Hard Times Call for Desperate Measures

Dieting sucks.  Plain and simple.  I hate it.  I love food.  I like eating.  So now, after being so good and very strict with myself, 5 days a week for a nearly a month, I'm having a hard time keepin-on-keepin-on. 

For instance, I ate pizza for supper Monday & Tuesday night and I ate my weight in Twizzler Bites last night before bed....okay, not really THAT many, but still I know better than to eat that crap (especially that late at night).  But I just feel hungry ALL the time.  And fruit and yogurt and 100-cal packs just ain't cuttin it. 

I read about this amazing so called "miracle" pill that's all the rage right now and helping women loose extreme amounts of weight.  It's actually just an all herbal supplement.  Green Coffee Bean.  Ever heard of it?  Well I hadn't either until just last week.  I'm always a sucker for gimmicks of any kind, especially weight loss so I was immediately interested.  The green coffee bean extract is supposed to suppress your appetite, block fat accumulation and boost energy.  And no, it doesn't taste like coffee.  I've been taking the pill 3 times a day for about a week and so far, I see none of that.  I see me, tired, lazy and wanting to eat everything in sight.  Damn. 

I think I'll keep taking it until the bottle is gone and see if I experience any changes.  Maybe I just need to give it a little longer.  Or maybe it's all a bunch of shit.  Or maybe it's because I bought it at Walmart.

Long story short, I need to buckle down.  I've seen results (I'm down a jeans size! *woot woot*).  But I need to see more results.  And the only way to do that is to discipline myself, which I've NEVER been good at.  For instance, back about 8 or 9 years ago, my BFF Courtney & I would go for a long walk every night after work.  Like a 6-8 mile walk.  We would then proceed to sit on my front porch, drink ourselves stupid and have Pizza Hut delivered.  See, no self-discipline here.  And it extends further than just the weight loss world.  Let's say I see a pair of shoes that I like.  I may be successful at talking myself out of buying them for about 5 minutes.  Then my lack of self discipline sets in and I buy them.  And this may have happened on more than one occasion.  But you know what?  I never feel guilty about a good shoe purchase :)

Yes, I know.  The flowers need some sun.  I'm working on it.

Who cares if I already have 2 pairs of Fatbaby's.  A girl can always use another pair of shit-kickers.  And these have camo, I couldn't resist.

Dirty 30

Well, it happened.  There was no stopping it, no mater how much I wanted to.  And you know what?  It really wasn't that bad.  On May 4, I turned 30.

I actually had quite the wonderful day.  Brent had to work that morning, like he does pretty much every weekend, so the kids and I hung out at home, I did a little housework, then we had a dance party!  After Brent got home from work, my mom & dad came over to bring us a used/new-to-us deep freeze to replace our dinosaur we currently have.  Then a surprise visit from my Auntie :)  We ordered pizza for lunch and drank a few beers.  Then Meema & Papa took the kiddos home with them so Brent and I could have a date night with our besties. 

It was a simple night.  We ate (and drank....a lot) at Old Chicago, made a stop at the liq, and did a little Wal-Hell shopping (pretty tolerable when you're under the influence).  On the way home, Court & I about killed the boys with our not-so-excellent singing screaming, barking like dogs from the backseat, followed by some good 'ole fashioned drinking card games at our dining room table.  But you know what, it was the most fun I've had in a LONG time.  Sometimes simple is better :)  (Plus I got shitballs drunk, which is always fun.)

I guess I really don't have much to complain about for a 30 year old.  No, my life is not perfect.....very far from it.  I haven't finished my bachelor's degree (maybe some day down the road) but I have a good job, a nice home, wonderful friends, a caring family, a loving husband and two amazing children who make my little world go 'round.  Life is good.

 

Me & Brentsky

Court & I giving the 'ole 3-0

This stuff right here is Heaven in a can

That's a Wrap!

So I'm sure by now everyone has heard of the new craze of body wraps.  They're supposed to shrink, tighten and firm your bod.  I was a little skeptical as first.  I mean, how in the world could a piece of cloth stuck to your body for 45 minutes make you skinny?? 

Well, after seeing many before and after pictures on blogs (blogs posted by everyday women on their own weight loss journeys, NOT affiliated with any said wrap company), I was sold.  You could definitely tell a difference.  And I wanted that difference to show on my own body.

As I've mentioned before, prior to having children, I was pretty fit.  I had a nice flat tummy too.  At the time I didn't think so, my perception of myself has always been way worse than reality but looking back, I'd give anything to have that flat tummy back.  Unfortunately, even 100 crunches a day can't undo what two c-sections have done to my lower stomach. 

So after seeing the magic of the body wraps and how they tighten up your flabby spots, I knew I had to give it a shot.  I signed up for a membership with ItWorks.  You have to join their "loyalty" club to get the products discounted, otherwise you pay out the wazoo for your wraps.  After three months, you can cancel at no cost.  So I figure after my three months are up, if I'm satisfied with my body image, I'll cancel.  If not, I'll keep paying $60 for my monthly shipment of these little pieces of heaven. 

So far, I've used one wrap on my stomach and one wrap on each of my upper legs/butt area.  I took before/after pics of my stomach (sorry, none of the buttocks area, don't want to completely gross everyone out). 

Before ItWorks body wrap



After ItWorks body wrap

 

 

I probably should have taken them at the same distance for the full effect but I zoomed in on the after picture so you could really see the difference.  It definitely tightened up some of that lower flab....not all of it (there's still a lot under my waistband) but some of it.  I'm really exicted to use my 4th wrap.  I think I'll do it this week since I should be getting my next ship in a couple weeks. 

 

Maybe I'll post some more progression pics as I go!