NROL - Week 17 - Tuesday

I know I said I wasn't going to blog today but I need to in order to keep my sanity. My decision to NOT measure and track today is making me crazy. All I can think about is food, even though I'm not doing anything else differently. I just ate a normal breakfast (apple & cottage cheese) and I'm drinking coffee (there will be lots of coffee today - I have to drive all night), and I'M STARVING!! I'm really worried that my decision is going to lead to a free-for-all. I don't feel like I have any accountability. Frustrating.

I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 again today. I ran out of steam about halfway through, but got a second wind. I really, really want to take the dvd with me but I doubt I'll get to do it. I have a bunch of exercise videos on my laptop, including Slim In 6 - maybe I will bring my laptop and do those. I'll can do them in the guest room, I think. I wasn't planning on taking my computer. Or maybe I will just relax. Yes, I will relax. I'll be hitting it hard when I get back Monday. Ok, that's settled.

I'm watching more of the P90X stuff and it's crazy how many different names a single exercise can have. Bulgarian split squats, as I know them from New Rules of Lifting, are called Balance Lunges here. I've seen them termed differently elsewhere. There's an arm exercise on P90X that I know by a different name (and of course, I can't remember either name right now). Nuts! No wonder people get confused.

Foods packed for the trip:

turkey sandwiches
mozzarella string cheese
carrots
almonds

Sound ok? I hope so.

I made it 2 hours before needing to eat again. Turkey sandwich. I feel like I'm still hungry. Ugh! Will I ever be able to stop measuring and tracking??? I'm making good choices and watching my portions but all I want to do is eat!! I had some carrots, a string cheese, and a yogurt.

Oh, and I've decided to take my laptop with me and do one of the Slim in 6 cardio workouts Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I'll be on the road again Sunday.

NROL - Week 17 - Monday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. Man, I love this workout!! And I was reviewing some of the other Beachbody sets and I am really impressed. I know doing Hip Hop Abs is never going to happen due to my inability to move in an manner that resembles dancing, but P90X and 10 Minute Trainer look great! I have a couple more to review but I don't think I could ever go wrong with Beachbody. And I have some Walk Away The Pounds dvds coming today, so I'm really pleased with my exercise library.

This is probably the only post this week. We're leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'll have access to a computer while I'm away but, quite frankly, I think a break from the Internet will be good for me. I'm not going to track my food at all after today. For the rest of the week, I am going to just try to make good food decisions and watch my portions. I'll weigh in Monday of next week, and hopefully, I won't be higher than 150 pounds. With any luck, I'll be under yesterday's weight. I don't know how much exercise I will get. Tomorrow, I'll do Turbo Jam again, then I have to drive all night. Wednesday, I'll grab a few hours of sleep then I'm taking my step-daughter and her friend to see Twilight (which I've been dying to see since I finished reading the series). I know for a fact that I won't be eating any movie theater foods! I never do any more. I'll admit, I do usually bring in some carrots or lean protein. I wish movie theaters would offer healthier alternatives.

I have food for the trip - turkey sandwiches, apples and carrots, granola bars. I'm in good shape there. I'm even bringing my own coffee and coffee "stuff" so I don't overdo it at my favorite convenience store along the way. I think I can do this. For the first tie in years, I don't think I'm going to gain 10 pounds on this trip!

Hmmm. I was just reading a thread at Lowcarbfriends.com (I won't link to it because it will probably be deleted by the admins there) about eating off plan for Thanksgiving. On the one hand, you have the people who plan to indulge and eat the foods that are "forbidden" on the Atkins diet. I know LCF isn't strictly Akins, but it used to be Atkinsfriends.com and most of the members are on Atkins. So they are kind of fanatics. They are on the other hand. There is a huge debate raging right now, and a lot of the FanAtkins are being typically judgemental. It makes me glad I'm not on Atkins anymore. I can see the point about cheating on a diet causing bigger problems (like falling off plan completely) but they are so "this is the only way you will lose weight and keep it off" about the whole thing. About all eating, actually. I know people get passionate about things in their lives, especially when it's affected them as much as Atkins has. But it's not the only way!! The same mentality from low fatters drives me nuts, too. There's one user on LCF who is making a heck of a lot of sense and, unfortunately, being ganged up on by the militants. For him, the idea of forbidden foods and deprivation makes him obsess about that food. Hello! Sounds very familiar to me! As much as I hate to see people struggle with weight issues, I really wish some of those people could be knocked off their high horses. It's a long fall. I know because I used to sit there.

Unrelated, but something I read on another board has me thinking. Someone posted a poll, just for fun, asking how happy we are. I realized that the last few days, I've been in a much better mood than normal. I have more energy, too. I know last week I commented about cardio not doing much for my mood but I think I have to take that back. The only thing that has changed, that I can pinpoint, is the increase in exercise. I was doing just 20 minutes of cardio, twice a week. For the last (almost) two weeks, I've been doing 40 minutes of cardio and I've done it 7 times (I think - it doesn't seem like that many but I went back through my blog and I think I counted right). And I'll do it again tomorrow. I bet I get depressed and pissy while I'm on vacation. I wonder if I should bring my dvd. I won't really have time or room to do the video. My inlaws have 3+ feet of snow, so outdoor cardio is out of the question. Hmm. I'll have to think.

8:20 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

9:55 AM - toast, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce; I probably could have done with just one piece of toast - the bread gave me hiccups for some reason. Usually it's carrots.

1:45 PM - orange & cottage cheese

6:15 PM - taco soup; I had one bowl and went back for a second but it was just too filling; I think eating smaller meals is paying off because I don't feel like I can eat much at one time anymore; then again, the bowl was about 3/4 full, it's a larger cereal bowl, and the soup was very, very rich - hence the high numbers tonight (let's just say I ate at maintenance levels today - actually, still a couple hundred under but nowhere near the deficit I've been running)

7:30 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

Calories - 2076
Carbs - 147 (24 fiber)
Protein - 136
Fat - 108
C/P/F Ratio - 27.9/25.9/46.2

NROL - Week 16 - Sunday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. It was so much fun. I love Turbo Jam. I'm glad I've found some cardio I can really enjoy.

I got P90X from a friend. I'm going to review that today, to see if it's something I want to do after I finish NROL this summer. A lot will depend on how much progress I've made with my weight loss and ability to do chin ups. Oh, and having somewhere to actually do chin ups. I've been looking at one of those doorway dealies.

Today was measurement day. Compared to the last set, taken on September 8, 2008, in inches:

**********THEN-------------------------NOW**********

Neck            14.25-------------------------13.75
Bust            41-------------------------40
Rib Circ        37-------------------------35
Waist          37.75-------------------------36.25
Belly            42.25-------------------------40.75
Hips            40-------------------------38.75
Thighs
     R           23.5-------------------------23.25
     L           23.5-------------------------23.5
Calves
     R           14.5-------------------------14.5
     L           14.5-------------------------14.5
Biceps (flexed)
     R          12.25-------------------------12

     L          12.5-------------------------12
Triceps
     R          13.5-------------------------13

     L          13.5-------------------------13
Forearms
     R          10.2.5-------------------------10.25

     L          10.2-------------------------10.25
Wrists
     R          5.75-------------------------6

     L          6-------------------------6
Weight       152-------------------------148.5
Body Fat    37%-------------------------35%
LBM           95.8-------------------------96.5 (looks like I gained muscle????)
BMI           27.8-------------------------27.1

I don't know how much I trust these numbers (except the weight) because it's so hard to take my own measurements. But overall, I'm pleased.

9:20 AM - orange & cottage cheese, cheddar cheese

10:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:45 AM - turkey bacon, toast, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, cheddar cheese, taco sauce

3:10 PM - chicken breast w/ broccoli, cauliflower & carrots

5:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

9:00 PM - carrots & celery, tuna w/ mayo on tortilla

Calories - 1444
Carbs - 106 (24 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 29.5/37.4/33.1

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Recipe

This is something I just threw together based on similar recipes I've read on the Internet. It's really filling.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - 1 serving

Mix the following in a sauce pan and heat:

1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup chicken broth
60 g (1/4 cup) salsa
28 g (1/4 cup) shredded cheese

Pour into bowl.

Top with:

30 g (2 tbs) low fat sour cream
1 low carb tortilla, warmed in oven until a little crisp, cut into 8 pieces [I kept these on the side and just dipped them in the soup]

NROL - Week 16 - Saturday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. I'm getting the moves down so it's really getting fun! I plan to do it again tomorrow, even though it's a scheduled day off. I hope to do it Monday and Tuesday, too. I know I'll get to it Monday, but Tuesday, I have tons of packing and need to get a little sleep during the day for our trip. I'm hopeful, though!

9:45 AM - orange & cottage cheese; it has been a long time since I've had an orange and it was very satifying

11:05 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, granola bar; I ate the 3/4 of a bar that was leftover from my son's snack the other day

2:00 PM - chicken breast & broccoli

5:40 PM - chicken tortilla soup

Calories - 1421
Carbs - 117 (27 fiber)
Protein - 127
Fat - 51
C/P/F Ratio - 32.5/35.3/32.1

NROL - Week 16 - Friday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 30 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x8x70
push up (on knees) 3x8xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x8x10
underhand lat pull 3x8x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x8x50
lower body Russian twist 3x8xbw (per side)

I am so glad today was that last day of Fat Loss II. I hated it. I'm off next week, on "vacation" with my inlaws, and when I return home, I'll be starting Hypertrophy I. I am really excited about this one. The sets and reps and rest periods are a bit different, and I'll have to consult my notes every time I work out. There's a pattern but I doubt I'll remember it. The way I have it set up, it will take 6 weeks to get through Hyper I, then another 6 for Hyper II. I'm not sure if I'll break in between.

I spent the morning filling out my log with the remaining NROL programs. It took about an hour to enter all the exercises and sets/reps, and in some cases, tempos. Some of the workouts look really, really daunting. I'm excited, though. And since I've put them all in the journal, I'm 95% committed to following through!

My husband brought home half a garbage bag full of ice cream - sandwiches, drumsticks, all the good kinds I like. I don't know if I'm angry or jealous or what. I know I could eat every single one of them in a day, and I want to (even though it's been snowing all morning). This is going to be a horrible temptation and test of my willpower. Of course, I can have one, but they are huge portions. My husband won't "split" one with me.

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:30 AM - chicken breast w/ mashed sweet potato, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:45 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mustard & mayo, carrots, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

5:45 PM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce, sausage w/ gravy

8:45 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mustard & mayo

Calories - 1731
Carbs - 155 (30 fiber)
Protein - 148
Fat - 66
C/P/F Ratio - 34.3/32.8/32.9

NROL - Week 16 - Thursday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. It was fun, but something Chalene says during the workout bothered me. She talks about exercise releasing endorphins and putting people in good moods and all that. I don't feel that. I don't feel anything after working out.

10:40 AM - chicken breast w/ mashed sweet potato; I got off to a late start with eating today because I had a bunch of errands to run this morning and wanted to get them out of the way; no good excuse - I certainly could have grabbed something

11:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda; still throwing in an extra half teaspoon of granular

2:40 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mayo & mustard

3:30 PM - granola bar; my son brought home some pumpkin flax granola bars made by Nature's Path and wow! I took a nibble of on, expecting it to be horrible and I ate the whole thing; it's very good but not too terribly filling; I'm anxious to see if it triggers any cravings

5:45 PM - chicken curry w/ cauliflower

8:30 PM - Lima beans; I wasn't really hungry but my calories were low and I'll be up for a few more hours, but in bed

Calories - 1436
Carbs - 163 (38 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 42
C/P/F Ratio - 44.1/30.6/25.3

NROL - Week 16 - Wednesday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 30 second rest periods. Thankfully, it was the last day.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x8x40
bent over bb row 3x8x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x8xbw
bb push press 3x8x445

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x8x20 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x8x20 (per side)

I don't think I pushed myself as hard as I should have because I'm ovulating. I hate ovulating. It seriously sucks the energy out of me and all I can do is curl up on the couch because it hurts so much. So guess what I did all day.

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:35 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce & avocado, toast, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; grrr!!

3:00 PM - avocado

5:45 PM - Lima beans w/ cube steak & onions & sour cream

7:45 PM - Lima beans

Calories - 1777
Carbs - 165 (45 fiber)
Protein - 136
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 36.5/30.2/33.3

NROL - Week 16 - Tuesday

Today's exercise was Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2. My husband is home with a bad back, and he was in the living room. I couldn't concentrate for the first 10 minutes, so I had to kick him out and start over. Even then, I was off, because I was in a bad mood from him distracting me in the first place.

I think I'm going to be adding some cardio. I'm pretty sedentary when I'm not exercising. I'm either on the couch watching tv or at my desk. So, I'm going to do a Walk Away The Pounds segment once a day. I'm just waiting for my dvds to get here. It's not intense and I can do it before I pick my son up from school. It's getting to cold to go outside for walks.

9:15 AM - scrambled eggs w/ taco sauce, onion & green pepper, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I added half a teaspoon of granular back into the mix - I need to rethink my strategy

12:20 PM - chicken breast w/ cheese & taco sauce on tortilla

4:10 PM - mashed sweet potato, ground beef; I ate slowly, knowing it was a high calorie meal and hoping I'd be satisfied when I was done eating; I wasn't

7:30 PM - grilled cheese sandwich; I was hungry and cold and this is my go to meal

Calories - 1687
Carbs - 131 (28 fiber)
Protein - 121
Fat - 78
C/P/F Ratio - 30.6/28.3/41.1

NROL - Week 16 - Monday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 30 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x8x70
push up (on knees) 3x8xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x8x10
underhand lat pull 3x8x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x8x50
lower body Russian twist 3x8xbw (per side)

6:30 AM - apple w/ cottage cheese

11:05 AM - scrambled eggs w/ taco sauce, onion & green pepper, turkey bacon, toast, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I only used liquid Splenda in my coffee. I'd like to get my consumption down to half, then work on eliminating it, or just about, by the end of the year. I didn't like it, but I think I'll just have to get used to it, reteach my taste buds or something.

2:45 PM - leftover beef & vegetable soup; it took me almost an hour to eat this and I'll be surprised if I actually want dinner tonight

7:50 PM - chicken breast, cheese, taco sauce on tortilla

No numbers because of the soup.

NROL - Week 15 - Sunday

151 today. For those keeping score with the home version of the game, that's up a pound from last week. I'm starting to get annoyed. Next Sunday I'll take measurements, but in the meantime, I'm not sure what to do differently. I know I didn't gain fat - I'm not eating at a surplus. It's probably hormonal. Or stress because I have my holiday trip to New York coming up, and I'm sick. Sick enough that I skipped cardio today. Even though it's supposed to be my day off, I wanted to do it, but when I woke up and couldn't breathe well, I said forget it. I have one more week on this NROL routine and want to be able to finish it. Still, I'm disappointed.

I did end up doing about 20 minutes on the Wii Fit - step aerobics, hula hoop, basic run, and rhythm boxing. It turns out that I can't use the elliptical well during the runs. For some reason, the remote doesn't register the motion. That's okay. I'll use the elliptical for Tabatas. I love the rhythm boxing. It put me in the mood to Turbo. I really, really wanted to Turbo. I was breathing better but didn't want to do it in front of my husband. I don't have all the moves down yet.

I just realized - it's probably the Splenda giving me trouble. Frickety frick. I don't like stevia and I won't use regular sugar. *insert Fred Flintstone cursing here* I know I've considered this possibility before, and I wasn't willing to give up the sweetener. I may need to rethink this. I only log granular Splenda, but I also use liquid Splenda in my coffee and tea - one drop of liquid with one teaspoon of granular. So I'm consuming A LOT of Splenda. Damn it.  I know this is a big problem. I need to wean myself off the artificial sweeteners, including pop. Damn. Damn, damn.

7:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

8:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:00 PM - chicken breast, carrots & celery w/ cream cheese & salsa dip

1:30 PM -  tea w/ skim milk; I left out the granular Splenda and only used 1 drop of liquid, and it was drinkable

3:00 PM - beef & vegetable soup; I didn't measure this but there's nothing in it except mixed vegetables and some lean chunks of roast

6:00 PM - soup

7:00 PM - apple skins; my son wanted an apple and refuses to eat the skins; they are my favorite part, but I didn't measure

I'm still hungry and don't know what to do. Yogurt? Banana?

7:35 PM - yogurt (the Breyers YoCrunch w/ M&Ms in it); not satisfying at all, but I'm going to brush my teeth and get ready for bed, and hope for the best

Off Topic - 7 Things About Me

Hayley tagged me in her blog so now it's my turn to post a few facts about myself. It's just taken me a few days to think of stuff.

1. I hunt ghosts.
2. I can't wink my left eye.
3. I've read every book Dean Koontz has published.
4. If I could have any power from the TV show Heroes, it would be Hanna's - the one who can access the Internet in her head.
5. I actually like the taste of instant coffee.
6. Even though my Zune has almost 5300 song on it, since July, I have really only listened to two albums nonstop - The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds To Mars.
7. If I could be any supernatural creature, I would like to be a vampire.

There you go. Further proof that my life is boring!

NROL - Week 15 - Saturday

I have a cold. Right now it's just a stuffy nose, and it's really only bad at night. That means I'm not sleeping well, but that's okay. It's not hindering my exercise so far. Speaking of exercise, my husband planned to get up at 4 AM to go bear hunting. I planned on getting up when he did so I could get some cardio in before my son woke up. The crappy night of non-sleep killed that idea, and I stayed in bed until my son woke up. He actually had school today because of bad weather last week. I could have easily just skipped cardio, but when we got up, I dressed in my exercise clothes, so I was committed to exercising after I dropped him off at school. I'm glad I did that because the workout was great. I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Mix 2 again. I love that mix. I love Turbo Jam. I want more Turbo Jam dvds.

7:35 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:40 PM - tuna salad (w/ iceberg lettuce, carrots, green peppers, celery, black beans, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette dressing); this salad was so huge, I ate half for lunch and half for a snack

3:10 PM - tuna salad

4:00 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

7:30 PM - turkey bacon, eggs, toast w/ margarine

Calories - 1604
Carbs - 152 (36 fiber)
Protein - 110
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 36.9/26.7/36.4

NROL - Week 15 - Friday

I debated with myself from 5 AM on whether or not I wanted to do cardio today. I usually shoot for 2 days a week but I thought about last night's big meal and decided I'd feel better if I got some exercise. So I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2, and I have every intention of doing cardio again tomorrow. My schedule this week has been weird because of the kickboxing on Monday and I could really just take tomorrow off, but I won't. I don't know if I'm going to do Turbo Jam again, or use the Wii Fit/elliptical combo. There's a running activity on the Wii Fit but running in place is kind of lame. I'll get a good workout on the elliptical, and get the credit on the Wii Fit. Two birds.

10:45 AM - scrambled eggs w/ green pepper, onion, sour cream & salsa, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I was late eating today because I had about 150 pages to read in a library book that was due today; I needed to focus on that

6:30 PM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, black beans w/ onions; I know I went too long without eating but I was incredibly sidetracked

8:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

9:00 PM - rice cakes w/ peanut butter, Splenda & cinnamon; all I've done since before dinner is think about the M&Ms in my freezer, but since I still haven't come up with a strategy for eating them, I tried to distract myself

Calories - 1498
Carbs - 103 (22 fiber)
Protein - 120
Fat - 64
C/P/F Ratio - 27.9/32.7/39.4

NROL - Week 15 - Thursday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 30 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x8x40
bent over bb row 3x8x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x8xbw
bb push press 3x8x445

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x8x20 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x8x20 (per side)

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:05 AM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, green beans

10:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:00 PM - rice cakes & mozzarella string cheese; I was on the road, as I had to go back to Virginia today for a checkup; I ate in my car in the parking lot before my appointment

5:30 PM - dinner at our favorite buffet; I kept the portions reasonable and only had one dessert!!

No numbers today.

NROL - Week 15 - Wednesday

Today's exercise was Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2. I watched it last night (along with a few other Turbo Jam videos) and thought it was something I could do without looking like a total moron. I was wrong. I could do, sure, but I did look like a moron. It was fun though. I'll do it again. I actually like it better than the 20 Minute Workout.

I bought myself a small bag of Dark Chocolate M&Ms today. I had no intention of eating them. I put them in the freezer and I'm going to do an experiment with them. I haven't decided what kind of experiment yet, but I'm not going to even open the bag until I have a plan, and I'm not going to eat the entire bag in one day. I was thinking of splitting it into 3 servings.

6:25 AM - - apple & cottage cheese

10:10 AM - oatmeal w/ peanut butter & Splenda; I did post in the comments of my last entry that I would give oatmeal another try; I have big problems with texture and, while this tasted great, I didn't like the feel at all; however, for the first time, I ate an entire bowl of oatmeal!!

10:35 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:10 PM - mozzarella string cheese & rice cakes

3:55 PM - black bean brownies; I am not sure how I feel about these; they definitely came out better than that last time I tried to make them but they need more sweetener or something; or peanut butter or whipped cream on top

5:10 PM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, green beans

5:30 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

7:30 PM - chicken breast, cheese, sour cream & salsa on tortilla

Calories - 1712
Carb - 132 (23 fiber)
Protein - 142
Fat - 72
C/P/F Ratio - 30.3/32.5/37.2

NROL - Week 15 - Tuesday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 45 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x10x65
push up (on knees) 3x10xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x10x10
underhand lat pull 3x10x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x10x50
lower body Russian twist 3x10xbw (per side)

7:15 AM - apple w/ cottage cheese

10:25 AM - grilled cheese sandwich, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:20 PM - chicken & black bean salad w/ lettuce, salsa & sour cream

5:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

7:15 PM - chicken breast, California vegetable mix

Calories - 1347
Carbs - 126 (29 fiber)
Protein - 125
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 36.8/36.4/26.7

NROL - Week 15 - Monday

I went to my second kickboxing class this morning. It was much different from the one I attended Friday. I still wasn't crazy about it. Then the general manager came up to me after the class and pitched the sale. That did it for me. I politely listened but I won't be going back, even though I still have a free class or two. He was really pushy. I understand that fitness centers are in the business of making money, and I have no problem with that. This particular fitness center just isn't what I'm looking for. There's very little variety and the weight room didn't wow me. I still want to check out the new fitness center that opened up in May, but I'm in no hurry.

Ok, honestly, in class today I felt inadequate. The trainer had us doing 100 crunches, 100 pushups, and more ridiculous amounts of ab work in between the actual kickboxing. I'm not used to doing so many and to be frank, I have no desire to do that many. Ever. I felt like all the exercise I'd been doing at home was sub-standard, and I don't want to feel that way. There is nothing wrong with the way I work out at home.

I did learn one thing from the two classes I took - the 20 minute workouts just aren't going to cut it. I can go for an hour, so I think I'll kick it up a bit and start doing the Turbo Jam Cardio Party routines, which are close to 45 minutes. My biggest excuse is that I just like to rush through my workouts and hit the showers. I have the time in the morning - literally nothing else to do between the time I get up and the time I take my son to school. I will be using those 2 hours to do 45 minutes of exercise and take a shower. There is absolutely no reason not to.

More house cleaning today. I'll be done tomorrow. I could finish today but my son insists on helping shampoo the carpets, and he has no school tomorrow. What a nut!

7:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:10 AM - omelet w/ green pepper, onion, cream cheese & salsa, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

3:10 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, yogurt; I don't really care for the yogurt with candy/cookies - it just makes me miss real junk food

6:30 PM - roasted chicken legs, green beans w/ cheese sauce

Calories - 1308
Carbs - 103 (11 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 49
C/P/F Ratio - 31.7/34.7/33.6

NROL - Week 14 - Sunday

Weighed in at 150 again today. I was disappointed not to see any loss, but I do realize that this is how it is. I probably didn't eat enough this week. Oh well. I'm not going to worry about it. I didn't gain, I ate clean, I worked out hard. Can't ask for more than that, really!

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 45 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x10x35
bent over bb row 3x10x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x10xbw
bb push press 3x10x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x10x15 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x10x15 (per side)

8:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

11:40 AM - cube steak w/ brown rice, green pepper, onion, picante sauce & salsa; this did nothing to satisfy my hunger

1:20 PM - Cheerios w/ skim milk; I was so desperate for Cheerios that I ate them stale LOL

5:20 PM - stew meat w/ pinto beans, onion & green pepper; I didn't measure this, but had two helpings

6:30 PM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

7:30 PM - cream cheese & chives crackers

No numbers today.

NROL - Week 14 - Saturday

No exercise today. I'm a bit stiff from kickboxing yesterday. Nothing too bad, but since I'm lifting tomorrow, I've decided not to do anything today. Unless you count scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom. Tomorrow I do bedrooms. Monday, the rest of the house. I've put it off too long, and the bonus exercise will be good for me.

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda

1:00 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

6:50 PM - boneless, skinless chicken thighs w/ peas in butter & garlic

9:30 PM - peanut butter sandwich

Calories - 1581
Carbs - 134 (38 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 56
C/P/F Ratio - 33.5/35.2/31.2

NROL - Week 14 - Friday

Today was Fat Loss IIB, with 45 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x10x65
push up (on knees) 3x10xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x10x10
underhand lat pull 3x10x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x10x45
lower body Russian twist 3x10xbw (per side)

I also went for my kickboxing class that my husband won for me. Turns out, it's a week of classes and use of the weight room. I wasn't all that impressed with the weight room. The class was okay, but it was hard to hear the instructor. Since it's a martial arts place, and I was just sort of thrown in with a group that is actually taking classes, it was kind of overwhelming. The moves were simple enough - I'd done them with Turbo Jam and Tae Bo. I just don't have the endurance to do an hour of cardio right now, especially after 45 minutes of weights. I'm going back Monday when the main instructor is there, but I'll rearrange my weight schedule so that I'm not doing both in the same morning. Screw that.

6:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:30 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion & green pepper, picante sauce & sour cream, coffee w/ cream & splenda, toast; I WAS STARVING!!!!!!!!! LOL I should have eaten something quick between workouts

3:13 PM - yogurt

6:30 PM - cube steak w/ onion, green pepper, picante sauce & salsa, brown rice

Calories - 1389
Carbs - 149 (19 fiber)
Protein - 108
Fat - 43
C/P/F Ratio - 42.2/30.6/27.3

NROL - Week 14 - Thursday

Cardio day - Tae Bo Cardio Blast 1. I was really uncoordinated, and my son kept interrupting. His school schedule has changed and he starts an hour later than he was, so I need to workout when he's home. If I wait until after I take him to school, it would be late in the morning before I'm done exercising. I don't want that.

7:55 AM - apple & cottage cheese; I ate after I worked out

10:50 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, turkey bacon, eggs, toast

5:45 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, broccoli

Calories - 1219
Carbs - 102 (28 fiber)
Protein - 106
Fat - 49
C/P/F Ratio - 31.9/33.3/34.8

NROL - Week 14 - Wednesday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 45 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x10x35
bent over bb row 3x10x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x10xbw
bb push press 3x10x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x10x15 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x10x15 (per side)

6:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, toast (dry), turkey bacon, omelet w/ green pepper, onion, picante sauce

3:20 PM - yogurt

4:45 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, broccoli

9:00 PM - yogurt; I am trying something different - the Breyers YoCrunch yogurts (I think that is what they are called) - they have M&Ms, Oreos, or Crunch bars to mix in; hopefully these will satisfy my need for chocolate

Calories - 1538
Carbs - 151 (23 fiber)
Protein - 137
Fat - 47
C/P/F Ratio - 38.3/34.9/26.8

NROL - Week 14 - Tuesday

Today's cardio was Tae Bo Cardio Blast 1. It was fun, though I'm still uncoordinated with some of the moves. My balance is horrible. I need to work on that.

Oh, and my free fitness class has been rescheduled for Friday at 9 AM. Yikes!

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:25 AM - omelet w/ green pepper, onion, cheese, salsa, sour cream on tortilla

10:45 AM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

12:30 PM - tuna & mayo on rice cakes

3:00 PM - carrots; I don't know why but raw carrots give me hiccups

5:40 PM - mozzarella string cheee; waiting to eat dinner

7:00 PM - baked chicken drumsticks, roasted broccoli, onion & garlic

Calories - 1590
Carbs - 126 (27 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 30.7/32.6/36.7

NROL - Week 14 - Monday

Wow, 14 weeks in. Of course, with the breaks, it doesn't feel like that long. The change of routine helps a lot, but I'm kind of itching to do another Body For Life challenge. I don't know. I'll think about it. The NROL workouts are just going to get harder and harder. Let's face it - I'm a total wuss. And the more I think about it, the more I want to do BFL again. Actually, I just want to do the weight lifting portion of it. I don't have any cardio equipment and I'm sure as heck not going outside to run. Wait - looking the next NROL program, I think I'd like to do that. It looks like - not fun, but more appealing than the current program. Which I HATE with a passion.

Speaking of, today was Fat Loss IIB, with 60 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x12x60
push up (on knees) 3x12xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x12x10
underhand lat pull 3x12x68

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x12x45
lower body Russian twist 3x12xbw (per side)

Wow, and while I was looking into high pulls (which I'll need in my next program), I found a suggested Tabata combo - the Sumo Deadlift/High Pull. Crazy stuff, I tell you. Not thank you. I'm planning on resuming Tabatas tomorrow, but I'm not sure what move I'll use. I know what move I won't be using!!

6:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:30 AM - chicken breast, cheese, salsa, sour cream, tortilla

2:00 PM - mozzarella string cheese

5:45 PM - pepper jack cheese; just waiting for dinner

6:30 PM - chicken drumsticks & mashed cauliflower

Calories - 1300
Carbs - 67 (7 fiber)
Protein - 119
Fat - 63
C/P/F/ Ratio - 20.4/36.3/43.4

NROL - Week 13 - Sunday

Ugh! I had half my day typed up and saved, then I accidentally cleared my notes. The SAVE and CLEAR buttons should not be next to each other in this ScribeFire extension.

Anyway...

I got on the scale this morning, convinced I could handle the damage 3 weeks of bad eating did. Imagine my shock when I saw 150, which is where I was when this whole mess started. So, I'm pleasantly surprised.

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

8:55 AM - Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk; half hour and an hour after eating, I felt like I hadn't eaten at all - I actually had to check my notes to see if I skipped breakfast

12:15 PM - chicken breast & broccoli; I wanted Caesar dressing with this but opted for salt and pepper instead

1:50 PM - peppermint drops

4:15 PM - ground beef, onions, broccoli & cream cheese; I didn't measure all this but I had 2 big helpings

No numbers today.

NROL - Week 13 - Saturday

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:15 AM - toast w/ butter

1:30 PM - apple & cottage cheese

3:40 PM - grilled cheese sandwich

6:30 PM - carrots

Calories - 1038
Carbs - 90 (13 fiber)
Protein - 71
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 32/25.4/42.5

I know I'm supposed to talk about my emotions here, as they relate to food, but I'm so fucking angry with every aspect of my life right now. I can't deal and I have no real life support. There's just a lot of resentment and rage right now. I don't even know what to do with it.