It Isn't a Fluke

My lovely weight loss last week wasn't a fluke! I am so happy!! I managed to lose another 3.2 lbs. Phew. Honestly I do worry sometimes that I'll go back to just a 1 lb or 1.5 lbs loss a week. I don't even know how I could push through that. Because it would just simply take me forever to lose 140 lbs at 1/1.5 a week. Good Gosh.

Another 3.2 lbs lost really helps me out. It fuels my motivation. I feel that the combination I have figured out is actually working this time. I had begun to realize that my weight loss is like a puzzle. And I have to find the right pieces to fit together to to make the puzzle whole and really work.

Puzzle pieces:

• Diet - a.k.a. Eating plan
• Exercise - not just the act but what exercising I'm doing (and how long each week)
• Supplements - not diet pills, but they are essential nutrients from oils, etc that my body is missing
• Grass Shake - this I believe has been key to helping me achieve my Freggie servings each day
• Protein Shake - I also think it is good for me to drink at least one a day, right now it is a Metabolism Reset shake that should be helping to get my metabolism on the right track

I have had to keep telling myself that if I have a crappy week in weight loss that maybe I still should be figuring out one of the puzzle pieces. I have not just changed what I'm eating but when I'm eating during the day too.

Maybe that was the catalyst? Plus I have been swimming for an hour each morning (5 days a week). Good that be it as well?

Not to mention the grass shake, supplement and Metabolic Reset shake are finally starting to work. Sometimes it takes a week or so for new things to settle into your body and show progress.

Here's hoping.

Now the goal is to just keep going forward with this. During the next week, hubby and I will be taking a short trip. I am SO looking forward to this much needed quick get away. But this means that while we won't be going hog wild with our eating - We do plan to enjoy ourselves. So next Saturday's weigh in will most likely not be so good. My goal is to just maintain. To not gain any weight. If I could do that, I will be happy. I'd hate to undo all my hard work with 3 days of fun.

Weight: 263 (Total weekly loss of 3.2 lbs!!)

Inches - 3 inches lost overall!

• Neck - 15.5
• Arms - 16
• Wrist - 6.5
• Chest - 40.5
• Upper Waist (spare tire) - 51.5
• Waist (belly button) - 48
• Hips - 57
• Thigh - 30
• Calf - 18

:~D

Where have I been?!

Holy Cow, where have I been? I haven't posted since last week?!

Well, I have been keeping focused, that's for sure. I didn't fall off the wagon. I just - got busy.

The really GOOD news is that last Saturday, June 15th, 2013 I had a really good weigh in day. FINALLY. And I really needed that too. I was slowly starting to lose hope with only losing 1 - 1.5 lbs a week. I'm sorry, but that really sucks at my weight. So, here are my Saturday stats:

Weight: 266.2 (Total weekly loss of 3.6 lbs!!)

Inches

• Neck - 15.5
• Arms - 16
• Wrist - 6.5
• Chest - 40.5
• Upper Waist (spare tire) - 53
• Waist (belly button) - 48.5
• Hips - 57.5
• Thigh - 30.5
• Calf - 18

Total Loss overall since 06/8/13: .5 inches (Don't know what happened to increase my belly size, but there it is)

Workout: 1.5 hours of heavy yard work/push mowing

I was so very happy about my much bigger weight drop. I need that motivation. And I am still pushing/hoping for another somewhat big drop this week. I think it is very acceptable to expect 3 lbs a week lose. That isn't too much (especially for my size!).

 

I've been working really hard on my water aerobics too. I think that has added a LOT to my weight lose. I'm in our pool 5 days a week for an hour doing lots of different exercises. Just constantly moving. I now have web gloves, water dumbbells, noodle, kickboard and a ball to use for my water aerobics. That's besides the laps that I do (running, kicking and swimming).

 

And I've found that I truly love the pool. It's so easy on my joints, it helps lower my stress and I feel like I'm getting a solid workout!

 

The other good news is that I'm starting to squeeze into a smaller size. I'm not quite there to be comfortable, but so close. I really hope that I lose another big drop in weight before our trip next week. Hubby and I are taking a short 'get out of town' trip a few hours away.

 

Speaking of Hubby - he has lost 33 lbs at this point! And SO many people are commenting on his weight, because you can easily TELL he's lost a lot of weight. His belly is shrinking fast!

 

On one hand - so proud/happy for him! On the other - frustrated with myself, because I'm doing all this work and he is dropping so fast with a much easier time.

 

I've also been working hard on drinking my Grass shake every day. I actually really enjoy them! I need to do a post just about the grass shake - cause it really is awesome!

 

On to my day!

 

:~D

Water Aerobics

Our pool is ready! YAY!

This morning I really struggled with getting up to swim or not. Don't know why, because last night I could barely contain my excitement. Husband and I have been working on the pool for a few days, getting it ready to swim. We still have a few things to do, but it is at least in the condition where you can get in and splash around. 

I finally grumbled my way out of bed (1 hour later than I planned) and put on my swimsuit. Plus shorts. Plus a t-shirt.

This is what I swim in. Yes, I know.

I trek outside and test the water with my hand. BRRRR! But I am determined.

Since our steps are sitting in the middle of the pool, I'm going to have to just jump in, none of this ease myself down nonsense. So I stick my feet in (BRRR!), then talk myself out/in to finally stop wussing out and jumping down in the pool.

OMG THIS IS SO FREAKING COLD! 

Then it got soooo much better. 

Once my body adjusted, the temperature of the water was fine. I got the steps put in place so I'd be able to get out and began scrubbing the pool wall. After doing that for a bit, plus getting more floating debris, I decided it was time for my water aerobics. I had researched different exercises to do the last few days, so I had those in my head for what I wanted.

I managed to bang out 30 minutes of water time. I just kept on moving. I did laps around the pool 'running', I used my noodle as a kick board of sorts and kicked laps. I also used my new hand web gloves to do different arm exercises. I LOVED IT. 

My goal is to get in the pool every day that weather/schedule will allow me. It was great for my joints and I knew it was helping me to tone up nicely. 

 

Water: 8 glasses
Workout: 30 min Water Aerobics
Supplements: EvoLean (3), Censor (4), Daily Vitamin (2)
Food

• Breakfast - Amazing Grass Drink w Unsweetened Almond Milk (10 oz), 1 slice Wheat Bread with 2 tbsp Almond Butter - 5 pts
• Lunch - Turkey Sandwich - 6 pts
• Dinner - Fries and Tortilla Shells - 12 pts
• Snacks - Whey Protein Shake, Popcorn Rice Cakes  - 4 pts

Total pts: 27

New Week, New Plan

Yesterdays weigh-in was another blah, blah feeling. I only lost 1.4 lbs. Granted I finally came in under 270 (SWEET!), but I'm still annoyed that my effort does not seem to be showing in my progress each week on the scale or even in inches. I did manage to lose 1.5 inches overall after a week, that's probably on par. But I really think my body is resisting big time.

It has really made me wonder if my body's metabolism is severely screwed up. I've been doing lots of research lately about different ways to go about this to try and ramp up my fat burning efforts. I found two articles in the Woman's World magazine talking about ways to help melt serious fat. 

One article talked about using Whey Protein shakes throughout the day (they have recipes for add-ins to make it more like a smoothie) with ideas on smaller lighter meals. The shakes provide the majority of nutrition your body needs and along with the suggestions they have to fill out the shakes, thus making them more filling, you don't feel like you are missing food or hungry during the day.

The suggestion was to use lower calorie Whey Protein powder, which has always been a concern of mine and why I haven't tried protein shakes before. I thought they were only for serious athletes that are already burning an insane amount of calories. I didn't even think about low cal alternatives for normal people like me. Apparently Biggest Loser has a brand that tastes really good and is only 60 calories. Now, I've just got to find it. LOL

The other article was actually an interview with Danni Allen, the latest winner of Biggest Loser. They even got advice from Jillian for this article on how she structured Danni's diet plan. THIS article had amazing information that I can't wait to try. They talked about how Danni focused the majority of her daily calories on a huge (and I mean HUGE) breakfast, then ate super light for lunch and dinner. Not only that, but reducing her carb intake after 3 pm! Whoa! 

(keep in mind that the workouts do help, but both Jillian and Danni said that 80% of her success was her diet plan)

Plus, she added this great drink in the morning that was a mix from Amazing Grass Chocolate Green SuperFood which is packed full with organic nutrients. O.M.G. This stuff is no joke. As I continued to read this article, I got really excited. I started pondering that maybe my current plan is ok for a 1.5 lb a week loss, so I'm doing good on the amount of calories I'm taking in, but maybe I need to change up when I consume the most calories throughout the day. And according to Danni and Jillian - it worked superb for her and the rest of the biggest losers!

So husband and I got up early this morning and headed over to Whole Foods to look for this Amazing Grass drink. They actually had a sample of the Goji/Acai flavor. It looks gross (like a grass mixed drink), but the taste was AWESOME! It tasted so good! I bought a canister of the chocolate blend, while husband bought some of the single packs of other flavors to try. 

SO EXCITED! And I already drank a glass of my chocolate flavor - not bad at all! I blended it with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. I think I'm going to switch to Sweetened and maybe blend it in the blender for a smoother texture. Plus, I might add in a banana and some ice. I CAN'T WAIT!

Water: 10 glasses
Workout: None 
Supplements: EvoLean (3), Censor (4), Daily Vitamin (2)
Food

• Breakfast - Amazing Grass Drink w Unsweetened Almond Milk (10 oz), Plain bagel thin with 1 tbsp Brummel & Brown Butter - 3 pts
• Lunch - PB & J - 7 pts
• Dinner - Smart Ones Lasagna - 6 pts
• Snacks - Snack Popcorn, WW Choc Mini Cake (2), Green Grapes (1/2 C) - 5 pts

Total pts: 21

Saturday fun

Today was another cheat day. WEEEE! I always look forward to these days. I will say that my 'cravings' are getting better throughout the week, but Saturday still holds this nice feeling of not worrying at all about trying to calculate or figure out the nutrition of what I'm eating. That's the bonus for me at this point.

Hubby had planned to do some barbecuing smoking of a brisket and he was going to be stuck at home all day. Smoking/barbecuing meat (in the true sense) is a long process. Because of this, I was going to be the food runner for the day. Fine by me.

One of Husband's craving for the week was to enjoy a cheddar sausage roll for breakfast. He also likes cooking things himself. So he had already picked up a package of cheddar sausage and french bread to make his own sausage rolls. OMG - they were so good.

Then, we started working on the yard. Please understand that not just our front yard, but our back yard is very big. Our front yard is about 2250 sq feet. The back yard is close in size. I mowed and because the back yard had been neglected for an extra week, I had to mow it twice. We moved the dog pen, we cleaned up trash. A lot work sweaty work was done.

I decided that I needed a break and some lunch. So I ordered myself a pepperoni calzone and got Husband some food from Arby's. But since I was at Arby's and my calzone hadn't arrived yet, I also got myself an order of curly fries.

Between the curly fries and the 4 slices of calzone I ate - I felt STUFFED. And a little sick.

Later, we mowed the front yard (Husband edges and weedeats) and I was just done after that. LOL Just done.

Husband had wanted to experiment with some mixed drinks, so once we knew we were in for the day and wouldn't be driving anymore he made us something. First we tried this Frozen Pink Lemonade (alcoholic) - YUM. Then he mixed me up a Blue Lagoon or something like that. It was good too.

But, then about an hour later - my guts were hurting so bad! Boy, was my body not happy with what I was eating/drinking today. That's good to remember.

Overall - a pretty nice day off!

Weight: 269.8 (Total weekly loss of 1.4 lbs)

Inches 

• Neck - 15.5
• Arms - 16
• Wrist - 6.5
• Chest - 41.5
• Upper Waist (spare tire) - 53
• Waist (belly button) - 48
• Hips - 57.5
• Thigh - 30.5
• Calf - 18

Total Loss overall since 06/1/13: 1.5 inches

Workout: 2 hours of heavy yard work/push mowing
Water: 8 glasses
Supplements: EvoLean (3), Censor (4), Daily Vitamin (2)

Food (Cheat Day)

• Cheddar Sausage Roll (2)
• Skim Milk 16 oz
• Pepperoni Calzone (Mazzio's), Ranch Dip
• Frozen Pink Lemonade Alcohol Drink

Rocked a Morning Walk!

SEIZE the DAY!

That is today's motto. And boy, did I seize it!

I walked 3.39 miles. Yes, that's right. 3.39 miles, which is actually further than a 5K!

I really rocked a workout. And I felt the endorphin rush afterwards which gave me some good vibes despite my scale scowling this morning. Besides, who knows what my inches will show??? One can only hope.

But, I do wonder.

Have I hit a plateau? Already, with not even 20 lbs lost???

I realize that my official weigh-in isn't until tomorrow and I'm also telling myself to stop being so negative and pessimistic. But, sheesh. It can be very disheartening. On the other hand, seeing that number on the scale didn't prevent me from exercising today, in fact, in may have pushed me to do the entire 3.39 miles!

So, I've got to remember the famous saying:

Well, maybe not 'swimming' per se. But basically I've got to just keep going. Keep Moving. Keep motivated. This work will pay off for me one day.

But, I am also considering that my metabolism may be very screwed up. That I may only see 1 or 2 lbs lost each week, while (hopefully) my inches continue a steady decline. Then BAM - I start burning like a mad woman.

Is it a muscle thing? Is that why the "lbs" aren't dropping?

I am really going to try to focus on strength training and exercising properly. I very much hope that my hard work will pay off and that all this fat is just waiting to be burned up, but first I have to create the right foundation. Geez this is frustrating, however I just have to 'keep swimming'.

Water: 10 glasses
Workout: 3.39 mile walk - 66 minutes, Bicep Curls - 3 set: 10 reps, Triceps - 2 set: 10 reps, Lateral Raises - 2 set: 10 reps
Supplements: EvoLean (3), Censor (4), Daily Vitamin (2)
Food

• Breakfast - Slim Fast Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch - Frito Burritos (3) - 12 pts
• Dinner - PB&J, FF Pringles, Skim Milk (8 oz) - 11 pts

Total pts: 27

So Happy It's Thursday

Ahhh. It's S.H.I.T. day. ;-) So Happy It's Thursday.

So, after hubby's revelation that he's down a whopping 30 lbs left me feeling a little blue. I am so happy for him. At the same time, I am so envious of him too. I have worked through eating better a few weeks before he started. Plus, I've been working out the past few weeks and he has yet to start. 

Grumble. Grumble. 

And yes, I am perfectly aware that men have an easier time losing weight, blah blah blah. Hearing that does not make me feel better. Sorry, it just doesn't. 

Right now, not only is my husband speeding down the weight loss track, he is so much closer to his goal weight, PLUS he is about 28 lbs LIGHTER than me right now anyway!

Believe me, that is the worst part of all. That I am so much heavier than my husband. 

My worst fear, being heavier than my husband.

Maybe this dilemma will help fuel my motivation to keep up with this new plan this time. Maybe. I feel like my body needs some serious adjusting to be able to start really burning up some fat stores. My metabolism is probably severely out of whack. I've really been pondering lately about the puzzle pieces I need to figure out in order to burn through all this extra weight. 

Which then leads me to protein shakes. 

I've heard of Whey Protein powder to use for shakes, particularly as a great after workout recovery drink. But I always thought they were more for super athletes or people working out all day long. Not me. But through some of the research I've been trying to compile, it may be something I should seriously consider. My morning slim fast shake is already higher in protein than it's regular version and I do know the true benefits of protein for my body. Could this be the puzzle piece I am missing?

We shall see. I plan to get the Biggest Loser Whey Protein (by Designer Whey) found at GNC - http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3399839 and try this. I like that it is low calorie, since sometimes people complain about the high caloric content of most whey powders. This may be why beginning weight loss people don't jump into the protein powder at first. I want to try the chocolate version and go from there. Once I start the week with this new add in, I will blog about it and my progress. 

I'm still taking my new supplements (in fact, it's only the 2nd day!), so I'm really hoping they also do some major good. Maybe all these little changes will be the key to my weight loss for the final time.

Not to mention - we are working on opening the pool! I am SO excited! I already have my ideas on water aerobic exercises and hope to get out in the pool almost every day to work out. YAY! (bonus is that it is our own pool and very private).

Water: 10 glasses
Workout: Cleaning the pool work - 45 minutes
Supplements: EvoLean (3), Censor (4), Daily Vitamin (2)
Food

• Breakfast - Slim Fast Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch -  - Frito Burritos (2) - 9 pts
• Dinner -  - Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes - 10 pts
• Snacks - Rice Cakes (4), Brownie, Skim Milk (8 oz) - 7 pts

Total pts: 30

Supplements

Husband came to me the other night really excited about some supplements he had been researching. Now, so far I'm usually not happy with supplements. I know that "diet pills" are a myth. That there really aren't any magic pills that will help you lose weight without any work.

I get that. 

The problem is that right now, I really need a boost. I don't look at pills to do all the work for me, but if there are supplements that help boost my diet and workouts then I want to go for it. Besides, we are supposed to see an improvement in 3 weeks. So, after that time we can say "no go" if they haven't done much to help. I double checked my measurements today (and weight) just in case I've had a drop in inches/weight since my Saturday Record day. My weight is at 270.4 (yay), but I didn't see any difference in inches yet. So, we will stick with my last recorded. 

I want to talk about the products specifically on here, so I can record how it works or doesn't work for me. I'm curious to see what the side effects might be, if any, and generally how I feel taking them. If anyone ever decides to read this blog, maybe they will find usual information/reviews about this to help them make the decision.

Plus, considering how overweight I am, I am really curious to see if these supplements work. Sometimes I wonder if supplements are only meant for people already close to their fitness goals or just trying to truly 'lean up'. I really hope these work for me.

On to the products: 

EvoLean http://store.ndsnutrition.com/nds-diet-energy/evolean/

EvoLean is a non-stimulant (instead using green tea extract) product and only has 4 ingredients. The reviews all across the web are super high for it. Hubby and I have heard radio commercials about it and he did some extensive research on it. We found it at our local GNC. It is a little pricey, $70 a bottle (1 month supply), but if it works like it's supposed too then it's worth it to me. 

The main focus is to help burn fat - it's a thermogenic. 

Censor http://store.ndsnutrition.com/nds-diet-energy/censor/

Censor is a toning supplement made up of "good" oils for the body.It mainly focuses on helping to reduce belly fat (YAY!). It has Omega 3, 6 and 9. Yes, part of the ingredients include Fish Oil. This is really good for me, since I hate fish of any kind. It's also a little pricey at $50 a bottle.

Fortunately, GNC had a combo package deal, which helped with cost. B/c besides the combo pack, they had a buy 1 get the 2nd half off special. So, Hubby and I were able to each get a pack to try them out.

Also, come to find out today Hubby has lost a total of 30 lbs and is only 17 lbs away from his goal. *stun* While I am extremely happy for him, it just reminds me of my short fallings. I haven't even crossed the 20 lbs lost line and I still have about 130 lbs overall to lose. Such a long way for me to go. But he is supportive and I'm not giving up. 

Water: 10 glasses

Workout: Water Rower (3:30 min), 25 sit-ups 

Food:

• Breakfast: Slimfast Protein Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch: Peanut Butter (Reduced Fat)/Jelly Sandwich (Low Sugar), FF Pringles - 9
• Dinner: KFC Chicken bites (3), Potato wedges - 10 pts
• Snack: Chocolate Almond milk (8 oz), Rice Cake - Popcorn flavor (4) - 4 pts

Total pts: 27

New Possible Goal

Tuesday
I decided to combine my postings for Monday and today. I simply didn't have a major post ready for Monday. So I will at least post my stats. I will say that I feel guilty about my late night snack (Caesar dressing), because it is SO bad for you. It is incredibly high in calories AND fat. Like stratosphere high. And I'm sure I acutally ate more than 16 pts worth (1 serving!), but that's what I will calculate. The good news is, that I no longer have any in the house. 

So that helps. ;-)

Today (Tuesday) is a non-work day. I had thought to get up super early to mow the lawn. But storms woke me up instead, so I knew that would be out. I had hoped to still wake up reasonably early, instead sleeping until 9:45. Ugh. I've got to get my sleep schedule under control. 

I did manage to kill a serious calorie burning workout. No matter what the schedule stated - I did the Fire 30 - TurboFire workout. Boy, is that intense. But Hubby and I were talking last night about something that I may have problems with in about 3 weeks. 

We may decide to take a vacation (much sooner than planned) and FLY there. 

My biggest fear is not fitting in the airplane seat.

I really don't want to have any issues. I've scoured the internet, trying to find ways of measuring myself in determination for an airplane seat. So far what I've found is that the smallest width of seats is around 17 inches. So I put my tape measure out on a bench and sat down. Apparently I am at 21 inches. 

I have 4 inches to lose!!! In 3 weeks!! How in the hell will that be possible?! I don't even know what kind of lbs that is to lose. (I do realize that lbs and inches lost are a bit different from each other)
So, I decided that I would give it a rip roaring try and see where I'm at in 2 weeks. Maybe we can still plan it within a short amount of time and go. I would really like to get out of town. I am very much feeling pent up.


Water: 8 glasses
Workout: Fire 30 Class
Food

• Breakfast - Slim Fast Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch/Dinner - Grilled Chicken Salad (10 pts)
• Snacks - Movie Popcorn (16 pts)

Total pts: 30

Monday
Water: 8 glasses
Workout: WaterRower (3 minutes), Situps (W1D2, 20 situps)
Food

• Breakfast - Slim Fast Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch - Lean Beef Hotdog, Fat Free Pringles - 6 pts
• Dinner - Wheat Linguine with Laughing Cow Alfredo (YUM) - 4 pts
• Snacks - Triscuits with Caesar dressing (16 pts)

Total pts: 30

ReBoot!

As I said yesterday, I was planning to "reboot" today. I 'sort of' fell off the wagon for about 2 days, not that big of a deal, but I recognized that it happened and made a deal with myself to get back to it on Sunday.

So, this morning I got up (later than I planned) with enough time to go for a walk. I wanted to walk, the weather has been nice after all our storms, so it has felt really good to get out of the house and stretch my legs.

I headed out just after 10 am and decided to just walk where I felt like walking and at a pace I felt comfortable at. I didn't want to push myself or make this walk feel like work. Sometimes, I think we need that in a workout. To not feel like we have to push ourselves. There are times when we do, but I believe that I needed to enjoy the walk after my crappy last week.

It was a really nice walk. The temperature couldn't have been better. The sky was beautiful,  birds were chirping and some of my neighbors were out in their yards. So I just be-bopped along with my music in. Walking always helps to clear my head. And I kept walking until I felt like circling back. I managed to make it a mile in about 20 minutes. That's pretty good for leisure walking.

By the time I got home, I had walked 1.31 miles and in 27 minutes. My pace usually slows after the initial mile, which is fine. I felt really good getting that walk in. Now, on to work and the rest of my day.

Water: 8 glasses
Workout: Walk (20 min pace), 1.31 miles (total of 27 minutes)
Food

• Breakfast - Slim Fast Shake - 4 pts
• Lunch - Lean Cuisine Pizza - 7 pts, Ranch - 2 pts
• Dinner - Brownie - 4 pts
• Snacks - Canteloupe (2 pts), Cracker Chips (2 pts),  Brownie (2 pts)

Total pts: 23

Fell off the Wagon, but I'm doing ok

Weight: 271.2 (Total weekly loss of 1.6 lbs)

Water: 8 glasses

 

Inches 

• Neck - 16
• Arms - 16
• Wrist - 6.5
• Chest - 41.5
• Upper Waist (spare tire) - 53
• Waist (belly button) - 48
• Hips - 58
• Thigh - 31
• Calf - 18

Total Loss overall since 05/21/13: 6.5 inches

Color me surprised! I'm a little shocked that I've lost 6.5 inches overall in just 10 days. WOW.

Especially considering that I haven't worked out since really Wednesday and even then, I sort of lost my steam with TurboFire for the week.

Sheesh. I believe this might be the motivation I need to get back on my horse tomorrow.

Despite my blah feelings the past few days, I did manage to get in a basic walk. It wasn't that long, don't even think I made it a mile and probably lasted about 16 minutes. I really just wanted to get out and get some air. I think it helped. Sometimes I just feel shut in or closed in and I need the open air. Granted, it wasn't a great as the country side, considering our boxed in neighborhood, but it was the best I could hope for. 

Now, on to restarting my journey tomorrow.

:~D