Second Set of Pics...

So here we go again... about a month later. I've lost 7 pounds (finally back under 200... at 198), and a grand total of 19 inches! Whoa. The problem is that I'm not sure if I see a difference in the pictures, compared to the ones I did last... I gotta just keep going. One thing I know for sure is that my endurance and physical fitness ability have GREATLY increased since I started. Before, it was a struggle to run even 3 to 5 minute stretches. I can now run 20 minutes at 5.0 speed, and that's after already doing 20 minutes on the stair stepper. Every day I am improving even more. I cringe when I see how far I still have to go to get to my goal, but it will be totally worth it in the end. I'm hoping future pictures will continue to show the effort and success I am having, and I can stop noticing all the little things about my body that bother me.

So here we go February!!! Lets see how far we can push it this month!


The numbers, compared to the beginning:
Weight: 198 (down 7)
Bust: 42 (down 1.5)
Below Bust: 33.5 (down 2.5)
Waist: 38 relaxed (down 4), 34 pulled in (down 3)
Arms: 12.25 (down .25)
Forearms: 10.75 (down .25)
Hips: 41.5 (down 2.5)
Thighs: 25 (down 1.5)
Calves: 15.5

.... For a grand total of 7 pounds and 19 inches (not counting the relaxed waist 4 inches!)

Week 2

It's the end of week two! Time to share results:

Bust: 43"
Below Bust: 34"
Waist: 35" in / 41" out (down .5")
Hips: 42" (down 1")
Thighs: 25.5" (down .5")
Calves: 15.5"
Arms: 12.5" (down .25")
Forearms: 11"
Scale at home: 201 lbs (down 1 pound)

Total this week: Down 2.5 inches, and one pound

Grand total since beginning: Down 8 inches and 4 pounds!

I was a little disappointed to see that I hadn't broken through the 200 barrier yet. I really worked hard, and did extra cardio to get there. The main thing to remember though, is that I also lost 2 and a half inches this week, so I am obviously losing fat and gaining muscle.

Keep up the good work!

My "Pre" Pictures

Oh crap. I finally decided to take pictures of myself in a sports bra and work out leggings, so that I would be able to see my progress. It is hiddeous. I'm sorry to all of you who have to look at it!

I think this was an important reality check though. I can now stop pretending I'm still skinny, and actually face the facts. I'm chubby. I need a lot of work. But I can do this. I will not put myself down anymore. This is just the first photo. It will only get better from here, and I should be grateful to have a body that works, and that my face is cute.

My goal is to reach about 140 lbs, and have a maximum of a 32" waist. Jorge Cruise says that in order to figure out your ideal maximum waist measurement, you take your height (which for me is 5 ft. 4 in. or 64") and divide that number by 2. My ideal maximum waist measurement is 32".

I am one week into the BFC and have already lost 3 pounds and 5.5 inches. I started at 205 pounds. These are my measurements this week:

Weight: 202 (down 3 lbs)
Bust: 43" (down .5")
Below Bust: 34" (down 2")
Neck: 13.5"
Waist: 41" relaxed, 35.5 sucked in (down 1.5")
Hips: 43" (down 1")
Thighs: 26" (down .5")
Calves: 15.5"
Upper Arms: 12.75" (up .25")
Forearms: 11"

And now for the "fun" part.... Here are my "Before" Photos:

Re-Set Button

Is there a Re-Set Button somewhere on my body?

I have really fallen off the BFC wagon this past week or so, and I can tell the difference! I feel bloated and groggy, with a constant headache. My muscles are achy and my mind is foggy and irritable. I stopped keeping track of what I was eating, and was allowing more bad carbs and sugar into my diet. During the first few days, I felt like I was still doing "pretty well"... having something bad only once a day. I was having a lot of beer (it was the kind that was okay on the diet, but it's still not a good idea to drink 6-9 cans in one night... night after night, just to de-stress). But the more I allowed myself to slip, the more slippery the slope became. One trip to McDonalds turned into two, then Taco Time and other fast food restaurants snuck in. I ate half a basket of fresh baked bread from Tomato Street before my entre of Portabello Chicken Ravioli. Then I was choosing carbs that were not as healthy, just because I "wanted" them and found ways to excuse my poor choices. I said yes to that amazing Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake dessert, celebrating my brother's return from the Army. And I couldn't make myself pass up the scoop of Pralines and Caramel at Baskin Robbins, justified as celebration for the purchase of our new van... You see where this all goes...

It's really due to a lack of planning on my part, and an un-willingness to go to the grocery store! I'll stand at the fridge and wait for something healthy to magically appear, and when it doesn't, I turn around and grab the last 1/4 bag of Dorito's, justifying myself every step of the way. I need to re-charge... re-set. I think the best move I can make right now is to first... journal this idea so that I have some accountability again. Second... start to journal my food intake again, making sure to stick to the tried and true 15/6 rule. Third... make a list of the foods that I really enjoy on this program, and fourth... go stock up! If it's there, I'll eat it. Plain and simple. If good stuff is there, I'll eat the good stuff. Cutting corners at the grocery store just to get out of there faster is only hurting my progress.

Alright body... I see the button... PRESS!
(yes, it was my belly button... smart people.)

Here we go! Enough cutting corners! Invest in your health! Spend the money on food that is going to benefit you the greatest! It's not "over" because of one bad week. Re-Set.

The Butterfly!

I started the Belly Fat Cure journey about two months ago. At the beginning, I was weighing myself almost every day, maybe even multiple times a day. Every time I saw a number that wasn't what I wanted it to be, I became very discouraged. I vowed to myself that from that point on, I would not step on a scale. The last time I got on the scale, I weighed 196 lbs, and had been stuck at that number for what feels like ages!

To rewind a little bit, I was on the South Beach Diet for over a year, and had great success in the beginning, going from 205 pounds, down to 185, and then gradually back up to that infamous 196. It seemed like no matter how hard I worked on that diet, I could not keep the lower numbers unless I completely avoided all carbs, leaving me with lots of acidic protein and plenty of fruits and veggies. I had a lot of fresh fruit smoothies, protein shakes, salads, and lean meats and cheeses. But that darn #196 would not drop back down to 185... and I stayed there for at least 6 months. Finally realizing that the diet was failing, I discovered Jorge Cruise and his Belly Fat Cure.

The book looked like another scam, get skinny quick trick, which I wanted no part of. But finally, I decided that it was worth a shot. The book was an easy read, and made sense. The goal is to eat less than 15 grams of sugar per day (the average person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar per day without even realizing it), and aiming for 6 servings of healthy, whole grain, high-fiber carbs each day. The book indicates that consuming more than 15 grams of sugar a day, causes the insulin in your body to over-produce, creating the perfect environment to store fat in your body, particularly in the mid-section. The high-fiber carbs are also necessary to flush your system, and make sure you are having regular bowel movements, otherwise you are storing something called "false belly fat", which is just extra poo that won't come out, leaving you with extra baggage in your bowels.

Anyway, back to the weighing... instead of allowing myself to get discouraged every time I step on the scale, I decided to ban the scale in our house. Instead, I go by inches lost. At the beginning of the south beach diet, I lost a lot of inches, but gained most of them back in the end. On this program, I've lost all those same inches and more, and only in the two months I've been on the program. I've lost a grand total of 29 inches and 2 dress sizes so far! Out of sheer curiosity (and because I found an unsuspecting scale in a friends' bathroom last night), I stepped on, and the number said 189. Now mind you, I had been fully clothed, and it was at the end of the day, where you typically weigh more, so I could probably subtract a good 3 to 5 pounds from that number and still be accurate, leaving me with a scale number of 184!

The best part is that I still get to eat carbs! I am just learning which ones are the best. I can also have sugar (in small doses), such as in a couple of squares of extra dark chocolate when I have a sweet tooth. I have a bite of pie or cake here and there but it is really rare, and I can honestly say that I don't miss it at all. I can have certain kinds of beer, too. It's really amazing. I would recommend this program to anyone. I have more energy, and am getting healthy without feeling deprived of the joys of life and food. I'm looking forward to reaching my ultimate goal of a size 6 or 8, and weighing somewhere around 135 pounds, if that's really the best shape for my body. I don't want to look like a stick, but I do want to be healthy and strong, and be able to shop in the cute clothing sections instead of buying extra large and still feeling uncomfortable.

Right now, as I type, I am looking down, and am amazed that I can see more of my lap than previously! My breasts and stomach have both decreased and I feel smaller. My husband is having trouble keeping his hands off, my friends are all noticing a huge difference, and I feel amazing. I can't wait to see the new me fully emerge! I've been in this caccoon for wayyy too long. Bring on the butterfly!