#13 - It was a GREAT day!

Monday, August 01, 2011

Today, I have a very successful day both in regards to eating and exercising.

Eating: I only had about 1,282 calories for the day! My range is between 1,200 - 1,550 calories, so I definitely did a great job. However, I would like to do better when it comes to eat at lunch. I had a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I would like something a little healthier, but it will come!

Exercising: When I arrived at the gym, I had a migraine, so I was not really up to doing too much. To be honest, I did not want to do the class. I jumped on the treadmill and walked. I walked at 4.3 mph with an 8.0 incline. Needless to say, I was a little tired after that. So, I took about a ten-minute break, and I went to get ready for the Step class. However, the girl who teaches it was sick, so we improvised and did a Spinning class instead. When I heard this at first, I was about to walk out of the gym and call it a day. I mean I had already met my goals for the day. However, I stayed. I gave the Spinning class a try. It was hard, but the teacher was great! She was always cheering us on. Plus, this class was refreshing because it was different. So, I am thinking about replacing a Step class with a Spinning class just to give myself a little more variety!

Overall, I am so proud of myself for trying the class when it was so much easier to call it quits. Plus, I have already met my 930 calories that I needed to burn for the week. I burned about 946 today! I am also pretty happy that I was able to stay within my calorie range!

Hope you had a wonderful day too!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHANGINGSAM 8/4/2011 9:44AM

Thanks, PARKFYRE1! Report Inappropriate Comment

PARKFYRE1 8/3/2011 1:55PM

Nice job You're kicking butt! Look into Tai Pei Chicken Egg Rolls...super easy, and only 120 calories per roll. I do them for lunch quite a bit and 2 is pretty filling, 3 is a hearty lunch. Even at 3 thats only 360 cals! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 8/2/2011 3:23PM

Thanks, Rachel! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

RACHELE8973 8/2/2011 3:18PM

Great job! That is so awesome that you made the decision to try something new! You never know! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 8/2/2011 8:20AM

Thank you for the comments! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

CCSDESTINY 8/2/2011 7:09AM

That is awesome! Congrats on such a powerful and successful day! The outcome for this one is most definitely 100% due to your dedication! Report Inappropriate Comment

BEFITANDHAPPY 8/1/2011 11:37PM

Congrats on a good day! I love reading happy blogs :) Good luck with everything girl--you got this! Report Inappropriate Comment

#12 - A Compliment Goes a Long Way!

Monday, August 01, 2011

So, I know that my last blog I was a little upset that I had not any weight after the very long week of exercising. However, I weighed in on Sunday (my official weigh in day) only to find that I lost a pound. To that, I am very happy. (At least it is something!)

I am happy that I lost that one pound because it is a small victory. I had been working hard all week, and I have been eating pretty well. So, I know that it wasn't my fault that I had not lost anything. (Darn you, water retention!)

Anyways, this weekend, I had just come home from the gym, taken a shower, and was about to fix me something to eat when my boyfriend turned me around for a kiss. He rubbed my back for a second, and then he said "Babe, I really notice a difference." Wow. That made my day complete. I had a feeling that I was losing too, but that evil scale was lying to me. (Ha!) It felt so nice to hear it from someone else. In fact, all week, he has been saying things like that. He said he noticed it in my thighs too! Of course, this boosted my motivation and self-esteem. It was nice. :)

Like a few of you have said on my past blogs, it is not always about what the (evil!) scale says. Sometimes, it is what your body (slimming down) and the people around you say!

Hope you have a wonderful, healthy day!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHANGINGSAM 8/3/2011 2:16PM

Thanks! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

PARKFYRE1 8/3/2011 1:58PM

Nice job! I notice on my wife when she starts to lose as well. I think it is attractive just when a gal is trying, regardless of the results! Keep on keepin on...its a long race! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 8/1/2011 10:52AM

Thanks INTOTHEJAM2, DMILLMAN, and ALYSES for the comments! The support is very much appreciated! :D Report Inappropriate Comment

NU_ME_SOON 8/1/2011 10:45AM

AWW COMPLIMENTS ARE THE BEST. PEOPLE JUST DONT REALIZED HOW THE LITTLEST THING THEY SAY CAN MAKE SOMEONE DAY. iF SOMEONE SAID THAT TO ME I KNOW I WOULD BE SMILING FROM EAR TO EAR. KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK. DONT WORRY ABOUT THAT DARN SCALE BECAUSE IT CAN MAKE A GOOD DAY TURN BAD IN A MINUTE. LET YOUR FEELS AND YOUR BODY BE YOUR MOTIVATION. IF YOU AND OTHERS CAN SEE THE CHANGE, KEEP IT GOING. GOOD JOB ON THE ONE POUND. THAT IS ONE STEPPING STONE TO MANY MORE TO COME. Report Inappropriate Comment

WALKING_WONDER 8/1/2011 10:23AM

I love it when other people notice my weight loss - especially my 97-year-old grandmother-in-law. She's always telling me. I've also noticed it in my jeans and undies and bra. It's a great feeling when you can see/feel the loss! Good job, and keep up the great work!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

INTOTHEJAM2 8/1/2011 9:55AM

I completely agree! Compliments are great, and you can often tell more in your clothes than on the scales! Congrats :) Report Inappropriate Comment

#11 - And she ran...

Friday, July 29, 2011

Yesterday was such a gooooood day! After work, I stopped at the gym for a quick cardio session. I decided I was only going to do a fast-pace walk on the treadmill for thirty minutes. So, I jumped on the treadmill and did a little warm up. After about four minutes, I decided to run. At first, I was only going to run for five minutes because usually that is all I can do. However, I don't know where I got the motivation from, but I RAN FOR 15 MINUTES!! (Say what?!) Yeah, fifteen minutes. So, I lowered my speed back down to 4.0, and I walked to catch my breath. I feel like I could have done more, but I didn't want to overkill. So, I walked for three minutes feeling oh-so-proud of my accomplishment. After those three minutes, I ran, again, for another three minutes. So my workout went a lot like this:

Warm up: 4 minutes
Run: 15 minutes (!!!!!)
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Walk: 3 minutes
Run: 3 minutes
Cool down: 7 minutes

I ran for 33 minutes altogether at 5.0 speed and varying inclines. I can't even believe it, and I felt so accomplished afterwards. I didn't give up. I didn't quit even when the last 15 minutes sucked. I kept going, and I am so glad that I did. I was sweating like nobody's business. It was amazing!

However, this morning, I jumped on the scale just to see if I had lost anything. (My usually weigh-in day is Sunday, so I cheated, although I wished I hadn't.) I hadn't lost any weight whatsoever. I worked my butt off this week. Monday, I worked out for 83 minutes. Wednesday's workout lasted 75 minutes. Thursday, I did the treadmill for an hour, and this morning, I totaled 78. I've been drinking water, and I have been eating within my calories. Needless to say, I am pretty disappointed. I really thought that I had lost at least a pound! I feel like I have lost something. I feel my body getting stronger, so why am I not losing anything? It's disappointing and frustrating. In the whole month that I have been exercising, I have only managed five pounds. I don't know what I am doing wrong.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my awesomeness as well as my struggles. Hope you have a wonderful Friday.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHANGINGSAM 8/1/2011 9:14AM

Thanks everyone for the comments! They are greatly appreciated! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

AMORVERDE93 7/29/2011 7:05PM

Woot Woot!! That is a HUGE accomplishment and it motivates me to try to do more! I can't even run on the treadmill for more than 1 minute without feeling like I'm going to suffocate. I totally get how you feel. After all that hard work you wish you could see results! You put so much effort into it so you can be SURE that you will see some weight-loss here soon :D It may just take another week for your body to get used to you exercising like that, after gaining muscle. I hate that weight has to flucuate! But you did something you should be SOOOO proud of! Congrats girl :) I'm proud! Report Inappropriate Comment

WALKING_WONDER 7/29/2011 11:12AM

That has happened to me. I work my butt off and see no results when I sneak in an extra weigh-in. My weigh-ins are on Sunday too. But some times when I've done a lot and am feeling good, I sneak an extra one it. It never helps. It doesn't show me losing and I get discouraged. So for now on, I ONLY check it on Sundays. For some reason, it always looks better then. Keep up the awesome work!!!!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

HELENKATHLEEN5 7/29/2011 10:55AM

Wow! Congrats on 15 min straight running! That's awesome! And that's awesome how much working out you got in this week. I know it's easy to get discouraged when you don't see the scale move like you think it should be. But you mentioned that you feel like you've lost and you feel stronger, so I think you should try to focus on those feelings and let those motivate you. And 5 pounds in a month is really good as well! Keep it up! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 7/29/2011 9:52AM

Thanks, PARKFYRE1! I needed to hear that information, and thanks for the support! Report Inappropriate Comment

PARKFYRE1 7/29/2011 9:48AM

Whoa! You rock! Thats some intense working out! One thing that could explain the lack of weight is water retention as well. The harder you work, the more water you temporarily retain to repair the broken down muscles. Not to be overly personal, but for about a week out of the month you will retain water for that time. My wife dropped almost 5lbs last week and has it all back temporarily because of that. The key thing is, don't get discouraged..just keep plugging along. No body on earth can keep up that pace you are doing and NOT lose weight. Things are just moving a little slower than you would hope. Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 7/29/2011 9:26AM

Thanks, girl! I really appreciate the support! Report Inappropriate Comment

SANISHCOALE 7/29/2011 9:24AM

That's GREAT! GratsGrats!! Just something for you to think about. When you workout, you also build up muscle, muscle has a weight of its own, so even though you don't see a difference in weight on the scale its not necessarily a bad thing. You may have replaced the body fat with muscle. So don't be disappointed you know you worked hard. Also with the changes you have started to make, your body might be in a little bit of shock and might take a little longer to start dropping the weight off like you'd like. Anyways, It is pretty AWESOME how you did your run! GratsGrats again. Keep a smile on your face, the scale might say one thing, but you know you're working hard and you're feeling better for doing it. That's the main thing. That's the REAL Victory. Keep up the good work! You Got This! Comment edited on: 7/29/2011 9:25:28 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

#10 - A Regrouping Session.

Friday, July 22, 2011

So, after two (or three) days of slacking off on what I ate as well as exercising, I have decided to regroup. I think the reason for those "bad" days were due to a few things.

1. I wasn't happy because, last time I jumped on the scale, I went up instead of down. I was lectured about how muscle weights too! Even though I knew that in the back of my mind, I still wasn't happy because I don't want to stay at 155. I want to go to my goal weight: 125-130.

2. I was beginning to get tired of the challenge that I was doing. I am technically on Week Two although I have been doing it for two weeks. Even though the videos are only ten minutes, I still get tired of the repetition.

3. I'm working really hard, but I haven't seen ANY results. Usually, I do the video in the morning and then cardio after work. I'm exhausted, and it is frustrating that I don't see anything! However, again, I was reminded that I probably wouldn't see anything for a month. (I've also been doing the photos every two weeks, and I still don't see much! I look smaller; however, I think that it is because I am standing back a little further.)

4. I also went to a step class on Monday, and I couldn't walk for three days.

Now that all of that is out, it is time to remember why I want this.

1. I want to feel sexy.
2. I want my clothes to fit without having to wiggle in them.
3. I don't want have my fat spilling over my pants anymore.
4. I want to be that girl running around the neighborhood.
5. I want to know what it is like to feel good running.
6. I want to eat healthier things.
7. I want people from high school to say "Wow! You look great!"
8. I want to know what it is like to have accomplish achieving this goal that I have had for a few years now.

So, my strategy?

1. Cardio 5x a week: If I am at the gym, jump on the treadmill, or walk at home. I might even start the "Couch to 5K" here soon.

2. Sign up at the local gym for the Step class, Dance class, and Yoga/Tai Chi/Pilates class since I have really enjoyed them. These classes have helped make exercising fun, and I feel tired but great afterward. (Plus, I love the atmosphere of the gym here. They are awesome people!)

3. Starting Monday, I am restarting the challenge. Even though I get tired of it, I am going to do the best that I can because I need the strength training. Maybe instead of doing a video once a day, I will do two videos every other day to give myself a break.

4. I am going to continue tracking my fitness and nutrition. I'm not going to be obsessive though. However, I am going to watch what I eat, and I am going to make sure that I exercise!

5. This point is all about motivation. I need to find pictures, Spark People (Yoovie!), articles, and anything that can motivate me.

Most importantly, I am going to remember that people have bumps in the road, but that they can't happen all the time. Eventually, I will get stronger. Eventually, I will reach my goals.

"Be miserable, or be motivated. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." - Wayne Dyer

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHANGINGSAM 7/29/2011 9:24AM

Thanks PARKFYRE1 and WOOKIE78! Report Inappropriate Comment

WOOKIE78 7/29/2011 8:36AM

Hope it's been going better for you! Report Inappropriate Comment

PARKFYRE1 7/23/2011 9:26AM

Great and honest blog post! Nice job! For starters, a piece of advice I would offer is that bad days in dieting and exercise is NO DIFFERENT than any other bad days. If you were at school or work and your boss/professor was a jerk, you got an unfair grade on an assignment, and you felt overwhelmed...would you quit? Hell no! You can't do that! In fact, although it may get you down, the thought might not even cross your mind to quit. Dieting and exercise is the same thing. Some days are just miserable, and some days are great. The idea is to be consistent! Next thing, don't get too crazy with the exercise. One thing a lot of people forget is it isn't the workout that builds you up, but its the rest period. Working out too much can be rough on you. I'm a HUGE fan of the Couch-to-5k and it will give you a challenge for sure. If you want an extra burn on your off days, either choose totally different muscles to use (upper body, core, etc) or just do a long relaxing walk instead. If you can do a 30 min run or high intensity workout a few times a week, and then take a longer slow walk (1hr+) then you will still get the burn without running your muscles into the ground. Another tip (I'm full of em this morning!)...limit your weighing yourself to once a week and be strict about this. The scale will bounce around from day to day, but if you check it weekly you should see a more stable downward trend. Don't give up! Remember, you are still in the process of this if you haven't quit. You only fail once you throw in the towel! Your regrouping is an excellent idea! You got this! Sparkpeople works...I lost 50 lbs and was able to get a job as a firefighter because of a lot of things I learned here last time. You can totally reach your goals, just understand it takes time and patience. Just keep on keepin on and you'll hit every goal you make! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHANGINGSAM 7/22/2011 5:03PM

Thanks for the advice! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

WALKING_WONDER 7/22/2011 4:24PM

WOW! It sounds like you were having some problems, figured them out, and now have a great goal system. Just please keep in mind that it will take time to start the good habits too. I suggest working on one goal at a time. I've found that if you try to do it all at once and fail, you may give up completely, and I don't want you to do that! Stay healthy. Report Inappropriate Comment

#9 - A Very Surprising Weigh In.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

7/10 Weigh in: 153.8 lbs
7/17 Weigh in: 155.6 lbs

7/4 Waist: 83.5 cm
7/4 Hips: 109 cm
7/4 Thigh: 58 cm
7/4 Upper Arm: 32 cm

7/17 Waist: 82 cm
7/17 Hips: 108.3 cm
7/17 Thigh: 57 cm
7/17 Upper Arm: 32.2 cm


Front view


Side View

I'm pretty disappointed with the measurements and weigh in above. I am not really sure how I gained two pounds. I did exactly what I did last week (maybe even a little better), and I managed to gain one pound and eight ounces. I'm not really sure what I am doing wrong. My body is exhausted from all the working out I do. Honestly, I really thought today I would have lost something because every morning that I get up, it feels like my stomach is not as big as the day before. I guess I was wrong. I guess I have some thinking to do to see if I want to proceed on with trying to lose weight.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MEXGAL1 7/17/2011 10:40AM

Just remember that there are so many factors that effect the scale, like water weight(too much salt will do this). Also remember that muscle weighs more that fat. But most importantly remember that you only have the one body and try to remember that you are eating healthy to feel better and have good health. It's not just about the darn scale. Best of everything. Report Inappropriate Comment