Starting the Year off Right!

I thought it could not be done.  I truly believed (in the beginning) I would never reach my goal of 185 pounds.  It had been *such* a long time since I had seen those numbers on the scale, it truly seemed an impossibility.  Well, I am here to tell you…it was not impossible!

I MADE GOAL OVER THE HOLIDAYS!!!!

This morning I weighed in at 183.2 pounds!  This is the least I have weighed since I can even remember…teenage years included!  Since July 10, 2011 I have lost a total of 131.8 pounds.  From my heaviest recorded weight (according to my doctor’s office), though, I have lost a total of 158.8 pounds (since January 2011).  I find this absolutely mind-blowing!  Insanity.

My prediction for this year is *very* optimistic.  I am starting this year the healthiest I have been probably in my whole life.  I am also starting this year the happiest I have been as well.  I have amazing people in my life right now who love and support me, which is an awesome feeling.

Of course, I have goals left to meet (and new goals will continue to come, believe me).  So, the work is not finished…we are just beginning.  This is when things start to heat up, not cool down.  I am working toward my certification still, and my BS in Health & Wellness.  My photo shoot is coming up with Kat (awesome photographer) and Aaron (phenomenal trainer), so I am both looking forward to it and being anxious about it.  Good things, though, good things.

How did your year start off?  What goals are striving for this year?

-Erica

So, I’ve Been Meaning To…

…catch up with all of you.  Apparently I have been meaning to do that for 75 days at this point.  Seventy-five days.  That is just insane.

My life has been pretty busy.  I feel like it is busier than normal even.  My abridged version:

1. My knees (more so my left) are killing me.  I mean serious pain…constant pain…the kind of pain that makes you walk up the stairs like a two-year-old griping the rail for dear life.

2. My weight continues to hold steady…around 190 to 193 pounds.  I saw one glimpse of 189.8 on the scale…then the very next day I was back to 192.  Infuriating.

3. I am training with Aaron steadily these days.  Things did not “end” well with Denise, unfortunately, and I am missing her like crazy.  I will always be grateful to her for getting my through some of the toughest months in my journey and being ridiculously supportive even when I was whining like a baby.

4. I went back to college.  I had graduated in January with an Associate degree.  Currently I am working toward a Bachelor’s in Health Sciences (Health & Wellness).  This is pretty exciting…and also makes me very busy.  Should I actually be able to make myself blog on any kind of regular basis, I will have all kinds of good/fascinating information to share with you all!

5. I am getting stronger.  A lot stronger.  A military push-up (one in which you keep your elbows tucked neatly next to your torso instead of flaring them out at a 45-degree angle) was something that eluded me…and annoyed me.  However, I am happy to say I can do them!  Not a ton of them, but still I can…and in perfect form!  This was a major victory for me…strange, I know.

6. My right elbow cannot behave for any length of time.  I was diagnosed with tendonitis in it a couple months ago.  I iced it, rested it, and took Ibuprofen.  It felt better, so I did upper body with Aaron and then it was mad at me again.  Then, repeat…and again…and again.  Every time I give it a week or two off, it feels great.  However, as soon as I do any pushing or pulling…WHAM-O! It is killing me all over again.  Also frustrating.

7. Friday marked my third Ortho-Visc injection (second set) in both knees.  Friday and Saturday were *rough* (to say the least), but today they seem to be feeling a little better.  Hopefully this means I will have some time to work on them.

8. I have decided to write a book…after *lots* of urging from friends, family, and acquaintances.  Personally, I think the idea of writing a book all about me is egotistical.  Other people; however, seem to think it would be beneficial and inspirational to those who would want to read a book all about me.  So, as part of my submission, I will be doing a photo shoot on Jan 5 & 6th.  Aaron, Dorsey, Chris, and others from Fitworks will be joining me for the shoot.  Honestly, I doubt I could pull it off without them (as I plan to hide behind them as much as possible – tee hee).

9. I still struggle with body image…and loving myself.  That has not changed much, if at all.  I have a difficult time seeing how far I have come more than how much further I have left to travel.  I think not seeing the scale move for a couple months compounds this issue…at least for me anyway.  I am actively working on this, though.  Some texts I have to read for school may help: Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert is one I am reading right now.

10. I still struggle with making good food choices.  Not every single day, but in times of great stress I still find myself considering things I should not.  I will spare you the details, but let me just admit that I had an internal debate with myself for about an hour over Junior Mints (whether or not to buy them).  I will also say that on that day in particular, no Junior Mints came home with me.  On that day.

11. Cardio is hard…with these knees…which has a lot to do with the scale not moving, I am sure.  It should get easier once this Ortho-Visc “kicks in” to help alleviate some of the discomfort in my joints.

12. I need to count calories, but find it too damn annoying…and slightly depressing.  I hate counting calories.  I really do.  Aaron keeps telling me I need to (since I am not losing weight easily anymore), and I know he is right.  However, counting calories either makes me feel super fat or starving.  No happy medium.  Crazy, I know.

Well, I am sure I missed some things, but that is a general update of how things have been going, and what I am up to right now.  It is my honest intention to keep on blogging…regularly…so, hopefully I will be “seeing” you again later this week.

How have you been holding up?
-Erica

Weigh Day (week sixty)

Sixty weeks.  Sheesh.  Where has the time gone, really?  I have not posted an official weigh in since week 57 (Aug 12) – shame on me.

Today is day five of my cleanse.  Two days left, and I am hoping for another couple pounds to be gone before I am finished.  Although, I am not quite sure about that.

192.2

That is certainly nothing to be upset about.  I have finally left the 195 to 197 range I was stuck in for weeks.  I am *so* thankful for that – it was becoming *very* frustrating for me.  This brings my total lost to 122.8 in 60 weeks…an average of about two pounds a week.  Not too shabby.  Only 7.2 pounds to go until I hit GOAL!

I will check in with you all later and let you know how day five of the cleanse goes.

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-seven)

This week has been a strange one.  In some ways I am feeling stressed beyond belief, and in others I am finally feeling relaxed.  Odd, right?

The strep is clearing up nicely…after I took a couple days off the gym (and, of course, the antibiotics are helping).  Thursday my bestie (Leslie) stole me away for an overnight trip in a fancy hotel.  That gave me some much needed refreshing relaxation…which I desperately needed.

The biggest stressor for the week is something I have had serious internal struggles over.  I have even contemplated whether or not I should blog about it.  In the interest of not censoring, and of helping others overcome obstacles related to weight loss/health, I have decided I will blog about it:

I have been a member of Fitworks since last August.  I also began training at that time.  My original trainer was Don…then Vanessa…and then Ebony.  All of them seemed nice enough.  When Ebony left I went to Dorsey (manager) and requested someone he thought would be around for a while so I could actually build a relationship with someone.  That is when he gave me Denise.  I loved her from the moment we met.  She was energetic, sincere, and ambitious.  She was excited to help me reach my weight loss goals, which made me even more excited.  Over the last 10 months Denise has gone above and beyond for me (many times over again).  I owe a great deal of my success to her efforts and passion.  Aside from that, though, I have also come to love her as a person…outside of my professional relationship with her.  She really is amazing in many ways.

This is when things get tough.  Obviously my weight is not coming off like it did this time last year.  Every pound is so hard to lose anymore…and the weight is just creeping.  Although I knew logically this was going to happen, I find I am growing frustrated.  So, Dorsey and I were talking about it and he suggested considering training more than once per week…and maybe even seeing what I could learn from another trainer.  The problem is not that the other trainers are not good, or that I do not trust them.  The problem is that Denise is my trainer.  Period.  I felt like even considering another trainer was some sort of ultimate betrayal.  Dorsey assured me, though, that it is “no big deal.”  Despite my initial apprehension, I agreed to start working with Aaron as well.

Aaron is a trainer I have worked with before (and I know I have mentioned him here previously).  So, I already knew he was super brilliant and a fabulous trainer.  He was excited to work with me one-on-one, though…and brought a whole crap-load of information to the table.  He suggested the IF (mentioned previously) and a few other things to get things moving.  He put together a pretty intense schedule for me (which I wish I could have started without being sick), too.  Despite only working out four days this week (two lifting, two cardio), I lost 1.6 pounds since last weigh in.  Excellent!

195.2

I must admit I am excited to learn new things from Aaron, but I still feel pretty crappy about the arrangement.  I certainly intend to keep training with Denise as well, but I have to figure that one out as she switched and reduced her training days at Fitworks this week.

As a side update…the studying continues for my personal training certification.  I have read through 13 chapters (out of 30) so far.  I am taking my time, though, really absorbing and learning the information.  I hope to have everything finished by the end of September, but we shall see.  If it takes me longer to *truly* know the information, it takes me longer.  The whole program is quite expensive, so I really do not want to have to pay for a re-test because I rushed.

Another side update…Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge is chugging along…and I am not doing well – still.  Some of those people have dropped an insane amount of weight already.  Good for them.  Bad for me.  Oh well, though, we have until October…and even if I do not win, I will still be losing.  Every pound off is a small victory right here at the home front, right?

How was your week?  Anything stressful or amazing going on?

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-six)

So, week one of Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge is finished…and I am not doing so well against some of the competition.  Some of these folks dropped *serious* weight this week (congrats to them!)!  I can only hope (for my own personal sake, of course) that they cannot sustain that kind of loss every week…or I stand no chance at all.

The scale is still moving down…ever…so…slowly.  But, down is down, so no complaints here.

196.8

That is 0.4 down from last week.  Part of me is frustrated with such a small loss…part of me is just glad it is a loss.  I mean, after all, any kind of loss is certainly better than any kind of gain, right?!

So, I was talking to Aaron at Fitworks this past week and he was telling me about intermittent fasting.  He is doing a daily 16/8 split.  This means he eats for only 8 hours a day and fasts for 16.  He is in great physical shape already (believe me…he looks like he could be some sort of god…really), but has lost three pounds of fat in a week doing the IF.  The issue for me is that I workout in the evening, so I would need to fast *all* day in order to workout at the optimal time of the fast.  Obviously, I cannot do that.  So, I am looking into a once weekly (or possibly twice weekly) 24-hour fast.

This might be just what I need to see some good movement on the scale each week (as in an average of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week again)…and give me at least a shot at winning Grumpy’s competition.  Have any of you out there done any kind of fasting?  If so, how did you decide your “schedule” or were you under the supervision of a physician?

If you are interested in reading more about IF, I found a couple links:
Precision Nutrition – Dr. John Berardi
The “IF” Life

I have not decided just yet if I will be doing IF for sure.  This is just something I am considering.  I still have some more reading to do to see if this may fit into my life effectively.

Beyond that, the only thing going on this past week was sickness.  Strep, to be exact.  My older daughter picked it up and was given antibiotics on Wednesday.  By Friday, my younger daughter had swollen tonsils and blisters.  My throat feels like I am trying to swallow glass (uncomfortable to say the least), so I am pretty sure I picked it up as well.  Both my younger daughter and I were put on antibiotics today.  Thankfully, other than swallowing glass, my body feels perfectly fine…no aches or fever.  That means, of course, it is life as usual (meaning Zumba with Michelle tonight).

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-five)

I am feeling *far* better this week than last.  All of my “extra” weight went away, and I finally saw the downward trend I have come to know and love.  I do still believe that I need a new scale (or new batteries) because I am still running into some inconsistency issues…which are frustrating!

I began my new routine (designed by Denise and Dorsey) this week.  It is more regimented than I am used to, but change is good, right?  This is what my week looked like:

Monday – Back & Biceps (weight lifting)
Tuesday – Spin (cardio)
Wednesday – Legs (weight lifting)
Thursday – Zumba (cardio)
Friday – Chest & Triceps (weight lifting)

Thankfully, the issue with my left foot seems to be improving quickly.  I was still able to do spin on Tuesday (without standing on the bike, though), and leg day was no problem.  Even Zumba went off without a hitch (although about 3/4 through it I cut back on the amount I was jumping).  I have been consistently icing it and keeping it elevated when I sit down.

So, my weigh in for the week:

197.2

Not too shabby, huh?  That is a full four pounds down from last week, and two pounds down from my previous lowest weight.  This makes me happy.  Especially since I am in Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge.  I need to kick some butt, folks.  The challenge runs until October, so I have some time to really ramp it up…which I will be doing.

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-four)

This week…sigh…this week has been rough.  I am finding, though, that inspiration/motivation lies everywhere…and sometimes in the least expected places.  I will even be passing along some inspiration/motivation for all of you, so read it through, pretty please.

After yesterday’s melt down over being 5+ pounds over my lowest weigh in, Denise and I sat down to create a new plan.  That starts tomorrow, and I cannot wait.  This morning gave me a little relief (if I am being honest) because the scale reflected a loss.  A pretty substantial loss (for one day), too.  I am still up for the week, but not over 5 pounds – like I feared.

201.2

That is one pound up from last week, and two pounds up from my lowest weigh in.  I would be lying if I said I was okay with that.  I am not anywhere *near* okay with weight gain.  I know it could be muscle.  I know it could be water.  I know it could be a million things *other* than fat.  It still bothers me…terribly.  It keeps me up at night (and, yes, I am aware that lack of sleep can also be a contributing factor here).

Hopefully with my new plan in action, I will shed that 2 pounds (again) by the end of this week.  That would help me feel better…and sleep better…going forward.

As for inspiration/motivation…

I joined Grumpy’s challenge (as I mentioned yesterday), and I hope some of you will take it on as well.  I was also approached by SlimKicker.  Honestly, I had never heard of them, but I was excited to check them out.  They take weight loss and add some fun twists to it (because we all know, it is not always fun).  They offer weight loss/diet challenges (some created by other users, and some sponsored by SlimKicker) to keep your life interesting.

Signing up with them is free.  You enter some initial (general) information, and they provide you with some recommended nutrition goals. They based the recommendations on what I currently weigh, what I want to weigh, how active I am, etc.

These were my recommendations:

Once you have joined, you can log food, exercise, find groups to join (for extra support), and join challenges to earn points.  You can even create your own challenges!  Additionally, they have other helpful tools to use, such as their Calorie Calculator.

Here is a screen shot of my main page:

The navigation is pretty straight forward, and it has a clean layout to keep everything organized.  I think I would enjoy tracking with SlimKicker more than LoseIt! (which I rarely ever use, honestly).  I know you can earn badges and such with them, but challenging other people…that I can dig!  There is nothing quite like competition to keep you motivated, right?

Right now SlimKicker is on the hunt for new, fun, creative ideas for sponsored challenges.  They want your help.  So, if you have a fun or creative idea for a weight loss or diet challenge, please feel free to post it in the comments below.  Each comment will be entered into a drawing to win this:

SlimKicker will choose the winner one week from today.  Exciting, right?!  So, get those wheels turning and share some of your best ideas for weight loss or diet challenges!

-Erica

A Challenge To Get Things Moving?

A challenge has been set…and I have decided to take it on.  Maybe this will be some extra “oomph” to get things moving in the right direction again.  Shonnie and J are both in, too…so it should be tons of fun!  The challenge is open to anyone, so you should join in with all of us!

This morning was rough…and that is putting it mildly.  My scale is *still* not complying with my efforts for the week, so I am pretty sure I am going to be UP (by a whole lot) for my offical weigh in tomorrow.  That makes me *angry* (and that is putting it mildly).

I was hysterical this morning.  Really.  I texted Denise (and honestly, in my hysteria, I could not even tell you right now what I said to her).  She must have been able to pick up on my complete melt down because she told me to meet her at the gym.  I did.  She yelled at me for stressing over five pounds…which I needed.  She gave me some extra motivation and support…and Dorsey picked my nose (long story, but it means he loves me unconditionally…apparently).

After all my blubbering and whining was through, we worked out.  I ran on the treadmill (and I lived to type about it – go figure).  We did more pushups than I would have liked, and then did KB swings…and other things.  After that, we sat down and organized a plan of action (a new one) and set up some new workouts for me.  So, my new agenda starts Monday.  I feel better now (not happy, not great) that I talked to Denise and Dorsey about it.  I also feel a little silly for stressing so much, but the trauma felt so real this morning.  I am still feeling that sting of *gaining* weight.  It stinks…and I will never like it (or get used to it).

Days like today…when Denise and Dorsey take time out of their day to reassure me, to spend time with me, work with me, encourage me, and just love me…are what keep me going.  The support I have from them is amazing.  I have said it before, but I feel like I have to say it again, “Without Denise (and Dorsey…and everyone else who supports/encourages me) I would *not* be nearly this far.”  I owe a great deal of my success to them.

Who in your life supports you the most?

-Erica

Plan of Action: Friday

So, my plan of action is not turning out the way I had hoped.  I am still up this morning…in fact, I am up even from yesterday.  That puts me a full five pounds over my lowest weight (199.2).  This girl is getting more than a little ticked off at this point.  Every day that passes, I am finding it harder and harder to take this lightly and make myself believe it is just muscle and/or water weight.

I have eaten well all week (which includes logging everything).  I have been in the gym all week.  I have lifted weights.  I have done cardio.  I have been a stretching fool (which is another element I usually push to the back burner).  This has been a great week…except the scale is not complying with my efforts.  Why?

Yesterday’s plan of action workout was changed when I hit the gym last night.  I was standing near the front desk talking with Dorsey for a minute.  Out of nowhere, Dorsey says, “Erica.  We should go do Zumba!”  And so we did.  We popped on into the class and danced.  I always loved Zumba (despite the pain)…but my love affair was cut short by the osteoarthritis in my left knee.  Boo.  Last night was the first night I wandered back into class since.  Michelle (instructor) was happy to see me, but quickly called me out in the middle of class as I was jumping along with her.  In a way it is nice that they all take time to know me (including my ailments/injuries) and care enough to remind me about being careful.  In another way I find it frustrating…like, “Leave me alone and let me have fun.”  I know they have my best interests in mind, though…and I love them for it.

Today’s plan of action workout:
-stretch
-sprints
-lift off lunges
-side planks with arm extension
-tai chi side lunges
-lateral stepups with kick
-glute bridge with tricep extension
-REPEAT
-ab chopper with oblique twist
-leg climbs
-bicycle crunches
-REPEAT
-20 mins either spin or Neil
-stretch

That should give me another hour or so in the gym tonight.  Wish my deltoids were not as sore as they are right now.  I would have loved to truly do a “whole body” day instead of a mostly-lower-body kind of day.  Oh well.

What kind of workouts are your favorite (and why)?

-Erica

Plan of Action: Thursday

There is something to be said about *not* weighing yourself every single day.  Weight can fluctuate quite a bit from one day to the next.  All of that being said, though, I am growing ever so frustrated with my stupid scale.

This morning I was UP FOUR POUNDS from yesterday.  I ate well yesterday – yogurt, whole wheat pita pockets, alfalfa sprouts, orange pepper, oatmeal – all good things.  I did my fitness evaluation with Denise last night, so I moved around, too.  I could scream and throw that thing out the dang window, I will tell you that right now.

Anyway, not focusing on that today…moving forward:

Fitness Evaluation Measurements
Neck – 13.25″ (-.25)
Shoulders – 41.25″ (-.25)
Arms – 15″ & 15″ (-2)
Bust – 44″ (-2)
Waist (natural) – 34″ (same)
Waist (bellybutton) – 37″ (-2.5)
Hips – 47.5 (-2.5)
Thighs – 26.5″ & 26.5″ (-2.5)
Calves – 17.25″ & 17″ (-1.75)

With these recent measurements included, I have lost 101 inches since last year!  That is absolutely insane!  That is almost 8.5 FEET off of my body!  Amazing.

I must admit, though, looking at numbers like that makes it harder to be angry at the scale.  Especially when I know I ate well yesterday.  I know, with absolute certainty, I did not consume an excess of 14,000 calories to really gain four pounds of fat.  I know it.  It does still sting, though.

So, for today’s plan of action workout:

Cardio…and more cardio

I will be dedicating one hour of my life to nothing but cardio today.  That will likely be a combination of spin and Neil.  Although I am really going to try to do one hour on the spin bike.  I think the longest I have gone (so far) is about 35 minutes or so…so we will see.

If my entire body were not sore, I would be lifting weights again tonight.  The legs are still sore from Tuesday, and my delts and biceps are on fire from pushups last night with Denise.

Do you measure?  If so, does that help you cope with any increases you may see on your scale?

-Erica