Miss Fit's Fitness Journey

Thank you. =)

2006-07-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

You all are so great and so very helpful. Thank you for taking time to comment and advise. I sincerely appreciate the feedback. I don’t like to talk to anyone in my “real” life about any hiccups J and I experience… it just doesn’t feel right to air our laundry to others and I know he wouldn’t appreciate it, but I feel safe putting it out here because you only “know” me and I know you won’t judge J. He’s the finest man I know and I’m afraid the majority (not all, but most) of any problems we have is my fault – or simply imagined. Anyway, I brought up the idea of counseling and he wasn’t really into it. He actually doesn’t understand why I think it would be a good idea – but he encouraged me to see someone if I felt it would help and he said he would read some marriage books with me.

I also might make an appointment with a doctor I saw about 3 years ago during the height of my depression. He’s the nicest guy and was very helpful. I always felt immediately better after an appointment. Although I no longer deal with depression, I suffer tremendously with self-doubt and such a pathetic lack of confidence. It’s really rather disgusting. I’m constantly reading and trying to improve myself, but for some reason I’m struggling to see my worth. It’s ridiculous. Bah. I will overcome this so I can be the person I want to be. I am my own worse enemy and I need to stop before my fears become a self-fulfilled prophecy.

We had a wonderful time on our camping trip and things are going well with us... I just want to enjoy a very fulfilled and happy marriage and I want to do all I can to ensure our love remains strong.

Blogger FUNK

2006-07-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

I just don’t have too much to say lately. I’ve been reading blogs, but rarely commenting. I think the hot, hot heat is killing my thought process. Seriously. We (as many of you have as well, I’m sure) had record-breaking heat for the past 12 straight days. 114, 115, 116… BUT it’s supposed to get down to the low 100’s by this weekend so at least relief is in the not too distant future.

Diet is going well. Training is going well. I really need to get to a sports medicine doctor regarding my shins. I’m pretty sure I have tibia stress fractures in both legs and the pain is increasingly worse day by day. I hate to see a “sports medicine” doctor, because I’m not an elite athlete and I hate for them to tell me to “STOP RUNNING.”

We’re going camping this weekend. It’ll be nice to get up into the mountains and hopefully away from this heat.

Hope ya’ll are doing great.

Ate my cake.

2006-07-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

EDIT: If Jess reads this, your blog isn't allowing comments to be posted!

I had my first cheat after 20 days and I finally ate some cake. I didn’t want to buy a big cake, since my husband usually prefers the dense, rich chocolate version and I wanted light and fluffy. So I settled on an individual slice of white layer cake with white buttercream frosting from the Vons bakery. Wow. That was one helluva sugar rush. Not a high quality piece of pastry and it was awfully sweet… I felt like tossing my “cookies” after eating the ENTIRE 3”x3” two layer slice, but I believe my craving is now satisfied.

Other than my cake cheat, my diet is still ON. I’m officially carb cycling this week (2 low days, 2 low GI days, 2 higher GI days and then another cheat day) so it should be a very easy week. I saw a big jump downwards on the scale after the first week, but since then nothing. In fact, the scale crept back up. No biggie. I’ve been getting lots of compliments about my physique changes so I choose to concentrate on the good and ignore the evil scale.

Saturday morning’s workout was sprints at the high school track. Running on a track recruits completely different muscles than the treadmill. I felt it way up into my hamstrings the next day. It was really HARD but I really enjoyed it. I sprinted the straights and recovered on the corners.

My husband left early to go fishing and was gone by the time I got home so I rested on the couch for a few minutes. It was a beautiful early morning – all the windows were open and a breeze was circulating throughout the house. Ahhhh. Just as I was getting up to take a shower I heard a muffled thud sound and heard a vehicle out in front of my house. I thought it was the newspaper delivery, but the next thing I know I see a man sprinting through my back yard, yanking open my side gate, jumping into a waiting vehicle and speeding off. I ran outside and my sweet neighbor – who happened to be on his front porch and saw the whole thing – and I tried to figure out what the hell just happened. It was especially difficult because he doesn’t speak English and I only know a tiny bit of Spanish! Anyway, I finally went inside and called my husband and he suggested I call the police in case it was related to a separate incident or crime. The police arrived shortly after I called and said there’s an apartment complex a couple miles away that’s kind of known for it’s crime (grrrreaaat) but that when our gates are completed and functioning, we shouldn’t see any problems spilling over into our area. One of the policewomen spoke Spanish so we were able to piece together that the guy hopped over our back wall (it’s a stone/concrete wall about 8 feet tall) and ran through my backyard to the car waiting outside. We just can’t figure out why in the world that would happen. So strange. Oh, and the guy didn't have on any shoes - just socks. I hope they complete the gates to our gated community quickly.

This morning’s cardio workout was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. I started out doing hills on the treadmill. My gym upgraded our equipment so the treadmills now have a speed interval program and I just couldn’t resist trying it out. So all in all I burned about 610 calories in under an hour. I can feel my metabolism burning up!

This and That

2006-07-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

This strict dieting has helped me realize how lax I had become in my eating. I was still eating relatively clean, but definitely not spot on. When I first started this new diet almost three weeks ago, I had visited someone’s office that always has chocolates on her desk and I almost grabbed one out of habit. I guess I didn’t realize how often I was grabbing a chocolate here and a chocolate there. Going on a strict diet allows me to appreciate the simple things in life - like oatmeal and blueberries. After this test group diet is done, I may consider doing no carb weeks once a month or every couple of months to keep me on the straight and narrow. Food is something I struggle with and I'm always looking for ways to keep me on track and help me appreciate wholesome foods.

My cardio workout was awesome this morning… until the worst cramps I’ve ever had in my life hit. I had to leave and whimpered and moaned all the way home. A few minutes on the couch and a couple of Aleve fixed me up, but I’m disappointed that I had to stop when I was so close to finishing such an awesome workout. Why doesn’t that type of thing happen on days when your work out totally sucks wind?

Let's see if blogger will agree with me today and let me post some photos of The Cuteness...

I just love his long legs

It's hard to capture the essence of his cuteness on film...

... but sometimes: success!

I Didn’t Cave!

2006-07-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Whew. I made it through the weekend without caving into my craving. I even resisted Claim Jumper’s Motherlode Cake. I won’t post a photo. It’s a six layer chocolate cake – it looked pretty good, but my real craving was for something light and fluffy – a little less decadent than the gooey chocolate cake. Thankfully, my craving for cake is pretty much under control, but I do feel increased hunger pangs. I always do when I have PMS. Grrrr.

The weekends go by way too fast. We enjoyed more time in the pool at our friends’ house on both days and saw the Pirates of the Caribbean on Sunday night. It was such a loooong movie. It was really good, but I was FREEZING and didn’t have a sweater so I couldn’t wait for the movie to end. If you go, be sure to stay till the very end – after the credits have rolled. There’s supposed to be a surprise – unfortunately we left and didn’t see what it was… and didn’t hear about the “surprise” till on our way home while listening to the radio. Did I mention it was really loooong? Bring a sweater.

Things with the diet are going well. I get carbs again so my energy is picking up and Sunday will be my first cheat day in 20 days. I don’t think I’m going to go crazy. I think the philosophy behind the cheat day is to “re-feed” the body and raise leptin levels. (From Wikipedia: Leptin is a 16 kDa protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including the regulation of appetite and metabolism.) Blah, blah, blah. I’m so difficult with details. Anyway, my cheat day may have specific “rules” – I don’t know yet. I almost hate to have a cheat, but I believe it’s important for leptin levels.

My joints are acting up again, so workouts aren’t completely enjoyable, but I’m getting them in and feeling good and sore. I’ll be picking up a bottle of a triple joint relief formula (containing MSM, Chondrotin, Glucosomine) today. I’ve hesitated buying anything because I don’t want to drop $50 on something I don’t even know will help. Homeownership has turned me into a cheap-o.

Not much else going on. It’s really HOT, but I love the evening temperatures and the accompanying breezes. Summer is the best.

I’m putting up some pictures of Max (aka Mr. Handsome, aka The Cuteness) for your viewing pleasure (and I want the cake as far down the page as possible!). EDIT: OK, blogger isn't cooperating with me. Looks like photos will get posted later.

Caution: Subject matter may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

2006-07-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Uh oh. I have a mean craving. PMS is upon me and I can’t stop thinking about CAKE. Or any sweet dessert. Pie, cake, ice cream sundae, pastries… This normally wouldn’t be too big of a problem. I’d just enjoy a nice piece of cake on Free Day or for a Free Meal. HOWEVER, I don’t get a free day for eight more days. This is going to be tough. I REALLY want cake!!!

I can’t stop thinking about it. Yum. Oh, you know what else would be good??? High tea! Oh, how I’d love to enjoy a beautiful traditional English teatime with those yummy and delicate little sandwiches and scones! Matt, you must give us all the details of a proper high tea!

I WILL NOT CAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The World Needs More Holiday Weekends

2006-07-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just love holiday weekends. I worked a little on Sunday to help out a colleague, but we were given the day off on Monday, which made it more than worthwhile. I made dinner for a friend on Saturday and he helped us hang a new ceiling fan. Sunday we watched Superman Returns. Monday we went swimming at a friend’s and watched a very interesting movie called The Secret – I found it very interesting as it relates to several books I’ve been reading lately (The Power of Intention, Conversations With God). Tuesday we enjoyed a nap and fireworks in the evening at the country club. Yesterday was a tough day to get through – I was so tired. I'm still tired today in fact. I've been reading blogs, but I'm too tired to comment.

Here's our new ceiling fan. It looks really nice in our living room.

Diet is still ON and going great. I ate sashimi today for the first time ever. I love sushi rolls, but don’t care for raw fish. Unfortunately, sushi rolls definitely aren’t on my diet, but what could be healthier than fresh tuna, salmon and snapper? I decided to change my dislike of all things raw. I can’t believe I choked it down. I really don’t get what the big deal is about sashimi. Why does everyone get so excited over it? Sure the tuna is a beautiful color, but it’s just raw???!!! I'm kind of determined to make myself love it. I'll let you know how that turns out. So far, it's not looking too good.

Still On Plan… and Oh So Busy!

2006-06-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

I’m still on plan but I actually feel fatter than ever. In fact, I stepped on the scale this morning and was HORRIFIED by what I saw… I’m hoping it’s just my body adjusting to the new high-protein plan and things will be different by next week. My stomach has been bothering me a bit and my energy (which is never off the charts) is a little lacking, but my mood is good and I varied my diet today so I’m feeling more satisfied. EDIT: I didn’t have a chance to post yesterday, and this was actually saved in draft from Wednesday. Today I feel much less fat AND saw a dramatic drop in scale weight this morning! However, my energy is not so great.

For the past year I’ve used EAS’ 100% Whey Protein purchased from Vitamin Shoppe (my Ukrainian friend pronounces it: Shoppey – so cute. Oh, she also says Wacation, Wote, Wirus rather than Vacation, Vote, Virus. I love it.). ANYWAY, the price has been anywhere from $29.99 to $31.99 over the past year. This past week I had to restock and the price was $39.99 for the same 5 lb. tub. That’s a HUGE jump and I’m still a little tweaked over the way they “compensated” my boss for his bad RTD shake (they sent him a pack of 4 to make up for his horrible experience) so I decided it was time to make a change in protein products. I’d heard Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey was pretty tasty and it has almost the exact nutritional content as EAS’ but with an added gram of protein per serving so I thought I’d give it a try. The taste is actually very good.

My mid-morning meal consisted of celery and peanut butter and a double rich chocolate protein shake. The combination was fabulous. My last bite of celery and PB was washed down with a drink of protein and the flavor in my mouth was reminiscent of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. This could be dangerous for me. I have to watch my self-control with the PB as it is.

I took some photos of Max the other morning and loved the close-up so much that I decided to use it as my profile photo. He’s such a fascinating little dog. I don’t know how possible reincarnation is, but I sometimes wonder if he’s a man reincarnated into a dog or if he’s a dog about to be reincarnated into a man next go around. I’d love to get into his little head.

Did you guys know Karla is “back”? At least she teased us via her blog that she was coming back – that was back on June 6 but there hasn’t been a peep since. Wouldn’t that be fabulous if she returned to blogland???? I miss her, darn it.

I’ll have to comment on your comments as soon as I get a few more spare minutes.

xo, Rachel

Hungry

2006-06-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

I already miss carbohydrates – especially my oatmeal, blueberries and cottage cheese meal. It may sound gross, but it’s quite delicious and very satisfying. If you haven’t tried it, I’d encourage you to give it a go. Simply mix equal parts (I use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending on how hungry I am) of old fashioned oats, cottage cheese, blueberries (frozen works fine) and water and microwave for a couple minutes. Sprinkle on liberal amounts of cinnamon and a tiny bit of Splenda if needed. It’s soooo good. Darn. Now that bowl of delicious oatmeal and berries is all I can think about. Let’s change the subject.

A sad and weird thing happened at work yesterday… we have a fairly new staff member who just doesn’t seem “right” to me. She’s always very flustered, anxious, hyper and just a little off. My boss and I had to enter her office after hours and we discovered what we believe to be a methamphetamine bag – it was pretty much empty, with just a small amount of powdery residue remaining. This explains her very erratic behavior. We called the police to see if they could test the residue so we’d know for sure, but there isn’t enough left in the bag to test. The policeman who came to our office said he was 99.99999% sure it was meth. He sees this stuff every day and felt confident that’s what we found. It's sad to me because it's such a shame to see someone with so much potential throw it away. It's weird because we have such a rigorous interview process and it's hard to believe we didn't notice any clues during the interview process... After she was hired I noticed many things I thought were odd, but I never would've guessed drugs could be the cause. Anyway, we have a strict drug policy and we can’t continue to employee her.

Here’s an interesting link with photos showing the “faces of meth” – if this doesn’t scare someone from experimenting with methamphetamine, I don’t know what would:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/photos/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/olive/view_gallery.ata?g_id=2927

********
Comments on comments:

Matt, I know about carb cycling, but it’s not something I’ve ever tried. I bet you’re right. Cool. I’ve wanted to try cycling carbs, but have been too lazy to research it properly and now I don’t have to do the research. Yay!

Chantal, I know you’re curious. I’ll share details as soon as I can. Thanks for your vote of confidence!

Tom, good idea with the bubble wrap. My clumsiness is pretty legendary.

Kim, we MUST get together the next time you’re up in my area!!!

Erin, what sage advice you give! Thanks for the reminder! I have not forgotten about our deal. ;)

Pamela, sticking to a strict diet during summer is going to be a HUGE challenge for me. We have get togethers nearly every weekend and there’s always lots of delicious foods and much alcohol to be had by all. If I didn’t waste the winter and spring floundering around and searching for my mojo, I wouldn’t be where I am today (un-hot). Bah!

My Quest for HOTNESS

2006-06-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 1 of my Joel Marion 8-week test group plan. I think I’m going to take this week off from weight training because my diet includes little to no carbs and I just don’t think I’ll be able to continue with my heavy full-body workouts till I start getting some carbs in me (starting next week). I did the new cardio this morning and it was a killer – got that weird acidic burning sensation in my stomach which didn’t make getting through it any easier, but at least it’s done and I didn’t slack off.

I’m really excited to see what this new plan can do for me. I’ve needed something to rev me up for months… it’s only day one, I know, but right now I feel “ON”. Whew. I just want to be HOT. I don’t want to look good for 33 years old. I don’t want to be almost HOT. I just want ultimate HOTNESS. I work with way too many beautiful women. Which wouldn’t be so difficult to deal with, but my husband and I work together, so he also works with way too many beautiful women. These beautiful women wear some skimpy clothes sometimes. Several are 5’ 9” and wear stilettos on a daily basis. It’s starting to get to me a little. I need to get HOT!

The weekend was nice. We hung out with friends at their pool on Saturday. Yesterday was spent grocery shopping and preparing for the week ahead… I helped J hang a ceiling fan… nothing too exciting.

*************************************************************************

Since I love how Tom and Chérie comment on comments, today I thought I’d give it a go…:

Matt, as always, you are just so encouraging. It’s kind of amazing what an encouraging word does for someone! Thank you!

Pamela, can’t wait to finally talk to you. I can talk about details of my plan in conversation, but I’m not allowed to post on any forum or blog… but I can TALK about the details. ;)

Jim, Not really a secret routine, but I agreed not to share the diet. Oh, I’ll be updating with what I hope is some awesome progress. Like I said earlier, I MUST GET HOT!

Hi Leslie,I’m actually in Central California (Fresno to be exact) and it was bloody HOT this weekend. I hope your runners were OK. I actually saw a woman running at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. It had to be at least 110 and I don’t know how the heck she was doing it. I thought I was going to melt just from the short walk from my car to the grocery store.

Tom and Mari: My finger is much better. However, I did slip down my stairs the other morning. Bump, bump, bump. Bumpity bump.

Melissa, you’re welcome for the nice comment. I meant every word. And I don’t mind at all if you post my blog link. =)

Chérie, I’d love for someone to plan my meals and do the grocery shopping, too. In addition to that, I’d like them to unpack the groceries, pre-prep any food (wash veggies, etc.).

Jennifer, yep. I’m a little klutzy. See above. Always have been. ;P

Irene, hope you made it through your sticky, hot weekend. We’re only a few days into summer and I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come!

Nothing Blog Worthy

2006-06-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Not much goin’ on that’s blog worthy. I think I sprained my middle finger. Not sure how I did it – I helped a friend demolish a wall on Saturday (fun!) – so that’s probably when it happened. It’s not too bad, but my grip is definitely affected. Let’s see… what else? Oh, I signed up to be part of a test group for a new diet. Some of you may have seen it posted at T-nation or on another forum. It’s from a former BFL Grand Champion, Joel Marion. I start on Monday with the new diet and will continue on with my current training routine, with a small adjustment to my cardio… I can’t disclose any details, but I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I know what to do with my eating, but it’ll be nice having someone give me a prescribed plan without having to think about things too much. Photos of me won’t be updated till late summer.

I think it’s supposed to be 106 degrees today and the forecast calls for 112 by this weekend. Bah. Hellooooo Summer.

I love the way Chérie and Tom always respond to comments people leave on their blogs… I’m not so great about doing that, but just want to say thanks for commenting and I do appreciate your blendship.

A Little Inspiration

2006-06-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

I stole this idea from the lovely and talented JunoJen. She mentioned the blog of someone who inspires her with her fitness tenacity and dedication (Stacey). Stacey is amazing and inspires me, too. In fact, because of Jen’s post, I added her link to my blog list so I would remember to read her blog more often.

Someone’s blog that I read on a regular basis is Evie (Evielee at tracker). This girl is so physically beautiful it makes me want to puke. I’d die for her face. But what knocks your socks off just as much as her drop-dead gorgeousness is her transformation. It’s one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen. If you’ve never seen her profile on tracker, you must STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW and go check her out: Evielee. Simply breathtaking. Phenomenal. Her drive is unbelievable and she’s on a quest to be the very best she can possibly be – isn’t that what it’s all about? Being our very best self? She’s a true inspiration. My only complaint: she doesn’t update her blog nearly as often as she should… =)

Quick Update

2006-06-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Things are so busy for me right now. We’ve hired a new PR person at work, we’ve expanded our office space, and I’m in the middle of a new project. Lots of stuff to do.

I also recommitted myself to a full-on fitness challenge starting last Monday. Unfortunately, I had three unplanned business lunches to attend (I did the best I could ordering at restaurants) and my busy schedule helped me miss a few meals here and there, but such is life. I’m still plugging away.

Will post more as time allows. Just didn’t want anyone to think I fell off the wagon or the face of the earth!

xo, Rach

Still have lots of work to do…

2006-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of a lull in my workday (weighting [OMG, see how I typed “waiting” – is that a Freudian slip?] on someone else to finish a part of a project so I may proceed) so I thought I’d do a little blogging.

After looking at the photos of our new home, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no part of my personality in the décor whatsoever… I try not to get caught up on the little things – like whether or not I HATE those curtains or whether or not I think things look a little too hard and masculine. I try to take on the stance of a Buddhist monk, because in the big scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter much. I literally say to myself, “I am a Buddhist monk” and it brings me to a peaceful place and I think about the big picture vs. the small details. I know, I’m a nutcase… but I’m telling you, it works! What’s important is that we’re both happy and healthy. We have a lovely roof over our heads. Who cares if my personality doesn’t come through in the decoration of our home?

Or does it matter? Should I take a more dominant stance and create something that reflects both of our personalities? Will I lose myself if I step back and allow J to make the decisions? Hmmmmm. See, I confuse myself when I over-analyze…

OK, I’m back to it doesn’t really matter. Remember my greatest fear being that J would inherit his mom’s early on-set Alzheimer’s? That’s another motivator in my letting J make the decisions… what if his time is limited? His mom is in her mid 50’s, has been diagnosed for about 8 years and is already to the point that she no longer has lucid moments. She’s a shell and doesn’t even recognize her children or her husband. Her and J were as close as mother and son could possibly be… I’ve spent 10 weeks with her over the last two years, but her disease is so advanced and she’s so far gone that I don’t even know if she would like me as a daughter-in-law. It’s really the saddest thing I’ve ever experienced.

On to the photos…

If you look to the lower left of this first photo, you can see my little dog, Max.

We bought the masks, elephant head, black and white artwork, black and white Balinese doll prints (my husband has a thing for black and white art) and most of the stuff hanging on the walls while we were visiting Malaysia. The sailboat was my gift to J for our first anniversary.

When we got married, I sold most of my furniture and most of my stuff because I was under the impression we would buy things together with both making equal decisions… sigh. I am a Buddhist monk.

The artwork I brought into our marriage is currently located in one room of our house – it’s the polar opposite of J’s taste (which is why he’s relegated it to the spare room which will eventually become our home gym) and full of vibrant colors. It’s a little over the top. I bought it from a local artist as a gift to myself to celebrate the one year anniversary of breaking it off with my ex-boyfriend. We’d been together for nine long years (he’s the same man that I allowed to come between me and my best friend – why do some women make the worst decisions about certain men???). Anyway, the artwork kind of represents life and fun and freedom to me. I’ll take photos of the artwork in there and you can see for yourselves how completely different it is from the rest of the house. The mirror on the easel stand is mine from my single days, but I really think it looks atrocious where it is right now and would prefer to replace the existing console in the entryway with a much longer console and get rid of the mirror all together. It just doesn’t work as it is.

We’re temporarily trying out a Japanese style dining table (floor cushions need to be purchased) because the coffee table we have is too large for our living room and it’s such a beautiful table that I didn’t want to get rid of it. On an episode of Great Hotels, Samantha Brown stayed in a hotel that had a Japanese style dining table and it looked so cool, but I’m not really excited about the way it looks in our dining room…

J is so sweet. He bought me a little TV for the kitchen so when I’m spending all my time cooking separate meals for each of us I can be entertained…

Our current plan is to buy the Greenwich sectional from Pottery Barn and I’d like to replace the console with the Raleigh Console (also from PB). My beloved J has already decided upon our bedroom furnishings… it’s beautiful, but wouldn’t be my first choice. I am a Buddhist monk. I am a Buddhist monk. I am a Buddhist monk.

More photos to come soon.

I feel special.

2006-05-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by the legendary muscle head,Jim. How cool is that? =P

OK, here goes…

I am: bummed out that my adorable little dog peed on my brand new sisal rug. I am even more bummed that I didn’t read the care instructions before saturating with Urine Gone. I’m most bummed that my beautiful new rug has a colorfast stain that I don’t know how to remove.

I want: a hard body without all the hard work.

I hate: being unsatisfied with my appearance.

I miss: my beaner (a.k.a. Jasmine). She was “my” first dog and she passed away four years ago last Saturday. She was nothing but sweetness and love.

I fear: my husband will inherit his mother’s early on-set Alzheimer’s. It’s truly my greatest fear.

I wonder: how Karla is doing with her pregnancy. I miss her.

I regret: not being as dedicated as I need to be to meet my fitness goals. But my biggest regret is that I let a man come between me and my best friend many, many years ago… it’s a long, sad story.

I am not: loving yardwork as much as I thought I would.

I dance: best when I’ve had a few drinks. I don’t care what I look like and have soo much fun.

I sing: operatic songs to my dog.

I cry: mostly when I’m alone. I hate to cry in front of others.

I am not always: as creative as I’d like to be with these blog lists. I always think of better things to write after I’ve already posted.

I make with my hands: a separate dinner for myself (clean)and a separate dinner for my husband every night. The way to his heart is definitely through his stomach.

I write: little love notes to my husband when I leave for the store or a trip or wherever. I recently found a box where he keeps them. I assumed he threw them away…

I confuse: myself when I over-analyze things.

I need: a pedicure. And some new clothes.

I should: stop procrastinating about my violin lessons.

I start: every day by giving my husband a head and neck massage.

I finish: my day with my dog curled in my arms.

Whew. I finished. It’s been a crazy, busy day. Things are fine with my husband and me. Again, thank you all so much for your wisdom. More to come tomorrow or the next day… it’s going to be a busy week.

For now, I tag Cherie and Erin.

xo, Rachel

What do people REALLY want from a relationship?

2006-05-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Bear with me. I’ve only had two hours of sleep and my brain isn’t functioning at it’s highest, so this post isn’t very cohesive…

On to my question... What do people REALLY want from a relationship?

Is it possible to be too giving? Does it encourage the recipient to take advantage of the giver or resent the giver or become bored with the giver? Do you think it’s true that in a relationship one person loves more than the other? Is it possible to maintain the intensity of love in a relationship? Or is it cyclic?

All those nice things I said about my husband… I’m temporarily rescinding my previous comments. I know we’ll overcome this current hiccup, but right now I’m really questioning some things about our relationship. I want to be my true self – and that happens to be loving and giving, but at what cost? I believe we all deserve to feel cherished in our relationships and I certainly don’t feel that today.

He had lasik surgery on both eyes last week. There was a complication and he had to have seven stitches in one eye to stabilize the flap that gets cut prior to the laser part of the procedure. He was also told he has glaucoma (but needs to schedule a visit with his regular optometrist to confirm the diagnosis), so perhaps he’s feeling overwhelmed and scared about his vision and he lashed out at me because he doesn't know what to do with that fear? He certainly hasn't expressed any concern to me, but he always wears a brave face, so who knows what's going on in his head. Even if that's the case, I can’t give him a pass for his very hurtful comment that made me question why he even asked me to marry him.

Or maybe I think there was some truth to his comment and the truth hurts??? Maybe I’m being too sensitive?

I went up to bed and he eventually came up to apologize… but only after his show was over (it was the season finale of LOST). I think that’s what hurts the most. He realized he needed to apologize, but he couldn’t be bothered until after the show??? Ouch. I’m upstairs with my heart thumping in my throat and he couldn’t pull himself away from the damn T.V. I don’t feel very high on his priority list. Perhaps I should have told him I accepted his apology and moved on, but I asked him to please stop (he was kissing my face) and he ended up sleeping on the couch for the first time in our five-year relationship. I left for work this morning without even saying goodbye. I never know how to handle conflict.

BAH!

Life isn’t always how it appears…

2006-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

My dad always told me, “Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see.” I might need to revise that after seeing these retouched photos. Very interesting.

http://glennferon.com/portfolio1/portfolio01.html

I’m seriously not in the mood to blog about fitness. Bleh. Eating is pretty good, but I’ve TOTALLY lost that loving feeling again. In fact, as soon as I made the “Personal Best Challenge” proclamation, my desire went out the window. I’ll get my mojo back. I will. I will. I will. I love fitness. I love working out. I loooooooove it.

Oh, thanks for wishing me luck on the sprinkler project. It actually got delayed. We were going in halfsies with a friend on a rototiller thingamabob and he had something come up.

I didn’t feel like blogging about fitness this week. 26-50:

2006-05-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

26. I’m an infomercial junkie. I always believe the product will perform exactly as stated and constantly have to talk myself out of making a purchase. Walgreens carries many items “as seen on TV” and if I can’t resist and have to try something I’ve seen, I’ll usually buy from there. Items I have purchased: Split Ender, Eggstractor, that spinning brush made by the same company as the Split Ender, MaxiGlide (the only item I love). Thankfully I found a helpful website when I get a sudden urge to make a purchase (informercial-reviews.org). The Eggstractor sucked so badly. When I had a moving sale, I couldn’t even sell it for $5 in good conscious. I paid $12.99 but ended up giving it away

27. I am terrible at folding laundry. Maybe that’s why I hate doing it. I’m thinking of getting one of those Flip-n-Fold gadgets I saw on an infomercial…

28. I’m almost 2 years older than my husband but he is leaps and bounds ahead of me in wisdom.

29. I’ve always been attracted to men who are smarter than me. Intelligence is sexy.

30. I love my husband for his intelligence, but I love him even more for his sense of humor and quick wit. He makes me laugh all the time. He’s also one of the most charismatic and instantly likeable people I’ve ever known. I think this photo captures some of his energy.

31. I turned 29 on 02/02/02. I’ll be 49 on 2/2/22.

32. I got my first gray hair when I was 23, but I only get a few “sprouts” every few months. I pluck them out immediately.

33. I’m afraid of heights.

34. I’d be in heaven if I could hang out with a family of meerkats. They are so darn cute. I also find the three-toed sloth a fascinating creature and I love baby primates – baby gorillas and orangutans are so precious. If I liked human babies as much, I’d certainly already be a mother.

35. I’ve never liked any of Oprah’s book club recommendations.

36. I’m afraid I don’t have a biological clock and would be perfectly content without children.

37. I’m not a natural born leader. I’m an excellent team player and fiercely independent but lack leadership skills. I would like to change this aspect about me.

38. I bought approximately 50 pairs of jeans from eBay. I was desperately trying to replace my favorite worn out pair of Guess jeans that are no longer made. I was never successful in finding the exact size, length or style combo. My eBay shopping turned into a seriously expensive addiction. Now I try not to visit eBay unless it’s an absolute necessity.

39. I’ve only chatted online once. It was with Muscles Marinara and Cheryl Muir. They were both really funny and sweet.

40. I was on the cross-country team in high school. The best I ever placed in an event was 10th. There were only 16 people racing that day.

41. Having the hiccups puts me in a grumpy mood. If I have the hiccups once in the morning, they will continue intermittently throughout the day. The only ways I can get rid of the hiccups is to drink 10 sips of water – and if that doesn’t work – drink 10 sips of water upside down.

42. Many of my closest friends are men.

43. When I was a child someone told me you could freeze a lizard and it would come back to life once it thawed. I couldn’t catch a lizard so I put a frog in the big freezer out in the barn. I forgot about it for several months and when I rediscovered it and thawed it out, it didn’t come back to life. The freezer never smelled right after that either.

44. I’d rather be really hot than really cold. Several years ago my sister and I were driving from Colorado to California on Christmas. Her car broke down about 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas (between Vegas and Baker) at 3:00 in the morning. It was so bloody cold. This was before everyone had cell phones so we were stuck in the desert for hours. I decided that night that I’d rather die in the Sahara than freeze in the Mojave (if I had to choose or had a choice, that is).

45. I was born with naturally straight hair. About 5 years ago it started turning wavy. (I was diagnosed with thyroid disease 5 years ago in June… I wonder if there’s a connection.)

46. I do not enjoy talking on the phone. I’d much rather talk face-to-face.

47. I have little tolerance for mediocrity or doing a half-assed job.

48. I completed the Portland Marathon on September 30, 2001. In the first mile of the race, I tripped and fell over some railroad tracks and sprained my ankle. I ran the entire first 17 miles of the race. Mile 18 was a grueling hill and I thought I couldn’t continue. I walked some / ran some for the remaining race, but wanted to jump off the bridge to my death somewhere before mile 21. It was awful. I’m very proud that I finished the race, but I am disappointed in my time of a little over 6 hours. I may decide to complete another marathon in the future just so I could have a more respectable finish time.

49. I’m very handy and enjoy manual labor. I’ve helped friends build fences, frame and drywall, I’ve painted almost all 5,000 square feet of our office space in an old-world faux finish, refinished furniture, installed sod, refinished my dad’s hardwood floors, and countless other do-it-yourself jobs. This weekend I’ll begin installing a sprinkler system in our backyard. I felt very confident in my ability to tackle this project until I started researching the how-to’s online. I hope I’m not in over my head.

50. One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been given was from one of my closest male friends. He’s in his forties and has a daughter in her 20’s. His daughter is the most amazing young woman. She’s smart and compassionate and tons of fun. Once he told me I reminded him of her. You’d have to know her to know how much that meant to me.

- - - - - - - -

Have a great weekend ya’ll. Wish me luck on the sprinkler project!

25 things about me.

2006-05-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

1. My ethnicity is half Italian and the rest American (mixture of French, English, possibly Irish, etc.). My maternal grandparents immigrated to the US from Italy, but didn’t teach their children to speak the language; hence, the language wasn’t passed on to me. This really makes me sad. One day I will learn to speak Italian. It’s a beautiful language.

2. If I have a natural born talent, it has yet to be discovered. I can’t sing. I can’t draw or paint. I don’t play an instrument. I do a violin that was passed down from my great grandmother. I’ve been procrastinating about taking lessons because it’s my secret hope that I’m a gifted violinist, but my secret fear is that I won’t be good at all.

3. I procrastinate like crazy. I’ve always been a procrastinator, even as a small child. It’s something I’ve never outgrown. I’ve gotten better over the past couple of years, but it’s still pretty bad.

4. My paternal grandfather swears we’re related to Princess Diana (Stewart blood) and says John Wilkes Booth is also a distant relative. I refuse to believe the latter.

5. I don’t *see* the color of people’s skin and I can’t fathom why someone would choose to be racist (if they weren’t taught to be) even though my own family has been known to judge a person based on race. When I was 11 or 12 years old my father told me if I ever married out of my race, he would disown me.

6. I’m married to a Chinese man. My father loves him.

7. I didn’t tell my family about my marriage for over a year (see #5 above).

8. I do NOT have sophisticated taste when it comes to movies… My favorites are funny and immature. Old School, School of Rock, Wedding Crashers, The Great White Hype, Nothing to Lose… I’m so looking forward to Nacho Libre.

9. I’m afraid of having children because they vomit. I can’t see, smell, hear someone else vomit without becoming ill myself. I don’t have the vomit phobia (it does exist, “emetophobia” - http://www.emetophobia.org), but seeing/hearing/smelling someone vomit is a seriously traumatic experience for me.

10. I believe in God, but I am not a religious person. I would consider myself spiritual. I don’t believe there is one “true” religion or any “wrong” religions.

11. My mother is a Jehovah’s Witness and her constant preaching pushed a wedge so far between us that I haven’t spoken to her in over 8 years. I don’t dislike her; I simply can’t bear to listen to her drone on and on. I feel like a bad person for pushing her out of my life and struggle with this guilt tremendously but don’t know what to do about it.

12. At my most depressed, I entertained thoughts of suicide. I don’t think I ever would have gone through with it, but I figured out exactly how I would do it and that frightened me enough to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist.

13. My favorite music right now is lounge/chill/world music. It’s sexy and relaxing.

14. I’m obsessed with my appearance and think I have freakish features. Sometimes I fantasize about being rich enough to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery (all facial). And maybe a boob job. After these “fantasies” I become consumed with guilt because of all the misfortune in this world and here I am obsessing about my physical imperfections.

15. I HATE having my picture taken. Sometimes I cry when I see myself in photos.

16. I’ve never seen the Exorcist and never, ever will. I won’t even let my husband bring that movie in the house.

17. I laugh and talk in my sleep. The other morning I woke myself up laughing and my husband tells me I laugh at least once a week during sleep. =P

18. I was a very skinny child. I was always having too much fun playing outside to think about eating.

19. I grew up with lots of goats, ducks, geese, chickens, a turkey, horses, dogs, and cats. I love all animals, but I'm not overly fond of cats.

20. My greatest asset and my greatest weakness are one and the same: I’m extremely sensitive. It’s my greatest asset because I’m very compassionate and caring and my weakest because I allow incidental things to hurt my feelings or I care too much about the plight and pain of others and allow myself to *feel* the pain too intensely.

21. I watched the movie, The Notebook, something like 11 consecutive times in the same weekend and cried. Every. Single. Time. The Noteblook is the one book I’ve read where I’ve thought the movie was much better.

22. My idea of a perfect vacation is a deserted tropical island, my husband, our dog, a few close friends and a staff willing to cater to our every whim, including keeping my dog safe while we’re out playing. Recreation would include kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, sleeping…. Ahhhh, sounds lovely. I’d also like to rent a houseboat in the Bahamas. Or a yacht!

23. I’m somewhat reserved and quiet. Not a wallflower, but not the center of attention… until I get a few drinks in me. People always tell me, “You are SO much fun when you drink! I can’t believe how funny you are!” - which of course makes me feel wonder exactly how boring I am when sober. I don’t really think that’s the case, but all my inhibitions go out the window after a shot or two of whatever. I do love to drink and have fun… it only it was more productive to my fitness goals.

24. I have serious self-confidence issues. I wish I didn’t care what other people thought of me. I hate to be judged.

25. I don’t mind doing laundry, but I hate to iron, fold, or put away.

I still haven’t gotten in to see a new doctor yet. I will update on that soon. I do feel a bit better and I’m confident that I don’t have lupus or anything serious. =P

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as an inflammation disorder?

2006-05-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

I literally feel like I’m falling apart. I’ve had CHRONIC shin splints for the past year and a half, that knee inflammation episode (which flared up again, by the way), and recently I’ve been experiencing pain in my other knee as well as one of my elbows. I’m wondering if my entire body is under an attack of inflammation. My pain/discomfort isn't debilitating to my every day activities, but it sure is putting a damper on my fitness goals.

My doctor advised me to take four Aleve per day for inflammation of the knee for 21 days. Would there be a potential long-term risk of taking four a day forever? Does anyone know of any natural remedies for inflammation? Is it an autoimmune problem related to my thyroid? By the way, I don’t care to discuss my thyroid problem anymore. I sometimes find myself blaming every little health ailment on my stupid thyroid and it irritates the heck out of me. It’s just a stupid little thyroid. It’s nothing. It’s a common ailment. I need to stop thinking about it.

Let me just sum this post up by saying that Day 2 of my Personal Best Challenge sucked. My workout this morning SUCKED BALLS. Everything hurt. Diet is OK. Water could be better. Thanks for the diet recommendation, Jim. I do try to eat lots of fibrous veggies, but definitely could be more consistent.

Today’s Meals:
M1: Egg whites, banana, pb (have read recently that you should combine protein and fat or protein and carb, but not a carb and a fat together. Can anyone shed any light on this?)
M2: Apple, tuna
M3: Swordfish, salad (yummy lunch w/a friend)
M4: Chicken breast, lima beans, romaine lettuce (guess I forgot to buy fibrous veggies this week!)
M5: Cottage Cheese

Photos of the house will be coming soon. I have no idea where the camera is!

Personal Best Challenge – Day 1

2006-05-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

I don’t have much time to update, but today was Day 1 of my 12-Week Personal Best Challenge. Workout was an hour of steady state cardio – my shins are hurting from last week’s measly HIIT session - so didn't want to risk running yet. Must be time for new shoes.

Diet for today has been pretty boring, but it’s been a busy day and it was a hectic morning so I didn’t have time to do anything other than throw a couple things in a bag and run out the door.

M1: oatmeal, protein
M2: banana, cottage cheese
M3: oatmeal, protein
M4: tuna, apple
M5: chicken breast, romaine lettuce with oil and vinegar
M6: protein shake

It was another exhausting and busy weekend… but at least the weather was beautiful.

WARNING: If you ever drink any EAS RTD's, please smell before taking a sip. My boss got a bad one today and retched right in front of me. He called EAS worried that the shake had been tampered with - it had a caustic, acidic odor and taste. Apparently this happens a lot and the EAS rep said the RTD was most likely compromised during shipment and bacteria was allowed to enter. HOLY. CRAP. The smell is seared into my brain forever.

Dreaming of High Intensity Interval Training…

2006-04-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke from a dream of doing HIIT on the treadmill. I wonder if my legs were twitching the way my dog’s does when he dreams… Anyway, I took it as a sign to get up and hit the gym – this has been a rest week for me to recuperate from the move. I think there was a problem with the treadmill belt because things felt a little strange – like the belt was slipping and it was tripping me up a bit. I did 30:60 intervals at 10 mph and 4 mph for 20 minutes. It was not one of my better workouts and I struggled through the entire 20 minutes feeling like my heart was about to explode.

Monday is a new push for a full twelve-week “Personal Best Challenge” – with no missed workouts, no binges, no alcohol, and 2 cheat meals per week. Now that the move is behind me, I feel I can dedicate myself completely. I may be visiting family in Austin for a few days in late May/early June, but nothings set in stone. I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up with workouts and healthy eating while I’m there. Tomorrow may include some cardio, but the rest of the weekend will be dedicated to organizing my closets, grocery shopping for the week, and some food prep.

I'm half tempted to give the Hell diet a try to kick start my challenge, but haven't decided yet.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. =)

THANK YOU!

2006-04-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the encouragement. Thankfully it was just a one off and I didn’t allow things to spiral out of control. I just had one of those not so fun days at work and those damn bagels were my consolation. Suzanne, I’ve had the same thought about chewing followed by spitting! Ha! We’re twisted – huh?

The rest of the weekend was good. Food wasn’t great, but we finally moved into the house and we were crazy busy from morning till night all weekend. Our original move-in date was March 23 but at the final walk-through we realized they had the wrong shutters and front door color installed. Upon further examination, we realized they used an entirely wrong exterior color scheme from what we had chosen and they had to repaint the entire house, remove the incorrect brick columns and reinstall, etc. It’s been somewhat of a nightmare because we were totally packed and ready to move. The worst part was cleaning the old apartment. I took care of cleaning yesterday while my husband unpacked and started setting things up – like his home audio system, which I have no interest in helping with – so it was an even trade. At any rate, we’re now settled in for the most part, but I’m friggin exhausted today.

No workout this morning – too damn tired. But at least I’m back on track with diet and mindset.

Our house is absolutely beautiful. I’ll post pics as soon as I can. This photo is from the model home, but that’s what ours looks like exactly – except with a garage where the glass entrance doors and no fence around the front, but the colors and exterior is the same.

Damn!!! #%!@&!!

2006-04-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

I just inhaled two HEEEEEUUUUUUGE cheddar herb bagels. I'm not having a good day at work and I let stress get the best of me. Someone brought bagels in this morning and I just gobbled two of them down. They were bloody GINORMOUS. And greasy... from the cheese. They were really yummy at the time, but it didn't make my bad day any better and now I have the guilt of the bagels over my head. I wish I knew how to make myself vomit.

I'm so sad. I might actually cry. After I cry, I'll get my shit together and won't let this turn into a free-for-all weekend of out of control eating. I am in control. I. AM. IN. CONTROL.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Much love,
Rachel

I'm thinking of taking a Flamenco Class

2006-04-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

I love ballroom dancing, but I can't get my husband to take a class with me so I'm thinking of doing something solo. I love the Latin dances... Samba, Rumba, Flamenco. I'm seriously thinking about it.

Temptation… temptation… it’s everywhere: chocolate chip cookies from this weekend are in the pantry, Easter candy is on clearance at the stores, it’s junk-food central in our office (I can’t believe the crap people shovel in their mouths all day long). I’ve been eating REALLY clean. But my progress is slower than molasses on a hot June day and sometimes I just want to give in to temptation. I WILL NOT GIVE IN.

Fitness is going well. Woke up with a muscle spasm in my neck yesterday morning so I didn't get to lift, but was feeling much better this morning and I even had the energy to do HIIT for the first time in a long while. It went well, too. Highest speed was 10.5 mph. I tried going running faster, but even though I entered "11.5" into the tready speed, the fastest it would go was between 10.2 and 10.5... weird. Maybe I wasn't pushing myself hard enough? I thought the treadmill made you go as fast as the speed entered.

I had my appointment with my doctor. He was really surprised to see the dramatic spike in my TSH levels so he reordered tests to ensure there wasn't a lab mistake. I know there wasn't because my symptoms are insanely insane. His files indicated that someone from his office was supposed to have called me on April 4th with a dosage change, but it was never initialed as completed. At any rate, at least I finally got in to see him and a plan of action will be in within the next week or so.

Here's a couple pictures of my dog, Max, for blog filler... still soooooo tired.

Frolicking in Morro Bay:

Blogger needs to come up with a way to add photo captions. Grrr. He's yawning in the second photo. I love it because it looks like he's laughing.

Hello!

2006-04-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking in on me guys. I’m sorry I haven’t updated. I’m still really struggling with major lack of energy and major lack of brain function. Probably two of the symptoms of hypothyroid I despise the most (besides depression). It’s hard to explain, but one of the symptoms I really struggle with when my thyroid levels are as jacked as they are now is forming coherent thoughts and sentences. It takes FOREVER for me to formulate what I’m trying to say. I have a doctor’s appointment next Monday and I think my doctor and I will be able to come up with a plan to get me back on track.

I’m still working out and eating clean – with the exception of three cheat meals this weekend (I’m trying to keep it to just one per week). I’ll share my new workout with ya’ll just cause I’m too tired to write out other stuff that’s going on – hopefully that’ll change in the very near future.

OK. So, I’m doing a 3-day full body workout designed by a guy in town that trains fitness competitors and bodybuilders and I’m LOVING it. I haven’t had the energy to do HIIT, so I’ve been doing SS only, but as soon as my energy levels are back up, I’ll add in 1 or 2 SHIITs (SUPER high intensity interval training) per week. This routine has forced me to try new exercises I was always nervous to try. I’m proud to say I’m no longer a squat rack virgin. All exercises are done with Olympic bar, barbell or dumbbells.

Day 1 (Heavy)
Full Squats
Flat Bench Press
Conventional Deadlifts
Standing Military Press
Pull Ups or Lat Pulldowns

All done for 5x6 w/ 120s rest

Day 2
Romanian Deadlifts
Lunges
Flat Dumbbell Press
Seated Cable Rows
Incline Hammer Curls
Lying Triceps Extensions

All done for 2x15 w/ 30s rest

Day 3
Incline Dumbbell Press
Barbell Rows (underhand)
Dumbbell Split Squats on bench
Reverse Lunges
Standing Dumbbell Press
Lat Pulldowns (underhand)

All done for 3x10 w/ 60s rest

Hopefully I’ll be back to my old self soon and can update you all on all the fun stuff that’s going on with the house, etc.

xoxoxoxoxo, Rach

Hey Ya'll

2006-03-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

Things are good with workouts and food, but my thyroid is acting up and I'm EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED. I've been reading all of your blogs, but I'm just too tired to comment (pretty pathetic, huh?). I'm too tired to write anything out about my new workout plan and move, too. Just waiting to hear back from my doctor about upping my medicine dosage... so hopefully I'll get some brain power and energy back.

For those who completed challenges recently, you ROCK.

xo, Rachel

P.S. Has anyone seen The Machinist with Christian Bale (most recent Batman)? OMGoodness. I can't believe his body in that movie. I fell asleep during the movie, but the entire time I watched it I couldn't pay attention to anything other than his body - not in a lustful way, either. Holy crap. How the hell did he do that?

Before:

After:

I have no idea what I’m doing.

2006-03-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

Here’s yesterday’s LB Workout. Eh. It was an OK workout, but I’ll strive for much improvement next time. I’m walking like a wounded old lady today, so must’ve done something right... but I definitely took the easy route.

Quads:
Leg Press
1x12 – 90 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs. Oops, “forgot” to add weights. Ha.
3x8 – 90 lbs. Oops, “forgot” to add weights. Ha.
4x6 – 180 lbs.
5 x 12 – 90 lbs.
Leg Extension 1x12 – 60 lbs.

Hamstrings:
Sitting Leg Curl
1x12 – 70 lbs.
2x10 – 80 lbs.
3x8 – 90 lbs.
4x6 – 10 lbs.
5 x 12 – 70 lbs.
DB Lunge 1x12 – 15 lbs.

Calves:
45 Degree Calf (got a really good burn with these)
1x12 – 110 lbs.
2x10 – 120 lbs.
3x8 – 130 lbs.
4x6 – 140 lbs.
5 x 12 – 120 lbs.
Standing Calf Raise 1x12 – 130 lbs.

Abs
Decline sit-ups w/10 lb. weight
Hanging leg lifts
Cable Crunches

About today’s title: I’m seriously looking into an entirely new training workout – lifting heavy with lower reps (not BFL style at all). In fact, it’s 4 full body workouts per week with 2 HIIT’s and 1 SS. I still have much research to do… so we’ll see how soon I make the transition. Probably not for several weeks. My goal isn’t to bulk and then cut – that’s definitely not for me (I’m afraid it would suck me into some yo-yo diet madness again). I’m confused about whether I can add lots of muscle and lean out at the same time. Seems like everything I read about gaining muscle says you'll inevitably gain fat as well. So basically I have no idea what I’m doing, but I feel I’m ready for a change in my program. I really think BFL is an awesome program and helps people once afraid of the weight room to ease into it, but I’m feeling ready for forward progression. I’m no expert and still have a lot to learn, but if I wait till I feel I have enough knowledge, I’ll be waiting forever. Besides, I really hate loading the weight plates on the leg press with each set. HATE IT.

Food is good and clean. According to the calorie zig-zag calculator, I'm supposed to average about 1480 calories per day to lose weight. Here are my totals for this week so far and my plan of attack for the remainder:

Mon: 1420
Tue: 1641
Wed: 1450
Thu: Target - 1320
Fri: Target - 1350
Sat: Target - 1620
Sun: Target - 1350

Again, I really don't know what the hell I'm doing... hopefully this plan of attack is OK.

This morning’s workout was HIIT on the elliptical. I want to give my shins a little rest from running. It was a good workout, but certainly not as satisfying as Tuesday’s.

****Whine Alert****
My shins are really hurting. Every time I build up to a really good treadmill HIIT routine with continuous improvements my shin splints rear their ugly little heads. It’s really frustrating. Hopefully the physical therapist can help me with these as well as my knee. Wah.

****End Whine****

My lower body is hurting in all the right places. I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow’s upper body workout and upping the weights from Monday. Mojo is still going strong. Ba-da-bing.

Stef and Pamela – I’ve been so busy with packing, work project, moving sale, blah, blah, blah. The only times I have a chance to call is too early in the morning or too late at night. Things should settle down soon. Pamela, I’m so disappointed that I’ll miss meeting you at Phat Camp. ARGGG. =(

Jim – the chest presses are coming right along. I feel more soreness in my chest than I ever have and I really appreciate your pointers. You’re a rock star. My chest and I thank you!

BOOYA!!!!

2006-03-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

Oops. Was supposed to start posting my workouts and meals again this week. Yesterday was UB and my bi’s/tri’s/chest/shoulers/back are hurtin’ today, so that’s all good.

What I’m really excited about is this morning’s HIIT workout. I pushed myself like never before. I loved the endorphin rush. Why can’t I get that same feeling with weight training????

Treadmill HIIT:

Warm up – 2 minutes
Alternating Hi/Low at 30 seconds/60 seconds
High: 9.5 to 11.0 mph (UH-HUH!)
Low: 5.0 to 5.5 mph (I usually recover at a fast walk, never a jog like today. Woooohooo!)
Cool down.
Total time: 26 minutes
Mileage at 20 minutes: 2.22 (still a long way to go to hit 3 miles in 20, but any forward movement makes me happy).

My morning definitely started out on the right foot… until I walked out dripping in sweat with a big grin on my face and reached into my pocket for my keys. Oops. They were still in the ignition. I guess I just couldn’t wait to do HIIT this morning and locked my keys in my car. Thankfully I caught my husband before he left for the gym so I only lost about 20 minutes from my day.

Yesterday I bought some index cards and I’m writing down every morsel of food I put in my mouth. I’ve started tracking food at fitday again, but I might not be as honest with myself as I need to be. Doesn’t make sense to be dishonest with myself, but it’s possible that I don’t track as carefully as I should and perhaps that’s why I’ve lost fat so slowly in the past. Maybe calories are slipping by that I somehow ‘let’ slip my mind. I play weird games on myself sometimes, so it is possible.

I definitely need to get myself a food scale. I hate the thought of weighing and measuring everything so carefully, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.

Hope you all are having/had a FABULOUS Tuesday. My mojo is back in full swing baaaaay-by!

xo, Rachel

Still Super Busy…

2006-03-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give a quick update. I’m still super busy with my project at work and packing up our apartment for the move. Our house is almost finished and we’ll be moving next weekend! Yay!! We’ve been living in a teeny, tiny apartment for the past year and a half so moving into our brand new house is so exciting. We don’t have lots to pack, but we do have lots of stuff we’re getting rid of so we’re in the middle of organizing a moving sale for this weekend. We’re making room for all the new beautiful furnishings we’re buying. Fun.

Food is good. I’m really focusing on portion sizes. Water is GREAT. PMA is better some days than others (today I’m feeling fat, so I need to work on my PMA a tiny bit today). Workouts are good. I did sprints yesterday (fastest minutes were 9.5 mph – probably could’ve gone up to 10 but my hamstring started tweaking). Bad idea. My knee and hamstring are angry with me today. The results from my MRI indicated nothing too serious – just some fluid and inflammation of the knee. My doctor has prescribed physical therapy twice a week for the next month so I’m looking forward to getting that started and putting this discomfort behind me for good.

I’m seriously considering hiring a trainer to help me dial in a new workout and more precise diet. I’ve read some stuff about calorie zig-zagging and multiplying your body weight by 14 then subtracting… oh, hell, no time to really try to explain it (and I don’t feel qualified anyway), but here’s a link to a zig-zag calculator I found: Zig-Zag Calculator for Fat Loss/Muscle Gain

It looks interesting.

Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I’m reading your blogs but don’t always comment. I’m a little concerned about Karla – her blog isn’t showing up. Anyone have any news?

Hope you’re all doing wonderfully well. I miss you all.

xo, Rachel

Busy week…

2006-03-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

Not much time to update this week. Things are going OK. Not Perfect, but on track. Eating is good. I even made it through PMS with no bingeing. Although the damn chocolate truffles in the fridge were calling my name. LOUDLY. But, I resisted and that feels good. Workouts are suffering due to the knee situation. I had an MRI on Wednesday (I thought about you, Mari and wished I could've had you do it!) and my doctor is out on Fridays so I won’t hear anything until at least Monday or Tuesday. I did run on the treadmill yesterday for about 45 minutes. A nice steady pace of 6.0 mph and a few minutes at 6.5 and then a few minutes at 7.0. I know I’ve been instructed not to run, but I couldn’t resist and the knee felt fine. The pain or discomfort is really only when my leg is fully extended or when my knee is bent for too long (like when I’m sitting on my arse at work all day. God, I wish I were a farmer – but that’s a story for another day).

I’ve been working really hard on keeping my inner-dialogue positive and things are going well. PMA, baby!

Just thought I’d let ya’ll know that I’m still on track. Thank goodness. I may start posting my food and workouts again starting next week. That seemed to keep me accountable and helps me keep track of things. Hey, does anyone know of a fitday type program for your PDA? Have you tried it? Did you like it? Things have to be neat, clean and easy for me to use consistently. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It’s cold and raining and someone even said it snowed earlier today… didn’t see any snowflakes, but it feels cold enough. Brrrrr.

xo, Rachel

“Non-specific results from x-ray…”

2006-03-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

I just got a call from my doctor’s office letting me know that I need to have an MRI. The x-ray showed some soft tissue swelling and there might be injury to the ligament. She told me not to run and definitely go easy on it. Bummer. Interestingly, I haven’t really felt any discomfort since last week and I ran Saturday and Sunday.

No workout this morning. We had a pretty heavy storm and a transformer blew up just as I was pulling in to the gym parking lot this morning. It was pretty cool - like a big, beautiful fireworks display. However, it did knock the electricity out and the gym closed down for the morning until power could be restored.

I probably won’t get home from work till after 8 tonight so I may double up my workout tomorrow. Not sure what to do about working lower body as I don’t want to risk further injury…

It’s PMS time and I’m H U N G R Y. Fortunately I’m not craving anything in particular, but I would’ve eaten my meals for the entire day by 10:30 this morning if I weren’t so busy. Whew. Things are finally gearing up for me at work with a project that’s been on-hold for many, many months.

Happy Monday!

xo, Rachel

“You’re Gettin’ Skinny”

2006-03-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

I love my doctor. The title of this post is a direct quote from that fabulous and wonderful man. I could’ve kissed him. My first visit to his office was last June or July and my weight according to his chart was 147 lbs. He’s quite proud of my progress (so am I).

The doctor’s office scale read: 133 lbs. How is this possible? I’m not trying to sound negative, but I don’t really trust his scale. It may not have been calibrated properly. I can’t imagine it could be an accurate reading in light of my recent Oreo and peanut butter binges. Oh well, I’m going to go with it. I’m sure it can’t be off by that much.

My knee and hamstring pain definitely not as noticeable the past few days. I even ran at 6.5 mph yesterday morning for quite a while and the pain just isn’t there. Every once in a while I think I feel a twinge, but it may be in my head.

OK, so the Master Cleanse (fast I just did) is supposedly this super cure for all your ailments. Since my husband doesn’t know anything about my binge problem, when he asked me why I was doing this fasting cleanse I told him I was hoping it would help my knee/hamstring problem (I just can’t admit my other reason). Then today I was telling him how much better I felt and he said “ah shit, now you’re going to tell me the cleanse cured you.” What??? I hadn’t even thought of that (because of course I did the cleanse to help the bingeing, not the pain). But what if it did help? Weird… I've been experiencing this pain for at least two months.

We’ll see what happens. The doctor wasn’t sure what might have been causing the pain but since it’s been bothering me for so long he sent me for x-rays. I actually think it’s a soft tissue problem (possibly tendonitis in the knee which is affecting the hamstring?) so I’m pretty sure the x-rays will come back clean. He’s also prescribing a course of anti-inflammatory medication for 21 days, which I should be taking for the shin splints anyway.

Eating is SPOT ON. Workouts are HARDCORE. PMA is OUT-FREAKING-STANDING!

Time to get S E R I O U S.

2006-03-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

I’ve realized that I may have been in a hurry or scattered or jet lagged or something when I set my goals for this most recent challenge. I keep forgetting the goals I set. I’ve pushed them aside and focused on all the wrong things. It’s like I said the words but didn’t really internalize them or something.

I’ve also been very down and negative. Why? It’s time to make a serious change in my mental attitude. Tom is so good about reminding us how important having a Positive Mental Attitude is. It’s all about the PMA. Then I read Stef’s Positive Posting entry today and something clicked. Duh. Finally. They’re both so right. It’s totally a mental game.

I’m not exactly sure why but I haven’t been in it mentally. I can’t put my finger on the reason. I hope the “why” isn’t important in overcoming this… I feel like something is starting to click. I’m on a positive road right now and I’m determined to stay en route.

I did complete 1.75 days of cleansing fast (Master Cleanse aka Lemonade diet) and while I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT think this is a good idea for anyone to try, I think it did help alter my thoughts about food and seemed to help me focus a little on what I need to do in order to overcome my food issues. The crazy (and SCAREY) thing is that I feel it’s almost easier to eat nothing at all than to control my portions at meals or control binges. The way an alcoholic can’t stop at one drink, I can’t stop at the correct portion sizes. Instead of one tablespoon of natural peanut butter, I consume SEVERAL tablespoons. I’ve got a few strategies lined out that I think will help with this.

I decided to “break the fast” with dinner last night. I grilled some ground chicken patties, cooked up some brown rice and steamed some snow peas. It was delicious. I did have a little more than I should have, but I was freakin’ hungry. Today’s food portions have been stellar. We had a company lunch and I left half of everything on the plate – and I know how to get a plate good and clean. We all know how large restaurant portions are so I feel really good about myself.

I see my doctor about my hamstring and knee tomorrow morning and I’m hoping it’s a simple fix like wearing a knee brace. I’m really hoping rest isn’t required. I really want to be able to max out on my workouts and hit my 10’s in cardio and lower body. The knee and hammy are actually feeling a little bit better today, so maybe it’s no big thing.

Oh, and thanks to Erin’s post, I kicked ASS at the gym this morning. Uh huh.

I’m starting to feel excited again. I’m back in the game. I’m getting focused. For real this time, Aiight?!

Desperate Times Calls for Desperate Measures

2006-02-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry about yesterday’s cryptic post… I was feeling down about my food issues. Food seems to have this tight grip around my brain and won’t let go. I have a momentary lapse in my eating, feel like crap about it, beat myself up, decide the day is shot and might as well continue eating badly and start fresh tomorrow. Blah, blah, blah. The cycle repeats itself again and again. I’m not even sure if it’s self-sabotage. I feel like I’m simply weak minded.

I’m feeling very scattered and very lost. I KNOW what to do. It’s the implementation that’s killing me. It’s so simple, why do I make it so hard on myself? Why can’t I be disciplined? Why do I allow Peanut Butter to have control over my life? Peanut butter was last week, but who knows what the trigger has been in the past and who knows what it’ll be in the future. I just feel out of control. Deep breath.

As I said, I KNOW what I need to do but then again I don’t. I’m at a loss on how to gain control before I wind up back where I was: FAT. I’d actually love to try the hypnotherapy route, but I don’t know if I’d be “receptive” on a subconscious level. That, and we’re getting ready to move in to our new house and we have very expensive taste in the furnishings department so I’d really rather not spend a load of money on something I don’t even know will work for me.

I don’t remember dealing with this lack of control while I was in full swing during my BFL challenge. I had bad days, and I’d beat myself up over it, but I’d move on and start fresh without the snowball effect.

OK, so for the desperate measures I’m taking… I’ve decided to do a cleansing fast for today and possibly for the next three days if I can hold out that long. It’s a crazy, stupid idea. However, I’m hoping that by doing the fast I’ll gain some sense of control over how much and what type of food I choose to fuel my body. I tried a cleansing fast last year and I binged on a bag of Cheetos at the three day point, but after that I started to only crave whole, natural foods like brown rice, vegetables, clean proteins. It seemed to kind of spur on a newfound sense of purpose and determination with regards to my level of fitness and with food. Maybe. Or maybe I’m just making this up??? What the heck am I doing? I’m confused as hell and desperate to stop the cycle and move on into full swing mode so I can meet some of my freakin’ goals.

I made it to the gym this morning and I’ve had so much liquid I’ve spent most of the day back and forth from my office to the restroom. I’ve gone the whole day with no solid food and my stomach is rumbling. I’ve got to go home and cook dinner for my husband. I’ll let you know if I come to my senses by tomorrow morning.

And, again, thanks from the bottom of my heart for the continued encouragement, advice and blendship.

xo, Rachel

No title needed...

2006-02-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

On the DL? Day 9 of 84

2006-02-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

My knee and hamstring are really giving me a hard time. Yesterday’s lower body workout suffered as a result, as did my HIIT today. I might have to switch from HIIT to MISS or LISS. I’m not a super big fan of MISS and LISS… so boring. Better update my iPod. And better quit talking about making an appointment with the doctor and actually get one made.

In other news… I’m 5 feet, 6 inches tall. 5' 6"!!!! I’m so excited about this… I can’t even tell you!!!! I have people tell me that I seem taller than 5’ 4 3/4” (which I’ve believed myself to be for years – I just round up to 5’ 5”). My husband and I stopped by our new house to do some measurements and while we had the measuring tape out, I asked him to measure me… sure enough: 5’ 6”! But I still didn’t believe it so I marked my height on a wall with pencil and measured that… still 5’ 6”! Do you realize what this means??? My body weight is spread out by a full inch more than I previously thought. Yay! My husband thinks I’m a nut case for getting this excited…

Speaking of nut case… has anyone seen Grizzly Man? The documentary about Timothy Treadwell and the grizzly bears of Alaska? Very beautifully done – the scenery was spectacular and the bears and wildlife were amazing. Very interesting film. I love animals. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. All of them. Can’t think of a species of animal that I don’t respect, admire or adore. I respect people who are so passionate about something they believe in – and Timothy Treadwell was very passionate about his love of the grizzlies. Unfortunately, he was also just a tiny bit disturbed. Bless his heart.

Oh, and lastly… I made a HUGE mistake. I bought some natural peanut butter after getting a nagging craving yesterday and I’ve consumed far too much. I think I’ll pour some water in the jar and just throw the damn thing in the trash. I thought maybe I was stronger but I simply can’t be trusted with peanut butter.

Kicked Ass Today, Day 6 of 84

2006-02-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

My HIIT rocked this morning and I'm so glad it's out of the way and I can enjoy the rest of my Saturday. The treadmills were all occupied so I did HIIT on the elliptical and followed up with a mile of running on the treadmill at 6 to 6.5 mph. It's a beautiful crisp day and the sun is out so I'm off to walk my dog before the rain comes.

Love to you all,
Rachel

Five for Five, Day 5 of 84

2006-02-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

I’m grunting like an old man today. Literally EVERYTHING hurts and I’m lovin’ it. The thing is, I still had an internal argument with myself this morning. Half of me doesn’t want to workout and the other half forces me to keep my self-promises. I have faith next week will be different. The hardest part of working out is getting into the habit and learning to love it. My boss always says if you tell yourself you love it, you’ll eventually start believing it. I love working out. I especially love the leg press. =)

My eating today has been on plan, but I’m feeling extra hungry. Lots of chocolate in the office and I’m doing everything I can to stay away from it. I don’t necessarily want chocolate. I want ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. It’s one of those days…

I spent half my day at the DMV renewing my license and finally changing my last name. I’m wondering how many people put down their accurate body weight… I totally lied, but only because I’m gonna reach my goal in the very near future.

Still feeling kind of off emotionally today. Just not "with it" for some reason.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend.

xo, Rachel

One More in the Books, Day 4 of 84

2006-02-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

Decided to do HIIT on the elliptical this morning to give my shins, knee and hamstring a rest. It was a good workout. Eating is right on plan and water isn’t any better (I’m downing a glassful right now though and will drink a gallon by the end of the day I hope).

Every muscle in my body is sore. Don’t have much to say… feeling rather down and blah today. Tomorrow will be better. =)

Member of the Butter Club? Oh, yeah! Day 3 of 84

2006-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Had to talk myself out of doing a cardio session instead of my LB workout this morning, but got in there and got it done. My legs are already feeling the muscle soreness. Yay. My abs are already sore, too – it hurts to sneeze. And, more good news… it still hurts like hell to put on my deodorant, comb my hair, take of my shirt, etc. =)

Eating is on plan. Gotta get back in the habit of chugging a gallon plus of water a day. Got out of the habit in Malaysia since we out and about a lot and there’s no guarantee you’ll find anything other than a “squatting toilet” – refused to try using one of those, so my water intake went way down and now I’m out of the habit.

I found the thread at tracker with the Englishman’s HIIT routine. Here’s his post:

"Last night my Cardio HIIT consisted of:
Treadmill at zero incline.
level 5 at 6 mph for 2 minutes.
level 6 at 7 mph for 1 minute.
level 7 at 8 mph for 1 minute.
level 8 at 9 mph for 1 minute.
level 9 at 9.5 mph for 10 minutes.
level 10 at 10 mph for 5 minutes.
Total distance traveled c3 miles.
Warm down

Anyone who can run 3 miles in 20 minutes or under is attaining a good standard of cardio fitness.

This routine is not strict BFL, but I cannot always guarantee a treadmill exceeding 10 mph. Otherwise, my level 10 for BFL HIIT is around 12.5 mph."

He’s an freaking animal!!! I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to achieve what he does, but it’s what I aspire to.

Here’s my problem… my hamstring is still acting up today and yesterday afternoon my knee starting feeling uncomfortable when walking up and down the stairs at work. I experienced a little knee pain several months ago, but don’t remember it being as “present” as it was yesterday. As much as I love running and as much as I aspire to be like Chevron, I’ll definitely need to be diligent with cross training to avoid too much injury.

Another One Bites the Dust, Day 2 of 84

2006-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today was HIIT and I really went for it on the treadmill but my high point was way lower than it used to be. Several months ago - before I had to take a break for my shins - I was running at 10 mph for my “10” but today’s high point was 8.6 mph. I’d like to run 3 miles in 20 minutes, but I’ll need to shave a good 14 minutes off my current time. That’s going to be tough. Maybe my goal of 3 miles in 20 minutes is a little too ambitious? There was a thread on tracker a while back and some English fella (can’t remember his name) who passed the physical test for the Royal Navy (or is it Army?) said the true test for an excellent level of fitness is running 3 miles in 20 minutes. Why I’m so concerned about this I don’t know, but I decided that that’s where I need to be. Anyway, today’s workout was (approximately) 480 calories, 3.8 miles and 45 minutes – I followed up my HIIT with some incline walking then steady jogging at 6.0 mph.

I made sure I stretched really well before and after my run, plus I cooled down by walking on my heels and toes and tonight I’ll write the alphabet a few times with my toes… please stay away shin splints. One thing that I noticed after my run is my left hamstring is acting up again. Hopefully the stretching will take care of that, too. Am I getting old or something?

I’ve got to plan for tomorrow’s lower body workout and I’m debating whether to continue BFL-style. I really hate doing leg press and having to get up and add plates in between sets. It’s kind of a pain in the ass. I’d rather just rest during my rest period.

During yesterday’s upper body workout, I really focused my mind on each body part while lifting. It’s the first time I’ve ever really, really focused and although I went down in weights a little since my last workout (5 or 6 weeks ago… yikes), I feel different today than I ever have. The muscle soreness is beyond anything I remember from my previous hiatus in weight lifting. So maybe focusing my mind really made a difference.

Major Personal Victory, Day 1 of 84

2006-02-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

I tried talking myself out of my workout this morning about five different times… then I tried talking myself into doing a cardio session instead of weight training… then while working out, I tried talking myself into cutting it short – returning later to finish up. Ha! As if…

I’m pleased to report that I did my complete workout and feel sooooo much better about myself. I don’t know why, but if I don’t workout with weights for an extended time, I lose all desire to do so. It happened to me last year and it was my biggest fear going to Malaysia for so long again this year. Thank gawd it won’t be a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Eating is on plan, water consumption is a little low, but the good news is… I’m back and ready to rock!

I DO NOT totally suck.

2006-02-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Somehow I deleted my 12-week “after” photos from my camera’s memory card. I do have one photo from the day we went snorkeling at Pulau Payar (I believe the date was January 14, 2006), which gives a fairly good idea of the progress made since the fall of 2005. I think it also shows quite a bit of difference since I started this journey to fitness in September of 2004. The progress is slow, but steady and I’m pleased with that. Of course, I’d love to be one of the dramatic transformations that happen in only 12 weeks…

January 14, 2006 - Snorkeling in Pulau Payar, Malaysia

September 19, 2005 - The "Before" photo for my first "Official" by-the-book BFL Challenge

September 7, 2004 - This is really scary. I can't believe I ever let myself get so out of control and out of shape. Never again.

The reason for my title is I’ve got to start paying attention to my goals. My first goal for my torch challenge is to maintain positive self-talk. Telling myself I totally suck isn’t the way to achieve that goal now is it? I have made progress and will continue to make progress until I obtain the body and fitness level that I desire. No more board shorts for me.

I’ve been eating on plan, but haven’t been working out. However, I’m still on target for starting my challenge on Monday and I will make it happen.

I’m trying to identify why my previous challenge didn’t produce the dramatic results I was hoping for. I’ve come to the following conclusions:

Alcohol – I drank too much on too many weekends, which led to several missed workouts.
Portion Sizes – I have a freakishly large appetite. Hypothyroidism is supposed to cause a suppressed appetite. Ha! Not for me. I can eat and eat and eat. Although I was very disciplined with clean eating, I’m afraid I allowed my appetite to get the better of me, so I’ll really do everything in my power to control portion sizes.

I’m a little concerned about possibly having stress fractures in both my shins. Any shin splints should be completely healed by now, but both shins are feeling twinges of pain after running twice last week. My shins have had more than enough rest and my shoes are nearly new. I better make an appointment with a doctor. Fortunately I’ve figured out a killer HIIT program on the elliptical, but I miss the runner’s high and would love be able to set some running goals.

Have a lovely weekend. Looking forward to posting my kick-ass workout come Monday morning.

xo, R.-

I totally suck.

2006-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

I don’t want to list my numerous “excuses” but let’s just get it out in the open… I haven’t started my Torch Challenge. Although I told myself I’d start on Tuesday rather than waiting till Monday the 13th, things just didn’t happen for me and I’ve let myself down. I’m no longer in “binge mode” but TOM did show up five days early and I’m just feeling blah. I’m also not interested whatsoever in taking new photos for the challenge, but know I’ll regret it if I don’t.

I’m determined to make this my best transformation ever. I’ve definitely come a long way since October 2004. For some odd reason, I just can’t seem to get past the starting blocks. I don’t have any parties or plans this weekend to give me any excuses come Monday, so I’m making a self-promise that I promise to keep: I WILL START MY TORCH CHALLENGE ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006. For sure. No excuses. I will be 100% prepared by this weekend. I will go grocery shopping again. I will take photos, measurements, and update tracker. I will not continue to let myself down.

Also, just wanted to say how much I appreciate all of your support, encouragement and advice. It really means a great deal to me.

Son of a…

2006-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Damn Super Bowl parties. Seriously. I’m a hurtin’ unit today. I didn’t get my ass out of bed and to the gym for the first day of my Torch Challenge. Now I don’t know if I should eat clean this week and do my workouts and start my challenge completely fresh on next Monday.

At least I had a great time yesterday. I didn’t eat off plan, but I sure drank enough… Mojitos are delicious and have a way of sneaking up on you.

Bloody hell.

I just visited the torch challenge forum and made the decision to start my challenge tomorrow rather than wait till next Monday.

Here are my goals for the Torch Challenge:

Maintain positive self-talk.
Plan my free meals/days in advance.
Drink a minimum of a gallon of water daily, including free days.
Control portion sizes with each and every meal (big one).
NO alcohol throughout duration of challenge.
NO unplanned or extra free meals, free bites or free-for-alls.
NO missed workouts.
NO EXCUSES.

I’m Finally Psyched for My Julie Challenge!

2006-02-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

I’ve got my shopping done for the next week and a half, my journal ready, my iPod loaded up, my supplements (glutamine, CLA, Fish Oils, Hoodia – tried it before and it may have slightly helped my appetite, multi-vitamin), and BEST OF ALL… my motivation and desire have returned. Still not overly excited about lifting weights, but I know I’ll get over that once I get back in the game. Reading everyone’s blogs and fitness goals has really helped spark my desire. Also, I finally watched the Julie Tribute video and though it broke my heart, it fired me up beyond belief so I’m ready baby.

One thing I’ve really been dreading is taking new measurements after the past couple weeks of binge eating. I did a quickie measure this morning and things aren’t as bad as I expected. I’ll do my official photos and measurements on Monday morning and post them to tracker.

I turned 33 yesterday. I’m usually distraught on my birthday. I always hate turning another year older. This is the first birthday in 10 years that I was OK. Yep. 10 years. I started freaking out when I turned 23. What an IDIOT!!!! I’m hoping it was a 10-year phase and that I’ve moved beyond that now. Age is just a number.

I posted a question on tracker that hardly got any attention. Thankfully Jamber and Mari and another member gave me some helpful advice, but I was kinda hoping for more. Or maybe the answer I’m looking for doesn’t exist…?

Basically I’m feeling very embarrassed about the appearance of my ta-ta’s. I’ve always had a nice full B to C cup. My chest hasn’t decreased too much in size, but it’s decreased dramatically in volume and fullness. Also, I’ve noticed one ta-ta has deflated slightly more than the other. Plastic surgery is not an option for me (my husband won’t let me and it’s gonna take years of working on him – and winning the lottery or inheriting a substantial sum for him to agree on spending money on something he considers “superficial”). I thought I’d read a post by The Stone Oak months ago about doing “heavy” chest presses. But I’m not really sure I understand the concept of “lifting heavy” – although I’ve seen lots of fitness competitors mention “lifting heavy” when discussing their workout regimen. The Stone Oak mentioned that he’d worked his way up to a D cup and I’m desperate for any advice that might improve the appearance of my chest. I’m starting to feel like my chest looks like the old lady from There’s Something About Mary… yikes.

EDIT: For those of you who haven't seen the movie... the following are not my actual breasts...!

FLAT OUT BINGE mode... Oh, and a few wedding photos.

2006-01-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

OK, so I’m going to have to declare a “do over” for the start of Challenge 2, which was supposed to be yesterday (Monday)… it just didn’t happen. My only excuse is being tired, sick and trying to restore my rhythm. However, that’s NO excuse for eating like crap and I mean CRAP. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday each contained a meal from either McDonald’s or Carl’s Jr. YUCK. I don’t even like those places. My other meals consisted of top ramen noodles and oatmeal and protein. I was just too exhausted and sick to make it to the store. My energy was so zapped that I barely made it through the drive thru. Oh crap. I just remembered the Reece’s Big Cups (2 or 3), Snickers, Caramel Sundae from McDonald’s… shit and one of those little chocolate cakes from Carl’s Jr. . No wonder I can’t get my energy back. Not with fueling my body on shit. I just ran an errand and had to force myself to avoid the McDonald’s drive-thru for a soft serve. What’s wrong with me??? I can’t stop shoveling food in my mouth. It’s starting to freak me out a bit.

Last night was the first full night’s sleep I’ve had since January 22 (the night before we left Malaysia). It felt so great to sleep rather than just nap. I did get up and go to the gym this morning for HIIT, but I’ve decided to start officially on Monday so I can be prepared, completely caught up on sleep and in the right power mindset.

I weighed myself in Malaysia twice. The first scale said 130 lbs. the second scale said 128 lbs. I NEVER trust those types of scales – they always seem several pounds light, but STILL… what if I’ve undone all the progress I’ve made with my binging???? My tight pants are still feeling loose, but not as loose as a couple weeks ago. I gotta get a grip!

Now, about the wedding… it was so lovely. Words can’t even describe it. We had such a great time and partied all night. As part of the wedding reception, the Nikko Hotel provided us with the “Honeymoon Suite” so our plan was to check in early, shower and then I’d have my hair and makeup done by the stylist my sister in law booked for us. Did I mention we had a double wedding with my husband’s little sister? I think that made it twice as much fun for me. Anyway, we didn’t get to the hotel as early as I had hoped and I didn’t have time to have my hair or makeup professionally done. I was so freaking sad. =(. I cried like a stupid little baby because it’s impossible to do anything with my hair in Malaysia (humidity poofs me out like crazy) and I knew my hair would look terrible. Fortunately, it didn’t poof out because we stayed inside the whole time, but it was totally flat and straight and ridiculous. Sigh.

I got over my bad hair day and had the time of my life. I don’t know how well you’ll be able to see the dress in the photos, but it was a fun dress to wear (until the spaghetti strap broke halfway through the night and I had to use someone’s corsage-thingy and safety pin it…). Not the best quality dress. Don’t know if I ever updated my blog about my dress ordeal, but wasn’t able to get one of the several dresses I loved I wanted and had to settle for something less than perfect…

Here we are walking down the red carpet at the reception. Cruisin’ by Huey Lewis and Gwenyth Paltrow was playing.

Side view of the walk (can't see much of the back of the dress, but I like the little bit of train...)

You can see a little of the back (and my tan lines) in this photo. I love the way my husband dances. He's so adorable.

I like this photo (and I usually HATE/DESPISE any photo of myself) but I must've said something quite funny because the man I said it to (and I have no idea who he is) found it hilarious... or maybe he just has an open-mouthed smile? Hmmmm. I'd like to think he found me very charming and witty. =) Unfortunately, the guy in the red shirt didn't have the same response...

The cake... which is totally fake, by the way, except for one little wedge for the cake cutting part of the reception. I was told all wedding cakes are fake in Malaysia except for the tiny wedge for cutting. I found that very odd and interesting. I think the wedge was fruitcake or something. Yuk. But it looked pretty.

Jason's group of friends from waaaay back. Lovely people. I adore them all.

And they're lots of fun, too. =)

P.S. I'm still trying to catch up on everyone's blogs. I have a lot of reading to do!

xoxoxo,
Rachel

Back from Beautiful, Tropical Malaysia =(

2006-01-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

Our trip was so FABULOUS!! Our wedding reception was UNBELIEVABLE!! I had the best time, but now it’s back to life, back to reality. I’ve got a major case of jet lag (still on Malaysia time and haven’t slept more than a couple hours a night since I got home on Monday). Also, I’ve got a pretty bad cold and haven’t had time to do any grocery shopping or planning, so my 2nd challenge (dedicated to Julie) isn’t starting on January 25 like I had hoped, but I will start on Monday, January 30.

The first two weeks of the trip, my body was CRAVING cottage cheese, chicken breasts, brown rice, etc. But then my body got used to the carb heavy meals and now I’m having a little trouble getting excited about BFL/EFL again. It’s probably due to my exhaustion… because now that I’m typing this out and thinking about it, I’m starting to get excited. Oh, the first two weeks I was kinda missing the routine of work, working out, a schedule, etc. After the second week though, I thought living a life of leisure would be really easy to get used to… traveling and meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds is so much fun and absolutely fascinates me. Why couldn’t I have been born stinking rich? Why?

I didn’t do any weight training while in Malaysia (gym didn’t open till mid-morning and closed early so I couldn’t fit it in), but I did walk the stairs in the high-rise tower and it kicked my ass. My calves hurt so badly after the first time I did it – it was such an awesome workout.

So much to tell you all about and lots of wonderful photos to share. My poor husband had to leave today for a business trip to Wyoming (thank God I didn’t have to go), and he has all the photos on the digital camera and the camera software is on his computer so I’ll have to wait till he has time to download everything for me.

Here’s a photo of an island we visited during a trip to Langkawi – Pulau Payar. Gosh, I wish I were there right now. We didn’t get to spend as much time as we would’ve liked because my dad’s travel itinerary got a bit jacked up. Sigh.

I’ll be catching up on all of your lives and updating my blog with fun stuff about my trip over the next few days. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, New Years, and are having a great start to 2006.

xoxoxoxo,
Rachel

Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Set

2005-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

I ordered the Microdermabrasion set from Theresa and have to say, it’s THE best skin care product I’ve ever used. I love the way it makes my skin feel. I’ve never had beautiful skin – it’s clear (as in no breakouts), but ruddy and "muddled" (don’t know a better way to describe it), but after using the Microdermabrasion just once, I can already see a difference. My skin has a childlike glow and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what continual use will bring (you can only use it twice a week, but I wish I could use it every day).

Heartbroken and Confused

2005-12-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

I started writing an update about my dress, fitness, etc., but then found out about Julie Whitt’s passing and my petty little ramblings just don’t matter right now. My heart is completely broken. I can’t fathom the pain her husband and family are feeling. I don’t understand how someone with so much vibrant life in her could not make it through this surgery. I wanted her to dance and run red rocks and do all the other things she wasn’t able to do because of her illness. Why didn't she survive? She did everything right... why would it be God's will for her to leave this earth when so many people love her and need her?

Rest in peace, beautiful Julie. You were an angel on earth and you’ll be an angel in heaven. Thank you for inspiring me to Get My Freak On at the gym. Thank you for inspiring me to appreciate the little things in life and not to take my health for granted. Thank you for being such an incredibly beautiful, humble, giving and spunky woman.

Results of BFL Challenge #1

2005-12-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here are the results of my first BFL challenge ending last week:

Week 1 Measurements:
Weight: 140 lbs.
Body fat: 29%
Neck: 13
Bicep: 10
Forearm: 9
Chest: 30
Hips: 40.25
Waist: 28
Thigh: 23.5
Calf: 14.5

Week 12 Measurements:
Weight: 135 lbs.
Body fat: 24%
Neck: 12
Bicep: 10
Forearm: 8.75
Chest: 30
Hips: 38.5
Waist: 25.5
Thigh: 22
Calf: 13.5

Scale Loss: 5 lbs.
Body fat loss: 8.2 lbs.
Muscle gain: 3.2 lbs.
Inches lost: 8”

Not spectacular, but I feel so much better about myself and I’m really looking forward to kicking some booty in my next challenge which I’ll start upon my return from Malaysia. This summer I’m going to be smokin’ HOT, damnit! I won’t have a chance to update photos until I get back in January. I’ll take them now, but won’t be able to post them.

Haven’t had a chance to pick out the dress yet. The shop closes at 6pm and I’ve been working pretty late. Hopefully I’ll have time tomorrow afternoon after our company Christmas lunch. Otherwise I’ll have to wait till Saturday, but that doesn’t leave much time for necessary alterations. The dress choice may end up being made for me, because the shop only stocks one of each dress and if someone bought one of the dresses I loved, I’m outta luck. I love the way the dress in the first photo looks in the photograph, but I’m a little hesitant with that one as I’m afraid it might accentuate my hip area. Same thing with the dress in the second photo, which I didn't love as much until I found out it was the most expensive - then all of a sudden I loved it? What's with me? Also, there are a couple of dresses that weren't on the Demetrios website because they're from the 2006 collection, which hasn't been officially released yet? Maybe the shop owner is feeding me a line of crap - I'm oh so gullible. Anyway, they weren't on the website and thus I couldn't find photos to show you all. Ramble, ramble, ramble. I'm like a chicken with my head chopped off. BBBBWWWAAAACCCCKKKKKK!! (Suzanne taught me how to spell that!) I’ll let ya’ll know what happens.

Ramblings of a Mad Woman

2005-12-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

I think I have time for a quick update. Workouts have been GREAT and eating was PERFECT. Until I caved in and ate several chocolate covered Ritz crackers yesterday. I’m not beating myself up, though. I finished my BFL challenge #1 as of Sunday and I’m down several inches (I think my waist is about 25 1/2” now – yay!) but haven’t lost much scale weight. Also, my hips and thighs haven’t gone down much either and I don’t understand that… funny thing is, my feet seem thinner and better looking. Why couldn’t I lose weight in my feet LAST???? Why is the hips, thighs, ass the last to go for me??? I'll have to hurry and retake measurements and update my tracker profile soon. My Myotape broke and the other tape measure doesn't give me the same readings as the Myotape for some reason. I wonder which one is more accurate. How could one be more accurate than the other??? I've always been suspicious that my Myotape made my measurements smaller than they actually are.

I’ll start challenge 2 when I get back from Malaysia, but I will remain on track while I’m there. Eating is going to be the biggest problem. We’re staying with family and they have a cook (domestic help is very, very, very cheap there. They hire Indonesian immigrants for like $120 a month – it’s crazy!). So finding things BFL approved will be my biggest challenge. Besides, I don’t like to be “difficult” with family. At restaurants I don’t care, but with family I like to be as easy going as possible… If I can just maintain while there I’ll be happy, but I will be working out so maybe I’ll make progress. I’m rambling aren’t I? My brain is so full of nervous energy right now… so busy with work and so much on my mind to get ready for this trip…

I’ve been frantically trying to find a dress for the wedding reception. It’s a black tie event and I don’t know if I should get a simple wedding gown or a just formal evening gown. I went to a bridal shop and tried on several dresses. I LOVED THEM ALL. Wedding dresses are amazing! The designers really know how to make them so every curve is accentuated perfectly. My waist looked so small! Unless the mirrors were those “special” tricky mirrors that look great so you buy whatever you tried on. I haven’t had any luck finding a formal evening gown so I’m probably going to go with the wedding dress.

We’re taking our laptop to Malaysia with us so I’ll be able to blog from there - and more importantly keep up with all my blends’ lives. =)

That’s all I have time for now. I’ve been reading all your blogs and don’t always comment but try to when I get time.

XOXOXO, Rachel

Here are some of the dresses I have to choose from. I loved them all so now it's decision time... yikes.

C1W11D5

2005-12-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to get busy here at work. Thank goodness – I was getting bored out of my gourd. Unfortunately, I’m leaving for a four-week vacation to Malaysia on December 23rd so there’s lots I need to do to get things lined out while I’m away from the office. OMGosh, I have so much I have to do personally to get ready for this trip too. How in the world did it become December already?

I’m officially 10 days late today. I’m pretty sure it’s stress related (please God). Today I finally took care of something HUGE (family related) that relieved a lot of stress and I’m hoping that spurs things on with TOM. I think I’m probably the world’s worst procrastinator when it comes to having to deal with something potentially emotionally difficult. I just hate confrontation so much that I end up putting things off and off and off and then my mind starts going out of control and when I finally bite the bullet and do what I have to do, I feel so much better and things are never as bad as my mind forecasts… I infuriate myself sometimes. Stoooooooooooooopid.

This morning was LB and abs day, but I can’t post details because I don’t have my journal with me. Next week I plan on stepping up my LB workouts and try some squats on the smith machine. I’d like to try those for my primary quad exercise because I HATE the leg press. I feel something funny in my hip joint when I do leg presses and it’s not fun. I can tell you that instead of doing dreaded db lunges today, I took the easy way out and did leg curls – this was before I took care of my stress inducing situation and I was just too frazzled to concentrate on lunges. Next week lunges are back in the routine for sure though. Today's meals will be very similar to yesterdays so I won't bother writing them out.

My dog is sitting in my lap right now and he is so stinky. What's up with that? He usually smells nice and clean. My boss gives him like 20 treats a day (I’m not kidding – he has 3 or 4 bags of jerky treats in his desk at all times and spoils little Max rotten). I think all the treats are making him smell bad. I’ve asked my boss to please limit the amount of treats he gives him, but it goes in one ear and out the other. Max is his “God son” and he spoils him rotten (literally cause that's what he smells like: rotten). It’s funny how much he adores and dotes over Max, but the excessive number of treats really does concern me. My sister is a veternarian and she’s always telling me horror stories about people who literally kill their animals with kindness (i.e. food).

Here are a few photos of my handsome Max (aka Maximus, Maxwell, Maximillion, Wiggles, Wigglesworth, Monkey, Tweet Tweet, Sweetums).

Doesn’t having animals turn you into such a goofball? My husband, who is usually very “cool” even sings Max a song:

“Wigglesworth,
Wigglesworth,
the best damn Wiggles on planet earth.”

Silly, silly, silly.

Enough rambling – gotta get some work done.

Have a fabulous weekend blog friends.

xoxoxo, R.-

C1W11D4

2005-12-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Busy day today, so can’t post much detail…

Today was supposed to be my lower body workout, but my husband was snoring really loudly last night and I went out to the living room to sleep on the couch. When my alarm went off at 4 AM, my husband turned it off and didn’t wake me so I overslept big time. As I was leaving the house, I grabbed my ipod instead of my workout journal and didn’t realize my mistake until I got to the gym. I need my journal to know what weights to do, so I ended up doing a cardio session instead. I ran on the treadmill alternating between 5.5 and 6.5 mph for thirty-five minutes and tomorrow will be LB day.

I’m feeling even more stressed today – 9 full days late for TOM. I think my stressing about it is causing the delay as I really don’t think it’s possible that something “slipped by”…

Meals:
M1 – cottage cheese, banana
M2 – turkey breast on whole wheat
M3 – roasted turkey breast, broccoli, green salad
M4 – apple, string cheese
M5 – tuna fish, green salad
One gallon of water.

C1W11D3

2005-11-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Did 20 minute HIIT on elliptical again and I’m so glad I finally figured out how to hit my 10 on this thing. It’s a great workout! After a short recovery/cool down on the elliptical, I hopped on the treadmill and walked four 4 minutes, found a good song on my ipod and upped the speed to 6.5 mph. I ran though one full song at that speed, then another good song came on and I upped my speed to 7.5 mph and ran through that song, then had to drop the speed down a bit. I’m so excited that I can run for extended periods at those speeds – that used to be my 10 and I could barely make it through one minute! I’m wondering how long it’ll take me before I can run through a whole song at 10 mph… Anyway, I think I ran for about 15 or 20 minutes and burned a total of about 440 calories (HIIT plus steady state).

What a fun day at work. Our company hit a milestone revenue goal and we always celebrate with champagne and lunch. We basically stopped working around 1pm and have been messing around having fun all afternoon. I had a small glass of champagne and wanted more - it was so delicious and refreshing - but I was busy holding the camcorder and couldn't juggle both very well (my boss loves to record every single thing and I hate being on film so I always volunteer to be camera woman). It was easy to find something BFL friendly. I wasn’t even tempted by the bread (which is fabulous) or the dessert. I’m definitely feeling very focused right now. Whew. Been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to read any blogs, though. I’ll have to catch up tomorrow. Yup. I always read blogs at work. I put a lot of hard work, hours, sweat and tears into this company though so I don’t feel bad at all. =)

We watched The Biggest Loser last night and while I’m thrilled for the contestants and their success – I have to admit a little jealousy. I guess I just felt a little down because I’ve been working so hard for so long (since September 2004) – although not 100% BFL because I dropped weight training for 6 months so I could do 100% cardio – so I was still working out 6 days a week, but doing an hour session of steady state cardio and no weights. I still have so far to go and I question what I am doing wrong. Is my hypothyroid just an excuse to not make progress? Am I sabotaging my efforts somehow? I’m really trying hard not to think negatively – I just felt so inadequate last night.

On another note… I’m starting to get a little freaked out. I’ve been thinking this is PMS I’m suffering from, but I’m currently 8 days late and I’m usually like clockwork. What if this crampy feeling is something else? I’m so not ready for that. We’re on the “five year plan” for children and even that seems a little sooner than I’d like…

All you wonderful blog friends are such talented writers and very good about including personal challenges, triumphs, and other bits and pieces that give insight to your lives. All I ever talk about on my blog is fitness for the most part. I haven’t delved into much on a personal level and I feel bad about that for some reason… someday soon.

Oh yes, my meals:
M1 – banana, cottage cheese
M2 – cottage cheese, champagne
M3 – grilled salmon, spinach salad, grilled veggies
M4 – turkey burger, romaine salad
M5 – cottage cheese, apple
Not quite a gallon of water, but close.

C1W11D2 - Confessions

2005-11-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

I have an ugly confession to make… I slipped up big time over the long weekend. Remember my tentative Thanksgiving plan? The one I thought would be a piece of cake to stick with? Well… I did great till dinner and then the peer pressure of “It’s Thanksgiving! You HAVE to try the sweet potatoes with marshmallows/nuts/sugar” and “Here, I brought you this piece of 3-layer double chocolate cake” took it’s toll and I caved. It was delicious at the time, but was it worth it? I dunno – it was delicious at the moment, but the taste is long forgotten…

Friday, Saturday and Sunday – get this – I didn’t do one workout. I had ZERO motivation, ZERO drive, ZERO “get-up-and-do-it-no-matter-what” AND… I ate 3 oreos and four Krispy Kreme donuts over the course of the weekend… AND I didn’t drink nearly enough water... AND I didn’t update the blog because of my shame. Oh, and a couple handfuls of Doritos. It could be due to the worst, longest, drawn out PMS I’ve had all year. GRRRRR. I just want to eat and watch TV. My husband and I lazed around all FOUR days and watched TV and movies. What happened to my desire to go hiking in Yosemite??? =(

But here’s the interesting thing… I think I really needed the rest. Starting yesterday, I’m back on track. My waning motivation is starting to return! I’m a little disappointed in myself and I hope I didn’t undo any progress, but I’m kinda glad that it happened because I’ve been really seriously struggling the past couple weeks with my lack of desire to hit it hard at the gym.. I’m ready to rock again.

I decided to do cardio yesterday morning and weight training today. Yesterday’s workout was a 20 minute HIIT on elliptical followed by 20 minutes on the treadmill running at 5.5 mph to 6.5 mph and it felt so great! I think I burned up about 524 calories in about 43 minutes. If the theory of burning 3x’s the amount of calories in a fasted state is true, does that mean I burned about 1500+ calories? I read something to this extent on one of the BFL finalists’ blogs, but it sounds a little off – or too good to be true…?

Just for kicks, I wore my heart rate monitor this morning and as long as I kept moving at the right pace, my heart rate stayed in the 65% to 75% of maximum heart rate range (except during rest periods) – so this style of working out really is two-fold: weight training and fat burning! Yay! I’m not sure why I did UB workout this morning – it probably should’ve been LB. I guess I got a little mixed up since I missed 3 days of working out last week…

Chest:
DB Chest Press on Stability Ball
1x12 – 15 lbs.
2x10 – 20 lbs.
3x8 – 25 lbs.
4x6 – 25 lbs.
5x12 – 20 lbs.
DB Fly 1x12 – 12 lbs.

Shoulders:
Arnold Press on Stability Ball
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 12 lbs.
3x8 – 15 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs.
5x12 – 12 lbs.
BB Upright Row
1x12 – 40 lbs.

Back:
Assisted Pull Ups
1x12 – 100 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 60 lbs.
5x12 – 90 lbs.
Cable Row – 70 lbs.

Triceps:
Extensions
1x12 – 35 lbs.
2x10 – 45 lbs.
3x8 – 55 lbs.
4x6 – 65 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
Kickbacks 1x12 – 12 lbs.

Biceps:
Barbell Curls
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 30 lbs.
3x8 – 35 lbs.
4x6 – 40 lbs.
5x12 – 30 lbs.
21’s 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Monday’s Meals:
M1 – egg whites, spinach, oatmeal
M2 – oatmeal and protein powder
M3 – turkey burger, apple
M4 – pear, string cheese
M5 – salmon or tuna cakes, green salad
One gallon of water.

Today’s Meals:
M1 – egg whites, spinach, oatmeal
M2 – oatmeal and protein (yuk – used banana flavored protein and it was grosssssss)
M3 – tuna, brown rice
M4 – tuna, small pear
M5 – cottage cheese, green salad
M6 – string cheese, small apple
One gallon of water.

C1W10D3 – Dirty Filthy Love

2005-11-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for so much, but right now, at this very moment, I'm most grateful for having Thursday and Friday off from work. I really need a four day weekend.

Dirty Filthy Love: We watched a quirky little movie last night called Dirty Filthy Love – it’s a British movie about a man learning to deal with the break up of his marriage, Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and Tourettes. I loved the movie Matchstick Men – and just find OCD fascinating - and the title of this movie caught my eye so I picked it up at Blockbuster. My husband gave me a strange look when he saw the DVD cover, but he enjoyed the movie, too. So if anyone is looking for something a little different to watch, I’d recommend this movie.

Thanksgiving Day: My tentative Thanksgiving Day plan is to stay on track as any other EFL day. My husband and I will be having dinner at the country club with our boss. It should be easy to stay on track with food choices since it's a buffet dinner. I'll just have a portion of turkey, some vegetables, and hopefully a decent complex carb. I don't think I'll be too tempted with dessert. I like to keep my free day on the weekends - preferably Sunday so I don't end up with a free-for-all. So… that’s the plan. Hopefully I won’t cave. I’d love to go hiking in Yosemite on Friday – hopefully I can talk my husband in to going… I have been dropping lots of hints. Actually, I think I’ve come right out and said “I’d like to go hiking in Yosemite the day after Thanksgiving.”

Calories: As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been trying to keep my calories in the 1100 to 1250 range. I totally hate it. I was reading Top Cop’s blog and he’s in a bulking phase now – he was saying he finds it really difficult to reach his goal of 2800 authorized calories a day. I would have NO problems with that – it’d be a piece of cake (mmmmmm cake). I think I have a freakish appetite for a girl. Hypothyroidism supposedly suppresses the appetite. Ha! Not for me it doesn’t. I don’t even want to eat unauthorized foods all the time – I just want to eat more of the authorized foods.

EFL: I usually use the George Foreman grill for my chicken breasts, but I haven’t figured out how to cook them perfectly – they usually turn out leathery and dry. In fact the thought of those chicken breasts turn my stomach. So I decided to try poaching them with some ginger and it’s much easier to swallow and quite delicious actually.

I also cooked some brown rice with diced ginger and a can of fat free/low sodium chicken broth and it was delicious – so much yummier than plain old brown rice.

BFL: I feel like I’m starting to lose the loving feeling for weight training. My strength and enthusiasm is lagging big time. I think I might need to cave in and buy some Betagen – if I’m feeling stronger, maybe I’ll be more excited to lift weights again. WHERE IS MY BURNING FIRE???

Today’s UB workout was good, I hit my 10’s and my arms are still fatigued.

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

Shoulders:
Arnold Press on Stability Ball
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 12 lbs.
3x8 – 15 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs.
5x12 – 12 lbs.
BB Upright Row
1x12 – 40 lbs.

Back:
Assisted Pull Ups
1x12 – 100 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 60 lbs.
5x12 – 90 lbs.
Plus 8 reps at 90 lbs. of dips just to try it out
Reverse Grip Pulldowns – 80 lbs.

Triceps:
Extensions
1x12 – 35 lbs.
2x10 – 45 lbs.
3x8 – 55 lbs.
4x6 – 65 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
1 Arm Cross Overs 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.

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – poached chicken breast, brown rice
M4 – tuna, brown rice
M5 – chicken breast, brown rice (oops didn’t bring much to work with me today)
M6 – leftover chicken stir fry and steamed chinese broccoli
One gallon of water.

C1W10D2 – R.I.P. Sam =(

2005-11-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

Did 20 minute HIIT on elliptical this morning. I’ve finally got this dialed in. I’m definitely hitting my 10 and it may even feel more difficult than running. I didn’t do any extra cardio after my HIIT session because at minute 19 I started having horrible stomach cramps. I almost felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach so I went home. Luckily the stomach pains subsided and I feel fine now. I may try to get in some additional cardio this afternoon if time allows.

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – chicken breast, apple
M4 – tuna, pear
M5 – Myoplex lite
M6 – chicken and veggie stir-fry with brown rice
One gallon of water.

On a sad note… Sam, passed away. Poor little bugger. Here’s a link to the story at CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/22/ugly.dog.ap/index.html – there’s a little video footage of him, which I highly recommend watching. It made me laugh out loud several times. Gosh, I really loved that little devil. Rest in peace, Sam!

C1W10D1

2005-11-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

I’m slowly getting over this cold – the worst part of it has been the TOTAL LACK OF ENERGY, which happens to get worse as the day goes on. I did manage to get to the gym first thing Saturday morning for my HIIT on the elliptical followed by 15 minutes on the stationary bike. However, I didn’t do my UB workout that I missed last week. I just didn’t have the strength and wanted to have a full rest day on Sunday.

My strength still isn’t 100% but I did work up a dripping sweat with my LB workout. Here’s what I did this morning:

Quads:
Leg Press
1x12 – 90 lbs.
2x10 – 125 lbs.
3x8 – 170 lbs.
4x6 – 180 lbs.
5x12 – 160 lbs. (failed at 8 reps; kinda scary not being able to push the weight back up…)
Step Ups 100 – 15 lbs. (50R, 50L)

Hamstrings:
Sitting Leg Curl
1x12 – 70 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs.
3x8 – 100 lbs.
4x6 – 110 lbs.
5x12 – 90 lbs.
DB Lunges 1x12 – 15 lbs.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
1x12 – 160 lbs.
2x10 – 170 lbs.
3x8 – 180 lbs.
4x6 – 190 lbs. (ouch my back)
5x12 – 150 lbs.
45 Degree Calf Raise 1x12 – 150 lbs.

Abdominals – will do later today.

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal, protein
M2 – 3 oz. chicken breast, apple
M3 – oatmeal, protein
M4 – string cheese, apple
M5 – Myoplex lite
M6 – chicken breast, green salad, brown rice
One gallon of water.

C1W9D5 - Bleeeeh

2005-11-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

I’m definitely fighting whatever cold/flu that’s going around. My husband was sicker than I’ve ever seen him two days ago, but I’m still taking my Airborne and Zicam and I’m doing so-so. I think all the water I drink is helping my body stay fairly healthy? I had a teacher tell me he hadn’t gotten sick in 12 years because he drank a gallon of water a day…

I’m definitely not feeling energetic – in fact, I’m down right LETHARGIC, but I did get myself to the gym this morning for my LB workout. It was not my best effort. I had forgotten my workout journal at home (yep – I’m a total nerd. I carry that thing to the gym with me every day. Otherwise I can’t remember what set I’m on, what weight I need to use, etc.). So not having my little notebook and feeling under the weather, I improvised. I didn’t do a BFL style workout, but did lift weights and hope I didn’t waste my time.

Today’s LB workout:
Leg Press – 90 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Leg Extensions – 60 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Leg Curls – 90 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Deadlifts – 60 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Sitting Calf Raises – 70 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Calf Press – 360 lbs. 3 sets at 12 reps
Cable Crunches – 4 sets at 20 reps
Leg Lifts – 4 sets at 20 reps

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal, protein
M2 - chicken breast, apple
M3 – Myoplex Lite
M4 – tuna, apple
M5 – chicken breast, broccoli, 1/2 sweet potato
One gallon of water.

My plan is to do UB and HIIT tomorrow, get lots of rest on Sunday and HIT IT HARD again by Monday. Wooooty Wooo!

C1W9D4 - Dragging Ass

2005-11-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

This morning I had a serious struggle getting myself to the gym. I never did make it to my boss’s house yesterday to finish up my LB workout and couldn’t decide whether I should do my LB today or do my HIIT. I made a deal with myself that if the ellipticals were free, I’d do HIIT and that’s what I ended up doing. I followed up with 9 minutes on the bike. Now all I want to do is sleep. I upped my calories yesterday to about 1,500 thinking that would give me some more energy but it didn’t really work. I think my body is fighting something so I’m not going to be too hard on myself for slacking a bit. I’ll probably do LB tomorrow morning and UB and HIIT on Saturday. I’d like to rest Sunday if at all possible.

Can’t wait till my energy returns… I miss it.

Meals:
M1 – chicken breast, apple, natural pb
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – tuna fish, apple
M4 – protein shake
M5 – chicken breast, romaine salad, 1/2 sweet potato
One gallon of water.

C1W9D3 - My First Official Bonk

2005-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Today was LB day, which I usually love because it goes by so quickly (don’t love the actual act of doing lunges, but do love the feeling in my bum for the next several days). Anyway, this morning I wake right on time (4 AM), drink my morning coffee, get dressed and put on my shoes to head for the gym. Lately I’ve been having a tablespoon of natural PB prior to lifting workouts to give me extra energy, but this morning I put my shoes on before my spoonful and as I was about to leave realized I forgot to grab a bite of peanut butter. I didn’t feel like removing my shoes and putting them back on so I just left for the gym (my husband is a little obsessive/compulsive and requires NO shoes beyond our entryway – his OCD is one of the things I find so endearing). Anyway, I digress…

I get to the gym and start with leg presses, which seem more difficult than usual. I make it all the way through sets 1 through 5 and move on to do hack squats (decided to try this instead of DB squats today). I put 90 pounds on and do one very difficult rep, then go for another – well, I went too far down and just didn’t have the energy to push myself back up. I really tried to focus my mind and do it, but I had to get out of the machine and remove one of the 45 lb. plates – got back in and still couldn’t push back up. Had to get out and take the other 45 lb. plate off. Geez. It was really embarrassing, but mostly I just felt weak and blechy. I went to the dumbbell section to do lunges, made it through my first set and said “F*** it.” And went home. I just feel completely bonked today. I’m shaky and weak and absolutely devoid of energy. I’ve lifted weights many, many times with no pb, so I don’t know why I feel so yucky today. I’m thinking it might be the calorie reduction or fighting the cold (but I really feel like the Airborne and Zicam stopped my cold in its tracks).

My boss says I can use his home gym whenever I want, so my plan is to workout at his house during my lunch hour. I’m on a streak and don’t want to miss any workouts.

About my husband’s OCD… he makes me wipe our dog’s feet with baby wipes each time we come in from outdoors! It does help keep the carpets super clean, but sometimes when hubby isn’t home – I don’t bother wiping Max’s feet just for fun. Oh! Another hilarious OCD thing he has is with the volume control on the TV. It MUST be set at level 12, 15 or 18 – no number in between. So, of course when hubby isn’t home I set it to 11 or 13 and when he comes home and turns the TV on and sees the volume control he gets very “disturbed” – isn’t that odd??? There are so many little things he does that just crack me up.

Meals:
M1 – Chicken breast, 1/2 apple, 1/2 sweet potato (thought the extra carbs would help my energy?)
M2 – Protein shake
M3 – Chicken breast, apple
M4 – Oatmeal and protein
M5 – Chicken breast, sweet potato, romaine salad
M6 – Apple and string cheese
One gallon of water.

C1W9D2

2005-11-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

There’s a little tickle in my nose and I’ve been sneezing all morning… I so don’t want to catch a cold right now. I’ve started taking the Airborne and some Zicam and hopefully that will nip this in the bud.

My HIIT this morning was less than stellar. All the elliptical machines were taken so I decided to give the treadmill a shot. My shins were hurting for the first few minutes, but then the pain subsided. Or perhaps, I just stopped noticing my shin splints because I was concentrating on the very weird burning, acidic feeling in my stomach. The faster I went, the worse the burning sensation. I didn’t achieve a 10. =(

My HIIT went something like this:

Warm up
Level 6 – 5.5 mph
Level 7 – 6.5 mph
Level 8 – 7.5 mph
Level 9 – 8.5 mph
Level 6 – 4.0 mph (the burning sensation in my tummy was baaad)
Level 7 – 5.0 mph
Level 8 – 6.0 mph
Level 9 – 7.0 mph
Level 6 – 4.0 mph
Level 7 – 5.0 mph
Level 8 – 6.0 mph
Level 9 – 7.0 mph
Level 6 – 4.0 mph
Level 7 – 5.0 mph
Level 8 – 6.0 mph
Level 9 – 7.0 mph
Level 10 - =(
Then I walked at 3.0 mph for a minute to settle the burning sensation. I looked at the display and at 20 minutes, I had somehow managed to hit 2.0 miles… don’t know how that happened.
I decided to run at 6.0 mph until I reached 3.0 miles and the last two minutes I bumped my speed up to 6.5 mph then 7.0 mph.
I cooled down by walking at 3.0 at 15 incline.

It was an OK workout, but I’m disappointed in not hitting a 10 – and what was up with the burning stomach???

My planned meals may or may not change, depending on what I get when I start plugging things into fitday. Jennifer, thanks so much for pm-ing with your meal suggestions. I’ll have to go to the grocery store and stock up on some new stuff.

Meals:
M1 – cottage cheese, apple
M2 – protein shake
M3 – chicken breast, apple
M4 – protein shake
M5 – chicken breast, green salad, sweet potato
M6 – cottage cheese
One gallon of water.

After seeing the Keys to Your Heart test on everyone’s blogs, I couldn’t resist taking it – WEIRD. Especially the part about marriage – I’ve always been freaked out about getting married. I never thought I would, but I’m very, very happy that I did and don’t feel like I’m confined… for the most part. It’s definitely an adjustment because I’m terribly independent, but I love my husband and I’m honored he would choose me to be his wife.

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage.

In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

C1W9D1 - Holy Cow - Week 9 Already???

2005-11-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Friday evening’s event was lots of fun. I didn’t have any hors d’oerves, but I’ve always wanted to try Shiraz, so I had a very small glass of it and didn’t finish it. It tastes just like all the other red wines I’ve had. One of the new model homes has the exact tile upgrade that we chose for our home and it is beautiful. We selected 21” tiles and we’ve been a little freaked out that they’d be too big, but they look so nice. We also upgraded our patio to a covered patio and I was concerned it wouldn’t look as nice as building an arbor or something custom – but I can put those fears to rest, too. Whew. Now I can just concentrate on the fears I have of spending sooooo much freaking money on such a tiny little house and tiny little yard! EEEECK! Sigh. (The photo is the living room. I think our fireplace is sexy.)

Saturday I did HIIT on the elliptical followed by 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Another good workout. I was famished and decided to take my free day and we went to our favorite breakfast place. I was thinking I’d have French toast but when it was time to order I got the spinach omelette and whole-wheat toast.

Yesterday was rest day and I was a total bum. I was so tired and didn’t do a thing except grocery shopping for the week. It was nice to just chill out at home. Eating was on plan and water intake was good (coulda been better…).

Back to the gym this morning for UB workout. It’s after 1:00 pm and my arms are still a little fatigued... I thought about adding some steady state cardio in, but time was running out so I may do something this evening. But then again, maybe I won’t. I’m getting a little tired of all the extra work not yielding extra results so maybe I should just hold steady.

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

Shoulders:
Arnold Press
1x12 – 12.5 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 17.5 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs. failed at 4 reps
5x12 – 15 lbs.
BB Upright Row
1x12 – 40 lbs.

Back:
Assisted Pull Ups
1x12 – 100 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 70 lbs.
5x12 – 90 lbs.
Reverse Grip Pulldowns – 80 lbs.

Triceps:
Extensions
1x12 – 35 lbs.
2x10 – 45 lbs.
3x8 – 55 lbs.
4x6 – 65 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
1 Arm Cross Overs 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Biceps:
EZ Bar Curls**
1x12 – 25 lbs.
2x10 – 30 lbs.
3x8 – 35 lbs.
4x6 – 40 lbs.
5x12 – 30 lbs.
21’s 1x12 – 10 lbs.

Meals:
M1 – 1 tbsp natural PB, coffee (pre-workout meal)
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – oatmeal and protein
M4 – tuna, small gala apple
M5 – tuna, 1/2 yam*
M6 – chicken breast, romaine salad
One gallon of water.

*Dana D posted on tracker that she bakes her sweet potatoes for a couple hours and they turn out delish so I gave it a try and she was right. Yummmmmy! Way better than microwaving them. I baked some sweet potatoes and yams and they came out so soft and sweet and fabulous. I’m going to have to be careful with these…

**Dumb question: Is it called the EZ bar because it's easier to do a curl with it than with a standard barbell?

Totally off topic and more of a reminder to myself so I don't forget... I NEED to do something different with my hair. I saw a Hanes commercial this morning with Marissa Tomei and her hair looks fabulous. I want that hairstyle.

C1W8D5 - So Freaking Hungry!!!

2005-11-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

I’m so not enjoying 1100 calories per day. I don’t know why a few hundred calories makes such a big difference to me, but I feel so hungry. I plug my food into fitday each time I eat and then I start feeling panicked – oh no, I only get 600 more calories today. I think my hunger is a mental thing. I feel like I’m depriving myself so my stomach is growling. No wonder BFL/EFL was so easy before I started counting calories – now it feels like I’m on a “diet.” =(

Tonight we’ve been invited to our home builder’s grand opening of our new little community and they’ll be serving “fine wine and hors d’oeuvres” so it’s going to be a challenge to resist… (The photo is the house we’re buying.)

Still feeling soreness in my upper body from Wednesday’s workout. Love it.

Today’s lower body workout was great and I think I already feel it in my hamstrings.

Quads:
Leg Press (upped the weights from last time)
1x12 – 90 lbs.
2x10 – 120 lbs.
3x8 – 140 lbs.
4x6 – 195 lbs.
5x12 – 150 lbs.
DB Squats 1x12 – 25 lbs.

Hamstrings:
DB Lunges
1x12 – 15 lbs.
2x10 – 20 lbs.
3x8 – 25 lbs.
4x6 – 30 lbs.
5x12 – 15 lbs.
Deadlifts 1x12 – 60 lbs.

Calves:
45° Calf Press
1x12 – 150 lbs.
2x10 – 180 lbs.
3x8 – 270 lbs.
4x6 – 360 lbs.
5x12 – 270 lbs.
1 Leg Standing Raise 1x12 – 30 lbs.

Hmmm. I wonder if I did the primary exercise correctly. I didn’t realize how much weight I was putting on and 360 lbs. seems like A LOT and it wasn’t the hardest exercise I’ve ever done. 30 lb. dumbbell lunges kicked my butt way more.

Abs (BFL style):
Decline sit ups w/10 lbs. weight
Hanging leg lifts

Meals:
M1 - 1 tsp. almond butter, 1 tsp. pb, coffee (pre-workout)
M2 - 3 oz. chicken breast, apple
M3 - oatmeal, protein
M4 - 3 oz. chicken breast, apple
M5 - tuna fish, apple
M6 - probably chicken and an apple...

Here’s my HIIT on the elliptical from yesterday. Want to keep track of the cycles to see if I can improve on it in the next couple of weeks.

I use manual mode and keep the RPM’s at 60 or above through each level. I haven’t been able to make it to 60 RPMs on the last level and don’t feel like I could keep going a second longer so I’m pretty sure I’ve hit a 10.

Warmup for two minutes at Level 5
Minute 3: Level 8
Minute 4: Level 10
Minute 5: Level 13
Minute 6: Level 16
Minute 7: Level 8
Minute 8: Level 10
Minute 9: Level 13
Minute 10: Level 16
Minute 11: Level 8
Minute 12: Level 10
Minute 13: Level 13
Minute 14: Level 16
Minute 15: Level 8
Minute 16: Level 10
Minute 17: Level 13
Minute 18: Level 16
Minute 19: Level 18
Cool down.

C1W8D3 and C1W8D4

2005-11-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

OK I've refocused and am in a much better "place" mentally. I've realized that with all this muscle I've been adding, once the thyroid is stabilized and the fat starts coming off, I'll be a lean machine. That's how I choose to think about things right now anyway!

Great UB workout yesterday and a good HIIT on elliptical this morning followed by 10 minutes on the stationary bike. Yesterday I added a new exercise - assisted pull-ups. I’m definitely feeling it in different muscles today so I’m pleased about that.

For some reason my energy is gone. I’m feeling bonked today and just want to take a nap. Maybe it’s the cloudy weather?

Yesterday’s UB workout:

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

Shoulders:
Arnold Press
1x12 – 12.5 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 17.5 lbs.
4x6 – 20 lbs. x 4, 15lbs. x 2
5x12 – 15 lbs. x 9, 12.5 lbs. x 3
BB Upright Row
1x12 – 35 lbs.

Back:
Assisted Pull Ups (NEW! Yay!)
1x12 – 100 lbs.
2x10 – 90 lbs.
3x8 – 80 lbs.
4x6 – 70 lbs.
5x12 – 100 lbs.
Cable Row – 70 lbs.

Triceps:
Extensions
1x12 – 35 lbs.
2x10 – 45 lbs.
3x8 – 55 lbs.
4x6 – 65 lbs.
5x12 – 45 lbs.
1 Arm Cross Overs 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.

Yesterday’s Meals:
M1 – 1 tbsp natural PB, coffee (pre-workout meal)
M2 – oatmeal and protein (reduced oatmeal from 1/2 c. to 1/4 c.
M3 – chicken breast, small gala apple
M4 – chicken breast, small gala apple
M5 – chicken breast, eas whey protein
M6 – chicken breast, broccoli, small apple
Calories: 1108
One gallon of water.

Today’s Meals:
M1 – oatmeal, protein, 1 tsp. almond butter
M2 – oatmeal, protein
M3 – 3.5 oz. chicken breast, small gala apple
M4 – 3.5 oz. chicken breast (no carbs to cut calories)
M5 – chicken breast, romaine salad,
M6 – cottage cheese, apple
One gallon of water.

I'm bloody hungry!

Melt Down - C1W8D2

2005-11-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

I soooo wish I was posting about fat melting off my body. Nope. I had a doctor’s appointment first thing this morning and of course, they always weigh you… I’m UP 5 lbs. I weigh more today than I did in early June well before I started my current BFL challenge. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?????????

Needless to say, I broke into tears. I just don’t understand. I’m so sad. I just want to succeed at this. I want to wear shorts when we go back to Malaysia in less than seven weeks. It’s so flippin hot and humid there. I don’t want to wear jeans and pants all the time. I don’t want to be FAT ANYMORE. I know in my heart I’m giving it my everything. I’ve never been so focused about a program like I am with BFL.

Why is this not working for me? I used to only eat about twice a day and when I did eat it was taco bell or lean cuisine or scones for gawd’s sake. Now I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do. I might be getting too many calories though. How many am I supposed to get???? Fuck. I don’t know anything right now. Analysis Paralysis.

I’m a real Debbie Downer today. Wah wah.

Plan of Attack:
I started keeping track of my food at fitday. My doctor asked me how many calories I’m getting in and I told him about 1500 and he said that’s too much. I need to decrease my calories if I’m going to lose weight. OK fine. I just did some detailed research and according to Hussman, I need to decrease my calories to about 1100 calories per day to lose fat without losing muscle. That’s what I’ll do. I guess I should’ve done this research earlier.

So, today I did HIIT on the elliptical followed up with 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Did I achieve a true “10”?… I think the answer is “no” because if you’re not sure if you hit a 10, you probably didn’t – right? But I was dripping sweat and it did feel like a good workout. I gotta find my groove.

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein, 1 tbsp PB (I’ve gotta finish this jar and NEVER buy it again or just throw it away!)
M2 – protein shake and small gala apple
M3 – oatmeal and protein
M4 – tuna fish (no carb to cut back on calories)
M5 – 3 oz. of chicken breast, small apple
One gallon of water.

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful encouragement, support, and tips.

Update:
Hmmm… I just now got a call from my doctor’s office. My lab work shows my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels are back up in the "no longer normal" range. That means my hypothryroid is still affecting my weight loss efforts in a very negative way. The only way I can lose weight is if my levels are in the normal range – so he’s probably going to increase my medication. I guess that’s good news. At least it helps explain why I’m not seeing weight loss. That and I was getting too many calories in…

C1W8D1

2005-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Things have been busy, busy, busy and I haven’t have time to update since last Thursday…

Things are right on track with workouts, food, water – but I took my measurements this morning and NO CHANGE since last week. This is the first week that everything is the same. I didn’t go crazy on Free Day this weekend – I took one free meal (sushi and a crepe) so I don’t understand. Hmmm… I just realized last week was the first week I didn’t add extra cardio in the afternoons. I did add 15 to 20 minutes of steady state to the end of my HIITs, but nothing on weight days. Maybe that’s why I didn’t make any measurable progress. I didn’t even bother weighing myself. I’m going to take my own advice and forget about that bloody scale.

I’m afraid and my mind if full of self doubt and I know I shouldn’t be focusing on my fears of my body not cooperating with me… but – ARGH.

Moving on.

Friday I did UB workout at home with some dumbbells that I have – I also did push ups and tricep dips… Although I was still sore yesterday, I’m going to wait till we have our home gym set up before working out at home again…

Saturday I did HIIT on treadmill and ROCKED it once again; however, I have to force myself to stop using the treadmill for a minimum of two weeks. My damn shin splints have gotten so incredibly painful and my shins are bumpy and inflamed. I’ll continue with my stretching and strengthening exercises and do elliptical or bike for the next two weeks and then watch out tready – here I come! We went shopping in Walnut Creek - what a cute, cute town. The air is so clean and the downtown area is so darn cute!

Today was LB workout and abs:

Quads:
Leg Press
1x12 – 90 lbs.
2x10 – 115 lbs.
3x8 – 140 lbs.
4x6 – 175 lbs.
5x12 – 140 lbs.
DB Squats 1x12 – 20 lbs.

Hamstrings:
Deadlifts
1x12 – 40 lbs.
2x10 – 50 lbs.
3x8 – 60 lbs.
4x6 – 70 lbs.
5x12 – 50 lbs.
DB Lunges 1x12 – 20 lbs.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
1x12 – 150 lbs.
2x10 – 160 lbs.
3x8 – 170 lbs.
4x6 – 180 lbs.
5x12 – 160 lbs.
Sitting Calf Raises 1x12 – 140 lbs.

Abs (BFL style):
Decline sit ups w/10 lbs. weight
Hanging leg lifts

I love leg day because it goes by so fast!

This week I’m starting to track my food at fitday so I know where I am with calories, ratios, etc.

Meals:
M1 – oatmeal and protein
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – tuna, small apple
M4 – cottage cheese, small apple
M5 – chicken breast, broccoli
One gallon of water.

Now I gotta go catch up on ALL the blogs I read...

C1W7D3

2005-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

OMGooooodness! It hurts SOOOOO good! Yay! My lower body workout yesterday was awesome. It hurts to walk, it hurts to sit down, it hurts when my dog jumps on my lap. I LOVE IT! It hurts to laugh, it hurts to sneeze. Great ab workout too. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I may have discovered why I can’t get my shin splints to heal. Aren’t you supposed to stretch properly when running? I NEVER stretch. I do my two-minute warm up (sometimes 5 minutes depending on how sleepy/unmotivated I am) and then I just go for it. I never stretch before running and I never stretch after. I’ve tried toe lifts, walking on my toes, walking on my heels, getting new shoes, blah, blah, blah, but I haven’t tried stretching! I’ll try dub’s suggestion of lifting a light dumbbell, too. Thanks, dub!

So, today I did HIIT on the elliptical and followed it up with about 15 minutes of stationary bike. I was dripping sweat but I’m doubtful if I achieved a true 10. I’ll keep at it and I’ll go research the thread Suzanne suggested. Thanks, Suzanne. =) Oh, by the way, the hanging leg lifts are ala Cheryl’s bfl blog – you hold onto the chin-up bar and lift your legs straight out in front of you. You could do them from the chair thing with arm rests, too, but then I guess you’d just call them leg lifts since you wouldn’t be hanging.

I have another new goal, which is to overcome my fear of trying certain exercises in the “Big Boys” section of my gym. I finally overcame my fear of that area in general, and now would like to try doing some exercises that intimidate me a little: sissy squats, barbell bench press, lunges on the smith machine (don’t know why I’m afraid of these), skull crushers…

Meals:
Same things I ate yesterday with the exception of the steamed fish and steamed vegetables. Today at lunch I had a salad with tuna.
One gallon of water.

Grumpy McGrump, Mayor of Grumpville

2005-11-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

C1W7D3

My shins are really hurting today. I shouldn’t have done the treadmill for HIIT. I REALLY need to cross train and get my shins to heal completely but I just don’t have the patience. The treadmill calls to me and I can’t say no. But I guess I’ll have to because it really HURTS today. Even my knee is acting up again. I just don’t know how to achieve a true 10 on the bike or elliptical and time is running out. I only have – holy crap – 5 1/2 weeks left in my challenge. Sigh.

Here’s today’s LB Workout:

Quads:
DB Lunges
1x12 – 10 lbs.
2x10 – 15 lbs.
3x8 – 20 lbs.
4x6 – 25 lbs.
5 x 12 – 15 lbs.
Leg Press 1x12 – 150 lbs.
I was dripping sweat by this time…

Hamstrings:
Stiff Legged Deadlifts
1x12 – 30 lbs.
2x10 – 40 lbs.
3x8 – 50 lbs.
4x6 – 70 lbs.
5 x 12 – 50 lbs.
Standing Leg Curls 1x12 – 35 lbs.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
1x12 – 150 lbs.
2x10 – 160 lbs.
3x8 – 170 lbs.
4x6 – 180 lbs.
5 x 12 – 160 lbs.
45 Degree Calf 1x12 – 150 lbs.

Abs (BFL style):
Decline sit-ups w/10 lb. weight
Hanging leg lifts (12 reps were done with “straight” legs but I was swaying and swinging all of the place. Not a pretty sight!)

Meals:
Same old thing. I better mix it up so my body doesn’t get used to it.
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal (with natural PB)
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – steamed fish, bok choy (lunch with my husband)
M4 – tuna, pear
M5 – chicken breast, green salad
One gallon of water.

C1W7D2 – High on Life

2005-11-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

This is the first Halloween in a loooong time that I haven’t had one tiny candy bar. Not one little Hershey’s Kiss. Not one PB cup. Hooray!

I planned on doing HIIT on the elliptical this morning to give my shins a break, but as I walked by the treadmill was calling my name so I hopped on and I’m so glad I did. I definitely hit another 10 with cardio (10mph) and I gave myself some recovery time and ran for another 10 minutes at 6 to 6.5 mph. I finished that up with a 7.5, 8.5 and 9.5 mph minute each and it felt awesome. Anyway, I had to refrain from screaming out in excitement WOOOOHOOOO! I also had to control myself not to high five the man next to me. He wasn’t impressed with my skills – he’s there everyday running like a banshee. I wonder what he would’ve done if I asked for a high five… Man, I LOVE that runners high.

Progress?
I posted my week 6 photos to tracker and perhaps I notice a teeny, weeny, itty-bitty reduction in certain areas. I swear I see more muscle definition in person – it doesn’t show up on film at all. But guess what? I’m not upset. I know I’m making HUGE progress on the inside. I feel strong. I can sprint at 10 mph. I’m not suffering from depression. I sleep like a baby. Things are improving.

Meals:
M1 – Chocolate oatmeal (minus the natural PB)
M2 – oatmeal and protein
M3 – tuna, green salad
M4 – tuna, pear
M5 – chicken breast, green salad, small sweet potato
One gallon of water.

BFL Top 15 Finalists
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cheryl and truly, truly hope EAS selects her to win the big prize. I’ve been reading the finalists’ blogs at bfl.com and the related comments. I really hate the spirit of this voting – it seems a bit cruel to the people who made it so far. Will all but one be completely crushed in the end? Not only the finalists, but their family, friends and supporters. I just think the way they used to choose a grand master champion was more dignified. Now people who don’t make it to the top 5 are going to wonder if they should have campaigned more – done more to increase their odds of going all the way. It’s ugly.

C1W7D1

2005-10-31T15:36:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-10-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

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???

2005-10-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-10-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

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

What does LOVE mean?

2005-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

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: