Monday, November 22, 2010

Weigh in - 11/19/10

Finally we have a happy weigh in! It took me 6 weeks but i busted through that plateau! That has been my biggest challenge since starting my weight loss journey but i got through it.

My weight this week was 176.6, exactly 2lbs down from last week (Monday actually) and officially my lowest weight ever! Happy day!

That being said i did not complete all of my workouts this week. My body was screaming for a break and it looks like a break was just what it needed. This is going to be a lighter week for me but i still want some results. Healthy is the ultimate goal here!

Last weeks goals -

Saturday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Zumba
Sunday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: BFBM
Monday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Yoga
Tuesday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred L1 & L2
Wednesday - Rest Day/Yoga

-X-Thursday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: No more Trouble Zones-X- Only Walk
-X-Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method-X- Only Walk

This weeks goals -

Monday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii, Zumba
Tuesday - Walk 5 Miles, Yoga
Wednesday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii, Kickboxing
Thursday - Walk 5 Miles, Yoga
Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Getting my party on!

I had some GREAT news today in my inbox! A few days ago a friend mentioned to me that Houseparty.Com was running a chance to host a EA Sports Active 2 party in your home. I signed up for it thinking nothing about it and went on with my normal day. Well today i got an email that i was a finalist and i am now a confirmed host! So what does this mean for me? I not only get to invite all my friends and family over for an awesome fitness party but i get the game to keep! Last week i was thinking there wasn't a chance in the world i would be getting this game and now it's going to be delivered to my door (assuming everything works out!). I can't wait to get my EA Sports Active 2 groove on!

Photobucket

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What's for dinner tonight? - Cilantro Lime Salmon

One of my favorite new recipes!

1- 2lb Salmon Filet
3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
1/3 Bunch of Cilantro - Chopped fine
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Mix lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil together in a small dish. Set Aside.

Make 4-6 slits across salmon filet. Salt and pepper.

Brush on olive oil mixture and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Spray glass dish with non stick cooking spray, add salmon, and cover with foil.

Bake in 350 Degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with brown rice (we like to mix hot sauce in ours for a little kick), and a fresh garden salad with fat free dressing.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Weigh in - 11/15/10 Updated photos!

Let's start off with my weight. What a disappointing week with the scale! I didn't lose a single ounce. Let me just say that i was not a happy camper with those results, that is until i took my inches and those i'm pretty happy with!

Weight stayed exactly the same.
-1/2 inch from my chest
-3/4 inch from my waist
-1/2 inch from my belly button

All in all not a horrible week! Plus i'm really starting to see some tone in my body and it's pretty exciting!

Now on to my photos. This is a pretty scary thing, good thing i'm not too modest! Not to mention, it takes things like this to look back and see how far you have come. I never thought i would share any of these photos but i think they are really good proof of how much i have changed over the last year, and i'm proud of what i have done to my body.

The new slideshow is down at the bottom of the page. The first few photos are from our family photo sessions with the wonderful Brianne Bradbury (Check her out! www. briannebradburyphotography.com) and the rest are the really scary ones i never intended to share.

That's all for now!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Weigh in - What Weigh in???

Weigh in this week is slightly delayed. I'm shooting for a Monday weigh in this week so that i will be more likely to behave over the weekend. Let you guys know how it goes sometime Monday afternoon. I have a lot more working out to do between now and then! Here's my schedule from last week...

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred


COMPLETE!

Here's this weeks Schedule...

Saturday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Zumba
Sunday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: BFBM
Monday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Yoga
Tuesday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred L1 & L2
Wednesday - Rest Day/Yoga
Thursday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: No more Trouble Zones
Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method

I'm going to be looking in to some new workouts this week too so my schedule may change if i find something i want to throw in. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of Bob Harper's Cardio workout but i'm yet to find it in stores which is slightly frustrating. If it comes down to it i will order it online next week, i really need some new material to kick my butt a little harder!

I'm working on new progression photos as we speak, they will be up with Monday's weigh in!

I was super excited that the new EA Sports Active 2 is being released next week, and even more excited to see that it is coming to all the different consoles. I had huge success with the first game and with the addition of the new heart rate monitor on this one i'm expecting it to be even better. However i just saw the price for this game, can we say OUCH?!?! Yikes! That's not going to be under the Christmas tree for me this year, that's for sure! I guess i will settle for a new yoga mat, running shoes, and heavier hand weights!

Suggestions for new workout dvd's to try are much appreciated. I love the stuff i'm doing now but i'm looking for harder workouts all the time.

That's all the super exciting news i have for now. Be on the lookout for my Monday update!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Screaming in pain and loving every minute of it

By now i'm sure my new neighbors must think i'm a freak. Imagine hearing some dude screaming on the tv, and a series of screams, grunts, and heavy breathing. Now i'm sure different people will come up with different conclusions as to what is going on behind my closed curtains but hopefully most of them will think i'm just a workout fanatic...and not too freaky!

I am about halfway through my brutal week of workouts. I haven't given up and i made it through one of the toughest workouts yet today. A friend and i started Bob Harper's "Pure Burn Super Strength" hour long workout at around 9pm tonight. Both of us expected to only make it about halfway through because this workout is no joke. I'm not going to lie, i wanted to die about 10 minutes into the workout but i kept going, telling myself that i would stop when my friend texted me to tell me that she had stopped. Well by the time she texted me, i was in the zone and refused to give up. I kept begging my body to just give me 10 more minutes, 5 more minutes, and eventually i made it to the cooldown. I Survived my first WHOLE workout with Bob Harper! I didn't make it through without sweating like a pig and screaming through sections of it. I swear my arms will never be the same, and i'm not sure that i will be able to sit tomorrow. I'm excited about the major toning my body is going to get from this series of dvd's.

Tomorrow is my "free" day for the week. Originally i had planned on some Wii EA sports active, but i might do something a little harder to really push myself. I'm hoping to see some major results this week if i keep up this pace!

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred

Monday, November 8, 2010

Muting Jillian and Drooling Over Bob

If anybody is trying to get in shape at home chance are that you know who Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper are. Whether you watch them on the biggest loser, buy their workout video games, read their books, or just see them on a tabloid at the supermarket chances are you know them and love/hate them. I know i do.

I've been following a lot of Jillian Michaels workouts since the beginning of my weight loss journey. I had barely heard of her when i started losing weight but within a month i knew exactly who she was and what she stood for, and to be honest she kind of scared me! My friend Jackie sent me some of Jillian Michaels dvd's to try out, so i thought "what the heck, it can't hurt me that bad right?" Riiiight. Let's fast forward to 30 minutes later when i was lying in the floor in a puddle of sweat hoping just HOPING that i would survive after that butt kicking she dealt me. I wasn't used to this kind of physical activity, never in my life had i dreamt a workout could be that hard. Now let's fast forward again to today, a little over a year since that first workout. I still hate Jillian's guts most days, i scream at her, i want to smack her, and mostly i just want to mute her voice! But i keep going back for more, why? because she is amazing and helps me to get my body where i want it to be. Today i pushed through her whole "banish fat boost metabolism" dvd for the first time since i have started working out. What an awesome feeling! I admit i had to stop at some points, i had to alter some movements, and i wanted to die about 36,000 times but i kept going and when i can feel my legs again i'm sure it will have been worth it!

After this extremely brutal workout, i checked my mail and saw that i had received a dvd i have been waiting on - Bob Harper: pure burn super strength (part of his inside out method series).





I was dying to try it, even though i had just finished my hour long workout with Jillian...soooo i popped it in. There is a beginner workout that is 25 minutes long, and a normal workout that is a little over an hour. I knew i would never be able to keep up with him for the whole hour after my workout earlier so i chose the beginner. I loved it! It's definitely hard on your upper body but you can feel your body toning up. The plus side is that for some of us, Bob Harper is slight eye candy and drastically less annoying than Jillian. I have my first hour long workout with him planned for tomorrow, maybe i won't like him so much after. We'll see!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Weigh in - 11/5/10

Week 1 of back on the wagon, wow what a good feeling! I'm am so glad that week 1 is over, that means that tomorrow starts the dreaded week 2. I'm going to kick week 2 in the butt, no stalling or little loss for me at the next weigh in! Nope that is not in the plans AT ALL.

This week had it's ups and downs, i didn't get as much working out done as i wanted but i'm working myself back up to the daily workouts. Too much, too soon = something sprained, bruised, twisted, or broken. Not a good way to lose weight!

So i'm pretty happy with my results this week. I lost 1lb and got within ounces of my lowest weight. I'm hoping next week to see a big fat 176 on the scale and say goodbye to this 177-180 yo-yo i've been on for the last month. I also took my measurements this week for the first time since August, i have lost over 10 inches overall since then. Pounds are not the only important thing in the game of losing weight!

I have a friend working with me on a workout schedule to get me back to this so i will check in midweek to let everyone know how that's going. I'm going to be sore and exhausted for sure, but it's going to be totally worth it when i see some awesome numbers next week.

Be on the lookout for some new weight loss progression photos, i'm working on getting those up over the weekend!

Goals for the week -

Lose 2lbs
Workout every single day
Take my vitamins and drink my water (and only water!) every day
Say no to all dining out and temptations

This weeks workout plan -

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred

It's going to be a LONG week!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Let's do something spicy!

I have to admit, i don't know the nutritional value of a lot of my recipes exactly but i put all my information into MyFitnessPal and go by what it tells me. Calories might be a little off, but it's pretty accurate!

Here was dinner tonight!

Spicy Shredded Beef Burritos

Approx 3 hours cook time, mostly in crock pot.

1 Tsp Olive Oil
1lb Lean Stew Beef (or a lean steak if preffered)
1/2 package Lawry's Baja Chipotle Marinade
1 Package Taco Seasoning
2 Tbls Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Red Chili Flakes
1/2 Beef Stock
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, diced.
1 Tbls Minced Garlic

Heat olive oil in skillet.

Mix the chipotle marinade and 1/2 of the taco seasoning in a bowl, coat beef.

Quickly brown beef in skillet.

Place beef in a crock pot. Cover with garlic and onion.

Pour beef stock and tomato paste in skillet beef was browned in. Heat until thickened, and add the rest of the taco seasoning and chili flakes.

Pour over beef in crock pot. If needed, add more hot water just to cover beef.

Cook on high for 2 hours. When done, take beef out and shred with a fork. Serve with sauce and onions from crock pot.

For the rest of the meal...

I use La Tortilla Factory burrito tortillas, 80 calories each and high fiber. 2% shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh salsa.

For whole burrito it is only around 300 calories. Black beans or whole grain cilantro rice would be a great addition to the meal.

Starting off the week with a bang

No more slacking for this girlie! No sir, i am back on track 100% and it feels great. The first two weeks of a healthier lifestyle are always the hardest so i'm sure i'm going to be met with a ton of temptation these next couple of weeks, i just need to make sure that i stand firm and don't back down. I want to see my numbers start to drop again!

My current new goal is to be in the 160's by Christmas. My lowest weight was 177 and last week i was hovering around 178 so the 160's are totally doable. I'm not shooting too high, slow and steady wins the race (not the cupcake, that would be bad!).

Today has been all about water, water, water. That is the best way to kick off healthier eating, not to mention my skin will thank me in a couple of days after it gets re-hydrated! When i fell off the wagon, i drank soda like it was going out of style. I still refuse to keep it in my home but when we would go out i would always have it. It's a really bad addiction for me. I can say no to chocolate and cakes all day long, but put a Pepsi in front of my face and i can't walk away without drinking it. Do they have a Pepsi drinkers anonymous? I could totally benefit from that...

I finally finished my first REAL workout in my new place and it feels good. The first time is always the hardest! Tomorrow will be workout #2 and on to bigger and better things! Today was a 2.5 mile walk, and Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I would make a plan for tomorrow, but i might just have to wait and let my sore muscles decide that one for me when the time comes.

3 more days to weigh in!