marybelle

@ Church: Yeah, it will get there! I am very proud of myself for yesterday's diet. Fridays I don't eat meat except fish, so of course on those days I really want it. I went to town to look at some clothes to possibly buy in the next few months, and desperately wanted taco bell of all things on the way home. But I resisted! Instead I fixed seared tilapia tacos at home, which was a much better choice. Diet yesterday was: Breakfast: 2 eggs with salsa and cheese, carrots, and a grapefruit snack: greek yogurt lunch: carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, and cucumber with hummus and a handful of almonds dinner: fish tacos So far today I have had diet wise: Breakfast: two eggs with onions, bell pepper, salsa and cheese, greek yogurt, half a grapefruit, and bacon lunch: I am fixing some beef stirfry, which will also be dinner. Lots of fresh veggies there! Trying to get back on track and not eat junk food. Seeing all the cute dresses I will be able to look good in soon helps with motivation a lot!

Haha, he better! But really, once I got thinking about it, I I have lost 5 1/2 inches off my waist since December, which is pretty great progress. I know losing weight right goes pretty slowly so a month or two isn't going to be instant results I want. I guess now that I am seeing some results I want it all to come at once! Patience was never one of my virtues. Thanks for listening to me whine, guys!

So yeah, I just got a lecture from my husband about it. I know spot reduction doesn't exist, I guess I just lose weight more slowly from that region. Oh well, I will try to be patient!

I think women being in combat positions will change some of that. I think women are capable of doing almost as much as men, but I understand that in most cases women tend to be smaller than men. I am 5'9" and kind of an amazon woman. I don't have the perspective of a 5 foot tall woman, so I am not sure what physically would be the limit for those women (or even me, since I am not in really good shape). It certainly will be interesting to see if the req. do change.

That is so cool! You are the bomb. Climbing looks really really fun. I am hoping we get to do some rock climbing when we move to Arizona. I am also impressed with your hot yoga, I have heard it can be really hard! You are doing great, and all your posts are very motivating.

I don't think you ate too much, if you were still hungry. Honestly, I think I eat about twice as much as you do. Without food I turn into a nasty person, lol. You are doing so great. Keep up the good work, girlfriend! Oh, and you should post a photo or some info on the robot thing you are working on. I have never seen anything in robotics, and am curious as to what you are doing. That is if it isn't super secret squirrel stuff.

Haha, thanks Remoth! I have been justifying some junk food lately, and this is a good way to check that! In other news I have made a gallery thing on my profile to chart pictures and measurements of how I am doing. If anyone is interested, check it out. http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/gallery/album/174-from-2012-onward-weight-loss-journey/ I am going to karate class in about 45 minutes and I am pretty excited even though I am sick! Also I would like to ask a bit of advice from all of you. I am steadily going down in numbers as to my measurements. However, I am finding it difficult to lose off of my hips, specifically my butt. I have always had a bubble butt, but I would like to get it to be considerably smaller. My waist is down to a 33, but my hips are still at a 47 due to my big butt. It is really frustrating. I am doing squats and dead lifts, do I just wait patiently or are there specific exercises besides those to work butt muscles? (I know you can't spot reduce, I was just wondering if there was anything to help. Thanks!).

Wahooo! You are AMAZING! I can't believe you are doing hand stand push ups, that rocks! What yoga poses are you doing? I do yoga stretches after I lift every time, and its starting to make a difference in helping me get a better squat form.

I love smoothies, and I use them as a breakfast replacement a lot. I actually double the scoop of protein if I know I am going to have a busy morning. I use coconut milk as well. If you don't like spinach, try kale! I hate spinach in my smoothie, but really like the kale. I use 1-2 scoops protein powder, about a half cup of strawberries (frozen), half a frozen banana, 2 handfuls kale, and a cup of coconut milk. I am so proud of you for sticking with everything and achieving your goals!

OMG Dairy Queen is the bomb. We go a lot after church. I know I am supposed to think junk food and sweets are the devil, but I have a hard time believing it!

Yesterday I was sick, but still managed to go to the gym, yay me. Though my max push press was 60 pounds instead of 65, which I did last week. And my max squat was 85, though I think I can do more next time. As for my diet, I had a cucumber turkey and cheese breadless sandwich, some tomato soup, 3 chicken tenders, some fries, a mini blizzard, 1 hamburger patty (homemade), and some broccoli. Went to dairy queen which wasn't the best, but I was really hungry. I glazed a bunch of pots, and went to church as well. Still feeling a bit bad, but getting better!

Thanks, I am definitely enjoying weightlifting. As for the sandwiches, yes, the southern way is white bread, no crust, cucumber and butter, and then cut in fours and tied with ribbon. At least that is how my grandmother made them. But! That isn't very good for you. I do a whole cucumber, cut in have and seeded, peel on. Then use the laughing cow cheese, two triangles, to spread in the cucumber "boat" and top it with shaved turkey. Someday I will get creative and add something else. They are kind of addictive. I think latch hook is kind of 70ish but that is in. Just say they are vintage/vintage inspired. And if not, who cares? Its your house. I have tambourines old plates, and various weird stuff in my house, its called character (at least that is what I am going with). And lava lamps are the bomb, you need five. Right now.

Hey, I am sorry you are having a hard time at home. I understand kids can be crazy! Sometimes I am surprised my mama didn't murder me sometime along the way. Do you usually use PT type punishments? That is an interesting idea, especially for boys with too much energy! Though, when I was in high school on various teams running was a punishment for messing up, and it left me with bad feelings for running, but I think that is a typical high school team sport thing. I don't know if you have tried this, but when my brother and I were younger my mom (who was pretty much a single mom like yourself) would have trouble getting us to clean our rooms. One way she cured this, was to take every single thing we owned away from us save the bed and a desk. We then had to earn all of our belongings back, and if we didn't take care of them, she took them away again. We still were sometimes messy after that, but we never let it go too far because she meant business about taking our stuff. My friend in high school's mom did something similar, but she also took her door! But there were some trust issues there with things the girl was doing etc. When we fought, she would also make us do reconciliation as a punishment, as in we would have to do punishments that did something for the other person. Like once I smacked my brother with a plastic mermaid pretty hard, and as a punishment I first had to apologize, and then had to let my brother pick something he wanted me to do for him (like stay and play G.I Joes with him for a weekend instead of going to a friend's house for a sleepover). I don't know if that would help with anything, but it worked for us. Have faith! You are a great mom. I know how hard it can be for moms working full time jobs and being the mom/dad/whole support system (because my mama did the same thing). You are a good mom, you are doing great, and things will get better. There are always rough patches along the way, but we learn from them. Proverbs 31:15-31 describes the kind of mother I imagine you are. You work hard to provide for your family, love them unconditionally, and provide a good role model. Be proud of yourself.

Well....I fell off the face of the planet for awhile. Been really busy at home, and have only been updating my excel spreadsheets for workouts and the like. Basically, my diet has suffered some, but I am trying to get back on track. Had two pieces of fish today for lunch, and am now eating tomato soup, grapes, and a cucumber halved with turkey and low cal cheese. I am sick, and wanted some comfort food that wasn't too bad for me. My exercising is doing good, working out four times a week at the gym lifting weights. My dead lift is currently at 160 pounds, squats at 85 pounds, and push press is at 65 pounds. I can't do an assisted pull up yet, so I am doing negatives to work on that. As for life, it is going ok. School just drags on, and its hard to stay motivated to finish everything. My art classes are going well though, I recently checked out a video of the Maria Martinez style of pottery (its traditional pottery used by tribes in New Mexico) and have decided to do a piece in that style. I am really loving the primitive/traditional (as in before electric kilns and the like) pottery styles the most I think. I also am doing plaster casts of the male nude torso I did, though there are some problems integrally with the piece (I didn't get the arms quite right), so I probably won't keep anything I cast (and I can't see my mama putting a naked man sculpture anywhere in her house, lol). Church is going well too, getting in the swing of Lent, though I am really bad at remembering not to curse. Its such a bad habit and one I really want to break, but its such a habit I don't realize I am doing it. I realize I sometimes use this as a diary, lol. Hope I am not over-sharing!

Heeeey! I am sorry we disappeared, we are both sick and puny right now, and it has been busy here. Right now I am on the couch watching The Two Towers for about the 10000th time eating soup and cucumber sandwiches (cucumber for bread, neat, huh?). You are doing awesome on your lifts! That is a definite motivator for me. I have been lifting two weeks now, and I love it. My deadlift is at 160, and I hope in a bit I will be able to do 300 (maybe...) I love the art you are working on! That is awesome. I will send you some pictures of my stuff soon, I am starting to get it fired and casted.