Rippling Muscles

Not mine. I don't have any. Well ..... I don't have many. At least not yet.
Some day I'll have some. Some day I'll be covered in them. Just like my beautiful inspiration.


I began watching myself in the mirror while working out to ensure that I had good form; was doing the exercises properly. I continue to use the mirrors for that purpose as well. But now I also use the mirrors to watch some of my muscles bulge and ripple. Yep, some of them are starting to ripple!
I have never liked my calves. I have always thought they were too big. But they weren't fat so I didn't know WHAT to do about them. I still think they're too big, but I'm starting to like them - A LOT! They're getting a lot of definition and I love to watch them in the mirrors while I'm on the bicycle, treadmill, or elliptical - to watch my rippling muscles.

Ode to a New Scale, Part II - the follow up. . . by Jj

So I learned one more thing from my fancy schmancy scale yesterday . . . when wet, my hair holds onto over a half pound of water. And that is after towel drying. And to think I was wondering about the headaches. Silly me.

MJ

First of all, I just want to say "BOOYAYA*!!! Sister, you rock!" to Maria. I'm very impressed with the way you have handled everything in your life this week. I feel like sending you money for your last post about your milestone!! And I loved seeing Justin post a comment!

Now, back to my update. I had a regular kind of week as far as exercise goes. I'm happy to say that my hubby has been watching my progress and decided to be my fitness coach. He researches exercises for me and even works out with me sometimes! (Thanks, Babe!) My biggest challenge right now is the bore factor. I would love to do PX90 or something like that but my options are limited. I love Tony Horton by the way, I do his ab workout and it's great but the rest of the stuff is too much.

Water and vitamins are now a part of my lifestyle thanks our milestone program and so I'm going to move on to flexibility! Rach, let me know if you have any tips since this is also one of your focus areas!

Depositing $12 this week

*BOOYAYA is a butterfly form of the urban slang "booya." It still carries as much power and feeling as the old form but has evolved into a more feminine and empowered expression.

Ode to a New Scale, Part II . . . by Jj

Something seems to be in the air this week . . I've felt totally unmotivated and like I wasn't making any progress all week - and my feelings were right. Since I'm starting over with my new scale I have no idea if I've lost any weight but I will tell you this . . it's one of those fancy schmancy scales that measures my body fat, body water, muscle mass and bone mineral mass. And I learned way more about myself than I ever wanted to know (however, had the measurements been positive I probably would have been excited). Now I've got to figure out what all of them mean and what I need to change to make them better. Like for instance, I learned that within the last six months I went from just fine on the BMI scale - to disgustingly obese. All while fitting into the same jeans (although admitidly not comfortably). How does that happen?? Obviously I've lost muscle mass and gained fat to replace it . . but that will change. I refuse to jiggle in places I didn't know could. Of course, I don't think those scales are totally accurate either so I've got to weight myself everyday (ugh) and keep track of the numbers so I can figure out an average for the next month and then I'll be able to get a little more out of it.

Anyway, on to the minimal positives that I have for the week . . for the first time I didn't lose any significant inches that fit into my milestones, althougth I did lose them in random other places which I know cuz clothing is fitting differently - but that still doesn't make it any less depressing, by the way. But I did however accomplish one goal that I didn't think I'd reach for months . . .

On Saturday I ran an 8:12 mile! I totally passed my goal of a 9 minute mile by 48 seconds!

But now for the rest of the story . .

I was waiting for a phone call from my Mom who was waiting for me to join her at a wedding reception that evening so I took my phone with me in Chuck's backpack and had to stop and pause my timer to answer the phone half way through my run. So technically I had about a minute and a half break which gave me the chance to catch my breath and rest and then I was able to finish the mile in record time. So now I'm wondering . . does that count? Technically I did finish it and I did run the entire mile - just not in one stretch. So I'm taking a vote . . does it or does it not count as my milestone? If yes, then I'll be depositing $10 this week, and if no then it will just be $8. And as for my other new milestones . . One freakin day of not getting my 8 cups of water and fruits and veggies! I so need to be better on Sundays! So those two both started over again on Monday. One day I'll get on top of these things . . . (don't hold your breath, ladies).

It's been a rough week

I feel like that's my new motto. But hopefully, not for much longer. I expect that things will turn around very soon - and just in time for the holidays and all the wonderful holiday parties, family dinners, and neighbor gifts of cookies and chocolate and SUGAR!
I slacked off. I feel bad admitting to that after my last post. But I'm also motivated to make up for it! And I'll convince myself that's the difference between the old me and the new me. The old me would have put off the change until after Halloween, next Monday, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas, or until New Year. The new me is ready to start TODAY. I'll hit the gym even harder and longer than ever. And I'll get back on track with my diet and my on-line journal.
I'll be despositing $5.50 for the few workouts I got in and the few days I actually ate my fruits and/or veggies.

The first thing I have done this week ahead of time

I have been such a procrastinator this week! Signing in is the first thing I have done this week before it became crunch time!! I have worked out and didn't allow the unpredictability of life get in the way until Monday. I couldn't shake the overwhelming depression:( It didn't help that I stayed up until 4 am each reading because I couldn't sleep. So instead of exercising I laid on the couch! However, I did eventually get up to help a friend reupholster her chair. What a workout...my body hurts! We've been working on it for the past two afternoons and have barely made a dent. I was sweating and breathing hard as we pulled out staples. So I'm going to count both days as one work out. So I'll deposit $8 again this week.

New Milestone

This isn't the kind of milestone I get paid for. It isn't a milestone I listed on the side of the blog. But I feel it's a milestone worth noting anyway.
I have a good friend who's a competitive cyclist and works out 6 days a week. I can't remember exactly how he put it, but essentially he said that he can't go two days without working out because he feels yucky. I'd heard other people make similar statements and I didn't get it. I just couldn't understand that. I mean, that's crazy, right?
This past week, with my dad being in the hospital - the emotional toll his failing health and scary upcoming surgery has taken on me; my mom staying with me - the time and energy necessary to take care of her and get her where she needs to go; the Q4 sales meeting - the stress associated with making arrangements for that and making sure everything went smoothly; having all my sales guys in town - and the stress associated with that (some of you know EXACTLY what I mean here); all the company dinners - the lost sleep due to late nights out with the guys (and I'm not complaining about this - I could have gotten out of them if I'd wanted to). But you get my point. It has been a difficult week.
I slacked off with my work outs. And oh, boy! did I feel it! That's right! I felt yucky for not having worked out like usual.
In addition to that, Tuesday morning I got about 5 hours of sleep and as tempting as it would have been to sleep in, I didn't really want to skip my work out to do it! I had an excellent and plausible excuse and I wouldn't use it.
On Wednesday I had a work event where I got to sit in a beautiful aspen grove waiting for my co-workers to find me. I took my book to read while I waited for each team to find me and get their next clue. (Those of you who know me well know how much I LOVE to read.) After reading for about 2 minutes I thought - hey, I could be doing push-ups and crunches right now while I wait for these guys. So in between arriving teams I did 30 mins of crunches and push-ups. To sacrifice a reading opportunity to workout is a huge turning point for me.
And finally, by Sunday afternoon I was exhausted. I was so exhausted that I could have cried if I'd stopped to think about it long enough. I had a moment when I thought - if I had 30 minutes right now to myself would I sleep or workout? The answer was easy as pie - I'd work out. WOW! Did I really just say that? Yes! I would work out! And that's when I realized that I had truly hit a new milestone.

Maria Week 5

I'm a bit late - sorry, this week has been hectic. Well, I'm at my lowest weight in about 5 years. (Although just barely). I'm down from last week by nearly 2 lbs. Which means I am 0.4 lbs from another milestone.
I haven't been able to workout as hard as usual. I was busy on Saturday and skipped the entire day. I was pretty upset with myself about it and I was really feeling the lost workout that day. I was just so antsy all day.
I am taking a new supplement with essential oils that is also supposed to help with energy and I am sure feeling it. I am hungry all the time. And it would seem I might be able to increase my caloric and carbohydrate intake and still lose weight. Wahoo! (Fingers crossed)
I didn't measure this week. But I can say that I am wearing the smaller of the three pair of jeans I bought about 2 months ago when nothing else fit anymore and I noticed today that they fit a bit big in the waist. YAY!
I am depositing $7.50 today.

Ode to a New Scale . . by Jj

So this morning I ran down to the basement after my shower to weigh in (on my roommates scale which is why it's in the basement) and weighed myself but then remembered that I hadn't gone to the bathroom yet so I ran back up to my bathroom and then back down and by running up those two flights of stairs, peeing and then running back down those two flights of stairs - I somehow gained a pound. And with that, I think it's time for my own scale. I'll be hitting Target on payday to invest in one of my own that I can trust because there is obviously something wrong with that one. So when I get my new scale I'm going to start the weight loss milestone over and go from there.

I got to thinking earlier this week about something Maria said about gaining a pound on her free day so I thought I'd check it out for myself. I didn't quite understand how that could really happen when normally it takes weeks to put on weight and it's usually so gradual that you don't even notice until eventually you just can't button your pants anymore. So I put it to the test. I weighed myself Saturday morning and then went to town (I was feeling deprived so I really kinda gorged myself on the Halloween candy which really may have been my downfall). I then weighed myself again Sunday morning and I'd gained not one, but two and a half pounds! Luckily, I was able to take if off again before this mornings weigh in but it made me think. If I'd been more careful on my free day rather than just letting all hell break loose on my diet, would I be two pounds lighter now? I guess I need to learn some discipline when it comes to free days and still be a little more careful than I was . . and then I need to get a new scale. ;-)

And now for the actual report . . while I didn't lose any weight this week (I totally blame the scale), I did lose an inch around my waist (milestone #1), an inch around my thighs (milestone #2) and an inch around my muffin top (milestone #3) which is the one that I've really been waiting for. I can handle having to squish myself into my pants as long as I'm not spilling out over the top once I get there so I guess I'm on my way. Whoohoo!

So, with workouts, diet and milestones, I'm depositing $15 this week. Ya know, I think I may have to rewrite my milestones or I'm going to be broke before we're half way through the year! But that's good right?

Another note . . Marion and I were talking the other day and she suggested we pick a destination for our trip now so that we can get a basic idea of what it's going to cost us to get there. She thinks it might be a motivator to work harder. Originally, I'd set it up so that the amount of money we had would determine where we were going. Which I guess is still the case, right? If we don't have enough in the end to go where ever we'd originally planned then we can have a backup plan or maybe extend the challenge until we have the money. So now it's your turn to chime in . . what do you guys think?

Rachel signing in

Hey ladies! Overall I had a great week! I went hiking several days with my family over the fall break and did some pretty tough workouts and toning. I need to figure out how to do water when I'm on the go so I'm working on that.

On top of the great week I have found that I am craving all sorts of foods and just want to eat! I don't know if it because I'm a little more active or if it is a depression thing. It's driving me crazy. I need to do the food journal to see what's up!

So for this week I'll be depositing $8 for good exercising but I won't get my extra for fruits and veggies because I ate too much!

MJ

This has been an interesting week for me. First of all, I have to confess that I didn't even think about the food journal.


In the beginning of this challenge, I found the food journal to be really useful as a jumping off point. It helped me to see what my daily diet is like. I was surprised to find that I wasn't eating as much as I needed to during the day. I also realized that I drink soda when I have forgotten to eat and so if I eat on a regular basis, I don't crave soda. These things have been helpful. But it has become tedious for me to keep track of every little thing I eat.


I don't know if this is a lack of discipline on my part or just the fact that I have figured out what I need to work on to make my body more healthy. Weight loss is not a big motivator for me. I don't mind my size 6 jeans. I need to focus on taking the time to sit down and eat during the day. The starch exchange diet that I learned with my gestational diabetes still plays a big part in my life. I am also a social eater and will eat more if I'm out with people. But overall, I eat pretty well. So while I want to follow some guidelines with my diet, I don't feel like I need to record everything I eat. As far as dieting goes, I will do the following:


Eat breakfast every day
Eat 5 small meals daily
Focus on foods that are high in fiber and low if fat.
Drink water with every meal and after every workout
Stop eating after 7pm
Take my multivitamin daily

A little while ago, I stopped eating after 7pm. The exeption to this is if I work out at night. I have to eat something small afterwards or my blood sugar drops in the middle of the night. I have learned that if I eat during the day, I'm really not hungry at night anyway and I just eat because Brady does.


Now for the good news!!! I hit my lose 5 inches milestone this week!!! I also met my H2O milestone again!! I'm getting pretty close to just making that one a habit rather than a milestone! One more should do it.

I'll be depositing $14 this week!!!

My Wall

I have this wall - Maybe we all have our walls. I've hit my wall twice in my life. The first time was when I was 27 and I stepped on the scale one morning and saw ZZZ lbs. For my height and body type - ZZZ lbs is 5 lbs from clinically overweight. I made the decision right then and there to make some changes in my life. And for the first time EVER I seriously dieted and I lost 25 lbs. I worked out a little, but not really hard, my main focus was on my diet. The weight came off in about 6 months and once it was off - I went back to my same lifestyle. I was very fortunate in that I didn't put it all back on, at least not immediately. The second time I hit my wall was this past March. I had gone from a size X to a size Y and I needed to move up to size Z. I stepped on the scale one morning and I saw ZZZ lbs AGAIN! ZZZ lbs is evidently my wall. My do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to unhappy. I had two choices - go out a buy a new wardrobe or lose weight. I had two choices - given in and accept that this was me or get to work. I didn't want to spend money on a new wardrobe of even bigger clothes. But I also wasn't ready to just give in and be completely unhappy with myself, my health, and my body. The difference between this wall and the last one? I didn't want to simply lose weight – I wanted to get healthy, I wanted to get active. I’ve never been athletic and I asked myself why not? Because I never wanted to work for it. (My cross country experience being a perfect example of this.) Now I want to work for it. Now I’m willing to work for it. I didn’t want to just lose weight – I wanted to make a major transformation.
Not only am I down more than 15 lbs and 2 sizes, but just as important - I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm not even finished yet.
Somewhere along the line I skipped a size. In my closet I had my "fat" clothes which were my clothes that fit me at ZZZ lbs. And then I had my clothes that fit me at YYY lbs. And my clothes that fit at XXX lbs. Well, in my weightloss journey I seem to have skipped over my YYY clothes. I find myself at a new crossroads. I'm up against a different wall. I don't really fit into my size X's anymore either. So do I go out a buy a new wardrobe of size W's? Clothes that will fit me at WWW lbs? Or do I take a break, lay off a bit so I can fit in my size X's. Well, what do you think?
I am so happy to have my Ya-Ya Sisters (can I say my Butterfly Girls?) making this transformation with me. I am excited that you guys have caught the fever with me and that we're all going to be much healthier and in much better shape soon. And maybe we'll all be buying new wardrobes soon. For our trip at the end of the year - maybe we'll NEED to go to a shopping hot spot!

Last but not least!

I'm finally signing in! I've decided that my life really is crazy but I love it! Any who, I'm back in the exercise saddle again! I did an amazing work out on Monday. It was a little hard to breathe and not cough but I kept at it and my quads are sore. Yeah only today and tomorrow left on the antibiotics. I'm glad it is nearly over because it is so nice to be almost normal! I had a pretty good week on my fruits and veggies..I'm sort of sad the garden froze (I'll miss the easy access fresh produce but that's it! no more weeding!!!!) My water intake slipped a little so I need to keep that up. Other than that I've had a fair week of sinus recovery and I'm so excited for the next week where I am going to step it up literally! $8 this week for me!

One step closer to those skinny jeans . . .

Who knew that a Wednesday could be so insane and hectic? And I really don't feel like I did that much but I only had about three minutes all day when I wasn't busy. Anyway, Rachel, you're definitely not last - however I just realized that because I started my blog earlier today it's going to show up before yours. My bad. I know I set the rules but unfortunately I had to break them today. Forgive me?

So I didn't have the best week when it comes to cardio workouts and I was all kinds of tired and bloated all week so I really wasn't expecting to see any sort of progress. I actually weighed my self Saturday morning when I realized my schedule was all mixed up and I'd gained 2 lbs since last weeks weigh in but I'd lost it and one more by this morning so thank goodness for that. I only got in 4 cardio workouts rather than my usual 5 and I only did 2 toning workouts instead of my usual 4 however I did my best to work hard in those few that I got in. And I did see a little progress. Not only did I lose that 1 lb, which gives me a total of 5 - just 1 more pound to another weight loss milestone. I lost a 1/2" off my waist so that gives me a total of 1" and a milestone there. And . . get this one . . I lost 1 1/2" off my hips! Whoohoo! So that gives me a total of 2" lost on my hips so I guess that counts as two milestones for my hips!! I've also lost a total of 2" off my lower thighs which is great - but I haven't listed that one as a milestone. It's just cool. So with workouts, fruits and vegetables, and milestones I'll be depositing a total of $11.

I've been doing really bad with the whole fruits and vegetables thing this last week or two so I'm going to add that to my milestones. I'm also adding eight cups of water. I've been doing better than I've been in the past, but still rarely getting all the way to eight.

Okay, it's way late and I'm dead tired and sore from my hour long toning workout this evening so I'm going to bed. zzzzz . . .

MJ

Hi, girls!

Good News! I'm literally inching my way closer to the "lose 5 inches" milestone. Yay! Taking my measurements made me happy this morning...but I was already smiling because I feel better than I have felt for a long time. I know it's a combination of exercise, diet, water and actively working to improve my life. I was exercising regularly before starting this challenge but now I really put my heart into it. I'm glad to have a Wednesday in every week on my calendar because I know you girls will be checking up on me and I need that.

I'm going through a season of self realization right now. Maria put it best when she talked about a transformation similar to that of a butterfly. I don't want to drift along in life anymore. I want to make every minute count. Being healthy and happy is a big motivator for me. I am in a position where I see a lot of older people who are losing their ability to function because of life choices they made when they were young. I don't want that to happen to me. (Or to you for that matter and I'll be keeping an eye on you three!) I am glad to know that you will always support me. I was a little frustrated last week because of the limitations I have due to my bad hip. Your comments really helped me. It meant a lot to know that you love me the way I am, Thank You.

$10

I still haven't heard from the bank so I'll keep this until I get the signature card.

Working Lunches, Dinner Parties, and Football Games

I got killed this last week. With three working lunches, four dinner parties, and one football game I cheated nearly every day! And I have paid for it in many ways; stomach aches nearly everyday (you'd think I'd learn), gaining 4 lbs, and losing money.
On a positive note. I lost 2 of those 4 lbs before my weigh in. I literally ran a pound off last night. Also, it isn't one of my listed milestones, but it's a big deal to a girl who's never been able to run a mile without stopping before - I ran 2 1/2 miles last night and I didn't stop to rest once. I think I might have been able to go a little further, too, but it was getting really dark.
Another thing is that I'm seeing a lot of definition in my forearms and calves. I didn't have far to go with them, but I haven't concentrated on them at all. Usually I avoid exercises that work my calves because the last thing I want is for them to be any bigger and there wasn't much fat to lose from them. But nonetheless - they are looking very defined and I sort of like them!
I'm updating my milestones. I don't believe I'm getting enough sleep so I'm creating a milestone regarding that. I want to be in bed weeknights by 9 PM. In bed by 9:00 PM should mean I'm asleep by 9:03 PM. That will put me at 7 hours of sleep each night. I've also seriously slacked off on the food journal - primarily because I have no idea how to calculate a lot of the foods I've eaten. So I'm creating a new milestone regarding not eating out and keeping an ACCURATE food journal.
I'll be depositing $13. Lots of working out and a milestone seemed to have made up for my bad eating days.

Why Can't I Be Incredible?

How much would I have to weigh or how big would I have to get before I can say I'm trying to lose weight and people would be supportive and say "good for you" instead of "you don't need to lose weight"? Am I expected to get to clinically overweight, socially overweight, obese, or morbidly obese? I do know from personal experience that if you're simply approaching clinically overweight you can't expect any support from others. But why is that?

I'm all for loving yourself no matter what size, shape, or weight you are. But why should I have to settle? What if I'm not happy with sitting on the fence of overweigtness? (if I may be so bold as to make up a word here.) Why should I be fine with a weight that is still within "healthy" (albeit JUST barely) when my lifestyle isn't healthy and my diet isn't healthy - I've just been fortunate thus far with my metabolism and my genetics? I don't think I should wait until my metabolism is no longer in my favor to make a decision to change and actually get a little support.

My doctor told me I have an 80% chance of developing diabetes in my lifetime. Do I sit around and wait to see if I’m just lucky enough for that 20%? Do I wait until I’m pre-diabetic or diabetic to start taking control of my health? At what point is it acceptable for me to decide that I’m going to do everything I possibly can to avoid that 80%?
When I've told people I’m trying to lose weight, or I’m trying to make better food choices, or I’m going to the gym everyday they often say, “You don’t need to do that.” “You don’t need to lose weight.” “You can eat this.” “You’re ok.” “You look fine.” What is their purpose to saying those things? Are they just trying to be polite? Do they say that because they think I want to hear that? They certainly aren’t doing me any favors and they come off as very discouraging. Why don't they want me to be the best that I can possibly be? Why should I settle for ok? Why should I settle for fine? Why shouldn't I be amazing? WHY CAN'T I BE INCREDIBLE?

I want to reiterate .... No, it's not just about the weight. It IS about being healthy. It's also about being happy with myself. I may say that I need to lose weight and it isn't about the actual weight it's about being tone. I could never lose another pound and be perfectly happy as long as I continue to get tighter and firmer. But also, even if THAT NEVER happened. I could accept that and be happy as long as I knew I was strong, healthy, and in the best physical condition I was capable of.
I know that when people hear, "I want to lose weight" they equate that to "I'm fat". Because of this I need to make a change. I need to make a change in my vocabulary. I need to stop using phrases like "lose weight" or the word "fat" (not that I use it often). And I need to start using words like healthy, fit, tone, active, endurance, and strength.

To those of you who have offered and continue to offer me support - thank you! To my Butterfly Girls - thanks for being a part of this journey with me. I have faith that someday every one of us is going to be incredible.

Maria's Week 3

This week I discovered that my free days just might be counter-productive (if they were ever productive in the first place). I think that a free day is good because there are going to be events and occasions where a free day is needed; because we need to be able to reward ourselves sometimes; and because we can't completely deny ourselves all the time. But I am struggling with a balance with regards to my free days.
And I've settled on an on-line fitness journal - www.bodydaemon.com I'll write more on that later.
On a much more positive note ....
I lost another pound this week which puts me at 3 lbs since this challenge began and that's a milestone. I also lost an inch on my waist since this challenge began (that's 4 since I started my own challenge) and that's another milestone. I also lost 2 1/2 inches from my hips - that's two milestones!
A note about my measurements ... since I started working out about 5 or 6 months ago I have lost:
1/2 inch from my calves (not that there's much to lose there)
1 1/2 inches from my thighs
2 1/2 inches from my hips
4 inches from my waist
1 inch from my arms
2 1/2 inches from my chest
So I will be depositing $7 for workouts (4 cardio and 3 strength), $2 for eating fruits and veggies, $8 for milestones reached, minus $1 for going over my carbohydrate intake on a day that was not my free day for a grand total of .... $15.

Rachel's week

Well Ladies the antibiotic is really starting work!!! With my head so painfully stuffy I haven't worked out this week. However my water intake has been AMAZING! So I have hit a milestone this week(now I just need to keep keep drinking H2O!) So I will be depositing $5.50 for veggies and water! Wahoo I sound so heathly too bad my body doesn't feel heathly. A few more days of antibiotics and think my head won't explode. My plan is to start exercising on Monday! I think I will be able to bend over and put on those walking shoes agian.

A testament to good friends, workout buddies, bland food, weird side effects and the elliptical machine. By Jj.

So this week has been an up and down one for me. I felt like I wasn't really accomplishing anything because of how much I've still been babying my ankle. My runs have slowed down and I haven't been able to push as hard because it still hasn't healed. So I was pretty convinced that I wouldn't see any results this week. However, it would appear that I was wrong. I don't know if it's the hour I spent on the elliptical on Monday or if it's the diuretic side effects of my new medication but I lost 2 1/2 pounds this week (even though I accidentally when over my calories one day - minus $.50 - and I went three days this week without any workouts at all - but not in a row)! I was doing a little jig on the scale this morning. It was a good time.

Anyway, with that weight loss it puts me at a total of 4 lbs since we started so that gets me over another milestone (one that I'll hopefully continue hitting). I also lost my first 1/2" around my hips and another 1/2" around my thighs. So that give me 1" on my thighs total and another milestone for that too. So, with my workouts, milestones and fruits and veggies I'll be depositing $10.50.

MJ: Signing In!

Marion, Janis, Rachel, Maria 11-05-2005

Hip Hip Hooray! I have met my first milestone!!! My H2O for 2 weeks!

I have been really working on my water intake. I mentioned this last week but I'll say it again. I have so much more energy!! Now, I love water, but it has not replaced Mountain Dew as my drink of choice. Honestly, I love the stuff. So, I have a rule that if I'm craving a soda, I drink a glass of water first. A lot of times the craving will go away after that. I don't beat myself up if I happen to still crave the soda. But I am sure to underline the carbs in my food journal since soda carbs are empty carbs. (Yes, girls, my food journal is still a notebook. I haven't taken the time to get one of the online options that are available. I hope to do that soon.)

I am loving my workouts. Having great women to walk with makes a huge difference. I'm also doing some ball workouts with another good friend of mine, Gunnar Peterson.
I like these workouts because they don't hurt my hip and you can use weights with them. I am so proud of you ladies and all of the fantastic workouts you talk about. I wish I had more options. We all know I'm like the lady on the lowest level of those 1980's and 90's aerobics videos thanks to my bad hip. Sometimes I get envious of the runners that I see in the morning. There's a group of three women who run and carry on a conversation at the same time. I would love that! But I keep reminding myself that I need to do what is right for my body and learn to be happy with myself. So, I'll keep on walking and I'll see you on vacation in a year!

I am going to remove my H2O milestone from the list and replace it with taking my multivitamin everyday for 3 weeks. I can't believe how often I forget to take it. And I will be depositing $10.

My Discovery

Today a bunch of my co-workers decided to go to Red Lobster for the all you can eat shrimp fest. I was invited to go and I think I've mentioned once or twice that I work with some of the coolest and funniest people on the planet so I hate to pass up an opportunity to hang out with them.
What to do? It is only day 1 in my week - do I use my free day today? And what if something should come up later in the week? Saturday is a birthday party - what if I want cake or icecream - or BOTH?
I was fortunate in that I knew ahead of time where we were going to eat lunch today. I was also fortunate in that a few days ago I found this amazing website that has the nutritional information on hundreds of menu items from hundreds of restaurants (www.thedailyplate.com). I went to this website and started looking at the nutritional information for several items on the menu at Red Lobster.
I am sure we are all starting to discover what a wonderful tool a food journal is for us. Not only does it allow us to track how many calories, carbs, or fat grams we're consuming and how much water we are or (in my case aren't) drinking, but it also makes us so much more aware of what we are ACTUALLY putting in our bodies - good or bad.
Today could have been an easy day to blow my diet - whether intentionally (just deciding I am going to eat as much cocnut shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheddar bay biscuits as my tummy can hold) or unintentionally (by ordering something that I think is a healthier alternative only to find out later that it was very high in calories, carbs, etc.) Janis inspired me to start looking more closely at the nutritional information in restaurant foods when she discovered that her Quiznos SALAD was NOT the healthy alternative she originally believed it to be. It is because of her that I decided to check out the nutrional information of my potential Red Lobster options beforehand.
I took a few mintues this morning to map out what I could order today and still stay within my alotted calories and carbohydrates. Because of the food journal, because I knew how many calories and carbs I had consumed for breakfast and would be consuming for dinner and because I did a little research online I was able to make a very informed and smart decision regarding what I could eat for lunch. And I didn't blow my diet today! YAY!
I remember being taught in YW to decide beforehand what I am going to do or not do in certain situations. Then when you are faced with what could be a difficult decision - it won't be difficult at all because you have already made that decision. I am going to apply this to my food choices.
I know that it isn't always going to be possible to plan ahead, especially with regards to eating out. My plan is to chose 6 or 7 restaurants and fast food joints where I am the most likely to eat "on the go" and I am going to research their menus. I am going to select the most healthy options available from those menus. Then if I am ever in a tight spot and have to grab something fast I can be sure I am making an informed decision and won't be surprised later to find out that I just consumed 800 calories or 50 carbs for lunch and completely blew my diet.
I am also going to plan out my own menus ahead of time. That way if I get asked to lunch again, having a good idea what my dinner plans are, I can make better decisions regarding lunch options.
Sorry to be so long winded ladies. But you guys know me well enough to know that I love to talk, chat, write, express, and share. I love you guys! I am so glad that we are doing this together!

YES!!!! for Rachel

I lost 2 pounds this week! So now I need to decide if my milestone is 3 pounds in one week or cumulative. I did always like the cumulative property in Algebra. Anywho...I will be depositing $8-$10 this week! and $5 for last week. All the running around has paid off!!!

My Second Semi-productive week . .

I don't think I've ever been as accident prone in my entire life as I have been the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to be more active and in actuality, I've always been a klutz or if it's God's way of telling me that I should just be happy the way I am and sit around all day and get fat. First, there is my famous and unattractive sprained ankle (in all my years of gymnastics, dance and cheerleading I've NEVER sprained anything and then I do it simply running). And then last night I was running with Chuck and it was dark by the time I got home. Anyway, long story short . . he cut in front of me and I tripped (maybe I'll tell the whole story on my own blog). So now I'm all scrapped up and bruised etc etc etc. But, just like my sprained ankle, it won't stop me. Probably not the smartest, but whatever.

Okay, now for my progress. I'm still not quite where I want to be on my carbs. Some days are better than others so I've been researching different low carb recipes to help keep that down. I've been tracking all of my food and everything on SparkPeople.com but I think I'm going to try using fitday.com too for a couple of weeks to see which one I like better and then I'll continue with that. I'll be depositing the maximum of $10 for this weeks progress. Also, I've lost another 1/2 inch on my ribs, a 1/2 inch on my waist, a 1/2 inch off my lower thigh, and I've lost one pound since our last weigh in. I know, it's not much but it's better than nothing. Just another pound and a half to reach a milestone. When I put it that way it seems a little daunting, doesn't it?

Got a question on measurements . . when we way a milestone is every 2" lost (or whatever) is that 2" overall - like do you add them up? Or 2" lost on one body part? I've got it as a milestone which most of us do but I didn't actually think about it until today when I was trying to calculate. Cuz I've lost 4" total all over, but obviously not all of that in one place. Hhmm . . guess I could follow Maria and do it 1" off hips, waist etc. What is everyone else doing??

Over and out.

Maria's Week 2

Hello Ladies! Interesting week for me. I've been much more careful with what I'm eating. I've created an on-line food journal (which I've only actually utlized the past three days) that tells me exactly how many calories, carbs, etc I'm eating. And I can also enter my workouts and it will tell me how many calories I've burned. I'm really liking it. I just need to decide WHICH on-line journal I'm going to use - right now I'm trying to decide between three.
www.sparkpeople.com
www.fitday.com
www.dailyplate.com
Anyway ...I lost 1 lb since last week. And I am extremely happy with that one little pound since I am also menstrating this week and we all know what that can do to our bodies! ARGH! I feel like I've gained 10! I didn't measure myself this week because 1) I'm only going to measure like once a month and 2) ... well... as I said, I'm menstrating and well know what that can do to our bodies.
I'll be depositing the max $10 this week.
My goal for the week is to keep my new on-line journal completely up to date and as accurate as possible - which means I need to pay closer attention to how much time I spend at the gym. And to drink more water!

MJ: Is it Wednesday Already?

Hi, girls! Just wanted to sign in quickly and let you know how I'm doing on the challenge. Thanks for your help on my $ calculating issue. I decided that the morning walks will only be 1/2 of a full workout because they are not strenuous. Thanks for that idea, Janis.

So, let's get down to business...I measured this morning and am happy to say that the inch I lost last week has not resurfaced! Hooray! I'm losing a little bit on my legs but that is where I always lose inches first. I hope to see some more progress in my abs soon. When it comes to apples and pears, I'm an apple shape:)

I didn't do so well on my food journal last week. I took notice of everything that I was eating, I just missed a couple of days writing it down. So, I'll be starting over with the journal this week. Wish me luck! I want to reach that milestone by the end of this month.

I placed a lot of my focus on water intake last week and I have so much more energy! It's amazing how much better I feel. Maybe I've been walking around in a dehydrated stupor for the last couple of years.

This week I'll focus on ab workouts, bigger breakfasts and H2O.

I will be depositing $13 (A combination of this week and last week.)

P.S. I went to the grocery store this morning and bought more yogurt, a multivitamin, wheat bread and HALLOWEEN CANDY!!!!! I couldn't control the impulse. Maybe I better put my food journal right next to the candy bag in my pantry!