February - Good Riddance!

Hello, hello!  So today is February 28 - the last day of the month.  This month went 10 times faster than January, and I have to say - good riddance, February!!  I'm NOT sad to see you go!

February was not the month for me, obviously.  I did finish up my rotation of Xtrain, but then I decided to take a nice 2 week long break from exercising and eating well (who am I kidding - I never really ate well in the first place, ha!).  I started the working out again this week, however, my eating has not been up to par.

I weighed in yesterday at almost my highest weight ever (I'm hoping part of that is from the Jimmy John's and the million pickles I ate to stop myself from binging...yeah, I'll keep telling myself that).  Stupid February.  Not only do you contain my least favorite holiday ever, but you were no good to me when it came to weight loss.

So let's talk about sex....er, March.  <---No idea why, but that really did pop in to my head as I was typing that.  I'm such a perv!  Anyway.  March.  Wait...what?!?!  MARCH?!

Um, that means we here in Minnesota have about one good snowfall yet, and then the weather starts getting WARMER.  The bright colors start coming out (I'm loving all the mint and coral!!).  The sun comes out.  The birds start chirping at you at 5 in the morning when you're trying to sleep.  The snow starts melting.  And....uh-oh......that means summer and warm weather is JUST around the corner.

And I do NOT look like that yet.  Not gonna lie....I'm freaking out a little here.  I seem to go through this same pattern every year of freaking out because I have only X amount of months left until Spring.  And then X amount of months until summer.  Oh and wait - summer is here.  But I can still look good by Fall.  Then I come up with this great idea of SHOCKING everyone at Christmas.  Then it's the beginning of the year and I get all psyched up with the New Years Resolutions.  And then I'm back where I started.

This can NOT happen this year.  I won't let it.  This will be MY summer, and 2013 is MY year.  Stay tuned tomorrow for my March goals (goes along with my SMART goals), and a BIG surprise.  Well, for me, anyway.

Make it a GREAT one!

Return of Weigh-In Wednesday & Being SMART

Happy Hump Day!  Considering what my weight was this morning, not too sure I would call this day "happy," but I'll just fake it 'til I make it.    ;)

Today is the return of Weigh In Wednesday.  I need the accountability.  I can't keep coming up with the excuse of "Oh, I'm just gaining weight because I'm exercising, and my muscles are just getting used to it."  Nope.  That may have been the case the first couple weeks.  But it's been more than a month now, and I have been gaining.  I'm almost up to my highest weight - not good!  So here it is....

Sigh.  It's a little embarrassing to put this out there.  Especially since I feel like I should have lost weight, considering how I rocked the working out.  I seem to do well with eating for a few days, but then I get off track.

So what's a girl to do?  Make some goals.  SMART goals.

I know all of us know what SMART goals are, so I'm not going to bore you with the lesson.  I'm just going to jump right in to my long- and short-term goals.  

My Long-Term Goal

Short-Term Goals

And, of course, what's weight loss without some rewards for all your hard work??

I like that these goals give me an actual number and date to work for.  Rather than saying I want to weigh XXX amount of pounds, and not giving myself a deadline or ways to get there.  Now the writing's on the wall.  Now my embarrassing weigh-in post is over.  Whew!

Greek Style Turkey Burgers

Last night I cooked the meal that will be my dinner for the rest of the week.  And all the while, I was thinking, "Dear God, I hope I like this."  Because wouldn't that suck if I had to choke something down that I really don't like for the rest of the week?  

Well, I liked it.  Actually, that's an understatement.  I LOVED it!!  It was new and different.  So I thought I'd share the recipe.  Please note that I did NOT come up with it.  I am terrible when it comes to being creative in the kitchen.  I did a search for clean eating ground turkey recipes, and this one intrigued me.  The Greek Style Turkey Burgers off of Clean and Delicious.

Greek Style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1 T garlic powder

1 T Oregano

1/2 t salt & pepper

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup jarred roasted peppers (I didn't use these because I couldn't find any)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

1/3 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

Place turkey in a large bowl and add garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and yogurt.  Using your hands, combine until everything is well incorporated. 

Add peppers, olives and feta cheese to turkey mixture and gently work into the meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Heat  grill pan over a medium heat and drop burgers on the pan.  Grill for about 6 minutes or until cooked through.

Place burgers inside a few leaves of butter lettuce and top with a couple of tablespoons of Tzaziki.  Enjoy.


I got the Tzaziki at Trader Joe's in the refrigerated section by the hummus, guacamole, and other dips.  I was a little nervous about this dip, but it was AMAZING!  It's a cucumber dip with garlic and other spices.  And it really added a great flavor.  

Oh, and I should mention that after I tried to flip my "burgers", I decided to mash them all up and just cook it like you do taco meat.  Because the burgers are VERY moist, and fall apart really easily.  I think I flipped them too much.  

Enjoy!!  And stay tuned tomorrow for the return of Weigh In Wednesday!!

Oscars & Plan for the Week

Hello Monday!  Hope everyone's weekend was a good one.  Mine was mediocre....I'll be doing a post about it this week.  Get ready to get all emotional - this one's a doosy (sp?).  But first......

If you don't really care about the Oscars, you can skip this part.  My plan for the week, diet- and fitness-wise, is a little further down on the page.    :)

On to the Oscars...did anyone watch?  I actually love watching the Red Carpet arrivals a ton more than the actual show.  But this year, I really loved Seth as the host - I thought he was hilarious.  My favorite dress of the evening....

Jennifer Lawrence - she is absolutely gorgeous.  It was definitely her night, both on the red carpet and at the actual award show.  So glad she won.

I also liked Jennifer Aniston's dress - it was a little boring, per usual for her, but I loved the color.

I loved the color of Kerry Washington's dress, but the style was a bit.....off?  Looks like a prom dress, not a glamorous red carpet dress.  

I was also glad that Adele did not decide to wear her ugly curtains again (do a Google search for her Grammy dress....ish).  This dress was so-so.

And all the men look the same and boring, so I won't go over any of them.    :)

I loved the musical performances (the theme of the night) - I thought it was a great addition.  Makes the show a little more interesting.  And being a dancer, I of course LOVED that they had Catherine Zeta Jones come on for a performance of All That Jazz!!!   :D

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Now on to the diet/fitness part of the post!  I did my meal-planning and grocery shopping for the week last night (talk about waiting until the last minute!).  My meal plan is going to be a little boring and repetitive, just because it's easier and cheaper to do it that way.  Basically my meal plan will look like this for the week...

Breakfast - Either guacamole toast (toast with avocado and HB eggs), or a smoothie

Snack 1 - Peaches n' Cream (almond milk, peaches, cinnamon)

Lunch - Chipotle Wrap (chicken, feta, avocado, spinach, and chipotle sauce in a low carb wrap)

Snack 2 - Cookie Dough Yogurt....I'm so excited about this!  Lowfat Greek Yogurt, chocolate chips, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.....yum!

Dinner - Greek Style Turkey Burgers (I'll put the recipe up this week)

On the fitness front, I said last week that I'll be doing the Cross Train Xpress series, and starting the C25K program.  Due to the chain of events this past weekend, my workout schedule is changing to Monday through Saturday (rather than Saturday through Friday).  Today I'll be doing Power Circuit + C25K.  I'll report back tomorrow about how it goes!

That's it for now....make it a great one!

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Questions for you:

What's your plan for the week?

Did you watch the Oscars?  Favorite/least favorite parts?  What did you think of the fashion?

Anyone else doing the Advocare cleanse?  Did it already?  What was your experience?

Random

Is anyone else excited for the Oscars on Sunday???  I love watching awards shows, especially the Oscars.  Actually, I like watching the red carpet arrivals even more than the actual ceremony.  It's fun to dream about living that kind of lifestyle.

Hope everyone's Friday is going well.  I don't really have anything in particular to talk about today, so I'm going to make this short and sweet.

The other day, I caved and jumped on the bandwagon that just about every other blogger has jumped on.  I ordered the Advocare 10 day cleanse.  I'm really excited about it.  I'll be starting on the 4th, along with Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg.  I don't expect a huge loss, as that's not what I'm using this for.  I'm really using it to jump-start and kick myself in the butt.  I have got to get on this clean eating thing.  Like I said yesterday...enough of this half-ass stuff!  

That's all I have for today.  Hope everyone has a great weekend - enjoy the Oscars!!

Let's Do This

First things first.  So remember yesterday when I stepped on the scale?  156.1 was the number staring back at me.  Today?  It was 151.9.

What the WHAT?!?!?!  Now I know there's no way I lost 4.2 pounds in a day.  So I stepped on it again.  Same thing.  I turned the scale a different direction.  Same thing.  And I turned it in another direction.  Same thing.  I pounded on it a little with my foot, stepped on it again and....same thing.

Maybe it's time for a new scale?

Either way, I'm calling it a loss, and I entered it on the DietBet site.  We're about halfway through this DietBet, and I'm 52% to my 4% goal.  Maybe I'll actually get there!

I'm thinking, though, that I'll be making a trip to Target to pick up a new scale.  This scale tends to change weight on me in mere seconds.  I realize it could be the battery, but I'd rather get a new scale because I'm not liking this one anyway.

Moving on.  I realize, after going back and reading through some posts, and also going through my food diary, that I've been going about this whole weight loss thing half-ass.  If I'm working out, I'm still eating too much.  If I don't work out, I still eat too much.  Some days I give it 90% (like Mondays), other days I give it 40% (like weekends).  I can't do that.

We all know that consistency is key when it comes to weight loss.  Heck, I've written blog posts about it.  Yet I still don't practice what I preach.  Still I hope for some "miracle" to happen, or I hope that I'm some "exception to the rules."  Now, I know I'm special and all that, but I'm not so special that my body can defy science.  

I know I need to drink my water.  Do I do it?  Nope.  I drink maybe 1 glass a day, if I remember.  I know soda is not good for me.  Do I drink it?  Yup!  Life is too short to not drink what you want!!  But it will be even shorter if I keep drinking it.  Do I let myself eat cheat meals?  Yes.  A lot of them.  Why not?  I'm working my butt off to burn those calories!  

Get the drift?  So while I've been honest here, I haven't been completely honest.  

Enough babbling Heather...get to the good stuff!!

Okay, okay.  So here's the food plan.  You all know that I hate, absolutely hate counting calories.  But we've all been told that counting calories is a huge help for people who want to lose weight.  So I'm going to meet this thing halfway (no, not half-ass).  It all comes down to planning my meals.  I'm going to get a bunch of my favorite recipes together, and enter the recipes in to My Fitness Pal.  I realize this may take a while, but I've already started, and it's not so bad.  Then?  I made a chart in Excel where I'm going to plan my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 snacks per day, every day.  I'll enter it all in ahead of time, and I'll be putting the calorie amounts in parentheses.  I'll be sure to get somewhere between 1200-1500 calories logged.  After about a week of doing this, and tracking my exercise calories (more on that in a minute), I'll evaluate and see if I need to add in more, or decrease my calories (depending on how many calories I burn for a certain workout) to get a good deficit.

Exercise.  Oh, exercise, how I've fallen in love with you in 2013.  But then we grew apart.  I want you back. Please take me back!!!  

Okay, enough of that.  I hit my goal of finishing a rotation of Xtrain.  It was great.  I was seeing my butt lift, my arms tighten, my stomach getting smaller, my legs were developing muscle again.  But then I stopped.  For the last two weeks, I haven't worked out.  Maybe I'm getting tired of Xtrain?  A new rotation is in order.

Enter Cathe's Cross Train Express (yes, another Cathe series).  You can read more about this series, and see lots of awesome videos, here.  I've had this DVD for a while now.  I actually did this rotation for a couple weeks a couple summers ago, and had great results in only a couple weeks (and doing it half-ass).  These are great workouts.  They're high intensity, and they're short.  I love that they're short (all 60 minutes or less).  All of them are about 30 minutes or less of high intensity cardio, followed by weight training for the upper body.  One workout is entirely focused on legs, and another has some leg circuits in the cardio.  It's another 6-day rotation, and this is what it will look like.  I'm thinking this will only be a 3-week rotation, as that seems to be my attention span.  3 weeks, and I want to move on to something else.

Saturday - Power Circuit / Back

Sunday - Step & Intervals / Chest

Monday - All Step / Shoulders

Tuesday - Leaner Legs (AKA Meaner Legs, hehe!)

Wednesday - 10-10-10 / Triceps

Thursday - Kickbox / Biceps

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Well, there's my plan.  There's some other details that go along with it, but rather than making this post even longer than it is, I'm just going to share with you as I go along.  So stay tuned people!!  

Oh!  And 5K training is also starting this week.  Stay tuned for more info!   :)

Going Nowhere Fast

My motivation the last couple weeks has been waning.  Correction: my motivation has been non-existent.  While I was at my parents' for the last week, not only did I not exercise, but I ate like crap.  Yes, I did cook healthy a couple times.  But then I washed down my healthy food with tons of soda, and followed that up with the cookies that were in the cookie jar.  The whole time I was there, I ate all but one cookie in the cookie jar.  There were probably 10 when I got there.  That means I had at least one, if not more, every day.

Gross.

I stepped on the scale this morning, and my slacking off definitely showed on the scale.  I'm not a happy camper.

I've been terrible at blogging.  My posts have been half-assed, along with my eating and exercise habits.  This is so disappointing after such a great month of completing the Xtrain Series.  The bad thing about that series, though, is that I gained weight.  I was half-assing my eating, while going full out with working out.  I thought it was just that I was gaining muscle.  I don't think so.  It has everything to do with what I put in my mouth.  

I find that I eat mostly well during the day (when I say mostly well, I mean I eat well maybe 75% of the time).  But then when it comes time to go home, I binge.  It's not that I'm not eating enough during the day, trust me.  

I just can't seem to find my groove.  I have been STUCK in the 150s for more than 2 years.  Yeah, I've gotten out of them a couple times, but every time I start getting close to 145, I start ballooning up again.  Why?  I don't get it.  It's also frustrating to be working out, and gaining weight.  I thought that maybe tracking what I ate (even though I loathe it) would help with that.  It didn't.  It only confirmed my worst fears - that all I would think about was eating and food and numbers.  It made me obsessed again.  

I'm horrible when it comes to food.  I don't want to eat the same things every day - I get bored.  But if I have too much variety, I get too flexible with myself.

I'm at a loss, and I guess this is a cry for help.  I don't know what to do to get out of the 150s.  I hit my highest weight a few years ago, and I can't get away from it.  

And for those of you wondering - the scale read 156.1 this morning.  Not my highest, but after such a huge fitness gain, that is NOT making me happy.  

I'm not giving up, and I'm trying to keep the positive attitude.  It seems to wax and wane.  I don't want this to turn in to a negative place, and I certainly don't want to complain every day.  But I need to be honest.  And the truth is that I feel hopeless right now.  

23 And Divorced

Hey all!  This post is a little late.  I took the day off, because I had an eye appointment (which is an hour or more drive from work, closer to where my parents live, where I'm staying right now).  I also visited my Grandpa.  It was a nice, relaxing day.  Not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.  But one plus?  I get to go back HOME tomorrow, and back to my regular life!   :)   So excited to be getting my routine back.

I've decided that today I'm not going to post about weight loss.  I need a little break from that (don't worry, it will be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow).  Instead, I'm going to talk about a conversation I had.  I had a phone conversation with someone from my past a couple days ago.  We went over how things were going in each other's lives, how the people in our lives are, etc. etc.  I asked him about his nephew (I think he's maybe 22 or 23).  He had gotten married maybe 4 years ago to literally the sweetest girl I'd ever met. 

Well, I found out that they're getting a divorce.  At 23.  The reason?  He went home one day, and the door was locked.  He thought it was a little weird, and he went around the back where the spare key is.  And apparently he saw his best friend sneaking out of his wife's (and his) bedroom window).  

WHAT?!?!  I couldn't believe it.  I was shocked.  I literally was speechless.  Like I said, she was the sweetest person I had ever met, and I couldn't believe she would do that.  

My point of this post?  Is marriage just not sacred anymore?  I mean here these 2 CHILDREN are, getting a divorce.  Who can say that they're 23 and divorced?  It is so crazy.  And it makes me scared.  Scared that I'll just end up another statistic if I'm not really careful about who I choose.  But even if I am careful, I could still end up a statistic.  What is happening?  

I didn't know them really, really well....but I was so sad.  I don't know why this struck me so hard.  I've been Facebook-stalking (and unfortunately can't find her profile) like crazy since I found out.  Maybe it struck me so hard, because it made me question my own relationship?  I've always had a hard time trusting people, and I've been questioning my trust in my current partner.  I really don't think my relationship with this person is going to work out.  And that makes me really sad.  And scared.  What if I never find someone to spend my life with?  And is it worse than being married young, and then divorced?  I don't know.

Sorry for getting so off-topic.  Like I said, I'll be back to normal tomorrow.  I just had to share this, because it's been in my head the last couple of days.  

You know I can't end my Monday post without putting up a Garfield cartoon.    :)

Another Liebster

It seems the blog world has turned in to a world full of link-ups, giveaways, and sponsored posts.  Not that I'm complaining - I love all this free stuff just as much as anyone.  BUT...sometimes it's nice just to go to all your favorite blogs and read about the happenings of that person's day.  I'm seeing less and less of that, and it's making me a little sad.

Oh well.  I digress.

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Kay at Best Intentions!  Thanks, Kay!  And, by the way - she just posted a recipe for some mini corn dogs and they look YUMMY!!

Since this is my second award, I'll answer the questions, but I'm not going to nominate other bloggers for another award...because I'm lazy!  Ha!  So here we go...

1. What was the first blog you started reading?  Oh my gosh.  This is hard to answer...I've been reading blogs for quite a while, and I don't really remember.  But the first one(s) were not diet/fitness related.  This was back in the day when people had the "Dear Diary" type blogs on Angelfire and Geocities (remember those???).  First blogs were 5ilver.net and SparkleyNicole.  I'm not sure if either of them have blogs now.  Would be interested to see what they're up to now!!

2. If you were another person, why would you be friends with you?  Good question!  I'd be friends with me because I'm fun-loving, kind, and loyal.  I'm always there for someone when they need me.

3. What's the story behind your name?  There really isn't one...my parents just liked the name Heather.

4. If you had an unlimited budget, and could travel anywhere for 1 week, where would you go? Well, can we stop time too?  Because there are lots of places I'd like to visit.  Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, England, and Italy top my list.  I have a pretty big list!   :)

5. Do you have a special talent?  Hmmm...not sure I would say it's special, but I play the piano, and still at 27 years old can do the splits.   :)    (I was in dance since age 3 for more than 20 years)

6. What is your favorite TV show?  I like all reality shows.  Non-reality would be Parenthood.

7. Most embarrassing moment? I don't really have one....I don't get too embarrassed that easily.  I just laugh at myself and move on.    :)

8. What's hidden under your bed? Ha, well...nothing.  Just some dirty socks and kleenex.

9. Describe the last dream you remember having. Mine is from last night actually.  I dreamt that I went somewhere, and I kept imagining how great it would be to be reunited with my boyfriend.  It was like a scene from a movie, and it was different every time, LOL.

10. What's the next planned event you're looking forward to?  My 10 YEAR high school reunion this summer.  God, I can't believe it's been 10 years already.   :O

11. What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Hmm, that's a hard question.  Maybe I should learn to be a little more appreciative of things.  Probably when, in high school, I was feeling down and feeling like my boyfriend didn't love me anymore.  He called my cell and left a message with the song "You're Still The One" by Orleans and sent me flowers.  Um, yeah, obviously I'm not still the one, LOL.  But it was sweet nonetheless.   :)

I Am What I Choose to Become

Hello hello!  I am in a much better mood today.  No, not because of Valentine's Day.  I actually hate V Day, ha!  But I think the dark cloud that has been hovering over me the last week or so has finally lifted!

Now let's get down to business!  As I've mentioned in the last few posts, I haven't worked out at all this week (with the exception of Sunday).  Oopsies!  I also haven't been tracking on My Fitness Pal.  Double oopsies.  But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world.  I'm coming up with a new plan right now.  I've got my notebook and pen ready.  My first Xtrain rotation was a success, and I plan on having another successful rotation.  Let's just say....I had a rest week.   :)

Normally I would say "Hey, I messed up.  Might as well eat whatever I want, and start again on Monday."  Nope.  I didn't get to my parents' last night until 9:30.  I was really tired.  But what did I do?  I cooked this recipe.  It was delicious.  I just had some for lunch.  Yumm-o!  Looks like I found something to add to my weekly rotation of lunches!

I'm not perfect.  I'm not trying to be.  But I am trying to be better.  I think these setbacks aren't really setbacks.  These are the times that show you just how strong you really can be.  I'm just picking myself up and moving on.

Make it a great one, and Happy Valentine's Day (even though I hate today)!

Trying

Hello all!  I know I posted on Monday, and it's only Wednesday, but I feel like I haven't posted in ages.  Why is that?  No idea.  Seriously, though, I feel like the last few days have just been crazy.  Work has been busy, even after work has been busy.

I packed up all my stuff to go to my parents' last night.  Even all of my workout equipment.  Did I work out? Nope.  The only day I've worked out this week (Saturday is the start of my "workout week") is Sunday.  Big, fat fail.  I don't even have Mardi Gras to blame.  Really, all I have to blame is my lazy self.

I was all set to work out last night.  But then I went to bring Ricky to the boyfriend's, and then when I finally got to my parents' house, I got stuck in the driveway.  Womp womp.  Their driveway is like a skating rink.  Um, ever heard of putting salt on the driveway???  Yeah, that would have helped.  Thanks Mom and Dad!   ;)     I called my brother, but he was at my nephew's wrestling tournament.  So I spent a half hour getting un-stuck.  By the time I got settled inside, it was about 8:30.

No time to cook.  I was exhausted (and crabby....which seems to be a recurring thing these days).  Luckily my boyfriend had taken food from his mom and shared a bit with me before I went to my parents' house, but I was still hungry.  So instead of cooking last night's meal (which would have been today's lunch), I ate some potato chips.  About 75% of the bag.

Seriously??

I don't know why I have been in this funk lately.  Maybe it's my period, but...you know, every girl has her period.  And I'm sure not every girl has these problems like I do.  It's like I'm a completely different person.

I'm trying real, real hard to crawl out of this mess I've made the past week and a half.  My eating is crap.  My working out has waned.  AHH!!!  And today I feel like I weigh about 5 tons.  I really need to snap out of this.  I'm going to come up with a plan.  Like today.

And I do need to end this post on a positive note, because I don't want to scare anyone away with all this negative crap.  You probably know what's coming............Garfield!  Make it a great one!

Challenging Week Ahead

Hello hello!  Another weekend has flown by, and Monday is here again.  This week is going to prove to be particularly challenging for me.  More on that in a minute.

This weekend went pretty well.  I started my second rotation from the Xtrain series - the 30 Day Cardio/Weights Rotation.  I'm hoping that with more cardio, I should be able to start losing weight again.  I'm also thinking I really need to drink more water, so I'm trying to think up some ways to help myself get more water in.  Honestly, I could go days without water.  I'm that bad.  I just don't drink it.  And none of that "flavored" crap works either.  I don't like the taste.  I like sugary water, AKA soda.  I'm going to need to deal with that pronto.

My eats this weekend were....eh.  They're never great on the weekends.  I'm bad at it when there's no routine.  And speaking of routine....it will be a'changing this week.  My parents are going to Arizona tomorrow, and I need to dog-sit.  They live about 30 minutes away from me, and about 45 minutes away from work.    :(     The good news is, I made a meal plan, and my mom got all the groceries for me.  So I'm set for the week (I just have to cook everything).  I also plan on packing ALL of my workout equipment.

That's right.  My step w/ risers, ball, exercise band, paper plates, heart rate monitor, DVD's, weighted gloves, and all my sets of weights (1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 pounds) will be packed up in my car tonight, ready to bring over there tomorrow.  That's a lot of stuff to pack (and HEAVY stuff).  I'm not looking forward to being away from the boyfriend, or my cat (the boyfriend will be watching Ricky).  Especially for Valentine's week.  I'm thinking I won't go over to my parents' on Thursday, because I want to be with the boyfriend then.  My brother can take care of the stupid dog one night (especially since he only lives a few miles away....yeah....how did that happen?).

Another plus?  My parents have a hot tub....there will be plenty of hot tub nights going on for me.    :)

Back to Normal

It's ALMOST Friday.  It's also time for me to stop being so negative!  I apologize for the string of negativity in the last couple posts.  I get like that sometimes during that time of the month.  I know I'm probably just a joy to be around for the boyfriend.

As far as the binges and bad eating?  Not only is it that time of month, but I also failed to plan for this week.  I've gone to the grocery store a couple times, because I didn't plan any dinners.  I did cook something up for lunches, but I ended up not liking it.  So that went out the window.  Today I went to the salad bar at a local grocery store...which isn't too bad.  But I know that I'm going to have to keep it up with the planning.

My focus for next week will be on planning!!

Another focus for next week?  More cardio.  Today is the last day for my very first rotation on Xtrain!  I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing.  I did SuperCuts last night, and plan on doing Bi's & Tri's tonight, maybe with some Tabata tacked on the end (maybe just one round?), since I missed a couple workouts this week.  I'll be reviewing everything in more detail tomorrow along with my Fitness Review Friday post.

So with the end of this rotation comes a new rotation, and I'd like to focus more on cardio.  So I'll be doing the 30 Day Cardio/Strength Rotation.  I'm really thinking this will give me that push on the scale that I need.  I'm real excited to start this rotation.

Anyway, thanks for sticking around the last couple days, and thanks to those who have commented and showed some support.  It's really appreciated.  Especially at this time of month when I'm so emotional, and all I want to do is eat a whole package of caramel rolls (I was so tempted to grab it at the grocery store last night).

Oops

It's time for me to be honest.  That's what I have this blog for, right?  I haven't worked out this week (well, I did on Sunday).  Last night I was so angry with the boyfriend.  I got my clothes and everything on, and he was all like "What are you doing?  I need you to come with me." (There were some things I needed to help him with last night, apparently, but he didn't tell me until I had changed....lovely)

I was really annoyed.  And angry.  Angry that he had no consideration for my "me" time, and he was bewildered as to why I was angry.  Because this time is for ME.  I am starting to ENJOY my workouts.  It makes me feel good.  But it was all about him.  Grrrrrrr.

Another thing?  I've been eating like crap.  I binged yesterday.  I went to the vending machine around 3:00 and got Potato Skin chips, and Reese's.  Oh, and a Mountain Dew.  Then last night I ate some rice, potatoes, and tuna (with a Pepsi) at the boyfriend's parents' house.  Then some Reese's Puffs when I got home.  Today?  Had a donut for breakfast.  Subway for lunch (the full meal, including chips and pop).  And I just went to the vending machine AGAIN for a Whatchamacallit and a Diet Coke.  I'm over my calories by more than 400.  Even if I exercise today, I'm still going to go over if I eat dinner.

Seriously.  I'm so upset with myself.  And embarrassed.  I thought I had a handle on this.  Now, technically, I could blame it on PMS, because my period is due in the next few days.  But I can't make excuses.  I can't give myself an excuse every month to have a free-for-all for a week.

Sigh.  I feel like I've let everyone down.  Mostly myself.

But what do I plan to do after work?  Change in to my workout clothes, put on my Polar FT4, and burn some calories.  And I'm going to eat dinner, even if it means I go over my calories for the day.  Because I can't wait until tomorrow anymore.  I can't wait until Monday.  I need to keep moving.  My next meal is when I get back on the saddle (not start over).  My next workout, tonight, is when I will get back on the saddle (not start over).  I will keep going.  I won't quit.

Tomorrow will be a better day.  Tomorrow I will post all about my successful night.

Negative Nancy & A Link-Up

I had a whole post typed up, and just deleted it.  I'm quite the negative Nancy today, so figured I'd spare all of you.    :)     Instead of being negative today, I'm going to participate in Amanda's What's In a Name Link-Up.

Nope, I don't have kids like every blogger, it seems (see? negative Nancy...I can be a little bitter at times about being 27 years old and not even being married and on track to having kids yet).  So I'm going to tell you how I came up with the name for my cat, Ricky (hello, cat lady!).  I'm terrible at coming up with names.  Lord knows what the heck I'll do when it comes time to name my kids (if I ever have any...sigh).  My parents must have been the same way, because they just came up with random names for my brother (Shawn) and I.

I had been going back and forth between a few names - Garfield, because he has an orange belly and an orange nose (and you all know I love Garfield).  Tabby, just because he's a tabby cat (how original, ha!).  Those are the ones I can remember, but I know there were a few more I was bouncing around.  Then my mom told me that he looks like a raccoon, and I should name him Ricky (for Ricky Raccoon).  I liked that name, and the boyfriend is Hispanic, and thought of Ricky Martin (of course), so we decided that would be a great fit.

Love this little guy.   :)

It's Facebook Official

Hello everybody, and welcome back, Monday.  You know it's not Monday without the infamous Garfield cartoon.    :)

I'm sure everyone watched the Superbowl.  The game itself was a little boring in the beginning, but got better in the 2nd half.  And Beyonce?

That woman is fierce, with legs that just go on forever.  And hell yeah to the Destiny's Child reunion!!  I think it was one of the best halftime shows in a long time.  The commercials were a little lackluster, but there were a few highlights (anyone else cry during the Clydesdale commercial??).  

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On to more important things....like fitness!  I posted this on Facebook yesterday...

I made my 5K Facebook official!  Nothing is official until it's broadcast on Facebook.  :)    I guess this means I really have to do this 5K thing!!  My 5K page is being worked on, and will go live in the next week or so.  I'm real excited about this.

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I mentioned in my post on Friday that I would be posting again regarding some things for February.  And then I forgot to post again on Friday.  Womp womp.  So you're getting the update now.  

So I'm doing this Xtrain thing, and it has me gaining weight.  I'm going on the 4th week now, and I'm still not dropping the weight.  That means I must be doing something wrong.  My muscles can't hold on to the water forever.  I read an article that stated I should start seeing weight loss (after an initial gain) within a couple weeks of starting a new training program.  Haven't seen it yet.  So here's my plan of attack for February.

I joined Courtney's (Journey of A Dreamer) Dietbet.  It started today.  I had joined a game not too long ago, and that was an epic fail.  I didn't even do my final weigh-in because I gained weight (this was at the beginning of my Xtrain series).  But I can't give up, and this will keep me motivated throughout the month of February.  I do NOT want to lose another $35!!

I'll also be participating in FatChick2FitChick's #dearfooddiary February challenge.  I'll be logging in to My Fitness Pal every day, tracking everything that goes in to my mouth for the month of February.  If you want to be my friend (pretty please be my friend!) on the site, my user name is MyInnerButterfly.  Weekends may prove to be a little tough.  They're tough, eating-wise....and I didn't log anything this past weekend.  

My main goal this month?  Consistency.  I'm good at eating well, here and there.  But then I have days where I binge, and a lot of my hard work goes out the window.  

Here's to the month of February....let's make it a great month!

Tabata + 3-Week Measurement Results

It's finally Friday...TGIF!  Anyone else ever watch TGIF on Friday nights when it was on?  I miss those shows.  They just don't make quality TV anymore.  Now, it's all about miss Vanderpump's 100+ restaurants, hunky men falling in love with over 20 women on The Bachelor, young hopefuls competing to be the next big star on the 564364535 talent/singing shows....you get the point.  Our world is full of reality TV.  But I love it.   :)  

Anyway, on to what's really important.  I was really, really scared to do yesterday's workout...

Tabatacise.  I had never done Tabata before, and quite frankly, it scared the living daylights out of me.  The thought of going 100% for several minutes terrified me.

WHAT.  A.  WORKOUT!!  I loved it.  Yeah, it was tough.  But I pushed through it.  I had a choice between a few premixes.  I chose the easiest one, with only 2 tabatas.  It was still really tough.  The tabata workout/warm-up lasted about 7-8 minutes.  And I was dripping with sweat.  Everyone should be doing this...it is a calorie-torcher!!  Then right after that came Burn Sets Shoulders + Core workout #1.  And I made it through the ENTIRE core workout.  The first few times I did this core workout, I didn't make it through.  It was tough.  It's full of REAL sit-ups, not just the little crunches.  It's been years since I've done full sit-ups.  I'm sure I'll be feeling it later today.    :)

I didn't take a picture after the workout, because I was spent, but I burned 411 calories during that 45 minute workout!!  Awesome!

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Now on to what really matters.  My measurements!   :)    I took measurements when I started the Xtrain program - January 10.  It's only been 3 weeks, but I want to be doing monthly updates of my measurements.  So here were my starting stats....

Right Arm: 11.5"
Left Arm: 11.25"
Chest: 43" (holy boobies!!)
Waist: 34.5"
Hips: 40.5"
Girth (lower abs): 40.5"  (oh, love handles, how I loathe thee)
Right Thigh: 24"
Left Thigh: 23.75"
Right Calf: 13.75"
Left Calf: 13.25"
Starting Weight: 151.4

And these were my measurements this morning, February 1 (3 weeks later).

Right Arm: 11.5" (no change)
Left Arm:  11.25" (no change)
Chest:  I just realized I didn't take this measurement this morning....SHOOT!!!
Waist:  33.75" (-0.75")
Girth (lower abs):  40" (-0.5")
Hips:  40" (-0.5")
Right Thigh:  23" (-1")  !!
Left Thigh:  23.75"  (no change)
Right Calf:  13.5" (-0.25")
Left Calf: 13.25" (no change)
Weight:  154.3  (+2.9 pounds....womp womp)

Sooo....I lost a total of 3 inches (I think...no idea what happened with my chest.  How could I forget that???) from my entire body.  And gained 2.9 pounds.  But I'm not too worried about that one at the moment.  I'm obviously doing something right with the loss in inches.  So I'm happy with these results...great for only 3 weeks!!

*Happy dance*

And to end this great post, I'll leave you with another GREAT thing - the My Fitness Pal summary from yesterday.   :)

P.S.  I'm putting up another post later today.  I've got some exciting things happening for February!