90 Day Fitness & Food Challenge

Rinde99

Yay, actually 11.2 to go till 135. I may decide to go to 130...just depends how I look and feel at that point. For now, I'm sticking with the 11.2 as it sounds so much better than16.2.

So, I have a new program, ladies and I may be adding another. Last week I decided to purchase a 20 week running program from an online coach and started it today instead of C25k. The 1st run/walk was a little easier( i.e., less running) than C25k and the new plan builds running portion slower than C25k. So good news is I won't be running the dreaded 20 minutes this Friday. However, by January I'll be running 45 minutes and preparing for 5k. Will gradually increase long run to 70 minutes, 4 days a week running instead of just 3, and speed workouts will be included. I'm so excited!

Now my even bigger idea is taking place tomorrow afternoon. I'm having a personal trainer/ running and strength coach come to my house to discuss creating an individualized plan for me to achieve my fitness goals. Yowzers! Of course, the price has to be right and I have to like the guy, so I'll just have to see how our meeting goes tomorrow. I'll update you on Tuesday.

Aliem: getting closer and closer to sub 130. Way to keep going on your circuit training! Hope you get your running intervals in tonight! You're doing great!

Becs: wishing you free time for workouts and down time. Looking forward to hearing how it's going for you!

aliem

Sounds great Rinde! Hopefully the trainer works out. I would ask to see photos of people they have trained. Once you get more fit, it will be more important. A lot of male trainers don't know how to train women, so their clients wind up shaped like men, with very broad shoulders. Once I get closer to my goal, I might need to bring back my trainer for a bit too. Hopefully it goes well!

Rinde99

Thanks, Aliem! What I want him to do is develop a plan that will benefit me physiologically as well as how I look. My medium to long-range goal is to be a competitive runner again...at 60 it will be for my age group not overall winner. I have a running plan for 3 days per week and then 4 to support that goal for the next 5 months. But what about the other 3 days I exercise? How much and what kind of cardio should I be doing? How much body resistance should I be doing? Do I need to buy weights? Should I be doing other flex exercises besides yoga? I just don't know have the knowledge to know if what I'm doing now is truly beneficial to me or not. He's a certified running coach as well as a strength coach so I'm expecting some expert advice.

becs3578

Ok... Im back....

Becs Day 79....

Last two years were terrible. I let the stress of work and family and the epic time crunch get me off track. I am not being negative with my next comment just honest.... I WONT MAKE MY GOAL but I am not going to let that devastate me. I am going to do everything I can to end the 90 day challenge on a high note and then move on the first of our 30 day challenges.

So Sunday I prepped 15 servings of chicken noodles soup with fresh roasted veggies. Had it last night (tasty) and will have tonight. Didnt get to the gym yesterday (forgot socks and a sports bra and was dead tired after 4 days in a row of going to bed at 1am). But I am planning to head over there tonight for 30-45 of elliptical. I realize with the punishing schedule ahead of me I cant keep up my 5-6 days a week at the gym. So I am going for 3-4 day a week at the gym until January. And healthy eating. After I finish this batch of soup I will make another style. The soup works for me and is filling at night without being too much. During the day I barely have time to stop to my diet will consist of the following... wheat english muffin and protein shake for breakfast, mini meals without the day at work (shake, bar, apple, 100 calorie snacks) and soup for dinner. Also trying to get back to drinking more water.

RINDE - You are doing so amazing and I just love reading about your sucess! 30 lbs is absolutely incredible

ALIEM - You are gonna get there... I am hoping to still be below 130 when I weigh on thursday but i am not optimistic. Got some LBS to work back off I think. Be safe on your run!

aliem

Did my circuits this morning. Can't say that I gave it my full effort. Did not get home until about 9:30 last night (and then had a late night popcorn binge.) Hopefully I can step it up tomorrow so that I have a good weigh in this week. Need to break into the 120s! Well not need to, but want to. Food was a tad high yesterday (see late night popcorn binge comment) and probably will be today too. Went to the farmers market at the office I am at for the next two weeks and got some spicy peanuts in the shell and chimoy dried mangoes. So yummy! I had to have a little bit even though it was not built into today's plan. Still net calories out, just less than they should be.

Rinde - Oh! That sounds really great. I don't know why people like running! I hate it! My brother, sister and dad love to run though. But your plan sounds great! I am glad you enjoy it!

Becs - Glad to hear you are still working towards your goal. Don't worry, you are not alone on missing goals! I am 4 pounds away! Your soup looks yummy. I totally get what you are going through. Hopefully you can stick to plan and work out 3-4 times a week! You will get there.

Hopefully we can end this 90 day challenge with a bang! It is almost over! Everyone has done so well thus far!

Rinde99

Tuesday workout: 37 minutes aerobic dance, 16 minutes body resistance, and 20 minutes of yoga for 73 minutes total. I had to really push myself to get started this morning, but I finally got it together and got it done. Bonus: weighed 145.6 this morning.

This afternoon the running and strength coach came over to my house and we had a wonderful 90 minute chat....for free! Liked that! Summary: 1. Gotta eat more protein for bone health and muscle growth; 2. Continue with my current running program till December when I'm scheduled to run 30 minutes straight. At that point, change timed runs to mileage runs with calculated pace for every run. Figure out pace to run for 5k in January; and 3. Build strength immediately by increasing body resistance workouts to 45 minutes to an hour and buy weight set with 45lb bar as soon as I can for getting serious about building muscle. He also said I was getting enough cardio from my run/walk 3x week and don't have to do more than that so my real focus needs to be on weights and building strength for running as well as health.

Becs: Sounds like you have a really great attitude for dealing with the stress of the long work weeks ahead. Moderation and selfcare are key to getting through it. Good idea to reduce the workout schedule to manage your time! And way to go on the meal prep and menu planning! Gees, that's phenomenal! Hope you stay under 130!

Aliem: sounds like despite the long hours you're still finding a way to get those workouts in and lose that weight. You really should be proud of yourself for your dedication, efforts, and fantastic results. The 120s are coming your way!

Yay to all of us for our 90 day challenge!

becs3578

Quick post from my phone.... longer one later today.

Just got on the scale for first time in two weeks... actually 130. So I didn't gain a ton of weight in the last two weeks and I think I should be back in 120's by the end of the week. Perhaps 127 or 128 isn't totally out of the question for the challenge.

Rinde99

Fantastic, Becs!

aliem

Great job Becs! Hopefully you are back to the 120s very soon!

Did my circuits today and some walking. I was planning on going for a run after work close to the office, but I forgot my headphones. Running is the long thing I can't do without some sort of distraction. So I will just do some walking near home after dinner. Food should be good today. Fingers crossed for some weight loss tomorrow. I have had a bunch of carb heavy days, so hopefully I at least have some water weight to drop now that it is back at a more moderate level (still a bit high, but whatever). I did do a preliminary waist measurement and that was down so I have a feeling I have been losing fat, but the water weight is compensating for it.

Also, just wanted to say that I am pretty excited about my progress so far. No longer feel like I need to cover up with a sweater. Still should a tad bit of tummy in some outfits and have some clothes that I want to get back into, but I feel almost skinny again! It is so awesome!

Rinde - Great job. I am glad the trainer worked out. Are you going to keep working with him? You have made some great progress! You should be so proud!

Rinde99

Today's workout: 28 minutes run/walk and 35 minutes yoga. Per the coach's suggestion, I paid more attention to keeping my running intervals at a consistent easy pace. For 4/5 I ran between 10:58 and 11:14: didn't hear the time for other interval. So pretty good. Covered 2.01 miles for 10 minutes of running and 18 minutes walking for 13:57 overall pace.

Yes, I'm going to keep working with the coach. I ordered weights and a bar last night from Amazon. Everything should arrive by Nov. 1st. He's going to write a training plan for me and then come over and provide instructions to implement workout after I get my gear. In December when I run a full 30 minutes he's going to write a running plan for me based on the pace I can run for the 30 and a trial mile run. I'm planning to run a 5k in mid- January just to run the entire race ( hopefully with daughter and grandsons) and set baseline for future races. Then I want to run another 5k in March for a better time after establishing more of a cardiovascular base and doing speed workouts. Even though I have a long way to go, I'm really excited about being a runner again.

Aliem: great job on workouts as usual and I hope that weigh-in tomorrow hits the mark!

aliem

Big Sigh. Still stuck at 130.8. I know it is 1 pound less than last week, but I have been stuck at 130.8 since last Saturday! Even if I just got down to 130.6, I could pull off the next sticky note from my progress wall! At this point, breaking into the 120s is looking slim for this month. I am going to start retaining water soon so unless I have a really quick drop in the next few days, I will lose minimal if any until next month. Did circuits today and walked. Won't be able to get in a second work out today or the rest of the week. Tonight is dinner with the sister. Going out to get burgers and cupcakes. I have found a way to work this in, without going over, but it certainly isn't going to help the weight loss process. Tomorrow I'll work out, but I'll have to pick up the bf from the airport after work so tomorrow evening is a no go. Hoping to get a meaningful workout in over the weekend and try to limit going out to eat as much as possible.

Rinde - That sounds so great! I hope you do well on the 5k training! Sounds like you have it covered!

Becs - Hope you found time to hit your goals! Hopefully you are back in the 120s!

Rinde99

Aliem: keep up the good work and you'll get there! You may be slightly off your schedule, but look at all the weight you've lost and the transformation you've made. I always have to remind myself that the goals I set are great, but if I don't meet them I can't let it diminish all my other accomplishments.

Another 60 minutes for me today: 15 minutes yoga to warm-up and then 45 minutes body resistance work. Trainer has me increasing strength workouts in preparation for weights. Hard work ahead for me!

becs3578

Guys I am messaging from a holiday market I am here today and tomorrow. No workouts but loading unloading merch and standing all day. Hoping for a good weigh in tomorrow or Saturday.


Aliem - I was at 130 again today too. Fingers crossed we get below soon.

Rinde- you are amazing and I am so with your trainer. Strength training is awesome!!!

Rinde99

Wow, I know it's hard work, but it sure looks like fun! Beautiful!

aliem

Becs - That looks great Becs! Moving around totally counts!

Rinde - You are so dedicated!

Rinde99

Whoopee! My weight bar arrived this afternoon! I knew it weighed 45lbs, but the darn thing is also 7 ft long. It's huge as well as heavy! I'm definitely gonna get stronger with my new set-up. Can't wait to get started.

60 minutes today: 30 minutes run/walk and 30 minutes yoga. My running portion increased today to 12 minutes out of 30 total, but by next Friday I'll be running intervals totaling 20.

Eating remains on track. Well, at least until tonight when grandkids are coming over for pizza and movie/game night. Lost another lb, so I'm down to 144.6 today. It's possible for me to reach my weight loss goal for October now. Regardless, I should be close.

aliem

Eating should be good today. Could not bring myself to do circuits this morning, but I did do a bunch of walking. Might do something later today. I am 95% sure I am joining a gym on Monday. It's a fancy one with tons of classes, so I hope that the money that I drop on it will motivate me to go 6-7 days a week! It will also let me do some swimming as well. I do have access to a pool right now for free, but it's in the middle of my apartment complex and even I can hear people splashing around it it, on the rare occasion someone actually goes in, and I am one of the farthest people away. Pretty sure there would be some unhappy campers if I am in there at like 7 am on a Saturday. Plus it is outside so it is cold! Up a tiny bit of weight today, but I am not surprised. I wound up going out to lunch yesterday too (my favorite falafel truck was by the office and they have the best salads). I get to eat the other half for lunch today! It is pretty healthy, but I also get a bit carried away at dinner/cupcakes. I am sure it will be off tomorrow!

Rinde - That is super exciting! Congrats about your pound! You are rocking it! Hopefully you can stay on track through the end of October!

aliem

Wooohoooo! Finally down! Woke up at 129 today! Goal might be possible, but it will be a stretch. Rest day today! Hope everyone else is having a great Saturday!

Rinde99

Fantastic job! So happy for you!

I'm starting my new weight workout this afternoon with trainer. Then I'll be doing some cardio and yoga to finish the day.

Enjoy!

Rinde99

Yippee, I had my weightlifting workout with my trainer and had fun! Good overall workout for beginner plus some focus on improving my posture which I'm really happy about. Then 30 minutes of cardio dance and 15 minutes of yoga. Big day for me!

Rinde99

Rest day for me. Maybe some yoga but that's it.

aliem

Great job Rinde! Glad you enjoyed your workout on Saturday!

Did my circuits today. Food was not so great. Leftovers from eating out this weekend and I baked a red velvet cake so I ate a bunch of scraps! Oh well. Back to the grind tomorrow!

Rinde99

Aliem: food may be off a little, but at least you got your workout in! Yay you!

Weighed myself this morning and I'm up 3lbs from the 21st. Don't know why unless it's water weight from muscle soreness and the pizza I had Friday night. Hopefully it will go down again shortly.

10/24 workout: 30 minutes run/ walk, 34 minutes dance, and 30 minutes yoga. A little sore and stiff from Saturday's weights but not too bad. Weights again tomorrow...on my own this time...hopefully I can remember proper form and do everything correctly. Looking forward to it.

aliem

Well I am back up also....130.2....Hopefully it is just water weight. Boo 130s! Did my circuits this morning and walked. Going to test out the gym I might join today. Unfortunately the only class I can take today cause I have to do a tour and such after work is yoga. Going to do it with some coworkers though. If I join, I will most likely gain some serious water weight for the next few weeks cause of the time of the month and I intend to do a bunch of new classes which will probably strain my muscles in different ways. But overall, it should help me get to my overall goal (I am just not going to hit my 127 goal for phase 3)!

Rinde - Great job! Sore means you are really working your muscles! Hopefully your weights tomorrow go well!

aliem

Back down! Yay! I am one pound away from hitting 127.6, which is my October milestone so that might actually happen! 127 flat would obviously be better, but I am not totally convinced I will even hit 127.6 at this point. Either way, I crossed the line for losing 20 pounds in total today so that is always good! Had a really good experience with the yoga class last night. I will likely sign up for the gym today. Just want to see what they will offer me before I commit. It's a pretty big expense, but it would motivate me to go! Also, they have very nice saunas and such too....so that will be nice. Have already walked today. Will catch a class tonight if I sign up! Food should be good!

Rinde99

Aliem: congrats on your weight loss! Headed in the right direction once more. Gym sounds good. What classes are you planning to take besides yoga? Will you be doing cardio and weights there as well?

Well, I'm back down 1.5lbs. The 1st time I got on the scale it showed 3lbs, but then I weighed myself a 2nd time and it went up. I didn't record it and will weigh again tomorrow to see if any effect from today's weight workout.

Did 84 minutes today: 44 minutes weights, 10 minutes HIIT, and 30 minutes yoga. Also working on eating 120g of protein per day. Yesterday I hit 139 which was huge for me. Tried to buy meat and chicken last week at the grocery store for more protein but I got too grossed out. Can eat it cooked but just can't take the raw stuff. Did purchase some canned tuna, salmon, tempeh, and Tofurky sausage. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my protein increase going with that stuff.

aliem

There are tons of classes. If I sign up tonight I would do a ballet barre cardio class and if I still have energy and don't mind being out kinda late there is a dance fitness class after that sounds fun. They have tons of classes though. Swimming, TRX, Cycling, Boot Camp, Yoga, various strength training classes and the list goes on! They have locations near me and near my clients so I can try to beat traffic before and/or after. Plus, if I wind up taking mostly cardio classes, they have a full gym I can use to make sure I get my weight training in. I think it will be fun to try new things.

Great job! Even 1.5 pounds is great! I have had that happen a few times where I look at the scale and think there is no way I am that weight and then I jump on again for a second and third time and it is a more reasonable weight. Plus my scale is getting kinda old and is pretty cheap. I probably just need a new one soon. Great job with the workouts! Maybe you can try some frozen pre-cooked breasts. They do make some with limited additional ingredients. Canned tuna and salmon are great though!

Rinde99

Aliem: the gym sounds fantastic for you. So much variety plus doing your weights, too. Did you join last night?

68 minute workout today: 28 minute run/walk, 10 minutes up and down stairs, and 30 minutes of yoga. Lost a tad this am...at 144.2 now. Means I need to lose a lb exactly to meet goal next Monday. It's possible but I'm not overly optimistic with my slowed loss rate. I give it a 50/50 shot.

Still doing great with protein increase. Think I'll try the cooked chicken breasts on next grocery shop. Good idea!

aliem

I did join and did the Barre Cardio class. And let me tell you, I loved it! I think I just found my favorite workout! I usually hate doing upper body, but doing this was totally a blast. I was warned to only use the 2 pound weights the first time cause you definitely do a lot of reps. I think next time I will stick to 2 pound, because they mix up the routines, but then jump to 3 pounds thereafter. I am like slightly sore today, but nothing major. Decided against the dance fitness class because I did not want to be too sore today. Tonight is TRX. I have never done it before, but it's suspension training using your body weight. Should be interesting! Might try out the steam room or something since the class gets out a bit earlier tonight. Still walked this morning. I definitely like it better being able to just walk in the morning. Though there are some cool morning classes that I might want to check out too. On Friday I am going to go to the one near my house, so hopefully the instructors/facility are just as good! It's got great reviews, but it definitely won't be as big as the one I have been going to, because the one I have been going to is one of the largest ones. Food is pretty good today (probably should not have eaten the goldfish (or the chips yesterday), but my calories were a bit low anyway!)

Rinde - Great job! great news with the loss! Hopefully we both lose our pound! Either way, your progress has been great! Only a few more day!

aliem

So last night after TRX I totally went out to dinner and splurged big time. It was a bunch of asain dishes, so I never logged it because I had no idea where to start (nor did I order so I did not have food names). It's not as bad as lunch today though. Food trucks were outside and instead of something healthy, I had Argentinian braised pulled pork fries. Granted I am so stuff right now that my dinner will probably consist of a protein bar after work so the calorie damage might not be too bad. I also was feeling kinda nauseous this morning so instead of my banana and greek yogurt, I ate a bunch of saltines! Feel totally better (I assume it was just something I ate). Workout tonight is Gold Barre. It's Barre, but with added ice skating moves. Hopefully it isn't too bad. My triceps are sooo sore! I can barely lift my arms above my head! I feel like there is no way I will hit 127 (or 127.6) by Monday.....