Hows & Whats.

Time for another edition of Hows & Whats.

HOW I'm currently eating:
DISCLAIMER: As with any nutritional plan, always seek guidance from a professional first; this way of eating is what currently works for *me* and may not be the best option for you.

Oh, food. You and I always seem to be at odds, depending on the week and where my head is at. For the time being, I'm aiming for higher protein and less sugar, using Jackie Warner's book as a guide:



I actually bought this book shortly after it was released, just never got around to doing a proper review. I know it probably comes across as just another fad, but it's actually a pretty decent read when it comes to food. And nothing is banned; the main goal is to eat less refined sugar and processed foods, which pretty much every one can benefit from. I'm fond of this plan because it works best for my current way of eating (eat clean for 5 days, then allow for some treats on the weekends), but also forces me to improve my meal composition (less sugar, more protein, more veggies and focusing on whole grains & fruits for carb sources). Each day, I aim to eat 4 servings of lean protein, 3 servings of veggies (though I allow myself more if I want), 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of healthy carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, pasta, wheat bread or wraps, etc.) and 1 serving of healthy fat (olive oil, nuts, avocado).

It's not rocket science by any means, but since my fitness goals include improving my sprinting speeds and increasing my lean muscle mass, Jackie's nutrition plan is pretty much spot-on for properly fueling my workouts. Before following her plan, I was eating healthy (for the most part), but had cut back on protein and found myself eating more carbs, in addition to drinking more alcohol and overeating on the weekends. Doing so was starting to affect my athletic performance; I just always seemed sluggish whether I was running or lifting and was taking longer to recover, thus bailing on more workouts. Getting back into my protein groove has already kept me from half-assing a session and has kept debilitating muscle soreness in the backseat.

I'm into my second week of following the plan and have noticed a dive in my junk food cravings and my appetite is starting to subside as well. First week, I dropped 3 pounds, so I can't complain. And because there's no counting calories or tracking involved, it's keeping my anxiety and binges at bay. I'm not hungry either, which is kind of a big deal. As with any healthy eating plan, there is some more prep involved (taking time to cut up veggies for snacks & lunch; boiling eggs and mixing protein shakes the night before, etc.), but nothing I haven't had to do before.

HOW I'm currently sweating:
Right now, my routine is pretty basic: 2 days of cardio, 3 days of strength/weights, 2 days of rest. For cardio, I head to the gym and do some sort of mix of the following, for about 45 minutes or so: sprint intervals, incline walking, stairmaster, elliptical or spinning. I try not to do any single activity for more than 20 minutes because I have a confession to make: I'm officially bored with cardio.

Back when I first started to lose weight, I adored cardio and despised strength training. Anyone who's followed me from my LiveJournal days knows this is true. It seems after getting into Jari Love and Jackie Warner workouts, I finally learned to love lifting and compound strength exercises. They just always seem to give me that edge when trying to meet a goal, be it improved definition or fat loss. I STILL meet women to this day who shy away from weights or believe they shouldn't start lifting until they're closer to their weight goal. For any ladies reading this, please, please, please- don't put off this type of training any longer. You will NOT get big and bulky (unless you're getting testosterone injections, lifting 300+ pounds AND eating a steady diet of chicken & creatine supplements). Study after study has proven time and time again that weight training boosts fat-loss efforts, improves performance in other fitness activities and improves bone density. You can scarf down all the milk and calcium supplements you want (*raises hand*), but adding some extra resistance in your workouts will ward off osteoporosis and fractures even more. Running, yoga and Zumba are all great, but don't be afraid to pick up some dumbbells a couple times a week.

Ok, stepping off of my soapbox now.

WHAT I'm currently reading:
Well, technically, all I should be reading is my ACE Personal Trainer Manual, but I need a break from that every once in a while. Right now, I'm pretty much obsessed with Oxygen Magazine. 

I'm letting my subscriptions to Shape, Self and Fitness all expire because I relate to less and less of their content every month. I don't identify with flavor-of-the-month celebs or the numerous underweight models featured on every other page, parading as fitness role models. And when I'm in the mood to read about exercise, I want to read about just that; not flip through dozens of pages featuring beauty products and $500 boots. Can you feel the rage?

Well, Oxygen is not like the others. Forget the anti-aging moisturizers and bring on the butt-kicking workouts! I've gotten 2 issues so far and just reading them makes me feel like a strong, healthy bad-ass. They cover a variety of workout types, share great clean recipes, tell inspiring success stories and feature models who truly do exemplify what eating healthy and working out should look like, without any fluff.

Don't get me wrong; those other women's health mags deserve some credit, but they just seem so shallow to me now. And honestly, if I see another Kardashian being played up to be a source of health/fitness inspiration, I'm gonna need corrective surgery to pull my eyes from the back of my head.

Bonus: You can score a subscription from Magazine Deals Now for a more than reasonable price. (I've used this site tons in the past; it's legit. If you sign up for their mailing list, you get sweet discount codes too.)

What are some of your current Hows & Whats?

Bob ya head.

This morning, I had pretty much the best workout in months. I debated over ditching spin class, ditching the gym altogether, doing something at home, etc. I finally decided that yes, I would ditch spin, but I would still go to the gym and try some new programs on the machines.

Snagged a treadmill and selected an incline interval program. LOOOVE! Maybe I was just in a good mood this morning, but I was totally feelin' running up hills. It was hard. And I loved every minute of it. My favorite moment? Running 6 mph on a 7% incline while this song came up on shuffle:



I'm pretty sure I was smiling through that whole song. I was sweating, breathing hard, legs burning and feeling my heart keep me alive. It was one of those rare moments where I was 100% in tune with my body and completely aware that I was putting forth a damn good effort.

As my 15 minutes came to a close, I knew what had to be next.



I craved that machine, for some sick reason. All but two machines were taken and two old men were quibbling over using the newer model of the two. I knew I had to act fast; I didn't want to run any more and wasn't feeling the elliptical at all. I hopped off the treadmill and snagged the older stair master while Old Man River x 2 continued to yap. The older machine works perfectly fine, it just has a less flashier screen than the others.

I don't remember the exact program I selected, but it whooped my ass. Twenty minutes of various speed intervals. No handles, of course. And yes, I'm bragging because once again, everyone around me was a handle-slave. I kept thinking of bailing out at 10 minutes. Then I got close to 10 and said, "Eh, I'll stop at 15." Well, when I got to 15, I knew 20 was around the corner, so I kept at it. Ended up doing 80+ floors. It was the longest amount of time I've stayed on that machine, so I was feeling pretty bad-ass.

Since I only covered about 1.5 miles during my 15 minute treadmill thing, I ran the last half-mile after my stair-step routine, to even things out. Left a sweaty mess. And felt phenomenal. I know it probably doesn't sound like the most exciting workout, but I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and didn't hate it. I didn't feel like I was struggling or phoning it in. I was working hard and appreciating my own strength. Doing a hard workout is one thing, but being completely engaged and positively reinforced by your own capability is another.

Running & Reviews

Good grief, it's already February. Ugh. Anywho.

This morning, I headed to the gym and tried out a treadmill interval routine that boasted a 500 calorie burn. I'm still not counting calories these days, but I'm sure I burned that 500, if not a little more. It was tough, but it of course went by super fast (my favorite part about interval training) and I felt pretty damn refreshed afterward. Highly recommend! I'd also recommend browsing around the FitSugar website when you have some free time. They have a decent variety of interval workouts on various machines, as well as a lot of food/fitness info.

Quick follow up to my last post: I got a chance to try out my new workout DVDs this weekend.

Jari Love's Extremely Ripped 1000: Great DVD! I'm always hesitant to try new DVDs these days because they usually don't challenge me enough, but this one definitely exceeded my expectations (and made me sweat my ass off).

It's basically a bunch of circuits back-to-back and they all start with 3 minutes of cardio, followed by one minute of strength training, mostly with dumbbells. If you've done 30 Day Shred, it's kind of a similar format (and 3 times longer, haha). The hour routine can be split into two half hour sessions if you prefer. I liked that there wasn't any prolonged breaks in between circuits; Jari just keeps you moving along the whole time so your heart rate stays raised during the majority of the workout.

She has people working out with her in the back and they're all either doing beginner, intermediate or advanced versions of the moves the entire time. I thought this was especially awesome because it enabled me to keep up, instead of getting over/underwhelmed and turning off the DVD. I alternated between intermediate and advanced for a nice challenge.

I did the full hour and just when I thought it was over, she closes with a push-up and ab routine. I definitely groaned when that came up, but I suffered through it anyway (I think it was about 5 minutes or so).

All in all, this one was definitely worth the money. It forces me to get a good amount of strength training in, but also has enough cardio to keep me sweating on the days I don't feel like running or going to the gym for the elliptical or incline training.

So if you are, dare I say it, bored with the Jillian Michaels' DVDs and want a good gym substitute, this is next best thing (in my opinion, of course).

Weight Loss Cardio Kick: I don't have a ton to say about this one... Overall, I liked it, but it definitely didn't bring on as much sweat as I had hoped.

It did fulfill my craving for kick-boxing though. As I mentioned before, I was disappointed with the last few Tae Bo DVDs I got, so it was nice to try something different.

This DVD also works in a bit of strength training with dumbbells as well, so I'll definitely be doing it again. I think I'll just save it for days where I just want to do a fun light-to-moderate workout, versus busting my ass doing something at a higher intensity.


That's about all for now. I will quickly note that Jillian Michaels has a new yoga DVD coming out soon!



I've got it baaaad for this woman, so of course I will be getting it. I totally laughed at the thought of her teaching yoga because it doesn't seem like it would be relaxing at all, but I guess we'll see.

Custom Circuit #1

The night before last, I started thinking about putting together my own strength/cardio routine, so I grabbed a pen and paper and gave it a shot. Completed it yesterday morning. This is what I came up with:

*5-10 min warm-up run on treadmill
*dumbbell squats x 10-12
*50 (or more) jumping jacks
*deadlifts x 10-15
*box jumps x 10
*shoulder press w/ dumbbells x 10-12
*burpees x 20
*push-ups x 10
*50 (or more) jumping jacks
*deadlifts x 10-15
*5-10 min. close out run on treadmill

It was pretty good. Took me 33 minutes to complete and my heart rate was all over the place, mostly high, which was nice to see. Think I need to increase my weight for deadlifts though.

I forgot to mention that we have a treadmill at home these days. Our housemate bought a used one off of a friend for like, $5, so I've been using it. It's old and basic, but still in good shape, so it's been a treat having it around. Especially this morning; I set my alarm for 4:50 am so I could go to the gym, but apparently forgot to turn on the switch (duuhhh moment of the week), so I didn't actually wake up until closer to 5:30. I didn't have time to commute to/from the gym at that point, but I still had time to work out, so I ended up running on the treadmill for 40 minutes. Hooray for back-up at home!

Stairs and sanity.

Well, a meeting at work got canceled this afternoon, so I finally have a proper moment to catch up on some things.

RECIPES! Got some new ones for ya. First one is a casserole dish from one of my favorite sites, Eat Better America. It's called Healthified Chicken Tortilla Casserole. It was awesome! I made my own version based on slightly different ingredients I had (i.e., greek yogurt instead of sour cream, almond milk instead of fat-free milk, etc.) and made 6 servings instead of 8.

Next is one I haven't actually tried yet, but it sounds good: Broccoli Tofu Bake. Again, I'm going to do my own version based on stuff I have. Main thing is I'm adding cheese. It just seems wrong to me to have a broccoli "bake" without melted cheese, heh. Looking forward to making it for dinner tonight!

Had a good workout at the gym this morning. I tried taking a stab at this StairMaster/StepMill interval workout for the second time and I just couldn't hack it. In fact, I crapped out after 20 minutes and I wasn't even doing the same levels that were listed. Once you get to level 8 on the machine I use at the gym, you're pumping pretty fast. Anything at level 9 or above is moving into jogging/running territory at that point. Up moving stairs. Buh. Yes, I'm a sadist, haha.

Last time I tried it, I stuck through the whole 40 minutes, but of course at much lower levels. Even by lowering the levels again this morning, I was just not cutting it. Oh well. New goal to work toward! And, I actually found another workout from the same site that has a beginner's version (scroll down a bit to see it). I think that's a much better level for me to start.

After having my ass handed to me 20 minutes in, I filled the rest of my time with a quick mile run, the elliptical and a few minutes of cool-down on the bike. Definitely left as Sweaty McSweaty Pants. Felt good.

Eating this week has still been going good; I made it through the weekend without binging! It's been a loooong time. Or it's felt like a long time, anyway. Just feeling a bit more empowered this week, overall. We're celebrating Doug's 30th birthday this weekend, so I hope this trend of control will carry over into next week. I definitely plan on indulging, but I don't plan on feeling bloated, guilty and depressed in the days that follow. I just can't perpetuate that cycle anymore. It's too draining.

Gotta get back to work. And new Biggest Loser tonight! Hope everyone is having a great week.

Back, Weigh-in.

Ok- update time (told ya the bout of silence would probably be only a few days, heh).

First, we'll start with this morning's weigh-in: 156.8. A loss of 0.6 pounds. It was/is that time of the month for me and I ate reeeeally shitty last Friday, so that's the best I can hope for. After gaining the past two weeks, I was so relieved to see things go in the other direction this morning, for once.

I'm still in a funk, but I'm working through it. I'm stuck in limbo between wanting to lose more weight and maintaining. As of right now, I'd like to get to 153. That would put me at a total loss of 95 pounds. And once I get there (or if I get there, rather), I'll figure out my new plan of action. For now though, I need to see my good ol' ticker as a reminder of how far I've come:



I get caught up in the numbers in front of me all the time and often forget about past progress. Shame, shame, shame.

I've been eating really healthy this week. Lots of broccoli slaw, bell peppers, acorn squash, spinach, brussels sprouts- the list goes on. Just eating my way through seasonal produce deals, one day at a time, heh.

And then there's fitness. BUUUUHHHH. No, I haven't stopped working out. I wish I could, but I feel guilty and worthless if I don't. I've still been plugging along, every day. Just trying to re-evaluate my routines as well as my relationship with fitness in general. I'm not 100% sure, but after reading some fitness articles, I might have been over-training myself the past, I dunno, 1-2 months? So I'm trying to back down from my usual 600-800 calorie burning sessions and focusing on shorter, higher-intensity routines. For example, this morning at the gym, I did a stairmaster interval workout that kicked my ass, but it went by super fast. Five minute warm-up, 30 minutes of intervals, 5 minute cool-down. I totally couldn't do any level beyond 8, but it was a good challenge that got my heart rate up higher than it has been in weeks. Definitely a much-needed boost. Even though I couldn't do the routine as marked, I still felt accomplished because I made it through something that was hard. Prior to this morning, I haven't felt that sense of accomplishment in weeks because my usual routine was essentially getting easy and I was subconsciously bored and comfortable.

Tomorrow we're going to a Halloween party. I really need to have a somewhat normal weekend where I don't completely blow my points in a single night. I'm not going to plan my strategy too much in advance though, because it usually backfires. I'm just going to try and have as normal of a day as I can and just focus on enjoying myself and being around friends. Booze and candy should just be in the background somewhere, not necessarily the highlight of the evening. I will be at the gym beforehand though, trying out this elliptical interval routine. Gotta get some sort of sweat session in as back-up, I suppose.

There will be more updates in the future, but certainly not daily like I was doing before. And no more food lists because I think everyone has a pretty sound idea of what I eat day-to-day by now. But I'll still share any good recipes/meal ideas I come across.

I'm slowly trying to work out some post-goal issues as best as I can. I've discovered that I still don't have a 100% normal relationship with food yet. And I don't know if I ever will, but it would be nice to at least be less anxious around it. I hate that nagging feeling of desperation that I get in certain food-related situations. It makes me feel pathetic and I want it to stop. I want to feel strong again. And normal.