The Struggle

Today, is a "Struggle day", you the type of day where fitness is the FARTHEST thing from your mind, and even if you fight through and make it into the gym, you don't feel better even after you start working out. You literally have to just struggle through it until you've satisfied yourself (or your trainer) enough to go home... Well that's what today is for me, I'm seriously channeling Bruno Mars, his Lazy song is my anthem today. Its my day off and I slept in until RR literally dragged me out of bed, made me put on work out clothes and hit the gym. We've switched up my workouts so that they're more cardio based than strength based. But being groggy and being put the ringer of Robsanity workouts was NOT fun. I got through it, although not without a lot of whining and complaining, and some cursing after I hit myself in the tooth/newly tightened braces with a 5lb weight. OUUUUCH!

Anywho, thank goodness for RR, because even though I hated EVERY second of today's workout, I'm glad I got it in, Without him I'd probably still be in bed, eating a slice of rum cake I brought back from JA. Speaking of which, life is really messing up my fitness goals. I went on vacation last week, I think i was 140lbs when I left, and I was 148 when I got back. Miekspeak says its water weight from the plane ride. Which sounds funky but might be true since I hit the gym all week, ate reasonably well (spiked my post gym protein shake with Coconut Rum cream a few days this week) and was 142.6 yesterday morning. Not sure what I am today since i was too tired to even think about the scale when I was fighting RR to get back in bed this morning.

So when I have a struggle day, I have RR to motivate/force me to work out, but how do you deal with struggle days?

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Kicking and Screaming

The security guard at work who sees RR and I entering and leaving the building together everyday, made a comment to me about how I'm losing weight and looking good. True to form, I jokingly responded along the lines of "Well you know... I do what I can..." He laughed at me and almost immediate turned to RR and said "Its clear you're taking good care of her, keep it up". After some ribbing about why he attributed my weight loss success to RR and not my own hard work, we parted ways.

Later in the car, I realized that I really can't take too much credit for my fitness success/progress. I mean I can but... to do so would downplay AAAALLLLL of the the hard work and effort RR puts into helping me achieve my fitness goals. And that wouldn't be fair to the man who drags me (occasionally) kicking and screaming to the gym everyday, and (usually) refrains from rolling his eyes at me when I say things like "Man, I feel soo much better now that we've worked out, aren't you glad I made you come?" as we leave the gym. It goes without saying that, I'm a horrible workout partner, I complain about everything from his weight choices and constantly pushing me to do a seemingly infinite number of "just one more rep", to trying to get me to making healthier food choices (more protein, less cupcakes). He really does take great care of me, and I'm lucky to have him as a work out buddy/personal trainer/boyfriend.

So loyal readers do you have an RR in your life? Someone who will push you to reach your goals even when all you want to do is go home and pour yourself a glass of wine. If not, I sincerely urge you to go find one!! Because you won't make any progress at home on your couch, regardless of what those diet pills tell you!! Trust me, I've tried almost all of them! ;)

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Backsliding

So a few weeks ago I made real progress, finally broke my plateau and saw numbers on my scale as low as 138.6.

Then the bakery got kick started and the weekend hit, and I didn't work out, ate greasy and sugary (yet delicious) "fake" Thai food from the mall food court, honey mustard chicken wings and fries from wings to go, had a market fresh sandwich from Arby's and Vanilla shake from McDonalds. Since then there's been a steady breakfast of grands butter tastin' biscuits, turkey sausage and egg sandwichs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and Madelienes! Fortunately, I'm back in the gym, but unfortunately its all soo much harder and the fact that RR is making me lift heavier than normal and do super sets isn't making it seem any easier either. :-/ Ah well, I gotta get these 3 lbs back off and keep them off.

Meanwhile, I'm picking up a yoga class on Saturdays to help improve my flexibility, as my increased muscle mass seems to be decreasing my flexibility. Plus, it'll count as a weekend workout. :)

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Balancing Act

I recently did a “strange” thing, which isn’t really that strange if you know me, but if you’re a stranger reading this blog it is. I started a bakery. Almost a decade ago, someone asked me in an interview what my passion is? It took me several more years before I figured out that I was passionate about baking. Nothing brings me more peace or happiness than the art of creating something by hand that other people eat and enjoy. Even more so when, my baked goods are able to enhance someone’s special occasion, I would love to enhance my skillset to the point where I can do Wedding Cakes. Anyways, after years of people telling me I could and should sell my confections and me balking at it because I didn’t want the necessity of it to suck the fun out of it. However, I recently realized that as long as I don’t quit my day job, I really don’t have much to lose because if it starts sucking the fun out of baking for me, I can stop and go back to baking for leisure.

However, I would love, Love, LOVE for this business to be successful enough for me to open a storefront. Ideally, I’d open a bakery/coffee shop, maybe next to my RR and his brother’s auto boutique so that people waiting on their cars can eat, drink and hang out. But either way, it works out, it’s a dream I’d love to see come to fruition.

Why am I babbling about my bakery and love of baking on a fitness blog? Because eating test cakes and spoonful of batter to make sure the ingredients I occasionally add all willy nilly, actually make the batter taste the way I want it to, are KILLING my weight loss goals. I made some serious progress the week before I officially launched my bakery, now that it’s up & running, and I have a few orders and requests. I bake almost every day, and in the past week I’ve gained 3-4lbs. I also took 5 days off from the gym to hang out with a friend who was in town, but I’m wondering how I’m going to align my work out goals with the career goals associated with my 9-5, and the career goals associated with my new bakery. It might require me to start doing 2 a days, maybe some morning yoga while RR showers, and then my standard evening workout… and a few weekend work outs… I don’t know. But I’m going to have to find a way to make it work!

Today’s weigh in – 142.2

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Girl Scout cookies: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Its that time of year (well one of many) when sweets and sugary goodness are all around. More specifically Girl Scout cookies!

Trefoils are my FAVE!! Fortunately they seem to be one of the better choices according to SparkPeople's best and Worst Girl Scout Cookie List.

Trefoils are probably the safest since they're winning in several categories including Lowest Fat, Lowest Calorie, and Shortest Ingredient list.

Shortbread (Trefoils)

Shortbread (called Trefoils in some regions cookies) contain just 4.5 grams of fat for a four-cookie serving. As a bonus, the Shortbread variety is also the lowest-sugar Girl Scout cookie, containing just 1 gram of sugar each.

You probably want to eat the most cookies you can for the least amount of calories, right? So which Girl Scout cookie will give you the biggest bang for your calorie buck? Shortbread is the winner! You can indulge in five cookies for a reasonable 120 calories.

If you're looking to minimize your intake of unpronounceable ingredients or highly processed foods, then looking to the length of the ingredients list is one way to find something more wholesome. Both the Shout Outs! and Shortbread cookies contain just 10 ingredients.

Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties)

These are my 2nd fave girl scout cookie and while they won the title of Lowest Carb Cookie. They also hold the title of highest fat cookie.
Girl Scout cookies aren't exactly "low-carb," but if you're counting carbs for diabetes management, Tagalongs (called Peanut Butter Patties in some regions) weigh in with the lowest carbohydrate count: 13 grams of carbohydrate per two-cookie serving.
Highest-Fat Girl Scout Cookie: Tagalongs are the worst with 9 grams of fat in just two cookies. While eating dietary fat doesn't make you fat, processed treats like cookies generally use less-than-healthy fat sources that you should try to limit.

Samoas (Caramel deLites)

Samoas (called Caramel deLites in certain regions) are among the highest-calorie, highest-sugar, and highest-fat Girl Scout cookies available, but if they are your all-time favorite, take comfort in this: they contain the most fiber thanks to the coconut.

But wait! Before you start ordering these chewy, coconutty delights in bulk, take heed--they are not exactly "high" in fiber. Two Samoas contain just 1 gram of fiber, which accounts for a measly 5% of your Daily Value. Clearly, you'd be much better off getting your fiber from healthier sources, like bran cereals (10 grams per serving!) or veggies.
Girl Scout Cookie Highest in Saturated Fat: Steer clear of the Caramel deLites, two of which will set you back 6 grams of saturated fat--that's 29% of your Daily Value!

Savannah Smiles and Do-si-dos

If you're keeping an eye on your saturated fat intake, the Savannah Smiles and Do-si-dos are your best bets. Each contain just 1.5 grams of saturated fat per two- or five-cookie serving, respectively.

Highest-Carb Girl Scout Cookie: The Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies, contain twice the amount of carbs for a three-cookie serving: 26 grams!
Lowest-Fiber Girl Scout Cookies: All other Girl Scout cookies contain 0 grams of fiber.
Highest-Calorie Girl Scout Cookie: If you're looking to maximize your cookie volume, you might want to stay away from the Thanks-a-Lot cookies; you'll down 150 calories in just two crumbly, chocolaty discs.

Longest Ingredients List: Samoas, which list 20 ingredients on the box!

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MILESTONE!

I haven't seen a number in the 130's on my scale in... at least 6 years. This morning I woke up, stepped on the scale and this is what I saw! (please disregard my unpolished toenails!)

I promptly hopped off the scale and did a happy dance! :-D Well tried to but quickly discovered my calves and hamstrings are sore from last nights work out. I then text RR this pic (because he'd gone downstairs and I was too lazy.. i mean sore to run downstairs and tell him. He then came up and tested out his new calipers on me, to measure my body fat percentage. I'll give you a few minutes to guess which category I fell into.
(if you click on the image you can see the full size version of it)

Ready? My body fat is a whopping.... 22%!!!! Which puts me in the LEAN category! More attempts at happy dancing. On the downside, I'm no longer planning to make red velvet pancakes for breakfast, gotta keep up the momentum while it lasts! :(

And for shits and giggles, (also so no one thinks I'm just sucking my stomach in) this photo shows my regular vs flexed (& sucked in) tummy. I need to see more of the photo on the right in my mirror everyday.

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Food dairy 2/23

Breakfast: Protein shake (1 scoop Banana Cream flavor Muscle Milk, a whole banana, and approximately 10 oz of water - 255 calories) - Total 255 Calories

Morning Snack: Yoplait Thick and creamy Vanilla low fat yogurt - 180 calories

Lunch: Lean Cusine Chicken, spinach and mushroom panini- 310 calories; Safeway Organic Creamy Garden Tomato Soup ~3/4cup - 239 calories; TOTAL - 549

Took my vitamins and allergy meds at lunch. (60 mg Ginko Biloba, 1200mg Fish Oil, Nature's way Alive! Women's energy Vitamin) - TOTAL 12.5 calories

Dinner: Homemade Chicken Wrap - Chicken marinated in McCormick's Mesquite Marinade mix (baked) - 290 calories, Sargento Low fat Mexican cheese 1/8 cup - 40 calories, Canola Oil Mayo - 40 calories, Mission 100% Whole Wheat Tortilla 0 130 calories TOTAL - 500 calories

After Dinner I took a Fish Oil pill and another Ginko Biloba - 12.5 Calories

For a Grand total of 1534 calories

I normally drink a protein shake after the gym but I got distracted by stinky trash (don't you hate that?!?!?) and forgot.

Workout

Superset
*Hamstring curls (done on a leg lift machine. Stand facing the back of the chair, and kick your leg back towards your butt) 15 reps @30-40lbs (3 sets total) then
*Leg Raises (on "machine") 15 reps, no weight (3 sets total) then
*Forearm Curls 15 reps, 10lbs (3 sets total), 30 seconds to stretch as needed then back to hamstring curls.

Superset
Hamstring curls (1 set of each back to back)
15 reps @80lbs (3 sets total) then
12 reps @95lbs (3 sets total)
in between sets of hamstring curls did 2 sets of Glute/ham/raises (not sure hat its really called but its a machine here your standing and one leg at a time you lift your leg, like a one legged march, and as you lift that leg you push up the bar and weight) 15 reps, 90lbs (3 sets of 2 sets)
then back to Hamstring curls.

Deadlifts- 3 sets of 15 reps with bar (then RR decided I needed a 5lb weight on each side) so 1.5 reps with just the bar, and 1.5 reps with 10 lbs.

Calf raises machine (RR is gonna have to chime in in the comments and tell you guys how much weight was actually on there)
15 reps, 40 lbs (guestimating) 3 sets total after each set he increased the weight
15 reps, 50 lbs (still guesstimating) 3 sets total, then
15 reps, 70 lbs, (still guesstimating) 3 sets total, after this set he decreased to 50lbs, then 40 lbs, then added weight back to 50, and 70, and then decreased it again.


After this Double R had something else planned but I was already kinda pissed that since tommorow is hair day, which as every black woman knows means that today should have been hardcore cardio day and NOT hardcore leg day. So I said eff that and hit the treadmill. Ran/walked for 34min and burnt ~234 calories (Feel free to either tell RR or leave a comment about how wrong he was for today's workout)

Here's hoping I can drive my (stick shift) car to hair salon tomorrow. If not, RR is gonna have one ANGRY black woman on his hands. :/

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Updated Goals.

So in my head I look like this everyday.... However, my blog post below made me realize her abs are better than mine, but I think my quads/thighs are better. :)


Long Term though, I want to look more like this. With everything defined, but not too defined. I'm especially in love with her quads.

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Results and lessons

Its been 5 months and I'm back! I'm happy to report that I'm officially 5lbs lighter than I was last time I blogged. Other good news, I entered a "Biggest Loser" competition at the gym during the month of Dec and I WON! I lost 4lbs from my Dec. 5th weigh in (~148 lbs, I was up a few pounds from thanksgiving) to ~144lbs Jan 8th. Which is pretty darn good progress considering I had a birthday, Anniversary, Christmas and New Years all in that 30 day span. :-) I now have a free personal trainer for a month, which I plan to use a closer to bikini season. ;)

Since then, I've worked my way back and forth between 140.0 and 143.0 Mind you these are my naked, first thing in the morning weights, which I know is probably cheating but whatever they're more consistent than my night time weigh ins. Case in point last night I as 146.6, tonight I'm 142.2; whereas yesterday morning I as 140.6, this morning I as 140.8.

Anywho, lately I've been playing with my caloric intake to try to figure out whats the right amount for me. I've started using My FitnessPal, (and briefly used Spark People although I mostly log in once a week just to record my weight) both recommended I eat around 1200-1300 calories based on the fact that I spend about 9 hours a day chained to a desk. I quickly found that keeping my intact around 1300 calories was REALLY hard to do, I was ALWAYS hungry! Then one weekend, I OD'ed (on food) and found that when I eat 1700-2000 calories I tend to be lighter in the morning, regardless of how out of control my night number is. That's said I'm also more focused on food as fuel. I still eat cake, cookies and stuff but its not often.

My diet recently has consisted of things like applesauce, protein shakes (Banana Creme flavored Muscle Milk powder, with ~10 oz of water and a whole banana blended in), yogurt, pears, bananas, tomato soup, baked chicken (can't wait until grilling season!!), eggs, fish and a lot of healthy home cooked meals with large helpings of veggies. I've never been big on red meat so unless I have a burger... (Which I haven't had in so long I can't even remember the last time) I will occasionally do a lean cuisine for lunch but I'm really trying to avoid processed foods.

I've been trying my hardest to drink 64 ounces of water a day, I learned today that you're supposed to consume half your weight in water. Which means I should be drinking ~71 oz of water. I usually wind up closer to 32, but I'm currently at a little more than 57 oz and I'm sipping on a glass of water as we speak :)

Workout-wise, I've stopped rebelling (as much) against RR's workout plan. For me, my biggest learning in that area has been around my form, and using heavier weights. So as of today I'm starting to push myself and lift heavier than I normally would. I typically resist heavier weights for fear of bulking up and looking like a man, Serena Williams, I'm looking at you! LOL Our workout is typically about an 45min to an hour of strength training, where we do 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps, doing 3-4 exercises for each of the 2 body parts we work each day. Today was back and butt, followed by 20-30 min of cardio. I used to do a lot of running on the treadmill, but until this week I've been cheating on the treadmill with the elliptical and the ArcTrainer. I've been back to jogging/running this week. I've forgotten how good it feels to run.

I will also concede defeat. For my birthday, MiekSpeak, gave me a Fionna Sports bra and I kinda love it! You can see it in the full body progress photo below.




As I've mentioned, I've switched protein shakes, I've also started taking vitamins again. My old multi-vitamins (Centrum) were making me sick, so I stopped because my vomiting every morning is probably the reason why RR has his first gray hair. LOL
I'm now taking Nature's Way Alive Women's Energy Multi-vitamin, I'm also taking Fish Oil, and Gingko Biloba. So maybe I'll remember to blog more often too! :)

Progress photos:

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