Day 17 - Week Three, Day One -- OMG!

Today was the first day of the second level of Slim In 6 - Ramp It Up.  And let me tell you, it does!  Even though I'd previewed the video, I was not prepared for the actual workout.  At one point I literally had to stop the video, sit down & put my head between my knees because I was so lightheaded and breathing so heavily.  A number of times during the workout, where I was working both my upper and lower body at a cardio pace, I had to lower my hands to my hips in order to keep up.  The entire video is 55 minutes long, it begins with a warm up, works through plie's, squats, lunges and standing crunches all the while working the waist.  Then onto the mat for leg work (I thought my legs were on fire) and Abs.  Finishing with stretching and yoga moves.  Many of the moves throughout are the same as on the Start It Up video, but they've been expanded upon and additional moves have been added in.

I am anxious to work out again tomorrow to see if I can improve on today.  I don't think I can get any worse.  And speaking of today, I had an excellent WW day.  At breakfast, I'm still loving my strawberry/blueberry, FF yogurt & uncooked oatmeal mixture.  I attended a Memorial Day Party at which I knew there would be nothing good for me to eat, so I brought my own food -- grilled chicken & potato salad.  Over the weekend, I grilled six chicken breasts and I've been using them in salads.  Having them pre-grilled is making it very easy to stay on track.

Oh, by the way, I'm up to 2 sets of 12 push-ups each.  Last week 10, this week 24.  I'll be knocking these babies out in no time!

Day - 15 Good News & Bad News

Today was Day 15 of my Slim in 6 program.  I did the Start It Up video for what I think is going to be the last time.  Before starting the workout, I weighed myself (no change) and I measured myself (I lost 6.5 inches in two weeks!).  Two of those inches were from my waist and one and three quarter inches off my hips -- HOORAY!  Needless to say, that was my "Good News".

My "Bad News" is that I previewed the Ramp It Up video and OMG!  First off, it's 21 minutes longer than Start It Up, a total of 55 minutes.  It still begins with a warm up and ends with a stretching routine.  But in between those two sets they work 9 different areas of the body at a pace that can surely qualify as an aerobic work out.  I didn't even know I had 9 different areas of my body. This new video, just like in Start It Up, features Debbie Siebers and two students.  I don't think they were 10 minutes into the video before one of the students, coincidently named Holly, has to wipe off the sweat that's dripping down her face.  Then about ten minutes later, Debbie had to use her towel to dry off.  All through the video you can hear  all three of them really huffing, puffing & groaning.

The booklet says to work into everything slowly.  I have a feeling it's going to take me the next two weeks just to be able to keep up with the pace, let alone master the routine.  Tomorrow is my free day (we're going kayaking) and then Monday morning, bright and early, I'll take my fist shot at Ramp It Up.  On the up side, I believe a 55 minute total body workout at an aerobic pace will surely help me shed pounds.  See, Every cloud has a silver lining.  See you Monday.    

Day - 14 Two Weeks Down, Four To Go

Today is Day 14, I have completed two weeks of Slim in 6.  I just finished my Ab routine and I have to tell you, I'm still finding it pretty tough to do.  On each video, there is a Slim & Limber and also a Slim & Six Pack.  On the Start It Up video, both routines are 15 minutes long.  I don't feel like I've mastered the Slim & Six Pack on the first video, I sure hope they don't "ramp that up" as well on the second one.

As I've spent two weeks with Start It Up, tomorrow, I could move on to Ramp It Up.  But I think I'll wait.  I'll do Start It Up one last time tomorrow, take Sunday off and begin Ramp It Up on Monday.  New week, new routine.

My sister, the one who's doing P90X is having great results.  She's on week six.  Her weight is dropping like a rock and she is really getting into shape.  She said she started noticing real results after week three.  Her weight stayed the same, but she was getting more toned.  But this past week, she made some changes in her diet (eliminating refined sugars) and her weight really started to plummet.  Keep up the GREAT work Sis.

I haven't noticed any real weight loss for myself and it's a bit discouraging.  But I will stick with it, I'm only coming up on Week 3.  Maybe I'll re-read the diet guidelines to get a better handle on it.  If I come up with any ideas, I'll let you know.  Till next time....    

Day - 13 (Yesterday) I've Fallen, But I Can Get Up

First let me say I'm sorry I didn't write last night.  I spent the afternoon & evening with girlfriends.  We went to see the opening of Sex & The City and had a few two many Cosmos.  Which then led to making the wrong food choices.  It happens to me all the time.  I'll have a couple of weeks where I'm really in the groove, exercising & watching what I eat and then something happens, and BOOM, I fall off the wagon.

I knew before yesterday started that it was going to happen.  I'd been planning the day for a long time.  In my defense, I did do my Slim in 6 when I first woke up yesterday.  But I didn't do the Ab workout when I got home.  Then, to make matters worse, I couldn't do Slim in 6 first thing this morning.  So, I went about my day, just finished lunch and am waiting an hour before starting to exercise.  I'll do the Slim in 6 work out and the Ab routine today and then I'll be back on track.  And when I wake up in the morning, I'll do Slim in 6 before I do anything else and I'll be back in the groove.  One slip up does not have to throw a wrench into my whole program.  Like the song says -- "I'll pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again".  Talk to you later.

Day 12 - Anytime Is The Right Time To Exercise

It's almost midnight, and I just finished doing both my Slim in 6 work out and my stretching routine.  My intention, as always, was to get up this morning and get right into it.  But, some mornings I just can't get  get out of bed.  Then, I had to go to my Weight Watcher's meeting because I missed it yesterday.  From the time the meeting ended at 9:00 AM until about 10:30 PM I've been busy running from one thing to the next.

I rationalized that I could skip the work out.  After all, I do get one free day a week.  But my last skip day was only a few days ago, and, what would I write about?  So at 10:45, I put on my sneakers, moved the coffee table aside and turned on the video.  And I have to admit, I am very happy & very proud of myself that I did it.  It would have been so easy to skip it.  But isn't that how a downward spiral starts?  First I skip a work out, then tomorrow I'm going out with the girls (Sex & The City 2 opens), so I already know it won't be a great food day (too many Cosmos), then it would be so easy to skip working out again the following morning.  And there you have it -- the makings of a disaster.  But instead, I'm flying high and will get up at 7:00 AM to work out tomorrow.  One more great day under my belt.

By the way, I lost 4/10 pound this week at WW.  I know I said I was hoping to lose at least a pound, but it's still a loss.  And after the gain I had a couple of days ago, I was happy to be below last week's weigh in.  The meeting was all about exercise, so I got more positive reinforcement for my journey.  I'm going to send the link to my Blog to my WW leader which will give me more incentive to keep motivated and moving  forward.  I am definitely on a roll!

Day 11 - So That's How You Do a Crunch

I had a GREAT exercise day today.  I got up and did my Slim in 6 work out, first thing.  Then I went kayaking for two hours.  Then, late in the afternoon, I went biking for about 45 minutes.  Normally on Tuesday, I would have gone to Weight Watchers.  But today, because of the kayaking, I couldn't go.  So I'm going tomorrow.  Maybe with all of today's exercise, my visit to the scale will be a good one.

Now that I'm really thinking about it, I was a little sluggish during my Slim in 6 work out.  I seemed to be one beat behind Debbie.  I also discovered that I was performing my alternating oblique crunches incorrectly.  It's tough to keep an eye on the TV while you're lying on the floor.  I was lifting both shoulders off the floor while twisting when I should only be lifting one.  But once I realized my mistake, it made a big difference in the crunch.

When you read all the reviews of SI6, the only real complaint seems to be that people get bored with the videos,  I only have four days of work outs left using Start It Up, and I'm not bored at all.   Then I move on to Ramp It Up for 2 weeks.  If I'm having trouble keeping up now, what do you think is going to happen when I "Ramp it up"?  I guess I'll find out on Monday.

Tomorrow I go to Weight Watchers.  I'm hoping to be down from last week, but after yesterday's weigh in on my scale, I'm not so sure.  I'll let you know tomorrow.

Day 10 - Maybe My Scale Is Broken

Here's what I don't understand about exercising & dieting.  Correction, here's one of the many things I don't understand about exercising and dieting.  I have been doing everything right.  Exercising 9 out of the last 10 days (twice a day, even), watching what I eat, drinking lots of water, staying within my daily Weight Watcher points, and yet, today when I stepped on the scale, I was up! Up! UP! almost a pound.  How do you explain that?  What evil force is at work trying to throw me a curve ball?  I'd like to say that perhaps it's my newly formed muscles.  You know how they say muscle weighs more than fat.  But I just don't think that's the case after only 10 days.  Now, I did use a new delicious barbeque rub a couple of days ago and maybe it tasted so good because it was loaded with salt.  Lots of salt, of course, would make me retain extra water weight.  That sounds logical, but who knows?

Maybe my scale is broken.  I used to have a scale that if I stood with most of my weight on my right heel, I weighed about 2 pounds less than if I stood with my weight evenly distributed.  But, up until now, my new scale hasn't been like that.  Maybe, I should change the batteries.  

Maybe, I should wait until tomorrow morning and see what I weigh.  Maybe, I just shouldn't weigh myself every day.  Maybe, I should stop worrying about it and log off and go do my Ab work out.      

Day 9 - Gotta Have A System

Today is the first day of my second week on Slim in Six and I can't think of one negative thing to say.  As crazy as it sounds, I enjoy doing the workouts.  I try to workout as soon as I get up and when I'm finished, I have such a feeling of accomplishment that it just makes my whole day seem better.  The double bonus about it is that since I've started my day on such a high note, I don't want to ruin it by eating poorly.  I'm finding that each day gets easier than the one before to stay focused.  I also find myself telling anyone who'll listen about my journey and Slim in 6.

The other day I mentioned that Sunday was going to be my "day off."  Well, I changed my mind.  Yesterday, I had a really busy day planned, so I chose Saturday as my day off.  I don't think it matters which day is my day off as long as I work out 6 days a week.  And by day off, I mean I didn't exercise or blog, but I stayed true to my diet and counted all my WW points.  It seems really easy to practice Weight Watchers within the confines of the Michi Ladder from Slim in 6.  I've been starting my day with a parfait of fresh berries mixed with Fiber One Yogurt and sprinkled with uncooked Rolled Oats -- it's delicious.  I've also been eating lots of salads both when I'm out to lunch and at home.  My home salad is lots of baby spinach with grilled chicken, red onion, an ounce of goat cheese, 1/4 cup of craisins and a tablespoon of fat free Vidalia Onion dressing -- Yum-O.  Dinners are mostly steamed veggies with a portion of meat (chicken, pork or beef), and either a baked sweet or white potato.  For dessert, I've been having frozen bananas which taste just like banana ice cream -- they're wonderful!

I feel very in control.  And as each new day passes, and I stay on track, the feel grows stronger and the journey gets easier.  Which reminds me, I've decided to do the AB workout three times a week (every other day -- M, W, F) and the stretching video on the alternate days (S, T, Th).  I'll do both of them in the evening just before going to sleep and my Slim in 6 when I wake up.  I think I've got a system going now.  I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm going to go stretch.      

Day 7 - Patience Is A Virtue

It's Day 7, it's 11:42 PM and I just finished my Slim in 6 Pack Ab workout.  I did today's Start It Up video first thing this morning.  My first week of Slim in 6 is complete.  I'm 1/6 of the way there, 16 2/3% done -- Hooray.  I keep looking at myself in the mirror wondering when I'm going to start seeing signs of my miraculous transformation.  My Mother always used to say "Patience is a virtue", but I'd like to see some results and I'd like to see them now!  I have definitely done more exercise this week than I have ever done in one week in my life.  So when do I see the payoff?

Last week, before starting this journey, I took my measurements and pictures of myself.  My booklet says to do it again in one month.  Maybe that's how long it takes before I see the results.  Because I'm one of those people for whom the above statement was written, I guess I'm just going to have to bide my time and continue to work out every day.  I have to say that today at lunch, I did feel a muscle in my upper arm that I never noticed before.  Maybe that's the beginning of my newly defined arms.  Now if I could only see some sign of my newly defined Six Pack Abs, I'd really be thrilled.

I still have one week to go using the first of my three videos, Start It Up.  It's a fairly intense full body workout and I can't imagine what Ramp It Up and Burn It Up are going to be like.  Time will tell -- Patience, My Friend, Patience.  

Day 6 - Size Really Does Matter

Today is Day 6 of my Slim in 6 workout plan.  The booklet says I only have to work out 6 days a week, so, I could play hooky tomorrow.  But I think I’ll exercise both Friday & Saturday and use Sunday as my “Free Day”.  I’ll make Sunday all about me -- sleep late (later than usual), no exercise (except maybe stretching, it feels so good), no housework, etc. you get the idea.  I was a little stiff this morning doing the workout.  I have a feeling it’s because I did the Abs & stretching so late last night -- I could barely keep my eyes open.  I've got to start earlier.

I was thinking today, we've all heard the saying "Size doesn't matter", well when your watching your weight, the opposite is true.  Size really does matter.  We all know what we're supposed to eat in order to lose weight.  For example, I'm concentrating on eating clean -- mostly fruits, veggies and lean protein.  But what's the right portion size?  How much is too much?  Can too much of a good thing be bad?

A portion of lean protein is only about 3 - 4 oz., the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

A small piece of fruit is about the size of a tennis ball.

A large baked potato is similar in size to a lightbulb.

A one cup serving of brown rice is about the size of my fist.

But most veggies are limitless.  Very few people have ever gotten heavy from eating too much broccoli.

Most people fill their plates by putting the protein on first, then the carbs, then the veggies.  I've switched it up a little and I think it's helping.  I fill half the plate with veggies then add a portion of protein.  If I'm also having potatoes or rice, I'll add them last.  With all those veggies, the plate looks really full and I feel really satisfied and I haven't over indulged.  Lets' hope it pays off on the scale. 

Day 5 - Still Going & Growing Strong

It's Day 5 of my Slim in Six and so far, I'm doing really well with the program.  When I say "really well", what I really mean is that I'm still doing the program.  I tend to be an excellent starter and a not so great finisher.  Even though I hate getting out of bed in the morning, once I'm up, I don't even hesitate to put on my video.  I have to tell you though, yesterday, when I did the routine in the evening, I did it barefoot (I was simply too lazy to switch from flip flops to sneakers).  DON'T exercise barefoot!  My balance was way off and I kept getting cramps in my toes.  In the morning, when I get up and do SI6 first thing, I leave on my PJ's, but I think that's okay to do.  Just remember to take off your slippers and put on your sneakers.

Last night I stretched right before I went to bed and it was wonderful.  It's very relaxing and makes those tired muscles feel really good.  Tonight, I have to do 15 minutes of Ab work followed by 15 minutes of stretching.  The plan was to do the Ab work this afternoon, but life got in the way.  I tend to be a night owl anyway, so I'll just do it all after I log off.

Speaking of my tired muscles, the SI6 booklet recommended taking things slowly, which I've been doing.  I perform all the exercises and in most cases, I'm keeping up with the pace.  When I started Slim In 6 five days ago, I could only do 8 push-ups, but now I'm up to 10.  So I know I'm getting stronger.  My arms, especially, are exhausted during the routine, and I can't wait to lower them.  But the funny thing is, I don't ache afterwards, and I think it's because of the stretching.

It's 12:30 AM, so I'm turning off my computer and turning on my video so I can get to bed by 1:00.  Good Night.

Day 4 - It's All About The Scale

I know they say when you're on a weight loss journey, you shouldn't focus only on the scale.  Maybe there's a pair of jeans that you haven't been able to wear and now they fit like a glove.  Maybe everyone you know keeps telling you how good you look.  Or, maybe you've got more energy or your blood pressure is lower than it has been in years.  Those are all really important results.  But I'm sorry, all those things might be 100% true, but when you step on that scale, if it hasn't budged, not even one little 10th of a pound, or, Heaven forbid, it moves up, your day is ruined.  It's all about the scale!

My bathroom scale is exactly 6/10 of a lb. higher than the scale at my Weight Watcher meeting.  So this morning, I knew I was in pretty good shape when I headed out the door.  I entered the meeting room, put down my coffee & breakfast (oatmeal, yogurt & fruit), chatted for a few minutes with some of the other members, visited the ladies room one last time (every little bit helps, right?), and then got into the queue of women waiting to be weighed.  I stepped onto the scale and held my breath as the receptionist wrote my new weight in my booklet.  Minus 2.2 lbs.  Hooray!  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  I didn't have to pay for the meeting and it put me only 8/10 of a lb. away from my Weight Watcher goal.  Now, of course, my personal goal is to lose an additional 10.8 lbs. by the time I've completed Slim in 6.  So, if I can manage to lose 2 lbs. a week over the next 6 weeks, it should be  "A piece of cake".  Or should I say "A walk in the park".  Have you ever noticed how many sayings there are about food:

It's as easy as apple pie.
Bringing home the bacon.
Cool as a cucumber.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
That's a fine kettle of fish.
Selling like hot cakes.
Bought a lemon.
Don't cry over spilt milk.
Nutty as a fruitcake.
Like two peas in a pod.
Easy as pie.
A couch potato,
She's one hot tamale.

I'm hoping that between WW & Slim in 6, I can go from couch potato to hot tamale in six short weeks.  LOL  That's a little diet/exercise humor.

As far as SI6 goes, remember how yesterday I had so much energy.  Did the workout, walked with a friend, did an extra Ab routine and then a half hour stretch.  Today was the exact opposite.  I set my alarm for 6:55 AM, got up at 7:45 AM walked with Mal, went to my WW meeting, did some much needed catching up on paperwork, went house hunting with our friends, Rod & Penny, then out to dinner, played a couple of games of Farkle and FINALLY did my workout at 7:25 PM  I still plan to do 30 minutes of stretching before I go to sleep.  So, with that in mind, I'll leave you till tomorrow.  Sweet dreams.  See, there's another one!

Day 3 - In The Groove

My youngest sister always uses the term "I'm in the groove" when she is doing really well with her diet and/or exercise plans.  She's the one who got me involved with Slim in 6 because she's doing P90X (a seriously more intense workout routine).  I was researching  P90X when I came across SI6.  They're both put out by BeachBody.  After reading all the reviews, I just felt SI6 was a better fit for me.  After only 3 days of workouts, I'm certain I made the right choice.

Today, I was "In the Groove", as my sister would say.  I woke up at 7:00 and got right into my workout.  I finished by 7:53, washed my face, brushed my teeth and was out the door by 8:00 to go walking with a girlfriend.  We walked a little over 2 1/2 miles in just under 40 minutes.  Then this afternoon, I did an additional 15 minute really strenuous Ab routine called Slim & 6 Pack.  Debbie Siebers (she's the developer of SI6) recommends doing the Ab routine 3 - 4 times a week.  This was my first attempt, and I can only hope it's going to get easier.  It was really tough.  I also did the 15 minute Slim & Limber, which was a really nice stretching video.  I'm going to try to do the Slim & Limber every night and the Slim & 6 Pack 3 times a week, like they recommend.

I'm also doing pretty well with the food plan.  I'm eating a lot more fruit (blueberries for breakfast, an apple for a midday snack & a banana as an evening dessert) instead of the usual processed sweets.  And drinking lots more water.  My beverage of choice has always been Diet Coke, but I've decided to only drink it when I'm out to lunch.  When at home, I'm going to stick with water.  I've also stopped eating at least three hours before I go to sleep.

This whole change of attitude came to me after 10 days of Island hopping in the Abacos.  We had a fabulous time, but a lot of it revolved around rum drinks and fried food.  I don't think I've ever had so many Mud Slides and Sweet Potato Fries in my life!  I was 3 lbs. over my WW goal when I went on vacation on April 27.  When I came home on May 6, I was 8.6 lbs. higher -- 11.6 lbs. over Goal, YIKES!

So on May 7, I started keeping track of my eating and I ordered SI6.  The following week I returned to WW and was back down to only 3 lbs. over goal.  SI6 arrived on May 14 and I started the next day.

Tomorrow is my weigh in.  I'm hoping to have lost at least a pound so I'll be within 2 lbs. of Goal.  Then I won't have to pay $12 for the meeting.  It's a perk of being a WW Lifetime Member.  I wear the lightest clothes I have.  I've actually weighed everything I own on a food scale so I know which ones are lightest.  I hit the ladies room one last time, take off my shoes, remove my watch and then step on the scale.  I always hold my breath, but I think that's just a nervous habit.  Just to be on the safe side, I'll also shave my legs and not wear any moisturizer or make-up tomorrow.  You know how heavy leg hair and lotions can be.  And I need all the help I can get.

I'll let you know how I do, tomorrow.

   

Day 2 - Infatuation

I've completed Day 2 of Slim in 6 and I feel great! My new mantra is "Eat Clean To Get Lean". I focused on the program's food lists today. Something called the Michi Ladder. Hundreds of foods are broken down into tiers. Tiers 1 & 2 are supposed to be where 92% of all my food choices come from. Tier 1 - 70% (The Pious Tier) and Tier 2 - 22% (The Happy Tier) are mostly made up of vegetables, fruits, fish and skinless white meat chicken. Tier 3 - 5% (The Swiss Tier) seems to be a lot of healthy whole grains. Tier 4 - 2% (The Dodgy Tier) includes nuts, whole milk, and a lot of processed foods. And lastly, Tier 5 - 1% (The Newburg Tier) is fried food, cookies, cake & candy, pizza & ice cream. Of course, there are many, many more items on the lists, but you get the idea. Who is Michi, anyway?

A few years ago, Weight Watchers had a program called the Core Plan which wasn't too dissimilar. You focused mostly on fruits, veggies and lean protein, allowing yourself healthy grains & starches once a day. It also allowed for the occasional indulgence.

The bottom line for every diet, except maybe Atkins which my DH is on (and doing really well, I might add), seems to be calories in MUST be less than calories out. It sounds so simple, I don't understand why we can't master it.

This morning I didn't do my exercise until around 10:00. I slept until 9:30 when the phone rang and woke me up. It was my sister telling me she posted to my new Blog. I poured myself a cup of coffee while we were chatting and then realized I'm supposed to do the exercises on an empty stomach. I wonder, does black coffee count? Anyway, I put the cup away and waited until after I was finished.

I'm enjoying doing the exercises. And actually looking forward to the morning. I feel like a new routine and blogging about it has given me a new lease on life. It's a lot like the infatuation you feel when you first meet that special someone. You're so filled with hope that this could be the one. I've been dieting my entire adult life. It started with Dr. Stillman's Water Diet in the late 60's, since then I've tried The Cabbage Soup, Scarsdale, Hollywood, Grapefruit, South Beach, Volumetrics, and Sonoma Diets along with Atkins. The only one I've ever really had success with is Weight Watchers. But I've never actually exercised every day. Oh, sure, I walk with the girls, but our husbands always say our mouths get more exercise than our legs. It's mostly an hour set aside for catching up with a little walking thrown in so we feel like we're accomplishing something.

Yesterday, I did all the things SI6 recommends -- I weighed myself (more about that after my WW meeting on Tuesday), took my pictures (front, side & rear views) and measured myself. When did my thighs get to be the size my waist was when I was a teenager? SI6 recommends measuring again in 30 days so I can check my progress and then again at the end of my 6 weeks. They also recommend getting 8 hours sleep. Since I have to get up by 7:00 so I can complete SI6 before I walk with my friend, Mal, at 8:00, I think I'll say "Good Night".

By the way, the clock on this Blog is wacky, it's actually 11:50 PM.

Day 1 - Slim In Six

Today was the first day I tried Slim In Six. For anyone who doesn't know, it's a series of exercise videos to "completely reshape your body in just 6 weeks". I did the workout first thing this morning (first thing for me, anyway) around 7:45 AM. The whole workout lasted about 35 minutes. It combines cardio, strength training using exercise bands, floor exercises for my abs and stretching. I'm 60 years old and aside from walking and occasional bike rides, I do NOT exercise. Most of the time I was able to keep up with the pace, although I could only do 8 of the push-ups (bent knee) and I don't think my lunges were as low as the should be. I was huffing & puffing through the cardio portion and whenever I was able to march in place, I took an extra sip of water (and turned the ceiling fan on).

I've been going to Weight Watchers for the past 2 and a half years. I lost 30+ lbs. and kept it off for a year and a half, but in the past six months, I gained back 10. The Slim In Six diet seems to be lower in carbs (which should work out well because my DH [darling husband] is on Atkins).

I am making the commitment to do the Slim In Six workout 6 days a week. Each night I'll blog about the journey and hopefully, 6 weeks from now, I'll be more than 10 lbs. lighter and completely reshaped. Wish me Luck!