Monthly Progress Report with pics

It's that time of the month again. No, not THAT kind of "Time of the Month." I am talking about my monthly progress report with pics. To refresh your memory, the pic above is how I looked last spring and the gal behind me in white is my BFF Jeanne.



The pic above was taken back in August 2009 for my very first monthly progress report, as I didn't start my blog until then. And the pic below was taken today, wearing the exact same clothes. Those are twenty pound weights that I am holding below and, yes, girlfriend CAN pump out bicep curls and overhead presses with that weight.



Although we are each our own worst critic even I can see that I am smaller around the middle and my neck area looks way different. Underneath the bra area near the sides you can see things starting to cinch inward instead of sticking out. The boob area looks smaller and more uplifted.

Now on to the numbers.........(tell the invisible drummers in your head to start the drum roll now).........

This month I lost another 1/2 inch off my neck, making it 16" now. For the first time since I started measuring back in July, my chest stayed exactly the same. My waist came down another 1 1/2 inches and I lost 2 whole inches off the hips. This is the most weight that I lost from around the middle in one month since I started, and since this is my problem area, I am thrilled.

I lost 1/2" from each upper arm and 1/2" off each thigh. My calves stayed the same. So I have a total of 6 inches lost this month, which is about what I have been averaging. I was hoping that because of the jogging, the number would be higher. In a sense, it is, because I've been averaging only 1/2 an inch off my waist each month and maybe an inch off my hips. This month, my losses in those areas are DOUBLE what they've been averaging-- so I am not unhappy.

My total inches lost since July --- 38 1/2! Wrap it up, I'll take it!

Since this is the last monthly update for the calendar year, I thought I'd throw in some additional stats. When I first started walking, which I believe was back in August, I could barely manage going around the block-- which is about 1/4 of a mile.

I mean it would REALLY kill me to the point that I would have to lay down when I got back and my head would be pounding-- you could actually SEE the blood vessels in my forehead pumping away. That was some scarey shit homies! Now I can walk 3-4 miles and be fine with it. PLUS, I can run a complete mile and I am working on the second mile.

My first visit to the gym, which I have logged as July 26th, 2009, I could BARELY do bicep curls with ten pounds, now I can do 20 pounds. I set the chest press machine on 30 pounds that day, I now set it at 100 and I up it to 115 for my last set.

Back then, doing flies with the cables I could barely eek out reps of 10 using 20 pounds. I now set that bad boy at 80 pounds and up it to 90 for my last set.

My first day on the seated row, I set the weight at 60 pounds and my back hurt for WEEKS but I kept doing it. I knew it was a weakness thing and not a serious injury thing. I now pull 150 on that and I need to raise the weight as when I did three sets the other night I felt like I could just keep doing that all night long. So, time to up that. No more backaches and my shoulders are ridiculously strong.

When I first started, I did my squats with no weight and I could barely get myself into a half-squat position. I was afraid of falling and of hurting my knees. Most of my weight is in the gut and things got to a real comical stage at one point as I could achieve squating down but barely had the strength to get myself back up as there was this massive gut sitting there holding me down. I now squat perfectly and go as deep as is possible, holding 25 pound weights in each hand. This has gotten too easy and I need to up the weight.

There is still enough fat on my arms that you can't see in a pic what is going on there but I've got biceps that are literally close to softball size, a good tricep starting to form, along with delts and definition between the bicep and the delt when I flex . Where the arm connects to the body, that space between the arm and the chest has developed a thick ridge of muscle that you CAN see if I take my bra off and flex-- which is something I'm not doing here, not even for you!

My BUTT has gotten totally rock hard from the squats and now that I'm running, that will finish the job. It is the one place on my body where there is almost nothing left that "jiggles." It figures, where my progress is best, I can't see it to enjoy it. LOL

Now here's a story that I have been holding onto for months-- I've been letting it percolate inside me and motivate me for months. I now feel ready to share it. When I first joined the gym, I think it was my first week there, I was sitting on the chest press machine.

There was a lovely young lady sitting acorss from me on one of the leg machines and the WAY she was looking at me is something I will NEVER forget. Never. No, she did not look at me with contempt, curiousity or disgust. Having been 6'3" and over 400 pounds, I was used to that. No friends, she looked at me with PITY.

PITY. PITY!! WHAT THE FUCK! I could not bear it. Somewhere deep inside, even at 400 pounds, I was Chickzilla-- the Amazon Runner and NO ONE PITIES ME. NO ONE! That was it, something snapped inside at that moment and I have never looked back.

I WILL NOT be someone that other people pity. Not just "no", but HELL NO! So when I want to pig out or slack off, I bring up the memory of that look-- I never want to see it again. I am chickzilla, the amazon runner, mistress of the steep stair, lifter of iron, pow wow dancer, runner of endless miles. I will not be on the receiving end of anyone's pity. Fuck that. Hell no, Hell fucking no. NO NO NO!

Yes, I have myself all worked up. I have a holiday party to go to on Saturday and if anyone dares to offer me a cookie they might find the entire tray shoved up their ass sideways. I can't look at cookies without thinking of that girl's face.

Ok, I shared. Hope it helps someone in some small way.




The pic above is my BFF Jeanne. We went out to a Thai restaurant for lunch today and yes, I did eat more carbs than I usually have in a day. I had pad thai, chicken in a ginger sauce and some of that coconut soup! Yummy! I LOVE Thai food and haven't had it since the summer!




Here we are together in the restaurant. It is hard to make out but my shirt says MOTIVATE AND DOMINATE. There is a hilarious story about why my DH bought me that shirt, but this is already a long post so I will save that for another day! Trust me, it wil be worth the wait.

It will be the new year when I post my next monthly update! Overall, I am happy with my progress for 2009 as it stands right now.

Be good to yourself!
xoxox