gymcoach79's Journal

4 more pounds!

Aug 18 2009 12:25

I stepped on the scale today to see that 4 more pounds have fleed my body....yeah!! I think my week vacation helped.....whenever I start to get stuck, I notice a week of eating maitenance calories and less exercise helps shake things back up. In addition to that, these last couple weeks I've added some (light) weights to my workouts and I really think it's making a difference. Finally, having the goal of the 5K next month is helping re-dedicate me to that treadmill.

I'm just so happy.

6 more pounds til my original goal of 160....I can't believe I am this close!!! 46lbs lost in total now since early January.....and I am already looking forward to eating some holiday foods!!!!! Keep smiling and keep pushing guys, we will get there!!

Trying to find some energy

Aug 17 2009 15:13

Somehow, even though it's the middle of August, the kids and I seem to have a headcold....I don't get it. I made the mistake of taking something to help me sleep last night too, forgetting that that stuff doesn't wear off of me for like....I don't know....8 years. LOL The headache and aches and weight of my head are never worth the sleep those little pills provide.

I guess my question is, should I still run? I want to. I NEED to. I just want to not feel any worse either.

Weekly weigh in tomorrow....I feel so "heavy" and achy that I honestly don't know what to anticipate. I'm hoping for the best though! Good luck this week everyone!

First 5K

Aug 12 2009 14:55

I'm glad I wasn't scared of the scale....3lbs gone!!! Mind you that's over a course of 2 weeks and having TTOTM in there too, but I'll take it!

I'm looking to run my first 5K at the end of next month....it was a goal of mine to do before my 30th birthday. I'll be a little late, but better late then never. I'm scared. I'm not a runner, never have been, but this something I want to prove to myself. I'm not sure what I'm doing, I'm mentally prepared to finish last and I'm pretty positive that I'll cry....but I don't doubt myself finishing it. I know if I make it to the raceline, I will most certainly finish it. I guess what I'm going to do is start running 2-3 times a week regularly. I'll run a mile straight, without stopping, and then walk for another...half mile? Then I guess I will try to run a little further every week. I figure I have about 6 weeks, so....add a half mile a week? That will get me up there and give time in case I miss a day....and hopefully leave a week to go easy the week before. I guess. I don't know what I'm doing. LOL If anyone out there has done a 5K, some pointers, especially for the week or two before the race, would be most appreciated!

I stepped on the scale and found 169.5....I logged 170 because....well....I don't know. Making sure the 160-something isn't a fluke. :) One day at that was enough to get me psyched, but not truly a believer, you know? My initial goal in January was 160.....52lbs from my starting weight and something so seemingly unattainable....then to see the "16" part starting out my weight....gosh...it seems so close!!! At 170, that puts me 42lbs down from where I started this journey and I'm still in disbelief. I finally see my face again, not the chipmunk cheeked girl in the mirror. My legs...oh my legs! I look like I have skinny legs again and I love them, especially from my mid-thigh down! My waist/stomach is still terrible....flabby...LOL But I feel better, so I guess that's the priority.....I sure would love for that to shrink some, atleast in my mind, but we will get there....maybe it's where my last 10lbs will come from....the ultimate reward as far as I'm concerned!!

My 30th birthday is in a couple weeks. I'm proud of where I am in my life. Are there things I would like different? Of course. Is everything perfect? No....but is it ever? I've regained some health, I'm happy and proud that I had will power and persistance with this. I have 2 wonderful children. Not angels, not the best listeners, not even potty trained, but they are mine....and I love them. I'm married to someone who works hard for his family and supports us. I would love to work and have a fulltime job outside of the house, but you know what? What job in the world is more important then parenting? I need to remind myself of this sometimes and be grateful that I have this opportunity rather then stress about it. My family is loving and supportive and we all have our health.....remember what is important in life and find that inner peace....it will make you a better person.

Back from vacation

Aug 10 2009 13:26

Had a nice trip last week. I had a great time and it was exciting, however I am thrilled to be back at home, especially in my own bed. The 2 little ones are happy too, I'm sure, as they have their own bed and somewhere to run again.

Honestly, I didn't count one calorie or get on a piece of fitness equipment once. I told myself I wasn't even going to think about it. In hindsight, I think I did a great job. All water, no alcohol. No desserts, no chips, no seconds on foods. I had some salad, packed fruit for snacks and made sure I ate my 3 meals a day. And I walked A TON. Tomorrow I will weigh in for the first time in 2 weeks and I'm not scared. I'm looking forward to updating my weight in my log and jumping back into my routine.

Hope everyone had a great week!

New week

Jul 28 2009 15:43

I'm so cranky and overwhelmed lately...I swore TTOM was right around the corner, but it hasn't come yet....ugh. I did Pilates this morning and felt great. It was one of the more difficult classes she has had yet and I appreciated the challenge....I can't believe I wasn't pissing and moaning! LOL I also weighed in for the BL Challenge and found I lost another pound. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled the scale is still moving (and down at that), but 1 pound is just a little depressing. I was hoping for a 2. I have lost 39lbs to date and that 1 more pound will be a nice milestone. 5 more pounds and I am at my wedding weight. It's reassuring and motivating to have some personal milestones be so close....just makes me frantic wanting to hit them sooner though!

I will be out of town on vacation all of next week and I'm afraid of getting back out of the swing of things, so I've decided to take on a couple tasks to try and help balance things out for me. First of all, I really want to get that 1 more pound before I leave Monday. I think if I hit that 40lbs mark, it is nice mentally and will keep me motivated versus hitting the wall this week and thinking "oh well". I'm also going to try and get in all the workouts I can this week. I have been doing Pilates 2 times a week, but I am going to add a weight lifting class tomorrow for variety (which I asked a friend to join me to obligate me into showing up) and have already asked another friend about possibly doing one Friday morning as well (again, the obligation thing...). I think Fridays class will either be the weights class again (if I like it) or maybe a kickboxing class (just because its a big calorie burner and it will be nice to have a couple days of recovery after that...they really kick our butts in that class and I have been scared to do one for a REALLY long time because of that).

Additionally I am really going to watch the food situation. I have been working at a 500 calorie food deficit and been doing decent with that, but this week I plan on watching super close and not doing any kinds of "treats". That way the week I am gone, I will feel ok about eating maintanence everyday if thats the way it happens to fall. I am also packing my own food for the hotel room. I figure the hotel makes breakfast every morning, so if nothing else I can eat cold cereal and milk like usual for my 200-300 calories. Daytime I am hoping to be too busy to snack and work for a decent lunch. The unfortunate part is that the food is provided, so usually not too much of a choice, but hoping there is always a basket of fruit or salad available. In the room I plan on bringing LOTS of fruits, if nothing else to fill up a little before dinner, which I get to go out and eat wherever I want, so I'm banking on a little willpower here.

Finally, I am hoping the hotel has a workout room that maybe I can hit up to go run at night or something. If not, I will have to go "old school" in my room and bust out sets of situps, pushups, etc.....something I literally have not done in....ummm....yeah. :)

Congrats on so many of the personal successes that I have seen this week. Friends and other posters have inspired me and kept me on track....from those of you who are on week 3 of P90X and still doing it, to those who have completed their first 5K, half marathon or marathon and those of you who have not yet killed your (unsupportive) significant other or children and have decided to not hang yourself over a messy house or car yet....I feel each and everyone of your pains and take pride that I can wear some of those badges of honor as well. :)

GO BLUE!!!!

Rich weekend

Jul 27 2009 08:16

Had a great weekend with my family. We were blessed to spend one day with one side of the family and the other day with the other side of the family....rare treat for us! Unfortuantely diet and exercise weren't the first thing on my mind. I think all is well though as I ate around maintanence both days, so it was far from blown. Our weekly softball team also won a couple games this weekend, so that's exciting too. Nervous, but looking forward to facing the scale tomorrow and seeing how this all plays out....

The positive reinforcement keeps coming...

Jul 22 2009 07:43

As if I wasn't excited enough that I accomplished my personal goal of 1.5lbs last week.....as if I wasn't happy getting back on track and watching my food and returning to my exercise.....

I went shopping last night.

Let me back up and tell you about the last time I went shopping for some jeans. This was the end of December. I was still in my maternity jeans, as I had been for the last almost 4 years (my oldest is 3, my youngest is 1, so once I got into those maternity jeans, I never got back out...those of you that have read previous journal entries know my jean and pant size struggles). Anyway, after I had my youngest, I waited 6 months and then decided that I should fit back into regular jeans. Read that, SHOULD. Like your body just magically snaps back because thats where it was before, without any effort or anything. Optimistic that I just needed a pair to fit between my maternity jeans and my pre-pregnancy jeans that were 14's and 16's (actually all 16s, I just had 1 pair of 14s for really skinny days), I decided I would just go to Goodwill and find some 18's. When those didn't fit, I sadly grabbed a 20. When those didn't fit, I couldn't bring myself to actually trying on a 22, mostly because I was sure those probably weren't going to fit either. This is what brought me to CC in the first place....I needed jeans.

I was so happy the first time I got back into some jeans that had a button and a zipper. They were an 18, but I didn't care at that point. Soon enough I had finally fit into my 16s again. Lately I haven't liked the way they fit and I the one pair of 14s I had for my "skinny" days weren't fitting right either. Mind you, I haven't bought jeans in literally 5 years atleast, so I figure last night I would go buy 1 new pair. I just needed a pair of jeans that fit my "new" body...you know, the one after having 2 babies and resettles a little differently for life.

Nervously I walked up to the giant jean wall and contemplated what size to grab. I first reached for the 14 Mediums and held them up. Realizing it wasn't quite reaching hip bone to hip bone, I somewhat dejectedly grabbed a 16 Medium to take to the fitting room too. I was really hoping I had got back to my skinny jeans, but wasn't too surprised.

So I go into the fitting room and pop on the 16s. Not bad, I thought, but lets put on the 14's to see how close I am. I thought I had enough room in the 16s that the 14s had a shot and, if it was close, I was going to get them and hang them in front of the treadmill. Amazingly, those fit! I ran out of the room and showed my mom, who I was shopping with, without telling her the size at first. We both thought that maybe they were a little long, so I went back to the giant jean wall to look for a 14 Short. Unfortunately they didn't have anything in that size, but it was okay with me! Without my mom noticing, I grabbed a 12 Medium and ran back into the dressing room. I just wanted to get them on. I would lay on my back, wiggle like a worm and suck in as far as I could to just see if I could pull the zipper up a little bit.....

No joke guys.....they fit. I walked out of the fitting room to show my mom and she says "Yeah, the 14 Short look much better." I asked if she was sure they didn't look too tight or ridiculous and she says "No, those look just right for you. Aren't you glad I told you to go back and grab the Short?" Then I told her they were a 12 Medium. She made me show her the tag for proof. We were so excited she told me to go back and grab a second pair, her treat that she would buy both pairs for me.

The thought of trying on the 10 briefly crossed my mind, but at this point I was already so excited and on cloud 9, I wasn't going to do anything that would take that feeling away. I'll go back some other day to try the 10s and see if I can pull them up my legs, but for today, I'm a 12......wow.

GOOOAAAALLLL!!!

Jul 21 2009 13:28

Good deal!

Stated my goal plainly and hit it head on! Weighed in this morning before Pilates class and hit 174, down the 1.5lbs that I wanted this week. I only managed 2 group classes this week instead of 3, but I maintained the 500 calorie deficit for my food intake and also found my 60 minutes on the treadmill I wanted. Looking for the same workout for the same results next week, except I'd like to up treadmill time to 75 minutes.

I really enjoy my group classes, but I'm frustrated because my child is not cooperating in child watch....I think shes just at an age where she is a little clingy and unsure when there are strangers around, but it's making class hard. Some of the girls are great and will have some patience and work with her, but some give up after 5 or 10 minutes. We'll see if I can't still find 1 or 2 classes morning, but maybe try 1 at night or 1 on the weekend when my husband is home. Defeats the purpose a little bit, but we gotta make it work.

I'm working alot more fresh fruit into my diet this week. Initially I cut out soda and then worked on taking out snacks like chips. My next step was working in more vegetables, atleast a frozen bag of veggies at dinner if need be. Now I am adding fruit. I find by making minor, gradula changes that it has made things a lot easier. I also was the type to never eat breakfast, so adding a bowl of cereal in the morning has helped. I still can't eat anything big because I feel "ugh" the rest of the day and even cereal has started to push it. I've switched to some fresh fruit, but realize the calories are rather small in the morning. I figure something is better then nothing, but I have to start readjusting a more proportioned allotment of calories throughout the day I think.

I really recommend the challenges to anyone out there in a hump or looking for some accountability. This Biggest Loser thing has really gotten my butt back on track. I'm hoping it lasts the whole challenge! Now if we could just get someone to update all the different teams weight loss and see where we stand....

GO BLUE!!

Feeling strong halfway thru this week...

Jul 20 2009 08:23

I feel great so far this week. This Biggest Loser Challenge has really gotten me back on track and it's amazing the amount of accountability I now feel even though its "only" to a computer screen. :) It's not like this people know me or that there is some type of penalty to me or even a dollar amount involved in being part of this challenge....just joining a group and putting out there exactly what I need to get done this week is enough to make me feel bad if I don't do anything. I'm surprised that it's working, but I'm thrilled that it is!

I'm actively working on the calorie deficit everyday.....I am aiming for 1300-1400 calories a day for food and have been successful everyday so far. Last night my husband ordered my favorite kind of pizza and I was starving, but I managed to only eat 2 pieces, which is what I had left for my calories for the day. (Good thing it wasn't breakfast, I woulda ate my calories for the day!!) We played softball with our weekly league and instead of slamming the beers with them, which I most certainly have done on occassion, I drank a bottle of water....and another....and another. Just story after story for what feels like every meal and I was able to stay strong this week and get done what needed to be done. Yeah!!

I'm finally getting back on track with the workouts too. I'm not doing the number of group classes I had hoped for yet, but I'm back doing some. I found the treadmill again this week 3 times already and got my 60 minutes total time goal done. I'm sure I can fit in atleast 1 more day before my weigh in too. I played in our weekly softball league and ran around some there. I parked in the back of the parking lot at stores instead of the front. I took small walks. I went above and beyond at work to do some extra lifting. I'm finding places and times.....may not be the most exciting or the most efficient "workouts", but movement is progress. Anything is better then nothing. And with every small step I take, I stand a little taller, smile a little bigger and get determined to go a little harder.

I'm anxious to see if and when I can hit the 160's again, my next personal milestone. I also realize I will have my doctors appointment come November (3 1/2 months or so). I am excited to get on the scale. The last time she saw me, I was way heavier. And shes the type of doctor who will notice if you lost 5lbs and congratulate you (I've done that before!)....it will be a great reward for me.

Keep truckin' this week everyone! "Wishes are things you want, but aren't willing to do anything about...". Don't make your weight loss journey a wish, make it a goal!

GO BLUE!!!!

Biggest Loser Reflections for Week 1

Jul 16 2009 06:54

I'm a little bummed that I only lost .5lbs this week for the challenge, but to be perfectly honest, I only focused on diet, so I couldn't expect much. I need to ease myself back into this and I will get back to where I need to be...

I do so good, for weeks at a time even, with both diet and exercise, and then decide to take a weekend off to relax and it takes quite some time for me to find my way back. Even though I have lost 36.5lbs since January, I often think of what it could have been had I stayed determined and focused straight thru....but I probably wouldn't be doing this challenge, so everything happens for a reason.

I want to clearly document my goals week by week so I can be accountable for my actions and remind myself and my teammates what the plan of attack is. This week is the first week I have gone back to working out since I had a slight injury to my foot. I weighed in yesterday, Weds, and my goals before my weigh in next week are as follows:

Continue to monitor food intake. I want to aim for my 500 calorie deficit for eating every single day. Days I workout will be a bigger deficit because although I eat more on workout days, I don't eat everything I burned, so when speaking of intake deficits, it doesn't account for extra calories burned. Additionally I need to start taking more water. I'll start with drinking atleast 3 glasses a day (too much water too fast gives me headaches, so I kinda have to build a tolerance). I have already cut soda out 99% of the time, so I will continue to not have that. (Actually, I have only had maybe 6 cans total since January when I started, so this is essentially a non-issue).

I will get my workouts back on track. I will do 3 1hr group classes this week (actually, yesterday I did 1 so I only have 2 more left). My group classes offer free child watch while I am taking the class, so I do NOT have an excuse as far as the kids go. Doing group classes provides some sort of accountability for seeing others in the class and provide some variety in my workouts that ensures I'm hitting all different muscle groups. I have tried Pilates once, which I felt was simple but felt the burn the next day in my core. I have tried Plyometrics once (yesterday) and while it was hard, I think I was mentally prepared for worse therefore making that class totally tolerable. I enjoy Cardio Kickboxing because I feel like I can get a lot of stress out in this class and its one that really, REALLY makes me sweat and makes me feel like I'm getting a huge workout. Finally, I aim to get on the treadmill for a total of an hour this week....not necessarily in 1 time, just 60 minutes total throughout the week as I can fit it in. I have a treadmill at home and when I was on it 2-3 times a week before, thats when I really noticed great success with the weight coming off and really feel that the treadmill is the secret for me. Eventually, I plan on getting much more time in on the treadmill during the week, but for now I want to start slow and make sure my foot is feeling better. I think I overdid it before and thats what lead to my recent break where I had to get off the treadmill and rest my foot.

Target weight loss for the week 2 weigh in is 1.5lbs.

I hope some teammates are reading this, I hope some of them also put out there their goals for the week. I'm excited about this challenge, the first I've tried, and really plan on using it to build myself back up and remain accountable for the next several weeks. My next huge "mental milestone" would be another 14 or 15lbs and it would be great if I could achieve that loss during the timeframe of this challenge, although I don't know if I have enough time to get all that in. I know at some point my weight loss will plateau and it will become very difficult to loss more, I'm just not sure where that threshold is yet.

Good luck to everyone this week on their personal journeys. When I'm having a rough day, I remind myself why I'm doing this......all I have to do is look at my children and my husband.....what's your motivation?

GO BLUE!!