tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18792592276169600552024-03-12T16:54:35.036-07:00The Grass is Greener...wherever you water it!Trying to get a hold of my weight, my life and my sanity.chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-91544447868804619612014-02-09T18:46:00.001-08:002014-02-09T18:46:21.355-08:00AHHHHHHHHHGiving up the scale is proving to be difficult. It has been 3 days since I have stepped on and I KNOW that the number doesn't define me and that I really want to focus on lifting and health and how my body feels...but DAMN. Why does a stupid number cause so much angst. I keep reminding myself that I was able to maintain for 6 months by just eating intuitively and not even exercising regularly so eating intuitively (while making a few conscious cutbacks) should yield the results that I want. I think being heavier and gaining while trying to count calories has freaked me out I and really need to see the lower numbers to set my mind at ease. I fear that not paying attention to my weigh will have me back at the near 200 lbs point...but then does it matter if I weigh 200 lbs if I look the way I want too???? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I will not weigh myself, the scale can tell me nothing!!!!!!!!!!!chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-87072461842493820412014-02-09T18:38:00.000-08:002014-02-09T18:38:50.752-08:00Updating is not my strong point......as evidenced by my lack of posting here. But I do think that this is the best place to chronicle my experiments.<br />
<br />
So has been 2 years since I started this whole thing and in that time I have lost a little weight and gained a valuable exercise habit. I have tried several things and because I haven't really been documenting the journey I have no real clue what works and what doesn't work.<br />
<br />
I did discover that I am pretty good at maintaining my weight. From July 2013 to December 2013 I was between 180-182 lbs without counting calories or being consistent with my exercise. I was only exercising 2 times/week on average. I got a Fitbit for Christmas and based on the FitBit and MFP I tend to eat at my maintenance calories almost intuitively. However...I have gained 4-5 lbs since Christmas. There are a few things that could be the cause - I kind of went crazy with the cookies, cookie dough, and pound cake around Christmas. I have been very consistent with heavy weightlifting since January 8th and with that comes a bit of water weight as evidenced by my previous freak out.. I stopped taking the iodine/selenium/vitamin C combination a couple of weeks ago for fear that it was causing me to hold onto weight...I am up 2 lbs since then. My Fit Bit may not be accurate and using those numbers as the basis of my caloric intake is causing weight gain or no weight loss.<br />
<br />
Ultimately I would love to not be concerned about the number on the scale, but I definitely don't want to see it go up. It took me 1.5 years to get to the 180 lb point. I think it is best for me to let the scale go completely because I know that when I see the 170's I tend to lose my mind and eat everything in sight then end up back in the 180s just maintaining. I know that I really need to experiment with what works. and I need to document those experiments!!! For the next 6 months I will work on changing 1-2 things at a time and see how they affect my weight, my measurements and my photos. I will document here at least every 2 weeks.<br />
<br />
Not taking the iodine does not appear to help (gained since I stopped) so for the next 2 weeks I will resume taking it everyday. I will also work on having one low carb meal per day. I need to figure out if I am going to track in MFP...I know that tracking is not something I want to do long term and I know that I can maintain without tracking so I think I will try not tracking for a while but keep up with the consistent exercising (4-5 times/week).chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-51305243199424688902013-09-23T10:49:00.001-07:002013-09-23T10:49:04.273-07:00Day one<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>Sleep</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have not been sleeping well and last night was more of the same. I was having a very vivid dream that left me feeling like I wasn't sleeping at all. Then I had to use the bathroom and could not get back to sleep. I was definitely up before 6am not sure how long.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Supplements</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I haven't taken the iodine in about 6 days...I need to get back to that this week. I'm not sure if it is helping but I think tracking while Im taking it will be helpful. I took the magnesium last night. No stomach issues this morning so that is good news. Need to get back to the pro-biotic as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b> </b></u></span><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Workouts</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have not been very consistent with my workouts recently. For most of the summer I averaged</span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 workouts per week. My goal is to get to 3 crossfit workouts and 2 walking/interval sessions per week.</span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week I got 2 crossfit workouts and 2 walking workouts in so that's a pretty good start. Today we did the Lurong Challenge WOD 1: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of Wall Balls (12#), Deadlifts (75#), Box Jumps (16 in.) with an 18 min time cap. I finished in 14:17, I modified the wall balls towards the end because my started to seize up. We'll do this one again in a few weeks so I can see if I improve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Food (not calories just kinds of food)</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Been eating out quite a bit lately including lots of treats...need to get back to cooking as I am kind of missing the veggies. So weird that I need veggies, I almost crave them sometimes.</span><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></u><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></u>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feelings (body & mind)</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I feel lethargic, like I need to sleep for 2-3 more hours. My tooth hurts and it is causing my head and neck to hurt a bit. My neck is also slightly stiff...I've been trying to find a good pillow but I have not been successful.</span><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></u><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></u>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Weight (occasionally...don't want to focus on this)</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">180.0 this morning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><u><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></u><br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Measurements ( more than weight but still only occasionally)</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">will take these later in the week</span><u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></b></u>chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-28543247915992031782013-09-23T10:32:00.000-07:002013-09-23T10:32:48.659-07:00Keeping track of EVERYTHINGAs I get older and my body starts to do little acts of rebellion. There are soooooooo many variables that affect our health and wellness that it is impossible to make sense of the things that are having an effect without keeping track of what I'm doing and how I feel. With that in mind it is my goal to keep track of<br />
<br />
Sleep<br />
Supplements<br />
Workouts<br />
Food (not calories just kinds of food)<br />
Feelings (body & mind)<br />
Weight (occasionally...don't want to focus on this)<br />
Measurements ( more than weight but still only occasionally)<br />
<br />
I considered doing a paper journal, but considering how much time I spend online, this might be easier to keep up with...chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-2154332343718179292013-02-06T12:14:00.001-08:002013-02-06T12:14:39.984-08:00Adventures in PaleoI have written about my exercise ADD and my avoidance of any restrictive diets <a href="http://chayleah.blogspot.com/2012/04/settling-into-routine.html" target="_blank">here,</a> so when my husband came home 7 months ago completely in love with this "new" workout Crossfit the first thing I said to him is "I'm not doing Paleo". At this time he had no clue what Paleo was, but I had done enough research on diet and exercise to know that most crossfitters eventually try Paleo. Fast forward 7 months and the hubby comes home and says..."I think I'm going to do the 6 week Paleo challenge at the box". My response "ok I guess we can try it"<br />
<br />
I know right, I was completely shocked at myself that I was even willing to consider it and even more shocking is the level of research and preparation that I took on (I did eventually get tired of him relying on me for info on a diet he initiated and had to force him to do some research of his own). But a few thigs were different...last year my approach was everything in moderation also known as IIFYM (if it fits your macros) combined with moderate exercise. And while I managed to lose 13 lbs and keep it off, I still have and additional 25-30 lbs to lose. I know that counting calories is not a long term solution to weight maintenance for me. There is only so long that I can deal with the torture of daily food logging before I rebel (even with all of the convenient apps it is still a PAIN!!). So I was starting to look or a way of eating that would allow me the freedom to eat tasty food without the need to strictly count calories.<br />
<br />
Paleo has been that way of eating. Now I am not currently a die hard Paleo fanatic and I'm not sure that I am convinced of the whole ancestral, evolutionary, grains are poisonous aspect of it, but I do think the focus on eating real foods is a good one. From the beginning I gave myself permission to be 75-80% compliant (my husband is doing very strict paleo for the challenge). I didn't want to obsess over the fact that my salad had conventional dressing or whether I shld use cream in my coffee so making room for 20-25% "non-Paleo" insured that I wouldn't drive myself crazy and quit.<br />
<br />
We are now entering week 4 of the Paleo challenge and I can say that I can see continuing to eat in this way. I have tried soooooo many foods that would never have crossed my mind and I feel good about the foods we are eating. When I am eatig mostly real food, I don't get that super hungry feeling so many "diets" leave you with and when I feel deprived I take a while to determine what I'm truly hungry for and then I have it. I have become that elusive "healthy" consumer who shops the perimeter of the store. I am easing the kids into it - introducing them to one new food while keeping some of their kids favorites (mac and cheese...chicken nuggets) and they have been fairly receptive so far.<br />
<br />
The weight loss aspect has been interesting - TMI warning - the first week I lost 3 lbs. It was mostly water weight as I noticed I was in the restroom a lot more but not drinking extra. The 2nd week I gained those 3 lbs back but that was also my period bloaty week. The 3rd week the period bloaty weight started to subside and I was down 2 lbs. Then finally this week - week 4- I am more bloaty and up almost 4 lbs. Well week four did start with Superbowl Sunday and a pretty epic non Paleo day and of course there were leftovers and that damn delicious maple nut fudge...but not 4 lbs worth. (oh yeah then there was the return to weight lifting...even more water weight) So the rest of this week will be a little more strict with the real foods and see if I can get back to that lovely low weight I saw in week 1.chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-39163060429742074322013-01-08T13:39:00.001-08:002013-01-08T13:44:02.438-08:0020132012 brought about some healthy changes and a little weight loss as well. In 2013 I will build on the foundation that I laid to bring me closer to my 40 and Fabulous.<br />
<br />
<strong><u><span style="background-color: black;">2013 Goals</span></u></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"></span></u></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"></span></u></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"></span></u></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Focus on the Food</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: black;">I have resisted changing my diet FOREVER. I really wanted to believe that I could continue my old eating habits and have the body that I desired. Well I have FINALLY come to accept that the age old wisdom of you can't out train a bad diet is spot on. I also want to journal about how food makes me feel. I know that certain things that go into my body make me feel sluggish and sometimes nauseous...I want to work on identiying those. There is no point to working my ass off in the gym and on the trail to come home and fuel it with crap. I don't really want to count calories so I will just focus on less carbs more fruit and veggies.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Weights, Weights, and more Weights</span></li>
<span style="background-color: black;">
</span></ul>
<span style="background-color: black;">I abandoned heavy lifting towards the end of last year to try to increase my endurance...I miss it. I miss the thrill of being able to increase weight or do more reps or just feeling strong in general. The endurance is important too...and I am going to need it to compete in more obstacle races. So I am in the process of devising a plan that will include both. I think sprints, steady pace runs, hill work and weightlifting will work for me. I just need to decide on 2 days cardio, 3 days weights or 3 days cardio, 2 days weights. I may make weights the priority until it is time to truly train for the races.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;">That's it as far as fitness. I do have an idea of what I'd like to weigh...around 150 lbs. I don't want to put a time limit on it. Time limits stress me out and lead me to either drastic measures or completely quitting. I learned a lot about myself last year and building on that this year is going to be interesting. I'm so excited!</span>chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-77229744302083759232013-01-08T13:15:00.002-08:002013-01-08T14:04:48.997-08:00Thoughts on 2012For most people a new year inevitably brings one to reflect on the year that has just ended. I am no exception.<br />
<br />
2012 was a pretty good year for me. It was a little slower than normal with work which allowed me more time to focus on the health and fitness side of things. Although I haven't posted here in a while I have continued my journey to a better me. So with that I would like to reflect on what worked in 2012, what habits I was able to establish and what things I want to focus on in 2013.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><u><strong>2012 Accomplishments</strong></u></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;">Lost 13 lbs.</span></li>
</ul>
While this number isn't earth shattering it is a good for me because I was able to maintain that loss through the winter/holidays. My normal pattern is lose xx lbs. in the beginning of the year, maintain through summer, put weight back on in the winter. Starting 2013 weighing 13 lbs. less than 2012 is a victory and I'm celebrating it. I finally get to start a year without the baggage of "if I had just kept off the 10-15 lb I lost last year I would be..."<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;">Completed Diva Dash, Renegade Playground Challenge and DJ Henry 5K.</span></li>
</ul>
I HATED running. I was a runner when I was younger (and I was pretty fast too) but through the year (and weight gain) it became a chore and increasingly difficult. And running on a treadmill is torture!! I had tried in the past to start running...I have started Couch to 5K and never finished. I have tried run walk intervals at the park to build up to running, it never stuck. Signing up for the Diva Dash was enough of a push to add running to my routine. Sucking at the Diva Dash was enough to get me more serious about getting better. Completing the DJ Henry 5K and bettering my 5K time let me know it is possible. <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;">Became an exerciser</span></li>
</ul>
I am now one of those weird people who looks forward to exercising. I exercised on vacation in Jamaica...that is a BIG deal. I look forward to exercising and I miss it when I don't do it. Yay, I'm and exerciser. Training is probably a better word for it because I am much more disciplined and focused when there is an end goal/date.<br />
<br />
I also added a few healthy habits...more water, taking fish oil, taking probiotic, drinking Vitamin C Juice. These are things that I may fall off for a few days but I always pick them right back up.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black;">I'll outline 2013 goals in my next post...</span>chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-6872089909511479582012-04-25T10:19:00.002-07:002012-04-25T10:19:46.267-07:00Diet BreakI have a pattern with dieting and exercise. The bad news is this pattern is responsible for me carrying an extra 25-35 lbs around for the past 5 years. The good news is I recognize the pattern (acknowledging the problem exists is half the battle) and I am putting things into place to change it.<br />
<br />
I think I have gotten there with exercise...weightlifting is awesome. NROLW (New Rules of Lifting for Women) is super awesome. The first phase is kind of boring (8 weeks of the same, very simple workout makes me slightly batty - which is why I cut 2 weeks off this stage). But all the other stages are 4 weeks, which is PERFECT for my easily bored, exercise ADD self. Increasing weight is insanely encouraging for me and makes me want o do the workouts. I meet with the trainer every other week, which gives me my much needed accountability (this has to come from an external source-I suck at being accountable to me). The trainer thing has been good on so many levels - he encourages me to increase weight ( I wouldn't do this on my own), he helps me push through those last reps where it gets really hard and my brain is telling me to stop, and I work harder in my just me workouts because I know I will have to give an update the next week. It is expensive, but as I previously discussed - If we can spend $350+ on cell phones, cable and internet, then I can spend money on getting healthy and getting the body I want!<br />
<br />
The diet part is a little more tricky. I know myself well enough to know that doing anything restrictive is a recipe for failure (hence the only diets I have ever done are WW and CalorieKing where I can eat whatever I want as long as I count the points/calories for it). The hard part for me isn't really the eating less...it is the tracking. But I also know that I MUST track during my fat loss phase. I am actually pretty good about maintenance (except in the winter - I really underestimate how much less I move when it's cold outside), but to lose requires me to see the numbers. So the problem..I get tired of tracking. I can be super gung ho and disciplined for about 2 months and then I fall of the tracking wagon.<br />
<br />
I have been reading about planned diet breaks. Some studies have shown that if people implement a planned diet break (1-2 weeks) they have better long term results. It can also help with the dreaded plateau. The thought is it works because it gives you something to look forward to in those lower calorie weeks and that having a plan break makes it easier to get back on track after the break. It also helps combat the adjustment that your body makes when it gets use to the same level of calories and activity. There are a couple of things to keep in mind to make a diet break successful 1.) Plan the break - have a set start date and end date and stick to it. 2.)Try to eat at a maintenance level. This means don't use the break to eat everything in the pantry. 3.) If you have a lot of weight to lose, plan several breaks over the course of your fat loss journey.<br />
<br />
So my diet break extends to not only upping the calories a bit, but also not tracking. My time period for break is one week. The current break ends on Sunday, April 29th. My next break will begin on Friday June 22nd and end on June 29th. Hopefully these breaks will help me continue tracking for the long haul. I think it might actually work I took an impromptu break at the end of February and was able to get back on track after that so it shouldn't hurt!chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-54534757450653119652012-04-25T09:20:00.000-07:002012-04-25T09:27:19.993-07:00Scale DramaI pride myself on being all engineery and anaytical, but the scale reduces me to an obsessive moron. I have never cried over the number, but obsess and worry and eat cookies (or cupcakes) because of the number that pops up on that horrible little contraption, yup been there. That is why I swore off the scale last month...and then promptly reneged, not just because I have ZERO willpower, but because I keep reading fitness books that say you need that little number (or big number in my case) in your arsenal of measurements. Of course this is supposed to be taken in with the context of body measurements and how your clothes fit, but that number was my undoing last week.<br />
<br />
So back to engineery me...I am the chick that reads the "oh my god I gained 1-2 lbs this week, this diet isn't working" and rolls my eyes. Don't they know that scale weight means <strong>everything </strong>that your body is composed of, including the water and the poo. Don't they know how many extra calories you need to consume to actually gain a pound of fat. Well I have been doing NROLW (New rules of Lifting for women) and I LOVE it. Lifting heavy weights is awesome!!! But lifting weights can also make you retain water as your muscles repair themselves (chemistry stuff about glycogen and water ratio's and what not). So it probably wasn't a good idea to set my weighin date for Thursday when I lift on Wednesday's. Moral of the story, up 4 lbs at weighin. The analytical me said "it's just water weight, you didn't eat nearly enough to gain 4 lbs in one week" however crazy obsessive me said "OH MY GOD THAT'S INSANE, you need a crash diet right now, how about a cleanse, you just undid 2 months of work, you suck, weightlifting sucks- you must stop" and I proceeded to hop on the scale every 16.5 minutes to see if it went away.<br />
<br />
By Sunday I still carrying my lovely extra weight around and still freaking out about it when I noticed that although I had only had 1 cup of coffee, I was heading to the bathroom every 30 minutes. This made me completely estatic!!! Yay, my analytical brain was right, the water is finally leaving and the next day my weight was exactly what it should have been. Lesson 1. Don't weighin after weight lifting. Lesson 2. Ditch the scale - let the trainer measure body fat and weight once/month.<br />
<br />
I still struggle with ditching the scale. I mean how else would I have known that the crazy CATZ workouts that left me sitting in my car wondering how I could possibly drive home, resulted in zero fatloss (not just based on the scale-my measurements didn't change either). No point in nearly killing myself for no gain. I also would never have known that I lost 1.5 pounds while on a cruise (which brought about my new move more movement). I think now that I can see a consistent downward trend (omitting the 4 lbs of water debacle from last week), maybe now is a good time to really let go of the scale for a while.chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-43537218020278271602012-04-05T08:31:00.000-07:002012-04-05T16:05:49.873-07:00Goals Revisited...I recently read a book called the Body Fat Solution. It was an interesting read, it rehashed a lot of information that I already knew...the importance of weight lifting, not cutting calories drastically, increasing protein intake. My biggest take away was from a section on mental training. It talks about how elite athletes say that they get "in the zone" where it is like their bodies just do what needs to be done without much deliberate thought. It goes a little new agey with the visualizations and the law of attraction type talk, but something in it clicked for me.<br />
<br />
One of the tips was to write down your goals...1 year, 6 month, 12 week, 1 week and daily goals. That was nothing new, but then it said to <strong><u>rewrite them everyday.</u></strong> The reasoning is that taking the time to rewrite our goals each day refocuses us on the goals. It helps make them a part of our subconscious so that it becomes automatic.<br />
<br />
This really clicked and made sense to me. I have so often wondered how/why people (including me) can follow a diet/exercise plan for months then fall of the wagon and gain the weight back. I mean they say it takes 21 days to form a habit. I have done Weight Watchers and exercise programs for waaayyyyy longer than 21 days and yet I always seem to revert back to my previous habits. I realize that these changes are conscious choices and that we force ourselves to make them with an end goal in mind. For most of us that means that once the end goal is reached or we get tired of making that choice we go back to our subconscious programming.<br />
<br />
One of the awesome examples was driving home everyday and not remembering parts of the ride. You have done it so often and know the route so well you can do it without even thinking about it. But when you are going somewhere new it takes deliberate thought and sometimes if the route is similar, we end up at home instead of where we planned to go.<br />
<br />
It also clicked because for as long as I can remember if I took notes in a class, I rarely needed to study for a test in that class. It's like the act of writing it down made it stick in my head. Why wouldn't that work with my goals too??<br />
<br />
The last part was to frame goals in the present tense and as a positive statement. The power of words is amazing. Writing goals in present tense puts you in a mindset of something being doable. "I am" is sooooo much more powerful than "I want to" or "I plan to".<br />
<br />
1. I plan to workout 3 times/week. (this implies ifs...if work doesn't get in the way, if the kids cooperate, if I find the time.)<br />
2. I am working out 3 times/week. (no if, ands or buts about it)<br />
<br />
Positively worded goals bring about a feelings of excitement and joy. Negatively worded goals feel like a chore.<br />
<br />
1. I am going to lose 40 pounds. (makse me think about how long it is going to take and how hard it is going to be.)<br />
2. I will weigh 150 pounds (makes me think of cute clothes that fit well and not being self-conscious in my swim suit)<br />
<br />
So I'm giving it a try. It definitely can't hurt, but if it helps how awesome is that!chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-68364157093982916722012-04-05T07:43:00.001-07:002012-04-05T16:05:58.203-07:00Settling into a RoutineHave I talked about my exercise ADD?? Unlike diets (of which I have only tried 2 - WW and CalorieKing) I have tried almost every exercise program I can find (except P90X -not interested). So in the last year I have done Chalean Extreme, EA Sports Active 2, Zumba for Wii, Dance workouts on the Wii, Sports Conditioning workouts, and I even have a Groupon for Crossfit that I haven't used (crossfit scares me). Each time I get off to an awesome start and then something happens and it all falls apart.<br />
<br />
So why doesn't it stick?? I decided it was time to do some self analysis.<br />
<br />
I am too easy on myself. If left to my own devices I tend to pick the easiest path (which is usually not working out). I do better with competition or somebody watching. I am easily bored. This means that exercise DVD's can only keep me occupied for so long before I cringe at the thought of doing the same workout again. I am social. I work from home and working out at home makes me feel completely isolated. I HATE cardio machines. It is like a horrible form of torture.<br />
<br />
I like lifting weights. It makes me feel awesome, strong and powerful. I like exercise classes, the group dynamic helps me push myself harder. The set time makes it easy to schedule and stick to. I like results and sometimes weightloss and measurement results are slow to come...increasing the amount of weight or number of reps I can do tends to provide results more quickly.<br />
<br />
So I have created and exercise routine that incorporated my likes and eliminated my dislikes. I am doing New Rules of Lifting for Women and I really think this is something I can stick to. Seeing how much weight I can already lift has me so excited to see how much I can increase it. I also bought some personal training sessions. I plan to schedule those for every other week. The training sessions have 2 purposes...the first is to make sure my form is correct on these exercise, some of which I have never done before. The second is to have that extra push to add weight and complete all of the reps. I love that the workout changes every 8-10 workouts so that should stave off the boredom factor. <br />
<br />
I am also doing Body Pump classes and swimming. I'm using Body Pump for more of the cardio effect and the social experience. And swimming because I want to get better at it and it beats a treadmill or an elliptical machine. So I am settling into this routine and plan to stick with it for the next 5-6 months. I hope that putting together something with all the things I like will help me make this part of my lifstyle!chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-45425875650204495732012-03-15T15:29:00.002-07:002012-04-05T16:05:42.190-07:00New Toy, Scale Obsession & Some GoalsMy experience of not losing weight doing the crazy CATZ workouts yet losing weight on the cruise got me thinking about how accurate the BMR and exercise calorie counters are. It also had me wondering just how much random activity (non exercise) effects my calorie burn. So I did some research and decided to get a Bodybugg and so far I am really pleased with the purchase. It is AMAZING how much a little grocery shopping or house cleaning can boost my calorie burn!! Maybe I won't hire a house keeper after all. It does make me wish I worked at an office. I can only imagine how walking back and forth to talk to people and go to meetings would help me get to my calorie burn target.<br />
<br />
So after rescuing the scale from hubby's trunk I have been completely immersed in my scale obsession. I didn't feel like just tracking calories and measurements was giving me enough information and I returned to weighing multiple times a day. However I think with the Bodybugg, Fat Secret and measurements, I may be able to let the scale go...so it is going back in the trunk until April 15th. Then I will weigh & measure myself and see if the weightloss/inch loss is inline with what the Bodybugg program is telling me. Goodbye for now scale.<br />
<br />
So I still need to define my reasons for setting out on this journey and set some goals... <br />
<strong><u>Reasons to lose fat</u></strong><br />
1. I LOVE the beach and would love to take 2-3 beach vacations/year. But my jiggly legs make me uncomfortable in swimsuits. Can't love the beach and not look good in a swimsuit...soooooooo I want to feel good in a swimsuit.<br />
2. I am approaching 40 and it (meaning metabolism) all goes downhill after that. I want to be 40 and fabulous which means I need to start NOW!<br />
3. I want more energy, I need more energy, I will have more energy.<br />
4. This body is the only one I get so I need to show it some love so that it will last for the long haul.<br />
5. I am way to close to my 200 lb threshold!!!!!<br />
6. I don't want too look up and suddenly weigh 300 lbs. Losing 30-40 lbs seems overwhelming so losing 130-140 lbs would seem insurmountable.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>GOALS</u></strong><br />
1.Lose 25-35 lbs. I don't have a set number because it will really depend on how my body feels/looks. I don't mind weighing more if the jiggles are gone.<br />
2. Do 5 regular push ups.<br />
3. Do 1 unassisted pull up<br />
4.Use Bodybugg and FatSecret to create AT LEAST a 3500 calorie a week deficit.<br />
5. Swim 2-3 times/week. - Build my endurance to do at least 2 pool lengths without stopping by the end of March.<br />
<br />
I need to write a bit about the training plans I want to follow but I will save that for next time...chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-75433534746924198732012-03-01T07:46:00.000-08:002012-04-05T16:05:04.580-07:00RefocusingSo it has been a month let's see what's been going on....<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I broke down and pulled out the scale. Didn't lose a single pound in January.</li>
<li>I attempted to do pull ups in my workout class. My arms & shoulders hurt terribly for 4-5 days.</li>
<li>I lost an inch in my waist and an inch around both calves. I find it incredibly weird that I lost size in my calves...maybe I measured wrong the first time.</li>
<li>We went on a 7 day vacation that included a 5 night cruise (= unlimited food) and I managed to lose 1.5 lbs.</li>
</ul>
So the cruise thing is really interesting. I did not pig out while on the cruise. I had breakfast, lunch and dinner. I did not snack between meals. I did have an appetizer, a main course and a dessert with EVERY dinner. I was also wayyyyyy more active than I am at home. I walked all around the ship, did some swimming in the ocean, climbed half a waterfall, did more swimming and paddling down a river. I think the combination of all of the activity and the lack of snacking helped contribute to the weight loss.<br />
<br />
So how to keep this up at home??? I think 3 days/week of the fitness classes is too much. The calorie burn from the class seems awesome but obviously I don't need to all our exert myself an hour a day. I just need to incorporate more activity in my daily life. Those simple things like parking farther away from the store. Taking the stairs. Once it starts to warm up- walking to pick Kel up from the bus stop. I need to incorporate walks back into my routine. I also still would like to add more of the bodybuilding.com principles into my workout. <br />
<br />
I am going to check out the crossfit introduction on Saturday and do my 15 sessions of crossfit. After I get the hand of crossfit, I need to decide if I can add more weighlifting into my routine.<br />
<br />
I also think I'm am going to breakdown and buy a bodybugg or a heartrate monitor. I need some baseline for how many calories I burn so that I can figure out how many calories to eat. <br />
<br />
I also still need to set goals. I need concrete goals!!! Right now my only goal is to not have yucky, cellulity, jiggle thighs. The cruise & swimsuits and how horrible my legs/butt looked made me sad and ashamed. It also made me a little angry. I saw people way bigger than me with much less cellulite. Why do I have to have the bad super cellulite genes?? I hate it!!!! So I have to brainstorm some tangible achievable goals. I have the 1st one - 5 push ups on my toes...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-57213184283047673872012-01-25T13:44:00.000-08:002012-01-25T13:44:25.488-08:00Reflecting...So I started my health and fitness journey a little earlier than most. This year I didn't want to make a New Years resolution because for some reason that seems to create a lot of hype that is difficult to live up to. I started my journey to be healthier and more fit in December which means I have been at it for 2 months and I have been sticking to it for 2 months. I must say that I am pretty proud of myself right now. I wanted to document this and make note of it because this is the point where I normally start to fall off.<br />
<br />
I have been thinking a lot about what my motives are for embarking on this journey and a good majority of it comes from improving my body image - getting rid of the jiggly thighs, the back fat and the muffin top- but those reasons have not been enough for me to stick with it in the past. Weight Watchers works and I lose weight and then I get tired of the tracking and the planning and I quit. I have done exercise in the past and I start to see some definition and gain some strength and then I get wrapped up in work or schedule changes and I stop.<br />
<br />
So to make it stick I need a different motivation - health. Turning 35 has been a very interesting milestone. My body has definitely changed and not for the better. Things hurt that didn't hurt before and things just don't work the same. I want to be one of those women who looks forward to physical activity, who can walk an amusement park all day and go dancing at night.I had kids young so I will be 48 when the last one leaves the house and I want to feel good enough to travel and sight see and not be bogged down by my body. This is part of the reason that I wanted to banish the scale. I need to focus on how my body feels, how my body is processing food and activity. I want to be more mindful about what my body is telling me. I don't want to feel a headache and just take a painkiller. That doesn't address the reason for the headache - am i tired, am I hungry, am I dehydrated- those things are likely culprits but if not addressed are likely to get worse. Instead of popping pills, maybe a nap, a snack or a bottle of water can cure my body. <br />
<br />
I am definitely stuggling to keep that perspective right now. I have been doing a new workout class which is BRUTAL. I feel completely wiped when it is over (even jittery sometimes) but I LOVE that it pushes me past my physical comfort zone. However, I keep wishing that I had the scale to see how much weight these insane workouts are blasting off my body (mind you I have only taken 3 classes so I would probably be disappointed in the number anyway). So why is feeling like I just accomplished something amazing, knowing that my body is working muscles I haven't worked in a long time (I have felt the discomfort in a different spot after each workout) and the knowledge that I am most certainly BLASTING calories away, not enough?<br />
<br />
We have been so conditioned to measure progress by the number on the scale, by doctors and weight loss programs and tv shows and movies that letting it go has been much harder than I thought it would be. One thing the scale does provide is more of that instant gratification that is so prevalent in our society. So even if I can't see the physical changes just yet, knowing that number has gone down 1,2 or 3 lbs tells me I am on the right track - or does it. Would I be happier with my body if I weighed 150 lbs? What if all I could eat to get that "ideal" weight was fake weird diet food? What if I was still jiggly at that weight? What is I was that weight but had a life threatening illness?? I need my body to be HEALTHY and my weight is a small part of that.<br />
<br />
SOOOO I need to set some non weight related goals that should help shift my focus...chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-41674695936486842972012-01-11T14:55:00.000-08:002012-01-11T14:55:50.116-08:00A Little Perspective...So I had an awakening regarding health fitness and the almighty dollar. People like to complain that weight loss programs, gym memberships, and healthy foods are too expensive. That it shouldn't cost that much money to be healthy. I had the same reaction when I looked at the price of joining a chain gym near my house and when I had to shell out the $40 a month for WW.<br />
<br />
Then I thought about the $100+ cable bill I pay every month. The $100+ cell phone bill I pay every month. The "snacks" that I buy for the kids and the $$$ we spend eating crappy food on the go. Is my health not more important than all of this. So I have a trial membership for a VERY expensive gym (love Groupon) and if I like it and stick with it for the 6 weeks then I will make the committment and sign up. I am worth it!!!chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-88588296021926566512012-01-10T14:10:00.000-08:002012-01-10T14:10:01.832-08:00My Journey to fitness and health...I have been pretty focused on fitness and health recently. I do have some other life things that I want to work on - procrastination, being more organized, displaying more patience - but as we know trying to do too much at once is a recipe for failure (for me at least). So I will continue to focus on fitness for a while until it feels like I've got it under control.<br />
<br />
Sooooo I have made attempts to lose weight before and one time - before that last kid - I was successful. I lost 20 lbs using Weight Watchers and kept about 15 of it off for over a year. It took me 8 months to lose that 20 lbs, mostly because I have always been very honest with myself about what kind of "diet" I will (or won't) do. I am not one of those "I've tried ever diet under the sun and nothing works" kind of girls. I know me well enough to know that low-carb, low-fat, super restrictive, eat these 3-4 foods together, or any other craziness will last about 3 days at my house. I lost weight on Weight Watchers because I could eat what I wanted when I wanted. It took 8 months because I was not going to do something just to lose weight and not be able to do it for the rest of my life. That is the recipe for gaining the weight back. (Which I did - when I got pregnant)<br />
<br />
So my new journey to fitness and health started in January of 2011. After an interstate move I found that the weight I had been maintaining for a couple of years had increased by 10 lbs. So I decided to go back to the thing that worked in the past - Weight Watchers- and I was incredibly excited about the new Points Plus program. I did WW for a few months and lost about 8 lbs and then I lost my mojo and even an upcoming trip to Aruba couldn't get me back on track. I started to track WW points along with calories and realized that I was only eating 1200 calories a day. I don't want to ONLY eat 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life. Do you know how fast 1200 calories goes??<br />
.<br />
During this time I started to get more interested in the health aspects of food. I watched Food, Inc, Food Matters and any other food related documentary I could get my hands (remote) on. I found that while the things that I saw disturbed me and changed the way that I thought about my local grocery store, the cost prohibitive nature of natural and organic products was difficult to overcome. I am also a bit of a skeptic when it comes to product claims. I worked in a deptartement where it was my job to design product testing and I know first hand that it is possible to design the test to get the claim you want. I also know that a lot of things that aren't good for you can be consider "all natural" and I just wasn't ready to pay a premium price for something that may or may not have been a premium product. <br />
<br />
So I did a little more research and found that the food at the mecca of the natural, organic grocers -Whole Foods - was really just a step up from my regular grocery store and did not justify the exorbitant prices they were charging (go ask someone at Whole Foods where the pasture raised chicken is *hint there is none*). You have to carefully read the labels there because they do have conventionally grown foods there - at a significant mark up.<br />
<br />
So instead I have been doing a slow conversion. The first substitute was whole wheat bread - I try to buy the brands that don't contain high fructose corn syrup. Then I swapped out the white flour pasta for whole wheat pasta - If you cook it a little longer, the texture difference is negligable. Then I moved on to brown rice - I have found that the Brown Jasmine Rice from Trader Joe's has a pleasant texture. (I mention texture because that is always the biggest complaint when switching from refined white products) I have started to experiment with grassfed beef and pasture raised chicken. I wish there was somewhere local that was reasonably priced but I will likely reorder from Baucoms Best again. I am also experimenting with fruit and veggie smoothies.<br />
<br />
I had a fitness revolution as well... I HATE CARDIO. I detest sitting on a bike, walking on a treadmill, step aerobics and most other cardio type activities. The only exception is dancing. Give me a Wii dance game and I will work it. I LOVE weight lifting. When I was going to the gym, I would regularly choose Body Pump or classes the used body weight strengthening techniques. So imagine my joy at finding Bodybuilding.com and seeing these women with AWESOME bodies suggest that it was possible to have the body I want with just managing my macronutrients and lifting heavy weight.<br />
<br />
So these are the things I am focusing on Lift Heavy, Watch Macros. I am positive this the right path for me. It is so in sync with what I like and what I know I am willing to do :-)chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-6184167044597604032012-01-04T09:37:00.000-08:002012-01-04T09:37:50.135-08:00Thoughts on Weight...One day I saw a girl at the gas station. It was warm and she had on shorts. She wasn't fat but she had BIG legs. But the thing I noticed was that her legs were solid, not jiggly and cellulity. And I said to myself "Self, if my legs looked like that, I wouldn't worry about losing weight and I would wear short shorts everyday." This is when it dawned on me that my mindset was all wrong and could be stalling my weightloss efforts.<br />
<br />
You see I think I have a reverse body dismorphic issue, most times I look in the mirror and think I look great! Then I take the clothes off and see the cellulite and remember that I am, in fact, overweight. So the girl with big legs brought about a mindset shift. I don't really want to lose weight (I am fine with my size)...I want to lose FAT. Now some people don't understand the distinction, but it is an important one. Losing FAT requires a slightly different mindset than losing weight. Our weight is made up of water, fat, muscle, bone and organs. When you focus on "weight" loss most times you lose some combination of water, muscle and fat and people seems to be okay with it as long as the number on the scale goes down. Ever watch Biggest Loser or go to a Weight Watcher meeting where someone loses 10 lbs in a week?? You will hear them say "I know it's mostly water weight, but I'll take it". Well water weight can come back, just go eat a nice meal of chinese food and watch the scale creep up over the next couple of days. And losing muscle will turn you into a flabby skinny person - which is not what I want to be.<br />
<br />
Seeing a change on the scale (up or down) does not directly correlate to diet and exercise. If I weigh in after drinking a glass of water - I will weigh more, if I weigh in after using the bathroom - I will weigh less. If I weight in after weight training I may weigh more (water retention for muscle recovery). Scale weight also doesn't take into account recomposition (gaining muscle while losing fat) so I may be slimmer but see no change on the scale. So what then is the point of the scale if it is affected by so many variables, some of which are out of my control. <br />
<br />
I have decided to do away with the scale!!! I will no longer be one of those women whose day can be decided by a number on the scale. It can't tell me how much fat I have lost so I don't need it. If I had a strong muscular body with thick non jiggly legs and a pretty sculpted back I could weight 185 and be happy. So I am focused on lifting heavy weight and upping my protein intake while lowering my overall calorie intake. This should allow me to lose FAT while maintaining/increasing my lean muscle mass. This thought is soooooooooooo incredibly freeing that it just might work and put me on the path to the body I really want!!!!<br />
<br />
So in keeping with my Big Changes/Small Changes...I might make a slight detour. I am still working on weightlifting consistently (the holidays are horrible for staying on routine especially when we travel). But I love the way I feel after weightlifting and I can see how it is changing my body so I know I am sticking with it. I have added in the 2nd Big Change of tracking my calories & nutrients. I am going to stick to these two big changes and not do any small changes at the moment. The reason - weightlifting to lose fat/maintain muscle is futile if I don't eat enough protein/watch my calories. <br />
<br />
On another note I have mastered two of my small changes - I quit coffee and I am getting my liquids in (my new russell and hobbs teamaker is definitely helping!)<br />
<br />chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-55703601137529149672011-12-15T20:12:00.000-08:002011-12-15T20:13:13.485-08:00Big Change little changeThere are so many things that I know and choose not to put into practice...it is kind of mind boggling sometimes. A while ago I read a cute little book about small changes and the basic premise is that people fail to change their lives because big sweeping changes don't stick. Small changes are easier to digest and more likely to stick. I know this, it makes sense to me and yet I still try to diet, exercise, banish lazy and procrastinator all at once. The problem in making small changes, well, it makes everything take longer and I, and everyone else, like quick results and gratification.<br />
<br />
But that doesn't work. Making big sweeping changes doesn't work. So my goal is to try something different...a hybrid of sort. I will focus on one big change and one small change. The big change will be a 1-2 month short term goal and the smaill change will be a week by week goal. I will not move on to the next change until I have mastered the 1st change. (The definitition of master will be consistency). My health related changes:<br />
<br />
<u>Big Changes</u><br />
Weight Traine 3x/week<br />
Cardio 2x/week<br />
Increase Protein intake<br />
Track Calories and Nutrients<br />
<br />
<u>Small Changes</u><br />
<strike>Give up caffeinated coffee</strike><br />
Drink More liquids<br />
Eat 1-2 fruit/day<br />
Eat 1-2 vegetables/day<br />
<br />
So for the next 2 months I will focus on weight training 3x/week no matter what. I will not add cardio. I will not track my calories. JUST WEIGHT TRAINING. I put the scale away so that I would not get distracted by the weight thing (up or down). I choose to focus on weight training first because I know from previous weight loss attempts that exercise is a KEY component of my weight loss. I want to establish a good base of muscle and a good routine before I try to worry about calories.<br />
<br />
For the next week, I will get AT LEAST 64oz. of fluids per day mostly in the form of water and tea (with a little decaf coffee thrown in).chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1879259227616960055.post-91486907327753181692011-12-07T18:55:00.001-08:002011-12-15T20:13:49.094-08:00So a blog is just an online diary rightSo a blog is just an online diary right... I could use one of those.<br />
<br />
Thoughts on the blog title<br />
That quote just resonates with me. So many people have that grass is greener mentality, looking into other pastures while neglecting their own. It just reminds me to tend to my life and not worry about what others have, do, or say.<br />
<br />
Thoughts on my life<br />
Life is good. Sometimes too good. Nothing tragic to report, just normal ups and downs. My hubby says that my "easy" life makes me lack fire and determination. He is right, I'm lazy...yes I said it I AM LAZY. I am also a procrastinator. I lack motivation and sticktoitness. Is 35 to late to change?<br />
<br />
Thoughts on my weight<br />
I don't like the way I look naked. Cellullite is a bitch. I know that I need to lose weight. I know that I can lose weight...I have done it before. I am just having a hard time finding the focus and motivation to actually do what it takes. Again the husband analysis -I have a dude who's not going anywhere (so he claims) so no motivation.<br />
<br />
Thoughts on the Blog<br />
I need to get all the thoughts out of my head and down on...ummmm well out of my head and into a format that allows me to revisit things. I need to work on finding focus and motivation. I don't know if any one other than me cares but I have tried just about everything else, so let's see if this blogging thing works!!<br />
<br />chayleahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10563555634389410013noreply@blogger.com0