Posts by mysticdragon

Hey just checking in. I havent had a chance to catch up on my missed posts.

Its been really busy here, last week and this week are exam weeks.

I should be back and all caught up by monday.

Last week was a bad week for me. Well just the weekend. With exams stressing me out i wasnt eating right. Then it was my birthday on Sunday, so everyone kept taking me out for lunch and of course there was cake. lol. mmm.. Birthday cake has no calories right *wink*

Soo... my scale wont turn on anymore so im not able to do a weigh in this week. Im going to try to use the one at school in the weight room, but It will have to be in the middle of the day, where as my previous weigh in-s were first thing in the morning.

But... I took measurements of arms, check waist, hips, etc.. last week and again this week.

Overall ive lost 4.2 inches, with my arms being the most noticeable (almost 1 inch per arm) So i'm very happy with this week.

I treated myself to McDonald's on Saturday, its funny how when you start eating healthy (at least the first couple weeks in) you really want that greasy food. I only had the McChicken sandwich by itself and added my own home made salad. so thats not too bad. It was like a nice reward for this week *grins*

How much is 64 ounces? I have a standard size bottle of water that I continually refill, not sure how many of them it would take (Yay for Canadian mL but i could probably look up the conversion)

I walked for 60 minutes twice this week and did a 30 minute cardio routine. I have to say, 2 weeks in and I feel so much better. More energy for sure.

Has anyone here ever done step aerobics? I was thinking of getting into it as Im getting bored with my current cardio routine.

I hate tuesdays and wednesdays because im stuck at school from 7:30 am until 7:30 pm (i work in the labs at night), so I feel like ive eaten so much and have no time after work to do some cardio or anything.

Gonna have to really pump it up on thursday to make up for it. I feel so full of energy today but have nothing to spend it on.

I havent been active for so long that I get tired easily. I really want to do my full 45 to 1hour of cardio, but Im just too tired after only 20 minutes. Guess I'll just have to keep working my way up.

I drink them mainly because i dont get enough protein in the day from other foods, so its a nice quick boost after a workout.

Ive tried several different types but the one i like for right now is Whey Gourmet by PVL. My fav. is the Raspberry.

They have a TONE of flavors too:

Strawberry Banana, Vanilla, Chocolate chip mint, creamy caramel, peanut butter and chocolate, Dark chocolate, Blueberry, orangesicle, pina colada, Radical Raspberry, Cappuccino Frappe, cookies & cream, cherry chocolate Truffle, Chocolate coconut cream pie.

I have trouble finding some of the flavors because there are several that id like to try, but overall i think its really yummy

I just wanted to say that It looks like everyone did awesome last week.

My confession for the week, I had dairy queen. I actually looked up the nutrition information and was shocked at how many calories (up to 750 for things I like).

My goal next time Im craving it, buy my own  icecream and top with fresh fruit.

So I started my "eating healthy kick" last saturday, and its been one week so here are my updates:

LW (Weight last week): 183.5lbs

CW (Current Weight): 179.6lbs

I expect this to slow down as this was just my first week and I probably had some "water weight"

Im excited to see the challenge for this week

lillysmominpa- Im not sure how effective it is, but in Turbo Jam they have 2 people doing low impact versions, no jumping , etc. What i liked about that over some other videos is they put the low impact girl right in the front row so its really easy to see, they will also do some closeups on her so you can see everything nicely and make sure your on track.

you can also add light 1 or 2lbs wrist weights or weighted gloves to the low impact workout to work the upper body some more ( i tried this once and wow, it makes a big difference)

but i think alot of the videos have the same sorts of things.

Im going to be starting Richard Simmons with my cousin this week :D hehe should be fun.

I see everyones point on the "cheat" thing. Ive never really looked at my diet before, this is my first time trying to eat healthy so i think i might have the wrong approach. Im just a really big chocaholic, so if there is chocolate in the house i have to really hold back and not eat the box lol!

How does everyone deal with going to the bar or to a party? IVe been wondering about this. Im not a big bar person, but I do like to drink on special occations (friends birthdays, holiday weekends) so maybe once every three months or so. I really love shooters, and im wondering if one day drinking will mess up a week? any ideas of a better drink ?(id probably have 3 to 5 )

Ive only  just started, but when I lost weight before I was doing weight training 2 or 3 times a week, and cardio 3 times a week.

Now im doing Turbo jam for cardio (its fun and really gets you going) but there are alot of other good DVD cardio like programs you can find. I got mine off amazon.com for like 8$

for weights im following the 2 day split program listed here
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WorkoutMenu.html

I like this site because it has video clips for each move, and it has multiple moves for different muscle groups.
I started with 3lbs weights for the upper body exercises   (i was really out of shape) and 5lbs weights for lower body exercises. 

I watched the same newscast today and found it odd. 

I try not to drink alot of juice because its so high in sugar, or i'll make sure i only drink 1 glass for dinner or something.

For breakfast i always have a glass of milk.

my philosophy is , if you're thirsty - drink.  if i get hungry by mid day i'll usually drink some water, wait 30 minutes, if im still hungry i'll have a snack. 

No point in drinking if you dont really feel like it I think, but if you're not drinking any water and only pop, coffee and unhealthy artificial juice, then you probably should switch to some water :)

I think you look really good already.

Also, it doesnt seem like you are taking anyones advice and just posting your "fasting" updates.

If you think you look bad from the side (tummy or hip body image issues?), then try adding some workouts to your week, and eat the proper amount of calories!!  

Say you eat what you think is "too much healthy food" instead of binging on unhealthy food or starving yourself, try going for an hour walk at a moderate pace, or do an in home aerobic video (like turbo jam, or taebo or something) for 30 minutes. You will probably feel way better becasue you've burn off those extra calories, and on top of that you've eaten really healthy and will add some muscle or tone up your tummy.

xzcandizx - I know what you mean about eating out and not sure how to log it. Even some of the food I make at home I find a hard to log. When Im eating out I try to look up the facts on the resturants website, if there are non then say I eat a grilled chicken ceasar (a large bowl) but I eat half, I try to think how many cups that is, then I look for a similar item on here or at the very least add the chicken and salad seperatly. Seems to be working, its nice to have a rough estimate. Im curious about something, is everyone only eating 3 times a day? I found that if I had a late night that i'll be way to hungry before dinner and im trying to avoid that. Right now I have a light breakfast (puffed wheat, milk and sometimes an egg usually). That is around 7am. Then around 10am I have a snack. Since im in class I usually bring an abble and some low fat yogurt, or some cheese and some nuts. Then I have lunch around12:30, another light snack around 3 (carrots or other veggies and some  nuts or cheese) and dinner around 6. If I've had a good day t hen i'll reward myself in the evening with some popcorn(about 100 cal worth) or 1 chocolate piece (only every few days)

kingje - Wow thats great that you've done all that. When I was say, 12 to 15 i was really active, I played baseball all the time. I sorta lost interest when I moved to the North. Mainly because the summer season is so short. For the past 3 years Ive basically been sitting at a desk, thats the extent of my activity.

I joined a bowling team this year, its not exactly a huge calorie burner, but it was a good start to going out.

But as for TurboJam, I only just bought it about a week ago. I tell you, I am so out of shape, I did the 20 minute cardio and I thought I was going to die after 10 minutes. I found the Ab Jam not too bad because it was only 10 minutes standing, but the floor work i found challenging. So I think maybe its good for someone starting off, or if you're alittle more into the dance type moves. (Also Im jealous, I wish I could take karate but there are no teachers in this town)

I just did the Sculpt today, (like 15 min ago O.o) I my body doesnt ache (but that might change tomorrow) but during the actual video i had sweat pouring off me. I was using 3lb hand weights. I would recommend doing this one for sure, and its nice because if you find it too easy you can just grab more weight. Its basically all lunges, squats, rows, lifts etc.. and some compound moves that get your upper and lower at the same time.

I was looking at the Taebo stuff as well, but watching the clips it looked alittle too challenging for me right now. I think i might give it a shot when I get bored of just the turbo jam stuff. I need a good mix of things to keep me interested.

xzcandizx - I know what you mean about weighting yourself every day. I try to put my scale away now and only do it once a week. I get so down sometimes when I stand on the scale and dont see a difference. For some reason I seem to expect to see that 5lb drop every time i hop on. hehe..

I also try to go by how my clothing feels. When I put on my favorite pants and they fit alittle nicer that just makes my day :D

(hope people dont mind, I tend to be overly chatty when im posting .. prepare for more long ones ;) )

Im really excited to start this. Ive never taken part in anything like this before and I think that's probably why i've always failed at my goals.

I only started CC on Sunday, and I didnt have access to a scale so i guestimated my weight.

I bought a scale today and hoped on today.
****So my starting weight is actually 183 (only 3 lbs more than my estimate, so thats not too bad)

The first mini-goal i set for myself was: By June 8th (day before my anniversary and vacation) 172lbs. So thats about 1.5 lbs per week. I hope I can do it :)

Ive also set up weekly goals for myself. Next week my goal is to do a full body workout at least once ( 2 sets at 10 reps) , and 3 cardio workouts ( I do Turbo Jam 20 min workout, and Turbo Jam: Ab Jam) Im adding in Turbo Jam: Turbo Sculpt which seems more like a lower end weight routine.

My second week goal is to add an extra set to my weight training and try to squeeze in one more day.

I just wish I wasn't so busy with school. Spending 9 to 12 hours in class then having to do homework and working leaves little time for the gym.

1. Calorie Count Name (user id): Mysticdragon38
2. Name you prefer to be called in discussions: mystic
3. Age & Sex: 23/ F
4. General Location: Northern Ontario
5. Married? Single? Long Term Relationship - not engaged yet =(
6. Kids? Furbabies? 3 cats
7. Favorite color? Green/Teal
8. Favorite movie? Oooh too many Mainly Comedy Action and Horror types
9. Hobbies? Music, Painting, Scrapbooking
10. Favorite Snack? Ketchup Chips
11. Favorite Beverage? Dr. Pepper
12. Biggest Obstacle to Getting Healthy? Time and Location
13. Weight/Fitness Goal? Current( 180lbs) Goal (135lbs )
14. Least Favorite Household Chore? Cleaning the bathtub
15. How did you find Calorie Count? while researching about healthy eating
16. Anything Else You'd Like To Share? I'm 23 and I'm going to school for my second 3 year degree specializing in computer networking. 

I find my biggest problem is I spend up to 12 hours a day at school and because I'm in computers I tend to sit at a desk for those 12 hours. Because I'm at school it's harder for me to make food and eat at proper times. 

My summer jobs are usually shift work, computer call center type jobs which makes it harder to follow a workout schedule. (That and Im soooo not a morning person)

I'm hoping with some help from friends ( I recruited a workout buddy ) and by logging my eating and activity I will be able to make healthier choices and gain my goal weight.