Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pushing forward...

Hey guys, this post will be on the shorter side, but I wanted to update you on the last 30 days of my workout plan. As you know, I started doing the Hop Hop abs work-out videos, and I am happy to say that I completed the 30 days. I am pretty satisfied with the results I experience and wanted to give you a final update before I move on to telling you about my next work-out assignment. 

With Hip Hop abs, I found that it is a great work out for beginners. It's fast paces and full of fun and energetic moves that make it feel like you are not even working out. But, like any workout plan I have tried, I found myself getting bored with the repetitive videos. But, in order to give you guys an valid review, I made sure to stick with it. 

For the first 2 weeks, you rotate between the Fat Burning Cardio and Ab sculpt videos. However, in the 2nd week, you are doing 2 videos most days. In the 3rd week, you add in both the Total Body Burn and the Hips, Buns, and Thighs videos, still doing 2 videos most days. And in the 4th week, you are rotating through all 4 videos. Needless to say, with a plan that required you to work out 6 days a week, I was very excited whenever I got to add a new video into the mix. 

In 30 days, I lost about 6 pounds. Although I am pretty positive that I lost more fat and gained lean muscle. I built up my endurance levels and am very happy with the amount of inches I lost. 

                                   Day 1             Day 30           Difference
Bust                       35"                33.5"              -1.5"
    Belly Button          34"                29.25"            -4.75"
      Waist                     28"                25.75"            -2.25"
       Hips                      38.5"              35"                 -3.5"
         Right Thigh          23.75"            21.25"            -2.5"
             Left Thigh            23.5"              21"                 -2.5"
               Right Arm            11.75"            10.5"              -1.25"  
            Left Arm              11.25"            10.25"            -1"

Total inches lost = 19.25" 

I obviously did not take the best before and after shots, but here are the photos from day 1 and day 30. Hopefully you see a difference because I can. Especially in my face :) For my next photo, Ill try to remember to wear the same outfit. 

DAY 1

DAY 30


So now It's time to push forward and tell you about the new workout plan I have started. I am currently on day 3 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. This workout plan requires you to work out EVERY DAY for 30 days and claims that, with a healthy diet, you can lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days.  But the thing is... the work out are only 20 minutes long, which is great for my busy lifestyle. 



Now I realize that I am not trying to lose 20 additional pounds. Since I started my weight loss journey, I am down 12 pounds and just about to reach my goal of being back into the 130s. Last week, Easter weekend, was a bit of a set back for me, but nothing I cant handle. And I am positive that I will be in the 130's by the time I leave for London in 3 weeks. But I have a new goal. Since I feel so good, I am going to try to continue this until I am 127. That is, for some reason, my absolute dream weight. And I plan to hit it by my 29th birthday on May 13th. Meaning, that I still have to work my butt off, even while on vacation. 

So... over the next 30 days, I will continue to update my measurements and photos every week so you guys can see my progress. And I will also try to add some more recipes in the near future. I am planning to go hard and be diligent about my diet and exercise because I would love to give myself the best birthday gift ever. A body that I can be proud of. It is amazing how much my confidence has boosted over the last month and I can only imagine what it will be like in another month. So please wish me luck!

Also... I have a burlesque style photo shoot scheduled for tomorrow. 
I will be sure to upload a few of the photos on this blog. But in the mean time, feel free to add me on 
Facebook~ http://facebook.com/Miss.P.Ivory or follow me on 
for new pics and any updates on performances.


Until next time... 


Sunday, April 1, 2012

Passing the plateau...

I first want to apologize for this post being a few days late. I have been unbelievably busy making my creative dreams a reality. I'll get to more on that in a moment. But for now, I want to update you on my weigh loss progress from the last week. 

I am happy to say that I currently weigh in a 143.1. That's a 2.6 pound loss from last week and I am not complaining. I am so close to being in the 130s, I can almost taste it. That number represents so much to me. I know that I am getting healthier, but working through all of the normal pitfalls is more amazing than anything.  Every time I would try, I would hit a speed bump, and quit. This time, the speed bumps are still there, but I am still moving forward. I get emotional just thinking about it. 

This has been a 15 year long battle for me, being unhappy with my body. And I was so sick of wishing that something would about it. Making deal with God that if I woke up one morning with the perfect body, like magic, then I swear I'd maintain it. Never realizing that God had given me the perfect body all along, and that it was up to me to do the rest. So now I am putting in the work, and I feel amazing. Completely sore, but still amazing.  

As far as my diet goes, I mentioned before that I am off of the no carb diet. And I am thankful, :) but I am still eating very healthy. Truth be bold, when I head to the market for my weekly shopping, I find it very hard to now to purchase food times that I know are bad for me. I was only successfully able to add whole grain wheat break and oatmeal to my diet without feeling guilty. I know that its working for me though because I have found that I have a lot more energy without having to eat so much.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week. 

FRESH FRUIT SALAD
Mango, Pineapple, Strawberries, Blackberries, Banana.
(You can add any fruit your heart desires)


Anyone who knows me understands my love for fresh 
fruit salads. I have the privilege of going to Colombia last 
year on vacation and we would have a fresh fruit salad every 
day. Its perfect for breakfast, snacks, sides, or desserts. 


OATMEAL 
Regular oatmeal with fresh fruit.

I love this. I have started eating it almost every morning. 
And its another perfect item to combing with your fruit
salad. I suggest making a huge amount. It wont go bad.


 CHICKEN/SPINACH SALAD
(Deconstructed)
Pan Grilled Chicken and sauteed spinach.

Remember that Chicken/Spinach Salad from another post? 
Well I wanted to do another take on the same ingredients. 
I decided to use the apple vinaigrette that I made for the salad, 
and sauté the spinach with it. I'm telling you... A-MA-ZING! 
I swapped the avocado out for Watermelon. Which is My 
favorite for the the warming weather. 


Ok.. Enough about food, lets get to some measurements. 
                           DAY 1         DAY 22             DIFFERENCE
Bust                    35"               34"                     -1"
Waist                  28"               26.5"                  -1.5"
Belly Button       34"               30"                     -4"
Hips                   38.5"            35.5"                   -3"
R. Thigh            23.75"           22"                     -1.75"
L. Thigh            23.5"             21.5"                  -2"
R. Arm              11.75"           10.75"                -1"
L. Arm              11.25"           10.5"                  -.75"

That's a total of 15 inches in 3 weeks of working out 6 says a week and eating well. Not too shabby. Here is my weekly photo update so those of you with visual minds can see my process.  



***Quick update on my Supplement***
Used it 4 times now. Works wonders. Energy for days. I could not be happier.  


And last but not least; at the beginning of this post I told you about making my creative dreams a reality. To elaborate on that, I have been a dancer on and off for the last 13 years. I know... shocker, a dancer with weight problems. lol. But to be honest, my weight was always something i have self conscious about and that definitely affected my dancing. Now that I am older, and much more confidant in myself and my body, I decided to start dancing again, but with a little less on. lol

I recently got into Burlesque dancing. I love it because it celebrates the female form and a woman's strength without objectifying them. I have found it to be a celebration of all the things I am learning to love about myself and I feel so empowered doing it. I recently had my first audition and I am happy to say that I have booked my first performance. I will put the details up soon. Also, I am going to be kittening a Burlesque show on Wednesday April 4th at 9pm at the Smyth Hotel in Manhattan. Come and support if you can. :)



I know this has been a long post. But thank you for reading. :)
xoxo
*Miss Poison Ivory*