Week 3 has me going WTF?!

...In both good and bad ways. I'm going to make it more of a list than an essay.

As for the good:
1) I am seeing and feeling DRAMATIC strength increase. Each and every weighted exercise has been increased in weight this week - except for the Leg press. I attribute this to the fact that I really did start off too heavy. I could barely walk down stairs or get out of bed for the first week and a half after pressing 220lb leg press reps.

2) Theres this defined line in both my shoulders that wasn't there before! When I raise my arms or move them in any way those lines show up. Something going on with my deltoids that I am in love with.

3) I actually look forward to going to the gym and kicking my own ass. I can't imagine NOT going. It is now that time of day that makes me feel the most human (besides, of course, cuddling with my kid and the dogs after work). Please dear gods don't ever let me fall out of this momentum I have created for myself.

4) Girl stuff for 4 and 5 here. Men, if you are reading this and you don't like the vag talk... move on :0)  Okay, so I LOVE that all of this working out is making me not have a period. No, I'm not pregnant, LOL. I've heard that this is possible - hardcore working can = skipped periods, but YEEEHAWWW!!! I am living the dream, baby!

5) Girl stuff that's actually serious: Ever since I got pregnant with my daughter I have had this crazy discharge that NOOOOOO... is not at all related to any kind of disease other than endometriosis. I have had all sorts of surgical procedures to get rid of all the symptoms associated with this but they inevitably come back - severe cramps, prolonged and super heavy periods, uterine swelling and pain, pain with intercourse (at one time I did have a boyfriend believe it or not), and this weird discharge that made me feel really insecure about myself, especially when it came to intimacy, Everyday for the past (almost)13 years I have had to deal with this discharge. Here's the amazing part: No doctor ever said "hey, go workout like an insane person and it will all go away." They should have said that because, guess what... it has!!! No pain, no cramps, no heavy, prolonged period (none at all for that matter), and the discharge is about 95% gone, I'd say. There is some scant amount here and there but... yea.. my whole life is changing .. my insecurities, the things that make me feel worthless and gross are going bye-bye. All because I thought it would be a good idea to try a BFL 12-week challenge.

I guess you could say I am literally in tears - all happy tears!

Now for the bad stuff:

1) The support system I thought I had is pretty much 1 person strong now, being my daughter. According to everyone else I am a typical, gym-obsessed douchebag now. Why? Because I go to the gym on my lunch break and on Sundays instead of sitting around getting fatter and then being an asshole to everyone else for it because I am unhealthy and hate myself? Well then great, I'm a douchebag. My sister actually freaked out on me today because I was taking a picture of my calves. I guess I am super lame and everyone is sooo embarrassed for me because I'm a female meathead now. Whatever, when I am done with this challenge you'll be hating me even worse!

2) That's actually the only bad part. But it makes me sad ...

Addendum to the post below......

Ok I am not really sure how I am supposed to document actual weights when I am using 2 weights at a time. For example.. the lunges, I start off with 8# weights, but I am holding 2 weights, 8# each.. so really, that's 16#.. do I document as 8# or 16# ?

Furthermore, I stated that I had a not so proud moment yesterday, but then i read through my description of my not so proud moment and realized I SHOULD be proud. I took a truck load of lemons and made the best damn lemonade possible. So there.

Wk 2 - I wish my physique would hurry up and catch up with my increase in strength !!!

Week 2, Days 1 - 4
I was able to increase ALL of the weights for both UBWO and LBWO this week which is insanely awesome I think, considering I could barely push out the max load on 6 reps for any of the sets of both WOs.

I re-lost the 3lbs I gained that I had originally lost - if that makes sense. So that makes me happy, but not really budging on the measurements right now. I know it's only towards the end of week 2, but when I see others post about all these inches they've shed in 3 weeks it makes me a tad envious. I know that every body is different so I just have to go with the flow of my own.

So below I am documenting the weights for UB and LB WOs that I am presently doing. In 2 more weeks I will be re-posting the weights - hopefully with even more increase in strength!

UBWO :
Rope Pulldown  50# x 12, 55x10, 60x8, 65x6, 60x12
Lying Dumbbell Extensions  15# x 12
Seated Chest Press  55# x 12, 60x10, 65x8, 70x6, 65x12
Row  105# x 12
Lat Pulldown  65# x 12, 70x10, 75x8, 80x6, 75x12
One Arm Row  25# x 12
Seated Dumbell Press  10# x 12, 12x10, 15x8, 17.5 or 20 x 6, 15x12
Lat Raise 15# x 12
Dumbbell Curls 10# x 12, 12x10, 15x8, 17.5 or 20 x 6, 15x12
Overhand EZ Curl 20# x 12

LBWO :
Lunges  8# x 12, 10x10, 15x8, 17.5 or 20 x 6, 15x12
Leg Curl  60# x 12
Leg Press  140# x 12, 190x10, 210x8, 220x6, 210x12
Leg Extension  75# x 12
Standing Calf Raises  110# x 12, 130x10, 160x8, 190x6, 160x12
Sitting Calf Flexions  120# x 12


OKAY! So there ya have it. By the end of week 4 I would like to raise or have raised each weight by 10. I know that my genetics are such that strength gain in a short period of time is relatively easy compared to others. VIKING POWER! WOOHOOOOO!!!

Now for a not so proud moment - yesterday was REALLY hard for me in regards to diet and motivation towards the gym. I felt super hormonal, was in a bad mood, and wanted to eat everything my eyes glanced at. I did give into craving and ended up chalking it off as an early free/cheat day - which means Saturday is going to SUCK for me. Oh welllll... I DID end up going to the gym though and punished myself for being a glutton by doing (1 ) 20 mins of HIIT on the treadmill (highest incline the whole time with speed-walking intervals, which I have now found to really hit those problem spots like the butt and hamstrings much more so than running - and it's easier on my bum left knee!!!); and (2) 20 mins of HIIT on the stairclimber. I kicked my own ass and by the time I was done it literally looked like someone had dumped a bucket of water over me.

REVELATION : I take punishment like a pro. I have found that place inside me that gives my bad days the middle finger and the push to make the day my bitch.

Wrap up of week 1

Success! I finished week 1 with hitting every workout session as planned and staying on track with my diet. The scale has not budged much - only 3lbs, but curiously I am down 1" off my hips, 1" off my waist, and 1/2" off of each upper thigh (I have 2 upper thighs btw, lmao)

My cheat day was great. I ate a half a carton of gluten-free "oreo" cookies, did have some gluten-free beer even though i probably should not have - but I shall not hate myself over it. I ate gluten-free mac-n-cheese and had a gluten-free sausage, mushroom, red onion, and cheese pizza at BJs Brewery. Yes, I did it up and I am SOOOO OVER IT! I had a food hangover on Sunday and let's just be honest here: farting up a storm. Hell yes. Not something I want to repeat again anytime soon.

Revelation : Cheat day reminds me of how disgusting junk food is and how cruel it is to your insides!

Week 2 started on Monday the 27th. So far so good!

Day 3 - Don't puke on the treadmill !!!

Got up this morning, dropped the kiddie-wink off at school, and much to my dismay I forwent coffee and went straight to the gym.

Sprint - Interval Training. Wow. Kicked my ass. It was not easy but I love a tough challenge. Here is what I did (and btw, I am not and never have been a runner - was raised as a competitive swimmer and know nothing of land legs):
5 min warm-up on elliptical
4 mins jog @ 4.5 pace
1 min @ 5.5 pace
1 min @ 6.5 pace
3 mins @ 4.5
1 min @ 5.5
1 min @ 6.5
2 mins @ 4.5
1 min @ 5.5
1 min @ 6.5
3 mins @ 4.5
30 secs @ 5.5
30 secs@ 6.5

Hold back vomit

Chug 12 grams of protein after I'm done dry-heaving

Okay, not bad I don't think for someone who hasn't worked out in forever and who can't run to save her life. My goal in 2 weeks is to move up to 5.0 pace / 6.0 pace / 7.0 pace.  I know I can do it, it's just a matter of me not being a wimp, grabbing myself by the ovaries and handling biz.

This is also a huge accomplishment for me because my mornings consist of coffee and whining about being up early. I tend to be up between 530 and 6 am but act like a prima donna until about 8 when I get to work.

Day 2 of the Back on the Bandwagon

So yesterday I worked out: the trail hiking and the Indian club swinging. It felt great but I was so energized by the end of the day that I couldn't sleep last night :'-(

Today I woke up at 530am, got some coffee, cleaned the house - sooo energized. I want THIS exact feeling to last the 12 weeks and even beyond.

As for workout today:  The gym to do upper body. My knee is feeling pretty compromised from doing lunges with the clubs yesterday so I am going to let lower body sit on the back burner. I did my hiking and my butt cheeks are sore - so that's good.

My ultimate goal for upper is to FINALLY be able to a freaking pushup!! And a pullup would be nice, as well. I have NEVER been able to do either one. EVER. Sooooo frustrating and pretty much embarrassing...

Flu + Celiac flare-up = Fell off the bandwagon...

...But I'm back on!
Nothing is more depressing than gaining full steam only to find the tank empty just off the starting line. But I hadn't forgotten about the challenge and about I feel about myself when I look in the mirror.

I am restarting today. Flu is gone, gluten out of my system, and full of energy!
YAY!
Today my workout will consist of hiking with my doggies for 1 mile (tons of super-incline switchbacks), then Indian club swinging (the best workout to not get bulky and gain rotational strength, from what I've heard).

For breakfast I had a plum and an EAS AdvantEdge protein shake. Oh, and of course coffee. Yum!

Update for the day: The trail was great! It was pretty hot out, I was sweating my booty off, my lungs were burning and I now feel GREAT! Time for a late lunch (nectarine and protein shake) - then either the gym or Indian clubs... not sure yet. I am soooo glad that I made my date with the doggies and the trail.

Day 2 - Did I mention I can't breathe?

So there are a few colds/flus going around. There is one that both my daughter and I got - the upper & lower respiratory bug - and the GI flu. Yesterday i found out whilst doing cardio that the bug still lingers in my sinuses and lungs - I was getting dyspneic on the stairclimber, but because I am so stubborn I finished the full 20 of cardio. I did NOT, however do intense work- just a little something to keep my heart going for a full hour (48 minutes of weights at a fast pace and 20 of cardio).

Today I was supposed to get to the gym early... and BAM! My daughter came down with the tummy stuff.. there goes my early a.m. workout. Being a single parent is DEFINITELY an added challenge when it comes to keeping a gym schedule.

Today I still am having difficulty getting deep, full, easy breaths. I still will be doing cardio for 20 (today is JUST cardio) and hopefully I will be able to do it at a high intensity.

Food!
I made a really great chicken rice soup last night that I will be having tonight for dinner again. I think chicken rice soup is great because it has plenty of water in it to be filling, plenty of protein for sustenance, plenty of veggies for fiber, and some rice for that glucose our brain especially needs!

This morning for breakfast I had a sugar-free mocha latte with soy milk. Okay, not the best choice but I SUCK at prepping food for the day!!! One of my biggest issues with diet. I can say no to food all day long.. hell, I would make an amazing anorexic.. but yeaaa... noooo.... I hate thinking about food, planning meals and making grocery lists. Those tasks are up there with vacuuming and folding laundry.

Goal: Fall in love with food prep and planning <3 <3 <3

Stats.... errr... *grunt*
Against my better judgment I got on the scale today (only 24 hours into the challenge) and I'm down 2 pounds! Okay.. water loss.. whatever.. I care not! 2 pounds down is 2 pounds down. So there.

Day 1 - When motivation is at it's greatest

Before I get into my "why" for joining the Body for Life challenge, I would like to give a breakdown of my 1st day on the challenge:

Upper Body in 48 minutes, Cardio in 20 minutes. Calories were approximately 1200. No alcohol, no junk food, no added sugar. Tomorrow I would like to get my high-intensity cardio in before taking my daughter to school and before I go to work... that means up at 530am!

My "Why"

Back in 2005 I had finally lost all the weight I had gained (and then some) from having my daughter. I looked great, I felt great. Life was good. Then in the Spring of 2007 I miscarried my twins; shortly thereafter, my boyfriend and father of the twins left me. I was devastated and became a complete wreck - binge drinking, eating unhealthy - I gained some weight back from that, but the real weight gain came when I decided to go on an anti-depressant. In a matter of a few months I gained 40lbs. I discontinued the medication about a year later and sought alternative therapy. I eventually learned how to cope with my grief, but the weight lingered.

I'm on the left - Size 6 in 2006

Always happy and having fun...

2006 in San Diego - I loved my beach body!



2007 before I got pregnant with the twins - I really enjoyed going for runs in the evenings

Winter 2006.. feeling glamorous and fabulous!





Now, 5 years later I still retain the weight. There hasn't been one day in the past 5 years that I haven't looked in the mirror and judged myself. Every single day for 5 years I have been saddened by my thighs, my behind, my waist. My ONLY saving grace is that I am proportionate, head to toe, which gets me through some days without beating myself up entirely.

 I know that I am better than this. I know that I am a beautiful person inside and out, and I shouldn't have to suffer this way. Sitting by the pool in boxers and a tee while others swim; wearing baggy clothing to work; avoiding the dating scene because I don't feel pretty when I get dressed up.

My turning point is now, as I sit in my bedroom in the dark with the flu, staring at my closet full of clothes I can't fit in, fearing this Saturday's date with a guy I think is too hot for me. I have the BFL book; I have an amazing, supportive family who will help me through this challenge; it's time to do this.

Current stats:
Height = 5'11"
Weight = 192lbs
Blood Pressure = 128/80
Clothing Size = 10 skirt/12 pants
Body Fat = 27%
Waist = 33"
Hips = 42"
Chest = 43"