Catching Up...

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!  Wow, it has been long over a week since I last posted...and SO much has gone on since then.  From having to travel to be in my cousin's wedding, to being overwhelmed at work, to the ups and downs of love, I've been all over the place.  One thing that has remained constant has been my daily boot camp program! 

I've grown to look forward to training with my group of morning go-getters!!  I just finished up my second full week of the boot camp program.  2 weeks down, 4 to go!!  I must admit though...I ate really really bad this entire week.  All of my bad eating was driven off of pure emotion.  I had a couple of "down" days...and I cannot believe how I let those less than stellar emotional days send me to the McDonald's drive thru!! 

I almost felt like someone addicted to a bad drug...sitting in the drive thru salivating at the mouth, shaking and all.  I tore into those salty, crispy french fries...ravaging the contents of my bag, as if I hadn't eaten in ages!  It was unbelievable...licking my fingers and everything!  I was in a bad bad bad head space...and I'm glad I made it over.

As I start my third week of boot camp tomorrow I remain positive and motivated.  I purchased some new running shoes this weekend - Asics Gel Nimbus.

My others had no shock absorbency and the lack of support was causing my feet to hurt terribly during my work out.  When I tried them on, it was almost like walking on clouds!  I could tell an immediate difference compared to the way my other sneakers felt.  I cant wait to test them out tomorrow morning!

I stocked my fridge a day or so ago with plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, and lean proteins. Oh - I've also been turned on to some protein shakes by EAS - Myoplex. They are rather tasty and a perfect snack during the day.  My lunch has already been packed for tomorrow, complete with fruits and veggies to snack on during the day.  I will have to pay special attention to getting in my 5 to 6 small meals each day...and drinking at least 100 ounces of water daily.

Alrighty, let's get it!!

Super Sore!!

Talk about no pain no gain!  I woke up this morning, very eager about my second day of boot camp...only to find out my body and muscles were not cooperating.  I've never been hit by a car...and I feel sorry for those who have had to suffer through such a traumatic experience, but that's just how I felt this morning.  Like I'd been run over by a dump truck.  I was so ready to call in the Calvary...
BUT, in a split second I thought about my planned trip to Miami with some girlfriends in September (we're all celebrating our 30th birthdays)...and thought to myself - I can choose to get up and go work out or I can choose to lay in the bed.  Obviously what I'll look like in MIA will vary...
                           

This is NOT how I will represent myself in the MIA!

So, I got up and took my butt to Day 2 of my boot camp session.  Once I was there and had actually started my workout, I didn't even feel the pain anymore!!  Needless to say, immediately after the workout...and for the rest of my work day I moved like an old lady.  The soreness was on a level that I don't ever recall feeling in my life.  Imagine sitting down in your car and feeling all sorts of pain.  Or standing up from the seated position of your desk chair and having to walk with a bent/crooked back for a couple of steps before you can actually stand up straight...

                                                 

Or better yet, how about not being able to go to the bathroom without being in immense pain while squatting over the toilet!!  Thank GOD for those handicap accessible stalls...I gripped the metal handicap railings on the wall of the stall just to hold myself up b/c my muscles were just that sore!  **Shout out to the ADA for making sure all buildings have handicap rails in bathrooms**

I increased my water intake today...to about 100 ounces.  And, I was diligent in sticking to my healthy eating plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I realize I just started but whew, I can't wait to see some major results!!!  I want saggy pants so bad.  LOL!!  One thing I have noticed though...my ring fits a bit looser on my finger, and my shoes seem to have loosened up.  They weren't tight to begin with, but I feel a noticeable difference in the fit of them both.  They are both weird places to see results, but I take that as a good sign!

And, although I'm super sore as I type the close of this blog, I STILL plan to get up in the AM and hit it again for Day 3.  I'm on a mission....

Stepping it Up a Notch: Bootcamp for 6 weeks!!!

I am SOOOOOO amped today.  I'm eager to get into shape and drop some weight sooner than later, so I decided to step things up a notch.  I joined a 6-week Fitness BOOT CAMP! 

This morning was my first boot camp work out session...and it went over really well!  I'm glad that I'd been doing some cardio at the gym the week prior, so I wasn't as winded and out of breath as I normally would be.  Talk about intense!!  The workout was non-stop (a few 2-3 minute breaks sprinkled throughout)...and included lunges, jogging, sprinting, jumping jacks, push ups, press & curl with free weights, crunches, etc.  You name it, we did it!  The trainers had us doing some of the work out inside, and some of it was outside.  The morning group was about 9 or 10 people...which they split into two different groups.  It was the perfect size.  The boot camp is coed...and its obvious that everyone has a different fitness and agility level right now...but we were encouraged to do things at our own pace. 

Talk about sweating though...I thought that I'd sweat to death!!  There was a whole lot of breathing hard, panting, tongue hanging out and all on my part...but I DID NOT GIVE UP!!

When my session was over with I felt like I'd lost weight already!!  Talk about results!  It may have been all in my head...but nonetheless, I felt better having gotten up at 5:30am to push myself.  Whenever I felt like it was all too much and wanted to slow down or stop, I'd imagine a bikini clad image of myself running along the beach...hair in the wind...in slow motion.     

One other thing to note...it helps SO much when you have girlfriends and loved ones to help you along your journey.  Whether they are in the boot camp class pushing me to my limit, emailing and sending text messages from afar, or making sure I'm sticking to my healthy eating plan when we're dining together during the week...I am most grateful for their love and encouragement!!  Thanks ladies...and gents!!

My Plan of Attack...

1.) Attend the fitness boot camp 5 days per week, M - F 6am - 7:15am.

2.)  Follow nutrition plan - Personal Trainer is supposed to email it to me today.
3.)  No weighing myself until the end of the 6-week program. 

My "Before" Boot Camp Body Measurements...

Weight:  220lbs         Waist:  42in
Left Arm:  12in          Right Arm:  12in
Left Leg:  28in           Right Leg:  28in
           Bottom Fat Roll:  48.5in

Battle of the Bulge...

For some time I've thought about the idea of blogging, but never went through with it.  All sorts of thoughts would come to mind...what would I write about, who would want to read it, will I get tired of it, what if my writing isn't as good and/or entertaining as so and so??  Now, I'm at a totally different place in life and I don't care about any of those things.  I recently embarked on a renewed quest for better health and improved fitness.  To keep myself on track (and possibly encourage others) I've decided to journal my experiences, thoughts and feelings.

This blog is my outlet...my journal...my confidant...my confessions.

Battle of the Bulge...

I don't know how it happened (well really I do) but I've been on a diet for as long as I can remember.  You know how some folk's early childhood memories are of riding a bike, setting up a tent in the backyard?  Well mine...being in 4th grade and my old gray-haired doctor telling my mother I was 20lbs overweight.  WTH?!  I didn't know anything about weight at that age.  But it was on that warm spring day that my battle of the bulge started.  Note:  I honestly can't recall which season it was, but warm/spring sounded good :).  I've been on every diet under the sun.  Some have worked and some did not.  I've been focused and I haven't given a damn. 

Imagine the scariest roller coaster at your local amusement park.  How did you feel when the rail car peaked its highest point?

You may have looked down once you noticed how high you were and freaked out!  OMG!  Get me down from here!!  And after being stalled for a couple of seconds (seemed like forever) you suddenly drop thousands of feet..leaving your guts and nerves up top.  But whew, you're safe, you finally made it back to that "not so dangerous" place.  You get comfortable and say to yourself, "I can handle this"...you think the roller coaster ride is over, but dammit, before you know it...without warning, the rail car takes off again, zipping you in and out of loops and turning you upside down before you come to a sudden stop...disheveled, hair flying, screams, laughter, crying.  Well, my "battle of the bulge" has been quite similar to a roller coaster ride.  Highs and lows, ups and downs, scary and comfortable, happy and sad...

Even though I'm still battling the bulge today, its weird...some days I look in the mirror and I see a skinny me starring back at me!  I don't see the thick in the thighs and the waist gal that I know I am.  Instead I see a rather svelte and sexy diva. 

And that is where my problem lays. Just like my hips, my body image is WAY TO HEALTHY! I've oftentimes put off improving my diet and exercise lifestyle because I felt like I was still cute and sexy so it wasn't that big of a deal. 

So anyway, let's fast forward to Spring 2010 - I visit my primary care physician for my annual physical.  No major issues come to surface, so I'm happy.  We discuss my family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  She tells me that I need to lose some weight, and if not, I'm guaranteed to be stricken with one of these illnesses when I get older.  OK, frightening enough...I say to myself "I know, I know, I know...just hurry up b/c I need to get back to work".  So then she says..."You are severely obese.  And yeah, you have a pretty face and all...but I don't know about the rest of you".  I almost fell slam off of the examination table.  WTH?!  Was I offended?  No, not really.  It was more of a realization...it hit the nail on the head...and in that one instance I KNEW I HAD TO DO SOMETHING!  Sidebar:  Remember the old Jenny Craig commercials.  The mom is telling her weight loss story.  She says one day she was feeding her children, and she reached over into one of their plates.  The child says "No mommy, that's my food".  The mother looks at the screen and says "That's when I knew I had to do something...and I called Jenny".  Well, that's exactly how I felt.  Here I am...thinking I'm looking half decent.  Yeah, I'm heavy but I carry my weight well.  Yeah, I need to lose weight, but I'll get around to it.  But to hear - ..."You are severely obese. And yeah, you have a pretty face and all...but I don't know about the rest of you".  That put me in an entirely different head space.  On that day I weighed in at my heaviest ever...230lbs.

I've made a conscious effort to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my daily diet.  I've eliminated red meat and focus primarily on lean meats such as fish and chicken.  And just recently I've been hitting the gym.  I've lost 9-10lbs over the past 5 weeks or so.  I'm more motivated now than I've been in a long long time...and I'm looking forward to what is yet to come!!

Here goes, as I continue fighting my Battle of the Bulge!