Whining

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I'm in a whiny mood right now & need to pout. Things I don't want to accept in order to reach my goals:

- Now more than ever I have to stay at the low end of my kcal range
- Every kcal counts. That means packing in as much nutrition as possible in a small amount of kcals (feels small to me that's for sure!).
- Animal crackers aren't considered clean eating LOL, & neither are my MIL's cookies
- I need to do two-a-day workouts a few times a week
- My mind will come up w/ all sorts of enticing ways to get me to give into temptation, but I must resist!

I consider myself to be pretty disciplined most of the time, but tightening it up even more sucks! GAH! Only 26 days until vacation - time to push push push even more!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FITGIRL15 4/30/2008 11:29AM

If you are as active as I think you are, I would NOT start eating LESS then you currently do! 26 days till vacation.... Hmmmm... I've been on this nutrition plan for 23 days and already lost 8.5 pounds!!! Isn't it worth a try??? Report Inappropriate Comment

LADEDADA 4/30/2008 11:17AM

Thanks for my blog comment, and in regards to this blog of yours... Whinning is ok, as long as you get it together and still do what you KNOW you have to do! Congrats on your success thus far, and much more to come!! Report Inappropriate Comment

BECCA_BEE 4/30/2008 1:38AM

You can do it!!!! You've been really doing great. Don't be to hard on yourself!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

WOODLANDMYST 4/29/2008 3:21PM

You can do this! Believe in yourself and it will happen. Animal crackers aren't clean eating?? Even the organic ones?? Now I'M pouting! Report Inappropriate Comment

SELENAMDZ 4/29/2008 3:09PM

you can do this!!! IT WILL BE SOO WORTH IT IN THE END! keep telling yourself that! my vacation is on the 1st of july! we are in the same place. LETS DO THIS THING Report Inappropriate Comment

Fun with sprints / mental toughness

Monday, April 28, 2008

Since we actually had some decent weather over the weekend, I decided to throw in a few sprints into my workouts. Yesterday was something else: 10 burpees + 50 meter sprint + 10 jumping jacks + jog back to start + repeat 10x = fun with sprints!

The mind tries so hard to maintain the status quo. Throughout the workout, my mind kept telling me "I can't I can't I can't..." I can't do more than 5 burpees. I can't run another sprint. I can't do these freakin' jumping jacks. I can't I can't I can't. And every single time I had to set aside those thoughts & push through.

There is no better way to develop mental toughness than to work out so hard you stop thinking & can only focus on gasping for air. To reach my goals, I need to train my mind to win the fight as well as my body. I'm already confident in my athleticism; exercise is a given. It's the damned food that's killing me, & it's the mind that gets in the way. "Go ahead & eat that XYZ, you deserve it." "Why not eat that, it's only ____ kcals, you'll burn it off later today." Uhh, NO, that's not going to work anymore.

I'm taking this fight out of the gym & into the kitchen, the cafeteria, the fast food joints, & to all the vending machines of the world. No more mind games.

"Train the body, the mind will follow." -Ross Enamait.

I plan on doing exactly that.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FITGIRL15 4/29/2008 9:01AM

AWESOME! I'm glad you are finding the courage to make the food change! It will seriously transform your life! I've stoped eating refined sugars, and following a nutrition plan st out by a nutritionist and have lost almost 10 ounds in 1 month!!!!! (And I wouldn't have called myself overweight before, just way bigger then I should have been!) I bet your muscles are crying for some protein and the rest of your body just wants LESS calories!!! Best of Luck, and if you want to know anything about my current nutrition plan, let me know (that is, unless you eat vegetarian. My plan has meat and dairy included!) Have a great day, Zmoney!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

NEWBUTTERFLY76 4/28/2008 2:25PM

LOL!! You go girl! I have all confidence in the world that you CAN do this!! Just ask yourself before you indulge, do I really "NEED" this. Wanting it, is another story... We want all delicious & yummy things. But do we need it?? That's what I ask myself all the time. Do I really NEED this chocolate ice cream after dinner. So what I went to the gym and burned X amount of calories. Do I need this? lol... It's a process though... You Can do it!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Working with what I got - new plan

Friday, April 25, 2008

Remember how I've been talking about alternative ways of seeing progress? Well, last night I took measurements & was disappointed with the results. Compared to 12/31/07, the only recorded loss was half an inch from my bicep. Wrist & forearm = no change. Waist (natural & navel), quadriceps & calf = increase. And yes, my weight is down from December. At first I was angry & threw a fit, but I'm feeling better today. It's all a learning experience right?

Throughout this journey, my body's followed the same pattern: lose a bunch, gain some back, maintain for awhile, repeat. The same thing happened these past few weeks. I lost 8, gained 4, & am currently maintaining. Variety is important for continually confusing the body, & looking at my training log (link at the bottom) it's high time I add some formal strength work to the cardio. Conditioning & explosiveness have been priorities; it's time to work on muscle endurance as well. My plan is to go through a second round of J. Michael's "Making the Cut" making some modifications along the way.

MTC has 4 workout days & 3 prescribed rest days. I've decided to cut rest to 1 a week, reserving the right to add a second if my body needs it. Instead of resting, I will add either a conditioning routine that emphasizes the anaerobic energy systems (ATP-CP & anaerobic glycolysis) or one that emphasizes aerobic glycolysis (a fancy way of saying sustained aerobic / steady state exercise).

Changing my workouts up means I have to change my expectations as well. My recent hope had been to lose weight primarily through cardio since my body experiences rapid muscle gains in both strength & endurance. The last thing I wanted was to gain muscle as I feared the potential overall weight gain associated with more lean mass. I know a lot of women are irrationally worried about bulking up; I seem to be a rare case where I easily gain muscle & bulk (my legs are a perfect example - quads & calves have both grown an inch after adding more squats, lunges & similar exercises to my routine). So, I need to quit fighting my body & start working with what I've got. That means relying more on non-scale methods of measuring progress. Measurements, body fat %, & how clothes fit will need to be more important than that damn # on the scale.

On a different note, I did 4 consecutive pull-ups (palms facing away from me) for the first time this morning. A few months ago I couldn't even pull myself up into starting position. I'm planning on putting chin-ups (palms facing towards me) on hold & working on pull-ups instead. Wuhoo!

www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic
.php?t=12013

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FITGIRL15 4/27/2008 11:01PM

I also took some measurements this week, and was just as annoyed as I'm sure you were with yours... It's weird. You'd think with weight loss would come less inches... in my case, I have only lost weight, no inches!?! Is that even possible? Am I forgetting to measure something? (Perhaps the circumference of my brain is the only thing shrinking!) I can see your progress on your tracker, and I think you're doing a great job! You sound so determined! Keep it up, Girl! Comment edited on: 4/27/2008 11:01:24 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

METSFAN81 4/25/2008 7:32PM

I just wanted to comment on your progress -- you totally rock! Sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the measurements, I know it gets frustrating. I have the same exact problem that you do about your quads and calves getting bulked up easily. My legs can go from being cute and toned to being beefy and looking like a rugby player in the course of a week!! It sounds like your new approach to giving your body less rest and changing it up a little bit should help you off your plateau. Good Luck! Report Inappropriate Comment

NEWBUTTERFLY76 4/25/2008 3:48PM

You go on the Pull-Ups!! You're doing an awesome job! Keep up the great work!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Veins

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Last night DH pointed out a big honking vein in my bicep; looking at my arms it seems I've got veins popping up all over the place. According to wikipedia, increased vascularity can result from the following: extremely low body fat, low retained water, high blood pressure, & muscle engorgement. I don't have low body fat, my water is higher so I'm not dehydrated, my BP is probably fine as it read normal last time, & I doubt my arm muscles have gotten that much bigger. I'm simultaneously amused, puzzled & fascinated by the physiological changes that are taking place as I keep pushing the bar higher. The main goal I've been working on (e.g. fat loss) is slow to materialize, but lots of ancillary benefits (e.g. improved fitness, increased vascularity) seem to happen w/o any deliberate/conscious thought or intention!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

BECCA_BEE 4/25/2008 1:56AM

Wowee Zowee!!! You're doing so fantastic!!! Love it!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

CAROLYNLOVE 4/24/2008 10:51PM

I loved that you used the word ancillary!! :) I look forward to the day I can see the bones/veins in the back of my hands. . . You're doing great Z. You are an inspiration!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Asked to share my story

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Yesterday my friend asked me if I'd like to be featured on the new Weight Loss Success Stories board that's going to be created at my rec center. She's the night supervisor there & this is her latest project. I immediately said yes & was introduced to a guy who's also going to be featured. He's down 100 lbs & isn't at goal yet. He's been a regular at the center as long as me (if not longer) & I saw some of his before pics. The change is amazing! He looks like a completely different man.

I don't have a lot of before pics but my friend said what I have will probably work. I'm debating whether or not to give up some pics where I'm in running tights & a sports bra only; at the time I was 30-40 lbs heavier than I am now. DH says what the hell & to go ahead & do it, & I'm sure I'll get over the embarassment of it soon enough :P

Hooray for success!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

ZAURORA 4/23/2008 10:27PM

Awesome! And show off those pics girl, it speaks of your wonderful success! Be proud. Report Inappropriate Comment

SWIMMERYOGINI 4/23/2008 7:22PM

Congratulations and absolutely you should include photos of all the parts of your journey because it proves your dedication and pride in YOUR hard work! And, having seen such photo spreads, it makes your story believable that progress is in steps and is achievable. You are a great inspiration! Report Inappropriate Comment

DETERMINED_ME 4/23/2008 5:24PM

Wow, what a great honor. You should definitely go with the pics because that will truly show what hard work can do. How it can pay off. Congratulations! Keep up the great work! Report Inappropriate Comment