Another Milestone!

My milestone this week was a big one!  Instead of fantasizing what I'm going to eat at the end of this, I found myself fantasizing what I'm going to look like!  That is big for me!

The weight is slowly coming off, but more importantly the bodyfat is going down.  This past week I have kept my intensity up and I think it's breaking me through.  I have managed to lose bodyfat while gaining muscle.  Woo-hoo!  My inches are about the same, but I feel like my clothes are fitting better and most are loose on me!  

My cardio last week was alot of treadmill, running a mile and walking fast on an incline.  Monday was bootcamp, Tuesday was a personal training session which we did stability exercises, Wednesday was a lot of cardio and a back workout, thursday I took the day off, then I did a heavy arm workout on Friday and then on Saturday I did a bootcamp style workout.  That was one of my best workouts, it began with a mile run (nonstop), then an hour of high intensity plyometric exercises, stability exercises, kettlebells, and floor exercises.  I ended the workout with 45 min more cardio ( 12 min row machine for 2000 meters and 30 minutes on the recumbent bike).  2 hours of awesomeness!  Monday was another bootcamp, Tuesday I did a shoulder workout and today I worked out with the trainer and did a thigh, glute workout then did 45 min cardio (mile run then rec bike for 20 min).

As far as my diet, I could be better and I am trying to think of food I like and want to make, but I am too picky of an eater.  The thought of eating chicken makes me want to gag, i don't like fish or vegetables, and beef bloats me.  Hmmm! That leaves protein shakes, but only strawberry flavor.

My goal for this week is to find some real food (I have been eating alot of pre-packaged foods) that I like and are easy to fix. Another goal is to not be so cranky!!

Back in the Saddle!

Back in the Saddle!  What does that even mean?  Well, if it means "Back on Track" then thats me!  I took last week easy from working out because I kept getting hurt.  First I hurt my back, then I rolled my ankle, then I hurt my hip.  So, my trainer took the week off and I took advantage of the time and I went easy on my workouts.  I'm happy I did so too because I was able to start strong yesterday (Monday) which motivated me all day yesterday and it kept me focused on my goal.  I did boot camp yesterday and I LOVE Boot camp!!  It is the best workout!  We do alot of body weight exercises and those are the Worst/Best.  When I lose weight, it will be easier, right?  I'm going with that.

Today I had a personal training session, but it was more like a boot camp.  Awesome!  I then did 45 minutes more of cardio afterwards.  Tomorrow I will be on my own and Thursday I have another personal training session.  I'm looking forward to my workouts.  I will be taking the weekend off because we will be going out of town, but I will be swimming with the kids, so that counts, right?

My diet is going well also.  Considering that I am a Food Addict (Hello, my name is Ginger and I am a foodaholic) and I ate out at just about every meal and I had to have a x-large Pepsi and some kind of dessert, I am doing awesome!  I am sticking to a clean diet, with moderate carbs, low fat, and moderate protein.  My calories are around 1300 calories.  Occasionally, I will nibble on my kids food, but I don't do it very often.

Today is the beginning of Week 5 and Day 28.  I took my measurements, and body fat today and since starting this contest I have lost 7 lbs, 2 % body fat (all fat, while keeping the muscle), and all my measurements have gone down.

So, my goal this week is to up my intensity with my workouts and to stay strong on my diet when I go out of town.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Today is week 3 in this new Transformation Contest and I am about where I was at the end of the last contest.  So, the "Good" is that I haven't quit and I have lost inches everywhere.  The "bad" is that my diet hasn't been as clean as it should be.  I also haven't been felling that great the last couple days.  The "Ugly"....well, its how I think look, but I also hurt my hip rotator in my workout last week so it's affecting my workouts this week. GRRRR!!!

Last week I ate a few things not on my diet, but I didn't let it stop me.  I kept going.  I didn't say, well I'll start over tomorrow morning, I started over right then.  You can do alot of damage to your state of mind as well as your body by "starting tomorrow".  What did I do?  I got mad at myself for  cheating on my diet, then I regained my focus, made a plan for the next day, then I prepared my food and supplements.

Last week I did one Boot camp class on Monday, a Personal Training session on Tuesday, and another PT session on Friday.  Friday, we worked on body weight exercises for lower body and thats what overworked my hip rotator.  I didn't do boot camp yesterday since I wasn't feeling well, but today I went in  for PT session and I did 2 (yes, only 2) lunges and I almost fell to the floor because my hip hurt.  We then moved to core and stability (crossfit) exercises.  Afterwards, I walked on the treadmill for 40 min and tried to do eliptical but it was too much.  Again, GRRRRR!!!  I hate not being able to workout to my full potential.

So, my goals for this week are to heal my hip, and to CLEAN UP MY DIET!!  Losing body fat would be nice too!

No Pain, No Gain!

If were easy, then everyone would be skinny, right?  This is definitely not easy!  This is the 7th day back on the diet and I have lost 3.5 lbs and lost inches everywhere, but I don't count it since I gained some since ending the last contest in April.  Tomorrow I will take my body fat.
I did boot camp this morning and it was a great workout, but I rolled my ankle.  It didn't hurt too much while I was there, but after getting to work, as soon as I was cooling down, it tightened up and now I really feel it.  I also need to work on my upper body strength.  It is sad that I have so much trouble doing push-ups and pull-ups.  So, I am going to the push up challenge - 100 push ups a day!  That's only 10sets of 10!
I am off to a good start with this Transformation contest, I need to stay strong!!

Here I go again....

So, here I go again.  I have began another transformation contest.  Day one was yesterday, June 6 and I have 98 days to fully transform.  My goal is to lose 35 lbs.  I know, I know, I shouldn't go by weight.  This contest is from Tom Venuto's site.  I don't know too much about him except he's one of the top nutrition/fitness guys and has even been on Oprah.  This is the 6th year he has offered this contest and by looking at the pictures from past contestants, it has been very successful for many people.  The Grand Prize is a 7 day trip to Maui with alot of extras.  There are also other prizes for runner ups. 

After finishing the Golds Gym Body Challenge, I did well for awhile exercising and making healthier choices, but then I began reverting back to old habits.  This contest came to me just in time.  I have gained 6 lbs and 1 % body fat.  Doesn't sound too bad, except that if I continue I will be right back to where I started in a short amount of time and all the hard work that I did will have been for nothing.  I have purchased more personal training and I will be training with Ashley atleast once a week one-on-one and also doing a boot camp once a week. 
My beginning stats are
175 lbs
25.1% body fat

I also did measurements and I am up with them also.  I'm not going to tell you what they are, but after this contest is over I will tell you how much I lost overall.  It sickens me to know I'm this big.  Yuck!

I will be blogging about my progress again so keep checking back.  I need your support and feedback!

WINNER!!!

All the hard work has paid off!  I am the winner of the Golds Gym Kennewick, Age 30-39 women!!!!! Woooo-hooo!!
I was a little worried because after I took the pictures and measurements I went off the diet a little and splurged.  I didn't go crazy and I think I only gained about 3 lbs, but after 1 1/2 weeks I got a call that I had to come in again and re-take the pictures because someone had stolen the camera that had all the after pics on it.  "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" was my response.  I took 2 days, dieted hard, worked out harder, tanned, and re-took the pictures.  My thought was to say "to heck with it", but I needed to do what I could to finish what I started.  I'm glad I did! 
Now that the results are in and the challenge is over, do I stop all my good progress and new habits.  NO!  I am continuing working out hard and because I have been doing boot camp, I have incorporated boot camp style workouts into my week.  I am also back on a clean diet, not always as strict, but I am making better choices and keeping my portions in check.
So, I have to say thanks to my husband for all the help and support and thanks to Ashley Eliason at Golds for training me and for pushing me in our sessions and in Boot camp!  She is an awesome trainer!! 
I will keep everyone updated so you can all see if I'm staying on the plan and to see my progress!  I still have 30 pounds I want to lose, but this 1st 20 lbs has got me started and helped me to make a change!  I will only get better!

TA-DA!!!

Today was final weigh-ins!  I think I did pretty good too.  My final weight, measurements, bodyfat and the differences from the beginning will be below, but first I will share with you what I have done that last couple weeks.  I kept my diet as it should be with no cheat meals!  That was big for me!  I also worked out HARD 6 days a week except this last week I worked out every day.  I did Boot Camp on Monday and Thursday and I had personal training sessions on Tuesday and Friday.  I did my own workout on Saturday.  This last week I did all that PLUS I did extra cardio after Bootcamp on Tuesday, 2 Hours of Cardio on Wednesday, Cardio on Thursday morning then back for Boot camp that night, and on Sunday before Easter service I woke up early (I'm not a morning person) and did shoulders, biceps, and triceps, cardio.  Yesterday, the last day, I did Bootcamp then 30 minutes cardio and later came back and did another hour of cardio.  I cut my calories way down the last 3 days and my water was cut yesterday as to make sure I wasn't holding any extra for final weigh-ins. 
So....what was the out come?
Weight Loss = 23lbs
Waist (Bellybutton) - Loss of 6.5 inches
Hips - Loss of 6 inches
Thigh - Loss of 1.5 inches
Bicep - Gain of 3/4 inch
Chest - Loss of 4.5 inches
Calves - Gain of 1 1/4 inches
Bodyfat - Loss of 7.8%  (OH YEAH!!!)
I also looked pretty good in my bikini!

If you do the calculations, I lost ALL fat, my lean mass (muscle) did not change.  That is hard to do, so my accomplishments are even better. 

So, what did I learn on my journey (and it's not over yet)?  I learned that I am stronger than I thought and I can change the bad habits that I have been so accustomed to for so long.  I also learned that my kids change when I change.  I don't go thru the drive-thru's so they know that we are eating at home, they want to eat healthier and take good care of themselves.  Nathan said to me this morning "Mommy, I'm going to live a long, long, time because you take good care of me"!  I've said it before, but my kids are the reason behind my changes, physical and psychological.    You have to have a reason for what you are doing.  If  you don't know why you're doing something, don't do it!  Good or bad!

My journey is not over, I still have bodyfat and inches I want to lose.  I will continue to post updates on my progress.