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: 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: 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.

Ridiculous Baby Bucket Items

As I said in my last post, there are so many unreal things they tell you to do before having a baby. Let's count them down...

7. Perform a random act of kindness.  Yes do this because you will become an evil shrew after you have a child. Seriously? I feel like I am kinder now that I have a child.  Never stop doing random acts of kindness.

6. Develop a hobby. Great piece of advice, because after baby you are going to have so much time for your hobbies. Save the money from the scrapbooking supplies in your amazon cart right now and put it into a diaper fund.

5. Address any problems in your relationship. I am not saying this is a bad idea, but if you have some bad problems in your relationship you shouldn't have a baby bucket list. Kids put a tremendous amount of stress on a relationship, so if you aren't solid, but the baby on hold.

4. Buy your dream car. Sure go ahead and spend the money to buy your dream car. As if having a child isn't expensive enough. What you should be doing is saving your money NOW to pay off the insane medical bills from having a kid. The reality is that you will be cashing in your dream car waaaaay before you have it paid off, to get something kid friendly, like the Toyota the Muppets are singing in on that commercial. Yes I want one.

3. Enjoy an all-nighter. Ha! You are going to have plenty of these after baby. Do the opposite and get yourself some sleep now.

2. Take a career risk. Honestly, now is NOT the time for risking your career. You want something stable that you can take a long maternity leave and not worry about losing your job. Also health insurance is sometimes not available for the first 3 months of a new job.

And the #1 worst baby bucket idea is:  1. Have someone else's baby come and stay overnight. WHAT?! I have never ever heard worse advice. First of all, this just seems creepy. Second, if your child wakes in the middle of the night, it is vastly different than someone else's child crying at 3am.  Third, you will surely decide never to have children after that night and then a few months later concede. So do yourself a favor and skip this horrible step.

Have you read some terrible pre-baby advice?  What was it? Comment below.

5 Items on your Baby Bucket List

There are so many things to do before you have kids and there are so many lists posted out there about it.  My next blog post is about the ludicrous things some of these lists tell you to do before having kids, but meanwhile here are my top 5 things to appreciate and do more of before having kids.

1. Sleep in now. I am not really one for sleeping in, but now that I can't, I really wish I had.

2. Take long baths or showers. After baby, those showers literally become cardio sprints. You absolutely WILL hear a baby crying as soon as you enter the shower, even if there isn't one.  If your child is old enough to be awake, you feel guilty or worried that something will happen like finding a way up the stairs even though it's gated off.

3. Eat. Yup, simple as that. After baby you will be so busy you won't think about eating. Once your bundle of joy grows up and starts eating real food, 95% of your meals will be toddler leftovers.  Crusty mac n cheese that has been sitting out for an hour... mmm.

4. Watch some movies. Yes you plan on renting a lot of movies, and your spouse will probably be the only one that makes it all the way through. 15 minutes into the movie you will be asleep. Every. Time. Thinking about going to the movies?  Let's be real: Price of 2 movie tickets $16.50 x 2 = $33 + $10 for popcorn and soda (hey you deserve it, see #3) + baby sitter for 3 hours $30 = That's $73 to see a movie that you will fall asleep during. Go see a movie now before you have to take out a second mortgage to do it!

5. Spend some quality time with your friends. I have, sort of, addressed this in my baby shower gifts post. Let's look at it a little further:

Who are we kidding... there will be
no ironing ever again.

• 0-3 months the recluse stage - You physically can't socialize. You are exhausted, leaking, and hormonal. There is no way you will be able to engage in meaningful conversation.
• 4-9 months the schedule stage - Baby takes 3 naps per day, ranging 1-3 hours per nap. You only have about a 2 hour awake window before they go down again, and you have to fit in feedings, tummy time, and countless diaper changes. That leaves 15 minutes. You have 15 minutes to socialize.
•  9-12 months the mobile stage - They are down to 2 naps per day but when they are awake you're just trying to keep them away from cords, plugs, stairs, plants, dogs, and all that other stuff you didn't think was dangerous. Plus you have to feed them twice as much, which is twice as messy. The biggest annoyance is the amount of stuff you have to lug with you. It would appear you are going on a 2 week vacation, when in fact you are spending the afternoon with a friend.
• 1-2 years the trying-not-to-let-my-kid-kill-themselves stage - You are finally down to one nap and you think you can socialize. However, your toddler is now walking/running, climbing, eating items as if they have Pica disorder, and generally putting their life in danger on a daily basis.  Good luck being social.

Not to worry future parents, I have heard you can do all of these things again someday. Maybe in 2 years, or 5 years... definitely after they move out.

Have something to add? Please leave it in the comments, some future Mom will thank you!