The Shred: Before and After Photos

Some of you have emailed that you wanted to see photos of my results on
The 30 Day Shred, so here you go. Just keep in mind that I did color my hair during the process and my stomach is where I obtained the most dramatic results.

BEFORE

AFTER

APRIL FOOLS!



That's actually me the night before I gave birth to a nine pound baby and of course, Jillian Michaels in all her hot glory. (If you think I'm going to post pics of me in a two piece for exboyfriends and frenemies to Google, you're on crack. Putting it out there on the Internet that I'm trying to work off my extra L-Bs is revealing enough!)

This April Fools joke was shamelessly ripped off of Shredhead inspiration, gorgeous girl and fearless leader Motherhood Uncensored - she lost over 12 pounds while nursing!! Check out how you can join one of two Shreddin' teams in April at Shredhead central.

The Shred: 30 Days Later

I lost 10 freaking pounds people.

It could be a little more, since I'm in the throes of the PMS bloat and last night scarfed the Peeps I'd bought early for the kids' Easter baskets. But it's real weight, not "bridesmaid dress" weight where you turn around 2 seconds after a good number on the scale and then THEY'RE BAAACKK like Poltergeist bloody 2 or something. It's wow, I really have to belt these jeans so I don't show butt crack weight. Or dude, I don't need Spanx with that cocktail dress after all weight. The best? Wow, I can't believe those pants still fit is that really my ass? weight.

I have never ever before lost 10 pounds in one month without depriving myself of food, working out like a maniac, being a total bitch or when I was younger, smoking. I know, terrible.

But this time, I swear, all I did was not pig out, focused on natural and healthy foods, I didn't eat out much, swapped diet soda for water, I didn't drink enough to get hammered....

And I worked out just 20 minutes a day most days with Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred and The Shredheads. A couple days in there I threw in an hour run/walk and a couple other days I did nada, but it was pretty darn close to the 20 min a day promise.

Now, I still need to lose more and tone further. But honey, I'm not stopping now! These workouts are golden. You sweat like a field hand for the length of one episode of Super Why! or a load of laundry, and then one month later you're a dress size smaller.

And I'm still challenged and amazed by Levels 2 and 3 on The 30 Day Shred DVD. I thought about buying Gwyneth's trainer's dance yourself teeny-tiny-perfect DVD but it was nearly $30 bucks, no thanks. The 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels only cost me $8.49 and was worth every freaking penny.

Look at the rockin' results of the other hotties that are shredding too! Other blogging moms are reporting that their arms look great in sleeveless, their faces are thinner, their husbands are jumping them, their kids are joining the workouts...

So after 30 days and with summer looming, I'll keep on with the updates, good or bad, here on APISS Reviews.

Week 1 of Shredding: It's Working!

As I wrote about last week, I'm taking Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred challenge and committing to work out for 20 minutes everyday with The Shredheads. This 20 minutes a day thing is doable for my schedule, and it seems to be working. I lost 5 lbs. this week and had to go back one hole on my belt.

I know that some of it is water weight but still, not too shabby!

I feel almost guilty that I haven't gone for longer power sessions on the trail or at the gym. But then, I have worked out more than I would have if I'd gone for only a couple runs and The Shred's targeted exercises are designed for quick results. Mid-week I turned it up a notch and started the Level 2 series. Let's just say that Level 1 is to Level 2 like Go, Dog! Go! is to Heart of Darkness. I have some serious work to do before moving on to Level 3.

In addition to these workouts I'm making good food choices like cutting out gratuitous snacking between meals and instead going for the quick hunger fixes of almonds and apples. I'm drinking lots more water and less Diet Coke. I've traded quesadillas and PB&J for salads and yogurt for lunch. I have been going light on the alcohol. OK, I did have more than one drink during date night with the husband this weekend. But that's just good dating practices, come on. And if you knew how many drinks I wanted to have and didn't, you'd be proud.

Look on Motherhood Uncensored's side bar and check out all the other hotties that are shredding too!

I'll keep you posted on my progress here on APISS Reviews.

Jillian Michaels Wants My Ass

Or rather, she wants me to shred some of my ass. And gut. And inner thigh jiggle, tricep meat and that weird little bulge by my bra strap. That's right - I'm taking the 30 Day Shred challenge and committing to work out with the trainer to The Biggest Losers via the popular DVD that promises results. With snow on the ground and the economy in the toilet, working out at home with a virtual Jillian as my personal trainer for just $8.49 is a perfect remedy for the effects of my winter romance with guacamole and Pacifico.

My goals for the month of March are to:

• work out every freaking day
  
• eat a balanced diet of lean protein, whole grains, tons of veggies
• dessert will be fruit or NOTHING
• keep intake below 1700 calories a day, less if I can without venturing into Virginia Woolf territory
  
• drink no more than one glass of wine every other day (this will be the toughest for me...but it is Lent after all, not the booze cruise in Cabo)
• Ultimate goal: lose at least 10 pounds of fat
  

The cool thing is I'm not alone. Check out all the other awesome (and hot hot hot) women also submitting to be Jillian Michael's biyatches. You can join us too!

The 30 Day Shred DVD contains 3 20 minute workouts. Each set follows Jillian's 3-2-1 interval system of circuits of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs - a system that will change it up for your body whether you're an athlete or a couch potato.

Photo & Weight - You know, I went through my photos and found some really unflattering shots of me, my ass and other disfunctional members of my body. But I'm a blogger, not a sadist. I feel that if I posted them I'd be more likely to curl up in the fetal position than work out. However, if you'd really like to see how out of shape I am or my exact weight, height and BMI, email me and I'll send you a nice round number and pics of my nice round booty.

I'll keep you posted on my progress here on APISS Reviews.