Weight Loss

AB Challenge Day 4

I did work my Abs yesterday, an easier workout because I ran out of time :-) So, I did 3 sets of 12 crunches with my knees bent and feet up on the couch. Then I did 2 sets of roll-downs. Sitting on the floor, with my legs bent in front of me rolled down slowly. My abs aren't strong enough to let me roll very far, so I put my hands out in front of me for a counter weight. (If you want to do these, make sure you keep your feet on the floor, and you only go down to the point you can get yourself up again.)

Today, my brother and I went for a short walk, then I did my workout:
2 sets of 12 kettlebell swings
3 sets of V-sits
Then I did a little rehab for my shoulder, which has been really bothering me lately.

I also weighed myself today - yikes! It's actually not as bad as I expected, but still, bad. Today I weighed 185 lbs.

I started in July 10 at 194 lbs. I got down to 182 lbs by the end of August. That's 12 lbs in about 7 weeks.That's a lot. And that was part of the problem before. I lost it fast and extreme. But I wasn't committed to a long-term program. So, when everything fell apart is September, I stopped. And surprisingly enough, only gained 3 lbs. But, I'm sure (and I can tell by how I squishy I feel) I lost muscle and gained more than 3 lbs of fat.

But the wonderful thing is we get to start over every day. Today is another day, and tomorrow is as well.

Debby

ABs

30 Day AB Challenge, Day 2
So far, so good!
I did my AB workout yesterday, and, as small as it was, I am a little sore (yeah!)
This morning, I looked at a couple of the abdominal workouts I'd pinned from Pinterest. They are way too advanced for me right now. One of the workouts I looked at "7 moves for 6-pack abs in 30 days" most of the moves looked so difficult, I don't think I could do any of them without using poor form and hurting myself. (And no, carrying an extra 50 punds, I don't expect to get 6 pack abs any time soon). But that's OK, because now I know where to go for some more advanced moves as I get stronger!

So, here is the workout I did:
modified mountain climbers, 10 reps
seated leg lifts, 10 reps
Repeat

Here are the exercises:
Mountain Climbers
Start in a push-up position, hands shoulder-width apart, and toes on the ground. Slowly drive one knee to the chest and back down, alternating legs. Maintain a straight back throughout the exercise. To modify to make it easier (this is what I did), elevate your hands, so your body is at an angle. To make the move more challenging, speed up the leg movement, so you're "running in place".

Seated leg lifts
Sit on the edge of a step or bench. Trying to keep your back upright (don't lean back too much), lift your knees up as high as you can. Keep both feet and knees together. You can hang on to the edge of the bench if you need to. Make sure your abdominal muscles are drawn in throughout the exercise, so you're working your transverse abdominus.

Debby
 All things are difficult before they are easy                Thomas Fuller

Wake Up Sad

My first thought upon awakening this morning was Speck, and loss. Then, when I actually sat up, I automatically looked for her... damn.

Yesterday, I moved through the morning, doing what needed to be done. Then basically did nothing else all day (laundry, Pinterest, tried to watch TV).

So, I need to stay busy. Occupy my mind. And since my other first thought this morning was awareness of my rolls of fat, that seems like a good occupation. I can take today to plan my workout program.

I started well. I thought, let me get going on my 30 day AB challenge, then I'll write in my blog that I've already done my workout today. So far, so good. Except when it came to writing, my post turned into an epic about the loss of Speck. (See previous post).

But I started the day with my 30 day AB challenge! I did 2 sets of 10 crunches on the Dyna-disc (WAY harder than I expected, so that's all I could do). And 2 sets of planks (again, all I could do, because they hurt my shoulder a little.)

I also drank my green shake again (and I found out that if you add too much spinach, you can taste it).

So, I'm off to a good start.

Debby

There is no failure except no longer trying.                         Elbert Hubbard

Trying

I think that one of the hardest things to do in life is to keep trying after failing and failing. How do you convince yourself that this time is going to be different. This time I'm going to make it work.

This is what I'm struggling with this week.
I know that everyone makes New Year's resolutions. And everyone breaks them.
But, after a series of failures and a bout of depression and severe financial difficulty, I am determined to re-start my life.
The tricky part is to quiet the voices in my head saying "you've tried before and failed". So, I don't do anything. The fear of failure is sometimes overwhelming.
My hope is that through thorough planning, I'll develop a strategy that will be "fail-safe". At the very least, a complete plan will make me know what step to take next, even if it's a small step, and even if I don't feel like doing it.

My goal of losing weight is one of the things I'm struggling with. I lost a lot of weight in the summer. Then, some things happened, so I gave it all up. I fell and injured my foot, then about 3 days later I got sick. Neither event was that big a deal, but I had to take time off. Then, I was disappointed in a relationship. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I never got back to working out consistently, and my diet fell apart. And I gained the weight back.

So, now, how can I start again? I don't want to start and stop. So, I wait until I'm sure I'm ready. And, I realized that I was losing the weight before to please someone else. That never works, especially when the someone stops being part of your life.
 And because of my desire to be a trainer again, my weight loss and getting in shape is tied to that. This causes another couple of layers of fear. As much as I want my old life back (only better), there is fear of putting myself out there again. And fear of failure. And as long as I am heavy, I know I can't be a trainer, so I don't have to try.


(I also know that staring a new routine, exercise or otherwise is a stressor. And adding a stressor, when one is already stressed, is a recipe for failure. So, as long as Speck is sick, I am not going to take too much on. I will keep going, but I do not have the energy to go all-out about anything).

I do know one thing though, status quo isn't going to work anymore. I have to change something. And weight and fitness is one thing that's very controllable. (I may not be able to dictate exactly the amount of weight I lose, and how fast, I can control my exercise and my diet).


So, here I am. Trying.

Tomorrow I will start a 30 day AB challenge. That means I will exercise my abdominal muscles every day for 30 days. (There are a lot of 30 day challenges on Pinterest, and that's where I got the idea. It makes it more fun, like a game.)
Tomorrow's workout:
crunches on the Dyna-disc - 2 sets of 15
plank position - 3 times, hold as long a possible.

See you tomorrow,
Debby


You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.                 Margaret Thatcher

Another Day

I weighed myself just now...185.6. I hope that's monthly bloating, and I didn't do that much damage last week. Even so, It's kind of discouraging, because I worked out on Monday and ate well yesterday (except I didn't eat frequently enough).

But then I "listen' to what I just wrote, and think, what if a client said that to you? I'd say just give it a little time. Consistency is what brings the long-term results. Not semi-gung-ho efforts for two days.

I also spent the entire day at the computer yesterday, trying to get my facebook page for my boot camp set up. I think I kind of did it, but I can't find it. I'm not very good at computer-stuff. It boggles my mind. I have to take breaks and tell myself I'm not stupid, and if other people can figure out how to make these things work, so can I. (Then I look at the help discussion forum on facebook, and realize there are a lot of other people that don't find this easy.)

Anyway, I'm not too discouraged, just determined, now.
And today's another day...

"This is your life... treat yourself right... treat others right... live like you know you should."
(The Newsboys)

Debby

Waning motivation

It's funny how I can be all gung-ho one day, then kind of lose my drive the next. The weight is down-183.4 (-1.6#). Yeah! But my eating this week hasn't been good.
It's been very hot here in So Cal. And I don't have an air-conditioner. So, by late afternoon, even with the fans on, it's too hot to cook, or to even think about it. So off I go to: Wed it was McD because I was craving a frappe. And yesterday it was Carl's Jr/Green burrito, because it's cheap.
But why, why why do I do this to sabotage myself?
1. no chicken cooked
2. no meal plans set up, so I have to think of something when I'm "starving"
3. letting myself get to the point of "starving"

Here we go again...

I'm back! I know I said that a few months ago, but, hey, life happens.

I am more determined than ever to lose this extra weight that I've gained over the past few years.

I got off my medication in June, but it took a while to get off, then took a while to re-adjust to normal human emotions. (I'd been on an anti-depressant for about 18 months).

I weighed myself on Sunday, and I was up to 185 lbs! Immediately the program begins...

I actually had started working out with weights last week, but now, I'm planning every workout and scheduling the time to workout as well.

So far, so good. I worked out with D on Sunday. Then took Monday off. Yesterday I worked out with Cat. And this morning I took a kwando class. (Well, half a kwando class. But considering I felt like leaving after 5 minutes, I think I did OK by hanging in there for a half hour.)

My diet's been kind of all over the place. Holiday weekend, and I spent time with my brother and my sister-in-law, and her sister's family. That meant eating out. But I tried to keep my portions small. (Leftovers!) And I made a specific decision not to drink any calories.

Speaking of drinking calories, I have cut down on my frappes as well. And when I have one, I usually get a medium instead of a large. I haven't had any soda-of any kind- since Feb. 2009. I stopped because I was kind of addicted. And they're SO BAD for you. Not just the sugar. But the carbonation-phosphorus- can cause acidity in the body, which the body tries to neutralize with Calcium....from your bones. Not a good thing.

Have a great Day!

Deliberate Denial, part 2

Sat. 4/2
179.6 lbs.
This exercise in structured denial is hard. I'm hungry. My head hurts. This morning, not eating for three hours after I woke up, wasn't too bad. It took some self-talk...this is stupid, what's it for, I'm not going to die.
Trust your therapist, this is why Mr. Olive gets paid the big bucks.

It got harder as the day went on. At 8 pm I said forget it, I'm starving, I feel funky, I'm eating. But then I remembered why I was doing this. Self denial, self discipline. Learn to say no to "I want it, I'm getting it."
So I waited, until 9. So yeah! I did it.

Dj

Diet Failure, part 2

After I weighed myself, and saw that I'd gained all my weight back, I got right back on the diet. I also was determined to weigh myself every day, not just when I'd done well.
So, I ate well...salads, green beans, chicken, eggs, and chili that I made last week. And I lost a little weight, slowly, but surely.

Then, on Wednesday evening, I was tired, hungry, driving home from training my clients, and HAD TO go to Taco Bell on the way home. I didn't have any chicken cooked, I'd run out of lettuce, I didn't want to take the time...all kinds of ways of saying "I want it, I'm gonna get it". (And Taco Bell because it's cheaper. But it's not cheaper if you buy four things, and a Frutista). At least this time, it wasn't a three day binge, like last week.

So, up goes the weight again. From 180 to 180.8 lbs. But I had my therapy session on Thursday. More on that later.

Dj

Ounce by Ounce

Well, I'm down to 180 pounds, WHOOO-HOO!!! That means I've lost 1.2 pounds since Friday. Will that pace get me to my goal by two weeks? 1.2 lbs, in four days is an average loss of .3 lbs per day. .3lbs times 14 days is only 4.2 lbs-Nope, not enough. But hopefully, my slow start held me back and now I'm on a better pace.

I've been eating pretty well, very strictly since Sunday-that's two whole days!

I am avoiding temptations, or trying to. My clients canceled last night, but I needed to put a check in the bank. The bank is not near me at all, so I'd have to drive across town to get to it. And the closest, most convenient branch is inside a grocery store. So, I decided it would be better if I just left the check for another day. Too "dangerous" to go in the evening. I'd pass by my favorite McDonald's (yes, they're different, and yes I have a favorite). I'd pass by the wonderful Carl's Jr/Green Burrito that gave me so much trouble on Friday. So, I stayed home, studied customer service for my job, and ate eggs and strawberries and milk for dinner (meal # 4), and was perfectly satisfied.

Lead us not into temptation...

Temptation is a funny thing. Every day, as I leave work at 4-ish, I'm peckish, not super hungry, but I still want to go to the McDonald's on the way home. (In case you haven't figured it out, I love McDonald's. I'm actually one of those freaks who loves fast food in general.) It's very tempting to just hit that McD as I drive by it. But, I'm telling myself, "that's not going to get you to your goal. And once you put food in your stomach, you won't care. You'll be full and satisfied. (And you don't need to spend the money anyway)."

And so far, I've been listening.
Minute by Minute, Ounce by Ounce.

Dj

Down a Little

Weight today is 180.8, so I'm down .4 pounds. that's not bad, considering I weighed myself on Thursday, then Friday I had a complete "pig-out" day. Quesadillas, burritos, and enchiladas (yum).

Yesterday I ate very sparingly, because I had my birthday dinner last night, at the Roadhouse Grill. I didn't do too badly, except I was really hungry, so I don't know how many peanuts I ate. (This is a place where they give you a bucket of unshelled peanuts and then you throw the shells on the floor.) Then, because we were celebrating my birthday, my friends got them to bring me free dessert (and embarrassment. You know- all the waiters come over, making a big racket- they put a toilet seat cover necklace on me, and a coffee filter hat, and bring me a dessert.) And I had a LOT of strawberry lemonade.

So, losing .4 pounds isn't bad, under the circumstances.

Starting over

Well, it's been a rough year, but I'm back. Surprisingly, only 5 pounds heavier than my last post, almost a year ago.

I finally feel like I have the energy to deal with this aspect of my life. But I'm not planning on planning any super-aggressive workout program. I'm just going to focus right now on total-body workouts, three days a week. These will gradually become circuit workouts. And then I will add more cardio.

I'm not quite ready to commit LARGE portions of time to losing weight.

I have recently started another business, Right Moves Fitness, with three separate aspects:
A website which is going to be devoted to teaching and selling online personal training, along with a separate blog for that; a boot camp with my friend Priscilla; and one-on-one personal training again. (I had stopped for a few months-like I said, it's been a rough year.)

I also started another blog last week, Moods and Whimsy, that's more personal, more opinion, more my observations of the world.

All of this, in addition to my other business, Brown Iris Creations, and my full time job as retail lead at Bally Total Fitness.

Oh, yeah, and I want to write a book, which is constantly writing itself in my head.

Soooo, losing weight isn't my first priority.

And, because I'm not completely committed, I'm getting help this time. Not from a trainer, but I'm being accountable to someone. I heard about this idea on a talk show, about making yourself accountable to someone else for your actions, and having consequences if you don't fulfill your side of the agreement.

I made an agreement with a friend of mine that I will lose 5 lbs in two weeks (starting yesterday). If I don't I have to pay him $20. The money works as a good motivator, because I don't have it, and he wants it. He also wants me to lose weight. And he's blunt, and frank with me. So, he'll demand the payment and won't be too nice about it.

It'll keep me on track. and honestly, as heavy as I am right now, I don't think I'll have to work too hard to lose that first 5 pounds. If I just watch my diet, and stop eating the constant fast food that I've been eating lately, I can do it.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought salad green and a big bag of green beans. I already have chicken, and cod, and salmon. I didn't buy bread or tortillas (ouch!), but if I don't have them, I can't eat them. And the weight will come off faster with a high protein, low carb diet. So here I go again :)

Goal Setting

The problem with setting goals is they're supposed to be SMART! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and within a certain Time. And the problem with setting weight loss goals is that in order to make them specific and measurable...etc., I'll have to get a starting point. THAT MEANS WEIGHING MYSELF! Which I've been avoiding for some time.

I know I'm bigger. I know my clothes don't fit. And I had to go Buy black pants two weeks ago to wear to my Gramma's memorial service. I know that my legs are looking kind of flabby.

But I'm still reluctant to look at the scale. I know I'm heavier than I have ever been.
But here goes...
My weight is 175.2 pounds and my Body Fat is 41.7%. (That was yesterday).
Yikes! It's higher than I thought.

But now I can make some goals.
I will lose 3 lbs by April 30.
Then 10 lbs in May.
Then another 2 by June 7, when I'm going to see U2!!! (My goal is to wear my black jeans, which I haven't worn in about 8 months).
So total weight loss from now until June 7 is 15 lbs.
That's a SMART goal.

Of course, weight isn't the only indicator of health or fitness, so it's not my only goal.
Also, by June 7, I will be down to 38% body fat.
And be able to run (jog, really) 2 miles. (That one is pretty aggressive for me, running is VERY hard for me, but I like being able to do it.)

Down To Me

It's all down to me.
There's a lot in my life I can't control...I can bead all day, and list all day, but may not sell anything for weeks; I can be at the gym all day, but may not set appointments; I can train all day, but may not sell any packages.

My health, my fitness, my weight, is something I can control.

And my goal is to get back DOWN TO ME. Back to a normal weight for me. Back to normal eating habits. Back to ME.

I am a personal trainer. I was in great shape a few short years ago. I got a little more busy, a little more lazy, and in the past year, a lot more depressed. Well, I'm on anti-depressants now, and talking to a counselor, so I'm actually starting to care about my weight again. So, with the counselor's ok, I'm setting goals.

First of all, be aware that when I say weight, I don't necessarily mean scale weight. I will be tracking that because it's easy, but I'll also be looking at body fat (I'll be using a scale that I have, which I know isn't accurate, but it'll give me numbers relative to my starting numbers). I'll also track my measurements (not sure I'll be sharing those, however:)

But you don't want to just hear about me. I am a trainer, after all. I am going to share the programs I use, the supplements and strategies, the successes and failures, the workouts. And I'll share tips and nutrition info too.

So here we go.....