Wednesday, December 26, 2012

week 4, workout 1

i dont have a status bar for you guys.  i am "off" work until jan 2 therefore i am not waking up at my normal time.  today i woke up around 10am.  it was awesome.  and the off is in quotation marks because i went into work for 2.5 hours today.  i had to do payroll and get the mail.  I also have to go in friday for a minute and monday again. 
but anyway lets recap saturday and sunday.  Saturday i walked 60 minutes at the gym.  burned 637 calories.  sunday i did 2 miles and burned 440 calories.  i think it took around 34 minutes (maybe 36?).  i went early (10:30am) to the gym on sunday and it was packed.  luckily for me i was able to get a treadmill.  we had to leave for grandmas house before noon and we got home around dinner time, so at least i didnt have to rush back out to go the gym.
today i did my normal tuesday routine, which is 20 minutes walking along with 10 minutes of cooling down.  i went early than normal because the weather here is sucking, so i was worried they would close the gym (and the roads would be icy)
tomorrow im back on track, which means i will do the same thing i did today, it kind of sucks having them two days in a row, but im not making it a habit.  :)  i burned 386 calories today while at the gym. 
for christmas my husband got me the nike fuel band.  so far its ok.  i still am trying to figure it out.  i lost my fitbit a few months ago, and when i was asked what i wanted i kind of had no clue.  im getting used to having the band on my arm, im sort of annoyed by jewerly, which is why i dont wear much. i also had to figure out where to put my heart rate monitor watch i put it on my right wrist and then got annoyed with it and just put it next to the fuel band. 

Friday, December 21, 2012

week 3 workouts

sorry i havent been updating.  i have a Non Scale Victory (NSV) to report.  i was able to walk an entire mile at 4.0mph (on the tredmill).  it took me a little longer than 15 minutes but i was able to do it.  it was such a big deal that i informed my husband (who ran cross country in high school but hasnt done any work out since he left there) and he looked at me like ok? 
it is a big deal to me.  i was a chubby child and turned into a chubby teen, that turned into a fat adult.  i was never a runner.  when we had to do the presidential fitness challenge (it was several things like sit ups, run 1 mile, umm pull ups?) i always got in trouble for not being able to finish a mile in under 17 minutes. 
so yep. my schedule for this week looked like this

monday off
tuesday walk 20 minutes
wednesday (program day off)
thursday walk 20 minutes
friday off

saturday and sunday havent happened yet.  i think i need to swtich them up.  saturday is 2 miles walk and sunday is 60 minutes.  but we have to visit my husbands grandma on sunday, which involves two hours of total driving.  i could probably knock out 2 miles in under 40 minutes. 
i wish i took my notebook into work with me today, that is where my calorie counts are written down, but i left it at home (friday is my no count day)
i think tuesday i burned 394 calories (walked for 20 minutes followed by a 10 minute cool down)
Wednesday i hovered in the 300ish calories range.  i just did a 30 minute easy pace on one of the ellipitcals.
thursday, which was just yesterday i burned 419 calories and did my NSV from earlier.  today my leg muscles are super sore. 
im doing really well with my counting of calories.  my goal is to fill up my entire note book.  the numbers in my status bar below are since starting the notebook.  the first week when i started this walking training my weight actually went up. but its starting to go down again. 
my all time highest weight was more around 220 (there was a period in time that i just stopped weighin myself, so it might have been higher).  my my all time lowest weight was 174 (as an adult, when i was 16 i got really sick with something and food tasted nasty to me or made my mouth hurt and i think i was in the 160's after that-but i mean i was really sick, like almost admitted to the hospital sick-they claimed it was a bad case of broncitus, but i think i had pneumonia)
another NSV for me is that im feeling like my muscles in my stomach are getting stronger and cinching in.  (if that makes sense). 

Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 207.0
Pounds loss: 6.4
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 52

Monday, December 17, 2012

week 2, workouts 3 and 4

im writing this from memory, sorry if i mess anything up
saturday's schedule was 1.75 miles, i did that in 31 minutes.  burned 409 calories
Sundays schedule was 60 minutes of walking.  i did that in 60 minutes (just being a smart a** there) and burned 674 calories.  after that workout i was so tired that i flopped in my car and just sat there for a second and went home and took a shower.  i had a hive on the bottom of my right foot.  feet hives are the worst and unfortunately for me i get hives all the bleeping time thanks to a thyroid condition.  which reminds me im going to ask to switch my medicine when i see her again in jan. 
my skin felt cold and claimy and my eyes could just close at any moment and sleep for 3 days.  my guess is that i didnt have enough fuel in my body, i barely ate anything yesterday, i just wasnt hungry.  lets not do that again.
on a happier note, at my job we were delivered a nice fruit basket from one of our big customers.  and my bossman just gave me the basket, cause he is going away soon anyway.  SWEET!!  im going to leave it in the office to allow our guys to eat from it then take the rest home.  its mostly apples and oranges.  i love fruit!!! there are two bananas, which i rescued from their plastic wrap (cause bananas need to breathe).  i kind of wish the apples were green but you cant argue with the price of free. 
i also had a lady call earlier in the day to ask me to take a phone survey about our part in lawn care, which i would get paid $35 for doing, but i had to inform her that we dont do lawn care and she told me have a good day and hung up.  boo.  $35 would have been sweet.  it was probably a scam anyway.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Week 2, workout 2

Today is an offical weigh in for me for this challenge im doing on another site.  i lost 0.4 since last week (on friday).  and i believe my starting weight is from the challenge, im pretty sure this is the last weigh in too.  i didnt do too bad.  like i said any weight loss is good.
so yesterday i did 15 minute walk and i ended up taking away the 1.0 incline.  and OMG so much better, the second i did that my heart rate dropped lower.  i was always told that if you want to use the tredmill to put it on 1 incline.  so i think the last 5 minutes i was at 0 incline.  then i finished up my workout by just walking super slow (2.0 mph). 
tonight is a much needed day off from working out.  also my friend is having a pottery show at her house (She makes and sells pottery for a living and lives one street over) so i think i will attend that. i believe that tomorrows workout is 1.75 miles and then sunday is a 60 minute walk. 
i am so happy today is friday, i told my doggie this morning that there are two days in a row of puppy dates!!! (aka taking a nap with the pups).  no my doggie is not a puppy she is around 5 years old. 

Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 208.0
Pounds loss: 5.4
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 53

Thursday, December 13, 2012

week 2 workout 1

written 12/11/12
tonight on my schedule for the workout is 15 minutes of walking.  once again my goal is to stay as close to 4.0 mph as possible.  i was shocked to see that it was only 15 minutes of walking.  I guess at the end of this program you are supposed to be able to walk a 5k within a reasonable time (my guess is somewhere between 40 minutes to an hour?)
im also wanting to start up strength training again.  my gym as a circuit you can do.  If that is not busy ill jump on there (why do people feel the need to sit down and watch stuff on the tv? hello? its for working out).  if the circuit is busy ill just finish out the rest of my 15 minutes with either just walking at a slower pace or another machine. 
anyway i dont hit the gym until after 8pm cause i found that the crazy gymmers are annoying me.  even on sunday when i did my 60 minute walk and it was dead at the gym i had a crazy running lady jump on the tredmill next to me, my reaction is DUDE There are 50 other tredmills for you to choose from. 
which reminds me maybe one day i can go back to zumba, i stopped going last year when i had no room to do the moves. 
a new gym opened up near my house, i wonder how much cheaper that gym would be than my Y?  currently with a family membership (which includes my husband and step son-so far husband has been there once and step son not even once) we pay 82 a month and that includes us getting a slight discount due to the fact that we live in a richy area and no longer make the money we used to.  we do have planet fitness in the area, which is 10 bucks a month and i used to belong to it when it was on my way home from work, but now that is a 10 minute trip that i dont want to take. 

Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 209.2
Pounds loss: 4.4
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 54.2

written 12/13/12
so i did the workout on tuesday.  i seem to not be able to stay at 4.0 mph the entire time.  around the 5 minute mark my muscles are screaming at me.  i burned a total of 394 calories and i opted out of the circuit training, cause i was watching some tv show.  that might win me the lazy-est gym goer award.  it is an honor. anyway i did end up walking slowly for an additional 15 minutes to round out my 30 min workout.

yesterday was a scheduled day off, but since i was going to the gym 5 times a week before i cant jusitfy taking another day off (i take off on mondays and fridays now).  so i consider wednesdays to be my "easy" gym days.  i burned 300 calories on the precor machine (i call it the bouncey machine). 
my weight has been creeping up slowly in the past week or so.  nothing really changed with me other than this training schedule.  so my hope is that im just holding onto extra water weight from upping my workout.  today is the first day ive seen a slight loss (i was 209.4 yesterday).  so lets hope that is going down.

overall i feel thinner, so im not too worried about the weight.  im in this for the long haul.  my eating has been almost in line, at least for me anyway. 

anyway tonights schedule is a 15 minute walk, im assuming anyway.  the paperwork is at home next to my seat on the couch. 

Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 209.0
Pounds loss: 4.6
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 54.0

Sunday, December 9, 2012

sunday workout-itunes rant

today on my schedule was 60 min walk.  i really dreaded doing it.  but i laced up my sneakers and grabbed a water (the bottled water is left over from when hurricane sandy hit-i have a well and if we dont have power-we dont have water.  i tend to be a person that just fills up a reusable water bottle.  but i spent the money so i will drink the water).
i also put on my heart rate monitor on and left for the gym. 
60 minutes later i burned 626 calories and was a little over 3 miles into my walk.  the program calls for not worrying about speed but just doing 60 minutes of walking. 
during the workout i was listening to my ipod.  i have discovered that moving from my desk top to my lap top has made about 1/2 of the purchased songs not transfer over.  if you click on them it says something about it could not be used because the original file could not be found.  what is the point of itunes if that is going to happen?  i also had an issue where my account got hacked and someone spent my entire gift card plus about 3 bucks more, so i have removed my paypal account AND my credit card from them.  i sent them an email stating it was not me and i got nothing back.
so for now on i think i will just purchase a physical CD and that way i can always reload it if it forgets where it is saved.  i also like to buy the itunes gift cards when they are on sale (rite aid usually will have a $5 off coupon to use-so that makes a $25 gift card only cost $20)
by the way if i go to my desk top im able to play these lost songs.
which reminds me i need to go back and download free music that my favorite band posts (it is nine inch nails-yep former goth teen right here).  

Saturday, December 8, 2012

week 1, workout 3

todays workout was to walk 1.5 miles.  at first i was like ill walk it at a good pace (around 3.5 mph) and then finish up my 30 min workout.  then i was like screw that.  so i just walked 1.5 miles.  it took me 26 minutes and 42 seconds.  i adjusted from 4.0 all the way down to 3.0.  i was randomly doing it.  i watched the tv show wipe out while on the tredmill.  what a weird show. 
then i said PEACE OUT and left. 
tomorrow on the schedule is a 30-60 minute walk at a leisurely pace. im not sure what i will actually do.  part of me wants to do 30 minutes and leave but another part of me wants to do 60 minutes.  i guess we will see how i feel tomorrow.
by the way no weigh in on saturday mornings, i wake up way too late for it to be considered.  yesterday i counted calories all day long and i was done at 2704. fridays are my "cheat" days but i never bothered to count before.  i mostly try to stick to 1500-1800 calories per day.  i figure this "cheat" day would be good for me and it would trick my body into not knowing what the heck im doing. today my calories are at 1908 (i met up with my brother plus family for dinner out). 
just for fun here are my calories for the week
sunday: 1520
monday: 1577
tuesday: 1698
wednesday: 1784
thursday: 1560
friday: 2704
saturday: 1908
average per day 1822

and workout
Sunday: 375
monday: off
tuesday 408
wednesday 270
thursday: 417
friday off
saturday 349
average burn: 260

not bad, maybe i should do this every week.  :) 

Friday, December 7, 2012

week 1, workout 2

Week 1, workout two was 15 minutes walking according to the schedule (the link is one entry back). 

my goal for yesterdays 15 minute walk was to stay at 4.0 the entire 15 minutes.  i got to 10 minutes and then i had to back off a bit.  i was able to complete the exact distance 0.96 miles before the 15 minutes were up.  it seem that .4 i cannot get is mocking me.  what a jerkface. 

same issues as last time, my leg muscles in the front of my legs get tight and burny.  this time there was no weirdo on the tredmill next to me running like a crazy person (someone had said that Phoebe from friends did a crazy person run, as i have heard this i have never seen it for myself-so i will take their word for it). 

i walked for the last 15 minutes from 3.5 down to 2.5.  i burned a total of 412 calories (holy crap).  ive said it before but my normal amount burned at the gym is normally between 250 and 350 calories. 

at first i was thinking how i failed my "goal" but really the goal is just to do it.  i guess it doesnt matter if i walk the entire thing at 3.0 mph.  its just that i "did" it. and im sure speed comes along the further into training i go. 

at this point in time i have no interest in running (ever). FYI i know it is possible to walk 5Ks ive done it a few times.  id just like to be faster than my friends.

tonight is a much needed rest day from working out.  today is also weigh in for my weight loss challenge and im up 0.4lbs.  looks like i wont hit the under 200 goal before the challenge is over.  slow and steady wins the race right? 

which reminds me yesterday i took a day off work (i was so tired).  anyway i was watching the tv and i saw a show called the worlds largest man so i turned it on.  i wanted to cry the entire time i watched it.  the guy was bed ridden for 7 years and weighed well over 1000 lbs.  he developed fatty deposits (i want to say they called them tumors) that formed on his inner thigh, so he couldnt even close his own legs (let alone stand on them).  they had to cut him out of the house.  in the end he ended up losing 400 lbs and then got those fatty deposits removed (one at a time, it looked so sore) they weighed the one during the surgery and it was 47 lbs.  he had to be under a certain weight to get the gastric bypass surgery.  i kind of tuned out during the end of the show, so i dont know what happened.  (im sure it will be on).

anyway i expierenced my own fears with being heavy, it wasnt me but it was my dad and my aunt.  my dad was 6 foot tall and over 350 lbs, he died at home in 2005, and when they went to take him out they had to move furniture out of the way and they made me leave the room.  but it took several guys to get him into the ambulance to be taken wherever they take dead people (morgue?) then i got the call from the people who creamated him stating that i had to pay an extra 180 bucks to get another guy to help the guy put him in the oven (oh technical terms-im sure they said it to me so nicely).  they only charge this extra fee if the person is over 350 lbs.

a month later my aunt dies, she had told me not to creamate my fathers remains since it is a sin.  (im not sure it is and my dad had expressed that he wanted to be creamated-last time i checked i was the one in charge and i was following through on his wishes).  so my uncle had her buried.  at a cemetary that was 2 minutes from their house (it is a beautiful place, a lot of my family members are buried there) anyway my aunt was well over 400 lbs when she died, so they had to get a wider than normal casket and then pay extra for a bigger than normal hole in the ground.  not to mention the look on the paul barers faces (my cousins and my brothers) while they attempted to lift the caskett.  they had 3 on each long side and two of the workers on each end.  all of their faces were bright red and they didnt even go far.

how embarassing.  and expensive. 

my wishes when i die are to donate my body to medicine. use the parts that can be used.  and let medical students have the rest.  i dont want anyone to have to pay to dispose of me.  and yes im 100% serious about this.  my husband asked where he would go to pay his respects and i told him to go to the willow tree stump in the yard, that id meet him there. (we just had this tree fall down when hurricane sandy hit).  the willow tree was always my favorite tree in my yard.  now its gone. 

Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 208.4
Pounds loss: 5
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 53.4

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

week 1,workout 1

The master plan: follow this program here http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50936/5K-Walk-Training-Program.  blog about it before and don't publish until after, then publish with actual results.  over goal is to do the program, it is not impossible.
when i say "walking" im talking about speed walking.  somewhere between 4.0 mph and 4.3 mph.  definately over 4.0.  i have a handy dandy membership to the gym.  since i am already at the gym i feel like i should make it an even 30 minutes of exercise, i might swtich equipment.  we will see, maybe ill walk the rest of the 15 minutes at a nice even pace to lower my heart rate.
I own a heart rate monitor, that is how i will figure out calories burned vs the machines calories burned.  I will write down the milage achieved and average speed if im able to tell.

Pre (written 12/4):
so on todays walk i should do 15 minutes of walking. sounds easy enough. 
goals: just do it.  and update results.

Post (written 12/5):
started out strong, at 4.3 mph.  around 5 minutes im starting feel my muscle next to my shin tighten up and burn, at 10 minutes i slow down to 3.0mph in order to take a drink of water and hike it back up to 4.0 mph. and my legs feel even tighter, lower the speed to 3.7 (still fast but not as fast).  heart rate is hovering around 185-189, kind of high for just walking.  finish out 15 minutes, total distance covered 0.97 miles.  cool down for 3 minutes

finish out the rest of the 30 minutes of gym time with 12 minutes of ellipitical.  total calories burned: 408. which is high considering i was only there for 30 minutes, im betting the high heart rate had to do with my numbers. 

i think my new mph goal will be start out strong and lower it as i go.  so first 5 minutes at 4.3, next 5 minutes at 4.0, then the following at 3.7. 

i also ended up with a blood toe thanks to my toe nails being too long. it will heal.  tonight is either an off day from the gym or a non treadmill workout.  i am thinking of taking it as a non treadmill workout and taking friday off from the gym, but we will see. 


Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 208.0
Pounds loss: 5.4
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 53

Monday, December 3, 2012

weekends are killing me

so my weight is up 2 lbs from friday.  not a big deal. it happens.  but the weekends are killing me.  i tend to be a little bit loose when it comes to counting calories on the weekends.  during the weekdays i try to stay in the 1600ish calories range.  and during the weekends im ok going to 1800ish. 
im sure the weight will just fall off as i go back to my normal eating routine. 
i missed the gym on friday night due to last minute plans with the friends, did you know that im still friends with a group of people from high school?  how cool is that?  my friend had an art show opening (She is a potter) and i missed my other friends b day (it was on thanksgiving-he was visiting his sister in NY anyway).  so we grabbed a quick b day dinner and headed to the art show.  then after the art show we went and saw the last twilight movie (i love the cheese in it). 
obiviously since i had to work and then do all of that there really wasnt time to workout in there (ok so if i really wanted to make the effort i could have). 
the good news is that i made it on Saturday and Sunday.  i rocked it both days.  on saturday i thought i was coming down with something and slept most of the day and felt like a zombie. but as of yesterday i felt just fine.  who knows what the heck is going on with my body.  maybe i just needed the sleep?  i kind of feel bad cause i missed a funeral on saturday, i couldnt keep my eyes open and didnt feel like driving 45 mins for a funeral-it was my old roomie's dad, he died of prostate cancer.  i barely knew him but i wanted to be there for her (and her family).  but like i said i couldnt keep my eyes open. and funerals exhaust me anyway (im guessing it is from the crying or trying not to cry).


Starting Weight: 213.4
Current Weight: 210.0
Pounds loss: 3.4
Goal Weight: 155
Pounds to go: 57