It was my third week on the 20/20 Lifestyles program, and after a relatively slow week last week, I stepped it up a notch this week. I focused on eating earlier in the day and spreading my calories out more throughout the day. That seemed to work well, as I weighed in yesterday and lost four pounds over the last week! So that is a total of ten pounds in the last three weeks!!!
I worked out with my trainer on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and J. had me add the stair climber into my regular cardio routine. I did a full ten minutes tonight, and then switched to the elliptical machine for 25 minutes. I also increased the intensity of my elliptical routine to the second level.
In addition, J. added some additional weight into my arm and leg weight routines, and focused more on the plank. I've actually gotten to holding the plank for 40 seconds without dying, and I started in week one at two sets of ten seconds each. He says that when I get to a full minute, we'll start mixing it up and doing it with one arm or leg, etc. I laughed a little, but the truth is that I'm already doing things that I'd have laughed about three weeks ago. So, it's definitely possible.
I met with my nutritionist and individual counselor this week also. I got cheese back this week, so L. and I went to Whole Foods tonight to get some good goat cheeses and meats. I am also going to try a couple of non-cow cheeses made from almonds and rice. My nutritionist swears that these particular brands are good, and don't taste like rubber, but I'm a bit skeptical. However, she's a vegetarian and eats them all the time, so it's worth a try. The weird thing is going be actually eating cheese again. I haven't eating anything but goat cheese for years and years and years. I had to ask L. what the difference between the flavors of mozerella, pepper jack, swiss, etc. are. So, on top of whether these cheeses made from almonds and rice actually taste good, I don't even know whether I like the flavors of cheese that they're supposed to taste like. If it's anything like Boca burgers, I will not be happy. I don't really like things that are masquerading around like a different food. I found the whole Boca burger thing really gross, and I've never tried one again. I'd much rather have a Garden Burger because at least it's not trying to taste like beef.
Other than that, I can tell that I'm starting to get some muscle definition going on, and I was surprised when I got out of the shower the other day actually saw muscles in my back. I told J. that I'm getting ripped :) I've also decided to name the plank after him as J.'s torture exercise.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
The Patriots really are losers in the Super Bowl
Those who know me, know that I'm not a huge sports person. I don't follow any of the major sports, so it's a rare day that I'll actually watch a game on TV. About the closest I get to following anything is the Seattle Mariners, mostly because I like going to a few games each year at Safeco with friends and family. But even then, I don't tend to follow the whole season unless they do something spectatular like make the playoffs or something.
Anyway, Super Bowl is one of the few days where I give in to sports frenzy and actually watch a football game. Usually this consists of being mildly interested in the game, more interested in the commercials, and using the majority of the time to catch up on some serious napping. But, I digress.
Tonight, L. and I watched the NY Giants and the NE Patriots play the Super Bowl. I missed the majority of the game due to a bad headache, which led me to taking some Naproxin Sodium and a long nap. But I woke up for the last few minutes of the game and watched the amazing comeback of the Giants. Now, I didn't really have any preference in which team actually won this game. The only familiar player was Peyton Manning's brother of the NY Giants, and the only reason I know who Peyton Manning is is because of last year's Super Bowl. So, I watched the end of the game tonight and was absoultely astounded when the Pats head coach, Bill Belichick, actually left the game before it was technically done. And then the rest of the Pats just headed back into the locker rooms with their tails between their legs. No shaking of hands, or half-hearted congratulations to the winners. Nothing.
Now, I'm not saying that the Pats shouldn't be disappointed. They had an undefeated season and they lost the Super Bowl. But at least they made it to the Super Bowl in the first place. And come on guys - it's called sportsmanship! You don't just crawl away like a bunch of infants. Maybe Huggies diapers should sponser their team in the future. Even though I wasn't actually rooting for one team or the other, I was glad in the end that the Giants won. Because the Patriots showed themselves to be the true losers. Not because they lost the Super Bowl, but because their head coach and the team demonstrated such poor sportsmanship.
Anyway, Super Bowl is one of the few days where I give in to sports frenzy and actually watch a football game. Usually this consists of being mildly interested in the game, more interested in the commercials, and using the majority of the time to catch up on some serious napping. But, I digress.
Tonight, L. and I watched the NY Giants and the NE Patriots play the Super Bowl. I missed the majority of the game due to a bad headache, which led me to taking some Naproxin Sodium and a long nap. But I woke up for the last few minutes of the game and watched the amazing comeback of the Giants. Now, I didn't really have any preference in which team actually won this game. The only familiar player was Peyton Manning's brother of the NY Giants, and the only reason I know who Peyton Manning is is because of last year's Super Bowl. So, I watched the end of the game tonight and was absoultely astounded when the Pats head coach, Bill Belichick, actually left the game before it was technically done. And then the rest of the Pats just headed back into the locker rooms with their tails between their legs. No shaking of hands, or half-hearted congratulations to the winners. Nothing.
Now, I'm not saying that the Pats shouldn't be disappointed. They had an undefeated season and they lost the Super Bowl. But at least they made it to the Super Bowl in the first place. And come on guys - it's called sportsmanship! You don't just crawl away like a bunch of infants. Maybe Huggies diapers should sponser their team in the future. Even though I wasn't actually rooting for one team or the other, I was glad in the end that the Giants won. Because the Patriots showed themselves to be the true losers. Not because they lost the Super Bowl, but because their head coach and the team demonstrated such poor sportsmanship.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Week 2 recap
I worked out with my trainer, J. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. I can definitely say that I'm sore and I feel muscles that I forgot I had. Each day we've done about 35 minutes of cardio work, and then moved onto strength training. I've done arm weights the last three days, and he switched up the leg weight exercises a bit over the last few days. Today we did arms and focused on ab work.
I was kind of bummed out last night because I weighed in yesterday and had only lost an additional .4 pounds over the last week. Yes, that decimal is on purpose. So, I was pretty upset about that. But, my dietician pointed out a couple of things that I need to focus on with my diet, namely eating more often and trying to fit everything in throughout the day rather than eating my dinner and snack so late. So, that will help. Because I need to focus on this a bit more, I decided to hold off on adding cheese into my diet. So, we'll give that a go next week.
We also talked about how the body is designed to try and keep weight on. And because of all of the workouts and such, the weight may have more to do with muscle than fat at this point. I can definitely tell that things are starting to fit better, so that's nice. It's just always so good to see the scale move when you're doing so much work.
I'm proud that I didn't lose it last night. I felt more resolve and decided that I just need to work harder to push past this point. Normally, I'd grab some fries or a piece of bread and jam, and make myself feel better with food. But last night I came home and did my diet, took my shower, had a little cry, and then went to bed early. I woke up this morning feeling much better. This is definitely one of the most difficult things I've done in my life, but very rewarding.
I was kind of bummed out last night because I weighed in yesterday and had only lost an additional .4 pounds over the last week. Yes, that decimal is on purpose. So, I was pretty upset about that. But, my dietician pointed out a couple of things that I need to focus on with my diet, namely eating more often and trying to fit everything in throughout the day rather than eating my dinner and snack so late. So, that will help. Because I need to focus on this a bit more, I decided to hold off on adding cheese into my diet. So, we'll give that a go next week.
We also talked about how the body is designed to try and keep weight on. And because of all of the workouts and such, the weight may have more to do with muscle than fat at this point. I can definitely tell that things are starting to fit better, so that's nice. It's just always so good to see the scale move when you're doing so much work.
I'm proud that I didn't lose it last night. I felt more resolve and decided that I just need to work harder to push past this point. Normally, I'd grab some fries or a piece of bread and jam, and make myself feel better with food. But last night I came home and did my diet, took my shower, had a little cry, and then went to bed early. I woke up this morning feeling much better. This is definitely one of the most difficult things I've done in my life, but very rewarding.
Monday, January 28, 2008
20/20 week 2
I've started my second week in the 20/20 program. As I posted in my last entry, I lost almost 6 pounds in my first week. I will weigh-in again on Thursday afternoon and see what kind of progress I've made in the second week.
I worked out with my trainer again on Friday, and I did a good 35 minutes of cardio and finished up the hour with weights and core work with the exercise ball. I cooled down while bicycling and watching a video on the importance of sleep. It's crazy how important sleep is to not only weight loss, but overall health. Since I've been working out, I've been sleeping a lot better and a lot more soundly.
On Saturday I met up with my friend J. for swimming. She showed me some cool tricks with a kick board and flippers. It was a really good workout.
For my diet, I added back in non-starchy vegetables this week. I'm still doing the shakes four times a day, plus lean protein twice a day, and now four to six servings of vegetables a day. It was really nice to have a salad with my chicken breast today, and to be able to snack on crunchy carrots.
I rescheduled my training appointment from today to Thursday because of the snow and road conditions today and tonight. I'm actually bummed because I really look forward to my workouts now. And once you start losing several pounds a week, you really want to keep that momentum going. So, tonight I'll have to figure out some way to get in a little cardio workout.
I worked out with my trainer again on Friday, and I did a good 35 minutes of cardio and finished up the hour with weights and core work with the exercise ball. I cooled down while bicycling and watching a video on the importance of sleep. It's crazy how important sleep is to not only weight loss, but overall health. Since I've been working out, I've been sleeping a lot better and a lot more soundly.
On Saturday I met up with my friend J. for swimming. She showed me some cool tricks with a kick board and flippers. It was a really good workout.
For my diet, I added back in non-starchy vegetables this week. I'm still doing the shakes four times a day, plus lean protein twice a day, and now four to six servings of vegetables a day. It was really nice to have a salad with my chicken breast today, and to be able to snack on crunchy carrots.
I rescheduled my training appointment from today to Thursday because of the snow and road conditions today and tonight. I'm actually bummed because I really look forward to my workouts now. And once you start losing several pounds a week, you really want to keep that momentum going. So, tonight I'll have to figure out some way to get in a little cardio workout.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
First weigh in
As of today, I am nearly six pounds lighter than last week! I met with my nutritionist this afternoon, and was delighed to see the numbers on the scale go down from where they were last Thursday. She was really happy for me, and was impressed when she reviewed my diet and exercise log for the last week. I am now starting phase 2 of the program where I will still do shakes, lean protein, and healthy fat, but will also add back in non-starchy vegetables. I'm so excited to be able to have tomatoes, onions, and garlic again. Food just doesn't seem the same without those ingredients.
Yesterday, I worked out with J. and went back to my normal routine of cardio for 35 minutes and then weight training for the last 25 minutes. This time he had me do the upper body weights along with a couple of lower body leg exercises on the machines. I did crunches on the exercise ball again, and about died at 13, but then pressed through to 20. We ended with the plank, although he modified it this time due to my back. Instead of doing one full 30 second hold, I did the plank in two sets of 15-seconds and he had my hand placement a bit different. It helped to better support my lower back, which tends to be pretty fussy.
Now I'm just trying to work on getting in at least 5000 steps on the days that I work out and 10,000 steps on the days that I don't work out. Yesterday afternoon when I started to feel a bit drowsy, I headed outside and walked around one block at work. That added a good 2000 steps to my day, and got me to 6615 steps total. Today I did 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine, but was still able to get in 7141 steps aside from that workout. I did part of that just walking around my condo while talking on the phone this evening with my mom and sister. I still have yet to hit 10,000 steps on my pedometer, although I'm fairly sure that on the workout days I hit more than that - I just can't wear my pedometer while I work out. Those steps don't count. The pedometer measures my non-exercise activity, and they are very interested in that because people tend to slow down their non-exercise activity when they start working out. This is because their body tries to conserve energy. So the pedometer is there to make sure that you keep up at least the same level of daily activity you did before starting the workouts.
Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of all of this stuff. I'm so happy to have lost weight this week, and it will be nice to add some veggies back into the mix. Here's to phase 2!
Yesterday, I worked out with J. and went back to my normal routine of cardio for 35 minutes and then weight training for the last 25 minutes. This time he had me do the upper body weights along with a couple of lower body leg exercises on the machines. I did crunches on the exercise ball again, and about died at 13, but then pressed through to 20. We ended with the plank, although he modified it this time due to my back. Instead of doing one full 30 second hold, I did the plank in two sets of 15-seconds and he had my hand placement a bit different. It helped to better support my lower back, which tends to be pretty fussy.
Now I'm just trying to work on getting in at least 5000 steps on the days that I work out and 10,000 steps on the days that I don't work out. Yesterday afternoon when I started to feel a bit drowsy, I headed outside and walked around one block at work. That added a good 2000 steps to my day, and got me to 6615 steps total. Today I did 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine, but was still able to get in 7141 steps aside from that workout. I did part of that just walking around my condo while talking on the phone this evening with my mom and sister. I still have yet to hit 10,000 steps on my pedometer, although I'm fairly sure that on the workout days I hit more than that - I just can't wear my pedometer while I work out. Those steps don't count. The pedometer measures my non-exercise activity, and they are very interested in that because people tend to slow down their non-exercise activity when they start working out. This is because their body tries to conserve energy. So the pedometer is there to make sure that you keep up at least the same level of daily activity you did before starting the workouts.
Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of all of this stuff. I'm so happy to have lost weight this week, and it will be nice to add some veggies back into the mix. Here's to phase 2!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Monday 20/20 program update
I worked out with my trainer on Friday, and we split the time between cardio (elliptical for 35 minutes at a 145-150 heart rate) and strength training. He had me do several upper body exercises, including a lat pull, chest press, curls, and butterfly press. Then he got out the exercise ball and had me do ab work and wall squats. The final exercise about killed me. It was called the plank, and it was basically supporting your body on your forearms and feet. At the end, I did the typical 10 minute cool down on the stationary bike while I watched a program video.
On Saturday, L. and I took it easy, and slept in. That evening, I went to dinner with an old friend from college at Daniel's Broiler. Luckily, I talked with my dietician beforehand, so I knew a couple of things that I could order and how to order them. So, all was well.
Yesterday, we went to my mom's house to celebrate my cousin's birthday. I brought my shake ingredients and a protein muffin to have when everyone else had cake. Overall, everything was pretty good but I did have a few cravings when the Subway sandwiches came. They just smelled and looked so good, as did the chips. But the nice thing was that I wasn't actually hungry, it was just a craving and it eventually passed. We left there about 5:00 so that I could get to the gym, shower, and get to the grocery store. I did 45 minutes of cardio work, which I find a lot harder when I work out on my own than when I work out with my trainer. When I'm with my trainer, we talk along the whole time and it goes very quickly. When I'm on my own, even with my iPod and some good TV programs to watch, I feel tired so much quicker.
Today was a badish day. I had a migraine, so I called in sick to work. I wasn't sure whether I'd make the workout and group session this afternoon and evening. I got up about 2:00 PM and took it easy for a bit. I made my breakfast shake and evaluated how I was doing. I figured that I was feeling better enough to go to my workout and the group session this evening. I met up with J. about 5:00 PM and he took it easy on me since I wasn't feeling great today. I did 30 minutes of elliptical and 10 minutes of bicycle. Then I took a nice shower and had a program dinner in the Bistro. I then headed over to my women's group session at 7:00 PM. We had a great discussion. I really appreciate the group session. It's nice to be there with other women who are going through the same thing.
Aside from the migraine today, things have been going really well. I do feel better when I workout. I'm amazed at how often I have to eat, and actually at how much fat I have to add to my diet. I'm learning a lot about my own body in this process. I'm not sure how the rest of the week will be. Because this is my first full week of the diet, I'm coming off of a lot of the sugar and other stuff that I'm used to having, which I think may have contributed to the migraine today. My trainer and counselor said that this may be a bit of a difficult week or two, but then things should stabilize. Makes sense, really. And it will be so worth it in the end when I feel better!
On Saturday, L. and I took it easy, and slept in. That evening, I went to dinner with an old friend from college at Daniel's Broiler. Luckily, I talked with my dietician beforehand, so I knew a couple of things that I could order and how to order them. So, all was well.
Yesterday, we went to my mom's house to celebrate my cousin's birthday. I brought my shake ingredients and a protein muffin to have when everyone else had cake. Overall, everything was pretty good but I did have a few cravings when the Subway sandwiches came. They just smelled and looked so good, as did the chips. But the nice thing was that I wasn't actually hungry, it was just a craving and it eventually passed. We left there about 5:00 so that I could get to the gym, shower, and get to the grocery store. I did 45 minutes of cardio work, which I find a lot harder when I work out on my own than when I work out with my trainer. When I'm with my trainer, we talk along the whole time and it goes very quickly. When I'm on my own, even with my iPod and some good TV programs to watch, I feel tired so much quicker.
Today was a badish day. I had a migraine, so I called in sick to work. I wasn't sure whether I'd make the workout and group session this afternoon and evening. I got up about 2:00 PM and took it easy for a bit. I made my breakfast shake and evaluated how I was doing. I figured that I was feeling better enough to go to my workout and the group session this evening. I met up with J. about 5:00 PM and he took it easy on me since I wasn't feeling great today. I did 30 minutes of elliptical and 10 minutes of bicycle. Then I took a nice shower and had a program dinner in the Bistro. I then headed over to my women's group session at 7:00 PM. We had a great discussion. I really appreciate the group session. It's nice to be there with other women who are going through the same thing.
Aside from the migraine today, things have been going really well. I do feel better when I workout. I'm amazed at how often I have to eat, and actually at how much fat I have to add to my diet. I'm learning a lot about my own body in this process. I'm not sure how the rest of the week will be. Because this is my first full week of the diet, I'm coming off of a lot of the sugar and other stuff that I'm used to having, which I think may have contributed to the migraine today. My trainer and counselor said that this may be a bit of a difficult week or two, but then things should stabilize. Makes sense, really. And it will be so worth it in the end when I feel better!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Exercise log - Thurs, Jan 17
I went to the gym tonight and met with my nutritionist for the first time. She got me all setup with the information for phase one of the dietary part of the program and gave me some tips for a dinner I'm having with an old friend on Saturday evening.
Following my nutrition appointment, I headed down into the cardio theater to do my workout. The cardio theater is a cool part of the Pro Club that is relatively dark and slightly cooler in temperature than other areas of the gym. It has an abundance of cardio equipment, thus the name.
I hooked up my heart rate monitor and hopped on the elliptical machine. I did 45 minutes of total cardio at a rate of 145-155, with a short warm up and cool down.
Tomorrow, I meet with my trainer, J., again and we'll do more cardio and he'll start me on some weights.
Following my nutrition appointment, I headed down into the cardio theater to do my workout. The cardio theater is a cool part of the Pro Club that is relatively dark and slightly cooler in temperature than other areas of the gym. It has an abundance of cardio equipment, thus the name.
I hooked up my heart rate monitor and hopped on the elliptical machine. I did 45 minutes of total cardio at a rate of 145-155, with a short warm up and cool down.
Tomorrow, I meet with my trainer, J., again and we'll do more cardio and he'll start me on some weights.
Finally - a good explanation about mucus
Every time I get sick, I wonder why I'm suddenly drowning in mucus. Turns out that it actually has a purpose. From Dear Science in The Stranger.
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