Lindsay Brin's 60 Day Slim Down and workout videos

jennieodwyer

Oh thanks! The abs are starting to come out and play again now that I am losing some of the extra pounds I put up in the last few weeks. Now if I could just get the extra fat out of my saddlebags I would be thrilled. That and for the extra skin that slightly pools on my lap when I sit down to go away but I don't think that is going to happen without a doctor slicing it off

I am glad you found something that works for you. How low are you sticking with your carbs now? I keep mine below 40% but I don't have a set amount of grams I limit myself too. 35-40% definately isn't low carb but it is much lower that I was used to and I try to get most of it from fruits and veggies versus refined carbs. I am not sure how much it helps my weight loss but it definately helps me with my hunger. I could eat refined carbs like wheat thins and pasta all day and not be full. They are like crack to me, they just make me hungry for more!!!

Well I got on the scale this morning to take a little peak at where I was at and I was pleased to see that I was back down to my plateau number hopefully that number sticks for me or goes even lower by Friday. If so, the writing will truly be on the wall: I was undoing all my hard work on the weekends!! If this is the case, it is good to know but it is going to be hard to keep up my good eating on the weekends. The payoff though is so worth it. I would much rather lose a pound a week then eat all sorts of crap for a few hours. I just have to keep telling myself that :laugh:

mamareese

40/30/30 and trying to keep carbs right at around 100. I'm a little bit over because I eat those delicious Jame Eason Turkey muffins that I had in my freezer which have a bit of oats in them but they are delicious and already made! Today I'm screwed because I didn't have time to prep food so I have lunch meat. UGH! :noway: But it'll work (as long as I chug my body weight in water...hahaha)

That's awesome your abs are coming in again. Well, I guess they've been there just hiding a smidgen! Good for you! And yea on the peep at the scale! Let's keep at this and both have awesome weigh ins this Friday! 2 more days of behaving and good weigh in=motivation to BEHAVE all weekend long! It is Easter after all! (Hence only buying the kids Easter candy that I WILL NOT touch!)

jennieodwyer

Yes and Good Friday will really be a good Friday for both of us and then we will power through Easter. I know it will be hard but we just have to keep it in moderation or avoid it all together and we will be so much happier come Monday morning :laugh:

Saw you did some Lindsay Brin today. Taking in back to old school? Today marked the end of my third week of S90 so new DVDs tomorrow! Total body time tomorrow. A favorite of mine but it has been a long time since I did it so we will see if I still feel that way after I do it

mamareese

I did take it back old school. :laugh: I let my Mom pick our Wednesday AM workout. 30DS was too hard on her knees so I figured this week, she could pick whatever since now I've shown her them all. She likes Lindsay. :happy:

Looks like your total body produced an awesome burn! Let's see how long until the soreness sets in!!

I had to laugh because when I got home DH was reading one of his Muscle & Fitness magazines. He showed me an article about dropping carbs. I'm like THAT'S WHAT I am attempting right now! It was a mens magazine so the levels are higher but I felt a bit of 'ah ha' when I read the article. You always read the 'don't go low carb, do go low carb' 'don't eat so much protein, eat your body weight in protein'. So many different arguments. We are all so different. There can't be a one sizes fits all. Gotta love a good old experiment with your own body. :laugh:

Here's to a weekend spent watching children eat jelly beans and chocolate eggs AND NOT TOUCHING THEM. So that we can come back on Monday reveling in our own success and dedication!! :drinker:

jennieodwyer

Yes it is all about trying things out and seeing what works for you. Of course it seems like as soon as you find out what works, it stops working and you have to change it again :laugh: The lower carbs is helpful for me to both keep my appetite in check and also be able to get all my protein in, but I am not sure if it is the specific low carb that helps for me, but either way I will take it. As one woman said (and I had to laugh) "carbs are gateway foods" haha. She was right for me in regards to the highly processed carbs like crackers and cookies. They just lead to bad decisions on my part

I also find that advice given to men on fitness is way better than the general advice given to women. You might have to cut back on the portions but overall I like the advice most mens fitness magazines and body builders preach. I much prefer (and have been getting much better results) lifting heavier weights at low reps with moderate cardio than all the light weight/lots of cardio advice that you hear espoused all the time to women. With food too. Most women's diets (or diets specifically targeting to women) are very low calorie and don't have nearly enough protein (I am talking like 50 grams tops). I honestly don't know how some woman do it.

Well today was an exciting day for me. I was able to do 2 rounds (10 each round) of the plyo pushups from my toes. I still can't get a clap in the middle but I was able to get serious air under my hands for all 20 of them. That is a huge improvement for me over last round. Last round I was only able to do 2 or 3 tops before I would have to either drop to my knees to finish or just switch to regular push ups. So I was very pleased with that. I think it is combo of both increased upper body strength and also increased core strength.

I did make the mistake of telling my husband how proud I was of it though, since he, of course, immediately tells me that it is not good for my shoulders and I am doing more harm than good by trying it. I generally avoid all topic of my workouts with him since he is struggling big time with his own weight. So not only does he have his own issues, he also has the mentality that alot of women have that I am going to look like some crazy bulked up body builder. You would think he would have realized that I am not turning into the incredible hunk, yet he still gets all weirded out when he sees me doing "men's type workouts" and even once told me that there was no need for me to have dumbbells higher than 15lbs because I was just going to get to big. :noway: Little did he know that I had already been using 20lb dumbbells and I plan on getting a set of 25lb if I do a third round of S90. Sometimes it is just better to keep it to myself and then share my joy here :laugh:

Well tomorrow I will be off work trying to get another picture of my daughter with a live bunny for Easter. Last year was a total disaster but mostly because she could sit up unassisted. I am hoping for better results this year. Thankfully you are only charged if you want the pictures so if all fails it will just be a waste of time but not money. Good thing since we don't have money to waste with only my income. I will post about my weight (whatever it may be) tomorrow and will be watching for yours as well but since I will be off until Monday I will not be on the boards until there. So in case I don't talk to you again today, good luck on the weigh in, be good on Sunday and I will see you on the other side after we have both shown restraint on Easter :happy:

mamareese

I agree with you on the mens' fitness front. Unless I read an article from a female figure competitor or something to that effect, I get the impress that things are being lightened up to allow for the 'girlie factor'. I saw a success story here on the MFP boards of a girl who did one of the men's routines on bodybuilding.com and followed the guys diet - it was amazing!

Sometimes I'm all for the experimenting and trying new things...but you are right- it would be nice if once you found it it would stick! I wish I could still do the Lean Cuisines often, I do miss them! They are yummy! But I've realized, it's not the Lean Cuisines that are bad- it's getting out of the habit of being in the kitchen leads to other poor choices. Similarly to what you said about, carbs being the 'gate way' It's not that carbs themselves are the devil, but for some they are one step closer to more bad choices!

I've been researching good eats for Easter dinner. My family doesn't do Ham so my mom always makes a beef roast, mashed potatoes, etc. I'm coming up with my own dishes but going to make enough so that I don't look 1) like a picky pain in the butt 2) rude for not making enough to share! I'm going to do some type of chicken with asparagus, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. I'm making the kids some fun cookies, DH a pumpkin roll, and debating on a healthy version of banana chocolate chip for myself. That or I'll just go 'normal' and eat a darn yogurt with chocolate chips! :laugh:

Congrats on the push up progress! That's awesome. Your upper body is really improving with the S90. That's great.

I know what you mean about feeling 'eh' about sharing NSVs. DH is good with it since he's all gym focused, doesn't get my weird food choices but he doesn't complain. He sleeps through most of my workouts though so he tends to think I do less than I really do...and when I grumble, tells me to push harder. He was NOT a Turbo Fire fan. He thought that the dancy, cardio wasn't helping my case. He might have been right, but I did love it! I'm still trying to incorporate it in here and there but with summer around the corner...strength has to be the focus.

Anyways, got off track...But I'd love to be able to chat with my mom and sister more about it. I've lost weight going with what we discussed in terms of eating. But they haven't started yet, so I feel like telling them 'hey I'm down Xlbs...' isn't going to make them feel any better. So I'm grateful to be able to share our little 'guess what I did todays' on here!

That's what was awesome about that Insanity board too. I thought it was great Ed mentioned it in his update status. It was fun suffering through it with other people even if we all are states upon states apart!!

Enjoy your holiday weekend. I took Monday off since we are already off on Friday so I'm sure I'll be MIA aside from tracking as well!

jennieodwyer

Congrats on your weight loss!! That was an amazing loss and you smashed that plateau!! I was also pleased with the scale on Friday as I am at 129.6lb which is the lowest I have ever been. I did get to 129.6lb one other time but it was right before the holidays and it bounced right back up. And I never saw a number that low again. So I am thrilled. I am also seeing alot more definition in my stomach. The abs are hanging out now all the time (not just in certain lighting) now if just the fat on my butt would start to head out the door. :laugh:

I had to get new bras this weekend so I went in to be refitted and it was both good and bad. I was down a band size and another cup size. I am thrilled that the band size went down but of course was sad with the cup size. It is hard to beleive that I started at a 38G right after I gave birth (and during the end of my pregnancy) and now I am a size 30E. I am sad the boobs are leaving but it is amazing that my band size has gone down that much. My first nursing bra that I was fitted for in the hospital was actually a 40G. Crazy to think I am down from a 40 to a 30! So that was sort of bitter sweet.

Well congratulations are also in order for you being able to stay under calories for Easter!!! I wasn't as good as you. I was great on Friday and Saturday and I was doing really well on Sunday through lunch but then I feel apart at dinner. I didn't binge or anything but I already had a hefty amount of calories from eating small portions of high caloric food at my mom's house for lunch when I went into dinner at my husband's family's house it went from hanging on to over the cliff. I really came down to the portions. My husband's family was serving huge portions of food and I of course was eating it. So it was a failure that I went over by about 700 calories. I was very mad at myself not halving all those big portions since I did feel overstuffed at the end of the meal. But on the bright side, I over ate real food (instead of binging on candy) and I actually logged everything. If I was eating the way I used to eat on holidays I would have stuffed myself nonstop and I wouldn't have logged and I probably would have consumed about 5000 calories so this is a small victory. I just know I could have done better. So this weeks goal is not to lose weight but to hold on to what I lost already. Maybe I will get lucky and all that heavy lifting will just make the one day of overeating a bulk day and I will not see much damage on the scale :happy: Once again props to you for being UNDER on Easter!!!:drinker:

mamareese

Well...*sulking back in* Easter may have went good but the day after was another story. We are in the process of prepping for another home repair so we were on the road scouting for supplies and eats were way off course yesterday. Didn't even get a chance to log it after being gone all day. It entailed Pizza Hut & brownies. Which is enough to derail my good day on Easter! I'm prepping for today though. Stayed up a little later to make sure I had everything I need to get right back on course. It was one of those 'fail to plan, plan to fail' moments. So we'll see what damage control I can do this week before our Friday weigh in.

Congrats to you, as well, for getting back down to you all time lowest. And the abs are back in full force which is pure amazing!! As long as we jump right back on the horse, I'm *fingers crossed* hoping/sure that we will be able to guide ourselves right back on track. I could have smacked myself for being so diligent in the face of Easter buffet only to sabotage the next day. But todays a new day!

I pray I don't lose any more cup sizes! Sheesh! We've discussed my lack of endowment in that area before but I think I'll end up in little misses if I go down anymore! Though it does make buying sports bras a snap!! LoL:laugh:

I decided that I was going to follow the Turbo Fire Inferno plan for the next 5 days. Just sort of a spring board after the bad day yesterday to get me back on track. It's lower calorie and 5 days of rotating 2 of the TF discs back and forth. I'm screwed for the 5K right now anyways...the treadmills won't be fixed until the end of April and it's supposed to snow again today. I got a run in over the weekend before things started to go down hill with the weather. I'm praying it's a quick front moving in that moves right back out, but truth be told...this is more 'true April weather' for our area so I doubt it!

jennieodwyer

Oh well I guess we are in the same boat. People tell me that one day isn't going to be that bad but honestly considering how hard it was to get that little bit off any slip up might screw me up. Back in the day I would still lose weight without any issue with way overeating one day. Now I am just not sure. Let us hope that we are blessed and still see a little loss or just maintain. Though I would be ok with maintaining (since it is better than gaining) I would also be really mad that I blew my chance to get lower than I ever have before but it is a new day and there will be another week to reach that goal. I am back on track and have still been working out hard 6x a week but it is just so hard to know what is going to affect you when you are within 10 pounds of your goal weight! I have been really upping the protein this week so I am hoping that may be helpful but I can't really cut my calories back too much because I have been so HUNGRY!! I think it is from all the weight lifting since that makes me hungry and I have definately been feeling the soreness.

That stinks about the snow and treadmill situation. It makes me appreciate the nice weather we have most of the time. Since we don't get too cold (we hang out in the 40s most of the winter) people run and jog basically year round outside. The heat can be brutal in the summer but it can be tolerable if you are out in the mornings. I look forward to moving (eventually) to a neighborhood with more paths and trails to be able to go biking and such on when Josie gets older.

mamareese

I'm with you...one day is all that it takes, even if I get right back on the boat the next day. Considering I'm starving today eating almost EXACTLY the same meals, it also messes with my hunger level after only one day. Grr...darn you Pizza Hut (or darn you woman typing whose blaming Pizza hut...whatever! :laugh: )

I definitely think your hunger is related to getting back into S90. When I was focused mainly on hitting the actual gym for 4 days of strength I was starving all the time!! It was insane. I couldn't believe how hunger I was. This feeling is more of a by product of yesterdays over indulgence. But that strength training requires more fuel. Good for you on upping that protein. Protein is my go to. Those Jamie Eason Turkey muffins are a life saver, I swear! I also bought a microwavable omelet maker so I could whip up an omelet on busy days. Whatever ways I can make getting those protein meals in is good for me!!

The trails and path thing is one good thing about where we live. The college we went to has a paved path that runs along the creek behind the school. It's 3 miles and it's perfect for taking the kids and dogs. I'm hoping to utilize it with my oldest on his bike this summer. The younger one is still on training wheels so he can walk with Dad while big guy pounds the pavement with Mom!

We are getting ready to tackle another home project. I can only imagine the chaos that this is going to bring to our household. LoL. So if we do it as fast as we are discussing in terms of starting- I am spending Sunday cooking and freezing as many go to meals as possible. I know all to well how easy it is to go for take out after a long day of home renos!!

jennieodwyer

Oh yes I totally get the food hang over. Whenever I am all "wheels off" for one day I am SOOOOO hungry the next day. It is bad. I don't know why it happens but boy does it! Good job on making all your meals ahead that is the way to be smart!!

My blog is so random. I have no idea why some of the entries I write take off like wild fire and others just fizzle. I had been getting the same question over and over about how many calories to eat and what weight they should be, I decided to write a blog entry about it. I felt it was one of the most informative ones I have written yet I get no responses. On the other hand my 10 tips and rant about convenience food practically goes viral. Oh well. The biggest reason I did it is so that if I get the question any more I can just send them the ling instead of typing it out :laugh:

Ok random question: do you know how to calculate nutrition info for recipes that use marinades? I can't figure out how to even guess since 80% of the marinade ends up getting thrown away. It is really troublesome if the marinade has something like butter or oil so the calories and fat could be totally skewed. I had previously just calculated all the ingredients and didn't make any allowances for the amount that was thrown away to err on the side of caution but if the marinade isn't particularly low calorie I think the numbers are way off. Any thoughts?

mamareese

Hmmm...we aren't big marinade people. DH just likes plain old chicken. But depending on how you make the marinade, and this might be too much of a hassle, but could you input it in recipes section of your food diary and then just divide up a serving according to how much you utilize? I'm not sure that's a great answer...but I can see what you mean about at this point it being important to make sure your count is on.

I was about to get on to respond to your blog actually! I got side tracked after reading it earlier. I thought it was great and answered questions that alot of people are probably directly your way because of your success! *bravo* And your right, it's way easier to do it that way than to answer each individually! The old convenience foods one shot right up there on the MFP blog list though- I do recall that!!!!

Whatever I ate, didn't eat, or just randomness that is leaving me with an 'ugh' feeling in my stomach has exactly 4 hours to go away! I really don't feel like missing the set TF workout that I have planned. Thursdays are tee ball practice so there's no time to double up tomorrow. It must be done! Going to have to make some smart choices for the meal before the workout because I need to get my TURBO FIRE ON!! :happy:

mamareese

Got the Turbo Fire done, and this mornings in. Hit off on the alarm, laid back down and thought...stop procrastinating! So off my butt I went. Felt good when I was done though and I know that! It always amazes me on the mornings that I do workout I have so much more time to prep lunches, run to the grocery store, whatever. Sleeping in might feel good now and again..but getting up and getting it done is more time efficient for sure!

We started pulling the old trim off our living room walls last night so that we can start our next remodel. Pretty excited about this one as it's the last room that hasn't been redone (there are a couple that the old owners redid that I'd still like to do 'our' way but that's for another lifetime!!) Carpet guy is coming tomorrow to measure and this weekend we'll be starting drywall. It's always a mess but such a relief when it's done. I'm going to prep food on Friday so we are set going into the weekend. Even though the kitchen isn't going to be the hub of renos, I know too well that if I'm not prepared I'll just order a pizza after a late day of working!

Tomorrows the big day. I stepped on the scale and was only up a little bit today. Hoping some water and good eats at least gets me back to the 151 from last Friday. TOM is coming though and that usually skews my numbers. Do you find that the week before your weight is effected by this?

jennieodwyer

Great job getting in all your workouts! I couldn't do double duty. The only time I get a second burn in is just walking or doing something for fun. I can't do 2 "workouts" in a day :laugh: I am the same way as you. I got on the scale and I was also up just a tiny bit from last week so I am also hoping that it goes down by tomorrow since my sodium was through the roof yesterday (all week actually). Fingers crossed for the both of us!!

That is what I think we will have to do for the marinade. It is the only thing that really makes sense. I was just hoping there was just a magic formula that I wasn't aware of, like meats soak up 1/3 or something like that but I knew that was a pipe dream.

Tomorrow will mark the first 30 days of my second round of S90. Wow it has gone by fast!!! So we will see what the overall results are from the past month. Talk to you tomorrow. I hope we are both going to be celebrating!!:flowerforyou:

mamareese

Wow Jennie! Just wow! That's amazing. Even with a little Easter indulgence - jumping right back into good eating and your hard core go to S90 and you lost another. 8lbs. That's amazing! So proud of you! Great work!

I was pleasantly surprised as well. Couldn't believe it since my sodium, as well, was through the roof with having to go with the convenience of packaged chicken sausages for dinner (they are delish though!). It'll be the same eats exactly today since I have prepped through tonight. And then more time in the kitchen tonight hopefully since DH informed me that we will start hanging drywall on Saturday. No doubt I want to be planned heading in to the weekend.

I finally go to try TF 60 which is the last of the TF discs. It was a great workout. I was really impressed with the burn. I had to nix the last 15 minutes since my oldest woke up but for only 45 minutes I thought 432 was decent!! I truly love TF for it's ability to make me want to work out. My post-Inferno plan involves more P90x for the strength because, as you've demonstrated, that component is really key. But I'm glad to find a balance with keeping these TF discs in play. I really enjoy them. It's also nice to have my other ones (ie. Jillian, Lindsay, and Butt bible!) at my parents for a nice switch up on Wednesday when I work out with them. I may just have to peek at our local Dollar General and see if they have that S90. My husband would kill me though! LoL. :laugh:

jennieodwyer

Yea!! We both did it!! We survived Easter and both still lost weight. I don't know about you but today marked an all time low for me both in weight and in BF. I am very excited.

Of course my excitement is somewhat shortlived since it is clear now I am coming down with a cold. I have been drinking lots of water and hitting the vitamin c and zinc but I expect to be out of the workout game for atleast the weekend which stinks since that is when I need it the most!! I can usually make it through a workout with a cold but experience has taught me it just prolongs the sickness. I usually need a day or two of nothing to be able to kick a cold. I guess it is better now than Easter weekend. I was just so ready to move to month 2 of S90. I also have an event to go to tomorrow where I have this big crazy facinator (you the hat like things the brits wear to weddings) I am wearing and a new dress so I am bummed I might feel like crap. Oh well. Thats life.

I am glad you are enjoying Turbo Fire! I usually enough the lifting videos of S90 since feel like a beast right after and no jumping around. Can you tell I am not a fan of plyo? :laugh: I dread the Tabata workout but it has been getting easier (which is a good and bad thing of course). Hey if you can get S90 for $7 like they have it at Ross you just have to get it. There is no excuse. haha You deserve it for your loss!!

mamareese

I could kick myself in the face! oR but or Head. Anything to get myself out of this stupidity! Ate GREAT all week, all Saturday despite being overwhelmed by drywall hanging. Then came Sunday, we sent the kids with my parents so that we could get as much work done as possible (and boy did we!). But with go, go go - eating came as fast food and whatever snacks we could find in between. I am paying for it today, I feel so bloated and like I could just throw up! Why do I keep repeating the same mistakes? Isn't that the definition of Insanity?! Sheesh...

I also realized that without a living room...I'm without an am workout room so all my workouts will be in the evening- AFTER we work on the living room. I have to be honest and think that I probably will not get 100% of my workouts in this week. Between baseball practices and renovations, I don't know where working out will fit in. WTH?! I am going to have to come up with a plan B. If I don't workout for a consistent amount of time each week, I know that it'll turn into more than just a week off. Lots of people believe in taking a week of to let your body unwind and recoup. But, when I do that it turns into more than a week. I can't have that going in to summer!!

Bear with my grumblings, it's Monday and things are going array! I apologize. I did prep food on Sunday morning though before we started renos. So all my lunches through Thursday are taking care of. No excuses to not at least eat right. Seriously, no excuses!!

How are you feeling? I saw your comment about eating at maintenance and resting. Are you feeling any better? What a bummer. You get back on a roll and then your body fights you. Take it easy and I hope whatever bug you've caught disappears soon!

jennieodwyer

I am sorry. I know how easy it is to get off track (as I did it just last week!). Don't beat yourself up and get back to the food eating. The bloating is from the sodium and that will be gone soon enough. Each slip up is a learning experience (or at least reinforces what we already know ) We both have to keep reminding ourselves not to let life's daily (or weekly) challenges greatly affect our health goals since we know that the challenge will pass and we will be left with the results of our good or bad choices. I have to keep telling myself this :laugh:

As for the working out, when all else fails and I can't work out, I walk. Its not the mightly calorie burn but it is something and I feel better after I walk. So if you can take walks this week or even do a few flights of stairs at work in your spare time you will feel better. I used to go down then up 2 flights of stairs every time I went to the bathroom at work (which can add up since I pee every hour :laugh: ) when I can't work out.

I am doing ok today. I was hoping I would be better today since I laid in bed all weekend. I got up today on time, got ready to work out and then just stood in front of the monitor. I still felt so weak and worn out that I just couldn't do it. So I took off my workout gear and laid in bed for another 30 minutes. I know it was the right thing to do since I have a long day ahead of me but I sooooo badly want to be back working out again! It is just a cold but I get weird colds that give me flu like body aches and temperature fluctuations. They hit hard but usually they only last a few days so that is good. The problem though is that it makes me SOOOOO hungry. I don't know if I am actually hungry though or if I am just wanting to eat to comfort myself. Either way I used to give in and eat whatever (usually chocolate cake donuts and OJ) and I have been lucky enough to not gain weight when I am doing this but that was 20lbs ago so who knows what it would do now and I don't want to run that risk. So I have been forcing myself to eat around maintanence (which is still less than I normally eat since I am not working out) and I am just hoping for the best.

Today I am meeting a friend for lunch at Cafe Express, which is a "healthy fresh" restaurant which of course doesn't post any of its nutritional information so you have to doubt its "health" claims. After scouring the menu and internet I finally decided on a grilled southwest chicken entree with beans, tomatoes and guacamole. It seems like one of the safest options since it is grilled and there is no bread, cheese, dressing or rice. There is an estimate on MFP for it that says it is 550 calories and that seems about right to me if the portion isn't enormous and there isn't any hidden creamy stuff. haha. Just stinks that I have like no wiggle room since I haven't worked out. Oh well we do the best we can with what we have right? Good luck on your renovations. I remember how much I hated that!!

mamareese

Thanks for taking my grumbling yesterday! (especially since you were feeling ill already!!) I've got my head on straight, I just kill myself. One sabotage a month is all I need not 2 in a row.:laugh: My stomach is finally feeling back on track after the bad food choices. I took your advice last night too...after sanding for a couple hours, I took the dogs for a nice long walk. They kept trying to guide me home and I kept telling them we weren't done yet. I was surprised they were willing to go with me again this AM! I LOVE having dogs for walks, it may be naive of me but walking at 9pm (last night) or 5am (this AM) makes me nervous alone. But with a 100lb golden retriever and a 90lb pit bull mix...I feel comforted knowing people probably wouldn't bother messing with me! :laugh: They need the exercise too though, so it's a good combo for the week while we get thing settled at the house. Today we get our living room measured for carpeting and have to mud again. It's a process...you know that! But it will be so worth it. It was one of the last rooms that REALLY needed it, so it'll be nice having people over and not feeling embarrassed!! :bigsmile:

I brought TF with me too since I'm staying at my parents tonight so I can get a workout in with my Mom and just add (hopefully) my own HIIT to that to make a good midweek workout.

How was the food at that Cafe Express? I was impressed with how you BARELY went over (which if you had been up to working out...you definitely wouldn't have!) on a sick day. Very impressive. You made good choices, given you weren't feeling well. It has to feel good to know that you've come so far! It keeps me hopeful! If Jennie can make good choices being sick, I can make good choices during a home remodel!!

And EXCELLENT burn this AM! WOWIE! That was a hell of a way to transition back into a workout after a couple days off!! :noway: LoL. You are a no holds bar kinda girl!! EXCELLENT JOB! (can I use any more caps in this sentence?!):blushing:

jennieodwyer

Glad you got your workout in. You know how I love my walks!! You got right back on it and that is half the battle. No worries I have had many rants to you. Oh yeah, no one is going to mess with you with big dogs! We have a shar pei (who is only 45lbs) but she looks ferocious especially when she barks or growls. I love to have her come to the door with me whenever there is someone I don't know knocking. I hold her by the collar and let her peak her head out and bark at least once. Usually they are selling crap and that makes them leave me alone and if they are casing the joint they sure as hell are not coming back to my house. When there was construction in our neighborhood (we are in a "transitioning area" AKA expensive ghetto) the backyards on either side of us were broken into for theft and no one came near us. We felt bad because Stoli did go out and bark that night but she occasionally barks at night for no reason (or actually at a opossum or stray cat) so we didn't think too much of it. Now we check it out when she trots herself outside barking in the night.

I prefer smaller lap dogs for myself but I love the security of a bigger dog. According to statistics it doesn't seem to matter though the size of the dog when it comes to home invasion. A friend of mine had her house broken into when she was at work. They had a cat and an alarm but it was a smash and grab sort of thing so they just broke a window to get in and never set off the alarm. The cops that investigated said the number one thing to deter random break-ins was to have a dog. They are more of a deterrent than any alarm system you can buy even if they are small. Most criminals want the easiest target and dogs just complicate the matter (by making noise or attacking) so if they see or hear a dog when they approach they just move on to the next house/victim without one. When they decided to install an alarm that detected glass breaking the alarm company said the same thing. Funny how a small yappy dog can be more of a deterrent than some of the best alarm systems so you can imagine a big loud scary dog would be a major deterrent. Now if you are a specific target of a crime all bets are off. :ohwell: But I digress :laugh:

The food was good and I think 550-600 calories was about right. There was a small amount of sour cream or dressing of some kind in between the guac and beans but it was a small amount so I think that was somewhat figured into the amount since 550 calories is certainly not from just straight black beans, tomatoes and grilled chicken. The guac amount was too small (like 2 tablespoons) to have been more than 200 calories. So that is my story and I am sticking with it :laugh:

Today was the first day I felt well enough to go back at it. I am still a snot factory (sorry) but my body overall feels much better. This was the first day for Back and Bis this round and it is the longest workout. It is a nice burn but it is just under an hour total (not sure why that one is so much longer than all the rest) but its a nice burn and boy it really works your back!!

I am hoping today will be the last day that I am not at 100% since I want to hit it hard since I missed so many days. I am proud that I just ate at a maintanence level while I was sick because I was soooooo hungry. This morning I woke up wanting to chew my arm off. I was so annoyed how long today's workout was because my tummy was growling the whole time :explode: I have been eating a huge amount of food so far today and have still been hungry so I am hoping that dies down soon but at least now that I am back to working out I can eat more without fear! I will be hitting the beach in 7 weeks and I hope (though this might be a pipe dream) to get off 4 more pounds before then. I will have to re-evaluate that goal once I see if I did any damage this week on the scale. Good luck with your renovations and TF!!

jennieodwyer

Oh and I love the new profile pic. You look so tan and svelte!!!

jennieodwyer

Hope everything is going well on the house redo! And I hope you were pleased with your weigh in :flowerforyou:. Talk to you soon!

mamareese

Sorry I've been MIA-life's gotten a little chaotic lately. Haven't been able to keep up with everything that I have going on. Hoping that things settle soon and I can get my groove back on. I feel a little overwhelmed and have to admit that the stress is making me do BAD things. :laugh: Hopefully things get back to normal soon.

I just wanted to pop in and say congrats on the loss again. You are on a roll. So proud of you. Keep it up girl, you are inspiring tons of people!! :flowerforyou:

jennieodwyer

Oh thanks. I was pleased with the loss because I had been sick (and my body was doing uhhh weird things that would affect the scale) so I was happy.

Do what you need to do girl. I will be here :smokin:

mamareese

Hello friend...how are you!? Nice blog post today. I think two things came to my mind when I read it 1) you deserve all the attention that people turn to you for tips and tricks, I'm sure although it's flattering, it must be hard to know how to respond when we are all so different 2) you are always so open and honest about your approach, your 'tricks of the trade' etc. And I think it reminds people that we are all here for our own purposes so we each just have to keep pushing ahead. Great post, I loved it.

As for me, well things have been wild and chaotic and just plain crappy around 'real life here'.:grumble: There's a lot going on but it's a combination work and home so when both start getting out of control- I need to step back and refocus. DH and I are back to being on the same page so things will work themselves out. Just ridiculous amount of stress for awhile until we come out on the otherside. Luckily, one of the ways we've found for dealing with it is my getting out and going to the gym. I just needed an outlet away from all the chaos. The gym was the healthiest option! It felt great Saturday to pick up some heavy things and set them back down!! Though my quads are KILLING me still and tomorrow's back to lifting. I started New Rules of Lifting for Women. Mostly because I didn't have time nor did I want to plan out some big program. I have the book so I picked it up and just went for it. Who knows how the long term will work out but the short term felt like getting my sanity back for a bit!!:huh:

I saw the burn you had this AM. Holy Moly Batman. I still may have to ask for S90 for my birthday. Though the truth is it isn't the program...it's just your hard work!! Mad props for the push you must give to get those burns! Are you back to feeling 100% now? Diary looks good from what I saw when I popped in and out so things should keep moving in the right direction with your efforts.

Oh, and I had to laugh at your WTF comment on my workout this Am. With NORL, you just eat and don't worry about calories burned. Which works for me at this point because as much as I normally love my HRM - it's one less things I'm stressing myself out about so I'm good with just saying 'yep, I did it and moving on.' :laugh:

jennieodwyer

Thanks. Most people just ask what I have been doing and I have no issue telling them but of course what works for me might not work for someone else (I try to always make that clear). The only time I get annoyed is when people PM me and ask questions that require a very long drawn out response (like the one I posted on my blog) and I don't get a response. That annoys me. A simple thank you would be appreciated since I am spending a considerable amount of my time responding to your questions. Most people are good and say thank you but there are about 25% that will ask 100 questions and not respond at all. That is the only part that really annoys me.

The reason I posted yesterday's blog was because I wanted people to see what I really looked like and what I want to change. There is so much airbrushed BS out there, for me it is nice to see real people. I think people just see the abs pic and think I have this perfect body so I wanted them to see the real deal :laugh: I also wanted to make it clear that is it a tradeoff. Some people get abs but have saddlebags like me (I don't know if I will ever get a true thigh gap) where as other women have great legs but would have to get extremely lean to see abs. It is what it is. You just have to work with what you have and the soon people realize this the better (in my opinion of course) :laugh: The only other "truth" post I have considered is showing my momma skin. People say all the time that I don't have it but the truth it I just tuck it into my bottoms.We shall see if I have the nerve for that or not.

I hope things calm down for you soon but that is awesome that you are taking out some stress at the gym. That great that you are starting the "New Rules", that is the program I would be doing if I had a gym membership but sadly it isn't practical for me at home since all I have are some dumbbells. As for my S90 burns, they are pretty high but that is because 1) I have a higher heart rate to begin with; 2) I also count about 10 minutes of afterburn; 3) I use the heaviest weights I can possibly do. That make a huge difference for me. My heart rate soars when I am lifting as heavy as possible and since the program moves fast there isn't alot of time for rest. (usually 30 seconds between circuits, sometimes a minute but no more). I really like the program though you should so try it.

Good idea about the calories and how you are tracking your exercise calories. I try to stay in a range regardless of what I burn as well so I usually ignore my exercise calories. As for feeling better, yes I am feeling better but I still have so much drainage (post nasal and nasal). It is all clear so maybe this is some weird allergy I am having since a lot of crap is blooming now in Texas. Since I feel fine and the snot is clear it must just be allergies but it sucks to have to keep blowing my nose and clearing my throat and allergy meds only seem to help alittle. Oh well. I should be thankful that I feel better even if I look like Rudolph :laugh:

Kettlebell workout today. I really like the KB workouts but I am still struggling with form on my cleans and snatches and that makes it hard to get into it more. I try different things and I need to watch more youtube videos since I am still bashing my forearms sometimes. I guess practice makes perfect but I do enjoy it. Tabata Inferno tomorrow. Not looking forward to it but I only have to do it 5 more times this round so that helps put it in perspective :laugh:

mamareese

I can definitely imagine how annoying that can be. I know how long it takes just to log in and respond to two different boards (this one and the NTHG board that I post on), I can only imagine explaining programming and answering questions on top of that. A thank you would be much appreciated I'm sure.

I think you hit it spot on (not that I don't think you or anyone else who puts in the time and effort can't achieve ALL their goals) but certain people's bodies do respond better and quicker. My legs and shoulders are way better at being responsive than my stomach EVER has. It's my trouble zone for sure. I'm not sure I'll ever have noticeable abs that are so beautifully displayed (and hard earned, genetics or not!) in your picture. BUT that won't stop me from pursuing them!! But I do know that because I KNOW these things about my body, I can feel a sense of positive in knowing what I can get response from and a sense of 'push' for on what I've yet to achieve. One of my MFP gals, who I think is your friend to, mentioned on my profile about how my pic looks like I don't have much to work on. I told her that was so sweet of her to say...however, what's NOT showing is what needs work. Under that tanktop is a mini tank that needs melted down!! :laugh: But like I said, my shoulders love to respond quickly. Who wants good shoulders over good abs?!?!?! We don't get a choice in this do we??! Or even carrying some weight in my bust...I'd take some of that too!! LoL. It is what it is and we work with what we have. I'll keep crunching and doing HIITs even if all I achieve is a flatter stomach with well hidden abs. I'm okay with that...I think! :bigsmile:

I think what you said about S90 is what has me intrigued about it, and still debating asking for it for my birthday (my family loves when I ask for workout DVDs for presents!) P90x is so similar to the typical weight room routine of LIFT HEAVY REST FOREVER (60 seconds feels like forever in a weight room!) That I'd like to see the faster pace. I've checked it on amazon and it's only 17.50. Not bad, not bad at all. It will definitely end up in my repertoire one way or another!!

KBs are awesome. I still get email updates from that myomytv site where she sends out KB workouts every so often. I watch them and am impressed. They do take a lot of good form, but like you said practice will get you there. The internet is a miraculous tool. Heck, even my 5 year old uses the internet for cheating at his Batman PS3 game!!

My eats are back to being on par during the week and only issue is late night snacking after being up until 10-11pm painting, putting up molding etc. Lucky Charms definitely doesn't fit into my macros....so I've got to cap that in the butt ASAP. If I can get a control on that snacking at night thing, everything will be better. I know the low carb thing was working but my issue is it's so hard to maintain. I don't know if it's the low calorie that does it or the low carb. I plan on experimenting with the carb cycling when things settle down. But for now I'm just trying to keep my head above water!!! :sick:

jennieodwyer

I love Lucky Charms. I can't keep anything like that in my house or I would eat it all. I even had to put the 3 pieces of Easter candy I kept in the freezer to keep me from binging on it. Hey whatever works right?

Genetics play just a huge role in your overall body shape. Sadly you can't cut and paste your ideal body together (unless you are getting plastic surgery) but you can work on what you have and make the best with what God gave you :laugh: That is my goal. My thighs and butt will always be bigger proportionately but I can work on them to make them look better. :glasses:

You are also spot on about the profile pic which is why I posted the butt picture. Of course I show off the good stuff and hide the bad :laugh: Well I think my KB form is getting a little better since my arms are too bashed up today. Which is good since I do enjoy the workout.

Today was the evil Tabata workout and it really kicked my butt. Between the house being warm and me being so dried out from all the antihistamines, the workout was extra rough. I thought I would have to stop one time since I was gasping for air but then it passed and I was able to push through it. It definately felt like I was back in Insanity. If you want a faster pace I would definately recommend S90 since it is definately fast. :laugh: I think you would like it. Hoping to see good things on the scale on Friday. My mid week weigh in was down alittle from Friday so I am hoping the trend continues and I see at least half a pound loss to stick to my goal of losing 3.5 pounds in 7 weeks.

mamareese

Damn genetics...I blame my poor mother for all my flaws! LoL. :laugh: Though I can't blame her for my body type, she's like 5'2...this body of goodness is all the results of my father's genes outbidding my mother's for some say in how I turned out!

I hear you on the 'can't haves' in the house. The kids have been getting Lucky Charms as often as possible just to get rid of that darn box. Thank goodness we've about exhausted the Easter Candy, and that (aside from those darn brownies she made for easter) she chose things that I won't touch. I'm glad we are passed 'treat' holidays for a bit. Luckily, Memorial Day usually only equates to hot dogs and hamburgers with some fruit salad for us. I'm down with that!! :drinker:

I give you props, as I said before. I think it's great you are willing to be completely honest here. Like I said earlier, you've earned those abs. Yes, genetics helps them show up sooner than later. But it wasn't for lack of effort that they popped out when they did. You've pushed yourself hard and earned the right to display them in your profile pic.

I had to laugh because I was going over form for Deadlifts with DH since it seems after doing those and squats at the gym, my quads kill but never my booty or hamstrings (WHICH IS WHERE I'm LAGGING!!). So we went over form but he made an announcement that he didn't get a say over my losing my chest, but he sure better get a say over my booty. :laugh: I said, I don't want it gone-just lifted!!! :bigsmile: We agreed that would be a fantastic outcome. LoL.

Evil Tabata kills me. I had an NROL workout today but tomorrow is a HIIT day. I've been trying to make sure I make the most out of these by doing the 30 minute one on TF. I might try a shorter one tomorrow with some HIIT on the treadmill. All the weather changes here screw my knees up (cough, old, could) so we'll see. It's really been a breath of fresh air to get into the gym. Don't get me wrong, my home workouts are my go to, always there for me program. Just all the madness and being able to escape for an hour a day is awesome. And there's only ever 1 guy in there in the AM who just exchanges a polite 'good morning, have a good one' to me and then goes about his business. It's nice.

I had to laugh today because the alarm went off, I got up to get ready in the bathroom, thought...maybe a day off today would be good so I can go Friday, Sat, Sunday instead...sure, I think...so I had back to bed and my little men had gotten up, snuck into my room and went back to sleep...taking up all of my side. No luck for Mama, so off to the gym I went. And glad I did!

We are also doing a 10,000 step challenge at work. The weather hasn't been cooperating but I signed up because I thought it was a nice gesture that the office was looking into healthy initiatives for us. So, my little pedometer goes 'click, click' all day long!!

jennieodwyer

I enjoy the 10,000 step challenge. I used to push myself as much as possible to get at least that when I wore my pedometer. Then I was running across the street one day and the pedometer flew off and before I could get back across to retrieve it, it was run over by a car Needless to say it was dead in the water and considering our finances I could justify buying another one at the time. So for now no pedometer although I eventually hope to get a Fitbit and that would of course take the place of a regular pedometer. There was a sale on them at 24hourfitness.com the other day and boy I had to use every bit of strength not to buy it. I thought I could justify it as a mother's day gift but I really need a good food processor instead and I would rather have that first and get the fitbit when I am maintaining.

I am also doing a challenge at work but it is pretty basic. The challenge is to get 250 minutes of physical activity in every week but with my walking and regular workouts I am way over that amount every week so that isn't too much of a challenge for me:laugh: But I certainly participate and get credit for my workouts.

I have read that women are often quad dominant and I can totally see that. I find that I really feel the burn in my hammies during deadlift when I make a constant effort everytime to shift my hips back while keeping my back flat. That really helps me feel it in the back of my legs but I have to keep reminding myself everytime since I want to just bend over/ forward without the shifting of the hips and that doesn't do anything for me I am with you. I am all about an ample behind as long as it is round and lifted. It is the flabby saggy that needs to go. Oh and a side not, Bulgarian split quats (I do mine with the ball) work my butt (and balance) like no other. Maybe something to try out? Everyone is telling me to do the Brazilian Butt workout but I don't have the $ to try that one out.

Looks like your men knew better than you to boot you out of bed. :laugh: I needed alittle push today because I was feeling alittle creaky and worn out but I had to keep reminding myself that this was the last workout of the week and I needed to push it. Last chance workout! I am hoping for at least a half pound loss this week to stay on target so I can't quit now but wow am I excited about my rest day tomorrow. How many days until the big 30 for you?