4 Weeks Later

Pumpkin Cheesecake – aka evil goodness

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I do hope everyone had a great holiday season and a fantabulous New Year so far!  We had a great Christmas and New Year full of decorating, baking, cooking and wrapping/opening presents.  I am not ready to let go of Christmas yet.  I can’t bring myself to bring down our tree and decorations, but I just have to keep reminding myself that dust…dust is our enemy.  I am hoping to post recaps of the holidays soon, but today’s post is to update myself on my 4 Week Goal Accountability post.

4 Weeks Ago, I set these goals and by today, I was supposed to be able to say the following, confidently.  Unfortunately, it was a lot harder than I anticipated and our holiday baking and cooking frenzy was no help.  So the only things I have been able to accomplish are crossed out.

By January 10, 2013, I will be able to proudly say I:

• have worked out at least 4-6x/wk (Turbo/Gym)  - only 2-3x/week.
• lost 10 lbs - actually gained 4lbs, but it feels like 10.  my cheeks feel chubbier…my belly and thighs feel humungo!
• am able to do 10 push-ups with no knees  YEAH BOSS!  BIG CHECK on this one!
• am able to do 10 tricep push-ups  - nope…only about 3.
• lost 2″ from my waist – scared to check, but I probably added 2”.
• drank 80 oz of water daily By far, the easiest since I love water.
• can run 1 mile straight – haven’t even tried.
• can finish CORE 20* (floor work) without stopping – haven’t tried either.
• limited bad carb in-take – baked goodies messed me up,  big time!
• increased fruits and veggies – my body looks for salad…love it!
  
• made daily TO DO lists and prioritized  Big CHECK on this…though my “priorities” don’t always get done did.   I need to work on that now.

So, there you have it.  2 steps forward, 200 steps back.  I wish I never tasted good pumpkin cheesecake (until this past Thanksgiving, I didn’t like anything pumpkin).  Once I tasted the (expensive) pumpkin cheesecake,  I decided to try to save money and make one myself and darn it, it turned out great!  I didn’t realize it was so crazy high in calories!  I mean, I knew it was high, I didn’t think 1/12th of a cheesecake could be over 400 calories!

Anyway, I am keeping at this this and if I don’t do some kind of “reset”, by February 7 I will need to cross more things off this list.  I really need to focus and make a change.  My cholesterol needs to go down. I do not want to go on medication if I can help it.  I repeat, I DO NOT want to go on medication.

So, I’ve started to take steps and log my food in myfitnesspal.com and am going to try to burn at least 600 calories at the gym tonight…

 

 

Losing Weight, Not Just for the Vain

Yup, I need to lose weight and it’s not to look pretty or be skinny anymore. It’s nothing to do with vanity…nope. It’s for my health. I had some bloodwork done and my numbers were pretty high for cholesterol. In fact, the doctor said I should be on medication with my numbers, but she didn’t want to put me on medication until I tried to lose weight first. I’m not even clear on how much weight I need to lose.  She may have told me, but I think I was too dumbfounded at the moment and forgot to ask.  I think even losing 10 lbs would help.

Through the years, I have had my ups and downs with weightloss. I had stints of getting into working out, running, dieting, etc. I would lose weight, but would gain it back. I never got to my goal weight. Over the summer, I started one of the BeachBody programs (same company that sells/promotes “P90X”, “Insanity”, etc.). I started “TurboFire” and let me tell you, it is great! The instructor, Chalene Johnson, knows how to get you going and keep you going. I lost weight on it, but didn’t keep it off because I didn’t keep up with the program and at some point, fell off the wagon w/working out and eating.

My problem is 2-fold: Eating (not the best of foods and not in small portions) and Motivation.

I can be so gung ho about working out and getting in shape and my mindset will be in the right place, but for some reason, I end up getting distracted and losing that motivation. This time around, it was because girls and I kept getting sick with the change in seasons. Still, when we got better, I didn’t go back to working out with gusto like I did.

Same with food, I can be so healthy 1 week and then devour fast food and junk food the next week (and the week after that, etc.).

I need to stop this, I know it. I like how I feel when the inches come off. I love that my clothes get loose and I’m not “muffin-topping” like crazy.  I love that I have more energy when I workout and lose weight.   I love that even my skin benefits from me sweating (releasing toxins, I guess). I need to get going and make changes. I need to be healthy. High cholesterol at 35 is not cool. Being on medication is not cool and for what? Lack of focus and motivation?!?!

I need to start eating better, but dieting is not for me. Restricting myself from certain foods just makes me binge on them later on. I just need to eat clean as much as possible and/exercise more portion control.

I know what I need to do and I need to make myself accountable.  My #s need to go down and not just on the scale.  They need to go down for cholesterol and dress sizes.  I hate that I just had to buy an XL skirt because my waist is too big, but I have to get it hemmed because it’s too long.   Big waist and short legs are just not a great combo!

I follow Chalene Johnson’s FB page and she put on there to make 4 Week Goals. That was one of the 1st things I did today and I posted it on Instagram and on our Turbofire Challenge Group page on FB. pDaddy signed up for a family gym membership so I am starting to go there now…so far I went Friday and Sunday. I may not be following Turbofire workout schedules to the “T” anymore, but I will still use some of those DVDs. They are awesome workouts! I wish I could have had more focus and more determination/motivation to do the full 90 day program because I know I would have seen results. I saw results after the first 2 weeks!

So anyway, here is me…being accountable with 4 Week Goals (pictured above):

By January 10, 2013, I will be able to proudly say I:

• have worked out at least 4-6x/wk (Turbo/Gym)
• lost 10 lbs
• am able to do 10 push-ups with no knees
• am able to do 10 tricep push-ups
• lost 2″ from my waist
• drank 80 oz of water daily
• can run 1 mile straight
• can finish CORE 20* (floor work) without stopping
• limited bad carb in-take
• increased fruits and veggies
• made daily TO DO lists and prioritized

There you have it.  4 weeks from today.  Wow, I just made “resolutions” before New Year’s!

 

*CORE20 is a TurboFire workout

0.0

photo credit to Atlantic City Marathon (fb page)…no link to pic’s original source though…sorry!

So yeah, It’s August 3rd and I haven’t gone for a run at all. In fact, I haven’t gone for a run since JU-LY. In fact, the last time I ran was when I ran 20 minutes straight. In fact, I only ran all of 2.1 miles in July – that 20 minute run that was so elusive to me that I finally did that I never did again that makes it all a moot (point) run now, doesn’t it?

So, I guess I should slap one of these stickers on my car. I was never planning on running a 10k or 13.1 or 26.2. I was just going to stick to 5ks, but seriously, I should just stick 0.0 on there.

Between moving and a client going LIVE and taking care of 3 girls and a dog and the Olympics (HELLOOOOO Nathan Adrian! – pic on the left), blogging and running have both taken a backseat, but by golly, I need to get back on the groove. I’ve put all the weight back on that I lost and I feel horrible. I am always sluggish and tired and feel sloppy and slobby. I need to get back on it. No more excuses. I got new headphones since Buddy (our pup) chewed the old ones (ha! I wish I had a dog growing up so I could really say “my dog ate my homework”).  I’m also getting some new songs on the iPod and you better believe No Doubt will be on my list.  So, I should be good to go.  I need to just wake up early and feeling fresh.  One step out the door at a time.

For now, I will look at this 0.0 in shame…and know it applies to me until I get my arse out the door!

I don’t know how all of you do it – demanding jobs, demanding children, moving, etc…and still have time to blog or workout or BOTH!

Gotcha…

Finally did it.  Week 5 Day 3 (aka the 20 minute run) is elusive no more!

I slept early last night…well, I tried.  I fell asleep around 11:30 only to wake up an hour later then got back to sleep around 1-ish.  Ever since I wrote my post yesterday w/that challenge to myself, I’ve been psyching myself out to do this 20 minute run and I must’ve subconciously been thinking about waking up early to do it b/c I actually woke up before my alarm (5:30…my alarm’s set for 5:50).   Of course, I kept going back to sleep so I actually didn’t get out of the door until almost 7:15 and OFF I finally went!

Beautiful morning – cool and breezy…partly cloudy in the low 70s.  Perfect.

I surprised myself and did relatively ok with the whole thing.  It was the last 5 or 6 minutes that hurt because I had to go up-hill for about 3 minutes before going back down.  Plus, my right sock was slipping off and so I was getting my first blister (not counting one from years ago 08?  09?).

I’m glad I challenged myself.  I’m glad I got out there.  It’s 8am.  I feel great.  I need to just eat well and keep up this momentum and that should keep me on the bandwagon again

According to my Garmin (not counting warm up and cool down), here’s my Week 5 Day 3 breakdown!
Time:  20:00.77
Distance: 1.7 miles
Avg. Heartrate: 174
Calories:  196

Warmup
Time: 5:01.49
Distance: .27
Avg. Heartrate: 130
Calories: 33

Cooldown (stopped too early):
Time: 3:36.78
Distance: .09 (I was walking back and forth the same block. Does GPS get all messed up?)
Avg. Heartrate: 151
Calories: 29

Elusive W5D3 – Couch to 5k

I have attempted Week 5 at least 3, no wait, 4 times now.  Each time, I wus out on W5D3 because it requires you to run 20 minutes straight, something I have never done.

Instead of me getting psyched up to push myself and test my boundaries, I get scared.  Scared of hurting my shins again…scared of NOT making the full 20 minutes and feeling like a failure.  The longest I’ve ever run straight was probably 13 minutes when I ran that 5k in May.  So instead of getting out there and running, I lay in bed and think I should get up and go already, but in reality? I lay there and think about it more than I put an effort to doing it. I ran Week 5 Days 1 and 2 again 2 weeks ago when we had guests over. My last run was 2 Fridays ago. That’s right, no runs (or any form of exercise) at all last week. I don’t know if it’s because my body just wanted to rest after hosting guests, but I think it had more to do w/the heat and being scared.

So, I haven’t lost any weight, in fact, I think I gained a few pounds (especially not doing anything last week). I should be at my ideal body, or close to it by now, IF I just stuck to working out and eating better. Why, oh why do I always fall off the darn wagon??? At least I haven’t gained too much weight back. I am going to try this darn 20 minute run this week. Although, I may need to start Week 5 all over again so as to not shock my body/legs, but by golly, I will try the 20 minutes straight. I mean, what is my problem??? If my shins start to hurt, then fine, I’ll slow down or start walking it. I just need to move!

Couch to 5k – Week 5

I keep thinking back to that 5k in May and feeling so accomplished…totally opposite of what I’ve been feeling lately.  I need to get on it and just do it.  I need a boost in confidence…a better, more fit, body so I can feel confident.  I’m not trying to be a size 2 again, I’m not.  I just want to feel healthy and not so flabby and floppy and sloppy and blah.

I will do the 20 minutes this week (holiday week and all…weekend getaway and all).  I will do it.  This is my weekly challenge.  I have too many cute summer clothes I want to wear and if I’m looking and feeling flabby, no amount of cuteness is going to do anything to make me feel good or look good.