another 30 days of kickin' ass (measurements & photos)

day 126:
holla blogdom!

been a couple of days since i posted – but i have had a very sick little girl which resulted in a trip to the ER & her daddy getting sick as well (don’t ask me who was the bigger baby – i swore i would never bash him on my blog… heh). but all is better – both are on the mend & i figure it will only take a truckload of lysol to de-germ my house!
sigh.

in between tending to sick babies i managed to complete another 30 days as a shredhead (aka an avid fan of jillian michaels workouts) which brought me to 90 days of consecutive daily exercise!
yeah..
me!
nine-fucking-tee days!
holy fuckballs!

if ya have been reading along in my daily drivel/diary about my workouts (all located in the shredhead tab above) then you know i kinda be-bopped all over the place with my workouts this past month. i exercised daily & they were all jillian workouts – just not the same & certainly no plan was implemented!
i was afraid it might effect my results but…

not the case at all – these are some of the best results I have had all along!
and if you think that’s amazing – check out the comparison between day 1 & day 90!

it blows my mind that i have done this…
i know it’s corny & i have said it before but…
these workouts have changed my life!

and where do i go from here?
well, today i started this…
i try not to make total assessments on day 1 – but so far i am diggin’ it & i was certainly sweatin’ my balls off afterwards! check out the shredhead tab for more gab…

well kids – i am literally beaten down & i gotta cut this semi-short!
thank you all for the amazing comments you ALWAYS leave me – i read every word but totally am behind in replying. you all rock balls & i adore you!

peace, l♥ve & carpe the fuck outta the diem!
xxoo
cyn
if ya’ll feel like takin’ a gander --- go check out my mama/photography blog the purple goddess & follow along!

holiday survival 101

day 113:
happy *we-made-it-through-another-xmas* blogdom!
i hope your holiday was a fabu as mine.
santa was very good to us – but he always is!

(here i am @ xmas dinner)

i feel good about my eating – i ate what i wanted within the restrictions of being vegan – counted my points (i opted to track over the weekend in lieu of simply filling) – and other than a random cookie (okay those weren’t vegan – oops – but i am not gonna sweat one egg between 24 freakin’ cookies) – i was good.
oh and i did my shred-it workout– even on xmas.
so pffffft to gaining weight.
just not in my plans this year.

so i gotta share a NSV (non scale victory)…
my mom bought me clothes for xmas this year – she always does & oddly even though our styles are on the polar opposite spectrum of one another – she usually picks out great stuff for me!
but i digress…

so she buys me an outfit & i am looking at it & the pants (black cashmere boyfriend jeans that are to.die.for i might add) are a junior size 11!
up to this point i am fitting into jr. size 13’s & a random size 12 on a good day – so i told her she had way too much faith in me to buy me 11’s.
oh & a size medium shirt!
a medium!?!?!
i haven’t worn a medium or a size smaller than a 13 & the random 12 since jr. high school – no shit!
maybe even elementary school now that i think about it!

but do ya know they fit?!?!
i can wear 11’s & a size medium!
woa…

not only is this a NSV but an eye-opening moment for me.
i think when your weight has fluctuated from chunky to thick to big to fat your whole life since puberty it is really hard to wrap your head around the fact that you may slowly but surely becoming the not-so-chunky/thick/big/fat girl anymore.
but it is hard.
in my head i am NOT a size 11 & certainly not a medium -- i am still a 18/20 & XL/XXL…
but she also bought me two pairs of workout shorts with matching tees – ALL size medium & they ALL fit.
so it wasn’t some fluke…
woa…
it will probably take me some time to accept that i am doing this & the results of my hard work are starting to show in ways that even i cannot fathom.
bizarro & yet so fuckin’ cool!

so how is everyone?
how was your holiday?
lay it on me!
share your nsv’s & success stories – i love to hear them as they inspire me to stay on plan!


peace, l♥ve & carpe the fuck outta the diem!
xxoo
cyn

weigh-in vol.14 -- 10% bitches!

day 103:
tee gee eye freakin’ eff!
(i just love saying that – dunno why?)

so the weigh-in.
today was just craziness – as all friday’s seem to be lately?
skylar – my 2 ½ year old daughter -- had a check-up visit (did ya know they do 2 ½ year visits now to do early detection/intervention for autism & developmental issues because they are so widespread now?) with her pediatrician this morning – so i had to race home to drop her & bri off – get my mom (she is also a weight watcher junkie – dunno if I have ever mentioned that?) & fly to our weight watcher meeting.
we made it right in the nick of time -- phew!
and boy oh boy am i glad i did because i…
(drum roll please)
lost 3lbs & for a total of 21 lbs gone & putting me 1 lb past my 10%!!
as in i have lost 10% of my body weight!
(link takes you to a ww page that list the benefits of losing just 10% of your body weight)
***does 10% skinnier nekkid cartwheels***
yeehaw mofos!
(here is my 10% keyring – purty ain’t it?)
i was hoping to be there before xmas & was quite stoked & surprised to make it a week early!
xmas has come early & i gotta smaller booty – JUST WHAT I WANTED!

so uhh yeah – pretty effin’ happy!
(sky & i -- i ♥ this photo & it amazes me how much less i don't mind having my picture taken these days... )
but moving along to some other stuff – cause i know ya’ll are just dying to know about my random shit…

so i was bitchin’ the other day about not really being totally in love with the shred-it with weights workout right?
well…
i decided to bump up to level 2 & man oh man!
jillian (cause we are on a first name basis & all) warns you that you will *rue the day you bought this dvd* & she isn’t kidding. the difficulty between level 1 & 2 are like night & day.
but i loveeeeeeeeeeeee level 2!
it kicks ass, i love the kettlebell, i love that it is strength and cardio all in one, & i love that i have soreness in places i never fathomed could possibly hurt!
you will feel this one & you will be challenged !
this is the type of jillian workout i have come to love/hate!

also…
today marks the end of the sweet tooth challenge -- wow!
i challenged myself to three weeks of no junkfood – cakes, cookies, chips, crackers, ice cream, candy , etc. & i am happy (& kinda surprised) to say i stuck it out.
gotta admit that i thought i would cop out along the way – but i didn’t!
and brian took the challenge with me & stuck it out like a champ too!
we both agree that we feel so much better without a buncha processed crap & both of us lost weight – bri lost 4lbs (not that he needed to) & I lost 8lbs -- yeah impressive to say the least!
i am amazed @ how much my *need* to snack has diminished. i am not saying i don’t snack – i do – but i make better choices & am trying to listen to my hunger signals.
we feel so good that we are extending this challenge @ least another week.
plus – the thought of putting something into my body that could even slightly make me feel like before repels me.
i feel too fucking good to let a oreo or a dorito knock me down!

well kiddos i am wiped & have yet to workout today – so gotta get a green smoothie down my gullet & my (recently thinner) ass in my rockin’ purple saucony’s & do it up!

***this just in: apparently linkytools (the site i use to do the hop) is being an asshole because the no more muffin top hop is closed? my apologies -- i checked the format & everything is correct so it must be something on their end??? carry on!***

peace, l♥ve & carpe the fuck outta the diem!
xxoo
cyn

ramble & rant

day 101:
happy humpity humps blog-o-zone!

so i had this thought of making a big ta-doo about hitting 100 days yesterday – but as you can see – that did not come to pass.
but at any rate – happy 100 days to me!

warning: complete randomness ahead & if i repeat anything i mighta wrote about before – sorry; this time of year makes me loopy as fuck!

speaking of which: i think people are crazier than ever this year – i went out xmas shopping yesterday & came home with the intense need to down a six-pack (i didn’t) & to punch something really hard (didn’t do that either).
i am usually the jolly elf but this year i feel like grumpy mcgrumpis!
so please random assholes out there in the world – steer clear of me with your *my life is way more important than yours so i must cut you off, run you down, & basically be an inconsiderate shit* attitude!
merry xmas!
next…
so i gotta come clean about something…
i am not in love with the shred-it with weights workout.
but jillian i still love you!
(i write my blog as if she is reading it -- heh)

the workout rocks & i am totally loving the kettlebell but i just don’t feel very challenged? not like i did with 30 day shred & ripped in 30…
i believe that if you workout & don’t sweat your balls off – you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough. and sadly this workout doesn’t make me sweat my balls off.
i am so disenchanted by the workout that last night i also did level 1 on 30 day shred to compensate for what i feel like is not my usual balls to the wall workouts.

but i am not a quitter – i am currently on level 1 & i think i will try level 2 & see if that is the challenge i need (and crave). and if not i will make a decision where to go from there. i just worry that i am going in the wrong direction with my fitness. i want to continually push myself & i feel like i am regressing?
probably all in my little warped imagination – but i am just being honest about how i feel.
in all seriousness – anyone out there looking for a great strenght/cardio workout @ a moderate level – shred-it with weights is the way to go.
and you don’t need a kettlebell – you can use any light handweight (3-8lbs).
it’s about 25 minutes (warm-up & cool down included) & i think just about anyone can find 25 minutes a day to workout…
just sayin…

moving along…
still going strong in the sweet tooth challenge – although friday is the last day that i committed to. but i am pushing on. i admit there are times when i crave something junkie – but i have held on & made healthier choices.

the misconception about this challenge is that i am restricting myself – not true at all. i eat plenty & snack at least twice a day. i am just making different choices with what i eat.
speaking of choices & eating.
switching back to a full vegan diet has been a breeze. but i feel better about it this time. i know i am ready to committ & it feels right.
i have also made a pledge to be more open & experimental with my vegan diet this time around.
i tried soy milk for the 1st time & i love it.
no really – I LOVE IT! i am not a milk person – never have been – and while i would never drink a glass of soy milk per say – it is amazing in cereal & makes oatmeal taste DIVINE!
i also tried quinoa for the 1st time – LOVE IT TOO! it smells & looks really weird – but oh so yummy. sorta like cous cous but i liked the quinoa better & the health benefits are fabu!

i want my diet to consist of a mixture of different foods & not just be about stir-fried veggies, tofu & brown rice. although i do love that – no one can live on veggies, brown rice & tofu alone.

speaking of vegan – i found this freakin’ awesome blog/site via pinterest that i am totally all over -- beautiful-vegan.com.
loads of information & recipes – even non-vegans would like it!

i warned ya of randomness – so i am totally switching gears here.

i am about fed up with my knees.
i have written about the chronic pain i have had for 20+ years & while since taking off weight & making exercise a daily priority it has gotten overall better – it still hurts. and mainly while i am working out. and it pisses me off.
i am capable of physically doing so much more than my knees (right one in particular) are allowing me to do.
and i am not talking about the muscle pull i had a few weeks back – i am talking about joint pain that lessons my ability to run, jump, squat, & lunge! all things i need to do in order to be in the physical shape i want to be in.
it is sooooo frustrating to know have the strength & endurance to do something that one part of your body is hindering you from doing!

i saw my doctor a month or so ago – she gave me solid advice which helped with the muscle pull (new shoes, epsom salt soaks, stretching, etc.) – but none has helped with the joint pain & i am to the point that i want to address it & make it stop.

i admit fully that i want a quick fix (cortisone shot please!) & to be on my merry way to the gym where i can run, jump, squat & lunge my way through a kickass workout!
so i am adding two cortisone shots on my xmas wishlist this year… heh!
(i say this like i am a doctor & know for sure that will fix what ails me – dontcha love self-diagnosis?)

well i think that about sums it up…
enough rambling & ranting for one day!


peace, l♥ve & carpe the fuck outta diem!
xxoo
cyn

forks over knives

day 94:
happy humps ya naughty bloggah’s!

so i am happy to report that i am not in full-throttle bitch mode today – i feel a wee bit better & no longer have the desire to either punch or eat everything in sight!
yay!

so last night bri & i watched forks over knives -- a brilliant documentary that basically (and i quote)…
“examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.”

i would recommend this movie to anyone!
(we are wicked documentary freaks so i don’t go around recommending every one i watch – but like food inc. -- this one is a must see!)
the statistics & findings are amazing – and the movie follows 3 people as they adhere to a plant based diet & reverse their health issues which include: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, weight. along with other people who participated in a TWELVE year study!

now before anyone gets in an uproar & tells me to get off my soapbox – i realize the thought of cutting out or at least limiting animal products (meat, dairy & eggs) just terrifies most people – and as someone who followed veganism (april – august this past year) – it can be scary.
but it can be done.
even though i fell off the vegan wagon -- i do eat more of a plant based diet than not. there are many days i do not consume meat – I still choose a veggie burger over meat anyday -- but i do eat meat on occasion.
now i am seriously questioning why?

and when you think about it – would you consume the breast milk (news flash: cow milk comes from lactating cows!) of another person or animal?
naw didn’t think so…
honestly – put that way & the whole dairy thing skeeves me right the fuck out!
goodbye cow nipple juice – hello soy milk!

and don’t even get me going on my thoughts on how our government polices our food consumption (via the usda) & pushes us to consume food based on the almighty dollar…
i will keep off that soapbox – but I will say this -- i think it is utter bullshit that it costs a family more to eat a healthy diet than one of ding-dongs, chips, & processed crap!

anywho… my point is this – watching that movie last night reminded me of all the reasons i wanted to be vegan in the first place & made me really think about what it is exactly that i want from this journey. i know it isn’t just about my weight & fitting into a smaller pair ofjeans – that might have been the reasons that sparked my journey – but those are perks & not my driving force anymore.
what drives me now is the desire…
to be healthy – really healthy. not in a processed *diet food* sorta way (and no disrespect to anyone who utilizes those products) -- but from real food that fuels my body & benefits it.
to be fit through my food choices & exercise
to be an example & an inspiration to my children.
and
to be the best version of me i can be. i have sold myself short for 41+ years & i am ready to be the me i was always meant to be!

so in saying all of that – i think it will come as no surprise that i am going back to veganism. truth is i never should have allowed life issues (addressing my depression & new medications) steer me from that path. but i cannot live in the past nor bury myself with regret. i have made immense strides in my food choices even without veganism – so i expect that this transition back with go smoothly.
i know how to do it & i know it can be done --- so it will!

i promise not to be preachy (other than this post of course – sorry i just get excited & wanna share shit) about it – nothing irks me more than people who preach about anything – but it will be something i talk about on my blog of course.

moving along…
tomorrow marks the end of ripped in 30 & yes I did it faithfully and daily for the past 30 days!
it also marks 60 days straight of daily exercise – which amazes me. i don’t think i have ever done anything consequetively for 60 days straight let alone exercise!
and i don’t plan on stopping.
so friday i will have the *official* digits (as in measurements) & such. i am not expecting as dramatic a change as the 30 day shred – that workout shocked my body into über submission – but i think there must be some changes.
we shall see…

also on friday i will begin shred it with weights -- another jillian michaels workout – of course.
it follows her basic circuit 1-2-3 (strength,cardio, ab) style training only this time utlizing a kettleball (which i need to purchase asap). you can use a single hand weight but i am all about the goodies…
i think that about covers it…
and don’t forget to check out forks over knives!

peace, l♥ve & VEGAN margaritas bloggy peeps!
xxoo
cyn