Christy: Week 11

This past week got me thinking about the dedication & commitment it takes to embark on and follow through on this journey to lose weight.  I'm not suggesting I have all the answers because truly, every one's journey is radically different from others as evidence of Case of the Wednesday bloggers.

However, it is possible that someone reading this tonight might be inspired to take the steps that will ultimately become their weight loss journey.

There was a time when I felt "lucky" if I could make it to the gym for 1 day/week. It just felt like an impossible & daunting endeavor to go work out. And what was I going to accomplish in one day? It didn't seem worth it so I didn't do it.  I kept putting it off and finding a ton of excuses that supported this decision. 

The day finally came though, when I was more-tired-of-feeling-"blah" about myself, than I was tired about the thought of dragging myself to the gym. And so, I made a plan. (and I realized that the "blah" feeling about myself wasn't going to go away unless I did something about it).

Anyone who is interested in losing weight can begin this journey long before they introduce exercise into their daily life. My plan began with counting my daily calories. I did not change what I was eating, I just took the time to learn the calorie count of what I was putting in my body. This learning process in turn began to shape my food choices. Then I set little goals. One goal was to not eat after 8pm. Once I mastered that (about a month) then I decided I would not eat after dinner. Your goals do not have to be the same. Perhaps it is reducing soda intake or measuring your cereal/milk in the morning into 1 Cup, then later 1/2 Cups. ANYONE can do these things and it does not cost any money and does not take away time from your other responsibilities. There are no excuses not to be more responsible in terms of your food/beverage intake. You have to WANT to do it though.

Once you've tinkered around with your calorie intake and learned a few things to avoid and perhaps some things you can splurge more on than you previously thought, you will want to incorporate some sort of exercise into your daily life.  Ahhh....but where and when, much less how?

What I'm about to say next may feel uncomfortable at first...but if you are serious about making a commitment to losing weight...tell everyone! Include the people in your life, your significant other, your folks, your friends, your kids. You might be thinking "who cares about me losing weight?" or maybe you don't want to come off as pretending to be something you aren't (or haven't been yet or once were??)...however, you have no idea how much support you have waiting for you on your journey! There are tons of people who are intimidated about going on this journey, afraid to fail, afraid to succeed...and there are tons more who are actually on the weight loss journey right now-who would love to support you!...but you have to WANT it!

When you are ready, really ready...have a talk with your spouse/partner about what this means. Is he/she on board? How can that person support you? Spell out the details if necessary about what you need from them on this journey. For instance, I asked my husband if for 1 week, I could work out each night after he got home. This meant he had to attend to the kids for up to 1 hour in the evening (get them their snack, play with them, set up a TV show for them, get them in jammies). He was willing to commit for one week and agreed to reassess after that week.  Earlier in my journey I talked with him about having less "dessert" foods in the house because I was trying to reduce my temptations. He agreed too and we've since been bringing those foods back because I'm conquered being tempted at this point!

If getting to the gym seems too difficult to juggle...maybe ask a neighbor to watch your kid(s) for an hour, or go in before everyone wakes up -which means you may need to go to bed by 9pm, which means some things around the house won't get done (but that's ok because you are working on you now!). Most gyms have child care. Perhaps your child doesn't like it there. Will they tolerate 15 minutes? Go every day for 15 minutes and try to increase it by 5 minutes when possible. Do not give up! If these aren't your issues, write me and I'll help brainstorm ways to support your efforts!

The gym isn't your thing? There is always the outdoors. The weather IS getting warmer and if it's all you got, bundle up and get going! The same suggestions apply above...wake up earlier, wait til spouse gets home, have a neighbor/grandparent watch your kid(s)...we are talking 30minutes! Tell me you don't have a DVD player of some sort? The library has workout videos. Find one that interests you and commit to 1 week, doing the video every day. Then reassess. I know none of this sounds glamourous. This is just one reason why losing weight is hard. You have to WANT it.

Now, get real with yourself and determine how many days you will dedicate time to exercise and for how long (30 minutes, an hour?). Then, approach your work out with the attitude of "you're here, make the most of it!"  You haven't committed this precious time to just walk. This is the time to dig deep and work up a sweat. The best way to do this is to run. Yes, you read correctly, run. When I started I could hardly run a 1/2 mile without stopping. For me, it was a goal to run a whole mile without stopping and in time that distance increased. For the first week...run, walk, run, walk, run, walk...but RUN! ok, it can be a jog. But do more jogging than walking! and do this for at least 30 minutes. Then spend the other 30 minutes focusing on exercises that target whatever areas of your body you are most concerned about. If it's your tummy, do sit ups. If it's your butt, do squats & lunges. If it's your arms, do arms. And do this same routine every day of the week...for a month(or whatever your goal is)! You will see over time that you can mix things up, increase the distance, increase the number of sit ups, and so on. But you have to WANT it.

Once you incorporate exercise into your daily life you can log in your calories burned along side your calories consumed...and the pieces to the weight loss journey will be on their way to falling into place. I am a FIRM believer that if you burn more calories than you take in, then you will lose weight. It is possible that this will be impacted if you have a medical condition. However, this truth does not lie.

While some diets have their health benefits, I don't follow any. I eat doughnuts, I eat chic-fil-a, I drink an occasional soda, I eat breads, I drink alcohol. It has been important to me to still be able to eat whatever I want. However, I have learned to say "no" and to be mindful of whether or not I have the extra calories to eat some of the above mentioned foods. I drink mostly water or tea so as to save my calories for food. I plan ahead to burn additional calories in my exercise routine to compensate for having had indulged. I use the free on-line site www.myfitnesspal.com to log calories and get support. You will need to make changes but you have to WANT it.

This week, I worked out on Sunday(a first but I knew I wouldn't be working out Easter weekend), I ended up doing my "2 a days" for 3 of the 4 days I had intended for a total of 8 workout sessions this week. I was also extra diligent with calorie counting and making sure I was always under my calorie goal (aka burning more calories than consumed). I was in bed by 10pm each night too, took my multi-vitam, and ate a ton of veggies! Oh, and no alcohol was consumed this week.

I feel great! I am now 149 which is 4 lbs from my ultimate goal. I am now at the point where I'm focusing on pushing myself for sake of knowing that I can do it...verses for the sake of trying to lose more weight. I have "wanted it" for so long, pushing myself so hard, for so long that my mind frame has actually changed.  I am on the edge of wanting more.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled with where I am at. However, I have this momentum built up and I am curious how much more I can do without compromising other aspects of my life.

This next week will be a challenge in that my routine will be compromised having the kids home for spring break. It may be a nice break for my body to be active in other ways!

Jamie week I lost count haha

I've started a new workout time. I have been working out at 6am instead of at night or if I work 1-10 I workout at 730a. But I'm exhausted and now I'm sleeping by 10pm. And I have a supportive but not very happy fiancé. I tried this so I am home in the evenings with him. I just wish I could find the balance. 

On another note in crazy sore. It hurts to walk most days and my flutes are sore to the touch. Lol

Sunday- skied for 5 hours

Monday- elliptical 40 mins

Tuesday- crossfit did rowing, pull-ups, 3min plank,squats

Weds- crossfit did a million dead lifts a million pull-ups and a million jumping squats

Thurs- break but cleaned for 4 hours, grocery shopped etc

Trying a new chicken teriyaki reciepe in crockpot tonight if its good ill share. 

Opps- 13 boxes of Girl Scout cookies

Wins- packed a salad everyday this week for lunch and worked out 6 days. Made my own fruit smoothies everyday for breakfast. I love the peanut butter one too. 

Goal- get thru hosting my first holiday dinner without a meltdown. 

Allyson | Week 10 | Spring Break

I'm on Spring Break!!

That goes for the blog, too!

Happy Easter!

Randee: week 10

This week: Lost 3.2 pounds for a total of 11.4 pounds. Yay me!

I was doing weight watchers points plus, but I am trying a slow carb diet for a while. Has been going well! I did work out 4 times. All low impact because my back gets sore fast. Lots of core strengthening!

Sorry for a short update this week- but it's spring break- so I'm doing a stay-cation with the fam! I'm not doing slow carb this week- but I am trying to count points for the week!

Have a good Easter- more to come next week!!

Christy: Week 10

Last week can only be summed up through a list of pros & cons...here it goes:

Pro: When I exercised, I pushed myself hard...a couple sore days!
Con: Only worked out 4 days instead of the usual 5.

Pro: Ran 2.5 miles straight through without stopping (a goal of mine to accomplish at least once a week).
Con: Over indulged in eating one night when I hosted a crafting night.

Pro: Only had two beers this week.  Actually, that's really a "con" but it could have been worse!
Con: Didn't log my calories on myfitnesspal for 4 days!

Pro: Had the opportunity to skip a workout and chose the workout instead.
Con: Went to bed at 11pm or later almost every night this week...that's way too late for my health goals.

Pro: Took the kids swimming for 2 hrs one day after school & had tons of active fun.
Con: Concerned about a heart arrhythmia that has been acting up.

Pro: Successfully broke in my new running shoes.
Con: I'm so sick of the gray cold weather that it is impacting my motivation to keep the momentum going.

Pro: I didn't gain any weight.
Con: I didn't lose any either.

I WILL be buckling down this week! There is nothing on my calendar to get in my way and I cleared it with my husband that I AM going to workout 2 times a day each day this week (except Friday due to weekend plans).  I have already planned out this weeks menu (veggies burgers, fish, chicken in the crock pot) and have taken care of some things around the house so that my duties there aren't neglected. With the second work out, I know I'll be eating afterwards which is later at night than normal. Already planning to keep it healthy! I may even exercise sometime today (Sunday)!

Jamie Week 9 Where is Spring?

By reading Week 9s blogs it sounds like everyone is doing great! I am so excited for everyone.
I am feeling really good. On Saturday I took a trip to Sams Club with my future Mother in law and we bought a ton of great stuff. I got my blender all situated and I have had a smoothie everyday since Sunday except today because it is my day off . I loved the recipes everyone shared. The peanut butter one kept me feeling satisfied until nearly lunch time. I have made several with all fruit, a cup of almond silk and 2 scoops of protein powder too. So that was one new thing.
The other new thing was yesterday I got up at 530am and worked out before work. It was good but I did get tired because I worked late the night before and didn't get to bed before 12am the night before. I am going to do it again tomorrow. It was nice to have the whole evening at home. Usually between my 8-5, traffic, workout, cooking dinner I'm not settled until 930 pm. It is just rough for my 1-10 shifts the night before.
I have also been planning ahead alot which is what I always did when I first started weight watchers. So the past few days for lunch Ive had fish and a salad. I cooked 4 fillets at a time so packing was easy. I just cooked 2 pieces of salmon for the next couple of days. I got a huge bag of carrots and I munch on them at work when I get hungry.
Opps; We went to the Melt today but at least I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich but only ate half. If you know anything about the Melt, its not your typical sandwich and nothing there probably even registers in points. And my wonderful fiance decided that $35 in girl scout cookies was something we needed.
Successes: I am at 4 days so far this week in workouts. Monday was crossfit, tuesday was yoga, weds was crossfit and today was spinning. Mixing it up helps keep me motivated. Also my goal last week was to avoid over eating on St Pattys Day, and I did avoid it simply because my sister in law has started crossfit too so all her snacks were fruit and veggies!
Goal: Get back on my vitamin regimen. I went nearly a year with getting sick and I think my vitamins had a lot to do with it. I have been slacking the last few weeks and what happens? I get a chest cold which I am still fighting. I ate so many oranges I started to get canker sores because I wanted that vitamin C.

Cayla Week 9

I apologize but due to unforeseen circumstances I will not be posting this week. I hope to get back to my regular posts next week. I hope you are all doing well.

Allyson | Week 9 | I Want to Ride my Bicycle

¯¯Bicycle! Bicycle! Bicycle!

I want to ride my bi-cy-cle,

I want to ride my bike!

I want to ride my bi-cy-cle

I want to ride it where I like! ¯¯

(Queen- "Bicycle Race")

Let's go, spring, I'm ready to ride!             I had various bikes growing up and loved cruizin’ around the neighborhood. My 'little girl bike' was complete with handlebar ribbons and bike spoke beads [#childofthe90s]. I must confess, even though my bike was awesome I was always a bit jealous of my sister’s cooler bike that had a radio attached to the handle bars [#firstworldproblems]. I distinctly remember getting my ‘big girl bike’ the Christmas I was in 3^rd grade. I came downstairs into the room with the Christmas tree and presents surrounding it and didn’t think twice of a bike. Then for some reason I made my way into the kitchen and there her beautiful tealness was! I was so excited! I rode that beaut throughout my childhood and into my early teens. But alas, my late teens came. I got “cool”, no longer needed a bike, and my old friend found a new home via a garage sale.

And then I was bikeless.

A few years ago our pastor found a bike on the side of the road and brought it to the church for someone’s daughter. This girl already had a bike so I said I’d take it. It wasn’t in too bad of shape and Colin gave it some new tires, fixed it up, and it was good to go. The only problem was that it was more of a junior’s bike than a women’s bike. Now, I’m not tall by any means (a mere 5’2.75), but long distance riding was not an option on that hand-me-down. Last year I whined like a baby all summer for a new bike.

AND THEN what to my wandering eyes should appear?! After dropping not-so-subtle hints all summer, Colin surprised me on my birthday with an amazing new dark purple Trek!! My lovely sister knew I was getting this wonderful gift and she gave me a cute turquoise basket [adorned with flowers] and a silver bell [so everyone knows I’m coming]! Luckily the weather on my birthday was just perfect and Colin and I spent the day at the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath riding 15 miles, and then taking the scenic train ride back to give our screaming thighs a break!

We live just minutes from the beginning of the Western Reserve Greenway that spans 43 miles through Trumbull and Ashtabula counties. Since getting my new bike we try to go there as often as possible. Last season we made it several times, and made friends with the cows!  We also took another trip to the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath, a family trip to Oil City, and celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary riding around Geneva on the Lake, basking in the mist of Lake Erie.

Moooos

We relished in our first ride of this season just a couple weekends ago at the Western Reserve Greenway. It was a bit chilly, and pretty windy, so we only completed 11 miles. [Thanks to Colin’s handy dandy bicycle computer we have quite accurate readings of very important cycling information like current mph, average mph, and time/distance traveled.] We averaged about 14 miles per hour and, according to Colin’s bike computer, burned around 500 calories. I thought there was no way we burned that much-- I burn that in an hour of Zumba. However, I have searched online and found several bicycle calorie calculators that, when I input the data from our ride, give me the same number [more like 477]. Spinning off [pun intended] of last week’s post about finding an exercise I love, bicycling is another. I really have been doing it more for enjoyment than a work out, but I will absolutely take a 500-calorie burn!

Oil City

Colin and I have set a goal for ourselves to ride a minimum of 100 miles per month this season [April-September]. We thought we might be able to get 100 miles covered in March, but that doesn’t look too promising as it is still 25° and snowing. This season we will visit the path near us regularly and aim to ride the entire path in one day. I’m thinking there must be a B&B at the other end in Ashtabula [with those covered bridge attractions and all] so the plan would be to ride up, stay the night, and then ride home the next day. We will also meet up with friends at the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath and have more family trips to Oil City.

Oil City      <3 Family

I am so thankful for my new, amazing bike! I thoroughly enjoyed it last season when I was riding just for fun, but now I will enjoy it even more knowing what a good workout it is. I’m thinking I can use it as a great interval training exercise and increase those calories burned and tone my legs/gluts even more!

Anniversary ride at Lake Erie

It really makes all the difference when you actually enjoy exercise and look forward to it….and it's all the better when you have  great riding buddies! 

Randee: Week: 9

Eating Plan: Weight Watchers Points Plus/Slow Carb

Goal: Lose 50 Pounds

Weekly Weight Loss: -1.6

Total Weight Loss: -8.2 pounds

Exercise Goals: 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time

Weekly Exercise: 3 workouts. 1 x 45 minutes, 2 x 30 minutes

Holy Slow Carb! Lets start by saying that I weighed in early this week, after only 2 days of Slow Carb dieting. (And I carbed it up the weekend before I started….) So I thought the results were pretty impressive! I actually found my first week of slow carb to be pretty easy. I did want some bread and sugar, but I held strong and stayed on track. Even the family was in on my plan and enjoyed some new foods (like lettuce wrap tacos.)

My biggest issue has been working out. I hurt my back last week. Yes, by simply bending over to pick something up….getting older sucks…. So my sore back has slowed me down this week. I did manage to do some lighter workouts this week, but not as many as I wanted. Most of my workouts this week have been low impact and core strengthening to try to not injure my back again in the future. Hopefully this week my back will be even better and I can do even more.

I cannot wait to try some new things this week. I have been searching Pinterest to find ideas of some new foods to try. Particularly some breakfast ideas that I can make ahead of time. The slow carb diet wants you to eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking, which is next to impossible as I get the kids ready for school. So I want to try some foods I can prepare ahead and just heat up. I also usually eat my lunch in the car on my way to work 2 days a week and that was my biggest challenge this past week. So I really have to come up with a plan for those days.

Highlights from this week: Went all slow carb and stuck with it (except on my cheat day- which was great!) I lost about a pound and a half in about 2 days on the plan.  And again- low carb all week even with all these Girl Scout cookies surrounding me….

Challenges for this week: Week 2 of Slow Carb. Gotta stay on it. I really want to give this diet at least a full month and see how I feel about it. I also need to stay on the workout plan. Even if I do 4 days of low impact and all core strengthening- exercise is exercise!!!!

Christy: Week 9

Ahhh, Sunday...The end to a very busy weekend that held many opportunities to stray from my weight loss goals. The first temptation occurred when my daugter & I went out to eat after seeing the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet. So many choices...do I choose a burger? do I have a soda? We decided to split a Hummus veggie wrap (minus the onions) and I had water while she had her first Shirley Temple. Later that same night I attended a girls night out where each of us brought an appetizer. Turned out almost of the attendees brought dessert! Mint this, fudge that, cream this...yikes! I knew if I had one I'd be going down the slippery slope. So, I had none! I did however have a few extra chips n cheese dip that I brought but didn't over do it! I also chose to bring flavored ice tea that was 35 calories as opposed to an alcoholic beverage. So glad I did because nothing I ate or drank made an impact on how much I enjoyed the night and I felt good the next morning! And here I am at today...St. Patrick's day! I ate light the whole day because I knew I had delicious corned beef & cabbage in the crock pot for dinner and the beer was a flowing early on! I stopped by a friend's jewelery party and while I sampled everything, I didn't pig out! See a theme developing? That guacamole was soooo goood tooo...but alas, here I a, didn't over do it and I feel great!  I feel like I've been able to "live my usual life" and yet be responsible for my eating behaviors. Ok, I am staying realistic and I know that I may not pass every temptation that comes my way...but I know it is possible. And the more I "pass" these tests, the more my confidence builds and my weight loss stays on track!

Last week I toyed with the idea of bringing my son to the gym with me 3 days instead of the usual 2. I mentioned last week too that the new tot room care taker is terrific! Turns out that my son asked me every day last week if he could go to the tot room. He absolutely loves playing with the care taker and she adores him right back! Its one of the most quality hours of his day (yeah, she's really that great).  As a result, I feel so much freer to concentrate on a thorough workout and I'm going to keep on taking him as long as he wants to go also! This feeling on his part may not last forever so I'm taking advantage of it to further my journey while I can!

Last week I also saw some great numbers on the scale...one of them was my goal weight! However, when I weighed in this morning had a loss of 1.5 lbs putting me at 151.5.  I wouldn't be surprised if tonight's beers did a little damage but.... I continue to feel confident in maintaining the areas I've changed. I am focused on being able to do what I want to do-within balance & reason-in terms of eating/drinking. The actual weight I'm losing is coming off a little slower these last few weeks. I am suspecting it is a variety of reasons which include: being bored at times with working out, feeling a little cocky at times which causes me to splurge more than I have a craving to, and feeling that since I'm so close to my goal weight I should concentrate on maintaining & not losing.
Perhaps there are other factors and influences and I have yet to uncover such as stress. Stress usually ebbs & flow so while it may account for a fluke week, I don't agree it's a main culprit in the month of March. I'm probably over thinking this stage of my journey! I am hoping to move past these last few pounds, meet my goal, and figure out where I go from there!
Week 9 is more of the same...exercise 5 days a week, incorporating a strengthening routine of arms, back, butt, legs, abs, keeping my weight lighting Wednesdays but running 1 mile prior to lifting, increasing my cardio such that I'm burning 400 calories instead of 300.
While I do not have any regrets this week, if I had to name one it would be the regret of permitting stress to take over in the form of being irritated about things I have no control over. I can already tell that this week is going to have it's share of irritating instances.  Just take a deep breath and push through! My goals are important and I want to reach them!

Jenn week 9 a short update.

I find blogging from my phone to be a pain but I wanted to stop by and give a quick update.  I promise to get back at my regular blogging next week. This week I am out of town visiting some family with Harrison while my husband enjoys his yearly golf trip.

As of this week I have lost 10.6 lbs since 1.20.13! I'm still getting in regular workouts and my eating has been good.  I am frustrated by the lack of tone I have in some areas but I have a few new workouts to try this week and I am hoping I'll start to see some better results soon.

I want to thank you all for your inspiration these last few weeks.  It's been very helpful reading your posts while my life has been a bit nutty.  You all have really helped keep me on track!
Hugs and have a wonderful week!

Jamie Week 8 sticking with Crossfit

I believe that Crossfit is what will take me to the next level of fitness. Did that sound good because what I really mean is I hope it takes away the jiggle in my abs and thighs.
I am still having a hard time grasping the concept of Crossfit. It is very short workouts but they are hardcore give it every thing you have. So today it was 5 shoulder presses 10 deadlifts 15 box jumps repeated as many times as possible for 10 minutes. I was dripping sweat when it was done and my whole body was shaking. The funny part was that I tried talking the trainer into giving me more weight than he did and he refused. Im glad he refused.
The thing about this Crossfit gym and Im not sure if its like this everywhere but its like your own personal trainer. They decide  what weights, what workout, how long, how many times, check your form and cheer you on. I left today saying I think ill just get used to the soreness 7 days a week. haha
I also on Monday still attended step aerobics for 45 minutes and bootcamp for an hour. I even added an extra step in aerobics and about half way through was feeling the pain. The next day was so bad. I  grunted with every little move. At bootcamp we say you know it was a good workout when it hurts to sit on the toilet. We call it the toilet test. It hurt really bad to sit on the toilet on tuesday.
Last week I was really sore as well so I took a yoga class Friday morning. It was heavenly. The room was heated to 90 degrees so all my muscles loosened right up and the yoga released tension and stretched my muscles and I could go on about how great it was. I was in a great mood all day. It happened to be my day off, so I went home and worked on laundry and hung out on the couch.
So last week I worked out 6 days, this week I will make it 5. I feel good.
The trainer at Crossfit told me not to focus on weight but losing inches now. So we took my measurements and I will check back in a couple weeks with how I am doing. wish me luck!! I hope everyone has a great week, stay positive, stay strong. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. A fellow weight watcher taught me that.
Opps: One of the girls at work was promoted so we got her a cake and I ate 2 big pieces. But it was only one day. Its ok.
Wins: 6 days a week I worked out!
Goal: Sunday my sister in law is having a St Pattys party at her house and I always overeat at these things. I need to eat then step away from the buffet area because I linger and I munch.

Allyson | Week 8 | Insane in the Membrane

I think I have mentioned before that I hate to exercise.  I can’t help it, I just do. I prefer to be lazy. However, laziness is what got me overweight in the first place, so obviously I can’t keep that up. Over the past year and a half I have tried many different exercise routines and workouts, trying to find something I actually enjoyed and wouldn’t be a chore to do. These workouts included P90X, Jillian’s 30-Day Shred, Biggest Loser DVD, Yoga DVDs, Wii Fit, running, strength training, Zumba, aerobics, etc. Out of that huge list, I can only say I thoroughly enjoy one: Zumba. I love to shake my thang and this work out lets me do just that! I actually enjoy going to Zumba, I have fun, and I look forward to going.  If you are stuck in a workout rut, I highly suggest finding a Zumba class nearby.

The problem is, I can only make it to Zumba once or twice a week and then am left filling the other days with something I don’t enjoy. If I don’t enjoy it I probably won’t do it. BREAKING NEWS: I found another work out I do enjoy!   Insanity.   (That's the name of the program...not just insanity that I found an exercise I enjoy.)  Okay, I don’t actually enjoy it while I’m working out (as sweat is dripping, lungs are burning, every muscle is screaming), but I do enjoy how I feel when I’m done and especially the next day when I just about can’t move a muscle.

Insanity is a 60-day intense workout program incorporating strength into ridiculous cardio. Monday was my first day and only a couple times I thought I was going to die.  I was actually a little disappointed Tuesday when I wasn’t that sore. I told a friend I was bummed I wasn’t in more pain, and I feel like I must have done something wrong (as another friend who did the program –a guy—said he just about died during the warm up). My friend is so dear, and she said it was no wonder I wasn’t a sore mess since I have been working out for quite some time now. That was nice…but I still wanted to feel sore. I know that might sound weird, but I really only feel like my body is changing and the program is working if I basically can’t out of bed the next day.

Since I didn’t feel like death after Monday’s workout, I decided to up the ante on Tuesday. I did Insanity in the morning and then went to my Zumba class in the evening. Last night wasn’t too bad...but I had certainly achieved soreness when I woke up this morning! My shoulders, triceps, quads, hams, and calves reminded me all day that I worked them out the day before. Love.

Even with all the soreness, I was able to get through today’s Insanity workout (“Pure Cardio”).  I am trying really, really, really hard to stick with this program for the full 60 days. I have a bad track record with fulfilling #-Day programs…and I have never even seen the third 10-day portion of Jillian’s 30-Day Shred.  I want to get to the point where I don’t feel complete if I didn’t work out that day. I want to get to the point where I can have a bit more freedom with what I eat, just as long as I workout.

The past several weeks I have done really well with keeping my carbs and cals low during the week, but as soon as dinnertime on Friday hits I lose all self control and have myself a little food party through Sunday night. This is not cool. I really need to reign it in on the weekends. Sure, I can indulge a smidge, but I just need to be wise about it. For instance, I know I am going to an Italian place for dinner on Friday. I am going to eat pasta. Since I know this in advance I can help counter my meal by working out twice as much. I will be going to Zumba in the morning and doing Insanity before going to dinner. Same thing Saturday and Sunday- If I know I am going to be in a situation where I will be eating more cals, I just need to up the workouts to help balance the intake. This seems like it makes sense….we’ll see how it goes. (Surely it will be better than not working out at all on the weekends and eating desserts like it’s my last day on earth as has been the case the past forever.)

I’m just trying to stick with the plan: Eat less, Move more.

Randee: Week 8

Eating Plan: Weight Watchers Points Plus

Goal: Lose 50 Pounds

Weekly Weight Loss: -0.2

Total Weight Loss: -6.6 pounds

Exercise Goals: 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time

Weekly Exercise: 4 workouts. 1 x 45 minutes, 3 x 30 minutes

So another okay week. I’m happy to say that I have continued the work outs and even managed to not gain weight. (If you saw how many Girl Scout cookies are in my house, you would be impressed also….) I also had a girl’s night out at Bunco! So, while it wasn’t a horrible week, it certainly wasn’t a great week. I have been on Weight Watchers for so long, I can’t even think about how long it has been. And I’m  bored with it at this point. Stuck in a rut….

So this coming week, I am taking a new approach. I’m going Slow Carb. This is a low carb diet with several restrictions that you follow 6 days a week and then have a cheat day. I have heard that people have good results, so I’m trying it. I have been thinking of doing low carb for a while because as you get rid of all those carbs, you crave them less over time. And I could use that. Plus, this approach lets me have carbs once a week so I don’t have to say goodbye to Ice Cream and Chocolate forever.

I have done low carb before, but missed those carby foods, so I never stuck with it. I am hoping this different approach will help me stick it out longer. Now, I will still be weighing in at weight watchers and trying to keep track of some points. I want to choose healthy, low carb foods. Plus, I need to keep going with Weight Watchers in order for my benefits costs to not continue to increase at work!

Highlights from this week: Managed to lose a little with Girl Scout cookies all around me. Kept on my exercise plan.

Challenges for this week: Going Slow Carb! Need to say goodbye to those simple carbs and eat some nice healthy proteins and veggies. Will be trying some new low carb recipes for the whole family. And somehow I injured my back the other day and its still really sore- so a good workout is a challenge at the moment!! (A sign that I'm getting older?)

Christy: Week 8

I have finally hit a plateau...at least for this week. I don't have anything to explain why but I did not lose any weight this week. I held to my weekly workout goals of getting to the gym 5 days this week and one of those days I met my running goal of going 2.5 miles without stopping. On another occasion I upped my running pace to see how challenging it would be. I brougth back lunges and maintained the weightlifting Wednesdays. There was no slacking in the exercise department! 

As for my diet, other than scaling back portion sizes and eliminating major calorie consuming foods such as fast foods, certain desserts, and caloric beverages...I have not drastically made any changes. I am wondering if it is time to rethink the diet strategy? I am going to give my usual routine/plan one more week and allow myself some time to figure out my next steps if my weight remains stagnant. Things I am thinking about include reducing my carbs & increasing my veggies. I do good in the fruit & protein department but may need to tweak the latter.

This coming week I plan to incorporate more sleep...used to go to be at 9pm but it's been creeping back up to 11pm with a couple late nights out with the girls! I gotta get serious...it's crunch time! I am also continuing to take my multi vitamin which I must say, has had a positive impact on my finger nails. They have not been as strong & grow so quickly in years as they have these past 3-4 weeks!

Since I can no longer work out in the mornings, I may just have to take my son into the gym 3 days this coming week. He does enjoy being there but it feels selfish to me to put him there so often. Just this week wont hurt & maybe I'll treat the kids to swimming after school as an added way to burn off a few calories!

While I am bummed that I did not see the scale move this week, I am trying to keep this journey in perspective. Technically, I've lost a total of 20 lbs! This amazes me on many levels. While I know my body has changed (by evidence of how my clothes feel and what my body is able to now do-like run 2.5 miles at one time) there are times when I look at myself and see no difference at all! Now that can be discouraging!  Maybe this is why I am focused on the "numbers" at least at this point my journey. The numbers do not lie even when my mind plays tricks on me!  The work is paying off and some weeks will be better than others. I am going to view this week as one where my body was just pausing to get used to being where it's at.  Sometimes it's good to just pause and be thankful for where we are at in the moment.

I have no regrets this week. Of course I could have changed doing this or that however, I lived this past week somewhat responsible in terms of not going crazy with food and sticking to my exercise goals. I had my share of fun without going over board.  I do wonder how much stress may have played a role this week as I've definitely had more of that this week than usual!  Interested to see what changes or ah-ha moments next week will bring!

Jamie week 7 Crossfit

A few years ago when I started at the gym I would go in and always try new things. I had started experiencing with running. I would run a minute or two then walk, change my incline, run a minute or two then walk. One thing I did and I still do to this day is I take the first 5 minutes as my warm up.
so one day I went to the gym and it was pretty empty, I got on a treadmill and did my 5 minute warm up. I started to run and it felt good I was approaching maybe 3 minutes of running when I realize that my shoe came untied. Crap I think, I have these little superstitions Ill talk about another week. I stop the treadmill and start to tie my shoe until I hear in this incredibly deep voice, "You're going to keep running after that right". Me, "huh, um yeah".
I look up and its this really buff really tall African American (trying to be politically correct here) in his forties. He laughs and starts running, I start running and I refused to stop until he did. we went about 3 miles and it felt great!! I had never ran that far before!! I could not wait to come back tomorrow and do it again because now I know I can. HAHA until I woke up the next day and could barely walk! Lets just say my 5 foot frame holding nearly 200 pounds up on a treadmill running for 3 miles was not my bodies idea of fun.
I did the same thing this week only with Crossfit. First of I loved it,  it was workouts my body is not used to and I didn't want to look weak so I used more weights than I should have. And I did more pull ups than I ever thought possible. Here's the breakdown of the 2 days I did in case anyone is curious.
Warm up
Various predetermined things like squats, lunges, sit ups etc lasted about 15 minutes.
Skill
Everyday a skill is chosen and a certain amount of time is spent on it. This day was pull ups for 15 minutes.
Workout
Run 400 m
10 shoulder thrusts with 115pound barbell
10 pull ups
repeat as many times as you can in 18 minutes. I did 3 1/3 times through.

Warm up
Same thing but more hip movements because this day was lots of legs
Skill
Jump rope
Workout
21 dead lifts 55 pounds
21 kettle bell swings 30 pounds
15 dead lifts
15 swings
9 dead lifts
9 swings
This was for time. I did it in a little under 6 minutes. People with heavier weights took longer due to breaks

What I like: couldn't move because muscles I haven't worked and/or new I existed were exercised.
What I didn't like: there wasn't alot of stretching. I should have stretched on my own then i wouldn't be so sore I think. Also this particular facility makes you take a 2 week "onramp" class. Its 3 days a week for 2 weeks. 1. I cant commit myself like that. 2. So they want me to pay $115 a month and waste 2 weeks of it learning how to do things I already know?
So I did find another facility nearby that does just a one hour introductory class, and they have a better schedule so I wont have to go at 5am everyday. WHEW! I was exhausted too!

Baked chicken wings
I made it up!! I grabbed fresh cut not frozen chicken wings from the farmers market. I mxsed fat free ranch with red hot and a little barbecue sauce and I baked them in the oven at 425 for 40 minutes flipping them once. It was long enough to give them a little crispiness.
I paired them with weight watcher fries and what I mean by that is:
Cut 2 potatoes into this slices, lightly spread a little olive oil or butter or butter sub on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake them with your wings. A small potato is only 2 points, if cut right it would be about 6-8 slices.

Grabbed a DVD for home: Jillian Micheal's Yoga Meltdown. $9 at Walmart!

Cayla - Week 7

Cayla Week 7
Weight Loss This Week:1 pound

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan: A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer. 

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 34.4 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...109.4 to go.

Recipe's to Share: I made this recipe this week and it didn't turn out quite right for me. I think it might be because I did not use a salad spinner. If you try this recipe please let me know how it turns out. Mine had great flavor but was not crisp at all.

Original recipe makes 6 servings 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Thoughts for This Week:

The past two weeks have been rough. I have been traveling for work and on top of that was very sick. I'm still not 100% due to a cough that won't go away and having trouble breathing. I started back to the Gym on Monday which was the first time in two weeks. The good thing is I didn't gain any wait. However, I feel that I lost momentum. I get up at 4:30am every weekday morning to go to the gym. Before I got sick I got up without fail and did not feel tired and was geared up to get my day started. Now, I can barley drag my butt out of bed and constantly feel tired. I'm forcing myself to go anyway and hoping that things start to improve again. I will meet with my trainer again starting next Wednesday. I've really got to get my eating under control. I'm attempting to follow the Paleo plan but keep having little cheats that lead to bigger cheats. Since I have felt so tired I have not had a desire to cook or mess with the food prep. That being said, I've been eating anything that is easily accessible, which tends to not be healthy. I''m putting so much effort, time and money into going to the gym that I really need to get my eating back on track. I am going to start writing everything morsel that goes into my mouth into a journal. I'm hoping that this will help to keep me more accountable.

Allyson | Week 7

I have been inundated with school work the past couple weeks (more so than normal). My brain is fried. I don’t have much to share, and I’m out of witty banter. This week I just want to share three things:

Three generations of healthy eating.  I took a break from school work on Saturday and spent the day with my mom and grandma. I snapped a picture of us munching on some healthy and delicious ants on a log (minus the ants).







Two more "Food Rules":

Rule #9: Avoid food products with the wordoid “lite” or the terms “low-fat” or “nonfat” in their names. What has happened over the past four decades since the low-fat craze began? People got fat. People are an average 18 pounds heavier today than they were in the 1970s (and I think that’s a very conservative average). It’s not always fat that makes us fat and removing the fat doesn’t mean it’s nonfattening. Taking the fat out of an item results in taking the flavor out of the item. Companies know they can’t sell a tasteless product (except maybe Quaker and those rice cakes…), so they replace the fat flavor with carbohydrates and refined sugars.  It’s better to eat the real deal, in moderation, that to eat ‘nonfat’ items that are packed with sugars and salts.

Rule #14: Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature. Next time you check out an ingredient list on a food item, try to picture those ingredients growing in nature. Chances are you won’t be able to picture that (let alone pronounce the names) for most ingredients. This rule helps keep odd chemicals and substances out your the body.

Eat less, move more. 

Randee: Week: 7

Eating Plan: Weight Watchers Points Plus

Goal: Lose 50 Pounds

Weekly Weight Loss: 0

Total Weight Loss: -6.4 pounds

Exercise Goals: 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time

Weekly Exercise: 4 workouts. 4 x 30 minutes

So you might think I am disappointed this week. But I’m not. My parents were here. I survived that and a trip to Corky and Lenny’s. I worked out 4 times. Girl Scout cookies arrived and some were consumed. I really didn’t count points while my parents were here. All this- and I didn’t gain an ounce. So I’m taking the cup half full outlook and saying I did pretty well this week.

And now to get back on track…I have gotten back to making sure I work out at least 4 times. Even when I really don’t want to...which is almost always. I know some people love to work out. I have met some of these people. I am not one of these people. I can’t imagine becoming one of these people. But, I am doing it. This past week, I was reminded of the amazing abilities of the human body. An amazing person I know overcame more health obstacles than I can imagine and just did the Disney Princess Half Marathon. When I was reading about her adventure, I thought to myself- If she is doing this- what excuse could I possibly have to not do 30 minutes of exercise? I couldn’t come up with anything. So I kept trudging along. Her story also inspires me to want to try a 5k at some point. (When I am more in shape!)

Highlights from this week: I did not gain any weight even with my parents in town, girl scout cookies and a trip to Corky and Lenny’s. Not too shabby.

Challenges for this week: Getting back to tracking my weight watchers points. Staying on my workout plan. I really need to get some variety to my family meals. Any ideas out there?

Christy: Week 7

My weeks always seem to start off with a bang but by the time the weekend hits, I find myself slacking just enough to gently curb any significant weight loss I've acrued. I'm not saying by any means I'm disappointed in my progress. However, when you've seen the scale at 151.5 on Tuesday but it's at 153 on Saturday it becomes obvious that I am taking the "losses" for granted.  This week was more of a regular week for me. The kind of week I see myself having on a more daily basis once my goal weight is reached. I worked out 4 days (Usually I've been doing 5) for an hour each. The grunting & sweating continue to be alive and well as I push myself at every work out.  My husband actually called me "addicted" this week! Ha ha ha ha! I think he has this current view of me because he is my main source of unloading in terms of talking about my weight loss journey in great detail! I've confessed to him how exhilarating it is to work out really hard, giving my all. I actually like how the sweat feels when it is dripping from my arms, down the front & back of my shirt. I love how my work out clothes are getting larger on me! I used to wear them (when I wasn't exercising) because they were comfortable and they made me look slimmer (at least so I thought). It is really amazing how far I've come. Hardly being able to run a half mile without stopping in those first weeks back in September. Then hitting the mile mark. I thought that would always be my bar. Until that too became easy to do after a few weeks and with pushing myself- and thus breaking through mental barriers- I am now regularly running 2 miles without stopping every day I work out (avg. 8-12 miles/week). I'm looking forward to buying new running shoes soon!

Back to my husband saying I'm addicted. I use my fitness pal to log my calorie intake and output.  I know for a fact that I'm not addicted... because I don't use mfp every day (hence why I end up slacking on the weekends). BUT I'm also not addicted because...I'm enthusiastic! I am excited to learn about what I'm putting into my body in a way in which I've never previously thought about. For instance, I like white rice but I "hear" that brown rice is better for you. So, we eat brown rice which is not my favorite but it's not horrible either. However, when I saw that a cup of brown rice was 200+ calories I was shocked AND compelled to blurt out my surprise at the high calorie count! Lately this is a normal scenario in our house...me sharing what I'm learning with my family. Which is why they are starting to think I'm a little nut-so with this my fitness pal! 

The good news is that I have seen the positive impact I'm having on my kids. My kids tend to be very active and healthy eaters to begin with. However, there have been times when they want to "play-exercise" like Mommy exercises. They click on the workout app on my phone and mimic the exercises like jumping jacks, sit ups, etc. The kids also ask me "Is this healthy to eat?" and we have conversations about the importance of balance in their choices and portion sizes. They know why Mommy is trying to "get skinny" so to speak which is so that I can be active along side them and live healthy to live longer!

I am going to strive to take advantage of this week, working out 5 days for an hour each. I am going to try to run at least one day for 2 and a half miles straight. Its time I try to push the envelope. I'm also going to increase my squats and bring back lunges (I took a 2wk break from lunges because they are hard on my right knee). I need to stop drinking alcohol! This past week I had 3 beers & 3 glasses of wine. I've been very good about not drinking my calories but the social events creeped in and took over the best of me! Back to water & tea only!  I need to grocery shop with a plan. I usually do however, I've been putting off shopping until the first of the month which led to eating out (which is very unusual for us).

My one regret this week is that I should have gone grocery shopping earlier.  Having food in the house would have permitted me to be prepared for a couple outings the kids & I shared without stopping to eat.  It would have also made me more prepared for Friday without meat during lent. Friday sure snuck up on me!

I lost 1 lb this week.  I was really hoping to lose 2 as I had seen the numbers on the scale earlier in the week but today's weight reflected more the reality of the whole week. I am still in complete shock that I am 153! I was thrilled 2 wks ago when I hit 155...just in awe. I am on cloud 9 about being at this point. I'm not ready to settle yet,  though,  I do feel so good.  Not ready to say this journey is over since I'm interested to see if I can reach my dream goal!

Let's see some good numbers this week! Lucky #7 right?

Jenn Week 7

Although February is a sweet month I am excited to see it come to a close and user in March.  I have never had a case of cabin fever quite like this.  Bring on the warmer days with more daylight!

In one word how do I feel about this week’s progress:  Accomplished

High of the week: Celebrating my 32^nd birthday.

Low of the week:  Not making it to the Y as many times as I had planned. 

Weight loss this week:  .6 lb

Total weight loss since: 1/20/13 6 lbs

Inches lost this month: N/A

Total inches lost since: 1/20/13 N/A

New exercises tried:  I tried a class called Body Sculpt this week.  Using medicine balls, rubber bands and your own body weight you go through a series of exercises that aim to tone and strengthen the body.  I enjoyed the class and it was a good way to add in another session of strength training for the week. 

Things that fueled me:   No new recipes this week. 

A few added thoughts: With my birthday this week I am overall very happy with the loss of .6 lbs.  There were a few meals out at restaurants and the delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting that my husband makes me each year.  (My favorite birthday tradition by the way.)  In the past these festivities could have lead to over indulging and gaining weight.  However, with my focus over the last few years being about a life style change and not a diet or a short ended goal I found enjoying myself did not have to come with self sabotage.  It was all about moderation and finding a balance.  And to be honest until I sat down to type out this post and took time to reflect over this past week  I hadn't given my choices much thought.   Living a balanced life is now part of who I am.  I still indulge a little; everyone needs to now and again. Sometimes you just need to have a cheese burger and ice cold beer and no substitution will do! Lol  But my daily choice is to fuel my body with a healthy balanced diet and challenge it with daily exercise, even if it’s only 30 mins. 

The scale my not reflect that I have hit my goal weight,   the tag inside my jeans may contain a number higher than I’d like to see.  But what I have learned and the progress I have made cannot be measured by such simple means.   I like the woman I have become by my 32^nd birthday and am proud of the progress I have made on my journey so far.