Oct. 31-- With Everything

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." Deut. 6:5

ALL OF IT! Not just with your heart. Not just with your soul. Not just with your strength. With all of you. I'm glad this verse was in my devo today... it reminds me to stay committed to my relationship with the Lord in all areas of my life. If I stop exercising for a week, I'm not taking care of that heart (or that strength) I'm supposed to LOVE with! The heart and the strength in it and other muscles deteriorates. I look at this morning devo, that I've been doing for a whole 8 days now simply as part of my morning workout. The kick-off, if you will.

Each part of my workout helps me stick to the other parts. Looking at things the way they are: all connected (!!!) helps a LOT. I've never done a devotional more than two days in a row, so 8 is a big thing for me!!

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Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, & Jam with my new kickboxing gloves WOW it was AWESOME!!!!! I felt so strong!!! + Ab Jam (20 minutes) = 70 minutes ...

hoping to make it to 7 miles throughout my day today... so I can meet my goal of 180 miles for the month (avg. 6 miles per day)

ADD: 3 miles with mom!! i exceeded my month's goal!!!!!!!!!

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, 1 apple mid-workout
three slices French Toast (oh yeah, its good): fortified with protein powder, skim milk, and egg whites... sprinkled with CINNAMON and a bit of Splenda... sprinkled with ground flaxseed and sugar-free syrup. Soooo much fiber!!!

Lunch: 1 60-calorie pita with 1 tbs sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, diced tomatoes, 6 small pepperonis, 2 oz grilled chicken, shredded mozzarella cheese, oregano, garlic. a baby spinach side salad

Dinner: 1 hot dog, 1 s'more, some popcorn, and probably way too much candy. Oh well.

Dessert/snacks: 1 ice cream sandwich

Water: doing well

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

Oct. 30 -- Finding God

"Finding God is solely a work of God. Those who seek Him will find Him because God will give them a heart to recognize Him as Lord." -- Marvin Williams

This is such a true statement!! God doesn't even expect you to even be able to find Him all on your own. I used to try to find Him without asking Him to show me where to go, how to get there, or if He'd reveal himself to me. Looking back, it's like trying to get to Alaska without using a map. I had a bad bad bad habit of trying to do things on my own all the time... just too proud to hand some of the work over I suppose.

Asking again that God be "in my head" today!!!!! That he fill my head with beautiful thoughts about him and others, that he continue to strip away the old me, and that he fill me with his life and vibrancy. I can't help but notice that I have "life" in my veins again, I have feelings and I sense my soul again. I don't know how long its been since I last felt that...

But I take heart in these words from Jeremiah! You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD. (29:13)

And all I have to say is, GEEZ, Lord, where you been, man!?!? And he's like, "right here, yo". lol


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I'm down to 137.2 lbs! That is 0.2 less than yesterday!

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam CP2 + 3T (Totally Tubular Turbo) -- sooo good! Uses resistance tubing which, I'll admit, I didn't think would be that tough. But you can really pump it up with these things!! I lifted way more "weight" with the resistance bands than I ever have with free weights and I really, really felt the burn (MUSCLE CHANGE!!!!!!!!!)

ADD: 30 minutes 2-mile walk outdoors with mom, including jogging and laughter intervals

ADD: 30 minute Walk Strong workout with dad (use no weight or 2 lbs)

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout: 1 lavash wrap (100 calories), ca. 2 oz grilled chicken strips, ca. 1 tbs. sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, diced tomatoes, 2 sliced black olives, 4 small pepperonis, sprinkle of shredded mozzarella, garlic and oregano

Lunch: bowl of 16-bean soup with a few pieces of baked ham in it.

Dinner: some healthy mac n' cheese (NOT box kind), a spinach leaf salad with light Italian and parmesan cheese.

Dessert/snacks: mid-morning: piece of cheese, after lunch: skinny cow ice cream sandwich (130 calories) a few hours before dinner: another piece of cheese. after supper: 1 stick Extra Dark chocolate, 1 square 72% cocoa dark chocolate

Water: doing well

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

Oct. 29: Changing Perspectives

Edit: forgot to mention, I decided to check the scale again this morning: down to 137.4! that's 0.6 lbs less than yesterday!

ODB was about perspective today... when we think our problems are sooo big because they're so close to us, they block our view of God and make us perceive Him as farther away and not as big as our problems, or big enough to tackle them. Like a bird, your problem(s) are on a windowsill... you see the mountain in the background (God) but since the bird is closer, the mountain seems so small.

Continuing to pray that God be in my head today :-) He has a funny way of keeping my perspective in check.

Here's to the continued peeling off the old self. I now see my soul as a flower: in order for it to grow, I need to water it. What better way to make it grow than by watering it with God's words, the water of life! More and more has fallen into place lately... in the last year or so, I can't honestly say I have been watering my soul, my flower. I hadn't been doing ANYTHING.

No water = no growth!

___________________________________

Today's Workouts: I did like 40 minutes of Tae Bo... I just really couldn't get into it so I decided to take today off, sort of... I mean instead of working out for 90 minutes, 40 minutes made me happy :-) my right hip kind of hurts so I think it'll do me good :-)

Breakfast: 1/2 cup healthy mac n' cheese, 1 apple. after exercise, 1 bagel + chive & onion cream cheese, one slice salami, one slice Gouda. yum ya'll

Lunch: 1 baby spinach leaf salad with low-cal Italian dressing, 1 lavash wrap (100 calories), ca. 3 oz grilled chicken strips, ca. 1 tbs. sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, 1 tbs. part-skim ricotta cheese, 2 sliced black olives, 5 small pepperonis, sprinkle of shredded mozzarella

Dinner: 1 cheese stick, 3/4 cup black beans, 1 cup fat-free yogurt - 90 calories.

Dessert/snacks: mid-morning: 1/2 cup homemade rice pudding
1 ice cream sandwich (130 calories) after lunch, 1 almond

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

Oct. 28 -- Tastes are changing, scale is moving

Well, I guess this is why they call fall a season of change :-) Everything is changing. God picked a good time to start all this. The weather is beautiful now and its getting cooler!

I'm praying for God to change my tastes so that I would crave that which honors Him... the old me, from last week and likely several years before, too, craved that which honored me, that which satisfied me. What I failed to remember is when I allow God to fill me, that which honors Him is so much more satisfying, and there are no regrets! A wise person once said, "Doing what’s right today means no regrets tomorrow..."... or EVER! There have been times where I do the wrong thing thinking it's the right thing, really believing its the right thing, and only later (HA! last week) realize just how NOT right it was. And then... then it hurts. A lot.

But that's the first step toward healing. A second step is to keep God in my head at all times... ODB today was about not "checking your brain at the door" and just relying on emotional experience with God... keeping God "in your head". Every day. It starts by just asking Him!!!

In other news, I AM LOSING FAT! Numbers were down today, just like the stock market! At 137.8 lbs, I HAVE LOST OVER 10 lbs in 2 months!!! That is phenomenal! The last 5 pounds have taken QUITE a long time... the first 5 came off rather quickly, but since I've significantly increased my strength training, the weight between, oh, about 143 or so and now has come off a lot slower. I'm really happy with how my body is changing. I see a lot a lot a lot more definition than I have EVER seen in my body before and it is so encouraging! "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always gotten!"

LOVE THAT!!! Gonna chew on that today...

Today's Workouts: Tae bo Fat Blasting Cardio (45 minutes) ... tried to use the bands, but the ones from the bootcamp set are way tougher than the ones they were using in this (older) DVD...
+ Lower Body Turbo Jam (30 minutes) love me some turbo, baby
+ 17 minutes of QuickFix Stability Ball... worked my hamstrings reeeeeal good + the entire abs segment.

Total time = 92 minutes

ADD: 3 miles with Dad

Breakfast: 1 small slice of banana pudding cream pie before workout, 1 apple mid-workout
after workout: 1 lavash wrap (100 calories), ca. 3 oz grilled chicken strips, ca. 1 tbs. sun-dried tomato pesto sauce, 1 tbs. part-skim ricotta cheese, 2 sliced black olives, garlic, oregano, 5 small pepperonis, sprinkle of shredded mozzarella, drizzle of olive oil = YUM!!!!!


Lunch: ca. 3/4 cup black beans, 1.5 tbs reduced fat sour cream, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, cilantro, a pinch of shredded mexican blend cheese, ca 3 oz grilled chicken

Dinner: one vegetarian Lean Pocket (270 calories) + cup hot cocoa (80 calories)

Dessert/snacks: mid-morning: 1 extra small piece of banana pudding cream pie... and now its all gone!

after lunch: 1 60cal Extra dark chocolate stick

around 3pm: 1 sugar-free red popsicle

before bed: 1 cheese stick (80 calories) + 1 tbs reduced fat PB

Water: yum also

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 27, 2008

Well today's ODB was one that I had already read somehow... about making a U-turn. I guess thats what you could call what I've done in the last week. SLAMMED on the brakes, repositioned myself, decided where I was going to go (and with whom I was going to go with), and made the first steps toward that goal.

Psalm 32:1-5 was the passage for today... so relevant! I guess that's why they say God's Word is alive...

1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

(Emphasis mine)

WOW. That's all I have to say about that... perhaps that's why I can kick so much higher all of a sudden when I'm kickboxing? No more guilt weighing me down!


Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam (good grief, I'm addicted!) Punch, Kick & Jam + Cardio Party 2! I skipped the part on PK&J with the resistance band, so the whole workout was 85 minutes.

ADD: 3 miles with Dad

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, 1 apple mid-workout, and today I tried a new recipe... I lined muffin cups with bread and put eggs and egg whites into the bread, topped it with a pinch of shredded cheddar, a few bacon bits, s&p, and after they had baked for 15 minutes at 375, I garnished with chives :-) pretty good stuff. I made 12 altogether: half w/ regular eggs, half with egg whites only.

I ate one w/ regular egg and two with egg whites for breakfast.


Lunch: ca. 3/4 cup brown rice, ca. 1/2 cup black beans, cilantro, 1 tbs sour cream, salad made with baby spinach leaves + light Italian

Dinner: 1 whole wheat bagel, 1 slice salami, 1 slice Gouda, 1 wedge low-cal spreadable cheese

Dessert/snacks: mid-morning: some banana pudding cream pie (I made it myself :-)) SOOO good! Dessert after lunch: 1 small piece of pie :-)... and another small piece before bed... i can't stand it... its SO GOOD!!!!!

Water: doing ok...

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 26, 2008

Well I just had to go back and finish yesterday... but its cool lol... I had an amazing day yesterday for so many reasons. I spent the whole day with my best friend with whom, in the last week or so, I have been able to work through a whole lot... I had such insanely incorrect thoughts and perceptions in my head about what she thought about me, that she would judge me, and I had been such a terrible friend myself. Such a terrible friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this is just the beginning. I have to work my way backwards and make some things right with some other people as well.

Here's to a new journey of sorts.

A quote from todays devotional: "Salvation is the miracle of a moment; growth is the labor of a lifetime."

I love these... I encourage anyone who reads this to check it out http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml

There's a passage from the Bible and a few short paragraphs about it... I think they're really down-to-Earth and REAL about what being a Christian is all about. That's part of what I have to work out with some people. I have been giving a very bad impression of what being a Christian is about... in my struggles I have complained about certain Christians, claiming that they were judging me, when they weren't at all. I've complained to the wrong people. My perceptions on things were completely askew. Completely. I was the one who was judging. I didn't feel good about myself; I was the one with the issues, and somehow, without even realizing it, without making a conscious decision about it, I decided to make my problem and my issues THEIR problem and THEIR issues. I was the one who wasn't being a good friend. IT WAS ME the whole time!

So I have to set things straight with them and with myself. I closed the door to them for a while and made completely and utterly false assumptions about them while that door was closed. I then spread those assumptions to other people to get them to be on my side. In reality, I had only convinced myself in my head that those assumptions were true, and I twisted every word people said to me to be against me to use as evidence in support those false assumptions.

MAN do I have issues. I know what I need to do, now, though.


Today's Workouts: Women's Health Ultimate Fat Burn w/ 5 lb weights during the intervals. It was a LOT easier than I remember! I must be getting stronger :-) YES!

+ the 2 mile power walk from the new Walk Away Your Hips and Thighs dvd... I was not impressed... I used 3 lb weights for the first part, then went to 1 lb, then took them all off cuz I am pretty tired (no doubt from the crap I ate yesterday!!)

I plan to get in the 20 minutes legwork later.

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, 1 apple mid-workout...
later 1 cup black beans, 3/4 cup rice, a pinch of shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and some chopped cilantro.

Lunch: one low-fat/low-cal hot dog, with chopped onion, ketchup and mustard.

Dinner: the same thing I had for breakfast. it is so good! And with so many different colors in the bowl, its sooo pretty, too

Dessert/snacks: 1 vanilla ice cream after lunch, 1 stick Extra Dark chocolate after dinner

Water: done good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 25, 2008

Quote from today's ODB: "We must face up to our sins before we can put them behind us."
Read Hebrews 12:1-11

Man, this sucks... I have some stuff in my life right now that I really, really, really need to walk away from. I can't just say to myself and others that it's over, that it's behind me now, if I haven't actually looked it in the face and said: this was sinful, this was wrong, and I regret that it didn't honor God, in whom I believe, at all. God uses all things for the good of those who love Him, yes... He can do that because He's God, for Pete's sake. But I have to admit that for a short time in my life, I walked away from Him. I looked Him in the face and I basically said without saying it, "I'm going to do this and I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT".

And in the process of facing up to it, actually admitting that it was wrong and that, for the sole reason that it didn't glorify God IN THE LEAST, I regret it, I am hurting. Walking away from sin hurts. This pain, though, shows how much I am prone to wander and leave, and how tempting and seemingly beautiful sin can be. But how much more beautiful are moments that really glorify Him? Moments in which I experience pleasure through sin, in which I am in a state of euphoria and bliss, in which I simply think I feel good, do not glorify God. They glorify me and only me.

It hurts to walk away from sin. That's why I think we can't just say one day, "Okay, I'm done with this, it's over, out of my reach anyway, how convenient!" Just because you're out of the position to continue in sin doesn't mean you're not committing that sin anymore; it doesn't mean that sin is out of your life. In experiencing the pain of repentance from that sin, we are experiencing how much it hurts God when we sin against Him. We know just how much we were attached to it, blinded by it, and how far we have wandered away. We remember just how much we need Him.

Likewise, the relief we experience after we finally realize the decision that needs to be made, after we actually make that decision and not simply exit the scene, we know just how much God loves us and wants to bless us. I believe we experience the same joy as He does when the lost sheep is found. And so it becomes clear: of course He didn't want me in that sin, with whatever it entailed, with whomever it entailed. Of course it didn't "work out"... because sin never "works out".

SIN NEVER WORKS OUT!!!!!!!


...but I do, lol, so I gotta get going here.


UPDATE/EDIT: I should mention that it took me a long time to write the above ... because while I was writing it, I was actually experiencing it myself. I walked away from something today, not just physically (which happened several months ago), but spiritually. In between those paragraphs up there were a ton of tears, honest ones, for once, and my (again, honest for once) plea to God to cleanse me. My HONEST, FOR ONCE! confession of something I had done that is a sin, and my HONEST (yes, for once) repentance from it. In all honesty (...for once), I have never felt more broken than I did this morning. And I have never enjoyed my workout as much as I did today. I finally feel free.

In regard to the passage from Hebrews, verse 11 stuck out to me... "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."

Training. I'm training my body and my soul, folks. I'm training it so the next time I decide to leave the country, I won't let my guard--and my God--down so easily.

Review of Yesterday: eating = terrible, POSSIBLY within caloric allowance.

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 (which was so much fun it's not even funny!!!) + Booty Sculpt + Abs (8 & 5 lb dumbbells) + Upper Body (5 lb dumbbells) and Flexibility segments from the 10M.S. fitness ball workouts...

ADD: 15 minutes Turbo Jam with Hannah lol

Breakfast: 1 banana

Lunch: pita pizza: 100% whole wheat pita, sundried tomato pesto, part-skim ricotta cheese, diced tomatoes, a bit of chopped grilled chicken, 4 small pepperonis, garlic, oregano, sprinkled with shredded mozzarella

Dinner: 1 Stouffer's garden vegetable French bread frozen pizza, chocolate chip ice cream + small brownie for dessert

Dessert/snacks: some tortilla chips + black bean dip, 1 piece icebox dessert

Water: need a lot of it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: did not take

October 24, 2008

Review of Yesterday: weird eating... I think the calorie count was okay... I looked really good in the mirror this morning, lol :-) I keep hearing that sometimes people are on a plateau and then they eat a candy bar and something "compounds" inside them and they start to lose weight again. Maybe its the importance of variety thing...

Today's Workouts: no workouts really.

Breakfast: 1 WW bagel with chive/onion cream cheese, 1 slice Gouda, 1 slice salami

Lunch: a banana and some graham crackers, plus I licked the batter of the cake I made

Dinner:

Dessert/snacks: 1 mozzarella cheese stick. 1 homemade sausage biscuit with mustard.

Water: good... could do better...

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

excellent lyrics...

I have been a wayward child,
I have acted out,
I have questioned sovereignty,
and had my share of doubts,

And though sometimes,
my prayers feel like they're bouncing off the sky,
the hand that holds won't let me go,
and is the reason why

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

Bitterness has plagued my heart
many times before,
My life has been a broken glass,
and I have kept the score
of all my shattered dreams,
and though it seemed,
that I was far too gone,
my brokenness helped me to see
it's grace I'm standing on.

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

And chaos in my life,
has been a badge I've worn,
and though I have been torn,
I will not be moved

--Natalie Grant

October 23, 2008

"During those seasons when we wonder, “How did I get here and when can I leave?” it’s best to look for our God-given opportunities instead of focusing on the obstacles. That’s the way to do something with our nothing." David McCasland

Got that from an O.D.B. devotional this morning. I can really apply that to my life right now: I'm not working this week, so instead of complaining about that, I'm really going to take advantage of the time to get ahead in my school work, finally answer some emails floating around, etc. I think God wants me to slow down!

My weight is down, finally... 138.2. Holy crap this happens so slowly, lol... :-) But that's more than half a pound. And maybe I'm still bloated a little from the full-stop sooo... we'll see.

Review of Yesterday: geez, just go read yesterday. Workout was great.

Today's Workouts: Shape Bikini Body Camp transforming workout: the Potpourri segment: 30 minutes total: 10 minutes kickboxing, 10 minutes weight training, and 10 minutes "skills and drills". Then, 10 minute high-intensity cardio (added 1 lb wrist weights) and 10 minute women's sculpting from TBL Volume 2. Finally, three segments from Women's Health TWin10 = upper body (kept the wristweights on, plus 5 lb dumbbells), the core segment, and balance and flexibility.

I'm soaked.

ADD: 3 Mile WAYW w/ Dad... did not use belt or weights. + 45 minutes.


Breakfast: reasonable portion of leftover pesto penne (sundried tomato pesto, black/green olives, lower carb penne), plus I added extra diced tomatoes, a tad part-skim ricotta cheese, sprinkled a sizeable amount of ground flax seed over it. Also had a mixed spinach and raw broccoli floret side salad with low cal Italian dressing and a pinch of Parmesan.

Lunch: 1 banana with reduced-fat PB and later a bowl of black beans, 1/2 cup brown rice, with a smidge of Mexican blend cheese...

Dinner:

Dessert/snacks: ice cream sandwich mid-morning (9:30), one 60-cal Extra Dark chocolate stick (after lunch)

Water: its the Elixir of Life

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

October 22, 2008

I feel depressed and overwhelmed today for some reason...

Good news, though, I made it to Key Largo... I'll stay the night there and start the last leg toward Key West... 100 more miles. I should be there before mid-November!

Review of Yesterday: good

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Cardio Party + 20 Minute Workout + Fat Blaster w/ 1 lb weights

Breakfast: spinach/egg white frittata with tomatoes, onion, and garlic... mixed in soy protein powder and sprinkled flax seed.

I also made a single serving of chocolate cake in a coffee mug... I got the recipe from a team member on the boards... I couldn't finish it all though... it was kind of spongy in a way. Too firm.

Lunch: a low calorie ice cream sandwich, one banana with reduced fat peanut butter, and a cheese stick. Yeah, I'm menstrual.

Dinner: 1 apple, 1 granola bar, 1 bagel with 1 slice gouda cheese and 1 slice salami, chive and onion cream cheese (this was allll spread out)

Dessert/snacks: I pretty much snacked all day... see above.

Water: could have done better

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 21, 2008

MAN am I facing REALLY BAD CRAVINGS today... its REALLY close to that TOM and not only am I overly emotional and analytical right now, I am having a hard time resisting all the bad stuff I COULD be eating... but I made it through today. On to tomorrow.

Review of Yesterday: well I had to go back and finish yesterday lol... We ate dinner yesterday at like 4pm and I ate seemingly a lot, but good stuff. workout was intense, toned it down a bit in the impact department today.

Today's Workouts: 3.2 mile neighborhood walk with mom + 1 lb weights, Turbo Jam Lower Body, Turbo Jam Booty Sculpt (with 8 lb & 5 lb weights, YEAH!). Ouch, it burned. I felt my hips kind of hurting while walking, so I decided to do strength training today instead of any high intensity cardio. We'll get back with more of that tomorrow. It was nice to feel that burn today. Turbo Jam Lower Body Jam was harder than Billy's Bootcamp lower body, YES IT WAS!!!

ADD: 3 mile Power Walk w/ Dad -- yep, a new record!

Breakfast: 1 banana before walk, 1 apple after walk, MAN my metabolism must be in high gear (they say it gets higher around that TOM) bc I normally can work out a long time and be fine with just a banana, but I got so hungry walking today I needed a boost in between... and now I'm starving again!

so, real breakfast: one 100 calorie lavash flatbread, 3 oz chopped grilled chicken breast, 3/4 cup mixture of black beans and brown rice, tomato salsa, low fat sour cream (1.5 tbs or so)... rolled up into one yummy burrito :-)

Lunch: a reasonable portion of leftover sun-dried tomato pesto penne (lower carb penne), EXTRA diced tomatoes, mixed in some ground flax seed, oregano, and black beans. one mixed green salad with light Italian dressing.

Dinner: 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup brown rice, ca. 3 oz. grilled chicken, 3/4 cup raw broccoli florets with ca. 1 tbsp. spicy Ranch dressing

Dessert/snacks: 1 Skinny Cow vanilla ice cream sandwich between lunch and dinner, 1 cup hot chocolate with dinner, 1 sugar free popsicle while watching Biggest Loser
(snack total: ca 240 calories)

Water: drinking it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 20, 2008

Review of Yesterday: eating = less than good, workout = great. I just ate too much bread and pasta. Here's to the weekend, lol... today will be better.

Today's Workouts: Ultimate Tae Bo -- all 90 minutes. I had an extra session of Abs penned on the schedule, but I am not going to do it bc my abs are sore from yesterday plus I worked 'em pretty daggam good in UTB...

ADD: first 2 miles of the 4 "Really Big" Miles + yoga stretch with Dad

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, rest of green smoothie from yesterday after workout

Lunch: 1 lavash bread wrap (100 calories), 1 tbs part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 slice Gouda cheese, 2 slices salami, 3 slices roast beef, 5 cherry tomatoes (chopped), pepper, chives, garlic, a few pieces of red-skinned potato

Dinner: a big salad, Baked Tostitos scoops (120 cal per 15 chips) with my famous bean dip AND this time I made Pico de Gallo... a few bites of chicken, a slice of Asiago cheese bread, a few bites of rice and beans

Dessert/snacks: sugar-free peach Jello, 1 square 72% dark chocolate, 1 part-skim mozzarella cheese stick before bed

Water: good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 19, 2008

I made a weekly chart for my workouts. It goes from Saturday through Thursday, and I will be writing in the workouts I plan to do in advance, leaving room to add in other stuff that I throw in if I feel like it. Its very important to get in enough strength training each week and to target my abs on most days! The goal is to check off everything on the list. Friday is not included on the list because it's my rest day--it just makes sense like that :-) I also write myself notes to remind myself to do things like take weights when I walk with Mom, and also the workouts I do with Dad. Total time is listed in the bottom right hand corner of each day's space. These charts will hopefully make it easier for me to look back on what I've accomplished from week to week.

Review of Yesterday: Think I just barely made a 5 count on fruits and veggies yesterday. Will work harder on that today! I think I will make a green smoothie for breakfast. Or not, my sister is still sleeping... workout was awesome yesterday, and so much fun, too!!

Today's Workouts: all five segments of Women's Health Total Workout in Ten DVD: Cardio (w/ 1 lb weights), Lower Body (w/ 1 lb weights), Upper Body (with 6 lb weights), CORE (ouch!), and Balance+Flexibility... ended with Billy Blanks Mission Spot Training Lower Body (big ouch, but I needed it, lol).

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout: 1/2 of my green smoothie. Here are the ingredients for the whole thing (the other half is for dinner):

-- 3/4 cup COLD water
-- 1 chopped frozen banana
-- 1 cup frozen mixed berries (blue, black, and raspberries)
-- some chopped dates
-- two tablespoons ground flax seed
-- 1.5 tbs soy protein powder
-- two packets of Splenda
-- some cinnamon
-- 1 handful and a half of baby spinach leaves


Lunch: 1/2 calzone from Broadway Pizza... with sundried tomatoes. Took the other half home. Have not decided whether or not I will eat it.

Dinner: bowl of penne pasta with spinach tomato pesto sauce, one small piece of bread.

(YAAAY I gave the rest of my calzone to my dad and his friend!)

-- @ small group: some of Candace's goulash and garlic bread, + 1 chocolate chip cookie. Could have done without all of that. Hence, Ultimate Tae Bo tomorrow. It's the ULTIMATE.

Dessert/snacks: one 60-calorie Extra Dark chocolate stick

Water: yum, its refreshing (and metabolizes fat!)

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 18, 2008

I think I am going to start planning better: that is, planning workouts to make sure I get my strength training in, and sort of start planning meals... not sure how that will work out because I don't always know if and what my mom is going to cook. And sometimes I get a wild hair and make something :-)

I gave my abs a double dose of fun today since yesterday was an off day. On the 10 Minute Solution fitness ball core workout, there are a few moves for the LOVE handles on the back part of the core; I FELT that yesterday, and I wasn't sure what caused it until I did that same move again (did the core workout Thursday, too) and I was like "oh, THAT'S why I'm sore there!!"

I love the flexibility workout on that DVD, too, its sooo relaxing!!

Review of Yesterday: well, I think the schnitzel would have tasted a lot better, but having just a piece of it sufficed. The quiche wasn't that great. But it was a lot healthier!! Should have eaten something else in the evening besides ice cream, too. Oh well, it WAS my day off, right?

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, & Jam (55 min) + Turbo Jam Fat Blaster (30 min) + Beginner's Bootcamp Abs (it's getting easier!) (8 min) + 10 M.S. Core + Lower Body + Flexibility workouts (30 minutes) = approx. 2 hours (rounded down a bit)

MAN I love working out hard on Saturdays after I've had Friday off! I feel so strong today!!

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout: 3 slices French Toast: made with 50-cal-per-slice Double Fiber 100% whole wheat bread, skim milk, egg whites, cinnamon, a bit of Splenda, and Soy Protein Isolate powder... sprinkled with ground flax seed and drizzled with sugar-free syrup. . . the soy protein powder did not dissolve very well, so when I put the slices in the pan, I spread what was left in the bowl over the top of the slices and it eventually soaked into the slices. I'm glad I got the "natural" flavor and not chocolate or vanilla or strawberry, because I can mix it into things like this, and not even taste it!! It actually seemed to make the slices firmer somehow.

Lunch: cilantro lime and black bean salad (made the dressing myself!): poured it over a bed of spinach and romaine lettuce leaves + a bit of cheese and a few bits of chicken.

Dinner: 7 grilled shrimp, 2/3 cup roasted red potatoes, a bit of grilled tuna

Dessert/snacks: a piece (a more or less reasonable one) of cherry/pineapple "dump" cake -- so called because you just dump it all in the pan and pour cake mix over the top. delish!

after dinner: 1 square 72% dark chocolate

Water: Yeah, I'm drinking it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

October 17, 2008

Review of Yesterday: did a great job! Workout was top-notch, eating is getting better and better.

Today's Workouts: day off... am staying active, though! Just no structured exercise

Breakfast: one 100% whole wheat bagel, chive and onion cream cheese, 1 slice Gouda cheese, 1 thin slice salami, 1 banana, 8 oz skim milk

Lunch: baby spinach/romaine leaf mixed salad with a few pieces of grilled chicken, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, light Italian dressing.

Dinner: well this was like 1:30 pm... i had 2 tiny pieces of french bread, 1/2 slice Bauernbrot, a slice of spinach quiche, a sliver of Mom's schnitzel, an oz of potato salad, a variety of fruit (three varieties of melon, pineapple, grapes), and apple strudel for dessert (like the real kind, NOT the fatty kind!)

Dessert/snacks: 1 ice cream sandwich (130 calories), one 60-cal Extra Dark chocolate stick

Water: gotta get on it-- it's harder when I don't start early with my workout. I'm less thirsty...

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 16, 2008

Review of Yesterday: well I didn't eat as many veggies and fruits as I would've liked to... but portions and calories were in check. Had one processed snack (granola bar). Workout was awesome! I love Tae Bo!!

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Cardio Party 1 + Shape Transforming Sculpt (30 minutes) + Abs and Flexibility sections of 10MS Fitness Ball DVD (20 minutes)

ADD: 2 miles with Dad (first 2 miles of WATP Express 3-Mile)

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout one 60-cal pita (different than the pita pizza ones) with the following yummy and healthy ingredients inside: sauteed onion, minced garlic, chopped cherry tomato, baby spinach leaves, egg whites, and part-skim ricotta cheese, 8 oz. skim milk.
THIS WAS SOOOO DELICIOUS!! AND KEPT ME FULL FOR A VERY LONG TIME!!

Lunch: one 60-calorie pita (I compared them: one of these has 90 less calories, 20g less carbs, less sugar, MORE fiber, and MORE protein...so I don't feel the least bit bad about having two of these babies! they get the job done... They are a bit thinner so my pizza fell apart faster, but, oh well :-)) with black bean salsa, chicken, 4 mini-pepperonis, sprinkled with Mexican blend cheese. + salad with more baby spinach leaves than romaine, but still a mix of the two--with spicy ranch dressing (that's a treat, I usually stick with light Italian!!)

Dinner: another, yes another 60 calorie pita (they really are good for you!!) sprinkled with mozzarella, a few pepperonis, cherry tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and drizzled with olive oil.

Dessert/snacks: one 60-cal Extra Dark chocolate stick (after lunch), one 72% dark chocolate square after dinner!

Water: gonna get it all in!

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 15, 2008

Picked up two Tae Bo DVDs at a thrift store in Titusville for $2 a piece!! Checked the prices on Amazon and Ebay-- I could make about $20 on them if I sold them! I love Tae Bo though so of course I am going to keep them. Ah, I just love how exercise DVDs hold their VALUE!

I'm starting to see the outline of my abs!! So far I have a "two-pack" under the "girls" and the outside lines are forming. Still have fat to burn on my belly, though. I'm going to keep working!

Review of Yesterday: YAY I got all my fruits and veggies in!!! Workout was good, I'm not used to focusing on strength training like that-- I always feel like I have to get in some cardio every single day... and eventually, I did.

Today's Workouts: 3.2 neighborhood walk with Mom and 1.5 lb weights. Then, 55 minutes of Tae Bo + 8-minute Boot Camp Abs...

Breakfast: egg substitute with sauteed garlic and spinach, topped with part-skim ricotta cheese (I'm turning into quite the chef, lol)

Lunch: 100% whole wheat pita with a sun-dried tomato pesto + ricotta base, 5 cherry tomatoes (chopped), tiny bits of chicken, 4 pepperonis, sprinkled with mozzarella, oregano, and garlic powder.

Dinner: 1 whole wheat bagel sandwich w/ 2 thin slices of salami, 1 slice Gouda cheese, chive and onion cream cheese.

Dessert/snacks: one 8o-calorie cheese stick, one 90-calorie oatmeal raisin granola bar (this was my mid-morning snack)

- 1 square 72% dark chocolate (now that was bitter!)
- one 100 calorie bag of Kettle Corn popcorn at night

Water: good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 14, 2008

Review of Yesterday: did well... workout was great, eating on track, just wish I had brought something to school to eat so I could have saved my $1 on that stupid cereal bar!!!

Today's Workouts: Turbo Sculpt + Ab Jam ... tried a few other workouts after that but didn't really get into them so I turned it off.

ADD: 2.0 miles with Dad

ADD: got out of class early today so I walked around the 2nd floor halls five times... and took all four flights of stairs down and back up again... five times. Took me about 20 minutes and I worked up a sweat, lol. Took my backpack and a magazine.

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout a pita pizza with sun-dried tomato pesto, part-skim ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes, bits of grilled chicken, oregano, and garlic + lots of romaine lettuce with light Italian.

Lunch: 16 oz. green smoothie: water, frozen banana, blue, rasp-, and black berries, a few cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, chopped dates, 1 packet Splenda (w/ fiber! lol)

Dinner: and it was an eeeearly dinner!! Weight Watchers enchiladas!! Added in some salsa and low fat sour cream.

Dessert/snacks: one 60 calorie Extra Dark chocolate stick, 1 slice Mestemacher fitness bread with chive/onion cream cheese, 1 thin slice Gouda cheese, 1 thin slice salami, 1 tbs. reduced fat peanut butter before bed.

Water: good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

Changing Blog Name + New Workout list!!

I have decided to take the words "weight loss" out of my blog's title. I don't want to lose "weight". I want to lose FAT. If I wanted the former, could just chop off a few limbs, or dehydrate myself for a few days like wrestlers do to make weight. I don't want to be about weight anymore. I am not going to weigh myself for a long time. I am going to hide the scale and work on building muscle--muscle that will drive fat out. The more I exercise my heart and strength-train my muscles, the better form my body will take on. It will have to adapt sooner or later. Slow and steady wins the race...and I'm sick of just "losing".

In other news, I have added a list of workouts I am currently using on the lower right hand side of the site. I tried them all before I bought them and they are all awesome!! It's so hard to decide which one to do everyday. It's great to have a variety. I still try new ones from Netflix, but these are my core program. Each DVD has sooo much you can do with it to make a custom workout.

Some true words...

Here's a link to another blog... I don't think she's updating much anymore, but her words are so true. I have struggled with this a lot and I think I am going to stop weighing myself, too. I also get frustrated when the numbers don't go down. But that, REALLY, is NOT what I need. Screw numbers. I do have a goal weight, but I much more have a goal appearance.

Slow, steady, CONSISTENCY wins.

And I am going to win.

October 13, 2008

Review of Yesterday: awesome workout, really loving Turbo Jam... eating was terrible, just had 1 fruit all day long!!! I need to start making those smoothies so I get my fruits and veggies! I felt great all day, though. Normally I feel really lethargic on Sundays and wanna take a nap, but I was awake all day and it was great!

Today's Workouts: started out with Turbo Jam :-) the 20 Minute Workout, got me all psyched up. Then did Level 1 from the 30-Day Shred (27 minutes), I still can't do pushups, but I'm getting closer all the time!! After that I did Levels 2 and 3 from TBL Cardio Max, and I must say that Jillian's Level 2 is WAAAAAY harder than Kim's Level 3. WAY HARDER! Finished TBL Cardio with the awesome 5 minute yoga stretch, and finished my workout with Beginner's Bootcamp Abs from the Perfect Abs DVD (8 minutes). I hated every minute of it. I screamed all the way through it (good thing I'm home alone hah) but I have made up my mind that I am going to RIP my abs :-) there's really no reason someone like me can't have ripped abs. No reason. So I'm gonna do it. 80 minutes today... will definitely round to 90 for my mileage count lol cuz I put myself through a lot more than if I had just power-walked 6 miles!

ADD-- 2 miles with Dad

Breakfast: 1 banana... homemade green smoothie: 1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), 1.25 bananas that I cut up and froze myself lol, a small handful of romaine lettuce (think side salad), 1 packet of Splenda (with 1 g fiber!), + 1 cup water. Tastes great!! I may add more greens to it tomorrow. I made 16 oz. I will have a salad for lunch with LOTS of lettuce since I didn't put much green stuff in my smoothie. The ones we tried on Sat. were ACTUALLY green, haha... but the leaves were spinach and kale, much darker and all... I will try spinach soon!

Lunch: 1 whole wheat pita, sun-dried tomato pesto sauce mixed with part-skim ricotta cheese, 3 large cherry tomatoes, tiny bits of chicken, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, garlic, and oregano + one salad (LOTS of lettuce!) with light Italian dressing

Dinner: beans with salsa, a tad Mexican blend cheese, and chopped chicken breast (just a teeny bit)

Dessert/snacks: 1 green apple, 1 98% fat-free vanilla ice cream sandwich (130 calories)... was starving at school so i bought a cereal bar... like a Nutragrain.. 130 calories, ugh.

Water: doing well

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 12, 2008

Review of Yesterday: well, eating definitely wasn't up to par, mainly because of sodium... workout was great, intense, and what I needed!

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam 20-Minute + Cardio Party (40 minutes) = 60 minutes... boy that is one sweat fest right there. So fun though! I imagine once I get down the moves (I'm getting better each workout!) it will be even more fun! I really feel it in my abs. I am gonna stick with it this week, and see if I can start SEEING it in my abs, too!

ADD: 2 mile WATP with Dad after church, YEAH!

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout one 150 cal bagel with a tad chive and onion cream cheese, 1 slice hard salami and 1 slice Gouda cheese (I looove this cheese).

Lunch: 1 low-carb tortilla with roast beef, a slice of Gouda cheese, 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge

Dinner: 1 homemade beef enchilada sprinkled with cheddar cheese and red sauce

Dessert/snacks: at college group I had two slices of pizza and some AMAZING Blue Bell ice cream. Oh it was so good. Could have done w/o the pizza, but that ice cream was soooo worth it!

Water: on it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 11, 2008

Review of Yesterday: I felt like I was hungrier, and that I ate more, but looking back, I did eat a lot smaller portions. Dad backed out yesterday. Kind of frustrates me, anyone can do 15 minutes for Pete's sake. So I didn't get any exercise yesterday. I should say, I didn't GIVE myself any exercise yesterday. I did myself a disservice. I think I need to stop taking full days off like this. All day I think about what I missed out on, and I'm so tired, too. It depressed me a little bit and I felt lazy. Between right now (5:48 am) and the last time I exercised, FORTY-EIGHT hours have passed!! THAT is why I don't want to take days off. 24 hours between workouts is enough time to recover!! I really think I only want to take a day off when my body does NOT want to exercise. Yesterday it did want to, and I didn't listen to it. I did get a ton of homework and work-work done yesterday though, I mean a TON, but still, something was MISSING!!! so today, I'm gonna work out. Time to get ready!!!

Today's Workouts: well, I was just a weekend WARRIOR today :-) had so much fun I just had to keep going and going :-) I stopped for extra water and food along the way and now I am 9 miles closer to Key West!! I did the "Burn" part of Turbo Jam's Learn & Burn so I could learn the moves, then did the Turbo Jam 20-minute workout, which was so much fun, I didn't even realize how much time had passed and how much I was sweating! After that, I did Billy Blanks Cardio Circuit 1 (34 minutes), and finished up with good ol' Walk Strong (30 Minutes) with 8 lb weights. That was tough, but I kept telling myself during the workout, "I CAN do this!" and guess what happened? I did it!

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, 1 apple mid-workout... after workout a pita pizza with olive tomato sauce, part-skim ricotta cheese, 4 cherry tomatoes, a few pieces of chicken, sprinkled with garlic, parmesan, and oregano. YUM!

Lunch: went to Red Lobster with a friend. We split an appetizer and a lunch entree. I had 1/4 Caesar salad (with Romaine lettuce. I did not finish my half), 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 of grilled chicken breast (with tomatoes and onions, yum!), 1/4 serving mashed potatoes, 1/2 of a small cheese biscuit (I think they made those things smaller...), and two slices of Lobster Pizza (lobster, cheese, tomato, and spinach on crunchy flat bread... yum!)

Dinner: 1 small romaine lettuce salad with light Italian dressing. 1/4 grilled chicken breast, other half of cheese biscuit, other 1/4 serving mashed potatoes, 2 small slices Lobster Pizza

Dessert/snacks: one 60-cal Hershey's Extra Dark chocolate stick... and the last 3 slices of lobster pizza, OHHH.... lol. i felt like I could eat it since I had such a tough workout, haha... plus I wanted it out of the house!!!

Water: going to drink a lot of it, a WHOLE lot.

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

October 10, 2008

Review of Yesterday: the backwards eating is hard... I'm so used to having something with bread for lunch AND dinner... I hope it works, though...

Today's Workouts: its officially a day off from "tough workouts", but I'm walking with Dad still and teaching him some strength training.

Breakfast: 1 pita pizza with Olive tomato sauce, chicken, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, a bit of garlic, and oregano.

Lunch: 1/2 pinto beans, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 a chopped chicken breast, sprinkled with Mexican blend cheese.

Dinner: 3 strips of bacon (105 calories) and egg whites to equal 2-3 eggs... we'll just say 3, so that's 90 calories, a total of 195 calories.

Dessert/snacks: Mid-morning: one 150-cal bagel with chive & onion cream cheese, one slice Gouda and one slice hard salami.

evening: one 130 calorie ice cream sandwich (I just HAAAD to!)

Water: doing really well today... I'm really THIRSTY today!

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 9, 2008

Review of Yesterday: workout was good, even if it threw off my groove a bit... eating was exceptional, an improvement I'd say... I am going to try not eating carbs after 3pm and see if that helps me lose this weight faster. it will be hard; I'll have to pack protein and veggie snacks instead of sandwiches and stuff, but we shall see if it helps. I sure hope so.

Today's Workouts: Mom didn't want to walk today, so I did a new workout: Cardio Balance Ball. There are 3 workouts on the disk in total and I did all of them. The first one was 50 minutes of cardio and strength intervals using the ball, pretty basic moves that made me get my heart rate up but not tooooo strenuous. Then, a 10 minute cardio and lower body routine, real quick, then I did the 30 minute "express" workout, which was just another quick "warm up", 12 minutes of cardio, 12 minutes of strength, and a cooldown. It was a nice 90 minute workout. At first I thought it was boring and too easy bc I wasn't sweating bullets like usual, but I think it was a nice workout: I used a lot of muscles and worked on STABILITY and balance... some of those moves with the balance ball are really hard!!

ADD: 2 Mile WS Fast Start with Dad before lunch

Breakfast: 1 peanut butter granola bar before workout, after workout 3 slices french toast made with egg whites and skim milk, cinnamon, 1 packet Splenda and used mostly sugar free and a little light syrup. 8 oz. skim milk.

Lunch: 1 chicken breast with 1/2 cup pinto beans and 3/4 cup salsa, sprinkled with a tad of Mexican blend cheese

Dinner: i dont wanna say it was all snacks... i just ate when I was hungry, man! So between 3pm and 8pm, 2 pieces of cheese (80 cal each), 1 green apple, one 100 cal pack of teriyaki beef jerky.

Dessert/snacks: one 60-cal piece of extra dark chocolate

Water: REALLY going to drink a lot today!!!

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 8, 2008

Review of Yesterday: excellent workouts yesterday, acceptable eating, too.

Today's Workouts: Tried the Billy Blanks Believers' Workout, but it was terrible. Sooo slow and he does floorwork right in the middle. It's definitely not Ultimate!! So I followed with Jillian Michaels Cardio Kickbox and Billy's 25 minute Tae Bo Amped "Turbocharged Fat Burner", lol... that was a good one. That first one, though, threw off my groove like whoa and I felt off my whole workout because of it!! Argh

Breakfast: 2 little tiny apples, also threw off my groove, usually I eat a banana but we are out, so I ended up hungry mid-workout and had to have half of a granola bar.... i love bananas!

Lunch: 1 pita pizza with chicken breast pieces, parmesan cheese, olive tomato sauce, oregano, and a drizzle of EVOO... a side salad (romaine lettuce) with light Italian dressing.

Dinner: 1 sandwich: made with 1 100% whole wheat bagel square (150 calories), 1 slice Gouda, 2 slices hard salami, 1 wedge low fat spreadable cheese

Dessert/snacks: one 90-cal granola bar between breakfast and lunch, one 80 cal. cheese stick before bed

Water: need to drink moooore!

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 7, 2008

Review of Yesterday: realized I forgot my vitamins last night... grrr. I was soo tired and just didn't think about it. It doesn't look like I ate enough yesterday, but I just ate when I was hungry...

Today's Workouts: walked with Mom for 3.2 miles, QuickFix Stability Ball workout (35 minutes), and the grand finale was the 30 minute cardio interval segment of Shape magazine's Beach Body boot camp transforming workout. it was a good one!!

ADD: 2 mile Walk the Walk DVD with Dad... this one has Christian music playing and dad was singing, lol. so fun!

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout a cheeseburger wrap: lavash wrap, 1/2 of a leftover cheeseburger patty, chopped. Chopped tomato, onion, dill relish, light mayo, ketchup, mustard, S&P and garlic. yum! + 8 oz. skim milk

Lunch: 1 grilled chicken breast, seasoned with lime. 3/4 cup pinto beans and a side salad with a few sliced black olives and red onion. a bit of Spicy Ranch dressing.

Dinner: one 270 calorie vegetarian sandwich (like a Lean Pocket, but not), 1 cup hot chocolate (80 calories), about 10 pretzels

Dessert/snacks: after lunch: a piece of dark chocolate.

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

Chiropractic Follow-up Exam

Today was my 4-week re-exam at Dr. Eric's and it was awesome! My posture has improved a lot, my pelvis isn't crooked anymore, and my weight is almost perfectly balanced! One month ago, I was carrying a difference of 4 lbs on my left side. Today, the difference was 1.5 lbs--within 2 lbs difference is considered normal. The pain I was feeling in my upper back almost constantly when I sat at the computer is gone. The left side of my clavicle (collar bone) was not visible before, and now it is more pronounced. Headaches have subsided significantly since I started treatments. Usually when I get one it is because I need water or food, and as soon as I eat or drink enough, it goes away. I have also had to adjust my mirrors in my car because I found myself sitting taller than I was before and my rearview mirror was too low. I got assigned some new exercises to promote even more postural improvement. I will have another follow up in another month, where I will also be able to see how the curve in my neck has improved. I got to see the nerve tension diagrams this time, though, and things are looking a lot better than before; the changes listed above are reflected in these diagrams. Overall, I feel a lot better, sleep better, exercise better... move better all around! I am still very optimistic and expect to see continued, positive change in the next weeks and months.

New stuff...

Well since it didn't work out the way I had planned with the DVD recorder, I am looking around for the best deals on the internet for the DVDs that I try on Netflix and like.

Last night I got a few from www.tower.com, their prices are lower than Amazon's and they also do free shipping starting at $25. So I ordered both of the Biggest Loser DVDs that I don't have at $8.50 a pop (they are $8.99 on Amazon and a lot more than that elsewhere... like at Target they cost $13.99 on SALE!) Then I got Perfect Abs (check out the reviews on this one!) for $10, whereas Amazon sells it for $13.

Also won a copy of my favorite Women's Health workouts on Ebay for $8 shipped, Amazon price is $13 + shipping, and a Billy Blanks one for $6. It's like garage sale-ing on the internet, I love it and I must admit, I rock at it lol.

October 6, 2008

Review of Yesterday: well, dinner could have been way better of course. Last night I didn't sleep well at ALL, which could have been for any number of reasons: taking a 2.5 hr nap yesterday afternoon, eating so much sugar so late, staying up late to finish my book. Hmm. I just tossed and turned and ARRGH and now I'm up to walk with Mom and I don't even feel up to it. My body can take it, though, I WANT to exercise, but I feel lazy.

Today's Workouts: 3.2 mile neighborhood walk with Mom, did not push myself and did not get my heartrate up. It was really muggy and hot, thank goodness it didn't start raining till after we got back! Afterward, I put in Jillian Michaels' 30-Day-Shred...

O
M
G

I am STILL shaking. I did level 1 and couldn't do all the moves, then pushed myself to do level 2 (each workout was 20 minutes long) and definitely couldn't do all the moves. I switched to 3 lb weights and had to modify a little. I know I said that Billy Blanks' Ultimate Tae Bo was the hardest workout I have ever done, but I think this one even tops that. And it was only 40 minutes!!! I haven't sweat that much or been that red in the face or felt like I was going to be sick or like I was going to die in a LONG TIME. Maybe even ever. Jillian tells you to push yourself and that in order for your body to change, you have to MAKE it change by pushing yourself, and NOT quitting, even if you have to modify. I can't imagine what level 3's workout is. She is definitely NO NONSENSE.

ADD: 2 Mile Faith Walk with Dad

Breakfast: 1 banana before workouts, after workout 1 bagel (150-cal) with 1 slice Gouda cheese (70 cal), 1 slice salami, chive and onion cream cheese (did not use as much as normal), 4 grilled shrimp (weird I know, but its protein and Omega 3's!), 1 small apple

Lunch: 1 cheeseburger (grilled) on a 100% whole wheat bun, low fat mayo, ketchup, onion, 3 pickle slices, a slice of tomato. Delicious.

Dinner: 1 slice mestamacher fitness bread, 1 slice salami, 1 slice reduced fat Jarlsberg cheese, 1 wedge Laughing Cow low fat spreadable cheese (made into a small sandwich)

Dessert/snacks: small piece of dark chocolate

Water: doing well

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

October 5, 2008

Review of Yesterday & Today's Workouts: I need another day to recover. I could have worked out this morning before church, but I am sore from yesterday and I did not want to force myself out of bed to workout if I didn't feel up to it. I don't want to burn out.... I want to look forward to exercising, so forcing myself would not be a good idea. Eating was good yesterday, oops, forgot to add that I had a few drinks last night, too. Workout was awesome, I really feel it today, and I think that after taking today off I will be READY to go tomorrow :-) I am excited since I have several new workouts I wanna try!

Breakfast: 1 banana, 1 apple, 1/2 bagel with chive and onion cream cheese

Lunch: 1 pita pizza with chicken, cherry tomatoes, olive tomato sauce, sprinkled with parmesan/mozzarella cheese

Dinner: went to small group... we grilled. 1 cheeseburger, 1 hot dog, one skinny piece of cheesecake, some M&M's...YES, I am going to work it off tomorrow, lol :-) I did say NO to the following: tater tots, nachos with queso dip, Doritos, cookies, and regular soda (I drank water). GO ME!!!

Dessert/snacks: Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, one 1/2 cup serving banana cream pudding *SFFF*

Water: drinking it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 4, 2008

Review of Yesterday: ugh, I felt sooo tired and I KNOW its because I didn't work out! But I really think I needed to give my body a full day off. But that just means no breaks for a while!! Eating was really good yesterday, too... I am really proud of myself that I packed up half of my lunch right away to eat later!! I wanted ice cream again but made myself settle for pudding and a small piece of chocolate, also last night when I was hungry, instead of a whole bagel with cream cheese, I only ate half and made it total about 100 calories.

Today's Workouts: ULTIMATE TAE BO!!!!!! All 90 Minutes, BABY!! man it was sooo much fun and I sweat my BUTT off (I hope literally, lol)

Breakfast: 1 bagel with chive and onion cream cheese on ONE side, 1 egg (used egg substitute), sprinked with cheddar cheese, garlic powder, S&P, added a few cherry tomatoes for some zing (and vitamins!)!

Lunch: well it wasn't much of a lunch, but a good early dinner should compensate. I ate a pancake and (cringe) a bit of Nutella spread on top for a treat. It was a whole wheat pancake :-)

Dinner: oh boy, well, I talked my dad into grilling fish instead of frying it, so that was a start. I made black bean dip (YAY black beans!) so that was the appetizer (with corn nacho chips!), we had grilled fish, grilled shrimp, and baked red potatoes with ranch glaze. soooo good :-)

Dessert/snacks: 1 banana

Water: chugging it today lol

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 3, 2008

Well, I got approved from BlueCross BlueShield for my health insurance today, except they made me agree that they won't be covering my chiropractic treatments. When I applied, they made me tell them how often I went and why... I'm sure these folks are just like my parents in that they believe you should only go to a chiropractor when something is wrong. Reality is, as I've learned, that most people DO have issues with their spines!

Oh well, as long as they cover me if I fall ill or get injured, plus cover my visits to the dermatologist, I am a happy girl!! Can't beat it for $100 a month. Also got my dental insurance ID cards today, so I get to go to the dentist next month, finally. I haven't been in over a year now! Yikes! I hope I still don't have any cavities...

Review of Yesterday: well, I love Mexican food, so I really can't say I regret any of that! I made some healthier choices such as I didn't eat many chips, ordered black beans instead of refried, and got an enchilada instead of my beloved chimichanga lol :-) worked out a lot yesterday.

Today's Workouts: nothing yet, but I feel pretty good and this morning I felt my muscles telling me to cool it today, so I think I am going to take one full day off.

Breakfast: 1 apple, 1 cheese stick, 1 FiberOne bar

Lunch: some nachos and spinach dip at TGI Fridays, Dragonfire chicken with brown rice and broccoli (the whole meal is supposed to have 500 calories or less, plus I boxed up half to eat for dinner, yeehaw!)

Dinner: leftovers from lunch... half the chicken breast, rest of the brown rice and veggies. yum!

Dessert/snacks: 1/2 cup sugar free fat free banana cream pudding, a small piece of dark chocolate, one half of a bagel with chive and onion cream cheese

Water: need to drink MORE!

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 2, 2008

Review of Yesterday: I did great yesterday. Good food choices, listened to my body and fed it when it was hungry, did NOT feed it when it wasn't hungry. Excellent workout, too... I'm letting myself rest a little bit between really tough workouts by doing the walking workouts, they still get my heartrate up and burn fat, but it doesn't burn like Tae Bo or Biggest Loser.

Today's Workouts: 3-Mile Walk n' Chat with Mom (again, NOT available on DVD, so I do this one whenever I get the chance!), 30 minutes of AMPED Tae bo (without the AMPED bar thingy, I don't have it, this was just the bonus workout on the Ultimate Tae Bo DVD), and the Speed Mile on the 5DSD DVD...

-- walked the 2-Mile WDYBS with Dad, he had to put down the weights this time ;-)

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout: 3 mini veggie quiche (I like them, the rest of the fam doesn't really), 1 itty bitty apple, 8 oz. skim milk... and later, I was still hungry, I had a half cup of FiberOne bran cereal with 1/2 cup milk... that stuff was rough, no wonder no one's eating it, lol

Lunch: we went out for mexican. I had the same thing as last time. This time, though, I did not drink a margarita (forgot my ID, but I guess that's convenient, lol). so, one chicken enchilada, yellow rice (booo I ate it ALL!), and black beans with a bit of cheese, onion, tomato, and I gave some black beans to momma. YUM! won't need much if anything for dinner tonight, beans fill ya up!

Dinner: nothing, I slept. All that exercise and mexican food wore me out. Plus getting up early after going to bed at 11:30 was NOT easy. I think I may take the morning off tomorrow and work out in the afternoon. Not a lot, just something.

Dessert/snacks: tortilla chips with salsa...

- one Skinny Cow (aldi knock off) yummy chocolate ice cream sandwich!!

Water: on it

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

October 1, 2008

My muscles are really sore today! I think it was all those squats and chest fly exercises from yesterday!!

I added a few new tickers... first, one for October to count miles for the challenge, I hope to do at least 125 miles this month, or exceed that again. Also, I want to "walk" someplace I want to go. I went to Key West in August and LOVED it, so I am going to start tracking my daily workouts for miles (each 15 minutes counts as one mile, no matter what kind of exercise it is, and although every 1 mile walked throughout the day would count, I am only going to count exercise) to see how long it takes me to get to the Tropical Vacationland!

Review of Yesterday: too many snacks!!!!!!!!! yesterday I tried eating a bigger meal for breakfast and lunch to see if I'd be less hungry at night. But I was still hungry at night! Maybe I just need to eat more. Or more fiber so I feel full... I should not have eaten both the Teddy Grahams and the two chocolate pieces. I do feel proud though, bc I had a choice between wheat thins and teddy grahams, and surprisingly, Teddy Grahams were the better option after I had compared the two. So I gave the wheat thins to someone else. Workout was good, I think getting 1-2 extra miles in 4 days a week will give me a boost. Yesterday I took a nap and today I slept in till 7 instead of 6 :-) I think I needed a little extra sleep!

Today's Workouts: Walk Slim 4 Really Big Miles + Shortcuts Lower Body with 1 lb ankle weights, OUCH

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout three slices French toast (with double fiber 100% whole wheat bread at 50 cals per slice), used egg whites instead of egg, skim milk, 1 packet Splenda, cinnamon, and light syrup (not sugar free, I figured I can have somewhat of the real thing since I used egg whites instead of real egg lol) soooooooooo YUM!

Lunch: 3 mini vegetable quiche, a recipe out of the South Beach Diet supercharged cookbook :-) really yummy!! with 3/4 cups fresh green beans

Dinner: 1 sandwich: one 100% whole wheat bagel square (150 cal), 1 slice Gouda cheese (70 cal), 1 wedge spreadable cheese (35 cal), 1 slice turkey (30 cal)

Dessert/snacks: 1 Kashi Oatmeal and Dark Chocolate cookie, 2 mini veggie quiche (ca. 150 cal), 1 60-cal piece of cheese, 6 oz. no sugar added vanilla yogurt

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check