June 2013

So, it has not almost been two months since we joined the gym with trainers etc.  Since then we have changed everything about our way of living.  We are both so much more active as well as extremely aware of what we put in our bodies.  This has been an incredible two months.  Have I lost what I wanted to so far?  No.   However, I have still lost (not gained) so I am thankful for that.  I am down about 10lbs and Moussa is down an amazing 15lbs.  He is training sometimes twice a day.  It is outstanding.  He is also eating salads and veggies.  I can not believe I am able to type that out.  I have taken to going down the stairs in my office building three times a day (we are on the 20th floor).  So I am at least going down 60 flights 5 times a week.  I am trying to be mindful of my knees.  Going up is not something I am quite ready for.  I have also been using a FitBit One.  This little device is with me 24 hours a day (minus the shower).  It tracks my steps, calories, and sleep patterns.  It sets a goal of 10,000 steps per day/5 miles per day.  That actually seems doable naturally however, since I sit at a desk all day I find that I don't move around a lot.  Now with my little buddy I am making a very strong effort to GET UP outta my seat and move.  I love it!!  I also use My Fitness Pal which syncs perfectly with my FitBit.  I track all of my food and water intake.  I stick to a pretty strict calorie intake of 1,500 per day.  If I work out hard I may intake a bit more but not normally.  I need to lose the poundage desperately so that my muscles can surface for me to see.

We have realized that the personal trainers at our gym is about $1.00 per minute.  That is just too steep so we decided that having our own equipment at home would be a wiser investment.  We were able to find an incredible treadmill and and home gym on craigslist for a steal.  Now, with tracking my food and working out I am feeling wonderful!  I can see and feel a healthy future for us both.  We just must maintain this once school starts.  That is when it becomes difficult for us.  So far so good!

May 2013

(Beginning of May)
I have definitely been here before.  Yes, another "fresh" start.  I have since had 2 surgeries on my stomach that has set me back to my starting weight.  Now that school is over we both are back at the gym and eating right this week.  I am excited to get back into it.  We both have new trainers and a new wonderful gym.  I am even going to start taking a few classes that my gym as to offer.  So far I am down 3lbs for this week.  I feel great and so far have not dreaded going to the gym yet.  Yes, that usually ends up being my true feelings.  I do hope to keep up this motivation level!  I am back at needing to lose over 75lbs but so far that is not too scary for me.  I look forward to seeing our progress within the next few months!  All we have is time now.  Thank goodness for the break from school!!!!

I must run off now to fill my water bottle up yet again!

July 17, 2012

July 17, 2012

It has been just over a month since we (hubby and I) have started working out and eating properly.
He has lost 17 lbs and I have lost 11.5 lbs.  I know in my heart of hearts that I must step up my workout schedule and intensity.  I am happy for him and his motivation level.  I am slowly getting there.  I am sure someone has done many hours of research as to why men lose more weight than women, whatever the reason it still frustrates the living crap outta me.  Dang, I mean I am trying over here.  I must admit that his success is pushing me to keep going.  I have been working out with my personal trainer several times a week.  I just need to stick with my 1,200 calorie a day meal plan and get my hiney to the gym on my off days without the trainer.  11 pounds is okay however I can't wait until I actually can see and feel the results in my body and face.  I only see them on the scale and wonder where they came off of.  The one and only area that I am feeling a difference is my upper arms.  I can feel the awakening in my muscle that I was certain had left me years ago.  I can feel it tighten each and every time I put my arms to use.  It is actually pretty great.  Every time I work out I feel the burn and the pain for several days afterwards.  I am not at all complaining about that since I know how dormant my muscles have been. 
I am proud to have busted through my "I can do anything for two weeks then I stop" period.  I log every single morsel of food that I intake on myfitnesspal website.  I am monitoring closely my calorie numbers.  It gives me a black and white reality every single day.  I must accomplish an additional 10 lbs within the next 4 weeks  That is my short term goal to lose between 2 to 3 lbs per week.  My ultimate goal from start to happy is to lose 76.8 lbs. total.  I want to lose that by December 31, 2012.  I want to start 2013 at my very healthiest body possible.  I will check in soon.

June 27, 2012

It has been a little while since I have logged on to show my progress as well as my food log.  I have however been logging onto my new favorite website http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ 
on this website I am able to log all my food and water intake as well as any exercise that I have done for the day.  It contains a wide variety of foods/restaurants that I often find using in my daily schedule.  I also have it on my phone so that I can not use the excuse of not logging everything that I consume.  I am still doing my best to remain around 1200 calories per day.  Naturally, if I burn more due to exercise I am awarded with more calories I can have for the day.  It has also kept me drinking a huge amount of water since you log that part too.
As of yesterday, June 26, 2012 I started to replace my regular cup of coffee (w/splenda and creamer) with a cup of hot green tea and one packet of splenda.  No, it so far does not make me near as happy due to the non creaming taste however, it is because of the creamer itself that I have decided to give it a whirl.  I am pretty sure if I can find an extremely low calorie creamer substitute then I will go back to enjoying at least one cup of coffee per day. 
I have now had a total of 4 PT sessions.  They are going pretty well.  I believe it is the cardio before and after my session that I dread the most.  Since my husband is running circles around my progress I am trying to work a little harder at this.  I keep hoping for the day that my heart catches up with my goals.  I definitely look forward to driving to the gym and actually have a feeling of looking forward to my work-out.  Not quite there yet. 
To date:  I have lost maybe about 5 lbs is all.  I must step it up!!!  Once I can see real progress I am sure my motivation will push me to succeed.  I raise my cup of hot tea as a salute to the very near future.

June 19, 2012

June 19, 2012

My thigh muscles are feeling quite a bit better as long as I keep stretching them.  My Plantar Faciitis has really flared up in my right foot.  Today is my 2nd PT session so I am doing everything I can to keep it from swelling.  I am also hoping we only do arms and abs today at the gym. According to my home scale (which is probably not as accurate as the gym scale) says that I have lost 2lbs. I am taking that with a grain of salt for now.  I will keep posting my weight on here whether it goes up or down.

Food:

Breakfast - coffee w/creamer and 1 spenda, Dannon Pure blueberry yogurt, raw (no salt) peanuts.
Snack - plum
Lunch - Total Lean Shake (Strawberries and Cream) - 180 calories

June 18, 2012

June 18, 2012 

My legs have continued to kill me however I can feel them slightly loosening up.  I plan on skipping the gym tonight just to recover so I can be at my best for my PT appt. on Tuesday.  Other than my morning cup of coffee I drank water the rest of the day.

Food:

Breakfast - Coffee w/cream & splenda, salt free peanuts, plum & a nectarine
Lunch - Tiger's Milk Protein Bar
Snack - Salt free peanuts, veggie chips
Dinner - Tikka Chicken on a bed of field greens with very little ranch, 1 1/2 pieces of garlic nan

June 17, 2012

June 17, 2012

I can barely go downstairs at all and sitting down takes me almost a full minute.  My thighs are beyond the normal "workout sore".  I honestly did not know what to do to make the pain at least decrease.  Once I was up and walking I did okay.  If I finally did sit down then my muscles tighten back up.  We went ahead and went back to the gym for a normal workout.  I only did 20 minutes/1 mile on the treadmill as well as some ab and arm machines.  I hurt entirely to bad to do any more with my legs.

Food:  

We opted to make salmon with a side of rice noodles for dinner with watermelon for dessert at 5:30p.m.  I am so proud of us.  I slept quite well.

June 16, 2012

June 16, 2012

My first PT session (we have the same trainer just on different days).
I saddle on up and work extremely hard to the point of almost passing out.  We did 15 mins of cardio on the treadmill with varying inclines and speeds then concentrated the rest of the session on all leg exercises.  By the time I left my legs had turned to rubber and were shaking.  In the evening I was hurting pretty badly.  I figured it was par for the course since it was my first workout in years.  However, I have been "workout sore" before but this was unlike I had ever experienced. 

June 15, 2012

June 15, 2012

Gym finally opens our new facility.  We each have purchased 20 personal training sessions each.

Moussa had his first PT session.  He came home and only wanted an apple for dinner.  I see he means to make this work also.  His motivation is that his extremely healthy father is coming to visit from Morocco for a month in August.  He wants to show him the new and improved healthy Moussa.
I admire his way of thinking.  I also can see I better jump aboard his fast moving train if I want to keep up.

2012

2012 Determination 

Here it is the middle of the year already. I am continuing to gain and complain. Which by the way just in case you didn't know, does not do any good what-so-ever. In fact, it only makes it worse for me. Let me just tick away at all my bad habits as well as health issues related to these habits so that you and I can see it in black and white.

~Insomnia along with Restless Leg Syndrome
~Plantar Faciitis in both feet
~Constant heartburn
~Constant exhaustion
~ill often with tons of mucus
~carpel tunnel
~knee/joint pain
~back and neck pain
~acne on face and back
~awful digestive system
~unable to conceive
~self consciousness
~uncomfortable in my own skin majority of my awake hours
~barely eating throughout the day then eating an extremely unhealthy dinner around 10p.m. every night.

I see and understand that all this is due to my lack of any resemblance of a healthy lifestyle. I also understand I tend to kick myself into gear every 6 months or so with it lasting two weeks before some internal switch shuts off. I say I can do anything I set my mind to...for two weeks and then BOOM...nothing. This time I need to make it work or the damage I am doing to my body will be almost irreversible. Heart conditions run on both sides of my family. Being this overweight with practically zero activity, I am just asking for major issues sooner rather than later.

I feel this time will be different in the fact that I will have my very best friend/husband along for this journey. He is more than determined to also lose his weight as well as become physically fit. Seeing him so strong in his goal I can't help but feel overall excitement for what is to come for both of us. Having a workout buddy is always beneficial not to mention someone that will be eating the same healthy meals along side me. Here are my goals again in black and white so that I can see them for my own eyes.

I am currently (at my very heaviest ever) = 215.0lbs
My height is around 5'5 to 5'6
MY GOAL WEIGHT IS 140.0lbs 
That means a total weight loss of 75.0lbs
Moussa (my husband) is wanting to lose 60lbs so our goals are at least pretty close.

This time I (we) will be doing this the old fashion unavoidable way, with a combination of exercise and decreased calorie intake. I am trying to avoid the word Diet to make it less frightening. I look at diets as a quick solution to losing and gaining even more back. I should know I have done it more times than I want to think about.

My strongest motivation is to be healthy enough to conceive then have an easier time with pregnancy as well as hopefully a less painful labor.  I also would like to be conditioned enough to be able to bounce back after having a baby.

1st day on alli

April 12, 2011
As I stated before I have been watching my fat gram and calorie intake for the last 3 days so getting into this program was not "messy". I read way too many warnings about it not to. If someone was watching me take the first pill they would have laughed quite hard. I had this envision that the moment I took it I would be running for the commode. I held that pill between my fingers poised in my mouth for probably a full 5 minutes before I let go. Low and behold nothing happened. I logged my food on the alli website for every morsel that passed my lips. So far so good. I have also increased my water intake up to the required 64 oz (8 glasses w/8 oz each). So I do run for the ladies room only so that I can dispose of all the water.
You see I know that the treatment effects are suppose to make the extra fat that you ingest come out of you in a very oily orange gross way. No thank you. I will do anything I can to not make that happen.
The website has me set to weight in on April 18th. Knowing I have a goal of 70lbs to lose should keep me in check right.

Alli

Okay so I completed the entire Standard Process Program with ehhh okay results. I was however proud of myself for having completed the entire program with no major slip ups. True to form as soon as the program ended so did my will power. I ended up packing the pounds back on due to my complete lack of trying. I even sold my treadmill so that the reminder was no longer standing in my ever growing face.

I have now hit my highest weight ever! I can't handle the idea of that. Some of the amazing things that happened to me while on the Standard Process Program such as the lack of heartburn and headaches are now back. My sleeping patterns have now also gone back to sparatic. So here I sit with heartburn, a dull headache as well as body aches reminding me that I need to chose a better lifestyle. I want to be healthy for me and for the future children I would love to have. Speaking of which I also would love to be in a healthy body when I do get pregnant so that I can bounce back easier and have a smoother pregnancy.

Soooo.....after wasting entirely too many days at work researching for an answer I found one. One that kept telling me it helped people overweight with zero will-power act as a babysitter. Yes, that is exactly what I need. Sad I know.

I ordered my first bottle of alli. I am sure you have at least heard about it.
Here is the simplified form of it. If I go over 15grams of fat per meal I more than likely will have an accident in my pants. Who in the heck wants that to happen? Not me. So I have done what was recommended and starting eating correctly and logging my food intake 3 days prior to popping the pill.

Day 21 - Last Day of my 21 Day Program

January 23rd, 2011

Today is my LAST DAY on the Standard Process 21 Day Purification Program. I feel like the victor in my own race. I have ran similar life style races before. Even having been the only contestant I have never crossed the finish line. I weighted and measured myself today for the first time in a while. I am not too terribly happy with the scale numbers telling me I have only lost 8lbs total but the measurements are telling me that I have lost almost 4 inches around my waist. I have lost up to 2" in additional areas such as my biceps, thighs and even my neck. Even with just a little bit more weight-loss and the new measurements it has encouraged me to keep up the pace. So much so that I bought a treadmill yesterday. I do have a gym membership that I still plan on using but with this new piece of equipment I will not be able to use the excuse not to get in between 30 to 60 minutes of cardio a day. My chiropractor was kind enough to layout an exercise plan that will work best for me and my goals. I suppose I did not realize how much I need to incorporate lifting into my workout plan. I was under the impression that cardio with a few additional exercises would get the fat to go away. I figured once I lost the weight then I would start to lift to build up my muscles. Guess what, I was wrong. I am excited to start in on this new program as well as the new workout plan. I pick up my Post Purification Program from my Chiropractors today. I also just read the new guidelines again. Yea, I can do this!

Day 20

January 22nd, 2011

As I was saying yesterday weekends become difficult for me to intake enough calories and required water. I focused on making sure I did both today. I woke to my shake and supplements then within a small bit of time had some veggies, shortly afterwards we went out to lunch where I had another house salad with nothing but oil and vinegar. We ended up running errands half the day so all I seemed to take in for the next few hours was water. Having said that I did come home and make myself some cod and another spinach salad. For a shake I decided to mix it up. I wanted to try a veggie shake instead. I mean come on you can only have so many berry shakes before you need to "shake" things up more. I put in whole tomatoes, freshly chopped garlic, freshly chopped basil, freshly chopped onion,freshly chopped parsley, two pinches of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a touch of vinegar & my SP Cleanse. I was in heaven. It tasted like a spicy tomato soup. Until I realized that my eyes where watering due to having put way too many onions and garlic in it. Next time I will scale back. All in all it was a good experiment. I just need to perfect it.
Later in the evening we took some family to Red Lobster where I realized was my kinda place. I was able to order fresh cod that had been baked without any seasonings, steamed broccoli and steamed asparagus paired with a small house salad. I just love being able to eat a full meal with others without feeling like I am missing out on the whole experience of eating out enjoyed with the normal table talk.
Tomorrow is my last day on the 21 Day cleanse! I am proud of myself! Next week I begin the Post Purification Program.

Day 19

January 21st, 2011

Today was a true testament to my will-power. My office had its weekly office lunch. I ordered them New York Style pizza from a local pub here that usually has me counting down the minutes until it arrives. Well these gorgeous 24" pies arrived just to stare me in the face. I quickly grabbed my salad with my chicken breasts and hid in my office for the next few hours. I think the one part of the pizza that I missed the most is the part that starts at the crust and ends in the middle. Yes, all of it!! I am having a weak moment on the food desires but still have not faltered. In fact as I type this I am eating my cute little baby carrots. I have given names to almost all of my veggies in order to make them even more desirable.
You might find this part to be true as well. I have found that it is very easy to stay on my program during the week since I work in an office all day. I can sit here and partake in my little baggies of treats (veggies) as well as remember to take my supplements and 2nd shake. However on the weekends I find I must stop myself from going all day without eating or drinking any water. I become so busy with my weekend tasks that I tend to forget to do either. This is my last weekend of the 21 day program. I will do great! I have no other choice. I also better get my hiney back to the gym. Only two more days to go.

Day 18

January 20th, 2011

Yet another day of birthday cake/pie in my office for a co-worker. Although sweets are not my thing normally, it looks amazing now. I sit in the mini party with my salad just so that I can be eating along with them. I try and avoid feeling hungry this way.

On a positive note, I read over the Post Purification Program guidelines yesterday. All the rules sounded positive. I am excited to reintroduce the different food groups one at a time. I am interested to see if I have any food intolerance to anything specific. I plan on keeping up with my journal as I fight my way through an additional 30 days. In all honesty though my battle with food with be a lifetime. I know that I will not detour right back to my horrible way of eating however, it will be a struggle not to indulge in my past favorites. I need to find a happy medium where I can treat myself with a not so good for me meal every once in a while as a reward. However, is it really a reward when I know I will feel bad immediately afterwords? Something for me to ponder.

So today is Day 18 which means that I have kept up with my plan problem about 17 more days that I expected to! Mini victory if you ask me.
So far today I have had my normal shake, supplements, spinach salad, carrots and baked chicken strips. Yep, you will find you kind of get into a groove for a while were not much changes diet wise. I am there now.
I will post my salmon recipe soon for those of you whom really have no idea how to cook salmon such as myself about 2 weeks ago.
Till the morrow....

Day 17

January 19th, 2011

Today I have been craving hot coffee again. I do hope that is something I get to reintroduce fair early into my Post-Purification Program. I only usually have a cup or two anyhow but sitting down at my desk every morning without my hot coffee is still hard to get over.

It is now 12:30p.m. and I have had my morning shake, 1st set of supplements (5 Green Foods and 3 Gastro-Fibers), a baggie of baby carrots, bowl of raw spinach with a few cherry tomatoes toss in the very present Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Vinegar. I plan on having a bowl of lentil soup soon also. I have at this point taken in about 48oz of water. Today so far is not so exciting nor different.

For dinner tonight I made myself salmon and asparagus.
Sad to say but I have not made it to the gym in two days. I had such a good streak of 5 in a row....nuts. I do hope to get back to it.

Day 16

January 18th, 2011

Having my shakes have become part of my regular routine. I don't even give it a second thought. Make sure that you are only using a half of a banana for the full benefits of the program. I do realize that quite a few people put in a whole one each time however if you put half per shake you will be doing much better.

Also a point I made in my first post make sure you always have food on hand as well as plenty of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yes, I always capitalize that part since I feel it deserves the respect. You will find that Extra Virgin Olive Oil can and will be used in almost everything. Be prepared. If you start to run low on a certain item replenish before you need it. Less chance that you will ruin all the hard work you have established for yourself.

Another added benefit that I have come to find out about myself is how clear my skin is all over. As well as how hydrated it is. I live in a very dry climate anyhow so dry skin is common for most people. I am not applying lotion to my hands and arms near as much as well as very little lip balm has been needed. I have certainly stepped up my game with the H2O content.

Today I am feasting on organic carrots. They actually taste very sweet to me today. Maybe it is my lack of sugar in my life now or else my taste buds have sharpened. Either way they taste like a desert. I can't believe I am saying that. O'well I will take it!

My work day ended up so insane that I did not have time to intake my proper nutrition and I could feel it. I had only time for my morning shake, supplements, a few baggies of veggies and a 1/2 a spinach salad tossed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar. Once I got home I replenished myself with adequate water however it was not until I was a Chili's later that I felt so much better.
REMEMBER YOU MUST STILL EAT! I felt horrible until I did. I am not going to do that again.

A group of us went to Chili's tonight. Going out to eat while on this program has been something that I have not looked forward to. I usually end up with a garden salad with nothing but my Vinegar and Oil, however this time I looked at the menu out of pure curiosity and found that they had Grilled Salmon that I asked to have no spices or herb put on and it came with a healthy sized portion of steamed broccoli and carrots again with no seasoning. I was the happiest girl in the place. This was the first time I was able to sit down and enjoy a real meal with others in public. I know it sounds like I am a closet eater but really watching them eat whatever they want as I "salad-it-up" every time leaves me dishearten. This time I was enjoying every morsel right along side them. Yea Chili's!!!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Needed:
Organic free range chicken strips
Organic fresh Rosemary
2 or 3 fresh garlic cloves
100% NOT from concentrate lemon juice
Fresh lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pure Ground Pepper
Olive Oil Pam
Cookie sheet
Big bowl

-dice rosemary & garlic cloves
-toss chicken into Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lemon juice in your big bowl to soak for a bit as you cut up the Rosemary and garlic
-put half of your garlic and rosemary in the mixture with the chicken
-spray your cookie sheet with the Olive Oil Pam
-preheat oven to 350 degrees
-lay chicken out on the cookie sheet
-spoon mixture that is still in the bowl over the chicken
-sprinkle the other half of the garlic and rosemary over the chicken
-sprinkle pepper over all chicken
-put in the oven at 350 until the chicken is white on the inside
-if you have any pink, keep cooking.

Asparagus

Outstanding Asparagus

Needed:
Asparagus
Organic 100% NOT from concentrate lemon juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Foil
Sauce Pan
Cookie Sheet
Medium size bowl

-cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces throwing out the very end piece
-boil in water for 2 minutes then drain
-toss the asparagus in a medium size bowl with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon juice (allow to soak for about 5 mins)
-line a cookie sheet with foil
-spoon out asparagus from soak and place in a single layer on the foil
-cut up fresh lemon and lay on top of the asparagus
-fold the foil around the asparagus in a lightly sealed foil pocket
-bake at 350 degrees for about 7 mins. It will be ready once you hear it sizzling.
-carefully unwrap the foil pocket allow to cool a few minutes and enjoy!!!