Transformation Tuesday... er... Wednesday

It's almost the end of the 1st quarter of 2015. Have you stuck to your New Years resolution? Have you changed for the better since 2014?

Time to celebrate the good changes since 2014.

Good vibes!

The goal was set, it was achieved, now bring on the good vibes. Dan and I must both be radiating some good ones, because after 2+ years of trying to find some close friends, we have managed to find a small group of like minded young professionals to tear up the town with. Date nights are 10x more fun when you have people to laugh with. We even had a BBQ to celebrate the amazing weather on Saturday and people didn't leave our house until 1am. It was a blast and I can't wait to do it again!

I'm not going stir crazy anymore. Yes we just got another 6 inches of snow last night, but I am getting out of the house on a consistent basis. We go on date night once a week, no matter what. I go out for drinks with friends every other week. I am taking the kids to the pool, alone, which before was a suicide mission, but I am strong enough now to carry a 20 lb baby + 15 lb car seat, a 10 lb bag of supplies, and a 28 lb toddler out of the pool area when she starts having a tantrum. 6 months ago, I would have never even considered it.

Cheers to looking and feeling amazing!

I am 2 months into the Body Beast program and things are still changing for the better. I have transformed my body into the best shape it's ever been with the help of P90X to lose weight and Body Beast to gain lots of lean muscle mass. At this point it is really just fine tuning and getting stronger. I wish I could wow you like I did a few months ago, but now this is just how I look. Badass!

That before pic will always make me cringe.
 

Huge accomplishment is in the last picture which was taken this morning, I had just finished my workout. The accomplishment is that I have a terrible cold and a sore throat but I STILL worked out. Yesterday I felt even worse but still did Bulk Legs, which is pretty much the most grueling workout ever.

I feel like I am eating healthier. Not as much processed food like frozen meals, but I am eating a lot of bagels with vegan butter spread. I think gaining muscle makes you hungrier for carbs. Dan really wanted to eat healthy for his last month of Body Beast so we are eating dinners that consist primarily of meat and veggies, with maybe a slice or two of crusty bread or corn bread.

My after workout (or sometimes during workout) drink is about 16 oz of water with 2 scoops of recovery drink and a teaspoon of creatine. Then I slam a protein shake immediately after. I added creatine after reading an article about creatine and sleep deprivation. It was specifically talking about the benefits to women after having children. Dan was already taking it, so I added it to my drink. It hasn't made me gain huge mass, or an excessive amount of water weight, but I feel like my arms and legs are definitely more defined and I get a great pump during my workout.

In case you wanted to know the brands I use.

The Mandy Project continues...

The second round of botox not only took 10 years off my face, it brought be right back into puberty when I had pimples all over my forehead. I haven't had a pimple in years. Plus this time it hurt a lot more. It wasn't just me either... 2 other people said it was more painful. I was looking to find something to help the wrinkles that botox couldn't fix anyway, so the search started for a new facial routine.

You can only see 1 pimple in this pic, but there are
 3 more the camera didn't pick up.

Since I will be 35 this year and I didn't even wash my face before bed until now. I wanted the best of the best, so I decided on the Nerium line of night & day cream. The added bonus is that I also bought the Firm cream to use on my stomach to tighten the skin from my pregnancies and subsequent weight loss. So far so good! Before and afters coming soon...

These are not my before and afters but they were my inspiration for trying the product:

This is not me, but if it can do this for her,
then firming me up should be a snap.

I really need to find a self tanner that works. I am trying out different brands and will share my knowledge with anyone that wants to look brown without gaining wrinkles. So far I have tried 4 brands, 2 more and my write up will be complete.

I put self tanner on one side. Can you tell?
I need better lighting.

I have lots more transformation Tuesday posts to come, it just takes a while when before and after pics are involved. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share! Thanks for reading!

This post contains affiliate links, because if you're going to buy a product, why not buy it from me?

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.

The Mandy Project: Details

I have been getting A LOT of questions about details on my workout, food, etc. So this post is for anyone looking for more information about what I have done so far.

A little back ground info for those who don't know me:



For those of you that haven't started your Project's yet,
know this: A strategically placed baby,
can make you look decent in any photo.
This was before I started.

I am 34 years old with a 2 year old and a 7 month old. I work from home doing small business accounting - with my kids home all the time. I manage to juggle the kids, work and working out pretty well on most days.


Other posts about the progress:
The Mandy Project - How it came about
The Mandy Project - 30 Day before and afters
The Mandy Project - 60 Day before and afters




Here are the most frequently asked questions:

You sound like an infomercial, do you sell beachbody stuff?
I am not selling P90X or any of the beach body workouts. If you want to buy a workout I can put you in touch with a coach, but I am not a coach and currently stand to make no money from promoting P90X. So the information located in this blog is only my opinion and the results have no reason to be "doctored" up.

When do you find time to workout with 2 kids and work?
I workout when the baby goes down for his morning nap at 9:00am most days. My toddler usually watches TV during this time, or plays around the room I am working out in. Occasionally I will workout after the kids are in bed at 7pm, or before they wake up. Depends on what we have planned for the day and my work load.

How long are the workouts?
P90X workouts are 60-90 mins long, 6 days a week. Sometimes I will skip the warm up and cool down to knock off 10 minutes. If you want shorter workouts, I recommend the P90X3 which are only 30 minutes.


Yoga - Day 45

Why P90X?
I read reviews on hundreds of home workout programs and this one seemed to yield the best overall results. Even compared with P90X3 they said that with P90X you don't really need to watch your nutrition because working out for 60-90 minutes a day, WILL provide results. That sealed the deal.

What equipment do you need?
They recommend a mat, weights, and pull up bar. Our trim is too big for a pull up bar so we have bands and before I received the bands I made do with free weights. I don't use a mat because we have carpet. I started with 5 & 8 lb weights, but now I am up to 15 lbs and sometimes 20 lbs. You can buy bands from amazon for pretty cheap and start with a low weight and buy up as you go. It will be a nice reward for your hard efforts.

How is the trainer on the video?
He is pretty good. As you get further into the program you can pick on things to laugh about, like when he sounds like Casey Kasem "I like fancy hands on this one" or Pauly Shore (he doesn't mean to) "scissors, get it". Sometimes he also yells the next exercise which makes me laugh every time. You just have to approach any workout video with a sense of humor, since you will hear the same stuff over and over and over again.

Explain the program.
I have been doing their "classic" plan which is 3 days of weights + abs, 2 cardio days, 1 day of yoga. You do 3 weeks of this, then 1 week of cardio and the weight routines change but you are still doing 3 days of weights + abs, 2 cardio days, 1 day of yoga. That last month you alternate the weight routines by week and then one last week of cardio. They also have a "lean" plan which is more cardio.  I hate cardio so 2-3 days a week is a stretch for me.

What have you been eating?
Aside from the occasional cheese stick, I stay away from dairy for the most part.

Breakfast: Greek yogurt protein bar or kashi toasted berry crumble with soy milk
Lunch: leftovers from dinner, or amy's non-dairy burrito, or other fast frozen meal. Most weeks we do grab lunch out 3 times a week. It would be one of these: Jimmy Johns beach club or Arby's beef n cheddar. No fries, no chips, no soda. Well... sometimes a cherry coke if I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before.
Snacks: greek yogurt protein bars, cheese stick, or nut mix pouches (like energy mix from planters)
Dinners:
We have a set menu almost every week which includes: Taco night, chili, pasta with Italian sausage, chicken pitas, fajitas, pot roast or corned beef & cabbage, rotisserie chicken & stuffing or rice.
We rarely eat dinner out. RARELY.  Like maybe twice a month, if that.

Do you get hungry?
Yes. Especially if I am weight training that day, I am hungry. I have one rule... nothing after dinner.

Have you cheated on your meals?
Totally. I have eaten ramon noodles, rice-a-roni, and other processed meals that aren't good for me and hold zero nutritional value. I have eaten cookies and brownies and other sugary treats during the holidays. I told myself no more soda, and continue to have 3-4 sodas a week. If it's taco night, you can bet that I am gorging myself on taco's.

Do you ever drink alcohol?
Yup. Hard cider is my drink of choice, but it's loaded with calories and sugar. I will have 1-2 ciders 2x per week. Once in a while I will really tie one on if I am out with friends. This never ends well and I don't recommend it.

Do you take any supplements?
I do not. I used to take a multivitamin and I have gotten lazy and don't even do that any more. I did add a "recovery drink" after my weight workouts. It is just a powder you add to water and it makes it taste like fruit punch. I love it. Is it really doing anything for me? I have no idea.

The first month I did use Designer Protein shakes, you can buy at Target, for snacks. They are only 100 calories, low sugar and lots of protein, but I gave that up because they really don't taste that good, especially if you let them get a little warm because you are doing other things... like changing diapers, folding laundry, making food for kids... you get the idea.

When I did a beach body workout, they pushed shakeology. Did you use shakeology?
I did receive some samples from a friend and I tried it. It wasn't bad if you are looking for an easy way to replace meals, but currently it just didn't fit into my plan. I needed to solely focus on workouts and nutrition is a journey on it's own. I also tried Isogenix shakes and they weren't bad either. Both shake systems have great results if you are looking for something to get your results faster than just working out. I am considering doing a cleanse and a shake system in the future, just not right now.

After you started P90X, how long did it take before you could move again?
That first week hurts. After about 10 days the hurt went away and didn't come back. The plan is 3 weeks doing workout A, 1 week of cardio, 3 weeks doing workout B, 1 week cardio... so after those cardio weeks, switching up the weight training always makes for sore muscles but it's nothing like that first week.

How long before you saw results?
I saw results after 2 weeks, not necessarily in the mirror, but my energy level went way up and I just felt better. At 30 days I could see results in the mirror, at 45 days I felt like Robin Thicke's song "Blurred lines" was playing in the room when I walked in. Now (after 60 days) I look and feel the best I have ever felt in my life. I can't believe I achieved this after only 2 months. My self esteem is healthy again and I am back to my old happy self.

What will you do after P90X?
I am not sure, but I do know that I will not stop. Ever. I have learned that I do have time to workout if I make it a priority.  I am probably going to do another DVD series that focuses more on weights since that is what I enjoy. 90 days after I finish P90X I will probably do it all over again.






The Mandy Project: Day 60 Before and Afters

You thought I bailed on The Mandy Project, didn't you? Oh ye of little faith...

I made it though the holidays, parties, and a week long vacation.  I never skipped a workout, until the vacation where I took 5 days off. This will extend my project into February, so the final 90 day pics won't be taken until around Feburary 8th.

Workouts: I am still following the P90X classic plan. The only changes I have made are to skip the 90 minutes Yoga session and do one of the other harder cardio workouts.  I have also gotten sick of push ups so I added some chest presses and flys in lieu of push ups.

When I started this I was using mostly 8 lb weights with all the exercises, now I am up to 15 lbs and occasionally 20 lbs.

Nutrition: December is a tough month to stick to anything. So I didn't do much. In fact, with all the festivities I probably had enough alcohol to hinder my results.  I also went through a week of sleep deprivation while on vacation, so I was drinking WAY more caffeinated soda than I would ever normally drink.

I added a recovery drink right after my workouts. I am not sure what it does exactly. Dan had bought it months ago, so figured it couldn't hurt. I also tried a few packets of shakeology, but other than that, I ate and drank normally with the addition of more soda and alcohol. Not a great month, but the project isn't over...

The Results

	10/31/2014	11/30/2014	12/31/2014	Difference
Right Bicep	9 3/4"	10"	10"	+1/4"
Left Bicep	9 3/4"	10"	10"	+1/4"
Right Forearm	9"	9"	8 1/2"	-1/2"
Left Forearm	9"	9"	8 1/2"	-1/2"
Bust	34"	34"	34"	0
Chest	32"	31"	28"	-4"
Waist	31"	27 1/2"	26 1/2"	-4 1/2"
Hips	37 1/2"	34 1/2"	33 3/4"	-3 3/4"
Right Thigh	20 1/2"	19 3/4"	19"	-1 1/2"
Left Thigh	20 1/2"	19 3/4"	19"	-1 1/2"
Right Calf	13 1/2"	13"	13"	-1/2"
Left Calf	13 1/2"	13"	13"	-1/2"

Starting weight: 114.0 lbs on 10/31/2014
30 Day weight: 111.8 lbs on 11/30/2014
60 Day weight: 110 lbs on 1/4/2015

Now for the pictures... 

Yup, I could kick some ass now.

Ew! I still can't get over the change in 2 months.
Especially to my face.

It's hard not to smile now.

Doesn't look like much has changed, but it has.

Much better...



Bye-bye saggy post baby belly!

I am also getting taller... or I couldn't figure out how to shrink
this picture to match the others.

Some other accomplishments these past 30 days:

• I managed to not catch the cold that both my kids had!
• My hair is now back to blond, even at the roots.
• Dan and I had this conversation a few days ago:
• Dan: "You are dressing sophisticated these days."
• Me: "What does that mean?"
• Dan: "You don't dress like you are 18 any more, but you don't dress like a Mom either. You dress really nice, like a professional."
• Me - recalling in October when he said I dressed like a Mom. New style: Nailed it!

I am really enjoying taking before and afters. There will be more in the next 30 days and I am also figuring out a few more before and after projects I can blog about.

How are you doing on your project? Did you start one yet? Quit bitching about it, and do it! Report back and as always, thank you so much for reading!!

The Mandy Project: Day 30 Before and Afters!!

I made it through the first 30 days and I never missed one workout!

(Cue the cheering and applauding.)

A run down of my workouts: I did P90X the original version that I bought off ebay. I decided to do the "classic" plan which is 3 days of weight lifting, 2 days of cardio, and 1 day of yoga (which is actually 90 minutes of pure torture). That was for the first 3 weeks. The 4th week was all cardio and yoga. I did substitute a rest day that week for a really tough cardio session, since I was going to be stuffing my face for Thanksgiving.

Let's start off with the numbers:

Starting weight: 114.0 lbs on 10/31/2014
30 Day weigh-in: 111.8 lbs on 11/30/2014

I am SO glad I took my measurements, because where you can't see the results in the pics, you CAN see the results in the measurements!  

	10/31/2014	11/30/2014	Difference
Right Bicep	9 3/4"	10"	+1/4"
Left Bicep	9 3/4"	10"	+1/4"
Right Forearm	9"	9"	0
Left Forearm	9"	9"	0
Bust	34"	34"	0
Chest	32"	31"	-1"
Waist	31"	27 1/2"	-3 1/2"
Hips	37 1/2"	34 1/2"	-3"
Right Thigh	20 1/2"	19 3/4"	-3/4"
Left Thigh	20 1/2"	19 3/4"	-3/4"
Right Calf	13 1/2"	13"	-1/2"
Left Calf	13 1/2"	13"	-1/2"

When I took the measurements each time, I did it 3 times to make sure it was accurate. I am totally blown away by the loss in the hips and waist.

Now for the best part... the pics:

Results after 30 days. <sniff> Makes me all misty eyed.

Disregard my hideous face, of course I was talking
while Dan was taking pictures.



This one probably shows off the biggest change.
Flatter stomach and arm muscles.



Tan by L'Oreal Paris Sublime Self-tanning wipes.

Some pics you really can't see the results,
maybe by day 90.

EEK! I still need some major work in this area.
Keeps me motivated.

So this is doing P90X without an eating plan. I did keep it moderately healthy: No mindless snacking, no sweets, a few hard ciders, and an occasional soda if we are out. If you have read my other blogs in November, you know that I did cave to the occasional Teddy Graham or two.

My energy is through the roof, and I can tolerate a whole lot more because of it. My toddler just turned 2 on December 1st and her favorite phrase is "NOOOOOOO MOMMY!!!" which she screams at the top of her lungs - especially in public.

I rewarded my hard efforts with some blond hair, as you can see from the pics. It's all coming along folks!

December has a lot of holiday festivities, so it will be a little harder to stick to a consistent diet. I am going to try to keep it clean in between parties, and in January keep it really strict for the final 30 days.

For the complete Mandy Project click here!

Did you start a project of your own? What is it? Leave your comments and feedback to help inspire other people that are struggling to start.

The Mandy Project: Day 20

For the record, that is not my arm.

 

For the complete Mandy Project click here.

It's day 20. Only 70 more days left.

My workouts have progressed like this:

• Week 1: Excited and in excruciating amounts of pain.
• Week 2: Motivated to see if I could do better than week 1. Still sore.
• Week 3: Ugh, I really don't want to do this, but I made a commitment. Butt and abs are still sore. I am pushing myself hard during the workout, but I have to force myself to get off my ass and push play. I haven't missed one yet.
• Next week is all cardio and then the workouts are switched up. I think this will help keep me on task.

My eating strategy progression:

• Week 1: Definitely ate light meals. No issues. Mostly nauseous.
• Week 2: Still watching my food intake, without real difficulty, although by the end of the week I was starting to get hungry more often.
• Week 3: I am starving. I don't understand why, considering I am still eating normally. I ate a half a box of teddy grahams crouched in a corner of the kitchen. I felt like Smeagol from Lord of the Rings.
• I have joined a 5 day clean eating crockpot group to help keep me accountable. I hope this jump starts my healthy food efforts, and keeps me out of the toddler snack cupboard.

My accomplishments:

• I retired the rest of my maternity clothes for good. No lingering pieces in my closet to default to when I just don't feel it.
• I upgraded my swim suit from 2-piece "mom" suit back to my pre-baby bikinis.
• I have to wear a belt with all my jeans now. The belt notch is back to my pre-baby notch.
• I can stay up until 10:30pm. (Although I prefer not to.)  
• My energy is off the charts! I've been cleaning closets, moving furniture, and I still have time to make dinner and give the kids a bath.
• My stress level is WAY down. There is just something about being able to handle all the crap that falls on my lap, as long as I am taking care of myself first.

Honestly this project is really shaping up to be a game changer.  My kids are going to know the real me, not the stressed out Mom they have been with so far. I am able to run around, play, dance, give piggy back rides, and just have a whole lot more fun in general now.

Kenzie has been getting into it too. When Dan's home, I do my workout in the morning and she creeps upstairs to join me occasionally. P90X is much harder with a toddler sitting on your abs.

She refuses to workout with clothes on.

Coming soon... 10 days away from the first set of before and after photos. 

The Mandy Project: Botox

There are not many before and after photos of Botox on the internet, unless you are looking at a doctors website. So here are the real before and after pictures from a normal 34 year old female.

I know there are a lot of people shaking their heads at me right now, but this is The Mandy Project. This is what I want for myself. I am not doing this for anyone else except me. So either read on, or shut it down.

To view the complete Mandy Project click here.

First of all, there is a lot of confusion over Botox. This does NOT plump up your face/lips/cheeks or anything else. This just freezes your muscles so you can't make wrinkles. That's all. It reduces wrinkles in some areas and can eliminate them in others. There are lots of areas you can't use Botox, like in your laugh lines, or under your eyes. You will not get Meg Ryan lips or look like you have had a facelift. The plumping of the face is dermal fillers. Totally different.

This is NOT Botox. This is dermal filler.

 

To be honest, I don't know what this is...

So now you know what it's not. See what it did for me...

I was doing my best surprised look.
At day 5 my eyebrows were too pointy.
At 2 weeks my eyebrows are no long pointy and everything is pretty smooth.
Don't pay any attention to my after-workout hair.

 

My scowl with an "11" between my brows.
Day 5 I could still see tiny lines.
2 weeks after, no lines at all.
Downside: My toddler thinks I never get mad any more.

Wrinkles around my eyes.
At day 5 there was only slightly less wrinkles.
At 2 weeks the area is nearly wrinkle free.

I wish I could show you a good before/after full face shot, but there isn't one. I either doctored up the photos I had, to limit the wrinkles, or the light diminished them. I guess it doesn't really matter. Here you can see that even after the Botox I can still make normal facial expressions.

Angry is the only one I really can't nail
down any more. My kids love it!

If you are considering Botox yourself, here are a few more details you might want.

Does it hurt? Not really. It was a series of about 14 shots to my face. The needle is incredibly thin so mostly it doesn't hurt at all. There were a few times Dan stuck the needle in too deep and it hurt for a second but otherwise, it was totally worth it.

Usually you pay by the unit. The average total cost of a unit is about $10-$15 and the total is usually between $375-$550 depending on if you use "Botox" or "Dysport" which is cheaper. Also depends on how many sights you have done and how much they need to use on you in each sight.

Who gives it? Some dentists, some doctors, all dermatologists, some nurses. You will know. They will advertise it. You may seem skeptical about going to a dentist for Botox, but how many other doctors do you know that give shots to people all day long?

It takes about a week to see results and it lasts about 3-4 months. Over time you might only need it every 6 months.

If you do it once you are going to want to do it again, and again. So beware.

The Mandy Project: Day 10

The Mandy Project: Day 10   Click here to see the whole project.

Let me start off by asking: Do you have a project yet? Make one.

The workouts:

As a reminder I am doing P90x (the original version).

The first 7 days were hard. I didn't know how hard to push myself during the videos, the 60+ minutes seemed daunting, and frankly just nailing down some of the moves seemed impossible. I wanted to take Tony (the trainer in the videos) and punch him in his fat neck, especially when he said the words "double time".

3 days were spent strength training + doing Ab Ripper X which is exactly what it was doing to my abs. Ripping the hell out of them and making them useless for the entire week. Do you know how often you use your abs in one day? Far too much. It hurt when I laughed, coughed, sneezed, tried to breathe... pretty much anything and everything and they STILL hurt!

The cardio workouts were Yoga, Plyometrics (jumps, squats, etc.) and Kenpo (just like Tae Bo from the 90s).

The two times I have done plyometrics I have almost puked. That's a tough workout. I was sweating and jumping, but after it was done, I really did feel great, I just had to be carried up and down the stairs the rest of the day.

The yoga workout, you would assume would be relaxing. I, of course, was sadly mistaken. I spent 90 minutes sweating and straining to get through it. This video is my least favorite. At several points I considered just shutting it off, but then I thought of all your emails telling me about your own projects and I kept going. So thank you readers, for sharing your hopes and plans with me, to keep me moving.

The Kenpo workout was my favorite video by far. I love pretending to beat someone senseless. I gave it my all and I was so sore for 2 days following. By the end of this program just let someone try and attack me, aside from the knives I carry, I will also be able to gouge your eyes out, kick you square where the sun-don't-shine and give you a mean left hook.

Overall, I was nauseous a lot but as the week wore on I started to look forward to my workouts. Maybe it's because that is ME time I desperately need and don't really care that I am spending it sweating and nearly puking on the floor.

The Diet

I still don't have a hard and fast diet plan. No drinks other than water and protein shakes. Oh no wait... I did have some wine and a cider on Friday when we had company over. No candy, baked goods, or other goodies.

If I want a snack I eat a bag of nut mix, strawberry zone bars, or a 100 calorie protein shake. Breakfast consists of 2 scrambled eggs and sometimes a strip or 2 of bacon. Lunch is a turkey wrap with some broccoli slaw (comes in a bag next to the cut up & bagged broccoli and salad kits) and a dash of Italian dressing. At dinner I just watch the amount that I eat. We usually have taco night, a pasta dish (no cheese), or chicken and veggies. So nothing too remarkable at this point.
 
Results so far:

I know it's only been 10 days, but there have been some changes.

I have more muscle definition in my arms and legs, which I thought was all in my head. How can I see results in only 10 days? However, Dan commented on my biceps as we were passing the baby between us at dinner. Of course they were probably just swollen from the beating they took that day, but it's a win!

Weight is the same; 114. I wasn't looking to lose pounds so that doesn't matter to me.

My clothes still seem to fit the same and I still have the post baby belly, you know loose and spongy.

I am not going to measure or take new photos until the 30 day mark. What's that? You want to see the before photos? I have uploaded them and they are ready to go but I just can't push that "post" button. I seriously can't. Once I have some results I will be able to share. Or possibly after a few pinot grigios this weekend. Who knows...