she's 'kitty' but when she's bad, I call her 'bad kitty'...

I want to be Christina Aguilera (in this outfit) for Halloween.
Finding an outfit similar to this should NOT be hard at all.
Looking good in it? That's another matter.
NOT to mention that I'm not blonde.
Of course, the blonde wouldn't be very hard to do either.
Wigs! I know the perfect place in Denton, TX to get a wig -- just don't touch them or play with them because they aren't toys. They ARE nice to look at but trust me, they are NOT toys.

I think Christina Aguilera is apropos for me as a Halloween costume because her songs are on my gym playlist and they actually motivate me.

(I don't listen to 'Beautiful' while working out though. It's too slow)

I go back to LOOKING GOOD in an outfit like this. It's MarchAPRIL(apparently it's April) and I'm already down 32lbs from last year.
I've only recently decided to start working out hardcore. It was the middle of Febuary when I started and last time I weighed myself (almost two weeks ago), I was down 8lbs -- a little over a pound a week.
And well, I didn't work out in over a week, guys. There was just so much going on and I had a sunburn from HELL. When I say, from hell, I actually mean I was so close to hell, that my skin experienced a third-degree burn. ALSO! I forgot sunscreen. 

an actual photo of my sunburn.
Don't forget sunscreen, guys.

While I feel like the blistering of my skin was a good enough reason to skip in the gym, I made it to Thursday when I couldn't take it any longer. The sweating caused my skin to blister but I'm pretty sure it blistered with sweat?? Can that happen? It was gross so it PROBABLY did.

To look good in that Christina Aguilera 'Back to Basics' Tour outfit, I'd need to work on my core and my legs. My legs are shaping up rather nicely, thanks to the high incline. They still need work but I can see a difference. Just wait and get a load of my bomb legs when all is said and done.

To burn fat, I've decided that I'm going to try to burn 1,000 calories a day on the treadmill. That would be about an hour and 10-15 minutes on the treadmill for me. I can do an hour with no problem. I want to lower that time though because 75 minutes is a long time. Of course I'll do it but I want to make better time at it. I can't run though, no thanks to my bum knee.

For my core, I'm working on planks. NOT 'planking' -- but planks.
This:

This unassuming position that requires nothing except staying positioned like this as long as you can has a lot of benefits. According to livestrong.com, it "helps strengthen midsection, upper-body and lower-body muscles along the front of your body. Planks also strengthen inner core muscles that support your joints. The rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis that form your outer and inner abdominal muscles, respectively, are primary supporters during plank exercises. The abdominal obliques also stabilize the plank position isometrically. Upper-body stabilizers include the pectoral and serratus muscles. Lower-body stabilizers include the quadriceps, sartorius and tensor fasciae latae.
Plank exercises have aesthetic benefits that can enhance your appearance by improving posture. Planks activate core muscles, including the transverse abdominis and iliopsoas, which stabilize your spine and hips. Plank exercises help prevent or reverse postural deficiencies, including lordosis and posterior pelvic tilt. Lordosis, or swayback, results from abdominal weaknesses that overextend your back; it tends to make your buttocks stick out. Posterior pelvic tilt, or flat back, results from hip flexor weaknesses and flattens the normal curvature of your spine."

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/500440-what-does-the-plank-exercise-benefit/#ixzz1rz1P6NID)

My personal trainer and friend, Dallas, and my bestie/workout partner, Lisa Turtle make it look SO easy. Dallas planks for a minute straight and makes it look like a breeze. It's not a breeze but today, I did it for 30 seconds - took a 15 second break and did it for another 15 seconds.

Tomorrow I'm going to do it for a whole minute.

I can also flutter kick for almost a whole minute. It's not easy either.

Flutter kicks are my arch nemesis.

From livestrong.com, "flutter kicks are exceptionally efficient at improving lower abdominal strength. One reason is because the area of the lower abdominals that flutter kicks engage is not commonly used in daily activity. One five-minute session of flutter kicks can cause soreness in someone who has never done the exercise before. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, flutter kicks also help strengthen and tone the sartorius muscles, which are
responsible for flexion and lateral rotation of the hip.
Flutter kicks are done by moving the legs and feet in a quick up and down motion, side by side. The faster you flutter, the more calories you'll burn. When you combine the tension of holding your legs off the ground with the quick movement of fluttering, you can nearly double your caloric burn. Try doing flutter kicks lying on your back and then do them on your stomach. Doing them this way can help balance your front leg and back leg muscles."
(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/479292-what-are-the-benefits-of-the-flutter-kick-technique/#ixzz1rz2Lkzw3)

I'm working my core. Crunches, situps, side bends.
I always think, "you can side bends or situps but please don't lose that butt..."
I can thank my (ex)husband for that.

I've got about 63 lbs to go until I'm where I want to be.
I have 5.5 months until Halloween.
I might need to make a different goal for Halloween, as the math would indicate that I would need to lose almost 3 lbs (2.8 lbs, exactly) a week to make my overall goal by that time.
I think I'm going to aim for 2 lbs a week -- which would make my Halloween goal -44 lbs.

This week, I'm going to cut out sweet tea (I'm going to UNSWEETEN my tea), limit eating out to once a month (IF that), and try to eliminate dairy.
I'm already off red meat pretty much. We eat turkey and chicken primarily. I've limited the processed foods and I've switched from enriched flour products to whole wheat products. Read labels, people.

Just eating healthier.
Also, park far away wherever you go. I always feel like a super fatty if I 'grocery store' people for a parking spot. I'll just park far away. What will it kill me to walk an extra 10 feet?

I know a lot of my other friends are trying to lose weight and just BE healthier.

I really think we got this, guys. I'm optimistic.