I know I've Been a Bad Girl

Ok, so I didn't keep up with posting about my workouts and all, but I've been kind of busy.  Well that is all going to change now since I was recently fired.  I'm not going to get into the details here, but it's basically a bunch of bull! Anyway, so as I am looking for a new position and trying to eat as "cheap" as I can, I will be looking for ways to try to eat healthy and cheap. 

One of the ways I have come across is by buying from Farmer's Markets.  This site: Fargo Farmer's Markets lists local Farmer's Markets in the FM Area.  Some other great ways to eat cheap is to buy in bulk, save as much as you can in leftovers by pre-portioning your food before you eat.  By specifically setting your portion size when you "dish up" at the dinner table you not only have leftovers (provided everyone else doesn't pig out), but you also don't overeat this way.  Another great way to make sure you fill up at any meal, is to drink 8 oz of water before you eat and make sure you also drink another 8 oz with your meal.

Since I will have more time on my hands I will posting way more often.  I am also starting another blog dedicated to music and movies and anything else entertainment related.

I want everyone to know that I am staying as positive as I can with my recent loss and looking at it like even though this door in my life has closed, I know another bigger and better door will soon open.  Thank you to everyone who is there for me and if you wanna help me out, send people to my blogs!

Much love, hugs and kisses!

Hitting a Rut in Weight Loss

Okay, so we've all been there, right?  We do really well, then we hit a rough patch.  We stop losing weight, start to fall off track of eating healthy, get lazy, start to gain a bit back.  It's frustrating when we fall off the "healthy lifestyle" wagon.  But it happens and we just need to dust ourselves off, kick ourselves in the butt and get right back on the right track!! So this is exactly what has happened to me and I've finally narrowed down my problem or breaking point.  As you may already know, I've been doing Chalean Extreme.  However, I've never been able to consistently get through the full program.  It's a 90 day program that consists of three levels of weight training; Burn Circuit, Push Circuit and Lean Circuit.  I can get through the first circuit pretty well, but I start to waver the last week or two of the Push Circuit and it takes me two weeks to do one week's worth of workouts.  It's frustrating because I get more and more hungry the heavier the weights I lift.  Which proves that I'm achieving exactly what I am suppose to in building a higher metabolism.  The downfall to that higher metabolism is how ravenously hungry I get and that's when I start to lose it.  I get so hungry that I have to eat constantly and then I end up eating some really crappy foods which in turn, drains my energy and my motivation to keep working out.

So, I've decided to start the program over from scratch.  And to help keep me on track, I've decided to blog about my workouts to not only be accountable but to show you guys my progress, my triumphs and my struggles.  So Monday was Day 1, and I did Burn Circuit 1.  Felt amazing doing it and feeling that way again helps motivate me to keep doing it and eat healthy so to not ruin my results.  Tuesday was rest day.  Today will be Burn Circuit 2, Thursday is cardio, Friday is Burn Circuit 3, Saturday is Cardio and stretching and Sunday is rest day.  I will update as to how each workout goes, and how I feel I did.

Also, on Monday weighed in at 138.  Haven't done measurements lately, but I will starting next week.  Please feel free to leave comments of encouragement as I may need them along the way.

Til next time!

Skinny Phoenix

Bikini

Alrighty, so thanks to my friend Karla, whom has given me the courage to wear a bikini in public (of course at around sunset so the lighting isn't so good) has inspired me to break down and buy my first bikini.  So I did, they were on sale and I just got a cheap one to start out with.  Now by no means do I feel completely comfortable trotting around in it, because of stretch marks and such, but I do feel pretty good wearing it.  It defines a goal in my life that I never thought I would achieve and it actually came before getting my surgery, so it's a bit of a shock to me that it's all starting to perfectly fall in place.  My goal, that has plagued me since the birth of my oldest son, was to wear a bikini in public.  A few weeks ago, I did just that.  Granted, I was with some of my most trusted, closest and supportive friends which made wearing said bikini that much easier.  I'm sure they were probably just being super nice telling me how great I looked, but it really did something for me.  It made me proud that I had lost all 45 pounds so far and despite the stretch marks and bit of saggy skin, I felt pretty darn good.  It was sort of a freeing experience which is why, even though Karla gave me the bikini she made me try on that day, I felt I needed to actually purchase a bikini for myself, that was my own that I picked out and that I bought.

So even though I'm not quite to the point of strutting in a bikini in front of a bunch of random strangers, I am confident enough to do it in front of the people who are always cheering for me, who love me, who support me and who inspire me.

With all the love and gratitude in my heart, this is dedicated to you, my suppoort team of the most amazing people I know.  You are my family and my heart! MUAH!!

Love,

Skinny Phoenix

Still Alive!

Ok, I swear I am still alive, really! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but not much has happened. I still weigh the same (boo!) My measurements are still the same (double boo)! I really need a day job, cuz this working overnights is really starting to get to me. I am starting to thrive for normalcy. I have one more workout left in my Push Circuit then I will be starting the final "Lean" circuit, which is 4 weeks long. I haven't been able to get TurboFire yet, so if anyone wants to get me a gift (I do have a bday coming up in October >wink, wink<) there's your idea.

I am trying to get my own business going, which is Internet marketing. I still have a lot to get it set up. With working full time, it may take me a little bit to get that up and running, but I will get there, I swear! Oh and get this, the name of my business is called Red Phoenix Solutions!! YAY!! So if any of you out there need some type of marketing done for your business, mostly videos for the internet to get customers to your sight and to get more paying customers, I am your girl! Of course that will expand, but that's how I am starting out. So anyway, thought I would just do a quick update about my busy life, oh and still working on making my surgery happen, make take slightly longer to get it than I originally wanted, but I will get it!

Peace out!

Love,
Skinny Phoenix

Found!

Alrighty all, so I know it's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd better get in an update. So I had my third and final consult yesterday. It was amazing!! I love the staff, I love the surgeon and she is willing to do all my procedures at once! I am soo super excited!! To put in perspective how giddy and excited I was after my appointment, here's an analogy. If you've seen The Ugly Truth and Katherine Heigle's "happy dance", this is exactly what I did! Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgqZwDdNS9s

So I'm super excited that I have finally found "the one"!!! Now I just need to figure out how to pay for all this!

I'm taking donations ;)

Peace out!

Second Consult and TurboFire!

So I had my second consult with Rick Becker. He was way better than the first guy I saw! Really nice and seemed very eager to answer all my questions. Only down side about him was that he isn't willing to do my hysterectomy at the same time as my tuck. Frustrating!

My next consult, and hopefully my final one, is next Monday on the 28th. I am super optimistic that she will do my hysterectomy at the same time. Because when I initially called to set up the consult I asked the receptionist if they would do that and she said yes they have done it before and since they are affiliated with the hospital they would do it there. So I'm crossing my fingers that she will agree to do it!

My other great, amazing and exciting news this week is that TurboFire is out! Woohoo!! I am going to order it as soon as I can and I am totally gonna kick ass at it!

Hope everyone else is well!

Peace out!

No More Jiggle Wings!

I know it's been a while since I've posted. But here's an update. So, I'm down to 133 pounds which is great! I'm in the Push Phase Circuit of Chalean Extreme. And my most exciting thing to post about is that I no longer have jiggle wings!! You know what I mean? All ladies will know exactly what I'm talking about. See most women have this and we absolutely hate it. But we'll lift up our arms and low and behold the skin that hangs from under our arms, if we wave, will writhe and jiggle. However, if you have enough muscle and tighten your arms, they will not wiggle and jiggle and flap like we have "fat wings". I have finally got to a point, where there is little to no jiggle. OMG!! So excited about this!! I finally have arms I can show, slightly sculpted shoulders, and a very nice collar bone (that actually shows)!! It's little things like this that really help keep me going. While my weight may not budge as much as I want to, seeing tone arms, less jiggle, more energy, more strength, more defined jawline and cheekbones, moving another notch on the belt, and having my size 4 pants feel looser helps me realize that I'm still making noticeable progress. Of course my darn belly doesn't budge, but I know that's not just gonna go away without it being cut off.

So to go on that note: second consult is Monday June 14th (My bff's Amy's bday!Woot woot!). It's with Becker Plastic Surgery and he's got some pretty impressive stats. He's booked out pretty far and when I tried to reschedule for June 28th, that was booked and I wouldn't be able to see him any other time until mid July!! So I was like, screw it, I'll just go see the guy on Monday, since he seems to be so darn popular, may as well give this guy a shot. I am still sort of leaning toward the female surgeon, but if I do really like this guy and his work and feel like I can really trust him, then I will have no problem going with him. I like having options tho.

So that's the update so far. Still got 6 weeks of Chalean Extreme to complete, oh yeah, and Chalene has a new workout program coming out called TurboFire that I am super stoked about!! Comes out sometime this month and I do plan on getting that too! Looks amazingly intense and fun.

Here's a link to preview TurboFire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRGTuvoEgdA&feature=related

Peace out!