Battle with the Post-Bridal Bulge: In Conclusion

I've been a bad blogger, I know. Let me try to make it up to you.

We went to Aruba and it was GORGEOUS. We had eight glorious days at one of the prettiest places on Earth. We hung out on the beach, played on pirate ships, were incredibly lazy in the resort's lazy river, ate well and drank plenty. I read three books on vacation, including two by Jen Lancaster,* and got to spend great QT with our family. And we (read: Ryan) won a little money at the casino. It was a fabulous time.

During our vacation I ate reasonably (as far as vacations go). I only worked out twice, but I worked out hard while I was there. I kept putting off the beach body picture for lots of reasons:

1. It's awkward to pose and let someone take a full picture of you in a bikini.
2. I just ate pasta.
3. I just drank a beer.
4. I'm too tipsy to flex my abs.
5. I just worked out and I'm too sweaty to be cute.
6. I want to get a really good tan before I do.

I had plenty of excuses- I just had to make myself do it. Finally on Thursday, a full 7 days into our vacation, I got up the courage to take the photo. And yes, it was awkward. And yes, I made my MIL take a series so that I could pick the one that looked the best. Blogging makes me vain!

This was the picture that I imagined during each and every Turkish Getup, during each plank and every morning at 5:05 AM when my alarm sounded. It's not exactly where I want to be, but I am glad I sacrificed all those Chick-Fil-A's because I can definitely tell a difference from when I started 8+ weeks ago.

Here are some pictures from our vacation:

Isn't my husband handsome? Sorry Ladies, he's taken. :)

 So we came home and I was ready to get back to reality. I made it to Boot Camp on Monday.

And that's it.

Full disclosure:

• I wasn't feeling well once we got back from Aruba, so...
• ....I got lazy, slept in and missed Boot Camp. Since I'd already blown Boot Camp for the week, ....
• ....I ate Chic-Fil-A breakfast two days in a row. Because I wasn't forcing myself to get going in the mornings, ...
• ....I felt lethargic and didn't have the energy to do much of anything, including....
• ....cleaning the house, laundry, etc.

I knew that by skipping I was only making it harder for myself when I went back to Boot Camp, but I just couldn't force myself to get out of bed. So last night I manipulated myself.** We are going to a wedding this weekend and I wasn't sure what I was going to wear, or what would fit. So I deliberately tried on two dresses that I knew don't fit me anymore. The last time I wore these dresses was in October of 2009. I figured that if I could remind myself of where I was in 2009 and compare that to the shape I am in now in March 2011, that would be all the motivation I needed to get my butt up in the morning and get to Boot Camp.

Turns out I have as much motivation as I do hips and ass because I RIPPED THE ZIPPER SEAM. As in, I don't know if the dress would've zipped because it didn't get past my big ol' H +A. Totally unacceptable. Look, I'm not trying to be the size I was in college; I have accepted that that body is long gone now that my metabolism is getting its vengeance. But two years ago, I was a good size. It's where I want to be again.

So I got up this morning and went to Boot Camp. The work out was ridiculously hard for me; I felt like I'd been gone a month, when it's actually only been 12 days. I've lost some of the strength I had built up before Aruba. But I felt GREAT when I left and even had plenty of energy to:

• vaccuum the floors
• empty and reload the dishwasher
• fold a load of laundry
• feed and water the dogs
• tidy up the kitchen and living room
• eat breakfast
• make a grocery list

...all before 7:15 am.  I really enjoy that time to be productive and realized today that I missed it.

So I'm back to the Boot Camp grind. I will have to miss the awesome Grand Opening activities this Saturday due to prior commitments, but I'll be rip-roaring on Monday. I have a new challenge for myself that I will tell you about in the next blog post. I'm really excited about it and hope that your encouragement will keep me motivated!

 *Again, please do yourself a favor and check her out. HI-LARIOUS.

**It's weird to play mind tricks on yourself. Just so you know.

Battle with the Post-Bridal Bulge: Week 7

Boo-Freaking-Hoo

Today was my last day of Memphis Adventure Boot Camp before I leave for our Aruba vacation tomorrow. Last June, when I first had my body fat percentage calculated, Dexter told me that a person of my size, stature, age and weight should have 15% body fat. I can't remember exactly what my percentage was at that time, but I know I was nowhere close. When I came back to Boot Camp in December and assessed my body fat percentage, it was an embarrassing 28.99%. That shame prompted me to set a goal of reaching 15% body fat by today. By Week 6, I had reached 17.15%... I was almost there. I made it my mission to lose the remaining 2.15% in a week.

And I failed. According to today's measurements, my body fat percentage is 16.64%, 1.64% away from my goal. I failed. And I HATE to fail.

But you know what? BOO-FREAKING-HOO. I've worked really hard in the past seven weeks and I'm really proud of the progress I've made. So what if I missed my goal by 1.64%? I'm in the best shape (probably of my life) and I have gotten to where I LOVE Boot Camp. I am paying closer attention to my caloric and fat intake and I can really see a difference physically and mentally. I've had significant losses in my arms, waist and thigh measurements and have converted much of my fat weight to lean weight.This process has helped me eat better and practice better living habits, in general. So, yeah, I failed. But so what? I've won so many other battles in the process.

I realize that this last paragraph makes it sound like I'm done with Boot Camp. Oh, just the contrary! Once I return to Boot Camp on March 21, I have a new goal in mind: I want to reach 10% body fat, which is the essential amount of body fat needed for women. I WILL reach that goal!*

We leave tomorrow for vacation and I am sure that my stats will be awful when I get back, but that's ok too. Just knowing that I'll have that much further to lose when I get back will help me to curb my eating during the trip. And who knows, I may even go for a run or something crazy like that while we're away.

Beginning measurements:

• Weight: 126 (up 11 lbs since September!)
• Arms: 22 mm
• Waist: 32 mm
•  Legs: 22 mm
• % of Body Fat: 28.99%
• 36.53 lbs of Body Fat
• 89.47 lbs of Lean Body Weight

Week 7 measurements:

• Weight: 123 (down 3 lbs)
• Arms: 10 mm (down 12 mm)
• Waist: 14 mm (down 18 mm)
•  Legs: 14 mm (down 8 mm)
• % of Body Fat: 16.46% (down 12.53%)
• 20.25 lbs of Body Fat (down 16.28 lbs)
• 102.75 lbs of Lean Body Weight (up 13.28 lbs)

Oops I…:

• Again, with the cream cheese sushi!
• Overate at Frank Grisanti's for lunch yesterday, but I blame Larkin for sending it all out.
• Ate chili tamales Tuesday night...I was too scared to look at the nutritional info.

Proud that I…:

• Have not had Poncho's white cheese dip, even though it's in my fridge (it's the small victories)
• Resisted the urge for fast food while Ryan was out of town. Opted for chicken noodle soup.
• STILL have not had Chick-Fil-A
• Went to Boot Camp Saturday and everyday this week
• Have come so close to my goal and I am still motivated to lose more!

So yeah- I'm good with that. I'll be back the week of the 21st to tell you all about our trip and post the much-anticipated beach body photo. Or maybe I won't post it- all that matters is that I feel comfortable taking it!

If you'd like to try Memphis Adventure Boot Camp, check them out online or on Facebook. The women there are so encouraging- it really makes all the difference!


*I didn't say how long it would take me :)

Battle with the Post-Bridal Bulge: Week 6

AVOIDING THE CRASH

So I’ve been back to Memphis Adventure Boot Camp for six weeks now and I am still loving it! I love camaraderie and encouragement that I get working out with these ladies every day, the feeling of accomplishment I get when we’ve wrapped up our hour, and I most definitely  enjoy the results I am seeing. But perhaps most shocking is that I actually look forward to Boot Camp every day. Weird.

I love the intense workouts in the morning - I'm completely refreshed and energized going into the work day. But I'm crashing in the afternoons. So I asked Dexter Tenison of Memphis Adventure Boot Camp for suggestions on how to fix this problem.

One of the most common reasons people have a crash during the late morning or afternoon hours may be due to not eating a correct balance of lean proteins and natural, complex carbohydrates. What I mean is people tend to carb load with the donut and coffee with extra sugar, forgetting the back-to- basics eating style like an egg omelet  that has good veggies in it. Secondly, most women (men are in violation too) tend to not eat enough calories to support their exercise AND work. A third thing could be you are eating too many carbs compared to your activity level before the crash. Carbohydrate intake should always be based activity level.

My suggestions are:

1. Eat a balanced meal of lean proteins and natural carbohydrates. Eat more like the cave man and woman and stick to foods that didn’t have to be refined. Examples of refined foods are: donuts, ice cream, crackers, breads, pastas. Please tell me when a pasta tree comes along because I am putting one in my back yard!

2. Eat more (calories) within the meal before the time you have been experiencing crashes. Have the balanced meal and see what that does. If this makes it worse, then your calories were too high. If it makes it better, then you know that your calories were too low.

3. Most of the world takes a siesta during the mid day. For some reason, we Americans think we are superhuman and can work, work, work. I suggest a small nap, even if it's 10 or so minutes.

I’m not sure napping is realistic for me, but I’d love to try it!! You know how I love to sleep; maybe it would keep me from falling asleep on the couch at 8 pm!

Beginning measurements:

• Weight: 126 (up 11 lbs since September!)
• Arms: 22 mm
• Waist: 32 mm
•  Legs: 22 mm
• % of Body Fat: 28.99%
• 36.53 lbs of Body Fat
• 89.47 lbs of Lean Body Weight

Week 6 measurements:

• Weight: 123.5 lbs (down 2.5 lbs since December)
• Arms: 16 mm (down 6 mm!)
• Waist: 22 mm (down 10 mm!!!)
• Legs: 16 mm (down 6 mm)
• % of Body Fat: 17.15% (down 11.84%) *My goal is to be at 15% body fat...I’m almost there!
• 21.19 lbs of Body Fat (down 15.34 lbs!)
• 102.31 lbs of Lean Body Weight (up 12.84 lbs!)

Oops I…:

• Had a Dr. Pepper
• Am not participating in the 14 Day Fat Flush because I’m chicken and I really enjoy food
• Had a Bagel Roll and a Philadelphia Roll this week for lunch. I heart cream cheese.

Proud that I…:

• Went to Boot Camp all five days this week
• Am going to Boot Camp’s Saturday class tomorrow
• Am recognizing when my portions are too large
• Ate breakfast every morning
• Have lost 15.34 lbs of body fat in 6 weeks!!!

FAST-FOOD FIXES

A healthy diet doesn't have to stop just because you're in a rush. Use these ordering strategies to safely navigate fast-food drive-throughs.

JILL WALDBIESER, Women’s Health Magazine

Burger King
Ask for a Veggie Whopper (not to be confused with the BK Veggie Burger, which has 400 calories— surprisingly, 160 more than a single hamburger). This includes all the trappings of the Whopper—tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, and onions on a toasted sesame-seed bun—minus the meat patty.  Save: 240 calories, or get a Whopper Jr. (with meat) and save 330 calories

Pizza Hut
Order any pie "fit 'n delicious" style to get half the cheese and extra sauce and veggies. Save: 400 calories for a personal pie; 100 to 300 calories per slice of a medium pizza

Starbucks
Order any hot beverage in a "short" size and they'll shrink your drink to an eight-ounce cup.  Save: 140 to 350 calories Add protein powder to any drink. For 30 calories, you'll add six grams of protein and one gram of fiber.

Subway
Order any sandwich as a salad. Save: Up to 520 calories (depending on the size of the sandwich)

Wendy's
Ask for a "veggie" burger to get a sandwich sans patty. Save: 220 calories, or get a junior-size hamburger and save 90 calories

His Side: A Debut Post

Ok, so this is a blog all about our life as newlyweds, yet you never hear from anyone but me. And I am sure you're tired of hearing my antics, so I asked Ryan to answer some fun questions so that you can get to know him more.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Eric Heimke.

• What do you do for a living? I'm a sleazy medical sales guy
• When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? A professional Baseball player
• What is your favorite pizza topping? Do I get more than 1?  Pepperoni or Supreme no black olives
• What was your first pet’s name? Mandy, lived to be 17 years old
• What was your favorite subject in school? Speech/Debate
• What was your first job? I was an executive recruiter
• Do you prefer crushed or cubed ice? Crushed
• Do you currently have pets? Yes, two; an English Bulldog named Lola, and a Golden Retriever named Oscar
• What is your greatest achievement? My family
• Who was your first crush? Joanna McClane
• What is your favorite movie of all time? Back to the Future 1 or The Goonies
• If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? I would go around for a few weeks without telling anyone I had won and just do random nice things for them, like pay mortgage payments and pay off peoples car.  Little things that would make a huge difference in people lives.  Then I would buy myself a Ferrari
• If you were a super hero, what would your super power be? Wait I'm not?  To be able to fly for sure
• Describe yourself in 5 words or less. Determined, Loving, Winner
• If you could be one animal, what would it be and why? My dog Oscar, he gets to do all kinds of fun stuff
• Frozen custard or ice cream? Ice Cream
• How do you eat an Oreo? In one bite
• If you could live anywhere, where would it be?  On Lake Tahoe
• Where do you like to sit in a movie theatre and why? Mid way up in the middle, I hardly ever have to pee during a movie and I hate it when people are always crawling over you to go, sitting in the middle gets rid of that problem
• What’s in the trunk of your vehicle at this moment? So many medical products and chemicals it would be tough to name them all; a football and golf clubs.
• What’s on your desk at work? Junk!!!
• What’s your favorite part of being married? That I always have someone to talk to.
• Who is your favorite wife? Uh, mine?
• What’s your favorite Memphis restaurant? Restaurant Iris.  

See why I love him?

Battle with the Post-Bridal Bulge: Week 5

T-minus 10 days. Crunch Time.
We leave for Aruba in 10 days and we are so excited! We can't wait to get back to the beach and relax with our family for eight days. But before we leave for paradise, I have to bust my butt.

Beach = Swimsuit = Boot Camp every day. 

At Boot Camp we've been challenged to do a 14-Day Fat Flush Challenge. Here are the rules:

• Pay $20 tomorrow (March 1)
• Get measured
• Eat only meats and veggies (no starchy carbs) for 14 days (ending March 14)
• Anyone who catches you cheating is encouraged to tattle on you via Facebook
• You have to pay $20 for each indiscretion
• The woman who has not had any indiscretions, wins the pot of money. If there is a tie, the woman with the highest percent of change wins the pot.

Because of the dates of our trip, I am not able to officially participate in the competition. Which is very convenient, because it turns out that I'm also a

(chicken, for my slower readers)

I really, really love my carbs: breads, pastas, rice....pretty much everything in the "do not eat column." But I think that if I did participate, I might look a little more like this in Aruba:

THIS IS NOT ME....THIS IS MY GOAL TUMMY :)

Who are we kidding? I'm not going to look like that in time, but it's good to have GOALS! So I am going to participate in the Food Flush the week before my trip. It's going to be really difficult for me- a true test of my willpower (and a little telling of my vanity) for me to eat only meat and veggies (blugh!) for 7 days. Hopefully I can talk Ryan into doing this with me. I find misery strength in numbers.

I know that it's a good thing for my body and ultimately, I want to be healthy, right? So yeah, sign me up. (Unofficially, of course)

Oh yes, one other little detail. None of this either.

Boo.

(Side note: We will get that dang beach picture if it's the last thing I do. I might even frame it after all of this hard work!*)

Beginning measurements:

• Weight: 126 (up 11 lbs since September!)
• Arms: 22 mm
• Waist: 32 mm
• Legs: 22 mm
• % of Body Fat: 28.99%
• 36.53 lbs of Body Fat
• 89.47 lbs of Lean Body Weight

Week 5 measurements:

• Weight: 124 lbs (down 2 lb since December)
• Arms: 14 mm (down 8 mm!)
• Waist: 18 mm (down 14 mm!!!)
• Legs: 16 mm (down 6 mm)
• % of Body Fat:19.98% <-- this now puts me in the "athletic" category instead of "fitness" WOO HOO! (down 9.01%)
• 24.78 lbs of Body Fat (down 11.57 lbs!)
• 99.22 lbs of Lean Body Weight (up 9.75 lbs!)

Yes, you read that right. I've lost 11.57 lbs of fat in five weeks. That's amazing to me!

Oops I...:

• failed at my goal of no sodas; I had two Dr. Peppers this week
• had two McD's sausage biscuits while we were at the beach. I totally blame Ryan for buying them.
• stuffed my face with a 1,460 (+/-) calorie meal from this evil little chain on our way back from the beach. Hamburger, fries AND a the first of my two soft drinks. I'm trying not to think about how good it was and focus on how bad it was for me.
• ate an extra helping of penne alfredo. I really love my carbs!

Proud because I...:

• am still eating breakfast every morning
• have not taken my post-workout nap since my Week 2 goal.
• have not eaten Chick-Fil-A one time in five weeks, despite many temptations
• went to Boot Camp on Saturday to get one more workout in
• won Friday's Olympic Challenge at Boot Camp
• am starting to see some results! :)

Goal for this week...

• Get myself mentally and physically ready for the Food Flush next week
• Go to Boot Camp next Saturday at 9 am (will I see you there?)
• Go for a run on Sunday

Fat Fact:

• Get a Mustache: Consuming 1,800 milligrams of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1 percent milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That's 300 milligrams down, 1,500 to go. (According to Women's Health Magazine)
  

So next week I may really need some encouragement. And patience- sometimes food restrictions make me cranky.  If you are interested in Memphis Adventure Boot Camp, please check it out here. Or find them on Facebook. Dexter has added extra times, so find out which one works best for your schedule and get there. I'd love for you to be my guest as you try it out!

*I'm kidding. I'm not that vain.

Toes in the water. Ass in the sand.

As I mentioned in last week's post, I was really excited to go to Destin for a little getaway last weekend. I'd had a tough week and was ready to let off some steam. Our friends Bryan and Erin graciously invited us to come spend the weekend with them at Bryan's parents condo. We also got to hang out with two of their friends from Birmingham, Tiffany and David (who we lovingly referred to as "asshole" all weekend.) We drove 7.5 hours and got to the condo at midnight, but it was so worth it because I got to wake up to this:

Perfection.

I ate a quick bite of something unhealthy and made my way to the beach while everyone was waking up. I instantly got settled in with my book*...I planned on soaking up all the sun and relaxation I could possibly manage.

It wasn't long until the effects of our late night drinking game wore off and everyone was ready to play. Bryan, Ryan and Asshole played Yard Golf pretty much all day and developed quite the wagers for losing.

What was the consequence of being a weak golf-ball-thrower?

I'll let you guess.

That water was *ice* cold. As in "it-will-numb-your-toe-if-you-stick-it-in" cold. Needless to say, the same rules did not apply to the girl's games.

Soon our tummies were rumbling so we took a short walk on the beach to go grab some lunch.

Bryan & Erin: Aren't they cute?

And for lunch we came up on this gem:

I desperately searched for a t-shirt, but they didn't sell them. Which is a shame because I'm pretty sure they would be pretty popular among the men-folk.

All the boys

The lovely ladies.

Ryan's stylish hair-do.

Proof that this place exists.

Once we returned to our spot on the beach, Ryan got antsy and wanted to build something. So we handed him a shovel and told him to build us a castle.

Shortly after this photo I fell asleep on the beach. When I woke up, I was completely abandoned. They left me by myself out there with this guy:

Notice anything weird here? The guy's dressed head-to-toe in heavy, black clothing and carrying a lovely parasol.

No harm, no foul because then I saw this:

And then this:

And he was immediately forgiven. :)

The next day was pretty identical to the first, except with much more sunscreen and aloe vera. Which is to say it was absolutely perfect.

Sunday night Ryan and I went to his favorite restaurant, besides Restaurant Iris. Seriously, he talked about this place from the moment we left our driveway in Memphis.

And I must admit- it was pretty good. The bottle of wine I had definitely helped too! We packed our bags and headed home on Monday, but I felt completely relaxed, recharged and ready to tackle the week!

*If you have not read one of Jen Lancaster's books, stop whatever you are doing- including reading this blog- and go get Bitter Is the New Black. I promise you, you will l-o-v-e her. But please eventually come back to this post and finish it.