Early bird.

I'm up way too early for a Saturday morning. Though, I've noticed that since getting up at 5 am during the week to work out, the latest I sleep in on the weekends is usually around 6:30. Plus I went to bed at like 9 pm last night, so that didn't help, haha. Yes, I was the old lady in bed by 9 on a Friday night. Oh well. I feel pretty rested.

I also went ahead and had a Lightfull smoothie just now. I usually don't have a pre-workout snack, but since it's so early and I don't realistically see myself at the gym for at least another hour, I figured I should have something.

Went over my points last night, as I tend to do on Fridays. Totally not worried about it though. In looking at previous spreadsheets, I've always lost on the weeks I least expected to (i.e., weeks where I used up all allowance points and even more!). Now, I don't want to go crazy this weekend, but I think I will try and eat most of my allowance points this week and see how I do. I hope I can do it without freaking out and overexercising to make up for it.

Or, I could just do the Wendie Plan for more structure. I'm always hesitant to just wing stuff like this on my own. Last night was pretty much the big high point day anyway, so there's still time to follow the other days. I guess I'll work backwards and do day 2 today, day 1 tomorrow and skip to day 4 on Monday. I think that should work. I just need to go back and fix my points from last night.

FOOD:

pre-workout:
lightfull smoothie- 1

breakfast:
almond milk w/ protein powder- 2
PB2- 1

snack:
apple- 1
hummus- 1

lunch:
smart wrap- 1
turkey- 1
hummus- 1
cheese- 1
cucumber- 0
bell pepper- 0

snack:
popcorn- 1

dinner:
Chile Relleno Casserole- 6
sour cream- 1

post-dinner
ice cream- 3
pumpkin bread- 2
kashi waffle- 1
pretzel- 1

total points used: 25/23 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: 50 min. HIIT- 6
net points: 23
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

EXERCISE:

Yet another HIIT routine at the gym.

Today's routine:
-15 min. run
-20 min. incline training
-15 min. stairmaster

Weigh-In.

I have another off-campus employee retreat today, so I won't be at a computer. Post today is gonna be short & sweet.

Today's weight: 160.2. A loss of 1.8 pounds. Cool? I guess between my unexplained gain last week and the Wendie Plan this week, I was hoping to be down at least another pound. Whatever. Back to the normal plan this week.

FOOD:
breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ peaches & s.f. smuckers- 2
light english muffin- 1

snack:
mixed fruit- 1
kashi bar- 2

lunch:
salad- 0
dressing- 2
steamed veggies (w/ oil?)- 3

snack:
smart wrap tortilla- 1
light pepperjack- 1

dinner:
schwan's beef tips & veggie meal- 6

post-dinner:
pretzel stick/2 prunes- 1
PB2 sandwich- 2
vitatop- 1
frozen peaches/strawberries- 1
ice cream- 3
popcorn- 2

total points used: 29/23
activity points: 50 min. incline training- 6
net points: 23
WAPs: 35/35 remaining

since lunch is being catered at the retreat, no clue what's on the menu yet. come on, salad!


EXERCISE:

Another morning workout at the gym with some good incline training. Heart rate monitor didn't crap out, but did freak out a couple of times and said I was working at 117% of my maximum heart rate. Ugh. Stupid technology.


That's all for now. I gotta get goin'!

Sweaty by sunrise.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ strawberries, s.f. smuckers- 2
light english muffin- 1

snack:
9 almonds- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
sandwich thin- 1
turkey- 1
light pepperjack- 1
cantaloupe- 1
popcorn- 1

snack:
soy nut mix- 2

dinner:
salmon- 3
corn tortillas- 1
salsa- 0
spinach- 0
sour cream- 1
parmesan- 1

post-dinner:
tart honey yogurt- 4

total points used: 22/22 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: 45 min. incline training- 5
WAPs: 8/35 remaining

Trying to keep my menu light today, since tomorrow is the weigh-in. Not in terms of eating less points, but just trying to avoid heavy stuff, extra sodium, etc. I must admit, I've been weighing myself every day this week, and I'm not too thrilled with the results so far. I'm not stressed about it though. I've already started mulling around a plan of action for next week.

I'm pretty close to giving up on my 100 pound goal. If it's taking me this long just to get to 158 (90 pound mark, normal BMI, still haven't made it there yet), I just don't understand how the hell I can break the 140s. I dunno. I guess we'll see where I'm at in a month and go from there. I know it's less about a number on the scale and more about how I feel (and let's be honest, how I look too), but I'm still not satisfied yet. Close, but still seeing areas for improvement.


EXERCISE:

Woke up about 10 minutes before my alarm went off and headed to the gym. It was actually a really good experience, except for the part where my heart rate monitor crapped out for about 15 minutes. So aggravating because I really depend on that thing to measure my calories burned. I think it was partially my fault though. I don't think I wet the strap enough before I put it on. After my chest was soaked with sweat, it started working again just fine. My goal was to burn 500 calories, but between the monitor going out and me trying to overcompensate to make up the difference, I think I might have been closer to 600 calories. Anywho.

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I still had plenty of time to get ready when I got home and even had time to brew a cup of coffee. I've never been a real big coffee drinker, but that's definitely changing with the addition of morning workouts.

I think I might go there again tomorrow for more incline training and save my running session for Saturday morning, so I can go a little later after the sun is out.

Overall, I'm just really digging the feeling of not having to exercise after work. As much as I hate being up when it's still dark outside, having my evenings free and not having to give myself a pep talk every afternoon is so much more satisfying. Now, that's how I feel about it today. My feelings may change after a couple of weeks, haha.

Trying new things.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ peaches- 2
kashi cereal- 1

snack:
cantaloupe- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
leftover teriyaki pork/shrimp/veggies/couscous- 9

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
two 98% f.f. hot dogs- 2
corn tortillas- 1
f.f. cheese- 1
green beans- 1
sour cream- 1
wine- 2

post-dinner:
sliced strawberries/peaches- 1

total points used: 24/24 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all three levels- 3
WAPs: 8/35 remaining

Dinner was good last night; looking forward to leftovers for lunch. Since we're going to quiz tonight, I'll probably end up having something quick for dinner. I'm thinking hot dogs and some sort of side veggie.

Also, because I'm getting desperate to see some changes on the scale, I've decided to finally put some changes into action that I've been pondering over the past couple of weeks. I'm going to try ('try' is the key word here, people) to cut back on my Splenda intake. I'm not a complete maniac when it comes to using it (I think?), but sometimes it seems like I add several small amounts to various things over the course of a week. I always add it to my PB2, greek yogurt, cottage cheese and oatmeal. Well, starting today, I'm going to stop adding it to those things since I eat them all pretty regularly throughout the week.

This morning, I didn't add it to my PB2 or yogurt. Definitely an adjustment taste-wise, but I think it's for the best. Now, I'm not promising to eliminate it completely, because I know there are few things I eat/drink that already have some sort of artificial sweetener mixed in. Also, when it comes to certain recipes, I'd rather swap out sugar for Splenda if I can. And since I don't make very many recipes like that to begin with, I think that should be ok.

I just want to rely more on natural sweetness from things like fruits and grains when I can. We'll see how it goes.

I'm also going to keep watching my sodium breakdown each day (via The Daily Plate) and try to make changes where I can. Most days, even if I have a frozen entree, I still stay within my recommended daily intake, but it wouldn't hurt to cut back a little more. After last week's weird gain and accompanying bloat, I feel like I'm retaining a lot more water than I should be, even with all of the exercise I do.


EXERCISE:

This morning, I did all three levels on my new Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. From a 'boot camp' perspective, I was really disappointed. After doing all 3 workouts (which is considered advanced), I only burned 290 calories. I had to jog in place for a bit, just so I could burn an even 300. There wasn't nearly as much cardio throughout all three levels, like I was expecting. My heart rate stayed pretty low, overall.

However, from a strength building/resistance standpoint, it's definitely a great option. LOTS of moves with weights. Also lots of squats and lunges. It was just nice to do some stuff that was different from the No More Trouble Zones DVD. And the pace is a little more manageable too. I mean, there aren't any breaks but you don't feel like you're going to die either.

It was nice to use my old resistance bands too (which I just found in a box last week after missing them for like, 3 years, haha). Mixing things up is important to me.

Overall, it's a decent workout. I did sweat a lot, but again, it's not really designed to be a big calorie burner, even if you do all three levels (which takes about an hour, including warm-up/cool-down). I'm going to continue to keep it in my routine though, because I don't dread the strength building moves so much. They were actually kind of fun, and I NEED fun when it comes to doing anything with weights and resistance. And seeing Ali Vincent in all three levels is great motivation. She's in such great shape, it's ridiculous.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
light english muffin- 1

snack:
cantaloupe- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
lean cuisine tortilla-crusted fish- 7
popcorn- 1

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1
dried pineapple- 1

dinner:
pork/shrimp- 3
zucchini/carrots- 1
oil- 1
sauce- 1
couscous- 3

post-dinner:
tart honey yogurt- 3
vitatop- 1

total points used: 28/26 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: 42 min. incline training- 5
net points: 26
WAPs: 10/35 remaining


Pulled some pork chops out for dinner tonight. Not 100% sure what we'll end up doing with them, but I'm kinda hoping for the teriyaki-pork-with-veggies-over-couscous dish that Doug makes. It's pretty simple, but it's so good. Plus it would allow us to use up more of the carrots and zucchini my grandma gave me.


EXERCISE:

I'm still kinda debating on what I'll do for exercise today. If I go home after work, I'll either do some P90X or try my new Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD. I'm also debating on going to the gym for some incline training and weights. I brought my gym bag with me just in case. I'm about 85% sure I'm going to the gym. It's always nice to be away from home and enjoy some me time.


That's about all to report for today. Other than that, I'm broke until next Monday. I'm so desperate to go grocery shopping! So much stuff I need to stock up on. Hope this week goes by fast.

Well, so much for that.

My martial arts class that was supposed to start today got canceled for the entire semester. Nooo! I guess not enough people signed up. I was really looking forward to it, too. Oh well. On the upside, my schedule will be less hectic now, but I was still willing to squeeze it in for the sake of trying something new. Buh.

FOOD:

breakfast:
smart wrap tortilla- 1
egg white- 1
spinach/shredded carrot- 0
laughing cow wedge- 1

snack:
vitatop- 1
baby carrots- 0

lunch:
smart ones beef pot roast- 3
cantaloupe- 1

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken- 3
bbq sauce- 1
zucchini- 0
potato- 2
olive oil- 2

post-dinner:
smart ones sundae- 3
tart honey yogurt- 2

total points used: 22/22 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: 47 min. run- 6
WAPs: 14/35 remaining

My grandma sent me home with a crapload of carrots from the carrot harvest (they live in the San Luis Valley where stuff like carrots & potatoes are regularly planted and my grandpa works during harvest season and stocks everybody up). So I'll be eating as many carrots as I can for the next couple of weeks, heh. I need to blanch some of them and put them in the freezer too.

She also gave me quite a few large zucchini from her garden. I loooove zucchini, so I'm definitely planning on making some for dinner a few times this week.

On a different note, I'm going to experiment with decreasing my protein intake a little bit. I've noticed for the past several months that I typically get almost twice (if not more) my recommended daily intake for protein. I think I got obsessed with trying to keep myself full at all times by loading up on protein (and fiber), but my appetite isn't as big as it used to be, so I think I might be able to get away with eating a little less protein. I'm not 100% sure what negative effects there are, if any, from eating too much (maybe building up extra muscle?), but I figured it's just something new I'll play around with and see how I feel.


EXERCISE:

Got out of bed at 5 am today and went for a run. Although it may sound cheesy, I really need to invest in a fanny pack and a small flashlight or something when I run this early. It's just way too dark during the first half and I just kinda feel paranoid the whole time and can't really enjoy myself. My biggest concern, as of this morning, are animals. I freak out over pretty much every animal that comes anywhere near me, so when I saw a fox and a skunk (!!!) today, I started sprinting, haha. But yeah, a light of some sort and some pepper spray might not be a bad idea. I'll start browsing for that stuff this week.

Not too shabby.

So I'm back from the trip and actually did ok. I didn't touch a drop of booze last night, which really made a difference. I had to estimate a lot of stuff for dinner though, so I ended up going over by a few points. I was really hoping to avoid that since I'm trying to stick to the Wendie plan without any alterations, but since I ran that morning, I guess I won't beat myself up over it too much. We grilled out, so I stuck to a bunless burger, corn, grilled veggies and fruit. My uncle kept wanting to make me a drink, so I kept blowing him off until I finally said "No, I'm saving up for cake," which was true. The ol' fat kid in me will take cake over booze any day. And that's exactly how I planned my evening, haha.

This morning we actually went out to breakfast instead of eating at my grandma's, so that kinda screwed me over a bit too, in the sense that I couldn't eat the stuff that I brought along as planned. Still kept it healthy though, with oatmeal and a fruit plate, but again, I had to estimate the oatmeal. I haaaate estimating stuff, but oh well. I probably overestimated points, both last night and this morning, but I feel better doing it that way, and not the other way around.

FOOD:

breakfast:
oatmeal- 5
fruit- 4

lunch:
special k cereal- 1

snack:
apple- 1
PB2- 1

dinner:
wahoo's shrimp burrito w/ wet sauce- 13

post-dinner:
ww smart ones cookie dough sundae- 3
tart honey yogurt- 4
onion ring- 1
french toast (light bread w/ egg beaters)- 2
light syrup- 2

total points used: 37/37 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: day off
WAPs: 14/35 remaining

I must admit, I'm looking forward to this big-point day. Still not sure what dinner will be, but I wanna keep it semi-healthy, like either a Wahoo's burrito or some Kashi pizza and then... something ice cream-y... We'll see.

EXERCISE:

Yeaaahhh... Not sure that's gonna happen today. I'm already tired just thinking of tomorrow; getting up at 5am to run, work, brief break at home and then martial arts class until 7:15 pm. I didn't sleep well last night and long car rides make me lazy. Yes, these are lame excuses, but when I think about how much I've been busting my ass lately, I guess I just don't care today, haha. Oh well. I'm pretty sure working out 5 days this week instead of six won't kill me.

Getting ready to head down to my grandparents' this afternoon. Since I'm determined to stay on the Wendie Plan while I'm gone, I'm basically going to bank as many points as I can beforehand. Yes, I will probably be starving by the time food is ready to be served (it's a surprise party for my grandpa), but that's something I'll just have to deal with. When I try to eat normal/healthy before a social outing with food, it backfires. I try to keep myself full and use up normal amounts of points, but then I end up going over with higher-point food later anyway. I don't know. I'll just feel better going to the party with more points than less. That's all I'm trying to say, heh.

FOOD:

I made a breakfast burrito and cut it in half. I've had one half so far and will eat the other half before we leave. It's packed with a lot of protein and fiber, so I think it should hold me over pretty well.

breakfast/lunch:
smart wrap tortilla- 1
2 egg beaters- 1
boca sausage- 1
f.f. shredded cheese- 1

afternoon snacks (while on the road):
protein water- 0
baby carrots- 0

dinner:
burger patty- 7
corn- 2
1/4 c. potato salad- 2
fruit- 2
veggies- 0

post-dinner:
cake- 7
cashews- 1

total points used: 26/23 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: 45 min. run- 5
net points: 23
WAPs: 30/35 remaining

I'm taking a Lightfull smoothie, an apple and some Special K Protein Plus cereal with me for breakfast tomorrow. Because breakfast at grandma's will more than likely be fried eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and toast slathered in butter. No thanks. Tomorrow is one of my high-point days on the Wendie plan, but I want to wait until I'm home with Doug and order a pizza or something. Something good that we've been wanting for a while. We'll see...


EXERCISE:

Went for a morning run on the trail this morning. It was nice. That's about all.

Some sprucing up.

"I don't love broccoli, and I don't love the treadmill, but I love the way I feel when I'm healthy and strong. It empowers me in all facets of my life. So remember, that although something may not be fun in the moment, remind yourself of the ultimate reward, and allow that to motivate you through the tough times."

-Jillian Michaels


Felt good to read that this afternoon. I'm pretty much over my gain from this morning and have moved on, as usual. Dwelling on that sort of thing never gets me anywhere, so I always feel better getting over it and just focusing on my next steps. I'm going to stay committed to the Wendie Plan this week, keep up with my workouts and just hope for the best at next week's weigh-in. Beating myself up and making myself crazy trying to figure out every possible detail of my routine and how it will (or won't) change the number on the scale is NOT a good way to start the weekend. It just stresses me out. I need to lay off what the scale says and just remind myself of how much better I feel these days, physically.

I'm also 95% sure that I'm gonna go for a morning run tomorrow, instead of doing a DVD. I might as well run outside as much as I can while it's still warm because I know my motivation will shift as the weather gets cooler. Even though I hate working out, I still manage to get the running bug from time to time. It's just therapeutic for me some days; being outside, rocking out to my iPod and just not thinking about anything in particular.

Weigh-in Day.

Today's weight: 162. A gain of 2.2 pounds. Um, what? Seriously? I'm really, really not happy to see this. At all. First of all, I was so close to hitting the 90 pounds mark and having a normal BMI. Second, I'm back in the 160s. I've been trying to get out of the 160s since May. And here we are, rolling out of August and September will be here before you know it. Third, I kicked ass this week. I had one day (last Saturday) where I went over my points, but it wasn't even close enough to warrant a 2 pound gain. I earned 34 activity points this week; 3400 calories burned.

An unwarranted gain is nothing new to me. I've experienced them before. It's just part of the process. I understand that. But I'm just so tired of wild card weigh-ins, be they good or bad, where I really cannot figure out what worked/didn't work that week. I only have a couple of guesses for this week: 1) I didn't eat enough in relation to my activity; 2) I experienced a lot of bloating from eating a lot of fiber? I don't know. I usually eat a lot of fiber anyway, so I'm not sure what made this week different. I did notice I've been super-bloated the past few days, but I thought working out would get rid of it. I had a couple of days where my sodium was a bit high, but nothing insane. It was a pretty normal week, in terms of food. I did consume a lot more caffeine than normal though... I got on a coffee kick this week and I usually never drink the stuff, let alone a cup every day. I don't think that was the culprit though... I don't friggin' know.

I know, "I've come so far!" Blah, blah, blah. I know I've accomplished a lot as far as the big picture goes, but to be perfectly honest, I really don't give a shit about the big picture right now. And at this very moment, I don't even know what I care about. I'm so frustrated and desperate to know exactly why my body does what it does week to week, that I can't really focus on anything else.

SIGH. I'll be alright. I'll get over it (already starting to). I just needed to bitch 'n' whine. I'm still a little lost on how to approach this week. I'm still debating on whether or not to try the Wendie Plan. Perhaps I've hit a plateau and I've just been in denial for the past month. I don't know. I suppose it's worth a shot, but at the same time, I'm going out of town this weekend, to grandma's house no less, so trying to stick to a new plan may be kind of tricky. I'll mull it over some more. I'm gonna try it, starting today.

FOOD:

Brief re-cap: The Kashi Pesto Primavera Pasta dish from lunch yesterday: Meh. On the upside, it had a lot of veggies, but overall, I just wasn't feeling the flavor. It was just kind of oily and blah. The Lemongrass Coconut Chicken on the other hand- totally awesome.

For dinner, I went with salmon tacos with a side of green beans. And I discovered a new way to jazz up green beans a bit: salt, pepper, couple sprays of spray butter and a dab of sour cream. The extra bit of creaminess just really made the beans taste, well, awesome.

breakfast:
fat-free greek yogurt w/ strawberries- 2
Special K cereal- 1

snack:
kashi bar- 2
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
Healthy Choice tomato basil penne- 5

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken- 4
green chile- 1
f.f. cheese- 1
sour cream- 1
smart wrap tortilla- 1
8 oz. coors light- 1

post-dinner:
PB2 sandwich- 2
popcorn- 1
fudge bar- 1
kashi cereal- 1
almond milk- 1
s.f. jello- 0

total points used: 27/27 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: day off
WAPs: 35/35 remaining


EXERCISE:

Since I worked out Wednesday morning (my usual day off), I'm taking today off instead. That, and I'm a little sore from my P90X workout last night. It wasn't too bad. It was still challenging, but I kept up with it better than I thought I would. I actually skipped Chest & Back because I'm in the process of acquiring the proper equipment. I'm getting my dumbbells today and I'm waiting on a door attachment for resistance bands. Apparently, somehow attaching bands to your door and pulling them that way serves as an alternative to the pull-up bar. I might get the pull-up bar eventually, but can't justify the cost right now.

Anywho, so I skipped to the second workout, which was Plyometrics (jump training). I have to give Jillian Michaels some credit on this one, because she does a lot of that in her DVDs too, so I think that's the main reason why I was able to keep up. That, and Tony likes to take breaks. Lots of 'em. Jillian never takes breaks, so stopping every few minutes took some getting used to.

He goes at a slower pace too, which is good in the sense that you can focus on form a bit more and get more out of the move, instead of trying to do it super-fast and half-assing it.

My least favorite move during that whole workout was what he called "Hot Feet." You basically hopped on one leg and tried to make a cross figure with your foot (up, back, left, right). It doesn't sound like much, but staying on the same foot for just 30 seconds KILLED me. Hadn't felt a burn in my leg like that in a long time.

Overall, I liked it (well, as much as you could like a workout DVD called P90X). I liked the pace, I liked the little timer on the bottom of the screen and I like how my ass is killing me right now; that means I pushed myself. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other stuff, especially more of the weight/strength/resistance stuff.

I also got the new[ish] Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD in the mail yesterday, so I'm still debating on trying that tomorrow or doing another P90X workout. I'm not leaving for my grandparents' until the afternoon, so I'll have time in the morning to do something. We'll see.