Magnolia7’s BodyBlog

So, I haven’t been consistent on bodyspace in a very long time.  This last year has been one heck of a roller-coaster: hubby started law school so we packed up and relocated from one coast to the other; since we were miserable and terribly cold in Connecticut we moved and now we are finally settled back in California- whew! Moving and having your whole life in boxes can really take it’s toll! So, in this last crazy year, my weight has also yo-yoed, unfortunately. I tend to be an emotional eater, so, when things aren’t so lovely, a nice plate of comfort food calls out to me. Of course the weights has piled on too. Now it’s time to start fresh! Now that things have seemed to calm down, my hubby and I were talking and he’s ready to get on the clean-eating bandwagon with me! My last semester of college (Winter 2007) I discovered the wonders of clean-eating and weight training (thanks to oxygen magazine) I was successfully able to lose weight and I loved the clean-energy that eating a bowl of oats and then 4 eggwhites before a workout gave me.  But then, I started to have some junk food here and then there, and all that hard work went down the drain! So, now with my hubby on board, I am so amped to start strong again and whip my body into some serious shape.  I have all of the resources, so there’s no excuse to not look and feel my best. Cheers to a new day!

Okay, so, I have been eating clean (except for the Sunday over-indulgences) and yesterday I decided to take my carb intake down, way down. I am a petite and curvy body type and I tend to bulk super-fast.  So, I really want to bring body fat down and need to do some diet refining.  Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  So, my exercise has been spot on and I feel like I am in a rut.  I pulled out my copy of Jillian Michael’s book "Winning by Losing" and did the quiz for metabolic typing.  Turns out, I am a fast-oxidizer, which means that my body tends to convert food, particularly refined-carbs into sugar then to fat very quickly.  So, I decided to cut out those carbs completely, and balancing the nutritious carbs, proteing and fats accordingly.  Yesterday I stuck to 1200 cals, and protein based foods, along with some protein shakes and salads.  Today I am changing the calorie intake to 1500 so that my metabolism keeps charging forward.  I like Jillian’s methods for varying caloric intake so the body never adapts.   Now, while this sounds pretty easy, I do all of the cooking for my family.  My husband doesn’t have the same body issues, and therefore pretty much eats what he wants. He is also super-disciplined and works out at 6:30 am every morning before going to law school full time.   So, I still make him the pasta and other carb-laden foods. Anyway, I can’t let that distract me away from my goals.  I will ignore the sweet foods he eats later in the day.  lol.  Well, I will keep posting on how this low-carb thing is going. And for now, I am pretty pysched about it.

So, recently, I have had to adjust my going-to-the-gym schedule.  This really effected my motivation and discipline.  So, I started doing videos at home, and much to my surprise I am getting better results.  I think it’s possible to overwork at the gym sometimes; especially those of us who are trying to shave off the fat instead of gaining.   So, while I still make hitting the gym a priority; I am finding that home workouts can be just as effective.  Usually, I hit the treadmill at the gym for 45- 60 minutes, at a 6mph pace.  I don’t change the pace up that often, so, I have become pretty efficient at this.  At home, I am substituting kick-boxing and cardio dvd’s, and for now it’s really challenging me out of plateaus. Anyway, I am relieved to be getting myself out of a rut.  Staying motivated is getting easier and I am loving my workouts!

Okay, so, I have not been consistent or disciplined with maintaining my bodyspace profile, or my eating and workout routine. At the end of summer, my family just made a big move to the East coast from the West coast and I have been in a major slump. While my efforts start off great on most days, I end up giving into temptation (most of the time, snacking out of utter boredom).  I do manage to get to the gym and work-out hard, but if I don’t follow that up with clean-eating; I set myself up for total failure, a pattern that I have grown very tired of.

I have decided that enough is enough. I want to be exceptionally fit, and maybe someday inspire others with a great toned bod, like the one’s I admire gracing the covers of Oxygen magazine.  I love Oxygen, and read it religiously, but somehow I haven’t fully committed myself.

So, today, my journey begins anew! No more excuses, and I refuse to be mediocre.

Well, I recently discovered bodyspace and bodybuilding.com while shopping around for supplements.  Needless to say, this is an awesome site.  I really enjoy seeing that other people share such enthusiasm for being healthy.

I have always struggled with my weight since I was a kid in elementary school.  By highschool I was practically obese and started to change my ways and eating habits.  I went from a size 22 to a size 14 within a year.

A few years ago when I met my husband I became more motivated to really make some crucial changes. I completely cut out soda, and we started running 4-6 miles a day together. I quickly went from a size 10 to a size 6.

For anyone who has ever been overweight for any extended period of time, and then lost a practically a whole person; the changes are not only physical but mental.  Not only did I find myself having a hard time balancing for post-workout stretches (before, my big behind kept me balanced) but I was still "seeing" the chubby girl in the changing room mirrors, and still reaching for the back of the shopping clothes rack where the larger sizes are.

Well, I kept the weight off for a while and then two years after I had married and given birth to my first son- I was the chubby woman in the mirror-again.

It has been very difficult to lose the baby weight.  I have been fat before, but this time it has been so much harder.  I have always had a curvy figure- total hourglass. But goodness- the hips need to go!

My goal weight is between 115 and 120lbs.  As of today I am at 145 lbs. I also just started eating super clean- and now I get up much earlier (6:45) for my first bit of cardio.

I really feel that I can do it- I just have stay disciplined and motivated.

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