Well, it's over. It was interesting, and I guess I'm going to end with what I learned from this experience.
I started out wanting to know, do all these home exercise programs that you hear touted on late-night TV really work? The answer is: yes and no.
If you really stick to any exercise plan, you can bet that you're going to look and feel better, although I would venture to guess that the body of your dreams is not going to be found doing dance videos at home. The DVD's that really seemed to help me were Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets and Billy Blanks' Tae Bo Amped! workouts, mostly because they combined aerobic fitness and weight-bearing exercises. The only true way to change your body is through a combination of both.
Some of the other programs like Marnie Winsor's Pilates program and Core Rhythms dance program are great as supplements, but from my experience, all your fitness and physique goals cannot be met by stretching and dancing alone. Weights are a MUST to change your shape. I know some of you hard-core Pilates gals will disagree with this, but you have to remember, the Pilates machines that truly will change your shape are not found in the average American woman's home.
The other component that I must stress (and I hate to do this!) is that you will NOT lose anything if you work your butt off in the morning and then eat crap for the rest of the day. You MUST MUST MUST eat clean if you are going to be lean.
Finally, I realized during this last month that I have to get a game plan together for holidays, travel and PMS. I did wonderfully while I was home and not dealing with any of these obstacles, but put me on the road, in the middle of a big, fat Thanksgiving dinner, and then add a splash of PMS, and presto! I am off the wagon and shoveling in the three horses of the apocalypse: fat, salt and sugar. YUCK. It only took a week off the wagon for me to feel crappy again, which totally sucks, but that's the way it goes. In the future, I plan to plan -- something which goes against my nature as a spontaneous person -- which should save me time, calories and weight gain.
I wish you all the best of luck in your fitness quest. I know I've said it before, but I highly recommend Oxygen magazine for those of you who are looking to hone your physique. The information on workouts and nutrition are priceless, and every issue I get is worth its weight in gold.
Have a happy New Year, and go work out!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
I'll Be Fat For Christmas Redeux
Well, it's almost over. I've been following this eating and exercise program for almost 31 days, and I'm just about done. Here's the gist of what I've learned.
If you travel, be sure to pack the laptop and the DVDs. No, it's not quite a magic bullet, but having a place to write down everything you eat and the exercise you do is vital to weight loss success. My forgetting the DVD's at home resulted in a disastrous few days, where I had no options and nothing else to do but walk on a treadmill while watching some crappy cable shows. It sucked.
In addition, not having my laptop available meant I guessed at how many calories I was consuming and guess what? That meant I could fudge (read: cheat, BIG-TIME) on my diet. In the past week since leaving my home, I've been winging it, which is a nice way of saying, I've totally blown it for the last week. It's sucked.
My one saving grace this holiday was an impulse Christmas Eve purchase of another 10-Minute Solution DVD, the Hip Hop Dance one, which I've been doing for the past few days, and it's helped me feel like I'm doing something, although not much.
Don't ask about eating, it's been bad. Lots of lovely white sauce, pasta, goodies, and wine. Yummy, but not so good for the waistline.
We are heading home tomorrow, thank God! And I'll be back on track for the New Year. I'm training for Iron Girl 2010 as of January 1st, and I'm hoping it will be great fun. I'll be posting what I've learned from 30 days of exercise DVD's in the next few days. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays.
If you travel, be sure to pack the laptop and the DVDs. No, it's not quite a magic bullet, but having a place to write down everything you eat and the exercise you do is vital to weight loss success. My forgetting the DVD's at home resulted in a disastrous few days, where I had no options and nothing else to do but walk on a treadmill while watching some crappy cable shows. It sucked.
In addition, not having my laptop available meant I guessed at how many calories I was consuming and guess what? That meant I could fudge (read: cheat, BIG-TIME) on my diet. In the past week since leaving my home, I've been winging it, which is a nice way of saying, I've totally blown it for the last week. It's sucked.
My one saving grace this holiday was an impulse Christmas Eve purchase of another 10-Minute Solution DVD, the Hip Hop Dance one, which I've been doing for the past few days, and it's helped me feel like I'm doing something, although not much.
Don't ask about eating, it's been bad. Lots of lovely white sauce, pasta, goodies, and wine. Yummy, but not so good for the waistline.
We are heading home tomorrow, thank God! And I'll be back on track for the New Year. I'm training for Iron Girl 2010 as of January 1st, and I'm hoping it will be great fun. I'll be posting what I've learned from 30 days of exercise DVD's in the next few days. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Day 21 -- How Many Chips Does it Take to Get To Charlotte?
As I've been telling you, today was all about the drive from Baltimore, MD to Charlotte, NC. With three kids, a packed van, and an aching back, I made the trek to Charlotte in 8 1/2 hours. I don't think I've EVER been so happy to get anywhere in my entire life.
Of course, I had decided I was going to "eat right" on this trip, but Grandma Utz's Potato Chips were calling my name, so I had half a bag -- a small 99 cent bag -- and some kind of weird chicken burrito thingy from the Wa-Wa. The fact that I opted for water by that time was kind of a moot point, but I did opt for water.
By the time I was in the State of North Carolina, I was bored, which necessitated a stop at Cracker Barrel for food and a book on tape. The book on tape sucked, which did not help the boredom. The six or seven fries I had with a chicken salad sandwich helped a little.
For the most part, the girls got along, I'd say fighting 40% of the time, which is good for three sisters locked in a car for 8 1/2 hours. We all made it safe and sound to my sister's house, and when my Mom saw me, she uttered the three most beautiful words a daughter can hear: "You look GREAT!" Oh, thanks Mom. "You're losing your stomach finally!" Thanks, you can stop yourself now.
I had a small bite to eat and a couple of glasses of wine, then went and collapsed on the hotel couch (sorry, honey). I am up today and realized that not only did I forget to pack my two pair of pants I own (good ones) that my husband picked up from the dry cleaner, I forgot exercise DVD's!!! Yikes! I did bring some Blockbuster DVD's that I can turn in for an exercise DVD, so I'll go there this morning and try to find something I can hack for the next few days until we go to Danville. Have a good one, I'm going to try to track my eating today. Good luck, huh?
Of course, I had decided I was going to "eat right" on this trip, but Grandma Utz's Potato Chips were calling my name, so I had half a bag -- a small 99 cent bag -- and some kind of weird chicken burrito thingy from the Wa-Wa. The fact that I opted for water by that time was kind of a moot point, but I did opt for water.
By the time I was in the State of North Carolina, I was bored, which necessitated a stop at Cracker Barrel for food and a book on tape. The book on tape sucked, which did not help the boredom. The six or seven fries I had with a chicken salad sandwich helped a little.
For the most part, the girls got along, I'd say fighting 40% of the time, which is good for three sisters locked in a car for 8 1/2 hours. We all made it safe and sound to my sister's house, and when my Mom saw me, she uttered the three most beautiful words a daughter can hear: "You look GREAT!" Oh, thanks Mom. "You're losing your stomach finally!" Thanks, you can stop yourself now.
I had a small bite to eat and a couple of glasses of wine, then went and collapsed on the hotel couch (sorry, honey). I am up today and realized that not only did I forget to pack my two pair of pants I own (good ones) that my husband picked up from the dry cleaner, I forgot exercise DVD's!!! Yikes! I did bring some Blockbuster DVD's that I can turn in for an exercise DVD, so I'll go there this morning and try to find something I can hack for the next few days until we go to Danville. Have a good one, I'm going to try to track my eating today. Good luck, huh?
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Day 20, Somebody Please, Get Me Outta Here!
Well, it was quite a day. Today was all about drop-down, drag-out fighting between me and another Mom and snow removal. How those two things ended up in one day, I have no idea, but there's my day for you. Nobody went to the hospital, let's put it that way.
As I've stated previously, I am a Mama Bear, and I process things that upset me s-l-ooooowlyyyyy. So if you get in my face before all of the processing has taken place, all that raw stuff is going to come out, and it's a free-for-all. It wasn't pretty.
THANK GOD I am going to Charlotte tomorrow. I shoveled so much snow today that I did not consider working out to a DVD. I am, however, taking a number of them with me, so I have a lot to choose from. Eating was not as bad today, thankfully. I did not keep track again, but I figure with all of this stress and shoveling, I MUST be burning major calories!
The good news is, a few positive interactions happened between me and that other Mom afterwards, so I think if we agree to stay in our respective corners, all will be fine. I have been sporting a major headache ever since, however, which has made the rest of the day difficult to get through. I think we're about all packed up and the house is ready so we can come back to things in order, which is helpful when we return from vacation. Stephen is already down there, relaxing and sleeping well. My back hurts.
Thankfully, Nancy and her beau, Marc, helped me shovel my van out, which was so sweet of them, I really appreciated it. The kids helped some, probably not as much as they should have. My back is seriously hurting now.
I hope you are enjoying the snow WAY more than me and having less drama than me and that everybody is happy and healthy in your household. I think my motto for this holiday is, "Take care of yourself." Don't go overboard on alcohol, crappy food, or family therapy during Christmas dinner. Enjoy all you can, remember what's important, and try to make somebody else's Christmas better.
Tomorrow, I go from workout warrior to road warrior.
As I've stated previously, I am a Mama Bear, and I process things that upset me s-l-ooooowlyyyyy. So if you get in my face before all of the processing has taken place, all that raw stuff is going to come out, and it's a free-for-all. It wasn't pretty.
THANK GOD I am going to Charlotte tomorrow. I shoveled so much snow today that I did not consider working out to a DVD. I am, however, taking a number of them with me, so I have a lot to choose from. Eating was not as bad today, thankfully. I did not keep track again, but I figure with all of this stress and shoveling, I MUST be burning major calories!
The good news is, a few positive interactions happened between me and that other Mom afterwards, so I think if we agree to stay in our respective corners, all will be fine. I have been sporting a major headache ever since, however, which has made the rest of the day difficult to get through. I think we're about all packed up and the house is ready so we can come back to things in order, which is helpful when we return from vacation. Stephen is already down there, relaxing and sleeping well. My back hurts.
Thankfully, Nancy and her beau, Marc, helped me shovel my van out, which was so sweet of them, I really appreciated it. The kids helped some, probably not as much as they should have. My back is seriously hurting now.
I hope you are enjoying the snow WAY more than me and having less drama than me and that everybody is happy and healthy in your household. I think my motto for this holiday is, "Take care of yourself." Don't go overboard on alcohol, crappy food, or family therapy during Christmas dinner. Enjoy all you can, remember what's important, and try to make somebody else's Christmas better.
Tomorrow, I go from workout warrior to road warrior.
Days 18 and 19 -- Mama Bear Needs Some Honey!
Oh, Lord, help me. If you've been paying attention lately, unless you live in Mesotopamia or under a rock somewhere in the United States, we have SNOW, people! This means a couple of things: one, it's too cold to go outside; two, because the kids now have no friends in our courtyard, they are stuck inside with each other and are fighting like crazy; and three, I now know why bears are fat -- because when they hibernate, they EAT everything in sight.
Take yesterday (please, somebody, take yesterday!). I just finally gave up counting calories. Let's just say that in the prior two days, I've probably eaten at least 2,500 calories each day, possibly 3,000. Stress, upset and snow -- the three Horses of the Apocalypse -- have resulted in me reaching for the three Dietary Demons -- sugar, salt and fat. It's not pretty, people, trust me.
So today, I am deciding that I am BACK. I walked in the snow and went sled-riding yesterday, so that counts as a home DVD. We'll call it "I'll Be Fat for Christmas." I resembled Yogi Bear hunting for goodies in the forest, the "forest" being my pantry and refrigerator. It made for some really weird combinations of foods, too.
At any rate, I am getting ready to go shovel, and if I can get the hell out of Dodge today, I'm leaving for my Southern Christmas break (my hubby is already there, lucky!) this afternoon. We'll see. Pray for me. I need it.
Take yesterday (please, somebody, take yesterday!). I just finally gave up counting calories. Let's just say that in the prior two days, I've probably eaten at least 2,500 calories each day, possibly 3,000. Stress, upset and snow -- the three Horses of the Apocalypse -- have resulted in me reaching for the three Dietary Demons -- sugar, salt and fat. It's not pretty, people, trust me.
So today, I am deciding that I am BACK. I walked in the snow and went sled-riding yesterday, so that counts as a home DVD. We'll call it "I'll Be Fat for Christmas." I resembled Yogi Bear hunting for goodies in the forest, the "forest" being my pantry and refrigerator. It made for some really weird combinations of foods, too.
At any rate, I am getting ready to go shovel, and if I can get the hell out of Dodge today, I'm leaving for my Southern Christmas break (my hubby is already there, lucky!) this afternoon. We'll see. Pray for me. I need it.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Day 17 -- Back Pain and Eating Out and Pilates, Oh My!
Today began with dealing with the bully issues at school, which is no fun. This also means two of three girls are home today, one because she is upset and the other because she doesn't feel well.
We went to the bagel shop this morning, because what's a better way to handle stress than carbs? I was already planning to go out with Nancy to Red Lobster, so I am still looking forward to that, although I will go online to their nutrition information beforehand, so I am armed with information and can make her feel guilty to boot, which is an added bonus.
Because of the stress and time constraints of today, I did Winsor Pilates 20 Minute Workout, which is actually almost 22 minutes, but who's counting? I am having back pain today, a lot of muscles feel scrunched up and like they're in spasm, so that's no fun. In addition to the workout, I stretched a few minutes so that my poor hamstrings could get a little looser. I'm wondering if tight hams are what's causing this back pain. Gotta go get ready to go to Michaels so we can finish a school project before tomorrow, then out to lunch. Be back later.
-------
Okay, I pretty much blew it today, calorie-wise. I added up everything, and it's a little over 1,770, but I think that's probably not right. Nancy & I had a fabulous time catching up and eating, BUT I ate so much, I felt almost sick when we were finished. Our local Mexican restaurant (La Fiesta, I highly recommend it) has excellent food but no nutritional info available, so I'm guessing.
The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent trying to process this whole school incident yesterday. I am a mama bear when it comes to my kids, and I don't do well when someone hurts or insults my children. It was a rough day. If you have any words of wisdom for handling eating during highly stressful days, please post and share.
I ended the day with a couple of beers (am I officially off the wagon?) and a grilled cheese sandwich, yummy! I'm totally beat now, so it's off to bed. Have a good one.
--------
Eating journal:
Thursday, 12-17-09:
8:00 a.m.
1 cup coffee w/1 tsp sugar & 3 tbsp organic creamer – 62
Subtotal: 62
8:30 a.m. – at bagel shop with girls
1 chocolate chip bagel – 160
1 tbsp butter – 100
2 eggs scrambled – 140
1 diet coke – 00
Subtotal: 400
12:00 p.m. – La Fiesta with Nancy
1 chicken burrito w/salsa – 800
2 tbsp sour cream – 50
Tortilla chips (I didn’t count) – 140
Iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 990
8:00 p.m. – after horrible day & 4 hours working with Skye on project
2 Bud Light beers – 220
1 homemade grilled cheese – 200
Subtotal: 420
Total Daily Calories: 1,772 (give or take a few hundred)
We went to the bagel shop this morning, because what's a better way to handle stress than carbs? I was already planning to go out with Nancy to Red Lobster, so I am still looking forward to that, although I will go online to their nutrition information beforehand, so I am armed with information and can make her feel guilty to boot, which is an added bonus.
Because of the stress and time constraints of today, I did Winsor Pilates 20 Minute Workout, which is actually almost 22 minutes, but who's counting? I am having back pain today, a lot of muscles feel scrunched up and like they're in spasm, so that's no fun. In addition to the workout, I stretched a few minutes so that my poor hamstrings could get a little looser. I'm wondering if tight hams are what's causing this back pain. Gotta go get ready to go to Michaels so we can finish a school project before tomorrow, then out to lunch. Be back later.
-------
Okay, I pretty much blew it today, calorie-wise. I added up everything, and it's a little over 1,770, but I think that's probably not right. Nancy & I had a fabulous time catching up and eating, BUT I ate so much, I felt almost sick when we were finished. Our local Mexican restaurant (La Fiesta, I highly recommend it) has excellent food but no nutritional info available, so I'm guessing.
The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent trying to process this whole school incident yesterday. I am a mama bear when it comes to my kids, and I don't do well when someone hurts or insults my children. It was a rough day. If you have any words of wisdom for handling eating during highly stressful days, please post and share.
I ended the day with a couple of beers (am I officially off the wagon?) and a grilled cheese sandwich, yummy! I'm totally beat now, so it's off to bed. Have a good one.
--------
Eating journal:
Thursday, 12-17-09:
8:00 a.m.
1 cup coffee w/1 tsp sugar & 3 tbsp organic creamer – 62
Subtotal: 62
8:30 a.m. – at bagel shop with girls
1 chocolate chip bagel – 160
1 tbsp butter – 100
2 eggs scrambled – 140
1 diet coke – 00
Subtotal: 400
12:00 p.m. – La Fiesta with Nancy
1 chicken burrito w/salsa – 800
2 tbsp sour cream – 50
Tortilla chips (I didn’t count) – 140
Iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 990
8:00 p.m. – after horrible day & 4 hours working with Skye on project
2 Bud Light beers – 220
1 homemade grilled cheese – 200
Subtotal: 420
Total Daily Calories: 1,772 (give or take a few hundred)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day 16 -- Core Rhythms and Decadent Christmas Party
Can I just say, it's WONDERFUL to have a few glasses of wine!? It truly is "the most wonderful time of the year" when I get to kick back, eat crap, and slam back a few glasses of red wine. Thanks, Dennis, for the bottle -- I shared it with the group, and all had a merry old time.
Today started off way colder than anticipated, and as usual, I could not drag my big butt out of bed in time, so . . . I waited until the little one was off to school, and then I schlepped out my Core Rhythms Full Workout DVD and sweated like a banshee. I think the last time I tried to do this, the DVD skipped, but not today. I swung my hips, crunched, danced, and had a fabulous time doing it.
I got a TON of stuff done today, including sending my article off to Oxygen - hooray! and making real estate calls. The day was going beautifully, until my middle schooler came home sobbing because some girls had shoved her and called her names.
So after a few parental confrontations -- one which went well, one not so much -- my blood was boiling and I needed to RELAX, which came in the form of a Bible study Christmas party. As you'll see below, this meant copious amounts of wine and a few dips, a piece of Pecan pie, and tortilla chips (the food of the gods). It was so enjoyable, and I didn't focus too much on the fact that I'm the heaviest or oldest woman there. Never mind, it was a good time. Eating journal is below. If you have any good clean eating holiday recipes, please post them so we can all enjoy.
My back is starting to talk to me, so I'm thinking maybe a stretching routine tomorrow. We'll see. I'm going to try to get up early and get it out of the way. Like I said, we'll see. Night.
-------------
Wednesday 12-16-09:
8:00 a.m.
1 cup coffee w/3 tbsp light cool whip – 42
Subtotal: 42
8:15 a.m.
1 glass iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
2 nutrigrain waffles – 140
1 tsp butter – 50
1 tbsp jelly – 50
2 eggs poached – 140
Subtotal: 380
9:45 a.m.
1 glass water -- 00
11:30 a.m.
10 ritz crackers – 160
1 tbsp regular peanut butter – 105
1 tbsp jelly – 50
1 iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 315
1:00 p.m. – out McDonald’s
1 barbeque grilled chicken wrap – 260
1 small diet coke – 00
Subtotal: 260
5:00 p.m.
16 wheat thins – 140
2 tbsp red pepper hummus – 70
1 glass iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 220
6:30 p.m.
1 bite pecan bite (literally a bite) – 50
Subtotal: 50
6:45 p.m.
1 ½ piece chicken tender – 140
2 tbsp barbeque sauce – 50
½ cup boiled broccoli – 50
1 iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 240
7:15 – 9:15 p.m. – party at Bible study group
2-3 glasses of wine, dip, shrimp, one slice pecan pie, crackers, few meatballs, taco dip, tortilla chips – 900
Total Daily Calories: 2,347
Today started off way colder than anticipated, and as usual, I could not drag my big butt out of bed in time, so . . . I waited until the little one was off to school, and then I schlepped out my Core Rhythms Full Workout DVD and sweated like a banshee. I think the last time I tried to do this, the DVD skipped, but not today. I swung my hips, crunched, danced, and had a fabulous time doing it.
I got a TON of stuff done today, including sending my article off to Oxygen - hooray! and making real estate calls. The day was going beautifully, until my middle schooler came home sobbing because some girls had shoved her and called her names.
So after a few parental confrontations -- one which went well, one not so much -- my blood was boiling and I needed to RELAX, which came in the form of a Bible study Christmas party. As you'll see below, this meant copious amounts of wine and a few dips, a piece of Pecan pie, and tortilla chips (the food of the gods). It was so enjoyable, and I didn't focus too much on the fact that I'm the heaviest or oldest woman there. Never mind, it was a good time. Eating journal is below. If you have any good clean eating holiday recipes, please post them so we can all enjoy.
My back is starting to talk to me, so I'm thinking maybe a stretching routine tomorrow. We'll see. I'm going to try to get up early and get it out of the way. Like I said, we'll see. Night.
-------------
Wednesday 12-16-09:
8:00 a.m.
1 cup coffee w/3 tbsp light cool whip – 42
Subtotal: 42
8:15 a.m.
1 glass iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
2 nutrigrain waffles – 140
1 tsp butter – 50
1 tbsp jelly – 50
2 eggs poached – 140
Subtotal: 380
9:45 a.m.
1 glass water -- 00
11:30 a.m.
10 ritz crackers – 160
1 tbsp regular peanut butter – 105
1 tbsp jelly – 50
1 iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 315
1:00 p.m. – out McDonald’s
1 barbeque grilled chicken wrap – 260
1 small diet coke – 00
Subtotal: 260
5:00 p.m.
16 wheat thins – 140
2 tbsp red pepper hummus – 70
1 glass iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 220
6:30 p.m.
1 bite pecan bite (literally a bite) – 50
Subtotal: 50
6:45 p.m.
1 ½ piece chicken tender – 140
2 tbsp barbeque sauce – 50
½ cup boiled broccoli – 50
1 iced tea w/sweet & low – 00
Subtotal: 240
7:15 – 9:15 p.m. – party at Bible study group
2-3 glasses of wine, dip, shrimp, one slice pecan pie, crackers, few meatballs, taco dip, tortilla chips – 900
Total Daily Calories: 2,347
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