The title, I realize, makes absolutely no sense. The analogy however when compared to dieting and trying to lose weight should come together for most if not all of you out there who have ever tried to shed a few pounds! The premise is that dieting is hard and sometimes you can be derailed.
This week has been a perfect example. I haven't been the most diligent in my food intake this week and it showed on the scale this morning. This has also been an awakening that after a while, your body will adjust to your new diet and the weight loss will level off and so it is time to try something new, like exercise.
I'll share the scary results with you as shaming as they are:
Starting Weight: 234.8
Today's Weight: 227.8
Total loss: 7lbs.
Now do I really think that I've gained three pounds this week? No. I haven't been THAT bad. I've just reduced my water intake and had more "cheats" than I would normally allow myself and that combination has likely caused some hang up in the systems. Nonetheless I was devastated to see a gain for the first time in 7 weeks!
It's just a wake up call to remind myself how easily we can fall back into old habits if we aren't careful and that while 10lbs was a successful loss, it is no reason to get careless, but should be motivation to be even more diligent.
Losing weight is an intricate puzzle that often takes trial and error. There really is no perfect formula for everyone as each of our bodies are different and react to changes in different ways. For me it's always been about finding a balance between being healthy and not depriving myself and when it comes to exercise making it something that I don't feel like I'm dying while doing and dread doing again.
This week shall be a lesson for me and a good disciplinary mindset going into the holiday week to be sure and watch myself that I don't overindulge just because it's Christmas. I need to get back to tracking my food and calories so I am more aware of what I am eating and can control my intake better rather than just guessing at it, as clearly that method is flawed!
Here's to a healthier and happier week and hopes that next week I've at least lost what I gained this week!
Have a safe and happy holidays everyone!
All my best,
Keith
Friday, December 19, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Achievement Unlocked: 10lbs lost. Goal trophy received.
If you haven't learned by now I'm impatient and hate waiting to results! So in contrast to my prior post on the 7th about waiting until Friday to weigh myself, I've been on the scale every morning watching and waiting to hit my goal.
This morning the scale finally got tired of me beating it and gave me what I was looking for. I've officially lost my first 10lbs!!! I'm super pumped and glad to be over this first hurdle!
Starting Weight: 234.8lbs
Today's Weight: 224.8lbs
Total loss: 10lbs
There is nothing more motivating than results and to know that I am on the right path and making progress gives me so much encouragement to keep going! I realize 10lbs is not a lot but it's a huge start for me!
Now that that hurdle is behind me, it's time to look to the future and set a new goal! I think I am going to tackle this 10lbs at a time. So my next goal is to get to 214.8lbs! If I keep on track with 10lbs every month and a half I should be down nearly 60lbs by the time the wedding rolls around next October! Here's to focusing and making things happen!
Thanks everyone for your continued encouragement and support! Stay tuned for more updates from this never ending journey!
All the best,
Keith
This morning the scale finally got tired of me beating it and gave me what I was looking for. I've officially lost my first 10lbs!!! I'm super pumped and glad to be over this first hurdle!
Starting Weight: 234.8lbs
Today's Weight: 224.8lbs
Total loss: 10lbs
There is nothing more motivating than results and to know that I am on the right path and making progress gives me so much encouragement to keep going! I realize 10lbs is not a lot but it's a huge start for me!
Now that that hurdle is behind me, it's time to look to the future and set a new goal! I think I am going to tackle this 10lbs at a time. So my next goal is to get to 214.8lbs! If I keep on track with 10lbs every month and a half I should be down nearly 60lbs by the time the wedding rolls around next October! Here's to focusing and making things happen!
Thanks everyone for your continued encouragement and support! Stay tuned for more updates from this never ending journey!
All the best,
Keith
Sunday, December 7, 2014
A hop, skip and a bottle of water away!
It seems like the weeks are fast forwarding themselves and time is just flying by! I can't believe it is already Sunday and a new week has begun!
With that being said, as I mentioned in my post last week I took advice from a radio show about weighing yourself on Fridays each week. I had already weighed on Monday so I was curious to see what happened in 5 days. I was pleased with the result!
Starting Weight: 234.8lbs
Friday's Weight: 225.8lbs
Total Loss: 9lbs
So in 5 weeks I have lost 9lbs. I was really hoping to have hit the 10lb mark at this point but 9lbs is a good goal. That's an average of 1.8lbs per week and keep in mind we haven't done any exercise. This loss has come strictly by drinking more water and watching the calories we eat and preparing most of our meals at home.
For the next phase, I would love to incorporate some kind of exercise and have been swearing that we will start the DDP Yoga series but I just can't seem to muster up the motivation to stick to it. I am hoping this week we can just hunker down and commit ourselves to hitting the floor and get into extreme yoga! It's allegedly a high calorie burning workout series, we shall see.
I'm 1lb away from my first goal of 10lbs. I could hop, skip and drink a bottle of water to flush away that pesky pound! My goal is to surpass the 10lb mark by the end of the week and I really think if I add in some sort of exercise I will hit that goal! That and maybe cut back on the Starbucks? I may or may not have had a few holiday drinks this week. Whoops! Look forward not back though, right?
That's all I have for now. Cross your fingers that we can push ourselves just a little more this week and that I hit my 10lb goal!
All my best,
Keith
With that being said, as I mentioned in my post last week I took advice from a radio show about weighing yourself on Fridays each week. I had already weighed on Monday so I was curious to see what happened in 5 days. I was pleased with the result!
Starting Weight: 234.8lbs
Friday's Weight: 225.8lbs
Total Loss: 9lbs
So in 5 weeks I have lost 9lbs. I was really hoping to have hit the 10lb mark at this point but 9lbs is a good goal. That's an average of 1.8lbs per week and keep in mind we haven't done any exercise. This loss has come strictly by drinking more water and watching the calories we eat and preparing most of our meals at home.
For the next phase, I would love to incorporate some kind of exercise and have been swearing that we will start the DDP Yoga series but I just can't seem to muster up the motivation to stick to it. I am hoping this week we can just hunker down and commit ourselves to hitting the floor and get into extreme yoga! It's allegedly a high calorie burning workout series, we shall see.
I'm 1lb away from my first goal of 10lbs. I could hop, skip and drink a bottle of water to flush away that pesky pound! My goal is to surpass the 10lb mark by the end of the week and I really think if I add in some sort of exercise I will hit that goal! That and maybe cut back on the Starbucks? I may or may not have had a few holiday drinks this week. Whoops! Look forward not back though, right?
That's all I have for now. Cross your fingers that we can push ourselves just a little more this week and that I hit my 10lb goal!
All my best,
Keith
Monday, December 1, 2014
How I survived Thanksgiving....but crashed the next day!
It's been a couple of weeks since the last post, namely because there hasn't been much to report. I can tell you that over the last month since starting this venture, Matt and I have been diligent with our charge to cook more meals at home and eat out a lot less! We have been to a drive thru fast food place 2 times in the past 30 days and they were both over this most recent extended holiday!
The way we have been working it is we go grocery shopping and buy all of our meals for the week including lunch for work and breakfast (for me, as he is not a breakfast person) so that we have everything on hand, and no excuses! Keeping on plan during the week, come Friday or Saturday we decide to allow ourselves to indulge and pick a cuisine and restaurant that we both would enjoy and have a meal there! Mind you we don't make a day of it and usually just stick to that meal and possibly a dessert somewhere. Thus far, this system has worked rather well.
Here comes the holiday! Our first venture to a drive thru came the Wednesday before. We were in a rush to get on the road and out of town and were driving a dear friend home as well that we decided to throw it to the wind and eat at Wendy's. I got a grilled chicken and diet. While certainly not the healthiest of things to eat, I could have done A LOT worse. I'm a big gal and I can put down some Wendy's, but I showed restraint. Later that eve, my brother and best friend made homemade cheese sticks after we arrived in town. I like to tell myself that he is super skinny and eats healthy on the by and by so it's gotta be ok to eat! :-)
Now where I was proud of myself is on actual Thanksgiving. We started the day by going to a food pantry and shelter to serve those in need. After, a group of us ventured to Cracker Barrel. Again, here normally I would have slayed some chicken w/ gravy, a pancake, eggs, sausage, biscuits etc. All I had were biscuits and gravy and 2 sausage patties and some apple butter. That may sound "normal" or even "heavy" for most people, but understand where I'm coming from and what I normally would have done, my restraint for me was a victory.
Now for the actual Thanksgiving dinner w/ my family. I only had ONE plate! Not two or three....just one. And that plate was not piled high and overflowing. I had a piece of turkey, a piece of ham, some stuffing, a roll, a deviled egg and some green bean casserole. I also just had one dessert instead of three or four samples of everything. I repeat myself only to say, this may seem "normal" to most people, but I'm a foodie with a serious addiction to food, so this was another victory.
All in all I took a win for myself on the holidays. Then came Black Friday and lunch with friends.
Crash....and....burn.
Look I have to tell you, we had lunch at a place called Harry's and they have some of the most delicious sushi you've ever had. One of their rolls is DEEP FRIED and another is stuffed with filet mignon and avocado! When I tell you I was in heaven, I was in heaven. I could not turn this down. I also had the mini sliders w/ a side salad & water to balance it all out! So I was good.
I felt stuffed and yet very satisfied! Later that evening, when we arrived back home, we were too tired to cook and fell back into an old habit of "just go get something". I allowed it for one evening with the promise that the next day we would get back on track and get to the store. And that is just what we did.
At the end of it all, nothing loss but nothing gained. But I have lost since my last post!
Starting weight: 234.8lbs
Today's weight: 227.4lbs
Total loss: 7.4lbs
That's almost an average of 2lbs per week, which I think is healthy and a good start. Especially given we have yet to exercise. Still working up the motivation to get back into that. It's coming!
So that's how I survived Thanksgiving and crashed the next day. But I am happy to say we are back on the wagon, we have all of our meals for the week and we are on track!
I will say that I heard a tip on the radio today to NOT weigh yourself on Monday's as the weekend tends to be your least healthy of the days so it is best to weigh yourself on Fridays. So going forward that is what I shall do. I'm curious to see how the results vary!
That's all I have for now! Stay tuned for more adventures from my never ending quest to lose weight!
All my best,
Keith
The way we have been working it is we go grocery shopping and buy all of our meals for the week including lunch for work and breakfast (for me, as he is not a breakfast person) so that we have everything on hand, and no excuses! Keeping on plan during the week, come Friday or Saturday we decide to allow ourselves to indulge and pick a cuisine and restaurant that we both would enjoy and have a meal there! Mind you we don't make a day of it and usually just stick to that meal and possibly a dessert somewhere. Thus far, this system has worked rather well.
Here comes the holiday! Our first venture to a drive thru came the Wednesday before. We were in a rush to get on the road and out of town and were driving a dear friend home as well that we decided to throw it to the wind and eat at Wendy's. I got a grilled chicken and diet. While certainly not the healthiest of things to eat, I could have done A LOT worse. I'm a big gal and I can put down some Wendy's, but I showed restraint. Later that eve, my brother and best friend made homemade cheese sticks after we arrived in town. I like to tell myself that he is super skinny and eats healthy on the by and by so it's gotta be ok to eat! :-)
Now where I was proud of myself is on actual Thanksgiving. We started the day by going to a food pantry and shelter to serve those in need. After, a group of us ventured to Cracker Barrel. Again, here normally I would have slayed some chicken w/ gravy, a pancake, eggs, sausage, biscuits etc. All I had were biscuits and gravy and 2 sausage patties and some apple butter. That may sound "normal" or even "heavy" for most people, but understand where I'm coming from and what I normally would have done, my restraint for me was a victory.
Now for the actual Thanksgiving dinner w/ my family. I only had ONE plate! Not two or three....just one. And that plate was not piled high and overflowing. I had a piece of turkey, a piece of ham, some stuffing, a roll, a deviled egg and some green bean casserole. I also just had one dessert instead of three or four samples of everything. I repeat myself only to say, this may seem "normal" to most people, but I'm a foodie with a serious addiction to food, so this was another victory.
All in all I took a win for myself on the holidays. Then came Black Friday and lunch with friends.
Crash....and....burn.
Look I have to tell you, we had lunch at a place called Harry's and they have some of the most delicious sushi you've ever had. One of their rolls is DEEP FRIED and another is stuffed with filet mignon and avocado! When I tell you I was in heaven, I was in heaven. I could not turn this down. I also had the mini sliders w/ a side salad & water to balance it all out! So I was good.
I felt stuffed and yet very satisfied! Later that evening, when we arrived back home, we were too tired to cook and fell back into an old habit of "just go get something". I allowed it for one evening with the promise that the next day we would get back on track and get to the store. And that is just what we did.
At the end of it all, nothing loss but nothing gained. But I have lost since my last post!
Starting weight: 234.8lbs
Today's weight: 227.4lbs
Total loss: 7.4lbs
That's almost an average of 2lbs per week, which I think is healthy and a good start. Especially given we have yet to exercise. Still working up the motivation to get back into that. It's coming!
So that's how I survived Thanksgiving and crashed the next day. But I am happy to say we are back on the wagon, we have all of our meals for the week and we are on track!
I will say that I heard a tip on the radio today to NOT weigh yourself on Monday's as the weekend tends to be your least healthy of the days so it is best to weigh yourself on Fridays. So going forward that is what I shall do. I'm curious to see how the results vary!
That's all I have for now! Stay tuned for more adventures from my never ending quest to lose weight!
All my best,
Keith
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Not even Starbuck's could throw me off my game!
Week 1 is on the books ya'll! Today marks 7 days on the new kick to eat better, lose weight and get healthy!
The week has been interesting, but not necessarily difficult. I found myself making better food choices without really thinking about it. Even at places where healthy wasn't really on the menu I felt like I did good. For instance on Friday night we had a work function for the grand opening of one of our new restaurants and they were sampling the menu. Everything from pizza, wings, sandwiches etc. Now my former self would have gone through that buffet line at least 3-4 times loading up a plate every time. The new and focused me only went up once and only got 1 small piece of pizza, 2 boneless wings and 3 tortilla chips. Trust that I was tempted to keep snacking, but I resisted and I was proud of myself. The good thing here also is that I didn't deprive myself completely. I allowed myself to have some "junk" food after a week of being good, which I think is vital and important to success.
This week I committed to only drinking water everyday and to try and drink at least 3 water bottles full or more. The first day it was a little tough, but after a couple of days it has just become routine to fill up my water bottle and always have water on hand! I attribute most of the weight loss this week to water weight and that's fine. I know how this game works. You lose a bunch of water weight the first week or two and then things start to slow down as you begin losing real weight!
With that being said here are this weeks results:
Starting weight: 234.8lbs
Today's weight: 230.6lbs
Total lost: 4.2lbs
Not bad for just a week on! I even allowed myself a couple of Starbucks drinks (non-fat, no whip mind you) and not even Starbuck's could throw me off my game!
I'm excited to see results the first week as that always provides motivation to keep going! My ultimate goal I can't really say is a specific number, but rather how I look and feel. I want to be able to see my belt when I look down. I want to have a neck again. I don't want my face to look like an overstuffed balloon. I don't want to look 9 months pregnant when I turn sideways. So whatever number that ends up being and gets me to those goals, that's the number I want to be at. Logistically speaking I plan to get below 200lbs over the next 4-6 months. I know I will feel better about myself and my image when that day comes again. I used the word again because this has all happened before, a few times before. My blog title says it all, it really is a never ending quest for weight loss!
Here's to another successful week! A week of good food choices and hopefully starting DDP Yoga on a regular schedule. Adding exercise to this regimen should help amp up the results a bit too!
Enjoy your week, until next time!
Wishing you success in your goals,
Keith
The week has been interesting, but not necessarily difficult. I found myself making better food choices without really thinking about it. Even at places where healthy wasn't really on the menu I felt like I did good. For instance on Friday night we had a work function for the grand opening of one of our new restaurants and they were sampling the menu. Everything from pizza, wings, sandwiches etc. Now my former self would have gone through that buffet line at least 3-4 times loading up a plate every time. The new and focused me only went up once and only got 1 small piece of pizza, 2 boneless wings and 3 tortilla chips. Trust that I was tempted to keep snacking, but I resisted and I was proud of myself. The good thing here also is that I didn't deprive myself completely. I allowed myself to have some "junk" food after a week of being good, which I think is vital and important to success.
This week I committed to only drinking water everyday and to try and drink at least 3 water bottles full or more. The first day it was a little tough, but after a couple of days it has just become routine to fill up my water bottle and always have water on hand! I attribute most of the weight loss this week to water weight and that's fine. I know how this game works. You lose a bunch of water weight the first week or two and then things start to slow down as you begin losing real weight!
With that being said here are this weeks results:
Starting weight: 234.8lbs
Today's weight: 230.6lbs
Total lost: 4.2lbs
Not bad for just a week on! I even allowed myself a couple of Starbucks drinks (non-fat, no whip mind you) and not even Starbuck's could throw me off my game!
I'm excited to see results the first week as that always provides motivation to keep going! My ultimate goal I can't really say is a specific number, but rather how I look and feel. I want to be able to see my belt when I look down. I want to have a neck again. I don't want my face to look like an overstuffed balloon. I don't want to look 9 months pregnant when I turn sideways. So whatever number that ends up being and gets me to those goals, that's the number I want to be at. Logistically speaking I plan to get below 200lbs over the next 4-6 months. I know I will feel better about myself and my image when that day comes again. I used the word again because this has all happened before, a few times before. My blog title says it all, it really is a never ending quest for weight loss!
Here's to another successful week! A week of good food choices and hopefully starting DDP Yoga on a regular schedule. Adding exercise to this regimen should help amp up the results a bit too!
Enjoy your week, until next time!
Wishing you success in your goals,
Keith
Sunday, November 2, 2014
And I said..."This is bullsh*t!" and decided to do something.
As I stood there looking in the mirror I thought to myself, "How did this happen?"
I was looking at a very overweight sad looking version of myself and couldn't figure out how I got here. Ok, that sounds stupid. Of course I KNOW how I got to this point, but it was a surreal moment. 2 years ago I wrote a post and listed my ending weight as 177lbs. I think I was wearing a small-medium shirt and a 32" waist pant.
Standing on the scale this morning it beeped back to me, "234.8".
This is bullsh*t! I have gained 57lbs in a little more than 2 years and I can't take it anymore. I won't take it anymore.
The past few weeks I have been in a depression of sorts about my body. I know that I have issues with food. I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I've had a bad day, a good day, a stressful day, an exciting day. Everyday is a reason to celebrate with food. As I pondered how I could turn this around I was not finding the energy or motivation to do anything. I didn't know how to start, where to start. I was defeated. Then it hit me, "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! YOU BETTER LOSE SOME WEIGHT!"
That was it. My motivation. I sat down with Matt amidst my own tears telling him that I was determined to do something and get back on track with my weight. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew it was going to have to be serious and something we could do together.
We decided that we had to do something that we could stick to without leaving us starved or frustrated. Making dietary modifications and disciplining ourselves.
Starting tomorrow, I have banned fast food/take out for the next 30 days. I set the 30 day goal for something measurable and short term as I have found it is easier to stick with short term goals that are realistic and attainable vs. long term, far reaching goals. We purchased items to make dinners at home that are lower calorie, less processed meals. Also things to eat for lunch and breakfast for work so we aren't tempted to eat out.
This may sound like something simple but for us it's a big deal. We ate our feelings in large massive quantities. We have to cut back our calories and make better choices when it comes to food and that is what we are doing to start with.
As I read back through some of my previous posts, especially the ones where I was completing Insanity, it made me realize, this isn't fun or easy, but I can do it. I CAN do it. I've done it before. It might have sucked, and I might have cried most of the way but I did it before and I can do it again!
I decided to start up my blog again to help me hold myself accountable and as an outlet to talk about the journey. It really helped me in my process last time and I think it will help me in my "do over" as well!
I also want to say or better yet ask, why are we so afraid to speak out to our friends who gain weight? I don't mean to be cruel and disrespectful about it, but can you just pull a girl aside and put a bug in her ear! Food is a drug too and I am an addict, I need an intervention!
Tonight is the last supper of sorts. No more fast food or take out after today. So what do you do when you've made that decision.....duh...you go to Taco Bell and do it up!
Cheers to my rebirth and the death (again) of Fatty McFatterton. Much like horror movie villains he just never seems to die!
Starting weight: 234.8lbs.
Let the loss begin.
All the best,
Keith
I was looking at a very overweight sad looking version of myself and couldn't figure out how I got here. Ok, that sounds stupid. Of course I KNOW how I got to this point, but it was a surreal moment. 2 years ago I wrote a post and listed my ending weight as 177lbs. I think I was wearing a small-medium shirt and a 32" waist pant.
Standing on the scale this morning it beeped back to me, "234.8".
This is bullsh*t! I have gained 57lbs in a little more than 2 years and I can't take it anymore. I won't take it anymore.
The past few weeks I have been in a depression of sorts about my body. I know that I have issues with food. I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I've had a bad day, a good day, a stressful day, an exciting day. Everyday is a reason to celebrate with food. As I pondered how I could turn this around I was not finding the energy or motivation to do anything. I didn't know how to start, where to start. I was defeated. Then it hit me, "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! YOU BETTER LOSE SOME WEIGHT!"
That was it. My motivation. I sat down with Matt amidst my own tears telling him that I was determined to do something and get back on track with my weight. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew it was going to have to be serious and something we could do together.
We decided that we had to do something that we could stick to without leaving us starved or frustrated. Making dietary modifications and disciplining ourselves.
Starting tomorrow, I have banned fast food/take out for the next 30 days. I set the 30 day goal for something measurable and short term as I have found it is easier to stick with short term goals that are realistic and attainable vs. long term, far reaching goals. We purchased items to make dinners at home that are lower calorie, less processed meals. Also things to eat for lunch and breakfast for work so we aren't tempted to eat out.
This may sound like something simple but for us it's a big deal. We ate our feelings in large massive quantities. We have to cut back our calories and make better choices when it comes to food and that is what we are doing to start with.
As I read back through some of my previous posts, especially the ones where I was completing Insanity, it made me realize, this isn't fun or easy, but I can do it. I CAN do it. I've done it before. It might have sucked, and I might have cried most of the way but I did it before and I can do it again!
I decided to start up my blog again to help me hold myself accountable and as an outlet to talk about the journey. It really helped me in my process last time and I think it will help me in my "do over" as well!
I also want to say or better yet ask, why are we so afraid to speak out to our friends who gain weight? I don't mean to be cruel and disrespectful about it, but can you just pull a girl aside and put a bug in her ear! Food is a drug too and I am an addict, I need an intervention!
Tonight is the last supper of sorts. No more fast food or take out after today. So what do you do when you've made that decision.....duh...you go to Taco Bell and do it up!
Cheers to my rebirth and the death (again) of Fatty McFatterton. Much like horror movie villains he just never seems to die!
Starting weight: 234.8lbs.
Let the loss begin.
All the best,
Keith
Thursday, September 5, 2013
3 weeks and another year older.....
Hey there! I wanted to take a minute of your day and update you on my progress since my last post!
It's been 3 weeks since I started back to trying to lose weight and thus far I have made only dietary changes, no exercise. I hope to incorporate activity in the future, but for now I'm just focusing on food as it seems to be my biggest competition!
Here are some results:
Starting Weight: 222lbs
Current Weight (as of today): 214.0lbs
8lbs....not a huge loss, but it's a little more than 2lbs per week which is healthy I think. I prefer slower weight loss as it gives your skin time to adjust so you don't get that saggy look! LOL. I've enjoyed the journey so far, mainly because it hasn't really felt like an effort! Matt has been amazing at cooking up delicious yet nutritious meals and being a great support and keeping us both on track! That helps a whole lot!
So today is a special day because it's ..... my birthday! Yes today I turn 28 (cough)......ok I'm 34! There I said it! Although it's still hard to imagine that I'm actually almost midway through my 30's! What the heck happened here? I was 21 yesterday.
Alas, this is the day I reflect back on the last year of my life and analyze what's been good, bad, ok and anything I wish to forget about! Looking back over this past year (from 33 to 34) I can't really say there has been much bad or things I want to forget. I ended up in a job that I've been working toward for a few years, I'm still with the love of my life, my family and friends are all in good health and doing well. Which by the way I have some pretty amazing friends and family who have made this past year particularly wonderful! So shout out to them!
Weight wise this time last year I was about 180lbs. So that is a disappointment to know that I'm about 34lbs heavier today than I was on my birthday last year. But the good news is, I'm working on it. When I first started this blog (if you go back and read day 1 in November of 2011) I said that this was a never ending quest. I don't think we ever truly reach and maintain a satisfactory weight or image of ourselves....we work constantly on improving it and it seems like we are never happy. I remember being 21 and 150lbs and thinking I was so fat and hideous (in my 30" waist!) Funny isn't it....I'd kill to be 150lbs again!
My point is that our self esteem and self image is a never ending conquest to be better. You have to be careful though...don't be self defeating to the point that you put yourself down or lower your own self esteem. We deal with enough a$$holes in the world who judge us, we don't need to be so hard on ourselves. Give yourself some credit...so what if you don't have a six pack washboard stomach....maybe you have an amazing smile, or gorgeous eyes, or nice a$$, or a huge heat, great hair or a combination of any of those things or all of them! We all have good attributes and while we are working on changing the ones we can and want to, we need to accentuate the positive attributes and things we like about ourselves in the process.
Whatever your goal is...stay focused...don't lose sight or hope. Falling down is inevitable, no one ever learned by being perfect from the gate. Failure breeds progress and success, you just have to be strong enough to make it through the down times to come out ahead on the other side.
With that, I am off to enjoy a celebratory birthday lunch somewhere with tasty calorie and fat free birthday food! Because as we all know....on your birthday....calories and fat don't exist! :-)
Good luck to you in your journey, remember the only person keeping you from succeeding is yourself! You can do it, so can I, we just have to DO.
All the best,
Keith
It's been 3 weeks since I started back to trying to lose weight and thus far I have made only dietary changes, no exercise. I hope to incorporate activity in the future, but for now I'm just focusing on food as it seems to be my biggest competition!
Here are some results:
Starting Weight: 222lbs
Current Weight (as of today): 214.0lbs
8lbs....not a huge loss, but it's a little more than 2lbs per week which is healthy I think. I prefer slower weight loss as it gives your skin time to adjust so you don't get that saggy look! LOL. I've enjoyed the journey so far, mainly because it hasn't really felt like an effort! Matt has been amazing at cooking up delicious yet nutritious meals and being a great support and keeping us both on track! That helps a whole lot!
So today is a special day because it's ..... my birthday! Yes today I turn 28 (cough)......ok I'm 34! There I said it! Although it's still hard to imagine that I'm actually almost midway through my 30's! What the heck happened here? I was 21 yesterday.
Alas, this is the day I reflect back on the last year of my life and analyze what's been good, bad, ok and anything I wish to forget about! Looking back over this past year (from 33 to 34) I can't really say there has been much bad or things I want to forget. I ended up in a job that I've been working toward for a few years, I'm still with the love of my life, my family and friends are all in good health and doing well. Which by the way I have some pretty amazing friends and family who have made this past year particularly wonderful! So shout out to them!
Weight wise this time last year I was about 180lbs. So that is a disappointment to know that I'm about 34lbs heavier today than I was on my birthday last year. But the good news is, I'm working on it. When I first started this blog (if you go back and read day 1 in November of 2011) I said that this was a never ending quest. I don't think we ever truly reach and maintain a satisfactory weight or image of ourselves....we work constantly on improving it and it seems like we are never happy. I remember being 21 and 150lbs and thinking I was so fat and hideous (in my 30" waist!) Funny isn't it....I'd kill to be 150lbs again!
My point is that our self esteem and self image is a never ending conquest to be better. You have to be careful though...don't be self defeating to the point that you put yourself down or lower your own self esteem. We deal with enough a$$holes in the world who judge us, we don't need to be so hard on ourselves. Give yourself some credit...so what if you don't have a six pack washboard stomach....maybe you have an amazing smile, or gorgeous eyes, or nice a$$, or a huge heat, great hair or a combination of any of those things or all of them! We all have good attributes and while we are working on changing the ones we can and want to, we need to accentuate the positive attributes and things we like about ourselves in the process.
Whatever your goal is...stay focused...don't lose sight or hope. Falling down is inevitable, no one ever learned by being perfect from the gate. Failure breeds progress and success, you just have to be strong enough to make it through the down times to come out ahead on the other side.
With that, I am off to enjoy a celebratory birthday lunch somewhere with tasty calorie and fat free birthday food! Because as we all know....on your birthday....calories and fat don't exist! :-)
Good luck to you in your journey, remember the only person keeping you from succeeding is yourself! You can do it, so can I, we just have to DO.
All the best,
Keith
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Here I go again...but not on my own....
So it's been nearly a year since my last post and also since I last attempted anything close to a weight loss program. I've gained over 50lbs since last summer. So that means I gained back the 40 I lost PLUS an extra 10 for good measure. Gaining weight is super easy.....too bad it's not so easy getting it back off.
Having officially ran out of clothes to wear aside from the few articles I have purchased to get by because everything in my closet is too small for me now, I really needed to do something. But this time I'm not alone! Matt really kick started me into going back on Weight Watchers when he decided to start doing a calorie counting program. No more fourth meal I guess. Sad panda!
I don't really have much to offer by way of a beginning post other than to say I started Weight Watchers up again today. I know the program works if you use it so I'm sticking with what I know. I'll figure out the exercise part later, right now I need to get my diet under control and then worry about getting my girlish figure back with exercise.
Last weekend I participated in the Warrior Dash. If you aren't familiar with this, it's basically a mud run with obstacles. It was 3.40 miles long with 12 obstacles. I completed it with a team of folks from work. We had a blast and I successfully made it through and it only took me 2 hours....just 2 hours! Now granted we had some time standing in line waiting to complete obstacles, but 2 hours is really slow. I was proud of myself however for just making it through and only having to skip 1 obstacle (which a lot of people skipped due to logistics and safety). It was an accomplishment. Before I did it, I thought to myself, I'll never be able to make it through this, it's too hard, yet I came out on the other side! Then I remembered that I thought the same thing about the Insanity workout series before I started it, but I made it through 7 weeks! I bailed the last 2 weeks because I met a guy, got a new job and moved 2 states over! LOL. (what I did for love......Barbara, anyone?)
I digress....standing in line and just walking around this event in general, I saw A LOT of buff guys, I mean really buff guys. Yes I was staring....and so was Matt! LOL. After the race was over on our way home, Matt told me he wanted to do it with me next year and he wanted to do it without his shirt on too! So I think that kind of kick started both of us to do something about our weight.
I'm not saying that this time next year I'm going to have a 6 pack washboard stomach or anything, but I know I'm going to be skinnier than I am now and I'm glad I have someone to help keep me on track and support me along the way.
So paying homage to my 80's roots and Whitesnake....here I go again! Here I GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (you know that one note that you can't ever hit while singing in your car).
Starting weight 222lbs.
Ready.....set.....cheeseburger?
Keith
Having officially ran out of clothes to wear aside from the few articles I have purchased to get by because everything in my closet is too small for me now, I really needed to do something. But this time I'm not alone! Matt really kick started me into going back on Weight Watchers when he decided to start doing a calorie counting program. No more fourth meal I guess. Sad panda!
I don't really have much to offer by way of a beginning post other than to say I started Weight Watchers up again today. I know the program works if you use it so I'm sticking with what I know. I'll figure out the exercise part later, right now I need to get my diet under control and then worry about getting my girlish figure back with exercise.
Last weekend I participated in the Warrior Dash. If you aren't familiar with this, it's basically a mud run with obstacles. It was 3.40 miles long with 12 obstacles. I completed it with a team of folks from work. We had a blast and I successfully made it through and it only took me 2 hours....just 2 hours! Now granted we had some time standing in line waiting to complete obstacles, but 2 hours is really slow. I was proud of myself however for just making it through and only having to skip 1 obstacle (which a lot of people skipped due to logistics and safety). It was an accomplishment. Before I did it, I thought to myself, I'll never be able to make it through this, it's too hard, yet I came out on the other side! Then I remembered that I thought the same thing about the Insanity workout series before I started it, but I made it through 7 weeks! I bailed the last 2 weeks because I met a guy, got a new job and moved 2 states over! LOL. (what I did for love......Barbara, anyone?)
I digress....standing in line and just walking around this event in general, I saw A LOT of buff guys, I mean really buff guys. Yes I was staring....and so was Matt! LOL. After the race was over on our way home, Matt told me he wanted to do it with me next year and he wanted to do it without his shirt on too! So I think that kind of kick started both of us to do something about our weight.
I'm not saying that this time next year I'm going to have a 6 pack washboard stomach or anything, but I know I'm going to be skinnier than I am now and I'm glad I have someone to help keep me on track and support me along the way.
So paying homage to my 80's roots and Whitesnake....here I go again! Here I GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (you know that one note that you can't ever hit while singing in your car).
Starting weight 222lbs.
Ready.....set.....cheeseburger?
Keith
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I "Heart" You Bob Harper!
New week, new start! I'm not sure why we always wait until a week starts to begin any type of workout or diet program, I guess psychologically it gives us a sense of "one last horrah" before we begin. Last week I started to do Insanity again, while I made it through the workout I realized after that I was not in any type of shape to do Insanity and that I would need to start out with something less intense. That's what happens when you stop working out for nearly 2 months!
Yesterday I decided that I needed to do some type of workout and I reached into my vaults and found "Bob Harpers Cardio Max." This workout starts out with a 30 minute cardio routine and over 6 weeks builds into a 50 minute workout. Now the cardio workout while it made me sweat was a breeze compared to Shaun T! But then again (as Matt said yesterday) anything is a breeze after Shaun T! Incidentally several of the moves that were in Bob's video were similar to Shaun T's, however less intense. I did enjoy the workout, but it was over before I really got into it. I may add on the additional workouts before the weeks are up and see how I fare.
I'm not really doing this for the program itself, more so to have some form of workout to do each day that has some level of structure. I find when I leave it to myself, not much gets accomplished so having a structured workout in place assures I actually get up and do something constructive with my time and burn calories! We will see how this goes and if I feel like I see any difference after a week or so. If all else fails, there's always Jillian and her videos right? (I'd rather slit my wrists.....) My hope is that after I get back into a routine of working out and build up my fitness level again, I can get back into Insanity.
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
Yesterday I decided that I needed to do some type of workout and I reached into my vaults and found "Bob Harpers Cardio Max." This workout starts out with a 30 minute cardio routine and over 6 weeks builds into a 50 minute workout. Now the cardio workout while it made me sweat was a breeze compared to Shaun T! But then again (as Matt said yesterday) anything is a breeze after Shaun T! Incidentally several of the moves that were in Bob's video were similar to Shaun T's, however less intense. I did enjoy the workout, but it was over before I really got into it. I may add on the additional workouts before the weeks are up and see how I fare.
I'm not really doing this for the program itself, more so to have some form of workout to do each day that has some level of structure. I find when I leave it to myself, not much gets accomplished so having a structured workout in place assures I actually get up and do something constructive with my time and burn calories! We will see how this goes and if I feel like I see any difference after a week or so. If all else fails, there's always Jillian and her videos right? (I'd rather slit my wrists.....) My hope is that after I get back into a routine of working out and build up my fitness level again, I can get back into Insanity.
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Is skinny really a goal? I almost died, again!
Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and decided to get back into Insanity. Yeah, I'm not really sure what I was thinking or why but it was all the hellish torture I remembered from before and it was the day 1 workout! As I forced myself through the craziness, I had about 15 minutes left and almost decided to turn it off. Then I thought to myself (as I lay on the floor, heaving for breath and writhing in agony) "You only have 15 minutes left, and 4 of those minutes are for stretching and cool down! You can do it!" So I got up, hit the play button and pushed through the final minutes of day 1. I almost died, again!
After the workout was over, I lay there thinking...why am I doing this? Is it to feel better about myself, is it just to be able to gloat that I can wear size Small? Is it just so I can say I'm skinny? And it hit me...is being skinny really a goal? And if so, how do we measure when we've hit said goal. I've lost nearly 40lbs since I began this journey last November. I said to myself then, once I've lost 40lbs that was my goal and I would be satisfied. Now, staring that 40lb loss in the face, I'm still not happy. I still feel fat and overweight and unattractive, chunky, husky, pudgy, soft, stocky, heavy etc. I realize there are people out there that are far bigger than I am, but they aren't me and I'm not them. We are our own worst critics and no one knows how we feel but ourselves. I know I'm not fat (maybe a lil chunky?) but I'm still not super happy about how I look in the mirror.
I entitled my blog as such because this really is a NEVER ENDING quest. Even when you hit what you think is your "goal", then you spend your life working to maintain. Most of time when we hit our "goals" then we want to set new goals and go even further. It's non-stop. We obsess over this so much that we drive ourselves crazy trying any and everything we can to lose weight. We count points, we pop pills, we run, we lift weights, we starve ourselves, we "shake our Sensa".... there isn't anything that we won't do if it helps us lose weight. I'm going to try and stop obsessing over my weight so much and just work toward feeling better about me. In my mind I feel like I need to lose 15-20 more pounds to "look good", but there's no way to know that. What if I look good after 10lbs or what if I lose 20lbs and still think I look fat? I'm over setting a goal of a specific weight and I'm going to focus on how I look and feel. If I look and feel good at 170lbs then that is great!
With all that said, I still haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to continue Insanity or just go into general workout mode, maybe daily walk/runs, or using Insanity as a workout a couple of times per week vs. a full 9 week routine. Trial and error. Onward we go. No looking back, only forward....
That's all I have for today.
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
After the workout was over, I lay there thinking...why am I doing this? Is it to feel better about myself, is it just to be able to gloat that I can wear size Small? Is it just so I can say I'm skinny? And it hit me...is being skinny really a goal? And if so, how do we measure when we've hit said goal. I've lost nearly 40lbs since I began this journey last November. I said to myself then, once I've lost 40lbs that was my goal and I would be satisfied. Now, staring that 40lb loss in the face, I'm still not happy. I still feel fat and overweight and unattractive, chunky, husky, pudgy, soft, stocky, heavy etc. I realize there are people out there that are far bigger than I am, but they aren't me and I'm not them. We are our own worst critics and no one knows how we feel but ourselves. I know I'm not fat (maybe a lil chunky?) but I'm still not super happy about how I look in the mirror.
I entitled my blog as such because this really is a NEVER ENDING quest. Even when you hit what you think is your "goal", then you spend your life working to maintain. Most of time when we hit our "goals" then we want to set new goals and go even further. It's non-stop. We obsess over this so much that we drive ourselves crazy trying any and everything we can to lose weight. We count points, we pop pills, we run, we lift weights, we starve ourselves, we "shake our Sensa".... there isn't anything that we won't do if it helps us lose weight. I'm going to try and stop obsessing over my weight so much and just work toward feeling better about me. In my mind I feel like I need to lose 15-20 more pounds to "look good", but there's no way to know that. What if I look good after 10lbs or what if I lose 20lbs and still think I look fat? I'm over setting a goal of a specific weight and I'm going to focus on how I look and feel. If I look and feel good at 170lbs then that is great!
With all that said, I still haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to continue Insanity or just go into general workout mode, maybe daily walk/runs, or using Insanity as a workout a couple of times per week vs. a full 9 week routine. Trial and error. Onward we go. No looking back, only forward....
That's all I have for today.
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
Monday, July 30, 2012
Nothing lost, nothing gained....a rebirth of sorts.
Life certainly can throw you some curve balls once in a while. And when it does it can derail even the most stable of plans. You may or may not know but about a month ago I packed up my life and moved from St. Louis, MO to Lexington, KY after 12 years of living there. It just so happened that the move came right at the end of my Insanity Workouts, I had 2 week left. After I made the move it was difficult to find time to workout. The job I had was an hour away from my home and was about 125 miles round trip each day. That required getting up and leaving early and getting home rather late.
Certainly it probably was more of an excuse than anything (you find time to do the things you want to do kind of thing) but trying to transition your life into a new job, a new home environment, a new relationship, trust me when I say it isn't easy. That's a whole lot of new for one person!
Needless to say it is time to get back in the saddle and into a routine of working out and eating healthier. I did attempt to pick up Insanity where I left off after a month and a half of being off, I'll tell you that it was unwise to try such. Month 2 was insane enough being in the routine, but take yourself out of the routine for that long and try to hit the ground running, MISTAKE. I turned it off after the second warm-up round! LOL.
I haven't yet decided if I am going to try and restart Insanity and see it through to the end or if I am just going to go into general workout mode. The issue I have with Insanity isn't that it's too difficult, because I survived the workouts, but the time commitment. Even the shorter month 1 workouts ended up being close to an hour after you paused to recover and try not to die during the workout. I'm totally not a morning person and I have to eat something before I workout or else I almost pass out and can't make it through the workout, which requires getting up almost an hour before you want to workout to eat, then the actual workout and have time to shower and get ready for work. One would need to get up around 530am or so and that just isn't me! The evening is almost just as difficult to find time to workout without holding everyone else up for dinner or watching prime time TV! Alas, more excuses which I usually don't have an issue with, but I've been out of routine for so long it seems the excuses are getting the best of me.
On a positive note I have not gained a single pound since I've been out of my routine. Which is surprising because as Colene would say I've "eaten hell off the cross". LOL. Between Matt's fantastic culinary skills and being in a group of friends who are hardcore foodies, it's not easy to eat healthy, but the food is oh so delicious! :-) I attribute my lack of weight gain partially to a loss in muscle mass, which is NOT a good thing to trade off. While I may be the same size weight wise, I'm much "softer" than I was while doing Insanity and it's not cute! So nothing lost, but nothing gained.
I'll definitely keep you posted on what I decide to do as far as workouts go. My heart says to restart Insanity and see it through to the end, but my mind recalls the torture and fights the thought of it tooth and nail! LOL. At any regard I promise to get back to blogging and back into some sort of fitness routine and will keep you, my public, loyal fans and readers informed! We're almost to 3500 views! :-)
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
Certainly it probably was more of an excuse than anything (you find time to do the things you want to do kind of thing) but trying to transition your life into a new job, a new home environment, a new relationship, trust me when I say it isn't easy. That's a whole lot of new for one person!
Needless to say it is time to get back in the saddle and into a routine of working out and eating healthier. I did attempt to pick up Insanity where I left off after a month and a half of being off, I'll tell you that it was unwise to try such. Month 2 was insane enough being in the routine, but take yourself out of the routine for that long and try to hit the ground running, MISTAKE. I turned it off after the second warm-up round! LOL.
I haven't yet decided if I am going to try and restart Insanity and see it through to the end or if I am just going to go into general workout mode. The issue I have with Insanity isn't that it's too difficult, because I survived the workouts, but the time commitment. Even the shorter month 1 workouts ended up being close to an hour after you paused to recover and try not to die during the workout. I'm totally not a morning person and I have to eat something before I workout or else I almost pass out and can't make it through the workout, which requires getting up almost an hour before you want to workout to eat, then the actual workout and have time to shower and get ready for work. One would need to get up around 530am or so and that just isn't me! The evening is almost just as difficult to find time to workout without holding everyone else up for dinner or watching prime time TV! Alas, more excuses which I usually don't have an issue with, but I've been out of routine for so long it seems the excuses are getting the best of me.
On a positive note I have not gained a single pound since I've been out of my routine. Which is surprising because as Colene would say I've "eaten hell off the cross". LOL. Between Matt's fantastic culinary skills and being in a group of friends who are hardcore foodies, it's not easy to eat healthy, but the food is oh so delicious! :-) I attribute my lack of weight gain partially to a loss in muscle mass, which is NOT a good thing to trade off. While I may be the same size weight wise, I'm much "softer" than I was while doing Insanity and it's not cute! So nothing lost, but nothing gained.
I'll definitely keep you posted on what I decide to do as far as workouts go. My heart says to restart Insanity and see it through to the end, but my mind recalls the torture and fights the thought of it tooth and nail! LOL. At any regard I promise to get back to blogging and back into some sort of fitness routine and will keep you, my public, loyal fans and readers informed! We're almost to 3500 views! :-)
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Is this thing even on.....(Insanity Recap)
So as you have noticed I have gotten way super behind in updating my blog post and my Insanity journey and I apologize! For those who do not know, I just moved from St. Louis back to Kentucky this past week and it has been a crazy time. However, I do have some Fit Test results to post from a couple of weeks back that I skipped on and can tell you that I will finish up Month 2 this week and next to get back on track!
I don't have any weigh-in results for you because I was banned from using the scale this past week by a certain someone (he knows who he is! LOL) but am hoping to see my damage tomorrow when I get back on the scale! I'll keep you posted!
Here are my Fit Test #4 results:
Exercise #1 #2 #3 #4
Switch Kicks 108 120 146 147
Power Jacks 57 67 61 67
Power Knees 83 113 114 123
Power Jumps 30 45 60 65
Globe Jumps 7 10 12 9
Suicide Jumps 13 18 21 22
Push-up Jacks 29 44 49 51
Low Plank Oblique 41 56 66 70
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
I don't have any weigh-in results for you because I was banned from using the scale this past week by a certain someone (he knows who he is! LOL) but am hoping to see my damage tomorrow when I get back on the scale! I'll keep you posted!
Here are my Fit Test #4 results:
Exercise #1 #2 #3 #4
Switch Kicks 108 120 146 147
Power Jacks 57 67 61 67
Power Knees 83 113 114 123
Power Jumps 30 45 60 65
Globe Jumps 7 10 12 9
Suicide Jumps 13 18 21 22
Push-up Jacks 29 44 49 51
Low Plank Oblique 41 56 66 70
That's all I have for today!
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
Saturday, June 2, 2012
I can't believe I'm going to say this.....(Insanity Month 2 Week 2 Day 5)
I'll regret this later, and I can't believe I'm even going to say this out loud....but......Max Cardio.....isn't really all that bad! (waits for lightning bolt)
I mean don't get me wrong, it kicks your a$$, and you sweat to high heaven, but here are the plus sides to Max Cardio and why it really isn't as bad as the other workouts.
1. It's only 47 minutes. Take out the 15 minute warm-up and the 8 minutes of stretching and it's really only 24 minutes of the actual workout.
2. You never have to repeat an exercise! There are no circuits in Max Cardio, you do one exercise for 1 minute and move on! That's a huge plus especially on those exercises that you just despise (like in and out abs with ab pushups...)
3. While there aren't any breaks built into the workout except after the warm-up, you get some downtime as Shaun T explains the next exercise.
These factors alone make Max Cardio a cake walk in comparison to the other workouts!
I was disappointed to see that Cardio Abs was the same workout as before in Month 1....I was hoping for something more extreme. I actually hate Cardio Abs from month 1 because the exercises are ridiculous and I don't feel like it really works my abs...it feels more like a leg workout than anything.
Today will wrap up Week 2 of Month 2 with Core Cardio and Balance. The only unfortunate side to that is, I left the DVD with Matt because I didn't think I needed it anymore after the Recovery Week.....hmmmm..LOL....perhaps it's on YouTube somewhere!? I can always do Max Cardio Recovery instead (#whatajoke) Core Cardio and Balance is much easier than Max Cardio Recovery...trust! I'll figure it out!
That's all I have for today! I hope your weekend is productive and fun! Keep it safe!
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
I mean don't get me wrong, it kicks your a$$, and you sweat to high heaven, but here are the plus sides to Max Cardio and why it really isn't as bad as the other workouts.
1. It's only 47 minutes. Take out the 15 minute warm-up and the 8 minutes of stretching and it's really only 24 minutes of the actual workout.
2. You never have to repeat an exercise! There are no circuits in Max Cardio, you do one exercise for 1 minute and move on! That's a huge plus especially on those exercises that you just despise (like in and out abs with ab pushups...)
3. While there aren't any breaks built into the workout except after the warm-up, you get some downtime as Shaun T explains the next exercise.
These factors alone make Max Cardio a cake walk in comparison to the other workouts!
I was disappointed to see that Cardio Abs was the same workout as before in Month 1....I was hoping for something more extreme. I actually hate Cardio Abs from month 1 because the exercises are ridiculous and I don't feel like it really works my abs...it feels more like a leg workout than anything.
Today will wrap up Week 2 of Month 2 with Core Cardio and Balance. The only unfortunate side to that is, I left the DVD with Matt because I didn't think I needed it anymore after the Recovery Week.....hmmmm..LOL....perhaps it's on YouTube somewhere!? I can always do Max Cardio Recovery instead (#whatajoke) Core Cardio and Balance is much easier than Max Cardio Recovery...trust! I'll figure it out!
That's all I have for today! I hope your weekend is productive and fun! Keep it safe!
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Are you crying or is that sweat in your eyes? (Insanity Month 2 Week 2 Day 4)
What can I say about Day 4? Oh I know....I HATE YOU SHAUN T! Hate is a strong word but it fits so easily here. I have never sweat so much in my entire life, my shirt had completely changed colors by the end of the workout! Today was Max Interval Plyo day and let me just say that it was no bueno from the beginning.
Now we do pretty much the same warm-up each workout but for some reason after today's warm up (which is 15 minutes...yes you heard me..the WARM-UP is 15 minutes) I was already pouring sweat and my lungs were screaming for air. I knew at that point that I was in for a fight and that today's workout was not going to go well. As I had assumed it did not! LOL. That's not to say that I punked out...oh no...I pushed through the workout, but it was pure hell the entire way. It had been a week since I had done this workout and I had forgotten all the stunts he has us do. Does the term "Squat Pushup" make you shudder? Well it should because they are straight up non-sense. You first get deep into a squat and put your hands out in front of you, elbows at your side. Then you allow yourself to fall forward onto your hands and into a full push up, then you have to push yourself back up into the squat position and repeat for 45 seconds. Torture. This among Level 3 drills which literally had me in tears screaming. You have to do 16 push ups followed by 16 floor sprints in plank, stand up and repeat. I was dying. If anyone saw me, it was a combination of sweat and tears on my face! LOL
I know I say it about every Insanity workout, but today's workout was no joke! My arms and abs were the victims of this crazy workout today, but fear not my poor legs got their fair share of beat down! Tomorrow is Max Cardio Conditioning followed up with Max Cardio Abs....I hate those workouts....you get your a$$ handed to you in the full workout and then are expected to put on a smile and workout your abs. UGH! Someone shoot me! Or better yet...shoot Tanya.
If you are thinking about starting Insanity, please let me know. I'm here to support anyone through this process and believe me, when you have support it makes the world of difference! It's tough, please know that it is way super tough, but you can do it if you have the determination to push through! The results far outweigh the pain, and if you stick with it, you will see results! My first week of Insanity I was so sore and got really sick actually because it was such a shock to my body, but after that it gets better (the soreness and fatigue) and you find a way to get through. Once you start seeing your body change, you won't be able to stop! :-)
Speaking of...I think Matt is almost fully recovered from his Day 2 beat down! LOL. Are you ready for Pure Cardio!? :-) (followed by evil laughter!)
That's all I have for today. The weekend approaches...have you earned a break this week?
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
Now we do pretty much the same warm-up each workout but for some reason after today's warm up (which is 15 minutes...yes you heard me..the WARM-UP is 15 minutes) I was already pouring sweat and my lungs were screaming for air. I knew at that point that I was in for a fight and that today's workout was not going to go well. As I had assumed it did not! LOL. That's not to say that I punked out...oh no...I pushed through the workout, but it was pure hell the entire way. It had been a week since I had done this workout and I had forgotten all the stunts he has us do. Does the term "Squat Pushup" make you shudder? Well it should because they are straight up non-sense. You first get deep into a squat and put your hands out in front of you, elbows at your side. Then you allow yourself to fall forward onto your hands and into a full push up, then you have to push yourself back up into the squat position and repeat for 45 seconds. Torture. This among Level 3 drills which literally had me in tears screaming. You have to do 16 push ups followed by 16 floor sprints in plank, stand up and repeat. I was dying. If anyone saw me, it was a combination of sweat and tears on my face! LOL
I know I say it about every Insanity workout, but today's workout was no joke! My arms and abs were the victims of this crazy workout today, but fear not my poor legs got their fair share of beat down! Tomorrow is Max Cardio Conditioning followed up with Max Cardio Abs....I hate those workouts....you get your a$$ handed to you in the full workout and then are expected to put on a smile and workout your abs. UGH! Someone shoot me! Or better yet...shoot Tanya.
If you are thinking about starting Insanity, please let me know. I'm here to support anyone through this process and believe me, when you have support it makes the world of difference! It's tough, please know that it is way super tough, but you can do it if you have the determination to push through! The results far outweigh the pain, and if you stick with it, you will see results! My first week of Insanity I was so sore and got really sick actually because it was such a shock to my body, but after that it gets better (the soreness and fatigue) and you find a way to get through. Once you start seeing your body change, you won't be able to stop! :-)
Speaking of...I think Matt is almost fully recovered from his Day 2 beat down! LOL. Are you ready for Pure Cardio!? :-) (followed by evil laughter!)
That's all I have for today. The weekend approaches...have you earned a break this week?
Wishing you success in your goals!
Keith
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
How does one recover from this? (Insanity Month 2 Week 2 Day 3)
I'd like to start today's post off with a confession. If you know me I am usually very honest and up front, so here goes. I switched up my recovery day and Max Interval Plyo day so I could do my recovery day today. ONLY because I thought it was going to be an easy workout and I had less than an hour to get in a workout this evening.
M-I-S-T-A-K-E. This is where the word "assume" gets you into trouble. Once again I keep forgetting that when it starts with the word MAX, there will be nothing easy about it!
With that out of the way....let me tell you a bit about Max Cardio Recovery. It's some straight up bull is what it is. You start off with a bunch of breathing and stretching exercises, so you think....ok...this is kind of like the Cardio Recovery from Month 1 only a little faster. WRONG. Then you get blasted into 4 different workout circuits that can only be described as evil. At one point I actually yelled at the screen "OK, I freakin get it, my core has to be tight and I'm supposed to watch my form, let's just freakin wrap up this set already!" This was amid us doing a one arm body balance where your entire body is on its side and being supported by one arm, the other arm stretched out to the ceiling. Then you return the arm to the ground in plank position and do 8 pushups and repeat. Ridiculous.
The absolute worst part of the workout today was the end where once again Shaun T seems to think that my legs are made of steel and that my quads have no feeling in them. We have to maintain a plie squat pose, do 8-16 pulses, then bend to one side and hold, back to squat, pulse, other side and repeat. Mixed in with all sorts of other crazy stunts like keeping your heels off the floor the entire time. My quads felt like someone had set them on fire with gasoline and turned a fan on. INSANITY!
I've got 3 days left of Week 2 and then we are really in the home stretch with 2 weeks remaining. I'll be curious to see how the 4th Fit Test turns out. Monday the truth will out! Tomorrow is Interval Plyo....I'm already getting sick to my stomach.
Matt text this morning to say that he was barely able to walk after his beat down from yesterday! My words of encouragment are: This too shall pass! LOL. Colene recommends taking some Tylenol before bed to help with the soreness. I empathize and sympathize because I've been there and if you can push through the Week 1 soreness, it will go away in Week 2! :-) Hang in there...as Shaun T says....you can freakin do it! Dig deeper! LOL.
That's all I have for today. Other than the fact that I am craving a McDonald's Coke like CRAZY for some reason. I haven't had a drop of soda since I started Insanity and I don't plan on starting now, but for some reason that craving was strong this evening. Instead I am enjoying a Sobe Strawberry Dragonfruit Life Water. Yum! LOL.
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
M-I-S-T-A-K-E. This is where the word "assume" gets you into trouble. Once again I keep forgetting that when it starts with the word MAX, there will be nothing easy about it!
With that out of the way....let me tell you a bit about Max Cardio Recovery. It's some straight up bull is what it is. You start off with a bunch of breathing and stretching exercises, so you think....ok...this is kind of like the Cardio Recovery from Month 1 only a little faster. WRONG. Then you get blasted into 4 different workout circuits that can only be described as evil. At one point I actually yelled at the screen "OK, I freakin get it, my core has to be tight and I'm supposed to watch my form, let's just freakin wrap up this set already!" This was amid us doing a one arm body balance where your entire body is on its side and being supported by one arm, the other arm stretched out to the ceiling. Then you return the arm to the ground in plank position and do 8 pushups and repeat. Ridiculous.
The absolute worst part of the workout today was the end where once again Shaun T seems to think that my legs are made of steel and that my quads have no feeling in them. We have to maintain a plie squat pose, do 8-16 pulses, then bend to one side and hold, back to squat, pulse, other side and repeat. Mixed in with all sorts of other crazy stunts like keeping your heels off the floor the entire time. My quads felt like someone had set them on fire with gasoline and turned a fan on. INSANITY!
I've got 3 days left of Week 2 and then we are really in the home stretch with 2 weeks remaining. I'll be curious to see how the 4th Fit Test turns out. Monday the truth will out! Tomorrow is Interval Plyo....I'm already getting sick to my stomach.
Matt text this morning to say that he was barely able to walk after his beat down from yesterday! My words of encouragment are: This too shall pass! LOL. Colene recommends taking some Tylenol before bed to help with the soreness. I empathize and sympathize because I've been there and if you can push through the Week 1 soreness, it will go away in Week 2! :-) Hang in there...as Shaun T says....you can freakin do it! Dig deeper! LOL.
That's all I have for today. Other than the fact that I am craving a McDonald's Coke like CRAZY for some reason. I haven't had a drop of soda since I started Insanity and I don't plan on starting now, but for some reason that craving was strong this evening. Instead I am enjoying a Sobe Strawberry Dragonfruit Life Water. Yum! LOL.
Wishing you success in your goals.
Keith
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