Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Sunday

I'm down 3.5 pounds this week, back to 132, where I was before I went out for lunch and my father-in-law's visit. I am satisfied with that, even though there's not net loss for the month. Well, half pound. But I will take it. I have 13 weeks of uninterrupted eating ahead of me. Well, my son's birthday is in there somewhere, but I think I'll be able to control that.

Something just (mentally) hit me. I was reading a thread on another board about low blood sugar and anger. I've always noticed that I want to eat when I get angry, but now I wonder if I get angry because I need to eat? I have a coupon for a free glucose monitor (and there's a special rewards sale this week at Walgreens, I think) so it might be worth checking out! No, I can't just go to a doctor - my husband and I don't have health insurance. Too bad the test strips are so damn expensive.

8:25 AM - hb eggs, banana, Special K cereal w/ skim milk

11:30 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

2:30 PM - broccoli & cauliflower w/ tuscan romano basil dressing

6:40 PM - grilled pork ribs w/ barbecue sauce & green peppers

7:05 PM - homemade vanilla ice cream; I finally figured out the portion size and enjoyed one serving.

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. I also had a bite of the watermelon yogurt ice I made this morning. I did not like that at all, so I tossed the whole batch.

Calories - 1658
Carbs - 145 (20 fiber)
Protein - 115
Fat - 69
C/P/F Ratio - 35/27.7/37.2

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Saturday

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x25
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x30

db close grip bench press - 3x8x25
db shrug w/ calf raise - 3x8x30

push up - 3x12xbodyweight; I did all of these on my knees because I took no breaks between pairs for this last superset
Swiss ball rollout - 3x15xbodyweight

This was my last TT workout for now. I don't like using the dumbbells so much, so I'm changing things up next week. I tweaked Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program to my liking and goals and I am very pleased with the set up, at least on paper. We'll see how I feel on Tuesday when I do my first workout. It's very simple stuff, uses my favorite exercises, and gives me lots of room for progression and modifications.

Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 and Recharge today, for 63 minutes and 381 calories. I don't think I ever really get tired of CP2. I am always so motivated when I do it and always put the most into it. I would love to get my hands on some of the Turbo Kick rounds. It almost makes me want to become an instructor.

5:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:40 AM - Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal w/ skim milk

10:30 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

1:30 PM - ground turkey & pinto beans w/ pepper jack cheese, salsa & sour cream on flat bread

6:00 PM - grilled chicken breast w/ broccoli & cauliflower

Calories - 1425
Carbs - 124 (30 fiber)
Protein - 126
Fat - 54
C/P/F Ratio - 33.5/34/32.5

Three cups of coffee and 100 ounces of water. I also had 2 small bites
of some homemade ice cream I was trying out. It was way too sweet for
me, and I forgot to measure the whole thing to begin with so I don't
know what one serving would be anyway - so I doubt I'll be having any
of this batch. It took forever to freeze, and there was something wrong
with the consistency from the beginning. Probably because I tried a
healthy recipe LOL so I'll try the real thing next time.

I'm going to start logging my calorie differential for the week. According to Spark, my BMR is 1633 calories per day. So, for this week (Monday - Saturday only), I burned 9798 calories just existing. I burned 2160 calories through exercise (excluding weight lifting) this week. In total, I burned 11958 calories. I ate 9833 calories this week. The difference: 2125. So, mathematically, I haven't even lost a pound this week.

Why am I doing this? For fun mostly, and because I'm a total geek. But also to show that weight loss doesn't always play by the rules.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Friday

Level 2 of 30 Day Shred and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism today. 80 minutes and 468 calories. Shred was much better today. Still rough, but the good kind of rough. BFBM left me in a puddle. My body was not in a long cardio mood. I did it anyway and felt much better after.

I'm having a hard time with clean eating this week. I just opened a box of not so healthy cereal. It's not horrible, but definitely not the best choice in the cereal stash. And I love cereal. I'm so glad I am not low carbing any more. I missed cereal. There's nothing wrong with cereal. Cereal loves me back.

I planned out my meals ahead of time today and I think I did much better in terms of snacking. I think I will do the same tomorrow and see how it goes. I do have to go grocery shopping soon. I bought an ice cream attachment for my mixer today and I have visions of making healthy ice creams and sorbets and frozen yogurts. So I want to check out my frozen and fresh fruit options. I'd also like to buy some freezable containers that will hold just one or two servings of ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt. I think that will help me tremendously. I also looked up a few vegetarian/vegan frozen dessert recipes so I can invite my friend Sara over for some yummy time.

5:15 AM - Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal w/ skim milk

7:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:00 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

2:45 PM - ground turkey & pinto bean w/ lettuce, salsa & sour cream

8:50 PM - grilled chicken breast & pepper jack cheese on flat bread w/ broccoli & cauliflower

Calories - 1490
Carbs - 134 (31 fiber)
Protein - 132
Fat - 54
C/P/F Ratio - 34.6/34.2/31.2

Four cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Thursday

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight

db sumo squat - 3x8x30
db row - 3x8x30

side plank (per side) - 20 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15; I actually did the first set with 20 pounds and it was too much.

Biggest Loser Men's Intervals, High Intensity Cardio & Cool Down Stretch - 40 minutes and 211 calories. I haven't decided whether or not I'm sore today. My shoulder is still bothering me from last week (I have no idea what I did to it) and I'm completely exhausted. I think that's because I got to sleep so late last night. I still feel really bloated, especially in the abdomen. I look and feel 6 months pregnant.

I've downloaded about six months of back podcasts from Jillian Michaels. I seriously love her stuff. She clears up SO many misconceptions about fitness and nutrition. She should be mandatory listening for everyone.

5:15 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk

7:00 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk; There was just a little bit left in the box and I'm going to have a crazy morning, so I ate it.

9:00 AM - yogurt & mandarin oranges, hb eggs

11:45 AM - raw cucumbers, green peppers & baby carrots

3:00 PM - pepper jack cheese on flat bread wrap

3:30 PM - homemade beef jerky; I had no idea about the nutritional info of this (it's made fresh) so I just picked the default jerky option in my tracker.

6:00 PM - crescent rolls, shrimp & mixed vegetables

Calories - 1713
Carbs - 186 (31 fiber)
Protein - 115
C/P/F Ratio - 43.2/26.8/30

Two cups of coffee and 128 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Wednesday

Level 2 of Shred today, and No More Trouble Zones. THIS SUCKED! Level 2 is definitely harder than Level 1, and with 40 extra minutes of resistance exercises, I was miserable. My shoulders were wrecked, and once I got past the fourth circuit (that has the Surrenders and tricep work), I was okay. But I really didn't think I would make it. I honestly don't know if I can do NMTZ after Shred anymore, but I feel like I have to stick with it, because that was the plan. I know plans can change but I will seriously be disappointed with myself if I don't follow through. I'm going to wait and see how I feel in the morning, and if my regular weight lifting suffers, I will drop NMTZ in a heart beat and do regular cardio instead. I did 82 minutes and burned 413 calories.

5:15 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk

9:10 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

12:15 PM - sauteed onion & green pepper w/ pepper jack cheese on flat bread

3:00 PM - salad (lettuce, green pepper, onion, hb egg, almonds, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower) w/ light balsamic dressing; It took me 20 minutes to eat this sucker!!! Very filling and only 350 calories.

7:20 PM - homemade chicken fajitas (chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, onion, green pepper)

8:10 PM - watermelon

Calories - 1798
Carbs - 197 (44 fiber)
Protein - 126
Fat - 68
C/P/F Ratio - 41.3/26.4/32.3

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Tuesday

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x30
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x30

db close grip bench press - 3x8x20
db shrug w/ calf raise - 3x8x30

push up - 3x12xbodyweight; Two sets on my toes, one on my knees
Swiss ball rollout - 3x15xbodyweight

Biggest Loser Men's Intervals, High Intensity Cardio & Cool Down Stretch, 40 minutes, 199 calories.

I'm tracking my food again today and it's so much easier to stay on plan. I thought the freedom of not tracking would help me eat more vegetables, but really, I just used it as an excuse to sneak a piece of candy here, or a starch there, and all the this-and-that was messing me up, at least mentally. I'm able to stick to a schedule better, and I don't feel so hungry all the time. The last two days have been very good.

5:15 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk

7:20 AM - piece of banana my son didn't want anymore

9:10 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

1:05 PM - yogurt & almonds

3:05 PM - apple & cottage cheese

5:30 PM - grilled chicken breast salad (lettuce, green pepper, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, hb egg) w/ light Italian dressing

8:20 PM - Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Bar & Quaker True Delights granola bar; Yes, I ate 2 granola bars. I was hungry. I could have chosen a better option but I didn't want to.

Calories - 1878
Carbs - 204 (40 fiber)
Protein - 136
Fat - 63
C/P/F Ratio - 42.3/28.1/29.5

Three cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 4 - Monday

Today was my last day of 30 Day Shred, Level 1. I also did Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. When it was all said and done, I burned 488 calories in 79 minutes.

I tracked my food and felt much more in control today. I think I'll stick with it for a while.

5:55 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk

9:55 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

12:45 PM - fish taco (on multi-grain flat bread w/ avocado & salsa); My son caught a flounder for me when the guys went out on a boat today.

4:05 PM - apple & cottage cheese

6:55 PM - grilled chicken breast salad (lettuce, green pepper, onion, broccoli, cauliflower) w/ light Italian dressing

Calories - 1529
Carbs - 135 (37 fiber)
Protein - 138
Fat - 55
C/P/F Ratio - 34.1/34.7/31.2

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Sunday

135.5 today, up another 1.5 pounds for those of you keeping score. I'm amazed at how carb sensitive my body is. After today, I'm going to refocus on good carbs and real meals. This snacking all day is driving me nuts. Maybe I better start tracking again. It's such a pain in the ass that I'm more likely to eat properly than have to log stuff ever hour or ninety minutes.

I think I'm dehydrated. I didn't get as much water as I usually do yesterday and I was out in the sun all day.

9:30 AM - Kashi cereal w/ skim milk

11:20 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ hummus; I actually ate 3 pices of toast because I really needed the room in my refrigerator and I needed to get container I store my bread in out of there.

2:10 PM - raw broccoli & cauliflower w/ hummus

The afternoon was bad, bad, bad. I was waiting for the rest of the family to decide when they wanted to go out to eat, and I ended up eating some Easter candy from the freezer. Not a ton, but more than I should have. Then I overate at the restaurant. I feel like I'm going to explode. The good news - I couldn't finish my dessert.

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Saturday

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight

db sumo squat - 3x8x30
db row - 3x8x25

side plank (per side) - 15 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 and Recharge from the ChaLean Extreme set, for 63 minutes and 397 calories. I like Recharge better than the Biggest Loser Yoga.

I have no sense of time today. I ate (apple & cottage cheese), worked out, ate (Kashi cereal), then went to Virginia for the day. We went on a tour of the naval base in Norfolk and it was awesome. Then we went to Joe's Crab Shack for lunch. I had some crab dip, because they make the best freaking crab dip in the history of crab dips. I got a HUGE crab Caesar sald with chipotle dressing. It was fantastic!!!! Then I tried a Mudslide (an alcoholic beverage w/ ice cream and whipped cream and chocolate syrup) and had a few bites of my husband's chocolate cake. I am definitely bloated now LOL I did debate quite a bit whether I wanted to go "there" and in the end, I decided that if it sets me back a few pounds of water weight, I can deal with it. So today and tomorrow - free days, no guilt. I did eat the bag of vegetables & jerky I packed in the cooler on the way home. Oh, and I ate some yogurt when we got to Virginia. I'd packed that, too.

And I had 2 cups of coffee and 84 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Friday

Level 1 of Shred and No More Trouble Zones today - 81 minutes and 368 calories.

My father-in-law is visiting until the middle of next week. That means, we're going out for meals at least 3 times. Wish me luck. He actually showed up (12 hours ahead of schedule) last night with homemade jerky (which he brings me every time he comes down) and I had to try some. It was just a small piece, not even a whole piece!

For some reason, my midsection feels really bloated. Actually, my entire trunk feels like that. My bras feel tight and my abdomen feels like it's expanded to twice its size. My rings are loose though. I wonder if I'd been eating too much Fiber One this week. I'm out now so I'll have to give it a few days to see if this bloat goes away. I've never had bloat in once part of my body before. It's usually all over. But damn, Fiber One is good.

I mentioned yesterday that I was having a problem with grazing all day since I stopped tracking. I can't do anything about it for tomorrow, but beginning Sunday, I am going to make a very conscious effort to eat meals instead of snacking all day. I get so hungry, and just eat a little something. I need to start making meal plans, and sticking to them, maybe even writing them down the night before. I know that strategy is in one of the binge eating books I read. So I'm going to do that because this nibble here and nibble there is going to lead to trouble.

5:15 AM - Kashi GoLean cereal w/ skim milk; This stuff is great!!!

10:35 AM - turkey bacon, toast (2 pieces, no butter), scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; I'm out of hummus.

1:05 PM - green pepper & homemade jerky

1:55 PM - apple & cottage cheese

3:50 PM - baby carrots

6:05 PM - homemade jerky

8:10 PM - grilled chicken breast w/ hummus & pepper jack cheese on multigrain wrap; I made more hummus, but left out the oil and added jalapeno! Delicious.

But I'm so stressed and cranky and hungry and all I want is chocolate but I know I won't be able to stop if I do have some. It's just something I know in my gut. If I eat chocolate right now, I will binge.

Three cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Thursday

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x25
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x30

db close grip bench press - 3x8x20
db shrug w/ calf raise - 3x8x30

push up - 3x12xbodyweight - I did all of these on my knees. I was just too tired to split them like I did last time.
Swiss ball rollout - 3x15xbodyweight

I did the Biggest Loser cardio stuff again, 40 minutes and 205 calories. I was really dragging though. I absolutely did not want to do the cardio.

I'm kind of in a quandary here. My grip, as I've said before, sucks. I am working on it, but in the meantime, some things are going to suffer. I can deadlift more then 60 pounds (2 30 pound dumbbells) but I can't hold on to the stupid things. I did wear my gloves today and the whole time I was afraid I was going to drop the weights and break my feet. If I switch to a barbell, it's really not the same Turbulence Training workout. So I may need to fly by the seat of my pants for a while, as far as weight lifting goes. There are TONS of Turbulence Training workouts (and I'd have more if I weren't too cheap to join the official club) so I don't think it's going to be a problem. I may switch at the end of Week 4, just to keep things even.

I have to rant about something. I spend a lot of time reading on the SparkPeople Fitness & Exercise board and every say, the question "Will Exercise Program XYZ work for me?" comes up. People always want to know what kind of results others get with, say 30 Day Shred or ChaLean Extreme. And you know what hardly ever gets brought into the discussion? Diet. People forget that losing weight is mostly about diet. You can kill yourself in the gym two hours a day, but if you eat crap, you're not going to lose the weight. Trust me. I spent half a year exercising my ass off but eating badly and all I had to show for it was a 4 pound gain. And no, you did not gain a bunch of muscle in a week, or even a month. More likely, you measured yourself wrong. Scales up but you're eating right? It's water. It will go away. And come back, then go away again. This is not a downhill ride, people. For most of us, its a roller coaster. Focus on the long haul, not the short term.

Which is why I'm not going to worry about the scale anymore. I'll still weigh once a week, but I'm pretty sure I'm at the point where my body is happy (even if I'm not) and it's going to come off frustratingly slowly. The last time I weighed this little, I had to pretty much starve the rest of it off, and I'm not doing that this time. I'm not nearly as gross looking as I was a year ago, or two years ago, so I can live with it. I'm not bikini ready but that was never my goal anyway. My goals are to have a body I'm comfortable with (I am) and get strong (I am getting there) and get fit (this needs a little work). So no more freaking out on Sunday mornings when the scale is off. No more speculating on what might be causing a gain/stand still. Report the number as a matter of fact, and that's it!

5:20 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

7:00 AM - yogurt

11:30 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ hummus; Someone has to eat that hummus!

1:00 PM - apple & cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda

2:55 PM - baby carrots & green peppers w/ hummus

4:20 PM - I just snuck 2 really small pieces of Easter candy I found in the back of the freezer and they are so, so good, I feel like I'm going to lose it!!!!!!!! I am just so damn hungry today. I think, with the exception of my breakfast (the scrambled eggs meal), I'm not eating enough at one time, so I end up snacking all day. I have to change that. I've noticed that pattern for a while now.

5:20 PM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk & a quarter of a banana

8:00 PM - grilled chicken breast w/ green beans & hummus; Don't worry, I'll be out of hummus tomorrow. I need to buy more beans. I don't eat a lot at one time - usually a tablespoon or two.

Four cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water today.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Wednesday

30 Day Shred, Level 1 and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism today, 79 minutes and 434 calories. Since beginning this particular program, I've been trying to figure out how exercise makes me feel. I've touched briefly on how I don't really feel a rush or a high when I'm working out. I may have slightly more energy than I would otherwise, but mostly, I feel relief. When I finish exercising, I am just glad it's over for the day. I wish it pumped me up and made me cheerful, but nope. It's like getting shots - you know they are good for you but they aren't really all that pleasant, and when you're done, Mommy buys you a box of Animal Crackers. My reward for a good workout is usually a big breakfast with turkey bacon and eggs. I look forward to that.

I'm really tired again today. I don't think I'm getting enough sleep. Last night, I got about 6 hours. The night before, a little more. But for the last 2 weeks, I've been averaging six hours. Fortunately, the TV season is over and I can start going to bed earlier. School will be over in 3 weeks. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do then. I'd like to keep getting up at 5 AM to work out.

I've mentioned my love of Craig Ballantyne here before, but one of his blog posts today seals the freaking deal. The words on the page are irrelevant.

I got a craving for hummus today. I've had it once in my life and I've certainly never made it. I must say, I'm very pleased with it. I intend to use it with everything LOL

5:10 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

10:15 AM - tilapia sandwich w/ hummus

12:30 PM - veggie salad w/ light Italian dressing, mozzarella string cheese

2:55 PM - grilled chicken breast, baby carrots w/ hummus; I am officially addicted. Sebastian was not so impressed and declared the hummus "the worst thing" he's ever tasted LOL

6:20 PM - baby carrots & green pepper w/ (you guessed it!) hummus; I also had some Wheat Thins Fiber Selects crackers - right out of the box! I really had to be aware and stop myself at half a serving. It was so good though.

7:30 PM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ green pepper, onions & hummus; There I go again with the hummus.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Tuesday

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight; I'm a little bit disappointed in myself. I intended to move from body rows to assisted or negative chin ups, and I had a really hard time with those, so I went back to inverted rows. I don't get it. I can do a chin up every time I walk by the bar, but I can't do multiples and assisteds and negatives are too hard to do in sets of 6. I'll try again next time I do this workout (Saturday) but man, I was really hoping to progress. On a positive note, my inverted rows were all straight-legged instead of with knees bent.

db sumo squat - 3x8x30
db row - 3x8x25

side plank (per side) - 15 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15

Biggest Loser Men's Intervals, then High Intensity Cardio, followed by the Cool Down Stretch segment, for 40 minutes and 202 calories. I missed my daily goal by 48 calories. Blech.

5:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:00 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

10:30 AM - turkey bacon, toast (2 pieces) w/ cream cheese, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

12:40 PM - yogurt

2:15 PM - stew meat & black beans

5:35 PM - vegetable salad w/ light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

8:30 PM - grilled cheese sandwich

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. I was not in a water drinking mood at all today and it's been chilly and windy and I was so tired all day.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 3 - Monday

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I had my entire day written up and ScribeFire lost it all. This extension is really pissing the off. I had some interesting stuff in my post that I wanted to remember, too. Damn it.

I did Level 1 of 30 Day Shred and No More Trouble Zones today (81 minutes, 389 calories). I'd been kicking around the idea of skipping to Level 2 already, but decided not to. I'm using 5 and 10 pound dumbbells for both work outs now. In NMTZ, it is mostly 5s, because it's so high volume and I don't really want to fatigue my muscles (that's what my Turbulence Training workouts are for). Sometimes, especially when I wake up in the morning, I am not crazy about Jillian's longer workouts and I actually dread them until I get started. But once I get going, I'm fine. The ab exercises are getting easier, so that helps.

I spent about 3 hours cleaning my house today. I'm exhausted.

5:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:15 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

10:10 AM - turkey bacon, toast w/ light cream cheese, scrambled eggs w/ onion, garlic, green pepper & salsa

1:20 PM - almonds & baby carrots

2:50 PM - tilapia & black beans

6:05 PM - stew meat & sweet potato w/ Tuscan romano dressing, 2 multigrain sunchips; This is why I like not logging my food - when I got my son some chips, i snagged 2 and didn't have to figure out how many calories it was.

7:30 PM - apple & mozzarella string cheese; I'm craving ice cream and chocolate like crazy!!!

8:00 PM - 2 servings of ice cream and a small (tiny!!) box of Junior mints; I caved and I don't care.

Three cups of coffee and 100 ounces of water today.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Sunday

Up 2 pounds this week to 134. I'm not going to change anything. I'm doing just fine. I'm working out, I'm eating right (and enough), and I'm drinking my water. It's fine. My rings were already looser by this evening.

7:15 AM - banana

10:15 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, garlic & salsa, homemade bagel w/ light cream cheese; One serving of cream cheese is way too much for these tiny bagels I made - I'm dropping down to half a serving.

1:00 PM - one and a half meatballs my son didn't finish, and earlier I ate the skin from his apple.

1:45 PM - tilapia w/ pepper jack cheese on small flour tortilla, baby carrots

5:00 PM - homemade pork sausage & whole grain waffles w/ sugar free syrup; I think I overate the sausage. They are from the same batch we have been eating from for weeks but they were way saltier than the rest. Bah!

8:00 PM - veggie salad w/ croutons and light Caesar vinaigrette dressing

Four cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Saturday

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x25
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x25

db close grip bench press - 3x8x20
db shrug w/ calf raise - 3x8x25 - I've added a calf raise to this exercise for kicks

push up - 3x12xbodyweight - I did the first set on my toes, the second set on my knees and I split the third set
Swiss ball rollout - 3x15xbodyweight

After weights, I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 - 334 calories in 45 minutes. I followed that up with Biggest Loser Yoga, Level 1 - 64 calories in 21 minutes. I do not like this yoga. I'm thinking I need something different. I don't want to do push ups and crap when I've just done them for my main workout. If I could do yoga on its own, maybe I'd enjoy this. Okay, "enjoy" isn't really the word I'd use, but I wouldn't resent it. And I refuse to do exercises that make me resent exercise. So I'm going to find something else, something with more upper body/back stretches. The only thing I really like about Biggest Loser Yoga (other than Bob Harper) is being able to get a close look at my legs to see what spots I missed with the razor.

Over the last 2 weeks, I've averaged about 80 minutes of exercise per day. That's twice as much as normal, and I'm doing twice as much cardio as usual. This is very weird for me. It's not exhausting but it's definitely draining, especially on Fridays and Saturdays when it all catches up to me. I don't know how people do this (and more) long term. I'm only doing this crazy (for me) schedule for 10 weeks, then I'm going back to just 3 days of cardio, 3 days of weights. Or, shorter cardio on weights days. I make no secret of, or excuses for, my laziness and I will be very happy to return that when this Jillian challenge is over. But sometimes, I feel like I'm not doing enough - either with exercise, the foods I eat, or the water. I don't think there is really anything I need to change but something in the back of my head says, "Oh, you can do better."

I woke up late this morning. My alarm went off at 5 AM as usual and I was in total Screw It mode. I went back to sleep until 6:30. It was after 8 before I could start working out though. It sucked. I hate being that behind.

7:15 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

10:55 AM - homemade bagel w/ light cream cheese, turkey bacon, fried (with non-stick spray) eggs; I ate a banana while I was cooking because I was ravenous!!

2:30 PM - tilapia w/ onion & garlic, raw cauliflower, broccoli, green pepper & baby carrots w/ sweet onion dressing

3:30 PM - half a banana; Sebastian wouldn't eat the mushy part.

5:45 PM - raw green pepper & baby carrots; Dinner was taking forever on the grill and I needed something. I was going to have some cheese or almonds, but thought vegetables might be a smarter choice, in case I wanted a treat later.

6:35 PM - grilled pork ribs w/ grilled green beans, onions & garlic

Five cups of coffee and 160 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Friday

30 Day Shred Level 1 & Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism this morning - 79 minutes and 485 calories. I'm really digging this heart rate monitor LOL If I went back to measuring and tracking my food, I could be a total geek!

After I blogged last night, I had a piece of homemade bread when my husband sliced the loaves up. I had to modify the recipe a bit because I ran out of flour and added in some wheat germ - I wanted to make sure it was worth slicing. And it was!

5:15 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

7:15 AM - yogurt

10:15 AM - turkey bacon, homemade bagel w/ light cream cheese, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; These homemade bagels are so tiny. I accidentally made 16 instead of 12. I suppose it's better for the calories but it doesn't feel like eating a bagel!

2:55 PM - grilled chicken salad w/ salsa & sour cream; homemade chocolate chip cookies

3:45 PM - banana

6:40 PM - grilled chicken & mixed vegetables; I also had a bite of the pork stroganoff I made for my husband.

Three cups of coffee and 200 ounces of water. That is not a typo ;) I rocked it with the water today. And I burned lots of extra calories walking back and forth to the bathroom to pee.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Thursday

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight

db sumo squat - 3x8x25
db row - 3x8x25

side plank (per side) - 15 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15

I did my usual Biggest Loser cardio and stretch after, and burned 221 calories.

5:10 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

9:00 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

12:30 PM - homemade bagel w/ a little bit of light cream cheese; This was a new recipe I was trying out. I didn't like it as much as my last batch of bagels so I'm going to go back to using my bread recipe.

12:50 PM - grilled chicken breast w/ mixed vegetables

3:15 PM - sugar free sno-cone

3:55 PM - apple & string cheese

5:55 PM - homemade chicken nuggets & baby carrots w/ a little ranch dressing & ketchup; I breaded some chicken breast with double fiber bread crumbs and spices (used a butter, half-and-half mix for the dip) and baked them in the oven. My son helped make them and he ate them up!!!

I feel like a pig the last two days. I should have shown more restraint yesterday.

Three cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Wednesday

30 Day Shred Level 1 & No More Trouble Zones today - 81 minutes and 355 calories burned. I bumped the weights and used 3, 5 & 10 pound dumbbells throughout. Mostly the lower weights, but heavier when I could.

I am guilty of one of my own pet peeves today. My mother-in-law called to tell me she still works out with Bob every day (I gave her a Biggest Loser dvd). She told me she's lost 3 pounds in the last month and inches everywhere but her calves, where she said she gained half an inch. And I blurted, "You probably added some muscle." Uh. Idiot!!! I know muscle growth doesn't happen like that, especially not to a 51 year old woman who is dieting and not doing proper weight training. I don't know what possessed me to say that. Well, I do know. I didn't want to come out and tell her she probably measured wrong one or both times, because that's what likely happened. So then I got thinking about the advice people give and wondered how often we say something we know to be untrue, just to spare someone else's feelings. I try to be as honest as possible, without being mean or condescending, and I know I fail at that sometimes. Part of my problem is that I "know" things but I can't cite sources for the information or debate a point very well at all. So lots of times, I don't say anything. Then I go and blurt out something I know to be completely false, just to make an old lady feel good. That's wrong, but the right thing to do. Right? If it was anyone else, I would have (and I have!) suggested that it's most likely an error in measurement. I do it all the time - I'm constantly complaining about the gains in size - but I don't dwell on it too much because it's really a pain in the arse to do all these measurements to oneself.

5:00 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

8:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:30 AM - fish tacos at La Fogata; I went out with a friend and I definitely ate too much, not to mention the chips and salsa. I plan to stick to mostly vegetables for the rest of the day, but if I don't, I'm not going to worry about it. It's very hard not to use this splurge as an excuse to eat whatever the heck I want.

4:40 PM - salad w/ sweet onion dressing; I just threw a bunch of vegetables into a bowl of lettuce. I wasn't even hungry.

7:10 PM - yogurt & baby carrots, homemade sour cream & chocolate chip cookies; I'm suddenly very hungry and had no plan for a meal in place.

7:45 PM - apple & mozzarella string cheese; I'm going to bed before I start eating my own flesh.

Two cups of coffee and 114 ounces of water today.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Tuesday

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x25
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x25

db close grip bench press - 3x8x20
db shrug - 3x8x25

push up - 3x12xbodyweight - I've changed this from elevated to regular push ups. I am not ready for elevated - Heck, I've done knee push ups the last two times I did this workout. Next time, I will go to my toes.
Swiss ball rollout - 3x15xbodyweight - This was so much better than the barbell. I don't think it works the core as well, but it will have to do until i can figure out how to keep my barbell from squeaking.

After weights, I did my Biggest Loser cardio segments, along with the cool down. I really like that cool down. Too bad it's not longer. Then after breakfast, I walked to the post office. Good thing I did because it helped me meet my calorie burn goal for the day. My goal is to burn 1500 a week, so I have to burn 250 per day. Of course, I exceed that on Shred days, but it's still nice to hit it every day. I don't think I'm in danger of under-eating at all.

5:15 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

7:15 AM - mandarin oranges

9:20 AM - toast (2 pieces, no butter), turkey bacon, omelet w/ low fat cream cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

1:15 PM - yogurt; I bought some of the Weight Watchers yogurt that is 1 point per 6 oz, not because I particularly like WW but because the flavors were different from what I usually buy. The Boston cream pie yogurt is fantastic.

3:00 PM - tuna fish w/ light mayonnaise on homemade whole wheat bread

3:55 PM - raw broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots & green pepper

6:05 PM - Marie Callender Pasta Al Dente; A pre-made frozen meal is never my first choice but I didn't want what I made for the guys and had no desire to actually cook. It was okay in a pinch, but I wish I'd made something else. It left me hungry.

9:00 PM - hard boiled egg whites stuffed w/ cottage cheese & apple, sprinkled w/ cinnamon

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water today. Diet pop during The Biggest Loser.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 2 - Monday

Today's exercise was Level 1 of 30 Day Shred and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. For tracking my heart rate, I've decided to stop the monitor completely in between videos, rather than just pause it. For Shred, I burned 157 calories in 26 minutes. For BFBM, I burned 372 calories in 53 minutes. I busted my ass today, and there were still some exercises that I can't do. The jump squats and plie hops and scissor kicks suck sweaty balls, I'm telling you!! I hate these. Burpees have graduated to something to look forward to compared to these! Oh, and by the way, Jillian's "burpees" are really just squat thrusts. Burpees have jumps at the end of the rep. She mentions a jump and has one of her girls do it once or twice, but for the most part, they are squat thrusts and not true burpees. I do burpees.

I did some house cleaning this morning, then wanted to walk to the post office but the threat of rain kept me home. That, and the complete ass-whooping Jillian gave me today.

I woke up a few minutes late today. I had to scarf down some breakfast, and I should have eaten more because I was so nauseated and light-headed during my exercise.

I did follow through and eat one serving of ice cream last night, with those homemade cookies. And I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. Even though the cookies are healthy and I only had one serving of ice cream, I asked myself what the hell I was doing. Here I am, 17 pounds from goal, and I'm slacking off. I was worried that if I stopped tracking, I'd turn it into something I couldn't handle. I didn't get any cravings or anything, but this is the hardest phase of my weight loss, and I can't piss it away by eating ice cream. I need to buckle down and focus. That doesn't mean I can't have treats - I just need to limit them. I don't need one every day. So, I'm going to aim for every third day or maybe even just twice a week. I want to look back at the end of the summer and be able to say I did everything I possibly could to get this weight off. I don't expect to lose all 17 pounds by the end of the summer. It would be nice, but I'm a realist. This is not some quick fix for me. I have to keep reminding myself that I can keep the weight off if I do this right.

5:20 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

9:00 AM - turkey bacon, toast (1 piece, no butter), omelet w/ onion, green pepper, low fat cream cheese & salsa

12:25 PM - grilled chicken breast salad w/ sour cream & salsa

2:45 PM - almonds, apple & cottage cheese

6:10 PM - half a fish stick, mozzarella string cheese; I needed something to hold me off until dinner. I really wish I could bring myself to eat dinner without my husband but I can't, even if we're eating different things.

7:30 PM - grilled chicken breast w/ black beans & sour cream/mustard sauce

Two cups of coffee, 140 ounces of water today, and one cup of green tea.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Sunday

Weigh in day. It's my first full week of not measuring and tracking. That, combined with the massive increase in exercise (including a change of routine) and good old Aunt Flo, I expected my weight to be up. Fortunately, I was wrong and I'm down half a pound to 132. I guess I'm glad it's not a gain, but I'm getting really, really impatient now. I know this is probably going to be the slowest phase.

I went grocery shopping this morning and bought some fresh vegetables. I chopped them up and I'm ready to just grab some when the mood strikes. Some time this week, I'm going to the Farmer's Market to get more produce. I can't believe how much it costs to eat healthy. I could have bought 3 boxes of mac and cheese for what I paid for 1 green pepper. Our green peppers in the garden are not growing, and something keeps digging up some of the other stuff. Now that we're composting, I don't feel like I'm wasting the produce scraps anymore. My husband went out and bought some pepper & tomato plants, and something to (hopefully) stop whatever from digging up the plants we started in the cardboard egg containers. Whatever it is, it loves those containers.

7:30 AM - whole grain waffles & homemade pork sausage

10:50 AM - grilled cheese sandwich & raw broccoli, cauliflower & green pepper

2:00 PM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk, homemade granola bar

4:20 PM - baby carrots

5:30 PM - grilled beef tenderloin w/ grilled vegetables in light garlic butter

9:00 PM - ice cream w/ homemade whole wheat sour cream cookies; I'm having this after I post my blog (going to sit and watch The Apprentice finale) but I'm going to measure it all out so that it's just one serving and all will be good.

Two cups of coffee and 120 ounces of water today. I just didn't have it in me to drink more water and I wanted some diet Coke with my dinner, damn it!

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Saturday

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight

db sumo squat - 3x8x25
db row - 3x8x25

side plank (per side) - 10 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15

For some reason, I don't have the guts to use my pull up bar and do chin ups (even 1) instead of inverted rows. It's scary. I think I'm worried the 1 attempt will make me not want to do the inverted rows, which are pretty difficult as it is!

I followed up my strength training with Turbo Jam's 20 Minute Workout. This was a completely last minute decision I made last night as I prepped all of my equipment. Since I didn't burn as many calories as I expected to on the second run of some of these workouts, I felt like I needed to make up for it. That's crazy, though! I'm getting more cardio than I ever have and I suddenly feel like it's not enough?

Anyway, the 20 Minute Workout burned 141 calories.

After Turbo Jam, I did all 3 levels of Biggest Loser Yoga. I really wish I'd previewed this video completely, but yoga is as boring to watch as it is to do. I don't know what I was expecting but I didn't enjoy this at all, especially Level 2 (which is ab work) and Level 3 (which incorporates strength training). I want just some straight yoga and stretching, more like the Recharge dvd in the ChaLean Extreme set. I think I'll check out some other videos on Netflix to see if there's anything I like, or I'll watch the yoga video from P90X. If all else fails, I will do Level 1 of the Biggest Loser Yoga and ChaLean Extreme's Recharge.

Oh, the Yoga burned 164 calories in 62 minutes.

6:45 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

9:30 AM - whole grain waffles w/ protein frappucino; I totally made this up LOL Well, it's not like it's all that original or difficult. I love the Starbucks Fraps, but they are practically sugar. And I needed a protein to go with my waffle carbs. I put some strong cold coffee (about 3/4 cup), a cup of skim milk, and a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder in the blender with a few drops of Splenda and some ice cubes. It was pretty good. You could probably make it mocha by using chocolate protein powder but I'm not a fan of chocolate coffee.

1:00 PM - grilled chicken breast & sauteed green beans & onion

2:10 PM - mozzarella string cheese, almonds, mandarin oranges; I'm just starving even though I just ate!

5:00 PM - banana, 2 homemade whole wheat sour cream cookies, 1 meatball & 2 baby corns; I was cooking for my guys while I decided what to eat and ended up grazing.

5:40 PM - chicken sandwich w/ pepper jack cheese

No coffee (unless you count the profrap - this could be why I'm exhausted!) and 140 ounces water. I am going to bed early.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Friday

I did Level 1 of 30 Day Shred and Jillian's No More Trouble Zones today, and burned 392 calories in 81 minutes. This is over 60 fewer calories than Monday's workout. This bothers me. Like yesterday, the second time through a workout, I've burned fewer calories even though I've felt like my effort is at least the same as the previous time. I don't get it. Obviously, I must not be working out as hard as the first time through but I don't feel like I can work much harder. We'll have to see what happens next week. Honestly, I think I'd rather obsess over counting calories than calories burned on my heart rate monitor :(

Oh, and I'm using 10 lb weights for Shred's rows, flys and curls, but still the 3 lb weights for shoulder work.

5:10 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

6:50 AM - banana

9:40 AM - turkey bacon, toast (no butter), broccoli & cheese omelet w/ salsa

1:00 PM - Fiber One yogurt

3:00 PM - bacon ranch grilled chicken salad from McDonald's w/ light Italian dressing, 3 homemade whole wheat & sour cream chocolate chip cookies, and 1 french fry; Since I didn't have the McDonald's dressing, I figured I could get away with my little cookies.

5:05 PM - apple peel; Yet another reason I'm happy not to track my food anymore - I can eat the skin from my son's apple without thinking.

6:30 PM - half a homemade cookie; These are so hit and miss for my son. Sometimes he likes them, sometimes he doesn't.

7:45 PM - whole wheat pasta & shrimp with a light butter, garlic & onion drizzle

One cup of coffee and 160 ounces of water today. I'm working on a liter of diet cola, but that's okay - look how much water I drank. That's 20 cups!!

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Thursday

ARRGGGGGGGGGHHHH! My son got up when I did again. I even pushed his bed time back a bit, hoping he'd sleep later. Nope. Jeez, I might as well sleep in and work out after taking him to school. But I really love having all this out of the way before 7 AM!!!

Turbulence Training Workout 1B:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

low incline db bench press - 3x8x20
db Romanian deadlift - 3x8x20

db close grip bench press - 3x8x20
db shrug - 3x8x20

elevated push up - 3x12xbodyweight
bb rollout - 3x15xbodyweight - I hated this! It's an ab exercise and it felt like my back was going to snap LOL Plus, my barbell was squeaky. I may have to do Swiss ball rollouts instead. Those will still suck, but at least they will suck quietly!!

After this, I did the Men's Intervals from Biggest Loser Workout II and the High Intensity Cardio from Biggest Loser Workout I, then the cool down (30 minuts of cardio, 10 stretching). I only burned 225 calories this time (27 fewer than last time I did this workout) and I'm kind of bummed because I kept my HRM going while the second dvd was loading (I was walking around the room to keep my heart rate up) and I felt like I worked out harder this time. Just goes to show that perceived exertion isn't always a good judge of effort!

LMAO!! I'm listening to the podcasts from TheFitCast.com and they just gave a great tip - if you're posing for pictures showcasing your biceps, don't be afraid to trim your armpit hair. I will have to remember that LOL

I need to work on not grazing during the day. I have little bits of food here and there. I need to eat better meals and fewer snacks. I look like a pig, just reading the list of how often I ate.

5:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:50 AM - mandarin oranges

9:30 AM - turkey bacon, toast w/ butter, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; I had two pieces of toast and measured out my by butter. it's nice not to weigh everything but I'm scared to get on the scale Sunday LOL

1:20 PM - Total cereal w/ skim milk

2:45 PM - baby carrots, albacore tuna & cheese on small flour tortilla

5:10 PM - mozzarella string cheese & broccoli, half a small fish stick

7:20 PM - turkey meatballs & baby carrots

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water. I did have a can of Diet Pepsi last night after I blogged - I didn't think to add that I was going to drink it. I drink so little pop these days. I will probably have another can after I blog tonight.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Wednesday

Today's butt-crack of dawn workout was Level 1 of 30 Day Shred, followed by Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. This workout is all cardio circuits, well and an ab circuit, and it's awesome! I loved it! In 80 minutes, I burned 504 calories, quite a bit more than SparkPeople calculated. Maybe this heart rate monitor won't be so useless after all.

I have to say, I'm a tad bit tender. Not sore but if I sit a certain way (or laugh hard) I can feel that my muscles are asking me WTF I've been doing. I think I need to stretch better. I might have to add the Flexibility portion of one of the Biggest Loser dvds to each workout.

I had to go to bed a littler earlier than normal last night because this 5 AM stuff is rough. Of course, I woke up at 4 AM today and couldn't get back to sleep. When 5 rolled aorund, I got out of bed. And so did my son. So much for exercising in peace. He was good though. I think I've made it pretty clear that it's my time and if he doesn't like it, he can go right back to bed.

5:15 AM - Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana

9:20 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ butter

12:55 PM - chicken salad w/ salsa & sour cream

2:45 PM - sno-cone

3:10 PM - chicken sandwich w/ cheese

8:00 PM - green peppers stuffed w/ lean beef & quinoa

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water today.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Tuesday

I absolutely loved my strength training workout!! I was up at 5 AM again - it's so nice to get through most of the workout without my son bugging me. Plus, I have more time to do other stuff in the morning before taking him to school.

Turbulence Training Workout 1A:

superset pairs - no rest between sets, 1 minute rest between pairs

db step up (per side) - 3x6x20
inverted row - 3x6xbodyweight

db sumo squat - 3x8x20
db row - 3x8x20

side plank (per side) - 10 seconds
stationary lunge chop (per side) - 3x8x15

Immediately after this, I did two cardio segments: the Men's Intervals from Biggest Loser Workout II and the High Intensity Cardio from Biggest Loser Workout I, then the cool down. It was 30 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of stretching. My HRM said I burned 257 calories, which is slightly more than SparkPeople calculated. I picked these particular segments because I love Bob Harper. I love Jillian too, and prefer her from a training standpoint, but Bob is just so much more entertaining.

I did not wear the HRM during lifting, because I guess they aren't as accurate because of the rest periods. But my heart rate was definitely up! I may wear it for curiosity now and then, but for the most part, I'm not counting any calories I burn during the 25 minutes I'm lifting. Oh, and I warmed up first. I usually forget a good warm up.

The inverted rows are supposed to be pull/chin ups but I was in no shape to try any this morning, after two days of practicing. Even the inverted rows presented a challenge, and I had to keep my knees bent. My husband came home from work and said, "Did you do a pull up today?" Jerk. So I had to go do a chin up.

My stupid cat decided that he just had to walk back and forth in my step up area the entire time I was doing my step ups. He's lucky he didn't get stepped on with that extra 40 pounds I was holding.

Speaking of SparkPeople, I really wish they'd change their blog commenting format. I would love to comment to everyone's post, but the format does not flow well for interaction. Blogger's isn't much better, but I get fewer comments there. I wish they both had threaded formats.

I struggled quite a bit this afternoon. I wanted to eat but I couldn't tell if I was really hungry. Then I felt like I wanted food but didn't have room because I drank so much water. Then I was worried I might have eaten too much but I am 100% certain my portions were very reasonable. I don't think I overate. The water is definitely making me feel full.

5:10 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:50 AM - Total cereal w/ skim milk

10:15 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ butter; I had 2 pieces of toast today instead of my usual 1, and - as always - I weighed out the butter.

1:10 PM - chicken salad w/ salsa & sour cream

2:50 PM - 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies; I debated whether or not I wanted these. Well, of course I wanted them, but should I have had them. In the end, I decided these were a much better option than a brownie. I could have 3 cookies the size of the brownie, for the same calories. AND I know exactly what's in the cookies.

5:45 PM - chicken breast & broccoli, cauliflower & carrots w/ cheese sauce (one of those Green Giant Steamers)

8:05 PM - apple; I had no idea what to eat. I desperately wanted a brownie & ice cream, or my cookies and ice cream but I changed my mind. Reluctantly.

Two cups of coffee today (I'm going to stop putting it in the timeline) and 120 ounces of water. And one cup of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea with mint.

Jillian Kicks My Butt - Week 1 - Monday

It's finally here!!! I've been waiting to start this challenge for weeks. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am.

Today, I did Level 1 of 30 Day Shred and Jillian's No More Trouble Zones. 30 Day Shred went fairly quickly and easily, but No More Trouble Zones was twice as long and it was all strength exercises. I did use light weights for these (3 & 5 pounders) because I'm doing strength training separately. I can't remember the last time I sweat so much. My hair was a horrible, hot, wet mess, falling out of my ponytail and the chest strap of my heart rate monitor was sweaty and gross and there were moments I wanted to kick Jillian in the teeth, but I made it through 82 minutes of circuits, and the only trouble I had was with abs. My abs are horribly weak, probably because I keep avoiding working them, especially with floor work. According to my handy dandy new toy, my max heart rate was 154 and my average was 124, and I burned 456 calories, which is pretty darn close to what SparkPeople calculated I would burn. So now I'm questioning my purchase again. Ugh! I hate second guessing myself after the fact.

And speaking of the heart rate monitor, it's okay. It's a bit uncomfortable right now, until I break in the band. The beeping drives me nuts. I'm going to have to turn that off. And I swear, this thing is so big, it looks like something Flavor Flav would wear. I may find it indispensable at some point but for now, I'm not a fan. However, it has a very geeky cool feature - I can send my workout information to Polar's web site and track it over time. I am going to love that.

OH! I managed to find my initial weigh in for the Pound For Pound Challenge (something The Biggest Loser was part of - you pledge how much weight you want to lose by the deadline - which is tomorrow - and for every pound you lose, they donate a pound of food to a local food bank). I pledged 22 pounds and that is exactly what I lost! Yay me!

5:10 AM - Total cereal w/ skim milk

7:20 AM - cottage cheese & mandarin oranges

10:20 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda, turkey bacon, toast w/ butter, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

1:05 PM - cottage cheese & almonds; I'm still portioning both of these out.

2:40 PM - sno-cone

3:50 PM - grilled boneless pork chop w/ peas

5:05 PM - 1 meatball; Yes, just one. My son had one leftover and it made my belly feel good.

7:15 PM - tilapia & broccoli w/ sweet onion dressing

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water today.

ChaLean Extreme - Week 12 - Sunday

Last day of ChaLean Extreme!!! Lots of measurements to list today.

---------------Feb 2----------------------------May 3
Weight -------143.5 lb--------------------------132.5 lb (down 4 from last week - I think the increase in water has helped)
Bust----------39 in----------------------------37.75 in
Band----------35.5 in--------------------------34.5 in
Waist---------35.5 in--------------------------34.5 in (actually up an inch from last month)
Belly----------40 in----------------------------37.25 in
Hips-----------39.5 in--------------------------37 in

I also lost on inch off each thigh, and the rest of me (calves and various points on the arm) pretty much stayed the same. There was lots of up and down from month to month because I measure myself. There's not a lot of difference overall - I certainly can't see it in the pictures but I do feel it in the clothes and in myself in general (on good days). And the new pics are up on my web site.

And dude, we got a f'ing CROSSFIT here on the beach!!! This is hardcore conditioning that I would love to do some day. It's even within walking distance of my house, like 5 blocks! Maybe when I finish up my next challenge, I'll try to find a way to fit in the CrossFit Workout of the Day.

I'm kind of mad at myself. After I blogged last night, I got my son a cookie, and I ate one. It's really not a big deal but I thought I was probably pushing it in terms of calories for the day. They are so freaking good. Ugh. They are going to be my downfall. I'm glad most of them are frozen.

I know the question on everyone's mind is, "Did you get your heart rate monitor?" We went up there and there was ONE left! I wasn't sure I wanted it, but I snagged it anyway. It was 10% off, and I had a $10 off $50 coupon, so I did buy the HRM. Since I had two such coupons, we also bought the Iron Gym Deluxe bar (for chin ups & pull ups, or as push up handles, sit up brace or dip contraption). I've been scoping those for about a year. All the way home, I tried to decide what a good goal for chin ups would be, true chin ups, not negatives or assisteds or a chin from a jump. I decided that, by the end of summer, I wanted to do one perfect, from a dead-hang chin up.

We got home, and Sam put it together, so of course I had to try it out. Much to my shock, I did not one, but two perfect chin ups!!! Then I rested a bit and did another. So now I have to come up with a new goal - maybe a pull up (which is a chin up with your palms facing away from you). But I am worried that I'll be sore in the morning (it's been a while since I've done any type of lat pull down) and won't Shred well.

6:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:30 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

10:05 AM - turkey bacon, toast w/ butter, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

1:45 PM - carrots & almonds; I measured some out to take with me when we drove to Virginia. I told everyone to eat lunch before we left and bring a snack because we were not stopping for fast food on the way.

4:40 PM - chicken salsa & risotto; I threw some boneless chicken breasts into the slow cooker with salsa and cooked it on low all day. Into the risotto, I put some minced onion & garlic, corn, fajita seasoning, and shredded mozzarella & parmesan cheese. It was delicious!!!

6:30 PM - brownie & ice cream; This was my birthday treat. I had one serving of each.

9:30 PM - another serving of brownie and ice cream; I'm posting my blog early, but I wrote this and I'm going to stick to it. Unless I decide not to have it at all.

Two cups of coffee and 140 ounces of water today.

ChaLean Extreme - Week 12 - Saturday

LAST DAY OF EXERCISE FOR CHALEAN EXTREME!!! I did the Fat Burn Challenge and Recharge videos.

After I blogged last night, I had a cup of tea with a bit of cream. I got some Celestial seasonings green tea with mint. It's so good.

I got a phone call from my mother-in-law today. When she was here last month, I made her a copy of the Biggest Loser Workout (and 30 Day Shred) and she called to tell me that she's been doing the BL workouts for a few weeks now, and she's started to change her eating habits. She started the workout using soup cans and she said, "I ate my weights so I went out and bought some real ones." She's really proud of herself and I'm really proud of her. I guess I didn't realize how influential I can be with this. Both my mother-in-law and my step-daughter are working out and eating better. I wish my husband would. He has no real interest in it and he'll sit there and eat a pound of beef without even thinking, then half a bag of Chex Mix or something. I can't really say anything to him because I used to do that. It doesn't matter if I "know better" now - you're either ready for the commitment or you're not. I remember when I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I was ready. I think I got really lucky, learning and accepting rather quickly how this was a lifestyle change. I know people say that all the time - don't think of it as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change. I'd scoff and think, "yeah, yeah, yeah" but damn it is so true!!!

Then there's all this Hydroxycut recall business. I think weight loss pills (even Alli) are such bullshit (and I guess in the case of Alli, it can be people shit if you're not careful). Lots of women take these and get results but at what risk? Then again, people say the same thing about Atkins, so who am I to judge? Usually, people say they take it because they need "just a little boost" but that's crap too. Weight loss, fitness and health are NOT easy. You have to work HARD for them. I don't know if I feel sorry for all the women who are pissing and moaning about the recall.

6:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

7:55 AM - Yoplait chocolate mousse yogurt; I wouldn't have eaten this except my son opened it last night and didn't like it. i talked my husband into eating the rest of the cups, and I'll make sure to read the labels next time.

9:05 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

11:25 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; I almost forgot to eat. I planned on heading to the store then remembered it had been a while since I ate anything and I'd be gone a while.

3:00 PM - a couple cookies I made; I baked a huge batch (to freeze, because my sour cream was about to expire) of whole wheat chocolate chip cookies from Dawn Hall's Busy People's Low Carb Cook Book. I added some protein powder to make them friendlier for me. They are so good, and about 60 calories each - I probably ate 2.5 by the time I scraped all the crumbs up.

3:20 PM - homemade fish sandwich w/ cheese; I feel like a pig and a little guilty for eating this so close to the cookies.

7:00 PM - chicken salad w/ light Italian dressing

One thing I want to work on is drinking more water less coffee & pop. I've always been good about water - 80 ounces (10 cups) every day. I've been drinking more here and there, and less coffee and hardly any pop most days. Today I only had 1 cup of coffee and 15 cups of water.

ChaLean Extreme - Week 12 - Friday

Lean Circuit 2 - 1 set of 12 (or at least 10) to failure of the following:

sumo squat w/ anterior deltoid lift (+1 set of 3 squats, super slow) [20 lb dumbbell, a pair for breakdown set]
double-arm row w/ single leg lift (+1 set of 3 rows, super slow) [20 lb dumbbells]
single hamstring curl w/ lateral raise (+1 set of 3 raises, super slow) [5 lb dumbbell]
runner's lunge w/ double-arm rows (+1 set of 3 rows, super slow) [20 lb dumbbells]
lateral raise w/ abduction (+1 set of 3 raises, super slow) [5 lb dumbbells]
plank w/ single-arm row (+1 set of 3 push ups, super slow) [20 lb dumbbell] - all on toes
reverse lunge w/ lateral raise (+1 set of 3 raises, super slow) [5 lb dumbbell]
posterior deltoid raise w/ leg lift (+1 set of 3 raises, super slow) [5 lb dumbbell]
squat w/ double-arm anterior deltoid lift (+1 set of 3 squats, super slow) [5 lb dumbbell, pair of 20 for breakdown set]

Thank goodness the circuits are over. After tomorrow's cardio & stretching, I'm going to be very happy to have this behind me. I am really excited about starting Jillian's stuff next week.

Food was definitely weird today. I did weigh/measure some things (butter and egg substitute), but only to make sure I wasn't going over my normal portions. Again, it was nice to pop some green peppers in my mouth while I was prepping without worrying how much I was eating. One thing I've noticed already - I eat more vegetables when I don't have to weigh and log them. Sometimes, I just want to grab something from the refrigerator and munch. Today, it's celery. Not super high on the nutrition scale - let's face it, it's practically just crispy water - but if I went out and bought some fresh vegetables (which I will do Sunday), I am going to eat the hell out of them. Having to stop and measure then log everything was a deterrent. Which is a double-edged sword because not measuring and tracking the not so good stuff (such as salad dressing peanut butter and goodies) can cause me to overeat. Fortunately, I intend to measure those just quickly to keep me in check, then forget about it. I can do that. I feel so good about this decision.

6:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese, part of my son's granola bar

10:25 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ butter

12:05 PM - Yoplait Whips - chocolate mousse style; Ouch. I bought these without even checking the nutritional information. They have almost twice as many calories as my regular yogurt in a third fewer ounces. I'm not a huge fan of yogurt to begin with. This stuff is good, but not 160 calories for 4 ounces good.

3:00 PM - chicken salad w/ light Italian dressing, celery

5:20 PM - mozzarella string cheese

6:40 PM - London broil w/ sauteed green pepper, onion, garlic & broccoli; I did weigh my meat just to make sure I wasn't eating too much. I took more than I normally might have, but certainly not more than I've eaten guilt-free before, and I actually got full and ended up giving some of it to my husband. Oh, then I had 1 M&M out of the little bag my son had for his dessert.

I am a little nervous, not knowing my calories for the day, but I think I did okay. I'm sure this will get easier. I worry that if I don't see a loss on Sunday, I'm going to blame it on this and that's just crazy.