Day 48 - Weigh in, Alpha Showdown, Stats Update

Well friday is here, another week and 48 days. When I get to the gym I approach Maria and ask her if we are weighing in.  She says sure and grabs her papers.  As we walk over to my little friend, she says that she can see the change in me from my picture.  Well, wait, is she reading my blog???  I say thanks and yes it is quite a difference.

I hop on and grab the wands, the numbers go round and round and end up at 173!  But that's not the best news -

Start                      Day 19          Day 26      Day 34     Day 41   Day 48

Weight - 190         181.9             179             179         177        173

BF% - 47.8           41                                     39          40           37.9

Waist - 40.5"         38"                 36"              35.5       35           34

Bust - 44"              42.5"              42"              41.5       41           41

Hip - 46"                44"                 43"             42.5       42            41

Upper Arm - 15"     12.5"             12"               12         12            12

Calf - 18"                 16.5"             15.5"           15.5      15,5         15.5

Thigh - 25 or 26"      23.5"             22.5"            22        22             22''

Yes finally my body fat percentage is down enough that I am now on the measurement chart. Down another inch in the waist and hips too.  I guess the arms, calf, thigh are pretty much where they are going to be. So since the beginning I have lost 17 lbs (by this scale), 10% bodyfat, 5.5 inches off the waist, 3 off my bust, 5 off my hips, 3 off my arm, 2.5 off my calf, @ 4 off my thigh.  A total of 24" overall lost.  Wow - 48 days....  Listen if I can do this anyone can.  Trust me.

Ok so this is the first time I am posing a picture with my belly showing.  And I am smiling :).  I also want to say that I have also been tracking my weight on my scale at home.  I weigh myself first thing in the am.  For the most part it has been more or less the same as the one at the gym.  However, this one says 170 this morning.  The gym says 173. Whichever is fine I am happy with both. But...I made a promise to myself that when I reached 20 lbs, or 170, I would attempt to put my belly button ring back in.  I did it.  You can't see it in the picture but it is there.  It hurt a little bit as there was a bit of a covering but really it wasn't much.  I can't even remember when I took it out it was quite a few years back.  So I am smiling... and showing my belly.

Back to class, today is more Alpha showdown and we have quite a few challenges.  In no particular order, 2 minutes of burpees, 2 minutes of kettle bell swinging,2 minutes of pushups,  2 minutes of pull/chin ups, 2 minutes of situps and a standing broad jump.  We all do the burpees kettle bell and pushups together. Then tell Maria how many we did in that time.  Lynn is next to me and she does 89 pushups then grimaces in pain holding her head.  She has sudden onset of an exercise induced migraine.  It is intense and she is not well.  Maria gets her a cool compress for her head and I ask her if her eyesight is compromised and ask her questions to see how she replies.  It seems it is just a headache and we move on to the chinup area.  Lynn stays behind and says she is done for the day.  I do not blame her, I am glad she is more or less ok.  There is only 2 chinup machines so we take over one and take turns.  While waiting for our turn there is also situps to do.  On my turn I manage 30 pullups in 2 minutes and 60 situps. After all of us finish (except for Lynn) we go to where the broad jump is laid out and take turns.  I manage 56 inches but fall back on my buttocks.  I joke about my bum making only 30".  As each person jumps (and don't fall) they come back to me and say "I only did 48 " and I'm like that's farther than my bum went.  Its a silly joke but we all laugh.

Maria tells us how proud she is of all of us and how well we are doing in the showdown.  It's always good to hear positive words whether or not it may be true.  Today was a good social type day while doing the challenges and I like our group dynamics.  Some people are notably missing (just over 14 minute rower for instance) and I wonder if the Alpha showdown intimidates some.  I am not finding the challenges difficult as I think Maria is tempering them for us.

Tonight Drew is up north finally finishing the hot tub so I am on my own for dinner.  I think I will go to the pub as it is Fajita night and have some chicken.  Maybe..some white wine too, maybe...

Tomorrow is Saturday and I am going to return to the Barbell Strength Class.

Debbie

I borrowed this from a friend's facebook post - Thanks Sonia!!

Day 47 - Ohhhmmmmm

I am looking forward to yoga class today.  The instructor is the sub from last Tuesday's class and I want to see how her class goes.  First off it is very warm in the yoga studio.  Humid.  She tells us to get 2 blocks and a strap.  She tells us that we are going to work on opening up the hips and leads us through a brutal series of poses that apparently she came up with at 5:30 in the morning when she couldn't sleep.  I can not do some of them but push through the rest.  Seriously, do people actually get their bodies into some of those "poses" ie contortions?   It is much more grueling than the restorative class on Tuesday.  A few people get up and leave partway through.  At the end of the class she makes a joke about sticking it out.  I did find it hard but I will not be the one to leave partway through a class.  Unless it is spin class...

I have neglected to mention that I am tracking my steps every day.  My goal is 10000 steps or 5 miles per day.  Funnily I do it quite easily and actually on Tuesday when I did all that gardening I hit over 20,000 steps.  Drew finds this amusing and says I must just sit and run my feet on the floor since he is averaging only 6000 steps a day.  What can I say, I am a woman and I am always on my feet doing something.

I don't have any plans for the rest of the day.  I can't believe that this week is almost over already. I have accomplished a lot so far this week.  I hope that tomorrow being Friday and weigh in day I have made some progress in that respect too.

Lunch is a Very Berry Smoothie and dinner tonight I have the Salmon and tomatoes over spinach planned except I am substituting beet greens for the spinach.

Tomorrow TEAM day - Alpha Showdown and weigh in/stats day

Debbie

Day 46 - Alpha Dog - er Showdown Begins

Ok let me get this straight.  In this Alpha Showdown we are doing you vs you.  So not a competition against anyone but yourself.  Saying that we seem to have a little bit of a rivalry going on.  We have 5 rowing machines set up in our TEAM row of treadmills.  We are going to take turns doing 3000 meters.  There is no time limit it is just how long it takes to do the 3000 and at the 5th level of resistance.  The first five start out and the rest of us are on the treadmill doing sprints and pushups etc.  Every now and then Maria gives us an update on the ladies rowing and we cheer them on.  One lady finishes in just over 14 minutes.  You could guess which one.  The average is actually between 15 and 20 minutes.  Leigh finishes at just under 15 minutes so in my mind she is the leader.  When Lynn sits down at the just over 14 minute machine she finds it a tad easy to row, gets up to check and it is actually set at 2.  Maria had set them at 5....hmmm.

Anyways, we all get a go and when it is my turn I think I will just keep a constant pace and not burn myself out in the first 1000 m.  As my time approaches the 14 minute mark I find I am pushing a bit harder to see if I can at least match Leigh.  But no - it takes me almost 16 minutes.  I am winded when done.  I even tried imagining gliding down the bay on the scull saying hey to the neighbours but it was still a hard challenge.

Maria outlines what we will be doing on Friday for the 2nd part.  Burpees, pull ups, kettle ball and broad jump. I haven't done a broad jump since high school....lord help me.  We spend some time stretching out today and cooling down.

The weather today is not so good.  Heavy rain and thunderstorms.  Good thing I got the lawn done yesterday.  However, I was pretty stiff today and was worried about the rowing but once I got going I loosened up.   I may try it on one of my off days since it didn't bother my knee either.  After group Maria and I discuss my upcoming Metabolic testing and set the date for next Thursday.  I will have to fast for 12 hours and no working out or alcohol or caffeine for 24 hours before.  I remind her that the day before is TEAM day and she says that I can still do that but that is it.

Lunch today is 1/2 cup cooked pasta with cooked vegies and a bit of pesto.
For dinner Drew and I have open face burgers at the pub with salad.

Tomorrow being Thursday I am going to try the 90 minute yoga class.  I am hoping the weather will improve as well.

Debbie

Day 45 - Just Keep Swimming

Tuesday is another beautiful day, a little cooler in the morning but clear sky and promises of a warmer afternoon.  I want to do my laps today - goal is to increase the amount - and then get back to finish off the backyard planting and lawn reseeding as tomorrow it is supposed to rain.

For some reason, once again, I am the only person in the outside lap pool.  This is good of course and I have my personal lifeguard watching me....  I do my routine, 2 laps of breaststroke to warm up (the pool is lovely though - I would guess 80?) and then start my version of freestyle. Breaststroke, back stroke and front crawl.  I do 30 laps and in pretty good time.  I am winded so I know my cardio is up to at least zone 3.  I pull myself out of the pool and head inside.  I hit the hottub for a few minutes just to run some jets over my knee.  That feels really good and I am looking forward to using our very own hottub up at the cottage. (thanks Brenda and Claude for that awesome hand me over - you guys rock).

After a quick shower and dressing, I head out.  Since I am basically done or I should say since I AM done with all my costumes etc. for the year I have decided to take this week off and have a week at home working on stuff like the garden.  Yesterday I purchased more plants and dirt and seed so today will be the push to get it in the yard.  I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I spent a few hours with my daughter in law and granddaughter and didn't get to do much in the garden before my husband arrived home for dinner.  So today my plan is to just finish it.

It is back breaking work but always satisfying to get the yard looking tidy (er) and I even mow the few remaining tufts of grass we have left.  I also mow the weeds down in the passageway between us and the neighbours and clean up the debris left there from trimming trees.  After planting a few new perennials and some annuals, I take a break to have lunch.  It is hot out here.  Lunch is ham and cheese on a wholewheat english muffin and some greens with a bit more ham.  It's nice to eat outside again.  The plan is to have dinner back here as well.

After lunch I take down the old rope lights that have not survived the winter and put up new clips and a whole new rope light in its place.  Looks so much nicer.  Then lastly, I rake up the whole yard to break up the hardened dirt, spread out and rake 4 large bags of topsoil and then sprinkle on the "grow anywhere including in the dark and on pavement" lawn repair seed.  Well, lets see if that holds true.

Drew helps me when he gets home to set up our patio lanterns and once again the Gabura Oasis is ready for the summer.  It is a small yard but it is our yard and we love it.  Looking forward to cards and tv under the summer night sky.

Dinner is grilled chicken on the BBQ with roasted brussel sprouts and spring salad.

Tomorrow - First day of Alpha Showdown

Debbie

Day 44 - Catching Up is Hard to do

I honestly have the best intentions.  I want to blog everyday, I think about blogging everyday but then I do something else and that leads to another thing and next thing you know it's a whole week later.

Monday Day 44 is TEAM Day.  It is also a beautiful sunny summery day.  Regardless (yes not irregardless Drew), I have committed to this journey and I will not miss a day.  Monday's are also Nutrition consult day and Maria squeezes as much as she can in the 30 or 35 or if she really pushes 40 minutes of cardio to get our week started.  It seems that our group is up and down with attendance and I am sure with the better weather that will be a constant change.

Today the challenge is to increase both our speed and our incline by 2 points every 30 seconds til we reach a max of 15% incline and whatever speed that takes us to.  I end up at 5.4 and even though it is only 30 seconds, running that speed at that incline is taxing.  Then she challenges us to run at the max we hit for a minimum of 5 minutes.  I do 7!  That is the longest I have run at any one time and at 5.4?  Nuts.  But somehow I get into some zone running thing and find it is not as hard as I thought.  Only thing holding me back from trying to push that envelope more is this nagging uncomfortableness in my right knee.  It's not a "hurt" or sharp pain, just a complaint more or less from joints and tendons and muscles that have never done this before.  Afterall, it still is only 44 days since I started all this.

Maria informs us that we are going to participate in the Alpha Showdown being held in the month of June at the gym.  What?  I know it is you vs you but the challenges sound intimidating. She thinks as a team we will rock it and we can cheer each other on.  She has us fill out and sign a waver though.  First thing will be Wednesday, rowing 3000 m at 5 on the resistance and weight work.  oh boy.  I don't think I've done 5 on the rowing machine nor have I done more than 200 m as it is part of our circuits we do Fridays.  Well, should be challenging that's for sure!  I note on the form a tshirt offered.  I check off Medium ;).

After 35 minutes we head upstairs to join Sara in the education room.  I always find her talks interesting and informative.  She talks about adding more vegies into our everyday meals and which ones are better than others and how the colours tell us what the vegetable offers us.  Interesting.  I mean we all know vegetables and fruit are good for us but which ones are better, which ones you should limit, which ones do what for you is something we should all know more about rather than I just like to eat asparagus for instance.

After nutrition we all head downstairs and part of me thinks maybe I should do something else since 35 minutes doesn't seem like enough but the other part of me is more practical and says you have already cooled down and the garden awaits!

Breakfast today was 1 cup granola with almond milk and 1/4 cup fruit
Lunch tuna salad with avocado and greens
Dinner grilled steak with spinach salad, homemade blueberry dressing, sprinkling of feta cheese & blueberries

Tomorrow - Tuesday Swim Day

I'll leave you with a smile )

Day 43 - Sunday Funday gonna Bike Day

I prepared last night for my early bike ride.  My bike is poised at the end of my car in the garage and I put my bike gear out before I went to bed.  Glenn says he should be finishing around the 45 minute mark which would be 8:45 am.  I figure out how far it is via the wonders of google maps - which also shows the bike paths and how long it should take by bike - and figure I need to leave by 8 am.  The weather is threatening to rain today, since I didn't end up gardening yesterday it looks like I probably won't be today either.  I hope it holds off til I return at some point later in the morning.

Its amazing that there isn't anyone on the roads at 8am on a Sunday.  For the most part the ride is flat and straight forward.  However there is a big hill going down onto the bridge over the Credit River and back up again.  I do it though at a fairly slow pace.  I got into Streetsville and see the participants walking and/or running the route.  I pull into the finish line area at 8:35 figuring that gave me a few minutes of leeway.  First thing I see is my SIL's (who I was with last night) sister.  She has just run her first 5k with her youngest daughter and some of her friends from school in Oakville.  Saying hello and catching up I am still listening to the announcer to see if Glenn is coming into the finish line.  Fiona says her goodbyes and I move closer to the actual finish line.  8:45 comes and goes, 8:55...then 9.  I must have missed him - he must have done better time than he thought.  Damn I was wanting to be there for him.  I saddle up and head back home.  Now I am trying to beat the weather, which I do.  I text Glenn and he finished right when I was talking to Fiona.  So sorry we didn't connect but it was a bit crazy there.

Streetsville and back by bike is just under 12k.  I did that in 30 mins each way.  I can feel the difference that working out is making on my endurance and ability to power through.  I got up that difficult hill both ways on the bike.  (yay spin class)  I am psyched to do that 30k ride the end of the summer.  I think I will be able to do it!

Lunch is a fried in coconut oil egg on 1 slice of whole grain toast with a few slices of tomato and a thin piece of cheddar cheese. Coconut oil does not give any flavour to the egg at all surprisingly.  Dinner tonight I have some shrimp in a quick and easy low cal, no carb thai sauce that I found online along with some brussel sprouts.

Tomorrow - Monday - TEAM Weight Loss

Day 42 - Saturday Gonna Try something New

Since Maria has suggested I do more weights in order to burn more fat (ie get that BF number down), I think I will check out the Barbell Class at 11:00.  I have no idea - per usual - what this is about other than weights and barbells.  I get there about 10 minutes before class starts in order to see what this is about and maybe talk to the instructor.  I introduce myself to her and she goes through what I need to set myself up and advises me to start with 10 lbs and perhaps, even though she will say add on, stay with that for the entire class.  She doesn't want me to hurt myself so she tells me she will pay attention to what I am doing and either show me or help me to do it the right way.

Well, this is barbells on aerobics.  There is music and we do lifts etc. along with the music.  I find this an interesting way to do weights.  Not boring at all.  10 lbs is more than enough weight to start with and some of the moves or lifts it quickly feels like 50 lbs.  I pay close attention to her body placement and she spends a few minutes at the start of each part explaining it and showing how to do it correctly.  The music she selected is very upbeat and of course there are some obvious choices, ie the Eye of the Tiger and Rocky's theme lol.

We do so many things over the hour and I am surprised when it ends that I have actually done most of it.  I think I will try this class again, however, I am anxious to see how much I hurt tomorrow.  I could definitely feel each and every thing we do and I concentrated very hard on doing it the right way in order to get the most benefit.

I think I will probably do this particular class again.  The timing is perfect for a saturday class and I didn't find it overwhelming, this time anyway.

I have no plans for the rest of today, I have some errands to run, one of which is to clean my car.  Being a nice day, its lovely to have a clean car with the convertible top down.

For lunch I make a little pasta (1/2 cup cooked) with cooked red pepper, onion, garlic, mushrooms and some celery.  I mix a little pesto into this for a bit of added flavouring.  It is good and filling.  Dinner time I meet up with my SIL and BIL for a bite at their local pub and I have 1/2 a chicken quesidilla.  It is very good and I do not have any avocado or sour cream.  I do have a glass of white wine though.

Tomorrow - my friend is running a 5k in Streetsville so I am going to Bike over.

Debbie

Day 41 - Friday - TEAM Day and Weigh in Day(gulp) - Pic and Stat Update

So by now you as well as I know the routine.  Drew's up north fiddling with the hottub again so I start off with 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 banana, 2 strawberries cut up and a sprinkling of blueberries topped with 1/2 cup of granola.  Its a lot.  I think I will cut back on the granola or the yogurt next time.

I get to the gym a little earlier today and go over to my little friend.  Maria sees me and gets her pen and paper.  After a few minutes the two armed bandit says 177. But the body fat is still hovering at 40.  Without further ado - here's the stats!

Start                      Day 19          Day 26      Day 34     Day 41

Weight - 190         181.9             179             179         177

BF% - 47.8           41                                     39          40

Waist - 40.5"         38"                 36"              35.5       35

Bust - 44"              42.5"              42"              41.5       41

Hip - 46"                44"                 43"             42.5       42

Upper Arm - 15"     12.5"             12"               12         12

Calf - 18"                 16.5"             15.5"           15.5      15,5

Thigh - 25 or 26"      23.5"             22.5"            22        22

Things are still progressing.  Another 1/2 inch off the waist, hip and bust area, down 2 lbs (on the club scale which is the one we are following here) no change in BF or arm, calf and thigh.

Maria says that in order for that BF to change I need to do weights 2x a week.  Can I do that though?  I'm getting conflicting information from Maria and Sara.  I see Sara and tell her the news - she is so happy for me - 177 lbs down from 190 in 41 days is pretty good.  I mention the BF and she says don't worry that will start changing soon.  K - I'm trusting her.  Not that I don't trust Maria cause I absolutely do but my money is on Sara.

I am at the gym pretty much every single day.  Mon TEAM, Tues yoga or swim, Wed TEAM, Thurs swim and/or weights, Fri TEAM, Saturday depends could be Spin Class or outside activity (bike, golf) Sunday has been an off day but maybe I could do weights on Sundays? Do I want to do weights on Sunday?  Why is this a dilemma?  Why am I asking myself questions?  Why don't I stop asking questions now?

So back to TEAM.  Friday is circuit day and today Maria has changed it up a little again.  We have to run 800 m 3x and inbetween do 20 pushups or jumping jacks, then 8 minutes on the eliptical.  I have tried this machine before but that was right at the beginning of this journey.  I am worried about 8 minutes as I didn't particularly like it but I did it and it wasn't all that bad.  Then over to the floor where the rest of the circuit is set up. TRX jumps and pull ups, bose ball runs, rowing, etc.  It's alot to do in one hour and we are hard pressed to get it finished and it is easy to spike up into zone 4 where she wants us for short periods of time.  This is the extreme cardio. Sweat is on the menu.

Everyone gives their all but I note one, the one who we all wonder why she is in the as she is already pretty slim but everyone has their reasons, doesn't do "all" the circuit.  Only 4 minutes of the 8 on the eliptical, only once around the circuit (supposed to be 2x).  She is only cheating herself and it is not a contest, so no one notices if you finish first.  She doesn't do the cooldown or stretch, just leaves.  Another lady is 1/2 hour late every day.  She is a returner.  Been gone for awhile and has come back just in the past 2 weeks.  She does the treadmill routine but doesn't do the circuit.  I am sure she has her own story too but we all are here giving it our all and we all have our stories too.  Including me who hasn't worked out like this ever.  These workouts are designed to target areas, burn fat and increase fitness and cardio.  So if you don't do it for the full hour and all the steps then I don't think you will get the full benefits.  Obviously if you are doing something that is great and all that but...will you get results?  I'm not sure about that.

Anywho, after stretching out and saying goodbye I hit the shower.  I meet Judy after the shower and we chat.  She is a lovely lady and we seem to have alot in common, grandkids being one.  She tells me about her weekend plans as her and her husband belong to a wine club.  It sounds like a great time I think I'll look into that.  She has been here for a year now and has lost to date 46 pounds.  That is awesome!  I have to rethink my goal.  Originally I wanted to lose up to 50 lbs.  However, as I am putting on muscle is that going to be realistic?  Muscle weighs more than fat (thank god) so perhaps what I should be concentrating on is weight loss yes but also fat loss - that BF number - needs to be under 30.  I'm wearing a 14 now so should I pick a size?  I don't think that's realistic.  I will keep this up and see where I go.  I still have a ways to go - I know that.

Leave you with 2 shots - not sure which is more flattering so I will let you choose.  Skort is a running skirt from winner's I bought for 9.00 but was too small - fits now.  Tank is from Loft on sale for 8.00 size M.

Tomorrow Saturday - Golf, Bike, Weight Class?  Gardening for sure

Debbie

Day 40 - Not still Wandering in the Desert Thats For Sure

40 Days.  40 Days.  The bible is rife with 40 day references.  The flood, Jesus wandering in the desert, it is the bibilical magic number.  For me it is just another day.  However, I will be parting water - so to speak.

Since I have not done any weight training this week I am going to do that before going for a swim. First up barbell.  The 40 is (oh wait there is that number again) free and I head over to my corner where I hope nobody notices me. Well why would they - there is lots of other eye candy there. Oh wait - not saying I am eye candy just sayin... oh never mind.  As I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, I do the squat presses.  This time I do 2 sets of 15 and 4 sets of 10.  That is enough.  Next I will do the assisted chinups but there are only 2 machines and both are occupied.  So I do the chest presses first.  I do 5 sets of 10 of those at 50 lbs.  By the time I finish with that one machine is vacant. I set the weight at 120 and do 10.  That seemed a little easy so I take off 10 and finish up 2 more sets of 10.  That is it.  I have rubbery arms and I still want to swim.

Quickly I change into my suit, shower and head outside.  Yes, outside.  Where the air temperature is only 17 but I am hoping the water is a bit warmer than that.  It is 76.  Brrrrr.  That is the minimum temp that I will enter the lake at.  But I want to do this so I climb in and begin.  The outside lap pool is a bit different.  One it is outside (:p), 2 it is deeper at one end - they have diving or start platforms there and 3 there is nothing to reference when swimming backstroke in order to keep straight in the lane.  There is nobody else at all in the entire pool so I notice that the Lifeguard is keeping his eyes on me...great.  An audience.  I am hopeful that I can do at least 10 laps as my arms are rubbery - maybe weights before swimming not such a good idea.  I do my 2 warmup breast stroke laps then settle in for the push.  6 quick breast stroke laps, 2 back stroke - not so straight - laps, 2 front crawl laps and then I am done.  I do 2 cool down laps and pull myself out of the pool.  So 14 laps total, not bad but not great.

Heading into the shower I pass the indoor leisure pool and see May.  She waves and asks me to watch her swim.  I say sure go ahead.  She is still having difficulty getting the rhythm down.  As a result she makes little progress across the pool. However, she is not panicking and thrashing about so I think that is a huge improvement.  The rest will come.  She is happy so I am happy.

After showering I do something unusual.  I blow dry my hair!  Haha, haven't taken the time to do that in awhile it is good to have my hair, both pink and blonde, down.  I have brought my white jean capris that I bought last year from Reitmans.  I haven't tried them on since I pulled them out with the rest of the seasonal stuff. I should have tried them on before packing them in my bag.  They were very very snug in mid April.  Now they look like I am wearing jodphurs - you know - those riding pants that are bigger through the hips?  That's what these look like.  I guess I am going to have to do some purging soon.  I also have a tunic style sparkly top (also from Reitman's) that was snug on me before.  Now it looks like a sack.  That is good but not good if I have to wear it all day.  These will be taken out of the rotation.  Or I really like this top so I can take it in - for now anyway.

Lunch is left over Mediterranean salad with chicken from home.
Dinner I took out salmon and will make the yummy salmon with tomatoes, spinach and capers that I made last week.  Drew has hockey tonight so he will need the protein.  What I love most about this recipe is it is on the table in under 20 minutes.  Really it is!

Tomorrow - Friday TEAM circuit day

Debbie

Day 39 - Wed just an Ordinary TEAM Day

TEAM day - that can strike fear into some hearts.  Kidding.  The thing I love most about Maria is that she changes it up but we always know the idea behind each workout day.  Wed is endurance day.  She leads us through quick one minute stints.  One minute run, one minute squats, one minute run, one minute heavy ball and so on. Working our way from arms and ending on abs.  I am soaked by the end and puffing good.  I finally have the Gearfit figured out but I can't see the heart rate (it's so tiny) and borrow Lynn's glasses to see if it is the same as what the treadmill is reading.  It is not.  I don't think I have it on tight enough or something.  Darn.  These gizmos can be frustrating!!  However, the pedometer feature is awesome and yesterday I did over 12000 steps!  I'm sure tap class helped with that too.  Lynn and I compare notes on our steps taken at the end of class and surprisingly we are within 20 of each other.  That is hilarious, remember it starts first thing in the morning as soon as my feet hit the floor getting out of bed.  Oh and I also found out through the sleep function that I slept for 7 hours and 55 minutes and I was motionless for 7 hours and 45 minutes!!  That's pretty good (right Kathy?).  I have to admit this workout regimen helps with my sleep. I am falling asleep by 10 every night.

Ok, back on track here.

After showering, I head to the LifeCafe to grab something for lunch.  I am feeling tuna salad for some reason.  Their's is especially tasty.  Over some salad greens it is a filling and nourishing lunch.  I forgot to take something out for dinner so will figure it out later.

Change in plans, Drew wants to get his hair cut so instead of cooking we will get something there.  While I am waiting for him I check out some stores.  I end up at Loft.  I have not been in Loft before and I see there is a good sale on.  However, and this is ok, they only have sizes up to 14.  I look at a pair of shorts (on sale for 29.50) and think - 14 looks kinda big.  So..I grab a 12 and head to the change room.  AND?  It fits.  A wee bit snug but not embarrassingly so.  So that is amazing.  I pick out a couple of tanks and t-shirts all on 50% off and 2 belts.  Me, wearing a belt - a size MEDIUM belt.  That means tucking IN my shirts. I haven't done that in a long time unless I am golfing.  COOLLLLL.

However, Drew texts me while I am in the change room and says he is done and waiting to eat.  So I put the stuff on hold and head down to join him.

We don't agree on what to eat.  He is leaning towards chinese style food - steamed or grilled - but it sticks in the back of my head that it may not be all that good for us.  He doesn't want Cultures - tired of wraps and salads I guess.  So we end up at a Fresh Burger place.  I pick the organic burger on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion and dijon mustard and he copies me (again).  I do not eat both parts of the bun and eat it like an open face sandwich.  It is good and lean and fills the spot.  Too much dijon though.

So while it is a challenge when you are having to eat out - as I have done a bit over the past few days - you can still find food that is acceptable and the key is to not eat the whole thing.  Remember your portions and control it.  After all the advice I have received from Sara and how far I have come, I still have a long way to go and this is a life long change.

Tomorrow is Thursday - Swimming anyone???

Debbie

Day 38 - Tuesday Yoga & Tap

Yoga is at 9:30 am (Yin Restorative) and I am on time.  This time I am more prepared and I grab a blanket and 2 blocks in the studio.  There is a sub teacher (Kim) and she explains what we are going to be concentrating on.  The lower body and our feet.  Good stuff - that is where I am having a lot of pain and discomfort not to mention stiffness.  She begins with our getting our feet awake through some acupressure massage and then we go through a good hour of poses.  She is pleasant and interactive and I do enjoy her class.  She is normally the thursday am teacher so I think next week I will switch it up and do yoga on thursday to check out her class.  It is a 90 minute class however.  So who cares, I am done with all my costumes etc. for the year so if I don't get to the shop til 12 it only matters to me.

I find yoga challenging but not impossible to do - ok maybe a couple poses I have difficulty with strictly due to my inflexibility - but I try and push as far as I can.  Kim is hands on and corrects a couple things I am doing as well as trying to stretch one of my legs as straight as possible. Ouch.

After class I have to admit I feel pretty good.  Even my feet.  I don't bother to shower as I have tap class tonight and I don't want to change and shower again later.

Lunch today is salad I made this morning.  I have greens, sunflower seeds, tomatoes and grilled chicken.  At work there is a few avocados so I will add 1/2 of one to the salad.  I had to go to Longo's to get some of the Lactancia No fat creamer (try it it is excellent) which I can only find there, and something for dinner that will be quick since I have tap class at 7:30.  After a thorough search.  Not so easy to do this as I have to read every label and find something that is nourishing and low or no carbs.  I find some salmon pinwheels with lobster stuffing that fits the criteria (9.99 for 2) and that will be dinner along with a salad and some steamed brocolli.

Drew surprises me by calling when he gets home before me to see if he can start preparing dinner.  Sure!  I send him a link for a Mediterranean salad and to cut up some broccoli to steam.  As soon as I get home I through the salmon on the grill.  and wait.   and wait.  The grill is not working!  Drew relights it and we try again.  Nope not going to work so I throw it into the oven.  So much for being prepared!  It is 7:20 by the time I head out for my 7:30 class - looks like I am going to be late again.  I Hate being late.  Oh and the salmon was very tasty.

Tap class ends up being the last one of our 10 week session.  Andrew concentrates on choreography and I work up a good sweat.  I want to see if my new gizmo will tell me what my heart rate is and it keeps telling me to stand still!!  That is NOT the purpose of this.  LOL.  At the end of our hour we say our goodbyes.  I think I will be back in the fall but I do not want to commit to a summer schedule as it is cottage season.

Tomorrow - Wednesday TEAM day

Debbie

Day 37 - TEAM Day or I have to Work off the Weekend Day

It's a good thing that I biked for 2 hours on Saturday otherwise the entire weekend would have been a loss and set me back huge.  But today is another day and we will just pick up and continue on from here.  But first I have to get to the gym.

The hotel includes a continental breakfast.  I don my workout attire (9am beckons) and check out.  I have to get the key reissued when I realize that I left my doll behind in the room.  ARGHHH.  Good thing I remembered now!  After putting everything (and my doll) into the car I head back to the restaurant for a bite to eat.  It is laid out so nicely and I help myself to a spoonful of scrambled eggs, 1 sausage and what looks like a quarter slice of french toast.  Coffee finishes off the meal.  Quickly I head to the car and hit the 401.  Smooth sailing ALLL the way to Milton.  And then boom.  Nothing is moving.  Its a wall of traffic.  I look at my watch and though I was making really good time I now have less than 10 minutes to get to the gym.  I figure maybe I will be 5 or 10 minutes late now.  Nope.  45 friggen minutes.  I have not missed a class or been later than 5 minutes yet.

I run up the stairs and look around.  Where is everyone???  The treadmills are empty except for Lee.  Then I realize - its Monday - that means Nutrition at 9:30.  Whew. So I start on the treadmill next to Lee to warmup.  I guess I will do my own workout today.  I know the drill. Maria spots me and comes over to ask me where the heck I was.  I explain and she outlines what I missed - 100 squats, 100 jumping jacks, 5 miles of running....WHHHHATTT!  No she is joking of course and brings over the hand weights and gives me a brief rundown on what to do.  And being the good girl that I am, I do it.  All of it.

As the rest of the group come back down the stairs I have to explain my tardiness a few times.  It is nice to know that I was missed.  Maria tells us that instead of weigh in on Wednesday we will be doing it on Friday.  Thank god that will give me 5 days to get rid of that white bun I ate on Saturday.

For lunch today I grab a very berry smoothie with almond milk.
Dinner tonight I am going to make the BBQ pork shish kabobs as Drew hasn't had that as yet.  I still have gardening to do in the backyard and that should help sweat/work off some of that wine from last night.

Tomorrow - Tuesday Yoga Day

Debbie

Day 36 - Workshop, Driving, St. Thomas

I just found out last night that the workshop begins at 9 AM.  GREAT!  We are out for a nice evening and I have to be ready for a 2 hour drive and get there for 9 AM.  By the time I pack up it is after 1 in the morning and I have to set the alarm for 5:45.  Five minutes after my head hits the pillow it is 5:45 and I get up and dress and load up the car.  I am on the highway by 6:30 am.  Since I have never been to the house where the workshop is I want to leave myself some time for getting lost.  I take a moment and stop 1/2 way for a Tim's coffee and a whole grain flatbread egg white and turkey breakfast sandwich.  It is not bad at all.  The day is so beautiful and sunny and promises to be hot - as high as 27 in this area.

I found the house with little problem and it's nice to meet other people with similar interests and the lovely woman giving the workshop.

I'm not going to elaborate on the whole workshop, however, lunch time looms and I am starving now.  I get up and go over to where the lady who organized the workshop - not the same lady who's house this is -  has laid out sandwich meat and some deli salads - potato, macaroni.  I start to help myself and I get reprimanded.  Hey - what are you doing that's not yours!  I drop the bread and stammer an apology. I am sooo embarrassed. I look around and the other participants are pulling out lunches.  No where at No time did anyone say bring your own lunch.  And at 6 am I was not thinking about that either. I am hungry and now I am angry and embarrassed.  We are in the middle of nowhere and I do not know what to do.  The lady concedes for me to have "a" bun and some cold cuts.  There is MORE than enough for her and the instructor, oh well.  At least I will have something in my stomach.  But it is white bread. I have not had white bread in 36 days.  It actually made me feel ill.  From now on I will always bring my own food. And NO MORE white bread!!!

The rest of the afternoon passes quickly and we are all happy to finish our little dollhouse doll.

By 7 I am on the road to the Inn I have booked to stay overnight. I do not like to drive when I am overtired.  I am now really hungry and thankfully the restaurant is open til 10 on Sunday evening.  I throw my stuff in the room and go for dinner.

The menu is surprisingly enticing (Italian) and I order the chicken Mazano and a glass (or 2) of wine.  No potatoes or bread thank you.  It comes hot, with perfectly steamed vegetables and a delicious au jus sauce.  I eat what I think is about 5 or 6 ounces and 1/2 the vegetables.  I enjoyed that immensely!  Hat's off to that chef. If you need to eat or stop somewhere near London I highly recommend the Stoneridge Inn and Convention Centre.

Tomorrow - driving back to Mississauga in time for TEAM!!

Debbie

Day 35 - Biking and Galaing

Since its a beautiful day and we have the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to attend tonight Drew and I have decided to do some biking.  Mississauga and Toronto have done wonders with the lakefront and the path which is part of the TransCanada Trail is handy and great for biking etc.  First up I make an egg omelet with vegies and a dash of basil for the two of us.  It is delish, full of protein and perfect before exercising.  I bring a banana and some power bars that my daughter in law's mom has made for me - that's the last of them though.  As well as extra water and some of the gatorade I made.

Since I have been asking since before Mother's Day for an exercise tracking watch we head over to Best Buy to check out the Samsung GearFit as Drew bought himself the fancier model that answers the phone, changes the tv channels and has a camera - did I mention he is a bit of a computer geek?  His other name is now Dick Tracy.  And yes I think I have mentioned that before - :p

Drew fiddles with the gearfit as I drive down to the lake but he is unable to get it to connect to his phone in order to download the apps etc.  Figures...  I know he will get it figured out.  We park in Port Credit and decide that we will travel east towards Toronto for an hour and then an hour back.  We get as far as 35th street in Etobicoke where we stop and have our banana and power bar before turning around and heading back to Port Credit.  What a lovely day and what a nice way to spend it.  We biked a total of 12 km., 6 out and 6 back.  We decide to lunch at the Lake Affects bar where there is a nice outdoor patio.  We both order a specialty salad and a soda water.  I don't know when we will be eating dinner tonight and I do not want to be hungry.

After we shower and clean up we dress.  First Drew weighs himself, truthfully I think he does it too often as Sara has suggested once a week, but what the heck.  He discovers that on this scale he is now 217! On that note I have to see mine and it says..... 175!  If only that jibed with the one at the gym.  That means 15 lbs.  I am very happy. Dressing is, well, now it used to be damn this thing won't do up or is too tight and now we seem to have a different thing going on.  Drew's suit from 3 yrs ago (our son's wedding in Vegas) fits everywhere but in the waist.  He has to pull it in so much with his belt that it has that paper bag look.   I can't fix that now and he does look handsome in the suit :).  I have a couple of dresses to choose from, all size 18.  I know that they are going to be, shall I say, better fitting than they were before.  Drew picks the white lace sheath I bought for our trip to DR.  It is baggy on me and much looser in the armholes.  Good thing I know a seamstress...  Oh well it is what it is and we will be fine.

When we get there, after picking up our son Tyler, we do not know where we are sitting as we do not have our tickets and we can't seem to find the guy who has them.  So one of the hostesses leads us to one of the tables for Sensei Bob (who we are there to celebrate).  I go to grab the antipasto and when I return Tyler is moving us to the other table.  Apparently the first table is reserved for Bob and his whole family.  That's fine.  We are next door to them.  We sit and eat our starters and slowly the table fills up.  And up... oh oh, looks like we are going to have to move again!  Now we get our tickets and yes we are delegated to the far back table AA.  Not near Bob after all.  We are sharing with another dojo that split off from Bob's.  That's ok, we know at least 1 other person at the table.  Typical of us.

Here is a picture - the quality is not great kinda grainy.

Dinner was a challenge.  As I mentioned, there was an antipasto buffet to start and I chose some mussels, grilled vegies and a piece of cheese.  The meal consisted of 2 kinds of pasta (delicious) of which I ate maybe 3 or 4 pieces of each (tortellini and penne), chicken and veal - I only took the chicken, steamed vegies and roasted potatoes.  I didn't have any of the potatoes or the bread on the table.  So I think I did pretty well.  Oh and a salad to start with oil and vinegar dressing so I had a good helping of that as well.  Drew followed my lead but he had the veal and ate all of his pasta.  Dessert was a thin crepe with icecream and berries.  I ate 1/2.  Sorry, I had to it was so good.

After the lengthy awards ceremony finishes we take our leave.  It was a nice night and it was awesome to see Drew's Sensei receive such an honor.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I have an early morning's drive to London for a workshop

Debbie

Day 34 - Stat Day & Picture Update

I was remiss to not do my stats and updated picture yesterday as has been the way I have been doing this all along. So instead I will do it today.

Start                      Day 19          Day 26      Day 34

Weight - 190         181.9             179             179

BF% - 47.8           41                                     39

Waist - 40.5"         38"                 36"              35.5

Bust - 44"              42.5"              42"              41.5

Hip - 46"                44"                 43"             42.5 

Upper Arm - 15"     12.5"             12"               12

Calf - 18"                 16.5"             15.5"           15.5

Thigh - 25 or 26"      23.5"             22.5"            22

Ok, so maybe I haven't changed in a few things such as weight and BF but a few of the numbers have still changed so something is still happening. I don't know how this works but it does.

So after measuring myself, I am feeling a bit happier and I will share a picture with you now too.  I am wearing my new size 14 shorts from Joe Fresh (and they are actually a bit loose in the waist but not the hips).

Look Ma, no extra chins!!  And I am smiling for a change.  Those are also my new shoes from Winners.  That chain belt I have had for awhile and when I last tried it I couldn't even meet the two ends now it is done up and there is a bit of slack.  That is pretty cool :)

I need a tan.

Lunch was Kale salad with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
Dinner is a new recipe for salmon.  This weekend we have events going on and I have a feeling eating may be a challenge.  So no carbs at all tonight.  The salmon turns out really good and Drew says it is his new favourite salmon recipe. Score!

Tomorrow is Saturday and we are going biking but not spinning.  In the evening we are attending a gala event.

Debbie

Day 33 - Last Nutritional Appointment

My last appointment with Sara.  I have learned so much from her over the past 4 weeks and will miss seeing her in this manner.  Since my appointment is at 11:30 I head to the gym to do some treadmill work.  I push myself to run today somehow I have to get  past this knee discomfort if I ever plan to try and run more than 3 minutes at a time.  I do a full 40 mins on the treadmill and get ready to meet up with Sara.  While I wait I stretch.

Sara joins me and asks how I'm doing.  I tell her about my disappointing evaluation and how I seem to be at a bit of a plateau.  We talk and I show her my food journal and also she had asked for me to do a dinner of my own so I share that with her.  Its a recipe I found online for BBQ pork shish kabobs and it fits all the criteria.  Yay me.  lol.  So we head over to my little friend again, and this is the 2nd time this week to do this.  Sara tells me that I should not weigh myself more than once a week and it should always be on the same day, same time and this machine.  I get on.  It does it's thing and well look at that.  My body fat percentage has gone down another point and my weight though has stayed the same.  She compares my other numbers and notes the change in fat/muscle content and my water as well.

As we sit to finish up and chat about my results she makes an excellent point.  In just one month of consulting with her, and on that first day my weight was 189 and my body fat percentage was 43, I am now 179 and the BF is 39.  She thinks thats amazing since that is more than 2 lbs of weight loss /week.  As always she makes me feel great and reaffirms that I am doing well.  She thinks perhaps another supplement, Adreno-Med, may help.  I may be overexercising (can you do such a thing) and putting stress on my body causing it harder to drop pounds. She also advises a rest day now and then. I do yoga or swim on my off days but I have to admit I also have been there every single day since Mother's day.  I tell her I will give that try.

I give her a big hug and thank her for helping me and I promise her I will stay on track.  We will see each other at the gym and I am sure we will talk food.

Dinner tonight is open faced burgers with carmelized onions and mushrooms.  It is delicous and filling.  Drew has hockey so he needs extra calories.  I am enjoying the search for new recipes to try and so far haven't had any disasterous meals.  Drew is enjoying the variety as well.

Tomorrow is Friday and another TEAM day.

Debbie

Day 32 - I Betya I am 102

I get to the gym on time and start warming up.  Wednesday is usually endurance day and I may have hoped that since we worked yesterday that maybe we'd have a bit of a lighter workout but nope, business as usual.  We joke a bit about what our results are going to be and after the class we head over to the desk for our results.

April is first and she is told she is 10 years older metabolically than she is.  And she did well on the test. However, her flexibility number looks odd she thinks it was entered incorrectly.  Each part of the test gets an individual result and then the average is your total metabolic age.  Pat goes next and she gets 52.  She is actually 61.  That makes her happy and her flexibility number says 18.  But that also doesnt seem right.  I go next while Pat and April are trying to figure out where the issue is with the flex number.  Ohoh - well good news is I am not 102, however I am 52.  So that is good right?? No, because of the screw up with the flexibility number in how Maria.  We figure out what she did and she reinputs the correct number and it recalculates.  Dam it - now it says 67.  I am metabolically 67.  Ok - so now we have to get that down and I can already tell it is going to be difficult.

Two difficult days, yesterday no change in my weight or body fat percentage and today I find out that I am like a 67 year old.  Not good, not good at all.  BUT I am determined and will keep going.

Tomorrow is Thursday, my last appointment with Sara.

Debbie

Day 31 - Fitness Evaluation Day - yikes....

Maria has asked we arrive at 9 so we can go through the evaluation.  There didnt seem to be many people who said they wanted to do it but since it is Tuesday and I may like to do yoga later or swim, I thought if I get there early maybe she will do me first and I can then do something else.  Silly me.  I had NO idea what this evaluation compromised.  I started warming up on the treadmill for 10 minutes but Maria was like no - no warmup.  OK....

There are 6 of us and we line up in front of my little friend.  Today it is not being friendly and it seems that I have stayed the same from last week.  But this is the first time Maria is doing this so she writes all my particulars down.  I guess with TEAM Weight Loss we are going to be going forward from this point.  After we have all weighed in, the next part is actual physical tests.  First up - army style pushups.  So not a "pushup" on the treadmill where you are standing and leaning into the pushup.  I manage to do 1.  And fall flat on my face.  Great start.  We watch everyone go through the pushups and April does 12 in fairly quick order.  One of the ladies has arthritis in her feet and it is impossible for her to do this kind of pushup.  Another does 2.  Frances does 10 and one lady manages to not do this test.  Then we do the flexibility test where we sit with our feet flat against this metal box and try to push the metal tab on top past our feet.  I don't do very well at this either.  This is not looking good.  Next back to the treadmill and setup the fitness test that is programmed into the machine. It is a 30 minute endurance walk/run with incline and you have to make sure that you hold the handles to get your heartbeat recorded as well.  My knee is not happy and we just did treadmill etc yesterday so i do the fast walk instead of running.  After we finish that we have to see how long we can wall sit.  That is leaning against a wall with your legs at 90 degrees.  I manage 1 minute but both April and Pat do over 3 minutes.  Good for them.

After all this Maria will input everything into the computer programme and she will tell us our metabolic age.  I betya I will be 102.  I sure felt like that today.

Seems we did a full workout so I shower and head into work.  Once again I feel discouraged and let down by myself and my body.  Will I ever be able to do this stuff???

Tomorrow is Wednesday - TEAM day and results from the test day.  I am not looking forward to that at all.

Debbie