What the hell, Tinkerbell?

Oh.

Me.

Go'ness.

Okay, so I was coming off a great Thanksgiving week, with a one pound loss. And right into new challenge: my company's annual Holiday Gala. This event is a lot of fun with lots of amazing food and wonderful beverages. I look forward to it all year and I knew I'd have some trouble controlling my intake.

So, I took a page from last week and tried to up my workout. Although, this time I did not have the luxury of time off from work. I did pretty well and averaged about an hour a day. My intake was pretty good. Not the best, but pretty good.

But then came. The weekend.

Oi.

Suffice it to say, the intake was not so good anymore. Lots of wine and snacks. And on Sunday I went to Perkins for breakfast. And I ate it all. Enough said.

Other than a piece of amazing red velvet cake, I did pretty well at dinner by giving away some of my food. Tip: sit with some hungry guys; I managed to get rid of 1/2 of my giant pork chop and the larger of my two roasted potatoes with very little effort.

Then, Sunday night we were invited to a gathering that involved more wine, cheese and desserts.

Double oi.

So, as you can guess, I was purty skeerd to weigh in with Jen today. Especially since this is the last weigh in for my 12 week experiment. I was hoping for a break-even so that my total would be 10 pounds for my 12 weeks. Not exactly reaching my goal, but nothing to be ashamed of, either.

All tingly and nervous, I approached the scale. Jen asked me if I was going to let the number dictate my attitude for our impending workout. Whaaaat? Me??

I took the plunge and watched the disbelief and delight shuffle across Jen's visage. "You lost two pounds," she squealed!!

What the hell, Tinkerbell??

Shear joy. Mission accomplished.

Later, as I was puffing away at 25% incline on the dreadmill, still having a hard time believing the numbers, I asked her if she thought the scale was accurate. She weighed herself just to be sure. She came back and said. "It's pretty close. I was 2 tenths of a pound less than normal,"

I about fell out of my tree because I thought she was going to say "I was 2 pounds less than normal," It seemed like an eternity between when she said "2" and when she said "tenths." Spit it out, Slow-Mo-Jo!

So, I'm euphoric, ecstatic, astounded, and less-rounded.

This experiment is happily over.

But I will probably start a new experiment soon.

12 Weeks/12 Pounds!

I ate, I worked out and I conquered.

Well, I did it. I conquered the week of Thanksgiving. A week of family, cooking, baking, appetizers, drinks, gatherings, more food and drinks -- including a big, home-cooked Sunday breakfast, Thanksgiving dinner, lasagna, pork loin dinner a trip to Schell's brewery and two meals out. And I kept my sanity and lost pound a long the way. I don't usually tell R what happens on the scale, I let him figure it out for himself, but this week I couldn't help myself and I told him.

He. could. not. believe. it.

Rrroarrrr!

I admit, it wasn't easy. I knew this week would be a challenge and Jen and I tried to prepare for it with a workout plan to beat all workout plans. I took some time off from work so I would have time to get the house in order and get some food ready for company. That helped like no body's bi-niss. It allowed me the time I needed to get some preemptive workouts in and get things organized so I had more workout time when my guests were here. Luckily for me, our house guests (Wed - Sat) were my sister, Ann and her husband, Rod, who are in total support of my journey. So I didn't have to feel guilty for taking time out. Snaps to them!

So, I averaged between 90 and 120 minutes of exercise a day for the week. I took Thanksgiving Day off, but other than that, I put my time in.

Monday I worked out with Jen. Tuesday was the dreadclimber, which I hate. Wednesday I did an incline circuit on the dreadmill with some weights and resistance in between cardio bursts. I took Thursday off. Saturday I did an interval on Stadium Hill twice and then five times up the steep hill. Saturday I walked up to campus and did the circuit behind gage twice, with an added bonus of spotting two huge does and a band of wild turkeys. (one of which was stuck in the new soccer field, but I'm skeerd of birds and didn't try to help him out. My brother in law said they can fly so he should be okay.) Sunday, R watched the Vikes in Ann and Rod's hotel suite, which they scored for free due to a cleaning problem last year, while I went to the hotel fitness center and did 15 minute increments on the dreadmill, elliptical and recumbent bike. Two hours worth. But it was a nice facility and I kept a pretty moderate pace. Just wanted to activate a slow burn. Plus, they had little tv's on each machine. Sa-weet!

So, even though I ate and drank more than normal, I was able to offset the intake with some (ALOT) extra workout minutes. It wasn't easy and to be honest, I felt like I missed out on some of the fun, but it was worth it to see the happy light in Jen's eyes when she looked at the scale. And it was great knowing I had accomplished something that was very difficult for me to achieve.

Like I said,
Rrrroarrrr.
Go me!

11 Weeks/10 pounds

Two Words = One pound

Two words people: Plaza Garibaldi. My downfall. And I didn't even have a margarita. I am pretty sure the chips and salt did me in.

I had a great week and was down about two pounds. Things were totally in sync. Then we decide to go out for Mexican after church on Saturday.

One chip lead to another. Add on a Dos Equis and a big helping of fajitas and you cancel out a week's worth of healthy eating and exercise. GRRRRR.

Perhaps I need an intervention?? Why do I do this to myself when I know a rough week looms ahead?

I.D.K.

Now, I'm behind on my goal and I have Thanksgiving week to deal with and then my company's holiday gala the week after that. Lots of good food and drink.

I guess I have to just try and stay positive and hang in there. Hey, in spite of all of my set backs, I am almost 9 pounds lighter than I was ten weeks ago. I have to hang onto that and just keep on truckin'.

Plan on doing lots of exercise this week to ward off the family time, wine, food, fun and wine.

Peace out.

10 Weeks/8.6 Pounds

Da-da-da-daaaaaaa

Had quite the week. Lot's of workouts and pretty good intake control.
Until...
Da-da-da-daaaaaa: (dark, ominous music)
Red Lobster.
What do you get when you mix Saturday night, friends, Red Lobster and me?

R and I had a fabulous time and I enjoyed wood-fired shrimp and wild rice. Not a bad choice and I limited myself to one of those amazing cheesy bisquats.
However...
Da-da-da-daaaa:
I had not counted on the GIANT BOWL O' MARGARITA!
OMG it was sooooo good.

Luckily I had planned ahead because that morning I did the stadium hill workout twice. It goes a little like this:
Charge up the hill for 60 seconds
20 front kicks
Walk down for 30 seconds
Charge up for 60
20 side kicks
Walk down for 30
Charge up for 60
30 jacks
Walk down for 30
Charge up for 60
15 wall push ups
Walk down for 30
Charge up for 60
20 side squats
Walk down for 30
Charge up for 60
20 calf raises
Walk down for 30
Charge up 60 and I was at the top.
Walked down and did it all again.

And it sucked, but I was glad on Monday because it--along with my other workouts and eating right the rest of the week--worked. Lost two freakin' pounds. Actually, 2.2!

I know. I rock.

9 Weeks/9.6 pounds

I ate and I drank and I laughed

I had a fabulous weekend with friends. We ate, we drank margaritas, we laughed. Unfortunately, it cost me 2 pounds.

It was a roller coaster of a week. Last Monday, I was on cloud 9, coming off a 2 pound loss. I knew I had a big weekend coming up. So, wouldn't a normal person try their best to lose as much as they can before the big weekend. News flash: I'm ain't normal. For some reason, I looked at it as a license to eat. So I did. By Wednesday morning I was up three. YIKES.

I went into crisis recovery mode and upped my workouts to about two hours a day and did really well eating through Friday. It wasn't easy, but by the time the weekend rolled around, two of the three pounds were gone.

So I ate and i drank and I laughed.

Come Monday, I was up 2 pounds for the week. It sucked at the time, but after thinking about it, I was okay. Two pounds was worth the great time I had with my friends. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Jen was understanding, but determined to do what she could to work off whatever was humanly possible during our one-hour workout. So she had me do the "Accumultor." Which I pronounce via Ahnold: accumulatah. Here's how it went:

3 mins on the treadclimber
10 Step Ups
10 Calf Raises
10 push ups
10 triceps dips
10 crunches
10 Shuffle on the steps and side squats
10 squats with the ball on the wall

Repeat treadclimber then
15 of each exercise

Repeat treadclimber then
20 of each exercise

Repeat treadclimber then
15 of each exercise

Repeat treadclimber then
10 of each exercise

Needless to say, I wanted to die.

So, this week, I gotta get back on track. I'm behind on my over all goal of 12 weeks/12 pounds

Here's to sticking to it...

8 weeks/7.4 pounds

Here's to wearing orange

I had a pretty good week. I tried really hard to keep the sodium to a more appropriate level. That is not easy for me. I yike my salty snacks.

For part of my homework this week, Jen had me go on two hour-long walks. I ended up doing three, one in lieu of water aerobics. Then on Thursday night I did a circuit on the bike and AMT.

Tuesday after work, I walked the Sakahta trail from Lime Valley to HWY 22. The leaves were gorgeous, but I barely got back to my car before dark. And that was before the time change. Yesterday was very nice and I had planned on walking the red jacket trail. When I got up to the area, I decided to take a left instead and hike Rasmussen Woods. It was beautiful. I hesitated a bit at the head of the trail because the sign said that there was a controlled hunt in process. Huh? I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to go in, but there was no, like chain or anything across the entrance and I was wearing orange, so I went in. Deer's don't wear orange, right? It was sort of unsettling. There were signs posted all along the trail to stay on the wood-chipped trail, which I did. I will say that I kicked it up a notch to get outta there before I got an arrow in the eye.

Today Jen and I did an interval workout on the AMT's with some squats, planks, wall sits, plank ups, push ups, crunches, reverse crunches, hamstring rolls, calf raises and I can't remember all what else in between sets. It sucked!

The good news is I lost another pound this week, so that is something to celebrate. This weekend I have a fun girls weekend planned, so I'm sure there will be lots of food and wine involved. I hope I can do at least as well as I did over my Winona weekend. Hopefully even better.

Until then, I'll be wearing orange.

7weeks/9.4 pounds

Drive-thru Weigh In

Okay, so Jenn wanted to do the steep hill for our workout. Pretty intense, but the upside is that I could park at the bottom and just step into my car and leave. No walking foreva after a tough workout to the free lot at MSU. Sounded good to me.


But wait. If we do that, how do I weigh in this week? Uh. Do I skip the weigh in? Jenn did not think that was a good idea, and I was hopeful that I had done well this week, so I actually sorta wanted to weigh in.


But that would involve leaving my car in the lot close to her office, which is not open parking and I am skeerd of getting towed because one time I got towed when I parked in the Chipotle lot and my purse and phone and entire life was in the trunk of my car. The only thing that saved me that time was that I made friends with the tow guy and he gave me a ride down to the impound lot as he towed another criminal's car down there. So, I was lucky that he gave me a ride, but I couldn't sweet talk him into a discount, so it cost me $75 bucks. That is why I am skeered of getting towed again.

So, Jen is a quick-thinking kind of gal and said I could park near her office, with my flashers on and she would run out with the scale, run it back in and then we'd be off for our workout. A drive-thru weigh in. Genius.

And I'm glad we did it because I lost three pounds! Yeah, babee!

Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived because Jen made me charge up the steep hill, like eight times, and it sucked.

But now I'm home with a full tum and I'm brand-clean so now I am rejoicing again.

This week's tip:
Try and afternoon snack of sugar free jello pudding. I like the dark chocolate. 60 calories. In the past, I felt guilty having sweets during the day. However, I think it helps me stay a bit more under control the rest of the day. And it tastes fantastic, too. Who doesn't like pudding?



6 Weeks/8.4 pounds.

Just Listen

I've been dreading this post. But sooner or later, I had to face the music. I can't just post about the downs of my journey, I gotta come clean on the ups as well. This week that up was 1.6 pounds.

R and I went to Winona for a long weekend to visit Hayley. It was grand. R's sister and her husband met us on Saturday and, armed with Hayley's "clipboard of fun!", we had ourselves some fun. We ate. We drank. We ate some more and then we relaxed. We ate and we drank. And, you get the picture. Nirvana much??

I knew the intake portion of the weekend would be a challenge and it was. I had a lot of issues. I guess that has been part of my problem all along. My issues. But let's not go there. Let's just suffice it to say that, like so many other things, I topsy-turvey this cliche and instead of letting my issues eat me, I eat them. For breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's the whole point of this 12-week experiment, isn't it? To break that cycle and learn how to deal with things in a healthier way.

Well, I'm making progress. You want to know what one of the best things was about the weekend from my perspective? The one thing I'm proud of? I worked out. All three days.


Shhh. Listen! Can you hear that shattering? Yup. That's the sound of a cycle breaking, babee. I actually took my workout clothes and my shoes and did more than carry them around for the weekend. I actually used them.

Friday afternoon, Hayely and R and I searched for a trail up to Sugar Loaf, a high rock formation. A famous Winona landmark, which rests upon a peak, overlooking the city. We never did find it. After quite a bit of driving around, however, we did find another trail. They dropped me off with instructions to return in an hour. And went to Walmart to buy toilet paper or something. Twenty minutes into the trail I smell the end. No worries. Just pick up another trail. No can do. The only one in sight is unmaintained and vertical. A total "attempt-at-your-own-risker." So, I start walking back to a huge hill I saw a ways back. Garvin Heights Road. It's long and it's a good incline. I start bookin' it up. Twenty seven minutes later, I'm at a fork in the road and 57 minutes of my hour is up. I call in the troops. Work out #1. Check.

Saturday, we checked in to a lovely Inn in the shadows of the colorful Winona bluffs. It is gorgeous. While the guys relax and Hayley takes a much needed break from us elders, my sister in law, Sherri and I take off on a circuit. For an hour we cruise at a brisk pace with stops in between for push ups, squats, step ups, shoulder presses (I brought a band), bicep curls, side shuffles, jacks, front kicks, stairs and calf raises all around the beautiful campus of St. Mary's. Basically, whatever we could think of we did. It was actually sort of fun. Work out #2. Check.

Sunday, while R watched the football game at Hayley's apartment and Hayley took pictures at a friend's event, I went for a walk around Lake Winona. Hayley thought the trail was about a mile. Since R wanted to hit the road soon, I told him I'd be back in half an hour or so. A mile didn't seem like it should take that long, but I would figure the rest out on the fly. So, off I went. It was a bee-uu-ti-fuuul day! Plus, I had my new lavender beanie on that I got at the dollar store, so I felt very stunnah. I was walking at a good, brisk clip and checked my watch about the half-way point. Hmmm. 30 minutes all ready... Ruh-roh...Should I go back, or just keep going? I wasn't going to make it back in anything close to what I had expected. I decide I might as well just keep going. I hauled ass, but didn't make it back to Hayley's apartment for another half hour. Luckily, R was understanding about the miscalculation and I got in an extra half hour that I hadn't expected. And, as it turns, out, I'm glad I did. Work out #3. Check.

So, when I got on the scale yesterday with Jen, all I could think about was the poor food choices I had made and the wine I'd had. Somehow, on Monday, as I faced the scale and Jen, those goodies didn't seem that important or worth it. Why is it, in the moment of indulgence, it's so easy to sacrifice the long-term goal for that immediate gratification. But hold on, Sloopy, let's not get into dissection of the human psyche, this post is already way long.

Anyhoo, my goal was to break even. I did not accomplish that. I gained 1.6 pounds. But I did learn something about myself. I can change. And I can persevere. So I'm not going to pound on myself about missing my goal. I'm going to tospy-turvey that mother and be proud of myself for being dedicated enough and creative enough to get in some quality work outs on the road.

O.

M.

G.

Did you hear that???? I am the queen of cycle-breaking.


5 Weeks/5.4 pounds. Roar.

A Third of the Weigh!

Har-dee-frickin'-har. I love me a pun!!

So time-wise I am a third of the way into my twelve week journey. Pound-wise I'm over half-weigh!! I lost me another pound this week.

And it hurt.

Last Monday was this important football game. Some of yous may have heard about it. Packers and the Vikes. Who now have Favre. And my boyfriend, Jared Allen. So, we have these neighbors and they went through this really horrible process of digging out the basement of their older-than-dirt-house. Like running a conveyor belt through a window and literally hand-digging it out. It took like for-eva. But they did it and then they put in an uber-cool home theatre. I'm telling you, it is UBERCOOL.

Well, they invited us over to watch The Game. Of course, there were snacks and beer and cookies and all the twizzlers you could eat. And I did. It was ugly.

So, the next morning I was bloaty and up three pounds from the day before and feeling really gross. But I didn't give up. I spent the next six days trying to eat better and working out and I emailed Jen yesterday and told her I was skeerd to get on the scale. I was hoping for a break-even situation.

But I lost a pound and I am very thankful.

We celebrated by doing a circuit on the rowing machine, stair machine, elliptical, bike and doing thirty push-ups and sit-ups and fifteen shoulder presses and bicep curls. But it wasn't so bad.
Cause I was a pound lighter.

So, this week I have another challenge. R and I are going to Winona to visit Hayley. We are staying at an Inn and meeting R's sister and her husband. It's going to be grand! Hayley created a "clipboard of fun" and I am super excited because it includes wine tasting and cupcakes. But that is wicked scary for me too because wine and cupcakes cloud my judgement. The clipboard of fun also includes a big hike up a local bluff called "Sugarloaf." So, I hope that I can stay active enough to off-set some indulgences. Like wine and cupcakes.

Tip:
My sissy gave me a good tip for those times when you've had too much salt. Lemon. Try some lemon juice in some hot water in the morning, or put some lemon Crystal Lite in one of your glasses of water during the day. I think it really helped. Next time you need a little de-bloating, give it a try.

This week, my goal really is to maintain and I am trying to be super-duper diligent in the days leading up to all that fun. (Read: wine and cupcakes!!) Witht that in mind, I'm open to receiving any positive thoughts you'd like to send my way.

Here's to good choices, fun and keeping a healthy balance.

4Weeks/7Pounds

Yeow.

Weird week in my world of weight loss. Had a few obstacles and didn't exercise as much as I would have liked. My intake was pretty good, however, and since we didn't have a lot going on over the weekend, I managed a booze-free week. Yay me!

Finally got new workout shoes, which I had been needing, and took a long walk on Sunday. Ended up with a purty sore foot, however. It had been bothering me ever so slightly for a while, which I chose to ignore. That's a mistake and I'm lucky I got off as lightly as I did. I know better. I've learned through experience to replace my workout shoes every 3-4 months. But this gets expensive and I tried to eek out some extra workouts and shift around other shoes. Not too smart. So, my foot was sore.

But I did find a helpful exercise. I will share: roll your foot on a wine bottle. I happen to have stash under my desk at work. "Why?" Well, one year for Christmas, R and i made my friends those lighted wine bottles that you decorate and I thought they were uber cool. I was going to make dozens to put on my deck when we entertained in the summer. So when my friends found a cool bottle, they would bring it to me. Well, needless to say, the bottles never got made, and the parties never happened. And, because I can be a tad lazy, I never took all the bottles home. And that was lucky, because I had a supply of wine bottles handy when I needed them. So, for the past few days, I've been rolling one under my sore foot periodically. And you know what? It really helped. Even though the clinking of bottles sounds sorta weird at the office. So, there is a handy recycling tip for you. Help the environment and help your sore foot. Kewl.

My workout with Jen this week was a bit uninspired. Since I wanted to pamper my foot, we did intervals on the bike. It was okay, until we took a break between intervals for some ab work. My side sorta felt weird the first set. Then the second set...

Yeow.

Pulled a muscle in my side and it hurt. It sucks getting old and injured all the time. But I am hoping that if I can lose some poundages, and get stronger, the frequency of my injury occurrences will decrease. And I'm on my way because when Jen weighed me this week, I lost 2 pounds! Score!!

This week's snack tip:
My new LOVE: Chester's Cheese Puff Corn!
A 1 oz serving (3-count 'em-3 CUPS!!!) is 160 Calories! W00t!!
Sometimes (like every day) you just need a salty snack. Of course I NEVER eat 3 whole cups, but if I wanted to, it would be 160 calories. That's a lot of snacking bang for your calorie buck!
I have had 1-1/2 Cups, but that's a manageable 80 Calories.

Stats: 3 Weeks, 6 pounds. Half way there!

Ciao for now!

My first Question!

Snaps to me!! A friend messaged me about this journey I'm on. Thought I would post our correspondence.

(My friend)
Hey girl! It is awesome that you are losing weight! What is your plan - how are you doing it?

(Me)
Hey, Friend!!

I am just trying to take the common-sense approach. Smaller portions, healthier choices, incorporating breakfast and snacks. Exercising 5-6 days a week: one or two intense cardio days, several low-medium intensity days. Trying to mix it up and include resistance training to boost my metabolism.

This is so scary, because I'm documenting my journey and it is out there for all the world to see. But I've been told that this act of publicly sharing can help one succeed.

I am also trying to find substitutes for foods I crave and love so I can stay satisfied. They are not always the healthiest options, but they are much better than what I would have chosen in the past. I consider that progress.

It's been an issue for me my entire adult life, but I just have to keep trying. Hoping things click for me this time.

Jen didn't want to count it!

WTF? Hey! Point six pounds is over half a pound and when you've been battling weight issues as long as I have, you count every frickin' half pound, maybe even quarter-of-a.

Jen made the mistake of sort of DISCOUNTING IT!

Okay, so she was down with it once I set her straight. I guess it would be difficult for her to see why that would be important to me, but when on stepped on the scale, and she said, "you stayed the same," I took exception to the fat!

And if anyone has a weight vest, may I borrow it? I'm absolutely dying for Jen to wear one during one of our workouts. I would love, love, love it if she could walk the steep hill in my shoes.

For the record, I'm not bad-mouthing Jen. I think she's tops. I just need to set her straight from time to time. I'm all about the educating, the coaching, the mentoring. She has a heart of gold and has stuck with me through thick and thick. I truly do heart her.

This week went pretty well. I did me some H2O aerobics, took a couple of walks, did an hour in the gym midweek and on Saturday, I climbed the steep hill 8 times! W00t! If I hadn't done that, I'm purty sure I woulda gained me some poundage fo sho. (Overdid the vino and steak and m&m's Saturday night.) Shocking, I know!)

So I'm thankful for my stinkin' .6 pound!

Tip for this week: Country Hearth Light Wheat Bread. 40 cals/slice! I love me a sanich at lunch time and with this bread, I can have a whole sanich instead of a half, and I have never been one to do anything half way. bwaaaa...

Two week total: 3.6 pounds.

Good job to me and Jen!

Okay, so my personal trainer, Jen, is something else. She is two parts creative, two parts motivating, 3 parts knowledge.With a dash of an S&M whip master. She concocts the most torturous workouts and keeps her cool when I complain and call her a "witch" during the entire.

But seriously, she is also very caring and totally knows what she's doing. I heart her. That's why I want to be a better advertisement for her.

We decided that with my new 'tude, she'd help me reach some goals. Every Monday when I see her, I will weigh in. She took my measurements. She gives me homework. She made me sign a contract. (I didn't like that part.)

Last week was my first weigh in. So, today I had to see if I lost weight. I had done my homework and had eaten pretty well, but I was uber nervous because I'd had a run in with a giant order of nachos and a mega beer Friday night. I was skeerd.

But, I actually lost 3 pounds! On my way people!

Anyway, hoping to keep the momentum going and lose 12 pounds in 12 weeks.

Fingers crossed!

Here we go again

Those of you who know me understand that I am on a perpetual journey. Okay, journey schmourney. Let's call it what it is: a Battle.

Uhm, No.

A. Freakin'. War.

I have been beaten and battered and dragged through hell. And it sucks because I am fighting myself. That's the really sick part. The Rubik's cube of it all. But I refuse to give up. I will never give up. And by doing that. By engaging in the very act of trying, I gain a little sliver of self respect.

Every day that happens, I stack that hard-won sliver on top of the layer from the day before. It's a painstaking process, but you know what? I'm building myself some dignity, babee. Because I think that's the answer. Or at least part of it. Maybe if I can find some confidence and convince myself that I am worthy of living this life I was given, I can turn this thing around before I kill myself.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Got up and ate me some multigrain cherrios with fat free milk. Went out for lunch to Panera. I decided to go online to see the nutrition stats for their menu. Turns out they have a nutrition calculator. You put in what you want for your meal and it abracacalulates it for you. For a right-brainer like me, that is what you call AWESOME!So I put in a few scenarios until I came up with an appetizing lunch that fit into my food budget.

Here's the link:http://www.paneranutrition.com/

Go crazy.