Dukan't...Apparently!

So the Attack faze is supposed to be pure protein without extra fat only.  It lasts at MOST 10 days.  If you are 40lb overweight, you do 10days. Still not that long, and all I can manage is 5 days.  I will say I did good for the circumstances. All week there's been : M&M cookies, strawberry whip cream cake, red velvet cake.  Then Krystal came home on Sat and she brought homemade red velvet cake balls with white chocolate frosting and vanilla cake balls with chocolate frosting and she brought a  raspberry cheesecake ice cream cake. Pam's birthday was yesterday.  I still resist. I decided to work Fri and Sat night bc I need the money. Before I leave Sat they order 3 different Papa John's Pizza.  I still do not eat.  I came home this morning (Sun) and I actually debate with myself and I eat the healthy meat I have. Not hungry but I want something else So I first eat just the cheese off the cheese pizza. Cuz it's protein (has fat but better than carbs). Then I debate some more...I decided to eat the sausage and pepperoni pizza.  That gets the ball rolling....I decide to eat just 1 of each cake ball. Then I decided to have 2 of each.  Then i just ate a corner of the strawberry frosting of the cake.  And had the ice cream cake been defrosted a bit, I would've eat that too.

So no workout yet.  I might try to get one in.  I'm still debating Easter dinner.  I weigh in at work tomorrow...but I could work out extra hard. I don't know. So that's it for now.  No work tonight. So yay about that.

Motivational Article

I thought this was an interesting article that one of the people on my spark people shared.  It can be applied to the "whole" of your life not just weight loss.

www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/201303
28120321-36052017-be-a-hero-five-steps
-to-vanquish-any-problem

I especially like 2. Be responsible.  The price of innocence is impotence.  Of course I'm looking at this one for work. 3.  Forget what you don´t want – Focus on what you want.  As far as weight loss I can focus on what I look like and that's not a problem but for life and work things in general it usually is what I don't want.  And the example with the bear is funny bc I was really trying hard. Lastly 4. Take one eye off the ball – Go for the gold. I'm so focused on day to day...I need to have a big lofty goal to work towards-big dreams.


Just my quick thoughts for the day. This article was shared by the same lady who wrote the Consistency blog.  I'm working OT tonight just need the money really bad.  But still have 2 nights off that I won't be working. However after this point if I want to get some things done it might be OT every WE both days.  Also, I am now able to pick up on my little activities tonight I'm starting Hula!

SP WI +

So I waited until I finished all my workouts to weigh in bc initally all I have was a .6 loss.
SP last wk 225.6
SP this wk 223.6, -2

I don't know if I told your the exact break down of the SP challenges but the week start on WED, which is WI day and rest day.   Thur is the first Challenge TNT (tighten and tone) just try to do as many strength rep and each rep is a point, then its WE challenge (Fri-Mon) and differ teams come up with nutrition/diet challenges and assign point to them , Tue is LCW (last chance workout) This is get as many exercise min as possible.

Since this is the next to last week, It's basically get as many workout minutes possible from Wed to Tue. TNT and LCW are just incorporated in that and there is no WE challenge as a result.  However this is motivating me as well as the diet thing.

I checked out the blog. I totally get what she's saying....but it's  just easier to do with "motivation". I understand it's a slippery slope though cuz if it's gone what do you do. I know what I do...I eat!

Ok I am dog tired between yesterday and today I've done 325min and if I get up early enough I might do some more. I think I might have strained my ankle...it's sore when I do certain movements. I'll ice and elevate and see what happens..

I thnk holding off on the homework would be great. Work is over on Mon (yeah right after Easter) and only 2 more wks on SP.

How is your workouts coming?  Eating?

Way!

So I started day 1 on Dukan...basically. I totally ran out of time to cook actual meat but had Plain Greek Yogurt (on the list) and splenda and bought Oat bran (1.5 T req. every day). So that's what I ate...I needed to keep it light anyways bc of SP weigh in. I had a .6 loss but I'm going to go workout before I make it official to see if I can get at least a solid pound this week. There are 645 people participating in the SP BL and I'm #21 on % of weight loss overall and the top loser on the Outlaws team so far! Yay!  I don't want to lose that bc today is week 11, next to the last week. WOW! That went by fast.

Also, I am keeping track of LT.  Darn that method I used was pretty darn accurate.  It said I should start on the 23 and I started on the 22!  My eating did go out the window....but I consciously did it. It wasn't like a surprise. Now to work on that "oh I don't care attitude" is going to be harder. I know what I'm doing is detrimental but I literally at that moment don't care.   Any ideas?

Also, I started C25K day 1. It was so easy and I like that.  I'm not doing the rest days so hopefully that won't affect the running so much. It shouldn't bc really I'm not starting from the Couch per say.  Anyhow will update on weight after I go burn some calories!

Home WI + New Diet

Ok will the SP always has a WE challenge F-M and usually has some kind of eating thing. This time it did not and I went to town! I ate whatever, whenever! So I expected a gain and got a whopper of one.

Mon 3/18 226.6
Mon 3/25 229.6, +3

Now what have I done since then to get it back. Nothing. Eating the same, but went to the library and browsed different dieting books.  I came across the Dukan Diet and remembered everyone talking about it during the Will and Kate wedding. So I checked it out. The first phase is Atkins to a "T" with the exception of not allowing fat, so no cheese, processed meats, fatty meats like ribs, duck,etc.  It only lasts 2-10 days. The big difference I see, I'm only a quarter of the way thru is that on Atkins there's no timetable and there's no concrete instruction on when to move on. It's like stay in this phase until you get to your ideal wt and then gradually add 5g of carbs for a week, if you lose wt add another 5 if you gain that is where your carb threshold is.  On Dukan, It's spelled out. Everything from the amount of time at eat stage (there's 4), what to eat at each stage and how and when and what to do for maintenance part. It's for someone like me who doesn't want to do the legwork. I know it's a gimmicky diet but I only have one week left on the work WL competition and I need a Big loss. Also I lost tons on the Atkins when I did it faithfully but got bored with it, so I'll see what this one does for me.  My last WI for work will be 4/2 and I'm going to do the Attack Phase for this whole week (once I get the stuff today).  The big thing about this diet is there's no counting calories and I can eat as much of the approved foods that I want. So if you want to do a food homework/competition thing, I can figure out something comparable to cal counting.

The workouts are going ok...I still haven't found that class that I love in the afternoon. I keep trying to make the 9am classes but I totally oversleep. I think it will be afternoons for now. I did a 30m hula dvd, completely easy, yesterday.  I'm going to ripped at 430 today.   I'm doing the c25K program too. So if I can get to the gym early I'll start day 1 today.

Oh and I still haven't sent out your thing.  I'm going to ....probably this weekend.

Catch up!

Ok, I didn't even look to see when my last post was so if I repeat..Sorry!I'm thinking I'm just a week off. So here's the WIs:

Home:
Mon 3/11 229.8
M 3/18 226.6, -3.2 (not as great as it looks- that was my SP 3/13 WI &  goofed off all WE. more on that)

SP:
Wed 3/13 226.6
Wed 3/20 225.6, -1

Work: this should be incredible bc WI every 2 wks but it's not...pathetic and no exscuses
Fri 3/8 228.0
Fri 3/22 227.0, -1

It is the eating that is killing me. I have to take responsibility for my actions bc no one is putting a gun to my head and making me eat. BUT I have no will power and IF I was living alone I think I would be so much more further along. I might stop along the way to or from something to get something to eat. But if I have a craving I'm not one to hop in the car and go to the store to get it. Way too much work for me. That being said this week Em had a couple of functions at school and she brought the leftovers home bc they were just going to throw the food away.  These gallon freezer bags were stuffed, so I get where she is coming from. I'm talking chicken tenders in one, veggie eggrolls in another and bbq meatball in another. Also 2 solo cups filled with really soft oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip cookies. REALLY! But it would've killed me too to see all that perfectly good food go to waste. But here's the flipside, everyone will eat it for about a day, maybe 2. But then it just sits there until I eat it. Blah!! Good news I finished off the oatmeal raisin cookies and most of the chocochips. Haha.  Bad news we still have chicken tenders, egg rolls, and meatballs--the meatballs are REEEDICULOUS good.

We have 2 more weigh ins for SP and I more WI for work. The one at work ends April 2. I can still do really well I just have to dig in...or NOT dig in, if you will.  I'm going to really start watching everything tomorrow. Workouts have been a little wonky. Last time I was on 3rds I would workout right after work and stay up til 2 or 3 and then go to bed. But this time around I've been going to sleep first, wake up and go to the gym between 4 and 7 pm. There's no way I can make the 6ams I love but a couple of the 9ams are ok.  The afternoon ones I'm not so sure about. Even the same class with same instructor (differ Y) the class isn't as hard. Like maybe the instructor is tired by the afternoon but I don't feel the need to push.  I"ll figure it out. I did 1 afternoon yoga that's a no and a step class that's a no.  So at least I'll get variety while I try to  find a routine. Also, excited and have a little butterflies but the Y is offering a training program to run an 8K which is 4.97 miles. It's like $35 and then on June 1 there is a race which you have to register for separately on your own but I'm thinking of doing it. I got all the paper work. So that might be the next thing.

Great job on doing IRELAND...even though you switched a couple of things really proud you at least had it in you finish.  For that I will be sending something in the mail.  You know hopefully soon but sometimes that pot of gold likes to sit around and procrastinate. I'm thinking MON.

Also, Yay for going to the gym! It is easier going with someone isn't it? How is Roshell, btw? You guys reconnecting on the workout front. I know she can be hardcore too. So if she is still, that should help you.

Ok that's it for now. I  don't know how blogging next week will go but it should be smoother than this week.

On 3rds

I started 3rd shift Sunday night and I'm still getting adjusted. My workouts are fine but my eating is wacky doo. I'm doing a quick thing before the weekend where I can really catch up. Just wanted to let you know what was going on and of course still doing the SP. Only 3 wks left and 4 wks at work. Ok..Promise to write more this weekend.

Bodybuilding.com - 4 Ways Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Your Workouts

Bodybuilding.com - 4 Ways Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Your Workouts

Well, found something.

On ehow they gave step by step approximation and I'm going to use that until I have  a more accurate picture. But you can totally give me a more immediate homework if you want. So my next three estimated start dates are March 23, April 20 and May18.  

I read like 4 articles but the one that I like most is actually dealing with body building women who are fit but I think the principles are pretty sound. Here's a link if you want to take a look. It's not very long and pretty interesting:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/4-ways-your-mentrual-cycle-affects-your-workouts.html

I'm not quite sure what my action steps are going to be. I know that I have to curb the eating but the article gave an idea about being really good the 2 wks before and then not really worry about LT week. Obviously not go over board. I think the wk before PMS, I'm usually under a few days. Then the wk of PMS, I go crazy and the wk during I'm ok.  The problem is it looks like my psychological stuff coincides with crazy to make me not care and I'm not sure what to do about the hormones.   

Any way just writing out loud. I am going to pay more attention to how I feel and react and when along the month. So Step 1: write out in a journal an very detailed description of what's going on.  Once the pattern is figured out, I'll move on to action steps 2 and 3.  

Ok  I have some SP stuff to do so I'll write more tomorrow.

Blah!

This is a quickie I have to work at 5am tomorrow which is really 4am . And it's 1137pm but really 1237 am. Darn DST.  I tried to figure out when my next LT time is going to be alot of sites with automatic calculators but I have to know the how many day in between times and I haven't a clue.  Maybe I'll wait til next LT and try to figure it out that way? I look into it some more  but just wanted to let you know I'm working on it./

WIs + Review

Last home WI 233.2
3/4 home  WI 231.2, -2 lbs

Last SP WI  230.8
3/6 SP WI    228.6, -2.2 (WOOT! out of 230s!)

Feb Review:

I did ok in Feb. I weighed 234.0 on 2/4 and ended up at 230.8 on 2/27. Down a total of 3.2 lbs this month, though not even 1lb a week.  I know I had some hellacious eating days, so an overall loss is pretty good. BUT I definitely do MUCH better.

Year in Review:

Starting wt on Jan 2 was 251.8 and as of today Mar 4 228.6 which is a grand total of 23.2 lbs. Not bad for 3 month almost 2lbs a week. Again definitely can do better but it could be worse like a gain or I could still be at the same weight. I just need to step it up.

I haven't worked on your homework yet but I will probably tomorrow. I'll probably have a little more time.

That's it for now.  Oh, and my eye was fine by the afternoon. I don't know what it was, I thought it was going to be a sty luckily it just went away.

Off to get ready for work and eat something healthy!

Only Your Homework

DO NOT PANIC!  This homework blog is only super long because I got creative. It did start off short and sweet but the more creative I felt I just added a lot of  fluff for your enjoyment. 

HOMEWORK:  March 11-17

This week ends with St. Patrick’s Day.  To CELEBRATE this holiday, cardio is going to be taking place in “I.R.E.L.A.N.D.”.  Watch out for those sneaky leprechauns. They try to put unmotivational mojo on you! Any unmotivational, unproductive thought that comes into your mind is being planted by them. Do NOT let them get the best of you for this one week.  If tasks are completed,  the pot of gold  at the end of the rainbow will be yours!  So let’s get started.  Each letter will correspond to a PHYSICAL activity that is to be completed each day. “I” on MON, “R” on TUE, “E” on WED,  etc.  This should be your second week of exercising so you should be able to push yourself a little harder! J Also, blog to let me know how your doing. 

“I”- For Monday, your first stop is in the city of Intervals. With its jumping nightlife, you can go to the many fast paced raves or the equally abundant slower paced jazz clubs. I recommend you switch back and forth between the two. Your Task:   At  least 15 min of interval exercise. Intervals are when you switch back and forth between a harder exercise and an easier exercise.  The hard execise is half as long as the easier exercise.  Here are some examples you can use: Walk-reg. pace, 2m; walk-fast pace, 1m; walk-reg pace 2m, jump rope 30sec; or you can combine both of those; make up your own. Here’s a link for more info on Intervals and at the end of the article there is a link to show more examples.

http://exercise.about.com/od/intervaltrainingworkouts/a/Interval-Training.htm

 “R”- On Tuesday, the city of Resistance training is your second destination.   It’s an old school industrial city characterized by interesting architecture with its hardcore heavy metal buildings and cookie cutter Irish houses.  Your Task: Intermix some weight training with cardio. Why? Because muscles burn more calories and adding weights to cardio will help you lose weight faster.  Here are some examples of what you can do: As your walking add whatever wt dumbells you have OR use 2 soup cans, find a dvd at the library (Jillian Michaels 30 day shred fits this category-only 20 min) or make up your own exercise just be sure to include wts. I put in part of an article that I found to be helpful and interesting. But if you need more convincing, I added another link to a different article at the end (Sorry, it’s a bit long).

Part of Article: “Did you know that strength training is crucial for successfully losing weight and keeping it off?  It doesn't have to be a huge, hulking workout where you're trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, it just has to be some basic strength training.

Why is strength training important for losing weight?  Most believe if you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain body fat. While that's true, it's only part of the picture. Sure, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how does your body actually use calories? It's your lean body mass, that muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to actually eat more calories without gaining weight.

Let's say you happen to be quite obese and you have a high percentage of body fat…underneath that body fat you actually have a very strong skeleton and strong muscles. Your body has built up those muscles in order to carry all of that extra body fat when you move your body. Just the very act of standing up, walking across a parking lot, going up a flight of stairs or lifting your arms requires more effort when you're overweight, especially if you're obese. So the heavier you are, the stronger your muscles have to be just to allow you to do basic, everyday things.

Now this can actually work to your advantage -- if you manage to keep all of that muscle mass and bone density in place while you are losing body fat... This will leave you with a greater proportion of lean body mass to body fat, meaning that you will be slimmer, yet you'll have the muscles that you had when you were overweight.”

http://www.crankyfitness.com/2009/01/strength-training-for-beginners.html

“E”-The scenic beach town, far away from the city is Endurance.  You'll see nothing but beach and water for miles around this town. This is your Wednesday destination. Your task: Pick any and all physical activity (jump rope, trampoline, walk, jog, dvd, etc) and rack up minutes. You are trying to get as many minutes as possible today.  It can be broken up in 10m  (5m for something like jumping rope, hopping-not walking unless it’s speedy), if you like. Think of this kinda like a Last Chance Workout without the weigh in.  This should be you highest physical activity day of the week.  BTW, anything that gets your heart rate up counts. So if you have to take stairs at work and it takes you 2m add that 2m to your total workout minutes.

“L”- The fourth destination is the slower paced, quaint little country town of Lunges and Lengthening. This town makes you feel like you’re in Mayberry with Andy, Opie and Ant Bea.  The people are friendly & everything moves at slower pace.  Your task: Do 3 sets of 10 or 30 total lunges (each leg). This can be broken up thru out the day or all at once. Link on lunges: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=22

The Lengthening task is to do a 10 min warm up and then stretch each muscle, holding the stretch a few seconds. Do this for 10min at least 3 times this day AND/OR do a yoga DVD or sparkpeople yoga video (which might even be easier) .

“A”-The fast paced city of Aerobics and Abs is your Friday destination. With its skyscrapers and  millions of people, it has the feel of NYC.  Your task:  For Aerobics, pick a dvd and do it.  Go old school like Jane Fonda,  perky pants like Denise Austin, hardcore like Billy Blanks, any number to choose from. For abs, I need 50 crunches any style: regular, twists, bicycle. This is in addition to the dvd. If the dvd  had crunches, great but you can’t count those towards the 50. Again, do them all at once or spread out throughout the day!

“N”- Your trip is winding down and you need to relax. No better way than to go to one of the finest bed and breakfasts called No Activity and Nutrition. It has cute color themed rooms. One to your liking might be the firefly room with different shades of yellow. Get your massage, mani and pedi on!  You’ve worked hard all week! Your Task:  Focus on resting those muscles and concentrate on your nutrition.  Follow the eating guideline you set out for yourself.

“D”- Final destination in I.R.E.L.A.N.D.  lands on St. Patrick’s Day! It’s very fitting that your last spot to visit is the fun, touristy city called Dancing.  People leave here happy and in good spirits. Good food, Good drink and Good shopping! Your task:  This is an “active rest” day.  You can go as hard or easy as you’d like.  I remember you have a dance dvd hopefully you know where it is. But you can also do Zumba dvd or youtube, salsa, line dance, turn on your own music and shake your booty, etc. However you like but at least 30m, continuous or broken into 10m. When you're done get yourself a little green drink!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY! 

Tips: Sparkpeople has a ton of videos if you just don’t feel like messing with it. Youtube is surprisingly good with the workout vids too. 

Please blog and let me know how you do each day. Ask if there are questions.