Hello, Team Jillian!

Hey Team Jillian!

Hi, I'm Bill, and since most of you have no idea who I am...enjoy my 30 second biography!  I stay home with our 2 great kids (my boring family blog is Daddy Is Tired).  I used to be an engineer, then when we had kids I started to do programming out of the house, but the older my kids get the less work I get done. I've lost a significant amount of weight 3 times and understand the loveliness that is called stretch marks.  *sigh*  Here are the highlights of my weight loss journey:

1992-1993: I lost 90 pounds by exercising and changing my diet. 
1993-2002: I gained 115 pounds because I got lazy and started eating 2 huge muffins for breakfast and huge chinese burritos (it was in Berkeley, and they were great) every day for lunch.
2002-2003: I lost 115 pounds on Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member.
2007-2008: We moved and I gained 25 pounds.
2008: Very difficult September/October, and I gained 25 pounds in October.
2008-2009: Around Nov. 2008 I went back to WW and lost about 40 pounds by April.  I have around 10 to go, and a little more would be fine.  Kristen's shredheads came along when I was around 36 pounds into it.

I'd like to say this is the last time I'll need to do this, but I've said that twice before and, well...you know.  But this time, since I've started shredding, I'm actually starting to see definition in more areas than just my quads.  I'm beginning to get abs.  ABS!  On me?  Unheard of.  Really, I'm not kidding...I've never even had a one pack, and now in the right lighting with the right pose, it's a two pack!

I want - no, I need - to keep this going for long enough that it becomes a habit.  Publicly showing results keeps me honest, and Kristen's April challenge is perfect for me!  I hadn't really intended to be a team leader, but that only adds to my motivation.  So...April...obviously our plan is to get fit.  How are we going to do that?  Everyone knows it, so sing along with me.  Exercise and diet.

This is a fine time for me to point out that you should check with your doctor before doing any of this.  And if you're breastfeeding or have other womanly issues <*plugs ears, sings "la la la"*> you should ask an expert about what to do.  There, now that I've sort of covered my butt, we'll get on with it.

Since we're Team Jillian, our primary workout will be (duh) Jillian DVDs.  I think most of us have done at least some of her 30 Day Shred.  I'm near the end (you can see my daily 30DS blog here), and have begun adding in her "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" and "No More Trouble Zones" DVDs.  I may check out her older stuff as well, and any suggestions are welcome.  

I'm also occasionally doing Elise Gulan's "Straight to Core" 10 minute ab workout (after doing that I think I know what labor must feel like - ow, stop hitting me, I'm just kidding!).  I'll also check out some of the other Exercisetv.tv stuff as a supplement to Jillian when I either need extra working out (yeah, right) or if my knees just don't want to cooperate.  I know there have been a lot of knee complaints with Shred, and as someone who has dislocated both knees (and both shoulders) numerous times, I highly recommend modifying things that make your knees or any other parts hurt in a bad way.  (And don't wear my $17 Costco shoes - they don't help much.)

As for the diet end, I'm following Weight Watchers and they tend to frown on my giving the exact details of their program online for free.  *laugh*  But there's really no secret - it's all about burning more calories than you take in.  So if you haven't adjusted your diet yet and you feel like you're ready to do that, now might be a good time.  Any cut in calories that you can stick with is a fine change to make...no matter what plan it is.  I know Jillian has a plan on her site, and if anyone is doing that I'd love to hear about it!

So that's it!  We're working on a good way to collect measurements and weights, but for now we can email them in, post them, twitter them, etc.  We'll update team stats weekly, and as far as I'm concerned your weigh-in and measurement day doesn't actually have to be on Wednesdays - just keep it the same day every week.  My WW weigh in day is Saturdays and I'd prefer to just keep one set of numbers, so I'm going to start with my weight from March 28th: 197.6 pounds.  There, it's out in the open.

And here are my start pics.

Me on April 1st.  Hey ladies, eyes up here, okay?

And what team are we on?

If you want to really track your results, we'll be putting together a spreadsheet so we can have team rosters (both Team Jillian and Team Bob). Feel free to enter as much or as little info as you want (for example, if you want to stay anonymous don't enter email addresses or names, etc).  It should autosave it so just enter your data when you close the window. We'll update with the link later!

*If you add just another 10 minutes to your Shred workout, Team Jillian, you can enter the Bodies in Motivation 30 Day Initiative.*

Comments

[Bill]

I forgot to list the measurements I took. I did neck, bust, chest, waist, "muffin top," hips, thigh, calf, upper arm, forearm. Yeah, it's probably overkill, but I'd rather have too much than too little.

[Bill]

Also - I totally didn't mean for that to look like I was saying we're working for me. *sigh* Why don't I read these things one last time before they get posted?

[Count The Skies]

Okay here we go! Here's my picture (eep!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10289625@N08/3403653493/

Weight: 164 lbs
Height: 5'4"
Diet: South Beach - I've been following it for 2 years..lost 45 lbs. Lowest weight was 146. Gained the other 18lbs back in the year I've been married and it's irritating the heck out of me. I'll continue with my SB ways for diet.
Measurements:
Neck: 14"
Chest: 39.5"
Waist: 34"
Hips: 38"
Thigh: 19"
Calf" 16"
Upper Arm: 12"
Forearm: 7"
Jillian: Been doing the 30 Day Shred about 2x a week for 3 weeks. Have done level 2 four times. Just got my position eliminated yesterday (anyone know any open HR jobs in Atlanta?), so now I have way more time than I want to shred.

[Lauri@Getting My Shred On]

This is Day 1 of the Shred for me, first time ever! I weighed in this morning, took some pics and will do measurements tonight (will update my blog with the info).

Thanks for leading us, Bill! I look forward to the accountability and motivation this challenge will bring.

[Pillsbury Dough Mama]

Can I join team Jillian?

I need to take some pics (do I really have to?)

Weight: 200 lbs
Height: 5'2"
Diet: Weight watchers
I started Jillian on Monday 3/30, 2 days so far!

[Brandi]

Team Jillian, reporting for duty! I'm going to do Day 8 of the Shred today. Starting pictures here: http://thinaftertwins.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-cant-believe-im-showing-these.html

Starting Weight: 172.4
Height: 5'5"
Measurements:
bicep 11.75
chest 42
waist 40
hip 41.75
thigh 22
calf 16

[Brandi]

By the way, my stats are from Day 1, but I'm remeasuring Friday. Should I use those as my starting numbers instead?

Also, thanks for setting this up! I had a rough night with my twin babies and was seriously considering crawling back to bed when they nap, but I'm going to Shred instead.

[April]

The hubby and I are for Team Jillian! I'll update my blog with our stats soon (the hubs just woke up). We'll be doing 30 Day Shred, once it arrives, and we're on WW.

Go Team Jillian!

[Vicky]

Hi, can I play??

I wanted to get in on the 30 day shred the first time round but was seriously not fit enough to begin. I've been walking and doing Leslie Sansone walking/jogging DVDs instead for the past month, and started the 30 day shred today.

I've been exercising and dieting (calorie counting) since early October and so far have lost 13.2kg (29lbs) I have about another 10kg to go.

I'll put my stats up later as it's late at night here in Japan and I need to go to bed!

[KariHAMa]

Awesome Bill - you look GREAT!

I'm on Day 9, Level 1 of the Shred, so I'll be doing a "Level 1 Grad" post tomorrow - but in the interest of true April 1 stats (no foolin') here goes:

Height: 5'2 and 3/4, but for purposes of BMI I usually cheat and say 5'3"

Weight: 134.5 pounds this morning via WiiFit, 136 via Tanita scale

BMI: 23.83 via WiiFit

% fat: 31 via Tanita scale

I need to get a flexible tape measure to take some further stats -- but I wear size 29 jeans (getting a little loose) then size 8-12 shirts/dresses depending on the manufacturer (it really varies!)

By way of background, I was up to around 155 pounds in September (it was a really stressful month,) but then started South Beach at the start of October. I still eat using South Beach principles, but am more flexible than I was October through December.

I found success w/ South Beach (I'm down roughly 20 pounds!) but definitely want to become stronger/toned, which is why I started shredding w/ Jillian.

Thanks Bill -- and good luck to everyone -- GO TEAM JILLIAN!

[laura]

the accountability here is the biggest motivator to keep at it. i am impressed with your results, Bill, but i am crossing over to hang out with Bob. Still I look forward to seeing us all continue and look even better. i posted my plan and stats under team Bob's post.

[Bill]

Hey everyone!

Laura - yeah, accountability rules!

Ms. Pillsbury - no pics required. But as someone who's missed out on taking "before" pics and measurements three times, I promise you'll miss them in the future.

[Blondie]

I NEED accountability!

I keep trying to do weight-loss things for myself, but I don't have any accountability and end up failing. I started the shred in March and made it about a week. But I hadn't found this blog yet- hopefully this time will be different!

I will document my shred on my weight blog: http://blondiecountspoints.blogspot.com
Pictures and measurements are there.

I'm joining team Jillian! I'm also going to add 10 minutes each day to do the Bodies in Motion thing. I'm actually considering doing 2 levels back-to-back some days... because apparently I'm out to torture myself.

I think I'm excited about this! I need all the motivation I can get- can't wait to see everyone's results!

[Kate]

GO TEAM JILLIAN!!
I am on Day 10 of Shredding, but not sure if I am ready to move to Level 2. Level 1 is still kicking my arse.
I updated my blog today with stats and pics....

http://boobooville.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-10-shred-complete.html

[Bill]

Kate - welcome to the Jillian side! Your face looks a little dirty in your pics. :) A makeover is a great reward for doing 30 days!

As for moving to Level 2 - after I graduated from Level 1 I switched back and forth between 1 and 2 for a few days, depending on what my knees and muscles felt like. It was a decent way to ease into it. You might want to try that.

[Sarah]

I would love to koin team Jillian, i am starting the 30 day shred tomorrow morning!!http://tooscared84.blogspot.com/ these are my before pics and measurments, yikes! SO SO SO excited about the accountabiltiy!

[Kelly]

Ok I am *just* starting. I actually haven't even started yet because of craziness around here and my husband is leaving next week for the range (military)... but I am GOING TO DO THIS! I have to! I don't have all my measurements yet, but I'm working on it. Hey now, I just had a baby 3 months ago and I'm still breastfeeding so I'm not really wanting to LOSE a lot of weight but I really need some *ahem* tone ;)
Thanks for the inspiration though! I can't wait to see some results!

[tomuchontop]

I just started tonight. I' d like to be on team Jillian.
I also just created my first blog
http://firsttimer-tomuchontop.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all of your pictures. If I can get at least some of those changes I'd be great. I have 4 months left of breastfeeding and need to lose quite a lot of weight (60lbs).

[Motherhood Uncensored]

If you'd like to be included in the sidebar or have your posts linked, please be sure to email them to me.

Unfortunately, scanning the comments takes a bit too much time.

Thanks!

[Ange]

Hi! I don't have a blog but I'd still love to join. Is that ok? I do twitter though - @amandevi. I am so happy that I found this blog, this group of people. I, too, need motivation and accountability. I'm starting tomorrow a.m.

[Bill]

Ange - Absolutely! The more the better!

[Kelly]

Hi! :) I am super excited that I found this. I would love to join in on the fun too. I am on twitter, as well. Posh_librarian. I totally need motivation, and I am starting tomorrow. Got my weights and Jillian Michaels DVD... ready to go! :)