More than a month ago, but less than two months ago, I started this healthy eating / exercising / actually taking control of my body / mind rather than lazily letting food and age and life have it's way with me. And while it hasn't been the strictest of diets nor the most of grueling of exercise plans, there has been progress.

And while I could spew the numbers:

bust 33
waist 27.5
hips 37
thighs 20.5 / 21
arms 10

The happiest accomplishment, by far, since I started this adventure, came yesterday in the form of a shopping trip to Old Navy. Old Navy, where sizes are larger than most stores, where sizes stroke the ego rather than smash confidence, where a kid can be a kid. Wait.

I found my favorite jeans there years ago and since they weren't any specific style, I couldn't find them again. Until a few months ago when I found The Sweetheart jeans. In size four.

Totally happy.

So when Pontus said he needed pants, we went shopping at Old Navy - cause (J and I once discussed how boys can just waltz into ON and pick up anything on sale and it looks great while girls have to hunt and struggle and fight for the rare gems that may or may not actually fit) he's found many of his pants on sale at Old Navy and I LOVE my one pair of jeans so I'm thinkin' I'll pick up two more of those, eh?

I wear a size two now.

Now that's what I call progress.

How did I get here you ask? I have a personal trainer that comes over every Monday morning before work, gives me a one hour intensive session and homework / goals for the week, I drink at least twelve glasses of water a day, during the week I eat strictly southbeach during my work day (only eat between 9-6) and on the weekends I indulge in things like a cup of oats with brown sugar, donut holes, and mac & cheese. And I write down everything.

It's like this strange mix of southbeach, French Women Don't Get Fat, and pure instinct. And it's working.

One-thirty-one, baby.

Six pounds to go.

Since I started this little adventure of exercise and healthy eating, I've been pretty consistent about one hundred thirty three pounds. Sometimes as high as one thirty five, but never lower than one thirty three.

Evil, consistent, one thirty-three.

Another friend of mine who's also been kicking ass and takin' names plateau'd at one seventy three. Another person added they were stuck on one eighty three. One's a thing, two's a coincidence, three's a trend. Or a curse.

The Curse of the Three's.

But!

My friend broke her curse, but four pounds! Go M! And I? I broke my curse, too! By one pound! For... one. day.

. . .

But if I can do it once, I can do it again, right? Right?!?

Except I hurt my knee, thank you very much. So now I have to get really creative while my knee heals - somehow get my heart rate between one twenty-five and one sixty-seven (fat burnin' zone, don't cha know) AND let my knee heal.

Stupid curse.

In the past week I have done one hundred fifty-six girl pushups, lateral raises, tricep dips, modified pull ups, bicep curls, squats and calf raises. I have done one hundred eighty core exercises for my upper, lower, and oblique abdominal muscle groups. I have run on the treadmill for exactly one hundred minutes. I have (mostly) stuck to phase one of the south beach diet.

I weigh one hundred thirty-three pounds. Exactly.

A week ago a friend of mine brought up my shiny new treadmill and observed that I seemed "more alive". He noted that the kitchen tupperware was immaculately organized along with the rest of the house (he even saw my closet - my beautifully organized closet) and commented that one's environment is usually a good indication of one's inner self.

Not just a reflection, but an influence. If I'm depressed, my house is a mess. If my house is a mess, I'm depressed. It can be a hideous downward spiral.

But!

If I'm happy, my house is clean and organized (even the closets and the tupperware). If my house is clean and organized, I'm happy. It's a wonderful, uplifting cycle.

So yeah, even though phase one ends tonight with my final carb-free, sugar-free recovery dinner (wh00t!), I look forward to maintaining my weight loss / eating right / exercising often / totally organized life and house / totally happy with life the universe and everything lifestyle.

Cause I'm happy.

And I hope you are, too.

By the by, I weighed in on Saturday and weighed a precise 138.0. This morning I weigh an exact 134.0. Four pounds gone! Go me!

I found freetrainers.com, uploaded my information, and they gave me a free workout program for strength training. I'm to exercise on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and rest on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Theoretically, I'm to do four reps of 15, 15, 12, and 10 each, but when you're limited to lifting, pushing, or pulling yourself, well, you don't always get fifteen of anything, let alone ten.

But yeah! I've done it twice now!

Monday and Wednesday, I did pushups, side laterals, chins between chairs, can curls, dips behind the back, home squats, and calf raises. Also known as pushups, lats, chinups, bicep curls, tricep dips, squats and releves when I text my workout partner, Jacque, my accomplishments.

And I'm already seeing results - on Wednesday I was able to DO more and while part of me wants to push myself on Friday to do even more than that, my goal is to do as many as I completed on Wednesday. Because that's what freetrainers.com told me to do - 15 15 12 10 MWF.

I'm already cheating, though.

On Tuesday I totally went for an hour walk. I plan on doing it again today. And Saturday.

I'll rest on Sunday.

Like God.

It's day two of phase one south beach diet (part deaux) and I'm making chili. Or chilli. Or chile. Or whatever. With the beans and the beef and the tomatos and the chiles.

That stuff.

All the sbd chili recipes I found online had tons and tons of beans so I obliged and made my chili (chilli? chile?) thusly

- five cans of beans (two cans of great northern beans, one can of red kidney beans, one can of light red kidney beans, and one can of organic black beans)
- one can of peeled, diced tomatos (tomatoes?)
- one can of diced green chiles
- one can of diced jalepenos
- one can of tomatoes with chiles (for emphasis)
- ground cumin, chili powder, and chipotle chile pepper spices
- one pound of 93/7 ground beef
- one chunked onion
- one chunked green bell pepper
- one chunked yellow bell pepper

Sautee the onion, peppers and beef until soft / brown / whatever and mix it all together in the crockpot. Four hours later you have chili / chilli / chile for the rest of your natural life.

It's only hour one (three more to go!) but the sauce stuffs tastes REALLY good and spicy. When it's ready, I'll serve it with shredded mexican 2% cheeses.

Eat your heart out!