Our 'Before & After' Pictures!

Hi again! 

Here are our Before & After shots --- just check out all these amazing transformations! Way to go, ladies! 

These shots & the rest of the 'after' shots have been added to the 'before' pictures on snapfish.com so if you'd like to check those out, just click here: SYJ Oct-Dec 2011 photo album 

Love, Faith

Total inches lost!!

Ladies,

Drum roll please. :) .................. In total (still have one more person to measure) our group lost a total of 75.5 inches. This is 6.29 feet!!! That is absolutely amazing and what a cool visualization!! Good work!

Happy New Year!

Ladies,

Saturday was so exciting for me.  My hopes in creating this program were to help each of you become healthier and happier and while doing so lose some extra pounds.  I couldn't be happier with the results-  I'm so excited for each one of you to start 2012 off happier and healthier than you were in 2011.  I've grown close to each one of you in different ways and for this I'm happy, thankful, and determined.  I'm excited to continue my program and thanks to all of you SYJ is off to a GREAT start.  Faith with Lola Bonita Photography is working hard to finish the before and after photos and I cannot wait for you to see them.  Great job ladies--- I look forward to 2012 and the continuation of friendships with each and every one of you!
Much Thanks to you all,

Sierra

Our 'Before' Photos

Hi all!

Here is the album of 'before' photos I took at the Surrender Your Jeans Launch Party on October 1st, 2011.

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7742511008/a=26181259_26181259/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
 
I am currently editing the 'after' pictures & I'm so excited to get them done because I'm going to create side-by-side shots for each of you! As soon as I'm done with them, I'll post them to this same album & notify you all when they're live.

You can order any of the photos for printing that you'd like through snapfish & have them sent to your home or you can copy & save them to your computer.

Congratulations to everyone!

Faith

The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.

Read more:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/health_2.html#ixzz1hDQhnlpe

Sent from my iPhone

www.surrenderyourjeans.blogspot.com

Final Weigh In

Hi Ladies,

I was wondering when we are doing our final weigh in? I know it ends on the first but I was thinking Saturday the 31st might be easier??? Thoughts?

Week 12 Challenges

Week 12 Challenges:  12/18/11

1. NO SWEETS 
2. No eating after 7pm unless you have medication that requires it.  Water and a Apple or Grapefruit are an exception.
3.     NO Fried foods (this includes chips because they too are fried)
4.   No white carbs (bread, pasta, and rice)
5.   No alcohol
6.   Keep your meals @ 400 calories.  
7.   Control portion sizes ahead of time:  make snacks the night before 
8.   Work through your crucial moments so that you make good food and exercise choices
9.   Stretch for 5 minutes every day.  (when you get out of bed  is   the BEST time to do this) 
10.   RUN/WALK/BIKE/ELLIPTICAL 12 miles this week.  PLAN this out ahead of time.
11.   60 crunches a day, 25 reverse crunches
12.   75 squats a day
13.   40 push ups a day
14.   60 seconds plank on elbows, 30 seconds side plank on each side.   (2x)
15.   50 back rows ( this is very important for your posture )
16.   Keep reading--- must be inspirational (Post your book and how it inspires you on     the blog)

**************Focus this week on the no eating after 7pm rule****************

Week 11 Challenge! December 11, 2011

Ok Ladies-- We have 3 weeks left and I'm very excited for our "try on your pants" party!

I am not handing out a challenge card but I am challenging you....   For those of you that came to class today you left with 7 note cards.  For those of you who were gone it is up to you to find or make 7 note cards (3x5)   You are to use 1 note card per day.  

What do you do with your notecard:   designate one side for exercise / movement and one for food intake.
You are making your own rules up this week but here are the guidelines....    I want you to make an effort to get some kind of exercise in daily.  You can choose to continue following week 9's challenges or you can make up your own.  The more you have on you card the better :)  (yes this is a contest and whoever comes to class on Sunday with the most filled out and impressive cards will win a prize)
The food intake side should be a  log of your daily intake including how much water and hours of sleep you had.  YOU MUST remain between 1300-1400 calories.. NO MORE than this unless you are out running laps all day :)

Here is the fun part.   If you track everything and end up with great results this week than you have created an entire week worth of workouts and menu plans.  It will be in your words, your foods, your exercises, etc...  
Note:  if you feel amazing one day you have all the details written down. :)  
You never know you may create a winning card that could be shared with each other.  Be creative and try out some new recipes.

If you have a friend following along be sure they get this and join our contest.  They can come to class for free This Sunday!  

 Remember this is a contest so put some time into writing everything down and push yourself to move more.
These cards could be a valuable tool for you in the future-    


xxoo
Sierra :)

Go Sierra go!!!

Hope you had a great race!

What I saw this morning while running

Ladies,
Not sure if you can see this clearly but while running this morning in San Fran I ran by this McDonalds. The line wrapped all around the building!!! Makes me Sad, angry and yet so thankful that all of you are not part of this! Thanks for that :). Xxoo. Off to Vegas now :)

I'm here, I'm here!

Oh boy ladies!  These autumn months are crazy and now with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas upon us, there are more reasons to say to ourselves that we should just wait until January for fitness goals, right?  WRONG! 

I just spent the last two weeks with family in town, staying at my house, and while I love them dearly, it completely rocked my routine.  Prior to their arrival, I had a good thing going and then it all sort of went by the wayside.   I was able to still make good food choices and fit some workouts in, but it wasn't my best and now I'm a bit down on myself for it. 

So, while drinking my morning coffee today and trying to mentally recover, I've decided to recommit myself.  As my oldest son told me at breakfast, "there are 26 days until Christmas mom", which means there are 32 days until our Surrender Your Jeans challenge is over!  That's 32 days of workouts, healthy foods and days for feeling great! 

Let's pledge to make today another fresh start!  Maybe some of you didn't fall down recently like I did and that's fantastic.  Congrats to you!  We owe it to ourselves and to Sierra who is working so hard to help us reach our goals!

Stefanie

My girls finished a 5k with me on Thanksgiving!  

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Surrender Your Jeans: Week 9 Challenges: 11/27/11

Surrender Your Jeans: Week 9 Challenges: 11/27/11: Week 9 Challenges: 11/27/11 NO SWEETS No eating after 7pm unless you have medication that requires it. Water and a Apple or Grapefruit a...

Week 9 Challenges: 11/27/11

Week 9 Challenges:  11/27/11

1. NO SWEETS 
2. No eating after 7pm unless you have medication that requires it.  Water and a Apple or Grapefruit are an exception.
3.     NO Fried foods (this includes chips because they too are fried)
4.   No white carbs (bread, pasta, and rice)
5.   No alcohol
6.   Keep your meals @ 400 calories.  
7.   Control portion sizes ahead of time:  make snacks the night before 
8.   Identify your crucial moments:  look at your typical day and find the moments or times when problems occur- when you overeat or skip a chance to exercise.  These moments will be part of our focus this week. 
9.   Stretch for 5 minutes every day.  (when you get out of bed  is   the BEST time to do this) 
10.   RUN/WALK/BIKE/ELLIPTICAL 10 miles this week.  PLAN this out ahead of time.
11.   50 crunches a day, 25 reverse crunches
12.   50 squats a day
13.   35 push ups a day
14.   60 seconds plank on elbows, 30 seconds side plank on each side.   (2x)
15.   50 back rows ( this is very important for your posture )
16.   Keep reading--- must be inspirational (Post your book and how it inspires you on     the blog)

Week 9 Focus:  11/27/2011

Critical Moments: I want you to focus on looking at your patterns throughout each day this week.  The strategy is to map the flow of your day and then look for critical moments or times when you overeat, skip a chance to exercise, or sit for more than 1 hour at a time.  Once you have found these moments we need to create rules or necessary behaviors to follow during those high-leverage moments.  A necessary behavior is one that helps prevent the problem to begin with.    

Sleep:  Did you know that it is easier to lose weight if you have more sleep?  Not enough sleep increases cortisol levels in your body which make it difficult for your body to burn fat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very happy and festive day.  I'm very thankful for having the opportunity to work with such a great group of ladies.  You are all amazing and I look forward to helping you become healthier, happier, and fit!

Thank you,

xxoo Sierra

Thanksgiving week 8 challenges

Thanksgiving Week 8:  11/20/2011

This week the goal is to stick to your exercise routine and eat small portions--  see the notes below for some helpful tips to get through this week!  

• 1 Reduce or avoid alcohol. This can save you a lot of calories
• 2 Eat before going to a holiday party. You'll be less likely to fill up on sweets and high-calorie appetizers.
• 3 Keep up your exercise challenges. It will help you maintain your weight, give you more energy and allow you to deal better with holiday stress.
• 4 Bring fat-free or low-fat dishes to potlucks.  Encourage others to do the same.
• 5 Arrive at mealtime for a dinner party and avoid before-dinner drinks and appetizers.
• 6  Replace sweets with healthy holiday snacks such as fruit baskets and nuts in shells. They look just as festive and are healthier.
• 7 Attend only the parties you really want to go to. You'll save a lot of calories - and time.
• 8  Simplify the meal if you are cooking. Serve raw vegetables with a dip for an appetizer, a low-fat main course with one or two vegetables, and a fruit and low-fat cheese platter for dessert.
• 9 Set realistic goals. At a holiday dinner or party, indulge in some goodies, but eat smaller portions. Have only one glass of wine or Champagne. Take half a slice of pie.
• 10 Avoid skipping meals before a big holiday meal. You don't want to arrive starving and then gorge yourself on sweets and other unhealthy fare.
• 11 Use moderation and relax. If you break down and eat a high-fat dessert, just go easy on what you have the rest of the day or cut back a few calories tomorrow.
• 12 Drink lots of water

Bloggers?? where are you?

BTW.... Where are all the blogs?  :)   Tell us how you are doing so you can inspire one another and hold each other accountable.
Those of you that have had others surrender their jeans to you-- How are your friends doing?

What to do when the scale isn't moving

Ladies,

Here is a good article for those of you that might feel like they have reached a plateau.  Just remember if you are not loosing weight you may need to change something up.  Energy in Vs. Energy out....  What we really care about is what your body composition is doing and this sometimes is not reflected well by use of the scale.  Hang in there and focus on your food intake as this is CRUCIAL in order for you to reach your goals.
www.webmd.com/diet/features/10-ways-to-move-beyond-a-weight-loss-plateau

Sierra :)

Week 7 Challenges and Focus!

Week 7 Challenges:  11/13/11

1. NO SWEETS 
2. No eating after 7pm unless you have medication that requires it.  Water and a Apple or Grapefruit are an exception.
3.     NO Fried foods (this includes chips because they too are fried)
4.   No white carbs (bread, pasta, and rice)
5.   No alcohol
6.   Keep your meals @ 400 calories.  
7. PLAN your meals & snacks ahead of time.   
8.   Stretch for 5 minutes every day.  (when you get out of bed  is   the BEST time to do this) 
9.   RUN/WALK/BIKE/ELLIPTICAL 9 miles this week.  PLAN this out ahead of time.
10.   50 crunches a day, 25 reverse crunches
11.   50 squats a day
12.   25 push ups a day
13.  60 seconds plank on elbows, 30 seconds side plank on each side.   
14.  Keep reading--- must be inspirational (Post your book and how it inspires you on the blog)
15.  Drink 1 full 12oz glass of water before each meal.

Week 7 Focus:  

Cardio:  Be sure to get your weekly miles in but do your cardio with an extra shot of energy.  Go into this week ready to sweat and challenge yourself to walk, run, bike faster than you did this week.  Do not skip your daily exercise routines-- Just do it!

Water:  More water and less of everything else.   Could you only drink water (and lots of it) this week?  Drink 1 full 12oz glass of water before each meal.

Lentils

Hey ladies,

Check out today's paper (Oregonian food section). There is a great article about lentils and how great they are. Try one of the recipes! Just think how much money we would save if we ate more legumes for our protein source-- not to mention how good for us it would be!

Sierra