I'm a week late in posting this, but I'm happy that I'm done with the first round and 1/3 of the way done with the second round!
In 21 days I lost 5 pounds and I am down 10.75" overall with 4 of those inches down in my waist!
I'd love to say that I have more energy, but I'm just not there yet, but I really do love this program. It's an easy to follow program that gives flexibility with the diet, but great structure and clear guidelines. I am able to eat food I actually like (hello turkey burgers and chili) and still lose weight. I did have to give up my beloved condiments and sauces, except mustard, but I'm really loving the results and I really don't miss them too much.
I am already in my second round and the only change is that I'm using the 21 day fix eating plan with the focusT25 workouts. I like HIIT workouts and it's less pressure on my wrist so that's what I'm trying out this round!
Let's start this week off by saying that we got our new scale in the mail! Now, I'm able to have an accurate reading of my weight and I couldn't be happier with that.
This week I managed to get in a good cardio workout and some yoga. It seems that the more I want to get to the gym, the more comes up to try to prevent me. And, you know what? That's life and that's ok. I am learning to manage my ever-changing life in regards to exercise. In the dieting world, I'm still doing a great job! So it's still a win because the numbers are still going down.
I'm still on track to lose 30 pounds by Christmas so I'm happy about that!
Being diagnosed with PCOS has given me a lot of answers. I used to wonder why I had twinges throughout my cycle, was exhausted no matter how much sleep I got, was hungry all of the time, had a hard time losing weight, why I gained most of the weight in my stomach, why I was irregular, and why I crave carbs and sugar like no one's business. Being diagnosed with PCOS gave me answers.
Since being diagnosed, I've been doing a lot of research. I want to know what PCOS is and what we can do to manage my symptoms. I also want to know what we can do to help me get pregnant.
I saw my fertility doctor for my follow-up appointment last Thursday to find out what we can do. We decided to put me on Metformin ER to help manage my slightly elevated HbA1c levels so that I do not become diabetic. It will also help to regulate my hormones if it is successful because they all work with the insulin levels in my body. In addition, we are going to start treatment with Clomid. In two weeks, I will be going in for my baseline ultrasound and blood work to make sure that everything is good to start. If I respond to the clomid, we have a chance to get pregnant. If not, then we will change my dosage and pray that it works. They will give us 3-4 months of trying once we can get me to ovulate on clomid. If it works, then we continue care with my OBGYN, if not, we switch medications, which will likely include injections.
At this time, I am making sure to do what I can with eating well and working out until my appointment next week. It's so important to continue eating well and working out to help the Metformin work at its best to reduce any insulin resistance and to help me continue to lose weight since weight loss can help ease and control symptoms as well.
I am still learning a lot about my diagnosis and I have two books waiting for me at the library to continue to learn. I am doing my best to consider this a blessing. God made me this way and I strongly believe that I can use this as a platform to help others in some way.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as we work with the doctors to try to start our family!
This week has been a great week for me to really realize how much I have lost. This is the first week where I've really been able to appreciate and see how different my body looks! Last week I was a little frustrated with not being able to see the progress, but I can definitely see it now and that is a great feeling.
I'm still working on losing weight, but it's getting harder with the doctor appointments that I've been having. Not a good enough excuse, but I still stay in my calorie range and that's just as important.
According to my Wii Fit board/scale I have maintained my weight. I don't think it's super accurate, but that's ok. My new scale is on it's way and I should have it in the next week or so and I'm definitely excited about that.
I've also been doing some reading about my diagnosis of PCOS and it really explains a lot.
I can identify with almost everything on this chart {except for the low thyroid, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and facial hair}. It's definitely been an eye-opener and explains so much. I used to wonder all the time why I was so hungry, had a hard time losing weight, and was so tired.
PCOS has definitely helped me gain weight and makes it difficult to lose it, but I'm doing it! My doctor did put me on Metformin ER yesterday to help with my insulin/Hb a1c levels and he hopes it can continue to help me lose weight along with my diet/exercise program that I'm doing.
It's no magic fix, but there's a plan and it could help so much more.
Wow, this week has definitely been busier than usual, but that's a good thing! I'm sticking with my minimum of three days a week for exercising and hoping to have some time to add in another day or two since I really liked going five days a week.
I like to do my best to stay motivated and determined to continue to lose weight. It's important for me not to give up on the plan and I make sure to stick in my calorie range daily.
Here are the results:
Starting Weight: 224
Last Week's Weight: 205.6
Current Weight: 205
Down -0.6pounds for the week!
Total weight loss: 19 pounds!
Very happy with the continued loss! I'm definitely on track to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year!
If you missed the first post on how we got on the show, you can catch up here.
You all saw that we were picked to have Jillian Michaels as our celebrity diet expert.
We met Jillian at a restaurant in Los Angeles to discuss the plan. She gave us her book to read and told us that it was going to be a lot of hard work.
The plan was simple enough...calories in vs. calories out. In order to lose weight, we had to create a deficit. She told us to eat between 1,200-1,500 calories per day and that we would be working out 5x/week. Now, I don't know about you, but it's kind of hard to go from 0 to 60 all at once when you're not used to working out or eating right. She suggested that we get a book called The Calorie King to help track our calories and get a notebook so we could keep track of it all.
We worked out with Jillian one time and she sent us home with instructions to send her our food diaries weekly and she would send us what she wanted to do work out wise for the week.
I stuck to my calorie intake and made sure to measure everything. I made some slight changes like substituting turkey bacon for regular, light hot dogs for regular, Ezekiel bread, low fat everything, and light versions of many foods. She said that we could use 300 calories per day to "treat" ourselves so we didn't feel obligated to cheat or binge. I still ate pizza and some of my favorite foods, but I made sure to count the calories and always stuck to my calorie range.
I emailed Jillian with my food diary religiously and sometimes I wouldn't hear back for a week or even maybe two weeks. I felt lost and unsure of what to do so I called the producer of the show and she told me that Jillian must be busy, so I just needed to be patient.
Jillian would email us when she got around to it and would tell us what to do to work out. She suggested taking a spin class so that's exactly what we did. I remember that we went into the hour long class and tried so hard to make it through to the end. It was so painful and I thought I had bruised my butt! I thought that she was trying to kill us! We were definitely not ready for that.
Working out proved to be a challenge. She would tell us to do 45 minutes of cardio and do strength training. She was very specific about which cardio machines to use (StairMaster was one of her favorites) and for how long. At one point, she emailed me telling me that it was time to start running on the treadmill. I let her know that I really didn't think my body was ready for it and she told me that I needed to do it anyways. I tried to run on the treadmill and ended up hurting my knee. I went to the doctor and they told me that I wasn't ready to be running and to wear a brace full-time for a few weeks and to take it easy. Yep, that sucked.
During this time, my sister ended up temporarily quitting the show. She had a personal issue come up and wasn't focused. We ended up getting her back on track, but it was a struggle. I did continue to email my food journal/workouts even though she wasn't communicating with Jillian and fell off the bandwagon.
With the injury, my school schedule, and my work schedule (moving to full-time hours) I didn't get to work out as much as I should have. Jillian wasn't happy with my slow, steady weight loss and wanted to have me take weight loss supplements and only eat lean chicken or fish with broccoli for lunches and dinners. Of course, this was not what her "plan" was supposed to be about and I didn't feel comfortable taking a weight loss drug to lose weight.
As you can imagine, the second show {the results show} was definitely interesting. I will have another post with another video clip to wrap up the experience!
This week was much less painful than last week. I've been more tired than normal so it was a little hard to get going, but I'm determined to get fit so I sucked it up and worked out out anyways.
Here's what I did this week:
Workout Schedule: Monday-Thursday. As always, we'll do something active or go to the gym this weekend.
Sunday
Rest day.
Monday
60 minutes on the Arc Trainer! Oh my gosh, that was hard, but so worth it.I even dropped my sweat towel in the first 15 minutes of my workout and didn't stop to pick it up. I was dripping in sweat. Fortunately, a really nice, older man realized it and picked it up for me at 47 minutes into my workout!
Tuesday
15 minutes on the stationary bike followed by a leg workout on the machines. I ended the workout with a 20 minute walk on the treadmill. Overall...35 minutes of cardio and legs.
Wednesday
I took my mother-in-law to the gym with me! It was so exciting to have her there and to show her what I do and some new things she can try. It was her first time EVER in a gym {she is an avid walker at home}! My husband made me promise not to push her too hard so we did 15 minutes on the Arc Trainer, an ab workout, 10 minutes on the elliptical, and a 5 minute cool down on the treadmill. We had to break up the cardio because she said that she couldn't do any more with her legs after the Arc Trainer! She did a great job keeping up. Overall...30 minutes of cardio and abs.
Thursday
Oh my was I tired on Thursday. I decided to go to the gym anyways and managed to do 17 minutes of walking, 30 minutes on the elliptical, and 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Overall...62 minutes of cardio! I also did a little arm workout, but I was so tired that I didn't do much.
Friday
Rest Day
Saturday
Either the gym or a day trip to DC or somewhere to walk around.
Diet
I did so well this week with my water intake! Most days were 10-12 cups and always the minimum of 8 cups of water per day. I stayed under my calorie limit every day and was only hungry if I forgot to snack!
Starting Weight: 224
Last Week's Weight: 218
Today's Weight: 215.4
I'm down 2.6 pounds this week and down 8.6 pounds from the beginning!
I worked hard, upped my water intake, and stayed under my calorie limit and it payed off!
Measurements:
Starting Waist: 44"
Last Week: 41"
Current Waist: 40.5"
*My natural waist
Starting Hip: 54"
Last Week: 49"
Current Hip: 49"
*Right under my belly-button where I was the most round overall.
I lost .5" in my waist and stayed the same at my hip area. My pants are still fitting looser so that's always a good sign!
Next Week's Plan...
Keep my water intake up and continue to work up to 60 minutes of cardio per day (less on days where I do weights).
Weight loss is definitely a journey filled with highs and lows. This week was more difficult than last week. I got in four workouts (Sunday-Wednesday), but I had such a hard time with some of them. My allergies were crazy, I had pain in my left arch with walking, and my calves have been so tight. I still managed to work out, but some modifications were definitely needed.
Here's what I did this week:
Workout Schedule: Sunday-Wednesday...still planning a Friday and possibly Saturday workout!
Sunday
10 minutes on the treadmill followed by weights. It was an arm day so we got that done. I wanted to do more cardio, but it was so hot and humid that my husband started to feel dizzy so we decided it was best to get him home.
Monday
30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 20 minutes on the stationary bike.
Tuesday
30 minutes on the treadmill and 15 minutes on the bike. I also went back and did the 30 minute circuit class!
Wednesday
This was the tough day for me. I tried to walk on my in-laws' treadmill since we're house-sitting and it sucked. The belt is looser than the ones I'm used to and my calves were on fire. I did 10 minutes and felt like I was going to die. I managed to go to the gym later that day and did 10 more minutes on the treadmill and 10 minutes on the stationary bike. It sucked and I was so disappointed in myself.
Thursday I woke up and my calves were so tight and sore. It was horrible. I ended up using this as my rest day, stretching a lot, and having my husband use a rolling pin on my calves to attempt to loosen them up.
Friday
Ugh, I need to make up for this week somehow. I really enjoy working out, but this week has been awful. At least 30 minutes of cardio somehow, but trying to avoid the treadmill since it makes my calves hurt more.
Saturday
Something active. Either the gym or maybe hiking? If you knew me at all, you would know that me wanting to go hiking is a miracle.
Diet
I need to drink more water. I made sure to get in the 8 cup minimum per day, but I really like to stay around 12 cups per day. We have been at my in-laws a good part of this week and took Gram to dinner last Friday, but I managed to check out the calorie and fat content and did well with that. I'm eating out too much being here so I'm looking forward to my routine at home.
Starting Weight: 224
Last Week's Weight: 218.8
Today's Weight: 218
I'm down 0.8 pounds! I worked hard, but you can tell it was a hard week.
Measurements:
Starting Waist: 44"
Current Waist: 41"
*My natural waist
Starting Hip: 54"
Current Hip: 49"
*Right under my belly-button where I was the most round overall
I managed to stay the same in my measurements, but I've noticed my yoga pants are looser in the front so that's good!
Next Week's Plan...
Drink more water! I also want to get in more cardio and work up to 60 minutes per day. I also want to eat more fruit this week. I like having fruit as a snack and since we weren't home this week, I slacked in the fruit department.
This week was a fantastic week for me! I was able to push myself and get in more time and hours working out than previous weeks and I felt great after my workouts.
Here's what I did this week:
Workout Schedule: Sunday-Thursday...5 days in a row!
Sunday- 20 minutes on the elliptical. It was supposed to be my "day off" but I really wanted to get in a workout. We had limited time, but I pushed myself and made sure to make up for it.
Monday- 30 minutes on the elliptical + 35 minutes on the treadmill! I also did yoga at the end of the day.
Tuesday- 10 minutes on the bike + 20 minutes on the treadmill. We also attempted to do the ab circuit workout, but I'm not a fan. I also did a yoga stretch video that night.
Wednesday- 20 minutes on the treadmill. Yes, we were at the gym on the 4th of July. We also did a lot of swimming at Phil's Aunt's house. I did a yoga video again in the evening.
Thursday- I tried out a yoga class at a studio here in town. It was definitely interesting and I would do it again, but classes are expensive.
Friday- rest day. I might get in some yoga at home.
Saturday- I'm hoping to do at least 30 minutes of cardio.
Diet- I definitely drank a lot of water (about 10-12 cups a day) and added in a low calorie Gatorade knock-off to get back some electrolytes. I've also been using My Fitness Pal online to help track my calories and exercise and I've been under my goal to lose weight!
Starting Weight: 224
Last Week's Weight: 222
Today's Weight: 218.8
I'm down 3.2 pounds! I worked hard and it definitely shows.
Measurements:
Starting Waist: 44"
Current Waist: 41"
*My natural waist
Starting Hip: 54"
Current Hip: 49"
*Right under my belly-button where I was the most round overall
I lost 1" in both my waist and my roundest part!!!
.
My plan for next week: Continue with the water and try not to eat out at all. I want to try some new recipes and make sure that I'm incorporating more fresh fruits into my diet. I also want to make sure to snack on more protein-rich foods like Greek yogurt after my workouts.
I mentioned last week about how I was on the Tyra Banks Show a few years ago for weight loss. The show was shot in 2006 in Los Angeles, CA
How we ended up on the show:
I filled out a form on her website and was called a couple of months afterwards to come in and do an interview for the show. They asked if I had anyone else I could bring with me so I brought my sister who was also not happy with her weight. We were told that we were not going to be on the show {because they already had their cast picked out}, but we were needed for the interview. A couple of days after the interview, we were asked to come down for the show and sit in the audience. At this point they said that there was a slight chance that we might on the show! They told us to come in a couple of hours early for hair and make-up just in case they wanted us on the show because Tyra really liked the "sister angle." Honestly, we knew that we were going to be cast for the show at that point because why would there only be six people in hair and make-up when they said that "everyone" in the audience had a chance of being called up on stage.
Prepping for the show:
After we got our hair and make-up done, we were sent to wardrobe to make sure that we were wearing something that they would like. They had a closet full of clothes and shoes and promptly went to work. It was fun having someone dress and accessorize you. Then, we were sent to a green room where we sat and waited for what was to come. The producer came in and "prepped" us by asking a lot of questions and having us rehearse our answers. She kept telling us that no one knew who was going to be called up on the stage so if we were called, we had to act really excited.
The show:
We were strategically seated on the end of a row so that we would have easy access to the stage. The premise of the show was easy. There were three teams, each made up of two women, and three diet/fitness gurus who each claimed that their way was the best way. Each guru was assigned one team to work with over a three month period of time. Each team had to follow their expert's plan and try to lose as much weight as they could in that time frame.
We were the second team to be called up.
Here's the video that we edited to show you our segment on the show!
My comments on the video:
Yes, Tyra totally botched our last name...badly. It was awkward and weird. Also, Tyra is freakishly tall, like 6 feet tall and she is wearing a slutty top that exposes her bra. Ya, she's fun like that. Another fun Tyra fact? Her make-up doesn't go all the way up to her hair (weave) line. It stops a good two inches or so before the hairline...lol.
I can tell you one thing, when you are up on that stage, you can't even think about what to say! There are so many people in the audience looking at you and Tyra is asking you all of these questions that she's reading off of the teleprompter or cards. It's kind of nerve-wrecking at the time, but you get over it.
Our team name? LAME! No, we did not pick that name, in fact, we wanted to be called the "Chubby Bunnies", but they told us that was not ok and they picked the "Nanny Pack." Seriously? We thought it would be awesome and funny!
The three experts were Dr. Ian Smith (from Celebrity Fit Club), Jillian Michaels (the Biggest Loser), and Alyssa Cohen (Raw Food Diet). Of course, y'all saw who we got and at that point I was just thrilled that we didn't get the raw food lady because I would have died on a raw food/vegan diet! You can seriously see me mouthing the words, "I'm so happy. Oh, thank God!" Hahaha.
Fun fact: They don't actually weigh you on the show. You weigh yourself at home and they call and ask what it is so they can get everything ready for it to happen on the show.
So, that pretty much wraps up the first show! I'll be writing another post telling you what we did during the three months of working out and dieting with Jillian in the next post and I'll have one last post with video clips of the Results Show with who won!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
I never thought that I would have to change my diet to manage my pain. Believe it or not, I thought that I was just sensitive to pain and that it was normal for my body to feel the way it does. It wasn't until recently that I even considered going gluten free. I read a blog about it and it sparked my interest, but even that want enough to make me try it full-time. It really wasn't until my chiropractor suggested it that I really wanted to give it a go.
The goal is to be gluten free for two weeks to see how my body reacts. Hopefully it will take down the inflammation and will help me heal completely. I have a positive attitude about it and am prepared with meal options for the next couple of days. If the inflammation does not go down very much, the next step is to remove dairy also. I am mentally prepared for that as a hopeful temporary solution, but you never know. Either way, I am going to give it my best and see how it turns out.
I've been cheating with everything bad. I haven't been to the gym in two weeks and there's really no good reason for it. I don't think that being tired or busy is a good enough excuse. At this point I feel like I've run out of excuses. I don't know why I've been M.I.A., but I have been.
I may not have been able to go to the gym, but I've been on my feet a lot more. Work started last week and preparing for school was hard work! No, that doesn't mean that I can eat two desserts a day and not watch what I eat, but I'm moving around. In fact, today Phil and I went to the outlets and walked around for a little more than five hours! By the time we left my feet, back, and knees hurt so much, but that just means that I was walking around and getting exercise.
Tomorrow is a new day and with a new day I get a new start. I know I won't always make the right choice, but I can always try again and make better decisions one day at a time.
I've been reading a lot of blogs recently and have noticed that one of my favorite blogs to read mentions that she is doing Weight Watchers with her husband and it is working for them! I've been struggling with weight loss and especially over the past few weeks my nutrition has really been aweful. Phil and I even had a talk about it to try to get me back on track. We decided that I needed a plan to work with instead of blindly going in there. We considered a couple of things:
--A supplement aka Alli. After reading the many reviews (good and bad) we decided that the oily discharge and general leakage problem from the rear end is NOT ok in any circumstance. Other supplements have high levels of caffeine and I am caffeine sensitive...it puts me to sleep--literally.
--After shooting down the supplement idea, I thought of Weight Watchers because I have been reading about the success over at this blog and thought it would be a great idea to try. You get your points allowance and get to do a lifestyle change without counting calories!
After making the decision last night, calling Weight Watchers to talk to them about the program, we headed out to BJ's to get a Momentum Cookbook to get an idea of recipes that are allowed. We also purchased a starter kit online today that should be here in a few days to get the ball rolling! I am excited to try this out and see what can happen as a result of it.
