Weekly Weigh In

I completely forgot this post yesterday. OOPS! Anyhoo, the first weigh in for 2012 was 221.6 lbs.

I'm going to continue with my weigh ins, but I've decided to let go of some arbitrary magic number that I've built up in my head for so long. I'm going to focus on body fat %, inches & dress size.

I'm also not even going to think about my "ultimate goal" and going for one small goal at a time. Baby steps....

I have no idea, even, what a goal for inches would be....I'm that far out of the loop that I don't even know a decent waist size anymore. Pathetic, isn't it? So, my first mini goal for the year is to fit back into a pair of blue jean capri's that I bought (and wore comfortably) right around the time Ben started Kindergarten. He's in third grade.... *sigh* So, I'm digging them out of the back of my closet and hanging them in plain view.

I plan to rock those capris this Spring. Anyone else up for a "Fit into your Jeans Challenge"? If I have the nerve, I may even have the hubs take a picture of me trying to squeeze my ass into them now...maybe I'll take a pic every few weeks until they fit....?? We'll see, I'm just typing as I'm coming up with this stuff....

Cheers,

Jess

Weekly Weigh In

I missed Monday. Long weekends freak me out. It didn't feel like a holiday to us because our schedule is so not normal to begin with. All day yesterday I thought it was Sunday. When I woke up today and realized it was Tuesday I felt like I was robbed of a whole 24 hours. Hmph.

I did manage to remember to go to the gym yesterday, so somewhere in the recesses of my brain I must've known it was Monday. Somewhere. In one of those deep, dark corners.

Anyway, my current weight is 215.4. That's a .8 lb drop from last week. I started my period right after last week's weigh in, so that could have been another reason that it was slightly up (that and the fact that I wasn't counting calories.)

I planned on upping my cardio last week, but it just never happened. Both boys were sick and Boy 1 ended up with a major asthma event and well, you know what happens when life throws curve balls.

I'm back to counting calories and also tracking my protein. I'm still positively in love with this new weight lifting program. I started Week Three yesterday and the results are astounding! Two weeks ago I started out on the cable row machine with 50 lbs. Yesterday I was at 90 lbs. I hope to hit 100 lbs next week. I know I'm losing inches all over and it's killing me to not measure myself. But not until I'm finished with this first stage. If all of workouts happene when scheduled, I should complete my final workout of this stage on June 24. I'll take my measurements on Monday, June 27. I can't wait!

I'm going to be trying some new recipes this week. If all works out, I'll post them here.

Weekly Weigh In

It's Monday ~ again. Are the weeks getting shorter? Anyhoo, I've posted that I wasn't that strict with calorie counting last week and even that I was aiming for slightly higher calorie consumption than normal. In addition to that, I did no cardio last week. I lifted weights three times and that was it.

So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I gained 1.6 lbs this week. I weighed in at 216.2. I'm not concerned. Without counting and without working out, I think that's a pretty good number. I'm still not strictly counting ~ I'm eating when I'm hungry and I'm making good choices.

However, this week I do plan to add the cardio back in. I lifted today, tomorrow I plan to run, Wed lift, Thursday Zumba, Fri lift and rest Sat & Sun.

There have been some questions about what, exactly, I'm doing with this new program. So I'll give you a little run down of what I did last week:

• Squats (15 reps x 2 sets) (Mon & Fri)


• Rows (same as above)


• pushups ( " ")


• step ups ( " ")


• prone jack knife (stability ball) (same as above)

On Wed of last week (and Mon/Fri of this week):

• Deadlifts


• Dumbell overhead press


• lat pull downs (up to 80 lbs on those ~ Whoot!)


• lunges


• stability ball crunches

I seriously cannot say enough great things about this program. I can already tell I'm getting stronger, and I have to admit I peeked. I'm already losing inches :)

Weekly Weigh In

It's Monday again. You know what that means, right? It means it's time for me to strip down to my skivies and step on that scale. Well, I step on it everyday, but I don't strip down every day. I just like to watch the fluctuations and see the general downward trend ~ at least that's what it's supposed to do!

And it did! Last week was just a fluke, I think. Today I weighed in at 214.6. Whoot! I haven't seen that number in a looooooong time. And I have to say, it was a pleasant surprise. I expected a lower number this week, but I really didn't think it would go that low. So, that's a 3.4 loss from last week and a 10.6 loss overall. Phew! I'm back down past that 10 lb mark! I don't plan to ever go back..... maybe....

After reading a few rave reviews on Twitter, I decided to swing by the library the other day and pick up this book. HELLO LIGHTBULB! Wait, let me back up....

I'm currently reading about five books. I typically pick up a book and read a few chapters. Then something else will catch my eye and I'll pick up a new book and read a few chapters of it. At this point, my husband will usually recommend a book that he's just finished and suggest that I should read it because he thinks I'd find it interesting. I pick up that book with the intention of just leafing through it, but end up reading the first two or three chapters...and so on. Can you say ADHD?

So, if I tell you that I fnished this book in 2 days, you can appreciate how captivated I was with it! I've always enjoyed strength training. Even when I was playing volleyball, I loved the look of my strong muscles (even though I really wasn't all that toned) and enjoyed the time we spent in the weight room. Even though none of us (including our coach) really knew what we were doing there.

Reading this book has made me realize just how much time and effort I've been wasting at the gym over the past year. The strength classes I've been going to are not an efficient use of my time and they are not building my muscles to their potential. In fact, I'd say other than endurance, they're doing very little.

This book lays out a program of weight training and a nutrition guide and it really seemed to click with me and make a lot of sense. It's a six month program, broken down into stages. The first stage is about six weeks long. I took some before pictures today and I took my measurements and I'm going to do the same in six weeks after I'm finished with this first stage. I'm also going to slightly increase my calories ~ due to a higher need for quality protein. I'm aiming for a 40-30-30 percentage ratio for Carbs/Protein/Fat (respectively). I'll be building muscles rapidly so it wouldnt' surprise me if any weightloss slowed down or even stalled out for the first little bit. But who am I kidding ~ it's not like my weightloss has been mind blowingly fast these last few months, right? I know that after I build some solid muscle that my metabolism will speed up and I know the scale will move in the right direction. But that's why I took my measurements, so that at the end of these six weeks I'll have a tangible number to show what I've accomplished.

My first workout was today and while I was at the gym, I really didn't think I was getting that tough of a workout, but now that I'm home ~ HOLY MOLY. My body is sore! The first stage is broken down into two workouts and you alternate these two workouts ~ lifting weights 3x per week (you can do 2x, but 3 is best).

So this week I'll do workout A on Monday, workout B on Wed & workout A again on Friday. On the off days I'll keep moving, but I don't want to over tax my muscles so I probably won't be doing much running or spinning. I plan to do a lot more swimming, yoga & walking. Just keep my body moving without tiring out my muscles. I need them to recover to be ready for the next lifting session.

I am so stinking excited about this program!

Weekly Weigh In

It's Monday again. My numbers seem to be all over the place and I don't get it. Last week, I was back down to 215 & I busted my ass at the gym this week. I concentrated hard on strength, but I did a lot of cardio, too. All week my number was hovering right around 217, but it always goes slightly up while I'm working hard and after a rest day it falls down to where it should be. Except this week. Grrrr...

I did indulge a bit yesterday for Mother's Day, but I was in complete control of my eating all day. I just ate things I wouldn't normally eat. I woke up and had a cup of coffee & a green smoothie (normal), we had brunch around 10 am and I had a few bites of an egg strata & half an omelette with crab & shrimp with some potatoes (not normal, but not a horrible choice).

The omelette filled me up, so I didn't eat much the rest of the day until dinner. We did Thai takeout and I had half a serving of Pad Thai and half a serving of Broccoli Chicken with white rice. Again, not what I would normall eat, but not out of control. Oh, I also had four crab wontons.

I dipped into the candy bowl yesterday and had three Starburst candies. Bleh ~ time to start over with my #7daychip. Boo.

So, anyway, my dinner was fairly salty and I woke up really really thirsty. I'm hoping that after a few days my weight catches up with my workouts again and I see some better results.

So, this morning's weight was 218.0. That's a 2.8 lb gain over last week. I'm feeling my body tighten back up and I can tell my waist is getting smaller and smaller. Out of curiousity I broke out the measuring tape again (Statistics reporting to resume June 1) and my waist is back to where it was in November before my injury, so I know I'm going in the right direction. I'm just frustrated as hell.......

Weekly Weigh In

It's Monday again. How did you do last week? I completely worked my ass off at the gym M-F. I burned a total of 3,774 workout calories, but I ate a lot. I recognize that it's normal to be overly hungry for a bit when you first start a new exercise routine and I was careful to eat nutritious, whole foods (until the Easter candy made it into the house!). I only went over my calories last week on one day and it was only by a smidge. Overall, I'm very pleased with how this past week went ~ until the weekend. Ugh. I didn't go the gym at all on Saturday. Hubs has been working a heavy schedule this month and his only day home all week, for the entire month, is Saturdays. I didn't want to miss any time with him. I didn't count a single calorie on Saturday either. Or Sunday.
We hunted eggs at a friend's house ~ it's out yearly tradition (Hi Nom!!) ~ and for the first time I didn't have to go out with the boys and trek through the woods with them. I was able to sit and socialize the entire day (read: sit and eat). I felt like a giant fuzzy dog terd when I got home yesterday. I took a nap and set out the leftover fruit tray for dinner and told everyone "we're eating fruit for dinner to try to detox some of the crap we ate today."

So, as you can imagine, I was hesitant to step on the scale this morning! I had been weighing myself every morning and my numbers had been holding steady all week and all I could do at this point was hope that my workouts were enough to counter balance any damage I had done over the weekend.

And they were....last week I had a big drop and I know that was mostly water weight as it was my first week back at the gym in quite some time. As of Wed morning, I'd put a few ounces back on and they stayed all week. And they were still there this morning. I'm a little bummed, but I know it's just my body evening out after getting used to working out again. I'm still going in the right direction, so I can't be upset about that!

This week's weight is 218.2 for a slight gain of .6 lbs over last week, and a total loss of 6.8 lbs since the beginning of this blog. I feel like I'm starting all over again. That injury really derailed me for a while, and it didn't help that it happened right over the holidays. But, I'm back and I can't dwell on past mistakes, right?

Weekly Weigh In

I'm bringing back the Weekly Weigh In. I mentioned yesterday that I started counting calories and going back to the gym. I started that on Wed, so today's weigh in is not the result of a full week, but I like having my weigh in day on Mondays. Sundays are 95% of the time a rest day and my weight is always lower following a rest day. Monday works. So, today's weigh in is not the result of a full week of counting calories and working out, but still it was a success! On Wed, I weighed 220.0 lbs. This morning I weigh 217.6. That's a loss of 2.4 lbs in just over half a week. WooHoo! Go me! I'm back! I'm so very back! Heading off to the gym, now. Whoot!

Weekly Weigh In

And so it's Monday again. I worked out four times last week (I missed Friday & Saturday). I didn't pay attention to my food at all. I'm easing myself back into my habits. Life's a marathon, not a sprint. I know myself well enough to know that if I try to pile everything back on at once I'll simply give up. Baby steps. Having said all of that, you can imagine my shock when I stepped on the scale this week and actually saw the number go down. I truly wasn't expecting that. At all. Especially after last night's dinner of pizza and brownies. So anyway, today's weigh in results were 216.8. That is a 1.2 lb loss from last week and a total loss of 8.4 lbs. Overall, not a bad week. My foot is quite painful today, I'm not sure why but I'm going to skip any major workout. I may do some strength training at home. I bought some new DVD's over the weekend. Look for reviews on those coming soon!

Weekly Weigh In

It's weekly weigh in time. You thought I forgot, didn't you? I wanted to. I was tempted to, but I knew deep down that I wasn't foolin' anyone. It was time. I stepped on the scale this morning and closed my eyes. I didn't want to know.

Today we start over. Are you ready? My weight this morning was 218.0 lbs. Bleck. But it is what it is.

The past is the past and I can't change it. I can only go forward. And forward is exactly where I'm headed.

I went to the gym today and did 6 miles on the recumbent bike. I hate that thing, I don't feel like I get a good workout, but it's good for my leg and helps my foot. I have to be smart about this ~ at least that's what I keep telling myself. After the bike I got up and went to the treadmill. What was that about being smart??

So, here we go. Who's with me?

Statistics

So it's time for my statistics. I'm also doing another midweek weigh in now that I've kicked TOM to the curb. So, are you ready? I'm officially changing my last declaration and stating, that YES, in fact, I HAVE lost weight during the week of Thanksgiving! WooHoo!

My weight in this morning was 212.0 That's a .6 lb loss since last Wed. I'll take it!!

Now, on to the statistics :)

• Starting Weight: 225.2/212.0
• Height: 5'5"/5'5"
• Starting BMI: 37.5 (Obese)/35.3
• Bust measurement: 48"/47"
• Waist measurement: 48"/40"
• Hips measurement: 51.5"/47.5"
• Biceps measurement: 12.5"/12"
• Thighs measurement: 23.5"/22.5"
• Body Fat Percentage: 53%/48.8%

That's a total of 14.5 inches lost. 14. 5 inches of me that no longer exist!! Check out my waist and hips! WooHoo!

Weekly Weigh In

Well, it's the moment of truth. How did you do over the holiday weekend? I didn't do too bad as far as calories go ~ I only went over twice. Friday I went over majorly. I figured out the calories in my homemade stuffing only after having eaten a metric ton of it. Not a good idea. The, stuffing was made with cheap white bread, so you can imagine the cravings that triggered! I couldn't say no to the apple pie so I had a second slice again on Friday. However, on Saturday morning, in a moment of strength I pour some soured milk all over the pie and mangled it and then trew it in the trash. Thank God for small victories, right?

Then, as if Friday weren't bad enough TOM decided to stop by for a visit on Saturday. Lovely. I did ok with calories on Saturday, but I can't say I made the most nutritous choices. Then on Sunday I went over my calories by 59 and we had pizza for dinner.

So, all of this probably explains my weigh in results. Unfortunately this is not the year that I get to say I lost weight over Thanksgiving. However, I like to look at the big picture and I will not be a statistic this year. I will keep going and I will take off this weight ~ all of it. A little at a time.

Here we go: Today's weigh in results were 214.4. That's a total of 1.8 lbs gain from Wednesday and a gain of 1.2 from my last official weigh in.

I will be taking my measurements on Wed and I'll probably post my weight again. Hopefully TOM will decide to take a hike early and I'll be back on track so I can trust it'll be more of a true respresentation of what my weight really is.

Peace Out, peeps. I'm headed to the gym!

Midweek Weigh In

I'm only on here for a bit, I'll try to post some more later today. But I wanted to check in with you all to see how you are doing with your challenge. We had a few more joiners, so I'll update the list this afternoon.

I decided to weigh myself this morning just to see and are you ready for this? 212.6. Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnn......WooHoo! That's over half a pound since Monday.

Ok, I'm heading to the gym (can't do the Turkey Trot I was planning because our area is covered in a solid sheet of ice!!). One hour step class here I come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving blogland!!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy Hell, it's Monday again?! How does this keep happening?

So, how has your week been? Have you kept up on your commitment for the "Double Up on Healthy Seconds Challenge"? Kris over at Eclipsed is celebrating her 1 year anniversary today for her weightloss journey and she wrote an amazing post on commitment and consistency. It really touched me and you should click on over and read it.

So, for this week's results:

Today's weigh in results were 213.2 That's a 2 lb loss over last week. And a total weight loss of 12 lbs.

Weekly Weigh In....

In the past week I:

• have worked out a total of one time
• have bought and returned a new pair of running shoes (but have not actually run)
• have spent more time in bed than out of it
• have been puked on more times than I can count
• indulged in a birthday dinner from which I still haven't fully recovered
• have used my inhaler more than I have in the last year
• have consumed more canned "condensed" soup than I have in probably my lifetime

So, it's no wonder that today's weigh in was 215.2. That's a 1.8 lb gain over last week and makes a 10 lb total loss overall.

Considering the week I've had, I'll take it. I'm relieved that I haven't crossed back over the 10 lb milestone. I plan to start the work outs back up today with a nice easy jog around my neighborhood.

Oh, and today started the official holiday meal planning. Oiy.

Weekly Weigh In

So, it's Monday again. These weeks just keep on ticking by, don't they? How the hell did it get to be November already? Seriously?

Well, I don't have much to say so I guess I'll just get to the numbers. I know that's why you're all here anyway, right? HA!

This week's weight is 213.4 lbs. That's a .8 lb loss over last week and a total of 11.8 lbs lost. I'll take it. And I'll smile and I'll be happy with it :)

That's it folks. I ain't got much to say right now (but I'm sure I will later!) Happy Monday!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy weigh in, Batman! It's Monday already? Say it isn't so!! How has been a week and I haven't posted at all?!
Not only was this weekend Halloween, but it was also the first swim meet hosted by my son's swim program. That made for a very busy weekend for the swim parents. My son only swam on Sunday, but I was up at the meet working all day on Saturday.
I've been totally exhausted for the last two weeks. At first I blamed it on TOM, but then he left and I was still exhausted. Looking back, and talking to my husband, I've pretty much decided it's my diet.
I've been out of control with the Halloween candy, pumpkin cookies and other goodies that have found their way into my home. I've been working out, but I haven't been counting calories, nor have I been making the wisest choices. It's time to buckle down again and focus on my next goal. Thankfully, this week my life settles back down and we have nothing on the schedule other than our ordinary weekly events (and trust me, that's ENOUGH!)
Unfortunately, this is also the last week of my grocery budget (our months go from the 8th to the 8th) and I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to get by without dipping into our "general fund". So, as much as I'd love to stock up on lots of wholesome, organic, yummy goodness I'm going to have to prioritize and make some comprosmises this week. Hrmph....
Ok, so having said aalllllll of that, let's move on to the weigh in.
I completely expected to step on the scale this morning and see a number upwards of 217 or so....but to my surprise, my weight this morning was 214.2. That's a 2.6 lb loss from last week and a total weightloss of 11 lbs. I have no idea how I pulled that off, but as my husband says "Don't question it, just step off the scale and run with it." That's exactly what I'm going to do. Except it's raining again....and I still haven't gone shopping! Blargh....

Weekly Weigh In...

....and some progress pictures. So, it's Monday and I haven't posted an actualy Weekly Weigh In in several weeks. *sigh*

Today's weight was 216.8. That is a 2 lb gain from my last official weigh in. For a total loss of 8.4 lbs.

I seem to keep losing and gaining the same two pounds. And now I know why. I set a goal to lose 10 lbs. I got my picture in my head, I said my affirmations. I was all set. And then I lost 10 lbs. My reality finally matched the picture in my head and my brain was happy.

Lou Tice taught me that my brain will stop when the goal is met; when reality matches the picture. In order to keep going, I must goal set through my initial goal. Breaking larger goals down into smaller, more comfortable goals is a fabulous habit, however, I must remember to sent new goals as I approach my current ones. Someone forgot to do that.....Hhhmmm....I wonder who that was? I became so focused on reaching that 10 lb milestone that I totally forgot. Next goal? 10 more lbs. 205 lbs.

Here I am in July 2010 (can't remember exact date and too lazy to look it up right now). At that time, 20 minutes on a recumbent bike was the best workout I could manage. Over three months later and here I am now:

Post workout this morning. I'm not sure there is much of a difference, as far as I can see. But I can feel a difference. This morning I spent two hours at the gym. I ran two miles on the treadmill, then went upstairs to a strength class and increased my weights this week for the first time since starting this class.

And here is my go to snack to keep with me while we're running errands.....

Weekly Weigh In

Well Happy Monday everyone! Things have been awfully quiet around here and I have to admit, I let the bloggy break transfer into a break from working out, eating well and making good healthy choices. It wasn't too bad, but ever since we went camping in Aug I seemed to have a hard time getting back onto the calorie counting wagon.

Well, I'm BACK! I'm a regular at the gym again and I'm logging everything into Livestrong and well, it's paying off ~ to say the least!

Are you ready for this? This morning's weight was 214.8. WooHoo! That's a 2.2 lb loss over my last official weigh in. That brings me to a total loss of 10.4 lbs. I FINALLY hit the 10 lb mark. WooHoo!!

Oh yea, I'm back. I'm so very back!!

Blogging Break

I didn't post yesterday's weigh in because, well, it just wasn't worth talking about. All this week my weight has been up and down. I'm hovering right around 216.5 or so. It's been as high as 217 and as low as 215.8.

I was going to say I'm considering this a plautea, but it's not. It's me being lazy. I haven't counted calories, I've hardly worked out (although that's a function of my schedule, not laziness). I'm just not working as hard at this as I was in the beginning.

My mom is in town this week and while I know there will be temptations all around me (out to dinner, birthday cake, alcohol, etc...) I will make the best choices that I can.

I'm still running and completed Week 6 Day 2 yesterday. From here on out on the program there are no more walking breaks. I have three 25 minute runs, then three 28 minute runs and then the full 30 minute runs.

The Hubs and I are doing a 5K this weekend. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

So, while the blog may be quiet while I'm hanging out with my mom, know that I am still on track and I'll be back sometime next week!

Enjoy, peeps!!

Weekly Weigh In & Race Report

I've been trying to find a way to put off writing this post. All morning I've been avoiding blogger and reading blogs. I can't put it off any longer. This isn't a fun post to write....

Today's weigh in results are 217.0 lbs. That makes for a 1 lb gain over last week. That is a total loss of 8.2 lbs.

I got complacent. I haven't counted a single calorie since the camping trip and I ate like crap all weekend. I didn't full out binge, but I ate too much of the bad stuff and not enough of the good stuff.

I'm disappointed. Not in the weigh in result, but in myself. Those pictures in my head can be hard to change. After awhile it gets hard to fight those pictures and replace them with new ones. But I'm not discouraged. I'm going to keep on keeping on. I've got my head on straight and I'm back to counting calories. Starting NOW.

The 5K race yesterday didn't happen. Well, the race happened, but not with me in it. The logistics simply got too out of control. The race was two hours away from my house and my husband was out of town this weekend. We were to spend the night at my inlaws house the night before, but my inlaws were out of town so we'd be there alone. I would have had to wake the boys up at 6:00 am and the weather was being a little unpredictable. I wasn't sure if my friend's husband was going to be there to watch my boys (he was going to stay home if it rained) and I didn't want to have to go through all of that and end up not being able to run if no one was there to watch the boys.

Of course, the weather ended up being absolutely perfect and everyone was there as planned ~ except me. Oh well. There is another 5K race in our town in two weeks. My mom will be in town for Little Dude's birthday so she is going to play with the kids at the park while my husband and I participate in our first 5K together.

I officially graduate from the C25K program in mid October and I'll be back in my hometown for the weekend, so I'm also running a 5K there with some highschool friends.

It's all good. A missed race does not define me (and neither does a 1 lb gain) and it does not mean my journey is over. Peace out, peeps!