Anticlimatic and Bored

Hello,
I'm kind of just fine today. I have been so high on energy and excitement these last few weeks. Now today, i'm just kind of there. Not sad or anything, just there. I feel like I'm totally going to plateau and I need to get that thought out of my head or that is what will happen.

I cooked up a storm yesterday! So I have interesting food to eat this week. Maybe that is the problem. I kind of feel like I'm cheating because I'm eating different food. Yes, I know that is dumb but - you just never know.

I made Eating for life pancakes. Nummy,
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
3 egg whites
1 packet splenda
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

And then blend away! I love my magic bullet - yes the one you buy off the tv.

I also made chicken tenders. Marinate chicken in italian dressing and then roll in crushed shredded wheat. Bake and there you have it!

Thanks for stopping in everyone! I feel like the most changes are in my hamstrings and butt. Thanks for all of your kind comments.

I also got a great leg workout at the trainers yesterday.


Reps 15 12 10

Leg Press (sled is 50lbs) 45 70 80
Reverse DB Lunges 15 20 20 (hold 15lb db in each hand, then 20 in each hand)
Straight Leg Deadlifts 45 50 55
Leg Ext. 70 80 80/40 (10 reps at 80 lbs and then 10 reps at 40 immediatly)
Calf Raise 80 80 80/40
Hyperextension 10 20 20 (you bend your knees just slightly at the top of a back hyperext. and it works your butt and hamstrings instead of your back so much)


I had a free meal this morning. I had a buttermilk pancake and an oreo mcflurry with hotfudge it. It was good! I didn't eat all of the mcflurry because I was full and there isn't any chocolate in the bottom half of them anyway! I got up early and did 25 min HIIT on the elliptical, then went to breakfast, then went and did my arms/shoulders workout. My A/S was a HARD workout. But, I don't feel guilty about my free meal at all. I couldn't eat that much without feeling stuffed and it didn't taste like it was so good I couldn't stop. I think some of my sugar craving is finally dying down a little bit. I'm not worried about being able to eat clean again. I feel great. I feel like my relationship with food if maturing and maybe this won't be so hard all of my life. Maybe...

Measured

Well I am still moving in the right direction. 20.4% body fat which is down .95%. I gained 1.33 lbs of muscle and lost 1.33 lbs of fat. This is very ironic because it is usually not equal like that. I was hoping for a little over 1% bf loss but this is still really good. I am happy. I am also pretty happy with my picts so here they are!

Jan 9th to Jan 27th front


Jan 9th to Jan 27 Back

I am happy to see some changes! Thank goodness! I think I am going to have one cheat blizzard right after my workout tomorrow. Then, eat clean for another 2 weeks.

Pictures??

I went to the gym this morning and did my chest/back workout. Then went back right after work to run. THERE ARE SOOOO many people at the gym during the day and in the evenings. That is the main reason I work out in the AM. Also, it is so hard to get motivated enough to go after work.

I don't know for sure when to post pics again. I haven't taken any since Jan 7th but I've been thinking about it. To be honest, I'm kind of scared. It is like I am working so hard and what if it just isn't showing? Also, everyone has kind of big expectations for me because I'm getting ready for the competition. In my mind, I see myself getting buff and being 'that girl'. I'm worried about seeing the picts and going - oh yeah, not that girl yet.

I'm just ready to get measured at the trainers on Friday. I just want to know that it is working.

Best part of today is that my sister called and she is seeing lots of changes! She is wearing a shirt that she wasn't comfortable in before. There is just so much positive energy all around. I think it is catchy and I think that positive energy creates some of these positive results.

Thanks for being a part of this everyone~~

3 Snoozes!

I almost didn't make it to the gym this morning. 3 snoozes and a lot of whining later I did get up and go. I had a good workout. Need to go up on my leg weights. Did interval cardio on a different elliptical than I usually use and I felt really strong.

One of the girls at work said she could really tell I was getting leaner -especially in the butt, it was funny because she didn't want me to take it the wrong way. I was excited that people are noticing. I REALLY hope the numbers show it when the trainers measure on Friday. I am so excited and scared for it!

Well, I have to go do homework now. Grrr.

Hungry...more peas please!

I'm very hungry today. Only one more meal to go and I didn't think I would make it so I had an extra serving of peas. I had a little bit of a sore throat this afternoon so I'm going to make sure to go to bed early tonight. I don't have time to be sick!

I had an off day of training today - back to the gym tomorrow for legs and cardio. Ugh, every day at the gym is hard and intense. I can't wait until Friday to get my body fat tested. I hope I have made progress.

Neil and I had a good time skiing. My friends commented on how good I looked and they even asked some questions. The only thing that frustrated me was that they chose to go to pizza hut for the last meal of the weekend. By this time they knew that I had a limited selection of foods but, that didn't seem to make tooo much of a difference. Oh well, I sat and sipped my water - boy did that stink! Neil and I got carry out at Applebees in St Cloud for me on the way home. It was cold but at least it wasn't another salad. I had the shrimp and steak skewers off the weight watchers menu. A little high in fat but not the worst thing ever.

I hate my hair!

I had a good day off. I kept my eating extremely clean and took a much needed nap! I think the hardest part of getting ready for this competition is growing my hair out! My hair is driving me absolutely crazy. I don't feel pretty right now at all. I feel frumpy and gross. I love how I feel when my hair is short and sassy. But, everyone thinks I look better with long hair and their are only a couple of figure girls I have ever seen with short hair. So, I continue to grow it!

Neil and I are going skiing tomorrow in Alexandria with two of my high school friends and their husbands. I don't have a free day so tomorrow could be a bit of a challenge. Also, I don't know if they will understand what I am trying to get ready for but...oh well. One of them made puppy chow and bars and they are bringing alcohol for the hotel. Will be lots of temptations but I know I can do this.

I have been saying all along that I am just going to go tubing. I can't afford to get hurt and miss any training right now. Neil is going to try snowboarding. Now, everyone keeps telling me tubing is just as dangerous...what to do...

Tired!

I am tired!! I am just exhausted. I am so thankful for the day off of workouts tomorrow. I think my body is in a bit of shock from the harder cardio this week. I have 4 cardio sessions a week. I was doing 2 hard runs and then on the other two days I was doing some moderate machine. Now it has been upped to 2 hard runs and then 2 hard interval session on the machines...and I am definitely feeling it! I think next week will be better once I have adjusted a little bit.

I had school tonight besided. I have school on Thursday nights from 6-10. Got out early tonight though! I hope this masters degress is worth it. sometimes I wonder - I am so into this fitness stuff, maybe I should have gone more that direction with schooling. I'm currently going for my MA in Health and Human Services Administration because I work in the health care field. Who knows...I guess I'll just keep going!

I have tomorrow off (I have 4-day work weeks) which is really nice. I NEED to clean my house!

On another note- I just love all of my Bodyforlifers.com forum friends. It is not good that I am getting so addicted to being on that forum but it feels like all of these people are my friends and I just HAVE to check in on them and see how they are doing. I feel like I have so much support. Kinda cool!

I'm also very excited about my MN BFL group. They are going rock climbing at Dick's sporting goods this weekend so I can't go along. But, it is fun to get an active group going in this area.

Lettuce

I'm out of lettuce. Grrr. That means I have to eat green beans for my last two meals. Not that lettuce is that much better but it takes longer to eat and feels like more!

I did my cardio this morning. Ran 2.5 miles in 25 min. Every 3rd lap I ran hard. Does cardio every get easy??!! Then, I had an 8am meeting in Apple Valley so I had to go back to the gym after work to do my leg workout. I cannot believe how many people are at the gym in the evenings. It is insane!

Cardio Kills!

:-)

At least 30 second interval cardio does. I did 25 min on the elliptical this morning in the basement because the gym was closed...grrr - don't they know I'm on a mission here?! So it is cold in the basement and I worked really hard. Then I came upstairs and started to get ready to take a shower and then I threw up. Not fun. I guess I worked a little too hard. I think it has a lot to do with being cold in the basement and then coming upstairs where it is warmer, etc. I felt better after sitting in the tub for a little bit. Baths are the cure for EVERYTHING.

Had a pretty good day. Feeling tired now after work but I still have to do my arms/shoulders workout - downstairs, grrrrr again!

Forgot to mention I got to rde horse at the farm yesterday. Haven't been out there forever. Schnookie (the horse I ride) was really good and I had a great time.

Crying

I spent this weekend crying pretty much. First I went to Brokeback Mountain. It ws sad - good but very sad.

Then, my sister logged into bodyforlifers.com and found my challenge log...and see replied:

Hi, I'm the seeeester!!! My sister is awesome and I had no idea she was doint the challenge for me. She is the best sister I could ever imagine. I love her to death. The only reason I ever started BFL was because of her and I didn't start easily with an open mind, but now I love it. My sister has told me many times over the past week to sign up for this forum but I just got around to it now. I wish I would have sooner so I could have read what she wrote, which brought me to tears while sitting at work...not good when you are crying and have to help customers, you definitly don't get very good looks.

Anyways, my sister basically saved me from a very unhealthy and dangerous way of losing weight before i went to live with her last summer. I was going down the wrong path at losing weight and not eating. Now I look back at pictures from then and see a very gaunt face with no life in my eyes. I can't say how much I love her for introducing me to the BFL way of life and making me eat.

what can I say...I love my seeeester!!!!

Needless to say, I'm crying again! What can I say. I am so thankful BFL came into my life. My family was saved a lot of heartache and pain that could have come from a very unhealthy eating disorder. I'm not sure if my seeester and I would be as close as we are now without BFL being a part of our lives. We ran 5Ks together this summer and our first triathlon is coming this year. I'm so excited for her to move closer to me in May and I will have my workout partner back. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful seeester and best friend. I'm so glad I joined this challenge. I will keep working hard to win that cruise! Even if I don't win, it was worth it just to read the post from my seester and also to let her know how I feel about. Somehow, telling someone you are proud of them and having them read it in a post is completely different.

Well, on to the progress of the challenge. I feel like I have really turned a corner. I don't know if it is simply because I am so focused this time or what, but I feel like things are just really taking off. I think it just means so much this time around: for my sister and getting myself ready to reach the goal of a figure comp.

I did 25min of cardio and abs this morning. I did 30 sec hard intervals and then 1 min moderate, 30 sec hard and then 1 min moderate all the way through my cardio. I did 15 min of it on the elliptical and 10 min on the bike and boy was it HARD. I felt like I was going to be sick for 10 min after I was done.

For abs I did 4 sets of 10:
V sit-ups on the bench
leg raises
crunches on the ball
oblique crunches on the incline thing

Kind of bummed because the gym is closed tomorrow. I usually run on the track but I'll have to do the elliptical here at home. My arm/shoulder workout will be somewhat hindered too, but I'll make it work!

Better than a free day??

Well today has been really good, surprisingly. I am not having a free day and it has been easier really. I ate out at applebees with Heidi and had the steak and shrimp skewers. We're also going out tonight with some friends and I plan on having a salad. I'm not feeling guilty or stressing about what special food I have to get in my the end of the day. It has been almost a relief just to stick to clean eating. Off day for training which is kind of nice. I was feeling pretty tired yesterday. I think I was ready for a break. Abs and cardio tomorrow!

Schedule

I had to type out my basic schedule for another friend so I thought I would post it here as well.

They have me doing weights differently than BFL. Sets of 3, getting heavier with each set. Reps of 15, 12, then 10.

I do 2 days on, 1 day off of training. Do here is my schedule for the next week.
S - off
Sun - Abs, 25min cardio
M-Arms/shoulders, 25 min cardio
T - off
W - Legs, 25 min cardio
Th- Chest/Back, 25min cardio
F- Off


They want me to do 4 cardio days a week at this time. For 2 of the days I run 2.5 miles with a high intensity lap every 5 minutes.

The other 2 cardio days I'm going to be doing 30 at a '10' and then 1 min moderate, 30 sec at a '10' amd then 1 min moderate again, this continues for the 25 min.

Food:
Meal 1:
1/2 cup oatmeal
5 egg whites
1 whole egg

Meal 2:
1 cup of silk soy milk (I'm somewhat lactose intolerant)
1 scoop protein powder
1 serving fruit
2 rice cakes

meal 3:
5 oz of chicken
3/4 cup of rice

Meal 4:
1 cup silk
1 scoop protein powder
1 fruit

Meal 5:
5 oz chicken
vegetable

Meal 6:
5 egg whites
vegetable


They gave me some recipes to throw in there and I eat some sea food but that is the gist of it.

First training session with Nicole

I met with my trainers today for a chest/back workout. Such a hard workout! It is so much fun working with them. i really feel like I am going to the next level. i only meet with them every 2 weeks because it is so expensive but it is really something to look forward to. Bummer is they took away my free day for the next two weeks just to see what happens...Here we go!! The one thing I really like is that I don't have to be hungry. They have me between 1800-2000 calories right now. It is surprising that you can eat that much and still lose - but I am!

I trained with Nicole today for the first time. I usually train with David. Nicole was tough! I was very excited to weigh in at 139.5 at the gym, down to 21.35% body fat. making progress! AND i FINALLY made it below 140 lbs.! I have been between 140 and 143 since last April! Feels good! Not that I care what my weight is, really I only care about the BF%. Because I want to be BUFF!

New Schedule

Well, I changed my hours at work today. Going to go from 8-4:30. I just refuse to get up earlier that 5am and it is too hard to get here by 7:30!

School tonight and then tomorrow off! Thank goodness, I am tired. Going to go to training right away in the morning, clean house, do yoga, and try to start on taxes...

So far, so good

Got my 2.2 liters of water in today at work and walked the stairs before lunch. Didn't sit on the ball very much so I'll have to work on that one tomorrow.

I decided to be a team captain for Heart Walk for the BFL Minnesota group today. I'm hoping a lot of my group will join in the walk with me.

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. It is my first day back to school. I'm not very motivated for that right now. But it is important. I suppose 6-10pm one night a week isn't the end of the world.

Running...

My workout was soooo hard this morning. I am exhausted! I did an arms and shoulders weights workout and 25 min run with every 1/6th mile a hard run...phew! I'm glad it is done!!

New daily goals:
Sit on the balance ball
Drink 2.2 liters of water while at work
Climb the stairs at work one time each day

I feel great! Went to yoga after work and ate clean all day.

Challenge Day

It was a big day today.

Our MN Group Challenge started today. This is the first time I have done a group challenge. I am really excited.

I am starting an individual challenge today. I plan and turning in a packet this time!

I entered the Bodyforlifers.com challenge. I dedicated the challenge to my sister. When I win, I am going to take her on the BFL cruise in June. I know I can do this!
Here is my post from that challenge. It is really important to me.

This 12 week challenge is for my sister (affectionately called seeeester)! There are so many reasons she deserves to go on this cruise and I am going to win this challenge and take her!

1. Her 22nd Birthday is today, January 9th. That has to mean something!

2. She loves BFL and she works at it harder than anyone I know. She is a senior in college and has a job and nothing stops her. She has many barriers with college parties, a crazy schedule, etc. and she doesn't give in. She sticks with the program.

3. She's way too grown up and mature for her age. She deserves a break and some fun! Her boyfriend just got back from Iraq in October. She spent many of her college days worrying. War is a very hard thing to live through. Thank goodness he is back safe and sound.
She gets outstanding grades in school, volunteers for a headstart program, and works way too many hours at a regular job as well.

4. Our family has had a tough, sad year. Our aunt died very unexpectedly in December. She was only 39 years old. My sister and I lost our mother at a very young age, also. When I was 10 and my sister was 6, our mother was hit by a drunk driver while riding a bike only a mile from our home. It was a total freak accident that happened at 4:30 in the afternoon. Needless to say, we grew up really fast. when my aunt died this December, there were many flashbacks. She has children that are 13 and 9 and my sister and I could really relate to what they were going through. The tough part of it was that my sister doesn't remember anything from when our mother died. When she had flashbacks it was like she was "seeing" it for the first time. It was a very tough experience.

I am going to win this cruise for her. It will be a GREAT graduation present! I am so excited. She wanted to go to the Expo in Denver this coming weekend so badly. But, we just couldn't swing it. This is something I can do for her and for myself!

Goals for myself during this challenge:
1. Get to 15% Bodyfat
2. Do yoga 3 times per week
3. Continue training and moving toward my first Figure Competition on June 10th!

Current Stats:
Body Fat: 22%
Weigth: 142.2
Chest: 33.75
Waist: 30
Hips: 41.75
Thigh: 24.5

I am so motivated and determined. This is going to be awesome!

I feel like I just wrote a book - Time for bed!

New week

Had an awesome workout with Tosha today. We ran a really hard 2.5 miles and lifted weights for chest and back. Was really great to have someone to work out with.

Kind of disappointed in myself. Went a little overboard on the free day yesterday. Did really well until evening when we had truffles and pizza...ugh. Ran really hard this morning though so I'm not going to think about it! Onward and upward!

Free Day...

I had somewhat of a free day today. Ate a bit more than I would have liked. But, tomorrow I will be back at it!

Hopefully, it really didn't do much damage!

Fun Day!

I've been doing great on my workouts and my diet. Eating clean all week. I think I am going to have veggie gourmet pizza and some sort of ice cream and chocolate today.

Tosha, my sister, is here visiting! We are going to get our pict taken with the BFL minnesota group this morning. We are going to do a group challenge. Then, we are going to eat at ecopolitan and going shopping! I want some new jeans and maybe a couple of sweaters.

Looking forward to next week. The results are starting to come!

Great and Gassy!

I am doing great so far. Eating clean and working out hard. Today was my off day so that was kind of nice. Back at it tomorrow. I finally found a calendar tonight so I can record my workouts and everything else in there. Excited to put all of the seminars, phat camp, etc in there! I'm enjoying reading everyone's blogs. Everyone is motivated and excited right now. It is contageous!

My aunt Gloria is working on booking a cruise for her and my sister and I to Hawaii. Planning on going in Hawaii. should be fun! Have to call the sis now!

Calorie King and New Recipes

I started using Calorie King yesterday. It is a little cumbersome but I think it will be helpful in the end.

I had a great Leg Workout yesterday. I have been eating clean. Only had a little over 1000 calories yesterday because I slept most of the day away....oops.