I am so excited that you've decided to read my blog! This idea has been in my head for quite some time now, but I never knew how to make it a reality. Much thanks to my two dear friends (Laura & Keyoko) who helped to get this started!!
The purpose of this blog is to challenge and support each other in reaching our goals! If you read over this info and decide that you like what you see and want to take the challenge.... awesome! And if not, that's OK too.
WARNING: this is NOT a diet! This is a lifestyle change. If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always gotten. Diets don't work because the moment you stop dieting, the fat quickly finds it's way back to your body. Changing your lifestyle is the only way to go. So does that mean that we've got to give up chocolate and donuts (two of my biggest weaknesses!) forever? NO WAY! It's all about moderation and with this challenge, you'll be able to eat all of your favorite foods!
If you are looking for a quick fix, you've come to the wrong place. If you're looking for a safe, effective way to loose the inches that you want to lose and maintain it through diet, exercise, hard work and dedication, then welcome! You probably didn't want to hear that this is going to be hard, but let's be honest here. If it was easy, you would have done it already! But this blog is all about supporting each other no matter how hard it is. Just remember, if it sounds too good (or easy!) to be true, it probably is!!
So.... are you interested yet? If so, read on!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The challenge
I challenge you to: loose inches of fat and fit into the size of clothing that you want to fit into through clean eating and regular exercise.
PLEASE NOTE: I never mentioned anything about "weight". To be honest, I don't care how much you weigh! I am sick and tired of women becoming completely crippled by the number they see on their scale. I'm telling you, it's a sick, twisted mind game that we play with ourselves. It's unhealthy and it doesn't work!
Think about it..... if you looked exactly the way you want to look and fit into the size of clothing that you want to fit into, would it matter if the scale said that you weighed 500 pounds? It's hard for you to say no, isn't it!?!?
Now think of it this way..... if right this minute your scale said that you weighed exactly what you want to weigh, yet you still look exactly the same and are still wearing the same size clothing, would you be happy? Much easier to say no to that, isn't it. I'm telling you, it's a mind game! THROW AWAY YOUR STUPID SCALE!
Hence, the title of my blog, Inch by Inch! Forget about weight, it's all about the inches we lose. And we lose those inches, well, inch by inch! Cute, dontcha think?!
Ready for the rules? Read on!
PLEASE NOTE: I never mentioned anything about "weight". To be honest, I don't care how much you weigh! I am sick and tired of women becoming completely crippled by the number they see on their scale. I'm telling you, it's a sick, twisted mind game that we play with ourselves. It's unhealthy and it doesn't work!
Think about it..... if you looked exactly the way you want to look and fit into the size of clothing that you want to fit into, would it matter if the scale said that you weighed 500 pounds? It's hard for you to say no, isn't it!?!?
Now think of it this way..... if right this minute your scale said that you weighed exactly what you want to weigh, yet you still look exactly the same and are still wearing the same size clothing, would you be happy? Much easier to say no to that, isn't it. I'm telling you, it's a mind game! THROW AWAY YOUR STUPID SCALE!
Hence, the title of my blog, Inch by Inch! Forget about weight, it's all about the inches we lose. And we lose those inches, well, inch by inch! Cute, dontcha think?!
Ready for the rules? Read on!
The Rules
Of course there are rules. Sorry. That's just the way it goes! Of course you can skip the rules, but then I guarantee that you're results won't be as good as they could be. If you're going to take this challenge, you might as well go all the way and do your very best! I mean, come on.... you can do it! It's all about choices. You are in complete control. You just have to remember: nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Believe me, I know it's hard. In fact, it's one of the hardest things in the whole wide world. But it's totally worth it! And here's the best part! After about a month, your new way of eating and exercising will become a habit! It will be totally normal to you and you won't feel like it's hard at all! They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Therefore, after 21 days of clean eating and exercising, it will be habit to you. So.... let's get started!
Rule #1
Take a picture of yourself RIGHT NOW! I mean it. This is one of the most important rules of all. DON'T skip it. Take pictures of the front view, the back view and the side view. Include your face. Get as close up as possible. And here's the best part: take it in your bra and panties (or a swimsuit)! I know you're dieing right now, but you've got to trust me on this one. If you're like me it will totally disgust you and nothing is more motivating than seeing yourself in full "glory". If you can, have your spouse or best friend take the picture for you. Take it digitally and store it on your computer. A really good idea is to take additional photos with your clothers on. This way you can show your friends your "before" photo! I know right now you don't think you'll want to show your friends your "before" photo, but trust me, you will, and there's no going back!!
Rule #2
Measure yourself . Get a seamstress measuring tape and once again have your spouse or friend take all of your measurements. You will need to measure:
Rule #1
Take a picture of yourself RIGHT NOW! I mean it. This is one of the most important rules of all. DON'T skip it. Take pictures of the front view, the back view and the side view. Include your face. Get as close up as possible. And here's the best part: take it in your bra and panties (or a swimsuit)! I know you're dieing right now, but you've got to trust me on this one. If you're like me it will totally disgust you and nothing is more motivating than seeing yourself in full "glory". If you can, have your spouse or best friend take the picture for you. Take it digitally and store it on your computer. A really good idea is to take additional photos with your clothers on. This way you can show your friends your "before" photo! I know right now you don't think you'll want to show your friends your "before" photo, but trust me, you will, and there's no going back!!
Rule #2
Measure yourself . Get a seamstress measuring tape and once again have your spouse or friend take all of your measurements. You will need to measure:
- Arm. Measure around the bicep/tricep area.
- Chest. Measure in your bra and go around the widest part of the chest/breast.
- Waist. The smallest part just above the belly button.
- Stomach. You know what I'm talking about!
- Hips. Right around where your hipbones are.
- Thigh. Measure the widest part.
- Calf. Measure the widest part.
You can measure one side of your body or both. It's up to you. But be sure to measure the exact same places each and every time.
Get paper (Or I have a paper that you can record everything on. Just ask and I'll email it to you) and write down your measurements. You will measure yourself once each month.
Rule #3
You're going to need some help. The best way to start anything is with prayer. You've got to trust me on this one too. God says that he even cares about the birds, so how much more does He care about us!? If you commit this challenge to the Lord and daily ask Him for help, this is going to be much easier.
Rule #4
Decide what day you are going to start and get rid of all the crap food in your house before that day.
Rule #5
BEFORE you start the challenge, plan your food (and do your grocery shopping) and your exercise routine for the entire week. (I just happen to have a handy little paper to help you keep track! Just ask and I'll email it to you.) It will be much easier to stay on track if you don't have to guess what to do or what to eat.
So.... now that you know the rules, are you ready for the plan?!?!?!
The Plan
Simply put, you will work hard by eating great and exercising for 6 days and on day 7 you will rest (and eat whatever the heck you want!). If you want all the details, read on.
First of all, each and every week you will choose one day that will be your FREE day. I highly recommend that you pick it ahead of time based on whatever you may be doing that week (wedding, birthday, special occasion, etc.) so that you don't miss out on anything special! Your free day is completely free. No working out, and you get to eat absolutely whatever you want and however much you want of it! I am totally serious! Eat everything!
The exercise part of the plan:
Now as far as the exercising goes, you will alternate 3 days of cardio and 3 days of resistance training.
Cardio:
You can do whatever you like for your cardio; running, walking, biking, treadmill (boring!), elliptical or my favorite, kickboxing! Do whatever you choose for at least 30 minutes and try to alternate the intensity every couple of minutes. You may want to work up to 45 minutes.
Resistance Training:
Think about it this way.... cut your body in half (top & bottom) and work only one half on your resistance training day. Then on your next resistance day, work the other half. Just keep alternating! For your bottom half you'll work out the front of your thighs, the back of your thighs, your calves, your abs and your butt. For your top half you'll work out your back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps. You will want to do 3 sets of at least 8-10 reps increasing the weight with each set. You'll work up to 12 reps.
It's a great idea to work in some stretching and core work like Pilates a couple of times per week. Just throw it in whenever you'd like.
It's also a great idea to write down and keep track of everything you're doing. I've got a paper you can use for this. Just ask and I'll email it to you. This way you can easily track your progress and watch yourself improve. You should record what exercises you do each day, how many sets, how many reps and the amount of weight you use.
So there you have it; day 1 resistance training, day 2 cardio, day 3 resistance, day 4 cardio, day 5 resistance, day 6 cardio, day 7 REST!!
The food part of the plan:
Now as far as the food goes, you will eat 5-6 small meals per day, every 3-4 hours or so. You can substitute protein bars and/or protein shakes for meals. Each meal should consist of lean protein, good carbs and fruits and/or veggies! It is extremely important to eat food in this combination because of how they work together. Trust me, it's just science! Absolutely no white food (rice, bread, pasta, etc.). You can substitute wheat or whole grain for the crappy white stuff! Sugar is the devil, so just say NO! That means no candy, cake, cookies, etc. But don't forget, you'll get to eat it on your free day. So basically you'll eat breakfast, a protein bar or shake, lunch, another bar or shake, dinner and then yet another protein bar or shake. The protein bars are great to have with you in your purse when you just gotta have it now and the protein shakes are supper yummy! I mix protein powder with low fat yogurt, a splash of OJ and some frozen fruit. Put it all in blender and enjoy! But get creative and have fun discovering new things! Of course you can have coffee (check the sugar on your creamer, please!), iced tea and TONS of water, but alcohol and soda are big fat no-nos!
You should definitely keep a record of the food you eat (what it was and how much you ate). Once again, just ask and I'll email you a paper I have to help keep track of this. In fact, it works best if you plan out everything you should eat ahead of time and then take note of what you actually did eat. You'll be amazed!
So what are you waiting for? Start making your plan and then get out there and go grocery shopping!
First of all, each and every week you will choose one day that will be your FREE day. I highly recommend that you pick it ahead of time based on whatever you may be doing that week (wedding, birthday, special occasion, etc.) so that you don't miss out on anything special! Your free day is completely free. No working out, and you get to eat absolutely whatever you want and however much you want of it! I am totally serious! Eat everything!
The exercise part of the plan:
Now as far as the exercising goes, you will alternate 3 days of cardio and 3 days of resistance training.
Cardio:
You can do whatever you like for your cardio; running, walking, biking, treadmill (boring!), elliptical or my favorite, kickboxing! Do whatever you choose for at least 30 minutes and try to alternate the intensity every couple of minutes. You may want to work up to 45 minutes.
Resistance Training:
Think about it this way.... cut your body in half (top & bottom) and work only one half on your resistance training day. Then on your next resistance day, work the other half. Just keep alternating! For your bottom half you'll work out the front of your thighs, the back of your thighs, your calves, your abs and your butt. For your top half you'll work out your back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps. You will want to do 3 sets of at least 8-10 reps increasing the weight with each set. You'll work up to 12 reps.
It's a great idea to work in some stretching and core work like Pilates a couple of times per week. Just throw it in whenever you'd like.
It's also a great idea to write down and keep track of everything you're doing. I've got a paper you can use for this. Just ask and I'll email it to you. This way you can easily track your progress and watch yourself improve. You should record what exercises you do each day, how many sets, how many reps and the amount of weight you use.
So there you have it; day 1 resistance training, day 2 cardio, day 3 resistance, day 4 cardio, day 5 resistance, day 6 cardio, day 7 REST!!
The food part of the plan:
Now as far as the food goes, you will eat 5-6 small meals per day, every 3-4 hours or so. You can substitute protein bars and/or protein shakes for meals. Each meal should consist of lean protein, good carbs and fruits and/or veggies! It is extremely important to eat food in this combination because of how they work together. Trust me, it's just science! Absolutely no white food (rice, bread, pasta, etc.). You can substitute wheat or whole grain for the crappy white stuff! Sugar is the devil, so just say NO! That means no candy, cake, cookies, etc. But don't forget, you'll get to eat it on your free day. So basically you'll eat breakfast, a protein bar or shake, lunch, another bar or shake, dinner and then yet another protein bar or shake. The protein bars are great to have with you in your purse when you just gotta have it now and the protein shakes are supper yummy! I mix protein powder with low fat yogurt, a splash of OJ and some frozen fruit. Put it all in blender and enjoy! But get creative and have fun discovering new things! Of course you can have coffee (check the sugar on your creamer, please!), iced tea and TONS of water, but alcohol and soda are big fat no-nos!
You should definitely keep a record of the food you eat (what it was and how much you ate). Once again, just ask and I'll email you a paper I have to help keep track of this. In fact, it works best if you plan out everything you should eat ahead of time and then take note of what you actually did eat. You'll be amazed!
So what are you waiting for? Start making your plan and then get out there and go grocery shopping!
Keep me posted!
Please make sure you keep me posted and let me know how you're doing. Feel free to share your frustrations, your joys and your successes! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My bet is that if you commit, and I mean seriously commit, to this challenge for just 3 months, you're going to look hot and feel great! Go for it! I mean really, what have you got to lose except for inches?!?! :)
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