I've gotten into the habit of titling these posts as Day "X." I've decided to keep going with that because I think 30 days is a good measuring stick to keep track of how I'm doing. In theory, I can track the natural ups and downs that occur every 30 days, and if I start to falter, I'll have a chance to start with a new "shot clock" so to speak every 30 days.
However, I'd also like to acknowledge that I'm on my "second" 30 days. So, I came up with the code "2d30D_," which is short for 2nd 30 Day "x".
Updated: For as much motivation as I thought I was filled with at the end of my first 30 days, it didn't translate into getting me out of bed before the crack of dawn this morning. I know I ate too much yesterday, and my body repaid me by not wanting to get out of bed when the alarm went off.
I waited until after breakfast. The kids wanted to watch "Marley and Me," so I set them up in my bedroom, and I did Jillian Michaels' "Boost Your Metabolism" from On Demand on Exercise TV. This is a 55 minute workout. Sometimes, I'm only able to get through 40 minutes of it, but today, I was cruising along, feel pretty good, when right around the 45 minute mark the TV screen went black. "Ugh, not again! I complained to myself." It turned out to be a "Test of the Emergency Broadcast System" that interrupted service. It took about 5 minutes to get everything booted back up. I contemplated giving up, in fact, I tried to start the Pilates Abs workout, but that didn't work either. Besides, like I said, I was feeling strong and wanted to finish "BYM." After about 5 minutes of fuming, it started working again and I finished up strong.
According to my weekly plan, I wanted to get in some Yoga today, but that hasn't happened. I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow morning.
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Days 18 and 19: Slipping...
I can feel myself losing steam. I didn't get up to work out yesterday or today. I did meet with the personal trainer yesterday afternoon for my assessment. He had me walk one mile on the treadmill, do 12 "real" push ups and as many crunches as I could in 30 seconds. He also had me use some sort of leg machine and arm machine and rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard the exercises were. I'm hoping to start next Thursday. My schedule will be Tuesdays at 1 pm and Thursdays at 9:30.
I ate terribly yesterday. I just kept snacking. I was trying to make decent choices, but at some point, even if you're eating carrots and celery, you're still just eating calories that you don't need. I had a taste for "something," I'm not sure what it was, I thought I wanted something sweet, so I kept eating handfuls of yogurt covered raisins, but nothing was satisfying to my palette.
I may try to get some sort of workout in this afternoon, but we'll see.
I ate terribly yesterday. I just kept snacking. I was trying to make decent choices, but at some point, even if you're eating carrots and celery, you're still just eating calories that you don't need. I had a taste for "something," I'm not sure what it was, I thought I wanted something sweet, so I kept eating handfuls of yogurt covered raisins, but nothing was satisfying to my palette.
I may try to get some sort of workout in this afternoon, but we'll see.
Friday, March 27, 2009
My meeting with the personal trainer
I met with a personal trainer today. I'm pretty sure I want to do this, it's just a matter off when to start and what days I can commit to training and finding a baby sitter. I'd really like to get down a few more pounds on my own before I start. I'm not really sure why, I just want the sense of accomplishment that comes with losing weight on my own.
When I told him that my goal was to get down to 120 pounds by mid-June to coincide with our anniversary vacation he didn't seem to think that was an unreasonable goal. I told him all about my previous experience with a personal trainer, and he said he thinks he can do better. I scheduled up an "assessment" for next Tuesday at 1:00.
He encouraged me to drink more water and to incorporate a protein bar into my dailyy routine. I've been working on drinking more water for the last week or so, I suppose I can try the protein bar. He says it will help me build muscle.
When I told him that my goal was to get down to 120 pounds by mid-June to coincide with our anniversary vacation he didn't seem to think that was an unreasonable goal. I told him all about my previous experience with a personal trainer, and he said he thinks he can do better. I scheduled up an "assessment" for next Tuesday at 1:00.
He encouraged me to drink more water and to incorporate a protein bar into my dailyy routine. I've been working on drinking more water for the last week or so, I suppose I can try the protein bar. He says it will help me build muscle.
Monday, September 29, 2008
My personal trainer
The most serious I've ever been about losing weight (before now) was in May of 2007. I visited my doctor for my annual exam, and I was appalled at the number on the scale when I got weighed. It had been 18 months since the birth of my second child, and I was about 14 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. I set my mind toward losing those 14 pounds, at least.
For about two months, I worked out on my own at least 3 days a week. I tried to watch what I ate, but truth be told, I didn't change my eating habits or limit my caloric intake at all. I'm one of those people who fall into the trap of "I worked out today, I can eat whatever I want." So, I didn't lose any significant weight, but I was encouraged by some signs that I was toning up.
In June of 2007, I read an article about a new company of personal trainers who made house calls. The rates seemed reasonable enough, so I called the number in the paper. When I hung up the phone, I had an appointment with a personal trainer for the following week. After doing the intial assessment, we agreed that I needed to work out at least 4 days a week. Two days a week the personal trainer would come to my house at 6:00 am, and the other two days a week I'd be on my own. The trainer put together a little routine for me to follow on his off days, and I was pretty diligent about doing it.
The best thing about having the personal trainer, for me, was that he really taught me how to work out. He taught me how to push myself, and he made me realize that I was strong and could get stronger. He showed me new exercises, ones I never would have tried on my own. He started me off with 2 pound weights, but he had me doing most exercises with 10 pound weights in no time.
Unfortunately, I did not see the results I was looking for. I was expecting the weight to "melt" off me given all the lean muscle mass I was building. In three months of intense working out, I lost about nine pounds and several inches. My trainer also expressed dismay at my lack of weight loss. He suggested that perhaps my metabolism was "off" and urged me to get my thyroid checked. When my blood work came back "normal," I decided to let the trainer go because I could not justify the $125 a week for what I considered sub-par results.
It was around this time that I discovered Jari Love and her Get Ripped 1000 workout. This is the DVD that alternates between segments of cardio bursts and strength training. I never would have considered this video prior to working out with the trainer, I never would have had the confidence in my ability to do the moves. But after working with the trainer, I knew I could do it.
Unfortunately, at the end of October 2007, our family was struck with a sudden and major tragedy, and my desire and will to work out ended abruptly. It took me until July 2008 to get motivated again to lose weight. I did work out sporadically during the winter months, but I was nowhere near as serious as I had been.
When I went back to my doctor for my annual exam for 2008, I weighed exactly what I weighed the year before. Ironically, the doctor actually commended me for not gaining any weight over the course of the year. I then had to admit to him that I had actually lost and then gained about 9 pounds.
Today, I'm actually a pound or two less than I was when I was working out with the personal trainer. I'm not satisfied, I will keep going. I can't think about where I might be if I had kept going. I just know that I have a goal, and I have motivation. I have a series of incentives, and I think I've given myself a realistic time frame to lose the weight I want to lose. With Weight Watchers' help, I've changed my eating habits. I'm not a perfect dieter by any means, I still cheat, and I "overeat" my points on occasion. But I think, if I keep plugging away, I can get to where I want to be.
For about two months, I worked out on my own at least 3 days a week. I tried to watch what I ate, but truth be told, I didn't change my eating habits or limit my caloric intake at all. I'm one of those people who fall into the trap of "I worked out today, I can eat whatever I want." So, I didn't lose any significant weight, but I was encouraged by some signs that I was toning up.
In June of 2007, I read an article about a new company of personal trainers who made house calls. The rates seemed reasonable enough, so I called the number in the paper. When I hung up the phone, I had an appointment with a personal trainer for the following week. After doing the intial assessment, we agreed that I needed to work out at least 4 days a week. Two days a week the personal trainer would come to my house at 6:00 am, and the other two days a week I'd be on my own. The trainer put together a little routine for me to follow on his off days, and I was pretty diligent about doing it.
The best thing about having the personal trainer, for me, was that he really taught me how to work out. He taught me how to push myself, and he made me realize that I was strong and could get stronger. He showed me new exercises, ones I never would have tried on my own. He started me off with 2 pound weights, but he had me doing most exercises with 10 pound weights in no time.
Unfortunately, I did not see the results I was looking for. I was expecting the weight to "melt" off me given all the lean muscle mass I was building. In three months of intense working out, I lost about nine pounds and several inches. My trainer also expressed dismay at my lack of weight loss. He suggested that perhaps my metabolism was "off" and urged me to get my thyroid checked. When my blood work came back "normal," I decided to let the trainer go because I could not justify the $125 a week for what I considered sub-par results.
It was around this time that I discovered Jari Love and her Get Ripped 1000 workout. This is the DVD that alternates between segments of cardio bursts and strength training. I never would have considered this video prior to working out with the trainer, I never would have had the confidence in my ability to do the moves. But after working with the trainer, I knew I could do it.
Unfortunately, at the end of October 2007, our family was struck with a sudden and major tragedy, and my desire and will to work out ended abruptly. It took me until July 2008 to get motivated again to lose weight. I did work out sporadically during the winter months, but I was nowhere near as serious as I had been.
When I went back to my doctor for my annual exam for 2008, I weighed exactly what I weighed the year before. Ironically, the doctor actually commended me for not gaining any weight over the course of the year. I then had to admit to him that I had actually lost and then gained about 9 pounds.
Today, I'm actually a pound or two less than I was when I was working out with the personal trainer. I'm not satisfied, I will keep going. I can't think about where I might be if I had kept going. I just know that I have a goal, and I have motivation. I have a series of incentives, and I think I've given myself a realistic time frame to lose the weight I want to lose. With Weight Watchers' help, I've changed my eating habits. I'm not a perfect dieter by any means, I still cheat, and I "overeat" my points on occasion. But I think, if I keep plugging away, I can get to where I want to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
