Friday, October 24, 2014

Week 3 Weigh In

Friends, I am not happy with my progress.

So here's the dealio : I was SO SO SO good for two weeks. And then I had company from Thursday to Tuesday and then again from Thursday to Sunday. I did alright during the first stretch. I stayed (mostly) true to my diet. I did a lot of hiking and walking and even managed to squeeze in a few Jillian workouts. But then the second round of company came and it all crashed down on me.

Granted, I DID run a 5k that Saturday. But I also ate shrimp & grits for brunch. And I drank more beer & wine than I have in a while. Oh, and then there was the Halloween party on Saturday night...you get the picture.

While I continued to get my steps in, it turned my diet on it's head. I gained back 2 of the pounds I had lost in the first week. I was back up to 144.2 by Sunday evening.

Lucky for me, I was able to turn it right-side-up on Monday. Since then, I've been incredibly diligent. I've done a video or extra steps or spin class every day since then. I haven't eaten after 9, indulged in any sugary drinks or sugary treats, or eaten any simple carbs. You would think that this change would kick-start my weight loss again, right?

Wrong.

The scale has read 144 every day since then, with the exception of this morning, when it read 145. UM, WHAT?!

I look satisfied, but the look is a lie!


I feel like I've been putting forth a pretty decent effort here, body.

I just don't really know what else to do. I want [need] to get those 5lbs off before November 4. Which means I have one more week to kick my own butt.

Next week I am doing two Airobic trampoline classes, a spin class, and whatever else it takes to burn fat and calories. For the last three days of the challenge, I will be doing a Jus by Julie cleanse. I know it seems pretty extreme. But I've heard good things about the cleanse -- that participants feel more energized and that they actually FEEL cleansed after drinking the juice meals for 3 days. And I'm hoping that maybe this will be just the kick in the pants my metabolism needs to right itself and get rid of those last 5 pounds.

So here's to hoping! The next week is going to be a tough one!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Week One Weigh-In

I'm one week into the 30 day weight loss challenge and twelve days into Jillian's 30 Day Shred video series.

The last seven days have been full of snubbed free meals, surprising self-control, and lots of sweating.

That's not to say I didn't cheat. I did cheat. I cheated every day and sometimes multiple times a day. Some of the cheats were worth it. Some of them may not have been. But they happened and I take ownership of the cheats and I'm actually okay with them. The cheats don't do anything to anyone but me. I'm the only one I'm disappointing.

And the results are not terribly disappointing!

One week in and I am three pounds down and my ab cuts are finally starting to come back! I feel strong, I feel healthy, I feel more energized. I feel great.



I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what the next three weeks of results will bring! Hopefully they will bring the scale under 139 so I can win some $$ from this challenge!

Here are some things I've done over the past week to help me reach this point thus far:

- I was successful in choosing tea over coffee every day this week. Until the weekend, when I was overcome with an urge for Starbucks. When I did indulge, I chose regular coffee with three pumps of pumpkin spice and skim milk -- definitely less terrible than a latte!

- I ate more frequently and I ate smaller portions. A typical day included an apple and peanut butter and a cup of tea for breakfast. A snack of a Baby Bel cheese around 10. Either deli meat or quinoa pizza bites for lunch. Assorted raw veggies as a snack around 2. A bunless veggie burger or soup or salad for dinner. I did not feel full but I did not feel hungry. I felt like I was eating the right amount and it felt good.

- I cut out desserts completely until the weekend. I didn't really miss them.

- I cut out alcohol. I had one glass of sangria on Saturday and that's it, despite many opportunities to have more.

- I did not eat after 9 p.m. I actually made good on that rule! It wasn't that hard! I just had to keep myself busy and keep drinking water.

More challenges will arise this week with more company and more parties. But I am determined.

'Til next week!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Four weeks & four percent

Tomorrow marks the start of a fun four-week adventure. I owe it all to Jillian Michaels, who has long fueled my sweaty workouts and attempted muscle definition. I recently friended her on Facebook just so I could see her little daily fitness inspirations when I stumbled upon this:

Jillian's Beginner Shred Challenge

At first, I thought it was just a challenge to complete her 30 Day Shred video. I already do that video multiple times a week, so I wasn't terribly excited by it. What I found when I went to the website, however, DID excite me.

Basically, it's a "Diet Bet" with myself and the other participants. I have four weeks to lose four percent of my body weight. I paid a $30 "wager" (as did 3,894 other people to date) to become part of the community. If I do not lose the 4%, my $30 is lost to me and the community will divvy it up among themselves. If I DO lose the 4%, I get in on the remaining money.

Now, assuming that 50% of the people succeed and 50% do not, I've doubled my money. And I've also lost 5.816lbs. So it's pretty much a win win. If I don't lose the weight, womp womp to my $30, but at least I've given it a go and hopefully lost something.

I've been stuck in the mid 140's for the last 6 months, so I'm hoping this kick in the pants will help me get down into the glorious 130's. I have not been in the 130's since I was 19 years old. I would love to be down to 135 -- this challenge would bring me down to 139.6. I'll take it.

The challenge starts on Tuesday, October 7 (if you're interested in joining me, you still have until midnight tonight to sign up!!!) and runs through Tuesday, November 3, when I will have to do my final weigh-in and see how my efforts have literally paid off.

I just submitted my initial weigh-in. I am required to take a picture in "airport security" clothing -- one full body shot and one shot of myself and my scale and my signature word (which happens to be "jalapeno" -- spicy!).

Here they are:

#awkward

#starting weight

Now, I'm already a fairly active person. According to my Jawbone UP24, I am in the top 10% most active people using that thing. Go, me! I walk a minimum of 10,000 steps (5 miles) daily and I also do a video or go to the gym almost every day. Clearly, increasing my workout intensity is going to be part of the plan, but it is one variable I have already been controlling since I moved to NC.

The real enemy in this scale war is my diet. I. Love. Food. I have always loved food. I've also tried a bunch of different diets and was semi-successful with them while they happened but certainly not great at maintaining them for extended periods of time.

 

Here's what I'm NOT doing for the next four weeks:


1) No more coffee. I don't like it black, so I tend toward the sweet stuff. It's all tea from here through 11/3.

2) No more simple carbs. No pasta, no cereal, no crackers, no fried food, nothing breadlike whatsoever. And no more desserts. Jerks. I tend to be pretty creative with my cooking, so I honestly don't think it will be hard for me to come up with fun meals to try that do not include pasta (for instance, did you know broccoli-slaw makes an excellent stirfry substitute? Or that quinoa pizza bites are delicious? I did!).

3) Less sugar. For breakfast, I normally eat a fiber bar or yogurt or oatmeal. These are loaded with sugar. While I'm not going sugar-free by any means, I am going to try to get my sugar from more natural sources, like fruits.

4) No eating after 9 p.m. I had gotten into a bad habit of having super late dinners. This needs to end.

Here's what I'm doing for the next four weeks:


Trying like hell to lose 4% of my body weight by not ingesting any of the above

Also,
exercising

"I regret that workout" said NO ONE EVER.

I'm on day 5 of Jillian's 30 Day Shred video. Let's see if I can finally stick with for 30 days this time.

Here's to my newest adventure and the next four weeks of shredding!