Non Physical Goals

I've been thinking more and more about my goals. All of the goals I mentioned for the Hot 100 are physical /weight loss goals. I know that is my usual talk around here but I also have other goals too, that are not directly related to my personal fitness and weight loss.

Along with my Hot 100 goals and weekly weigh in, I am going to make a new small goal or challenge. It could be related to my physical or non physical goals. Just one more way to hold me accountable to the things I want to attain.

I really want to grow my relationship with Christ. Yeah I do a mom's bible study once a month but I don't feel it's enough. I need to learn more and nurish this relationship. I'd also like God to use me to encourage and empower others. I pray that whenever I tell my story people see that God is part of my journey and all the credit and glory should go to him.

In 2008, I finished my master's program. I earned my credential in school counseling but never officially earned my M.A. Why you might ask? I never finished my thesis. I have a lot of reasons I didn't finish - busy life, not a priority, lack of self confidence with my writting skills, and money. There must have been a lot of people out there like me who never really finished so this year, the university is offering a comprehensive exam as a final MA requirement. I have two chances to pass this exam (which is an essay). It's due in November and I haven't started yet. If I can dedicate as much time and effort to my exam as I do my health goals, then I'm sure I can get this done. Officially having my MA would really spruce up my resume and could open more opportunities.

With that said, I also have finanacial goals. I'd like more financial stability in our lives. I'm not working and my husband's job is unpredictable at best. I know God has a plan for us and it's a trial. We are hoping to become more financially independant and hope that opportunities fall into place. Prayers with this area are deeply appreciated.

Exercise today: Body Pump this morning, Zumba this evening.

I haven't done Zumba in a really long time but I went to be supportive of my friend. She an instructor and got to teach a few songs tonight. It was a fun time and I got to see people I haven't seen in a while. When the instructor said to squeeze your abs tonight, I heard a girl in the back say, "Abs, what Abs?, laughing I can't feel my abs!" Immediately it reminded me of myself and how far I've come. After class I made a point to go and talk to her and encourage her. She looked at me as if I was crazy until I told her how much weight I've lost. It's funny because I still see myself as a fat girl. I still weigh a lot. But I'm noticing other people aren't seeing me this way any longer, weird.

Big FAT liar

It's that time again, time to renew my drivers license. I didn't get the form in the mail and so I had to go down to DMV. Luckily, wait time wasn't too bad. But I had to fill out the dreaded form, you know the one that asks all your personal info: name, address, height, weight, etc. While, I know how much I weigh, I didn't really know what to put on my ID. I thought about it for a while. My last ID said I weighed 180lbs and honestly, one of my goals was to actually weigh 180lbs while the license was still valid. I'm so so close but not in the 180's yet. Bummer.
So with my new license, I thought should I put my current weight, should I put 180, or something else? After long though, I decided to put one of my goal weights 165. Yeah, I realize I'm still in the 190's but honestly I know I don't look 190 lbs anymore. 165 is really close to my goal weight and I think might be realistic for me to attain. Plus, it's doesn't sound obese to me for my frame. I think it might be my body's natural weight as it's close to what I weighed before kids. I didn't want to live with my current weight on my ID for the next 5 years. I don't plan on being at this weight next month let alone 5 years from now. So I thought if I'm going to keep this for 5 years, in 5 years from now and today what would be a weight I would be happy looking at and might seem not too unrealistic. 165 is where I settled. So yeah, I might be a big fat liar for now, but soon I hope to be 165.

Today, I did 45 minutes of zumba and 60 mins of cycle at the gym. I hope to get some running and swimming in tonight :)

It's only Weds.

It's only Weds and I've already worked out for about 8 hours this week. Kinda crazy, I know. But anything worth having is worth working for, right? And I can imagine it's going to feel so good, when this weight is gone.

Wondering where the exercise and time went? Here is the brief version:

Sunday: running 4.5 miles
Monday: Cycle + Running 4.5 miles
Tuesday: Body Pump + Cycle
Weds: Zumba + Cycle + Abs

I was at the gym for nearly 2.5 hours today. 2 one hour classes and 20-30 mintues of Ab work. I almost talked myself into skipping abs but then I remembered the way they look. Abs are a critical area and it's essential that I work on them so I did.
I'm planning on swimming laps tonight too, but I probably won't make it to the gym tomorrow. My great aunt passed away and I will be attending her memorial service. I suspect a lot of family will be in town and that the day will be full. I'm hoping to go to the gym early but if for some reason, I can't, I think I got enough exercise in to cover it.javascript:void(0)

My Tri is less than a month away. I'm getting more and more worried about how to pay for it all. Ahhh.. the good ol' money game. I'm hoping to book the hotel this weekend and register soon. I really want to do it but I don't want to go into debt over it either. So expensive to be active, I tell ya, so expensive. I'm not doing an event for the month of August just because I know the Tri is going to be costly. It will be worth it though.

I haven't swam in a couple weeks. We've been having major maintenance issues with our pool. It's a money pit at times. Thankfully it's up and running again now so expect to hear my swimming updates from me. :)

I noticed my blog is growing, slightly and I've got a few new readers who have commented. Welcome! I love new readers and I especially love comments. Keep them coming :) You'll notice I usually respond back to most comments. I'm one of those people who almost always has something to say. ha ha

skinny envy

Being a "regular" at the gym, I've had the opportunity to get to know more and more women. Many of the women in the gym are already friends or have known each other for sometime. I live in a small town, everyone knows everyone unless you didn't grow up here, like me. It's sort of nice to make friends and meet people, hear their stories, struggles and get support. There are a lot of regulars who have taken time off for summer and are just getting back into the routine again. It's nice to see them and catch up. It's kinda funny because I keep hearing how much smaller I am and being asked how much weight I've lost. I know it's not that I've been losing rapidly or anything. It's just that they haven't seen me in a while. But it's so great to have the support there.

One of my gym friends, who has been going regularly always comments how good I look and what a good job I'm doing. It feels good. She is such a sweet person. Yesterday she asked, how much weight have you lost now? I responded on not much lately, only about 65 lbs. She rolled her eyes at me and made me realize the "only". 65 pounds is a lot of weight. I know I've slowly lost about 10 or so over spring/summer and it gets me that I slacked so much during this time. I thought I would be at my goal already or **Really, REALLY** close. No, I'm still 35lbs away from my major goal and only about a month away from my goal date. Not very realistic I guess. I told her I was being harsh on myself not because what I have lost but because I hadn't continued to lose as fast as I'd like. Then I said, "Well, I know you guys are skinny so losing weight isn't the reason you come to the gym and just a few pounds would make a huge difference to you. My friend, who is probably only 5'2" confided in me that she used to be 230+ lbs and she understood where I'm coming from. I was totally shocked because she looks great. She is probably 40 or so and very nice, friendly and a beautiful lady. I've been shocked a few times by hearing skinny people who used to be former fatties. Just seeing their success is amazing and I always want to know more.

With that said, this morning I went to the gym and I had skinny envy. There was another girl there that I've talked to a bit. She knows my husbands family and has been friendly to me. She was looking so thin, compared to what she was. It's probably been 3-4 weeks since I seen her. She is a curvy girl, like me but much shorter. Her tummy was looking so flat. I was really jealous of the progress she is making. What a crappy feeling, I know. So I admit it, I own it I was jealous. But I'm glad she is doing good.

I hit the gym hard today. My legs, quads especially were sore this morning. My body was tired but since I dropped off the girls at school, I went to the gym. I did Zumba for an hour, the Spin class, then I worked on my abs for a while. I probably got in 2.5 hours. Now that I can go to the gym without the girls, I am going to take advantage of the sauna and steam room. We have a really nice sauna and steam room in the women's locker room ( I assume they have them in the men's as well) and I've wanted to relax and try it out but never have because daycare time is limited to 2 hours.

Fun fit friday

I had a great day yesterday. I slept in a bit and was slow to wake so I didn't make the morning gym routine. I had a lunch date with an old friend from high school. It was nice to catch up. Mariyn and I got fajitas for one and shared them. She ate as much as I did, so I'm optimistic I didn't over eat. I had water to drink. There is a natural foods store I wanted to check out in the same plaza. I'd never been in before but heard great things. I ended up buying Quinoa in bulk. It's the only rice alternative (including brown rice) Rich has liked or found tolerable. I've been buying it at our local store but I noticed it was nearly $5.00 for a 12 oz box. Yeah- that seems pricey to me too. So I bought it in bulk $3.75 per lbs. Good find!

Mariyn and I did some school clothes shopping. She still needs more stuff: shoes, backpack, clothes. She goes back to school in like 10 days. Not so exciting and it's still going to be warm here for a while. And well, there isn't much summer stuff left. It's all fall, and well fall doesn't really happen here until the end of October and even then, it's still warm.

Oh and the fun stuff. There was a Zumba "party" at the gym. Fun it friday they called it and guests were free. All 5 instructors taught about 3 sounds each, there were prizes and fruit treys. It was a lot of fun. A few of the instructors are new, and one, Julia I hadn't seen in a long time. She subbed for other instructors but didn't have her own class at our gym until recently. She asked a question about one of the new instructors and I told her she had taken over Adrianna's class. Then she says, "I think I remember you. Wow, you've really lost a lot of weight!" Yeah about 65lbs I told her. She was really amazed and well, yeah made me realize how fat I was. The first time she subbed was probably in October or November. I could barely keep up in her class, correction I wasn't keeping up with her class but trying my best. She is very fast paced and I swore she was a monster. A while later she came back and I could keep up, easily. She was friendly and we talked for a while. She was really shocked that I was the same person. I don't do zumba very often anymore but it really did help me get on the right track with fitness and exercise.

The girls and I came home and I got ready for a girls night out with my friends. It was a food fest and we played games complete with alcoholic beverages and lots of girl talk. My friend brought Strawberrys with this sweet cream. So delish. I totally over ate and am feeling bloated and gassy today. Nice, I know. . Oh and one of the best parts, I was kid free. My girls stayed with my siter and enjoyed time with their cousins.

I didn't get home until after 2 am. So of course, today, I'm tired but bound to do something productive.

Skipping Two Days

Skipped two day blogging - but don't worry. I still made it to the gym and ate how I should. Well, sort of. Thursday I did Zumba then took the girls on a bike ride. I was pretty warn out and I've worked out hard this week. I made the most delicious chicken kabobs for dinner and because it took longer than I had expected, we got a late start on our bike ride. I let Mariyn take her friends along, all the girls had fun. It's really neat to watch them in excitement because we are cruising the neighborhood and they have their own sense of freedom when riding the bikes. Going down the hills, the girls and I were hollaring - WWOOOO Hoooo. It was really fun.

Friday I ended up babysitting for my husbands friend. His three kids got here just before 6 am bright eyed and bushey tailed. Let me tell you, I am NOT a morning person and getting up with those kids was really hard. Around 10 am, I took the kids to the park. Some guy, drove by and hollered at me - not once but twice. Mind you, I'm in a small neighborhood park with 4 kids in my warm ups and a tee shirt. After about 20 minutes the kids were bored w/ playing at the park. Until, we decided to play duck duck goose. Yeah I said we, I played too. ha ha I got a few strange looks from other parents but you know, I'm just glad I CAN run around and play with the kids, even if I do look a little silly. ha ha

After, I picked Mariyn up from VBS we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming. My nieces and nephews came over and at one time I had 10 kids here! It really was a crazy day. I didn't end up making it to the gym but I'm sure I got my exercise in for the day.

Tonight I am looking forward to my next 5K. It's in about 5 hours and I'm excited. I got a new tank top today. More to come regarding thoughts on clothes and shorts....

Emo

Yeah - I was very emotional all day. I just sort of needed to be left alone to deal with my thoughts and emotions. I took a lot of them out on food... -ugh! Just when I thought I was doing better with my emotional eating. Old habits kick in again.

We had taco bell for dinner. Yeah I know, I know ::hangs head::: I'm cooking tomorrow night, I swear. Good news, I made it to the gym tonight. I did Zumba, it's a fun sort of pick me up kind of class. I figured it would get my exercise in and hopefully my mood will improve too. I believe in my heart that even though I'm down and out, God is really good. Things could be worse, a whole lot worse and I am truly blessed. It's just shaking the human part, the emotional part of rejection and having unfortunate things (trials if you will)happen. They say things come in threes and well, in the last two days I've had 3 negative things happen. So hopefully, I'm over it for a while.

After Zumba, I talked to one of my gym friends and we decided to go running together tonight. Rich was off so it happened to work out perfectly. It's been a while since I've gone running outside. Probably since my last 5K. The Valley heat is insane and unbearable to run, during the days at least. Who wants to run when it's 100 degrees outside. Umm no thank you! LOL I needed the time alone (by that Iu mean away from the kids and hubby) to reflect and just get this emotional bagage out of my heart and off my mind. Anyways, we got in a full 3 miles! I feel a lot better too. Maybe it will counter balance the junk food I ate earlier? Maybe, lol. Maybe, not!

My next running event has been decided. June 24th the Davisvillle Moo-nlight Half Mararthon and 5K. I really want to do the half marathon, but it's $50. The 5K is only $25. A few of my friends say that want to run it too, so we are probably going to do the 5K together. It looks like a really good -and fun- event! Something to look forward too.

Philippians 4:6-20
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Contest Results

Since my morning workout got cut short and because I was feeling down, I went back to the gym tonight. I haven't done Zumba in a few weeks and I do enjoy the Tuesday night class. I have a lot of gym friends who go at night, probably more than I do during the day. It's nice to see them all and I do miss Zumba even though I know it's not as challenging as my other classes.

I've been doing some thinking today, trying not to beat myself up but figure out what exactly is going on with my weight. Part of it maybe a plateau but I really think I've gotten a little bit more linnet with everything. A little less strict with my workouts - going through the motions instead of poised and focused. A little less strict with my diet - there was absolutely no cheating before and now this weekend I ate a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's. We've gradually been eating out more frequently. All these things would be fine, if I was at my goal weight but let's face it, I'm not. Maintaining this weight is not an option. I've still got a minimum of 40 lbs I want to lose.

The Gold's Gym National Contest winners were announced today. I don't think my gym even officially decided a winner to submit. Every time I asked who won, all they said was we haven't decided yet. :/ I doubt I would have won the national contest regardless, the girl in my age bracket did phenomenal. I'm going to post her picture for motivation. While I lost 30 lbs it says she lost 40. To be honest, I think I look closer to her before picture than her after! Here is to my motivation in the next 12 weeks - What a transformation! WOW!

If you're interested you can view all the contest winners on facebook at this link. Many of the winners look like entirely different people. So amazing what can be done in 12 weeks. I'm proud of my own transformation but still a work in progress.


For the record:

Breakfast - Protein w/ Soy Milk & Banana
Snack - Pistachios
Lunch - Quesadilla (whole wheat tortialla, cheese and chipotle veggie burger patty)
Dinner - Stir Fry w/ rice

Goals Re-Revisited

Goals: I've always been a determined personality. I focus on a goal and really push myself to achieving it with everything I have. It's really benefited me so much in life. Yesterday, I interviewed for a job that I would really like to have, it pays good, it's what I went to school for and it's in my home town. I was 1 of 490 applicants, 1 of 75 interviewed! I don't think my interview went great, I could have done a lot better. But it is what it is. I prayed this opportunity as I walked on to the campus asking God for his guidance. I would really like to go back to work but I am also enjoying the time at home with my kids.

I am really rethinking my fitness goals to. I shouldn't really say re-thinking I guess I just need to re-focus. My next 5K is coming up in about 2 weeks. Mariyn is running the mile. I'm not sure how much (if any) of my running has improved since my last. I've been making poor eating choices that I can tell affect the way I feel and my weight. I want to stay competitive and focused. I've decided that on Sat. May 1st, I am going to re-focus and just be done binging.

I've taken it easy at the gym this week. I went Tuesday not Weds. Today, I had a great workout though, Clare and I had a gym date, weights and running. She ended up having to leave about 10 minutes into our run, I started to tell myself that I was just going to quit and be done for the day. Somehow, I managed to stick it out and finish the 30 minutes. I was proud of myself because I really wanted to be lazy and the only reason I made it to the gym today was because I knew Clare was counting on me.

I hadn't been to Zumba in a while either. I really do enjoy it and I think I've missed 3 weeks due to various reasons. Tonight I forced myself to go even though I did an hours worth of weights and 30 minutes of cardio earlier in the day. It was hard, especially at first. My body was tired but I remember why I go - I really do love Zumba. It's a lot of fun. I missed it.

We had Chinese food tonight. I was probably only a 4 but I was really craving it. Normally, it's a 8 or 9 but tonight just wasn't so good. After dinner, Mariyn and I went for a mile run. I was tired but she does need to train for our run, so I reluctantly agreed to go. Let me tell you, I'm already sore. I know I will be in pain tomorrow. Today I've done 1 hour of weights + 2.5 miles on the treadmill + Zumba + 1 running with Mariyn = expect to be sore tomorrow! More and more people are commenting on my weight loss. Even though it's been a few weeks since I've lost anything, it still feels good. I borrowed my mom's camera so expect progress pictures soon ;-)

Goals: get back on track with my weight loss and diet. Finish 5K May 15th running, Start swim training for the triathlon, 5K in June, find an event for July and possibly August. Triathlon in Sept.

Zumba Me Up

Zumba was great tonight, just what I needed a little pick me up. I didn't get to Zumba at all last week and I really missed it. I worked out my legs hard with the weights for about an hour before class. Then did Zumba. My rump was really sore from yesterdays workout. I was surprised in a good way. Change must be happening. Many of the regulars commented on how much thinner I look, it was nice to hear. Even though, I know the scale didn't change in the last few weeks, it sort of confirms that my body is in deed changing - getting more muscular. I wanted to try Yoga today but I didn't remember in time for this mornings class and I couldn't make the evening class. I was thinking it would be a nice stretch and pre-run workout. Only two more days until my 5K.

self-defeating

Today was my monthly mom's bible study - so I missed this morning's body pump and spin. Basically, I'm planning on flip flopping my Tuesday / Thursday routine this week. Zumba was good tonight... I didn't realize how much I'd missed Ana's class. She is fun, just not my favorite. Her music is great though.

I truly over indulged this weekend and it was totally self defeating in the weight loss department. The trainer scale read 213, the same as I was last week (on my home scale). I do think it's possible that I may have still had a small loss this week: I'm a bit constipated and I didn't weigh myself at the same time of day as I have been. But I know my loss isn't grand and I'm ok if I didn't lose because I know I indulged and didn't focus on my diet. Chaz, a personal trainer, told me tonight - you're body doesn't know it's the weekend - it doesn't take the time off. So true, he also said he struggles with the same thing, which was nice to hear. I have until the end of the month to lose this 13 lbs and get under 200lbs. I really need to stay focused. My 5K is coming up soon and softball starts tomorrow. I need to start running a bit more so I can make my fitness goal. I really want to be able to run the whole 5k most of all, I want to complete it.

Weekly Wrap Up

Monday - weights + cardio kickboxing
Tuesday - Body Pump + Cycle
Wednesday - weights + treadmill
Thursday - Body Pump + cycle
Friday - Weights + Zumba


I probably spent 10 hours or so in the gym this week. This week, I cut my night classes down to 1. Adrianna, my favorite Zumba instructor noticed I was not there last night and called me on it today. I felt bad that I didn't go but I really feel like I might be getting better results from some of my other classes. Zumba is great cardio and it's fun but I rarely get breathless in class anymore and often only need to get 1 sip of water the entire hour. I know I'm buring calories but I want the most results for my time spent at the gym. I'm also tired of rushing homework time, dinner, bath and bed time during our family evening time. I have to admit I feel a little guilty that I can go to the gym all day but don't because my favorite classes are at night. Next week, I have bible study Tuesday so I know I will miss body pump and cycle then, so I will be doing them Thursday morning. I still enjoyed Zumba this morning, it's more like a treat than a workout now. I am torn about cutting it out of my schedule entirely.

I know Zumba is has a lot to do with my success. I enjoyed it so much, I got hooked on going and made it part of my regular routine. As I've become more inshape I've been able to push myself more and branch out. Cycle has really helped shape my legs. I've always had thick gladiator legs and they really are slimming, firming and sculpting. I love it but I know I would have never had the endurance or confidence to cycle if it wasn't for Zumba. Adrianna is leaving this summer and when she goes, I feel that will be a good time to permanently part ways with Thursday night Zumba.

Softball season is approaching. We start practice next week. I'm coaching Mariyn's team - coach pitch and I know that will take up a fair share of our time too. I'm a little nervous because it's a responsibility I will have - sort of a test to make sure that I can still find gym time even though I have other commitments. I know softball will take up Saturday mornings and one evening a week - not too pressing but I'm still a little nervous. I'm treating it as a test not to fall back into my old habits.

Finally Friday

Let me start off by saying, I was extremely tired this morning from my extreme workout. I barely made it to Zumba on time. I was up, I just didn't want to function and it took everything I had to get out the door. I also did some weight lifting with Clare. I focused more on my upper body, my lower body has had a tough week already. I realized that I did both cardio and weights all 5 days this week. Also, since it's week 6 in my competition, I had myself re-measured and did a quick weigh in. I was 4lbs heavier than Tuesday. I'm a little concerned but I know my weight fluctuates a lot during any given day, which is one reason I've been consistent with my weigh ins. Plus, I know when I cheat and weigh myself early - I'm always disappointed. I did have progress in my measurements and the trainer seemed really pleased by the numbers. I told him my goal is to be under 200 by the end of the competition. Totally possible, if I stay on track.

I keep hearing and reading about your caloric deficiencies as it relates to weight loss. I've cut my diet back so much. I honestly, can't see anything else to cut out. I no longer have dairy milk, just soy. I drink just water all day, a diet squirt on occasion. My breakfast is a protein shake and a banana. I eat a salad just about everyday for lunch. Dinner is fairly normal but smaller portions and low carbs over all. I might have a few small but healthy snacks every day. I'm starting to wonder if I am creating too big of a calorie deficit and my body is holding on to the calories? I know there are many times I wait too long to eat and end up getting a major headache or sluggish feeling. It happened again tonight actually. Who knows? I'm probably only thinking this because I weighed more today but it is an idea that is running around in my head...

Another week down!

I had a productive week at the gym. Clare and I worked out together today, weights followed by Zumba, finishing with Ab work for me. I pushed myself hard today - despite it being Friday my "easy" day. We put in about 2 hours at the gym today. I feel good though.

I'm looking forward to the weekend but I know I have a few obstacles. Tonight I am going to a Nutrition conference in Sacramento. I'm looking forward to it BUT I know dinner is going to be rushed. I'll probably eat out and I am going to have to make a good choice. Saturday is a family day. I'm planning on sticking around at home. Sunday I will be going to my aunt's and I get to see Adrienne and my cousins. I'm staying the night and I want to be back in time to go to Cardio Kickboxing on Monday. Sounds easy enough but I know the weekend will be busy and it's easy to be enticed to eat unhealthy. My goal: remain strong and maintain my hard work and efforts put in at the gym this week. I've already told my aunt I want to eat healthy. I know if Adrienne and I stick to our plans we will be fine but I also know the Osuna's love food and always have scrumptious goodies around. When I talked to my aunt and made plans, I asked her if we could eat healthy and do something active during my visit. She knows how hard I've been trying to lose weight (and Adrienne too) so I think that will help. LOL Is it bad that I worry about my food temptations for the entire weekend? I really think about the hurdles that I may face and attempt to plan to overcome them before they too enticing.

There is chocolate cake in my microwave calling my name - and I'm not giving in. It's only one piece... the last piece then this awful temptation will be out of my house. I'm sure Richard will eat it tonight.

I'm a bit tired. Clare and I worked out together today. We did about an hour of weights and 30 minutes of cardio. Because the cardio cinema is still broken, we ran the treadmills out on the gym floor. I suggested to the manager that they purchase two bulbs for the projector so the cinema doesn't have so much down time next time. Anyways, I ran really well today. I told Clare about my 8 mins of running last night and she challenged me to do 9 minutes today. I was just hoping to meet my time! Guess what though, I ran for 10 minutes straight! I was so proud of myself and I'm seeing so many improvements in myself. The treadmills on the gym floor are a bit more technical than the one's in the cinema. I set my course to run a 5k, just because I need to prepare myself for the real thing. I knew I was only doing 30 minutes of cardio - I didn't have time to do any extra. I ended up finishing at 2.11 miles, in the 30 minutes. 1 mile short of the completed 5K. I'm very optimistic that I can physically complete the entire 5K. Obviously, I can't run it all yet but each time I run I get a little bit better.

I've noticed the incident at the gym last week has caused a bit of tension in the daycare. I immediately noticed the employees interacting more with the kids. I just feel different now when I drop off Amelia. The supervisor knows I complained but I told her I was going to and that it wasn't personal that I disagree with the policy. I swear she avoids me or conversation with me now. To me it's obvious because she used to talk a lot to me. I've wanted to talk to her about the situation but I haven't been able to because she avoids me so. On Thursday when Amelia returned to daycare. I felt awkward tension. She was on the phone when I dropped her off. When I came back, she was gone for the day. There have been several incidents that lead me to believe she is avoiding me and it's just a complete 180 change from how she treated me previously. Obviously, I'd like to not have issues but at this point I'm not really sure what to do.

On a more positive note...You know you're a gym rat when... you work out really hard and you go back for more. The teacher doing cross walk duty not only recognizes you from the gym but asks if the instructor is going to be teaching at the gym. Not to mention, you've already gone to the gym but are still wearing you gym clothes. Yes, I wear mine everywhere but I'm going back to the gym tonight - for Zumba. Zumba doesn't even seem like exercise, it's just fun. I can't justify missing it because I enjoy it so much and I am only doing 2 night classes a week.

Fun Friday

Friday morning Zumba is always a treat. I swear I love the class so much that I don't even think of it as working out, even though I am dripping with sweat. Then Clare and I met to hit up the weights. Thinking about it, I've done some type of weight training all 5 days this week. I'm ready to give my body a break and relax this weekend.



I ran out of soy milk and I wanted to make sure I have some for tomorrow. During my calorie counting expedition, I've noticed that some items differ in calories from brand to brand and since I'm new to soy milk, I wanted to sample a few different varieties. I know a lot of people who drink Almond Milk as well. So, I ended up studying all types of "alternative" milk in the store today and decided to try 4. I came home and taste tested them all. Each one had it's own flavor. The Vanilla Almond milk was surprisingly sweet but I think I prefer the Soy Vanilla all seemed good though. I am ok with giving up cows milk for myself. It's a lot of calories and I swear my stomach just feels a bit flatter this week and less gassy. I'm experimenting for myself but so far, it seems like a welcome and easy switch. Do you drink any sort of milk alternatives? If so, what's your favorite?

2-4-10

I finished reading The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl today. It was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to loose weight. You will find things you can relate to, laugh and possibly even gain a new perspective on dieting. Today was supposed to be a cleaning day, but I stayed in my jammies reading until after noon. Then I made lunch and it was time to get Mariyn. I really need to be more scheduled and focused. Right now the only thing I am really focused on is diet and exercise.

Most of my regular clothes are now too big for me. I'm down to two pairs of slacks and my gym clothes. Today, I wore my black and white Adidas outfit (the size medium one). When I bought it - it fit but was snug. Wearing it today, I noticed the legs are starting to have a bit more room. Which I'm pretty sure is a result of all the body pump, spin and running I've been doing lately. I also measured my waist tonight - I'm down another inch! 9 inches since I entered the contest! Ahhh... sweet results and it's not even weigh in Tuesday.

Tonight I did about 45 mins - 1 hour of weight training before Zumba. Oh how I've missed my Zumba. It's been a whole week! I'm glad I switched up my routine though I feel a lot less rushed at night. I do miss my Zumba though - tonight the class was packed but the faces seemed far less familiar.

Energy

Thursdays are fun days. Zumba with Adrianna is my favorite class. High Energy, Great moves, and good music. I got to the gym today at about 4:30, decided to hit the weights and I really challenged myself to add more weight on several machines. I set the intimidator to 100lbs. The intimidator is the assisted chin up machine, and whatever weight you have it set at basically off-sets your weight. So because I weigh 220+ lbs and I set the weight at 100lbs really means I can now do a chin up with the weight of 120lbs (a healthy weight for a person of 5'4" but not a weight I think I will personally ever see). When I started doing the intimidator, I started with it offsetting 140lbs and it was a challenge. Just in this short amount of time, I'm seeing huge progress. I strained my shoulder on one of the machines today, I'm not really sure what but it hurts.

Before I went to the gym, I was really sluggish and nearly out of energy. I could even hear the negative self talk in my head telling me I should take the day off, that I've earned it. I'm not sure if I didn't eat enough today or if I waited to long to eat. I had a busy afternoon, but I knew I was tired. Yesterday, I got an XS energy drink from my friend. Normally, I don't do energy drinks, soda, or even coffee. Right now, I'm on a water and 1 glass of milk per day (with my protein) diet. But it was given to me to sample and I was sluggish heading to the gym so I drank it on the way. It's a no sugar, no caffeine all vitamin energy drink, it tasted just like green tea. Bonus, it had only 12 calories! I didn't feel jittery or really even notice the effects until after I did my weights. I had a ton of energy in Zumba, much more than normal. Granit, I know I love Zumba and the endorphins were kicking in but I really did feel great. I think even other people, including the instructor noticed. Considering I spent 2 hours working out hard, I should have been tired when I was done. Nope, came home made dinner, gave the girls a bath and went to Petco.

Oh and I got compliments again today on how good I look from people at the gym. Feels great to see results and have other people notice. I'm trying to get Rich to take an updated picture of me so I can share. Hopefully, soon!

Another week down!

I got so much accomplished today - a GREAT day at the gym. 45 mins of resistance weights, 45 mins of Zumba, 20 mins of the elliptical, and 20 mins of treadmill. Yeah you got that right, I was at the gym for over 2 hours. My plan was to get up early hit the weights before Zumba starts at 9:30. Amelia and I arrived at the gym at 8:45.
I hit the weights hard. Then for some reason decided to weigh myself. While, I've lost weight, I was a bit disappointed. I know I shouldn't be and that it's not really as accurate as waiting until my weigh in day. I just wanted to know my progress before I head into the weekend (AKA the danger zone LOL). Zumba started 15 mins late because they couldn't find the key to the room. I hate standing around at the gym... such a waste of energy and time. During Zumba I couldn't help but think of what I did differently between this week and last - sort of a mental comparison. I realized I hadn't ran the treadmill or elliptical since last week. So I decided I would after zumba. Zumba is a fun work out, it doesn't even feel like a workout, except for the sweet of course.

On a sad note, my favorite Zumba instructor Adrianna announced that she would be leaving soon and brought a "replacement" with her. I'm not so crazy about the replacement :/ Adrianna's style and energy is part of the reason for my success. When I first started her class she said to squeeze our abs. I couldn't even feel mine! Now, I can not only feel them, but they are so much stronger.

The gym has 2 new weight machines. One that works the abs, it's sort of a weighted crunch and another that works the lower back. I did 100 crunches on the ab machine today. Considering I couldn't even feel my abs in October, I'm so proud of the progress that I've had!

When I came home from the gym, I made lunch. I had a side salad with the left over chicken. Amelia had a chicken Quesadilla. When I put Amelia down for a nap, I fell asleep with her. Guess it was needed - the rest felt good.

Adrenaline and Compliments

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush right after a good work out! No more slugs here today, I made salsa the other night and so I'm using it for everything. At lunch I made a delicious Salsa Salad. For dinner, I made Salsa Chicken that I found on this blog. It made my taste buds sing! Absolutely incredible.
I hate wasting food, which is one reason I'm overweight. I always feel the need to clear my plate. In order to change this habit I'm trying to serve (and cook) in smaller portions and actually USE the leftovers. I've been extra creative with my leftovers lately. Plus, I figure it's saving us money. Which is a really, really good thing!



I love my Zumba classes but 3 of the 4 classes are only offered at 5:30 pm. This puts a real strain on the family because of dinner, homework, baths, bedtimes, etc. Often, I stay after class to do the weight resistance machines. Rich sometimes meets me there but lately he has been too busy with work. Sometimes, I'll do the weight training stuff in the morning and just come back for zumba. I've heard that it is best to do your weights before cardio though. I've also been thinking I need to get a schedule down, and a bit of variety in my group classes. Let's face it, I could do Zumba every day but at some point you need to change it up to keep getting results. Which is why, I started the spin, weights and kickboxing. I know my body needs to be pushed hard in order for change. Thursdays are one of my favorite Zumba classes, I just love the way Adrianna teaches and I FEEL it afterwards. Often I am too tired after Adrianna's class to do the weights. So tonight, I decided I was going to do my weights before Zumba. This will allow us to be home earlier for family time but I was also afraid I wouldn't be able to hang in Zumba. It seemed like the perfect combination though!

The highlight of my day - several regular gym goers commented on how much weight I've lost. One even called me skinny - Can you believe it? I told I wasn't skinny but I appreciate the compliment. I've been working so hard and I love seeing results.