still living

I haven't been very dedicated to my healthier lifestyle lately. I'm working on getting back on track-- AGAIN.
That's the great thing about lifestyle changes. You have to hop back on track over and over again because you realize you've been just messing up way too much.

The 4th of July was great. We had a family reunion and a lot of food. BUT (be warned, here's my excuse) Logan wouldn't let me eat as soon as we got there, which we were very late. By the time I was able to eat all the meat was gone....I couldn't believe it, just GONE. I did have some good salads and there was mac&cheese but not really anything great on the health food front. The desserts were TO DIE FOR!!! This family really loves to bake!!!! Yep I had my share, for about a month all in one day. I did drink water though lol.

I didn't get my camping or my hiking done over the weekend. I sat on my butt in a car for a good portion of it. I actually got a pinched nerve in my hip which shot pain down to my ankle from sitting wrong in the car. I was a real whiney baby!!!

Today I did C25K week 5 day 1 pushing a stroller. I took the little one I watch and we went running while my own little one slept and Dave was still home to watch him. It felt good to get out. I got my new MP3 player yesterday and just had to use it. I love the C25K podcast!!!! I've got all of them on there though might remove weeks 1-4 as I know I won't need them and if I do need them in the future I can just download them again. I'll be getting my new running shoes any day now!!! I really need them tomorrow so I can run with them on thursday. Saturday will be a 20 minute run and I want to have another short run with the new shoes before then. I just may do my 20 min's in my current shoes though my right foot was hurting today because I know my shoes are just worn right out. My other shoes are newer but they hurt my feet just to walk in them so I can't use them for running at all.

I did chalean extreme last night. I haven't done it in quite a while and I really need to keep myself doing it. I do like the program but I've been just slipping a lot over the past month or so with my exercise. Yes I still do a lot more than I did before I started this lifestyle but not doing as much as I feel I should. I don't think at least 30 minutes a day 6 days a week is too much for me. I should be able to commit to at least that.

I am getting better at making healthy choices with food. I still love my sugar but I know how to say no to it now without going through severe withdrawal. As long as I keep myself pumped up on fruits and veggies my sugar cravings are ok.

My weight went back up to 112 but I refuse to move my tracker back in that direction. I will lose that 2 pounds again this week!!! Gotta love the fresh veggies coming out of gardens now. I have tons of cukes that need eating, I have to peel them because the peels are BITTER. I usually like to keep the peel on because my mom always taught me that the peel was the healthiest part of a fruit or veggie....wonder how true that is???? any input???

My step kids are all moved to Atlanta. That was a stressful move for everyone. I'm glad their mom isn't so close anymore but I will certainly miss the kids. We have to figure out our visitation and all that fun stuff as time goes on. I know she wants their dad out of their lives but that just isn't gonna happen. She wants his money but not his presence...I feel she should be grateful that he loves his kids and wants to be an integral part of their lives. He doesn't complain about giving her money, and gives her extra each month (which I disagree with). I feel he gets taken advantage of all in the name of guilt for not being there for his youngsters. I really am torn being the step-mom. I try to let them raise their kids their way and I try to support him through all his "helping" her out but I don't like letting him get walked all over too. Whenever I say something he takes it as me not wanting him to support his kids. Which I DO want him to support his kids, I DON'T want him to support his x-wife. There is a difference!!! and that's why there is child support. He pays generously so why does he have to fix her car, or provide ALL their transportation, or fix her furnace etc..... ok I'm done on that note for now. Just had to write it down and get some of it out.

My First Race

I feel rather silly calling it a race, I guess it's a run, because time was of no value for me on it. I didn't even look at the counter when I came in. I actually didn't even think of it until quite a while afterwards when I was walking around and I saw it then I thought "Oh I wonder how long it took me".

The Freedom Run: 2 miles, not even a 5K yet. I did have to walk some but I ran most of it. I walked for maybe 4 minutes. My legs were aching and the sun got super hot towards the end of the run. It started at 8:05am for us 2 mile runners and I wished it started earlier, just to beat the heat. We reached a turn around point and I got elated thinking "Ah yes!!! half way!!!" Just the thought of being half way done energized me. Then they turned us down a side street a little ways down and there was the water station. OOOO the fun of trying to grab a little plastic cup of water while jogging. I do want to thank everyone who has ever worked a race event..You are true godsends!! Anyways, I took my cup of water and tried to take a sip, yep....drinking it wasn't happening. I poured it over my head and wet my hair down and cooled off. The water felt wonderful as I lifted my hair and rubbed it on my neck. And the run itself got cooler as the water started to dry on my skin. Keep running...ooh there's a corner, AND A HILL, all at the same time, ugh that was tough but I kept up the run and slowed the pace (I was going walking speed). I didn't want to stop running for anything though. Made it over the hill which was quite small and there was shade. Then suddenly the trees stopped and it was all sun. The sun about killed me. There was no more shade until the end and I just couldn't keep up the run, I had to walk. I didn't time myself but I'm sure it wasn't more than 1-2 minutes then I started running again. That burst spent, I had to walk again, this time was a shorter walk as I was able to catch my breath quicker and I heard someone tell her son how close we were to the finish line. I started to jog again and sure enough, turn the last bend and ooooh the beauty of the finish line!!! And the people, I can already hear them clapping and cheering. That really did give a burst of energy which I was hoping for. I was able to run the rest of the way.

I got my water and started my walking cool down as looking around. Chandra whom I just met at this event and ran most of the way with just crossed the finish line herself and I went over and gave her a congratulatory hug. We got our pictures taken and she had to go home and I grabbed a banana while waiting for my other sparkbuddies to cross the finish line.
There was one sparkbuddy that I missed but I'm sure she was there. She was the only one I knew of who was participating in the 10K, the rest of us did the 2 mile run.

As I was leaving they started the tots-run. NOW THAT WAS JUST TOO CUTE!!!
One daddy was holding his little boys hand while another 10K friend or relative was running beside him. The poor little boy was crying, the run was so tough... I clapped and cheered him on, he made it and it was so fun to see the youngest participants cross the finish. They ranged from 2 yrs up to maybe 5, they were all so little.

And yes I did lose my car, took me forever to find where I had parked and get myself home to report to all my online friends.

walking

well I burnt out pretty bad about 2 weeks ago.
I didn't exercise at all for about 3-4 days and when I did pick it back up I didn't do shred and chalean like I was doing prior.

I started "Walk away the pounds"
I actually find this rather fun, maybe it's because I'm old lol.
I love the simplicity and it makes me sweat.
Though I've learned that you can sweat doing anything aerobic as long as you really work yourself. Those people that say they don't like a video because "it didn't work me hard enough" or "it was just too easy" aren't pushing themselves. It's not the videos fault that they were slacking.

My diet....LOL
there are some things in this world that we are meant to work long and hard on!!!
For me it's staying away from processed foods and sweets. I don't do so well at it, it's a conscious effort all the time, but hey....I do pretty good....considering.
I made a cake and ate only 2 pieces...a piece a day for the two days it was here lol.
We have blueberry newtons on the table and I haven't touched any today. It's calling my name but I keep reaching for my water instead.

I did drink at least 10 glasses of water today. 8 glasses a day isn't even an issue anymore!! I love my water.

Today I decided not to do my videos at all though. I did 15 minutes on the stationary bike and I mowed half of my lawn. I probably should have completed it but a room mate came out and offered to finish it for me and I handed it on over to 'im. BUT.... I haven't mowed in the past 5 years at least so that was something hehe.

One month Ago:
Weight: 113
Waist: 30
hips: 35
chest: 36
thigh: 18
upper arm: 11

Today:
Weight: 110
Waist: 30.5
Hips: 34.5
Chest: 35
Thigh: 18
Upper Arm: 10.5

OK some changes
I hate recording a larger waist....What the crap is up with that. My body hates me.
I don't need scrawny arms.
great on the 3 lbs but it appears I lost it on the boobs and a tiny bit of my hips.
I definitely don't have a curvy body anyways, and the smaller hips makes me more board like without the smaller waist to go with them.....grrrr....
I lost a total of 1.5 inches since starting Chalene.
It looks good when I say it that way though when oooooh when will my belly flab start to move???!!!

nothing new

I haven't been blogging lately because I have nothing to report.
Measurements remain the same, weight remains the same.
I keep exercising. I'm doing ChaLEAN Extreme and Shred now.
I'm eating fairly good.
Keeping up all these good habits I began and am so frustrated that my body isn't shaping up like it should be.
I feel stronger, I can feel more muscle definition, I know there are changes going on but c'mon can't a girl get a little gratification from her hard work???

Chalean

I had to re-start my ChaLEAN EXTREME program because of traveling then getting sick. I'm glad I didn't try to work through the sickness because this work out is KICK ASS.
I'm sweating so bad after day #2.
I'm still doing my bootcamp so don't have any real rest days. I'm trying real hard to work the two programs together and not really over work myself.

I'm a bit frustrated though because I have stopped losing inches in my waist. The last inch I lost was in my hips about 6 weeks ago. I've been working so hard on this exercise hoping it would make my measurements change. I read so many posts of people being frustrated with the scale but getting results with the tape measure. I'm the opposite and I so want the tape measure results!!!
I don't care if I don't lose another pound if I can lose 4 more inches in my waist bringing me down to 26.

I do feel better now than I have in a long LONG time and I do credit this to my exercising. I think I truly do feel younger!!

personal plan continued

Today I'm addressing food.
What exactly do I eat to lose weight?
First some background:

I started with Atkins about 10 years ago. I did the induction diet which only allowed about 20 carbohydrates a day to put you in ketosis for 2 weeks, then you gradually increase your carbs. I went hard core and would make sure I got LESS than the 20 carbs every day. I didn't eat many vegetables and got this basically through eating only meat, cheese, and eggs. I got bored with the diet and went off it but didn't change my personal eating habits. Whenever I started gaining too much weight I would go low carb again for a few days. I have since learned that was a real dumb way to try to lose weight.

Fast forward about 7 years:
I'm unexpectedly pregnant at 39. Now I'm eating for 2 again and actually enjoy not having to worry about my weight gain. Get to my third trimester and they have this awful test for gestational diabetes...you have to drink this sickly they say it's sweet but it just gags me orange drink. The nurse is actually concerned that I will puke as I attempt to swallow this stuff. I don't get sick and I sit around and wait for them to draw the blood....I failed the test but just barely....I have to go back and do it AGAIN for a 3 hour test.
OMG the horror. I went back, drank the stuff and failed again. I have gestational diabetes and they set me up to go to a nutrition class. At the time I was heart broken and felt like I was failing this little life within me. My poor husband didn't understand what the big deal was but all I could do was cry, I was crushed.
The nutritionist told us to eat "carb smart" we were to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks every day. The 3 meals were to have 30 carbs each and the snacks were to have 15 carbs each. I was so glad for my atkins background where I had a good idea of what foods had what carbs in them (except for veggies and fruits, I had ignored them before). I was working about 60 hrs a week at cook out as a manager. HOW does one eat healthy at Cook-out????? I didn't but I tried. They ended up putting me on insulin for the end of my pregnancy and I was going to the dr twice a week, once for a stress type test where they hooked me up to monitors and once for my regular appointment.

Now to today: My husband kept trying to gently tell me "honey you are getting fat"
OK he may not have chose those terms...I did.
He did say I needed to get into shape. He was trying to get me to exercise because I avoided it like the plague.
The day after christmas is the day I began this blog so won't go big on that, You can easily just read my first post and follow from there.

Between having used Atkins in the past and the nutritionists recommendations during pregnancy I gained the tools I needed for todays diet. I bought "The Insulin Resistance Diet Plan" book and started reading and taking notes in my head. I started researching online and then it really clicked. I NEED VEGGIES.
I started eating fresh or frozen veggies and unprocessed meats.
I started eating oatmeal for breakfast.
I started eating a salad with hard boiled egg and tuna on it several times a week.
Now that is the core of my "Diet"
Oatmeal for breakfast with maybe an apple or banana if I'm still hungry.
A salad with light italian dressing and plenty of protein for lunch or dinner.
A huge bowl of veggies (favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, or a mix) with diced chicken on top and smothered with melted sharp cheese.

I hate to cook so I don't eat a huge variety. For those of you who love to cook. Just shop around the edges of the grocery store (this is where all the unprocessed foods are), and go to town. No limits on fruits and veggies. Only lean beef, though personally I don't care much for beef, chicken breast, fish (canned tuna is good), and dairy. With dairy I like to go with skim milk but I don't go low fat on anything else. I just prefer whole flavor better.
And of course watch snacking. I love sugary snacks. Many people love the salty snacks. Just cut these down until you are eating them in "moderation". The key is not to deprive yourself but to teach yourself what moderation really is. I try to now eat only 3 sweets a week, rather than 3 a day like in the past.

I forgot to address potatos, corn, and peas: These I do not consider veggies but rather starches. They also need to be eaten in moderation. I don't eat much potato any more. The others I put in my soups but don't eat them regularly either. I say treat these ones exactly like you do snacks. Only eat them maybe 3 times a week rather than every day, and make them small portions, not a main part of your meals. This may be hard to do for the "meat and potatoes" type people.

overview of my personal weight loss plan

Change your mindset....you aren't on a DIET. "Diet" is a nasty four letter word that should leave your vocabulary. You want to change your lifestyle....why?????
Because your current lifestyle is the reason you put on the weight to begin with and you really don't want to enter a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Your body really hates that and is worth better.

First you need to make small changes for yourself.
1) Drink 64 oz of water every single day (many have to work up to this but it's easy once you start)

2) Get 8 hrs sleep every night. Yes this one is very hard for busy people but really work on accomplishing this. Your body metabolizes differently at night and that's when the most weight loss happens...have you ever noticed that you are lighter first thing in the morning than later in the day? Go to bed early if you have to. I go to bed with my son every night to assure myself 8 hours.

3) cut out soft drinks...if you drink regular go to diet then even cut that out. Diet drinks can cause cravings that are real hard to ignore.

4) Don't cut out snacks right away.....Reduce them instead. Take a look at your current habits. How much sweet do you really eat? How much salt do you really eat? cut these in half for 1 week....then cut them in half again the next week until you are happy with where you stand with your snacks.

5) make a plan!!! What will you do when you feel that you "blew it", "fell off the wagon", or otherwise go off your new lifestyle. Be guaranteed......it will happen. Be sure you don't allow yourself to go on an all out binge! Enjoy what it is that took you off your plan then tell yourself that ok, now you're back at it. NO WASTING AN ENTIRE DAY!!

6) Don't neglect physical activity. Yep EXERCISE!!! That used to be a nasty word to me also but I have grown to truly love exercise (If you don't believe me read my first blog here, I try to portray my loathing of exercise). I started with 20 minutes a day every single day. I didn't want to take a day off because I knew it would be harder for me to do it the following day. I started with Richard Simmons Sweatin To The Oldies DVD's. I love the first one best!!! I have since moved up to 30 minutes of cardio every day and I'm working on my strength training plan. I will soon be restarting the ChaLEAN program which has strength training 3 days and 1 endurance day along with cardio, core, and flexibility training.

Start small but not too small. Be sure that your activity does raise your heartrate, make yourself pant some. I love DVD's, some people love the gym...others love outdoor activities, Find something YOU love.

lastly, don't be afraid to look for support.
diaperswappers and sparkpeople are my best support systems. when I get bored and want to binge i read blogs on sparkpeople or diaperswappers weight loss message boards to post and read.

Burn 2

Well I felt much better about using the resistance bands today. I did each exercise using the tutorial DVD first. I made it through Burn 2 today and boy can I feel my muscles. I'm using the lightest resistance band for all the exercises as I get used to the program and as I get used to using bands. I know I will only improve from here. I don't think I'll get the full benefits of the work-out this first time around but that's ok. I'll just have to go a second round to improve even more. This is a lifetime change so I don't have to worry about getting everything perfect right from the start, though that goes against my personality lol.

I started the sparkpeople sweatsuit to swimsuit bootcamp challenge yesterday as well. It is also using the resistance bands so that's giving me even more practice with the bands. Today's work-out was to work the lower body and to do 30 minutes of cardio. I broke up this work-out throughout the early part of the day. I did the cardio in 10 minute intervals and the lower body work out was only 8 minutes.

Tomorrow is going to be upper body with the ss bootcamp challenge and a cardio with the CLX program. I'll be able to use the CLX cardio to count for the cardio on the bootcamp as well. I hope my upper body isn't too worn out and it doesn't hurt me doing that right after Burn 2, but I really want to keep up with both programs. I think I'm going to watch the video for the bootcamp now. Maybe I can do that early and just concentrate on cardio tomorrow.

CLX day 1

Well I did my first day of CLX (Chalean extreme) and felt completely inadequate. Not because the weight was too heavy or anything but because I'm very unfamiliar with using bands. I love working with my free weights and tried to save some money by getting bands instead. I really need to do the DVD with the bands again. I was hoping that following the one woman with the bands would be enough for me but they just don't put the camera on her enough for me to actually follow her. I sure hope this learning curve doesn't take too long because I feel that it is detracting from my actual work out.

I did take before pictures. I did not torture myself through all 10 that they advise. 3 was enough for me. I just imagine that I already lost 5 inches in my waist and still my belly looks sooooo hmmmm, not where I want it to be. I'm trying to be nice to myself here. I took the pictures in my swim suit and those things just don't hide any flaws. I hope I'll be able to share the before pictures when I'm completed with the program and my after pictures show a fabulous finish.

I'm spending a portion of today trying to learn how to use the bands. I think I'm going to do shred level 1 using the bands. Mostly because A) I need some cardio and B) I am very familiar with the shred program.