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

Six Weeks For Change: Finale

Six weeks ago (actually a touch over that now) I hopped on board with Karen over at Waisting Time to improve aspects of ourselves in the six remaining weeks of winter.  My goals were pretty simple:

1. Go to at least one Zumba class (I completed two)
2. Try six new recipes (I have pictures on my camera to share, although, I am not sure I reached six – shame on me!)
3. Improve my balance (this one is a touch harder to measure, per se, although I do feel like it has improved – and I have been actively working on it since the “challenge”)
4. Jump rope successfully (I was *so* close to this one when I was instructed to avoid jumping and running with the bad knee!  I was able to jump with both feet and continuously for at least 45 seconds before my feet caught the rope.  All in all there was still significant improvement)

I would have loved to say all of my goals were met and exceeded, but that is certainly not the case.  I still feel a little disappointed about the whole jump-roping thing, but there is nothing I can do about that.  Once I get the green light for the knee, I will definitely be revisiting that goal!  I will also continue working on my balance (especially doing power yoga every Monday night with Denise and Aaron).

Did you participate in Karen’s “challenge”?  If so, what goals did you set for yourself, and did you meet them?

-Erica

Six Weeks For Change

One of my blogger friends, Karen, has posted a “challenge” to use the remaining six weeks of winter to implement change in your life.  She lists quite a bit of possible ideas you could use to kick start your life in the direction you are looking for.  I decided to use a couple of her suggestions (because they were relevant to me) and add one more for good measure.

Here are my six-week changes:

1. Go to at least one Zumba class (preferrably more because hopefully I will love it)
2. Try new recipes (and, of course, share with you all).  To make this more specific…I intend to try at least six new recipes over the next six weeks.
3. Improve my balance.  I will work on this in a number of ways, the first being physical therapy (twice weekly).  They are constantly working on my balance (especially in that right ankle).  I also intend to work on this using yoga (twice weekly) and other methods.
4. Jump rope (successfully).  If I make myself jump rope at least four times a week (every day I am at the gym) for even five minutes, it would stand to reason I would improve greatly over six weeks…right?

I invite you to visit Karen’s blog and take on the task of implementing changes (big or small) in your life over the next six weeks.  These weeks will just fly by and you will be glad you challenged yourself to make them really count.

-Erica

Does Competition Equal Motivation?

Competition is a funny thing.  Sometimes it brings out the best in people…and sometimes the worst.  It can be a motivator or a weight on your shoulders.  I think it is all in the mindset (again, how important mindset is…) of the individual participating in the competition.

With the mention of mindset I cannot help but wonder… Does competition really play a role in motivation or is it simply the mindset that drives a person to accomplish a goal?  A few course blocks ago I had to debate with classmates whether internal or external motivation drives a person to success more efficiently.  I chose internal motivation.  With internal motivation (and mindset certainly plays a part here), I believe anyone can accomplish anything.  In my opinion, external motivators can lose their appeal in a long-term goal (especially with a lack of internal motivation), which means their effectiveness is less.

My classmates (many of them anyway) disagreed with me.  Their argument was for external motivators (specifically monetary reward…and some went with just praise from others).  The common belief was that external motivators can create internal motivation when there is not any to begin with.  Do you agree?

I certainly believe that external motivators have a place, and that they can be effective (given the right circumstances and in combination with internal motivation).  I do not believe; however, they can produce effective results consistently (especially with the initial lack of internal motivation).

All that being said…I would love to start a group competition (because apparently that is the cool thing to do right now…with the start of Biggest Loser last night).  My initial thought is to have at least 10 people competing for 10 weeks.  After 10 weeks the person who loses the highest percentage of weight (because we are all going to be starting at different sizes) will win.  Win what you might ask…  Well, I was thinking each person would put in $10 to $15 to join the competition (and to emphasize commitment a little).  The winner would collect all money paid into the beginning pot.  So, with 10 people each putting $10, that would be $100 for the winner.  That’s a decent reward (in addition to health and fitness), right?

So, what do you think?  Do you believe internal or external motivators are more efficient?  Do you believe that external motivators can create internal motivation for long-term success?

If you are interested in participating in the weight loss competition group, please contact me via e-mail at addictblog@aol.com.  I will start a private group (probably on FB or Yahoo – depending on what everyone prefers) for competition correspondence and tracking.

-Erica

An Interesting Accomplishment

For those of you who keep up on current trends in fitness/exercise, you probably are familiar with the rope craze.  I; however, was not familiar…at all.  Until Wednesday, that is.

I was at the gym with Denise (getting my butt kicked in under 30 minutes) and she said the gym was hosting a challenge that day.  The challenge was to whip this giant, heavy rope up and down while in a sumo squat position for as long as possible.  (In the picture above, it appears as though this fella is doing both arms at the same time…whereas I was told to alternate so one rope would be going up and the other down at the same time)  My trainer told me it was seriously challenging.  She also told me the person who could do it the longest would win a 3-month membership (that could be gifted to someone) and 10 free personal training sessions.  Have I ever mentioned I love a good competition?

When I began the challenge it was much more challenging than I thought it would be.  After all, all you have to do is whip some rope, right?  The record when I started was 2:52 (that’s minutes and seconds, not hours and minutes, folks).  The record when I finished?  3:01 (again, minutes and seconds there)  Can you believe that?!?  I beat the record!!!  I probably could have gone a little longer, but I got so excited when I heard Denise yell out, “Oh my!  She just broke the record!”  I just stopped to celebrate!  Funny, huh?

The guy who set the original record of nearly three minutes was standing there watching me the whole time (which I did not know because my eyes were closed pretty much the entire time…focus is what I needed).  He was pretty disappointed that I beat him by only nine seconds…especially since he was super fit (and I am “just a fat girl”).  I left feeling super accomplished and proud…and angry at myself.  Angry?  Yes, that says “angry.”  Why?  Because I should have kept going and not stopped just because I wanted to jump up and down in a celebratory manner.  I beat myself up over it the entire night…and the next day.

The challenge was weighing on my mind so much, in fact, that even though I was not scheduled to workout on Thursday, I went to the gym anyway…in jeans.  I just wanted to find out who beat me…and by how much.  Turns out – no one beat me!  Can you believe *that*?!  I won the challenge!!!  Crazy, if I do say so myself.  Absolutely insane.

Of all the fit and built and slim people trapsing in and out of my gym…none of them could whip that rope longer than me.  It did not surprise me that those body builder-types could not beat me.  See, they are huge and built and strong, but endurance is not something they work on…ever.  Have you ever seen a giant muscle-bound fella on an elliptical?  Treadmill?  Nope.  They just do not do it.  Lucky me, I suppose.

Have you ever tried a rope exercise?  Do you enjoy them?  Did you feel like it was a good workout?

-Erica

Challenge – Week One

Last week I mentioned adding a new challenge to my journey – pushups and crunches.  I was going to add my weekly summary to my weigh in post today, but I was so bummed about the stupid weigh in that I completely forgot.  So, here it is:

The first week went smoothly.  I am looking forward to week two, and I am anxious to see progression here.  Recently I mentioned problems with neck strain during crunches, but with all this practice I must be improving.  My neck really does not feel all that sore after doing all those crunches.  With practice, I am sure it will not be sore at all.

Another friendly blogger is participating in this challenge, too.  He is a week ahead of me.  You can see how he’s doing here.

-Erica