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 :)

A Good Start

I actually started yesterday (April 20), weighed myself and started my workouts. The workout part was simple because I semi-regularly take my friend and co-worker's Reaction Cycling class on Tuesday mornings. I was already signed up for it (have to sign up early or you WON'T get a bike-it's that popular!)
I say it was simple, but it was not easy!!! 40 minutes of intense cardio, with Damon pushing us to do our best. We all know each other in the class and push each other, too.

I stupidly, going full on with the "diet plan" took a fat-burner before the class, too.

Tip: Fat-burners are stimulants! And they increase your heart rate! So if you take one before a cardio class, your heart rate can get uncomfortably high.

I had to stop several times to catch my breath.

Weight today: 174.8 lbs! (Wow, I've already lost .4 lbs!!!!) Of course I know that our weight fluctuates daily, but that drop is motivating, and I'm claiming it!!!

My workout today was just strength training. I did a total body workout, with supersets (two exercises for the same body part, back-to-back), and mini circuits.
Here's the basics:
2 leg exercises followed by 2 chest exercises, then repeat.
2 shoulder exercises followed by 2 back exercises and 1 abdominal exercise, then repeat.
2 triceps exercises followed by another abdominal exercise, then repeat.

EXERCISE OF THE DAY:
MODIFIED PLANKS
Hold a push-up position. That's it!
Be on your toes (no knees here!) Make sure your body is straight from your head to your toes (your behind isn't lifted). Make sure your hands are directly underneath your shoulders.
Keep your abdominal muscles drawn in and tight, and tighten up your legs as well (especially the quadriceps.) And KEEP BREATHING!
Hold for up to 30 seconds. Rest and repeat.
This is great for the ABs, the back, and the shoulders.

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.....