Hey...well...yeah...

It's been a while, eh?

I pretty much celebrated my birthday through the entire month of July. This resulted in some weight gain, some tummy aches, some body aches, and lots of great memories. Happy birthday to me :)

Party is over and life continues on for this body. After the eating frenzy, I realized that I couldn't get a grip and found myself highly motivated to do something drastic. Short term drastic...

While flipping through Prevention Magazine, I found a four day diet to debloat. Four days. I can do anything for four days. After having a look at the diet, I realized that it wasn't that far off from what I normally ate in a day. Or so I THOUGHT.

Today was my first day and this is what I learned from the experience. I have become a nibbler...a grazer...a take a bite of this and that'er. The Body For Life program had me make the switch to six small meals a day. Somehow, I transitioned that into, "eat all day long...not enough to get full...but constantly so that you never get hungry".

I was hungry today. My meals left me satisfied, not full. I just wished that there had been three or four more of them.

Other than being hungry, it was a good day and a good plan for me. 1200 calories, diet designed by a nutritionist and very short term. After the four days, they want you to transition to their Flat Belly Diet (by the way...I have that book too).

I'm thinking that this may become my Monday thru Thursday diet. It's easy and it will keep me in check.

Still doing my daily exercise before breakfast, but it is clear that exercise doesn't knock the fat off of my arse!!!

How did that just happen?

Do you ever ask yourself this question? I do it all the time. It's as if my body is taken over by another soul. A hungry soul.

My plan for dinner was a simple Muscle Milk Light. It was too hot to cook, and too late to eat anything heavy. Protien shake would hold me over until tomorrow.

Then it happened.

You know what I'm talking about. My brain started to tell me that a shake is not dinner and that I was hungry. So in order to avoid this unwanted message, I got online and putzed around looking for distractions. I drank water. I read email.

And the voice was still there. Eat.

I go to the fridge and look at what would be a good, light meal. Now this is when I totally lost it. The next thing I know, I'm sitting down to a bowl full of brown rice, shredded mozarella cheese and enchilada sauce. Leftovers. In a bowl all tossed together, I had my dinner.

How did that just happen? Who put that mess in my bowl? And why was it so darned tasty???

Tomorrow is another day and I'll survive this out of body experience. As it is my body for life...and a lifetime of work is ahead of me!

Update

I wanted to add something to the last post that I made about all of the benefits of exercise. I was thinking, while on my walk, that there are people out there that would pay tons of money to have all the benefits that are listed. Heck, people DO pay tons of money for prescriptions to fix much of what could be "cured" if only they would commit to a regular exercise program. Shoot, if I were to add that it increased libido or enhanced sexual function, EVERYONE would be creating a cardio plan! Maybe I'll start a little rumor to get the sedentary folks motivated. :)

My summer self-challenge to lose 15 pounds by the end of August is moving along well. I was down another two pounds on Weigh-In Wednesday. Yippee-skippee for me. It helps that I'm currently on vacation and am not faced with the buckets of food that I'm surrounded with at work. It will be there waiting for me when I get back and I'm just going to have to stick with my plan. It's a good plan. But it isn't fool-proof. I guess it is my job to not be the fool.

Reading...

I was digging through some old cookbooks and found one that I MAYBE opened twice. The pages are still crisp and clean...no drip marks...no notes. The only reason that I can think that I stuck this away, is that it is very basic. The title is "Quick & Healthy; Low-fat - Carb Concious Cooking". The book is full of just that, low-fat & low carb. The first several pages are loaded with tips on how to take on a healthy lifestyle. I'm going to share what page 34 says:

The benefits of exercise:
lowers risk of heart disease
increases good cholesterol
improves blood pressure
lowers risk of osteoporosis
imporves blood sugar control
increases basal metabolic rate
helps with weight loss
lowers body fat
improves quality of life
improves mental health and reduces depression

I read this and thought, "Duh...this is probably why I never got into this book. Who doesn't know this stuff already?"

Um...well, there are lots of folks out there that are looking for the solution to many of the issues listed above, but refuse to put any effort into a REGULAR exercise program. REGULAR being the key word here. You can't expect results if you don't put your all into whatever it is that you're doing. This doesn't just apply to exercise. Life baby. If you do something half assed, then you're going to get half assed results. Do something with passion and you're gonna see quality results.

I'm going to borrow the words of a wise 60 year old woman that I know through the Internet. Her name is Judy and in my opinion, she is brilliant. She wrote this in response to a post in a forum:

You want to get the scale moving? Then YOU are going to have to move. You can start with a walk, but don't just stroll. Put on some music and MOVE to it. Apply your mind to your body. For 30 minutes out of your day, instead of watching tv or sitting on the computer researching how to break a plateau, DO SOMETHING to break it.

These words are not addressed to any single person. So many here and elsewhere avoid EXERCISE; they say "It's not for me, I don't have the time, I don't like it, I can't do it." What they are really saying is "I WON'T follow this rule, I'll look for a way around it." And then they decide they don't eat enough calories, or they don't eat the right combination of foods, or whatever way they want to justify the stall. Anything but the obvious!

Not everybody LOVES exercise, but many find, to their great joy (as I did) that it's fun and addictive. Even those who don't LOVE it, but DO IT consistantly agree that it WORKS! And because they love the results, they wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm living proof that it works. There are others here who are living proof that it works. And those of you who are still afraid of it can become living proof too, if you dare. It's just a matter of breaking out of your comfort zone. I know you have the courage to overcome your fear of EXERCISE.

See? She is one smart cookie.

2 Fabulous POUNDS

After applying myself...APPLYING is the keyword here...for the past week, I dropped two pounds. And I'm thrilled. Honest and true, I really feel those two pounds gone.

The key to my success? Extra cardio (my Goddess, it seems that is all I do) and healthy small meals without extra bites of this and that. The bites of this and that are what kept me at a plateau. Evil plateau. No matter how much exercise I got, I couldn't out run the bites that I took in. Plain and simple. Calories in...calories out. I hate that. Oh gosh, hate is such a strong word. Let's just go with I disagree with all of the charts. I know what works for MY body and lemme tell ya what, it is not what all of the calculators say. I would be wafer thin if that were the case. Anyhow, I'm on target for my goal of 15 off by the end of August.

As a side note: I originally said that I'd post my before and after B4L Challenge photos. Well, I've changed my mind. Dang, but those are revealing pictures and I'm just not ready to share them with the world! They're going into my personal folder and someday I might post them. But no promises. I'm pleased with the progress that I made after the B4L Challenge. I gained a lot of good lifetime habits after following it for 12 weeks. It really is forever.

Too good to not write about

Every now and again, I'll make something in the kitchen that is so good I have to write about it or take a picture of it...or both. There is no picture tonight, because I was so taken by the flavors, I forgot.

I'm totally in the zone with my diet. Healthy. Organic. Fresh. Flavorful. I should call it the HOFF diet. :)

So this is what I did. I took two chicken breast halves and sliced them into five pieces. Sort of like chicken fillets. I then added some leftover vinaigrette that I found in the fridge when I was cleaning it today (by the way...bad yogurt is just plain stinky). The chicken hung out on the counter for a while. I did some other things...like dressed my dog's newly injured foot. I have no idea what it is that she did, but it was pretty gross in between the big pad and the little ones. She was sure that licking it was the solution to her problems. Nay-nay little one! Here comes MamaVet with her bottle of blue stuff, cotton balls, gauze, boo-boo juice, an old sock and some masking tape. She would call the folks at PITA if she could manage the phone.

Back to my dinner! Chicken is doing it's thing. Check. I then chopped up a chunk of an English cucumber (those English really know how to grow a vegetable), sliced some cherry tomatoes in half, added some chopped red onion (tons of tears were shed...the dog thought that they were for her), sliced a few green olives and added some low fat crumbled feta cheese. Athenos was the brand and I swear that I'll never go back to the full fat stuff again...it was THAT yummy. The dressing...juice of one lemon and the zest as well, about half as much EVOO, tablespoon of oregano, sea salt, pepper and just a couple of shakes of thyme. I put all of those things in a little Tupperware and shook the bejesus out of it. I then poured about a tablespoon of the dressing over my salad and tossed. Now it was the salads turn to hang out. Chicken was drained and simply done in my heavy skillet on medium. Some fresh pepper...five minutes on each side. Done.

This meal was so fresh tasting. Bright. Verdant <--learned that word from Rachael Ray. It was so good that I lost myself and bit my bottom lip. Did it slow me down? Only for a second.

Delish! HOFF is the way to go.

Here is the feta website: http://www.athenos.com/ProductInfo/crumbfeta_re.aspx

Getting my head on straight

I make myself crazy.

I have the most conveluted expectations for my weight loss. Let me just share with you. I have been super focused on eating right, along with maintaining my exercise program, since July 1st. Let's take a look at the calendar...uh...yeah, it is now July 3rd. I've been fully focused for just over 48 hours. So I step on the scale this morning and see that I've dropped a pound and a half. I'm silent. Quiet and staring at the dial of the scale while reading the digital figure. Quiet disappointment.

HOW CAN THIS BE???? I'VE BEEN EATING RIGHT AND THERE IS ONLY A 1.5 DROP???

Now I know this is crazy, so there is no need to email me or send a psychiatrist to my home. If I step outside of my own head space, I can see that this is better than expected and that in reality, a two pound per week loss is a healthy goal.

But still...

In my head I'm screaming. What would make me happy? Seeing it drop 5 this morning. Again, I know that this is crazy, but it is what I'm feeling. It isn't going to derail my efforts. I'll keep on chugging along with the reality of what is.

More of the same for today...exercise...six small meals...rinse and repeat.

Whadda morning

Did you ever have one of those days that starts out so bad that you just wish you could get a do-over? A Mulligan for Kim please...I'll pay whatever the cost!

It all started with a horrible night of sleep. I was awake three times during the night and when my alarm finally beeped off at 4am, I was in the middle of a dream that someone was trying to wake me up. I'm guessing that the alarm had been beeping for a while and my subconcious was poking my brain with a stick.

My workout went fine, though it is my least favorite...lower body.

I got ready with time to spare and made my protein shake. I mix up berries, water, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, flax seed, marine phytoplanton, psyllium and vanilla whey protein powder. It's an impressive mix that packs a powerful punch. I drink it on my way into work every day. Today there was one small issue. I was in the car and rolling to work when I realized, miserably, that I'd forgotten to add the protein powder. It was a cup of berry plankton with fiber and flax. Okay, did I just hear a groan coming from you? Yeah, me too. Wait, it gets better. Since my body had the workout, it didn't care that the concoction was gross. I drank it. Every. Last. Drop.

Then I scraped my tongue with an old Starbucks napkin and quickly followed that with a piece of gum.

Breakfast of Champions.

Life for this Body goes on

I am determined to get some pounds off of me this summer. I like how my workouts are going. Still getting it done before breakfast, six days a week. Tomorrow is "lower body"...ugh. I mean, whoo-hooooo!!! I get to do squats and lunges and crunches. Oh my.

I've started a Weight Loss Train. Destination: Smallville. It all started because my sweet little friend in the office has been wanting to drop a few pounds and, well, if you know me at all, you know that I'm one to help out another that wants to succeed at their weight loss goals. Only if they want my help. Let's be clear about that! If you're happy with your size, rock on! It's all about finding that happy zone where you are proud of who you are. All aspects of who you are. Eckhart Tolle talks about finding "Inner Peace". If you're happy with who you are, then you are that much closer to Inner Peace. So anyway, back to my friend. I got the brilliant idea yesterday to make a commitment with her. The two of us could each lose 15 pounds by the end of August. That is totally doable and with the support of each other, it will be just that much easier.

Today, July 1st, was our official weigh-in day. We both privately wrote our weight down on a slip of paper and then put them in sealed envelopes. Then we locked them up so that no others could view said numbers. I posted this commitment on FaceBook and offered others to join the Weight Loss Train. Lo and behold, many of my FB friends want to join us on our ride. Pretty dang cool. The more the merrier is what I say. Everyone weighed in and my friend Barbara suggested that we set the envelopes on fire at the end of August. Burn those unwanted pounds in a big old bonfire. I liked that! We are all going to post our pounds lost on FB each Wednesday (or at least that is the plan) and I will post my results here on my blog.

I'm still following the B4L food program with the six small meals per day. Small being the key word. I'm incorporating the AbsDiet with this...they're so similar, it was easy to mesh the two. I logged my food into thedailyplate.com since I hadn't a clue as to how many calories I was taking in with all of these little meals. It turned out quite good. 1250 with over 100g of protein. I wont log my food in every day, just now and then to keep myself in check.

That's what's going on at the moment. Taking a train, dropping some pounds and setting fire to something at the end of summer. Good times.

End of the 12 week challenge?

I can't believe that 12 weeks have gone by. Someone that I respect reminded me this morning that it is a challenge for life, not just the 12 weeks. True.

As for results...the best thing that I accomplished was establishing a morning workout routine. Adding weights has made a world of difference in how my body feels and I know for certain that I'm much stronger than I have ever been. Both in will and in body.

I did not have any difference in my numbers from last month. I maintained my loss in inches and weight over the past 4 weeks. Had I been more strict with my diet, there may have been a change. I went back to start of this blog and re-read my words. I found the diet to be easy and the workout to be a challenge. HA! It seems that I thrive on challenge and as I think about it, it has always been this way in my life. Even as a little girl, if I thought something was too easy, I ignored it. I suppose that is a lesson for me. Don't ignore the "easy" as it will be sure to haunt you later!

The "Inner Transformation Questions" that I had to fill in at the beginning of the B4L challenge were:
What was the turning point you experienced that made you decide to compete in the B4L challenge?
Answer...being so tired and unmotivated.
Comment now...I've got great energy. Motivation is high and I feel strong about my future health.

What were your initial 12 week goals?
Answer...lose the belly fat and about 30 pounds.
Comment now...the majority of the belly fat is gone, but there is still work to be done. I lost 16 pounds and will lose the rest in due time.

Who would you like to inspire to enter the B4L challenge and why?
Answer...All of my friends that have children. They need to be at their best/healthiest since they're molding the next generation of habits/lifestyle.
Comment now...my dear friend took her children out for a bike ride last week. I'm sure that it wasn't me that inspired the event, but I certainly did smile with pride in the way that she is raising her family. She is showing her kids how to live by example, not just with words.

Like my blog is titled, my body is a work in progress.

Harsh Reality...bites!

It has just hit me that I'm in my final week of B4L. How can it already be week 12??? I'm not ready to take my final picture! Dag bless it.

The bottom line is that I didn't give the diet portion of this program 100%. I was certainly there for exercise...as a matter of fact, I can say with confidence and pride that I gave 110% to the workout part of this thing. Had my diet been in line, I'd have seen the scale move more. My personal goal was to see a 30 pound loss. Instead, I think it will be about half that number. Measurements will tell the full story at the end of this week. Ack. Only one more week. My "dieter brain" is telling me stupid things that wont help me in the long run. So I'm ignoring that discussion. I can't stop it, but I can certainly push it to the back where it is a more muffled voice.

I've been listening to a lecture about Inner Peace by Eckhart Tolle. He speaks of accepting the present moment as it is. At the present moment, I am stronger than I was at the start of this program and I have more energy. For this, I am happy.

Adding another twist

Now I KNOW that all of the Pro's say to NOT change what you've been doing the past couple of months as the B4L 12 week challenge comes to an end, BUT...BUTTTTTT...my butt is still holding fat and I need to reel in the food issues. I could be shooting myself in the foot. Let's just see how it all pans out. I don't plan on stopping my workout program just because the 12 weeks end, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal that I'm shifting my food plan over. I'm going to follow the Abs Diet, which is basically the way that I eat. I just need to pay attention and working off of their list will help me with that A.D.D. that I seem to have.

Here are the basics of the program:
The Abs Diet Cheat Sheet

Number of Meals:
Six a day, spaced relatively evenly throughout the day. Eat snacks two hours before larger meals.

Portion Size:
While many diets center around controlling portion size, the Abs Diet is designed to be self-controlling. The high-fiber, high-protein foods you'll encounter in this book will fill you up and keep you feeling full for hours. Your body will tell you when it's time to eat -- and when it's time to stop.

Nutritional Ingredients to Emphasize:
Protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, calcium.

Nutritional Ingredients to Limit:
Refined carbohydrates (or carbs with a high glycemic index), saturated fats, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup.

The Abs Diet Power Twelve:
Base most of your meals on these 12 groups of foods. Every meal should have at least two foods from the list.

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and legumes
Spinach and other green vegetables

Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored)
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats

Peanut butter
Olive oil
Whole-grain breads and cereals
Extra-protein (whey) powder
Raspberries and other berries

Secret Weapons:
Each of the Abs Diet Power Twelve has been chosen in part for its stealthy, healthy secret weapons -- the nutrients that will help power up your natural fat burners, protect you from illness and injury, and keep you lean and fit for life!

Alcohol:
Limit yourself to two or three drinks per week, to maximize the benefits of the Abs Diet plan.

Ultimate Power Food:
Smoothies. The combination of the calcium and protein in milk, yogurt, and whey powder, combined with the fiber in oatmeal and fruit, makes them one of the more filling and easy options in the diet. Drink them regularly.

Cheating:
One meal a week, eat anything you want.

Exercise Program:
Optional for the first two weeks. Weeks Three through Six incorporate a 20-minute, full-body workout three days a week. Emphasis is on strength training, brisk walking, and some abdominal work.

At-Home Workout:
Gym workouts and at-home workouts are both detailed to excuse-proof your fitness plan.

Abdominal Workout:
At the beginning of two of your strength-training workouts. One exercise for each of the five different parts of your abs.


pgs. 1-2, The Abs Diet for Women

Week 10...what?

I've started week 10 of my B4L challenge. Why is it that I have that horrid feeling of, "Oh my gosh, the deadline is almost here and my science project isn't even close to being done!". 7th grade emotions are flooding me. Instead of seeing all of the progress, I'm dwelling on missed opportunities. Good grief.

So...progress...um...well...smaller pants. That's good. Bra is too loose...that's not so good. Strength has been gained. I've gone from 3 lb dumb bells to 10 lbs. Reps started at 12-10-8 and now I do 15-12-10. I can jog at 4mph, walk at 3.5mph and go to the full #10 incline on the treadmill. When it comes to food, I'm having some trouble with seeing the progress. This is where I am weak. I get it right about 80% of the time and this is what the book says that I should shoot for. If I played basketball, I'd only shoot from the 3 point line. Why settle for 2 points when 3 is a possibility??? What I've learned from the 9 completed weeks is that I can NOT go for more than 4 hours without eating...three is the preferred max. What I've also learned is that a very small amount satisfies my stomach, but not my mouth and brain. Mouth and brain need to learn to take a backseat to the stomach. This is where I have room for improvement.

Week 10, 11, and 12 to go...13 to eternity after that!

That can't be good...

I totally kicked butt yesterday with my upper-body workout. This morning, I went out for my jog/walk with the dogs and about 10 minutes into it, my right arm went all "pins & needles" on me. I shook it out and it seems that I've pinched something up in my neck/shoulder area. I thought, "great, my muscles are so freaking big now, they're cramping my nerve endings". I'm sure that is a bit extreme...but I'm feeling some real owie-ness on my right shoulder.

Gonna work on stretching things out to see if it helps.

Crapper!

Totally excited

My shoulders have been my weakest muscle since starting this program. The heaviest dumbbell that I've been able to lift with one specific shoulder exercise has been 5 pounds...and it took me about 6 weeks to get there. Pathetically weak!!! Well, today, I bumped it up to EIGHT pounds! I can remember trying the 8 lb weight a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't able to do the movement. Progress!!!

One thing that I wish that I'd have done was measure my arms. I swear that they are bigger. I wasn't wanting "bigger", but instead tone and definition. Oh well, now I'm bigger, toned and defined. :)

Today I failed to eat every 2-3 hours. I made a trip to the zoo and it turned out that I went from a 7am breakfast to a 2:30 lunch. NOT a good thing for me. It took a Myoplex Lite bar, several glasses of water, meatloaf dinner and a handfull of cherries (in 3.5 hrs) to finally feel satisfied. My blood sugar and body were screaming for help. Long story short...my snack bar was in the locker that I rented and if I were to open the door to retrieve it, I'd have to pay another $2 to get the key to lock again. Stupid, I know.

Week 8 comes to a close

Two thirds of the way done with the challenge. Here are my results for the past four weeks.
Lost 4 inches (1 inch off of each measuring point)
Lost 5 pounds.

I really thought that I'd have lost more inches, but heck, I'll take the four! I feel great and my mind is clear.

Starting week 8

Okay...at the end of this week, measurements will be taken again. I am happy to see the scale moving down and hope that the tape measure shows some good results.

As far as updates go, I am now eating far less at each sitting, but continue to eat frequently. Stopping once I feel full has been the key to making the scale move. Or maybe it's just the timing of it all. I had to go out and purchase some heavier free weights today. Darn, but those things are pricey! I've gone from using 3 pound weights to now needing 10 pound weights.

This all seems to be very easy at this point. Oh, and I did some light jogging today...got my heart pumping out on the streets with the dogs!

Noticing changes

Hey wow! Wrapping up week seven and I am finally noticing some changes to my body when I look in the mirror. Even better, friends at work are noticing too! I'm not quite sure why it takes so long to see it though. I mean, if I go on a regular old diet, usually you can tell after about 4 weeks. I'm working twice as hard to have to wait twice as long!!! I'm not good at waiting, however, I've done good with this project. I still have a long way to go and I guess that is why they call it Body for LIFE. L. I. F. E. That right there is a loooOOoooong time, so I might as well take my time and get it done right.

The one thing that I've noticed internally is that my blood sugar seems to be a little low by the end of the day. Last night, I went through about 500 calories trying to get myself feeling right. All I was feeling was "full"...not "right". So I quit eating, took a Tylenol and called it a night. I'll pay close attention to how I'm feeling over the next couple of days.

That's it for now!

Wrapping up week 6

Is that right? Am I almost halfway through this thing? I weigh in tomorrow, but am not expecting a big loss. It seems that the pounds want to remain on my arse and I'm just dealing with it. Freaking out is pointless and giving up is not an option.

I found out my "key" to overeating at a meal. Sometimes I get full after three bites of something, but because I'm worried that I'm not getting enough and might perhaps become deprived for five minutes, I continue to eat. I am guilty of eating when the full feeling hits. So my revelation this week was that I WILL be eating again in two hours. It may seem incredibly simple, but for me, this has been really effective. I'm so programmed for "last suppers" and "ohhh...it's so good, I'll never have anything this good again", that I end up gorging myself. And guess what? I've learned quickly that there ARE indeed things that taste better than whatever it is that is in front me.

Workouts are strong, though my shoulder exercises are still the most difficult for me. I had no idea just how weak my shoulders were. Apparently, my biceps have been taking the brunt of the load. Legs feel good, but are still a far cry from Barbie...Barbie never had Man-Calves. Wretched doll.

Life is good for this body!

I'm back Baby!

A rock solid day. Let it be known that my new motto is "You only get out, what you put in." I woke up this morning thinking those very words.

Then I put them into action.

Then I forgot what the motto was.

Then I stressed about getting early onset Alzheimer's.

Then it came back to me and I wrote it down :) The absolute best tool for getting older is the Post-It Note. I've freaking got them all over the place.

I feel really good going into this sixth week and look forward to what is yet to come!

Kicking off week 6...WTF?

Some how, I managed to get off track at the end of week 5. Only with the food...exercise is still solid.

I had extra food during the week because of some real hunger. That was acceptable to me. Unfortunately, it spiraled into a cycle of "what the heck...why not..." Not acceptable! Sunday is supposed to be the "free day", however, I've not gone hog wild since my first "free day" when I puked on the freeway from eating too much. *hanging head in shame* Well, it was Mother's Day and I tossed all my past memories and lessons out the window. There were lots of white carbs, which cause me to want more. And more. And more.

I woke today with the right attitude. Start week 6 properly! I was rock solid until the afternoon when I busted open an extra protein bar. Then it was some trail mix (God help me) and then it was whatever I could put my hands on.

So that is where I was, not where I am. Tomorrow is day 2 of week 6 and I fully intend on making it a success. No excuses from me.

Off to bed to be rid of this day!

Mmmm...food

First, let me tell ya...I'm cracking up right now. I just logged on to do a post and the "google ad" that was flashing in my face was "I HATE MY BELLY FAT!"

Whoa! Are ya readin' my mind Mr. Google??? Actually, I find that if I lay on my back and suck in my gut, I look pretty good. I can't breathe, but for those 5 minutes, let me tell ya, nothin' but sheer pride. Dizzy kicks in after that, but I'm laying down, so no harm.

Point of my post. I have discovered that food is the most delicious, no matter WHAT it is, when I'm famished. My morning routine was thrown off due to an appointment. I was smart and PLANNED for this by packing a Myoplex bar in my purse. When I was in my car, I snarfed it down in record time and then went on to get a few errands run. Once I get going, it's hard to stop me and the next thing you know I'm at a gas station with my car emptied out so that I can use their cannister vac. 8 quarters later and two hours since my bar, I was ready to head home. It was 1pm and I was on empty.

I tossed together the most random mix. Heated up a pan with a little grapeseed oil...added some leftover sliced grilled chicken, some mushrooms, onions, a little brown rice, spices and then, when it was good and heated, I cracked an egg over the mess...then melted some lite Mexican cheese over the top. Holy crapper was it ugly. But holy crapper did it ever taste good! I'm sure that if I wasn't half as hungry as I was, it would have tasted awful. Instead, it was the best dish of "stuff" I've had in a long time.

The carbs need to get burned, so I'm going to finish cleaning the inside of my car. Lots of doggie nose prints in there!

New Month, More Reps, Increased Weight

Today was my first weight lifting session of week 5. I figured that after a month of the same weight and same reps, it was time to make an increase. The three pound dumb bells have been retired. My routine is now:

1st set: 5 lbs, 15 reps (was 3 lbs, 12 reps)
2nd set: 5 lbs, 12 reps (was 5 lbs, 10 reps)
3rd set: 8 lbs, 10 reps (was 8 lbs, 8 reps)

A very small adjustment and I can feel the burn. Amazing how our bodies adapt to a routine. I now completely understand that I need to change things up on a regular basis. It also took me an extra 10 minutes to do my workout...more adjusting. So, I do 10 minutes on the treadmill and 40 minutes lifting. When I started the program, I just did 30 minutes of lifting.

My cardio is now 40 minutes with increased speed and incline. I'm buring about 100 more calories than I was originally.

Progress!

Planning is the key to success

"Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." A.A. Milne (the creator of Winnie the Pooh!)

“When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.” Chinese Proverb

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” Some smart kid...

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All three of these quotes are applicable to me! First of all, A.A. Milne is just rockin' with that all mixed up business. "Oh bother!" was a famous Pooh expletive. Pooh never seemed to have a good plan. I think that the second quote hits home, because the more I teach others what I'm doing, the more I reinforce my own habits. Finally, the smart kid that came up with the final one...well, that was me today.

You see, I had decided to change my food for the week. After four weeks of basically the same meal plan, I felt that I was due for a change up. I had lunch figured out, but somehow, forgot about my breakfast and mid-morning snack. I literally was standing in front of the fridge this morning shaking my head with confusion. Do I want an egg? No. Protein shake? No. Lowfat cheese? No. It was really stupid. All because I hadn't thought it through. In order to make it to work on time (could you imagine...yeah, I'm going to be late because I don't know what to eat...)I grabbed my regular bread/nut butter and then brought a protein bar just in case. In case of what? Still shaking my head. Long story short, I ended up eating more than I have had in the past month since I didn't know what to have.

Did I mention that this is totally stupid?

New plan is in place. Tomorrow will be a success. Teaching you all about my mistakes. Getting organized.

Oh bother!

Results!

It is the end of my 4th week. I'm a third of the way complete and can't believe just how fast it has all gone by...and how many changes I've made to my daily life without much issue. I mean, seriously...I thought that giving up coffee would be the end of the world. Not so much. I thought that waking up at 3:50 in the morning to get my workout done before eating would be the death of me. Not so much.

Okay, okay...so the results. Here they are! After four weeks on B4L...
Inches lost
Chest: 2.5
Waist: 3.5
Hips: 2
Thigh: .5
Total inches lost are 8.5
Total weight lost 10.5 pounds
Four weeks ago, my mood was: Flat, tired, no energy
Today my mood is: Happy, excited and lots of energy

I'm pleased!

A note...

Just a few more thoughts here.

I came home and went upstairs to change out of my work clothes and into my dog walking clothes. As I pulled my blouse up over my head, I gasped as I saw what appeared to be a huge blood clot looking blister just below the band of my bra. Good God...what the heck is THAT??? I gingerly touched it and with a little coaxing, it gave way.

A scab? No. It appears that I'm burning my energy up as I eat my protein bar. I'm eating it so freaking fast that I'm missing my mouth, not noticing pieces being flung about...falling down my blouse only to land on my tummy. A stuck piece of protein bar was what I thought was a clot.

Sadly, my next thought was...how many calories did I save by just wearing it on my tummy?

Another note...I'm officially off of coffee. I just don't enjoy it without Coffee Mate, so I've made the switch to tea. I totally committed by putting my pot in the garage and I've turned my bean grinder into a peppercorn grinder. My chicken tonight tasted a little on the Sumatra side, but it was still tasty.

And no, there isn't any chicken stuck to my gut.

Did anyone happen to find my energy?

I seem to have lost it. I'm not sure if it is B4L related or just weather related, as others that I work with are complaining about the same thing.

Yesterday was a crapper of a day regarding my food intake. I was eating protein like there was no tomorrow and then it would be followed by an intense carb craving. I'm hoping to rectify things with the minor adjustment of an added 200 calorie morning meal. So far, so good...but considering that I just ate said meal, I'm full and happy. We'll see how I am in another couple of hours.

I've added 10 additional minutes to my morning routine. So M, W, F I am doing 40 minutes of intense cardio and T, Th, S I am adding a 10 minute warm up on the tread mill before doing my floor work. My aunt tells me that by adding the 10 minutes to my cardio, it is like adding an additional 30 minute session due to "after burn". All I know is that my alarm clock is going off 10 minutes earlier. The first day that I did this, the alarm went off and I freaked out. My alarm clock is my television...did you know that Jay Leno is on at 3:50am? Apparently, they re-run his show at that hour, but I didn't know this and thought that I'd jacked up my clock.

That's all I've got for now. Sleepy, hungry, and confused. This is a great program!

Calories in, Calories out...right.

Still irritated by the scale, I thought that I'd log my daily intake to see just how many calories were going in this body of mine. I really didn't want to get crazy obsessed (like I normally do with these sorts of things), but I mean, what IF my intake was more than my output? I don't like being in the dark with anything, and my trust for this B4L program was quickly dissipating.

Results: On average, 1350 calories per day with nearly 100g of protein. Add in my "free day" and the weekly average comes out to equal POUNDS LOST. Hmph.

Life is too short to sweat the small stuff, but really, this is just simple math. Right?

End of week three...grr.

Well I'm totally miffed. I stepped on the scale for my weekly weigh-in and whaddaya know...the same. The same stinkin' number that it was LAST Sunday. And it isn't even close to the number that I want to see. I could totally be happy with maintaining for a week if I didn't have so many pounds ahead of me to lose. So I'm miffed, perturbed, aggravated, and more determined to shed a bucket load of fat by next Sunday. That will make for the end of my first month and I'll be taking measurements as well as weighing in. Hoping to see some big losses there. If I don't, I dunno what I'm going to do...don't let me get too close to any bridges is all I havta say about that.

Grr.

Mirror panic

I kept having visions of the mirrors flying off of the wall, due to a wagging dog tail or a bad Ellie rubbing her shoulder against a corner. These mirrors came from IKEA, and quite frankly, I wasn't trusting that Swiss technology. Sure, they can make a fine watch, but mirror clips? Dubious. Last night I made a quick stop at the hardware store to buy some Krazy Glue. I'm not the best with little objects and Grace is NOT my middle name...so me+Krazy Glue+little plastic clips+sheets of mirror=TERRIFYING. I dropped a few, clips that is, and have left a little piece of my left thumb on one, but lemme tell ya what...those mirrors are up there for good! I can work out without worry again. Good times.

Cardio today was strong, but I'm already tired of the music that I have programmed into my iPod. What was rocking my world two weeks ago has fast become routine and dull...I wonder if Comcast has a Cardio music station on their Guide. Hmm...something to look into.

The scale is still being stubborn, but I'm not going to let it get me down. Repeat that Kim...I'm not going to let it get me down. I'm not feeling the power of those words at this moment.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

My workout room now has a mirrored wall thanks to IKEA and my friend, Barbara.

Reality can suck...especially at 4am. Seeing one's full length reflection under a bright light at that early hour is harsh. Even worse, is using said mirrors to check one's form while doing the exercises that are in the B4L book. That is why I put the mirrors up in the first place. This morning, I was doing my lower body workout. If you've been following along with my blog, you'll remember that my hamstrings suffered greatly with the lunges that I did for the first time. Well, now that I have a mirror, I can SEE that I've not been going down far enough! Whoa Nelly! The mirrors are going to increase the intensity of my workout for sure.

Can't wait to see how my upper body workout goes on Saturday!

Day 17...

My arms are sore. A good sore. A result producing sore.

It is Administrative Professionals Day today and my wonderful superiors that I report to had a gorgeous bouquet sent to me. I asked my friend to snap a picture and when I went to look at it, the first thing that I noticed was that my arm looked to be "toned". Yeah Baby...that's what I'm talkin' about! Then I noticed that I had flat hair from wearing my hat on my walk today...but that didn't bug me as much as it would have if I had a flabby arm! So the results are are coming...and I'm sore.

Rough Monday

Here it is Tuesday...I survived the Hungry Monday. Day 15 proved to be the first difficult food day for me. I will take the "I'm a girl and the hormones got to me" plea. This is why I'm following the Body for Life for WOMEN program. The doctor/author incorporated our monthly cycle into the program...she has a "Chill Meal". This would be a meal of chocolate. She also says that we should aim to be 80% perfect. I have been 100% perfect with my food intake up until yesterday. I've figured out the math and it seems that with yesterday, I'm at about 90%. Approved! This doctor was smart to know that us perfectionist women would need the "okay" to fall off.

It's good to be a girl.

Starting week 3 of 12

Sore calves is how my day started...worked 'em extra hard on Saturday morning. I'm not sure why I focused on them, because my calves are not an area that I want to see increase in size. I've got man-calves...why do I want to emphasize that? Anyhoo...today was the first time in a while that I didn't jump out of bed to git 'er dun. It was a struggle. And to top it all off, I am hungry today. I've had an extra protein bar in hopes that it will keep me satisfied until lunch. When's lunch???

Making it work!

Day 14 of 84

I weighed in this morning and dropped a whopping .5 pounds for the week. POINT five. Half a stinkin' pound.

Yes, I'm disappointed with the number, but I am NOT disappointed in how I'm looking. My stomach is flat again and there is great definition to my arms. So the program is working to transform my body and that is goal number one. Goal number two is to drop some pounds. It will happen, I just need to be patient. I am not good at patience. The Universe puts me through these little "tests" all of the time. Daily lessons in how to be patient.

I'm a slow learner.

Total loss of pounds in 13 days = 8 pounds.

Workout related news: I have a new LCD TV for my exercise room and it will be hung on the wall Wednesday. I've replaced the cat condo (which held all of my media) with a basic black stand from IKEA. It looks terrific and there is now "order" to that space. I like order! I've also moved the stationary bike to the garage and will be posting it to Craig's List. I've never liked the stationary bike...a form of torture for me. Time to pass it on to someone else that will likely come to hate it. While at IKEA, I picked up some mirror panels and once they get on the wall, I'll be just about complete with the remodel of the room. The mirrors are very much needed, because I know that my form sucks on some of the exercises that I've been doing. The final step is to find a rack for my dumb bells.

It's my second "free day" and, like last week, I'm mostly happy to be giving my body a break from intense exercise.

Day 12...

I'm feeling great! After doing my cardio this morning, I'm certain that I'll need to ramp up my levels come Monday. I went from sloth to strong in two weeks. Perdy dang good if ya ask me.

I pulled the Lucky Jeans off the hanger to see if they were willing to work with me today...success! The only reason that I even attempted this was because I had to cinch up my fanny pack last night when I went on my walk with the dogs. Inches lost BABY! Two weeks and there are visual results. Awesome.

My energy level is rockin...and I've even cut way back on my coffee. It's just not fun to drink it black. I tried pouring my Vanilla Protein Shake in as a creamer substitute and that wasn't a pleasant way to start the day. Shake is a shake, creamer is creamer...don't confuse the two.

Official weekly weigh in is on Sunday. I'm crossing my fingers to see a total of 10 pounds gone for the two weeks!

Pain and Protein

Upper body workout this morning.

I think that the Thursday workout is the toughest! I wake up feeling the burn of the Tuesday workout (this week was lower body) and then I shred my now healed upper body, as the last that it was exercised with weights was on Saturday. I'm back to hobbling around. Oh, and I'm hungry! I have made a change to my breakfast routine to compensate/fix things to work better for me. I now have a Myoplex lite shake immediately following my workout. 20g of protein will have my muscles repaired in no time...a hot tub would be good too. Full body massage? Vicodin? Wine! How about all of the above? Add a piece of dark chocolate and I just might pass out.

Whoa. Got away from myself there. Yikes, look at what a slippery slope it is for me! I'll just stick with the pain and protein.

The scale moved a half pound this morning. Shitbuckets, that is like tossing a cracker to someone that is starving. "Don't do me any favors...whatever..." I think those were my exact words when I stepped on and read the number.

Then I kicked it.

More thoughts...Day 10 of 84

A new motivation to get out of bed has occurred. Now, when the alarm goes off, it isn't the thought of Mr. Peet's coffee brewing that propels me out from under the sheets. Nor is it the anxiously pacing dogs, hungry for breakfast, that gets my rear in gear. No...there is a NEW motivation and that would be to see the bright yellow walls of my exercise room. I am truly excited to start my day with a heart pounding, muscle testing workout! I've moved my iPod docking station up to that room and rock the house at 4am with old tunes like "Love Shack" and my new favorite, "Shake It". Never...EVER...have I wanted to exercise before work. Ever.

The scale is not moving as fast as I'd like it to. Evil. I'm sure that once my body is convinced that I'm serious and that this isn't a passing phase, it will give up the pounds. Burn fat, BURN!

One of the conditions for the B4L challenge is that I must use their EAS products. Understandable, as they've got a business to run and this is a great marketing tool for them. I chose the Myoplex lite bar, which wasn't too bad on the flavor scale. If you've had one soy nugget, you've had them all. I took notice that they are using High Fructose Corn Syrup as one of their ingredients. WTF? This is the Devil's Nectar! So, being me, I called their customer service department. The poor rep put forth a valiant effort to defend their product, siting things like palatabilty, shelf stability, yadda-yadda-yadda. I wasn't having any of it and was countering her with every statement. Finally, she said, "Have you tried our Zone Bars?" I told her that I did a while back, but quit using them due to the HFCS being an ingredient in their deck. She proudly boasted, "We've reformulated the Zone Bar and it no longer has HFCS. Maybe you should switch!" To which I said, "Does it still taste good?" She says, "YES!" I say, "Can I keep it in my pantry, or do I have to refrigerate it?" She says with enthusiasm, "You can absolutely keep them in your pantry. It's a great one to keep in your purse too, for on the go meals!" Then I nailed her with my closing line, "So, if you were able to reformulate it to do without the HFCS, then you could probably do the same for the Myoplex bar...right?"

Silence.

"Um...well...he-he-he...um...I guess you have a point there. I'll be sure to pass it on to our developers."

Kickin' off Week 2

Week number 2 of 12, day number 8 of 84.

This morning was the first time in a week that my body didn't hurt. I mean, it's pretty dang sad when it hurts to sit down on the toilet...ya know what I mean? So when I woke, I was very motivated to jump on the treadmill and get my cardio done. I loaded new music onto my iPod last night, so there was even more incentive to get going. There is one song (can't remember the name or artist...did I mention that my memory isn't what it used to be?) where they say "Shake it, shake it, shake it" I couldn't help but shake everything that I had which, in turn, got my heart rate up to 170. Fearing a heart attack, I quit that move. Could you imagine? I'd go flying off the back of that thing, hit the wall and crumble into a heap. Not a pretty sight or ending for this girl. So anyhow, once I got my heart rate back to the 115-120 area, I took notice that my equipment is dusty. Gonna have to get the Swiffer up there...or maybe I could coax the Goldens over and have 'em wag their tails a bit on my stuff. That might be difficult though. Ever since I fell off the balance ball, they've stayed clear of the room. As a matter of fact, they sort of figured out what my "fall zone" is. The three dogs lay about 15 feet down the hall, just to be safe. Wimps.

Yesterday was my "free day" and the foods that I consumed were those that I've been off of for a week. White carbs. I can't tell you the last time I ate a pancake, but lemme tell ya, I HAD to have one at brunch. With blueberry compote. And marscapone. Home fried potatoes. Champagne...two glasses thank you very much. I got quite sickly from the carb overload and ended up tossing my cookies in the car on the drive home. Not sexy and lesson learned. Day 7 will be very different this week!

Ciao!

Day Seven

For what it's worth, my body still hurts. Day seven is a "free day" and for good reason. I need to rest and recover. I'm not anxious to go nutso with my meals today, more just THRILLED to not have to do an intense workout. So far, the extent of my "free food day" has been an extra cup of coffee.

I did my official weekly weigh-in today. Down six pounds in six days. I don't feel any lighter on my feet, but can see that my form is already changing (which is totally cool). I stood in front of the mirror and did a full on exam right when I hopped out of bed. Hair all jacked up, crusty stuff in my eyes...I tried to focus. It seems that my waist is returning, so that's good. With the pain that my arms and legs have been in, I was thinking that I'd SEE more of a difference. Instead, I'm just FEELING it. Not a bad thing, just noting my observation.

On to week 2!

Day six!

It's official. I'm OCD. Sure, I knew this...but when a girl wakes up at 5am on a Saturday and the ONLY thing that she can focus on is getting into the workout room...well, that's just a little bit "off". I'll admit it. I have a real problem, but am going to utilize it to my advantage through this journey. I bounced (maybe not so much bounced, as I did wobbled) into my exercise room and looked at my NEW weight bench with adoring eyes. "Good morning!!!" She was begging to be used and I was not about to deny her. I opened up my Body for Life for Women book and turned to the Upper Body section. Mind you, my legs were on fire with pain from the Lower Body workout that I did two days ago. The program calls for three sets that decrease in reps, but increase in weight. First muscle group was my chest. I laid back on my bench and began to do 12 movements with my 3 pound dumb bells. Then 10 reps with the 5 pounders, then finally, 8 reps with the 8 pounders. Feel the burn? YESS!!!!!! I worked out for more than 30 minutes (0nly because I had to look at my book for every rep...my form needs work...or my memory needs a boost) and PROUDLY walked down the stairs (maybe not so much proudly, as I did wobbled) to the coffee pot. Yes my friends, all of that before even having a cup of coffee.

Having the right equipment (the new bench) made a huge difference in the effectiveness of my workout. I tried doing all of these moves Tuesday using my stability ball as a substitute. After falling off three times with weights in hand, I figured that I was doing more damage than good. I didn't fall off of the bench once (I take that back, I did fall off as I was reaching to get a bigger dumb bell), and I was more focused on the movements.

Looking forward to having Obama arms!

Google...

Yesterday I worked my lower body. The muscle group called "Quadriceps and Hamstrings" were what caused me grief. As I was laying in bed last night, I realized that I wasn't quite sure where my Quads and Hamstrings were. (a wee bit embarrassed by this). The area that was throbbing was the back of my legs...this is the muscle that has been neglected. I made a mental note to Google these two words the minute that I woke up in the morning (it's good to be productive as one tries to doze off...). As I laid in bed, my hand was resting on the back of my leg and I was thrilled to feel it tighten up when I flexed my foot. Yes, it burned like a bugger when I did it, but beyond the pain, the pleasure of finding this muscle took the front spot. Flex...relax...flex...ouch...relax... Yep, there is something there. Cool.

This morning, as I promised myself, I did my research. SoooOoooo, it seems that my HAMSTRINGS are what have been neglected! Hello there new friends! I don't so much enjoy the implication that "ham" is involved with the back of my thigh, but I'll get past it. My Quads are just fine. Seems as though I've been letting them do all of the work. My thighs need to develop a Union. Equal work! Wait, am I getting all Norma Rae about muscles?

One more thing. Wait, I just forgot what I was going to type. Freaking perimenopause is a pain in my ass. Clear the brain, take a breath...nothing. I've got nothing. OH! It just came back.

The other thing that hit me last night was the fact that I'm not so much looking forward to my Sunday "Free Day". Why? Because it is the only part of this program that is without STRUCTURE. Isn't that a riot?!

Week 1

I've just completed day four of my Body for Life for Women program and am feeling really good about what I'm accomplishing. There are lots of rules and lots of structure...and I thrive on that. I am very comfortable with the food aspect and am learning about the exercise. Tonight was my first "Lower Body" workout and lemme tell ya, the quads and hamstrings have not seen much action in a loooOoooong while. I've been thinking that my flabby and rippled backs of my thighs were just something that I'd need to live with for the rest of my life. I hope to see a great transformation in this area after the 12 week program! Would it be possible? Could it be possible? I can't wait to see how it goes!

At the end of this journey, I will post my before and after photos. The "before" pics were a rude awakening! When did my ass get so big?

My hair stylist introduced me to this program and if I get the results that I have going on in my mind, I'm gonna kiss her when I see her next! The B4L program has been around for years, but the program that is more geared for women is only a couple of years old. What I thought would be the best part of the program was that the seventh day is an "off day". I thought that I'd be planning out my meals by now for that day, but in actuality, I'm not looking forward to it at all. I will enjoy the day off from intense exercise, but as far as the binge that I thought that I'd be having...not so much. Wine. There will be wine. Or Champagne. Maybe both. Okay, I guess I am a little excited. Sunday will be my day of rest, as well as my day of drinking! There ya go. I will also get my official weight loss for the week when I wake up that day. VERY much looking forward to this!

That's it for now. My legs hurt. My tummy is full. My mind is calm. Success!