Tuesday, March 19, 2013

SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!

Well...I had a whole BL congrats story to start off with...BUT I will refrain bc certain FFGF members could not watch last night, which I totally understand that catching up on Walking Dead comes 1st (<3 I too am addicted to WD!)..So I will let this member remain anonymous Ehhh..hem...STEPHANIE!!! :D JK! This season was my fav! I may or may not say that every season..lol..But it was great and Im really said its over! :(
 
The goal last week was a simple one...BE GOOD! 
I did pretty well makin that goal MINE! Here's how:

Workouts this past week=ERRYDAY!!!!
3/11 Mon: Gym->Lateral X: 31:14 mins/4.05 miles/291 cals  

3/12 Tues: Gym->Stair Master: 25 mins/110 floors/272cals

3/13 Wed: Gym->Treadmill: 34:02 mins/3 miles/362 cals

3/14 Thurs:  Gym->Spin Class:45:56 mins/758 cals

3/15 Fri: Gym->Leg Day w the boys! 

3/16 Sat: AM->Bike Ride:43:21mins/10.26 miles/595-758 cals
                                                 *Endomondo cals:595  Mio-Watch cals:75
                   PM->Basketball, walk/jog, bike ride w family: abt 5 miles?

3/17 Sun:Bike Ride:40:15 mins/7.58 miles/about 500 cals?
*Used Endomondo but still had it set to "walking" from walking w the kids on Saturday afternoon. Distance is the same but cals are off...
    
I have been looking for a while, and asking friends I know for a good "tasting" protein shake. I heard of several good ones to try but I was always just too cheap to actually pick it up and buy it.. Well, As of Monday this week, I have taken inspiration/motivation from both Chad & Shannon and decided to follow in their footsteps with starting to incorporate a protein shake as a meal replacement into my diet. Not sure the scale reflects the full grasp of this change, due to this being MY WEEK, if you catch my drift...BLAH! But I am very happy that even though it was my week and I did have a few pound gain during the week, that you didn't see, Im bk to exactly one week later and Im the same exact weight. This makes me hopeful that the weight will balance out and the loss is soon to show through..You just WAIT!

I started replacing my "lunch time/post workout meal" with the Lean 1 protein shake. Previously I would stop in Smoothie King and have this for lunch. It was costing me $6 a pop! I saw that they had the tub of the Lean 1 powder and you can buy and make your own, but the tub was $31 bucks so I decided to hold off. Chad, who has been drinking his protein shakes for YEARS..mentioned to me he ran out of his Muscle Milk and was at Rouses and found that they had same Lean 1 tub was ONLY $21. BAM! I WAS SOLD!!!! I rushed over and bought the same tub and have been having it for lunch. I add 1 scoop of Lean 1 powder (115cals) and 16oz of Fat Free Skim Milk (171 cals) into my wisk blender bottle cup, and DRINK UP! Total Cals: 287. IT TASTES GREAT!! I got the "Cookies & Cream" flavor and it really is yummy! My co-worker, Courtney walked in on me licking the inside of the cup!..YES, Its that good!

CHALLENGE UPDATE: So like I mentioned above, over the last week I had gained a few lbs. I was up to 173 (period/water weight..What-ev-er!). I had all the lovely side effects of that but now its over and behind me and I have 3 weeks left of the challenge to kick ass! As of this morning...I am the exact same weight I was @ last Tuesday's weigh in. SO NOW IT'S ON!!!

Goals for this upcoming week:
~Get it in EVERYDAY
~Drink more water
~Keep up w MFP   
~Shed some #s                                
       
Hope everyone crushes there goals this wk! 
START TODAY! Get UP & Do Something!

Monday, March 18, 2013

In A Hopeful Funk

Monday has rolled around again.  Is it me or is time flying?  My weeks tend to blend into one another.  All I do is work, workout, sleep, and start it all over again the next day.  I'm sore all the time because every day I do something different so I'm constantly working a different part of my body, in a different way.  It's nice, and exhausting, but I'm addicted to the gym...and to the classes.  But at the same time, the scale isn't budging.  Since last weigh-in, I'm down about 3 pounds.  WTF?!?!?!?!?

So let's get right to it...

How My Week Went

Monday - 1 mile on treadmill, 500 meter row, then C25K D1/W6.  Body Pump class after work.

Tuesday - 2.5 mile walk for work.  2 miles on treadmill, 2000 meter row ..No class - Had to get home to celebrate my sister's birthday with family.

Wednesday - 2.5 mile walk for work.  2 miles on elliptical, 10 minutes on stairclimber, Body Flow class

Thursday - 3 miles on Elliptical followed by Body Pump class

Friday - C25K D2/W6, 10 minutes on stairclimber, 500 meter row

Saturday - C25K D1/W6, 10 minutes on stairclimber
Sunday - C25K D1/W6 (again), 10 minutes on stairclimber, 3.47 mile bike ride (at home)

Biggest Loser

Holy Crap, Danni and Jeff made it to the finale!  Tonight is the live finale and I cannot WAIT!  I have absolutely loved this season of BL and I'm so sad that after tonight it's over.  I went online and voted for Jackson to be a finalist alongside Danni and Jeff and I hope that others voted the same.  He's awesome and between the three, I don't know who I want to win more!  They are all so deserving!


What's New?

This week has been a challenge.  A big mind game really.  The scale is all but not budging and it is extremely frustrating.  I don't quite know what the problem is, but I'm going to keep going and hope to break out of the weightloss-less funk!  I kid you not... yesterday (for example), I woke up and hit the gym, sweat my butt off, drank my smoothies, spent the day shopping and walking around, headed home and did house work, and then went for a bike ride.  You'd think that I'd be down SOMETHING...nope.  Exact same as the day before.  Not budging one bit.  Frustrating, annoying, but it happens.  Won't bring me down, just motivates me to keep pushing.

My appointment with Pennington has been moved to Friday.  I wanted those 2 additional days to workout and hopefully see a change in the scale.  I also have a lot going on at work Wednesday, due dates, etc., and Friday is wide open.


Thoughts

 
When I see changes in myself or changes on the scale, I'm quick to want to share the news with everyone.  It's only natural because I'm excited and I want to share my successes.  With sharing my successes comes feedback that I'm not always happy to receive.  My mom, for instance, whenever I've shared something good with her, has always expressed her excitement but she can't simply say "good job," "I'm proud of you," or "keep up the hard work."  She always has to chime in with something else along the lines of how bad I used to look, how my being fat made her feel (and made her cry), and how she's glad I'm finally doing something because of my health and how it worried her.  Those comments aren't helpful and all they do is piss me off!  In fact, I've avoided her phone calls lately because the only big thing I have going on in my life at the moment is losing weight.  It consumes me.  My time is spent at the gym, at work, or at home.  She will inevitably want to ask how I'm doing and with that will come more of the same.  Trust me, I beat myself up enough mentally over my weight.  I don't need the reminders of how bad off I was!  The old Shannon doesn't exist in my world any longer...well, maybe bits of the old me do, but I've changed mentally as well as physically. With this weightloss process I've had to come to a lot of realizations about myself and a lot of what I've discovered I don't like.  I no longer wish to be reminded of the old me and rather than bottling up that anger whenever I am faced with the old me being pointed out, I'll set the story straight ....The old me doesn't live here anymore.  Not just in the sense of weight, but in every way.  I'm not who I was 2 months ago.  I am a work in progress and I think that will take some adjusting for everyone.

This doesn't mean I'll get angry whenever someone points out my weightloss... things like that are encouraging and validating. 


A Ring

I have a beautiful wedding ring set...



But it's time to get it re-sized before I lose it.  It's too big for my ring finger now.  As you can see, it now fits on my thumb effortlessly....(pay no mind to my man fingers...I am in desperate need of a manicure!)


Little things like my wedding ring being too big, or the shirt from last post, make all the difference in my mind.  It's not just about the number on the scale...it's about every little thing that shows me in some way that I am headed in the right direction!  And right now, when the scale isn't budging, it's nice to notice all the changes that do show that all the hard work I'm putting in is getting me somewhere!


"For what it’s worth: it’s never too late ... to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before....I hope you live a life you’re proud of.  If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again." - Eric Roth


Friday, March 15, 2013

It's FINALLY Friday!!

Well, it's been a LONG work week, so glad Friday is here!! I'm pretty stoked about how well this week went as far as my eating habits and workouts.


                                       



Monday - 13:11 on the stairs, 371 calories then walked 2 miles around the neighborhood with my hubby and the girls.

Tuesday - walked 2 miles around the neighborhood with the family again,

Wednesday - 13:21 on the stairs, 376 calories

Thursday - 14:20 on the stairs, 403 calories

Friday - I won't be exercising today because I have dinner plans with my in-laws for 6:00. I won't get home in time to get a shower and redo the hair and makeup and I certainly can't be going to dinner all nasty!

Saturday - I plan to do 45 minutes on my mom's elliptical.

Sunday - 2 miles around the neighborhood with the family

As far as eating goes we have had either baked chicken, pork roast, or steaks and tons of veggies! We've been doing great at avoiding all the starches these past couple of weeks.

I only lost a pound this week and at first I was a little bummed about it but then I saw this:

                                                 

I'm good now! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!




Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Road May Be Rough, But It's Worth Traveling!

First and foremost I just want to send a shout out to my buddy Shannon. I am so proud of you! You are on track and on a mission! You are going through a hard time knowing that you will prevail and that alone motivates me to be a better ME! You see the task and continue to push through. You are doing amazing and I’m proud to call you FRIEND, BEST FRIEND AND SISTER !!!



Over all I am pretty proud of last week. I didn’t have any weight loss but my journey is more than just a number, it’s a lifestyle change!

Workouts:

Monday - 3/4 – Jogged 3.12 miles; C25k W8 D3; Average pace 14:05 min/mile – Calories burned - 363

Wednesday - 3/6 – 2.78 miles; C25K W9 D1; Average pace 14:23 min/mile – Calories burned – 342

Saturday- 3/9 – (1.)  Walked 3.28 miles; Walked with Shannon and Nicole; 16:51 min/mile – calories burned - 332 (2.) Biking 1.13 miles; to my mother in law’s house and home with the hubby – Calories burned - 70

Sunday3/10 – Biking 8.66 miles; Riding with friends; Average Speed 4.1 MPH; Calories burned - 677


My total calories burned for this week was 1784 and the total miles are 18.97. My goal for each week will be to beat that number! Watch out week! I’m coming to get ya!!!!


I also have a story to tell. On Sunday’s bike ride, Shannon and I were riding close together talking and my son Anthony said that he was going to pass us. We thought that he was going to pass in the grass but NO! He decided to pass us on the small strip of sidewalk that Shannon and I were already using. WELL, Shannon swerved, over corrected, scared the ish out of me and I in turn swerved IN TO BRANCHES OF AN OVER HANGING TREE, over corrected and Blake (in a baby seat) and I went down. While my hand was hurting from holding the bike up (as I waited for the calvary to come save me) all I could do was LAUGH! It was simply hilarious.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Ja-Makin-Me-Crazy!

Ok so...Time to kick it UP!!!! 
We will be leaving on our cruise in.....
 Just 33 Days! 
 
I am soooooo HOT DAMN FREAKIN EXCITED!  
Its a 7 day cruise, which is Awesome!!  To....JAMAICA BABY! 
The ports are; Montego Bay-Jamaica, Grand Cayman-Cayman Islands and Cozumel-Mexico.  We have been to the Cozumel port several times but I haven't been to either of the other two ports. If you have, hit me up and give me some deets!!!  This will be the first time my kids get to cruise and they are so excited and they don't even knowing whats coming. My mom and my in-laws are also coming along, as well as a group of cousins, aunt, uncle, It should be lots of fun!  I would like to challenge myself to loose ??X?? amount weight in the next 30 days but the weight loss has been crazy lately...So, Idk what would be a good/reasonable/yet challenging number.???? Should I go conservative and say 1#/week=5#s total?? Or Do I go bold and say 2#s/week=10#s? Hmmm...I would be THRILLED w either turn out with the way this up and down roller coasters been going.  

So Im thinking 7#s! More than 5, less than 10, and it would put me on the lower side of the next bracket (The..160's). I just might pee my pants w excitement, if I can pull this off! So there it is..The goal has been set...
 
Now the hard part...Time to make it happen! So, to make sure I stay on top of this..Each week I will post a pic of my weight!  Yep that's right..the dreaded scale pic. There is no way to deny the ups and the down that lie ahead. Im sure there will be bad food choices made, days slacked on exercise, that inevitable time of the month..BLAH! All will be shown here to hopefully help me stay motivated! This morning's weight was:
 I know..I know..I gained .6 since March 1 weigh in :( 
Just plain ol' slacking on the diet over the weekend, Got me!

Here's what happened last week...
Goals From Last week:
~Work out 5-6 days/week=6 days=DONE!
~Keep up w MFP=DONE!
~Enter the world of the 160#s!!??!!?=NOPE!!

How I handled up...
3/4 Mon: None
3/5 Tues: AM: Run w Chad: 23:50mins/2.42miles/358cals
                     +PM: Treadmill @ home: 18:15mins/1.5miles/187cals
3/6 Wed: Gym->Stair Master: 30mins/2.8miles/134floors/351cals
3/7 Thurs: Run w Chad: 24mins/2.40miles/356cals
3/8Fri: Gym->Leg Day w the boys=Squats & Calf Raises
                             +Treadmill:1mile/9:16/141cals 
3/9 Sat: 5k walk @ Oakdale: 53mins/3.16miles/396cals
               +1 mile run w Chad: 8:48mins/144cals *MY FASTEST PACE EVA!
3/10 Sun: Family/Friend Bike Ride:8.39miles/2hrs/545cals


 Short Video of The Bike Ride...

I also added this pic on the "photo" pg :D
Shannon, Stephanie & I (& Bell)
 
Yes, Bell looks like she's sniffing my butt...Always up my butt lol.. 

 Goals For This Week:
BE GOOD!

Hope everyone has a great week!! 
 

Monday, March 11, 2013

Time Changes...So Do Routines!

Hello Monday Morning!  It went from beautiful warm and breezy (yesterday) to windy, rainy and cold (today).  I nearly froze my butt off (I wish) getting gas for the SUV this morning!  Burrr... Looks like this won't last long though, which I'm happy about.  As much as I love winter, sweaters, fluffy house socks, and laying under the thick comforter, I am ready for SPRING! 

I "sprung" up quick this morning at 5:30 to hit the gym.  I'm changing it up and doing cardio/normal routine in the a.m. and classes in the p.m.  I did great this morning but more on that later.  For now, here's how my week went down....

How My Week Went

Monday - 1/2 mile on treadmill, C25K D1/W5, 10 minutes on Stairclimber, ab work, then Body Pump class.  I increased my weights in Body Pump class and boy my body was feeling it!  It was nothing I couldn't handle, just an adjustment from what I was accustomed to.

Tuesday - I jumped right into C25K D2/W5 rather than doing a mile first.  After the program was finished I continued on the treadmill, increasing the incline to 3.0 and walking at a quick pace.  I headed downstairs for abs.  Followed that up with the Body Pump class.  My biceps, triceps, and buns are on fire.  I am the squat queen! 

Wednesday -  I took a day OFF!  I woke up at the butt crack of dawn, drove to Baton Rouge, went to work after, and I was busy busy at work.  All I wanted to do was go home and relax.  And I did just that.  It was nice!

Thursday - What an annoying DAY!  If I don't take a lunch, I leave work at 4 instead of 5.  I took a lunch this day and left at 4:30.  I had it in my mind that I had an hour and a half to get to the gym, get changed, do my cardio for the day and then get to the Body Pump class at 5:30.  I did 1 mile on the treadmill, then did the C25K D3/W5, then finished off the last half mile on a 3% incline.  I hopped off and headed downstairs and pass the classroom.  I take a seat to wait for class, glance down at my phone...HELLO...It's freaking 6:08!!!!  I've already missed 38 minutes of class!  I was so off on my time because I'm used to leaving at 4, not 4:30!  I was LIVID!  

Friday - 1 mile on treadmill, C25K D3/W5 (again), Stairclimber 10 minutes, Rowing 500 meters, Abs 

Saturday -  5k with my friends at the local park and Body Pump Class.  The usual instructor is out having shoulder surgery and will be out for 4 weeks so there's a new instructor taking over until that time.  I am not big on change.  I like the old instructor and feel comfortable with her.  But there's something to be said about change.  The new instructor had a different routine, lots of squats.  She really pushes you.  Loved it.  Felt great after class.  Worn out, but great!

Sunday -  Bike ride through City Park's old golf trails, for at least 10 miles.  This was so much fun!

Monday (this morning) - I was up and at em' for 5:30.  I hit the gym doing 1 mile on the treadmill, a 500 meter row, then hit the treadmill again for C25K D2/W6.  Sweaty goodness...til I walked outside and the cold wind hit my sweaty shirt!  Yikes!


Biggest Loser

I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love Biggest Loser and I am so incredibly sad that tonight is the last episode before the finale!  That means that I have 2 episodes left until it's gone for another season.  Ugh!!!!   Last Monday's episode was fun, but I must admit it was kinda boring.  I love the challenges and watching the workouts.  Makeover week didn't have a lot of that going on...it was very motivational/inspirational with lots of one-on-one family/friend talks about how proud everyone is of the remaining contestants.  I loved the makeovers and they all looked fabulous!  I know it sounds mean, but I really don't want Gina to win!  Out of the 5 remaining on the ranch, she is my least favorite.  I feel bad saying that though.  =( 

I was really hoping/wishing that Francelina would just walk out of one of the rooms at Jeff's house when he arrived home!  That would've been awesome! 

Danni looks amazing!  She's beautiful and I love her relationship with her dad! 

Jackson is awesome too.  He lives with his parents, he loves to volunteer his time, he works hard at losing the weight, and he seems like a genuinely nice person!  I hope he is able to hang on for the finale! 

I can't wait til tonight's episode!  The last episode before the finale!  Team Danni!!  Team Jackson!!!!


Checkup

I had my checkup with Pennington on Wednesday.  As of Wednesday I was officially down 28 pounds.  I started the program January 28th.  February 28th made it 1 month, and since my appointment was March 6th, it was 1 month and 6 days and I'm down 28!  Feels good. 

My blood pressure was excellent... 116/78.  They did not measure my waist, so there's no reveal on how many inches I've lost there.  No biggie.

My next appointment is March 20th and my first group meeting is March 26th.  I'm pumped to see how good of a number I can pull on my next weigh-in! 

After my appointment I sat in the atrium and logged into the center's wifi.  My dietitian and I had to reschedule our initial online meeting because of technical difficulties on my end.  On Wednesday I was able to manually download what I needed to be able to participate in meetings online and I'm good to go.  I can now start tracking my weight/food intake on the online program rather than the journals I'm given.  This will be a nice change for me!


What's New?

I met and exceeded my fundraising goal for the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure bike ride in April!  It cost me $15 to register for the ride, but that did not go toward my fundraising goal.  I then had to raise a minimum of $150 in order to participate in the ride.  I've raised $192, and that's without donating myself, which I plan to do shortly before the ride.  I am so happy that I was able to pull that off and that I had people willing to be so generous!  It's a good feeling. 


What's the Plan?

This coming week's plan is simple...at least in theory...

1.  Exercise every day (workout every morning before work, and take a class every evening after work.)
2.  Drink lots of water
3.  Take my vitamin every day! 
4.  Take more pictures for my blog posts.  Wouldn't it be nice to have more pictures rather than just a wall of text? 

I'll report back next Monday on how my week went!

For now, I'll leave you with these pictures...

A Shirt

I purchased a shirt for the Glo Run, which was November 10, 2012.  I purchased this strictly because it's neon yellow and it talks about being awesome...which I am. 



It was tight.  But it held my rolls in and I felt it was decent enough for the occasion...  So the race came and went, but I still wore the shirt... but only to the gym..


It was tight, but again, served its purpose. 

The one day (this morning) I snapped a picture and realized, it's not as tight as it used to be..


I still look awesome, but now I have room to breathe...and my rolls...they are still there.  Smaller than they used to be, but I'm working on it.


One might even say that this shirt is loose. 

To sum it up...I'm still fat, but not as fat as I was.  I'm working on it and as long as I continue to work on it, things like this shirt will continue to prove to me that hard work pays off.  Blood, sweat, lots of tears, trips, untied tennis shoes, and the occasional sweat in the eye (hey, it's unavoidable).  But it's 100% ME! 

Til next time friends, keep up the hard work. 


Friday, March 8, 2013

Last week's cold was over by Sunday and this week started out great!!

                                         
My workouts for the week:

Monday - I did 11:15 on the stairs burning 317 calories

Tuesday - I did 12:01 on the stairs burning 338 calories, also did 30 minutes of boxing with Tony

Wednesday - None (I was slacking)

Thursday - I did 12:28 on the stairs burning 351 calories

Friday - I plan to do 13:00 on the stairs and my kettlebell tonight


                    
 

I lost 3.2 pounds from last Friday and I am feel amazing!!

Next week my goal is to repeat this week and lose another 3 pounds!!




I hope every one has a fabulous weekend!!