Almost lost my Yoga Pants!!!!

So I was my trainers last client of the day so we had plenty of time for measurements. 

I knew I had done well.....

I stepped on the scales and Chad heard "I LOST!!!" I had lost 3.4 lbs since last Wednesday! Yay! I am now 183.2... I have now lost 8 lbs since I began training with Chad.  I Chad and I discussed how I'm only 2 lbs away from new yoga pants in my goals list. He added in there that he wants me to go back to yoga regularly. Consider it done. I LOVE yoga!

So I had great measurement results. The results below are my loss of inches since Jan 4th. 

Body Fat %  (-2.3%)
BMI           (-1.9)
Waist        (-2.5)
Hips.           (-2)
Upper arm   (- .75)
Forearm       (-.3)
Thigh           (-.5)
Calf             (-.5)         
Total inches (-6.55)

Now for my total losses since late November when I began training with Greg. 

Body Fat % (-2.4)
BMI   (-1.9)
Waist.     (-5)
Hips.         (-3)
Upper arm (-1.25)
Forearm    (-.5)
Thigh.       (-.75)
Calf           (-.5)
Total inches (-11)
                   
We did more circuit training today and it was tough but we were outside and it was so nice to be in the fresh air with the sunshine! 

On my first set of rope climbs I almost lost my yoga pants. We decided that it's good that I'm only two pounds away from a new pair I'll be able to get a smaller size! 

Chad was funny. He said "I like it when my clients pants fall off". Lol. He got a funny look on his face and said , " well you know what I mean. When my clients lose weight enough to allow". Lol. It was funny!

So there are lots of gym regulars and today a man that I see there all the time stopped me on my way to fill up my water bottle and told me that he and his workout buddy alway notice how hard I work and they can tell a difference in me. I thanked him and was so proud.  He is an older guy that is always just so glad to be there.  As Chad and I walked by he mentioned it to Chad as well. Then he said something that is SO TRUE..... "Chad is good at what he does and he pushes you, but it's you that has to work hard and do a GREAT job!" 

He was so right. The trainer can only tell me what to do. I'm the one that has to follow through. This goes for both exercise and nutrition.  I'm so thankful for a great trainer, but I'm proud of myself for following through. 
It was so nice to have those wise words said to me today. 

Sometimes when things get hard God puts the right person in your path to give you a boost. I'm thankful for that more than anything!

TGIF - looking forward

Well I went "Krogering" and we are getting back to our regular eating/exercising routine. 

I weighed in yesterday and gained 1.4 lbs. I was less than surprised. You can make healthy choices eating out for a week but regardless eating out for a week is not like cooking healthy at home. So I actually thought gaining 1.4 was better than it could have been... Just think if I had not chosen grilled fish every where we went! Whew!

I chose not to measure due to the gain and I also told had not to waste his time looking at my food journal. He reads it each week but that is for the purpose of correcting what I think is ok but may not be etc.  So I didn't waste his time. 

Well he certainly didn't waste my time either! Do you have any IDEA how time efficient a trainer can be. Do you have any idea how many exercises / circuits   And heartbeats per minute they can fit in in a 30 minute time slot! Yikes!
I'm very thankful that my trainer changes my workout every week. It keeps me an my body guessing. Sometimes my body is still guessing two days later. 
Chad likes to take his clients outside on pretty days and I really like the outside workouts. 
I did circuits yesterday. There were three. They were as follows:
Circuit 1: 
High knees down a row of squares
Kicking butt run back
Jump (feet together) down
15 kettle bellsquats
10 shuttle runs (running sideways)
Repeat 3 times
Timed: my best time was 1'37"

Circuit 2: 
Squat and press with dumbbells (12)
12 pushups on a big tire
12 isolated tricep lifts
Repeat 2 times 
Timed: best time 1'45"

Circuit 3
Planks with 20 knee lifts alternating
Lunges to half court (on basketball court)
10 jumping jacks
Lunges to other end
10 jumping jacks
Lunges back to half court
10 jumping jacks
Lunges back to plank mat
10 jumping jacks
Repeat 3 times with an extra set of planks at the end
Timed but I have NO idea what it was

So I was sure winded and had the heart rate up for sure!  I love how I feel after workouts like those. Chad complimented my effort and made comment about how far I had come. That really makes me feel good to think back on where I started. I'm getting stronger!

You know what else makes is fun?!

Having people notice your weight loss / inches lost. I had 2 people mention it to me today. I was so excited!  I truly can't wait to measure but I just couldn't do it with a gain. 

I'm kind of upset about the gain but gains happen. They just do. You can only pick up and move on. 

Anyhow. I also appreciate everyone reading my blog and telling me about it. My mom ran into a good friend from
home tonight (Rachel) and she had just gotten done working out and told mom that my blog was an inspiration to her. It just so happened that I was on the phone with mom and was "holding on" so she told Rachel that she should could tell me. So sweet Rachel hopped on the phone and told me that my blog was an inspiration to her. It made me smile real big. Having readers is a huge inspiration to me. If you read my blog and see or talk to me regularly then tell me about it. I stay curious as to who all reads.

I also got my hair trimmed and re"shaped" a bit this week and started wearing it a little different. I LOVE it and can't wait for it to keep growing!  It's amazing how little things can be motivators. Like, I want to be thinner by the time my hair gets longer. 

Anyhow, TGIF!!!!!

A few things....

First.... I have posted about Gracie (my Jack Russell) and her journey to lose 3 pounds.  It is on the right side of my blog page.

Second.... My blog has been rearranged, so look around.... I now have a column up the left AND right sides.

Third.... Last week was so stinkin' busy..... Brandon and I both went to festival with both of our groups and I went with his group on Saturday as well.  We spent our evenings at festival listening to groups.  It was a great, yet busy week.  This led to a week of eating out.  It tried to do good... I consider grilled fish at Cracker Barrel pretty good.  I think the worst thing I ate out was pulled pork from Smokey bones and I had kettle chips with it.  Not too smart.  I'm vowing NOT to eat out at ALL this week.  Its "Krogering" time for Bethney and Brandon!

Fourth..... I gave up cheese for lent.  So I have gone several weeks without cheese.  This was a difficult thing for me..... I don't have time to post about it now but be looking for a post about me and my lack of "la fromage" since ash Wednesday.

Fifth and Finally.... I will be weighing in AND measuring this week. So be waiting to hear results on Wednesday evening!

Weigh in and success!!!!

I'm
Sorry that I haven't posted. I've been extra busy preparing to take my choir to festival today. We went and they were given a great rating and I'm
So proud. Anyhow. I just wanted to post about my weigh in last night. 

I lost .8 lbs   I was pleased. It was a loss. I'm going to cut down on sugar this week to hopefully have a better weigh in next week. But a loss of any size is a success! So yay!

Measurements?  Well I didn't get to have them. My trainer had another client that he needed to fit in and I wasn't able to get there early because of work. So measurements will be next Wednesday.

However...... 

When I woke up today I wanted to
Wear a suit to festival and I picked out my favorite suit that had not been able to wear and it didn't just fit today  it fit WELL. 

It's the suit that I wore for my job interview last spring after I had lost 20 lbs. Which all came back. So I think that is just proof of resistance training helping me lose inches not just pounds!

So yay!

Success this week!

The minimum?

Today I guess I just did the minimum. But today I'm happy with minimum? But should I be? Hmmm?

My trainer has told me that I need a minimum of 20 minutes of cardio each day. So I did more than that by a large margin on Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, Sat, and Sun. (I took Friday off) 

So life got busy today. I was back to school today, I had physical therapy after school, Brandon had an appointment, then a meeting, then a paper to write for class. It was just out of the question to work out together. So I had thought I would just run at home. Well, it poured buckets all day so that was no longer an option. 

Anyhow so I went to physical therapy where they worked me for an hour and fifteen minutes! I was tired when I was done. Lots of upper body stuff. 

On the way out of the gym I stopped and talked to Chad. I asked if since I had a long therapy session today if I could call it a day. He pointed out that PT did not get my cardio in and I had to do a minimum of 20 min daily. So I agreed and went home and changed and went back to the gym. The ellipticals were all full, so I hit a treadmill for like 23 minutes. Got off and came home. 

So there are two sides in my mind. 

1) I'm proud of myself for going home in the rain, changing and going back out in the rain to make sure I fulfill my requirements. 

2) I did the minimum!! The minimum. I can't do the minimum and lose weight! I argue with myself that it's ok because a minimum is a minimum and if I did the minimum I still met my requirement.... Right?

I don't know... I guess both sides are right. My muscles are all tight and I'm getting fatigued a little and I guess I just felt like doing the minimum today. 

I am proud of myself for not taking a second day off. One off day is sufficient and that was Friday and for good reason (family time)

Brandon an I were discussing where to place our treadmill that I still in the garage from the move. That might solve my minimum issue. On days like today. I could see myself accomplishing more in my living room watching a show of my choice. I did want the treadmill in a guest room but I might get better use out of it in the living room like it was in TN. 

I don't know. We'll see soon. 

Today I guess was a minimum day. School was great today. I'm
So excited for my choir's performance at festival on Wednesday! I guess my body just wanted to crash tonight. 

Tomorrow is a new day, tomorrow is measurements and train day! Wooohoo. So I'm headed to bed for 8 hours of sleep (that will help a lot) and I'll be posting a measurements an weigh in post tomorrow evening!

An extra .15!!!! (ran my mile)

So I set out to run a mile today. I wasn't trying to go fast or anything. Just run the full mile. So... I got my run keeper pro up and running and Brandon and I took a walk (1.2 miles) to warm up and walk the dogs. We delivered them back to the house and got in a really good stretch (stretching cold isn't very effective, so we walk, then stretch, then run). Then we set off on our own separate missions. Brandon repeated Day 1 of Couch to 5K and I set out to run my mile. 

I started at a slow pace an stayed at a slow pace. I thought I was being chased by a pit bull looking dog once but that turned out ok (thankful for that). I found myself checking my distance A LOT! I decided when I saw it at .35 miles that I wouldn't look for a good while. So I turned two more corners and looked down to see .35!!!!! OMG. I had paused it by accident. So I really wanted my program to account for a full mile so I had to run more than a mile now..... Oh my!

So I took note of where I was and where I last saw it say .35 and I held on to those spots for later. I ran until I got to .50 and then turned around to go back. When I hit the point where I noticed my program was paused I looked and I was at .65. I looked again when I got to the correct .35 spot and it said .80. So I had run .15 with the program paused!!! So I kept on until I hit 1 mile. I did that in 15'29". So my extra .15 was not accounted for and was not included in my time. 

Anyhow. I was excited that I ran 1.15. 

My mile is however slow! 15 min!!!! Yikes. My trainer wants me to run a 10 min mile. I have some work to do. 

I remember being in high school
And my 12 min run being pretty much the same as my mile run. Some people got 2+ miles in during their 12 minute runs.

 I never have been a fast runner and I'm okay with that I guess, but I do have a goal to run a 10 min mile. I'm pretty sure someone could walk a mile next to me at this point! Lol. 

Tomorrow will be a Couch to 5K day most likely. I start back to physical therapy tomorrow. So it's all schedule depending tomorrow. It will be tomorrow or Tuesday one.

My doctor ordered 6 more therapy sessions based on my progress. Hopefully this will be it! I think they basically want me in their for the manual traction and soft tissue mobilization that I can't do for myself. 

Have a good week. Spring Break is over so it's back to work for me tomorrow an this week is Choral Festival. I'm super nervous to take my group for the first time! 

Spring Break Wrap Up & Shout Outs!

How is Spring Break wrapping up? Other than quickly?.....I've actually been doing quite well with my cardio. Last post I made discussed how sore I was.... Well. I wasn't sore yet. I just thought I was. On Thursday morning I woke up and it was like my hamstrings had quit on me. But I shuffled (literally) to the gym and trained with Chad anyhow. He worked mainly my upper body. When it came time for push ups I wasn't let off the hook to rest my legs I just did "girl pushups" like  4 sets of 10! I actually did a circuit 4 times. It was intense and you know he isn't gonna let me out of there without a plank variation! I did planks while alternating legs pulling one knee to my chest and back. I held the plank and alternated knees for 40 seconds (I refused to quit). It was killer. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical then headed to Paducah for my great aunt's 85th birthday!!! I ordered healthy at the restaurant and mom made the birthday cake light with no egg yolks and substituted oil for apple sauce (that was for another family member watching their cholesterol , but it helped me a great deal as well)

After dinner Thursday night Mom, Dad, Brandon and I all took the 3 dogs for a walk about a mile (it was kind of a stroll, but it was still
Important to move the sore muscles)

Friday we visited MeeMaw for a long time it was so great to spend time with her. She told us some great stories as usual... I love hearing stories about her and Grandaddy and Dad a when they were young. Nothing like picturing Gran (my great-grandmother who I was lucky to know well that passed when I was seventeen) running out the back door when she saw Dad with his tricycle at the top of the playground slide!!!! Lol. I can hear her now!  

Anyhow. We finished up Friday with a visit to Brandon's parents. We ate out at Outback Steakhouse where we both successfully stayed in our calorie budgets. I ate for 515 calories! It wasn't too hard. Just took some thinking! (no bread, 1/8 of the blooming onion appetizer, half of a 9oz steak cooked with no butter and light on the seasoning (salt), 1/4 house salad with no cheese and light vinaigrette dressing, and steamed broccoli cooked w/o butter or salt) 

So Friday was an off day (no intentional exercise) 

So today it was back to it. We went for a run with Gracie. We completed Week 1 Day 1 of Couch to 5K. 30 minutes of interval training. I ran a 10 min .75 mile last week and Chad wants me running a 10 min full Mile. So this is how I can get there. Interval training. Run, walk, run, walk for 20 minutes. There is a 5 min warm up and 5 min cool down. Interval training really gets your heart working! You sweat a lot too which is something Chad is always aiming for with me. Sweat! ( I don't sweat very easily) the Couch to 5K plan increases the running lengths each week. So in 10 weeks I should be able to run a 5 K. I suspect that it may take longer than 10 weeks. I will try my best but the program encourages you to repeat a weeks as needed but to never jump ahead. So I'm not afraid to repeat if needed. 

Gracie is also on a bit of a diet. She needs to lose 3 lbs. I'm going to add a column on my blog so you can track her progress. 3 lbs isn't much to us but she weighs 22 lbs so that is right at 15% of her body weight which is the equivalent to me losing approximately 27 lbs (about 15%). That's a big deal!

Also, huge shout out to my Dad who is challenging me! He has lost 7 lbs! Go dad! Not sure how long it took for him to lose 7 lbs but it hasn't been too long. Good job Dad! And he's doing it the correct way! He's correcting his portion sizes, snacking on fruits and veggies, and getting in some good Omega 3s... And he's walking a lot! He plays golf basically daily and walks instead of using a cart!

Let's just keep shouting out! My brother and Sister in law are training for the Nashville half at the end of April and my nephew is only 10 weeks old. He's pumped to see them run!

So tomorrow will be most likely a walking day. Maybe some yoga. Then it's back to normal life and keeping up with my running schedule. I train on Tuesday. I will not only be weighing on Tuesday but we will be taking measurements as well. I can't wait. 

Thanks for reading!

Oh and.... I sliced a banana into my oatmeal this morning and it was GREAT!!!

Oatmeal / reading labels

So I've heard for a while that oatmeal is a great breakfast.  Dr. Oz always talks about how great oatmeal is for anyone that watches him.

So, I started using just the plain quaker oats that come in the cylinder shaped can with rubber top.  I would add cinnamon and 1 packet of Splenda.  It was pretty good.  I got away from eating oatmeal but finding a need for a protein breakfast I decided to bring it back.  However, our trainer advised us that Splenda is not really healthy for us because of the chemicals it is made of.  So I tried oatmeal with no sweetener... YIKES.  So I decided that maybe a teaspoon or sugar would be enough to sweeten but not mess up the health benefits of my breakfast.  So, I asked my trainer.  He was hesitant... wanted me to be careful of adding any sugar.  So I investigated.  I compared against pre-packaged, flavored oatmeals.

Below is a picture of a serving of "my oatmeal" and pre-packaged oatmeal.  Look below the pic for info about each.  I also discuss info about oatmeal and its benefits.

My Oatmeal  is on top in a snack size ziplock bag

A pre - packaged serving is on bottom

(I couldn't rotate the picture, couldn't figure out how?)

Info about each:

My Oatmeal - serving size 40g, Calories 150, Fat 2.5 g, Sodium 0mg, Protein 6g, Carbs 27, Sugar 1g

Pre-packaged Oatmeal - serving size 30g, Calories 130, Fat 2 g, Sodium 180mg, protein 3g, Carb 27, Sugar 12 g

So, Its super important to read labels PAST the calories even when you are counting calories.  Its also good to notice the difference in serving size.  My oatmeal is MUCH better on sugar it has 11 g less than the pre-packaged type.  So, can I add 1 teaspoon?  Well a teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4.2 grams.  So when I add 1 tsp it brings my sugar total to 5.2 grams.  Still a drastic improvement from the packaged oatmeal.  So I felt confident and good and added 1 teaspoon of sugar to my oatmeal and made it much more enjoyable.
My oatmeal also has more protein and no sodium.  The calories and fat are about equal when considering the serving size variation. So I feel confident that my oatmeal is the best choice even when I add 1 tsp of sugar. (1 tsp of sugar adds 15 calories, raising the total calories to 165)

What else did I add?  I added cinnamon which is good for blood pressure and may lower LDL cholesterol.  I added 2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed.... a great source of Omega-3s which is great for your heart and also for balancing female hormones.  You do have to be careful adding Ground Flax Seed too quickly because it is high in fiber.  It should be added graduallly to your diet. (whole flax seeds pass too fast to give benefit.)
Ground Flax Seed can be found in the health section of your grocery and is not too expensive.  I keep mine in the fridge. (two tablespoons adds 60 calories, bringing my total calories to 215...a good number for breakfast esp since it is valuable calories)

Why Oats?  The fiber in oats has been found to significantly lower cholesterol levels.  Since I have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) I watch my cholesterol.

I usually pair my oatmeal with egg whites which contain 17 calories each, a good deal of protein and no cholesterol when the yolk is removed.

So, just some info about my breakfast that might get you to thinking.  One of my main points here is really reading labels through and through. 

I should add that my trainer agreed with me in adding I teaspoon (using a measuring spoon not a tea spoon) once I presented him with my numbers in comparison. Also the prepackaged flavored oatmeal is a great resource for those who need the benefits of oats but cannot stomach the taste of plain. It is best to have the extra sugar in breakfast (if you must have it)so that your body has all day to get rid of it. So if that is how you can get your oats get them that way for sure!

Have a great friday!

Working Out the Soreness/ Took a Run/ My first reward

So, I woke up sore sore sore today.  My legs, butt, stomach, sides, back, everything was sore!  My trainer and I discussed my desire to run a 5K last night and he told me to run as far as I could today just to see where I was in my ability to run.  I thought "HOW CAN I RUN?... I can't walk".  Well I hopped on facebook and saw a post from a high school aquaintance that is in excellent shape.  She posted her morning devotional and talked about how she was sore and didn't want to do cardio this morning but God gave her the strength and she found herself being very thankful for what all God did for her.  I found myself very inspired by that.  It might hurt to walk because I'm sore, but God has given me the ability to walk and run and I'm thankful for that.  So I got ready and went for a run.  I picked a path that I thought I could accomplish, grabbed Gracie (my Jack), put on my jacket (mistake), made a new playlist, and headed out the door.   I did very well.  I was jogging rather slowly but that was okay, I was jogging, my heart rate was up.  When I arrived back at my house my hamstrings were very sore, I was soooo hot because I wore a jacket thinking that the wind would be cold (it wasn't), so I went on a stopped (at 10 minutes).  I could have pushed a little more, but I chose not to.  I came in and got my stuff for the gym and headed out in my car.  I measured my path and it turned out to be .75 miles.  I was pleased.  .75 miles in 10 minutes was pretty could considering that fact that I hadn't run since I lived in Adamsville last May.

I then met my hubby at the gym.  I walked 30 minutes on the treadmill, and did 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I was feeling good but I'm still sooooo sore.  It hurts to set down, not once I get set down, but the in between standing and setting is rough!  I know that the best way to get through soreness is to move the sore muscles because it gets the lactic acid moving but OMG it hurts.  I meet with my trainer again tomorrow.  We will likely use the same muscle groups that I used yesterday because Chad stated that the best way to work through soreness is to use the same muscles again two days later. (and do cardio in between, just what I did today)

My brother shared an app with me today called RunKeeper Pro.  Its free on the iphone and it is a program that uses GPS technology to track your runs (speed and distance).  I signed up and its pretty cool. I used to use the Nike in shoe technology, but I can't find my iphone attachement for that since I moved, so this works perfect!  It is likely more accurate due to the GPS technology.  It also posts right onto facebook so that people can see what I do (which motivates me to do more).  So I'm excited to see how this running thing goes. My trainer wants me at a 10 minute mile, so that is my first running goal.  Might take some time, but thats ok.

I got a call and my doctor prescribed 6 more therapy visits.  I start that on Monday.  I told the Physical Therapist today about my run and was excited to report that I had no symptoms in my back.  He was pleased and encouraged me to keep on running!. YAY!

So, I have now lost 5.2 pounds, so I met my first goal.  So I get to order a Murray State Tervis Tumbler (pictured below) Yay, I'm so excited! That will be so nice for taking water to school. It will be much simpler to sip out of a cup with a lid than to unscrew a water bottle top for each drink which is what I had done this point.

So, Yay! Lots of fun stuff going on!

Weigh-in time! & Jelly Rolls

JellyRolls and Planks.... And I'm not talking about donuts OR fried fish planks 

I'm talking about the crazy abs exercise that I shared about last Tuesday... I named it JellyRolls. Because it is getting rid of the midsection "jelly roll" and your body moves in kind of a rolling motion (high to low etc). I did some more "JellyRolls" tonight and I even got my trainer to call them jelly rolls. Lol!  I did better at them this time than I did last time but they are difficult for sure. 

He added some other crazy planks too. Where I stay in a full plank on elbows and lift one leg and move it to the side and hold it off the ground for 10 seconds. It was intense. 

My workout overall was very intense tonight! I asked Chad to tell me honestly how hard he thinks I try. He told me that I could try harder sometimes but it will come as I learn how to push my body beyond what I think I can do. Interesting thought. It makes me picture the Biggest Loser contestants pouring in sweat, crying, and moaning while still doing what the trainer says. (though that is not what my trainer is going for)  I have to work on being able to push myself further each time and not give up. Sometimes when my body says give up I have to tell it no and prove to myself
And my body that I can do it. Like during seconds 18, 19, and 20 of my jelly rolls!

As for my nutrition. I did better this week on eating a better breakfast and more fruit. However, I need to work on consistency. 

I also put in more exercise time but it's just not enough yet. This week I want to do some type of exercise EVERY day. 

As for my weight in??....

I lost 1.2 lbs!!!!! Yay. I get my 5 lbs reward now!!! Yaaahoooo!

Chad was pleased with my loss this week. K train again on Thursday... Tomorrow is cardio day!

Breakfast - It's kind of a big deal!

My trainer really gets on me about not having protein / substance to my breakfast. I have done silly things like eat Lucky Charms for breakfast and it got me nowhere. 

So I found some really great whole grain biscuits (Pillsbury Grands). So I tried them and liked them, I ate them plain (no butter or jelly). They were good. I had moved away from a sugary breakfast, but still had not reached a well rounded breakfast with protein.

 So on Saturday, when I had some time, I boiled an egg to go with a biscuit. Hard boiled eggs (with the yolk removed) have been a good protein source for me previously but I had gotten away from them. 

I peeled the egg and sliced it (with a handy egg slicer). I removed the yolk (too much cholesterol) and placed it on my biscuit. I gave it a twist or two of the pepper mill (but no salt). 

It was super!  I loved it. I had whole grains, protein, and not too many calories (187 to be exact)

I was pleased and I am excited to see what my trainer thinks today of that breakfast. 

Another really good breakfast is Oatmeal with an egg on the side. 

I've heard several times that weight loss will be more successful if your breakfast includes protein. So let's see!

I weigh in today when I train. I feel like I've lost a little this week, but only the scales can tell!