A personal training & food journal. Read about our weight loss progress at Train With Ron in Chicago, our nutritional habits and the life changes we're making to get in shape and stay healthy!
March 18thThat’s it! I’m officially switching to morning classes. I switched my evening class today to the morning and have also been there the past two Wednesday mornings. I have a lot more energy. I was flying up those stairs today even after the 3rd round and usually that drains me a lot in the evenings. Dan and I will still work out together on Saturdays but these mornings were just too productive to give up. Plus I’m home by 8:30am and ready to go. I meet new people in the morning than in the afternoon and I really like that. It also ads a 2 mile walk/run to the workout since I hike it up there by myself. So it’s all good stuff. Hawaii coming up around the corner and I’m looking forward to the relaxing and fruity drinks. The place we’re going to, has tennis courts so I will definitely be taking advantage of that. Maybe while Dan plays golf I can trouble someone for a lesson 
Overall my body is doing good, no soreness just a boat load of energy. Feels good!!
You should pick the time that fits your schedule and where you feel that you have the most energy so that you can give it your all! Try working out in the early morning, then in the afternoon and evening and see the difference you feel between them.
March 16thThe little things like stepping on the scale yesterday and noticing another pound disappear. Good riddance I say, I hope I never get to see you again … ahem, pound. That officially puts me at 30lbs lost since October!!! That just makes me oh so happy!! I tried so many things to lose weight prior to joining Train with Ron and I was at a point where I thought nothing would take it off and something was wrong with me. 5 months with TWR and I am 30lbs lighter. (This makes me tear up a little.) Before, I would’ve yo yo-ed 10 pounds a couple of times within that time. So, this journal entry was going to be just that, my excitement over this extra pound, but then I got to thinking. I thought about all of the other ‘little’ things that have made me happy lately.
My overall attitude has certainly changed towards a more positive, open and happy one. I have tons of energy during the day and my mood is good the entire day. The latter benefits those around me as well 
Don’t get me wrong, things still do frustrate me sometimes. I am human after all. How I handle it and how I recover matters here.
When I went clothes shopping the other day I didn’t feel some of the anxieties I used to. The feeling of inevitability that I will ultimately walk out of the store depressed, upset and in-adequate were nowhere to be found. I actually had to leave the fitting room and get a smaller pair of pants than those I tried on. Thrilling!
I am happy that I am eating healthier foods and hardly even crave junk. I’m a night owl and snacking at night was always the norm. No mas!
There are so many other little things that go on throughout the day that I feel better about today than I did even just a month ago. I can’t wait to feel what it will be like after my next 30lbs. I believe that will reach my optimal weight. I’m working out harder now so I think these pounds will move along faster. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Regardless, I am savoring all of the little things within this process and making sure I retain it so that I can keep the weight off and not have to go through this huge process again. We’re talking life changing stuff here people!! …. OK, I have to share this. A facebook friend said something brilliant the other day. The first part I’m quite certain has been uttered numerous times in the past. it’s the twist at the end that sets this apart. Here it is: “When one door closes another door opens, but the hallway’s a bitch.” Anyway, I thought it was good.
I’m so happy that we found TWR. Such a great team of personal trainers. To give you an example, throughout this process I’ve been continually wanting to and have been thanking them for helping me with my goal. After one of my many thank yous the response was “Of Course, that’s what we’re there for!” I thought that was so fantastic, because lately, I see a lot of people be ‘there’ for things but not actually show up for it. These guys show up 110% for us, push us, motivate us and it’s just the normal thing. I’ve belonged to quite a few gyms from LA to Chicago and trust me it’s not the norm everywhere. TWR is a fun, productive and encouraging environment with a team a guys that know their stuff, love what they do and genuinely want to see you succeed.
A final note in this journal entry that was intended to be really short but then got out of control …. Got my new shoes, I had to go out right after my last entry and get a pair. They’re a cute blue pair of Nike’s. Worked out in them last night and they felt pretty good too.
Back in the gym Wednesday morning, update you after and let you know how I do in my week two of March Madness.
And oh yes, Ouch! My legs are sore
March 14thI learned a few things this week and one of those is that I am sorely in need of some new workout shoes. But, we’ll come back to that later. I want to update you on my progress this week.
My last entry was on Wednesday and I’ve had 2 workouts since then. Thursday was rockin’, I was feeling good and able to push myself. Saturday my calves were really sore. They tightened up Friday afternoon and I spent most of Friday afternoon massaging them and stretching them. They were a little better by Saturday’s workout but still sore. My personal trainer Saturday was DB and he showed me a few ways to ease the pain and he also adjusted my workout so that it would help loosen my calves up. The rest of my body was in good shape, I felt. Upper body went well and in general I felt good throughout the entire workout and felt that I had good energy the whole time.
Again I have to emphasize that going into each workout, as well as this whole process, with a positive attitude makes the night and day difference that lets me push myself to my max. I could spin this into a whole other topic but having all of this extra weight on me for the past few years has really put a toll on my emotional self. I don’t even think I noticed how bad it was until I began to change it. As of late I’ve been feeling like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly who’s just cracked its shell. I know I have such a ways to go in this process but I am certainly very happy that my emotional self has caught up with me and will now help me take it to the finish with a great attitude. If your brain works similar to how mine did, and you are constantly being negative to yourself about yourself, you can turn it around. You have the power to say anything you want to yourself. Choose to be positive and encouraging rather than self deprecating. It’s really as simple as that to start and by overcoming the hurdle of discouraging yourself, you will begin to do great things because you KNOW you deserve it!
After my workout Saturday I was feeling good, happy that I made it through my 4th workout of the week and accomplished that part of my goal. I still had enough energy in me to play a little Shaun White Snowboarding followed by a little Wii Fit Yoga. Both of those help me with my balance which I struggled with a little bit yesterday. I think that it was because of not enough sleep though because usually, I’m not that bad. I was leaning all over the place.
Now the nutrition: My diet this week consisted of a small portion of oatmeal, fruits or egg whites with tea for breakfast, for lunch I had either a salad or some plain chicken broth. Fruit and nuts sprinkled throughout the day for snacks, plenty of water and then steamed veggies and chicken, a salad or light whole wheat pasta for dinner. I only had a couple of cravings and I thought about what I would stand to lose if I indulged it and it quickly went away. If only everything were this easy. I also got busy with something else to take my mind off of it.
I lost 2.5lbs this week which is 1 lb more than my average weekly weight loss for the past 5 months. I’ll take that! I would like it to have been a little more but I’m happy about it and I do not want it to be out of control. (I think we have a long way to go before it gets ‘out of control’ ) I will just have to see how I can push myself harder next week.
I have today off and it feels so good to relax the muscles!
Going back to the state of my sad little workout shoes, I have to just go out and get another pair. Now, I will say something pretty shocking here and that is…. I do not like to shop for shoes…. I know!!! What kind of woman am I? Well, the type that doesn’t like to buy a shoe to match each and every one of her emotions. (If you sense a little aggravation there then you are very perceptive.) Regardless, I have to go and buy some new ones and I think the sooner the better. The ones I’ve been wearing now are more for running only. I don’t know how they decide that but that’s what it says on the shoe and I need some more cushioning, support and balance. And I want them to be cute. Hey, I’m still a girl! So I’ll walk in, take a look around the ‘wall o’ shoes’ and let the battle of sensible vs. cute and supportive vs. sexy begin.
I think we all know who wins this game, right? Look for pictures this week to find out how I did with the shoes and my March Madness!!
March 11thWell, it’s been a while since I made an entry – I’m long overdue… life has been busy and I’ve been doing a little hiding out too. Anyhow, The Biggest Loser contest at TrainWithRon ended on March 5th and of all the participants, I came in 8th – having lost 14.5 pounds, which is 5.78% of my body weight when we started. It was quite an accomplishment for me, although I would have liked to have done better, I did pretty well and any progress is good progress! I worked hard on it, I ate very well for most of the time (the main exception being my birthday weekend – I kind of pigged out that weekend).
Since the contest ended, I’ve stepped up my efforts while working out. I realized sometime after my birthday that I put a lot of effort into things that I’m really not as invested in as I am in my own well-being – the truth that every moment I spend trying to keep or get things which cannot inherently belong to anyone – youth, possessions, children, favor with others… is a moment wasted. When I am discontent, the source is usually the fact that I am chasing or clinging to things that aren’t ‘ownable’. I appreciate the people and things around me, but when I wake up to the illusion of owning anything other than my own dignity, it makes me feel a bit empty. When I feel empty inside, one of the ways I used to deal with it was to eat a lot. So, I made a point of working harder at TWR and focusing on the idea that the only thing standing between me and feeling good about myself is my own brain telling me I don’t deserve to.
In a couple of weeks, Monika and I are going to Hawaii and I really need the break from life. I will still work out and eat right while on the trip, but I will relish not being at work, not being beholden to answer the phone or check emails, and just enjoy life for a week. I will recharge my batteries on the beach and the golf course, and I will spend some real unadulterated time with my wife, whom I’ve grown so much closer to during this change in our lives. I will also be able to take my shirt off on the beach! The trip is a reward for all the hard work we’ve done, but I’ve so much further to go… I’ve lost about half the weight I want to lose.
That’s all for now… more soon! I promise not to take such long breaks from writing from now on.
March 10thMy 7am workout went great! I didn’t have too much trouble getting up at 6am, walked Brady and instead of driving up to the gym as usual I ran/walked the mile up. It became the first part of my warm up. I think I’ll do that next week too.
I worked out with Ron and we did a lot of 30on 30off stuff. 30on 30off basically means you do an activity, like rowing, running, weights or anything else and you do it hard for 30 seconds and then take a 30 second rest period. Ron is so fun to workout with and really motivates me. Monday Dan and I worked out with Matt and he had us doing a combination of 1 weight activity and 1 cardio activity alternating between the 2 for 10 minutes. Then a couple minutes of rest and then another combination for 10 minutes. That was a really great workout too. Oh yeah and no stairs today! My backside thanks you TWR
I had a fun and strong workout. The morning group is a blast! Then I walked home had some fruit and a cup of tea for breakfast and now it’s off to the trenches (i.e. work).We’ll be back in the gym Thursday night for (my) round 3. Stay tuned …
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