Ex Hot Girl

Running Report

2012-01-12T20:15:00.004-06:00

Oh, holy crap. I haven't told you people.

I got a treadmill and I'm running again. Can I tell you how much EASIER it is now that:

1. I don't weigh 225 pounds... the extra weight off has made it so much easier at the start.
2. I have a treadmill in my freaking basement, where it's cool, where it's right down the stairs and I don't have to get up and drive anywhere.

((You can see my entries from before, back in May 2009, when I started running but was heavier. The numbers are pretty darn different.))

Yeah. So, I'm on day two of running (day off for a much needed massage yesterday!) - and I am really excited to keep up on it. Here is my report! :)

(PS, this "run" is much more a "jog," but I'm basically brand new to running / walking / exercise at this point. I haven't been active in a long time, so I'm building up my strength slowly.) :)

Day 2: 2.11 miles in 45m.
5m - walk - 2.8
9m - run - 3.4
5m - walk - 3.0
6m - run - 3.4
5m - walk - 3.0
4m - run - 3.6
5m - walk - 2.8
5m - walk - 3.0 (incline of 3)
1m - walk - 2.6 (incline of .5)
TOTAL = 45m
(ran 19m, walked 26m)
Estimated calories burned: 370

Day 1: unknown miles in 35m.
2m - walk - 2.8
8m - run - 3.6
4m - walk - 3.0
4m - run - 3.6
5m - walk - 2.8
3m - run - 3.4
5m - walk - 2.6
TOTAL = 31m
(ran 15m, walked 16m)
Estimated calories burned: 224

On another note, I'm using the Lose it! app. If anyone wants to be buddies on there, let me know. I might not be perfect at tracking my food every day, but I will be weighing in at the very least. :)

Also, I should probably attempt to find my Polar watch / heart rate monitor. It'll give me far better calculations on burned calories. Or, I could wear my bodybugg... Decisions, decisions.

~J

Fed Up.

2012-01-07T19:08:00.002-06:00

This is me after the holidays.

It's the truth. I was previously down to around 161-163 pounds and progressing really nicely. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas happened and I lost my shit. I don't know how much I weigh right now but I'm right back in my fat pants (meaning my comfortably loose jeans are now tight fitting) and I'm seriously annoyed at myself. I'd GUESS I'm around 173-175. (yikes.)

*edit: Weighed in the morning of 1/9/12 and I am actually 169.6. The last weigh-in I had was 11/18/11 at 161.8. So, in 7 weeks I gained nearly 8 pounds. Damn, you, chocolate M&M's!

I was lookin' pretty good, doing some karaoke with friends and being confused by this old fangled thing...

Then, Thanksgiving - this is me with my adorable niece...

Then, out to eat, sniffing up a delicious vegetarian dish from a cool restaurant in Chicago:

Hosted a party for all the WI Pro Photographers and hanging out with my mentor, Dave Jackson:

Air guitar on the dance floor:

Beckoning someone to come limbo with us... (yes that is an outfit change.)

Overall good times:

Then came lots of food, sugar, cramming everything into my face, and suddenly I see the New Years Even photos, and I want to die.

So, it's back on track AGAIN. We actually got a treadmill today which has been long overdue. It'll arrive in the next few days and will be right downstairs so I can use it every day. I'm going to give running another try. I actually haven't done it since I was 220-ish pounds, so I am thinking it'll be a lot easier.

We also got a punching bag. We all know that will get used, mkay?

So. I'm sorry for sucking at updating and I'll be back now for a while. I have lots of fun recipes for you - I still am juicing and I got a dehydrator for Christmas so there are tons of fun things with that as well. I'm still vegetarian (except for sushi) and am trying again to go closer to a vegan route, cutting dairy out of my diet as well.

I'd like to be back down to my 160 lbs (ish) by Chaser Con in February, and by the time Chasing season starts (end of march / early april) I'd like to be able to comfortably run 2 - 3 miles. :)

Love,
~Jenn

Update: Raw recipes and stuff!

2011-11-18T12:46:00.000-06:00

Hello, loves!

Well, I'm still on track after the honeymoon return. I'm down to 161.2 and skin is clearer by the day. Here is a little current, and I'm putting it over the photos I took at the beginning of this whole journey about two months ago.

Enjoyed a nice green smoothie for breakfast, and Dan was fighting me for the last glass! Simple: grapes, spinach, pineapple and a little water. Delish!

Also, I thought I'd share my RAW TACOS recipe. I didn't make this recipe, I googled "raw tacos" and it's pretty much the same anywhere you look it up.

Walnut Taco Mix
Ingredients:
1 cup raw walnuts
1 Tbsp. nama shoyu (raw, unpasteurized soy sauce)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. EVOO

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse just to mix. Don’t over-blend, or you will end up with walnut butter!

Cashew “Sour Cream”
Ingredients:
½ cup raw cashews
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp. water (approx.)

(This didn't work so well for me because my blender is too big for this amount of food. I ended up with more of a cashew nut crumble, which was equally as delicious, just not smooth and creamy.)

Salsa
Two chopped roma tomatoes
½ orange and yellow bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Salt/pepper to taste if you want

Other Goodies you'll need:
ripe avocados (about ½ per person)
Romaine leaves (or other big leafy greens)
limes for squeezing
extra cilantro for sprinkling

YUM YUM!

I have to run but I'll follow up with some more yummy recipes soon, including raw nori rolls and the recipe / tools for the zucchini pasta!

Honeymoon Report!

2011-11-11T21:46:00.003-06:00

So - TONS to catch you guys up on.

First of all - I'm on a Raw Restart because I went off the Raw food bandwagon while Dan and I were on our honeymoon! We went to Orlando and did Disney, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. (Epcot had the wine and food tour. I mean... yeah. DELISH.)

This might be the longest blog post ever, just to warn you. First, some honeymoon pics and food I ate there:

At Disney World they actually had a veggie burger option! Holy crap, batman! So I got that, no cheese, just pickles, lettuce, tomato and mustard on a whole wheat bun. (Actually all their buns are whole wheat, imagine that?) And I got an unsweetened iced tea, and they offer apple slices as an alternative side to fries!

This veggie burger, by the way, was freaking DELICIOUS.

There was a smoothie / ice cream stand and it was getting sort of warm. Wouldn't you know it... they also offered raw pineapple. HELLO! That's awesome! When I ordered it the guy seemed surprised, I don't think many people do. But, I did and it was satisfying and healthy.

Dan, on the other hand, ate a cinnamon bun the size of his head. I drank some water. ;)

Room service. Amazing spinach salad with grilled peppers and goat cheese. Okay, so I initially intended to stay vegan on this trip but I forgot about goat cheese. And holy crappers was it delicious!

Downtown Disney (a block from our hotel!) -- They have this awesome place called Fresh A-Peel. I had to get a photo and order a salad. You got it right... smoothies and fresh salads. The guy even added corn into mine when I asked. Pretty sure that was a free bonus, y'all.

Character breakfast buffet at the hotel. This is where I sort of stayed healthy but started to incorporate non-diet foods into my day. That's a giant veggie omelet with no cheese (delish.) Clockwise from there, the tiniest bit of corned beef hash (the chef makes it from scratch so I had to try it.) Then some roasted potatoes (yum,) bacon (I HAD TO,) and a bit of a breakfast burrito. Also delish.

I had to get some yummy melon in, too.

Epcot. All the characters, and then... the food and wine festival. And it started with Greece. Griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey. Sounds weird, but I'm telling you. It was a miracle of food.

Hawaii. Kalua pork slider with sweet and sour pineapple chutney and spicy mayo.

And from Hawaii... Tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips.

Argentina: Beef empanada. Crispy, delectable.

China: Pork pot sticker, and caramel ginger ice cream (holy.)

Germany: Nuernberger sausage in a pretzel roll. I had a tiny bite of this but primarily it was Dan's. I had the goulash soup. Interesting!

We also stopped in the "Italy" and got Dan some chocolate mousse. (His favorite dessert!) And I got myself a ham and cheese croissant that was flaky and to die for.

I didn't take photos of all the food, unfortunately. We also had:

Mexico: Crispy shrimp taco

Scandinavia: Swedish meatballs with lingonberries

South Africa: Bunny Chow (vegetable curry served in a bread loaf)

Hops & Barley: Pumpkin mousse with craisins and orange sauce

Portugal: Calamari salad with fennel, smoked paprika and olive oil

Belgium: Belgian waffle with berry compote and whipped cream (Dan's)

Then, later that night we bought the last bottle of champagne at the hotel shop and celebrated being married. le sigh!

Animal kingdom - safari time!

Giant, very close to us, rhino!

Incredibly satisfying turkey sandwich on Focaccia bread with an apple side and a bottle of water. Dan had a cheeseburger with apples and a mango shake.

Then, our "fancy!" dinner for our honeymoon celebration was our last night. We went to Narcoosee's at the Floridian. (Hello, GORGEOUS resort!) The drinks were a perfect start to the night. Dan got his classic mojito favorite, and I splurged with a key lime martini.

/heart pounding - my Husband is so handsome. It kills me.

For Dinner we had a full four courses plus a bottle and some glasses of wine, and coffee. We were there 2.5 hours.

Lobster Spring Roll

Heirloom Apple Salad

Shrimp and Crab Chowder (we each ate half the salad and soup to share them)

I got the Crab-crusted mahi mahi, and Dan got Filet Mignon.

Dessert was their famed almond crusted cheesecake, which is better than anything you've ever tasted.

They even decorated it for us:

SO! There ends my saga on our vacation. Pretty fun, eh?

And now that I'm at the end of this blog post, it's fifteen pages long and I realize I'd like to save the recipes and other info for next time. Toodle-oo!

~J

Storm Chasing...

2011-11-09T21:06:00.001-06:00

Yo!

So, many of you have commented or emailed me about my storm chasing. I thought I'd let you know that the Convective Addiction DVD is now available!

It has the most comprehensive coverage of the major severe weather events this year that I know of, and it's intense and awesome. And you can feel like you are sort of there with me. This is something great to have if you're a weather fan, particularly if you love tornadoes. AND, it's a KICK ASS gift for the weather junkie in your life. Perfect for Christmas!

:) Oh yeah, and those are my shots on the covers. Yep. ;)

Don't forget to watch the trailer, it's awesome!

Now, go HERE to pick up a copy or two and be the cool gift giver this Christmas!

Health/diet/food/weight related update coming in a few days. Promise!

xoxox,
~Jenn

Raw Food extravaganza - Day 28

2011-10-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, a REAL update now!

Thanks for your patience. We moved, and you know how that goes... major chaos everywhere and a few days without a solid internet connection (via computer) to, you know, blog and stuff.

So I'm back with some info for you. I have measurements... but no weight. Because... I can't find my scale. Dan packed it, and it's in a box SOMEWHERE. So, we'll just do measurements for now, weight later. :)

Stats:
Weight = 173.0 / 163.0 (last known weight in Denver four days ago.)
Bust = 39.5 / 37.5 (-2)
Waist = 31.5 / 29.5 (-2)
Lower belly = 38.5 / 37 (-1.5)
Butt = 43.5 / 42 (-1.5)
Hips = 42 / 40 (-2)

I fit back into smaller clothes, and I'm feeling wonderful! So... you might ask, "What have you been eating?" Well, LOTS of salads. Like these:

Oh yeah, and veggie Nori rolls. Freaking yummy. (That's riced cauliflower, not rice.) :)

More salads...

"Pasta" made out of zucchini, with baby bella mushrooms, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, italian seasonings, black pepper and evoo with fresh lemon juice. Freaking delicious!

Oh yeah, more salads. (key ingredients for me are sun dried tomatoes, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Usually I add half an avocado as well.) Dressing = balsamic vinegar and a little evoo.

When I was in Denver, there was a unique set of challenges. Like, eating RAW for every meal while traveling, not having my own kitchen, holy crap it was difficult. I did a huge bunch of grocery shopping when I got there and bought a ton of fresh produce, fruit, etc. I also bought my brother a juicer like mine with the stipulation that I get to use it when I'm in town. ;)

So, I had the juicer and a huge cooler of fresh fruits and veggies with me for the two and a half days I stayed at the hotel. Here is the juicer in the room with me.

I did go off "raw" for one meal: a celebratory sushi dinner with my brother and his new wife! I had eight pieces of various rolls, and my own "riceless" roll, which was delicious. I also tried the seaweed salad, which I HAVE to start making at home. It was ridiculously delicious.

SO. What has it done for me in these 28 days?

My skin has come upon a DRAMATIC difference. My apologies for wearing the big baggy t-shirt in the last photo, but for that, I'll show you what it's done for my body.

I've had to switch to my smaller bra, (sorry, Dan.) -- And I can fit into this halloween costume, the one I could NOT get into (the corset especially,) even three weeks ago.

I love RAW.

Raw Food extravaganza - Day 25

2011-10-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

A QUICK update - I will hopefully have a bit of time Friday or Sunday to update you all... but I just got back from Denver, am moving tomorrow (so today is crazy last packing and cleaning day) - and then my honeymoon Tuesday! Things are super nuts right now.

I'm still raw, still feeling great, and I promise I'll come back and update you with details and photos. :)

Love,
Jenn

Raw Food extravaganza - Day 17

2011-10-18T11:04:00.001-05:00

I've been a bad EHG and not updating you all. Sorry! Things have been so crazy with work, packing the house for our move, getting ready to go to Denver for a week... sorry about that.

So, I did NOT complete 15 days of the juice fast. I ended up incorporating fruit and veggies on Friday last week, and I've decided to just eat raw until my body decides it needs something else. For now I'm still drinking juice every day, and eating raw foods. I am learning SO much about the raw lifestyle, it's been really an amazing experience so far. (raw = fruits, veggies (including raw juicing and raw smoothies) only peppered with SOME raw nuts and seeds. Selective additional things like EVOO or balsamic or cider apple vinegars and lots of seasonings like garlic, cinnamon, chili powder, etc.)

Me on the way to the grocery store:

What I bought. (yeah, boyyyyy):

Breaking my juice fast with a kiwi. YUM! It was the BEST kiwi ever.

We still love the juices, and even Dan gets into it. This was one of his own concoctions:

Sunday football snack - "chips" and fresh homemade salsa. (chopped tomato, cilantro, chive, red bell pepper and avocado. HOLY delicious.) ((chips are slices of zucchini!))

"pasta" made from spiralized zucchini and yellow squash - mixed with lots of black pepper and some chopped red bell pepper - tossed in a little EVOO. Delicious.

Skin continues to get better. Weighed in at 164.8 today (-8.2 lbs in sixteen days. So, I'm continuing the loss of about 1/2 pound a day, which is great.) Seventeen day difference in my face:

I DID throw out my back somehow yesterday. Big bummer there. Not enjoying the sore back, and advil is my friend for the moment. Lower back... pulled it while I was cleaning my studio yesterday. But I will say it's sparkly clean now!

I'm hosting a florist event on the 30th, and then it's time for MAJOR studio overhaul - I'm taking November to work on the studio and completely redesign it. Yay for staying busy!

Well, that's about it for now. Dan and I are going to go shopping for a new couch for our new place. Yay!

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Today is day 12!

2011-10-13T16:40:00.003-05:00

Yep, folks - I only have three days left. It's interesting. I really love juicing, and I'll keep doing it for the rest of my life. I definitely am looking forward to starting to eat some delicious raw foods after I'm done. The experience has been an awesome one so far!

I'm full of energy today, I'm down 6.6 pounds, and Dan told me today after kissing me, "your skin is getting so soft!"

I thought I'd share a few pics with you all, and a recipe that Dan helped me name. :)

"The Jackal"

2 huge carrots (four normal size)

1/2 huge cucumber (or one small)
1 zucchini

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch spinach

3 stalks celery

1 yellow pepper

1 hot pepper

1 lime, peeled

2 oranges, peeled

1 beet (ends cut off)

Look at all these gorgeous colors! I mean really, have you ever seen a more gorgeous array of colors in your veggie selection? Greens, yellows, oranges, red, purple... gorgeous!

At first I didn't have the oranges, but after tasting it, realized I needed a little sweet to counter that hot pepper a little bit!

Check it out:

Spectactular color. SPICY juice, and jam-packed with so many nutrients... it's lovely!

PS - speaking of nutrients, check out my nails! They look and feel amazing right now. My hair is growing faster, my skin looks good. Juicing FTMFW!

Orlando Honeymoon - Healthy Eating?

2011-10-12T19:25:00.000-05:00

Hidy ho, folks!

Well I wanted to interrupt the blog posts about juicing with a very real question. Dan and I are honeymooning in a few weeks to Florida. (I've never been.) We're doing Disney World and probably Epcot. What I'm curious to hear is:

1. What are your "don't miss!" recommendations? (We have four full days to work with.)
2. What restaurants do you recommend? (On or OFF park / resort grounds.)
3. Speaking of restaurants... how, just HOW do I stay healthy in terms of food while I'm out there? Are there any options for whole foods? You know, hippie food? I mean... I am not going through a fifteen day juice fast just to turn around and eat crap food because "oh well, I'm in Orlando."

So!

Those are my questions, and hopefully you can help me!!

xoxo,
~Jenn

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 10...

2011-10-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Hidy Ho!

Weight - 166.8 (down 6.2 pounds)

I was feeling pretty pretty the other day:

Yesterday stopped by the juicing place by my studio and got a Pink Flamingo! That's orange, grapefruit and pineapple. Yum-o!

And last night, a gorgeous green juice with cabbage, cucumber and apple. Freaking yum.

I definitely still miss food. I have found, however, that I'm most excited to get done with the fast so I can try all the delicious sounding raw recipes I have found. I have been doing research on what kinds of raw foods and recipes are out there for my transition back into eating solids after this is over. :)

Ta-ta for now!

~J

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 8 - update / results

2011-10-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

Stats: 10/2 vs. 10/10
Weight = 173.0 / 168.6 (-4.4 lbs)
Bust = 39.5 / 38.5
Waist = 31.5 / 30.5
Lower belly = 38.5 / 38
Butt = 43.5 / 42
Hips = 42 / 41

So, after 8 days I've lost 4.4 pounds and an average of 1 inch off of most of my measurements.

I've gotten into juicing sweet potatoes. With carrots, spinach - they're simply creamy and yummy.

Raw juice does separate a bit...

But, it just takes a quick stir. Yum, yum!

So. Can you guess which is the orange strawberry, and which is the tomato red pepper?

Delicious cantaloupe and mint!

This weekend I had two weddings, and let me tell you... I did come prepared with a cooler, with tons of bottled water and a juice, but... it was really, really hard. The smell of the food, and it was GOOD food (wedding food,) both the dinners and the cocktail hour food... not being able to eat it was really difficult. Just when I was feeling pretty comfortable with juicing, the idea of eating super healthy afterward and having gotten rid of my cravings for "bad" foods... all of a sudden I was constantly thinking about food yesterday. The groom was served taco bell (as a silly joke) at the wedding yesterday, and then all I wanted was taco bell. (yes, it's nasty but I LOVE IT.) Then I came home, and what the hell... Dan got Taco Bell for his dinner. The smell filled the house... it was so difficult, and I almost felt like CRYING, I was so frustrated.

I put up the blog post, and made myself a cantaloupe and mint juice. The mint was so powerful it overcame the residual taco bell smell in the house, and the juice was delicious. After that I felt better, and I feel better this morning.

I freaking hate food addiction.

On the positive side... my skin is doing AMAZING.

I don't know if you guys really know about all the struggles I've had with my skin... Acne has been a major part of my life, (my brother has dealt with it just as I have,) - and it's the thing I'd always said I'd change about myself, even before weight issues. I've tried every cream, ointment, toner, homeopathic method, weird ass crazy things to get my skin to clear. Nothing has ever worked beyond temporary measures.

Here are my results after 8 days:

Last night I found myself saying "I feel like this whole thing is pointless."

Well.. after writing this post... I am pretty sure I don't feel that way anymore. I do miss food though. I am looking forward to eating. :)

~J

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 5...

2011-10-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Hello lovelies!

Well, yesterday was a FABULOUS day - I felt alive, full of energy, my soreness was completely gone, and I felt awesome. Until, about 5:30pm. At that point, I really started to feel hungry. I made my favorite dinner juice (tomato, red and yellow pepper, celery, parsley) - and that satiated me for a while, but as I went to bed I really was super hungry. Granted that was around midnight.

Starting weight: 173
Current weight: 169.6

Morning juice - I decided to go with a green juice that I call "Life Juice" - instead of my usual fruit. This includes Kale, Romaine, 1/2 cucumber, 1 green apple, 2 carrots and a bunch of parsley. It sort of tasted like drinking freshly cut grass. Definitely a green taste, but still yummy. I will try this again today but add a lime to it. :)

Here it is immediately after juicing before stirring it up:

After stirring, in my bottle:

I found out that there's a place in the Milwaukee Public Market by my studio that does fresh juices. Woo-hoo! It also happens to be one of my favorite salad places in the city. I stopped by for a "green giant" juice, which was spinach, apple, wheat grass and lime. It was super tasty and super lime-y!

In between I had 1/2 pineapple, two oranges and 1 golden delicious apple but forgot to take a photo of it because I drank it so immediately. It was freaking delicious!

Final juice of the day was the tomato juice:

Oh! And someone asked what I was detoxing from. Primarily, caffeine (in a huge way.) I used to consume MASS quantities of Diet Coke and around a half pot of coffee (at least) a day. DAILY. So that was where my detox symptoms (headaches, sore muscles, etc etc) were coming from. In a fast you also are flushing out toxins from the foods you eat on a regular basis (chemicals used to grow or prepare the foods, all those ingredients we're like "wtf is this" to, etc).

I was talking to Dan last night about how weird it feels to be doing this juice fast. Not because of the actual act of juice fasting, but more about the long-term implications it has. I didn't necessarily start this in an attempt to change my entire outlook on food, but in reality that's what is happening. I don't want to put the work in, complete this 15 days and then go back and eat a pizza. Or less "dramatically" even, go eat a sandwich. Why would I reverse all the benefits I'm gaining? Releasing weight, clearing my skin, clarifying my thought process and my mind, etc etc?

It's honestly a little scary to try to think about what I'm going to do after the fast. I know I'll start slow (obviously as to not shock my system,) with solid fruits. After that I'll mix in salads and veggies, and perhaps some low sodium soups (or homemade soups, even better!)

Beyond that... should there be a beyond that?

Food for thought...

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 4...

2011-10-06T11:06:00.001-05:00

Starting weight = 173
Current weight = 170.6

Only a -.2 lb difference from yesterday to today. At least it's steadily going down. But, damn I was hoping for at LEAST a half pound a day. It's slightly discouraging considering I'm only drinking juice, people.

But, I continue on.

The GOOD news is that, despite the weight loss not being QUITE as amazeballs as I'd hoped at this point... my back pain is nearly almost totally gone. I still am experiencing some detox symptoms (icky feeling in my mouth, coated tongue, etc) - but the headaches aren't happening anymore and I don't feel AS MUCH like crap. My legs and back are still tight and very slightly sore, but I am continuing to stretch. :)

Yesterday I had a simple green juice (green apple, cucumber) for breakfast, for lunch it was a ton of spinach, one tomato and some carrot, then apple juice for a snack, tomato, cilantro, celery, red pepper juice again for dinner (I really love those...) and a really delicious cantaloupe and mint juice for a late "dessert"!

I had a few questions about the fast:

Q) Are you following recipes or a program or a website or something?
A) No - I just was inspired by the documentary and I decided to Google (it really is an amazing resource, ya know...) - there is a ton of information out there. Seriously, just google search "juicing recipes" and you'll have more than you could try in a month.

Q) Are you working out? You should share that too.
A) Nope. I walk occasionally, I am a photographer, so I sweat my bootie off when I work, but other than that it's just stretching and I sit at the computer most of the day.

Q) Is it freakishly expensive to juice?
A) Well, produce IS more expensive than crap. But can you really put a price on outstanding health? I guess it just depends on your priorities. Did I spend $30 at the farmer's market? Yes. Is it cheaper there than a grocery store? Probably not. Is the quality and variety better? Hell yes. Now, you CAN choose cheaper things to juice, that give you lots of bang for your buck (like romaine, cabbage, etc) - BAGS of apples instead of choosing varieties individually... but like everything it just depends on your approach. :)

Q) Have you been getting any crazy cravings yet?
A) I won't lie. When Dan has a subway sandwich or I see food on TV, I pout. But I don't really CRAVE anything yet, though the first day I really REALLY wanted walnuts. (odd...)

Q) Why didn't you start on October 1st so your fasting days would match?
A) Uhm... Well, I'd never think of that, first of all. Secondly, I just started on the day that worked for me, which was Sunday. Saturday I had a wedding and it's going to be hard enough shooting through the two weddings this weekend without eating at them.

Q) How's that green juice? Green juice looks gross. Green juice scares me.
A) It really is good. Seriously, it just depends on what you put in it. A little apple or carrot goes a long way.

Q) Can you give me some more information on this?
A) Well, I can share my journey, (Hey! That's what I'm already doing!) - And you can search the great wide interwebs for a huge giant plethora of information out there that I won't regurgitate to you. (google anything along the lines of "juice fast" "how to start a juice fast" "starting a juice fast" - I promise, it's more information than I could give you. :D

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 3...

2011-10-05T14:21:00.004-05:00

Starting weight: 173
Current weight: 170.8

Breakfast:
1 green apple, 2 handfuls spinach, 1 cucumber, 1 carrot

Then, Dan and I went to the farmer's market and got a TON of beautiful produce.

And even though I HATE HATE HATE beets... I've only ever had the canned variety. The smell of them makes me gag, but Dan has convinced me to try a beet in my juice, because of their intense health benefits.

So, my afternoon juice started out like this:

(1 cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 pear, 1 apple, 1 bunch bok choy and 1 bunch choy sum)

Went in like this...

And came out like this! TONS of juice, this ended up being lunch and evening juice.

Oh, did I mention we found a yellow watermelon? SO cool. It tastes just as delicious. :) I will admit I ate some of the watermelon, but... I figure it's raw and like, 90% water. So... yeah. :D

I decided to juice some watermelon, too. Dan takes a sip of almost every juice I make. :)

It looks pretty, but doesn't taste nearly as good as one might think. It's nice enough, but eating the watermelon with the crisp crunch of the melon makes it more delicious than just the juice.

Late dinner juice!

1 bunch bok choy, 1 tomato, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1 handful cilantro

(I know there are 2 tomatoes in this photo, but I only ended up using one.)

Not nearly as fabulous or savory as the previous night's tomato juice - whether that has to do with the type of tomato I used (last time was roma,) or the choy instead of celery... we'll find out!

SO! Overall I feel pretty decent. I had a very sore lower back and hips again yesterday. It got so bad that I had a massage, and that seemed to help a little. I am still sore today but not as much, so it seems to be getting better now. The weight is coming off bit by bit, though honestly I was sort of hoping for around a pound a day. But, slow and steady wins the race. Including today, have 12 more days to go.

Today will be the first day I'm working while on the fast - I have an engagement shoot in two hours, so that should really be a piece of cake. The real test will be over the weekend when I have two weddings. That means not only working two long, hard days back to back, but not eating wedding food. We'll see how it goes!

Hearts,
~J

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 2...

2011-10-04T12:25:00.001-05:00

Total Weight Loss - 1.8 lbs

Hello all!

I'm feeling more awake today (so far, though it's just the beginning of the day.) Yesterday I was out of it still, sleepy and felt super sore. My hips / lower back / thighs in particular have been sore since I started, and are still sore again today. It was actually so bad last night that I had to take some tylenol PM just so I could go to sleep. :(

I have woken up sore again today. I've been stretching and drinking a ton of water, so I'm hoping to just flush out these toxins as soon as possible so I can get to the feeling awesome part.

Aside from that, I'm feeling good. We are planning to go to the farmer's market today to pick up some more produce for the juicing. Dan actually has been excited about the (fruit) juices as well. He made his own apple and pear juice yesterday and loved it. :)

Yesterday's breakfast was this beautiful apple juice.

Lunch: finishing the "too much ginger!" green juice from day one... after this we went on a nice walk.

Still gotta love the green color though.

Dinner was freaking amazing - tomato, cilantro, celery, red pepper. YUM! If there was ever a satisfying juice... this is it. It feels hearty and it's delicious. (think: V8 or Bloody Mary, minus the salt!)

So, here's to my third day today, and I'll be back tomorrow with another update. :) Until then, Dan & I are visiting the farmer's market today, and I'm getting a massage tonight because my body is killing me. Hopefully it helps!

~J

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Day 1...

2011-10-03T12:54:00.001-05:00

Weight loss - .6 lbs

Yesterday I had a few tasty juices. They were delicious for the most part, though I definitely used too much ginger in my green smoothie yesterday.

1: Strawberry and orange (about 5 oranges and a carton of strawberries, and there was enough for this full pint, and a small glass for Dan.)

2: Green smoothie #1. This had all kinds of goodies in it: 1 head romaine lettuce, 2 stalks celery, 1 cucumber, 2 handfuls spinach, 1 green apple, 1 inch ginger (way too much,) 1/2 lemon. This I drank 1 pint of, and have probably 2/3 pint in the fridge.

3: I was feeling super hungry and did up a big glass of carrot juice. Pure and simple, 5 carrots. Delish! (this did fill up a full glass, I just keep forgetting to take the picture BEFORE I drink.)

So, those three glasses, plus 1 bite of a pear and lots of water and water with lemon was it for me yesterday. After the carrot juice, I wasn't hungry at all. In fact, I was bordering on feeling almost nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was hunger or feeling queasy... but was just a mild "ugh" feeling in my gut.

Aside from that, I was feeling VERY BLAH, and had a headache for most of the day. I took a short nap and then went to bed at 11pm, which is pretty early for me. Woke up today at 10:30 and my ENTIRE body is sore. Legs, arms, quads, back, glutes. I didn't work out, y'all. These are (so I hear,) detox symptoms. No fun.

So, I woke up, did about 20 minutes of stretching and took a hot shower. I still wasn't hungry so I drank a glass of water. It's 12:30 and I made a delicious glass of apple juice! (Seriously, it's the most delicious apple juice I've ever had. 4 small honeycrisp apples... holy delicious. It tastes like apple cider. SO YUMMY!

I'm hoping today is less crappy, but I do hear the first three or four days of juicing are the toughest. So, here goes for day two!

Juice Fast Extravaganza! Beginning!!!

2011-10-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

Hello lovelies!

Well, I have lots of news and I haven't been a proper EHG, and I haven't been sharing. So I'm back in full force.

Over the last few months I've definitely lost sight of myself, my body and my control over food. I've been eating crap, and the weight I've gained is what I have to show for it.

I watched a documentary called Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead. I highly recommend this documentary, and you should watch it if you enjoy documentaries about health, wellness, nutrition, fitness, etc. It's about two men who juice fast for 60 days. (wow...) and how it changes their bodies and lives.

I was so inspired, I decided to do an introductory juice fast for 15 days. Not only to reboot my body, retrain my thought process about food and gain some clarity, but also for the inevitable weight loss that occurs, and to help my skin out a little bit. (Juicers / raw foodists are notoriously glowing, pretty skin, sparkling eyes... I need that.)

Here is a "before" type shot of me with no makeup, showing my (eugh) skin. Hopefully there is an improvement over the process.

From here I'll be updating every day if I can, to let you know how it goes, how I feel, and how it changes me. Hopefully for the better. :)

SO. Day one! What I'm drinking here is a really simple orange and strawberry juice. I have tons of produce and I'm ready to jump in with both feet! :)

Stats:
Weight = 173.0
Bust = 39.5
Waist = 31.5
Lower belly = 38.5
Butt = 43.5
Hips = 42

Our Wedding Photos!

2011-09-21T20:17:00.001-05:00

Well, I've slacked a bit in sharing these, but it's about time. :)

Images thanks to the incredibly talented Dave Jackson. :) Full blog post here: http://www.davidejackson.com/blog/2010/09/15/jennifer-dan-married-8-27-11/

My side of the Bridal Party - the Bridesmen!

The whole bridal party:

My favorite "bridal solo" portrait:

My handsome Husband:

Post Wedding Fatty

2011-09-07T07:47:00.001-05:00

Well, hi!

I'm officially a week and a half in from the wedding, and I'm already becoming a fat married lady. It's been a whole lot of "you're gorgeous, bridey pants!" and then, lots of "nom nom nom I can eat whatever I want!" It started with wedding cake and was followed by even MORE wedding cake, other types of cake, some candy, taco bell, and god knows what else.

I know I'm very close behind the taco bell incident last night and the cracker barrel Sunrise Sampler issue yesterday morning, but I weighed in at a frighting 182 this morning. Now, I've not quite had 5 hours of sleep, but at this rate, my new wedding band will be permanently fused to my finger in a bad way.

On the docket for today:
~~1. Bike ride.~~ Accomplished! I rode my bike 2.10 miles to get some coffee from Walgreens. :)

2. Grocery store for operation healthy food restocking
3. Clean the house & do some photo editing
4. Try to get a sense of "yes I can lose this 20 pounds"

I hate this.

~J

Engagement Photos - Part II

2011-08-09T01:13:00.000-05:00

Today I got back our 2nd set of engagement photos. Dave was kind enough to have us over to the studio again for a more... traditional... set of engagement images. You know, the kind family can frame. ;)

Here are my favorites!

All images taken by the skillful and wonderful David E. Jackson.

http://www.davidejackson.com/

Bicycling. Yeah, I actually exercised.

2011-07-31T16:56:00.001-05:00

We all know I hate to exercise unless it's fun. Fun, meaning goofing around with friends, or sex. (Come on, everyone knows that sex is the best way to burn calories.) I also don't mind the calories I burn while hauling heavy photography equipment and photographing a wedding in 90 degree heat. It's still fun.

What I DON'T enjoy is: running, swimming, weight lifting, aerobics, etc, etc, etc.

But, I was thinking back to the good ol days when I was ten or twelve or something, and I rode my bike. I rode it all the freakin' time. For miles and miles and miles and HOURS. And I was a skinny thing. Well, it probably also helped that I was TWELVE, but you get where I'm going with this. So, I (finally, after wanting one for two or three years,) bought myself a bike.

Annnnnnd, I got myself a helmet that I hate. I pretty much stood there at Target looking at all the crappy, ugly helmets and just picked a random one after not being able to really CHOOSE one I LIKED. I'm eventually hoping to get a cute English looking helmet, but those are super expensive.

So, yeah. I got my Gary Fischer all ready to rock, and headed out around the neighborhood. Here's as far as I got. And it included a mini-break for about 1 minute to catch my breath. (or was it to give my quads a little rest?)

1.74 miles. And man, was I beat. The heat didn't help, but I got home and I was sweating, and tired, and I literally laid down on the couch to cool off and catch my breath.

I think I might try riding later in the day next time. I went out at 2:30pm, around 92 degrees. Probably not the BEST idea to break myself in to bicycling... right?

In other news, I've been doing a bit of shopping for new clothes. Not because I'm any skinnier, but because it's FREAKING HOT outside, and I am saying, screw it. I'm wearing skirts more, dammit. And in doing so, I've discovered that indeed, the 80's are back. I can't express how much I wanted to buy this dress:

I didn't get it though... because it's just too tight and short... and I couldn't bring myself to do it. :)

A few other ones I tried on but didn't buy:

(cute, but I don't dig this neck line with my arms/armpit fat)

(totally cute skirt, last one, too big. :( )

I liked the style of this dress, but the way it wrapped/crossed in front made me uncomfortable. Like a breeze would come along and I'd be showing the world my underwear, or something.

Adorable, but I felt it was so short. Why can't they make dresses a little longer these days?

And I just didn't like the fit of this one at all. :/

AND, so here we have: three pieces I did buy - a skirt and two dresses:

I also thought I'd share a new photo of me by my friend and fellow local photographer Jadon Good. He's doing a personal project called "The Abandoned Couch" project. You can visit his facebook here for all the other portraits as they come around! :)

For now, I can't lose weight.

2011-07-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

That's because I had my dress fitting today, and I'm getting married next month!

I'm averaging around 169 each day I weigh in. I'm eating tons of salad, and I've re-introduced fruit into my diet. I mean, it's summer. I'm not going to go without watermelon, sorry. :)

So, that's what it is and as long as I can maintain, things should be good.

And now for a spoiler... the dress. And, the shoes. ;) It will be strapless and needs to be taken in another inch or two so it fits my body nice and snug. The bottom (obviously) is not finished, needs to be hemmed, and there will be a petticoat underneath. But other than that, this is basically it!

So... I think I'm back.

2011-07-20T21:06:00.002-05:00

Yo dudes.

So, a real update for once. Woo-hoo. I actually think I'm sort of back. Back to the weight loss thing. I'm getting married in 5.5 weeks, and even that hadn't been enough to keep me on top of my game to get into a teeny tiny dress, for some reason.

I joined a local photographer's weight loss competition called "Photographers who Lose it." (clever name, eh?) My official weigh-in from July 15th is:

The competition involves weighing in on the 15th of every month (on the board / sheet thing), and it goes through February. For me, I'm just trying to use it for motivation to drop these last extra pounds before the wedding. 5.5 weeks = 10 pounds? (hopeful, wishful thinking.)

On that note, I'm looking to buy a bike this week so I can start exercising.

So! I'm sort of on a low carb diet but with fruit included. That's pretty similar to, what... South Beach? All I know is I'm doing salads with tons of veggies, tuna fish, that kind of thing. :)

I've been perusing some positive affirmation tumblr sites recently. There are a ton of self-love / body-love websites out there, and I just LOVE it. I have spent a few days just clicking through pages and saving the things I like the most (when I have time or am eating or something.)

Here are a few of my favorites right now:

They also have images of women / bodies to encourage / show how beautiful everyone is. I saved a few of the bodies that just made me go, "WOW." I'm kind of in love with this woman:

And... then it happened. I clicked through some more pages, and came upon... my own body. Myself. My body self from 2009, from the Exposed Movement.

It has 178 hearts below it. That's comments and re-blogs. I found it re-blogged all through Tumblr, with positive things to say, and even more re-blogging. Wow, just wow. What an amazing feeling that this image with my body and my thoughts could help promote positive body image. It's just wonderful. So, I should start with my own self, eh?

In other news, I did a tiny bit of shopping today. I've been really working on my self image, and wearing skirts / dresses / feeling cute more often. Ironically, I'm getting compliments and getting hit on more, which always is a boost for my self esteem.

I got this skirt today on clearance from Anthropologie (size 10). Friggin' HAD to have it. The detail is ridiculously cute!

And I got this cute dress. I think these two pieces will be nice for our 2nd engagement session coming up on August 1st. They are both just the slightest bit tight (the dress around my rib cage,) and the skirt slightly around my bootie, but it's not the worst. I may even lose another pound or two by the time 8/1 rolls around.

Same old crap.

2011-07-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

Yep. Same old crap.

Working non-stop.
Storm chasing. (you can see my adventures at the blog here: http://faceofastorm.blogspot.com/)
Wedding planning.
Weight around 170-173.

I have gone back to low carb, but I think I'm eating too many nuts. And, the last two nights in a row I have eaten way too much. Even though it was healthy (sauce free veggie stir-fry with grilled chicken and low sodium soy sauce) - I ate a whole bag of the veggies, probably intended to serve a family. I'm definitely over eating. Definitely have a problem with portion control, and I definitely am eating out of boredom or oral fixation, or something. I'll say to myself "not really hungry" and eat. And eat a MEAL.

I'll never drop this last 10 before the wedding if I keep going like this.

~J

Update a roonie

2011-06-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I suck at life, and especially, at blogging here.

The weight is the same, hovering between 168 and 173. I'm storm chasing all the freakin' time, and when I'm not doing that, I'm planning my wedding and photographing the weddings of other people.

I should be getting my wedding dress any day now, and I'm beyond excited, and super nervous, and I hope it fits. Holy crap, I'm getting married in 11 weeks. 11 WEEKS!

Beyond that, there's not a whole lot to report. I broke my toe, so I haven't been able to resume walking in nicer weather, and I haven't bought a bike yet. It should be another 4 weeks before my toe is healed. And I didn't even break it in a good way, like sky diving (though that's what I tell people,) or cage fighting or in a bear trap. I got out of bed in the middle of the night to pee, and stepped on a shoe or something, and jammed my foot in such a way that I broke it. I'm the worlds biggest klutz.

It has definitely made photographing weddings interesting, but it would take a whole hell of a lot more than this to stop me. ;) On that note, here are a few recent weddings... :)~

Travis & Doug's fabulous and emotional Gay Denver Wedding! [Click HERE for that!]

Kari & Dave's sexy Milwaukee Wedding - fashion and sass! [Clicky HERE]

Sandy & Eddie's Milwaukee beertastic Brewhaus wedding - [Clickadoo HERE]

Missy & Ted's Eat Drink & be Married wedding - [Clicktastic HERE!]

Our Engagement Photos

2011-05-27T18:06:00.001-05:00

I've been ridiculously excited about getting our engagement photos done because our photographer is so amazing. His name is Dave Jackson, and he's an Editorial Portrait photographer. You know... the kinds of images you see in magazines. That's his talent.

With that, I bring you guys our engagement photos. All four of them. And they're PERFECT. He truly makes me feel like a celebrity when I look at these photos. Worth. Every. Penny.

Check out his website: http://www.davidejackson.com/

Storms and Such...

2011-05-26T14:14:00.000-05:00

Hey all.

#1) I hope Fitbloggin' was amazing. I couldn't go for a few different reasons, but maybe next year.

#2) I've been super busy with lots of photography related things, including lots of storm chasing. If you're interested, check out the blog at http://faceofastorm.blogspot.com/ - I recount every trip, and at this point have nabbed 4 tornadoes for the season so far.

#3) Wedding planning is going well, we had our engagement photos done a few days ago and I'll definitely share them when I get them!

In fitness / health news, I'm back down to around 168-170-ish. I weighed in a few days ago, and haven't since. I'm sort of in a limbo mode and not actively trying to lose. I went low carb for a week or so to drop a few extra pounds of water weight before our engagement session. Other than that, not really trying for anything.

My latest thing is that I want to get a bike. I've actually wanted one for a few years but never buy one. I'm determined to get one, I feel like I'd ride it all the time!

I'll check back in later. :)

~J

More Tornadoes and some other stuff.

2011-04-21T18:49:00.001-05:00

Well, first thing's first. Thank you guys so much for entering the giveaway! And now for the random winner:

So! DEB! Send me an e-mail at jennybeanjcb@msn.com with your shipping info and we'll get you hooked up with your very own Quantum Scale! Thanks to everyone for entering.

Now, I'd like to ask you guys a quick favor. :) I don't know if you remember when I did this photo shoot for my close, good friends and their band... MESTIZO!

Well, they're poor. (Duh, they're musicians.) They are also in this contest for free studio time. So, they need lots of votes to win some free studio time from Marquee Magazine. If you would pop over by clicking THIS LINK, and voting for Mestizo, it takes two seconds, you do NOT have to register or give any info. That'd be amazing, y'all.

In other news, since I should probably throw something in here about weight / health / fitness / etc... I weighed in this morning with the Quantum scale at -3.4. Apparently I'm up .6 pounds. I've been totally lax, I go back and forth, I suck. I also just saw this photo of myself, and I'm not too happy about my apparent ARM GIRTH.

I need to remember I have around 1 month until Engagement Photos take place, and the wedding is 128 days away. Holy crap, I'm not eating anymore. Well, okay, that's extreme. I'm going to really have to buckle down.

And yes, that was me at a Chaser Convergence (fancy ass way of saying "a bunch of nerdy weather freaks and photographers standing in a parking lot waiting for storms to fire) on my most recent storm chase. Skip & I had our most close encounter (EVER) to a tornado. Here are a few of my favorite photos... and you can click HERE to view the full chase log on my photography blog, complete with lots of photos and info - and links to some amazing video of how close we got. :)

Tornadoes, sexy ladies, and a GIVEAWAY!

2011-04-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Heyo mayo!

Welp, I'm here to explainify my absence over the last couple of weeks. Well, I can't really justify HOW LONG HOLY CRAP I've been gone, but I have had a few things keeping me busy. Boudoir marathons, photo shoots, storm chasing. Love, love.

AND!

You guys know I've been getting more into storm chasing recently. Well, we had a big day over the weekend, and you can read my blog post over at the photography blog about the huge tornado intercept in Mapleton. This bad boy was rated an EF3. Massive damage to the town :( and definitely one for the record books. Especially considering it was in Iowa. In APRIL.

I'll be trying to do a LOT more storm chasing over the season as I've found an amazing couple of chasers to go out with, particularly Skip Talbot of Convective Addiction. Just know I'm in good hands - he's been chasing a long time, he's a moderator for a prominent severe weather forum, and overall a really nice person whom I trust very much. :)

Also, I've launched a new website for the Boudoir branch of my business -

Boudoir Milwaukee (A JBe Production, of course) - you should go LIKE it on Facebook and check out the site. Any feedback is more than welcome!

So. In other news, I've gotten a groovy scale I've wanted to try for a while. It's the Quantum Scale!

I've been using it for a little over a week now. The first registered result showed "-4". Meaning, the scale in its pretty pinkness told me I was down four pounds from my post bingeathon period weight. That's to be expected. Yet, I find myself in my own brain, trying to remember what my last weight was, and trying to subtract. I've forced myself to NOT use the other scale I have... (you know, the number one,) and just focus on the overall progress.

The neat thing is that it's an OVERALL loss scale, so it's not showing you your individual loss per week (or per day) - it's showing your total loss from when you started using the scale. I think it's a pretty fantastic idea, so we're constantly seeing our TOTAL progress, and not focusing on the "crap, I only lost .2 pounds this week?!" As long as we can make our focus the overall journey of our loss, and see the totality of our achievements as they go along... I think the Quantum Scale could truly be a powerful tool in weight loss, but also in maintaining the integrity of our self esteem.

I can say I've felt pretty good in my own body the last week, but I will really have to pay attention to the progress I make over the next few weeks / months. I've always been a very numbers driven person, but I also have been sort of stalled over the past month so maybe this is the new way to go.

On THAT note, I also have a giveaway for you guys! You can have one of your VERY OWN Quantum Scales, courtesy of Quantum Scales! :)~

To enter, you can do one of a few things:

1. Like Ex Hot Girl on Facebook.

2. Like JBe Photography on Facebook.

3. Like Boudoir Milwaukee on Facebook. (Yes, I'm whoring myself out. Yup.)

4. Tweet this blog post on Twitter, tag @exhotgirl.

***No matter which one(s) you do above, make sure you COMMENT on this post and let me know which ones you did!***

The contest will END Monday, 4/18/2011, so hurry on up and get those entries in. :)

~Jenn

Denver? Nebraska? Yeah...

2011-03-22T09:09:00.002-05:00

Just a quickie update!

I'm in York, Nebraska right now. I was in Denver yesterday morning. I'll be back in Denver tomorrow. That's right... I'm squeezin' in a little March storm chasing!

You all know my good friend Tony Laubach - well, when he's not busy kicking ass on Storm Chasers, sometimes I can bribe him to take me chasing because we've been friends for something ridiculous like 10 years.

One of the first (or the first?) chase I did with him years ago:

So, I'll keep you posted with any purty pictures I get of structure, and hopefully a tornado. :) This is the Tornado threat Convective Outlook. I know 10% doesn't actually SOUND like it's a good chance, but it actually is. We were sitting on 2% yesterday and wanting to stab someone for our bad luck. Today looks MUCH better.

In the mean-time, I'm also looking at restructuring my eating plan to be more similar to that of Beth over at The BETH Approach. I know I don't react well to sugar & starch... or is it that I'm actually lactose allergic/intolerant? Or do I have issues with soy? I know I have hormonal problems because of my acne. So... I am considering cutting out soy, then dairy (and staying off of sugar?) -- It's all overwhelming and there has been a big bunch of friends on Facebook giving me advice. I just feel like I shouldn't eat ANYTHING now, and it's freaking me out.

Thoughts?

~J

To answer your questions...

2011-03-19T10:09:00.000-05:00

A quick note...

I'm getting a lot of e-mails from some of you guys who are wondering where Julia's blog went. I'll go ahead and clarify here for those of you who missed it: She's taking a break, perhaps indefinitely.

No, I don't know why.
Yes, we know each other in real life, but I haven't seen her in a while.
She's doing what she needs to do, for her.
If anything changes, it'll be up to her to tell you guys if she wants to.
I am glad you all love her as much as as I do.

So, I hope you understand when I ask you all not to e-mail and ask me about her. I miss her as much as, if not more, than you all do.

~Jenn

No more chips and dips and crap foods...

2011-03-14T13:58:00.000-05:00

Soooo, last night I pretty much had it with myself. I said to Dan, "Honey, no more sugar for me. And, no more chips and dips and crap foods." He said, "Okay." :)

Yesterday I probably ate around ... Oh, goodness. No idea how many calories in sugar. Over the last week I probably ate 1/2 a pan of brownies, 1/2 cup or more of peanut M&M's, half a sleeve of thin mints... I've just been pounding down sugar. Tons of it. Plus, super high sodium foods. We went to Olive Garden yesterday for dinner - did soup & salad, I had 2 breadsticks, two bowls of salad (I LOVE their salad,) and a bowl of minestrone and the chili type soup. Oh, and two margaritas. (500 calories alone right there.) -- I've been going out and drinking 2-4 pint glasses of cider each time, too. Oh, yeah. Cider is about 290 calories a serving.

Pasta I had when I met up with a friend for lunch:

Yep. Complete with coffee and a cannoli:

Me, with a champagne as big as my head. I had three or four of these as Dan and I played Clue and The Game of Life on the Xbox 360. I love the drinkies, but I'm giving up for a while. Liquid calories are SO not worth it, you guys. Seriously. For the reals.

No wonder I'm gaining weight. I'm done with it, you guys. I don't want to creep my way back up! ...I'm already creeping up. I need to go back down now. My body feels sore and swollen and uncomfortable, and I SQUEEZED into my skinny jeans last night - it wasn't good, or pretty.

The Damage:

Current measurements:

Weight: 173.6 (EEK!) +12 lbs

Chest: 38 (+1")

Waist: 31.5 (+2.5")

Hips: 40.5 (+1.5")

I was looking at my measurements / weight chart from last summer, and apparently I actually got down to 157.6. Now, that sounds awesome right about now. These were my numbers, and are now my new mini-goal:

Weight Mini (re)-Goal: 157.6

Bust: 37"

Waist: 28"

Hips: 37.5"

I'm also super motivated and inspired by my good friend Beth over at the BETH approach. She and I had at one point been almost identical in our weight loss / journey / sizes / pounds dropped. The difference? She's stayed true to a lifestyle change, while I've caved in to emotional eating. :( BOO! She recently hit a low of 152 pounds, and I'm so proud of her, and super, super jealous. So, it was the last straw for me last night.

No more bad foods. Moving around more. Getting back on track. Again.

Hiatus: Not so intentional...

2011-03-12T09:34:00.000-06:00

Hey all!

Well, as we notice many of our beloved bloggers have been taking breaks (if indefinitely,) - rest assured that at this moment, my absence is purely busy self and lazy self. I do miss checking in, but I've not been very connected here lately.

+8 or so pounds since WPPI. You know, the last post with tons of really unhealthy food? The eating has continued. Yesterday was my first day of healthier eating - a big salad for lunch and our favorite stir fry for dinner. But, those efforts were thwarted by the mass consumption of champagne. At least I was able to circumvent the giant bag of M&M's Dan has been eating, and the remaining Paczki's, and have at least one day without super high levels of sugar in me.

I've also been going through a lot of personal growth / emotional issues / stress / anxiety since quitting smoking. I don't want to blame what I'm going through with this + food on that, but the timing sure seems to be right. I don't have cigarettes to quell my emotional stress anymore... I am working on figuring out an option that isn't "food," or "cry a lot," or "feel so scared I want to puke." Deep breaths seem to help on a very short term basis... but I'm struggling to figure out what else to do.

If you're ever wondering where I am or what I'm up to, you can creep on me over at my Photography blog, or add me on Facebook. (Or, my Ex Hot Girl Facebook is there, too. Sometimes I post there and I don't post here.) And while we're at it, do me a solid and "like" my Photography FB page. It's cute, I promise. :)

So, just wanted to pop in to say... I'm always around, just not always here.

A few recent shoots:

A February engagement session. Nuts, but beautiful.

A promotional shoot with a local musician / artist. What a blast she was! (click here for the full shoot)

A quickie headshot session with Lilu of the Southified Masshole when she came to visit us in Wisconsin! In case you're not sure who that is, she's the one who started the awesomely bad TMI Thursday!
(Click here to visit her post about that.)

Lots of headshot sessions:

Aaaand, a wonderful maternity session with my Sister-in law, her husband and their adorable little girl.

Click here for the full shoot!

I lurve you guys.

~J

Viva WPPI!

2011-02-24T01:05:00.000-06:00

I'm unwinding at the hotel for my last night in Vegas for the WPPI.

You all know I'm a photographer, and sometimes I actually do photographery things, like networking or Twittering compulsively, or going to conventions and stuff. Well, WPPI was a first for me this year, and it was quite overwhelming. Even extra overwhelming because the fiance came along. And my two gay-maids from Denver, and my brother, and his girlfriend. Oh, and one of the gay maid's parents. Seriously, y'all - it was a busy freakin' week.

I did a mini quickie shoot on the strip, courtesy of Pierre Stephenson. Here are a few of my favorites.

And now, my awesome crap iPhone photos! :)~

The awesome and amazing Cosmopolitan hotel lobby. /dies. All I want to do is a bridal shoot in there when the bubbles are on the pillars. Amazing.

I'm ashamed to say, this is the only salad I ate the whole trip. /badjenn. I'm ready to get back to business when I get home, that's for sure.

Instead I ate fried crap like this! Fish and chips. Delicious.

Really yummy coleslaw in a light vinegar and mustard seed dressing.

Leftover fish and chips - I ate this right out of a baggie because I'm cheap, and food is expensive in Vegas.

This is how I approach a buffet. Small portions, healthy choices. Sushi, caprese salad, sweet potatoes, spinach, beef, cauliflower. YUM. (Yes, I also had a brownie.)

I'm splurging and getting gelatto tomorrow. I took this photo today and I can't stop thinking about it. SO beautiful.

I love Caesar's palace.

With my brother and his girlfriend Lisa. (Sorry ladies!)

Sushi with my friend Miranda! YUM.

MGM bar playing "I Spy" with Dan, Miranda & Adam!

Very sad when Dan left. :( He got on the shuttle, I went back to the room and cried like a baby for a few minutes. I'm an idiot.

Reuben sandwich, amazing fries.

Chicken pot pie and a creamy dreamy amazing macaroni and cheese. Seriously, get the mac n cheese at Henry's at the Cosmopolitan. Amazing.

Oh, snap. I did eat another salad. Pear & Endive with candied walnuts and goat cheese. DELICIOUS.

Huge, juicy crab cake.

Eggs benedict florentine. Mon Ami Gabi, our favorite restaurant in Vegas.

Greatest cider on EARTH.

Bloody Mary marinated, beer-battered onion rings at Nine Fine Irishmen. YUM.

More fish n chips.

My crazy brother!

Every time Dan puts in one dollar to the huge slots, he wins five. Every. Time.

A picture with Hello Kitty for my mother. She's obsessed.

Some gorgeous sculptures by Richard MacDonald - inspired by Cirque Du Soleil. The one on the right is my favorite - it reminds me of The Cell.

That's all, folks!

~Jenn

One Month & Two Days.

2011-02-14T18:39:00.001-06:00

Today marks one month and two days since I quit smoking. You will not see any more of this:

I realized the amount I was worrying about the foods I was putting into my body was very silly while still putting poison into my body via cigarettes. I realized I would be healthier gaining weight back and quitting smoking, than being thinner and smoking. I realized I love myself, my fiance', my friends and my family too much to continue to kill myself slowly. So, I made the decision.

I threw the cigarettes I had left in the garbage. I found one about a week later in the car, and I snapped it in half, and threw it away.

I quit cold turkey. No patch, no gum, just stopped.

You can do this too. It just has to be your own decision, and click inside your head. You have to know it for yourself. You have to say silently in your own mind, "I'm done." It's all downhill from there, because even though you'll want one after a meal or occasionally when you drive... you'll remember why you're doing it.

If you quit right now:

In 20 minutes:

Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

In 12 hours:

The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

In 2 weeks to 3 months:

Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

In 1 to 9 months:

Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

In 1 year:

The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker's.

In 5 years:

Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.

In 10 years:

The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx and pancreas decreases.

In 15 years:

The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.

These are just a few of the benefits of quitting smoking for good. Quitting smoking lowers the risk of diabetes, lets blood vessels work better, and helps the heart and lungs. Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.

Last Medical Review: 01/31/2011

Last Revised: 01/31/2011

Professional Measurements

2011-02-09T19:30:00.000-06:00

I went and got myself professionally measured for my wedding dress today. I really much prefer my naked morning measurements.

Bust - 38.5"
Waist - 31"
Hips - 42"
Arm Girth - 12.5"

Really? They had to use the word "girth"?

How do I Stave off the Hunger?

2011-02-06T00:37:00.008-06:00

I've been noticing a creeping need to snack more at night. It was to the point a few days ago that I ate somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 cups of grapes AND a pear after I'd eaten dinner. I was totally entitled. I had calories left to eat for the day, it was a healthy snack, and I figured it was a fine choice. That is... until I was so uncomfortable that I felt like I might throw up. I was laying in bed playing some games on my iPhone to try to distract myself from the awful feeling, but I couldn't even focus on what I was doing. I just curled up in a ball in total pain. I didn't throw up, and I'm shocked that I didn't.

The next day I came to the same point in the evening and wanted to eat fruit all night. I felt snacky, I didn't even feel hungry. I ate a cup of blueberries and put them away. Then, I just sat on the couch and asked myself what the frack was going on. I knew I wasn't hungry. I knew that if I continued fruit binging that I'd end up precisely where I was the other night. So, I then drank a few glasses of water, and I ate an orange an hour later. It was a step in the right direction.

I also have been hearing from some friends in the weight loss bloggosphere about the struggle of hunger. I thought I'd do a quickie post about what to do when you're feeling hungry all of a sudden, how to manage those feelings and help truly feed your body so it feels balanced and satisfied.

1. Eat your freakin' breakfast.

I know, you are going to say, "I don't LIKE breakfast," or "I'm too busy for breakfast," but it doesn't matter. Especially if you're working out in the morning. Why on earth would you try to drive your car with no gas in it? Well, that's what you're doing. You're running on fumes first thing in the morning.

So, pack in a healthy breakfast that is full of protein and fiber. Best bet? Oatmeal with berries. Do a really simple and easy weight control oatmeal packet (7g protein, 6g fiber) that you can do up in the microwave while you get dressed. Throw it into a thermos with 1/2 cup of raspberries, and you've got an extra 4 grams of fiber, and you can down it on your way to the gym.

If you're not active in the morning, it doesn't have to be so intense. A light yogurt and some fruit would be just fine. Or even just some fruit. But, I'm telling you - there's absolutely no way you should work out on an empty stomach. You will pay for it later.

This is just a simple bowl of oatmeal with sliced 1/2 banana, some ground flaxseed and a tablespoon of almond butter. It clocks in right around ~320 calories if prepared with water.

2. If you feel hungry, drink water. You're probably dehydrated.

Well, it's true. Your body will mistake dehydration for hunger. Take your body weight, divide it in half. That's the bare minimum number of ounces of water you should be drinking each day. For me, that means I need to be drinking 80oz of water a day. That means TEN 8 ounce glasses. The good news? Lots of things count. Water. Water with lemon or lime. Crystal light. Tea. And yes, coffee. (They say coffee can be dehydrating, but seriously? It's water through a filter thing. It counts.) Lots of die-harders will tell you that you should be drinking your water pure and clear first, then drinking other stuff, but for me that's just not realistic. I think the primary concern for anyone who isn't taking in the right amount of water is to get the numbers up. Then, work on the quality. ;)

Please note: If you're working out, you should be drinking more water than a person who isn't active. You need to replenish your body with water that you've been sweating out. Drink water, water, water.

3. Did I mention FIBER? Do up the soluble-ness.

Soluble fiber expands in you and makes you feel full. It's also key to good bowlie health, so do it up. I am a fiber freak. This means, pack in the oats, broccoli, whole wheat bread, carrots.

Fiber tip: A really simple way to get tons of fiber in your diet is to chop up that stuff and put it in your salads. Plus, all the color and texture variety will make your salad way more interesting to eat. It takes two seconds to add 1 cup of broccoli to a salad. Delish!

4. Don't be afraid of fat.

Yes, we should avoid the nasty saturated fat monster. But eating healthy fats is not only good for your hair, skin and nails, but it's also been proven to keep you feeling full longer. Fat makes you feel satisfied. So, if you feel during the afternoon like a ravenous beast and you want nothing more than to attack your local deli... try 1/2 an avocado, 4oz of salmon,or 1oz of cashews. Natural, healthy fats are the way to go. You'll feel satisfied and you'll be getting those really good fats in your body.

Salmon with cucumber salsa and some baked baby potatoes.

5. Protein is King.

Don't overdo it, but aim for protein making up 30% of your daily nutrients. (I'm working on this one myself.) Folks with this percentage of protein intake have been shown to eat an average of over 400 calories less in a day. It satiates and lasts (along with fiber) the way carbs just will not. Your body burns through carbohydrates in about two hours, so give it something else to hold on to, like almond butter on your whole wheat bread, or lean turkey with your grapes.

Protein tip: Of all meats, chicken (skinless, grilled) holds the biggest protein punch for the least calories!

6. Spread it out.

Your body burns through food. That's what your fuel source is. So, if you're having huge gaps during the day where you're not eating anything, you're setting yourself up to want to overeat at night. Keep easy snacks with you if you're on the go all the time. Keep nuts in your car. Pack a little cooler lunch box with you for the whole day if you're gonna be gone for most of it. And don't just do a sissy little string cheese, but make sure to get real snacks in there. Pre-make a wrap with tons of sprouts and lettuce, hummus and a little grilled turkey. Cut it in half: two days worth of awesome snackage. Or do almond butter and whole wheat bread, or pita chips with hummus. Make sure you're maximizing your fuel input. And every time you feel hungry, DRINK WATER. :) Don't let more than 3-4 hours go without eating a little something.

When you're doing soup, be sure it's light and preferably, lower sodium. The Progresso Light soups are between 60-80 calories per serving. Nice and easy, 'cause one bowl is one serving! Soup also helps fill you up. Be sure to make your sandwiches with whole wheat bread, and pack on the spinach for the maximum nutritional boost. Use mustard instead of mayo to save unwanted calories and unhealthy fats.

Hopefully these tippy doo dads help you guys out. <3

~Jenn

Delicious Eggy Breakfast and Snowmageddon 2011!

2011-02-02T14:28:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Snowpocalypse 2011! We were pummeled in the midwest here (I'm in Milwaukee,) and so Dan and I are sitting at home, hanging out and being uber lazy. It's fabulous.

First, don't forget about my $50 gift card giveaway! Click here for that info. It's super easy to enter to win.

Secondly, here are some photos from our house ('cause I haven't gone outside yet and don't really plan to...) of the awesome snow.

This was in the middle of the night, Dan just felt like going out there. I decided to take a few photos of him in the snow through the window. Crazy guy! :)

Today after some people had shoveled out a little bit:

And thirdly, I thought I'd share a quick, yummy, 375 calorie meal with you guys. This is my favorite power breakfast - packed full of protein and veggies!

I first sautee' broccoli, red bell pepper and mushrooms in a non-stick skillet with some spray. Once it's starting to get somewhat tender, I throw in a handful of spinach and wilt it by putting a cover on the pan for about a minute.

After that, I throw in three eggs, and scramble it all up!

Served up with some chopped up tomato and a 1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese. Absolutely delicious!

This has a crapload of nutrients and it's just great for you. I like using the cottage cheese instead of shredded cheese or sour cream - it's packed with protein and adds a creaminess without the extra fat. :)~

Apothica Giveaway!

2011-01-28T05:00:00.003-06:00

I am proud to pass along a fabulous giveaway to you guys. I have been thinking lately about how I do NOT take enough time to take care of myself the way I should. Not just with being active and eating right, but ... all the other ways. Like, skin care and making sure my dry skin in this winter time stays nice and hydrated. Like giving myself pedicures, or doing a hair mask. Lighting some great aromatherapy candles while I read up on the latest diet. Replenishing my OLD makeup stash so I'm not using expired products.

So, I want to focus on that, and help you to do so as well. So, right now, you can...

Win a $50 gift card to Apothica.com!

They have a ridiculously awesome bunch of great stuff to buy. One of my very favorites is the Pre de Provence Lavender Soap. Handmade, natural soaps are my favorites, and Lavender is a naturally calming and relaxing scent. If you're stressed, take a hot shower with this soap and I guarantee after a few deep breaths you're going to feel better and sleep hard. You can check out all the Pre de Provence soaps here. They even have gift boxes with all kinds of soaps, which I actually get for myself because I can't pick. They have green tea soap, pomegranate, mint leaf, I mean, come on! Oh, and hand creams. Okay, I need to go buy some more of this stuff. /delicious.

Don't worry, they don't JUST have soap, so if you're all stocked up, there's plenty more for you to check out. They feature bath products, yes, but also candles, fragrances, skin care like Bumble & Bumble hair products, the swanky Jurlique brand (all natural ingredients), makeup including the anti-aging brand Shiseido Cosmetics, Smashbox Cosmetics, hair goodies and stuff for the guys, too. (Oh yeah, male bloggers, you can enter. It's not just chick stuff.)

The contest will end on Friday, February 11th, 2011.

As usual, there are LOTS of ways to win! Remember, you have to comment here to let me know the steps you did, or I won't know. :) Please do separate comments for each method you use. Thanks!!

Option 1: Facebook
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Write on Apothica’s Facebook wall about what you think of Apothica
Bonus Entry: Opt in to Apothica’s Newsletter

Option 2: Twitter
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Tweet about Apothica on your own Twitter Account
Bonus Entry: Retweet Apothica’s tweet about this giveaway

Option 3: Blog
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Write something on your blog about what you think of Apothica
Bonus Entry: Write about the brand I highlighted and link it to Apothica

Have fun, and good luck!!

~Jenn

*What you need to know if you enter:

1) Apothica will contact the winner to verify information is correct
2) After verification, Apothica will email the a code for the gift card to be used at SkinCareRx.com, Apothica.com, and SkinBotanica.com
3) The contest is open internationally, but Apothica does not ship to all countries.
Also, please save SkinCareRx as a contact in your email.

Groceries & What's in my Fridge!

2011-01-26T20:30:00.001-06:00

I have to admit, my take at the grocery store today looked freakin' amazing.

I feel SO good about myself when I'm in line, my stuff looks like this, and I look at other people's garbage in their carts. ...Actually, I feel good about myself, but I feel really sad that people eat so much trash. Why can't we all live in a happy world of fresh fruit and veggies?

SO! Here's a little bit about my groceries, my fridge, what I eat. It's not everything, but it's a lot of what I like, and like to have.

Our grocery store has these great little "100 calorie packs" of dried fruit / nuts. And you guys? They're TINY. These are really tiny. What you THINK is 100 calories, is probably twice that. Weigh, measure, or buy pre-weighed. Seriously. <3

Blueberries 2/$5. Love those sales. Also some grapes. Trying to re-kindle my love affair with fruit now that it's not off limits. Also a beefsteak tomato for sandwiches. ($2.18!) Some raw green beans for snacking. There's also fresh broccoli there for salads and snacks. Oh~! And we can't forget about the sweet potatoes (yams.) These are delicious, and Dan will be stoked I got some.

A lime to try to make the water drinking situation more interesting, and some bananas. Light & Fit yogurt (vanilla all the way,) and a spaghetti squash. YUM! Got some yummy looking Rinaldi healthy spaghetti sauce. It's 70 cal per 1/2 cup. I'm going to share a little recipe later this week with it!

Red bell pepper (I probably pound through two or three of these in any given week. I eat them in everything - tuna salad, salads, eggs, dipping in hummus. YUM.) Cherry tomatoes for salads, decaf coffee, a huge bag of oranges! These will be dessert for the week.

The Anti-Jared's post about Greek Yogurt has inspired me to try some. Of course I didn't remember what kind he liked, and I ended up getting Chobani, which apparently he does NOT think is the greatest. But, I'm excited to try it anyway. I'm not brave enough to try the plain stuff yet, so I'm starting with vanilla. :) Also, I got some light string cheese (@50 cal per, it's a great healthy snack.) Also some Campbell's Select Harvest soups. I love soup. I know it's high in sodium, but I LOVE IT. Especially because I live in Wisconsin and it's freakin' cold here in the winter. I also found this great Ronzoni pasta, it's rainbow fettuccine, and I can't wait to make it. I'll share that meal later with you guys, too.

Coffee creamer. Green leaf lettuce, green grapes.

I also have Lean Cuisine in my freezer for nights I don't feel like cooking. I'm sort of embarrassed about this because I've been leaning toward more clean eating and these are nice and processed. I hope to phase this type of eating out in favor of at least organic, preservative free alternatives. But damn, I'm cheap, too.

Other stuff I always have. Spinach. A giant, huge, massive thing of it. I live off of this stuff. (The ridiculous muffins there and the creamy yoplait belong to Dan. I don't eat that.)

Eggs. White wine. Obviously.

Goat cheese = my new love. Fresh salsa = beats the crap out of Pace. Hummus and grilled chicken ready to put into a salad. These are staples, yo.

My crisper drawer. Pre-cleaned, pre-sliced celery sticks for dipping into the aforementioned hummus or just snacking on. Other veggies for chopping, etc. What's underneath is some avocado and sliced mushrooms. Also I usually have to have some asparagus, but occasionally I'll forget I have it and it'll go bad. I need to keep it out of the crisper drawer to remember to eat it!

So aside from drinking the Diet Coke, Coffee and Crystal Light, I am really trying to up my protein intake. So, I like to do 8th Continent Soymilk. I drink the "Light Original." It's only 50 calories for 8oz, and has 6g protein and 380mg potassium. Oh, and it's delicious. It tastes WAY better than any other light soy milk I've ever tried. Also love glasses that show the 8oz mark. I'd be very likely to just pour a huge glass of whatever I'm drinking, but when I see that line, it reminds me where 1 serving actually is.

Oh, and wanna see what we chowed down on for the Playoffs game?

GO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<3
~J

Checking in, and GO PACK! Oh, and underwear pictures.

2011-01-23T11:44:00.000-06:00

Hello all!

Well, today I weighed in. I avoided the weighing in last (this past) week because my biatch Aunt Flo was coming to visit and I knew I wouldn't be happy. So, even though she's still here, I weighed in a little early. Also, because today is football I'm sure to eat some high sodium treats and I wanted my real number. ;)

Today:

Woo-hoo! So from the 10th, that's a loss of 1.6 pounds. Not as fabulous as I'd hoped, but good enough.

I'm feeling like I still have some pd. weight, most likely. But, I'm trying not to get too hung up on that. :) I am slightly irritated because I had really good deficits and I still am not seeing the appropriate losses, but I know it's a slow and steady battle.

The other interesting thing is that the Bodybugg shows the numbers I recorded (which I feel I do a pretty good job,) - and then it'll adjust it after weighing in and show what my "actual" deficit probably was, based on my weigh in. So, with the numbers it would appear I'm losing around 450 calories a day in my recording. I don't really feel that is the case. Really. But, I'm willing to really take a look at myself and watch my process.

I posted this video about recording / guessing / measuring calories. I am going to try to really focus on weighing everything. I do know that Julia weighs the crap out of everything and still doesn't necessarily see the losses she wants to. So, we'll see how it goes!

I'm also feeling kind of "buff", dare say it. Compared to how I felt here when I weighed in at 160.4 pounds and did a side by side comparison of my body.

I know I'm not super ripped, but holy crap I can see my arm muscles and shoulders more. And my tummy is starting to shrink enough to sort of see the muscle forms underneath. I'm looking forward to focusing on sculpting my body this year and / while losing the last 15-20 pounds. :)~

And last but not least, a picture (finally) of me and Julia. The first, ever. I heart her so much.

Oh, and GO Packers!!!!

~Jenn

Yes, weigh.

2011-01-18T00:38:00.000-06:00

Hey you! The Blogger , Reader or Lurker who is struggling to lose weight. You know, the one who really watches what they eat and can't figure out why the number on the scale isn't budging. The one who just can't seem to break through the plateau. I have something to share with you.

This video puts something huge into perspective for me. Maybe it will for you, too.

Food, delicious food.

2011-01-17T01:38:00.000-06:00

It's been so fantastic using the Bodybugg, and really getting a grasp on calories in, calories out. Knowing my budget of calories, and realizing I can have certain kinds of foods I wasn't eating before.

Here's some of what I noshed on today!

I have found I much prefer spinach to any kind of greens (though if I do greens, it's the baby / spring greens mix you find in a similar box at the grocery store.) I grab and pile on as much as I can on a huge dinner plate. Then, I cut it all up so it's in bite size pieces and it lays down much flatter on the plate.

I love and live for red bell pepper. I chopped 1/2 up and used 1/2 of that on my salad, saved the other 1/2 for another salad tomorrow, or maybe some eggs. The other half of the pepper I sliced up later in the day.

I got some avocado (healthy fats = good!) - I really like to eat 1/2 a day or every other day if I can. I just slice it up in my hand like you see, then squeeze the avocado half down over the salad. All the pieces come out, and only a knife was dirtied (which I'm already using to chop other veggies.) No need for a spoon!

I finished the salad off with some part-skim mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and blueberries. I used a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. Delish!

Later in the day I really was feeling "munchie," so I measured out 2oz of tortilla chips and about 70 cal worth of salsa. I would never have been able to eat this on a low carb diet, and it is one of my very favorite snacks! Super high in sodium, but YUM.

I wanted a lighter alternative to bread, so I picked up some healthy whole wheat tortillas. I cracked up when I saw the label. On the top right, it says, "Perfect for the serious dieter." Ha!

Oh, here are the veggies I sliced up that night. Red pepper, cucumber and celery. I was so full after I ate my wrap though, I couldn't get through more than 1/3 of this.

Here's the wrap. Hummus spread on the tortilla with spinach leaves, a few slices of turkey breast, two slices of the cucumber and a red pepper slice. Yum!

So here was my dinner. I ate the whole wrap and some veggies with under 1/2 of the hummus in the tub. (It's a small tub, that plate is a side plate. The calorie count on the hummus I consumed was around 150 cal.

These pictures only cover lunch, snack and dinner. I also had a small amount of leftovers from dinner a few nights ago (about 1oz salmon, 1/3 cup mashed potatoes and 1 asparagus spear,) as well as coffee in the morning with 2% milk (I was out of soy) and a Nature's Valley granola bar. That's my typical breakfast any given day, unless I switch to cereal (usually a raisin bran or something similar) with soy milk.

Overall, here's my take for the day:

Well, just wanted to give you guys a peek inside my chow for the day. I'll be back soon with weigh in and other updates. :)~

~J

Checking in: Bodybugg results,Walking, and a Weigh-in Prediction.

2011-01-14T00:05:00.003-06:00

Holy crap balls. I've been exercising.

Well, SORT of. I've been walking. And it's not quite an epidemic yet, but I've managed to do it twice so far this week. Yeah, it's a big deal. I hate being active if it doesn't involve a camera in my hands and money in my pockets.

So... here's a little updateroonie!

I realized, first of all, that I forgot to report how shooting a wedding shows up on my Bodybugg. It's a pretty physical demand, so I was stoked to find out what it registered. Here's Saturday's numbers. Hell Yeah! (Oh, and you can see the beautiful Jewish, gorgeous wedding here.)

So, in terms of the walking phenomenon... here's the deal on that. Tuesday I forgot to use my Runkeeper App, so I used the G Maps Pedometer after I got home. Walked 1.12 miles. I think walking in the evening has been working better from me because I'm such a night person. So, Tuesday - with a fairly normal activity day and walking just over a mile, I only barely broke through the halfway point of my 10,000 steps a day goal. I'm realizing that 10,000 steps is a crap load of walking! Aside from not meeting my steps goal, I did really well this day overall. The giant spike you see between 1pm and 3pm are because I had a photo shoot from 2-3. (You can see the maternity pictures here!) :)

Wednesday I didn't walk, and my caloric deficit was only 438. Yesterday, I went a little bonkers and decided to do a longer walk. I live pretty close to the Milwaukee State Fair grounds, so I figured I'd walk around the whole state fair and it'd be around 2 miles. Well, the way to walk the closest to the grounds is pretty scary looking at night, so I opted for the safer route a little tiny bit out of the way so I could stay on sidewalks and through the parking lot. The total walk from my house to my house ended up at 3.05 miles. I got home all schweaty. I haven't sweat from physical activity other than photography in a long time. Geez, Oh Pete's, I'm lazy.

A post-workout photo a la Bitch Cakes and Jewlia Goulia. (Though not nearly as sexy or awesome as theirs are - I just wanted to show you all my Grossie sweat marks.)

So! Here's my walk information:

Just completed a 3.05 mi walk with RunKeeper - Cold!!

RunKeeper stats of my walk

Distance 3.05 mi | Duration 0:52:34 | Calories Burned 283

Average Pace 17:14 / mi | Average Speed 3.48 mph | Elevation Climb 94 ft

And here's my overall info for the day. So even with walking 3 miles, making a trip to the grocery store, and going to the studio for a meeting with a client (parking across the street from the studio and walking up and down 4 flights of stairs,) I burned almost 400 calories less than I did on a day with a 1-hour photo shoot and only walking 1 mile that night. So, apparently I should be busting my ass to book more work, not only because it's good for my finances, but it's good for my waistline, too.

SO! At this point, Bodybugg is telling me that on average from this Monday through Thursday, I'm burning 2358 (target 2030) calories per day, consuming on average 1455 (target 1300) calories per day, and mantaining an average deficit of 903 (target 750) calories per day. My daily average number of steps so far this week is 5589. I need to step up my game. Literally.

If I keep up the pace, I should end up with a deficit for the week of 6321 (ish... obviously just a guesstimate,) which should equate to a loss of roughly 1.8lbs. If that's the case, I should weigh in on Monday at 161.6. So, here's hoping! :D

I have a photo shoot tomorrow, and it'll probably last around 2 hours or so. That should get my blood moving. I'll share pictures and update y'all soon! :)

~Jenn

Monday Weigh-In Results + Bodybugg Review

2011-01-10T14:42:00.000-06:00

Hello lovelies!

Well, since I started using my Bodybugg on a Monday, that's when my weigh in is now. That's pretty good, too - I feel like Mondays are good weigh in days.

SO, here we go.

-1.6 lbs!

So, apparently for the first week - this Bodybugg thing has put me on the right track. Pretty sweet, too because I had a sandwich with actual bread on it at the wedding. I ate a Lean Cuisine mini pizza with spinach and mushroom. I had a Pho the size of a car tire. If it can truly go this way -1.5~ pounds for the next however long it takes, that'd be pretty damn sweet.

Here's the update on my progress and my goal:

Now, for a little Bodybugg review based on my first week of use.

Pros:

1. It really helps show how many calories I'm actually burning. Amazing and helpful.

2. It acts as a pedometer, which is sweet. Brings to light how much I need to walk.

3. The food logging program is pretty good - it's similar to a Livestrong or Sparkpeople database, so I rarely have to enter custom foods. If I need to, it's easy. It also remembers things I usually eat for various meals, so since I'm a creature of habit, it's easier every day.

Cons:

1. The Bodybugg website is a pain in the ass. It isn't compatible with Google Chrome, and you can only use it with Internet Explorer or Firefox. This means it takes me 10293809284012 years to track stuff.

2. The website likes to time you out. Like, super quickly. So I'm signing back in three or four times over the course of tracking my food for a day. It takes a long time with that + the website only working with a slower browser.

3. The Bodybugg resets every day at midnight. So, for those of us up late like I am, through 1:30-3:30 am, or something like that... any of the calories I burn, or food I consume go on to the next day's count. Now, it all evens out in the long run because it happens every single day. However, it's really annoying.

Ultimately it's a phenomenal piece of equipment, but I still think they're kind of stuck behind the times in terms of where they should really be. I am super happy I have it, and the cons aren't reasons to NOT buy it. But, I do think they're things that can be easily fixed by the Bodybugg people.

Also right now, I would list as a "Con," when I go to download the app for it on the iPhone, it tells me I need iPhone 4 technology. So, what the EFF? The website says it's compatible with all the iPhones, but I can't download the app.

There's information on synching it with your smartphone on the website, so I'm going to try that this week. I'll keep you guys posted on how that goes. :)

Bodybugg! Bodybugg! Oh, holycrap.

2011-01-08T12:25:00.002-06:00

So! I had mentioned to you guys before that I got a Bodybugg for Xmas. Pretty sweet. Well, I knew Jewlia Goulia had one and she's always wearing it and I knew I was jealous and wanted one, but I didn't exactly know why. Turns out... it's a pretty amazing tool.

It's pretty amazing how it's already starting to reshape my relationship with food. I can now see precisely how many calories I actually burn every day. I mean, I don't have to go online and find a calculator that will estimate how many calories someone my age and weight might probably maybe will burn on an average day if just sitting around (BMR = Base Metabolic Rate). And I then don't have to look up how many calories someone my age and weight might probably maybe will burn doing various activities (ie: walking, dishes, laundry, sex, photographing a 9 hour wedding) and THEN try to add that all together, and THEN try to figure out my food calories and subtract it.

/phew. I'm exhausted just typing that out. The point is, I now know precisely what my body is burning. Therefore, I know precisely how much I can eat. It puts out little charts about my nutrition (basic ones, but charts nonetheless,) and I even get a breakdown of how many calories I was burning per minute through the day. Wow.

I'll give you guys some screen shots of what the program looks like. This is my info from yesterday:

A screenshot of the nutrition breakdown. I don't like that they don't track the sugar in things, but aside from that it's pretty good. My fat content is soooo high because I'm used to the low carb diet (high protein, high fat, low carb.) I drink coffee with creamer, I eat higher fat content salad dressings (ie: ranch to dip veggies in, creamy balsamic or poppyseed, and I eat a lot of nuts. I'll usually eat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mixed nuts a day. Plus, I dig avocado. It's got to be why my hair grows so quickly.) ;)

Also, usually my carbs wouldn't be THIS high, but I ate a crapload of noodles yesterday and I also had a granola bar. :) Sodium is normally lower too.

And here is the step counter thing. I'm pretty sure if I hit the 10,000 steps, I'd be wayyyyy over the 2050 calorie burn. Even more than I already am. Maybe that's the idea! :)~

SO. Did I mention that I had a ginormous bowl of Pho yesterday, noodles and all? It's so awesome. Yes, high in sodium, but totally worth it, and totally better for me than most other Chinese / etc options. (Yes, I know Pho is Vietnamese, thankyouverymuch.) (Photo of Pho below if you don't know what it is. It's a broth / rice noodle soup with onion - I get it with beef and flank, and then they bring a little plate with fresh herbs, sliced jalapenos, lime and bean sprouts. It's amazing.

So. I'm very interested to see where the bodybugg adventures will lead me. It currently is telling me I need a 750 calorie deficit per day to lose 1.5 pounds per week and hit 153 pounds by February 27th. I'm starting the process at 165 lbs. So! I will keep you guys posted on my progress. Yes, I'm also keeping track of my measurements. :)

SO! I have a few pictures to share with you all:

The huge salad I made for Xmas dinner. It was AMZBLS.

Recipe: Spinach, sliced pear, craisins, fresh pomegranate seeds.

On the side: Walnuts and goat cheese.

Dressing: Champagne vinaigrette.

Result: AWESOME.

Yeah. Then I came home and ate loads of garbage, including this peppermint ice cream some of you were witness to to the downfall on Facebook. (What, you're not on my Facebook? Like me promptly here. Oh, you can add me as a friend, too. While you're at it, Like my Photography biz, JBe Photography, too.)

Then, I decided on my last fabulous meal, and Dan and I went to get the "Love Boat" of sushi. Truly, that's what they call it. It's awesome, and expensive, but totally worth it.

Also thought I'd share a few pics of us from New Years!

Gluten Free?

2011-01-04T14:14:00.002-06:00

So! How many of you guys are Gluten Free? I always wondered if that was primarily a dietary need based on allergies, or if there are some health benefits to being gluten free.

Anyhoo! I was contacted by Bakery on Main, and they graciously sent me some fabulous goodies to try out. I have to say, I was pretty damn impressed!

Please forgive the super uber crappy iPhone picture. :D

So! I got some really delicious granola (excellent on yogurt or ice cream) and the granola bars were chewy and yummy. I'm not a big fan of granola bars if they're super crunchy, so it was really a nice surprise that these were chewy ones. Overall - I'm not super familiar with gluten free food, but even as someone without that particular dietary requirement, their stuff is quite enjoyable! Dan even enjoyed the bars as well!

You can check out their website here. :)

In other news - I'm awaiting a phone call from my Bodybugg coach. I got the new Bodybugg for Christmas from my parents, and I got it all set up. Now, just a matter of learning how to use it and being diligent about entering / tracking all my calories.

I'm a little (read: lot) nervous about the eating plan they made for me - it's around 45% carbohydrates, which is way more than I consume. I have a feeling I'm still going to try to cull back the amount of carbs I'm taking in, and focusing on veggies, greens and lean meats. I'll keep you guys posted with my experience, and hopefully it helps me get closer to my goal weight.

Right now it's giving a basis of food intake / calories based solely on my current weight and my activity level. I will be curious to see what it says once I plug in the Bodybugg after I've been wearing it for a few hours - if it'll adjust it based on my BMR or not. I'll let you guys know!

~Jenn

Updateroonie.

2011-01-01T17:07:00.001-06:00

Welp, as usual it seems I'm crap at updating / posting. And though I'm not too keen on New Years Resolutions... perhaps blogging more should be on that list. I have lots of open time for the next few months, so I should truly have no excuse.

I'm eating Chinese food right now. Delicious. I have been openly eating carbs since Christmas, and I'll be starting back on my regular regime of low carb / high veg / high protein on Monday. :) I've gained back up to around 163 pounds (actually that's a bit back down with getting rid of some water weight). I really feel like I'm going to have to start incorporating some physical activity into my lifestyle to drop more weight. I really would like to have a house. I swear to myself if I had a treadmill or a trampoline IN my house, I'd do it a lot more. (Isn't that a great excuse? I think so.)

So! How were all of your holidays? I went to Denver for two weeks to visit with friends and family. It was a lovely trip, but I missed Dan terribly. Coming home was fantastic! And last night I went out to Mo's Irish Pub here to watch the ball drop and see my brother in law's band play. It was great! And right now I'm just catching up on all your lovely blogs and trying to gear myself up for the week. :)

Aside from the travel, I shot a few weddings and have been doing a few things with the business (new website, setting up a workshop, etc) - so things keep me good and busy. Oh! And wedding planning, too! :)

Click here for Tony and Dania's wedding photos.

Click here for Mary and Jason's reception photos:

Keep an eye out on the blog here for a $50 gift card giveaway for your beauty needs in a few days. ;)

~Jenn

A recipe? Yup!

2010-12-09T07:27:00.000-06:00

How's it going, y'all?

Well, just thought I'd pop in - realized it's been a little while since I came by and updated you guys.

Weight loss is totally at a stand-still, and I'm not exactly sure why. I have a feeling my body is trudging through the extra pounds / calories from the Thanksgiving holiday when I totally overdid it. I'll see how things feel in another few weeks.

Hmm, so what else is new? I made a really yummy dinner the other night. Now that wedding busy season is done, I can actually cook again.

Cod with Sauteed Garlic Spinach and Asparagus!

First I put a pad of butter in the pan, melted it and added 1/2 tbsp of chopped garlic. Then, two giant handfuls of spinach, and put a lid on it. This wilts the spinach quickly. :)

After the spinach wilts I like to sautee it for about 2-3 minutes in the garlic and butter. A little salt and pepper, and then it's on the plate.

Then in the mean time, I'll have my cod (defrosted / fresh) in a pan over medium heat with some butter. I like to season mine with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence. You can use whatever tickles your fancy.

I'll also put a lid on this just to steam the fish a little more effectively. I find this cooks the fish through so it's nice and flaky, and doesn't produce a browned or crispy exterior on the fish. I like my fish soft and delicious.

Cod and asparagus both cook VERY quickly. You seriously only need about 6-8 minutes for the fish and about 5-7 for the asparagus. Same old story here... just cut off the ends, boil some water and drop 'em in. When you can easily pierce them with a fork, they're done.

So, put the fish on the sauteed spinach, and serve up your asparagus. I like butter and salt on mine. Oh, and I like to put a bit of extra ground black pepper on the cod, and top it off with some paprika for a bit of color. :~)

So, there ya have it! Two healthy and super delicious dinners. Overall this probably cost me 8 bucks to make. (The cod was on sale for a little under $4, and the asparagus was probably $3.50 or so.) :)~

~Jenn

Pie, oh my!

2010-11-28T15:08:00.000-06:00

I hope you guys had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving weekend. I'm off to my 2nd family Thanksgiving get together, as I'm sure many of you do during the holidays. I will openly admit that I was totally off plan this weekend. I did have stuffing, potatoes, pie and also did some Cracker Barrel family breakfast.

Here are a few photos of the weekend! :)

TURKEY!!

Dan and my Mom :)

My Grandpa:

Dad and Grandpa carving the turkey

Daniel (my brother) and Mom:

My family!

The whole crew:

Chauncey (the dog) was having fun with the pillow. I was laughing so hard, I had to take a picture!

Mom got this one of me with the new tattoo :)

My fabulous parents:

Dan and I:

My Aunt and Uncle:

My wonderful Grandparents!

My goofy ass brother. LOVE!

Also, a quick note to you guys - I finally made an Ex Hot Girl facebook page! Click HERE to "like" me there. :)~

~Jenn

New Pajamas.

2010-11-23T22:40:00.000-06:00

Hey guys!

Just wanted to stop by to update y'all on some recents. I went shopping with Jewlia Goulia today and picked up some badly needed new pajamas. Pajama pants, in particular. Here are the new digs:

I've been having serious issues and putting off for way too long buying new jammies to replace my old ones. These ones. The ones Dan would walk by every freaking day and just brush by me and my pants would slide off of my body.

You may be saying, "So? I mean, yeah maybe they look a little big but... what's the big deal?"

Well... alright. Here's how bad they were:

Yes. I'm officially someone who can fit their entire body into one leg of their old pants.

On the note of feeling successful and thankful, Jewlia brought up this old photo to me. One that I, ironically, happened upon very recently and couldn't believe how far I'd come. One that Jewlia's hubby said, "That's not Jenn!"

Well, yes it was. It's just not anymore. :)

Then vs. Now.

And on that note, a little comparison in the face. This is a shot of me with my brother on the Mayercraft:

And a shot of me on Saturday night with Dan's sister. :)

OH! By the way, I got a new tattoo! <3

Back on track. Again.

2010-11-19T12:36:00.000-06:00

Yep, finally back on track. After three or so weeks of basically eating whatever the hell I wanted to eat, whenever I wanted to eat it (this included thin and crispy veggie pizza, fruit tarts, bread and sandwiches, chocolate, fries and a homestyle chicken sandwich from Wendy's, Taco Bell at least once, some more candy, cookies and a lot of other things I can't even remember.) Three weeks... of eating whatever I wanted, and waking up to a bloated face. Waking up to my acne being out of control. Waking up to feeling like garbage, but continuing to eat that way anyway.

Well, I am back now. I weighed in at 160.2 this morning after a new recent high of something like 164.5. I am ultra happy that is more sodium than anything. I'll just assume I really gained about 2-3 pounds over the last few weeks. I'd love to get back down to 156 and actually, finally, hit that damn 155 before I go home for Christmas. Will I be able to endure and remain strong over Thanksgiving?

Resisting my Grandfather's stuffing recipe is next to impossible. It's super salty and incredibly delicious. And, stuffing is my favorite food in the world. So, maybe I'll have a forkful and move back on to the turkey. Yum, yum.

...I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Holy crap.

Well, just thought I'd pop in and give a wee bit of an update. If you want to see what I've been up to lately, here are a few links!

Laurel and Ryan's shoot was featured on Rock N' Roll Bride this week!

Aly and Chris had a gorgeous and vintage style photo shoot.

Promo images and headshots for Britta!

Promo images for musician Alex Anderson!

My last wedding for busy season - Amy and Ed!

New Photos and stuff!

2010-11-08T17:58:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone!

Well, thought I'd pop in and say hi. Things have finally started to slow down with the business (though I have three shoots this week and the bridal show this weekend!) - I'm not feeling so much like I'm losing my mind lately as I have for the last three months.

I got some new promo photos done by the lovely Molly Marie, so I thought I'd share them with you all! Considering I've been on and off plan - weight fluctuating between 158 and 161 for the last several weeks... I felt pretty good about myself after seeing the photos. (I'll share more once I get the disc from her.)

On a side note... I've been really inspired lately (or should I say, jealous?) of Whitney over at Slimming Down for the Gown. Her weight loss progress is where mine should be. We really were losing weight around the same rate at the beginning, but her dedication has surpassed mine, and she's already down to 148! Every time I see her updates, I feel guilty about slacking in my healthy lifestyle and going in and out of being comfortable in my plateau. :(

Aside from that, I've just been working a lot, as usual. :)~ I've got the bridal show coming up on Sunday, so I'll be sure to post some photos from that so you can see it. Cross your fingers that I'll get a lot of business!

~Jenn

New things!

2010-11-01T03:35:00.001-05:00

A quick pop-in to say hello. If you guys want, check out my new blogsite! Also, tons more new work.

<3
Jenn

PS, I'll do a real update later this week. Swear.