Hump Day!

Got up early and did PC2. I love getting it done first thing because then I feel like I'm on a high all day long. Very nice. This workout was killer, especially on my hamstrings and glutes ... right where I need it! I really feel like these workouts are doing amazing work for my legs. 10 lbs. was my lightest weight today, which is pretty awesome because that used to be my heavy weight!

Eating is going well, although I was totally craving pizza yesterday for some reason. I might have to have a cheat meal this weekend for the super bowl!

Month 2 starts today!

Checking in with my month 1 final results. We weighed, measured and took pictures yesterday. Month 2 starts for me today.

Here are my results:
Weight loss: 12.8 lbs.
Total inches lost: 9.25 inches (Biggest losses were 2 inches off abs and 2.5 inches off abductors!)

Taylor's results:
Weight loss: 8 lbs. (he's lost 19 lbs. since November, when he cut out soda and started watching portions!)
Total inches lost: 10.75 inches (He also lost 2 inches off of his waist!)

We compared our day 1 and day 28 pictures side by side and were able to see some definite changes. It was pretty interesting to see what we accomplished in only 4 weeks.

After my last post, for some reason I started feeling like I was a fraud, like I'm having this success now, but I'll just go back to my old ways. I swear all weekend I battled this horrible thoughts. It really helped to do the measurements and pictures yesterday to prove myself wrong! I hate days like that, where you know those thoughts are bogus and no good comes of them, but they keep popping up. I read and re-read your comments here and on my message board and really worked on owning this success I have seen. I am now ready to push forward and have an amazingly strong 2nd month!!! (That's funny because the 2nd month is called "PUSH!")

I was going to get up to do PC1 this morning, but we got home laaaaate last night. I still need to print out the worksheet for it, so I decided to make time this afternoon so I could really focus on this new workout.

TGIF

Hello! I haven't checked in for a few days, but I am still going strong. Today was BC3, so that means only one more workout left to complete my first month! I have really worked on increasing the weights this week and pushing myself, and I have the DOMS to prove it! The only exercise I haven't increased weights on is shoulder presses ... I really am weak there, which makes me laugh because Chalene is always saying, "You'll be surprised how strong your shoulders are." On shoulder presses I'm lifting with Lailee (she uses the light weights) but on delts, I'm lifting with Chalene. Go figure.

Here are some of the changes I am noticing as I near the end of my first month:

• Major increases in strength: lifting heavier weights than I ever have, feeling stronger as I do the movements, actually being able to perform push ups (on knees) with good form, going deep in my lunges and having the strength to lift up completely from the heal (in the past I couldn't go as deep and sometimes had to rock a little for momentum to get back up when fatigued), not having to pause because I am out of breath.
• Changes in my body: I can feel that my stomach and thighs are smaller, I can feel my muscles ... (it's not just mush any more!), I am more flexible, I just breath easier
• Clothes fitting better: I am noticing that my shirts are not as tight on my arms, I bought jeans in November and could not fit into any 18s, so I bought two pairs of size 20s ... this week I was able to fit into one of my old pairs of size 16s!!! Granted those jeans are a big 16. I couldn't even pull them up all the way, let alone button them two months ago!
• Feeling better about myself: While I still have those occasional "bad" thoughts, it is coming more and more naturally for me to feel good about myself and find the positive. I feel more confident. I feel really empowered knowing that while I am building muscle I am increasing my metabolism. I am no longer a victim of my genes!
  
• It is not hard to eat well: Eating has always been my downfall in the past, but after one month of clean eating with really only one cheat which was planned, I feel great. I have taken charge, educated myself and found that this way of eating is working well for me. Sometimes I feel the need for more carbs, so I do it in the form of good complex carbs. Sometimes I feel like I need more protein, so once again, good protein. It's like I've crashed through this barrier that was holding me back, and I can do anything I want! I can plan off menu meals or treats and know it won't keep me from my ultimate goals!
  

I hope these don't come across as boastful or self centered. These are some major breakthroughs for me and I really am just reviling in this. I have lost weight in the past (and gained and lost ...) but I can honestly say this is different than anything I've ever experienced.

Great article ...

Someone posted this on a message board I visit it. It is worth reading if you'd like some motivation for your own exercise program:

It turns out that the idea of changing from the inside out is literally true as well.

From the notes I've received from some of you, the most common concern seems to be that your fat loss seems too slow. After starting a serious fitness program including cardiovascular and weight training, nearly everyone feels better and more energetic almost immediately (aside from the perpetual soreness). But even after several weeks, some people do not see a noticeable change in the mirror, so far as fat is concerned. And the scale! You've busted your bottom for weeks, and there's no change! Of course, if you've really been half-hearted about following your program, it's clear why this may happen, but it can also happen when you have honestly been experiencing intensity every day, and have been careful about limiting your portions. I've received messages from people literally in tears at the frustration. Kid, the road to Easy Street runs through the sewer. You gotta get tough (words spoken to me by my favorite teacher, Father Arnold Perham).

Here's what's going on. Fat is stored in several places, within the muscle as intramuscular fat (which is why pork is "the other white meat"), around the organs as "visceral fat", and under the skin as "subcutaneous fat". If you're inactive as you get older, the fat starts depositing in the muscles first - the muscle tissue gets "marbelized". After the intramuscular stores are full, the fat spills over to subcutaneous stores, which are more noticeable. Well, now take that process in reverse. Exercise (and specifically interval training and progressive weight training) tends to draw significantly from the intramuscular stores early on, so instead of seeing a major change in the mirror, you may instead feel your muscles getting firmer and less "mushy". That's a good sign. Don't give up! The subcutaneous fat loss becomes more evident once the intramuscular stores are whittled down a bit.

(continued)

If you were able to look inside of your cells and see your "good" enzymes increasing, your energy-producing mitochondria multiplying, your cholesterol falling, your arteries clearing, your blood vessels becoming more efficient, your muscles strengthening, your bone-density improving, and all of the remarkable changes that this program triggers, it would be clear that the scale and calipers are just insufficient ways of measuring success. As these internal changes become significant, your external progress accelerates. Some people just start out needing more internal changes than others, because of their prior lifestyle, long-term yo-yo dieting, and other factors. Please understand that if you're following the daily intensity and carefully limiting your portions, the progress is happening, whether it's obvious or not. I've just seen too many individual cases to think any different.

So don't force the numbers. They'll come. Here is your job today: adhere to a winning pattern of action that you know will produce results if you follow it consistently. That's all. And if you do that today, congratulate yourself as a winner. If instead, you insist on measuring your success by whether or not the scale or caliper show progress today, you're creating a game you can lose. In Steven Covey's words, you're putting yourself in the position of trying to manage consequences rather than actions. You'll never get a reliable sense of confidence that way. Look, you're following a program that works. Do troubleshoot. Do review your workouts, food choices, portion sizes, and meal plans. But make every day a game you can win.

Taken from http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TSInsideOut.html

Week 4

Week 4 starts today! And I am just amazed at the fact that I can say that. Aubrey had school off today, so we all slept in and did my workout later. It was kind of sad (not really) to think this is my last time doing BC1 (for a while at least). Really though, it is my least favorite out of the strength workouts, but I still like it. Have to go do some shopping because I am getting low on a lot of my food staples.

Today was my official weigh in and I am down another 1.2 lb for a total of 11.4 lbs lost!!! I am actually excited to record our official 30 days results next week.

Taylor has been keeping up with things as well, though I can't get him to post over here! I think that total he has lost about 15-16 lbs. Can't remember the exact number.

Quick Check-in

I can't beleieve I forgot to post yesterday ... after all the to do, I did yesterdays workout (Burn Intervals) and not only survived it but was strong doing it! I realized that I totally built that workout up my head to be Mt. Everest. Yes, it was tough, yes I was worked, but I can totally do this!

This morning was BC3. I even used 20 lb. dumbells on two of the exercises! I've noticed on upper body I tend to be weaker and use weights that the beginner exerciser uses but with lower body, I can use pretty close to what Chalene uses. At the end of the workout, you do 3 reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyy slow push ups to finish of one of the exercises. I was able to do all three (8 counts down and 8 counts up). What's amazing is, at the beginning of the program I could only do 2 total at a regular speed. So, yeah, I'm feeling so powerful!!!

Muscle Burns Fat

Since I have been in the mindset of losing weight and being healthy, I have been reading lots of information to keep me motivated and knowing the best way to achieve the results I want. These are thoughts I have put together and are my opinion based on what I've read.

You always hear about metabolisms, right? Like some people have really good metabolisms and can eat anything they want and are skinny, others eat like birds and are overweight. To me, this has always seemed be something out of our control ... something we were either blessed with or cursed with.

Each day, our bodies burn calories just to exist. Our fat cells burn calories and our muscle cells burn calories. But did you know that one lb. of muscle burns at least 3X more calories than 1 lb. of fat? (Numbers vary, but this is the low estimate.) So, if we lose 1 lb. of fat and gain 1 lb. of fat, we are in essence "raising our metabolism" as our bodies are burning more calories just to exist. The other cool thing is, muscle takes up less space than fat, so you could weigh the same, but your measurements are small (and less flabby!)

Many people are still doing tons and tons of cardio with little to no strength training. There are many reports that show that you can and will actually lose muscle, not just fat, by training this way. In Chalene's blog, she talks about a woman who was a yo yo dieter and spent hours doing cardio. She could never lose weight and keep it off. They tested her BMR at the beginning of her 90 day rotation, and she was only burning 700 calories a day!!! I don't know about you, but I could not live on that little. That means that she could "diet" and eat a low 1,000 calorie a day diet and STILL gain weight. She followed the CLX 90 day rotation and initially gained weight, but as she built muscle and followed the nutritional guide, she ended up losing 40 lbs. and the coolest part is she raised her BMR to 1400 calories a day!!! She was able to turn around the years of abuse to her system and retrain it. You can ready the whole story with more details on Chalene's blog.

From Chalene:

When working to increase your metabolism (which is ultimately the goal if you want to eat more and come in a smaller package) remember that muscle is an active tissue. It's requirements are far greater than fat. Fat is this mushy, lumpy, yellowy stuff that requires very little to sustain itself, but takes up a lot of space. Lean muscle tissue on the other hand requires are great deal of calories to sustain. It's firm! It's tight! It's red with blood and healthy tissue that makes life easier and fat burning a breeze! Muscle burns fat!

From About.com article:

Even though muscle doesn't burn a huge number of calories on its own, it's still more metabolically active than fat and very important for weight loss. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology [6] found that, though weight training doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, it significantly increases average daily metabolic rate - the perfect foundation for losing fat.

And remember the other benefits of weight training:

• Prevents loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging
• Weight training workouts burn calories
• Helps change your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy
• Strenghtens bones and connective tissue along with muscles
• Helps keep you strong and active as you get older

The bottom line is, strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get in better condition.

From a Mayo Clinic article:

Weight training can help you tone your muscles, improve your appearance and fight age-related muscle loss. And it doesn't take as long as you might think...

Lean muscle mass naturally decreases with age. If you don't do anything to replace the muscle loss, it'll be replaced with fat. But weight training can help you reverse the trend — at any age. Studies show that weight training and other types of strength training can improve quality of life and the ability to complete daily tasks for adults even in their 80s and 90s.

As your muscle mass increases, you'll be able to work harder and longer before you get tired. You'll maintain joint flexibility, increase bone density and better manage your weight. You may even improve your mental health and reduce the risk of depression — all heavy reasons to include weight training in your fitness program.

Week 3 starts today

Official start to week 3 for me today. I got up and did BC1 even though I went to bed waaay to late last night. I'm loving that I am still loving these workouts, no boredom factor. I love getting my workouts done first thing, because then I can feel good for the rest of the day knowing I did it. I may not be a morning person, but hopefully this will help get there eventually.

Official weigh in this morning has me done another pound, so that's 10.2 lbs. total!!! (I'll update my ticker when I get on the other computer.)

I'm surprised by how little I have been tempted. Like Friday, we went out so I made dinner ahead of time for Taylor and I, but ordered a pizza for the kids and babysitter. I wasn't even tempted to have a bite, and I LOOOOVE pizza. Knowing I only have these next couple of months to get ready for the cruise helps. Also, because I am seeing such great results, there's no way I want to sabotage myself now. Guess the trick will be to maintain eating well even when the results are not always noticeable or I am not counting down to something.

Well, have a super duper day!

Week

Workouts for week 2 are officially complete!!! Did Burn It Off and Recharge this morning with Taylor. Killer.

It feels great to have been so consistent I've never been one to stick to a rotation, so this is something!

Loving it!!!

Taylor and I went to a gymnastics meet last night. Normally we would eat at the meet, since we had to leave here at 5:30. Well, I planned ahead and had dinner ready and snuck in some healthy snacks. So we were able to have fun and still eat within our plan!

TGIF!

I did nooooooooooooooooot want to get up this morning and even lay in bed for an extra 15 minutes, but I MADE myself get up. That was a battle of will for sure. I made the commitment to work out at 6:30 each morning, even though I could do it later in the day. I know for me, if I don't get it done before Aubrey goes to school, chances are I won't do it. I did BC3 and MAN, did it feel amazing when I was done. I think since it had been such a battle, it was that much more rewarding when I was done.

One more workout and I will be done with the 2nd week. At this point my weight keeps bobbing around the same point. Of course there's that part of me that wishes I could lose as much as I did last week, but know that realistically, it is healthy for my body to settle into things. I want to keep my metabolism strong so that it will be easy to maintain things as I lose weight.

I am really happy with how the eating plan is working for me. To conquer my sweet cravings, I have a sugar free pudding with a little bit of cool whip and crunch up a 100 calorie snack pack into it. I tried some yummy combos, and it has been quite satisfying. The other night I did chocolate pudding, grasshopper cookies and some banana cut up. It tasted reminiscent of a banana split. I think it really helps that Taylor is doing this with me, so it's not like the fam is eating one thing and I'm eating another. Compared to how I have been eating, this is quite a change.

Here's to a great weekend!

Half through week 2

Today was Burn Intervals and Ab Burner. Whew. That was TOUGH!!! It a combination of cardio drills and light weights (to recover). I did 3 lbs. weights and eventually transitioned to no weights. I think out of all the workouts, this would be the one that has a little "dread" factor for me. But it felt SOOOOO good when I was done.

I am having so much fun feeling the differences in my body. I am really looking forward to hitting 30 days and taking new pictures and measurements.

Going Strong

Hola! This morning I got up (early again ... this is a FEAT for me!) and did BC2. I am noticing that instead of feeling so incredibly sore (like last week) my muscles feel "warm" and worked, but not nearly as sore. That is nice. Oh and this morning I noticed my stomach feels flatter. Now it is not flat by any means, but it felt like there was less bulge there! My weight is still moving, though I think the pace has slowed down, which is fine. I know I can't really lose 9 pounds EVERY week, maybe just every other week!

Yesterday I noticed I was having more and more feelings of doubt and pessimism coming into my head. You know the famous, "You're not really going to stick to this," "You're not really going to lose any more weight," "You know you just want to sleep in," etc. In the late afternoon, I decided to pull out Chalean's motivational CD and listened to that. Since then I've been actively combating those thoughts with, "Oh yes you can!" Hope I'm not the only one who has battles in my head!

Sometimes, it's easy to look at the past and see failure. To think all of my periods of working out and eating right must be failures, because I am still overweight. But really that is not true. I am choosing to look at this as my journey. Everything in the past, including the ups and downs, has led me to THIS point RIGHT now. Ultimately, who I am is someone who is UNSTOPPABLE. I will NOT let the roadblocks and dips in the road stop me from being who I ultimately want to be. This is what I must remember when those other thoughts try to creep their way in ... I am unstoppable!

Eating is going well! I totally lost track of time this afternoon and didn't have time to make lunch, so I grabbed two snacks and had that on the way. So glad I prepared things ahead of time otherwise I would have been up a creek!

I did the chicken kabobs the other night (marinated chicken, zucchini, pineapple and seasonings) and they were YUMMY! The chicken was so moist, it was just perfect. I am noticing that my appetite has definitely decreased. I had two skewers on my plate and thought "There's no way that will fill me up." I'm used to having starchy things on the side like pasta or potatoes. I was pleasantly full when I was done. (Not overly stuffed like I've been used to in the past). Last night was a leftovers night. We were stacking up quite a few, so it was time to eat them up. We each had something slightly different.

I AM the biggest loseer ...

And that's a good thing! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting the weigh in, right?
















Duh Duh Duh ...













9.2 lbs. lost. In my first week. Yup. That's right. Almost 10 lbs.

I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't see the weight steadily dropping each day. I have never, EVER lost this much weight in one week. Ultimately I know it won't come off this fast for the long haul, but what a nice start to the program. I was thinking it would be nice if I could lose 15 lbs. before the cruise. I may have to re-think that! Actually, I think it really isn't about a number at this point. I can't control what the number is on the scale but I can control whether or not I workout. I can control what I put into my mouth. So, those are the things I will work on.

What's really crazy is, that while I have been working out very hard, I do not feel like I am overdoing it in the least. And my eating has changed drastically, but I am not feel deprived. Overall, I am loving life. I am glad that I am keeping track of my results in several ways (weight, measurements, fit test, body fat) because I know there are weeks when my weight may stay the same and these results will help me find this motivation. Nothing fires you up quite like results!!!

Here's to a great week!

Stay tuned

For my weigh in tomorrow ... it's going to be a shocker!!!

Saturday is no day to rest!

Today Taylor and I did Burn Intervals and Recharge. This is because I mistakenly did Burn It Off on Thursday. I was thinking it would not be as hard as Burn It Off, since you got the light weights for a "break". Well, I was wrong ... this was tough! On some of the shoulder work I transitioned to no weights, because I was totally burning from all that shoulder work yesterday. DH wasn't too thrilled about Recharge, since it is yoga poses. I think the rest of the workouts work for him, but just not that one. I told him that he could spend the time doing his own stretching and breathing. I think he'll probably do that. He's so tight, that I think the yoga poses just were too hard for him. I am soooo looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

Still doing great on the eating plan. Last night was flank steak with faux mashed. I added more to the marinade to make it more like our favorite marinade. Steaks are always good, what was different was not eating as much as we normally do. The faux mashed (puree cauliflower) ... eh. We both decided we'd just rather have the steamed cauliflower. So we'll leave that step out next time. We didn't do spinach but had salad instead. This is more veggies than I've eaten in a LONG time! Had the Canadian Bacon Sandwich again this morning ... love that one!

I just finished BC3 and feel so good. I have been having a lot of muscle fatigue this week (that's putting it mildly) and wasn't sure I would be up to this today, but I don't have any time to spare so I just did it. And I was able to lift much heavier than I thought I would be able to (each time I went heavier than I thought I could and only twice was it too heavy.)

Yesterday I did Burn It Off and Ab Burner. I misread and thought that was what was on the rotation. No problem, I'll just make sure to do Burn Intervals tomorrow and then do it the "right" way next week! Since Taylor had the day off we did it together. Oh and I am so feeling my muscles popping out. I was taking a shower and washing my arms and was amazed at how rock hard my muscles were.

I am really proud at how on track I have been staying with eating on this plan. The planning I did last week really helped (Scheduled B, L & D for each day, pre-packaged snacks, shopped). In the past I have planned out dinners and just had stuff for lunch and breakfast. Having each meal planned leaves me not having to think about food all the time, which is very nice. I also did what Chalean suggested in the video and made convenient snack foods. I bought a bunch of little Rubbermaid containers to make snack sizes for the fridge and I have a bin the in the pantry with snacks in Ziploc bags. I got Aubrey to help, and it was very easy. Took about 10-15 minutes longer while we unpacked the groceries. Now if I'm heading out the door and know I'll need a snack, I can just grab one.

Yesterday I had the Canadian bacon sandwich and loved it. We went to Red Lobster for dinner and I was able to eat yummy food, but stay on plan (crab, shrimp, broccoli and salad) and I totally resisted the biscuits. I was nervous at first when DH suggested going out, but we picked a place where I wouldn't be as tempted by the food I have a weakness for (like pasta) and it went well. I've discovered I just don't like veggies in with my eggs. So I've started cooking them separately and then eating them on their own first, then eating the eggs. I'm weird, but it works!