What a difference!

I took "after" pictures today, since it's pretty much exactly 4 weeks after the "before" pics were taken. Wow, what a difference!

Also, I meant to post May 25 last night; May 28 is the actual Memorial Day kickoff challenge, given by Alwyn Cosgrove back in January. So that means when Afterburn is finished next week, I've got three weeks to REALLY pick things up and blast away!

So here's how I'm counting things: Challenge 1 (four weeks) is finished, now I've got this week and next to maintain and/or make some progress (planning will be key), then Challenge 2 begins (3 weeks). I'm going to make my goal!

*Doing a happy dance*

Tired, and Finals

I'm heading to bed early tonight, as I'm tired and can hardly keep my eyes open. So short and sweet tonight!

I forgot, at the end of March when I set my goal, that I would be heading into finals at this exact point in time (otherwise known as my goal date). Ugh. That means I'm trying to keep some type of workout schedule, eating well, work, and Finals all at the same time. That means something's going to give, and since my grades can't and work won't, that leaves the nutrition and workouts. I'll see what I can accomplish this week, but it won't be the same kind of focus that is usually required for final-week stuff. So, officially, that means I'm moving my goal date back. I'm moving it to May 28, as a matter of fact.

However, here's a list of my accomplishments in the past month:
Weight down from 167 to 163 (haven't weighed for two weeks, so may be down even further)
Hips down .75 inch from 38" to 37.25" (measured last week Monday)
Stomach nearly flat, and obvious size lost through the midsection
After Fitdaying for two weeks, I was able to figure out what types of foods helped move things along quickly
Am lifting weights/resistance exercise for 4 days per week, interval training for 5 days per week

I will be finishing up Afterburn next week. After that, I'm going to change some things up and go for the goal!

Wisdom from Joe Vitale

Your life can be fantastic. Truly amazing. But very often we hit a comfort level and won't go past it. Why? Because of our self-imposed limits.

Read the rest of the blog entry here.

I will manifest my goal because I am working hard on it, giving it my all, and therefore, deserve it.

Chocolate

Chocolate can be one of my absolute weaknesses. Not all the time, but every so often, it's almost like a hypnosis suggestion- I may know better, but I just can't help myself.

I can also blame that time of the month.

So, the awful truth...I went through 3 Lindor truffles and 1 bite-sized hershey today.

However, my workout was awesome, my waist is officially down at least 1/2 an inch while my hips are down 3/4 of an inch since one month ago, and I have been doing really well this last week with eating. So. Am I justified? Only my results can tell- no results, then no justification. However, every so often, chocolate hits. Then- I drink some water and get over it.

I'm finishing off my strawberries tomorrow, but the grocery store ad said today that 4lb packages are on sale... I may be making a return trip later this week.

Note to self: grains are the gas culprit- the more grains I eat, the worse the digestive issues. Keeping grains to a minimum sounds like a great idea. However, I've also noticed that peanut butter/peanuts and fish oil are causing some issues too. Harrumph. I'll beat this thing.

Note to the Universe: get rid of my cold, please- it's annoying more than anything!

Groceries

Well, despite my want for cereal before bed last night, I actually went for the best choice: strawberries and a vanilla protein shake. Yummmm.

I had the strawberries because they're finally coming into season, which means they are affordable enough to buy fresh. I can't wait for mid-May, where one can buy 2lb packages for $3. I also had the strawberries because I went grocery shopping.

On a limited budget, it's hard to buy groceries as often as fresh produce warrants. One suggestion is to buy fresh produce up to two times per week, and at least once. For us, I'm lucky if we get fresh produce every two weeks, which means that I often have to buy the produce that's going to last (ie frozen or apples or oranges), and so when I buy groceries, I go super-crazy on produce and get to eat extremely healthy for a few days. After the first few days, it starts to wane as we start to run out of different types of produce. I almost always buy vegetables frozen- I tend not to eat veggies if I can't cook them (exceptions are spinach leaves and romaine lettuce/leafy greens, and carrots). However, this last grocery trip, I bought celery and I intend to actually eat it for once. I'll probably end up cooking most of it. Celery goes great in anything Italian or spicy.

I had a change in mindset earlier today. After reading this statement many times, it finally sank in: "Train like an athlete, strive to be an athlete, and the body composition will follow." Especially after finding out during Exercise Testing & Prescription how low my VO2max really is, I would love to train to be an athlete. My new goal is to get my VO2max levels up to a minimum of 40 ml/kg/min (avg-to-high in my age group) from a predicted 33 ml/kg/min. This would get me running most of the time once things heal up, and be able to perform some endurance exercises that now elude me. However, when I measured my heart rate the other day on the elliptical, I worked out at 85% of my maxHR for 20 minutes. My goal is to now get to 30 minutes at 85%. These goals should be accomplished within the next 6 weeks (or at least the latter one; VO2max is fairly difficult to change but is possible).

Sugar High

After a crazy, sugar-high weekend, I'm back to normal today (without Fitdaying...). I did a weight workout, followed by a HIIT workout, and ate almost super-clean today. Yesterday I did a HIIT workout and then raked parts of the yard that were looking pretty tattered. Both HIIT's were on the elliptical, and my heel seems to be on the mend, as it did not hurt too badly yesterday; while it bugged me today, it was not enough to stop me.

The reason for the sugar? All-day wedding stuff on Saturday, in which I consumed more sugar in one day (whether actual sugar or in the form of white carbs) than I usually do in two weeks' time- wow, I actually NEEDED the protein I got at the dinner that night. My body was begging for it, seriously!

Well, I'm off to eat something before going to bed. Hmm...

Afterburn II

I received a copy of Afterburn II today. What I've looked through so far has me going, "uh oh, what am I in for?" The nutrition is strict! I'll have to see if I can get creative and make it work somehow, then incorporate it into the next two weeks of training.

I actually did a partial weight workout today, but stopped when my heel started to throb. Rode a bike 20 minutes until both my heel started to throb and a new signee walked in. I will likely do some cardio with my next client, as she doesn't like me just standing there while she works out, and we only do cardio together since she uses one of my classes for weight training.


Oh, and never mind about the pictures. They were depressingly exactly the same as end of March. If anything the front shot looked worse, if that is possible. It's weird, my waist measured one inch smaller than normal this morning, but you can't see it in the pictures. Of course, the first pics were taken in morning, these are late afternoon, and I'm wearing different clothes. I am making progress. I will acheive my goal. I have 17 days left!

What the...?

My testimonial made it onto Alwyn Cosgrove's blog- wow! You can see it here. Crazy...

I've been completely thrown off my rocker this week by one thing and then another, hence the title. My daughter's been sick, I was nearly snowed in at my in-laws, and now, it seems, I have picked up Plantar Fascitis. *Growling and muttering* So my running has been stopped before it really got started going! It was weird, too, I had noticed a pain in my foot right after work and decided to work out through it, since things get pinched every once in a while. There was a gal I work out with and she was there, telling me all about her chronic PF. I didn't even want to bring up the pain in my foot b/c it made me look like a hypochondriac! Went to the chiro today and he noticed it right away. He worked on it some, told me to ice it, and come back next week. Alright, fine, but tell me what's causing it in the first place!

I have had a total of two cardio workouts this week and no weightlifting beyond the small bodyweight stuff I did at home tonight. Maddening, because I was actually noticing progress in the right direction on Saturday and was hoping to pick it up again this week. I refuse to extend my deadline. At last count, it was 26 days left. After today, there are officially...18 days until May 1. Just over two weeks left. Don't PANIC... I can still do this! There was plenty of progress in the last two weeks. In fact, I'll photo tomorrow morning and show off.

Finding Peace with McDonalds

If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT into big-box stores, large chains, and franchises (I will, however, use them about as often as the next guy. That doesn't mean I have to LIKE it!). One of the mortal enemies is McDonalds for reason stated above and for two other reasons: 1) read "Fast Food Nation" and 2) healthy food? What's that?

However, one CAN find peace with McDonalds without blowing their budget (or waistband), it's just a matter of making choices and being happy with the ones that were made. It's crazy, I should be mad at myself for even eating there, but I'm not, because I only managed to take in 250 calories total while I was there, and it did not throw anything off for today. And I did not have any of the salads(!!), I actually had Chicken McNuggets and Apple Dippers (skip the caramel dip). A 6-piece McNuggets is only 250 cals (only the fat sucks at 15 grams and 1.5 g of transfats, meaning it cannot be a regular thing to eat) and the Apple Dippers are only 35 cals (100 with the dip). I then went grocery shopping and two hours later had a "real" supper of shredded wheat and boiled egg whites. Kinda amazing, for me. Not that long ago I would've been drooling at the worst stuff on the menu and made the worst choice without a second thought. However, it does help that I ate three times this afternoon, although I was very hungry by the time supper came around. Came out today at 1700 kcals, with amazing percentages of 49%Carb, 31%Pro, and 20%Fat!

Feeling good. My goal for tomorrow is to get more fruit/veggies in (I got 6 in today, so perhaps that's good for right now). Tomorrow night will be eating out- we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

Is this cool or what?

A few weeks ago I posted a testimonial in Skwigg's blog for the Afterburn program, and then didn't think anything of it again. BUT, just today, I was emailed by Alwyn himself asking if he could use it! How's that for pressure- I responded that he could, and I'll email him on my goal date to let him know if I made it or not.

So the pressure cooker's on and the gloves are off. Measurements today were the same as always, so I've still got something to figure out.

I told Alwyn he could add this to the testimonial: I am running! Never before in my life have I been able to run consistently without my hip causing me problems. Usually it gives out before I'm out of breath, but because of the effectiveness of the training, I am running consistently.

Powerful Things

Boy, those deadlines sure are powerful. I'd been craving pizza all day today (Wed has been pizza night for me and my daughter), but because I knew that I had only 26 days left, there's really no room to fudge. So I did not have a pizza, but instead a taco salad (which isn't terribly much better, but you get more food for the calories) which was very good. I will say one thing for hamburger and cheese, however:

Anyone who's been congratulating themselves on how well and healthy they are eating, but is consuming a large amount of ground beef (even lean) and cheese (non-fat-reduced) is setting themselves up for a calorie whopper. WOW, it's amazing how many fat grams are in those things, and it really doesn't sink in until one looks at the rest of the day and compares the fat content to other foods.

We still have umpteen pounds of ground beef in the freezer, but I think i'll keep the ingestion of it to a minimum until I reach my goal. It's just amazing what logging calories does for a person...

26 days to go!

Quick Countdown

27 days to go!

Keeping it Positive

I'm attempting to keep a positive attitude, but it's being very difficult right now. Honestly I am too hard on myself and shouldn't be that way. I get upset because I wanted all my results yesterday, and not only do I feel like I haven't progressed AT ALL, I feel like I'm backsliding. This is very frustrating, and the timer is clicking down.

So, I'm working on attracting positive feelings. (Law of Attraction, right? It hasn't found my wedding ring yet...)

Postive Affirmation Statement
I am attracting positive feelings. I am accomplishing my goal and attaining a healthy body. I can see my healthy body in my mind's eye, and I feel good in that healthy body. I love to nourish my body with the nutrients it needs. I am at a 18-19% body fat, and I can see my muscles working hard during a workout. I love my workout and feel the burn it produces while I am at it, and feel refreshed and energetic when it is finished. I am happy with the way I am, and forgive myself when I slip and start to fall. I enjoy the fruits and vegetables and lean proteins that are part of my diet. I am accomplishing my goal.

Weekend of No Return

The weekend is over, and it was one where we spent about two minutes total at home. I enjoyed hanging out with friends, but I know I ate way too much food. I tried Baklava for the first time yesterday, and it's evil and addicting. I ate more than I care to admit (3 pieces), and got a stomach ache afterward from all the butter. I've felt bloated all day today. This coming weekend is Easter, and although I'm not someone who goes all out on a holiday, I definitely enjoy my food, so I'll have to watch it. My deadline is approaching! One week down, four to go. That's it. Four weeks. It seems wrong somehow...

I finished the 7 Pounds e-book. I like Joshua Hillis' work, and I'll definitely try the program after I'm finished with Afterburn, but it's not real streamlined. I can see a personal trainer definitely getting results using it with clients, but not someone who is operating on their own- it requires too much self-discipline that way.

Nutrition is, of course, the most important aspect to losing those last few pounds. One has to get extremely disciplined. Craig Ballantyne suggested taking out all grain products to have the best results, and getting all carbs from fruits and vegetables. He stuck oatmeal on that list! If I can't have my morning cereal, at least let me have my oatmeal...! Not more than two weeks ago, I tried taking all gluten out of my diet for one week, to see if that would help alleviate some digestive problems. I lasted 3 days before caving. Outside of my cereal, I don't eat a lot of grain products anyway (bread, pasta, most of the bottom of the old food pyramid), but sometimes I just have to get something in me that is energy dense. Tonight I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I haven't had one of those in at least a month. At any rate, it is cereal and oatmeal that I enjoy in the morning, and will not likely be kicking those to the side anytime soon.

On the subject of nutrition, BACON! I hate bacon. Of course, I eat it, and don't mind the taste if it was cooked on the George Foreman grill, but I really hate how I feel after I eat it (bloated and not happy), and of course, it makes everything in the house SMELL. I'm on that subject because bacon was cooked in my house this morning, I had 3 slices, and with that and the baklava, it's no wonder I felt so icky today. I've decided I'm going to live on apples and oranges tomorrow.

"Bacon!...It's a long shot." -Lord of the Bean, VeggieTales