30 days and I See Results!

In the 30 days I've been doing the ChaLEAN Extreme, I have lost 12.75 combined inches. Five of that is just hip fat! This is a great program. I have to stress that this weightloss is almost exclusively from the weight-lifting portion of the program. I don't always do the aerobic portion and I have not modified my diet. I have a full-time job and two small children to feed. I am not making two meals a night. We always strive for nutritious options, but sometimes it's easier to make comfort food or a quick casserole.
I have no illusions that I am bikini ready. I'm posting these pictures because I see a big difference in a short month. I have realized another important thing. I can come to terms with these pictures because I know in my heart this is a temporary state. I am not mortified by the way I look. I am bolstered by the difference and can't wait to see where I'm going. My body is constantly improving.

I can't say enough about  the ChaLEAN Extreme program. The workouts are short 35 to 45 minutes. You do few reps 6-12 depending on the phase. You lift slowly. There are people demonstrating low impact modifications in every workout.  Chalene Johnson is so likable, you want to do it right. There is even a 60-year-old woman in most of the videos. SIXTY!. If she can do it, we can do it. This is a fantastic program for someone who is overweight or out of shape. My back is stronger. My legs are stronger. My posture is so improved I catch myself sitting upright in my desk chair most days. I feel good.

This was a hard one

I try to update this blog on Fridays, but I had a hard time coming to grips with this one.
Last Wednesday, I turned 43. I'm almost 30 days into my 90-day fitness program (ChaLEAN Extreme) and was measuring my results, which got me thinking about where I was 10 years ago. I asked my dad to send me a picture from when I was 33, because (of course) I don't have any. Well he did, and I was shocked.
I don't even recognize this woman. No wonder I have so many extra fat cells and loose skin to contend with.

At age 33, I was not in control of my body. If I wanted to tie my shoes, I had to use my hands to lift my foot onto my knee. Shaving my legs was difficult. I had to turn sideways to get through some spaces. I didn't try on clothes in a store. If I thought the size was big enough, I bought it because it didn't matter what it looked like. I had no mirrors in the house that showed anything below the shoulders.
At 43, I have gone from not being able to do 1 "girl" pushup to doing 10 in three weeks. My back pain is gone. I am full of energy and motivation. I can't wait to go try on clothes.
I lost that first 40 pounds the hard way. Extremely low calorie diet and repetitive, boring exercises. Always hungry... always tired.
This 40 pounds I have the energy and nutrition support of Shakeology and the short, but effective ChaLEAN Extreme program.
If you are obese, I KNOW what you are going through. I know the doubts. I know how you look at slimmer people and think "He/She was already in better shape and I am. It won't work for me." Trust me, it CAN work for you. There is support out there from people just like you and me who have done it. Not hard-body fitness types... real people who have made the journey and want to take you on it too. You can log on to beachbodycoach.com/laberday and sign up for a free membership. Log your workouts and progress in the WOWY supergym. Go to the message boards and find fitness partners at your level. Ask the nutritionist questions. Read testimonials from people who have gone all the way from obese to slim and muscular.
Let me be your coach and we can do this together.

Who is this motivated person in the mirror?

And where has she been all my life? I've had gym memberships, been on diets, had great success with home workout programs, but they've never stuck. I have spent my life looking for excuses not to work out... not to make the good nutritional choice. I spent a number of years living my life looking forward to the next meal. Then, at 265 pounds, I went on a disciplined eating and exercise plan and lost 40 lbs in 6 weeks. You would think that reward would have kept me motivated, but it didn't. I never went back to either. 
The goal was always loosing weight... never getting fit. I would dread every workout even though I knew I would feel great afterward. I would look forward to reaching a weight goal so I could go back to my old eating habits. I would make sure I was too busy to work out... my kids... my job... life.
What changed? Why do I WANT to work out now. Why do I throw away half a bowl of ice cream? Beachbody. It started with Shakeology which I thought would be a good meal replacement and help me loose weight. I had seen sooooo many of the ingredients touted as weight-loss aids (Acai, apple pectin, prebiotics, green tea, blue-green algae, chromium, cinnamon, flax seed, ,,,). What I didn't see coming is how it made me feel. After the first month, my muscles started craving action. I wanted to get up and move. I searched all around for the 10-Minute-Trainer DVDs I had stuck somewhere. I was doing Zumba. I was wii boxing. I realized I was ready for a more intense program, but still intimidated by P90X. So, I opted for ChaLEAN Extreme. I've always enjoyed lifting weights (just not motivated to go somewhere to do it).
I joined Beachbody as a coach in order to get the discount on my Shakeology. What I got was motivation. It's not just the desire to get up and do something physical. Every day I log into the Beachbody site to log my workouts, I see pictures of people who have made it all the way. People who were fat like me and are now thin, muscular, and HEALTHY.  My husband is also started working out with me. Not because he is into health or concerned with his weight, but because he wanted to grow our Beachbody business. That's OK! After a couple of weeks, he is seeing how good it feels to have muscles... how much easier life is when your body is strong. 
My focus has totally shifted. Yes, I still look forward to being thin again, but it's not the end.
Now... I need to go work out.

Two-week check-in

So two weeks into the 90-day ChaLEAN Extreme exercise program.
The first thing I have to say is MY BACK FEELS GREAT! I've been seeing a chiropractor for back soreness and muscle spasms since 1998. There were things I KNEW would cause my back to ache like gardening, lifting my toddler out of the tub, picking up a case of drinks or a full basket of laundry... Not now!
I've lost 1 inch from my waste and 1 inch from my saddle-bag area. I'm also getting that saggy-bottom look to my pants, but not quite ready to go down a size. I would probably have dramatic results if I changed my diet... but baby steps here.
I love the fact that the workouts are 35-45 minutes 5 days a week. That's a commitment I can carve out of my week. I'm feeling so good, I added a Zumba ab workout on one of my recovery days.
I honestly believe I wouldn't be dong any of this if it were not for the muscle energy I'm getting from Shakeology.  I just feel like I WANT to work out. I've never had this sensation before. Exercise has always been something I forced myself to do. Now, I look forward to my workout time.
Even better, my husband is doing it too. Of course being male, he's seeing results right away. He's getting muscle definition in just two weeks. We've worked out a schedule since we have one set of weights and someone needs to be watching the baby.
Our six-year-old wants to work out with us too. We've given him a set of 3lb hand weights. I've never had a role-model in my life who exercised. Maybe our kids will see us getting fit while they are young and never have to battle obesity like we have.

ChaLEAN Extreme Day 1 review

I started day one of ChaLEAN Extreme today, and I think I made a really good choice. I was worried that at my age and fitness level, starting an extreme weight routine would be so hard I'd give up after a couple of days. Fortunately, all Beachbody products come with a 30-day money back guarantee, so I wasn't worried about another workout DVD on the shelf. I was really more worried about disappointing myself again.
First thing, the product seems to be of very high quality. There was a portfolio of DVD, two books, a resistance band and sculpting band. One book is about the workout and one is a diet/cookbook.
What strikes me the most about the program itself is how realistic and likable Chalene Johnson is. When she says, "you can do it," I want to believe her. She also says things like, "If you can only do one pushup, that's OK."  She's not a taskmaster. (Which is nice, because I could only do one pushup, and that was on my knees, not toes.)
The exercises were definitely challenging to do, but not too difficult. I felt like I was working hard, but not in a dangerous way. It also was not tedious. The moves work multiple muscle groups at the same time and you do 10-12 reps. The whole workout took only 35 minutes.
Another thing I loved was the rep and countdown timer. I always knew how long I had to go and what rep I was on, so I could concentrate on the moves and not count reps.
I won't be posting "before" pictures until I have some day-30 "after" pictures, but I will be posting weekly updates on the program.

Lower fat easy Caesar Dressing

The key to this dressing is Canola mayonaise. For some reason it has less than half of the calories of regular mayonaise and does not rely on chemicals or vinegar. I personally hate light mayonaise and would rather have the calories.

3/4 cup Canola Mayo
1/4 cup good grated parmasan
1/4 cup skim milk
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch salt
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1 lemon (fresh is important)
3 large garlic cloves (powdered or prepared garlic will leave you with a flat taste)

Press garlic cloves into bowl or small food processor. Squeeze in lemon juice. Let sit for 1 minute to temper garlic flavor.
Add the remaining ingredients and whisk or process until combined and smooth.

Approximately 45 calories and 5 grams of fat per tablespoon compared to store-bought Caesar Dressing which has 190 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving.