EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeanette Balmut has been selected to participate in the Year of You, a fitness challenge hosted by The Manteca Bulletin, CalFit Manteca and CORE Athletic Performance. Balmut is keeping a weekly journal, highlighting the strides and struggles of her fitness journey.
Day 92
OK, let’s shake things up a little bit. I have been told to try a few different things…like adding a few more carbs to my diet. I have been working out so much and not giving my body the fuel it needs to maintain the working out and to try to do more weights and do my cardio AFTER weight training, so here goes nothing!
I get to the gym before 5 a.m., do a quick five-minute warm up and then hit the weights. I do barbells, machines, and dumbbells. I focus on upper body and mostly arms. I move on to floor exercises and abs. I end the workout with one mile on the treadmill. This is the first time I do the cardio AFTER the weight training.
I have my breakfast quiche and a great lunch – salad with chicken and a little bit of fruit salad. I stop at home to make a turkey, spinach and avocado flatbread to bring with me because I have the game and then the Kicking for Cure at Manteca High afterwards. I know I won’t be home till late and I will miss dinner time so I had better pack accordingly!
I get to the high school and its almost unreal how many people have been following my journey. It’s awesome to hear all the support and the encouragement. Everyone is rooting for me and making me feel much supported! It definitely makes me feel like I can continue and keep on going.
Day 93
I am almost dreading reading the paper today. I see all these great pictures of Josh and know that he is slaughtering me in this challenge. How can I possibly keep up with him? I am doing my best but no matter how hard I try, I will always be a woman and I will always be double his age! I have to keep reminding myself that the battle is within and not against! I get up early to go get the paper and … OK, James, seriously? Can’t the numbers be super small in like a corner of the page instead of HUGE and right in the middle? UGH, I can’t believe I am actually proud to read these enormous numbers on a page that represent my body. Oh my word, who does this? After reading both mine and Josh’s numbers, I feel pretty good. At this point, I am staying within reach. The body fat percent is not even close. He is obviously shedding the fat and adding tons of muscle. I, on the other hand, still pure fat!
I am going to attempt something at the gym today I have NEVER done: Wear capris. I could give you a visual on paper, but it’s not pretty. It’s getting hot outside and in the gym and I really want to wear short sleeves and capris, but dang, I’m not quite there yet.
It’s training day with Antonio; I seriously look so forward to these days. I arrive do a quick warm up and get pulled to the back with Antonio. We start our session and within a couple exercises, I am hearing “Wow, you make me so proud. … You are doing so well. … Look how far you have come.” Antonio is pumped with my progress and he makes me feel like I am a complete beast. He reminds me how I couldn’t do one or two of these drills when I started and now I am slaying them! He actually has me do real sit-ups and offers his arm as a guide and he laughs when I barely need it. I do 120 of them. Yeah, you heard that right – 120! Plus, the last 10 he had me do the decline while holding the position. I felt awesome!
I finished the night on the treadmill with a 1.5-mile fast-paced walk on an incline.
I raced home to show Mike what I did at the gym and I was jumping up and down like a little kid. I can do this, I can do that! He was just as proud of me as Antonio was!
Day 94
So I lay in bed last night thinking about my blog and how it’s basically the same thing day in and day out. You all know that I am going to eat right, eat light, eat healthy, follow the rules, go the gym, do my weights, do my cardio. I am in it for the long haul so I won’t be changing that anytime soon. I think about the stuff that people really want to know. I run into people constantly around town and almost everyone wants to know the same thing. How do I feel? Well, honestly, I feel good. I feel proud. I feel a little impatient (I always have to remind myself that I am on a good pace and that I am right where I should be for 94 days in) and a tad bit sad. I know it’s a fantasy, but honestly, I was thinking I would be this agile, stealth-like, athletic being. I would have so much energy that my house would constantly be clean, I would want to organize my closets and paint my deck. I would have boundless energy and all the things that you think you will do when you are thin and active and in shape. NOT … I am so dang focused on this voyage that it consumes me. I have to find a balance by the end of the journey so that I will maintain it FOREVER. I will need to incorporate my daily life and my daily workout as if it was just one more thing on my list. That is the challenge.
Day 95
Oh boy, today Antonio made me work hard. I mean really hard. I did my usual warm-up then off to weights and the mat. I did a lot of barbells, medicine balls, and sit-ups again, this time while holding a weight straight up and using it as momentum to pull me up. Whew, that was tough! Let’s just say when I Ieft the gym, I looked like I had just jumped in a pool.
Came home to a great barbecue, fresh veggies and salad.
Day 96
As you know I have been staying away from the dreaded scale. I have such a love-hate relationship with that dang thing. I love it when it flashes numbers that I like to see and when it doesn’t move or it goes up, then I HATE IT! I haven’t weighed since last week and I get on in the morning. I am so excited. Seems this week was a good one. I have dropped a few more pounds since last Saturday’s weigh-in. Since it’s Friday, the goal will be for me to come back to this spot and weigh the same or lower on Monday morning!
I made a few changes this week. I dropped to one protein shake a day, I added “good carbs” to my diet and I took away all nuts. I also have been doing the cardio AFTER the weight training. I’m sure it’s a combination of all of these things that have made the weight come off this week, or my body is becoming a muscle machine and it’s finally starting to burn my fat. I almost sound like I am joking when I say that. Who would have ever thought I could say those words?
Day 97
PROM DAY! First I wake up early, hit the gym and do an awesome workout. I spend over an hour at the gym working on legs. I do five different machines and then move to the back room and do over a hundred lunges. Ouch! I am going to feel this tomorrow.
With all the activities today, I prepare my breakfast and lunch and eat very small portions every two hours. I am gearing up for going to dinner with my hubby and I want to enjoy my dinner and not stress so much that I am “cheating.”
After getting Mitch off to prom we head over to Pete’s. It’s our first time here and we decide to forgo the hour-long wait and sit at the bar. Mike starts us off with Buffalo wings and I am super good and only have two out of the 10 that are served. Trust me, I could have easily eaten them all. I stick to water with lemon and decide carefully what to order for dinner. I decide on a chicken wrap and have them hold the tortilla chips and the cheese. Staying focused! I only eat half but that was more than enough to satisfy me, plus I feel like I made good choices.
We run into some friends and hang out for over two hours at the bar. Everyone was drinking and eating and having a great time. I am sticking to my water with lemon – happily! We say goodbye to our friends, walk out the front door and run into my niece and her fiancé. We turn around and go right back to our seats at the bar. Sure enough, another glass of water with lemon! Spent another two hours with them just hanging out. It made for a great night and I didn’t have to give up anything.
Day 98
My legs are killing me. My knees, mostly. I’m sure it’s from all the lunges. Mike tells me to take it easy today and just rest. REST!? No way. I’ll just do something less strenuous. I opt for a three-mile walk downtown. I walk to Walmart and back. It was so breezy and such a nice morning that I didn’t even feel like I was working out.
We do our typical shopping for the week. I love this time of year with all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Sure makes it easier.
I go to the movies with my sister and I bring a small bag of “smart pop” and water. Can’t watch a movie without popcorn, so I opt to bring the kind that is not too bad for me.
This week I will hit 100 days. I have about 25 pounds to go for my FIRST goal. I want to be at OR under 200 pounds for the wedding. That gives me 110 days to get it off. If I stay on the pace I am on now, then I should hit that goal!
