Moving On

I've finished 6 weeks of Slim In 6 and I have to say I am not thrilled with my results.  I lost some inches, but not nearly as much as I was hoping for and I only lost three pounds.  I exercised everyday but rather than follow the recommended food plan, I stayed on Weight Watchers.  I'm not saying that kept me from losing weight, after all Weight Watchers is a proven weight loss method.  But I really thought watching what I ate (in accordance with the WW plan), and working out, fairly intensely, six days a week, should have had better results.

But on to more exciting news.  I JUST ordered Power 90, another Beachbody workout plan.  It's the predecessor to P90X (did you know the "P" actually stands for Power) and was developed by Tony Horton.  Needless to say, it's 90 days long.  From what I've read, you rotate days between Cardio, Resistance and Ab workouts.  

It will take about a week to get here, but when it does, maybe I'll start a new Blog.  I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, I'll continue to do Burn It Up and Slim In 6-Pack, which is where I'm heading now.

Day 42 - Re-Inspired to Burn It Up

It's almost midnight and I just finished Slim & 6 Pack.  I've been debating what to do once my 6 weeks of Slim In 6 are done.  Why do I have to do something different?  Why can't I just continue with Slim In 6?  Granted, I haven't lost any weight (I was hoping to lose 13 lbs. in 6 weeks), but I have lost inches.  My clothes fit a lot better and I think I look better.  Of course there's still room for improvement, but why does it have to be with a different routine?

I have to admit that since starting Burn It Up, I haven't been fully invested.  I don't particularly like Amber & Jonathan (the people working out on the video).  Debbie doesn't seem quite as encouraging as she's been on the other DVD's.  It also bothers me that it takes more than an hour.  And it's difficult!  Because of all this, I'm not jumping up in the morning and immediately starting to work out like I was in the beginning.  Once, I think it was near midnight before I forced myself to exercise.  Another day, I did Cardio Express rather than Burn It Up.  And this morning I went back to Ramp It Up.  I talked to my sister about it and asked what difference it makes if I just continue with Ramp It Up?  It's still a really good workout and no one is keeping score.  She agreed, although I don't think she was really paying attention.  Then I asked my husband (looking for more confirmation that it didn't matter if I took the easy way out).  Surprisingly, he totally disagreed!  He said it was like quitting before I was done and that I wouldn't be completing "Slim In 6".  So, today, I spent quite a while on the internet reading peoples' stories about their transformations and I got re-inspired.  So, I am going to continue with Burn It Up for at least another 14 workout days before I think about moving on.  Next week I will be away for 4 days and I won't be able to exercise or blog.  But I will complete all my workouts when I get back.

I've also decided that Power 90 is going to be my next step.  There were so many positive transformation stories about Power 90 and many of the people had started with Slim In 6 and moved on.  So, when I'm ready, I'll move on to Power 90.  But for now I'm dedicating myself back to Burn It Up.

Day 41 - Could Power 90 Be Next?

It's almost 10:00 PM and I haven't started my workout yet.  I plan to begin in 10 minutes, right after America's Got Talent.  I've been researching my next workout routine and I think I'm leaning toward Tony Horton's Power 90.  I read a detailed review from Lori Harden at Extremely-Fit.com and it sounds like it might be a great next step.  I think it's a little more varied than Slim In 6, you do cardio one day, strength training the next, back to cardio, add an Ab routine, etc.  Also, the workouts are only 30 - 40 minutes long.    And the Ab routine is 6 minutes.  Slim In 6, as you know, is the same routine every day and it's over an hour long with an additional 15 minute Ab work out.  As I'm winding down on my six weeks, I decided to start looking for something new.  I still don't think I'm ready for P90X but Power 90 (it's predecessor) might do the trick.

That's it for tonight.  I've got to go exercise!

Day 40 - Cardio Core Express

So, the thing about today was, there just wasn't enough time to do my whole Burn It Up routine.  But, on the Start It Up video, there is a 30 minute routine called Cardio Core Express, so I figured what the heck, I'd give that a try.  It was only 30 minutes long, about 2 - 3 minutes devoted to warm up and another 2 or 3 for stretching at the end.  But the 24+ minutes in the middle were a pretty good workout.  Now, don't get me wrong, it was no Burn It Up, but it was quick and it was thorough.  It got my heart pumping right off the bat and kept it up almost the entire time.  It focuses on the core (midsection).  I really need more work on my thighs, but my waist can still use the help.  I had to use hand weights (5 lbs.) for parts of the routine, I really like the resistance bands, but, they weren't an option.  I have a feeling it is one of the DVD's that are included with the Slim Series Express package, so I think I'll give it another try (as I have been thinking that might be my next step).

I also did the Slim & 6 Pack tonight.  It seems like it's been a while since the last time I did that one.  It really is a great routine.  The perfect workout for me would be a complete workout in 30 minutes followed by the Slim & 6 Pack and then the Slim & Limber.  Maybe I can find something to fill the bill.  I'll let you know.

Day 39 - Down To The Wire

I know, it's been days and days since my last blog.  I don't want you think I haven't been thinking about you, I have been.  My wireless router died in a thunder storm last week and it took me a few days to replace it.  But don't worry, I have been doing my Slim In 6 workouts.  I'm down to the wire now.  Today was Day 1 of Week 6, the last week of my program.  I haven't lost the weight I was hoping to lose, but I have changed how my body looks and feels.  My clothes are much looser and I've been able to get into things I haven't worn in a long time.  I'm also much stronger than I was 6 weeks ago -- I can perform real push-ups, not the modified kind.  I can do squats forever, and there are some abdominal exercises that I never would have believed I'd be able to do.  But I'm doing them!
 
I've noticed since starting Burn It Up, I've been having a more difficult time staying motivated.  I think it might be the length of time the video takes, just over an hour.  Then another 15 minutes later in the day for either stretching or the Ab. workout.  When I'm doing the workout, I'm into it, but getting started in the morning is taking me forever.  I can find a million other things I'd rather be doing other than exercise.  To cut down on the total amount of time, I've been replacing the final few minutes of stretching & yoga with the 15 minute Slim & Limber video.  Basically killing two birds with one stone.  And my resolve has really been out when it comes to the Ab. routine.  I think I only did  it twice last week, not three times like I'm supposed to.  This week I'm going to try to do it every night.

I don't know what I'm going to do once I finish Slim In 6.  On the Start It Up video there's a routine called Cardio Express.  I think I'll give it a try and maybe look into buying the Slim Series Express work outs.  From what I understand, they're only 30 minutes long so that may be more to my liking although I don't know how effective the workouts will be.  I should finish with Burn It Up on Saturday and then maybe alternate between Burn It Up and Cardio Express.  At least until I make up my mind as to what I'm going to pursue next.  Who knows, maybe I'll attempt P90X.  I'll keep you posted on what I decide.  

Day 32 - Getting Ready To Do My Workout

It's almost 7:30 PM and I'm only now getting ready to work out.  We're still having trouble with my computer so this blog is going to be short & sweet.  I just want to say that I feel like I'm doing really well with the Burn It Up DVD.  It's considerably harder (and longer) than the others, but I think I'm considerably stronger than I was.  After the first day, I had a bit of a muscle ache in my calves, but that only lasted a few hours.  Also, I've managed to complete 15 REAL push-ups!  Not the modified version I've been doing.  Tonight I'm going to go for 30.  That's about it.  I'm logging off to go work out and I'll let you know about the push-ups tomorrow.

Day 31 - Burn It Up!

Okay, I can see what all the hoopla is about.  I did my first Burn It Up today, and did it ever!  The video is just over an hour long.  It starts with a warm up and then a very long squat sequence (it felt like a thousand).  Or maybe it was lunges.  I can't remember.  I think by the time I was finished I was delirious.  Then it moves onto the waist and core then onto lunges (or squats) whichever one was left.  Of course there was a resistance band section (longer and with more variety than in the past) then down to the mat for floor exercises to continue to work my legs and butt because they weren't completely exhausted, yet!  Then on to the Abs.  Oh, and let's not forget the push-ups.  I'm up to 30 now.  Not bad considering only 4 weeks ago I was at 8.  Debbie suggests trying the regular style push-up.  All along I've been doing the modified.  I think I'll wait a few days until I feel more comfortable with the workout before I attempt them.  There were a couple of spots where I couldn't keep up with the pace and one exercise where I felt absolutely out of sync.  But, I didn't have to pause the DVD to catch up and I didn't have to keep my hands on my hips.  So I think that's progress.  There were a few times (mostly during the lunges) when my knees hurt, so I lightly held onto the arm of the sofa for balance.  My shoulder bothered me a bit, as well, but I pushed through.  Immediately following the workout, I did the stretching video.  I thought that might help to ease any aching muscles and so far, so good.

I'll let you know how I feel in the morning.

Day 30 - Sunday - the God's Must Be Angry

So today was the last day of my Ramp It Up.  All along, I think I've been calling the next video "Step It Up', when in fact, it's BURN IT UP!  But, back to today.  I waited until the afternoon to do my workout.  It just felt really good to sleep late.  Did I mention I live in Florida?  Anyway, I started the workout, I'm not two minutes into the warm up when we get a thunderstorm and it knocks out the power. Okay, it's easy enough to start over (after everything reboots).  Then, I'm about fifteen minutes in when, boom, the power goes out again.  Again, I restart. Only this time, I fast forward to where I left off.  Then, I'm in the middle of the yoga portion when my husband answers the phone and it's for me.  It would have been really easy for him to say I'd call back, but instead, he says "Hold on, she's right here".  So I pause the video and answer the call.  I resumed where I left off and finally completed the workout.  It was the longest 54 minute workout - ever!

Then tonight, I sat down to write my Blog and, of course, our internet is still out from the storm.  The cable guy won't be here until tomorrow afternoon so I'm typing a word document and I'll blog it tomorrow.  Hopefully, I'll be back in business then.

Day 29 - One More Day

Sorry I didn't write yesterday, I took the day off from my workout.  When I got up in the morning, my back felt a little funny.  In the past, I've suffered with Sciatica and I was afraid that my back was going to go out.  Instead I did the stretching routine in the morning and that seemed to help immensely.  I didn't write because I just didn't have anything to really say.  Even now, I don't have a whole lot going on.  I'm still having trouble with my diet.  I just can't seem to get a handle on it.  The funny thing is I stay within my WW Points, but it doesn't seem to be helping.  My weight isn't budging.  I just can't figure out where I'm going wrong.

Recently, my Dr. took me off my thyroid meds.  She didn't think I really needed them anymore.  Although, she didn't perform any tests to come to this conclusion.  I wonder if this might be the culprit.  Maybe I do suffer from Hypothyroidism and I should be on the Rx.  Maybe my metabolism really is slow.  Anyway, I have some left over pills and decided to start up again on my own to see if that kick starts the weight loss.  If I suddenly begin losing again, I'll know that was the problem.

Tomorrow is my last day of Ramp It Up and then it's on to STEP IT UP.  Everything I've read on the internet says that's when the real changes occur.  I sure hope so because I only have two weeks left in this journey and so far, there's no real transformation, and I have been doing these workouts religiously.  I'm tempted to measure myself again, but I think I'll wait until the end like they suggest.

That's about it for now, I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Day 27 - No Will Power

You know how recently I've been struggling with getting a better handle on my food choices.  Well, I realized today that my biggest problem is that I have no will power.  I've been comparing notes with my sister, the one who's doing P90X.  She is very supportive and always has positive feedback and words of encouragement.  She's my biggest supporter.  I've been restricting my carb intake and trying to avoid refined sugars.  In addition, at her suggestion, I've started eating smaller, more frequent meals.  She is basically doing the same thing.

She sent me a text message tonight around 7:00 PM stating that she was having a GREAT day, and was very focused.  Less than three hours later I got a text stating that the day had completely fallen apart and she had to go to bed in order to stop eating!  I don't know what changed, but I can certainly relate.

This morning, trying to stay focused, I had a scrambled egg around 8:00, at 10:30 I had blueberries & non-fat yogurt, at 1:00 I had scallops on top of a salad with dressing on the side.  So far, so good.  Then I stopped in a gift shop with a girlfriend and they had free samples of salt water taffy.  So, needless to say, I had one.  After all they were free!  I have absolutely no resolve.  I wasn't hungry, it wasn't the BEST candy I've ever had, it wasn't even that I especially wanted it.  It was just that it was there, so I had to eat it.  The simple fact of the matter is -- I have NO WILL POWER!

Now, I wonder how I work on that?  I think I'll call my sister......

Day 26 - Noisy Bones

It's 11:30 and I just finished my Slim & 6 Pack work out.  I finished the entire workout, although I did have a sharp pain in my left shoulder blade.  The other thing I noticed is that my hip bones and lower spine were really "clicky".  There wasn't any pain but they sure were noisy.  They felt like they were locking and unlocking.

I have to say that today's Slim In 6 workout was the best one yet.  I'm supposed to rate each workout on a scale of 1 to 5 and I would give today's a 4 1/2.  I really pushed myself  and had good momentum.  I even managed to raise my legs in those side leg lifts really high.  Usually I do the workout first thing in the morning.  But today I didn't do it until 4:00 PM.  I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

I went to Weight Watchers yesterday and as I suspected, I wasn't especially happy.  And remember, it's all about the scale.  I was actually up 4/10 of a pound, right at my goal weight.  I did wear a different dress so that could have been the difference.  Although, I haven't been as precise with my diet as I could be.  What seems to happen, and I've mentioned this before, is that I'm good for a number of days and then I slip.  I'm going to really focus on the diet this week and see if it makes a difference.  I looked back in my food diary (yes, I keep a food diary) to the week when I lost 2.2 lbs.  That week, I ate most of my dinners at home.  That has not been the case lately.  I've more than mastered eating lunch out (salad with some type of lean protein, dressing on the side & dipping only the tines of my fork into the dressing).  But dinner is another story, usually there's some type of sauce or maybe a "macadamia crust" on the fish, and usually a glass of wine.  But, the 2.2 week I had a number of lunches out and most of my dinners at home.  So that's what I going to try to do this week.

I only have three more days of Ramp It Up and then I move on to Step It Up.  I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive.  But I figure, practice makes perfect and I'll just have to try a little harder.  I wonder how many push ups I'll be doing next week?

Between focusing on eating at home and "Stepping It Up", hopefully, this will be a good week.

Day 24 - My Skinny Jeans

Today is Day 1 of Week 3 on my Slim In 6 journey.  Only 6 days left until I can measure myself again.  Now, if you remember, I jumped the gun and measured myself after only two weeks.  I was supposed to wait until the completion of Week 4, but curiosity got the best of me.  After two weeks, I had lost a total of 6 1/2 inches.  Yea!  I keep worrying that I'm not losing weight, but maybe it's that I'm replacing the fat with muscle -- firming up and slimming down, and muscle weighs more than fat, right?

But, how can I find out?  Then it hit me -- my skinny jeans.  The last time I tried to get into my skinny jeans, there was a three to four inch gap between the button and the buttonhole.  I even tried lying on the bed and sucking in my stomach as much as possible, but there was no way I was getting that button hooked or that zipper up!  So I packed them away at the bottom of my closet.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Until today.  Then this afternoon, I pulled them out, slipped them on and voila' zipped them up.  And all while I was STANDING UP!

So, I don't know if I'm actually losing weight.  We'll know tomorrow when I go to Weight Watchers.  But I do know I'm getting smaller, my body is actually transforming and that's my ultimate goal.  By the way, I started this journey as a size 10 - 12, the jeans are a size 8.  Hooray!

Day 23 - Eating To Lose

The past 24 hours have been my one day a week off.  I took last night off from blogging and today off from my workout.  Today is the final day of week three.  I feel like the workouts are falling into place.  I know I'm getting stronger and performing the individual exercises better than in the beginning.  My arms are a lot stronger, I can do 24 push-ups versus only 8 when I first started and I no longer have to lower my arms to keep up with the program.  The problem is, I'm struggling a little with the P.M. workouts.  Mostly the Ab routine, I really like the stretching.  But don't get me wrong, I'm not having any trouble doing the Ab routine, I'm just not lovin' it.  But I'll persevere.

My disappointment lies in my weight loss.  The scale is not budging and I don't know why.  Actually it's going down but very, very slowly.  I am staying within my WW points range and I am not taking my additional exercise points.  So why isn't the scale going down?  I talked to my sister about it, and she suggested I change it up a bit and instead of 3 meals a day, switch to 6 snack size meals.  I'll give it a try, but I don't know how well it will work into my life style.  The other thing I may try is having protein at EVERY meal.  I start my day with fruit, yogurt and oatmeal.  I think I'll replace the oatmeal with an egg.  At lunch, I'll have half my protein serving and save the other half for a mid-afternoon snack along with a piece of fruit.  She says she's doing more of a "Body For Life" style diet -- every time she has a fruit or veggie, she has a protein.  And every time she has a protein, she adds a fruit or veggie.  They always say you need to eat to lose, so I guess I'll give it a try.

Day 21 - Dear Diary

First, let me start by saying the Oreos are in the trash.  I couldn't run the risk that they would call me again.  Once I knew they were there, they'd haunt me.  Better it should be, out of sight, out of mind.  Now onto bigger and better things.

I think my workout routines are really coming along.  I'm keeping up with the pace and moving my arms through the entire routine.  I still take sips of water during the "march it out" portions, but I don't think that's a bad thing.  A good thing is that today I had on a pair of shorts and I'd estimate that the waste was about four inches too big.  I still have another week to go before I measure myself again, but I am very optimistic.  I may be forced to go shopping in another three weeks for all new clothes in a new smaller size.

I realized today that writing a Blog is like keeping a diary, only open to the public.  Another thing I realized when I looked back on my "Diary" is that I've fallen off the wagon for one day during each of the past two weeks.  What do you think that's about?  Am I taking "Slim In 6" too literally?  I stay on track for six days and then fall off.  Do I suffer from a weekly bout of ADD?  The workouts allow for a day off.  But I don't think the diet does.  My sister, Jill, mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she's maintaining her weight by watching what she eats all week long and then on Saturday she eats whatever she wants.  She justifies it by all the exercise she's doing during P90X.  Subconsciously, could I be doing the same thing?  I'll have to think this through a little more thoroughly.  But, right now, I have to stretch.

Speaking of stretching, the Start It Up workout had a really nice stretching routine at the end.  The Ramp It Up workout ends with a Yoga routine, rather than stretching.  And I've noticed I'm a bit more achy this week than last week.  I have a feeling daily stretching is really important, especially for these old muscles & bones.  

Day 20 - (Yesterday) Whining About Wine

Yesterday was my husband's Happy Birthday and of course we went out to dinner to celebrate.  I made some good food choices -- salad with dressing on the side, fish and a double order of steamed veggies.  And then a poor choice -- wine.  My problem with wine is I LIKE IT!  So, of course, I had two glasses.  Then what happens is, I have bread to go with the wine, then I have butter to go with the bread.  Then, I go in for the kill -- dessert!  I didn't have dessert at the restaurant, thank goodness.  I waited until I got home.  Then I opted for 1/2 cup CarbSmart ice cream, with 1 Tbs. chocolate syrup and 1/4 cup Lite Cool Whip.  That little sundae was only 3 WW Points.  But then, and here is where I really went awry, I hit the Oreos!!!  I had put them in the freezer so I wouldn't be tempted, but of course, when I went in for the ice cream, there they were.  And the question is, "How long can you sit on the sofa watching TV thinking about Oreos before they win?  The answer is "Only about an hour".  And I'm not talking about one Oreo, I'm talking about four!  210 Calories, 9 Grams of Fat and 5 wasted WW Points.  All because of two glasses of wine.

Day 19 - Coach Michelle

Today I got an email from someone named Coach Michelle.  She's affiliated with Beachbody.com, the people who produced Slim In 6.  Although I have a great support person in my sister, Jill, I'll be curious to see what Coach Michelle has to offer.  I replied to her and told her all about my experiences to date, and also about this Blog.  I also asked her for a little help with a couple of exercises I'm having trouble with.  (1) Reverse Crunches -- I don't think I'm using my Ab muscles (although that's what crunches are supposed to work).  I think I'm mostly using my legs.  (2) My other problem area is side leg lifts.  On the new Ramp It Up DVD, I do tons of them.  Both standing, similar to a Tae-kwon-do kick and also down on all fours where I raise my leg to the side then straighten it, bend it again, and lower it.  That's one of the tougher moves in the routine and I just can't get my leg high enough.  I'm sure with time, it will happen.  But I thought maybe Coach Michelle might have some suggestions.

I discovered something the other day which I forgot to mention.  The first day I tried Ramp It Up, I turned off the music so I could listen to how to perform the exercises.  It turns out, I liked doing the routines MUCH better without music.  I think I found the music a little too grating.  Anyway, without it, the time seems to go by more quickly.  I also moved my position in relation to the TV.  Now, I can't see the little timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen.  Maybe that's why the time seems to be going by more quickly.  Or, maybe it's just like they say "Time flies when you're having fun".  On that happy note, I'm off to do my stretching.

Day 18 - Imagine The Possibilities!

Today was my Weight Watchers meeting.  At Weight Watchers, every food is given a "Point" value.  And every day, I am allowed a certain number of Points, 20 to be exact.  I could take additional Points for the exercise I do, but I chose not to.  In addition to my 20 daily Points, I also get 35 Points to be used over the course of the week.  I don't think there has ever been a week when I didn't use my 35 extra Points.  My WW week begins on Wednesday, last Thursday (Day 2) when I went out with the girls, I used 34 of my 35 weekly Points.  I used them all in one day, no spreading them over the course of the week for me!  Somehow, I managed to stay within my 20 Points every other day and when I stepped on the scale today, I was down .8 lb.  In spite of all those cocktails on Thursday.  I am thrilled to report that I am 4/10 of a lb. below my WW goal weight.  I haven't been this low since August 2009.  Hooray!

My second bit of really good news is that I managed to complete my second attempt at Ramp it Up without having to stop the DVD and sit down to catch my breath.  A couple of times this morning, like yesterday, I had to put my arms down because I thought they were going to fall off, but other than that, I held my own.  And I have to tell you, doing these exercises gives me such a feeling of empowerment.  I get up and work out first thing and the rest of the day I am on a high.  This is a really difficult work out routine, especially for someone like me who never really exercised before.  When I complete it I tell myself that if I can do this, I can do just about anything the day throws at me.  It's a wonderful feeling.  That, combined with a loss on the scale, made this a really good day.

And one last bit of good news is that when I look in the mirror, I can actually SEE that my waist is smaller and more defined.  And I'm not even halfway through Slim In 6.  Imagine the possibilities!