2 week challenge

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  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    I HAVE MAJOR DOMs today!

    And I forgot to roll, after my weight-training, yesterday. (((Beeps)))

    I'll roll, at home, tonight. And, I'm going to get my weight-training in tomorrow, even if DOMs is strong....I have to keep moving forward, I feel.

    I just started Stage 3 of NROL4Abs, yesterday - so that was my first "A" workout. Not sure about it - the ab work is "finicky" (why not just return to harder-and-harder plank progression, in my opinion - lifting one leg up and then an arm - I can't do ANY of that, yet!). The weight work is "balance" oriented. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Will try the "B" workout, tomorrow, and then make a decision.

    I may not finish NROL4Abs and instead opt for the Venus Index workouts I invested in. Or, of course, I could do NROL4Life....as I have that text, too.
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
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    I can't stop eating!!!! Okay, I'm not super high, but I have been eating like a mad woman since Friday! Maybe I need to up my calories. Or maybe I just need some self control. I guess I'll wait and see what Friday's weigh in brings - I didn't weigh in last Friday because iof TOM.

    I shock up my workouts this week. I did arms on Mon, since I haven't been doing them at all. I also upped my weights. Today, I did a Tabata leg workout from youtube. Much to my surprise, I liked it and will probably add it in to my routine. I really need to get back into working out on the weekends, because I have been taking three days off. By Friday, I need a rest day, but I'd like to get in something on Sat or Sun.
  • abigail1977
    abigail1977 Posts: 544 Member
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    Beeps, congrats on the weight loss, bummer about the job. This may be a god thing though since you were not super happy there anyways.

    Ashley, you could always have the protein pre-workout and then dinner post. That would spread things out so you're not too full.

    I broke the no sweets thing again on Sunday - that darn carrot cake - my friend brought it again! However, I had a small serving of lasagna, lots of salad (no dressing) and very little wine. We adopted a dog, actually it's 7 months old so a puppy really, on Sunday. The kids are thrilled and it gives me an excuse to get in some extra exercise and fresh air taking it for walks. I am considering obedience classes and would also like to train him to run with me as he is a plott hound mix and I heard they really need to exercise, but are not good off a leash.

    I am still plugging away at the P90X program. I don't think I am working it hard enough though. I don't do well on my own. I will finish the program and see, but I may need to look into a gym membership again or go back to a trainer.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    Abi, that is great about the dog! Hounds are not good off leash because they follow their nose!
    Yesterday was a rest day for me, today I packed my gym bag but forgot a sports bra, durnit. will have to go home and maybe go to 24hr fitness instead of the fitness center here at work.
    And, I forgot to say, great work on the weight loss Beeps, that is awesome! The last ten are the hardest:wink:
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    Maybe the last 10 are the hardest - traditionally that is true (for me).

    But, for some reason, my body is on some kind of "kick", and I'm lapping it up!

    The first month of my "cut" didn't result in much weight loss....around 4 lbs.

    But, this month, I'm already at 7 lbs lost - and this was while I was NOT able to get to the gym for a 9-day stretch!

    I believe ALL of my success has been tied to the change in my nutrition plan....the introduction of a daily "eating window", plus one fast day per week (although I didn't get one in, this week) has resulted in my body, FINALLY, recognizing what it is supposed to be doing.

    Today I weighed in at 153.8 lbs. On Sept. 19th I weighed in at 164.8 lbs.

    I think I want to be in the low 140s, but once I get there, I may decide to get lower.

    ONLY NOW AM I STARTING TO NOTICE A CHANGE IN THE WAY MY CLOTHES ARE FITTING.

    The good thing about being tall - I can put on 10 lbs and NOBODY notices. The bad thing about being tall - I can drop 10 lbs and NOBODY notices, lol. Dropping the weight hasn't resulted in "my pants falling off me" or anything like that.

    But, there's no more muffin top, frankly, in anything I wear. And, some clothes are starting to feel "baggy". So, I think I'm on my way to some (permanent) transition!

    I do hope to complete my cut by end-of-December, but if it ends up being January/February, 2013, so be it. I'm in the groove, now, and I'd really like to cross this (body fat loss) OFF my list as 2012 blends into 2013.
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Beeps- nice job on losing. I love when I get into that groove that just seems to be working! Keep it up!

    Abigail- Thats great that you adopted a pup! I love hearing people getting dog's from rescues!

    Went over in cals last night, but I logged everything. Went out for my aunts bday and had beer, pizza, cupcakes.....you name it! So doing some damage control today. Keep up the good work ladies!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    Happy Birthday, Chloe!! I'm glad to read you went out to celebrate!

    How's "puppy training" coming along, Abigail?
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Actually it was my Aunts birthday....mine is on the 30th.
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
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    Beeps--Awesome job on the weight loss!

    Abigail--Having a dog is such a great way to get in some extra exercise! I've never had the time to take care of a dog during the week, but I love borrowing my friends' dogs on the weekends and running around with them.

    Amy--I hate when that happens, you're all ready and motivated to work out and just missing one key thing. Though taking a rest day isn't the worst thing.

    Chole--Great job on the logging! There's nothing wrong with going over every once in a while as long as you're honest with yourself.

    Not too much to report here. I've been logging away, getting in my protein, and getting in some sort of exercise every day. It's amazing how much easier it is to motivate to exercise and stay within my calories now that I'm not drinking, it's a little scary actually. Keep up the great work everyone!
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    Ha ha! Ris that's funny. I felt the same way when I was prego. I though I may actually lose weight from not drinking!

    I have been pretty terrible this week. I had Wednesday and Thursday off work and my husband's BFF is in town from Phoenix, so we've been lushing it up. And I'm paying for it today. We are planning a Sober January, so I think that will help to get me back on track. Then it's time to start my mini training.

    So I'm kind of in a rut. I've been diligent with my workouts, despite my bad eating (mostly drinking) habbits. And I feel like I'm putting weight ON. My waist seems larger than several months ago and I just feel fluffier. My rings are even tight on me when they were starting to feel very loose. And I've been incredibly bloated. I admit my diet hasn't been 100%, but I haven't been eating total crap. I don't know if it's because I'm only getting in 2 days of cardio or if it could be hormonal. (I've pretty much stopped nursing, but still no period so I think I've got some hormonal stuff going on....my emtions have been kind of blah too.) I just feel like I was a lot "tighter" right after I finished 6 week 6 pack. I guess long story short, I'm not pleased with what 3 days of strength training is doing for me. I HAVE gotten stronger; I'm lifting more now than I was 7 weeks ago. But I don't see more definition. I konw it's VERY hard for women to "gain" muscle but I felt like I'd at least maintain some level of leaness and I feel like I'm not. My plan was to stick with 3 days of strength training a week (but switching up my routine after Thanksgiving) untill the end of January and now I am rethinking. i haven't lost any real weight for probably a month; I actually totally forgot to weigh in yesterday. Chloe, I know you went through similar feelings and now you're doing more cardio and less strength right? And looks like with good results? I'm just a little bummed right now overall. Ready for some changes. That will hopefully restart weight loss/change my body. I'm thinking of going back to 6w6p after Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll take measurements next week and see what's going on.

    Beeps, you are inspiring. I'm so glad you're having good results. You have earned them!

    I hope everyone else is doing well. Sorry for the b*tching. :ohwell: At least it's the weekend!
  • ChLoE1130
    ChLoE1130 Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Ashley- I know that feeling for sure. I tend to do my best with weight loss when I am consistently running/walking with a good incline at least 5 times a week. But, it mostly has to do with my eating and drinking. But, for me when I am doing more cardio I tend to eat better as a result. Not sure why, just the way it is. Right now I am doing the treadmill 5 to 6 days a week and at least 3 miles. Sometimes I run and sometimes I walk with a pretty good incline. I have a chest and triceps weight workout, a shoulders, back and biceps weight workout, a core workout and a leg workout that I just keep rotating through. I am liking my workouts right now and I think I am going to press through this until the end of the year.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    Interesting to read how everyone really is DIFFERENT! Different with "what works" - different with "what doesn't work".

    For me, I've realized that cardio makes me HUNGRY, which leads to more eating, etc., etc. Now that I've reduced my cardio to only one-time-per-week, it has been WAY EASIER for me to stay in a calorie deficit. And, the calorie deficit is forcing the scale down.

    I do like my strength-training, but I also realize that I'm not going to be breaking any "personal records". I'm just not that comfortable throwing around HUGE weight! Maybe because I'm old. I don't know. But, for me, so long as I *am* lifting free weights, I tend to be able to keep my muscle shape, and I trust that the scale weight that I am losing is fat.

    I won't know, until the end, but I think that is what is happening with my body.

    I am reading LOTS about "bulking" and I don't think I want to do it. Once I FINALLY get that scale where I want it to be, I just don't think I could mentally get to a place where it's going back up (even where the efforts are to increase muscle mass!). I don't think I really care if I can squat 200 lbs. I don't want to be in a fitness competition or a figure competition. Or any competition. I just want to feel like I look like I have "muscles" and I don't look like I have "fat".
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    Ashley, I find that whenever I am really good with workouts I tend to reward myself with food, or I just don't have enough self control to be great at both, which I know I have said before. I think I just want to maintain and exercise a reasonable amount, then when I have to slim down for beach-bikini time I will clean up the eating and drinking but slack on the exercising because it does make me hungry and make me think I earned more calories than I likely did!
    Even without the sports bra, I did my Stronglifts workout-but no jogging!
    Tomorrow, it's off to CA for the week, I am looking forward to the break. Disney should be plenty of exercise!
  • Mbodied
    Mbodied Posts: 38 Member
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    Hi ladies, is it possible to join your party? I've been living in a hotel for a couple weeks now and, though I'm normally a fairly healthy eater, this stay has had its pitfalls. I head back home tomorrow and would love a place like this to be accountable for getting myself back on track. I don't believe there's a point to chastising myself for my eating and (lack of) exercise these last 2 weeks. I just want to spend my energy committing myself to a healthier tomorrow. I haven't seen a scale in weeks and think I'll wait a few days after I get home to weigh myself. Tomorrow I'll put together a workout schedule for the next 2 weeks. Hope your weekends are going really well.
    -Em
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
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    Wow, Beeps!! Sorry to hear about the job :frown: Hope things turn around for you quickly! AMAZING job on the 10 lbs!! And finally being able to see and feel the difference in your clothes and in the mirror is fantastic. I am so proud of you and I am also re-inspired :happy: And it sounds like you have quite a few options for your workouts too! I’ll be interested to see what you settle on. And happy belated birthday!

    KC, I noticed a big difference in my progress when I added in a workout on the weekend swapping out a rest day during the week :smile:

    Abigail, congrats on the puppy, what’s it’s name? I’m not good with at home workouts myself, so kudos to you for sticking to it!

    Better, I am right with you. I have been in a rut, honestly since last Spring. I get going, then something happens and I back down. This routing has been going ever since and I cannot get out of it! Sorry to b*tch too, but I feel your pain! Looks like you have some options and hopefully we can both figure something out!

    Amy, have fun at Disney!!! Sounds like a blast!

    Emily, all is welcome! I can imagine how hard living in a hotel can be. Good attitude about not chastising yourself. Just start with tomorrow ;-)

    As for me, I am just a mess. I have no motivation, no drive and just no mojo all together. I know exactly what I have to do to be successful, I just have no desire to do any of it. I go on a 7 day cruise out of Puerto Rico in 5 weeks and that doesn’t seem to be doing the trick for me either.

    Work sucks and that seems to be my biggest stress maker. But I did just celebrate my birthday in San Francisco and it was nice to not worry about anything. The hubby and I split all of our food, so I never felt stuffed or like I really overdid it. We also walked nonstop the entire trip, so that really was a nice break. Now I just need to figure out what’s gonna get my rear in gear!

    I tell you what though, seeing all of you ladies here has got me wanting to be accountable again. I will sleep on it tonight and hope to have a plan by tomorrow. In the meantime, nice to see you all and I hope to be active again on here!! I’ve missed you all!:flowerforyou:
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    Amy - Yes, Disney will be PLENTY of exercise! Drink your water!!!!

    Welcome, embody!

    jenomaha - I was wondering where you'd disappeared to! Nice to see you back around!! If I had a cruise on the horizon, that WOULD be "motivation" for me! I really hope you find yours soon!

    I'll weigh in, again, today, and see how it's going. I have a big of a "pinch" in my left hip - not sure why. It made walking difficult, yesterday. I'm still going to weight-lift, today, but if I have to drop down the weights to manage this "pinch", then so be it. Hopefully not, but who knows?

    I should come up with a NEW 2-week-challenge, but am just focusing on "simple" things:

    1. Eat at a deficit, daily;
    2. Get my weight-training in 3 x per week, cardio 1 x per week;
    3. Try and get more veggies in.
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    Hey all! going to catch up soon...swamped at work after last week's travel and just realized I only have 12 more days in the office for the year! Hope all is well!!!!!
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
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    Ashley--maybe adding more cardio like Chloe did would help you a bit? Even if you're getting stronger, adding in some cardio might help reduce your overall body fat % and let those muscles show through a bit more. I find that it also helps with the bloating and your mood, although you can get the same benefits from weights if you're pushing yourself enough to work up a sweat. I can't remember what lifting program you're doing now, but if you've been doing the same one for a few weeks, maybe you just need to change up your routine a bit?

    Amy--nice job getting in your workout even without the bra! I like the "no excuses" attitude :happy:

    Em--welcome!

    Jeno--welcome back! I have no doubt that you'll get yourself back on track.

    Beeps--great plan! The simple things work.

    Kate--I'm jealous! I don't want to think about how many more days I have, it's way more than 12 I know....

    I did pretty well overall this weekend. I did splurge on some pizza on Friday and a HUGE bowl of frozen yogurt with a bunch of not-so healty toppings on Sunday, but everything else was pretty healthy and I managed to exercise enough so that I was still within my calories overall.

    I'm a little nervous about the Thanksgiving holiday though. We'll be spending Thankgiving with my in-laws, which means I'll pretty much only be eating food that other people are making, which is really hard for me to log. I've become kind of dependent on logging to make sure that I'm hitting my calories (at this point I don't really want to be under any more than I want to be over), which is a lot easier when I'm only eating food that I've prepared or that comes from a place that publishes its nutrition info. I guess it'll be a good experiment for me to try to just trust my belly for a few days and see where I come out on Monday morning!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,995 Member
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    Ris, I find that so long as I type in "homemade" before whatever food type, mfp probably has SOMETHING in its dictionary! I kind of "like" my bathroom visits, when out at other's homes....I do my mfp posting in there, lol!

    chui - only 12 more days of work?? Lucky you! Are you taking a holiday or something??

    It's only 6 weeks until 2013!! Should we come up with some "new year's resolutions" so that we kick off 2013 on the RIGHT FOOT?? Did you complete all your 2012 resolutions?? (If not, you have 6 more weeks to do so!)

    I have lost 11.6 lbs in the 8-9 weeks I've been "cutting". I think I've probably got about 8-9 more weeks to go!

    But, now I am EXCITED about it! It seemed SO DAUNTING, at first. But, now, I *like* how I'm looking, so I'm hoping that makes the next couple of months easier to get through.

    At some point, I'd then like to just "maintain" - and never HAVE to 'cut' again.

    Excuse me while I go down some yogurt....
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    Hey ladies. Well I think I made the decission to stick it out with strength training after the holiday but switch up my "program". I was doing a modified program I found on bodybuiding.com; it was a series of total body compound moves I modified so I could complete with my equipment. But I did a my July HIIT routine yesterday and realized I HAVE gotten stronger, so that has been motivation. I had also been asking questions to Steve Troutman and I think he reiterated that if I want to change my body, strength training is the way to do it. Which I knew this. Also, I really I need to clean up my diet to probably see best results. 1700 calories is now too much for me now that I have completely stopped nursing. I'm thinking 1300-1500 will be better. So I think I'll shoot for 1500 after the holiday. I also knew this too. I do want to stick with a couple days of running and/or HIIT. The muscle is there, just under a layer of fat.

    I had a terrible short stomach virus or food poisoning last night so I'm not working out today or probaly eating much other than soup and crackers. From about 5-9pm, I was miserable. I'm just glad it's gone before we hit the road to NC tomorrow. Now my husband is not feeling the greatest. I just hope my kiddo doesn't get it.

    So yeah, headed out of town tomorrow through Monday so probably won't check in. Probably won't log either, but will be doing some running while at my parents'. Hope those of you celebrating Thanksgiving have a great one!