I'm Baaaaccckkk

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.....yet, that is :) I've just been extremely busy with working & life, so I put this blog on the back burner for a while....just like I put myself on the back burner. But.....I'm baaaccckkk :)

When I went to PA to visit my family at the end of August, I told my sister & Dad that unfortunately, I've been struggling with losing more weight because for one, I'm battling one of the wonderful changes of womenhood called menopause. I also started taking HRT a few months ago & of course, one of the side effects is weight gain :( But my sister said to me "that's just an excuse!" When she first said that, I just kinda ignored it because I know what my body is going through right now. But then the other day, it hit me.....she's right! It IS just an excuse! I shouldn't let menopause stop me from continuing on my weight loss journey! I'm going to face it head on!

I know I've set goals for myself in the past.....some of them I've made, some of them I haven't. And in the past 11 months (since my Mom passed away), I've gained back some weight :( I haven't been pushing myself as hard as I used to.....I'm not going to the gym as often as I used to......I'm not being as careful about what I put in my mouth anymore, either. But that is all going to change.....right here, right now! And tonight was a start to that change! I went to the gym & worked out for 1 hour & 25 minutes! And damn it, it felt GOOD!!!

So here it is, in writing, my new goal: By next summer (June 21, 2011), I will be down another 40 pounds! That gives me just over 7 months to lose those 40 pounds in! It's definitely doable.....I just have to push myself & DO IT! And I WILL!!!

Keep movin' & keep pushin' off the pounds!
Benita

My Magic Bullet

Okay, first of all, get your mind out of the gutter! I know that as soon as you read the title to this post, that's where it went! I'm not referring to a new sex toy.....trust me. I'm referring to this Magic Bullet:

Probably the best invention since sliced bread! I've been wanting one of these things ever since they first came out, but the price was always out of my budget.....weren't they like over $100 at first? Now that they are only $49.99 (which is still a little pricey to me), I decided to buy one & got 20% off of it using a coupon at Bed, Bath & Beyond. If you're into drinking smoothies or protein shakes, then this is a definite must! My protein shakes turn out so much thicker over doing them in my regular blender. And I like the fact that it comes with extra cups so I don't have to worry if the main one isn't clean at the time. Plus it makes just enough for one person. I also love using it for making omelets....I just put the eggs in the cup, add a tiny bit of milk & blend for a few seconds. The omelets come out so much fluffier! YUM! If you don't have one of these Magic Bullets in your kitchen, I highly recommend getting one! You won't regret it!

On the weight loss front, I was doing really good getting back into my workouts.....that is, until I ended up hurting my left shoulder.....again :( I was reading an article online that said that women tend not to lift heavy enough weights, so I decided to pump mine up a little. Well, apparently, I pumped it up a little too much :( So after almost 2 weeks of pain (hoping it would just go away on it's own, but didn't), back to the doctor I went. He wrote me a prescription to go back to physical therapy. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but I knew I needed to do it. I decided to find a different PT this time, though as I just wasn't very comfortable with the last one. And boy, am I ever glad I did find a new one! This PT is SO much better.....and should I mention cute, too! LOL But seriously.....I feel like I'm getting a much better treatment this time. First, he puts heat on my neck & shoulder areas, then he gives me the best massage followed by some stretching & then exercises. I've only gone 3 times so far & I can already tell that it's helping. Unfortunately, he doesn't want me lifting any weights or doing any cardio where I have to use my arms right now :( He said I can do the treadmill & the elliptical without the arms, plus I can still do weights on my lower body, but that's it. Darn it! Why is it that when you try to get healthier, something always seems to get in the way?

Luckily, I have been very careful with my eating lately. Almost everyday, for breakfast & lunch, I've been eating a bowl of Special K cereal instead of waffles & other junk that I would normally eat. I feel that the Special K makes me feel fuller longer & therefore, I've been eating less snacks throughout the day as well. So it's been a win-win situation. And, I have finally started losing again :) Slowly, but steadily losing.

Until next time....keep movin', but do it safely!
Benita

Slacking

As hard as it is for me to admit this, I've been slacking.....a LOT! BUT, I do have a reason.

On December 7th, 2009, my best friend, my Mom, passed away :( It was a day that I tried to prepare myself for, but wasn't prepared for at all! I got the call from Linda at 4:00 am telling me that Mom went into cardiac arrest & they weren't able to revive her. The day before, she was complaining of stomach pains, so the nursing home took her to the hospital. The doctor said she had an infection in her bowels, treated her with antibiotics & wanted to keep her overnight for observation. I prayed & prayed that night for God to watch over her.....I guess he answered my prayers by taking her to be with him so she would be out of pain, finally.

Her death has really been hitting me hard, which is why I've been slacking & just really not caring that much about my weight. And because of that, I've gained some weight back. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the stress I've been under, not to mention the fact that I've been eating everything & anything to try to 'comfort' me a little.

But 2 weeks ago, I started to get a little worried. I guess you could say it was the fact that I had to lay on my bed to zip up my jeans! SCARY! I realized that my Mom wouldn't have wanted me to give up. She was so proud of me for the weight I had already lost & that meant the world to me! All I ever wanted was for my Mom to be proud of me! That very day, I got myself back into the gym & worked my butt off! I felt like a kid riding a bike.....you never forget how to ride once you learn, right? Right.....except when you haven't done something for a while, your body lets you know it! 2 days later, I was so sore, but I didn't let that stop me. I've been hitting the gym pretty regularly again & it feels so good to be back!

Now....to get off that weight I've gained back & to continue losing until I reach my goal! Ah yes.....the fun part! I'm setting a new guideline for myself.....to reach my goal by the end of 2010. Wish me luck.....I may need it!

Keep movin'
Benita

A Year & A Half

As of today, it's officially a year & a half, 18 months, since I started my weight loss journey. In that year & a half, I've become healthier, I have more energy & I'm 70+ pounds lighter :)

I'll be honest.....I haven't been exercising like I should be. The summer was just really crazy & although that shouldn't be an excuse, I'm making it one ;) And because of that, I haven't really lost much more weight....okay, I haven't lost any more weight.....but you know what.....I'm okay with that. Because I have been able to maintain & that right there is an accomplishment in itself!

I know that one of the reasons why it's harder for me to lose weight right now is because I'm currently going through menopause :( I went to see a new doctor last month & he comfirmed it.....I'm no longer peri-menopausal.....I'm officially menopausal! Just more proof that now I need to work even harder at losing weight! Yippee! LOL Mother Nature may be messing with me, but I can't let her win! I WON'T let her win!

Jim & I are going to start hitting the gym regularly again, starting this week! There, I put it in print so now I have to keep my word :) I know I always feel so much better after a work-out.....it just seems like the hardest part is actually going to the gym. But once I'm there, I'm so glad I went. Weird, huh?

I apologize for not updating my blog more often, but like I said, my summer has been crazy. I hope I still have my regular readers. If you're out there, leave a comment so I know you're still there :) And I promise to continue on this journey & update this blog once a month. Thanks so much for supporting me along the way :)

Keep movin',

Benita

15 Months

It's been exactly 15 months since I first started busting my butt to lose weight. I was really hoping to be closer to my goal by now, but I'll admit it.....I've been struggling. And mostly, by choice. I guess I got to a point where I just got tired of going to the gym everyday. And to top it off, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous so I'd rather go for walks in the evening instead of being in the gym.

To date, I'm down right around 71 pounds (give or take a pound), which I'm not complaining about by any means. For me, that's a HUGE accomplishment! But I've really been fighting myself & the food urges. The weekends seem to be the worst! Why is that??? I can be really good all week long, but once Friday night gets here, all I wanna do is EAT! The good thing is, although I'm not losing weight as fast as I was before, I am still slowly losing & I've been able to maintain it pretty good. Since my last update (4 months ago.....bad me!), I've dropped another size in jeans.....I'm now in a size 14 & they're starting to get a little big on me :)

The other day, I asked Jim how he would feel if I didn't lose anymore weight & stayed where I am today. He said he loved me even when I was at my heaviest :) But then I told him that I need to ask myself that question.....will I be happy with myself where I am now? Sometimes I think yes, I would be. But other times, I feel like I have to finish what I started. I've come way too far to give up now! So, with that said, this blog will continue & I promise to update it more frequently (at least once a month) until I reach my goal. And once I get there, no matter how long it takes, you, my faithful blog readers, will be the first to know!

Keep movin' & keep motivating each other!

Benita

11 Months Ago

It was exactly 11 months ago today that I started my journey to a healthier me. And when I weighed myself this morning, I lost another .6 of a pound, bringing my total loss to 63.2 pounds :) That averages out to 5.75 pounds per month. I've had a few setbacks along the way.....the injury to my shoulder back in November, finding out that I have bulging discs in my neck & now, the possibility of having osteoarthritis. I go back to my Rheumatologist on April 2nd, so hopefully I'll get the answers then. She doesn't think I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so that's good news! I just hope that I've finally conquered my plateau & I'm back to finally losing again!

I realize that I'm not losing the weight very fast, but like they say......slow & steady wins the race, right? ;) I don't want to lose it too fast because I know that's not very healthy for you.....plus, they say you're more apted to gain the weight back when you lose it too fast. 1-2 pounds a week is ideal for me. I also realize that I'd probably lose it a little faster if I changed more of my eating habits. But I told myself when I started this, that there were some things that I wasn't willing to give up......pizza, for one. Nope, no way I'll give that up ;) And I feel that you still need to have those things you love.....you shouldn't have to completely deprive yourself.....you just have to be more careful about eating them. I'll admit.....I even had a Reeses Peanut Butter Egg the other day :) Hey, it was calling my name & who am I to argue with Easter candy? LOL

Yesterday, I did the Les Mills Body Pump Class at the gym & wow, what a work-out that was! I used muscles that I didn't even know existed! I'm a little sore this morning, but thankfully, not too bad.....mainly just my neck & shoulders from when we put the bar of weights on them to do squats. Squats is one thing I can't stand doing, along with push-ups.....but I'm proud to say that I did both yesterday during this class :) I did have fun & can't wait to take the class again!

Till next time.....keep movin'!

Benita

Updated My Ticker!

I'm so happy that I was finally able to update my weight loss ticker today :) Over the holidays, I gained a few pounds back with not being able to work out due to my shoulder injury (okay, so it was due to eating too many cookies & fudge, too!). But this morning, I got on the scale & I lost all the weight that I gained back (2.8 pounds) plus another .8 of a pound on top of it! Yay me! I'm officially down 61.8 pounds now :) 49.8 pounds to go to my long-term goal!

One of the ladies at my PT appointment asked me yesterday how I lost the weight & I told her, just exercising & cutting back my portion sizes. That's pretty much all I've done. I was doing some protein shakes when we did the Biggest Loser competition & I still drink them occassionally, but I decided I wanted to do this & still be able to eat real food....not stuff that tastes like cardboard. I like my waffles, pancakes & french toast for breakfast, so I still eat them....I just don't eat as much as I used to! Plus I've cut way back on how much butter & syrup I use. And pizza is one thing I will NEVER give up! ;) Now, I just have 1 or 2 slices instead of the 3-4 I used to eat. When you start losing weight, your stomach does shrink & you truly can't eat as much as you used to.

Happy Valentine's Day!

B

Size 16 Baby!!!

Tonight, I went shopping for some new clothes with the money I earned from the LSS yard sale & I was completely shocked when I tried on some Lee jeans. I took 2 sizes into the fitting room.....18s & 16s because Lees tend to run small on me. I decided to start with the 16s first.....I figured I might as well get it out of the way, thinking that they probably wouldn't fit. But surprise.....they did! And needless to say, 2 pairs of size 16s came home with me :)

I'm still stuck at the same weight since the last time I updated, only fluctuating a pound here & there, back & forth, back & forth. But then again, I still haven't gotten completely back into the groove of working out again :( THAT is going to change! I know I need to work out in order to keep losing weight. And I really do enjoy going to the gym......it's just been hard finding the time for some reason. Or it's been too dang cold out that I don't even want to go out to the car to go to the gym! But I have to stop making excuses! NO MORE EXCUSES! Hear me??? NONE! This is my commitment to myself! And I refuse to give up!

Keep movin'

B

It Was Bound To Happen

Yep, it was bound to happen.....I had a gain :( Since I haven't been able to exercise for the past 2 months, I was really trying to be more careful watching what I ate. And I thought I was doing good, but the weight just seemed to creep back on :( In the past few weeks, I gained 2.8 pounds back :( I know that's really not too bad, but it's still disappointing!

But, the good news is, I just got permission from my Physical Therapist yesterday to start exercising again :) She told me to just start out slow & not to do any upper body weights yet. WOOHOO! Gym, here I come!!! :) Tonight I have to work, but as soon as I get off, I'll be hitting the bike & treadmill! I probably won't be able to do the elliptical with the arms for a while & won't be running on the treadmill (swinging my left arm still hurts quite a bit), but anything right now will be a huge plus & make me feel so much better....not just physically, but mentally as well! I've been a little depressed since I haven't been able to exercise :( And I've been sitting around the house way too much! Time to get off my butt & get back on track!

Keep on movin'

Benita

New Year, New Me!

I am proud to say that I am starting out 2009 weighing 60 pounds lighter than I was this time last year! And this year, I plan on continuing my journey to lose another 51 or more pounds, hopefully by summer. It's not going to be easy, though with the health problems I'm currently enduring, but I refuse to give up! Quitting is no longer a word in my vocabulary!

Although I haven't been able to exercise in about a month, I'm still watching what I eat & still managing to lose some weight, although it's coming off a lot slower without exercising right now. I go to a neurosurgeon on January 6th, so I'm hoping to get some answers then. I can't wait to get back into the gym & back on the elliptical & treadmill! Believe it or not, I truly miss working out! So once I get the all clear from my doctor, you can bet I'll be back to busting my butt once again :)

I did the layout above a few months ago about the 12 week biggest loser weight loss competition that I did. I tell ya, it feels so good to be 60 pounds lighter! It took me about 8 months to lose that 60 pounds, but it was so worth it!

Till next time, keep on movin' & Happy New Year :)

Benita

Half Way There!

As of today, I am more than halfway to my weight loss goal :) I'm officially down 56.2 pounds & 55.4 pounds away from my long term goal. Yay me!!!

Unfortunately, I'm not working out nearly as much as I was because of my shoulder, not to mention I've just been so busy with the holidays fast approaching.....can you believe that Christmas is only 15 days away?!?!

My doctor told me that he doesn't want me doing anything with my upper body for quite a while :( I go to see an Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow (my appointment got moved up.....yay!) & I'll find out then if he's going to give me a cortizone shot in my shoulder or what. I'm scared to death of getting the shot (I HATE NEEDLES!), but if it's going to help, then I know I have to get it done because I'm just tired of the pain!

That's all for now. Hope you have a wonderful week & keep on movin'!

Benita

7 Months, 1 Day!

ETA: I had to update this post as I did hit the 50 pound mark.....one day late, but who am I to complain??? Yesterday marked my 7 month 'anniversary' of going to the gym. And in those 7 months (and 1 day, lol), I've lost a total of 51.2 pounds! 51.2!!!!! I had to get on the scale 3 times this morning just to make sure I was seeing the numbers right!

For those of you that follow my other blog, On Eagle's Wings, I wrote about a roadblock that I hit this past week when I started getting some pain in my left shoulder, arm & hand. My doctor now has me on Prednisone & also Skelaxin. If that doesn't work, then he wants me to go through physical therapy & also get an MRI done. Because of the pain I'm having, I haven't been to the gym in over a week & I've also missed 3 days of work :( But luckily, my boss has been very understanding & supportive! Since I haven't been able to work-out, I've been really watching what I've been eating, moreso now than before, so I think that has really helped me this past week & a half.

That's all for now.....here's hoping I'll have another loss to report next time!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Benita

Struggling

These past couple of weeks I've been really struggling with my weight. I'm not losing it as fast as I was & that in itself is kinda depressing :( From October 31st until now, I've only lost 2 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks. And I just can't seem to hit that 50 pound lost mark yet! ARGH! I'm so close, though.....only 2.6 pounds to go! At this rate, I'll be happy to hit it by the end of November :)

I knew that the holiday months were going to be harder, but we still have a week & a half until Thanksgiving! And I haven't started any baking.......YET! I'll probably hold off on the baking until the middle of December & I don't plan on making nearly as many Christmas Cookies as I have in the past. Every year, I send my Mom a can of cookies & fudge, so that's the only reason why I'm even going to do any baking this year. Maybe I should just mail them all to her??? Yeah, right.....like that'll happen! NOT! LOL

I went to my doctor last week & he was amazed at how much I've lost. According to their scales, I've lost 48 pounds since I saw him in April right before we joined the gym :) He asked me how I was doing it & when I told him we just joined a gym & cut back on our portion sizes, he was really happy for me! But unfortunately, I still haven't lost enough weight to get off of my blood pressure medication yet :( That is something that I cannot wait to be able to do! Maybe when I go back next April for my annual physical, I can get off of it for good!

In case you didn't notice, Toni removed herself from the blog :( She's going through some really tough times right now & I completely understand why she had to make that decision, but I'm still going to miss her on this blog! I hope & pray that when the time is right, she will be back. Toni, I love you & I'm always here for you.....don't forget that! {{{Toni}}}

Until next time, in which hopefully I'll be able to yell that I hit the 50 pound mark :)

Benita

45.4 POUNDS GONE!

As of today, Halloween, I have lost 5.4 pounds since October 1st for a total of 45.4 pounds in just a little over 6 months! I still have 66.2 pounds to go to reach my ultimate goal, but as I get closer & closer to that half-way mark, I'm getting more & more excited :) I also just did my measurements & from September 25th to now, I've lost a total of 10 inches! 10!!! WOOHOO!!!

But for some reason, this month was hard & I didn't lose as much weight as I was hoping to, but I'm still happy with over 5 pounds. This was my first full month of working at the gym & it was harder to get in there to work-out & trying to fit it in my schedule. But that's no excuse! And I refuse to let it be an excuse!

Jim & I are going to sit down & work out a schedule for going to the gym at least 5 days a week. Tuesdays are out right now because I work from 1:00-5:00 & then bowl at 6:30 till about 10:00-10:30. I may also start working on Mondays from 4:00 till 7:00, so we're going to be working out after I get off work that day. Then on Wednesday, since we usually get done with bowling around 6:00-6:30, we go to the gym afterwards. Thursdays are my dance class days & I won't give that up! Fridays are hard because I work until 8:00, so that may be the other day we take off from the gym. We've been doing pretty good about going on Saturdays & Sundays, so I hope we can stick with that. I just know that I have to keep making exercise a priority in my life because it is! Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween!
Benita

Benita, you're not alone!

I am having a tough time right now, hence my lack of posts...it's not so much the exercise that's giving me a problem - I have been going to the gym several days a week after school - it's the food I have issues with. As some of you know, I have had problems with emotional eating for many years...I thought I had a handle on it but recently it's been creeping up on me again. I went to see my doctor a couple of weeks ago and she has changed the medication I take (for depression/anxiety), so hopefully in another couple of weeks it will kick in more and help somewhat. I may have to get back to therapy but we'll see how the new meds go first. I guess if this whole process were easy I would have been successful at it years ago, right?? As for my numbers, I'm holding steady at a 19-lb loss, but haven't lost anything this past month. It's better than a gain, I suppose, and at least I'm becoming more aware of the emotional problems...sigh...

Thank you everyone for your support!!

Not A Very Good Month

October just hasn't been a good month for me for some reason. I don't know if it's because the weather is getting colder, the skies are cloudier or what. But so far this month, I've only lost 3 pounds :( for a total of 43 pounds lost since I started this journey 6 months ago. But ya know what? I'm okay with that. Really, I am. I haven't been able to work out as much as I'd like with working at the gym now, so I know that has a lot to do with it. But I am going to change that! I'll admit, it's hard to workout after working at the gym.....when my shift is done, I just wanna go home & relax. But I know now that I can't do that & this month has proved that.

Things will definitely change come November. Tonight, they're having a Halloween Party for all the member's children which means the gym is going to be packed with kids everywhere, so I doubt that I'll be able to even exercise tonight. Then next week, we're going home to visit my family, but we'll be staying in a hotel that has gym equipment & you can bet I'll be using it! :)

If you read my other blog, I posted the results of our Biggest Loser competition with before & after pictures of Jim & I. It was a lot of fun, but we're still not sure if we're going to join it again. They're going to be doing a 6 week course starting next Thursday, but since we'll be out of town, we'll miss the first week anyway. So we'll see.....we're still thinking about it. It would be nice to have that support during the holidays, though as we all know that's when people tend to gain weight. All those holiday meals, homemade cookies, fudge.....yummm :) It's definitely going to be very hard to resist those this year! I still plan on baking, but not the BIG batches of cookies like I made in previous years.

Someone needs to beg Toni for an update :) I know she's been busy also, but we need to keep her on track & support her. Yoohoo.....Toni.....are you out there??? :)

Till next time,

Benita

Exercise Log

I forgot to post my exercise log in August, but here is September's log:

September 1: Day off.

September 2: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.86 miles in 30 minutes ).

September 3: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical w/o arms, 25 minutes treadmill, 10 minutes elliptical w/arms, 60 minutes weight machines (upper, lower & abs).

September 4: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves Class, 30 minutes abs, 10 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.90 miles, ran for 5 minutes @ 1 minute intervals ).

September 5: Took the day off for my birthday, but I have a feeling I'm going to regret it

September 6: Day off from gym, but walked around Arts & Apples for 4 hours.

September 7: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes treadmill (1.90 miles, ran for 6 minutes @ 2 minute intervals, incline @ 6.0 for 5 minutes), 60 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 30 minutes free weights (arms).

September 8: 15 minutes bike, 15 minutes elliptical w/arms, 20 minutes treadmill (ran for 5 mins. @ 1 min. intervals), 45 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 9: 15 minutes elliptical w/o arms, 10 minutes elliptical w/arms, 25 minutes treadmill (incline at 6.0 for 8 minutes), 10 minutes abs.

September 10: 30 minutes dancing around the house while doing housework.

September 11: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves class, 15 minutes abs, 15 minutes elliptical w/arms.

September 12: 60 minute walk.

September 13: 5 minutes elliptical w/arms, 60 minutes treadmill (3.64 miles, incline @ 8.0 for 6 minutes and @ 10.0 for 4 minutes, 430.0 calories burned ), 75 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 14: 60 minutes treadmill (3.71 miles, incline at 10.0 for 5 minutes, ran for 5 minutes @ 1 minute intervals), 15 minutes abs, 15 minutes free weights.

September 15: 15 minutes bike, 45 minutes treadmill (2.75 miles, 8.0 incline for 10 minutes, ran for 1 minute), 60 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 20 minutes free weights, 10 minutes throwing 8 lb. medicine ball back & forth with DH .

September 16: 15 minutes elliptical, 35 minutes treadmill (2.11 miles).

September 17: Day off.

September 18: 60 minutes Groovin' Moves Class, 60 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs), 60 minutes Strong Back (Yoga moves) Class.

September 19: 45 minutes treadmill (incline at 8.0 for 15 minutes).

September 20: 15 minutes bike, 50 minutes treadmill (3.05 miles), 25 minutes abs.

September 21: 20 minutes bike, 40 minutes treadmill, 30 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 30 minutes free weights.

September 22: 15 minutes elliptical w/arms, 45 minutes treadmill, 75 minutes weight machines (lower body & abs).

September 23: Day off from gym, but bowled.

September 24: 25 minutes treadmill, 60 minutes Defined Assets Class (lots of different things involved in this class.....aerobics, step, free weights, tubing, balls, body bars, etc.....definitely a work-out! Phew! I'm pooped!)

September 25: 60 Groovin' Moves Class, 45 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs).

September 26: 20 minutes treadmill, 45 minutes weight machines (lower body).

September 27: Day off.....cleaned out garage & basement.

September 28: 60 minutes treadmill (3.80 miles ), 15 minutes abs.

September 29: 20 minutes bike, 30 minutes treadmill, 10 minutes stair master, 45 minutes weight machines (upper body & abs), 15 minutes free weights.

September 30: Day off from gym.....had to work & then bowl.

Minutes exercised: 2,250

Today, I also just started the 30 Day Shred DVD by Jillian Michaels. Boy, does she kick your butt! And as of this morning, I've lost 8.4 pounds in September for a total of 40 pounds gone! :) 40!!! I'm on Cloud 9 right now!

Keep movin',

Benita

Slow week for me...

At my weigh in last week I was down 0.6lbs, which just about balances out my gain from the weigh-in before that! LOL! This next one should be better, though, because I increased my days at the gym last week. I had a really good workout yesterday morning, nice and early while the gym was quiet. A good start to a Sunday, right? Have a great week!

Disappointing Day, BUT

This week's weigh-in isn't good :( I ended up gaining .2 of a pound this past week. I just know that popcorn at the movies on Sunday did it to me again! When will I learn???

BUT......I just did my monthly measurements & I've lost another 4 1/2 inches this past month!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!! :)

I'll get over this road block.....I WILL!!! I refuse to quit! The word quit isn't even in my dictionary anymore :)

Till next week (and hopefully a better week!),
Benita

36 POUNDS GONE!!!

I couldn't believe it when I got on the scale this morning.....I am now down a total of 36 pounds! 36!!! I've lost 3.2 pounds this past week :) So here's hoping that I did indeed break my plateau & hopefully, for good!

The other day, I received an email to do a 'virtual belly flattener' where they take up to 50 pounds off of a picture that you submit. I submitted the above picture taken of me last month & this is the results.....what I hope to look like another 50 pounds from now:

Talk about motivation!!! I printed the photo & have it hanging on my fridge :) The only thing I didn't like about the picture is how flat my butt is, lol.

You can do your own virtual belly flattener by going to this site:

Virtual Belly Flattener

Have fun & I'd love to see your results.

In other news, I had a job interview yesterday at our gym & just got a call this morning that I got the job :) I start next week & although it's only a couple of days a week that I'll be working, I think it'll be a LOT of fun!

Have a wonderful weekend & keep movin'!

Benita