YOU CAN DO IT *EDIT

Thank you, everyone, for the kind comments!  I truly hope I helped some of you get ova that fence of hesitation!  ♥  Anyway, I wanted to answer some questions and reply back to some of the comments I received (here as an edit).  :)

 Kristine said...

all I can say right now L is, THANK YOU! you just don't know how much motivated I got after reading your blog. *tears* I gained a whopping 45 pounds w/in 3 years of bein here in america. imagine how much pain I am goin thru right now. But as ive said, 2009 is mine.. ill conquer it all.. thanks for your help..

♥ Kristine, no tears hun... although I know exactly what you're feeling.  Trust me when I tell you to tell yourself to "shut the fuck up" and tell yourself everyday while lookin' at yourself in the mirror, "i can do it".  Just imagine how great you will feel an hour AFTER you work out.  An hour ain't shit for workin out. I've ONLY been doin' an hour durin' that whole time period.  Shit, sometimes I'd only do 30 minutes.  I'd do cardio for 20 and then do quick weights for 10.  And if you're in the habit of eatin' too much crap, ask yourself before you eat it, how you're goin to feel afterwards.  Taste is a sacrifice but all hard work is repaid, remember that!  You can do it!!!

 Maggie said...

You look good! I just had a baby a little less than 6 months ago, and definitely want to start working out (have never worked out before). I really need to be motivated lol to do it. I already lost the weight (from taking care of the baby by myself) just need to tone up.

♥ Girl, you are lucky you don't have to worry about losin' tha fat!  You've already won half the battle and can go right to toning up!!  :)

 yumeko/bittenbefore said...

gah i wish i had your motivation!!
but u are right, i gotta try harder
this year this year i swear, i am going to lose the weight XD!!

 Sarai said...

L..ive gotta follow your advice and tell those little voices that I can do it! your absolutely right! when your hubby gets back, he is gonna be like DAYUM! woohooo!!! and your babyboy is so cute :D this post was very inspirational. cant wait to read more!

♥ Yumeko & Sarai - I promise it's those voice, that's the only thing that is stopping you.  Seriously, as soon as you start makin excuses NOT to go, tell yourself to just shut up and go!  The hard part is JUST that, as soon as you're there and you see all them motivated sexy people tryin' to get to the same place as you, you will feel different and be in a diff. state of mind.  Do it ya'll!!!

 LadyJane said...

You're truly inspirational L. I don't have trouble with weight gain simply for the fact that it's hard for me to gain any weight. I hate being so tiny. It makes me sad. I lack energy cause I'm lazy. But seeing that all your work paid off, it does make me think that I can live much healthier. The hardest part is to start, so I just gotta take that step. Thanks girl :)

♥ Woman!! I wish I had your problem!!!  All you need to do is take protein and you can tone up right quick!  Shit, I'd be on Ciara-arm status right now lookin' mad lean!  LOL.

 MiuMiu said...

L you're so inspirational. Since coming to Korea in September, I'm sure I've gained a lot, my face was noticeably rounder cuz I usually sit around and stand while I teach. Now I'm getting so annoyed at how I got all this excess chub and after reading your post, I said to myself, yes I need to and I can do it =) 
I don't have easy access to a gym and it's cold outside, plus I can't speak or read Korean. Do you have any suggestions on a diet that would help with reducing the chub without regular exercise?
Thanks!

♥ First thing you need to do is watch what you eat. You can literally lost 10 pnds in one month if you do that.  Cut out the soda and the sugar.  Eat lots of greens and drink lots of water. Oh, and you may want to NOT eat after 7pm.  Try that for a month and see how that works for you. If you cant go to a gym or jog/run outside, consider workin' out at home.  You've got the internet right?  Youtube some stuff up like Tai-Bo and keep ya body movin for at least 20 minutes!!!  You can do it girl!

 ko0ty said...

Wow L this post is totally inspiration! I gained like 20lbs ever since highschool because I just ate and ate during art school and not gave a shit... I seriously bought junk food at 7-11 everyday during my break, ate whole boxes of cookies, etc etc.. it was soooo bad then 2 years later I'm like OMFG what the hell happened to me! At least you had an excuse because you were pregnant! Not me. =(

Anyway, I started a work out routine back in September and I've done pretty good I think although my results are a lot slower than yours because I only go 2-3 times a week and I still eat pretty much what I want but just a little bit healthier ... I guess my overall goal is not to get "skinny" but just be a little more healthy and be able to eat what I want without becoming totally obese!

♥ I know how that feels girl.  When I started workin' after I had my baby, the whole office would walk over to 7-11 and I would fkn eat those damn Jalepeno and Cheese toquitos.  (O_o)  I had to quit that shit after a while cuz I was like, wtf am I tryin to do to myself since I hadn't lost the baby weight to begin with.  I hear ya on the goal not bein' to be "skinny".  Mine wasn't either. I figured it this way... if my clothes get looser and I notice definition and tone, I'm good.  It only motivated me even more when other people noticed.  It's a good feeling.  

 PamCakes said...

L I'm so glad you posted this..seriously! This year I really wanna lose 10 pounds and yes I "CAN" do it hehe. Really you look great, I wish I could keep the booty like you. Do you do any butt workouts or are you naturally blessed?! LMAO..Sucks for me when I do lose weight the first thing that goes is my booty and boobs lol

♥ LMFAO.  You're gun hate me, I'm naturally blessed but I do do squats and leg presses that target the buttocks to keep it firm.  But yea man, my boobs go too... sucks ass.

 abby =) said...

l you look good. and im going to be doing this after the baby is born. im gaining so much weight from the pregnancy its insane.. this motivates me a lot

♥ Abby dear, let your body adjust after you have your baby.  You will generally lose weight when you breast feed.  But when your body heals some, you can start workin out by takin' walks with baby.  :)  Trust me, I was 120-125lbs pre prego and then got up to 172lbs when I was about to give birth. I lost about 20lbs within the first 6 wks but had trouble after that. But all is said and done cuz I wanted to do the best I could to get back to pre prego weight. I still have excess stomach skin but you know, I don't think there is much I can do about that.  (O_o)  I'll just do the best I can. You can do it girl!  Just enjoy your pregnancy right now!  

♥♥♥♥♥

This is dedicated to all my readers that have struggled with weight and are tryin' to motivate themselves to lose weight and start working out.  There are so many factors that are associated with weight loss but I think the most important factor is your frame of mind.  

The first thing I suggest is to tell yourself that you can do it... that you can accomplish it.  And when those fuckin' lil demons in tha back of your head tell you otherwise, tell them to shut tha fuck up because you CAN do it.  Remember, it is easy to make excuses and that stops you from gettin' shit done.  We ALL struggle with that...

The key is to positively WANT it enough.  By this I mean to want to be healthy, to want to have more energy, to want to feed your body tha good fuel, to want to have more stamina... etc. 

My body has changed so much since I've had my baby but I have always been a weight fluctuator.  Skinny to chubs, skinny to chubs...  pretty damn annoyin' if you ask me but I've also figured that it has somethin' to do with my genetics.  *shrugs shoulders*  So the best I can do is focus on what works and maintaining it.

I'd also like to mention circumstance.  Aside from the working out, moving to Japan and dealing with my husband being gone on deployment fucked with my head too.   I was often meloncholy and stressed with bein' away from what was familiar to me.  This made me NOT eat as much and I am in a place where food is served in smaller portions and is healthier than American food.  It's not like I can just head ova to Jack in tha Crack or Burger King (we do have McDeeZ but I got sick of that shit when I first got here).  I have to cook plus, I don't want my son to grow up on eatin' crap.

With all of that said, lemme show you what I looked like in March/April of 2008.  I will then give you my workout regimine and what I ate and didn't eat from June to August.  Oh lord... here it goes...

Pre'prego days aka my modelin' days...

1 year and 4 months after the baby in March/April 2008... 

Wearin' white (O_o)

Wearin' black, even more (O_o)!!!

Tell me I don't have a big, round head?  MAD CHEEEEKS right?!

Thank God lil man's cute face is right next to me to take the focus away... lol.

OMG, can I shoot myself now?!  Fuck...  lol

Aight, so I get here to Japan and the hub leaves for deployment...  At this time, I gotta keep myself busy and sane.  

I looked in the mirror and said, "Fuck this shit L, you are goin' to get into shape again... the goal is to get at least one size up from your pre'prego/post baby body... plus, I want R comin' back like dayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam."  *Imagining and sayin' to myself again, "Yea... don't forget that you're with a bad muthafucka...".  LMFAO. 

There were also many'a'nights of being emotional and that in iteself motivated me even more.  I just had to get endorphines flowin' through my body.  Oh, and the summer in Japan definitely helped by sweating off fat.  (>_<)  Shit, my face melted off too... no wonder people noticed my cheeks bein' gone.  LMFAOx2.  

My workout regimine:

I worked out at least 4-5 times a week.  I did at least 25-30 minutes of cardio.  My machine of choice was the eliptical.  I would start off at Level 4 and then max out at Level 10 at the 10 minute mark.  Then I would go back down to Level 4 from 11 to 14 minutes and then go up one Level every minute until I reached Level 10 again.  Meaning, I would be at Level 10 at 20 minutes.  From 20 minutes plus, I keep the resistance at Level 2.  I'd burn anywhere from 200-300 calories.  

For weight training and core strengthening:

I would do at least 100 reps of crunches on a balance ball like this.  I would then move onto this

and do 3 sets of 12 reps to work my lower abs.

Then I'd work on my arms using a few of the machines but mainly this one.  This helped me firm up mainly my deltoid, biceps, triceps, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi muscles.

For my legs, I used this and do squats.  

Sometimes I use the Stair Master and the hip abductor/induction machines.  

That's basically it, nice and simple just to get a routine goin' and get my body use to those types of movements.

My diet:

I cut out sodas and American candy.  I drank only water and green tea.

I ate greens EVERYDAY aka salads.  I would add green onions, carrot shreads and tomatoes.  My sauce consisted of lemon/lime juice, a sprinkle of seasoning salt and a teaspoon amount of dressing.  If I got bored and needed meat, I would add chicken, turkey sausage or a veggie patty. 

I started drinking soy milk every morning along with either some choice of fruit or yogurt.

I'd snack here and there but would keep the amount limited to a handful.  

If I needed sweets, I would pick up some Japanese candy because they are usually small pouches of candy.  I actually stayed away from ice cream and cake like pastries which was torture since Japan is tha shit for that kinda stuff!!!  

Other things I did/used to melt off the fat:

Everyday, I would use this belt.  I would either be wearing it while working out or if I was cleaning up the house. This belt uses your own body heat to encourage sweating which in turn makes you lose more weight.  This was definitely ideal for my stomach area since I have post prego tummy fat and skin!

At the end of some days, I would take a bath at night that consisted of:  Epsom salt, green tea, and ground ginger.  This would help clean out my pores and promote detox by sweating.  

And that's basically it ladies and gents!  I did this for at least 2.5 straight months and look what happened!!!

Now, I am not working out as rigorously but am slowly tryin' to get back to it along with changin' up my workout routine a bit.  I am goin' to move into doin' more Pilates and focus on my stomach and arms.  We'll see how that goes because I plan to be right before Summer rolls around!!!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lemme know if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them!  Well, I'm off to tha gym RIGHT now, I'll catch ya'll soon! ♥ ~L