Things That Hinder Weight Loss

- sleep
- caffeine
- hormones
- certain foods
- health conditions
- mental health issues (i.e. depression and stress)
- metabolism
- too much exercise
- weather
- artificial sweeteners
- sodium
- eating at certain times of the day
- medications
- not eating enough

This is a list of all the things that come up when you search the term ‘things that hinder weight loss’. It is an overwhelming list. I have heard of everything on this list as being a problem when you are trying to lose weight, however, I have never seen a comprehensive explanation in one place that explains how each of these things can stop or prevent you from losing weight.
For my own information I want to know everything that I am doing wrong. So, I did my research.

Let me begin that medical professionals and those in the fitness and health industries will tell you that losing weight is simple. It is about using more calories than you take in.

If that were true I would be a size 8. Honestly, I spent two months tracking every calorie I ate and every calorie I burned. I was burning 5000 or more calories than I was eating every week. That is about 1.5 pounds (3500 calories equals a pound). In 2 months I should have lost 12 pounds at least according to the medical explanation.

Do you want to know what I lost? Nothing. In fact I gained 5 pounds.

It became obvious to me that losing weight is not about calories in and calories out. That is a load of crap.

Furthermore, all calories are not equal. A calorie of sugar reacts different in your body than a calorie of carrot. I know that is not a good explanation but you see where I am going.

It shouldn’t be a shocker that over half of adults in this country are overweight or obese. Nobody has a damn clue what they really need to do to lose weight. “Helpful” advice about eating healthy and getting exercise is not going to cut it. People need real information that they can use.

Not only do we need to know what to eat, but we need to know what things we eat that are stopping weight loss and how our daily lifestyle habits hurt our weight loss efforts. We need complete information.

I am sick and tired of all these highly educated professionals feeding us a line of bull. I am ready to get to the truth and I want to share it with you.

I have spent a large amount of time on the internet trying to find reliable sources of information. I have googled just about everything weight loss related you can think of. I have tried to answer every question I have about why these pounds won’t come off no matter what I do. I think the information I have come up with may finally help me to understand my body and how to get the pounds to come off for good.

Now I want to share these things with you. To avoid a huge post I am breaking things up. This is the first part and each part after will focus on some of the things I listed in the beginning of the article. Hopefully by the time I am done we will all understand why Susy Small Pants can eat nothing but fast food, sit on her butt all day every day and not gain a pound when we can follow a strict calorie counting diet and exercise until we think we may die and still have trouble losing a pound.

Went Shopping

I went out to spend all my money today. Big shopping day. We started out at about 10am and I got home at about 6pm. Long day -lol.

I had to buy some new workout stuff. I liked the whole structure thing with the 30 Day Shred so I decided to stick with that and I got the Biggest Loser Cardio and Strength workouts. They are set up for a 12 week period which will be fun. I also got a jump rope exercise kit. It says you can burn 1000 calories in the hour long exercise. Interesting stuff.

So, I will be trying them out. I am excited. The jump rope workout has an audio cd so I am going to rip it to my computer and put it on my MP3 player so I can do it outside when (or if) it ever gets warm again. I have high ceilings in my house so until then I can do it inside.

I can not wait to get going with all the new exercise stuff. I needed a little kick in butt since I have been such a slacker lately.

Level 2

Officially we did 7 days at level 2 and I am fine with that. We did it today and while it was still tough I feel I can go to level 3 and be fine. We kind of have to move quick because Amy will be unable to workout from the beginning of March to around the end of April. We are going to be hitting it hard in February, so watch for my recap of what we do. Amy being unable to workout has put a kink in our plans we had previously laid out, so I will be on my own for a little bit and able to focus hard on some things.

I am going shopping tomorrow and have a couple goals. I need to find more step workouts and I want to find more challenge workouts like the Shred. Wish me luck!

A Dilemma

I have an issue that has me stressed out, caused skipped workouts and just drives me crazy. When I workout I like to break a sweat. This can be a problem, though, because if I sweat I have to shower after. I also like to shower before getting dressed for the day.

I have been running into the problem where I have something to do in the morning so I shower and get dressed, but I have not worked out. That means I have to shower again later in the day. This habit costs me big time in water bills.

I am trying to figure out what to do. I can not keep skipping workouts because I am afraid of large water bills, but I also can not afford large water bills.

Most people workout at the gym so they shower there, but I do all home workouts. Not sure what to do. Any advice would be great, if you have anything to share.

Slacker much?

I am a slacker. I feel like a slacker. I am just horrible. I do not know how I plan on losing weight and getting in shape if I put off working out. I called off the morning workout because my upper body and back are so sore from shoveling snow I felt that I needed a break. I also had to go do laundry and the kids had a 2 hour delay. So, the morning was all messed up.

I did not end up doing the treadmill last night either. I really must do it tonight and I promise I will.

As for tomorrow, I was planning on a morning workout but I forgot I have a meeting in the morning and can not. I will have to move it to the afternoon. Amy is going to be rather mad about that, but I guess she will have to get over it. I am just hoping this winter weather stops soon so I can get back into a normal routine and all this slacking is done with.

FYI

45 minutes of snow shoveling burns more than 300 calories. At least for me according to calculations. So, if one good thing comes from snow it is a good calorie burn. Just had to share for all you snow shoveling fools out there.

UGH

Another day of nasty snow and cold in Ohio. It sucks!!!! I can not wait for spring. I just spent half my day shoveling snow. My little car was literally encompassed in snow. Thank goodness for friends who keep their cars in the garage and can come along and pick you up and take you to the store so you do not starve.

This week has sucked royally. I was broke with my money hitting the bank today so even though I knew it was going to get bad there was not a thing I could do. I had to wait until today. I at least got to go to the store, but laundry is on hold yet again. Soon we will be naked because everything will be dirty.

I hate, hate, hate winter. I do not find any beauty in it. Maybe it is the internal pessimist in me, but snow sucks and the day it is beautiful to me is the day hell freezes over. I have been saying for years that I need to move south, but this year is really testing me.

I am not sure why I hate it this year more than ever. Perhaps it is because I have a small car this year that barely can handle an inch of snow - let's not talk about a foot of snow. Maybe it is because before I had kind neighbors that would plow drives and there was no hour long shoveling sessions. I don't know, but I hate winter more this year than I have in my entire life.

I shoveled forever today and I am still not positive that my car will get out. Now I am sore again and feel like my shoulders and arms are going to fall off. It even hurts to type.

Needless to say, I am taking the day off from working out. I will do the treadmill tonight, but no 30 day shred.

Find Time to Exercise

As the title states, you have to find time to exercise. Not everyone is as lucky as I am. I have a lot of free time because I am completely in charge of my schedule. I work at home and can take a break whenever I feel like it. Most people do not have that luxury.

One of my best friends, you know who you are, has a major time crunch every single day of the week. I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some way to help her fit exercise in. She has tried on numerous occasions to figure out how to do it, but it doesn’t always work.

Not only is having time an issue, but when all you do is run, run, run you tend to lack the motivation to get your butt moving. You have to find a way to make time for exercise and cut out the excuses.

I know it is far easier to say it than do it. Here are some things that work to help you find the time to exercise:
- Map out your daily schedule and see where exercise may fit in. It helps to get a good view of your day on paper so you can see how busy you really are.- Try to exercise around the same time each day. This helps make it routine and routines are easier to follow.
- If you can only workout for 20 minutes then make it a killer 20 minutes. High intensity exercise and even circuit training is much better for you than a slow and steady workout. Push yourself at each and every workout.
- Do not compare yourself to others. Everyone is different. Everyone has a different schedule, different needs and different abilities. Do what works for you.

I know it isn’t much, but it will get you started. Do not say ‘I can’t’ before you even try. Everyone can workout. You may not be the marathon trained getting in 2 hours a day of exercise, but if you do something and get moving then you are better off than you are not doing anything.

Exercise Myths Busted

Sometimes you have to push yourself past the point that you think you can go so you can make things happen. That is what exercise is all about.

It starts with changing how you think about exercise. There are a lot of ideas out there that try to help, but that are really only hurting you. Let’s take a look at what I am talking about.
You have probably heard that every little bit counts and that you can fit in exercise where ever you can even if it is just 10 minutes here and there. This type of thinking is no good. Trust me on this.

Once you let yourself start to believe that you are getting in exercise by taking the stairs or parking further away from the office then you are more likely to let yourself off the hook on getting in some serious exercise. Think about it. Just taking the stairs or walking a little extra to get inside is not a major workout for most people. You probably won’t even break a sweat, let alone get your heart and cardiovascular system working. It is not a good substitute for real exercise.

Another harmful idea disguised as a great one is that you can work out for little blocks of time throughout the day. I simply disagree with this and here is why. When you only workout for 10 or 15 minutes you do not get the type of workout you need for losing weight. If you want to lose weight then this will not cut it.

I understand the reasoning behind these ideas, but they are not helping you if your goal is to lose weight. These ideas are more for someone who is trying to start exercising and who is more focused on getting healthy. So, start by ignoring all this crap. That is what I did and it helped.
The recommendation from top know-it-all’s in the biz is that you need 20 minutes minimum of continuous exercise. Cardio, hard core, get your blood pumping exercise is what I am talking about here. You can not wimp out.

If you are serious about losing weight you have to get serious in your head. Until you change the way you think you will not change your body.

So where do you go from here? You design a plan that works for you, works for your body, your time availability and your personality. Not every workout will work for everyone. You have to personalize it because personalizing a workout is the real key to success.

Helpful Information About Losing Weight

I am working on several posts addressing weight loss and exercise in general. These posts have been written from my own experience and from information I have gathered through research.

I am at a point where I feel lost. I keep at the exercise but the diet part of losing weight eludes me. The scale is my worst enemy and I am frustrated. I decided to try to get as much info as possible about losing weight and I figure since I have it that it won't hurt to share it with you all.

I am posting a couple things today to get started with.

A Little Experiment

As you all know, level 2 has been a tough road for me. Today Amy said she had enough and could not even think of another chair squat lift thingy. So, instead of doing something else we decided we would try out level 3 - still doing the shred just another level.

I said from watching level 3 it seemed easier. We did it and honestly it was easier. There is a lot of jumping, but I can handle that.

My analysis of this is that level 2 is all about the upper body and level 3 is more lower body. There are planks in level 3 but it is not as intense as level 2.

Tomorrow we are back to level 2 and we are doing it to the end on Friday. We will have only done 8 days of level 2, but I think that is all I can take. In my opinion, level 2 should have been level 3 and level 3 should have been level 2.

We also discussed future plans. As of right now we are going to do two week of Tae Bo Amped after the shred. I have owned the amped system for a while and Amy is buying one. After that we are doing Core Rhythms and step for a couple weeks.

We realized that our previous workouts have not been hard enough. We both get tax returns this week so we are on the search for some seriously hard workouts. Our fitness level has went up quite a bit and this light weight stuff is not working anymore. The 30 Day Shred has shown us that we need a good butt kicking. So, I will be on the lookout for some intense exercise routines.

I am also still doing the treadmill. I did 30 minutes last night. Once school is out we are heading to the track to run stairs and run around the track, so I am hoping to increase my treadmill time in preparation for that.

I think that is all for now. :)

Why am I such an addict?

I am addicted to Pepsi. It is really bad. I tried to quit or at least cut down and I just can not. It is the sugary sweet taste and that oh-so-good caffeine that I can not say no to, oh, and the carbonation. It is the combination. You just can not get that anywhere else.

You may think that it is not so awful to drink pop, but let me tell you what. I do not not drink pop. I only drink pop. I may have some coffee or water but it is mainly pop - all day, every day.

I know it isn't good, but I just can not say no. I will run out in the middle of the night or go out of my way to just get some. I have even went through change just to find enough to support my habit.

It is a drug to me. There is no 'little bit' for me. I am at a loss as what to do.

I have tried substitutes and it doesn't work because something is missing. Coffee gives me the caffeine and I can add sugar, but no carbonation. I have to have the caffeine or I go through major withdraw that kills me, like a true addict.

People may laugh or say I am being stupid but until you spend a day in my life and see this first hand, you can not judge. I am starting to realize that this is serious. It is ruining my teeth and I would hate to see what is happening inside my body. I shudder at the thought.

Anyway, I thought I would share my struggle in hopes that someone out there may have a thought that could help me.

Day 5, Level 2

This should be day 6 and I am kicking myself for keeping with the schedule last week. It is what it is. Today was day 5. It was a tad easier, but no big improvement.

The thing with level 2 is that it is so upper body focused. A majority of the moves are done in a plank pose which I find very demanding on my upper body. Despite a major focus on upper body strength training for the past 6 months, my arms do not like this workout at all.

The whole time I am holding a plank my arms literally shake. It is hard to focus on the moves because I am caught up in the pain in my shoulders.

I also do not like that level 2 has few modifications and the modifications provided are not that less intensive. I found myself today forgetting these so-called modifications and just doing it normal because it really wasn't that different.

I have checked out level 3 and she gives far more modifications for it. I am confused a little. In my opinion level 2 is the hardest of the three and it should have been level 3. Maybe I will feel differently later in the week.

I sure hope it gets easier because my arms are killing me.

Freezing

I am really hating winter. I am so freezing cold. My dang furnace does not seem to know how to keep it comfortable. It is either really hot or freezing. UGH!

No workout today. I am going to take a day off since I have not done so this week. Back to the shred tomorrow, though.


Okay, I had to work out, so I did 30 minutes on the treadmill. It was a lot easier tonight than it was yesterday. Don't know why. I have never had improvement that fast - lol.

Saturday Workout

I have this cute little treadmill. It is, what I guess is called, a manual treadmill, meaning it runs off your movement verses the machine moving it. Anywho, it is also set a permanent incline, probably so it makes it easier to keep moving because it would be next to impossible to move it if it laid flat. I do the treadmill sometimes when I am feeling bored or when I do not want to work out because I am engrosses in tv. So, that is what I did today, along with my upper body strength workout that I do three days a week.

I did a half an hour on the treadmill. I broke a sweat, but if my house wasn't almost 80 degrees that may not have happened so badly-lol. Don't worry I turned the heat down.

I have to recover one day of the 30 Day Shred because of the skipped day I am now behind schedule. I do not know if I am going to do it tomorrow or go ahead and do it next Saturday. Probably next Saturday :) Tomorrow is either Core Rhythms or Tae Bo lower body bootcamp.

Day 3, Level 2

Short post today. Did pretty good. Getting easier.

Day 3, Level 2

I do not really remember how things went with level 1 and I can not check at this moment, but day of level 2 was a bit easier than the first 2 days. It was still hard. It still kicked my butt. I made it through, though. I was pretty under control and I actually am learning the moves a little better.

I forgot to mention that the moves in level 2 are complex. In almost every move you are engaging multiple parts of your body. Most moves are working arms, legs and abs at the same time, even the cardio. This is part of the reason why this level is so much harder than level 1.
Anyway, today did not kill me. I am hoping it made me stronger.

As for my body condition. My calf is still a little tender which I guess is normal. It is getting better and it doesn’t hurt when I get started. It hurts by the end a little. So I guess it is healing. Now I have this odd burning in my quad on the same leg (what is it with this damn leg?). It does not feel like a typical pulled muscle. It actually burns and hurts when I touch it more than when I use it. Not sure what that is all about. It doesn’t really affect my workout so I am not too worried.

I am hoping tomorrow’s workout will be easier yet. I am really looking forward to sailing through the workout like I did with level 1. However, I have previewed level 3 and am not looking forward to all the jumping it entails.

Nobody ever said that this would be easy.

I Discovered Something Today

Today should have been Level 2, Day 3 of the 30 Day Shred. However, I was so sore from the first 2 days that I dreaded doing it. We decided to take a little break today and did a cardio boot camp instead.

If I am feeling frisky I may do Day 3 tonight. However, I question how smart it is to push my body when it is sore. I do not want to stress my muscles and then limp through the remaining week.

It is something to think about. All the things I have read about this workout have mixed opinions. Some people do it every day no matter what. Others only do it three times a week. I am not sure what to do.

We shall see what my feelings are tonight. If I do it I will let you all know.

By the way, hello to everyone who is following my blog. Please share it with anyone you know who may struggle. I am just getting started and hope to post a bunch of great stuff here to help everyone with their weight struggles. It is so hard to lose weight and I just want to help and encourage others as well as keep my own battle going.

Day 2, Level 2

Day 2 people! It did not suck as bad. However, let me explain. I did not workout with Amy this morning. Instead I took a nap (didn't get much sleep last night - don't ask - Jessica hush it). I worked out tonight, so that may have some impact on the difficulty level - things seem more difficult in the morning to me than at night. That is probably due to the fact that I am a night owl and so not a morning person.

Anyway, I still struggled. It was still hard, but I made it through. I did not die. It just felt a bit easier. I am thinking this may be because I have done the workout 2 times, this was the third, so I knew what was coming. That does make it easier because then I can tell myself that I only have this much more to go. It's a motivation/head game thing.

So, that is about that.

I know I said I was going to start the carb thing this week, but I didn't. I will some day. However, I just read something interesting. I was reading an article about how you can lose weight through exercise alone and that it is more likely that you will keep that weight off and that it will be easier to keep off if you do it that way. Plus it doesn't take as long to lose that way because your metabolism is getting faster, not slowing down as it does when you diet.

Just something to think about.

Oh, and I fell off the wagon big time. I ate McD's. It was lunch; the kids were home; had no food; it was fast and cheap. I told you I suck at diets. No will power when it comes to food. That is why exercise is my best friend.

Day 1, Level 2

I can barely type this as my arms hurt so bad. Level 2 is no joke, people. Level 1 was pretty simple and I honestly did not have to struggle much to make it through the exercises. I think I've said before that I had a few sore muscles here and there, but I made it through without feeling like death.

Level 2, as I said last week when I tried it, is a bitch. There is no other way to say it. Jillian is not messing around. I am very afraid of level 3 and thankful that I have 2 weeks to work on level 2.

At the end of the workout I felt like I had been to hell and back. I was dripping with sweat and sore all over.

This level is not for the weak.

I am really surprised at how much it worked me. I was doing 2 hours of cardio every day. Not wimpy cardio either. I usually did a step workout followed by tae bo - both are difficult cardio workouts. They push you and your body. Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred is a whole new world.

I never thought 20 minutes could last so long or hurt so much.

If you really want to get your body in top shape and work it to the max then this is the workout for you. I am a true believer after today that Jillian is going to change my body.

Boring Day

I didn't do the shred today - don't do it on weekends. I walked on my treadmill instead. Boring, boring, boring. I was watching a Lifetime movie while doing it, but still it is boring. I am adding it into my daily routine, though. The reason is that Amy (my workout buddy) and I am aching to get outside once this weather breaks and walking is what we will do. We want to work up to jogging or running (not so sure I will because of the knee issues).

So, I am adding in treadmill time when I watch tv in the evening. I did 1/2 hour tonight. Tomorrow I may try for 45 minutes. I want to work up to 2 hours on it by the end of March. If boredom doesn't kill me first I think I can do that.

It is not hard really. I am not panting or whatever. It just is soooo boring.
Plus I have a cheapy treadmill. It is not one of those fancy motorized ones. No, it is a completely body powered one. That means it is set at an incline all the time so I can - through walking- keep the thing moving. It is a little difficult to maintain good posture and I have to hold on or I slip down the dang thing -lol. Did I mention it is boring?

One thing that ticked me off was I have this dang step counter thingy mcbob - a pedometer (the name escaped me for a minute-lol). It was clearly not working. I was wondering why it was taking so long just to get to a half a mile. I watched it and it wasn't recording my steps. Maybe every tenth step it might go up one. I was mad, so I resorted to just timing myself. I was going to walk a mile, but since I have to way to calculate I said screw it.

It could be worse. I will live. Besides before I take this body outside to workout again it must look better than it does now.

Let's Really Talk About Level 2

I didn't give much detail yesterday about level 2 except to say it kicked my butt. Since I hope that people thinking about doing or who are doing the 30 Day Shred will read this I figure I owe it to you to be detailed.

Level 2 is like an amped up level 1. The same basic ideas apply and you are working the same muscles, but everything is intensified to the extreme.

I didn't really feel challenged by level 1. I could do the moves without having to quit or cheat. With level 2, though, the moves are a big challenge. Knowing what I know now I am thinking I should have probably started with level 2.

As you know there are 3 parts to each level of the 30 Day Shred. Let me tell you a bit about each.

Strength - You do this for 3 minutes. There are 2 moves that you alternate to get the 3 minutes. In level 1 the first moves were traditional moves. We did push ups, squats with a should press, lunges with bicep curls - nothing I've never done before. In level 2 the moves are much harder and more complex. There are a lot of exercises where you have to hold a plank position. This is a challenge of its own, but you have other moves incorporated in to make it even more trying. Overall, strength in level 2 is a great challenge for the muscles in the whole body.

Cardio - You do this for 2 minutes. The cardio is a lot like level 1, except, again, she pumps it up. There are more low impact options in level 2 which I like and it is not as hard on the knees which is also welcomed since I have some knee issues. However, with the cardio in level 2 you are pushed physically. Strength is added into some of the exercises, like one where you must hold a plank position the whole time. It is much more difficult than level 1's jumping jacks, so if you can't get through those with ease then you are not going to make it through level 2.

Abs - You do this for 1 minute. Again, pumped up. Most of the abs were not too difficult. She raises the resistance of the exercises but they are all basically the same as level 1, just beefed up a little. The last ab exercise is the worst - holding a plank again. Overall, though, abs are not the thing you should worry about with level 2.

As you can see, level 2 takes a huge jump in difficulty from level 1. If you have any doubts about your ability to get through level 1 then do not move on to level 2 because you will not make it. Level 2 is a great challenge and much welcomed since I was so bored with level 1. It should keep me on my toes for the next 2 weeks that is for sure.

Ideal Weight Charts

I know, this is my 10 millionth post today - lol. However, I said I would get this up soon, so I am doing it today because I ,obviously, have the time to do it.

You all know about those ideal weight charts where you find your height and it tells you that you should weigh between this tiny weight and that tiny weight. I have always wondered just where the hell those “ideal” weight charts came from and who decided what “ideal” means.

Pretty much every person I know thinks those charts are a bunch of crap. The weights seem as out of proportion as our idea of a serving size. I mean, for your average person are these really “ideal” weights we should be striving for?

What I found out when I dug a little deeper is that basically any type of chart or even a BMI is a bunch of crap and very, very inaccurate. The only true test can be done using special equipment that can tell you your accurate body fat percentage.

Furthermore, what alarms me the most about these damn ideal weight charts is that they were created by a life insurance company.

What, what what!?

Yep. Met Life created these things back in the day to use when figuring morality risks for people they were insuring. They are based on averages - from back in then, not today. So really they are pretty much crap.

Additionally, what I didn't know and what most of you probably do not realize is that the height on the charts is adjusted. It is your height but when wearing shoes with a 1" heel. All this time I have been using the wrong height, so no wonder it seemed crazy. That 1" makes a difference.

I measured myself the other night - without shoes - and got 5'4 1/2". I guess I would take that to 5'5", so with 1" shoes I would be 5'6" or about that.

I almost forgot - you also have to choose your frame size. I did a little Googling and found I have a large frame.

So with all my new knowledge I took a look at my "ideal weight". It is ...drum roll...

140-159


Now, that is far more reasonable than I had been led to believe before I knew all these little insider secrets about the height and the body frame (FYI - I thought it was 119-134). I can see why so many people are upset when they see the numbers on the charts. Maybe you should take a look at the ideal weight chart again and recheck your ideal weight. You may be surprised too.

As Promised and a Little Treat

Okay, I measured and there have been some results, slight results, but results nonetheless.

Here are the measurements:

Arm - 12 1/4 - no change
Waist - 37 3/4 - 1/4" loss
Hip - 46 - 1" loss
Thigh - 26 1/4 - 1/4" loss
Calf - 15 1/4 - 1/4" loss

Now those were okay results. Not bad for a 20 minute workout.

Here is the little treat - I found my measurements that I had taken when I started working out. Here they are:

Arm - 13
Waist - 39
Hip - 48 1/2
Thigh - 26 1/2
Calf - 14 1/2

This was from June 2008. Here is the kicker, though, here are my measurements from September after some hard core working out. This was before the horrible months of November and December which have brought some of my numbers up:

Arm - 11 1/2
Waist - 35
Hip - 43
Thigh - 24
Calf - 14

I am a little embarrassed that these numbers are much lower than what I am showing now. It shows how getting off track can really hurt you. It takes so much longer for those numbers to go down than for them to go up.

I am hoping some of the increase in my measurements has been from muscle gain, but I don't know how true that could be since muscle is more compact than fat. IDK. I do know that by spring I want to be at those numbers or lower, I prefer lower.

Sorry for rambling. I just wanted to let you all in on my weight highs and lows and update my 30 Day Shred measurements.

Good Day Y'all!

Last Day of the 30 Day Shred

Forgive me if I do not make a whole lot of sense but I just finished level 1 of the 30 Day Shred and went straight into level 2 just to check it out. Well, remind me to never do that again.

After the first circuit of level 2 I thought to myself that I would just stop and watch the rest, but being the maniac I am I went ahead and did the whole thing. I am exhausted.

Level 1 was super simple tonight. Oh - FYI - I didn't workout with my exercise buddy today because the kids didn't have school and we usually pass on workouts on those days school is cancelled. Anyway, I finished level 1 and felt like a super star, so it was on to level 2.

Level 2 kicked my butt! I didn't even fully do the moves. I cheated on a few because I just couldn't keep up. Jillian would have been screaming her head off at me. Thankfully she wasn't here :)

So there you have it people. Level 1 is complete. I still have that calf muscle issue - think I really did pull it. It aches but nothing I can not live with when working out. I just have a pain every time I put weight on that leg. Other than that everything was awesome with level 1 and I am confident that I am fully ready to tackle level 2 hell.

I promise I will put in my measurement update in a little bit - haven't taken them yet.

I Have Nothing Else to do Today

Before I forget I wanted to tell you all about my New Year's Resolution. I already exercise. I am going back to school. I just didn't really have anything I needed to make a resolution for. I didn't want to do those generic resolutions that always are broken by now.

So, anywho, my resolution this year was no McDonalds until June 1st. I figured 6 months was a good time frame.

You may ask why McDonalds. Let me explain. I live in a very small town and McDonalds is really all we have. I was going there like everyday. It was bad. I do not have access to other fast food too often, so I figured it would be easier to have it narrowed down as much as possible so McDonalds seemed the right choice.

Anyway, today tried me to the extreme. My mom bought my kids gift cards for McDonalds and we still have them, so I figured I would take them for lunch. It was very hard for me to not go ahead and order a cheeseburger. I bought a chicken pot pie and got the kids food. I made it through. I am rather proud of myself.

This is one resolution that I will not break. I swear :)

Off Topic - You'll Get Used to It

I just have to send a big thank you to whoever is in charge because I stupidly did not even try to start my car yesterday and was in great fear it would not start this morning, but it did. For you lucky people who do not live in the frozen hell better known as the Mid West, the reason for my fear is the temps outside have been as low as -15 (from what I personally saw). That is frickin' cold. My little car just is a trooper for sure.

Anyway, I had to just share my good fortune with everyone. I really am hating this weather, but I might just make it through. I did wake up this morning to my house being 60 degrees despite having my heater cranked to above 80, so I cranked it above 90 and it is finally back to the 70 degrees where I keep it.

Also my dang freezer is not working and when I checked it this morning my ice cubes were melting. I guess I should be happy that I can at least put the food outside if it fails completely.

I am a pessimist by nature but I am trying hard to be cheery today. This week has sucked big time and I think a little optimism may not hurt me. LOL

Well, this is so not on topic, but I will do a 30 day shred update later and let you all know the results of the first two weeks. You will get used to my off topic posts because, trust me, there will be a lot of them. :)

Day 9

Day 9, just one more day on level 1. I am so happy that level 1 is almost over - it is boring me to death. Today's workout went by very easily and I am confident that I am ready to move on to level 2.

I know yesterday I was all complaining about being sore and what not, but I think that I was just having a crappy day it went over into my workout and manifested itself in the physical. So, I really do think I have mastered level 1 and am fully ready for level 2.

We shall see because tomorrow's workout is level 1 finish up and then we are doing the preview of level 2 (basically all that means is we are doing the level 2 in addition to our regular level 1).

Day 8

Thanks to all the damn snow and the snow shoveling I had to do I am now officially very sore. That made todays workout really suck. I made it through, but I could have easily laid down and died instead.

I am noticing improvements in all areas. Today it was mainly the ab work. My shoulder and back still hurt which made getting through the strength training about all I could do. The cardio was a bit screwed up because halfway through the first set of jumping jacks something happened in my calf and now it hurts like crazy.

I am not sure what is up with all the muscle issues, but tonight I am doing pilates in hope that will help some.

Tomorrow it is on to day 9 with only one day after that on level one. I will be so happy to move on because level one is so boring. We can say word for word everything that Jillian says and it is not so funny anymore, just boring.

Day 7 of the 30 Day Shred

Day 7. Seems like so little, but the way I feel it sure is nothing little. To begin with today sucked anyway, so working out was not what I wanted to do at all. I woke up with my back/shoulder area hurting. I assume from push ups and the other exercises in the shred. I then had to shovel snow for a couple hours so I can get in and out of my driveway - until the next snowfall anyway. So, I feel like crap to start out.

Jillian says by day 7 I should notice a huge change in my endurance. That is true. I did breeze through the cardio today. The abs were easier too. It was all the strength training that kicked my butt today.

Surprisingly after all was said and done, doing the shred made my back/shoulder area not hurt as much. I thought that was odd, but I wasn't complaining. Now, hours later, it hurts again and I have a BenGay smell lingering about me - how lovely.

I will also tag on here about the diet that I have really fallen off the wagon with. I can not report results when I am not staying on track. I really am horrible at remembering to take pills and have completely forgotten to take any today. So, I guess that will be something for next week. I want to report on a whole week and not just a day here or there which will not really get me results.

As you can see the reason I struggle with weight loss is all diet. I will exercise no matter what. Diet gets me every time. Dang. I am seriously going to try, though. I want to help others and to do that I have to help myself.

Another note - I have a little tidbit coming up on those ideal weight charts that try to tell you what you should weigh. I think you will like it.

30 Day Shred Update - Week 2

Dang people. Here I thought the 30 Day Shred was no big deal so far. I was sure I was handling things well. Then came today. This is week 2, day 6 of my 30 Day Shread-a-thon.

It was like a whole new workout today. The cardio didn't kick my butt. The strength training was a breeze -even all the lunges. My form was awesome. The abs were a little bit of a strain, but let me just stand up for myself and say that over the weekend I did core rhythms workouts which is highly ab focused so they are still tender from that.

Anywho, I was happy with my workout today. We only did the Shred because I am super busy this week with work and can not do a long workout any day. We did agree that Friday we are going to finish level 1 and try out level 2 - just for kicks and giggles.

We shall see how this week progresses. Wish my luck.

And the Diet of the Moment is...

I have a mountain of magazine clippings about different diets that they swear work. The one for this week or however long I feel like doing it is the Carb Blocker Diet. I don't know if that is the real name, but that is what I am calling it. Here are the details:

Diet Plan Name: Carb Blocker Diet
Where Diet Came From: First Magazine, Issue 12/15/08
Plan Basics/Rules: This diet involves taking a Phase 2 carb blocker. There are four points to the diet.
Eat a daily diet of around 55% carbs, 30% protein and 15% fat.
Take 3,000 mg of the Phase 2 carb blocker every day. To be taken in in 3 1,000 mg doses or depending upon your eating schedule.
Take a dose of the Phase 2 carb blocker 10 minutes before eating a carb loaded meal. If dose is forgotten then take immediately and stop eating for 10 minutes or after eating take. Try not to skip a dose when eating high carb meals.
Drink 1 to 2 glasses of water with each dose of Phase 2 carb blocker. This will help prevent constipation or other gastrointestinal issues.

Additionally things to know:

- Says it will block up to 75% of the calories from carbs.
- Says it will prevent cravings.
- Says it will increase energy levels.
- Says it will slow aging and make skin look healthier.
- Says it will reduce inflammation.
- Says it help increase metabolism for all day burn.

Compared to Alli:

- No diet restrictions, except recommendation to eat more carbs than protein or fat. With Alli diet must be low fat.
- Only side effect reported is mild nausea in about 20% of users. With Alli side effects are well known and shown to range from mild to severe with the chance of embarrassing situations due to side effects.
- Average weight loss is 3 to 7 lbs compared to only 1 to 2 lbs with Alli.


Now, as you can see, in the magazine they compared using this supplement to using Alli. I stuck that on the end there so you all could see.

I have heard some nasty things about Alli so I hope what they say about the side effects of the carb blocker are accurate- LOL.

I am starting this on the 12th. I will keep you posted about any side effects and my weight loss. I am doing measurements more than actual weight because my scales suck.
See my post on The 30 Day Shred for my measurements.

Let's Get It Started

I am just going to jump right into it. On the 5th I started a new workout - The 30 Day Shred. You have probably heard of it. The 30 Day Shred is a workout created by Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser. Check out the link for a sample of this workout.

I have avoided Jillian's workouts in the past because they seemed to be too easy or simple for my tastes. I really like complex moves and things that make you think. It is true that Jillian uses simple moves, but I have quickly learned that they are anything but simple.

I decided to take the jump and try The 30 Day Shred because I have read so many good things about this workout and it was cheap at WalMart.

I workout with a friend and so I informed her we were going to be shredding for the next 30 days. It actually is kind of a break from our normal routine since the workout is only 20 minutes and we usually were pushing an hour.

Anyway, the workout has three levels which go up in intensity. We started on Level 1, obviously. At first it seemed simple. I was like, okay, yeah, this is boring. However, it did challenge me.

Each level uses Jillian's special formula of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. You repeat each circuit 3 times for the complete workout on each level.

The first week is now over and I did not see the amazing results I thought I might. Perhaps my results were limited by the fact that despite my fat ass I am in good shape. I have been working out since June so my cardiovascular system and muscles are used to exercise and in the shape to handle some intensity.

I will admit at the beginning of the week my abs were sore. In my defense, though, I have greatly avoided any and all ab exercise. I just hate crunches and wanted to focus more on my arms. It wasn't too bad, though. I could live and move.

I also had some knee issues towards the middle of the week. I have always had knee problems since junior high and deal with this often. My knee hurt so bad when doing the cardio which is mostly jumping and very high impact. I took a day or so doing the moves a little lower impact and my knees are fine.

We did the Shred Monday through Friday. I did pilates on Saturday and so far nothing today. Overall I did see my ability to not scream at Jillian during the cardio improved and the moves in every segment were easier on Friday than on Monday. I can not say, though, that I saw any major improvement in my body's appearance.

We will see what happens next week. So far The 30 Day Shred is a nice workout that does get you sweaty, but nothing any harder than things I have done before.

Measurements from 1-5-09

bicep - 12 1/4
waist - 38
hips - 47
thigh - 26 1/2
calf - 15 1/2

I am not proud to post these, but this is me. I am sure as hell no perfect gal. I have a big butt, what can I say? More cushion for the pushin'. LOL

The Beginning

Hello all!

I am starting yet another blog, but I swear I will keep up on this one. One reason why I think this blog won't fail is because I am really passionate about the topic of losing weight. It is something that so many of us struggle with and something so many of us fail at.

What this blog is going to be all about is my experiences with various weight loss crap. This includes diets and exercise. I am completely crazy about buying magazines and I usually buy them when they have some hot story about a new way to lose weight - guaranteed.

I have a huge collection of workouts and diet guides that I have collected. I want to lose weight and haven't found that magic formula yet. So, my idea was born.

I am going to go through all of these diet plans and workouts and tell you all about what happens. So this blog will tell you all about what works and what doesn't.

There are so many promises out there and I think that is what causes failure when it comes to weight loss. It is hard to weed out the crap, so I will do that for you.

Keep in mind, though, some things may work for one person and not for others. Use this blog as a guide. I am hoping to inspire others to give some new ideas a try and see what is out there. If nothing else, maybe I can help people to eat better and get moving.