Day 71 - Onward...

Now that I've reset the date and am working towards July 16th, the reality of 8 more weeks has just sunk in today.

Got a new meal plan today with more protein. So glad since I'm working out more.

Workout was tough today, two TruStrider sessions.

59 days to go...

Day 69 - Re-grouping for new Date!

So I decided today that I'm definitely NOT going to do the June 12th show. Combination of Stefanie, Ericka, Ruben and how I look. They all say I could possibly do it, but I don't want to leave it chance or last minute. I want to be READY!

So I'm cool with the July 16th event. It's 4 more weeks of this diet madness but I can do it. Anything to get my flat stomach!

Went to the Miles for Moffitt 5k with Mom and friends. Really missed running it. But I'll be okay.

AM Weight: 129.4
PM Weight: 133.4
62 Days to go...

Day 67 - A Small Milestone

Today I got on the scale and for the first time since 2001, I weighed in the 120's! 129.6 to be exact! I was so excited.

Ruben says I still have a shot at the June 12th date, but the pics tomorrow will give him a better idea.

Meeting with Stefanie tomorrow to measure and workout. I miss working out with her.

AM Weight: 129.6
PM Weight: 129.9
29 Days to go...

Day 65 Almost a Month Away!

Wow, I can't believe I've been at this for 65 days now.

Ruben's diet has been pretty easy to follow for me, especially since I like it better than the one I was doing from Maria. I really hope this Friday I see some good results.

In two weeks I'll determine if I'll be doing the June or July show. I REALLY hope I can do June to get this over with!

Good workout today, did an hour of cardio, will start splitting it up into two sessions.

AM Weight: 130.3
PM Weight: 132.7
31 Days to go...

Day 64 - Workouts are getting tougher!

My legs are still sore from the workout on Saturday - wow!

I now have my daily routine for what to workout so that will make it easier instead of thinking about what body part to work that day. Ruben's been so helpful. I can't believe I'm almost at the 30 day point!

AM Weight: 130.7
PM Weight: 130.7
32 Days to go...

Day 63 - Made it through Mother's Day Buffet!

Well, I knew this would be a little bit of a hard day. Schedule was tight and I had to get my workout in. Gym wasn't open in time, not supposed to run and all the FitTv shows were cardio with weights. So I pulled out my Shaun T's Rockin Body DVD and did the Disco Groove! It was great! I worked up a great sweat with it! Cardio - DONE!

So we go to Mother's Day Brunch Buffet and they had crab legs, and so much more. But I was good. They said no ordering off the menu, but because I called ahead, they made grilled chicken and broccoli w/no seasoning just for me. I was just as happy. I didn't feel deprived and enjoyed my Club Soda with lime as everyone else drank their Mimosa's and Hurricane's. I was really proud of myself today.

Stayed on track!
AM Weight: 130.5
PM Weight: 130.7
33 Days to go...

Day 62 - 34 to go!

I'm feeling better about everything. My coach Ruben, is awesome! He really knows his stuff. Loving my new meal plan! Really hitting the workouts harder! Body fat went down a little but I could actually see the difference from last week to this one.

Saw Maria R. today for the first time since 3/5/2010. Wow, she's TINY! She looks great tho8gh! I'm so proud of both of us!

AM Weight: 130.5
PM Weight. 132.5
34 Days to go...

Day 60 - Still Here and RENEWED!

So I was feeling a little discouraged because I'm not able to work out with Stefanie anymore and kind of felt a little on my own. I should have thought this through more before committing, but I'm here now.

Maria R. has been awesome with sharing with me.

Today was a special day. A Sparkfriend, Ruben, has taken me under his wing to help me. He said if I'm willing to trust him and do what he says, he'll get me to the competition. He called me and we had a detailed conversation for about 45 minutes. Then he gave me a meal plan and specific workouts to do.

I'm excited again!

AM Weight: 132.5
PM Weight:132.3
36 days to go...

Day 57 - Working out more than ever!

So today I started doing double cardio sessions. It's killer, believe me.

Also started a new meal plan, but it looks like this one doesn't have enough calories for me, will have to readjust.

Workout today: Ran 3.22 miles, then strength, then Just Pump Class, then late afternoon did TruStrider. Burned almost 1800 calories. Gotta make sure I'm eating at least that!

It's 8:46pm and I'm ready to go to bed...

AM Weight: 133.5
PM Weight: 133.6
39 Days to go...

Day 56 - 6 Weeks to go!

So I've been at this training for my first Figure Competition for 7 weeks now. 6 weeks to go and I'm ready to turn up the volume on my diet and workout! I've got to do this! I didn't come this far to fail. Failure is NOT an option! Here are my stats since since this training:

Weight:
3/10 - 135.8 lbs
4/30 - 130.5 lbs - DOWN 5.3 LBS!

Body Fat:
3/10 - 29.6%
4/30 - 19.3% - DOWN 10.3%!!!
(Has always been a goal to be under 20% - Yay!)

BODY MEASUREMENTS
Shoulders:
3/10 - 42 in
4/30 - 40.5 in - DOWN 1.5 INCHES!!!

Chest:
3/10 - 35 in
4/30 - 34.5 in - DOWN 0.5 INCH!!!

Waist:
3/10 - 29.5 in
4/30 - 27.5 in - DOWN 2 INCHES!!!

Hips:
3/10 - 39 in
4/30 - 37 in - DOWN 2 INCHES!!!

Thigh:
3/10 - 21 in
4/30- 19 in - DOWN 2 INCHES!!!

Arm (Bicep):
3/10 - 11.75 in
4/30 - 10.5 in - DOWN 1.25 INCHES!!!

Calf:
3/10 - 13 in
4/30 - 12.5 in - DOWN 0.5 INCH!!!

So 9.75 total inches lost in 7 weeks. Not bad at all. But not good enough! So this week, I'm starting to do 2 cardio sessions per day at least six days a week, including my strength sessions 4 days a week.

I'm pretty used to the diet now. Amazing how much you enjoy eating mustard on chicken for seasoning after a while. On most days I've been eating 16 egg whites, I can't even believe how many eggs I've been going through. Between the eggs and all the chicken I've been eating, have seriously thought about investing in a chicken farm!

But it's nice to hear my husband constantly talk about how great and sexy I look so that's added incentive.

Starting a new meal plan tomorrow and it's pretty scary but I get a cheat meal for two more weeks, of which I'm only going to take one, so I can eat at the Mother's Day Brunch with family.

The Figure Competition is on my 42nd birthday, June 12th and it will be here soon enough! So I'm getting to work! I'm so grateful for all the Sparkfriends I've made who have been so helpful, in particular, SLAHDIVA and FLEXCHEF who have been so generous with information and tips.

AM Weight: 130.5
PM Weight: 134.5
40 days and 40 nights to go...

Day 54 - Some Encouragement!

This morning I was feeling a little discouraged as I went to meet Stefanie. After almost 7 full weeks I don't feel like I'm seeing the results I need to be ready in 6 weeks. I'm halfway there, but not halfway there. Then I got a little good news.

My body fat came in at 19.39% - FINALLY under 20%!!! Woo Hoo! So that was encouraging. Can I lose 7% more in less than 7 weeks? I'll definitely do my part.

Measurements last Wednesday vs. Today:
Shoulders: 40.75 - 40.5
Chest: 35 - 34.5
Waist: 28 - 27.5
Hips: 37.5 - 37
Thigh: 20 - 19
Arm: 10.5 - 10.5
Calf: 12.5 - 12.5

So overall, it was good, but not good enough for me. Stepping up the cardio to 6 days a week, will even see if I can get in 2 sessions a day twice a week.

Tried on and fit a pair of size 2 pants last night - wow!

I'm keepin on keepin on!


AM Weight: 132.5
PM Weight: 133.4
42 days to go...

Day 53 - Can I Get There???

I guess I'm feeling a little discouraged. I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to do, but I'm not seeing my body fat drop. I'm following this diet to the letter, not enough results and I'm halfway in.

I took today completely off from working out. I also decided to try on some pants and was able to put on, zip and button a pair of size 2 pants. Now they looked painted on but they were supposed to look like that and they were super comfortable. So that made me feel a little better.

I'm too far in to quit...

AM Weight: 132.7
PM Weight: 134.5
43 days to go...

Day 52 - So Sore!

My intention was to workout at 5am, then do weight class and go to Busch Gardens for my cardio, but it didn't turn out that way.

Was too tired to get up, so I ended up at the gym around 9am, then went to what I thought was Just Pump Class at 9:30. But it ended up being an Aerobic Weight Training Class. It was BRUTAL. This is by far the hardest class I've ever done at the gym. Well it definitely took care of the cardio AND the full body workout. I did chest and legs, which was great because it seemed the class was focused on that as well, lots of pushups, flys and squats. So I was SO sore when done and then went to Busch Gardens for almost 5 hours with Mom and Aidan. OMG, thought I was going to die!

So now it's 9pm and I'm SO sore! But I guess it's a good thing! Figured something new to do with my egg whites, mixed some chicken in with them and it tastes really good.

Will probably run tomorrow.

AM Weight: 132.5
PM Weight: 135.6
44 days to go...

Day 51 - 7 weeks to go...

Felt good today. I think about cheating a few times a day, but it's not an overwhelming urge. Then I start to think about my last cheat meal and how awful I felt during and afterward and the craving goes away.

I was going to use today as my workout day off, but I couldn't resist going out to run this evening because it was so beautiful outside. Felt great!

45 days to go...

Day 50 - Paying for the Cheat Meal!

Well my body didn't like my cheat meal, as I found out this morning! :-(

I started in my new routine today. At the gym at 9am, did 2 body parts for 30 minutes, then into the Just Pump Class for an hour of full body, then 30 minutes of HIIT Cardio. I was SO tired after all that!

I can't even believe I've come to love my chicken and am no longer craving other foods on a daily basis.

Body fat was down on my scale - 23.7% which is the lowest it's been on my home BF scale. So that's good.

7 weeks to go, can I be ready??? I don't know, but I'm not going to stop working towards it!

Morning weight: 133.4
Evening weight: 136.4
46 day to go...

Day 49 - Hating the Cheat Meal

Yesterday I didn't get to do the workout I really wanted but I did get a little swimming in, so that was good. But I wasn't feeling good that evening and went to bed a little after 9pm, and only had 4 meals.

Today was going good, but since I didn't have my cheat meal yesterday and I'm still allowed to have them, I was so excited about having it tonight! I wanted Nachos, but real ones, so I decided to make them myself. I was so excited to go to the store and buy the ingredients: shredded cheddar & jack cheese, jalapeno, olives, sour cream and Hormel Turkey Chili Beans (I couldn't bring myself to get the full fat ones). I had salsa at home so didn't need to get that. I made myself a two layer on a plate! Warmed it all up to melt the cheese and dug in! I couldn't even finish one layer before I was stuffed and sick of it! I crave the cheat meal so much then EVERY time I'm so let down! So maybe from here out I'll have "cheat bites" and some wine. The wine never disappoints!

Went for a 40 minute run today, which was great. Going to start a new Strength Routine, which is to do 20-30 min of two specific body parts, then go into a Just Pump class for an hour of full body workout. I'm really excited about this. I think I'll get more bang for my buck this way. Then I'll do 20 min of cardio since the class incorporates cardio. Want to see that fat DROP!!!


Morning Weight: 131.6
Evening Weight: 134.5
47 days to go...

Day 47 - Workin' this Diet Yeah Baby!

Yesterday wasn't a good day for me. Had a lot of things going on personally, emotionally. The good thing is that had this been 6 months ago, I would have turned to food and wine and thought "one day of eating crap won't kill me and I deserve it", but I just stuck with my diet faithfully. So I was proud of myself.

Today was a much better day, much more productive. Diet went well. Had a great workout. 30 Minutes with Stefanie, then I felt so energized that I did 45 minutes in the Just Pump Class, then 20 min on the TruStrider. So I got a serious workout in! I would love to do that 3 times a week. Will see if I can adjust my schedule to do 30 minutes of the body parts I want to work, then the class for full body.

My workout with Stefanie was grueling, but still prefer it over the Plyometrics! I felt like I did a million pullups using the Assisted Machine. She started me at 100 lbs and after 4 sets, got down to 25 lbs, which is just about my body weight. Gotta work that back!!!

Loving the protein I got (Beverly International Ultimate Muscle Protein - vanilla). 7 weeks to go, can I make it? Will my body get lean enough??? I will do all that I can to make it happen!

Weight this morning: 135.6
Weight tonight: 135.6

49 days to go...

Day 45 - More Results

Today, got weighed and measured.

Weight was 136.5 this morning and body fat on my scale was 24.8%. When I measured on Tuesday at the gym, it was 23.3% using the Caliper method, which is more accurate, so I'm sticking with that one. Either way, it's not moving fast enough for me! :-)

Measurements didn't change a lot. Here's what did change:
Bust - went up .5 inch to 35, however, I was wearing slight more padding today from the sport top. So next time, I'm going to wear exactly what I wore the first time I got measured and always wear the same thing.
Hip - down .5 inch, that's good.
Arm - down .25 inch, good.
Calf - down .25 inch, good
Waist - UP 1 inch - very bad - though I felt really bloated today, not sure what was going on with that!

Because of that, Stefanie had me do the whole session of Plyometrics! It's SO hard! My legs were jiggly the rest of the day.

Touched base with Maria R today. She lost body fat as well, which is great. She also sent me links for posing suits and shoes that are at a reasonable rate. I'm so happy she's doing this too.

Food was good today. Happy I got the 7-KETO supplements, they really help. I've got to get better at my sleeping. Gotta get my rest.

All else is good!

51 days to go...

Day 44 - Going Strong

Had a great workout yesterday. Did legs and biceps. Felt good, was able to do all bicep curls with 15 lbs. Can't wait until I can do 20 lbs.

I started using exercises from www.bodybuilding.com. Love this site! So much good stuff!

Found the Beverly International Ultimate Muscle Protein and got some 7-Keto for energy. Was just feeling so tired around 6pm from the lack of carbs. Today was my first time using the Keto and I felt like my normal self. Love the protein, tastes SO good!

Getting measured tomorrow, should be interesting. I can do this!

52 days to go...

Day 42 - Great workout

Had a great workout today. After last night, I decided I want to do 4-5 days of strength so I can really focus on all my body parts even more. I didn't understand until last night how important working out my back was. Stefanie had me doing a lot of it, and now it makes sense, after seeing those beautiful backs last night.

Did lats and tri's today.

Diet's going well. Cheated last night, had pasta w/Italian Sausage. Hope it wasn't too detrimental. I get conflicting advice, some say keep having a cheat meal, some say stop, some say never have cheat meals. But ultimately, I have to do what works for me, so each week, if I need one and I'm still getting results, I'll have one. Since I'm doing a lower carb meal plan, I need some supplements to make sure I keep my energy up. Will talk to Fernando at Max Muscle tomorrow.

54 Days to go...

Day 41 Watched my first Figure Competition Live

Wow, what an experience watching this live! It was so awesome to see my trainer up there, I felt so proud. She looked incredible! She asked me if it pumped me up for mine. I said "pumped up" really aren't the right words, but "terrified" is better. :-)

It made me feel super out of shape and motivated me to kick my workout into high gear. I want to look that good! And I know I can do it!

Looking forward to a great workout tomorrow! Loving this new diet, I know I'll see positive changes as long as I stay the course.

55 days to go...

Day 39 - Protein Protein Protein

So I changed up my diet today and I don't think I've ever had this much protein in my life!!! I'm almost at 200g and still have a meal to to! Very low carbs. Hope I can handle this.

Great workout today. Did biceps, triceps and quads, then did 30 min in the step class. Hate those classes! :-) But it was a good change. Was still able to do 30 pullups. Next week, going for 40. Did 40 lb barbell for my bicep curls and did 40 lbs for my Tricep pushdowns, so was proud of that.

Making progress. I really hope to start losing 2% body fat a week with this diet and workout!

Day 38 - Revamping the Diet

Well, I've been in a plateau the past few weeks and need to change my diet up. No more cheat meals, cutting the carbs after my 4th meal. Also cutting the fruit a little. We'll see if that helps.

Talked to Maria R, she's doing well. I can't wait to see her. We're going shopping for our posing suits together. Sounds like fun!

Day 36 - Keepin' on Keepin' on!

Well, kind of had a little bit of a meltdown this weekend, but I recovered and am back on track.

Did a 15k Saturday morning. Did fantastic, but wanted to eat everything in sight afterwards! I decided it would be a cheat day, a second one, and an all afternoon and evening one! But I also decided that I wouldn't have any more cheat days for the remainder of the training and had to mentally focus and prepare for this.

Over the weekend, I also got some additional motivation. I found a profile on Sparkpeople that totally motivated me (Susie Torres below).

So I was rejuvenated and ready to do this! Then today, found a great site with someone's complete training plan (Rebecca Slatt below). So more motivation. Guess these are my signs to not give up!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becca2.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/female-transformation-susie-torres.htm

Day 33 - Almost through this Week!

This has been a tough week for me. I had a great workout on Monday, but didn't work out again until today. I've been SO tired this week. After talking to Stefanie today, I need to increase my carbs. This has been a struggle for me, but I will do it.

Through Sparkpeople, I connected with a woman named Susie who is such an inspiration. She went from 51% body fat 4/08 to 12% 14 months later! How incredible. So when I was feeling like "Do I really want to do this?" I found her site and it remotivated me.

I had a great workout today, did a HIIT 2.2 mile run, then strength trained with Stefanie. I feel like I'm back on track.

Doing a 15k tomorrow, looking forward to it, but glad to get it out of the way so I can just focus on my muscle building.

Day 31 - Not much new

Didn't work out yesterday or today, will be my two days off for the week. Eating's been fine, did my cheat meal tonight as we had a free dinner at a new restaurant I couldn't pass up! Working out with Stefanie tomorrow...

Day 29 - Almost of Month and Still Going

I totally forgot to blog all weekend! I didn't do much working out though. Well, did a 5k Saturday morning, but nothing on Sunday, since my nephew went to the ER.

But the eating was good all weekend. I made myself a ribeye with shrimp and scallops and wild rice. It was really good, but towards the end I was actually getting a little sick from the richness of the food. Trying to find balance in my cheat meals!

Today's workout was awesome. I did 3 sets of 10 unassisted pullups! The most I've ever done! I could have done more, but didn't as I was in a time crunch. I increased my weights in other areas as well and felt really good. I hope I'm sore tomorrow. I also ran 7 miles today to prepare for the 15k this weekend. Hope it doesn't hurt what I've been doing too much.

Feeling strong! Figured out how to roast my veggies the way I like them so I'm happy!

Day 26 - Feeling Stronger

Missed yesterday because I was so busy. Mom had surgery (went well) and that took up a large portion of the day, then meeting at my office last night. Boy was I tired. But the day wasn't all lost. I learned a few things:

1) I prepared and packed well for my time at the hospital, so I was proud about that. I had wondered how people with jobs can handle preparing all this food, but I know that if you take a moment to prepare, you can do it, so there are no excuses for not eating healthy, it's simply a decision.

2) I didn't get to do any formal cardio, so I used the stairs at the hospital, did some exercises from my chair and walked A LOT.

So today...

I was SO tired from yesterday, had gotten less than 4 hours sleep the night before, so was up from 3:45am - 11:30pm, then up at 4:20am with my husband, back to bed at 4:50, then up again at 7:40am to get ready for my 8:30am workout with my trainer (aren't you tired just reading this so far?)

The workout was nothing less than BRUTAL!!! But I did do leg presses with 230 lbs, which my trainer seemed impressed that I could do. And I actually wore a sports bra to the gym with no shirt over it. That was a big step for me. I only did it because my trainer asked me to, and I'm coachable! So it was a really good workout, I'm sure I'll really feel it tomorrow.

Eating was very good today. I'm spending the night at Mom's tonight so I packed well. Planning on doing a 5k in the morning, thankfully it's at 8am instead of 6 or 7.

Cheat meal tomorrow, wonder what I'll have??? I think I want a Ribeye Steak with Shrimp and I think I'm going to make it myself.

That's it for today!

Day 24 - Gotta a new Salsa!

Today was a good day. Had an awesome workout with Stefanie. She wants me to wear just my sports bra on Friday. I said "I will if you will". We'll see. Don't know that I'm ready to reveal that much to the world yet!

Spoke w/Maria S. who gave me a new salsa to make. It was SO good! Tomatoes, Garlic, Jalepeno and Cilantro, roast all then blend. It was really good! And I finally got my veggies roasted perfectly! So I was a happy camper at dinner tonight!

I ate a little extra peanut butter as I was still hungry after dinner and had the fat and calories to spare.

I'm hanging in there!

Tomorrow should be interesting, as I'm taking Mom to the hospital for her surgery and expect to be there most of the day, so I'll be taking lots of food with me.

Day 23 - Wanting tasty food!

Today I took completely off from working out. I seem to do that every 3 weeks or so. Just didn't feel like it and I could without guilt.

I was really craving some regular food, like potato chips or something else salty.

Johnny keeps talking about how much he's noticing the difference in my arms, which is so encouraging. I can't wait until I see it. It definitely gives me the motivation to go another day.

I haven't had this willpower since doing the injection shots from Dr. Bernstein. But this is much better what I'm doing and I have a focused goal to achieve.

Day 22 - First time "cheating"

Yesterday was a good day. I really didn't want to exercise AT ALL. It was one of those rare days for me. It was rainy so I wasn't going to run, and I just didn't feel like getting dressed to go out to the gym. But I had already taken two cardio days off for the week so I knew I needed to do SOMETHING! So I pulled out a Beachbody DVD, which had so much dust on it, hadn't been used in almost 2 years. It was the Shaun T's Rockin Body. I remembered that there was a cardio/strength workout on it, so I decided to do it. It was a 45 minute routine, and BOY WAS IT HARD! I only had 2 lb and 10 lb weights and I couldn't use the 10lb ones for hardly any of the exercises because they were moving so fast and doing so many reps. But I got through the entire workout, including doing 6 sets of 10 push ups followed by 3 sets of planks! It was awesome and I felt great about the workout!

Today, I was so sore in my lats, shoulders, butt and abs! So I decided I'd go to the gym and work out my biceps and triceps since I didn't do too much with them yesterday. And did a little cardio.

Then tonight we had our Remembrance of Yahshua's death and had the bread and wine. Well after it was all over, we sat around and had more bread and wine. This is my 4th week and I haven't cheat once other than my allowed cheat meal, so while I did cheat, I'm not going to beat myself up. I did really good today being away from home most of the day and still eating right.

So I'm sure I'll pay for tonight, but I'll get back on track tomorrow. Oh, and I have to mention that both Grace and Mom said they can now see some definition in my arms! All the more motivation to stick with this!!!

Day 20 - Cheat Meal Day

Got a little concerned cause my weight was down about 3 lbs this morning (134.7), but by the end of the night I'm over 138! I used today as my day off from all workouts and it was my cheat day. Don't know that I'll do it like that again.

But I did learn something about my cheat meal. I really don't have to treat it like it's the last meal I'll ever eat. Because when I do, I eat too much and don't feel good afterward. I just want to go out and run 5 miles, but I'm too stuffed to do it! Not a feeling I like. I think in the future, I'll just have something I want, but not too much of it, and I'll work out that day.

My cheat meal tonight was from a mexican restaurant called Cantina Laredo. I had really wanted Nachos, haven't had them in well over a year, so I even researched to see who had the best nachos in the area. No one has them like Cali, but Cantina Laredo's were good. They weren't piled high like I wanted but they had everything on them I liked so it was fine. Then I got two enchiladas, one cheese and one beef, and I had two margaritas as well as chips and salsa. My eyes even wanted the dessert but there was nowhere to put it thankfully! Whoa!! Too much for me! Learned my lesson!

It's a learning process. I'm sore from yesterday's workout and looking forward to my workout tomorrow. I spent most of the morning preparing veggies and meats for the week and made some more Pico De Gallo.

I think that's it for today!

Day 19 - Going Strong

I'm almost through my 3rd week and it definitely went faster than last week. I'm enjoying my meals now and have gotten more organized with preparing food in advance so I don't feel like I'm always chopping, slicing, shopping, cooking, etc. I can tell that my trainer Stefanie is pushing me more with each workout.

I ran 5 miles yesterday, longest run since my marathon almost a month ago and felt great. I was just concerned about doing too much cardio. I'm doing a 15k in two weeks so I'll run 6 miles next week, then the 15k the week after, then I'll do no more than 5k's until after the competition.

I took bikini pics two weeks ago, so I need to take some again today and my plan is to take them each Friday. I don't expect to see much difference, but maybe in June, as I look back I'll be able to see small differences.

Looking forward to my cheat meal tomorrow! I think I want Nachos, but not just any Nachos, I've been researching to see who has the best ones in the area! If I'm going to cheat, it's gotta be a good one!!!

Just enjoying the process!

Day 17 - Two Week Results are In!

My trainer Stefanie did all my measuring two weeks ago today, and we measured again today. Here's the results:

3/10 3/24
Weight: 135.7 lbs 137.6 lbs
Body Fat: 29.6% 26.4%
Shoulders: 42 in 40.75 in
Chest: 35 in 34.5 in
Waist: 29.5 in 27 in
Hips: 39 in 38 in
Thigh: 21 in 20 in
Arm (bicep): 11.75 in 10.75 in
Calf: 13 in 12.75 in

What can I say? I WAS SO EXCITED! These results are better than anything I could have ever expected! For my weight to go up, but everything to go down - wow!

I haven't cheated once on the diet, other than the allowed cheat meal. And now I have even more motivation to keep going!

My workout was brutal today, all upper body, but I got through it. I'm getting more excited!

Day 16 - Getting used to Blogging! :-)

So I've missed a few days! I really want to blog each day, but have to remember to do it, since I'm not used to it.

Anyway, into my 3rd week and it's going well. I'm used to the diet, Pico De Gallo is my best friend and I make it every 2-3 days so it's fresh. It's good with just about everything.

My strength training is also going well. I'm getting stronger each time. I did upper body on Sunday, then lower on Monday so I'm sore all over now!

Went for a run today for my cardio and loved it!

Can't wait until I can see some visible results. Getting measured tomorrow and will post results. Hopefully they'll show some improvement even if just a little.

Scale today: 137.6 Body Fat: 25.3%

Day 13 - Cheat Meal Day

Oops, I missed blogging yesterday, but only because I got the chance to have my nephew spend the night, which hadn't happened in over a year, so I wasn't caring about much else other than spending time with him!

But yesterday was a good day. Workout was awesome, did Skull-crushers with 35 lb barbell. Also, was able to do 20 UN-assisted pull ups. So I felt good during the workout, though I was ready to die afterward!

I even watched my nephew eat some pizza and I had no desire to take a bite. That's a big deal for me!

Stefanie told me to cut out fruit at night, which is understandable. She said she can see some changes, though I don't. I could really see changes in her, especially her arms and butt, much more defined. Can't wait to have that!!!

So today was my cheat meal day, and I won't lie, I was thinking about it ALL day! It was so bad, that I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat! It went from steak to Nachos to Indian food to Creole! We ended up going to Carrabba's and I really enjoyed it. Had their mussels for the first time and they were really good, though not as good as Bally Hoo's. Really enjoyed my two glasses of wine!!! I savored every bite. One thing that was interesting though was that I felt like my food was over seasoned, and I think it was because I've gotten used to so little seasoning. Amazing how we adapt! I felt like my blood pressure was going up as I was eating the food! :-) So cheat meal is done, back to my food with Pico De Gallo. Johnny actually had one of my meals with me today and liked it. Pico De Gallo is my food savior!

I didn't work out today. I only have to do 5 days of cardio, and even with 5, I feel lazy, since I had gotten so used to doing so much cardio while preparing for the marathon. I have such a desire to run for an hour or two, but I'm fighting it for the great good of my training!

Ok, enough for today. That's what I get for missing a day!

Day 11 - Was Starving Today

For some reason, I felt ravenously hungry during most of the day. I couldn't wait the 3 hours to eat again. So I made sure I ate. I burned over 700 calories doing cardio today, so that may have something to do with it, I'm not sure. But the good thing is, I got through they day eating all my food, but not going over, and by the end of the night (now), I'm satisfied.

I'm a little surprised I wasn't more sore today from my workout yesterday since I did a double workout and even raised the weights on some. Am I not doing enough? Well I meet with Stefanie tomorrow so we'll see what's going on. She's learned some things from her friend in Chicago who competes so I can't wait to hear about it!

Day 10 Getting Stronger

Today was a really good exercise and food day. I did a double workout today and was able to increase the weight on two different exercises - Woo Hoo! I'm now used to the eating schedule, I just have to start eating earlier in the day so my last meal isn't at 10pm. Will try to make it no later than 9:30am. It's just so hard to get out of bed before 8am! Grace tasted my food today and actually said it was good. Still haven't gotten over 1700 calories. I've had a headache for a while today, not sure why though. I'm not going to take anything for it, will just hope it will go away when I go to bed.

Maria called me today, she's really going to do this too! Yay! It will be nice to have someone to share meal plans with and talk about how bland our food is. And she's hating giving up her wine just as much as I am. What we do to reach goals! :-)

I think that's it for today. Feeling better every day! Gotta set my Countdown Clock!

Day 9 - I can't eat any more!

Here I am feeling bored and looking for a new challenge to keep me busy during the day, but I feel like between preparing, heating, cutting, chopping, cleaning and EATING all this food, I wouldn't have time for anything else!!! I feel like all I do is eat! But this is Day 9 and I'm doing well. Finding new ways every day to season my food. Pico De Gallo is definitely a fave! Grace is going to make some Guacamole, so I know that will be great too! Loving my Chocolate Protein Shake at night with fresh fruit in it! Starting weight was 135.7 lbs and 29.5 body fat. Will weigh in each Wednesday and report. Feeling strong. Did a double workout yesterday, but strangely enough I'm not that sore today. I thought I'd barely be able to lift my fork to eat all this food! Not sure what that means, but I'll keep doing it. Onward and upward!

Day 8

I figured with all the emotions I'm going through, I should blog about this journey, as it will be my most challenging yet. It's making training for a marathon like a walk in the park.

Mainly because I have to limit my cardio, which is tough after being used to running for at least an hour at least 3x a week for so many weeks. While my knees are excited about the break, I'm limited to 30 minutes of cardio a day and sometimes I want to do more.

The strength training is pretty intense, but I can handle that easier. I'm happy to get back into it.

The toughest part of all this is the eating. I never realized how much food and even wine were so much a part of the little social life I have. Little things like Johnny and I going to the local outdoor bar for a glass of wine and we just talk. Even though I've been eating pretty healthy while losing my weight, I was used to food with a LOT of flavor. But I made it the first 7 days and when I was thinking about giving up, my husband told me I had to continue because we don't quit. I needed to hear that so much. In return, he was thinking he'd have to wait until 2012 to qualify for the Boston Marathon, so I told him he couldn't give up going after 2011. We make a great team.

I think around dinner time, I feel most hungry. I just finished dinner, and I'm still hungry, or I still want some food, I'm not sure which. But I'll wait about an hour, then have my last meal of the evening.

I just have to keep focusing on the results! My dream body! I can do this! Ok, I'm down from the ledge for today...