Day 24

Wow, Day 24. I can't believe it. Felt like today's workout went a lot better. There was only one thing I couldn't do, and we modified that to make it possible. I can tell I'm getting stronger and I'm building endurance. I ran yesterday for farther than I've run in a LONG time...

Sunday we will be weighing in as usual, but also taking our measurements and our 4-week "after" pictures. I'm hoping that will help me see my progress a little clearer.

I'm staying focused...

Punching, xo

Day 23

Today:

1. Sore all over.
2. Still did 50 minutes of intense cardio.
3. Ate on plan.
4. Watched American Idol and the Biggest Loser.
5. Going to bed, hoping Alana will fall asleep SOMETIME tonight also.

The End.

Day 22

I. AM. TIRED.

I don't know how else to explain it :)

Today's workout started off amazing...and then...we worked out with these straps. I am going to just call them satan's straps because I hold them with the same regard. I think I laughed more than I worked out with them. If you would've seen me, you would understand why. Justin was asking me why I was laughing, and I told him to keep from crying...He was torturing me today. I kid you not.

I had to force 4 meals in today. I have to do something about that...J also told me today that he wants me to do less cardio time this week but up the intensity. I don't know how it is possible to up my intensity any higher. But he's the boss applesauce.

I mean, seriously. I've lost 12 lbs in the past month. I must be doing something right. I just have a lot more to go, so I've gotta be patient.

Punching, xo

Days 20 and 21

This is probably going to be short and sweet...I am exhausted! I was supposed to be driving back from Norfolk today, but I got the brainy idea to just drive it last night. Yep, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and flew 4 hours to do my errands in Norfolk and drive 12 hours back to Nashville...I was going non-stop for 24 hours. I'm glad I did it, but my body isn't in much agreement with me on that right now :)

Yesterday was a success, as far as sticking to my eating plan. I actually didn't eat a lot because I was flying, driving and taking care of all kinds of business. I did drink my weight in water, though...and then had to stop a million times on the drive home because of it!

This morning, I woke up long enough to get Alana's bike and Barbies out of the car and managed to lock my keys in there...I should've just stayed in bed. It got progressively better, though! Enjoyed a nice lunch with my girls (Alana, Mom and Grandma) at Logan's...and then off to the Y with my mom and Alana. It was fun working out with my mom. We did an hour of cardio. Justin was there training someone else, and he was shouting across the gym for my mom to do one more :) It was funny...he came over to talk to us and kept telling us things like "let's up that intensity". My mom finally asked him "aren't you off the clock?" In other words, LEAVE US ALONE ON OUR FREE DAY!!!! :) Heck, I will take all the free training I can get!

I weighed in yesterday because I didn't think I would be here to weigh-in today. I was down 2 lbs yesterday...I was sort of disappointed. I am glad I lost 2 lbs, but I was hoping for an even higher number. I have been working SO hard. I keep telling myself it's only been 3 weeks! Besides that, my jeans are falling off of me (literally). I think I am going to stop weighing myself weekly. It's just that it usually aggravates me more than anything. I don't want this to be about the number on the scale. I'm actually enjoying working out and eating right...

I must get some sleep, I have an actual paid-for session with J in the morning...

Punching, xo

Day 19

Awesome workout today! I felt energized, and even though the circuit was a killer I managed to make it through pretty strong. We got SO much into our 1/2 hour session. I also got in 50 minutes of cardio on top of that, thanks to Alana's kid fit class. I figured I may as well do more cardio rather than sit on a bench at the Y and wait on her to finish :)

I've gotta get to bed early tonight, but I wanted to share my two biggest NSVs (Non-scale victories) so far...First of all, and this is random I know...but last night I took my jeans off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. This is a HUGE deal! I haven't lost much on the scale so far, but obviously I'm doing something right! I even pulled them back up just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating haha...and yep! Time to go home and get some smaller jeans :) My 2nd may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a major coke addiction...not drugs, people. I am SOOOO hooked on Coke and also Dr. Pepper! It has been my biggest vice. Well, I obviously haven't had any of those during the past 3 weeks...and today we went to Sonic after the Y to get Alana a slush, and I ordered a Diet Dr. Pepper...I took one sip of it and knew it wasn't diet! It actually tasted so sweet to me that it practically made me gag! I did not drink it, and I was so proud that I actually turned my nose up to the "regular" soda. Of course, if it were up to J, I wouldn't even drink the diet :) Baby steps...

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, as I'm going back to Norfolk...I will not have my computer, but I will do my best to post from my Blackberry...If not, expect a double post on Sunday!

Punching, xo

Day 18

Today has been a good day. I'm posting this from my brother's...I got to babysit Liam for the first time tonight :) He is seriously the best kid. I told Justin if all kids were as easy as he is, I would have five more...unfortunately, you can't be so sure!

Did my hour of cardio at the gym this morning...it seems like the past few days have been a struggle as far as me having the energy to get through my workout...BUT I've done it regardless! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day! I workout with J and he always knows how to push me to my limits (and maybe beyond!) Last night, I was watching iCarly with Alana. I welcome this show in place of SpongeBob any day, but anyway...there was a guy on last night's episode and Alana said "Mommy, that looks like Justin". I looked at her crazy, because a) she doesn't refer to her daddy as 'Justin' and b) he didn't look like him....and then she said "Justin from the gym!" She's only met him one time for a few minutes. She said it was his hair, haha...gotta love it.

I feel like I haven't eaten enough today...which is not necessarily a bad problem to have. I'm just paranoid about my metabolism deciding to shut down...but I've been running around all day and honestly just haven't been that hungry or had the time to eat. I'm hoping and praying this week's weigh-in is more satisfying than the last. All I can do is my best!

Punching, xo

Day 17

Woke up again this morning, not feeling so great...Went to the gym...felt better when I left. I think I may be onto something here :) Today's workout REALLY challenged me. I was lacking in energy all around today, and J upped the intensity at the same time. I made it through though and feel better for it! He looked over my food journal and said my diet is "actually really good"...The only thing he said he didn't like was the diet sodas haha. At least it's diet! I am off of my too-many-a-day regular cokes and sweet tea! Cut a girl some slack :)

I don't want to jinx it or anything, but this has really been an "easy" journey for me so far. I've not been in the right state of mind for the last few attempts at losing weight and getting healthy. It's kinda like when it's right, I'm all in. I'm not craving anything insane. I'm able to walk past those m&m sugar cookies from the bakery that my mom bought for Alana without looking twice...okay, maybe I look but there's no harm in that!!!

This weekend I am going back to VA to take care of some stuff and then drive one of my cars back to TN. I'm kinda nervous about being out of my comfort zone, but luckily it's going to be on the weekend, ONE of which is my free day.

Time for some Advil-PM and my bed now...

Punching, xo

Day 16

Not much to report today...I need to go to bed, because I have to be at the gym in the morning with J. Got my hour of cardio in this morning at the Y, and then I did about 3 more hours of cardio when I got a little neurotic cleaning my mom's house...I'm talking--sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning all 3 bathrooms, mopping...Alana helped me do the baseboards :) My hamstrings were sore this morning, and I'm sure they are not going to be any less sore tomorrow!

Got to get my food journals together to take with me in the morning...

Punching, xo

Day 15

This morning started off a little rough...for whatever reason (maybe the fried pickles yesterday, haha) I woke up with an upset stomach. This is the last thing I want to feel when I'm getting ready to go in for a workout with Trainer Justin :) I decided to suck it up and made my way to the gym. He met me on the elliptical and literally KILLED me in my warm-up alone! His exact words were "I don't care if you puke, I'll get a trash can and you'll keep going!" It was like some kind of Bob and Jillian stuff going on today! He did say that, but he is also totally cool. He does what he has to in order for me to reach my full potential. He commented again today about how much my endurance has increased, even in just 4 sessions with him. It's been fun. And I even walked out of there feeling amazing! Later in the day, I hit a wall and felt like sleeping for a couple of hours...Which is why I'm heading to bed soon. Wednesday I'm taking my food journal for Justin to look at so he can go over what I'm eating to see if there's any tweaking that needs to be done. He doesn't seem too concerned about my lack of weight loss this week, so we'll see...

Punching, xo

Day 14

Duh duh duh...

Ok, so just as I suspected...the weigh-in was less than stellar today! Actually, it was even worse than when I weighed on Friday. I was still down 0.6 lbs. It could've been a gain. I will admit that I wore a pair of jeans to church that were tight on me a couple of weeks ago and had lots of room to spare. That was my "non-scale victory" for the week. Another NSV is that when we ate lunch (at the Catfish House AGAIN), I resisted most all of the fried home-cooking...MOST. My super brother ordered the fried pickles, and I ate 2 of them. 2, that's it. That's not the victory, though. The victory is that I realized how much I didn't want to eat that stuff. I am starting to really realize how food makes me feel...and it's a good thing!

So tomorrow morning I'm back with the trainer. I have a sneaking suspicion why my numbers aren't moving...I will spare those details :) But I'm not letting the slow scale do anything to my motivation. If anything, it pushes me that much more!

I'm off to email my hubby and go to bed...Need to rest up for tomorrow!
Oh, and by the way last night I did the yoga AND the treadmill...Today was free, so I took advantage!

Punching, xo

Day 13

It's Day 13, do you know what that means?! Nothing, really...haha. It means that tomorrow is my 2nd official weigh-in. I actually am not looking forward to it. I admit, I weighed yesterday morning and was pretty disappointed. I have busted my butt this week, MUCH harder than I did in the first...and I want results! I guess that's why I shouldn't weigh before the day I'm supposed to. My trainer actually told me to weigh once every TWO weeks, but I can't go that long! It would drive me insane not to know my progress...I know it's all mental. So we shall see what tomorrow brings, and of course it will be reported here...good news or not!

The good news is that I feel so much better. I feel stronger. I feel like I have more control over all of the things in my life, just by having control over taking care of my body. It's crazy...

Today was good. Alana and I had lunch with Jon, Lindsay and Liam at Chick Fil-A...This is a safe place for me to eat, because I know what I can have and not go overboard...that AND I rather enjoy it! I only got 4 meals in today, and still have to do my workout...but I will do it. Just letting dinner completely digest before attempting it. It's also 100 degrees upstairs in my room, where the treadmill is! Maybe I'm avoiding it for that reason. I also bought the Biggest Loser Yoga dvd, so I might try that out. I'm one of the least flexible people I know, but I've been working on it...

Here's to another day of doing the right thing!

Punching, xo

Day 12

It's Friday, and I'm thanking God! I feel like I may be fighting a cold, but other than that it's been a wonderful day! Managed to get my workout in, despite the fact that my trainer had the day off. How dare he! :) Juuuuuust kidding. I think a lot of people took the day off, because the gym looked like a ghost town. Alana did her exercise class, and I managed to get on the weight machines and do some leg work...and 30 minutes of cardio. After the gym, we came home and ate lunch...then Alana and I headed to the park! It was 75 degrees and sunny here in TN, and we tried to soak up every minute of it!

I'm going to call it a night and try to rest my head...

Punching, xo

Day 11

Nothing terribly exciting to post about today. I went to the Y and did my hour of cardio...I ate according to plan--even though it's getting old. It's not that I want to go eat a cheeseburger and drink a milkshake...I just need to find new ways to prepare the food, I suppose. It's like every night my mom and I are like "chicken or fish?" haha. I actually had to make myself eat dinner, mainly for that reason.

Tomorrow should be interesting! I have to figure out how to do my weight training minus my trainer...I could just do something at home, but Alana has her exercise class in the morning so I have to be there anyway. I'm hoping I have the guts and the motivation to just go in there and try to mimic a workout with J the best I can...I will have to learn eventually :)

I'm trying my darndest to not let anything distract me, and today I had one of those "distractions" and it kinda stressed me out...fortunately, I bounced back quickly.

Punching, xo

Day 10

It's early, but what the heck...I'm still gonna post while I have the time and desire to do so :) Today has been great so far! When I woke up, I was sad that my sore muscles had not miraculously disappeared in my sleep...but I also decided to suck it up. I was walking out the door to leave for the gym when my phone rang...Guess who it was? It was JUSTIN!!! The hubby, not the trainer! I was sooo glad to hear his voice for the first time in almost 2 months. He was in Dubai, off the ship...so he was also in great spirits. I told him that I was glad he called then and not 10 minutes later or I would've missed him! Alana even talked to him...which, trust me, is a huge deal. She is very finicky when it comes to talking to the phone. When we got to the gym, and I got off the phone, Alana asked me when Daddy was coming home. It was sweet and sad all in one...

I hobbled into the gym, after having to park in the farthest possible row from the entrance! Got Alana checked in and headed to my go-to elliptical machine for my warm-up. Ooooh the legs were on fire...seriously! So here comes Trainer J, and he asks how I'm feeling. I contemplate lying, but then I decide to just downplay the pain. I told him I was good, but my legs were sore. He said we would go light on the legs, but he still wanted to do some easy leg work...I did 5 more minutes on the elliptical and met him at the weights, where he greeted me with "I lied...I'm gonna kill your legs today, too!" Wow, not what I wanted to hear haha! But you know what, I did it and it was great! We worked upper body mostly, and he told me that my endurance has improved greatly each session...I can feel that too! He also tested my body fat, which was bad but honestly not as bad as what I thought it would be...I'm only a few percentage points above normal...but STILL!!!

Trainer J will be out on Friday, so I will not have my session...and I will probably have withdrawals! I was going to try and do it tomorrow, but then I decided that after today I might be way too sore...I'm playing it safe. You can guarantee that I will be in the gym doing cardio, though!!!

Another great workout, another day stepping forward...

Punching, xo

Day 9

Woke up VERY sore this morning...this time it was my lower body. Guess those squats and leg presses did the job :) No pain, no gain, right?! I still managed to make it to the gym for an hour of cardio this morning...30 minutes on the elliptical and then 30 minutes on the bike. By the time I got home, I was popping the advil. My mom and I were joking about how many bottles of it we would go through during these 12 weeks. It's sad, but true! Followed my eating plan once again. It's been a lot easier than I could have imagined...even when Grandma is making Tombstone pizzas and leaving 3/4 of them on the stove all day :) I've still managed to practice self-control and not view this journey as torture, but I see it as a decision that I am making 100% on my own to be healthy!

I train with TJ in the morning again...I'm praying my legs and butt will cooperate! He is also going to test my body fat, so that should be lovely! I'm sure it will be depressing in one sense, but I know I'm on the right path--the one to change that...so I'm kinda looking forward to it. The body fat is much more telling than the scale.

For now, I'm calling it a night! Gotta rest my body...

Punching, xo

Day 8

Today was the 8th day of my program and the 2nd day of working out with "TJ". I am proud to report that there were no "incidents" on the gym floor today! It was a very tough workout, and the sweat burned my eyes BUT I did not feel faint. I made a lovely concoction of "power oatmeal"...There's not much you can do to make plain oatmeal enjoyable, but I tried. I added some chocolate protein powder and half a banana and voila! I told my Grandma that I might throw up BEFORE the gym today when I started eating it...but it wasn't really that bad. My triceps were 90% better when I woke up this morning, but TJ was determined to make them sore again! Not really...he doesn't believe in making his clients sore. He actually feels bad when I tell him things like I couldn't hold my hair dryer up long enough to dry my hair all the way :) Haha...I don't complain to him, I just give him a hard time because I can!

Tomorrow is going to be an earlier day than usual...so I'm going to close this for now...More to come!!!

Punching, xo

Day 7

Today was my first official weigh-in, as well as my first "free day". I haven't weighed myself at all this week, since starting on Monday. I was mostly afraid that if I got on the scale and saw no change or even worse a gain that I would immediately become discouraged and stop. I had to steer clear of the scale, which isn't that hard to do since it's downstairs in my mom's bathroom and not readily available to me. SOOOO...After just 6 days on the Body for Life program, I have lost 4.2 lbs!!! I was secretly hoping for 3...but also wasn't sure if I would even hit 3, because I dropped about 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks I was in Nashville (not doing anything special). I figured there went my first week's weight loss...NOPE! I was soooo stoked that I practically came running down the hall to tell my mom!

We ate lunch at the Catfish House here in Smyrna. It is just that...a place where they serve catfish. I'm not a huge fish eater, but I figured I'd eat catfish since that was their specialty :) I was proud of myself :::pat on my own back::: that I did not over-indulge in anything. I ordered the grilled catfish instead of fried...and I had turnip greens instead of french fries or a baked potato. The only thing I ate that was somewhat "off plan" was 2 bites of coleslaw and about 6-8 pieces of fried okra. Trust me, it could've been much worse! I resisted my favorite menu item there--the fried pickles!!! It was hard...but when I got home, I did treat myself to that ONE chocolate marshmallow egg.

Tomorrow is the start of Week 2, and I'm training with TJ again in the morning...My triceps hurt so bad today that I could hardly clap my hands in church...and drying my hair was torture. I guess that means I did something right!

Week One = Success!

Punching, xo

Days 5 and 6

That's right, I'm blogging from the treadmill...mostly because I'm too sweaty to sit anywhere else and too hot to take a shower still. I didn't post yesterday, because there was just too much excitement going on here! But it's definitely worth posting about--for those who don't already know the story :) I'll split it up...

Yesterday (Day 5)
First day with my trainer. I was pretty excited about going...and so was Alana! I got there 15 minutes early just like he had told me to do when we set it up, and jumped on the elliptical machine to warm up. Mind you, my leg muscles were already aching from the past 2 days workouts and I woke up with a throat sorer than the day before. So before I know it, here comes Justin (the trainer) be-bopping over to me to up the intensity before I even started my weight training with him...That pretty much pushed me into exhaustion :) So I did about 11 minutes on there and headed over to the weight area where Justin was waiting. It's confusing, I know, having a husband and a trainer with the same name...From now on I will refer to him as "Trainer J" or "TJ". But back to the drama...We stretched and then immediately went into working upper body and core, using the cable weights. I was so into it...I was feeling the burn and loving it. That is, until I started getting tunnel vision and felt like passing out. I've only passed out once in my life, but I had that SAME EXACT feeling. I could hardly see...I told TJ I need to take a break for a minute...and then he told me to sit down on one of the weight benches. I can't even tell you what was going through my head...I'm thinking here I am in this gym, surrounded by muscle-heads (as I lovingly refer to them), and I'm about to be laid out on the floor...Trainer J was sooooooo great. He asked if I wanted a banana (my sugar was dropping, hence the light headedness). I declined. Then he asked if I wanted a trash can. I immediately said no, and then faster than I said no, I said YES. He got it to me in time for me to throw up not ONCE, not TWICE, but THREE times. Yeah, I pretty much felt like a dummy-head. But as soon as I did, I felt 100% better, too...And then you know what? I got up and finished my workout session! Justin (my hubby) said that's because I'm "gangsta" :) And even after I finished my workout, I did another 30 minutes on the bike and walked a SLOW mile around the indoor track while waiting for Alana's Kid-fit class to end. I felt horrible for poor TJ, but he was more worried about me hating him! What can I say, I make a great first impression :) My mom said it was just like on the Biggest Loser...I said I felt like the biggest loser. My mom worked out with TJ later that night and after she got off the elliptical, she told him she needed a trash can. At first he looked confused and then he said "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!!" Good times. So lessons learned, don't eat eggs on training days...eat oatmeal and fruit. I followed my meal plan again, although I did enjoy a grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat bun from Chick Fil-A for dinner. It was the highlight of my day for sure!

Now for Day 6...Today...
It's been a good day, but pretty chill. I did some last minute Easter shopping...hitting up Kohl's and finding some GREAT deals there! My mom made some amazing grilled chicken with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and squash...it was soooo delicious! I am pretty sore from yesterday, so I didn't go to the Y, but I made myself do my 20 minutes of cardio that was on the plan for today. I did a good walk/run on the treadmill...the one I'm sitting on now as I type.

So tomorrow is our first FREE day! This means that we can eat whatever we want and exercise as little as we want. Honestly, I want to exercise, which is a very good thing. We will see if my body cooperates. I'm not gonna go crazy on food or anything, though I have reserved one very special chocolate covered marshmallow out of Alana's basket for myself IF I decide I want it :) Also, tomorrow is going to be my first official weigh-in. I decided I will weigh-in on Sundays, before the free day...for obvious reasons! I can't believe it's already been 6 days. To me, it's been easy so far. I feel better already!!! I think this next week I am going to try to get to some classes at the Y, also...

Punching, xo

Day 4

Here I sit, the end of the fourth day...dogs on my lap :) We are dog-sitting Scooter and Sadie for a couple days...I have an incredibly sore throat, and I am hoping that I will wake up tomorrow and be miraculously healed. I am meeting with Justin (the trainer) at 9:30...Wish me luck! Today I was able to get in about 50 minutes of cardio, and my legs are hating me right now. I wasn't going to go because my legs were sore from yesterday's workout...but then my little coach told me we HAD to go :) Gotta love Alana! Eating today was good, as far as not straying from the plan. I discovered how much I like the chocolate protein shakes mixed with a banana...Mmm...I didn't get 6 meals in, and in fact I have yet to do that...but I have followed the rules regardless.

Now I'm going to take some meds and go to bed...Hoping that I will be 100% in the morning!

Punching, xo

Day 3

Is it only Day 3? :) Just kidding...Today was a fabulous day. I was debating whether or not to go to the Y, when Alana said "BUT MOMMY!!!! I reeeeeally want to go to the Y today!" Nothing like being motivated by a 4 year old. I'm thankful to have that push...no matter where it comes from! So I got there and managed to pull an hour of cardio out of somewhere--still not sure where, because my legs were already aching from yesterday's elliptical session. I did 30 minutes on the bike and 30 on the elliptical today. I'm sure tomorrow I will be feeling every minute, too. We left the gym and picked up my Grandma from the senior center...and she wanted to go to Sonic for lunch. I don't really like Sonic, but the fact is that I ordered a diet coke and came home and ate a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread. Success at its best! Also, Justin (trainer Justin, not the hubby) called tonight and set up my sessions...I start with him on Friday morning! I'm excited!

Another day down, a lot to go...

Punching, xo

The First Two Days...

I was planning to post everyday, but obviously I haven't done that :) I'll give the quick run-down of how things went on days one and two of my journey. Day one...I woke up, ready to face the world. Five minutes later, I wanted to throw up. Not sure if it was nerves or the vitamins I took...but regardless, I got my gym clothes on and headed up to the Y to try and get my first "upper body" workout in. When I got there and saw how crowded the parking lot was, I turned around and drove back home. This made me feel pretty much like I'd lost the battle before it began...I felt pretty gross all day, but I managed to stick to my eating plan. Day two (which was yesterday), I decided I was going to go to the Y if it killed me. I took along my partner in crime (Alana) and off we went. It was a success. I was supposed to do cardio, which I did...the elliptical is my friend, or so I'm telling myself anyway. Alana LOVED going. She asked if we could go back everyday. There, my friends, is my motivation :) They have a really great program for the kids...organized activities each day. When I used to go to Gold's Gym in VA, Alana was only 2...and she hated going to the gym with me. It really makes all the difference in the world if your kid likes to go. I also signed up to work with a trainer (my mom's) for a few sessions, just so I can get a grip on what I'm supposed to be doing weight-wise. I'm nervous and excited all at once for that to begin. I am waiting to hear from him to find out when that will start. Yesterday was also successful, as far as my eating plan...Didn't stray one bit. I've already had my egg whites and whole wheat toast for the day...Alana is still asleep, and I'm trying to get a plan in action for today. I feel pretty good...I have a feeling I'm gonna do this and do it well :)

Punching, xo

Body For Life

I have not abandoned this blog or my journey...Sometimes I just have unexpected detours along the way. I am in Nashville now, and I plan to stay here for a while. My mom works for Abbott Laboratories, and they are starting the Body for Life challenge tomorrow. I have known she signed up to do this for a while now...and in my time here, I agreed to join her in the challenge. I have a membership at the YMCA here and plan to put 110% into this program. I'm going to be posting about it here...so if you want to read it, welcome! Tomorrow is Day 1 of 84. I am excited and looking forward to it. I'm a bit anxious about the "weight training" part of the program, but I am willing to give it all I've got. My mom and I took our "before" pictures today. And no, I will NOT be posting those here :) I will spare you all from that pain. I am hoping to find my way back...

Off to make my meal plan and take my starting measurements...Yikes!

Punching, xo