Week 12

It's Free Day. We all know what that means - binge. I finally found my way to my son's Halloween bucket.

I don't really have much to say about the conclusion of my BFL challenge. I need to redo my measurements in the morning because I was in a hurry today and I think (hope) I measured wrong. I did take my pictures and fill out all my paperwork. If I follow through (which I think I will), I will mail out my entry packet tomorrow. I haven't decided whether I'm going to post my pictures. They certainly aren't pretty. Fully clothed with a bag over my head, I don't look too bad. Unfortunately, one must be half naked for the contest pics. I suppose wearing shorts rather than a bikini was a blessing for viewers' eyes, should I ever post the pictures.

I lost 11 pounds, officially, during the 12 week challenge. Tomorrow, I'm going back to BFFM and different exercise routine. But watch this space for my final stats, my contest essay, and many other things. I'll be blogging regularly as I continue 12 week blocks of sweaty fun.

Now, I'm going to make spaghetti.

Week 10

Lost that half a pound I was up last week. Yay, I guess.

I had every intention of not being so free on my free day. Then I got to the Psychic Fair where my paranormal group was presenting (for the first time ever!). They had brownies and chips and cookies and a fantastic hummus dip. So, it's been a carb fest. I swear, next Sunday I will be on my very, very super best eating behavior! Even if I stay at 154 until the end of the challenge, I can live with that.

Week 9

Up half a pound.

We went Christmas shopping in Virginia and didn't eat a home made meal once during the day. We went to a breakfast buffet, a seafood joint, and Taco Bell. It was definitely a free day. I didn't stuff myself, but I ate. Breakfast was the worst. I had some eggs and sausage, which was fine, but the pancakes and french toast with syrup made me want to vomit. That's a good thing - it means I don't like that stuff anymore.

Week 8 was good to me!

I lost everything I gained a couple weeks ago, plus 1.5 more! I did measure, and I'm down in most areas. Since Week 4, I've lost:

Weight - 4 pounds
Neck - 0.5 inches
Chest - 1 inch
Rib Circumference - 1 inch (but since I was up 1 inch last time...)
Waist - 1.5 inches
Belly - 1.75 inces
Hips - 2 inches
Thighs - 0 inches (R), gained 0.5 inches (L)
Calves - 0 inches (R), 0.5 inches (L)
Biceps (flexed) - 0.25 inches(R), 0.25 inches (L)
Triceps (gotta measure those batwings!!) - 0 inches (R), 0.25 inches (L)
Forearm - 0 inches (R), 0.25 inches (L)
Wrists - 0.25 inches (R), gained 0.25 inches (L)



I reread Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and I have decided that I'm definitely not doing another BFL challenge. I'm going back to BFFM because it's more flexible, but since the programs are very similar, I'll still be eating things from Eating For Life. I'm also going to take a different strength training approach (fewer reps, heavier weights) and do true high intensity interval training. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'll still do things in 12-week blocks. Nothing will change here, as far as blogging.

Goodbye, Week 7

No loss this week, and I'm fairly certain part of the problem is the sliced turkey. There is a lot of sodium in that crap, so no more. From now on, I will stick to fresh meat, and my husband is even going to make a run to Virginia to buy 100 pounds of chicken from the butcher. No more paying beach prices.

I'm really not happy with the lack of progress lately, but it really is my fault for over-indulging on things I shouldn't have. And things I can have, in some cases. I know I keep saying I'm going to refocus and do things differently, but as usual my planning sucks. Fortunately, I'm out of lunch meat, English muffins and bagels (even though these bread were whole wheat/multigrain). I do have eggs, egg substitute, apples, fresh and frozen vegetables, cheese, beans, and brown rice. Oh, and cottage cheese and chicken/turkey and lean beef. I should stick to that. My grocery store had winter squash on sale, so I have six squashes - spaghetti (YUM!!!), acorn, and butternut.

Regarding exercise, I'm a bit frustrated. I love my strength training, but I really wonder if I'm doing it properly. I'm confident that my form is good, but I sometimes feel I'm not pushing myself hard enough, even though I feel like my limbs are going to separate from my body by the time I finish. I always wonder if I could do just one more rep. Since I have been adding weight to my strength training exercises every few weeks, I an disturbed that I may not actually be getting stronger, but just not working up to my potential to begin with. But like everything else in this challenge, it's practice for the next one.

Public Service Announcement: If you don't have a digital food scale, get one!! I got one a few weeks ago and it's so much better than the crappy analog scale I was using. Much more accurate and it helps me track better.

Week 6 is history (THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!)

It's been a horrible week. I couldn't control my eating, my workouts were half-hearted at best, and I've been incredibly unmotivated. At the halfway point, I'm down 7.5 pounds, since I was up 2.5 pounds at this morning's weigh in. And I think my math was wrong last week, saying I was down 8 pounds in 5 weeks. I was actually down 10 pounds in 5 weeks, but that's down the drain. So, officially: 7.5 pounds lost in 6 weeks. Still, not bad, but shame on my for knowing better and dismissing that knowledge in favor of 3 seconds of chocolaty heaven.

Today, I ate crap - candy, bagels and cream cheese by the boatload, and cereal. Sure, I feel guilty, but I don't freaking care. I'll care tomorrow, because tomorrow I'm starting the second half of this challenge. I have a new cardio machine so I don't have to dread the elliptical any more. I gave the treadmill a test run today, and it's going to kick my butt, I just know it. Good. I need a butt kicking.

I've also decided to alter my nutrition plan a bit. The number of carbs I've been eating cause cravings. So, I'm going to do an even split among carbs, protein, and fat. I have fewer cravings on lower carb, so I'm going to slowly work myself back. The new ranges:

1560-1860 calories
130-155 carbs
130-155 protein
57-68 fat

Per meal (at 5 meals per day):

312-372 calories
26-31 carbs
26-31 protein
11-13 fat

I feel like my math is wrong somewhere, but I'm too tired to go back and recalculate. I should probably just forget about numbers altogether and just use common sense. But I feel out of control if I can't quantify everything. Not that I'm in any kind of control now, as this week's binges show.

A big "thank you" must go out to someone who posted on my SparkPeople blog. She posted a number of suggestions for dealing with the cravings. She was absolutely right in that I need to have things prepared for situations like those, including "legal" snacks and physical distractions.

As mad as I am at myself, I'm also motivated to do better on this leg of the journey. There are only 6 weeks left in the challenge, and I've already made it through 6 weeks. I'll start sticking to my free meal on Sundays, I'll work out with every ounce of oomph I have, and I will see results. I have a new exercise routine (including different exercises and higher weights), a new playlist, and a new desire to transform. And a request from my husband to buy some thongs.

Week 5

Week 5 was good to me. I lost 2.5 pounds, so I'm down a total of 8 pounds for this challenge, 35.5 for the year. I was a good girl and stayed off the scale all week. In fact, I barely thought about the scale. Around Saturday, I noticed that I look smaller and my clothes fit looser. In fact, I threw away all my fat girl underwear and started wearing my chubby chick underwear!! I also tried on some size 12 pants and they fit on the hips. They also button in the front, and while it's not completely comfortable, they are wearable!! Not that I have anywhere to go in nice khaki pants...

Free day was ok. I had real pancakes for breakfast and some decent foods the rest of the day. We walked on the beach for a while and bought the kids ice cream. I did not have any, go me!! I made a great spaghetti dinner then blew it on dessert. I didn't binge, but I had quite a few chocolate and peanut butter cookies. I insisted that my husband take them with him to work today, so all is back to normal.

One thing I am noticing - I have more confidence. While I'm certainly not slim and fit yet, I feel fantastic and almost sexy. I'll take almost for now!

Week 4 & Stats

Though I had planned on measuring at the end of Week 4, I was really unmotivated to do so and almost pushed it to the end of Week 6. At the last minute, I changed my mind. For the most part, there are losses.

Weight - 8 pounds
Neck - 0 inches
Chest - 1.75 inches
Rib Circumference - I actually gained an inch here, so I must have messed up my first measurement somehow.
Waist - 0.5 inches
Belly - 0.25 inces
Hips - 2 inches
Thighs - 0.5 inches (R), 1 inch (L)
Calves - gained 0.25 (R), 0 inches (L)
Biceps (flexed) - 0 inches(R), 0.5 inches (L)
Triceps (gotta measure those batwings!!) - 0.5 inches (R&L)
Forearm - 0.25 inches (R), 0.5 inches (L)
Wrists - 0 inches (R), 0.25 inches (L)

I'm not sure how I feel about my progress. On the one hand, I'm disappointed that it's not more. On the other hand, I know that 1-2 pounds per week is what is considered healthy loss. So, I'm right there in the healthy loss category. I think some of my frustration goes back to when I was (improperly) low carbing and I'd have bigger losses each week. I was a scale-a-holic, weighing in daily, severely restricting calories if I showed any gains. I don't do that anymore, and I should be proud of my progress thus far.

I didn't do it last week (or the week before, I think) but I meant to review my goals at the end of each week.

1. Strive for consistency, not perfection! So far, I've definitely not been perfect! I think I have been fairly consistent. There were a few days when I couldn't eat on schedule, and a couple where I ate things that aren't quite BFL friendly, but no apparent harm came of it.

2. Make BFL a part of my life. Body For Life is certainly providing a foundation for whatever is next. Whether I'll do another challenge remains to be seen. I am positive, at this point, that I won't start my second challenge until January 2008. During the 5 or 6 weeks between this challenge and the new year, I'm going to try a different approach. If I don't like it, I will go back to BFL.

3. Weigh no more than once a week. Er, yeah. Week 3 was bad for this. I was on the scale every day. However, during Week 4, I only weighed on my weigh in day. I like it that way.

4. Learn to like oatmeal. I have not started this yet. I will.

5. Make exciting meals. It's not boring, usually. I ordered Eating For Life and I'm dying for it to get here.

Free day was very free. I didn't gorge on anything, but I did have things I haven't had in a while. I didn't track or measure anything, and it felt good. I ate when I was hungry and that was it.

Week 3

Week 3 was a mixed bag. I was horrible about staying off the scale. I was on that stupid thing every day, and it was driving me nuts. So no more - Sundays only from now on. It finally clicked in that I'm not going see rapid losses like I did while doing Atkins or eating under 1000 calories. This was a big revelation for me. In order for me to take this weight off and keep it off, I need to do it slowly, in a way that doesn't deprive me of anything. I don't feel deprived doing it this way at all. I did deprive myself on low calorie diets and on Atkins. I guess it really does go to show that the diet that works best is one you can stick to. Not that I've stuck to this long term, but I didn't stick to Atkins, which did take the weight off. And that's because I didn't feel like doing Atkins the right way. I hated the carb ladder. I don't have to worry about that with BFFM/BFL.

I am pleased with my progress. In 3 weeks, I'm down 6 p0unds. I'd like to lose 30-45 more pounds, depending on body fat. I'm shooting for 22%, maybe 20% for now. Hopefully, I can achieve these goals in 3 challenges.

I took a good look at myself today. I'm incredibly flabby and I have a lot of fat to lose. For some reason, I wasn't all that upset. Sure, I regret getting myself into this condition in the first place, but for once, I wasn't disgusted because I feel like I'm heading in the right direction. And just knowing the transformation that my body will undergo in the next year keeps me from getting depressed.

Food yesterday was pretty good. I ate a normal breakfast and lunch, then a quick yogurt snack. For dinner, we went to a seafood buffet (we only go twice a year, when my father-in-law is visiting, his treat!!) and I tried a few things that I've never had before. I eat quiet a bit, I admit, but I didn't stress about it. I enjoyed it. And I ate enough that there was no room in my stomach to come home and drink like I'd planned. I don't drink often, but when I do, I like to get a good buzz. All those calories add up. So, in the end, I think I saved myself some calories. And a hangover. That was the real reason I didn't want to drink - I didn't want to risk a hangover interfering with my workout in the morning.

Week 2 is over!

I weighed in yesterday at 160.5, which is down 5 pounds from my start weight and 2 pounds down from last Monday's gain. Of course, I'm up those 2 pounds today, so at 162.5, my net loss for the first two weeks is 3 pounds. Not horrible, and I am certainly not going to panic yet. It is, however, a bit discouraging. I was in no mood to work out this morning. But I did.

Food was all over the place yesterday. I was starving!!! So I ate. A lot. The only bad thing I ate was 2 packages of Little Debbie peanut butter crunch bars. That's almost 600 calories right there. I also ate pretzels and mozzarella cheese. The rest that I ate is stuff I'd normally eat, just larger quantities. There's no doubt that I need to increase my calories during the week, so I don't pig out on my free day. And damn, why do I insist of frakking things up by eating the candy?? Maybe I should get some frankenchocolate to keep on hand. Or better yet, eat the sugar free pudding I ignored yesterday. That would have been the smarter choice.

Next Sunday, I'll try eating on plan. I have to stop thinking I can eat whatever I want. I need to find healthier alternatives to Little Debbies.

Week 1 is over!

I think last week was great! I got up every day when my husband left for work. I worked out first thing instead of dicking around until afternoon, resenting the fact that exercise loomed ahead. I drank 10 cups of water each day, spreading out through the morning and afternoon, rather than trying to cram it in my exercise window.

Two big things I noticed last week are my overall attitude and the time I spent with my son. I was in a much better mood last week than I had been in previous weeks. As a result, I think, I spent more time playing games with my kid. We actually have a nightly game time now. I guess, because I'm not distracted by exercise all day, I have better structure in my daily life. It's easier to enjoy time with my son when I don't have the anticipation of another workout. I really like this. It makes me feel like less of a crappy mom.

Something I plan to do weekly is go back and look at my goals for this challenge, to see how I'm doing. So far, so good, I'd say. My goal of weighing no more than once a week is a bit messed up because I did hop on the scale this morning, just to see how yesterday's free day affected me. Now that I know that I can't have a free day, I will be staying off the scale, except for Sundays.

I know both BFL and BFF advocate a day off plan to sort of shake your body up and keep it guessing. Free days aren't intended to be a "gorge yourself with all you can eat" event, I know. I'd intended to eat pretty clean, then enjoy one or two snacks I wouldn't normally have. That's how my free day started out. I had a normal breakfast, then I got hungry, really hungry! I had BFL style meal a little earlier than normal. Then another at the regularly scheduled time. Then I lost it. I had some pork rinds and some cheese - certainly not horrible things to eat, especially considering I'm still an Atkid at heart and try to eat Atkins style if I can't be on plan.

Dinner is what messed me up. I made meatballs (perfectly fine) and used some Barilla Plus spaghetti and sweet pepper sauce. It was delicious!!! And I couldn't eat that much of it. After a week of eating small meals, my body just couldn't handle a large one. I felt icky. But an hour after dinner, I was hungry again. So I had some more spaghetti. Icky again.

Then the kicker. As I was preparing to make jalapeno poppers, I saw my son's bowl of M&Ms. The angel on my right shoulder said, "No, don't eat that kid's candy!!" The devil on my left said, "It's your free day. Eat the candy!" Damn that devil.