Extreme Makeover Andover Edition

The Last Hurrah

2008-12-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe this point has been reached. I finished my last FT training session this morning. A very weird feeling walking out of there. I have achieved so much at FT - beyond what I truly believed possible. I thought I'd never lose 10 lbs, never mind the 29 that I lost. It is truly astounding to me that the trainers knows just how far to push - where our breaking point is. And what success we can achieve with that.

I found my outfit for the Reveal party last night. Woah. Amy chose the perfect outfit. And wait until you checkout the shoes! Holy smokes.

Today and tomorrow are filled with photo shoots, hair coloring, waxing, nails, etc. And Cheryl and I are going out for a celebratory dinner together. That'll be fun.

Not sure if I'll get a chance to update again before the Reveal, but I hope to see you there!

Sweet Relief

2008-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

I went away for Thanksgiving - to Philadelphia for five days to visit my husband's family. It was very difficult to maintain any semblence of our nutrition regime there. I did bring protein shakes, which really helped, even if not the best for me. I was certain that I'd come back having gained at least 3 pounds, but miraculously, I actually lost a little, instead. I went for some brisk walks which probably helped. I am SO relieved.

I cannot believe that yesterday was my last Monday morning at FT, and that today was my last Dr Nahata appointment (although I do plan to officially switch to him as my dentist). And just wait until you see my hair! Wow. They are going to throw some color in it on Friday night, but for now, the cut is fabulous. Still trying to learn how to manage such different hair, but I love it. I never would have been brave enough to do what Jose did, so I am glad they gave me that push.

I am excited for the party Sunday. Still very curious what we'll be wearing...hopefully we'll know in the next day or two! I don't have too many people coming, but a couple, and I'm excited about that.

A lot of final appointments this week, so we're plugging through! Also, it is the weekend of my daughter's Nutcracker performances, so it's busy, but well worth it.

See you Sunday!

Two -Three Down

2008-11-25T12:46:00.002-05:00

I gave in today. I trekked through the downpouring raing with my two youngest children to Old Navy to use my coupon which expires tomorrow. I thought I'd get one pair of pants to get me through Thanksgiving (most of my pants are Old Navy, as they seem to fit me well). However........when I got to Old Navy, all the pants I love were marked down 50% off, plus my 20% off coupon, and my $10 gift card and my other $14 gift card....so I bought a few pairs. Really fabulous stuff. Haven't had pants that fit me in a long time. It feels good. But what feels great is the fact that I have dropped two to three sizes (depending on style). THAT was awesome. Seven pairs of pants for $53. Not too bad.

Pictures and another evaluation tonight. We'll see how it goes! Hair tomorrow - and you all know how THRILLED I am about that. Just in time to see my husband's family for Thanksgiving. Hopefully they'll notice huge improvements. Then one more week to go.

Yeah!

Going Wild

2008-11-20T12:13:00.003-05:00

Things are really starting to pick up pace - if you can believe that! I am really glad I have most of my workout sessions at 6 AM, so I can schedule in all my other appointments.

I saw Dr Nahata yesterday for some tooth sensitivity - I called at 8:30 AM and they had me in there (and fixed the problem) by 11:30. Amazing.

I met with Amy from Dresscode on Saturday - I really love so many of their clothes. I expect in the next week or so we'll be going in for fittings. Can't wait to see what is chosen for us to wear. She said she was going to push us out of our comfortzone. Yikes.

Just got a call from Indra, adding appointments for waxing, facials, hair 'touch-ups', confirming for my straightening, cut and color. I am beyond excited for this. My hair is a disaster, as I think I've mentioned before.

Worked out with Brian this morning as a little treat. It has been months since I've had him as a trainer. Good, hard workout, as always. Thanks so much!

I'll keep you posted.

It's been awhile...

2008-11-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

So sorry it has been so long since I've posted. That's usually a good sign, though - it's means I'm super busy (which translates into getting all my cardio in!). So here's a quick update:

Hoping to meet with Dresscode this weekend.
Hair in 1.5 weeks.
Changed up nutrition this week - going well.
High weights, lower reps. And my upper back is killing me...
Teeth are looking good.
Can't wait for the big bash.

It seems that it is all coming together. The final push - yeah! It is with mixed emotions that I reach the end of this 'journey'. It has been amazing to accomplish so much in so little time - without the help and support of SO many, it never would have been possible. I feel like I have truly been educated and now have some tools to help me in the future. Yet I must admit, it'll be helpful to get a few hours of my week back, and to go to the gym on my schedule. And I will do it! I won't slack. I have been given the motivation and the drive, and truly the confidence, knowing all that can be accomplished. This is not the end of this makeover journey, but hopefully just the beginning...

Hair Update

2008-11-06T14:06:00.002-05:00

I have my Indra appointments! I am getting my hair straightened on Wednesday, November 26th at 10:30 AM. It'll take about 3 hours, but it'll be worth it. From there, I'll hop in the car and drive to Philadelphia. I am very pleased my hair will be nice for Thanksgiving and seeing family who live far away. On December 5th, the Friday night before the Reveal, I'll be getting my color and cut. Apparently Cheryl will be there as well, and they said they'd pamper us (like always!) and make it a relaxing evening. Just wanted to give you the update. I am psyched!

The Countdown Is On!

2008-11-05T08:48:00.002-05:00

December 4th

4pm

Glory Restaurant

Reveal Party

Be there

Let me know if you want to come and I'll turn in your RSVP. All are welcome.

That being said, time is flying by. I am waiting to hear back from Indra regarding hair appointments. Really can't wait for that process to begin.

This week, I've been having my neighbor come to FT for workouts with me (it's bring a friend week). So neat to see it through someone else's eyes. And nice to have that encouragement! We did full body on Monday and last night did Cardio/Ab intervals. Whew - Sam was brutual (as a reminder, brutal is a good thing!). After my cardio, I did 45 minutes more of cardio. Haha! Funny how that works.

So proud of Cheryl and her 5K aspirations. Good for you! If I were around this Thanksgiving, I'd have been inspired to join you. Oh well, let's do it next year. =)

Assessment and the newest Andover Clown

2008-10-30T13:36:00.002-04:00

I had my assessment this week. All went well - yeah! I am down 23 pounds, as of today. Down about 6 more inches, and my body fat decreased a bunch, as well. I don't know all the specifics this time around, but down is good.

Cheryl and I plan to really work hard this last month - 5 weeks, really. Yikes - can't believe the end is in sight. Scary, but exciting! This means I'll be getting my hair done soon, for which I am SUPER excited. And can't wait to meet with Dresscode - I hope that's coming up soon, as well. I love the outfits in their storefront windows right now.

On Saturday, there is a photographer coming to take photos during my training session. Maybe I'll break out the hairbrush before I head over for a change. =) That'd be different.

I feel that I am really getting the nutrition right now, and that there is a steady decline in weight. The cardio is strong this week, so overall, I'm feeling good. The only thing I'm not feeling great about is the state of my hair (but as I mentioned before, that'll change soon!) and the fact that I have no pants that fit me. And I'm not willing to invest in new ones until I've lost my final 10-15 pounds (that's my goal, at least). So until then, I will look like a new clown around town - frizzy hair and baggy pants. That's me!

Clock Disaster

2008-10-27T06:46:00.002-04:00

So I woke as usual this morning at 5:40AM to meet Anna at 6 for our workout. However, upon my entrance to the kitchen to grab my shoes, those clocks were reading an hour ahead. Yes, that's right, my bedroom clock was an hour behind. So I totally missed my entire training session.

I immediately called Anna and feel SO HORRIBLE. I know she was not too pleased, and this IS NOT the way I intended to begin the week. We rescheduled, but I still feel horrible for getting her up and out this early and missing. Please forgive me, Anna! I'll work extra extra hard for you.

Plugging Along

2008-10-26T20:32:00.002-04:00

We are plugging along - getting so that I can say the end is in sight. And that's SCARY! We have a fitness assessment this week. I am very curious to see how that goes. Not sure - the weight loss last week was up and down - I essentially haven't lost at all, overall. We'll see tomorrow morning what this weekend brought.

I plan to try to ramp up my cardio a bit this week, as I feel that it was a little low last week. I'll start at 6:45 (after my workout with Anna!) tomorrow morning with some HIIT training. That should be a great way to start.

I am excited for the date for the Reveal to be finalized so I can schedule my hair appointments. My hair is pretty crazy right now, as I haven't had it cut since May!!! (Indra wants me to not mess with it until they do - which won't be until 3 weeks before the Reveal.) So it's frizzy and long right now. Not a good looking combo.

Off to eat some more protein. Fun stuff! I'll post once we assess later this week and let you know how it goes.

I'm back!

2008-10-21T15:19:00.002-04:00

I'm back and still going at it. It was not nearly as hard as I thought to maintain this fitness/nutrition lifestyle in Florida. Especially when for my cardio I could take walks in the perfectly sunny 85 degree days, or swim laps in the pool. Ah, the life! Before I even got to my sister's place, we stopped at the grocery store and I picked up protein shakes, cottage cheese, etc. - staples in my diet. Good stuff!

I got home around midnight on Sunday and was at the gym six short hours later working my chest and biceps! That is one of the beauties of personal training - I'd never in a million years have lugged myself out of bed in the 30 degree weather to go to the gym.

I had my teeth shaped today by Dr Nahata - before Cheryl had her fabulous turn there. They look much better - who knew what 30 minutes could do for your smile. =) Thanks so much!

OK - well, the kiddos are crazy today. Gotta run!

Vacation

2008-10-15T23:16:00.002-04:00

Early tomorrow morning I'll be heading to Florida for a long weekend to visit my sister and her new baby. It'll be great fun, but challenging in the nutrition area. I am sure exercise won't be an issue, but I'm going to be very careful about what I eat. I already told her I'm going to buy protein when I get there! Because of the trip, I've been craming in my FT sessions - so in the last 10 days I've been 8 times! Yikes, crazy me. But now I have four days off of training (just cardio). It'll feel weird, I imagine.

I had another facial tonight at Indra. A peel. My skin feels really soft! I hope it lasts.

I'll let you know how the weekend goes!

Another week down

2008-10-12T21:17:00.003-04:00

In speaking with my husband tonight, it struck me really just how soon this fabulous makeover will be done. I feel like Cheryl and I have made great progress, but I feel that I still have so far to go! I am actually enjoying the cardio intervals we've been doing - it really makes my cardio sessions fly by each day.

The first half of this week I lost two pounds, and the second half none. We'll see what happened over the weekend in the morning when I weigh in. Hopefully it's good news!

I have another facial this week, which I really looking forward to. Also, I am going away for a few days to visit my sister, so I'm already talking to her about my nutrition 'needs' and my cardio time. I've added a training session last week and this week so that I don't miss out on one. So it's been extra busy!

I plan to talk to Dr Nahata's office this week about whether to go ahead and cap my front cracked tooth. I thinking I will but still haven't completely settled on that. I also feel like the whiteness from my teeth is fading away. I don't know if I'm more used to it, or if they are yellowing already! I hope they'll compare the color to what it was when I left my whitening treatment. I hope I haven't given up coffee for nothing!

So that's my news for the week. Have a good one!

Very Carefully

2008-10-06T21:53:00.003-04:00

So Lisa informed me that despite what I thought, my nutrition has not been following the guidelines. So I've begun to email her my mealplan for the following day, so she can check it out before I eat it, rather than after. We hope to regulate my food intake so as to see how my body reacts to eating this way.

We began new cardio workouts this week (45 minutes 6 days per week, 4 of 3-minute intervals and 2 of steady state). I did my first 3-minute intervals today. It really does make time fly by! Much more so than steady state. We also have changed our weight workouts this week to high weight, low reps. Good stuff!

I have to decide tomorrow what to do about my teeth to cap/veneer or not, that is the question...I'll let you know what I decide. That's where we stand now. Waiting to hear about the Reveal date, as that will get the ball rolling at Indra with my hair. Cannot wait - as it is way too long and driving me crazy. I'll keep you posted!

You Rock!

2008-09-30T12:02:00.003-04:00

I have meet some really fabulous people throughout this whole process. I really cannot think of one person I have come in contact with who has not gone above and beyond for me. I find that astounding. For example (just one of many), I had a concern about a tooth of mine, so I called Dr. Nahata's with a question. My schedule did not permit me to get in there that same day, so they tried to schedule me for the next day. Well, I couldn't make any of those appointments, either (such is life juggling three young children!). So what did they do? Push me off? Tell me to call back later? Tell me to wait it out? No - they opened early for me. Yes, that's right, at 6:45 AM I was in the dentist chair consulting with the hygenist and Dr. Nahata himself. I find that incredible.

So thanks to all you fabulous people out there. This process has been made even more unbelievable just by getting to know you. You rock!

Change of Pace

2008-09-28T21:25:00.003-04:00

This week begins a new cardio regime. 45 minutes alternating: 5 minutes high intensity, 5 minutes medium intensity. As daunting as it sounds, it'll be nice to mix things up a little bit. It'll be tough, but hopefully it'll encourage those pounds to fly right off...bye bye belly (my nemesis).

My teeth are nice and white. They were really sensitive the first day, but that is much better now. I do have a big of patchiness on some of my teeth, so I'm going to call Dr Nahata's and see if that's normal. But overall, I am quite pleased.

So I'll be at FT's at 6AM - excited to get another week underway. Lisa said she has some new ideas for our nutrition which she'll be talking to us in a day or two, so I'm very curious what that means.

As of last Friday, I was down 15 lbs, so here's hoping a few more come off this week! I'll keep you posted... =)

Gleaming White

2008-09-25T18:05:00.003-04:00

So, my teeth are not gleaming white. But tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM they will be! I am having a 'ZOOM' treatment at Dr. Nahata's. I'll let you know how it goes! Can't wait...And thanks to Cheryl, for watching my children so I can go! I'll do the same for you...

Indra

2008-09-24T19:50:00.002-04:00

My facial was amazing! So soothing and exfoliating. My skin feels SO soft. Thanks, Nicole. Can't wait to go back! They were fabulous there - of course - and even let me come back later in the evening for a makeup consult, as we ran out of time earlier in the day.

Beginning tomorrow, I'll be switching some of my FT trainings to morning sessions. So I'll be up bright (or really dark) and early! Looking forward to seeing my friends at FT nice and early.

Another Week

2008-09-23T13:35:00.002-04:00

We are now in another week - just that much closer to our big Reveal. Working hard! This week consists of time at FT, a facial tomorrow at Indra, and a teeth whitening follow-up with Dr Nahata. My teeth just are being a bit stubborn - we may need to laser them whiter. Depends on what Dr Nahata thinks.

I think that something must be done about my weekends. I didn't lose any weight at all this weekend. I don't know if it's because I have my day off or not, but it is frustrating. Also, this weekend was really tough in the temptation area. It was SO hard to stay away from certain things - like sweets and carbs. Yikes! Any tips on mental strategies to stay strong would be greatly appreciated.

I took a nice (but tough) walk this morning with my two youngest. Went up lots of hills while pushing a 38lb child and a 25lb child - never mind the weight of the stroller. Fun stuff! But it was a cool and beautiful morning. I should do that more often!

Good Stuff

2008-09-18T20:57:00.002-04:00

Cheryl and I had our four week assessment tonight. I think we were both pleased. I won't give you exact measurements (as they still aren't pretty), but overall, things are going down. I have lost 10.8 pounds and 13.5 inches (and that's only counting one arm and one leg!). My most significant places of loss were the waist and thigh. Shoulders came in next and hips shortly after. (For those of you at FT tonight during the reporting, Anna and I realized there was an typographical error in the computer and so this is with the accurate information.)

I did about 15 more pushups than last time, and my heart rate (resting) dropped 14 points and after a 3 minute step test dropped 41 points! And I felt so much better than I did last time I did it.

It was so very encouraging. Today I put on a pair of jeans and literally could not wear them because they were too big. It was great. So that's the news. I am hopeful for continued loss, as Lisa pointed out my first two weeks were SLOW in making improvements, and I've finally gotten on track these past two. And she has lots of tricks up her sleeve to mix up our cardio. Fun stuff!

And finally, I want to say yeah for Cheryl - she is doing SO awesome. I am proud of you! Keep it up. Can't wait to walk around Dresscode with you! And your teeth look super white. =)

And now, back to my protein.

Busted by a Three Year Old

2008-09-17T14:35:00.005-04:00

I was impressed with my three year old today when on the way to Target, he saw my protein shake and asked if I was 'drinking my energy thing' to get healthy. I guess even the littles ones are noticing changes.

However, as I was leaving Target and verbally expressed my desire for coffee (there's a Starbucks inside my Target), he said to me 'No, mommy, you can't have coffee. It turns your teeth a funny color'. Obviously, he's heard me mention I shouldn't have coffee while teeth whitening. Oh my, out of the mouth of babes.

No food in the house

2008-09-17T14:35:00.004-04:00

So I had a lapse yesterday. I went to eat dinner (after too long without food) and found the only thing in the house to be frozen chicken breasts. Bummer. I should have planned ahead. And I could not eat the chicken last night. No way. So I settled for cottage cheese. Probably a bad idea, but better than no protein. I am already planning for dinner tonight so that doesn't happen. But I felt I had to confess...

Early Morning Fog

2008-09-17T14:35:00.003-04:00

I woke up to the most beautiful morning. It was not quite dawn and so very foggy. Breathtaking, really. It was earlier than usual, as I wanted to do my cardio in the early morning versus at night. I am missing out on a lot of bedtimes with my kids, and as much as possible, I'd like to get a few back. So at 6 this morning I headed over to FT and was greeted by a very cheery Anna. I did 45 minutes of cardio then headed home to begin the day.

I went to a mother's group this morning for it's kickoff - and yup, you guessed it - brunch. My nemesis. But I was good (I think). Had a little bit of non-carby fruit and some eggs and broccoli. Could have been a LOT worse...there was a lot of good looking food there.

I find with these cool temperatures it's been a struggle to resist the coffee (not supposed to have it while teeth whitening). I think I'll enjoy getting coffee back more than anything else. Really.

Assessment tomorrow. I'll let you know!

Quiet

2008-09-16T08:03:00.002-04:00

Although I have been quiet on the blog, things have been quite the opposite. Now, though, I think life will return to normal and I'll be blogging more. Sorry for the silence.

Did a good hour of cardio yesterday, which felt great. My hamstrings are still sore and tight from Saturday - yes, that was three days ago. Hopefully by tonight (my next leg workout)they'll be feeling a little better. After my upper body workout last night, I could barely, if at all, lift my arms. Brutal.

Had an appointment at 7AM with Dr Nahata today. There is improvement in the color of my teeth. We are hoping to go a little bit whiter, though, so I'll keep using my whitening trays for another 10 days, then we'll re-evaluate.

Nutrition I thought was going well, until my three carb day yesterday Lisa informed me was actually five carbs. Ugh - frustrating, when I thought I understood it. I just hope I didn't do too much damage. At least with the Vitabot tool, Lisa can catch it right away. So glad she's so diligent and caring. Thanks for catching it, Lisa! I had a struggle with trying to ignore birthday party and restuarant food this weekend. I normally wouldn't even go to a restaurant, but I didn't have much choice this weekend. That was tough, as there was literally one thing on the menu I could eat, and the side options were all carbs. They had no non-carb veggies. Annoying. But I survived.

As Cheryl posted, I, too, am looking forward to our fitness assessment this week. Very curious where all the measurements and heart rates will fall. I'll let you know.

All right, well, I will post more frequently from now on. Back in the swing of life. Have a good day!

Sorry for the lack of updates

2008-09-11T17:26:00.002-04:00

Hi there. Sorry it has been a few days since my last post. Life ran away from me this week! Between my husband's birthday last Friday, my daughter's birthday today (a ray of light every September 11), my mother-in-law visiting for a week, first full week of school, birthday parties and four doctor's appointments in two days...it's been hard to find the time.

Thankfully, I was able to manage my life just enough to fit in my workouts and trainings still. I was a little low on my cardio today, but did well yesterday - an hour on the elyptical trainer. I'll hope to do a full hour again tomorrow. I did have a good session with Dorothy today - arms and abs.

Still whitening my teeth - I have a follow-up on Tuesday with Dr Nahata. Using my great products from Indra. Also, because I have been running around so much and live almost downtown Andover, I have driven past Dresscode MANY times these past few days. They have some great stuff in their windows and I can't wait to get in there and look around. It's one of those place I've always loved the look of but never went in because I was sure nothing would fit. So I'm hoping that will change and I can go much more regularly! (Just don't tell my husband...)

So now I am off to the birthday dinner. But I'll be good - it's not worth it to cheat.