C1W7D1

Today begins the second half of my official BFL challenge. I took my end of week six photos today but haven’t posted them yet (software is loaded on husband’s computer so I’ll need him to upload for me). Am I pleased with the photos? F*#% no! Do I see a visual improvement? I really don’t know. I’ll have to carefully inspect and compare, but I don’t care at this point. I’m determined to give this my ultimate best each day, eat right, drink my gallon of water, and hit my workouts as hard as I possibly can. I did a lot of reading at hussman.org yesterday and I think I had/have a lot of intermuscular fat and perhaps that’s why my progress is slow. I need to print some of that stuff out and keep it with me for easy access when I’m feeling discouraged.

Yesterday was my rest day. I was tempted to do some cardio, but then I decided to hang out with my husband on the couch watching movies. I love Will Ferrell so my husband rented Bewitched and Kicking and Screaming. Neither was as funny as I had hoped but it was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Today I’m feeling pretty good. I hit it hard at the gym this morning, but didn’t feel like I was as strong as my last UB workout for some reason. I’m thinking of adding some Betagen (even though I’m freaked out about the water weight some people gain). The gym was super crowded this morning and I had to do my routine out of order (hopefully that doesn’t matter) and I couldn’t find the right weight BB to use for my upright rows so I had to improvise a little bit. I’ll get to the gym super early for Wednesday’s LB workout to avoid the free weight crowds.

Today’s UB workout:

Chest:
DB Chest Press
1x12 – 15 lbs.
2x10 – 20 lbs.
3x8 – 25 lbs.
4x6 – 27.5 lbs.x 4 reps, 25 lbs. x 2 reps
5x12 – 17.5 lbs.
DB Fly 1x12 – 15 lbs.

Shoulders:
Arnold Press
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 17.5 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs.
5x12 – 15 lbs.
BB Upright Row
1x12 – 30 lbs.
1x12 – 35 lbs.

Back:
Cable Row
1x12 – 60 lbs.
2x10 – 70 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 90 lbs.
5x12 – 70 lbs.
Reverse Grip Pulldown 1x12 – 80 lbs.

Triceps:
1 Arm Cross Over
1x12 – 5 lbs.
2x10 – 10 lbs.
3x8 – 10 lbs.
4x6 – 10 lbs.
5x12 – 10 lbs.
Kickbacks 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Biceps:
Barbell Curls
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 30 lbs.
3x8 – 35 lbs.
4x6 – 40 lbs. (failed at 4…???)
5x12 – 30 lbs.
21’s 1x12 – 10 lbs. (more difficult for me today than last UB day…?)

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – tuna, broccoli
M4 – chicken breast and pear
M5 – chicken breast, broccoli, ½ sweet potato
One gallon of water.

New HIIT Goal for Next 6 Weeks:
I will run alternating minutes of high/low intensity with my high intensity at 10 mph and my low intensity at 5 mph. I will make it happen.

C1W6D6

I’m not overly excited about my LB workout this morning. I went to a different gym location than I usually do since I volunteered to help an acquaintance move and this alternate gym was close to where I needed to be… Anyway, the equipment wasn’t what I’m used to and it was really crowded. I just feel like it wasn’t in par with the week I’ve had so far – which has ROCKED!. I’m also feeling very, very, very discouraged because I only lost like 3 oz. of weight this week and I’ve totally kicked ass with my workouts and with my eating and water. I despise the scale. I need to refocus and stop thinking about it. I gotta get my energy going for the coming week. Ugh. I was just sooooo certain I’d lose scale weight. I know the scale is evil and I don’t think I’ll be stepping on it for the remainder of my challenge.

Today’s LB workout:
Quads:
Leg Extensions
1 x 12 – 55 lbs.
2 x 10 – 70 lbs.
3 x 8 – 85 lbs.
4 x 6 – 100 lbs.
5 x 12 – 70 lbs.
DB Lunges
1 x 12 – 10 lbs.

Hamstrings:
Leg Curls
1 x 12 – 20 lbs.(1 leg)
2 x 10 – 40 lbs.(1 leg)
3 x 8 – 50 lbs.(2 legs)
4 x 6 – 60 lbs.(2 legs)
5 x 12 – 50 lbs. (2 legs)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1 x 12 – 40 lbs.
2 x 12 – 60 lbs.

Calves:
Calf Extensions
1 x 12 – 110 lbs.
2 x 10 – 120 lbs.
3 x 8 – 130 lbs.
4 x 6 – 140 lbs.
5 x 12 – 120 lbs.
One Leg Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 – 30 lbs.
2 x 12 – 30 lbs.

Abs
V Crunch (BFL style)
Reverse Crunch (BFL style)

Meals:
Today is free day.
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – half a chicken breast
M3 – 3/4 of a gallon of Denali Bear Claw ice cream. Son of a motherf*****…. so disappointed in myself. I know it’s free day, but jeez – have some restraint! Did I binge to punish myself for not losing weight? It really didn’t taste that good and my stomach hurts now. I don’t know if I’ll eat anything else today. Perhaps some salad and tuna fish if I actually feel hungry. Haven’t had enough water either.
Tomorrow is a new day. F$#! I just realized there are no tomorrows… I gotta make the most of everyday. OK get over it.

C1W6D5 and The Top 15

Holy cow! I ROCKED my HIIT workout this morning! My “10” was 10 mph on the treadmill and it felt sooooo great. I added on some steady state after my HIIT session for a total of 45 minutes of cardio. The new shoes are a huge help, although unfortunately I think I need to continue to vary my cardio with elliptical to allow my shins to heal completely. I either A) REALLY impressed the guy on the treadmill next to me or B) looked like lunatic cuz he kept glancing over at me and my treadmill display… I’m gonna go with A. ;-)

I think free day will be tomorrow. We’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a late lunch and I’m going to fight every urge to partake in the usual cocktails that our lovely hosts insist on serving us… it’s going to be difficult because I hate being the only one not drinking. They know I’m working really hard to change my body, but I always get the standard response… “Come on, one glass of wine/martini/shooter/beer isn’t going to hurt you.” If I give in and have one, it’ll inevitably turn into several. I’ve learned from early on in this challenge that drinking is not in my best interests. I will be strong. I’ve been working my ass too hard to give in. I really wanted sushi on free day… Oh well, there’s always next week.

The end of week six is approaching and I’ll be taking photos on Monday morning. I didn’t post week four photos to tracker because I didn’t see ANY visual changes AT ALL. It was extremely depressing to me because I KNOW I’m giving it my best each day. I’m making progress with inches lost and I can feel quite a bit of muscle (oooohhhh – my quad feels so hard when I flex! Yay!) so I need to stop comparing myself to the success of others and focus on the positive changes I’m making in my life that will stay with me forever. CindysExcited2bfit is a real inspiration to me because it took her 7 challenges to reach her goal, but wow! She looks so incredible. It might take me longer than I hoped, but I’ll get there too. I KNOW it.

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal (plus 2 cups of coffee)
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – chicken breast, pear
M4 – tuna, pear
M5 – chicken breast, green salad, small sweet potato
One gallon of water.

The 2005 Finalists...
Wow. Wow. Wow. What a group. What amazing transformations. They should all feel so incredible. Cheryl’s story took my breath away. It broke my heart and then filled me with joy. I’m so happy she found herself again. She really, really inspires me and I voted for her and will be voting for her every day.

Looks like she is neck to neck with the amazing gentlemen from Oklahoma, but all the finalists are truly amazing. I can’t get over the definition of Aaron Ferguson. Truly spectacular. And Nicole. GORGEOUS!

Any of the finalists would make an excellent Grand Master Champion. Maybe some need the money more than Cheryl. I personally don’t think she’s in it for the money. I’m feeling full of emotion right now. What is with me????

It’s raining and a little chilly today.

Although I live nowhere near the Smoky Mountains, the song Smoky Mountain Rain by Ronny Milsap popped in my head for some reason… which brought back a horrifying childhood memory. My sister, brother and I used to put on the goofiest “shows” for our parents and their dinner guests. Once we sang a medley of Ronny Milsap songs. WE WERE THE BIGGEST DORKS. None of us can carry a tune by the way. What torture it must have been to sit through one of our performances. Ugh.

Tracker Finalists
Cheryl’s (averismommy) story is going to be really amazing – I just know it. I read her updated profile and it broke my heart into tiny aching pieces. I’ll have to read the other finalists essays, but can’t imagine I’ll be voting for anyone other than Cheryl at this point. What an amazing way to honor her son and continue on with her life. I was so excited when I read her post that she had received a call from Porter – you would’ve thought he placed the call to me.

C1W6D4
It still hurts to sneeze. My new ab exercise ROCKS. I don’t know what it’s called. A guy at the gym showed me how to do it. I used a 10 lb. plate and on the decline bench, did a decline crunch and extended my arms over and behind my head. On the way up, extend your arms out and up with a little push. Not a very good explanation...

This morning I did my UB workout and this afternoon I did 50 minutes of steady state cardio. I started feeling twinges of pain in my shins so I finally broke down and stopped by the running store for some new shoes. Man, running shoes are so ugly.

Today’s UB workout:

Chest:
DB Chest Press
1x12 – 15 lbs.
2x10 – 20 lbs.
3x8 – 25 lbs.
4x6 – 25 lbs. (tried 30 lbs but failed)
5x12 – 20 lbs.
DB Fly 1x12 – 15 lbs.

Shoulders:
Arnold Press
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 15 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs. for 3 reps and 15 lbs. for 3 reps
5x12 – 10 lbs.
BB Upright Row 1x12 – 40 lbs.

Back:
Cable Row
1x12 – 60 lbs.
2x10 – 70 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 90 lbs.
5x12 – 70 lbs.
1 Arm DB Row 1x12 – 20 lbs.

Triceps:
Overhead Extension/Press (don’t know exact name…)
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 40 lbs.
3x8 – 50 lbs.
4x6 – 60 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
1 Arm Cross Over 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Biceps:
Barbell Curls
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 30 lbs.
3x8 – 35 lbs.
4x6 – 40 lbs.
5x12 – 30 lbs.
21’s 1x12 – 10 lbs. (1st time I tried these - I like 'em!)

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – pear and string cheese
M4 – chicken breast and pear
M5 – chicken breast, green salad, ½ sweet potato
One gallon of water.

You Wanna See Something REALLY Scary???

Someone started a thread at tracker asking what kind of dog everyone owns... I was soooooo tempted to post the photo of Sam and pretend he was mine just for fun. What is it with Sam’s back leg? He must love to chew on it – it’s always near his gnarled up mouth. Oh, and my husband told me to be sure to count the number of toes on his left foot… WTF???

This is how the Associated Press described Sam:
The tiny dog has no hair, if you don't count the yellowish-white tuft erupting from his head. His wrinkled brown skin is covered with splotches, a line of warts marches down his snout, his blind eyes are an alien, milky white, and a fleshy flap of skin hangs from his withered neck. And then there are the Austin Powers teeth that jut at odd angles.

Anyway, if you want to see some scary, funny stuff check out this video of Sam in the living flesh (yowza!): http://www.metacafe.com/watch/30216/worlds_ugliest_dog/

On to my fitness journey stuff…

C1W6D3
Wooohooo. My body feels great after yesterday’s LB and ab workout. Lots of soreness. Must be from the lunges and new ab exercise I tried.

Today’s cardio session was AWESOME. Did HIIT on the treadmill for the first time in quite awhile. I’ve been trying to get my shin splints to heal and thought I’d give it a go this morning and didn’t feel much pain and definitely feel like I hit my 10! I LOVE to RUN!

I’m a little freaked out that I’m in the middle of week six… only five and a half weeks left to make some dramatic changes. With that said, I think I’m gonna head to the gym for an steady state cardio session right now! I’ve been debating with myself whether or not to do some extra cardio today and I just talked myself into it.

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate Oatmeal (from EFL book, w/o splenda)
M2 – oatmeal and protein powder
M3 – small pear, 2 string cheese, 6 almonds
M4 – tuna fish, pear
M5 – chicken breast, brocoli, sweet potato
M6 – I’m going to try cutting out meal six for a bit and see what happens…
One gallon of water.

I Love Sam - The World's Ugliest Dog

I just love Sam. He’s won the World’s Ugliest Dog contest three years in a row and he’s hideous, but I love him. He makes me laugh every time I see his crazy little demonic face. Bless his sweet, little heart!

C1W6D2
I had extra energy today during my workout and probably could’ve upped my weights. Definitely will try to up them on Friday/Saturday – whenever my next LB workout is scheduled. Unfortunately, that extra energy didn’t carry through this afternoon and I didn’t get an extra cardio session in like I had hoped.

Today’s LB workout:
Quads:
Leg Extensions
1 x 12 – 60 lbs.
2 x 10 – 70 lbs.
3 x 8 – 80 lbs.
4 x 6 – 90 lbs.
5 x 12 – 70 lbs.
DB Lunges
1 x 12 – 10 lbs.
2 x 12 – 10 lbs.

Hamstrings:
Standing Leg Curls
1 x 12 – 25 lbs.
2 x 10 – 30 lbs.
3 x 8 – 35 lbs.
4 x 6 – 40 lbs.
5 x 12 – 35 lbs.
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1 x 12 – 40 lbs.
2 x 12 – 60 lbs.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 – 110 lbs.
2 x 10 – 120 lbs.
3 x 8 – 130 lbs.
4 x 6 – 140 lbs.
5 x 12 – 120 lbs.
One Leg Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 – 30 lbs.
2 x 12 – 30 lbs.

Abs (4 sets of 25 each)
Cruches on Swiss ball
Reverse Crunch
Oblique Cruch

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and EAS whey protein
M2 – oatmeal and EAS whey protein
M3 – 3 egg whites, small pear, 6 almonds
M4 – cottage cheese, small apple
M5 – tuna fish, ½ sweet potato, green salad
M6 – small pear, cottage cheese
One gallon of water.

C1W6D1

This photo is the back of my handsome husband on a camping trip last year. I'll have to dedicate an entire blog entry to his wonderfullness someday...

I can’t believe I’m halfway through Challenge 1! Time flies. Oh, and I see a few people are actually reading my blog. Ugh oh. The pressure’s on to come up with something read worthy. Unfortunately today’s blog entry will be pretty boring. It’s been such a busy day and I still have so much to do…

I had planned on doing my LB workout this morning, but had a new staff member start today and I was feeling a little unorganized so needed to get to work early this morning… ANYWAY, by the time I got to the gym on my lunch hour, it was PACKED and I decided to do HIIT today and I’ll do LB tomorrow first thing in the morning. My HIIT was GREAT, though.

I had the best week ever last week BFL wise. =)

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – chicken breast, ½ yam
M4 – 3 egg whites, small apple
M5 – romaine salad, chicken breast, green beans
M6 – whey protein and half an apple
One gallon of water (I better get busy drinking…!)

There ain't no thing like a chicken wing...

... my chicken wing isn't wiggling as much anymore! Woohooo! Progress, baby.

What does LOVE mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."
Emily - age 8


"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8


"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4


"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8


And last but not least,
-- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

C1W5D4

Had a GREAT HIIT workout today and feeling pretty good about myself today. I've recently realized that I have to completely change my thought patterns from the negative and self-doubting (I'm not seeing results, I don't know if I can do this) to the positive (I AM doing this, I AM seeing results) and I think it's working!

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – romaine lettuce, oil and vinegar, tuna fish
M4 – string cheese, small apple
M5 – chicken breast, green beans, green salad (or maybe a small yam)
M6 – small pear, cottage cheese
One gallon of water.

Very unimaginative with my meals today, but I’m still struggling with a bit of dizziness and just didn’t feel like putting too much effort into making meals.

I stumbled upon this earlier today and thought it was so cool and so true (I hope it’s OK to use the image).

Make Yourself
Make the most of yourself.
There is only one person in charge of your life and that person is you.
You are the captain of your ship.
You are the author of your life story.
Every day you have a new opportunity to create the person you want to be.
Isn't it nice to know your future is in good hands?

C1W5D3

Let's see if I can get this blog thing figured out...

OK, so I looked at my end of week 4 photos and I’m totally bummed. Shouldn’t have looked. Don’t think I’ll be posting them on tracker – it’s just too depressing. I gotta get it in gear! I swear I feel like I’m busting my butt, but I don’t think I am… I gotta try harder! Thank goodness for Group TNT…

Today’s LB workout:
Quads:
Leg Extensions
1 x 12 – 60 lbs.
2 x 10 – 70 lbs.
3 x 8 – 80 lbs.
4 x 6 – 90 lbs.
5 x 12 – 70 lbs.
Leg Press (Hip Sled)
1 x 12 – 130 lbs.
2 x 12 – 140 lbs.

Hamstrings:
Standing Leg Curls
1 x 12 – 25 lbs.
2 x 10 – 30 lbs.
3 x 8 – 35 lbs.
4 x 6 – 40 lbs.
5 x 12 – 35 lbs.
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1 x 12 – 40 lbs.
2 x 12 – 60 lbs.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 – 110 lbs.
2 x 10 – 120 lbs.
3 x 8 – 130 lbs.
4 x 6 – 140 lbs.
5 x 12 – 120 lbs.
One Leg Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 – 40 lbs.
2 x 12 – 30 lbs.

Abs (4 sets of 25 each)
Cruches on Swiss ball
Reverse Crunch
Oblique Cruch

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and EAS whey protein
M2 – oatmeal and EAS whey protein
M3 – tuna fish, ½ yam, 6 almonds
M4 – cottage cheese, small apple
M5 – tuna fish, ½ yam, green salad
M6 – small pear, cottage cheese
One gallon of water.

Notes: Feeling very tired today and a little dizzy but don’t feel like I’m coming down with anything. Planned on adding extra cardio this afternoon, but decided not to due to the dizziness.

Just for fun, let's see if I can upload a picture of my beautiful dog, Max: