5k by August 08

Oh Yeah!

2008-02-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

So despite two weeks of being extremely sick and busy with work both at school and work, not being able to do turbo jam and having a friend visit over the weekend, I managed to lose some poundage!

Weight: 262.5lbs (-3.5lbs) lost!

I'll be working out extra this week so stay tuned! -A

Off the Bandwagon the Story of My Life

2008-01-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

Weigh-in (Its late but hey its here): 285.8

So I lost around 4 lbs since last weigh-in but I havent been working out or anything. I have pretty much just been bumming around. Since my car accident I just havent been able to get back into the swing of things and Im finding myself more and more lazy everyday. I really need to get serious about this stuff because my health is at risk. I shouldnt be tired Im 23 I should be bouncing around having fun.

Well I bought a bunch of 100% juice because I am starting a juice fast which is way easier than a water fast. I did a partial one yesterday to try to get into the swing of things where breakfast and lunch was juice then I ate dinner and I survived through that. While I am doing this fast I definetly wont be able to engage in social activities with friends because that would just be setting me up for failure. I would like to take this fast well into February and do it for 30 days, 40 if Im lucky and strong enough. Usually by fasting I lose 1 lbs a day so that would be 30lbs in a month which would make me sooooo happy. Then I would be in the 250's and get into serious gear about eating healthier. So thats my plan today is Day 1 out of 30 and Im pretty stoked as long as I keep my eye on the prize I should be successful. I need to remember that I will eat again and once I do food will taste amazing and have a different flavor. Well wish me luck and I will keep everyone posted! -L

2008-01-23T10:52:00.000-05:00

Well it is Wednesday, January 23rd, and I have decided to weigh in today.

266.0 lbs (-0.5) Lost

I guess I'm not too surprised at the very low number. I was eating very well early in the week, but feel back in my old habits of eating junk. As aware as I was when I was eating and tabulating the WW points, I just did not discipline myself enough. Once I was eating the things I ate, cravings just took over me and I kept on eating and eating. I'm sure I didn't count every last point into my past week either so that is what got me.

On the exercise front, I did pretty well last week. I may have missed one day of exercising, but I did Turbo Jam for at least an hour all the other days...it just feels good if anything. I have to start incorporating at least two days of strength training in there. Although I did do one day of Turbo Sculpt, the strength training dvd of Turbo Jam, it just turned me off since it is NOT an easy workout. One thing it does do is let me know how weak I am in my legs!

I am looking forward for some positive results this coming week. I want to prepare myself for a bridesmaids dress fitting coming up on Feb. 2nd. That is one of my motivations! I have one and a half more weeks to lose the rest of my 10lb goal this month, so here I go! Until then, take care. -A.

Weigh- in Wk 2

2008-01-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

288 (+2lbs)

But well I messed up this week and I know my eating was out of control, but its the beginning of a new week and I am going to the gym this evening!!!

Weigh In Day

2008-01-15T08:35:00.000-05:00

Yes! Here is the verdict...

Weight: 266.5lbs (-3lbs lost)

This is great...I'm just following the rules. Doing my weight watchers and exercising everyday with Turbo Jam. Will update later on this week. Yay! -A.

The Devil Made Me Do It

2008-01-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

Ok ok let me just start off by apologizing to my body for putting it on the back burner for the past 4 days. I came back from my business trip and just did not want to do anything that dealt with physical activity so regressing into my old ways I didnt do any workouts whatsoever, until today. Today I made myself go to the gym to get through my running program, I actually had to tell myself out load to go to the gym. I am sure glad I went! I struggled through the workout, my body was tight and ached at the start and I barely made it to the end but I made it. I attempted to do an additional run but that was out of the question. So the lesson I have learned is to never ever ever stop whether you like it or not go run, go exercise do something and most importantly move your body! Dont miss a beat or you will be taking 2 steps backward. So from here on out I promise to move my body everyday for at least 30 mins, thats the least I can do for my body. -L

Am I Getting, hmmm, Fit?

2008-01-11T17:25:00.000-05:00

Today was my final run for the 2nd week of the program and it has been confirmed. I AM GETTING FIT! Wohoo...It was tiring at the end, but I made it. I ran for 2 minute intervals and didn't stop during them and didn't complain nor felt extremely out of shape. I'm totally happy about this and just looking forward to being able to run 3 miles nonstop. Exciting!

On the weight watchers front, I'm doing pretty great, counting my points and staying within my "budget". I haven't used any flex points yet so I may indulge in some chocolate, but in terms of the sweet cravings, I have been drinking my banana and almond milk smoothies. Delish! I did have a craving for an almond croissant this morning but I had some raisins and pistachios that I still have to eat. I'm learning about sacrifice in dieting and I will not give up this time...no way! I'll be updating later this weekend but in the meantime, take care! -A.

The "Ah ha" Experience

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my 2nd day of the 2nd week of the Couch to 5K running program. Unfortunately, that almost did not happen when my intention to wake up real early to run was totally overcome with my fatigue and tiredness leading to me sleep in. Oops.

On my off day of running, I usually have been waking up at 5am and working out for about a half hour to one hour with Turbo Jam and then getting ready for the rest of the day then ending the day with an hour of Turbo Jam for a total of 1.5 - 2 hours of working out a day. On my running days, I wake up at 6am and at around 7am I go running for about half an hour outside and then I do a half hour to an hour of Turbo Jam at night. Well that plan totally went to hell yesterday when I slept in till 7:15am ruining any chance of getting in my running program. "Oh no, what do I do now!?" I told myself. It gets too dark when I get off of work so there was NO chance of running outside. Then I was like, "Man, if only I were rich enough to afford a gym membership..." but even then, it would suck because by the time I get to the gym after work and leave, it will still take me an hour just to get home...and my boyfriend is such a worried wort when it comes to me staying late, so that option was null and void.

But then the "ah Ha!" light bulb when on and I totally remembered that there is a basketball gymnasium with an indoor track overlooking it in the building next to me (I work at a small college) and since it is winter recess, there is like NO ONE around to use it, but it is always open (Even BETTER). So I made my boyfriend suck it up and I went jogging after work at the indoor track. Now this track isn't the best in the world, but I was the only one there, it was so nice to go and it was FREE (Whoop Whoop). So I brought all my workout clothes with me and got dressed, went to the second floor of the building and viol`a the track doors. I stretched and began the running program.

I gotta say, I was a little worried from the last time I ran (which was outside by the way) because my legs felt as if they were lead and I was out of breath and exhausted at the end. Was it just a bad day of running or was it me pushing myself hard to keep on improving? Well I ran the program on the indoor track and I have to say, it was surprisingly simple. I didn't have too much pain in the knees or shins (I think the track padding helped!) and I was alone and no one was walking by me thinking "Why is this girl even trying, she looks stupid". It was a combo of a lot of things that just put me in the mood to run and focus on completing the day.

For every run, I've been aiming to practice running correctly to minimize any shin splint pain and/or back and knee pain. My knees unfortunately have been feeling the brunt of running and doing turbo jam, but I know it is all due to the tremendous weight I am putting on them. Plus I hope that running on this newly rediscovered indoor track will help with a lot of it.

So since I ran last night, exercising one more time was the last thing on my mind, so I put it off and I did about 20 minutes of Turbo Jam in the morning. I can't wait to remeasure myself at the end of the month to see if any progress has been made with my waistline. I'll keep you updated with the progress. Until then, peace. -A.

Day Late with Weigh In on Account of Business

2008-01-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

Ok well I'm sorry to be posting my weigh-in a day late but better late than never! So I just got in from my business trip and Maine and a day of eating I felt was to much with drinking nights here and there but I stepped on the scale and to my astonishment it read 286.4 which means since the start I have lost around 5lbs which I will take!!!!

Well this post will be cut short because I have a lot of things to catch up on but I will post later, oh and I will do my best to hit the gym tonight although I am tired out from driving.

A few hours later:

So I just returned from the gym...oh yea I went. I had ordered chinese for dinner and I ate about half of it but became pretty ill and didnt think I would even make it to the gym because I wasnt digesting it very well and my stomach was upset, but I went anyway because I shouldnt of had chinese in the first place. So I did week 2 of the cool runnings program and podcast but my shins started to hurt like immediately so I said alittle prayer asking God to relieve the pain and give me strength to endure my workout and it worked. It worked so well that after that run I ran next weeks plan through which entails 2, 90 minute intervals walk/run followed by 2, 3 minute walk/runs and so on. So I ended up doing less than half a mile shy of 3 miles today and I felt once again amazing and unstoppable. Oh as far as the rest of the chinese food consider that garbageville! Thats all for now tomorrow I will be shopping for healthy foods for the week. Ciao -L

The Numbers Are In

2008-01-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, it has been one whole week since starting my exercise and diet regimen and here is my weigh in:

Weight: 269.5lbs -4lbs (I lost)

Wohoo....excellent. Just finished Turbo Jam in the morning (Learn and Burn and Ab Jam) and will do "Cardio Party" tonight and do my "Couch to 5K" in the morning on Wednesday.

On the diet tip, I've been meaning to write about this new food I've tried out and with much success, I have to recommend it. Through browsing amongst weight loss blogs, I stumbled across someone vetting for "Shirataki Noodles." 'What?' you may say, but these noodles are pretty freakin' amazing. Check out these facts about it taken from the online blog Jimmy Moore's Lovin' La Vida Low-Carb:

"According to the Fo od Network's encyclopedia, shirataki (pronounced shee-rah-TAH-kee) is actually translated as "white waterfall," referring to the way the noodles look. Here is the nutritional label for the specific brand Konjac Shirataki Angel Hair Noodles sold at Low Carb Connoisseur:

As you can see, there's not much of anything nutritionally in these noodles -- NO fat, NO net carbs, NO calories, NO sugar, NO protein, and NO gluten! But what DO they have? And what about the taste?

These thin, translucent, gelatinous noodles do not have a taste per se, but are able to absorb the flavors of anything you add to them. The shirataki noodles are ready to eat and come in a wide variety of pasta styles to meet your need. Incredibly, they can be stored at room temperature for up to one year.

Shirataki noodles are made from konjac flour, a water-soluble dietary fiber from the yam-like konjac plant grown in China and Japan. The dietary fiber in the konjac plant is called glucomannan which is sold in health food stores for weight loss. How about that?! Additionally, these noodles contain calcium and rank low on the glycemic index. Plus, because they are sugar-free, they are perfect for people with diabetes. Excellent!"

So I have tried them and although the texture is not 100% like pasta, it does a great job for being the closest thing to it, I would say 80%. It's pretty good and I will probably add it to my menu when I feel like "indulging" in a pasta dish.

Almond Milk is my next big discovery. I knew about almond milk but never tried it (I was afraid) but I must tell you, it's a pretty damn good alternative to cow's milk. I got turned off of cow's milk because different states have these counts that allow milk to be contaminated with mucus. I know it sounds disgusting right?? That's why I changed. Plus, it's not good to drink another animal's milk. Loads of information about it but I will probably write to you more about that next time. A great recipe with almond milk is this one.

Banana Shake:
8 oz Almond Milk
1 banana
Sprinkle of Splenda
Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract *optional
5-6 ice cubes

Blend till smooth and drink to your hearts content. Only 4 weight watchers points and boy does it save you on fat calories. Excellent low carb option and it tastes good too!

Until then, take care and adios! -A.

Leo Horoscope: "...If you're struggling with a new physical hobby, you have to keep at it...

2008-01-07T17:10:00.001-05:00

...Practice, practice, practice. That is the only way to win or achieve any great goals in life." Isn't that the truth! Persistence is key and I have to keep telling myself that when I look into the mirror and not see the results fast enough, or on the days I have to workout and I don't feel like it.

I ran today and boy was it not easy. It is now week 2 of my program and not only did I not feel like running, I had to run for 90 seconds straight. LOL, I know that sounds ridiculously easy, like "Oh please, 90 seconds, that is like running through air!" Let me tell you, running for 90 seconds and walking for 90 seconds and then running again is not easy as you progressively do the training for the half hour you are exercising. At about the last interval, I REALLY had to push myself and not drag my feet. But you know what...I did it! I finished one session and I actually feel like I'm finally being persistent.

On the Turbo Jam front....WOWEE, does that really work your body. I gotta say, I don't know if it's the hype, the music, Chalene, or the Turbo Jam Team, but I love the workout. I FEEL it working, my abs hurt like hell after I'm done and oh man, I think my butt, legs and hips are going to just melt away. It's funny how Turbo Jam really is targeted for working out the abs and arms through punching and whatnot, but what you realize at the end of a workout is that your inner thighs and quads are BURNING from all the squats, lunges, bobbing and weaving. The only reason you don't realize it is because it's all built up in the Turbo Jam moves for the abs and arms. All in all, what a great workout. I look forward to seeing some results after 10 straight days of working out with it...in addition to running also, I should be set.

I'm still working on my diet, seeing what works out best for me and how I can get my weight off consistently. I've been doing weight watchers and actually have gone over on my flex points for the first week by 11.5 points. Note that I did not "boost" my point allowance with exercise points so perhaps I've earned 11.5 points and broke even this week...who knows. But I think if I do Weight watchers without including extra points through exercise (which everyone should be doing anyway) I'll be losing more weight, faster. I'll be watching my diet more carefully this week and will let you know how it works out. Until then....peace! -A.

I Can't Sleep Either

2008-01-05T03:48:00.000-05:00

It's funny how my sister and I are alike. I myself are pondering about half of those issues especially the financial ones, and my current schedule for work is really taking a toll on me and I just feel worn down. My pay raise in spring can't come any sooner and I'm still not ready to pay off my student loans. It's almost 4 am and I need to get ready for work soon but I'd really like to get a run in.......but it's 4 am and freezing out, but I feel obligated to run because it makes me feel good especially since I pretty much binged yesterday (on healthy stuff), but a binge nonetheless. Weigh in is coming pretty darn quick and now is the time to pick up the pace for the week. On a good note I am visiting my sister tomorrow and will be doing Turbo Jam with her which is pretty exciting. I think in order for me to rest easier at night I too need to start prioritizing my life and start taking things very seriously. I am reading a bar tending book so that I can get certified and have a supplemental income but finding the time to read it has certainly been tough and it's a good sized book with tons of things that I need to memorize, but I told myself by mid-month I will be a bartender so I need to hold myself accountable to this as I am with weight loss. I need to get a better grip on my spending and really live frivolously so that I can pay off my debts at a rapid pace. I need to clean my apartment and wash clothes but gosh I need time for that too its just all to much right now and I need to get a grip!!! Unfortunately I'm not going to go for a run because I really need to get ready for work, but working out tonight will make me feel better....hopefully. This is most definitely a rambling post but if I just get it out now maybe I will have peace of mind. -L

Tick Tock - Tick Tock

2008-01-04T00:11:00.000-05:00

It's 12:11am on Friday morning and I can't sleep. I tried, I even did a dose of exercising tonight to make sure to tire myself out before bedtime, but now I'm awake. I think it's my mind that is racing and keeping me from falling asleep, and my boyfriend's snoring as he smothers me doesn't help either. So I slithered myself away from his grasp and just decided to write here in the blog.

Why can't I sleep...hmmm, well let's see. Lots of things are racing in my head. I know that in a few hours, precisely at 7am, I will be getting dressed to do my third part of the week 1 running program..in the freezing cold. I'm hoping it will get easier tomorrow and that I have shown some progress.

Subsequently thereafter, I'm thinking about life and how years are flying by and it just seems to be going by so fast that every day is another day that I have yet to accomplish any of my significant goals. Don't get me wrong, I am working towards them, but there are some significant ones. I have some pretty tough and concrete goals and I believe that the planning of executing them is what keeps me awake at night. Below are these goals.

1. The first and most obvious is eating healthily and exercising to accomplish my lifetime goal of losing weight.

2. Graduate School: I am 26 years old and my dream is to complete my PhD. I want to go to Columbia University and I think I may have a better chance of getting in (It's not what you know, but who you know), however my "executing" of the task is taking slow. I have a lot of work to do between applying and getting accepted and the one thing that is keeping me back from progressing is the GRE's (exam). Procrastination...yes it does play a factor, but mostly is my self confidence in this standardized exam. I am horrible at them and my grades in undergrad wasn't all that impressive. I am not overly confident about my acceptance into the program, but I so want to be and I think I'm standing in the way of myself.

3. Building a Family: I currently have three of my very good friends all of whom are pregnant. Two are pregnant with their first child and one is pregnant with their third. Another completely different friend will be getting married. What was once before just a translucent thought that faded in and out in my head has now become one of the more opaque thoughts on my list of "Things I should do in the next 5 years". ITS SCARY FOLKS. If you're young, I would even say 23 years old, having a baby and a family is so far ahead, but believe me, in the next 3 years, if you have thoughts of getting a higher degree in education or progressing in a career path, you start to wonder, when will I be able to have a family? Should I wait till I'm almost 40 years old and my risks of giving birth to a baby with defects is higher or should I have one in 5 years and wait till after I complete a PhD....or should I wait a few years after I start a new career and then get pregnant to again hope that your job will be mommy friendly and "wait" for you to come back and continue on your path to success?

4. Future Finances: I am working on becoming debt free in the next 4.5 years (excluding my school loans I have acquired). If I do plan to go into a PhD program, I will be required to get a part time job in order to make payments to decrease my already existing debt load. It will be ideal to get this done before I would graduate my PhD program so that when I start a job, all I can do is save....but TA-DA...will I be required to wait another few years so that I can start to save money to even buy a house and start a family...and oh yeah, I will probably be about 40 years old then! (See goal number 3).

5. Current Work: I have a good amount of responsibility at my job, in which I am organizing an upcoming event in April which I have virtually not done ANYTHING for. And did I mention that I will sooner or later have to confront my supervisors for a raise and recommendation letters for graduate school...if that isn't enough stress. I think I'll ask for the recommendation letters first (hehe).

6. Current Finances: Every week I'm paying bills and strategizing on how to pay them for the next month. Yes living paycheck to paycheck is a BIATCH. If anyone knows any legal ways to make money, I would gladly accept suggestions.

So, I guess losing weight though all this has always gone to the backside since these issues have always come up and taken the spotlight. I hope one day things will fall right in place or that I will just win the lottery and everything will go fine. In the meantime, this is reality, this is life and it is not easy (I should've known). I need a kickstart to my engine and I hope a few of my weight loss successes will aid in that. I'll be updating tomorrow about my running. Thanks for reading. -A.

You Have A Choice

2008-01-03T18:59:00.001-05:00

Before I head off to the gym this evening I wanted to post about choices. We all have a choice in life on what we feed to our bodies and I have let my body down and have allowed unhealthy processed dead foods take over much of the space in my body. I chose for this to happen and it did, it's not Mcdonalds fault it is my own. I chose to go there, no one put a gun to my head and forced me to eat unhealthy. On that note I consumed a total of 1540 calories today but it was all processed junk which I am not proud about (and no it wasnt Mcdonalds). But at least I am paying attention to what I am putting in my mouth. I know I need to eat more fruits and vegetables and stop eating the addictive white foods, but boy is it tough, but I know that if I want this enough I will do what it takes to make it happen. Same with my water consumption which hasnt been going very well. I drink half a liter of water and then I dont finish the other half. My sister and I used to have water drinking races....what ever happened to those days?Anyway on to my gym commitment!

Okay, I just got back from the gym and what can I say but I feel like a million bucks!!! I did the couch to 5k first week workout which I have been doing but after that I felt so empowered that I decided to try the 2nd week workout to see if I could do it and I DID! I feel really great right now I enjoyed the sweat pouring out of my pores it felt invigorating and I was just tranced out to the music. For once there was no tension in my body and I just felt amazing. My muscles didnt tighten up at all which was great nor did my shin splints start up. I completed a total of 3.3 miles walking/jogging and burned around 520 calories (depending how accurate the machine is). Days like these let you know that you are unstoppable and can do anything that you set your mind to. -L

When The Going Gets Tough...

2008-01-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

The second day of my running program commenced and I completed it yet again...yay. I woke up around 5:00am this morning to prepare myself and body for a morning run and my first day back to work after the long holiday break. For the first hour of the day, I decided to drink a liter of water with lemon and some fiber to help cleanse myself better. I was ready to go for a run at about 6am, however due to the pitch darkness outside and the fact that I live in the Bronx, I decided to wait till the sun rose a bit. So I ate my instant cream of wheat and a miniature box of raisins and some more water.

7am rolled around and I decided to get dressed WARMLY to brave the coldness of the morning winter. I geared myself with my music player and ran...or should I say jogged. It was great! I actually did it and to my surprise, I was not as stiff as I was the first time. I actually like doing workouts outside in the cold because you don't feel like you're sweating:) Don't get me wrong, by the last running interval, I was ready for it to be the last. I was kind of worried that working out on a workday (in the morning) was going to be a BAD idea because I thought I'd be so sore for the whole day...but perhaps my stretching helped a bit with a nice warm shower afterwards, because by the time I headed to the subway, my legs didn't really hurt (Thank God!)

One of my pet peeves with exercising is the soreness the day after knowing that you have to continue to workout and be sore for even more consecutive days in a row. Exercising while sore is like the worst for me, but because I didn't overdo it, I didn't mind at all.

Throughout the day I had energy, which didn't surprise me considering I have an office job. I did climb a good amount of stairs I think. I usually have to climb 3-5 flights of stairs a day (subway) and everyday my thighs burn (I hope that once the weight is off, I'll feel less). FYI I hate stair exercises, so lucky for me, my weight isn't carried in my hips or legs. My weight is mostly carried in my waist and upper body....you could say that I look "beefy."

Like my sister, I am incorporating loads of vegetables, fibrous foods like whole wheat bread and brown rice, however I am limiting my carbs and fruit (sugar) intake. I am technically following the Weight Watchers Points system. It is not easy, let me tell you! But I am doing it and it is giving me a sense of how much I actually have been putting into my body. SOOOOOOOOO many extra unnecessary calories that I used to consume, normally through beverages, dibbles and dabbles of candy, cheese, and other snacks.

My diet personality is one of a "Snacker". I love snacks: pastries, chips, chocolate, egg nog, etc. I virtually could live on snack food (of course all the bad ones), but I don't realize how much I am eating in between my meals (which are usually healthy). If I was a snacker on baby carrots, celery and apples, I wouldn't be writing this blog. But at least I admit my horrible eating style and making an effort to change. This was taken from WebMD women's health:

"Weight loss type 2: The serial snacker continued...

Your ideal diet plan. Serial snackers tend to eat out of habit, not hunger, says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating and director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York. And they choose whatever is most accessible. Their weight loss solution? Put healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains in prominent positions, and hide cinnamon rolls and brownies in opaque containers in the deepest dungeons of your cupboards. Try chewing gum or long-lasting mints as a distraction from eating snacks.

Keep extra bottles or tumblers of water handy to replace some of those habitual snacks and to stay well-hydrated. And never bring an entire package of food to the couch or desk with you. You'll completely lose track of how much you've eaten, and before you know it, you'll have polished off the whole thing. Wansink tells WebMD it’s better to take a portion that's smaller than what you think you'll need and serve it on a pretty plate."

Like my sister, I will aim to exercise twice a day. Turbo Jam has not returned yet, so I'll be doing some dvd's I have already. Well I'm off to go workout for the second time and then probably off to bed so that I can wake up early (5am) to work out again. Yes, I agree, this is gonna be hard, but you know what, it will be doable and like so many other success stories out there, they did what they had to do to get there and that's what I'm doing. Until next time, Peace. -A.

Go Team Go

2008-01-02T17:52:00.000-05:00

So....well I planned to do a fast but I just am having the hardest time bringing myself to do it so I am just going to be watching what I eat I would like to keep my calories under 1500 and focus on being a 70% vegetarian 30% vegan then work my way up to 80% vegan 20% vegetarian in February. So today went really well I am truely pumped to do this and Im excited to be sharing this experience with my sister. After work today and a nap I hit the gym for my 1/2 hr running routine (couch to 5k) and boy oh boy my body is tight. You would think someone who is standing on their feet all day running around would have loose muscles but not quite. I actually had to stop part way to stretch out alittle cause it was hurting a bit, but I did it!!! I was pondering on whether or not to stay longer at the gym but I will save that for my days off and try to do longer workouts plus I want to ease into this the right way.

As far as calorie consumption today I had a total of 1340 which is really good for me. I had organic soy and oat cereal which I ate throughout the entire day with 1 bottle of vanilla soy milk I was thinking about maybe having something else today for dinner but Im not sure what yet and quite honestly I am not even hungry so Im closing the kitchen for the evening plus I still have to drink my 2 liters of water. Can you believe I went all day without anything to drink.......crazy! So all is well and I am feeling better about myself already. -L

Stats and Utter Depression + Realization and Game Plan

2008-01-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Oh man I have never been so upset with myself until now. I can't believe how I let myself go and there is no good excuse out there to say that neglecting my body in this way is ok because it isn't in the least bit. These numbers that I am about to post scare me for many many reasons including death because lets face it folks at my current weight and height I am morbidly obese and asking for trouble. Here are my stats:

Height: 5'8
Weight: 291.6 (my lifetime highest)
Bust: 49 in
Waist: 46 in
Hips: 57 in
Right Leg: 33
Left Leg: 34
Right Arm: 19
Left Arm: 18

No wonder me and my sister look the same some of our measurments are the same. So this is me at my highest weight and I am glad that I am no longer going to see this number. By August I will reach my goal because I want it! I refuse to stay a victim of obesity when optimal health isnt all that hard to achieve with alittle bit of grunt work. I believe this is the realization that I need in order to truely move forward in my life. Through tons of prayer and discipline I am unstoppable and so is my sister. I am looking forward to feeling great about myself once again!

My gym is closed today (closed at 1pm) so I was unable to get in a workout but I am armed with Taebo videos out my arse so I will be doing 1 within the next hr. Tomorrow I officially started a water fast so there on out I will be consuming water/tea for the next 30 days. There are many obstacles with my goal which include social gatherings that are already in my planner, for such occassions I will consume a meal but it must be vegan. Then I need to immediately jump back on the fasting wagon. Due to fasting my workouts will be more on the lower impact side such as yoga, swimming, and pilates, but I will be training to run as well following the couch to 5k program. I will modify it to accomodate my fast and of course I will be sure to not exert myself beyond what my body can handle. After 30 complete fasting days I will be following a vegan diet with a majority of it based on raw foods (80 raw/20 cooked ratio). By this time I will also increase my training time and double up on workouts whenever possible. So thats my game plan and Im sticking to it. - L

It's Stats Time

2008-01-01T13:09:00.001-05:00

Today is the day to "Weigh In." Here are my stats...

Height: 5'6
Weight: 273.0 lbs
Bust: 56"
Waist: 50"
Hip: 51"
Right Leg: 29"
Left Leg: 28"
Right Arm: 19"
Left Arm: 18"

Well there it is...the ugly truth. I'll be back to update periodically throughout the week once I receive Turbo Jam and to update on my running and diet! -A.

Day Before Weigh-In

2007-12-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well it is the day before my sister and I will weigh in and post our measurements. Not only is it New Year's Eve, but it is officially my first day of the "Couch to 5K" running program. The Couch to 5K running program (www.coolrunning.com) is virtually a training program that gets you off your butt and onto the road running a 5K in nine weeks, whether or not you have ever ran ten steps or a whole mile! Each week of the program contains a three day workout session. For each session, which is about thirty minutes long, you are given instructions on how long to warm up, run/jog, walk and cool down. The program is based on interval training where in the beginning you will alternate between walking and running until the thirty minutes of your workout is finished. Eventually after nine weeks, your training will take you to running thirty minutes straight with only a warm up and cool down period.

I'm very excited about starting this program and setting myself up for success by becoming healthy, losing weight, and eventually progressing to next New Years Day with a resolution that is not related to weight loss. To prove to myself that I can do this, my sister and I have made a pact to keep each other motivated like we have never done before. Although it is hard to do so considering the distance apart from where we live, my sister has created this blog to have it be sort of an accountability system where each of us will log in every week and show our progress to the world!

Turbo Jam Video Series

Scared of failure...of course, but you know what, it's time. I've always been a fat child, so now it's time to be a thin and beautiful adult. So to aid me in my success, in addition to my running program, I have recently ordered "Turbo Jam," a series of workout videos that are similar to Tae Bo, but looks wayyyy more fun and a little less aggressive. I actually don't think I'll pull a hamstring on these videos, so I'm pretty psyched for them to arrive. Plus they have great music on them so that is a plus. I will let you know when they arrive and how the dvds are.

Also to prepare, I've pretty much cooked all of my meals for the week using Sparkpeople.com's nutrition meal planner. Unfortunately due to the site being free, the menu options are very limited, but it gives you a great start when it comes to what portions of which foods you should eat, including some recipes for the meals.

So today was my first day of running. Wow, what an experience...I finally felt the reality of what I've been doing to myself for the past several months of inactivity. The first five minutes was a brisk walk for the warm up. That wasn't bad at all, although I did find that my limbs felt very heavy! Obviously it has to do with my current weight, which will be posted tomorrow, but it shocked me to actually feel the effort I had to expel to lift, lower and move my legs forward briskly!! So sad...but nevertheless, I had to start my first 60 seconds of jogging followed by a 90 second walk recovery period.

Let me tell you, the first 60 seconds was the absolute hardest! It felt as if I haven't started a car that has been sitting in the yard for a very long time...in the winter as well. You turn the key and all you hear is the start and stop of the engine. Finally after pumping the gas pedal a few times and turning the ignition over and over again, you finally hear the initial putter, then roar of the car. That is how my body felt for the first time of running. My lower back started to hurt a little and the placing of my foot on the ground was off. After every jog interval, I had to stretch my calf muscles due to the intense stiffness I was feeling...I never felt that stiff before doing an exercise. And the weird part is that I stretched at least for 5 minutes before I started the warmup.

About 2/3 of the way through the session, I started to gain strength and momentum. It felt as if you have driven the stagnant car you just started for about half an hour and you're ready to take it on the highway and go fast to clear it's engine and it's valves. My joints no longer were stiff, but felt like they were becoming lubricated, my muscles were contracting and lengthening themselves more easily, and I made a better rhythm to my running. By the end of the thirty minutes, I honestly felt surprised that I accomplished this session, that I wasn't as exhausted as I thought I'd be, and that the 30 minutes feels like a warm up itself...my body was saying "Wow, thanks for moving me...we feel all warm and fluid and we're ready to do some activity now." So I decided to walk a little bit longer and stay on my feet for about another half hour.

So that was how my first run went. I'm eager to see how I progress as the weeks go by. With diet and exercise, how can I not succeed. I'll be posting tomorrow to show my stats and help encourage my sister and myself to keep it going and not give up at the end of four weeks, which is usually the case with me. In the meantime, I'm going to do some additional stretches and plan the rest of my week out. Until next time, peace. -A.

New Year New US!!

2007-12-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

Embarking on a 5k challenge isnt going to be easy, but following these rules will help us accomplish our goals!

First things first:
We need to measure our beginning weights, busts, thighs, arms, hips and waists

Rules:

1. Weigh-in every Tuesday (Bring in the New Year)
2. 7 days a week we must exercise for a minimum of 30 mins
3. We must drink a minimum of 1 liter of water per day
4. By February we must be able to run 1 mile under 13 mins

Goals for August 08:
A. - 210 lbs - lose approximately 60lbs
L. - 198 lbs - lost approximately 70lbs

Sources:
Couch to 5 k
The Sun Food Diet