The 90 Day Challenge ~ Fighting the Pounds Off!

Started by Izu, March 09, 2014, 08:26:00 AM

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Izu

What this blog is going to be all about

To put it shortly - losing weight. Yes, that's right, those of you who have known me for a few years would already know that in the past I've often tried to lose weight, lost some, then gained some, then always just gave up on it, until the next time. So, I will be keeping this blog now in an attempt to keep me on track. But the difference this time is that I'm truly pumped of doing it this time.

Why 90 days

First of all the program I've decided to follow is a 90-day workout one - Jillian Michael's Body Revolution. It's intense, it's only 30 minutes and from what I've read all over the internet it is maybe her best program. And it is really perfect for me as in 90 days our company's summer teambuilding event will be taking place over the stretch of two weeks, with tons of activities and all of our offices from all over the world coming over here. Including the London office where the guy I've started crushing on is working. So... yeah... >///>

The Goal

Realistic goal is to lose 20 pounds (10kgs). The ultimate goal/dream goal is losing 30 pounds (15ish kgs). Yeah, I know it's a lot, but I think that losing roughly 1.5 pounds a week is doable. Especially when I will be combining good workouts and calorie counting, trying to mix and match the best nutrition balance I can make.

My (Weight Loss) Past

About 5-6 years ago I was 75 pounds overweight. I managed to lose 50 with lots of efforts, both dietary and not as much physical, but as some of you might know, drastic weight loss can lead to depression, chemical imbalance and what-not. I got that. It has taken me almost two years to get out of the horrible hole that I had dug out for myself, but I think I'm no longer at the bottom, digging deeper, but climbing out and just an arm's reach out of it. And I do think that this time my weight loss will not push me into deeper depression, but will manage to get me out of it once and for always. Truth to be told, last week when I started working out I did start with the mind-set that I had to do it, but just over the past 7 days I've come to the point where I want to do it. And this is a big difference... At least it is to me.

What I will be using

As I said I will be using Jillian Michaels' Body Revolution workout DVDs, and on Saturdays and Sundays I intend on making double workouts with either adding some of her Shred It or Ripped videos, or some of her crazy yoga workouts. Yeah, I'm a big fan of Michaels. I do find her a bit annoying in her videos, but each of her workouts are leaving me shaking like a leaf. And just in a week I am already able to see itty bitty muscles on my stomach, biceps and legs. So... I will recommend her videos to anyone out there trying to work out.

My other tools consist of:
- MyFitnessPal app (free) - great for following calorie intake
- a basic yoga mat
- a set of weights :1kg and 3 kg ones - I would rather workout with heavier ones, but as I have tons of eye problems I cannot really lift too much or I'd be risking fucking up my eyes further. So, lighter ones, but even they right now are proving to be too much...
- a resistance band
- and my newest toy - a heart-rate monitor that gives me back the burnt calories - it's a cheap one, 40 euros, so no idea how accurate it will be, but I will give it a try (got it yesterday).

So... Let's the challenge begin!

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jouzinka

I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you, Izu! <3 But please, remember the downward spiral. I would hate to see you jump back on the same circle.

And remember, you're beautiful to me (us all) and I don't care how you look, so don't push yourself too hard.
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Izu

Thank you, Jouzi, but I'm keeping in mind that downward spiral and I will be avoiding it. The moment I feel like pitying myself or beating myself up for not working out or for just not losing weight at the speed that I am wishing for, I will just push myself harder the next time. But definitely not too hard as I'd rather not injure myself and then have to wait for weeks/months to recover. *hugs*



So what I've done so far...

As I already mentioned in the previous post, I started working out last Monday. I first intended on doing a taking turns of Shred It and Ripped, but after reading some and watching Michaels' Body Revolution videos I decided that this program is better suited for me for now. So yesterday I did the first BR workout. It did leave me shaking and sweating like crazy, but I was quite surprised that I managed to do it all. Some parts of it - mainly the planks, were crazy hard to do, but I pushed through them, and even though I'm doing the "easy" push-ups with support on your knees instead of toes, I did all of the push-ups. Quite proud of myself. And not only with it, but also with managing to keep working out despite being sore.

With the BR program I will be working out 6 days a week, for 30ish minutes. I will be doing it after work, and the past one week proved that I can do it. I even got home late on two occasions due to working late (finishing one of my projects at work), but instead of using my usual excuse of it being late or me being tired, I worked out. So, I'm definitely getting my mindset to the right spot about this journey.

Actually, I just finished the second workout. Some of the exercises were killers, but I pushed through them as well. And the fact that by the end of it I was all sweaty did make me feel awesome. I've also got really healthy red cheeks right now. xD So unlike a programmer xD But they are really standing out on my pale-ish skin. So I'm glad how it went today. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day as we are preparing production upload of my project, so I might be dead tired and just not in the mood, but I've challenged myself and I would like to see whether I can win over me.

Also I'd like to point out that I am 1 week off any sodas (one of my biggest weaknesses) and I've hardly had any bad carbs (my other great weakness). So far if I'm craving anything sweet I'm going for freshly squeezed juice or fruits, and if I'm missing out on calories for the day I'm snacking on raw nuts of any kind (which is currently happening as today I slept until lunch so I missed my breakfast). As a whole I'm thinking that I'm turning towards a healthier eating, maybe not the healthiest, but definitely a lot healthier than before. I've also bought some multivitamins and minerals to make sure that those stay in their normal values as I'd rather not have another low episode.

Oh! And I forgot to mention - the past week I have not used any of my sleeping medicine. I go to bed and in less than 30 minutes I'm deeply asleep!

If I've been seeing such effects after only a mere week I do wonder how I will feel in a month or two or three!   

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Oreo

This is awesome, Izu. Probably sure you already know this, but go by measurements for the first few weeks. Since you are working out you will be building muscle that is heavier than fat. Don't get discouraged by the scale. *loads of hugs*

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

Izu

I just turned the entire house upside down to find the damn measure. -___-'' But I finally found it and took all possible measurements, including kgs, because I'd want to know how my measurements are going compared to the kgs. >.> And I've already lost some if my memories from last week are correct. And considering that I took all measurements in the evening after a crazy workout... Mm... quite happy with the results. ^__^




A bit about the Body Revolution program:
It's divided into 3 phases - each of 1 month, each month is divided into two weeks, so each phase has two parts. Each part has 2 separate workouts + 1 Cardio. You do workout 1, then workout 2, then Cardio for the phase. And so on, and so on. A total of 12 workouts and 3 Cardio workouts.

I did quite alright on workout 1 and 2 that I will be repeating this week and the following, even though they did tire me out rather nicely. However, Cardio 1 that I will be doing for the first month is simply crazy. I was feeling like crying 10 minutes in - and it is a total of 30ish. It consists of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but it is pretty much 3ish minutes of HIIT then 1 rest-kind-of as the 'rest' consist of marching and kicking up or jogging in one spot. It's crazy. But so damn good! I felt muscles I didn't think I had, my entire body was burning, but after the first repetition (first 10ish minutes) I managed to find some sort of rhythm when breathing, so I managed to push through it with hardly any stops (took maybe 4 breaks of 4-5 seconds). And trust me it was still hard. But I think that maybe by the end of the first couple of weeks I will be able to get through it properly if I manage to get the breathing >.> Breathing properly always confuses me - the reason why I really suck at swimming and running...

But yeah... Quite happy with how I'm managing. Today I also got late from work (had to stay in for 30ish minutes, then hit the crazies traffic jam as it is snowing), but despite being "late" I changed into my workout clothes and kicked myself to do it.

The eating is going really well as well. I'm managing to keep the necessary calories to stay healthy, almost got the correct balance of fats-proteins-carbs-minerals-etc. And even though today I allowed myself to eat 1 chocolate bonbon (a colleague had birthday, so he treated us with some), I made sure to not go over the allowed sugars for the day. Quite glad with how I'm doing. Even the coca-cola cravings are gone, and I used to drink up to 1l of coke zero per day. >.>'' (in my defense back in the days I used to drink 2-3l regular coke... and that was how I got to 75-80ish pounds overweight...)   

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Oreo

It's surprising how much drinks can affect our weight. Even juice is loaded with calories.

I'm so excited for you, and your enthusiasm. ;D

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

Caeli

If you ever get bored with plain/tap/unflavored water, try infusing it with fruit/vegetables/herbs, like melons, berries, citrus, cucumbers, mint, etc.  If you have a pitcher of it, that's a really great way to make sure you drink enough liquids/water during the day to stay hydrated.

Also, if you ever get a soda craving?  See if you like carbonated (and flavored) water enough to get something like the SodaStream (though I'm not sure what's available in your country).  I know that sometimes I just crave drinking something with a bit of fizz, so a carbonated water with half a lemon squeezed in totally works to satisfy that craving, without downing a can of soda (which I will often regret after I finish it, if I even finish it at all).

Interval training is one of the best ways to burn calories, is what my trainer told me.  I've usually only ever done it with running (run X speed for Y seconds, then slow job or walk for Y/3 seconds, then X speed for Y seconds, etc.), but it sounds like your workouts are going really well!
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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Izu

Tell me about it... -__- Even the 'sugarless' sodas are crazy stuffed with other bad ingredients, so... yeah... Right now when I'm dying for juice I go for fresh or some of the 100% juices that are sold around here - natural ones, supposedly without any added sugar. But so far, for the past 1 week I've had only 2 glasses of the juice and only when my calories and sugars were not enough for the day *nods*

Water is also very important. Luckily, I've been drinking tons for ages, so I'm not having problems. The minimum is roughly 12 glasses or around 3l per day, the maximum - around 5-6l, as after that the kidneys get overwhelmed with so much work. I drink about 4-5 l per day >.< But so far it has saved me from my old teenage kidney problems and from getting my skin loosening up/breaking too much from all the weight losses and gains I've passed through over the years. :P

Oh, Caeli, I hadn't thought of the flavored waters - we've got those around here, also we've got some oxygen enriched ones for re-hydration, though for now I haven't had the crazy soda cravings and if I manage to keep off those I'll be super happy.

As for HIIT - yes, they are great. Best way to lose weight and get in shape. What I love about the program is that is completely based on HIIT - the cardio workouts are 3:1 minutes, while the other workouts... hm... I think they are also 3:1 but not only cardio - mixed muscle training + a bit of cardio. Usually some of the weight lifting like chest flyes are considered the 'rest' >.> It's all really high intensive, but I love it. It pushes me, and it drives me, and it allows me to workout only for 30 minutes per day but with the value of 1-2 hours of normal gym workout with all the rests, turns, wondering around, etc.

Day 4

Today was a good day at work - finally uploaded my initial project on production, now only minor debugging left :3 And I did have delicious lunch and dinner and to my huge surprise -- both really good, really rich and yummy turned out to be too little calories o.o So I had to snack on some raw nuts to get the calories up. So far I'm managing to balance out just about everything as they are supposed to be. My only problem is the sodium. I'm not taking in enough with my food. >.> I'm eating primarily without salt (not a fan of it) and among the good healthy foods rich in sodium is fish... I cannot stand fish let alone have it on a daily basis in my diet. >.< I might need to add salt to my diet (roughly about 4-5 grams per day to balance out what it's not enough). Well, I've made the plan for tomorrow's menu so we'll see how it will go.

The workout went well as well. Push-ups are hard and so is the plank. My arms are not strong enough to support my body weight just yet. Pfuu... And I also ordered push-up bars/supports/the things you hold onto/stand onto to ease your push-ups? Hopefully they will arrive tomorrow... do wonder if they will help.

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Caeli

You can make push-ups or planks easier or harder by changing the angle of your incline.  A push up where your upper body is lifted higher than your lower body is easier than one where your upper body is positioned lower than your lower body.

For example, doing a push-up with your hands one or two stairs up is easier than doing it parallel to the ground (default), which is in turn easier than doing it with your feet one or two stairs up.

It is very important to make sure that your arms are aligned correctly and you are not bowing your back or piking your hips.  If you cannot support your own body weight, make the push-up easier by lowering your knees and doing push-ups like that, or by using my earlier suggestion of lifting your upper body slightly higher.  It is more important to do fewer repetitions with the correct body alignment, than to do more repetitions with incorrect body alignment, as that can definitely lead to injury and will strain your joints/muscles as you try to compensate for the incorrect alignment.

Plank is a great workout though, a good way to build up core strength.  If your wrists start to get tired, you can do a forearm plank instead/also, which will still use your core but will also force you to focus even more on not collapsing into your shoulders.


I'm rooting for you, Izu! :-)
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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Oreo

The sodium/salt is an easy fix. I use Celtic salt and add just a pinch to a gallon of my distilled water. You can't taste it in there, but you get all the benefits. ;D It seems a little expensive for salt, but I have been using my little 1 pound bag for over a year.

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

Izu

Caeli, yep, yep~ but I think I'm somewhat getting better at both planks and push-ups. And I think my problems with those come from the fact that I cannot position my arms properly - I think I'm going too wide and too far from my chest. But still I'm managing to make 20ish almost complete push-ups from my knees, and to stand in plank position (arms straight) for 30 straight seconds. I'm trying to push myself, so not looking for easy variations. :P

Oreo, ooo.. I had forgotten about that. I will give it a try, but today I found out that a few dashes of normal salt over my main lunch are enough for the sodium.

Day 5

Workout 2, round 2; I started using my slightly heavier weights for some of the exercises. I even did a couple of the other exercises with modifications for advanced :P Well, not really doing those properly, but I'm pushing myself. I feel completely energized after the workouts and my stress levels are going down. And after a shower and a dinner now I'm really ready to fall asleep. ^^

It is getting easier to not eat bad stuff >~> We keep going to a nearby pizza place for lunch with my colleagues, but I've been ordering their grilled meals and salads. Quite happy with not getting tempted by the delicious pizza :3 Though the first really big temptation will be on Saturday when we will be sending away a friend of mine, so there will be tons of food, drinks and alcohol. But I intend on not breaking my diet. *nods* Hopefully I will be able to hold it...

Tomorrow is Cardio day. It is super hard (for me), but I'm up to the challenge. I wonder whether I will manage to make it without any interruptions.

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Izu

Day 6

End of week one, eight more to go. Cardio kicked my ass again. And I loved it!! I think I'm turning into a workout junkie x'D And I love it xDD
Eating properly is getting easier. Usually my dinners were hard because after work I had no appetite, so I was going for something quick or easy and usually either way too caloric or simply too little. But with the workouts, things are different. After it, after the shower, and after getting to the point of eating I still have no appetite until I start eating. And then I eat what I've prepared for myself to finish up my daily calorie count. And it is much easier.

Today I got my push up bars so I did try them out after my cardio workout - managed to make 3 full push ups, proper ones on my toes. So... yey! ^__^ It will be easier and better from now on - I will try plank on them as well. As a web developer I'm constantly on the computer so my wrists are quite sensitive and weak-ish. So... we will see.

I'm kind of tempted tomorrow to go buy myself roller blades >~> I used to lover skating when I was a kid. And it seems like an awesome cardio workout and another fun thing to do on days off and/or after work additionally. Mmmm... I guess we'll find out tomorrow evening what I decide :P

^^

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Blythe

#12
Just wanted to stop by to say I'm rooting for you! It's actually kind of inspiring to read your blog, because it is so positive. Makes me want to get back to doing regular workouts again. ^^

(Also....roller blades sound awesome. I used to be addicted to roller blading, so I hope you get them!)

Caeli

Quote from: Izu on March 12, 2014, 02:43:23 PMCaeli, yep, yep~ but I think I'm somewhat getting better at both planks and push-ups. And I think my problems with those come from the fact that I cannot position my arms properly - I think I'm going too wide and too far from my chest. But still I'm managing to make 20ish almost complete push-ups from my knees, and to stand in plank position (arms straight) for 30 straight seconds. I'm trying to push myself, so not looking for easy variations. :P

Well, it's not so much doing "easy variations" as making sure that you protect your body.  You could really set yourself back if your body isn't ready for a certain exercise or your alignment is incorrect, and you end up straining or pulling something or doing something really wonky with your joints.  For example, right now I simply do not have the arm/shoulder/core strength to do a proper chaturanga, so I do modifications to strengthen my body to the point where I would be able to do it.

I think as long as you're being careful and aware of your limits, though, you should be fine.

I've always loved figure skating, but I could never roller blade. Falling on the ice =/ falling on concrete.
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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Izu

Day 7 - Day Off

Thank you, Blythe ^__^ I myself am surprised how positive I am about all this. I think this is the first time that I'm heading down the road of eating healthy, working out, etc and simply staying positive and not losing all my motivation after just a few days with no magical results. So... things are different this time and I'm definitely feeling quite positive. Worst case - I will never lose those last pounds, but I will be so much healthier despite that *nods* ^__^

Caeli *hugs* I am careful, I promise. I am doing modifications of the ones that are really hard for me - so far the push ups. The plank is hard mainly because my core is super weak, but I am managing to stand on my hands. But I just take a 2-3 second rest in the middle of the 1 minute plank stand and everything is fine.

Oh... and....

I got the roller blades!!!
Oxelo Active Fit 3 - a cheaper model, designed for beginners. But they are soooo comfortable... And I just spent like 30 minutes going up and down the apartment like a 5-year-old kid x'D Quite happy that I didn't kill myself when I put them on - managed to keep balance and roller blade without problems. So I really can't wait for tomorrow morning when I'll be trying them out. *feels like a kid on Christmas* Can't wait!!

The plan for tomorrow is to wake up early, go out and roller blade for an hour or so, get home, do my Workout 1, shower, eat, and go fetch my friends who will be having lectures at the university in my neighborhood to head to the surprise farewell party to one of them. And after that we might go out to this one new club that opened last week, so dancing~ :3

I do hope that I will manage to stay away from beer (my alcoholic weakness) and from the tons of yummy stuff that we've bought and prepared for the party >< (And yeah, I know it's not a tragedy to break a diet and allow yourself something 'bad' from time to time, but part of the challenge that I've set for myself is to stay away from all the bad stuff that got me in this situation, so... I want to try to stay away from everything for at least those 3 months).

So to summarize today:
1. Food was alright, managing to do all the right choices when we go to lunch with my colleagues. Yay.
2. No workout as today is a 7th day, which is rest day, but instead I spent nearly 3 hours going up and down 2 malls and 3 big sport centers searching for roller blades that I might like.
3. All psyched about tomorrow! ^~^

Mh... so... yeah... :3

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Caeli

Best way to stay away from "bad food stuff" is to bring something of your own so you won't be tempted to reach for something you might be sorry about afterward.  Would you have a pocket or a bag that you could stash a water bottle filled with something healthy, like flavored water or infused water? :-)

Planks are awesome.  We do an elevated version in my aerial yoga classes, where our feet are at about hip-height (2 feet off the ground?) and then we rock our shoulders back about 1-2 inches to really work the core.  It's agonizing!
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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Izu

I've got raw nuts and organic no sugar apple juice for myself. And I intend on having a solid lunch before heading out, so~ ^__^ I will be alright. I hope... we'll see... >~> Some of the people taking care of the food are amazing bakers so there will be tons of baked stuff. >.<

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Caeli

ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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Oreo

You keep putting a big smile on my face!!

I used to do that trick with taking my own food with me to potluck. :P It took way more weeks to take the pounds off than to put them on. Potlucks are dangerous!

These days I always have a snack bag of organic trail mix with raw nuts and dried fruit in my purse.

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

jouzinka

*hugs Izu* Love your progress and your focus. *adores*
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Izu

Day 8 - Success!

Today I am super proud of myself. When my alarm started ringing at 7.30 I actually turned it off and adjusted it to just ring later so that I will only have time to do my workout, shower and go out. But after I did it I was like... 'Why? I am already awake-ish, I won't gain anything by sleeping another hour or so'. So I got up, dressed up, and went out. To be honest I was a bit freaking out about rollerblading - people would see me, laugh at me, etc. So I was somewhat panicking, but despite that I put on my protective gear (yeah, I decided to ride with gear - wouldn't want to injure myself if I fall) and roller-bladed for 40ish minutes! Did a little over 10 km and omg... it was amazing. Surprisingly  it seemed that I haven't lost my ability to roller-blade and I managed to keep a good pace and I felt so free... No one looked at me or laughed or anything so.... yey! After that I got home and I actually did my daily workout. Once I was done I was feeling so freaking great, so alive... Amazing!

And I didn't break my diet. ^___^ And considering just how many delicious baked stuff there were... I'm super proud of my will. Instead I snacked on one granola bar, drank my organic juice and right now I'm snacking on some raw nuts (it's late 11pm, but I didn't eat much today and I'd rather snack than stress my organism by having hardly any calories in).

Didn't go to the club as it was sold out, but I don't regret it - the day was amazing, the farewell party was great, the surprise was a huge success and I managed to not give in.

*hugs onto Caeli and Jou and Oreo* <33


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Izu

Day 9

Today was another really busy day. I got up early once again and went roller blading. The weather was crappy, 10C colder than yesterday, cloudy and crazy windy, but I went anyways. It was quite challenging to skate in the wind, especially as whenever I was turning to make a lap the wind kept changing its direction blowing straight against me >.< but I pushed through and I could feel my muscles burning... I think I'm getting addicted to burning muscles xDD I made 13km skating up and down on a 10% incline route.

After that I got home, did my workout 2 and by then I was feeling quite great. It's surprisingly amazing to be active. Totally more worth than an hour or two of more sleep.

And after that I went out and was out all day long with my two closest friends - went to the mall, went around and around for hours. Saw Need For Speed in 4D cinema (it was awesome) and had a lovely dinner with them. Just got home. Dead tired.

Tomorrow I will be weighing in and measuring. We'll see after one serious week what the results are. But I can definitely see changes happening here and there. ^^

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Oreo

;D That burn can be addictive. Back when I could, I loved walking and built myself up to 7 -14 miles per day of walking. Since I live in the mountains it was uphill one way and downhill to get back home. I liked the uphill better.

She led me to safety in a forest of green, and showed my stale eyes some sights never seen.
She spins magic and moonlight in her meadows and streams, and seeks deep inside me,
and touches my dreams. - Harry Chapin

Caeli

The burning is definitely addictive!  I remember when I used to run a lot more in high school - even though it sucked to run the mile or three that we had to do for phys.ed., the lightness in my body after I finished was amazing.

@Oreo: I also liked uphill better.  Downhill tends to be a little rough on my knees, though it's more of a concern when I'm hiking downhill on a dirt path with rocks, etc., than on sidewalks.
ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟɪᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴅ's ᴘʀᴏᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟɪғᴇ
ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʀᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏs

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ❋ ғᴏʀ ɪᴅᴇᴀs; 'ø' ғᴏʀ ᴏɴs&ᴏғғs, ᴏʀ ᴘᴍ ᴍᴇ.
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  𝕒 }
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Izu

Day 10 - First Measurements

Well... the burning is obviously actually burning because I've lost 1-2cm from everywhere. And I mean everywhere - I've taken 10 measure points - calf (-1), above knee (-1), thigh 'fattest part' (-1), legs together (-1), hips (-1), ass fattest bit(-2), tummy fattest bit (-1.5), tummy thinnest bit (-1), chest(-1), arm(-1). Quite happy for only one week. Weight wise - well... yesterday I was 1.5 kg down from last week same time, but today I was back onto only 0.8kg of weight loss. I think that last night's pork's sauce is the reason why I've had this weight gain - it was really really salty and spicy and whenever I eat anything like this I tend to keep in a lot of water.

So, yeah. Definitely happy. Normally I'd have gotten soooo disappointed with the weight loss (yeah, I know - my usual mentality is that after one week I should have lost all the extra kgs miraculously >.>) , but this time as I've already said a few times - things are different. Including my mentality and attitude towards all of this. I even let my friends know that I'm onto this journey and just how serious I've been the past couple of weeks, while before I'd have hidden too embarrassed that they would laugh or that when I fail they will think I'm a loser. Not this time. I've been talking so much about it that my closest friend also bought roller blades yesterday and we will go for it together 1-2 times a week after work xDD

^__^

So... yeah... I am getting addicted. And this is the first time in my life (well, second - first time was when I got all addicted to web development and decided this to be my career path) that I'm getting all hyped and hooked onto something that is actually beneficial for me.

Today went quite good - I woke up at my usual time, but as I was home alone (mother and brother were in the other apartment in the other city with my grandma) and instead of sleeping in for another hour like do when I don't have to drive them to work (they start an hour before me), I got up and worked out. ^__^ It really made me feel amazing. And I worked out again when I got home :P

Ah, do you know what else is for the first time? For the first time I actually don't care about the results as I'm feeling simply amazing!

^___^


P.S. I love uphill as well. Though downhill on a dirt path is amazing as well <3 And what I found out after yesterday's roller blading session - I seriously cannot stop when I'm going downhill xDD Surprisingly didn't kill myself xD

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