Me? Skinny?

So it's been a while since I've blogged and I can't come up with anything good.  Everyone is about the same.  Ty's little in-home evaluation is Tuesday and we are eager to get therapy started.  I've lost another pound and 3 inches.  Jeff is making progress on his quest to build muscle.  Our Isagenix Team Hemingson is expanding which is fun to watch others start to achieve their goals too!

So today I was looking at myself in the mirror and it hit me.  I still see fat Jeni.  You hear it all the time.  "I know I've lot weight, but I still see the heavier me when I look in the mirror."  In the past I would yell at the TV, "what's wrong with you, you look great, you worked hard, you should be proud of yourself, etc."  I totally get what they are saying.  While I am very proud of my accomplishments, I still can't get over the image looking back at me.  That's not MY body.  It's like someone photoshopped my face and put it on a smaller body.

Why does this happen?  Are we afraid of success?  Perhaps afraid of success so that we might need to maintain it?  Maybe that's why some people can't get started in the first place.  If I don't really try then I don't have to fail.....maybe?  What DOES happen when we succeed?  How do we know when we get there?

Well here's what I did this morning.  I kept looking at myself.  All angles.  Until I could confirm in my brain that it's me.  I even told Jeff "I'm a smokin' hot momma.  I look good, I like it."  Am I perfect?  Heck no.  But I like it.  Maybe the more I see it and the more I say it, the faster my brain will catch up with my body.

Am I afraid of success?  Maybe.  I've never been this healthy before...now what?  I'm 38 and in the best shape ever.   It's all new to me.  I've never been "athletic."  Now I run and lift weights.....and I like it.  What's up with me?  I'll tell you.  I feel good and I can't stop myself.

Maintain it?  I still have some fat to release and some muscles to tone.  So that's where I'm going.  I'm releasing more fat and toning more muscles.  It's a game plan.  It means working smarter.  I don't have more hours to exercise, so I need to continue to maximize the time I have.  Heavier weights, run faster, push myself harder.  It's a bitter sweet moment when I'm at BodyPump class and I realize I need to add weights.  Yay I'm stronger....shoot that means the bar will be heavier.  I was getting comfortable and now I need to get uncomfortable again.

How do I know when I've reached "success"?  I guess I will just know!

Any other "smokin' hot mommas" on the inside screaming to get out?  Contact me asap!  I love watching the transformations!

Pictures!

Feeling pretty good today!  I've had a productive weekend signing up for some 5Ks, shopping for new clothes and rocking my new body.

Wanted to post some pictures.

This is me on June 12, 2013

Here is me this morning!

And for fun, a side view.

20 pounds released!  55 inches smaller!

First I have to say how much more happy and energetic I am.  You know what they say about people who exercise and those endorphins.  Yep, it's true!  I feel happier for myself and for other people.  It's amazing!

Then there's the shopping because my clothes are looking a little baggy.  Of course they feel big, but when they start to look like they're going to fall off, it's time to bite the bullet and get some new ones.  I bought the blue work out outfit yesterday in a size smaller than in the past, it's more form fitting than I'm use to, but I'm not self-conscience like I use to be.

Still going to hit the Y to shed the last of the belly, thigh, and upper arm fat.  This week looks like BodyPump, Shred, Stair Climber, Rower, running, and taking a day off for a cleanse.  If I can stay on task the last few inches shouldn't take long.

Thank you Isagenix and my friend Lori for helping me find my groove again.  I feel better than I did when I was 20!

My Isagenix Story

So I was reading "Go Pro" by Eric Worre and he encourages everyone to make up their story, kind of like a testimonial of sorts.  Here's my story.

I am an expert at loosing weight.  I have lost lots of weight in my weight loss career.  I am horrible at maintaining a healthy weight.

I was feeling bad about myself when I came to terms with the fact that I had lost weight again and was starting to gain it all back again.  I felt like I let myself down and my family down – they went through a lot to support me.  Then I started watching a friend's FaceBook page closely.  She was having success with this company called Isagenix.  I was one of those lurkers.  I watched and watched and watched her page to see what would happen.

One day I had enough lurking and told Jeff I wanted to give Isagenix a try.  Jeff agreed and we jumped in with both feet together.  I have lost 20 pounds and 55 inches, and I’ve gained lean muscle mass.  I feel great and am working on toning.  I never knew I cared about running, increasing my run time, or how big my muscles were.  It turns out, I DO care.  I want to be healthy for myself and my family for a long time.

Isagenix provides the nutrients my body needs, has taught me about food and exercise, and I am making friends – happy healthy friends.

I can’t see my life without Isagenix.  Even when I get my “after” photo taken, I know I will still incorporate Isagenix into my new lifestyle.

Weigh in

This week's weigh in:  down one pound and two more inches.  That's a total of 20 pounds and 55 inches!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to say good bye to the scale.  As I keep replacing muscle with fat my weight is not decreasing as much.  Which isn't bad.  It's a good thing.  I think I will have to rely more on the tape measure and mirror to determine fat loss.

I also have come to the realization that I need to consume more calories.  In a time where we get bombarded with the message of "less calories" and "deprivation" it's hard to make that mental shift to "consume more." When I say consume more, I'm talking about quality food and protein.  Obviously not add more empty calories.  I've gone from occasional exerciser to athlete so I need to get in the mind set of one.  I'm burning too many calories and my body is holding on to the last little bit of fat I want to see GONE.  Eat more to loose more.  Ugh, that sounds so backwards and I need to wrap my head around that.  It's a total mind change and a total lifestyle change.

On to the kiddos!  The kids love school.  Cheer and football are well underway.  Ty has a new word in his vocabulary.  I'm happy to announce that he can consistently say "no"!  It may sound weird that I'm happy.  When my big kids learned "no" and used it repeatedly, I was so annoyed by their new skill.  However, given Ty's speech situation, I'll listen to him say any word with consistency and appropriately.  Now I feel bad for wishing the big kids didn't talk so much when they were little.  After having one the struggles to talk I now know how precious that little voice is.  The ability to communicate is huge!

This is one mother that has learned a new appreciation for her kids this week!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!