Weight Watchers

So I joined Weight Watchers. A few of you suggested it. I had tried it last year and I really liked it, but then I got pregnant with Tallet and was not supposed to be on it. They actually offered to give my money back when I emailed them about what to do! That is another reason I wanted to join again.

I joined for 6 months. I am going to try it for that period of time, and if it doesn't work for me than I will never do it again. But I just had to try.

I am loving it so far. I love the points plus system, it is easy to keep track of what you eat and your activity. I love that I can eat what I want, Weight Watchers teaches you portion control. Sure have a whole chocolate bar. But it is going to use up enough points as a healthy meal would, so which one would you choose? I have already found I am not snacking on things I normally would because I don't want to  use up my points.

I have an app on my ipod that is SO handy for tracking points. And it has a points plus calculator, all you need is the fat, carbs, fiber and protien of a food to calculate it.

My weigh in day is Sundays, so this Sunday was 3 days into it. I had already lost 2 lbs! I stepped on the scale 3 times to make sure it was right, cause I didn't believe it. I get a ridiculous amount of points in a day because I am breastfeeding, so I was pretty skeptical that I could loose weight on that amount of points, but I did! I am trying my BEST not to step on the scale again till next Sunday, but it is hard.

I am kinda interested in starting up a Weight Watchers meeting group in Riverton. There has never been one and I think a bunch of people would be interested. But I think that will wait for a while to see if this system actually works.

I am also half finished the 30 day shred. Today is day 17. It is pretty rare for me to get this far into a workout series without giving up, and that gives me a lot of confidence actually. I don't like using the word proud a whole lot, but for lack of a better word I am proud of myself for sticking to it and not missing a day yet!

This HAS to be the time I succeed. I can not and will not fail this time. I have been failing at this game for 10 years and this time I will win. I have to win. I love winning. 

30 Day Shred

Today I finished Level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I did it Mon-Friday for two weeks. It has worked out quite well for me to do it in the morning while Tallet naps, but a few times I had to do it in the afternoon or evening. I really want to make working out a habit, and so far so good. After I finish this program I hope to do the 90 day Turbo Fire program! 

A Healthy Pregnancy

I really want to have a healthy pregnancy. I guess everyone does! But so far I have not been very successful. I haven't been eating the healthiest food, and I hadn't worked out at all, except for two walks before I knew I was pregnant for sure.

Tonight I finally cracked open my prenatal workout DVD. And honestly I did it because I was bored. I got snowed in today, so I was stuck at home all day. The living room has finally been set up and cleaned, dishes were all done, floors were vacuumed, and I had read for a good portion of the day already. Eric left for hockey so at 9:30 I was inspired to pop in the DVD. I am glad I did. The workout was challenging but not too strenuous. And I feel great! I would ideally love to do this DVD 3 times a week, walking 2-3 times a week and doing the prenatal yoga 2 times a week. But I am never good at sticking to my plans, so we will see!

Next I need to work on healthy eating. Fruits and veggies are not satisfying enough. but I need to find a way to make them work!

A Little Secret

I have a secret. I have been working out for the last week. I didn't want to post about it right away because I didn't want to commit and fail. Which is exactly what I did last week.

Two weeks ago I went looking for the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred but I couldn't find it, so I bought Ripped in 30 instead. Last week I did two days and then got side tracked. This week I have went to bed early every night so I could wake up at 620 to do my workouts. So far I have done it all 4 days and I plan to do it tomorrow morning and before church on Sunday. Monday will be my rest day.

I really like the work out. I needed something that was 30 minutes long, because I simply cannot wake up before 6 on a workday. The workout is a great length and it is challenging, exactly what I want.

I am excited/nervous to do week 2. Apparently the workouts keep getting harder as you go!

The best part so far is that I already feel stronger!

I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to keep this up. I love having my workout done at the beginning of the day. Knowing me, I will drop off this routine after 2 or 3 weeks, but I really don't want to do that this time. I want to stick with it and make this a habit!

Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge Week 5

I had a really rough week last week. I ate a whole bag of Caramilk Secrets (880 calories, BTW) on the way back to camping after my staff meeting. What can I say, I am a stress eater. That was not all I ate either. There was much, much more.

So for the last few days I have been tracking my food with MyNetDiary app on my iPod, and I am happy to say I am back on track. I have been walking and running, and I am eating healthier again.

I am down 7 lbs and a whopping 5 inches after my 5th week on the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge.
I was disapointed by the number on the scale, but very impressed with the measurements.

Surprisingly enough I am not tired of the shakes. I try to make different flavors every day, so it is always like I am having something new. It is saving us money, and making my work prep in the morning very very easy. No more buying lunch 2-3 times a week because I forgot to bring something.

My goal this week is to run 5 or 6 times for at least 20 minutes.

Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge Week 4

Well the truth is I didn't get to weigh in. We were away camping, so I skipped this weigh in and measuring. It is probably for the best though with the amount of junk I ate this weekend! I am sure I probably gained! :(

This week I plan to work out more! This Sunday I will have a better update hopefully!

The 90 Day Challenge

Today I started my Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge!

Now, generally I try to stay away from fad diets. I have tried many of them and they work for a short period of time, but I just can't seem to stick with them.

I don't see this as a fad diet, I just see it as a challenge! It consists of two protein shake meals a day, and one healthy balanced meal with healthy snacks in between. I already have a protein shake for breakfast every morning, so that stays the same, but I am also going to have one for lunch. I am excited about this because I am always scrambling to find something for lunch, and this will be easy and healthy!

The shake mix is a sweet cream flavour, so you can mix it with pretty much anything. This morning for breakfast I mixed it with a cup of frozen raspberries and a cup of skim milk for "Raspberries & Cream", and for supper tonight I plan on having a Peanut Butter Cup shake! I will mix a bit of chocolate frozen yogurt, 2 tsp peanut butter, the chocolate mix in, 2 scoops shake mix and a cup of skim milk. (I had lunch at the in-laws which is why I am having it for supper).

My goal in the 90 days is to loose 25 lbs and exercise 45 minutes 5 days a week regularly.

If you would like to join me you can visit http://lintc.myvi.net/ for more information.

The shakes are not just for weight loss. One a day helps maintain a healthy weight, and mixed with water or skim milk after a work out is a great way to help build healthy lean muscle. ViSalus also has vitamins, metabolism boosters, and natural energy drinks, and protein cookies. I like that they try to focus on healthy, natural products!

Another great thing about these shakes is that they are Low GI, so they are perfect for my diet to help control PCOS. I have been of the wagon for over a month now, and I am excited to get back on!

My Journey To Fitness - Month 1 - Restart

I guess I kind of fell of the wagon with my monthly fitness updates. I will try again....

Pounds to goal: 60

Most minutes run: 40

Acceptable Goal: Follow the fasted 5k plan to train for the Manitoba Marathon Relay

Challenging Goal: Run the Manitoba Marathon Relay and not get last.

Ultimate Goal: Loose 60 lbs, win a 5K. To be active every day. To make exercise a habit that I stick to.

What changes I have made this month: I went to a naturopath and started a low GI diet, eliminated dairy, and starting taking certain vitamins, minerals and herbs. I have also been regular my exercising.

What I have learned this month: That I can eat healthy and still feel full. I have also learned that prepping food ahead of time makes it a lot easier to eat healthy! I have also noticed that my slow running pace is faster!

What I want to change next month: I would love to start doing my run in the mornings before work during the week. I want to continue this low GI diet and find yummy recipes to make.

Recovered

I am feeling pretty much normal today. I have no more pain from the surgery, which is awesome. However I was feeling pretty off this morning, like the fatigue I had been experiencing a few weeks ago. I figure it is either from 3 things because they are the only changes: starting metformin, not exercising or this brand of contacts. I am changing my contacts tomorrow, I am not going to take metformin for a couple days, and I ran today.

For 40 minutes straight.

When I left for the run I planned on running for 20 or 25 minutes. But when I got to that time, I decided to run to a certain point. When I got there, I decided to run for 30 minutes. When that time came around, I decided to just keep going to another certain point. When I got there, I decided I might as well keep running until I hit 40 minutes.

I guess you can say that I am fully recovered from my surgery now! :)

It was wonderful! I can't believe I ran for that long. I have never ran 30 minutes in my life! I think I ran for almost 4 miles. That is more than a 5K. I just ran a 5K, basically. I also walked 20 minutes home, for a total of 60 minutes exercise and 1400 calories burned according to my heart rate monitor.

A few girls from work and I are going to sign up for the Manitoba Marathon relay! It is just over 5 miles to run. After today, I know I can do it!

I LOVE RUNNING!

My Goal

Today I was reminded of one of my goals. Or maybe I should call it a reward. When I am fit, I would like to buy a set of workout clothes from Lululemon. These are the pieces that I would like to get:

I can't decide between the long version or the cropped:

Love this jacket and the colour:

And this shirt/colour:

And just for fun a pair of shorts!


They are all running gear, I just like it the best! I might change my mind by the time I am ready to buy these items, or when I try them on. But I at least have something to motivate me some more!

TurboFire

I bought these DVD a while back, but I have only done them it 3 times! Partly because of motivation, but also because they would not work in my DVD played.

Well, I finally got a new DVD player and started TurboFire yesterday! And I managed to motivate myself to do it today too! It is tough, but I really like it. I am really hoping I can stick with it this time. Especially for the last couple weeks of the Biggest Loser challenge.

On a different note, I just realized that I forgot about Turkey Tuesday two weeks in a row! OOPS!! I will try to start it next week!!

Biggest Loser

Today Eric and I entered into the Biggest Loser Challenge in town. There was about 20 other people that signed up. Person with the highest percentage of weight loss takes home most of the entry fees ($40 a person) with the second place person getting their money back.

I have wanted to do something like this for a long time. Actually I was wanted to start it up myself, but I was waiting to get all my fitness instructor stuff done before so I could incorporate that!

Nevertheless, I am so glad someone started it! This is exactly what I need for motivation. One, because I am highly competitive and have to win everything even if it isn't for money. And two, because the winner gets a nice cash prize!

My Journey To Fitness: Month 3

Pounds to goal: 69

Acceptable Goal: Do TurboFire 6 days a week for 90 days and loost 20 lbs by Christmas.
Challenging Goal: Run for 45 minutes at a time, run a 5K and not get last.
Ultimate Goal: Loose 71 lbs, win a 5K. To be active every day. To make exercise a habit that I stick to.

What changes I have made this month: I stopped running. It was getting too dark in the mornings, and I am scared of the dark! There was no way I was going to run in the dark! So I ordered TurboFire, which is kind of like Turbo Jam, but intensified and includes high intensity interval training, which is supposed to be the best for fat burning. Actually it is alot like the p90x program, but instead of being focused on building muscle, it focuses on burning fat. I have also started taking metformin again. That in combination with starting to read Thin Within again has helped me to loose the weight I gained back since going off metformin.

What I have learned this month: That I get bored if I don't have a challenging goal to meet. Running wasn't quite as fun when I didn't have a set goal to acheive! I did run for 26 minutes at a time though.

What I want to change next month: Finish reading Thin Within finally, commit to exercising 6 days a week and NOT sleeping through my alarm! I also want to start going to be earlier, because going to bet at 12 and getting up at 6 just isn't cool. I would love to be in bed sleeping by 10:30, I think that is reasonable! I also need to spend less time on the internet, mostly obsessing over my infertility and what I can do to cure it!

My Running Schedule

I did not run at all last week. I just needed a break week. Plus it is dark and COLD in the morning and I don't really want to run in the dark ( yes, I am scared. Coyotes, bears, skunks. Need I say more?). So I might stop running for the season, and get up and do p90x or TurboJam or something like that. I like getting up and working out, it is a great start to the day, and I don't want to loose that routine. Here is the schedule I used to get me to running 20 minutes at a time:

Week 1: Run 1 min, Walk 2 min x 6 sets, run 1 min. (Total run time : 7 min.)
Week 2: Run 1 min, Walk 1 min x 10 sets, (Total run time : 10 min.)
Week 3: Run 2 min, Walk 1 min x 6 sets, run 2 min. (Total run time : 14 min.)
Week 4: Run 3 min, Walk 1 min x 5 sets, (Total run time : 15 min.)
Week 5: Run 4 min, Walk 1 min x 4 sets, (Total run time : 16 min.)
Week 6: Run 5 min, Walk 1 min x 3 sets, run 2 min. (Total run time : 17 min)
Week 7: Run 6 min, Walk 1 min x 3 sets, (Total run time : 18 min.)
Week 8: Run 8 min, Walk 1 min x 2 sets, run 2 min (Total run time : 18 min.)
Week 9: Run 10 min, Walk 1 min x 2 sets, (Total run time : 20 min.)
Week 10: Run 20 min non stop (Total run time : 20 min.)

Let me know if you are going to try it! I would love to cheer you on and encourage you!

My Journey To Fitness Month Two

Minutes running at a time: 20

Pounds to goal: 70

Acceptable Goal: Continue running for 20 minutes each morning and add 20-30 more minutes of exercise a day.

Challenging Goal: Run for 45 minutes at a time, run a 5K and not get last.

Ultimate Goal: Loose 71 lbs, win a 5K. To be active every day. To run 5x a week, strength train 3x per week, and bike 2x on the weekends.

What changes I have made this month: Honestly! Not a whole lot. I stopped taking a certain medication, as instructed by my doctor, and I gained back 5 lbs! I also got a ravenous appetite off the meds, I was just hungry all the time. So I started PGX, which is a concentrated fibre capsule, that helps with supressing my hunger and helps regulate blood sugar levels. So far it seems to help with the appetite, and I have lost 3-4lbs that I have gained. I have been on it for about 2 weeks.

What I have learned this month: That I am capable of running for 20 minutes at a time. It was such a huge goal for me to meet. I can do things if I put my mind to it!

What I want to change next month: Eating more vegetables and fresh foods. I would also like to get in more exercise somehow! I am still thinking of readying Thin Within again. I feel like I am stuck at a weight plateau that i just can't get off of! I would love to loose another 20lbs before Christmas!

And for fun, I decided I was brave enough to post picture. The first is from when I started Thin Within 1.5 years and 23lbs ago, the second I took tonight. I don't actually think it looks that different, but it's a start!! Please ignore my stupid faces in the before pics. I guess I just figured people always look miserable in the befores!

Running Week 10 of 10!

I just couldn't wait until the end of the week to post! This morning I ran for 20 minutes without stopping! 10 weeks ago I could not have even imagined this being possible! But it is! This morning was very hot and humid, even at 630 am. It make it much more tiring to run, but I didn't struggle to finish the 20 minutes! All thanks to God for giving me the motivation to start this running program, and to stick to it! I could not have done it without Him.

Now to change up the diet and drop some of this weight already!!

Running Week 9 of 10

Last week I ran 10 minutes, walked 1, ran 10 for a total of 20 minutes running! The first day it was pretty easy, but the last 3 days were brutal. I didn't get enough sleep (6 hours or less) and I wasn't feeling that great. The first two days I made CRAZY distance, I think because it was so cold that I was running harder to stay warm!

Tomorrow I run for 20 minutes at time. I am *SO* excited to try it out, yet nervous that I won't be able to do it.

Running Week 8 of 10

Last week I complete Week 8 of running! The schedule was run 8, walk 1 x 2, then run 2 for a total of 18 minutes running. I didn't push myself too hard, and it was doable! Jumping it up an extra two minutes was not so bad. I am still waiting to loose some weight as a result of this, but Eric and I are going to follow a meal plan starting sometimes this week. It will be nice to be told which recipes to make. It gives us a shopping list for the week, then we just make what it tells us! So many times we get home and have NO clue what to make for supper, so this will help. I am NOT referring to a diet, because they don't work for me! We will see...

Running Weeks 5, 6 & 7 of 10

A very brief running update! Can't believe I have missed so many weeks.

Week 5 was run 4, walk 1 x four. It was pretty good!

Last week I ran in the Whiteshell with Eric. There was a lot of uphills (and downhills), that made the run alot harder! I ran 5 min, walked 1 x 3, then ran 2 minutes.

This week I am running 6, walking 1 x 3. This morning was the first morning running at home (yesterday I ran on the treadmill at the hotel), and it was relatively easy! I cannot believe how far I can run!

It is really hard to believe that in 2.5 short weeks I will be running for 20 minutes at a time! I can't wait for this to get easier!

My Journey To Fitness - Month 1

As promised , I will do a monthly overview of my fitness progress. I enjoy reading about it in Shape, and it will be good for me to journal my progress! I wish I had a Month 0, but I only got this idea a couple weeks ago.

Minutes running at a time: 5

Pounds to goal: 71

Acceptable Goal: Run for 20 minutes at a time.

Challenging Goal: Run for 45 minutes at a time, run a 5K and not get last.

Ultimate Goal: Loose 71 lbs, win a 5K. To be active every day. To run 5x a week, strength train 3x per week, and bike 2x on the weekends.

Today I read an article saying that many women who have PCOS loose weight, reverse PCOS and get pregnant without fertility treatments! If that is not motivation, I don`t know what is!

What changes I have made this month: began running, drinking more water, limiting salt addition to food, adding more fresh produce to diet, make more lunches at home and eating out less often. Making healthier choices when ordering out.

What I have learnt this month: I love running. It is easier to get started than I thought. It is a great way to start out my day. Exercising makes me crave healthier food. I am thinking more about what I put into my body. Making small changes at a time is easier than overhauling my lifestyle. It is easier to stick to, and it motivates me to make more changes. I feel alot less like a failure. Weight loss is not achieved by exercise alone, I have not lost a pound yet! Diet is equally important. Reading material, like magazines, on fitness helps to motivate me press on and it gives me lots of great tips and ideas, and great work outs!

What I want to change next month: Add some biking in on the weekends, continue running, and do more strength training. I also want to work more on my diet this month. I want to cut out as much processed food as possible, eat more fresh produce, and find healthy but yummy recipes. I would also like to add more avacados and asparagus to my diet, because I decided I like them!