A little celebration

I am finally losing weight again! Yeah sweet success! I was at a certain weight or 1-2 lbs above for about 4 weeks. It was really frustrating. Going to my mom & dad's house for spring break kinda threw me off. Even though I mostly stuck to the plan I knew I was eating too much food. It was hard when my mom was cooking a delicious homemade meal and everyone was indulging while I was eating my salad. So to make up for feeling deprived I added craisens and extra cashews and protein to my salad. And a few extra crackers during the day or a few pieces of sugar-free candy. Although it threw me off for 3-4 weeks it also helped being there. My mom bought me a huge container of greens. And feeling obligated to not waste I ate 2 big salads a day. One as a side with my lunch and one as my main dinner meal. It helped me to see that I needed to be eating that extra veggie that the BFL diet calls for. So what am I doing differently you ask? I am following the BFL nutrition plan but I started recording my calories this week. I realized I was eating too many when I wasn't losing weight.  I was popping a small handful of goldfish or Cheerios here and there. Or eating an extra protein bar because I was having a stressful day. Those calories add up. I also increased my runs by 2 a day for the past 2 days and the next 2 days. I've seen results in the past when I increased my cardio to 2 a day (about 30-45 min. each session). I won't do it for very long; just a few days. Otherwise I'll just burn my body out. But I finally hit a number that I've been dying to see in a long time. And I did push ups the other day. I went from being able to do 12 last week to 16 this week. Yahoo!!!!

The last 3 weeks

I can't believe it! We only have 3 weeks left to the end of our challenge. I decided I am going to step it up. I have at least 5 lbs to lose to meet my original goal that I set at the beginning of the challenge. So I decided to keep a food log and write down everything I eat and record the calories. I decided to do this because I'm not seeing the results that I want to see. The weight is coming off very slowly. In fact I'm maintaining instead of losing. I've been eating more than I should. I want to keep myself accountable. I want to see where I can do better. I believe that food is a main factor to losing weight; it is 70-80% what you put in your mouth. I just started counting calories today and I can see that I have been eating too many. I'm not surprised...a little frustrated. But now I can make improvewments and move on. I am happy to say that I am happy with the improvements I have seen this far:11 lbs lost, my tight capris (like hurt your back to wear them tight are now fitting comfortably,my hips have slimmed down, I can see definition in my arms, it is much easier to run uphills and to run in general, I can run faster and longer,  I can do 12 push ups, and I am eating fruits and a salad, sometimes two, every day. Not only that but when I am following the food/water plan my complexion is clear and I don't feel I need any makeup except eye makeup, I feel my best emotionally and physically, and I have a desire to improve my efforts in all areas of my life. I am looking forward  to these last 3 weeks and making the best of them.

Perseverance & Gratitude

Yesterday was a tough day. It's spring break and so all of the kiddos are home. We got home at 11 pm the night before from Show Low and had a lot of unpacking to do. We got our unpacking done and Claire went down for a nap. Perfect timing for me to sand down the nasty paint job on my shoe/coat hutch. So I spent a couple of hours sanding, re-puttying, and priming & painting. Just to realize that it was another crappy paint job. Arrrrrrgh! So dang frustrating. I sanded the bench down again and decided I needed to buy new paint (the more expensive brand, and satin instead of semi-gloss). So I got the 4 kids ready and in the car. Just then Calli starts whimpering which turns into screaming within seconds about her ears hurting. She has had a cough & runny nose for a couple of days. So instead of going to paint store we head to the doctor. It's confirmed that she has an ear infection and we get a prescription. I no longer needed to go to the paint store because I didn't have the money anymore. So we head home. I was frustrated because this piece of furniture has been sitting in our garage for months and I just wanted to finish it during spring break. I had planned all day to work out at 7:30. Well Mike didn't get home until 6:45 and I had to run to get Calli's medicine and get some food. I didn't get home til late and finally when we put the kids to bed it was 9:15. I kept telling myself I should just skip my workout tonight. But I kept remembering Carrie's text that said to make these last 5 weeks count....and to remember this is the time when the most results come....and she said remember that when you are thinking of cheating on your diet or workouts. I knew I'd be disappointed if I skipped my workout. So I got my music and did my 20 min on the cardio. I was sweating harder than usual and I felt great. I'm glad I didn't skip it because this morning I feel great. And last night after my workout Mike said he can see my abs are becoming more defined. Things I am grateful for: 1. a doctor's office that has sick walk in hours. 2. modern medicine:ibuprofen & antibiotics 3. electric hand sander. 4. a daughter who made dinner and did dishes. 5. a cousin who motivates me to finish out strong. 6. a treadmill that was handed down from a friend. 7. good music to run to. 8. a husband that waited patiently for me to finish my workout so we could watch our show together. 9. Salad and apples that are on sale. 10. Yummy, delicious, and sustaining protein bars for post kick butt work-out.

Getting antsy

I am on a great path to a healthy and active life. However, I am getting anxious, or impatient, or frustrated with not seeing quick results. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself but I'm getting antsy about not having those ripped muscles that I see on all of the champions. And then I worry that by the end of the challenge I'll be disappointed because I didn't step it up and reveal that 6 pack that's hiding under a layer (or several) of fat and loose skin. But I have to remind myself that there are WAY more positive rewards to this challenge than ripped muscles. I remind myself that we are examples to our husbands, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, friends, friends of friends, etc. But most importantly we are learning how to take care of ourselves and our bodies. We need not be ripped or the 2013 BFL champion. What matters is that we are slowly but surely learning great ways to fuel our bodies with the right kinds of food, and exercise daily. We are giving ourselves one of the greatest gifts we can. Just give yourself time and be patient with the process. I need to stop & enjoy the progress that I've made. I went from eating boxes of cookies & bags of candy several times a week and not exercising (maybe an occassional walk) to having just one cheat meal a week and exercising almost every day. My husband started an intense diet (and has lost about 35-40 lbs) after I started my first BFL challenge. And now he is going to start lifting weights with me. My children want to go to the track with me and run around. They want to do races with me. They want to go out and ride their bikes every day and jump on the trampoline.They cheer me on at my races, they say good job, and ask if I won (to which I always reply, "Yes I won!!!! Of course I won, I finished the race and that's winning to me.") We are 6 weeks in to the challenge and thinking that it's half over we may not see the results that we want with the lost inches and pounds, or the revealed six packs. But when I start to feel that way I'm going to try to stop that negative voice in my head. And remember all the things I've accomplished this far, and how it's a journey. The 12 weeks will be up shortly but that does not mean that it ends there. Give yourself time and be patient with your body. Do the best you can and try to learn from your mistakes. Keep up  the clean eating, and workouts. When you get discouraged write down how far you came and remind yourself of your goals (always write down your goals and review them often, maybe post them somewhere you see them daily).
Sidenote: I was in Wal-mart today and walked by the Easter candy. I picked up the largest bag of mini cadburry eggs and just stood there and stared at them. I jiggled the bag around and thought how many delicious eggs are in that bag? And then I could feel the obsessive sugar addicted mentality coming out in me like a demon. I had to put that bag down and get out of that aisle. A few minutes later I had to walk by that aisle again. I started having crazy and absurd thoughts like, "Why am I even doing this challenge? I'm not seeing the results I want to. My weight is staying the same. And I really want those cadburry eggs. Oh how I love those Reeses eggs, too. They are pretty much my favorite thing-I could eat all 6 of them in one sitting like a crazed person. And those Snicker bar eggs look pretty delicious, too." That was a pretty tough moment. But I walked out of there as fast as you can say ADDICTED. And I went and bought myself a Cliff Builders mint chocolate chip bar (thank you Carrie for introducing me to them). We all have our own struggles and mine is definitely sugar, and anything chocolate related. In fact, I have a friend whose husband nicknamed me "Cha-Collette. Pretty clever if I say so myself! But I'm doing better now, now that I'm away from the sugar. I will not buy that stuff or have it in my house. If I buy something on my cheat day it has to be a small serving or I somehow justify eating the whole bag. I've got issues, yes I do.

High intensity training

 

I love the high intensity cardio workouts from BFL. But I am training for a 10k in May and need to step it up a notch with my mileage-20 minutes doesn't get me far. I'm sharing this with the hopes that it will help those who have been doing longer than 20 min. sessions of cardio and don't feel like 20 min. will cut it. Don't get me wrong. The 20 min. high intensity cardio sessions from BFL will do it's job if you are pushing yourself. But this is just for those who want a little more. It is a HITT workout plan divised by a former BFL  champion Emily Alvers.  I think this is one of the training plans I will be using to get ready for my next 10k.

You should see her, she has a killer body. She is now a fitness trainer and model.

If you want to check out her training-cardio & strength here is the link http://www.emilyalvers.com/training.html

From Emily:
Once you master walking HIIT, take it to the next level by trying running. Even if you think you "aren't a runner", don't be scared to try it. I used to say the same thing! When I started this program, I could only max out at 5.5 mph and now I am up to 8.5 mph. It just takes a willingness to try new things. This is now one of my favorites...

Food for an overnight relay

Before I forget I wanted to blog about the food we packed and ate. It is hard to eat on an overnight relay. You don't always get to stop at a food joint or even a gas station for that matter. And you don't always get a say in where you go. Most teams want to eat fast so they can find somewhere to rest. And you also don't want to go and eat a large meal somewhere, or something you don't normally eat. That would wreck havoc on your race and digestive system. So here is what I packed (some I ate some I didn't),
1. trail mix (just the kind from walmart) with nuts, raisens, and M&M's
2. crackers
3. Bagels & cream cheese, and peanut butter (the ones in disposable cups) LOVE this!
4. String cheese
5. oranges & bananas
6. graham crackers and chocolate peanut butter dips
7. 8 mini packages of peanut butter M&M's (do you see a peanut butter/chocolate trend here)
8. Dove chocolate covered almonds
9. Cliff Builders mint chocolate chip bars.
10. Cliff mini mint choclate chip bars.
11. Atkins protein shakes
12. Gatorade powder
13. water bottles
14. Panini ham & cheese sandwich & Cheetos & diet soda (BAD, BAD, BAD) (from Fry's)