Day 22

For right now, I still do not like Jillian Michaels. I can’t believe that we (the girls and I) suck that bad on level 1 of her workout DVD. It is completely pitiful! I put my whole heart into that workout and still could barely push myself to finish the whole whopping 20 minutes! I knew weigh-in was going to be this morning, so I would have ran another 3 miles last night instead of eating too much dinner if I would have been able to move my legs. (I think I have pretty strong legs – but lunges, in any form, just kill me!!!!) Where are the episodes on the Biggest Loser where the 300-400-500lb people can’t move the next day! I know if I’m sore, they have to be paralyzed! Where are those episodes? Where are the episodes where the people are STARVING! They don’t show those either!

The girls helped me cook dinner last night – we had sandwiches. (Yes, I know my cooking skills astound everyone – I should be on Master Chefs!) The problem was that we didn’t eat until after 8. I hate to eat late, but when you have to work late, go buy groceries and completely question your (once unquestionable) athletic ability to the Jillian Michaels DVD, it happens. I think that is why I ate more than I needed too – she made me mad. Then I felt guilty – not because I ate too much, but because I wanted to go throw it all up after I remembered that weigh-in is tomorrow. I got over the guilt pretty quickly when logic told me I was acting like an idiot!

Fast forward to this morning - when the alarm went off at 5am this morning, I just laid in bed listening for rain. I didn’t hear any. Darn! I was scared to move for fear of the pain I knew I was going to feel in my legs, but I finally got up and looked at the window like I could actually see without my contacts or glasses…crap. I grabbed my glasses and headed to the kitchen to look out into the backyard and there it was, RAIN, yeah!!!! I went back to bed.

Four and five days this week without working out or not watching what we ate really showed on the scale this morning! I really wanted to write that my scale broke in some freak accident, but that isn’t really the point I want to present to anyone reading this blog. The point I want to make is that you start with small changes and make more good choices than bad ones, because every choice/everyday is directing the path toward our success or failure. It is completely and totally up to us!

Kiki’s morning weight = 132.6lbs a GAIN of 3.3lbs from last week!

Kitty’s morning weight = 173.2lbs a GAIN of 2.2lbs from last week!

My morning weight = 172.8lbs a GAIN of 1.8lbs from last week!








The girls were very sad about their gains this morning. I went to their room and just plainly asked, “Why are you still getting up with me every morning and working out?” (Not counting this past week, of course.) And Kitty’s answer was pretty quick – “I want to wear a bikini at the end of summer.” Kiki responded with a “I just want to lose weight.” When I asked her why, she said “so kids don’t make fun of me next year” - pause for a mommy’s tear :’( Okay, then quit sulking and regain control of your goals! Keep reminding yourself why you are working out and eating better (again, not counting this past week…) It is going to be these why’s and any other why’s you can think of later that is going to push you through to the next workout and meal. Ask yourself every time you workout or eat “are the choices I am making to push harder or slack or eat right or eat wrong – are these choices leading me in the direction of my why? “

It’s been 3 weeks. Three weeks and we have not given up yet! There is no way in hell that I am or letting the girls turn back now! Tonight, we run!

I am going to have some shirts printed with our why’s on them, so we don’t forget! Brilliant idea!

Day 21

Last night when I went to bed it was raining. All I could think about is how humid is was going to be in the morning. When my alarm went off this morning I was hoping that it would still be raining and we couldn’t workout, but no - not at 5am! I’m not that lucky…

The girls were slow to wake up this morning, so I was in the living room trying not to yell too loudly at them to hurry up. Kiki walked into the living room wearing pajamas and tennis shoes and holding a sweatshirt in one hand. I just shook my head – whatever – it’s dark outside anyway and no one will see… I just kept wondering though why it took her 15 minutes to get ready – I know she didn’t brush her teeth or comb her hair or change clothes – so hmmmm?

Off to the school we went. My goal this morning was 4 miles. We could do it; we’ve done it before!

It didn’t happen!

Mile 1 was almost perfect. We came around the last corner and Kiki’s shoe comes flying off, again! Really!? I yell at her to tie her shoe and she yells back – I did! So she grabs the shoe and finishes running the 1st mile with one shoe on. We get close to the street light and I look down at her shoes (which are actually my shoes) and get mad. Yes, she tied her shoes, but failed to mention that she loosened ALL of the laces, so she could just slip her foot into the shoe. No wonder it came flying off – I’m surprised the other one didn’t follow. I tell (ok yelled) at her to tighten all the laces and tie the shoes the right way, so we can get going! Off we go – running/walking mile 2, but during this mile, we increased our run time to make up the time lost waiting for Kiki to fix her shoes. We get half way through mile 2 and the girls started to walk slower after every run. “This is crap! We need to keep our heart rates up and walk fast (ok, not that fast) after we run”, I keep telling them. Finally mile 2 ended and I had had enough. I told the girls to start running about 7 seconds before I started to run, so I wouldn’t be passing them again. We came to the first walking interval and I caught up to them (yes, my big butt was walking slow and I still caught up to them)! I told them to run and every interval after that if I caught up to them, they would run to the very end of the corner. Half of mile 3 was spent mostly running. Both girls were crying and Kitty was yelling at Kiki to walk faster because she was tired! Mile 3 was done and over within 11 minutes! (oh yeah - doing the cabbage patch - I have the strenght to do it now...) We’re all 3 dripping with sweat and both of the girls are mad at me. I finally just break down and tell them that weigh-in is tomorrow, they got into trouble and didn’t work out or eat right while I was gone, and they have to decide if this is what they really want! But, before I could continue my motivating speech, it started to rain.

I guess the rain forced their endorphins to come out of hiding because they were in a better mood on the drive home. I got Jillian Michaels back from her short lived vacation at Blockbuster, so we will try to tackle (survive) level 1 again tonight – oh boy…

Breakfast was one scrambled egg with low fat cheese on a whole wheat thin sandwich round.

Tomorrow morning - I’m thinking obstacle course in addition to running – we’ll see…

Days 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20

We’re Back!

Day 15

The weigh-in before we left ended with me gaining a pound (really?!), Kiki was down 6 ounces and Kitty was down 3lbs. (171, 129.3, 171). So in honor of me gaining a pound in week 2 – I ate dinner twice that night! Ugh! No pictures this time; we all look the same! (Get over it already!)

Days 16, 17, 18 & 19

These days were spent in Kerrville at the Texas State Sporting Clays Championship. I did not physically workout or watch what I ate, but I sweated enough to make it feel like I did! Yuck – humidity!

The girls on the other hand – well they didn’t work out either. Matter of fact, they didn’t only NOT watch what they ate, my mother bought them jumbo burritos in a clear package that contained 1,000 calories each!!!! No kidding! I have attached a picture of the back – check this out!







Day 20

We are back to working out! I figured that since I didn’t get a lot of sleep in Kerrville, why break the cycle – 5am and up we go…yawn.

This morning was a short and sweet 3 miles. We spent most of the run in silence. The girls acted up while we were away (with the help from my mom and big sister), so naturally drama hit the home front last night. I don’t know what it is about my girls! They are the greatest kids when we are with them, but get them away from us and all hell breaks loose! I could definitely write a book about my family. We are an exact mix of Brothers and Sisters and Roseanne with a shot of Jerry Springer! I don’t know if you watch any of those shows, but if you do – may I introduce you to my family! Anyway, I have 3 days to make up for this past weekend before the next weigh-in. (This time pictures will be attached!) Sighhhh…

For those of you that were expecting great loses for week 2 I’m sorry (don’t expect miracles this week either!). Yes, we all three should have done better the week before, but hey – life happens! You just have to get back on track and not feel guilty about taking a few delightful days off to go shoot like crap, be completely miserable in the heat and eat and drink way too much! (good times...)
On a side note: we rented movies last week and Jillian Michaels hitched a ride back to Blockbuster in the “Book of Eli” DVD case, so I need to go get her back-I need her for punishment…!

The girls cooked scrambled eggs with rotel on a wheat English muffin for breakfast – Yum!

Day 14

I was lazy this morning and we didn't get up to workout until 7am. I took today off from work in order to get the kids, house and luggage ready for our trip. This morning was spent sweating! It really makes a difference when you workout in the dark! We did 3 miles this morning and I didn’t get one peep from the girls! Probably because they were in fear from slacking off yesterday! We went to a nearby park and spent about 20 minutes doing pushups and sit-ups. Pushups were done standing – of course. But, the sit-ups were done upside down on the monkey bars. Yes, you read correctly! I thought we could pull off the whole G.I. Jane sit-ups from the movie, but boy was I wrong! The girls didn’t have any problems because they have had recent experience with these kinds of apparatuses. Me – a whole other story…

I get up there – (OH YEAH, doing the cabbage patch!), with knees bent I drop the rest of my body to get myself into position. This would have been perfect if my legs didn’t follow me and my big butt didn’t go flopping to the ground! I dropped to the ground on my stomach and it felt like I did a belly flop on the water! (Ouch!!!!) After I spit the sand out of my mouth and caught my breath I climbed back up. (It didn’t help that the girls were laughing so hard that they both had their legs crossed to prevent themselves from peeing!!) I wasn’t laughing – I was mad! This time when I got to the top there was no celebrating. I turned directions and locked my ankles under the next bar – I’m not falling this time! I drop the rest of my body down to get into position (AGAIN!) and this time I just hung there. My stomach hurt from belly-flopping on the sand and I spent the rest of my energy climbing back up! I bet I hung there for 2 minutes – I was scared! Finally, I let go and completed my full set. Boy, just when you think that you will never outgrow the monkey bars, you gain 70lbs and literally OUTGROW the monkey bars! Shish!

Tomorrow is weigh-in. Sighhhhh…


In honor of my friend that has been working out with us in the mornings and because I feel guilty for sleeping through her texts asking if I was getting up this morning – I decided to let her be a guest blogger today.

Now we are even…no more slacking…
___________________________________________________________________________________

Hi. I’m the friend. I made sure to set my alarm 10 minutes earlier because Sgt. has been coming to pick me up and I’ve still not got my socks and shoes one. I text at 5:12 “yes?”. Last week and the week before that…after hitting ‘send’ I would’ve said a silent prayer for torrential rain or for Sgt. to have slept in….but not today. I’m ready to roll today. I have to redeem myself for yesterday’s shenanigans. I get no response. Hmmm. 5:15 I text again “you up?”. Nothing. Crap. She’s left me. This is what I get. I KNEW she was mad at us yesterday. The uncomfortable silence on the ride home after she had to wait for the girls and I SCREAMED of disappointment from her. She waited on us forever to finish last mile. It wasn’t even supposed to be the last mile…we were pushing for 4, but after our weak 3rd mile we were out of time. Crap. Oh the guilt. I’m dressed at this point and in my new running shoes. At 5:29 AM I text her “I’m leaving you”. Not a threat…it’s a confirmation to myself that I CAN leave the door and walk out there by myself. I CAN. After all…I do have new running shoes.

Shoes….what an ordeal. This entire time I’ve been exercising with foot pain. It feels like I am running with a marble in my shoe right along the outside of my arch. It hurts until it goes numb which is usually around mile 2 or so. No, it’s not my excuse for being slow…my weight and out-of-shapeness are the reason I am slow, but I’m just explaining to you that my foot hurts. I finally made it out to the running store yesterday. I’m sure I looked out of place in there. I look nothing like a runner would look like. I’m well over 200 pounds. I explain to the hesitant sales guy (who looks like a runner, by the way) that my foot hurts. That I feel like I need some different shoes…some that are made for running. He examines my foot and guesses my shoe size. He brings out pair after pair – I think 6 in all. For the first time EVER, I am buying shoes and not even paying attention to what they look like. I’ve never done that before. After all, we run at 5:30 in the morning, when it’s dark out…so who is going to see them anyway, right? I walk out with a pair and a free water bottle. I have never spent that much on a pair of shoes that did not have a heel.

Anyway, I did it. At 5:30 this morning I walked out of my front door. By myself.

This is a big deal.

Granted, I got up because I thought I was getting picked up…but when I didn’t….I didn’t go back to bed.

I put in my head phones, turned on my Slacker Radio station (ironic name, no?) and hit the pavement. I walked to the end of my block and then I started running. I can’t tell you how long or for how many blocks I ran, because I don’t know. I just know I was running. I was running to some hip-hop song I’ve never heard before. It talked about “ridin’ solo”. Coincidence? Holy cow, I thought… I’m out here alone. In the dark. At 5:30something in the morning. Even typing this out I still can’t believe I did it. I ran to the park. I ran at the park. I walked some, but I’m pretty sure I did my fair share of running. I know for a fact I ran to the whole Alejando song by Lady Gaga. I thought of my son the entire time. (He has an odd obsession for Lady Gaga.) I thought how I need to be healthier for him. Then some other hip-hop song came on about Usher checking out some chic’s booty on the dance floor….and I thought about what my butt looked like. I kept running. I got home at 6:30.

The only downfall to today’s success was that there was nobody there with me to witness it. I missed the Sgt. and the girls. Oh, and that my foot still hurts.

I leave you with Ridin’ Solo. It’s about a break-up. I really hope I didn’t get dumped by my crew, but for today…I was okay with Ridin’ Solo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYWCUUnJU0

Breakfast was fresh pineapple and a toasted wheat English muffin.

Days 11, 12 & 13

This weekend there was no formal workouts. We spent most of the weekend cleaning house, washing laundry, and practicing shooting sporting clays. (Yes, my husband and I shoot and we are getting ready for the State Championship this week.) So, even though there were no formal workouts, we definitely burned plenty of calories!
This morning was a whole different story! I just knew that I was going to sleep in – my whole body has been exhausted for several days. Four or five hours out in the heat Saturday AND Sunday, didn’t help any either! My motivation has slowly been disappearing. I guess it has decided that it has more fun in the closet drinking wine with my will power. But again, this is not all about me!

I went to the store last night and bought me and the girls some multivitamins. I was going to buy some of that Alli stuff (the pills that absorb some of the fat you eat and then you poop it out…), but there was a plastic cover over them that read “Lift Here Alarm Will Sound” (It’s at HEB check it out), so I chickened out – I didn’t want to be the idiot standing there waiting for someone to open the cover while the alarm is screaming “look at me – I need to poop!” Anyway, back to the multivitamins, I figured that my body needs a boost. I have been eating healthier, but not healthy enough to support the early morning activity and definitely not enough to support the torture Jillian Michaels put me through! I took a vitamin last night (washed it down with a Mojito) and I think it’s the only reason that I got up this morning! Seriously!

5am – didn’t even fight it this morning. I got up and got the girls ready. Off to pick up my friend (which she duly noted that I was starting to pick her up earlier and earlier-but really I had been late the other times…shhh). My goal was 4 miles! We have already done it before and since we were running on time and had an extra 10 minutes – we could do it again! OH YEAH!

It didn’t happen.

(Sorry, my husband just texted me inviting me to lunch today – that seldom happens – wonder what he did wrong…or maybe he has seen how/what I’ve been eating…hmmmm?)

Mile 1 - done and over with like a pro. (Well a pro that runs and walks a mile in 13 minutes.) Mile 2 – we increased our running time which meant that we slowed down our walking time to recover – not good! At the end of mile 2 the girls had dropped back behind me closer to my friend. She had fallen behind because she has a hurt foot; however, she was still out there pushing herself. I turned the last corner of mile 2 and was approaching the last running stretch when I noticed that there was a lady up ahead, across the street speed walking. She had big strides and her arms were in full swing with every step. Here I go; I start to jog the last stretch. I don’t know why, but I noticed that I wasn’t catching up to her. Am I really jogging that slowly? So, I speed up. I feel like my heart is about to come out of my chest – I must have been running full speed for a whole 10 seconds before I slowed down. I still never caught up to her – pitiful! I turn the corner to start mile 3 and I am mad. I am mad because the girls were way behind and not pushing themselves AND they weren’t in front of me, so I couldn’t yell at them. Mile 3 and they’re lollygagging! I end up a half mile ahead of them and all I can think about is that I wish I had a bullhorn!

I get done and I’m waiting on them 9 minutes to finish! I could have almost been half way through mile 4, but no – I’m waiting on them! This will NOT happen again! They will NOT fall behind me again! We are not out here to socialize and sight-see! Their punishment – Jillian Michaels!!!!! Hahahahahah!

We will be gone 4 days this week to the State shoot and I don’t want the girls to fall behind. My mom is in charge and I will definitely be leaving a long list of do’s and don’ts, but I still worry. I’ll probably have to keep sending them voice texts with “are you making good choices?” on them over and over.

We still have to weigh-in on Wednesdays, so I keep preaching about how our choices will guide the direction of our results. On a side note: even though my body is feeling exhausted, my muscles are no longer sore. Which means that I need to do the Jillian Michaels workout again, or what I’m really hoping it means is that it does get easier the longer you continue.

Day 10

The person was right that said, “It is hard to start exercising, but even harder to stay at it.” My whole body hurt this morning at 5am when I literally rolled myself out of bed. I got the girls up to get ready and Kiki had a small issue with her shoes again. They magically disappeared from the spot she put them in last night – I guess it’s those darn night gremlins again! We leave to pick up my friend and it’s off to the school.

Goal: We run for twice the distance that we have been previously running and walk half the distance – continue interval training to increase our conditioning.

Mile 1 went great. Then off to mile 2 and Kiki starts to skip half the way. At this point, I don’t care and just let her skip. She is burning more calories anyway because she is swinging her arms over her head. My friend wore a new set of tennis shoes that really hurt her feet, so she even took them off and ran in her socks the last two miles! She is sort of a germaphobe, so this made me very proud! (Ohhhh, tear…)At the end of mile 2, Kitty is off to the side ready to puke. (This secretly made me feel good, because that meant we were really pushing ourselves this morning.) Mile 3 started and ended about 3 minutes longer than the other two, but we stuck to the running/walking distances. Of course we were seriously dragging and someone could have probably walked faster than I was running on that last stretch – but we didn’t give up!!!! Overall it was a pretty quiet morning. My body is completely exhausted. I was too tired to yell this morning – thanks to Jillian Michaels last night! I had to give a few “reminders” to speed up, but that’s all I could muster. The other day, my husband said to me, “when y’all get to the point where y’all can actually run – I mean run without stopping for a mile, I will exercise with y’all.” Then I got to thinking, if the girls and I feel like we’re in hell now – oh boy, just wait…

The girls are doing great! In light of Kitty’s obsession with constantly weighing herself, I have decided that we need to NOT focus on a weight-loss goal (even though we will still be recording those for you guys), but on an endurance goal. I proposed that we be healthy and conditioned enough to run (not walk) a 5k and survive a half marathon. If we can focus on this goal, then the weight will take care of itself. Right?

If any of you know when the next 5k or half marathon will take place in the early fall, please let me know!

The girls cooked egg beaters & cheese on toasted whole wheat English muffins for breakfast – yum!

Day 9

Jillian Michaels is the devil!!!! (not really) But that is how I feel right now! I thought coming home and getting through her 20 minute level 1 workout would be a great jumpstart to our run tonight. OMG! If I thought I was out of shape before – I have no doubt now!!!! Thanks Jillian for bursting my “I’M DOING SO GRREEAATT” bubble!

After work, I picked up the girls and my 2 year-old son and headed home. I thought we could get this video done and over with before my husband got home and then we could go run when it cooled down – you know, to about 90 degrees. I wish I would have had a video camera on record because this is how our 20 minute workout happened:
I put in the DVD and we began the warm-up. My girls are hysterically laughing once we get to the jumping jacks. I look over at them and both of them are starring at my boobs. (whatever – I pause the DVD went and put on a sports bra – completely pitiful!) They’re still laughing as I push play. I don’t remember how long the warm-up was because I was tired and wanted to quit even before it was over – maybe three or five minutes long. We start on the actual workout and I am already out of breath. (Oh yeah, I should probably mention that we decided NOT to use hand weights- a brilliant idea!) My son is having fun trying to do everything with us and it was very cute watching him try. I said it WAS – until he started to add his own props to the mix. First, we are down for pushups. He tries them then decides to jump on my back when I’m doing mine. I’m yelling at him to stop and yelling at the girls to do the pushups the right way. (Picture this, all 4 of us on my living room rug because the tile is too hard on their knees, trying to fit in all of our exercises…total drama.) We get off of the floor and go right into lunges. LUNGES – YEAH! (You know how much I like lunges…) I’m yelling at the girls to do them right again and I decide to close my eyes. I need to focus on my breathing and not on the burning pain! (Whooo-saaaa) That’s when my son decides to throw his small soccer ball and hit me in the side of the head. WTH? I’m so mad! Jillian is telling us to get down for sit-ups and I’m yelling at him to go to his room! So, instead of going to his room he decides to straddle my stomach like a pony and start bouncing up and down. (Oh my gosh – this kid was severely close to getting punted across the room!) Now we are back up on our feet doing side lunges. My son thinks this is fun and starts running in and out of our legs – like we are playing “London Bridges” or something. The girls are laughing at me because I am apparently making noises comparable to a howling dog, so I start yelling at them to take this seriously and DO IT RIGHT! Back down for sit-ups (maybe, I think I lost consciousness). My son decides to lie down beside me and act like he was going to give me a kiss – ohhhh how sweet– then he slaps me in the forehead. Deep breath – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 – GO TO YOUR ROOM!!!!!!!!!

Now we are back up for jumping jacks. I think I’m about to pass out when I hear Jillian saying – “400lb people can do this so YOU CAN TOO!” and my body is screaming back at her “NO SHE CAN’T!” Finally! We get to the cool down session and all I can do is lay there. My legs are wobbly, sweat is running in my eyes, it sounds like my son just broke something in the other room and the girls are moaning for it to be over.

It’s over – we are done for the day. Any other time in my life I would have already quit because of the numerous inconvenient distractions. But, this is my crazy life and if I’m going to commit myself to helping my girls then I have to embrace my surroundings and learn to dodge the unexpected flying objects!

I dont understand...why?

“I can’t believe that you posted pictures of yourselves! I understand that you are a very private person, so why are you doing it this way?”

To the person that asked me this question: It was VERY hard to do! By the way, do I know you? Just wondering…

The answer to your question is very easy – to ease any guilt and enforce accountability. Months before I started this endeavor with my girls, I weighed 192lbs. I told myself that it wasn’t going to be long and I was going to qualify as a Biggest Loser contestant. Still wrought with depression from losing my brother, I didn’t have any motivation to help myself. I knew that I didn’t want to go see a doctor and be prescribed depression medication (I could have just borrowed some from the vast majority that my family members had anyway), so I began researching the holistic remedies for depression. The greatest and most frequent response was exercise. Exercise creates “happy hormones” – something I seriously needed! My husband (God bless him that he is still around…) got me a gym membership and I started working out with a friend in the mornings outside too. Little by little I started to lose weight (19lbs to be exact - oh yeah, oh yeah – cabbage patch!) and I began to feel better. Then one day Kiki had a really bad day at school (she even text me crying to go pick her up early) because some of her on-again off-again girl friends at school were calling her fat. (Ok, time-out! You know when you get that raging feeling that you need to spank (I mean discipline) someone else’s kid because it is clear that they have never been punished before and has no respect for adult authority - that’s how I felt! Grrrrrr!)

Anyway, she had told Kitty about it after school, so Kitty decided to confront me that night and bluntly ask, “Mom, can we go work out with you in the morning?” Here I am searching for words that would explain the “no” that was coming and when I hesitated, she said “that is fine – never mind.” She turns around with that disappointed -I knew it smirk on her face and walked past Kiki and said “she said no” and they both headed to their room. I won’t lie, at first I was mad. WTH? Why does she have to act like her puppy just died? I felt so guilty… So naturally, I head to their room to explain that Kiki is too young to work out on the gym’s equipment; I could take Kitty, but I would have to pay each time or buy her a membership but couldn’t afford it and then what would Kiki do? (She’s the one who really needed it…) It was excuse after excuse and finally Kitty said that it wasn’t fair. Then, I got mad again, because it wasn’t fair! It wasn’t fair that I worked all day and spent the rest of my free time running them around to practices and games and whatever! Why did I feel guilty? Why couldn’t I have some time to myself – time that I desperately needed to help alleviate my depression and become a better mom to my kids!? Then it dawned on me; I don’t want to be a nicer and happier mom to unhappy children. My depression was blinding me to the fact that my girls were going through a negative and confusing time in their adolescent lives that could permanently turn them in the wrong direction. I didn’t want Kiki turning the experience of other girls calling her fat (the pediatrician had already done that!), or Kitty going through that confusing stage of puberty, to make either of them head toward binge eating or an eating disorder, because I was at the gym where they couldn’t go. So, we decided together that this (getting up early and blogging about it) was the way to go. They agreed to my time constraints, which meant early morning workouts and I promised them not to allow interferences (i.e. work). Writing about our progress for the whole world to read helps me maintain accountability. If I decided to start slacking (which is highly probable) - I have been blessed with a strong family and small friend network that will not hesitate to post on my page orders for me to get my butt up and out and back to work!

So before any orders are posted for today – my husband had a Safety meeting this morning at 6am in Odessa, so our workout is postponed for this evening! (I can’t wait to work out in the 100 degree heat – thanks hubby!) On a side note: I bought the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred DVD that we will be incorporating into out workouts also – starting today. Sigh…

Day 8 & Week 1 Results

Another morning and at 5am I didn’t want to get up. Last night our scale produced a lot of drama at my house. My husband informed us that the old scale we have has always weighed about 5-6lbs light. This totally screwed the girls starting weight up and Kitty cried for about an hour because she weighed 7lbs more to begin with…to make a long story short, I added the 7lbs on top of their starting weight. This morning when we weighed, it was more drama, because Kitty was certain that she gained weight because the new digital scale (yes, I went and bought one, so we could have an accurate scale to weigh on) read 2lbs more than her original starting weight. I started to get mad – I went and got the old scale and took her weight – she was down 5lbs! She had the hardest time comprehending that she lost weight, but her starting number was wrong.
This drama on top of Kiki not being able to find her shoes that she apparently had laid out last night at the foot of her bed, but that had now magically disappeared – put me in a bad mood. We got to the school late, so we were only able to complete 3 miles. Mile 1 was fine and everyone was happy, but mile 2 and mile 3 consisted of the girls crying, me yelling and wondering WTH? am I doing out here! I finally just stopped and told the girls (or maybe yelled-whatever) that I am now doing everything that I know I can to help them. We are getting up at 5am every day and my house is only stocked with good healthy food. There had to come a time when they decide that they want to lose weight and be healthier for themselves! I just basically said that they can’t blame me anymore!
At the end of mile 3, Kitty had a whole new attitude and Kiki was puking over to the side. By the time they walked over to the truck – they were different kids. All is good…
I’m just shaking my head, because even with the complaining, whining and crying – they get through it! Wouldn’t it just be easier and less exhausting if they cut all that other stuff out? Shish!
Breakfast was a burrito: Egg beaters w/spicy chicken sausage in a low fat tortilla. (Straight from the Biggest Loser cookbook -Yum!)
For all of you that have emailed me about our before picture - #$^(&*^^$^%(*^!)&*&%!!!!!!
I wanted it to be dark and not really noticeable on purpose! But, since this is a “weight loss” blog, I realize the need to completely humiliate (I mean motivate) myself to push towards even greater results.
Week 1 Results
Kiki’s Starting Weight: 137 Ending Weight: 129.8 LOSS = 7.2lbs!!!!!!!!!!!
Kitty’s Starting Weight: 177 Ending Weight: 172.2 LOSS = 4.8lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Starting Weight: 173 Ending Weight: 169.9 LOSS = 3.1lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 7

It wasn’t so hard to get up this morning. The girls are still a little unorganized – we are definitely going to have to work on that problem. We were up at 5am and ready to head out the door. As I opened the garage, I was secretly hoping that is was raining and we were going to have to go back to bed, but oh no! It was dark, slightly breezy and the humidity was at about 500%. Yeah…this is going to be fun. I was already sweating and I hadn’t even left the driveway.

We arrive and my goal is to complete 4 fifteen minute miles. Mile 1 was easy for us. Matter of fact, Kiki was running in place saying “I feel good today!” We finish mile 1 at 13 minutes. We begin mile 2 and it started to get a little harder. The humidity was kicking our butt from every direction, but we finished it at 14 minutes. As we begin mile 3, both girls are complaining and wanting to go run into the sprinklers that were on at the campus, I’m yelling at them to run/walk faster - we have a time to maintain! Half way through mile 3 Kiki is crying because her side hurts and Kitty is just crying – I don’t know why. I felt like crying, I felt like falling on the ground and going to sleep – but I guess yelling at them to push through it took my mind off passing out. We finish mile 3 at 15 minutes. I’m not too clear on mile 4, but I do know we finished it! We started off and I remember telling the girls “let’s make this a good one!” They both cried the whole way, maybe because they were tired or maybe because I wouldn’t quit yelling at them – I don’t remember. We hit the 3-1/2 mile mark and that’s when everything becomes fuzzy. I always have the girls running ahead of me, so I can yell at them when they stop, but this time they probably should have been running behind me. My side was killing me, so I had my hand holding it, like it was going to magically make the pain better. And, I must have been running like some girl on a horror show – you know the one that is running from the killer, but falls down and twist her ankle only to get back up and run with a limp - running confused, scared and wounded in fear of dying! I guess that was me, because Kiki turned around and asked me “Mom, you ok?” Of course naturally, I immediately act like I’m jogging like a motivated cheerleader – “Oh yeah! Let’s go, go go!” She turns back around and I’m back to the horror show girl running with a limp. Oh my! I didn’t think I was going to make it – I was losing consciousness, and I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. It was bad! I couldn’t see anything because the sweat was pouring from my forehead into my eyes, the humidity had my glasses all fogged up and it was dark. I couldn’t stop because the girls would stop and I DID NOT want them to stop. I can’t let them stop – even if it means I look like an out-of-breathe, can’t-run-right idiot yelling at them from behind!

HEY – we finished! We completed the 4 miles averaging 15 minutes each! The girls quit crying once they figured out that they survived the last long run. It took me a minute to come back to reality though – but once I did, I was so proud of us!!!!!!

Our first weigh-in is tomorrow!!!!!

Breakfast was an apple – I was too hot to be hungry and the wheat biscuits burned on the outside and were raw in the middle – it was the oven, I swear!

The Rest of the Days

Someone asked me what I do with the rest of my day. Unfortunately, I am not a stay at home mom. I work full time and I am on the Board, Capital Campaign and Finance Committee of one of our schools. My job doesn’t end when I get home every night. I still have to find time to cook, clean, run the kids around to practices and help with homework before everyone is off to bed for the night. My days are completely full. Right before I started this project with my girls, I would have told you that I didn’t have the time to make it work. Then one day at work, I overheard a coworker tell her daughter that you have time everyday to do what you want. That’s when the sinking feeling settled in - I am not choosing to make time with myself or my daughters to help aid in our weight loss. I’m not even buying the right food to stock in our house. (Do I really want it? If so, how bad?) I always used the excuse that I didn’t have time, and my girls would complain that they couldn’t do anything because I never had the time. Not anymore! I choose to create time for all of us in addition to my other responsibilities. That is the reason that we are getting up at 5am. Not only does it help jumpstart my day, but the girls have more energy and time to accomplish the things they need to get done during the day too. So, the decision was made to begin this journey with my girls. The refrigerator and pantry is cleaned out, the workouts are scheduled and the commitment has been made. I will no longer be the excuse as to why my girls’ health is in the shape that it is in.

We all make our own choices – choices that affect the direction of the scale. Do I choose to eat this or that? Do I choose to get up and workout or sleep in? These choices coupled with health education are the building blocks that I am trying to teach my girls. You start one block at a time and build up until you know your foundation is solid enough to withstand anything that life throws your way. (like double fudge chocolate cake…)

Days 5 & 6

Yesterday was a day for healing. I had nightmares about the lunges – oh my – I could barely feel my legs. I lay in bed for an extra 10 minutes because I was scared to experience the pain of standing up! No joke! I finally did and we were out and about all day, so it technically wasn’t a day for slacking. We focused more on our portion control, since there was no formal workout.

This morning is another story. I could have easily stayed in bed, but I knew that my girls still need me – it isn’t over. I am still sore, but at least I can feel my legs again. Last night, I decided that we wouldn’t do the weight routine today – straight cardio. My goal was to do 4 fifteen minute miles. We started off on our first mile and about half way, I noticed that Kiki had on a sweater dress! I thought she put on a sweatshirt when we got out of the car this morning, but no…a freaking sweater dress!? She was running and the arms were too long, so she is flapping the extra material in the air. (Did I mention that this is the one I gave the girls since I didn’t fit into it and it is way too big for Kiki!) After about 3 minutes of watching her, I yelled at her to take it off! This is ridiculous! We are here to workout, not play with our clothes. She pulls it off and ties it around her waist and then we turn the corner – her shoe flies off! WTH? She had the wrong shoes on, mismatched socks and a sweater dress! I told her to tie her shoes the right way, so we could get on with our workout – what do you know – her laces are broke, so she can’t tighten them. I was so frustrated that she was not running properly because of the fear that she was going to lose the shoe again. After all of this, mile one ended at 19 minutes. We continue on to mile 2 and she starts to cry half way. She can’t breathe! I listen for wheezing and I don’t hear any. By this point I’m so mad about the sweater dress tied around her waist, her one shoe that is free and open because the laces are broke (so she isn’t running right) that I start yelling at her that she can’t breathe not because of asthma, but because she is out of shape! She cries the rest of mile two and as we reach the end and begin mile three, I make her put up that stupid sweater dress and take off her shoes. She cried the whole way around mile 3 – running properly. BUT, she did it! She needed to be pushed and yelled at because she would have quit otherwise. On the other end, I needed to be pushing and yelling at her to finish, because it was making me work harder. Kitty mumbled something at the 2-1/2 mile mark and when I asked her what it was, she just smiled and said “nothing”. She is smart – she has learned not to let me hear her complain.

We completed 3 miles instead of 4 this morning because of Kiki’s wardrobe fiasco. Tomorrow, I will make sure that Kiki is appropriately dressed and shoed for 4 miles! This week is going to be a cardio week. We need to keep our fat burning levels up for longer periods of time to meet the conditioning needs of future workouts.
I am very proud of my girls – they were AWESOME this morning - frustrating, hard-headed and confusing, but none-the-less AWESOME!

Breakfast was a wheat biscuit and cheese. (Not really hungry, but needed something!)

Day 4

What was I thinking! This morning started out at 7am. My plan was to get through a two hour workout. I went to Academy yesterday and bought weight balls, dumbbells, resistance bands and sweat belts. I had everything planned: 4 miles and hardcore weight training. (Okay, hardcore in my book – whatever…)

We were up at 7 and picked up my friend by 7:15. We arrived at Abel and began our morning workout with 2 miles of interval walking & running. Then, the bleachers…

At this point can I stop and write that every part of my body hurts – even my eyelids. If I wasn’t out there to push, yell and apparently make my girls cry, I would be in bed sleeping with a smile on my face.

I digress, anyway the bleachers…we started with pushups – I need to get my girls’ upper body strength to exist remember? After that we did the following in pairs:
Weight Ball – back to back, we passed the ball around to work on our stomach muscles.
Dumbbells – one on each hand we did stationary lunges (OMG! – I almost cratered in front of everyone – I can’t feel my legs anymore! The pain! The kind of pain that hurts so bad that it reminds you that you are still alive but not conscious enough to ask for pain relieving drugs! )
Resistance Bands – after arranging the bands under our feet we did the pull-ups that work your shoulder muscles then the biceps. Then we arranged the bands around our partner’s waist and took turns dragging them for resistance while we ran 200ft. (That definitely needs to improve! I thought I was going to break the band…not funny!)
Dumbbells – back to the bleachers for over-the-head tricep curls. (Okay – whatever – my brain hurts too, so I can’t think of the proper names of the techniques/exercises that we did…will have those later.)
Then sit-ups – one set with a weight, the next set without a weight.
Finally, one set of step-ups – which almost KILLED me and I used the little step – then off for our 3rd mile.
After an hour and 45 minutes, we ended the workout session with calf raises and called it a morning.

Yes, we finished without completing the 4th mile, but by the end of the calf raises; I was lucky enough to be able to walk. The lunges – oh my, the lunges! They are going to haunt my dreams tonight! Our bodies are like jello, but our spirits are high!

The girls only had a few whining moments and one set of tears, so I think they are learning the lessons of complaining. I don’t think they are mad at me anymore for pushing them over their set limits. Overall, it was a great morning.

Breakfast was a wheat biscuit, slice of cheese and fruit. (when you work out that hard – you don’t tend to be very hungry afterwards)

The girls will be swimming later, so that will add to their daily calorie burn.
You know, every morning (of the last 4 days)I watch the girls workout and begin making better choices with food. I am very proud of them! I probably wouldn't be out here stressing myself if I didn't think their future results far outweighed my current pain.

Day 3

I did not want to get out of bed this morning! The alarm went off at 5am and I laid there for 10 minutes contemplating whether or not to go work out. Finally, I got up – I remembered that this project is NOT all about me. I could barely move – I hurt everywhere! The girls were complaining because they hurt too, but got up and got dressed anyway. We left to pick up my friend that has been working out with us, and she decided to sleep in – SLACKER! (You know who you are!) Running 15 minutes behind, we started off with our usual mile. Then we hit the bleachers with tricep dips and pushups. Next, we headed off on our second mile and I just knew that we were going to be late getting back home. Turns out, we had enough time to do the second round of bleachers adding step-ups this time. So, what this means is that even after the third day of working out, we were getting faster on our run times. Tomorrow, I add a third mile. (sssiiiggghhh…) I’m sure some of you are wondering why I am doing the same workout routine and my answer is simple. Kiki could not physically complete one girl pushup correctly and Kitty doesn’t have the core strength to complete 5 old-fashioned sit-ups! Remember that I have structured this project as Building Blocks. I have to start from the ground up, so their foundation will be strong enough to withstand the future workout torture that we will be going through…
Now, if you’re wondering why I was worried about being late getting back home, it is because my husband leaves the house most days at 6:30am. Me and the girls get up and leave him and my son (2 yrs) sleeping. A lot of you know my husband and for those of you that don’t, he works out at the gym six sometimes seven days a week. He can lose weight, gain weight or maintain his weight at his convenience. He eats whatever he wants (crap food!) and has almost perfect cholesterol on all levels. (blah, blah, blah – puke, puke, puke – whatever – I’m jealous!) I tolerate these things because he is the love of my life, an amazing father, and my best friend. He really is a great man – I guess that’s why we have lasted sixteen years!
This morning when we got back home Kiki started to cook breakfast. My husband noticed that I wasn’t the chipper, high energy person that I have been the last two days in the morning. I guess the first two days of working out produced the endorphins that put me in a great mood. My endorphins were high, full of energy, glad to be alive and ready to take on the world. Today after working out, they went back to sleep – their tired too. They haven’t had this much activity in a long time either – who could blame them.
Breakfast was a wheat biscuit filled with southwestern style egg beaters. Yum!
On a side note: I took my sister to the doctor this morning for her post-op visit and the doctor decided to compare me to an AMAZON lady!!!!! WTH? Really?

Day 2

5am came awful quick!
OMG – I am so sore!!!!!!!!!!!!
As much as I wanted to lay in bed and go back to sleep, I kept telling myself that it wasn’t fair to the girls since I am supposed to be setting/leading the example. I don’t know where my will power came from – but thank you to whomever lent me theirs. The workout this morning mirrored yesterday. We started out walking/running a mile then hit the bleachers with tricep dips and pushups. Next, we walked/ran another mile – pushing ourselves to run a little longer than we did yesterday. Finally, we hit the bleachers again for step-ups and full sit-ups.
We sweat more this morning than yesterday morning – I didn’t think that was possible! I didn’t have to yell at the girls as much this morning as I did yesterday, but we had our moments. Kitty decided that she wanted to cheat at pushups and I wouldn’t let her get away with it, so I made her do more. I keep trying to get them to understand that it is better and will produce faster results if you do 5 pushups correctly then 10 incorrect! So naturally, she started to cry because she had to do more and I wasn’t going to tolerate tears. Not today! Not when I got my butt up this morning and could barely move!

She made the comment about this not being military bootcamp, so I made her do more tricep dips! No this is NOT military bootcamp, but this IS the only way I know how to train them – TOUGH LOVE!

There are a lot of basic fundamentals that my girls need to learn about food, form and repetition, so I appropriately renamed my blog Building Blocks Bootcamp in honor of Kat.

I am no longer the mother or friend when we work out! I remember all the things that have made them unhappy and choose to remind them of those when they start complaining or slacking. I can deal with my issues, so they need to understand that I am out there busting my butt too – FIRST for them – then me.

My goal is to get them to focus on all the things they DO like about themselves and the healthy eating and workouts will take care of what they don’t like.

All in all – another great morning!

End of Day 1

By the end of Day 1, we had eaten the following:
Lunch: Turkey & Swiss on whole wheat and fruit
Girls had a snack of celery and peanut butter.
Dinner: 1 Slice of veggie pizza and a salad (no dressing)

Work consumed the rest of the day...

Overall it was a great start!

Day 1

Ok, so we postponed day one until today. Yesterday started and ended disorganized and hurried. On the brighter side, Kiki turned 11! Yeah!!! My little girl is getting so big (no pun intended)!


I got the girls up at 5:15 so we could go work out. I picked up a friend on the way and off we went to Abel. We started off walking/running a mile. (I firmly believe in interval training and not just because I don't have a choice with my current conditioning...) Then we utilized the bleachers and did pushups, tricep dips, reverse sit-ups, and step-ups. After the first set of step-ups I felt like I was going to hurl, but I kept it in. Not only was I pushing the girls, I was pushing myself. After this round of training, we walked/ran another mile and finished the morning with another round of training on the bleachers. Then, we spent about 7-8 minutes of slow walking to cool down.


We were all soaking wet from sweat, which means that this workout was long overdue! It felt great to start the day out with the girls, knowing we have taken the first step toward reaching our health goals. As the sun was rising and we were finishing, I was thankful that my girls didn't hate me...hate me for being so tough and yelling at them to get the workout done. I realize that I need to curb my language sometimes (I promise I will try), but I will never let them give up! I hope one day they can appreciate this discipline. I have family members that call me Drill Sergeant because I am a stickler for good manners and respectful behavior - that doesn't bother me. Besides, my girls have a free pass from punishment to yell at me to get the job done if I need the motivation. My friend decided that we say what our goals are. I know that you are not supposed to put a goal weight on children (you're just supposed to say "be healthier"...whatever), but because it is Doctor ordered - we have all decided to lose 35lbs. Before I start getting hate mail - that number came from their pediatrician based on their age and height!


At home, breakfast was a whole wheat biscuit, slice of low fat cheese and some fruit.


This was a good - no GREAT - morning!

We start tomorrow...


Beginning weights: 178, 173, 138

Before photo

Morning of Day 1

The plan was to get up at 5:30 and take the girls to work out.


The problem was they couldn't find shorts or shoes and could not quit arguing. gggggrrrrrrrr!!!!!


The solution was to not spend the morning yelling at them for not being organized, so we went back to bed.


Looks like organization and clearing clutter is going to be a part of our journey.


We'll see how the evening goes - this is going to be harder than I thought...

Decision Made

The Decision: Help myself and my girls lose weight and discover the small joys of life again.


The Timeline: 12 weeks/84 days (to start)


The Objectives: Total self improvement


The Choices: Food will be healthier and smaller portions. Workouts (daily) will be early in the mornings and or evenings.



Tonight: We clean the refrigerators and pantry and record weights.


Tomorrow: We begin...

Preface

If the direction of the weight scale was the same as the direction on the life scale then as our weight soared up, our life would too. Unfortunately this is not the case. As unhappy as I am with my weight and own miscued body image, my two daughters have really struggled this past year with their own. My oldest daughter, (we will call her Kitty) began her first year of Jr. High School and delightfully filled our house with her uncomfortable outburst of pubescent hormones. My youngest daughter (we'll call her KiKi) had one of the worst years of her elementary school life because of the "mean girl" mentality that her female classmates displayed.



(Details to come later...)



Over the past several years I have concentrated heavily on my career and education and failed to see my girls' learned eating habits. I guess mostly because they are very active in sports and I thought they would just work off the extra calories consumed. It's been a slow realization for me, but I have finally gotten here. The light-bulb went off when our last visit to the pediatrician ended with a prescription for weight loss - 35lbs each, to be exact.


I wouldn't look at either of my girls and think they were that much overweight because they are both taller than the average children of their ages, but I can see in their eyes and hearts that this year has culminated the need to jumpstart a healing process; a process that will help reprogram their bodies and their minds.