Please Ryan--Don't Do This!

Ryan has decided to prove how quickly food can add fat to your body even if you continue working out. He is going to be eating everything people crave when they text message it to him. So far people told him fried chili releno, margarita, chips & salsa, fudge, and a number of other things. I think it's horrible to have to prove the point this way. i don't think he should do it. Potato chips, pizza, greasy fries--it all sounds like the recipe for vomiting if you ask me. For a month?

I tried to beg him not to do it, but he's decided. I hope people aren't too abusive in their suggestions.

I got my measurements today--I've lost 14 inches and 2 pounds. I don't know why, but the pounds don't bother me so much right now. I think that the next measurements will be a less and the weight will decrease because I'm starting to get over my hump. I did pull ups today. I can't wait to see what happens in the next couple of weeks!

Measured Today, Results Monday

OK. I felt great today.

As a team, we were counting together and I was finally using a heart rate monitor to keep me in my target zone. Apparently, I've been pushing just a little too hard.

We were measured today and I'm waiting for my results until Monday. It's funny. There are so many people that are complaining at this point--hoping to see more immediate results. Our team is excited. Liesel just stepped on a scale this morning and found that for the first time in her adult life, she weighs under 150. You should have seen the look on her face. I think she could have cried--that was her goal.

I just want to lose sizes. I actually still haven't looked at a scale. We'll see what Ryan says Monday:)

Showing up is Half the Battle

I am officially the first and only person to throw up during a work out for The Thinnest Winner. Thank God they didn't get that on tape. Really only my team knows about it, but it was embarrassing.

I shouldn't have felt so bad about it (I didn't puke on the floor or anything, I made it to the toilet) but I keep wondering if there was anything I could have done to prevent it. Probably not except staying home. That wasn't going to happen because I love my workout now--I wouldn't miss it for anything!

Ryan was really nice about it--he said I could have chosen to stay home because I felt nauseous, but I didn't. He said that more people should be as committed as I am and he believed I was going to the top.

I think it's an important lesson. I used to let every excuse stop me from reaching goals. I'm sick, I have a kid, I was in a car accident, I don't have enough time--EXCUSES. You know what? I don't have time for excuses right now. I don't want to have time for them again EVER. They're a waste of life:)

Keep it Going

Week 4.

Here I am.

I can't believe that I've made it this far.

I always give up around week 2 of an exercise program or diet.

I keep asking myself what changed? Why can I do this now, but I couldn't before?

I always feel a difference--exercise makes me happier, but why don't I stick with programs?

I have a team this time. They need me. And I need them.

We had a new addition this week. Now our group consists of Lori, Lori K (no joke), LK (me), Shannon, and Liesel. We miss Fish, but screaming was definitely going on today. Lori was gone, but Lori K joined us and she needed a little encouragement. I was amazed because she's very thin for having had four children. She is completely out of shape. It makes me wonder about a lot of people. Being thin doesn't make you healthy. I admire her for joining us.

I found out that I can do sit-ups using only my ab muscles today. If you've known me a long time, I might have told you that in elementary school I used to cry or try to skip gym on the days we did fitness tests because I could not do a sit up. (Or a push up for that matter, but I can pull myself up to a bar now.) I did nearly fifty today.

Easter Eating, Fish, & How to Deal With Discouragement

I did a pretty good job avoiding bad foods on Easter. I don't crave them anymore. I had made cupcakes, but I didn't really want them. The salads were so amazing there was no need to look for something else. Dried cranberries in spinach leaves with vinaigrette--you should try it.

Large holiday meals are hard for many dieters because there is a feeling that we have to try and like everything so we have to take a lot of it. NOT TRUE. Take a little of each and when you've finished what's on your plate, allow yourself a second small helping of your two favorite dishes. There is no need to go crazy and feel like a bloated cow when you've finished eating. Eat slow and enjoy your food. Talk, eat, and enjoy the company. That's what I did--it was a wonderful Easter.

Fish is the nickname of one of the girls that was on our team for the Thinnest Winner. My team consists of the women I've been working out with. Today was really rough because Fish's husband had to declare bankruptcy and they moved over the weekend to Utah to live with family. I will miss her a lot--she was just starting to overcome her own self doubt.

The other members of my team (save one, Liesel) were all gone today. It was depressing. We had come up with the name "The Screamers" for our group and there wasn't a lot of screaming going on.

Many people give up by this point in a program because it's hard to continue eating right and exercising (even if you feel good) because we want instant, perfect results. Unfortunately, it doesn't take a person one month to get out of shape so living right for one month isn't going to magically change a body--you have to be in for the long haul.

Right now, I can run for 20 minutes and not be short of breath. That's something. I have been so unhealthy for so long, and now I can breathe and exercise without feeling like I'm dying. I haven't looked at a scale since I began this program. It's liberating.

Ryan gave me an electronic copy of his book about fitness, weight loss, food, and especially attitude. If you'd like a copy, let me know--I can share EVERYTHING. I have his permission:)

PANTS!

My news for today is that my size 16 pants are too big and my size 14 pants actually fit. YAY!

It may not seem like a big deal, but I've been stuck between the two (and mostly in the 16) since my pregnancy.

There weren't any measurements today--we are going to be doing them every two weeks. I can't wait to see what they are next Friday!

Just so that you know, measurements are a much better measure of success than the numbers on the scale. We obsess about weight, but we need to be obsessing about our health. Weighing 120 lbs is not healthy if you don't have muscle--it's just as bad to be out of shape no matter your weight!

What do you want?

Before you can reach a goal, you have to set a specific one. Don't commit to an unrealistic goal. Give the question "what do you want?" a lot of thought.

Ideal Daily Food List

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF...Food is 60-70% of getting healthy

Buy everything on this list and have it at home and each day it will be easy to eat healthy. You choose what you're going to eat at each meal.

TAKE THE GUESS WORK OUT OF EATING HEALTHY.

IDEAL BREAKFAST FOODS:

-Eggs 1. scrambled 2. omelet 3.over easy, sunny side up, poached
*Minus the egg yokes for fat reduction; add lean breakast sausage, cooked potato squares, and low-fat cheese to scrambled eggs (you can cut up a potato into mini squares and cook them in the microwave for the eggs)

-Plain oatmeal

-Oat Bran Muffin

-Whole Wheat or very low grain Toast

-Very lean breakfast sausage or bacon

-Turkey or Ham slices

-Low sugar (less than 5 grams) fat-free yogurt

-Low fat cottage cheese

-Chicken breast or un-breaded chicken strips

Liquids: skim or 1% milk, low in sugar protein shakes, soy milk, 20 ozs of water

IDEAL MID-MORNING SNACK:

-Tuna Fish sandwich

-Egg sandwich

-Apple or banana (do not eat these with any other foods)

-Protein bar (low in sugars or carbs)

-Protein shakes (low in sugar)

Liquids: 20 ozs of water

IDEAL LUNCH FOODS:

-Chicken, lean hamburger, pork chops, fish, tuna, seafood

-Baked potato (no French fries, which are loaded in saturated fat)

-Small serving size: pasta, lasagna, spaghetti (no pizza)

-Whole wheat bread sandwich with any kind of meat

-Brown or wild rice

-Black beans, Kidney beans, lentils, and split peas

-Corn

-Soups

-Green salad--the greener the salad the more nutrition levels

*All green veggies you want to have with every meal

Liquids: 20 ozs of water

IDEAL AFTERNOON SNACK:

-Tuna fish sandwich

-Hard boiled egg (with no yoke)

-Apple or Banana (before 2pm)

-Protein bar (low in sugars or carbs)

-Protein shakes (low in sugar)

-Liquids: 20ozs of water

IDEAL DINNER FOODS:
**No potatoes, pastas, breads, carbohydrates, or sugars**

-Prepackaged is okay but fresh is the best, frozen vegetables mix

-Chicken breast or skinless chicken

-Lean pork chops

-Lean hamburger (no bun)

-Salads (light dressing)

-Tuna fish sandwich

-Eggs with no yokes

-Seafood

-Steak

-Liquids: 20 ozs of water

Losing the Inches!!

I was measured today.

You know what? Ryan's right. I can do this. I'm going to the top. There's nothing anyone can do to stop me because I'm sure as hell not going to stop myself now.

I lost inches in the past two weeks.

Chest: 1.5 inches
1" above waist: 2.5 inches
1" below waist: 1 inch
Hips: .5 inches
Thigh: 1 inch off of each
Upper Arm: 1 inch off of each
Neck: 1 inch

I'm seeing changes. My pants fit better (and don't have anything folded over them). I will lose a size this month and I'm not stopping there!

Reasons or Excuses?

Okay, we all have health issues that we're certain we can't change. Guess what? That's not likely true. Over the course of this week, I've learned that many of the things I've been told are completely irrelevant.

Example 1: "You might want to take it easy because it seems like you have exercise induced asthma."

Reality: NO! You need to be exercising every day and trying to become healthier if you're having trouble breathing. I always believed I couldn't run because my asthma would kick in. After building up the last few weeks, I can jog outside for thirty minutes at my target heart rate. It's about training, not giving up.

Example 2: "Well if your back hurts we'll just leave it alone and not do any exercises that will strain it."

Reality: NO! You need to be stretching and trying to find exercises that will strengthen muscles so that the pain doesn't happen anymore. I have a semi-messed up lower back due to a car accident a year ago. Whenever it hurts, Ryan stops me and we do stretches designed to help loosen the muscles so that I can strengthen that part of my back naturally. If you give up on a part of your body, it's always going to bother you, and it's always going to hurt.

Example 3: "Well if your heart is beating that fast, maybe you shouldn't do that type of exercise."

Reality: NO! If your heart is beating too fast, make it drop, but don't altogether stop a type of exercise--you need to be strengthening your heart. The more you workout and train, the more your resting heart rate will become, and the easier you will be able to push yourself harder.

In other words, don't give into excuses. If you really want to change something you will--naysayers are people who don't believe in you. DON'T LISTEN. YOU CAN. ANYONE CAN.

Goals, Goals, Goals

Here's a quick one. Ryan gave me new goals today that would actually be good for anyone to keep in mind for health and weight loss.

Pedometer (daily steps): 10,000
Daily Calories burned: 1000
Cardio--minutes: 30
Daily Push-ups: 20 (10 morning, 10 evening)
Calories: at minimum 1500/day, at most 2200/day (figure based on body weight)

If you don't keep track of the foods you eat and your daily activity, you may want to check out fitday.com (free version) or another program like it. The first step to changing is knowing what it is you need to change. If you're not tracking, you aren't likely to have much success.

Where Are You Going, LK? "To The Top!"

Another workout, another day, and I feel absolutely fantastic.

Paragraph not for gentlemen:

Ladies! OMG--if you do not work out and you have trouble with cramping during your period, you need to! I woke up this morning absolutely miserable due to my dear friend the bloody bitch and now I feel wonderful. Seriously, it hurts to do weight training and cardio at first, but I'm actually less sore around my midsection than I was this morning. (Now it's my butt and thighs that are sore; and that's great too, because it means my working out is having an effect.)

Back to all readers:

As most of you probably know, your target heart rate (based on age/bmi/etc) is actually a range of 5-10 where your body will agree to burn body fat. If you're not working out at your target, you're going to burn muscle instead (and in case you're wondering, that's not good). So if you're working out, make sure you know your target heart rate--and don't go off of posters, find a calculator online like http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/target-heart-rate/SM00083

Today Ryan was actually filming a little bit. That's why the post is entitled as it is. I scream enthusiastically every time Ryan asks me a question because at this point, I want to be healthy and I'm willing to do anything to get there. If any of your laugh at me because you see me on tv--You're just jealous I'm committed:)

I'm going to go to every workout MWF, do cardio on TR and on either Sat or Sun and I'm going to eat when I need to and what I need to. Right now, I'm still having trouble getting to my target calorie intake while still minding my foods, so Ryan and I haven't really set up any specifics about the diet.

The key to changing your life is to make gradual changes. If you change everything at once, you'll burn out in a flash. If you make small changes habitual, when you keep adding changes, it doesn't really feel like a big deal because the earlier changes are already part of your daily routine.

Also, if there's a food you love, you don't have to give it up, you just might have to amend when you eat it. It's best to try to get all of your carbohydrates before 2pm. Love french fries? Eat them with lunch, not dinner. Things like ice cream can actually be your snack after dinner as long as it's in moderation. Never eat out of a carton. Always eat out of a bowl. Common sense, I know, but how many times do we break that rule?

And I'm Literally Beating My Butt Off :)

Okay. Work out number two, informational session number two.

Well, I'm definitely feeling all of the squats. We do a lot of squats in training; with weights overhead, weights straight up, weights held down, shoulder weights, back weights--I think I've done 8 or 9 different types of squats and my butt, thighs, and tummy are burning. THANK GOD!

Today while we were doing crunches with weights, Ryan the personal trainer said, "Who wants it?" and I yelled, "I do!" I was the only one in the group that said anything. He started yelling and everyone started yelling, "I do!" It was incredible. I felt a little bit like a leader. I wasn't afraid to say I wanted change. I want to go to the top. I want to be healthy and I can do it. The hardest part was starting. I think continuing is now the easy part because I've already made a decision.

I've found out a few more health tips today that I didn't know before.

In counting calories:

If you want to lose weight, you need to eat your weight times ten in calories each day to lose weight but also prevent your body from going into starvation mode and actually gaining weight.

If you want to maintain your weight, you need to eat your weight times fifteen in calories each day.

In food choices:

You should never eat complex carbohydrates after 2pm. That's right. Rice and pasta should be a lunch food, not a dinner food. Meals after 2 pm should consist of protein and vegetables with a lot of fiber.

Also, smoothie drinks actually reduce the value of fruit in your diet. If you're going to eat fruit, you should eat fresh fruit.

Carbohydrates should make up roughly twenty-five percent of your calorie intake. Protein should make up another twenty-five. You should also try to avoid poly-saturated fat as much as possible.

Obviously, water is also key. All people should drink between eight and ten eight ounce glasses a day. Keep water around constantly and you'll be more likely to drink it.

Ryan is going to be sending out a food list and some information he's written about the benefits of certain foods in a person's diet. I'll share as soon as I know more!

Ready? Set...GO!

Okay.

Today began the first day of my transformation. There are no more excuses, no more barriers, no more sitting around waiting for something to happen. This is my life and I want to be part of it again.

I weighed in today at 217 pounds...that's not healthy. I'm sure the measurements weren't pretty either--I have a long way to go.

This blog is designed to help me remember everything I've learned during this process of changing my mind, my body, and my life, but it's also designed to help give some of my close friends some of the knowledge I've learned.

It's crazy how everything seems to be starting so quickly and so slow all at once.

I had my first workout with Ryan today--he is amazing. For some reason, when he was around, I never wanted to stop and I never thought I needed to quit. I can do this. Attitude is the first thing that needs to change when someone really wants to lose weight and make it permanent. If the pain it will cause you to reach your goal doesn't outweigh the pain you'll be caused if you don't reach that goal, you're not ready.

So here's some information about working out that I've learned and will be very useful.

1. You should never work out in your target heart rate for more than one hour. If you do, your body will begin burning muscle. One hour. That's how long your body is willing (but very hesitant) to burn fat.

2. You should never go into your workout at your target heart rate. You need to warm up first.

The ideal workout (for someone trying to lose fat):
a. 12 minutes of light cardio; I did this on an elliptical machine
b. 8 minutes of light weights to start to raise your heart rate
c. 25-30 minutes of weight training at your target heart rate. (if you go above, you won't burn fat; if you stay below, you won't burn fat)
d. 15 minutes of cardio at your target heart rate
e. Within one hour, eat 20-30 grams of protein to replace the protein you've depleted from your muscles. If you don't, you'll be burning away protein from your other muscle--you need to reward your muscles for helping you by giving them protein.

I also know that I need to eat six times a day to keep my metabolism going; obviously you don't eat as large of meals, but more information about this will be following in other lessons. This week I need to keep a dairy of food and eat six times a day--it's going to be hard for me considering I usually have trouble remembering to eat twice:)