Day 14, Rest

               My body is getting the day of rest it has been asking for. No cardio overload today, no rivers of sweat, no full body soreness… it’s twisted but I kind of miss it. Of course, I don’t miss it during the workouts, I’m in survival mode then, but I feel so good about myself for the rest of the day after I exercise and it provides me the focus I need to stick to my nutrition plan. I’m actually missing working out; I have never had that feeling before.

                This morning I weighed myself, hoping to see some great results. According to the Wii Fit I have lost 1.8 lbs between last Sunday and today. Not what I was expecting but I’ll take a loss over a gain any day in this situation. I may not be dropping serious weight in a hurry but I do know my body is reshaping itself. It’s the strangest thing; I can see my wrist bones again. I didn’t realize I couldn’t before, obviously they were still there, just rounder than they should have been, camouflaged with the rest of my forearm… but now they’re more prominent like they’re supposed to be. I had to laugh at myself when I noticed that and wondered what else I was going to notice in the future.

                My silly sister read my post when I mentioned her and sent me this to help prove her avocado theory. I don’t care if they really are that good for me; I still don't have a taste for them and I am not going to eat one every single day.

                Tomorrow is going to be my second fit test. I really hope I can improve from my first round. How embarrassing would it be to actually come in below that?

Day 13, Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

                I am back to kicking butt again today. Whatever it was that was bogging me down yesterday seems to have vanished and I am grateful. In my opinion this is the hardest DVD of them all but I tackled it like a champ. I kept up better than I ever have and only took minimal breaks. I felt like Wonder Woman’s distant cousin by marriage. My body is letting me know it isn’t exactly pleased with being pushed so hard as there is some soreness going on today. I’d really love a full body massage but will have to make do with some serious stretching and a couple ice packs. During the whole workout my calves felt on fire yet surprisingly, during the rest of the day I feel fine, really worked over but fine. One of two things must be happening: I either am in too much pain to recognize hurt anymore or my body is finally getting used to these punishing workouts and adapting to them. I’m really hoping it’s the latter.

                Now since today was not only Pure Cardio but Cardio Abs as well I was in for an added “treat.” The Cardio Abs is around 16 minutes long and holy cow, that was intense… I was doing really well considering I had just finished the Pure Cardio DVD. There were only 7 minutes left to go and it hit me, an extremely painful muscle contraction right below my sports bra along my rib cage. I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe and I just had to sit there taking shallow breathes until I could ease myself back to lie down on the floor. I’ve had these before; they’re like when you get cramps in your calves only worse because you start to panic thinking you’re going to die due to lack of oxygen. It took a few minutes and then I distinctly felt the muscle release and slide back into place; it was very perturbing.

                I took a few deep breaths and continued on with the workout. It didn’t take 30 seconds before the second muscle spasm hit in the exact same place, this time more intense, like I had a rock thrown at my chest and it decided to stick around just under the skin. I had to spend even more time lying prone on the floor hoping it would give up and just leave me alone. It was then I called it quits. Knowing your limits and all that jazz.

                Tonight after the little monster goes to bed I will try the Cardio Abs one more time. My muscles won’t be warmed up like they were this morning but I’m hoping to avoid any further muscle spasms… they’re not so much fun…

TIP: STRETCH THE CRAMP: No one really knows what causes muscle cramps… most say dehydration, some say lack of electrolytes, others say just plain old fatigue… whatever the cause the only thing to really do for them is continue to breathe and slowly stretch or massage it out. Curling into a ball is the first instinct but it’s not really going to help the pain. You could feel the aftereffects of a cramp even the next day so be nice to it.

Citrus Baked Chicken with Honey Glazed Carrots:

                Wanted to share one of the meal 5 recipes from the Nutrition Guide. I use more paprika than it calls for but I’ve loved it and the little monster is a big fan of it too. The chicken turns out juicy and flavorful and the carrots add a nice sweet softness to the dish. This meal is 297 calories with 24 grams of protein. If you need more add ½ Cup of cooked brown rice as a side. It will add 100 calories.

Ingredients:

4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast

½ TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP lemon juice

½ tsp paprika

Sea salt and pepper

1 Cup carrots, sliced and cooked

2 tsp honey

               

                Place chicken breast in an ovenproof dish and top with olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, sea salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve chicken breast with cooked carrots glazed with honey.

Day 12, Cardio Power and Resistance

            I do not know what is going on with me today. I haven’t overindulged in sugar, I’ve been sleeping, I’ve been eating right and yet I am completely exhausted. Just pushing myself through the warm up today took the effort that I normally put into the whole DVD. It was absolutely ridiculous. At work I am so tired it’s all I can do to keep myself sitting up straight and not slinking down the back of my chair to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I think my body is yearning for that upcoming day of rest but I still have one more day before that and it promises to be one of pure torture: pure cardio PLUS cardio abs. My least favorite DVD is back to haunt me again.

One of my sisters started the Insanity program a few days ago and she started out in better shape than I probably ever will be in. She’s been on pins and needles she’s so excited about getting to do the cardio abs. She is a little strange like that. Although she has no discernable belly she’s been eating avocado every day because it’s supposed to help get rid of belly fat… even though she can’t stand the taste and makes faces the whole time she’s eating it.

                Despite whatever invisible force is weighing me down I know I’m doing better than I was last week at this Insanity adventure. I participate in exercises longer, I jump higher and I don’t curse at the TV as much anymore. I still have issues though… I’d been complaining to my fiancé about the people in the background. I decided I couldn’t hate Shaun T. because he doesn’t get angry if you need a break and he really is trying to help. Now, the tall blonde chick behind him, yeah, I can easily hate her. I’ve been watching, she does almost every move perfectly and I have yet to see one drop of sweat fall off of her. It’s very disturbing to me.

                My fiancé pointed out to me that it doesn’t look like one of those women have ever had a kid like I have and it doesn’t look like any of those men have had multiple knee surgeries like he has. Every single one of those people has to be in tip top shape in order to inspire us and show us lowly chubby people what we one day could be. He feels that there should have been two DVDs made for each exercise: one with the perfect people and one with normal people who go about as slow as we do. I laughed because no one would know what to do following us normal people, we’d get winded halfway through and spend the rest of the video with our foreheads on the floor. It’s a funny mental image albeit a pathetic one.

TIP: DRINK THE WATER! People who are doing Insanity need to drink at least 8 cups of water during the day. That’s a hard thing for me. I get to about 4 or 5 and am done. One thing that does make it easier is to get a zero calorie water flavor additive. Whether it’s the Wal-Mart powdered flavor packets or Mio’s liquid flavor enhancer you will get the water that you need, the flavor that you crave and zero calories to add to your daily list. Win/win situation.

Day 11, Cardio Recovery

                Ah, time again for my favorite DVD. Knowing in advance that I was going to be able to breathe during this workout I pushed myself hard on it and oh my gosh... the strain I have missed out on the first time… my thighs are Jello.All their strength was sucked out of them doing slow squats and lunges, holding the position to the point of me having to stand up or fall, and then pulsing in the position, the ultimate test of our power and control. My legs were literally shaking by the end of it all and keeping balance in some of those positions felt like a bad joke.

                At work today it’s been one of those sore, slowly moving days. It’s not bad enough where I’m popping Tylenol but I don’t get out of my chair unless I absolutely have to; I only went downstairs once to refill my chug mug. I seem to have developed a nasty knot on my back in between my neck and shoulder. I can tell it isn’t going to be pretty because it’s hot to the touch. Tonight will most likely be spent chilling with an icepack and trying to explain to the little monster that Mommy’s not up for being a human jungle gym just now.

On the plus side though when I was complaining about not losing any weight I got told that I am gaining shape, or losing shape, depending on how you look at it. I console myself in the fact that muscle does weigh more than fat so if I’m starting to look good it’s going to make me feel good, no matter what that stupid little Wii Fit scale says.

               

TIP:If you’re feeling the burn you’re doing something right. If you’re feeling only pain you’re doing something wrong. Adjust and fix it before someone gets hurt.

My New Friend:

                I have a new friend. Its name is myfitnesspal. As far as I’m concerned this gadget is the best thing since sliced bread; it tells you how many calories is in sliced bread! The setup is extremely easy and contains the basic questions: weight, age, and goal among other things. It then calculates for you what your calorie intake should be. I went a different route by not going by their calorie estimation. I used my results from the Harris Benedict Method and just manually entered my calorie goal. The website is http://www.myfitnesspal.com but it also has a free app that you can download to your phone, making logging everything extremely convenient.

                My new friend takes all the guess work out of counting calories. You no longer have to do the math in your head or on a piece of paper. You enter in what you are eating and it counts everything up for you then subtracts that from your daily calorie intake goal. This thing is so nifty; people have been adding foods for years so there’s everything imaginable out there. There’s also a way to add in the calories you’ve burned through exercise and even how much water you’ve drank during the day. It’s just too cool and so easy to use. Even if you are not following the nutrition guide to the Insanity program this is still a very useful tool to make sure you are not taking in more calories than you need to burn to accomplish your exercise goals.

                It’s almost like a Facebook: Weight Loss Edition. Besides your daily calorie diary there are progress charts, forums for weight loss questions and help. There’s an option to make your information public or private. You can make friends, send messages and gain some positive energy to further your goals. I’ve been using this for a few days and I am extremely impressed with it… as you can probably tell…

Day 10, Plyometric Cardio Workout

              The first couple times I did this workout it was a mess. I was unfamiliar with the moves, couldn’t keep up to save my life and I’d get dizzy when doing the suicide drills. I couldn’t do a pushup without my knees on the floor and the amount of times I had to press pause was laughable. Today is different. I think I have this routine down fairly well now. I still can’t keep up with the people on the DVD but I’m doing a ton more than before. I compromised with myself to take a few extra steps in between the up and downs of the suicide drills to avoid having my head spin. I can actually do a few pushups now before I give way and my knees fall to the floor for the rest. To top it all off I did not have to press pause once. All things considered, I’m counting this as a huge success.

                I’ve noticed I’m able to hold out longer than before on the exercises, pushing through more to get the full benefit of this workout. It’s a huge challenge but it’s actually kind of fun, espeically since I can see how much this is helping me, how far I’ve come in such a short time. I can lift my knees higher in the exercises, I can almost complete the full warmup without having to take a break. By the end of the DVD I’m still completely wiped out… I couldn’t finish the very last set of exercises today. I was too busy on my hands and knees trying to figure out how to draw oxygen straight into my skin since my lungs couldn’t keep up.

TIP: FOCUS! If you still have that burning desire inside that helped you start this program than use it! I do and daily I remind myself of the reasons. I remind myself that the discomfort I am experiencing short term will be nothing compared to the benefits I will get long term. Keeping this in mind while you exercise helps you break through whatever mental blocks you’ve set up for yourself that will keep you from achiving your goals.

Second Breakfast:

                I can’t tell you how much I like this 5 meals a day plan. It makes me feel like a hobbit. The only thing I’m missing is afternoon tea! The first few days I had to force myself to eat those extra meals because I just wasn’t hungry… then Insanity kicked my metabolism into second gear and now I’m anxiously checking the clock at work to see if it’s 10:00 yet. My second breakfast this morning was the Deli Sandwich listed in the Nutrition Guide. ½ Whole wheat bagel or 1 slice of whole wheat toast. 2 oz. deli-style turkey breast, sliced. 1 slice reduced fat cheese (yay Swiss!), sliced tomato to taste, siding with 1 cup tomato or vegetable juice. If you’re eating the bagel scoop out the middle, toast it and add your turkey, cheese and tomato. Delicious! I can’t stand drinking tomato/vegetable juice so I cheated and got the V8 Fusion juice. It’s a full serving of fruits and of vegetables but tastes like fruit. A lovely 297 calories, 26 grams of protein. Cheers for the healthy little hobbit.

Day 9, Pure Cardio

               This is by far my least favorite Insanity DVD. The regular warm up isn’t that bad. It used to kill me but I’ve slowly gotten better and am now to the point where it makes me sweat like crazy and my muscles burn but I can complete it and I’m okay. The stretches are the best part; you get to limber up while your heart slows down and begin to feel human again. Then you launch into pure cardio straight for 15-20 minutes. No water breaks, no pauses, just go, go, go! And I die, die, die!

                Sheer will power is all that keeps me going. During the workout I begin to feel almost bad about myself as I can’t do all of the moves or push through those last 10 seconds of an exercise. That’s until I begin to take notice the people in the background behind Shaun T. I was honestly beginning to think they had created robots to mimic the workout and were specifically designed to make the rest of us look like slackers. Towards the end of this DVD they’re shaking, they’re not kicking as high and they have to go take breaks. It’s a little twisted but it lifts my spirits seeing the expressions of pain and exhaustion on their faces. I feel a little bit better about myself for at least persevering and doing as much as I can.

                I’m noticing a chance in my chest, with my heart and my breathing. It feels stronger than it ever has before. Like the Grinch my heart muscles have been building up and it’s not just some weak, barely functioning organ anymore. I feel stronger. I think I’m delighting my little monster by how much more we’re playing and chasing each other around. I don’t have to take a breather in between horsy rides anymore because mommy can handle it now. I’m gaining energy and stamina and it’s only been a little over a week into the program.

                Shaun T. promises if you complete this program you’ll be in the best shape of your life. The first few times I heard that I snorted a little bit, thinking, yeah, if I can even survive the program. But now it’s different, I’m eager to see what it feels like to actually be in the best shape of my life. It’s not easy but it’s going to be worth it. I’ve gotten a small taste and I want more.

TIP: PACE YOURSELF! I’m not saying you should slack because that defeats the purpose of the program but if you know you’re going to do 3 sets and he wants you to go faster every set then it’s good to hold a little reserve back so you can do that. You don’t want to go full throttle on the first set and have to sit down and recover while they do the rest of the sets.

I Love Food:

                I am so grateful for this nutrition guide. I know I would not be able to keep myself to a diet without this. Insanity definitely requires the proper fuel to power these crazy workouts. The guide gives examples of meals and examples of substitutions/additions, making it easy for you to figure out how to get the calories you need. And so far everything I’ve made from it has turned out pretty tasty (excluding the Egg White Wrap.)

                This morning I made the Veggie Omelet and it was so freaking good! No one would ever realize that this is diet food… except maybe the distinct lack of cheese I would normally add to this... This omelet is made with sautéed onions and mushrooms, 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, making it as you would a normal omelet. You also get a piece of whole wheat toast with 1 TBSP of preserves spread on top; I have blueberry. The little monster was all over it this morning. He didn’t want his own breakfast he wanted mommy’s breakfast. He’ll get his own next time. I can’t wait until the plants in the garden start really producing. I can only imagine how tasty this would be if I added in a little bell pepper and tomato. I’m already licking my lips just thinking about it. Man I love food!

Day 8, Cardio Power and Resistance

                I curse sugar and all of its trickery. It lures me in with a sweet soft voice, promising comfort for my soul and joy for my taste buds. It only takes one wrong step for the illusion of that golden coat of love to shatter and you fall down the icy slopes of overindulgence and regret. Once it has you hooked it is almost impossible to escape the clutches of addiction. You get sucked into a never ending circle of cravings, binging and pain.

                In other words, my workout sucked this morning. It was harder than I expected and it wasn’t because I was out of breath or sore, it was because I was so… sluggish. My limbs didn’t want to obey my commands and it was near impossible to get moving. Things I knew I could normally do I just couldn’t pull off. The sugar was like lead weight in my veins this morning and no matter how hard I tried to shake it off it just wouldn’t go away. My mother says it usually takes her a couple days to work through a sugar binge, she was in the same boat I was this morning. This is something I am not looking forward to and I have learned my lesson. Just say NO to sugar overload!

                On the positive side I reweighed myself this morning on the Wii Fit. It was right yesterday, I haven’t gained 2 lbs., but I haven’t lost anything either. I’m at the same weight I was last week. I know I feel better (excluding today) and I know my clothes are starting to fit a little better, it’s just not reflecting itself on the scale just yet. I wish it would… then I’d have something to brag about other than, Hey guess what? My pants buttons aren’t making indents on my stomach that bad anymore! People look at you strange when you say things like that.

TIP: STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR! Yes, it’s okay to have just one it’s not okay to have six. Trying to burn through the sugar is like trying to light really wet moss on fire. It’s not impossible but it takes a lot of effort and makes a lot of smoke…

Fresh Menu:

                Week two means a new menu for me. It’s pretty similar to the one I had last week, yay for leftovers, but I added a few new things in. Veggie omelets, soup and sandwich, salmon, cold cut platters… I’m drooling a little bit just thinking about it.

                I made the best flank steak of my life last week. Brushed with olive oil, topped with fresh chopped basil, thyme and oregano from the garden, sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper. It was raining so I stayed inside and broiled it in the oven.  Served with a small baked potato and some steamed broccoli spritzed with lemon juice. It was un-freaking-believable. It’s the recipe from the nutrition guide with my own little herby twist on it. I’m having fun spicing these things up. I am going to continue with having steak for dinner a couple nights a week. Yes, it was that good.

Day 7, Rest

                My day of rest, though not very restful, was awesome. We took the little monster on his first camping trip. He chased the dogs, helped gather firewood, took a few hikes and of course, ended up in the creek. I got to ride ATV’s, help cook breakfast, and enjoy the company of my family.

                After we got home and got everything cleaned up it was time for my weigh in. I’ve been greatly anticipating this as it’ll be my first after starting the Insanity program. I was a little nervous, having indulged in smores and a dutch oven apple dessert while up there but hoped the burned calories chasing the little monster around the campsite made up for that. As it turns out, I had cause to be nervous. According to the Wii Fit I have gained 2 lbs. Now it made sure to tell me that since I weighed in the evening instead of the mornings that will throw the scale. Your weight can fluxuate during the day. Tomorrow morning I will try again and just see what it has to say. I’m not letting that fact take the blame though… I know it’s because on my day of rest I completely threw the diet to the wind and ate everything the family was eating.

                I’m determined not to be discouraged though. This has renewed my commitment to follow this program to the letter. No more smores. No more bbq chips. No more sugar coated anything. The latter part of this week I felt better than I have in years with extra energy and stamina to do the things that I loved. Today I feel sluggish and I have a headache which I’m sure has everything to do with the sugar I’ve consumed. My mother tells me every time she overindulges like that her workout the next day take a force of will to complete until the body works out all of the excess sugar. I’m not really looking forward to that… Insanity is hard enough as it is! I suppose tomorrow might teach me a valuable lesson on paying attention to what I eat.

Day 6, Plyometric Cardio Circuit

                It's Saturday and even though the rest of the house is sound asleep I still am up by 05:00am, ready to face Shaun T. The fan is blowing, the water is at the ready and I’m decked out in sports bra and tennis shoes. Let’s do this. Every day that goes by I can feel the improvement in myself. I’m not going to lie and say it gets easier because so far it has not, but I have more strength to complete exercises, more stamina to follow through with things. Heck, I jogged out to the garden last night to get some herbs and thought to myself, Holy Cow… this is easy… jogging has never EVER comes easy to me! Normally I walk out to the garden. I was so excited by the visible improvement that I jogged back to the house too.

                Take 2 of the Plyometric Cardio Workout was so much more fun this time around. It probably helped that I knew what was coming this time and wasn’t staring at the time left of the workout on the screen. One thing I can definitely say for this workout is that I am never bored. I swear I actually smiled this time. There are basketball jumps, ski jumps and a number of other jumps I don’t even remember. We definitely worked out our legs, our core and our arms this morning.

                The absolute best part about all of this is how I feel. My calves feel normal, my arms don’t hurt. Yeah, there’s a little soreness in my thighs and my abs but that seems to be only when I’m trying to get up. There is more energy in my step, I’m not grumpy because I hurt and I’m not popping anymore Tylenol. On the whole I feel like I had a great workout but didn’t kill myself doing it.

TIP: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Yes, you’re doing this to get stronger but you do not want to push yourself beyond your limits. Don’t give up but pace yourself, listen to your body and do what you can. You don’t want to injure yourself or throw up. No one likes to throw up.

Ultimate Will Test:

                I was feeling so positive yesterday. I did my workout, I survived work, and I am under my calorie count. It’s been a good day and I have thoroughly enjoyed it… they seem to be few and far between. As soon as I walk into the house I know I’m in trouble… the telltale smell of baked goods is heavy in the air. We are intimately acquainted; I would know that smell anywhere. I turn the corner from the hallway to the kitchen and my eyes lock on the cookies cooling on the racks. My mouth starts watering and I throw my head back making the ultimate sound of disgust in my throat. Why? Why do you torture me so??

                These are one of my favorite’s too… oatmeal chocolate chip. They’re made with coconut oil instead of butter giving it a wonderful faint coconut taste and I pine for them beyond reason. I immediately began mentally calculating all of the calories I’ve had during the day. I’ve been faithful to my diet plan and am actually a few hundred calories under what is recommended for me by the Harris Benedict Equation. I have no clue how many calories are in these cookies but they can’t be more than 400, right? I make peace with myself in my mind and allow myself the one cookie, quickly retreating to the office where I can’t see the rest on the counter.

                It is pure heaven; I sit in the computer chair eating it slowly, savoring each taste of sugar, oatmeal, vanilla and chocolate. All too soon it’s over but I can still feel the taste and texture lingering on my tongue.  Oh I miss these things so… but I also do not miss the sugar hangovers. I am contenting myself with eating only the one cookie and I consider this a good compromise for myself. I am allowed the treat but not allowed to overindulge. Still on the hunt for those low calorie desserts though…

Day 5, Pure Cardio

           

             I freaking hate cardio. If I could find a way to kill it I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’ve never been able to get past that feeling of not being able to breathe and as such usually avoid it. Today was PURE cardio both in name and form. During the whole time I kept waiting for breaks that never seemed to come; I am completely exhausted. Despite this, I did not press pause today. I did not complete all of the exercises, having to walk some out, but I can feel the improvement and it excites me. This is what I have been hoping for; I want this to get at least a little bit easier so I don’t feel so masochistic by torturing myself with it.

Today co-workers have laughed as I tell them I’m a pain in the butt… really I’m telling them I have a pain in the butt but you could see how that could be misconstrued… I am definitely sore in the seat and in the abdominal muscles today. I wince every time I sneeze. My legs are surprisingly not that bad. What really kills them is my 8am to 5pm desk job. I’ve made every attempt to get up every hour or so and wander around a bit just so I can keep them limber. Hopefully it works. I could just picture tomorrow’s workout with me falling flat on my face because my calves are so stiff they can’t support any of my weight.

I did get a treat today by having my brother join me at 05:00 this morning to work out. I’ve noticed it makes a considerable difference having someone do this program with you. At least in myself, I do push a little bit harder, find more steel deep down so I can continue on longer than I would have by myself; he motivated me to be better. That and I can’t let him show me up.

TIP: BREATHE! I found myself halfway holding my breath today in order to gather the strength to do certain exercises and that is the worst thing you could do. Your power comes from your breath. Always try to breath, even if it’s frantic puffs in and out. Breathing makes life easier.

Willpower Test:

                Despite soreness and lack of sleep I can still drag myself out of bed in the morning with minimal fighting with myself. It’s like one half of the brain says “No! I just got to sleep!” The other half responds, “Remember you were the one who wanted this! Do it for the skirt!” So once I struggle free of the sheets and actually get my feet on the floor I’m okay and ready to go.

                What are really killing me are the cravings. I’m not hungry by any means, 5 meals a day works well for me. And yet I miss Hershey kisses, I miss carrot cake, I miss cheeseburgers. I miss high density sugary sweetness! I’m used to making a bowl of popcorn and drenching it with melted butter and salt. This was my go-to snack, especially after work. The little monster and I would make a batch and settle ourselves in front the TV for some quality cartoons while we unwound from the day.  He asked for it yesterday so I made a batch and had some, limiting myself to one little Tupperware full. That was harder than any Insanity workout for me. I could smell it, I could see it, and it was just there on the countertop… no one else was home; no one would ever have to know. Except me…and this time, I’m the one that really counts.

                Boredom is the enemy of diet plans so the little monster and I got off our butts, turned the TV off and went outside to water the garden. Score one for me. I’m still going to cruise Food.com for low calorie desserts though. Just in case…

Day 4, Cardio Recovery

                Oh my gosh, I almost feel human again! This is by far my favorite DVD of the Insanity program. There’s no running, there’s no leaping, there’s no gasping for breath. Do not get me wrong, it is still hard! I was dripping with sweat and my muscles were shaking with the strain. I still had to shake it out on the last few seconds of the exercises. This recovery DVD is a wonderful break for my poor heart though.

                Cardio and I are not friends. In high school my gym teacher made the mistake of not giving us a time limit when we ran the mile. All she asked was we improved our time whenever we did it. So I walked the first mile. Walked a little faster the second time. Totally cheated the system and myself all in one go.

                This morning was like super powered yoga. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today and actually smiled for the first time ever during a workout. There were squats, there were lunges, there were pushups but they were all things I could manage. I recognized some yoga poses, or rather what the poses would look like if they were on steroids. I didn’t escape the soreness either. Today at work I feel like I got sucker punched and have dead arms. My flabs aren’t very happy with me. I have to rotate my whole chair when I turn to look at things; doing more abdominal twists than necessary just isn’t in the cards today.

TIP: CHECK YOUR MAT! I have a regular yoga mat. The Insanity Jump Mat is thicker, tougher, and more equipped to handle the Insanity antics. Today I threw my yoga mat to the side for fear of damaging it. I’m sure the Jump Mat helps the impact of the workout but I am doing just fine on the carpet.

Egg Whites are Disgusting:

                I’m learning a lot about my taste buds in this program. I’ve discovered turkey burgers can be delicious if cooked correctly and can taste like sawdust when not. Feta cheese is not high on my list of things I enjoy. Neither are egg whites. One breakfast recipe in the nutrition book is an Egg White Wrap. 4 egg whites, scrambled. Add a little diced tomato, top with ½ cup low fat mozzarella cheese and roll up in a whole wheat tortilla. Side is a ½ cup of cubed melon. Sounds pretty good right? Well it totally would be… if egg whites weren’t completely flavorless.

I was pretty grossed out after my first bite but finished my breakfast and immediately began pondering how many calories were in regular eggs. With a little help from Google Search I found out that an egg white has 17 calories. Regular eggs have 91. I did some math and created my first substitution to the diet plan. The egg white wrap has 296 calories. 2 regular scrambled eggs on top of a piece of whole wheat toast are about 282 calories. I threw in a little fruit for good measure and called it good. That’s right; I rock my basic math skills.

Day 3, Cardio Power & Resistance

This morning for a split second when I woke up I thought I didn’t have legs. Could have been a leftover from a completely twisted dream or it could be that my calves were so stiff I didn’t even want to move them. I’m beginning to think this program is impossible to complete except for the most stubborn and/or demented of the human race. Luckily, that runs in the family… the stubborn part anyway…

That stiffness made the warm up a killer. Yet I persevered and once I made it past it and my legs loosened up it became a lot easier. I only pressed pause once today. I am very proud of that, even though I’m not able to keep my form through an entire set. Shaun T. introduces a set of exercises and then you repeat that set a few times, pausing for a quick rest between each set. There are a few sets each DVD. He wants you to increase your speed and push faster each set but it seems like I only get more sluggish the more sets we do. Today I ended up walking it out the last 5 seconds or so of every exercise in the sets. Definite improvement though.

                So the soreness is in the back today, and a little bit on the stomach. It must be those V pushups. You put yourself in regular pushup position, walk your feet forwards until you’re in a V shape and then do pushups. It’s brutal; I can feel it in the muscles surrounding my shoulder blades, like my back is trying to sprout wings. I have to do better at stretching. I stretch some at my desk at work, earning a few odd looks for coworkers, but I really need to get serious about it or I’m going to be too stiff to even bend down to put the DVD in. I think a quick yoga session tonight will go a long way to helping me out. My dear sweet yoga… I can’t believe I ever thought it would be too hard to get up and do in the morning…

TIP: DRINK YOUR WATER! It’s normal for an Insanity user to drink 8-10 cups a day. I have my hospital souvenir chug mug that sits on my desk at work. Dehydration leads to muscle cramps and extreme pain. It’s not pretty. No one looks cool wearing an IV drip.

Life Happens:

                Due to personal reasons yesterday I stressed myself to the point of nausea and stomach cramps. It’s happened before and it sucks every freaking time. I couldn’t eat my last 2 meals of the day. I kept down a little bread, took a few gulps of Pepto and went to bed. I also did not prepare my meals as I usually do the night before.

                This morning I made sure to eat a good breakfast, packed a couple easy guideline snacks and kind of winged it on the lunch. Homemade chicken fried rice made with brown rice. My dad makes a big batch every week and uses it as part of his multiple meals during the day. He, like my mother, is very much about health and fitness. He’s currently doing the Cor Challenge and I believe he’s got a better shot at winning than your average Joe. I’m sure if his gym did Customer of the Month he’d be up there 11 out of the 12 months; he goes 6 times a week. He’s one of those fixtures that have been there for years and everyone knows his name and notices when he doesn’t show up. So while I have no clue how many calories this rice has I at least know it can’t be bad for me, right?

                Lesson learned: Always make your meals the night before. Even if you aren’t counting calories, it will cut down on the bad food choices you make when you are not making rushed decisions.

Day 2, Plyometric Cardio Circuit

My calves have that tightened feeling you get right before a leg cramp. My thighs are sore and protest at the smallest exertion. Climbing the stairs today is a test of will power and I think Tylenol is going to be my best friend this week. But guess what? I finished the DVD.

                Yes, I had to press pause every rest between sets to catch my breath… turning the 40 minute workout into close to a 60 minute one. But the point is I didn’t quit. I am keeping myself to what I have committed to: getting up at an obscene time in the morning in order to sweat buckets and push my body to the limits while the little monster sleeps in hopes of moving both of us to a healthier future. Okay, yes, it’s only day 2 but I still feel proud of me.

                I am experiencing my regular daytime fatigue but there’s an energy today that I didn’t have yesterday. I don’t know if it’s the exercise burning off all of that built up sugar in my system, the healthier food or just the little high I’m experiencing at finishing an exercise session. If I didn’t have such sore calves I’d go so far as to say there would be a bounce in my step.

               

TIP: STRETCH!Get ahead of it, stretch as often as you can throughout the day. You do not want to wake up in the morning and be too stiff to even roll out of bed.

Nutrition Bar:

                For today’s second meal I had the nutrition bar. In the Nutritional Guide it suggests getting a bar that has around 200 calories, less than 10 grams of sugar and 10 grams of protein. With the bar pairing a ½ Cup of 1% cottage cheese.

                Most nutritional/granola bars they sell in regular stores do not fall under these specifications. The P90X bar does, as well as PowerBar and a handful of other brands. They only sell the P90X bar in special nutrition stores and I can’t stand Powerbars… bad experience in the early 2000s. They tell me they’ve improved the taste since then but I haven’t been brave enough to actually see if they are correct. Because of this I spent a lot of time in the cereal aisle looking at the back of the boxes, trying to find something that I could eat that didn’t taste like chalk. I finally came across Nature Valley’s Protein Chewy Bar. Peanut butter and dark chocolate flavored, heck yes.

                Cottage cheese is packed with protein. Between the bar and the cottage cheese you give yourself around 280 calories, a grand total of 29 grams of protein. Nice little second breakfast.

Day 1, the Fit Test

Today is finally the day. I woke up at 4:45 this morning, got dressed and pulled my hair up. Monday’s going to be the hardest day of the whole week since I have to be to work a half hour earlier. But it’s going to be worth it. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

                The ceiling fans are running, the windows have been open all night and the house is a nice cool temperature. But that doesn’t last long. We cycle through 8 exercises, doing each as many times as we can for one minute then recording out statistics. Sounds easy, right? WRONG! Halfway through I’m gasping and sweating all over the place. I then make a very rookie mistake: during one of the breaks I take a big gulp of water. Immediately I can feel it in my chest, I’m going to puke. Everybody said it was going to happen and I laughed it off… I hate it when people are right.

                Thank goodness for the pause button as I rush to the bathroom and sit on the floor next to the toilet. My breathing gradually slows and my pulse quits trying to break out of my neck. I actually don’t throw up and after a few minutes get back up and find the inner strength to press play and continue on. I had to “Dig Deeper” as Shaun T. says.

                In the second half we discover the right placement of a powerful floor fan makes a world of difference. I’m still sweating like crazy but the fan blows that right away and I don’t feel like I’m going to die anymore.  I’m tired as heck and my body is slowly refusing to obey my commands but I’m hanging in there. I don’t decide it was too hard and give up, I actually finished the DVD! Yeah, I had to stop every now and again to walk until I got my breath back but I actually finished it. I’m feeling pretty proud of myself... and a little sore as well…

TIP #1: DO NOT CHUG THE WATER! Yes, you’re going to be thirsty, yes you’re going to be hot but I cannot stress the importance to just take little sips of water. Or else you’ll end up joining the countless others who have lost weight from this program via upchuck.

TIP #2: GET A FAN! I went from feeling like I doing Power Jumpson the side of a volcano to doing Power Jacks in the Arctic Circle.

Let the Calorie Counting Begin:

                Today is also the first day I begin my new meal plan. For the first time in my life I am counting calories… 5 meals a day, right on. I ate the first after my shower, the second about 10:00am, the lunch around 1:00pm and my snack around 4:00pm. Dinner is around 07:00pm. I plan on sharing a bit of what the nutritional guide contains: Insanity uses the following Harris  Benedict Equation for accessing your calorie needs.

Step One:

For Women: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

For Men: 66+ (6.23 x weight in lbs.) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Step Two:

Determine your exercise factor. Take your total from step one and multiple it by whichever exercise factor fits you the best. People doing Insanity should be considered Moderately Active to Very Active.

Exercise Factor                     Category                     Explanation

1.2                                          Sedentary                           Little to no exercise

1.375                                     Lightly Active                     Light Exercise (1-3 days a week)

1.55                                        Moderately Active          Moderate Exercise (3-5 days a week)

1.7                                          Very Active                         Hard Exercise (6-7 days a week)

1.9                                          Extremely Active              Hard daily exercise or a physical job.

Step Three:

Determine your goals. If you want to lose weight, subtract 500 calories from your Step 2 total. If you want to maintain your weight, do nothing. If you want to gain weight, add 250 to 300 calories to your total. You are now ready to rock and roll.

This Little Piggy Went to the Market

        

           Today was the highly anticipated grocery shopping day. I’d spent some time going over the Nutritional Guide and decided to tackle this one week at a time. I created my menu for every day, 5 meals for each. I decided against immediately taking advantage of the wide variety of foods they had; that grocery list would be expensive! Instead I opted to make 2 different menus and alternate days for the first week, switching up the menus the next week.

I then made myself a very detailed shopping list for the menus. I left no wiggle room by listing things like “Nutritional Bars.” I actually wrote down what they recommended: 200 calories, less than 25 grams of sugar, about 10 grams protein. And that made a huge difference in what I know I would have normally gotten versus what I actually did get. Sorry Quaker Oats guy, I will no longer be indulging in multiple peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bars at one time.

The whole experience was actually pretty fun; I bought ground turkey for the first time in my life. I had a treasure hunt for feta cheese and whole wheat tortillas. My eyes were opened to a whole new world of healthy choices in the grocery store. I got about halfway through the excursion when I looked down at my cart and realized: this is what skinny people eat! Honest to goodness, this was the healthiest my shopping cart has ever looked! I had whole wheat everything, fruits, veggies, cheeses, yogurt and lean meats. Plus I still got to have steak! Score!

                Along the way I notice things about other people while I’m shopping. You know how there’s always that one person that seems to be in every aisle you go down, taking it so far as to even get behind you in line to check out? Throughout the store I kept passing by and running into a little family. There was a mother with 2 kids, both elementary school ages. The mother was large, I’d put her around 300 lbs. or so. She walked after her kids at a sedate pace and every time the kids ran up to her asking if they could get something she said yes. Their cart was filled with things that are considered very typical of an American family: soda, ice cream, premade frozen meals, fried food from the deli… all things that I used to get. What really struck me was that she was wearing a muumuu. I kept looking at her cart and then looking at her thinking, this could have been me in a couple of years. If I keep up with the destructive eating habits I had collected then I was muumuu bound!

Yeah, I know, not a very nice thing to think about a complete stranger but for my second first experience of the day I actually smiled and felt good about all the food I had on the conveyer belt. That’s right… my food kicks your food’s butt.

The Power of Positive Eating

           It was a week ago yesterday that I experienced my wake up call. Keeping true to what goals and guidelines I have set for myself, I got back on the Wii Fit yesterday to get my weekly weight update. I haven’t been what I consider extremely or even moderately active. I have been doing yoga every morning, spending more time outside and trying to eat healthier. I haven’t been perfect. It is almost impossible for me to walk past a baking sheet that has fresh baked cookies on it. The siren’s smell of chocolate and vanilla calls me to the rocky weigh-in demise. I need the willpower of a saint to make it past that deceptive yet magnificent sensory overload. It is a skill I have yet to master.

Like most overweight people, I have a love/hate relationship with food. I am what I refer to as a Serial Snacker. I could go to the store and no matter what I went in for somehow walk out with snacks for work, the car, and the kid. Not too long ago, after I’d come across a Pringle sale, I’d sit at my desk and through the course of a day eat the entire can of Pringles combined with an Arizona Raspberry Ice Tea. I’d get my salty and my sweet all in one go. I’ve done that more times than I’d care to admit. Yet, it didn’t faze me, it was just a snack. It didn’t seem like you were eating a lot when you were eating a few here, a couple more a bit later, finishing it up by the end of the day. No one said, “Wow, you ate that whole thing today?” Even if they had my response probably would have been something like, “Oh I’m sorry, did you want some too? I have another can right here.”

                The same issue presents itself with sweets. They are, without a doubt my greatest weakness. I could make a batch of brownies and throughout the day eat at least half of them without feeling sick or even taking account how many I had already eaten. All I knew was that there was chocolate in the house and it was right there on the counter top waiting for me. It’s too easy to walk by and pick one up; when you’re in that cycle your brain doesn’t even recognize what your body is doing. Given time I’m sure I could finish the pan to myself, easily.

My Ah-Ha Moment:

                Getting on the Wii Fit board I don’t expect anything different from last week, hoping only to get in the habit of this weekly weigh-ins. In fact, I’m praying on the inside that I haven’t GAINED any more weight! I fire up the Wii and get my profile loaded. Again, the silly thing claims it’s thinking while it measures my differences from last week to this week. When it pops up the screen this time it makes my jaw drop again, but this time for a much more positive reason. I LOST 6.8 LBS! Yes, still in the obese bracket but still, 6.8 lbs! In a week! Without Insanity!

                How the heck did this happen? It takes a bit to dawn on me but I eventually figure out that it’s the food, the healthier choices I’ve been making this entire week. No prepackaged anything, we have cooked everything from scratch. Eggs and whole wheat toast in the mornings instead of sugary cereal… yogurt and fruit smoothies instead of milkshakes... cheese sticks and fruit instead of chips and crackers. I haven’t been starving myself; in fact, I haven’t felt the pangs of hunger this entire week.

It all comes down to what I have chosen to eat. I start to feel that conscious decisions are part of the key to permanent weight loss. I have been more aware of what I have been eating instead of just shoving everything into my mouth and it has made a difference. I make my lunch for work before I have to leave for work, cutting out on the last minute grab-and-go decisions.

If I can accomplish this without actively working out I begin to imagine how great my rewards are going to be on the Insanity Workout program. I've had a little taste of what success is and I want more. Bring it on Shaun T. I’m now fully ready to get my butt kicked.

Special Delivery

                Anyone who has had a kid or grandkid in the house in the past 18 years has probably seen Toy Story. In my case, we alternate between the 3 movies every few days... they’re a favorite. In the first movie, Sid Phillips, the demented next door neighbor kid receives a rocket in the mail. He runs up the stairs of his house, completely ecstatic, “It came! It finally came!”

                That was me today. Well, minus the buzz cut, braces and skull t-shirt… I admit to being slightly demented…

                On top of the box there’s a little saying, “Decide. Commit. Succeed." Oh my gosh, that’s the mindset that led me to this program! Here are my 10 DVDs, my extra 2 DVDs, my calendar, a bunch of advertisements and my Nutrition Guide. Of course, that’s the first thing I open. I possess a very Garfield like mentality on the subject of dieting and lead an extremely passionate love affair with food. That is part of the reason I’m in the predicament I’m in.

There are a few pages of explanations of how to use food to fuel your body and how to figure out your calorie needs. The program follows the 5 meals a day rule to keep your metabolism up and running constantly. In the book there are 10 recipes for each of the 5 meals. Score! They actually look appetizing, not at all the picture of diet food which is a relief. If I’m not eating only rabbit food then I will actually enjoy keeping to this guide.

Moving on from the nutrition guide I start noticing the warning labels, EVERYWHERE. More warning labels than come with a carton of cigarettes, no joke here. It’s everywhere: Consult your doctor, consult your physician, we’re not just saying it, really, consult your physician! Oh crap… this is thing is more dangerous than smoking? I begin getting flashes of myself keeling over and gasping for breath and my tombstone stating I died while doing high kicks. I wonder if zombies can feel embarrassment because I can just see myself rolling face down in my grave because of this.

I feel doubt again. I watch part of the first DVD, the fit test. We are supposed to do it before we start and every 2 weeks of the program to track our progress. Okay, doesn’t seem that bad… Shaun T. stresses that we keep our form. If we can’t do the moves right, then we take a minute and then try continuing. Stop if you feel pain. Push yourself, but know your limits. This seems realistic, but this is just the test, how bad are the workouts? I suppose I won’t really know until I try them myself. According to my fun little calendar they start the workouts on Monday and go through Saturday, having Sundays as rest days.

The Delay:

                All right, as it happens, my package isn’t quite right. After completely going through the contents I discovered there has been a mix-up and I received 2 copies of one DVD while I am totally missing one work out DVD. I was so freaking excited to get this going and start my journey only to now have to contact the Amazon seller and see if they will send me the missing disc.

                I am extremely disappointed. And yet, I am a little relieved. The contents of that package intimidated the heck out of me. At least now I have another week to try and whip myself into semi-shape. It has given me the exact motivation I needed to pull out the old Tae-Bo tapes and blow the dust off. Okay, come on Billy Blanks… I really need not to be killed by Shaun T.

The First Doubts

                Since ordering my copy of the Insanity Workout I have been incredibly excited, probably a little too excited. My entire immediate family knows about it and I find ways to worm it into conversations with other people as well. Most seem excited and wish me well, there have been a few more leery responses, questioning if I’m going to stick with it or not. I get a lot of variations of, “Oh my gosh, I hear that was so hard! You’re going to puke!” Seriously, why does everyone think I’m going to puke??

                The one reaction that really made me stop and listen was my mom’s. My mother is a fitness queen… okay, not really but she’s in dang good shape. She gets up early every weekday and works out in the living room. She is trying to focus on eating healthier by substituting sugar with honey, butter with coconut oil, things of that nature. I value her opinion greatly when it comes to all around health. She was very surprised I was going for something so extreme in nature.

 She wanted to know what I was doing to get ready for it. I was a little confused, get ready for what? I’m going to get the DVDs, it has a day by day schedule; I do what it tells me, I go through hell and hopefully reap the rewards at the end. She explained to me that if I jump into something so strenuous after being so… ah, let’s just use the word sedentary, that my body might not be able to keep up. She very kindly suggested I at least start stretching.

                My head reels. Are you freaking kidding me? Now I have to work out to get ready to work out? In a sick twisted way it actually made sense, as much as I hated it. But could I actually do it? One of the main reasons I chose the Insanity Workout was not only for the enormous payoff but for the scheduled program. You do this work out on this day, end of story. Next day, next work out. I have Mr. Neurotic doing this with me so as to keep ourselves accountable. The work out even comes with a calendar so I can cross it off and have a happy little moment of accomplishment. But now I need to do some warm up activity in order to get to that point? Keeping myself committed to an exercise program has always been a weak point for me and I begin to feel the creeping tendrils of doubt wrapping around my positive outlook on this program.

                I start small. Yoga and I have had an on-again-off-again relationship since high school. I love it while I am actively doing it but it always happens that I eventually decide that I get more benefit by sleeping in. I break out the yoga mat and start that again. I take a couple bike rides with my brother. I spend more time outside in the garden and playing in the grass with the little monster than inside in front of a screen. Yeah I know it’s not pushups or sit ups or jogging but right now I lack the discipline to keep myself to something like that. I’d cheat and I know I would.

               

The Will Fortifier:

                I came to a realization that I have a serious lack of work-out clothes. Not wanting to sink a lot of money into this I head to our local Wally’s World in search of something that will at least cover the necessities. I have one ratty old sports bra at home that could very well be over 10 years old and I wasn’t sure how well that was going to hold up to the rigors of Insanity.

                There’s a whole wall labeled sports bras that I check out. I pick a couple cute ones that look about the right size and head into the changing room. I have a little moment in my head standing in that small wooden cubicle… the last time I was in one of these I was there getting a pair of jeans because I just couldn’t fit into my others. At the time I pretty much avoided looking at myself and got in and out in the quickest possible way. Before that I couldn’t even remember the last time I had gone clothes shopping.

 The mirrors are not flattering and the bras I have chosen don’t even come close to fitting. Frustrated, a little embarrassed but determined not to let a bra thwart me, I head back out and pick out a few more bras, larger this time. Has anyone ever noticed the larger clothes get the less manufacturers and designers seem to care how attractive they are? Less embroidery, less selection, and way down on the bottom rack. You have to really search to find something good. Almost like they’re saying, you’re big anyway, why do you need a cute pink sports bra? Nobody wants to see you in it anyway… jerks…

                The larger bras fit and I stand for a moment looking at myself in the mirror. Yes, my body is squishy, extremely pale, has a few stretch marks. It is not what society would consider attractive… but it’s MY body and at that thought I feel a little steel creep back up into my spine. I’m not doing this to end up on the cover of a magazine. I’m doing this to be healthy, fit into my clothes and feel better about myself. I don’t care if it’s going to be torture, I don’t care if people doubt that I can do it, I don’t even care if I puke! I’m going to do this program and I am going to be better for it.

                The fitting room attendant smiles sweetly at me when I hand her the reject bras. I’m sure she sees this thing every single day, women thinking they’re smaller than they actually are, going into the rooms multiple times trying on multiple sizes until they finally face reality that they are no longer the size they were 3 years ago. “Did those ones fit better for you?”

                “Yup, we’re all good, thanks!” And we are; we’re all good. I leave Wally’s World with my head held high and 2 sports bras for $10.00. One was pink.

The Warning Signs

Being fat creeps up on you. Contrary to popular belief we don’t wake up one day overweight and out of shape. It is a gradual process: sweet by sweet, second helping by second helping, and sedentary day by sedentary day.

I’d been seeing the warning signs for a while… the stack of clothes I’d resolved to one day fit into grew larger and larger while the stack of clothes that I actually fit into dwindled down to pathetic portions.  The silhouette of myself in my son’s nightlight that surely couldn’t be me because I didn’t even recognize it. The family hike where my father, 20 years my senior, leaves me in the dust WHILE pushing a jogging stroller containing 2 toddlers. For a while I’ve been seeing these things and while they vaguely registered in the back of my mind that things weren’t right, I was still in denial. Kind of like how hoarders turn a blind eye to their problems, I couldn’t really see mine.

Before I was pregnant, I weighed in around 135 lbs, smoked cigarettes, didn’t exercise and enjoyed life. I indulged in whatever food sounded appetizing and didn’t give a second thought to health consequences. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I quit everything: cigarettes, coffee, and the whole shebang. I tried to start walking but soon began retaining water and it became impossible to even stand on my feet for any length of time.  As the nicotine cravings set in I started packing on the pounds, blaming it all on baby cravings. I’m sure some of it was, but definitely not all of it. I swelled up like Violet Beauregarde (minus the blue) and gained over 45 lbs. while being pregnant. But I didn’t give birth to a 40 pound baby…

There have been little comments about my weight gain and general all around health since then. I always fell back on the excuse of, “Hey, I just had a baby!” It was working until some smart aleck pipes up, “Yeah, almost 2 years ago!”

I’d toyed with the ideas of losing a little weight, doing small things here and there. Nothing concrete, nothing I could stick with and nothing that worked. And so things just kept getting worse.

The Wakeup Call:

It happened one night when I was looking in my closet and came across an extremely cute black pencil skirt I used to wear to work in pre-baby time. I went to try it on and came to a sinking realization that I could not even get the skirt up to my waist, my legs were too large. What happened? This used to look so good on me!

Not long afterwards I was downstairs, having drug the Wii Fit board out from hiding, and was standing in front of the TV, waiting for things to boot up. I created my character, put in my height, birthday, and pressed start. The fit test was first. I am proud to say my balance is only .3% from being perfect and my “Wii Age” is actually a year younger than I am. Feeling pretty good, we continued on to the body test. In its high pitched voice the Wii alleged it was, “Thinking… Thinking… Thinking…” Then the screen popped up with my BMI and the Wii proudly proclaimed for the whole household to hear, “That’s obese!”

I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I know my jaw dropped and my mind’s initial reaction was, “Screw You Wii Fit!”

Then it began to sink in. I knew I was overweight but things were that bad? All the warning signs I’d been ignoring, all the clothes that didn’t fit, all the cookies I’d eat in one sitting… I had neglected myself into obesity. And I had to do something about it. Besides my own health to think about I also had to think about my little monster… what was he going to learn from Mommy growing up? That it’s okay to eat whatever you want and sit on your butt all day? I don’t want him to become a negative statistic and I wasn’t too happy that I already was one.

It was time for change.

(Not so temporary) Insanity:

                I began looking for things that I could do to change. Change the diet obviously, that was going to be a gradual learning process, but I also need something to burn calories. Chasing the little monster does it, but not at the level I needed. My mind and body demanded that I make this change. I’m never going to be a swimsuit model but I wanted my energy back, I wanted my confidence back and I wanted my clothes back!

                Mr. Neurotic, my fiance, had mentioned months ago that he kept seeing the Insanity Workout infomercial but couldn’t really justify spending that kind of money for something that he possibly would or would not keep with. I had a friend who had done P90X and had great success with it. Only downside was it required equipment, whereas Insanity used your own body as a weight. Together we decided to split the cost of the program and do it together, thus keeping each other motivated and encouraged. He warned me multiple times it wouldn’t be easy, it was going to be hell. Did I really want to do this? We were probably going to puke. I insisted I didn’t care; I was ready!

                The order has been placed and as of right now we wait for it to arrive. The hope is that this helps me get started, get motivated and get myself down to a manageable weight. I want to be a happier, healthier person and this is step one of the journey.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do