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I decided to change things up a bit and instead of 100 days of exercise, I’m going to track my progress towards reaching a 8krazy kilo weight loss in the next 11 weeks. We are going on vacation at the end of the 11weeks, so it is a perfect goal date. I was finding thinking in pounds daunting so I’m changing my “framing”. In order to burn 8kilos (~17lbs) I have a few daily and weekly goals:
Daily:
Drink 3L of water
Fruits and/or veg, protein, healthy fat at each meal
Follow my meal plan paying close attention to portion control
Weigh myself
Listen to my podcasts
Journal progress
biWeekly:
meal plan 3 meals and 2 snacks in advance of the next 3-4 days so I know my calorie expenditure before I even wake up.
Weekly:
maintain an average of 4 workouts a week.
Follow a 90-10 rule… planned free meal 1 time out of 10
look for opportunities to increase calorie burn doing regular activities
Check in—how did it go this week?
So today, my goal is to do my meal plan… let’s see how it goes!
btw, yay for me, I managed to get down 3 lbs this week. So I am starting off this next 11 weeks at my first milestone!
I just realized I should probably join the 30 day food challenge too. Anyway… time to log the days.
T-81) Thursday (21.05.2009)
60min Pilates
She worked us so hard. I have never sweat so much during a Pilates class. My butt, abs and arms are still sore today. (~700cal)
T-80) Friday (22.05.2009)
42min Treadmill 3.5 - 3.8. My heart rate was around 150-160 the whole time and I was nice and hot and sweaty when I left. RPE 6.5. (~500cal burned)
I tried a Vega infused smoothie for breakfast (around 9) and I wasn’t hungry for lunch until 2 ... It was SO weird.
T-79) Saturday (23.05.2009)
Planned rest day… oven caught fire… spent the day stove shopping (I didn’t mention that on Friday my hot water tank went ... rusty water all over the floor, so Friday afternoon was spent visiting with the hot water tank installer)—also went to a kids birthday party - made friends with cake
T-78) Sunday (24.05.2009)
Planned rest day ... spent it moving in a new stove and dumping the old one (and going to another kids birthday party - more cake and nuggets)
T-77) Monday (25.05.2009)
Should have gone to the gym, instead I spent the time buying new pots for our stove as the old ones weren’t flat bottomed for the new smooth top stove. It has been a very expensive weekend. Also went to a party for my daughter’s Spark troop… a cupcake and a girl guide cookie
T-76) Tuesday (26.05.2009)
Back at’er - 60 min Cycle Circuit rpe 7 - I really did not want to go… but I did and I pushed myself and ended up really enjoying the class. I was rewarded with 2 people noticing my weight loss, which really encouraged e to “snap out of it” and get back to better eating habits.
Suffice to say life got drastically in the way of my big eating plan… I started my meal planning, but this weekend sucked rocks (or cake). Anyway, I am motivated again and I brought out my book and my notebook and I am ready to figure out this food plan business… tomorrow...in the morning
No kidding… but the sparkly new stove and pots keep me motivated to cook and keep things clean… which is a bonus!
T-75) Wed (27.05.2009)
Planned rest day - I did head to park with a friend in the morning and enjoyed the nice weather… a little walk around the park.
T-74) Thurs (28.05.2009)
60 min Strong on the Ball - worked hard
60 min Pilates - she is really pushing us, and for the duration of the class I’m wondering what I am doing there, but afterwards… it feels really good. I stupidly grabbed 5lb weights… she recommends 2-3 lbs. so I was feeling the burn. It doesn’t seem like much, but when we were doing supermans (where you are laying on the floor and then you lift your feet and arms outstretched, but you are holding the dumbbells) I could not for the life of me lift 5lbs an arm that way.
T-75) Friday (29.05.2009)
50 min on treadmill (5k)… mostly walking with a few bursts of running mixed in. It was awkward today because another mom from school got on the treadmill beside me and because I was desperate for laundry so I put together an outfit that wasn’t the most flattering (shorts that kept riding up, a top that fits decent, but while running tends to navigate Southward exposing my belly), then I kept trying to talk myself out of “keeping” up with her and then I caught the edge of the tread with my foot and almost fell of the damn thing saying goodbye to her.
50 min on the treadmill, ~5k (my goal is to get quicker and quicker doing the 5k). I was a little quicker than Friday, but my heart wasn’t really in it.
T-68) Tuesday (02.06.2009)
60min Cycle Circuit rpe 8 (there was very little talking going on)
I really pushed hard and it was the first time in a long while where I felt I could. I kept up with the “star” of the class (ok ... the star in my mind anyways), our circuit mixed in 1min weights with 1 min of stair climbing for about 20min and I never stopped running during the circuit. It was really great and I felt like a star myself.
Found out on Monday that I have iron deficiency anemia… a pretty common condition, but it explains why I have been increasingly lethargic, cranky and weak for the past few months. I am taking iron pills now and according to my doctor, I should be feeling better in a couple of days… I am so excited to see how much my training improves. I took my first pill last night and while I know it should take longer for a medication to work, today I felt a little better already.
Ouch… missed posting for a few days!!! Probably tells you how things are going…
T-67) Wednesday (03.06.2009)
Planned rest day
T-66) Thursday (04.06.2009)
I thought the iron pills would make me feel better…
I had my body composition analysis again today (every 6 months—although now I’m going to go annually instead). It was definitely better than a year ago, and my weight is lower than six months ago, but I lost lean muscle as well as fat the past 6 months and actually my % Body Fat went up (compared to 6 months ago...)!!! Talk about disappointing. I left the whole the experience feeling deflated. It didn’t help that I didn’t know the trainer who administered my test and she said at the end of the session “well I hope to see you more often in the gym!”. I was thinking “I come 5 days a week… how much more do you want… *#&$(#&$!!!”. Suffice to say it wasn’t the best for my motivation.
60 min Pilates - good class and everyone was late, so I almost got a private session. I think she was a little out of it too, because she was a little easier on us.
T-65) Friday (05.06.2009)
My daughter had a field trip so I had to cancel my gym session. I had a fun time and it was basically and 1.25 hour easy walk and the last about 20 minutes I had to pick up the pace (with a few little sprints) because we were walking a bit slow and I was worried about being late for the bus!
T-64) Saturday (06.06.2009)
Cleaning and shopping for friends who were coming for breakfast on Sunday)
T-63) Sunday (07.06.2009)
Planned rest day… had a great time with family and friends
T-62) Monday (08.06.2009)
Promised my daughter a playdate this afternoon so I had to cancel my gym session again, but I requested to do Wed instead. We’ll see what happens.
T-61) Tuesday (09.06.2009)
Unplanned rest day
My daughter has 6year molars coming in and so she was rather down and needed cuddling so I decided to jam on the gym. I think I was still a little blue wrt my body composition too.
T-60) Wednesday (09.06.2009)
Planned rest day… Super fun day having a playdate out in the sun and splashing in the water with some friends. Really great time.
T-59) Thursday (10.06.2009)
60min strong on the ball - Felt nice, I was missed. I upped all my weights and really pushed through it. Awesome job.
60min Iron Pilates - worked very hard, but because all my muscles were sore from the afternoon class, I was shaking early in the sets and had to take it easy. Even just bent over rolling up my mat, my thighs burned and my arms shook. My muscles got a real once over today.
T-58) Friday (11.06.2009)
I woke up and popped some ibuprofen to make it through the morning. My muscles were so sore and stiff. I couldn’t face another weight workout or even the treadmill, so I put on my swimsuit and did some lengths. I figure I did about 250m and then hit the hot tub and the sauna. It was great. Nothing like the pool to make you feel refreshed and energized.
T-56) Sunday (13.06.2009)
2.5km easy walk (a family member has juvenile diabetes and we were walking in the Walk to Cure Juvenile Diabetes. It was pretty fun) - Funny though, the sponsors were all blood sugar monitor/testing pharm companies and pharmacies, who would have the most to lose if a cure were discovered...I realize their target audience was there, but it felt kind of odd.
T-55) Monday (14.06.2009)
Unplanned rest day… a friend of mine needed some last minute childcare, so I canceled my gym childcare. She ended up coming in time for me to still go, but since I canceled, we decided to have her little girl stay longer for a playdate with my kids (sprinkler time). Hopefully I’ll find a way to make up the workout.
I listened to the MTM show this weekend and have a big click… I really have not figured out why watching what I eat would be important to me. I’ve heard Scott say I need a goal so many times, but I realized this time that this is exactly why “it’s” not working. None of my reasons for really making clean eating choices are important enough. At this time, with the changes I have made (no alcohol, no fried foods, reduced sweets, portion control) I feel like I should have great changes and I’m just waiting for them to come and prove me right… but it isn’t and I get this feeling of well, I’m doing everything right so… why bother… but I just realized that the why bother attitude is coming from the lack of goals… I have no internal voice/compass to fight for the changes I want.
T-54) Tuesday (15.06.2009)
60 min Cycle Circuit Class rpe 7
Again it was nice to be back. I had a tougher time today because I didn’t tighten my seat enough and it kept slowly slipping down making it hard to pump my legs without my legs and knees giving out. I worked hard, but I also did my fair share of chatting (hopefully not to disruptive to anyone else).
T-52) Thursday (17.06.2009)
60 min Strong on the Ball rpe 7
Good class - I took it a little easier because I wanted to have a better time at my Pilates class tonight than last week. I still did quite a bit of weight but I would rest more often during the reps.
I’ve been feeling really good about myself the past few days. I’ve been dressing up a little bit and just feeling a bit confident. I discovered I have a new mantra after the podcasts yesterday. I noticed myself repeating “I am a person who makes healthy food choices” in my mind almost subconsciously.
With summer around the corner, my workouts have to change quite a bit as all the afternoon drop-in fitness class are ending as is my Iron Pilates class. I have set up childcare for 2 days a week in the morning so I can either go to a class or do my own thing. I have also registered for a TRX suspension class (yay!) early in the am (not so yay!). I’m really, really excited about it… although I’m not really sure why. Just sounds fun, cool and challenging. Now they just need to get a Zumba class!!
I got to do Zumba while at my sister’s in February. It was fun!
How was your body fat measured? There is a certain degree of operator inconsistency if it was done by calipers (as mine is done). Maybe the different trainers measured differently. Hopefully your next evaluation will please you more.
Hey Joan, there are more and more Zumba classes popping up in my city, but so far, none at my gym. There is one at the gym up the street, but it is $50 for 4 classes… a little rich for my blood, especially when I belong to another gym - although maybe worth it. It does sound so fun! I guess there were demo classes at lululemon in a nearby mall last weekend, but I missed it.
My body fat was measured with a body impedance analysis (BIA) machine. Basically you stand on a fancy scale holding 2 arms and a slight electric current runs through your body. There is more water in muscle than fat, so that’s how it can tell the two apart. It then prints out a detailed report. I was told that it doesn’t always work great for every person, and that unless I took the test under the same conditions as last time it can be somewhat hard to compare. Anyways, I was expecting something more dramatic and instead I felt a little defeated. I think if I want a test before my next free BIA, I will do calipers/measurements. I think I just need to be happy with the results I did get and focus on that, instead of more little details.
T-51) Friday (18.06.2009)
My little girl had a school celebration so I had to cancel my childcare. We did go to a park a play afterward, but it wasn’t as much effort as I would have put in at the gym.
T-50) Saturday (19.06.2009)
Fun family picnic out at Elbow Falls. Soccer (not me—the kids)! But still a fun day.
T-49) Sunday (20.06.2009)
A nice 1.5 hour walk at the bird sanctuary for Father’s Day. It was overcast, but we still saw some wonderful sights.
T-48) Monday (21.06.2009)
60min Step and Pump class rpe 7
It was a good class and the last one until fall (which is why I decided to go). I totally hemmed and hawed about going because I find it a tough thing to get excited for on a Monday.
T-47) Tuesday (22.06.2009)
60min Cycle Circuit rpe 7
Another great class that is ending until the fall. I worked hard, but for some reason my stomach was upset—probably the crappy lunch I ate. I missed a few stations in the circuit and did most of the workout clenching my tummy… probably great for the abs… but pretty uncomfortable.
Now I’m just trying to figure out the rest of my week. I have a volunteer obligation at my daughter’s school on Thursday, so I’m debating canceling my workout on Thursday afternoon (my last Pilates is that night too) and then the last day of school there is a special assembly so I’m not sure if I have to be there early to pick her up (which would mean I have to cancel that AM workout too). Oh well… at least I can plan for the misses this week!
Paula, I have a scale that measures body fat through a version of the impedance system. What I’ve found is that it gives me a general idea of what’s happening. Mostly it tells me if a weight gain is real weight or water weight. What I have found is that it measures my body fat as higher whenever I am retaining water because I’ve had salty food. The numbers can move up and down from one day to the next. It also reflects whether I’ve been to the bathroom recently or not. So it’s a bit like Scott’s comments about weighing yourself once a week or once a month vs daily. You could have been evaluated on a bad day rather than a normal day. Maybe that machine is different but that’s my experience with what I have and I do get on it almost daily.
Thanks Joan! I totally need to keep perspective. You are totally right, I have no idea what the comparison is regularly, just bi-annually… not very helpful unless I’m looking at overall change.
T-46) Wednesday (24.06.2009)
Planned rest
T-45) Thursday (25.06.2009)
Volunteered for sports day at my daughter’s school
60 min Iron Pilates - Last one and there were only 3 of us. It was good. I feel I have a lot of improvement and more muscle definition. I really like what Pilates does for me and I want to continue, but I’m going to have to figure out how to do that (the class isn’t running again until fall).
T-44) Friday (26.06.2009
Unplanned rest - problems with coordinating the last day of school and childcare.
Hey Joan, I do have a Pilates DVD, it’s just that the pace on the one I have is a lot slower than I am used to in class (which makes it a little boring)… It will be fine, I was just trying to think of a way to “do” her class without being there… from memory or something… thanks for the suggestion!
T-43) Saturday (27.06.2009)
Planned rest
T-42) Sunday (28.06.2009)
Planned rest day - my mom brought home chocolate from Nova Scotia
T-41) Monday (29.06.2009)
20 min Treadmill (level 3 - would run every other 100m for about 1.4mi)
classes are over so I hit the weights
3x12x200lb - Leg Press
3x12x40 - Seated Calf raise
3x20 - hamstring on the ball
3x12x45 - chest press
3x12x22.5 per arm - one armed rows
3x10x20 - bicep curl
2x10x17.5 - tricep kickback
1x10x?? - Tricep extension cables
3x10x87 - lat pull down
3x20 crunches (different style each rep)
40min of my new dance aerobic DVD - rpe 5
it’s fun and Petra Kolber is a great instructor - really great cueing
T-40) Tuesday (30.06.2009)
A lot of muscle soreness today so I decided to cancel my childcare and just get some stuff done around the house.
Did do 10min of my new video - dance aerobics
T-38-36) Wednesday - Saturday
Out camping with friends - had some (what I thought were) solid plans about how I was going to eat and drink, definitely went off course and because we just did a bit of swimming one day and a little hike the other (and the rest of the time we sat around eating and drinking on the dock) I came home having put on a bit of weight.
T-35) Sunday
Planned rest - left over junk food from the camping excursion was consumed at an alarming pace and since we didn’t have fresh groceries, we ate out for lunch…
T-34) Monday
Now begins my summer of messed up workouts. It’s funny, I usually feel like GAAAK!!! I have to get back to the gym after missing almost a week, but I’m tired and whiny and feeling ashamed that I didn’t follow my plans on my vacation (I realize now they were hopes or outlines not really plans) so I’m seeing right now it would be really easy for me to just say “… you know what… I’m taking the summer off too”. But then I think about all the people who will show up at the gym again in September and I will have been there… maybe not everyday, but more than a lot of people and how I am feeling right now, about going back tomorrow, I won’t have to relive that feeling—or worse—in a few months. Instead I will be stronger and fitter, leaner and more focused.
T-33) Tuesday (07.07.2009)
TRX class (60min) - I think this is going to be fantastic class. It is hard and because of that I really have to focus and push myself. If I don’t I find myself not giving it quite my “all”. There are only 4 of us in the class so it feels very much like a personal training session and for the next few days following the class I found all sorts of muscles aching: lower abs and obliques, triceps, calves, hams, glutes, shoulders, chest… it is a really good allover strength workout. I think when I am a bit stronger in my upper body or lighter in weight, some of the exercises will be easier for me to do. I have trouble with planks and other exercises where I have to support most my weight in my arms. But after the first class, it seems great!
I threw in that dance workout video again for about 20min while I still had on my workout gear.
Headed out of town in the afternoon…
T-32) Wednesday (08.07.2009)
Out at my friend’s cabin by the lake. Late nights, but decent food because she’s trying to keep the food under control too! (Except for the long drive… I need to rethink what “road trip” food is…
T-31) Thursday (09.07.2009)
Still OOT… still eating well and doing some activity… unluckily the weather was poor for our visit but we did some activities like swimming at the town pool and bowling! Oh and up and down the stairs at her place about 30 times… that should count.
T-30) Friday (10.07.2009)
Home again (more rotten “road trip” food choices) and a bit of a recovery day… I slept in and missed my scheduled childcare… I really needed the rest though.
T-29) Saturday (11.07.2009)
Busy day… 2 birthday’s, a friend’s 2-year-old and then my mom’s in the evening. So I did partake of cake and fantastic meals at both events, but I also dressed up and received many compliments on the changes going on with my body. I realized I liked the compliments more than the food…
T-28) Sunday (12.07.2009)
Busy clean-up day—behind in lots of areas around my house and I wanted to get on top of the cleaning and laundry.
This week:
Workout vid - Monday
TRX - Tuesday
Yoga in the Park - Thursday
Gym - Wed and Friday
T-27) Monday (13.07.2009) - 30 min of Dance DVD… RPE 3
T-26) Tuesday (14.07.2009) - 60min TRX RPE 8 - Hard hard workout, but still great. I wish we had music… we are in a gymnasium, so the lights hum and people are coming and going the whole time. Music would help keep me focused. All my muscles ached for 2 days following and an extra 3rd day in arms and abs. He used a fitdeck today to pick our workout and it worked pretty good.
T-25) Wednesday (15.07.2009) - 5k on treadmill, upped the incline to increase the intensity and still did my intervals. rpe 7 ~400cal burned
T-24) Thursday (16.07.2009) - Planned rest (was going to do yoga in the park, but it got mixed reviews so I’m glad I spent the day having fun with the kids.
T-23) Friday (17.07.2009) - 25min on the treadmill… about 2 miles, but much more incline… tried one of the built in programs, but it didn’t work for me… it was an heartrate interval program, but I could never get my HR back down to the low range… I just couldn’t slow down that much without feeling like it was TOOOOO slow. After I gave up on the built in program, I did my own intervals again for the rest of the time. I then went back to the weights.
Supersets:
3x15x55lbs barbell squat
3x15x 30sec bird dogs
3x15x40lb dumbbell lunges
3x15x20lbx2arms one armed row
3x15x40lb dumbbell chest press on the ball
3x15x30sec plank
3x15x20lbx2legs calf raises with dumbbells
2 friends were at the gym at the same time working together and I noticed how self conscious I got at times. I felt like a gym rat ... I wanted to help, but had that feeling of “I’m big, what do I know about working out (or using the treadmill, lifting weights)… just keep your head down and out of their way” Weird… no pain following this workout.
T-22) Saturday - Planned rest
T-21) Sunday - Planned rest (did lots of cleaning though… need to empty out my cluttered garage)
T-20) Monday - Planned rest - spent the day (10-4) walking around the theme park in our city and going on rides… proabably a pretty good workout/healthy day—excepting the hotdog I ate for lunch
T-19) Tuesday (21.07.2009) - Ahhh TRX again this morning… Love it! after… not during… It is amazing how hard you work with your body weight and cables. I still need music or or the trainer to count or something… I try to focus on form and so I can’t keep track of the number of reps… he went to look for the cd player, but it wasn’t put away.
