Black Belt Living

Eat Less, Move More - Month 2

It's March 3rd, and I told you I would be back with an update on my "lose weight and get in shape or else program". Here's the update at the finish of two months/eight weeks.

If you read my update from February 3rd, I was pretty amazed at how much weight I had lost since my start date of January 3rd ~ 14.5 pounds (I think). Well starting on February 3rd, I went into a bit of a stall. My weight basically went up and down a pound or so for the next two and a half weeks. I did manage to earn my 15 pound charm on Valentine's Day. That was a nice treat. 

What did happen in those weeks where the scale didn't move? My jeans started falling off. Literally. I went down not one, but two sizes in jeans in basically a two week time frame. My whole body started changing dramatically. All of a sudden, all my clothes don't fit. This is what I didn't see the entire time that I was losing all that weight quickly in January. So while the scale didn't move, other things were sure changing. Do I wish I would have taken measurements at the beginning of this process?  Uh, that would be yeah! 

I had a pair of jeans in the back of my closet that I had bought probably two years ago that I didn't try on in the store (STUPID, I know!). When I got them home, they were so small that I couldn't ever get them up to my hips, never mind getting them buttoned and zipped. I should have taken them back ASAP, but for some reason I didn't. Around Valentine's Day I tried them on and not only did they fit, but they were a little big. Now I can hardly keep them on. They are literally the ONLY pair of jeans that I can wear right now and they aren't going to work for much longer. That's a good problem to have. 

That weight stall lasted until around the middle of last week, when I dropped three more pounds. Yesterday I was down another 2.8, so that puts me just two tenths of a pound short of that next charm for twenty pounds. The numbers don't quite look like they work out, because I went down then up a bit then down again. I thought about getting the new charm for today's photo, but that would be cheating, so I guess it'll have to wait until next month's update. 

I'm still working out a lot and I've actually ramped it up a bit. Remember that new class where all of the participants look like fitness models?  Well, I've kept that up every week. For two days aftewards, I hurt badly. The instructor finds new ways to punish us every week, so that your muscles never get used to it. Last week we had to run suicide drills. Ugh. Every week I have to psych myself up and try so hard not to blow it off. I keep hoping that it'll get a bit easier every week and that I will learn to like it more. It doesn't, and I don't. I literally hate every freaking minute of that class, but I'm always really proud of myself when I finish it. It's hard core and the other people in the class are uber-fit, so I'm happy to be there and make it through. I keep telling myself that I can do anything for an hour, right?  Yes I can.

I'm also still doing Zumba two or three times/week, walking/jogging a lot outside when the weather is nice, and hitting the gym for cardio and weights. I even tried an Aqua Zumba class last week, although I didn't think it was much of a challenge. I couldn't keep my heart rate up. 

One more thing ~ I found out early in Feb that my LDL (bad) cholesterol is way too high. So now I have to join the ranks of many of my family members in the high cholesterol department. My doc put me on medication, which I hate. Boo. I feel like I've failed myself by having to go on medication. I'm hoping that in time, and with the weight loss, exercise, and medication that I can get it lowered to the point where I won't have to take medication anymore. 

So my latest charm on my bracelet (which I got on Valentine's Day) is a heart charm, to represent taking care of my heart (lowering my cholesterol and improving my fitness level), losing another 5 pounds, and earning it on Valentine's Day. I thought that was appropriate. Hopefully I'll get that next one tomorrow. I haven't decided what I'm going to get yet. 

I want them all to be meaningful. 

I wonder where I'll be on April 3rd! 

28 Days

Well, it's been about 28 days since I updated, give or take a few. 

In those 28 days, I haven't done much of the following:

• take pictures
• digital scrapbooking
• internetting and Facebooking
• time wasting

So what does this mean? It means that I've not been sitting around, I've been moving.... and moving a lot. 

January did kick off "The Great Family Room Makeover of 2011" that seemed to be a natural progression from "The Great Kitchen Pick Me Up of November 2010", but that's a post for another day. 

Basically I decided somewhere towards the end of December that I was just freaking tired of being overweight and out of shape. I was pretty darned fit when I was doing my taekwondo training, but since being retired for a year and having to battle some nerve problems in my lower back, I felt like my body had transformed itself into very a large pile of Silly Putty. Really, the only difference between my body between my knees and my shoulders and Silly Putty is that my body doesn't bounce and you can't make a print of the Sunday comics if you press my flab into the newspaper. I've just had enough. I not diabetic, but it runs in the family and I do NOT want to go there. I'm sick of looking awful, feeling awful, and frankly, I'm completely sick and tired of ugly fat chick fashion.

So with motivation and a bit of inspiration from fellow scrapper and blogger, Cathy Zielske, I decided to just basically eat less and move more. I started back with Weight Watchers. That was four weeks ago today, January 3rd, 28 days ago. 

On January 3rd, I kicked off my move more efforts by trying to do a kickboxing video at home. I thought I would die within the first five minutes. I had to switch over to do something targeted more for the fat instead of the fit. That was a real kick in the shorts for me, Miss Badass Black Belt. I used to be pretty hard core, and now a hard core is just something that was once a pleasant memory and I feared that I was destined for the Richard Simmons set if I didn't change my ways. But I managed to move my body for an hour and work up a sweat. Progress, even with baby steps. The next day, I hopped on our elliptical machine and could barely make it 15 minutes on level one. The third day, I went to the gym to check it out, and went to a Zumba class later in the day and brought Shannon. I didn't die, and we both thought it was fun. I figure if the lady who looks 90 years old could get through it, then so could I. On day four, I joined the gym with my Christmas money and I was off to the races. That was a GREAT move. 

Since that first week, I have been working out consistently six out of seven days/week. I've been doing different things every day so I don't get bored, including snow shoveling. I've also gotten to like watching Dexter episodes while on the ARC trainer or elliptical machine at the gym. I won't let myself quit before the episode is over (about 55 minutes) and I only let myself watch it while working out. Thanks to the iPad, wi-fi, and Netflix streaming for letting me Dexter-out at the gym! 

If you want to know how much you can improve in a month, I'll tell you. Last Friday, I was on the elliptical at the gym for 90 minutes at a level 5 resistance and a 6 incline. That's coming a LONG WAY from where I was on week one. Today I took a new class. I had a clue at the difficulty when the people walking in to take the class all looked like Olympic athletes and fitness models.  Yikes. I'm not going to lie, that class is one of the hardest things I've ever done in 65 mintues. It kicked my ass. It was as hard as any taekwondo workout or P90X DVD that I had ever done and then some. But I kept telling myself that I can do ANYTHING for an hour. And I did do it. I finished it all and I didn't wimp out on anything. I was the only one at the end of the class who looked like they had just come out of the pool.  I'm quite proud of myself. 

As for my weight, I'm normally what I consider a slow loser, losing about a half to one pound/week. In 28 days, according to my scale this morning, I'm down 14.5 pounds. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have expected to be where I'm at in four weeks. If the improvement in my fitness level isn't motivating enough, the weight loss sure is!  

When I started in January, I took a bit of my Christmas money (in addition to joining the gym) and told myself that when I lost 10 pounds, I'd buy myself a Pandora bracelet and a starter charm, and then every five pounds that I lost after that I'd buy a new charm.  I'm almost ready for charm #2!  I like wearing it to remind myself of how well I'm doing and that I'm worth the investment. My first charm is a clock, because this road takes time. 

So that's the scoop. I"m excited to think about where I'll be in another 28 days. That's Monday, February 28th, and I promise that I'll post again with my status and hopefully more charms on my bracelet!

 

Race for the Cure - Northwest Ohio

I'm headed up to Toledo this morning for a reunion of sorts. This past spring, my friend and Delta Delta Delta sorority sister Gretchen Gotthart Skeldon lost her fifteen year battle with breast cancer. This weekend, some of our TriDelt sisters are getting together to run/walk for Gretchen in the Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure. 

Gretchen was probably the kindest, most generous, and positive person that I've ever met in my life. I know that she's touched a bazillion lives in such a positive way over the years and while she will be dearly missed, she'll never be forgotten.

So I'm on the road this morning and staying with my friend Mary Helen, who I haven't seen for probably 25 years and I can't wait! I'm also hoping to catch up with a childhood friend, Teresa, who lives in Toledo. Teresa and I have been friends since I was four years old and she was three. That's a LOT of history right there, people. 

I'm going to attempt the walk tomorrow with my big camera, so we'll see how that goes. I hope I can get some good pics this weekend.

Catch ya on Monday!

This Week's Layover, Weight Watcherville

There is no denying that I've had the good fortune to visit some really great places in the past few months, and I've eaten my way through them. From dessert at The Plaza in New York City, to cocktails in Miami, to seafood in Palm Beach, I've been able to sample the best of some really great food and drink. 

But as we know, all good things must come to an end. In my case, it's a big REAR end, and today we travel to the kitchen for our latest tourist destination, South Beach Diet City with a layover in Weight Watcherville. Because like these ladies, eating Cheetos and drinking pina coladas at the pool is doing it wrong, and I've got enough junk in my trunk to prove it. 

So armed with motivation instead of a margarita, all three of us will be charging forward starting today with healthy eating and a recommitment to exercise. Since retiring from taekwondo last year, I've struggled to find a workout routine that really motivates me. At this point, I have just resigned myself that I probably never will, but I must just suck it up and get it done anyways. Right now the current plan is to get back on track doing something different every day, combining my P90x DVDs, other cardio, bike riding, roller blading, weight training, and yoga (but not the P90X yoga). I'd really like to try to start running, but at 95 degrees and rain-forest humidity levels, I might push that effort off to the fall, when I'm lighter and so is the air. So I'll be getting it done, 5 or 6 days/week, no excuses. 

As for food, we picked our first ripe tomato yesterday and that's a real treat. It's a whole lot easier to eat right with loads of fresh produce to choose from. I've got meals (well, dinners) planned for the whole week. Here they are:

• Monday: Grilled Pork Chops w/ portobello mushrooms, grilled corn on the cob
• Tuesday: Spicy stir fried tofu w/ edamame and purple cabbage, wild rice (no rice for me!)
• Wednesday: leftovers (I'll be out of town for the evening, so the gang will be on their own)
• Thursday: Barbecued turkey drumsticks, fresh green beans, some other side dish
• Friday: Grilled Salmon, roasted cauliflower, cowboy caviar
• Saturday: Chef Salad (a healthy version)
• Sunday: 4th of July BBQ elsewhere

So that's the plan. I'm also motivated to try new things, which means new recipes here on the blog. I have never cooked with tofu before, so if you have any suggestions or recipes, I'd love it if you'd share them with me. My family is very adventurous when it comes to trying new things, so bring it on!

By the way, I use Meals Matter to keep track of my meal planning online and it's super easy. Check it out.

Thrifty Thursday ~ Frugal Fitness

Obviously, we've got our food and fitness groove on this week, so today I thought I'd mention some great buys out there if you're looking to get in shape without starving your wallet!

 

As I said yesterday, the JM workout that I'm doing in the morning is available through Time Warner Cable Fitness on Demand (I'm pretty sure that Comcast has it too check your local cable listings). They have literally hundreds of workouts at all fitness levels for you to choose, so you should never get bored. From yoga to kickboxing, from walking (yeah, you can put on a video and walk for a few miles!) to different types of dancing (like hip hop fitness), it's all there.  Okay, I didn't see any water aerobics. You'll find workouts by many of the country's most popular fitness trainers, like Jackie Warner, Leslie Sansone, Bob Harper, Billy Blanks, Denise Austin, and I think Richard Simmons is even there if he gets your feet moving!  You can even workout with the Girls Next Door.  It's all free with your digital cable subscription.

Gym workouts are cheaper than ever these days. Fitness clubs are facing declining memberships, so now is the time to take advantage of that.  Some have relaxed their long term contracts and will now let you pay month-to-month.  One local gym here is promoting $1 to sign up and $19/month with unlimited classes. That's a fantastic deal. If you're already a member, don't be afraid to ask about renewing your contract to see if you can get a better deal. It can't hurt to ask. 

If you like classes and you're not interested in joining a club or the YMCA, look into local school districts. Their community education offerings often feature fun classes to help you get in shape and make some new friends.  

What's the first thing you're going to see when you walk into Walmart or Sam's Club this month?  That's right, storage bins and fitness equipment!  Now's the time to clear out some space and get that new treadmill/bike/elliptical trainer if you're so inclined.  If you don't want to pay retail, look in the paper, check Craigslist, and even Ebay for a good buy on used equipment. 

Finally, there's always the obvious. Put your shoes on, go outside and run, walk, bike, play with your kids. Fresh air is always free.  Well, there isn't a tax on it yet, so take advantage of that while you can!

Loserville

So did you watch The Biggest Loser last night?  Man, my heart goes out to those people. They're so inspiring!

I know that I'm taking that inspiration and putting it to some good use. Yeah, like everybody else, I jumped back on the wagon to better fitness and weight loss after the holidays, only I decided to start the Monday before New Years instead of after. 

A friend asked me why I decided to start the Monday before the new year when I had a big party to go on New Year's Eve. I guess I figured that if I started on the 29th, I knew I could be down a few pounds by Monday, January 5.  If I waited until the 5th, chances are my weight would only be up. That could quite possibly be a seven pound swing if I was really bad at the party.  So I started, and I was good at the party. When I weighed in on Monday, I was down 4 pounds and I only started moving my arse on Sunday. 

Yeah, I've been embracing my inner sloth for the entire month of December.  Lack of time, being slammed with holiday planning and events, and having no time off from work kept me hopping. Unfortunately, not hopping in the way that burns off all of the Christmas crap that I ate. I haven't been going to taekwondo, I haven't been walking or riding my bike. All I've been doing is running to the fridge and lifting a fork to my mouth, and it hasn't been with healthy food. 

Sunday I jumped on the hated recumbant bike and rode for 75 minutes. I had forgotten why I hate it. I hate it because my feet totally fall asleep and go numb at about the 15 minute mark. When your feet go numb at 15 minutes, it's hard to ride for an hour and fifteen, but I did it!  

Then on Monday I started doing what I never thought I'd do, and that's get up before roosters to work out with Andy. He gets up at 4:50 am to workout and has done this for years (only it used to be even earlier). I am certainly a morning person, but I never thought I could take it to that extreme.  But guess what?  On Monday morning, I got up at 4:50am to work out ~ with Jillian Michaels, no less.  She'll get you going in the morning, let me tell you.  And I got up again yesterday, and again today.  There hasn't been a day that I wanted to get out of bed at that time, but by 5:30am, I'm happy about it!  I get a lot of stuff done, starting out with a good old fashion ass whooping. 

I'm doing Jillian's 30-day Shred program. You do her super intense, 25 minute workout every day for 30 days. It's got three levels, and every ten days, you move up a level (if you're ready to do so).  The reviews are just great and so far I really like it.  It's not fancy or dancy, it's simple and HARD interval training.  The first day I wanted to quit after about two minutes (I didn't) and I think I'm pretty tough about workouts, even if I am out of shape. But despite being SO sore yesterday, it was easier. And it was easier again today, and I think I might just be ready to move up to that next level in seven more days ~ imagine that!

If you're a Time Warner customer, you can find these workouts at Fitness On Demand, or you can pick up the DVD at Amazon for less than ten bucks for all three workouts.  That's a lot of fitness on the cheap, people!

So.  I'm sore. I admit to using the handicapped stall at the office bathroom yesterday, so that I could use the bars to pull myself off the loo.  I know, I know. Pathetic, isn't it?  What hurts?  Well, only my calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, back muscles, biceps and triceps.  My shoulder that was scoped only a few short months ago? It's the only thing that DOESN'T hurt!  I have to say, I am SO pleased with how that surgery turned out, I really shouldn't have waited so long. It really did contribute to derailing my fitness and weight in 2008. It's not an excuse, but it certainly didn't help. Anyhow, despite being outrageously sore, I continue to push through it and hopefully by next week I'll be back to walking normally again, and back to doing taekwondo training in the evenings in addition to my morning dates with Jillian. 

So that's the deal. I've made a deal with myself to get it done this year and I have a lot of work to do. My short term goals are to:

• be down 15lbs. by the time we go to Las Vegas with friends on March 8
• complete the 30Day Shred program without taking a day off

I'm down 6lbs. so far, I think I can make the first one, I hope I can make the second one. I really want to. In March, or when I hit that 15lbs. I'll get new goals.  

So, are you in the same boat? I know a lot of my friends and faimly members are, even Oprah. What's your plan? I'd love to hear about it!