Weigh In (Week 13) & Beach Challenge Results

I CHANGED DECADES!  I wanted it SOOOOO badly for this week!  Starting May in the 150's...bye-bye 160's foreverrrrrrrr!  As for the Beach Challenge, I began at 163.4 and now I weigh 159.8 so I didn't lose the 10 anticipated pounds.  And that is OK...I still had a great month with a 3.6 lb weight loss.  And I really did give it my all - I kicked up my exercise and worked out almost everyday (except the few sick ones I had), I drank a TON of water, cut back on my sodium, found some new workouts, and stuck to my diet plan much more consistently.  So with that said...I can't be disappointed in myself!

One thing that pisses me off is I don't think my scale is 100% accurate.  I think its close, but if I get on it 10 times in a row...it will give me 10 different numbers.  I do think I weigh 159.8 because yesterday morning I weighed the same.  But...maybe I will start weighing myself at the gym in the same clothes each time....I haven't decided yet.  And maybe it isn't that big of a deal.  I mean the scale isn't WAY off - I just wish it were more consistent.

So now for this weeks reflections...I realized that my body does not lose weight easily.  I mean I worked out 14 of the last 16 days, drank nothing but water (at least 8 glasses every single day) and STILL didn't lose as much as a person who follows my plan would.  I finally recognized that I was having too many "cheat" meals & snacks mainly because I was combining the FSD with calorie counting - which for many MANY people would probably work, but not me!  I had to buckle down and stick to my plan much more closely than I had been doing - although I still had some cheat days.  Actually on Tuesday I had a double cheeseburger meal from McDonald's - my first fast food meal since 2009.  I planned on having Subway, but ended up not finishing my day until after 9 p.m. - all the Subways were closed and I was hungry enough to gnaw off my left hand.  I know that it is imperative that I do not allow myself to become that hungry, and for the most part I have prevented it from happening.  But even despite that meal - I had a great weight loss this week (for me).  So I am thinking that cutting back on salt may have been the reason for my big number.

For example, yesterday I grilled fresh chicken tenders on the George Foreman instead of having my usual Butterball processed chicken strips from the grocery store.  I seasoned them only with pepper, garlic & onion powder and left out the Seasoned Salt which would have been the first thing I added before.  They tasted so good and I stayed wayyyyyyyy under my sodium consumption for the day.  Instead of having Progresso's Lentil Soup (canned) I made my own.  Rather than having lunch meat I had a Morning Start Black Bean Burger - still a convenience item, but it had much less sodium.  It was difficult at first but I feel I am starting to find my stride with the salt reduction.  Thank God for MyDailyPlate.com though because I would not be tracking the sodium on my own!  LOL.

I loved reading your comments on yesterday's blog.  Clearly I was in "I'm going to take over the world" mode...but I meant every word!  Thanks!

May Goals & Progress Photos

May will be a great month for me.  I am hitting my stride with my eating habits and exercising.  I'm decreasing my salt intake everyday, drinking a lot of water and feeling more and more motivated as the temperature increases.  My birthday is in May....which represents a new beginning for me.  27 will be MY year.  Last year...it kicked off with my ex breaking up with me in the most unpleasant fashion.  Sounds horrible, right?  Well it was!  (although now the memory doesn't bring any negative emotions, thankfully it is just a memory).

During my 27th year of life I will reach and maintain my goal weight, exercise regularly, be an example for my friends and family, grow my hair long, eat healthy not by force but by habit, do amazingly well in school, grow spiritually and become closer to my God.   

27 is a year that I am claiming in expectation of all the great things to come.

Okay so now for my specific goals:

• Decrease my sodium consumption below 2300 mg at LEAST 5 days of the week.
• Exercise 400 minutes per week
• Complete 10 two-a-day workouts (approximately 2x per week)

Now for the comparison pictures.  After reading a post from Miss Corletta I decided to take monthly progress pictures (she will be taking them weekly).  These pics aren't quite a month apart, but I know next week I probably won't have a chance to take and upload any.  The ones on the left are from April 1st, those on the right are from this morning.  I am feeling really good about my progress - I haven't lost much weight but you can certainly see a difference, right?!

I am hoping that tomorrow's weigh in tells me I am in the 150s....that was the goal for the week!  *crosses fingers*

Sodium Cutback...I'm doing it!

Okay when I first realized how much sodium I consume, I was appalled.  I knew I had a salt problem, but seeing the actual numbers was jarring.  So I set out to cut back...and after a couple of weeks of trying to cutback...I finally accepted that it isn't just added salt & seasoning that I use in my cooking - its the actual ingredients themselves.  I rely heavily on canned, frozen and processed items to make cooking quick and easy.  So it didn't matter that I was more aware of added salt because my sodium consumption was still through the roof!

In this month's issue of Shape magazine (with Ellen D. on the cover) there was an article that talked about the dangers of consuming too much salt.  Among them are increased blood pressure and increased LDL.  Also I am at risk for renal failure due to a strong family history of polycystic kidney disease - which is another reason I really want to cut back on salt.  The Shape article suggests staying below 2,000 mg of sodium per day*.  Today my total was 2056 mg!  Not as low as I would like it to be, but I am progressing.  I wonder if it will make a difference in this week's weigh in.

My day:

• Bfast:  Hard boiled egg, yogurt & water
• Morning snack:  Apple
• Lunch:  Casear salad (homemade with LF dressing and no croutons)
• Dinner:  Large Black Bean Soup (from Panera)
• After dinner snack:  Sugar-free Jell-O cup
• All I've had to drink today is water.
• 50 minutes of cardio

Now...I know the calories are really LOW.  But I am full and as you know from my last post I am truly trying to stick by the FSD.  So we will see how I do this week.

*Correction:  The article says "Experts recommend limiting sodium to 2,300 mg and saturated fat to roughly 18 grams per day."  I went back to check after Tammy's comment.  Thanks!

Birthday Countdown

My birthday is at the end of May - 5/21 to be exact.  My mom, 2 aunts and cousin will be visiting me.  I really want plan to be 153 by that point....a 20 lb weight loss total!  I am going to go very VERY hard for the next 4 weeks.  My goal is to lose 2-2.5 lbs per week.  Another HUGE goal - but I've learned from doing the Beach Challenge that it IS possible, I just have to be disciplined and diligent.

Starting today (Saturday) I have been timing my meals, eating every 3 hours without fail.  After re-reading a couple of chapters of the FSD thoroughly yet again, I realized I was missing a major principle that Dr. Ian thought was key to the success of his program.  Eating on a regular schedule.  As I said in a previous post, I plan to stick to the diet to the letter "T" no deviation, no improvisation.  I will continue to write down what I am eating (Dr. Ian actually suggests keeping a food journal) just to ensure that I am doing all the right things.  As much as I don't want to admit it, I realize that maybe I haven't been as "good" as I think I have.  Okay...no maybe about it, I haven't!  lol.  I haven't been terrible, but I have some extras here and there.  Just being real.

Okay - so again, I am going back to Phase I to jump start me off.  I realize that when I am following Dr. Ian's plan (I even looked at the Extreme Fat Smash Diet to compare) I don't always hit my recommended calories, depending on the phase that I am in.  However, I am not going to change or deviate - I am going to stick to his plan.  I know it works, there are thousands of testaments to support it, I know its healthy, and I know I can do it.  So...yes I am still tracking but I am not going to try to combine 2 different plans.  This time when I re-enter phase III, I will be sure to re-introduce pasta (whole wheat of course!) and rice into my diet.  I've been cutting them out, because of the Atkins and South Beach rage a few years ago, its ingrained in me that they are the devil!  LOL.  I haven't had pasta at all in 2010.

By Memorial Day, I'd love to be in the 140s....but I won't push my luck!  LOL.    

Weigh In (Week 13) - Great week!

DOWN 1.8 LBS = 161.6 lbs.
I had a pretty good week!  After my 1 lb gain last week I really kicked it into high gear.  The words from my trainer helped and also (as mad as he made me!) and DEFINITELY my new smaller measurements were encouragement to continue going!  So this week, I re-read a couple of chapters in the FSD book and tried to re-direct my eating.  And as for the scale, I am ecstatic!  This is the most amount of weight I've lost in a week and the 150's are sooooo close!  I am going to be there next week, before May, I can feel it and I am claiming it!

Okay, so I have no chance at meeting the Beach Challenge goal...but hey, I did get a personal record out of it.  1.8 lbs is a HUGE number for me!

Hits:

• Drank at minimum 2L (64 oz) of water per day, usually more
• Exercised everyday this week, longer than 30 minutes each day!
• Starting to enjoy exercising....finding myself making it a priority, finally.  YAY!!!!

 Misses:

• Didn't eat as many fruits & veggies as normal...need to get back to 6 servings per day
• Cannot control overeating on sweets.  Whenever I bring in a snack item (pecan rolls, brownie bites) I can't seem to stop at one serving.  So I have to go back to not having it at all until I can control myself.  Really sounds pathetic, but I'm just being real.
• Still have to cut back on salt even more, but I am definitely more conscious of it.  I'll get there...

Here's what I did this week:
Sunday:  Walk/Jump rope interval outside
Monday:  Personal Training Session
Tuesday:  500 jumping jacks + 500 Jump rope
Wednesday:  PT session + 500 Jump rope
Thursday:  Zumba class (1 hr) + ab work + elliptical 20 minutes
Friday:  Zumba class later...not sure of what else

Jumping Rope...for kids and for ME!

When I was little, all you had to do was walk for a couple of blocks and you would come across a group of girls jumping Double Dutch.  And if you couldn't jump - well you know you were a TURNER!  Am I right?  I mean we had songs and games that we played IN the rope.  And not only did we jump until we messed up, but we took 3 turns each!  Not a family gathering or BBQ went by without somebody bringing a rope, either!  Ok...so it was a clothes line, but hey that was the best kind, right?!  Nowadays, I can drive for miles and not see a single rope outside...and we wonder why our kids are overweight? 

I remember we had a BBQ at my Uncle's house and I brought a rope for my little cousins to jump with (they were around 7 or 8 at the time) and NOBODY knew how to jump OR turn for double dutch and one of them didn't even know how to do single jump rope.  I was appalled!  Now I realize DD may be cultural - not everyone grows up doing it, but SINGLE jump rope?!  Then I started thinking about it and none of the cousins younger than me know how to jump DD - not a single one.  Not surprisingly, most are struggling with weight issues now (from age 12 - 20).  Now it isn't all about jumping rope, it is about the lack of outside activity period...but still, it does make you think right?

Anyways, I have been incorporating jumping rope into my workouts.  Walking at the park and stopping for 100 jump intervals - increases the calorie burn from just a regular walk.  I have jumped 500 jumps straight (with water breaks), 100x100 jumping jacks and rope jumps alternating until a total of 500 each were reached.  I really have been enjoying it, I feel its a great way to build endurance and OH BOY my calves have been singing.  I am trying to go 30 days straight jumping rope in some form. 

I don't remember it being this hard 20 years ago...lol.  I wish I had some DD partners now, I find that such a fun activity!

Amazing Non-Scale Victories!

Yesterday, my trainer took my updated measurements.  I don't keep the paper so I can't tell you the exact numbers but one that sticks out in my mind is that I went from a 36" waist to a 34" waist!  That is a 2 inch loss in 6 weeks....I'm very pleased.  Other notables were 1.5" from my arms, 3" lost from my hips,1.5" lost per thigh, 2" from my bust.  I lost 1% of body fat also - I am now at 32% (this is the only number I am genuinely confused about....I feel I've gained a LOT of muscle).

I felt I looked smaller...but with the struggles on the scale I've been having, I couldn't be sure if it was reality or wishful thinking.  My stomach does look pretty freakin great, and my thighs are definitely more toned!  Inches lost...I will definitely take that as a victory.

My overall goal is for my waist to be 30" waist...the other measurements I am unconcerned about for now.

It does feel good to have some amazing numbers lost somewhere, even if its not on the scale.  My trainer said something big to me when I was complaining about the small amount of body fat lost.  He said "You need to stick to your diet."  I was irritated and said "I DO!!!!!!!!!! THAT AIN'T IT, TRUST ME!"  Sidenote: My trainer and I are the same age and have a great relationship, so I had no problems telling him like it T-I-S (said Bernie Mac style, R.I.P).  He said "No, I'm not saying you aren't watching what you're eating.  I'm saying that you change stuff up too much.  You don't see pounds lost, immediate results then you are steady trying to figure out what to change and adjusting stuff.  Whatever diet you are doing, just stick to it and be patient - stop changing things every few weeks."  That was a real epiphany moment.  Because I am CONSTANTLY re-evaluating, adjusting, thinking of ways to help me lose MORE, etc.  So I decided to relax, stick to my most recent change which is a combination of The Fat Smash diet + calorie counting.  I will continue to set mini-goals for myself, but I will stick to this with NO changes for 1 month straight, no matter what the scale does.  He also told me I need to workout harder...for this comment he earned the middle finger gem....I was pissed!  How dare he tell me I'm not working out hard?!  Then...I thought about what he was saying.  Do I push myself, really PUSH myself during my workouts, or do I just do them?  Again, I had to admit he was right.  I sometimes walk at the park, which is great, but I could run.  I do an exercise DVD I take mini-breaks when I feel I "can't" go anymore, when I'm with the trainer I have a solid workout for every 3 times we meet.  So I've decided that I've got to really make my workouts count.  Yesterday when I was with the trainer I sweat to the point it dripped onto the ground...THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN BOUT!  I never do that on my own!  Yes, I workout all the time but I have to really concentrate on doing more than I think I am capable of to see the results I want.  So....I ended up sending him a text msg later admitting he was right...I need to push harder.  Dangit, I hate admitting when I'm wrong!

In any event, I am getting it done - slowly but surely and I'm satisfied.  However, I need to work to the point that I am proud of myself, and that will happen when I work as hard as I possibly can and then I will feel okay about miniature losses on the scale.  When you know I've put my all into it I will be happy regardless of anything else.