Welp, here I am. This is me (about a week ago). I snapped some body part pics to get a good idea of my progress for the Bikini Body Challenge. The camera pretty much tells the dang honest truth.

I’ve been working really hard since the Challenge started back in February. I’ve gone from size Medium to size Small in tops, and my overall healthy living disciplines have been refined. I learned that the disciplines you develop over time are what bring about major, lasting change – not willpower.

So back to the pic: I still have some trouble zones that need fixin’ (my stomach and inner thighs), but the body transformation is on course and getting done! I’ve gone from annoyed with the idea that my stomach and inner thighs in particular would NEVER deflate, to right NOW, where I’m estatically excited that, yes, those areas and can and do lose the fat as I remain consistent in my healthy disciplines.

For those of you who committed with me, I hope you’ve stayed the course because we’re not done just yet. July 1st is my complete bikini reveal, and I will also soon select a grand prize winner of the Body Transformation cash prize of $200.

For those of you who did NOT commit to the Challenge, these 4-months have gone by anyway. Just like the next 4-months will. And the next 4 YEARS after that. Just imagine where you could be today had you started with me back in February??

Look at where I was a few years back before I started doing anything healthy…..

…and me again right now (just for dramatic effect).

…and I’ve birthed 4 child-spawns. Remember that little tidbit?

Although I’ve still got some fat burning and muscle toning to accomplish in this second half of this year, my bikini has been purchased and I’m gonna be rockin’ it just like I decided I would back in February.

Decide where you will be in the days to come. Then make it happen.

Is it just another gimmick to exploit the healthy-eating desires of all the peoples? Is it a scam, like when that door-to-door slickster sold me that futuristic $1,700 vacuum cleaner I didn’t need? (gah! I was such an idiot back then).

Are Kellogg’s Brown Rice Krispies a gullible waste of a purchase?

Emmm. No.

First off, the ingredient label reads like a preschool party: Whole grain brown rice, sugar, 2% or less of salt, BHT for freshness. So ya, it really is delivering up some brown rice glory with its golden color and crispy texture that’s bolder than the regular kind. Some of the cereal bits even have that dark brown line that you see in raw brown rice.

You need to be feeding this to your greedy spawns, because they won’t know the difference compared to the regular stuff. It tastes exactly like the original, but with brown rice and gluten-free benefits (if you need that).

Parenting Tip: If your know-it-all kid (eh-em, Greedy Kid #1) decides to bitch about brown rice cereal without even tasting it first? Go tell them to buy some cereal with their own damn money.

BROWN RICE NOTES

• Price Paid: $2.99 on sale for 12-ounce box
• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 120
• Fat Calories: 10
• Total Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 190mg
• Carbs: 27g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugars: less than 1g
• Protein: 3g

REACTIONS FROM THE TASTE TEST CREW

Health-hater Husband: Where’s the marshmallows?

Greedy Kid #1: Brown rice? I don’t want that. Give me the regular kind.

Greedy Kid #2: It tastes like regular Rice Krispies.

Greed Kid #3: I wanna make some Rice Krispy treats with these.

Yum UP! to: A cereal powerhouse that (finally) caters to our health.

Yuck Down to: Vacuum cleaner rip offs.

View the complete Taste Test Directory and Fast Food Cheat Sheets.

Who came up with name “stomach” anyway? It’s so boring and generic and plain.

The stomach is the receptacle for all the delectable foodstuffs we feed it, like cheesecakes and salad and chocolate muffins and chicken and wine. Doesn’t it deserve the appreciation of having a pet name for all the gastric responsibilities it provides?

I’m going with either Shauna or Shaunquetta as my stomach’s pet name. Because I’m diverse like that. And while you’re helping me decide which pet name to choose, go on and re-name your own stomach chambers, too. You must.

…and now in other news.

I’m thinking of doing a day of only fruit & veggies. That is all I will feed my Shauna/Shaunquetta. But why am I doing this?

1) Because I want to challenge myself to “think outside the stomach”. I want to get more creative with my eating menu in general and hopefully discover some tasty new dishes to force feed my family.

2) Because in the near future, I want to tailor a personal detox/cleanse for myself that deals only with fruits & veggies.

3) Because it will encourage me to learn about specific fruits & veggies in greater detail – their health benefits ‘n such. The more I know/understand about the foods I eat, the better empowered I am to make the best eating choices for my health, longevity and fitness. For example: exploring cancer-fighting fruits & veggies is important to me. All the information I learn and I can pass on to my children.

So that’s why I’m doing it.

This one day of fruit & veggies only may totally backfire. Maybe I’ll be eating chickens and factory-processed snacks before noon? I dunno. But a woman can certainly give it a try. Wish me luck! This Thursday, 6/16/11, is the day that I’ll do it! (I hope I don’t get hunger pangs)

Now please, which stomach-name should I choose?

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(Most of) your excuses are valid. No, really. They are.

Who am I to invalidate the fact that you’ve got work, school and child-spawns; a tight schedule, personal stuff to deal with, and maybe even some cats that need snuggling. All of these things are important and justifiably require your time and attention. If you didn’t tend to this stuff, your life would suck really bad. People would point and stare at you.

So, please, tend to your business in whatever allotted times it takes. Don’t skimp and cut corners on your responsibilities.

But here’s the thing.

Although the stuff that makes up your busy life gives the delusion that you have zero space left to focus on fitness, your desire and commitment for real change will make room for you. That burning desire of a body transformation you want so badly will pinpoint the spots where you really do have extra time. It will bulldoze over things like excessive couch-azzing, mindless munching, too much TV-watching, frivolous Facebooking and cell phone gossiping. And not only that, but that fitness bulldozer might even rearrange some things so you’re using your busy time more efficiently.

The Bikini Body Challenge is almost over, but don’t think within time frames and cutoffs at this point. As the Challenge draws to a close, you need to continue to trail blaze your own path of fitness. If you’ve been following the blog since the Challenge first started, but have yet to do anything consistently to change your situation that you say you want changed… Stop waiting. Get up. And do something about it.

Change that can be seen in your life is not in the “saying it”. It’s in the “doing it”.

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You gonna let that hairy feline do more fitness than YOU?

We already talked about this earlier in the week. So now? I want you to knock out some (more?) push-ups this weekend.

Eh, you might whine about it. Especially if your lazy bone is flaring up like arthritis. Or maybe it’s those food coma delicacies that are pinning you down to the couch?

But the more the push, the better you will get. The more you push, the LESS you will whine. Because when you start seeing those sexy muscles emerge, you’ll be like, “Ahhhh, I’m so glad I kept pushin’.”

And then I’ll be like, “Uh huh. Told ya so,” while I’m rolling my eyeballs and snapping my fingers at your azz.

I’m just now wrapping up Day 2 of a push-ups rest-a-thon (recovery is important, too), but I’ll be back at the pushing just in time to join you this weekend. Just push out as many reps as you can. BOOM!

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