that's black jack, baby!

thank you and the personal will power to say NO to junk food!

21 pounds, i cannot tell you how elated i am!
just 29 more to go!!

the best thing i have ever bought is my everlast freestanding punching bag and pink everlast boxing gloves!

i have gotten a lot of emails asking about my workout and really there are no secrets! i go out into my garage and punch and kick the bag for 45-60 minutes and i love it! makes me feel like i am in my own personal weight loss gang. i have started listening to pink when i box now, i just love her!

Comments

[Jennifer]

I have gone through the exact weight loss trials & lost over 55 pounds last year. I'm not a professional, but I was told by a trainer, that muscle weighs more than fat, so especially if your working out, it's going to seem like your not losing quickly, but your still doing your body good and getting into great shape. You will still lose inches and be more tone. Keep it up, your doing awesome!!!

Jennifer

[Lauren Z]

whoohoo! good for you!

By the way- I am not a dr or anything, but how i have it explained to me is that- it is some chemical reaction in your body that casues your body to do a "whoa now! we seem to be dropping our reserves- we need to change some things around here" and then your plateau starts. Then when you continue to do things right, your body calms back down and starts dropping the weight again. It is a chemical thing- what can I say.

Also- if you are working out (somthing that I need to learn to do) you are probably loosing fat weight, and gaining muscle weight, and so the scale is not changing, but the slimming and toning of your "core" is causing the clothes to get nice and loose. (sigh) gotta love when that happens :)

Congrats again!

[marlee]

Great job! Curious - how long did it take for those 21 to come off? Was it all on NutriSystem (I'm considering the plan). How do you manage it when you're traveling??

[Chan]

Way to go Donna!!! Yes everything above is true, and the other thing is you might not be eating enough calories to kick start your metabolism...I know when I added just 250 calories a day it made a huge difference. I've lost 80 pounds since I saw you in Portland last year with diet and exercise! Good luck and stick with it!!!

Chaka

[ashlie]

YAHHHYYYY

FOR INFLATABLE HAMBURGERS!

=)

-Ashlie

[Tina]

Way to go, Donna! You're an inspiration in so many ways.

[Debbie, Pennsylvania]

Coming out of lurking to comment on your weightloss. Congrats to you! Muscle weighs more than fat so stop peeking at the scale and look in the mirror. Also, just wanted to add a little FYI tidbit about NutriSystem. My husband was on it years ago to lose like 60 lbs. He did accomplish it but even after he got to his goal weight he kept losing...we were getting a little concerned. He was told that when your body is in a losing mode it takes a little time to level off. You may want to ask your rep about it before you think you have a big medical issue like we thought. Keep up the good work!

[sharon]

you inspired me to try nutrisystems.. I have it and it is sitting in my husband's office, cause I am a scrapbooker and I have no room for food in my studio.. so anyway.. I cant seem to stick to it! I think it is the way the food tastes.. do you do anything to enhance the flavor?

sharon b.

[Suzanne Housinger]

Was in one of your classes this past weekend at Scrapbowl, so did you beat your neigbor? Did Daytona hurt him?

Congrats and keep up the good work.

[Lucy]

Also coming out of lurking to say Congrats! So awesome and inspired by your success. I've been thinking about Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig and now more inclined to try it. One question is, how do you manage to stay on when dining out or traveling (no microwave in the hotel room!). Thanks!

[Sandrine alias Didine]

Congratulations !!! I'm o happy for you ;-) you certainly feel sooooooo good inside ! Smooch from Belgium ;-)

[Michelle Jacquemet]

I love watching your videos. Thanks for making me laugh. Congrats on losing 21 lbs! That's incredible. I was sad that I didn't run into you at CHA but there were tons of people there. Hope you enjoy Japan.

[Christine Campbell]

Ok, so i've lost 30 pounds and I'm stuck there.
I kinda know why for me - I've stopped exercising - winter here has been brutal and I can't walk outside anymore and I don't have the $$ for a treadmill just yet.
But, that being said, I think you should email your question to Oprah/Dr.Oz and see what he says. He'd know.
I think you're doing awesome by the way. I know how hard it is.

[Mary]

WAY TO GO DONNA!!!! A big high five for you from Charleston, SC! What a great accomplishment. Keep it up!

I LOVE reading your blog and seeing your vlogs. They're awesome! You are a great inspiration in so many ways! Hope you can come visit Charleston, SC sometime, since you're not too far away!

Mary

[kansmom]

CONGRATS!!! I weighed in on the real weigh in wednesday and I am down 21 lbs also! go us! *giggle* I have a lot more to lose but 21 is great! about the plateaus . . . they tell me that you plateau because your body is used to the next programs you doing and you either need to add/change your exercise routine and/or lower/tweak you food intake. I have fought my weight my whole life but as of right now everything in my life has been taken care of and now it is time to take it off for me! and altho you till reach your goal WAY before me I am rooting for you all the way!
congrats again!
kansmom

[kansmom]

I also apparently NEED to proof read my typing . . . *giggle*

[Alyson]

Congrats on the black jack!! That's awesome! Funny thing, I just had this exact same question answered for me yesterday! My dh & I are distributors for a great health & wellness company, and we just rolled out our new weight loss system. I was lucky enough to be on the test market for it, so I've been on it 6 weeks now. I was losing about 1.5 - 2 lbs a week (no exercise), then I seemed to stall out. I'm right at the weight where I stalled out (then gave up) when I was working out with a trainer a couple years ago. I emailed the lady behind the product development about my plateau, and she said, "Yes…plateau’s are the bane of dieting. Hang in there and stick with it. Sometimes it’s like our bodies go ‘whoa, what’s going on here. I’ve been this weight for a long time, and I am comfortable”….so keep at it and eventually the body will respond!" I think it also has some to do with gaining muscle and losing fat, so you may be getting smaller but the scale is staying the same (a pound of muscle is about the size of a tangerine, a pound of fat is about the size of a grapefruit).

Best wishes, I hope to hit my own black jack in the next few months!

[lisa Leonard]

You are so freaking cute! Congrats on your weight loss success. My body stall sout even though my clothes continue to get looser. Then the scale catches up--weird!

[Lori Hudson]

Yo Donna! When I see you in April, you will be but a shadow of your former self!

Question - what type of printable fabric do you use and where do you get it?

Lori

[Kim]

Congratulations-that is fantastic. It's nice to have you back. Really enjoyed the video conversation today.

[cheryld]

Hi girlie!

Are you really hopping on a jetplane and heading north to NH like ... today? (or perhaps you have already done the hopping part and are already here?)

Not sure why I didn't realize that before today. :-)

cheryld.

[Trish D]

Love you! Love your blog! Love that you talk to us like we are really sitting there with you! Congrats on the weight loss!! Our firm pays for us to go to Weight Watchers (who would pass that up?) and in 17 weeks, I've had a 22 lb. weight loss. Not finished yet, session 2 just started and I am going for 20 more. I got brave and posted the before and afters at my blog. Anyway, thanks for a fun place to visit, learn and well, just visit.

[Kayla]

Thanks for the update. Congrats on nutrisystems! I hope you have a blast in Japan...I know the food is great (if you like rice and sushi!) :)

[Margie]

Have you tried measuring your waist and other portions of your body so that you can also see progress in those numbers (losing inches)?

Good job! I recently lost 25+ pounds and am finding the keeping it off more challenging than the losing (and that was hard!). Be careful not to feel like you are "DONE" when you reach your goal weight. Make sure you have a LONG TERM plan that will keep you going. Don't want all of this hard work to go to naught. Great job!!

Congrats!

PS Where is CKU Japan located? Tokyo? If you get a chance visit Kyoto and Nara - lots of history and beautiful - especially Nara. ENJOY! Ganbatte!

[ronee]

did i tell you today that you are are uber cute! i love you! not in that stalker crazy like way..but in that, I have to check your blog everyday! anyway..congrats on your black jack score! I have to say, that your video blogs are semi encouraging me. But I BARELY have time to type blog..would I have time to video blog? HMMM??? But it is pretty cute! Of course you are too much fun! I was laughing so hard today!
thanks for the smiles! enjoy your jet setting!
xoxo
ronee

[Julia S]

Hi Donna! I wanted to congratulate you on the awesome weight loss!!! And ask..could you share where you found the aqua top you had on? It looks like my favorites I bought at American Eagle..but I didn't see that color and that's my fave!! Thanks! :-)

[Denise Morris]

You are my hero - blackjack and you still have a freakin sense of humor!!

xoxo
Denise (Uncensored)

[Nancy C]

21 pounds on the 21st! YEA! that is so darn exciting. Did you catch Oprah yesterday....now you just need to order yourself that cool white blouse! We all deserve one! Keep up the great work!

[heather]

Congrats on the 21 lbs! That's terrific. I just got my first Nutrisystem box on the porch this afternoon. My 3 kids were thrilled to help me empty out a pantry shelf and sort and "stock" the shelf. Now I just gotta start eating the stuff! I've fought going JC/NS for so long, but in the end, decided pre-packaged food was the only way I was going to lose weight right now.

[Lisa V.]

Donna great job on losing weight. You are an inspiration. I have a couple questions about the second part of your video. 1. What system did you use for the black cubes in the background of your office? 2. Where did you get the baskets that fit inside the cubes? Thanks.

[catherine feegel-erhardt]

congrats!
21 is fabulous!
how often do you do your boxing?
now, have to go back and replay your blog so i can get the name of that book... that looks yummy!
xo
catherine

[April L]

Way to Go Baby! That is just awesome! Very proud of you. Can't wait to see you in April...bet you are buying some new clothes :)

[Kristine]

Hi Donna,
I'm a Registered Dietitian and I used to consult for weight management, sports nutrition, and eating disorders. I recommend you not rely 100% on your scale. Its like weighing a burlap sack of mystery products. You'd never know if it was all coal(fat mass), all diamonds (lean mass), or a mixture (both fat and lean mass) - because you can't see through the bag. Your body is the same. You truly don't know the components of your body unless you do a body composition test. This would measure the amount of fat and lean mass in your body and could be a much more reliable indicator of what is going on inside your body in relation to weight management.

Especially when you exercise, you have lots of processes going on inside - muscular gain, probably fat loss, and quite possibly a switch in the amount of fluids contained inside your body. The more muscle you have, the more fat you'll naturally burn. I recommend you get involved in strength training. Additionally, strength training increases your metabolim throughout the day while cardio activity burns fat mostly only during the activity time.

While I never recommend 'dieting,' I encourage you to find a way to incorporate a lifestlye change that includes healthy eating (outside of Nutrisystem) and physical activity. You'll be far more successful than if you rely on Nutrisystem which I presume you might possibly tire of soon. Just a suggestion!

Either way, I 100% enjoy your blog. I read it every single day! And I TRULY enjoy your vlogs!! :-) SO, good luck and I hope I could provide some insight and ideas for you. :-) xo

[JenniB]

Hey Donna - I love your video blogs - so fun! CONGRATS on the 21# ! I am down 15 with WW and hoping I'll reach 21 soon!
I enjoyed your BEAUTIFUL class at ScrapBowl - will search high and low for another to take from you in the future! Have a great weekend!
JenniB

[Sama]

Wow, love your energy! And the lotion thing: that's obligatory! I have mine standing right here with me!
Congrats to the weight loss!

[shimelle.~*]

congrats on the black-jack, you skinny mini! :)

as for the plateau, check out this link: http://www.region.peel.on.ca/health/commhlth/bodyimg/setpt.htm

set point is a concept that i had to really, really get into my head when i was trying to lose weight (you so don't want to know what i looked like post-college, okay?) because as soon as i hit that plateau i would lose all hope. but eventually enough people explained this concept to me that it finally went through my thick skull...after the plateau you are teaching your body new tricks and it's going to fight you some of the time. but once you get through it, you can alter your set point, which is what makes it so you can go to a birthday party every now and then without freaking out. (okay, that's over simplified but you get what i mean. i hope.)

[shimelle.~*]

and err, duh, i am a dork. ignore the bottom of the page that i just linked to. i was just trying to find a good definition of set point and i should have read further down.

ignore the bottom...they are totally stereotyping. i'll shut up now!

[Becky]

Also coming out of lurking to say CONGRATS!!! How exciting!! Keep up the awesome work!

[Tiffany]

That is great Donna!!! Good for you!!!!!!! Love hearing about your progress!

[Tiffany]

That is great Donna!!! Good for you!!!!!!! Love hearing about your progress!

[Debbie]

Congratulations on your black jack!!!! Whew hoooo!!!!
Okay...wait back up! What????????????? You taught your blue/black book in Texas??? Omigod!!! I am so devastated. Boooo hooo.
Please, please, please, put some kits online. I will love u forever!!!!

[Candi Tardio]

good job on the black jack...lol!!! that is wonderful!!! the hat rocks!!!

[star]

good job donna!

[Laura Funk]

I SPY with my little eye... some super cool Glitz Swirly arrows on your desk next to the glue stick!! WoooHooo!! If you ever want more...call me!! You're rockin the weight loss world!! Lookin Hot!!
Thanks again for stoppin by the Glitz Booth and getting "my Donna Downey freak out moment" on film!!

[Laura Funk]

I SPY with my little eye... some super cool Glitz Swirly arrows on your desk next to the glue stick!! WoooHooo!! If you ever want more...call me!! You're rockin the weight loss world!! Lookin Hot!!
Thanks again for stoppin by the Glitz Booth and getting "my Donna Downey freak out moment" on film!!

[dragonflydreamer]

You are phenomenal! You must feel so empowered right now. I admire you so much and want to be as strong willed as you in my goals this year. Thank you for sharing your experience, thoughts, feelings and most of all your every evolving talent and creativity. Basically, "you rock!"

[Susan Gilman]

way to go, donna! congrats on your weightloss successes....you go, girl!! (love the boxing to PINK bit. now THAT is some exercising I could get INTO!) I CANNOT WAIT FOR INSPIRED!! THE TAGS, THE BOOKS, THE NECKLACE, THE CAMERA BAG....oh I am getting lightheaded.

[Laura]

Ok I know this has nothing to do with the topic but WHERE IN THE WORKD CAN I FIND THTA OH SO COOL CAMERA BAG??? hOW DO i ORDER ONE??? mY DD IS A PHOTOGRAPHER AND NEEDS SOMETHING FUN LIKE THIS! Donna I was in your last class at Scrapbowl! apparently we have the same glasses!

[Apple]

I need some of your motivation. Keep up the good work!!! :)

[Pippa]

YES! The vlogs are back - I LOVE your vlogs. I liked the "talk amongst yourselves" hehehe. You're going to Japan?! Please please PLEASE do an event in England! I sooooooooo want to go to the Inspired event but what with being halfway across the globe,it wasn't really possible!
Well done on your black jack 'score' - you're doing so well. Love ya! Pippa x x x

By the way, I'm not even sure I know who this 'Rosie' lady is!!

[Lorie]

Ok, I am too coming out of the wood work to congratulate you on your weight loss. Now that you've told us how well it works I've been telling my hubby that I want to get on the Nutrisystem train too. Im so happy for you! 21 pounds,wow,your doing great!

[terribradford]

You are so cool, Ms. Donna! ;) I am a lurker here too, and just wanted to post and say congrat's on the weight loss! It is so refreshing to see your video's and just how down to earth you are. LOVE the shots of your studio... looks like mine after creating something! I hope someday I get meet up with you and attend an event or two.

[Autumn]

Donna, I don't check your blog regularly, but sometimes. I LOVE your work. You are inspiring. In even more ways now. CONGRATULATIONS on a HUGE success with your weight loss!!! I am so very happy for you. Nice work!!

[kendra]

donna,
i've looked at the NS website and can't really find an answer to this... can you share with me/us what the price is for the plan and what it includes? (i.e. $xx.xx/month for all the meals). i'm very tempted, but i'd like to know what the cost is per month and what that includes.
thanks!

[Cindy Andrews]

WTG, Donna! I'm doing WW and currently have lost 21 pounds too. And I own a Rosie doll too!