wow, not only has it been a long time since I've blogged, but its been a long time since I've worked out! Its now days before Christmas and this all started the week before Thanksgiving! I cut out my gym visits because I needed to put in more hours at the office to compensate for my planned absence, as I was going to be out of town for a few days. Well, that trip took an unexpected change (my father was very ill) so I stayed a week. When I did get back home, I was even more behind at work (since I had stayed longer), so I went to the office instead of the gym for another week. Well, we are up to three weeks now of no gym classes (just simple treadmill work at home each morning). About this time, I not only have Christmas, and school responsibilities to handle, but also need to prep at the office for end of year functions, as well as pre-compensate again at the office for work I know I will miss over Christmas vacation (the girls are off for 2 full weeks so we are planning to spend that whole time at our new vacation house we just finished last month). So..... I haven't been working out much at all to say the least! But you know what?! I am fine with it. I have realized over the last couple of years that 'working out' doesn't need to define who I am, and I actually prefer that it doesn't. It is no longer an 'idol' in my life like it used to be, and I am still quite happy (even though I would like to lose a few pounds) . The funny thing though is, I went 3.5 weeks with very minimal treadmill work (one week in the middle had absolutely NOTHING, because I was in MI) and I didn't gain a single pound!
So I've got a new plan ;) I'm sure you'll like it if you like humor ;0
it is, to take 3 weeks off, then go to the gym for a week and do regular schedule classes (these will be super hard for me, having had 3 weeks off, so they will SHOCK my body and I'll lose a pound or two from the CHANGE). Then I'll take 3 weeks off again (just maintain, eat healthy, do little bits of treadmill), then do another regular week of classes. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Sounds like a great plan, eh??? anyway, I am laughing myself. You can see I don't take this stuff too seriously anymore. I have realized there are way to many other things in life than how many hours I spend at the gym. Plus it probably doesn't help any that I no longer have my fun group of friends working out with me since I moved gyms. Honestly, I stayed at my old gym for soooo long , just for the people. Now without those people at my new gym (even though this gym is AMAZING! and the best place I have ever worked out before!), it doesn't have the 'staying power' that your friends provide. We'll see what I do in the future. Its not very fun not being with my friends working out, but I hate to leave this place because its so nice, and worse yet, if I went to where my friends are, that place is one of the worst (dirty filthy broken etc). I tried to get my friends to join me, but only one has so far and its been almost 9months :(
anyway enough about that. I wrote this to tell you about the fun workout I did with the girls 2 days ago while here on vacation. We have a gameroom with no games yet, so the whole floor is wide open wood flooring with a big tv on the wall. So we loaded in a Jillian Michaels last chance workout dvd and the girls and I went at it! It was fun doing it with them! :) we had a ball!
We are about to go take out dog for a walk on the walking trails (our exercise for the day), and this morning we had a craft contest and hot potato game marathon. Fun days! Now I just need to beat this stuffy head that is trying to sabotage my vacation!
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Great Work out and new swimsuit!
Did my final 'free' personal training session today. I used my LTBucks to join a T.E.A.M. class that was doing a treadmill routine that focuses on keeping you in heartrate zones 2&3 (fat burning zones). It was a really good workout! I was sweating a ton and the ladies in the class were all very nice and welcoming even though I was joining their 'group' for only one class. We could choose our own speed (in order to keep us in zones 2 and 3, but the trainer told us when to change our incline from 4-15 and also told us when to do weights or bands with our arms as we were walking. It was a really good workout and I wanted to do it so I could copy it at home on my own treadmill :) After class I did some of the machines that Treasa had showed me how to use. It was a little weird NOT doing a group fitness class while I was there, but that's ok. That's what I am trying to do, broaden my workouts and workout more effectively not just more exhaustedly. I am really hoping this pays off, because as I've said, I really don't want to be jumping around for the next 20 years, I would love to learn some new lower impact things that keep me in shape and keep me motivated and working out. It was a good day.
Then it became even better when my package arrived from Land's End with a new swimsuit in it. I have been looking for the past year for suits that aren't matronly, but aren't showing cleavage. I don't even have big boobs, and even with my small cleavage I feel when I am around men other than my husband that there is too much showing (only stuff my hubby should see). I don't care if other mom's see it, I just don't like other men to see it. And I admit, I wear triangle top string bikinis when I am home at our own pool with no male guests almost all the time, because it allows me to get a fuller coverage tan and then when I wear a more concealing suit there are no untanned areas peaking out. I also like bottoms that cover my cheekers! Which is impossible if you buy a suit intended for a 'junior', they all seem to be cut with the intention of letting cheeks peek out. ugh. Anyway, I have a booty, and I'm a mom, and I just don't like cheeks hanging out on anyone(I don't care how old u are! and on that topic I can't stand the new fad of wearing suits so small that not only your cheeks hang out , but your butt crack is intentionally showing too! gross! Kim Kardashian, this is NOT attractive!!!!) Anyway, so I am always looking for good bottoms that cover and fit the hips of a WOMAN , not a 17 yr old who hasn't had kids yet! A few years ago I fell in love with Tommy Hilfiger suits because their bottoms did this (tops still show a bit too much cleavage for me, but I have several anyway). Well, this year when I went to buy some new ones I realized they must have changed the styling on the bottoms because they weren't as full coverage as before :( I don't like spending a lot of money on swimsuits, in fact I usually buy at the outlet mall out of season and get each piece for between $5 and $10. But I was having such difficulting finding the coverage I wanted, that I ventured into online swimsuit shopping (scary! since u can't try it on!!!) Land's End has a good return policy that u can return to a local Sears store and not have to pay return shipping. They were recently running a special of $20 off plus free shipping, so I ordered some stuff to give it a try, knowing if it doesn't work out I can return it for free (love Zappos this way, but they don't carry Land's End and usually don't have much in the line of sales, although I did order about 20 pieces of swimwear recently from them and returned all of them, blah!)
So I see this suit in Land's End that is on sale and it has full coverage bottom AND a top that has a few inches of fabric between the band on the top and the cups. I've realized that if most tops just connected the fabric at this middle point it would cut out the cleavage I am trying to conceal. I was excited to see the style and I liked the pattern, plus it has some little nautical ties that make it cute. I LOVE IT! Here is a picture, because even though I don't look perfect in it, I am super happy with it and the fit! It achieves my goal so I am willing to share my picture(even though I'm working on losing 10 pounds still) I am even posting the not super flattering rear shot (really HOW flattering can a behind picture be when you've got junk in the trunk like me? ;) ha ha, but I'm ok with showing you, because I think this suit is great and good enough to wear in front of men besides my hubby and not feel weird. Plus I think the top is secure enough to do water sports and not run the risk of readjusting or slipping out. Great suit! Loved it so much I went back on line tonight to try to buy it in more colors, but sadly they are out. Hopefully they will carry this same cut, in new prints/colors next year :) fingers crossed!
Then it became even better when my package arrived from Land's End with a new swimsuit in it. I have been looking for the past year for suits that aren't matronly, but aren't showing cleavage. I don't even have big boobs, and even with my small cleavage I feel when I am around men other than my husband that there is too much showing (only stuff my hubby should see). I don't care if other mom's see it, I just don't like other men to see it. And I admit, I wear triangle top string bikinis when I am home at our own pool with no male guests almost all the time, because it allows me to get a fuller coverage tan and then when I wear a more concealing suit there are no untanned areas peaking out. I also like bottoms that cover my cheekers! Which is impossible if you buy a suit intended for a 'junior', they all seem to be cut with the intention of letting cheeks peek out. ugh. Anyway, I have a booty, and I'm a mom, and I just don't like cheeks hanging out on anyone(I don't care how old u are! and on that topic I can't stand the new fad of wearing suits so small that not only your cheeks hang out , but your butt crack is intentionally showing too! gross! Kim Kardashian, this is NOT attractive!!!!) Anyway, so I am always looking for good bottoms that cover and fit the hips of a WOMAN , not a 17 yr old who hasn't had kids yet! A few years ago I fell in love with Tommy Hilfiger suits because their bottoms did this (tops still show a bit too much cleavage for me, but I have several anyway). Well, this year when I went to buy some new ones I realized they must have changed the styling on the bottoms because they weren't as full coverage as before :( I don't like spending a lot of money on swimsuits, in fact I usually buy at the outlet mall out of season and get each piece for between $5 and $10. But I was having such difficulting finding the coverage I wanted, that I ventured into online swimsuit shopping (scary! since u can't try it on!!!) Land's End has a good return policy that u can return to a local Sears store and not have to pay return shipping. They were recently running a special of $20 off plus free shipping, so I ordered some stuff to give it a try, knowing if it doesn't work out I can return it for free (love Zappos this way, but they don't carry Land's End and usually don't have much in the line of sales, although I did order about 20 pieces of swimwear recently from them and returned all of them, blah!)
So I see this suit in Land's End that is on sale and it has full coverage bottom AND a top that has a few inches of fabric between the band on the top and the cups. I've realized that if most tops just connected the fabric at this middle point it would cut out the cleavage I am trying to conceal. I was excited to see the style and I liked the pattern, plus it has some little nautical ties that make it cute. I LOVE IT! Here is a picture, because even though I don't look perfect in it, I am super happy with it and the fit! It achieves my goal so I am willing to share my picture(even though I'm working on losing 10 pounds still) I am even posting the not super flattering rear shot (really HOW flattering can a behind picture be when you've got junk in the trunk like me? ;) ha ha, but I'm ok with showing you, because I think this suit is great and good enough to wear in front of men besides my hubby and not feel weird. Plus I think the top is secure enough to do water sports and not run the risk of readjusting or slipping out. Great suit! Loved it so much I went back on line tonight to try to buy it in more colors, but sadly they are out. Hopefully they will carry this same cut, in new prints/colors next year :) fingers crossed!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Personal Training opening my eyes to other avenues
Today I did my second personal training session at Lifetime Fitness. It was the first workout I did where absolutely NO group fitness classes were involved. I used to think it was crazy when my husband or other people I know would say "whoa I had a big workout today!" and I knew they were just lifting weights or doing machines. I really only thought you could get a big intense sweaty workout when you were jumping around, such as in a group fitness class or running. Well, I was wrong. Today I felt what they felt when they said it was 'hard'. I did the machines with my trainer showing me how to use them (the main reason I have never used them in the past, because I was intimidated and didn't know how to work most of them). Well, there were points on certain machines where I had sweat dripping in my eyes and I kept grabbing my towel to mop up...so obviously you CAN get a good workout without having to take a fitness class that causes you to do burpees or jump from the floor to the ceiling! This is great news. As I've gotten older (I am 41 now) I have been realizing that I don't want to be 'jumping around' till I'm 60, yet, I still want good workouts to stay in shape. Learning to work within my target heartrate zone (fat burning), as I spoke about before, and learning to do workouts that involve more weights and machines instead of bootcamp and high intensity stuff, as well as trying to incorporate more fat burning activities into my life , MAY be the ticket that allows me to keep in shape as I age, but not 'overwork' out and thus see no results, AND maybe lessen the effect of gravity with all that jumping and running. Let's face it, when u look at a serious runner who is older, its not a pretty sight. Their skin is sagging all over the place from all that jarring motion. That same jarring motion u get from a lot of fitness classes. Say NO to the SAG! ha ha. Anyway, hope it doesn't sound lazy, but its just not possible or important for me to be jumping around 20 years from now. I've heard lots of people talk about the benefits they see from pilates and yoga and that they are becoming more toned than when they did all that jumpy stuff. I admit its hard for me to really enjoy that yoga stuff (still to slow for me), but I am trying to keep giving it a shot as I think it probably really does have good benefits. Well, that's my thoughts for today. Oh by the way, I saw yesterday on one of my emails from the fitness manager here at Lifetime that there are now 116 (!) classes each week! Wow, its amazing. Obviously, I will still do classes, but it is so great to have so many options. Just like I was saying if I want to do a group class but don't want to do the jumpy kind, there are SO MANY other ones to choose from including weights, hot yoga, core, etc. Awesome choices! If you have a Lifetime fitness near you and are looking for a gym I highly recommend u check them out. They are awesome!
Learning today to use more of the machines also gives me the option of doing that after my first class during these summer months when the kids are with me (there isn't enough childcare hours allowed to do 2 full classes unless one of them is 30min, or I leave early). So I can do one class and then do machines till my time runs out in the childcare area. We have used the pool with the girls a couple times, but still haven't been there when the slides or outdoor cafe are open. We will be there Fri, so weather permitting we will hopefully be able to enjoy that amenity as well. Especially since that was one of the main reasons I even considered joining Lifetime (something fun for the kids to make up for bringing them to the gym day care)...of course that's not why I'm staying,....everything else has totally hooked me, but that was one of the original reasons I contemplated changing gyms. Well, I am sitting out by our pool watching my girls swim and play Mermaids as I am typing this, gotta love wi-fi :P
Learning today to use more of the machines also gives me the option of doing that after my first class during these summer months when the kids are with me (there isn't enough childcare hours allowed to do 2 full classes unless one of them is 30min, or I leave early). So I can do one class and then do machines till my time runs out in the childcare area. We have used the pool with the girls a couple times, but still haven't been there when the slides or outdoor cafe are open. We will be there Fri, so weather permitting we will hopefully be able to enjoy that amenity as well. Especially since that was one of the main reasons I even considered joining Lifetime (something fun for the kids to make up for bringing them to the gym day care)...of course that's not why I'm staying,....everything else has totally hooked me, but that was one of the original reasons I contemplated changing gyms. Well, I am sitting out by our pool watching my girls swim and play Mermaids as I am typing this, gotta love wi-fi :P
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
5 pounds down, 4 days in
I have tried something new that my friend is using and selling. It's called Plexus Slim. Its not a cleanse, a meal replacement shake, or a diet per se. Its a supplement you take once a day before a meal. It tastes great (u mix it with water), and it is made of all natural ingredients. It gives u more energy (although I don't really notice that) and it curbs your appetite and cravings (I DO notice that!) In fact, I started it Sunday morning, and its only Wed night and I am already down 5 pounds! My husband is taking it too and only down 2 or 3 , so he is complaining that my weight is yo-yo 'ish. Hey, if its going down, and quickly(!) I'm not complaining! I feel good and no bad side effects, so its interesting. If you want some let me know and I'll give u the website and my friend's code to put in when u order it. Its about $100 for a 30day supply. I am looking forward to seeing how well and how long this works.
Although on a similar note (weight), I will always admit that I was never comfortable wearing those black stretchy workout pants that so many people wear, until about a year ago when I decided that 'you know what, almost no one looks perfect in those things so I can quit being so hard on myself and just wear them anyway even though I don't thing I look perfect in them, no one else does either!' So today, when I put them on I was reminded again by the mirror that my thighs touch in the middle and I don't like that....well, while at the gym today I noticed every lady I looked at who was wearing them (even trainers) had the same issue (thighs get wider right there in the middle of your legs). So maybe its not really a huge issue. Maybe its just being a woman (not a 19 year old teenager, because let's face it, lots of them don't have that issue). Oh well, I will take what I can get and be happy with it no matter what. It sort of stinks that the aging process is beginning to show more sagging and cellulite, but what can you really do? you can't get younger!!!!!
I guess I sort of rabbit-trailed there for a minute, I will keep u posted on the Plexus Slim.
Although on a similar note (weight), I will always admit that I was never comfortable wearing those black stretchy workout pants that so many people wear, until about a year ago when I decided that 'you know what, almost no one looks perfect in those things so I can quit being so hard on myself and just wear them anyway even though I don't thing I look perfect in them, no one else does either!' So today, when I put them on I was reminded again by the mirror that my thighs touch in the middle and I don't like that....well, while at the gym today I noticed every lady I looked at who was wearing them (even trainers) had the same issue (thighs get wider right there in the middle of your legs). So maybe its not really a huge issue. Maybe its just being a woman (not a 19 year old teenager, because let's face it, lots of them don't have that issue). Oh well, I will take what I can get and be happy with it no matter what. It sort of stinks that the aging process is beginning to show more sagging and cellulite, but what can you really do? you can't get younger!!!!!
I guess I sort of rabbit-trailed there for a minute, I will keep u posted on the Plexus Slim.
Friday, May 4, 2012
A new Attitude
Yesterday I did what they call a Fit Test at my new gym. Just some measurements and stuff they do along with talking to you about your fitness goals so that when you meet with a personal trainer they will know where you are starting at. It basically involved doing pushups for one minute, walking at a regular pace on the treadmill for several minutes, sitting on the floor and (trying, in my case) to touch my toes, and height/weight, and a cool machine that registers fat content throughout your body. That measurement wasn't really accurate because I refused to follow their instructions of not working out (especially strenuously) before the test. [So I guess if I ever do the test again, I should work out again beforehand, so that comparatively speaking I can see if there is any improvement in my body fat percentage...comparing apples to apples so to speak]. Before the test I did 15 minutes of core and an hour of The Mixx which is high impact kickboxing stuff. But there was no way I was going to miss my class to do this test and it just wasn't possible to come before my class because I had to take the kiddos to school. So oh well, I knew going in that one wouldn't be accurate, but everything else was helpful and I had a good discussion with the trainer about HOW I am training and HOW I can improve it to start seeing results.
We've all heard about fat burning zones and glucose burning zones before, and I've even heard some sources say that 'well yes u burn more fat at lower intesity, but u are burning more calories at the higher intensity', so in essence u would want to work at those higher levels for the higher calories (which is the belief I always sort of bought into, because even when I 'tried' to just walk on the treadmill instead of run, I felt like I was taking the 'easy' way out and it just wasn't worth spending the time if I wasn't going to be running.) Well, after a very long, in depth discussion with my trainer yesterday, I am willing to try something new, and NOT try to push myself to the limit at every workout (especially high intensity ones) and instead try to stay in my heart rate zone 3 (I will explain more on that in a minute). I even sort of argued with her but I finally had to give in and decide to give it a try, because quite honestly, my hard-core tactic hasn't really paid off (it only worked 5 years ago and that's because I had also completely overhauled my eating , and truthfully I think it was the eating that contributed to most of the results). Anyway, I've decided to TRY, really hard (and believe me it will be hard, because mentally I have to get bought into the fact that I DON'T have to be the one kicking the highest, punching the hardest, jumping the highest, or holding the plank the longest) to acheive results. If I push myself to my limits (working in heart rate zones 4/5....have u figured out this is all about heart rates by now) then I am burning up glucose and not fat. Its the fat I need to lose. If I burn up all my glucose, then I am exhausted after working out, feel a bit like crap for a while, and eventually want to eat carbs (to refill all the carbs I just burned off) and this all equals ....no weightloss or success. I am just refilling on a craving for what my body just used up and not reaping the rewards of the workout. However, if I focus on keeping my heart rate below my Anaerobic Threshold (A.T.) then I will be burning a higher percentage of fat, I will feel GREAT after a workout (not exhausted, can't even climb up the stairs to leave the gym feeling), and I won't crave the carb replenishment because I didn't burn off just carbs/glucose.
This is how she explained it to me at one point... she said... "you know those women who do all those classes [p.s. a real problem here is the class takers like me because so many of the classes are high intesity, but that's what I like so that's the kind of workout I do] the women who come to every class, work out super hard, sweat a bucket, and their bodies are NOT changing?" and I was like "uh, yea, that's ME!" She continued, "well, they are doing exactly what we are talking about what u don't want to do. They are working out so much in zones 4 and 5 that they aren't reaping the benefits of zones 2 and 3, the fat burning/body changing zones"
hmmmmm
I mean seriously, she was describing me to a tee! I sweat 5 buckets of water in each class (I mean I even change my shirts between classes because I am so darn drenched that its uncomfortable to be that damp and wet that long, so I put on a clean dry shirt and sports bra after every class!) How much more direct can you get? It was me. So I decided to give it a try and change my 'mental attitude' about what I thought I needed to do to workout well. Today was my first day really paying attention to my heart rate monitor and CHANGING my activity if it was going past my A.T. It really wasn't so bad, I thought if I didn't do everything at the same level or even try to do it higher, that I would look like a lazy butt. But all I had to do was lower my arms a bit, or if we were jumping high I would jump a little lower, and I didn't have to do it the WHOLE class, it would just be for like 30 seconds at a time every once in a while to bring my heart rate back down into zone 3, so I really was still working out and getting a great workout, and you know what? She was right! I felt GREAT after the workout instead of exhausted and depleted like I normally do after a really hard workout. Wow, what do u know, the teacher was right! That's actually awesome. So there u have it, I am focusing on what's best for me in my workouts and not going to try to be the 'best one in class'. Maybe this mentality came about from the friendly competition I had with my buddies Jen and Angela (to name a few)over the years, and the fact that our 'regulars' would always make comments about 'keeping up' with us in class. Sure it felt good to be looked upon as a fit person, but if results aren't happening then maybe that type of working out isn't best for the results I am looking for, which is decreasing my body fat percentage and therefore changing the shape of my body. Hmmmmm, its a new avenue, but I'm taking it! :)
Oh, by the way, the results of that test were...based on the push up test, I have the muscular strength&endurance of an 18year old! Based on the treadmill test, I have the cardiovascular fitness of a 29 year old! Based on the crazy cool machine that runs currents through your body I have the body composition of a 39 year old (ok I only gained 2 yrs there, but I'll take it)! and drum roll please.... The flexibility of a 68 year old!!!!!! LOL LOL so true! I am totally NOT flexible! guess I really should take those yoga classes lol This is super true because if you have ever seen me try to do these split things that Dianna (at my old gym) would have us do, it was sadly hysterical ;0 Anyway, I am going to use the info I learned about the A.T. and apply it and see if it makes a difference.
Oh, and by the way... the scale at the gym is the only scale I've ever been on that measures the same as the one in my house (whenever I go to the doctor's office I am like "yea , whatever, that's NOT what I weigh lol"). So, I have started weighing myself there this week, and since its digital to the tenth degree, instead of the needle one I have that sort of rocks around a bit, I can see EXACTLY what my weight is. I am happy to say that each day I was there this week it went down about a pound, so I am about 3 pounds lighter already, just from taking these new classes (haven't changed my eating since the gym opened). Now I am interested in seeing what happens when I focus on working in zone 2 and 3 (fat burning zones) instead of in zone 4 or 5 (glucose burning zones).... we'll see...hopefully good news ;)
oh, and u know how they do those "how old your body is" on the Biggest Loser? well my metabolic age is 38! so I'm saving 3 years there ;)
Oh, I guess I was so excited about talking about how I was going to change my workout that I didn't fully explain the zone training. There are 5 zones. Zone 1 is warm up, zone 2 and 3 burn more fat than glucose. At the top of zone 3 you are at your anaerobic threshold, this is the beats per minute of your heartrate at which your body changes from burning more fat than glucose, to burning LESS fat than glucose with each calorie. Zone 4 is very hard, but burns more glucose, which is ok to be in for a little bit, because you do want to increase your fitness level, but you don't want to be in that zone ALL the time. Zone 5 is only for super fit people and again, they shouldn't be in it very long. There are three ways to find out your A.T. (and it will change as your fitness level changes), one is the age and activity estimate, which is what I did so far. Next, and a little more accurate is the 'feeling' measurement by which you do a test on the treadmill or other cardiovascular equipment for 10 minutes and note at which level you breathing changes. I am going to do this test soon to see if it is similar to the first test (because my A.T sure seems too low, but that's what everyone usually says). The feeling test is a bit more accurate so I will try it. I would love to do the super accurate Metabolic exercise test, but you have to pay about $145 for it and I don't think I really want to shell out the money to wear a mask on the treadmill and do that :) who knows, maybe someday I will. We'll see what I can accomplish with the first two tests and my conscious effort to stay near my A.T. during most of the workout. Fun fun times. :)
We've all heard about fat burning zones and glucose burning zones before, and I've even heard some sources say that 'well yes u burn more fat at lower intesity, but u are burning more calories at the higher intensity', so in essence u would want to work at those higher levels for the higher calories (which is the belief I always sort of bought into, because even when I 'tried' to just walk on the treadmill instead of run, I felt like I was taking the 'easy' way out and it just wasn't worth spending the time if I wasn't going to be running.) Well, after a very long, in depth discussion with my trainer yesterday, I am willing to try something new, and NOT try to push myself to the limit at every workout (especially high intensity ones) and instead try to stay in my heart rate zone 3 (I will explain more on that in a minute). I even sort of argued with her but I finally had to give in and decide to give it a try, because quite honestly, my hard-core tactic hasn't really paid off (it only worked 5 years ago and that's because I had also completely overhauled my eating , and truthfully I think it was the eating that contributed to most of the results). Anyway, I've decided to TRY, really hard (and believe me it will be hard, because mentally I have to get bought into the fact that I DON'T have to be the one kicking the highest, punching the hardest, jumping the highest, or holding the plank the longest) to acheive results. If I push myself to my limits (working in heart rate zones 4/5....have u figured out this is all about heart rates by now) then I am burning up glucose and not fat. Its the fat I need to lose. If I burn up all my glucose, then I am exhausted after working out, feel a bit like crap for a while, and eventually want to eat carbs (to refill all the carbs I just burned off) and this all equals ....no weightloss or success. I am just refilling on a craving for what my body just used up and not reaping the rewards of the workout. However, if I focus on keeping my heart rate below my Anaerobic Threshold (A.T.) then I will be burning a higher percentage of fat, I will feel GREAT after a workout (not exhausted, can't even climb up the stairs to leave the gym feeling), and I won't crave the carb replenishment because I didn't burn off just carbs/glucose.
This is how she explained it to me at one point... she said... "you know those women who do all those classes [p.s. a real problem here is the class takers like me because so many of the classes are high intesity, but that's what I like so that's the kind of workout I do] the women who come to every class, work out super hard, sweat a bucket, and their bodies are NOT changing?" and I was like "uh, yea, that's ME!" She continued, "well, they are doing exactly what we are talking about what u don't want to do. They are working out so much in zones 4 and 5 that they aren't reaping the benefits of zones 2 and 3, the fat burning/body changing zones"
hmmmmm
I mean seriously, she was describing me to a tee! I sweat 5 buckets of water in each class (I mean I even change my shirts between classes because I am so darn drenched that its uncomfortable to be that damp and wet that long, so I put on a clean dry shirt and sports bra after every class!) How much more direct can you get? It was me. So I decided to give it a try and change my 'mental attitude' about what I thought I needed to do to workout well. Today was my first day really paying attention to my heart rate monitor and CHANGING my activity if it was going past my A.T. It really wasn't so bad, I thought if I didn't do everything at the same level or even try to do it higher, that I would look like a lazy butt. But all I had to do was lower my arms a bit, or if we were jumping high I would jump a little lower, and I didn't have to do it the WHOLE class, it would just be for like 30 seconds at a time every once in a while to bring my heart rate back down into zone 3, so I really was still working out and getting a great workout, and you know what? She was right! I felt GREAT after the workout instead of exhausted and depleted like I normally do after a really hard workout. Wow, what do u know, the teacher was right! That's actually awesome. So there u have it, I am focusing on what's best for me in my workouts and not going to try to be the 'best one in class'. Maybe this mentality came about from the friendly competition I had with my buddies Jen and Angela (to name a few)over the years, and the fact that our 'regulars' would always make comments about 'keeping up' with us in class. Sure it felt good to be looked upon as a fit person, but if results aren't happening then maybe that type of working out isn't best for the results I am looking for, which is decreasing my body fat percentage and therefore changing the shape of my body. Hmmmmm, its a new avenue, but I'm taking it! :)
Oh, by the way, the results of that test were...based on the push up test, I have the muscular strength&endurance of an 18year old! Based on the treadmill test, I have the cardiovascular fitness of a 29 year old! Based on the crazy cool machine that runs currents through your body I have the body composition of a 39 year old (ok I only gained 2 yrs there, but I'll take it)! and drum roll please.... The flexibility of a 68 year old!!!!!! LOL LOL so true! I am totally NOT flexible! guess I really should take those yoga classes lol This is super true because if you have ever seen me try to do these split things that Dianna (at my old gym) would have us do, it was sadly hysterical ;0 Anyway, I am going to use the info I learned about the A.T. and apply it and see if it makes a difference.
Oh, and by the way... the scale at the gym is the only scale I've ever been on that measures the same as the one in my house (whenever I go to the doctor's office I am like "yea , whatever, that's NOT what I weigh lol"). So, I have started weighing myself there this week, and since its digital to the tenth degree, instead of the needle one I have that sort of rocks around a bit, I can see EXACTLY what my weight is. I am happy to say that each day I was there this week it went down about a pound, so I am about 3 pounds lighter already, just from taking these new classes (haven't changed my eating since the gym opened). Now I am interested in seeing what happens when I focus on working in zone 2 and 3 (fat burning zones) instead of in zone 4 or 5 (glucose burning zones).... we'll see...hopefully good news ;)
oh, and u know how they do those "how old your body is" on the Biggest Loser? well my metabolic age is 38! so I'm saving 3 years there ;)
Oh, I guess I was so excited about talking about how I was going to change my workout that I didn't fully explain the zone training. There are 5 zones. Zone 1 is warm up, zone 2 and 3 burn more fat than glucose. At the top of zone 3 you are at your anaerobic threshold, this is the beats per minute of your heartrate at which your body changes from burning more fat than glucose, to burning LESS fat than glucose with each calorie. Zone 4 is very hard, but burns more glucose, which is ok to be in for a little bit, because you do want to increase your fitness level, but you don't want to be in that zone ALL the time. Zone 5 is only for super fit people and again, they shouldn't be in it very long. There are three ways to find out your A.T. (and it will change as your fitness level changes), one is the age and activity estimate, which is what I did so far. Next, and a little more accurate is the 'feeling' measurement by which you do a test on the treadmill or other cardiovascular equipment for 10 minutes and note at which level you breathing changes. I am going to do this test soon to see if it is similar to the first test (because my A.T sure seems too low, but that's what everyone usually says). The feeling test is a bit more accurate so I will try it. I would love to do the super accurate Metabolic exercise test, but you have to pay about $145 for it and I don't think I really want to shell out the money to wear a mask on the treadmill and do that :) who knows, maybe someday I will. We'll see what I can accomplish with the first two tests and my conscious effort to stay near my A.T. during most of the workout. Fun fun times. :)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The time of my life at Lifetime!
If you know me personally and are a 'friend' on facebook, you know that I have joined the new gym in town that opened about 10 days ago. Its called Lifetime Fitness and its amazing! I love love love it! I love the classes, I love the instructors, I love the amenities, I love EVERYTHING! Its awesome! Which is a good thing too, because I have been very unmotivated for a long time at my old gym. I have just been to frugal to go anywhere else since my membership there is a lifetime one that is completely paid for (how can you beat $30 year???) Well, I finally took my husband's advice, and some incentives because I knew some of the people who were going to be instructors there and I already loved their classes, and I went and joined. Oh am I so glad I did!!!!!! I am back to my old 1991 and 2007, super motivated, loving exercise self!!!!!!! I can't wait to get to the gym and if I had my way I'd spend 7 hours a day there! seriously! The first week they were open I had purposely kept my schedule open so I would be free to attend their classes whenever they were (since I didn't know their schedule yet), so I spent those first 4 days of last week filling every minute I could with classes, trying them all out. I love it. I spent a minimum of 3rs there every day, and on Friday I was actually there 5hrs and 10 minutes!!!!! Now granted, I am showering there, and I've also started using the steam room, plus I usually eat lunch in their healthy cafe before I leave, so its not ALL working out, but each class I take is 60min long and I always take 2, except fri I did 3. Then I do some machines and floor work myself as well. Its awesome! We are currently building a new house and the favorite part of this house to me is the view of the swaying leaves on the trees out our windows. In the floorwork area at the gym, I get this same view!!!!! Its so peaceful and relaxing to me, I love it! I can do my cooling down and toning work there and look out the window at the wind blowing the leaves that are at eye level because we are on the second floor and its gorgeous. But everything about this gym is gorgeous, from the granite bathrooms, to the entryway, to the hallways, to the pool with slides for the kids (!), just everything is awesome! I am completely enjoying myself. The kids and I will certainly take advantage of that pool and cabana area this summer! My husband is teasing me telling me I am turning into a 'country club wife'. Well, guess what, if this is similar to what being a country club wife is, then I'm all there! I love it! Actually I wish I had LESS commitments elsewhere (school/PTA/work/home) so that I really could stay there for 7hours a day! I'd be in heaven! But that's not reality , but I certainly enjoyed it the first week. Now that I'm in week two and I have my normal commitments to attend to as well, I can't be there as much, but I sure try every chance I get. As bad as this sounds, I wish the end of school wasn't just around the corner, because when school lets out I can only work out for 2hrs a day there (childcare is limited to 2hrs) Of course it wouldn't be fair to keep them in there much more than that anyway, but if it was still school season I could stay there much longer :) aaahhhh. Well, I could go on and on, but I'm really just saying the same thing. I love it! I am re-invigorated, and loving that improved motivation and attitude as well :) I'm sure my hubby will start loving it too once the pounds start melting back off lol Maybe that's why those "high maintenance looking wives" you know the ones I'm talking about, perfect hair, perfect nails, perfect bodies, always dressed nicely... look the way they do... they spend their whole day working on themselves instead of other commitments :) well, if I could do that at Lifetime, I'm telling ya, I would! I love it there, and I love love love the classes! Maybe I should ha ha. Anyway, if you have a Lifetime fitness in your town I HIGHLY recommend joining!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
hanging strong
Still hanging steady at 145. Nothing much new here. Working out less than I had anticipated at the gym, even though I really like the classes. Just not working well into my schedule right now. But I do get a workout on the treadmill 5 days a week so my exercise is what I would consider 'regular'. Not extreme, but not lazy. My eating is sort of just blah. Food doesn't really interest me right now, unless its fresh cookies, and we all know you can't live on cookies alone. So I am just trying to remember to eat when I am alone, so that I don't forget and therefore slow down my metabolism by not feeding my body regularily. Breakfasts and dinners are pretty normal because I am eating with the kids or family, but sometimes for lunches I am alone and nothing really sounds appetizing, so I don't want anything. I did reorder some of my Isagenix shakes though ( I was out) so now I'll have that option, if I'm too short on time, or not interested in a meal, I can just whip up a shake and know that with the enzymes and nutrients in it I am getting tons of good stuff for my body and also 'feeding' it so my metabolism can keep on track. Hopefully, this will improve my eating schedule. But besides not really being 'into' food right now, everything is just cruising along. I really like it this way. I want it to remain just 'maintenance' and not a 'struggle'. The last time I 'maintained' was in 2007 when I lost 20 pounds and I stayed at 135 for 9 months. I know I'm not quite 4 months into this, and therefore not even halfway to 9 months, but I really want to continue this forever, and not have it be another cycle on a yo-yo. Keep praying for me that this remains my lifestyle! :)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dryer shrinkage
ok, you know the drill... you throw your jeans in the dryer after washing them... and poof! they seem to have shrunk 3 sizes!!!! Well, I don't know about you, but my jeans are almost always like this (except when I lost that 20 pounds and I HAD to wash my jeans after EVERY wearing , just to try to tighten them up enough so they wouldn't fall down). Well, that's not normally the case with me, normally I don't wash my jeans after every time I wear them, because truth is they usually don't even get comfortable till after about the 3rd or 4th time wearing them. Then I wear them more and more, so hopefully they get the way I REALLY like them, just a little baggy. Then finally when its been forever, or if I spill something on them, I toss them in the wash and dryer and then start the process all over again. Dreading the first time I have to put them on again because they will be too tight and thus make me feel fat.
Well, this week, it was well overdue for me to wash three of my jean shorts. They were all so baggy it looked like my butt was dragging to the back of my knees almost! lol. These three shorts all happen to be identical. Same brand, same size, same style name, etc. Except one pair is a little darker and I like the way it fits the best. The other two LOOK identical, but for some reason one fits me much snugger than the other. Well, all three were way too baggy so I tossed them into the wash and dryer.
Now here's the good news...
I pulled them on to wear a pair this week (one of the lighter 2 pairs) and couldn't tell which pair I was putting on, the really tight pair or the semi tight pair (I told u they LOOK identical, I can only tell once I have them on which is which-usually I keep track of which is which by the belt that I just leave on them till I wear them again ha ha). Anyway, I went to put on one of the two typically tight pairs, thinking 'here we go, get to wear tight pants for 3 days till they get stretched out and comfy', and to my surprise....
they were loose! In fact after I wore them that day, after just one day, they were already so baggy in the behind I probably should throw them back in the wash to shrink them up again!
This is good news to me! I like looser, baggier clothes. Plus that means I'm not gaining weight! I am still holding strong and steady! My scale still says 145, but for these jeans to NOT be snug at all, I MUST be losing inches (and therefore gaining some muscle to keep the scale steady)! That's great news. I'm happy, just wanted to share my happiness! Hope everyone is having a great day!
Well, this week, it was well overdue for me to wash three of my jean shorts. They were all so baggy it looked like my butt was dragging to the back of my knees almost! lol. These three shorts all happen to be identical. Same brand, same size, same style name, etc. Except one pair is a little darker and I like the way it fits the best. The other two LOOK identical, but for some reason one fits me much snugger than the other. Well, all three were way too baggy so I tossed them into the wash and dryer.
Now here's the good news...
I pulled them on to wear a pair this week (one of the lighter 2 pairs) and couldn't tell which pair I was putting on, the really tight pair or the semi tight pair (I told u they LOOK identical, I can only tell once I have them on which is which-usually I keep track of which is which by the belt that I just leave on them till I wear them again ha ha). Anyway, I went to put on one of the two typically tight pairs, thinking 'here we go, get to wear tight pants for 3 days till they get stretched out and comfy', and to my surprise....
they were loose! In fact after I wore them that day, after just one day, they were already so baggy in the behind I probably should throw them back in the wash to shrink them up again!
This is good news to me! I like looser, baggier clothes. Plus that means I'm not gaining weight! I am still holding strong and steady! My scale still says 145, but for these jeans to NOT be snug at all, I MUST be losing inches (and therefore gaining some muscle to keep the scale steady)! That's great news. I'm happy, just wanted to share my happiness! Hope everyone is having a great day!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
staying strong
I am pleased to announce that after my 9day Isagenix cleanse three months ago, I am still staying strong at the weight I'd attained after the cleanse, which is 145. (Remember, I'm 5'8", not 5'2"). My clothes are all fitting comfortably (not tight, and even a bit loose in areas I like them loose, like my thighs and butt). Which of course is the best part and main goal, to have my clothes fit the way I like them.
I am in no way on any sort of 'diet'. I am simply living, and trying to do all things in moderation. Yes, I eat ice cream. (And last weekend on vacation I indulged in berry cake(divine), fresh cookies, ice cream, swiss rolls, chips, and even THREE apple turnovers at the Dixie Stampede!) Not something I normally eat in any 5day period, but I did there, and I had no sense of 'guilt'. I knew that moderation is my plan in everything, and that this was just a splurge while on my vacation and that my main meals were moderate and not gut-busters, so I wasn't 'completely off the wagon with no hope of return'.)
The main part of my moderation plan is portion size. I've realized that my family hates any 'healthier' version I make of any food so I am tired of the complaints and am no longer trying to use whole wheat pasta etc in my dinners. I am simply making normal dinners, but my portions are the difference. Instead of eating past fullness and getting stomach aches, I am eating less, and THINKING about it during a break. If I am still hungry after the break, I'll eat more. If I then realize I am full (usually the case because it takes a while for your brain and stomach to register fullness), then I don't eat more. It is working out well. Especially since my family is definately a 'restaurant' family. Yes, I usually try to get grilled fish or salads (because I like them, not because they are 'diet' foods). But some restaurants have only one genre of food (ie. fried food or pizza), and so at those restaurants , yes, I am eating fried fish and pizza. In fact, this week I ate pepperoni pizza twice. But the improvement for me is that I only eat 2-3 pieces and am completely full, versus when I used to eat 5 or 6.
This moderation, in normal every day food, is keeping me at an even weight level.
I have to admit also (don't get jealous--I am amazed myself), that my workouts are less intense and less time consuming than before, and I am STILL maintaining a good weight.
I am trying to do my treadmill everyday (like I used to), but it doesn't always happen. (The good thing though is... I don't freak out when that happens, like I used to! I am so pleased to see this progress in my mindset --see Mindy, I told you I was working on being less of a gym rat!---- anyway, this is good progress , plus instead of trying to do at least an hour on the treadmill, I am fine if I can only fit in 20-30 minutes. During the summer I was able to do about 2, and sometimes 3 classes at the gym a week (the kids don't like going, so I didn't want to drag them there everyday, it was summertime and I wanted to focus on having fun all summer with my kids, not dragging them with me to the gym). I was planning that once school started (2days ago) I would be able to go to the gym 4 days a week. At the beginning of summer I was really looking forward to this, but for this first month or so I have a lot of stuff going on at school (I'm the PTA treasurer), and at my husband's companies (I am the bookkeeper, and there are a lot of new changes going on that require my attention right now). And quite honestly, now that the end of summer is here, I am looking at my schedule and thinking 4 days a week at the gym is probably unrealistic for me, unless I want it to become an 'idol' again in my life. Which I don't. So... all this to say...
I am not working out like a maniac, yet I feel good about this new moderation in my life.
I am not on a diet.
I am not restricting myself in any way, but am making wise choices, and using moderation in ANY choice I make.
And I am happy to say that this LIFESTYLE is working. My weight is not a yo-yo. I am at a good, comfortable weight, and I am STILL enjoying life (sorry, but I can't handle deprivation, it doesn't work for me).
I really want to stay on this plan. I hate being yo-yo in my weight. I hate that 'weight' becomes a focal point because of yo-yo stuff. I want it to be a non-topic, just a part of life. Honestly, I am getting there. Now, this isn't to say I wouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds, but I am not focusing all my thoughts and time on that. If it slowly comes down, just because of wise moderate choices, that's fine. But I'm not thinking about that everytime I get dressed. I am doing good. This is just life for me. I want it to stay this way. I don't want this to be a 'phase'. I am consciously making it a longterm reality.
So there is my update, I haven't blogged in a while (like I said I was out partaking in summer activities with my kiddos), but here is the update, and its a good one :)
p.s. while on vacation, I was goofing off while changing into my swimsuit and struck a pose in the mirror. I was surprised... I looked GOOD! It was the whole "Daisy Duke" look, bikini top and jean shorts---of course my shorts weren't cutoffs with my cheekers hanging out, but you get the idea, at least they were jeans :) So I told my daughter to snap a photo of me, and I jumped on the bed and showed it to my hubby and said "look, you are so lucky, I am looking GOOD!", he laughed and blew me off and told me I was crazy. Which maybe I am, but I was seriously digging the swimsuit top and jean shorts look. I'm posting the shot here for proof that moderation works. "You can have your cake, and eat it too" (just a slice though, not the whole cake at once!) lol So, hopefully, this is inspiring to folks out there... if u can get your mind grasped around a concept, it can become a lifestyle, and not feel like a deprivation diet.
I am in no way on any sort of 'diet'. I am simply living, and trying to do all things in moderation. Yes, I eat ice cream. (And last weekend on vacation I indulged in berry cake(divine), fresh cookies, ice cream, swiss rolls, chips, and even THREE apple turnovers at the Dixie Stampede!) Not something I normally eat in any 5day period, but I did there, and I had no sense of 'guilt'. I knew that moderation is my plan in everything, and that this was just a splurge while on my vacation and that my main meals were moderate and not gut-busters, so I wasn't 'completely off the wagon with no hope of return'.)
The main part of my moderation plan is portion size. I've realized that my family hates any 'healthier' version I make of any food so I am tired of the complaints and am no longer trying to use whole wheat pasta etc in my dinners. I am simply making normal dinners, but my portions are the difference. Instead of eating past fullness and getting stomach aches, I am eating less, and THINKING about it during a break. If I am still hungry after the break, I'll eat more. If I then realize I am full (usually the case because it takes a while for your brain and stomach to register fullness), then I don't eat more. It is working out well. Especially since my family is definately a 'restaurant' family. Yes, I usually try to get grilled fish or salads (because I like them, not because they are 'diet' foods). But some restaurants have only one genre of food (ie. fried food or pizza), and so at those restaurants , yes, I am eating fried fish and pizza. In fact, this week I ate pepperoni pizza twice. But the improvement for me is that I only eat 2-3 pieces and am completely full, versus when I used to eat 5 or 6.
This moderation, in normal every day food, is keeping me at an even weight level.
I have to admit also (don't get jealous--I am amazed myself), that my workouts are less intense and less time consuming than before, and I am STILL maintaining a good weight.
I am trying to do my treadmill everyday (like I used to), but it doesn't always happen. (The good thing though is... I don't freak out when that happens, like I used to! I am so pleased to see this progress in my mindset --see Mindy, I told you I was working on being less of a gym rat!---- anyway, this is good progress , plus instead of trying to do at least an hour on the treadmill, I am fine if I can only fit in 20-30 minutes. During the summer I was able to do about 2, and sometimes 3 classes at the gym a week (the kids don't like going, so I didn't want to drag them there everyday, it was summertime and I wanted to focus on having fun all summer with my kids, not dragging them with me to the gym). I was planning that once school started (2days ago) I would be able to go to the gym 4 days a week. At the beginning of summer I was really looking forward to this, but for this first month or so I have a lot of stuff going on at school (I'm the PTA treasurer), and at my husband's companies (I am the bookkeeper, and there are a lot of new changes going on that require my attention right now). And quite honestly, now that the end of summer is here, I am looking at my schedule and thinking 4 days a week at the gym is probably unrealistic for me, unless I want it to become an 'idol' again in my life. Which I don't. So... all this to say...
I am not working out like a maniac, yet I feel good about this new moderation in my life.
I am not on a diet.
I am not restricting myself in any way, but am making wise choices, and using moderation in ANY choice I make.
And I am happy to say that this LIFESTYLE is working. My weight is not a yo-yo. I am at a good, comfortable weight, and I am STILL enjoying life (sorry, but I can't handle deprivation, it doesn't work for me).
I really want to stay on this plan. I hate being yo-yo in my weight. I hate that 'weight' becomes a focal point because of yo-yo stuff. I want it to be a non-topic, just a part of life. Honestly, I am getting there. Now, this isn't to say I wouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds, but I am not focusing all my thoughts and time on that. If it slowly comes down, just because of wise moderate choices, that's fine. But I'm not thinking about that everytime I get dressed. I am doing good. This is just life for me. I want it to stay this way. I don't want this to be a 'phase'. I am consciously making it a longterm reality.
So there is my update, I haven't blogged in a while (like I said I was out partaking in summer activities with my kiddos), but here is the update, and its a good one :)
p.s. while on vacation, I was goofing off while changing into my swimsuit and struck a pose in the mirror. I was surprised... I looked GOOD! It was the whole "Daisy Duke" look, bikini top and jean shorts---of course my shorts weren't cutoffs with my cheekers hanging out, but you get the idea, at least they were jeans :) So I told my daughter to snap a photo of me, and I jumped on the bed and showed it to my hubby and said "look, you are so lucky, I am looking GOOD!", he laughed and blew me off and told me I was crazy. Which maybe I am, but I was seriously digging the swimsuit top and jean shorts look. I'm posting the shot here for proof that moderation works. "You can have your cake, and eat it too" (just a slice though, not the whole cake at once!) lol So, hopefully, this is inspiring to folks out there... if u can get your mind grasped around a concept, it can become a lifestyle, and not feel like a deprivation diet.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
pants getting big
just a quick note to say...
I love it when I go to take my pants down, and I undo my belt but then forget to unbutton or unzip my jeans and I just pull them down... and they really do come down! woohoo! that means they aren't tight or glued to my skin! I'm liking this 145, which by the way I'm still holding strong at even after going on vacation and having fewer workouts than I've regularily had for the past 8 years! I'll keep u posted on all that later, but for now... good news on the jeans coming off with only undoing the belt lol
I love it when I go to take my pants down, and I undo my belt but then forget to unbutton or unzip my jeans and I just pull them down... and they really do come down! woohoo! that means they aren't tight or glued to my skin! I'm liking this 145, which by the way I'm still holding strong at even after going on vacation and having fewer workouts than I've regularily had for the past 8 years! I'll keep u posted on all that later, but for now... good news on the jeans coming off with only undoing the belt lol
Friday, June 3, 2011
Isagenix 9 day cleanse
Well, I did it again.
I decided that it was necessary to take drastic measures and therefore subject myself to yet another cleanse. I did my first one almost exactly 4 years ago and was very successful at it. I then tried to do it 2 or 3 times after that and was highly unsuccessful. Cleansing programs like this are just virtually fasts. Therefore, they are not fun and all you wind up thinking about is what you would like to eat. My first time I was successful because I had never done it before and I was determined to finish what I started and do it right. I did. I lost 10 pounds in that 9 days, but then promptly ate everything in sight and gained back 5 in about 2 days. Still a net loss of 5 pounds, so I was pretty happy with the results. Plus it did what I really needed it to do at that point...get me over a plateau I was on and re-motivate me to push even harder. It succeeded, as did I. It was during this 18 week period four years ago that I lost 20 pounds and 20 total inches. I went from 155 to 135, and then successfully stayed there for about 9 months. That's when my old mindset set in ("I'm skinny, I can eat whatever I want"...wrong! ice cream every night for several weeks added 5 pounds, reduced workouts added another 5 pounds, time and decreased motivation added another 5 pounds... so four years later I am back up 15 of those 20 pounds and willing to try again).
I've been on a bit of a plateau again. I'm happy (as u know), but I would like to see some progress and I'm just not seeing it. Plus swimsuit season is here and I just think my thighs are a bit too wide for a suit, plus I LOVE it when my pants/jeans/shorts are baggy or not tight on my thighs. Right now they are tight on my thighs and I hate that feeling. I LOVE clothes that are baggy , especially ones that were once tight, because it is such a continual motivation/confirmation of the good choices I've made. Whereas... when they are tight its a continual reminder that what I'm doing isn't working because my pants are too darn tight in the thighs. Obviously everyone has there 'hot spot'. The part of their body that they want to change. For some its love handles and guts. For me, its thighs (which when they get too big, blends into my butt too).
So anyway, I decided to use this memorial day weekend when my hubby would be out of town to start this cleanse (its so much easier to cleanse when you aren't going out to eat or making full-fledged meals. With him being gone, I can cook the kids easy simple stuff, that I don't like to eat anyway, and am therefore not in agony when I can't eat it). I know this sounds horrible and ridiculous, and very self-depriving. And it truly is. But, there is a goal here. Once I succeed in these 9 days, I KNOW I will see positive results and that will give me the boost to keep it off and even maybe get more off. Gosh, how fun it would be to spend this summer (or everyday of the rest of my life) at 135 pounds again. lol.
I know this also sounds contradictory to my many previous posts about being happy with where you are. Don't get me wrong, I am not hating myself or my body. I am still happy. I just want to improve it some so my pants fit better and aren't reminding me of their tightness everytime I put them on.
I'm not going to post this till the 9 days are over, so if you are reading it , you will read it from beginning to end in one post, instead of reading day 9, then day8, and so on since blogger posts the most recently written first. P. S. does anyone know how to change that and read a blog from oldest to newest? Sometimes it would be nice (when reading a blog that u haven't read in a while, or ever) to actually read it in chronological order. Anyway, side note there.
I say "anyway" a lot don't I? :)
I took some 'day 1' pictures today, I'll probably save those to post at the end so that it will be easier to compare before and after pix next to each other. But I have to admit, even though my pants bug me and when I put on a suit I felt it didn't look that great....when I saw the pictures (maybe my 'happy attitude' came through) because I looked at them and thought "gosh, those aren't that bad. Sure I'm not model-thin, but I honestly don't look that bad. If I saw that person on the beach I wouldn't think twice about them--no critical thoughts, but yet no 'yowza, wish I looked like that' thoughts either. lol
So, I guess the truth is (what I've been saying for a long time, and what my 'guess my weight' posts were about), is that we don't look nearly as bad as we sometimes think we do in our heads.
But regardless, my pants FEEL tight, so I want to loosen them up a bit. The only way to do that without going out and buying bigger sizes is to loose an inch or two. So its up to me, not my wallet to make a change.
When this 9 days is done I want to wear my purple shorts to the gym too! ;)
Today was Day 3. I succeeded in Days 1and 2 (the days where u don't eat any REAL food and just drink these cleansing drinks (which by the way they must have changed the formula because they taste ALOT better! [I used to have to plug my nose and try to swallow as quick as possible with the old ones-another reason why it was hard to succeed in completing the cleanse. But with these they taste great and fruity]). You also get to eat a couple almonds and these little 'snacks' they call them,but really they are just little one inch pieces of compacted chalk. lol. That's what they taste like anyway. Chocolate or Vanilla , take your pick of your chalk flavor LOL. No , honestly, when u are struggling on this thing they are hard to get down and they taste like chalk. But when your mindset is good (which mine is right now) you don't mind them so much. Plus if you eat the chocolate one with an almond it makes it almost taste like chocolate covered almonds lol.
Well, things are going good. As of today (Day3) I am down 5 pounds. Obviously, with a cleanse the first place u lose it is your stomach, because you really aren't eating. So for me, I can't stop now, I need to go further so I can see real results (reduction of stored fat in my thighs) in a few days. That keeps me motivated. I know that if I went off it now, the 5 pounds could come back really quick because a lot of that is water, and since I'm eating no salt, no water-retention. By continuing the cleanse, you wind up breaking cravings for sugar and junk food. So when you go back to regular eating afterwards you don't crave those things so it helps u to make better eating choices.
Mentally, all is going really well. Day 3-7 are 'shake days'. This means you drink special enzyme filled shakes (taste good) for 2 meals, some of those yummy chalky snacks, and ONE real meal of 400-600 calories which ideally should be really healthy stuff. Preferrably organic, because u are trying to rid your body of toxins with the cleanse so if you only put back into it 'good' food during the process, it makes it more successful. These days also make it easier mentally because u get to eat some real food. I personally like to EAT. REAL. FOOD. I am not a meal-replacement bar or shake type of person. I want a bowl of cereal, not a shake for breakfast. The only time I eat meal-replacement stuff is if I absolutely have no time, then I grab it on the go. Other than that, I really like to eat. I like the flavor, the texture, and I like to chew my food. Therefore, I enjoy days 3-7 more than the 'cleanse days' which are days 1-2 and 8-9.
To prepare for the shake day meals, I looked up on http://www.calorieking.com/ the calorie count of items in my house that I wanted to eat. Some things I was starting to think about or hope to eat soon. Plus lots of fruit that I just bought and didn't want to go bad. Then I took that list, picked a bunch of things that tallied up to 600 calories and said "this is what I will eat on day3". It worked really well, in fact, today I was so busy outside that I really didn't consume all the items I had planned on, but I will sort of save them up, because once Dan gets home I know it will be harder to stay on track because I will need to be serving family dinners and we may also go out.
I had recently bought some babybel white cheddar minis (you know the ones that come wrapped in wax?) I really like the gouda, and this time I tried a sample at Sam's of the white cheddar and liked it too, along with some gluten free really yummy crackers. I bought both and was anxious to eat them at home but had to wait to Day3 to do it. So today I ate them, and ooohhhh, they were GOOD! Probably a little more so because I am appreciating every morsel that goes in my mouth right now (think-survivor contestant right after they leave tribal and are getting to eat in the car on the way to Ponderosa!), but also because when u let that cheese get close to room temperature, the flavor is immense. Very good. You should try it. I took one mini, sliced it up and put it on 7 (SEVEN!) crackers. Together it was 140 calories and it was WORTH IT! :)
I also had a leftover fish taco and pico from the Blue Restaurant (last dinner out before Dan left) so I ate that too. That was DELISH! Its not fried, and has no grease (when u reheat it you don't see any like u do on other foods), so the only high calories come from the flour tortilla its wrapped in, so I had to guesstimate that that was about 200 calories. It was super flavorful and deliscious!
One thing I've come to realize is that when you don't have free reign of the fridge/freezer/pantry/menu... you can really enjoy those healthy choices you are making because its the only thing you are going to get. No cheetos or onion rings for you! In fact right now, the thought of Cheetos makes me gag. That's a good sign, it means the yucky junk food is losing its hold and my body is wanting the good nourishing healthy stuff! If we can just stay on track eating the good stuff regularily and not slipping into junk food mode, our bodies would naturally help us make better choices. Its when we make repetitive bad choices that the salt and sugar in those choices start nagging at our bodies to get more because they don't satisfy our nutritional needs. I need to remember that when I snack (after the cleanse) to make sure I get protein in it so that it will satisfy me. When I snack on nonsense, my body isn't satisfied so it asks for more and more and more and pretty soon I've eaten 3 entirely useless things, and am truthfully still 'hungry' (craving something to satisfy me) even though I am stuffed. See how wrong that is. We need to feed our bodies what it needs so it doesn't feel depleted.
That is one of the reasons for my cleanse, to shock my body into dealing with 'no junk'. Then when I start all over afterwards and can keep eating the good healthy stuff that will satisfy me and help me, instead of just sitting on my hips.
Well, that is the end of Day 3. Its going good. I'll sign back in soon.
Day 4 is almost over. Another great day. I have to say this cleanse is going really well. Because I am seeing results not only on the scale, and in the fit of my clothes (already!), but primarily in my mind and how I am thinking about food again, this is going really good. I put my swimsuit on today and hung out at the pool after church (beautiful day by the way!) and I was feeling skinny. It felt good. Then Dan came home and we headed down the street for a few minutes. Even Dan commented that my butt already looked smaller ( BIG smile on my part!)
These past two days I haven't actually eaten all that I was supposed to, but I wasn't hungry either, so I figure I'll just let it slide (in case I go over a bit later in the week). I know restricted calories isn't a good idea because it could slow your metabolism , and that is why you are on a 2 hr schedule with this cleanse to constantly be eating either a snack tab or a shake or a cleanse drink or a low-cal meal every two hrs or so. But honestly with my mind set already shifting (wanting good food instead of junk) and being busy these last couple of days, I've just missed a few. In fact right now, as I am sitting in the evening typing this in front of the tv I would normally be mindlessly snacking on something and that something probably wouldn't be filling and therefore wouldn't satisfy, so I would keep snacking. But now that my mind is shifting (yeah) I can sit here and realize that I am NOT hungry, and use my mind to choose not to eat mindlessly. That is a great improvement. Plus using my mind, instead of snacking mindlessly, I can choose the right snacks when I am hungry. Something with some protein :)
Also, I need to mention I haven't worked out in two days... and guess what? I'm not freaking out about 'missed workouts'. Working out sometimes turns into an 'idol' for me. I am trying to change that. I know two things. I have to turn it over to God. And I have to change my mindset in order to overcome this idol in my life. For those of you who aren't familiar with the phrase 'having an idol in your life', it essentially means that something is taking over your life, it holds more importance than it should, and takes too much time and focus than it should. (And you spend more time focusing on this, than focusing on your relationship with God...there, I finally said it out loud and admitted it). I have known for quite some time that I needed to fix this, and more importantly than that, I know that to really fix it I have to turn it over to God. The amazing thing about these past two days with no workouts is that there was no "game plan to make up for it later" or honestly even thinking about it at all. I simply just didn't work out. I wasn't lazy. It just wasn't a 'priority'. For me, that was a positive turn too.
I did work out on Day 1 and 2, but with Day2 being the second day of 'true cleanse' my energy level was low and I had to turn it down a notch at the step class but it was fun and still a great workout. Plus I got to workout with my great friend Jen who I haven't been able to workout with in a long time.
I know I'm jumping around a bit with my topics, but its because I stop writing for a minute then when I come back to it I am thinking of another aspect that I want to talk about...right now, that topic is about how incredibly great my mindset is ,that this doesn't even feel like a cleanse. It just feels like normal every day life. And the great thing about that, is that I am completely satisfied with healthy food and less food and smaller portions than I've mindlessly consumed in the past! I am so feeling this as a lifestyle right now, rather than a cleanse, that I feel like I could go on with this for a loooonngg time. But I know you aren't supposed to. I think I read something about that four years ago that you could do 2 back to back, but then had to go off it before you did some more (???) Anyway, all this to say this is a good thing, because that is what you want to happen. You want to get your body cleaned out of the junk so it doesn't crave it so that you can eat the way God intended you to eat...as fuel for your body. Fuel for the temple He created you to live in while you are here on earth.
Day 5: was a bit harder. Mainly due to eating dinner instead of lunch.....
On shake days when you eat a meal, you are supposed to eat that at lunch, then have a shake at dinner. This works best, because lunchtime seems to be your most hungriest anyway and then the shake tides you over till bedtime if you get a little hungry later. Plus, nutritionists always say you should eat your biggest meal earlier in the day, not at night like most of us traditionally do. Well, Dan is back so I feel that our family dinner time should be normal (shouldn't disrupt our family time just because of my cleanse), but... I was really hungry around lunch and struggling. I really wanted my meal now, I didn't want to wait for dinner. So I asked Dan if he was interested in eating the chicken we had planned for dinner now at lunch. He said he wasn't hungry so I decided to wait. I didn't explain to him why I was asking, and I probably should have because then he probably would have agreed to eat earlier (he's been really supportive on this cleanse). But I didn't , so he didn't know, so by the time dinner came around I was ready to eat a horse today. I didn't, but it sure was a bit agonizing internally. That is not how you want the cleanse to be. You don't want it to be such a deprivation that you are craving what you aren't having. That will just backfire because you will probably go overboard when you go off it. That is why its important to eat as the plan suggests in the afternoon. It is just really hard to do that with a family. (Which is why the first few days when our whole family wasn't together, and we weren't having 'family meals' were so much easier).
Day6: today was back on track. I haven't been eating all the 'snack tabs' I know I'm supposed to but I haven't felt hungry and I was busy so I didn't. I know I should though, because I know you are supposed to put nutrients in your body every few hours. Today I ate my meal at lunch instead of dinner (like you are supposed to) and it was so much better than yesterday! Plus we were out and about all day, and when I'm busy there is just not much time to think about eating. This evening though when I was sitting on the computer, I felt my mind go to that place where u think you should 'snack on something' just because you are sitting here. That is one of the mind things I want to change. I don't want pointless snacking! Eat when you are hungry, not just out of boredom or routine or habit! Fortunately, I DIDN'T, so I am still on track. Oh yeah, on a nice note, today I wore some workout shorts that I like to the gym today that I haven't worn in probably 6 months! They fit fine and I liked being able to wear them again. I want to wear ALL my workout shorts again! That's the goal, getting back into what's in my closet. I don't have to fit in my (glorious) 2007 135 pound clothes. I just want to fit in all my 140-145 pound clothes REALLY WELL! I'm getting closer :) will keep u posted.
Day 7 I was at the office and it went really well. I wound up making dinner for my in-laws too but since I was working at the office I didn't get all grumpy about not eating my 'meal' at lunchtime, so when I ate it at dinnertime, I was fine today. Another good day.
Day 8. This is the final two days, and these days are like 1 and 2, in that instead of any real meals and shakes, you eat those chalky snack tabs every 2 hours and you drink four of these cleanse drinks, which have a pleasant fruity taste. Today went super good. Feeling great, not craving or feeling deprived about anything. Was still at 5 pounds lost this morning. My jean capris that I love fit baggy again (which is the way I love them), one of my jean shorts are so baggy right now that I need to throw them in the wash to shrink them up some. Feeling good and going good. I'd like to take a fat percentage test at the gym to see if there is any change from this, but I didn't schedule one. Maybe next week I can do it and we'll see what happens then. I am also liking this program so much (the shakes and cleanse drinks and such) that I am thinking of ordering some more just for a little maintenance. Not necessarily to do the whole 9day cleanse again (at least not for the next 2 weeks because I am going on vacation and believe me I will be splurging!), but to do when I get back just for regular days. Plus if I use it more as maintenance then I pretty much use it during the day, but when we go out or its family dinner time and I partake with my family instead of being segregated like I am now :( Dan has been really great through this whole thing. I've explained to him that its not just about weight loss, its about cleaning out your system to stop the sugar and salt cravings, so he's been really supportive and ate with the girls when I wasn't around, and helped make dinner, and didn't request that I make our 'regular' family dinners on nights that I wasn't supposed to eat. He has been cool with having burgers on the grill (which he and the kids really enjoy, but I wouldn't want to eat even if I could) so its been working out ok. Only one more 'missed' family dinner then we can do our normal dinner plans together. That's good. Well, that's all for today.
Day 9:Final day of the official cleanse. Today went well. Pretty easy actually. I was at the pool today and I noticed something funny... normally when I am in my swimsuit I try to tighten my stomach muscles 'just a bit' so that I don't have some flab hanging out for my hubby to see (I want him to only see me in a perfect light at all times--I know impossible, but I really want to put my 'best foot forward' for him). Today I realized that I wasn't doing that AT ALL, and my stomach was just staying there by itself! That is a nice part of the cleanse, not much in there, so nothing to make it stick out lol. It made me think of the folks on survivor (again), they are so restricted in their diets, there is no food in their bellys, no wonder most of them all have sunken or super flat tummys midway through the game! Anyway, it felt nice. I did realize though that even though it was flat, when I laid on my side the center part that got all stretched out through pregnancies is still droopy no matter what. That skin has just lost its elasticity and that is all there is to it! Only a tummy tuck will help it, and I don't like surgery so that 'ain't happening', so I guess I will live with it, and Dan will have to too. (there I go again, that perfectionism streak peaking out----at least I'm honest about it, yes, even though I'm HAPPY, some things still make me 'think').
So anyway, back to day 9. Went good all day, till about 4pm when I started thinking about what we were going to do for dinner. I was supposed to drink a cleanse drink. No food. But I HATE missing family dinners with my family. I should be making them a dinner, or we should be spending time together going out for one and enjoying that together. I could easily have finished the cleanse with my drinks. No problem. I was not deprived or hungry in any way. But on an emotional level, I really hate messing up my family's dinner 'tradition' if you'll call it that. So I asked Dan, if he wanted me to make the girls something simple (they were all finally wore out on hamburgers!), or if he wanted to go to the blue restaurant. I knew I could eat 2 fish tacos there and it would be really healthy and low calorie so I wouldn't feel like it was a failure. We ended up going to the restaurant. I ate my spicy fish tacos. But I ate no chips. No queso. No lemonade. Then afterwards at our soccer party I ate no ice cream. No cookies. No brownies. No nothing! So I don't feel like I failed. I have lost 5 pounds and my CLOTHES FIT BETTER! I am not craving over junk food (I didn't eat all those sugary things available to me---if I HAD, that would have been a failure because then I would have been filling myself immediately up with all the junk I had just cleansed out of my system!) I have only put GOOD stuff back into my body, so I feel confident that I can continue with wiser choices and try to keep this as a lifestyle.
I am LOVING the fact that my pants fit looser!
Yes, weightloss did occur and I did this cleanse knowing that would happen, but I also did it for the 'breaking the sugar/salt' cycle. To explain a little, read on...
I wanted to take a moment to talk about the whole purpose of doing a cleanse is for. It really isn't for weightloss. However, when you do a deep cleanse, like this one, that is a side effect. Since I had done this before I knew that. However, the cleansing of toxins out of your body is the important part. If we can get some of the toxins out of our body that are stored there it is healthier for us from the inside out. Also, during the cleanse, if you can break your body's cravings/desire for processed foods and sugar (through the absence of it), that will really make a difference in your lifestyle choices after the cleanse. You won't be desiring the junk, so you will be feeding your body what it really needs, nutrient-wise, and therefore, your body will be satisfied. For me, that is the big goal. Get me back on track where my lifestyle is a no-brainer. I'm not making sacrifices or suffering deprivations to eat certain things, I am simply eating what is good for me because I want to. That is what I desire. So it no longer is a diet of any sort, it is simply how you live. Your lifestyle.
On a side note...
I went to a reflexology person recently. While there we began discussing other procedures they do at that office. One of them was those colonic irrigations. (Where they use a tube and water to essentially flush out old poop and toxins from your colon). I have to admit... this intrigued me. I know. It sounds gross. But on the other hand, if you can get rid of some of the build up of gross tarry, yucky, toxins that are in your body... and that would make you healthier... wouldn't that be worth it? I'm contemplating. I told my friend, Marlenes, about it. She freaked out. She thinks I'm going to do it just because I've contemplated it enough to talk about it. I don't know. She may be right. I'll let u know if I ever decide and what the results are on that. Until then, I'll just do this oral cleanse and hope that helps some.
I spent about $200 on this cleanse (including my $40 annual membership fee so that I could buy this and future items at a discount). If anyone wants to try it let me know and I can order it for you. I mention the cost, because I have to admit, in the beginning when I was starting it and not sure yet how it was going to go this time (since I had had both success and failures with it in the past), I told myself "I am NOT going to cheat, and ruin this and throw $200 down the drain just because I had a three minute error to eat something I shouldn't! and that could be a detriment to the program and thus make it not successful and thus make me lose my money!" So that helped me stay motivated in the beginning, but honestly, I saw the results so quickly that then THAT kept me motivated. Plus ,except for Day 5, I have just had the greatest mental attitude and commitment about it. Its gone well. So even though I ended it about 5 hours early, I do feel it was very successful.
I had taken some "before" pictures. Today I took some "after" pictures. But you know, I don't think I'm going to post them. Truth is, its not about "look at me! look how good I look!", and I think sometimes that's what we are saying (maybe subconsciously) when we post those types of pictures. Or even if WE aren't saying that, that is what SOME people THINK you are saying when they see them. So I decided I didn't want to do that. I have the pictures for myself. They help me to see differences and visual progress. But they will remain for me to see and not you. :) Plus, truth is, when I started this fitness blog it was really just me and my workout buddies who might read it. But now, that I've linked it to Facebook a few times, I don't know how comfortable I would feel with showing pictures of myself in a swimsuit to some of my 'friends' on FB. Its just not a side of me they may want to see, and it may be a part of my life that they aren't really involved in and therefore may not understand. To some people, I just want to remain "T and W's mom" , not that "crazy, work-out obsessed, cleansing lady who posts swimsuit pictures of herself all the time". Because, truth is, I'm not as obsessed anymore, and I'm working on becoming even less 'obsessed'. I may cleanse, but I do it because I think its good for my body from the inside out. But my kids teachers probably want to remain to know me with my full clothes on :) so no pictures on this go-around folks! I will say though, as I mentioned above, they weren't as bad as I'd imagined (remember u are always your worst critic, so lighten up!), and the after shots did show some improvement. But honestly for me, if my clothes are fitting the way I want them to, then I don't need a picture to prove it... I FEEL it! A few months ago, my friend Jen can attest to this, I was obsessed with how I looked in pictures (I saw a picture that was really bad and I was like "what?! really?! is that what I look like?" So I was obsessed with figuring out how I truly looked, not in my head, but in real life. Well, the difference between then and now, is that my pants were tight (!) then. And I knew it. But in my head I was still trying to convince myself it was ok... till I saw the picture and I had to face reality that something had to be done. Whereas now, I don't need the picture, because I can FEEL that my pants fit better. Loose, in fact. So I KNOW things are on the right track.
I know I have jumped around a lot in this extremely LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG post. If you read it all, congrats to you. Its been good to chronicle it for me and I can use it to re-read if I need a 'pick me up' some day about why I want to stay away from foods that don't satisfy and will only make me crave them. If I re-read the reminders in the post about wise and thoughtful choices, then it can help ME too to stay on track. Hope this helps you too.
That's all folks.
Oh... P. S. I did do measurements, so I WILL post those (but not the pictures), so from a 'measurement aspect' we can SEE the results. I'll try to do that this weekend.
I decided that it was necessary to take drastic measures and therefore subject myself to yet another cleanse. I did my first one almost exactly 4 years ago and was very successful at it. I then tried to do it 2 or 3 times after that and was highly unsuccessful. Cleansing programs like this are just virtually fasts. Therefore, they are not fun and all you wind up thinking about is what you would like to eat. My first time I was successful because I had never done it before and I was determined to finish what I started and do it right. I did. I lost 10 pounds in that 9 days, but then promptly ate everything in sight and gained back 5 in about 2 days. Still a net loss of 5 pounds, so I was pretty happy with the results. Plus it did what I really needed it to do at that point...get me over a plateau I was on and re-motivate me to push even harder. It succeeded, as did I. It was during this 18 week period four years ago that I lost 20 pounds and 20 total inches. I went from 155 to 135, and then successfully stayed there for about 9 months. That's when my old mindset set in ("I'm skinny, I can eat whatever I want"...wrong! ice cream every night for several weeks added 5 pounds, reduced workouts added another 5 pounds, time and decreased motivation added another 5 pounds... so four years later I am back up 15 of those 20 pounds and willing to try again).
I've been on a bit of a plateau again. I'm happy (as u know), but I would like to see some progress and I'm just not seeing it. Plus swimsuit season is here and I just think my thighs are a bit too wide for a suit, plus I LOVE it when my pants/jeans/shorts are baggy or not tight on my thighs. Right now they are tight on my thighs and I hate that feeling. I LOVE clothes that are baggy , especially ones that were once tight, because it is such a continual motivation/confirmation of the good choices I've made. Whereas... when they are tight its a continual reminder that what I'm doing isn't working because my pants are too darn tight in the thighs. Obviously everyone has there 'hot spot'. The part of their body that they want to change. For some its love handles and guts. For me, its thighs (which when they get too big, blends into my butt too).
So anyway, I decided to use this memorial day weekend when my hubby would be out of town to start this cleanse (its so much easier to cleanse when you aren't going out to eat or making full-fledged meals. With him being gone, I can cook the kids easy simple stuff, that I don't like to eat anyway, and am therefore not in agony when I can't eat it). I know this sounds horrible and ridiculous, and very self-depriving. And it truly is. But, there is a goal here. Once I succeed in these 9 days, I KNOW I will see positive results and that will give me the boost to keep it off and even maybe get more off. Gosh, how fun it would be to spend this summer (or everyday of the rest of my life) at 135 pounds again. lol.
I know this also sounds contradictory to my many previous posts about being happy with where you are. Don't get me wrong, I am not hating myself or my body. I am still happy. I just want to improve it some so my pants fit better and aren't reminding me of their tightness everytime I put them on.
I'm not going to post this till the 9 days are over, so if you are reading it , you will read it from beginning to end in one post, instead of reading day 9, then day8, and so on since blogger posts the most recently written first. P. S. does anyone know how to change that and read a blog from oldest to newest? Sometimes it would be nice (when reading a blog that u haven't read in a while, or ever) to actually read it in chronological order. Anyway, side note there.
I say "anyway" a lot don't I? :)
I took some 'day 1' pictures today, I'll probably save those to post at the end so that it will be easier to compare before and after pix next to each other. But I have to admit, even though my pants bug me and when I put on a suit I felt it didn't look that great....when I saw the pictures (maybe my 'happy attitude' came through) because I looked at them and thought "gosh, those aren't that bad. Sure I'm not model-thin, but I honestly don't look that bad. If I saw that person on the beach I wouldn't think twice about them--no critical thoughts, but yet no 'yowza, wish I looked like that' thoughts either. lol
So, I guess the truth is (what I've been saying for a long time, and what my 'guess my weight' posts were about), is that we don't look nearly as bad as we sometimes think we do in our heads.
But regardless, my pants FEEL tight, so I want to loosen them up a bit. The only way to do that without going out and buying bigger sizes is to loose an inch or two. So its up to me, not my wallet to make a change.
When this 9 days is done I want to wear my purple shorts to the gym too! ;)
Today was Day 3. I succeeded in Days 1and 2 (the days where u don't eat any REAL food and just drink these cleansing drinks (which by the way they must have changed the formula because they taste ALOT better! [I used to have to plug my nose and try to swallow as quick as possible with the old ones-another reason why it was hard to succeed in completing the cleanse. But with these they taste great and fruity]). You also get to eat a couple almonds and these little 'snacks' they call them,but really they are just little one inch pieces of compacted chalk. lol. That's what they taste like anyway. Chocolate or Vanilla , take your pick of your chalk flavor LOL. No , honestly, when u are struggling on this thing they are hard to get down and they taste like chalk. But when your mindset is good (which mine is right now) you don't mind them so much. Plus if you eat the chocolate one with an almond it makes it almost taste like chocolate covered almonds lol.
Well, things are going good. As of today (Day3) I am down 5 pounds. Obviously, with a cleanse the first place u lose it is your stomach, because you really aren't eating. So for me, I can't stop now, I need to go further so I can see real results (reduction of stored fat in my thighs) in a few days. That keeps me motivated. I know that if I went off it now, the 5 pounds could come back really quick because a lot of that is water, and since I'm eating no salt, no water-retention. By continuing the cleanse, you wind up breaking cravings for sugar and junk food. So when you go back to regular eating afterwards you don't crave those things so it helps u to make better eating choices.
Mentally, all is going really well. Day 3-7 are 'shake days'. This means you drink special enzyme filled shakes (taste good) for 2 meals, some of those yummy chalky snacks, and ONE real meal of 400-600 calories which ideally should be really healthy stuff. Preferrably organic, because u are trying to rid your body of toxins with the cleanse so if you only put back into it 'good' food during the process, it makes it more successful. These days also make it easier mentally because u get to eat some real food. I personally like to EAT. REAL. FOOD. I am not a meal-replacement bar or shake type of person. I want a bowl of cereal, not a shake for breakfast. The only time I eat meal-replacement stuff is if I absolutely have no time, then I grab it on the go. Other than that, I really like to eat. I like the flavor, the texture, and I like to chew my food. Therefore, I enjoy days 3-7 more than the 'cleanse days' which are days 1-2 and 8-9.
To prepare for the shake day meals, I looked up on http://www.calorieking.com/ the calorie count of items in my house that I wanted to eat. Some things I was starting to think about or hope to eat soon. Plus lots of fruit that I just bought and didn't want to go bad. Then I took that list, picked a bunch of things that tallied up to 600 calories and said "this is what I will eat on day3". It worked really well, in fact, today I was so busy outside that I really didn't consume all the items I had planned on, but I will sort of save them up, because once Dan gets home I know it will be harder to stay on track because I will need to be serving family dinners and we may also go out.
I had recently bought some babybel white cheddar minis (you know the ones that come wrapped in wax?) I really like the gouda, and this time I tried a sample at Sam's of the white cheddar and liked it too, along with some gluten free really yummy crackers. I bought both and was anxious to eat them at home but had to wait to Day3 to do it. So today I ate them, and ooohhhh, they were GOOD! Probably a little more so because I am appreciating every morsel that goes in my mouth right now (think-survivor contestant right after they leave tribal and are getting to eat in the car on the way to Ponderosa!), but also because when u let that cheese get close to room temperature, the flavor is immense. Very good. You should try it. I took one mini, sliced it up and put it on 7 (SEVEN!) crackers. Together it was 140 calories and it was WORTH IT! :)
I also had a leftover fish taco and pico from the Blue Restaurant (last dinner out before Dan left) so I ate that too. That was DELISH! Its not fried, and has no grease (when u reheat it you don't see any like u do on other foods), so the only high calories come from the flour tortilla its wrapped in, so I had to guesstimate that that was about 200 calories. It was super flavorful and deliscious!
One thing I've come to realize is that when you don't have free reign of the fridge/freezer/pantry/menu... you can really enjoy those healthy choices you are making because its the only thing you are going to get. No cheetos or onion rings for you! In fact right now, the thought of Cheetos makes me gag. That's a good sign, it means the yucky junk food is losing its hold and my body is wanting the good nourishing healthy stuff! If we can just stay on track eating the good stuff regularily and not slipping into junk food mode, our bodies would naturally help us make better choices. Its when we make repetitive bad choices that the salt and sugar in those choices start nagging at our bodies to get more because they don't satisfy our nutritional needs. I need to remember that when I snack (after the cleanse) to make sure I get protein in it so that it will satisfy me. When I snack on nonsense, my body isn't satisfied so it asks for more and more and more and pretty soon I've eaten 3 entirely useless things, and am truthfully still 'hungry' (craving something to satisfy me) even though I am stuffed. See how wrong that is. We need to feed our bodies what it needs so it doesn't feel depleted.
That is one of the reasons for my cleanse, to shock my body into dealing with 'no junk'. Then when I start all over afterwards and can keep eating the good healthy stuff that will satisfy me and help me, instead of just sitting on my hips.
Well, that is the end of Day 3. Its going good. I'll sign back in soon.
Day 4 is almost over. Another great day. I have to say this cleanse is going really well. Because I am seeing results not only on the scale, and in the fit of my clothes (already!), but primarily in my mind and how I am thinking about food again, this is going really good. I put my swimsuit on today and hung out at the pool after church (beautiful day by the way!) and I was feeling skinny. It felt good. Then Dan came home and we headed down the street for a few minutes. Even Dan commented that my butt already looked smaller ( BIG smile on my part!)
These past two days I haven't actually eaten all that I was supposed to, but I wasn't hungry either, so I figure I'll just let it slide (in case I go over a bit later in the week). I know restricted calories isn't a good idea because it could slow your metabolism , and that is why you are on a 2 hr schedule with this cleanse to constantly be eating either a snack tab or a shake or a cleanse drink or a low-cal meal every two hrs or so. But honestly with my mind set already shifting (wanting good food instead of junk) and being busy these last couple of days, I've just missed a few. In fact right now, as I am sitting in the evening typing this in front of the tv I would normally be mindlessly snacking on something and that something probably wouldn't be filling and therefore wouldn't satisfy, so I would keep snacking. But now that my mind is shifting (yeah) I can sit here and realize that I am NOT hungry, and use my mind to choose not to eat mindlessly. That is a great improvement. Plus using my mind, instead of snacking mindlessly, I can choose the right snacks when I am hungry. Something with some protein :)
Also, I need to mention I haven't worked out in two days... and guess what? I'm not freaking out about 'missed workouts'. Working out sometimes turns into an 'idol' for me. I am trying to change that. I know two things. I have to turn it over to God. And I have to change my mindset in order to overcome this idol in my life. For those of you who aren't familiar with the phrase 'having an idol in your life', it essentially means that something is taking over your life, it holds more importance than it should, and takes too much time and focus than it should. (And you spend more time focusing on this, than focusing on your relationship with God...there, I finally said it out loud and admitted it). I have known for quite some time that I needed to fix this, and more importantly than that, I know that to really fix it I have to turn it over to God. The amazing thing about these past two days with no workouts is that there was no "game plan to make up for it later" or honestly even thinking about it at all. I simply just didn't work out. I wasn't lazy. It just wasn't a 'priority'. For me, that was a positive turn too.
I did work out on Day 1 and 2, but with Day2 being the second day of 'true cleanse' my energy level was low and I had to turn it down a notch at the step class but it was fun and still a great workout. Plus I got to workout with my great friend Jen who I haven't been able to workout with in a long time.
I know I'm jumping around a bit with my topics, but its because I stop writing for a minute then when I come back to it I am thinking of another aspect that I want to talk about...right now, that topic is about how incredibly great my mindset is ,that this doesn't even feel like a cleanse. It just feels like normal every day life. And the great thing about that, is that I am completely satisfied with healthy food and less food and smaller portions than I've mindlessly consumed in the past! I am so feeling this as a lifestyle right now, rather than a cleanse, that I feel like I could go on with this for a loooonngg time. But I know you aren't supposed to. I think I read something about that four years ago that you could do 2 back to back, but then had to go off it before you did some more (???) Anyway, all this to say this is a good thing, because that is what you want to happen. You want to get your body cleaned out of the junk so it doesn't crave it so that you can eat the way God intended you to eat...as fuel for your body. Fuel for the temple He created you to live in while you are here on earth.
Day 5: was a bit harder. Mainly due to eating dinner instead of lunch.....
On shake days when you eat a meal, you are supposed to eat that at lunch, then have a shake at dinner. This works best, because lunchtime seems to be your most hungriest anyway and then the shake tides you over till bedtime if you get a little hungry later. Plus, nutritionists always say you should eat your biggest meal earlier in the day, not at night like most of us traditionally do. Well, Dan is back so I feel that our family dinner time should be normal (shouldn't disrupt our family time just because of my cleanse), but... I was really hungry around lunch and struggling. I really wanted my meal now, I didn't want to wait for dinner. So I asked Dan if he was interested in eating the chicken we had planned for dinner now at lunch. He said he wasn't hungry so I decided to wait. I didn't explain to him why I was asking, and I probably should have because then he probably would have agreed to eat earlier (he's been really supportive on this cleanse). But I didn't , so he didn't know, so by the time dinner came around I was ready to eat a horse today. I didn't, but it sure was a bit agonizing internally. That is not how you want the cleanse to be. You don't want it to be such a deprivation that you are craving what you aren't having. That will just backfire because you will probably go overboard when you go off it. That is why its important to eat as the plan suggests in the afternoon. It is just really hard to do that with a family. (Which is why the first few days when our whole family wasn't together, and we weren't having 'family meals' were so much easier).
Day6: today was back on track. I haven't been eating all the 'snack tabs' I know I'm supposed to but I haven't felt hungry and I was busy so I didn't. I know I should though, because I know you are supposed to put nutrients in your body every few hours. Today I ate my meal at lunch instead of dinner (like you are supposed to) and it was so much better than yesterday! Plus we were out and about all day, and when I'm busy there is just not much time to think about eating. This evening though when I was sitting on the computer, I felt my mind go to that place where u think you should 'snack on something' just because you are sitting here. That is one of the mind things I want to change. I don't want pointless snacking! Eat when you are hungry, not just out of boredom or routine or habit! Fortunately, I DIDN'T, so I am still on track. Oh yeah, on a nice note, today I wore some workout shorts that I like to the gym today that I haven't worn in probably 6 months! They fit fine and I liked being able to wear them again. I want to wear ALL my workout shorts again! That's the goal, getting back into what's in my closet. I don't have to fit in my (glorious) 2007 135 pound clothes. I just want to fit in all my 140-145 pound clothes REALLY WELL! I'm getting closer :) will keep u posted.
Day 7 I was at the office and it went really well. I wound up making dinner for my in-laws too but since I was working at the office I didn't get all grumpy about not eating my 'meal' at lunchtime, so when I ate it at dinnertime, I was fine today. Another good day.
Day 8. This is the final two days, and these days are like 1 and 2, in that instead of any real meals and shakes, you eat those chalky snack tabs every 2 hours and you drink four of these cleanse drinks, which have a pleasant fruity taste. Today went super good. Feeling great, not craving or feeling deprived about anything. Was still at 5 pounds lost this morning. My jean capris that I love fit baggy again (which is the way I love them), one of my jean shorts are so baggy right now that I need to throw them in the wash to shrink them up some. Feeling good and going good. I'd like to take a fat percentage test at the gym to see if there is any change from this, but I didn't schedule one. Maybe next week I can do it and we'll see what happens then. I am also liking this program so much (the shakes and cleanse drinks and such) that I am thinking of ordering some more just for a little maintenance. Not necessarily to do the whole 9day cleanse again (at least not for the next 2 weeks because I am going on vacation and believe me I will be splurging!), but to do when I get back just for regular days. Plus if I use it more as maintenance then I pretty much use it during the day, but when we go out or its family dinner time and I partake with my family instead of being segregated like I am now :( Dan has been really great through this whole thing. I've explained to him that its not just about weight loss, its about cleaning out your system to stop the sugar and salt cravings, so he's been really supportive and ate with the girls when I wasn't around, and helped make dinner, and didn't request that I make our 'regular' family dinners on nights that I wasn't supposed to eat. He has been cool with having burgers on the grill (which he and the kids really enjoy, but I wouldn't want to eat even if I could) so its been working out ok. Only one more 'missed' family dinner then we can do our normal dinner plans together. That's good. Well, that's all for today.
Day 9:Final day of the official cleanse. Today went well. Pretty easy actually. I was at the pool today and I noticed something funny... normally when I am in my swimsuit I try to tighten my stomach muscles 'just a bit' so that I don't have some flab hanging out for my hubby to see (I want him to only see me in a perfect light at all times--I know impossible, but I really want to put my 'best foot forward' for him). Today I realized that I wasn't doing that AT ALL, and my stomach was just staying there by itself! That is a nice part of the cleanse, not much in there, so nothing to make it stick out lol. It made me think of the folks on survivor (again), they are so restricted in their diets, there is no food in their bellys, no wonder most of them all have sunken or super flat tummys midway through the game! Anyway, it felt nice. I did realize though that even though it was flat, when I laid on my side the center part that got all stretched out through pregnancies is still droopy no matter what. That skin has just lost its elasticity and that is all there is to it! Only a tummy tuck will help it, and I don't like surgery so that 'ain't happening', so I guess I will live with it, and Dan will have to too. (there I go again, that perfectionism streak peaking out----at least I'm honest about it, yes, even though I'm HAPPY, some things still make me 'think').
So anyway, back to day 9. Went good all day, till about 4pm when I started thinking about what we were going to do for dinner. I was supposed to drink a cleanse drink. No food. But I HATE missing family dinners with my family. I should be making them a dinner, or we should be spending time together going out for one and enjoying that together. I could easily have finished the cleanse with my drinks. No problem. I was not deprived or hungry in any way. But on an emotional level, I really hate messing up my family's dinner 'tradition' if you'll call it that. So I asked Dan, if he wanted me to make the girls something simple (they were all finally wore out on hamburgers!), or if he wanted to go to the blue restaurant. I knew I could eat 2 fish tacos there and it would be really healthy and low calorie so I wouldn't feel like it was a failure. We ended up going to the restaurant. I ate my spicy fish tacos. But I ate no chips. No queso. No lemonade. Then afterwards at our soccer party I ate no ice cream. No cookies. No brownies. No nothing! So I don't feel like I failed. I have lost 5 pounds and my CLOTHES FIT BETTER! I am not craving over junk food (I didn't eat all those sugary things available to me---if I HAD, that would have been a failure because then I would have been filling myself immediately up with all the junk I had just cleansed out of my system!) I have only put GOOD stuff back into my body, so I feel confident that I can continue with wiser choices and try to keep this as a lifestyle.
I am LOVING the fact that my pants fit looser!
Yes, weightloss did occur and I did this cleanse knowing that would happen, but I also did it for the 'breaking the sugar/salt' cycle. To explain a little, read on...
I wanted to take a moment to talk about the whole purpose of doing a cleanse is for. It really isn't for weightloss. However, when you do a deep cleanse, like this one, that is a side effect. Since I had done this before I knew that. However, the cleansing of toxins out of your body is the important part. If we can get some of the toxins out of our body that are stored there it is healthier for us from the inside out. Also, during the cleanse, if you can break your body's cravings/desire for processed foods and sugar (through the absence of it), that will really make a difference in your lifestyle choices after the cleanse. You won't be desiring the junk, so you will be feeding your body what it really needs, nutrient-wise, and therefore, your body will be satisfied. For me, that is the big goal. Get me back on track where my lifestyle is a no-brainer. I'm not making sacrifices or suffering deprivations to eat certain things, I am simply eating what is good for me because I want to. That is what I desire. So it no longer is a diet of any sort, it is simply how you live. Your lifestyle.
On a side note...
I went to a reflexology person recently. While there we began discussing other procedures they do at that office. One of them was those colonic irrigations. (Where they use a tube and water to essentially flush out old poop and toxins from your colon). I have to admit... this intrigued me. I know. It sounds gross. But on the other hand, if you can get rid of some of the build up of gross tarry, yucky, toxins that are in your body... and that would make you healthier... wouldn't that be worth it? I'm contemplating. I told my friend, Marlenes, about it. She freaked out. She thinks I'm going to do it just because I've contemplated it enough to talk about it. I don't know. She may be right. I'll let u know if I ever decide and what the results are on that. Until then, I'll just do this oral cleanse and hope that helps some.
I spent about $200 on this cleanse (including my $40 annual membership fee so that I could buy this and future items at a discount). If anyone wants to try it let me know and I can order it for you. I mention the cost, because I have to admit, in the beginning when I was starting it and not sure yet how it was going to go this time (since I had had both success and failures with it in the past), I told myself "I am NOT going to cheat, and ruin this and throw $200 down the drain just because I had a three minute error to eat something I shouldn't! and that could be a detriment to the program and thus make it not successful and thus make me lose my money!" So that helped me stay motivated in the beginning, but honestly, I saw the results so quickly that then THAT kept me motivated. Plus ,except for Day 5, I have just had the greatest mental attitude and commitment about it. Its gone well. So even though I ended it about 5 hours early, I do feel it was very successful.
I had taken some "before" pictures. Today I took some "after" pictures. But you know, I don't think I'm going to post them. Truth is, its not about "look at me! look how good I look!", and I think sometimes that's what we are saying (maybe subconsciously) when we post those types of pictures. Or even if WE aren't saying that, that is what SOME people THINK you are saying when they see them. So I decided I didn't want to do that. I have the pictures for myself. They help me to see differences and visual progress. But they will remain for me to see and not you. :) Plus, truth is, when I started this fitness blog it was really just me and my workout buddies who might read it. But now, that I've linked it to Facebook a few times, I don't know how comfortable I would feel with showing pictures of myself in a swimsuit to some of my 'friends' on FB. Its just not a side of me they may want to see, and it may be a part of my life that they aren't really involved in and therefore may not understand. To some people, I just want to remain "T and W's mom" , not that "crazy, work-out obsessed, cleansing lady who posts swimsuit pictures of herself all the time". Because, truth is, I'm not as obsessed anymore, and I'm working on becoming even less 'obsessed'. I may cleanse, but I do it because I think its good for my body from the inside out. But my kids teachers probably want to remain to know me with my full clothes on :) so no pictures on this go-around folks! I will say though, as I mentioned above, they weren't as bad as I'd imagined (remember u are always your worst critic, so lighten up!), and the after shots did show some improvement. But honestly for me, if my clothes are fitting the way I want them to, then I don't need a picture to prove it... I FEEL it! A few months ago, my friend Jen can attest to this, I was obsessed with how I looked in pictures (I saw a picture that was really bad and I was like "what?! really?! is that what I look like?" So I was obsessed with figuring out how I truly looked, not in my head, but in real life. Well, the difference between then and now, is that my pants were tight (!) then. And I knew it. But in my head I was still trying to convince myself it was ok... till I saw the picture and I had to face reality that something had to be done. Whereas now, I don't need the picture, because I can FEEL that my pants fit better. Loose, in fact. So I KNOW things are on the right track.
I know I have jumped around a lot in this extremely LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG post. If you read it all, congrats to you. Its been good to chronicle it for me and I can use it to re-read if I need a 'pick me up' some day about why I want to stay away from foods that don't satisfy and will only make me crave them. If I re-read the reminders in the post about wise and thoughtful choices, then it can help ME too to stay on track. Hope this helps you too.
That's all folks.
Oh... P. S. I did do measurements, so I WILL post those (but not the pictures), so from a 'measurement aspect' we can SEE the results. I'll try to do that this weekend.
Correction and measurements
Update and correction on the cleanse results. I weighed in and it was actually a 6 pound loss, not 5. :)
Here are the physical measurements to see the results. It was a total of 10.75 inches lost (wish they were all lost in one spot! That would be really impressive ha ha)
Day 1 Day 10 Location
12.75 12.5 Upper arm -left
12 12 Upper arm-right
36 35 Chest
30.75 29.75 Diaphragm
30.5 29 Waist
34.5 33 Abdomen:5" below waist:I measured this on the 'bulge' area of my tummy
40.25 39 Buttocks :9" below waist
25 24.5 Upper thigh-left
24.75 24.5 Upper thigh-right
14.25 13.75 calf-left
14.50 14 calf-right
18 17.5 upper knee-right
17.75 17.5 upper knee-left
Here are the physical measurements to see the results. It was a total of 10.75 inches lost (wish they were all lost in one spot! That would be really impressive ha ha)
Day 1 Day 10 Location
12.75 12.5 Upper arm -left
12 12 Upper arm-right
36 35 Chest
30.75 29.75 Diaphragm
30.5 29 Waist
34.5 33 Abdomen:5" below waist:I measured this on the 'bulge' area of my tummy
40.25 39 Buttocks :9" below waist
25 24.5 Upper thigh-left
24.75 24.5 Upper thigh-right
14.25 13.75 calf-left
14.50 14 calf-right
18 17.5 upper knee-right
17.75 17.5 upper knee-left
Monday, May 2, 2011
Banana Cookies... hmmm? healthy or not?
A few weeks ago I had lots of overripe bananas. I wasn't in the mood for banana bread and I really didn't want to just toss them in the freezer, because truth is, then I forget them and they sit there for years and when I finally do try to use them I don't like dealing with the slimy-ness of thawed bananas. :)
So I went online to try to find some banana cookie recipes.
I was in luck. There were several that I found. First I decided to try the 'healthy' one. It actually did sound really good and was only 44 calories per cookie. It was made with bananas, oats, and not much else. It called for dates but I used cranberries. It didn't have any sugar or flour.
Now you know I love cookies, so when a recipe is called a 'cookie' there is a certain expectation. Well, when u are expecting a 'cookie' this recipe does not deliver :( If it instead were called 'banana oat blobs' it probably would have been better. They actually taste fine, but they just have no cookie texture. They are super moist (possibly I put too many bananas or didn't cook them long enough), but anyway it was almost a gross moistness because it was like oats in applesauce almost. Anyway, I didn't like them (and no one in my family did either) so I threw out the recipe.
So the next day I tried another recipe I had found. These had sugar and flour and therefore were more 'normal cookie-like". These wound up being absolutely delicious! In fact my youngest daughter kept referring to them as breakfast cookies and eating them constantly (actually I did too) they were good :)
They are certainly more than 44 calories apiece, but next time I make them I may make some modifications with flax seed, whole wheat flour, apple sauce, and Stevia which will make them more healthy. But truth is, with all those bananas they HAVE to be sort of good for you (right?) (hopefully)
Here is the recipe (requested by my friend Min who happens to have a recipe blog site you may enjoy)...
Banana Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar (in other cookie recipes I use 1/2cup sugar + 5 packets Stevia + 1/4 cup turbino sugar)
(but I haven't tried this modification yet on this recipe)
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use more)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't used this bc a lot of reviews didn't like it, instead I used 1/2 teaspoon of allspice)
1 cup pecans or walnuts
(I also tossed in a handful of choc chips=about 1/2 cup)
Preheat ove to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add egg and continue to beat till light and fluffy.
In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.
Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
Fold into the batter the nuts and chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.
Makes about 30 cookies.
Yum Yum Yum!
Again, I'm not sure if they are really 'healthy' but they sure are good. And considering they really do taste like cookies (cake-type texture) they have got to be healthier than cookies that don't have bananas in them right?
Hope so ;)
So I went online to try to find some banana cookie recipes.
I was in luck. There were several that I found. First I decided to try the 'healthy' one. It actually did sound really good and was only 44 calories per cookie. It was made with bananas, oats, and not much else. It called for dates but I used cranberries. It didn't have any sugar or flour.
Now you know I love cookies, so when a recipe is called a 'cookie' there is a certain expectation. Well, when u are expecting a 'cookie' this recipe does not deliver :( If it instead were called 'banana oat blobs' it probably would have been better. They actually taste fine, but they just have no cookie texture. They are super moist (possibly I put too many bananas or didn't cook them long enough), but anyway it was almost a gross moistness because it was like oats in applesauce almost. Anyway, I didn't like them (and no one in my family did either) so I threw out the recipe.
So the next day I tried another recipe I had found. These had sugar and flour and therefore were more 'normal cookie-like". These wound up being absolutely delicious! In fact my youngest daughter kept referring to them as breakfast cookies and eating them constantly (actually I did too) they were good :)
They are certainly more than 44 calories apiece, but next time I make them I may make some modifications with flax seed, whole wheat flour, apple sauce, and Stevia which will make them more healthy. But truth is, with all those bananas they HAVE to be sort of good for you (right?) (hopefully)
Here is the recipe (requested by my friend Min who happens to have a recipe blog site you may enjoy)...
Banana Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar (in other cookie recipes I use 1/2cup sugar + 5 packets Stevia + 1/4 cup turbino sugar)
(but I haven't tried this modification yet on this recipe)
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use more)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't used this bc a lot of reviews didn't like it, instead I used 1/2 teaspoon of allspice)
1 cup pecans or walnuts
(I also tossed in a handful of choc chips=about 1/2 cup)
Preheat ove to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add egg and continue to beat till light and fluffy.
In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.
Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
Fold into the batter the nuts and chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.
Makes about 30 cookies.
Yum Yum Yum!
Again, I'm not sure if they are really 'healthy' but they sure are good. And considering they really do taste like cookies (cake-type texture) they have got to be healthier than cookies that don't have bananas in them right?
Hope so ;)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Something to think about
I was reading an article online in the Eat This, Not That franchise and came across this article. What really struck me about all the tips was #12. It really made me think. It also made me think, that if I can consciously focus on this it could be really beneficial to my health.
As a person who loves a 'deal', and always goes for the deal (sometimes even buying things or more of things just because there is a 'deal' going on) this really hit home with me. I love the 'deal' so much and it is so ingrained in my psyche that I will spend an extra 30 minutes in a store (which I don't have, and with whining kids no less) because the salesperson just told me that if I buy another shirt I'll get it for half off (even though I am done shopping, am at the checkout counter, and have already tried on everything in the store that even remotely caught my interest, and I didn't find another shirt.). But because its a 'deal' I'll now go spend time frantically trying on things again, or trying new things that really didn't interest me the first time, just to see if I can find that top, so I can get it for half off. Insane, right? Yes, sometimes I think it is. I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, there are things in my closet that I really didn't need to buy. And even regret some of those purchases. Sooooo, you can see that to wrap my head around the following 'tip' is going to take alot of willpower, and 'inside my head conversations', like "no, remember I don't need the bigger popcorn, its just extra calories and I'll be full and over-satisfied after the first few handfuls anyway. Stay AWAY from the extra 50cents!". LOL
So you are probably wondering by now what this 'tip' is, so here it is re-posted from Eat This, Not That...
As a person who loves a 'deal', and always goes for the deal (sometimes even buying things or more of things just because there is a 'deal' going on) this really hit home with me. I love the 'deal' so much and it is so ingrained in my psyche that I will spend an extra 30 minutes in a store (which I don't have, and with whining kids no less) because the salesperson just told me that if I buy another shirt I'll get it for half off (even though I am done shopping, am at the checkout counter, and have already tried on everything in the store that even remotely caught my interest, and I didn't find another shirt.). But because its a 'deal' I'll now go spend time frantically trying on things again, or trying new things that really didn't interest me the first time, just to see if I can find that top, so I can get it for half off. Insane, right? Yes, sometimes I think it is. I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, there are things in my closet that I really didn't need to buy. And even regret some of those purchases. Sooooo, you can see that to wrap my head around the following 'tip' is going to take alot of willpower, and 'inside my head conversations', like "no, remember I don't need the bigger popcorn, its just extra calories and I'll be full and over-satisfied after the first few handfuls anyway. Stay AWAY from the extra 50cents!". LOL
So you are probably wondering by now what this 'tip' is, so here it is re-posted from Eat This, Not That...
12 Best Restaurant Weight Loss Tips |
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
amazing workout
I had an amazing workout today! I was so excited afterwards, because I felt that 'high', that sense of exhilaration when you know you have just had an amazing workout. It felt so great to feel that way again! I haven't felt that way in a long time. In fact, it reminded of me of how I used to feel after EVERY workout back in 2007 when I dropped 20pounds, and 20 inches, in 18 weeks. It felt good. If all my workouts start feeling like this again, I just might start kicking some butt again here in the near future :)
Not to mention I got to punch the punching bag today, and if I've never told you before, I LOVE punching that bag! I don't know what it is about it, but it pumps me up bigtime!
Anyway, just a quick note to say I hope I get some more workouts like this, because if so, this will be the kick I need to drop these 10 pounds I wouldn't mind dropping ;)
Not to mention I got to punch the punching bag today, and if I've never told you before, I LOVE punching that bag! I don't know what it is about it, but it pumps me up bigtime!
Anyway, just a quick note to say I hope I get some more workouts like this, because if so, this will be the kick I need to drop these 10 pounds I wouldn't mind dropping ;)
Friday, April 15, 2011
mother's Day
Happy Day Pink Mother's Day 5x7 folded card
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Little muscles?
I guess I've always been trying to strike a pose and show my bicep muscles...
its just a shame they never seem to want to come out and be seen ha ha ha.
Found this picture of my brother and I from 1975 when I was 5 years old and he was 10, on a shoreline in Michigan. How cute is that?
p.s. I told you I was always a 'tow-head', see why I want to keep dying my hair blond? I'm trying to keep my youth lol ;0
its just a shame they never seem to want to come out and be seen ha ha ha.
Found this picture of my brother and I from 1975 when I was 5 years old and he was 10, on a shoreline in Michigan. How cute is that?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Bodyfat% and BMI...oh my!
I thought that title kinda of rhymed, didn't it? :0
Well, I am still at 150 (so 5 pounds less than when I posted my weight survey). I haven't been doing anything spectacular. Just typical workouts at the gym (which have changed due to new instructors), and my treadmill and/or AMT work every morning. I've been on the 'running' program I told you about earlier where I may not run 5 miles STRAIGHT, but I do cover 5 miles with bursts of running and walking. That being said, I've been doing good... I've been doing between 4-8miles everyday.
The thing I haven't changed much is my eating.
We still have been eating out 4 nights a week (and no matter how much you try to order the best thing on the menu, home cooked food I think is always going to be less calories and fat). So even though our whole family likes eating out, myself included, I don't know that its the best thing for us.
I'm not gorging myself on m&m's or chips, but I'm not eating 100% healthy snacks either. (Side note: I am happy to say I have NOT bought Easter candy, and am planning not to. I already have goodies like t-shirts and books and toys for their baskets, so I'm really hoping not to succumb to the pressure of the Easter candy aisle and buy that stuff. Because if its in our house, I will eat it.)
My plan of attack right now is to begin a more conscious focus on what I'm eating. I KNOW from past experience that this is where my downfall (weight gain) comes from. Now don't forget, I am still HAPPY. But I still want to reach my goals. My goal is to get back to 140 so all my clothes fit baggier (I like baggy clothes). I know I can't do a restrictive 'diet' though to attain this. That always backfires for me. I wind up craving and then go right back up , ever hear the term yo-yo?
So I am trying to just redirect my choices and that even means not ALWAYS having to go out to eat EVERY Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sunday. In fact, last night was Thursday and I cooked a really healthy 400 calorie meal for me and the girls (Dan would not have liked it-he hates frozen fish, but he was golfing, so instead of taking that as a night to eat pizza or other junky stuff with the girls-like I normally do-I took it as a night to make something healthy that isn't his favorite. Good choice I think). Tonight is Friday, and we should be going out, but I have a pork loin already thawed that we didn't use this week because we ended up eating one night at his parent's house, so we are staying home and having that instead. Now I know we'll go out Saturday and Sunday, but at least every little bit helps and I think it really did. I have been consistently 150 for about a month now, even sometimes hovering above 150, like the needle is on the '0' heading towards 151. But today it was actually hovering in the other direction, so with a few more days of better choices I bet that will start heading towards 149... and that will be really good, because you know any time you see some progress it always motivates you to do more (at least that is how it works with me).
Well, I know you are reading this because of the title, so I will continue. One of the instructors at the gym mentioned that they can do free fat test percentages so I signed right up. I KNOW the number isn't going to be great, but I wanted to get the NUMBER so that I have something to compare to when I reach my goal, then ideally it will be a really cool 'fact' of progress.
So here goes, my BMI (body mass index) is 22.8
My percentage of body fat right now at 150 pounds is 26.9%
18.5-24.9 is normal BMI range, so I am pretty much in the middle, just a tad over. Seems pretty fine.
On http://www.healthchecksystems.com/ it says that athletes are 14-20%, a fitness level for a woman is 21-24%, and acceptable is 25-31%. So I'm falling into the 'acceptable' range. However, following their little demonstration, it looks like if I lose 10 pounds and get to 140, that I should be at 21.6% which would put me into the 'fitness' level.
My plan is to take this test again when I reach 140 to see what it is for comparison purposes, but I guess I can also see if it will match the results of the formula I just used too.
Either, I need to acheive this goal in one month, or I will have a "where I am now" number as well on May 1st, because my instructor said we are doing it again in one month to track progress. I told I just want the final results, but she was like 'no,no,no, we are going to monitor it!" ha ha. So anyway, I'll either have a final update or a 'on the way there' update to post about on May 1st.
Hopefully it will be good. Really its just one more tool to make sure I'm not getting lazy or getting crazy lol
Well, I am still at 150 (so 5 pounds less than when I posted my weight survey). I haven't been doing anything spectacular. Just typical workouts at the gym (which have changed due to new instructors), and my treadmill and/or AMT work every morning. I've been on the 'running' program I told you about earlier where I may not run 5 miles STRAIGHT, but I do cover 5 miles with bursts of running and walking. That being said, I've been doing good... I've been doing between 4-8miles everyday.
The thing I haven't changed much is my eating.
We still have been eating out 4 nights a week (and no matter how much you try to order the best thing on the menu, home cooked food I think is always going to be less calories and fat). So even though our whole family likes eating out, myself included, I don't know that its the best thing for us.
I'm not gorging myself on m&m's or chips, but I'm not eating 100% healthy snacks either. (Side note: I am happy to say I have NOT bought Easter candy, and am planning not to. I already have goodies like t-shirts and books and toys for their baskets, so I'm really hoping not to succumb to the pressure of the Easter candy aisle and buy that stuff. Because if its in our house, I will eat it.)
My plan of attack right now is to begin a more conscious focus on what I'm eating. I KNOW from past experience that this is where my downfall (weight gain) comes from. Now don't forget, I am still HAPPY. But I still want to reach my goals. My goal is to get back to 140 so all my clothes fit baggier (I like baggy clothes). I know I can't do a restrictive 'diet' though to attain this. That always backfires for me. I wind up craving and then go right back up , ever hear the term yo-yo?
So I am trying to just redirect my choices and that even means not ALWAYS having to go out to eat EVERY Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sunday. In fact, last night was Thursday and I cooked a really healthy 400 calorie meal for me and the girls (Dan would not have liked it-he hates frozen fish, but he was golfing, so instead of taking that as a night to eat pizza or other junky stuff with the girls-like I normally do-I took it as a night to make something healthy that isn't his favorite. Good choice I think). Tonight is Friday, and we should be going out, but I have a pork loin already thawed that we didn't use this week because we ended up eating one night at his parent's house, so we are staying home and having that instead. Now I know we'll go out Saturday and Sunday, but at least every little bit helps and I think it really did. I have been consistently 150 for about a month now, even sometimes hovering above 150, like the needle is on the '0' heading towards 151. But today it was actually hovering in the other direction, so with a few more days of better choices I bet that will start heading towards 149... and that will be really good, because you know any time you see some progress it always motivates you to do more (at least that is how it works with me).
Well, I know you are reading this because of the title, so I will continue. One of the instructors at the gym mentioned that they can do free fat test percentages so I signed right up. I KNOW the number isn't going to be great, but I wanted to get the NUMBER so that I have something to compare to when I reach my goal, then ideally it will be a really cool 'fact' of progress.
So here goes, my BMI (body mass index) is 22.8
My percentage of body fat right now at 150 pounds is 26.9%
18.5-24.9 is normal BMI range, so I am pretty much in the middle, just a tad over. Seems pretty fine.
On http://www.healthchecksystems.com/ it says that athletes are 14-20%, a fitness level for a woman is 21-24%, and acceptable is 25-31%. So I'm falling into the 'acceptable' range. However, following their little demonstration, it looks like if I lose 10 pounds and get to 140, that I should be at 21.6% which would put me into the 'fitness' level.
My plan is to take this test again when I reach 140 to see what it is for comparison purposes, but I guess I can also see if it will match the results of the formula I just used too.
Either, I need to acheive this goal in one month, or I will have a "where I am now" number as well on May 1st, because my instructor said we are doing it again in one month to track progress. I told I just want the final results, but she was like 'no,no,no, we are going to monitor it!" ha ha. So anyway, I'll either have a final update or a 'on the way there' update to post about on May 1st.
Hopefully it will be good. Really its just one more tool to make sure I'm not getting lazy or getting crazy lol
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Question for you...eat before or after working out?
I've read and heard several different views on this.
Do you eat before or after a workout?
Some theories say you should work out on an empty stomach because then you are burning fat instead of burning what you just ate.
However, in contradiction to this, there is a belief that in order to keep your metabolism up, you need to eat within 30 minutes of waking up. The reason is because you have gone all night with no food and if you go much longer, your body starts to kick into 'starvation mode' where your body 'holds' onto fat instead of burning it, because it doesn't know when the next refueling/meal is coming. The normal day on this theory includes eating small meals every few hours to keep the 'fuel' coming, so your body is NOT in 'starvation mode' and thus NOT holding onto the fat, its burning it for fuel instead. The key to keeping this metabolism boosting theory working is to definately eat when you are hungry (that's your body saying refuel me, I need to burn calories) and if you don't eat, your body holds onto the fat incase it doesn't get any fuel.
I've tried to do this theory a bit and have even been known to wake up in the morning starving, and instead of laying in bed I'll run to the kitchen and grab a handful of blueberries to give my body some 'fuel' and then go back to bed to lay in bed and chat with my hubby. But I feel better doing that because I'm thinking "ok, I fed you body, don't kick into starvation mode and hold onto anything".
However,
some theories say you need to eat a bit before you work out so that you have the nutrition/stamina for the workout, (and this goes right in line with the metabolism boosting/eat every few hours theory).
What do you believe and what do you do?
I tend to do a bit of both.
I usually wake up at 5:30am and go to the treadmill or AMT to get a minimum of 30minutes to a maximum of 90minutes in before my kids wake up. Then I eat a bowl of cereal (non-sugary kind like cheerios/corn flakes/rice crispies/etc) with fresh blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries on top, and with organice skim milk. If I don't eat cereal, I may eat oatmeal with about a tablespoon of brown sugar (I should try Stevia or Agave nectar or honey, but haven't yet). Or, if I don't eat that, it may be two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter (protein to prepare for my classes at the gym).
Breakfast is at about 7:30am, and my gym class starts at 9am. After class at about 10:30 I usually eat a energy bar (different varieties, some high in protein at 200 calories, and some not high in protein, but lower in calories at about 120calories per bar). I'm often feeling a bit weak and shaky after class so I eat the bar, if I feel fine, then I wait till I get home and eat lunch at about 11:30am-noon.
So I tend to workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but then for my second workout I am doing it on a light meal.
What do you do and why?
What theory do you think is right?
Do you eat before or after a workout?
Some theories say you should work out on an empty stomach because then you are burning fat instead of burning what you just ate.
However, in contradiction to this, there is a belief that in order to keep your metabolism up, you need to eat within 30 minutes of waking up. The reason is because you have gone all night with no food and if you go much longer, your body starts to kick into 'starvation mode' where your body 'holds' onto fat instead of burning it, because it doesn't know when the next refueling/meal is coming. The normal day on this theory includes eating small meals every few hours to keep the 'fuel' coming, so your body is NOT in 'starvation mode' and thus NOT holding onto the fat, its burning it for fuel instead. The key to keeping this metabolism boosting theory working is to definately eat when you are hungry (that's your body saying refuel me, I need to burn calories) and if you don't eat, your body holds onto the fat incase it doesn't get any fuel.
I've tried to do this theory a bit and have even been known to wake up in the morning starving, and instead of laying in bed I'll run to the kitchen and grab a handful of blueberries to give my body some 'fuel' and then go back to bed to lay in bed and chat with my hubby. But I feel better doing that because I'm thinking "ok, I fed you body, don't kick into starvation mode and hold onto anything".
However,
some theories say you need to eat a bit before you work out so that you have the nutrition/stamina for the workout, (and this goes right in line with the metabolism boosting/eat every few hours theory).
What do you believe and what do you do?
I tend to do a bit of both.
I usually wake up at 5:30am and go to the treadmill or AMT to get a minimum of 30minutes to a maximum of 90minutes in before my kids wake up. Then I eat a bowl of cereal (non-sugary kind like cheerios/corn flakes/rice crispies/etc) with fresh blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries on top, and with organice skim milk. If I don't eat cereal, I may eat oatmeal with about a tablespoon of brown sugar (I should try Stevia or Agave nectar or honey, but haven't yet). Or, if I don't eat that, it may be two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter (protein to prepare for my classes at the gym).
Breakfast is at about 7:30am, and my gym class starts at 9am. After class at about 10:30 I usually eat a energy bar (different varieties, some high in protein at 200 calories, and some not high in protein, but lower in calories at about 120calories per bar). I'm often feeling a bit weak and shaky after class so I eat the bar, if I feel fine, then I wait till I get home and eat lunch at about 11:30am-noon.
So I tend to workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but then for my second workout I am doing it on a light meal.
What do you do and why?
What theory do you think is right?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Running with Rene' and T
My daughter, in an effort to increase her endurance for soccer, has taken our advice and started running. :)
She is doing really good and I am excited for her. I hope she winds up liking it. Right now I'm trying to teach her how to hit heel to toe on her foot strikes, because currently she seems to just be banging them straight down with a loud whack, which is causing sore calves. Also we have been running on the asphalt (which always makes my calves sore too) so I suggested we may want to run in the grass or even on the treadmill. She is doing really well and I told her if she wanted to do the Aquarium 5K this spring that I would do it with her. She was very excited by that and hopefully we can do it together. :)
She is doing really good and I am excited for her. I hope she winds up liking it. Right now I'm trying to teach her how to hit heel to toe on her foot strikes, because currently she seems to just be banging them straight down with a loud whack, which is causing sore calves. Also we have been running on the asphalt (which always makes my calves sore too) so I suggested we may want to run in the grass or even on the treadmill. She is doing really well and I told her if she wanted to do the Aquarium 5K this spring that I would do it with her. She was very excited by that and hopefully we can do it together. :)
Friday, March 4, 2011
cookies finally gone
I made a lot of my favorite cookies for a school fundraiser. They didn't all sell, so of course I had to bring them home. I just finished the last one today.... so I now can finally get a little more serious about my snacking habits and hopefully see some results on the scale. Still about 150, but am aiming for 140. I'll keep u posted :)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Resisting the temptation-hooray!
Tonight isa bakesale fundraiser at my daughter's school. I have been busy busy busy baking and making chocolate covered goodies for this event. I've made cranberry/white choc chip cookies, semi-sweet and milk chocolate chip cookies, no-bake cookies, chocolate chip pecan cookies, chocolate covered oreos, chocolate covered peanuts, white chocolate covered peanuts, and white chocolate covered pretzel stacks. That's a lot of sugar infused treats to be in my house at one time and I have to say.... today I passed the test. I made most of the chocolate items earlier (they stay fresh longer), but I made the cookies today (because a good cookie is only good if its fresh and to me if its over a day old its no longer fresh). While I was making these cookies today I only ate 2 cookies (normally I can gobble a half dozen before I am done baking!) And one of these was just to test it to make sure the flavor was spot on. Well, after I had made all the batches I decided to sit down with a non-perfect warm one (one of my favorites, pecan/chocolate chip) and eat it with a tall glass of milk. I poured my milk. Took my crooked cookie, and sat at the table to gaze out the window and enjoy a few peaceful minutes eating my cookie.
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| Lots and lots of bake sale items |
But a very strange thing happened. I sat there and sort of felt sick to my stomach (the way I feel AFTER eating 6-8 cookies). I thought to myself, you know this is what I always wish WOULD happen (get the stuffed uncomfortable feeling BEFORE I slide, so that I don't slide.) Well, it finally happened, I felt yucky before eating it instead of after (when its too late and regret it), so I stopped. Looked at that cookie. Looked at my milk. And decided to not eat the cookie. This really is unheard of for me and not anywhere close to my normal behavior. So I consciously took the moment to think about it and decide to make the right choice. Why eat something if you know you are going to feel like crap afterwards? Its only worth it, if it has a positive consequence, not a negative one. I have no idea if this is a one-time fluke or if I'm onto something mentally. But I chose to forego my cookie today and I'm glad I did.
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| Cute stickers I put on each baggie. Aren't they adorable? |
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