Preparations~

Hello everyone!


I begin my Turbo Fire attempt tomorrow (it's only 9 weeks, so if it's epic fail then no biggie).  I am making some preparations!


1. Making brown rice. Yes, rice. Which leads to the next thing.
2. Making a batch of grilled chicken. Which leads to-
3. Preparing bento lunches for days I have to go to work- which is Monday-Thursday.  I posted before about this Japanese lunch jar set I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SL-NCE09-Bento-Stainless-Steel-Vacuum/dp/B0016S7MJM

It has 3 bowls in it and it keeps food warm or cold  (whatever you put in).   It has a soup bowl, a bowl for rice, and a bowl for something else.  So, I am going to start packing miso soup in the soup bowl, brown rice in the middle rice bowl and my chicken in the top.   Yes, I know this is lacking vegetables. I can have those at dinnertime.  (I usually have a huge plate when I make them so I can TECHNICALLY get all or close to all of my veggies in one meal.)

Also these bowls are NOT big, they're not small, but just right.  I have eaten similar lunches in this thing before and got the right amount of full.  They're based on Japanese portion sizes which are a lot closer to how a lot of Americans SHOULD be eating instead of massive plates of food that we're used to.

4. Bringing quick cooking steel cut oatmeal, a jar of peanut butter and my pumpkin pie spices to work and keeping them at the office with a bowl so I can make breakfast there (I start at 8 am and lately I have been just getting McDonald's food for breakfast. No bueno).  I also have a Brita water bottle with a filter in it so I can always get water that doesn't taste like nasty rusty pipes (I'm looking at YOU, water fountains).

5. I am going to count calories and write everything down but I am not going to be too anal about it either.

6. I have to wake up early tomorrow (since I will be gone from 7 am to 10 pm) and get my Fire 30 done. It's only a half hour and I can shower, throw my food into the jar and leave. 

7. A non food-related preparation- Hanging up the largest pair of jeans I own for trying-on purposes.  I have not worn a pair of jeans in over a year now because I am way too big.  The biggest pair I have is a junior's size 17.  I also have a couple of size 15 jeans and one 13.  After that, I need new jeans.  Once I hit a size 13 in junior's pants, I can start rocking my Juicy Couture tracksuits because their extra large is about a junior's 13.

8. Weigh in on my Nintendo Wii.  Then I can take pictures of the neat little graph it makes as I weigh in each day. 

9. Take body measurements.  Not pictures this time, I have some pics of  me that are pretty close to what I am now.  

After I post this, I will start cooking and what not, lots to do tomorrow. 

TurboFire Prep Schedule

Hello everyone!


I have decided to try and do Turbo Fire with a healthy diet in order to drop some initial weight because I honestly think I am too heavy to do either Tracy Anderson or Addicted to Sweat.  Lately my wrists are also bothering me and I think being on all fours doing Meta at my weight would just make it worse.

So, I decided that I would like to try the prep schedule of Turbo Fire.  I did try it before and it quickly became too much when I was doing the "regular" classes with more and more HIIT.  The prep schedule is 9 weeks of preparation for the real deal.

It involves a lot of strengthening and a lot of cardio, no HIIT workouts (aside from the fire drills) until the last 2 weeks of the prep program. 

I am not looking to be a full-on Turbo fanatic, I figure they burn a LOT of calories (and at my weight bulking isn't really anything I need to worry about and if I do bulk it can be fixed later) and I am looking to knock off about 80-90 pounds before going on to Meta or Addicted to Sweat.  To be completely honest with you, I would rather look like Chalene than how I look now, any day.  If I look bulky when I am lighter, I can approach that if I have to.

As for eating, I am going to suck it up and eat enough calories.  I have it programmed into my head that more calories = bad.  To be completely honest, eating a lot of calories with the goal of losing weight really scares the crap out of me.  I have this nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that it's going to not work if I eat more. Ugh. 

Actually, Turbo Fire has a little calculator that helps you decide how much a day to eat.

It says that at my weight (approx 290 pounds) to lose 2 lb of fat a week (not 2 lb of scale weight, there IS a difference) I need to be eating 2840 calories a day.  Seems EXCESSIVE. I will do more research on this.


I think what I will do is just use MyFitnessPal and have that sort out the calories for me.  It allows more on days that I am active, less on days that I am not.  Less thinking for me, haha. 

Special K Cereal Recall

Hello everyone!


I'm not sure if anyone here eats Special K Cereal, but I saw on the news today that there is a recall on the Special K Red Berries cereal.

The recall comes about  because these boxes and packages of cereal may contain pieces of glass.

The following products are included in the recall:

11.2 ounce packages, UPC code 3800059923, Better if Used Before Date of DEC 02 2013 followed by KNC 105 with a time stamp of 00:13-2:30

22.4 ounce packages, UPC code 3800078356, Better if Used Before Date of NOV 30 2013 followed by KNA 105 with a time stamp of 07:00-08:51 or NOV 30 2013 followed by KNB 105 with a time stamp of 15:00-17:05

37 ounce packages, UPC code 3800020940, Better if Used Before Date of NOV 30 2013 followed by KNB 107 with a time stamp of 17:31-20:05

A link to the article is here: http://news.yahoo.com/kellogg-recalls-cereal-over-glass-risk-171726217--abc-news-health.html

There haven't been any injuries from any glass but if you have any of these boxes, contact Kellogs for a replacement.

Addicted to Sweat and Feelings of Defeat

Hello everyone!


So, as always I am doing some thinking, and lately I have been thinking that I REALLY want to do the Addicted to Sweat program.  I've watched it, reviewed it, got all excited about getting it...

But I can't do it. 

This is how I feel every time I realize that I am too heavy to do that workout, something all the wishing and wanting in the world won't fix.  I feel defeated, hopeless, etc.


I realize I have to lose weight before attempting it, but here's where my pride gets in the way.  I feel "stupid" and "loserly" having to do basic "beginner" workouts.  I am the type of person who likes to do the most advanced stuff (in everything I learn to do) NOW.  And not being able to do that really... well, sucks. 


Has it ever happened to you that you had to start off way lower level of something than you originally wanted?  Did you ever rise up to the level you wanted to?

More Info About Calories

Hello everyone!


Lately, I have been reading a blog called GoKaleo and it has been pretty informational.  She used to be overweight and lost weight, through good old fashioned diet and exercise.

There was one article she posted that surprised me.  Okay, it shocked me.  She talks about calories and how most of us are actually eating TOO LITTLE without realizing it and as a result, some of us aren't seeing the weight loss we should.

I found this part relevant:


"If you’re obese or overweight, you need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. Not too many more, I generally recommend keeping a 500 calorie deficit to keep your metabolism healthy. Alternately, you can use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories your body will need to maintain your goal weight (including your activity), and eat that many calories. Your body will take care of the rest (that’s how I did it). If you keep your deficit relatively small and lift weights and get regular exercise, your body will tag your muscles as ‘in use’ and preserve them, burning stored fat to make up the deficit in energy in vs energy out. If you’re sedentary, your body will burn lean mass as well as fat to make up for that deficit."


She gives 2 links to calorie calculators and the results shocked me.

This is the one that I use because it's simpler.

http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/energy-counter


I plugged in that my goal weight (for now) is 140 pounds  and I am 5'5" tall and inactive.  Here's how it defines activity levels.

INACTIVE: You participate in no regular exercise or physical activity.

LIGHT: You participate in no regular physical activity, however incorporate 3-4 hours of walking or standing per day as part of your normal daily life activities.

MODERATE: You participate in occasional physical activity such as jogging, swimming, or bike riding during the week and some recreational fitness activity such as golf or tennis on the weekend.

HEAVY: You participate regularly in recreational and fitness activity at least 3-4 times per week for 30-60 minutes per session.

VIGOROUS: You participate regularly in fitness activity for 60 or more minutes at least 4 times a week.

EXERCISE TO GAIN WEIGHT: For those who are underweight. Now if I were to be doing my Meta or Turbofire on a regular basis then my activity level would be "heavy". Inactive calories needed: 1735 per day Heavy calories needed: 2603 per day And apparently if I eat those levels with those activity levels, my body will lose fat and normalize at 140 pounds approximately.  My goal weight is actually more around 130. So that means: On days I don't work out: 1683 calories On days I do work out: 2525 calories. Yes, at work I do move around but not enough to really justify a "workout".  On days I just go to work or do housework, I am using that as an inactive day. Now, GoKaleo also says that both the number AND kind of calories matter when it comes to how to spend these calories. "Aim for, at minimum, .5 – 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. Fat should make up at roughly 20-35% of your calories (some people do well on lower or higher fat percentages, but 20-35% is a healthy range for most of us). The rest of your calories can come from whatever macronutrient you prefer (macronutrients = protein, fat and carbs). If you’re doing a lot of endurance exercise, go for more carb dense foods. More and more it’s looking like the only true dietary bad guys are man-made, refined fats: trans and seed oils, and by reducing processed food consumption you will be reducing your intake of those." So for protein, I would need 65 grams of protein a day at 130 pounds. I also do more endurance type stuff when I work out (dance cardio or turbo fire) so I guess it would be wise to add more carbs like oatmeal and rice. "Build your diet on a base of vegetables and protein. Whether you go with plant or animal protein, make sure it’s quality. Organic, sprouted (in the case of legumes), pastured (in the case of meat, dairy and eggs), wild caught (in the case of fish). Reduce your consumption of grains, especially refined grains, I don’t believe they’re poison (and I still eat oatmeal and brown rice), but they’re very calorie dense for the nutrition they provide. Carbs are not the devil, but get them from real whole foods like fruits and starchy vegetables for the most part. Fat is your friend, it fills you up and makes food taste good, and your body needs it for proper nutrient absorption and hormonal function. Make a habit of tracking your diet on a website like caloriecount.com, sparkpeople.com or fitday.com (there are many others as well). It’s not just about calories, regular tracking will help you learn to meet your energy requirements with foods that also provide the vitamins, minerals and adequate amounts of fat and protein to support good health and weight management. It can be a pain at first, but over time it helps build good eating habits and gives you control over your weight and health. Calories DO matter, but most of us can eat a lot more than we think we can if we’re making good food choices and getting regular exercise. Tracking calories is NOT about restriction, and reaching/maintaining a healthy weight is NOT about being hungry and denying ourselves proper nutrition. Quite the contrary, it is about feeding ourselves adequate amounts of nutritious foods that support health, energy and vitality. " So, I will begin tracking these calories and seeing how it goes.  I often eat way less calories than I  need and so far that has gotten me nowhere fast. Last week I was hitting about 7-900 a day and while my appetite WAS lowered by medication, I still could have eaten higher calories when I DID eat. All quotes have been taken from here: http://gokaleo.com/?p=646

Day 3 Metamorphosis

Hello everyone!


Yesterday was my THIRD day of Meta, and still going strong!


I was feeling a bit worse than day 2 in regards to the period cramps and stuff, I even fell asleep a few times during the day because the fatigue was that bad. 

However, the workout DID get done with a little modification.

I took advil, that's one of them, and I had to dial down my MS back to 10 reps. It was all my legs could do. 

Also even though I have my lady friend now, I still have yet to touch junk food.  Still no carbs, still no dairy, still no soda pop.  Tea, yes.

I have also noticed another thing- My skin has improved a lot for it only having been three days.  Younger, I had perfect skin.  Never any pimples even as a teen.  Then I got older and fatter and my skin on my face went to a cratery hell.

Now I have pretty clear skin, my main issue was blackheads on my chin and nose and now those are visibly reduced already.  Also  my skin feels slightly softer. 

Also, I was able to jump a little MORE during cardio today (at least it felt that way).

I am learning that doing cardio first is really the best thing for me.  I am pretty weak, so doing MS takes everything out of me that I've got energy-wise.  Then (IF I even DID the cardio after) I would slop through it and just "go through the motions" as they say.

Tracy also has said if you have a weak build, do the cardio first.  Yes I have weight to lose (which usually the MS WOULD come first) but underneath and in the past when I wasn't heavy, I have always been a little on the weak side.

So today is day 4, and Happy Valentine's Day by the way! 

Meta Days 1-2

Hello everyone!


Sorry to be late in posting, but the first two days so far have been going fabulously and I am really excited.

1. 2 days without grains/starches/dairy/soda (even DIET) 
2. 2 days of doing BOTH cardio and MS.


Let me just start off by saying by eliminating those from my diet, I feel physically already SO MUCH BETTER.  Not tired, not sleepy, a lot of energy, and NO CRAVINGS (yet)~!

As for my workouts- I used to barely be able to shuffle through step touching my cardio but now I find it easier to jump along.  First day I did very little, second day a bit more.  As for the MS I started at 10 reps and went up to 12.  I have a LOT of body weight I'm lifting so I'm not letting the low reps hurt my motivation.  They burn just the same.

Day 2 also came along with major PMS fatigue.  Where I would normally be like "Oh I can't workout... Pooor meeee" I actually sucked it up and worked out.


They say you  never regret a workout, and so far they are right. 

Day 3 post on the way!