Week 3 Weigh-In

Exercise Goal: Continue Max10 at least 5 days per week (3 days...hubby's dr. appt. ran over so I missed Thursday, sick Friday and Saturday)

Exercise Goal: Do additional 30 min. of workouts 2-3x/week (bike, jog, walk, etc.) (None...too hot and been sick)

Nutrition Goal: Eat out no more than 2x/week (Ate out quite a bit this week due to heat-didn't want to turn on oven or stand outside and grill...so fail on this one)

Nutrition Goal: Eat fewer carbs and more veggies and fruit (I'm not putting a number on this but this is a serious goal I need to work on) (Ehh...did okay)

Weight Goal: Weigh 235 by July 30th (trip with college friends to St. Louis)...less would be great, but this averages one pound/week. (Beginning weight was 242.0 and this week, I'm at 238.0....loss of 4.0 pounds in three weeks...I attribute this to the stomach flu I got yesterday because I was planning on a gain this week)

Not proud of things this week and also got sick, so hoping this next week goes much better! St. Louis trip on Friday!

Week 2 Weigh-In

Here are my goals from last week and how I did this week:

Exercise Goal: Continue Max10 at least 5 days per week (6 days done, thank you very much!)

Exercise Goal: Do additional 30 min. of workouts 2-3x/week (bike, jog, walk, etc.) (That's a negative this week unless you count climbing up numerous steps yesterday, many times with a tube, at the water park)

Nutrition Goal: Eat out no more than 2x/week (Ate out twice this week...once for anniversary/job celebration and once for lunch at the waterpark....goal met.)

Nutrition Goal: Eat fewer carbs and more veggies and fruit (I'm not putting a number on this but this is a serious goal I need to work on) (Still working on this...this week was not stellar, but not horrible)

Weight Goal: Weigh 235 by July 30th (trip with college friends to St. Louis)...less would be great, but this averages one pound/week. (Beginning weight was 242.0 and this week, I'm at 239.8....loss of 2.2 pounds in two weeks...I've got two weeks to lose 4 pounds...doable, but time to step it up)

Today is a GREAT day!!!!!!

Here's what's happened today:

-I weighed myself this morning and the scale said 239.8

-It's my husband and my 4th wedding anniversary

-My husband was hired as an elementary PE teacher!

Today's a great day, I must say...if I may.....I'm a poet and I didn't know it!!!!

Here's some pics from 4 years ago...it was just as great of a day as today!

That's what I'm talking about!!!

Dang, it feels to be a gangsta....

Or completely back on track. I nailed it today, in all aspects. My diet was on key. My workout was phenomenal (gosh, I love kickboxing). I just feel good. I have energy. I feel healthy.

Now, I need to do and feel this every day.

On a somewhat unrelated note....happy vibes to my hubs and me as we wait to hear the outcome of his teaching interview from last week. Him getting this job would relieve some unneeded stress in our lives!!!

I FEEL GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!

It's What's for Dinner

No, not beef.

Chicken!

I made an incredibly healthy dinner tonight and it was incredibly easy! I made grilled chicken sandwiches with a side of pineapple and strawberries. I simply marinated the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Italian dressing, grilled them and put them on toasted whole wheat buns! Add some spinach and tomato and it's delish! No mayo for me...that's never been a problem though.

I had to make up for the not so healthy breakfast....the last piece of cheesecake from my birthday. I say I recovered pretty well. Goes to show that just because you make a poor choice first thing, doesn't mean you need to blow the whole day.

Those 230s are going to appear this week. I'm going to make it happen. And my next goal is that their stay is short lived.

Week 1 Update

Here are my goals from last week and how I did this week:

Exercise Goal: Continue Max10 at least 5 days per week (I only did 2x this week due to July 4th, my birthday, and they were closed today...interim weeks...new crew starts at class on Monday)

Exercise Goal: Do additional 30 min. of workouts 2-3x/week (bike, jog, walk, etc.) (That's a negative this week unless you count climbing up numerous steps today, many times with a tube, at the water park)

Nutrition Goal: Eat out no more than 2x/week (I say this because of birthday and anniversary and trip to St. Louis) (Let's see...1, 2, 3, 4....out of town last weekend and my birthday)

Nutrition Goal: Eat fewer carbs and more veggies and fruit (I'm not putting a number on this but this is a serious goal I need to work on) (I can say I worked on this, but there is room for growth)

Weight Goal: Weigh 235 by July 30th (trip with college friends to St. Louis)...less would be great, but this averages one pound/week. (Last week's weight was 242.0 and this week, I'm at 240.8....loss of 1.2 pounds which is good considering the lack of exercise and number of eating out times)

Tomorrow's the Day!

Tomorrow's my birthday....nah, nah-nah, nah, nah!

And it's "hopefully" the day I re-enter the 230s.

In case I don't, I am so proud of the workout I did today. I did kickboxing for the first time in a week and I pushed hard. My instructor even said at one point, "Damn, Nicole's on fire!"

Yes, sir.

I kicked it.

Did you?

Weekend Recap

Hi all! Hope you had a fabulous 4th and was able to enjoy some time with family and friends.

This weekend was one of my best friend's bridal showers and bachelorette party. I'm matron of honor in her wedding on 9-10-11, so I played hostess. Let me tell you how the weekend went:

-Went to the pool with hubs...fun and slightly active
-Centerpiece cake flopped on the two-hour drive
-Shower was chocolate themed....read: chocolate cake, Better than Sex cake (not sure I agree....!!!), Oreo cheesecake (yes, please drool with me), Three-layer brownies (holy rich goodness), homemade chocolates, and M&Ms.
-Four hours on the road
-Only one beer....bride is not much a drinker which bodes well for my diet
-Appetizers at a restaurant that were fried goodness
-4th of July party with carb overload...did make a patriotic jello cake though and it was yummy and super cute!

Notice: No active exercise. I don't count the pool. It was too busy to get my heart rate up.
Notice: No mention of fruits and vegetables. Yeah, didn't see much of those.

Today, I'm back in the saddle and worked out for the first time since last Wednesday. It was weights and bands night and I know I'll be feeling it tomorrow. Tomorrow's kickboxing, and I think it will probably kick my butt.

Oh well, that's my own fault. I deserve that.

Here's to being back on track. I'm not going to let one weekend detour me from my goals. I still have a goal of being below 240 by my birthday which is Thursday. This morning, I was 0.8 away from that.

July Goals

As June is ending (boo!), I've decided to publicly make some goals. I will report on these once a week and hope to attain them by the end of July. Did you know that July will have 5 weekends? Yay! :)

Exercise Goal: Continue Max10 at least 5 days per week

Exercise Goal: Do additional 30 min. of workouts 2-3x/week (bike, jog, walk, etc.)

Nutrition Goal: Eat out no more than 2x/week (I say this because of birthday and anniversary and trip to St. Louis)

Nutrition Goal: Eat fewer carbs and more veggies and fruit (I'm not putting a number on this but this is a serious goal I need to work on)

Weight Goal: Weigh 235 by July 30th (trip with college friends to St. Louis)...less would be great, but this averages one pound/week.

I will post a July starting weight, which I'm sad to report has slightly gone up since my 10 week testing on Saturday.

Progress made in 7 weeks pics

Here's a pic of my from my husband's graduation back on May 8th:

Notice I'm tugging at my shirt as to not show the muffin top....


Here's a pic of me today. I'm trying to decide if I can tell a difference or not. I think the muffin top isn't as noticeable...

Forgive my self portrait-taking abilities.

I've stared at these two pictures trying to find improvements. I think some in the face...some in the body. I know my legs are leaner but it's hard to compare since I'm wearing pants in the first picture. Sorry these aren't the best pics to compare but the graduation ones are the most recent "pre" pics I have other than the ones we took at bootcamp. And no offense, but those aren't going online!

One thing you can't see is my inner strength. It's there. I promise.

The results from bootcamp are in...

Weight
Week 1: 249.4
Week 10: 240.4

Body Fat
Week 1: 41.2%
Week 10: 39.4%

Neck Circumference
Week 1: 15.5
Week 10: 14.75

Chest
Week 1: 49
Week 10: 45.75

Waist
Week 1: 46
Week 10: 43

Hips
Week 1: 51.75
Week 10: 47.25

Thigh
Week 1: 28
Week 10: 25

Arm
Week 1: 15.75
Week 10: 15

1-Minute Step Ups (as fast as you can)
Week 1: 47
Week 10: 59

1-Minute Push-Ups (on knees)
Week 1: 25
Week 10: 42

1-Minute Full Sit-Ups
Week 1: 15
Week 10: 25

Conclusion: It's not the number on the scale that defines who I am or what I can do. Let the other numbers speak for themselves.

I'm back in the saddle again!

Sorry for the song title references, but they fit my posts :)

I took off last night of kickboxing because I didn't want to risk re-injuring or prolonging my ankle sprain and I'm glad I did. It felt great today, so I went to circuit class tonight and rocked it! I was able to do jump squats with the med ball and jump rope on both feet. They wanted us to do one foot at a time but I thought it wasn't worth the risk of hurting it or possibly twisting it again.

Another cool thing is that I've been asked to be a coach for the next 10 week session! One of the guys who teaches (his wife is also in my class) emailed me last night and said he wants to nominate me to be a coach because he said every time I work out I bring it and work my ass off. He said that's what the new crew needs to see and he thinks I could really motivate them and push them in workouts.

Wow.

I never thought I'd be a "leader" in a workout class. I do "bring it" every time in class because of the strength I feel. I push myself to places I don't think I can go and then go further. I do it for me. Not for anyone else. But now I'll have an added incentive because I'll have a team of newbies watching me. Get ready, kids.

Now, if I could get my full nutrition on game, things would be super swell. Did well today. I'm proud of myself.

Just when things were back on track...

During workouts tonight, I was doing jump squats on the steppers and as I was finishing up that circuit, I came down on my left foot wrong and twisted it. Being the "strong" person I am, I kept working out and didn't say anything. I had to modify the cardio circuits, because any sort of jumping on that foot hurt.

I came home and put it up and iced it now twice. It's not really swollen but the area on the side of my foot is sore to the touch and dark looking.

I'm beyond mad because tomorrow is kickboxing. I love kickboxing and everything about it. It gives me a great cardio workout and it's just fun. If this thing doesn't heal overnight, I don't know how much I'll be able to do. I can definitely do abs and punching, but I don't know how much kicking and jumping will be done.

Pisses me right off.

Self Sabotage

As I embark on week 10 of my fitness bootcamp, I find myself sabotaging my results that I could be proud of. In the last four days, I've eaten out five times. Saturday, I was so full from Mexican (hello, chips and salsa....I missed you) that I felt physically uncomfortable and almost sick. For some reason, as I'm finishing this 10 weeks, I feel like I'm suddenly invincible and can eat anything. Wrong.

So, instead of eating out tonight, I have a nice sirloin steak ready to grill and some veggies to go with it.

Kickboxing will be brutal tonight because I still feel full from my last few days of self destruction. But I'm still going. Hopefully I can kick some major butt.

Still in the 240s....my goal is that they're gone by Saturday.

I like to move it, move it.

You like to, MOVE IT!!!

Pulled out the good 'ole bike today. If you've been a loyal reader of mine (bless you!), you'll remember two years ago when my hubby and I got our bikes and rode the crap out of them that summer. We have mileage trackers on our bikes and mine said we had over 70 miles on it from that summer.

Well, we added to it tonight. I don't quite know the mileage, but I wore my good 'ole Polar F6 HRM and during our 31 minute bike ride, I burned 347 calories. That's like half my dinner!!! Sweetness! Add that on top of our tone and burn class (read: weights, resistance bands, abs, and some cardio) and I'm guessing I might have approached 1000 calories burned today!

This is a good thing. I've been flirting with the 239 pound mark on the scale all freaking week....240, 241, 240.2, 242, etc., etc. I want that new decade by gosh!!!!

As much as I'd love to say that I'll be getting in more bike rides this next week, I just saw the forecast for the next seven days and there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms every darn day! Bah humbug!!!!

Nine days until 10 week testing....

I feel strong.

I haven't said this in a LONG time. But I feel strong. I feel powerful. The numbers on the scale may not reflect it, but I think it's important to see yourself getting strong. I can do more push ups. I can kick and punch the bag harder. I can go faster longer on the step ups. I can do more sit ups (although the performance is still poor!).

I have completed 8 weeks of bootcamp or whatever you want to call it. While I haven't lost a gazillion pounds like I'd hope to, I feel a different loss. A loss of laziness. A loss of a lack of desire to do physical activity. A loss of a lack of thinking about what I put in my mouth. Now, I workout six days a week at my full potential at least 5/6 days, I think about my food choices before they enter my mouth (still tracking online). I don't give up after being 20 minutes into my workout. My classmates are noticing my strength and complimenting on it. My instructors are pushing me harder and harder because they know I can do it.

Two weeks from today, I will go through my 10 week testing. I hope to have lost at least 10 pounds by then. I hope to do more sit ups and push ups. I hope I'm more flexible. I hope I can jump higher. I hope I will have lost more inches than I did at 5 week testing.

But if not, I know deep down inside, I'm stronger. And nothing or no one can take that away.

I would really like to do another 10 week session but I don't know if it's the cards due to financial limits. I'd hate to stop this momentum when it's going so well. I just want to do one more 10 week session and get me into the school year again. Then, after that, it's up to me...unless I can afford to continue. Now, I just need a prayer and a miracle for my husband to get a call for an interview and then a job offer. Life would be so good if that happened.

The Heat is On!

So, do you have that song in your head? If not, you should!

Holy hotness is all I can say. We went from 60 degrees in May to 90+ degrees in June. On top of that, my gym is not air conditioned and I've had two days of unbearably hot workouts. Monday was kickboxing. They had us doing pyramids with partners. For example, maybe they called out right roundhouse kicks from 10 to 1. So, one partner does 10 right roundhouse kicks while the other person might be doing crunches or plank jacks. Then the other does ten. Then, 9, 8, and so on. That was brutal. I actually did not feel well the rest of the night and I think it was due to the extreme heat and cardio combined.

Yesterday was weights and bands. They had us doing circuits. We had everything from shoulder presses with weights to wall squats to tricep dips, to side squats with a step. They even had one of those floor ladders they use where you jump between boxes. It was hot but I didn't feel quite as physically spent as I was on Monday.

Today will be kickboxing again and it's still incredibly hot out. I'm hoping the cold front goes through before 6 PM tonight when class starts. I think I will have more energy and gusto if it's even just 10 degrees cooler.

On the weight front, it varies. One day I'm at 240, the next 244, the next 242, the next 241 and so on. I'm really focusing on eating fresh fruits and veggies and getting my protein in. I'm trying to eat whole grains, but it's not always possible. Our final testing is just a short 2 1/2 weeks away. I'd love for the scale there to say 239 that day to show a 10 pound weight loss. That means I need to lose more pounds to get to about 236 here.

We'll see what the next 17 days bring...

Sweat...it does a body good.

Who needs milk when you have sweat? Okay, I obviously am not drinking my sweat. At least not intentionally...and I'm still drinking my milk...where am I going with this?

Oh yeah! Sweating. While some people find it appalling to see someone sweat or sweat themselves, I feel it as an energy rush. Your heart's a pumping, your blood's a rushing, and your endorphins are going nuts. I think of sweat as calories melting off my body. That's a good thing when you slipped up and ate McDonald's for lunch. Bad thing is that it didn't even taste that great. The sandwich was okay but the fries were greasy and let's just say my body said farewell to those suckers. You'd think I'd learn my lesson but I didn't. Subway just didn't sound good and I know I didn't have to order the fries, but it was part of the meal combo. Duh, you idiot. Ever heard of just ordering the sandwich?

Next time, that's what I'll do. It'll be cheaper and better for me.

I worked my ass off tonight in class. It's bands/weights night, so I pushed it and went up in bands and weight. Using 20 pounders on my squats just burned....but it felt good! Also, we had a push up challenge and I finished second in my class with 47 push ups in one minute. That's 22 more than when I started almost seven weeks ago.

I feel strong. Now if I can just get my mind/stomach in check with great choices, I could blow those numbers off the scale.

Live and learn. Then, sweat it off.

Summer Vacation Means....

-Ability to get groceries when it's not so god-awful busy.
-Able to buy, put together, and use new lawn mower to make the yard look gorgeous (read: workout, too!)
-Sleeping in and waking up on own, not to loud, beeping alarm
-Reading the newspaper (yes, I'm old-fashioned) while watching Good Morning America and Ellen
-Not feeling stressed

Is it a coincidence that my weight has gone down two pounds since school being out? I blame stress big time. I feel so relaxed and so good. I got about an hour workout in this afternoon with mowing lawn and now I'm off to my workout class for some weights and resistance bands. I kind of like the two workouts a day. In fact, I may just try that to see how that affects my progress.

While I know many of you who aren't in education are jealous of my time off, but after this year, I need a chance to refresh for the next crew in August. They literally almost killed me! I'm actually excited to not be working at all and only have six weeks of class (3x/week) starting here in a couple of weeks. I can focus on ME!!!!

After all, it is all about me :) LOL!!!

Excuse Eating

How many of you have eaten because you have so much to do? How about because you're under a lot of pressure? How about because you're exhausted and can't think straight? How about because you don't feel the best and comfort food sounds fabulous?

THAT'S ME!

Today was not a stellar eating today. I probably consumed my daily calories by noon today. Our lounge was full of birthday treats (for those of us who have summer b-days) and I ate and ate. I had snack mix, cake balls, scotcheroos, chex mix, chocolate covered strawberries (hey, it was partially fruit, right?!?)....

I was so full I didn't even eat much of my lunch. I picked at my grilled chicken, ate a bit of salad and ate my fruit. My body doesn't know what to do. I know that I should eat something tonight because I have to workout in the morning but nothing sounds good.

I'm in regret. When you've been so good for six weeks and splurge, it sucks. Your stomach feels like it weighs 1,000 pounds. You feel gross and feel like you look gross. But I didn't skip my workout. In fact, I pushed it tonight and upped my weights I was using. My biceps and triceps are burning still!

Lesson for the Day: Eat like crap, feel like crap.