Maria Week 40 - Fitness Test

As part of my ESS 2500 Exploration of Movement Science class I had to do a bit of a fitness test. I am sad to say that I didn't do quite as well as I would have liked. But I did pretty dang good. I was in the above average / healthy / good category in nearly everything and in a few places I was in the excellent category.

The best part of the test, although I don't think I trust it, the results said that I have lost another 1% of body fat.

I still feel like a slacker though because I'm not working out nearly as hard as I used to. And I'm not running yet. This is more of a motivational thing right now than a knee issue really.

I am really hanging on to my Wednesday nights. I have an instructor that I just love and I get to put in 2 1/2 hours on that night alone - all her classes. That's where the bulk of my workouts come in. Although I do work out on other days, I don't put nearly as much effort into the workouts as I do Wednesday nights.

Depositing $5 - losing another 1% of body fat is a milestone, but as I said - I don't really trust those results so I'm not counting it for now

Maria Week 34 - Loser

I'm a loser again. I'm excited about that. Not a very big loser....It's really a tiny accomplishment. But I'll take what I can get. Once again I am seeing the numbers drop on the scale.

Also, I burned over 1800 calories in just one day. That always makes me feel good. I really wish I could do that everyday. But it nearly exhausts me. And hopefully I'll have a job soon and won't have that kind of time. I can't credit that to my weight loss - I just did that today and I lost the weight by Monday. But I'm sure I'll see the effects of that huge calorie burn soon.

Picking up the pace, speed, intensity, whatever, on my running again. It's feeling good.

Depositing $10 for all my workouts.

Maria Week 32

No creative title for this week - Just the facts.
Starting to lose weight again. Starting to the lose the weight that I put back on. Yay!
Haven't measured, but I'm quite certain I'm starting to lose the inches that I am sure I gained (because I didn't measure then either).
Also starting to see that definition in my abs that I had in January finally creeping back in. Might need to borrow another cell phone with a built in camera and sneak into the VS dressing rooms again! ;-)
Lots of time in the gym and lots of PT exercises (which include lots of core exercises - I'm liking that!)

Depositing $10

Maria Week 31 - MOTIVATION

It's definitely a motivational issue for me. But I don't lack the motivation to get to the gym - I lack the motivation to post. (I suffer from this on both blogs as anyone who attempts to follow me can see.) As I mentioned, I had one day two weeks ago where I burned more than 2000 calories .... So you can see - most days getting to the gym is no issue, but logging into blogger does seem to be. :-(
I have been given the green light by my Physical Therapist to ease myself back into running. It's the "ease" part that is difficult. Every time I want to disobey my Physical Therapist and push it a little I just try to remember what the day after Moab felt like. I try to remember how hard I cried every time I tried to move my knees.

Depositing $10 for workouts and fruits ... as soon as I'm employed and have money to deposit ;-)

And the winner is ......

As many of you know, my husband's sister started a family weight loss/fitness challenge. There were essentially two categories ..... highest percentage of body weight lost and highest number of points. To see how to earn points check out the blog at http://sanderslosers.blogspot.com/

It was a close race. Justin was weighing in at 264 yesterday afternoon. That's 13.68% loss of his body weight. He got out the calculator and started to figure out what his weight would need to be as well as that of his closest competitors to determine if he could easily win or not. If he could maintain that weight - he'd have a very good chance of winning.

Justin's oiled up striped down brother-in-law Brock came out in his tiny shorts and jumped on the scale. He had lost 13.9% of his body weight. Poor Justin.

But wait... Justin hadn't OFFICIALLY weighed in yet. Justin would need to weigh 263. He climbed on that scale (that only an hour ago he had used to weigh himself at 264) and .....

263!!!!!

Justin lost 14.25% of his body weight and took home the title of Sanders' Family Biggest Loser! He lost 44 lbs in 11 weeks!

Good job, Baby! I am so proud of you!

Oh.....and I won on the points section.

But the most important thing is that we all started making healthier changes in our lives. Just like the Butterfly Girls.

Our vacation will be great, but honestly ladies, we've already been rewarded by how much better we all feel about ourselves and the love, friendship, inspiration, and encouragement that we've received from each other.

Keep up the good work BG's. Keep up the good work Sanders Family. And keep up the good work to all of you out there striving to improve your lives!

Seriousy?!?

Has it just been "one of those weeks" that it's now Friday and still not one of the four of us has posted? I'm unsure if that's good or bad. For me, it's bad. it means that I'm STILL working on my freakin lameo kitchen. And when I get that done I have a freakin HUGE jewelry shoot that I've got to get done on bright sunny days and in of all places . . my kitchen. Seriously, I hate my kitchen right now and if I could help it I'd never go in there again. I'd just stay in my room and live off the Eater candy that I've got stashed under my bed. Oh that would be the life. Until it got to the point that I was too big to get out of bed and had to use a bed pan and they had to take the sliding doors out of my room and lift me out via crane so they could put me on a truck scale. That part would not be so good.

Okay, done rambling on about nothing. I really haven't kept track of what I've been eating as I've been covered in paint EVERY dang day (notice the obsessive use of caps lock today) and I haven't been to the gym at all and yet I feel as though I haven't stopped moving. Poor, poor Chuck the Wonder Dog is still afraid to walk through the kitchen and he's only been walked twice in the last week. But, I know that most days, I've forgotten to eat. I know you're not surprised. Do send me emails about how bad it is not to eat - I know! I just forget. I always get this way when I'm home too long. Anyway, I'm just going to guesstimate this week and say $7. I haven't weighed myself and I haven't taken any measurements because honestly, I just don't want to see that. But I should be back to normal (as normal as I can be) in the next week. Wish me luck.

Now . . where are the rest of you hiding???

Adventures in NOTHING by Jj

Seriously . . my life is so freaking lame right now. About 80% of the time I don't even bother getting ready for the day. I find it pointless. And when I do, I throw on a headband or a hat and grab whatever jeans are at the top of the pile. Other than going to church, I don't recall the last time I put on makeup. But hey, at least I shower every couple of days. Oh, and to top it off, this morning I realized that I'm about 8 weeks from the two year mark in my home which means that if it sells in the next 8 weeks, then I'll be charged capital gain taxes. So, I could wait another month before listing it but if I find a job and have to move then I'm still SOL because I actually have to LIVE in the house for two years to prevent the taxes. Now I'm totally lost and don't know what to do.

But, on a happier note, I've got a lot of time to go to the gym and I've been doing a lot of hard work around my house so I'm burning more. So I've lost the couple extra pounds that I put on in the last couple of weeks and I'm back to where I was (but I've gained a little in inches that aren't gone yet) - which is the same as I weighed at 16 so that deserves a little mini party.

Depositing $9 for this week.

PS This makes it sound like I'm really depressed, but I'm not. I'm just a little lost. I'll figure it all out eventually. Wish me luck.

Maria Week 22

My focus is back on running. I have 1 month until my half marathon and I feel like I have really slacked off recently. I have a training coach and that is helping a lot in the motivation department - as well as keeping me on track.
As a result of shifting my focus to only running I have been forced to take some "rest" days - which are primarily days where I work out much lighter and for a shorter amount of time. Because let's face it - I WILL NOT take a real rest day. So I do what I can. And that may equate to smaller deposits each week.
Also, I have been avoiding weighing myself since that is no longer an issue for me - and because I was honestly obsessing about it.
Oh, and I fell of the wagon again with recording my foods. Gotta get back on that! Starting today!
I hit 6 miles again in my running and I am on track to go 7 this week so I should have another milestone week next week! YAY!

Depositing $12.00 - max for workouts and fruits and veggies and $2 for the 6 mile milestone

Maria Week 20

Gosh....can't think of anything exciting to say. Nothing really out of the ordinary happened this week. Nothing noteworthy or praiseworthy.
I will report, so that I actually have something to say, that I am now the points leader in the Sanders health and fitness challenge. Just need to hang on to that. If you want to check it out .... http://sanderslosers.blogspot.com/
I haven't ran another long distance since my crazy work week and then my injured toes and I'm scared to death to try that again and find that I am horribly out of shape :-( Oh, my toes are all healed - that's something, I guess.
Going to try and log my food again - I think I may have gotten a bit off track so I added a new goal with regards to that.

Well, depositing the max $10 for workouts and fruits and veggies.

Thanks ladies for all your love and support! And thanks to any and all of our followers!

Maria Week 19

This was a rough week for me at work. Busy, busy, busy. But I LOVE IT! This was the week of our quarterly sales meetings and I got to hang out with all of my remote sales guys. Keeps me busy, but I am NOT complaining. It did, however, impact my workouts a bit. Don't get me wrong - I'm a freaking die hard! I still got in at least an hour everyday. And I found the time to take a few measurements.
I lost an inch around my ribs, an inch in my waist, half an inch in my hips. Fortunately nothing in my butt, but unfortunately, half an inch in my chest :-(
So...that's a milestone for my waist!
I took a bootcamp class on Monday. WOW! What a workout! Unfortunately I wasn't wearing the right shoes for the class and I now have two huge ruptured blisters - one on the bottom of each foot. Looks like I'll be taking it easy for a day or two :-(


RIGHT FOOT


LEFT FOOT

Depositing $10.50

Maria Week 18

I was thinking back about the week and felt like I hadn't been strong...but as I actually looked through my calendar I realized that it's really only been the last few days. I started off really strong. But Saturday my usual instructor wasn't there so I followed a different routine. Not as much strength and it threw me off. Then Monday and Tuesday evenings I had work meetings/dinners so I didn't get to do my two-a-days and missed my abs class so that has made me feel even more off. But prior to Saturday I was strong and so will finish this week out great anyway!
I am going to get to deposit the max for workouts and eating my fruits and veggies. Also, I not only hit, but surpassed my next milestone weight this morning! 116.6 That's puts me 1.6 lbs from my goal and 1.6 lbs away from my next milestone weight!
So depositing $12 for max workouts and a milestone

Maria Week 17

I have been trying to post - or at least start a post since Tuesday. Argh! So here it is ......
I love going to the gym. I get so motivated and inspired there. I am a serious regular and am starting to learn the names of and get to know the other regulars much better. I have my classmates from cycling and my other morning classes. They're a pretty tight group and I was accepted into their group some time ago. But I'm starting to get accepted into the night classes group now and that's an even harder group to get into because there aren't as many loyal groupies there. But the regulars I refered to above are the people who don't attend classes - the hardest group of all to get into because they really can't be defined as a "group" ... just a bunch of individuals working out alone together.
The other reason I love going to the gym .... people are starting to notice a difference in me. How can I not want to keep going when someone tells me that I'm starting to get "cut". Or that they have noticed a huge difference in me in just the past few months. Also had a lady comment on how strong I was - said that she was watching me in Powerflex and couldn't believe that I could lift that much. I told her to hang in there because 10 months ago I was ready to cry if I got to class and the 3 and 5 lb weights were all gone and I had to use the 8 and 10 pounders.
I hit approximately 6 miles running on Sunday. Nothing but sheer will power and determination. I know now that the first 3 miles are the hardest and if I can just get past them then I get into my stride and do ok for a while. But after 3.5 miles it wasn't getting any easier. At 4.5 it still wasn't easier. At 5.5 it was hard as #&!! but I kept going - determined to hit a new personal best - if only by .25 miles! And I did it. (Can't say I could repeat it any time soon, but I did it!)
Changing my milestones a bit - want to tailor them more towards my running goals so check them out please!
Also, will be contributing the max - $10

Being sick isn't all bad . . by Jj

So even though I haven't worked out nearly as much as I'd like in the past two weeks, I haven't been able to eat much either. So, whoohoo to that. I've managed to lose 2lbs and an inch around my hips. AAANNNDDD . . to make things even better, both yesterday and today, I've been able to wear jeans from my skinnier days to work! I was so throwing a party. Of course the real test is my other skinny jeans that don't have any stretch in them. Need to lose another inch or two around the thighs before that happens but I'm working on it.

So my new goal for the next (forever) few weeks is to get more strength training into my workouts. I've been doing well with my cardio but have been slacking on the strength because I don't like hanging around all of the smelly muscle men at the gym. They can be very intimidating. I guess I'm just going to have to get over it.

hhmmm . . just realizing that the skinny jeans I'm wearing today aren't nearly as comfortable as the ones I wore yesterday. I think I may need to lose another pound or two before I go back to these ones again. Sad.

Anyway, I'll be depositing $9 for workouts and diet and $4 for milestones so a grand total of $13.00 Almost makes up for last weeks disaster.

Maria Week 16

I was feeling pretty down thinking that my 4.5 miles from December 20 was just a fluke or a miscalculation on my part because I was really struggling to get there again. Well, I've done 4.5 miles twice now! So ... nope, no miscalulation. YAY! Hey, maybe I can do this half marathon after all! 73 days from today. Yikes!
I'm also thinking of signing up for another one in April. Perhaps this will be my new thing. I'll be a half-marathoner.
Oh, and I have two new running partners - I'm stoked about that. One of them is my favorite instructor as mentioned in Week 15's post. She recently ran a marathon so I expect her to have lots of insight and information for me. Also, my Aunt Pam is training and has sent me a lot of great information from her trainer.
Geez .... NEVER in a million years did I think I'd be a runner. Guess I shouldn't get ahead of myself - not really a runner yet. Just a bit of a jogger training to do some running soon.
Good week, I think. No significant weight loss - darn holidays! Darn plateau! But got a new phone - it's awesome! No information lost - yet. And worked out pretty hard this week. Seeing some nice definition in my shoulders and thighs and even a tiny bit in my abs if the lighting is just PERFECT! (Perfect = bad...hehe)
Oh! And I tried on new jeans - the exact same brand and style that I've been wearing in a size smaller and they fit! Actually, I tried on two sizes smaller and could probably get away with them as well!

Depositing ... Max $10

Maria Week 13

I'm sort of getting a jump on this week. YAY!
After a violent rollercoaster with weight (gaining 6 lbs in one week - didn't think that was possible and then losing 4 lbs in one day - didn't think THAT was possible.) I am finally back to my original weight. So no loss to report, but nothing gained either. I'll take that.
Didn't really measure this week - measured my waist and found I had lost 1/2 inch on the small part of my waist, but nothing on the larger part so I stopped measuring.
Working out like crazy! Got a freaking half marathon to train for that I'm scared to death of! So because of all my workouts and some fruits and veggies I'll be depositing the max $10

Maria Week 12

I'm so late ... and so sorry. Feels like the story of my life lately. Late to work, staying late at work, late getting home, late to the party, later period - but sometimes early - what's up with that?!?!?! (Sorry - I'm a girl - I gotta mention my girl issues.)
Anyway. Fell off the wagon - been REALLY bad at recording things on BodyDaemon. Pretty good at putting my workouts in to my phone so that by the end of the week I can see what I've done to calculate that. Maybe that will need to be another one of my milestones that I'll forget about (like not eatting out - ARGH!)
Anyway ... depositing the max $10 - no milestones this week. (Should have been a new weight milestone, but i put that 1/2 lb back on after the weekend.) Maybe next week. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Holiday Rut . . . by Jj

Hey Ladies! I don't have much to report this week. I lost the weight that I gained over Thanksgiving but nothing more. However, it's a relief to see that gone (again). Hopefully, without any big family gatherings I won't be tempted to binge like that again over Christmas. Honestly, I was feeling pretty sick for a couple of days after the holiday because I hadn't been eating as good as I normally do. Anyway, I measured this morning like I do every Wednesday and I haven't lost any inches either. Sad, but I guess it's better than gaining. One day I'll figure out the miracle solution that will get rid of the rest of the weight . . I'm thinking cabbage soup diet. (For those of you that don't really know me, that was a joke. Cabbage is gross.)

So with my workouts, and F&V - and my sad lack of milestones - I'll be depositing $7.00 today.

Hope everyone else did better!

Maria Week 10

ARGH! I worked my butt off this past week and I still gained 2.5 lbs. Ok, ok, so I also ate like crap. :-( So I have no one to blame but myself. I've been sick for eating so badly and ... again, still haven't learned my lesson. Maybe someday I'll get it through that thick head of mine. For now, I'm weak - chocolate and peanut butter and salty tortilla chips have been calling my name and I've completely given in. (I blame PMS - for the cravings AND the weight gain.)
So, with all my workouts, fruits and veggies most days, minus $1 for gaining more than 2 lbs, I will be depositing $16. (Told you I worked my butt off! I'm thinking of having all my mail delivered to Gold's Gym since it is my primary residency.)

Shout out to VL

I want to give a shout out to VL who has lost 8 lbs in a little over a week and has been working out consistently and eating healthier. I am honored and flattered to know that I am inspiring and motivating others to lead healthier lives. And the greatest compliment I could ever get is that someone made better choices because of me.
Wa-hoo! VL - you are a rockstar! I am so proud of you. Keep up the good work and keep calling me to check in ;-) You are motivating and inspiring me to be better, too!

Maria Week 9

Lost a full pound from last week. I'm very excited about that because I now weigh less than the weight reported on my drivers license. I'd be willing to bet that there are very few people out there who can say that!
Also, I have reason to believe that I have inspired more than just my fellow Butterfly girls to get in shape.
I have gotten a few compliments at the gym from guys in my classes that I talk to, but not necessarily "friendly" with. They've been telling me that I look great and that I've lost a lot of weight or that they've really seen a change. Always nice to hear. Oh, and my favorite - one asked me what my goals were. Different sort of question than I usually get - specifically said goals. I liked that.
Depositing $10