Trying to Become Active Again

Hi everyone!

I don't necessarily consider myself as starting over right now.  I guess when it comes to blogging, I am definitely coming back after a long absence.

PERSONAL CATCH UP STUFF:
I am still in NYC, and still working on a PhD.  My first year in the program was tough, but I got through it and I am still here.  I have really enjoyed the city in the spring/summer.  I honestly was not too pleased during the winter.  Really cold temps are not for me.  I survived my first blizzard.  Well, I think it was a blizzard.  It set records for snowfall in Manhattan.  I still think snow is really pretty, but only when it's fresh lol!  After people get out and walk in it, it looks disgusting lol!

These are the only pics I have left from the blizzard.

As I have already said, the city this time of year is amazing!!!  I have spent a lot of time just walking around and exploring.  I have fallen in love with Hudson River Park and the beach/boardwalk at Coney Island.  I leave when Coney Island begins to get crowded later in the day though.  Everything this summer seems to be going perfectly.

Coney Island Beach

WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH:

About two months ago I had fibroid surgery.  I completely underestimated recovery time.  It was awful, but 8 week later, I am so happy I did it.  I also saw an endocrinologist right before the surgery, and my glucose levels were technically normal, but at the highest number for what is considered normal.  So, she told me to cut the sugar and drop some weight, which is what I have been doing.  I am currently sitting at 229.  So, I've lost 31 lbs since my high of 260 last Jan.  The lowest weight I can remember seeing on the scale in the last decade was 223, so I am excited about being close to that again and surpassing it.

During the past two weeks, I have really been working hard at working out and eating at home.  For exercise I am hitting the gym, and planning to start C25K again.  My body has gotten used to walking around the city, so my everyday walking is no longer enough for me to see results.  In the gym I normally use the Life Fitness Flex Strider, which I enjoy more than the normal elliptical machine for some reason.  Depending on the day, I am on it for 30-60 min.  I have not started C25K yet, but hopefully, I will be blogging about it soon.

I am still figuring out my strength training routine.  I love weights, but I still feel intimidated using free weights, so I have not been squatting or deadlifting, which is what I really want to do, but can't work up the nerve to just go grab a rack with all of the guys around.  I'll work on that.

GOALS:

Short Term: I would really like to see 225 by my birthday, but my birthday is less than a week away, so that probably is not going to happen.  So, I am readjusting to simply losing weight by my birthday.

End of the Year: Before I go home for Christmas break I want to be in Onederland.  That means I need to lose about 30 lbs in just under 6 months.  I know this is a completely reasonable and doable goal.  I just have to stay committed, active, and disciplined.  It would be a wonderful Christmas gift to myself.

In general, I am in a good place right now and extremely happy.  Exercise is a great mood booster, so even on days when I feel like doing nothing, I remember how I feel after working out and I go anyway.  Here's a sweaty workout picture from yesterday.  I must admit that I get a sense of pride from knowing I pushed myself physically, and still survived lol!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Prince - Baby I'm A Star

Let's Try This Again

So, obviously I have been doing terrible when it comes to this blog and weight loss.  The good news is that I have actually lost some weight, but not very much.  I am down to 238.  I have gone between 239 and 234 for the past month.  I was at 260 this time last year, so that is definitely progress.  I have not been in the 230s since 2012.  I was consistently in the high 240s most of the spring and summer.  I attribute my current weight loss to all the walking I have been doing in NYC recently.

Let me step back a moment.  I moved to NYC in August to begin working on a PhD.  Coming from Alabama, I was used to driving everywhere.  NYC is the complete opposite.  I left my car in Alabama, and if it's within 1.5 miles, I normally try to walk it.  I am sure that will change as the temperature begins to drop though.  For most other trips I just use the subway (or "train" as New Yorkers say).  Sometimes I am walking around 5 miles a day just going back and forth for daily activities.  Most days I probably average 3 miles though.  So, my weight loss has really been out of necessity and not because I have really been trying.  I have honestly been eating everything, because there are just so many options and everyone, I mean EVERYONE delivers!  This weekend I decided to batch cook a lot of things to curb eating out so much.  So far I have made it two days without eating out.  I am craving Thai food and/or tacos though lol!

My best friend also bought T25 for me, so I am going to try that out.  She honestly bought it a few weeks ago.  I lasted a good 5 days before I was off track.  I will be going home for the holidays in a few weeks, so I am challenging myself to stick with T25 at least until then.  We will see what happens.  I am also planning to hit my university's gym to weight train.  I miss the weights.  When I was at Innovate Fitness, I completed a two month training program and when it was over I had a 1 rep squat max of 215 and a 5 rep deadlift max of 210.  I am sure that has fallen off quite a lot by now.  I might see if I can get back with them for a month while I a back home for the holidays.

Me, Day 1 of T25 this morning, looking a hot mess lol!

I've lost a few pounds while up here and I would like to lose a few more before I go back home.  I would like for people to be able to notice a difference, even if just a small one.  Anyway, I hope to do a better job of keeping up with this blog and hopefully this time next year I will be in much better shape.  Have a great day!

So glad Missy's back!  Definitely going to work out to this!

Missy Elliott - WTF (Where They From)

Catching Up

I have not posted in awhile, but I am still going pretty strong.  I was sick towards the end of last week and the beginning of this week, but I am better now.  I am getting ready for graduation.  I will have a 2nd Master's in about two weeks, but I have a lot of writing I need to do before then.  Plus, I have my comprehensive exams next week.  My exercise still pretty much consists of Crossfit and jogging.

Food is alright, but definitely not perfect.  I am trying to make good choices, but I have not logged my food in close to a week.  I eat a lot of chicken, fruit, and oatmeal.  Salsa chicken is my go to.  It's just chicken breasts in a crock pot with salsa.  It's so easy that I do multiple chicken breasts like this almost every week.  I use fruit to replace candy.  My breakfast is normally turkey sausage and oatmeal.  I need to do better with vegetables and maybe eating fruit that has less sugar (like pears).

Let me just say I am such a slow jogger.  I know it really should not matter, but yesterday I was teamed with a partner and we had to jog together.  I was teamed with a super fit guy, and I could tell it was difficult for him to jog so slowly.  To his credit, he was nothing but supportive and never complained.  It was a little amusing to me because I was trying my hardest and so out of breath, but he was chatting it up lol!  He was really sweet, but I felt like I was holding him back.  He honestly did not seem bothered at all.  I think I just have to learn to be comfortable with what I can do and be happy for my own progress.  I am working on that.

Here's a couple of images from my gym...

You cannot see me very well, but I am in the red shirt towards the open door in the back.  We were in a circle for warm up.  We all chose an exercise and how many to do.  I chose 10 squats.  Warm up is different everyday.

Below is a video of my class pushing sleds on Wednesday.  You can catch a glimpse of me in the corner of the video on the Airdyne.  The Airdyne is a bike that is terrible lol!  It has built in resistance and the resistance gets stronger the faster you pedal.  We had to do sprints on the Airdyne and it wore me out.  On the plus side, it burned a ton of calories really quickly.

Nothing like some sleds for breakfast!!
Posted by Innovate Fitness on Wednesday, April 15, 2015

6 Week Update and Measurements

First, what's going on with Blogger?  The blogs I follow are here some days, and others they completely disappear.  It's soooo frustrating.  Anyway, I've trying to drop weight for 6 weeks now.  Here are my results...

I'm not ready to post comparison pics yet, but I do have them.  Basically, I lost 12.6 lbs and over an inch from the largest part of my stomach.  I'm really happy about that.  Here's a look at how I motivate myself to do things like workout and eat right...

I USE STICKERS!!!!!

You can see that I wasn't doing ANYTHING, before 6 weeks ago.  Seriously, I love stickers!  Some days the thought of getting a sticker would stop me from making poor food choices.  I have stickers for cardio (a heart), eating well (fruit), jogging (flower), strength training (silver star), and meeting goals (smiley face).  I'm thinking about changing out the star for strength training, because I can't see it as well as I can the others.  Here's a summary of my month:

Goals: I did not work on any goals, and pretty much forgot about them, so no goals met.

Jogging: I didn't jog any either.  I went walking quite a bit, but never actually jogged.

Strength Training: 6 days of real strength training.  I do challenges with my mom and sister, so just about everyday I did squats or push-ups, but I only give myself a sticker if I do a series of exercises.

Eating Well: 14 days.  Eating well is really a struggle for me.

Cardio: 18 days.  This was zumba, walking, or the elliptical...mostly zumba though.

Those numbers show me how I wasn't extremely dedicated over the last 6 weeks, but I definitely put in more effort than I had previously.  I know I could have had better results if I had taken things more seriously, but I am pleased with the progress that I did make.  You have to start somewhere, and the fact that I am blogging results after 6 weeks is progress for me.

For the next 6 weeks I would really like to work on eating better and strength training.  I actually love lifting weights (waaayyyy more than cardio), but I get intimidated in the weight room.  Therefore, I avoid it.  I'm just going to have to get over that.  I started today...

Leg Press (135 lbs each side)

Sundays are leg days for me.  So, here's my workout for today.  I did 3 sets of 12 for each strength training exercise...

Elliptical- 20 minutes

Leg Press- 270 lbs

Squat Machine- 105 lbs

Squat Jumps- body weight

Leg Extension- 40 lbs

Leg Curl- 50 lbs

Walking Lunges- body weight

Calf Raises- body weight

Walk/Jog- 1 mile in 14 minutes

I felt great afterwards.  My legs probably will not feel so great tomorrow lol!  The most difficult thing I did was probably the squat machine.  There were quite a few super fit guys in the weight room this morning, so I am proud of myself for going in there and getting things done.  Go Me!!!!

I have posted this several times, but it's my favorite song to workout to.  Have a great Sunday ladies and gents!

Janet Jackson- Make Me

Quick Update

Today's post should be pretty quick, but TOM has struck and I am feeling AWFUL.  Yesterday was a cardio day for me.  I spent 25 minutes on the elliptical and 23 minutes doing a jogging interval...1 minutes jogging and 3 minutes walking for 1.4 miles.

Today I did not do anything.  I have felt quite terrible all day.  I can add in today's workout with tomorrow's workout I think.  If not, I can just bump my schedule by a day.  It shouldn't be a problem.

I am sore.  My legs are so so, but my arms hate me.  My upper body is so weak.  Anyway, that's really all I have to say today.  I just feel so blah.

Here's a pic from my jogging yesterday.  Have a good one!

Beginning to Feel Like a Runner

Perhaps I should say jogger, because I don't really think I run...but really who cares. The point is something has changed for me. On Monday (3/12/12) I jogged for 30 minutes nonstop! I just went out and said I am going to do this. I warmed up for 5 minutes jogged for 30 and had a super super slow walking cool down. I was really excited! Then on Wednesday (3/14/12) I wanted to prove to myself that Monday wasn't some freak accident. First, nerves got the best of me. I kept thinking what if I can't do it again, which almost made me stay home. Then I realized my ipod was in my mom's car (she live 20 minutes away from me). Then I went to the place I normally jog and there was a couple of dogs loose. Technically, they were with their owners chasing something, but they were not on a leash and I'm afraid of dogs. At this point I got back in my car and left. Then I turned around and said I'm going to do it anyway. I'm so glad I did. I did my normal 5 minute warmup and told myself that I would not look at my watch. I just kept jogging. When I did look at my watch it said 33 minutes. At that point I thought well, I would like to be able to jog a 5k in under 40 minutes, so let's just see if I can jog for 40 minutes and where I'll be at that point. I'm happy to say I jogged 2.9 miles in 40 minutes. Whoo Hoo!

When I finished my legs felt funny. Have you ever been on the treadmill or the elliptical FOREVER and when you finally get off it feels weird to walk on the non moving ground? This is how my legs felt after the 40 minute jog. I was tired, but not wiped out. For the first time I thought, "Wow, I'm a runner." I know different people have different ideas of what constitutes a runner, but in my mind if I say I'm a runner then I am one lol! I don't have the fastest pace in the world, but I can remember when I was struggling to jog 30 seconds. So, this is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I have a 5k towards the end of April (Mayor's Cup). I'm really confident now that if I continue jogging 3 days a week I can finish in under 40 minutes. Today was my rest day, so I'm going to shoot for 40 minutes again Saturday.

It is amazing to me how my thought process has shifted. When I first began trying to jog I hated it. I hated it mostly because my shins hurt all the time, and I would become so disappointed with the very short time span I could actually jog. I had no confidence and I thought I looked like a complete idiot. I was embarrassed to run in public. Eventually, I just had to suck it up. Over time my shins stopped hurting and it felt great getting to know people who are at the park around the same time. I began to get a thumbs up, a smile, or a great job from familiar faces as they passed by. I started to get to know the guys who work at the local running store and they get just as excited as I do when I talk about a new distance. I began to reward myself with running stuff for a job well done (I got new, really cute Sweaty Bands for finally reaching 30 minutes). I began to realize that the only person judging me when I jogged was me. Everyone else just wanted to support me. Now I love it. I love being outdoors and admiring everything around me as I jog. I still have major issues with the treadmill. If the treadmill is my only option I am likely to skip running and do something else (I hate the treadmill that much). I guess the point of all this is that I feel like a new person. I'm so happy I stuck with jogging.

I started with the couch to 5k plan on CoolRunning.com. After a point I stopped using it though. I would get really upset with myself if I had to repeat a week or if the next week was too hard. So, I just decided to do what I could do everyday. I know this isn't a real plan, but it's honestly what I did. I would set my watch and go. By not worrying so much about the plan I was doing that day I was able to just go out and enjoy my jog. By no means am I knocking the couch to 5k plan. It got me up to the 20 minute jog. So, I think it's great. I just had to do something different because of my all or nothing attitude. Anyway, running is great and for the first time I feel like I really can accomplish a half marathon this year. It was on my list of goals for the year, but I did not honestly believe I could do it until now. I am super pleased with myself right now.

On a side note, I have a dry erase board on the door of one of my rooms. I use it for motivation. My sister visited me earlier in the week and this is what she left on my motivation board while I was at work.



Haha! She's so funny. It really made my day, and I'm going to keep it up for awhile. I hope you all have a fantastic day! Remember to reach for the stars, because the only person setting limitations on what you can do is you!

Blah, Workouts, and New Shoes

The Blah:
I actually gained 3 lbs this week!  WTH!  I worked out hard this week and I ate better than I have in a long time.  This is complete BS!  That is what I thought when I stepped off the scale.  Then I remembered all the candy I stuffed in my face Sat-Tues.  Plus, the fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, salad, and 2 raspberry lemonades I had at Ruby Tuesday on Wednesday.  Add to that the fried catfish I had at work on Thursday night (even though I had brought grilled chicken and veggies).  Then I thought...oh...do better Briana.  So, I will do better.  I cleaned my fridge and pantry and have no junk whatsoever in them.  I went to the grocery store and filled up on only good items.  Now I have to have the will power to not go to the cafeteria at the hospital.  Can you believe I brought healthy food, did not eat it, and paid for something unhealthy instead?  Yeah, I really did that.  Anyway, I just have to do better.

Workouts:
Wednesday:
OFF

Thursday:
W3D1 Couch to 5k (my version)
10 min walking warmup
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
2 min walking cool down
Ended up being 2.2 miles in 33 minutes

Friday:
  (x3)
50 Jumping Jacks
40 Squats
30 Push-Ups
20 Leg Lifts
10 Burpees
50 Mountain Climbers
40 Lunges
30 Curl to Press
20 Tricep Dips
10 V-Ups

Today:
W3D2 Couch to 5k (my version)
10 min walking warmup
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
2 min walk
3 min jog
2 min walk
5 min jog
super short walking cool down (I was tired and just wanted to get to the car)
Ended up being 2.5 miles in 40 min

Looking at this and the workouts I posted earlier in the week.  I am proud of myself.  I have been consistent for a solid week.  So, yeah, I gained weight, but it was not from lack of working out.  I've heard people say losing weight is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition.  Now I can believe it.  So, I know what I have to do from now on.  I can do it!  I got caught in a small rain shower today while I was jogging and it felt great.  At first I though "oh no," but it was not pouring down or anything, so it was nice.  I'm also excited that my little DailyMile app to the right is changing, because it means I'm being active again!

New Shoes:
I went to out local running store on Wednesday and bought new shoes.  They are called the Brooks Pure something.

I love these shoes.  I was told they are supposed to keep you from striking with your heel when you run so much.  I am in the very early stages of beginning to run so I don't really know about all the technical stuff.  All I know is that these shoes are fabulous!

Am I the only person who looks at background stuff when someone posts a pic?  I just really noticed all the stuff I have in the background of this picture.  In can you are wondering, the Christmas boxes are what my Christmas cards arrived in,directly behind the shoes are dvds of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, True Blood, Thundercats, and the Ocean's trilogy (11, 12, and 13).

Britney Spears - Toxic

Just Get Up and Go

First, I'm sorry that I have not been by a few of your blogs lately.  I just realized that for some reason all of the blogs I follow are not showing up on my dashboard.  I had just thought a few of you had not written anything recently.  I'm going to try and figure out what happened and find your blogs later tonight.

I have not blogged in a week.  I have not worked out in a week.  I really feel horrible.  I have gained weight over the past month.  I feel sluggish again. I just feel awful all the way around.  You can always tell when I slack off, because I disappear.  If I'm not exercising or eating better then I really have nothing to talk about on this blog.  Plus, I don't want to have to come on here and say I've done nothing, so I avoid it like the plague.

Well, today I was sitting feeling sorry for myself and I just snapped out of it.  It's not much, but I did some burpees before I came to work.  I also packed my clothes, so I can go to the gym when I get off.  I can't even pinpoint why I quit or drastically slacked off.  I was feeling great, confidence was up, clothes were too big, compliments were flowing in, my energy level was sky high, my skin looked fantastic...why would you give all that up?  I have no idea. 

So, I'm going back to the philosophy of day by day.  Each day I am just going to get up and force myself to do something.  I know initially I will not feel like it at all.  I will just have to make myself do.  Eventually, I'll feel the way I felt a month ago.  Until then I'll fake it until I make it lol!  Tomorrow I'm planning to begin C25K again.  I'm hoping I will still be able to begin where I left off, which was week 3, but we'll see.

I'm going to the grocery store in the morning to get healthy foods.  I love the grocery store.  I have no idea why, but I do.  I was looking up foods with fiber and I ran across some info about McDonald's oatmeal.

I got this info from here

I realize I made the pic too large for the blog template I use, but I wanted to make sure you could read the info.  Did this info shock anyone else?  I have never had their oatmeal, but everyone I know has told me how good it is.  So, I had always planned to try it.  I think the sugar surprised me the most.  I guess I'll be sticking to my steel-cut oatmeal.  

One of my favorite pics from Win, Lose, or Blog...I think Catherine posted this one, but I'm not 100% sure.  It is exactly what I need to read and remember right now.

Since it's almost Christmas I'm going to post Christmas songs.  The workout songs will be back once Christmas is over.  I LOVE this song!  I look forward to hearing it every year.  Yes, it's filled with cheesy awesomeness and I love it haha!

Wham! - Last Christmas

Vacation and Getting Back on Track

I finally figured out why I was getting ads last week on blogger.  I was on vacation for the past week, and it had something to do with the condo's internet.  Now that I'm back home, I'm no longer getting ads everywhere.

I went with my family to Gatlinburg, TN.  It's one of my favorite places to go.  I love walking around and looking at everything!  We had a great time.  I'll post pics from the aquarium at the very end of this post.

Now that I'm back I need to get back on track.  I feel like I've really been slipping the past 2-3 weeks, so now I'm back at it.  I'm doing a strength training routine from the Dec 2011 issue of Oxygen 3 times a week and I'm doing Couch to 5K 3 times a week.

I told you all previously that I love Oxygen Magazine.  This is my stash...there are close to 90 issues here.  I know, I know....I have a problem lol!  But if anyone needs a back issue (minus 2011 and the last half of 2010) you now know where you can get one.  Just email me.

So this is what I did today:
You're supposed to do a 2 min warm up jumping rope and 30-60sec of jumping rope between each exercise.  I did the entire circuit twice and it took me about 40 min.  You can also do jumping jacks instead of jumping rope or just pretend like you're jumping rope without the rope..  I was thrilled to have everything I needed to do this at home.  Not every video is perfect, but I think you can get the general idea from them.

1. Squat (I used dumbbells)
2. Low Incline Dumbbell Press
3. Seated Lateral Raise
4. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl
5. Seated Dumbbell Wrist Curl
6. Walking Lunges
7. Flat Bench Reverse Crunch (but on a flat bench)
8. Toes to Ceiling ( similar to previous exercise, but "without bending your legs, lift your hips from the bench, directing your feet straight upward") I could not find a video of this.
9. Upright Dumbbell Row
10. Bench Crunch
11. Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
12. Single Arm Concentration Curl
13. Dumbbell Chest Fly
14. Reverse Dumbbell Wrist Curl
15. V-Sit on Bench
16. Sumo Squat
17. Standing Calf Raise
18. Bent-Over Lateral Raise
19. Bent Over Single Arm Dumbbell Row
20. Supine Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
21. Lying Hip Thrust/Bridge
22. Frog Crunch

I did 12 of everything twice.  I feel perfectly fine now, but I know I will feel this in the morning.  Tomorrow will be a day full of cardio.  C25K and maybe something else.  I'll let you all know.

Gatlinburg pics:

My sister at Bubba Gump's (with me trying to sneak in the background)

Santa's Claus-et

with my mom

just me

I have more pics, but I don't want to overload you all.  My father absolutely hates taking pictures, so he is not in ANY of the pics from this trip.  We had a FANTASTIC time!  I hope you all have a great day!

New Measurements

First, are you all getting little ads at the bottom of the screen when you log on to Blogger now?  I am and it is sooooo annoying.  I am really not a fan of this.  Ugh!

I have taken new measurements and here they go:

I did not expect very much with my measurements this time, because I know I have not been as dedicated.

Positives:

-still lost around my belly

-lost an inch total

-lost 3 lbs

-have lost 15.25 inches overall

-have lost 23 lbs since this summer (began the summer at 247)

I don't see that much of a difference in the month to month photos, but I definitely see a difference when I put the heaviest photo and my most recent photo side by side.  Yay me!  lol!

This next 5 weeks or so I am going to make a commitment to do better than ever.  I have become complacent and I know I can do better, so I am going to do better.  I have jogging and a really good strength training routine from Oxygen Magazine.  I really have everything I need.  I just have to get dedicated again.  I'm expecting great results next time!

Goals for next time:

-lose 5 inches total

-lose 5 lbs

-workout at least 4 days every week

-stay on track with my jogging

Ester Dean - Drop It Low

Fiber, Fiber, Everywhere

I don't have much to talk about today concerning exercise, so I'm going in a different direction today.  I'm a HUGE fan of fiber!  I know it sounds weird, but I really am.  This week I wanted to actively try to incorporate more fiber into my diet.  I always feel so much better when I am hitting my goal for fiber (25g).  It's great for choloesterol, blood sugar levels, and weight loss.  Don't believe me...check out an the following article below.
Mayo Clinic Fiber Article

You can find fiber in whole grains, nuts, veggies, and fruit.

Things I love with high fiber counts:

I always add extra raisins

a snack food for me...I carry them around in a ziplock bag and snack on them (I always eat my cereal dry.  I hate milk lol)



These taste like candy bars to me.  I buy large packs of these from Sams Club.

Another Fiber One product that I really like

I LOVE WAFFLES...I wish the ones with added fiber came with blueberries already mixed in

I've been eating the apples and cinnamon oatmeal since I was little.  I thought I would hate the reduced sugar, but I actually really like it and I keep this stocked in my house.

I probably get most of my fiber in by eating fruit or Fiber One products.

I Need Sleep

I've been away for a few days, because I have been so stressed out with school.  I could literally fell my neck muscles kind of freeze up instantly at any given moment.  It was painful.  I didn't realize just how far I had pushed myself.  If I am working my typical Wednesday evening through Friday morning or Monday evening through Wednesday morning looks like this:

work from 9pm-730am
class from 8am-315pm
arrive home around 4pm
shower,get settled, and asleep by 5pm
up to get dressed for work by 730pm
work from 9pm-730am

So I get less than 3hrs of sleep.  This is why I complain about being sleep deprived all the time.  I know I make my own school schedule though, so this is my fault, but gosh I'm exhausted.  I have had even less sleep this working rotation though because I had to finish that giant research paper and study for a test.  I won't get any real sleep until Wednesday, and it cannot come soon enough.

I started this week out with the best of intentions.  This is the last week of Win, Lose, or Blog and I really wanted to give it my all.  I was planning to workout everyday and eat clean everyday, and pray for a nice loss.  At this point, I have forgotten about losing and I just hope not to gain lol!  So far I have not worked out this week (I just want to sleep), and my eating has been so so. 

I am sitting here at work typing and I'm thinking I really don't have much to say.  I just want to sleep lol!

Me at work.  I'm attempting to smile, but I think my eyes show that I'm tired.  I'm still amazed that I no longer have a double chin in pictures.  I think I have taken more pictures in the past 4 months than I have taken in the past 4 years.

  I would like to say thanks to all the people who gave me food advice when I asked about cheap healthy food items.  I got a ton of frozen veggies at the grocery store over the weekend.  It sounds silly, but before your advice I had never really thought about buying frozen veggies.  Now I'm wondering how I went without them lol!  I have literally used them everyday since I bought them.

Also, a blogger that I have followed for quite sometime (first on Sparkpeople and now on her own blog) will be on Dr. Oz this upcoming Friday, Nov. 18th.  She has lost 125 lbs and has kept it off for quite some time now.  She looks fantastic and I absolutely love her blogs.  So, check out Katie's Blog and tune in to Dr. Oz on Friday!

Jessie J - Domino

More Rambling...I'm Quite Good at Rambling lol

So....we lost.  6-9 in overtime.  The good news is that we are still #3, so there is a chance we can still go to the championship game!  No worries, I'm not going to go into a football rant lol!

For those who don't know, I am in Tuscaloosa, AL.  In April we were hit by a MONSTER tornado (stick with me...I promise I have a reason for mentioning this).  It destroyed a good bit of the city, including a place almost everyone here loves to eat at, Taco Casa. 

The top pic is before the tornado and the bottom pic is the exact same location afterwards.  If you look on the right side in the top pic you can see Taco Casa's building.  You can also see it's completely gone in the bottom pic.

Well, after 6 months they finally reopened their main building.  I HAD to go.  Well, it made me sick.  You see I have been eating better lately.  This is not the first time this has happened to me.  It happened with fried chicken a few weeks ago.  I'm not pleased at all it happened with one of my favorites places though.  I ordered a beef burrito and felt HORRIBLE after I ate it.  I thought I had a stomach virus or something, but it was just the grease I suppose.  I wonder if things would have gone better if I had ordered it with chicken instead.  I think I would cry if I could never eat at Taco Casa again.  I know each of you has to have some hometown favorite spot to eat.  So, on one hand I am glad to realize that I have made major changes to my nutrition.  On the other, I HAVE to find something I can eat there lol!

I weighed in and I'm not 100% pleased...maybe 85%.  I had gained about 4 lbs during TOM.  I lost 3 of that 4.  I know it could be worse.  So, I'm not complaining too much.  There are only 2 weeks left in WLB and I'm hoping to really make them count.  I had wanted to drop 10 lbs, but it does not look like that is going to happen.  That's alright though.  It was an ambitious goal for me to begin with knowing my average loss per week.  I can still come pretty close though.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for a workout today.  Well, I just lied.  I looked at my list of options from Sam and I just picked one. 
       
           (x2)
High Knees for 2 min
1 min Mountain Climbers
20 Thrusters 
20 Leg Lifts

Jumping Jacks for 2 min
30 sec Squats w/ Pulse
20 non-modified Pushups
20 Wall Balls

Jog in place for 2 min
15 Alligator Walk  (words cannot express how much I hate this exercise..it is absolutely the hardest thing Sam has ever made me do and definitely my least favorite)
1  min Burpees
20 Squats

I want to go to a zumba class today at 3:30, but we'll see.  I have a test tomorrow and a 16 page paper due next Monday.  Zumba will depend on how much progress I make on my school work.

Oh, I can't remember if I let you all know or not, but I finally had to give the Insanity dvds back last week.  I'm not happy about it.  I really liked them.  Plus, the co-worker has not used them at all.  He has not even attempted to use them.  Okay, okay...I realize they were never mine to begin with, and I sound like a pouting child, but I want them back haha!  I guess I'll either have to save to buy my own or put it on my Christmas list along with the new Zumba on Wii that comes out sometime this month.  According to my sister I need to put new clothes on my Christmas list, because I'm still wearing clothes that are too big and she declares that sometimes I look a "hot mess" lol! 

I almost forgot.  I received a Versatile Blogger award.  So I have to tell you 7 things about myself and give the award to 15 other bloggers.  At the moment, I'm not even sure I follow 15 active bloggers and I know a few of them have already done this.  Some of the links will not be "traditional" blogs.  A few are tumblr sites that I just really like to look at.

1. I bite my nails...not a good habit and I'm hoping to change this
2. I love really good hummus dip.  I mean REALLY love it.
3. I'm obsessed with Christmas.
4. I love scented candles.
5. I have cracked my sternum before...not a pleasant experience AT ALL
6. I hate to work out in front of people
7. I'm a sucker for Hallmark movies

Blogs:
Win, Lose, or Blog (motivation, weight loss, giveaways, competition, etc)
Fitness For the Rest of Us (weight loss, reviews, giveaways)
Avery and Winslow (crafting)
Runs for Cookies (maintaining weight loss, running)
Changing from Fat to Fit (running, weight loss, fitness, etc)
Gina's Skinny Recipes (recipes)
Carbie Girl (weight loss)
Endurance Isn't Only Physical (running)
Girl with Curves (fashion)
Millie's Blog (another client of Sam's) (weight loss, running, triathalons)
365 Weighs (she has not posted in awhile, but it's still good stuff)
Finding Myself While Losing Myself (weight loss)
Fat Girl in a Skinny World (weight loss)
Pril's Place (fashion)
Hourglass Red (weight loss)

There is also a giveaway going on for one more day at Changing from Fat to Fit, so stop by and enter.  Sorry for the super late notice.

I love this song when I'm jogging.
Janelle Monae - Tightrope

Nothing but Motivation

Today's blog is really for myself.  TOM has hit and I did have a monster gain and I'm in an ill mood overall about my weight loss.  So, to combat that I've decided to make myself a blog post that I can come back to whenever I need motivation.

First, let's look at what I've lost:
WHAT I'VE LOST (counting down from my heaviest..249)

1 pound = a Guinea Pig (DONE)
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts (DONE)
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs (DONE)
3 pounds = an average human brain (DONE)
4 pounds = an ostrich egg (DONE)
5 pounds = a Chihuahua (DONE)
6 pounds = a human’s skin (DONE)
7.5 pounds = an average newborn (DONE)
8 pounds = a human head (DONE)
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year (DONE)
11 pounds = an average housecat (DONE)
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle (DONE)
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs (DONE)
16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain (DONE)
20 pounds = an automobile tire (DONE)
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephant’s heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse

I've lost a tire and a rack of ribs (22 lbs...not including my TOM gain)!  That's no small feat!  Have you ever lifted a tire?  Now imagine having to carry it around everyday, all day.  How the heck did I do it? lol!  Anyway, I'm glad it's gone.

                            Taken from http://www.believe-toachieve.tumblr.com/

The thing about reaching your goal weight is that it’s 100% possible. It’s completely in your control. The only thing stopping you from getting there is you. So get out of the way.

The three above images and the quote were taken from http://www.byebyechubbydays.tumblr.com/

                                Taken from http://www.reasonstobefit.tumblr.com/

Taken from http://www.changingfromfattofit.blogspot.com/

 

I belong to a website called Sparkpeople.  The following are quotes I have seen on the pages of other Sparkers.

QUOTES FROM OTHER SPARKERS:
"Eat healthy foods, stop when you feel full, give yourself a treat now and again, stay hydrated, and ENJOY eating." - GAPINTHEVOID

"Running Shoes are Cheaper Than Insulin" - Anthony Reed (a book I read about on ABSOLUTZERO's page)

Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it. - ZIRCADIA

"Success is the result of what you do when the Whoo Hoo is all through." - ON2VICTORY

"You can't out exercise a bad diet" - Bill Phillips from an article sent by REEKU731

This reminds me of what I am capable of.

I know I have posted this picture before, but it reminds me of the changes I have made recently.

If this page is not enough motivation for me, then I don't know what will be.  I hope you all have a great day!  Oh, and if you're curious about what Sam looks like (since I've been chatting away about him for months) check out the previous blog post!

Lady Gaga - Poker Face

A Case of the Blahs

Tonight I'm feeling very blah.  I can tell TOM will arrive tomorrow.  This leads me to the subject of weigh-in.  I hate stepping on the scale when I'm bloated.  I know the number is up because I'm bloated, but that does not mean I have to like it.  It still disappoints me.  I always post a huge gain when I'm bloated....I'm talking 3-5 lbs. 

Enough period talk lol!  This morning I tried Insanity.  I don't own the dvds.  My coworker purchased them and when he watched it (he did not do it), he decided that he needed time to mentally prepare lol!  So, he told me I could borrow the set for a few days while he gets his mind right.  I LOVED it!  I had to stop for a few seconds a couple of times, but so did the people in the video; therefore, I did not feel bad at all about stopping.  It's definitely called Insanity for a reason.  I did a 40 min crazy cardio dvd and then 16 minutes of cardio abs (which was on the same dvd).  When I finished I was pumped and wanted to do more, but I decided not to push it.  Good thing I stopped, because I woke up sore (and not quite as in love with Insanity lol).  My thighs are not very happy with me right now.  I can completely see why people get results with this program.  I was sweating within 8 minutes, and that was still the so called warm up.  Maybe I'll get to keep it longer than expected while my co-workers mentally prepares.

Now it's time for my ode to Sam.  I had my last session with him on Friday.  It was bittersweet.  I'll probably end up going back to him in December or January, but it was really hard for me to accept that I won't be seeing him twice a week anytime soon.  He's going to write me out a program to follow while I'm away.  I feel that's really kind of him.  I know I don't NEED him, but he's wonderful.  I mean it.  I really cannot say enough about how great he is.  He is so supportive and pushes me out of my comfort zone, so that I can be my best.  His belief in me makes me feel I can do anything he asks me to do, and it makes me WANT to do it.  I thank him all the time and he always says there is no need to thank him, because I'm the one doing all the work.  He's freaking fantastic.  I wish I could wrap up mini Sams and send one to all of you.

Did I mention he's super cute? lol!  Anyway, I love Sam.  He's perfect and I'm going to miss him terribly.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams