Archive for March, 2010

Its been a long day and its only 4pm.  I think it might have something to do with being awake since before 4am!  I am doing my best to take everything stride.  I’m not going to lie, I am very disappointed with the results of the scale.  I was really looking forward to seeing that scale be under 200 lbs.  As much as I try, I take it personal.  I think its something that I did to cause this added delay in losing weight.  I know that I did all that I could both in the gym and with my eating.  If you look at the formula for losing weight – - “Expend more calories than you put in” – - then I should have success losing weight.  Right?  Well, I guess there are more factors than just that.  Because those factors alone are not really working.

I know that everyone is going to say…just keep at it and be patient.  Well, I’m DONE being patient.  I’ve worked my ass off and I want to see the results.  Is that asking too much?  I’m sick of working for hours upon hours and only seeing 1 or 2 lb results.

Please bear with me as I launch into my next soap box.  When I first started working out I had relatively slow results.  I specifically remember the conversation with Kevin that he reminded me that the people on NBC’s Biggest Loser are working out 6 to 8  hours a day to lose those big numbers each week.  So, I needed to be  ok with the smaller numbers unless I was willing to put in more time/effort.  Well, about the month before the competition I added two-a-day workouts on both Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.  Then when the competition started I was going to Boot Camp 4 days a week.  Wednesday’s were spent weighing-in so I missed Boot Camp.  Some days I was even doing THREE workouts a day with extra cardio.  All that time in the gym backfired on me!  I had weeks of losing 0.8 lbs and 0.2 lbs.  That’s RIDICULOUS!  I could, and have, lost more weight by only changing what I eat while on Weight Watchers.  So I backed off of boot camp – - this has been for a good 2 weeks or maybe 3 by now.  Its been the BEST thing that I’ve done so far.  But I’m still burning tons of calories and working hard each and every day.  Yet not losing big numbers.  Last Wednesday I started tracking my eating and making sure that I eat every couple hours – in addition to watching more closely to what I eat.  I’m frustrated to say the least.  I wish I could do more.  I wish it was coming off a little faster.  Why can some people lose 3 and 4 lbs a week EVERY week?  Why does my body hold on to weight so bad?  Is this what I’m facing for the rest of my life?!

Ok, well nothing seems to be helping give me that “boost”…NOTHING!  I wish there was more information and help for me.  I’m sick of working for hours and sweating and hurting…only to lose 1.8 or 2.0 lbs.  Its a joke!

Kevin is well aware of my frustration.  I have spent many a hours crying in his office and crying in the gym.  I WANT this so bad that its hard to just sit back and struggle.  After lots of discussion and lots of reviewing products.  I’m going to start a supplement.  The one that we settled on is “Atro-Phex”.  This is a supplement by BSN, which makes some of the most popular supplements in the weight loss and body building industry.  I am taking 1 pill, once a day.  I am not taking this as a “diet pill” or something to make it easier for me to lose weight.  I will continue to workout and watch what I eat.  I’m just hoping that this will help my body to work more efficiently.  Please help!

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YES, I did workout today.  I am not taking a break for any reason!  I’m dedicated to meeting my goals.  I WILL lose 50 lbs and then move on to losing another 40 lbs for a total of 90 – 100 lbs.

I ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes.  Then Kevin and I headed to the cycling studio.  I jumped on the bike to get my legs warm, if they aren’t already warm from the run, and he grabbed some hand weights.  There was one 12 lb weight, two 8 lb weights and two 3 lb weights.  I did an AWESOME cycling and weight routine.  I did this 4 complete times!

• 1 minute hard hill climb on the bike – standing up with 5 complete turns of resistance
• lower resistance and sit down, then 1 minute of bicep curls with 8 lb weights in each hand
• 1 minute of low resistance cycling with no weights – this was the recovery minute
• 1 minute hard hill climb on the bike – standing up with 5 complete turns of resistance
• lower resistance and sit down, then 1 minute of tricep extensions with the 12 lb hand weight.
• 1 minute of low resistance cycling with no weights
• 1 minute hard hill climb on the bike – standing up with 5 complete turns of resistance
• lower resistance and sit down, then 1 minute of shoulders with the 3 lb weights.  The first 30 seconds was one arm out straight with the other arm moving down to my waist and then back up to a horizontal position.  Then switch which arm is stationary and use the other arm.  The last 30 seconds was a sequence of arms straight forward then press up together.
• 1 minute of low resistance cycling with no weights
• 1 minute hard hill climb on the bike – standing up with 5 complete turns of resistance

These 10 items were repeated FOUR times!  Not only are my legs on fire but my arms are too

It was a GREAT workout and one that I actually LOVED.  Maybe all the extra fat on my hips, thighs and legs will fall off.  Please?!

Welcome to WEEK 8!  I am now 2/3 done with the competition.  It doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing it that long but on the other hand it might be due to the fact that I’m not anywhere close to hitting my goal of 35 lbs lost in 12 weeks!  Oh well, I guess time flies when you’re having “fun”!  HaHa

DRAMA is my middle name!  The move from 200’s to 100’s is going to be DRAMATIC.  It is anything but easy…but what’s new.  My life can’t be easy.

Today I weighed in at 200.8!  Really?  Why or WHY can I not get below 200?  What did I ever do to cause my body to hold on to the 200’s?  It almost feels like my body LOVES to be 200 lbs and doesn’t want to be in the 100’s.

Oh well!  I guess its off to the gym to LOSE this last 0.8 lbs.  A little more would be ok too but at least 0.8, please!

Tuesday is the end of my week and is very much anticipated.  I look forward to Tuesday because that means that first thing Wednesday I get to see how much my hard work has paid off.  Tuesday is also the hardest day to eat.  I don’t want to eat.  I have to schedule myself to eat and remind myself that its good to eat.  I have to remember that eating will help my metabolism stay high.  Its much easier said than done.  I really really struggle on Tuesdays!

I had a great workout with Kevin today.  I was happy to be back to one-on-one.  Its my special time, lol.  I sound like such a dork but its true! My run went ok but still wasn’t super easy.  I completed 1 mile or 12 minutes at a speed of 5.0.  I feel good after my run.  Its a new but very welcomed feeling.

I did PUSH PULL today for the first time and it was awesome!  Kevin provided the resistance so that the motions were always a “push pull”.  The first one was a bench press.  Kevin stood on the back end and used his body weight to allow me both the pushing motion up with my arms and then the pulling down with my arms.  At this machine, I was on my back with my feet straight up in the air.  I did 4 sets of 15 complete push and pulls!  There was NO cardio in-between each set so that made me even more happy!

The next machine was the Lat Pull Down.  Again Kevin was my resistance and by having him instead of weights, I was able to shred the muscles by both pushing and pulling in the same position.  I did 4 sets of 14 each.

The T-Bar Row machine was next for the Push Pull.  This is on your stomach and using your arms/back.  I liked this machine because I was able to tighten or engage my glutes at the same time.  This machine I did 3 sets of 15 each.

A seated tricep Push Pull was next.  I face forward with the weight behind me.  It was an interesting position because I kept my arms close to my body to use my triceps but had to avoid hitting my hips on the way down.  I think I might have been pulling my elbow funny because after a couple sets it was on fire.  Weird but nothing to worry about.  I did 3 sets of 15 Push Pull.

Next I got to play with KETTLEBELLS!  It always makes me happy to get them out.  They are such a great workout and very functional.  Today I had one 20 lb bell and I did moving swing pivots.  Basically it was a moving swing but I added a pivot.  8 backward pivot swings followed by 8 frontward pivot swings.  Going backwards was MUCH easier than going frontwards.   My quads are killing me from yesterday and made it difficult to swing and move without losing all my coordination.  I did have a 5 second break between going backwards to frontwards.  Kettlebells are good at raising my heart rate.  I very much looked forward to my break in between sets.  I did 4 sets of 8 each way.

The very last thing that I did was a couple laps of jogging and Bear Crawling.  This meant jogging the straights and Bear Crawling the curves.  A Bear Crawl is on hands and feet with knees slightly bent and “walking” like a bear on all 4’s.  Those curves are much longer than I ever thought they were.  Ouch!  I did two full laps and thought I had to do 3 but, Kevin pushed me to do a curve and a half  – and timed me – if I made it then I didn’t have to do the 3rd lap.  Thank goodness I made it in time!  I was sweating bullets.  Its bad enough that I sweat like a man but being upside down I was dripping all over!  Yuck but that makes for a WONDERFUL workout.

Here’s to a good morning.  Keeping my fingers crossed!