Week 12 & 13 Weigh-in and Exercise

So I meant to post last week but put it off because...

Week 12 weigh-in: 134.3lbs

I was (and still am) embarrassed and ashamed to admit it, and mostly just angry and frustrated at myself for gaining back half of what I lost during the challenge in just two weeks. I had kept up a decent amount of exercise during the week...

Mon: Jillian's Six Weeks Sixpack
Tues: Killer Buns & Thighs, weights, and rock climbing
Wed: Killer and weights
Thurs: rock climbing
Fri: Killer
Sat: 4.76km elliptical
Sun: 17km biking

...(and it's hard to tell which burns more calories, 35-40min of Jillian or 40 min elliptical) but after all my talk about continuing to eat healthy, I really let myself go.

The worst part is it hardly ever felt like I was pigging out. There were some days where I had two desserts or a bunch of booze or felt really full and knew I'd eaten too much, but most of it was just too many bad choices in a row - fries instead of veggies, going out for pub food instead of eating at home, picking the creamy soup instead of the brothy one.

Looking back, I realize I've never actively tried to maintain my weight before. I've always come close to my diet goal, gotten lazy or frustrated and half-dieted for a while, causing a plateau for a few weeks before getting into really bad habits and gaining weight again. Now I know that when I hit my goal, I have to really work hard at maintaining my weight, and learn how to do it right.

After that weigh-in was a slap in the face, I decided to go back on the diet. It's so frustrating that by the time I fully accepted I'd hit my goal (and made a big post about success), I wasn't there anymore! Since my calories on a diet are already pretty low, I decided to double my exercise as many days as possible to try and shed the re-gained weight fast so I don't have to diet much into the summer.

Mon: rock climbing
Tues: Killer, Sixpack, and weights
Wed: 17km biking and weights
Thurs: Sixpack, 17km biking, rock climbing
Fri: 17km biking, Sixpack
Sat: Sixpack

And my week 13 weigh-in was: 132.7lbs. Down 1.6lbs. Good. I think I am on the right track.

I also bought a bathroom scale so that on the days I am too lazy or don't have enough time to do my weight on the Wii, I can still do a quick check to keep myself in-line. Hopefully next week will also have good results.

Week 11 Weigh-In and Exercise

So... anyone still reading this?

Anyway, last week's weigh-in: 129.6lbs
This week: 132.9lbs
Yeah... seems like Carefree Me needs to stop winning the bargaining debates.

Exercise:

Monday - elliptical
Tuesday - elliptical and weights
Wednesday - Jillian Michaels Killer Buns and Thighs Level 1
Thursday - elliptical and weights
Friday - Killer Buns and Thighs
Sunday - Killer Buns and Thighs & weights

The Killer Buns and Thighs workout is exactly that. I scream at her a lot. I don't want to do just this workout all the time because I want to keep my whole body toned, but I am definitely working my ass off (ha ha) and realizing how inflexible I am through the hips and thighs.

Week 10 Weigh-In and Exercise

Last week: 132.5lbs
This week: 129.6lbs

Down 2.9lbs! This is probably not quite as dramatic as it looks, as I think I'm comparing a high spike with a low dip, but still, I'm happy to see my weight still in the 129 range since completing the challenge on Friday! As the Wii (ever so helpfully) pointed out to me, this weigh-in is consistent with my new goal to have no change in my weight.

Calories:
 
Monday - 1100
Tuesday - 1645
Wednesday - 1475
Thursday - 1329
Friday - 1220
Weekend - didn't bother to count, but probably in the 1500-1900 range each day.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that I'm purposely carb cycling. My total randomness is planned, uh-huh, yeah, sure! It seems to be working out okay and wasn't as crazy varied as other weeks, so I'm  not too concerned about changing it.

Exercise:

Monday through Thursday: elliptical and weights
Friday: warm-up and weights
Sunday: elliptical and weights
Total elliptical distance: 23.83km

I am planning on continuing to post weekly weigh-ins up to the end of the challenge since I will be weighing in anyway to keep myself on track, and it will help keep me accountable for my sustainability goal. Also, now that I'm in the habit of tracking calories and working out every day and posting weigh-ins each week, it would feel weird to stop!

One final thing - Krista and I took our "After" pics today, we just have to get the formatting sorted out to post them! Hopefully they will be up soon!

Week 9 Weigh-In and Exercise

This week was something of a write-off, between emotional stress in the beginning of the week and intestinal distress all weekend.

Last week: 132.3
This week: 132.5

My calories were even more random than the week before, and even though I mostly stayed in the right range, it was all junk food.

Exercise:

Mon - elliptical warm-up and weights
Tues - 4.86km elliptical, rock climbing
Wed - 4.72km elliptical, weights
Thurs - rock climbing
Fri - elliptical warm-up and weights, rock climbing
Sat - 4.8km elliptical and weights

Week 8 Weigh-In and Exercise

Last week: 131.6lbs
This week: 132.3lbs
Up 0.7lbs

Not surprising as last week I was down more than 2 lbs, which was probably a low dip. I still feel relatively on-track.

Calories:

So, apparently my eating habits are really variable. A lot of it has to do with sleep. The more I sleep, the less I eat, and vice versa.

Mon: 1345
Tues: 964
Wed: 1799
Thurs: 1421
Fri: 1013
Sat & Sun: Who knows? Easter dinner both nights, a bit of chocolate but no dessert or alcohol on Sat, pancakes on Sun plus alcohol and dessert at dinner.

Exercise:

Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat - elliptical and weights
Tues - elliptical and rock climbing
Fri - rock climbing
Total distance elliptical -  23.37km

I was really worried about eating too much on Easter weekend so I didn't have any break days. Probably wasn't the best idea, by Saturday my muscles were ridiculously fatigued and I couldn't do a very good workout anyway. Oh well, hopefully I recovered enough on Sunday and this week will be back to a smarter routine.

Week 7 Exercise Summary

Will do weigh-in tomorrow.

Did elliptical and weights Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri. Just elliptical on Sat (with an extra ten minutes to combat guilt from eating a delicious deep fried apple fritter at the Maple Syrup Festival). Total distance: 25.51km.

Week 7: Weigh-in and Exercise

Starting weight: 133lbs
Last week's weight: 130
Current weight: 129lbs
Pounds to goal: 4
Exercise: 50km Running
30 Day Shred: Tuesday (Levels 3 and 2), Friday (Levels 3 and 1) and Saturday (Levels 3,2 and 1)

I have also been counting my calories.

Monday:1851
Tuesday: 1650
Wednesday:1899
Thursday: 1843
Friday: 2081
Saturday: 2183
Sun: 1928

The crazy calorie counting app that I've been using tells me that my BMR is 2119 calories.  In order to lose a pound a week (my current goal) I need to eat less than 1619 calories in a day, less any exercise I force upon my poor tired body.

If all premises are correct (ie I'm actually calculating all my calories properly, my BMR really is 2119 and my exercise is burning the number of calories the app claims), then I have run a deficit of 5383 calories this week.

Which happens to account for my 1lb weight loss AND agrees with my scale trying to flicker to 128lbs this weekend.

I have decided to keep up the calorie counting.  Yes, it is a pain in my ass and yes, I mostly hate it. However,  I like the data.  I like knowing what's going into my body.  And, I like that I'm look lazy to figure out the calories in a handful of anything so I don't bother to eat random crap.

Secretly, I also truly enjoy that I can eat something junky if I still have room in my day.  Ie drinks in the evening on the weekend.  Yay!

If I can keep this up I should more than hit my goal by the end of May (fine, not according to the graph. But according to the I plan on keeping up the 1lb a week weight loss plan.)  Thank goodness.  Because the sooner I can wrap this up, the sooner Jelly Bellies can come to my house!!

Bonus: Running song for the week




There is something nice about running to someone singing about being young and beautiful.  Because dude, if not now, when??

Weekly Update

So here I am at America's largest ski resort not skiing but attending a medical conference on fibrosis. I have no idea how much I weigh. I did weigh myself the other day on a scale but I had all of my workout gear on and it was later in the day and I have been known to drink a lot of water causing a differential of 5lbs per day from AM to PM. Not only did I bring all nice fancy clothes to look smart but also a new workout outfit for each day! In my spare time you can find me working out at one of the gyms at the mountain, not snowboarding like I should be. The eating has been super challenging. Not being able to have 5 small meals has caused me to have to eat 3 larger meals with a lot less protein than I would like. Our breakfast and dinner is catered so I try to fill up on as much fruit as possible but a table of pastries are a bit hard to pass up. I pick a tiny pastry and then am upset when my breakfast ends up being 500-600 calories! You would think I would learn? My lunches are "dressing on the side and no tortilla chips, easy on the cheese, no fried onions and can you grill some chicken breast and put it on top" and I have to pile all of the components on the plate trying to see how many calories I am going to consume. At least I am eating alone because I am pretty sure no one would like to eat with me while I am pulling out my phone adding in all the components of my salad.  Normally I would say screw the meat and enjoy the bountiful pastries and cheesecake/dessert tables to get in my calories but I have been good by continuing to get protein at each meal. Sadly without the protein shake I am hovering around 25%. Normally if I were back and home and I would choose to have a pastry/muffin/mini eggs I would not go over my allotted calories and you quickly learn that sugar is the worse pre-gym meal ever. Doing kickboxing after eating banana bread was one of the worst ideas I have ever hard....maybe the jelly beans were worse. To those out there counting calories and avoiding all of the foods you love it might be easy to do until the end of the challenge but hard to do it for the rest of your life so instead I have the things I want and crave in moderation and then normally end up paying for it by not being able to eat some healthy piece of fish that would be more filling. When you are looking at it for the long haul you really have to see food not as enjoyment but fuel for your body. It is sad but I really look forward to eating my oatmeal every morning as if it were chocolate cake. Something I miss being out here ;(


I wanted to assess how I was doing with the challenge so far:


Lose 10lbs....well I don't know how much I weigh and as long as I haven't gained any weight when I come back I am pretty happy and my 1lb to lose plateau


Symmetrical leg muscles is a toughly and might not be one that I can really achieve in a month. I am happy to report that I was only able to single leg press 5lbs with my bad leg and now can press 90lbs just with my bad leg. Hurray improvement! My calf muscle is very sad looking but not being allowed to do calf raises or anything that can make it grow bigger is frustrating. 


I fit into my new jeans and love them! 


I was able to hit 30% protein one day haha and I did so by consuming two protein shakes. Hmm consume two protein shakes or have some mini eggs or this cookie or something equally delicious. It is always a tough decision and one that when I get back I will have to stick to, boo! It really has helped my muscle recovery. 


The weight workouts have been surprisingly easy to stick to with the help of Steve. It is only a 30-45minute after work and one that I have ample amount of time to do. I love how my back is being shaped and I can't wait until I shed more fat so they look better! Although I did one weight workout while here and it was difficult because they only really have dumbells and I can't do all of the exercises that I want to so it might be hard to reach that goal while I am out here. 


I am toning up and losing muscle (re:legs) I have a lot more weight to lose before I would ever be called skinny so I don't really need to worry about this goal. Also the additional protein will help with this. 


Yoga is such a hard goal for me. I just have no motivation to go. I would much rather go on the elliptical than go to yoga. Once I get back though I really need to work hard on this!


Workouts Completed in March: 65...well I was sick but not too bad of a number


With the exception of a cheat day I pretty much eat around 1500 calories. I have been a bit relaxed where Steve said it was ok for our challenge to eat an extra 5% but now that can add up so I am going to eat under 1500 for the remainder. 


I am glad to hear that the challenge has had a positive effect on everyone. It really hasn't made a difference for me because I have been a gym nut for almost 6 years. I do get upset when I can't workout and it really does effect my sleeping and mood. It is nice getting to hear about everyone's challenges and successes and it is nice to reaffirm my believes in fitness. 


My greatest accomplishment from this challenge will be if people notice that I lost the weight. I have heard from multiple people how good some of you look and I hope that I can also follow suit. 


Well I should be at the gym but I just came from the gym and the altitude, dry air, little sleep and getting over being sick has just left me so tired and blah. I can't wait to be back home to my oatmeal...oh and Steve...and my squat rack. 

Exercise and (Non)Injury

I had planned to sit down today and post about my injury.  What injury, you ask?  Well, it seems to be gone, so apparently, my non-injury. 

Fine.

Instead I will revel in my good fortune.

Usually, I decide that it's time to get back into shape (read: It's March, Christmas has made my pants tight and the weather is cooperating with my love of running) and I go from 0 to 60.  It's the I sit on my ass all winter and then start running 3-4 times a week plan.  Genius, I tell you.

What are the consequences of this crazy? First my right knee goes.  It creaks and it cracks and it aches getting out of bed in the morning.  I start icing it, taking advil and complaining.  Then, the left one goes.  I compensate for the right knee pain with the left when I run which causes them both sadness.  More advil, more icing, more whining. Finally my left hip joins the group.  It pangs, and it twang and it seizes.  There is not enough advil, ice and patient husbands to get me to run once the hip goes out.  Getting out of bed is a serious task.  This is the quitting point.  I give up on my exercise, my diet and reacquaint my butt with my couch.

It takes a number of weeks (usually like 8) to complete this sequence.  By then I have lost the Christmas weight and am perfectly happy to drink away my troubles in the May sunshine.

Something has happened.  Something odd.

Nothing hurts.

I've been running hard-core for more than enough time for my right knee to freak-the-hell-out.  I have been exercising 5-7 times A WEEK.  There should be creaking and cracking and aching.  Nothing.  Nada.  Not a single complaint.

Alright, what about the rest of the cycle?

My left hip did go.  Two weeks ago when I ran 16.5 after I did Level 3 of The 30 Day Shred not my smartest plan.....  I started to take it easy.  No more doubling up.  I listened to my body when it hurt (ie, modifying some of the exercises to take the strain off my hip) and Ta! Da! It got better.

I ran 16.5 km again this afternoon and.... wait for it.... nothing.  I felt great.  I found myself running up hills and only realizing that I should be huffing and puffing once I was at the top.

(Actually, with one exception.  I doubt I will ever make it up this hill  without wishing a car would come over the top and hit me on its way down.

It's on Wilmot between Conservation and Wideman if you ever want to visit!!)

Past long runs have driven me first to the fridge and secondly back to bed for a nap.  No longer! I can run for well over an hour and continue on with my day.

I have puzzled over the change.  Is it Jillian?  Am I building up all my supporting muscles?  Did I start out running slow enough? Maybe it's my running shoes (it's not the shoes... I had them this time last year.).

When push comes to shove? I don't care why this change came about. I'm just pleased that it did. I don't hurt.  My body is stronger and I am happier.

Week 6 Weigh-in and Exercise

Last week's weight: 34.3lbs
This week's weight: 34.0lbs

Essentially no change. The week started well, but the weekend was a total mess due to a road trip to Montreal.

March 20: 4.72km elliptical, bench press (I'm moving up in weight next week to 20lbs in each hand), triceps extension

March 21: 19.1km biking (1h 1m)

March 22: 4.67km (plus some short warm-up) elliptical, lunges, straight-leg dead lift. (I know I should go up in weight on the lunges, but I'm afraid because they tire me out so much!)

March 23: 4.59km elliptical (so tired from lunges!), calf raise, shrug, shoulder press, upright row.

No exercise on Sat or Sun, although we did do a lot of walking around Montreal on Sat and walked up the Mont-Royal hill to the observation chalet.

Friday was the only part of the trip I stayed strong diet-wise. I declined McDonalds and had a bagel from Tim's (not great, but better than deep-fried food). Saturday I had fruit crepe for breakfast, poutine for lunch, pizza for dinner. Sunday I had french toast smothered in fruit, syrup, and sausages, hot chocolate, KFC, and lots of snacks. No wonder the scale didn't have anything happy to say today.

I am starting to get concerned about meeting my goal. If I lose 1/2 lb a week I will be okay, but to do that I can't have any more setbacks. I will have to be really strong at Easter, which is going to be very hard. EEP!

Week 5: Weigh-in and Exercise

Last week: 33.6lbs
This week: 34.3lbs
Change: Up 0.7lbs

Boo. But, I was pretty much expecting this since last week I was down 2lbs. The overall trend is still going down, and I hit my lowest measurements of the challenge this week, woo!

March 12 - elliptical 4.83km, bench press, triceps extensions

March 13 - Jillian level 3 and level 1 (My thighs! Oh lord, my thighs!)

March 14 - lunges, 4.83km on the elliptical (the only reason I got so far was because I lowered the resistance a bunch - my thighs had no strength left), straight leg dead lifts

March 16 - 4.89km (I always go the farthest distance the day after a break day), calf raises, shrugs, shoulder presses, upright rows

March 17 - bent over rows, curls, bike riding (for realzies outside!) 19.2km (1h 14m)

March 18 - sit-ups, side bends, 20.1km bike riding (1h 8m)

This was a good week for exercise. Yay nice weather for bike riding! Although my thighs definitely needed a break today and my butt is soooo bruised!

Week 5: Weigh-in and Exercise

Starting weight: 133lbs
Last week's weight: 135lbs
Current weight: 131lbs
Pounds to goal: 6
Exercise: 36.5km Running
6 Days 30 Day Shred

Ha! It was the bloating!! Hurrah!!

I am happy to be back to normal.

Shannon noticed today that when I jumped she could see my abs under my skin (although, now that I consider it, what does it say about my skin that it moves so liberally when I jump?!?). Regardless, it seems as though Jillian is working. Makes all the grunting, groaning and trying not to die worthwhile.

Not surprisingly, I have (finally) made it to Level 3. I thought Level 2 was evil but it doesn't hold a candle to Level 3. I am "supposed" to be through with The Shred on Thursday. That will make 30 days of torture. However, I have decided that I will continue on until I feel about Level 3 as I did about Levels 1 and 2 before I moved up. This could take a while.......

Jillian has become such a normal event in our family that one day the boys decided to a workout on their own. I had put in my time with Jillian earlier (they refuse to do anything over Level 1 with me. It's too hard..... they claim. Bah, I say!). I will leave you with a video clip of the ridiculousness:

Weekly Update

Weekly update:
Exercise
30 Day Shred - 5 times
Running: 4.5 k x2 (37 min and 35.5min)
5.5 k x2 (time unknown because Rob's watch died:()

So Yay! I made it to part of my running goal. Now I just need to get faster.

Weight:
Starting weight: 136.0
Last week: 135.4
This week: 134.4

Hurray! Moving in the right direction:)

Pushups:
I managed to do 20 in a row. Also yay!

This is proving to be so much better than I was expecting. I am really enjoying exercising and m getting used to eating less, and being more selective in what I choose to eat.

Weigh-In

12.5/16 Complete! (I will be adjusting my goal!)
Down 2.5 pounds from last week!

Exercise: Walking, Yoga x2, Aquafit x2

Week 4: Weigh-In and Exercise

Last week's weigh-in: 135.6lbs
This week's weigh-in: 133.6lbs
Difference: down 2.0lbs!

Woo! That made me smile. The real test will be if this stays consistent next week or if I find out this was a random dip due to water weight or something. Either way, it was a nice little surprise this morning!

After a slow start, my exercise routine is finally back on track!

March 5 - 4.51km on the elliptical

March 7 - Part 1 and Part 2 of Jillian back-to-back! (My calves still hurt!)

March 8 - 4.76km, standing calf raise, shrug, shoulder press, upright row

March 9 - 4.83km, bent over rows, bicep curls

March 10 - 4.60km, sit-ups, side bends, and rock climbing! (My hands and forearms say: We are too weak for this, what is wrong with you!?)

I am really motivated to keep on track this week. It finally feels like skipping the booze and sweet potato fries was worth it!

(Role) Modeling

The Childhood Obesity Foundation tells me that 59% of Canadian adults are either overweight or obese. Statistics Canada has published that for 2010, 26% of children fall into the same category.

Seriously? One out of four children are overweight or obese?

It is less surprising considering the circumstances. Those adults, over half of whom are struggling with weight themselves, are role models for their children. It's not too hard to follow that if you're being fed the same food that made your mom or dad heavy that you might be heavy too.

It's an epidemic. People are dying earlier than the previous generation due to their inability to manage their weight.

Our bodies aren't made for a world of plenty. We are meant to survive famines, to make it through the lean winters and plump up during summers of bounty. No one should be shocked that we can't manage endless food options and high calorie deliciousness!

What are we doing about it?

We are having a diet challenge! You can't change anyone but yourself. Such is the way of the world. But you can influence people through your actions. We are modeling for our friends and families that it can be done. And there is something to be said for peer pressure!

And, as a side effect, I am modeling for my children.

I have always felt strongly about doing rather than teaching. Let me tell you how much a seven year old cares about how many calories are in their food.... oh, wait.... I can't even find that amount if I examine it under a microscope, it's so small. I can talk about the health benefits of exercise until I am blue in the face, but it will never make them start to do push-ups or jumping jacks on their own. Nevergonnahappen.

I can serve them good portion sizes. And I can let them have cake and chips and cookies and junk sometimes. Because it's all about balance.

I exercise because I like it and because it's good for me. It's also something the boys know about grow-ups. They run. Mama runs, Daddy runs, Uncle Robert runs, Auntie Breanna runs, Naomi runs, Tyler runs, Grandma and Grandpa run.... everyone runs. It's just something people do. Like going to work and sleeping at night.

I've always wondered if my method of living out the life I'd like them to have, and modeling all the behaviours I'd like them to know would work. Will it make them into active adults? Will they like healthy food because it's what they're always eaten?

So far, so good.




(Pictures: Inaugural Father-Son run. 2km. March 11 2012)

Week 3: Weight-in and Exercise

Starting weight: 133lbs
Last week's weight: 132lbs
Current weight: 131lbs
Exercise:

No exercise this week. The evil vomit thing took over my life. Just when I thought things were getting back to normal, someone else would start barfing (*cough cough SCOTT cough*).

Today is the day. The day I start focusing. No more but life is too stressful alcohol. No more but my tummy is still unhappy skipping out on exercise. No more but I have to get caught up on the house work, but I am too busy, but I just don't feel like it excuses. I'm done.

The things I will be doing to help myself be successful:

1. All the tempting alcohol needs to leave the freezer where it taunts me. To the garage fridge you go!

2. Stop scheduling social engagements when I should be running and/or being tortured by Jillian. This is a priority.

3. Food planning. I need to have low calories food options that are ready to eat when I start to have a hunger meltdown. It's too easy to shove 20 crackers with cream cheese down my gullet without thinking when I crash. I already have a good number of breakfast options (smoothie, I'm looking at you!), but I will make some healthy soups to have ready at hand.

Only 6 pounds left to go!! Although, breaking into the 120s is always a tricky thing for me. My body has a hard time letting go!! Wish me luck!

Weigh In and Exercise

My weigh in is 4/16! 

My exercise..excessive walking for to get to my destinations, its been a crazy week of running around without a car.

And Yoga once a week on my lunch hour at work...its a pretty sweet deal..I only pay 4 dollars per session, the rest is subsidized by the company and my Yoga instructor is great! She remembers everything about everyone and their body capabillities. Somedays she will be like ' Emily whats going on with your hips today, you usually have very open hips! '. haha

My Workouts - Feb. 25-28

Feb. 25 - 4.83km on the elliptical.

Feb. 26 - This was supposed to be a break day but since I skipped weights the day before, I did a five minute warm-up and incline sit-ups and side bends.

Feb. 27 - 4.92km on the elliptical, bench presses, and triceps extensions.

Feb. 28 - 4.6km on the elliptical, lunges, and straight-leg dead lifts. It is always hard to do the elliptical after the lunges! My legs are very tired!

I have still been walking Chimay for at least 30 minutes every day, but I hate walking and am too lazy to try the speed-walking thing anymore. I've started letting him run off leash while I trail behind. Can't wait until I don't have to take him out anymore!

My Workouts - Feb. 22, 23, 24

Feb 22 - 4.67km on the elliptical, lunges, and straight-leg deadlifts.

Feb 23 - 30 min speed walk with Chimay, 4.73km on the elliptical, standing calf raises, shrugs, shoulder presses, and upright rows.

Feb 24 - 30 min speed walk with Chimay (Ow my front calf muscles! Apparently I don't use those muscles on the elliptical),  4.88km on the elliptical, bent-over rows, and bicep curls.

I haven't been able to significantly increase my distance on the elliptical through February (I started using it again mid-January). As my stamina improves I increase the resistance, which makes me go a little slower. However, I am burning about 100 more calories in my 40 min time slot than I was when I started, and since I want to burn fat, I'm happy with that!