Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

I'm changing my name to Hayley Ali! JK lol Maybe I was some kind of boxer in another life lol. I say this because I just joined a boxing club. It's all fitness not an actual boxing gym though. But we use hand wraps, gloves, and punching bags. I went for the first time last night and joined right up! For the past 2 months I've been going to kickboxing classes at the gym. I would go 4-6 times a week.  I enjoy them but I want something more. I've always wanted a boxing bag but never had anywhere to put it. After my surgery I even told some people that I wanted to join a boxing gym or get a real kickboxing trainer but didn't neccesarily want to compete or anything. Well I found my fit! Title Boxing Club is focused all on fitness. It was like bootcamp the first half, doing calisthenics like push ups, squat jumps, running with high knees, burpees(hands on the floor, kick legs out to a push up position, then bring legs back towards hands and jump up).

To tell you the truth those scare me haha. I'm always afraid my hands will slip and I'll fall flat on my face. But I still do them. Anyways, the second half of the class is bag work. We put on gloves (hands on wrapped which this makes me a huge dork but I feel so cool wearing the wraps) and start doing rounds of punches. A great stress reliever!! Which I definitely need! Not that I am stressed but I tend to have high emotions so when I'm feeling like I need to punch something, now I can! That kinda sounds bad but we've ALL felt that way, right? I was read somewhere that after this surgery your hormones go into overload. When you lose fat it releases hormones and so since I'm losing very quickly, my emotions are pretty high especially since I've always been a pretty emotional person. I'm going to really enjoy this place. I thought I was going to be extremely sore today but I feel pretty good. Although sometimes it takes 2 days for you to really feel how well your muscles have been worked on so ask me again tomorrow. I was filling out paperwork last night and my hands were shaking. You don't know how hard you hit even with gloves.

I've noticed alot of changes in myself these last 3 months. Obviously physically, but with my confidence and self esteem too. I told my mom this morning how before my surgery I would have never set foot in that boxing club. My self esteem being so low I would've have thought that everyone would be staring at me and thinking why is she here, or laugh, or they would think that I couldn't handle it. I still have those feelings but not nearly as much. The instructor even told me I did well and that he could tell I've done stuff like this before. That I had good execution. Made me feel great and know that I can keep up. It was still HARD but I have so much more energy now that I know I will stick with it. That's another thing I've noticed, that I'm more committed to things. My mom said that and I realized hey that's true. For the past 2 months I've been pretty religious about my workouts. Sticking with it and going everyday when before I would go only a couple times a week and then start feeling lazy and stop going all together. I hate when I miss a workout I feel like I've gained 10 pounds. Weird I know. Also I have committed to becoming a Parklane Jewelry consultant! So get ready for me to be asking you to host a party! HAHA! Don't feel obligated to have one but it I had so much fun at mine and I because I got 10 orders I get $500 in jewelry for FREE! So just something to think about. And there are some great deals for your guests.

Here are my progress pics plus my "boxing" pic with my new red gloves.

Forty, Friends, and Fabulous

I have hit my halway mark for my FIRST goal! I've lost 40 pounds! After this weekend that might not be the case though :(. But I had a good weekend and I work out like a fiend so it'll be ok.

One of my best friends came in town this weekend.  She hasn't seen me in person since before my surgery. We had a good time this weekend. We went to dinner and then met up with another friend, Brian, on Friday. Sorry B I meant to get a picture of us. As yall know I like pictures :). Saturday we met up with Ashley, Shannon, and Lauren at PF Changs. Mmmmm! Haven't had that in a long time. Still pretty amazing how little I eat now compared to how I used to eat. Carla and I shared(which I used to never do I wanted all my food) and we didn't even eat it all between the 2 of us. Sunday we met up with Melinda and Jessica. Melinda is like a 2nd mom to Carla and her step daughter, Jessica, I've been friends with since 4th grade. I always thought it was funny how Carla met Jessica before even knowing Jessica and I were friends and how they clicked as friends right away. So our friendship turned out pretty good in high school.

My sister Heather brought some pictures of my niece Bronwyn and nephew Cooper up to my office today. As I was putting one of the pictures in a frame at my desk I found a picture of me and my other sister Hillary from her wedding. Wow what a difference. I showed it to my cousin Leslie and she said she didn't even recognize me at first in the picture.  I'm also going to post a picture of me and my sisters and Lauren's wedding last October and compare it to a picture of me, Carla, and Jessica from yesterday only because I am in the middle in both pictures. I think its a good comparison.

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS week!

Compare the one above to the one below

And this one is the picture I found from 6 years ago.

Keeping up

 I am down 39 pounds! Come on you pesky little one pounder, let's round it off! Things are going pretty well.  I work out 5-6 times a week doing kickboxing. I've even recruited Hillary to go with me a couple times a week now.

I did something this weekend that I don't think I've been able to do since high school. Drum roll please...I fit into clothes from Old Navy! Clothes from the girl side! Not t-shirts from men's side like usual. Being a big girl my whole life, this is well...big! After going to weight loss camp before my sophmore year I remember trying on some shorts and how they fit really well. I didn't have to squeeze or suck in. It was a very heady feeling for someone who's never been able to go into any store and just pick something out and it fit perfect. But then of course I gained it all back and could only wear men's t-shirts and even then they weren't well fitted. That feeling I had after camp had resurfaced though. I tried on some jeans and a dress.  I didn't get the jeans because HELLO it's August and blazing outside! I'm hoping by the time I need jeans I will have gone down another size anyways. Old Navy has different styles and I only tried on one pair but these were even baggy! It was a good day!

So here's my progress picture in my Old Navy dress.  I still have a looong way to go and I'm sure I look the same in the last couple posts to some of you but to me I notice my back is smoother and I'm losing my tire hahaha.

                                                                                              

                                                     

I feel pretty, oh so pretty. Pretty, and witty, and...YEA!

I've noticed how much I really like wearing dresses lately. Even with such blindingly white legs :).  Before I was just never comfortable, which I know I've mentioned before. But I just feel so much more confident that I feel pretty now! I have lost 36 pounds now and I know it's not an insane amount and only 2 pounds more than the last post but I feel good and I'm moving forward. PLUS I got asked for my phone number by someone who I didn't meet online! Hey that's pretty huge for me. Anyways I'm not going to give any more details just incase in doesn't work out. Just the fact that he asked is HUGE! So here's my 36 pound loss photos.