One month photo results

So I promised one-month photos. And guess what? I was all excited to take some to share, but of course my husband is working this weekend so I was forced to try to take them myself. (Of course I could've waited, but I'm really not the patient sort.) After struggling with the lighting and flash for a good while, I ended up with these. An advance apology to all my photographer friends.

I hope you can still see some improvement from my initial picture taken on December 7th. What do you think?

Start Photo...Dec 7

And tonight...January 8

I know it's sort of comparing apples to oranges since my pose, outfit, and lighting are all different, but I hope some of my progress is noticeable.

In the second photo, I'm actually 10 pounds lighter than the first! I'm right at 152 pounds and feel pretty darn fantastic! As a reminder, I'm doing the Shred 3-4 days per week, running once per week, and doing cardio 2 times per week. However, this week has been nutty and those extra cardio sessions just haven't worked out for me so well. BUT I'm currently doing Level 3 - and not entirely dying, either. I'm so excited to see my fitness level improving.

What sort of changes have I noticed in my body?

1. less tummy flab. I'm wearing size 12's in the first picture. In the second - size 10's. I hope to be in my good ol' size 8's really soon! That lovely "muffin top" is going away thank goodness.
2. firmer quads. My legs are starting to get SOLID again thanks to Ms. Michaels' use of lunges and squats in EVERY Shred workout. I really can't wait to see how this is gonna improve my running.

3. stronger arms. I'm not using heavy weights in the workouts, but I really think it's all the pushups that are working on toning and strengthening my arms. I especially notice stronger triceps.

I'll see if I can't get a better photo over the weekend to share. In the meantime happy to tell you I lost 10 pounds on the 30-Day Shred!