Jillian Challenge Results

Measurements:
Arm -0.5"
Bust -0.5"
Waist -1.5"
Belly -2.5"
Hips -0.5
Thigh 0
Calf 0
(I only measure the left side as far as arm, thigh, calf.)
Total -5.5"

Weight:
Week 1 0
Week 2 -3.4
Week 3 -0.6
Week 4 -1.4
Total -5.4

I had 11 days where I doubled up on videos, whether it be another JM video, Turbo Jam, or T25.  I also had 3 days where I did the dvd along with the treadmill.  There was one day I took a rest day, the 25th, due to hip pain. 

I did not take 30 day result pics because I'm sure you won't see much of a change.  I will not be entering to win the money but I still feel like I won due to the friends I made during this challenge.  Now I am going to do a #stopandgivemethirty challenge to keep the accountability going but I don't think I will post every single day on that one.  Eric and I have started T25 now so having him along for the ride should help too.

I feel ok about the results.  I know if I had my eating in check a little more I would've seen better results but I guess it's better than gaining like I had been doing.  I always expect great results the first month so this has thrown me for a loop but it will not knock me down.

Now I hope you all have a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday.  I have to admit, I wish we didn't have company coming over because I was in the ER late last night with this one who thinks she's an Olympic gymnast.  She was trying to learn a front aerial and fell crashing into my bedroom wall while I was on the treadmill.   She rolled her ankle and pulled some ligaments in her foot so she is now in an air splint for the next week.  Cross your fingers it heals quickly because she has a dance competition on Saturday!

Follow Through Friday Take 4

Another week has passed and here I am linking up with these beauties again.

This week I was not so good food wise.  I had already mentioned I fell off the wagon this weekend so this shouldn't be any surprise.  Sunday isn't even on there because I didn't track past breakfast.  I'm not sure why I guess.  Lazy!?  There's only 2 days I'm over if you go by NET calories but I don't and so I was over every single day this week.  Some just by a little, some quite a bit.  

Exercise was good as usual.  I did take my first rest day on Saturday as you can see.  I'm not making it up because I've had so many double days in there that I think I'm covered.  Not to mention I'm starting T25 tomorrow with Eric so it's not like I'm just going to throw in the towel now that the challenge is over.  Tonight is my last #jmdvdchallenge workout!  I'm super proud of myself for sticking with this.  I've never done a Jillian challenge I've started all through the end.  I think mixing up the videos really helped!  And meeting all the great women on IG was a huge bonus!  I will recap the challenge sometime this weekend.  

Water was fine.  Yesterday I just couldn't get enough.  I love those days!  100+ everyday.  

This morning when I weighed in I was down 1.4 pounds.  Isn't it kind of funny that the week I go over my 1510 calorie goal I lose more than when I stick to it like glue?  That makes my total for the Jillian Challenge 5.4 pounds down.  (I'm not weighing again tomorrow so this is it.)  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed.  I can usually lose that or at least 1/2 of that in my first week back on the wagon after a hiatus like I had.  It is what is it I guess.  I will be doing measurements tomorrow and will have that on my recap. Crossing my fingers for bigger numbers there.  I know it's only a month but I really do feel better.  

I keep forgetting to post my goals for the next week.  I have them in my head but that doesn't help much when I'm telling you what I'm following through with.  We have something 19 days out of 28 in February so far, so this month will be a ginormous challenge for me.  Oh, and I'm starting my new job too so I have that stress to deal with!  I'm thinking about doing the Advocare 10 Day Cleanse March 1st because I just know I'm going to need it.  Tell me if you've done it and what you thought please so I can make up my mind on way or the other.  

Ok, goals......

Follow T25 Schedule whether I do it with or without Eric.  Make the time when it works for me!

Hit the treadmill at least 2 days for intervals.

Drink at least 100 ounces of water each day. 

Be under that 1510 at least 5 days this week.  (Not NET!)  This one will be tricky for me because next week is my last week here.  I've been here over 7 years so I have some venders and my company who want to take me out for lunch before I leave.  There is nothing in this podunk town that I'm going to be able to find meals on MFP so I will have to do the best I can.  I eat the SAME thing every day of my life so this may shake things up a bit.  Ugh!  

Blog at least 3 times.  I'm so boring and when you have no followers it's easy to just not blog.  I need to change that!  

Have a great Friday!  Like I said, I will be back with measurements and a full recap of the challenge this weekend.  I'm not sure there will be before/afters because I don't feel I've changed that much on the outside.  It's the inside that has done the changing.  

Oops I Did It Again

As you know, I've been right on track and kicking butt eating and working out.  (You know, doing what I have to do to kick this weight to the curb once and for all.)  But this weekend was different.  I was super busy and I let it get the best of me.  No excuses....just fell off the wagon head first.  Good thing is, it wasn't as bad as it normally would be and I've already picked myself back up.

The good thing about trying to teach yourself to be healthy and happy is, there's no finish line.  You may lose a little momentum but you can always get it back.

Friday I did well all day.  I had to be to work at 6 and I didn't get off until 4:30 so I was starving when I got home at 5.  Eric had an event he had to get ready for at the fire station that night so on my way home I decided to order pizza.  Yep, my doing, nobody made me.  We ate pizza and ran out to clean and get things ready.  We got back home about 8 or so and I went straight up to get my Jillian video out of the way.  My hip hurt so bad that I ended up phoning the whole thing in.  I got it all done but it was miserable.

Saturday I was up at 4:30 to shower and get the girls ready for a dance competition and we were out the door by 6:45.  I had Starbucks and a banana for breakfast.  When awards were finally over we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and it was like I hadn't eaten in 3 weeks.  I had my meal and one of Shay's boneless wings and even a few fried pickles.  We got home in time for Eric to get to the fire station to get people registered for their poker tournament and I hit the local coffee shop for another coffee.  I was going to get my video done but I had a hard time sitting or walking because my hip had been all fire all day long.  I laid on the couch instead until I got a call from Eric that my parents and some of our friends were at the event and he thought I should come down and get out of the house (away from the kiddos) for a bit.  So, I did.  I played black jack and watched the poker tourney and just had a great time being out and about and before I knew it it was 1:00.  *Side note, I started with $20 and most of the night that $20 was still in my pocket because I just kept winning and playing the winnings but I did end up only coming home with $16 so I lost $4.  For the amount of hours I played, I'd say that's a win.* The party finally was winding down so I stayed and cleaned up the station and we were home about 2:30.  I didn't drink just had a couple diet cokes and a few bottles of water.  I also didn't eat dinner since we had a later lunch but had a few bites of someone's nachos.  When we got home the girls were up so we visited with them about the night and we all went to bed about 4.  We had been up just short of 24 hours!

Sunday we were all up about 8:30 so Eric decided to take us out for breakfast.  I had part of an omelette and some hash browns but  wasn't feeling well.  (I get that way when I have very little sleep.)  I have a little once a week cleaning job I had to get done after breakfast and then I took a nap for a couple of hours.  I never take naps!  When I got up I was kinda hungry but lunch had passed so I just had a few snacks and got ready to take Lainey to dance.  When I got back I did my video and my hip felt 10 times better.  Sometimes a rest day just does a body good.  I didn't measure or count dinner and even finished the night with a Skor candy bar.  Go big or go home, right?!  No.

I don't know what happened but it happened and I didn't care.  Today is a new day and I'm back at it.

Oh, and I will leave you with this cute pic of my girls in their dad's fire gear.  We were cleaning the meeting room and when I came back out to the shop Lainey was in it so I had to take a picture and make Shay try it on too.

Follow Through Friday, Take 3

Linking up again with these lovelies.

Still keeping up with Jillian.  This week I added like 3 days of Turbo Jam, a day on the treadmill, and one day of T25 to my JM mix.  Haven't missed a day yet.  Eric and I are planning on starting T25 in Feb but I may make him wait a day so I can just have 1 stinkin rest day.  We'll see.

My eats....

Pretty ok.

Water....there's been a few days when I only had about 70-90 ounces but other than that 100+.  

My weight was only down 0.6 this week.  Gretta is just leaving so maybe next week will be a good one?!  

And on another note, I got the job!  I'm done with this job I've been at for over 7 years on Feb 7th and I start my new one on Feb 10th.  I'm nervous and excited and scared and happy but a little sad.  You know, I really don't know how to feel at this point.  

Have a great weekend everyone!

So what Wednesday

So what if I have my 2nd interview today and I'm hoping I get the job because I'm looking forward to my boss finding out just how much I do at my job.  Seriously!  They have no idea.  Not only do I do a shit ton of stuff for my own job but I fill in for 4 different people when they are gone.  Nobody else here can say that and they will know just how valuable I was.  Yes, I may be jumping the gun a bit here.  So what!

So what if this is how my calories went yesterday because Gretta came and made me have a cup of hot chocolate at 8pm.

So what if I wanna cry when thinking about the fuel pump we need to get for Eric's truck and the fact that we have 1 vehicle until Sunday!

So what if I don't want my brother to go to Sochi to watch the Olympics because the news is scaring me shitless.

So what if this is how I feel.

Positive Thoughts

I mentioned in an earlier post how I had just finished school and now have my AS in Health Information Technology.  August of 2010 I got my Certificate in Healthcare Coding also and that is ultimately what I want to end up doing.  Well, a month or so before I graduated I had applied for a few jobs here and there but I never heard anything so I was beginning to wonder if I'd get hired anywhere without taking the RHIT certification exam first.  (I can only take it in April or October and I'm deathly afraid of it.)  About 3 weeks ago I got a call to come to an interview for a Medicare billing job I had applied for before Thanksgiving.  I wasn't really interested in billing, mainly because I've been wanting to code since I started school what seems like forever ago, but I went anyway.  I figured I would give it a chance and I could always use the interview experience because I've been at the job I am doing for over 7 years now.  I was okay with the facility, kind of excited because they have a gym, and loved the benefits, but I still wasn't sure what I'd do if they'd call because it's billing.  Didn't matter anyway because I still haven't heard from them about it. 

The same time I applied for that job, I had applied for another on a whim even though it said CPC and 2 years coding experience was necessary.  I've been a purchasing agent for years so I obviously don't have the experience or the CPC.  This is the job description.....
 
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledgeable in medical insurance billing regulations
• Knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy is required
• Review physician documentation to ensure compliance with third party and regulatory guidelines
• Performs initial charge review to determine appropriate CPT and ICD-9 codes
• Excellent organization and time management skills along with excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong team player
• Must enjoy participating in company-wide Wii bowling tournaments and having fun at work!
• Proficient in Windows based applications, and MS Office software products
• Ability to learn quickly, build and maintain long term relationships and work with minimal supervision
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; strong analytical, organizational and time management skills required
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office XP products (Word, Excel, Access)
• Work in a professional manner with an exceptional customer service skills

 Who doesn't want to play Wii at work?  So, like I said, I took the chance on it and got a call Tuesday wondering if I could come in on Friday for an interview.  Exciting!  Yesterday I had that interview and it wasn't like any other I've had before.  I was one on one with the HR lady and then again with the Coding Manager.  I'm used to 3-5 people being in the room making me nervous.  I was totally comfortable here though.  Eric had sent me a text before I went in and said, "Just be yourself" so that's what I did.  No bs'ing, totally honest and it went sooooooo great.  Well, I think it did anyway.  I decided to treat myself with a coffee, yes I counted it, and before I even got to Starbucks I had an email from the Coding Manager asking me to come back up to meet her team and make sure I'm still interested and while I was in the drive thru I got one from the HR lady on all of their benefits.  (We had gone over some but I mentioned wanting to know everything they offer.)  Holy catfish! 

Last night I didn't get any sleep because I was weighing pros and cons in my head over and over.  I haven't even been offered the job and I'm already losing sleep over it.  I've never done this before!  Right now I work at the same business as Eric.  We work different hours and in different buildings but we are able to take all of our breaks and lunch together.  In all honesty, when I do get a different job, I will miss that the most.  Especially considering he starts fire school 2 nights a week next week and also works a part time job once a week and every other weekend.  Seeing him the little amount I do at night, I love seeing him during the day.  I also love the flexibility I have with my kids' activities and working around school and what not.  Not to mention it's only 12 miles from home.  That can seem like 100 miles when the weather is bad but it's normally not a big deal.  This job is about 40 miles.  I do like most of the people I work with but I knew when I started school that I didn't want to stay there forever. 

Anyway, long story not so short, I need positive thoughts that this all works out.  Maybe I haven't heard back from the first interview because someone knew this one was coming.  Let the money match the wonderful benefits and make it worth the longer drive and the major change in life.  Thanks!

Follow through Friday Take 2

It's that time again.  I had another great week.  Link up with these lovelies and tell us how you did!

Workouts were right on again.  I've done Jillian every day since the challenge started.  I had a couple more double days and even threw in a little treadmill action a couple of days this week.  I'm not posting all of the pictures because if you follow me on Instagram, you've seen them all.  (I'm LynseyAndal there if you care.)

Water has been on point again.  I've had a few diet cherry pepsis but mostly just had water.  My goal is 100+ ounces a day and it's been rather easy actually.

This is how my eating has gone.....

Friday we had Subway and I went a little over but with the workout I was fine.  Saturday, like I already mentioned, we were away from home all day so I ate both meals out and even splurged on a little popcorn at the movies.  Sunday I was under 1200 but I wasn't hungry and I wasn't going to eat just to eat.  I try not to eat back calories I've worked off and I've done great with that.  I also tried to make sure I ate what I need calorie wise though so I'm not way under like last week.  I think it helped!

 Judging by Mt Zitmore on my chin, my endless cravings for all things sweet, the simple fact that she's always on time, and  me seeing a slightly smaller number on the scale midweek than today, I can tell Gretta is knocking at the door. 

 Even with that said, I am pretty pleased with this week's weigh in. I am down 3.4 pounds for the week.  Now, let's keep this rolling so I can make up for last week's 0.

Tonight my girls dance at half time of the high school basketball game and then Saturday Shaylen has 2 basketball games out of town.  This weekend will fly by just like the others all do.

How did your week go?

Do you have plans for the weekend?

Out with the old.

I have had my Polar F4 HRM watch for about 6 or 7 years.  It's helped me lose weight many times and then gotten shoved back in the drawer for months at a time never to be touched.  I love it to pieces but it's been giving me fits.  I didn't have to change the battery for years after I got it and now I have to all the time.  The last time I was changing the battery a little piece broke off and I have to strategically place it back where it goes before screwing the back cover on.  It started flashing at me again this weekend and I told Eric I'm scared it's not going to make it another battery change due to that piece so I bit the bullet and bought a new one.
I knew I wanted to go with Polar because this one had lasted me so long.  I really wanted a pink one and the FT4 fit the bill but I saw a few places that they recommend getting the battery replaced by a certified Polar service center, which to me would mean sending it in.  I don't want to go without while it's being replaced and I don't want to chance doing what I did to this old guy I have now.  I did a little more digging this weekend and decided on the FT7.  Black was my favorite color in this series but I wasn't crazy about the gold stripe so I did some comparing of the men's/women's because the men's has a silver stripe and I like that better.  As far as I can tell, the only difference is the color and that the band is a little wider on the male version.  I don't mind that since the face isn't any bigger.

I am so excited to play around with it when it gets here.  (I ordered it online.)  If you have one and have any helpful tips, help a girl out!  I'm sure since mine is from the stone ages this one has a lot more to it.  

Old

 New

I had a pretty great weekend.  I did my 10 day JM challenge measurements Saturday and was down 2 inches total.  Not a lot but making progress.  And even though I said I wasn't going to, I weighed in that day too just so I had complete 10 day results and was down 2 pounds.  Woot woot.  Due to that, I will weigh in again on Friday to see if I've added any more to it before the Friday link up.
Saturday I had nothing going on and Eric was gone all day so I worked off 1393 calories.  Good thing too because I took my girls to Frozen finally and I did have some popcorn.  We go to about 5 movies a year so if I want popcorn, I'm having it.  We dinked around the mall for hours so the girls could spend some Christmas money and we got groceries so we ended up eating both lunch and dinner out but I was still ok after that calorie burn.
Now on to the new week and hoping for good losses.

Follow Through Friday

I decided to do my first link up today and join all of these lovely ladies with their Follow Through Friday.

So, my goal is pretty basic.....Get back in my 2011 jeans.  In order to do this I will track everything I put in my mouth on MFP and in January I will do the JM challenge every single day.  I'd like to start doing some interval training on the treadmill this week on the days I have extra time instead of double dating with Jillian.

I've done well eating wise.  NO CHEATS yet!  Here's Monday-Thursday......

As far as Jillian, I've stuck to it everyday for 8 days straight.  There's been 3 times that I've doubled up and done more than 1 video or more than 1 level because well, I could.

I've been drinking 100oz of water a day at least too.  I was having many days of none at all over the past few months.  I don't realize how much I miss it until I'm drinking a lot again.  The more I drink, the more I want.

I weighed myself today since I had last Friday and I'm still exactly the same.  I told Eric this morning this is why people quit their resolutions.  All this hard work and showing absolutely no progress.  In my case, I may not weigh again for quite some time.  I hate to admit it but it kinda puts me in a funk.  I'm trying to focus less on the number and more on how my clothes fit but in the beginning we don't see a lot of change clothing wise so the validation from the scale is nice.  I do have to say, this is the 1st time in all of history that I haven't had a good loss week 1 of a "diet".  I've lost weight many many times and week 1 is always a 3-6 pound loss for me.  I'm sure it's mostly water weight, but it's a loss I can't account for this time and it's kinda thrown me off.  All I can do is keep busting through and hope big things happen.

Do you think I need to eat a little more?  I'm not about eating my calories I've worked off back, but maybe I should make sure I'm hitting that goal.

I did have a little NSV this week.  My favorite thing in the whole wide world is coffee.  Mucho calorie caramel drizzled coffee.  I have a little local coffee shop that I go to at least 4 out of 5 days it's open and I haven't been there once since Saturday.  She makes me a yummy 90 cal sugar free coffee that I'm thinking about getting either today or tomorrow though.  I used to drink those but slowly progressed back into the full sugar 100s of calorie ones for some reason.  Not only did it save me over 300 calories pretty much everyday this week, it's saved me about $20.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can keep it in check this weekend.  This is actually the only weekend until March that we don't have something going on so I should be ok.  I was thinking about taking my girls to see Frozen at some point but we shall see.  Have a great weekend!

Me and Mine

I just have a few minutes between getting oldest daughter from dance, youngest to dance, and taking oldest to basketball so I thought I'd tell you a little about us. 

I am Lynsey.  I work at a pressure washer manufacturer as a  purchasing agent.  I just finished school so I now have my associates in health information so I'm going to begin job hunting soon.  I love football.  (Unfortunately we are Oakland Raiders fans so we don't see a lot of wins.)  I also like high school football and basketball.  If I could live at Walt Disney World I would.  Love it!    I am a chronic yo yo dieter and want to break the cycle.

This is my hubby Eric.  He is a full time welder, part time grocery store clerk, and volunteer fire fighter.  He loves NASCAR more than anything in life and "his driver" is Kevin Harvick.  He also likes the Raiders.  Eric fabricates anything he can out of metal and really enjoys that.  He used to play guitar/sing in a well known local band but they've since parted ways.  (Although they are doing a wedding dance in February.)  He still loves music and plays his guitar whenever he gets a chance. 

Shaylen is 11 and keeps us busy.  She is in her 8th year of dance and her 2nd year of basketball.  She also plays the drums.

Delainey is 8 and in her 6th year of dance.  She is a hoot and always keeps us on our toes.

And now some rando pictures for ya......
In DC back in July.

On a run my 31st birthday.

At dance nationals last Feb.

Dance.

At the race in Kansas in October.

So What Wednesday

So what if I'm just trying to get down to a weight where I feel comfortable and don't want to be a body builder or fitness competitor.  Sure I'd like to wear a bikini in the privacy of our boat but if I can't I can't.  It's not like I'll be flaunting one soon no matter my size due to insecurity issues.

So what if I'm not jumping on the clean eating bandwagon.  I like to have all things in moderation.  Sure, I feel better when I'm eating well but it's about 80/20 at my house.  I don't eat white bread or pasta and I will have fruit or veggies in place of chips but I'm only setting myself up to fail if I say anything is completely off limits.

So what if I want a diet pop every now and then.  I know I can go months without it and I've heard how it's harmful for me but I like it.  And so what if I say "pop" and not "soda".

So what if my kids have me running this way and that all week and every.single.weekend for the next couple of months.  It's our normal and even though some say we are spoiling them, we don't ask them to pay for the activities so they need to keep their mouths shut.

So what if I feel like an 80 year old because my hip is out due to 6 days straight of Jillian.  I'm not taking time off and I'm not seeing my chiropractor because it will just happen again.

So what if I said I wasn't letting the scale define me and I was all poopy pants this morning when I peeked and it hasn't changed an ounce since Friday.  I know I'm doing the right thing and it will catch up but week 1 is usually a big one for me.

Talking to myself.

I really should post my blog somewhere out there so I'm not only talking to myself.  I can't wait for some link ups and hope to gain some readers that way.  Another sure fire way to get readers is to make progress.  Everyone loves reading weight loss blogs when the writer is doing well.  So, that I will do!

Last night I did Day 5 of the JM challenge.  I discovered in the over 2 years I've had the Shred It w/ Weights dvd I have never done level 2.  I like level 1 a lot but, with the exception of the Turkish get ups, it seems super easy.  I don't break a sweat and I don't burn a lot of calories.  I need to up the weight on my kettle bell to change this.  It will be a nice little workout for if I have something to do in the evening and don't want to be a sweating mess though.  On to level 2....This level is bad ass.  I love it.  I wouldn't suggest more than a 5lb kettle bell in the beginning though.  That's what I used and by the end, I was feeling it.  Today, my shoulders and my middle back are on fire!  That level will make it's way into my rotation a lot I think.

Tonight I am going to the high school girls basketball game because my cousin plays and we try to keep the girls involved with school activities as much as possible.  I will be doing Kickbox Fast Fix before making dinner because I know level 1 of that doesn't make me a stinky mess.  Tomorrow I will be trying level 2 of this one.  I may even do level 1 also.  I'm liking the double days a lot and if I have time for them, and I'm able, I will get them in there.

Thursday my girls both have dance (at different times) and my oldest has basketball practice so it will be a challenge to get my video in.  I am planning on doing it while the oldest is there because while she is at bb I can sneak into the other gym and watch the high school girls again.  My hubby also works at his part time job on Thursday so I have to get the littles fed in between this chaos too.  It'll all work out.  We may not have time, but we make time.

I am going to rearrange my monthly schedule now that I'm figuring out which dvds I like and which I'd rather only do a few times.  I have to make it somewhat enjoyable or I'm never going to stick with it.  I still need to sneak 30 Day Shred in there (I think it's coming up on Friday if I remember right) and with that, I'll have done all 6 of my Jillian videos at least once during this challenge.  

#JMDVDChallenge

Yes, I just titled my post with a hash tag.  If you are on IG, look it up.  Holly, Melanie, Jenn, and Kim have done a great job setting this thing up.  I've "met" new people on there who could have been motivating my lazy butt months ago!  Now if only these people could come to my house and slap me every time I'm about to go over my calories or filling my plate with crap food.  Or better yet, prepare my meals and track my calories for me....that would be amazing.  But they can't.  So, it's up to me to do this.

My first few days have gone great.  I'm so sore but that's to be expected.  I have 6 Jillian DVDs so I'm alternating them.  I get bored easily and I'm sticking to this challenge, darn it.

Day 1: Kickbox Fast Fix - One of my favorites.

Day 2: Shred it with Weights - I've always loved this one.

Day 3: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism - I haven't done this one in a long long time and I actually really like it.  (All but the 2nd to last circuit which is a whole lot of jumping.)

Day 4: Yoga Meltdown - I was really feeling like I needed the stretch but I felt like I had "phoned it in" through the whole thing when I saw the low calorie count so I also did 5 of the 7 circuits of No More Trouble Zones.  I'm not a fan of either of these videos.  I don't think the Yoga one will make the rotation much but I will throw in NMTZ a few more times.

Today I have Shred It on the schedule and I think I'm going to do both level 1 and level 2.  Now that I said it, I have to right?!  It's colder than crap here and pretty much every school in the state is called off but I'm still at work so my workout will be this afternoon.  Have a great Monday!

The Hard Part

When the new year was approaching I told Eric I was going to get my rear in gear.  I also told him I wasn't going to fool myself and say I'd start the 1st because I knew that wouldn't happen.  Monday is the only day to start a diet right?  I've started every single time on a Thursday.  I don't know why, it just worked out that way.  Since I went back to work Thursday I had thought about doing it the same as always and making sure I started on Thursday but I decided this time, I'm doing things differently.  Therefore, I gave myself until Monday to get my head in the right place and get a few healthier options in the fridge.

I had planned on giving myself until Monday to figure out which route I was taking with working out (videos, treadmill, both...) also until I saw on Holly's IG that she and some of my other favorite bloggers were starting a Jillian Michaels DVD Challenge.  This challenge started Thursday and so did my month long rendezvous with miss Jillian.  I didn't go back on my first goal of starting to track calories and eating better on Monday (the 6th) but I did get a little head start on a few things.  I did workout 1 Thursday but had decided too late in the day that I was for sure taking this plunge so I didn't weigh in until Friday.  Now my official weigh in day will be Friday and I've never done that before.  I'm going to keep it this way unless I see it as a free for all on the weekends.  I didn't have time before work to do my measurements and before pics Friday so I did that Saturday morning.

I haven't eaten great this weekend, that's the hard part for me.  The habit of working out is in force already and I have a bunch of people checking in on me on IG to make sure I get it done.  That's the kind of accountability I need!  Now I need to do myself a favor and follow up the workouts with good fuel.  I struggle hard core with my food choices.  It's not because I only like bad food, it's because I get busy and don't always plan ahead and I let these excuses get the best of me.  Thankfully, Eric got on the eating healthy train with me before we both derailed big time and he's ready to start again too.  He liked the way he felt when eating healthier and he didn't mind the food at all either.  So, tomorrow it is.  We are going with the "everything in moderation" mindset or I am just setting myself up to fail.  I already started tracking everything that goes in my mouth on Thursday but I haven't even looked at the calorie count.  I was just trying to get back into the habit, and it all comes back fairly quickly.

I know what to do, I have the tools, and I *think* my head is in the game so now I just need to put it all together. 

Resolutions 2014

I'm a few days late to this party but I still wanted to share my resolutions for 2014. 

* Focus less on the scale and more on getting back into 2011 clothes. 
* Find a new job.  I just graduated with a degree in Health Information Technology December 14th so let the job search begin.
* Help Eric follow through with his goals so he can also get a new job. 
* Get closer to buying a new house. 
* Make more time for me.  With the girls in everything imaginable, Eric working a part time job and being on the volunteer fire department, and everything else in between I seldom have time to focus on me and what I want/need.

New Year, New Beginning, New Home

With the new year I have decided to get rid of the old and bring in the new.  I've had my "Less of Lynsey" blog for years and it was full of ups and downs and many times I ignored it completely for months at a time but I felt it was time to be done with that chapter and start a new one.  If it weren't just Christmas and time for me to start paying back my dreaded student loans, I'd hit up Hubby Jack for a new blog design.  (Well, that and the fact that I actually need to stick with it for awhile before I put any money into it.)  So for now, it's just a plain Jane blog for this chick. 

Dakota Ginger is my new corner of the world.  I'm from South Dakota and I'm obviously a red head so that's where the new name came from.  Nothing too complicated because I'm just a simple girl. I blog mostly about weight loss, or lack there of, and throw in a little about my family also.  My IRL friends and family don't even know that I blog.  They never have.  It's better that way. 

If you are new to me, I'm Lynsey.  I'm just a 31 year old who has been yo-yo dieting since after my first daughter, Shaylen, was born in 2002.  I've lost 30 pounds at least 3 times since then and most recently in 2011 lost 60, bringing me to my lowest adult weight ever.  I ALWAYS gain it back.  I've tried everything under the sun to lose weight and it seems to work until I've burnt myself out.  I am married to my high school sweetheart, Eric, and he loves me no matter what my size.  Besides Shay, we have an 8 year old daughter, Delainey and a spoiled shih tzu, Charlie. 

My hopes for this blog is that it helps me get back into my 2011 clothes and keeps me accountable.  Of course I want to lose weight but I'm going to focus more this year on just getting back into those clothes and less on the scale.  I've started a Jillian Michaels challenge on Instagram and also started tracking with My Fitness Pal again but I'm giving myself until Monday to get my poop in a group.  I did weigh in this morning and will keep my weigh in day as Friday but don't know how often I will actually weigh myself.  Tomorrow I will do measurements and try to focus more on those numbers.

Welcome to my new home and thanks for joining me on this ride. Oh, and I've finally joined bloglovin so you can find me there.