6 week journey to skinny jeans

So a few of my friends were getting ready to participate in a 6-week fitness plan called 6 Weeks to Skinny Jeans, and asked me to join them in this fitness/weight loss plan. I’ve been on Weight Watchers for the past year and have hit a plateau over the past few weeks, so I said I would do it. Now they had each been getting emails about the plan for some time, and I was going in blind. Imagine my surprise when we were talking about it a couple of days before everything starts and I find out for the 6 weeks of the plan I can have no alcohol or chocolate and must stick to a 1,500 calorie a day diet, which totally limits my carbs. If that isn’t enough, you also are expected to do workouts everyday, in addition to the running I’m already doing most days. I still agreed to do this, not only for myself, but as a way to support my friends as they went on this journey. We had out last “no carb left behind” dinner on Saturday night (everyone else got to continue with carbs on Sunday, but I had a colonoscopy on Monday, so no food for me on Sunday) and our fitness journey began on Monday, August 16.

I think my body is still trying to adjust to a reduced carb diet. I’m pretty lucky that I love so many veggies listed on this plan. However, it still is a challenge to come up with 3 meals and 3 snacks a day and keep things different each day. So far I’ve pretty much had to stick with eggs for breakfast each day, but I’m trying to put them with something different each day. Lunch has been spinach salads with either fish or chicken, dinner has been another salad with either fish or chicken, and my snacks have been almonds and sugar free jello or sugar free pudding made from part skim ricotta cheese. Now I’m only on day 3 and I’m not alone in looking for new snack ideas and meal ideas. Lucky for my friends and me, Amy Cotta (www.amycotta.com) is really answering our call with suggestions. Since this is her fitness/weight loss plan, she has so many great recipes and tips to get us through this program.

As I mentioned earlier, we are also expected to do a different workout routine each day, in addition to our regular cardio. Amy is working out with us only 1 day a week each week of the plan. Making this plan work is all on each of us, just as it would be if we went out and bought her book or exercise video. Last night we had our first group workout and all I can say, my butt is still killing me. I think I’ve finally found the exercises to make my butt smaller (Woohoo!), and I’ll be the first to admit she totally puts out a kick-ass workout. The only thing that made it any easier, and even a little fun, was having 2 of my friends with me as Amy kicked our butts. There are 3 different workouts in Amy’s plan and I’ll do the first one on my own tonight (wasn’t allowed to exercise at all on Monday), once I run 2-3 miles after work. I know without even looking at the workout I will be so sore tomorrow.

Since I’ve been on Weight Watchers, I’ve lost 45 pounds and given away all of “fat clothes” as they became too big. I gave all my skinny clothes to my sister a few years ago when she lost a bunch of weight, so I don’t really have any skinny jeans left in my house, with the exception of a pair of size 4 Lucky Jeans I could wear about 7-8 years ago. Now, I’m not crazy enough to believe I will be skinny enough to fit into those size 4 jeans after 6 weeks (it wouldn’t be healthy for me to drop that much weight that fast), but I am hoping this fitness/weight loss plan kicks me off the plateau I’ve been living on for the past couple of months.