Six Months of Results
So, did you all see it? Me in my bikini glory? Tuesday was my birthday and I finally rocked a bikini for the occasion– the first bikini I’ve ever worn. Exciting? Yes. Stressful? Yes. I might have had a minor panic attack in the wee hours of Tuesday morning that nearly involved getting out of bed to delete my whole blog as if it never existed. But I didn’t. Accountability. I’m willing to let myself down, but random people who I don’t know from all around the world? Well, I wouldn’t want to let them down now would I? That would be a terrible thing.
So, yes, I followed through. And, I intend to post more bikini pictures after partying at the beach this weekend with my friends and family (lucky you!). Until then I have a whole different set of pictures that I want to share with you. The muscle shots.You know, the stereotypical bathroom mirror pictures that only douche-bags take? Yup, I took ‘em (and you’ll have to scroll all the way down to see ‘em). Feel free to judge me right now. Don’t worry though, I kept to myself the one of me kissing my bicep. I might have framed it for my cubicle.
The Numbers
So, you all know that I broke up with my scale, and I’m really happy with how well I’ve been doing about not obsessing over my weight. But, at heart, I’m a numbers kind of girl, so I stepped back on the scale to see how they stacked up:
January 27, 2010:
Waist: 81 cm
Hips: 103 cm
Waist to Hip Ratio: 0.79
BMI: 25.3 (overweight)
Weight: 153.6lb
Body Fat %: 33%
Muscle Mass %: 33%
April 29, 2010:
Waist: 78 cm
BMI: 24.5
Weight: 149.4lb
Body Fat %: 31.3%
Muscle Mass %: 33.8%
July 27, 2010:
Waist: 77 cm
Hips: 102 cm
Waist to Hip Ratio: 0.75
BMI: 24.2 (healthy!)
Weight: 147.4lb
Body Fat %: 29.9%
Muscle Mass %: 34.5%
Body Fat 29.9%, Hydration 48.1%, Weight 147.4lb
Muscle Mass 34.5%, Bone 10.9%, Suggested Calories 1995
So, my goal was to get down to 24% body fat. Big time fail, according to the scale. BUT recall that this is a bioimpedence scale that you step on so the current runs through your lower body and belly where most of the fat is. That’s unlike the hand-to-foot bioimpedence analysis that I had done at the Naturopath in March when I learned that I was actually more fit than my home scale described. I had a body fat percentage of 25% (normal), and muscle mass of 40% (high). So, if I consider my progress since March, I can probably assume that my numbers are slightly below these.
The Strength Gains
Over the past 6 months I have made some pretty impressive improvements in my weight lifting abilities. My strategy was to strength training before cardio, splitting my schedule into 2 upper body and 2 lower body days each week, and lifting very heavy weights for 4 to 6 reps. Check out some of my weight lifting programmes here.
I used this nifty calculator to determine my one rep maximums for just a few of my favourite exercises. I’m most impressed with my new ability to do pull-ups and chin-ups, which I was never able to do before (check this post for tips on how to learn to do a pull-up). Also, with my gains in my squats (no wonder my bum looks so good! see pictures below)
Upper Body
| Exercise | Start: 1 Rep Max | End:1 Rep Max | Improvement |
| Bench Press | 113 lb | 128 lb | 13% |
| T-Bar Row | 100 lb | 129 lb | 29% |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 39 lb | 41 lb | 5% |
| Pull-ups (unassisted) | 0 | 159 lb | |
| Chin-ups (unassisted) | 0 | 169 lb | |
| Dips | 141 lb | 196 lb | 39% |
Lower Body
| Exercise | Start: 1 Rep Max | End:1 Rep Max | Improvement |
| Barbell Squat | 120 lb | 230 lb | 92% |
| Deadlift | 120 lb | 162 lb | 35% |
| Lying Leg Curls | 60 lb | 90 lb | 50% |
| Dumbbell Lunges | 32 lb | 58 lb | 81% |
| Leg Extensions | 133 lb | 162 lb | 22% |
The Visuals
And now what you’ve all been waiting for, here are the dreaded before and after pictures. I only took 2 “before” pics and no muscle shots in January because I really, really didn’t want to take pictures of myself. Here’s what changes I’ve noticed:
- slightly smaller abdomen
- less chi-cha (aka muffin top)
- way nicer bum! holy hell, how much better does my bum look, eh?
- bigger arms
Before
After
Feel free to comment whether you agree or disagree with what I see in these pictures, or, of course anything else you might be thinking.
day 133: the big purchase
The deed has been done.
I bought my first ever bikini.
This might not sound like a big deal to a lot of women whose staple swimming gear is a bikini, but for me it was HUGE. Hell, I’ll be a poser and even call it EPIC.
I brought a paper bag to the mall with me in case I started hyperventilating.
The last swimsuit I bought was back in 2006: a low-cut halter tankini for a trip to Mexico. I felt like even that was too revealing. I’m a speedo kinda girl at heart. But while I was on that I was really happy with how I looked in my swimsuit, because compared to the crowds of typical Midwestern (read: overweight) men and women on the beach, I was svelte. My sister and I even played model and did mock “photo-shoots” on the beach (Did I mention that I was 21 years old at the time, not 12?)
Fast forward to my trip to Las Vegas last year for my sister’s wedding.
I indulged myself in a little too much of this:
So when it was time to lounge poolside, I spent only about half an hour by the pool at Caesar’s completely wrapped in my beach towel surrounded by swarms of gorgeous, slim L.A. ladies (models?) weekending in sin city. It was depressing.
Maybe the key to feeling great is to surround myself with big people on my birthday? But then that would make a party with my friends out of the question.
I know, I know you are all DYING to find out which swimsuit I picked. You’re on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, wondering “Which bikini IS IT that fits her weird wonky hourglass shape?”
Well, ladies and gents, here she is:
No, just kidding!
I would have picked this one but I figured I might steal the limelight from the disco ball (yes, I imagine there will be a disco ball somehow involved in my 25th birthday celebrations)
I actually picked the surfer-style swimsuit. Several of you suggested it, but ultimately it was up to Matt. I had to trust him because, as he said: “I’m a guy. I look at girls in bikinis all the time! I know what looks good.”
Can’t really argue with that logic, now can you?
I only have 7 more weeks until I don this baby. Yikes!
day 124: decisions decisions
So, last night I bit the bullet and went bikini shopping. It wasn’t as terrible an experience as I expected, but that could be because I new I was just browsing and not buying (a decision this big needs second opinions, and possibly thirds, and maybe fourths… you get the idea.)
I took pictures of myself in all the bikinis I tried on, except a couple of bandeaus I tried accidentally (I thought they were halters on the hanger) because, in all honesty, I would be afraid to see that image again. If you want a mental picture, imagine your favourite football lineman in a bandeau. Yeah, not pretty.
Anyway, I sent all the pictures that I did take to my sister Vicki in Chicago for her scrutiny. I’ve left you here with some images of just the swimsuits.
I thought this one was pretty cute. Kind of a ’50s pin-up girl style. The bottoms weren’t the greatest looking on me though.
I really liked the top of this one because it covered up a lot and it had a thick band beneath the cups.
This one was cute. Classic surfer style. I was surprise that the top was flattering since it was the only one that I tried that had no support cups or padding. Matt actually thought this style top looked best on me. The bottoms looked cute with the blue top above too.
I really liked these bottoms. They look so fun! I couldn’t find a top at the store to go with them. (I was wearing a bright yellow bandeau here) Maybe something solid black?? Or a yellow halter if I can find one.
This top was quite flattering. The bottoms were good too because they covered up my chicha (aka muffin top) in the back. I’m not sure they go well together though.
Same top with matching bottoms.
This was another cute ’50s pin-up style one. I really liked the fabric of this one– it was mostly nylon and felt almost water-resistant.
I don’t know that I’ll be able to stomach anymore swimwear shopping but if I do I’ll post more pictures here.
Well, what do you think? I would LOVE some feedback!
day 121: how to fit a wonky shape
I’ve decided that this weekend I’m going to put myself through hell go bikini shopping. (I contemplated putting an exclamation mark at the end of that sentence, but frankly I’m not that excited.)
I’m not a shopping. In fact, I detest shopping for clothes and succumb to shopping rage (think road rage for the emotionally insecure) when I can’t find something that makes me look amazing. I contemplated hiring a high school kid to be my personal shopper and sending her out with a wad of cash and a shopping list of one item: Figure-flattering Bikini. I decided against it since I’d fear for her life when she’d inevitably returned with a swimsuit that didn’t make me look like Kim Kardashian.
So I did some research today to arm myself with the knowledge of what bikini will best accentuate my assets thus avoiding an emotional breakdown in a poorly lit dressing room.
Here are the facts:
Chest: 93cm
Waist: 78cm
Hips: 103cm
(that’s ~ 36″ – 30″ – 40″)
So that basically makes me pear-shaped. That’s cool, I like pears. But this doesn’t really account for the fact that at 108cm (~ 42″) my shoulders are huge (we’re talking 1980s Dynasty huge– but without the shoulder pads).
So realistically, I’m more like a poorly designed hourglass.
According to all the articles that I have been sifting through, hourglasses can wear pretty much any kind of bikini they want. I think I`ll need to tweak that a bit. This is what I want my new bikini to do:
- hide my stomach (not likely in a bikini)
- show off my upper back
- give the ladies a perky lift
- cover my whole butt
- make me look like Kim Kardashian
Is that too much to ask?
This is what I need:
- Thick strapped halter up top help make my shoulders look more proportional.
- V neckline to draws the eyes up towards the bust and the face, away from my belly
- Lower cut legs to cover my butt
Good luck to me, and godspeed.
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