Search Results for: label/Hot%20by%20Blogher

Pushing My Spanx to the Limit

I stepped on the scale for the first time in months, and the number made me wonder if gnomes were secretly feeding me lard while I slept. How did I gain ten pounds?

As you know, in January I tried the Jillian Michaels: 30-Day Shred DVD, and the first attempt left me so crumpled and sore that I couldn’t even roll over in bed without wincing for nearly a week. I seriously wondered if only insane people did this workout, because me? I’m no good at it.

It took over a week before I attempted the DVD again. But I did eventually dig out the disc from behind the TV (where I threw it while cursing Jillian Michaels’ name) and gave it another go. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel so bad afterward. I was sore the next day, but it wasn’t the same kind of crippling soreness I had before. Maybe I can do this after all?

Seeing the number on the scale now motivates me even more to jump back on that water- and vegetable-filled wagon. After all, I don’t want to pop a seam in my Spanx at BlogHer this year.

(Oh yeah, if you didn’t already know – I’m now registered for BlogHer 09!)

To aid in motivation, I’m bringing back Hot by BlogHer, but it’s going to be BIGGER! and BETTER! with group challenges and its own blog and maybe giveaways. Expect to see more info on it by next week, and start thinking of what you want to look like by July.

Also, since I’m already doing “the shred” once a week, it makes sense for me to join in with Kristen’s Shredheads group. They’re doing the 30 Day Shred for all of March. While I’m only going to be a part-timer, I’m still all about sharing in the support and motivation.

Here is the data that I need to provide to be a shredhead:

Code Name: Spanx Mama

Before pictures: I value my readers too much to post my before photos here. Springing that visual on you without proper warning would surely lead to mass unsubscribing. But if you really want to see, look here and here. (Remember, I warned you!)

Tag Line: Hot by Blogher, baby!

Weight: Here’s what the scale said last night.


Remember the camera adds a few pounds. In this case, it really does add two – I was holding the camera while weighing in.

Goal: Increase my endurance, have more muscle definition, lose weight, and look great in a cocktail dress at BlogHer.

Diet Plan: Less intake, better intake. I’m already eating between 1600-2000 calories a day, and trying to cut back on high fat and high sugar foods and substitute more veggies and lean proteins.

Personal Rules: No freaking out if I eat a big meal, no defeatest attitude, substitute more water in place of diet soda.

Shred Plan: I’m a part-timer, doing it once a week on Level 1 at the moment. I might bump it up to twice a week soon. I’m already doing a different 30 min. workout four times a week also.

You can join up at Kristen’s site, I’ll Stop the World and Shred With You. And if you’re interested in Hot by BlogHer, check back here next week!



I Feel 27 Again (Well, 27 Plus Two Kids)

I guess it’s been awhile since I gave a Hot by BlogHer update. You might wonder how I’ve been spending the past month, and if I’ve been keeping to the (vague) goals I set for myself.

The verdict is: it’s working. Here’s the breakdown.

Weight: I’m now down ten pounds since I said enough is enough. Did you catch that? T-E-N pounds! Sure, ten pounds in two and a half months isn’t a lot of weight – it works out to roughly a pound a week.

But those ten pounds have even more significance than half a dress size lost. First, my weight now begins with a 1 and not a 2. That’s an impressive feat, considering at one point in my life I weighed 245 pounds. Also, I’m now at the same weight that was recorded as my “starting weight” back when I was 27 and sitting in my paper gown on the cold table for my very first OB appointment ever. I haven’t seen those numbers since that day my doctor confirmed that Cordy was on her way into our lives.

Food & Exercise: I’ve cut a lot of the junk out of my diet. Fast food still hasn’t been eliminated from my diet, but when we do eat out, I’m making healthier choices, eating more vegetables, and passing on giant desserts. Portion sizes are the key for me – I’m still eating some of the junk I love, but not as much of it. Just two days ago, Aaron and I went out for ice cream, and instead of getting my own giant scoop of Graeter’s cotton candy ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone, we split a hot fudge sundae, and I ate maybe 1/3 of it total. Maybe less.

Exercise is, well, always a stumbling point for me. Finding time is hard, and finding the energy is even harder. I’ve been inspired by Karen, though, and now that the weather is nice I’m taking the girls out for long walks, and then trying to do a little weights work at home following the method that Madonna’s trainer uses. (Hey, if it works, right?) My goal for the next month is to make exercise my #1 priority.

Self-image: Earlier this month, I attended Camp Baby in NJ, and at first I was a little nervous about seeing some of the gorgeous women bloggers I know. I fretted over what to wear and how to do my hair, and for one tiny moment worried that no one would talk to me because I wasn’t worth talking to. However, I caught myself and quickly dropped the negative self-talk, and resolved to have a great time. I wasn’t going to let my self-image ruin this trip. I did talk to lots of bloggers, big and small, I dressed for comfort, and only rarely did I feel insecure.

Overall, I’d give myself a solid ‘B’ for my efforts. There are still lots of things I could improve on, but the changes I’ve made so far are working, even if they’re not producing results as fast as I might prefer. I don’t feel deprived of anything, I’m losing weight, currently at my lowest weight in four years, and I’m feeling better about myself. July is coming up quickly – I’m going to be ready for it. Maybe I’ll even wear a cute summer dress to one of the cocktail parties at BlogHer this year?

How is everyone else doing?



A Turning Point

Quick quiz: How many months pregnant was I in this picture?


4 months? 5 months? 6 months?

Nope, all wrong. The answer is: I’m 8 months postpartum.

(Did I just lose subscribers over that? I think I heard someone click that unsubscribe button. It’s OK, I understand. I’ll spare you from the belly shot without clothing. The stretch marks alone would scare the rest of you away.)

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before making a change. And right now? This is me, hitting hard on the cold stone floor. And damn it hurts.

I know I said I wasn’t making any New Year’s Resolutions, and I’m not. But it’s time to admit that I’m really not happy with myself. I don’t like being overweight, I don’t like all of the extra curves on top of my curves, and I’m really sick of being asked, “So when are you due?”

I don’t always look like the picture above. I’m amazingly adept at sucking in my stomach and holding it all. day. long. But eventually I have to breathe, or I forget for a moment, and suddenly I look pregnant again. Even Spanx can’t hide it all.

Beyond the physical, my mental health is also suffering. I had depression when pregnant with Cordy, and I worried about developing PPD after Mira was born. I think I was too busy trying to deal with two kids early on to let myself feel down. Now I can feel the darkness quietly creeping in again, and I think it’s partially motivated by my unhappiness with my physical appearance.

So it’s time for a change, and that change can begin by asking myself: what do I really want? I want to be healthy, in body, mind and spirit. I want to eat better, get more exercise, and lose weight. I want to feel good about my body instead of ashamed of it.

And to be completely honest?

I want to be hot by BlogHer ’08.

OK, it’s a little shallow, I’ll admit. But I’ve been to the BlogHer conference twice now, and both times I felt like the “big girl” hanging out with all of the pretty girls. There’s a lot of gorgeous women in the blogging world.

This past year, I had an 8 week old excuse:

Mira’s first BlogHer, sleeping through the party

But the year before, there was no excuse:

BlogHer ’06: The year of the pasties

I wasn’t always this big. In fact, just five years ago I felt pretty good about how I looked. Amazing how having two kids and letting yourself go a little can wreck your appearance.

Our honeymoon: Florida, 2003

BlogHer ’08 is my goal date. I want to be hot by BlogHer ’08. And by “hot” I don’t necessarily mean skinny. Skinny isn’t going to happen – my body isn’t built that way. Instead, I’m setting realistic goals:

– I want to be at a healthier weight. I have no set number I must reach – that will only depress me. Instead, I’d like to see myself in a smaller clothing size (no particular size, just smaller), and not look like my uterus is currently under lease for another few months.

– I want to eat more natural foods, and less fat and fried foods. Mira has officially weaned as of this week, so cutting back on calories isn’t a bad thing. I can’t eat like a breastfeeding woman anymore. More fruits, veggies, and water, and more emphasis on portion control. I’m not giving up the foods I love, but I will remind myself that there is no threat to the world’s chocolate supply, so I don’t need to eat it like it’ll all disappear tomorrow.

– I want to enjoy exercise again. There was a time I actually liked exercising (or liked it as much as a sane person can really like exercise). I was happy to see the changes it caused and marveled at what my body could do. But I need to find a form of exercise I like enough to do more than once.

– I want to be satisfied with what I see in the mirror. This is quite an undertaking, because it will involve mental as well as physical change. I need to start working with my body instead of against it, thinking of it only as a shell I wish I didn’t have to lug around with me.

– I want to be happier with my life, giving off waves of self-confidence and satisfaction. While times are tough for us in some ways, I have a lot of good things happening right now. It’s time to focus on what makes me happy and not on the things I’m unhappy about but can’t change.

Yes, I know there are far better reasons to want to be healthier: living longer, setting a good example for my daughters, and a lowered risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. I want all of those, too, but it’s hard to get motivated by those long-term reasons.

But – hot by BlogHer? (I love that phrase. I swear I’m going to make a button for that.) That’s a goal in the near future I can work towards.

I’m ready. I’m motivated. I’m determined.

Can I do it?

I think I can.

(Anyone want to join me?)

Coming up soon: Specific plans, a full round of starting pictures, my past history with my weight, and detailing how I’m going to keep myself accountable by blogging.

UPDATE! We now have a button, thanks to the design mastery of Mother Bumper! Feel free to add it to your blog (but link back here so people know what you’re talking about, m’kay?).

HotByBlogher

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