Go me!

Three a day for 8 days now. I attempted to go down to 2 today, but I think it is too early. I am having one odd side effect from this all. Every day - I can set my clock by this - at about 5 pm I get a migraine. Every day. It sucks. It lasts about 2 hours even with medicine. I am not going to give in because of some little headache, though.

Exercise today - 55 minutes of circuit training with The Firm this am and then 45 minutes of Core Rhythms tonight. I was feeling energetic and fat. With the latter being why I pushed myself today. Burned over 1000 calories, though. Not too shabby.

New bad habit - alternative sugary drinks and sweets. I know it is the sugar craving pushing me here. Today was not bad and I plan to keep it that way. No sweet snacks today and just one (very tall) glass of hot cocoa. Over the weekend we made hot fudge sundaes and I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. Then I was making cocoa at an alarming rate. It was a mess. I sure won't lose weight if I just sub one sugary thing for another. I recognized the issue, though, and am watching now that I am aware. It won't be happening anymore.

Still Rolling

Still on track with the pop. Starting a new week, week 2 of the pop cut down challenge (as I have named it). I am trying 2 per day this week but will not beat up myself if I end up drinking 3.

I also am thinking more about my workouts. This week we already have a plan set up for everyday. I just ordered that new flirty girl fitness dvd you all have probably seen on tv. I just have to remember to cancel the program once I get it because I don't want to be paying out every other month for dvds I do not need or want.

I think I am changing up my plans. I am going to start the Biggest Loser this week. I want to do 2 workouts a day starting this week. I am going to do BL at night. Then when I am working out alone I am going to rotate BL with my dance dvds - I will have the firty girl ones and my core rhythms. So, that is the new plan.

It Was Tough

But I did it! Everyday only 3 pops. Yesterday was a challenge. I had a large pop for dinner so that took up 2 pops and I couldn't have one at night. I struggled with that, but I made it through. Mostly because I stepped on the scale and saw I lost 5 pounds! That was motivation. It was probably mostly water weight since I am more hydrated than I think I have been in years.

Maybe another 5 this week or maybe more -lol. I am not trying to focus only on that because I do not want to see the scale stuck and it send me on a bender. I really can get out of control. One bad day could pack all the weight back on.

The exercise this week was fine. We did the Firm everyday but Wednesday and Friday. Yesterday we did step - holding 1 lb weights. It was killer. Step kills us every time which is odd to us. All the calorie figuring calculators I have seen about calories burned during an exercise say tae bo or kickboxing burns the most. However, step kills us more than tae bo ever does. It gets our heart rates up more and we really feel it. I think those calculators are wrong.

I am gearing up for working out alone for a little while. My workout buddy will be off for surgery in about 2 weeks. Then she will be out of commission for about 6 weeks. I also told her that she won't be able to jump right back in with working out with me. I will be at a much higher level. So I am thinking if she really puts her mind to it that we can workout together again starting in June.

The reason for it taking so long is that she will be completely down for at least 2 weeks if not longer. Then she will only be able to walk slowly at best. Meanwhile I am going to start running in the morning and then doing the Biggest Loser workouts. My workouts are going to be taking it up a level than what we do right now. She will be going back about 9 months to level we started at.

We shall see how this all goes. Right now the focus is on getting her fixed up and then healed. My focus is to pump up my efforts. I may walk with her once she starts, but that will probably be more a leisurely stroll for me than anything else. Support for her, though.

These next few months are when I really need to work because I have a goal to reach by the beginning of summer and I am not going to miss reaching it.

The View is Great on the Wagon

Thursday= 3 Pepsi's

Go me!

Third Times a Charm

Day three, only three Pepsi's. I have to admit tonight is a bit of a struggle but I am doing it. I have found a groove. I have a pop at lunch, one at dinner and one at night. That seems to keep me in check. I am a bit stressed about my calorie intake, but I am not going to even attempt working on it. I need 2 weeks at the three pop limit and then I can try other things. I just feel doing too much right now would break me.

We did a light workout today because we were very sore from our hour of lunges and arm exercises with 10 pound weight we did yesterday.

Patting Myself on the Back

Again, only three pops today! I am so proud of myself. This time around my mind set is totally different than ever before. I do not think about it. I stuff myself with water (a total of about 14 glasses today). I am not obsessing over it. I am just getting by day by day and celebrating each success.

I actually could have gotten by on 2 today. I just had to get that least one in since I allowed myself 3.

I am noticing changes already in how I feel. Since I am not all the way off caffeine and I am breaking it up throughout the day I do not get headaches. However, I do notice I feel different after drinking one and it is not a good thing. I do not like how it makes me feel.

I think I am making progress and may actually stick with it this time. Let's hope. It is only day 2, so I am cautious, but optimistic (which is something new I am trying out).

Fat Loss Seminar Tonight

Our PTO sponsored a fat loss seminar tonight and of course I went. It was given by a local guy who is certified in nutrition and fitness. He has some great credentials (not to mention he was quite easy on the eyes). Anyway, I was ready to eat up all the good information.

Most of the information I get is from the internet and we all know how reliable that can be. I was finally ready to talk to someone and share my struggles and get advice - all of which I did.

I have learned a lot about myself. I have realized, and said here before, that my weight loss hurdle is drinking pop. I have to find a solution. These past few days I have been doing very good with it. 6 yesterday (a little higher than I wanted, but still lower than normal) and 3 today. Yep, 3!

Anywho, I discovered tonight that the reason I have such a huge thirst is because I am constantly dehydrated. I would not drink so much if I were drinking water or something without the sugar. Today, being that I have only drank 3 (three) pepsi's and mostly water, I saw first hand that I drink far less when I am hydrated. I doubt that I am hydrated to the level I should be with just one good day under my belt, but it is a start.

I also took away some other important pointers:

- Eat every 4 hours - eat something at least 200 to 300 calories. This keeps the body burning fat and not muscle and keeps it from going into fat storage instead of fat burning.
- Try to eat protein every time you eat. Protein is essential to keep the body burning fat and not muscle as it helps in the release of fat burning hormones.
- 70% of weight loss success is tied to nutrition. That means only 30% is exercise related.
- All calories are not the same as they cause different hormonal reactions in the body.
- It does not really boil down to "burn more calories than you consume" for the reason above.
- If you start eating every 4 hours you will see a change in your body in 7 to 10 days. That is all you have to do to see the physical change.
- You must eat carbs because your body needs them, but you should never eat more than 130 grams a day. You should try to eat these as early in the day as possible. Try to eat a protein with your carbs too as it helps them break down slower in the body thus less turns to fat.
- The best way to eat right is to get a new mindset. Become outcome focused instead of pleasure focused.

Lots of good info. I am super excited to take all I have learned and put it to use. Right now I am really zoned in on skipping the pop, but I like the eating every 4 hours thing. I will have to work on that, though. I am bad at eating often. I did get some crackers and cheese at the store today which makes an ideal snack choice.

Well, I hope this info will enlighten someone else. A lot of it I had heard before but was not sure if it was true. This guy is very knowledgeable and knows what he is talking about. I am very glad I took the time to go tonight. Valuable info that I think may help me out of my rut. Who knows, this time next week I could be on the right path to skinny-ville.