Feeling Better

I am feeling a little better since I have gotten my pop drinking back under control-somewhat. I swear, if we hadn't been on a boil alert I may have just went without pop, but I was thirsty and it was cheap...it was God's will. Had to have been. Why else would there be a boil alert when I was completely out of bottled water and the water jug in the fridge was empty?

Anyway, my new job has restructured the way I do things. I am a very scheduled person. I like to keep to a schedule and deviations make me cranky. My new schedule involves eating breakfast and drinking a pot of coffee during the day before I ever reach for a pop. I haven't been eating breakfast because I can not get away from my computer to get anything. Not even a snack. I almost peed my pants today because I was sitting here for three hours after drinking three glasses of coffee/water/pop. So, breakfast is in and lunch is out. I just can not pull three meals a day, but I have noticed eating breakfast helps a lot. There are not a lot of cravings for eating later at night either. Plus, my energy levels are back up.

I've been strictly walking now. I did the 5k training on Monday (not sure the distance, maybe a mile, but interval training, so a better burn than straight walking), Tuesday was 3 miles with the walking dvd (12 minute miles, though, so a jog is the better way to describe it), Wednesday was a mile outside and then today was 2 miles inside with my walking dvd. I am hoping to have more time tomorrow and am doing the 5 miles of my walking/jogging dvd.

My knees hurt from walking outside. It is an odd thing. When I walk outside it really messes me up, but I have never had an issue walking inside, even jogging inside. I do not usually wear shoes inside, which I think is probably a big part of it. Plus inside is a surface that is not quite as unforgiving as pavement. Of course, like my workout bud said - I will not be running 5k races inside, so I have to get used to it.

Walked/Jogged Three 12 Minute Miles

I got my new walking dvd today. It allows you to walk up to 5 miles as a pace of a 12 minute mile. At the end of each mile there is a jog that really gets you moving. I did three miles today since the most I have done before was 2.5 miles. I liked it. I probably could have done the whole thing, but I want to pace myself. I will probably do 3 or 4 miles tomorrow and Thursday and then do the 5 miles on Friday.

Next week I will have 3 days of 5k training and the other days I will be doing the walking dvd. So, all walking/jogging all the time. It is quick way to exercise when you move fast and not a bad calorie burner either.

To get a little more of a boost I carried hand weights on mile 2 (she also has you do arm movements, so that added to the arm exercise).

I am a bit frustrated otherwise. I have no pepsi in the house. We are on a boil alert. I have already drank a pot of coffee. I am not sure what to do. I am thirsty and boiling water is the last thing I want to do. May head somewhere and buy something after my shower.

Can't Shake It

I have felt really run down for about 2 weeks now and the past few days have been really bad. While it could be heat related since it has been so dang hot, I think it is a blood sugar problem. I laid off the pop and was really limiting myself and then all of a sudden I am drinking it like it is water. I think my blood sugar must be whack because the only other time I felt this run down was when I had gestational diabetes. Already having the disease it makes it a little easier to recognize its symptoms.

So, I feel like I have no choice but to try following a diabetic meal plan. I found one online that is similar to what I followed when I was pregnant. I think I will do what I did when I was pregnant - I ate basically the same things for breakfast, lunch and snacks and then dinner was making do with what was made. It is not too difficult actually to make your current diet work with the diabetic meal plan.

Anyway, when I was on the meal plan when I was pregnant lost about 30 pounds right away. The doctor said I could follow it even if I was not pregnant, so i know it will not harm me in anyway and is safe to try. So, I am giving it a go. I am hoping to start feeling more energized. I guess all I can do is jump right in and get started tomorrow. It'll be a little struggle in the beginning because I do not really have the foods I need for breakfast and lunch, but I will have to do until I can get to the store.

I really hope this helps. If it does then I know my problem and it will become all about losing weight and keeping my blood sugar on track so I don't end up with full blown diabetes. If it doesn't work then I will at least know what the problem is not. I do have thyroid issues in my family so if this doesn't work then I guess I will have to get my thyroid checked.

I Love the Biggest Loser

Even though it is 2 hours long, I love that show. Tonight my favorite went home. I would have loved to see Helen go. I can not stand her. She will sell anyone out to get what she wants. In my opinion she is selfish and nothing showed it more than when she sent her own daughter home. She practically guilt tripped her into leaving and then when the others tried to object, Helen whined and said it was what her daughter wanted. Oh, I just can not stand her!

Before tonight's show I wanted Kristen to win and then if not then Mike. After tonight's show I want Filipe to win. Mike and Ron are evil. Ron knew how Mike was voting and just because he didn't write down Kristen's name does not mean a thing.

I am kind of tired of watching Tara win everything, but I have nothing bad to say about her. at least she wins because she puts effort into it.

It is funny how each week things change and you start to see the real side of people. Shame on Ron and Mike (and Helen). Money is not everything. It is not worth selling out for. After Mike's damn comments tonight if he falls below the yellow line he has a one way ticket home.

See how evil people get when they are skinny. I swear this show proves one point:

skinny = evil

Now that makes a fat girl feel good.

Under 100 Calories - Snack Ideas

Hit the title to go to the article. These are some great snack ideas. They are different than the usual. That is important to me for a couple reasons.

1- I hate fruit. All of it. Don't try to talk me into eating it. I don't like it.
2- I hate yogurt.

Why are these two things important? Because most low cal snack ideas include one of those items. When I snack I want chocolate or carbs or something that I actually want to eat. I do not want to snack on crap I hate eating. Why snack?

That is why I loved this article. These are new, fresh, non-fruit and yogurt ideas for people like me who hate diet food.

Got to Get Under Control

My diet is way out of control and I can not take it anymore. I have decided to go on a straight calorie counting diet. I am not worrying about what I eat as long as I only eat 1500 calories a day. That is the amount of calories I should be eating to maintain my goal weight.

I am not worrying about the details. I may skip breakfast. I will eat carbs. I will drink sugary soda. I may even eat chocolate. However, once I reach my 1500 calories I do not get anymore.

I think breaking things down to this simplistic nature is just what I have to do to get myself under control. I don't like feeling like food is ruling me (not really food in my case, pop). I also know I hate diets. I hate not being able to eat the foods I want or do what I want.

There is one rule and it is clear and simple - 1500 calories - no more.




On the exercise side - I am falling apart. Not sure if it has to do with the two high intenisty weeks I did, but my hip on my left side is hurting very, very badly with even the smallest movement and then my knee on my right is cracking extremely loud and now hurting when it cracks. I feel due to these two problems it is best to stick with the walking only right now. Since I had already decided to do the walking workouts this is fine by me. I hate injuries and could not live with myself if I get injuried because I wasn't listening to my body.

Stress levels through the roof time for a change

I am starting my new job and I still have other work and then school work to complete on top of that - in short, I am super busy. With that in mind there is no time for a long workout. On top of it all my allergies have me screwed up and really intense workouts like tae bo have me about to die halfway in. So, what I have done is bought a walk at home DVD. I am not likely to have a spare minute in the next few weeks to go outside and take a stroll so I am doing it inside.

The workouts are by Leslie Sansone. They are great. I bought a dvd with5 workouts on it. There are 2 1 mile walks, 2 2 mile walks and then a walk/kickboxing combo (not sure how far that is supposed to be in distance). I did the starter 1 mile walk tonight. It was only 20 minutes, but she adding in weights to pump up the intensity. It didn't kill me but it felt good. You can feel it in your legs, for sure. With the weights it gets your arms feeling it, too. I used 3 pound weights, but I have 5 and may push myself at the end of the week.

I am doing the walking workouts all this week. By the end of the week I hope to combine a one and 2 mile walk to make 3 miles of walking. I am using this as part of the 5k training. I need to at least be solid at walking 3 or so miles before we start our interval training outside. I also have the music so if it rains or I just can not get outside I can still do the interval 5k training inside - but we are not there yet - that comes in May :)

Feel Like Death

I have felt horrible all week. My allergies are practically killing me. I am all stuffed up and when I do any cardio I feel like I can not breathe. I get all winded and then start feeling like I will pass out. I only did a small amount of working out this week because of it.

I am not sure how long these allergies are going to stick around, so I am creating walking workouts - one for outside and one for inside. I will be doing those for a while. Then at the beginning of May I will finally start my 5k training.

This was just a crappy week. Allergy season sucks!

Not my Victory, but one worth reporting

My son informed this evening that he weighed himself and has lost 7 lbs. He was so happy. He was telling me how a pair of pants fit him now that didn't before. He attributes it to the fact that he has been playing at the park often and said he has a goal of going to the park to play 4 times a week.

A chip off the old block :)

Wish I could lose 7 pounds without trying. I am dying. My allergies have me all stuffed up which makes carido very difficult. I about died during a half hour tae bo workout last night because I just could not breathe. Sucks! Gonna try it again tonight, though. May walk tomorrow since the rain is supposed to finally be gone.

Not in the Blogging Mood

I have been feeling BLAH again. I took a 3 day weekend from working out since I was doing the 2 hour days there last week. My body needed it. This week I am probably going to end up doing treadmill all week for 1 hour, except tonight when I do 2 hours while watching Biggest Loser.

I fell off the wagon a but with my pop drinking. Got to get that back under control. I have not been eating much because I have a jaw issue that has been acting up and it hurts to open my mouth and chew. I am lucky to make it half way through a meal.

I am starting a full time job at home this week so this has really messed up my ability to workout with my workout buddy. We were supposed to start walking together this week, but between the rain and my work commitments we have not been able to do so. It looks like I will be pretty much on my own from now on. We may be able to do some evening walks, but her work schedule is opposite of mine so those times will be limited. That is okay, though, I push harder when I workout alone. Just got to keep her going.

I think that is about it. Nothing too exciting.

Raining, UGH

I was supposed to be setting out on a two hour walk, but it is raining. I am thinking about a light workout as soon as I finish up some lingering work on my desk. I will probably just do 40 minutes of something. My knees are killing me, though, so I am considering not doing anything today and making today and tomorrow my days off. Then Sunday night I can workout.

This hard core week was a good kick in my butt. It has really gotten me focused. I think about once a month I need a week like this. I've been asked why I did it and the reason is simple. I did it because I needed to challenge myself and my body. I did it because I needed to.

Next week I am laying off a bit. I have a goal of 80 minutes a day which is quite doable. My plans are 40 minutes or so of tae bo and then either treadmill or something else for the rest of the time.

Being Nice Tonight

Well, tonight I am being nice to my body after putting it through hell for the past 3 days. I am doing dance workouts for 2 hours. I think that is a nice and easy workout.

Tomorrow I am doing a 2 hour am walk with some stair running somewhere in there. Then it is off for 2 days over the weekend. I fell good about kicking some butt this week. I deserve a 2 day weekend :)

Schedule Tonight

not that anyone really cares to read about my schedule -lol. It helps me to write it out here. I feel accountable for doing it if I put it here for all to read. Last night I was about to give up at the 1 hour 15 minute mark but I kept going because I said I was doing 2 hours.

Anyway, intense schedule again tonight. I am starting with an hour of tae bo and then on to do an hour on the treadmill (interval training again). I did not work out this morning. Morning workouts bum me out and I just really hate them so I am taking a different approach. I am fine with 2 hours straight, so if it works then I'm doing it.

Also on another note - I am down 4 pounds since last Monday. Very happy with that. It is a good start, but much more work to do. with all the struggles and ups and downs since I started on my journey to quit Pepsi and gain control of my weight (mid-March) I have lost about 11 pounds. I still want to lose at least 10 pounds by the end of the month. If I keep on trucking I might be able to get there. Just have to stay focused.

Did the Treadmill

Well, I did the intervals on the treadmill for 2 hours. I am pretty surprised. It went by pretty fast. I did figure out why Biggest Loseris 2 hours long. There are a lot of commercial breaks. I did intervals during the first 1.5 hours and then just walked through the last half an hour since commercials were coming so quickly then. That show is probably like 50 minutes long if you cut the commercials. Anyway, I did not plan on doing 2 hours today, but I ended up doing it, so I am proud.

Today is a Bad Day

I am so busy with work and I lost my morning due to doing laundry. It is almost 7 and I am crunched for time. I still have about 5 pages to write for a project due tomorrow for work. I have to watch Biggest Loser tonight and it is 2 hours long. That takes me to 10 pm. I still have to workout and shower! So, despite me total desire to say screw working out at all I am going to walk the treadmill during Biggest Loser. I will actually do intervals where I speed up during commercial breaks. I figure 2 hours of interval training on the treadmill is enough exercise for the day. I guess it is a productive way to spend tv time.

Give Me More!

Did my 2 hours today. This morning was rough, but I figure it was because I was coming off a weekend of overindulging in pop and not exercising, plus it was morning and I hate morning. I did an hour of Biggest Loser. This evening was great. I loved every minute of it. I did 40 minutes of tae bo and then 20 minutes on the treadmill doing intervals. I felt so alive when I was done. I could have trudged on for another 20 or 30 minutes, but it is only Monday and I do not want to push it.

I have read in various places that 2 hours of exercise a day is the ideal amount. It will help a person lose weight fast and it is generally just good for the body. We shall see after this week if I agree with that or not.

Tomorrow is my day when I do not workout in the am. Got to do laundry. Then it is 2 days in a row at 2 hours each day.

Let's Look to Next Week

Okay, I am obviously confused about my exercise routine for next week. I am not sure where to go at this point. I have thrown a few things out there like treadmill time, more tae bo, The Firm and The Biggest Loser. I, obviously, have options, but no clue what I am doing. From the past 2 weeks I learned that my body can not handle tae bo 2 times a day every day. I, however, love tae bo and I love the fact that it burns massive amounts of calories every time I do it.

So, after thinking here is my decision - I am doing tae bo at least once a day. I am aiming for at least 60 minutes of exercise at each session (2 times a day). That brings me to 2 hours of exercise a day. I am going to do tae bo in the evening since that is when I feel most full of life. In the morning I am doing Biggest Loser. Now, most of my tae bo dvds are 40 minutes or around there, so I am rounding that out to make it an hour by doing treadmill for the remainder of the time.

Of course, there are always deviations from the plan. Tuesday morning I go to the laundromat so I do not usually workout. Tuesday will be 1 hour of tae bo in the evening only. Friday my dad, brother and sister and I are having a family outing at Hooters (odd choice, I know, not my decision, but I am cool cause I am getting drunk). So, I will not be able to do an evening workout. I will do an hour of tae bo and treadmill in the morning instead.

So, here is my workout plan for this week:

Monday: am - Biggest Loser 1 hr
pm - tae bo/treadmill 1 hr

Tuesday: am - OFF
pm - tae bo/treadmill 1 hr

Wednesday: am - Biggest Loser 1 hr
pm - tae bo/treadmill 1 hr

Thursday: am - Biggest Loser 1 hr
pm - tae bo/treadmill 1 hr

Friday: am - tae bo/ treadmill 1 hr
pm - OFF

Okay, now onto diet. I have a short attention span and so I did the apple cider vinegar crap for one week and it was okay. It did work to suppress my appetite. I didn't really lose any weight, though. For this coming week I am doing the carb blocker pills. I figure with the drunkin' plans for Friday I could use a carb blocker to help me out. Beer has a lot of carbs and that is probably gonna be the drink of choice. So, I will report in occasionally about that. I am also actively trying to watch portion sizes and choose smaller portions since that is a big issue of mine.

There we go. I am all planned out for the next week. It is Spring break so that means a lot of distractions and craziness to test my abilities.

Found Something New

I am always looking for motivation. Sometimes just having a hard ass attitude about weight loss and exercise is not enough. Sometimes I need a push. So, I was reading this magazine and came across something about this website called WeightView.com.

At this website you will get a picture of you now turned into a picture of what you will look like when you have lost the weight you want (up to 50 lbs). I think this is helpful because 1)you get visual motivation to see just how fab you will look and 2)it is good for people who really do not need to lose more weight. There is one girl I saw on there who weighs 115 lbs and she wants to lose 10 lbs and in my opinion she looks like a stick afterwards. Hope she chooses to not lose more.

Anyway, I just signed up and am awaiting results. I may actually have 2 profiles because when signing up for the first the page just stopped loading and when I tried to resend it would not allow it because it said that email was already used, so I used another email. Whatever. I will let you know when I get my results. In the meantime everyone check it out.

A little added note: I tried signing up 2 times and neither went through. I contacted them and have not heard back as of yet. Not sure how useful this service is when you can not even sign up. It blocks your email as being used once you hit the send button even if you do not finish sign up. Also it is a facebook app and that is the only place you can use it. Thought it was a great thing until I got into it and found it is a huge mess. Proceed at your own risk.

New Podcast Posted

Just posted my 2nd podcast for all to listen to. Hope you enjoy it. It is about my Pepsi addiction. Next week is going to be about weight loss. I hope you all will stop by and listen.

So I am a Rebel

I worked out tonight despite the fact my body was not into it. I pushed it and made it do the million punches, kicks and twists that Billy so nicely threw at me. I can honestly say after 2 weeks of putting myself through hell that I am glad I did it. It may not have turned out as I would have liked - I did end up wimping out two mornings this week that I should have worked out, but overall I did amazing.

Calories burned:5378

Not bad, if I say so myself.

Next week I am going to change morning workouts to something that is not tae bo - most likely interval training with The Firm or maybe I will tackle The Biggest Loser dvds I have. Evening workouts will be tae bo. I am considering adding in a treadmill workout too (yes, 3 workouts a day) just because I think I will need it for the following week when it is time for the beginning of 5k training in the am. My poor body is really gonna hate me :)

My Body Hates Me

Well, not wanting to listen to reason or warnings I embarked upon this crazy workout schedule in the hopes it would slim me down quickly. I learned my lesson. i feel like crap. As I said, I skipped the am workout yesterday and I did again this morning. I did my hour of working out last night and will work out again tonight. When I woke up today I felt so blah. My back hurt and my hamstrings are a bit tender.

I learned my lesson. I now need to take it a bit easier. I only have to figure out what to do in the mornings for next week because the week after I start walking for the 5k training. I am still doing 2 workouts a day - don't care. Just can not do 2 tae bo workouts a day. That kills me.

I am not sure what to do in the morning. I may do some strength training or start walking on the treadmill to get myself in shape for the real thing the following week. not sure, but I have to switch it up or my body may go into full rebellion.

Little Break

This morning I have decided to take a break because last night's workout was really intense. It was the longest tae bo workout I have at 55 minutes. My body feels a little run down and I think it could stand with a morning off. Tae bo is seriously intense, so I think I may need to scale it back slightly for next week. I am considering taking off the morning workout on both Tuesday and Thursday again. I will workout tonight - have a 50 minute workout on schedule. I just felt like crap during both workouts yesterday. It was like my muscles were tired before I even started, so I am thinking my body is not too happy about the marathon training. Better slow than hurt.

Already Over 4000 Calories Burned

I can not believe in 4 days I have burned over a pound of fat. That is awesome. I am also feeling great because I have been on track with eating all week. No indulgences, no cravings, no excess snacking, 2 pops for yesterday and today. I am on top of things this week.

I will not lie, I think those vinegar supplements help. I am not getting hungry. I can go hours and hours without ever feeling like I want to eat. It is great. It has to be those supplements. The more I think about it, the more sense that makes. I was so out of control, but once I started taking those I am on track. I have to hit up the store and get more of them!

I am just happy with my progress this week. I think I am on my way to my May 1st goal. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day so I hope I can make good choices and not stray tomorrow.