Here we go again

On January 3, 2011, I started over. I woke up reenergized, ready to kick these 10 pounds in the butt—and kick myself in the butt I did! In addition to starting a new healthy eating plan, I started my new Brazil Butt Lift (BBL) DVD program. My first workout set was not too bad. First, I did a 15 minute video that introduced you to the BBL moves. Then came a 30 minute cardio routine that includes a lot of butt shaking. I feel pretty stupid doing this, as my hips are not very good at doing the shimmy, but no one is watching, so I don't care much. The next day, though, had me doing the 15 minute basic video again, but this time it was followed by a 30 minute routine that focuses on moves that target the butt area, including hips and thighs (imagine the hardest squats and lunges you've ever done, with no resting in between). It's not a cardio routine, per se, where you're jumping around doing aerobics, but it was very, very difficult to keep up. I ended up having to take several breaks during the 30 minutes because I was just too tired. And it was hard. The next day was the basic video plus cardio again. And then the fourth day was that tough lower body routine (they call it Bum Bum, which is pronounced "boom boom" in Brazil). But this time, I managed a little bit better, so I have hope that I will prevail and eventually be able to do this entire routine without resting. On day 5, it was cardio and abs (also very difficult), and then on day 6, I skipped the BBL scheduled workout and went to Zumba instead. And on day 7, today, I rested.

As far as the healthy eating plan goes, this week was the kick-off week, so the meal plan suggests limiting your calories to 1000 per day (I know, I know, that's pretty low, but that's just the kick-start part of the plan, and only lasts for 6 days, and in my case, 5-1/2 because I cheated), and eating the meals they prescribe. This wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, and I never really got that throbbing headache that sometimes accompanies a low calorie, low sugar meal plan. I counted my calories each day to make sure I was sticking to the 1000, and on Monday through Friday, I did. But then the weekend came, and I find that being at home is just too tempting. It's very difficult for me to have the willpower to eat well. But I tried the best I could.

Saturday's meals were pretty good, but I did splurge at dinner, but not as bad as I could have. Lila went to a birthday party, so Jack and I went to dinner at The Italian Oven. I love it there, but usually eat some kind of panini or pizza with soup or salad. This time, because my eating plan stresses eating protein at every meal, as well as eating some kind of fruit or vegetable, I ordered a pasta dish with marinara sauce and a meatball. I only ate half of the meal, which I suspect was about a cup of linguine. I had a side salad as well with the house Italian dressing. And we asked the waiter not to bring bread to the table, so other than the carbs in my pasta and meatball, I didn't eat any unnecessary ones.

Today was not so good, though. But I decided so be it. I'm not going to let it derail me. I'll get back on it with my next meal, which will be in a few minutes when I'm done typing this entry. Today I ate the prescribed breakfast (1/2 c. Kashi cereal with 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 c. berries, and 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds). But then we took my niece to lunch at Bravo, and it is so hard to eat well when you eat out. I didn't eat any bread, and I ordered the cup of wedding soup and the chopped salad with Italian dressing. I'm sure it was more calories than I would want to believe it could be, but that wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was when I got home and decided to make homemade doughnuts, and then ate two, plus several doughnut holes. Ugh! I wish I could kill this stupid sweet tooth of mine. But like I said, my dinner will get me back on track. And no more sweets for a few days.

I took a good bit of time yesterday to plan all of my meals for this week, choosing all of them from the meal plan for the BBL program, and grocery shopped accordingly. Hopefully I can stick to the plan, and see some success, even if it's only a one or two pound loss from when I weighed in last Monday. My weigh-in days are going to be Wednesdays, so look for another post later this week.

I'm also hoping that as the weeks go on, I can venture out from the prescribed meal plan, and start to make things that my whole household will want to eat. I started to subscribe to Cooking Light, and there are a million delicious recipes in every issue. I can't wait to get cooking!

Until Wednesday, stay healthy, eat healthy, and exercise! That's the plan. I hope it's yours, too!