Down 5%!!!

So, i took my body fat % today and i'm a lot more excited than i was when i stepped on the scale! I was bummed that all my hard work only yielded a 3.5lb loss

HOWEVER i've gone from 30.2% body fat to 24.87% body fat which if you do the calculations means i lost about 11.5lbs of body fat, but GAINED 8lbs of muscle, thus the scale only showed 3.5lb total loss

Week 1

Weight 199.7lbs
Body Fat % 30.2%
Lean Body Mass 139.4lbs
Fat Mass 60.3lbs


Week 4

Weight 196.2lbs
Body Fat % 24.87%
Lean Body Mass 147.41lbs
Fat Mass 48.79lbs

Total Body fat lost: 11.51
Total Lean Body Mass Gain: 8lbs

Net loss: 3.51lbs

AWESOME!

After a bout with Shin Splints i haven't been running in 2 weeks...until today. It was AWESOME! Oh running, Oh running how i have missed you! I've been doing other cardio, but nothing really compares to the natural high you get after running. At least not for me, i Felt so great after that i wanted to hop back on and do another 20min of HIIT! I thought i would struggle since its been so long, but i found it was actually easier to get through than when i left off 2 wks ago! MWAH! Now i want to run everyday but i'm still going to alternate with low impact cardio just to be safe. I don't want to have to take another 2 week break.

Ahhhh...I feel great!

More Tweaks

So, today i start my 5th week, which means today i get to Weigh in and take measurements and body fat %. It doesn't help that i'm pre-menstrual and bloated like a whale!

I was disappointed when i got on the scale this morning. So far, 196.2, so i've lost 4.5lbs. The reason i'm disappointed is because 2 wks ago i weighed the same. I haven't lost anything in the last 2 wks. Like i said in my previous post the last two weeks i've really just been going through the motions. I got to wondering why i had such a stellar change in the first 2 wks though and what i'm doing differently now. From everyone i've talked to and everything that i've read, progress like i made the first 2 weeks is hard to come by (lost 4.5lbs, 1 1/2 in from waist). The only thing that really changed is that i haven't done any HIIT for the last 2 wks, i've still done cardio, but noe HI. I stopped because i was getting shin splints and could barely walk from them for the rest of the day. I tried doing HIIT on other machines like the elliptical or bike, i even went swimming but it just wasn't even close to running.

Hopefully once i get back to that, along with all the other tweaks i'm making i'll have some major progress.

My transformation from wk4-8 is going to be AMAZING!!

I also went back and looked over my food logs, i need to cut back on the sodium MAJORLY!! Some days i was eating 300% my daily reccomended intake. It wasn't from adding salt to things, i just didn't realize how much sodium is already in everything! Like fat free cottage cheese, i eat at least 1-2 servings a day-there is 300mg sodium in one serving! One of my staple meals is grilled chicken, brown rice and broccoli and i'd always add soy sauce to the rice. 1Tbsp of soy sauce is 1/2 my daily allowance! So, from now on i'm going to be much more conscious about my sodium intake.

I won't be updating all my stats today, i have to wait until mother nature leaves to take my Body Fat %. It says specifically on the instructions that women should not take it during or near that time of the month because the extra water retention will throw the measurement off.

My plan of Action

I am going to hit it HARD the next 4 weeks.

My Goals are

Size 10!!!!!!
Track food and journal DAILY

I really don't have many goals this time around. I just really want to be to a size 10 by the time this 4wks is up. There is absolutely no reason in the world i cant do this! I am going to KILL it!

I've been doing a lot of research on ways to speed up my progress and a lot of Body for Life competitors have suggested i also read "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle". Its a lot like body for life but it goes into a LOT more detail. I'm taking several suggestions from the book and applying them to my routine. Here is what i'm doing differently for the next 4 wks

1-Calorie Zig Zagging: basically i'm going to have 3 low calorie days in a row (never below BMR though), then a High calorie day (at or above maintenance). This is supposed to accelerate fat loss because by zig zagging your body never has a chance to adjust to the low calorie level, thus preventing your metabolism from slowing down and/or going into starvation mode

2-Carbohydrate Zig Zagging: I've tried to lose weight often enough that i know i'm one of those unlucky ones who's body doesn't react well to carbs. With everything i've learned with Body For Life and BFFM i know i cant cut them out completely, its just unhealthy and counterproductive. So i'm going to have 3 low carb days (will coincide with my low calorie days) , followed by 1 re-feed or high carb day. This gives me all the benefits of a low carb diet without all the negative side effects.

3-Add more Cardio!!! I'm going to keep doing HIIT 3 days a week on Tue, Thurs, Sat. On Mon, Wed, Fri i'm going to do an additional 45 min moderate intensity cardio sessions. I've done a lot of research on this because a lot of people will tell you that too much cardio will eat away at your muscle, but as long as i'm getting enough calories i shouldn't have to worry about it. like i said i've done my research!

I'm excited to hit the gym tomorrow!

I can do this...i can do this...i can do this...

I've been repeating that over and over in my head for the last week, willing myself to believe it...desperately trying to believe it. Its been almost 4 wks and i'm trying not to be discouraged. The scale has hardly budged, i thought i was doing great but now the old demons have returned and started to whisper uncertainty. Putting thoughts back in my head that i'd fought so hard to get rid of.

I'm doubting myself, i'm once again trying to convince myself that i'm ok with mediocre results, i'm slipping into old patterns of self doubt and sabatoge, of "You'll never get where you want to be so why even try".

I have to admit that my last 2 wks have been lackluster performances at best. While i've followed the program, i've just been going through the motions. Whereas the first 2 wks i was fired up, i looked forward to every workout because every workout was bringing me closer to my goal. I haven't visualized my goals in weeks, i haven't journaled in weeks and i can not honestly say that i've given 110% the last 2 wks.

So what do i do now? Do i forget about it, and not count the last 2 wks and tack on 2 more at the end of my challenge?

Do i press on and work 10 times harder the next 8 weeks?

There is NO reason i cant make up for lost ground the next 2 months...right? I have to reccomit myself. I will not sell myself short this time. If i move back my end date now, or change my goals i'm giving myself an excuse to slack off even more. It becomes to easy to say,...eh i don't feel like giving it 100% this week, i'll just add an extra week later. Or, "Its ok if i don't reach my goal size by the time i'm done, i'll just do another challenge"

There are no if, and's, or buts, I AM GOING TO DO THIS! I will do this, I can do this. I will not settle for less. Not this time.

So you demons of self doubt, leave me the hell alone.

Ugh...someone kill me please

Ugh....i'm sick as a dog. Darn kids! I was extremely careful to not drink after them or to let them drink after me. I sanitized my hands every time i wiped their nose's etc....but to no avail, i feel like crap. I still went and did weights yesterday but i don't think i can do cardio today. I know my body and if i push it too hard i'll be sick for weeks. I may go do lower body today though, just to at least get a workout in.

So this week was kind of a wash on cardio :( i'm going to add extra cardio for the rest of the challenge and hopefully that will make up for my lack lust effort this week!

I'm finding the mental part of this challenge more difficult than the physical. I've had the same negative mentality about weight loss since i first started trying to lose weight after my first was born 3 years ago. "No matter what i do i cant lose weight" i still find myself thinking that every now and then, or that there is NO way i'm going to reach my goal in 12wks. I have to stop and correct myself everytime!

Today, i'm going to make a bunch of signs with positive affirmations that i can repeat to myself everytime i look at them. I'm also going to make mike get the secret back so i can watch it at least once a week.

TTFN!

"Winning is not normal and those who constantly win follow an ‘abnormal’ path. The discipline, dedication and sacrifices are incomprehensible to those thousands standing outside, looking in, who are capable of joining the winning team, yet unwilling to pay the price of admission. Winners win in a fair effort, on a level playing field, because they deserve to win... they willingly pay their dues in full, time after time, after time."

2 weeks down!

Well, the first 2 weeks of my challenge have gone pretty well. Really well actually aside from 1 less than half effort cardio session. The eating part has been really easy, i haven't eaten sugar in 2 wks except for on my free days. Even on my free days i don't pig out, i actually only have a free meal, and even then its usually just desert. My first week i had 1/2 a pice of cheesecake and the second week i had a brownie. I'm pretty freaking proud of myself considering sugar was PREVIOUSLY my downfall. I don't even really crave it anymore :) for me this is HUGE!!!!

I've already noticed major changes in my body, especially my stomach! I no longer look 6 months pregnant. In fact its down to about what it was pre-baby 4 years ago! i always had a little bit of a pooch :) I was getting discouraged because i was taking my measurements and it appeared i hadn't lost any inches from my stomach yet. I went back and re-checked my starting measuremnts and after 2 wks i'm already down 1 1/2" in my stomach. In the body for life book it says that many women may go 6-8wks without really noticing any major progress so to see some 2 wks in is really encouraging. Haven't stepped on the scale yet, i'm waiting until i'm through my first 4 wks are over. I tend to weigh in too much and then self sabatoge if i'm not satisfied with the number.

I've decided to break the challenge up into 3, four week periods and set goals for each period. I think this will make me work harder if i only have 4 wks to accomplish something vs. 12wks. Its easy to say, "oh, its ok if i miss one workout in 12wks its not going to make or break me" and in reality thats true. However, If i've only got 4wks one workout has a much bigger impact and its much harder to justify! So My goals for my first 4 wks are:

-Run 2 miles in my 20min cardio sessions
-Size 12 baby!

How i'm going to accomplish these goals:

-add an extra 10 minutes of level 5-6 to the end of all my HIIT's
-Hit my High point in EVERY WORKOUT
-Cut out sugar PERIOD, <--this means no Meal replacement bars
-Eat slightly less carbs in 2 of my 6 meals
-Push myself further in every lifting session to build & preserve muscle (the best fat burner out there!)
-Spend time visualizing my goal before each workout session <--this helps me to push myself harder than i probably would otherwise.

I'm tempted to add a scale goal of being somewhere in the 180's but i told myself i wouldn't set any scale goals for the challenge. The scale is very deceptive especially in my case. When i work out i build muscle fairly quickly and always weigh more than i look. For example before i got pregnant with my 1st i weighed 168 but was wearing size 8 jean (my "goal" size, though i'm leaning towards 6 now). 168 is considered overweight for my height but i was happy with the size i was. My little sister is an athelete and weighs 170 but is a size 6/8 so....you get my drift.

So thats it for now! I'm already Leaner and Stronger! I can't wait to see where i'm at in another 2wks!