Today was such a great day. It all revolved around an amazing workout I had - and I can actually say I enjoyed every minute of it.
As I've mentioned, I've been doing some walking at the local walking track. Well, now it's just getting too hot - even early in the morning. So, today, I dusted off my treadmill and thought I'd use it. Haven't used it in FOREVER!! LOL I hooked up my radio, blasted some music, and off I went. I walked, and walked, and walked some more - for 30 minutes. Not only did I just walk for 30 minutes, but I walked at it set at 4 mph so ended up walking 2 miles!! The first 10 minutes were a little painful, because my legs were still sore from my pool trip on Thursday..LOL I just pushed through it, and the pain slowly went away. It was also around the 10 minute mark that the sweat beads started forming, and I started feeling some dampness on my neck. By the time the 30 minutes were over I felt like I had just taken a shower - but the feeling I had was AMAZING!! It felt so great to be so sweaty, it felt so great knowing I had just pushed thru a 30 minute walk without any real problems. This is a huge accomplishment for me, cause 4 short weeks ago I could barely walk for 15 minutes without feeling like my chest was going to explode.
I felt so energetic after my walk, I hit the home gym to do some work with the weights. I did 2 sets of 15 reps on 3 different arm exercises - each time lifting 35lbs! Again, after I was done, I felt GREAT!!
I decided to treat myself out with some friends tonight. We went to a pizza place/ bar to watch the UFC fights. I had such a great time. Yes, I had a few beers - but stuck with lite beer. I ate a low fat wrap instead of pizza, so I did good. I got all made up, I felt great - people made comments about my weight loss...I was literally on cloud nine today. Such GREAT motivation!!
Till next time, my lovelys.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Day 21 - 23: What a Week!!
Wow, the days are going by so fast I can barely keep track of them. I can't believe that I'm almost down to being a month away to starting school again. I guess time definately flies when you're having fun...LOL
The past few days have been good. My calves and thighs are very sore, if that's any indication of how the last couple of days have been. I've found ways to get my workout in - even when I didn't realize it. The best way was my trip to the pool with the kids on Thursday. I've been trying to take the kids to the water park at least once a week, but because I take my 19 month old with me - I can't really swim. I spend the 2 hours that we're there following her around. That's not really exercise - but this trip made the definate exception. This week, I decided to try out something new. The water park has two 130 ft water slides that my older kids LOVE. Well, my baby loves going on slides at the park, so I thought, I wonder if she'd like the water slide. Well, I made the treck up 40 stairs carrying my baby (who weighs 30lbs I might add) to see. We got to the top, and I put her on my lap, and down the slide we went. At first, she was petrified - but then she let out a HUGE giggle, and we got to the bottom. Immediately she screamed "again, again". So, once again, up 2 flights of stairs carrying 30lbs, and then again, and then again, and again. We made that trip at least 10 times. By the time we left the pool, my legs were like jello (not only in appearance). Today (which is Saturday), my legs still feel a little sore. It's probably one of the best workouts my legs have received thus far!!
Other than that, I've been visiting the town's walking track. It's a 1/4 mile track, and the first couple of times I did 8 laps. Wednesday I pushed for 10 - and I could of kept walking for a while longer, but I had to get home. This weekend, and next week, I'm really going to start focusing on working more with weights. I'm never going to get rid of my wings (the fat under my arms..ugh) unless I really start working them.
I'm having some challenges with my food. After talking to a nutritionist at the college I work at, she told me that it's just not healthy to have such a low calorie intake each day - especially while I'm working out. So, we decided together that rather than focusing on how many calories I'm consuming - to eat 3 small meals a day, and eating two snacks of fruit or veggies would be fine. I have to still mentally keep track of the calories - but she said that each of my meals are roughly 300 calories, I should be just fine. The goal is to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories.
Till next time my faithful followers - I love you all :)
The past few days have been good. My calves and thighs are very sore, if that's any indication of how the last couple of days have been. I've found ways to get my workout in - even when I didn't realize it. The best way was my trip to the pool with the kids on Thursday. I've been trying to take the kids to the water park at least once a week, but because I take my 19 month old with me - I can't really swim. I spend the 2 hours that we're there following her around. That's not really exercise - but this trip made the definate exception. This week, I decided to try out something new. The water park has two 130 ft water slides that my older kids LOVE. Well, my baby loves going on slides at the park, so I thought, I wonder if she'd like the water slide. Well, I made the treck up 40 stairs carrying my baby (who weighs 30lbs I might add) to see. We got to the top, and I put her on my lap, and down the slide we went. At first, she was petrified - but then she let out a HUGE giggle, and we got to the bottom. Immediately she screamed "again, again". So, once again, up 2 flights of stairs carrying 30lbs, and then again, and then again, and again. We made that trip at least 10 times. By the time we left the pool, my legs were like jello (not only in appearance). Today (which is Saturday), my legs still feel a little sore. It's probably one of the best workouts my legs have received thus far!!
Other than that, I've been visiting the town's walking track. It's a 1/4 mile track, and the first couple of times I did 8 laps. Wednesday I pushed for 10 - and I could of kept walking for a while longer, but I had to get home. This weekend, and next week, I'm really going to start focusing on working more with weights. I'm never going to get rid of my wings (the fat under my arms..ugh) unless I really start working them.
I'm having some challenges with my food. After talking to a nutritionist at the college I work at, she told me that it's just not healthy to have such a low calorie intake each day - especially while I'm working out. So, we decided together that rather than focusing on how many calories I'm consuming - to eat 3 small meals a day, and eating two snacks of fruit or veggies would be fine. I have to still mentally keep track of the calories - but she said that each of my meals are roughly 300 calories, I should be just fine. The goal is to stay between 1000 and 1200 calories.
Till next time my faithful followers - I love you all :)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Day 19 & 20: Work, Work, Work
I'm not intentially updating every two days, it just seems like things are CRAZY busy. Everytime I do a photo shoot, I'm consumed with photo editing for a couple of days after. Regardless of my absence, things are still going well. I can't believe I'm already 2o days in. I'm feeling a big urge to step on the scales and see how I'm doing - but I'm staying strong, not going to do it.
At work yesterday (Tuesday), I did over an hour of heavy lifting - carrying very heavy equipment, loading it, unloading it. By the time I was done, I was sweating my ass off - it's amazing how I can fit a work out in, even when I'm working..LOL My water intake has improved, again - which is good. I bought some more juice, to use as snacks. I'm starting to get the urge to snack, one of my biggest weaknesses. I find when I'm busy on the computer, I want something to snack on. My best friend right now is cucumber. I've found that slicing up some cucumber and then sprinkling just a touch of salt on the slices really helps my cravings. It's almost as good as snacking on some potato chips - but without the fat. If I'm actually hungry, I use a couple of tablespoons of spinach dip with the cucumber. The spinach dip is much more healthy than regular dip - so another tip. ;)
People have started commenting on my weight loss - which is such a fantastic feeling. Even though I don't know exactly how much I've lost, the comments give me a boost that I'm doing something right. I wore some clothes yesterday that were much baggier on me than they were a few weeks ago - so the physical feelings are also a great incentive. I was feeling so good yesterday, that I went and had my hair chopped off. I wanted a new look, and I was so tired of messing with my long hair. I now have short hair, and it feels and looks great. I've added a photo to show you. I'm feeling much better about myself - better than I've felt in a long time. Even though I have a long way to go, a nice confidence boost really makes things better.
Ok, so enough rambling. Time to work out. Here are a couple of photos - before and after - with the hair cut. Is it just me, or does my face look a little slimer? The before photo (top) was taken a couple of weeks ago - the after photo (bottom) was taken last night.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Day 17 & 18: Holiday Weekend - Exhausted!!
Saturday morning, I did exactly what I said I was going to do. I got up a little after 6:30am, threw my workout clothes on, and drove up to the walking track. I did 8 laps of the 1/4 mile trail - I was so proud of myself!! If that wasn't enough to burn off the pizza I ate last night, then a whole afternoon of walking should have.
Saturday afternoon, the family and I headed up to Eureka Springs to do some shopping and also because I was shooting a wedding there that evening. For almost 2 hours, we walked up and down the historic streets - and by the end of it, my calves were on FIRE!! Then it was into work mode while I shot the wedding, and that consisted of lots of bending, walking, etc. - so I got even more workout there!! All in all, Saturday was a very energetic day - and by the time I got home that night, I was completely exhausted!!
Sunday wasn't as ambitious. Due to Saturday's activities, my lazy ass stayed in bed until 11am!! I couldn't believe it when I woke up and saw the clock - I NEVER sleep that late!! I was pissed cause I really had planned on going to walk again. When I rolled out of bed, I thought I was going to collapse. My legs were so sore!! I was happy about the soreness cause it meant that I did something right the day before. Even though I didn't get to go and walk the track, I did go and do some grocery shopping. Not actually a workout, but I did get off the couch - so better than nothing. I've decided that I'm going to try and do the walking track every Saturday and Sunday, and then during the week focus on working out at home - while the baby is napping. That's 5 days a week I'm going to work out. It's just not realistic to work out EVERY day right now, so I'm going to do what I can.
Regarding my eating - I'm still not completely on track with that. The goal was to consume 450 calories a day, and then tomorrow move up to 550. I'm not going to start the 550 regimen, but focus more on eating less than 1000 calories a day with very small portioned meals. My diet will mostly be made up of fruit and veggies, but also include dairy, carbs and protein. I'm hoping that introducing everything back into my diet will also help the fatigue. My doc thinks that I'm not getting enough nutrients, which is causing my body to get tired much quicker than it should - so I have to fuel it.
Ok, till next time. :)
Saturday afternoon, the family and I headed up to Eureka Springs to do some shopping and also because I was shooting a wedding there that evening. For almost 2 hours, we walked up and down the historic streets - and by the end of it, my calves were on FIRE!! Then it was into work mode while I shot the wedding, and that consisted of lots of bending, walking, etc. - so I got even more workout there!! All in all, Saturday was a very energetic day - and by the time I got home that night, I was completely exhausted!!
Sunday wasn't as ambitious. Due to Saturday's activities, my lazy ass stayed in bed until 11am!! I couldn't believe it when I woke up and saw the clock - I NEVER sleep that late!! I was pissed cause I really had planned on going to walk again. When I rolled out of bed, I thought I was going to collapse. My legs were so sore!! I was happy about the soreness cause it meant that I did something right the day before. Even though I didn't get to go and walk the track, I did go and do some grocery shopping. Not actually a workout, but I did get off the couch - so better than nothing. I've decided that I'm going to try and do the walking track every Saturday and Sunday, and then during the week focus on working out at home - while the baby is napping. That's 5 days a week I'm going to work out. It's just not realistic to work out EVERY day right now, so I'm going to do what I can.
Regarding my eating - I'm still not completely on track with that. The goal was to consume 450 calories a day, and then tomorrow move up to 550. I'm not going to start the 550 regimen, but focus more on eating less than 1000 calories a day with very small portioned meals. My diet will mostly be made up of fruit and veggies, but also include dairy, carbs and protein. I'm hoping that introducing everything back into my diet will also help the fatigue. My doc thinks that I'm not getting enough nutrients, which is causing my body to get tired much quicker than it should - so I have to fuel it.
Ok, till next time. :)
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Day 16: Fireworks, fun, and FOOD!!
This morning started out with my dear hubby letting me sleep in while he got up with the baby..such a great man. Then a sweet whisper of yummyness swept thru the bedroom, and my curiosity got the better of me. Just as I was going to roll out of bed to see what sweet desires were being prepared in the kitchen, hubby stuck his head in the door and told me that he had made blueberry muffins for breakfast. He'd used the blueberries that my children and I picked yesterday, that I had full intentions of using for some healthy treat for myself - but no, they went into a batch of warm, tempting, sweet muffins. A quick argument with my mind told me to just stay in bed, and hopefully they would all be gone by the time I decided to get up. Well, no, my thoughtful hubby decided to save me a couple.
I have to take a sidenote to say that I love my hubby very much, and he's been very supportive of my weight loss efforts - but I really wonder if he just doesn't get what it is that I'm trying to do...ugh...
Anyways, I get up and get a cup of coffee and eye the muffins. They're only little, and I asked how much sugar was in them. He told me he "only" used 1 cup for the whole dozen he baked. Again, my mind started screaming at me - but my stomach won and I ate them. I told my mind not to fret, for the afternoon plans were for me to swim in my parent's pool for a couple of hours - so extra workout!!
A last minute invite got my 4th of July weekend off to a festive start. The family was invited to go to a friend's house to watch fireworks from her front yard. No biggie, I love fireworks, but then she told me that she'd be ordering pizza for everyone..DOH!!
I headed out to Oklahoma to pick up my oldest daughter who had been there all week with my parents. The plan originally was to head over there and swim for a couple of hours before coming home, but our quick change in plans caused me to not be able to swim..boo!! Oh well, the plans must go on. After a quick stop home to pick up hubby, we were on our way to our friend's house.
We had a great evening of chatting - but then the pizza arrived. Every ounce of my body - which is too many ounces for me to calculate in my head - quivered with excitement as the pizza was laid upon the table. My mind began racing as I argued with myself over the pros and cons of having a slice or two. The thoughts of the two muffins I had for breakfast, added to the fact that I hadn't worked out all day weighed on me big time. Then I fed myself the biggest line of crap, and told myself - it's 4th of July (almost) - I get a holiday...OUCH!! I ended up eating 3 slices of pizza!! DAMN - all the hard work, all the dedication, gone in a split second. I spent the rest of the evening absorbed in guilt. My mind quickly reminded me of how much I was going to regret the consumption of the evil that layed within. I told hubby that tomorrow morning, I'm getting up early and I'm going for a run. He looked at me with a look that I took as "yeah, right" - but I WILL DAMN IT!!
Well, I feel better for getting some of the guilt off of my chest. I will get up in the morning and go for a run. I will be good tomorrow. I will not throw all of my hardwork out of the window for 3 slices of pizza. The show ain't over till the fat lady sings...and I'm not gonna be singing until I'm THIN!!!
Ok, till next time ;)
I have to take a sidenote to say that I love my hubby very much, and he's been very supportive of my weight loss efforts - but I really wonder if he just doesn't get what it is that I'm trying to do...ugh...
Anyways, I get up and get a cup of coffee and eye the muffins. They're only little, and I asked how much sugar was in them. He told me he "only" used 1 cup for the whole dozen he baked. Again, my mind started screaming at me - but my stomach won and I ate them. I told my mind not to fret, for the afternoon plans were for me to swim in my parent's pool for a couple of hours - so extra workout!!
A last minute invite got my 4th of July weekend off to a festive start. The family was invited to go to a friend's house to watch fireworks from her front yard. No biggie, I love fireworks, but then she told me that she'd be ordering pizza for everyone..DOH!!
I headed out to Oklahoma to pick up my oldest daughter who had been there all week with my parents. The plan originally was to head over there and swim for a couple of hours before coming home, but our quick change in plans caused me to not be able to swim..boo!! Oh well, the plans must go on. After a quick stop home to pick up hubby, we were on our way to our friend's house.
We had a great evening of chatting - but then the pizza arrived. Every ounce of my body - which is too many ounces for me to calculate in my head - quivered with excitement as the pizza was laid upon the table. My mind began racing as I argued with myself over the pros and cons of having a slice or two. The thoughts of the two muffins I had for breakfast, added to the fact that I hadn't worked out all day weighed on me big time. Then I fed myself the biggest line of crap, and told myself - it's 4th of July (almost) - I get a holiday...OUCH!! I ended up eating 3 slices of pizza!! DAMN - all the hard work, all the dedication, gone in a split second. I spent the rest of the evening absorbed in guilt. My mind quickly reminded me of how much I was going to regret the consumption of the evil that layed within. I told hubby that tomorrow morning, I'm getting up early and I'm going for a run. He looked at me with a look that I took as "yeah, right" - but I WILL DAMN IT!!
Well, I feel better for getting some of the guilt off of my chest. I will get up in the morning and go for a run. I will be good tomorrow. I will not throw all of my hardwork out of the window for 3 slices of pizza. The show ain't over till the fat lady sings...and I'm not gonna be singing until I'm THIN!!!
Ok, till next time ;)
Friday, July 03, 2009
Day 15: Berry picking, swimming, FUN!!
Today was a great day devoted to my kids (well, the two youngest kids cause my oldest is spending the week with my parents). I got up at 6am to go meet some friends and take the kids berry picking. The weather was great, the kids had fun, and the best part was I got to bring home half a gallon of fresh blueberries and half a gallon of fresh blackberries..YUM!! After berry picking, I joined some of the other mommies and took the kids for breakfast. I was very proud of myself as those around me ordered bacon, sausage, ham, biscuits and gravy - and for me?? A veggie omelet!! Ok, so it was covered in cheese, so not the healthiest option - but the healthiest compared to the other yummy temptations on the menu.
The weather was so nice, I decided to take the kids to the pool this afternoon. Running around after my toddler turned into quite of a work-out, which got me psyched cause I needed the exercise!! We spent a couple of hours in the pool, and then headed home. After my overkill breakfast, I chose not to eat dinner - as I'm sure the omelet more than consumed my days worth of calories.
I really should of worked out a bit tonight, but I'm a little sunburnt from the pool - so I chose to skip. After yesterday's sad, "poor me" blog, I'm just not going to sweat the small stuff anymore. Even though I have 6 more weeks of my 60 day challenge, I've accomplished the main goal from this whole experiment - and that's to identify portion control problems. I'm making healthier selections when it comes to food - and ok, I'm not sticking to the 1 carb, 1 protein regimen I set for myself this week - but I'm watching what I eat, which is a plus. I'm also playing with the idea that I'm not going to weight myself AT ALL until the 60 days is over...not completely decided yet, but would be interesting to see how much total weight I've lost once it's all said and done. Curious to hear any comments or suggestions you may have about that - just let me know what you think.
Ok, well, till next time. :)
The weather was so nice, I decided to take the kids to the pool this afternoon. Running around after my toddler turned into quite of a work-out, which got me psyched cause I needed the exercise!! We spent a couple of hours in the pool, and then headed home. After my overkill breakfast, I chose not to eat dinner - as I'm sure the omelet more than consumed my days worth of calories.
I really should of worked out a bit tonight, but I'm a little sunburnt from the pool - so I chose to skip. After yesterday's sad, "poor me" blog, I'm just not going to sweat the small stuff anymore. Even though I have 6 more weeks of my 60 day challenge, I've accomplished the main goal from this whole experiment - and that's to identify portion control problems. I'm making healthier selections when it comes to food - and ok, I'm not sticking to the 1 carb, 1 protein regimen I set for myself this week - but I'm watching what I eat, which is a plus. I'm also playing with the idea that I'm not going to weight myself AT ALL until the 60 days is over...not completely decided yet, but would be interesting to see how much total weight I've lost once it's all said and done. Curious to hear any comments or suggestions you may have about that - just let me know what you think.
Ok, well, till next time. :)
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Day 13 & 14: MIA Update
I know, I know - I've been gone for 2 days..and I apologize. Don't worry, I haven't fallen off the wagon - just been very busy with work stuff..which is no excuse, and I'll try not to do it again.
Ok, so day 13 and 14 rolled on as most of my other days have. Part of me feels guilty for coming on here day after day just to tell you that I ate stuff, worked out, etc. I thought rather than just posting what I ate for the two days I was MIA, I'd write about some of the thoughts and feelings that I've been dealing with for the past two weeks.
This week has been really hard for me to stay in control. I was so proud of myself for the first 10 days, and just had a "no one can stop me" attitude. Then I went away for a few days, and I slumped back a few steps and I'm finding it really hard to get back to my normal pace. I'm not totally slipping, but just little things like having an extra carb serving or not drinking enough water is starting to happen - and I don't like it. I'm at a point where I'm scared to death to stand on the scales cause the slightest weight gain is going to totally devaste me. I know that I was going to lose a lot of weight my first week, basically because I was on a liquid diet - and I knew I was going to lose a lot of water weight. That was great, but now that I've started eating "real food" again - I'm scared that the weight is going to come back on.
I know it's probably a good thing that I'm feeling this way. I feel guilty when I eat something I'm not supposed to, I work out a little extra on those days - hoping to make up for my short burst of defeat - but I'm not sure what to do. I could start over - and fast for a couple of days again. I felt so great when I was living off nothing but fruits and veggies, but I know I can't live that way forever. I have to get used to the fact that I'm going to eat carbs and protein - and know how much is enough.
Ok, enough pity talk...positive things. I've started noticing that my clothes are fitting better. I bought a couple pairs of capris a few weeks ago that were a little snug on me, and now I can put them on and can pull them away from my stomach about an inch. That is an AWESOME feeling. I don't see myself getting thinner, but obviously the weight is coming off - right??
Ok, got to run - I'm taking the kids swimming this afternoon, so I got to go and get ready.
Till next time. :)
Ok, so day 13 and 14 rolled on as most of my other days have. Part of me feels guilty for coming on here day after day just to tell you that I ate stuff, worked out, etc. I thought rather than just posting what I ate for the two days I was MIA, I'd write about some of the thoughts and feelings that I've been dealing with for the past two weeks.
This week has been really hard for me to stay in control. I was so proud of myself for the first 10 days, and just had a "no one can stop me" attitude. Then I went away for a few days, and I slumped back a few steps and I'm finding it really hard to get back to my normal pace. I'm not totally slipping, but just little things like having an extra carb serving or not drinking enough water is starting to happen - and I don't like it. I'm at a point where I'm scared to death to stand on the scales cause the slightest weight gain is going to totally devaste me. I know that I was going to lose a lot of weight my first week, basically because I was on a liquid diet - and I knew I was going to lose a lot of water weight. That was great, but now that I've started eating "real food" again - I'm scared that the weight is going to come back on.
I know it's probably a good thing that I'm feeling this way. I feel guilty when I eat something I'm not supposed to, I work out a little extra on those days - hoping to make up for my short burst of defeat - but I'm not sure what to do. I could start over - and fast for a couple of days again. I felt so great when I was living off nothing but fruits and veggies, but I know I can't live that way forever. I have to get used to the fact that I'm going to eat carbs and protein - and know how much is enough.
Ok, enough pity talk...positive things. I've started noticing that my clothes are fitting better. I bought a couple pairs of capris a few weeks ago that were a little snug on me, and now I can put them on and can pull them away from my stomach about an inch. That is an AWESOME feeling. I don't see myself getting thinner, but obviously the weight is coming off - right??
Ok, got to run - I'm taking the kids swimming this afternoon, so I got to go and get ready.
Till next time. :)
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