Made the leap

So today I finally did it. I ordered the Chalean Extreme 90 day program. It should be coming within the next week or so. I'm really really excited, super motivated and ready to go! I paid $10 extra for expedited shipping so it better get here quickly.

My goal is to document the full 90 day journey. I'm going to attempt to post a daily picture of myself so that my progress is well documented. The pictures are going to be my first challenge considering that I hate pictures. I'm going to try to get past the discomfort and embarrassment for the sake of showing visible progress.

This blog is mainly self serving. I'm doing it for accountability and vanity purposes (just kidding...well maybe not). If it ends up helping somebody in the long run than that is awesome but for now its mainly to help me in the long run.

So here is my weight loss journey to date. I'm 5'3 and as of this instance I weigh 135.1 pounds. Not a terrible number. I feel good in my clothes and I like the way I look. What I really want to do is push myself. I want to get the body that I never thought I could get.

I've always struggled with my weight. My family and friends have seen me gain and lose 20 pounds every other year. Every family reunion I was either fat or thin and nothing in between. I was 180 pounds at my highest weight when I was 19 years old. I was 115 at my thinnest weight around 26 years old. So now I hit the big 30 and February 11th (my birthday) ended up being the most depressing but yet hopeful day of my life to date. I had an epiphany - the excuses have to stop, I'm not in my 20's anymore, it just gets harder from here so I better get my ass in gear before it spreads a few more inches in all the wrong directions.

I dieted in the past and the weight would come off but of course would come back on. I became a master at the 1200 calorie diet. It really wasn't that hard for me. I realized that I can be satisfied with 1200 calories but the weight wasn't flying off the way it used to. So 30 hit and I decided dieting was for 20 year olds. I wanted to start eating and exercising.

This years weight loss journey started on February 16th when I received my Bowflex dumbbells (the ones you click to the weight you want to use - I love these things more than pizza!!!). I was 144.6 pounds. I also started the "Cardio Free Diet" by Jim Karas. The "Cardio Free Diet" is a book that emphasizes weight training over cardio to gain muscle and lose fat. It's an 8 week program and it transformed my body! I lost 9.5 pounds but gained a tremendous amount of muscle and definition that I never had even at my thinnest. With this program I learned to push myself each time I worked out by adding more reps and weight. It taught me so much about myself, gave me confidence and motivation to keep pushing forward.

I love work out infomercials and I would always see the before and after pics of these women with amazing bodies. Something in my brain always nagged at me that I could never look like that even if I did those workouts religiously. Now that nagging thought has disappeared. Friday is my last workout with the "Cardio Free Diet". In just 8 weeks I have had a body and brain makeover and I'm really excited about the next 90 day challenge.

So a couple of warnings (I'm not sure if they're for myself or for those of you who are reading) the pictures will be embarrassing. I'm trying to psychologically prepare myself for this step. Thank goodness I still have a few days before the DVDs arrive before the first pic has to be taken. I figure i'll wear my bikini from last summer (ugh there goes the pit in my stomach). I wish I could do nude pics but I'm sure the bikini pics will still psychologically scar you and I for a bit. Don't be surprised by my elephant legs, they are tree trunks, I can't wear cute winter boots 'cause my calves are gigantic. I think all the weight I want to lose are held in my calves. I did notice they got slightly smaller since I've been working out but not enough to where strangers won't gawk and point (I may be exaggerating ...). Also for some reason I've been getting bruises on my legs. I suspect this is because I bump into my 2 very large American Bulldogs a lot and they tend to beat me up (I also have a German Shepard and a mini Dachshund). So don't be alarmed if you see the bruises...no abusive relationship here I promise! Also I apologize for future wordiness, rants, or boring details.

I suppose that's a pretty good introduction to my upcoming journey. The first pic will be posted as soon as the DVDs arrive (pray for me). Well I'm outta here...gonna do some hard core cardio to get ready for my first bikini pic.