Jen in JC

March 1 - Weight loss progress

2009-03-01T21:30:00.003-06:00

It's been 2 months since I've started this blog about my goal of losing weight for 2009. So far I have lost, begin the drum roll.......................20 pounds and 4 percent body fat. Yep, I've gone from 170 pounds to 150 pounds and 33 percent body fat to 29 percent.

I'm really proud of myself for starting a routine and sticking to it. However, I must note that 10 of those lost pounds were during my bout with mono. The fact that I was able to go back to the gym after a 3 week absence and still perform at the same level is a miracle. And though it sucked, the way I got mono was kinda fun. :D

And people are noticing. I work / talk to 2 trainers at the gym and they noticed the day I got back that the weight was gone. And today, a complete stranger who I've noticed but haven't talked to said "You're looking good. I remember when you first started and the weight has come off." OMG, that totally made my day. I'm pretty much a no one when I work out. I've got the hair pulled back in a messy pony tail, a pair of baggy shorts and tank top on, and my pink MP3 player going. It felt good to have an 'attagirl' in the middle of this lackluster weekend. :)

Be prepared, one of my blogs / rants is going to be about people who wear jeans / jean shorts to work out in. Seriously, WTF?

I'm back to work - yeehaw!

2009-02-17T21:26:00.002-06:00

I finally went back to work today. For some it would be annoying, but for me, at least I was doing something instead of nothing. Some folks seemed to get creeped out when I said I had mono, but once I told them how it's transmitted (mainly exchange of fluids - kissing), they had nothing to worry about. Violating that work policy is something that I'll never have to worry about.

My taxes are done (hooray refund - new floors for the hallway and living room), my body is kickin' the germs, and I was able to get an awesome little dress from Kohl's for $5.00 today (thanks Jackie). Yeah, Jenni's a happy girl. :)

Hold On To Your Valuables - Chris the Crackhead

2009-02-17T20:57:00.001-06:00

I know folks like this...

Broke Trek Mountain

2009-02-17T20:53:00.002-06:00

This is hilarious...

Spencer

2009-02-15T13:40:00.007-06:00

To start everything off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Yes, it's commercialized and way over-hyped, but honestly, it can be sweet. I sent an e-card to someone yesterday and tried to find a balance of funny, sweet, and yes girly because I haven't seen this person in a while and I had fun picking it out. :)

Anyway, to the blog...

I've got to hand it to my dog Spencer. For the last two weeks, he's been a little trooper dealing with me being el sicko. For the first couple of days he was all jumpy "Oh yea! Mommy's home and we can play, and play, and then play some more!" Once he figured out that all I wanted to do was bury myself in the covers and sleep, he hasn't left my side. On occasion, he's pulled himself out from under the covers, put his head on my shoulder, and given me his one-eyed look of "What can I do to make you feel better?" I freakin' melt everytime!

I swear that having this little guy around makes me want to feel and get better. If anything, so I can get my happy butt outside for longer durations than having Spencer do his business in the backyard and then going back inside the house. I miss working out and taking him on longer walks. It will take more time and rest, but I'm starting to get impatient. My brain needs a challenge and it's floundering right now.

A chant for my health

2009-02-11T12:46:00.003-06:00

Four hours from now, me and Spencer T. Dawg will be on our own for the next five days. Initially, I planned to go to Springfield to see friends and family but the mono is taking everything out of me. I'm sure that I could just crash at my folks house, do my taxes, sleep, and eat, but that's not much fun and I think the cigarettes (my folks smoke) would add nausea to my problems. I'm having a hard enough time with my appetite, so as much as I love my parents, I'll pass on this round.

All of this really sucks though. I've planned to go to Springfield for the past couple of weekends, but plans have been canceled, either because of sickness or scheduling / timing conflicts with the friends and family I want to see most. As a planner, all of this is messing with me BECAUSE I PLAN to do things. When plans fall apart, it can be disappointing. My point with all of this is that I miss all of them terribly and though we talk on the phone and text, it's not the same. Pretty simple really.

Let's hope that waves of good health (and a healthy house - that's another story) karma come my way.

Temporarily out of comission

2009-02-09T19:08:00.002-06:00

Well, looks like I'm going to be out of commission for a while. I was sick with the flu last week and today I found out that I've got mono.

Fan freakin tastic.

To be continued...

I'm a slacker - go bite me!

2009-02-03T20:09:00.003-06:00

I know I've been a bit of a slacker and not keeping this site updated. However, this doesn't mean that I haven't been making progress. I've been going to the gym at least 4 times a week. Sometimes I just workout on the elliptical; other times it's that plus pilates, and then weights; and finally it can be just the elliptical and weights. Regardless, the weight has started to come off.

With the weight loss means buying new clothes. However, I'm a bit of a cheapskate and don't want to buy winter-like clothes when there's more weight to be lost. There's nothing wrong with the baggy look until April / May...:)

Slacker is as slacker does

2009-01-06T21:46:00.004-06:00

So I've been a bit of a slacker lately. I start this blog to document the valiant efforts I'm undertaking to lose the weight and improve the self-esteem and what do I do? I freakin' slack off for 6 days and don't blog. Hey, I never said I was perfect, just trying my darndest to keep everything true to my word.

So, what has dear ole' Jenni been doing these last couple of days. Well first, I went to Springfield New Year's Eve and had a wonderful time bringing in the new year. For those who like to avoid the smoke-filled bar scene, go to First Night. For $7 (each) me and my date were able to go rock climbing (I tried, he scaled the wall), go to an improv comedy show, and see two musical productions. Being downtown Springfield and chilly, we were also able to get our exercise by speed walking from one event to the next.

On New Year's day I'll admit to falling off the wagon and pigging out on junk food. In my defense, I was at a football party for the Iowa / South Carolina Outback Bowl. One thing you will quickly realize is that I'm a devout Iowa Hawkeye fan, especially for football, and can be a bit spirited if someone's dissin' my team. As my mighty Hawks beat the 'Cocks, I indulged in the 7 layer dip, Blue Moon beer, and various other goodies. I'm proud to say that it was totally worth it !!!

Though I was able to spend some time with a few close friends, the days after New Year's went by in a blur. And fortunately, I've been able to somewhat keep track of what I've eaten and how much I've exercised. So far, I've been able to be active for at least 20 - 25 minutes. Some of this time has been in the gym, but the other has been doing yard work around my house.

In the end I keep telling myself that it will pay off. Hopefully with the positive attitude, I'll reach my goal of 135 - 140 pounds sooner than later.

2009 New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-30T20:27:00.003-06:00

2009 New Year's Resolutions

Get a passport.
Begin a regular exercise and diet regimen. The increased energy, smaller waistline, and boost in self-confidence will be rewarding.
Enhance knowledge of technology and become a resource for folks to turn to.
Ignore the butterflies in my stomach and delve headfirst into all activities.
Save more, spend less.
Stop being so hard on myself and apologizing for issues beyond my control!
Live life to its fullest every day.

Day 1

2008-12-30T16:46:00.000-06:00

Today is Day 1 of my pursuit of a new physique. Since I'm on vacation this week, now is a good time to start a routine before going back to work Monday. Despite my almost 4 month absence from the Cap Region Healthplex, I'm still able to do the length and amount of exercise that I left in September. This is my workout for the day.

30 minutes on the elliptical machine
10 minutes on the treadmill (going 3.6 m.p.h.)
Various weight machines for my arms, back, and legs

Though it may not sound like much, this was more exercise than I've done in a while.I'm going to have to add some variety to the workouts or I WILL get burnt out and quit. Fortunately, the gym has some affordable classes that I'm taking advantage of next week. This includes pilates and aerobics. I'll also need to meet with a dietician so I can get my eating habits on track. I say this because after working out and fighting through Wal-Mart, I came home and had leftover Shakespeare's Pizza for lunch.

How does that Aretha Franklin song go? "Chain, chain, chain...chain of fools."

Tomorrow I'll post my measurements. Part of my blogging goal is to publish this information so folks can either encourage me (to lose the weight and keep it off) or ridicule me when I've screwed up. Honestly, it works out both ways.

In the beginning

2008-12-30T14:25:00.000-06:00

With the start of a new year, there is the start of a new Jenni. To say that 2008 kicked my ass would be an understatement. Relationship and friendship problems seemed to plague me for most of it . However, I learned that I'm much stronger and smarter than I ever gave myself credit for.

Life throws a lot of little curve balls. This blog will be a reflection of how 2009 is supposed to be for me. For starters, I'm using it as a tool to document my weight loss - the good, bad, and ugly - with statistics and pictures. This way people can call me out on my bs if I'm not working out enough or eating like a pig. It will also be used as a general forum to vent my frustrations with the world (house, work, people). I'm following the example of "Frighteningly Uncommon Sense" and how Faith communicates with her web audience.

I hope everyone is ready because 2009 is going to be a bumpy ride...