Jen's Journal

[Boss Man]

It will alomost certainly be muscle gain, if your weight is pretty stagnant, but waist mesurement has gone down.

So you don't need to be frustrated, but you have every right to be proud of yourself and with every week that you continue to move in the right direction, you are becoming even more of a rolemodel and inspiration to your son and you DO have a lot to be proud of and it's not just about what you can see, its about what you can't see and the good things that's happening and your risk of terminal illnesses, strokes and heart disease should be decreased now and hopefully more bone and connective tissue condition as well and strengthened heart mucsle and improved organ condition as well, which are all good things.

So keep in mind the bigger picture and don't be too concerned about focusing purely on visable composition.

Remember that some people can be predisposed genetically to high cholesterol, so they can still have high cholesterol, even with athletic looking bodies that they train hard for and in that instance, one or more things like beta-glucan, plant stanols and omega fats might need increasing, to help this, but hopefully you're not someone like that and if you are, you'll still be doing your readings and levels good; but I just posted that last bit, to highlight the need to be mindful of the bigger picture, because physical success obtained from a background like yours, carries other benefits than just cosmetic ones, that you almost certainly will be achieveing and can be proud of .

You're doing a great job here and I hope your son leanrs something from your results, because from what I am seeing, he could do no worse than emulate you in both character and lifestyle and there will always be a lot of value to someone, who is so emotionally gifted as you are and I wanted you to know I am really happy for you, that you are achieving these things and I am happy for your family, that this will enhance the domestic harmony I am sure you all enjoy and most of all, I am very, very proud of you Jen, because you have worked hard for these results and they are happening to a really, really genuine and heart-warming Lady.

So keep smiling, keep pushing and keep believing, because you are well on your way to being fabulous and your 30's are a chance to really find a new you and to thrive as an individual.

WELL DONE Jen, you are pretty amazing misses .

[ArtzyJen]

Back down to lowest weight!!! So happy. I've lost an inch off arms in a couple of weeks' time and back is also showing more shape. I tend to carry lots of weight in upper body (chest/back) and right now I look top heavy because legs are skinny and toned, stomach is relatively flat, but I still carry a ton of weight in chest. Some girls would be elated, but I'm really not. I know it affects posture when I'm tired. I don't really want to go the route of surgical reduction, but if I continue to lose everywhere else and stay the same in the chest, something's going to have to change. I've stayed a D/DD since absolute highest weight and haven't seemed to lose hardly any even though I've lost in excess of 55 lbs since highest weight. Oh well... at least I'm back down to lowest weight and now only have 28 lbs to lose to be at goal weight!

[Boss Man]

Only 28lbs to go and that inch off the arms, is a great achievement. I'm really proud of you Jen and it will be great to see someone like you nailing a goal and feeling so much happier about yourself.

You're doing brilliantly. Keep it up and WELL DONE.

That's why I keep coming here so much, to see the buzz and feel the energy, off peoples little and large achievements. It's just past midnight here and already the day's got off to a good start

THANK YOU and keep on pushing .

Oh and that beautifully infectious smile, captures the new blossoming you so well and shows off the person you are in your heart and head as well.

You have a very lucky family .

[Athene]

Congrats on getting back down to your lowest weight! Rooting for you.

[richs]

Very nice job, congrats!

[ArtzyJen]

Still sitting at same low weight, but I've lost 3.5 inches just in the past 10 days! I'll take it! husband can tell a difference... and... I'm into U.S. size 8 now!!! I've had two pairs of size 8 pants in different brands sitting in closet since last year that I've never fit into before and now I can wear both pairs!!! I'm down a dress size too... fitting around a size 8/10/12 whereas before it was 10/12/14.

[Boss Man]

Be proud of yourself and keep on pushing. It sounds like you're getting stronger in the process as well, hence the same weight but reduced clothing sizes required, so that's a good thing.

I'm proud of you and I want you to keep focusing on the bigger picture. The internal changes and improvement you can't see not just the cosmetic ones, are importent to remember and having reduced arterial plaque, viscerol fat, athermomas, cholesterol, blood pressure disease, stroke, heart attack risk, better bone density and immune system are all positives you may be still making happen at this time, so don't look for any negatives at the moment, look for as many positives as you can think of and then you have even more fuel for your fire to keep you motiviated.

I'm very proud of you Jen and I want you to keep pushing keep persevering and keep believing in yourself, because you ARE worth it and you're a really lovely Lady who deserves to be happy and fulfilled, so WELL DONE, chin up, be strong and no worries.

You're doing BRILLIANTLY! .

[ArtzyJen]

167.2.... yeah baby!!!! And I'm back to running some decent distances. Going to try a 5k this weekend. Monday I ran 2.1, today I ran 2.6....and I know I could have pushed it further, but 2.6 was goal for today. I'm relatively certain I can swing 3.2 now. Haven't taken body measurements but I'm going to wait until next week. Trying to make a habit of measuring about every 10 days because I know it motivates me when I'm not moving on the scale much.

[Boss Man]

Keep up the hard work Jen becasue you're doing GREAT.

Really proud of you misses and GOOD LUCK on the 5k. Doing something like that and doing well, counts as a little positive and every little positive along the way, can add up to a big positive in the end .

[ArtzyJen]

It'll be 5th 5k. I'm hoping to beat 3rd best time based on recent splits, which is ok for me. I'll probably come in at around 36:00. Best 5k time was 34:46.

[Boss Man]

Then the best thing to do, is believe in beating the 34:36.

You don't need to give this a realistic angle and say you'll probably do 36:00, because if that's what you think, then that's what might happen, but if you believe you can beat 34:36, you might not do it, but you might potentially get a 35:50 or a 35:15 or something like that, which means your positive thinking aided a better result, than you perceived possible.

Worst case scenario, assuming you complete the race, you believe in greater than a 36:00 run, but achieve around 36:00, which is not a failure anyway.

After all how many olympians compete in big events and then admit their times actually surpassed what they did in training? Why should you be any different, just because you're not an elite human being?

I'm sure whatever happens, you'll do well and I say GOOD LUCK, because whatever you want to do physically, you're someone I can always believe in, because you're an infectious and lovely, person Jen and I know you're capable of whatever you want to achieve.

So even though its a 5k, just go out there, show no fear, don't worry about who might be better and just go for it. You never know, you might surprise yourself .

[ArtzyJen]

BTW... husband got called in to work with customers on Saturday, so I didn't make it to 5k. It's ok though... I have another one coming up in October. It's the one I PR'd at 2 years ago and it is goal (since it is at the end of October) to PR again! I hope to be running 4 miles again by then or possibly even more. I'll start some tempo runs next week to ease back into a faster pace.

2 miles this morning. Slow pace... 12:50... but I got it done, despite a bunch of lung junk! (Lovely Oklahoma allergies. I have to live in one of the worst places in the U.S. for allergies, of course.)

Took measurements yesterday... lost another inch off hips since last week. Most of the other measurements stayed the same, but I'm completely fine with that. I noticed some more muscle definition in arms this week that I've never before had in life, so that pretty much makes up for any 'lack' of number changes.

[ArtzyJen]

And.... 40 tricep dips, 35 pushups, 20 burpees, 20 reverse crunches, 40 crunches.

[Boss Man]

That's always a good sign when you see things you haven't seen before.

I'm sure you'll do well at your next race. You're doing great right now Jen and you just need to keep remembering your own self worth, keep your chin up, be strong and keep on pushing.

I'm proud of you and I'm happy you're making it work, because you deserve it and you ARE worth it .

[ArtzyJen]

Dumb question... but how much water should I be drinking per day? I know I'm not drinking enough as it is, but it would be nice to know an actual number to aim for. I've heard anywhere from 80 to 160 oz is acceptable. weight is 167 currently- as I do know some base water consumption partially on how much one weighs.