I am officially at 19lbs lost since April 1st. My mini-goal was to be at 20lbs gone by the start of June, but I jut missed that - by just a few days.
That is motivation to me. I managed to shed 20lbs by simply altering my state of mind. I do not deprive myself, I eat smart. I am more conscious of my decisions now. I am eating whole foods, not produced foods, and foods with very high nutritional value. I eat a lot of veggies every day. And it is showing! I am staying OP and not having a problem with it this time. I may finally bust through this 27-point plateau.
My next mini goal - 20lbs by 8/11/07.
There are two reasons for this. First off, 8/11 is my 29th birthday. And I tell you - I am ending my 20's in better shape, and mental clarity, that I started them. Which is hard for me to grasp because I was skinny back then. But health is not size. Health is holistic. The 2nd reason I want to loose my next block of 20lbs by mid-August is because 8/12 is the Chicago Distance Classic.
Running has gotten easier with this first nearly-20 gone. I know what it feels like to run 20lbs lighter than this even. And it feels good. And that race is just 10-weeks away. I need to keep up with the 2lb a week loss. But you know what? If I get down 17-18 lbs by then I will feel good. ;) I will still feel accomplished.
My last goal for major weight loss is to be down a third 20lbs - yes for a total of 60 - by Christmas Eve. I want to give myself plenty of time to shed that weight, as I have lost THIS 20 lbs before. And I have lost the NEXT 20lbs before. I have never lost that last 20lbs.
That last 20lbs will put me close to target weight range. And that is something that I have not been since, oh, high school? I was not fat in the latter days of high school - in fact I was a size 6. But I still weighed 15lbs out of the range for my build. I honestly carry weight REALLY well.
So after that last 20 I have a few straggler pounds to loose. 14 to be exact. If I can shed those last 14 lbs by June 1st 2008, then I will have lot a total 0f 74lbs. And I will have accomplished something I really had my mind set that I would never be able to.
I am only just over a quarter of the way there - but I know that I can do it.
If you are wondering why I have aggressive goals up front, but have put more time into the last 20, and then a lot more time into that last 14lbs - the reasoning is this. I expect to hit plateaus. I expect to hit some bumps in the road. And the simple truth is the more you loose, the harder is to loose. I have a LOT to loose, so right now it is cake as my body was not meant to be this heavy. So it likes shedding the weight. But once I break the 40lb mark - we are entering territory my body has not been in in a decade. I am preparing myself for it to be resistant!
Heck if I kept on with 2lbs loss every single week without fail from here until Christmas I will loose 75lbs this year alone. It is possible - but highly unlikely that my body will do that.
Here is to a beautiful day out there. I will be running my 2-miles at lunch today I think. If nto run it, then I will be walking the 3.4 miles instead. ;)
Have a great one!
~ })i({
Showing posts with label Weight Watchers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight Watchers. Show all posts
Jun 6, 2007
May 6, 2007
is it true? is spring really here?
I think that it must be!
To wrap up this week - Mike and I hit the gym Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. That is 4 days this week! I ran Friday and today (heading out to KMP to get in the time). I am still down 13 lbs, which is fine by me! I lost a fraction of a pound over this weekend, and given that it was Cinco De Mayo, 3 Detroit victories (Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons), as well as the Mint Julip drinkin' Kentucky Derby, oh and Mara' college graduation... I did well!
The test was Yesterday for sure.
On the running front, Friday's run really felt great! I moved on to week 3 (after all of this time!) I took the run off-road this time, and while Mike was doing bike work inside the gym, I was running outside around the lesser known Novi area.
When I completed my 30 minutess of HIIT, I came back inside the gym and we ended it with leg and shoulders. Due to my running, I took it really easy on the legs cutting the weight I normally use by half if not more.
Today I decided to go ahead and head to KMP after I post this, and get in my 2nd installment of week 3.
Now here is the kicker. Not only will this interval style of running that I am doing help in the long run two-fold: faster pace and more endurance, it is also helping out on the weight-loss front.
You may have caught my mention of HIIT above. Well HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. The theory is that when you do one form of cardio, at the same level, for long periods of time (i.e. running an 11:30 mile for 6 miles) your body gets put into this stagnant place. The same theory applies to eating. If you consume the same amount of calories daily, your body starts conserving them because this is it's baseline. In order to "trick" your body and keep it guessing as to what caloric intake it will have available, you need to switch up the calories every day. This will keep your body burning the calories, insetead of conserving them.
Our bodies are efficient. If we feed it the same things and do the same things daily, it slows down the burn. However, mix it up and your body will turn up the heat!
If you think about it.. we would be a lot fatter if our body was not so efficient. When you splurge and have the McD's food - and if your body was not efficient and constant burning, you would gain about 2lbs a day. Yes - 2 lbs a DAY. Since we eat pretty consistently, even without knowing it, so our body expects this intake and burns for it.
Another eating example: If you eat 1400 calories one day 15oo the next 1450 the next, then 1600 the next... your body is confused. When it sees 1600 it goes into overdrive and burns quicker. If you cut back the next day to 1400, your body is still burning for the previous day's amount.
So how does this apply to running or any other form of cardio for that matter? Easy. If you run or do the elliptical or swim every day at the same pace throughout the run/session, you body starts conserving. If you run harder for 90 seconds, then slow it down for 90 seconds, the increase it again for a few minutes, and keep on switching it up like this - your body gets confused and since it never knows what is comming next - it burns more calories... not neccesarily during the exercise, but definitely afterwards.
I guess you can do more study on this yourselves... but after talking to Lorraine (Mike's sister who happens to be a fitness competitor and champion) and doing my own research on this, I have found that every site I see says the same thing. 15-30 minutes HIIT is more efficient than 60 minutes straight cardio. Truth be told, most sites say 12 minutes is all you need. But hey - those site are generally aimed at bodybuilders.
A far as training for my races goes, this really is not neccessarily the best way to run, but for shorter distances, as well as already planned interval training sessions, I say keep them up! Run your 6 mile one day, then do an interval session the next running day. Millions of runners already know this. I decided to stop fearing the word interval.. and embrace it. So far, I have burned more weight off when I do intervals, than when I do straight constant cardio.
And if you are not a runner, but rather a person who adores the elliptical trainer.. do the same thing! 30 minutes goes by so much quicker in your mind if you adjust the level periodically throughout the session.
HIIT those runs!!
RunnerGirl
To wrap up this week - Mike and I hit the gym Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. That is 4 days this week! I ran Friday and today (heading out to KMP to get in the time). I am still down 13 lbs, which is fine by me! I lost a fraction of a pound over this weekend, and given that it was Cinco De Mayo, 3 Detroit victories (Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons), as well as the Mint Julip drinkin' Kentucky Derby, oh and Mara' college graduation... I did well!
The test was Yesterday for sure.
On the running front, Friday's run really felt great! I moved on to week 3 (after all of this time!) I took the run off-road this time, and while Mike was doing bike work inside the gym, I was running outside around the lesser known Novi area.
When I completed my 30 minutess of HIIT, I came back inside the gym and we ended it with leg and shoulders. Due to my running, I took it really easy on the legs cutting the weight I normally use by half if not more.
Today I decided to go ahead and head to KMP after I post this, and get in my 2nd installment of week 3.
Now here is the kicker. Not only will this interval style of running that I am doing help in the long run two-fold: faster pace and more endurance, it is also helping out on the weight-loss front.
You may have caught my mention of HIIT above. Well HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. The theory is that when you do one form of cardio, at the same level, for long periods of time (i.e. running an 11:30 mile for 6 miles) your body gets put into this stagnant place. The same theory applies to eating. If you consume the same amount of calories daily, your body starts conserving them because this is it's baseline. In order to "trick" your body and keep it guessing as to what caloric intake it will have available, you need to switch up the calories every day. This will keep your body burning the calories, insetead of conserving them.
Our bodies are efficient. If we feed it the same things and do the same things daily, it slows down the burn. However, mix it up and your body will turn up the heat!
If you think about it.. we would be a lot fatter if our body was not so efficient. When you splurge and have the McD's food - and if your body was not efficient and constant burning, you would gain about 2lbs a day. Yes - 2 lbs a DAY. Since we eat pretty consistently, even without knowing it, so our body expects this intake and burns for it.
Another eating example: If you eat 1400 calories one day 15oo the next 1450 the next, then 1600 the next... your body is confused. When it sees 1600 it goes into overdrive and burns quicker. If you cut back the next day to 1400, your body is still burning for the previous day's amount.
So how does this apply to running or any other form of cardio for that matter? Easy. If you run or do the elliptical or swim every day at the same pace throughout the run/session, you body starts conserving. If you run harder for 90 seconds, then slow it down for 90 seconds, the increase it again for a few minutes, and keep on switching it up like this - your body gets confused and since it never knows what is comming next - it burns more calories... not neccesarily during the exercise, but definitely afterwards.
I guess you can do more study on this yourselves... but after talking to Lorraine (Mike's sister who happens to be a fitness competitor and champion) and doing my own research on this, I have found that every site I see says the same thing. 15-30 minutes HIIT is more efficient than 60 minutes straight cardio. Truth be told, most sites say 12 minutes is all you need. But hey - those site are generally aimed at bodybuilders.
A far as training for my races goes, this really is not neccessarily the best way to run, but for shorter distances, as well as already planned interval training sessions, I say keep them up! Run your 6 mile one day, then do an interval session the next running day. Millions of runners already know this. I decided to stop fearing the word interval.. and embrace it. So far, I have burned more weight off when I do intervals, than when I do straight constant cardio.
And if you are not a runner, but rather a person who adores the elliptical trainer.. do the same thing! 30 minutes goes by so much quicker in your mind if you adjust the level periodically throughout the session.
HIIT those runs!!
RunnerGirl
Apr 26, 2007
slowly getting the groove back
Tuesday Evening I ran for 30 minutes (YIPPEE!!) Yes folks you heard me... I RAN for 30 minutes. Well, technically run/walk, but I am following the C25K program, but did it on hills. Now THAT ads a challenge. ;)
After the run I jumped in my car, and headed out to my haven of universal machines... a place I like to call Ballys. Here I met up with Mike and proceeded to get in 30-45 minutes of legs and shoulders.
Niiiice. Very, very, niiiice.
I am starting to feel it. Maybe it is all emntal, but I feel great. I look forward to the gym. I am excited about health. WOW. That is all I can really say. WOW.
Last night I nixed cardio and decided on just doing back and bi's. 25 minutes of that, stretched out, did a quick ab workout, and then headed off to dinner.
Now here is where I celebrate. Mike and I went to CPK - California Pizza Kitchen. I posted up on the WW Forums yesterday about tests. We are on the plan, which ever one that amy be, but we live in the REAL world. And that real world does not count items by points. It is up to us to be armed and ready with knowledge and the science behind the plan, the system, that allows us to be successful in any situation.
I looked at this as pop quiz of sorts. I went through the steps.
1 - looked up nutritional info for CPK. Good luck there. The best I could find was for their frozen pizza items.
2- decided on the new mango tandoori chicken pizza as it hass fruits veggies, and grilled chicken on it. And it is topped with a mango/cilantro puree. YUMMY.
3 - ordered it "Neo" style which is thin crusted. It comes out larger, so I still count each slice as 7 points. ;)
I ate 4 of the 6 pieces because I was famished from the workout, but I sided the 'za up with a salad with FF Balsamic Vinagrette for dipping my fork into.
I came well within points for the week, and Thursday, today, is my last day of this week before my points rest. I have like 15 flex points left. Liek I said, I did good!
I consider myself passing the pop quiz. ;) It was a spendy meal in terms of point values, but it was worth it, and I do not feel deprived, and lets just say that I had the bank account for it.
So that is my update on the past two days. Learning some science, learning some skills, gaining some tools. A few more each day.
I have decided to arm myself with the tools neccessary to break down these walls of limitations I have surrounded myself with. No more limits. Here is to limitless health. Here is to allowing the inner beauty to break free!
Keep on running,
RunnerGirl
PS - Tonight I am completing (wrapping up) week 2 of the C25K program (I had a small setback), and then working out Chest and Tris. I will report out on this all later tonight!
After the run I jumped in my car, and headed out to my haven of universal machines... a place I like to call Ballys. Here I met up with Mike and proceeded to get in 30-45 minutes of legs and shoulders.
Niiiice. Very, very, niiiice.
I am starting to feel it. Maybe it is all emntal, but I feel great. I look forward to the gym. I am excited about health. WOW. That is all I can really say. WOW.
Last night I nixed cardio and decided on just doing back and bi's. 25 minutes of that, stretched out, did a quick ab workout, and then headed off to dinner.
Now here is where I celebrate. Mike and I went to CPK - California Pizza Kitchen. I posted up on the WW Forums yesterday about tests. We are on the plan, which ever one that amy be, but we live in the REAL world. And that real world does not count items by points. It is up to us to be armed and ready with knowledge and the science behind the plan, the system, that allows us to be successful in any situation.
I looked at this as pop quiz of sorts. I went through the steps.
1 - looked up nutritional info for CPK. Good luck there. The best I could find was for their frozen pizza items.
2- decided on the new mango tandoori chicken pizza as it hass fruits veggies, and grilled chicken on it. And it is topped with a mango/cilantro puree. YUMMY.
3 - ordered it "Neo" style which is thin crusted. It comes out larger, so I still count each slice as 7 points. ;)
I ate 4 of the 6 pieces because I was famished from the workout, but I sided the 'za up with a salad with FF Balsamic Vinagrette for dipping my fork into.
I came well within points for the week, and Thursday, today, is my last day of this week before my points rest. I have like 15 flex points left. Liek I said, I did good!
I consider myself passing the pop quiz. ;) It was a spendy meal in terms of point values, but it was worth it, and I do not feel deprived, and lets just say that I had the bank account for it.
So that is my update on the past two days. Learning some science, learning some skills, gaining some tools. A few more each day.
I have decided to arm myself with the tools neccessary to break down these walls of limitations I have surrounded myself with. No more limits. Here is to limitless health. Here is to allowing the inner beauty to break free!
Keep on running,
RunnerGirl
PS - Tonight I am completing (wrapping up) week 2 of the C25K program (I had a small setback), and then working out Chest and Tris. I will report out on this all later tonight!
Apr 24, 2007
My first WW milestone!
I joined WW on 4/10. Now.. as of 4/23 I am down 6lbs - which means taht I have earned my first milestone star - the 5lbs lost star. *geeked*
My mini goals are to be down by 15lbs by Memorial Day, down 10% of my start weight by July 4th, and down 30 lbs by my birthday, August 11th.
I feel good and strong, and motivated! SO far so good.
Well, off to run.. oh yes you heard me... RUN.. before hitting the gym for legs and shoulders.
Wish me luck!
~RunnerGirl
My mini goals are to be down by 15lbs by Memorial Day, down 10% of my start weight by July 4th, and down 30 lbs by my birthday, August 11th.
I feel good and strong, and motivated! SO far so good.
Well, off to run.. oh yes you heard me... RUN.. before hitting the gym for legs and shoulders.
Wish me luck!
~RunnerGirl
Apr 22, 2007
Finding the inner beauty.
I have realized some very important thing lately. At the top of that list - is the fact that I can feel comfortable and beautiful in my skin as it is... while wanting to improve upon it And I think that that is vital for me to proceed forward with the weight loss.
I feel cute again, I feel admired again... dar I say it? I even feel attractive again. And it has been a long time since I felt that I was attractive to anyone other than Mike.
I know a lot of it stems from cat calls at clubs... just kidding... a lot of it has to do with itting the gym 5 times a week. Lately I have been walking with a self-confidence I had lost a long time ago.
I think that confidence is down right sexy. So I decided to give it a try. For the past two weeks I have been really taking the time for myself. I get up early so I have time to wake up. I check emails, I make a nice hot breakfast, I spend time on me.
This has set the mood and pace for the remainder of the day. I am more assertive at work, and I carry myself better.
I am thinking that I am pretty under the weight, and I think that this is shining through. Now when I go to stores, people come from all over to help me. Be it to load groceries in my car, or to help me get something from the tock room... they are coming from out of the woodwork.
At clubs and when we go out in general, I have been getting more and more comments. General winks and lingering glances that make me feel good about myself. I no longer hide in the corner hoping not to be seen. I am proud of my curves, and respectively show them off.
When Mike looks at me and says "Wowy wow wow" that makes my heart skip a beat. Because at the end of the day, if he feels special to have me on his arm, then that is all I want. ;)
By changing my outlook on me internally, I think that that really does show through externally.
I am very excited to have lost nearly 5# since starting WW (yeah that would have been on 4/10). So in 10 days I have lost almost 5#. That is awesome to me!
I am sticking to the plan, because I want to look at beautiful as I feel. :) All in all I feeling pretty good!
Have a good week everyone!
I feel cute again, I feel admired again... dar I say it? I even feel attractive again. And it has been a long time since I felt that I was attractive to anyone other than Mike.
I know a lot of it stems from cat calls at clubs... just kidding... a lot of it has to do with itting the gym 5 times a week. Lately I have been walking with a self-confidence I had lost a long time ago.
I think that confidence is down right sexy. So I decided to give it a try. For the past two weeks I have been really taking the time for myself. I get up early so I have time to wake up. I check emails, I make a nice hot breakfast, I spend time on me.
This has set the mood and pace for the remainder of the day. I am more assertive at work, and I carry myself better.
I am thinking that I am pretty under the weight, and I think that this is shining through. Now when I go to stores, people come from all over to help me. Be it to load groceries in my car, or to help me get something from the tock room... they are coming from out of the woodwork.
At clubs and when we go out in general, I have been getting more and more comments. General winks and lingering glances that make me feel good about myself. I no longer hide in the corner hoping not to be seen. I am proud of my curves, and respectively show them off.
When Mike looks at me and says "Wowy wow wow" that makes my heart skip a beat. Because at the end of the day, if he feels special to have me on his arm, then that is all I want. ;)
By changing my outlook on me internally, I think that that really does show through externally.
I am very excited to have lost nearly 5# since starting WW (yeah that would have been on 4/10). So in 10 days I have lost almost 5#. That is awesome to me!
I am sticking to the plan, because I want to look at beautiful as I feel. :) All in all I feeling pretty good!
Have a good week everyone!
Apr 13, 2007
I did it... I took the first step.
So I did it. I joined WeightWatchers Online. I know I know... but I had to do something to recalibrate my body and my relationship with food.
Years of eating disorders and a real messed up attitude towards food and comfort have left my waistline suffering. I am back on track for running. I am back on track with everything else in my life - just not the weight issues.
I am sick of whining and complaining and looking for the easy way out. I am working out consistently now - at least 4 to 5 days a week. I am running 3 days a week as well. In addition to the strength training and running, I am sneaking in bonus cardio throughout the week as well.
So why am I still fat? Oh - it could have something to do with 3lbs of cookie dough, chocolate coming out of my ears, and my unquenchable hunger for sweet goodiness. Blech.
My eating structure is what needs to be changed now. I cannot slide down that slippery slope to wake up the demon. What I need is a lifestyle change in all 360* of me. Not a portion, not a segment, not a ray... but all of it.
Clothing - check
Exercise - check
Attitude - check
Education - check
Finances - check
Eating - hmmmm? what? Oh! Look! A birdie!
I have worked soooo hard in the past few years to really REALLY get to where I needed to be on all levels personally and professionally - somehow I let the eating portion go to heck. And yes I mean go to all sorts of hellish places bordering on just plain sick.
How obese can I get? My BMI, by the way - is at an all time high - it is 36. 36 people! That is OBESE.
For your reference:
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5 weight =" 18.5-24.9" overweight =" 25-29.9" obesity =" BMI">
But maintaining the weight is what is hardest for me. I can gain and loose poundage easily when I try (key word being to "try"). But I sooner or later (usually sooner) get back into sweet toothed mode and eat myself outta cheesecake faster than you can say - GROSS! I know - but true story. been there done that... lost 60 lbs to prove it.
Here are to the baby steps we must take in life. Making long term mental changes. Here is not to hoping, but rather to stating... I WILL DO IT.
BTW - the best thing on YouTube right now is called "A Fat Rant". Check it out. It is funny/seriously/PSA/rant all in one.
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