TGIF

I made it to the gym this morning, with the help of 2 alarms. Of course, it helped that I didn't sleep well, so I was already half-awake. Leaving that aside, I did my 300 workout today. I decreased the assistance on my chin-ups to 80 lbs (from 90 lbs), did 30 deadlifts with 110 lbs and 20 with 90 lbs; did 50 box jumps nonstop, and 25 floor wipers. Let me pause here and say that floor wipers are NO JOKE. My legs felt like rubber, and my abs were on fire. After that I did 25 sit-ups. The workout also includes 50 push-ups, and 50 dumbbell clean & press. Great way to start my morning! I also found out that the lemon cookie that I love so much is 310 calories, with 44 g carbs & 9 grams of fat - all saturated. The funny thing is that now that I know exactly what it consists of, it will be harder for me to just kind of chalk it up as a treat. I must enter it into my food log, and it will affect my macros and calories every time I eat it. Hopefully, that will be a deterrent. One more day until the July challenge is over - tomorrow I must be a good girl and refrain from all things resembling treats so that I can have the minimum weigh-in possible. Up at 7:30 tomorrow for a cardio workout. Off to bed now!

Props

I have to give myself props today, because I resisted the dark force of cookies! Actually, even before that, I made a good choice. I overslept and missed my workout this morning (which was ok, because I got good sleep), and was in a rush. I brought protein powder with me to work, expecting to mix it with some milk. But there was no milk! There was, however, a chocolate chip cookie cake (yum)... I surely did consider eating some for breakfast. I literally pulled it out of the fridge at least 3 times today, but I managed to put it back without indulging.

I checked the freezer, which is chock full of carbs, and saw some breakfast patties, which have lots of protein. Although I didn't particularly want that, I ate it, and felt good knowing that it was a much better choice than my (tastier) alternatives. Then, later, I resisted the temptation to swing by whole foods for a cookie, and passed up a cookie from the place where I bought my lunch, which I almost never do. The day was not a complete success, but I did a few things right, which I am proud of. I am really trying to just hold on until Sunday, because my weight is finally on a downward turn, and I want to keep it going. It's unrealistic, but I'm hoping to break through the 160's this week, and that will only happen if I do the right thing.

Out of the Loop

I just took a stroll through some blogs, which I haven't really had much time to read over the past couple of days, and it makes me feel a bit better about where I am. I can't say that I'm completely off the wagon, but I'm not exactly riding high either. There's a slippery slope that I've started down. I discovered these really tasty lemon coconut cookies, and I've had 1 every day this week. Naughty naughty! I haven't been diligent about keeping track of my calories. Funny, last week it was the workouts that got the short end of the stick, and this week it's the diet. That's not to say that I ate perfectly last week either. Anyway, I know what the problem is - I don't have a plan! I have wavered between a few different regimens, and I am not really solid on what I'm doing right now. I am one of those people who needs a plan, or I'm just a mess. Usually this is something I do on the weekends, but if I don't harness my cookie cravings, I will gain weight instead of lose it, and that's no good. So... I need to get my act together. It also doesn't help I guess that I've got lots of different things going on personally, lots and lots of change on the horizon, which makes me have trouble sleeping, which leads to less resistance to bad food. What a tangled web...

I did, however, make it to the gym early this morning, in spite of a virtually sleepless night. And I plan to bang out some cardio first thing in the morning, and again at night. So at least I'm doing something right I suppose....

On the Right Track

Unlike last Monday, I made it to the gym today. The weightlifting portion of my workout was cool, it was the cardio that kicked my butt. I remember when I first started doing HIIT on the treadmill back in April. 7.0 was my high intensity speed, and I felt like I was going to fall off the treadmill any minute. Now I do 7.0 (it still kicks my ass), but it's much easier, and I can do it for longer (2:00 intervals instead of 1:00), and my recovery intervals are shorter too. I like the little things that let me know that I am making progress, even when the scale doesn't cooperate. :)

Do Better

So, yesterday I did the 300 workout again. Last time, I left out the push ups & box jumps when I was detailing the workout. But just in case you missed it, here's the breakdown:

25 Assisted Pull-Ups - 90 lb assistance
50 Deadlifts - 110 lbs - 20/90 lbs - 30 (heavier from last time)
30 Push Ups
50 Box Jumps
20 Push Ups
50 Sit Ups
50 Dumbbell Clean & Press
25 Pull Ups - 80 lbs assistance

I did this in 33:00, which is 3:00 less than my previous time, in spite of the fact that I went heavier on the deadlifts. I am proud of myself.

Unfortunately, I didn't lose any weight this week. It wasn't a great week, on multiple levels. My eating was spotty, my exercise was spotty, i didn't get enough sleep by far... All I can do, though, is improve in the areas I can this week: eat better (more veggies, more protein, less junk) and go to the gym when I'm supposed to.

Visualize

So, I need to light a fire under my butt too. This has not been a good exercise week for me. Not only did I not make it to the gym this morning, I didn't get enough sleep. Not a good combination. Combined with the fact that I missed my workout on Sunday and skipped on Monday, I am not feeling very committed. But, I will go tomorrow morning and Saturday, and next week will be better. At least my eating wasn't too bad today. There is an orange soda in the fridge with my name on it. Let's see if I answer the call.

In the spirit of visualization, I put a picture of Serena Williams right at the top of my blog in an attempt to keep myself focused. Let's hope it works! Venus is my hero, but Serena has the body I want. I have accepted the various aspects of my body that won't change - my arms have been and always will be thick, but they can at least be defined & muscular. My thighs, also on the thick side, but again... they can be defined & muscular. I do not have delusions of body alteration - genes rule. I do, however, know that I can take my genes and work with them to create the body I want to have.

Last but not least, today I wore a skirt (size 12), that I bought about 6 weeks ago. Can we say... TOO BIG? I'm going to have to give it away, which is an ego boost but also a bit frustrating. But that makes it official - I have dropped 3 sizes so far. And sizes to go before I sleep. Yay me!

This One's for Kristen

This upper & lower arm sweat is the result of my cardio workout this afternoon. I had to post it cuz I know how much Kristen loves lower arm sweat in particular. I did double gym duty today, trying to make up for my slacker status for the past couple of days. Gotta lose some weight this week! And preferably more than .4 lbs. ;)
Last night I went out to a local event and saw a bunch
of people I haven't seen in a minute (that's slang for a long time). :) I remember when I had gained weight, I didn't want to be seen too much by people who didn't see me often. So it felt good to show up at the event, knowing that I looked at least as good as the last time they saw me. Meaning, some of them didn't know about the 40 lbs I gained, and they never will. That makes me happy, cuz it lets me know that I have been handling my business. And now I'm off to bed to handle the business of sleep so I can get up in the morning and burn some calories. Nighty night!