Following the leader

Okay, so, remember how I just VOWED that I didn't like WeightWatchers and that I could do this on my own and blaaahhhhh.

So, I joined WeightWatchers Online and it's actually pretty effing neat. So far, I've found recipes and figured out how many points are in food that I eat at restaurants and food that I eat at home. It's really easy with this handy dandy little points tracker. I only wish I could have a points tracker on me at all times...

OH WAIT I CAN! I can have a tracker on my iPhone! Oh, snap, it is so on.

But let me explain why I decided to do this. I was watching TV the other night, snacking on candy and chips, and I saw a commercial of Jennifer Hudson, looking thin and super fly, (obviously singing that song she sings every single time. Okay, J-Hud, it's a new day, okay? We got it), and I thought, "I WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT."

It really isn't that different from what I was already trying to do, and I really think a lot of it was pride. I can admit when I'm being a tad bit stubborn. I don't like to be like everyone else, but maybe there's a reason why everyone else is doing this, eh? EH? Yeah.That's right.

A couple of things:
1. I need a better bike than the one I have. I really enjoy biking and I feel dead every time I get home from it.
2. I want to take self-defense classes. That could count for something, right?

Love and pamprin,
MICHELLE

Ohhh Lawd

Reasons for me missing the last, like, four months of blogging and/or dieting:

The end of the school year hecticness
I got a really cute puppy ( see right picture).
It's sooooo hot in the summer in Montgomery.
All around laziness.
I lost my drive, my mojo, and my inspiration somewhere.

Reason I am now getting back on that horse:

I went to the doctor who told me that my blood pressure numbers would eventually cause me to take meds. I am only 20....something. Needless to say, I freaked.

So I joined Weight Watchers with my family. I have now lost 7.5 lbs and lost ten points on my blood pressure. Since I didn't remember how much I gained, I'm just starting from here with the competish.

2legit, are we still doing the competish? Because I'm laying the gauntlet back down if we are. I don't know what that means but I've heard it before at really crucial moments in action movies.



(l love you like)peanut butter and chocolate,
Laura

OH GIRL, I AM BACK!

Hey peoples!
After an entirely too long hiatus (the summer was kind of hot, okay?), I am back on the wagon. Although I haven't gained ALL the of the weight I lost back, I have gained quite a bit back (like 13 pounds out of 25. sad). BUT THAT WILL NOT DETER ME. I'm going to need a lot of motivation, and I'll be really counting on you, my babies, to help me get back into the swing of thangs.

Right now, I'm eating weight control oatmeal with blueberries, a tallboy glass of water, and coffee with fat free creamer and splenda. The great thing about oatmill is that I can eat it and I won't be STARVING in thirty minutes. That's the issue I've always had with breakfast. I'd eat it then I would just get hungrier. It was as if it jumpstarted my stomach into NOMNOMNOM mode. Forreal.

My sister, Laura, who will be getting a message about her lack of posts as well, is on Weight Watchers. Along with my dad and his lady in waiting. My dad looks really great so far, he had been on it three weeks when I saw him and already I saw a change. But I really don't want to pay for something I already know how to do. So, here we go. Let's rewind the numbers back:

I've lost 12 and 1/2 pounds since I started this blog. I lost 25, then gained back 13. My name is Michelle and I had a relapse. I know....I know...food tastes awesome. But so does living, no?

Hall and oats,
MICHELLE

Tornado crazy

Hey everyone,
First, I really want to say how glad I am to be from Alabama. The people here are really coming together to help those in need, and hopefully I can be one of them. We all have an idea of how we'll react if something like this happens, and I think, given the situation, that the reaction from the people is pretty great. So many people I know are volunteering and helping out and it's just amazing to see.

Second, I'm safe and everyone I know is safe and I am SO grateful for that. We have been really lucky, but we grieve for those lost in the storms and those who have lost their possesions. Please let us know of anything we can do to help, we're in North Alabama right now aching for some good work.

Love and relief,
MICHELLE

A butt is formed

Hey my babiez, I'm back from a short hiatus (if you call watching Lost a hiatus...I sure do)! And I've had a new idea that I thought I would run by you. Not so long ago, I lost the key to my car (this could get awkward since my mother doesn't know about this), and yesterday, since I couldn't find a ride, I had to walk to work. Don't get too excited, it's only 2ish miles, but it IS up a big hill! And I was totally fine when I got there and made it through my three hour shift.

Now, here's my idea, and this may only apply to those of you that live within five miles of the important things. I want to go a day without using a car. Yesterday, when I walked to work, I did get a ride back home, but what I should have done was walk back home. I know there are those of you that live nowhere near their workplace, but try this on a day where you don't have to work (but you should probably have things you need to get done, otherwise you won't need to leave the house and yet you still reached the goal of not using a car).

I live relatively close to everything, so this goal isn't hard for me to reach, but I'm definitely going to pick a day and do it. What will your day be?

Also, the other day I went thrift store shopping and found shorts (technically capris, but mama don't like those) that are over two sizes smaller than my regular pants! And my butt looks pretty sweet, I ain't gonna lie.

I have no idea how much weight I'm at right now. I think I'm going to weigh myself next week so as not to make myself cry.

Love and firm bootayzm
MICHELLE

Back from the dead

Here are the top reasons for my disappearance:
1. Lost
2. School
3. Loss of motivation.
4. Having a flat screen tv
5. Mostly Lost

I have had to jump start my weight loss after two weeks of being a bad, bad chub.

I am still around the 25 pound mark and have not gained or lost any weight.
BUT IT'S OKAY!
Sunday we went on a long hike at The Preserve and I got lost and found an amazing trail to waterfalls! That was the turning point, me thinks. I felt great afterwards and am now ready to redraft! Oh yeah!

Love and jumper cables,
MICHELLE

Unrelated yet important

Can I just say that I really want to be thin so I can make videos like this and not feel self conscious?

I'm BAAAAAACK!

Hey Folks! Sorry it has been ten years or so since my last post.

Here's an update on everythang:

-I have lost a total of 12 pounds. Yeah, that's not a lot, (especially compared to Michelle), but I'm proud of it.
-I can jog for five minutes and then repeat it four to five more times. THAT, I'm really proud of.
-Here's my dilemma. I am starving by the time I get home from work. I do not want to eat before I work out because it makes me feel sluggish. However, I don't want to go jog until later in the day because it's gotten hot outside.
-Ok, I've totally solved my problem as I type: I'm just going to eat a banana (or something along those lines) and read a book until it's time to jog and then eat dinner after.
-Can we talk about how ugly some plus size clothes are? That may be my next post. I couldn't find anything today at Target because it all looked like a flowery paper sack. Lovely!!
-The above is all the more reason to continue this thing! (as well as my health, the dress, etc.)

Love and lobster (ew),
Laura


P.S. Thirty-something days until school is out and 53 days until Cotton Run!

Blinding me with science

Hey errbody, I apologize for the lack of inspiring words lately. My grandmother wasn't doing too well, so I'm in Athens until tomorrow. I'm going to go ahead and admit to you that I've been bad this week. I ate after ten, I left no leftovers, and I haven't ran nearly enough for it to be okay. BUT, like I've already said, I'm not going to dwell on it. It's been a tough week and I'm not down about eating what I ate.

That being said, I have mastered the 4 five minute, or 5 five minute, jogging and am now ready to move onto the 8 minute jogging. The last time I weight myself, I weighed 28 pounds less, HOWEVER, I have eaten just about anything my sneaky sneak hands could get to, so I'm guessing that number has changed.

Today, my dad took Laura and I to The Greenway (is that really what it's called?). It goes from the Kids Dugout area to Highway 72, and I think goes for 3 or 4 miles? It was beautiful! I really enjoyed running over there, all the nature made it go by much faster. And Laura and I started making up fairy tales when it got harder. My legs are hurting, but it felt good to get back out there. I've only gotten to run one other time since I got here on Tuesday.

I'm going to have to be a bit strict with myself on Monday to start things back on track, but it's nothing this ol' girl can't handle. Hope everyone is having a beautiful Saturday like we are.

Love and gyros,
MICHELLE

5k Creeping

Hey people, Laura and I want to represent Ain't No at the 5k we're attending, but don't know how! We need some ideas. We're already going to be wearing a t-shirt, so I guess that won't work.

Today, I woke up 26 pounds lighter! Oh, yeah! This whole jogging thing is working out pretty nicely. Just to see how much I could take, I jogged as long as I could yesterday and made it to 10 whole minutes without stopping! I felt pretty good about myself since a month ago, I could barely do 1 minute. I also got this neat little book in the mail today called Run Your Butt Off. It's got some petty awesome ideas on how to start. They even have this neat thing where you can calculate how many calories you need in a day judging by how much you weigh and how much exercise you need to lose weight. I have to figure out where I would be if I had been using this book to begin with, I'm kind of farther ahead with the jogging stuff. Not to brag...but I'm FREAKING AWESOME.

And last but not least, go here and like our page and give us some feedback! We love support!
Facebook ya'll

Love and jog dogs,
MICHELLE

P.s. I want to say hey to my friend Walker right now. He looks amazing and I'ma need some advice from him. I saw him after maybe two years and he looks fit! JEALOULSZ

Let her dance dance

25 pounds, I'm coming for you. I'm only .6 pounds away and I'MA GET YOU. No, but for real, I'm 24.4 pounds less today. I'm pretty sure that's 11.4 for the competish. I'm still annoyed all 24.4. don't go towards the competition, but whaterr.

Things that I have been doing the past two weeks that have brought me to this point:
6 out of 14 days: Jog for 2 minutes, walk for 5
the other 6: Jog for 4 minutes, walk for 3.
Good carbs! Girly pushups! Half sit ups! Water water water!

And now for some pictures!

 Indigo resting her head on my shoulder after a good hike.












I put this picture up to show I still have work to do and have yet to enter hot stuff material.(maybe hot mess)

My adorable face is practically missing from this picture, but Alyssa and my cute dog are in it so okay, I guess it can be up here.













Now I must got assist in the killing of roaches. There will be blood.

Love and muffins,
MICHELLE

Oops, that was my bad

Yesterday, my mom, Laura, and Gain Gain (grandmother) came down to visit me for my belated birthday. First, I took them to a local restaurant and forced my mother to fall in love with their mahi mahi tacos. It was pretty cute. "These are so good! Guys, guys, you gotta try this! I've never had mahi mahi like this! Reminds me when I called them Maui Maui."

Laura on left and Michelle on right

Then, I took them hiking at The Preserve. I love this place. It's free and has pretty boulders to walk under and look at (even the graffiti is nice). Admittedly, I was never a scout, so I definitely got us lost, and mom stopped to talk to every person and child we passed, so it took a good two hours. I continued to say,"Not much longer!" having no idea where we were. After about 3 or 4 miles, we finally came to a fairly wide creek and I crossed it using some rocks that were above water. My grandmother asked to go another way, but, of course, I insisted on going this way and that I would help her.

GAIN GAIN!

As we're nearing the the last rock, Gain Gain chatting about something or other, the rock underneath her feet gives and she falls, causing me to slip, but as soon as I got my bearings and I had hold of her, I slipped again and down came Grandma. The entire left side of her body was immersed in water, including her head. All I could see was her lovely perm floating above the water. My mother was screaming,"MAMA! MAMA! SOMEONE GET HER UP! GET HER UP!" but not moving an inch (moral support) and Laura and I dove after her. Thankfully, I still had a hold on her or else she might have cracked her head against a rock.


By the time we got her up, sputtering and all, we were all laughing so hard we were crying (or maybe we were crying first). I felt so bad, but she went on and on about how much she enjoyed it. If you're related to me, this is a daily occurrence.

On another note, tonight, while jogging, I passed a group of people sitting out on a porch and one said, "everytime you pass, I start singing the rocky theme song." I wanted so badly to come up with something clever back, but wheezy wheeze had taken over.

Since I'm not eating chocolate, I've found a new desert that looks delicious. blueberry peach crisp

Love and teddy roosevelt,
MICHELLE

I see you baby, shaking that thang

My first question is this: Why the brownies did no one tell me there's cocoa in red velvet? My suffering from giving up chocolate has been all a lie! I've been eating chocolate this whole time packed all in one single, delicious red velvet cup cake. Admittedly, though, I'm not entirely distressed about this. When I think of chocolate, I don't naturally think of red velvet. So, we're going to pretend I didn't eat them (and go ahead and pretend I won't eat a few more).

I want to give a shout out to the people across the seas reading this blog. I didn't know that there was this adorable little thing that tracks countries that have viewed the blog, and there are quite a few that aren't the U.S. So, hey! (Let's be friends so I can have a free place to stay when I come visit your country, okay?)

An important thing to remember when housesitting is that there are neighbors that don't know who in the whoa you are. That being said, the yesterday I learned a very awkward, hard lesson. There's a giant window in the kitchen of this house that has virtually no covering. And, as I tend to do daily, I found myself dancing around the house. The family that lives here has two little boys and they have a mother ton of fake guns around, so I was also playing 007 with one of those while dancing.

So, let's go over this quickly. Imagine a chubby (adorable) girl dancing around the kitchen in broad daylight with a black gun in her hand in a house that you know to not belong to said girl.

I noticed a woman walking her dog down the street stop in front of the house and peer into the window at me dancing around with a gun in my hand. Needless to say, I watched out for cops all day yesterday to come here and arrest me for dancing burglarly (mostly just the dancing was a crime). It probably didn't help that as soon as she saw me, I dropped down to the ground to cover myself. Oops.

Love and cupcake betrayal,
MICHELLE

happy birthday, mildred

Heyoooo! So, I'm fairly sure that I've lost another 1.6 pounds, so that's total 21.6, and I have no idea how much of that is towards the competition. Maybe 8 pounds? I really have no idea. Tomorrow I start week 3 of 5k training and I'm slightly nervous. I have to make the jump from 2 minutes jogging to 4, and I'm not so sure I'll be alive this time tomorrow. But alas, we'll see. All for Cotton Row (What is it we're raising money for again? I feel douchey asking that question).

Today is my twenty-second birthday and, admittedly, it was hard typing that. I grew fond of my lovely twenty-one year old status. So far, I haven't eaten anything too terrible. I stuffed my face (literally, there are pictures) with a kabob at the birthday kickball game I shad. It was DELICIOUS. And I brought vegetable chips and dip, so not the worst thing I could have had on my birthday. Kickball was so much fun! Except for the part where a large man literally screamed at us several times to not get on the dirt on the softball field. I was all like,"Yo, we got it!" and he was all like,"I'MA TELL YOU THREE MO TIMES, THEN. STAY OFF THE DIRT!" Along with several more statements about staying off the dirt (we didn't).

Alyssa and I have been housesitting for this family and, since they did say we could have whatever food was in the kitchen, I have found this week to be a tough one. See, at my own apartment, food can be scarce, so it's easy to ration. But here I am in this big ole house attacking the fridge without mercy. I really have no idea how I've lost a pound this week. It makes no sense. As soon as I saw their kitchen all I could think was,"As God is my witness, I will NEVA go Hungry AGAYAIN!" We made velvet cupcakes with homemade blackberry icing and, yeah, I definitely went a tad overboard on the cuppycakes. WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD.

Oh, and I also found a box of chocolate chip cookie brownie mix. Yeah, that's right. It's a cookie. AND IT'S A BROWNIE. How could they do this to me? Didn't they know I gave up chocolate only a week ago? I'm still weak. Still very, very weak. And why on mother earth did I give up chocolate a week before my day of birth? Seriously, Michelle? That was stupid.

Going to the movies tonight after hitting up so fat free frozen yogurt at Yogurt Mountain. I need some good birthday recipes on the real.

Love and kickballs,
MICHELLE

P.s. We're starting a kickball team named Ball Kickers if anyone wants to join.
.

Ugggggghhhhhh.....

Would be the "word" to describe how I feel right now.

So I'm sick...on my Spring Break. Awesome.

Things I don't really want to do while I'm sick: think, move, do an in-depth blog post.

Things I want to do while I'm sick: sleep on the couch, waiting on the meds to kick in.

It's sad too, because I had a really good post where I talked about making any recipe low fat. (Teaser: I chased an older lady down in the grocery store because I had a question about a red beans & rice recipe. She had on a Mardi Gras sweater, so I just assumed).

I have managed to continue with my 5k training. Yesterday, during one of my two minute jogging spurts, I'm pretty sure my body did a total double-take, asked "Are we really doing this?" and decided to rebel. Long story short, yesterday was hard and the first time I actually thought about giving up on the whole thing.

But I didn't

Weight loss update: As of last Wednesday weigh-in, I have lost 10.4 lbs, 6.4 of those go towards the competish. Yay! I'm also proud of my fellow competitor for losing the big 20! No really, I am.

Countdown Until Cotton Row: 78 days.
Countdown until I go to the doctor because I can't stand having a cold: 24 hours at the least

The 20 pound mark has been passed

So, yes, I've lost 20 pounds. And, since I only talk about what I eat sporadically, I thought I would sit down and make a list of things that I do and do not eat, exercises I do, and everything else that has led me to lose twenty pounds, because, after today, I'm changing things up (maybe not the food part, I think I need that to survive).

1. If I go out to eat, I check the restaurants website for calorie information, and that's how I chose what to get. I only eat half of the serving given, if that. You would be incredible surprised at how many calories are in food at restaurants.
2. I only drink water. If I'm feeling extra proud of myself, I might drink a diet drink, but those really aren't that great for you, so I generally just drink water.
3. I eat fruits and vegetables every day. If you like to eat a lot, then eat a lot of that stuff, because, I don't know if anyone has told you (I certainly had no idea), but those babiez are low CAL.
4. I pace myself. I take a bite of something and take a few gulps of water. Doing this makes me full faster.
5. I don't eat white grains (white bread, white rice, white tortillas...is that even a grain), potatoes, or fried foods. I started doing this later, though. I had to wing myself slowly off of it, or I would have turned into a fire breathing dragon.
6. I don't eat late. I try not to eat after 7 or 8, but if I do, it's fruit.
7. I exercise almost every day for 30min-1hour. If I don't, I at least do ab work outs and lunges with hand weights.
8.I read labels on almost every food I consume and, yes, I still hate math.
9. I don't generally eat cheese, but if I do, it's the VERY low calorie, low fat kind. a.k.a, the kind that tastes like nothing.
10. I think of something disgusting every time I think I want food that isn't good for me.

And that, ladies and maybe three gents, is pretty much exactly what I've been doing since the beginning of February. I am not going to lie to you, the first week I started this was horrible and all I wanted was to eat everything and anything. Since I'm still not yet a success story, I can tell you I definitely have motivation issues and I have to work on my self control every day, but I know one thing for sure: I'm not giving up on this. I'm expecting a lull in the weight loss after this week, and I know that discourages me beyond belief, but it's okay.

Training for the 5k has proved successful so far. I'm on week 2 where I walk 5 minutes, jog 2 minutes. It takes a lot of willpower for me to actually jog 2 minutes without hitching a ride from a nearby car and going home.

Oh, and I'm giving up chocolate for lent. A warning to those of you that have to be around me. My birthday is in 6 days and my favorite bday cake is a reesies ice cream cake. I can already feel myself turning into a grizzly bear and storming downtown.

Love and grizzly adams,
MICHELLE

I'm a maniac...no, seriously

So, I just wanted to take this time to let everyone know I made a facebook page for the bloggy so that people can easily get into contact with us and find our blog. And you may find the page in this ridiculously long link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aint-No-Size-Zero/139296796137708#!/pages/Aint-No-Size-Zero/139296796137708

Tonight, I went jogging and passed a car with a very loud toddler in it, and, when she saw me, she started screaming,"SLOW DOWN! SLOOOOOW DOWN! MOMMY, SHE WON'T SLOW DOWN!" And I was like,"What? I'm going too fast to hear you ahhhhhhh!" It was a weird moment, I'm not going to lie to you.

I've been really into a half sandwich/soup combo lately, and that's mostly because my grandmother gave me a mother ton of a homemade soup. I had her white chili tonight and oh mah lawd, it was superb. She made me dinner on Saturday night and, when I didn't finish the huge bowl of chili she made me, she was convinced I hated it. She's obviously used to mondo Michelle eating everything in sight (I just imagined myself as the huge marshmellow in ghostbusters saying,"NOMNOMNOMNOM!"). I even found myself snatching my half eaten bowl from my mom and saying,"YOU'RE IN TRAINING!" Things are getting a bit weird upstairs in my brain.

If you feel so inclined, leave a comment or contact us on the facebook page.

Love and chubby kittens,
MICHELLE

Michelle just got serious, ya'll

I'm not going into too much detail, but I've already lost more weight since I weight myself, so

THE COMPETISH IS SOOOO NOT ALL THAT CLOSE.

Anyway, moving on. Mom and I did 5k training in the pouring rain today. It was pretty crazy. My glasses were so weat that I didn't see the large puddles I was drenching myself in until I felt it on the back of my badunkadunk. Mom did really well, though. She never complained or asked to go home, even though she was drenched.

On a more serious note, it has recently come to my attention that there are those out there in world who view people overweight as "lazy" and that they should not blame genetics or parenting. I'm going to speak for myself here and say that yes, I'm overweight, but I am by no means lazy. There are several contributing factors to a person being overweight that have nothing to do with that word. There are differences in every person's body, so it is completely obnoxious to establish a blanket statement on overweight people.

Top 3 reasons not to piss off an overweight person:
1. we can sit on you, stupid.
2. in wrestling, we would probably win...and make you look stupid.
3. we can lose weight and feel amazing and realize how little you matter...and find a way to make you look more stupid.

I'm sorry for my Shant (Charlie Sheen rant). I'm just a little tired of being ridiculed, aren't you? Let's do something about that. We should all be supporting each other, not bringing one another down.

Love and a motivatin'
MICHELLE

Weightloss Update!

I'm checking in to let everyone know that I weighed in on Friday and I have lost a total of 8.6 lbs (counts to Scale Back Alabama). Of that, 4lbs counts for the competish.

That's right! Michelle is only beating me by 0.2 lbs. Do you feel the heat? BECAUSE IT IS ON!!!

This competish is sooo close.

I have a question, Michelle---Can you feel me breathing down your neck as I gain (or in this case lose) on you? I'm am rounding the corner at breakneck speed and I'm stepping on your heels....

I am now realizing that I am not that great at sports metaphors, but just understand that I am in it to win it! WOO WOO!!


In other news, all three of us (Michelle, our mom, and I) jogged in the rain today to prepare for our first 5k. DEDICATION!

Countdown to Cotton Row: 86 Days

Countdown to Cotton Row

So Mom talked me into doing a 5k. It’s always been one of those things that was on my bucket list. I never thought it would come up in 11 weeks! So I started training today. We are doing the Cotton Row Run in Huntsville on May 30^th (http://www.roadraceplace.com/races/cotton-row-run-5k-alabama-huntsville/). My plan for week 1
is as follows:

Week 1: Day 1: Walk 5 min; jog 1 min. Repeat 4 times

Day 2: Brisk Walk 20 min.

Day 3: Walk 5 min; Jog 1 min. Repeat 4 x’s

Day 4: Brisk walk 20 min.

Day 5: Walk 5 min; Jog 1 min; Repeat 4x’s

It gets harder, until eventually I am jogging thirty minutes.

As I said, I started today. I began really great…but by the third time my legs felt heavy and I was WEEZY! I got through it though. Gotta have a first day, you know?

Count down to Cotton Row: 88 days

Oh, and to respond to the blasphemous accusations that I am losing:

I don’t know! Because, I have not weighed in this week. It is Dr. Seuss week, which equals me forgetting to weigh in. I will be updating tomorrow with how much I have lost this week and we will just SEE who is doing the wining around here!

Love and losing (of the fat),

Laura

This is for all you bloggers out there

I don't know why I put that as my subject. I just really wanted to say it. So, I know I said I would weigh myself after a month, but I did it anyway and GUESS WHAT?!

I've lost another 4.2 pounds! What chicka what! So, that means I have lost 17.2 pounds and 4.2 pounds for the competish. That's right, Laura. I be a winnin'.

Anyway, that's all I really had to say. Laura, mom, and I are going to do a 5k at the end of May, so I'm going to start training for it. My basic training shhhedule is as follows:

·  Before you start your workouts, make sure you warm up properly by walking for 5-10 minutes. You should always end your workout with a cooldown.

·  Week one: Walk for 6 minutes, then jog at an easy pace for 1 minute. Repeat 3 times. Aim for three sessions with that same sequence for week one.

·  Week two: Walk for 5 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim to do three sessions in week two.

·  Week three: Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Aim for four sessions in week three.

·  Week four: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Shoot for four of those sessions in week four.

·  Week five: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 8 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four of those sessions in week five.

·  Week six: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 9 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Try to do four sessions for week six.

·  Week seven: Walk for 1 minute, then jog for 11 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four sessions this week.

·  Week eight: Congratulations on making it to week eight! For your first run this week, try walking for 5 minutes to begin and end the workout, and run for 20 minutes in between. By the end of the week, try to run for 30 minutes without stopping.

I can already jog for an ENTIRE MINUTE (holy whatchu say?!) forreals. And then I wheeze (is that even how you spell that?).  I will be filling you in on this ordeal ever week, so keep on a readin'. And if you're so bold as to do this with me, let me know (although I doubt it, ya pansies).

Love and spandex,
MICHELLE

Only Gets Better With Age

Hello there, I thought I would write about someone close to my heart - my Mom. Saturday the 26th of Feb was her birthday. I won't reveal her age, but I will tell you she certainly doesn't look it. The reason? Healthy living and a very active lifestyle. She can outwalk us all over Birmingham I can promise you that.

A few years ago, Mom got totally off sweets because her triglycerides were a little high. She looks amazing - She also works out at the gym Monday through Friday for an hour and a half - she can even get in there with the muscleheads and lift weights. She eats lots of vegetables, whole grains, no fast food and lots of water or tea and she's HAPPY! She made up her mind to be happy and healthy and that is what she is.

We can all be there on the same plane as my Mama. No excuses....just willpower!

Love and gracefully aging, Mom!

Hungry like the wolf

My first question is this: why the double fudge brownies is Russel Brand at the Oscars? Do they invite anyone now?

I digress. Admittedly, I've been lagging a little. After three'ish weeks, my energy is not as high as it was when I first started. I'm guessing it's because my body is getting used to everything and fighting me on my weight loss adventure. Just a theory. I had to make myself go jog today, but when I got back I felt great. Even during, I was more chipper and awake than I have been all day. Right now I'm fighting the urge to eat something. I'm pretty hungry and, as I said, I've been not doing quite as well. This includes not eating after seven. I've also had quite a bit of candy in the last two days. But, what else can I say besides I'll try to do better? I can't say I won't eat candy, but at least I can say I'll try harder.

I've also been doing a lot of outside exercise recently due to the weather. It's really nice and the hills around here are killers. But, I'm trying to go to Savannah, GA as a present to myself for my birthday, so I really want to look a little more healthy. You know, bikini's and shiz.

If anyone out there has a bike they don't want, mine got stolen and I need another form of exercise, so give me yours. Please.

There's a 5k coming up at the end of March I might be interested in. Anyone know of a good way to train for that?

Love and double chins,
MICHELLE

Let's Get Physical!

Let's talk about my workout routine. Usually ( I say usually because I've been off the band wagon), I do some type of activity for thirty minutes at least six times a week. Whether it is walking/slow jogging, doing some kind of aerobic video, or doing circuit training at the gym, I want to do something. Also, I get bored of doing the same excersise over and over again. I like to shake things up.

Speaking of shaking things up, I'm in Athens for the weekend. Today, I went with my mom to her gym to do Zumba. I've done Zumba before and really enjoy it. I loved today too, the only thing is that the room we were in was covered in mirrors. Now, I love to dance and I'm just going to throw this out there--I dance in my apartment by myself if a good song comes on TV or my Itunes. However, my apartment is not covered in mirrors. Neither was the room in the last place I took Zumba. I was a little self-concious today. I know that the other people aren't looking at me because you are too busy watching the instructor to look (and make fun of) other people. I just don't like me looking at me, you get me? Even at the gym there are mirrors for you to watch yourself as you are doing weights. "Why?", I ask.

Anyway, I digress....lately I have been walking a lot. With the weather we've been having, it's almost a sin not to go do something in it. There are two awesome girls from work (Hey Jenny and Angie!) that I walk with at least twice a week at school. I also like to walk at my local park or around my apartment complex. I also tried the workout videos on Netflix that my nemsis (and sister, Michelle) told me about. They are really good and all I have to do is log-on.

Basically, I will try anything once as long as it's a good workout.


I take that back. There is one workout I will not do. I will let the picture talk for itself.

***Weight Loss Update: I have lost 6.8 lbs on Scale Back Alabama. Although I only think that 1.8 lbs count towards the competish. Things are looking up! Or down, hopefully if you are talking about the scale. :)

Love and Love Handles,

Laura

Take that, carbs!

This entry is mostly unimportant and I was going to post it last night, but, as usual, my memory is about the same as a gold fish's memory, I forgot.

Last night, Alyssa and I had laundry to do and we usually go to the laundry mat that is next to a local tex mex/"americana?" restaurant. Before I started my "new lifestyle" (how many times do I use quotes in one day?), I found a burrito they serve there to be AMAZING. It's got all sorts of goodness on the inside and is covered with queso and salsa on the outside. So, knowing these factors, I knew that I could not order this amazing treat without losing myself to guilt and shame...and, let's face it, delicious fattyness. Instead, I ordered the blackened talapia tacos. This entree comes with cole slaw, black beans, and rice. I was apprehensive about the cole slaw, mostly because I know generally what's in it and I don't really like cole slaw, but when my food came out I tried it and it was sooooo good. Knowing that I would probably be eating the cole slaw, I did something surprising. Something I have never done in my lifetime:

I got rid of the taco tortillas and the rice. In the back of my head, I could hear my mother yelling,"WHEAT NOT WHITE, WHITE NOT WHITE!" And knowing that these tortillas were not wheat and the rice was not brown, I gave it away and didn't eat them. Also, I couldn't even eat that much before I got full and had tasty leftovers for lunch.

This may seem like such a small matter to anyone else, but I really felt accomplished. Three or four weeks ago, even the day before yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to do that. It felt really good knowing I can.

Love and wheat,
MICHELLE

The Fat Strikes Back

So, it's time for some discouragement issues. I haven't lost any more poundage. I've been mentioning this to various people who have shown a lot of support and simply give me tips to get through it, but I have found myself unmotivated once again. I haven't eaten an entire gallon of ice cream, yet, so hope is not lost. My friend, Erin, told to weigh myself once a month so that I don't get discouraged so quickly, but this idea makes me a bit nervous. I like to know if what I'm doing is successful, and how can I know if I wait an entire month? But, then again, this might be a better idea seeing as how I'm basically proving her theory by being discouraged right now.

This morning, I made an egg white omelet with these eggs that Alyssa brought home. Apparently, her boss at the barn she works at (she works with dem horses, ya'll) has chickens and she was having too many eggs. I was a bit apprehensive since, well, eggs are supposed to come from a store, right? RIGHT? But, they actually turned out quite nicely and I enjoyed my free chicken eggs.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe the advice to eat whenever I feel hungry was what made me not lose weight. I didn't overeat, mind you, but I ate a little something. I hear that this makes your metabolism faster, but when I wasn't doing that the first two weeks, I actually lost weight. Confusing this all is, people. Confusing. So, if there's anyone out there knowing a good answer, let me know.I burned 800 calories at the gym, and still I am no pound less.

I suppose this means I'm losing the competish so far. I hope Laura worked her buisnass off last week. Someone should have at least lost something, right?

Love and chick flicks,
MICHELLE

Gettin' Crunk

My first question is this: WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! February is almost gone and the weather is awfully springy. It makes me nervous. The weather here always seems to play tricks on us. But, I digress.

Due to the recent beautiful weather, I have taken to fast pace walking/jogging outside. I live slightly on a mountain (I say slightly because...well, I've seen bigger mountains), so I've been walking up on top of the "mountain" and walking the trail that's on the top. The way up is kind of hard because, obviously, it's uphill, but I cut through this awesome apartment complex that has crazy stairs that lead up to the top. It literally feels as if I'm going back in time to a German village. I love going through it. I'll have to take pictures next time I go. Anyway, so I go up all these stairs and reach the top of the mountain where the trail is. Today was kind of funny because I got stuck behind this rather interesting couple. The girl had fake platinum blonde hair with streaks of blue, striped gloves on, and worn down converses...also, skinny jeans. I immediately loathed her. The guy had longer hair than I do and the entire time he was having to hold his pants up, though not really succeeding because his boxers were visible to me the entire time. His shirt said "SADISTIC MAGICIAN", so, naturally, I followed them into the woods.

The trail itself is a mile long, but by that time I've already gone maybe a mile. It ends on the other side of the mountain and then I have to walk another  mile'ish back to my apartment. I have enjoyed it the past few days. I keep singing,"On top of Red Moooouuuntain, where pollutioniseasierto seeee." (Yes, I live in a polluted city what of it?)

At night, I usually do some pilates exercises (squats, lunges, etc) and 400 crunches. I also bought one of those exercise balls, only to be embarrassed after not realizing that I grabbed one that was for people 5'3" and under...I'm 5'10"...So it looks a bit awkward when I'm on it.

OMGZ I TOTALLY FORGOT A SPECIAL PART OF MY WEEK.

On Wednesday, I, Michelle Bloggerson, got crunk. My friend Caroline brought me to this exercise class at the rec center and it was pretty fun. It's called Crunk class. And yes, we did get crunk. I learned how to shake that thang while also panting and sweating like my dogs. It was funnnnnz.

That's all for now. Still feelin' the good ole burn!

Love and egg whites,
MICHELLE

Are you ready for this?

Just some music to get us pumped up for our competition, seeing as how we started on Monday. Thoughts as we start this thing:

• The other night, I was incredibly hungry. I did not eat, so I was proud of myself. What I did do—bite my nails and chew gum.
• I don’t think I have mentioned this, but I am doing Scale Back Alabama. So far I have lost 4 lbs.
• 4 lbs is one less than Michelle lost in a week. I NEEDZ TO STEP IT UP!
• I had realization on the phone tonight with a friend (Hi Carla!) that while I love reading blogs, I especially love reading blogs about food and recipes. Probably, not a good idea, but not going to quit anytime soon.
• I’ve mentioned this before-but why do my calves burn like rubbing alcohol to an open wound whenever I walk/jog slowly?
• After watching the Grammys, I’ve decided I want Rihanna’s body to replace the current mess I have now. The only way I could have it would be to A) have mucho money B) take that money and a picture of her to a plastic surgeon.
• If I had Rihanna’s body, I promise I would dress it better. Just sayin’ Rhee!
• Found some more healthy recipes, plan on using them when I get paid and can actually shop. (http://www.recipegirl.com/category/recipes/weight-watchers/)
• Grocery shopping because you are cooking more is CRAZY expensive sometimes.
• I need to start using coupons more.
• Read somewhere that New Zealand is one of the healthiest countries in the World. Maybe that will be where I use my plane ticket. Sing it me now “I’ve got the golden ticket! I’ve got a golden chance to make my way (to New Zealand, perhaps).”
• Props if you can name the movie that contains the above quote (sans New Zealand)

Love and Margarine,

Laura

Weekly weigh in

So, the weight is in and I have lost another 5 pounds after week 2. I slacked off a little by eating a little too much chocolate, but I tried to make up for it by doing over a thousand crunches. Alarmed? Don't be. I took breaks in between them so it wasn't as hard as it sounds, but my stomach does feel like a jungle of pain.

Unfortunately, academics has been calling my name the past few days and I haven't been able to write. I did go hiking and it was worthy of a good vlog, but Alyssa forgot the camera (I'm never to blame, of course). But, since I have been busy studying the books, I haven't had as much time to go to the gym. So, along with the thousands of crunches (that's finally not an exaggeration!), I memorized my pilates video and try to do it while studying. Maybe I'll write a book about studying while exercising...for dummies, of course.

The recent craze in my house last week was the low fat berry crepes. These babies are about 106 calories and taste like sugary fruit rolled up in a pancake. I got some lite syrup and put it on them and they were delicious. If you hate regular breakfast food or have to have something sweet after dinner, I recommend these. SO GOOD.

Last night, I had a realization (besides having withdrawals from blogging). I realized that I don't really feel like I'm starving myself or dieting anymore, but the things that I'm doing, like portion control, exercise, etc, feel like something I've done for a longer amount of time than it has been. I hardly think about food as much (and Alyssa has stopped looking like prime rib when I'm extra hungry at night). I will admit that I eat some fruit or a cracker after 7 and I should probably chill out on that, but other than that, I've been doing well not thinking about it.

Now, I've saved the best for last, the competition has started AND MAY THE BEST WIN!

BRING IT, LAURA. YOU ARE GOING DIZOWN!

wake me up before you go go

Does anyone else find it really hard to "diet" when you work at a restaurant? I try really hard not to eat too much of anything fattening, but ugh. What I really want is a large burrito with chips and queso. I went to the grocery store today and bought every fruit ending with berry imaginable (exaggeration...i think) after finding out how little calories they are. I also got oat meal, grits (I love them, don't question), ingredients for spinach lasagna rolls, and tons of other things (I hope, I spent like 70 bucks...what did I get?).

One of my biggest cravings is chocolate, so I've decided to quit milk chocolate and go for dark. It's not as good as my beloved, but it does the trick nonetheless, so I bought some dark chocolate covered espresso beans. I take a few, throw them in the mouth, and go on about my business. This gets rid of my chocolate craving AND I haven't used up too many calories. 

Tomorrow, I'm going hiking, and since it's always humorous to see me hike, I'm going to be vlogging (video blogging) for tomorrow's post. Fingers crossed that I don't trip over a tree root.

Love and aspargus,
MICHELLE

I got 99 problems, but a list ain't one....

Michelle told me to write a top ten list of my favorite songs to listen to while exercising (the demons..kidding!Maybe!). What I require in a song is a good beat and inspiring lyrics; athough these two don’t have to go together to work for me every time (See Animal Collective as an example). At the very least, something that will keep me moving when my calves are burning like the hottest part of the sun and all I want to do is stop.

This list also changes with my moods and the day I listen to them. This list looked a little different when I started on it last week. It changed today when I went walking and it will probably change again the next time I work out.

Anyhoo, may I present….Laura’s Top Ten List of Songs while Exercising (the demons):

1. “99 Problems” by Jay Z.
2. “Dogs Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine
3. “Ramble On” by Led Zepplin
4. “Bulletproof” by La Roux
5. “Good Life” by One Republic
6. “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap
7. “Fireworks” by Animal Collective
8. “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
9. “This Too Shall Pass” by OK Go
10. “I’ll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade

Peace and Popsicles,

Laura

This is a Test to see if Mom knows what she's doing.

The jury is still out, but just in case I"m going to type something up. I have been in this horrendous class this week. I hate it, don't like it and worst of all, I believe it's a waste of my time and Government money. How they can justify two weeks of this crap is beyond me.

Anyway, it has put a stress on my nerves and I want to eat the left side of the menu which is NOT a good thing. Studies have shown that stress causes you to eat and gain around the middle. I was given an assignment to write this ridiculous paper and will have to present it next Wednesday (can you say 6th grade speech class???). Uhhhhh

I say this to remember when you feel stressed, either go work out as soon as possible or channel the chi (yoga). Stress isn't worth it in the grand scheme of things. Hot tea actually helps as well and it's fat free. No matter how old you are, you will always have some kind of stress in your life, you just have to learn how to deal with it.

I hope this post helps and I hope you have a great day! Love my girls!

little monsters, put your paws up?...seriously?

So, I went to the gym with my friend Caroline tonight. Working out with her goes by so quickly since all we do is talk smack for an hour. Then, we played racquetball for a bit before I went home and had dinner. I am telling you that I had a serving size of whatever it was we ate and I could not finish it. We also had asparagus, but by the time I got down to the last bites,I thought I was going to die I was so full. It was awful. My stomach was hurting so badly.  WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?! I didn't have more than I've been having, so what happened? If anyone has any answers I would love to know, because I'ma need to avoid that for the rest of my life. At least now I know what would happen if I ate a lot like I did just a few weeks ago: severe pain for hours.

The only other thing I have to write about is a question: does ANYONE like the new gaga song?

mmm mmm michelle

So, I'm insanely excited because my bossy boss, Sarah, showed me zis: Skinny Taste. I know I'm not on the weight watchers diet, but these recipes are awesome! I'm going to try and make the potato skins tonight with a side of grilled asperagus. I know whatsup. So far today,  I've had a serving of  Banana nut cheerios, some grapes, blackberries, and egg whites for breakfast. The 8 pack chicken nuggets from Chick Filet (they're 305 calories and addicting...what of it) with a side of a serving size of carrots. It was hard making them taste like fries in my mouth, but I trudged through it.

I got the elliptical machine with the hdtv again! I was on there for a good 55 minutes, burned over 600 calories, and went for almost 4 miles.I felt really good afterward, but now I'm just tired. So, I'm now going to lay on my bootazy and watch TV. Don't judge.


love and low fat food,
MICHELLE

p.s. i'm leaving you with something to make the day better : D

from the bottom: Adalade, Scout (middle), and Maybe (big fluff up top)

It Just Got Real, Y'all

Michelle asked me to blog about my top ten favorite songs to work out to, but instead I’m going to vent. (Sorry, shellbug*, I’ll get to the list next time).

Although the competition (that I’m going to win) hasn’t technically started, I’ve been doing this non-diet for about a month. So….

I’ve had a frustratingly, bad day this week. Who hasn’t had bad days? However, couple that with bad choices here and there…and that leads to either weight gain or no weight loss at all.

That’s what I do. I let life’s little problems (and let’s be honest, they may be annoying and dramatic at the time, but they are insignificant in the long run) get in the way of real change. I could lay blame on a variety of different places, but in the end, I am the only thing standing in the way of me.

Aaaand, I just sounded like a Grey’s Anatomy episode.

So, how do I stop myself?

Pray? Slap myself? Tell myself to get over it?

Or do I just give up completely? Being honest, usually this would be the point in the “diet” where I would give up. Throw up my hands and scream “WORLD, YOU WIN!.”

Except this isn’t a Grey’s Anatomy episode. Bad days happen, good days happen, and amazing days happen and this episode doesn’t end at the sixty minute mark. So, I am not going to stop just because life got annoying for a day. It will be annoying again, but by taking care of myself, I’ve learned that I can make those days better.

In order to do that, sometimes you just have to admit your mistakes and move on. My mistakes being that I made delicious corn flake cookies (like rice crispy treats, but with corn flakes and peanut butter), I went overboard at the Stupid Bowl, and I missed a workout.

There. There it is. Now I’m going to pick myself up and get back on that metaphorical horse.

Also, Michelle has lost 8 lbs, so she is bringing her A-game. What’s a letter better than “A”? I’m bringing that.

Laura

*Michelle’s nickname since she was little. I still call her that even though she’s in college.

do you belieeeeve in life after love?(food)

Before mentioning anything else, I have to say (because there are those out there that don't notice the username after a post...SARAH), this is Michelle writing this. Laura has written two under the username McBridesMaid and our mother has posted as Mom. Perhaps we should mention our names in our posts, but we're a little more preoccupied with other things, like...

KICKBOXING WORKOUT DVD ON NETFLIX INSTANT OMGZ.(And gyming, not eating, etc).

So, today was my workout dvd day on Netflix and I decided to go ahead and do the first one I did, Fat Burning Pilates, because it hurt me and I want to hurt it back. Actually, I really am sore from Monday when I did it the first time. AND THEN, I found another dvd. It's called 10 Minute Solutation: Kickboxing Bootcamp. There are 5 ten minute workouts on here consisting of different things that center on different parts of the body. I did basic training and it felt pretty good. I was already hurting from the Pilates before this one or I would have done another one, but it gets intense later on. I recommend it. Netflix instant has other 10 minute solution videos that I will be trying in the coming weeks, so PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.

Do you feel like I yell at you a lot? Well, that's either 1)me cracked out on my own energy or 2) I WANT TO EAT SO BADLY.

I can feel myself starting to crack a bit. At work today, I was so close to eating chips and queso. I know I said that I'll eat whatever as long as it's in small amounts, but I cannot start eating chips and queso. It is a weakness that, if started, will not stop. Whenever I feel extra hungry, I am so close to wanting to give up. I've gotten a lot of great feedback that makes me feel so good, and that is an extremely large part to why I've been trying so hard. I also feel a lot happier and energetic, but then I think about a chicken fanger plate from my fav. chinger fanger joint and my mouth literally effing waters. I hate it. I've been doing pretty well not thinking about it for a week now, but last night almost got to me.

And on that note, it seems the weight loss bug has been spreading. My bosses at work are in their own competish and I'm excited to see who wins. Laura and I will start ours in 6 days and counting, so mark your calendars and pick a side (as in mine), because one will lose (as in Laura).

Tonight, I'm going to try the potato tortilla. I tried making it Monday night, but it wasn't the exact way I wanted, but tonight I will hopefully get it right. I'll keep you posted.

love and glutes,
MICHELLE

Never too old to notice a butt like that

So, this morning, I had an exciting start to my day. I've lost 8 pounds since I started this a week ago! I now that it won't be that much every week...as in, it probably won't even be NEAR that much every week, but I'm enjoying the moment.

My awesome friend Letty helped motivate me into working out yesterday when I really didn't feel like it. It was rainy and cold outside and I had planned to go to the gym, but once it came time to, I just didn't have it in me. So, she told me about these work out videos on Netflix instant play. It's not like a library full of work out tapes, but it's got a few good ones. The one I did was called Fat Burning Pilates and I thought,"Yeah, okay, but I'll probably not get enough from it and still have to go to the gym."

uh...no. I was mistaken. I could hardly move my legs this morning. But it was pretty awesome!

Today, I finally got an elliptical machine with an hdtv attached to it. It probably sounds sad how much I enjoyed having that one, but I stayed on it for almost an hour and the time went by really quickly. When I was done, there was a trainer talking to a girl in front of me and he was like,"Okay, let's do some stretches!" So, they start stretching and all you can hear is him going,"Ahhh...that's it...oh yeah, that's a good spot, right? oh yes." I let a few giggles escape and the old woman next to me goes,"Oh Lord, give me a trainer like that one!"

And that's the end of my post today. You're welcome.

Morning Glory

I am not a morning person. I naturally don’t wake up until around 9. Due to my job, I have to get up around 5:30. Then, I hit snooze and actually get up at 5:45 when my alarm goes off again. I don’t talk until I get to work, so needless to say, I’m not hungry that early in the morning either.

Therefore, fore with, and how fore, breakfast is not my favorite meal of the day. The foods you have for breakfast are not my favorite and I’m just not in the mood for it. But what is the most important meal of the day? Say it with me people: BREAKFAST! One of my doctors told me one time that I should eat like a king (or queen) for breakfast, a prince(ss) for lunch and a peasant for dinner. Yeah, I’m more of the opposite. I just like dinner food better.

So Sunday morning I’m trying to eat good stuff for breakfast and it totally blows up in my face. A name brand yogurt that will remain nameless because I don’t want to get sued (but let’s just say has a familiar celebrity spokes person if you like horror films) has a cherry flavor with 20 grams of sugar!!!!!!!!! Per serving. Doctors say you should get 40g of sugar on a 1600 cal diet.*I should have known, because that first bite tasted AWESOME! Of course, I didn’t look at the nutrition label before I bought it. I just thought it would be good for me to eat and didn’t think that it would have double the amount of sugar that a regular human is supposed to have in a day. Lesson learned: Always check out the nutrition label, even if you think something is “healthy.”

I think what I’m going to have to do is start actually getting up at 5:30 (Gasp!) and making myself breakfast. I’m going to copy Michelle and start making oatmeal. I’m going to mix in some low fat peanut butter to add taste (I don’t believe oatmeal has any) and some protein. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Now for something completely different----Michelle and I have decided to make this somewhat of a competish. She who loses the most gets some sort of prize. We just decided today that whoever loses the most by February 14^th, 2012 receives a plane ticket to wherever she wants to go. However, we can’t go over $400. We both love to travel, so this is perfect for us. Sadly, it would also take us a year to save $400. We will also check in each week to see how each other is doing. That being said, our family is very competitive. Don’t play rook with us and don’t come watch an Alabama football game with us. So, there’s no way I’m letting my baby sister win this.

I’ve got my game face on!!!!

*My source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/reduce-your-sugar-intake-0