Bored...

Please excuse my absence. I’ve been away, not really being busy or anything, just away.

It has come to the point now that every time I think about P90X, I just get so bummed out about it. I don’t want to do it and it’s not really fun anymore. I chalk this all up to the fact that this would count as my third time attempting it, two of which have fallen short of completion. Don’t let my distaste for it shun you away from the marvelous results that I had the first round, because it was totally worth it…then. Personally, I just think that since I’ve already done it before, doing it again and again within the same year made me bored with it.

I’m seriously considering going back to Insanity now that I have my calories in check. I only have 40 more pounds to lose and Insanity might be my best bet at getting closer to my goal by the end of the year. Besides, come the end of the year, I’ll be done with my second round of Insanity and will hopefully have the other workout video set that I want to order: Brazilian Butt Lift.

Hopefully you are not bummed that I don’t plan on finishing the P90X that I started. I’m super bummed that I am just so bored with it! Don’t get me wrong, Tony is a great guy and he helped me get to the weight that I now, but I just can’t continue doing something that isn’t any fun anymore.

My coach posted on our Facebook group that it’s easier to quit something if you are not having any fun. This is totally true! It’s important that you find something you like to do. And, since I don’t like P90X anymore, (and haven’t seen any changes since starting the third round) I’m going to change this and start having some fun by sweating more bullets with Shaun T!!

The only thing that I have to say about this is if you are bored with your current routine; find something that will motivate and excite you. I’m in the process of trying to find something that will continue my weight loss journey and still maintain a level of fun that keeps me begging for more!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

P.S. Once again, please do not be discouraged by my boredom. If you want to do P90X, go for it! Like I said, it helped me shed several pounds! But, when it comes to personal preference (now that I have experienced Insanity) I prefer and enjoy one over the other.

Moreover, upon starting Insanity tomorrow, I will complete it on December 23^rd! I’m hoping to have lost at least 10 more pounds by then with the other 30 to come off in 2013. This is my short term goal for the end of the year. It’s not a big goal, but considering my track record with Insanity, 4 pounds was HUGE! I am hoping to lose more, but 10 is my goal for now.

By the way, as a long term goal, I want to weigh 130 by my 2^nd year anniversary, which will be on March 19, 2013. Please help keep me motivated!!

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

It is almost the first official week of eating 2000 calories. To say it has been easy would be an understatement. It almost feels like I am constantly eating and now, trying to eat more protein than I ever thought possible! According to my coach, I am supposed to be consuming 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Forty percent equates to 200 grams of protein!! (I have the carbohydrates on lock down, the proteins are harder to get.)

PJ and I are constantly trying to find ways for me to get more protein. To his detriment, he made a big pot of chili with ground turkey, turkey pepperoni and all the beans we had in our house. I say “to his detriment” because the beans had a toxic effect on me. LOL! I never want to eat beans in that amount ever again!! [The chili was great, though loaded with “the magical fruit.”]

Wednesday was a huge fail for me. I got my workout in for the day, but the nutrition part was SEVERELY lacking. PJ and I had a lot to do that day and I had a cake order to start. He made the chili that day and because I had JUST got done working out when the chili was done, I didn’t want to eat any. He told me that we couldn’t leave the house (to purchase supplies for the cake and acquire the deposit) until I had eaten my chili. So, I packed up 2 cups of chili (probably 75% beans) and toted it with us, only eating a few spoonfuls because we were too busy.

Once we got home, I raced to the kitchen, got started on the cake and neglected my nutrition until a few hours later. I ended up having to reheat the chili a few times because I’d always get side tracked and forget it was waiting for me. That might have been the only thing that I ate that day (aside from a lil bit of cake, which tasted phenomenal!)

Determined to not have another day like Wednesday, I questioned my new Facebook fitness buddies that night about how to eat when there seems to be no time.  A great suggestion, that I had for some reason never thought about, was “set an alarm.” Perfect! So, Thursday, I set my alarm for eating times.

I was actually in the midst of making all my cute little fondant decorations when the first, second and third alarm sounded, all about 2-2.5 hours apart. I only hit the snooze button about 10 times between the three alarms and managed to get all 2000 calories in for the day. Yay!

I’m really hoping that weigh day goes well. I really really really don’t want to see the “Suckfest 17’s” anymore!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

P.S Wednesday was also the day that we bought me a 5lb tub of cottage cheese. One-half cup has 13g of protein!! So, since Thursday, I’ve been eating about 2-3 cups a day and unfortunately, my cottage cheese tub is almost empty. I might have one more days worth.

Passing Down the Information

Over the past 10 months, I have learned a few things about health and fitness. In this post today, I will share a little bit of what I have learned so that it might be able to help you out as well…

*Your body requires a certain amount of calories per day that allows it to function properly.

It makes sense, but I had really never thought about it until my new coach brought it to my attention. (The ‘not my coach’ guy is now my coach. I switched to his team!!) Anyway, he told me that the body is constantly burning calories whether it be in digesting food, filtering things from the bloodstream, and of course going about our daily business, among lots of other things. The natural functions in your body need fuel to work and food is that fuel. So, it is important that you have enough fuel to sustain those functions.

*A low calorie diet will allow you to lose weight, but in the long run, it won’t.

When I started out this journey, I allotted myself 1360 calories per day, which is very low calorie compared to what I had been eating prior to that (the Lord only knows what that number was!!) So, in the beginning, I was losing weight; seven pounds the first week and then about 2 weeks following until I hit my plateau in June. The body can only go so long on a low calorie diet before it understands that it is not getting the proper nourishment. In my case, my body thought I was starving myself and was thus, trying to hold onto to each little calorie it could, causing me to stay at the same weight for so long. Until recently, I didn’t realize that my body NEEDS at least 1618 calories a day if all I was to do was lay in bed. Since I exercise about 6 times a week, I obviously need more.

Low calorie diets, in the short term, are good for losing weight, but they aren’t necessarily healthy. The body gets used to getting calories and when it all of a sudden gets a lot less than expected, you lose weight. In the long term, the body gets used to it and stops losing and starts saving.

*Muscle pain goes away when you exercise.

This might only be in my case, but I have learned that even if my muscles are feeling horribly sore, when I decide to work out, the pain goes away. Last week, after doing Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders on Monday, then Plyometrics on Tuesday, by Wednesday EVERYTHING hurt!!! On Thursday, I was still is horrible pain but decided to walk on the treadmill anyway. I found that once I got going, I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Besides, pain is no excuse to skip a workout. Pain is good, remember.

*What you eat accounts for 80% of weight loss, while exercising only accounts for 20%.

My new coach also brought this to my attention. He told me yesterday that during a rough time in his life, he was unable to workout for an entire month!! But, he maintained his healthy eating habits and didn’t gain a single pound during that time. He shared this with me to show me that diet is practically everything while exercise plays only a small part. (It’s still important, but not near as important as the food that you use to fuel your body.)

*Exercising doesn’t get harder, you just get better.

This is so true!! In my case, P90X has never changed and it won’t. The videos don’t change with every round that I do, I do. When I first started, most of the yoga moves were impossible for me. Now, I am able to actually finish the entire video and do most of the moves that I always skipped past anyway. The shoulder stance is the one that I particularly look to as an example that I have gotten better.

If you keep at it, your body will change and you will soon be able to go faster, longer and those things that were once hard will be easy!!

Update of Today:

Today was my first official day of 2000 calories. I still have 283 left and am about to eat an apple with 2 Tbs. of peanut butter (280 calories). I completed Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders Today along with Ab Ripper X and then walked a mile on the treadmill. (Only a mile today because I had to go to the bathroom SO bad and they don’t have a bathroom nearby. So, I stopped at a mile…even though I was holding it for about ½ a mile…)

Be blessed!! I hope some of this information helped you!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

In the Process...

As was said the other day, I am doing things to change myself some more. I’m tired of not seeing a decrease on that blasted scale as well as the inches around my tummy, thighs, arms, etc. I have made a conscious effort to get back to counting my calories (via MyFitnessPal) which had been lost during cake week.

I am currently in the process of finding out what works for me. The coach told me to “Stop the Bus” and I am trying to figure out if he actually meant to start over or to just start afresh with the calorie counting and food consuming while maintaining my exercise regimen.

Another issue that I have been working on is how many calories that I need to consume per day in order to maximize weight loss. My coach on teambeachbody.com said that I need to eat 2696 calories per day. I don’t know about you…but this seems WAY too high for me!! This is actually what he said:

·         I just calculated your calorie needs based on your weight and P90X and you should be taking in 2696!!!!! HOLY HELL lol

While this warrants a laugh, I don’t know where these numbers are coming from!! And, I’m not entirely sure that I could actually do that!! I eat a lot of fruit (which usually yield less than 100 calories), so,  this could take some getting used to if that is indeed how many calories I need to be taking in.

The other coach that I am talking to (who is not my designated coach) gave me a formula that includes my age, weight, and height plus factors like how active I am that when calculated, gives you the amount of calories I should be consuming. Here it is if you are interested:

Harris Benedict Formula

English BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

1.     If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

2.     If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

3.     If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

4.     If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

5.     If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For me, the first equation comes out to 1618. When multiplied by #3, it comes out to 2509. Needless to say, I am “blowing up” his email inbox so that I can figure out what I am supposed to eat. You’d think after losing 62 pounds, I’d have this down pat: Nope!

From the numbers given by both coaches, it’s obvious that at 1360 calories/day, I am CLEARLY not eating enough. So, I am going to have to increase the food!!

In the past, I have actually been afraid to eat foods that had more than 200 calories per serving, hence the fruit addiction, 100 calories granola bars, and 1-ounce portions of baked chips, etc. But, since I am trying to get more calories, I am going to search for good foods that maybe have more calories so that I don’t feel like such a porker…lol.

I’ve also been looking up recipes for wheat breads so that I can freeze either the loaf or the dough and have it fresh on hand. Similarly, I’m going to have to make myself eat more vegetables. (I’m apparently not accustomed to eating veggies because I always grab for fruit…which is not bad…but I’m not getting those essential nutrients that I need to be getting.) My only problem with veggies is that I can’t eat them cold (unless they are raw.) If my veggies get cold and I take a bite not knowing they had gotten cold, it turns my stomach, I feel like gagging and it turns me off from vegetables for that meal. I am going to eat more vegetables though!!

In essence, I still have a lot to learn about my body. And, in a way, I am [kind of] thankful for this prolonged plateau because I am now to the point where I have to understand what happens in order to truly change my body. Yes, I have made incredible progress since last year, but I am still not where I need to be fitness or fitness education wise. It is now the time for me to step up again and continue to change myself and it WILL happen!

*Everything you’ve been believing for will come to pass in 2012*

That may not mean that I will be at 130 and be all ‘buffnstuff’ by December 31^st, but I have been believing for the knowledge and education that will put me on the right path and I know it will come.

Signing out,

It’s Possible!!

*****THIS JUST IN*****

The ‘not my coach’ guy said that my “floor” caloric intake is 1618 and my “ceiling” caloric intake is 2509. I am not to go below 1618 nor above 2509 as long as I am at this weight. The 1618 is to sustain my body functions if the only thing I was doing all day was laying around. 2509 is the caloric intake that I need to be eating if I want to maintain my weight (as long as I continue to be moderately active.) Any more and I would gain. So, I need to find a caloric intake that is between the 2 numbers with exercise to start losing weight again. I'm thinking about going for 2000...

Note: If I find any of this information to be incorrect, I will create a new post and get y'all up to date as well.

This is the Start of Something New

Ok, so, if you know me, you know that I was once OBSSESSED with High School Musical in all it's wondrous glory. (lol) Even though my opinions have changed since high school/college (yes, college) I can still quote the songs that I used to belt out when no one was watching/in earshot. The title is actually from the first song that Gabriella and Troy ever sang together...and thus, it fits quite perfectly. 

Onto more serious topics...

Thanks to my wonderful Auntie Erin, I have made a solid step to get back on track. I can’t honestly say that I had gotten completely off track, but I was just letting all this stuff happen to me and not doing anything about it. This all regarding the fact that I haven’t lost any weight or inches since June!!

I recently signed up for a free account on TeamBeachBody.com and because I signed up, I was given a coach that I could talk to about frustrations, workouts, etc. I emailed him, as well as another coach I had friended through the site, and they both sent me some valid information that I am going to put into effect immediately.

One of the things both of them told me was that I wasn’t eating enough. The lazy food week (the week in which I lost 4 pounds) was strictly because I was getting more calories, but at the same time, I was getting bad calories…which made me gain in the second week. Yeah, I feel ultra stupid for thinking that eating trash would actually help my body. That’s what I get for thinking though, right.

Anyway, one of them told me that I needed to “STOP THE BUS” in that I needed to figure out how much food I NEED to have per day in order to make my body a fat-burning machine. Both of them told me that I can work out as much as I want but as long as I am not eating the right foods or enough food, I won’t see any change.

Well, Folks!! It is time to see that number decrease again!! I am determined to get up at the right time, eat the right foods and enough of them, workout daily with one rest day and lose some weight!!! It is my time again people and I will get to my goal!!!

I am ready to change!! I am prepared for the pain and super excited about seeing my body go from what it is now to what it is supposed to be. Watch out y’all!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

#readytodowhatittakes#

Since I just couldn't help it...if you can stomach this video, I would highly reccommend it. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

A New Shirt

The day has finally come!! I got a new work shirt!!

The last time I posted about getting a new work shirt was when I transitioned from a size 16 to a size 12. (I weighed only 2 pounds more than I do now too.) This time, I transitioned from size 12 to a size…(drum roll please)…8!!!

I’m baffled beyond belief because, as said above, my weight hasn’t changed practically at all since then. I am now wearing the shirt of the coworker that I always envied for being so tiny. (Yes, envy is wrong and I have since dealt with that.)

What baffles me even more is that 8 is a single digit. I can’t remember ever wearing a single digit except in ring and shoe sizes!! Back in the day (last year) just thinking about trying to fit a size 8 would burst the buttons! Now, it’s a reality and I don’t have to suck ANYTHING in to fit inside this shirt!!

In fact, I was actually very hesitant when I saw that 8 was the only size available (without having to order more). But, I took it home anyway and decided that if it didn’t fit, I would just stick with my 12’s until I could fit the 8. To my surprise, I was able to button the shirt AND move around! [The 8’s were given to me because the previous owner is no longer a Front Desk Associate. Plus, she had a baby in January and the top part no longer fits.] So, because of the fact that I no longer have a top part, and because I’ve been working my butt off with Tony Horton and Shawn T, I can fit and they are now mine!! That’s a warm fuzzy, if I ever saw one!!

Alright, enough about the shirt...

You might have noticed that I did not post yesterday. Well, I have a good excuse for not posting. I did not workout. Reason: 1) I was in SOOO much pain yesterday that the thought of getting up hurt. 2) Coming home from Audit, I was actually planning to workout upon waking up. Problem: I didn’t wake up till 6pm because I had a HORRIBLE headache (on the verge of migraine) and tossing and turning in the bed alone worsened it. Needless to say, my husband and I had a late start (he actually woke up early, but came in to snuggle with me; ended up falling asleep and we both woke up at 6pm.)

Today was different. Since Yoga takes 1.5 hours, I decided to switch that with Kenpo X today because of time constraints. Even though I am still recovering from the incredible muscle pain brought on by Monday and Tuesday, I managed to get through it.

By the way, the muscle pain that I am currently experiencing is the worst (and best) yet!! Moving hurts!! Unfortunately for me though, PJ and I are still at that age where “play fighting” is fun; PJ likes to “play” with me by poking my ultra-sore muscles and tackling me to the ground. (Last night, he threw me on the bed and came around the other side to jump on me only to have his nose collide with my knee. Ouch for him!! He started bleeding and that was the end of that.)

On that note…

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!   

Frustrated!!

I lament having to tell you this, but I shall anyway. I guess it’s a good thing for people to see my struggle so that they know weight loss isn’t always going to be wonderful. As of Monday, I am back into the “Suck Fest 17’s.” My body literally went from 166 on Thursday to 174 on Monday. I don’t understand it at all!! I’m actually quite blown away because it doesn’t seem right in any sense.

I weighed today and the scale said 171.8, so a lot better than 174, but good gravy, won’t I ever get out of the 170’s?!? This weight loss thing for the past 4 months (I made a mistake the other day by saying it had been 5 months) has got me all confused and wondering what I could be doing wrong.

I tried upping my calories while maintaining the same exercise routine: that didn’t work. I tried shocking my body for two weeks: in the long run, that did work. I tried not eating as many calories: that didn’t work. So, what in the world is going to work? I feel so at a loss right now (and not in the good sense, obviously.) What should I do, not do, continue to do? I am so passed frustrated right now.

Like I have said before though, it’s not worth giving up on. I’d rather do good things for my body and not have any results than do bad things to my body and start gaining weight again, losing energy, and getting myself on the path I had been on for so many years. I know that I will eventually come out of this plateau and that my body will start behaving correctly, but at this moment, after seeing 170-something for 4 months, I long for something different!!

Please, if any of you have any suggestions, throw them my way. I am so sick and tired of being at this weight and not seeing any progress in either the weight or the inches department. Help!!

<<This is kinda how I feel about now!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!