Slimmer This Summer - Day 4

I'm feeling really good about today. I made lots of good food choices, which was much easier since I went grocery shopping yesterday. I spread out my meals throughout the day and didn't let myself get ravenous. So, food-wise, I think I did pretty well.

I also did 60 minutes on Bertha, my new (old) exercise bike. 45 minutes at 5mph and the last 15 minutes at 10 mph. Then I did Day 9, Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred. I did not raise my arm above my head and I think that by not being in so much pain from doing that, I was able to handle the rest of it much better. I'm a little sore in the shoulder, but I'm headed off to take a hot shower and rub it down with Icy Hot.

I'm praying that I can actually sleep tonight.

Your Food Diary For:

Thursday June 9, 2011

Breakfast	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Coffee-Mate ( French Vanilla) Sugar Free - Coffee Creamer Liquid, 2 tbsp	30	4	2	0	10	0
Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 2 cup (8 fl oz)	5	0	0	1	9	0
Kellogg's - Special K - Red Berries Cereal, 1 cup	110	27	0	2	190	9
Skim - Milk, 8 oz	80	11	0	8	120	11
Add Food Quick Tools Quick add calories Remember meal Copy yesterday Copy from date Copy to date Copy from which date? Wednesday, June 8 Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6 Sunday, June 5 Saturday, June 4 Friday, June 3 Thursday, June 2 Copy to which date? Sunday, June 12 Saturday, June 11 Tomorrow Today Yesterday Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6	225	42	2	11	329	20
Lunch
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise - Mayonaise, 2 Tbsp	80	0	9	0	230	0
Buddig - Deli Cuts Honey Roasted Turkey Breast, 6 slices	70	3	2	9	460	3
Healthy Life - 100% Whole Grain Wheat Bread. Sugar Free 40 Calories, 2 slice	80	16	1	4	150	0
Generic - Cracker Chips Special K Sea Salt, 7.5 chips	28	0	0	0	0	0
Add Food Quick Tools Quick add calories Remember meal Copy yesterday Copy from date Copy to date Copy from which date? Wednesday, June 8 Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6 Sunday, June 5 Saturday, June 4 Friday, June 3 Thursday, June 2 Copy to which date? Sunday, June 12 Saturday, June 11 Tomorrow Today Yesterday Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6	258	19	12	13	840	3
Dinner
Hellman's Light Mayonnaise - Mayonaise, 2 Tbsp	80	0	9	0	230	0
Generic - Onion Raw Chopped 1/2 Cup, 0.25 cup	16	4	0	0	1	2
80/20 Ground Chuck - Hamburger, 3 oz.(112g)	203	0	16	15	56	0
General - Iceburg Lettuce, 1.5 cup (72g)	15	3	0	2	11	2
Add Food Quick Tools Quick add calories Remember meal Copy yesterday Copy from date Copy to date Copy from which date? Wednesday, June 8 Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6 Sunday, June 5 Saturday, June 4 Friday, June 3 Thursday, June 2 Copy to which date? Sunday, June 12 Saturday, June 11 Tomorrow Today Yesterday Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6	314	7	25	17	298	4
Snacks
Dannon Light & Fit 4oz (113g) - Nonfat Yogurt - Raspberry, 1 container - 4 oz.	60	10	0	3	50	7
Krogers - Low Sodium Rice Cakes, 1 cake	30	7	0	1	20	0
Kellog's Special K - Raspberry Cheesecake Cereal Bar, 1 bar	90	17	2	1	75	7
Kroger - 100% Whole Grain Oats (Quick Cooking), 1/2 cup uncooked	150	27	3	6	0	1
Smart Balance - Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp (14g)	50	0	5	0	70	0
Maple Grove Farms - Sugar Free Low Calorie Butter Flavored Syrup, 1/4 cup	30	11	0	0	100	0
Add Food Quick Tools Quick add calories Remember meal Copy yesterday Copy from date Copy to date Copy from which date? Wednesday, June 8 Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6 Sunday, June 5 Saturday, June 4 Friday, June 3 Thursday, June 2 Copy to which date? Sunday, June 12 Saturday, June 11 Tomorrow Today Yesterday Tuesday, June 7 Monday, June 6	410	72	10	11	315	15
Totals	1,207	140	49	52	1,782	42
Your Daily Goal	2,160	297	72	81	2,500	43
Remaining	953	157	23	29	718	1
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 960 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 175.8 lbs in 5 weeks

Water Consumption 11

Today's Food Notes

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 175.8 lbs in 5 weeks

View my complete Food Diary HERE.

30 Day Shred Day 9 Level 1

I am one day behind in the 30 Day Shred. But, only because I was so busy yesterday with the family and I did get a lot of movement in with the hiking and fishing, etc. I burned just as many calories as I would have with the Shred, so I'm not sweating it at all. I will just continue on today with Day 9 on Level 1.

I have to admit, this workout is HARD for me. Even now, after more than a week into it. Not all of it, just the jumping and raising my right arm above my head. I've done a lot of modifying it to accommodate for my injuries. In the beginning, I really tried not do do that, but you know what? I need to do what is best for my own body and the pain that I was in and am in if I push those injuries too hard is just wrong for me.

The modifications that I have made are that I do wall pushups instead of floor pushups now because my shoulder just cannot handle that much stress at this point. I only do the arm raises above my head until I feel 'that you are pushing too hard' feeling that I know will lead to severe pain that is not a good 'burn', then I do other arm exercises with the weights during the strength training circuits. And no matter what Jillian says about jumping jacks, I have a leg with a steel rod from knee to ankle and after the first 30 or so it lets me know that it is not what it used to be pre-accident, so I run in place during the rest of the jumping jacks. I don't slow down, nor do I take breaks. I just have to modify for my body's abilities. No excuses.

I had a couple days of not 'over eating', but eating over my initial calorie goal of 1200. This is due to bad planning on my part and I am sitting down today and planning out the rest of this week's meals in advance. I find that on days when I am very busy running around instead of being at home, I go too long between meals and snacks and then eat more in one meal than I should because I am ravenous! No more. Planning, planning, planning. Something to work on.

I am extremely over-tired this week as I've been dealing with a lack of sleep due to Restless Leg Syndrome. Or in my case, Restless Body Syndrome. I've been trying to find ways to help it, such as taking Melatonin, Potassium and Magnesium, even doing half an hour of stretching exercises before going to bed. However, so far.... no luck. It's been every night for over a week now and it's really catching up to me. Lack of sleep tends to cause me to be overly emotional, cranky, sad and just plain miserable. I hope that I figure out a way to get some needed rest soon. The Melatonin worked for the first week and I got so much rest, I felt awesome. The second week, it quit working. So now I've upped my dose to 6mg and it's still not working. *sigh* More experiments on that to come.

I also just want to say a group "Great Job, Ladies" to everyone who is in this challenge with me! You are all doing wonderfully and I'll be stopping by your blogs soon to leave my mark!



View my complete Food Diary HERE.

Slimmer This Summer - Day 2

Day 2 is almost complete for the Slimmer This Summer Challenge! I got up and did my 30 Day Shred early today instead of after 9pm like usual. I have to admit, that it did help with my energy level all day. I actually didn't have access to a DVD player, so since I already have level 1 memorized, I just locked myself in a room and went at it hard. It went so much better! I timed my circuits and counted my reps and ended up working out longer and harder than I would have listening to the DVD. Of course, I start level 2 in two days, so I will be back to watching the DVD till I have that level memorized. I am also going to do 20 minutes of stretching exercises before bed. I'm hoping that will help with my Restless Leg (BODY!) Syndrome. On that note, I've begun taking Potassium and Magnesium every day as well as taking 6mg of Melatonin at bedtime.

Today was errand day.. well... one of them. And we ate out at the Chinese Restaurant. I still managed to stay within my calorie range, so I'm pretty happy about that. I think there may have been extra salt in what is listed though, because I feel awfully 'puffy' tonight.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. Grocery shopping - I'm trying to plan the next week or two's meals and snacks to better stay within my ranges. Fishing / Swimming / Hiking with the family and The Man wants to go night fishing after that, just me and him. Dear Lord, give me energy and strength!

Week Four Completed

I refuse to let this scale beat me! I will not allow it to determine my mood for the rest of the day, week or even minute!

Today I am up 2 pounds. Now, I know that I have been eating right, exercising every day and drinking my water. I've been doing everything right. However, I do feel that PMS-y feeling coming on and since I have been exercising every day, I know that my muscles are storing up water for recovery. Therefore, I am NOT going to worry about these lousy two pounds. There is no way that it is actual fat that I've gained. It's just water and it will go away by my next weigh-in.

That being said. My DD14 and I did my measurements the other day and here are the results:

My Starting Measurements as of May 16th were:

Bust: 38
Chest: 35
Waist: 35.5
Hips 44.5
Thigh: 27.5
Calves: 17.5
Upper Arms: 14

And My Measurements Now are:

Bust: 38
Chest: 35
Waist: 35
Hips: 42.25
Thigh: 27
Calves: 17.5
Upper Arms: 13.5

For a total of 3.25" lost.

Not too shabby. Makes me feel better about those pesky 2 lbs. Grrrr...

So, to recap.. my Starting Weight was 195 and I am at 193 now. By my next weigh-in, TOM should be gone or on his way out the door, so I will look forward to then.

Today I am on Day 7 of Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred. I really needed yesterday's resting period. My shoulder feels a little bit better though after doing some more jumping jacks, push ups and arm raises, we shall see..... I'm going to keep on keeping on, though.

30 Day Shred Day 6 Level 1

Today is my sixth day on Level One of 30 Day Shred. It has been a long week, let me tell you! There were some days that my body hurt so bad, that I lived on Ibuprofen and it took a lot of get up and go to get off my butt to do that day's workout. But, I did. And I can feel a difference in my body even if I can't really see any difference yet. My energy level is up, my muscles are sore - but in a good way. Level One is becoming more manageable and I am able to get into the stances more and more. Tomorrow is my day off and I'm 1/2 way looking forward to it and 1/2 way not. I hope that by taking a day off it won't be harder to do when I come back to do it again on Monday!

I've been consistently staying in my calorie range and drinking my water. I've found that my appetite is fluctuating a bit. There are days when I am starving - the ones that I burn the most calories. And then there are days when I struggle to get to my minimum of 1200 calories. However, if I am starving before a workout, I usually am not after the workout. And my tastes have been changing quite a bit as well. I can taste grease and salt much more now and I don't like it at all. I've actually thrown food away that I 'thought' would taste good because I used to eat it regularly since now it tastes too salty or greasy. This is a good thing.

My DD14 and I took my measurements the other night and I am happy to say that I've lost inches over the last two weeks. I will post in more detail on Monday when I do my weigh-in post.

Oh, and guess what? I found a bunch of other Bloggers who are doing the Shred in June, too! Check them all out by clicking on the button below!

30 Day Shred Day 3 Level 1

I have now completed three days on level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. My body is sore in places I didn't know could get sore!

I do my workout in my sons' room and it has to be the hottest room in the house, even with the air conditioner on. I have no idea why. But, by the time my 30 minutes is up and I come out, I am sweating like a pig. Whoever said that women only glow is out of their mind. I SWEAT!

Some of the exercises have been getting a little easier. By easier, I guess I mean that I can do more of them in the 30-second or so circuits now. But, my calves have been screaming and so have my shoulders. The ab-work isn't all that hard for me. Even though you probably couldn't find my abs if you tried right now. I am still able to do crunches correctly.
Now, lunges... that is another story. Wow, do they hurt!

BUT, I am pushing past all that and continuing on. I know that eventually it will start getting easier. Hopefully before I start level 2!

I have been contemplating taking more before pics. The ones I have are pretty 'clothed' compared to some of the before pics I've been looking at. However, I tried on a bikini the other day and was NOT happy with the image in the mirror - and I could only see myself from the waist up! Sigh. I suppose that is the whole purpose, though, right? To be able to see the progression from your scary before pics?

I've been sticking to my diet and water intake goals. Staying under my allotted calories and drinking at least 12 8 oz. glasses of water per day. It seems that my tastes have been changing a bit. I can now detect salt in the smallest amounts and my body just refuses to let it past my lips. Even in things with no added salt. I tried to eat a premade hamburger patty the other day and it tasted so salty that I had to spit it out and throw it away. And it was something I would never have noticed before. I am getting that with the fattier foods and sugarier foods as well. Which is all good. If I don't like the foods that are the worst for me it makes it much easier to not eat them!

I have felt a little weird lately, since I have been so active. When I get up in the morning and throughout the day, I feel ... well... hot. Kind of like I am running a fever, but I'm not. I'm not sure what it is, but I tell myself that it could possibly be my body burning up calories and I'm just not used to it since my body has had such a long restful period for the last few years and didn't need to warm up to do anything! If any of you know what I'm talking about, fill me in, please?

30 Day Shred Day 1 Level 1

Phew, yesterday was a kick-ass day for me physically. Did some things around the house, went to Wally World to pick up a few things. The kids wanted to go back to the creek, but it was decided that we had to tackle the yard first and get it all mowed before another day of swimming / fishing / hiking. So, once it started cooling down we did that.

Now, my yard is all on a hill. It's big. And we only have a push-mower and a weed-eater. It's a big job. It takes quite a while to get it done, even with one person manning the mower and another one manning the weed-eater. Anyway, I put in 50 minutes with the push mower. DD14 and DD20 each put in their 20 minutes and The Man handled the weed-eating.

If that wasn't enough exercise for one day, I still had to do my first day on level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Needless to say, I didn't get to it until after 9 p.m. But, I did it. My DD14 did it with me and even she was panting and sweating up a storm! It was pretty rough and I had to take a couple 2-5 second breathers, but I made it through. I was actually shaking by the end, though.

Today will be a busy day as well, including errands, swimming / fishing / hiking most of the day and then home to tackle day 2 on level 1 again. I'm doing 10 days of level 1, 10 days of level 2 and 10 days of level 3.

I did stay under my calorie goals yesterday and drank 13 8-oz. glasses of water. So, I feel pretty good about yesterday's accomplishments. A little bit sore today, but not so bad.

Well, I'm off to get everyone up and at 'em to start the day!

Week Three Completed

Three weeks completed! Whoohoo, Go Me! As of this morning, I have lost another 2 pounds for a total of four pounds in three weeks. Not too bad.

As I believe I've mentioned before, I don't have that much trouble limiting my calorie intake. But, as long as I don't move I don't lose. Therefore, I have joined some other motivated people to do the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. Beginning today. I must be out of my mind.

On a happy note, my shoulder is feeling a lot better. I have to be careful about over-extending, but I was able to do some good cardio with shoulder / arm movements the other day as well as some pushups without it hurting all that bad. Nothing some Ibuprofen & Icy Hot didn't take care of, anyway.

Yesterday was spent at the creek with the family. Three hours of fishing, hiking, swimming, etc. It was awesome. I am just as sore today as if I did three 45 minute Calisthenic sessions! I'm telling you.. if you want a really good workout, find a body of water that can go from ankle-deep to neck-deep to waist-deep and back to ankle-deep in four steps that is filled with mud, trees, branches, rocks, etc. Get in and walk for two hours. With the current or against it, up to you.

Oh, yeah... don't forget to coat yourself in mud because you forgot to bring the Back Woods OFF with you! (Or just for fun!)

This week's small victories:

1.) Shoulder is feeling better! (Thank God!)
2.) Got in some cardio and calisthenics!
3.) Burned around 3000 calories during exercise this week!
4.) Stayed below my calorie goal all week!
5.) Discovered Melatonin! <---- Helps immensely with helping me get sleep with no Restless!!

This week's goals:

1.) 30 Day Shred starts today! Mon - Sat, Sunday off.
2.) Watch the Sodium intake!
3.) Stay under calorie goal daily.
4.) Decrease smoking.

Want to join me in the 30-Day Shred Challenge? You can get a copy at: