Fell Off the Wagon but I'm Back!

So the last couple months have flown by.   Stress from family health issues, job responsibility changes, and a discouraging lack of motivation caused me to fall off the wagon but I am back.

I have a positive mentality on my weight loss and I am going to get back at it with a vengeance. 

Last night was the Finishers Reception of that 12 week transformation challenge I was a part of. I know it didn't seem worth it to go since I only lost about half a pound by the end, but just "finishing" the competition gave me another kick start of motivation to take with me into the coming months. I "finihed" this, now I am going to finish my weight loss! Seeing some of the successful participants "before and after" photos really sparked a new energy within me that I hope stays lit for awhile. 

I am currently ~30lbs away from my goal weight, 23lbs down from my highest weight and I am looking to work hard and keep pushing myself toward that end goal with the hope that I can stay motivated this time around. No more yo-yo like attitudes about this.

It's more about how I feel then it is about the number on the scale but to make this measurable I set a number goal and my time frame to meet that goal is by years end. December 31st 2013 I want to be 30lbs lighter and 100x more confident in myself and my capabilities.

The "I Wills" of the next 6 months:

I will eat cleaner and with my body in mind

I will workout with 110% of my effort

I will start running

I will stretch well to avoid injury

I will take dance lessons again

I will be more active on the weekends

I will eat breakfast 

I will eat proper portions

I will eat more veggies

I will eat less carbs

I will look in the mirror and love myself 

NSV - " Non Scale Victory"

Hello all!

Some of you my be familiar to the term NSV or non scale victory but some of you may not. This is a term used to describe some weight loss achievements even if the scale says you haven't lost a thing. Maybe your jeans fit better or your significant other noticed your hard work, or you were finally able to run a mile without stopping. These are all things that are showing you that your hard work is paying off but maybe the scale isn't telling you.

Even though my scale says I only lost a half of a pound over the last week I can see a slight change in my body that has occurred over the first 2 weeks of my new regimen. I see a small but noticeable toning in my abdomen that was not there before. I know there is still a layer of fat that needs to come off but there is a strong core beneath it and my goal is to uncover it and show my and the light of day!

Seeing that small difference in the mirror is a strong motivator to help me push forward and keep doing what I am doing even though it might be hard at times. It also helps keep the end goal in mind when I think about having that unplanned snack of munchkins or when my boyfriend suggests fast food. I say NO, because I am starting to see results from the effort I am putting in and I don't want to take any steps backwards.

  I am at the end of Week 3, I am only down a half of a pound from when I officially weighed in and in the last two weeks have actually gained weight (half a pound) instead of losing. Getting very frustrated I asked my trainer to do my measurements last night because I figured there was NO way I was putting in all the effort and getting practically 0 result. Well the results are: lost 3 inches on my waist, lost 1.5 inches on my hips, gained 1.5 inches on my thighs... So this just goes to prove further that frustrating line about muscle weighing more than fat can be accurate because my hard work is showing, just not on the scale! Hopefully soon both will be showing results, gotta get my eating habits more in check first!

Week 4, I'm coming for you!

Week 3's a charm

At the start of Week 3 and I am down a constant 3 lbs since the start of my challenge. It doesn't seem like much but even more importantly than the weight, I see my body changing already. My waist is a bit smaller, my face a bit thinner, and my endurance a bit higher!

I really need to buckle down on weekends I am visiting my boyfriend. He can eat what ever he wants and I just can't do that. So the next weekend I am there I will make some healthy recipes for us to try together. I really love cooking and this will give me the opportunity to control what we eat. Plus it will force him to try some new things too :)

My exercise Schedule this week:
Monday: Zumba
Tuesday: personal trainer
Wednesday: Zumba
Thursday: AM: MindBody Core PM: personal trainer
Friday: Off
Saturday: Body Combat
Sunday: Body Flow

Lets get at it!!!

Super Bowl set back

Not only was I more than sure the 49ers were going to kill the Ravens I was also sure I could keep from losing all of my will power not to dive into all the yummy party snacks.

I stayed with the a healthy portion of shrimp cocktail and nibbled on a few homemade White Castle cheeseburgers. Yes,.. homemade my mother :) They are worth falling off the wagon for. Although i was good with my eating habits, my drinking habits were entirely different story. I was so worried about what to eat that I forgot to watch how much I was drinking. Lets just say...4th quarter is a bit of a blur :(

This weekend has bin a bit of loss for me food wise. Two family parties and Super Bowl just didn't help me stick to my usual goals. I did manage to make it to Body Flow on Sunday morning which I was SO glad I did. What a great class! I would say its a mix between Yoga and Pilates. Something I should be doing more of to help strengthen my lower back and loosen up my hamstrings to prevent injuries in the future.

This week I am back at it! With no parties on the calender in the next few weeks I can focus on my goals and get my ambition back up to where it needs to be!

I can not truly be in a healthy relationship with someone else if I am not in a healthy relationship with my self.

And On The 5th Day...She Rested

Oh are my muscles angry with me today! That new class I took yesterday was great! There were something I could do that I never thought I could and some thing that I could not do that will hopefully come in time. The instructor was great very calming and motivating at the same time. I don't know what I was thinking because after waking up at 5am to get to that class I also kept my session of personal training for lay night on top of that.

Today seems like a good day to give my body the day off. Maybe if my boyfriend is up for it we can go to the gym and do a bit of cardio that will give my muscles a break but chances are I will just hit he gym again tomorrow and take tonight off.

As good as I was doing with my food choices, yesterday my boss asked me to grab lunch with her. I enjoy going out with her so I put my brown bag lunch on hold and agreed. We went to Greydog on University near Union Square. What a yummy place! Great for my taste buds not so great for my diet... But I made the best choices I could, chicken salad melt on rye.
I could have done with out the bread but I only ate half, took the other half home for a snack on the train ride. I had water instead of soda. And a couple sweet potato fries. I want to limit meals like this over the 12 weeks of the challenge but I also want to be realistic of a lifestyle after the challenge is over. So going out once in a while is fine as long as I am making better choices other days.

My will power is not waning one bit which is awesome for my confidence this time around. But a complementary meal is hard to pass up. I'll make up for it now.

Take one day at a time!

It's 5am...why am I awake?

So today is the day of the much anticipated MindBody Core class at Circuit of Change in Manhattan.

As excited as I am to take the class, I am less then excited to have to wake up an hour before I normally have to be up to take the train into the city. Although I am surprisingly more awake then if I slept in.

Let me just say that my quads are sooo sore from the workout with that new trainer on Tuesday that I hope I can at least give this class my all without wanting to collapse :) I must be crazy because I am doing this 8am class and then I have my normal personal trainer workout tonight at 8pm. Two intense workouts in 12 hours... Reminds me of my days conditioning for varsity sports!

I don't know about all the rest of the world but I actually enjoy the feeling of being sore from a good workout. It's proof I pushed myself to the limit and burned away a part of me that was present yesterday and gone today, with hopefully a lot more loss of my physical self a I go!

Don't be afraid of a new workout or a new class, give it a try and give it all you've got. It will only get you closer to your goals!

New personal trainer last night!

My personal training schedule is a solo on Tuesdays and a partner session on Thursdays. My usual trainer had cancel our session for Tuesday and none of his other slots worked for me so I asked to see if any of the other guys were free to train me. Luckily there was! And let me tell you, what a workout!

Burned 450 calories doing a workout similar to Gold Gym's functional training classes. What I loved about his personality is that he motivated me to get at that one last rep or push through another 30seconds. He pushed me to do better and I need that in a trainer. My arms and legs felt like jello by the end but I also didn't want the workout to end. I am hoping to schedule a few more sessions with guy especially during the 12 week challenge.

On another note, so excited to attend that MindBody Core class I signed up for. Not too excited that I need to wake up at 5am in order to get there but it will all be worth it.

The desire to change must be greater than the desire to stay the same!

Starting Early

Even though my challenge doesn't start until Tuesday, I am going to start all my planned habits today because I can't stand to keep seeing that scale creep any higher!

Today will be a very food conscious day. Healthy intake and hopefully at least a quick workout in before bed.

A workout each day this weekend, hopefully some adventurous cooking, and some stress free activities with my boyfriend.

Now is a better time then any!

A Groupon Deal To Help My Motivation And My Wallet!

This weekend, while perusing the various junk mails that come through my to my Gmail account, I stumbled upon a Groupon deal for 10 Classes for $50 at Circuit Of Change near my office in NYC. Do the math...$5 per class! Regularly $27 per class or compared to other workout classes in the city, upwards of $30 per walk-in class. So needless to say, jumped on it! Specifically the MindBody Core class at 8:00am on Thursdays with the founder Brian. AHH. The videos look intense but I think it'll be a great way to supplement my usual 2 days a week of Zumba and 2 days a week with my personal trainer

I bought this opportunity for myself to enhance my usual workout routine. I feel like you have to throw some curve balls into your workout regiment just to stay excited about exercise.

I feel as thought my will power is ready for this challenge and I have the mind set to make the changes i need to. I am just afraid that when the time comes that power will strain and cease to be as strong as it is now.

12 Week Transformation Challenge @ Golds Gym

I participated in this last year and came in 3rd Place for my age group! At my lowest I lost 25lbs. Needless to say I was so proud of myself and so determined at the time. But life happens and since then I have gained at least 10lbs of it back and am was less then determined. But I have woken up this week with a new lease on life and a new will to make my goal weight a reality.

Let me stress that the number on the scale isn't as important to me as how I feel to myself, how i feel in my clothes and my mental health but I have to have a goal in mind and my goal is to lose 30lbs which will put me at a number range that I think will get me feeling my personal best. I joining the challenge again this year as extra motivation hoping the cash prizes will be incentive to jump start me to my goal. 

My "Before" photo shoot is scheduled for Tuesday, January 29th. I am less than thrilled to be donning a bikini to show every lump and roll to the camera. But i look at these photos as a rude awakening of what needs to happen in the next 12 weeks. I plan to take this time to really focus on my eating habits, hit the gym hard and get control of my life!

Here's to a new me!