods isle, or the Marinates isle!) Don't stop till you find it! you'll happily eat salad for every meal!

2) Trader joes Spicy Thai Peanut Vinaigrette (in the refrigerated section)...I put this on everything, broccoli slaw, marinate chicken, salads, Faux pad thai, made with Tofu Shiratake noodles (more on these later).

3) Trader Joes Creamy Cilantro Dressing (refrigerated section) Put this on taco salad!! yum yum!

4) Trader Joe's Raspberry Gorgonzola Vinaigrette (refrigerated section) This sounds so decadent and bad for you, but it's not!! Make a fancy salad and serve this with thinly sliced lean beef...Make this and impress your friends!

5) Trader Joe's (noticing a trend here? these folks know what they're doing!) Organic Blue Cheese Dressing (refrigerated section!). This has 90 calories and 9 grams of fat (it will make your skirt fly up!) I like to thin it out a little with Balsamic Vinegar, and add some pepper, and maybe some gresh garlic...Oh man, you'll love it!

Check these out people!! They are delicious! One more tip...be wary of dressings that don't require refrigeration...they can be scary and taste like chemicals!

Preview of Tofu Shiratake Noodles: They are an asian noodle substitute that have only 40 calories per bag and 3 grams of CARBS, you heard me right!

First workout and I almost lost my very small lunch...

Okay, apparently I have let myself get REALLY out of shape!!! The first workout wasn't even the full hour because she was giving us all the info for our upcoming month and I still barely made it!! We got introduced to the program we are testing, it's called Zone Dancing and it includes the diet we are on, a dance based workout that utilizes a "Zone Sculptor" which is a resistance ring that hinges on one side and gives resistance when you pull the two sides of the ring apart. You can put the ring around your thighs so that when you are exercising you have resistance on your legs or you can pull on it with your arms while you are doing other exercises.

We mostly worked our legs by doing a lot of squats and pulling on the Sculptor!! I thought I could handle squats with all the ones I have done at 24Hour but last night we were doing them continuously!! Mindy is a great motivator and we would just move from one exercise to the next without breaks!! But she kept you laughing and smiling throughout the workout so it helped to push through!!! But by the end of the workout I was sure I was going to throw up!! I'm sure I had a horrible look on my face and was maybe a little green and I was right in Mindy's line of sight!! I was trying to continue with the exercises and I'm sure at that point I had horrible form!! I desperately didn't want to be the girl who threw up on the first day so I was doing my best to hold it together!! I have let myself get so out of shape!! So finally when the stretches came I couldn't even hold the positions!! I didn't want to be at any awkward angles!! Then she started to talk about how this workout was easy compared to what's ahead!! Hopefully I will be more in shape at that time and won't feel the need to lose the precious few calories I get for the day. ;) I made it through workout number one and I go back today!! I'm going to be in amazing shape by the end of this!!! I can't wait!