Hehe. Well, it seems everyone is trying to find quick ways to shed a few inches without even working at it. First my partner, Jennie, admitted to shaving a bit off her thighs in her "silly satire" photo (gotta give her credit for admitting it!). Then Connie joined in with the old mirror trick.

Sadly, I don't have pictures of instant transformations (no, I'm not going to take my camera to the gym and take pics of myself) but it did remind me of a recent experience.

My friend and I work out at a gym and one night I got off the bench from doing incline sit-ups, looked in the huge wall mirror across from me an though, "Hey, I don't look that bad!" Then I thought, "You know, I know I don't look that good, either!" So, I moved over a bit and, sure enough, the "normal" me reappeared. So, of course I tell my friend and we walk back and forth in front of the faulty mirror checking ourselves out. Kind of like an instant before & after. Well, then the weightlifter guys had to come check it out and before long we had a whole group of us seeing our "skinny" vs "fat" selves. Not sure what's wrong w/the mirror in that one spot, but at least now I know where to stand.

So....what about you? Got any "thin quick" tricks?

OK, so here's the deal! I'm paying the price for my lack of discipline! I'd mentioned Body-For-Life a bit back and someone asked to hear more about it. Well, story is that I joined a gym last Oct. (the one before last) with the intentions of being fit by my 40th birthday. My friend and I worked out for a couple of months with little success. At some point the gym ran a Body-For-Life contest and we decided to join.

I was out to prove the program wrong. I'd already borrowed the book from the library and decided it was pretty much what we were doing. Actually, we were working out MORE than what Phillips advocates. So...to prove it wrong, I had to follow it to the "T", right? So....we did. Wouldn't you know I lost nearly 30lbs. and looked and felt great. Go figure! Oh yeah, I won the gym contest and got a free year membership. (I'd post the pics here but the "before's" are unflattering to say the least. If one of you LADIES (sorry, Confessor) wants to see, email me. :0)

So....you'd think, once the challenge was over, we would keep it up, right? Well, that was the intent but, slowly, we quit working out. Well...we'd do weights now and then, but dropped the cardio (not really that fun, ya know?) altogether. Then we dropped the eating.....and the drinking water.....then we started eating. We started eating like PIGS!!! Why??? We have no idea!!

So, here we are starting over. Had I been good and simply continued on my journey at a reasonable pace I'd likely have already met my goal. As it is, I'll have to work my bottom off (literally!) to get where I want to be by Feb. 26th. Oh well. I seem to do better with a deadline or goal to meet. I think I'm kind of sadistic that way. So....I'm trying to get out of things like our "pizza challenge potluck" at church on Sunday. (OK, whoever comes up with this stuff is NOT dieting!!) Hehe.

I'm actually in a  good place with it. If I'd done what I should I could be relaxing this month. As it is, I'm hoping to get back where I left off by the end of the month. We'll see. If you want to know the specifics, ask and I'll share them on here. If not, I thought you'd all be amused by the following. Even though I'm not sharing his sentiments, it cracks me up. Enjoy!!

Words to live by this holiday season! By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it’s the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds.

You can’t pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating do’s and don’ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they say.

Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? I don’t think so. Isn’t mine, either. A carrot was something you left for Rudolph.

I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you follow them, you’ll be fat and happy. So what if you don’t make it to New Year’s? Your pants won’t fit anymore, anyway.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can’t leave them behind. You’re not going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards, mate.

10. And one final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention.

Reread tips. Start over.

Well, just for a local challenge, but still! Our local gym ran a contest for a free year's membership and a friend and I joined in. They kept extending the challenge but FINALLY announced a winner and it was ME!! Yay!! (Can you tell I'm excited?)

They are even letting my friend and I share the free year so we each get six months free. I couldn't have done it without her so I'm happy to share. Honestly, neither of us was going to renew because of $$ issues, so this is a real treat. And it gets even better! They are running a special where if you pay in advance you get three months free. The owner said if we each paid for half a year, he'd give us the six months free PLUS the special offer of three months free! We're ending up with nine free months each! It comes out to about $9/mos. I'm very happy.

This was right when I was trying to get re-motivated so it's perfect timing. (I started a new challenge on Monday)

Just had to share my excitement!

But guess what? I do! And to be completely honest, I feel just a wee bit proud of myself when I reach in for my checkbook and see them there. You see, I've always been a very non-physical person. I played volleyball in high school just long enough to get my letter and that was the end of it. I didn't like sweat, I didn't like the attitudes and I didn't like the competition. Somehow, in the last year, I've become a changed woman. I like sweat! (Still don't like the other two)

What happened, you may wonder? I think it had something to do with realizing that I was 39.  I began feeling strongly compelled to get myself back in shape before I hit the big 4-0! Then there's the fact that I've had gestational diabetes and being overweight greatly increases my risk at ending up with Diabetes later in life. Exercise is the number one way to avoid the disease. A nearby town (ten miles away) opened a gym and I talked a friend into joining with me. Over the last several months we've spurred and prodded one another on toward our fitness goals.

Admittedly, I've been lax the last six weeks or so. Therefore, I decided to blog and publicly force myself back into action. You may notice when I started this blog I commented that I would write on creative homeschooling, frugality and fitness. The "Fitness" category has remained conspicuously absent. Well, no more!  I'm back on track!

Actually, I haven't been doing too badly, considering where I was when I started. My definition of "slacking" has definitely changed. After joining the gym I worked out consistently, mostly doing cardio and using some of the weight machines. I was working out approximately 5 days a week for 1 to 1.5 hrs. In three months I lost 10 lbs. I was pretty bummed, but forced myself to continue on.

Then our gym ran a Body For Life contest for a free membership. (I'm still waiting to see if I won) I'd checked the book out of the library previously, and decided it really wasn't THAT different than what I was already doing. Well, when they initiated the contest I decided to do the program "by the book", mostly just to prove to myself that it wouldn't make that much difference. Know what? I was WRONG!! I lost 22 lbs. and lots of inches in 12 weeks. It truly works.

The program consists of six mini-meals (200-300 calories) a day, lots of water, lots of free weights (not the machines) and minimal high-intensity cardio. I was actually spending LESS time in the gym and eating more than I had been before and I was losing twice as much! It was really amazing. I encourage anyone interested in becoming fit (not just losing weight) to look into the program.

As far as weight loss goes, it can be deceptive. My Mom also recently lost pounds but wasn't doing any type of weight training. When we got together last, she weighed ten pounds less than I did (we're nearly the same height) but anyone would most likely have thought I weighed less. Being fit and losing weight are NOT the same thing.

In future posts I hope to share more on this subject to encourage and motivate you toward reaching your fitness goals, as well as keep myself moving forward. (I still have another 15-20 lbs. I'd like to lose)

The one tip I'd most encourage anyone starting out on the fitness journey to use is to take a beginning photo and follow up every ten pounds. It's amazing the difference that the camera will show as opposed to what you might notice. Sometimes, the change seems so slow that it feels imperceptible. Those photos are irrefutable proof.

I'll include some of mine here. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo at the beginning of my journey. It's amazing to me to notice the difference in the fit of the T-shirt. See what a difference ten pounds makes?

Please email me if you'd like a link to my Body-For-Life shots. They are not flattering, nor are they modest (closest thing I had to a bikini). I'd just as soon not publicly post them, but if someone is seriously interested in the program I'm happy to share how a "real-live normal person" looks before and after the program. (No special diets, tans, professional photos, etc.) Sorry, ladies only please.

NOTE: I DO realize these pants are too short. I DO NOT work out in this outfit! LOL I started taking pics in tight clothes and just had to stick w/them for the photo sessions. Don't want y'all thinking I actually go out like that!