Nancy’s Weight loss Journey 5 Yrs & Counting

It’s time for this month’s bikini update - Goal is to get to 139 for the Christmas challenge.  I’m too shy to have my boyfriend take my pic; so I used my cell camera which isn’t the greatest.  But this is me at 157 lbs.  I hope, no, I know I will lose at least another 6 to 8 lbs this month. 

I took this last night after being in the sun all day Saturday.  Have a really dark tan.  I hope it will wear off by autumn.

This was the bikini my boyfriend bought for my birthday in May. At first he bought a medium and I laughed at him. He returned it and got a large. The top still fits but the bottom is a bit big now.

Food Log

Exercise Log

Saturday morning - I set my alarm for 6 am so I can have breakfast for my 8:30am kickboxing class but ended up not going because Rodney wanted us to chill at home.  We did, till 12 noon which is a nice break as we’re always up at 4am everyday.  I didn’t get to go to the gym for class or to do upper body conditioning; we did manage to swim for two hours which wiped us out.

In terms of eating, I ate well all day, no bad snacks.  I had healthy breakfast, lunch and evening snack was a huge bowl of fruits.  For dinner I had grilled fish and rice.  Because I knew I didn’t eat enough, I did have a midnight snack.

This morning I am going to my 8am kickboxing class but have to be there at 7 because it gets crowded in there.  Perhaps more swimming will follow if it’s a hot day.

Very happy with this week. I lost two more lbs which I still amazed about. I analyzed my situation and got to the core of my slow weight loss - grazing, eating in between all my meals and snacks. I was real with myself and it’s paying off on the scale.

Yesterday I had a kick ass day with food. Everything was on plan from morning till night. I had a small dish of chicken and rice when I got home. Then had my dinner at 8pm of the same thing. It’s all psychological. I could eat one meal but always looking for that other meal, or split it up and satisfy my late afternoon and evening hunger drive. I have to admit there were moments where I wanted some of Rodney’s Chinese food, but did not do it. The hours after my last meal and bedtime are a bit easier to handle.

This morning I woke up with sore hamstrings - thanks to yesterday morning’s sculpt class. However, my head was not in the clouds. I left early for my 5:45am kickboxing class. I had a great time. No more Everlast Shadowboxing for me - it does not compare to my fun kickboxing class. We did round 33 again and I put 110% into my form. I even did 3 of the 4 turbos - normally don’t like to do more then two because it a waste of time and energy. I finished my morning workout with 15min. of relaxing yoga. Depending on my mood I may take a yoga class after work.

This weekend is all planned out. I will do 1 1/2 hours of upper body conditioning and my yoga class. Then Sunday morning I’ll take a kickboxing class and maybe swim if it’s hot. This is where the real test comes in. Will I make it through those two days without giving in to grazing? I hope so.

Food Log

Exercise Log

Last night was much easier then day 1 and 2. I got home, ate my snack and waited it out. There were periods where I wanted to munch but I kept myself busy. Pretty soon it was time to eat dinner. Before dinner I made fajitas for today’s lunch. The time I spend cooking lunch curbed my appetite. I had a really light dinner of rice and a chicken and lemon grass dish my mother gave me.

This morning I was so amped up for a great Power Sculpt class with Lynda. Unfortunately we had a sub. I don’t like her style. Way too many reps and sets and not enough cardio. If I wanted an all weights class I can take a lift class in the afternoon. But I got through it. Because I felt the cardio wasn’t enough, I went and did the mile Kim asked of us.

I feel so drained today. Awake but drained. There’s too much going on with my boyfriend, his job and the financial strain is getting to me. Huh, I just have to suck it up. That’s why I love to work out. It takes me away from my problems for a couple hours a day. Then back to reality.

This afternoon I will take a kickboxing class. Other than that I’m hoping for a successful day 4.

Food Log

Exercise Log

Still feeling groggy from this morning. I thought by mid-day I would feel better but that was not the case.

My back is hurting and I feel sore all over. Been here at the computer 6 hours straight. The weather is very nice and comfy today. The sun is not too hot so I will not get a tan even from a 15 minute walk. Yes, I can tan from a simple walk in the hot sun. So I grab my apple and went for a 1/2 mile walk at break time. Halfway through my walk my head cleared up and I feel 100% better.

After my off day “exercise” I might go for a nighttime dip and maybe get Rodney to join me.

Food Log

Yesterday was a great eat and exercise day. Not only did I get my 50 min. of cardio in the morning, I also got in an hour of kickboxing in the evening. I took my yoga mats with me but after an hour of cardio, I wasn’t in the mood to participate in yoga.

Got home and ate dinner then my final dish at 8pm. I didn’t crave last night so no money was lost.

I didn’t work out this morning but for some reason I feel more tired then days that I do. I don’t want to take a complete workout off day today. I guess an hour of walking or elliptical at a medium setting will feed my need to exercise.

12 more days to go. The scale is steadily moving downward - should I really be surprise? I truly thought that the in between bites were so low in calories that it did not matter. But if I add it up, because I take bites from everyone’s plates - it adds up quickly. Now I know the real reason why I was losing weight so slowly.

Food Log

I did it I actually did it. It was so hard and Rodney was having a ball with me.
After doing the 1 mile task from team leader Kim and an hour of Shadowboxing. I got home and ate dinner. Then I had dessert right before 8pm which is my cuttoff time for all eating. So he buys Jack in the crack and spreads it out in front of me. Ohhhhhh, I wanted some soooo bad. I forced myself to sit there and endure it as he made faces and noise to show me how good it was. I want to get use to being around food and not eat after cuttoff time.

I fought long and hard all night. Around 10pm I was really hungry and wanted to just munch on something but I went to sleep instead. It is only day 1 but I hope day 2 is going to be the same. 1 down and 13 more days to go to break this grazing cycle.

In the past I would justify eating extra because I worked out extra but I won’t do that anymore. Even though I got 50 min. on the elliptical this morning and will get another hour in of kickboxing tonight, I will not indulge and eat after 8 or graze in between snacks and meals. I have to do it for me. Should I want to eat heavy, it would be in the morning only.

Food Log

Exercise Log

Grazing is my biggest issue but I have a solution. For the next two weeks, at any time I graze, broken down to “any time I eat outside of my planned 2 snacks and 3 meals” I will make it hurt where it matters - my pocketbook. If anyone catch me snacking on chips or anything for that matter, eating a bite from their plate - i.e. the boyfriend, eating leftover food from my nephew’s lunch, OR even asking for a bite - I will give up $5. I hope after two weeks I can overcome my grazing issue and really lose weight. Haahhhhhh this is so hard but worth it.

Food Log

Exercise Log

My cousin by marriage whom I’ve known for almost 25 years are hanging out again. As children we were close but we’ve grown up and apart until recently. A few weeks ago I saw her and her mom after losing some weight. Her mom was mean - she made a comment to my cousin when I was standing there that she (me) looks good and got rid of most of her belly. How come you can’t do it and look, now you’re bigger then her. Thanks ?????? I didn’t take it as a compliment but didn’t say anything because she’s my elder.

Since I last saw her she’s gained some weight. So she tells me she’s been working out and what not. I was curious, trying to find out what her routine is like and how’s her eating habit….etc. She belongs to a different gym and just from gut instinct I prefer to leave it like that. I don’t think we would be compatible as workout buddy. I tend to do better solo. But we haven’t had a real discussion about weightloss or anything.

Well, yesterday she came by to chill. She asked me what my vice is and I said exercising - it’s my hobby. She starts talking about her routine and what not. During the conversation I tried to give tips but she brushed it all aside because it didn’t apply to her. For instance, I told her that it’s important to have a strong back, strong core because everyone needs a strong powerhouse. I told her I use free weights and the stationary weight station the guys mainly use and that doing the row machine, the low row and lat pulldowns were good overall exercise to get every muscle in your back and some in front. She tells me there’s a machine she uses for her back and it’s good enough for her; but the one she mentions is a stationary unit focus only on the lower back and she doesn’t use any other back conditioning machine. After several other attempts of comparing work out notes I realized it’s best if I just keep my routine to myself and for buddyslim. She seems to be closed off to advice and is interested.

So then it turns to food. She asked me if I know of any pills I could recomment for losing weight. I said NONE. Best method is good old exercise and eating right. There is no pill for weight loss that doesn’t have a side effect. She said one of her friend gave her a bunch of pills - organic ones that has no side effects. Me, eyebrow raised. She said she has not taken any but the hoodia pill and it’s working for her (BUT she’s not losing weight). She said she’s going to start taking the other pills because it promises that she will lose the weight fast. I told her it’s best to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week so your body has time to adjust to weight loss. Too rapid of a weight loss leads to saggy skin and why would you want to do that if the goal is to look good?
She ended the conversation there and showed no more interest. I decided to go for a swim after that.

Food Log

Exercise Log

Despite a slight discomfort yesterday morning - I can say I did a great job of adjusting my workout routine to allow my right foot to rest but still get my exercise in last week. It’s paid off and most of the pain is gone.

I started this week off with a bang.
Sunday is normally my day off but because of Saturday, I went to the 8am kickboxing class and had a blast. It is the newest round and very basic; thus I took out the high impact jumpy part out and focused on my form. So every punch and every kick was harder and stronger.
Because it was so hot I spent total about an hour swimming and doing laps the rest of the day to cool off because I don’t use the ac at home - personal preference. I like to be “green” and use fans and the pool to stay cool.

We were busy with guests so bedtime didn’t happen till 1am. I had a really hard time getting up when Rodney got up at 5am. Finally rolled out of bed and got to the gym before 6am for an hour or so of upper body strength training. I used the hot sauna to sweat and do a bit of morning yoga and to stetch from my workout.

This evening not sure if I want to do the Everlast Shadowbox class or back to kickboxing but I have plenty of time to make up my mind.

Tomorrow morning I may take the 5:30am spin class even though my butt is still sore from Thursday’s class. If not then it’s an hour on the elliptical. Then my afternoon kickboxing class will follow.

Something finally hit home over the weekend. I am a grazer and I need to stop. I take a bite from this person’s plate and that person’s plate and in my crazy head dismiss the calories. I can’t do it anymore. I need to stick to good healthy food and only eat a snack and my dinner once I get home from the gym. I have to stop eating a snach, dinner, then a tiny snack and whatever food is on my man’s plate. This is the source of my weightloss problem - I eat uneccessary calories. So, it’s on paper now and I have to hold myself accountable for it. It’s going to be hard and I know I will fall once or twice but at least I have a goal set for myself that is attainable. Stop eating at 8pm - and stop eating other people’s food.

Food Log

Exercise Log