Jonahgirl’s BodyBlog

I asked for p90x for Christmas and Santa didn’t disappoint. Since I was out of town visiting family I had plenty of time to read the fitness guide and the nutrition guide a couple of times. This program is definitely not for the beginner (as it says in many places throughout the fitness guide). The nutrition guide (diet) is point blank in your face…stop eating crap. I think for many this would be the hardest part. Since I already eat very close to Phase 2 now dropping down to the "fat shredder" phase 1 won’t seem too terrible drastic. The pre-fitness test wasn’t too hard. Two solid minutes of jumping jacks sounded much easier than it was.
I’ve decided to start it January 1st not because it is the new year but because I want Day 7 to fall on a Wednesday which is my long workday. I can also do it first thing in the morning versus waiting to 5pm to workout.

I can also avoid the January gym crush that is pretty much a given.

It has been a year since discovering BB.com through a google search. At that point I had been working out for a month just using the machines at the gym in the same building I work in. I still felt clueless and wasn’t sure what I was doing.
One year later I am 15 lbs lighter with at least 8% less bodyfat and a certified personal trainer. (Okay, here is the point that I admit I am slightly obsessive in that when I like something I tend to go all out)
I have never been one to do New Years’ Resolutions but I do continually set goals. I keep a mental list and add to it as I go. One goal I did not reach yet was six pack abs. I’ve come close but that goal is still on my list. Another goal I have set is to become a Transformation of the Week here on BB.com.

The holidays that is…the plusses are wonderful…spending time with family and friends and I really do enjoy it. The food on the other hand….argh! The thing is I am not tempted for the most part by the majority of the food I am around. I am just tired of saying "no thank you" then having to add.."no really, no thank you." Most of these people already know I don’t eat high fat, high sugar foods yet they persist. I guess if I eat it it makes it okay for them to eat four.

Of course this time of year is immediately followed by the "I must get in shape and lose 40 pounds in three weeks" time of the year for all those making that New Years’ Resolution thing. It certainly makes going to the gym in January interesting.

Today marks the one year mark of working out. I have to say it has brought changes I never expected. When I started in November 2007 I weighed 125 and wore a size 4/6. Although I had already lost 43 pounds prior to working out I was still a little flabby and wanted to just "tone up".  My biggest motivator was to see if exercise would allow me to get off Zetia (cholesterol medicine).
It only took two weeks to get hooked. For the first month I went six days a week only missing a day when I was out of town. I had no idea what I was doing.
I discovered bb.com the day after Christmas. What an incredible resource!  I used what I learned on the website to clean up my eating.
In January  I began working out with the personal trainer at my gym. My weight stayed about the same but I was losing bodyfat fast. The size 6 pants were falling off.
By the end of February I had hooked up with Steve Oldfield  to participate in a 12 week online training trial. My personal trainer was very pregnant and recommended I get my certification and take her place at the gym.
March brought the exam for personal training (I scored a 94%), a bad head cold, a broken rib (not related to workouts), and a low cholesterol score without Zetia.
My weight slowly dropped but not as fast as my clothing size. By May the size 4s were very loose and I was using a belt to hold them up. My bodyfat was less than 20% and still dropping.
In the middle of summer I stunned friends while visiting Florida with the drastic change in my appearance - I was minus 58lbs, a size 0/2, had long hair (after wearing it short for 30 years).
By September I had decided to replace all the bodyfat I lost in my chest with a breast augmentation. I had wanted one for about 20 years but with the massive weight loss I had nothing left. My biggest concern was losing all the progress I had achieved during the time off from the gym.
October was surgery and recovery month. I was able to do a little lower body by the end of the month.
Mid November came and so did my release to full workouts. I began slowly working back up to pre-surgery weights.

I have to say this has been the best year ever. Can’t wait to see what next year brings.