Go go gadget guns!

Let me start this [long] post by saying that I'm starting to become obsessed with Jackie Warner's Power Circuit DVD. Seriously. I still have 2 new Jari Love DVDs to try AND my new aerobic step arrived yesterday (to take some of the Jari Love workouts to a new challenging level), yet all I wanted to do this morning was bust through 40 minutes of fast-paced pain. I think that's still the biggest appeal right now- the fact that it just flies by, yet leaves me feeling like I still accomplished something. My arms and chest are just feeling awesome right now (and tingly!).

After the DVD was over, I decided to run a mile before hitting the shower. Since that particular DVD is one of my shorter workouts, I figured adding on a quick run would make for a good combo. Some progress notes:

• Since I'm prepared for the lightning-fast transitions, I'm able to keep up with the reps better and put forth more effort, thus feeling more of the burn.
• I'm starting to add weights to certain moves (i.e., lunges and squats) and increasing my weight on other moves (i.e., hammer curls and rows)
• The ab intervals still kick my ass. Not much progress made there because the burn is so bad, I often find myself just watching the DVD and shaking my head in disgust.

I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty impressed with my attitude toward fitness this week. I think having all of these new options (new DVDs, new equipment) is just making me eager to try stuff so I can feel/see my body change. When I reached my goal weight, I was definitely feeling and seeing changes, thanks to discovering HIIT routines and weight lifting, but the results I'm getting this time around are different... This time, instead of being smaller and moderately toned, I feel like I'm just getting cut. Even though my ass is carrying more poundage than it did back in October/November, it's starting to actually lift and look awesome. I've been doing significantly more squats and lunges over the past few weeks than I previously did over a few months, so there ya go.

On that note, I guess I'll go ahead and share just how much I gained back... After November hit (and my binge eating returned), I gained about 15 pounds steadily through January (yeah, do the math on that one, folks. I packed it on heavy and fast). I was back in the 170s for a bit. Seeing that number on the scale (and worse so, feeling every pound of it) was devastating. And although I'm trying to break away from numbers, I am happy to say that I'm finally back in the 160s. My 90 pound goal weight was 158 and my lowest weight ever was 150.8 (!!!). Am I trying to get back to the low 150s? Well, considering how stressed and hungry I got trying to get there, no, not really. I think as far as realistic maintenance goes, anything between 158 and 162 feels the most natural.

Anywho, closing notes on exercise: Tomorrow, I'm gonna bust out the new step and try Jari's Extremely Ripped DVD (essentially, an older version of the Extremely Ripped 1000 DVD, which was the first one I purchased and quickly became addicted to).

Thursday, I'll either rest or do another round of the Power Circuit DVD and a quick run. Not sure yet. Friday definitely needs to be a run day at the gym though, I'm thinkin'.

On to food!

Breakfast:



Baked oatmeal and a glass of cold coffee (I didn't put ice in it, so I guess I can't really call it "Iced Coffee" can I?)



For this version, I used:

• 1 packet of store-brand sugar-free instant maple & brown sugar oatmeal
• about 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1 small mashed banana
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• splash of vanilla extract
• splenda

In reviewing the original recipe, I now realize I forgot to add the baking powder, but it was still fluffy and daaaaaamn good. I think adding the banana took it to that new level of awesomeness.



I brewed some coffee last night and left it in the fridge overnight. Mixed it with light vanilla Silk and a few pumps of DaVinci sugar-free Pumpkin Pie syrup. Oh man. So delightful, even though it was like 6 degrees outside when I drank it.

Morning snack:



More 0% Fage yogurt with pineapple chunks.

Assuming I don't get lazy later, lunch and afternoon snack pics to follow this afternoon.

I've had a chance to try those Da Vinci syrups that I ordered. The pumpkin pie one is pretty good, but it tastes best with more milk and cinnamon. The white chocolate one is just awesome. They both have that artificial taste of course, but when buying sugar-free products, that's to be expected. Overall, I'm quite happy with them. Makes for a nice change in my coffee routine.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ berries- 2
kashi waffle- 1
coffee w/ .25 c. almond milk- 0

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

lunch:
leftover pasta w/ meat & veggie sauce- 8

snack:
cucumber/bell pepper- 0
f.f. poppyseed dressing- 1
kashi bar- 2

dinner (planned):
HG Cheeseburger Pizza- 4
broccoli w/ carrots- 1

post-dinner:
peaches- .5
PB2 sandwich- 2
cereal- 4

total points used: 28.5/24 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: Biggest Loser Yoga, level one- .5
net points: 28
WAPs: 4/35 remaining

Quiz tonight, so I'm just planning something quick, easy & filling for dinner. I'm not sure why I avoided vegetarian crumbles for so long; they're damn convenient! Low in points and packed with protein too.

EXERCISE:

Yes, Wednesdays are supposed to be my day off, but I knew I was still gonna wake up at 5 am anyway (it's disgusting that my body is used to being up at that time now), so I figured I would do some yoga to work on my flexibility, give my joints a rest and also feel like I accomplished something for the day. I know it sounds weird, but I really do feel useless when I don't work out and it puts me in a shit mood for the rest of the day.

So I've decided to get back into the Biggest Loser Yoga DVD that we got several months ago and never use. Level one is only 30 minutes (5 min. warm-up, 20 min. workout, 5 min. cool-down), so it feels like enough of a break from my usual workout routine, but still forces me to challenge my body while simultaneously relaxing it. I think this is a nice compromise to taking an entire day off from exercise altogether.

I didn't wear my heart rate monitor because I knew I wouldn't get sweaty enough to keep the chest strap wet, so I estimated that I burned between 50 and 100 cals. I just gave myself half an activity point. I'm not really concerned with getting points for it anyway since it's so low-intensity.

Really worked my arms, especially with all the stuff done in plank position. It kinda sucked, but that's the kind of arm work I need right now. I'm so disappointed in my lack of upper-body strength, so hopefully more yoga (in addition to my strength/resistance training) will help.

Planning on hitting the gym tomorrow for cardio intervals. I'm taking Friday off from work, but will probably go to the gym again or possibly do a P90X workout at home. We'll see.

Round and round we go.

Roller skating was pretty fun last night. And quite the workout! Even though it had been a while since I was last in a pair of skates, I was surprised how quickly I picked it up again. Had to take it slower on corners and still couldn't figure out how to stop properly, but other than that, I did pretty well. I even broke out a steady sweat, which was both good and embarrassing, haha. I of course didn't have my heart rate monitor on, but I did give myself an extra activity point for the day. We were there for almost 2 hours. Took a lot of breaks, yes, but I figured I burned at least and extra 100 calories, if not more. It was fun to get out of the house for a bit and work off that post-dinner bloat.

FOOD:

breakfast:
f.f. cottage cheese w/ s.f. smuckers- 2
kashi waffle- 1
coffee w/ .25 c. almond milk- 0

snack:
apple- 1
carrots/celery- 0
PB2- 1
9 almonds- 1

lunch:
lean cuisine roasted turkey- 5
cucumber/bell pepper strips- 0
kashi bar- 2

snack:
protein water- 0

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

post-dinner:
pumpkin bread- 2
almond milk- 1

total points used: 23/22 (Wendie plan)
activity points: Biggest Loser Boot Camp, all levels- 3.5
net points: 22
WAPs: 14/35 remaining

Pulled out some chicken for dinner. Still trying to think of what to do with it. We still have some zucchini and mexican squash from my grandma, as well as some potatoes.

And I'm excited for my sugar-free syrups to get delivered today! I ordered some Da Vinci ones from Netrition. They were supposed to be delivered Friday, but got mis-routed, so I had to wait until today. I got pumpkin pie and white chocolate. Hello delicious, low-point lattes! I'll let you know how they taste.

EXERCISE:

Did the B.L. Boot Camp DVD again this morning. The more I do it, the more I kinda love it. Even though it starts off at some what of a beginner's level, there's still enough variety and so many opportunities to make things more challenging. There are a lot of lunges which are always a challenge for me, no matter what level of fitness I'm at. And today, I tried using heavier weights on some of the bicep routines and I could really feel the difference.

I might do it again tomorrow. I'm debating between that and No More Trouble Zones. I like the Boot Camp DVD slightly better though because it incorporates enough cardio to boost my heart rate and get me into a steady sweat, while still getting in a lot of strength/resistance training. The Jillian Michaels' DVD doesn't do that as much, but there are still a lot of good moves. I dunno. We'll see what I feel like in the morning.

All in all, the workout left me feeling pretty damn refreshed, considering it's Monday morning.