Drum Roll Please . . .

Ladies and Gentlemen, I fit my not-so-fat-a$$ into a SIZE 8 this weekend!

Are you kidding me? Did I read that tag correctly?

My mother had several pairs of jeans that she wore once or twice when she lost weight for a cruise, and now wanted to gift them to me - the ones that fit, of course. Most of the jeans were size 11/12, which I will take - that is 2-3 sizes down from where I was in March of this year, and that is an accomplishment and a half (get it?).

So when she pulled out the 8s, she said "just try them. Call them incentive jeans." I didn't think they would go up over my knees, let alone my butt, but there they were, buttoned AND zipped. I couldn't bend over, and I think I lost circulation in my legs for a bit, but those suckers were ON.

I put them in the take home pile. Incentive jeans, indeed.

The long haul

So, it has been MONTHS since I have been able to find a minute to myself - between kids, job, house, hubby, and homeschooling, exercise just falls by the wayside. However, I have had the presence of mind to keep on the eating plan (getting half of everything you could want to eat is not a bad deal) but more importantly, trying to still eat healthier. That means getting back on healthier snacks, and my old stand-by: cereal.


We had about 2 months of chaos and business, and I started snacking more than I was comfortable with. Then we were sick for pretty much the MONTH of October (good for the diet, not for the exercise). THEN stinking Halloween came around - what is up with days marching along whilst I not pay attention?! More snacking - at least those were bite-sized. And I began to worry.

So this past week, right after my "time of the month" was over (that of course, was my miserable excuse for snacking), I got back on my band wagon. I have been walking at least once a week while the kids are at sports (it's about a mile and 1/2 around the park), and still doing sit ups and push ups about every other day. But getting back on the wagon means getting ON, and so back to my treadmill. I only got one extra day this week, but that is one day more than last week! Plus I did arms on BOTH days, and boy, I couldn't lift them AT ALL by Wednesday! Wow, that felt good!

So today, it was Special K chocolate for snacks. Right now this is a fave, as it is extra crunchy and has chocolate! How can I go wrong with that combo? And I am happy with the exercise - not a huge amount, but I am doing SOMETHING, which is always better than nothing. And the good news - the pants are still falling off my hips! I really need to invest in a belt, but my hubby has two, and since he only has ONE waist, I just wear the second one! Utility for the win!

While I would love to get more exercise in, I will be happy with what I CAN do, and not lament what I can't. Meanwhile, I will stick with the half-eating, as that seems to be working wonders. I am in my skinny jeans, and they are starting to get baggy. Oh my, do I see a shopping trip in my future? I hope so . . .

A Shout Out!

This is for you, Kang! (I hope I spelled it right!)

So, we are at about the 4 month mark. None of my shorts fit - unless I want to hold them up with one hand when I run - and that is AFTER falling off the wagon a bit since our return from Las Vegas. My exercise has been minimal (still doing sit ups/crunches and push- ups and wearing my leg weights) and I haven't been on the tread mill in over week! I did have hula this morning, so that is something.

But I have been snacking a bit more since we've had some minor events over the past. The Good News is that I haven't been gaining, so the caloric count is still down and that is good.

Fast forward to today - and I got a HUGE compliment. I haven't seen another Tae Kwon Do mother since early April. She walked in today and sat down to talk with me. She kind of stared me up and down, and made a narrowing movement with hands and asked, "Have you, are you, did you . . .?" I filled in, "Lose weight? Yeah, I've been on a diet." She nearly jumped out of her skin and asked, "What have you been doing?! I keep working out but not like you!"

Then I told her about the "I get half" diet and she was shocked. I told her I would email the link to this blog, and she just kept saying, "You are so beautiful and so sexy!" And now I *feel* beautiful and sexy!

Thanks, Kang!

No more Muffins!

We all know what the muffin is, correct?

It is the flab that hangs over your pants, outlined beautifully by a snug t-shirt. I had come to terms with it, avoiding any tight shirts if I wore any waist that gave me a muffin. Unfortunately, that included MOST pants, shorts, and skirts, so instead I began wearing billowy shirts - empire waist, baby-doll types. The ones that make you look like your *could* be pregnant, but you aren't. I hate the muffin, but for the past 8 years, the muffin has been a part of my life.


Until this morning.

This morning, I dressed in yoga pants (hand-me-downs from my younger sister who teaches aerobics. Needless to say, all the yoga pants gave me a muffin, even the loose fitting ones) and a t-shirt to participate in a Hula Dancing class with my girls. I was excited about this class, not for the least reason of added caloric loss - an extra hour of fat burning a week can do wonders!


And the muffin was gone.

No muffin - none. While I am not tiny by any stretch of the imagination, and I still get a decent muffin with my tighter fitting jeans, this was the first time in a LONG time that a pair of pants did NOT produce the muffin. Instead of hanging over at the waist, I go in at the waist. Not quite high school levels, maybe close to college - but most closely resembling post -grad school, just before having my son.

Oh my. It is working. Thank the LORD, it is working. It is hard, and I HATE working out almost as much had I hate my muffin, but it is working.

Oops - hated my muffin. Hated.

This new site

My hubby encouraged me to document this little weight loss adventure. This way I have notes to help me remember what I did in case I ever want to write a book about it. I have written quite a bit (some articles published, but no book thus far :( ) so the idea of writing a book about my weight loss is not too far fetched. I do have some minor issues though.

It's not like I need to lose a lot of weight - just 30-40lbs. Do people really want to read a book about weight loss from someone who didn't REALLY need to lose a lot of weight? Even my doctor could not give me a medical reason to lose weight - technically I was in good health.

I did it for vanity - totally. I wanted to look good in clothes, bathing suits, etc. Plus, some other "life" stuff was going on, and it occurred to me that maybe my hubby would want to see a bit of the wife he married again - not the heavier "Mom" version.

Plus, I have kids. Do they really need to see mom pigging out on cookies? What model does that set for them?

The culumination of all these thoughts lead to my "I get half" diet - the easiest thing I could think of to do to lose weight. Am I hungry - yes. I go to bed with small grumbles a lot. Drinking a big glass of water before bed helps, but then I have to pee really bad early in the morning! But I have come to like that grumble. I know I can have half a granola bar to help alleviate it, or I enjoy it, because that is the sound of weight loss, ladies and gentlemen. *grumble grumble* can be a GOOD sound if you let it!

Of course, it is more than just the diet - I try to get on the treadmill every day, use ankle weights, do sit ups, push ups, arm weights, take the dog for long walks . . . it is the combination of all elements that has led to the weight loss - not JUST the diet. But oh my, the diet helps . . .

And remember, no matter what, I get half!

"I get half " Cult Following (reprint)

Evidently, the "I get half" diet has been pretty successful. Not just for me, but for others as well!

It started with my homeschool group - I see them on a regular basis, and they were the first ones to really notice I was dropping weight. When I first told them all what I was doing, I was a bit embarrassed. I mean, really, there is nothing medical or proven about what I was doing. It just seemed like common sense to me that the easiest way to cut back on ALL my caloric intake was to cut it ALL in half. Then I just added in some of my own rules: fewer sweets, snacks had to be either fruit, cereal, or a cereal/granola bar (half, of course), and more exercise. I even picked up some ankle weights to wear around the house for the added caloric burn.

After some "half a gallon of ice cream" jokes, most of the women commented that it made sense and it was easy. No counting calories, keeping track of food, watch fat grams. The easiest way to cut calories is just to honestly CUT them - in half.

I first noticed it in my back - for some reason I was blessed with back fat. UGH. But that started dropping right away, and as a result, most people could see it dropping from my shoulders as well; I have a very defined collar bone now, and some strong tendons/muscles in my neck. Then my pants started falling off and the moms thought that was hilarious. My hubby has been talking about the weight loss for a week or more now, as it really sees it in my face.

So what is the point of all this? That it is funny how some things get started. My homeschool moms love the fact I am losing weight without a "diet" - just common sense. Their reply was pretty much "That is brilliant" and as word has spread, that is the response I get. My baby sitter loved the idea, and now many of the homeschool moms are doing the same thing (with their own little preference changes). I have had a few other people ask me what I was doing to lose the weight, and they all have the same response too: "brilliant!"

But now the word is really starting to spread - my hubby (who has a huge, extended network of people he knows) has been telling people about it when they complain abou their weight. He tells them, "You know, my wife starting losing weight with her "I get half" diet. . ." and gets pretty much the same reaction: "Brilliant!"

The end result is this little experiment I wanted to try to see if it would help me lose some weight has now lit a fire with others as well. I never expected to be a cult icon - but my diet seems to be one! And hey, if it works . . . why not?

Happy Losing everyone! Let's celebrate with half a glass of champagne and half a serving of cake! :)