Debi's Transformation

No longer

2010-08-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you following Debi's Transformation blog, I will be disabling it on Aug 17th. You can follow my fitness blogs at www.evolutionfitnessny.net.

Hope to see you there

Weekend report & Bikini ready program

2010-04-05T13:04:00.001-07:00

First I want to thank all of my SP friends for your constant support - you are all GREAT!!! 247

Saturday morning I got up, weighed in and started my journal. I counted my points all weekend & stuck to my daily allowance! We even ventured to my dad's house Saturday night for the holiday & Sunday morning he made pancakes -- well I asked if he had oatmeal for me instead -- YUP I had my oats!!! So overall I did GREAT this weekend!

Today I started the Bikini ready in 4 weeks ST program in the latest issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers -- it is a great ST program. While I know I will not be bikini material (EVER), it is a great program to work hard for the next 4 weeks & really kick this into gear!

Today I have found that I'm itching to snack -- looking for whatever junk food I can put into my mouth - even all this Easter candy. BUT I'm not doing it! The culprit is TOM -- gotta love being a woman! 211

Here's to a great rest of the day!!!!!

My slap came....

2010-04-02T15:09:00.001-07:00

I decided to see how bad things have really been and get out the shorts ~ WOW what a slap in the face I just had. I can't blame anyone but myself for this. I did it all, I let myself go, I let myself not be consistent! And WHY? Who knows. And maybe I was just too embarrassed to face the reality. Then I grabbed out my WW weight tracker book and had to take a look at the numbers from the past.

From May 2008 to May 2009 I gained 9.2lbs.

From May 2009 to today I gained 7.9lbs.

Why? NOT BEING CONSISTENT!

When I first started on my weight loss journey in December 2006, I vowed that once I lost all the weight I would not fall off the wagon and regain any "chunk" of weight back. Yup just failed myself there!

So I'll have my little upset, sad, discouraged, crying fit tonight and start back on the basics tomorrow! I am going to re-join WW and go to the meetings again. Counting points is what did it the first time for me, I need to do it again. But it is going to be more about healthy foods & not the processed little snacks that they try to incorporate. I will keep WW points & clean eating together.

I will do this & prove to myself that I can do it again! BUT I need the all the support from my wonderful SP friends!!!!

Happy Easter

I will not let my busyness deter me from reaching my goals!

2010-01-19T05:53:00.000-08:00

Today & tomorrow are going to be crazy & running all around BUT I will not let that deter me or throw me off course! I will stick to my clean eating & my exercising! Let me rewind a bit....

So this past weekend came & I just got lost in calculating my calorie deficit but I'm still pushing strong and I *know* that I'm creating deficits.

Yesterday I had a GREAT day with my eating -- really made the right choices and I felt proud of myself by the end of the day! I even took the kids to McDonald's for some play time & I had the grilled chicken salad - that still amazes me! I did my delts & bicep workout, then 30 minute interval on the elliptical. I even went back to the Y last night with the kids so they could workout with the kids program & me & hubby ran the track -- BONUS extra cardio! And after the evening trip to the Y, I had to stop at CVS for a few things - walked right past the little bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs -- oh boy did one hand go to reach for them! But I asked myself what was I doing? Was I really willing to not reach my goals because of this tiny bag? Sure they are good but do I need them - NOPE!!!

Today is my oldest's first appointment with a specialist (he has been having really bad headaches - had a MRI this past Friday which is causing me some terrible anxiety waiting for the results, today he sees the ENT & tomorrow is the neurologist) - I really think he is dealing with allergies but we shall see. So I'm trying to plan out my day - how I'm going to exercise (especially since the childcare at the Y closes from 2-4), get my daughter to dance, get my son from school, to his appointment, & back to school. I had thought of not bringing her to dance BUT why should she sacrifice just so I can exercise? So I will just be dressed in my workout clothes & ready to hit the gym, hopefully after the MD appointment (I think I can make it). At least if I get my ST done, then tonight we can go back as a family and I can do my cardio. If I cannot get my cardio done I could always do it at home too.

And my cooler is already packed for today -- will not be tempted!!!!

I like when I feel like I have control!!!

So how do you you get through your busyness???

Overcoming Obstacles

2009-12-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

We have all faced it -- OBSTACLES! Whether it is when we are looking at food & should we choose quick, fast & possibly processed; or exercising and lack of time or exercising and not feeling 100%. But how we get over it is what matters & what makes us keep going back!

Today I headed out for a nice brisk 3.5 mile run - I have done this run numerous time (it is my "standard" run); what was even better was the sun was out to make it not feel "so cold". By the time I got to the end of my development (and ready to cross over to the next development) I noticed my pace was slower than normal. So I decided to pick it up a bit to bust through it. Then the obstacles started coming! I was too hot; then too cold; then my legs were cramping up; then they felt like jello; then I felt like I couldn't breathe, had a headache, etc.

I have no idea why my body was responding this way today! But even though my pace was a bit slower today I still ran the entire time & pushed through! I proved to myself that I can overcome any obstacles that stand in my way!

So what do you do to push through yours???

I will NOT eat that and give into STRESS

2009-12-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

10 days till Christmas and I am playing a single mother role. I give everyone who is or has raised children as a single parent a TON OF CREDIT! It's hard! See my husband works for UPS and he is busy delivering the packages. So we have seen the hours slowly creeping up each day and this week has hit the all time peak. My kids are not seeing Daddy until the morning when they are up getting ready for school & me, I'm seeing him when I'm ready to go to bed! So this all equals STRESS and wants to lead to temptations with food.
BUT I'm not giving in! I'm going towards hot tea, water & my sugar-free gum to get me through.
I'm on a mission -- 2010 is going to be MY YEAR for obtaining my Personal Fitness Trainer certification and helping others change their life! My new course material through ISSA should be arriving at my doorstep tomorrow -- studying will start tomorrow!
I'm experimenting with my diet & calorie intake thanks to a few people here on SP - trying to see what works best for my active body!
My workouts are going great -- doing an upper/lower body split, twice a week each. The other days are cardio with one rest day each week.
I'm going to re-join a gym after the first of the year -- for right now I'm able to complete my workouts & sweat & burn those calories!

Here are my 2010 goals:

* become a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer
* look into becoming certified in fitness/sports nutrition also
* establishing my name & opening my own personal training business
* obtain a job for some experience in a gym setting as a Personal Trainer.
* work on lowering my body fat % to 17%
* I am contemplating making my weight scale target as 127 -- I know the scale is just a number but I think it is completing doable!
* continue to work on 1 "refeed" meal a week which I will limit refined sugars & processed foods.

Here's to a blessed end to 2009 and a great 2010!

Oh is it January 1st yet where I can see my husband again???

A new adventure, sort of.....

2009-12-11T02:38:00.001-08:00

About 1 year ago I was studying & pursuing becoming a Certified Fitness Personal Trainer and really gung-ho. Something happened and I put it on my back burner. Well not anymore -- I have re-committed that goal to myself and going to do it again. I want to be able to motivate & teach others that it CAN be done. I want to be there "go-to-person" for them to hold them accountable.

My hubby is so supportive and really encouraging me to pursue my dreams!

Look for my blog tomorrow identifying my goals for 2010 -- going to need to keep myself in check with all of my Sparkies holding ME accountable!!!

Change your way of thinking

2009-12-10T02:42:00.001-08:00

I read an article today to help break that vicious cycle called "lack of motivation". It basically stated change your way of thinking -- don't think that you need to eat these foods to lose weight, think you are eating these foods because they are healthy for your body. Don't think that you need to exercise to because you don't like how you look, think you are doing this to improve your performance. Don't think that you "have" to workout to lose weight, think of it as the way to improve your agility, your breathing, your endurance.

So the next time you are heading to workout, challenge yourself to improve your performance in one way. For example, if you always set the resistance on the elliptical at 3, make it a goal to change the resistance to 4 and so on!

What a better way to change our way of thinking!!!

Guilty....

2009-11-25T02:48:00.000-08:00

I had the realization last night that if I make the time for myself (to exercise, read, go out, whatever) I don't do it because I feel guilty for doing it. Guilty for spending time away from my family; guilty for spending the money (if it was a gym membership); etc. OH BOY what an epiphany ~ not good. So what am I to do about this? Let me just ramble a bit.....

I use to be a gym rat -- at the gym for 60-90 minutes 5 days a week; sweating it out; determined; focused; motivated! I have run the Turkey Trot for the last 2 years but this year I made an excuse and am not doing it. I gave up my gym membership over the summer but was determined to keep up with my exercising at home. Who was I kidding? I have exercised but not consistently.

I'M NOT BEING CONSISTENT.

So do I do the gym membership again and *force* myself to go every day? Do I do the $10 a month with no childcare & no classes (sometimes a class is a nice change)? This would mean I need to be up and out the door at 5am, no delaying there! And if I don't do it at 5am I won't do it that day at all -- I cannot exercise at night, too tired! Or do I go for the $62 a month with childcare, classes, a pool, basketball, & so much more? This could mean I could go at anytime.

So how do I stop feeling guilty? How do I make myself a priority? I certainly do not want to go back to my 160 that I started this journey on so I know I need to do this but I'm letting every day life get in my way!

The Biggest Loser last night talked to a contestant who had realized during his time on Biggest Loser how to make himself a priority. Jillian & Bob both told him that we can "want" something but until we make ourselves a priority, it is not going to happen; we are not going to be consistent.

So where do I start? I'm glad I was able to come to this realization -- I've never had an "ah-ha" moment before.

Maintaining

2009-07-14T13:14:00.001-07:00

So it has been 2 weeks now where I have not followed much of a plan, just went with my day to day activities. I did not manage to get any exercise in last week, as I was non stop every day with getting things ready for our first camping trip in our new camper, but I was running every day from 7am till 10-11pm every day so I definitely got in cardio!!! (I will say that our first camping trip was great)!

I am making healthy choices but also been giving myself a bit of a leeway -- tightening up on the leeway lately though. Clothes are starting to fit a bit snug and I'm starting to realize that life has been way too busy lately that I have been putting my exercising & healthy eating to the back burner. Now that things have lightened up a bit I can refocus and start exercising every morning again!

Cannot believe we are already mid-July -- I think the summer is just going to fly by!!!!

Status Quo

2009-07-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

This past week has been one of those weeks where I'm just going through the motions. I did exercise accordingly (not 100% of my effort but I did it) and I did follow my meal plan, but I can just tell it was not a 100% of me at all. I have so much on my plate (no pun intended) right now that I'm starting to become a bit overwhelmed. My mind is racing in so many directions I'm just not sure which way I'm coming or going.
After talking to my dear Kim (my trainer) yesterday, I decided to take the summer off. Off of following someone's plan, off of the rigidity of a plan, just to have a nice summer. She recognized that I was not in my game & that I had way too much going on to be giving it my all! She also did not want to "take" my money and not have me gain anything from it.
Now this does not mean I'm not following a plan when it comes to my exercising or eating. I have my exercise plan that I'm very comfortable with and when it comes to eating, I know what is healthy and what is not.
By stepping back for the summer, it will take one thing off my head, one stress off my mind and going to allow me to enjoy exercising again. I had gotten into the mind set that I "needed" to exercise instead of wanting to do it for fun. I truly love to exercise - I love to lift weights and watch my muscles! I love to sweat and know that I am burning calories & fat from my body!
I have also come to realize that I may never get back to the 130-135 weight range. I'm not a small bone girl and with all this added muscle on, my body may want to hang out with the 140-145 range. Heck I don't care what the number on the scale says anymore, I care about what size my clothes are! I care about how I feel & look when I flex my muscles (something fun I do with the kids). I care about how my husband thinks I look, since he is my biggest supporter!
I'm going to enjoy this ride, each & every day; stick to my "plan" and have a great summer!
This is a journey and I'm still on it, just modifying a bit!

What a little freedom can do for your mind!

2009-06-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Kim sent me my meal plan for this week and how interesting my mind is already reacting to it! I have a bit of freedom! Funny how our mind responds to positive change!

The weekend was a nice relaxing, family weekend! I got a lot of walking in both days and we also got to enjoy some beach time with the kids. I packed healthy foods for us for our beach day yesterday -- no temptations allowed!

I will say having the kids on summer vacation is less stressful for me -- there was no bedtime routine to worry about, the kids can stay up as late as they want, play in the pool & I'm not worrying about lunches, backpacks, etc.

I started my new split routine today! Leg workout this morning & then I did 35 minutes of the Wii 30 day Challenge (toughest one I have encountered so far).

I am making the commitment this week to have a powerful week & stay on my meal plan to a T!!! I can do this.

Need a revamp

2009-06-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

I have this picture on my sparkpage and it is talking about me to a 'T'. I'm only at the interest level right now, I'm not committed. Could it be the stress from my brother being re-deployed? Maybe. Could it be the consistent headaches that I keep waking up with every morning? Maybe. Could it be the less than normal sleep I have been getting? Maybe. Could it be the heat & humidity lately that has made me not want to eat? Maybe. It could be all of it but whatever the reason is, it is making me not commit to my health. I'm being lazy. I want the easy way out. I want it to just "happen". And I'm not there. WHY? I look back at what my weight was this time last year and I'm so disappointed that I was one of the statstics that let the weight creep back up. But yet I'm not making a full effort to changing that? How do you go about making the recommitment? How do you reanalyze your goals?

But on the other hand, granted I may be 10lbs heavier than this time last year, but I'm still wearing the same size clothes ~ so it is definitely due to gaining muscle, which is what I want.

I'm finding that the majority of my fat is on my lower half -- my thighs, hips & butt! Number one trouble spot!

So some of my revamped goals:

* Changing my ST routine to a split routine ~ really target my lower half - make those muscles SCREAM! Going to do a 2 day split routine ~ lower body one day, upper body one day, rest, repeat.

* Call my MD on Monday to get in for a full physical, blood work & exam. Figure out why these headaches are everyday! I know I have allergies and maybe I need to look at a daily allergy med? Not that I want to take any meds consistently but if it will help prevent the headaches, I'll try it.

* Take one day at a time with my eating ~ don't chose to be stubborn when it comes to my food choices; I know what is best for my body, I know what that other crap food really tastes like & I don't need that!

* My workout routine will be as follows ~ 4 days strength training, 3 days HIIT cardio, and 4-5 days Wii 30 day challenge.

I know it is not suppose to be easy and I need to remember that every day! This is a journey, a life long journey!

Change of plans for today

2009-06-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

I know I said today was going to be my full body ST routine, my body told me to take a rest day. I hadn't had a rest day in almost 5 days so I needed it (plus I woke up with a headache - gotta love the allergies)! Even though it was a rest day I still had 2 hours of gardening work -- and with all the rain we have been receiving in Upstate NY, I had a lot of work to do!!!! And I found when I was gardening, I would stretch my muscles to give me the added benefit!

My eating was 110% on par today - even when I went to my son's school, I had my cooler packed & ready to eat. But boy plain ol' tuna -- just not the same without some mayo!!! I mixed a little bit of lemon juice & balsamic vinegar and a few spices to jazz it up but still not the same!!!

Overall felt great ~ energy and stress level ~ all day! Now if I can get these allergy headaches to go away I'd be all set!

Now tomorrow, definitely hitting the gym for my full body ST, then will do my Day 4 of the EA Sports Challenge!

Weekend update

2009-06-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all those Daddy's out there -- I know me & the kids certainly pampered Dad today!!!

The weekend was great. I bought the new EA Sports Active for Wii on Friday and got right into the 30 day challenge. Now, I always viewed myself as an in-shape girl, well these workouts are really kicking my butt!!!

Saturday - I ate good all day and knew that we were going to go out to dinner as a family to my favorite place - Olive Garden! I even did Day 2 of the 30 day challenge. I was very good at dinner! I had chicken that came with pasta, that I only had like 2 or 3 small bites (way too filling for my belly). I did have 1 breadstick and some salad. My big "refeed meal" was the dessert!!! So tasty and I certainly was looking for me afterwards (thanks to all that sugar & carbs)!

Sunday - I made french toast for hubby & the kids this morning while I had my oats. I was waiting to receive my new meal plan for this week from Kim but new that oats was a safe bet. Spent all day doing stuff around here with my hubby & kids and then enjoyed a BBQ at my parent's house. I was not even tempted with the cheeseburgers -- had just chicken!! As we were driving home I was trying to think how I was going to fit in Day 3 workout, with getting the kids showered and ready for bed, a few chores left to finish up and then be able to relax with hubby. But we got home and the kids still had time to play outside for a bit -- OK, I can go get my workout done!!! WOO HOO me. I did it and I feel great that I made the time for myself to do it!!!

Tomorrow I'm going to get up and hit the gym for my full body ST routine -- 1 more week of the full body and then I'm going to a split routine. I have to be at my son's class for 11 for a 1st grade picnic and I will bring my own little cooler!!!

This week is a crazy & stressful week to due my brother's deployment! But I will stick to my plan and make it count!

3rd week status

2009-06-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

I knew what to expect today when I weighed myself, I had a bad week so I did not expect anything else. But with my *new* positive attitude, it is a new start and I'm going to do this. I'm sick of playing this game with myself!
Here they are:

Wt: 145.4 ~ up .7lbs
BF: same
Chest: same
Ribs: same
Waist: 28" ~ down 1/4"
Hips: same
Thighs: 20 3/4" R ~ down 1/4", 20" L

Overall I have lost .8lbs and 2.75". The inches lost is great -- that is what we truly should be measuring!

A new week, a new start!!!!

Where did the week go?

2009-06-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, it is Friday already! And what a roller coaster of a week for me! My emotions, stress, mind, body & soul have been so up & down every day this week (oh wait, probably every minute). TOM is knocking on my door and yes the evening primrose oil supplements do seem to be helping a bit curb those PMS symptoms but not helping with the craving or the full load of PMSing. (Maybe by next month they will be reduced even more). I am on the downslide of my roller coaster today. I'm making a conscious effort to be more positive, even when I don't feel like it! Maybe if I start playing games with my mind, some reverse psychology will come into play!

I seem to be on this up & down pattern every month -- get these 2 weeks where I have all this negative talk & self doubt and I want to throw in the towel & give up! My mind played games with me this week. I stuck to my exercise plan every day this week perfectly! And I even planned out my meals, especially on a couple of days I needed to be out of the house during a couple of meals. But then I would get to say my parents' house to drop off my kids, see some mini brownies & sample 2. WTF? Why did I just do that? Why can't I walk away and say I don't need those? They don't taste good anyways?

So every day I am taking it one step at a time and following my meal plan and remembering that this is a journey and every day I will be faced with challenges but I can push through and win this!

I bought the new EA Sports Active Personal Trainer for Wii today -- just did 50 minutes on it and HOLY COW did it kick my butt! Great workout! I am definitely keeping that into my daily routine as well! Truly a good workout!!!!

Tomorrow morning is weigh in (UGHHHHH) and measurements. I'm not thinking any of it will be good at all but heck where is my positive with that???? I know I made the mistakes this past week and I am working on those and moving forward!!!

Here's to a new leaf!

Glad the weekend is over and an unexpected slap in the face!

2009-06-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Boy am I glad the weekend is over! What a busy, stressful, emotional & long 2 days! Saturday was my brother's going away party and I was non-stop from 8am (when I got to my mother's) till 11:30 that night. The party went off without a hitch and I certainly enjoyed myself!! I will say that I did not follow any plan from 3pm on that day -- actually I did not really eat (bad move) but I did have a few (too many that is) drinks. Lesson learned!!!! I also did not exercise at all either Saturday or Sunday, except for setting up & cleaning up -- a lot of moving tables, chairs, boxes, etc. So I guess I got some cardio in!!!
Sunday I was back on my plan ~ a new one Kim set up for me. Each day she is lowering the carb intake a bit. She wants me to shock my body, plus I was putting a few things onto my meals that I shouldn't be (not bad but just not what she wanted).
Today I got up and headed to the gym for my full body ST. I pushed it. Followed my meal plan as Kim directed. And even got some extra cardio in ~ mowing & gardening for 4 hours!!!
As I was uploading pictures from this weekend this morning, I came across one of me from the back. Just when I thought I was looking good I see this picture. The back of my thighs showed "cottage cheese" -- OH MY GOD. Not what I wanted to see at all!!!! Completely ruined my mood this morning! Guess I gotta work harder at those thighs, huh?

2 week check-in

2009-06-13T03:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5:30 this morning - on a Saturday morning, what is up with that? Anxious to see what my results were or the fact that there is so much to do today for our big send off party happening today - who knows but I got up! My overall measurements did not move much but there was some movement. Here we are:

Wt: 144.7 (down 1.1lbs since last week)
BF: 17.6% same
Chest: 31 1/2 same
Waist: 28 1/4" (down 1/4")
Ribs: 29 3/4" (down 1/4")
Thighs: 21R, 20L (same)

Overall I have lost 1.5lbs, and 2.25" inches. Slow & steady wins the race (I guess?!?!)

Today is a much needed rest day & cheat meal!!! We are having our big send-off party for my brother, who is being redeployed to Iraq in 2 weeks, today -- good food, friends, family & fun!!!

Planning is the key!!!!

2009-06-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

My daughter had a birthday party tonight at Chuck E Cheese - oh boy, how am I going to do this went through my head all day! I have never been too fond of CEC pizza but remembered they had a salad bar! OOOH, I will bring my chicken I had pre-made & get the salad. I also made up my cottage cheese with cut up apples for my meal 6. So into CEC I went with my cooler bag! I ordered the pizza for hubby & my boys and I ordered my salad bar. When I went to the salad bar, I stuck to the fresh stuff ~ and a nice amount! Added my chicken to it and enjoyed my meal!!! Hubby even got himself some too!
Check 1 for me!!!

This week has been the busy week I have ever encountered! Tomorrow is my brother's going away party (for 100 people) - so I have been busy with my mom getting things done, while my hubby has been busy helping my step-dad finish up the hardwood flooring in one room (11pm for 3 nights in a row for hubby to come home). Tomorrow is going to be another LONG day but rewarding!! I did not cave in this past week to stress -- I stuck with my eating & my exericising!!!!
Check 2 for me!!!

Now tomorrow is my weigh in & measurement day! I already know what the scale says (I got on it this morning because I wasn't sure if Kim would *allow* me to change my weigh in day from Friday to Saturday), but I'm not spilling any hints. But I will do my official tomorrow morning and post my stats.

Concidence or does it really work????

2009-06-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

For a while I have heard about the benefits of evening primrose oil and helping in PMS symptoms. Over the past few months I have noticed that my PMS symptoms have gotten really bad!!!! I had heard that you start taking it approximately 2 weeks before TOM is set to arrive and continue until it arrives. Last week I bought a bottle of this and started it. I will say that so far, my emotions & hormones seem to be better managed! Even if it is truly mind over matter, I'll take it because I seem to be less edgy and less "off the handle"!

This week has been a good week so far ~ Kim changed my meal plan a little bit and I'm sticking to it! I need to continue to work on my stopping what I'm doing and EAT! If I get too busy I truly just keep doing what I'm doing until I am famished! But I have been making progress here!

Monday was a full body ST session at the gym! Finding that I'm getting stronger & those last few reps are "not as hard"!

Tuesday was a powerful 30 min HIIT session on the arc trainer! The arc trainer is a combination of a stepper & elliptical and I really like how I feel & like the change!

Wednesday was a full body ST session at home. I made myself push harder since I do not have heavy weights like the gym, but I still did my full session & was sweating!

Today was a new start -- a new start to not wearing my heart rate monitor! This morning was a planned 30 min HIIT session on the elliptical. So when I got up and got dressed, I left my heart rate monitor at home. See I became obsessed with numbers over the past year - calories eating, macro nutrients, calories burned, etc. If I wasn't burning more than 'x' number of calories I was making myself feel like I was not working hard enough! Which I clearly knew I was working hard enough (sweating, breathing heavy, and feeling like I just rocked it). I will admit while on the elliptical I felt naked without it. I felt like I had nothing to validate I was truly pushing myself. But I quickly paid attention to how my body was feeling - I was sweating, I was in the anaerobic stage during the intervals, and was breathing heavy - I was doing it! So I am feeling *free* this morning!

I continue to impress myself with making the right choices when eating out! That is a huge step for me and the good & bad sides continue to fight on my shoulders every time, but I'm happy to report the good side has won out every time over the past few months!!!

As Kim told me recently, this is a journey! There is no end date, I'm always going to be on this journey!

Journaling -- 1st one up is Emotional Eating

2009-06-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

My dear trainer, Kim, suggested I start journaling & daily! She said this would help me along on this journey I'm on! So my blogs will be a daily journal, as well as how things are going with eating, exercising, etc.

First up is how the past few days have been going.

Friday -- got over any self doubt I had with my stats and realized I truly had made progress this past week. Our true measurement should not be on the number on the scale, look at other measurements (how you feel, how your clothes fit, your bodily measurements, etc). And Kim reiterated to me that this is a journey, not something that is going to just "stop" when I hit my goal date. (For me my date is my renewal of my wedding vows on September 11th). On that date I'm not stopping my healthy eating or stopping exercising (but I am going to enjoy myself)! So I need to get that date out of my head as the end point! That date is a goal -- a goal to lose the 10lbs that I had gained back!
I enjoyed my Friday evening with some good friends -- with a glass or two of wine (cheat meal)!!! Then came Saturday & Sunday! What I am noticing is that I can start a day off great day but by dinner time (this is primarily just on the weekends) I "cheat" or maybe have a little bit of something I shouldn't. I found that happened on both Saturday & Sunday. I'm not sure why this is happening or why I do that. I know we are super busy around my house -- for the past month now and it is going to stay that way until the end of June. Which leads me to my next factor - STRESS. One of my brother's is being re-deployed to Iraq the end of June (he already served one tour of duty), so we have been busy planning his going away party (which is this upcoming Saturday). And then for the remainder of June it will be getting him ready and then the dreaded task of saying goodbye for 400 days! 400 days is a LONG time!

I also have a lot of mindless eating I do. I think maybe that comes down to feeling mad that I cannot just eat whatever I want and not gain any weight. Maybe it is because I don't want to feel "different" -- everyone else can eat this or that. If I know there is something in my house (cookies, chips, ice cream, chocolate) I'll go and feel out of control and just eat. Even those little BLT's (bites, licks & tastes) -- that needs to stop too! They add up to empty things!

I want to be healthy! I want to look HOT for myself & my hubby. I want to be out & have been say "damn she has great muscles" (and I'm not even flexing)!!!!

That is the reason I need to put a stop to my bad habits and push forward! Food is not a reward -- food is fuel for the wonderful exercising I give it! Make those muscles appear!!!

First Week Stats & Emotional State

2009-06-05T04:53:00.001-07:00

My first week is done and boy do I feel like I threw it out the window. While for the majority of the time I was GREAT; had kick a$$ workouts and ate pretty much what I was suppose to, I still don't feel like I gave it my all. Not enough to result in a bigger weight loss on the scale. Guess I should look past that number and see that some of my measurements are down -- so that is GREAT! BUT, still.....
So here they are for today!

Wt: 145.8 ~down .3oz
BF: 17.6% same
Chest: 31 1/2 same
Rib: 30 same
Waist: 28 1/2 ~ down 1/4"
Hips: 38 same
Thighs: 21R ~ down 1/2"; 20L ~ down 3/4"

Now my emotional state; wow what a roller coaster I am on. I must be PMSing! I was listening to The Climb by Miley Cyrus on my iPod at the gym and found myself tearing up. I really put that song into my life and every word is what I am feeling & doing right now! I need to find my inner peace! I need to be happy with where I am going & what I am doing. I want to just be truly happy with this journey and I'm not.
I'm not feeling like a motivator today. I'm in my pity party & my self doubt. But I will snap out of it and I will continue to push forward. And I will continue to motivate others to get moving & eat right; because that is what I like to do!

Workout Ideas

2009-06-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some great workout ideas I have come across to do at home!

20 minute interval cardio workout -- nice thing about this one is you don't need any equipment!

1. One minute of Jumping Jacks
2. One minute of Slow Squats (Slow because this is your recovery.)
3. One minute of Running in Place with High Knees (Jog as quick as you can in place bringing your knees up to your chest)
4. One minute of Controlled Side Kicks (About 10-12 each leg. Slow b/c this is your recovery.)
5. One minute of Fast Feet. (Get into a squat position. Lean slightly forward, lifting your heels putting your weight on the balls of your feet. Now run in place as fast as you can. Sixty seconds is a long time to do this so you’ll probably start to slow down that’s okay.)

Repeat this 4 times for a 20 minute interval cardio workout in your living room.

Full body strength training workout at home -- grab a few dumbbells!

* Squats (you can do pile squats where your feet are turned out and wide; feet closer together and feet shoulder width apart)
* Walking lunges
* Deadlifts
* Calf raises (stand on a stair and raise up and down) - I shoot to do these until it burns
* Pushups - great exercise!!!!
* Bent over row
* Shoulder Presses
* Upright row
* Bicep curls
* Hammer curls
* Tricep dips (get a chair and put your hands on the edge of it -- for advanced try extending your legs straight out)
* Reverse crunches

Hope some of these ideas get you moving more!!!!

Pushing Forward

2009-06-03T06:50:00.001-07:00

I had a request from a friend & follower of my blog to post some at home workout exercises, so I will do that later today but for right now let me give a quick update from the past 2 days.

Monday & Tuesday were super busy days for me but I managed to stick to my food & exercise plans! Yeah me!

Monday was full body weights -- every time I lift weights I feel stronger! And I also mowed my lawn on Monday ~ with a push mower and almost 1 acre of land! It takes me 90 minutes and I average about an extra 450 calories I burn! I found I was extremely hungry on Monday. This was the after effect from my 6 mile run on Sunday! But I stuck to plan and did not give "in" per say.

Yesterday -- I opted for a rest day to allow me to get all my stuff done. I also had a dinner meeting to go to last night at this country club that has excellent food! I knew my dinner choice would be relatively easy but it was the dinner rolls & wine before hand that I was going to need the willpower not to cave in to! I'm happy to report I did not cave! I drank 4 glasses of water, a huge salad with a touch of dressing and a 4oz piece of chicken breast with red peppers. There was rice & this brussel sprout hash dish on my plate. I took one taste of the brussel sprout hash and you could taste the sodium in it -- PASS! I had one small taste of the race but that was it! So overall I did great.

These past few days have been a great learning tool for me -- even if I don't see a drop in the scale this week (:-() I know I'm getting stronger & learning better eating habits!

Weekend update

2009-05-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Where did the weekend go? I cannot believe it is Sunday night already. Here is my updates:

Saturday - got up and had already planned a rest day, since I had busted it out all week, really hard! Made sure I kept my eating on par, for the majority of the day. We were getting ready to leave the house around 11:45am and I asked my hubby what we were going to do for lunch - his response, I don't know but we have to go now. SO I at least put a scoop of protein powder in my shaker for at some point that day. Our first stop was his friends' house where I had the pick of some free plants for my gardens -- WOO HOO! As I'm digging away I'm quickly forgetting that I was truly hungry! We get back in the car and it is 2:15 -- so no Meal 3 and I should have been having Meal 4 at that time. And I was sensing my mood quickly changing due to lack of nutrients! So he goes to Wendy's drive through and I literally could sense my 2 evils on my shoulders going back & forth. I honestly did not know what route I would go with my food choice; I was the last one to order & am I impressed! I ordered me the Chicken Cesear salad (I inquired if they had balsamic vinegar dressing - nope). So we pull over and I put a small drop of the dressing on my salad (after looking at the fat content in that packet) and no croutons! So I'm eating this salad and my hubby looks at me and can see my "puss" on my face (because I am eating this salad and he gets to enjoy a nice big sandwich). He asks me for a bite; which I give him. He makes the comment - "that tastes better than my sandwich and it was probably healthier"! Now I don't know if he said that to make me feel better or if it truly did taste better, but it made me happy! So I ate that and then about 30 minutes later had my protein powder with very warm water (how gross). We then find ourselves at the furniture store looking at dining room furniture (which we did end up getting) -- but that took us a couple of hours. By the time we finally got home all those lovely plants needed to get in the ground & get water! No time for Debi to think about dinner for any of us. I personally was going to forgo dinner for the night. Hubby decided to order pizza for him & the kids. By the time it came I was hungry and decided I would have 1 slice and that would be my "cheat".

Today (Sunday) - I had plans to get up early and meet Kristi for a run along Albany's bike path. Now I met Kristi on Sparkpeople about 9 months ago or so. Then she found me on Facebook and now we are working with Kim together -- so it is cool how we are connected. We have chatted about getting together to workout but just never set a date, till now. We were meeting this morning at 7am. I wake up to my alarm, get ready and head out the door. I'm happy to report I ran my personal best today! I ran 6 miles (I have only run 4.36 miles as my farthest) -- my total workout time today was 1hr 30 mins. I did have to catch my breathe a couple of times on the run but for the most part ran it all. Not bad!!! And get this, my heart rate monitor said I burned 786 calories - holy cow! It was nice to run with Kristi and just chat about our different exercise & nutrition plans and how we learn new things, the trial & tribulations! Nice to have that chat! (Made the 6 miles go by faster too)!

My eating again was on par to start. By lunch I slacked because I was busy getting things moved around for our new dining room furniture to come in. By mid afternoon - I was hungry again too. So I got myself my apple with almonds and gave my hubby his crackers & cheese!

My lesson learned from this weekend is to PLAN! Don't get too busy with "life" that I don't take care of myself! I need to make myself a priority and eat when I am suppose to!

Tomorrow is a full body ST day -- I cannot wait to go and lift some weights! And I will make all my meals (what I can) tomorrow so I'm planned out for the week!

Day 1

2009-05-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today was Day 1 of my nutrition plan that Kim designed for me. And overall went very well - I did not have any cravings for anything but I did find that I had the munchies overall -- I think it was because I was tired, had a pounding headache & *bored* But I did not cave in and stuck to my plan!

Today was cardio day ~ and my evil side almost won out too! I was one step closer to staying in bed than yesterday. The alarm went off and I hit snooze and rolled over. But much to my surprise I could not fall back to sleep - instead I was telling myself (with my eyes shut) that I had so much to do today that I wasn't sure when I would fit my cardio in and that I needed to get up and go! So I did! I decided to do the elliptical for a 30 minute HIIT session -- felt great to bust it out in a shorter amount of time.

Decided to take tomorrow as a rest day -- I have worked out every day this week and deserve to rest my body. Sunday I am going to meet up with Kristi (a follower here on my blog) for a nice run! It is the first time Kristi and I are meeting face to face but have crossed many paths this past year (Sparkpeople, Facebook & now with Kim -- and we both live in Albany)! We will be sure to take a picture!

Here is to a nice relaxing family movie night tonight and a relaxing weekend!

The Climb

2009-05-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

I have liked this song since I first heard it; well today I really listened to the words -- if it isn't so true!

And here are the words for you ~ make it move!

I can almost see it.
That dream I'm dreaming, but
There's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it
Every step I'm takin'
Every move I make
Feels lost with no direction,
My faith is shakin'
But I gotta keep tryin'
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it, but
These are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most
I've just gotta keep goin', and
I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, but

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Keep on movin'
Keep climbin'
Keep faith baby
It's all about, it's all about
The climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, woah

Preservance

2009-05-28T13:32:00.001-07:00

The alarm seem to come way too quickly this morning or maybe it was the fact that I did not sleep well last night! But I *almost* hit snooze and went back to bed. My "good" side told me I am not going to lose weight by going back to sleep!! Got up, dressed & headed to the gym! I had a powerful full body ST workout again and boy were my muscles still sore from Tuesday's workout! Even noticed the definition in my shoulder caps -- they really look nice!!!
Today was a trial run on my new nutrition plan -- went very well. Except that I found I was craving things - anything really - chips, chocolate, ice cream, whatever. I had the munchies! But I did not let my evil side win (yet again) and I had a tall glass of ice cold green tea, made sure my water intake was on track and stuck with my meal schedule! WOO HOO.
Tomorrow is Day 1 of my new nutrition plan with Kim -- I'm ready to roll and see how things go for the 1st week! There will be no cheat meals at all for me. I am giving this plan 1 solid week - all I got -- to see the results work! I want an accurate measure of how my diet is.
Let's roll

HOLY SORENESS

2009-05-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

HOLY am I sore from yesterday's full body ST routine yesterday. Let's see -- when I go to sit down, I have to go slow & brace myself! When I use my ab muscles I feel it ~ which I should point out I did not even do any ab exercises yesterday, that is what happens when you truly engage your abs during your workouts, it works! And forget about lifting my arms up over my head, or even shoulder height! BUT it is all a good feeling! It means I worked it and worked it hard! I cannot wait to get back to the gym tomorrow for another full body session!
Today was cardio day. I started out doing the Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD -- nope did not hold my interest (which I was surprised since the Cardio Max one does). So I did 20 minutes of it and said that was absolutely enough! Got my girl & my puppy and we headed out for a brisk walk/jog for me (Abby rode her new bike). That 30 minutes was so much better than the DVD! Glad I did not buy that DVD. I will plan on stretching later - that will help loosen the muscles and release some of the tension/soreness.
I have planned my eating for the day and making really good choices for the day. Even trying something new (thanks Kathi). For lunch this is what I am having: cherry tomatoes mixed with a little bit of olive oil and a tiny bit of brown sugar, bake them. When done I'll mix them with 1/2c chickpeas and serve on a whole grain wrap. Sounds yummmmmmy!!! I cannot wait to eat that this afternoon!
I'm so energized with my new found level of motivation & excitment!!!

Push hard & strong!!!

Temptations

2009-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

OOOOOH temptations can be terrible sometimes! Yesterday we went to my parents' house for a Memorial Day BBQ, well my dear hubby was in charge of bringing dessert (wrong move). He got a chocolate sampler cheesecake! UGHHHHHHH. So yes I did have a small piece (like one small bite) of it -- had to try it out right? Ok, all good. Until my mother sends us home with the rest of the cheesecake. I told hubby he is taking it all to work with him. So as I was making his lunch today and packaging it up for him, I had to taste the 1/4 of a piece sitting there. Good - cheesecake out of this house!!!!
On to the next tempation.....
Today is my daughter's 4th birthday. I have this recipe for a chocolate trifle dish (chocolate cake, pudding, whip cream, heath bars) and it was requested I make that for tonight's little celebration here. So I'm crushing up the mini heath bars and I'm like hmmmm I can taste one, right? So sure I do. WHY?????? I will allow myself a tiny piece of dessert tonight, tiny tiny piece. But that is it. Tomorrow -- no more giving into temptations!
Why -- what makes us give in to those nagging temptations?

BTW - I had a powerful ST routine this morning - felt great to be at the gym kicking it up a notch. I do have to work on eating before I workout. I have always been the type of person to get up and go to the gym - no food before I workout. Well I found this morning, during my routine, I need to eat before hand. I need to properly fuel my body for maximizing building muscle & fat loss! BUT how do I do this when I get up at 5:30 to hit the gym by 5:45 - 6am? Any suggestions

The Why's & Reflections

2009-05-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

When speaking to Kim on the phone yesterday (who I just have to say - she just got done with a major figure competition and took the time to speak to me on the phone - LOVE HER), she told me I needed to get back to my journaling. I've started wondering why I turn to food during a stressful situation; what is it about that stress that is causing me to walk into my kitchen and munch? The is my first obstacle - overcoming the desire to walk into my kitchen and perform mindless eating! I don't need the junk; I need to meditate or stretch or do yoga but I don't need to eat the junk. I need to remind myself of how I feel after I eat that crap!

And why is it my dear husband doesn't see that the diet is a good piece of this journey? He thinks it is all about exercising & that I need someone here to "yell" at me to keep going. Does he not see how hard I work when I work out -- oh yeah, he doesn't because he is never with me! :-) He just doesn't see beyond the exercise piece of it! He thinks candy bars are ok as long as I bust my a%$ in the gym! WRONG!

I received a daily e-mail from Sparkpeople today and it hit the nail on the head -- have a read:

Take a moment to look at the circumstances of your world. Is it what you want to see? What could you do differently to take one step closer to your ideal vision? We're all dealt different hands in life. That's how things are. To change things, you have to first accept that fact, then figure out where to go from here. We should all be able to count on each other for help, but in the end, we can't expect anyone to change our lives except ourselves. Nor should we want it that way. It's natural to feel powerless and give up in the face of hardships, but complaining and blaming do nothing except prevent action. Without positive action, you're giving up your power and asking for more of the same--a world you did not create. Where you start may not be your fault, but the course you run is still your choosing.

Fitting huh? And with that my new plan & new attitude starts RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

And speaking of RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW; you have probably heard that song performed by Van Halen right? I heard this song on the radio a few months ago and actually took the time to *listen* to it -- here are the lyrics.

Don't wanna wait til tomorrow,
Why put it off another day?
One more walk through problems,
Built up, and stand in our way ,ah
One step ahead, one step behind me
Now you gotta run to get even
Make future plans, don't dream about yesterday, hey
C'mon turn, turn this thing around
Right now, hey
It's your tomorrow
Right now,
C'mon,it's everything
Right now,
Catch a magic moment, do it
Right here and now
It means everything
Miss the beat, you lose the rhythm,
And nothing falls into place, no
Only missed by a fraction,
Slipped a little off your pace, oh,
The more things you get, the more you want,
Just trade in one for the other,
Workin so hard, to make it easier, whoa,
Got to turn, c'mon turn this thing around

So take a stand and push forward. Don't let yesterday deter you from today! Grab ahold of your wheel and push forward!

My plan for tomorrow (Tuesday) ~ getting up at 5:30 to hit the gym for a full body ST routine! I'll start off by warming up with some high intensity cardio for 10 minutes and then hit my muscles! I'm so excited and full of a new found motivation!!!

HUGS

D

Artifical Food Colors/Dyes/Etc

2009-05-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

So easy for me to take the "unclean" stuff out of my diet the majority of the time, but why is it I still allow my kids (and hubby) to eat the processed s&%t and artifical food colors & dyes?

There are reports that the food coloring & dyes are linked to ADHD, ADD, among others. I can certainly tell when my kids have too much "junk" in them -- they will get super hyper. BUT has that caused me to stop buying them this stuff yet - NOPE. What is my problem??????

I did stop buying koolaid. I only buy 100% juice. One step closer huh? Now I guess if I can rely on pretzels instead of goldfish or cheese puffs that would be another step closer too!

Any advice for minimizing this?

The beginning

2009-05-24T12:57:00.001-07:00

So here I am -- faced with the daunting task of having to lose weight. Yup I did it - I let myself go and gain 10lbs back. What the heck was I thinking?????? Ya know what it was -- STRESS and a major health scare. Last July I found a spot on my face that had changed shape, size, color & overall apperance. By the end of August I had my appointment and a portion of the area removed to be biopsied. Within a few short days I found out it was melanoma. HOLY COW! So began the process of having the area removed & further testing done. I just did not care about my maintaining my weight or anything. I can say that they removed the entire cancer area but I do need to be diligent and wear sunscreen every day!
From October 2008 through end of December 2008, I exercised but did not follow a proper meal plan. By January 2009 I told myself I was recommitting but just kind of went with it without much direction. Needless to say I have not successfully lost anything! I have been playing the roller coaster game - lost 1.5lbs, gain 2lbs the next week.
My hubby re-proposed to me on Christmas 2008 and we are planning on renewing our wedding vows on September 11, 2009 (our 10th wedding anniversary) in Maine (on a beach at sunset -- romantic huh?). So I have something BIG to work for -- I wanna feel confident and happy with how I look that day!
I contacted me good friend (and HUGE inspiration) Kim (UrbanMommy) and requested her services. I am going to be working with Kim on my nutrition piece as I feel confident in my workouts.
So here I go - I need the support to not give in to temptations and get these pounds back off!