Ready For Summer Challenge!

Ready For Summer Challenge!: Setting goals for the challenge!: If you haven't signed up for this challenge, it's not too late!


It's time to set your goals for what you wish to achieve in this 10 week challenge. The idea is to pick one goal (or more) in these four categories:

1. Weight loss - My goal weight: 140  (.8 lbs per week lost)
2. NSV (Non-Scale Victory) -  BMI: 23  BodyFat%: 22%  A firm size 6, able to do 20 push ups, and to lose the cellulite on the back of my thighs before I wear my bikini by the pool.
3. Exercise - continue current routine - 6 days a week, mix it up, weights 2-3 times a week 
4. Nutrition - EAT CLEAN, eliminate sugar, NO artificial sweeteners.  I'd like to gradually do away with the points counting too, once I get a better grasp on what amount of things to eat to stay in weight loss mode.  I'm starting to see that point values really don't provide nearly enough info to be the sole basis of my diet choices.  

Today I ate 21.5 pts - all healthy, energizing pts, w/ nothing I regret.

Exercise:  Tae Bo  (-6 pts)

TOTAL:  15.5 pts

Oh, and I tried stevia today.  It's very sweet, no funny after taste, and I'm eager to bake something w/ it soon.   Thanks for the tip, Annie!  

Day 50 - I feel awesome!

I'm looking up healthy, lite, clean-eating recipes and planning my menus.  Can't wait for next week's weigh in and a whole new month after that to keep making progress before May.  I just feel awesome!!
Weird how I just decided one day to do this, and am doing it.  Those half-hearted attempts to tone up/slim down before - I didn't know I'd succeed, so I didn't.  This time, something just clicked, and I've decided I'm doing it.  And that's what it takes.

Today I ate almost exclusively clean foods, except for one evening snack (a Fiber 1 brownie).  
Ate 31 pts
Exercise: The Firm Total Sculpt, Firm 5 Day Abs (-4 pts)
TOTAL: 27 pts  (w/ 5 flex pts)

I made some brown basmati rice w/ my grilled veggies and chicken tonight, and I didn't check the nutrition label ahead of time.  My Weight Watchers points value book lists brown rice as 4 pts for 1 C.  I had 3/4 C.  Later on I decided to double check the points and discovered it was a full 9 pts worth of rice I ate!  Ack!!!  Won't be doing that again.  1/4 C, max. (I have leftovers to use w/ black beans tomorrow, and some grilled veggies leftover too, which it would be nice to eat over rice for another meal.)

Skinny.  Yuck.  

Today I'm posting a motivational pic for healthy eating.  I don't ever use the word "skinny" in a positive way.  To me, this looks pitifully out of control.

Day 49. This months diet is next month's body.

I was falling asleep last night when I remembered more stuff I ate at the party that I'd forgotten to count with my points.  I'm considerably OVER my allotted 35 flex pts for the week.  That's not good.  But it's also not necessary horrible.  I have been overestimating and rounding up my food points values all week, and rounding down/underestimating my activity points.  Plus, with 3 Insanity workouts in the mix, the most vigorous cardio I can freakin IMAGINE,  maybe - perhaps - pleasepleaseplease - I won't have crept back up over 150 this week.

Oh, how I regret those food mistakes now.  Not all of them....but the ones that put me over the 35 flex pts, for sure!  I won't do that again this coming week.  On Friday, I was 100% certain I was losing weight and couldn't wait to see the difference Tues morning.  Then the stupid weekend...and now I'm not sure what to expect.  Again.  Damn!

Today I ate 29 pts
Exercise:  Insanity Core Cardio & Balance (-5 pts)
TOTAL:  24 pts

Total for the week:  ate 226 pts  (154 daily allotted, plus 35 weekly flex pts, plus 37 additional pts)
Activity Points: 30 (leaving an excess 7 pts consumed.)

Clean eating report:  Definitely making progress, but have a very long way to go still.  I have a completely different frame of mind when I go grocery shopping, and I'm looking for things I don't usually prioritize on the labels.  It's not just about low cal/low fat anymore.  I was amazed at the crap in the ingredients list of the yogurt I've been buying.  Breads - forget it!  (That's an easy thing to change though, once you locate the good local brands.)  Sweeteners - still feeling that one out, and not sure I'll stick with the agave nectar.  I may just go back to raw sugar and try to limit it much more.  No more splenda though.  I made my own soup and croutons early this week, which was pretty great!  Nothing I didn't want in there, and everything I DID want.  Like with exercise, it's good to feel really in control of what you're eating too.

No idea what to expect with weigh in tomorrow, but I'm about to bust my a$$ w/ Insanity again right now, so I can at least feel like I've improved my endurance and increased my metabolism, even if I didn't burn enough fat for a weight loss this week.

(God, I hope I did though!!!!)

I love this motto and image.  I've started to imagine myself this summer, thanking myself today for the effort I'm putting in that I won't fully appreciate until then.  Well - not entirely true.  I'm appreciating it each time I experience a little success.  But when I reach my goal, I imagine it will feel so much better, and I'll be grateful for the effort now. Me thanking me. because i'm the one shaping this summer's bikini body, right now, every day, with every food and exercise choice I make.  Man, that's motivational!

Day 48. Worst day of a good week.

I can't get discouraged that I ate so much junk today.  In my life, there will be birthday party days when I just want to enjoy the food.  Thanks to wiser choices the rest of the week, I had plenty of flex points left to allow me to just enjoy today's buffet without ruining my week.  I still have 2 flex pts left for 1 day/tomorrow.  I can handle that.  Sure, I regret having a piece of cake (which wasn't very good anyway), but honestly - I don't regret the penne ala vodka.  That was worth saving up flex pts all week for, and I savored every bite.  I skipped the wine and stuck with water.  I brought my hummus and whole wheat pita chips to munch on so I could more easily resist the cheese and cracker table.  (Not a single cracker/cheese!)  But that cake.  >sigh<  how do you not have a piece of a 4 yr old's pink iced chocolate cake when your own daughter decorated it and you help her cut it to distribute to all the guests?

So it's another night of Insanity workout tonight.

Someone at the party asked me if I'd lost weight.  :)

Today I ate 42 pts
Exercise:  Insanity Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs (-5pts)
TOTAL: 37 pts   (w/ 15 flex pts)

I'm wearing my skinny jeans! (I just don't look very good in them.)

I find this incredibly humorous.  I'm wearing my size 8 Calvins with the tight, tapered legs and high waist (so the muffin top has no where to escape...the zipper just won't zip if there's muffin-batter there.)  Now I haven't actually OFFICIALLY outgrown these.  When I'm extra pudgy, I just don't bother trying them on, but they're always in my closet as part of my clothing options, and when I think I'm less pudgy I put them on and lay down flat to try to zip them up, then try not to bust the button off by inhaling, or to sit down.  I have frayed a seam in the front due to the intense pressure.  (Kinda cute fray!  Looks like it's meant to be there, as long as there's not a little knob of flab bulging through.)

I haven't tried them on in a few months now.  Til today.  They zipped up no problem.  They're less than cumfy when I sit down and the waistband is buried about 8 inches into my gut.  But that's just sitting.  When I stand, they fit like a dream!!!  Perfectly fitted with nothing feeling tight!  WHOO-HOO!

The humorous part is that, as psyched as I am to be wearing them, I do not look good in them.  I fully realize this.  They show every flaw.  My belly isn't flat yet, and without a flat belly, one should not be wearing form fitting clothes.  I know this.  I see it.  But I wore them anyway.  Because they fit.  :) I wore a long cardigan over my fitted Tshirt w/ them, to retain a bit of dignity.

YAY!  I'm wearing my skinny jeans!  I'm making progress!  This is a GOOD day!

Just for the record: I hate "skinny".  I'm just using the common term for this style of jeans.  I find actual skinniness to be pretty gross, and would take pudgy over skinny any day.  Honestly.


EDITED later:
Just took some pics w/ my skinny jeans, then when I went to change I noticed that they are, in fact, a size 6 - NOT a size 8!  Nice!!

I still don't look good in them. >chuckle<   It's just not a flattering cut for me.  But they served me and my motivation very well today.   :)

Day 44: It's all about planning your meals! I've figured it out.

It is so easy to stay on track when you plan out your meals ahead of time.  If I wait til I'm hungry to start figuring out what I want to eat, I'm thinking with my taste buds primarily, and pressured by what's most convenient/quickest.  Neither of those deciding factors seem to coincide with what's best for my real goal.

I'm having a perfect eating day today, and feeling great about it!  I just figured out I have 6 pts left today, which limits my dinner options.  (Since I know I'll need a little something between now and dinner - a handful of almonds, probably.)  I just planned a grilled chicken over spinach salad meal, with this mango curry sauce I recently bought.  I had to google the nutritional info to make sure it's all good...it's VERY good - very low calorie, good ingredients, no fat, keeps the points low but makes the meal really tasty.  If I workout tonight too, I can even have a sice dish w/ the salad, or a later-evening snack tonight.  (Since I workout quite late, that comes in handy.)

PM update:

That worked out well!  Now I'm about to plan out tomorrow's menu, and then do my workout.  I'm adding some weighted toning exercises each night now.  I don't just want to burn flab.  I want better muscle tone.
I think feeling in control may feel every bit as good as feeling fit and toned.

Today I ate 29.5 pts
Exercise: The Firm Maximum Cardio Burn (w/8-12" step and 10 lb dumbbells.  I hate spelling dumbbells with 2 b's, even if it is "correct".  It's silly.)  Firm Abs, 60 bridges/butt crunches w/ 10 lb weight (-5 pts)
TOTAL: 24.5 pts - make it 25.

Day 43 - I'm sorta enjoying this!

I found some bread - finally - that fits the CLEAN EATING category.  Check this out!

Ingredients: Stone ground whole wheat flour, water, yeast & salt.

I made homemade tomato soup w/ basil & garlic, and baked up some "grilled" cheese w/ reduced fat cheddar, part skim mozzerella and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan on 1 slice of this bread, halved.  I also baked up/toasted some croutons from this bread to throw on top of the soup.  It was divine!!  I love getting psyched for a meal and feeling so great afterwards - my belly and my mind, all while staying on track.  Talk about feeling in control!  

Today I consumed 32 pts - most very healthy, except those 3 big bites of crappy carrot cake.  (It was crappy - from a box mix. Soooo not worth the bites.)  

Exercise:  Tae Bo, Firm Abs and 50-ish butt crunches w/ 10lb dumbell on my hips.  (-6 pts)

TOTAL: 26 pts  (w/ 4 flex pts)

Motivation pic - THANK YOU to the faceless chick who 1st posted this online.  You clearly rock!

6 Week Progress Pics

Starting pics - Jan 31, 2012 - 154.4 lbs (5'5")

6 Weeks Progress Pics - Mar 12, 2012 - 149.8 lbs

It may be silly, but my new workout clothes make me even more psyched to exercise, and to watch my muscles working in the mirror.   I don't see much of a difference in my 6 week progress pics - just a very, very slight difference in my waist.  The biggest difference I notice in the mirror when I workout is in the muscles in my arms, actually.  

I've had an excellent week.  I'm psyched for weigh in tomorrow morning.  I haven't switched over to clean eating completely, but I'm paying attention to it, and noticing when I'm eating things I could improve on.  That's a good 1st step.  I've cut out Splenda, tried and liked agave nectar, (plan to buy), I've been making a lot more of my own "clean" meals to bring to work, snacking on almonds between meals to avoid hunger and keep my metabolism up, I've increased my protein and decreased my bread intake significantly, I've gone out to eat twice and ordered the only healthy clean foods both times:  black bean soup w/ cilantro, shrimp cooked in lime chopped up w/ onion and avocado...and a grilled chicken breast w/ onion and avocado on a multi grain roll - which I halved.  My one indulgence this week was a chocolate croissant while out w/ my guy this weekend.  (It was heavenly.)

Today I consumed 22 pts. (I ate enough - just very low point value foods.)
No exercise today


I have 12 flex points unused this week.
I consumed 189.5 pts
I burned off 23 activity pts w/ 6 workouts
TOTAL:  166.5 pts 

Put the pizza down and walk away!

I ate so well all day, but picked up pizza for for dinner for me, my parents and my daughter.  Ordered a whole wheat w/ garlic and eggplant.  They messed up and it wasn't whole wheat.  I ate 2 pcs and was happy.  Slightly over my points, but my workout would take care of that.  Sat there thinking of a 3rd piece...spent a good 4-5 min debating it and *should have* just gotten up and left the table, rather than sitting there looking at the dried fried hot peppers topping that make the pizza so much better than great.  And I thought of my flex points.  And I thought of my workouts.  And I thought of my motivational pics.  And I thought of the eggplant and cheese.  And I thought of my waist, and the scale, and my cute bikini awaiting summertime....  I had decided NO, and I was telling myself I chose wisely and should leave the room now.  But no - I took a 3rd piece.  It was a small one, but still...it's pizzeria pizza.  Just not a good choice.

So now I'm doing the Insanity workout this evening.  By far my hardest workout.  I actually freakin hate it.  BUT, I do really love that exhausted, totally worn out feeling when I'm done.  That's pretty great, I must say.  Tae Bo comes sorta close - like a little more than halfway there.

So - today I ate 36 pts
Exercise:  Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit (-5 pts)
TOTAL:  31 pts  (9 flex pts)
(I wonder if perhaps I'm over-estimating my workouts.  I've been considering Tae Bo high intensity, but it's not compared to Insanity.  So if Insanity is High Intensity, 40 min, 150 lbs - that's 5 pts.
Tae Bo is 15 min longer, but not as intense - 55 min high intensity, 7 pts.  No way can Insanity be burning less than Tae Bo, even if it is shorter.  No way.

I'm taking all my workouts down a point.  It can't hurt to underestimate them, and I have to leave room in the intensity scale for this insane Insanity stuff.  :)  The worst that can happen, if I'm wrong but follow this anyway, is I'll lose more fat.  Not a bad deal.

Day 38

It's weird - my motivation came back with a vengeance today, once I decided to care more about how I feel than how the scale acts.   I had a good friend who lost over 100 lbs on WW a few years ago, and I remember her updates about bad weeks, bad moods, strange fluctuations in her progress, etc.  The thing is, she made steady progress, including ups and downs, and she changed her whole life permanently.  She never ate the same, she never felt the same, and the ups and downs along the way were just that - "along the way" - not a sign of success or failure.  As long as she cared and focused on her eating and exercise habits, she was succeeding.   Let's be real - once I hit my goal, I'm more than likely going to have weeks in my life in years to come when I eat poorly or get lazy or for any other reason, put on a couple lbs.  It doesn't have to mean i've lost control and failed.  It could just mean I have to eat lighter for a week, or exercise a bit more to get back to where I want to be.  Big freakin' deal, right?

I am in control.

Today I had a miserable headache that got so intense I was nauseous. So I didn't eat much.  What I did eat was healthy and filling. I found a fabulous new bread at Hannaford's - no weird ingredients, no high fructose anything.  Love it!  I skipped my coffee today (which likely accounts for my headache), and am going to switch to tea, which I always used to drink instead, but that yummy coffee smell is just so appealing.  Picked up some green tea today, which will be accompanying me to work tomorrow.  Wish me luck - the addiction isn't just to caffeine, but to the whole process of stopping to pick up my coffee in the morning and sipping from it as I go through my emails at my desk.  Yes, I can sip from my green tea mug, but the taste is so very different that the whole thing will feel different.  I'll probably need to open a window with my blog on it, so my motivation pics will remind me what I'm doing and why.


Today I ate 21 pts
Exercise: Crunch Burn & Firm (w/ 8lb dumbells); Firm 5 Day Abs (-3 pts)
TOTAL: 16 pts

THANK YOU, whoever posted this butt pic online for the world to see and get motivation from!
I like seeing what's possible with some discipline and determination.  My butt is very much
"before" picture-ish now.  

Day 34 - dessert doesn't count if broken in pieces, right?

I ate horribly today.  Gotta admit it and move on.  A ring ding.  Half a raspberry rugalach (half b/c I'm eating wisely, of course.  duh.)  An inch sq. of coffee cake.  1/4 slice of banana bread.  A butter cookie.  (A whole one b/c I figured by that point "eh, who the hell am I kidding?")

Yes, I dipped into everything that was presented to me today.  Some at home, some at my friends' house, all gathered around the table full of snacks...which I should NOT have been sitting at!!  Ugh.

My points aren't excessive today, despite all this, because my migraine got so bad this evening that I was too nauseous to eat any dinner.

Today I ate 27 pts
Exercise:  The Crunch Step & Sweat, and Firm 5 Day Abs
TOTAL: 22 pts

MOTIVATION!

One more day til weekly weigh in.  Am I still under 150?  I have 8 flex points left still.  According to WW, I should lose weight this week.  But too many of those points were crappy points.  Let's see now what that means to my progress.

Day 31 - Clean Eating?

Just chugging along.  Noticing how many things I habitually eat are processed crap.  Fiber 1 brownies - full of ingredients I can't figure out.  Splenda in my coffees, which I have always felt a bit ashamed about using b/c I know it's garbage, but I like the 0-calorie, 0 point thing...That's done with now.  Gotta buy the natural type of peanut butter.  Gotta switch breads.  It's a little overwhelming trying to think of all the things I have to re-think when grocery shopping...and things I just can't eat when I'm eating my mom's meals, which is very often.  (She's a big fan of Sam's Club frozen meals, anything w/ sauce or dressing packets included, Wonder bread, etc...and seems genuinely annoyed if I prepare my own brown rice or whole grain bread to go with a meal, or request she leave pre-pkgd sauce or dressing off my portion.)

If I was an experienced blogger, or somewhat tech-savvy computer chick, I'd link to Annie The Amazing Shrinking Girl's blog post about clean eating.  But I'm not.  So I can't.  But thanks for the info, Annie.  My health/fitness/weightloss goal - as well as my blogging - takes on a new dimension now for Month 2 of my journey.

Today I ate 26 pts
Exercise:  The Firm Complete Aerobic & Weights, and Firm 5 Day Abs  (-5 pts)
TOTAL:  21 pts

Day 30

Great day!  Had pre-planned to grab a Cheerios to go when I got my morning coffee before work.  Got to the coffee shop and came thisclose to ordering a bagel/egg sandwich instead, thinking I'd eat light the rest of the day and exercise hard tonight.  I pushed the thought aside and put forth the effort to make my mouth say "Cheerios, please", telling myself I'd be pleased with myself later.  (I sure am!)  I decided to say it - I said it - it happened....I am in control.  Let there be no forgetting that.

I had such a great day eating-wise, I didn't have to think twice about enjoying a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie this evening, made by my daughter.  I had the points left.  Nice!  I felt so good about it all that I didn't even have a hard time just taking one, enjoying it and letting that be the end of it.  \

Today I ate 27 pts
Exercise: Crunch Step & Sweat, 200 squats (-5 pts)
TOTAL:  22 pts

During my workout, I watch my form in the mirror b/c it helps me work harder, trying to see my muscle tone while I work.  I kick higher, squat deeper, and during exhausting floor work/leg lift reps, I make eye contact with myself and give myself a mental pep talk.  Is that hokey?  (Do I care?)

During tonight's workout, I noticed 2 things:  My biceps looking a little more defined when I lift my arms up or out, and oblique muscles I don't usually see - because they've been covered in too much flab.  It reminded me very clearly of how it felt to have flat, toned abs - and I LOVE THAT FEELING!!!!  I remember one summer day telling a friend that I was so psyched to realize I didn't have to suck in my stomach at all when I was in a bikini around the pool - (with other people!)  >sigh<  It's been quite awhile since then, but I remember that feeling... It really is amazing.

I've decided to postpone me end-of-month progress picture until after my cycle brings me to a better place.  I'm not really feeling it looming, so it may be a few days.  (I never know when to expect it until I get a migraine or a breakout.  Sexy, huh?)

Well HELLO 140's!! Nice to see you again!

I lost a lb this week.  1 exact pound - no more, no less.  And I'm ecstatic!!!  I am now back in the 140's - 149.6, to be exact!  Which is a total loss of 4.8 lbs in 4 weeks. 

Buh-Bye, 150's!  See ya again someday after me and Mr Wonderful are married and expecting a new baby.  But not before then!

I am JOYOUS this morning.  I was certain I had put on weight this week.  I peered down at the scale through scrunched eyes, not really wanting to see it.  I'm guessing this weight reflects some of the fat I burned in the previous 2 weeks that didn't show up on Tues morning weigh-ins for whatever reason. Or perhaps my body just burns more fat when I'm eating cannolis and French toast, as I did this weekend.  There is obviously so much more that affects the # on the scale than just how much fat I may have burned off during the week.

I'm expecting my period to start later this week, immediately after which I expect the scale to drop at least another lb.  I'm really psyched for next Tuesday's weigh in.  I just hope it doesn't coincide with my cycle so that I end up standing on the scale the day my weight peaks and I'm back over 150.  I really don't want to see that stupid "5" on the scale again until I hit 145!!

Day 28 - 4th week complete

This wasn't a great week.   I didn't eat as well as I had been, because - quite frankly - seeing the scale barely budging wasn't great incentive. My friend pointed out today that I should chill out on the dramatic expectations each week since I'm not actually overweight and my body doesn't need any drastic adjustment.  A slow loss is probably best for me.

I have consumed all of my weekly flex points this week, for the 1st time.  If I calculate my points without factoring in activity point credits, I realllllllly overate this week, and a significant portion of that was junk. Man, does the junk food add up fast!!  I eat well all day and end up under 22 pts.  I have one bad meal or stupid snack and I'm suddenly halfway through my week's flex points!  

Honestly, I am not expecting a loss this week.  I'm expecting a small gain.  I'm ready, and I will try my best not to be too discouraged.  It's one week, and this is an ongoing process.

Today I ate 26.5 pts
Exercise: Crunch Step & Sweat w/ 10" step; Firm 5 Day Abs  (-5pts)
TOTAL:  21.5 pts




For the week:
Ate 211.5 pts   (allotted 189 w/ daily 22 and 35 flex pts)
Exercise/Burned off:  29 pts


Regardless of my progress on losing weight this week, I have to mention that I've increased my stamina and can do all the floor work (leg & butt toning reps) at the end of Tae Bo without collapsing and ending the workout.  I go right to the end, and my energy during those last exercises is a lot better than it was a few weeks ago.  That feels great!! I'm definitely getting stronger, but I don't see much change in the cellulite...yet.   Once I burn the cellulite off, I think I'll have great muscle tone eager to see the light of day.

MOTIVATING

Day 27

Wasn't a stellar day, but I stayed within my points and had a really energetic workout.  (Actually, the workout is the only reason I've ended up within my daily points range.)

Today I ate 28.5 pts
Exeercise: Advanced Tae Bo (-7 pts)
TOTAL:  21.5 pts


I read some very interesting things about food choices, metabolism, and fat burning.  I'm not entirely convinced the points system is enough for me to get to my goal without also considering what my body does with certain types of "points" after they're consumed.  A No-Pudge brownie is 1 point.  A small banana is 1 pt.  If I have either one of those things each evening for a snack, will it make a difference in my metabolism?   How can it not??  Weight Watchers makes a lot of "junk food" with low point values, but their ingredients just don't look healthy.  How does my body process all that stuff I can't even pronounce?  Now, that being said, I think these things may serve a purpose now and then, and i'm NOT about to give up my No Pudge brownies because they are a delightful chocolate treat and I feel like I'm just eating what I like - which is nothing hard to keep doing.  But do I really want to use up 1 or 2 points per day on artificially sweetened, processed, low point concoctions just because "I can"?   No.  I don't.

I need to keep reading up on this - how different foods affect blood sugar and how that in turn affects metabolism.  If I'm making wiser food choices, perhaps I should even be consuming MORE points per day to increase my fat burning.  Then again, I'm not sure how much the point system takes this stuff into account already.  All I know is that a Splenda-full mini carrot cake snack can't possibly effect my body the same way as a piece of celery dipped in hummus, even if they are the same points value.

I could spend the summer trying to suck in my belly and cover up as much as possible....

...or I could feel great about the way my belly, quads and glutes look, toned with no cellulite dimples, so I can relax  around the water, not hide in it.   

Day 26 - FAIL

I did manage to limit my french toast serving early today to what was probably 3/4 a standard serving.  The recipe has 8 eggs in it though, and the points are high.  So 8 pts for that.  Then we had birthday cannolis instead of cake this evening.  I split a cannoli w/ my boyfriend, but still - 4.5 unhealthy points for that half.  Didn't over-do anything at dinner, but tonight - sitting here going over my points and feeling bad about the french toast AND cannoli combo, AND the fact I'm exhausted (woke up very early to make this casserole so it could sit in the egg mix for a few hours, as needed), so I'm totally not up for exercising tonight.  As if all this isn't bad enough, when I went to double check the nutritional content of the pickled red cabbage I'd had with dinner, I didn't resist the temptation to reach into the tupperware with the leftover french toast casserole and broke off a small piece to eat.  >sigh<  NOtice I didn't say "couldn't resist".  Sure, I could have!  I'm in control of my own actions.  But I "DIDN'T" resist.

So I'm now officially 2.5 pts over my flex points for the week, with 2 days to go.  Nothing else going on that I will have a hard time eating well for in the next 2 days though.  I plan on keeping it low fat, fiber-rich and limit starches/breads, and to workout HARD for the next 2 days in the hopes that Tuesdays weigh in isn't an unpleasant experience.  I'm also expecting a weight spike of 2 or so lbs in the coming week due to my cycle, so if Tuesday's weigh-in sucks, I will focus on the following one being a more certain loss.  I won't let this discourage me.  I've been working out hard and I'm happy with myself about that.  I have a lot of room for growth on the self-control issue.  I'm eager to do better with that, and sort of even enjoying the process, now that I'm paying such close attention to it.  I'm improving myself, mentally as well as pysically.  I want to look better as soon as possible, of course, but there's no deadline on trying to improve myself.  Once I improve one thing, I'll be eager to find something else to work on.  Such is life.

I'm now VERY eager to eat VERY well tomorrow!!!!!!  It's strange, how eager I am for it.  If I feel this way about it now, why was today so darn hard???

March on......

Today I ate 28.5 pts
No exercise
TOTAL:  28.5 pts (including last 4 flex pts, plus 2.5 beyond.)

(Maybe it's time to go back to the motivation pics of the negative kind.)

Day 25

Today I ate 36 pts
Exercise:  The Crunch Step & Sweat and Firm 5 Day Abs (-5 pts)
TOTAL:  31 pts


3 pieces of eggplant covered pizza for dinner.  THREE.  I'd have resisted that 3rd one, but my mom just kept telling me to take another.  It's ALL HER FAULT.  ;)


This is really not my best week.  


Tomorrow's my dad's  birthday and I'm making him his favorite Challah French Toast Casserole.  It's heavenly, and I don't know if I want to even attempt to not have any.  I'm trying to plan my whole day's menu in advance so I can have *a piece* of the French toast, after half a protein shake (so I'm not hungry when I start digging in to the Fr Tst), a salad for lunch, and then a small portion of the pot roast my mom is making for the family for dinner.  I can whip up a No Pudge brownie when everyone has b'day cake.  (I prefer it, anyway.)  I can do this!    My sister has to eat lactose and gluten free, so I'm not alone in having to set myself apart from everyone else who'll be eating like crazy.   


I only have 4 flex points left for the week - 3 more days.   Given my 2 days of no exercise and my 2 days of overeating, I kinda feel like I shouldn't touch those flex points...like I'm not going to make progress this week.  I want to do well this weekend.  I want to feel great about it on Monday, and be eager to get on the scale Tues.

Day 24

My motivation is just sorta flat today.  Not gone,  but not really perked up and at attention, if you know what I mean.  Gotta watch out for blowing my points for the week during just a few hours of low motivation.  It wouldn't take long to mess up, and I don't want to feel that discouragement afterwards.  And I sure as heck don't want to get on the scale Tues morning and see anything other than a loss, even if it's 1/10 of a lb.     MUST BE A LOSS!!!!

Today I ate 28.5 pts
Workout: Advanced Tae Bo and Firm 5 Day Abs (-7 pts)
TOTAL: 21.5 pts

Posting a very motivational before/after image I found online.  I wish it included details - weight/height/BMI and timeframe.  There are a bunch of great before/after pics at this site:  http://hitchfit.com/blog/before-afters/
but for some reason, this particular chick didn't include details like the others did.

Updated post-workout:  Motivation is back with a vengeance!!  I'm angry at my cat for beginning to use the floor next to her catbox to relieve herself.  She's a sweet, cute little thing and obviously I can't punch her, but I'm furious at the situation and it was a perfect frame of mind to do Tae Bo.  I punched harder, kicked higher and pushed myself through the floor work/leg lift reps with great gusto due to my frustration.  I now feel awesome!!!!  My legs were trembling in exhaustion when I finished.  Whoo-hoo!!!  I will NOT undo this workout with a scone in the morning!  I WILL SEE THIS WORKOUT ON THE SCALE TUES MORNING!

Day 23

It's Ash Wednesday - a day of fasting...sort of.  Not totally fasting.  2 small meals, and one main meal which shouldn't exceed the size of the 2 small meals, and no snacking in between.  This.  Is.  Hard.  !!!!!
So I ate a cup of dry cheerios for bfast, w/ my coffee.  Lunch was a piece of multi grain panini bread w/ a tsp of peanut butter, and somewhere between 1/2 and 1 oz of mixed nuts/seeds/raisins.  (I'll round off to 1 for the sake of convenience.)  Dinner was 1c. of black bean soup w/ 1/4 c. white rice.  Had another coffee after dinner.  Then my daughter asked me to make her a late dinner (since she hates beans), so I was up in the kitchen thinking of all the food I wanted to eat.  I actually had the No Pudge Brownie box in my hands, then put it back and reached for the whole wheat pita chips w/ hummus.  I figured if I was going to break my fast, I'd at least control myself against the BIGGER temptation for chocolate, and stick to something healthy.  I had 6 chips w/ about a Tbsp hummus.  So I fell short of fasting as planned, but I did the best I could do - 1st day of lent and plenty of room (and time) for growth in self restraint.  >sigh<  Just not there yet.

Today I ate 19 pts.
No Exercise (2 days now! Ack!)
TOTAL:  19 pts

Goal:  To look almost as good as this chick does in shorts and a racerback tank like hers.   (Almost , yes.  That's not limiting my ambition.  It's acknowledging that even "almost as good" as this is downright amazing!)