The CHALLENGE begins...

So on Friday, DPT decides we should weigh in since it's almost the end of the month.  Well on top of my previously recorded 6 lb. loss, I've also lost 2 lb. more!  I've lost 8 lbs. in 3 weeks, so I'm pretty excited about that.  My goal is to lose between 8-10 lbs. per month, and I know I'm shooting for the higher end of expected weight loss per week but it helps keep me motivated.

After this great weight loss, DPT rewards me with a round of HURRICANE.  And no, it's not the refreshingly tasty drink that I had on vacation this summer.  It's 30 minutes of intense circuit training that hurts like the dickens!  I wonder if I can return his gift for something better, like say a manicure at the spa?!?


After a weekend full of tempting snacks and treats, including texas sheet cake, brownies, soda, chips, and frosted cake bites, the hubby and I started the "Transform Your Body Challenge" today at a local gym.  We had starting weights, BMI, and measurements taken along with the horrid "before picture".  I'm pretty sure that we are the biggest participants in this challenge, so that could either help or hurt us in the long run.  After watching many seasons of The Biggest Loser, you can see that bigger people will lose weight at a faster rate.  However, you can really can't tell a difference in their size until later on into their weight loss journey.  So, we'll see how everything works out after 90 days.

Today, of course, was ZUMBA day!  One hour prior to Zumba, I completed 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and 30 minutes of circuit training with the machines, kettle-bells, and medicine balls.  After working up a good sweat, it was time to shake everything my momma gave me (PLUS MORE!) and burn some more calories!  I'm pretty sure that the inventor of Zumba must really enjoy torturing people, because the arm workout absolutely kills me every time!  But 60 minutes of aerobic dance class is very enjoyable and keeps me moving the entire time.

While the hubby and I were waiting to weigh in for the "Transform Your Body Challenge", we watched a workout called Gladiator Training.  Ok, let me just honestly admit right now that I was completely scared by this workout.  I was thinking "I can't do that!", "Oh there is no way my body can do that!", "What the hell is that?" and I was psyching myself out the entire time.  It is a workout that pushes you and uses your entire body - and wow, it really works you out.  I joined in for the 3rd (and last) set of exercises, and I felt myself wanting to cuss, grunt, and scream a few times.  I am still scared of the work out, but I would join in again!

Tally that up readers - that's 30 minutes cardio + 30 minutes of circuit training + 60 minutes of Zumba + 1/3 of Gladiator training = Alot of calories burned plus a very tired ME!

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from Thomas A. Edison: "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

Zumba is FANTASTIC...

...Cravings, on the other hand, suck BAD!  Especially pizza cravings...

Today was, of course, Zumba day!  I was so excited to go!  I'm finally getting the hang of most of the routines, and the instructors are so motivating.  They have so much energy - I wish I had that much energy!  I haven't seen my stomach/ab area in years, but I can so feel the pain in that area clearly.  Maybe one day I'll be able to see that area again, but that is a long time coming.  I feel like Zumba works everything from the hair on my head to my tiny, little pinky toe.  I'm always a sweaty, gross mess at the end, which means I was working hard for that 60 minutes.  I would do Zumba 5 days a week, if I could.  I may need to look in to buying the videos for at-home use.

Again, cravings suck!  I've been wanting pizza...and breadsticks...and wings, but I would just settle for pizza.  So I get the bright idea to make healthy, whole wheat pizza with low-fat toppings.  Let's just say that this food experiment needs a lot of tweaking for the next time, but I'll take you on my dinner journey last night.

First, you start with the dough.  We bought pre-packaged pizza dough mix from our local grocery store.  It was called Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain pizza dough, and it even came with the yeast packet.  So this dough didn't form like your usual pizza dough, and this is what it looked like after rising:

So, we figured this was enough dough to make two small pizzas since the hubs and I do NOT like the same pizza toppings.  The dough was very, very sticky and also very hard to form into a pizza shape.  The hubs eventually gave up and had a square blob of pizza dough.  I, on the other hand, at least tried to shape mine like a pizza.  We had a healthy range of toppings including: Homemade Sauce, Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese (which I'll elaborate on and do not recommend), Canadian bacon, fresh mushrooms, minced garlic, and banana peppers.

To make the sauce, use: 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, 1 small can of tomato paste, half of a large onion-minced, 4 garlic cloves-minced, 1 or 2 tbsp of Italian Seasoning Mix (or basil, oregano, parsley), salt and pepper to taste. 

I usually make a big double batch of this sauce, and store the extras in the freezer.  I also sautee the onions and the garlic together prior to adding in the sauce for more flavor.  If you feel it needs more seasoning, add an extra dash or two - it all depends on how you like your sauce to taste.  Remember:  You can always add more if it needs it, but you can't take away if you add too much!

After forming the pizza and putting on my toppings (excluding banana peppers), I was ready for the oven.  Notice the weird pizza shape - it was the best I could do!

After 15 minutes of baking at 450 degrees, the top of the pizza was nowhere near being done.  So under the broiler it went.  I like to see the cheese bubble and brown, because I like really melty cheese on my pizza.  After the final few minutes on broil, this is what the finished product looked like:

So, as I was getting ready to dig in, I notice that the cheese has formed some type of helmet over the pizza.  Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese must have a really high melting point, because this cheese was not melty at all.  It was, however, hard and crusty layered over the pizza goodness below.  The crust has a different texture than normal pizza.  It's more dense and not as light and fluffy, and it takes a few more chews to break it down.  I will make this pizza again, but only with regular mozzarella cheese.  I may also try adding a sprinkle or two of all purpose flour, and see if that helps cut the sticky-ness of the whole grain dough.  I may also try some whole wheat pizza crust recipes I've found online.  That's what recipe experimentation is about, right?!?

I will say that this meal DID NOT satisfy my pizza craving.  It took a lot of will power to keep on track last night, but I DID IT!  One successful recipe attempt this week, and one not so successful - I'm sure there will be many more in the future.

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill:  "Never, never, never, never give up."

Learning to STICK WITH IT

So, we think the hubs pulled a muscle in his back while we were working out on Sunday.  While he's been stretching and resting his back, I've been pushing myself at the gym - BY MYSELF.  What would the "old me" have done?  Well she would have rested right along with him, and probably suggested getting take out so she could rest even more.  I've noticed that I'm more excited to get to the gym and get my workout in.  However, I'm not feeling the energized after effects of a workout, but I'm sure in time that will come.  The cravings are still present, but I just try to push past them.  I know that in the end, I'm going to be so proud of myself and I just need to stick with it for the long haul.

I thought I would share a recipe with you, since I don't have much to blog about today.  Yesterday, I made a skinless whole chicken in the crock pot, and it turned out really good.  One side note I would make:  If you are going to take the skin off the chicken, put it breast side down in the crock pot.  While the chicken was extremely flavorful, the breast meat was a bit dry.  My Thanksgiving turkey usually consisted of slathering on a stick of butter under the skin (for juicy-ness and crispy-ness, of course!) and tons of salt and pepper for flavor.  So I had to take a different approach with this chicken...

First, I cut up 4 stalks of celery and I cut one large onion into rings.  I bought baby carrots from the store (to feed our bunny friends in the yard), but you can buy whole carrots and cut them up as well.  On the bottom of the crock pot, I put half of the celery, onions, and baby carrots.  Then I sprinkled some minced garlic (also store bought, but feel free to mince your own) on top of the vegetables.

Next, I skinned most of the whole chicken.  I didn't skin the wings, because we don't usually eat those anyway.  Skinning a chicken is a slippery, tedious process, so be prepared with a good knife.  Then, I placed the chicken in the crock pot.  PLEASE NOTE:  For a juicier breast meat, I would suggest putting the chicken breast side down.  I might also suggest tying the chicken in several areas for easier removal later.

Then, I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with celery, carrots, onions, minced garlic, and some Smart Balance butter substitute.  I put the remaining vegetables around the chicken, and I even placed some onion rings around the legs for more flavor.  I added some additional Smart Balance butter on the top of the chicken and near the leg and wing.  I then sprinkled the top with pepper and Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning (NO SALT!).  I added about half a cup of water in the bottom, but the chicken produces plenty of liquid so this probably wasn't necessary.  And this is what it looked like:

So, I set the crock pot to LOW and was set to let it cook for between 8 to 10 hours.  I really enjoy crock pot meals, because it's a worry-free dinner when you get home.

After 4 hours of cooking, this is what it looks like:

You can see that the butter has already melted in to the meat, and the vegetables are starting to cook down.  You can also see that the chicken has created a ton of juices, and at this point the crock pot is half full.  If you look closely, you can see that the chicken is already pulling away from the breast bone.

At this point, I added 2 large red skin potatoes cut into chunks.  I made sure that they were surrounding the chicken, and keeping the drumsticks from sticking to the side of the crock pot.  Another reason why tying the chicken may be good for next time.  The crock pot remains on LOW and will cook until I get home from my work-out.

Returning home, I can smell the chicken in the garage and it smells fantastic!  After 10 hours of cooking, this is what it looks like:

Another side note I would make:  Even though there was a lot of juices in the crock pot, the potatoes must have soaked it all up.  If adding potatoes, I would add a cup of water to ensure there are plenty of juices for further cooking.  Looks are very deceiving at this point.  The chicken looks like it would be easy to remove and remain in it's beautiful state, so I can transfer it for easier slicing.  BEWARE:  This chicken is fall-of-the bone tender - yum!  I went to remove the chicken, and my tongs removed only the breast meat while everything else remained in place.  So I went to work removing and pulling the chicken from the crock pot.

This was the end result:

Enough food for a great family dinner - or in our case LEFTOVERS!!  I also heated up a can of NO-SALT added French Style green beans, and this was a great worry-free dinner.  With the few minor revisions listed above, I will make this meal again.  There are also tons of other Mrs. Dash flavorings at the grocery store, so I may experiment with those as well.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from an unknown author: "Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can." 

Before Pictures

I had a very huge wake-up call after our last vacation.  I've always known that I was overweight, and that I really needed to change things.  But when I got home and started looking at our vacation pictures, I knew something had to go - that the FAT had to go.  I realized that on this vacation, I took more pictures of everyone and everything around me and I avoided myself.  I guess I was a little embarrassed of myself, and I didn't want to see pictures anymore.  So of the few pictures that were taken of me on vacation, I'm going to show the pictures that really got me motivated for good!

So, these pictures really started me on my weight loss journey.  I always pictured myself as being curvy and carrying my weight well, but was I wrong.  I now classify myself as "round" and that is not a shape used to describe a woman's body.  I don't want to lose my curves, and I don't think I ever will, but I've got curves in all the wrong places. 

My weight number really bothers me, and I'm extremely embarrassed by it.  However, I have to get over that embarrassment because I am now doing something about it.  Next week, the hubs and I are joining a "Transform Your Body Challenge" (TYBC) at a local gym.  Our friend, who is a personal trainer at said gym, organized this challenge a few months ago with great success.  The hubs and I thought this would be a great way to keep ourselves motivated during our weight loss journey.  So, we weigh in on Monday and take another set of before photos.  Our fitness reading is posted on the TYBC website for all participants, which I am very nervous about.  I mean it's a fitness challenge, I shouldn't be nervous, right?!?  But I've only just admitted my weight number to myself, and now I have to share it with 30 other people.  Maybe having them know will help me come to terms with that number, and help motivate me in ways I can't do myself. 

So, as the slacker that I am, I finally took BEFORE pictures last night before Zumba.  These are in my workout gear, so you get a nice view of the "problem areas".  I hope they aren't problems for long!

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from Julius Erving: "If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end."

Keep it UP...

So after last Wednesday's Zumba session, I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with myself.  I need to stay focused on the exercise portion of my change, as much as the diet portion.  I made the decision that I need to go on both Mondays and Wednesdays for Zumba to be effective for me.  Hey, I burn approximately 700 calories in 1 hour of fun aerobic exercise.  Exercise that makes me sweat like I'm melting at the greatest depths of the sun.  Sweat is good, right?!?  It means it's working...or so that's what I think.

After two back-to-back sessions with DPT last week, my body felt like it had been hit by a truck.  Everything ached, but DPT just kept pushing and pushing.  I like that he doesn't take "No" or "I can't" as an answer, because I'm pretty sure I would say that for every exercise.  DPT likes to start a competition between the hubs and I, because the hubs has a very competitive nature.  So, a rowing machine competition sounded like a fun idea at the time - not so much later on that evening.  The tiny people have taken over my body, and I'm pretty sure I'll be getting their first rent check very soon. 

We've decided to try out bike riding, so we can get our cardio exercise and be outside while it is still warm.  Of course, everyone recommends these super expensive bikes for optimum biking performance.  I just want a bike that will go when I pedal it.  I don't plan on being Lance Armstrong or anything, and I'm not entering any triathlons in the near future, so I'm pretty sure I do not need a $800 bicycle.  I guess we could get ONE $800 bicycle and we could take turns riding it, but where is the fun in that.  So to Wal-Mart we ventured for our newest purchase.  DPT mentioned that Mongoose was a pretty decent bike for what we wanted to do - and what do we find, but this...

Oh yes, I'm super excited.  I would be even more excited if it was yellow, but pink and white will certainly do.  We need to tighten a few screws and ensure the tires are inflated properly, but I hope to test it out in the next few days.  Of course, you know there will be an update when that happens.

On a more positive note, I visited with my family today and they say they can see a difference already.  I don't know if they are being nice or serious, but I'll take it.  I'm kind of excited myself, since my boobs now stick out more than my tummy does, so that's always a plus.  The hubs and I are total slackers, and we've been meaning to take some BEFORE pics for over a week now.  I think I'm going to make the time tomorrow before Zumba to take mine, and then I'll post it.  UGH, I'm so not looking forward to that, but it will be great motivation!

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from an unknown author: "A diet is the price we pay for exceeding the feed limit."

 

Take these CRAVINGS and SHOVE IT!

My cravings have been something awful since this weekend.  At one point, I wanted fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and pizza.  I even wondered if that could be made in to one pizza meal.  Yeah, GROSS, I know!  The hubby and I have learned that we are our biggest allies and we are also our biggest enemy.  If he gets weak, I should stay strong.  But sometimes, just sometimes, I want to be weak too....and it's so hard!

It's been a huge change for us to go from eating 3,000+ calories per day to eating 1,700 calories per day.  To switch from deep fried, fat-laden, unhealthy dinners to grilled, baked, steamed healthier options.  We cut out all sodas and sugary beverages, and we drink between 100 to 128 ounces of water per day.  I'm a person that never really enjoyed water before.  I'm also not a fan of flavored water - GROSS!  I thought since the package of juice boxes said 100% Fruit Juice that it was good for you.  Boy was I wrong!

I never looked at labels before.  Holy crap - do you know how many sugars are in cereal?  And I'm not talking about Multi-Grain Cheerios either.  I'm talking about the chocolately goodness that I used to eat for breakfast - the cereal that made me coo coo for the remainder of the day.  Now I have to pay attention to a number of items on the label including: Carbs, Fat Grams, Sodium, and Sugars.  I'm bringing back my math skills by calculating all these items while doing my weekly grocery shopping.  Now even my mind is getting some exercise.  Speaking of weekly grocery trips - I now have a particular route I take in the grocery store.  Basically I stick to everything on the outer edges of the grocery section, and I sneak in to the middle section for a few canned vegetables or brown rice/whole wheat pasta.  I do wish that fresh fruits and vegetables stayed fresh a little longer - but that gives me an excuse to make mixed berry salad on a regular basis.

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from an unknown author: "Your stomach shouldn't be a waist (waste) basket." 

Six down...and lots more to go...

We had another painfully exhausting session with the DPT this evening.  I was seriously not feeling it today.  I was having cravings, the tiny people are killing my body, and I just wanted to lounge around in the family room watching TV.  So when the hubby came home and saw that I was not ready for the gym, he was not a happy camper.  I huffed and puffed about it, but I finally got ready for our workout.  He says: "It will be so much fun once we get there." I say: "Fun? What part of it is fun?"  I'm thinking:  "In what cruel world would any of this be considered FUN?!?'  What I want to do is make a U-turn and go to Dairy Queen for a mini blizzard and then watch TV.

I mope the entire way to the gym, because I haven't gotten my way and I don't like that.  Why yes, I can act like a petulant child if I want to!  Then there's DPT smiling away, and I just know that he has something horrible up his sleeve for today's workout.  We start off with our cardio and, before we leave the gym, we get our usual 30 minutes in.  I tried the elliptical, and I'm not so scared of it anymore.  Apparently our gym's elliptical machines are the devil, and start you off with an incline of 5.  So if you just lower that little number to 0 or 1, it's not as bad as it was before.  Although, DPT did raise the resistance up to 27 for all of 30 seconds and I was about to jump off!

So now is the fun part - the 30 minutes of strength and core training.  My weights remained the same for this session; although, he did mention he was going to up them next week.  I really hope he forgets that statement, because I thought my arms were going to fall off.  I do really enjoy the medicine ball slams, because it really helps to get out some frustrations.  Today I was frustrated because I weighed in on Monday and there was no change on the scale from last week, so I slammed the ball extra hard.  I'm really not a fan of resistance band bicep curls - everything burns - and then DPT tells me to alternate arms.  I give him the deer-in-the-headlights look, but he just says YOU CAN DO IT!

DPT added a new exercise today.  When he brought a rope out of his bag, I didn't know what to think.  He puts the rope in each of my hubby's hands and then pulls on it from the back.  Then a light goes off - OMG!  We are going to have to pull him!  Ok, I've watched this on The Biggest Loser, and there is no way I can pull our trainer.  Of course, DPT doesn't take "no" or "can't" for an answer, so I suck it up.  I get nervous watching my hubby do it, because he pulls him all the way to the mirrors (and eventually across the gym floor).  I get in position, close my eyes, and start running.  P.S. - I don't run.  I've opted to only run if I'm being chased by a bear or some other wild animal.  By the fourth set of these, I have at least pulled him a few feet from his original position.  I'm proud of that!  Things I dislike about this session - knowing my weights will increase next week, burning biceps, and the squat position.

After the big goose-egg weigh in on Monday, I was not going to weigh in again until next week.  However, I was playing around with my Wii Fit board, and it showed me at a lower weight than on Monday.  The batteries were going dead in the board, so I thought maybe it was a fluke.  The first weigh-in on the board showed me as weighing 4 lbs. and being severely underweight.  I think my Mii was completely see-through.  So I decide to just check the weight at the gym, and see if the board was telling the truth.  While the hubby is finishing his cardio, I sneak over to the scale and weigh myself.  I can't believe it - the scale reads the same as the Wii Fit board.

I'M DOWN 6 LBS!

This pushes all the moping feelings from my brain, and it pushes all the cravings out of my body for the time being. I'm so excited.  Of course my mom says "I told you so!", because I had just complained to her about not seeing any results.  DPT says that our change will be 70% diet/food and 30% exercise, and we've changed both dramatically.  I can't wait for future results!

Until next time I leave you with a proverb: "Dieting is not a piece of cake!"

I HEART ZUMBA

So, Zumba started back up at the gym yesterday and I was so excited.  I psyched myself out of going last Spring, because I felt I wouldn't be able to keep up or severly injure myself.  So on the last session of the season I went, because I wanted to know what it was all about.  I LOVED IT!  P.S. I did not injure myself or anyone else at this attempt.

For those of you who don't know - Zumba is an aerobic dance class that really gets your body moving, heart pumping, and keeps the sweat pouring off of you.  Basically I get to shake what my momma gave me, plus much more, and burn tons of calories while doing it.

Yesterday, I started off with 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill before class.  Then I stretched, because the tiny people (refer to previous post for explanation) really annoyed me all day.  After the gym area was completely packed, we finally started to get moving.  In that hour, I cha-cha'd, kicked, shimmy'd, grapevined, and jumped my way into full on drench-your-clothes mode.  My husband later told me that I had "swamp ass" to which I replied by ungracefully flopping on to his side of the bed.  I believe he'll keep his comments to himself now.

So the tiny people were back in full force last night, and this morning they were relentless in their quest to punish me even more.  I'll be glad when they go on permanent vacation, but I've been told that could take a month or more.  Just wonderful!  At least maybe I could charge them rent and that would offset the pain I'm feeling.

This evening we have another wonderful session with DPT.  I wonder what he'll have us doing today - bear crawls, crabwalks, or more core work.  Stay tuned tomorrow to find out the wonders of this session.

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from Cicero: "One should eat to live, not live to eat."

My trainer is the DEVIL...

Let me start off by saying that my trainer DOES NOT have horns, although sometimes I really think he is hiding them.

My husband and I enrolled in a Weight Management program through my insurance company.  The program is for one year, and we have access to a gym, personal trainer, and a dietitian.  If you quit this program, you can NEVER enroll again.  How's that for motivation?

Last Wednesday, we had our first session with our personal trainer (DPT - I bet you can guess what the D is for?!).  To say I was scared was an understatement - I was petrified.  We completed 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, and 30 minutes of strength exercises with him.  After our first session with him, he said that it would just get harder as the sessions progressed.  Really?!?  After that session, I was sweating like a pig and my legs felt like jello.  Great things to look forward to.  I didn't know the jello feeling in my legs would be replaced with tiny people pulling all my muscles into uncomfortable positions.

The following day, we had our second session with our DPT.  I was sore and struggling, but I was going to push through the pain for our one-hour session.  Again, we completed 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, and 30 minutes of strength and core exercises with him.  The sweat was pouring out of places I didn't know existed, and the tiny people in my legs had multiplied and moved to my arms as well.  I just want to say that I dislike very much two items from this workout - wall squats and lunges. 

Yesterday we had our third session with our DPT - just as the tiny people in my body took a much needed vacation.  We completed 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, and 30 minutes of strength and core exercises with him.  So, I know it's not a good sign when your ears start ringing, but about 20 minutes in I had this issue.  I'm pretty sure I was on the verge of passing out and vomiting all at the same time.  Nice, right?!?  Just as I started to feel some semblance of normal, the tiny people happily invaded my body after their short vacation - and I live to see another day.  I dislike several things from this workout - upping my weights, plank raises, and the crabwalk. 

P.S. - The hubby says that it's not a good workout until someone pukes, so I guess it was a good workout!

Until next time, I leave you with an English Proverb:  "Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork."

And so the journey begins...

After watching 10 seasons of The Biggest Loser and always telling myself tomorrow would be the day I would change, I'm reluctant to say that tomorrow never came.  I was the overweight person watching people lose weight on television, with my two favorite friends: Ben and Jerry, wishing that personal trainer would kick down my door and drag me to the gym. 

After struggling with my weight most of my life, I am the girl who rarely ate in high school so I could shop in the normal section (even then it was the last possible size in that section).  I am the girl who gained the freshmen 15, plus 15, in college.  I am the girl who bought her wedding dress off eBay, because I was too embarrassed to try on dresses at a bridal salon.  I am the girl who wants to take her nieces and nephew to an amusement park, but is afraid of not being able to ride anything.  I am the girl that sits on the sidelines, and hasn't taken an active role in her life for a long time.  And this girl is fed up...and is sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time!

So my journey begins with a new lifestyle change!

I realized that no personal trainer could be my saving grace, because I have to make the decision myself.  I have to drag myself to the gym, even if I don't feel like it.  I have to watch what I eat, even if I would rather have something fatty and deep fried.  I have to want this more than life itself, because that's what it has come down to. 

Do I want to live?  Uh, YES!  There are tons of amazing adventures that I have not experienced in my 29 years!  So stay tuned for snippets of my journey, and experience the highs and lows of this new lifestyle change with me.  This could get quite interesting...