My new routine: ActivTrax

Although the YMCA I work out at isn't the most high tech or awesome, they have added a new (and mind you FREE) program to help people with their work outs.

It's called ActivTrax and it creates strength training based workouts for you after an employee takes you through a strength test. The best part is, they change every day so you're not doing the same workout all the time. Prior to the strength portion, you do 10-15 mins of cardio followed by stretching and then start your routine for the day. After only three workouts on this system, I am really feeling the burn. There are a lot of weight machines at the gym that I never used that it has incorporated and they work muscles in my body that I didn't know were so important.

The end of the workout is mostly crunches and abdominal exercises which for me has been the biggest killer. The great part is that it's all online and when I get home, I input my workout and keep track of my food and water intake so that I stay on track to loose a pound a week (for now anyways). I'm hoping this will help me reach my goal of getting down to 140 by the summer. Next week I'll be doing some hardcore meal planning and making a trip to Amish Country to stock up on health foods from the awesome bulk stores.

Starting over (with this blog and my diet)

So I haven't really used this blog in two years....pretty sad and messed up. But I'm getting back on track because I've got a wedding in September, MY WEDDING, and I'm sicking of feeling like this and wearing such a big size!

I've since joined the YMCA in my area and started their ActivTrax program where you can track your diet, have strenght training workouts planned for you and see just exactly where you're at with weight loss goals. If I work out 3-4 times per week and really start watching my calorie intake (logging all of my food makes that so much easier) I should be able to loose the 35lbs I want to by my wedding.

I'm still at 175, at least I haven't gained any more weight and I think that 140 is a better goal than 130. I haven't been 130 since I was 17, almost 10 years ago now, and I think that might be a hard goal to accomplish. If it happens, that's fine, but I'm not going to kill myself to get there.

I'm hoping that by keeping up on this blog again I will have even more motivation to loose weight!

Illness deters my program

With every intention of having a few good workouts this weekend and trying out some new recipes I managed to get sick all weekend. I believe it was food poisoning, but I'm not sure. I'm going to try to get back on track this week!

I'm also going to be a contributor to a new blog so watch out for details on that as well!

On track and happy

The first few weeks of this diet/workout plan were hard on me. Cutting out caffeine caused headaches and the worst moodiness next to PMS, but I think all of that is behind me!

I'm finding it easier to fall asleep now that I'm working out around 5 or 6 at night, sometimes 8 if I got off work a little later in the afternoon. I have more time to get stuff done at work because I'm not going out to lunch. And even my mood has improved, since I've been sleeping wonderfully, I'm happy when I get up in the morning and it seems to carry on the whole day. I feel stronger and my willpower is really starting to kick in. I did cheat a little this week being that its the lovely lady time and I needed some darn chocolate! Oh and there was a good deal on Candy Corns at Meijer - yes sweets are still my weakness!

Best of all people are starting to notice that I am loosing weight. My clothes are starting to fit a little better, my jeans aren't super tight on my hips or thighs right now and that makes me have even more motivation to keep this going!

Just 31 more lbs to go!

More motivation!

Last night my boyfriend agreed to buy me a laptop if I loose the 35lbs by Valentines Day! Now I have an even more amazing goal to work toward, looking good and having a new computer!

Ups for last week:
Running at the high school with Andrew 1/2 mile and then walking the rest
No fast food!
Had pop one time over the weekend
Danced at a party and probably got a good workout from that!

Downs:
Trying on clothes - enough said
Seeing photos of myself from over the weekend where my face looks horribly fat

Eating and not cheating

Though I've only lost a few pounds since I started this diet, I've had a really easy transition into the healthy eating! I've not had any fast food in a good 2 weeks (although I had some fair fries over labor day weekend). I've not had any pop in a 2 weeks as well and I've been drinking coffee to get myself through the caffeine withdraw.

I've been cooking healthy meals for myself and my boyfriend - last night we had a big salad with some left over pork loin we cooked over the weekend. We now only have red meat once a week and its lean ground meat so its probably not nearly as bad as steak. I don't keep too many sweets in the house, I made low fat banana bread last night because there was no sense to me in wasting mostly brown bananas. I finally dug out my Betty Crocker cookbook a few weeks ago and it has low fat alternative recipes in some of the sections! I doubt my Lady and Sons cookbook by Paula Deen has that...hahaha.

I worked out yesterday for 35 minutes and did ab isolation's afterward. I've moved to DVD two in the Carmen Electra set because its more about toning and cardio. I will be better at the dances if I keep up on this tape. Maybe tonight I'll go for a run or bike ride!

Hurdles still to climb

Low points of this first week of dieting:

• Having to drink a Mt. Dew because I am going through caffeine withdraw
  
• Seeing pictures of myself at 125lbs and getting really depressed when boyfriend said I looked hotter than when he met me in that photo (those jeans had a 28" waist, I still have them even though I know they will probably never fit me again) and yes that is Frank from Trading Spaces!
  

(This is said photo)

• Pigging out at the house before Andrew got off work last night because I was feeling stressed out from work. I stopped myself from going to the bag of chips after eating a few spoonfuls of peanut butter and a quesadilla covered in sour cream that was not low fat.
• I've only worked out twice this week because I've been so busy.

I am hoping that week two goes better and I reach my goal of loosing 35lbs by February 14, 2010!