Living the Life, Phase 1: RESULTS!!!

I'm a girl who loves a new beginning. My journal and this blog are full of entries about how "now, I am going to start exercising, eating right, and getting on top of my to do list." Unfortunately, I've lacked the follow-through to make new beginnings become lasting habits. I was a tired couch potato with good intentions and poor follow-through. I couldn't do a single push-up. My baby was over a year old, and I was still in my maternity jeans.

When I took the time to plan and prepare meals, they were fairly healthy, but I was inconsistent in my meal planning. Consequently, it was not uncommon to arrive at dinner time and have my kids and husband ask me, "What's for dinner?" and not have a plan. To make things worse, when I'm hungry, I get really grouchy. If I'm tired, it's twice as bad. My temper was short, and my family got the worst of it.

I knew I needed to exercise, plan meals, drink more water, and go to bed earlier, but it was hard to make those changes. Knowing I should be doing those things and knowing that I wasn't doing them made me feel worse about myself. On top of it, I felt dumpy. It's hard for me to be dumpy and feel attractive at the same time.

A few days ago, I finished Phase I, 12 weeks of Living the Life. You may remember that I wrote about my trial week here and here.

My final results from Phase 1 (some numbers):

• I weigh 17 lbs less
• I lost 9 inches off my waist/belly
• I lost 3 inches off my hips
• My body fat composition went down 5%

I've made significant changes in my body, both in look and in function. Only a few days into Living the Life, El Guapo commented on how good my skin looked.  I could tell the difference in my strength when I carried in the groceries. I starting feeling more energy. I started getting things done. I started getting that exercise high!

I love being able to do pushups, dips, and planks.  I've never been so fit in all my life. My pre-baby clothes are too big for me, and I can wear my wedding dress again!

Because I am happy with my body, and the way I'm taking care of my body, my confidence has soared. I feel so capable! I know that I can do hard things.  It has changed my relationship with El Guapo; we spend more time together and we have fun. We've even gone on some dates! Because I'm eating at regular intervals, I don't get as grouchy as often and I'd like to think that I don't lose my temper as often. Of course, there is always room for improvement.

I have embarked on Phase 2, which is just more of the same: healthy eating, smaller portions, more frequent meals, lots of water, weight training, cardio workouts,and rest. What I love about Living the Life, though,  is that it's more than just a body program. It's about setting specific goals and working for them. It's about self-mastery. For example, one of the daily disciplines that I'm tracking is cleaning for at least 15 minutes with the timer, so I can get on top of my kitchen and laundry. Maybe by the end of Phase 2, I'll be ready to include an after shot of my bedroom!

I'm really happy that I stumbled across Living the Life and am so grateful to my friend, Megan, who sent me the Phase 1 that she won and wasn't going to use. I owe much to El Guapo, who became my biggest cheerleader and motivator, giving me pep talks and often sending me to the YMCA in the evening while he put the kids to bed. Big thanks also to Kristi and Trish for such a great program!


WARNING: The link below goes to before and after shots of me in a swimsuit. To paraphrase someone near and dear,  "If you want to see a 36 year old woman in a swimsuit, that's your problem! ")


Click here to see my before and after shots.