Blogger Retreat-Blend

Lauren is the one that I follow but I want to start reading the other blogs too. She is really inspiring because she teaches spin & body pump classes in addition to her full time job. The instructor training for zumba is June 23rd so I've been trying to attend all sorts of different classes so I can be ready for it. The retreat looks awesome because those people seem like they could all be our friends.

Sunday April 22nd

That breakfast sounds delicious! It sounds similar to some of the oatmeals over at this blog that I read every day. I feel as though we are friends now after reading her posts. She does the overnight oats. Have you tried them yet? I really really want to. Now I just need an almost-empty nut butter jar, which shouldn't be that hard, haha.

My house is finally clean. I feel like that's all I've accomplished all weekend but hey, that's a huge jump from where I was at this time last week. I even rearranged the living room and now am feeling so much better about being in my home.

It has been a really busy weekend though with cleaning and the concert and then today with more cleaning and the ostrich and camel races, which were hilarious by the way. Melissa should be pulling in any minute and we will go to dinner and probably chat it up until we pass out. I have to take her to the airport in the morning super early so it'll be a long Monday but it's totally worth it. My plan for tomorrow is to sit down and get goals down on paper. My first timeline is what I want to accomplish before we go on the cruise so it will be a 4-week phase. Nothing crazy...just back into healthy habits. Cooking at home, working out 4-5 times a week, just get back to normal.

If I get some free time tonight I might update more. I'm just trying to figure out which direction to go in this time around.

Hope you're having an amazing Sunday!

New Favorite Breakfast

1/3 c. quick oats
4 tsp. splenda
Some pumpkin pie spice
1/2 an apple, chopped
2 tbs. walnuts broken into small pieces (optional)
2/3 cup liquid (I usually use water and almond milk)
1 dollop of natural peanut butter (I use planters because it is the closest to real PB I've ever had! And it is super low carb)

Microwave for 1:45.  Stir and enjoy!
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Adding a little peanut butter to my oatmeal has made me enjoy it a lot more!!I really like this because it is just as quick as a packet of oatmeal (well except for cutting up the apple) but is a lot cheaper and doesn't have the added sugar (unless you decide to add it).  The walnuts and PB make it a bit calorie high, but if you want you can just use one or the other....they really keep you full though!

I'm Back!!!

We made it back from our trip last night!  Had a blast!

In other news, I'm definitely staying in Tulsa for the next 4 years!!!  I officially have a job starting in July!  It is still surreal!  I suppose this is what it feels like to finally be a "grown up" ?  :)

Hope busy season is treating you OK.

I'm ready to get back into working out--lots of indulgences this past week!  :)

On Birthdays, Calories Don't Count! :)

Well, it's been a good year.  I can only think about how much healthier I am this year compared to the last few years.  We really have come a long way!  This coming week I am going to focus on doing nice things for myself!  I have worked hard to get to this point with finding out about residency, so I'm going to make it a good week!

Here's a itinerary for the next week for me:

• Monday: Lunch in Tulsa, get the email that says "You Matched" or "You now have to scramble" (not too worried here...).  Zumba or Elliptical. 
• Tuesday: Zumba or Elliptical. Do some stretching.
• Wednesday:Pack everything! Elliptical.  Haircut? Pedicure?
• Thursday:  Go to Perkins and drop dogs off with parents.  Yoga and stretching to help me relax.
• Friday: Match Day Luncheon--open my envelope at noon!  Leave for Disney World around 3. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is your 24th right??? I hope you have a wonderful day! You are such a blessing to me and having you in my life is one of the things I am most thankful for. Someone who inspires me to be a better person! You are so driven and dedicated and deserve only the best things in life.

Also, having your birthday on a Sunday automatically exempts you from weigh-in/measurements. That just wouldn't be right. So I hope you are having cake and celebrating with the family and doing anything you want to do today!

Monday

I worked out today. I will not take another week off because I felt like I was going to die during kickboxing but I got back out there today. And I made quinoa for the first time tonight (butternut squash sage quinoa to be exact).

Just wanted to write this so I can re-motivate myself to get back out there again tomorrow. Day to day. Every day is a choice. And yes, I'm becoming my very own self-help book, haha.

Sunday

Warning:  I am already dreading this week and am really bummed that it is already Saturday, so this post is sucky and negative and apathetic.  

I am going to follow suit and not do measurements this week.  I feel like this week was just weird and that I struggled to make to correct decisions too.  I don't regret the bad ones I made, but I don't want the numbers to make me upset/feel guilty.  Not this time.  I feel pretty good about myself right now, so I am ok with the fact that this week stunk.  This week is a clean, fresh slate and I hope to make it a better week.  I suppose I just haven't been "into it" this week.

Goals for the week:

1. Zumba on Monday and Thursday.  Strength training on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
2. (I will have to think about it more....my motivation is seriously lacking right now!!!!)

Today is a major cleaning day for me too.

• dishes
• laundry
• put boxes up in attic (our Christmas stuff has just been sitting around the garage.)
• vacuum living room and kitchen
• clear off kitchen table
• straighten up living room
• tidy up fireplace
• pick up all of my shoes (they're everywhere, they're everywhere!)
• fold and put up laundry
• clean stove top

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Well this Sunday will be just a little a different because I am choosing to start over today and so I will forego measurements until next weekend. This week was a strange one but the eating got so much better after my Excuses post. I've decided that I just need to consider the food at work off limits.  A lot of that has to do with getting super prepared for the week on the weekends. Yesterday I worked and went to celebrate dad's birthday so I didn't get anything accomplished at home so that's exactly what I'm doing today.

Here's my detailed list:
8:20-Get laundry started
8:25-9:00 - Clean Kitchen
9:00-9:30 - Plan weekly meals and grocery list
9:30-9:45 - Fold laundry that's still in dryer from last week. Switch this weeks laundry
9:45-10:15 - Get cleaned up for the day
10:15-11:45 -  Grocery shopping
12:00-12:30 - Lunch
12:30-12:45 - Fold & finish laundry
12:45-1:30 Sort mail and file away papers from the last month
1:30-1:45 - Finish picking up study
1:45-2:30 - Wash Car
2:30-3:00 - Bank reconciliation/pay bills for the rest of the month
3:00-5:00 - Cook meals for the week...Well I roasted butternut squash, haha.
5:00-Bedtime - Free time!!!!

Health goals for the week:
1. Workout with my normal schedule (even if works gets busy I will go work out then come back)
2. Do not eat the food at work
3. Limit pops to 2 a day (yes this seems excessive but I'm trying to give up things in moderation and this will be a step back from Diet Coke crazy consumption) 

Excuses

Okay, so I have been not writing this post for a long time but it needs to be written because I need to hear it myself. And being that it's 2:14am this is going to be a very honest post.

I have been being lazy. Do I know how to eat healthy? Yep. Could I eat a gluten free diet? Yep. Could I give up sugar if I wanted to? Yep. Could I get up before work to work out? Yep. The list continues with washing the dishes after I cook a meal, folding the laundry instead of keeping my clothes in the dryer, going to the post office to buy stamps so I can mail my mortgage on time, etc, etc, etc.

This week officially started the long hours of busy season. I have somewhat subconsciously/consciously been using work as a way to get me out of being healthy this week and it has to stop.

Here is my week so far:

I brought my clothes to workout with me to work on Monday so I could go to kickboxing and I could have made it but instead I worked late. I used working late as an excuse to not workout. When I got home on Monday it was a little after 8. Instead of cooking something I bought at the grocery store on Sunday that was healthy I ate the rest of the bag of baked cheetos that were sitting in my pantry. The bag of cheetos that I bought at the store knowing that they weren't the best choice but that I just wanted them. Then Tuesday rolled around and I had the best intentions of doing something healthy for myself that day but did I? Nope. I went to Jason's Deli for lunch because I used the excuse that the turkey I bought at the store on Sunday was slimey so instead of looking for another lunch option I just went out to eat. I also have not been eating the chocolate at work because I desperately want that haircut and that was my goal (to not eat that chocolate at work) but instead of I've been eating cookies and I even had a NutterButter bar which I don't think I've eaten since high school. Tuesday I worked til 8 so again no workout. And the eating at night was no better. Still not wanting to cook anything in my fridge I bought a not so stellar frozen meal at wal-mart and heated it up. And then because we are being super honest I ate a bag of mini reeces cups, which are really bad for you. Especially when you eat them right around bedtime.

Tonight I left work and had intentions of going to workout because I still had my workout clothes in my car from Monday. I forgot though that I wore socks to work on Monday and didn't have any in the bag and yesterday I wore heals so no socks to wear to kickboxing. I used this as an excuse to go home and chill and not workout. Could I still have gone home, changed and went to the gym? Yep.

I went to bed at a decent hour tonight but woke up about 30 minutes ago and could not go to sleep. And I think this is the reason why. Why am I sabotaging all that I've done? Every night I haven't worked out or that I eat something processed and sugary I feel good only for like 5 minutes and then I just feel super fat. Clearly, I haven't gained 20 pounds in a week but in my body that's what I feel like. I feel gross and I can't do this to myself again. I've gone up/down so many times in the past and I'm sick of doing this to myself. I don't want to be a fat/lazy person who does things just because they're easy and they feel good at the time.

And to just totally get things out there another thing that has been weighing on me (pun/no pun intended) is this dating thing which yes, will apparently always be an issue for me. I know the last date with the guy didn't go so well but I haven't been feeling that great about me lately and I even thought to msyelf last week that I'm not "thin" enough to be dating because I'm not okay with me yet. I've used this an excuse in the past and it is such crap. I do this to myself so I don't get hurt and I'm tired of this cycle too. I say "Oh, I'm not where I want to be and until I get there I will just be myself and not date." But instead of this pushing me to workout and be healthy I usually just eat and sit around so it has the exact opposite effect.

Yes this post is crazy and when I re-read it again at 8 in the morning I'll probably think what in the world? But here's the deal. We can do anything we want. I can get up at 5am and workout. I can eat a diet with no sugar in it. I can drink a whole bunch of water every day and not 3 Diet Cokes. And just because I haven't been doing it doesn't mean I can't. Excuses. Damn them. I don't want to wait til after April 15th to start being healthy again.

So.....I'm getting up in the morning and I'm going to workout. For an hour. Before work. And I'm giving up eating the snacks at work. I'm going to the post office and getting stamps. And for now that's enough. And this weekend I'm going to cook for the week like I was doing. And I'm going to wash the dishes and fold the laundry and be prepared for the next week. Because I refuse to wait and let these excuses weigh me down any longer.

Sunday Check-in

Good Sunday Morning!!!

Well not much changed this week. I feel like this has been my last several weeks. My weight is at 156 which is 2 pounds less than where I started. My measurements are consistent but my bust is up an inch this week and my thigh measurement looks like it might have increased a little which is disheartening. I was able to get in really cardio this week and yesterday I went to another zumbathon and it was a great workout so I'm not sure what more I can be doing on the workout side which means I need to just suck it up and really attack my food habits and change them. It's so hard to do during busy season. Food is so comforting and I know how bad that is but some days it really does make you feel better. And just to throw a little pity party I had a great date last Friday and I didn't hear from him (which I had a feeling I wouldn't. When I like a guy that seems to be the kiss of death) so everyone said I should text him which I did. We set up a date for Friday but then I felt like I was pressuring the situation and cancelled the date. Yes, I might be truly crazy. Dating really may not be in the cards for me. Looking back on the date I probably shouldn't have said anything about wanting to adopt a little black baby or not wanting to find my husband til I was 87. Yep, crazy. hahaha

I have a busy day today. I need to get some work done, laundry, clean the kitchen, pay bills, grocery shop and then Shanetha and I are having an Oscar watch party so I need to get some stuff done for that.

Sorry for the depressing post. I'm really trying to be positive and I'll get back on the bandwagon. Some days it just needs to be vented and left in the past.

 So I've decided to implement a goal/reward into my week. If I don't have any of the chocolates at work (they always have those mini chocolate bars w/all the flavors and after lunch I usually induldge) then I will buy myself a haircut next weekend.

I also decided I think I need a workout goal to focus on. Trying to decide what that should be. 

Weekly Check In

Happy Sunday!

I think I am going to re-evaluate my diet this week.  I think that my lack of change is probably due to that.  I have been doing low-carb/no sugar, but I give myself a free pass on stuff without carbs....so I am thinking my calories are too high.  I'm going to start focusing more on calories while continuing the low carb stuff.I mostly track my carbs and not my total calories (i.e. I don't always enter stuff like meat or oil into my tracker because they have no carbs), so my goal is to track everything this week.

This week I also really ramped up my cardio.  My goal was to do three hours total of cardio, and I actually ended up doing 5 hours total.  I did skimp a bit on strength training this week just to see how my body would react to resting my muscles.  Apparently my body could have cared less, haha.  My scale is still stuck around 139 and my measurements are the same as they have been. (I do feel better about how I look in shorts though).

Why is it so hard to produce a change right now?  I feel like I haven't moved my numbers in the last month!  Maybe my body is happy here.  Or maybe it is that I am eating too many calories. Any ideas??



So that's where I'm at this week: stuck. 

Goals for the coming week:
1. Track all food and total calories, aiming to maintain an average deficit of 500 calories per day. 
2. 3 hours of cardio and 3 strength training sessions. 

Thanks for posting dude! I got out of work late and didn't have time to make it to kickboxing. I went on Monday and then went to zumba yesterday so I had almost talked myself into just chilling tonight but after dinner I checked the blog and saw your post and it motivated me to get out and workout. I just got back from an hour and 6 miles on the elliptical. Feel so much better!

I've been doing pretty well on my eating this week except I ate cashews from work yesterday and today and I think they might be making me sick so I'm done with that. I'm trying to eat less sugar/carbs but not cut them out. I have been having turkey and cheese stick for lunch w/broccoli and greek yogurt dip. It's super protein packed and really makes me full. I really want to do little/no sugar but I think trying this during busy season is just too much. I'd love to make my own bread and try out new recipes but we are getting into the thick of things and cooking period is becoming a struggle.

That all being said for lent I have given up fast food again. I wanted to do something hardcore but alas I'm back to my standard fallback. Maybe next year.

Mid Week Check-In

Man, am I struggling today.  I can't get enough to eat!!  I think that the amount of food I am bringing with me during the day is just not enough.  I start to falter in my dedication when I get really hungry that's for sure.  All day long, I've thought about food I could get on the way home or from the vending machine....all of it unhealthy.  I survived without doing either of those things, but am still having a hard time filling up.  I brought snacks, ate lots of protein, and still it was rough.  I am wondering if I need to start eating more substantial snacks than a cheese stick and cherry tomatoes (my morning and afternoon snacks).  Any snacks that keep you full??  

Anyway, I am still doing really well for the week.  I worked out twice yesterday (regular workout in the morning and Zumba last night), so today is a rest day.  I'm going to try and do some yoga or stretching later so I don't get sore. 

Hope your week is going well.  Give up anything crazy for Lent??

Tumblr

http://mandajosplace.tumblr.com/

Sugar/Carbs/Wheat

What an article!

Okay so I know you have known this stuff for awhile but the more I read the more and more I realize all the things I'm putting into my body that are just un-doing everything I do while at the gym. I don't know what this means for me yet. I really want to do more reading and understanding and try to decide what will be a way to incorporate this into my life style.

Sunday - update

Gosh, Sundays have gotten busy these last couple weekends. Geez, Louise. My stats didn't change this week either. When I came home from body pump yesterday the scale was super nice but this morning it was up 4 pounds, haha.

I have been contemplating something new with my diet. I'm going to try and go on a low-glycemic index diet. I also would like to give up sugar for lent but after grocery shopping tonight I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to dedicate that much time to food prep during busy season. I feel like every thing I read right now is telling me to get away from sugar so if I don't completely cut it out I'm going to cut way back. I got some books today but they aren't exactly what I'm looking for so I'm taking them back tomorrow and looking for something else. So much information to process out there.

Anyways sorry for the short update. I'll try and do a longer one tomorrow when I have more time.

Weekly Goals:
1. Water
2. Work out 5 times
3. Bed by 10:30

Have a great week dude! Yay for only one more test, Dr. Miles!

Week 7 stats

Are we really on week 7?  I got my workout spreadsheet all messed up (I somehow lost a week....) so now i can't keep things straight.

I'm about to head to my parents, so I will update this post later with measurements and such.  I just wanted to get on here and say that I didn't have a very good week.  I only worked out 3 times and had a emotional eating "binge" on a pack of pop tarts that I bought at Quick Trip.  I only ate one pack, but did it in such a way that I would consider it an unhealthy thing....  I did it and then hid it because I was ashamed of it.   Like I said, that is not a healthy way to deal with things, but I told James a few days later and he was confused as to why it was that big of deal....so it made me feel better that he didn't care.  It feels silly to talk about now, but the guilt at the time was real.  So anyway, this is something I'm going to be working on: my relationship with my "emotional" food.

Also, I have joined the bandwagon and got a tumblr.  I dislike pinning all the fitness stuff where my family can see it, but I really like looking at it.  So I got a tumblr for just fitness stuff.  It really motivates me to look at the fitspo stuff, and I needed some motivation this week to get back on the bandwagon (I worked out yesterday, woohoo!).  Let me know if you want the link.

Anyway, I am off to celebrate my Papaw's 80th birthday! I'm eating cake damnit--it's not everyday he turns 80!  :)

Be back later!  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

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I'm back!  All the measurements are the same for me, so no news there.  We just got back home after a full day of visiting with the family, which is always great.  And the cake was good too.  :)

Goals for the week:
1.  3 hours of cardio total this week.  
2.  Plan out meals for the week.
3.   Study for your last test of medical school (on Friday) !!  <--this just hit me with some shock! :)

It's going to be a great week--I can feel it!

Checking In - Week 6

Happy Valentines week!!! (This is me fully embracing the holiday of love this year)

So workouts weren't very often this last week which is probably why my weight is down. I'm convinced that's what happens. Ready to get back to 5 days a week at the gym this week.

Stats:
Weight: 155
Arms: 12"/12" (same)
Bust: 33" (same)
Waist: 28" (same)
Hips: 34.5" (down)
Thighs: 24"/24" (so close to half an inch down. maybe next week)
Calves: 15"/15" (same)

Sorry I was so late in posting. We didn't get home from PBR til late last night then I had to be in Perkins this morning because Jane was retiring from choir directoring and then I went to see the Vow this afternoon and had to get everything ready for the week. If you have time please go watch the Vow. I loved it!

Weekly goals:
1. workout 5 times
2. Water intake
3. Nightly stretching and gratitude journal

End of Week 6 Stats

Good Morning!!


We have officially been going for 6 weeks now!  Go us!
Here are some of my stats:

• Arms: 12.0/12.0 (+0.5/+0.5 from start)
• Bust:  34.0 (-2.0 from start)
• Waist: 26.0 (-2.0 from start)
• Hips: 35 (-1.5 from start)
• Thighs: 22/22 (+0.5/no change from start)
• Calves:  14/14 (+0.5/+0.5 from start)
• Calories burned: 3926
• Weight:  140 (+2.2 from start)  <---This is amazing to me!  How can I weigh more than when I started and look 10 pounds lighter?? 

This is a quick progress pic to show you what it looks like to be heavier than start weight, haha!



______________________________________________

Here's a great link to 60 weight loss success stories
 ______________________________________________

Goals for the week:
1.  Track all food, including water and protein intake (in addition to carbs)
2. Get in your daily vitamin and 2 fish oils. 
3.  No eating out!cheating on food!  (Papaw's birthday is next Sunday--need to save up for a piece of cake!)



P.S. I feel a lot less stressed about this journey now that I can honestly laugh at/ignore the scale.  I didn't visit it at all this week (out of sight out of mind I suppose) and it didn't phase me one bit to see that number this morning.  It just feels different now and I like it.

Oops

So I usually work til 6 on Monday's so I can head straight to kickboxing. I got off work at 5 and decided to just come home,eat dinner and then go to the gym instead. But....then I got sucked into the voice and sat on my couch til 9. And thus the title of this post entitled Oops. Haha. The best part about this evening is discovering how different I am now. I did enjoy the voice (clearly) but I felt guilty but not in a bad way but a good way. I sort of regretted not working out not just because it was the right thing to do but because I actually missed it. I used to go home, eat dinner and just watch tv on most nights and now that is such a rarity I can't even remember the last time I did that on a week night. It's such a great realization to have. I won't let the guilt get me down. I'll get right back at it tomorrow.

In other news I looked up that 12 week fitness plan from that blog I posted and I think a lot of it sounds amazing. That girl was ripped! I don't like the no cardio so I wonder if you can modify the plan and it will still work like that. I like her calorie mentality she writes about on her blog. It makes me want to get a fit-bit really bad. That may be my valentines gift to myself. (one of many gifts I'm contemplating haha) Hope you had the most fantastic Monday!

Interesting Article About WW

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/in-new-diet-math-subtracting-is-hard/?smid=tw-nytimeswell&seid=auto

Week 5 Stats

I agree fully on your statements regarding the scale.  I have officially moved the scale to James' bathroom (the icky man bathroom that I don't like using) and do not plan on visiting it much! 

It was a rough week, but you are completely right.  We have taken much better care of ourselves so far--it is definitely not like in the past with fast food/eating out.  We are really doing well and I am still very proud of us!

My stats have not changed from last week and I am not going to report a weight because the scale told me yesterday that I was above starting weight (the liar).  Even if I am above that weight, it is muscle and water....  it's not like I gained all those pounds back from one cheat meal and missing a couple workouts.  I'm going to be logical here!

Things I gained this week:

• Re-motivation
•  Rest/recovery
• New workout ideas
• Muscle
• Perspective with this journey and the scale

Things I did not gain this week

• Fat

Here's my workout schedule and goals for the week (P.S. I love your goals this week)

  

This week is gonna be a good one!!!!

February 5th - 5 weeks in

Good morning!

I'm sorry you had a rough week. I wish I had some magical advice to make everything better. Just know that I'm here if you ever get the urge to just talk it out. I think rest weeks are a necessity. If we did this consistently for the whole year with no breaks occasionally I think we would be so burned out that our body would hate us for it. I've decided the scale is completely useless as well. You can lose weight by being completely sedentary and just eating fat-free, who knows what's in it food as long as your calories are low enough. Clearly that is not healthy and we are doing such wonderful things for our bodies that it's hard to know if we should even keep weighing in. I guess it's good to just monitor as we go to see what develops by I think we should decide that the number means nothing.

I've had a semi-breakthrough this week. I repeated those quotes to myself this week along with just trying to counter every negative thought I've had with either something positive or I've just been telling myself to stop being negative when negativity pops into my head. It's crazy how many negative thoughts I've had but I must admit I feel better. Now I didn't have a super great week. I took Thursday and Saturday off because of social functions that interfered but I think back to last year when I wasn't working out and eating out all the time. Sonic at late night almost every night. Life this year is so good so it's hard to be mad at myself for a not so great couple of days.

I say we celebrate all the great things we've done for ourselves these first 5 weeks! We rock!

Weekly Stats:
Weight: 156 (same)
Arms: 12"/12.5" (I'm looking at this as becoming a muscle machine)
Bust: 33" (down .5")
Waist: 28" (down .5")
Hips: 35.5"(this seems to fluctuate every week. Maybe this is where my weight goes first)
Thighs: 24"/24"(both are getting closer to 23.5 but not quite there just yet)
Calves: 15"/15" (same)

I'm going to switch up my breakfasts and lunches this week. I'm starting to get tired of that food and don't want to get burnt out totally. Dinner this week will be lentil tacos and some sort of veggie, looking for options later. I've become a lover of lentils after the lentil sloppy joes. They were amazing!

Workout Schedule for the week:
Monday: Kickboxing
Tuesday: Zumba and a short run (trying to get something extra in on Zumba nights)
Wednesday: Elliptical early before work
Thursday: Looking for a new class to try out
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Body pump + spin class

Weekly Goals:
1. Water 64 oz a day (I did better this week! Still not quite there but much better!)
2. Bed by 10:30 (I did well until Thursday came along. Midnight movie with Larry was definitely not in bed by 10:30)
3. Stretching and positive thinking for 10 minutes every morning

Rough Week...

.....and I stupidly got on the scale this morning.  I may just throw it out the window!!!!!  It upsets me too much when it tells me these lies.

So this week was a bit rough for me.  First of all, James was sick from Saturday-Thursday with some terrible GI bug.  He was so nauseous that even the smell of cooking food would make him sick.  This poses a problem when the other person in the house actually wants to eat.  Problem #2: I had to work both Tuesday and Thursday evenings until late so I was on a weird schedule and was really tired.  (I realize these are only excuses, but I'm listing them anyway.)  I worked out on Monday and Tuesday, but that was it for this week (I'm about to go to the gym and get back on the horse!), so naturally my mood has been terrible!  I also had a cheat meal this week--I'd been having terrible cravings for carbs all week, so I planned out that on Thursday I would allow myself to have a cheat meal.  I had small portions and didn't feel gross or guilty afterward (this was also pre-approved by James as not cheating on Atkins, so I don't lose--he participated as well).


Gym To-Do:

• bicep curls 12 reps x3 sets
• triceps on machine  12 reps x 3 sets
• lat pull-downs 12 reps x3 sets
• cross body pull downs 12 reps x3 sets
• Three-way shoulders: bent over dumbbell rows, bent over dumbbell flies, straight arm dumbbell raises to front.  12 reps of each x 3 super-sets
• Squats: 12 reps x 3 sets
• Lunges with dumbbells 12 reps x 3sets
• Calf Raises with dumbbells 15 each side x 3 sets
• Weighted side step-ups, 15 each side x3 sets
• Dead lift 12 reps x3
• Push-ups in between dead lift sets
• 30 second planks x3
• Roman twist abs with weight disc
• incline crunches with weight
• back extensions with weight

I think I am going to sit down later and re-motivate myself.  I feel guilty about this past week, but then I stop and thing that maybe a "rest week" is a good thing every now and then.  p90x and Insanity both have a rest week about 4-5 weeks in, so maybe this is what I needed.  

I was just going to comment, but it got long.... and then it turned into a whole new topic.

I agree. So many gimmicks out there!  I feel like most of it is just about money with most of these diets too, which is frustrating to me.  I really felt like that on WW and feel like  that if I ever visit the Atkins site (they promote a lot of fake food type stuff which just looks yuck!)...

But then I feel like some of the diets are just so "hippy-ish" and are concerned with so many "toxins" harming our bodies...well, I'm pretty sure every time I pump gas I inhale "toxins" or every time I use Listerine, I'm absorbing "toxins"....where do you draw the line??  I can't use paper products because they ruin the planet, but I can't use plastic either because they'll give me cancer or autism or something.

Why can't we just eat what we want??  I know why I can't, because I would binge on things like cake or pop-tarts.  I've been having a rough past couple of days where I literally daydream about things to go home and pig out on that are not Atkins-friendly.  These mostly involve ice cream and french fries.  Not because I feel deprived by any means, but because I'm tired and emotional, and just feel drained.  Why do I want a cupcake to fix that???  Is it because growing up, baked goods meant love and comfort??  I'm feeling like things aren't fair right now.  (i.e. why some people could eat poptarts and cupcakes for every meal with no consequences) For the record, I have not given in to these urges!
 _____________________________________________________

Who's Invited: You Are!
What: Manda's Pity-Party
When: This very night!

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end. scene.

I love this blog post.  Now she does talk about Atkins so just ignore that part but the rest of it is exactly how I feel. So many differing opinions. Which to believe? Which is right for me? I feel like she could be our friend!

Reminders

Here is a quote that I am trying to repeat to myself daily:

"You yourself, deserve your love and affection as much as anybody in the universe"

I have been struggling with this for the past week (and really all my life, let's be honest) and at certain times it's been really rough.

I feel like I see myself as one thing and then when I go out into the real world and that image doesn't seem to be affirmed in others then I start doubting who I am. Then I found another quote on Pinterest that says..."How Others see you is not important. How you see yourself is everything." Something else I need to repeat to myself. If I would keep positively reassuring myself instead of letting negative thoughts creep in I Think life would feel a lot different.

Just daily reminders that we are worthy and we can be whoever we want to be.

Goals for the Week

1. Take lunch every day
2. Workout a minimum of 5 days this week.  
3. 12-15g of net carbs from veggies every day!!

1 Month!!!

Yay for us!!! I feel the exact same way about the scale. I can feel changes in my body (even to the point that I'm starting to see definition on my stomach which has never happened) so I feel like the scale shouldn't matter at all. I also agree about exercising as a hobby. I love it! I love taking new classes and having something to look forward to at the end of the workday. If I'm having a horrible day and am super cranky it all changes after I work out. It's like a miracle drug but it's good for you at the same time mentally and physically.

I tried body pump yesterday and loved it! I think I will be doing that every Saturday. It's a full hour of strength training to different music tracks. They worked everything. We did squats with a bar on our shoulders so you can change the weight. We did lunges with the bar, dead lifts, shoulders, biceps and triceps work and then ended with some abs. It was challenging but really good and I'm definitely feeling it today.

I had such a busy weekend that I really haven't had time to do any real planning for this week, which is why this post is coming so late in the day. I went to Sarah's party last night and then to Stacy's birthday after that and didn't get in until 4am. I had to get up and get ready to go meet Steph in Guthrie at 11:30 so I bascially came back after that and crashed until I had to start some laundry and go to the grocery store.

Here is this week's menu:

Breakfast: Oatmeal & skinny chai

Lunch: turkey wrap, greek yogurt dip w/veggies

Snack: greek yogurt

Dinner: Snobby joes w/cauliflower or sweet potatoes

Activity for this week:
Monday: Kickboxing
Tuesday: Zumba
Wednesday: Zumba or kickboxing
Thursday:Zumba
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Body pump and maybe ellliptical afterward
Sunday: Rest

Measurements:
Weight: 156 (up a little but that's ok)
Arms: 12"/12" (my mom and dad asked to feel my biceps yesterday at the cowgirl game. they were impressed which made me feel good, haha)
Bust: 33.5" (down .5")
Waist: 28.5" (same)
Hips:34.5" (down 1.5". I think last weeks measurement may have been a fluke)
Thighs: 24"/24" (same)
Calves: 15"/15" (same)

Goals for the next week:
1. WATER 64 OZ A DAY!!!
2. Stick to workout schedule
3. Bed by 10:30

One Month Down!!

Good Morning!!

We are now one month into the New Year, my friend, and I'd say we are doing splendidly!

I think this past week was really good for me, as I've come to several conclusions:

1. The scale is SO dumb.  I think that we are so conditioned to rely on it to tell us we are progressing that we lose sight of how we're really doing.  Last week the scale was up (as it was again this morning), and I felt like I had done crappy because of it.  This week, I resisted the urge to step on it countless times, and secretly hoped it would magically be a really, really low number this morning since I hadn't looked all week.  NOPE. The funny thing is, I don't really care what it said this week.  Last night, I noticed just how firm my thighs/quads are getting, and I was super proud!  I thought back on all of the hard work I did this week in the gym and knew that I had really given it a lot of effort this week.  So from now on, I will be weighing in weekly, but I'm not really focused on this number anymore.  Who care's what it says??  I know that I am doing everything right and I just have to be consistent in my healthy ways.  It's more about becoming fit and healthy than having a number that is acceptable to society.  It's not like weight watchers, where if you gain 4 pounds in water weight from working out, you are shamed into thinking you must have gone over your points and gained 4 whole pounds from calories.  So that being said, Screw You Scale, I'm doing a fabulous job.
2. I realized that I really like going to gym.  I think I enjoy having a "hobby," since I really haven't had many hobbies since starting medical school.  It feels good to have something normal again that I can just "go do" if I'm bored.  I really hate it that my life consists mostly of school and then coming home to watch TV and then going to bed.  I enjoy watching recorded shows, but I really do not like channel surfing or wasting hours on the internet--it puts me in a terrible and frustrated mood (and I just realized this recently....).  I feel better (mood-wise) if I am doing something constructive, and I think that is why I love going to the gym--because it prevents me from coming home-eating-sitting on the couch all night-& going to bed. I really don't like being sedentary.  I get bored with it pretty quickly and then my sour mood starts! So here's to having an actual hobby!

________________________________________________________

I actually worked really hard to meet my goals this week and am proud that I accomplished these things.  They mean more than that number on the scale any day.

I feel good about my progress this week, even if the numbers aren't much different!
____________________________________________________
I'll update with some goals for the week later!

Thursday....so close to Friday but yet so far

The week has been going well. I've stuck with my eating plan except for the 2 meals that I knew I would eat out and even then I didn't go as overboard as I did last week.

My workouts have been good this week. I'm still sore from kickboxing on Monday. She killed us. I was going to get up early on Tuesday to workout but I had some problems sleeping on Sunday and Monday night so I opted to sleep. I didn't get to sleep til 2am on Sunday and then 1:30am on Monday. Makes for a long week.

I'm going to zumba tonight and then thinking about trying again to wake up early in the am and get some elliptical work in. Tomorrow is hockey and then Saturday will be busy all day but I'm still excited about body pump class.

Water is still my enemy. That will be my main goal next week.

To be honest I've been sort of depressed this week. When I can't sleep my mind starts turning and then it just focuses in on negative thoughts and then I freaked myself out and ended up in a crying mess. Yesterday I think the sleepiness was catching up with me because I cried at work(in the bathroom) and then I cried today over family issues. Needless to say if someone didn't know me and met me this week they would think that I was crazy. And the Hunger Games ending didn't help, haha. I'm ready for some rest and fun.

No Weigh Week Update

Not stepping on the scale for a whole week is much harder than I thought it would be!  Especially since it sits there taunting me every time I go to the bathroom. I haven't given in yet, but I am nervous that it will go up a lot when I finally do get back on it! 

My other goal of burning 5000 calories is not going well either.  I don't know whether I am tired from last week or what, but it has been difficult this week to workout.  I even took Sunday and Tuesday off because I just wasn't into it (even after walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes each time).  I'm going to Zumba tonight and may do some upper body strength training after to try and make up for missing twice. 

I have definitely been getting my water in this week though, so at least that is one positive!!! 



Hope you are having a good week and are reaching all of your goals!!

Monday-Back on Track

I love/hate Monday's. It signals the end of the wonderful weekend but it feels like a fresh start. I was able to do my cooking/grocery shopping for the week yesterday and get all my chores caught up so I feel like I'm starting this week off on the right foot.

Here's my menu for the week (I've decided eating the same thing every day for a week is the easiest for me because of planning and shopping so I'm sticking with this until I get tired of just one menu for the week)

Breakfast: Skim Chai & Oatmeal

Lunch: Turkey wrap w/hummus, veggies & greek yogurt dip (broccoli & carrots this week)

Snack: Pineapple Chobani (I can't get tired of this)

Dinner: Lasagna Rolls & Salad w/Italian dressing or baked kale

Dessert: 9 Dark Hershey Kisses

I also decided to plan my workouts out. I've decided that I will just shoot for 5 workouts a week instead of 6. Working out on Sunday just feels like it ruins my whole weekend for some reason so I decided to just not do it unless I really felt like it.

Monday: Kickboxing
Tuesday: Early morning Elliptical work
Wednesday: Toning zumba then weights after
Thursday: Zumba
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Body Pump (I've been hearing all about this class from a blog I read and I found out that my Y does it on Saturday mornings so I'm all over it!)

I'm feeling so much better and so much more in control. Now if I can just finish the 3rd Hunger Games book because I stayed up way too late last night reading and I'm super tired today.

Week 3

Good morning! 

Well my weight stayed constant. I think I can owe most of that to the zumbathon yesterday. 2 hours and an average heart rate of 162 helped I'm sure. I can feel my stomach becoming firmer and my arms and legs are feeling much stronger and solid. However my bust and hip measurements went up today. I'm not sure if I was holding the tape tighter last week or if it's close to that time of month and my body is showing it. Oh well.

Measurements:
Weight: 155.5 (stayed constant)
Arms:12"/12" (same)
Bust:34"(up 1")
Waist: 28.5" (same)
Hips:36" (up 1")
Thighs:24"/24"(same)
Calves: 15"/15" (same)

I think worse weeks will happen here and there. The good news is that we remain accountable to ourselves and each other and at the end of the day in the overall are still making great decisions for our health and our lives!

I will be menu planning again today. The last 2 weeks have been excellent for menu planning. Making something on Sunday to eat for the rest of the week has made the rest of the week so much better!

Week 3 Status Update

It's been a rough week for me this week too.  I had to go to the dentist twice (once for cleaning, once for an issue with one of my fillings needing repaired) and let's just say, I have quite a bit of anxiety when it comes to the dentist.  Needless to say, twice in one week was an issue for me.  I definitely did not do very well with my eating (mostly just didn't have an appetite) and didn't fuel my body like I should have this week.  The things I ate were still good foods, but I definitely didn't get the calories I should have and I'm pretty sure my body is pissed about it.  I didn't do very well with my water either.

But, just like on the Biggest Loser this season, that's not an excuse.  No excuses.  I didn't do well, but I'll do better this coming week.  And that's all I can really say.

My workouts went pretty well this week and I burnt a lot of calories!  I'm struggling right now with just continuing to trust the process, no matter what the scale/measurements say.  Which is why I am posting progress pics today.  I can tell a difference in the pics and in my clothes, even if I am retaining water from lifting weights this week

Trust the process Amanda, trust the process.  You aren't gaining weight because you started working out.  It's all water.  Trust the process. 
____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Goals for the coming week:

1. Burn 5000 calories
2. Water: if you don't have your 8 cups in, you can't have coffee the next morning!
3. No stepping on the scale until next Sunday. 

Mid-Week Check In 1/19/12

Well, I have been having a little setback this week. I went and kickboxed on Monday and had a great time and then I ate all really healthy, good food. Tuesday my breakfast and lunch were great because I made them but then I ate out with Sarah and we had a cupcake after dinner and then went to the movies so I had dessert and didn't exercise. Yesterday I did well on breakfast & lunch and then I had to grab something fast and head to Stillwater for the OSU Women's game. I could have made a smarter decision but I grabbed a grilled cheese from Sonic which usually fills me up but yesterday it just didn't so then I ate peanut m&m's at the game. And I didn't get to exercise again so today I just feel ginormous. I think what is frustrating me is that I know how to well even when having busy, hectic days and for the last 2 days I just didn't do it.

I'm getting back at it today though. I've been doing really well with packing my breakfast and lunch the night before and my healthy meals have been doing a great job at keeping me full throughout the workday. On days when I don't have anything and can actually go home I have a healthy dinner waiting on me (this week was sweet potato stew w/whole wheat biscuits from neverhomemaker's blog) and everything seems great. But on other nights I need to learn to stay in control because it makes all the difference in the world how I feel the next day. Also, I'm in a conundrum with exercising. I love it and when I workout all 6 days I feel so much better but I don't want to limit my interactions with people just because of zumba class interference. Should I just suck it up on days that I know I can't make it to the gym and just get up early and workout that morning? I need a plan to combat these things.

I've felt so busy since starting my new job (which is a great thing!) but I just feel like I'm a little out of sorts and really want to get everything organized and back on track. I feel so much better when I feel I have control over things. I get to go home tonight and eat a normal dinner and then go to zumba class so my goal is to sit down and decide what I want the rest of January to be like and plan it out.

Hope you're having a great week! You seem to be doing so awesome and are really motivating me! It almost makes me feel like I've been a slacker but it's good that you're there doing so well and making me want to do better.

Hump Day

So I wanted to try out a new way to post spreadsheets and stuff.  I saw someone else use a screen shot that had been cropped in Paint, so I figured I would give it a shot.  If you open the file you want and press "Alt" and "Prt sc sysrq" at the same time, it takes the screen shot, and then you just paste it into Paint to crop it.  From there you can just save it and upload it like a regular pic!

My week is going pretty well so far, except the big blister I now have at the base of my big toe.  Lesson learned: don't wear socks that are loose around the toes to do Zumba/workout in; stick with the "cling-to-your-whole-foot" type of socks.
____________________________________________________________________

Here's the calculator so we can find it again:

http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/

End of Week 2

So, here are my stats for the week:

• Weight 132.6/134.8 --So yesterday the scale was really nice, and reflected the first number, but today it was back up to 134.8.  I know my water flux has been crazy this week, as there have been days I can't get my rings off, so I am not too worried about it.  
• Arms: 11.0/11.0 (-0.5 on each side)
• Bust: 35.0 (-1.0 inch)---It really is sad that this is the first to go...
• Waist: 26.5 (-1.5)
• Hips: 35.5 (-1.0)
• Thighs: 22.0/22.5 (+0.5/+0.5)--they don't look/feel bigger, but I think the muscles are holding onto water... I really worked my legs this week.
• Calves 14.0/14.0 (+0.5/+0.5) Same thing here.  
• The parentheses are total losses from the beginning stats.

My thoughts:

• I'm really not concerned with weight at this point, especially since both James and I have noticed a visible difference in my body, and my clothes fit a lot better already. I know I am really retaining water (I don't think I gained 1/2 an inch of muscle in my thighs/calves--they are hoarding water!)
• I can definitely feel more muscle/firmness....  does the protein work that quickly?  
• My bikini for our vacation came in earlier this week, and man, it is some real motivation!  Visualizing myself wearing it what keeps me going strong and staying positive because I'm determined to get there and know I can do it! I think it is like signing up for a 5k--it pushes you to reach that goal when you have a definite end point/deadline.  In my head, it is "just 8 more weeks to get where you need to be."  I was worried it would be a negative thing that would disappoint me and drag me down, but it has actually been a really positive thing for me!
• So I went to another Zumba class on Thursday night (much better and more intense than the first one) and I didn't have enough energy for it--I was very sluggish and just tired from the beginning.  So this week, I am going to work on making sure I have enough fuel to do my workouts.  I'm also going to keep up the 100g of protein per day.  I feel full when I do and the shakes/smoothies are great for a dessert/sweet tooth!
• Also, I forgot to mention, we went ahead and signed up for a membership at our little gym!  I'm pretty excited to plan my workouts for the week!

Week 2 Check-in

Good morning!!! I was a little worried about how things would go this week. Eating out with work/friends and family didn't make me feel like I had done that great but I did manage to get my workouts in and when I got home last night I decided to do a "last chance" workout. I went outside and walked for 5 minutes then ran for 2 walked 1 and repeated that for 30 minutes. Then I came in and did Ripped in 30 with Jillian. I was wiped afterwards but I felt really good. My body is a little sore this morning but not something that won't work itself out when I go to the gym later today.

Week 2 Stats
Weight: 155.5 (down .5)
Arms: 12" (no change, although I think my left arm is little less this week so I'm happy about that!)
Bust: 33" (down .5)
Waist: 28.5"(down .5)
Hips: 35" (down .5)
Thighs: 24"/24" (down 1", down .5")
Calves: 15"/15" (down .5/no change)

Everything is going down pretty much so I'm really excited about that!

Today I'm going to meal plan for the week. Last week I made mini mexican casseroles on Sunday and they lasted me til Thursday so that was great. No thinking when I came home. I could just reheat and go. I think I will try that again but with zucchini/turkey burgers this week. My lunch consisted of turkey wraps w/hummus and greek yogurt. I liked that but I will try and get a fruit/veggie in too. My breakfast was oatmeal w/cranberries and a skim chai. I liked it but again I need fruit/veggies. I'll be menu hunting this morning. I'm trying to get my workout/grocery shopping in so I can be home and ready to chill by the time the Golden Globes come on tonight.

Thursday 1/12

This blog post should be titled "What's the Next Step?".

I know it's only the second week of the new year and there will be lots of hurdles that come at us for the next 50 weeks but I feel like my workouts are going well so far and I have been feeling really good about my portion control. I think this is the first time that I've had tortilla chips and dark chocolate in my house at the beginning of the week and it's still here at the end. However, with that being said that still means that every day I may eat a chip and a piece of dark chocolate. I'm trying not to get back into my crazy WW mentality of tracking everything because then I just feel way too guilty about everything and every time I mess up I feel like I've committed a crime. I don't want to put myself through that. I want to find a way to live healthy and a way of life that I can keep for the long haul.

Okay, the entire paragraph above is a preface to how I've been feeling today....good and bad. I feel good because I feel stronger and healthier but I don't feel as good as I could. Along with portion control and food needs to come some healthy guidelines that I haven't been incorporating. Where are all my servings of fruits and veggies? Where is all the fabulous lean protein that sounds good whenever anyone else describes it? My food this week has been mixed. Mainly a lot of it has to do with starting a new job and eating there twice already this week because of special occasions. And last night Sarah and I had pizza so that wasn't super great (but it was tasty!). All the other meals have been planned out though and relatively healthy. However, I still feel like I'm missing something. I don't want to go hardcore food diet so I need to reach some healthy middle ground. Maybe the 80/20 that most people talk about?

So I've been thinking about how to do this and have some realistic target to aim for and this is what I've come up with to try for the next week. Get in my water no matter what. Even if the thought of water disgusts me. And journal how I feel after each workout because I guarantee I'll notice a difference with my energy. Eat at least one serving of fruit/veggie at breakfast and two servings with lunch/dinner. Have only one non-healthy item in the house (so I must choose between chips or chocolate for instance). I will still eat when I'm hungry. But if I have only healthy items to choose from let's see if that will change how I feel.

***On a totally separate note I've been thinking about getting body fat and metabolism measured. I'm not worried about either of them but how cool would it be to account for them now and at the end of the year to see how much changed? I would be really interested to see what the numbers look like. What do you think?

Protein Week

This week, one of my goals is to get more protein.  Specifically, I'm aiming to get 100g per day, which is a lot when you actually have to eat it all....  I've been studying online about all of these really buff girls and the one thing they all do is to up their protein during their training. So I followed their calculations and decided to do 1.7g/kg a day, which ends up being around a hundred grams a day.  At first, I tried just eating more eggs/meat/cheese/etc to up it, but realized pretty quickly that this was extremely difficult and I was WAY to full.  So I decided to dig out the giant tub (5lbs!) of protein powder James bought a while back....cake batter flavored.  It smelled alright-good, even.  So I thought, why not? and dived right in.  The powder is whey protein and is sweetened/flavored with Splenda, so it is low carb/sugar free.  It tastes pretty good too.  Here's what I've done for the past couple of days:  

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/2 scoop protein powder "cake batter" 
• 1 egg
• a shake or two of "apple pie spice" and a teeny bit of vanilla
• splenda to taste
• Blend and enjoy

Ok,ok,ok, now before you get grossed out about the raw egg--I only do that to make it lower carb (1 scoop powder=3carbs) and to thicken it.  You can't taste the egg at all (just as you can't in batter), but you could easily just omit the egg and do a full scoop of powder.  It doesn't really taste like cake batter to me (probably because my Mom's cake batter is the best in the whole. wide. world.) but more like a fancy milkshake.  

(And yes, it brings all the boys to the yard.)

My second recipe is lower in protein, but also tastier and it has, gasp, vegetables in it!! It's a pumpkin pie batter shake.  I got this idea from making crustless pumpkin pie for us for dessert the past couple of weeks.  It is awesome because pumpkin counts as a veggie and you can make it with splenda, so it has been a life-saver.  That being said, I enjoy licking the spatula almost as much as I do eating the pie--so I thought why not make it a shake?

• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin (I use a 1/3 c. because it is lower carb, but it is tastier with more pumpkin)
• 1 c. almond milk 
• 4 ice cubes (it is best to run water over them before adding them--they will blend up easier)
• pumpkin pie spice, little bit of vanilla, pinch of salt
• I also add one egg (because my pumpkin pie actually has eggs in it and I really liked the way the batter tastes and for protein) but you could omit.  
• Could add a dollop of whipped cream for more fun!

While we are on the subject of protein, I would also like to add something about the supplement I bought to use as a workout-booster.  So far, I really like it!  It is calorie free and has "Branched Chain Amino Acids" or BCAA's, which aim to help reduce soreness and promote recovery.  I have been seriously impressed with it.  When I drink it during a workout, I don't feel sore the next morning; in fact I don't feel sore until the next evening, which is strange to me but I'll take it.  There are some BCAA's in my protein powder too--apparently they are the new hot thing in working out/strength training.  It doesn't taste the best, but is similar to gatorade I think.  Overall, I think it is a win since I'm not miserable after strength training.  

So that's my spiel for the day!  Hopefully something I shared could help you! 

1/10/12

I'm still getting used to the fact that it's 2012. Does this seem weird to you to?

The job is going really well. I love the environment. Everyone is super friendly and seem really relaxed. Of course I'm really enjoying getting to work with Kirby again. I've already had stuff to do and the days have gone by fast so far. I don't think I'm used to working full 8 hour days. I came home yesterday and was exhausted. I didn't have time to make it to Kickboxing so I told myself I would just do a Jillian video but I kid you not I could not get off the couch. I was so, so tired. More tired than I've been in a very long time. I watched some Sherlock on Netflix and went to bed super early. Btw if you haven't watched the present day BBC version of Sherlock Holmes go and do it now! It is so good!

I got back out there tonight and did some zumba. Class was packed because 200 people bought that groupon (so it was a blessing and curse at the same time). I amaze myself at how competitive I am. Clearly zumba is just for fun but now since I know all the songs I felt like I was trying to out-do myself at class tonight. The good part was that my heart rate was really up there. I averaged 181 tonight for a 56 minute workout.

My body is feeling really good this week. I already feel stronger. I am doing some zumba tomorrow because Sarah and I are having a movie night afterwards but on Thursday I'm planning on getting my strength training in. I liked the Body for Life link you gave me. I think I will try that. Do you have any tips for when you do it?

I'm off to read. Megan got me started on Hunger Games and I can't stop. Have you read them? So amazing!

1/9/2012

I hope your first day at your new job went splendidly, friend.  I hope that this new job is going to be good for your mental well being, since we are aiming for complete health.  Can't wait to hear how it went!

Tonight I went to my first class of Zumba here, which was lots of fun!  The instructor isn't as good/exciting as the ones we had in Stillwater, but it was still a good workout!  I may try a Tuesday or Thursday class since it is a different teacher--just to see if the grass is greener.  I'm also considering joining the little gym here since it is so cheap--35$ per month for a family membership, which includes the classes!  Then I could go to more than one class per week if I wanted to....hrm. The gym is tiny, but has probably 6 cardio machines, a few weight machines and free weights.; it also has a regulation sized pool with 3 or 4 lanes.  Anyway--thinking about it at least!  

Happy Monday!

Sunday 1/8

First week of 2012 down. Man, that went fast. I agree that the year is off to a great start. I tried to focus on working out and was able to get in 6 really great workouts this week. With my food I tried to watch portion control but not track every little thing and it worked really well because I'm down 2 pounds. I feel like when I watch my food too much and exercise this much the scale does the exact opposite.

I have been up doing chores trying to get everything caught up before I start the new job tomorrow. Got the floors clean, dishes washed, kitchen scrubbed, the laundry is drying and now I just need to make my meal plan for the week, grocery shop and go work out.

End of Week #1 Stats

Weight: 156 (down 2 pounds)
Arms: 12" (no change)
Bust: 33.5"(down 1")
Waist: 29"(no change)
Hips: 35.5"(down 1")
Thigh: 25"/24.5"(up .5" on one leg)
Calf: 15"/15.5"(down .5"on one leg)

Got everything done on my to-do list! Made a meal plan for the week (mexican casseroles and zucchini turkey burgers for dinner, turkey wraps and yogurt for lunch, yogurt and chai tea for breakfast). Had a great workout (4.5 miles with hills on the treadmill), made it to the grocery shop and have my casseroles cooking in the oven and just finished reconciling my checkbook and updating my finances. I'm off to watch "Another Earth" which I've heard is amazing then read and go to bed.

Hope you had a great Sunday!

Weekly Report

Well, I definitely feel like I started the New Year off with a bang!
This morning I went and got groceries and purchased my new "bubble bath candle," as I was very proud of myself.  I did not meet all of my goals, but I was sick, so I gave myself slack there.  The best part?  I'm down a whopping 3 pounds!  (WHAAAA?) That is so exciting and motivating to me!!

Here are my stats to begin the week with:

• Weight 134.8 (-3 lbs)
• Arms: 11.5/11.5 (no change)
• Bust: 35.5 (-0.5 inch)
• Waist: 27.0 (-1.0)
• Hips: 36.0 (-0.5)
• Thighs: 21.5/22.0 (no change)
• Calves 13.5/13.5 (no change)

I will post update pics every few weeks I think because there's probably not much difference yet, even though I can definitely feel a difference already in my clothes!  I think most of it was just getting rid of some of the holiday bloat, but hey, I'll take it!

1/7

Happy Saturday!

Just returned from toning zumba. My body is still sore from the first week back of hardcore workouts but I am feeling good. I took yesterday off and I'm glad I did. I think I would really like to get into the habit of working out Saturday-Thursday with Friday being my off day.

I haven't done very well on my water intake for the week or cooking at home. This next week will hopefully be more of a standard routine week so I'm excited to get some sort of schedule down. I'm going to be creating a menu for the week because I'm going to have to start packing my lunches since I can't drive home for lunch anymore.

Off to the women's Basketball game today in Stillwater. I will be posting more later on some new things I've been thinking about trying.

Hope you have a great weekend!

TGIF

Congrats on it being your last day at your old and busted job.  Hope it was a great day, spent at home!

I just wanted to share with you my first official Bento-Lunch!

1/5/12

I had almost an entire day off!!! I was able to take down all my Christmas decorations and get everything put into the shed. My garage is looking so good! Now I just need to get some peg board so I can hang my tools and garden stuff up.

I did zumba at the Y last night (saw Tera there) and the instructor always incorporates some weights so not only did it already hurt to walk from Jillian I had extra pain this morning. So much pain in fact that it hurt to move in bed. However I am taking a break tomorrow so I made myself go to zumba tonight. It was a little painful in spots but I feel better and am glad I went. In other news the groupon today was for my zumba studio. Usually I pay $60 for a 10 class pass but right now the 10 pass is only $15. Heck yeah! That was a great email to wake up to.

I am feeling really good about this week. I have worked out everyday from Saturday til today. I've been doing decent on my food. Trying to make healthier decisions but not tracking every little thing. So far the scale is down 2.5 pounds from Sunday but we'll see what it says on Sunday. My weight tends to fluctuate during the week quite a lot.

Hope you're feeling better today. Tomorrow's Friday (last day at HT forever!) get excited!

Stomach Bug and Bathing Suits?

Well, it was a pretty lousy day again for me.  I woke up dry heaving this morning, crawled to the couch and then proceeded to sleep until noon!  After eating a little bit of lunch I felt back to normal though, so I'm not sure what is going on (DDx: congestion drainage vs. low blood sugar vs. stomach bug).

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 DDx= Differential diagnosis, or the list we medical people start making in our heads of possible diseases/ailments when talking to a patient  

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I ended up doing some baking today and then working out before dinner.  I took it a bit easier and just did a bit of strength training followed by a lot of stretching.  The scale is being SUPER nice to me though (even though I have this psuedo-eating disorder thing going for me, as my appetite has been pretty crummy....gross)

Something fun I did today:  I ordered my bathing suit from Victoria's Secret!!  I ordered it in the size I want it to be for our trip and plan on working my butt off to fit in it!!  The best part is, they've got most of their bathing suits on clearance, so I got it for half of the original price (because it is SO last year, I suppose).  

Fun and Inspiring Blog for the Day:  Runs for Cookies

1/4/12

Well I apparently jinxed myself after writing that my week would be like a vacation because as soon as I posted that my email went nutso and I have to finish an accrual for a bank and a non-profit return by Friday so it looks like it will be a regular week. Oh well.

I was still able to make it to the Food bank last night but I still came home and worked out with Jillian. I did her No More Trouble Zones dvd and let me tell you...it is a Killer. It hurts to walk down stairs today but I'm glad I did it. My arms are pretty sore too so I think I'll go to Zumba class at the Y tonight instead of kickboxing to give my arms and legs a day to rest.

I will be posting links tonight (hopefully) to some of the recipe staples I'm going to be using for my winter meals.

Favorite meals to make for winter:

Mini Mexican Casseroles

Spicy Tempeh Chili

Hummus Melts

Garbanzo Garlic Knots

Potato stuffed acorn squash

Hungry Girl Turkey Taco Meatloaf

1/3/2012

Here are some helpful links that I use to help with strength training!

http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise/weight-training

http://bodyforlife.com/library/tools

Scroll down on the second one to watch videos of how to do certain exercises.

I'm planning on keeping a schedule much like the one they use for Body for Life workouts (listed on the first link)so I can really focus on getting toned.

I went by the little gym here tonight to check when Zumba is--and it is offered M/T/R/F here!  All in the evening!  I'm so excited and am pretty sure I'm going to start going once a week.  Six bucks well spent per week!

1/3/12

Good morning! I am "on call" this week since there isn't much for me to do at my job since I only have 4 days left and they don't want me to start on any big projects so this week is sort of like another vacation for me. This means I really need to take advantage of this time and get the house organized and everything caught up in time for busy season. I'm trying to think of everything I want to get accomplished.

Here are the big things:
1. Put away all Christmas decor
2. Get garage fully cleaned out (I'm half way there)
3. Replace garbage disposal
4. Finish painting china hutch
5. Do an overall scrubbing of the house
6. Create a list of meals and ingredients so that menu planning won't be such a struggle for me 

Today I am going to tackle the Christmas decor and the garage and then hopefully shop for my new garbage disposal and paint for the hutch.

I'm continuing on with the exercising today. I was going to do zumba this evening but I think I'm going to go to Perkins instead to help with the food bank so I will exercise before I leave. I'm thinking about doing a Jillian Michaels DVD with strength training. I really need to investigate more strength training moves to do regularly. I'd like to break up my week and do arms on one day and legs on another. If you have any tips I'd be more than happy to take them!

1/2/12

Not much to report today. Spent the night at the parents so I helped mom with delivering meals this morning then we went to lunch and stopped by Hastings. I got a new book, The Idiot's Guide to the Bible. I'm hoping this will aid in my understanding since I've heard it's very easy to get bogged down when just reading it straight.

Trying to get all my finances up to date. I keep a spreadsheet that tracks every expense and then I categorize it so I got that caught up and am trying to create a new one for 2012. I liked last year's but it was a little too generalized and I'd like to make it where I can drill down even more to break out things like fast food, clothes, etc. This year I just had a weekly column where all my expenses went there that weren't for utilties, housing, etc and then if I went over my weekly budget then the excess went into my "Extra" column and I had a budget for Extra for the year that was meant for items here and there that weren't weekly expenses. Overall I liked being able to see if I was making a profit and where my money was going but I think I can make it even more detailed this year so I can narrow in on even more areas to cut back on.

Cardio Kick class is tonight at 6:30. I'm excited to get to take out some frustration and try out my new gloves!Class was cancelled tonight because they are still refinishing the floor in the aerobics room so I went to my Y and did an hour on the elliptical (5.75 miles, 660 calories burned)

I also need to go to Target tonight to get a new receipt holder for 2012 receipts, some new storage boxes for decorations (yes, my Christmas stuff is still up) and a new composition book to record my workouts. I'm still thinking about getting a calendar so I can mark the days I do/don't workout.

1/2/2012

Well last night was a bit rough--I came home and started getting sick.  Not sure what the deal was, but feel much better now.  Hopefully it was just a 12 hour bug.  (On a brighter note, I'm down a pound and a half since yesterday....that doesn't count as bulemia, right? haha)

I have a couple of things for today:

1.  I found a good calculator for average heart rate and calories burned, so we can estimate yesterday's workout.  http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/    Based on this link and others I've found, the estimate on my watch was pretty close to being correct, meaning I burned around 1500 calories! WOW.

2.  This go-round I am going to try using a workout supplement.  You mix it with your water during your workouts and it helps with recovery and with soreness.  It is made up of B vitamins and branched-chain amino acids.  So I'll report back and let you know how it goes.  So far, I'm just waiting on it to get here....ordered it last week which was probably a bad idea.

3.  I tried a new recipe yesterday morning and it worked out great!  I made these little breakfast muffins made out of egg, a slice of turkey or ham, and a little bit of cheese sprinkled on top.  The best part?  They can be put in the fridge and reheated in the microwave--so you have breakfast for the rest of the week!  Here's what I did:  To fill a muffin pan (12 cups) I mixed 12 eggs up with some salt and pepper, put a slice of lunch meat in each muffin cup(spray with cooking spray first), poured the egg into each cup and sprinkled with cheese.  The egg will go outside of the meat, but that is ok.  Then I sprinkled a little bit of cheese on each one and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes (until really puffed up).  When I brought them out, some still had jiggle middles, but after cooling, they were fine.

1/1/2012 Day 1 Stats

Weight: 137.8
Arms: 11.5/11.5
Bust: 36.0
Waist: 28.0
Hips: 36.5
Thighs: 21.5/22
Calves: 13.5/13.5

1/1/12

Happy New Year!

So excited about starting 2012 out right! I'm just going to get the worst part over with and post all my stats.

1/1/12 Stats

Weights: 158 pounds
Arms: 12"
Bust: 34.5"
Waist: 29"
Hips:36.5"
Thigh: 24"/25"
Calves: 15.5"/15.5"

"Before pics"

Well there's my starting point! Off to drink some coconut water (found it at Whole foods) and eat some yogurt!

Excited about Zumba-ing with you today!

DAY ONE

Happy New Years!!

I just wanted to put out a few things (I'm not big on resolutions really...) to look forward to in 2012:
1.  This is going to be a strange year for me.  The first half will be easy enough, but then, overnight, I will become a doctor, and with that title will come immense responsibility for people's lives.  I think I am ready for this, but it is still scary though to think about.
2.  In preparation for July 1 (first day of residency) and the physical toll it takes on many, I want to get the in the best possible shape I can.  I think this will help battle fatigue.  I plan to focus on seeing how strong I can get.  I have lots of stuff to do resistance/strength training here at home, but I plan on joining the little gym here if I need some real weight machines.  I want to continue strength training throughout residency as well, but I don't think I can commit to saying I will do the same number of workouts once July gets here.
3.  I have a lot of free time for the next 6 months, so I want to use it to better myself.  I plan on embracing "my true self" as much as possible.  For example, I have recently started The Curly Girl Method and am currently embracing my curly hair (Did you know I had curly hair??  I didn't--I always thought it was just sort of wavy, but after about 2 weeks of doing this, I can clearly see curls!).  I'm also trying to embrace my fair skin.....this is harder than I thought it would be.  I have been fake tanning since high school!  (I'm not sure how successful I will be at this one.  We are going to Orlando in March and I plan on being ready for a bathing suit, but I'm not sure I can do it without having a little bit of color!).  I've just started learning Spanish (Santa brought me Rosetta Stone) and I love it!  I'm so excited to have this additional bit of knowledge in my tool belt! And of course, as mentioned before, I want to be in the best physical shape I can be going into residency.  I also plan into looking into Zumba here in town, although I really hate the beginning of the year when gym's are so crowded!


So there ya have it, my things to look forward to in 2012.  Most of them sort of focus on the first 6 months, but I know I have lots to look forward to in the second half of the year as well.  My goal there is to just make it through those first six months of residency!!

Later today I will be posting my starting stats and workout sheet.  I'm going to try to start back with the good eating today, but James is such a Monday-Start type of person, I'm not sure if he will comply, haha.  We are doing "induction" for the next two weeks, which is basically carb/sugar detox on Atkins, and believe me, it feels like detox.  I am nervous about the workout schedule, as you aren't supposed to do anything very high intensity while on induction.  I am going to give myself the option of just power walking if I have "induction flu" (i.e. feel like crap).  Last time I only felt bad for about 48 hours, but poor James felt crappy for nearly a week and a half.

Today:  I'm going to do some cooking for the week.  (I'm in love with planning out your weekly menu and then just shopping from that list--saved me SO much money!).  Will post pics later of my creations!