i gained a lot of weight during all three of my pregnancies. i’m one of those who have a yo-yo diet. my weight fluctuates all the time and it drives me crazy. when i work out, i feel great and have more energy. i was working out right before i got pregnant with alex and was 126 lbs.

when alex turned 5 months, i was 149 and it was depressing. nothing fit me. i saw some of the photos of us at my little sister’s birthday and i said to myself, that’s it! i need to start losing some weight. on january 8th, i eased slowly back into in exercising. i started with a 30 minutes work out each day, alternating between cardio and strength training. after 1 week, i up my workout to 1 hour. my two staple workouts are slim-n-six by debbie siebers and shape bikini body camp transforming workout. i workout to the “burn it up” phase 3 which is 59 minutes long and the cardio and strength in shape’s which is 60 minutes. i have own these two dvds forever and love them!

i also cut back on rice – i’m only eating rice on special family occasions and minimize my meat intake. so far it’s working little by little.

in 3 months, i lost 10 lbs – i weight in at 139.2 as of this entry. i can fit into some of my old pants, and no longer wears my work clothes that i bought when i went back to work. my tummy and sides doesn’t bulge so much and that has really encourage me to keep going.

i still have a ways to go. i really really hope to lose another 10 lbs by june but i’m optimistic and will take whatever i get. i also love varieties and like to incorporate different workouts to challenge myself.  along those lines, i ordered 2 new workout videos that i saw in fitness magazine from amazon. they are here today and i can’t wait to test them out. i love a good sweating workout.

these new videos are personal training with jackie: power circuit training and weight loss cardio kick. according to fitness magazine’s “best workout dvds of 2009“, you’ll burn about 128 calories per 15 minutes circuit with jackie and 171 calories per 20 minute routine with the cardio kick.

you know, i don’t feel comfortable using the palmer’s cocoa butter all the time and so i stumbled upon some products from bella b that’s supposedly all natural and very safe for pregnant women. of course, i bought some to try so we’ll see how they work when they arrive on monday.

click here for a special on bella b’s tummy to toes lotion – $2.99 plus shipping

i swear, when i was reading the description of this product, i felt like it was made for me. i got melanin from my last pregnancy and have been wearing sunscreen a lot this time around to hopefully prevent more from forming on my upper cheekbones. $12.75 from amazon.

i needed thing to replace the palmer’s that i’m using. since palmer’s got a bunch of ingredients in there, i’m just hesitant about using it everyday, kwim? if i like this, i’ll be ordering more. $15.01 from amazon.

i bought this to try from the learning curve special they’re currently running. otherwise, i would have pass. will see how it works. $2.99 plus shipping from learning curve.

i also found out that you are not suppose to use certain products while pregnant. yikes! i’m breaking out like crazy and was using olay’s age defying night cream for 2 days and stopped because it contains beta alpha hydroxy. see more of what not to use from babycenter.

thankfully, i usually stop taking care of my face because i get too lazy with my pregnancies. LOL i just got back into the skin care routine and am using zia’s products.

on a side note, i gained about 27lbs and counting. *sigh* but that’s okay. i’ll work out (hopefully) and lose some of it afterwards. i’m carrying this baby very low and have a lot of back pains and sciatica. i know how an 80 year old woman feels. i’m so stiff sometimes i can hardly walk. my baby is moving and kicking me so much!! sometimes, very early in the morning, he’s already kicking me and i’m hardly awake yet. then at night times, i’m trying to go to sleep an he’s still moving around. i just love to hear the baby move. i find it all very fascinating.

you know how i always go on and off with my work out routine?? i started working out a month ago and while my weight hasn’t really went down, my clothes fit so much better now, if that makes sense. plus my tummy is not hanging over my pants as much anymore!

here are what’s in my routine at the minute:

1) Prevention Belly Butt and Thigh – i ordered this through gaiam as part of a 5 item package for $5 and it’s ab-solutely one of the best purchases i’ve made in a long time. it’s fun, works and the quickest 10 minute routine of your day. trust me. it’s got 3 ten minute works, 1 each for belly, butt, and thighs.

2) Shape Bikini Body Camp – 3 30 minute workouts that include cardio, strength training and skills and drills. the cardio is just awesome! it’s not easy so i ease into it when i’ve been working out for 2 weeks. the last 30 minute session is a a bit of everything and my favorite.

i don’t even drink coffee much, just the occasional cup when i need a wake up call and i stopped that. now it’s only water and tea. i’m eating more vegetables and feel so much better. it’s times like this that i feel so very good about myself. i only wish for the motivation to continue on. hey, even james noticed and is motivating me on. maybe that’s all i need.

i placed an order at victoria secret a few weeks ago and think i may become an addict. i just place another order a few days ago and i can’t wait to receive those. it’s mostly shirts but i really like them. i almost place another order yesterday for a summer dress but stopped myself. items are still in my cart…i need to stop visiting that site.

today is my 10th straight day of exercising and the pounds are really starting to roll off!

i am loving it and am hoping for this motivation to keep going at least for another 2 weeks! in total i’ve lost 3.8 pounds and i feel great! i cut back on all sweets and sodas (not that i’m a big fan of those anyway) and no eating after 6 pm. a little snack is all i have if i feel i’m starving.

4.8 pounds more to go until i get back to my pre-jaelynn weight. this feels wonderful!!!

i got a lil bonus so i went and treat myself – i got more swim wears at target. they were on sale too. the ones i got a while back from newport-news were too small. bummer. now only if i can get to that small size 4…

i got the orange polka-dots top and the white top with pink straps instead of green. they fit much better and enhances the bust for small-boobs women like me. didn’t get any bottoms except for a cover up. maybe when i get skinny enough or feel suddenly brave, i’ll post pictures. LOL

faith’s 4th birthday is coming up next month, on the 24th of june. i talked with james about doing something different for her instead of the usual birthday party at home. and we’re looking at spendig the day at raging waters! it used to be one of the six flags waterworld park but it was sold and just open this summer! the rides look very fun too!

and since they have a special now until june 31st, if you buy a full price ticket at $29.99, you can exchange that for a season pass! WOW WOW! so that’s our plan – just spend a day at raging waters!

did i mention i’m wearing contacts now? i’m using acuvue oasys and love it! it’s very comfy, and i don’t even notice it’s there. hence the reason why i sometimes sleep in them. *uh oh*

and i don’t know if it’s possible, but since i’ve started working out 4 days ago, i’m down to 131.6 lbs on my digital scale. and yesterday i weight myself and it was 131.8. now if only i can keep that up until i go to tahoe…. those cardio workouts seem to do it.

so i’ve been lagging off with my exercises for a month now. and i’m back at the dreaded 133lbs! *yikes*

with only 3 more weeks to go until james and i go to tahoe, i need to lose those 3 pounds, seriously. so i made myself exercise again – and i’ve being doing it for 3 days now…yes!

it feels so good to start working out again – i give myself anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or so. i have so much more energy when i work out and get less tired. the best thing? i count calories and eat much much less than if i don’t work out.

that’s because when i work out, there’s no way i’m going to stuff myself because hey, then all my hard-work will go to naught. and i eat less sweets.

faith and i went jogging this morning. it was a nice outing for both of us. and we took a picture – it’s from my camera so it’s not the greatest quality but we had fun.

—-> that picture of me to the right is taken with my phone too. i’m currently watching “goong” and it’s pretty cute. it was very dragging at first so i have to really make myself watch it. but it’s nice. the friend of the lead actress looks like a dead-ringer for a younger song hye kyo. she was super super pretty, much more so than the lead actress, even with the glasses on. anyway, i went into that “goong” explanation because the actress in there was doing the peace sign everytime the paps took her picture so it kinda got to me and there i am —> with the peace sign. LOL

friday again! i went in to weight myself and i am 132 lbs right on the dot! awesome! i hate seeing that 133 all last february!

i have my eye appointment today, my 2nd since over 2 years ago. my prescription changed; of course. my first perscription was a -1.25, now it’s -1.75. i guess i’ll have to get it fill at costco. i’ll thinking of getting a fitting for contacts; i’ll love to try the new acuvue oasys.

i’m a product junkie as you can tell. a few days ago, i went and got the burt’s bees orange facial cleanser. i’ve use it about 3 times and really like it. it takes off the make up and cleanse without drying my already dry face.

i was also on the lookout for a sunscreen or moisturizer with sunscreen. i saw that ulta have the juice organics products at their store, which is the not-as-concentrated-and-expensive line as juice beauty. i went and got the light tinted moisturizer with spf 30, all organics for about $8 out the door after an $8 savings. i love it so far. i use it everyday under my mineral make up. it’s a very light tint, almost invisible which is perfect.

in addition to the moisturizer, i also got the apple exfoliating peel from the same line, juice organics. it smells nice, not as nice as the moisturizer but still nice. i’ve only use it once and it wasn’t harsh on my skin therefore i can continue using it. mostly, masks and peels are to harsh for my weak skin but this one’s fine.

i’m also looking forward to trying this all natural yummy skincare line called bella lucce.