Week 1 1/31- 2/5

First of all, this is so fitting for me this week.  I'm so sick of having to start a new program all the time.  So this is the last time I'll have to re-start my health and fitness because I'M NOT GIVING UP!

Next, since I didn't do this at the beginning of the week, I need to post this info so I can better track my progress.

BEFORE STATS:
Weight- 222.4
Size- 18 in pants, XL in shirts
Measurements- chest 47.5, right arm 14.75, waist 47, hip 48, right thigh 25.5, right calf 17.5


BEFORE PICS:

taken 2.14.12

Now for Week 1 info.  And this is how I plan on recording each week's progress.


WHAT I ATE:
M- m1 8am-  RTD (EAS Ready To Drink AdvantEDGE Carb Control protein shake); 1/2 grapefruit
m2 9:30am- 2 EW (egg whites), 1 WE (whole egg) scrambled; 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal with 1TB crunchy PB (peanut butter) and spelnda
m3 12:30pm- Subway- 6" turkey & provolone on Ital. herbs & cheese bread with bell pepper, cucumber, black olives, light mayo and mustard
m4- 3:30pm- 1 cup LF (low-fat) CC (cottage cheese) mixed with 1 container FF (fat-free) blueberry yogurt
m5- 6:30om- Italian cheese baked chicken; @1/2 cup macaroni pasta with marinara; salad with Romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumber & celery with Ital. garlic & herb dressing
96oz h2o

Tu- m1 8am- banana; RTD
m2 9:45am- 2 EW, 1 WE scrambled on 2 slices WW (whole wheat) toast with 1TB LF sharp cheddar cheese
m3 1:30pm- turkey sandwich on 2 slices WW toast with 1 slide LF provolone and 1/2 sliced avacado; @1 cup baby carrots
m4 3:15pm- 1 apple; 1 LF string cheese
m5 7pm- beef, broccoli & carrot stir fry with spaghetti noodles
*Free Treat- @1 1/2 cups Edy's Rocky Road ice cream
96oz h2o

W- m1 8:15am- RTD; pear
m2 10am- 2 EW, 1 WE scrambled; 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal w 1 TB Nutella & splenda- so good!
m3 1pm- turkey sandwich on 2 slices WW toast with 1 slide LF provolone and 1/2 sliced avacado; 3/4 cucumber
m4 3:30om- 1 cup plain FF Greek yogurt mixed with 1 cup fresh blueberries & splenda
m5 6:15pm- 1 Fresca steak soft taco from Taco Bell
96oz h2o

Th- m1 9am- veggie omelette- 3 EW, 1 WE, 1 slice lean ham, green onions, 1/2 bell pepper @1TB each of LF sharp cheddar cheese & reg cheddar cheese; 1/2 grapefruit
m2 11am- RTD; cutie orange
m3 1pm- turkey sandwich on 2 slices WW toast with 1 slide LF provolone and 1/2 sliced avacado; 3 stalks of celery sticks
m4 4pm- 3 boiled EW; 3/4 cup red grapes
m5 6:30pm- @5oz lean grilled steak, 1 small baked potato with @1TB each of margarine and sour cream; 1 cup steamed broccoli with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese
96oz h2o

F- m1 8am- RTD; banana
m2 10am- 1/3 cup cooked oatmeal mixed with 3/4 cup FF plain Greek yogurt and @1 1/2TB crunchy pb- yum, yum!!
m3 1:30pm-  turkey sandwich on 2 slices WW toast with 1 slide LF provolone and 1/2 sliced avacado; @1 cup baby carrots
m4 3:30pm- RTD; apple
m5 6:30pm- orchard chicken salad from Target- grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, slivered almonds, craisins with poppyseed dressing
96oz h2o

Sa- m1 9:15am- @1 1/2 cups Special K cereal with 1% milk; 1 cup 1% milk with 1TB Nesquick; 2 boiled EW
m2 11:30am- 2oz LF cheddar cheese; 1/2 grapefruit
m3 2pm- 6" turkey, provolone sub on WG (whole grain oat) with spinach, cucumbers, bell peppers, black olives, lite mayo & mustard
m4 4:30pm- RTD; cutie orange
m5 7:30pm- other half of Subway sub; 1 Little Ceasar's breadstick
96oz h2o

Su- *Free Day



HOW I MOVED:
M- 6:35-7:35am UBWO (upper body work-out as laid out in BFL [Body-for-LIFE] program)- chest- db (dumb-bell) press, db flies; shoulders- db press, db lateral raise; back- lat pull down, close grip pull down; triceps- press down, chair dips x 9... didn't have time to do biceps

Tu- 6:20-6:30am finished UBWO- biceps- concentrated db curls, hammer curls
6:30-6:50am HIIT (high intensity interval training as laid out in BFL program) on treadmill- 1.14 miles, 4 min. total running, incline 3.0, HS (highest speed) 5.2

W- 6:30-7:15am LBWO (lower body work out as laid out in the BFL program)- quads; leg extention, db squats; hamstrings- SL (straight leg) BB (barbell) deadlift, db lunges; calves- machine calf press, one leg db calf raise; abs- this ab routine http://www.oxygenmag.com/Fat-Loss/Slideshows/Mini-Abs-Routine-Major-Results.aspx#slide-1 leg ups- 3 x 12, 8, 10; oblique crunches 3 x 12; alternating leg lift 3 x 10 half way; standing oblique twist 3 x 12
4-5pm Just Dance on wii

Th- 8:10-8:40pm HIIT on treadmill- 1.15 miles, 5 min total running, incline 3.0, HS 5.3

F- 6:30-7:05am UBWO- same as Monday only biceps were included on this one

Sa- 8:20-8:40am HIIT on treadmill- 1.24 miles (? not exactly sure because the damn emergency stop got pulled in the middle of my workout on accident!), 6 min total running, incline 3.0, HS 5.4
8:40-8:55am abs routine same as Wednesday

HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT ALL:
First of all, I've never been this out of shape my entire life!  At the beginning of this week I was at my heaviest weight (minus pregnancies but not by much) I've ever been in my entire life.  My fat clothes were starting to get tight and I felt ugly and disgusting.  I can honestly say that after that first morning workout I felt my motivation come back and my fire was lit.  This week was truly very easy for me in that I hardly felt tempted to cheat on my diet.  I cannot remember the last time I started a weight loss program that I didn't struggle the first week and not cheat once or not miss one work-out.  I feel great about my work this week and the 6.4 lb weight loss this week was icing on the cake.  I truly, honestly feel, for the first time in a long time, that I will stick with it this time and not give up and will complete my goals.  Signing up for the races was huge for me.  I also kept it pretty simple with my eating plan which made it so easier to stick with.

  I think I ate a turkey, avacado sandwich every day this week for lunch.  I do not plan on doing that all the time, but for this week it worked great.
Another thing that helped me with the motivation is the reward system I set up for myself (thanks to advice from my friend Rhiannon).  I got myself a nice big calendar that I can write down my workout programs for the day and that I can put my sticker on when I complete the workout and stick to the diet.  I know it sounds silly, but just like it's so exciting to put the little rocks on the "lbs lost" side, it is so exciting for me to put stickers on the days that I do well.

For getting 6 consecutive stickers this week my reward was a new nail polish.  It was a whopping $1.99 but it was so exciting to buy it and put it on because I felt like I worked for it and truly earned it.

Something else that kicked up my motivation burn was watching Biggest Loser on Netflix.  I've always loved that show and it's always been a big motivator to me.  To be able to watch it at my convenience without commercials is genius.  It really does get me excited to move and lose!
I would say this week was pretty much awesome.  I woke up today and after seeing my loss on the scale this morning I was on cloud 9.  I felt pretty today.  For the first time in a long time.  I still have so very far to go but I'm well on my way and I honestly feel like I will go all the way this time, for the first time in my life!

ENDING WEIGHT:
216.0
6.4lbs lost
6.4lbs lost overall


GOALS FOR NEXT WEEK:
1.  prep food for the week on Monday
2.  all workouts first thing in the morning
3.  increase running to 8 min total running
4.  30 min of extra cardio 4 x this week
5.  continue with no soda

Here We Go Again

I actually started my new weight-loss plan on Monday and I debated back and forth of whether or not to do a fitness blog.  As you can see, I decided to do it. But I think it will be simpler.  As in I've decided to not count calories at this time, I won't make it necessary to work out only first thing in the morning, I will allow myself more breathing room with a cheat meal and cheat treat, and so forth.  If I overwhelm myself I won't stick to it.  I've also pre-registered for 4 races so far this year and all are non-refundable which I think will help me stick to the routine since I don't want to lose out on that money for nothing.  I started on Monday after a long debate of even attempting to try to lose weight again.  I struggled because I just did not want to make another attempt and fail again.  And I was really lacking in motivation.  I know I need to lose weight and that I am not happy about where I am at right now physically (AT ALL!) but I just wasn't motivated as I usually am when I start a program.  But I finally decided it's something I NEED, MUST do if I want to truly be happy and content.  So Monday morning came and after going to the gym first thing in the morning my fire started to ignite.  It's only been 4 days since then but my fire of motivation is in full blaze!  I have not cheated once (I had ice cream but that was my planned cheat treat for the week) and am not even craving the crap I usually eat.  I've gotten some great tips from my friend who's a fitness guru that have helped motivate me as well.  She told me to do some sort of rewards system and that really got me excited.  So on the right where I have "Progress" posted is where you can see the rewards system I'm using.

I also found this cool idea on Pinterest of using decorative rocks as a visual of your weight-loss.  Since I'm a very visual person I knew this would help motivate me.  So on my Thursday morning weigh-in when I lost 4 lbs (wahoo!) I was SO excited to put my 4 little rocks into the "Pounds Lost" jar.  Small things bring about great things:)

I am also keeping an exercise and food journal as well.  Like I mentioned before, I won't be counting calories but I will still record what I eat and at what time as well as my workouts.  My whole fitness plan is posted on the right as well.  I plan on posting what I ate and what workouts I did for the week at the end of the week.  I will also post any recipes or motivational thoughts and stuff like that.  I will not focus on perfection this time, but progress.  I can do this.

Day 1

2.16.09
5 Goals for a successful day:
1- Take & post before measurements and pics...
2- Work out first thing in the morning...
3- No food cheats...
4- Sign up for official BFL challenge...
5- Update BFL tracker...
Notes:

Nutrition: (Planned followed by... actual)
Meal 1. 6:30A (time of meal) LF (low-fat) cottage cheese with FF (fat-free) yogurt, 2 CLA (conjugated linolic acid supplement), 1 iron pill...
2. 9A egg mixture (3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled), oatmeal mixture (served with about 1 tbsp. Splenda and a dash of cinnamon)...
3. 12P (PM) CC RTD (EAS Carb-Control Ready-to-drink shake)...
4. 3P turkey sandwich, veggies, 2 CLA...
5. 5P onion chicken, rice, steamed veggies...
6. 7P CC RTD...
Water- oz H2O
Notes:

Training:
RP (Running Program)
Planned Time- 7-7:30A
Actual Time-
2 min. running, 1 min. walking x10...
Distance-
UBWO (Upper Body Work-out [weight training])
Planned Time- 7:40-8:26A (1 min. rest in between each set except no rest in between power set and 2 min. when switching body parts)
Actual Time-
Chest-
Shoulders-
Back-
Biceps-
Triceps-
Notes:

Week 1 Menu Plan

All days will consist of at least 100 oz. H2O
Week 1
Monday- WO (work-out time). 7-8:30A (AM)
1 (meal #). 6:30A (time of meal) LF (low-fat) cottage cheese with FF (fat-free) yogurt, 2 CLA (conjugated linolic acid supplement), 1 iron pill
2. 9A egg mixture (3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled), oatmeal mixture (served with about 1 tbsp. Splenda and a dash of cinnamon)
tropical tuna sandwich (EFL Cookbook pg# 255), veggie, 2 CLA
3. 12P (PM) CC RTD (EAS Carb-Control Ready-to-drink shake)
4. 3P turkey sandwich, veggies, 2 CLA
5. 5P onion chicken, rice, steamed veggies
6. 7P CC RTD
Tu- WO. 2:30-3:30PA
1. 6:30A egg mixture, Cheerios, 2 CLA, 1 iron pill
2.9:30A CC RTD
3. 12:30P turkey sandwich, veggies, 2 CLA
4. 3:30P CC RTD
5. 5:30P Italian burgers, salad
6. 7:30P fruit, LF cheese
W- WO. 7-8:30A
1. 6:30A LF cottage cheese with FF yogurt, 2 CLA, 1 iron pill
2. 9A egg mixture, oatmeal mixture
3. 12P tropical tuna sandwich, veggie, 2 CLA
4. 3P CC RTD
5. 5P cajun chicken, pasta, salad
6. 7P CC RTD
Th- WO. 7-8A
1. 6:30A fruit, LF cheese, 2 CLA, 1 iron pill
2. 9A egg enchiladas (egg mixture on top of 2 heated corn tortillas topped with LF cheese and salsa)
3. 12P tropical tuna sandwich, veggies, 2 CLA
4. 3P CC RTD
5. 5P Singapore shrimp (EFL cookbook #185)
6. 7P CC RTD
F- WO. 7-8:30A
1. 6:30A LF cottage cheese with FF yogurt, 2 CLA, 1 iron pill
2. 9A egg mixture, oatmeal mixture
3. 12P Ranch chicken salad (EFL #271), 2 CLA
4. 3P CC RTD
5. 5P Lean Cuisine Meal
6. 7P CC RTD
Sa- WO. 7-7:30A
1. 6:30A fruit, LF cheese, 2 CLA, 1 iron pill
2. 8:30A egg sandwich (egg mixture on 2 toasted WW [whole wheat] pieces of bread with LF cheese)
3. 11:30A CC RTD
4. 2P Ranch chicken salad
5. 5P Lean Cuisine
6. 7P CC RTD

And I'm Off!!... again...

Sunday February 15, 2009
Ok- so here's the low down. I did not reach my goals last year. I trained and ate healthy very sporadically and not a whole lot. I lost a total of about 70 lbs from start of year to end which is definitely something to be proud of but I'm still so ashamed at my body and not happy with my health. Most of what I lost was the first couple months of the year and it was baby weight. I did go to Disney World this year at the beginning of January and attempted in vain to complete the Half-Marathon race that I had had a year to plan for. I ran very little of it and walked in pain the remainder of it. I made it to mile 10 before I was picked up by what I call the "Loser bus" for being too far behind the 16 minutes per mile pace. LAME! I was so disappointed in myself and knew I could have done so much better if I had trained properly... at all. I cried the whole way back to the meeting spot on the bus and even though I was happy for the rest of my family that did awesome I was almost too ashamed to even see them. They were all so supportive of me and I so appreciate that. I realized that 10 miles for my first ever race is not too bad and I'm proud of my body for making it that far in such poor shape that it was. What I got from it though was an awesome fun time with my family and a love for racing. I was told by so many other runners there that my first race was the start of an addiction and after my experience I believe it whole heartedly. I left feeling determined to go back next year and kick that race's butt- by finishing in 2 hours 20 minutes. So after I got home and we're settled with our big move and what not I'm so ready to kick my training into high gear and never look back. Not only am I determined in my running goals, I still am wanting my hot momma body which I plan on getting through my running training as well as completing the Body-for-LIFE challenge and making that a lifestyle change for me. Now's the time. I've tried this a million times before but I won't give up just because I haven't stuck with my goals. There's no excuses. It's my time to shine!!