30 Day Shred

a few days ago i started the 30 Day Shred. not familiar with it? it's Jillian Michael's (from The Biggest Loser)  intense work-out video.

i am only 4 weeks postpartum, but i need to lose this baby weight. i always gain a lot of weight when i'm pregnant (i gained 40ish with Grant). right off the bat i dropped 20 pounds in the first 10 days...but then thats it...the weight loss has stalled and i am desperate. desperate because my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit at.all. and desperate because my maternity clothes are way too big. [and besides, who wants to wear maternity clothes after the baby comes?!] desperate because i don't want to spend the $$ on clothes that do fit me when i (hopefully) won't be in them too long. and mainly, i'm desperate because i don't feel good about how i look right now.

my weight has fluctuated greatly over the past several years. from gaining 60 pounds when pregnant with carson (oh yes i did!) to being severely underweight (when the boys were toddlers) to being at a good, healthy weight right before i got pregnant with grant...i want to be back where i was 10 months ago...but that is going to take work.

the really hard part?

i have never dieted before. ever. and i have never exercised before with the goal of losing weight. 

i am a beginner. a novice. 

i have never looked at a food label before. and calories? what exactly are those?  

lucky for me, i found an amazing app on my phone (its the top rated weight-loss app paid or free) that can also be accessed via web: myfitness pal

it keeps track of all your daily dietary intake and counts calories for you! all you have to do is search their database for what you ate and enter it in. and their food database is pretty impressive. actually, the whole app is pretty amazing...honestly, i think the website is a bit harder to use, but the app is very user-friendly.

anyways, so i have the food part taken care of...i'm not sticking to any diet plan, just becoming more conscious of what i'm eating/drinking on a daily basis.

so i also did my homework and decided that the 30 Day Shred was the way to go for me as far as exercise goes.

armed with a new sports bra and a couple of 3 lb weights, i officially started March 24.

it boasts really quick results that only requires you to work out for 20 minutes a day. as a busy mom/wife/home maintainer i can definitely commit to 20 minutes a day. anymore than that? probably would never happen. [by the way, i do the workout at night when the boys are in bed and kane can take care of grant should he be awake/wake up during the 20 mins.]

i'm not going to lie...it is NOT an easy 20 minutes. and its not meant to be. Jillian Michaels will kick your butt. which is why there are quick results. well, thats what i've read at least :)

i'm only on day 3, but i really enjoy it.

i can honestly say that i'm not as much concerned about the weight-loss as i am about losing inches. my target problem area are my thighs/hips (isn't that everyone's target area?!). my stomach isn't too bad post-baby, just soft from only being 4 weeks pp.

so thats my plan. i don't have the guts to post my "before" stats on here because wayyy too many people that i know in real life read my blog...but i will (hopefully) do a weekly check in where i (hopefully) am able to post inches that i've lost.

if anyone is interested, all you need is the 30 Day Shred DVD (got mine at Best Buy for $9.99), two hand weights ($6, Walmart), and a mat if you have hardwood floors (we have a rug in the living room).

the myfitness pal app is free.

wish me luck!