Day 30- 8/31/10

Hello!

30 days! At first I wasn't sure I'd even make it this far. :)

Day two of my calorie cycling went well again! Today's goal- 1356 according to the calculator thing.  I was actually spot on again!

Breakfast- 

Protein shake- 140 calories

Rice- 200 calories

Egg- 70 calories

Snack-

Chocolate rice cakes- 60 calories

Lunch-

Healthy Choice Beef Tip Portobello dinner- 270 calories

Cheddar cheese rice cakes- 117 calories

Snack-

Fat free microwave popcorn- 100 calories

Dinner-

Healthy Choice Beef Broccoli dinner- 400 calories

Total calories- 1356- requirements met!

Exercise- No Tracy Anderson stuff today, I had errands this morning and walked about 1 hour at about 3 mph. When I got home I was sore, both from yesterday's workout and the walking. Will do TA for sure tomorrow if I am not sore!  Also tomorrow is my highest calorie day- 2033!

Day 29- 8/30/10 1 month check in!

Hello!!!

Today is Monday and also I have re-measured myself~

Weight: 251.3 pounds/ 114.23 kg - 1.3 pound/0.6 kg gain.

Measurements- (These pleased me!)

Bust- 45 inches- 0 inch loss

Chest- 38 inches- 1.5 inch loss

Waist- 40 inches- 2 inch loss

Hips- 49 inches- 1 inch loss

Left thigh- 27.5 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Right thigh- 26.5 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Left calf- 19 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Right calf- 19 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Left upper arm- 16 inches- 1.5 inch loss

Right upper arm- 15 inches- 1 inch loss

Left forearm- 11.5 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Right forearm- 11.5 inches- 0.5 inch loss

Neck- 14.5 inches- 0 inch loss

Total body loss- 9 inches!

I think I could have lost even more if I did more cardio and ate more mindfully.  That being said- Today is the first day of my calorie cycling-

Total calories needed- 1695

Breakfast-

Slept in, didn't eat breakfast

Midmorning snack-

Protein shake- 140 calories

Lunch-

Healthy Choice beef broccoli microwave dinner- 400 calories

1 cup of chex mix- 280 calories

Post workout-

Protein shake- 140 calories

Dinner- (was naughty but I was on the way to class)

Double hamburger from Burger King- 410 calories

Night snack-

2/3 cup pretzels- 280 calories

3 Lifesaver Mints- 45 calories

Grand total- 1695 on the nose!  Tomorrow is 1356 calories, have to be a bit more frugal. Wednesday is my highest day of the week- 2033 calories!!! 

Exercise-

Did PD1- still at 20 reps on the legs.  Felt good. Maybe next week I'll up it to 25 if my left leg isn't struggling so much.

Cardio- did the warmup to Beginner Dance Cardio- then realized I don't have room to do the combos! However, I improvised.

I danced for 15 minutes straight at a pretty high impact, not necessarily doing a combination over and over but switching time to time moves I have seen Tracy do in BDC and in DC08. Just without spinning and twirling all over the place.  Makes me really want to get a mini trampoline~ I would have done 30 minutes had I not had errands to run before class. Nonetheless, I was left a sweaty, tired (in a good way) mess. :)

Have a great start of the week!

Day 28- 8/29/10

Hello!

It's Sunday again, that means time for my reflections and what I can do better/what I did well this week.  Also, this is a special blog because this means I successfuly stuck to this for 4 weeks! That's my first month!  That means along with my morning Monday weigh in, it will be my first measure in since starting!

This week:

I had a hell of a time with my dieting and exercise this past week due to my monthly buddy on the way.  I feel I could have done a LOT of things better this past week.

This past month:

My main qualm about my performance this past month- NOT ENOUGH CARDIO! 10 minutes here and there is not cutting it.  I read we need at least 30 minutes a day for weight loss.  Also my diet could have been a bit better as well.

Plans for the next month:

1. I decided I am going to try something called Calorie Cycling.  I found a calculator that calculated the amount of calories I need a day (It's a lot more than I HAVE been eating) 

The calculator can be found here: 

http://www.shapefit.com/calorie-intake-calculator.html#

You'll notice under your results it will show you a link to 7 day calorie cycle- that is how many calories per each individual day you should eat.  The point behind this is to trick your body into not going to starvation or plateau mode.  Apparently a lot of people do lose weight like this, and weight loss is continual unlike setting each day at a certain level of calories.  My minimum calorie requirement (I am looking at "extreme" fat loss) is still surprisingly high, so I will try it anyway.  Maybe my lack of eating much really IS sabotaging me.

2. Cardio, cardio, CARDIO! NEED MORE CARDIO!  I am going to try and do the entire Beginner Dance Cardio DVD every day after Perfect Design 1. (I am not upping to Perfect Design 2 because I am still out of shape and have not fully mastered PD1 yet).  I can use the learning portions of each of the 4 combos as sort of an active rest.  I will try tomorrow and let you know how it goes!  I will go to PD 2 and begin the 10 day rotations once I am able to do 40 reps of the leg moves on PD1. Right now I still struggle at 20!

3. More stretching. One thing about Tracy's DVDs is that they dont give enough time to really streeeeetch.  So, I will attempt to do my old ballet stretches at night before bed. I want my flexibility back! Also my hips are still very very tight, making some of the leg movements on Tracy's ab section painful or difficult. 

4. Eat better! This is something that does take time but during the next month I will try to make even more smart choices and try to eat cleaner, and eat MORE. 

That's about it, I will see you all tomorrow with my updated stats!

Day 27- 8/28/10

Hello-

This time, today was a good diet day and a bad exercise day... I really need to break out of this hormonal trap.  My gynecologist even told me you do NOT have to give in to those cravings.  Tips she gave me to try and get around them (that I shall try following now that I remember)

1. If you're craving, brush your teeth.  Food is much less appealing with a minty mouth

2. Not around the toothbrush? Chew minty gum or have a mint.

3. Drink water!

Well today I ate very little because I slept in again... Until 2 pm (like I normally do on Saturday)

I slept through breakfast and lunch, when I woke up I had a shake.

Dinner:

Rice

Japanese style curry with beef 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry for those who don't know how it looks/served/what's in it

I also found that a store by me sells Pepsi Throwback.  Pepsi Throwback is Pepsi, but made with cane sugar instead of that high fructose corn syrup crap.  It also tastes a hell of a lot better. They also make Mountain Dew that way too.  I don't know if they sell these outside of the USA, as other countries already make their sodas this way sometimes. (Example- Coca Cola from Mexico)

Exercise: Had a MAJOR case of the lazies/fatigue.  This has not been my weekend.... Monday is also a weigh in AND measurement day~  I am excited to see how my progress is going, if at all.

Day 26-8/27/10

Hello! 

(This post and day 27's are late. Had computer trouble!)

Today I did get back on the wagon. Sort of. My diet today was still bad (hormones again... DAMN them) but I at least got somewhat of a workout in.

Breakfast:

Rice and an egg

Midmorning Snack:

1 Protein shake

Lunch:

2 cups whole wheat pasta and 1 cup of sauce 

Mid afternoon/post workout:

1 protein shake

1 3 ounce pack of beef jerky

Dinner:

Home made beef stew- made with fresh beef from the store, onions, carrots, potatoes and a beef stew spice packet. Delish. Takes about 2 hours to make but well worth it!

Exercise: Did PD 1 but just wasn't feeling like cardio today. I hate PMS... I really do. I wish I was one of those women who didn't get any symptoms at all.  I did hear that when you lose weight, your periods tend to get easier (if you're overweight to begin with)

Let's see how I do tomorrow... Good night!

Day 25-8/26/10

Hello-

I regretfully have to inform you that today, I slipped and fell off the wagon.  How?  I overate today, and did not exercise.  I blame this all on my hormones. Yeah it's about that time of the month for me and considering how I USED to be I am doing better, but still gave in.

Breakfast-

None, slept til noon

Lunch-

Whole wheat pasta and sauce (I started the day right at least)

Snack-

1 cheese danish donut

Dinner-

1 piece of tomato focaccia bread

1 bowl of hamburger helper my roommate made

1 handful of butter toffee peanuts

Exercise- none... However I did decide 10 minutes of cardio isn't gonna cut it. More like do 10 minutes, take a break, do a little more. I noticed a lot of people saw better results when they upped the cardio too.  I will do my best to get off my bum and straighten up again tomorrow.

Day 24- 8/25/10

Hello!

Today, I had such a hard time getting motivated to exercise.  I have no idea why, I actually felt horribly unmotivated to do ANYTHING. However, after some asked-for prodding by my friends, I got up and did it. 

Breakfast:

Brown rice and an egg (from now on, unless otherwise said, rice means brown rice!)

Midmorning snack:

Protein shake

Lunch:

1 cup of whole wheat pasta and 1/2 cup of sauce (leftovers from last night)

Midafternoon/post workout

1 protein shake

Dinner:

Green beans, rice, soy sauce and 4 ounces of boiled firm tofu

Exercise:

PD1 as usual, and since I was running short of time (had class this evening) did some jumping jacks, skipping, and combo 1 from BDC in the driveway. It was nice and cool today too and hopefully will be again tomorrow~

Day 23- 8/24/10

Hello-

Last night I had a terrible time trying to sleep... I tried EVERYTHING- shower, soft music, darkness, watching TV, etc... Except eating~ and I didn't fall asleep until 4:30 am... Woke up at 8:30 to force myself to be up for the day so I can tire out and sleep at a decent hour.  We'll see how that goes...

Breakfast-

Brown rice and an egg

Midmorning-

1 protein shake and a hard boiled egg

Lunch-

1 Tbsp of peanut butter on a slice of bread

Green Beans with olive oil

Mid afternoon-

Protein shake

Dinner-

1 cup of whole wheat pasta, 1/2 cup of sauce (I have a lot and I literally just have one serving each. It fills me up too!)

Exercise-

I did do my PD1 despite my tiredness, by the time I worked out I was pretty awake.  I do notice one weird thing- My left leg is noticeably weaker than my right, the leg sequence is MUCH harder on my left than right.  My right leg can do 20 reps with little (but some) difficulty, but my left leg struggles.  I am not going to up the reps until my left gets more caught up. I don't want to have one side that much stronger than the other...  Also, my right side is my tighter side. Stretching out my right hamstring is a living hell. It's getting easier but it's tough. 

No cardio, when I was done with PD1 I wanted to pass out, and I didn't want to fall over while dancing.

Day 22- 8/23/10

Hello!

It's Monday, so you know what that  means- another weigh in!

Last week: 251.4 lb/114.27 kg

This week: 250.0 lb/ 113.64 kg  total loss: 1.4 lb/ 0.63 kg~ I'm glad it's starting to go down. I am now lighter than even when I first blogged- by 0.1 pounds but still, a loss is a loss!  Next Monday is a measurement Monday!

Breakfast:

1 bowl of brown rice with a hard boiled egg and a splash of soy sauce

Midmorning:

1 protein shake (My protein shakes have 140 calories with 26 grams of protein each, and I make them with water unless otherwise noted.  Out of milk or I would have used that for some extra healthy stuff!)

Lunch/Post workout snack:

Another protein shake (brown rice keeps me shockingly fuller than regular...)

Dinner:

Whole wheat spaghetti (1 serving like it says on the box) 

1/2 cup of natural spaghetti sauce (with some added olive oil)

Dessert: 

1 small container (single serving size! Didn't want people to think I meant a big whole container) of strawberry yogurt

Exercise: PD 1 still with the 5 rep increase from last time.  I swear, every Monday workout feels like I haven't worked out in weeks, only after 1 day of rest.  I am noticing my posture improving a little and when I was out today at school, a glimpse of my reflection in a window and I saw I am looking thinner but my butt seems a little bigger and lifted up.  I read on the Bar Method site that bulking up MAY happen before slimming down and I think that's happening. (Remember how I gained weight at first?) 

A link to that article can be found here in case you haven't read it, and I found it relevant since BM is a lot like the TA Method:

http://blog.barmethod.com/ExerciseBlogBarMethodcom/bid/26360/FITNESS-TIPS-WHY-YOU-MIGHT-JUST-BULK-UP-BEFORE-YOU-SLIM-DOWN

As for cardio, I did no cardio today.  I have no idea why, I just didn't.  That means it is DEFINITELY in the cards for tomorrow~ I have to build up that endurance!

Day 21-8/22/10

Hello!

Wow... It's 3 weeks done already! One more week until I take my measurements!  This week was pretty crazy, as I went out almost every day for some reason or another.  I finally got to rest today. No exercise, no errands, no worries.  I start class again tomorrow, Monday and Wednesdays at night. I'm really excited!  I also can't wait to go get paid so I can grocery shop a little better.

I am seeing my size reduce, clothes fitting a little differently but I do not think my weight has changed much yet.  Also I am afraid the protein shakes might be causing it but I am not sure.  I have heard from some friends NOT to drink those, they will make me fat, whereas other people have said DO drink, they help burn the fat off.

Well, I'm off to bed, have a busy (workout and class) day tomorrow and a weigh in!

Good night and I hope you all had a great week!

Day 20- 8/21/10

Hello!

Today I started eating clean, well cleaner than I HAVE been.  I'm approaching it gradually, I find it difficult for me to stick to anything cold turkey overnight.  I've tried doing a complete overhaul of my eating habits so many times, and they all failed likely because it wasn't gradual at all. More like, "As of tomorrow I will never eat X again!"  Please don't kill me if "bad" foods pop up time to time.  I also have to wait to get paid next to go shopping for better stuff.  I also really wish I had a local farmers market.  If I do, I have no idea where. I do have a friend of mine who lives not too far that goes to a farmers market. 

Alright- here's what I ate today!

Breakfast

Oatmeal and strawberry preserves

Midmorning snack

Protein shake

Lunch-

Hardboiled egg and some green beans drizzled with some olive oil (to get my healthy fat in and to spruce up the canned green beans) and sprinkled with some organic garlic powder 

1/2 cup of brown rice

Midafternoon

Protein shake (after working out)

Dinner-

Whole wheat spaghetti with the natural pasta sauce I found.  Added more garlic, oregano and a teaspoon of olive oil to it because it tasted kind of bland.

Exercise:

Did PD1 as usual, cardio was going out to the park, doing jumping jacks, skipping around, varying my movements a lot like in dance cardio.  People stared at me but so what? :)

I hope all of you had a great week! Have a great weekend as well!

Day 19- 8/20/10

Hello!

Before I log about my day, I want to talk about eating clean.  I realize that even though I am cutting my portions down, I am STILL eating junk, which can't be helping me at all. I have always wanted to try to eat clean but didn't think I could do so financially (I'm a college student on a limited income), but after some research I was pleasantly surprised to find that at times, eating clean is actually cheaper than eating processed foods and such.  Saves money on fast food, soda, delivery, takeout, etc.  I took a look through my cupboard today to see if I had anything clean or close to it.  Turns out I have quite a bit.

1. Canned vegetables

2. Brown rice

3. Whole grain pasta

4. All natural organic pasta sauce (No HFCS or any other chemicals/preservatives)

5. organic natural peanut butter

6. organic natural strawberry preserved

7. non-instant oatmeal

8. eggs

9. Popcorn (the kind you use in an air popper, not microwave popcorn)

10. Dried seaweed 

11. Miso paste (all natural)

12. Buckwheat noodles (9 grams of fiber per serving!)

It's not a lot but with the protein shakes I drink, this is a good start until I can go grocery shopping again.

From what I have read online, here are some tips to eat clean and stay on a budget as well as some I came up with-

1. Only buy produce that's on sale

2. Canned and frozen fruits and veggies are just as good for you as fresh

3. Eggs are a great, inexpensive source of protein

4. If you have any local farmer's market, try going there also for fresh fruit and vegetables.

5. If you have access to a warehouse club like Sam's Club or Costco, they sell boneless, skinless chicken breasts frozen and in bulk, and you can use only what you need when you need it (usually the breasts are individually wrapped)  In my area, I can get a 10 pound bag of chicken breast for about 15 dollars.

6. If you can, try growing some of your own food too.

Being that I already seem to have some cleaner foods in the kitchen, I will be starting to eat better tomorrow. Today I didn't make the best choices to be honest.  I wish I could turn back time and do it over but there's always tomorrow to start!

Breakfast-

Slept until 1 pm, skipped.

Lunch-

Instant cup noodles

Mid afternoon-

Protein shake

Dinner-

6 inch sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich from Subway

Exercise-

PD1 without cardio today.  I should have done it, I don't know why I didn't, to be honest. 

It actually takes courage for me to admit and be accountable for what I eat and workout, especially when I totally made bad choices (like today).  Tomorrow is a new day, if you are also dieting and you have a slip, remember you have tomorrow to start over!! Don't give up just because you slip up here and there. We're all human, we all make mistakes, and nobody can diet perfectly 100 percent of the time.

Day 18- 8/19/10

Hello!

I went out (for fun this time) to see my friend and we ended up spending the day walking around our (outdoor!) mall!  I got a lot of walking in and had fun as well. I swear it felt like I was walking for hours, which is a good thing! I was sore when I got home too...

Breakfast-

Oatmeal with strawberries (not instant)

Lunch-

A bagel at Panera with a little cream cheese on it

Diet Pepsi

Dinner-

Whole wheat spaghetti with leftover sauce from last time

Exercise-

Aside from the walking at the mall, I did my PD1 again.  I am glad I upped all of the reps by 5, it feels challenging again and in some weird way, the tiredness and slight soreness at the end of my workouts actually feels good! 

I'm off to bed now, tomorrow is my last free weekday before the semester starts! Good night!

Day 17- 8/18/10

Hello-

Another really busy day, planned to come home around noon, ended up being stuck out until 4:30. Ugh. However I did bring some snacks with me this time.

Breakfast-

Oatmeal with a spoon of organic strawberry preserve mixed in

Snack-

1/2 a small (3 ounce) bag of beef jerky

Lunch-

A 4 piece chicken nuggets kids meal at McDonalds- I get the kids meals so that I can still have the taste/convenience of the food but a lot smaller portions (read: less calories) than the adult version.  I shouldn't have eaten it at all but this is after I started to realize I wasn't going to be home in time for a real proper lunch.

Afternoon snack-

Other 1/2 of beef jerky

Dinner-

Green beans, some whole wheat pasta, and tomato sauce on it with a little parmesan cheese

Exercise- no Tracy exercise today- will do it tomorrow, Friday and Saturday to be 5 workouts this week~  Walked a lot on my errands and stood in line... a lot.  Once school starts on Monday I think there will be some peace (no errands like crazy, etc) in my life :)  

Also I am open to opinion on the following-

When Tracy says to "master" a DVD, does she mean just being able to do 40 of each move, or does she mean doing that with 2.5 pound ankle weights on?  I am SLOWLY getting there~ I have to work on the cardio endurance as well.

Day 16- 8/17/10

Hello!

It seems my theory about sleep and soreness (in my case) was right- I got a full night's sleep, and woke up feeling like I did work out but not like I couldn't walk.  Also I make a joke with my friends that I have a standing daily "date" with Tracy Anderson, and if we keep seeing eachother at the end of this month, I think it could be the start of a  nice long term relationship~

All joking aside, I actually am starting to get addicted to working out.  In the past, I have not stayed on any kind of exercise for very long, due to discouragement and not seeing the results I was hoping for, at all.  This time, I am seeing quick results and I actually LIKE the workout.  I find it fun, whereas others may find it a grueling hell. :) 

Breakfast:

Protein shake (had to run errands really early today)

Lunch/midmorning snack

2 hardboiled eggs

1 cup (cooked) whole wheat rotini with olive oil and garlic

Midafternoon snack (post workout)

Protein shake

Dinner

Sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich from Subway (6 inch) No cheese, no extra oil

Exercise

PD1- Instead of only upping to 20 reps on like, 2 of the moves like yesterday, now that I was well rested, I was able to increase ALL of my leg work by 5 reps- except that brief leg series after the arms. By then I'm still just tired, however I am slowly able to do them a little faster but with a lot of challenge.

Today I got lucky- we had a nice, cool, overcast day outside so you know what that means?  I went outside and did about 10 minutes of dance cardio.  Half of that time was skipping, jumping jacks, doing random moves from the combinations I know, the other half was doing combo 1 to one song.  I would have done combo 2 as well, but after 10 minutes, I was spent. My lungs were starting to hurt as were my legs (I really go full out energy when I do my DC outside).  I noticed my endurance is going up a LITTLE too.  :)

Well, off to bed again, see you tomorrow!

Day 15- 8/16/10

Hello!

Well this begins a new week (Happy Monday!) which means a new weigh in!

Last week: 255.8 lb/ 116.27 kg

This week: 251.4 lb/114.27 kg   4.4 lb/2 kg lost!

Despite being a little heavier than when I started, I am noticing things are looking a bit slimmer- my tummy a little flatter, thighs a bit slimmer (and butt too!) and my arms are starting to show a little definition and they're smaller too!

What I ate- NOT MUCH- explanation later!

Breakfast-

1 Sausage Biscuit from McDonalds 

Lunch- Skipped

Dinner- 1/2 hot dog and small fries

Post workout- 1 protein shake

Exercise: PD1, no cardio.

Explanation!  I had a really busy day today~ couldn't sleep until 3 am, had to wake up at 7:30 am and was on the go since 8.  Had the biscuit because I KNEW I would likely not be near any food until I got home, whenever that was going to be, so I made sure to get the extra calories.  For dinner I actually got FULL on what I ate. Very strange, maybe it's because I drank a lot of water during the course of the day.  No cardio, because I did a huge amount of walking.  When I got home, I cranked out PD1- I am now able to up some of the moves by 5 reps, some I am still at the same as last week~ and now I am more sore than I SHOULD be feeling, and I blame this almost exclusively on my harrowing day and lack of sleep. I am definitely hitting the bed EARLY today!!!

Day 14- 2 week mark! 8/15/10

Hello!

As I mentioned before I WAS going to work out today, but I didn't because I realized a couple of things:

1. If I work out today, it will throw off my week schedule, leading to a 7 day workout week which I know is beyond my limits at this point in the game.  Starting off fresh tomorrow!

2. I had a birthday party to go to today, which cut in to my workout time.  It was one of those moments when you wake up and you realize... Oh man... I almost FORGOT!

However I did still watch my food for the day.

Breakfast I skipped because I slept in, had a protein shake before I went out for the day.

Lunch- Korean seaweed soup and rice.

Dinner- got home kinda lateish, didn't want to fire up the stove too much so I made myself some spaghetti. 

Tomorrow starts a new week, a new weigh in too!

Day 13- 8/14/10

Hello!

Today, I am not going to be working out.  However, I will be working out tomorrow which would have been my lazy resting day.  I felt a total lack of motivation and energy- aka LAZINESS. It happens.  Also I did meet the minimum 4 times a week.  I am still feeling sore but not QUITE as bad as when I started.  I do feel an overall sense of LIGHT soreness but the good kind~

Also, I would like to add that having this blog and seeing that people actually read it and follow it motivates me more to keep it up, both the blogging and the working out! Thanks everyone for helping me keep on the wagon!

Also I am open to making more friends on here, let me know if you have a blog and I'll follow and comment~

I'll be back tomorrow with my eating and workouts~ I  may do more cardio next week (I noticed I kinda lacked on it) outside because it won't be as hot. Hot but not like dangerous hot if I keep hydrated (and I do!)

Day 12- 8/13/10

Hello!

Today I think I did pretty well, aside from not doing my cardio- it is so hot that even with the air on it kinda feels too hot to do cardio inside. I don't want to pass out!

My food for today has a couple little additions to it!

Breakfast

Rice and an egg

Midmorning

1 chocolate protein shake

Lunch

Beef vegetable soup (1 bowl)

1 bottle of low cal gatorade

Afternoon (post workout)

1 chocolate protein shake

Dinner

1 Korean vegetable pancake (this one was pretty big, almost as big as my plate! But so good... And its fried, so I only had one.)

1 bowl of soybean sprout soup 

1 bottle of San Pellegrino

Exercise-

Did PD1 again, and I am realizing doing 15 reps of the legs is still a bit tough and I think I'll stick with 15 for another week.  As I mentioned before, cardio was put off today due to the heat advisory here.  I'll do cardio tomorrow if it isn't so horribly hot!

For those who seem concerned about how I'm eating-

Hello-

Lately I have been receiving comments from concerned readers about my eating habits and how they seem "extreme".   I never realized it before but I think you guys are right. However, I am not eating this little intentionally at all.

1. I have been put on a drug called Adderall, which is for Attention Deficit Disorder. A huge side effect of this is a lack of appetite.

2. I simply do not feel hungry most of the time, even if there's food in front of my face I have to force it sometimes.  Before this month, I even used to not eat breakfast. It's not a fear of eating, or anything like that, I just am not hungry.

3. I thought I was doing a good thing for myself by eating lower calorie foods. For someone who used to live on takeout and fast food, this is a big change.

4. I do not really count calories, and I do eat until I feel content, but not overstuffed. I cannot stand feeling hungry actually.

To address the quite evident lack of nutrition I am apparently getting (I am not a nutritionist, or a doctor, etc) , as of today I have started to incorporate protein shakes and a multivitamin in my diet.  Since I cannot bring myself to eat 5-6 times a day *I've tried!* mid morning and mid afternoon (after my workout) I will have a protein shake to make up for this.

I want to stress that I am NOT advocating anorexia, bulimia, etc, as those are horrible diseases and I wouldn't wish them on anyone, especially myself.

As for exercises, the Tracy Anderson Method seems to be the only thing so far that has helped me see changes in my body and my energy level. I actually feel more energetic and I do see fat leaving my body.  I have tried "traditional" fitness methods and they didn't work for me. I have been trying to lose weight since I was 18 *I am now 25* and nothing seemed to have worked.  

Day 11- 8/12/10

Hello~

Had another really productive day, woke up early, did some cleaning, and got my workout in early afternoon, which I seem to like a LOT better than working out before bed.  Then I can use my evenings for relaxing.

Breakfast-

1 bowl of rice and an egg (my bowls of rice are about 1 cup of cooked rice each)

Lunch-

2 sugar free popsicles- we had really hot weather today, in fact there was a heat advisory in place today.

Dinner-

2 bowls of Korean soybean paste soup- really good and low calorie. It is basically  miso soup with potatoes, zucchini, onion, and tofu. Very good and very healthy!

Exercise-

Did PD1 again- 15 reps are starting to get easier but not quite enough for me to go to 20. Not yet, maybe next week.  Did warmup and combo 1-2 of beginner DC but indoors, due to the heat. 

See you tomorrow! :)

Day 10- 8/11/10

Hello~

Feeling tons better today! Woke up early, did some housework, and got my workouts in.  Didn't eat much either.  Medicine I am on decreases my appetite and today was pretty hot out, that has a similar effect on me at times.

Breakfast-

Bowl of rice and an egg

Lunch-

Skipped, wasn't hungry

Dinner-

1/2 of a small zucchini, roasted with olive oil and garlic

2 hard boiled eggs (didn't want to heat up the place too much)

Misc-

2 bottles of G2 Gatorade (45 calories a bottle)

Exercise-

Did PD1 with flying colors, although still 15 reps a move.  I tried something new- doing my dance cardio outside~ with my own music.  I was able to do about 10 minutes of cardio, combo 1 and 2 each once to a song, then random TA-derived movements around the driveway (skipping, jumping, jumping jacks, etc)

I am so tired but it feels good!

Day 9~ Under the weather... :(

Hello~




Last night I was all geared up and ready to kick some butt today, do some exercise and eat well~ but this morning I woke up not feeling so hot. Had a mild earache and felt just generally funky.  However, I did attempt SOME exercise! Details below~


Breakfast-


A bowl of rice and an egg


Lunch-


Skipped, I went back to bed after taking some ibuprofen for my head and my ear.


Dinner-


Glass of milk
About 1 cup of mashed potatoes (no butter, made with 2 percent milk)
1 chicken breast, grilled
1/2 cup of corn




Exercise:


I didn't do my dance cardio today, unfortunately.  I started doing PD1, finished the leg section on both sides and had to stop, I felt a little dizzy and had a headache, but at least I tried!  Hopefully I feel better tomorrow.


Going back to bed to get some rest, see you all tomorrow~

Day 8- 8/9/10

Hello!

Today is a new week, which means a new weigh in~


Today's weight: 255.8 lb/ 116.27 kg... An approximate 5 lb/2.5 kg gain.  This is probably due to the face that I am on my monthly period and I do gain quite a bit of water retention weight.




Breakfast:


Bowl of rice and an egg with 3 ounces of leftover lean corned beef
1 sheet of seasoned roasted seaweed


Lunch:


2 beef hot dogs, plain and no buns.
1 bottle of gatorade low calorie


Snack:


1 venti caramel light frappucino from Starbucks


Dinner:


Beef vegetable noodle soup


Total calorie count for today is approximately 1500.


Exercise...


Attempted some cardio, but quickly started to feel worse.  Cleaned my apartment and did laundry and then became really drained, so I did not do my Perfect Design today.  I should be feeling up to it tomorrow. Today my period was so bad even advil didn't help. But the worst SHOULD be over!

Day 7- 8/8/10

Hello~!






Today is my first official rest day since starting my little quest.  I think I will use Sundays as my day to reflect on how the week went, what I could have done better and what I did well~ 


Unfortunately my week didn't go so well (diet exercise wise) as I would have liked because of the weekend of concerts and that one day I lazed about and ate way too much. I had to not do my TA exercise to save up the energy for the festival.  However the days that I did work out, I did well, I am at 15 reps a move on legs (PD1) and I have the first combo on Beginner Dance Cardio known like the back of my hand!  You know what that means?  Do the warm up and combo 1, then after try to learn combo 2!


I will weigh in tomorrow but not sure how that's gonna go... (Warning- too much information alert!) I just got my monthly visitor on Saturday and I feel puffy and bloated.  So if it looks like I gained, that's probably why.  We'll see in the morning, I have been drinking a lot of water to try to de-bloat myself.  Depends on how I feel, I will still work out, even if it is only doing 5-10 reps each (due to cramps). Little exercise is better than none!


I hope you all had a great week and I noticed I have more followers! Thank you so much, keep reading! As I have been, I will do my best to post daily, and as always, hold myself accountable whether I was good or not. 




See you tomorrow guys!

Day 6... Exhaustion

Hello!


The concert last night really took a lot out of me! I crashed in bed last night and didn't wake up until about 5... in the afternoon.  Recuperating for tomorrow, when I go back to Lollapalooza (the music festival here in Chicago going on this weekend) tomorrow to enjoy some more good music! 


Even though I won't be doing TA today or tomorrow, I will still be a good girl caloriewise! 


Yesterday I didn't eat much, had Asian food for lunch then pretty much water the rest of the day aside from a few snacks I brought with.


Today, not much eating either, considering I was sleeping :)

Day 5~

Hello!




Today I did take a day off of dieting and working out (and I will tomorrow too and Sunday because I am going to be at Lollapalooza!), and I am glad I did.  I have never been this sore from standing and walking in my life... and it was so worth it!


I saw Lady Gaga in concert this evening~ and I have the video to prove it!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SslR5C21F2c




I had a hell of a time! Couldn't get the whole show in, it got way crazy and full of energy! 


I do promise, promise, PROMISE to hop right back on the Tracy wagon (I didn't even really fall off, come to think of it!) on Monday!