Day 8: Build on Your Success

Happy Monday.

Day 8 in the Drop 2 Sizes Road Map states:

"Action: Build on your success.
Last week I asked you to pick one thing to change that will get you closer to your goals.  What was that one thing? How did you do last week? Were you successful? If you were successful, then keep it up and today choose another change you want to work or improve on.  Small changes each week will lead to success. Have a great workout!"

My goal for last week was to stick to the food plan as closely as possible. By trial and error all summer, I was realizing before I started this book that something is off in my diet. As I get older, my metabolism has slowed as well, which doesn't help things. Getting to that perfect macro nutrient split is quite a challenge, especially when you work 500 feet away from a Wawa. And just being a human being with cravings for deliciousness can veer you off course if you let it.  So, I was determined to not veer off course.

Looking through my log during the week, I stuck pretty closely to the plan. One night I had fajitas (homemade) instead of a turkey burger with sweet potato. I still passed on the tortilla, which makes me feel triumphant LOL. Friday morning, I didn't make time for breakfast before my workout. If it's something I can grab or toast really quick, it is easier, so egg breakfasts need to be planned ahead. Friday evening, I did a pretty good job not noshing on superfluous things at Shabbat dinner. I stuck with Mediterranean salad and some meat. I got most of my protein goal in, and I think that is a vast change from my diet leading up to this.

My first splurge on the weekend was Chipotle for lunch as mentioned in the last post.
Saturday evening was a fiasco. I hadn't had time to have my egg-omelet dinner (played Candy Crush for about an hour LOL), so was starving by the time we went to the movies. Indulged in a lot of popcorn, about 15 pieces of my kryptonite, Sour Patch Watermelons, and couldn't stop at five pretzel bites with cheese. Probably had around ten. Comparatively, in the past I would have probably had more candy and pretzels. I just wish I had went with two splurges instead of all three.  And two splurge meals in ONE day is probably NOT the best idea.

Sunday was supposed to be my only official planned splurge (up to three in a week) meal with a friend at P.F. Changs. We noshed on chicken lettuce wraps (not terrible nutrient wise) and our usual dynamite shrimp and crisp green beans. Both of those are fried, but P.F. Changs has significantly cut down their serving size of the shrimp, so there was less to eat, which is great haha. The green beans were so delicious paired with spicy sauce. It was hard to stop, and this particular portion was larger than in the past. I think I had about a quarter of the plate, and there was about half left when we finished, so that would make sense.

We went a little shoe crazy at DSW and I walked out with two pairs. Some booties I had had my eyes on, and a sexy opened toe shoe I could not resist. I've had my eyes on the Zannotti version for awhile, so this price was palatable enough.

I made a DELICIOUS flank steak for dinner. Honestly, the best protein I have ever made, probably.  It was nicely spiced, with a bit of a dijon flavor, and cooked to the perfect medium rare temperature. Toot, toot!

So, when I look back on the week as a whole, I think I WAS successful for the most part. I got my Vitamin D and Omega 3 in every day and added my multivitamin mid-week. I stuck to the food plan about 80% of the time.

Things to work on: 
I need to have a protein shake every day to hit that macro nutrient goal.
I must control my splurge meals.
I need to make the egg breakfasts a priority. In general, breakfast must be a priority.

In other news, I happened to come across a usable step outside of the step class! Today I performed step ups and they were exhausting. I also figured out the correct way to do reverse lunges with rows. It certainly was not the way I did it last time haha. This time, I only used one hand, and when I powered up from the lunge, I had to squeeze my arm back to get that row motion in. And I had to do it pretty speedily. Definitely felt it this time!

Now, to make the rest of the day a good one.

xoxo.

Day 6

Another morning workout down. Feeling happy!

This one is the first metabolic workout and the replacement for all cardio-bunny work. Essentially, you get your heart rate up with bursts of work for a shorter period of time. There are studies that show this is the way to really train. I'm on board, because there is nothing more boring than spinning like on a gerbil on a wheel on the treadmill or elliptical!

 The workout consists of five exercises (speed squat, squat thrust, reverse lunge, prone touch and kettlebell swing) done for 30 seconds each (as many reps as possible) with a 30 second rest between each one. After you do all five with rest, you take a three minute breather, then repeat two more times. 

I loved pushing myself in this workout and did it to the best of my abilities.

 I was slightly annoyed that a huge gym like L.A. Fitness doesn't have kettlebells for the swing, as the tiny one I used to go to has a full set (plus those darned steps I need). I made do with a 12 pound dumbbell but I don't know if it's kosher. I definitely felt it, so I assume for now it's ok. It didn't fly toward the mirror or hit me in the face and I didn't lose my grip, so...A+!

Squat thrust was another back challenge for me. I've tried doing burpees in the past and all is ok until I have to jump back in from the plank position. I get a sharp pain in my back right away, without fail. I decided to the the squat thrusts (basically, the tail end of a burpee) with a Bosu ball round side up. A suggestion to make this exercise easier in the book is a step or a bench and I didn't feel like completing the workout downstairs, so I used the Bosu that was upstairs. I don't know if this made it more or less or equally challenging. I do know that it definitely got my heart rate up as intended!

One caveat is keeping a tight watch on the time. I have been using the Nike+ app on my nano to monitor, as most people on the Facebook group page recommended just using a phone or iPod. But it is kind of annoying to hold it and watch it (almost distracting in a way) and when I stuff it in my tank, I can't see it and have to guesstimate if I'm done. And forget about the squat thrust! The nano fell out of my shirt almost right away. Luckily it didn't take my headphones with it.

 I'm considering the interval timer,Gymboss. I've seen instructors on bodyrock.tv use this device and you basically set it to buzz at every interval. It's hands free and you just clip it on and don't have to monitor anything.

It seems super convenient and it's about $20 bucks, which isn't terrible. I might invest in it before my next timed metabolic.

The first time you do the timed metabolic workout, you only go through everything three times. The next time bumps up to a total of six. I can't imagine it as I was sweaty and exhausted after, but I'm sure by the time it's here (in another two weeks) I'll be ready.

I wore my new Lulu Ebb to Flow/Street (it's confusing because the tag says Flow and the website says Street) tank with Run: Inspire II crops and my new sneakers. I love these sneakers and am so glad I kept them. I'm also a pretty big fan of the tank, although I am a chronic shirt puller and it does stretch out a little from this habit. It provides great chest support, though, and makes the girls look good. I also LOVE the color and the simple style. If I get another color, I might just go a size down for a little more compression.

Afterwards, we stopped by Chipotle and I indulged in a chicken salad with medium spicy salsa, grilled veggies and a little guacamole (the book calls for grilled chicken salad and I figured it was close enough). My husband drove us to work and as I hoped out of the car, I realized the bag had leaked ALL OVER the passenger seat and onto my American Eagle leggings. Soaked the bottom COMPLETELY. Thank goodness I had changed at the gym. If this chicken juice had spilled all over my crops I would have been distraught haha! It looked like I had had a terrible accident and for a moment I wondered if I had lost control of my bladder since my husband insisted it hadn't come from the bag. But there was no denying that savory Mexican food smell. Ugh.Oh well. 

Tonight we might be seeing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs II. Must not eat pretzels, candy, soda and all the things lolll.  I'm supposed to have an omelet for dinner as well which I'm pretty pleased with. Sometimes breakfast for dinner just hits the spot!

Tomorrow I have a Pilates class and am meeting up with a friend for lunch at P.F. Changs. I'll try to keep it healthy with some lettuce wraps or something. Luckily, T is similarly health-conscious so she won't mind ordering something less greasy and fried.

  Anyway, I'm off to barrel through the rest of the weekend. Before I know it, it will be Monday :(.

Day 5

Good morning!

I'm part of a number of groups on Facebook (mostly Lululemon selling groups, whoops!) and monitor a local "fitness" board filled with in shape women who work out All. The. Time.  I used to think these women were crazy, but their enthusiasm kind of rubbed off on me over time.

It was there that I found out about my pilates studio and some other new local businesses, like Barre 3. All in all, although they annoy the shit out of me with all their free time and bragging on most days, they are, I admit, very inspirational.

Yesterday, one of the girls posted a really cool video that got the wheels in my brain turning and totally motivated me.

I am NOT a morning person. Not in the sense that I am miserable or anything. I'm pleasant enough (ask my mom) and can engage in normal conversation.  I just don't function at my best LOL. But this video inspired me to strive to make a morning workout (although, I am not waking up at dawn and you can't make me nosiree) part of my habits.

This morning, we did just that and I feel fantastic. Strength #1, Workout 2 in the books!
I felt my form was better this go round as I am more comfortable in the gym at this point. And my lateral lunges with contraload, even though I dropped them to 5 pounds, didn't give me back pain. The t-stabilizations still stink, especially after last night's evening pilates class, but I still executed all 32. And dare I say I am a fan of the finisher at the end, the squat? I feel so accomplished after that last speedy squat. It's unreal.

I again did not have time to make breakfast, so took the egg patty, bacon and cheese off a Wawa Sizzli and went to down on that. LOL. I'm sure the macros are off slightly but I find bacon to be a great replacement for half an avocado, don't you?

Snack today is a Greek yogurt with berries and since I forgot my yogurt at home, I picked up a non-fat Chobani with blueberries. A little more sugar than I would like but, at least it's somewhat similiar.

Lunch today is left over fajita chicken and baby carrots with Ak-Mak crackers. My husband says these crackers look like cardboard (they do) but I am hoping they are as delicious as Cheetos (they will not be).

Protein shake for another snack (and I've decided to keep a canister of the protein here to mix in with milk from Wawa) and then Shabbat dinner, where I'll aim for 5 oz of meat and some healthy carbs with salad.

My challenge going into the weekend will probably be Sunday lunch with a friend, but I figure I haven't had a cheat meal all week and one is ok. Even Rachel Cosgrove says so! Haha.

Off to try and win a Lululemon  Daily Yoga jacket for cheap on Lululemon Bidding Battles on Facebook LOL. Looks like it might go for way more than I want to buy it for, though. Thank goodness, I guess.

Breakfast.

Breakfast was mad delicious.

Kashi Go Lean, 3/4 cup of 2% milk and a banana. Probably my favorite breakfast so far. I was a little on the fence about purchasing anything by Kashi since they have some GMO problems. But who am I to veer from the cereal gospel? When someone tells you to eat cereal, you eat it, and you don't complain! And why would you?

That gigantic horse pill is full of burp-free fish oil. The small pill is a vitamin D. Nom nom! I must confess I have not been having a multi-vitamin every day because I can't find my brand new bottle and refuse to purchase another. Vitamins are expensive!

(The ruler sticker is my husband going a little crazy with the label maker.)

The keyboard is grotsky. Sorry.

Lulu uploaded some new "We Made Too Much" (WMTM) items. I'm loving this Swiftly top:

I think it would look super cute with my sneakers. The reviews leave me cautious though, especially since this is a final sale item. Swiftly fabrics tend to snag. I've seen this first hand as I just purchased a tank top in the same fabric for a fraction of the retail. Thank goodness I didn't pay full price. This material is DELICATE. Still, a super cute top. Here is the pink variation:

The mission statement for today in the Drop 2 book is getting all my water in. I make it my mission to drink a 1.5 liter water bottle every day to get at least six glasses in. By the time I get home, I only need one more water bottle to get my daily intake. Today, I don't really WANT to drink water because I'm wearing my painted on jeans and y'all know those take awhile to get down!  LOL. #firstworldproblems

Day 3

I messed up a little throughout the day. Leave it to my husband to put a cramp in my style lol.

We had discussed hitting the gym early. When we got a late start the next day around 9 a.m. (the luxury of owning your own business I guess) I figured we would go right to the office, but I guess my husband had the momentum and determination to follow through with our conversation. I had just "painted on" my new skinny jeans and hesitated because that would mean painting them off LOL.  Nevertheless, I changed into my gym clothing (American Apparel deep-v t-shirt and Run: Inspire II crops with my new sneakers!). Since we didn't have time for my Day 3 eggs/veggies and avocado breakfast, I inhaled a Trutein protein shake. Essentially, I didn't get around to having the prescribed breakfast, so I didn't eat as many calories today as I should have. Can't make that a habit.

My second day at this gym was a little more comfortable. I'm still not familiar with some of the machines  and need to find where they keep the various extensions for the pulley machines. All in all, though, I walked around and found everything I needed. I went right to the RAMP warm up, getting through all the moves this time, including the reverse lunges. Reverse lunges are more my speed, actually. Something about my balance going backwards, I guess.

It was time to start with the side plank with rotation. It was pretty tough and on one side, I experienced some awkward back pain, so had to reposition myself. Hopefully, I get better at those. The active leg lowering was also quite challenging and aggravated that back pain a little. I'll get better.

I accidentally went right to Romanian deadlift, which I was doing on New Rules as well. I started with a 50 pound weight although I had finished with a 60 pound barbell in stage one of New Rules.  I don' really like this particular barbell, as it has grooves and doesn't have the standard straight bar feel. I wish they had both kinds. I did two other sets with 40 pounds because someone stole my barbell grrr.

Funny enough, my hubby came over to the weight section and said hello (we don't really work out together). He later commented that my butt looked nice and said I had the nicest butt at the gym LOL. He also said, "A lot of girls looked like string beans. They ain't it, miss thang." lol x infinity. It was so deadpan and truly made me laugh. In my opinion, there were other ladies with fantastic bodies and many who seriously lifted. I aspire to look like them but it's nice to hear that my husband likes me the way I am.

The two other components of the first round of exercises are hip rotations and push ups. Again, I messed up a little by not holding the hip rotation and instead just doing reps.  For pushups, I did them on my knees as I could not find a low step, which leads into my next complaint of not being able to do step ups. No where in this gym are there any boxes or aerobic step blocks of any kind except in the large classroom, which was in use. I COULD have done the step-ups on a bench, but I think this is frowned upon at this gym. Instead of step ups, I did back squats with just the bar. Again, the squat rack is different from what I'm used to and I didn't know how to adjust it without seriously injuring myself.

Anyway, I know they work two completely different parts of the leg, but at least I can feel squats in the absence of step-ups. I didn't want to take a leg exercise out completely. Then it was on to pulldowns, which I did with a standard pulldown bar instead of cables (because I couldn't find the handles, ugh). This is supposed to work you up into chin ups in the last Phase of the program. I can't imagine ever being able to do a chin up, but crazier things have happened!

I made concessions throughout the workout, ending with the reverse lunge (was supposed to start with it as it is a power move) with a rope attachment instead of the cable handles again. Still felt the burn and got a little dizzy, but there was no real row element with the rope. More of a squeezing. Probably not totally detrimental but I need to find the handles, pronto!

Finished up with 4 sets of 20 second mountain climbers. Nothing like trying to jab your knees into your chest set to the tune of Tom Ford by Jay-Z!

We got to work at 11! Unacceptable and we'll have to get going and out of the house by 7:30 to show up at a normal business hour.

I tried to stay close to the menu today.
The snack for the day was 2% greek with bananas. I added maybe 5 crushed cashews and cinnamon and pumpkin spice. While eating it, I realized I just NEEDED the sweetness, so I added half a pack of Splenda. I am weak sauce.

Lunch was two slices of Ezekiel (my favorite bread!) with all natural organic peanut butter and my own addition of half a teaspoon of fruit preserves. Again, I need ALL THE SWEETNESS.

We stayed at work later and got home around 7:30 p.m. I was sooo antsy to get home because I knew I had a few deliveries waiting for me, but tried not to let on that I had actually ordered MORE fitness clothing LOL.
I received my new order from Lululemon, which was consistently great again. I also got my Lululemon Urbanite Blazer from an ebay seller, my big purchase for the season!

These are called the Speed Tight in the Cozy version. After reading many reviews, I liked that these were consistently scoring very high, with no complaints of sheerness. I also like that they keep in warmth, which will be great for winter. I can't imagine I'll wear crops all season, so these will be a great transition. I love the rise, I love the ruffle detail at the leg, they are super compressive and flattering and my husband complimented them! Definitely a keeper.

I've never loved sports bras and must admit that many times in the past, I worked out IN A NORMAL BRA. Which is a mortal sin, I know, but I was a hot mess, what can I say. My first sports bra purchase in awhile was a Victoria's Secret Pink bra with very weird padding and a shape that kind of gave me uniboob. I bought it without even trying it on because it had over the top silver lettering at the racerback LOL. It definitely did the trick, but was never my favorite. I have never really been in search of another sports bra, but this one caught my eye, and it is supposed to be seamless with not a lot of padding. It also seems quite fashionable, which I like. 

I'm kind of 50/50 with this bra. I'm wearing it right now with the tags attached. When I'm standing, it doesn't pinch and is ultra flattering. There is no back fat and it doesn't give me quad boob. The pads inside are soft and flattering, and I just generally think it's sexy and simple and worthy. But when I sit, the band kind of rolls up and digs in. I'm no supermodel so there is fat around my midsection, but it's not appealing to feel it roll up under your shirt. We'll see if this one makes the cut. I'm leaning towards yes because I do need a new sports bra.

This looks like your basic wife beater, but I have to say, this Ebb to Street tank is AMAZING. A lot of people are raving about it, and it's all true. Firstly, it's soft, long, and lean. It's also seamless and flattering. And it has great built in cups for support. This one is totally a winner and I can't wait to wear it. I love the color as well. I wish I could get it in more colors without feeling like a total crazy person. Maybe next month? Hahaha.

For the grand finale, here is me wearing the sold out Urbanite Blazer. When I first started learning the ways of the Lululemon upload (late at night on Mondays), I didn't take it seriously, and I woke up to see this blazer already sold out in my size on upload day. By midnight, it was sold out completely. I thought it was a glitch, but Lululemon really does sell out fast if it's gorgeous.

And this blazer is just that. Honestly, it is more of a casual fashion piece than something to work out in, so it doesn't really serve a purpose, but I am always willing to invest in a quality classic jacket with interesting detail. It is one of my weaknesses as illustrated by my various blazers and leather jackets acquired over the years. This one is not SUPER cozy, but I can see it taking me through November, maybe  even wearable under a real coat. Definitely wearable indoors as it is not too thick. I'm just in love. I wish it cost less but thus goes supply and demand.

The only outstanding things I have coming in the mail are the Full Tilt pullover I have been dying for and a pair of lightly used YogaShmoga (yes that is the brand name) crops. I hope I love both and can end this madness and not buy anything else for AT LEAST a month.

I finished out the day pretty on target. Made a veggie stir fry with the leftover turkey burgers from yesterday, which were delicious. Added some brown rice and soy sauce and all was well with the world.

I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow--Kashi Go Lean cereal with milk and banana. I haven't had cereal in months! And I get to have leftover stir fry. Leftovers are my favorite!

Here's to tomorrow!

A Lululemon Respite

Haven't started working yet....clearly LOL.

I'm just in love with these pants. My husband says they are too "superhero".

Who says I don't want to look like a superhero?

Run for your life crop//lululemon.com, $88.00

I also love this sweet jacket, the Forme II "Ruffled Up". I would probably mutilate it since it's so light but the design is just beautiful.

Forme II Ruffled Up, lululemon.com, $118.00

And lastly, this top is pretty awesome, although quite revealing. I have this in mind as my "goal" workout top. Gotta get rid of the flaps on my back before I can rock this. But I think it's doable.

C.Y.B. tank, lululemon.com, $64.00

That's all for now, folks :)

Day 2

I am back.

I am alive.

It's been one day and I'm looking forward to day 2!

Yesterday I followed the program almost perfectly.

My husband and I went to the gym right after work. I had ripped off this silly cover for a book because it just makes me mad LOL. Yes, I am there to drop two sizes, but I'm also there to gain strength and push myself. I'm not a silly girl playing in the boys section.

Bye, bye cover!

This is not my normal gym and it was a little out of my comfort zone to start this first strength routine at a gym I've never even been to. When I went to warm up on the elliptical, I won't lie, I did consider just planting myself there and waiting for my husband to finish his lifting routine. I was uncomfortable and the place was PACKED with people who actually....work out. That sounds odd, but at the gym I attend, there are a lot of mean muggers hogging benches and chatting with friends. Plus, my usual gym is much smaller with a lot less going on while this one has more treadmills, more spin classes and people coming and going all the time.

Anyway, I finally gathered up the will to give the RAMP up exercises a try. These are basically engaged stretches that work you up from the floor to standing to moving. I did most of them, but forgot to flip the page so missed out on about three that were "moving". No matter, I did get a LOT of moving in anyway haha. They weren't as terrible or long winded as I thought they would be and before I knew it, I had to start the first move, a plank with leg lift. Planks are HARD. Planks with leg lifts are harder. I had a long sleeved jacket on and my form suffered because my elbows kept sliding. For the next set I rolled them up. Easy peasy.

The move I thought would give me trouble was the T-stabilization.

It was definitely tough and I was sweating but I actually was able to execute them with proper form, so I am proud.

Once I was done with anything involving a mat, I had to move on to the weights section, filled with men. It's always intimidating to go to this area. I kind of got used to it in my last gym, but the guys here are intense. And...well there is just no way to hide when you are doing a weighted goblet squat in this section. The whole time I was paranoid that my pants were see through and people were getting a view. But, I pushed through it, moving through everything. I started out with a 10 pound weights for the goblets, three pound rows, overhead press and lunges. I think I can move on to a higher weight in everything but the lateral lunges. These were by far the hardest move. It's very hard for me to keep my back neutral and my flexibility is such that it is hard to get super deep into the move. Luckily, she wants you to only go as deep as is comfortable. My other problem was where do I place the hand NOT holding a weight? I found that when I placed it on my lunging thigh, I might start pressing in to compensate and lowering the impact of the weight itself. For my last set, I began reaching to the side with that hand to go deeper and keep my back neutral. I think it worked.

I did three sets of everything but the first three exercises. These definitely got my heart pumping. The finale move was a speed squat. You do as many reps as possible for twenty seconds, then rest for twenty seconds. You can do this for two to four rounds. I went with four and it was tough. Toward the end, my squats were slowing, but I kept my form and pushed through. I think the music helped quite a bit. In combination with that and my Nike timer on my new iPod Nano, I was able to execute my first metabolic interval move!

When I got home, I ran to the mailbox to see my new Nike Free 5+ Breathe sneakers. While I do love the look of ombre, these are not what I expected. They are definitely cute (my mom called them "nerdy") but there is something about the shape of the toe that bugs me. I haven't purchased a new pair of sneakers in maybe three years so I know styles have changed, but the aesthetic is a lot to get used to.

They are definitely light and comfortable. Especially so when you compare them to my old Nike Pegasus! And they do breathe well. I just don't know how they will hold up since they are so pale. I don't plan on running in the mud or anything, but these will probably show signs of wear very quickly.  We shall see if I keep these.

 I then made myself a protein shake. I use Designer Whey protein in french vanilla. It's not terrible. I do prefer my Trutein so maybe I'll mix it up sometimes. Trutein in chocolate peanut butter cup isn't the greatest with fruit but it is wonderful on it's own with just plain almond milk.

I was so full from this shake, I had to wait a couple hours to have dinner. Truthfully, I could have skipped dinner and an element of this program is to "front load" your food, eating more in the day than the night and not making your dinner too huge. But I was under calories and that's no good either, so I had my chicken and sugar snap peas (fresh from the slow cooker the night before) with some awesome Lusty Monk honey mustard and a tablespoon of olive oil mayo. 

As I sit here writing this, I am eating an incredibly filling bowl of 2% greek yogurt, canned pineapple and almonds. Dear God! A CUP of the yogurt, a CUP of the pineapple. It is a lot of food to get through. I've been eating it for an hour as yogurt is not my favorite. But it's not terrible, and it's pretty clean.

 A snack today is supposed to be an apple and peanut butter, but I left it at home. Also, another protein shake. If I don't eat both these snacks, I'll be under calories again, so I'll have to find some time to eat them! For lunch, I mixed canned chicken with a tablespoon of mayo and a lot of dijon mustard and added some tomatoes. Going to have that on a bed of spinach. I also get to eat a pear! Exciting stuff! LOL.

Dinner tonight is a turkey burger with a portabello mushroom. Have no idea how to prepare one of these mushrooms, so I am off to research!

Day One

Today is the official first day of my Drop 2 Sizes plan. I'm feeling very optimistic!

Funny story: I had a pair of stretch jeans by Seven for all Mankind in mind that were suppppper tight on me about a month ago. I could barely roll them up my legs and they looked lacquered on once buttoned, with a super-sized muffin top. I wanted these to be the pants to use for the challenge, since they seemed at least two sizes too small for me. 

Today, I went to try them on to take pictures (the challenge starts with the idea of putting away the scale and measuring your progress with your goal pair of jeans) and the pair I wanted to be my gauge actually fit REALLY nicely! 

Essentially, I've lost quite a few inches since the first Stage of New Rules of Lifting. It actually kind of makes me sad that I am switching gears but in the end, I know that this program is just as challenging, if not more so! 

So, here are two pictures of me looking completely heinous in a pair of True Religion jeans I used to wear in college. They don't fit up my butt at. All. At all. They are a size 32 but run pretty small and I was generally an 8-10 when I wore these.

I hope to fit into these really nicely very soon. Crossing my fingers!

The eating plan for today is as follows:

8 glasses of water minimum.

Breakfast
1 cup of oatmeal made with 1 cup of 2% milk (I made the oatmeal with water instead and added the milk after)
1 cup of mixed berries (I used strawberries)

Snack:
handful of raw almonds

Lunch:
Green salad with veggies and 5 oz of chicken and balsamic/olive oil

Snack:
Protein shake (will have this after my first workout)

Dinner:
5 oz of fish (can sub for other meat)
3/4 cup brown rice cooked
cup of broccoli

I also have to take a multivitamin, vitamin D pill and an omega-3. I forgot to this morning so hopefully I remember to do it when I get home!

I will agree, it sounds kind of miserable, but we are allowed to have splurges once and awhile and the macros are pretty healthy. I think I overcooked my oatmeal which is skewing my view of life in general today LOL. It was pretty liquid. Bleh! I much prefer slow cooking it to stove top preparation. Will go with the Caphalon magic next time, haha.

Tonight, I'm doing the first strength workout from the book. Should be pretty challenging with 3 sets of each exercise. My biggest challenge will probably be the T stabilization (starting in a push-up and piveting onto two legs with arm in a T-shape). We shall see!

In other news, the weekend was really nice. Saturday I finished up my last workout of New Rules. I will not be doing the "bonus" workouts where I do as many reps as possible at my starting weights for workouts A and B. I guess I could do them on my rest day tomorrow, but I've officially joined the pilates studio and have booked up my days beyond belief. Might regret that later....

I wore my new pair of lightly used Lululemon Run a marathon crops, an Ellie black magic top, and a Lululemon Forme jacket in fresh teal. I was feeling cute! Lolll. 

(These pants have pockets I am in love with. They also feature this sticky stuff at the hips that is supposed to keep your top from creeping up. I think it worked, surprisingly)

 I squatted 85 pounds and it felt amazing. I had backtracked with my step ups to a lower step with higher weights in hand (20 pounds each) but in this new program, I see that I will again be doing step-ups, so hopefully I will be able to pull out that higher step again but keep good form. I also helped out my mom with her program since she will be going through stage one. She loves it so far, which makes me happy.

On Sunday I took a T&A pilates class with the studio owner. Pretty chatty class! I found it hard to concentrate but it was still challenging and I left with a lingering hip soreness but it's all good today. In some ways, the discomfort of Pilates stretches me out and makes me feel much better the day after a workout.

I also took the time to go for a walk after hanging out with my friend Anna. I was just full of energy and still wearing my pilates outfit, so why not.  I ended up racking up a ton of fitbit steps!



I finished out with over 10,000 (after some running in place while making oatmeal LOL) which has not happened in quite awhile. I do want to put some focus on taking a walk/jog whenever possible. It felt good.

Intro to Sweat 101

 I know there are a million blogs you could be reading right now. Shiny ones with professional photography (seriously, bloggers hire photographers to take pictures of them these days) and Kate Spade shoes and creme brulee recipes. Or hard bodies. Or video game reviews.

Well. I'm not a fan of having people following me around while I don silly outfits. I am but a mere mortal with some cute investment pieces, a handful of go to accessories and a big ass.

I hope you still stick around.

This is a different kind of blog. Frankly, ill try to keep it pretty and fun. But there is no permanent glaze on life. No flattering filter here. This blog is the new me. This chronicles my journey. My new "sweat" life.  I plan on posting what I'm eating, what I'm wearing, what I'm thinking, and my struggles along the way.

I'm just a normal, out of shape lady with a penchant for loving fancy things, gadgets and good pop music.

Let's kick it old school for a second:

I am not the girl who ran a mile with her shiny ponytail intact and swinging in the breeze. Nope. I was that girl beet red begging for mercy after one lap. And of course I was that cliche last pick in kickball. Let us shed a tear for my bruised preteen ego. 

Because I was never athletic, and because I never WANTED to be in the first place, my life was spent ripping out pages in magazines and watching Clueless over and over. You could say that I believed I could only be one way or the other. Either I liked sports and would commit to sweaty pursuits, or I could luxuriate with a bagel and cream cheese twice a day and do absolutely nothing active, unless you count shopping as cardio. I did. 

You can guess the path I choose. 

Every summer, I reevaluated this position but mostly stayed the same. 

There was yo-yo dieting. 

There where tears.
There were trips to the beach where I tried desperately to hide my glob of a body.
Trips to the beach bikini store hoping I could find something that changed my life for the better (with no work on my part).

There were Juicy Couture bikini purchases that collected dust. 

But other than your here and there sporadic month and a half in the gym (which felt great) I never truly enjoyed working out and being active. And I certainly judged those who clearly lied about enjoying it! That would never be me.

In college, I did lose some weight following the South Beach diet. I began buying products from natural food stores and Whole Foods. I was smaller than I had been in a very long while. But then I was introduced to the wonders of fine dining, and it was two steps forward and one step back. Social eating and drinking got the best of me, and I was slowly but surely no longer able to fit into my new collection of designer jeans.

I briefly took a job at a manufacturing plant for a makeup company as a line manager. It required lots of time on my feet and some heavy lifting. Since I never knew the protocols of lifting a box filled with facial soap, I believe that is when I pulled out my back or slipped a disk. Painful spasms ran down my leg. At one point, it hurt to lift one leg at a time and get up the stairs. And it came out of nowhere one night just sitting on the couch.

That really began the process of my complete deterioration. I was afraid to do ANYTHING. It all seemed like a fast track to hurting even more. I took on a trainer at the gym, but quickly quit because he didn't really listen to my concerns. I saw a chiropractor who said I should get some activity, like yoga. But I could not imagine getting into any position that required lower back strength, because I no longer had any. I lost most of my flexibility as I rigidly went through life.

Back to the future:

Today, I'm overweight and sedentary. I work with my husband fifteen minutes from home after two years running a retail store in greater Philadelphia. 

Those two years were hard and I got very sloppy. With all the sushi, Chinese, Starbucks and Mexican food within one block and a very brief walk to and from our car every morning, I was piling on pounds both from general disinterest and honestly, anger. I had no time for anything. In the winter, we got home at seven and I made every excuse not to do anything but veg on the couch. And truly I WAS wiped. In the summer I was hot and sweaty and wished to be anywhere but there, where time was like a vortex and our drives to and from the city were like slow torture as I watched the sun set before we got home. 

Now that I am home I've begun moving my ass which is essential if you sit on it half the day. I'm still trying to find the connection between mind and body. That activity level that won't overdo it. The right amount of walking and flexibility and strength work. As we only have so many hours in the day, it is a challenge to take that time for myself.

I'm also on My Fitness Pal. I've been on there somewhere within the realm of 200 days, with very little weight loss (about ten pounds). It's very slow going. But I have made some great friends, acquired some new inspirational action heroes/ idols and learned to set goals (with some rewards mixed in). I've also begun weighing my food, working out 3-4 times a week, and paying attention to macros (somewhat).

I am on the verge of completing the first stage in a lifting program, New Rules of Lifting For Women. It is a book that lays out how I can increase strength and change my body. I have really loved stage one. I can now do a proper back squat with a barbell weighing 80 pounds. I do it with my shoes off, feeling my legs power me back up, and feel like a bad ass. 

I also do Pilates at least twice a week and it has done wonders for my lower back pain and flexibility since mine pales in comparison to the days of rocking out and kicking everyone's ass on the Sit and Reach. I love Pilates and my current bind is trying to figure out if I should join a studio and go regularly while lifting. 

So. 

I'm kind of immersed in the sweat life. 

But I'm about to embark on a twelve week program called Drop 2 Sizes and kick it into high gear.
By my calculations, if I start Monday, the 30th, I'll have completed 9 weeks before my vacation. Although it seems my vacation will set me back, maybe I'll make it my mission to work out in the gym on those days? We'll see when I get there.

I'm pausing the New Rules after I am done Stage 1 and focusing on both diet and lifting. I need structure and I need a challenge. And I do really need to lose two sizes since I'm taking a trip to Jamaica!

Another end goal is a healthy pregnancy. We are not currently "planning" for a pregnancy in 2013. But 2014 is more in line with everything. I won't lie. I sometimes think about getting in the best shape of my life only to destroy all progress by getting pregnant. But I know that it's easier to bounce back if you are in good shape, and adapting everything I've learned pre-pregnancy to my post-pregnancy life would also make things easier. So, ideally. I want to get HEALTHY all around.

Will you follow me on this journey?