My 6 week challenge

Iffer75
Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
Okay, hi there everybody.

My name is Jennifer and I have been on my new lifestyle change for almost a year and a half now. I have lost 45 pounds and at least 40 inches if not more. Pictures are a great way to see your accomplishments. I posted a couple new pics this morning on facebook and noticed a HUGE difference from just six months ago. I am loving my new body and how I feel. I am starting to feel sexy and I want to flaunt it.

I started out with a 12 week program my fiance' set up for me and then when I was done I had him do another 6 week program for me. Then in June 2009, I did my first complete round of P90X and while doing that round I started and finished Couch to 5k. Honestly, I NEVER thought that I could run and had absolutely refused to run until I found that program and I am so glad I tried it. Now I have run 2 5k's and a 4 miler. I have to say that P90X gave me the courage to try it and I am glad I did. I then also finished my second round of P90X with great results. February 1st 2010 I started Insanity. That was a hard and very rewarding program. If you look at my pics you will see my stomach and lack there of. LOL It is such a great feeling. For the last few weeks I have been doing Brazil Butt Lift and I have lost just over 6 total inches. I honestly had my doubts about the program, but I can now say it is a great program.

Today I am starting my half-marathon training. Yeah, me running a half-marathon, where the heck did that come from??? I will be doing some strength training in the next 12 weeks as well as incorporating BBL and Insanity in the mix as well.

So, the reason why I am here making this new post. The last couple of weekends I have been having a hard time controlling my cheat day into the whole weekend. This morning I have decided to challenge myself to control my cravings over the weekend and lose my last 6 pounds to get to my goal weight.

If anyone wants to join and just be here to encourage and support, you are more than welcome. I just need an outlet to keep m accountable. I had been doing so good and then it went all to heck. So, I am throwing myself out there. Here is to a great 6 weeks of pushing through and making your goals a reality. Thanx all that are reading and posting. It is much appreciated. :bigsmile:
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Replies

  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Hey Jennifer I would love to join in on your challenge I need the extra support myself I just joined in on another challenge as well and between these 2 I should certainly be able to reach my goals. I have completed mnth 1 with insanity and wasn't the best I know I can do and my goal is to hit the next 5 weeks hard. So I will be checking in here everyday and wishing you well along the way I am also big on quotes so I may leave some positive ones in here from time to time!!! I weighed in this morning and I was at 164.6 losing a total of 4.2 in the first mnth of insanity. You may also know I bombed this weekend as well and as the summer comes in this may tend to be more of a problem so the extra support will be great to keep me focused and accountable!! Let's do this.......
  • calicowgirl0582
    calicowgirl0582 Posts: 89
    I'd love to join the challenge as well! I've been doing fantastic for a week now . . have honestly been only dieting and am finally going to add in exercise as well. I don't want to just diet, because that will leave me flabby . . . so here's do making great habits!
  • krystin
    krystin Posts: 14
    sign me up!
    The cravings are what's killing me too lately - especially with the late night beer & bbq's, family bday parties with cake and wine tasting, and bonfires with hot dogs and smore's... and then my pizza cravings (those are the WORST).

    I have a feeling I will have to start packing my own food and bringing it with me to control this! AND I need more motivation to get more exercise... I don't have much time as it is, but it'd be nice to do more jogging and biking...

    Great time to start the craving control too - this week will be the worst, considering it's the official "Give me chocolate or I'll give you death" mother nature week for me... the boyfriend has already been warned.
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Cnbethea-Yes, with Summer coming rather quickly, I know how hard it will be to stick with it. Maybe us being here and pushing each other we can do it.

    4 pounds in the first month of Insanity is a great accomplishment. If I remember right I only lost that much with the entire program, so you are doing better than me. LOL My profile pic does show what results I did get with the program though. Keep up the great work and I know month 2 will be a challenge, but you can do it!!! :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I'd love to join the challenge as well! I've been doing fantastic for a week now . . have honestly been only dieting and am finally going to add in exercise as well. I don't want to just diet, because that will leave me flabby . . . so here's do making great habits!

    Glad you are here with us. You can do it.

    What kind of exercise are you going to work on? Let me know if you have any questions about exercise and I will do my best to answer your questions. I am not a professional by no means, but I can give you the basics and find the answers to most questions. :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    sign me up!
    The cravings are what's killing me too lately - especially with the late night beer & bbq's, family bday parties with cake and wine tasting, and bonfires with hot dogs and smore's... and then my pizza cravings (those are the WORST).

    I have a feeling I will have to start packing my own food and bringing it with me to control this! AND I need more motivation to get more exercise... I don't have much time as it is, but it'd be nice to do more jogging and biking...

    Great time to start the craving control too - this week will be the worst, considering it's the official "Give me chocolate or I'll give you death" mother nature week for me... the boyfriend has already been warned.

    Krystin-Sorry I had to giggle with the last bit of your post. I understand that statement all too well. Maybe that is why I was so bad over the weekend. LOL

    Just reading the beginning of your post made me really hungry. :laugh: Trying to think happy thoughts. Okay, my afternoon snack is my homemade chili with salad and 2 hard boiled egg whites. It is actually my favorite meal right at the moment. Can't wait till 4 O'clock. :drinker:

    I eat every 3 hours starting around 7 in the morning and ending no later than 7:30 in the evening. Depending on my workout for the evening I may put in my wheybolic protien and G2 after a hard workout. Other than that nothing to eat after 7:30pm There are some nites, that it is hard, so I just drink a big glass of water or green tea. That normally does it then I am in bed by 11 at the latest. :bigsmile:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    Wow! What an inspirational story. I think I will have to join you. I am nowhere near your fitness level, but I hope to be. I have been having trouble keeping my cheat day to a day too. I think for now I am going to cut the cheat day out, then add it back later. I am training for my first 5K (first since middleschool anyway). The 5k I am training for is on labor day weekend, so about 15 weeks out. Right now my goal is to do Krav Maga (Israeli martial art, if you haven't heard of it) 2 days a week and train walk/run for 4-5 days a week. Right now I am not physically fit enough to do the Couch 2-5k program, which I know is kind of pathetic since it is a beginners program, but I tried it and I was completely out of breath for the entire time. So I am going to steadily add more running to my walks for the next 5 weeks and then start Couch 2-5K in the 6th week.

    So my goal for the next 6 weeks is to improve my running capacity, so that I can start couch to 5K in the six week, exercise 6-7 days a week, and to keep to my calorie goal every day, and not cheat at all. Except for on my birthday. Maybe after six weeks I will ad back one cheat day a week. Thanks for this inspirational post. This is just the kick in the butt that I needed.
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Belldandy1-Glad you are here and committed to your health and fitness. It sounds like you have very attainable goals in mind. I know you can do it, so here we go. Pushing each other through any and all hard times. Please keep us updated on how you are doing. :bigsmile:
  • iluv70s
    iluv70s Posts: 18 Member
    Well, I started the P90X last night! Whew...it's a great workout! I've gained 3.5 pounds of the 20 that I've lost. :sad: So I have to step this up! I'm getting strict on my eating and with this workout, hopefully I'll be at least at my next goal of 5 pounds by the time I go on vacation at the end of June! :tongue:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Well, I started the P90X last night! Whew...it's a great workout! I've gained 3.5 pounds of the 20 that I've lost. :sad: So I have to step this up! I'm getting strict on my eating and with this workout, hopefully I'll be at least at my next goal of 5 pounds by the time I go on vacation at the end of June! :tongue:

    5 pounds in a month is definitely attainable. Great job starting P90X it is a great program. Keep up the awesome work. :bigsmile:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    Yesterday was a good and bad day. I did eat some pizza because my husband ordered the stuff. I should have said no, but I didn't really have anything healthy to eat in the house. I went shopping this morning for good food. The pizza was a good thing though, because it made me feel like crap. I had the worst acid reflux for the rest of the day after I ate it. It made me realize that crappy food usually makes me feel like crap, and I don't want that. My Krav Maga class went really well. I worked up a crazy sweat. I am off to run now. Hopefully it goes well. No more unhealthy food for me.
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Yesterday was a good and bad day. I did eat some pizza because my husband ordered the stuff. I should have said no, but I didn't really have anything healthy to eat in the house. I went shopping this morning for good food. The pizza was a good thing though, because it made me feel like crap. I had the worst acid reflux for the rest of the day after I ate it. It made me realize that crappy food usually makes me feel like crap, and I don't want that. My Krav Maga class went really well. I worked up a crazy sweat. I am off to run now. Hopefully it goes well. No more unhealthy food for me.

    One piece on occasion is not a bad thing and does let your body work harder to burn that off. Good for you for going and getting good for you groceries. Now, you won't be tempted next time.
    What is Krav Maga? I hope you a nice run. Have a beautiful day. :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Day 1 I started my half-marathon training Monday nite with a 3 mile run and I did fairly well considering the high level of humidity. I did about a 12 min mile. Not bad for me, but I have done better. I just kinda was taking in the consideration of the weather.

    I have been running in a fairly good pair of running shoes since about the end of October last year. Mind you, I have only ran 2 5k's and a 4 mile. I have ran on occasion, so there are not a lot of miles on these shoes. I again, have gotten blisters on my feet. Not on the heel but on the arch of my foot. I could feel them forming as I ran and I just kept pushing through. Do I seriously need to be getting new shoes already? I really can't afford any at this time. Do you have any tricks for these kind of blisters? Any help would be grateful. Thanx in advance for your help.

    I am also amazed at how many calories I burned. Over the weekend I did a fit test, that you are actually suppose to do every 30 to 60 days to find your workout level. The first and last time that I had done that was the day I received my HRM. This weekend it put me at Elite status. I also updated and/or corrected other information. So, I burned 901 calories in 60 mins of wogging (walking/jogging) How the heck did that happen??? I had to triple check the numbers. Here is what it said, I was at a max HR of 175 for 94% and Ave HR for 81% HOLY COW!!! So, now my caloric intake for the day is ALL messed up. Had I known I was going to burn THAT much, I would have taken in more. I am still in shock. I just went down and added some Wheybolic to my day since my body said I was hungry. Maybe I should have used milk, I am just so use to water though.

    Day 2-Tuesday nite. I had strength training and a little cardio in the mix. I did my best to push myself to the limit with my weights. There were actually a couple that I almost could not finish. I had to stop and get the strength to pull through and I did. I also did Brazil Butt Lift Bum Bum Rapido. It was about 10 mins in length and was just enough to get me warmed up for my strength training. Over all it was a good workout. My arms were shaky when I was done, so that means I pushed it. LOL I am just focusing on upper body strength while doing this training. I don't really think I need to do legs when I am running so much. On my cross training days, I am just going to mix things up. I can put in Insanity, P90X or BBL or even something else.

    Oh yeah, I did double up on my lunch yesterday due to my calorie deficit being WAY OFF after my run Monday nite. I am not really sure if it helped or hurt. I am just listening to my body and going with the flow. I am feeling good today. Tonite is rest nite, but I am sure I will find something low key to do. I just can't sit around. LOL

    Have a beautiful day everyone. :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Day 3-Suppose to be recovery, but I wanted to do something. So BBL Cardio Axe. I am getting better at it every time. I just love to dance so it is just a lot of fun. Nothing else to really report. I did do great on my clean eating today and feeling great. :bigsmile:
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Keep up the great work Jen it is always nice to be able to have fun and knw tht your burning the calories also!!
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Keep up the great work Jen it is always nice to be able to have fun and knw tht your burning the calories also!!

    You've got that right.

    How are you doing??? :bigsmile:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    Jennifer,

    Krav Maga is a martial art that was created specifically for the Israeli army. It is also used by the FBI now. All of the moves are very practical and based on what you naturally do in a violent situation. It is completely exhausting, but so much fun.

    So days three and four went really well. I stayed within my calories both days. On Wednesday I went for a 3.5 mile walk with 6 bursts of running. Today I walked 3 miles. I did intervals of speed walking and regular paced walking. I would walk at a regular pace for three minutes, then kick it up to walking as fast as I could for 5 minutes. Tomorrow I am going to try running again and include 6 bursts of running.
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Alright a great day and workout got in 100 more push ups and all my water plus I did insanity cardio core and balance

    I have gone to 2 end of the season parties and have gone without eating any of the food being served. Today is officially 7 weeks from my birthday I am stil holding out hope for my birthday goal!!
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Alright a great day and workout got in 100 more push ups and all my water plus I did insanity cardio core and balance

    I have gone to 2 end of the season parties and have gone without eating any of the food being served. Today is officially 7 weeks from my birthday I am stil holding out hope for my birthday goal!!

    You are doing so great!!! What else is there to say??? :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    WAY TO GO!!! Keep up the AWESOME work!!! :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Day 4-I had the choice of either a 2 mile run or cross training. I decided on cross training. Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning, AWESOME!!! I love that workout. The big thing I like about it is that we do not repeat any moves and it just keeps going. BURN BABY BURN!!! I burned 673 calories in 48 mins that is amazing. Who knew that updating your HRM would such a BIG difference? It was a great workout. The weird thing about tonite was that I actually worked out with one eye. LOL I lost my left contact right before I started and I did not want to open a new one for just an hour or so. So I decided to just do without until tomorrow morning. It was a little awkward at first, but I got use to it and made it through rather well.

    Now, I am ready for bed. I hope that every had a wonder Thursday and may Friday bring GREAT THINGS!!! :bigsmile:
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Day 4-I had the choice of either a 2 mile run or cross training. I decided on cross training. Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning, AWESOME!!! I love that workout. The big thing I like about it is that we do not repeat any moves and it just keeps going. BURN BABY BURN!!! I burned 673 calories in 48 mins that is amazing. Who knew that updating your HRM would such a BIG difference? It was a great workout. The weird thing about tonite was that I actually worked out with one eye. LOL I lost my left contact right before I started and I did not want to open a new one for just an hour or so. So I decided to just do without until tomorrow morning. It was a little awkward at first, but I got use to it and made it through rather well.

    Now, I am ready for bed. I hope that every had a wonder Thursday and may Friday bring GREAT THINGS!!! :bigsmile:
    Nicely Done!!
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Hope everyone have a safe and happy holiday not holiweekend remember all the hard work you put in the whole week don't blow it on one weekend or what ever you do make sure it's something your not going to beat yourself up about the next day!!

    A few friendly tips:
    Drink a cup of water between drinks (if you chose to drink)
    Try maybe having the burger minus the bun
    Use a smaller plate
    Drink you water people before after and during a meal!!!:smile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Hope everyone have a safe and happy holiday not holiweekend remember all the hard work you put in the whole week don't blow it on one weekend or what ever you do make sure it's something your not going to beat yourself up about the next day!!

    A few friendly tips:
    Drink a cup of water between drinks (if you chose to drink)
    Try maybe having the burger minus the bun
    Use a smaller plate
    Drink you water people before after and during a meal!!!:smile:

    Great reminders.

    I hope you have a beautiul and safe weekend. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I am feeling really good. I have eaten clean all week and started my half-marathon training this week. It has been a great week. I am feeling more confident in my own skin. I am feeling sexy and am able to wear the clothes that I have always wanted to wear. I just overall feel fantastic. I don't really remember every feeling this way before and it is new to me. Today I am wearing a top I purchased a while back from Body Central. When I got it in, it was WAY too small for me. Now I can wear it and I look good in it. My mail man's comment to me today was, "wow, you look sexy today." That was really nice to hear. I don't want to hide anymore. I want everyone to see me, it is a weird and wonderful feeling.

    I have a gig tomorrow nite and I am going to wear another top similar to the one I am wearing today and can't wait to show off a little.

    Just to try to get you all to understand a little about me. I use to be really shy and quiet, not anymore. with this new found confidence I am loud and proud. I know in some ways that can be bad, and in most cases it is great. I am just glad to finally feel something again, even if I don't really know what to do with it yet. LOL

    You all can do it too. We all have it in us to get to where we want to be, we just have to find that right motivation and support to continue to get there. Please don't ever give up on yourself. YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!

    I hope everyone has a safe and beautiful weekend. :bigsmile:
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Jen that's an awesome feeling and can't wait to be there. You've earned every minute so embrace the new you with pride. I have an whole closet full of smaller clothes I brought last mother's day just waiting for me to get into and I can't wait to be abl to flaunt myself around especially when I have family members telling me you don't need to lose anymore!! Why do you want o be a size 6? You know once you get there you not going to maintain it anyway whew I sure do have alot of people in my corner you think LOL!!

    Bottom line you have worked so hard to be where you are and right now you may be still working out all the kinks the great thing is you are there and let noone take that or make you feel any different. Congrats on all your success!!!!!!!:flowerforyou:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    Jennifer, congrats you are my inspiration right now (that and the 5K I am going to run on September 11th). I started out with the same amount of weight to lose as you and have lost 20ish pounds so far (I don't know exactly how much I have lost because I don't own a scale right now and am currently judging by pants size). I have gotten stuck several times of my weight loss/new life journey. I started MFP last year, after losing about 5 pounds on my own, lost another 5 using this site, then my husband went into the hospital. I spent two solid weeks in the hospital eating at the McDonalds there and gained about 5 pounds back. I never got back into the swing of calorie counting.

    I started tracking my calories again around summer time, I did that for around 4 or 5 months and lost another 15. Then school got really hard towards the end of fall and I stopped counting calories. Then I started an internship at a tax firm. Through tax season I worked +40 hours a week and drove an hour and a half each way. There was also a lot of temptation because they provided all the free candy and chips a girl could ever dream of. During that time I gained another 5-ish pounds back. It is hard for me to stick to my diet because my husband is on a low residue diet because of his crohns disease.This means he is not allowed to eat fresh vegetables or fruit, whole grains, or nuts. Basically anything that is high in fiber stresses is GI tract too much, so meat and white carbs are his staples, so that stuff is around the house all of the time. He is also trying to gain weight because people with crohns tend to lose significant amounts of weight so there is always ice cream. I have managed to eat healthy for about month now with the occaisional slip up. I have also been working out pretty consistently during that time. I feel really great right now, but I am so afraid that I will not be able to keep it up when times get tough. My husband has been admitted to the hospital 4 times in the last year each time for atleast a week. This has been stressful, and everytime he has gone in I have gained weight due to the available hospial food. He started a new medication now that has been working pretty well so far, so I am very hopeful right now. The great news is that the past few times I have given into temptation it has made me feel physically sick, so I am not nearly as tempted.

    P.S. Sorry for the crazy long, sort of whiny post. I started and I just couldn't quit writing. It was very catartic. I know I can be succesful in losing the weight with people like you guys here to inspire me.
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Day 5- 30 min strength training and 3 mile run. It was good strength training, I was able to have Jon around to make sure I was using proper form. It felt good, because I was definitely pushing myself with the weight. He has set up a little something for the upper body on the days of training that asks for strength training. I told him what I wanted to work on and he has set me up. My triceps are still a little sore from Monday. LOL I know tomorrow my shoulders will be sore. I really do like strength training, I am starting to feel stronger again. I guess I do miss P90X and the push that Tony does. Can't wait to start a hybrid with him. After this training I will do that.

    Then I did my 3 mile run. It really went well. It was not at all humid like it was Monday nite and I can say that made it so much easier. I did not feel like I was going to collapse. I brought my Mp3 player with me and I actually realized after mile 2 that it was distracting me and my rhythm. So I took it off and was able to run faster and keep my breathe going. So, unless I am just messing around and/or walking no Mp3 player while running. And guess what?????? I beat Monday's time by almost an entire 2 mins. WHOOOHOOO!!! That felt AWESOME!!!

    Tomorrow is my long run, 4 miles. I have asked Jon to run with me to keep me going. Now that I know I can keep a pretty good pace with 3 miles, we will see if I can finish 4 miles. Kinda scary, but will be great when I finish. :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Jennifer that's an awesome feeling and can't wait to be there. You've earned every minute so embrace the new you with pride. I have an whole closet full of smaller clothes I brought last mother's day just waiting for me to get into and I can't wait to be abl to flaunt myself around especially when I have family members telling me you don't need to lose anymore!! Why do you want o be a size 6? You know once you get there you not going to maintain it anyway whew I sure do have alot of people in my corner you think LOL!!

    Bottom line you have worked so hard to be where you are and right now you may be still working out all the kinks the great thing is you are there and let noone take that or make you feel any different. Congrats on all your success!!!!!!!:flowerforyou:

    Thanx :blushing: I really appreciate that.

    I know how hard it can be to do something for yourself and not have everyone behind you. It can be tough. I am glad that you are here and we can help you along the way, and I know that you will fit in those clothes sooner than you think. Keep up the good work you are doing and someday soon you will start to feel and see the changes right before your eyes.

    Have a beautiful and safe weekend. :bigsmile:
  • Iffer75
    Iffer75 Posts: 2,817 Member
    P.S. Sorry for the crazy long, sort of whiny post. I started and I just couldn't quit writing. It was very catartic. I know I can be succesful in losing the weight with people like you guys here to inspire me.

    No need to apologize. We are all here to help each other out, with whatever we need help with. It does sound like it can definitely be hard for you at times. But it seems like you are understanding what needs to be done when something goes array. When ever you feel you need someone to listen and then to push you, do not hesitate to come here. We all fall off the wagon sometimes and sometimes it is really hard to get back on. I am a pusher and will make you get back in the wagon, because you deserve this, remember? If not only for you, for your husband. See, if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of your husband. It is a cycle. I know you can do this. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers.

    Have a safe and beautiful weekend. :bigsmile:
  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    Alright a great day and workout got in 100 more push ups and all my water plus I did insanity cardio core and balance

    I have gone to 2 end of the season parties and have gone without eating any of the food being served. Today is officially 7 weeks from my birthday I am stil holding out hope for my birthday goal!!

    Wow! 100 push ups is impressive. I keep hearing about insanity and how crazy it is. I will have to try it at some point. Sounds like you are doing great. My birthday is next week, and my goal is to not cheat too much on my b-day.

    PS. We have about the same amount of weight to lose.
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