It's May and I'm starting Bootcamp.

Back in the saddle again. For the last few weeks I have been doing exercise routines that I have made up myself and it seems to be working. I am having a hard time breaking through this plateau though. So this month I will be adding an exercise bootcamp 5 days a week to my already daily routine. Now I workout at 6:30 for an hour come home, make breakfast for me and the kids, get them off to school, straighten up the house and then off to bootcamp for another hour of exercise. It is a lot of cardio and agility exercising; agility is something I do not do on my own. So this should work. We will see.

Still Struggling

I am still struggling with getting my food under control since my vacation. I have been off my eating plan for almost 3 weeks. I have not been on a food binge every day all day  but I definitely have not been eating good choices and I have not been eating my 5-6 meals a day or my normal water intake. Each day I am getting better. I made the mistake of buying some sweet snacks for the kids and I have been eating them too. Thank Goodness they are almost gone. I will not be doing that again! Besides my daughter says she needs to get her eating under control too. We both gained a few pounds over vacation. Needless to say my grocery list this week will not include anything unhealthy!

I knew when I went on vacation my diet would suffer and so I have given myself 3 week to get my weight back to normal and my diet back to normal. I decided on 3 weeks because that is when I will be starting my bootcamp. That can not come at a better time! I am having a hard time staying motivated to go to the gym everyday. I think it is because I blew it my last 2 weeks of my challenge and I gained a few pounds back. I am hoping this will change before or when I start bootcamp.

Well off I go to go do some yard work. I am going to go plant all the flowers I bought yesterday. That is a good workout in it's self!

Have a good day!

Challenge 2

This week started my 2nd challenge. I am having a little bit of a hard time getting motivated this time around. I guess the last week of binge eating really got my mindset out of whack.  The good thing I have continued to workout each day. Instead of using a personal trainer this challenge I have decided to come up with my own routines and change up the program a little bit. I will be doing Upper Body Mon & Thurs, Lower Body and Abs Tues & Friday and Cardio and Abs Wed & Sat.

On Friday I tried my new Lower Body & Ab routine and boy did I feel it Saturday! I am excited to start this new routine in full next week. I have come up with some good exercises to start out with. I will make them even harder each month. Now I just have to get my eating back in check. I have not done horribly but I have had a few more free meals than I should. Good thing I have not gained anything but I have to get back to clean eating before I do gain fat weight.

Happy Sunday all!

Challenge 1

My last week of the challenge has not go as planned. Vacation visiting family & friends and my nutrition is off and my workouts are different. The gyms here are different  than what I'm used to. I have just had to make some adjustments with my routine. But even though my nutrition has been off this week, I did not miss any workouts.

We are having a huge 40th birthday party celebration for me this weekend where I will be able to see some fiends I have not seen since grade school. I am doing my best to make the menu with some healthy choices for myself and others who are trying to make better eating habits too, minus the 100 gourmet cupcakes that will be staring at me.

So, my first challenge, I didn't see as many results as anticipated, but I did see results. I lost scale weight, lost inches and body fat. I am happy with that. Do I wish I would have seen more results? Yes. But that will come starting Monday when I start my second challenge. I figured since this week has been off my normal routine I will count this week as my active rest week between challenges so a 11 week challenge in my C1 and a 12 week in my C2.

My second challenge, I will be including a bootcamp class in my first 4 weeks of my C2. I did this class about a year or so ago and had a blast. I think this will help me break through my plateau and give me the extra push and motivation to get through another challenge and some new workout ideas.

To keep me motivated and to have another goal other than losing weight. I will be signing up for a military challenge with some of my friends from my bootcamp class. A military challenge is like a Warrior Dash. It is a 5k-8k with obstacles and lots of mud throughout the run.  I did this 2 years ago, it was my first marathon ever, and this time I want to demolish my previous finish time.

Challenge 2 here I come!

Happy 40th Birthday to me!

Today is my 40th Birthday. Wow! It sounds funny to say "I'm 40" I'm not freaked out about my age because I feel great and I'm in better shape now, than I ever was. It is only going to get better from here. 

One more week to go! Then another challenge after.

Duh!

OK So I had a Duh moment. I figured out why I was craving all that horrible food like ice cream, greasy foods last week. It is because of that wonderful monthly friend that comes to visit. LOL!

Don't laugh! You see, up until the last couple years I had never experienced PMS before, I never had cramps, bloating, mood swings or food cravings. Over the last couple years I have experience some of these symptoms very randomly and not in any sort of pattern. Sometimes I might get slight cramps and nothing else. Other times I may get cravings and moodiness and most of the time nothing.

So this time I was not relating what was going on to being PMS, until this morning. Too bad it had to come in my last 3 weeks of the program.

I still have the rest of this week and next to get back on track.

Have a great Easter!

Week 11

Today is the beginning of week 11. I did an upper body workout today and I felt I needed to make up for last weeks food disasters. So today I upped all my weights by 5lbs and did a few extra reps when my muscles would let me. It felt good. I also have started taking a new supplement BCAA 2200 for lean muscles and recovery. So now my supplements include BCAA 2200, CLA, Green Tea, L-Carnitine. I may add a potassium supplement. I have noticed I have not been getting enough potassium in my food. I may also change up my meal plan for the last 2 weeks for maximum benefit of this program.

Tough Week

Week 10 was hard for me to stay focused. I know this is the last leg of the challenge but I really had a hard time with my nutrition. I had a few free meals during the week most were not too bad and I had 1 that was wow! I didn't realize how many cals, fat etc that meal had until it was too late. I guess we all have those times. The important thing is to get back on track. One good thing is, I did not miss a workout and I did workout hard each time. I will do better next week, week 11.

Week 10

Today is the beginning of week 10! Since I have upped my calorie intake 100 calories, I am feeling much better and I have lost another pound. It is still very strange for me to get through my head you can eat more and still lose weight (eating clean foods). I am excited for the next 3 weeks. I have almost reached my short term goal of 10lbs and 6% body fat and I know it will probably take me almost another challenge to meet my long term goal of total body fat 19% and scale weight around 110 lbs. I plan on sticking with the program even after I meet my long term goal. I will just move into maintenance mode. 

The next challenge I have decided to not use a trainer. I am comfortable with the equipment at the gym and the different exercises that I want to come up with my own workout routines. This is a huge change for me. A year ago, I was so intimidated with all the machines and didn't know where to start and how to work the machines. I was afraid everyone knew I was new to the gym and they were all laughing at me. Now I am comfortable and realize there are a lot of people there who felt the same way as me. But the funny thing is....no one is even paying attention to anyone else unless, you fall off the treadmill or something then everyone is watching and laughing. But other than that they are all just doing their own thing.

I'm Hungry!

I have noticed over the last week I have been more hungry than normal. I thought it was because of the marathon I ran. But after talking to a few other people, my metabolism is running full speed in this point of my challenge and my body needs more calories. So I am adding about 100 more calories to my diet for a week and go from there. I may need more. But here is my latest meal plan starting now until the end of week 10.

6am- Workout 16oz Water

8am Breakfast-4 egg whites & 1 whole egg scrambled with onion, banana peppers, spinach and a slice of 2% milk   cheese on top. With 2 pieces turkey bacon and a banana. 8oz Water

10-11am Snack- Steel Cut Oats with skim milk, 1/2 scoop whey protein, cinnamon and apples. 8oz Water

1-2pm Lunch- Boneless skinless chicken breast, steamed broccoli and brown rice. 16oz Water


3-4pm Snack- Myoplex Lite Bar. 8oz Water


6-6:30pm Dinner- One of the following with 8-16oz Water
                      Protein Sources: Salmon, Chicken, Ground White Meat Turkey and on occasion Steak or Pork
                      Vegetables Steamed: Broccoli, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Carrots or Asparagus
                      Complex Carb: Brown Rice, Pasta, Beans, on occasion Sweet Potatoes or Red Potatoes

8-8:30pm Snack- Tried Cottage Cheese but I couldn't get myself to eat it daily so I am going back to my Plain Greek Yogurt with walnuts and raisins added. 16oz Water


I will update how this works out next week.

Have a good day!

Second day after.

WOW! Today is day 2 after the race. I really had a hard time moving this morning. Today is cardio day too! So I sucked it up and went to the gym. Why do they have the gym on the second floor? Ugh! LOL! I made it slowly up the stairs and onto the bike. I did 10 min warm up on the bike followed by 10 min walk on the treadmill increasing my speed and inline every min. Then I did some ab exercises and then some good ol' stretching! I am feeling better. The stairs are not my friend today!

I almost took the day off to rest but I decided to go for just a light cardio today and loosen up my muscles some. Tomorrow is lower body! I will be soaking tonight and more stretching before then.

I will see how I feel in the morning. I may do another light warm up for a few min before I start my workout. I am starting a new routine tomorrow too. This should be interesting. :) But I am WOMAN, hear me ROAR! LOL!

Have a good day!

8 Week Measurements

Today I did my measurements and I have lost 5 lbs, 2" total and 2% body fat. I am not sure if this is where I should be at this point. But any loss is a gain in my book!

Starting Week 9!

Ok today is the start of week 9. It was supposed to be a lower body workout but....I think I more than did my share yesterday between lower body and cardio. So, I decided to give my legs a rest from the run yesterday and start with upper body. I am also once again making a change to my meal plan. I am taking out the turkey bacon with my eggs and adding in steel cut oatmeal. I don't like oatmeal but I want to maximize my last four weeks. I also will be adding back in a carb at lunch, taking out carb for dinner and switching to cottage cheese for my last meal. This should do the trick!

My First 1/2 Marathon!!!

A sign I saw towards the end.

Start line of the 1/2 Marathon

8 Mile Marker

Me at the 10 mile marker!

Finish Line!


March 18, 2012 I ran my first 1/2 Marathon! I  was averaging 9 min miles at the half way point. Then from miles 6-8 my knees really started hurting me and by mile 10, they were shot. My time dropped dramatically from that point on. But I finished in 2 hours and 52 min. Not great but not bad! I wasn't last either! I even managed to update Facebook as I was running. Boy! Did I get harassed for that! LOL!  The pics above are from my fb updates!

Race packet pick up

    

I picked up my race packet today!

Got my shirt and sticker ready for the race on Sunday.

Shamrock 1/2 Marathon 2012 here I come! 

Shamrock 1/2 Marathon here I come!

Today is my last day working out for the week. I technically still have 2 days but I need to rest for the 1/2 marathon on Sunday. I don't want to get injured by doing to much before the race. Today I was a cardio day. I switched it up a bit and did half of my time on the bike and the last half on the treadmill running on a high incline. It felt good. The ab workout was a bit tough today since I did a full ab workout yesterday. But I wanted to get in a good last workout in.

I am very nervous about the 1/2 Marathon. I have never run that far before. I just started running about 6 months ago. I started with a 10k then a 10 miler and now the 1/2 marathon. I have never been athletic before in my life. This all new and exciting for me.

So Sunday, all I can do, is my best. It's not about perfection! I am not doing this to break any records, I am doing this just for me. To prove to myself that I CAN do it! That age is just a number and your only as old as you feel. Keeping in mind on Monday I may be feeling pretty old! LOL!

3 days till the big run!

Week 8

Today is the beginning of week 8. I am excited and scared at the same time. Does this make any sense? Today I was nervous to start this week 8. I have this thing in the back of my head saying, "What if everything they said will happen, doesn't?" This makes me scared. I know I am not the only one to get to this point and get a little scared. At the beginning of my challenge I had read where some people got to week 8 and quit. I didn't understand why go that far and quit right when the biggest result weeks start. I understand now how they were probably feeling. I have built up weeks 8-12 in my head so much that now that they are beginning, I am fearful.
Does this mean I'm quitting? Heck NO! In the past I probably would have, but not this time!

In the next few weeks I will have run in a 1/2 marathon, turned 40 years old and completed my first BFL Challenge. All of which make me nervous, but I am doing them! Well except for turning 40, this doesn't scare me at all! I am in better shape now that I was when I was a teen. I have never been athletic growing up. The only sport I played was softball and I was really bad at that! lol! I couldn't run a block without stopping, until just 6 months ago when I ran my first marathon.

6 days until the Shamrock 1/2 Marathon!

End of week 7

Today is the end of week 7. Bring on the magical weeks 8-12! Whoo Hoo!!!!

Cardio

I am continuing to run on the treadmill. I have my 1/2 Marathon in 8 days and I have been working on endurance. During my BFL 20min Cardio I have been really pushing myself hard especially the last 5 min. I start at a speed of 6 and an incline of 3 and work up to an incline of 7 and a speed of 9! I tried 9.5 but I almost fell off the treadmill. I almost found out the hard way that my legs can only go so fast! LOL! So I will keep raising my incline for intensity.

I may run stairs for added intensity once I max out on the incline of the treadmill, since I don't know how high it goes.

I don't mind the cardio so much anymore. I am really close to doing 2.5 miles in 20 min!

I feel like this is making me stronger so I can be stronger for the Marathon!

Famous Lady success Doc

http://bodyforlife.com/community/boards/bfl/m/mediagallery/462/download.aspx

I just read this document about real women who did the BFL program in the past. I cried reading their posts. It was like they were reading my mind a long my journey. I know believe I too will have the same results others have had. I have been following the program to  T and I use the website and forums daily. I even try to help others who are just starting by motivating them when they are feeling discouraged. It feels good to pay it forward.

Whenever I get discouraged I just say; "What do I have to lose?" I've been working out for 3-4 years without hardly any results and I keep going. So why not continue and see what happens in these 12 weeks! I am sure glad I have! 4 more weeks to go and already I have seen more results in these 7 weeks than the last 4 years of working out!

Ground Turkey

I have been eating ground turkey for a few years now, thinking I was making a better choice! Just this last week I found not all ground turkey is created equal! In the past, I always made sure the package said lean ground turkey but I never looked on the back of the package. A fiend of mine told me to look at the nutrition facts the next time I bought some. So when I went to the store I picked up what I would normally buy and WOW! I was surprised to see 17g of fat per serving. My friend said to look at White Meat Ground Turkey, I did and WOW! 0g fat! How did I go so wrong? I will be buying only white meat ground turkey for now on. I thought I was doing good by grabbing the "lean". But if that is lean, I will do without!

Just making this change alone I should see a difference in my weight!

Just some food for thought!

By the way I'm down another 1/2 a pound! Whoo Hoo!

Stuffed Peppers

Serving size 2 pepper halves

3 green peppers
1 lb white meat ground turkey
1 can black beans (low sodium)
1 can died tomatoes
Chopped red, yellow & orange peppers
Chopped onions
Spinach leaves
Garlic
Top with 1/2 piece 2% cheese slice

Cover with foil and bake.

2g sat fat
6g carbs
10g protein

Vegetable & Ground Turkey Soup

1lb white meat ground turkey
1 can black beans (low sodium)
1 can died tomatoes
1 can stew tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Frozen veggies
Red, green, yellow & orange peppers chopped up.
Chopped onions
Garlic
Seasoning

0g fat
6g carbs
10g protein

New Changes

Today, I woke up and noticed more changes happening with my body. It's like it happened over night! lol How do you go to bed and wake up looking different? I'm not sure but I am not complaining! I have noticed more in my abs, legs and behind. I am beginning to look like I have a behind and not like someone smacked my behind with a 2x4. It used to be wider and flat. Now it is getting smaller and lifting! Whoo Hoo!!!
That's another thing I have never had before besides abs was a behind. It's getting to look like I am looking down at someone's body, and not my own. It will be strange for awhile. But I think I can learn to deal with it! LOL!

Burn Supplement

I decided not to continue taking the burn supplement any longer. Yesterday was the second day and it upset my stomach and I felt nauseous all day. I could only eat a couple pieces of turkey bacon in the morning and then I was OK until dinner, when it seemed to act up again, and I found it hard to eat dinner. I had to eat a few crackers first. (I only took one pill that day)

It was supposed to be added to my regular pills I was taking but I found I couldn't take any of the others while taking that. It upset my stomach even more taking anything else. So for now I will stick to what I am taking unless I find something without a stimulant in it.

Achieving my goals and sacrificing my health is not worth it. So, I will do it without the extra boost. I guess some people can handle stimulants and some can't. Besides what's the point of giving up caffeine if I'm just replacing it with a different kind of caffeine. Trying to do this for life not just till I achieve my current goal. This is just my first goal. I plan on doing another 12 weeks after I complete this 12 weeks. One day, week, month, challenge at at time! :)

Thanks for reading!

Mid 7th Week

Today, I am in the middle of my 7th week. I am feeling great! I am seeing changes happening in my body. I am excited to do my measurements next week.

Today was a lower body & ab workout day. I really pushed it today and really concentrated on slow and controlled movements. I do notice it is much harder to do higher weights when you do them slow and controlled. I see people in the gym just pumping rep out like they are in a race. I don't know which is best but right now I know slow and controlled works for me. It may be good to incorporate both into a workout? I will ask my trainer in 2 weeks when I get my new routine.

When I did my ab workout today I really pushed myself. I did 5 different exercises twice and did as many as I could each time. I cannot wait for this lose skin and the little bit of fat I have left to melt away so I can see what I have been working so hard for.

Husband gone :(

My husband left for a work trip for a month. What is a girl to do? I guess this is a good time for hi to be gone as I start my 7th week of this program. They say you will see the most results in weeks 8-12. Well, since he won't be back until the beginning of my 11th week. He should see a huge difference when he gets back. This is am really looking forward too.

When he goes out of town for work, I always find a project to do while he is away. So my project this time is to continue working on me and my BFL Challenge. I will also take this time to work on organizing this office too.

I am super excited for these next few weeks and the differences I will see in my body. Not only in my body but each week I see and feel a difference in myself. I like that a lot!

Added a new supplement today

Today, I added an new supplement. It was recommended to me at my local supplement store from one of the guys doing the Body for Life Challenge too. He suggested a product Burn. It is a fat burner and metabolism booster. I decided to wait until now to start taking it. I am very sensitive to stimulants and become jittery easy. So, I started with Green Tea first and now decided to try this product. It says to take 30 min before a meal or working out but I decided to take it with my breakfast. I'm glad I did too because here it is 2 hours later and I am hyped up! My hands are jittery and I feel like I need to go take a run to burn off some of this energy. Even sitting here typing my hands can't keep up with my brain. I think I will only take one of these a day until I get used to this and my body becomes accustom to it.

Good thing is I will get a lot of things accomplished today! I just hope my hands quit shaking before my first client comes today so I can cut their hair. LOL!

Hard to Imagine!

Everyday I go to the BFL website and read some of the success stories. I can't believe these people actually accomplished what they did in 12 weeks. I keep reading for a clue that it took the 2-4 challenges to to reach these goals. Can it really be done in 12 weeks? I keep asking myself this. I believe they did do it in 12 weeks, I just can't imagine that I too, will look like them. I keep thinking, "Is it too good to be true?" "Can I really look like them in just 12 weeks?" Here I am ending week 6 and even though I see results, I still can't picture "ME" looking like them. In the same breathe I can't wait until week 12 to see my results and my new body in my after photos.

One thing I noticed this week was, I am really starting to feel abs! I can feel my abs and back are stronger and my muscles are doing what they are supposed to do. It is a weird feeling, I almost feel like I am wearing a corset. It is nice a tight but not restrictive. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this same feeling when they first started to firm up and develop muscles? It is only going to get better from here!

Paying it forward

I am seeing some great changes with my body and sole since I started the BFL program and I would love to help others to start the program too! I have a bunch of people in mind but how do you encourage them to try it out without them taking it the wrong way and hurting their feelings. Some of these people need to lose weight and exercise because medically they need to now, to prevent or reverse medical issues. I am hoping as the weeks go on they will see tremendous results with me and they will come to me and give me just a small sign they want help. Because we all know you can't help someone if they don't want the help and you can't do it for them either. But I will keep trying!

Chuckle of the day!!! Must Read!!

Abs??? My husband laughed at me the other night because I asked him to feel my stomach. I said; "What is this?" thinking something was wrong a hernia or something. His reply; as he chuckles..."That's a four pack you have going on!" I was shocked and amazed! I have never had abs before, it's all new to me. I still have a protective covering over top of them but as soon as I shed that....Look out! I just may turn into the guy from the Planet Fitness commercials; "Anyone lose a wash board? Cuz I found one over here!" ROTFL!!!! I would never do that but it is funny to think about! lol

Now I've got it!

I finally feel like I have this program figured out (at least until my next plateau). I am feeling great and not just physically but emotionally too! I feel like I am back to my old self and my patience with other people and situations is improving everyday! I am finishing my 6th week and the weight seems to coming off faster. Since my last weigh in 2 weeks ago I have lost another 3.5 lbs! That is huge for me since I usually average 2-3lbs a month. So to lose a little over 1.5lbs a week now, is great! I use the BFL website almost everyday to get advice and to try and help others with what I have learned so far.

Great cardio workout today!

My Kryptonite!

My Krytonite is Coke! I love it! I love the burn as it does down your throat. I love it so much that it is truly my Kryptonite. Once I have one I can't control myself. I want more. Before you know it I have had 3-4 of them.

A few days ago I decided to give up Coke for Lent. I have already broke this and had 2 Cokes over the weekend. The difference this time is I really paid attention to how I felt in the hours after I drank the sodas. I immediately noticed I was bloated and uncomfortable. That feeling lasted all day, I even started craving more and craved sweets and other junk food. It was almost unbearable that I decided to go to bed before I gave in. The bad thing is, the cravings ran into the next day too. So I got up and went to the gym and after that I was able to control the urges and go about my day as normal.

After this, I have decided that the short term guilty pleasure is just not worth what comes after. So, no more sodas for me for the next 40 days. I can for sure commit to 40 days, and then make a new goal after that. It is much easier to do it this way then to say I am giving it up forever. But someday it will be forever. Just like I did with smoking. But, I must admit, smoking was much easier to give up than sodas. lol

Have  a great day everyone! May you accomplish one of your goals today!

Eating out on the BFL program

In the past I have found it hard to find BFL approved meals while eating out. I have my favorite foods I like to eat and find myself ordering the same foods every time I go. 

My favorite things to eat are:

      Hamburgers and Fries.

      Mexican (fast food or sit down restaurant)

      Steak

      BBQ

      Olive Garden

In the last week or so I have gone out for lunch with friends and it wasn't on a free day. So I had to find a healthy alternative to the foods that I love. 

     The first day we went to Applebee's; They have meals that are 550 calories. So ordered the steak and shrimp with roasted potatoes and steamed veggies. It was very good. But to make it healthier, I had the hold the sauce and I packaged up half of the steak because it was larger than my palm. (BFL measurement guidelines)

      The second time I went out to eat, we went to a Mexican restaurant. I was not sure what to pick that would be healthy. The only thing I did know was to pass on the nachos. (one of my weaknesses along witht he cheese dip) My friend ordered Aqua Tacos, I had never heard of them so I asked what they were. She replied, they were tacos without a shell or tort, it came with lettuce to wrap them in instead. So I decided to order them too. I opted out of the sour cream. I barely used and cheese on them, it was almost non existent, and it came with pico sauce. They were good. This is my new favorite when eating Mexican!

Now I just need to find a healthier option for my other favorite meals. Then I know I ca make the changes I need for life and not have the want for free days!

Well on my way and feeling great!

      

Week Six

It has been a little over a week since I have been on my new meal plan listed in my last post along with taking supplements. I have so much more energy towards the evening than I used to have. I get up at 6am every morning to go to the gym before anyone else gets up. Than after that my day starts...Non stop most of the day and by 8pm sometimes earlier I am ready for bed. But now with the supplements I have energy to stay up and see some of my TV shows I had been sleeping through. ha ha ha.

Today is Monday, the day I step on the scale to see the damage of my free day. This weekend though I decided to just have a free meal and not a free day. I didn't feel as guilty nor did I feel I just ruined what I worked on all week for. So I was anxious to see what the scale had in store for me today. To my surprise I was 2.5 lbs lighter than the Monday before. That is huge for me because it usually take me a month to see those results. lol

Now the real job begins....Not sabotaging my weight loss with small food rewards. I seem to do that at times. But I won't this time because I really want to see if I can lose another pound or so by next week.

I just started my 7th week and my muscles feel stronger and I continue to see results with the reduction of fat and cellulite. YIPPIE!!!!  I am more than 1/2 way there and I'm already ready for the next 12 weeks!!

I hope you all are finding your way with this program. Keep up the great work guys!

Thanks for reading!

Zavi

Meal Plan

Last week, I got some good advice from on of last years participants in BFL program, about my meal plan. He suggested a few minor changes to my meal plan. Some he suggested just moving of few of my meals/snacks around to eating them at different times of the day for maximum benefit. So, this week I have implemented what Tim suggested into my meal plan.

He suggested I switch from having a nutrition bar first meal of the day to later in the afternoon, and have eggs for breakfast instead. I normally do not have time to make breakfast in the morning so, this week I prepped everything I would need for the week on Sunday (chop onions veggies etc and bought microwavable bacon) to make it easier to make time to make breakfast. So far this week I was able to do it. Now that I know I do have time I will make this part of my routine.

Tim also suggested I give up my quick Lean Cuisine's I was having for lunch and switch to chicken breast or fish with a good carb and veggie. So, I have also done this this week. I got some frozen salmon and some individually wrapped boneless, skinless chicken breast to make for lunch. I also cut up veggies earlier in the week to make it easy to grab and steam them along with some canned beans for my carb. Again, this seems to work just fine, it only takes an extra 5-10 minutes to make. Plus, it is much more fulfilling.

Another thing he suggested was, to switch my Greek Yogurt to my last meal/snack of the day in place of my 100 calorie pack popcorn. I forget why he said to do this but, it did make a lot of sense, and it seems to be working.

Last thing he suggested was to start taking supplements. This is hard for me because I don't take medicine. Very rarely do I even take a Aspirin or Tylenol. Besides when ever you take supplements for working out, they always recommend you take 3-4 different kinds and then you have to take a few of each a few times a day. That can add up to a lot of pills in a day. And since I don't even take one pill a day, it will be hard. So, his suggestions were to take CLA, Green Tea, L-Carnitine, HMB & Phos-Forse. So I went to my local supplement store and found a product called Slim CLA. This has CLA, Green Tea & L-Carnitine in it, and I only have to take 4 pills a day compared to buying each one separately. Then I did get the HMB too. They did not have the Phos-Force and I believe that is a drink, and I don't like any kind of workout drinks. Too gritty for me and they make me gag. So I will pass on this for now. But, I did get a product called Relax Replenisher. It is to help with sleep, stress and your metabolism while you sleep. 

I have been doing well all week taking my supplements. I just told myself just give it your all for 4 weeks and see what happens. I tend to tell myself this a lot because 4 weeks doesn't seem very long to commit to anything. Besides, after 21 days it becomes a habit. Right! I really like the Relax Replenisher, I have had some great nights sleep without feeling foggy in the morning. It calms my mind so I can sleep soundly. Even if I get up to use the bathroom, I can go right back to sleep and normally I couldn't do this. The Slim CLA gives me energy throughout the day without the jitters or shakes. I am very sensitive to any kind of stimulants, even Mountain Dew will make me shake. So I like this product a lot. The HMB I'm not sure what exactly it is supposed to do but, I feel as though it is aiding in my muscle recovery. 

So, here is where I am at in my Meal Plan and Supplements now: 

Gym- 16oz water

Breakfast- 2 eggs & 2 egg white omelet with peppers, spinach & onions and 3 pieces of turkey bacon &       8oz Water

             2 Slim CLA pills and 4 HMB pills 

Snack- Pistachios and a banana & 8oz Water

Lunch- Chicken or Salmon with beans and a steamed veggie & 8oz Water

            2 Slim CLA pills and 4 HMB pills 

Snack- Myoplex Lite bar & 8oz Water

Dinner- Well that can be tricky, my husband does most of the cooking and does pretty good making it healthy so I concentrate on portion sizes. 8oz water

             4 HMB pills and 2 Fiber Chewables

Snack- Greek Yogurt with Oats, Walnuts ans Raisins mixed in & 8-16oz Water

             30-60 minutes before bed I take 2 Relax Replenisher pills

I will let ya know how this works out for me and if I find I need to tweak it a bit more later.

Tough Day at the gym!

Today was a tough day in the gym. Have you ever started a new routine and did a great job the first day and then the next time you go to do the same routine you find it hard to do the same weight you just did 2 days before? I have, it seems like every time I start a new routine it takes me a couple time to just be able to do what I did the first day. But, I do find once I do I can move up in weight pretty quickly. Maybe it's just getting used to the weights, movements etc? Anyway, today was tough to get through and my arms feel fatigued. I guess it's a good thing. Tomorrow is cardio....I think I am going to try something different. I think I will have my 2 minute warm up and jump up to my level 10 (or what used to be my level 10) for a minute and then back down to a walk then up even higher for a minute and keep doing that for 20 min and see how far I can truly push myself. I'll let ya know how it works out.

Body for Life Book

I just finally was able to find the BFL Book the other day. I looked all over for it and every time it was sold out.  That must say something for the book. I didn't want to wait until I got the book to start the program. So I went on the website and read everything I could and decided I knew enough to get started. Now, I am almost finished with the book and my 5th week in the program. The book is still very informative and I have found a lot of Ah-Ha moments while reading it. He breaks it down in such easy terms. It really is pretty simple once you clear your mind of all the other noise you have heard in the past and nutrition and exercise. I have about 40 more pages to go. If you have not gotten the book and are doing the program, I suggest you get it.

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday; I am not Catholic but the last few years I have decided to give up something for Lent. I decided to do this because I like the idea of making a sacrifice for someone who sacrificed so much for us all. The things I have given up in the past have been food items. Why is that? I guess its because its something I really enjoy but, is not a necessity. Food yes, is important but not junk food is not a necessity. In the past I have given up chocolate and potato chips. So once again, I am giving up my one and only vice I have left, Coke! Coca Cola that is! I am a huge soda drinker. It is my drink of choice. I know it is not a good choice when your trying to lose weight and eat healthy. As I have posted in the past; I quit smoking 4 years ago. Smoking was far easier to quit than giving up Coke. Even just giving it up temporarily has been much harder. In the past I wouldn't even think of giving Coke up for Lent because it would be too hard. But since I have started the Body for Life Challenge I know I cannot accomplish what I want with this program and drink Coke too. So this year I am giving up all soda for Lent! The ultimate goal would be to give it up forever but I must take baby steps. So until Easter, I am giving you up. I will miss you dearly my friend!  =D

Starting Month 2

Yesterday, started my second month with a new upper body routine. Boy was that great! I didn't know how strong I was. Like most I think we under estimate ourselves. Some of my starting out weights were too light and I will up those on Thursday. What a great feeling to accomplish something you didn't think you could do. I am still weak in some areas but I am getting stronger each time I work out.

Today was cardio, I hate cardio! It can be so exhausting running on the treadmill. I know isn't that the point, to reach your level 10 you must exert yourself . I must say, reaching my level 10 in strength training is much easier than reaching my level 10 in cardio, where your heart rate goes through the roof. lol But I pushed through. I raised the bar for myself and increased my speed and incline. This will be my new starting point and work up from there. My goal is to work up to a max speed of 6.5. Don't laugh! You must remember I am only 4'9" tall, my legs can only move so fast! lol

Tomorrow is a new lower body & abs routine! I wonder what Eddy has in store for me. He said he has some ab exercises to help with my love handles. Why do people call these love handles? I cannot think of anyone who loves them? Confused! lol

Have a great day all!

Monday February 20, 2012

Today was my first weigh in at 4 weeks into the program. I will have a weigh in every 4 weeks along with my measurements and body fat %. So after 4 weeks I lost 3lb, 3.5 inches and 2.5% body fat. Not bad! Just 19 or lbs to go and I would like to get down to around 19% body fat. Let's see how I do.

Also I started a new work out routine. Today was upper body, tomorrow is cardio and Wednesday is a new lower body routine.

Yoga Today

Today I am doing a beginner Yoga Class. Boy, do I need to stretch after yesterdays class! This will be my 5th Yoga class. I really like it. It is relaxing and helps me stretch my muscles so they can recover. By the end of the week I am stiff and sore from that weeks workout and need some relief. As soon as I'm done with yoga, it's all gone and I feel back to normal again. This I will keep doing just because of that. Have a great day everyone!

Saturday Sweat Shop Class

OK, so I am getting a little bored with all the running for cardio. So one day a week I am going to switch it up a bit. Today did a Saturday morning sweat shop class. It is 45 min long cardio class with 15 min abs. Kicked my butt! I have no coordination and I was all over the place. But hey, at least I went and I will keep going. I will get the moves down and that part will be easier.

Next Saturday I am going to do a Beginners Spin Class. EEEK! Wish me luck with that one!

Month One!

3 more days and I will have finished my first month of BFL. On Monday I will weigh in, take new measurements, body fat % and take my 1 month in pics. I am a little nervous since, I don't seem to be seeing any difference in how my pants fit or any lost pounds on the scale. But, I do see a difference in my muscle tone and the smoothing out of my cellulite. If that makes any sense? I guess the pictures will say more. My husband says he can see a difference. I hope I will. I am not going to get discouraged though because, they say this is normal and that most people don't really start seeing results until week 8. I am not that over weight maybe, 20lbs at the most. But, 4 weeks ago I was 30%+ body fat and a lot of rolls and cellulite. So I should expect to see those results first before lbs. I know they say not to worry about what the scale says but, since I am not seeing bigger results elsewhere, the scale is all I have to judge for now. Once I start seeing results the scale will become less important. As long as I am happy with how I look then I really don't care what the scale says.

Nutrition? Why do we make things so difficult? I have struggled with trying to eat right for a long time. I thought I was eating right by counting calories, fat, carbs etc.... But the fact is, you can still eat bad and count everything out. So I think I am on the right track. Clean eating only..... It is a little more time consuming to eat clean. Because no more easy to make meals like Lean Cuisine and no more protein bars first meal of the day. I have to actually make food to eat. But, once on a routine it will get easier.

With this program;
Don't count your calories etc.
Use your hand to gauge your portion sizes.
Eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day
Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.
Eat a good protein and a good carb with each meal.
Eat Clean. That's it!
Oh yeah! You get one day a week to splurge a little!

The only hard part is making sure you eat 6 times a day and drinking all the water. That takes thought!

Week Four

Here it is week 4 and I'm feeling pretty good. I can see minor changes happening but I am still struggling with my foods/nutrition. maybe you can help?

I am struggling with my nutrition. I hear so many different things and I'm not sure what is correct. Some say with this program don't worry about your caloric intake some much, just eat as clean as possible. But if you eat more than you burn then you'll gain weight right? I also hear if you want to lose weight to take your weight x 7= your caloric intake. Unless it comes up less than 1200 calories, then you need to eat the 1200 because a women shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories. But again this takes me back to eating too many calories. If I take my weight 131.5 x 7= 920.5 calories is this too little? Is 1200 calories too much for me?

Let me give you information about me.

Stats: Height 4' 9"  

           Weight 131.5

   Age 39 (really close to 40)

I quit smoking about 4 years ago and gained 24 lbs. For the last 3 years I have been working out. I did a bootcamp for a year and a half since the bootcamp I have been working out in the gym for the last year or so. First I was doing 30 min cardio 4-5 days a week and strength training 4-5 days a week (switching muscle groups) and I have ran in a 5k, 10k, 10 miler and getting ready for my first 1/2 marathon. After all this I have only lost 10lbs of the 24 I gained. I have back fat that doesn't seem to want to go anywhere and rolls where most people get them and they seem very comfortable living where they are. I would like to evict them now! lol 

January 23rd 2012 I decided to try this program. I am in my 4 week and I am seeing some minor results in muscle tone and smoothing out of my cellulite. But nothing on the scale or inches yet. So this leads me to believe my eating is wrong.

Here is my schedule and what I have been eating the last few 4 weeks.

6:30am - Gym 16oz water

7:30-8:00am Breakfast-EAS Myoplex Strength Bar 290calories, 25g protein, 9g fat, 35g carbs, 1g fiber, 16g sugar 

10:30-11:00am Snack-1 Serving Pistachios 160 calories, 6g protein, 14g fat, 8g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g sugar & 8oz water

12:30-1:00pm Lunch- A Lean Cuisine 320 calories or less, 550g sodium or less, at least 14g protein and no more than 8g fat & 8oz Water

3:00-3:3pm Snack- 1/2 serving Greek yogurt with 1 serving dry Kashi go lean cereal added with 1/4 cup oats 260 calories, 23g protein, 4g fat, 39                                carbs, 9g fiber, 15g sugar 8oz water

6:00-6:30pm Dinner- 1 serving protein, 1 serving starch, 1 1/2 servings dinner. (My husband cooks dinner so I am never sure of the calories so I                                 control the serving size) 8oz water

8:00-8:30pm Snack- 100 calorie pack Orville Redenbach popcorn 100 calories, 3g protein, 1.5g fat, 21g carbs, 3g fiber, 0g sugar 8oz water

If I add all these up then I am at around 1400 calories a day, 6 meals and 7 - 8oz of water. 

Please let me know what I am doing wrong or what I need to change! 

Also I do not take any supplements because I do not know what to take for what. My body is very sensitive to caffeine too.

Thank you for your help!!!

Week Three

Today is the beginning of week three. I didn't really feel like going today. Probably from the junk I ate last night. But, I got up and did it and I felt much better after. Remember one day at a time. Don't beat yourself up for what you did yesterday! Today is a new day!

Day Thirteen

OK so I didn't get to do my cardio workout yesterday, I planned on going to a Saturday Sweatshop cardio workout, but I got tied up doing other things around the house. This is why I need to get up early before anyone else in the house id up. =D Well today is Superbowl and I have already gone to my second Yoga class this morning. Now to control my eating during the game. It's kinda hard when your going to someone else's house. If I would have planned ahead I would have used today as my cheat day and not yesterday. Oh well, lessons learned.

Week Two

OK today was the beginning of week two. Lower body workout. This week I will be doing lower body twice and upper body once. My trainer said I want to work on increasing my weights whenever possible. I think this week I will stay the same and next week up my weights by five or ten lbs each exercise.

Yoga Class

Yoga class was great! I can get used to this. I don't feel tight and stiff anymore. It was really relaxing and the instructor was very nice and helpful with correct form. I think I will go back each Sunday!

Day Seven

Today is a rest day. But I am feeling tight and stiff so, in a few minutes I am going to go to a beginner Yoga class. I have never taken a Yoga class before but I hear it's great for stretching, flexibility and building long lean muscles. I'll let ya know what I think.

Day Six

Today is day six and I seem to be struggling a little with my nutrition. I am having trouble finding foods I like, in the caloric intake aloud. They say to lose weight you take your weight x 7= calories aloud. Unless that falls below 1200 then you should eat 1200 nothing less because then you are burning muscle instead of fat.

Here is some information that I found on nutrition;

Another key aspect of BFL is consuming a diet that is low enough in caloric intake to cause fat loss, while providing enough calories and protein to build muscle and cardiovascular endurance. In addition, BFL attempts to make choosing portion sizes and food as easy as possible to avoid overcomplication. The major aspects of the diet program include:

• Eating 6 smaller meals per day instead of the standard 3 large meals. BFL (along with some dietary experts) maintain that eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day will boost the body's metabolism, causing it to burn fat faster.
• Eating one "portion" of carbohydrates and one "portion" of protein at each meal. To keep determining portion sizes simple, BFL suggests that one "portion" of carbohydrates should equal a potato or ball of rice roughly equal to the size of the person's clenched fist. Additionally, one "portion" of protein would roughly equal a piece of meat the size of the person's palm and as thick as a deck of cards.
• Consuming vegetables with at least two meals per day.
• Taking a good multi-vitamin.
• Limiting consumption of butter, cheese, mayonnaise, alcoholic beverages, and high fat salad dressings.
• Allowance of one "free day" each week. A free day is one day a week in which the person is allowed to make dietary choices that do not correspond with the BFL eating program. Although this should not be a day to binge eat junk food, BFL encourages people to eat whatever foods or desserts they desire on this day. According to Bill Phillips, this allows the body to avoid the Starvation response and gives the dieter a chance to avoid cheating since they know they simply have to wait until their free day to have what they crave.

Body for Life also encourages people to eat mostly lean meats like chicken, fish, and turkey, as well as tofu. Carbohydrates that are multi-grain and unrefined are also encouraged. Bill Phillips encourages people to adopt this eating program as a lifestyle, and not as a temporary diet. Although the amount of protein eaten should be enough for some people to build good muscle mass, some observe that high-protein shakes and meal bars should be consumed to increase protein intake. Not surprisingly, the program suggests consuming protein products from EAS.

Day Five

Today my arms feel good. That's a good thing because today is another upper body workout.

Body for Life's exercise program is more complicated than its diet program. It suggests exercising six days a week, normally Monday to Saturday, and alternating between weight training and aerobic exercise. The seventh day, usually Sunday, is a rest day (referred to as the "free day", during which no exercise is done and unhealthy, normally fatty foods may be eaten). Weight training sessions alternate between exercises for the upper body and exercises for the lower body. This allows the exercised muscles enough time to recover fully before the next training session.

Each fortnight follows the same pattern:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Week 1	Upper-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Lower-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Upper-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Free Day
Week 2	Lower-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Upper-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Lower-body Weight Training	Aerobic Exercise	Free Day]

Intensity index

Body for Life uses Gunnar Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion for assessing the intensity of exercise based on how hard you feel you are working. It uses a scale of 0 to 10:

• 0 is no exertion at all.
• 2 corresponds to very light exercise. For a healthy person, this is like walking slowly at their own pace for several minutes.
• 5 on the scale is somewhat hard exercise, but it still feels OK to continue.
• 8 is very strenuous. A healthy person can still go on, but they really have to push themselves. It feels very heavy, and the person is very tired.
• 9 on the scale is an extremely strenuous exercise level. For most people this is the most strenuous exercise they have ever experienced.
• 10 is maximal exertion: an all-out, 100% effort.

These levels accommodate differences in fitness. An unfit individual may require a level 10 effort to walk briskly uphill, whereas for a competitive athlete this may only be a level 3 effort. Over the course of the 12-week Body for Life program an individual would get noticeably fitter, so their intensity scale needs to be adjusted over time. This is considered normal.

Day Four

OK, so today my arms, legs and butt are sore. It is a good sore not a so bad I can't workout for a few days sore. So off I go to my second cardio day!

Day Three

Today was a lower body & ab work out. Again, a great workout and my legs are already fatigued. We will see how I feel tomorrow.

Day Two

Wow! What an intense cardio workout! It may only be 20 min, but boy is it a workout. I can handle a 20 minute cardio workout when I burn 230 calories! But I must admit running is not my favorite form of exercise. I guess I should have taken that into consideration when I signed up to run a 1/2 marathon. UGH! What was I thinking? =D

Day One

Today is January 23, 2012  my first day, an upper body workout. My arms are already fatigued and I just got home a few minutes ago. It feels good I just hope by this evening I will still be able to raise my hands. he he he  After all, I am a hairstylist and I need to be able to raise my hands to do my job.

Night Before My First Workout

Tomorrow is the first day of training. I am very excited to start this new program. I know I need to take this one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. After all, one can only control what one does today not what one did yesterday!