Another Break

Hi again!
I have two weeks off from school! Wahooo! These breaks are NOT for the students! Nor do they make up for the hours and hours of extra time we teachers spend ....anyway, this is not my soapbox, sorry.

What is does mean is that I can spend 16 days trying to figure out how to live here and be healthy! I weighed myself this morning (first time since Thanksgiving) and was pleasantly surprised. Last weigh in was 211.4 and I have not even been caring since. So I was expecting to see something around 220 today. Not so! 214.0! I can handle that.

The picture is of me this morning. My plan, I have 16 days to see how much I can do. 16 days to figure out how to make this work. I'll keep you posted. 

Recipe Review

I had a delicious breakfast this morning! Eggnog Overnight Oatmeal! :D

I got the recipe from Peanut Butter Fingers. I found it a while back and was disappointed that I couldn't try it because we didn't have any eggnog, but I bought some. The same kind as she shows in the recipe post and it is delicious! And so much healthier for you. I was so happy to find it at my local Walmart. :)

Anyway, here is the recipe:

Eggnog Overnight Oats

Picture courtesy of Peanut Butter Fingers

Original Recipe:
2/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
6 oz. Greek Yogurt 2%
1/3 cup Eggnog
Added later:
Sliced Banana
Sprinkle of Nutmeg

What I did:
2/3 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 cup Eggnog
1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Added this morning:
6 oz. Low Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana (sliced)
Sprinkle of Nutmeg

I don't have Chia seeds, I've looked for them and can't find them at any stores I shop at regularly and I'm not going to go to some random store just to buy one thing. It's just one more stop I have to make on my already crazy errand day.

I let those three ingredients soak overnight then this morning I added the yogurt, a TINY bit more Almond milk and mixed it all together. It came together so nicely! It was smooth and creamy, minus the oats (haha). Then I topped it off with my sliced Banana and nutmeg.

I will definitely be making this again, however I wont use any Almond milk for soaking, just to add moisture in the morning. I think it diluted the eggnog a little to much. It was still delicious though! Enjoy! Thanks Peanut Butter Fingers!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Losing and Regaining Control

I had a really hard time when I stepped off the scale this morning. I thought I had been doing really well this week. I was excited about weighing in. Remember? I stepped on the scale and it went the WRONG DIRECTION! That's right. It went up. More then a pound. I refuse to yo-yo again. I will NOT be stuck in a five pound cycle again.

Long story short, after a terrible day of eating all the wrong stuff to the point of making myself feel sick because I didn't understand what I was doing wrong... I realized one thing. I don't currently believe I can break 160 again. I didn't believe it the first time and when I did, I cried.

That's the thing though. I did it once before. Actually, I've done it twice! It's all about controlling the body and mind. I need to stop thinking negatively  It's really weird. I am usually a really positive person. I am always telling the hubs, "positive outcomes only" or "think positively  or "stop being so negative " (that's when he's been really beating himself up about something, he does that a lot.) And when it comes to things other then me, I am positive. I despise being negative  It takes to much energy. So then why am I not positive when it comes to myself? That's dumb. I miss the endorphins from running. I felt so much better running. I so much happier. I have to find something else that replaces that until I can run again. Working out in general does that, if I can do it regularly, and I can. I just have to control my body, my mind, myself, and get the job done! I completed a Half Marathon for crying out loud! I forced myself to run every stinking training run and the end of the Marathon, even though I was in so much pain.

Someone once said, "Sometimes I wonder if this life was meant so we could learn to control our desires."

I believe this life is a test, that we are sent here to learn, to better ourselves. I didn't give that statement much thought when that person said it, but as I was leaning over the island in my kitchen today about ready to burst into tears because I was so frustrated and LW had been screaming at the top of his lungs for more then three hours (no. joke. no dirty diaper. no wet diaper. not hungry. had woken from a nap two hours before starting to scream. wouldn't go to sleep when laid down... sigh.) I had a sudden realization. More... an sudden surge of anger. Much like Spunky, I do not like ANYTHING controlling me. Whether that be a person, or a habit, or an addiction. It drives me bonkers.

If part of this life is truly about controlling our desires then I will beat the snot out of my desires (that aren't good or are excessive) and show that I AM IN CONTROL OF THIS BODY! I yelled that to myself during my runs when I thought I couldn't do anymore. And guess what? It's true and I am!

I'm so sick of falling prey to sugary desires. It's always sugar. Bread I've got under control now. Thank goodness. I still want it. I desire it and I almost always reach for more, but I always put that extra back.

I know I have had realizations in the past. I know I've said it was going to be "it" before. And me saying something is different this time may not mean anything because of that, but it truly is. Something is different. I've been upset and frustrated before. But I am furious and full of anger and determination now. NO MORE!

I set goals today. I have 16 weeks. 16 weeks to lose 32 lbs. I know that's a lot, especially with Christmas and New Years. Valentines will be in there too. I know I can do it. I have the weight to lose. And in the beginning, sticking to my plan, the weight will fall off. It will slow down towards the end of 16 weeks, I know that, but it will be lower. My goal is to be 130-135 by March 29th.

I am "going off sugar" again. I did it before with Spunky before Summer hit.

I lost weight.

Duh.

So, I'm doing it again. The reason for the " " is because my off sugar, is off sugar accept for a SLIVER of pie on Christmas Eve/Christmas day, 2 Candies OR cookies OR sugary treats on New Years Eve/New Years Day, and 2 treats on Valentines. Plus a SMALL treat on a SPECIAL date night. Like out to frozen yogurt, which we don't do very often.

What happened to long story short?

Jeez, I type a lot.

And forget the whole slowly building up to workout out everyday. I AM IN CONTROL OF THIS BODY! I say workout everyday, so I will workout EVERYDAY!

I like this feeling of control! ;)

I'm drunk with power!!!

Ahem, sorry.

My attitude drastically changed while writing this.

Oh! I will report my measurements though.

Before Body Measurements (From 175 lbs)
Chest: 41 in.
Rib-Cage: 36
Waist 36.5
Lower Belly: 38 in.
Hips/Butt: 45 in.

Full Body Measurements ( 163.8 lbs.)
Bust: 39.5 in. (1.5 in. gone)
Chest: 32 in. (4 in. gone! Wow!)
Waist: 31.5 (5.5 in. gone! Wow!)
Lower Belly (mom belly/pooch/pouch/the part that drives me crazy): 37.5 in. (.5 in. I'll take it!)
Hips/Butt: 44 in. (1 in. gone)
L Thigh: 24.5 in.
R Thigh: 25.5 in.
L Calf: 16.25 in.
R Calf: 16 in.
L Bicep: 12.5 in.
R Bicep: 12.5 in (took me forever to get them the same! That made me happy when I saw that.)
L Forearm: 10.25
R Forearm: 10.25

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Little Changes

Shout Out to Spunky!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Alright.

Somethings different...

What is it?

Oh! I did my workout this morning! HAHA!

Sorry there isn't a picture, but trust me when I say I was sweating and huffing and puffing! The Hubs even commented on it and he asked if I was okay a few times because I was breathing so heavy. He got up with me and did his own workout! I was hoping he would do the same one I was doing, but something is better then nothing. I'll get him one of these days.

The deal with that though is he doesn't need to workout as intensely as I do. He has one of those, can eat until the world ends and never gain a single pound. INCLUDING Chips and Dip and Candy and Soda and all that junk food that I SO want to have and can't. Ugh. It's not fair. I have however dropped a few hints here and there. When we got married he had ab definition. He no longer does. He also had super nice sexy arms. Which he still does, just not quite as much as he did. I miss his abs. They were nice... *drool*  Ehem! Anyway! I have dropped a few hints about missing them and he has always replied with something along these lines. "I want to workout, but not at night." or "I don't want to workout for an hour" or something similar.

So, after a lot of research and talking to my personal trainer, aka my mom, I learned something. I'm doing INTERVALS! They are killer! I'll explain more after I get them down better and may even post a video of me doing them.

This means I will no longer be doing hour long workouts. That sounds crazy, right? I know... My workouts will be closer to 15-30 minutes. More on the side of 30 with stretching and all that. On occasion I will still do my longer yoga sessions and once my hip is healed and strengthened I will add running in, but not because I need it, but because I want to. Wow, it's still weird saying I want to run.

I do have some exciting new about tomorrows weigh in though! I will also be posting measurements! I haven't done that in a while. They probably wont be as good as last time considering I am a couple pounds heavier and I had a hiatus from working out.

I'm excited for this new development.

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Where Have I Been?

I know. It's been a long time, right? Let me first say that I adore Spicy and that she inspires me to keep working.

I had a major life change the first weekend of November that really threw me for a loop. It has been a month and I am doing my best to keep my chin up and take it day by day. I have to keep reminding myself that this is temporary and will help my family reach our goals, as ugly as it is right now. Caterpillars aren't considered beautiful, but .... you get it right? I'm in a caterpillar life phase right now. So, slow and steady, breathe, and continue to dream.

Part of the change includes not having any space to workout and a very small space to prepare food. Makes journeying to health a little more challenging to say the least. I've got to figure it out. I pretty much went into an "I don't care anymore" mode for a few weeks. Then, over my Thanksgiving break from school I decided it was time to get back on the wagon. That is when I made the commitment to walk each day that week. I actually walked about 4 days that week and was proud of that.

Last week, I decided to focus on my food intake as well. I had gained a few pounds and was back up to 214.4. As you know, I love to read. I recently read a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman. It made sense to me. I want to try it but am not ready to jump in with both feet nor have I figured out the best way to store, prepare, and cook food here.

Anyway, I decided to really focus on breakfast (which I am really good at already) and lunch. Leave the rest to whatever it is. For breakfast I always have a fruit smoothie with spinach and protein! Stuck with that. Fruit for breakfast. For lunch, I am now eating TONS of veggies! Dark greens, raw, cooked, etc.! Think HUGE portion. I also have some beans and fruit, too.

It was a huge success. I did not workout (other than my normal coaching duties, but I don't count those as working out because it isn't dedicated to me or my health) and I ate whatever I wanted and was available after about 3pm. I still lost 3 pounds, exactly!!! Yes!!! That puts me in range of 210 again. Watch out, here I come!

Building My First Workout

Alright, so the workout I had originally planned to do would have taken about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. I didn't get to do it all because I started workout out later then I had planned. With that said though, it was a fabulous workout. It definitely got my heart rate up and I was huffing and puffing for quite some time.

I started with the TRX. If you don't know what that is, you can learn more HERE. I LOVE this piece of equipment! I have the suspension cables. There is so much you can do with them! I did my research yesterday in trying to find different workouts I could do on it, because as much as I love it, I haven't done a ton on it. I found a workout that was fast paced, but there were something things I didn't want to or couldn't do. So I changed it a little as I went a long.

The original workout, which also looks great, is HERE.

Each exercise I did for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest, unless I say otherwise below. The 40 second exercises ended up being about 10 reps each. If you go faster you can do more, but I was still learning the movements and I was huffing and puffing already.

TRX PUSH Combo: push-up, T Fly, superman
Dumbbell rotation lift and lower
TRX PUSH Combo
Dumbbell rotation lift and lower
TRX Sprinter Start (1 minute Right Leg, 20 sec rest)
TRX Biceps Clutch with crossing clutch
TRX T Push-up

TRX Biceps Clutch with crossing clutch
TRX T Push-up
TRX Sprinter Start (1 minute Left Leg, 20 sec rest)
TRX Reverse Lung with Jump Switch
Medicine Ball Walkover

TRX Reverse Lung with Jump Switch
Medicine Ball Walkover (This was SO hard for me, first round was hard, but the second round killed!)
TRX Sprinter Start (1 minute Right Leg, 20 sec rest)
TRX Burpee with Jump
Dive Bomber (take a LOT of muscle, I could barely do them. I welcome the day when I can)

TRX Burpee with Jump
Dive Bomber

Medicine Ball Toe Tap (1 minute, 20 Sec rest)
TRX Grappler Pull/Push combo
Dumbbell Squat Jump

TRX Grappler Pull/Push combo
Dumbbell Squat Jump

TRX Sprinter Start (1 minute Left Leg, 20 sec rest)

I'll try to post a video with me demonstrating these moves. If I do I'll update this post and put it here.

I then went on to do my physical therapy moves for my hip, a yoga sequence--which I didn't get to finish-- and stretching.

All in all a great workout! :D Hard and Challenging.

TRX hanging in the background.

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Complexity is me to a T

I've come to the conclusion that I am a complex individual.

I get bored easily. ESPECIALLY with workout routines. I can not do the same thing day after day or week after week. Which is why both P90X and Insanity don't work for me. I have both of them. Love the workouts, but not on a day to day basis. More like... if I feel I need to challenge myself, or I really don't want to make up my own workout. They do work, I've seen it, but for someone like me who gets bored easy... I'll do three weeks and then stop... most of the time I'll only do two. I know it changes a little, but I get bored quickly.

I've determined this because every time I look at a routine I've done within the last couple weeks... I cringe! I don't want to do it again. Not because it's hard, I LOVE HARD WORKOUTS! Because it's repetitive. You can ask The Hubs. I do not like repetitive things. I first discovered this when my mom would repeat things to me over and over and over. Parenting, right? Wrong! I asked her to stop repeating herself and once she did, I did what she had asked me to... over and over and over again. It's just my own personal pet peeve. Repetitive anything is annoying. I know that example above isn't the greatest, and it wasn't very nice of me, but after that she only asked or told me something once and it stuck. Much less exhausting on both of us and our relationship bloomed beautifully. (That doesn't work for every teenager, I was/am very headstrong and I had/have one of those attitudes of "i'll prove you wrong" her repeating herself just made me want to do the opposite at the time, very immature, I know.) She is one of the closest people to me. I don't like calling people my best friend either because then I feel bad about someone else, in that case... my "friends" who are mostly family, are my best friends.

Okay, I'm starting to ramble.

Basically... I get bored easy. I'm a complex person. I don't like repeating anything.

So... I'm gonna start making up my own workouts... YIKES! I have been doing that to the point of picking a random workout done by someone else and doing it, but now... I'm actually going to plan my own. Oh, boy. I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not a personal trainer... which is why I'll be enlisting the help of my Mom who is a personal trainer.

Tonight is my first personal made workout. In case you are wondering, yes, it will be posted on here. It's going to be hard, because I like to challenge myself. HOWEVER, every workout can be modified and if you want to join in then do so! Just be sure to go to your own fitness level.

Check back tonight for my workout, okay? See ya!

Until Next Time,
Spicy