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. These are her thoughts and feelings shared with you.
Day 113
Playoff game tonight so that means it’s up early and to the gym for a morning workout. I do my usual 30 minute treadmill and head to the back. I work on squats, lunges, core and abs. I work a little longer than usual because I have a feeling I’m going to have to stop for “on the road” food since my son plays in Yuba City today.
Sure enough, the game ends and we don’t get on the road till after 6 p.m. Mitch is starving and he deserves his favorite, McDonalds. I on the other hand am terrified of what I am going to eat. I order their new “Artesian” chicken sandwich. I see its 350 calories but that is with the bread. I remove the bread and just wrap the chicken breast in the lettuce. Good to go! It tasted great and I don’t think it was too bad for me.
Day 114
I hate that damn scale more than anything. I swear it takes weeks for it to move. I am working so hard and being so good and I can’t believe the numbers are just the same three numbers. UGH, makes me want to scream. I can’t give up though, I know it will drop I just have to stay focused and keep working hard.
I arrive at the gym for a workout with Antonio. He starts with compliments of pictures I posted on Facebook on Mother’s Day. He said “honestly, I had to research to see if this was now or years ago”. Made me feel great! He then pointed out a few spots that he thinks I have the potential to get flabby and have excess skin if I continue to lose weight. So you know what that means. We concentrate on those areas. He sets me up with weights for arms, triceps, biceps, and then move to the upper abs. Can you say “Oh my goodness”? It was so hard and I just know I am going to be aching tomorrow.
Before I leave the gym I step on Antonio’s new scale he purchased for the gym. OK, let it be known, I HATE THAT ONE TOO!!!!
Day 115
Day two of training with Antonio. I am so sore from yesterday’s core workout that I can barely stand, sit, or even walk. I warm up and then we get right to work on calves, legs and my booty. It’s a battle just to get through all the drills but I do it and finish with a Stairmaster cardio session.
I get home and cook my new favorite thing, oasted cabbage. I could literally eat the entire head of cabbage. I slice it and put on a baking sheet with olive oil and spices and bake it super-hot for about 20 minutes. Heavenly! A must try. I gingerly work around the house but now not only is more core killing me but my legs and butt are as well. I wince in pain just sitting down. Mike points out that it’s a good pain and all worth it!
Day 116
I am literally out of all my food and have no breakfast to take to work. I’m mad at myself but I have been so busy and we leave tomorrow morning to head to Long Beach to pick up McKenna from college for the summer. I have my normal protein shake at 6 a.m. but then take a protein bar for my 9 a.m. breakfast. It’s been awhile since I have had one of these but it’s basically all I have to eat that is somewhat good for me.
Day three in a row of working out with Antonio. I head to the gym actually afraid of what he is going to put me through today. Whatever it is I know it’s going to hurt! I end up doing all stomach, abs, core and finishing off on the Stairmaster. It wasn’t too bad. I handled it like a champ.
Day 117
Today we wake up at 3 a.m. and hit the road to Long Beach. We stop for breakfast at Denny’s and I order from the “fit and fair” menu. I order the wheat pancakes (wow, so good, haven’t had a pancake in months) and it came with two eggs (I only eat one) and two pieces of turkey bacon. I feel pretty good about the choices I make.
We load up Kenna and head to storage and don’t get a chance for lunch for hours. Its graduation day at USC and there is not ONE place to stop to eat. We go to the dreaded McDonald’s. We all order the grilled chicken wraps. The board states its 360 calories. With no cheese or ranch sauce, it might be even less for me!
Mike and McKenna get on the road for home and Myklyn and I start the packing up of her dorm room. We work for a few hours when I realize I HAVE to get a work out in. I gear up and head out to the campus to go for a walk/run/jog. I set my Nike app so it can record my miles. I end up doing 2.85 miles.
We go to dinner at Freebirds and I order the burrito bowl. I am very conservative with my choices and feel pretty good about what I am eating. Plus it was AMAZING!
We are both so full we decide to go for a walk and it just so happens we walk by CREAM. Ok, so if you don’t know what CREAM is it’s an ice cream and cookie shop. You start by choosing two HUGE fresh baked cookies. They are all served warm and they have the most unbelievable flavors you can imagine. Then they put a heaping scoop of ice cream in the middle of the cookies and smash it together to make a cookie sandwich. OH MY LORD, I could have eaten one of each. Since my birthday is in two days and I have literally been so good and so faithful I decide to splurge. I order a baby scoop of ice cream in a cup and just ONE cookie. It was so ridiculously amazing and at this point — worth it!
Now we are forced to continue our walk and burn off what we just ate. We end up walking ALL over the area and spend more than an hour walking up and down the streets of Los Angeles. It was fun…and crazy to think my daughter knows every street, every housing complex and all the ins and outs of this area and that it’s all so familiar to her. Blows my mind.
Day 118
It’s going to be a LONG hard work day. We get up at the crack of dawn and start the packing, loading, storage trips, loading of the car and the dreaded packing of the suitcase for Myklyn to live out of for the next month. She will be studying abroad in Singapore after stopping in Washington, D.C., for a week. Since I know I am not going to get a chance to work out today I decide to make all my trips on the stairs instead of the elevator. This way I can kind of work out as I go. With all the boxes and the lifting and the loading, it’s just like weights! Sort of!
We get it all done and I say my good-byes and off I go. I hit the road and drive home with my car loaded to the top.
The minute I walk in I head right for the scale. OH MY GOSH…This can’t be?! Please tell me I didn’t just gain 2.8 pounds. How can this be right? Please tell me it’s not. I can barely sleep I am so upset. Do you know how long it took me to lose 2.8 pounds? It actually consumes me and I literally toss and turn all night long.
Day 119
Get out of my way, it’s on! I can’t believe I have only two days before weigh-ins and I have actually gained almost three pounds in two short days. I hit the floor running. I start by making a good healthy breakfast. I cut up a watermelon and I unload the car from yesterday.
We do our regular weekly shopping at Costco and then Savemart and I leave it for Mike to put all away while McKenna and I hit the gym. We end up spending 75 minutes there and I introduce her to my daily routine. We warmup then hit the dumbbells, the medicine ball, the resistance bands and the floor mats for some ab work. I think she is pretty impressed with her mom and how far she has come. We finish off on the treadmill and call it a night.
We get home to tri-tip, sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli. SO GOOD!
I hit the sheets exhausted…long weekend and a depressing weekend when you think about the 2.8 pounds that crept on so fast. This is so not fair.
Tonight is the last night of my “middle 40’s”— tomorrow I am officially in the “late 40’s” category.
