Weigh-in Day.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Today's weight: 152.4. A loss of 4.2 pounds! I shit you not, folks. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but the 100-pound goal is back on!




As for what I did, all I can say is that I found a good balance of cardio and weight-training, along with eating a few extra points here and there. Just did my best to keep things balanced and consistent.

I almost have to laugh at this because I look back at this past summer and how long it took me to get out of the 160s. I was starting to think that my body had this pre-determined weight that it would not let me go under. Turns out I just needed to work out smarter and make a few changes to my diet (more fruits & veggies, less carb-y/processed snacks). Ta-da!

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ pumpkin- 2
kashi cereal- 1

snack:
apple- 1
strawberries- 0
carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
smart ones teriyaki chicken- 4
10 almonds- 1.5

snack:
tootsie pop- 1
coffee w/ protein powder- .5

dinner:
wahoo's shrimp burrito- 9
holey donut- 4

post-dinner:
yoplait delight- 2
fries- 10 (?)

total points used: 37/22
activity points: day off
net points: 37
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

I'm expecting a variety pack of chicken sausages from Bilinski Sausages (damn you, Food Network!), so I'm planning on making some of those and knocking out the other spaghetti squash I got.

EXERCISE:

Taking the day off today. GASP!, I know. The majority of my upper body started feeling sore yesterday afternoon, but it was still that "nice" kind of sore at the time. This morning though, it was just plain painful, so I decided that weight lifting was out of the question today. My last day off from working out was September 16th, so I kinda deserve this one.

Sprouts & Sprinkles.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

So last night, I played around with brussels sprouts again. I sauteed them in a pan with oil, salt, pepper and dried cranberries. I saw a picture of them online yesterday with the cranberries and it looked good. And it actually was! The sweetness of the cranberries helps balance out some of the bitter aftertaste of the sprouts. Next time though, instead of trying to cook the cranberries with the sprouts in the pan, I'll microwave them separately with a little water first. They ended up kinda crunchy last night, heh.

Also, quick note about Holey Donuts: I've resisted trying these things because I didn't want to be that person who ordered doughnuts over the Internet. HOWEVER, last week they were having a pretty good sale where everything was half-off, so I used that as an excuse to try three of their sampler boxes.

They arrived yesterday. Oh. My. God. Granted, I haven't had a doughnut in like, 2 years, but I still thought they were awesome. The dough itself is a bit dry, which was to be expected since they cut out so much fat, but the toppings and fillings are pretty spot-on. My strategy for keeping them in the house longer is to only thaw out one box at a time and cut each one in half so Doug and I can both try each flavor. Probably won't order them again until they have another decent sale like that, so I gotta at least try and make them last longer than a week, haha.

FOOD:

pre-workout:
coffee w/ protein powder & almond milk- 1

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ pumpkin- 2
kashi waffle- 1

snack:
apple- 1
9 almonds- 1
strawberries-0

lunch:
corn tortillas- 1
boca crumbles- 1
f.f. shredded cheese- 1
salsa- 0
yam- 2
holey donut chocolate crumb- 3

snack:
carrot- 0
PB2- 1

dinner:
salmon- 3
green beans w/ teriyaki sauce- 1

post-dinner:
holey donut- 5

total points used: 24/22
activity points: Jillian Michaels Banish/Boost DVD- 5
net points: 22
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

Not at work today, so I don't have any snacks or lunch planned as of yet.

Also, I had a heart attack yesterday while opening a can of tuna. Apparently, I accidentally grabbed like 4 cans of tuna packed in oil when I went shopping last week. Ugh. I panicked because I thought all 12 cans were packed in oil, but luckily it was only 4. Lesson learned! Double-check those babies because the labels are almost identical and stock people don't always put stuff where it should be. Grr.

EXERCISE:

I opted for Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism DVD this morning instead of going to the gym. I like to go back and use this DVD every once in a while to see the change in my level of fitness. It was fun! My form has improved quite a bit and I added hand-weights to all of the punching moves for an extra challenge. Good sweat, good times.

Planning on doing free weights tomorrow at home. I saw an insanely awesome number on the scale this morning (which probably means I jinxed tomorrow's official weigh-in, heh), and the main thing I can attribute it to is weight-lifting. Why didn't I jump on this bandwagon sooner? I could have saved myself a lot of time and stress. Ah well.

Zzzz.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Dinner last night was awesome. Cooked chicken breasts in a skillet with my favorite rotisserie seasoning, then tossed them in some buffalo wing sauce. Served with mashed cauliflower and grilled zucchini & tomatoes. Quick, healthy, filling and delicious. Yes, it IS possible.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ pumpkin- 2
kashi waffle- 1
coffee & 1/4 c. almond milk- 0

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrots/cucumber- 0
hummus- 1

lunch:
healthy choice chicken pesto- 6

snack:
protein powder- 1

dinner:
tuna w/ 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce- 2
brussels sprouts w/ 1 tbsp. dried cranberries- 1
olive oil- 1
raspberry fudge holey donut- 5

total points used: 22/22
activity points: 20 min lifting routine- 1.5
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

Pumpkin and cottage cheese was awesome! Added some splenda and cinnamon. Super filling (especially with the waffle) and felt like I was starting the day with dessert. Mmm.

Going to quiz tonight, so I'm planning on just wingin' it for dinner. Plenty of frozen veggies, veggie burgers, canned beans, canned veggies and tuna for me to work with.

EXERCISE:

Did my first lifting session with the new set this morning. Barbell (which hardly weighs anything) plus 30 lbs.

Today's routine:
-5 min. warm-up (jump rope, jumping jacks, high knees, butt-kicks)
-1 set 12 squats, no barbell
-3 sets 12 squats, with barbell
-4 sets of 12 bench presses

Need to work on my form still, especially with the bench press. Seems easy enough, but I'm still getting used to my new bench and figuring out which adjustments to make for the best fit.

Started to do yoga afterward, but said "fuck this" after about 20 seconds into the warm-up. Since I haven't taken a whole day off from working out the past few weeks, I figured at the very least, I needed a "lazy" workout day where I kept things under 30 minutes. Yes, it's an excuse and yes I probably could have benefited from the yoga, but whatever.

Lastly, my guns are starting to look/feel loaded. I'm kinda falling in love with them now. Thank you, weight training! Haha.

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Also did a body fat percentage measurement this morning. First week, I was at 20.9% (approximately). Second week, no change. Third week, I didn't bother measuring since I was on my period. This week: 19%. Not bad! I have noticed some visual changes the past couple of weeks, especially in my upper body, so I was hoping that would translate into an overall fat loss.

Brrr.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Not ready for this cooler weather yet. Especially in the mornings, when I'm walking to work. Buh.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
1/2 c. kashi cereal- 1
coffee & 1/4 c. almond milk- 0

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrots/celery- 0
hummus- 1

lunch:
healthy choice whiskey steak bowl- 5

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
1.5 serving chicken breast- 4
wing sauce- 0
mashed cauliflower- 2
zucchini/tomatoes w/ olive oil- 1

post-dinner:
PB2 sandwich- 2
s.f. mousse w/ pumpkin- 2

total points used: 23/22
activity points: 45 min. HIIT routine- 6
net points: 22
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

Pulled out some chicken for dinner. I'm thinking either grilled or with shake 'n' bake, with mashed cauliflower and grilled zucchini on the side.

EXERCISE:

Another sweat session at the gym.

Today's routine:
-10 min. warm-up/run
-15 min. incline training
-10 min. rowing
-10 min. elliptical/cool-down

Tomorrow I'm planning on lifting. Bench-presses and squats with the barbell, most likely. Depending on how long I go for, I might also do some yoga afterward. Dunno yet.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

FOOD:

breakfast:
egg beaters- 1
spinach/tomato- 0
banana- 2

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrot sticks- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
leftover chili- 4
f.f. shredded cheese- 1
popcorn ball -1

snack:
cucumber/tomato salad- 0
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
leftover chili- 4
f.f. shredded cheese- 1
corn tortillas- 1

post-dinner:
banana- 2
s.f. mousse- 1

total points used: 22/22
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all levels- 3.5
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

I really need to get some more fat in before the day's over.

EXERCISE:

Another Monday of BL Boot Camp. Got to try out one of my new resistance bands and I like it a lot better than my other one. Much easier to handle and adjust for when I want to add more resistance.

The new weight bench is set up! So excited. And also debating whether or not I should go to the gym tomorrow for cardio or stay at home and lift. Decisions, decisions.

Pump up the jams.

So, while the boyfriend is putting together my weight bench (I'm on-call if he needs help, heh), I thought I'd share my workout playlist (sorted by artist). And for some reason, the images aren't displaying in full. It looks fine in Google Reader though, FYI:

I should probably make more of a regular effort to mix in more artists, but I have so much damn music in my main collection that I'm just too lazy some of the time.

I sometimes forget how important music is during a workout. It really is like fuel for me. The handful of times I've forgotten my shuffle at home were some of the worst workouts I've had.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

FOOD:

breakfast:
egg beaters- 1
bell pepper/salsa- 0
yam- 3

lunch:
6" Subway Buffalo Chicken- 7

snack:
1/2 banana- 1
PB2- 1

dinner:
beef/pinto bean chili- 4
f.f. shredded cheese- 1

post-dinner:
cookie- 2.5
chips- .5
2 s.f. jello mousse cups- 3

total points used: 24/22
activity points: 20 min. shoulder presses/burpees- 2
net points: 22
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

Planning on making a pot of chili tonight for dinner and possibly trying the new Buffalo Chicken Sub from Subway for lunch. We'll see.

EXERCISE:

Still didn't get the weight set put together (it will get done before tomorrow!), so instead of doing deadlifts and burpees, I did some shoulder presses with my dumbbells and burpees. Deadlifts are best done with a bar, so I decided to substitute that with something that could be better done with dumbbells. Burpees still killed me, as usual.

Today's routine:
-10 presses
-20 burpees
-repeated 5 times

And my lifting gloves stained my hands. Awesome.

Friday night sweets and Saturday morning sweats.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Enjoyed my Tres Leches cake last night. Man, oh man. It's enjoying things like that that make me glad I plan ahead and wait. Waiting for a planned splurge makes it taste even better, somehow. And makes me feel zero guilt, which I used to have trouble with before, especially with random unplanned binges. These days, I just choose to have a better attitude and not be so hard on myself. Turns out, doing so makes me feel pretty awesome (and the scale results lately have been rad too).

FOOD:

breakfast:
oatmeal- 2
blueberries/protein powder- 1
1/2 banana- 1

lunch:
cucumber/radishes- 0
sesame dressing- 1
boca vegan burger- 1
hummus- 1
r.f. pepperjack- 1

snack:
apple- 1
chips- 2
salsa- 0

dinner:
brown rice- 3
shrimp- 2
aspargus/carrot/onion/teriyaki sauce- 1
olive oil- 1

post-dinner:
cookies- 5

total points used: 23/22
activity points: 60 min. HIIT routine- 7
net points: 22
WAPs: 20/35

EXERCISE:

Although I wasn't terribly guilty about the insane cake/sweet splurge from last night, I still figured it would be in my best interest to try and clear some of that sugar out of my system and headed to the gym. I added rowing into my routine today and it felt good. And high-intensity! I was so excited to be working my arms like that and keeping my heart rate up at the same time. Nice change of pace.

I also played around with an inclined run as well. Nothing extreme, but I'd like to be able to run somewhere between a 6 and 9% grade eventually. The settings I used today were definitely challenging. Felt good to push myself and not die, haha.

Today's routine:
-5 min. warm-up run
-15 min. incline training (18-20% grade, 3mph)
-10 min. run (4% grade, 6mph)
-15 min. rowing
-15 min. elliptical/cool-down

Treated myself to a few minutes in the sauna afterward. I swear, I could sit in that thing for hours, so it's hard to force myself to leave.

Ok. Time to get motivated and start reorganizing my workout room so we can finally get going on putting the weight set together. I'll be so pissed at myself if everything's still in boxes come Monday.

Weigh-in Day.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Today's weight: 156.6. A loss of 0.4 pounds. Hey, given that it's that time of the month, I will GLADLY take that! I was certain I would show a gain this week.

COOKIES! Ok, quick review of the Chewy Chocolate Cheek Cookies I got yesterday: First off, they're SMALL. So disappointingly small. Like, no bigger than an Oreo, really. Just a little thicker. And of course, I should have known better, even though the pictures (and the feature on Food Network) made them look 4x bigger.

BUT! Size isn't everything. After being disgusted by the sheer tininess, I hastily took a bite and quickly realized why it was so small. This was, by far, one of the best chewy chocolate cookies I had ever tasted in my entire life, both as a former fat-kid and a fit health-conscious lass. They are RICH! And CHEWY! And DECADENT! Definitely made from high-quality ingredients, no doubt.

So now I know. Will I buy them in the future? Probably not. It was just one of those frivolous things that I wanted to try and now I have and I'm over it. Yes, they taste awesome, but they're still expensive and unnecessary.

And each one is actually 2.5 points, not 2 (110 cal/6g fat/1g fiber). Hooray for them including nutritional info! Moving on...

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
special k cereal- 1

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrots/cucumber/radishes- 0
hummus- 1

lunch:
roast beef sandwich w/ cheese- 3
2 c. WW progresso soup- 2

snack:
protein water- 0

dinner:
chicken breast- 3
light butter- 1
sauce- 2
spaghetti squash- 2

post-dinner:
tres leches cake- 18
cookies- 5
popcorn- 1

total points used: 43/22
activity points: 45 min. HIIT routine- 6
net points: 37
WAPs: 20/35 remaining

Not sure what dinner will be. I pulled out some chicken, but then I remembered that I bought a huge bag of shrimp too. I'm thinking something with spaghetti squash. Sweet, delicious spaghetti squash.

EXERCISE:

More intervals at the gym. I was going to impose the no-more-than-500-calories rule again this morning, but then I remembered that I was planning on getting a slice of Tres Leches cake tonight, so I pushed and burned an extra 100. If I had more time, I probably would have shot for 700 or 800. Yes, this cake is so awesome that I'm willing to suffer for it, haha.

Today's routine:
-15 min. warm-up/run
-15 min. stair master
-15 min. elliptical/cool-down

Smelly Guy #1 was using one of the incline trainers again, so I didn't even bother trying to suffer through the smell. Just skipped incline training all together. And I was fine with that since I skipped the stair master yesterday (thanks to Smelly Guy #2). Still got a killer workout on my legs which is all that really matters.

Debating the gym tomorrow. And I know the weight system is going to take a good chunk of the day to set up, so I'll probably just do a Gym Junkies workout with my dumbbells. I don't have space in my workout room to do much else since the equipment boxes are in the way. We'll see. I'm feeling sadistic and kinda want to do the routine with the burpees again. Just about killed me last time, but I kinda loved it.

Big bowl of awesome.

(***If you're new to the blog, feel free to read my introductory posts and my Not-so-secret-Secret to Weight Loss.)

Last night's dinner was simple, yet so tasty. After buying a shitload of groceries and finally getting everything put away, Doug split up a chicken breast for us to share. I just grilled mine with some rotisserie seasoning. Meantime, I chopped up a green bell pepper and a tomato and rinsed some canned great northern beans (which I love now, apparently. Hadn't really had them or noticed them until last night). I still wasn't 100% sure at that point what I was going to do with those ingredients, but I knew I wanted grilled meat, beans and veggies, so I kept rolling with it.

I heated some olive oil in a pan and added the peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkled on some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Then I added in the beans and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes. When the chicken was cooled, I just tore it into bite-sized pieces and stirred it in with the beans & veggies. Topped it with some grated parmesan and, hello!, bowl of awesome. And filling, too. I saved half of the bean mixture for lunch today and will have it with tuna.

That said, we have food in the house again. A LOT of food. I spent more than I thought I would, but I also got more than I planned and saved quite a bit, especially on the produce I got at Sunflower Market. They had an awesome crop of gala apples for crazy-cheap, so I stocked up. I know you can get apples year round and most people find them to be a boring fruit, but I love 'em. And galas are one of my favorite types. Anywho. Also got a couple of spaghetti squashes, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, celery, more carrots (love me some carrots), cauliflower (planning on mashing it sometime next week) and a bunch of other stuff, including a parsnip. Never had a parsnip before, so I wanna try one. Never had beets either, so they're next on the list.

Quick tip: Get gutsy and try a new healthy food you've never had before (or maybe tried a long time ago and didn't like), about once a month. Especially fruits/veggies. That's what I'm trying to do these days to keep me motivated. Last month, I gave brussels sprouts another shot and I actually liked them better than I did before. Still not my favorite thing in the world, but I know they're good for me, so I'm willing to knock out that big bag of them, currently sitting in my freezer.

FOOD:

breakfast:
egg whites- 1
salsa- 0
1 oz. avocado- 1
light english muffin- 1

snack:
9 almonds- 1
apple- 1
carrots/cucumbers- 0
hummus- 1

lunch:
tuna- 2
leftover beans/veggies- 3

snack:
popcorn ball- 1
chocolate cheek cookie- 2.5

dinner:
salmon- 3
broccoli/zucchini/carrot w/ teriyaki sauce- 1


post-dinner:
chocolate cheek cookie- 2.5
yoplait delight- 2

total points used: 23/22
activity points: 40 min. HIIT routine- 5
net points: 22
WAPs: 29/35 remaining

My chocolate cheek cookies are getting delivered today! Ahhh! Can't wait. Totally having one tonight. Maybe two. Muhahaha.

EXERCISE:

Another morning at the gym. I enforced the no-more-than-500-calories rule on myself, so it was a slightly shorter session today.

Today's routine:
-10 min. run (got up to 7mph today and it wasn't too bad! I used to consider that a sprinting speed, but today, it felt pretty natural.)
-20 min. incline training
-10 min. elliptical

I wanted to do the stair master for a bit, but Smelly Guy #2 was using one of the machines and it was just too early for me to be nauseated by his smell. Smelly Guy #2 is a big guy (think football player) who likes to wear several layers of clothing (including a sweatshirt), lots of cologne and then tries to break out into the biggest sweat he can. The result? Utter and complete nastiness.

And to clarify, Smelly Guy #1 is the one I usually have to deal with when I use the incline trainer. He flat out smells like rotting onions. Like, he arrives at the gym smelling like onions; it's not like he starts to smell that way after his workout.

How do you tell a complete stranger they smell like ass? My chances of ending up next to SG #1 again in the future are pretty high, so I feel like I need to say something next time he decides to workout next to me. My first impulse is to say "Dude, you reek something FIERCE!" and then walk away, but I suppose I should avoid being a complete bitch and try to be more reasonable. Sigh.

Moving on. As for tomorrow's routine, I'm not sure yet. I think I'll probably hit the gym once more and then focus on resistance training this weekend, especially if we get my new weight system set up. I can't wait to start bench pressing!