almost forgot...

This is a challenge to shape up after all - so here's how I did:

Before measurements:
Bust: 34.5"
Chest: 29"
Waist: 29"
Hips: 35.5"
Right Thigh: 20"
Left Thigh: 20"
Right Arm: 10.5"
Left Arm: 10.5"

After Measurements:

Bust: 33.5"

Chest: 29"

Waist: 29"

Hips: 34.5"

Right Thigh: 19"

Left Thigh: 19"

Right Arm: 10"

Left Arm: 10"

At least there were some results - even if they weren't exactly in the location I was hoping for :)

gluten what?

So ... after much convincing by my husband I finally went to the doctor to see what the heck was going on with my tummy. I work out 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day, I've lost 4 lbs in the last 7 weeks, I've lost inches from my hips, booty, legs ... but my tummy - NOTHING! I was so frustrated that I went to the doc to see what was up.

Her verdict? I have gluten intolerance ... gluten what? you say ... that's what I said too. In a nutshell, my body cannot process gluten (wheat, barley, rye, to name a  few) so by the end of the day after filling my belly with plenty of gluten products, I am in a lot of pain. And since my abs are separated from having babies, it's even worse because there is nothing to hold all that gas in, it just pushes right out through the separation. At times it has hurt so much that I couldn't even exercise.

So, now that the "getting my 6 pack" challenge is over, I'm starting a new challenge....living gluten free. I can't say it will be easy, but it's what I need to do to stay healthy.

I'm starting a new blog ... 365 days of gluten free. I'll showcase recipes of transitioning to a gluten free diet. Lucky for me there are a TON of great websites to pull from so I know I'm not alone.

And, I'm keeping my fingers crosses that once the gluten clears my system, I'll finally be able to see that 6 pack I worked so hard for!

6 Weeks ...

After 6 long weeks, my challenge is over ... I don't have the washboard abs that I had hoped for, BUT I am not stopping here, I will keep on until they are back to the way they were before I had kids. I can say that my abs have not felt this good since before I had my 1st son. After Grady was born and they separated (almost 4 finger widths ... yikes!!) I was devastated and was told only surgery would fix the problem. Since I am terrified of hospitals and needles that just wasn't an option. Now that I've had my 2nd little boy I'm determined to get back the abs I once had. It is possible with exercise and a lot of work! I would say I'm about half way there so by summer I will for sure be bikini ready and won't have to hide this gut in a one piece!

So, here's where I ended up - this is the "flexing" photo, since my gut looks MUCH better flexed! You can almost see the ab muscles at the top - yeah! And that is Wyatt (the baby) and Grady (in the background) - my 2 wonderful kids.

And here is the none sucked in photo, you can still see the ab separation a little down the middle if you look closely. And NO I am not pushing it out. I can post a photo of that if you need to see the difference (and yes, that's Sesame Street playing in the background - it's Grady's fav right now!!)

Total weight lost is 3 lbs! I wasn't trying to lose weight, but it was nice to shed a couple more lbs. Overall I feel much better, have a workout time slotted into every day and feel more ripped than I have since I swam competitively in college.

Thanks Lindsay for your workout DVD's! I wouldn't have been able to stay on track without the Shedd 5 Fast, Boot Camp 2, and Core Fitness DVD's. I was able to always keep things fresh so my body didn't adapt and was able to mix and match them for a great workout every day. I love that I can workout for 10 minutes or an hour depending on how the kids are doing and still feel like I've had a workout either way.

I'll do my best to keep posting weekly updates on getting back my six pack. It's taking a little longer than I thought, but I am sure with a little more hard work it will be back by summer.

last week - whoo!

So, my challenge officially ends on Friday! I can't say I've been the best about blogging about my workouts, etc..., BUT I have been great about doing my workouts and staying on track. Only 3 more days to go!

My abs feel the strongest they have since I had kids, but they are still separated so with 3 days left there is little hope for a true six pack without sucking it in. I don't feel like a failure though, I know I just need to dig deep and keep on doing what I'm doing for the next 6 months. They will recover, it will just take a little longer than 6 weeks :)

So, to the workouts - this was a much needed long holiday weekend, here's what I did:
Friday - core workout - the 45 minute one
Saturday - I found a Crunch Pilates workout on netflix - 52 minutes and it was a nice change of pace
Sunday - my off day, but still went for a walk with the baby/dogs/pushing the toddler int he stroller
Monday - 45 minute run with baby in the stroller, my legs are still sore!

Tonight will be tought to get in a workout, but I will do my best to squeeze in at least 2 core segments and 1 cardio from boot camp 2.

Photos of the belly on Friday, promise :) Both sucked in and hanging out, bc yes it still does hang out...

almost there

I'm hanging in there for my last 2 weeks! I haven't been feeling the best and my tummy seems to be more bloated than normal so for the last 2 weeks I'm working on my diet too so I will see some results. I have been working so hard for 4 1/2 weeks now, I can't make it to the end with nothing, right?

Today I'm going for a run with the dogs and maybe a kid in the stroller if I'm feeling up for it ... then some good stretching and a few core exercises to fonish off the night.

As far as the diet goes - as of last Monday I've cut out sugar and processed junk, just eating whole foods that i've prepped myself for the next couple of weeks to be a little kinder to my tummy. Keeping my fingers crossed this works! I would love to see a flat tummy without having to suck it in!

start of Week 5

Just 2 more weeks to go so I'm stepping things up because I am dying to see my results and can't slow down now!! My waistline does seem slimmer (when it's not outrageously bloated) so something seems to be working.

Here's what I did over the weekend:
Friday - Shred 5 Fast - workout 1, or 2, shoot i can't remember, but I did one of them + some extra core sections from Boot Camp 2
Saturday - off day (I had both kids by myself so I think that was workout enough, right), but I did about 10 minutes of random core exercises
Sunday - Shred 5 fast - the workout I didn't do on Fri + the yoga/pilates from Core Workout

Today, I think I will do Boot Camp 2 just to mix it up a little - 3 sections of Core and 2 of Cardio/Toning :)

And, I have been doing a little research on the bloating - I may have an allergy to something I am eating, I'm looking into it.... until then I need to get my tummy muscles strong again so they can hold all that air in.

Week 4 - cont.

Week 4 is almost coming to a close and sadly the pudge is still here :( I was really hoping for a more noticeable change by now, but there is still 2 weeks left so I'm not giving up!

Yesterday I took a break from workout DVD and headed to my local 24Hour Fitness for a spin class, which the instructor named "Sprint Intervals" - let me just say that I have never sweat so much in a spin class before. We sprinted in the saddle, out of the saddle, up hill, on the flats, more up hill - you name it, we sprinted it! So today, that leaves me feeling the good sore!

But, back to the core workouts tonight - I've got to stay focused!!

Week 4

Feeling good and sore this morning ... I never realized that abs could be so sore!! But, it's a good feeling since I know they are getting in shape! Only problem now is my booty is getting smaller than ever - small price to pay for getting washboard abs though, right?

here's what I've been doing with the workouts - trying to mix it up a little to make sure they are the most effective:
last Friday - Shed 5 fast - Workout 1
Saturday - long walk in the morning, Boot Camp 2 (4 core and 2 Cardio) in the evening
Sunday - Shed 5 Fast - Workout 2
Monday - Pilates/Yoga from the Core Workout

I just realized I've never mentioned what I am eating! Since I'm not so concerned with losing weight - just firming up the weight I have, I haven't changed my diet much. I am somewhere between a vegan and vegetarian - no meat or dairy, but I do eat eggs and wild caught fish on rare occasions (I love sushi and just can't give it up yet). The nice part is that I can pretty much eat whatever I want, when I'm hungry I eat, and when I'm full I stop. I eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies, and rice & beans. Oatmeal and coffee is my breakfast 6 out of 7 days of the week, lunch is usually dinner leftovers, and dinner is usually veggie burritos or tacos, a yummy soup (sweet potato/lentil is my favorite!) or a veggie version of the dinner I make the rest of my family. I do have a sweet tooth thought so it's a good think I eat a lot of whole grains and veggies because I also eat a lot of vegan treats! Pumpkin muffins, vegan cookies, dark chocolate - yum yum! I think everything is ok in moderation, just make sure you vary up your diet like you do your workouts!

Well, that's all for today - I'll try to get a pic up soon! I tend to look better in the morning than at night so I'll try to remember tomorrow :)

feeling good

I love the "sore" feeling after a good workout! When you twist and the muscles burn a little because you know you worked them hard ... aaaaaah :)

Feeling sore, but good after last nights workout.

Week 3 - cont.

So ... I wasn't feeling so hot last night, achy muscles, sore knee, and SUPER TIRED. The last of these caused by baby who is teething. So, I took a night off and now I feel sooooo much better! Sometimes I think you just need to give yourself a break, you know? Moms (especially us working mommas) work all day, then come home and work all night, put the kids to bed and get an hour or so to relax before they hit the hay and do it all over again. If you're achy and feeling run down, it's ok to take a break. Just make sure to jump back on the train the next day when you feel a little more refreshed!
So, today I'm doing workout 1 from Shed 5 Fast...gotta get that in here since it is part of the contest :)
And as of this morning, my pudge is getting smaller, but it still looks like my insides are spilling out. I even get this funny indent right above my belly button when I completely relax my abs. I'm just about half way through my challenge so I can't give up now!

Week 3

So, I'm really sorry, it's been a whole week since my last post ... yikes! But, do not fear I have kept up my workouts and my abs are feeling stronger than ever ... well not ever, but the strongest they have felt since getting pregnant with my 1st - it's progress, right???

Here' a recap of my workouts last week:
Monday - Shred 5 fast - workout 1
Tuesday - Core Pilates - the full 45 minutes workout
Wednesday - /core Pilates - yoga workout
Thursday - the baby was super cranky so no workout today, I had to sleep with him in order to get him to stay in bed :(
Friday - spin class - woo hoo! This makes up for yesterday, right??
Saturday - 30 day shred workout from Jillian Michaels - level 3
Sunday - Shred 5 fast - workout 2 (I took a few days off.... sorry Lindsay!)

This week, I'm focusing on core, core, core ... so more core pilates, and shred 5 fast, and back to boot camp 2 workouts!  I can't really complain - I live off the exercise high - well that and coffee :)

I'll post a photo for this week soon. Sadly, even though my abs feel stronger, the pudge is still there, oh well. I'm learning that as long as I feel better about myself, it's really ok if there is a slight pudge left, but I"m not giving up, don't worry. 4 more weeks to get back my 6pack!

Week 2

So, here's a photo of the pudge at week 2 into my losing the pudge challenge ... still looks the same to me ... BUT it does feel much stronger, so that gives me hope that maybe this will work after all. And no ... I am not pushing it out, that's how bloated it gets by about 3pm every single day - yuck!

I did finally get my Shed 5 fast DVD ... I've done both workouts, but it doesn't seem to get my heart pumping like boot camp 2 or the core pilates. Ohw ell, I'll keep giving it a go, Linday has killer abs and there's got to be something to it if she got them to look that good after a baby!

Off to finish up the core workout for tonight!

Inspiration Photo

OK, so I finally found an inspiration photo ... these are the abs I want!!


Tonight I did the yoga/pilates core workout, my belly is feeling stronger but the bulge is still there... guess I can't expect much yet, it has only been 5 days.

Tomorrow I go for a run and then will do pilates at night, I'm focusing on working the core specifically at least 6 days a week. This pudge wont go away without some sweat.

Day 4

The weekend went pretty good, other than getting no sleep ... my 4 mo old is getting teeth I think, he seems to be up all night lately!

Friday - I did Boot Camp 2 - 2 core and 1 cardio
Saturday - I took a day off since I had to drive up to Pasadena for a baby shower
Sunday - I did the yoga/pilates workout from the Core DVD

Feeling good so far, but tummy still looks like jell-o - 5 weeks, 3 days to go!

My New Years Challenge...

So, it's 2010 and after having 2 kids my stomach is just not what it used to be, and for whatever reason it really bums me out. I officially miss the "six pack" I had in college and have decided it's time to get it back! Here starts the "Lala is losing the pudge" challenge!

I am giving myself 6 weeks to finally lose the baby belly flab around my middle and get my six pack back! I am entering a contest - The Moms Into Fitness Shed 5 fast Contest (check it out at http://www.momsintofitness.com/) in order to motivate me to stay on track ... hey who wouldn't want to win $250 & possibly be in a workout video on top of getting back into shape???

So stay tuned, because I will do my best to post daily updates of what I did for a workout, how I'm feeling, and photos of the belly transformation (I'm staying optimistic that there will be one :) ...)

Here's a little about me, in case you're interested:

I'm a 30 yr old working mom ... I work at DC Shoes as a product developer of apparel and love my job. I also love being a mom of 2 boys (ages 2 and 4 months) and wife to my wonderful husband. (btw - he says my body is perfect as is, he's my biggest fan!!)

My reason for wanting to lose the pudge is purely selfish, I once had the washboard 6 pack abs ... 2 kids later it's just not there anymore. I feel self conscious everywhere I go and am constantly sucking in my gut so I don't look 5 months pregnant. I have diastisis recti, which is abdominal separation and common after to have kids (wikipedia defines it this way: a disorder of the rectus abdominis muscle into right and left halves) so basically I feel like my gut is hanging out and my ab muscles just can't hold my stomach and intestines in. So gross, I know!!! I can't remember the last time I wore a fitted top, everything has to be lose fit so it doesn't show.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my weight and the rest of my body, I'm not one of those crazy girls who is super skinny and wants to lose more weight ... I just want to lose the pudge and firm up my middle section so it looks like it used too.

I don't want to suck in my gut anymore ... I want to be in a bikini this summer showing off my 6 pack and that I'm a hot 30 yr old mom, so let the workouts begin!!

So, here is the first photo, bad quality I know, I'll try to get a better one on here tonight - the pudge is worst at night. (And sorry for the mess in the background, that's my 2 yr olds room and he's a little messy) My insides just look like they are spilling out over my pants. Can we say muffin top??

(that's my 2 yr old slapping my belly - nice, huh?)

So tonight I'm doing the core fitness pilates workout - just ordered the Shed 5 Fast DVD (part of the contest rules that we have to incorporate it into our transformation), I'll post again on Monday to let you know how the weekend went.