Day 8 of my workout program | My Weightloss Struggle

I've officially been on my exercise program for over a week now. I stayed up late with friends last night and didn't eat the best (pizza), but I definitely didn't go crazy. I'm sure I stayed in my calorie range (around 1700 at most), because the rest of the day, I ate well.

This morning, however, my staying up late hit me. Still, I popped in the 30 Day Shred DVD and worked out. My arms weren't too sore even with the new weights, but boy were my legs tired! I hope all the squatting I'm doing will give me some defined legs when the weight comes off them.

After I did the workout, I noticed that I can see some ab muscles, which is encouraging. Still, however, I haven't really lost any weight. In fact, I'm up a little today. Jillian says that "muscle weighs more than fat" is an excuse. That if you aren't losing pounds, than you're really not doing all that you should. So, I'm really bummed out.

I'm not going to starve myself or keep myself from eating with friends. I'm not over eating, and I'm working out hard. I really need it to start paying off soon on the scale or I may start losing motivation. I hope this really is just water weight from my womanly cycle that should start any day now.

So I guess I'll end this post with I'm still going strong, but I'm starting to lose the excitement and hope I had at the beginning. I feel the muscles building, which is great, but I need to lose the excess weight before I can show them off.

See you tomorrow for Day 9, and hopefully with a little more passion in my weightloss struggle.

--Steph

Day 7 with real Dumbells! | My Weightloss Struggle

Let me start off by saying my workout was tiring today. I had the mindset that I might do a couple more days of Level 1 of 30 Day Shred because I wanted to fully experience it with the weights. But I still did the exercises fine. They were harder, but I completed them. I think that even though the weights were heavier, my legs had gotten stronger so I still did everything with proper form. I might be able to move on to Level 2 as scheduled.

We'll see how sore my arms are tomorrow. I know that I definitely sweat a lot more than I did the past few days. (Sorry all, a little TMI, but I felt it was important). The cardio is getting easier, although punches are still really hard. When Jillian Michaels says, "I want your legs burning;" I always yell at the TV "They are Jillian; They ARE!" Lol.

My form is getting better on the bicycle crunches. They hurt really bad -- I have to do them for one minute straight -- but I'm getting strong enough to be able to do them properly. When I first started, I put my legs at 90 degrees, and then bring my abs up while flailing my legs around. Now, I go up for the crunch, and my opposite leg meets my opposite elbow while the other leg straightens out. It's a much more controlled movement. So...

TIP: If you're doing your crunches and think you're not doing them right, keep at it. When your abdominal muscles get stronger, you can focus on your legs doing what they're supposed to. Mine's still not perfect, but it's getting there.

That's all for today! I'll update you on my arm soreness tomorrow on My Weightloss Struggle!

--Steph

My dumbells are here! | My Weightloss Struggle

Today, my weights have arrived in the mail! They are neon pink, small 2 pound dumbells, which will be easy to hold in my hands as I do my exercises tomorrow. I'm quite excited to use them.

I hope the workouts won't be way too draining with the change in weight, but I do hope I can firm up my muscles faster.

Oh, and I'm starting to see some abs forming! Yay!

I'll let you know tomorrow how my 2 lb dumbells work when I do my Day 7 Jillian Michael's DVD.

Until tomorrow,

--Steph

Day 6 of workout | My Weightloss Struggle

Today is supposed to be Day 7 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Workout DVD. But, it is only Day 6. Yesterday morning, I woke up with cramps and back pain that were so bad I was nauseous. I took some medicine and went to work, thinking I would exercise when I got home at 11 a.m.

I ended up working until 1:30pm, and all that time my right leg was buzzing on and off. It didn't hurt too much, but it felt as if I damaged a nerve. I think it happened when I did the lunge with the bicep curls. A few times, I lunged and my knee hit the floor, so I might have jerked something.

The same thing happened to me in the other leg when I was a lot younger, after I did a lunge move during a dance sequence for a school play. It buzzed and hurt when I would bend over for months. Because of that, I was scared that if I worked out I would hurt it worse than I already had.

So I took a break yesterday. I ate healthy, I still walked to and from work, I just didn't do the DVD. I feel a little guilty about it, but I think taking a day off is better than injuring myself.

This morning I got up, still with cramps, and did Jillian's workout DVD. My leg is buzzing a little bit right now, but definitely not as much as it was yesterday. I made sure to lunge more gently with my right leg. I still feel stronger than I had before.

I weighed myself yesterday, even though it hasn't been a full week yet. I have lost 1/2 a pound! I am trying to be proud of that because it is still a loss, even if it doesn't want to go as quickly as I'd like. I'm also near my period, so I definitely could be bloated. We will see next week after it's over to see how well I'm doing.

Does anyone know how to stretch the hip muscle? It is on my side near my hip bone and the side lunges with shoulder raises have made the muscle tight. Bringing my opposite hand over my head and leaning to my side helps a little bit, but that's all I can think of.

Until later, happy weightloss! And see you tomorrow for Day 7 of my weightloss struggle!

--Steph

Yay Day 5!!! |My Weightloss Struggle

Today I finished Day 5 of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Weightloss DVD! And guess what?! The "beginner's versions" of the exercises were too easy! I had to start following Natalie, who was doing the "harder" or regular versions!! This meant I was going all the way down on the lunges, higher with the butt kicks and jump rope.

I'm going to be past level 1 before I even get my hand weights. That kinda worries me a little bit, but oh well. I'm not going to stop.

DH did the exercises with me today, and they were a little hard for him since this was his second day while it was my 5th. I'm really proud of him for sticking with it.

Diet update: I snacked a little yesterday, but I think my calories were still okay. It was my last day of school for the year, so people brought snacks to class. I was good though, I focused on the strawberries and when I couldn't resist, I only had 1/2 of a cookie. And then for dinner, DH and I ate out (I'm a sucker for mexican food), so I made sure not to eat again last night. I wasn't very hungry after that anyway.

Now it's time for breakfast. I think I'll go with the basic cereal. Diet tip: Only 1 serving!! Yes, that often means only one cup. Not a bowl. A measured cup! It's so hard for me, so I think I might be telling myself. Ha

Tune in tomorrow to find out how Day 6 is going. Oh and in the meantime, watch the finale of The Biggest Loser on NBC. It's one of the things that motivated me to start exercising and lose weight in the first place.

--Steph

Day 4 of My Weightloss Struggle

I just completed my 4th workout using Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I woke up this morning not sore at all...(almost)! What a difference a few days make!!

For some reason, though, the exercises were harder today than ever before. I just didn't have the will in the same way I had in the past. I felt my feet slipping while I was doing lunges. DH helped me out and braced me so I could do the lunges without falling over. I felt lazy. I found myself saying "oh I can't do that so I'll just do it half way" ...and I stopped myself. What do you mean you can't do it?! You did it yesterday and the day before?! Luckily I caught myself anId kept pushing forward. But I wonder where that hesitation came from.

I guess all that matters is that I did the exercises. I really want to get to the emotional root of the problem though. Why am I scared to lose weight? ...I guess I'll update that later when I think about it more.

I officially measured myself today so I have a starting point. I'm about 40 inches in my waist and 41 in my hips. It surprised me, since I am an hour glass shape as a whole. I hope to lose weight as soon as possible to get rid of those extra inches.

Diet: For breakfast, I'm having applesauce, one whole egg and one egg white. About 140 calories. I tend to make my first couple of meals small and close together (I'll eat a snack in about 2 hours, then lunch an hour or two after that), so that way I can have a 500 or 600 calorie dinner, plus dessert and still be around 1700 calories. It works well for me. DH has fewer meals (standard 3 meals), but more calories in each meal.

I feel a little bit of a cold or allergies or something coming on. I think I should go buy a multivitamin. The ones I had previously expired a long time ago.

Time to eat now. See you soon for more weightloss experiences!

--Steph

Two Words: SPLENDA BROWNIES |My Weightloss Struggle

It is still Day 3 of my weight loss attempt. Today I did really well on my caloric intake. I did eat a restaurant-bought burrito at lunch, but I cut it in half and ate half for lunch and half for dinner. I drank lots of water with it, and it filled me up fine. I was really proud of myself for not eating the whole thing right away.

I wanted to share something with you that I found great. I have been craving brownies for a long time. And I am a huge fan of Splenda. I have made Splenda cookies in the past, and was a big fan. I crave sweets (especially chocolate) all the time, and I love being able to factor in a couple hundred calories for something I really enjoy at the end of the day. It still allows me to lose weight (assuming I don't eat the entire pan), and I am not tempted to go online and order cookies to be delivered at 2 a.m. -- ah college towns.

Today I found a recipe for Splenda brownies. I was a little bit skeptical because as I was searching, I found a lot of questionable reviews. I LOVED THEM. You can find the recipe I used here. I changed the recipe a little bit. I cut the walnuts since the DH isn't a big fan, and used regular size semisweet chocolate chips instead of mini size.

You have to be aware that using splenda is a big texture difference. It is a little bit flatter than regular brownies, and much more cakey. I used one of those disposable aluminum pans, and I was able to turn it over onto a plate right out of the oven. I put them in a smaller pan than it suggests so they were thicker. They were amazing. They were not overly sweet like some brownie mixes can get, which was great.

They are only about 160 calories, so that's even better. It serves 8, so I'm sure we will be eating these for a couple days.

I just finished eating one and I couldn't wait to share with everyone. Have a great night and I'll write you tomorrow after I complete Day 4 of Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred". Happy Weightloss!

--Steph

Exercise Day 3 | My Weightloss Struggle

Today is Day 3 of my weight loss attempt. Before I start, I just want to say good morning and Happy Mother's Day to all out there!

Diet update: I told myself I wouldn't "diet," I would just make smarter food choices in order to speed up this weightloss. Well, I did really well yesterday... until dinner. I ordered sushi. Which isn't too bad, but it's high in sodium and it put me at about 1900 calories for the day instead of the 1700 calories I was shooting for. I am trying not to be disappointed in myself, since 1900 calories is still not bad (and that's just my estimate). I just have to keep pushing.

Diet Tip: Stop drinking your calories! I love juice...and I bet that's what put me over for the day, not the sushi. Not a bad choice, but I didn't have to have so many servings of it.

Workout Day 3 - Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred | Level 1: This morning I woke up to sore muscles from all the exercise, but I noticed they weren't as sore as the first day. That really surprised me for some reason. I thought that since I exercised on Day 2 when my muscles were in agony, they would still be in agony today. But no, they are sore, but not as bad. I am already getting stronger! Yay!

After waking up, I put in Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Workout DVD once again. DH (Dear Husband...well fiance, but DH is a lot more commonly used so were going to go with that) suggested that instead of soup cans, I use the cans of sealant he had used on Day 1 of our weightloss attempt. They were heavier and closer to the 2 pound weights I am waiting for in the mail. I used them throughout the exercise DVD, and the lunge with the arm raise (sorry I can't remember what the exercise is called at the moment) hurt like hell. Well I guess we know it's working.

Thoughts on Jillian Michaels: I LOVE HER. I have been watching The Biggest Loser on NBC for years now, and I like her the most. Bob Harper's okay, I just don't see myself ever doing yoga. Why do I like Jillian a million times more than Kim Lyons (also from The Biggest Loser)? When I'm working out and trying to lose weight, the last thing I want to hear is a overly energetic cheerleader. I'm not that kind of girl. Jillian Michaels is stern, and she's real. She doesn't cry for you when it's hard, nor does she give pep. I hate overly perky trainers when I'm in pain. I'm an avid watcher of The Biggest Loser, and she is a caring person who doesn't put up with bullshit and I love it.

Thoughts on "Workout Buddies": The first time I lost weight, I lost it side by side with my DH. He pushed me, encouraged me, motivated me to run faster, do another set of exercises, and try to lose weight and get into a bikini body. And I would do my best to encourage him to work out harder. But here's the problem with that. If one of us was tired or sore, we both suffered. Neither of us would force the other to work out if we didn't feel up to it. So we stopped losing weight. One of us was always tired.

So, don't depend on your buddy. It's okay to do it on your own. And it took me until now to really feel comfortable with that. Today and yesterday I exercised by myself when DH was at work. And that's okay. If I'm doing this for me, I should do it when I have time, and when I'm motivated.

Bottom Line: Don't give yourself any more excuses or you will never lose weight!! I don't care if your workout buddy is sick! If you want it for you, you will make it happen!

Okay, that's enough for right now, I need to hop into the shower before my muscles get too cold. I'm really excited to start seeing results via weightloss and not just sore muscles! Next post will probably be today about my diet, if not, see you tomorrow with Exercise Day 4 of My Weightloss Struggle

--Steph