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 148

HERE WE GO, week 22. I get to the gym by 4:50 a.m. and get right to work on my legs. I do 6 machines, 3 reps of 15 on each and then move to the back for lunges, squats, box jumps and air squats. I finished with a few crunches. I could tell I was going to be sore later in the day with how many squats I did. Yep, I was right. OUCH! I head to work early and I leave at lunch time to go to Mitch’s game. Before leaving I make myself a chicken salad wrap on wheat tortilla with avocado and spinach. SO GOOD! For dinner I throw some leftovers together for a quick dinner and we all head out to see Jurassic World. It is the first time I buy popcorn since starting this journey. I order the large since the whole family is there, but I pour about 1/3 of the bag into a box for me. I allow myself to eat just what was in the box. It was the perfect amount and I didn’t overdo it. 

Day 149

Did you see it? The HUGE picture of me on the front page of the Manteca Bulletin? Wow, I seriously can’t believe I ever allowed myself to be photographed in that hideous green shirt. At the time, it was all that fit! It’s almost unbearable to see that picture of me from the start of this journey. My mom pointed out that seven months from now, I will be in a bikini on the front page. JUST TO LET YOU ALL KNOW —that will not be happening. It sure sounds great, and it actually sounds fun but let’s be realistic, ain’t nobody want to see that! Oh wow, is my butt hurting. The race, the workout yesterday and now up early to do it again, I am hurting! It’s a good hurt though so I just push on. I start my day with 5000 strides on the elliptical. I have never done this many, the most I have ever done is 3700 strides. Today I push it and get to 5000. I’m sure if you saw me, you would think I was a freak. I crank up my iPod with “Uptown Funk” and “Cupid Shuffle” and just rock out. I seriously can’t control myself when upbeat music turns on. I just want to dance and shake it. Since I’m on the elliptical all I can do is shake my booty and swing my arms. I’m sure the folks around me must be wondering “what the heck is she doing?” Oh well, seems to be working cause I can get further and sweat more! I move on to the treadmill for the last half hour. I would say it was a good workout. Let me tell you one of the best things about losing weight is having CLOTHES to wear again. Cute clothes, dresses, high-heels, all that stuff that have been in my closest just waiting for me to be that size again. LOVE IT! Makes me feel great. I load up my lunch box with a great lunch, salad, chicken and peppers and an apple. Tonight we barbecue tri-tip, roast some Brussel sprouts and toss a salad. 

Day 150 

It’s going to be a crazy day today. Up early and at the gym before 5 a.m. I do arm, chest, and back. I am hoping to come back later today for cardio. I am having Antonio withdrawals. I haven’t seen him in a week and he keeps me focused and on a mission. With baseball, appointments and today my daughter having surgery, I haven’t been able to meet with him all week. I hate it but it’s entirely my fault, just a crazy week. I only have a couple days before the five month weigh in and honestly, I am not looking forward to it. The scale never moves, I just pray I have lost inches. Hopefully the weight is turning into muscle and that’s why it’s staying the same. 

I can’t believe I have gone 150 days straight. I am proud of that. I have heard it a million times that my body needs a rest but I’m not ready to give in to that concept. I want to keep pushing since I know with summer and vacation; I know there will be days that I don’t work out. So for now, I will just keep going to the gym, hitting the machines and working hard!

Day 151 

Yesterday was miserable. I was literally at the hospital for more than 10 hours. I had lunch at 2 o’clock (Burrito bowl) but nothing after that. I know that is the worst thing for me but I really had no choice. I was up most of the night with my daughter. She had to have her bandages changed every hour and then her meds every four. Needless to say there wasn’t much sleep. When my alarm went off, I really thought about just skipping the gym. After debating, I realized I can’t give in now. I have to go. I arrived early and decided to just veg-out on the treadmill. Not the best workout, but I ran the majority of the time and made it three miles. Not bad for just a couple hours sleep. I snuck out the door as to not wake anyone and left without my normal breakfast routine. I stopped at McDonalds and ordered one scrambled egg, 2 pieces of bacon and a coffee. Should be enough to get me through the morning. Worked a half a day and then came home to take care of Myklyn and welcome my mother in law from Ohio. I made a turkey, avocado and flat bread sandwich. Hit the spot. For dinner it was barbecued ball steaks, asparagus and cabbage salad. Crashed early to bed.

Day 152

Up at 4:40 and out the door to the gym. Quick warm up and then to the back for abs, arms, and squats and lunges (my favorite….NOT). Back to the treadmill for the last 20 minutes. Tomorrow morning is weigh-in. Today is officially the end of five months. I have seven months left to hit my goal. I am trying not to get freaked out about the scale and what it will say tomorrow morning. I have stayed off of it for the past four days. It never moves anyway so why keep looking at it. I am hoping more for loss in inches and then I will know that I am turning to muscle and all this hard work is getting me somewhere. 

Day 153 

I wake early and for the first time in a week I get on MY scale. I am pleased! Naked, I am at 215.6 on MY SCALE. I feel great about that for a change! I get dressed and head to the gym for my weigh ins. On the “light” scale, I am at 211 pounds.  In my heart, I know that its light and I can’t really go by that). I get on Antonio’s “new scale” that he bought a couple months ago. The one I feel confident is closer to my scale. With clothes and shoes on, I feel pretty good. Getting closer to that “first goal”. I have 57 days to drop roughly 15 pounds. I am confident I can do that. The measurements aren’t so great but Antonio assures me I am doing remarkable and we are right where we should be. He is always so complimentary and motivating and always makes me feel like I’m doing awesome. I have such a busy weekend and with family in town from out of state and my daughter recovering from surgery and my niece’s bridal shower. I try to just focus on getting in a hard workout the next couple of days. I know all the food is going to be tempting today at the shower so I up my game and do a full four miles. I mix it up and do incline, fast, slow, etc. I now feel like I can splurge a little today. 

Day 154 

17 years ago today I delivered my third child and my one and only son. It was Father’s Day morning. Here we are 17 years later and I’m STILL trying to get that baby weight off. I hit the gym right when it opens and plug in my music and get to work. Hands down the hardest I have ever worked on the elliptical. I did almost 8000 strides, five full miles and did it all in 52 minutes. If the fan wasn’t directed right at me, I would have sweated off the machine and onto the floor. We have a family barbeque for Mitch’s birthday and Father’s Day. Mitch got to pick the meal. Tri-tip, roasted broccoli (love it, we are converting him to healthy eating), sweet potatoes, three different salads and the dessert…Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. How can I pass that up??? I do, and serve my guests and pass it up. I’m getting stronger by the day.