PGH – 5/9/13

Monday & Tuesday were lost days where exercise is concerned.

I left work early yesterday so I really had no good excuse not to work out so I did.  I worked out again today after work.  Getting up in the morning to work out is not working for me this week.

My weight is about the same as last week.  Considering how much I worked out last week … I was hoping for a decrease. *sigh*

I am still counting calories like a madwoman.  I need to do better about getting veggies into my day.

Since I missed didn’t working out on Monday and Tuesday I will be exercising on Saturday and Sunday to make up for it.  So I will be working out for the next 10 days straight. o_O

I can do it.  Yes I can!! LOL

 

PGH – 4/29/13

It’s been a while since I have blogged about Project Get Healthy.  Mainly due to not much no change in my weight.

This morning I got happy news when I stepped on the scale.  Down 0.8 lbs for an overall weight loss of over 20 lbs!!!  Break out the ice water and celery!!!

I have 9.4 lbs to go until I hit my initial goal.  I have added another goal of an additional 9 lbs to that so I can have some wiggle room.  I’d like to be in the middle of the weight range for my height.

I did not exercise at all last week.  I just tried to stay within my allotted 1330 calories for the day.

I have entered into another 30 Day Shred challenge.  My boss and another lady at work are on the weight loss journey and we have decided to do the 30 Day Shred, Monday through Friday for the next 12 weeks.

The plan is to do 30DS first thing in the morning and do something else Leslie or Callanetics 2 or 3 afternoons during the week.

I can see the end of the tunnel so I am stepping up my pace to get there sooner.

I like this new me who has more energy and whose pants are starting to fall off.

PGH – 4/9/13

The weight gain from last week is gone.  I tried to eat clean but I did not exercise as much as I should have and still the weight left me.  I am not complaining.

This week my exercise game is on point.  I got a new Jillian video from the library.

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Kickbox Fastfix, 3 20 minute workouts.  And when Jillian says 20 minutes, she is not kidding.  From start to finish the workouts are under 21 minutes.  I did level 1 on Sunday and level 2 today.  I do not feel the need to buy or renew this video.  It’s not my favourite.  There are a lot of kicks that require you to pivot and well trying to do that on my floor is not easy so I think I may be doing damage to my knees.  I will do level 3 on Thursday and return this video satisfied that I didn’t buy it.  (I love the library)

I think the trick for me is to workout on Sunday.  As it puts me in the right frame of mind.  So far this week I have worked out every day.  Tomorrow I will finally break open one of my Leslie videos (Thanks Hawaii Planner, please stop giving me dirty looks lol, your gift was not in vain).

I have been eating just enough to fulfill my calories needs.  I want to get to the next point.  I am thisclose to losing 20 lbs.  I am determined to hit it by my next weigh in.  I was so close 2 weeks ago and I let it slip through my fingers.  It is within my grasp so I am going to hit it.  I am back on the wagon in a more committed way.

My boss, who is the weight watcher queen, joined myfitnesspal.com.  She resisted as she did not want to count her food twice.  I am not sure what changed her mind but it’s very interesting to see her new perspective.

PGH – 4/2/13

If ever I think that I can go to all you can eat sushi twice in one week and not have any consequences please remind me of this week’s weigh in.

I am up 3 lbs.  Not impressed.

Okay now that I think about it, there may be more to it than just sushi.

Thursday lunch – all you can eat sushi goodness
Thursday dinner – everything in my fridge, I could not stop eating
Friday lunch – fish and chips
Friday’s dinner – big ole bowl of pho
Saturday’s dinner – more all you can eat sushi goodness
Sunday dinner – turkey dinner with lots of side dishes and wine

While I was not way over my calories on most days the cumulative effect was felt.  Add in, only one workout session all week and you have the recipe for weight gain.

Tonight I am going to make a big pot of “before the veggies spoil” soup as I have potatoes, celery, broccoli and onions that I need to do something with.  I am going to wing it with this recipe, hopefully it will turn into something my girls will eat.

I will also get back in the groove of working out.  Leslie is calling my name.  I can do at least a mile a day.  I really have no excuse.  I have to get my mind focused.  The problem is that I have reached a size that is acceptable to me.  I am still overweight but now it’s by a few pounds and as such the motivation is lacking.

The weight gain was enough of a wake up call to me.  I will get back on the wagon.

On a different note, I started a cleanse yesterday.  It is called Cleanse Smart and it is a 30 day gentle cleanse.  There are less dietary restrictions than the Wild Rose D-Tox I did earlier this year.

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It consists of 2 different capsules.  I take 1 capsule from bottle one, 30 minutes before breakfast and again at lunch.  I take 2 pills from the second bottle, 3 hours after my dinner.

This has really driven home how late I eat sometimes.  Need to get a better grip on this.  Meal planning would definitely help with this.

I am not expecting any weight loss as a result of doing this cleanse.  I do find that doing a cleanse in the spring helps me deal with the sun and heat of summer.  That is the main reason I continue to torture myself.

PGH – 3/27/13

On Sunday I was all hype to get back on track health wise.  I have 2 Leslie Sansone videos to try out (thanks Secret Sister) so I have no excuse not to work out as the shortest workout is 15+ minutes long.  I can always find 15 minutes.  Those are my favourite workouts as just when you think “how much longer?”, they are done.

Monday, I am not sure what I ate but as I was leaving work my stomach started to churn.  I came home and found a spot on the couch and kept myself quiet.  It eventually went away but by that time I was not in the mood to do anything but feel sorry for myself.

Tuesday, I stayed at work way late and I still had to come home and prepare dinner.  When I returned home I found my lovely offspring lazing and my kitchen a hot mess.  Some harsh words were delivered.  After they cleaned up and I cooked, it was late and again I was not in the mood.

Tonight, found me at the chiropractor.  I was hungry when I came home.  After eating, the couch called my name I swear.

I don’t know where the energy and the drive went that I had on Sunday.

Tomorrow we leave work early so my plan is to come home and fight with spend some time with Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones or Extreme Shed and Shred.

Let me tell you how far off the wagon I feel today.  All you can eat sushi is my kryptonite.  Sad part is I was better than I have been in a long time but when I got home I just couldn’t stop eating.  I was so over that myfitnesspal.com had me weighing more than I do today in 5 weeks if I ate like I did today every day.  That hasn’t happened in a very long time.

I missed Monday’s weigh in as I forgot.  First time ever.

Tuesday’s weigh in was successful.  1.4 lbs less than last week.  19.6 lbs total.

Unfortunately I will have to go back to all you can eat sushi on Saturday.  The “sacrifices” one must make for their child.  It’s Princess’ birthday and my girl wants to go back to the all you can eat sushi restaurant to have … wait for it … popcorn chicken. O_o

PGH – 3/13/13

So far this week I am on top of my fitness game.

On Monday I did the Callanetics workout I should have done on Sunday.

Yesterday I did Level 1 of Jillian Michaels Killer Buns and Thighs.

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It follows the same format at 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30.  3 workouts, 3 levels, 30+ minutes of fat burning torture fun.  I found it to be challenging.  The previews of levels 2 and 3 scared me as they both involve a chair!?! O_O  I am not sure I will get to discover that joy as I only have this video until Saturday and I have another Jillian video to try out.

Tonight’s fun and good times will be Level 1 of Shred It with Weights.

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Doesn’t that look like a world of fun?

Tomorrow I will do another Callanetics workout, my 6th so far.

While cleaning up my room last month, I found a workout tracking book that I got from joining a boot camp back in Sept 2010.  My measurements were recorded in this book.  I did the boot camp for 8 weeks and managed to lose a lot of inches. The trainer did not have a scale so I have no idea what I weighed or lost.

When I started on this voyage back in Sept 2012 I gave myself 3 months to lose weight/inches by myself.  If I wasn’t able to motivate myself I would go back to boot camp at $300 for 8 weeks.  Needless to say I kept my money.

What made me sad about finding the book was when I look at my start measurements from Sept 2010 and Sept 2012 there is a difference of 3 inches in most of the areas that were measured.  In 2 years I gained 3 inches all around.  How did I not notice that?

In 2010 I went to boot camp because I noticed I was putting on weight.  I lost some size, I can’t tell you how much right this minute as I don’t have the book in front of me.  At some point over the past 2 years I would have returned to the size that prompted me to start working out.  I am thinking now that time might have been April 2011 when I did 30 Day Shred for 90 days straight.  I think at that time I built muscle under my fat.  But since I didn’t have a scale and rewarded myself constantly for working out, I did not get the full benefit from all that exercise.

Until I joined myfitnesspal.com I don’t think I realized how much more important watching your calories is than working out.

In the words of the great Maya Angelou, “When you know better, you do better“.

PGH – 3/7/13

Going back in time …

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My Aunt bought this tape ( yes as in VHS tape) brand new.  I am not sure how it came into my possession but I remember doing this back in high school.  I remember another Aunt doing the exercise program back then as well.  Sadly I remember chuckling to myself as she could not stretch as far as I could at the time.  Little did I know that 3 years ago at a family reunion, this now 70-year-old Aunt would put on a bikini and put ALL of her nieces to shame.

How full of my self I was back then … Oh to be young.

Anyhoo, I pulled this oldie but goody off of the bookshelf and vowed to do it every 4 days.  So far I have done it 4 times.  This video promises visible change to your body after doing it 10 times.  I usually see a change after 5 or 6 and then stop doing it.  I like that there is no impact and lots of stretching.  Something I don’t get from Jillian or Leslie.

The library has become an even bigger asset to me as I am now using it to borrow all kinds of workout videos.  Test driving them before I think about buying them.  Much better for my wallet and I get a variety of workouts.  My only complaint is that I only get the videos for a week at a time so I have to hustle to try them.

Last week I went back to Jillian.  There is something to be said for that wiped feeling after a workout.  You know when you are huffing and puffing and high on endorphins.  And you think, “man that was one tough workout.”

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What I like about Banish Fat Boost Metabolism is that it was a good lot of cardio.  While weights were not used I still felt like I got a great workout.  I only did it once cause it’s almost an hour!!!  I am the queen of the 20 minute workout.  Although now that I am lighter I am learning that I will have to workout longer in order to get the same calorie burn as when I started.

Today I did No More Trouble Zones.  OMG …

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Miss Jillian was not kidding around with this workout.  Again almost an hour with weights.  My arms are like jelly right now.  I haven’t felt like this in a long while.

I am debating purchasing both of these workouts.  Right now I can order them from Walmart.ca for under $16 total with taxes and free shipping.

As of Monday’s weigh in I am down 18 lbs.  I have 12 more to go to hit my goal.  I think however I might try to lose a bit more than that but I will assess and make that decision when I get to my goal weight.

The first set of measurements I took were back in September.  Last time was mid-February.  At that point I was down a total of 11.25 inches.  I shall measure again this week-end to see if anything has changed.

Right now I am feeling much better than I have in a long while.  It’s crazy to me that I let it get so out of control.

I am really glad that I bought a scale.  If I didn’t have one I would have stop working out as my clothes are loose and I feel fantastic.  But I am still heavier than the top weight in the range for my height.

So back to the exercise video for me.

PGH – 2/28/13

I am still on my quest to become a healthier version on me.

The cleanse did jump-start some weight loss.  But since it’s been over, I managed to gain back 3 of the 7 pounds lost.  I figure it was not in the cards for me yet.  Probably due to re-introducing the fun stuff back into my diet.  Dang you sugar, wheat and diary.

Last week I worked out 4 times.  So far this week … once.  But in my defence I was feeling terrible on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Tonight was the first time I didn’t feel bloated and uncomfortable.  I am blaming the sandwich I had on Tuesday for lunch.

So far I am down 14 pounds.

I made a bet with a good guy friend of mine.  He too would like to lose weight and thinks that because he’s a dude he will be able to get rid of his 30 lbs before I get rid of my 15 lbs.  Before I gained back the 3 lbs I was feeling confident, now not so much.  Although I don’t think that he has really started doing anything to get rid of his weight so I might still win.  The weigh in date is May 1.  Wish me luck.

Other than that I have just been chugging along.

 

15 miles

That’s how far I walked this past week.  I can’t believe it as I don’t consider myself a walker.

Other than a tight calf, achy hip and sore shoulders it has been relatively painless.

Walking in one spot is a bit boring and I think because we were not meant to walk in place it’s a bit strenuous on the muscles.

On Thursday’s walk I noticed that Leslie does not always walk in place but takes little steps forward and back.  I tried this out on Friday’s 5 mile walk and it felt a lot better on my hip.

Now it could just mean that by Friday my body was used to walking, but I’m going to go with the little movement helped.

Unfortunately the video I have has to be returned today.  But I have a different one on its way to me.  Hopefully that one will be just as good.

In the meantime I will go back to spending time with Jillian.

PGH – 1/29/13

The Good

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I borrowed Leslie Sansone’s Ultimate 5 day walk plan from the library.  The dvd has 6 options:

Monday – 3 mile walk and ab session
Tuesday – 4 mile walk and arm session
Wednesday – 1 mile walk and leg session
Thursday – 2 mile walk and chest and back session
Friday – 5 mile walk and full body stretch
Create your own workout

In the interest of not wanting to spend too much time thinking I will be following the days of the week.

Yesterday’s workout was pretty good.  It was 5 minutes of warm up, 35 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of cool down and 5 minutes of abs.  This is a gentle workout.  It reminded me a bit of the low impact workouts of the 80′s.  My heart rate did increase and I was a little sweaty at the end.  I am feeling my shoulders today but nothing crippling.

Today’s workout was a bit more challenging.  I started to feel my hips about 2.5 miles in.

The Bad

Either my wild week-end or most likely my lack of exercise has lead to a gain of about 1.5 lbs this week.  I would sweat it but really I am past the numbers of it all.

The Ugly

As soon as I spend a moment thinking about it I will be doing a detox.  I used to do one at least once a year but have since fallen off the wagon.

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This cleanse lasts 12 days.  You take 2 pills from each bottle and 30 drops from the bottle twice a day.  There are dietary restrictions.  It requires me to give up sugar, dairy, flour, alcohol, vinegar among other things.  So there will be lots of fresh veggies and lean meats for me.  This means I need to plan and buy real groceries.  So the detox will not happen until I have done the prep work.  Plus I need to count ahead 12+ days to make sure I don’t have any social engagements in that time.