Kelly & Jessica's Journey

M.I.A., I'm Inches-A-Weigh (Jess)

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:22:57 GMT

I've been missing in action for quite a while now. Life got too busy to officially weigh in, I slacked more than I was motivated, but as of today's weigh in I only gained 1 pound. I've lost 7 pounds since started MPMU, bringing my total to 48 pounds lost. The 7 pounds were great, but I still feel I can't get over this hump of a plateau that I've reached. That is why today I joined Inches-A-Weigh. I've read some mixed reviews about it online so was a little hesitant, but after touring the facilities and speaking with the trainers and nutritionists, plus the price, I just couldn't pass it up. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, ya know? I'll hopefully be moving to Australia in January to work as a nurse for a year or two, and want to really change my physical appearance before then. Having scheduled appointments 3 times a week, personal trainers at my side along with the cool machines they use, and a dietitian who I can bug all I want is really more than I could ask for! I'll have to keep you guys posted on this. My first official day if Tuesday. Wish me luck!

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

Spring is in the air (Jess)

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:04:40 GMT

I know I haven't blogged much, and I won't be weighing in until I have access to the scale at work tomorrow night. I got back from Denver on Sunday - the city was amazing, the pediatric conference itself was very informative and good networking going on, I did a lot of walking around the city but we also ate out a lot. It wasn't the healthiest food I could have picked, but it also wasn't fried fast food or anything like that. I made sure to get a salad or veggies with every meal, and I made sure to not overeat, so I didn't order the 12 oz steaks or even 8 oz, etc. Overall, I feel that I gained weight but I feel I could have done a lot worse. So unfortunately I won't be surprised if I have an extra pound or two on the scale tomorrow. It sucks, but in a weird way it's what I need...I haven't had what I consider a bad weigh in for how far along I've come - not gaining during certain weeks is impressive considering the 60+ pounds being lost. So gaining this week, even though I haven't even weighed in, has been a big reality check. I do decent on the diet part, mainly because I've never been a fast food person anyway, and the diet alone has been enough to lose a pound or two here and there. I've struggled with the exercise part, not so much because I CAN'T do it, but because of other excuses lol This week has kicked me in the butt to get back on a really good, consistent exercise routine. It helped a lot that today was an AMAZING day, one of the prettiest days we've had in a while with temps in the 70s. So I drove to the park, power-walked for about an hour and felt really good...and it's not a flat park, it's lots of hills and steps and what not.
Anywho, I've had a lot on my mind as far as life, as always. I'm looking to make big changes in my career this year, possibly relocating, thinking about Philly because they have an aaaamazing children's hospital there, so any opinions on that would be great!

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

schools almost ovvvvver! - kel

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:00:18 GMT

I'm waaaay late in posting this... life's been getting in the way.... I got a test back this week in History which I thought I did really bad on, but I got an AB...(similar to an A-).. and I was one point away from getting a plain A... so I was pretty excited about that.... and I also got a Macro test back and got a B on that.. and a 91% on a homework assignment..... which leaves my grades at A; A; AB; B..... look at me, all studious and being smart at the UW!...

my good grades leads me to my next point, I had my first advisor meeting ever!.. which may not seem like a big deal, but since this is the end of my second (sophomore) year, I fully jump into one major like now.... and I should have been meeting with an advisor every semester to make sure I'm heading in the right direction... I've known I've always wanted to do something businessy... its just there's so many options and different schools you can go through...
Since the actual business school here is super competitive and students average about a 3.4-3.5 to get in, I threw that idea out the window long ago..
when I finally decided that I wanted to become involved in sports management, I decided on majoring in consumer affairs.. (the uw doesn't offer a sports management program)...Even without an advisor the first 4 semesters, my classes are right on and I'm right where I should be (in fulfilling requirements)... she- my advisor - looked at my grades and classes and how I've been doing (my advisor also happens to be on the board to select who gets into the school), and says if I keep doing as good as I have been, I have a really good shot at getting in... which is basically the best news I've heard!...

My stuff is all figured out and finally chosen, and school is over in about a month!.... oh.. I guess I never mentioned how I plan on doing sports management since we don't have it here... Yes, more school.. booo... graduate school....
I haven't really decided where or anything though, so if anyone knows of any good programs, hook me up :) .. ha, kidding

anyways, i did lose a pound... I really havent been "dieting" though... I used to have a couple drinks one weekend night, but I just stopped that.. which I'll give as the reason to why I lost the one pound when I really didn't do anything... I'll be back in like 3-4 days and actually weigh in on time, but since I have an exam on Monday, I'm probably still not going to exercise... look at all my excuses fly!... i just really want to keep my grades up so I can get into my program.

So grown up...not really (Jess)

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:48:44 GMT

I'm flying out to Denver this week for a pediatric nursing conference that I"m totally excited about, first because there are going to be some great speakers and information pertaining to myself and my career, second because I've never been to Denver, and third because not only is it all getting paid for by work but they're also paying me each day as if I were at work - sweet!! The girl I'm going with had a lap band surgery, don't remember how many months ago but maybe 6? She's lost 62 pounds, she's officially smaller than me which I always tease her about. But she'll be good as far as keeping me in line with eating at the conference and not going overboard, so that's cool.
Just curious how everyone is doing post-MPMU? Do you think that knowing the contest is "over," that there seems to be less motivation or pressure, or that there is more? I'm excited because since I consciously made the decision to try to lose weight again before I started MPMU (and including MPMU) I've successfully lost AND kept off 15 pounds, which makes me happy. Even though it's been slow, it's been steady, and even when I haven't lost weight for the week, I've yet to gain one pound back.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

March for Babies! Check it out (Jess)

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:39:17 GMT

So to help boost my exercise laziness, and to support a cause that is close to my heart and that I see a lot of times when I come into work, I will be participating in the March for Babies (formerly March of Dimes) on Saturday, April 27 in Cincinnati, Ohio. My goal is to raise as much money as I can, while raising awareness at the same time. Please check out my personal donation website for more information and to donate online. Every penny really is appreciated!!!!

www.marchforbabies.org/jessicarosern

Walking for great causes is an excellent way to get exercise, enjoy the outdoors, meet amazing people and participate in a great cause. Last year I raised over $2200 for the Breast Cancer fund, it was truly life changing! You should consider joining one of these causes and making a team out of it!

yet another week gone by - kelly

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:24:10 GMT

no gain or loss this week.. just sitting at 196 still...
im back at school, and have a ton of homework to do.
i havent been eating much really.. but when i do eat its not good.
i havent gone grocery shopping yet since ive been back, so all i have here is juice boxes and girl scout cookies..
so i can definitely see where i went wrong this week.
I have class soon so not much time to recap, but ill be back later for more!

up and down 30! - kelly

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:13:28 GMT

30 must just be my lucky number this week!

today i weighed in at 196... thats down 2 pounds from last week, which is great!... 196 also marks my 30 pounds lost... i started losing weight in the beginning of december at 226... so yeah, obviously 30 pounds is a good number!

I'm also out of the 30's!... my BMI that is.. 30+ body fat is just ridiculous for a person my age (20!).. and with the 2 pound loss, I'm in the 20's!... given its 29, but you gotta start somewhere!

and on a final note, i got my hair cut, and I love it!... I'm one of those people that goes from drastic extremes... about 2 years ago I had extremely long hair and chopped it all off and gave it away... this time my hair wasn't extremely long.. but its the longest its been since those 2 years had passed.... and i chopped it and got an asymmetrical haircut where its longer in the front and shorter in the back... I just did that today... and I'm leaving here shortly to go shopping with my mom... so sometime later today or maybe tomorrow ill try and post a picture of my new hair!

I started the treadmill again (which i always do when i come home but stop when i head back)... I've been doing 20 mins per day.... and when i come home, i have more healthy options than at school when i mainly only have convenience foods that dont take long to cook (like easy mac and pasta bowls)... so this is most likely why i hit 2 pounds this week instead of the 0 or 1's ive been hitting for the last month or so.

but anyways... yay!. im in a good mood... im heading to winona, MN on thursday to visit my brother and my nephew.. and then back to school on monday!

gimme a break - kel

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:35:10 GMT

No, not from dieting.. from school!.. I'm finally on spring break, and it couldn't have come any sooner..

I had 2 tests this week, thats why I'm a little behind on posting.. but I'm here!.

no weight lost this week.. i think mostly because i was really stressed with studying. however, for me.. its not getting any easier.. within the next month I have to read a 700 page book and write a 8-10 page paper on it. Conveniently, I have to do an ethnography study and write a 7-10 page analysis on that as well. All within the same time period.. .. lucky me.

On a good note, March Madness is here and the tournment is about to begin!!.... im a huge sports fan, and this is BY FAR my favorite sports season... I'm like a little child when it comes to march madness.... I'm so excited for my Badgers!...

I'm going to try to get back in the habit of exercising now that i have 10 free days.

and on a final note, way to go jess!

3 pounds is amazing this far into it!.. yay you!

Sweeeeet Victory (Jess)

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:33:27 GMT

Alas, finally a weigh in with a number I like. 3 pounds down, perhaps this is the start of getting off my plateau foreal? The best part is that I still admittingly haven't been 100% with the exercise, so I'm doing this on probably 75% diet and 25% exercise. I need to continue to find time to get the exercise in and that will hopefully help. Plus hopefully the new medication I'm on is helping some too. I've been taking it for about a week now and while I haven't noticed too big of a difference, I know it takes time.

Alright, back to work! Hope everyone else is having a great week.

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

sweet, sweet success - kelly

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:29:35 GMT

unfortunately this success isn't on the scale...
but slacking off on workouts and putting all my time towards school alone is actually paying off.

I just got one of my tests back and got a 94.5%.. and I got a project grade back and got a 97%, both solid A's...

I'm super excited.. especially since this is at the university of wisconsin... not exactly a cake walk! I've been working my butt off and my grades show.
Although.. I'm still especially nervous though. This is my sophomore year. After this year is over, I officially declare my major and attempt to get into the school for my major, which is no where near easy.

I also just recently became involved in the American Cancer Societies "Relay for Life" ... if people don't know, its basically just raising awareness and money to help fight cancer... I mean, yeah one of the reasons I'm involved is because volunteer work looks good on my resumes.. but also because in Oct. of 2003, my aunt died of lung cancer... I literally saw her gasping for her last breaths of air... it's really tough, and I still think about it almost every day... so what a better cause for me to become a part of, right?

that's basically what I've been up to the last couple days... eating story is the same old same old... im not eating breakfast or every so many hours... lunch at noon.. dinner at 6... and maybe a snack around 9... yeah, bad job me.....

Down in the Doldrums (jess)

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:38:47 GMT

Another week, another pound neither lost nor gained so I suppose it's a victory of some sort. Went to the doctor, AGAIN, on Monday, my thyroid levels were perfect, my sugar levels were perfect, my blood count was perfect but we redrew them all again to see if anything has changed. My doctor is still stumped about what's going on so she did refer me to an endocrinologist but I don't have an appointment until April. Until then, she put me on Metformin which she said many women with PCOS are put on birth control (which I was when I was diagnosed years ago) to regulate the hormones, as well as the metformin and she said she's surprised my OBGYN didn't start me on it a while ago. So hopefully it will help get the hormones under control, as well as the insulin resistance, and a bonus side effect could be weight loss so go figure. Just frustrated, the diet is still going strong, the exercise is starting to pick up again. My mood has just been so blah.
Anywho hope everyone's week has been going good.

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

end of week 8 - kel

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:26:39 GMT

my goodness i cant believe its been 8 weeks already..
i lost a pound this week... but i KNOW i can do more....my spring break starts in 8 days, so im just pushing with school to get every last project done and study time in....

i went gambling last weekend if i didnt mention it.. made $150.. so thats a plus!... i didnt drink and walked around the casino for about 6 hours.. but thats really the only extra stuff i did....

yesterday i was super productive in homework, but not in dieting.... i finished 2 assignments and 1 project... now all i have left to do before break in 8 days is study for 2 exams, which im really nervous about both... ones on monday and ones on wednesday...

through the 8 weeks of this i've lost 12 pounds and since the start of december i've lost 28 pounds.... i'm really proud of myself.. even though im kinda slacking off right now, im still not gaining it back.. and ive been losing for 3 months... thats almost 10 pounds a month, so I'll take that!

thats all for now!..

Nobody said it would be easy (Jess)

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:18:57 GMT

This will be quick. I've never been so happy and frustrated to not lose/gain a pound for the week. Considering on Saturday night I was 2 pounds heavier than what I weighed in on Tuesday, but like I said on Friday I was 5 pounds less than the last weigh in. Anywho I have a doctors appointment on Monday so I hope to clear things up. Like my partner Kelly, I've found a lack of time and motivation/energy to get in the exercise I need, but my diet has been on point. Just frustrated because I KNOW something is off balance with my body, although last time I had my thyroid and blood sugar checked and they were fine. We'll see, I'll keep you posted.

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

where in the world is carmen san diego - kelly

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:11:47 GMT

I'm just so behind with this that it's ridiculous!..
I've been procrastinating like no other.. putting weight loss on hold....not gaining or losing.. just kinda sitting here.
Now that I'm a month into school, I'm just really losing energy to do anything....
All I do throughout the week is class/homework/studying... so when I actually have free time I never feel like working out..
I've been going to bed earlier and earlier each night....I started the semester staying up til 3.. getting up at 8 for school.. and still working out and not napping throughout the day... now im going to bed at 11/12, not working out... and sometimes still napping..
I'm not trying to make excuses, im just saying that I've really lost motivation..
You'd think already losing 27 pounds would be motivation enough to keep going...

I'm going home today..... random, i know since its the middle of the week....I have a check I have to give to my parents and I dont have class at all tomorrow so I'm just driving home this afternoon and staying til late tomorrow night.... then, this weekend I'm driving 3 hours to visit my brother in Winona, MN...
hopefully seeing family gets me re-energized... because i get homesick once in a while...

my eating.... ive stopped doing the eating every couple of hours things... which is really bad... and I never eat breakfast for lack of time... so there goes my metabolism.... I've just been eating lunch at around noon and then dinner at around 6... maybe a snack at 8 or something.... so yeah, my whole processes is just kinda a joke right now...

I have an exam on Monday.. and I only have one week before I have an exam and a project due... lucky me!..
anyways, im done complaining... going to try to get my eating back on track first.. and then begin to find time to workout again!..
hopefully i'll be checking in more than every 6 days from now on!

Whose body is this??? (Jess)

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:17:16 GMT

I could cry right now, I really could. This has been one of the roughest weeks I've had in quite a long time on so many different levels. On a work level, I've had a heck of a weekend at work. On Friday night, 3 of my 5 patients had sooo much going on that kept me more than busy and then one of them ended up in the ICU because of increasing oxygen needs. It was so tolling on my body Friday night. Then Saturday morning I got home at 8am, went to bed at 9am and then woke up for no reason at 2pm. I had to go back to work at 7pm, and had another horrible night at work. Again, very busy patients that all had something going wrong with them. Come home this morning, go to bed around the same time and randomly wake up at 3pm soooo tired. Here I am at work again, at least I have some downtime tonight, but I am so mentally exhausted I will probably cry if one thing goes wrong. My body is sore like I've spent the past 24 hours working out or something. I am so emotionally unstable it's not funny. My best friend's mother had brain surgery on Friday to try to cure the cancer that she's been battling for 5 years now. Mind you, him and I dated for 5 years so I am very close to his mother so that was rough to deal with on top of everything. Plus still in shock about my friend that suddenly died. And on to the subject at hand...I do not feel like this is my body. I am going to the doctors because I feel like there is something wrong with me. Everyone knows that I have severe hot flashes and sweat alot at age 24. I weighed in on Monday...when I came to work on Friday I weighed myself and I was 5 pounds lighter than Monday so I was super excited about that even though I hadn't worked out really all week. Well I weighed myself at the same time on Sunday, and I was 3-4 pounds heavier. My body weight fluctuates like crazy - not the normal 1-2 pounds that everyone's body does. Top that with the hot flashes, the inability to sleep, and I feel like my body is so out of whack right now. It's frustrating. Anywho I just needed to vent that, I know this was a long blog full of jibberish. And i've still been slacking on my working out because of the way my life and schedule has been, although I've been doing good with dieting.

Alright that's enough. Thanks for listening! I hope every is having a good week.

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

so I'm behind - kelly

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:19:51 GMT

I really haven't been keeping up with posting anymore..
schools getting busy, exams and projects starting..
im not going to lie.. im just getting really tired of worrying about calories all the time of what i can and cant have..

im obviously not going to quit.. just venting my frustrations on how i wish everything in life was easy..
i guess it really just makes you appreciate it more having to work for it..

on a brighter note, my brother and i are planning a trip to a milwaukee brewer game at the end of march!..
its pretty exciting because i love the brewers, but its not for about another month..

other than that, nothing to cool has been happening...

end of week 6 - kelly

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:25:01 GMT

Guess who's rocking the 100's!
oh yeah thats me..
okay... so for slacking off last week and losing 0.. i was hoping for a kick ass number this week.. but instead, i slacked again..
but i did manage one pound!.. so as terrible as i may have done, im going to take the pound and my 199 and run!
still havent exercised a ton...its just so snowy and frickin cold.... and i know obv. dieting alone isnt enough
i'll see what i can do!

I've fallen and I can't get up (Jess)

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:55:35 GMT

Well I have fallen, but I've already got back up...last night I was horrrrrrrrrrrrrrible. Went to a friends jewelry party where there was fatty dips and chips, and then consumed way too much alcohol afterwards. So what did I do today? I weighed myself like a dummy. Well I'm already back on the train thank goodness, but everyone knows I havent done too well the past week with exercise anyway. I've been doing the protein shake, I ended up doing the Meijer-brand french vanilla and it tastes great. I've been drinking that for breakfast, along with eating a kiwi or blueberries or something fruity. I'll eat my regular lunch and dinner, I'll have a snack in between breakfast and lunch and then I've been doing a shake in between lunch and dinner so it's been working good. Also, I got my yoga booty ballet and I've been doing that at home since I haven't felt like going to the gym recently (maybe it's been the weather?) Although that's changing this week since I work Fri Sat Sun I'll be off Mon-Thurs and I already told myself I'm going to the gym IN ADDITION to the home workout. I've invested too much to let being lazy screw it up...my eating habits are pretty under control, it's the exercise part that I'm like uggh.

Alright that's it for now, need to go take care of some patients!

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

the fam is visiting - kelly

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:14:13 GMT

so my brother (who is 1 year younger than me) and one of our friends is coming to stay with me this weekend in madison.... they go to winona st.... so during the school year i only see him about 5 times.. so im pretty excited...
also, the badgers have a basketball game tomorrow vs. minnesota, and my parents are coming up to go to the game... so theyre taking me and my brother out to lunch!... aside from moving me in to school, my parents have only visited me once the whole 2 years ive been in school... so yeah!..
anyways, i feel like i havent posted what ive been eating in a while... so yesterday i had:
3 100 cal. snacks, a pudding cup for 100 cals, an applesauce cup for 60 cals, and 3 grilled chicken strips for 300 cals.....
this time it sounds terrible.. but i have a "good" excuse.... i didnt even wake up in time for breakfast... i was up at like noon.. and i am trying not to snack after 7... so really, i only had not even 7 hours of eating.... and with all the small snacks i had, i was eating a calorie pack almost every hour.. so im gonna say good job to me for once!

my brother is one of those people that can eat and eat and never gain.... he sits down and eats a whole box of cake roll at a time... hes about 6'1 and 160 lbs... talk about a whale, right?

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (Jess)

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:22:15 GMT

Ok so I'm looking for suggestions for a protein shake of some sorts. I've always been a believer of eating every 2-4 hours after consulting with many different nutritionists, books, websites etc and they all recommend eating this often to keep your metabolism up...makes sense. I usually eat about every 3 hours, so I'll eat breakfast and then 3 hours later I usually do one of the 100 calorie snack of some sorts. Well I'm getting really bored of the snacks, and while all the books, nutritionists etc mention protein shakes, I've always kinda turned my head to them because I feel like part of the satisfaction of feeling full is actually chewing. Well I'm looking into giving them a try and am not quite sure which one to go with. Slim fast is the obvious one, although that can be expensive. I was interested in the gigantic things of powder they sell at the grocery store and just don't know which to go with, besides vanilla flavor lol anyone ever try one and if so what would ya recommend? Gracias!
I'm a bloggin' maniac this week! Too bad I'm not an exercise maniac this week. Sounds like my partner and I are kindred souls this week as far as our motivation to workout. No excuses, just haven't felt like going out to the gym. Maybe the new Yoga Booty Ballet kit I bought (thanks for the suggestion Kelly!) will keep me going even when I don't feel like going out in the cold to get to the gym...we'll see!

Nobody said it would be easy Jess

Photo Album: Jessica's Pics

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:44:13 GMT

Jessica's Pics

Nov 07

Aug 07 - In Malibu with my cousins

Aug 07 - My stepdad, mom, myself and my younger sister celebrating my mother beating breast cancer

Late December 2007

My progress - the first "before" picture taken 1/9/2008 showing my nasty side scar!

Photo Album: End of Week 5

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:51:03 GMT

End of Week 5

Jess front, 216 pounds

Jess side, 216 pounds

Photo Album: End of Week 4

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:13:17 GMT

End of Week 4

front - kelly down 2 to 200

side kelly

Photo Album: end of week 3

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:25:00 GMT

end of week 3

kelly - front

kelly - side

Photo Album: End of Week 2

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:13:30 GMT

End of Week 2

kelly front - down 3 to 204

kelly side

Photo Album: End of Week 1

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:16:33 GMT

End of Week 1

kelly - front - down 3 to 207

kelly - side

Photo Album: Kelly's Pics

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:40:11 GMT

Kelly's Pics

Halloween '07

May '07

Sept '07

Badger football game! Sept '07

Jan 5 '07 Before

Before - Jan '07

Blog list: Our Blogs!

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:23:12 GMT

Our Blogs!

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Blog list: Blog list

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:22:42 GMT

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