Not Ready For No W.O.W.

Unfortunately I have realized that there is a long time between november 20 and january 9, I thought I was going to be just fine. I haven't gained any weight but its the same thing as saying "well i stayed in my 1200 calorie range....without a single fruit or vegetable." I never became dependent on W.O.W. and I know that it takes 21 days to develop a habit, which is why I am posting this at 5:50 am, but there were a few days that things just got to be too much for me to handle, and I was simply tracking my food because I didn't want to let andrea or kristan down. It sounds kind of pathetic but it is the kind of motivation that works for me, not for everyone of course, but I don't like letting people down or myself down. But right now, it is hard because I don't have anyone ready to chew my ass if I keep making the same mistakes, or the constant motivation.

Also, I feel very paranoid because as I have been getting new clothes that actually fit I freak out when my pants are tight, or a shirt is a little snug, and I have to make a very conscious effort to tell myself to shut up because these clothes are all my size now. Plus, during WOW andrea and I both were just wearing our clothes big because didnt and still aren't sure how small we are going to be. I bought my first pair of jeans in a size 16 (which is down from size 20 in august), and my first shirt that is a size large since well the beginning of time, I can't tell you when I have ever worn a large. So I feel like I went from wearing MC HAMMER pants (eww evidence of my age, if you don't know what I am talking about google "can't touch this" by M.C. Hammer) to skinny jeans.

Not sure why I felt strong enough about this to blog about, but now that the hype is over I have to keep looking ahead to my goals....and pull my head out of my !@#$%@ because I do know what carbs are so I need to knock off my excuses about them.

Burnout and Exhaustion

Believe it or not it isn't from working out, its from life in general. This last week and a half has really given me a run for my money. It is time for Christmas break because I am losing patience with my students, who's behaviors are absolutely not their fault because they are reinforced at home, however inappropriate for school they may be. I just don't have a lot of "fight" in me right now to nip these in the butt.

Finals at UNI are finally over...and I think I survived. I wrote a 21 page annotated bibliography, a 7 page book analysis, 150 pages of portfolio work, and an option project that was 14 pages about student-led IEP. My brain hurts, and I just have no ambition to do anything. I am about ready to put Ghandi in the VCR seriously and coast into break. I can't believe i even just said that.

Thankfully, my eating has been good so I haven't gained any weight, but I sure as hell haven't lost any either. I have been doing Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga, so it isn't that I haven't done anything...I think that it just feels like it. Also, I have to learn how to not beat myself up because I do have my priorities straight...and that was my graduate classes, but damn I feel like a slacker.

Ok I just had to share that.

In Remembrance...of Amy Jensen

I haven't had the strength to watch these until last night, but I really want to share them with people. Amy was a student at the last school that I taught at, I had her little brother who you will see in the video (that is huge now) in my very first class I taught.

Amy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer during the spring of 2007, I became her tutor while she was going through chemo, both rounds. I would get her assignments from her teacher, and then spend time with her and teach her the material that she missed. That went on her entire junior year of high school, and she just went to school when she felt up to it to see her friends.

I am sure that Amy taught me more than I ever taught her, about the human spirit. She was the true definition of everything that is good in the world, and the strength of a true fighter. I was truly lucky to have known her. Please watch these.

http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=112409eye

http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=112509eye

This blog is all about our journey in health and fitness. These are about Amy's final gift to her family and friends. Why do we let ourselves live unhealthy lives...because we feel like it? because we can if we want to? I think about Amy a lot and the life that I get to live compared to hers that was cut so short. We can save ourselves, and she couldn't, but she gave it a hell of fight.

My favorite memory of Amy happened one day when I came over to work on her algebra and there was this really pretty little bouquet of flowers on the table and I said "Amy these are way pretty?" She replied, "well i let Snipper (her dog) out to go to the bathroom and his leash got snagged around my crutches, I fell down the stairs into the flower bush....and I figured while I was there I would pick a bouquet." That was Amy, nothing got in her way.

Get off the couch and get going, being overweight is a preventable condition but the side effects of it can take you away from those you love the most.

And the Winner is....ME!!!

Last night at our banquet for W.O.W. the results were finally shared of who the winners were. I had really hoped I would but until it actually happened, I really didn't think I would. I was even thinking when I was getting ready to go up to our get together last night that I really didn't care because I had already won so many things. I'm a lister by nature, I have daily to-do lists and that is what I was doing in my head about all the reasons that I already won so I want to share it because I came up with some pretty good stuff:

1. I talk to myself more positively
2. I don't have fat days anymore...just ones where I knew I had too much salt the day before
3. My husband bought me a new outfit from Vanity and I didn't have to say,"Honey, you know clothes from that store only fit skinny people"
4. I can go out to eat and take pride in knowing that I made good choices
5. For all the great people I have met at Average Joe's, to help cancel out some of the negative ones in my life
6. That I know when people say nothing at all about my weight loss...that it now comes as the world's greatest compliment.
7. The confidence I have around my family (if you knew my family you would understand)
8. That my husband says tells me I look good...with a little different look in his eye
9. That despite screwing up a few times, I actually stuck with something, saw it through, and now see the results.
10. Know that I have spent my last dollar on anything that has a headline that says "Get Skinny Quick"
11. Have cried for the last time watching Biggest Loser...because I won W.O.W. with the results I had, carried 9 credits on my Masters, AND started a brand new job IN THE SAME THREE MONTHS.
12. Don't get food to make me feel better about anything
13. Hearing my husband say he's really proud of me

Well that was yesterday and I don't want to minimize my success thus far, but I also don't want it to cloud my better judgement. This is the halfway point of where I am headed, and now I am going into uncharted territory, into a level of fitness I haven't ever seen before, so I have to keep my eye on the ball. My goal is to lose another ten pounds before the next W.O.W. starts January 9th....eek. It is weird I took my week off like Kristan told us too, and I lost 2.5 more than when I did my final weigh in.

So, onward into bootcamp on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays and then Jillian Maximize Frontside on Tuesdays and Maximize Backside on Thursdays. And hopefully I can tell Santa to stick his holiday weight this year right up his wooohooo, if you know what I mean.

W.O.W. - The Finale

Well this is the email that wraps this program all up. In case you are reading this for the first time and have no idea what I am talking about, August 31st I began a program called W.O.W., which stands for the Workout of Workouts. It is a 12 week program, where you go to the gym here in my hometown Monday through Friday from 4:30-5:15am to workout, attend a weekly meeting from 5:15-5:30am on Mondays, and then you are also responsible for turning in your food logs every week showing our instructors what you have been eating so that you can get feedback from them or tips to help you maximize. Mon/Wed/Fri are cardio kickboxing and Tues/Thurs are strength training.

Doesn't sound that profound does it? It doesn't have a catchy slogan or a cheesy infomercial just a few people that give a crap about helping people live better lives. And all they wanted me to do was give them 45 minutes of my day and write down what i was eating....not that complicated is it?! When I started this I had excitement that was building up, but in the back on my head I really thought that that excitement would fade and that it would probably be another one of those things that I tried that just didn't work for me. And boy was I wrong. Here are my pics, the files are kind of big, but this is the beginning and after pics, I will post my original beginning pic when I get it so there is a good comparison.

Before

This morning at final weigh in-i'll be honest....damn i look hot

My measurements before (Aug. 31):

Body Fat Percentage: 41.8%

Weight: 224.5

Hips: 51 1/2"

Waist: 48 3/4"

Chest: 43 1/2"

Thigh: 28 1/2"

Arm: 13 3/4"

Push-Ups in 1 min: 0

Sit-Ups in 1 min: 30

My measurements after (Nov. 20):

Body Fat Percentage: 38.3%

Weight: 194.6

Hips: 48"

Waist: 41 3/4"

Chest 40"

Thigh: 26"

Arm: 12 3/4

Push-ups in 1 min.: 19

Sit-ups in 1 min: 43

I have been instructed to take a few days off after an intensive program like this, and my body is telling me the same thing....but alas no worries because I start Kickboxing Bootcamp November 30th at 4:30 AM....followed by the next W.O.W. starting January 9!!!!!!

W.O.W. Week 10

Yes I have fallen off the face of the planet a few weeks.  I am still making a lot of progress on W.O.W. and learning so much about myself that it is insane.  Currently I am weighing in at 198.6 pounds, which brings my complete loss to 25.9 pounds since I started this program and 36 since January when I really started trying to lose weight the right way. 

SYSK: Kristan Steinbron

This is a link to me on the KWWL news, which is a local news channel here in Northeast Iowa, and they have a segment called "Someone You Should Know" and I nominated my teacher at my gym for it and she got it!! It was great, but it is a inside look into what I have been doing for the last almost 11 weeks now.  

I am happy about the fact that I am not the same person I was when I started this.  I don't feel deprived any way about the choices that I am making.  There are some days that are alot harder than others, but I don't want to be that girl anymore or ever again.

Other things that I have found that have helped me include:

1. www.smoothiecompany.com you can order the mixes and protein powder off this website and it gives you 20 grams of protein, and it really helps you feel full but you can't taste the protein powder at all (and that is really saying something because generally that stuff makes me gag like crazy) A girl at class introduced me to this and man I love it, and it is so low maintenance for in the morning. 

2. South Beach High Protein Cereal Bars- Again for only 140 cals you get 10 grams of protein, so many of us when we are trying to lose weight cut out the wrong things.  If you eat the proper amount of protein, you won't even notice that you are under 1200 cals in a day because YOU FEEL FULL!!! its really neat.  This is one of my favorite ways to get in some extra.

3. The Power of Poached Eggs- I haven't ever been a breakfast person, I really got an intervention from Kristan in class about this because it really has become the most important one of the day for me. This is a meal that I will have any time of day because just boil about 5 inches of water, break two eggs into a dish then dump in the water (simultaneously put one piece of toast down in toaster), let it boil over at least twice, scoop them out onto the toast, put a little salt and pepper on them.....and taaaada you have an amazing meal that will keep you going for 3-4 hours for 15 grams of protein and under 300 cals. 

4. Plan ahead or plan to fail!! Plan your meals ALL OF THEM and stick to it the best you can. I even put my food for the entire day into my spark nutrition tracker then the next morning I go in and make a few changes if they did, but normally i delete stuff. 

However, the most important thing that I have learned through this journey so far....is that there is no meal on earth or food that can make me feel better than trying on the smallest pair of jeans I own (SIZE 16) and have them be baggy like I did THIS MORNING!!!!!

To anyone reading this that is just waiting to lose weight until they have time to spend on it, have money to pay for it, or whatever, don't miss out on your life. If working out at home doesn't work for you (like me), or you prefer to work out at home but are burned out from what you are doing.  Make an investment in yourself, because when you stop giving yourself a choice about being unhealthy...change will happen. And 

Yikes

So it's been a good 1.5 months since I updated. UGH.

Anyway, I really fell off the face of the planet there for a while, but I'm very happy to say that I am back in the saddle again, and going on day 8 of exercising and eating moderately well. Not perfect by any means, but pretty good. I have some exciting things coming up in the next few months (kind of personal, not really blog worthy) that are really motivating me right now, so I'm running with it while I can! With the holidays coming up I know I'm really going to have to hunker down and keep my goals in mind, but I think I'm ready for it.

I love being able to go to bed at night and think about my day, and feel proud of the choices I've made.