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."

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."

 

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."