Awesome, awesome... and SO TRUE!!!

Here is an awesome entry from a fellow blogger, Jen (you can read the original post here). Her points are so right-on... I had to repost it on my blog too:

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You're all familiar with that concept right? You write a check today...but it could be Thursday or Friday before you actually see it hit your account. Well, I've discovered something profound. (more like DUH!, but profound to me nonetheless)

Our bodies are the same way!

When you spend several days eating "bad" and then say of yourself "wow, I can't believe I've been off my diet since "x" and I haven't gained a pound!" Don't let yourself be fooled. Deep down you know better. There is no 'cheating the system' with eating. Sooner or later it WILL catch up with you. (just like that check you wrote knowing full well you didn't have the money in the bank to cover!)

The only way to 'get ahead' in your fitness account (your body) is to make more deposits than debits. Makes perfect sence!

So what are deposits? Work outs, veggies, vitamins, healthy meats and whole grains, fruit, water, more work outs!

The same is true when you're doing good. Just like a deposit might also take a few days to be available to you in your bank account; you also can't expect to eat good and work out for a day or two and BAM! see a huge credit (or difference) in your body. It just doesn't work that way.
I'm sure we've all been there where we've eaten well for a few days, worked out until we were exhausted and then the glorious day arrives when we step on the scale expecting to receive the reward for all our hard work---only to have our excitement instantly crushed when the scale still reads out the same old balance (weight) to us.

Believe me when I say I've BEEN THERE and DONE THAT!

But as my body has proven to me time and time again---just keep it up. At some point-you WILL reap the harvest of what you have sown--whether good or bad. Don't allow yourself to believe the lie that "it isn't working." Our bodies are ingenious and were created to be amazingly complex, but they aren't capable of manipulating the system and sabatoging our efforts.

I'm writing this to encourage you...if you're doing the right thing--eating good, getting in your work outs, do not let yourself get discouraged. There is only one result that comes from that kind of behavior---healthiness! Your body may respond quickly (lucky you) or it may drag it's heels so-to-speak, but it has no choice but to obey.
Likewise, if you are eating junk, missing your work-outs and are shocked every time you put on your size 4 pants and amazingly they still fit...don't let yourself be deceived. They don't call it "junk in the trunk" for nothin'!! Yo junk is on its way honey!

That being said---Now get out there and make your deposits!!
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Well said Jen!!

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I got my first "I hate you" comment

The other day I saw a friend who I've only seen once in the past year. The first time I saw her she didn't say anything about my weight loss (I was down about 25 lbs. at the time) but some of my other friends did notice and said some really nice things. Anyway, so I see this friend recently, and the first thing she says is, "Are you losing more weight?! I hate you!" I have to admit... it didn't catch me by surprise or upset me at all.... in fact it felt good! :) I just told her that if I can do it, she can do it. I kind of explained to her how I started out losing weight and she realized it's totally doable. So much so, she signed up for a gym membership at my gym the next day!! I couldn't believe it but I'm so happy for her! I hope to see her there and I really hope she uses the gym... we have opposite work schedules so we can't really make it to the gym together, but I will be checking up on her progress! It's so exciting to inspire people like this.

GOAL COMMENTS

I wanted to clarify some of my goals listed at the top of my blog. I know a lot of the goals seem "physical" (ie. based on looks only) but that's not what I'm about. I had some people email/comment about it and I just want to let everyone know that this journey is a lifestyle change for me. A change to get me into the best shape possible! Like one of Tony Horton's recent blog entries, it's not about how good you look, but rather how you feel and how much you can improve your health. With my goals of wanting to weigh such-and-such or fit into a certain size by a certain date, becoming healthier and fitter goes hand in hand with my goals. I'm only 5'0" tall so at a weight of about 140 I am still considered overweight... by a lot!! My overall goal is to become lean and toned and improve in my cardio, strength, endurance, balance, coordination, etc., etc., but I do have to focus a lot on getting rid of the body fat too. Since I still have so much fat, focusing on the physical appearance of getting smaller (volume AND weight) is a major goal for me because one equals the other:

exercise + proper eating = a healthier me

exercise + proper eating = a smaller me

a healthier me = a smaller me = a healthier me

Yes, I'm losing weight to look better, but I'm not losing weight to only look better. I know looking better is a "side-effect" of getting healthier and getting healthy again is my main goal. I'm just looking forward to see how much better I can become because one year ago I never would have thought I'd be where I am today!

Plan of Attack

So it's been three and a half weeks since I started seeing my PT/dietician. Don't get me wrong... he is AWESOME... but I haven't lost any weight yet. Still tittering around 140: usually ranging from 138 - 142. And I totally understand that it takes time, but it's kind of frustrating. Since I joined the gym at the beginning of the month, I've added in pretty intense cardio sessions at least 3x a week and weight training 2 - 3x a week. Previous to me being a gymie (like tech-ie) I was doing P90X. The P90X program is limited on the cardio sessions and focuses more on weight resistance, so I thought the weight-loss would be automatic once cardio was added in again. So NOT the case. Anyway, I've talked to my PT about my concerns and we're taking stats and measurements again next week so hopefully there's a difference... if there isn't, my PT is planning on changing up some things in my diet to see if that helps.

Since seeing him, I've also upped my cals from 1400 - 1500 to 1800 - 2000. I feel a lot better with the added cals, energy wise, and am pleasantly surprised to see no weight-gain... but bummed that there hasn't been a weight lost either.

So I've decided to reevaluate my health and fitness goals and create a plan of attack!

New Goals

- Labor Day weight: 129 lbs. - that gives me exactly 75 days to lose about 10 lbs. which = 1 lb./week
- Labor Day BF%: 28% - need to lose 9% more to get to 28%
- Fit into a size 4/6 comfortable - now I fit in an 8 comfortably but can wear big size 6's
- Maintain (or gain!) lean muscle mass - ties in with a decrease in body fat %
- Steadily increase weights I use for weight resistance
- Steadily increase seconds I can hold strength poses (ie. wall squat, chair pose, etc.)

My Plan of Attack!!

- continue with exercise 6x/week - 3 cardio days and 3 weight resistance days
- keep calories at a steady 1800 - 2000 calories/day - increasing my calorie intake should help b/c I was eating too little bit before
- limit eating out to 1x/week - currently I eat out about 2 or 3x/week
- include a serving of veggies/fruit with EVERY meal and snack = 6 servings - right now I do about half that
- up water intake to a minimum of 80 oz./day - already do a minimum of 64 oz.

- blog daily - to keep me accountable on my goals

Personal Trainer Sessions getting intense... me likey!

I had my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th PT sessions and L-O-V-E-D them all!

2nd session, June 10: So after taking off from ALL exercise for 5 days (on order from my PT), getting back in the gym felt so good! I was actually worried that I would get comfortable with not exercising, but I wasn't! How crazy is that?! Anyway, good to know my body craves being active now! So in my second session, I learned how to do more stretches and started the weight resistance training with 3 new, simple exercises:

1.) Swiss ball glute extension and arm raise

2.) Swiss ball crunch

3.) Dumbbell chest fly

The exercises this session were short and sweet because my PT wanted to go over the meal plan he made for me. It's following the lines of a 50/30/20 carb/protein/fat ratio but he said he'll probably change up the ratios after a couple of weeks. Because I was doing such a low carb diet before (I was sticking with P90X's fat burner meal plan) he wanted me to up my carbs for now. I'm still having trouble reaching the 2000 calories/day amount but have consistently been hitting 1650 - 1800.

3rd session, June 12: PT wants me to up my cardio to 3 - 5 days a week and I couldn't be happier! I love my cardio! This session was all weight resistance and we got through 6 exercises:

1.) Swiss ball crunch

2.) 1-leg toe touch

3.) cable chest fly

4.) Swiss ball glute extension and arm raise

5.) bent over arm raise hold - same thing as the chair pose from yoga

6.) dumbbell delt row

PT was super impressed with how long I could hold the chair pose and you know what I told him? It's all thanks to P90X!! Legs and Back and Yoga X already trained me for it! Nutrition wise still consistent with the 1650 - 1800 calorie range so need to bring that up but everything else is still great!

4th session, June 17: Yesterday was my 4th session... quarter of a way done with my sessions already... BOO!!! Today was more weight resistance training and PT is getting stricter and tougher but I love it! He's a major stickler for proper form and that is the main reason why I wanted a PT to make sure I'm getting the most out of my exercises and of course, to not get injured. Six exercises today:

1.) Swiss ball oblique crunch - this one burns!

2.) Flexibility squat

3.) cable chest press - my form is all over the place with this one. I tend to naturally do a chest fly instead of press

4.) standing cable row

5.) Swiss ball lower back and glute extension

6.) dumbbell delt fly

So after todays session, PT is really please with how well I'm doing as far as form and balance with all the exercises so he's going to move my sessions along a little quicker so I can start bringing some major intensity to my workouts. I see him again tomorrow so I can't wait to see what he has me doing.

Overall, the sessions so far have been great and I don't have any regrets about getting a PT... so much so that I think I'm going to save up so I can get more sessions after my 20 are over this time. I still cannot believe how much I love the gym! Don't get me wrong... I love working out at home by myself but the gym environment is a completely different vibe or energy. Getting to know the workers and some other members really keeps me motivated to do my best and being in an environment with other people who have the same goals as me really makes me push for the extra 15 minutes on the treadmill or the extra 2 or 3 reps. Like I said before... the competitive side of me loves having fitter, stronger, faster people around me when I workout because unconsciously it turns up my exercise intensity for my entire workout!

Saying good-bye to P90X... only for a little while!

So it looks like I will be postponing Phase 3 of P90X due to my Personal Trainer (PT) sessions. Hmmm... sounds like deja vu! Yes, yes... for those of you who are following me, I stopped CLX in the last phase also. Let me reassure you that I AM NOT A QUITTER! The next rounds of CLX and P90X will be completed... FOR SURE! This, I promise!!! But anyway, it's a pretty bitter-sweet goodbye for me because I love P90X, but on the other hand, I do want to take full advantage of my PT's routine and advice. And this isn't really a goodbye, more of a "see you later" to P90X... I'm sure I'm going to sneak in some of the cardio/yoga/stretch stuff into my routine, but Tony and "the kids" will be sadly missed!

So here's a recap of what my first PT session included:

It was mostly questions and letting my PT get a good sense of what I have been doing so far and where I want to go from here... things like what I've done so far, how often do I exercise now, what do I eat, what are my physical goals, what are my fitness goals, what are my nutrition/health goals, etc. It was pretty comprehensive (even asking about TOM to see if fitness/nutrition can help with any PMS). We took even more stats and measurements and went over my two-weeks worth of food journaling. I really liked it and know my money has been well spent. My PT really likes my level of exercise and nutrition knowledge, so he thinks we can move along much faster than most of his clients.

Didn't get around to much exercise, but he gave me a run down of what to expect for his program. He starts off all his clients (no matter what your fitness level) with stabilization stretching exercises for the first week. He introduced me to a foam roller and had me only roll my left leg: calf, quad, hamstring, and ITB. Then he had me perform a squat. It was amazing how different my left leg felt from my right leg... my left side felt completely stretched out and I could have definitely gone deeper into the squat if my right side wasn't tight. My PT had my roll out my right side after that. The next couple of days my leg muscles felt like I had a deep tissue massage! It felt so good!! Anyway, on his orders, I have taken this entire weekend, as well as up to today, off from exercise since I have been going non-stop for the last 9 months... well not non-stop per se because I do take at least one rest day a week, but I haven't taken more than 2 days off in row since I started exercising back in September. So he wants me to "reset" my body and give it a good rest until I meet with him again tomorrow. After the first week, my PT will introduce me to the cardio/weight training parts of the program... THIS is what I'm waiting for. It looks like he'll have me doing HIIT a couple times a week, some other cardio the other days, and weight training three times a week. I hope it's a good mix of machines/free weights/outdoor activities to really keep my body in "shock mode". Cross-training is the key for his program.

The diet part of the session was really good and I have to say... to all you P90Xer's who kept telling me to eat more... you guys are 100% right. He wants me to up my calories from 1500 to 1900 - 2100 calories a day. Seems like a lot of food but he's also devising a food plan for me to help me with that. I was really impressed with the fact that he wanted this program to be tailored to my needs and likes. I guess I went into this thinking most PT's want it their way or nothing. But he made a list of the foods that I want to incorporate into my diet and he couldn't be happier that I want to keep my diet clean. I can imagine most of his clients struggle with changing their diets the most.

Anyway, I see him again tomorrow and we're suppose to go around the gym and he'll assess my fitness level by evaluating my performance on different cardio machines as well as weight-resistance machines and free weights. As much as I hate putting P90X on hold, I think having a PT at this stage in my weight-loss battle is key and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Joining a gym and having a PT has completely re-motivated me and is giving me the little extra push I needed to continue in the right direction. I'm very competitive by nature, so the gym setting is perfect! Can't let the "skinny" people out exercise me, you know?! And having someone who keeps me accountable and excited about exercise is the most important job for my PT... and not to mention that my sessions cost more than my monthly mortgage... but that alone is going to push me to take full advantage of my PT and follow his advice.

On a side note, this week was suppose to start Phase 3 of P90X (uhh... so close to finishing!) so I'll have my 60-day stats up by the end of the week. Dang I'm gonna miss P90X!

Weight update!

So... it's taken me over 5 months... but I've finally hit a new decade! Last Friday, June 5, I weighed in at 138.6! I confirmed the weigh-in with more weigh-ins during the weekend and this morning. Looks like it's official!

(I know I weighed in in the 130's the last week of May, but it was only one day and I never got any solid confirmations.)

P90X day 50 and 51/90; diet: EXCELLENT

So yesterday was day 50 of P90X. Yoga was scheduled, however I switched it out for 2 sessions of Stretch X. I went to the gym in the evening and did some HIIT then came home to Stretch. I absolutely love how it makes my body feel... wish I had discovered this a long time ago.

Today was day 51 and Core Synergistic will be done when I get home, no matter what my workout is at the gym. Today is my first session with my PT so I don't know what's on the agenda but I know we're going over nutrition (my PT is a dietitian) and some stretches but don't know what else. I think this being the first time, he'll probably walk me around and introduce me to all the machines - both cardio and weight resistance. I can't wait!!

Now on to the diet part of today. My PT had me print out 2 weeks worth of food journaling and I was shocked. I log, weigh, and measure all my food religiously and I'm usually in the calorie range I should be in, but looking at the days lined up one after the other for two weeks was a huge eye opener. In two weeks, I had eaten FOUR cheat meals! FOUR!!!!!! That's how much I'm allowed in a month! I guess because I log my food, I feel like if I'm over on fat today, I'll eat less tomorrow, but then I forget the next day and just eat crappy again. But seriously seeing my logs and charts lined up together really put things into perspective. So today, I rated my diet as "excellent" because it was! I had my Shakeology for breakfast with 1 cup of oj, flaxseeds, wheat germ, and 1 cup of strawberries and kiwi. My mid-morning snack was a P90X protein bar and 1 cup of fresh blueberries. Lunch was 1/2 cup oatmeal with a little stevia, cinnamon, flaxseeds and wheat germ, 2 cups of romaine with basalmic vinegar and a little olive oil, and 3.5 oz of grilled salmon. Mid-afternoon snack was 1 cup of cantalope, 1 kiwi, and a slice of whole wheat, fiber bread. And dinner will be 5 oz grilled chicken cooked with tomato, a little lemon, 2 cups of romaine and half a sweet potato. (I know that looks like a lot of fruit but the cantaloupe is over ripe so I'm trying to eat it before it goes bad.)

This is probably the cleanest I've eaten in a really long time. So glad I took a look at my journal... need to add that to my list of daily things to do to keep me on track. Or I'll just create a challenge for myself to see how many days in a row I can eat clean. We'll see.

Speaking of challenges... I totally have not given an update on the Ice Cream Challenge! If I calculate it correctly, this is day 37 of being ICE CREAM F-R-E-E!!! Awesome!

And the results are in...

... and I'm fat! But I knew that! Yesterday I had my consultation at my gym and it took about an hour. I really liked the trainer I was paired up with because he's also a dietitian (which is why the gym gave me a "he" instead of a "she" like I asked) . We went over my current diet and exercise routine and then did the body fat testing. It was a four-spot caliper reading and it came out to 37%. Yup... you read that right! But I wasn't expecting anything lower so I'm okay with it.

Anyway, after doing the calculations, he figured out that if I kept the lean muscle I have now without gaining any muscle, but only lost body fat, I would be at 19% body fat at my goal weight of 120. THAT'S LEAN, BABY! Back in high school, all 8 years ago, no way was I ever that lean. I weighed 115 - 120 lbs. in h.s. but I still had the fat on me. I can't wait to see what my "new" body will look like when I get there.

So 37% body fat... that means I have:
51.8 lbs. of fat and 88.2 lbs. of everything else

51.8 lbs. of fat is a huge amount! I don't even want to know how many pounds it was before I lost weight and started weight lifting. That really put things in perspective. I can't wait to get started taking advantage of everything the gym has to offer!

UPDATE TO THIS POST: I have a personal trainer for 20 sessions starting tomorrow! This may interfere with P90X a little but my trainer knows that I'm doing the program so he wants me to bring in the fitness guide and see if we can work something out as far tailoring my workouts to follow P90X. I didn't want to give up P90X completely but I really wanted to take advantage of the first-time-gym-member personal trainer fees. I wanted to get a trainer to learn proper form for weight lifting to avoid injury and get the most benefit out of lifting. I can't wait to start!

I set a "due date" for my goal weight of 120!

Yes, a "due date" because I owe it to myself to get in shape and be the healthiest that I can be. During my weight-loss journey so far, I never set a "Goal Weight" date because I know stuff happens in life and my weight-loss journey could get side tracked or hit some bumps in the road. So I never wanted to be disappointed or discouraged by missing that date, BUT...
...now I think that's what's holding me back! I still understand that there are many up's and down's to losing the weight but I think I'm much stronger and able to handle it if I miss my goal because I know it's a matter of WHEN I hit goal, and not IF I hit goal. I am totally going to do it no matter how long it takes.

Anyway, I set my goal weight date to 09/17/09. That's exactly one year, to the day, since I decided to get back in shape. That's about 3.5 months from now, so I have a very ambitious goal of losing about 5.9 pounds a month or 1.31 pounds per week. I know it's totally doable once I tighten up my diet. And since I joined a gym this weekend with my boyfriend, I know the accountablity of the other members, my monthly fee, and the exercises classes will keep me on track. So let me explain abut the gym for a little bit.

I was always intimidated by the gym and totally believed that weight-loss does not need a gym membership (and I still believe this) but my friend joined and the deal was really good! It was no initiation fee, only $30 a month FOREVER (not just the first 6-months or something like that) and it gives me access to all the gyms in the state. And no cancellation fee so if I don't like it, I can just quite. I've lost 35 pounds on my own already, but I was getting "bored" with my exercise dvd's. I still really like P90X and CLX, but I think it was the "at-home" atmosphere that was getting to me.

I wish someone let me know about the gym before!

I was so scared to go on my first day, but once I got there and started on some of the cardio machines, I realized that no one was staring at me or talking about the "fat girl" running and there were people of all different shapes, sizes, and ages. After 2 minutes of being there, I felt completely comfortable... partly because I think I was in a lot better shape then some of the "skinny" people there thanks to P90X!!! I got on the treadmill and was able to run for a good half hour at about 5 - 5.5 miles! I felt so awesome! Yesterday I wanted to try the weight machines but once again, I was so scared! But my boyfriend just walked over and so I followed and once we got started... it was so much fun! I'm finally able to work my triceps really good without having elbow pain!

Anyway, today is my rest day but I'm going to the gym again because today I have my consultation. It should take about an hour and they take all your measurments and stats so I'm excited to do it. Will get back here to let you all know how I do.

P90X Day 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49/90

Busy weekend again. I had a funeral, three family dinners, and an inurnment to attend this weekend which is why I've been MIA. Still got in my exercise though! And... I joined a gym (I'll write about that in the next blog).

P90X day 45/90: 2-hour hike, Back and Biceps, and ARX

P90X day 46/90: Kenpo 90 mins of various cardio at the gym

P90X day 47/90: HIIT, Legs and Back, and ARX

P90X day 48/90: 2 hours at the gym (cardio and weights)

P90X day 49/90: REST!!!!!

My diet has still been pretty junk, but nothing like how I used to eat 8 months ago. This week I got back on track and have been doing really good since. Hope I can keep it up! Day-60 measurments of P90X is coming up next week so need to brink it!