Final Stretch of Phase 2... Week 10

After a 3 week break from seeing my dietitian I finally got to see the damage my vacation did to my weight loss. Since my last weigh in I lost a whole POUND! Ha.. Didn't even think I was going to lose anything. Totally thought I was going to gain a ton of weight. So as of today I have officially hit my goal weight of 120 lbs!!!! I am totally happy and ecstatic! So how did this happen? You mean to tell me after my Miami vacation of nothing BUT DRINKING, EATING, and LAYING in the sun, did I lose 1 lb??? I'm not sure how this happened but I think that I probably lost the pound in the last 2 weeks or maybe even this last week.

As soon as I got back from Miami (after not working out for 4 straight days) I hit the gym as hard as I could and I went right back to eating the way I should be. However after all of that good food and drinking, I kind of fell back into some old habits. What I realized was that I could maintain and add things back into my life that I really enjoyed, like having a drink. So I continued to keep my calorie count low and work out but let myself eat just about anything. I've been eating chips, popcorn, and drinking. I think that this is what maintenance is about. Finding that good balance of doing the things you like and not driving yourself crazy. I tell ya, my sanity is back to normal.

I do want to challenge myself to lose another 5 lbs to hit my ideal weight. So I am going to bring myself back to week 8 in phase 1 (if you remember I lost 4 lbs that week) and try to maintain that until the end of the program. I believe if I stay active and bring back tons of veggies in my diet then I can lost those last 5 lbs. It will force me not to have any junk or drinks at least for the next couple of weeks (starting Monday of course :-) ). After 6 months of this program that shouldn't be a problem, or will it? I just got a taste of what regular life was like. So let's just hope I have enough in me to just pull these last 2 weeks out of my ass.

So what is my plan after this? I want to stay active, for the first time in my life I was able to run 50 minutes on the treadmill! I did it in increments. Started at 8 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 12 minutes, then went a whole 20 minutes! I think my knee is finally healed. I don't want to jinx myself so I'm going to take it easy and only run once or twice a week. I have to make sure I keep an eye on my calorie count as well. I've heard that after this program people think they're ok and start increasing their caloric intake and then stop working out. Then they start to gain the weight back. I am optimistic that I won't. I hear that meal tracking and physical activity is the key to keeping it off. SO I think I will do just that. At the very least doing some kind of workout everyday for 30 minutes 5 days a week. The food part is easy. I've made dramatic changes in the way I eat and the way the family eats so this should be a no brain-er.

My last blog post on the program will come at the end of June. I will have a series of appointments that will do my total body assessment just like when I first started the program. I will give you all of my final numbers and measurements. Wish me luck!

Half Way Mark of Phase 2 Measurements

BMI: 24.4 Total Lost = 6.3

Circumference Measurements:

Neck = 12.5"
Total Lost = 1.5"

Chest = 32"
Total Lost = 6"

Waist = 27"
Total Lost = 11"

Hips = 34.75"
Total Lost = 7.5"

Biceps = 11"
Total Lost = 2.5"

Thighs = 19"
Total Lost = 6"

Phase 2 Week 6

So it's now been 6 weeks into phase 2. I can't believe that 6 weeks has already passed. This week lost another 3.5 lbs. So my weight to date is now 121. I am almost at my goal weight which was when I started 120. My new ideal goal weight is 115. I think that I should be able to hit it by the end of phase 2 which is another 6 more weeks.

I am a little afraid that I will have a major set back. This set back is going to be my vacation in Miami. I am going to celebrate with my cousin b/c she's gettin married in August! YAY! This little mini mommy vacay is what I've been referring to as my bender weekend. I am absolutely sure that alcohol will be my main source of nutrition for that entire weekend. This is very bad especially if I want to continue losing weight. This is going to be my toughest challenge yet. According to my goals I now have 6 more lbs to go to hit 115. if I have an entirely bad 4 days weekend (food included), it is possible that I could gain some lbs back. The WHOLE reason I started this program was to lose weight specifically for this vacation.. Now wouldn't that be ironic if I did all of this hard work just to gain some of it back on this damn trip.

I have a plan mapped out for this but you know once alcohol is involved all kinds of things go out the window. So I'm hoping that I can at the very least maintain eating well while drinking. If not, I will have to do some SERIOUS making up for it when I get home. I am going to try and work out at least twice while I'm down there. If I can manage that then I should be good to go.

Despite all of this I do have something to celebrate. Even though I pigged out last week for 3 straight days I still lost weight. This was tough. Once Monday hit I was back on track and working out EXTRA hard. I even think I am going to add an extra day just to stay on top of things. I really need to make sure that I can maximize my workouts just in case I need to if I can't work out next week.

Goal for this next couple of weeks, maintain weight and or if I can by some miracle lose a lbs....

Week 4 of Phase 2.

Today marks the 4th week in phase two for me. 8 more weeks left to go for the total program. I'm starting to feel like I'm slowing down but also part of me feels like everything is really part of my routine. I am almost out of the honeymoon stage but I am trying to keep my motivation up and stay here as long as I can. There are a few things that are actually good that I am able to focus positive energy on.

I weight in today and lost a total of 4 lbs. That is 2 lbs per week since my last weight in. My weight today is now 125lbs. That is 5 lbs away from my goal weight and 10 lbs away from my ideal weight!!!! I am VERY excited about that. I didn't think I was going to lose weight at all this time. I totally expected it to be either no weight lost or that I actually might have gained a pound.

Here is why.. I went on vacation!!! I actually was really good for the most part. I did plan in one day/night of cheating and it was the GREATEST thing ever. NO guilt.. it was nice. I had drank a bottle wine (yes bottle), at half of a pastrami sammy, a bag of jalapeno cheetos (if you've never had them, you have to try them), and half a donut... All of this pretty much equaled about 2600 calories in one sitting. DAY'AM! That's more than half of what I've been eating on a typical day. It was OH SO GOOD. I didn't feel the best the following day but you have realize my body was probably in a little bit of shock. My dietitian says that since I was really good before and jumped right back on after that's what helped me lose weight. Having a couple of higher calorie meals is not bad for you. It can actually help. Hummm, maybe I try this more often???

Today my dietitian says that since we are in phase two I can start adding starchy veggies, wine, and desserts. NOW she's not promoting desserts, but she says she is informing me of my choices. I was actually surprised to find out that a lot of the things I was eating before aren't that bad for you. Things like skinny cow ice cream sandwhiches (again if you haven't tried them, you should). I also found out that Trader Joe's has this thing call the no pudgy brownie mix. I just might have to try it. She recommended that I only have desserts once or twice a week. It's considered an extra and you don't want too much. This might slow down my weight loss.

So what's in store for me.. Well my son's 1st birthday is coming up. I am going to PIG my little heart out. I can't wait! YUMMMMMM.. This day will also be my first debut since I've lost most of the weight. I anticipate that people are going to freak out a little. That's ok, I'm ok with that. I just have to remind people that I'm just back to normal. Not that I was ALWAYS so big that I just lost weight. :-)

Phase 2 week 2...

This week has been tough! My workouts are getting harder and my trainer seems to be pushing me a little harder. I think the reason is because now I only see her twice a week so she is really trying to cram everything in. She put me on a bike on Monday and I swear I nearly gave up. I think I only said twice this whole program that I couldn't do something and Monday was the 2nd. She put me on the bike with this hill program and set it at level 8. She told me that this bike was much harder than the regular bikes we use. Level 8 on this bike is like level 13 on the other bikes. On our usual bikes she put it on level 10 the week before and it was the hardest I had worked on the bike!!!! Best to say that I was BEAT by the time I was done. She also has me lifting free weights now. This is nice, I like it much better than the weight machines. You can feel a lot more control in your movement and muscle isolation.

I lost 2.2 lbs the last 2 weeks. I think it had something to do with the bread that I had added back into my diet. I ate it the first week but didn't eat any of it 2nd week. This week we decided to continue with the whole grains but instead of bread we are trying whole wheat couscous, wild and brown rice, and maybe quinoa. I tried the whole wheat couscous last night and I actually liked it. I've lost weight before while eating these things so I think I should be good. When I first added the whole wheat bread it didn't quite agree with me. It felt heavy and almost made me feel a little more bloated than usual.

I've always been in tune with my body, but more so now. It's strange how I can feel what things irritate my body. That is why food elimination is great. You can see how you do with certain foods. This helps you understand how your body reacts and what is not good for you when you're trying to lose weight. I think that the bread will be good for me when I've hit my goal weight. It's the same situation as tofu. It helps me maintain but not lose weight.

It's been a lot more difficult to work out 3 times a week by myself. I think it takes more motivation and dedication to workout on my own more. It was pretty easy with just two days. It was good to meet with the trainer 3 times a week. Now that I only have her twice a week I feel like I have this opportunity to slack a bit. It takes a lot more focus to get myself into gear to get that extra day in without her having to help me along. I'm working on it, let's hope I drop down to 4 days a week. My workouts on my own are difficult because I have to do 60 minutes of cardio and then lift weights on my own. It's hard to stay on machines for that amount of time. Sometimes you just feel beat and tired. With my trainer she is there to help encourage me and push me along. I have to get my head right.

Phase 1 DONE!!!!!

Phase 1 is OVER... Although I would be happy to say that the work is over but it still isn't. I have about 10 more lbs to lose to hit my goal weight. My ideal goal weight is 15 lbs away. For now I will just focus on that 10 lbs. If I get to the 15lb mark I will be ecstatic!

No weigh in today because my dietitian appointments have moved to every other week. So moving forward my blog posts will probably start being every other week. There probably won't be as much to report weekly because I won't have that weekly progress check.

I am now 2 days into Phase 2. My trainer on day 1 of Phase 2 really kicked my ass. Now that we're in the second phase we have a little more freedom to work on lifting weights. She has me doing free weights which is really nice. So let's see how tone I can get between now and June.

Here are my current stats. It's amazing, looking at the overall picture really helps you understand how much your body changes over the course of time. My average was about 2.1 lbs a week.

Weight:

Starting Current Total
157 131 26

Measurements:

Starting Current Total

BMI:
30.7 25.7 5

Neck:
14" 12.5" 1.5"

Chest:
40.5" 33.5" 7"

Waist:
38" 29" 11"

Hips:
42.25" 36" 6.25"

Biceps:
13.5" 11.5" 2"

Thighs:
25" 20.5" 4.5"

My goal for next week is to hopefully break out of the 130's and be somewhere in the 126-128 range. If I can hit that I know I will be ready to hot my goal weight and start adding "real life" things back into my diet. If I hit that goal next week.. I will not have weighed in this range since my first trimester with SHAY!!! WOW.. It seems like forever ago when I was able to fit into a size smaller than what I've been wearing for the last 4 years. Super excited!

Almost DONE! Week 11 Over...

This week... 3.1 lbs LOST! I can't believe it. I thought I was at the point where losing weight was going to get harder and harder and this week brings me right back into my honeymoon stage!! This week was a reminder that if I pay enough attention to what I'm doing I have total control over my progress.

What did I do differently this week you may ask... Well I went back to the old program I was doing when I first started this. The last couple of weeks I think I got really comfortable with eating less food but with higher calories. Last week I mentioned that my dietitian said I could dip down to 1000 calories if I could handle it. Well that's exactly what I did this week. And it worked! When I really thought about it, I guess I was only eating less than 1200 in my earlier weeks. The reason I opted for less food with higher calories was because eating a bunch of salads and protein was just TOO much food. I realized though this week that, that was probably the key to losing more weight this week.

It was NOT easy though. 1000 calories ain't NO JOKE! It was tough selecting the right food so that you can get more bang for your intake. What I found myself doing was eating a whole bag salad for dinner with my protein and adding fruit. The volume of food increased but the caloric intake was relatively minimal. I stayed fuller longer (sometimes). Some days I was hungrier than others. I did have one high calorie day which was Tuesday. I indulged in cheese! Full FAT and everything cheese. It was SOOO good. That was OK, it wasn't bad that I did that. My dietitian seems to thinks that more fat probably helped me lose more weight. I worked out less this week as well. I am still trying to rehab my knee. So I actually rested 3 days last week and did a TON of walking.

So I will continue on this path for my last week in phase 1. I will consider myself in phase 1 until I hit my goal weight. If I can keep up this trend I should hit my goal weight in 3 weeks. So my goal for this week is to lose another 3 lbs. I hope it's possible. We added the last stage oh phase 1 which is whole grains. I will make a run to the store and buy some of those Orewheat thins. They are about 100 calories per serving. I hope that this does not slow my weight loss. We will see. Have to introduce it slowly to see how my body reacts. Let's hope it's all positive.

Next week I will have my measurements and to date weight loss. Till next week!!!

Week 10 done....

Again not a whole lot to report this week. I can't wait for phase 1 to be over. 2 more weeks. I was hoping to have hit my goal weight by the end of the 12 weeks but that's not going to happen. Another 1.6 lbs lost this week. I am at the point where my weight loss is slowing down. This happens to everyone. I'm just glad I haven't plateaued. 1.6 lbs is a pretty big deal. Most people at my height and weight need to take in about 400 calories to lose 2 lbs a week.

So what does this mean you ask.. NO ONE can survive off of 400 calories. This means that my physical expenditure (working out, walking, etc..) is high enough to help me lose weight. My average metabolic expenditure (I think that's what it's called) is 1245. That means if I was to do NOTHING at all but sit on my ass all day. My body burns 1245 calories just to function. That means to pump my heart, breath, move my arms, etc... this is also how many calories I would need to eat at day to just purely maintain my weight. Crazy huh.

Now look at the total package. If I eat between 1200-1400 calories and my metabolic expenditure without working out is 1245.. You guessed it.. Not going to lose weight. However since I am working out; I am burning somewhere between 400-600 extra calories on top of the 1245. To make it even more complicated I am also walking about 5,000-10,000 steps a day. That burns another 200 calories. So if my workout average is let's say 500+1245+200= 1945 calories a day I burn. NOW.. Subtract what I eat 1945-1300 = 645 calories. So if 1 lb of fat is 3500 calories you would essentially need to burn that much to lose 1 lbs of fat. I am doing that! The point is 1.6 lbs is something to be proud of and not disappointed.

No new food this week. I have a bad cold so no adding anything extra. My knee is bugging me still. I think it "might" be getting worse but we'll see how my orthopedic appointment goes. I am also going to try and reduce my caloric intake to 1000. My dietitian suggested that if I try to keep my caloric intake to around an average of 1000 then I might lose more weight. As long as I keep up my physical activity. I will set a goal for myself next week to lose 2 lbs. It will be tough considering it will be Raines' birthday and we are going to go eat somewhere.. Yummm I can't wait.

Another Week Down...

Not a whole lot to report this week. Only lost 1.2 lbs which is still good but not what I would like to see. I had a ton of sodium last night so that may have contributed (plus aunt flow is in town). I did lap swimming today which could have increased my water retention. SO who knows, it maybe a combo of things or maybe I just really only lost a pound. Next week will show whether or not it was truly me or other factors.

I added Think Thin bars this week. They are a little pasty and I'm not a fan. They are really filling and a good snack because they are high in protein. I just don't like the texture and if you know me I'm a texture person. This week I will try the Odwalla Super protein and the Zing bars. I hear Zing's are really good and that they really feel like a treat.

Workouts this week have slowed a bit. I have to do a LOT less high impact due to my knee issues. My knee is still bothering me. Some how some way I hyper-extended it so I have to wrap it or wear a brace. I tried to buy a small brace but it was just still too big. So low impact for now... I will get back to running soon.

My good friend who started the program last week lost 8 LBS in week one!!! GO GIRL! That's great. You will only continue to lose weight. Keep up the good work and you will see results really fast!

This week my plan is to increase my number of steps. So on the days that I work out get 10k in and on the days I don't I want to get 15k in. This calculates out to 10k = 5 miles or 90 minutes in the treadmill and 15k is 6 miles and 90 mins + extra walking after work. It sounds like a lot but you don't really notice the extra work. On an average day I walk 5k. That's just doing my regular day to day stuff. Walking around the office, picking up at home, and just moving. Any movement counts as burring calories!! If you want to go for a walk let me know and I'm always down for that..

Til next week..

Week 8 and Only 4 More to GO GO GO!!!!

Total pound-age lost = 20
Starting Weight on 1/13/10 = 157.5
Today's Weight on 3/12/10 = 137.7

I didn't think I would lose this much weight in 2 months! I am very proud of myself. I'm officially (roughly) at the weight I was just before I got pregnant with Kai! I am at officially my pre-baby weight before #2... NOW the next goal is to get to pre-baby weight before #1... I still have about 20-25 lbs more to lose. I will most likely not be able to lose this all in phase 1 but I'm OK with that. I still have phase 2 which I can use to help me lose the rest of my weight. SO there is nothing bad about that.

This week I lost 2.6 lbs. I added hummus to my diet. I found this really really good one that I LOVE from Trader Joe's. It's the Cilantro and Jalapeno hummus. SO GOOD! Doesn't really taste like cilantro but it has a little kick from the jalapenos. I know it's good cuz Shay likes it and ate it with me!

My trainer kicked my ASS this morning. Mental note to self and a warning to everyone else.. If your trainer tell you she/he has an obstacle course for you to do, RUN.. and RUN AWAY FAST!

Obstacle course setup: ladder, hurdles, bench, and this thing called a BSU (both side up, I will explain). She laid down the ladder and put the hurdles next to them about 2 feet apart and there were 6. Then she put this BSU thing on the ground and the bench next to that. This BSU thing looks like a half ball. It's nice and puffy and soft on one side and flat and hard on the other side. You can use it for core strength and balance etc..

Before the obstacle course she had me do 15 push-ups, 15 bench press type things (where your legs are in front and you lift your butt using your arms like you're sitting on the floor) and then 20 squats. for two repetitions.

Obstacle course: 1st round: I had to hop on 1 foot down the ladder (in between the foot things). Then over to the hurdles (hurdles were only about 6 - 8 inches high) with the same foot. Then run over to the BSU with that same foot on the top of the bubble part and do 5 squats each side and jump up in between each set to make a set of 20. Then crawl (yes crawl) under the bench and then get up an crawl under again but only using my arms the second time. For those of you who haven't crawled on a basketball court before I don't suggest it. My knees and elbows are all messed up (floor burns, I know what you're thinking and STOP it, LOL) Then REPEAT with the other foot! As soon as that was done she made me crab walk all the way from one side of the basket ball court and then bear crawl on the way back to the other side.

2nd ROUND: Pretty much the same thing with the hurdles and the ladder. This time she flipped the BSU over to the flat part and I had to do 15 push-ups while balancing on this thing. THEN I had to instead of crawl under the bench, I had to do leg lifts. 15 on each side. So step up on to the bench and back down.... then REPEAT.. Then crab walk and bear crawl back.

3rd ROUND: Same with the ladder and hurdles but this time hop on both feet. Then on the BSU I had to tap my way around the bubble with my toes going around once then back the other way. Then back to crawling under the bench. Crab walk and then bear crawl..

Do you think she was done??? NOOOOOO... Lunges with arm and shoulder resistance (a band) and She had me lift weights and do some resistance training... I know that I will be VERY VERY sore later and for sure over the weekend. She really did kick my ASS... I have to remind myself that it will be all worth it in the end. No pain no gain.. YEAH right.. That's bullshit but it helps you get thru it!

Food:

I tried a new faux fettuccine recipe this week. My sister had told me that her friend Max made this amazing fettuccine. WELL it had me thinking I wanted some. So what I did was I took Shirataki Noodles, Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese (creamy), salt, pepper, and I can't believe it's not butter spray. Mix that all together and you have fettuccine. Well at the very lease some yummy cheesy noodles!! If you don't know what Shirataki noodles are basically they are noodles made from tofu. about 20 calories per serving with very little fat or carbs. You can get away with eating a whole package with little impact. You can buy this at whole foods.

Upcoming week:

Well this weekend is the Pacquiao fight. I really want to watch it but it will be surrounded with food and alcohol. Two things I love and well have to stay away from. So we'll see.

Bye Bye Week 7..

Week 7 is now finally over. I lost 2.5 lbs this week. Not as good as I would have hoped but I think it had a lot to do with all the sodium I had at dinner last night. Typically if you have a ton of sodium right before you weigh in, it will show you didn't lose weight or lost less. So hopefully next week will be a better week. My good friend Tanya is going to start the program and I wanted to give her a SHOUT OUT!! Go Girl! You can do it! I can help you if you need help!

This week I get beans added. I HATE beans but I do like hummus so that means I can have that. I will add it in to see how it goes. I'm really comfortable with how I'm eating now so adding something take time for me to adjust. This is stage 6. There are 7 stages total and the last stage is grains. I can't wait for that, that means I get to have RICE!!! Well brown rice, but still RICE none the less. I am excited for that. Just about 1 more month to go on the program.

I have a little rant... My knee has been bothering me lately. It's sore and tender to the touch. Slightly to the left of my knee cap on my right leg. After hurting for a few weeks (yes I waited that long) I finally went to see my chiropractor. I made a physical therapy appt at the proclub just in case. Thought 2 opinions is always better than one. Well I went in with my chiropractor (which he kicks ass by the way, he's great!) after about 2 minutes he makes his diagnosis and does what he does and tells me what I need to do after. GREAT! Problem solved. I decided to see the PT guy anyway just to see if he agrees with my chiropractors diagnosis. OH god where do I begin... This guy was a total IDIOT! He was trying to figure out what was wrong. He looked at me half an hour later and said you're a mystery! What? Are you serious? Are you kidding me? He could NOT tell why my knee was bothering me and what the hell was going on. SO I decided to educate him on what my chiropractor told me and guess what.. He agreed and said that's about right. WHAT? I just told you my diagnosis and you're going to take that? You must not have been able to get a "REAL" job as a PT person so you are working here. GREAT I hope that not all the PT's are like that at the proclub. So safe to say I don't have a follow up appointment with him and I don't think I will be going back to the proclub for PT...


On a lighter note, this week I learned how to bake my own muffins using the protein powder packets that they have for this program. It has now officially saved me at least $25 dollars a week! I typically have a muffin with peanut butter and strawberries for breakfast and one for a snack. I tell you the stuff they sell at the gym, although convenient and perfectly portioned.. is a RACKET! So I've decided to try a few new recipes this week and hopefully those go well. I will share them with the ladies in my group session on Monday.

Next week will be my 8th week so I will have all of my current stats up to date.

Week Six... Over

Not much to report this week. Things are business as usual. Nothing has really changed this week. I did get regular yogurt added to my diet which it not a big deal, since I don't eat much of it anyway.

Lost 3 lbs this week, mostly due to taking tofu out of my diet. I am trying to bake my own protein powder muffins to help save me some $$$. I just pulled them out of the oven and we'll see how well I did.

My goal for March until the end of the program... Get into the 120's! This is my last month in phase 1. so we'll see how things go.

Week 5 Done... Just Started Week 6 - Half way there?

Overall Stats

Lbs Lost = 13
Body Fat % N/A
BMI Loss = 1.7

Circumference Measurements
Neck - Lost 1"
Chest - Lost 5.25"
Waist - Lost 6.75"
Hips - Lost 2.5"
Biceps - Lost 1.25"
Thighs - Lost 2.75"

This week was a tough one with food. I got a little too creative and over thought my meals. I totally took shakes out and replaced it with food. BIG mistake.. The sheer volume of food that it takes to make my daily count was enormous! I was eating at least 3 times more food than I ever ate not on the program. Just to give you an example one night I ate 9 ounces (yes 9) of tofu, 3 cups of veggies and half a cup of fruit! This day I had a hard time getting to 1000 calories! Can you imagine eating all of that food. It was tough I barely could finish it.

I did only lose 1.5 lbs this week. Not quite what I like to hear. We did notice though that I had tons of tofu this week. According to my dietitian tons of people have problems losing weight when eating a lot of tofu. So note to self NO MORE tofu. Once a week is OK, but I had it 3 times this week so that is probably the problem. I was/am extremely bloated from my monthly visitor as well so that didn't help.

The key thing to remember here is go back to eating the way I was last week when I lost 4 lbs. My body likes veggies and good old MEAT! Chicken, beef, and egg whites. I think I will stick to that from now on. That is the one thing about this program that is great. You get to learn what types of food is right for your body. By watching the weekly change it helps you prepare for what your maintenance period will look like. It will also help you make better choices after the program completes. I am fortunate to know that tofu and protein bars are weight loss kryptonite for me.

Exercise was good this week. My trainer kicked my ass this morning with legs. So as you guessed it my legs are killing me right now. SORE SORE SORE... Til Next Week..

First Month Done... Two More to GO!

It's officially been an entire month since I started this program. It actually has gone by REALLY REALLY fast. I thought that it was going to go by dreadfully slow, but it hasn't. This is a GOOD thing. Weight in today and lost 4 lbs this week!

Starting weight = 157.5
Weight after 1 month = 146
Total; = 11.5 lbs to date lost.

I can't believe I've lost 11.5 lbs. I'm hoping it only gets better. The last few weeks I really didn't feel like I lost a ton of weight but after stepping on that scale I was seriously beside myself. I did exactly what my trainer suggested, I did what I was suppose to with my workout schedule. This week I feel rested and renewed. My body wasn't hating me today like it usually does on Friday's. I ate a ton more food and only had 1 shake this week. I add a ton of variety to my meals which is making is a lot more enjoyable for me now.

I hope I can keep this up. I don't want to psych myself out, so I stay humble about it and try not to focus on the weight loss. I just need to focus on the workouts and the meals. No new foods added this week. We are on a good roll and I like this. So here to another great MONTH!!!!

Some things I learned this week. I LOVE morning star sausage patties, trader joe's and whole foods!

Week 3 Over and Done..

This week was probably my toughest yet. I had to come to some pretty hard conclusions about the way I felt and how my body was talking to me. Since I started the program I had this mindset that the harder I work the more pounds will come off. WRONG!!!! All I was doing was exhausting myself. I might have even prevented some extra weight loss.

On Monday I woke up and felt pretty good. Sunday is my total rest day so I did nothing except for walk around the mall. I did my typical Monday, worked out with my trainer and then did a full workout by myself later in the evening before my group session. I went straight to bed and slept for 7 hours straight. I woke up Tuesday morning just dog tired. I couldn't wake up and I felt like I was driving half asleep. I just couldn't get myself to wake up. I threw myself on the machines and just pushed it as hard as I could for an hour and did really well. This week instead of 40 - 50 minutes by myself I have to do 60 minutes now. The rest of the day I was just exhausted, tired and fatigued. Woke up Wednesday and was still extremely tired. I met with my trainer and told her how I was feeling. I thought that it was just Tuesday's that were hard but I still felt this way on Wednesday which wasn't a good sign. Thursday morning was the WORST. I woke up and could barely get myself out of bed. Got to the gym and just wasn't feelin it at all. Walked for a bit and gave up. I was just too tired. Since I felt really out of it I decided to take a class to see if that would help. Did a cardio core class for about 45 minutes and then actually had a short nap in the sauna. This morning (Friday) I felt a little better but still exhausted.

My trainer had to tell me that it's my body's way of telling me that I'm just doing too much. So we decided I should actually follow the program. Workout with my trainer 3 days a week and work out on my own 2 days a week. Instead of working out twice on Monday and 6 days a week. TOO MUCH.. There is such a thing of too much of a good thing.

This week though good news I did lose 3 lbs!!! So I will try next week to see how things go and hopefully this weight loss will continue. I got fruit added into my meals! YAY! I can have just about any fruit I want, except for it has to be measured. It's been tough with the eating. I get extremely full at night so including my shake is hard. It takes me way over the top. I noticed that my body is starting to notify me of when I'm hungry on a schedule. So when I typically get hungry it will be around the normal times I eat. So I don't really feel hungry in between meals. I did cut out eating those nasty ass 20/20 bars. I noticed that I only lost 1.5 lbs last week. I think the bars were the problem. After cutting them out I lost double the weight. So that's a good thing to know.

Week 2 DONE...

Week two was a little easier as far as food is concerned. I could have veggies which opened a ton of more options for me. I decided to try the 20/20 protien bars.. BIG mistake.. They are chewy, pasty, and well for the lack of a better term.. Nasty... They don't taste bad but they leave this gritty film in your mouth that is just not appealing. I did try the chocolate mint one. This is a big surprise because I hate chocolate mint. But when you're starving and want something to eat, you'll eat just about anything (not really "anything"). It actually wasn't that bad. If I had to choose between the 3 flavors (Chocolate peanut butter, chocolate mint, and peanut toffee crunch) I would go with the chocolate mint. I don't know why but I would.

For the most part I ate spiniach and cabbage. I know what you're thinking... But it wasn't that bad. I did my extremely low sodium version of nelaga and it wasn't bad. For those of you who don't know what Nelaga is it's a Filipino dish comprised of chicken, cabbage, ginger, and tons of FLAVOR aka Salt and fat! I was actually happy with the results. I used a fat free low sodium chicken broth, a pinch of salt, ginger and chicken and it turned out pretty good. Or at least it seems since I didn't have much of a choice. It was either that or eat a spinach salad with chicken AGAIN.

My workouts have been good. Working out for at least 40 minutes on my own with my heart rate over 150. I am going to try and sneak in a few extra workouts during the week. I get two in on Monday's but I have time to kill sometimes between meetings so I can try to hit the gym, if time permits. My trainer did teach me how to play squash... Something I've never done before and this is now part of our regular routine. I'm having fun playing this traditionally white person's game.. :-) Hold on... Don't worry I'm not turning white or hoity toidy (did I spell that right?). It's fun and it's something better to do that jump on the machines which I do 4 times a week!

This week I got cheese added! Halleluiah! If you know me, you know how much I love cheese. Now this opens even more options for me! Example, now I can eat an omelette with cheese and veggies for breakfast (instead of my shake). I can have cottage cheese and berries for a snack (instead of my shake)... I am excited to be able to eat this. NOW... The only thing I will worry about is if I lose weight with this new addition. My dietician says that as long as I lose weight we can add things. If I don't we don't or we may even take some stuff out and replace it. So here's to week 3!!!!

Weighed IN!

Today was my weigh in day.....

Lost 3.6 lbs during week 1!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!

I can now have veggies to eat with my food! Thank goodness, I was really missing them. I can only have two servings during lunch and dinner but HELL that's better than nothing!

Here's to hoping I can keep losing the weight!

Week 1.... Down! Moving On..

Ok so week 1 has now officially PASSED (well until midnight tonight)! So far so good, I haven't weighed myself I will do that on Friday when I meet with my dietican.

Reflections: The first day wasn't as hard as I thought for eating. I was expecting it to be this oh so mighty difficult task but it wasn't. I did notice I was hungrier than I usually am. Who wouldn't be with only 4 shakes and 2servings of protien a day. The excersise on the other hand was tough. I hadn't been in the gym for months and my trainer kicked my ass.

As the days went on eating became more and more difficult. I am already tired of these damn shakes and 4oz's of protien is just NOT enough. I am not really satisfied at the end of any meal. I'm not hungry but I just want something really good and hearty.

I worked out everyday except for Sunday. My body is really hating me right now. My thighs, Butt, and Arms are just SO SORE. I haven't worked out like this is years. My trainer is great. She is a morning person and she is keeping me motivated. I had to workout all by myself on Tuesday. That I tell you was the hardest thing I have done in a long time. Group classes are fun and you have others to help motivate you. My trianer is there 3 days a week to motivate me. BUT when you're alone.. OH NO... You get bored and I easily could just give up. No one would know except for me if I really didn't workout for 45 minutes. It was tough, something I don't want to do often. My trainer is great because she is willing to switch it up. We don't have to do machines all the time. So this Friday she is going to teach me how to play squash. Now I know I can get a workout for playing squah. I really do hope that I can keep this up. I have been pretty tired this week as well. I haven't been able to get really good sleep. I did get one night of 7 straight hours, but I woke up tired like I needed more.

I'm not thinking about food as much as I was before but with all of the eating and snacking going on around me, it's hard not to fantisize about food and what I would LIKE to eat. This Friday I will get to add veggies into my diet! FINALLY something other than shakes and meat. I decided to be brave and try the 20/20 muffins that they have. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. I couldn't finish the whole thing. It kind of gave me this weird fullness that is kind of making me sick. It is a good alternative to the shakes but come on.. Nothing can replace a REAL muffin. I will add my next update on Friday.. Weigh-in day!!!

Day 1 Ready to Get Started... Sort Of...

Day one with my personal trainer and dietician. My personal trainer is great. She is nice and perky just what I need to get and keep me going in the mornings. I start at 6:15am so anything helps even if I don't totally like it. I am not a perky person by any means and I'm one of those half/half morning people. I can get up early and stay up but it doesn't mean I have to be nice to you! She can help keep me grounded and she seems fun, I like fun. She is actually a really flexible trainer as well. She says if I get bored of machines we can do other things like squash, kickboxing, or whatever else I would like to do. That helps me a TON I tell ya. I get really bored really fast just working out on machines. I like to interact and do different things. I think if I can fold that into my workouts I can last on this program.

Now there is the dietician meeting... Older lady sweet as hell and very nice. When she handed me the sheet of what I have to eat for week 1 I know I probably had this look on my face like "are you serious?". It was sort of expected but boy, I didn't think it would be that limited. I found a way to have candy like options which will help curb those sweet cravings. This week's menu: 4 Shakes and 8 Oz of protien. And yes that is all I get all day long for a week! I just finished a detox that was very similar so this shouldn't be difficult at all, so I am hoping. I started drinking my shakes last week so I'm finding things that I like and don't like

My first Group session was a bit boring. You learn a lot about people who are also in the program. It's actually kind of nice to hear that other people have issues just like I do. It mostly helps me with the "it could be worse" side of things. So if I ever start to complain, I can actually take a step back and look at others who have it harder than I do.

My first Physician's appoitment went well. My doctor is a really nice guy. I couldn't help but think to myself with the nice compliments and other things he was saying that you can't "bullshit a bullshitter!" All of his intentions were geniune though.

So far so good, let's hope I can keep this up. I have a really good support system in place and I think I will be successful. I will grip more next week or when I have something to say about not eating more food!

Week before week 1

My official start date for the 20/20 program is January 13th! This week has been all about getting me prepared for the program and of course paying for it.

During the program they assign you a number of people that you will be working with throughout your program. You get a personal trainer, nutritionist/dietician, counselor, and doctor. All of these people are suppose to help you through the program. For me I also have to attend an hour women's support group each week for 10 weeks. I see my trainer 3 times a week, my dietician once a week, my counselor during group once a week and 5 times over the entire program, and finally my doctor for testing and such 3 times throughout the program. It sounds like I will be spending just as much time with these people as I will with my family. CRAZY!

Recap of the last few days...

Monday: I met my counselor for the first time. She is really nice. She is suppose to be here to help me talk about the program. My difficulties, stresses, and whatever else is on my mind. This is a nice to have, but I probably could do without.

Tuesday: I went into gym to have them draw blood. The girl was really nice, but she was a little rough with my veins!

Wednesday: My initial physical assessment. I got to sign all of my contracts and PAY! The rest of the time I was measured, weighed, and asked specific questions about my medical history. I was tested on stretching, lifts, and measured my body mass. NOW this was nerve racking. They had me lay down on this big machine that basically scanned my entire body, line by line. This seemed like it took forever and I'm only 5 feet tall. The hardest part was that you had to sit still and make sure your hands and arms were as close to your body as possible. TOUGH! I then took a look at what I looked like and well... I was disgusted! Crazy what your body looks like when a machine in black/white/gray outlines your entire body mass. Thanks a LOT! He also took before photos. LORD I don't want to look at those.

I am looking forward to getting started. I will try to post up some before photos and some goal photos I have.

New Year...New Start...New Me!

Starting on January 11th I will begin all of my appointments to start the 20/20 Lifestyles weight loss program. I will be part of this program for the next 12 weeks with a 12 week maintenance period that follows.
My goal: To be bikini ready by May 22nd. Why? My cousin is getting married and we're going on a bridal trip to celebrate. I want to be able to wear a bikini again like I did before I had kids.
Current Weight as of January 1, 2010 155 lbs.
Goal weight: 115 lbs.

How did I get here? I got pregnant in 2004. I gained about 60 to 65 lbs (I stopped looking after a while). It took me about 3 years to drop nearly 50 lbs of that weight. Then in 2008 I got pregnant again with my second son. Trying not to gain 60 lbs again during this pregnancy proved harder than I thought. So I gained another 60 lbs. It's taken me 7 months to lose 40 lbs but I still have the lingering weight from my 1st pregnancy.

Why do I want to lose weight? I am not a person who has low self esteem or anything like that. I am actually a very confident person and self accepting. I just want to feel good about the way I look and in turn I will feel good overall. I want to be healthier and I want to set a good example for my kids. I have become less active and I am hoping that I will get back to having that youthful energy that I used to have. I want to be able to play with my kids and do the things I used to. I am also hoping to inspire my husband to jump on the healthy bandwagon!

Challenges I know I face... I Love to EAT! There is no doubt about that. I also love to drink. Rice and alcohol are my weakness. THESE will be my biggest obstacles. I just have to get past the next 12 weeks and I can start to add the things I love back into my diet. I do however have to make a lifestsyle change. That means changing the way I eat and doing it healthier.