Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred; Days 10 & 11

I am officially on day 11 of the 30 Day Shred. Instead of moving up to Level 2, I am doing Level 1 twice a day. I tried Level 2 and I am not ready. I’m also stepping up the amount I am walking each day by an additional mile or so to get things moving along a bit quicker. The usual 4 mile use of the Nordic Track (in case you're wondering what version of the NT I use, CLICK HERE) was becoming a breeze, so I upped it to 5 or 6 miles a day. I do not use the arm cables 100% of the time yet, I alternate 5 minutes with them and 5 minutes without them and I’m building up my endurance slowly. I’ll probably start doing 6 minutes on, 4 minutes off in the near future.  Gotta keep my body guessing!

I went for a 3 mile walk today with Xander. It was so nice to get some fresh air! 

I am still doing laps in the pool. It's great exercise and it's fun to race against my kids from one side of the pool to the other. They are becoming great swimmers, especially Jackie! She uses her water wings only half the time now.

In other news.... My friend Laurin told me I look like I’ve lost a few dress sizes last week and I loved hearing that, but didn’t quite believe her. Today I noticed my pants were fitting awfully lose, so I tried to pull them down without unzipping or unbuttoning them. Guess what? I was actually able to pull them down & back up again without unzipping or unbuttoning them! I am in complete shock. I’ve probably lost at least 2 dress sizes! I had a pair of jeans from before I got pregnant that I’ve saved… they still don’t fit, but at this rate they may very well fit by the fall! I am so, so, sooo excited!

I’ve been eating really well this week. I’ve been having salads and fruits and veggies for lunch, and snacking on fruits & veggies as snacks. My breakfast is still basic, just Cheerios with organic skim milk & some fruit. Dinner is usually some sort of pasta product because we’re kind of broke, which stinks. But hey, I eat the least at dinner & I fill up on all the good stuff through out the rest of the day so I am pretty pleased. 

As much as I am against the idea, I really want to purchase a scale so I can do weigh ins every 4 weeks. I can see the change in my clothes and feel it in my body but I want to see how many pounds I've lost! I'm guessing around 25 or so. I am going to be taking my measurements tomorrow, too, so we'll see how that goes. I know the numbers have all gone down, I just can't wait for proof!

I also want to mention that I picked up the book Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life by Jillian Michaels and it's really great. It's not a weight loss or exercise book, it's more like self help. I am usually against self help books because they are all too preachy and make me feel really awkward, but because it was Jillian, I couldn't resist. I am about a hundred pages in. She's got a gift for motivating people, let me tell you. I will review it here upon completion.

Took my measurements tonight...

I've lost 11.5 inches from all over my body in THREE WEEKS. I don't think I've been this psyched about anything in ages! I normally will only measure myself once a month, but my son found the measuring tape and was  wrapping it around my arm so for the hell of it, I took the measurement of my arms, was shocked, continued to take measurements elsewhere.

I only took measurements for my bust, hips, thighs, arms, and waist.

11.5 inches in 3 weeks.

Wow.

I'm not brave enough to post the actual numbers up here for everyone to see, but maybe in time. I have a long way to go. The goal is to lose 50 pounds by May of 2012, but it does go further than that. I am hoping to lose around 75-100 pounds total in the course of 2 years. We'll see how that goes. Maybe in a few months I will share my weight & my measurements, but not now.

If I can lose 11.5 inches in 3 weeks, I wonder what I could do in say, 2 months?!

Taking Your Own Measurements > Using a Scale

Ditch your scale. Forget it exists.
I suggest taking your measurements once a month instead of doing weekly weigh ins.
Why?
Your body weight fluctuates so much on a day to day basis based on many factors like what you’ve eaten, water retention, if you’ve recently gained muscle, if you’ve been sick, etc. Really, almost anything can affect the numbers on the scale.

If you weigh yourself on a daily basis, you’re going to get artificial results. You may see that you lost 5 pounds, only to find out the next day that you gained 7 more in their place. The scale is nothing but a tool for making you feel discouraged, in my opinion. I know that when I weigh am dieting & exercising, I get the urge to weigh myself every single day. It’s hard to control that urge but I know it’s for the best. I decided that instead of weighing myself compulsively, maybe I would just wait and see if my clothes started fitting differently. That’s another solution, but it won’t give you much to go on for your before & after story!  The clear solution was taking measurements.

Have you ever taken your measurements? I never had bothered before, but a few weeks back I decided it could be a really great way to find out what kind of results I am getting, much better than any scale could. Sure, a scale gives you numbers and says what you’ve lost, but it won’t tell you WHERE the weight has disappeared from. Measuring yourself will! I can’t think of any better motivator than to realize I lost an inch or two from my waist, hips, or thigh.  News like that would make me go through the roof with excitement!

How do I measure myself?
-          I suggest measuring yourself only once a month, not any more than that.
-          Always take measurements FIRST THING in the morning.
-          If you’re a woman there is one important thing you need to remember: DO NOT measure yourself before, after, or during your period. If you can give yourself at least a 10 days before it begins or 10 days after your period has ended, that would be best.

Bust: You want to wrap it all the way around your back and bring it forward so it is perfectly in line with your nipples. Be sure not to hold your breath or inhale during this time. Do not pull the tape tight, also try to make sure it’s not too loose.
Chest: Bring the tape around so it comes just below your bustline.
Waist: Measure the smallest part of your torso, even if it’s not perfectly in line with were your belly button is. We are all shaped differently.
Hips: The tape should wrap around the widest part of your hips and the fullest part of your    backside.
Thighs: Find the thickest part of your thigh and measure.
Calves: Find the thickest part of your calves and measure.
Upper arm: Wrap the tape around the largest part of your arm.
Forearm: Wrap the tape around the largest part of your arm from the elbow down.


It’s as simple as that! Your results will be much more satisfying this way because you will know what areas you need to target and work harder on for the next month. I know that there's no such thing as spot fat removal, but you CAN tone up the areas that need work. You need to include a lot of cardio & a good diet to achieve results.