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Well, it has been a tough week.
I have stayed on plan eating and exercise wise (2 hours of walking a day baby!) even though the darn TV has been tempting me with Wendy’s spicy nuggets and cold Diet Coke.
I even went to a pizza party last night. AND stayed on plan.
I emailed AM (the trainer) and asked what I could eat since I did not want to be the odd duck in the corner eating my 6oz skinless boneless chicken breast and 1/2 cup of broccoli and pining for a crust of pizza. I was WILLING to eat what was on the list for Wednesday dinner, but knew two things about myself:
1. If I deprive myself now, I will WANT MORE LATER. MUCH MORE.
2. If I don’t learn how to eat in social situations, I will become a hermit with 27 cats and never leave the house again. No one wants this. 
AM said to stay on plan, I should eat the thinnest crust possible, and eat 3 times the salad as I do pizza.
So I did exactly that. We had Lou Malnotti’s Pizza, and I chose the super thin crust cheese version (3 small squares of a medium pizza, no “end” pieces), a large salad with carrots, red cabbage, cucumber, red peppers and about 2 tables spoons of low fat honey Dijon dressing, and for dessert (though there were fruit tarts, homemade cookies and ice cream treats) had about a cup of cut up fruit. NO SODA. WATER.I also had a Chobani Yogurt for a snack later.
And I was satisfied.
We watched “Away We Go” with John Krasinski and then turned over to the State of the Union. It was wonderful to watch the SOTU with such amazing and intelligent women. I got SO much more out of it than I normally do. I also utilized the iPhone to look up “Pay As You Go” and other new (to me) concepts. I love to learn!!
Weigh-in is Saturday, and I actually have to go in a bit early as I have a baby shower in Glencoe at my normal weigh-in time. My goal this week is 4lbs. I know that is a bit low, but I have to remember that the first week of any weight-loss/healthy eating venture is usually the most weight in a week people lose. I am trying to reign in my expectations– that way, if I lose 5lbs, I will be pleasantly surprised.
I can’t remember if I wrote my goal for this month down here yet. My goal is 20lbs in 30 days. I have 12lbs to go with just 2 weeks left. I hope I can make it, but if I don’t I know any amount of weight I have lost will be a win in my book!
Off to eat lunch!
…AND LOST 8 POUNDS!!!
IN SEVEN DAYS!!!!!!
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
I was so freaked out the past 2 days as I was SURE I was only going to lose like 2lbs (or GASP stay the same or GAIN) after staying exactly on plan. I promise you don’t want to see my texts or hear the crazy conversations I have had with friends the past 2 days. Really.
Thank you to my online and IRL friends for all your/their support of this sometimes-neurotic “loser”!
Most of the people at the weigh-in said that they weigh themselves everyday so they knew what the damage would be. I had resigned from the beginning to NOT weigh-in daily– I fluctuate so much, I would disappoint myself and end up eating a pound of french fries for going up 0.8 lbs.
My 8lb loss proves that I have been on plan, walking 2 hours each day (other than last Saturday) and staying upbeat and positive.
My 8lb loss proves that ANYONE can eat properly and lose weight.
My 8lb loss proves that I CAN DO THIS for 3 more weeks.
Tonight I had grilled chicken breast, wilted spinach with garlic and about a 1/4 of red pepper* for dinner. It was filling and fantastic- and did I mention, fully homemade? My snack after working out (2 hours walking, thank you very much) was a medium banana and a small handful of walnuts. We are supposed to have our “snacks” in the morning, but if I don’t hold my banana until night (when I do my bulk of working out) I am STARVING by 10:30pm. I am doing what works for me but still keeping the calories at 1200.
Onward and upward (which for tonight means going to B-E-D!)
*Red pepper was not part of the plan, but I added it as the pepper was going to go bad, and, actually, as a treat for losing 8lbs. Who knew that red pepper would be used by me as a treat??
Today is Day 6–VERY close to the end of the first week. Only tomorrow to go before I weigh in on Saturday afternoon.
If I am going to be 100 percent truthful–and I am– it was tough to be good.
REALLY tough.
But I REALLY did it.
Today was kind of a mixed up day. Usually I am walking at night to catch up for the day of walking that I missed due to being busy. Well, this morning I decided I was going to buck up, get up early and walk.
So I did.
I got 1 hour and 10 minutes in this morning.Before 11am. Yes I did.
PROUD OF ME!
Then I went to lunch with a former colleague hung out with a former colleague at my old office eating the lunch I packed for myself and after carefully crafted a cover letter for a job I am applying for (that, by the way, I am VERY excited about. Fingers crossed). This included 20 minutes of walking as I used the CTA.
My friend N then picked me up in the rain to go to a 4:10pm showing of Leap Year*. Two things wrong with this:
- POPCORN POPPING IS THE DEVIL’S FAVORITE SMELL.
- Guess who forgot her daily snack at home?
I ordered an unsweetened ice tea and a large water. First time that I can remember that I watched a movie in a theater with no popcorn.
N ordered Nachos**.
Throughout the movie, the hunger thunder coming from my tummy was alarming. Thank goodness we were the only people in the theater***.I actually had a hard time following the movie a few times. I also had a hard time coming up with the right word for things my mind was so foggy. I was losing it a bit.
I was SO HUNGRY- more hungry that I had been in a long time. The meals I have been eating -while small(er than I am used to but what I should be eating)- have been filling. I have been eating around every 3 hours and have not had to really worry about a rumbly tumbly.
Today was different. I was weak and crabby.
After the movie, we were headed to Target to pick up a few things and I persuaded N to stop at Whole Foods so I could pick up a snack — Chobani Greek Yogurt.
I was supposed to have it in the morning, and I didn’t. Though it was about 6pm and I should have been eating dinner, I knew we would be atleast another 2 hours before getting home and I WAS NOT GOING TO EAT CRAP FOR DINNER.
So I got a Chobani cup, a spoon, and a handful of walnuts from the bulk area, and about 5 minutes after eating I could function like a human again. I could think again!Thank you 14 grams of protein!
When we got home from Target, I immediately threw a 6oz fillet Mignon on the grill along with 2 chicken breasts for tomorrow. Broccoli and asparagus (1/2 cup each) went in the microwave to steam and 15 minutes later I had a wonderful ON MEAL PLAN dinner.
It was tasty, fantastic and hit the spot.
I am not sure what I will be eating next week– the meal plan is a tiny bit late due to Andrea’s schedule, but I hope to see it tomorrow (especially since I am kinda tired of what we have been eating this week and hope we get to incorporate a few more complex carbs this week – like sweet potatoes.)
So other than today, I have been “good” and stayed on plan. I have walked 2 hours or more 5 of the 6 days.
Do I feel any different yet? Not really, other than the blisters on my feet.
I am trying to mitigate my weigh in on Saturday. I am VERY WORRIED that I will either stay the same or lose a very small amount of weight this first week and be discouraged. The way I keep myself from getting my hopes up is to not think about the excitement I will have if I lose 10 lbs. I reign myself in an HOPE AMONG HOPE that I lose 2lbs.
That way, when I lose 5lbs, I am not disappointed.
I am concerned that I treat myself this way and won’t let myself get excited until I know the final outcome. But I know where it comes from: I have had quite a few hard life lessons that have taught me to be overly cautious when it comes to “dreams” coming true. I am trying to figure out a compromise in my head– any ideas please let me know.
Onward and upward- I still have 30 minutes left to walk today– I need to get crackin!
—-
*Movie was Meh. Typical ro-com with a predictable ending. Better to wait for the rental.
**I told her to order whatever she wanted after she protested. Why does she have to feel deprived?
***4:10pm, ro-com, and see asterisk #1.
Today is day 5 of my 30 day naked fitness challenge — and I am still on track!
While it might not seem like a big feat to still be 100 percent on “it”- this is a BIIIIIG deal for me.
I am an instant gratification kind of girl — if I don’t lose like 30lbs in the first 3 days of a diet (or if I am not fully satisfied) I will go down in flames –carrying a large french fry with me.
Here is my week so far – in bullets:
- Saturday – long and filled with driving round trip 3 hours each way to get to the first weigh-in for the Naked fitness challenge. Started the meals that day, but was not able to get the workout in. Was visiting my grandparents in Iowa and it was very hectic having to drive so much. But I did it.
- Sunday – Sat and watched my mom and grandma while they ate at Village Inn (like an IHOP) and I had hot water with lemon. Thought I would feel deprived and pissed that they were eating a Denver Omelet and chicken fried steak (and PANCAKES!!!) without me but since I had had breakfast and snack already at home, I was actually OK. I didn’t want to make them suffer since I was eating different foods. Also, if I would have been hungry, I would have eaten something protein-filled. But I wasn’t. So I didn’t. (That concept is VERY different for me). Walked 40 minutes at the fitness center where my grandma belongs, then 1 hr, 22 minutes during the Golden Globe commercials. Go me! Tried to choke down “polenta chili” from the menu but ended up eating a green salad with chicken. More about the chili later.
- Monday – Busy day again driving back from Iowa, but I got all the correct food in. I also spent 1 hour on the treadmill and 1 hour on the stationary bike (because my feet were hurting). Missed seeing 2 hours of my mom, but it was worth it to get the workout in. The pipes backed up in the building at 7:30 pm, and we had to wait 3 hours for the plumber to come help. Nasty water overflowed the sinks in my roommates bathroom; since she was not home, my mom and I cleared out her soaked stuff from under the sink. Nasty. 3 other units also got soaked. All is well now though.
- Tuesday – My mom went home.
 First day to be tempted with “outside food”. Instead of an “IHOP” breakfast, I insisted on a small breakfast place close by that uses organic ingredients, cooks with Pam not oil, and is OK with picky orders. I was supposed to have 3 eggs scrambled, 1/4 cup red peppers and asparagus for breakfast. AND I DID! I also had about a 1/4 a cup melon that was not on the plan for the day. I came home after dropping my mom off at the airport (and helping her get to the gate OK- she has a really bad knee) and napped- I was TIRED! Woke up to a text reminding me of a happy hour I was supposed to be at – I slept that long! I threw on some clothes, PACKED MY DINNER (yes I did!) and made it just in time. But I found out I couldn’t eat “my” in the restaurant. No prob. I ordered a small side of lettuce mix, a NO OIL NO SALT NO BUTTER chicken breast and iced tea with lemon. I added my “from home” 1/4 cup red pepper and my ‘from home” low cal salad dressing. SO PROUD OF ME!!!! I came home (late, mind you) and walked 1 hr 40 minutes while watching Biggest Loser. (20 minutes was already done at the airport and at Target).
The rest of the week is UP TO ME to complete to the best of my ability. My plan for the day is to get 1 hour of workout in before noon and 1 hour in during prime time TV tonight. I am already on track for eating today (breakfast down!) and my lunch is about 3 minutes of me pulling a few things together.
Onward and upward!!
PS: Darn iPhone– this is actually the first time on over a week that I have been on an actual computer. I have alot of catching up to do!!
Man – the tiny lady trainer killed us today.
K-I-L-L-E-D.
U-S.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen this about 5pm:
These great ladies helped me remember WHY I AM GOING TO BOOTCAMP- to be less tired all the time! 
I got my butt out of bed and went.
I was feeling stuffy and congested all day.
I got my butt out of bed and went.
And I enjoy it.
I have lots of “workout friends” that look for me at class.
I love that.
We did a lot of leg and ab work today. A Lot.
My stomach muscles are really sore tonight.
What did you do active today?
I forgot to post on Saturday but 9am class was great- not too early, not to late. I got my (hard!) workout in, and I was done. I spent the rest of the day getting some things done around the house, watching movies, napping, and relaxing. I love those days.
Sunday was an off day (SCORE!) As much as I love it, my calves and thighs I needed a break.
Today we started up again. Before class, I ran to the ATT store becuase my cell crapped out (at like 10 am this morning) and since I don’t have a landline anymore, I needed a phone…. and a phone I got!
THE iPHONE!
I am so in love with my new phone, and I haven’t even had time to play with it!
I also went out to “happy hour” with a few friends from my old job right before class — and just drank water — we all know what happens when I eat too close to class time lol!
Melissa (the first bootcamp I did- she was the trainer) was our teacher tonight. She was HARD and kicked out butts!
But you know what?
I was stronger tonight – I could tell. I did a little informal “fitness assessment” as today is technically 1 day past the midway point…
- The warmup was easier than it has been in a while. I felt like it was actually a warm-up and not a workout in itself.
- I drank about 2 16oz glasses of water about an hour before class today — I am not sure if the water helped me get more reps in or if it was the fact that I have been working out consistently, but I felt good and got more reps in than ever before on each station.
- When I started 7 classes ago, I could barely hold myself up on core hold for more than 5 seconds at a time. I can make it 10-15 seconds at a time now. My goal is the whole minute she asks up to hold it.
- Squats are my most hated exercise, and at the beginning the teacher was always saying “GET LOW!” (I was almost always standing close to straight up and down and just pulsing) as she walked past me– today she said “GOOD JOB!”. Can’t believe it.
- Lunges are my second most hated exercise. I don’t think I do them correctly. At the beginning of class, she told us to “almost touch the floor” with the bent leg. I was always VERY close to standing position. Today I was able to do about 3 inches from the floor on my left leg (front and back lunges) and about 7 to 8 inches off the floor with my right.
- I was able to do “stinky baby” (hold 2 dumbbells straight out in front of you – and alternate legs on a high step– the dumbbells are a stinky baby that you don’t want to drop and don’t want to hold close) without dropping the dumbbells to my sides at all today.
- I am “good” sore, not “I can’t walk” sore today.
All in all, I am getting there. And I am proud of the progress I have made so far.
PS: Still trying very hard to eat the #WWGE way. I have shrunk my stomach, so when I do want to eat a big meal, I get sick to my stomach as I start shoveling it in. Small portions is the way to go! GO GRANDMA!
My.
Quads.
Are.
KILLING.
Me.
I woke up this morning feeling pretty good actually- and then I decided to take the stairs (I live on the 2nd floor) 500 times as I was running errands all day.
Not a good idea.
Up is slow, but fine.
Down is bloody murder. I actually took the elevator once just to avoid going down the stairs.
When I got to class tonight, I was happy to see almost all the other people from class also with quad pain.
We did alot on the bag again tonight, and used these straps that were hooked to the wall to do pushups and reverse crunches. WOW. I could do the reverse crunches OK, but the pushups were almost to hard to do. I could barely stay in a plank position!
We ended with partner stretches. I was drenched and stinky– I felt bad for my partner.
I came home, took a nice warm shower and climbed into my jammies. I had a #WWGE dinner of leftover pork, broccoli and brown rice and 2 tiny oranges for dessert. Oh, and lots of water.
The trainer tonight told me to take 3 Motrin before I go to bed, along with a ton of water to help the leg pain. I have a feeling that the Mortin will help take care of a few other aches and pains too…
I am proud of myself for today. I got alot of things accomplished that have been on my to-do list (partially because the cats had me up at 5:45am this morning). By 3 I was beat and got a good 1 1/2 long nap in.
I love naps.
Anyway, I am going to curl up in a chair and read a good book. We DO have bootcamp tomorrow night, so I am going to go ahead with my plan of hanging IN tomorrow night – me, popcorn, a diet coke (first one in 4 days! Go me!) and movies that I have been wanting to see. We have an awesome movie viewing room in the condo building so I am excited to check it out.
PLEASE be safe tomorrow night what ever you do!
AJ
* With my legs this sore, I swore today was day 5 of the class. But alas, only day 3.
New insturctor, new kick @ssedness.
Each day we will have a new instructor– yesterday was a former Chicago Heavyweight boxing champion — today was a tiny woman who was a Drill Sargent– and I loved her.
Lunges, lunges, squats, squats. The dreaded mountain climbers. Squat holds. Bicep curls. Something called “reptile pushups”.
It was crazy-balls, but I did it. My stomach muscles are sore and my arms are jello right now, but I am pumped.
Day 2 is over, and I did it.
I DID IT.
I have the biggest smile on my face right now. I am so proud of ME.
Tonight I am working off of my self-made #WWGE diet:
- Crockpot pork – cooked with 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and a bit of water (1/2 a chop)
- broccoli (1/2 the serving I would normally eat)
- brown rice – cooked with the pork and soup (1/2 a cup)
- 12 oz of water
Since I worked out tonight, I might end up eating a bit more broccoli to fill me up, but we shall see. I will photograph my plate(s) before eating.
I am so excited, soon my camera will be automatically transferring my pictures to my computer– I got a deal on an Eye-Fi card through a Google thingy-madingy. I should get the card soon and will have a full report as soon as I use it the first time.
Off to eat dinner!
AJ
Christmas Day was great, my grandma and I spent most of the day at the nursing home with my grandpa. My grandpa’s sister and her husband ate dinner (which in Iowa speak is lunch – evening meal is supper) with us.
The food was fine at the nursing home, but I had mixed emotions about eating there. The food was plated for us and we each received 2 small squares of ham, 1 small portion of sweet potato, a tablespoon of corn, and 1/2 piece of rye bread. Oh, and 4 cooked baby carrots. Desert was an 1/8 of a lemon meringue pie.
Here lies the mixes emotions.
I had TOTAL PORTION CONTROL. I was satisfied but not stuffed after dinner. I wasn’t sluggish or tired. I felt THE WAY PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO FEEL AFTER EATING.
But I wasn’t MENTALLY SATISFIED.
Where was the mashed potatoes and gravy that we always have at Christmas time? The turkey? The second and third helpings? Unbuttoning of my pants and eating pumpkin pie just to have some even though I am so full I could yack?
I had arrived “home” with the mentality that I was not going to eat healthy—that this was going to be a “fluke” in the month and I could have whatever I wanted – it’s Christmas, right?!?
But my grandma (and the nursing home dietitian) got in the way.
My grandma eats like a bird. Her portions are almost laughable—until you measure out the “recommended” serving sizes and see she is SPOT ON. On Christmas Eve I tweeted this:
She decided not to cook this week (other than “a” pork chop in the crockpot for us to share) because with just the two of us eating, it made no sense to cook a big meal. I completely understood, and just let he dictate the meals.
I couldn’t believe that I was feeling GOOD (not bloated, crabby, tired) like I usually did during the holidays—then I realized—I had BEEN EATING LIKE MY GRANDMA! She was fixing my plates, making sure I was eating mostly veggies and protein and we had been drinking only water (she doesn’t keep soda in the house anymore.)
Then, on Saturday night, we decided to get tacos from my favorite local joint, and I got a diet soda since I had a headache that would not quit (that I chalked up to a caffeine-withdrawal issue).
Seriously, within an hour of eating 3 beef tacos and a diet coke, I was over-full, bloated, gassy and crabby.
I hadn’t eaten any veggies and the protein was crap. I had soda which I swear was making my stomach hurt.
I realized, eating grandma-like portions (which may look crazy-small initially) was the way to eat all the time.
She eats chocolate.
She eats bread and white potatoes.
She partakes in all the “forbidden” foods…
She just eats the correct portions!!!!
Seriously, I am going to follow her eating patterns for a few weeks and see how I do. I will tag my posts with WWGE (what would grandma eat?) and see if I notice a difference*.
Would you like to join me? It’s just committing to eating much smaller portions than you are now and leaving the table satisfied but not full. That’s it! let me know if you want to join in!
*Cavaot: 12 days of Shred bootcamp starts tomorrow – 12 full days of bootcamp with only Sundays off—this may cause me to eat a bit more protein than grandma would, but she is not working out like a fiend either…
[caption id="attachment_1124" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Clip Art from clker.com"]  [/caption]
…and I thought Day 4 was bad…
HA!
I struggled the whole class this morning. I have no idea why it seems to be getting harder not easier. I have an idea why it seems to be getting harder instead of easier*—
I only slept about 3 1/2 hours last night.
I can’t seem to sleep the night before bootcamp anymore. I toss, turn and generally worry all night long.
Most of the worry comes from my imagination running wild — I imagine my alarm not going off, or being late because it is snowing out, or … and all the sudden it is 3 hours before I have to be at bootcamp and I have to weigh my options: sleep or just get up and do something else until it is time to leave for bootcamp. Alot of the time it is the latter. Last night I ended up with my ipod listening to my meditation mp3 and it helped me relax enough to fall asleep with my ear buds still in my ears.
I have had this insomnia before. When I was gainfully employed, Sunday nights/Monday mornings were horrendous. I would fret about everything under the sun on Sunday night, climb into bed late, worry all night about the work I had to do the next morning, and barely get any sleep. I would be exhausted the next day and my worries would come true since I would barely be able to get any work done.
This pattern went on for months. It would only happen on Sunday nights.
I finally saw my doctor/GP and told her what was going on. She told me it was anxiety and that yoga, meditation and having a notebook by my bed to write down my worries should help. She also gave me a Rx for a low dose of Valium to try if the other “natural” things didn’t work. I tried all the things she offered, but ended up taking the Rx each Sunday night after I meditated.
WOW.
Valium is awesome. It took the edge off, and allowed me to not give two craps about what I thought might come my way at work in the morning. I would wake up on Monday refreshed and ready to go.
I only took the Rx for a few weeks until my pattern was broken.I continued with meditation and the notebook for a while too.
I tell you this because I think another trip to the GP is in the cards for me. I hate that my bootcamp experience is not the best it can be because I am not getting the best sleep I can get.
Anyway, I got off on a tangent. Bootcamp today was alot of arm and ab work. Today was the last day for “newbies” to ‘cheat” during some of the exercises, so Thursday is gonna be brutal, I can feel it in my bones.
I can’t even tell you what exactly we did in class today, I am so tired. I know some mountian climbers were in there because they almost killed me. I knew something was wrong with me when we started doing ab work because usually that is my favorite/the stuff I do best– I could barely do 3 or 4 reps without stopping.
Sweat was pouring off of me — literally running down my face. That has never (in my few years of working out) happened to me. I am a “glower”. Not a “drowner”.
Anyway, I have a day “off” tomorrow to get some rest and try out Fatina’s treadmill workout.
Anyone else have issues with a “crap” workout because they have a restless night?
Have a restful and healthy Tuesday!
–
*Could also be the beginning of a visit from Aunt Flo or a bigger than normal (but still healthy) dinner last night.
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