The Mandy Project: 90 Day Before and Afters

I know this is sadly overdue.  I have been trying to get this blog post posted for about 10 days but work and family come first, so without further ado...

I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, I not only did it, I f***ing KILLED IT!

If you haven't been following the blog these past 3 months, click this link to see the journey from beginning to end.

I am about to break all the rules our founding puritan mothers put forth - I. Look. Ah-may-zing!!! Seriously, I can't fit my head through the door these days, I am so conceited. However, I earned every right to gloat about myself because I worked HARD!

I will save the text for the end because I know you probably just want to see the pics.

See the results for yourself.
Side note: I could not find a time at night to take my pics, so the lighting is definitely different in the last set. It also makes me look pasty white, so my apologies to your eyes.



For sarcastic comments see my previous posts on the makeover. 

 

There is no point in posting measurements or weight, because the proof is in the pictures.

What have I learned?

• I do have time to workout every day, even though I have a baby, toddler, household, a job and run my own business, with a singular employee... me.
• It's okay to put myself first for an hour or two a day. This doesn't mean neglecting my family, it just means that I don't HAVE to entertain them during that time. My toddler has learned to entertain herself, or join in on the fun during my workouts.
• It takes a combo of weight training, cardio, and not gorging yourself on crappy food.
• Cardio, which I hate, does melt fat but it's only a small portion of the overall plan.
• Weight training gets you the body you want. You have saggy arms? Belly? Butt? You HAVE to weight train. Plus weight training builds muscle, muscle burns calories at rest... so if you weight train you will melt even more fat while watching your favorite shows before bed.
• We all know we should eat healthy. I ate moderately well, and often, with an emphasis on protein and cutting out cheese. I do not limit my carb intake other than to make sure I don't stuff myself on bread. I also eat at home 98% of the time because taking my children to a restaurant is social suicide right now. 
• What I did do is work hard during every workout and made sure I only had 1 rest day per week. If you are going to do it - DO IT!

 What have I gained?

• Energy. There is no end to my energy these days. Which is good because I have a FULL plate. Life is good and aside from the random moment of overwhelming stress, I have changed my outlook and attitude.
• Self-esteem. I have never, ever, felt better about myself than right now, in this moment. This is coming from a Mother of 2 that will be 35 years old this year.
• Health. There have been illnesses in the house, but I haven't caught a single one!

What have I lost?

• Fat.
• Post-baby flabby belly.
• Wrinkles.
• Brown hair.
• Pasty, winter-white skin.
• The feeling of being so tired I could slip into a coma.
• Back pain.
• My standard Mom wardrobe of plain T-shirts and yoga pants.

Workouts during the last 30 days:
I did get incredibly bored with P90X. The first 60 days were great because the workouts changed, but the last 30 is just redoing everything you have already learned. I decided to swap out the weight routines and do the Body Beast weight routines instead. This program is specifically for building muscle. So instead of doing 3 weight days, 2 cardio days, and 1 yoga day, I did 4 weight days, and 2 cardio days. No yoga: I. Hate. Yoga. I used P90X plyometrics and kenpo x for cardio.

Nutrition during the last 30 days:
I really wanted to do something that would make these last pictures amazing, however, I didn't really do anything different. The only thing I added was to slam a protein shake right after my workout, in addition to the recovery drink. This did help stop the mindless eating I do after a workout because I am starving. Aside from that, breakfast, lunch and dinner remained the same as before.

My final thoughts:

This has been the best thing I have done for myself in almost 10 years. There is no way I could have made it through this past month, with my sanity in tact, without the energy I have gained from these workouts. I haven't been sick since October, right before I started the program.

Dan and I have been encouraging each other to work towards our fitness goals. We have changed our loft into a gym and we make sure each of us has time to complete our workouts. We have even hired a weekly babysitter so we can go on date night once a week. There are so many other good things that have emerged from this project, I had no idea when I started I would be this happy at the end.

There is nothing more rewarding than modeling healthy habits and body image for my kids. I am never negative about myself. I don't stare into the mirror and point out things that need to change. The kids see us workout hard, eat healthy, and encourage each other to be the best we can be. They see me moving heavy furniture, and hanging big pictures high up on the wall. There is nothing their Mom can't do.

What now? Well, I am going to continue on with Body Beast weights and P90X cardio hybrid and just enjoy the results and feeling great. As the spring fruits and veggies emerge in the super market I might be encouraged to switch up my eating habits. I might do a cleanse to see if I can get that six pack to show up. I don't know. Whatever I do, if I get results I will share.

Thank you all for your encouragement and sharing your projects with me. There were certainly times I was ready to skip workouts for the week, but knowing that we were in this together kept me going. Please share your projects with me by private message, facebook, or leave a comment here.