I've Packed Up And Moved

Please come see me at Can I Get A Do-Over. You'll be glad you stopped by for a visit!

Thriving With A Better? Attitude

So I've been doing my best to follow my New Year's resolution of getting my body back. I've been following Thrive Weightloss consistently and going to karate classes. I'm on a roll and my goal is to stay committed without blow it days until the 23rd, which is when my mom wants to celebrate all the January birthdays.

Weekends will be hard, but I have the right attitude and focus. I don't want to make excuses or blame anyone else when I falter. But OMG I AM SO GLAD THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER! That may have more to do with my good attitude than anything else.

Be back soon!

Wednesday and Things Keep Getting Better

Today my attitude was so much better and I feel better. It's amazing what a full night's sleep will do for you, and I attribute that to finally being back on Thrive long enough for my metabolism to be running the way it should be again.

Today's menu:

• Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms and spinach and fat free cheese rolled up on a La Banderita Xtreme Fiber tortilla
• Lunch: Applebees - sirloin with sauteed mushrooms and onions and steamed veggies
• Dinner: Baked chicken sprinkled with Mrs. Dash Chipotle Pepper Seasoning and steamed veggies (from a steamer bag you get in the freezer section). I'm tossing around the idea of adding a 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta and some Parmesan cheese and some hot sauce (I love the stuff) to it
• Snack: Power Crunch Bar

On a side note: my joints haven't hurt in 2 days. I've beens sitting in a classroom for those 2 days and that's incredible! I would think it was the weather, but yesterday it rained cats and dogs (or dawgs as they say here in Georgia) and today it's dry and cold. You would think that would make me hurt more, but I've been pain free. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe this clean eating is helping with joint inflamation. I'm definitely going to keep that in the back of my tiny little mind. I would love to say it's the weight loss, but I've only lost a total of 1 3/4 pounds so far. Heck, I may get back to my Turbo Fire workouts, Insanity workouts and sparring in karate sooner than I thought, which will make the weight come off that much faster!

Thriving on Tuesday

I hung in there today. Give me an ATTABOY. That's 3 perfect days. and THAT means I've reached efficient fat burning mode. Like I said in a previous post, weekdays are usually easy for me to be perfect diet-wise. It's the weekends, the change of my routine, the stress that make for blow it days.

Now I can be successful on this plan (albeit the weight comes off slower) by having 1 blow it day a week. I can even get by with have a couple beers on the night before my blow it day and still lose weight slowly. But you have to be careful when you drink alcohol, because your resolve to do the right thing gets dulled and that's when I get into trouble. A few Cheese Its, potato chips, cheese fries, etc. So I try to stick with water on Friday nights and have my blow it day on Saturday.

Today's menu:

• Breakfast: 1 cup Special K Protein Plus and 1/2 cup skim milk. Also hemp hearts sprinkled on the cereal.
• Lunch: The last of the Thrive recipe chicken alfredo (brought it to the class I'm taking and borrowed their fridge and microwave)
• Snack: Twisted Energy Bar with protein. A little chalky, but it had a sweet/salty taste.
• Dinner: hamburger steak, 1 slice double fiber 50 calories a slice whole wheat bread, a little light mayo and jalapenos (made like a burger) and beats

I have no plans for tomorrow, which usually gets me in trouble. I will have to stop at the store on the way home and get some meat for dinner.

Down A Pound

Well after 4 weeks of doing Thrive Weightloss, I'm down a pound. This after blowing it for 4 days during the holiday weekend and blowing it both days the previous weekend. All in all, I don't consider that bad, but I do consider my poor resolve bad and realize I need to work on it.

Today was my 2nd perfect day and I hope I can keep it up. I'm taking a class out of town all week so I'll be eating out for lunch most days. They say it takes 48 hours to get into efficient fat burning mode and that's where I want to be.

• Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups Special K Protein Plus, 1/2 cup skim milk and a little bit of hemp hearts. I also choked down the a tablespoon of the Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother, which is supposed to have thermogenic properties.
• Lunch: Salad from Firehouse Subs with smoked turkey, no dressing. I brought my own Italian dressing made with the Braggs, MCT oil and the seasoning packet
• Dinner: Chicken Alfredo (recipe from Thrive) and another tablespoon of the Braggs.
• Snack: 2 Glenny's Brownies (haven't had them yet, but drool thinking about them)

If you've never choked down the Braggs vinegar before, it's harsh. I mix it with a little water and some Splenda. It's the only way I can get it down. Yes, 2 of those brownies is considered a snack.

New Attitude

Well today officially the holiday is behind me. I can finally relax and get back on plan. Put away the alcohol, the casserole dishes and the sweets and get back to the lean proteins and vegetables that are so much better for our bodies.

My menu for today:

• Breakfast: Special K Protein Plus with hemp hearts and 1/2 cup skim milk (tastes like cardboard)
• Lunch: leftover stuffed bell pepper from yesterday (I loved this, Mark hated it)
• Dinner: Thrive recipe for Chicken Alfredo (definitely not like the real thing, but creamy and satisfying all the same)
• Snack: I have no idea, probably a Power Crunch bar

My goal this week is to have a Thrive perfect week through Sunday. Sunday will be a blow it day as I'm cooking crab cakes and chocolate mousse for mom for her birthday.

Thriving Saturdays

So I've been doing Thrive for 3 weeks now and haven't been all that successful. The first week 3 pounds fell off. The second week I had a blow it day and then on Sunday had to go to my dad's for a Thanksgiving meal of ham and the usual casseroles that go along with the holiday. And of course everyone knows what Thursday was, which means Friday was leftover day.

Today I've been fairly good, well except for the light beer. And when you're doing Thrive, you either have a perfect day or a blow it day, so technically and in the Thrive journal, this will be a blow it day. Weekends are my worst days. I'm a creature of habit, so as long as I'm working and following my workday routine, I have perfect days. Well as long as I prepare by grocery shopping for the right foods.

Today I had:

• Breakfast: Quaker Oats Weight Control Oatmeal with hemp hearts in it for my protein.
• Lunch: Thrive approved stuffed bell pepper which was great, but after stuffing myself with Thanksgiving casseroles for the last 2 days, I'm suffering from from feeling hungry all over again.
• Snack: Power Crunch bar, which was great. BTW, that link has a great price, so if anyone knows if that's a good place to order from, please let me know.
• Dinner will probably be: another stuffed pepper and maybe a salad with it. And I'll more than likely eat another snack (women only get 1) when Mark gets home from working bingo tonight at 9:30.

No exercise, unless you count cleaning out a closet. My hip is still hurting too much for exercising. Once some of this weight melts off, I will be back to doing Turbo Fire, which will help with getting the rest of the 15-20 pounds off.

Thanksgiving is Over

Time to celebrate, the holiday is finally behind us. That is one holiday I have so much trouble with. All the food, all the relatives insisting I eat it. But I digress.

I started Thrive Weightloss 3 weeks ago. Actually this is my 2nd time doing it. The first time (2 years ago) I lost 15 pounds in 8 weeks and maintained it for about a year, after which time the weight slowly crept back on. This time around, I'm having an awful time following it due to several factors:

1. I like to drink beer and my husband refuses to not drink it just because I can't quit shoving food in my mouth
2. My husband, as great a husband as he is, has absolutely nothing in common with me and we have grown so far apart we can barely see each other when in the same room, leaving me uncomfortable in my own home and feeling guilty for wanting to escape
3. My mother recently started staying in town every weekend, which requires me to entertain her all weekend and when I walk in the door, the first thing she does is make plans for dinner. When I mention something that doesn't involve carbs, sugar or fats, you can see her face fall

I know, I'm making excuses. Truth is, I love carbs and beer and that is why I'm starting to put on weight. I'm just thankful I'm blessed with a naturally high metabolism or I'd be huge by now. BUT, I know if I lived alone my kitchen would be stocked with foods I can maintain my weight with, not cheese its, candy, beer and potato chips. My closets wouldn't be crammed with sh#$ we will never use, because I can actually throw crap away which would mean i could actually use the closet in my bedroom again. Everything would be neat and tidy, instead of disorganized and buried under more crap. There would be no such thing as clutter. Oops, I'm showing my passive-aggressive side. Things I will post on the world wide web but won't mention at home.

Unfortunately, this extra weight at my age is causing pain. My arthritis in my hip has really kicked it up a notch this year, to the point that my favorite form of exercise (karate) causes miserable pain every time I do it and I really want to get back to Turbo Fire workouts but can't do that either because of the pain. So the weight has to go. And now that the holiday is past, I have to resolve to stick with the diet plan, at least until Mom's birthday Dec. 7.

Wish me luck.

Goals Part 2

I'm still not smoking. No Smoke America you have really helped. My mood is good for the most part and lord knows I love that you dole out drugs if I call saying I have anxiety! That's right. They told me to call if I feel anxious and overwhelmed, which I did. I wanted (and still want) to smoke so badly I can taste it. According to them, this isn't withdrawal, it's anxiety. See, a pack of smokes is like a best friend that you share the good times and bad times with. Lately, I'm having a constant and equal mix of both. And I've always been a slight basket case anyway. So a low dose of xanax is helping me keep from smoking.

However, that is going to run out not too long from now and they won't prescribe a refill, so at that point, I'm on my own. Think I can get my life together in 30 days or so? I serously doubt it. I'm one of those people that can't make major decisions. I wait for others to decide for me, which would explain the predictament I'm in now. I'm also terribly terribly passive agressive, which means I stay angry and bitter about things but do absolutely nothing to communicate those feelings to the parties causing the turmoil. Oh i've made it clear that things need to change, but haven't expressed the anger that wells up every single time I get reminded of what is causing that turmoil. And it's not just one thing, it's a few things.

But I digress, this blog is not for my passive agressive release. It's supposed to inspire others to improve their lives, like I try to improve mine. Well I talk a good game, anyway.

I've gone 9 days without smoking now. That's an improvement, and I do feel more energetic. I'm slowly getting back to Thrive Weightloss eating, at least during the week, although I'm still drinking 1 or 2 beers a day, which defeats the diet. It's impossible to follow on the weekends while living with someone that has no weight problem and does our grocery shopping and cooking so I haven't even been trying to follow it then.

I still haven't started back with Turbo Fire and I'm still having joint pain in my lower back. It seems these days anything I do makes it hurt. But I think the 10 pounds I've put on is what's causing a lot of the back pain, so getting that off will get me closer to being able to get back to Turbo Fire.

Goals

My boss called me into his office yesterday to ask me what my goals are for next year. I told him I want to los 10 pounds. I don't think that's exactly what he meant to get out of the conversation, but hopefully a little humor always helps at yearly review time.

I thought this would be a good time to spill my personal goals for the following year.

Goal 1: I really would like to get back to the Thrive Weightloss way of eating. It's amazing how well it works. If only I had followed the maintenance plan to keep it off. I write this while I'm eating trail mix made from dried fruit, mixed nuts and tons of chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Goal 2: Quit sabotaging myself once I reach a goal. I really prefer to blame my husband for the sabotage, although that's not completely fair. He's not forcing beer and hot wings down my throat, but he keeps bringing them home, so he definitely contributes. Why'd I marry a man from a naturally skinny family?

Goal 3: Go through the complete 3 month (I think it's 3 months) Turbo Fire exercise program.

Goal 4: Get that darn MCTS certification.

Goal 5: Get through a year without smoking a cigerette. I'm on day 6!

Welpex

I know, I haven't posted in a while, even though I said I would. I have my excuses and for the most part they're not going to be named.

I have been forced to quit smoking. I knew it would happen someday, but I didn't expect it so quickly. My health insurance is going to go up a small fortune if I don't quit, so I have been trying several methods. Keep in mind that I've been smoking for 30 years, so it's like killing my best friend (I know, so dramatic). I have to briefly mention that it completely pisses me off that the insurance companies aren't going after type 2 diabetics, a huge epidemic in this country. It's not politically correct to pick on fat people like it is smokers. I get it. I have perfect pulmonary function, perfect heart rate, better than perfect cholesterol but they're going to charge me $100.00 more a month for insurance than someone who has to inject insulin in their gut every day simply because they can't stay away from processed foods and sweets and can't take time to exercise. Grrrrrrrrr.

I tried cold turkey. I feel sorry for anyone who was around me those 3 days. I was a royal bitch! And I couldn't sleep. My muscles and nerves were so on edge it was making me and everyone around me miserable. this is not a good method to try when your job is primarily customer service based.

I tried nicotine patch. That is just slow torture. All it does is prolong the agony.

I tried cutting back. I can come up with more excuses than you can imagine for a smoke. Needless to say, it didn't work.

So I tried the Welpex shots. I researched it and that made me soooooo nervous. Mostly because I couldn't find any information that wasn't put out by the people selling the stuff. You can tell because page after page was the excact same drivel. I know the medicines in the shots was FDA approved but not FDA approved for that use. I got so tired of reading the exact same information webpage after webpage. It was obvious the clinics that administer this method were the ones putting all the data out there. I did read see one Youtube video about the dangers of it. How the doctor that 'discovered' it had his license revoked due to fraud and that one of the medicines is a poison. I really didn't give that much thought. I probably would have if I had seen articles or forums where people discussed the problems they'd had. Besides, if you're willing to put all those toxins found in cigerettes into your body, what's a little poison?

So what's it like? After the shots I was sleepy and my throat was dry. I slept most of the way home, most of the evening and woke up pretty refreshed the next morning. Now I'm taking 2 prescriptions that keep a very low dose of the medicine in my system for 2 weeks, to get me through the withdrawal. They have slight side affects, but in my mind pleasant ones. If you ever got stoned 30 years ago when pot was really pot and not the chemical crap it is now, it is like that. At least I think it is. It's been so many years since I got high I'm not positive, but that's what it reminds me of.

It's not a miracle cure. I do want a smoke. I want to celebrate the fall weather with a glass of wine and cigerette while sitting on my back porch. I want to wake up to a hot cup of coffee and cigerette. But I know these are my emotional habits talking. My evil little friend. Not the withdrawal symptoms.

So yes it does work. I am not having the harsh withdrawal symptoms that I was having. But the emotional symptoms are still there and still strong. I have to keep reminding myself $150.00 a month for shopping. . . . $150.00 a month for shopping.

Surely that will motivate me to stay away from smoking again. Money talks!

Turbo Fire and Thrive Weightloss

This week I'm back on track with Turbo Fire, and I've decided to just start from the beginning. It's making my back hurt a little from arthritis. Those side to side movements from the waist do wreak havoc on my joints.

The diet plan is going okay too. I stocked up on clean food for the week. At the end of the week I'm going to see how much difference it makes to put the 2 together. I have to admit though, after eating whatever I want for the last few months (and gaining weight, ouch), I'm hungry being back on track, but I know that will just last a couple days. Also, I'm having a hard time finding food for breakfast. I'm not a big egg eater, can't stand the taste of any protein powders (and yes if you suggest it, I've tried it, not wasting any more money on it) and I'm limited as far as finding protein that I can stand to eat that early.

Life

I confess, I've been such a slug lately. I haven't been working out and I've been eating so much junk. So next week while the husband is out of town, I'll be revisting the Thrive Weight Loss Plan and definitely getting back to doing Turbo Fire.

Sometimes life and lack thereof get in the way of your plans to succeed. Sometimes it's just that little demon on the right shoulder. It's time for me to get back to a serious schedule, because not having one makes me lazy. Trying to fit in work, studying for a certification, and a slight social life all sidetracked me, but not for long.

I have been letting the husband do all the grocery shopping and 99% of the cooking. And along with drinking beer, it's really packed on the pounds. I am hoping I can knock off a good chunk of the weight I need to get off (or at least get a good start on it) next week while the husband is away. Till then, I'll probably be incognito.

Talk to you soon.

Turbo Fire

I haven't been posting the last few days because, uggghhhh, I haven't been working out. I have a legitimate excuse every time I skip a workout (don't we all?).

I'm trying to give up smoking because my health insurance is going to go up $120.00 a month if I don't quit. I can pour as much sugar and saturated fat into my body as my heart desires, but one puff of a cigerette and I'll be broke starting January 1.

I've been using the nicotine patches, which don't help much. I still want to smoke and have a few every day. But the downside is that they keep me awake all night. Even if I take the patch off a few hours before bedtime, I end up staring at the ceiling all night. So I'm exhausted and irritable. I'll be trying the stop smoking injection next month if I get the okay from my doctor. I have to make sure it doesn't interact with a medication I take first. Nothing like the thought of injecting poison into your body to quit a bad habit. But it seems to help some, so I'm willing to try it.

Anyway, I digress. I've been extremely tired and irritable, which is a polite way of saying I've been a royal bit#@ lately. Last night I was so tired I don't think anything could have kept me awake and I slept great. I fully expect to tonight also, so hopefully by tomorrow I'll be back on track. There are still so many of the workouts I haven't tried and I'm looking forward to it.

Turbo Fire Day 12, Fire 55 EZ

I'm still not sure what EZ stands for. This workout is not easy, but it is fun, with lots of kickboxing. I am starting to notice that my knees are aching though. I'm being careful to pivot like Chalene Johnson says too, but I guess I'm either not doing it right, or that hard floor is just a little too hard on my joints. No swelling though so I think it's safe to ignore it for now.

I think it's time to stop doing the 'new to class' option also. I still struggle a little with the choreography, but I'm picking up on her queus now and I'm able to keep up to the beat of the music, so the next Fire class I'll try without using that option.

As far as whether these classes burn a ton of calories as is claimed, time will tell. I'm not dieting but I'm not eating more so it stands to reason that I should see a slow weight loss if I'm really burning calories for 24 hours.

Turbo Fire Day 11, HIIT 15 and Sculpt 30

Today I did HIIT 15 and attempted Sculpt 30. The HIIT and Fire dvd's are so much fun now that I'm getting better at following Chalene's queus. I'm able to put a lot more energy into them and my heart rate really gets up there. The thing I like most about these HIIT dvd's as opposed to Insanity is that the circuit only lasts about 1 minute, so I'm not holding back, I'm giving it all I've got and it doesn't last so long that I'm bored doing the moves. The 15 minutes absolutely flies by.

The sculping class is pretty boring, but I am going to have to get a resistance band similar to these:

What they send you with the dvd's is similar to this:

This tube band kills my wrists, which are arthritic and prone to tendonitis, thanks to 9 years of sparring in karate and blocking kicks the wrong way (with my hands open instead of fists). Needless to say, after 10 minutes of the sculpting dvd, my wrists were aching and I had to quit. I will get the better resistance band this week before my next attempt at the sculpting class.

Turbo Fire Day 9, HIIT 20 and Core 20

I've missed 3 workouts in a row because of other obligations and shear laziness, so today I made up for it by doing the HIIT 20 class AND the Core 20 class.

HIIT 20 was another interval circuit class and I don't know how Chalene does it, but she makes it fun and the time flew by. She also keeps you highly motivated and inspired to push yourself, and even though it was only a 20 minute workout, I worked up a good sweat and felt like I got a good workout in.

I wanted to try the Core 20 class (so unlike me to do 2 workouts in a row) simply because I haven't worked my abs in forever, except for a few minutes of crunches in karate class. I can already feel it and I'm sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow. This dvd uses uses a resistance band. I don't have a good one like they use in the dvd, but a cheap one without handles came with the series of dvd's so I used that. I will definitely have to invest in a better one with handles because this giant rubber band made my wrists ache.

Now if I can just get my diet in line . . . funny how when i workout regularly I can't seem to diet. It must be lack of coordination. Some people can't rub their bellies and tap their head, I can't exercise regularly and eat right. I'm going to have to work on that.

Side note: On the HIIT dvd's, there's an option you have to choose: fire up the music: yes or no. The first HIT class I did, I chose yes thinking that yes is for music and no isn't. What they mean is yes if you want the music super loud (you won't be able to hear Chalene's instructions well) and no if you just want the music at a normal volume. I can't wait until I can do these HIIT classes with the music fired up loud!

Turbo Fire Day 5, Fire 55 EZ

Fire 55 EZ isn't easy, but it sure is fun! Even doing the 'new to class' option, which goes over the choreography (off the 55 minute clock), the time flew by. This is definitely a program I can stick with.

As far as comparing it to Insanity, it's hard to do. The programs are so different, I'm not sure there is a way to compare them. I think once my body gets used to doing Turbo Fire and I've gone through the whole 2 or 3 months (not sure how long it is when you don't have the deluxe dvd's), I will need to switch to something else short term to shock my body and muscles so I continue to improve.

Turbo Fire doesn't concentrate on muscle building, it's cardio only from what I can tell, so that would be the biggest difference. I know there are some toning dvd's in the series that I haven't gotten to yet, but I don't think they're anything as intense as Insanity's massive amount of pushup circuits. Time will tell though.

Turbo Fire is so much fun to do though, and that makes it much easier to talk myself into actually putting the dvd in and hitting 'play' and giving it all I've got. That alone makes Turbo Fire something I can stick with, whereas I dreaded having to go home and put in the Insanity dvd's, and got to where I skipped workouts a few days a week. You won't see results if you don't actually do anything.

Turbo Fire Day 4, Fire 30

Today was my second time doing a fire workout and it was much easier this time to follow the direction and keep up with the choreography. I got a much more intense workout, with heavy breathing and sweating going on. I really enjoyed the workout and am looking forward to the next dvd in the series, Fire 55 EZ, which is tomorrow.

I'm guessing the moves will be close to the same as the Fire 30 moves, but I'm still going to follow the 'first in class' option if it's available. Another time or two and I think I'll have it down.
The Fire 55 EZ class will give me a good idea on whether Turbo Fire will be able to deliver the intensity that Insanity does, however, with what I was able to do today, I'm extremely happy with Turbo Fire. It's definitely a workout I can stick with for the long haul without beating my arthritic joints straight into surgery.

Turbo Fire Day 2, Hit 15

Today was the Hit 15 class, which went much better than yesterday's class did. When I started it up I noticed there wasn't a 'new to class' option which worried me, but I sucked it up and went on with my workout.

The Hit class is drills lasting about a minute long with breaks in between. It's a lot like Insanity's circuits, only not anywhere close to boring like Insanity's is. Somehow, Chalene makes it fun to do and I was able to get a good workout in, although it was too short I think to get any real results. According to Chalene, doing these circuits gives you an afterburn affect by raising your metabolism for up to 24 hours, but I just don't see how such a short workout can have a great impact when I was killing myself with an hour of those circuits while doing Insanity. When I would do an Insanity workout, I didn't have the energy to pick myself up off the floor afterwards. I could have repeated this workout tonight. I did breath hard after the circuits and I did work up a sweat. I do think once I'm familiar with the routine I'll be able to put more work into it, but I am giving myself a learning curve this first week.

Turbo Fire is fun to do so I'm going to keep on because the thought of going back to Insanity makes me want to curl up on the couch and eat potato chips, which will have a much worse affect on my metabolism.