Boredom, Disappointment & More Boredom

As you can probably gather from the title of this post, I am not particularly impressed with this diet after the completion of week 1. In fact, I have already considered, many times, on ending this whole thing and strictly cutting calories as other diets suggest doing. It's worked in the past.

Let me tell you why I am bored and disappointed and why I think that this diet may really been one of many "fad diets" that my sister warned me about. I was sooo hoping it wasn't.

1. I am not the type of person who does well with boredom. I need to do something or go somewhere or have a plan. Boredom just is not my thing. I am BORED TO TEARS with these foods and the menus. Barely anything has flavor. I find myself overdosing on cracked black pepper in order to taste SOMETHING. This whole week I was reminded of a funny YouTube video that my friends and I always laugh about. It is called Love Letters. If you have an off beat sense of humor, check it out. Anyway, in a nutshell it is about a man writing love letters to different food items while he is on a diet. At one point, he says that a certain food tastes like despair. He hit the nail on the head. This food, tastes like despair. This diet is depressing.

2. After following the diet and doing the exercises and sweating my buns off in 90 degree weather with 900% humidity (I'm not kidding, it was really hot!) I lost 2.6 pounds. 2.6 POUNDS! According to this diet, the reviews I have read and the other bloggers on this subject, my weight loss should be more than this. Bring on the disappointment. I was talking to my husband about my disappointment and he said that I couldn't expect to lose a bunch of weight after only one week. Well, how are you supposed to drop 15-20 lbs in 3 weeks if in week one you drop practically nothing.

3. I am not enjoying myself. And sure, it is a diet, I shouldn't expect to enjoy myself, right? Wrong! I was talking to my Dad about that dreaded funnel cake picture and he said to me "Stephanie, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. You just have to be prepared to burn that calorie off if you want to lose weight." Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day. Yes, twelve thousand - that is not a typo. He eats omelets, french toast, pancakes, ham and cheese sandwiches and a ton of pasta. Granted, he needs that amount to fuel what he does but like a wise man once said - a calorie is a calorie. Why not enjoy it? And I am not saying pig out on 1,000 calories of potato chips and then run them off but have some flavor! Spice it up with some Sriracha or Frank's Red Hot.  More boredom with this whole diet. I can only eat so many salads!

4. I miss my family. This sounds crazy, right? How can I miss my family because of a diet. My husband and I eat at different times now because I am making my own meals and he is making his own meals. We don't have that time to sit down over dinner and catch up about our days. I work a 9-5 job as most people do but I am missing out on time with my son. In the morning I usually bring him into our bedroom to have a bottle and cuddle while I watch the news but with this diet, I don't have time to do that in the morning. I am going on my walk and then making breakfast and doing all of this running around. Does it sound lazy? I am honest enough to say that yes, it does sound lazy - lay in bed with my kid in the morning, who wouldn't want to do that. But, being honest again - I have about 2.5 hours in the evening to use to my advantage because he is sleeping. Why not bust my butt with exercise then?

What do I do now? I am miserable on this diet, if you haven't already gathered that. I am not impressed by the results so far and I am definitely not enjoying the foods. Do I continue or do I change my blog to a general weight loss diary? I am at a definite crossroad right now and need to make a choice....

Halfway Through Week Numero Uno!

When I decided to start writing this blog, I thought about the different aspects from what to include and not include to how often I should post. My first instinct was to post two times a week - one time mid-week and the second time at the end of the week. Then I thought about it again and considered only writing once a week. Well, that leaves me three posts for the entire diet. Nope, that just won't do!

It is Wednesday of Week One. I feel good. Sore but good. Its that type of sore when you stretch and you can feel every muscle, ligament and tendon stretching; the sign of hard work.

Monday morning started out a little rough. Not because I wasn't ready to start the diet but because there was practically a monsoon outside when I woke up. FAIL! So, I drank my prescribed 16 oz of water (it was ice cold - I had read something in the past from Bob that cold water shocks your system and speeds up your metabolism. I don't know if its true but what's better than an ice cold glass of water to wake you up?) and starting drinking my cup of coffee, hoping the rain would stop. It didn't. I moved ahead and walked around the house for 35 minutes. Let me tell you, I walked in circles, walked in place while I talked to my husband who was still half asleep and snoring between mumbled words - tried to make my walk a little more exciting. Didn't work so well. I was bored but I did it and I got nice and toasty so I knew I wasn't slacking on the movement. I couldn't wait to get outside the next day.

As for the food - wow. The portions were incredible. I thought I would be eating itty bitty portions of food and would be starving. Totally NOT the case. I ate my breakfast, lunch and dinner and still had food left on my place from each meal. The only thing missing from the meals..hm...flavor. The meals were rather boring and bland. (except for lunch) The only time I felt like I had an empty stomach or I was hungry was after I exercised in the evening. Bring on the cucumbers! I vegged out (no pun intended!) on the couch, watched the Real Housewives of OC (another guilty  pleasure of mine) and snacked on those bad boys until bed time.

Tuesday was a nice day so I got to walk outside. What a difference! (My shins! My shins!) I was once again amazed about the portion sizes of the meals. It was definitely a tough day though. I know I know, it was only day 2; how could it be that tough? Well, the ladies at work were snacking on delicious bar snacks and I must have driven past 10 fast food restaurants. Mmm chick fil a. I digress....

I stayed strong! Wednesday wasn't too hot either. With my work schedule and my husband's work schedule I wasn't able to get a walk in. I was sad about this but, bump in the road, I just mignt pay for it in the end. I will have to really push it on Thursday. At least my menu was tasty today and no cravings. Although my parents sent me pictures of food & funnel cake from the local fair. The one I've been going to since before I can remember. The one that I look forward to every year. Cucumbers and celery taste just like funnel cake, right?

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Lord help me because the smell of the grill will be almost unbearable. But I will stay strong and move on!! Until Sunday....

And So It Begins...

July 1st. The day the diet begins!

I wanted to write yesterday but the day got away from me with family, food shopping & a quick stop into work.

Over the weekend I began putting together my menu for the week as well as my shopping list - I took advantage of the time I had while the baby took a nice long nap on Saturday afternoon. Boy, what a shopping list!

Its not like my husband and I survive on junk but we have our standard "value meals" of chicken, green beans and rice, tilapia, veggies & rice, and meatloaf with potatoes, to name a few. So seeing this large list of food that I will need over the course of one week was a little alarming. Are we not eating healthy?! What are we doing wrong here? I got past the shock and got to work!

Sunday morning started with a trip to Costco, my new favorite place. I stocked up on spinach, berries and vitamins and also indulged in the free samples they have available. Note to self: do not wander around Costco in the next 21 days because they have DELICIOUS samples. That was a $35 trip for my supplies.

Next, after checking in at work I hit Wegman's. That trip was $33 for quinoa, rolled oats, flax seed & my electrolyte replacement powder which was the single most expensive item and splurge for this diet. $17!!! I was hesitant about getting it but then realized that time was running out and I didn't want to run all over creation to find the perfect electrolyte replacement. My last stop was at Giant and that was the hard hit. Let me say this: veggies are freakin' expensive! Wooweee! $130 for 1 person for 1 week. Um? Keep in mind I had my bonus card so I saved a whopping $30. (yippee!) Needless to say, groceries were expansive and as I mentioned, we are a young family and that is really pushing it. As I was swiping my debit card, I reminded myself, it is only 3 weeks and that I may have bought an abundance of items and they could last into week 2 essentially making my bill smaller next week. Here's hoping.

I got home, unloaded and put everything away and in amazement looked at my green refrigerator. Spring mix here. Spinach there. Kale over here. Cilantro squeezed in there. Then I enjoyed a glass of red wine (it's good for the heart!) and some tomato pie with my husband and son to celebrate the swiftly approaching diet.  I followed the suggestion of Bob and prepped a lot ahead of time. When all was said in done, I climbed into bed at midnight. (I took an hour break for True Blood - guilty pleasure!)

And so the diet starts. Here we have, The Amazing Shrinking Woman (or so I hope, right?) weighing in at 154.0 pounds and towering over her opponents at 5 feet, 7 inches. My measurements are: 34.75in. around my stomach, 38in. around my hips, 23 1/8in. around my thigh and 12.25in. around my arm without being flexed.

There you have it. My starting weight and my body in its current state. I was apprehensive about taking/posting pictures of my body pre-diet but I thought that it was completely necessary because if I didn't, for all you know, I could be sitting on the couch stuffing my face with Doritos. I want to see the transformation from day 1 to day 21 and I want you to see the transformation, too.

 

 

 

The Book. The Bible.

This one is a tad long so be prepared! So I finished the book and it was a nice quick read with interesting facts and justifications as to why Bob is having you do different things. Let's back up though...

The book is Called Jumpstart to Skinny by Bob Harper. I LOVE Bob Harper!!

You may also know and love Bob Harper. He is (according to me) famous for being one of the trainers on the Biggest Loser and a real cutie. Just love him, in case you didn't already get that. He has helped morbidly obese people gain their lives back through diet and exercise. I trust him on this topic. Jumpstart to Skinny is a specifically designed diet for you to lose weight quick for a special event, whether it be a reunion, a week at the beach, your wedding or if you just want to get skinny. This diet is not to continue past the 21 days it is set for. Some of the information is questionable at first (you want me to survive on 800 calories a day?!) but Bob supports everything and backs it up with scientific research. He continuously says in the book "you want to lose weight right? that's why you're here right?" Yes Bob, it is! 

My "Bible" for the next three weeks will be this book. I will eat, breathe and sleep this ideologies prophesied in this book. Ok, that's getting a little extreme but I will be following the direction that the book gives down to the T to get the full experience. 

The book itself is broken up into four different parts. Part 1: The Jumpstart Rules. Part 2: The Jumpstart Day by Day Regimen Part 3: The Jumpstart Moves. Part 4: The Jumpstart Recipes.

The Rules. There are 13 of them. Easy enough right?

Rule 1: Take Control with Proper Proportion – 40/40/20

Rule 2: Cut Back on Calories, Then Cut Back Again

Rule 3: Eat No Complex Carbs After Breakfast

Rule 4: Get Rid of Water Weight by Drinking More Water

Rule 5: Get your electrolytes

Rule 6: Do 45 minutes a Day of Low-Intensity Cardio, Preferably Before Breakfast

Rule 7: Five Times a Week, at Any Time of Day, Do 15 to 20 Minutes of My Jumpstart Moves

Rule 8: Cut the Salt

Rule 9: Take Advantage of the Restorative Power of Daily Fish Oil

Rule 10: Fall Back on Veggies

Rule 11: No Fruit During Week 3

Rule 12: Lay Off All Booze

Rule 13: An Espresso A Day…or Two or Three  

Basically, the rules are already common knowledge for anyone that has ever looked into losing weight or starting a new fitness regimen. Lots of water. Check! Bye Bye Salt. Check! Cut back on calories. Check! Drink tons of espresso. Wait..what?! All hail Bob Harper! With an almost one year old, I can't cut caffeine. It is not in the cards!

Part 2: The Jumpstart Day to Day Regimen is AWESOME! This book takes the guess work out of trying to do/stick with a diet. It lays out what you should do, when you should do it, what to eat, how much, your water consumption, vitamin consumption. Everything! It's great. 

Part 3: The Jumpstart Moves. Pictures of Bob doing the exercise moves. Be still my heart. Honestly though, nothing makes me more frustrated than not knowing what a certain exercise is or how to do it. Pictures and explanations. THANK YOU!

Part 4: The Jumpstart Recipes. This was the only part of the book that made me nervous. I will have to shop for the foods week by week to ensure that I do this the right way. It may be a little pricey for our young family. BUT, it's only 3 weeks. That will be my motto when times get tough -- IT'S ONLY 3 WEEKS. But again, everything is put out there for you: different things to make at the beginning of the week to add to your recipes throughout the week. I have already started working on my menus for week 1 a little bit & substituting the meals here and there for ones that I am not particularly fond of. According to the book, that is not a problem at all so don't worry if you repeat meals. 

So what's next? I have to finish my menu plan, get my shopping list together and do the shopping. (grocery shopping. ugh!) I am also going to enjoy a few glasses of wine this weekend because for the next 20 days (remember I'm gearing up for a wedding on the 20th! I am going to celebrate our friends' marriage & my diet almost being over with a few cocktails) there will be no booze at all. The start of my journey is quickly approaching. Stay tuned!

The Long and Short Of It

What led me to try this diet & workout you may ask? Why try it now? Why would I write a blog about it? All good questions! 

Let's start by why I am doing the Jumpstart to Skinny diet & workout. I had my first child in August 2012 and man, did I enjoy being pregnant! I got to eat donuts, McDonald's & Burger King, lay around when I was tired and really take advantage of growing that beautiful baby. It was great. Until I realized that I was packing on some serious weight. 50 pounds to be exact. I don’t know if that is a lot to anyone else but it was a lot to me and I had done it to myself! I had eaten 5 donuts in the car while driving home from Dunkin Donuts one time. IT WAS A 5 MINUTE CAR RIDE!

So, I was weighing in at 195 lbs the day my son was born. That was a hard pill to swallow since I had always been on the thinner side during high school and college. Now, almost 11 months later, I weigh 153 lbs. (Is a woman really divulging her secret weight!?) Yes I am because that is the point to this blog: to see the results that come from doing this diet. I have not yet lost all of the baby weight if you do the math. I've lost it and gained it and lost it and gained it. It’s not fun.

Starting on July 1, 2013 I am putting my best foot forward and starting the diet. It is a 21 day diet and engineered to jump start you to skinny. (hello!) 

It is ideal if you have a class reunion, a wedding or a week at the beach. I have two reasons. 1.) My husband and I have a wedding to go to on July 20^th; day 20 of the diet and I want to feel comfortable in a summer dress and not worried if my baby pouch is showing, if my stretch marks look grotesque or if my arms are jiggling. 2.) We are heading to the beach mid August and I don’t want to be in a bathing suit with my body the way it is right now. Not to mention, my sister in law is skinny and sitting on a beach with her would be torture. (Sorry Em, love ya!)

As for this blog, there are probably a million blogs following people as they do this same exact diet, what makes me special or different? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Seriously! Nothing! One of my best girlfriends writes a blog about her experience after winning a raffle where she won 52 gift cards valued at $50 each. (www.52firstmeals.blogspot.com)  Now THAT is special! As soon as I found out she was writing a blog I said to her “I want to write a blog! It seems like its so much fun!” Well today I went to her and said, “I found my blog inspiration!” and then second guessed myself because let’s be serious, who wants to read about a diet? Being the great friend that she is she told me it is a good idea and that it may be interesting to people who want to try the diet or people dieting in general. Not only that, it will hold me accountable for following through with the diet. The latter seemed like the best answer to me

So there you have it. I have 5 days left to mentally prepare for this diet & finish reading the book so that I am ready to go come Monday! Wish me luck!!....