Terrific Tuesday....

Last night I did the Biggest Loser Boot Camp workout which is grueling. You literally break a sweat before you start breaking a sweat. I cant begin to describe the type of workout you get but if you really want to know go out and get it. You will thank me!! I had the munchies yesterday especially in the evening hours after 8pm..go figure. My food intake consisted of:
Breakfast: 3 slices of turkey bacon and 1 fiber one strawberry poptart
Lunch: 1 turkey flat bread from subway w/ LTO, american cheese and honey mustard and 1 bag of Lay's Light Chips.
Snack: 15 almonds
Dinner: 1 healthy choice meal: Chicken, mashed potatoes (cant believe how much they don't give you lol), mixed veggies and cherry dessert (which I did not eat, I don't do cherries)

After 8: was craving bread and ate a potato roll and around midnight I had a bowl of captain crunch....I didn't have to do it but I did.

So back to my routine...no eating after 8pm. Other than my eating mishaps I had a great day and a nice workout.

See ya soon....

It's Monday...The Week Starter

Good Morning Fellow Followers....
What a beautiful day outside. I wish I could go for a run before work but that is not happening. I did my Monday morning weigh in and I am at 214.4. YEA...I have been doing well and it is showing. I am also wearing a size 16 suit I bought many many years ago but never got rid of since it was brand new and I had hopes of fitting into it again...I DID IT!!! Now my goal is to not fit into it...LOL I did not work out this morning since I have an unemployment hearing to attend for work so I have to be suited up and put on my career woman look ha ha. I will be completing my workout this evening no less. I am off to work before I am late so I will check in later and tell you about what I did for my workout.

See Ya Soon!!

Yesterday...

Yesterday was very complicated and resulted in me dealing with a lot of unneeded stress. This is the first time during my journey that I had to really focus and try and stay on track. I am an emotional eater and while my mind told me to eat all the wrong things I did not eat much but not good choices. I started my day off with a bottle of water and did not have any breakfast or lunch which is a no no. I ate a bag of Doritos around 4pm and yes they were good. Can't remember the last time I have had bad chips. I came home and had 2 chicken fajitas which I made homemade and 2 apple pies for KFC. I should not have done it but I did. I had all my water for the day and I did pop up and go to the gym at 10:26 pm last night. I had a very good work out but I am not sure my body was fueled enough due to lack of eating and besides the fact that I was just flat out mentally drained. My issue is one that will not go away over night so I am going to have to stay focused and make appropriate choices. The emotional excuse eater has to be thrown out the door.

See Ya

Personal Refocus

Yesterday I was somewhat disturbed at my 1.6lb weight loss. I know you probably saying your kidding me right. It is a loss. Yes, your right it is a loss but when I know how hard I have been working in the gym and exercising at home it mentally messes with you. I expressed my concern to my sister and in my expression I said not sure why it was not that much I have been eating well. My sister said what is eating well? I reviewed my journal and began to tell her what I had been eating. I noticed that I ate a lot of bread. So, I am making some new goals that I would like to stick to.

1. Limit my bread intake to once a day (one of the days last week I had a bread item 4 times and it was not wheat)
2. Consume nothing after 8:00pm. I did well with this in the beginning but looking at my journal realized I loss focus a bit.
3. Add more veggies and fruits.
4. Continue to drink water.

Hopefully this will make a difference in next weeks weight loss. My goal is to reach 210.0 by May 23rd which is when I leave for my cruise!! Can't wait.

Here is my food intake for yesterday: No eating after 8pm.
Breakfast:
2 Dannon Lite & Fit yogurts (strawberry & raspberry)
1 small slice wheat bread w/ 1 tsp of strawberry jelly

Lunch:
1 tossed salad w/ 2 Tbsp of Low Fat Balsamic Ving.
1 Fresh Fruit Cup (pineapple, honey dew, cantaloupe and grapes)

Snack:
50 Calorie String Cheese

Dinner:
4 oz Sirloin Steak w/ 1 oz of sauteed onions (I weighed the steak..gotta scale to keep it accurate)
1/2 c of broccoli
1- 3 oz potato (it was sooo tiny you would not believe me if I showed you)
1 tsp of brummel & brown (I put this on the potato w/ a sprinkle of seasoning salt)

That's all folks...and my water of course but nothing else went between these lips. I order myself some new workout dvd's that came in the mail so I will use them as my workout this evening.

Have A Great Day!!

Start Your Week Off With A Bang

It is Monday morning. I am getting ready for work feeling fresh and energized. This morning was my weigh in and I am at 218.8 so I loss this week. I think I was 220.4 last week so that would be a 1.6 lb loss for the week. It is slowly coming off which is a great thing. Hard work doesn't come easy right??

Well I started my morning off scrubbing walls. Kayla got loose and I woke up to purple marker all over the wall...UGH I tell you its my fault cause she waits until I am sleep them sneaks around. I told myself to purchase the ball for the door so she cant open it and I kept putting it off. I will be making that purchase today.

I did the Jillian Michael DVD this morning (30 day shred) Level 1. I will have myself another workout when I get in this evening most likely getting in some Wii Fit exercise.

Last night I decided to recommit myself to SPARKPEOPLE.com. This is a great website with a huge support system for weight loss and it is free. I redid my page starting fresh. I posted new pics, deleted all old friends so I can start from scratch since I have had no activity on my page in over a year. Refocused and rededicated to the cause. I encourage you to visit SparkPeople.com and start yourself a profile. Look for me on there and we can be Virtual Spark Buddies. My screen name on there is sglass1908.

See ya soon!!

Super Sunday....

Hello All....
It's Sunday and its time to get back into work mode. It is sooo nice to enjoy a wonderful weekend such as the one that has just passed. The weather was nice which allowed for the girls, shannon and I to have some great play time outside. We threw the football back and forth allowing me to run around a bit..and exercise my arm. I should have been in the NFL..my throwing skills are superior for a female. LOL...well I woke up this morning and this afternoon decided to get in a workout. I went to the gym and worked hard....nothing else to say but I did it big..hope I am not too sore in the morning.

Weekend eating is not as much of a challenge as it was in the beginning. Learning to see it more as a way of life opposed to focusing so much. So, here is a funny...I was thinking about sex and if it counts as cardio since you are being active. Is that weird I dont know but it was a thought. I looked it up and look what I found...

Does sex count as cardio? How many calories does it burn?

We get this question a lot. And we don't list sex in our cardio tracker for several reasons. For reference, a cardio workout is anything that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time, usually 20-30 minutes. It works all of the major muscle groups, and you should find yourself sweating and breathing hard during the most intense part of the workout. Cardio works large muscle groups repetitively (such as how running uses your large leg & arm muscles and swimming uses your whole body). Sex does not typically use major muscle groups (or at least in a full range of motion the way that these examples do). Cardio must reach a specific level of intensity, meaning that you must elevate your heart rate to an aerobic level and sustain it there—about 60-85% of your max heart rate, or on a Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale (where you estimate how hard you are working on a scale of 1-10, about a 6-8.5). Although you may be breathing heavily during sex, this isn’t necessarily because your heart rate is up. It has more to do with hormones and what’s going on with your nervous system. (Think of how your may breathe harder or feel your heart rate increase if you’re scared—that doesn’t mean you’re getting a cardio workout.) How many calories you're burning during sex really depends on too many factors. It's like asking "does walking burn a lot of calories?" It depends on your speed, distance, duration, intensity, etc. Now, if you really feel that your sexual activity meets all of these requirements—although I'd recommend taking your heart rate several times during it to make sure—then you could probably count it as cardio. But according to most calorie counters, the calorie burn is pretty minimal—less than walking and not much more than just sitting. Plus, how accurate is that? It’s important to distinguish that not all activities are a workout. Sure, being "active" burns more calories than not being active. But just because you’re burning a few additional calories does not mean you are exercising or that you’re receiving the same benefits of a true workout.

Based on what I have just read I have to continue to work out hard at the gym....LOL great article!! Well time to get ready for the work week..which means working hard at the gym since I take the weekend off.

See ya soon.....

Whip Yourself In Action Wednesday.....

I had the best workout this morning. I got up at 5:15 am and made my way to the gym. I got there and I saw a couple people setting up their bike for spin class. I said I guess I will go in and try it. I took a class last summer when my sister was home so I knew I could do it just did not know if I was physically ready because I had to stop last time. It was too much for me!! LOL My face is sooo comical I wish I could have seen me then and now. Believe me I was making funny faces today as well. Needless to say the class was AWESOME!! I busted my ass and sweat like you would not believe. I never gave up and did what they were doing. As it neared the end and it became a little lighter outside it was more grueling and my body felt weak but I persevered through the discomfort! I would encourage you to take a spin class if you have an opportunity. I am going to try and make sure I am up on time every Wednesday so I can take that class.

After the gym I stopped to get fill up my gas tank and got me some fresh fruit and a salsa salad to have for lunch. Not sure what is for dinner yet but I will come up with something, I always do.

Have a great day at work. Stay motivated and keep fighting for the ultimate goal. I am!!

Marvelous Monday

I started my morning off waking up to my alarm going off at 5:30am. I was so comfortable from my snugly bear snuggling me that I failed to get up. I reset my alarm for 7:00am and got up and did my Jillian Michael 30 day Shred DVD on Level 1. I swear it does not matter how long I have been doing this DVD it literally kills me and I sweat like crazy. I am going to try to progress to Level 2 shortly. I had my daily lunch time walk with Trish..thanks for the motivation!! Feels great when we are done. I came home had dinner and then did some Wii Fit workouts.

Today was my weight in and I was down again...I am officially at 220Lbs...YIPPIE... still have a ways to go but please keep in mind I was 234.2 or 4 when I first started this journey on February so I have come a long way. My next short term goal is to reach 210Lbs. My goal to is to be at 210 by time I go on my cruise which we leave for on May 23. I think it is a realistic and reachable goal if I go hard..and I intend to.

I have been mixing up my workout outs and trying to keep it fresh and exciting so I don't plateau. I have been lucky enough to pretty much have a loss each week except for 1 and that is when my focus dropped for a quick second. I am starting to understand the need for my body to have exercise. I find myself doing something if not anything at all. If I don't work out in the morning I feel like something is missing so I make sure that I get my morning workout in.

I found an article about FITNESS HOROSCOPES so of course I had to read and post mine here:

Aries: March 21 – April 20
As an Aries, you are as the one who gets things started. Want to take a kickboxing class but your gym doesn’t offer one? Take the initiative and talk to the owner of the club. Or better yet, get the training and become an instructor yourself. You love to get things moving, and there’s no better way of making sure you get what you want than by doing it yourself. As a fire sign, you want inspiring and imaginative ideas. You tend to get bored easily, so mix up your fitness routine every few weeks to keep it fresh. Trying new activities will keep you interested, so when Pilates gets tiresome, switch to one-on-one at the local basketball court or start swimming. You'll keep your muscles guessing and see serious results!

I like my horoscope. I am definitely someone who takes initiative and I feel that I am inspiring. I also get bored very easily so I have been making sure to make my workouts different. I don't just do it due to boredom but I am a firm believer in muscle confusion and trying not to plateau. Your body need not get comfortable with the same exercises so switching up from time to time is important.

Find out what your fitness horoscope is and whether or not some of the information has some correlation with the fit you??

HEY THERE....

There has been several days in between my posts and I have nothing but positive information to report. I had a great five days of working out. I got up early this morning to go for a run but it was raining Cats & Dogs so I went to the gym instead. I ran for 20 mins which was longer then my normal time and felt good. My eating has been well and consistent. Healthy choices and portion sizes are the key. The challenge tomorrow will be all the candy that the girls will have. I personally will not get them any candy but today we did go to a Easter Egg Hunt and they received a ton of chocolate.

Did I tell you guys how much I love Wii Fit. Not only do I do my morning workout at the gym but I come home from work and spend time doing Wii Fit with my daughter. She is 6 and keeps me going. If she beats my score of course I have to try to beat hers so it keeps me working out harder.

My cruise is coming up. 42 more days before I embark on the vacation of a life time. I am sooo excited...Thanks Kim!! Cant wait to get some R&R and just enjoy life for a moment. I have been told the food choices are amazing but I have already made my mind up and I will be taking my workout clothes and hitting the gym each morning.

Thats all for now. Ta Ta till next time.

Tuesday

I woke up earlier than usual and was ready to go..to the gym that is. I made myself get in the bed by 11:00pm so I would be well rested and able to give it my all at the gym this morning. Again, a great workout. I want to thank my motivation this morning, he does not know it but as he continued to run he made me not want to give up. I had some silent competition and because of it I ran for 15 mins opposed to my normal 10 mins. I briskly walked for the remaining 15 mins of my cardio. It felt soooo good...LOL just joking but I was proud of myself for pushing through that last 5 mins because it was grueling and never seemed like it was going to end.

I received the Wii Jillian Michael Fitness Ultimatum 2009 so my daughter and I played around with that last night. We both broke a sweat which was good. Jillian is a huge inspiration. I see her telling me not to give up when I am at the gym strength training. I VOTE FOR JILLIAN...LOL I also got the fit board.

I am such a Biggest Loser fan...it amazes me how the contestants lose the weight so I tend to watch it weekly just to see what happens. I was on sparkpeople.com and found a interesting article that you may want to read. It is called 6 "Biggest Loser" Lessons to Forget. I hope you are able to access it. I am registered on sparkpeople so if you cant view it register it will be worth it as there is tons of information to get anyone motivated to get the weight off. Have a productive day! http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5138839745383985226

Happy Birthday To Me.....

Today is my birthday!! 32 years younger I am LOL My day did not start out the best. I must have feel asleep on my two year old and she decided to empty out an entire bottle of baby powder all over the room. Man what a mess. My morning started with cleaning, laundry now I am preparing dinner so it has been not so special LOL. I went to the gym and had a great workout. I had my measurements taken and my body fat measured. I also spoke with the worker who told me that he suggests doing 5 mins of warm up, strength training then do the cardio work out at the end. He said it will help me to lose the weight quicker. I am going to try it. It wont hurt it is all still a work out. I made my workout a little more intense and i felt great when I was done.

As you all know I weigh myself on Monday's and I loss a WHOPPING 3.2 lbs. I was proud of myself. My weekly goal is 2 lbs. This weekend was a challenge with my daughters birthday party and my best friend, Nichole had me a surprise party at the MOOSE. I had a great time. My eating on both days were fine nothing out of the ordinary except for a small piece of cake and tons of alcohol on Saturday but you only get a birthday once a year!! LOL

I am taking my workouts and focus to the next level. I gotta lot of work to do to get where I want to be so I am challenging myself mentally and physically.

See Ya Soon!!

The Start of a Successful Saturday.....

I woke up this morning around 8:00am. My girls are away for the weekend, I got up and felt motivated to go to the gym. I quickly put on my sweats and t-shirt, grabbed my IPOD and ran to the door so I would not talk myself out of it. I had a great workout. I did 35 minutes on the Elliptical which is my favorite machine. This time I tried something different. I put the incline on level 19 and every 3 segments I increase my resistance. I started at 8 went to 12 and every two segments I decreased it. It was grueling and I was a sweat box but I think I like to keep challenging myself and taking it up a notch. Every article I have read always talks about muscle confusion and changing up your workout so your body does not become use to what is being done. I did arm exercises after my cardio. I am on my way to get my hair done. Unfortunately it will only be a new do for 2 days cause Monday starts workouts again so I will be back to wearing a ponytail. Stay focused the weekend is always a challenge!

Feeling Successful....

It is Thursday and I have done well all week as far as I am concerned. I worked out this morning and did my walk with co-workers during lunch. I also had a healthy breakfast, I sort of skipped lunch which is not the best but not on purpose. Before I knew it, it was late in the day and almost time to go home and cook dinner.

Often I think about the music I have downloaded to my IPOD and if it is conducive to getting me pumped up in workout mode. Well I have found that majority of my music is slow R&B. I was researching on fitnessmagazine.com songs that are good for working out...I decided to add the link just in case you have the same problem.... http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/music/popular-playlists/reader-favorites-top-100-workout-songs/

This weekend will be a challenge. My birthday is Monday so most likely I will celebrate this weekend so the question is to drink or not to drink...Alcohol that is. My daughters birthday party is on Sunday so again I will be faced with pizza and cupcakes. My plan so far is one drink for my birthday although someone told me there is zero calorie vodka. I have to look into that ha ha. At the birthday party I am planning on having a salad and eliminating the pizza and possibly have a cupcake since I am not having the pizza. We will see. I will let you know how I do on Monday.

Stay encouraged over the weekend. The weekends truly challenge me. See ya later.

Wicked Wednesday....

My title is based on the way I felt when I woke up this morning. I had a WICKED headache. My alarm went off at 5:30am so I could go to the gym. I lifted my head up to turn off the alarm and get moving and my head was pounding. I said on no I cant go to the gym with a headache like this. I laid back down and then could not go back to sleep since I knew I should be at the gym. I laid there until 6:30am and then I told myself, if your not going to do the gym get up and do a DVD. That is exactly what I did and suffered through the head pains. I felt good afterward but my headache remained.

Today is my daughter Aria's 6th B-day. Yes, she was an April Fool's baby. I took her to school and dropped off cupcakes for her to share with her class to celebrate her big day. Aria called herself the princess. She is tooo funny but she meant every word of it. I came home from work and told her I was going to take her out to dinner and asked where she wanted to go. She said she did not want to go out she just wanted pizza. Shannon said she is the princess pizza it is...LOL So, we ordered pizza. I am happy to say I only ate 1 slice. That is not the norm. 3-4 slices is. I also had 4 pieces of boneless buffalo chicken and then drank tons of water to wash the evidence away...LOL My dad bought this huge ice cream cake. You all know what a sweet tooth I have so I did have a small piece so I will work extra hard at the gym in the AM but I don't think it was soo bad...Am I in denial??? who knows.

Some good news. I had my annual exam today at 11:00am. I had to do the unwanted and step on the scale. I was 224. I was happy about that since I was up to 226.8 on Monday, so I am at the weight I was before having a weekend to the left and totally outside the box.

Ta Ta for now!