Workouts & Goals

Well, it's 8:45am and today's workout is already done. Actually, it was done about an hour and a half ago....that's right...I woke up this morning and worked out super-early!!! 6 AM! And just so you know, I am NOT a morning person....at all...not even a little bit. Haley and I are going to try this morning thing once or twice a week. It is really nice to have it done and I may even go for a walk/jog this afternoon!

Okay, speaking of jogging, for the longest time...like years...there has been one thing that I have wished I could do...RUN. I've had actual dreams about it....seriously...but, because I was being a big fatty, running or jogging was really painful. I've always had issues with my shins, but being super-fat and pounding my legs into the ground, made my shins feel like they were splintering into toothpicks with every step whether I was walking or running, not to mention that my knees also felt like they may just snap in two at any moment. Anyway, I have this goal to be able to run...I don't care if I run fast or slow and I'm not trying to run marathons, I just want to be able to put on my shoes and jog for a few miles; soooo I 've been doing some work to achieve my goal and I am happy to say that it's starting to pay off! Usually, for our warm-up, Haley and I do "burst-training" on the treadmill. "Burst-training" is short sprints, usually lasting about 30 seconds to a minute, followed by a 1-2 minute rest...we do this for around 15-20 mins. Since we've been doing this, I've noticed that I no longer get shin splints when I walk and I get them less frequently when I am running or jogging. I still can't run for very long without pain, but it's getting better. Today, instead of sprinting, I tried jogging. I jogged for about a minute then walked, and then jogged for two minutes and walked for one...I repeated this a few times. I still had some pain in my shins but it went away as soon as I stopped jogging...usually my shins would throb for awhile after I stopped running or walking so I'm making progress (I'm sure the -40 pounds has A LOT to do with my progress, as well!) To challenge myself, I've decided to sign up for the Crescent City Fall Classic (5K) in New Orleans this November and my goal is to be able to run at least half of it. I figure if I stick to my training plan and keep losing weight, it is definitely do-able! Also, my sister and I want to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February and I would like to be able to run at least 1/2 of that too! So there, additional goal to losing weight: BECOME A RUNNER (or at least a slow jogger...).

OoooooooMmmmmmmGgggggggg!

I have lost

40 POUNDS!!!!!!!

I am so excited! 40 pounds!!!! What does 40 pounds look like??? Like this:

This guy caught a 40 lb Mahi Mahi (yummy)

...that's heavy

apparently, I used to carry this boat around with me all day...

WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

Now, on to the next 10!

:)

As promised....

another progress picture!

It's not as drastic as I had hoped, but that's what I get for taking the first 2 pics in "slimming black..."

Trust me...these jeans would have not made it past my thighs in the last progress picture I took...

A little comparison...

Still Moving Along...

So, as of last Wednesday, I'm down 36 lbs...and as of this morning, I'm still down 36 lbs. Now, don't get me wrong, I am super excited about my weight loss but I am still a little disappointed that the scale hasn't moved since last week. I'm hoping that after Haley kills me in spin today, maybe a pound or two will come off by tomorrow. I didn't expect to have a big loss this week, because of the way my weekend went. I didn't do terrible, but I cheated a little and didn't stick to my Medifast. I ate a few things that I would not normally eat. I tried to keep all my meals low-carb, but I slipped up a few times...once at lunch - Mazzio's salad bar and a slice of pizza...it was a small slice at least. Saturday evening I went to the beach with my parents and we went out for dinner. I ordered grilled fish but it came with a baked potato. I split the potato with my mom and went a little lite with the toppings. Although my eating was a little off this weekend, I still got up on Sunday morning a went for an extremely hot 5.5 mile walk on the beach so, my exercise probably took care of any damage that I did with my eating. Lately, I've noticed that I may have been veering off my Medifast diet a little too often, and as a result, my weight loss has slowed down. This week, I am commited to my plan  - no veering allowed.

I've decided to set some mini-goals for myself each week so that I my overall goal doesn't seem sooooo far away. My TSFL weigh-in day is every Wednesday, so tomorrow will be the start of my first mini-goal:

Lose 3 pounds by my next weigh-in.

Easy enough, right? I also think it will be helpful to list some things that I will do to make sure I reach my goal:

1) Stick to the Medifast Plan.

2) Drink 100 oz. of water a day.

3) Exercise at least 5-6 days this week.

4) Let Haley toture me at least 4 out of those 5-6 days.

5) Stay OFF of the scale until next Wednesday.

(this one is such a struggle for me)

As of tomorrow, I will have been on Medifast for 8 weeks! I'm going to post another progress picture tomorrow and I will also post my inches lost. I took my measurements after four weeks on Medifast and I had lost a total of 9.5 inches from my waist, thighs, arm, hips and chest! Can't wait to see my progress tomorrow! :)

 

Shopping in my closet...

As you may have read in my last post, I did a big-time closet clean-out over the weekend. Since it's all cleaned out, there is actually some extra room so I can see what is in there (my closet was jammed packed before...). So, I found these navy blue pants...just some casual slacks that a friend of mine gave me a few years ago. I have NEVER been able to wear them. In the past, I was able to get them on, but they were skin-tight in the legs and too tight in the waist...not wearable for me at all. During my morning ritual of "what the heck am I going to wear today," I invisioned a kind of nautical-ish outfit...cute navy and off-white striped top, yellow flats and those navy pants...if they fit......andddddddddd....

THEY DID!!!!

Not only do they fit, but they fit perfectly...they are even loose in the legs! As much as I love see the numbers on the scale go down, I love even more so, seeing changes in the way that my clothes fit! :)

Project: Fat Clothes Cleanout

Ok, as of this morning, I have lost 36 lbs!!!!! I am beyond excited about this. I still have quite a ways to go to reach my goal but I know I am going to get there! I have so many positive people in my life that offer me so much encouragement and support...I am so thankful for all of you!

So, my closet has been overflowing and I as I lose weight I keep buying more clothes, which has been worsening the problem, sooooooo I decided to get rid of all of my clothes that don't fit anymore! I'm never going back to where I was so there is no need to hang on to them.

Can't say that I'm sad to see you go...

Plenty of room for some smaller, cuter stuff!

I am hanging on to one pair of "fat jeans," but only so I can try them on when I reach my goal and see how far I've come....after that, I may have a "fat jeans" bonfire... 

Lots to catch up on!

Ok, I've been slacking on blogging, BUT I haven't been slacking on anything else. As of yesterday, I have lost a grand total of......drumrollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.....

35 POUNDS!!!!!

So, since my last post I've lost 4 more pounds...and I managed to do it even with a trip to New Orleans and a long weekend in Key West! I think that consistency is what is making me successful in my journey. I have learned to incorporate exercise into my daily routine and to always make healthy choices. I am still on the Medifast program but took a break from it while I was in Key West. Now, the old me would have lost my healthy mind and tried to eat every greasy, fried, delicious thing on the island, BUT the new me made smart choices for my meals and tried to get some form of physical activity while I was there (ok, one day my "physical activity" was shopping...it still counts...it was hot - I broke a sweat, and I walked fast from store to store...).

Ok, so my last post was about my "not-so-fat-jeans" and how excited I was to get back into them. Well, since then I've had more clothing victories!!!! Yay! Today, I am wearing some even smaller jeans than my "not-so-fat-jeans"...I guess I will call them my "less-than-not-so-fat-jeans." I haven't worn these in almost 6 years!!!! Also, I've had these two pairs of Nike running shorts that I've never really been able to wear. They were too tight, too short and my thighs wanted to have them for lunch every time I took a step....not a pretty picture at all. Well, both pairs fit now...and they fit loose!!! This weekend, I'm going through my closet and getting rid of everything that is too big...I don't want to hang on to any of those clothes because I NEVER want to get back in them....EVER!! Also, getting rid of old stuff gives me a good excuse to replace it with new, cuter, smaller stuff, right? ;)

Here's a recent picture....and an old one below it. I can see a difference! :)

 





My No-So-Fat Jeans have officially come out of retirement....

I can't call them "skinny" jeans...still along way away from that, but I haven't been able to wear these jeans in like 4 YEARS!!!!! I'm super excited that I didn't get rid of them...I guess I must have known I'd be able to wear them again! :)   So, I've now lost a total of 31 pounds (17.8 of those since starting TSFL)....wooooooohooooo!!!! I've got a few pairs of "fat pants" that I will be throwing away...no need to hang on to those!!

Don't have a lot of time to write this morning...I promise the next post will be much better! :)

TSFL - Week 3

Ohhhhhhh myyyyyyy gossssshhhhhhh! Today was my third weigh-in day since I started Take Shape for Life and it was a really, really good one!!!! I lost a little over 5 lbs this week so that brings my total to 15.8 since starting the program and almost 30 lbs total since January (I'm like .2 lbs shy of 30...I'll round up)!!!!!!! I am so excited and I know that this is going to be the thing that works for me!

I've been off my blog for a little while, so I'll sum up the last few days.

Over the weekend, I went to the beach, which usually for me means too much laying around and excessive consumption of junk food and alcohol. This time was way different! I stuck to my Medifast plan and stayed active the whole time. I rode my bike off and on, all day Saturday (about 20 miles) and the rode another 10 miles on Sunday. It feels really awesome not wasting a weekend laying around being lazy. :)

Something I've started to notice is how much my cravings have changed. Sure, if I see a cookie or smell pizza I think about how good it would taste, but the foods that I crave lately are healthy foods....crazy -- never thought that would happen...

Okay, so this week's workouts have be great so far. Monday we did part of our workout outside...which was kind of crazy since it was about 100 degrees (I literally felt like I was being baked in an oven), then we moved inside to finish up with some boxing and abs. Yesterday's workout was awesome! It was called:

"We're Going Streakinggggggg!!!"



Almost an hour of spin + that workout = massive calorie burn and extreme exhaustion!

So, diet and workout-wise, it's been a great week! Another plus...my clothes are fitting better...some are even too big! Woohoo!!!! Soooooooooooo, that means I will be in need of some major shopping....soon!

 

10 Pounds Down!

Well, actually 10.4 lbs, to be exact! Week two was great...I lost 4.8 lbs! So, since I started Medifast I've lost a little over 10 lbs and I've lost a total of 24lbs since January!!! Yay!!! I'm so excited and I'm actually starting to see the difference myself...that's always a good feeling. My clothes are fitting so much better and my face isn't in a constant state of "swollen."

Haley and I had a good workout yesterday - we did a repeat of "You Better Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself." (see previous blog posts). For the rest of the week, I'm on my own for workouts...my workout buddy/trainer/life coach is out of town. :(   Good news is that she is going to send me instructions for my workouts everyday while she is gone.

So, this week has been a great one so far...I'm looking forward to that next 10 lbs. and the next...and the next....you get the picture...

Weekend Wrap-up!

So, I've been on Medifast for about a week and a half and I am really starting to notice a difference. I've lost about 7 lbs now and I feel great! I wake up easier in the morning and have more energy throughout the day. I also notice a big difference in my workouts...I'm sure this is a combination of me eating better and getting in better shape. Haley and I worked out on Friday (workout: "Vision Quest")...we had done this workout about 2 weeks ago and it was much easier this time around -- don't tell her I said that ;). It was the first day that I have really felt like I'm getting in better shape! I am actually starting to look forward to working out...or at least I look forward to the feeling I have after my workout is done!  This morning I went for a bike ride to get my exercise in for the day...rode almost 12 miles! 

Overall, it was a good weekend and I'm looking forward to a great week! 

Week 1 is done!

I lost 5.6 lbs!!! Woohoo! So, that means that I've lost most of what I had gained back over the past few months. I'm back down to 20 lbs lost since January! Haley and I haven't worked out together this week, so we are getting back to the gym today and doing "A Combination of Fergie and Jesus" for our workout (see post: Yesterdays-Oh-So-Painful-Workout). My soreness has gone away, so it looks like it's time to bring it back! :)

Memorial / Birthday Weekend Recap!

Well, I kinda went M.I.A. on the blog this weekend...sorry about that. I'll back up to Friday and go from there.

FRIDAY:

It was a good day...I had my Medifast meals on schedule and drank plenty of water. Haley and I got in a good workout to end the week:

"You're in My World Now, Grandma"

Haley said this workout was "Birthday Appropriate"...I'm pretty sure she is just trying to say that I am an old lady now!

The workout was tough as usual (see: ABS OF DEATH), but it was a great end to a great week!

Friday night was my first real "test" since I started the Medifast program. I went out to eat....at a Mexican food restaurant...duh duh dummmmmm! I survived, easily....the hardest part was keeping my hands out of the chip basket. I ordered chicken fajitas with a plate of letttuce and made a salad. It was delicious and I left feeling satisfied - not deprived. :)

SATURDAY:

Saturday was also a good day. I woke up and went for a 4 mile walk. I did fine with my Medifast all day and even went out to eat AGAIN...and I survived...AGAIN! I split boiled crawfish with my dad and had a side salad instead of the corn and potatoes.

Yum!!! Yum!!!

SUNDAY:

Happy Birthday to Me!!! This was the hardest day so far! My family cooked burgers and made homemade ice cream....I had 2 turkey burger patties and a salad. A few hours later, I had a banana creme Medifast shake. I was satisfied, but at little envious of everyone's juicy burgers and ice cream. I didn't have a cake, per my request, so I didn't have to worry about that temptation. Also, I got some excerise on Sunday, on my new bike!

MONDAY:

Yesterday, was a super-busy day! I woke up feeling energized so I went for a walk...and I walked over 5 miles! Go me! After that, I spent the rest of my day refinishing a piece of furniture, so that kept me busy. I've found that I having been trying to keep myself busy lately...boredom usually leads to false hunger for me and I sure don't need that right now!



Ok, now back to the present. This new way of eating is getting a little easier everyday. Today was fine, didn't really think about food all that much...just ate when I was supposed and drank a lot of water. My Lean & Green meal was a grilled chicken salad with light balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I didn't get any exercise in today - I guess this will be my rest day -  but I'm getting up early in the morning to get a workout in!

Day 3

Okay, so I'm on day 3 now, and I was told that the first 3 days on Medifast are the hardest to get through...I'm almost there! It really hasn't been bad at all...I haven't been too hungry and my energy level has been pretty good too. Yesterday went really well, I had my 5 Medifast meals and my Lean & Green meal for dinner (Grilled Chicken Breast w/ steamed broccoli) and a TON of water! I hate to say that this is pretty easy, but for me, it's been pretty easy so far. I love that there's not a whole lot of thought that has to go into what I am going to eat during the day.

Now, I know that there will be challenges and tempations that will come...like this weekend...Memorial Weekend and my birthday. In my family, and I'm sure in most families, Holidays = "Food Fest" and birthdays always come with cake....and sometimes ice cream...usually preceded by some sort of delicious meal. So, I guess my real test will be this weekend. I am NOT going to get off my plan, not even for a piece of birthday cake. I mean, it's not like I will never get to have cake again in my life...and is a 32nd birthday really a big deal anyways? I'm not exactly thrilled to be getting older...lol.

Ok, now on to yesterday's workout.  Haley and I had a really good one...or bad, depending on how you look at it. Good, because we burned a TON of calories and bad because, well, it hurt.

Workout: "Shut Your Mouth When You're Talking to Me!"

The "various forms of torture" were pretty bad...

The title of the workout fit it perfectly, because by the time it was over, we were both saying things that didn't make a lot of sense!

I'm sure today's workout will be a "good" one too...gotta make it count before the long weekend!

Feeling Good!

Well, it's day 2 of Take Shape for Life and I am a little surprised to say that it is going really well! I expected to be hungry and maybe a little cranky, but I feel great! I had the Medifast Southwestern Eggs for breakfast and the Banana Creme Shake for my morning snack...both were pretty tasty. The eggs tasted pretty much like, well....eggs. I added a little hot sauce for some extra flavor. I liked the banana shake better than the chocolate one from yesterday...the banana ones tastes a little sweeter, but the after taste seemed to be a little stronger...nothing a few sips of water can't fix though!

I took a day off from working out yesterday - my whole body was is still hurting from Monday and Tuesday's workouts. I'm not sure what kind of torture Haley is going to come up with today, but I'm sure it will be pretty awful since we both rested yesterday. I'll be sure to update about this later!

Before I go, is anyone else having problems posting comments on blogs? I can't post comments on most blogs right now...including my own. It's frustrating...hopefully blogger gets this worked out soon. Yesterday, Holly, from Plush Belle asked me if I could post more details about Take Shape for Life and maybe start posting some pictures of the food...and since I can't comment back, I will have to answer those questions in this post. :)  

All of the details, such as pricing, can be found through the Take Shape for Life link. The average price for a box of food (7 meals) is around $16.50. Also, I will definitely start taking some pictures of the food after it is prepared.  :)

Day 1

Well, I started Take Shape for Life today! So far, so good for the Medifast meals. I had oatmeal for breakfast, a shake for a snack and just had a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch. Everything has been pretty good, although, the oatmeal could use a little doctoring...I'll try some cinnamon and maybe a 1/2 packet of Splenda next time. I didn't expect any of the food to taste amazing, I mean, these aren't gourmet meals...I just hoped that it would taste good enough to eat it everyday...and it does, so I'm happy! I've also been drinking a lot of water so I don't feel hungry -- I'm actually feeling pretty full right now, so it looks like I'm off to a good start!

Soooo Excited!

My first box of Medifast came in today! I can't wait to get started on this program tomorrow!

I had a great day today...another great workout with Haley....this one was called, "You Better Check Yourself, Before You Wreck Yourself..."

 Another rough one...I'm feeling it already!

Gotta love Haley's Inspirational Quotes!

Watching Biggest Loser Finale....

I'm sure I'll be crying like a baby soon...

Yesterday's Oh-So-Painful Workout....and something new and exciting!

Good morning everyone! Well, I'm happy to say that things are going pretty well! I've been working out regularly and trying to stay on track with my eating...still struggling w/ this a little...but keep reading because all that is about to change! Before I get to that exciting news, let me share the torture that I went through yesterday. I would describe it as, "the best, horrible workout ever!"

Our workout is called:

"Combination of Fergie and Jesus"

(in case you are wondering where this title came from, I've included a clip...)

Ok, so here's the workout...it was a rough one!

Haley and I also had a little photoshoot...here's the proof that this happened:

These lunges were pretty tough...

Jell-o legs after these...

This was a good break from the pain...

I loathe mountain climbers...

and please, pay no attention to my over-sized butt in the air...

As painful as this workout was, it felt so good once it was over!

So, on to the exciting news! Over the past few months,  the thing I have struggled with the most has been my eating - of course, this makes complete sense - bad eating habits are what got me to where I am right now. I'll do good for awhile...and then I start to feel overwhelmed. I feel like I start to focus too much on food...which is the very thing that I am trying to get away from - I just don't want to have to think about it that much. Honestly, having food on my brain all day long does nothing for me, but make me want a big ol' cookie! So, a friend of mine has recently lost almost 60lbs, so of course, I had to know how she did it.

Secretly, I was hoping that she would say that she took some magic pill and the weight just fell off, while she ate pizza and cookies and candy, etc....wouldn't that be nice?

Anyway, she told me about the program she has been doing and how great it has worked for her. It's called Take Shape for Life. The program uses personalized coaching (she will be my Health Coach), the Habits of Health and Medifast Meals to help you achieve a healthy weight.

Now, I have tried almost EVERYTHING out there, but the one thing I have yet to try is pre-packaged meals. I'm not sure why I've never thought of it before...I have said time and time again, that if I just always had my healthy food and snacks with me, then things would be so much easier. I wouldn't get into a bind, where it's lunchtime, but I didn't have anything at home to bring to work, so I'm "forced" to go pick up fast food, or eat what ever junk food is laying around the office. Ok, so I'm never really "forced"...there are always healthier choices that can be made, but sometimes, I've been known to not make the best choices. Anyway, I figure that if I always have a healthier option, in my desk, my purse, my car, my pantry...I can't fail!  My food is coming in today and I am sooooo excited to get started on this program! Also, I love the accountability factor that comes with the program. Every week you contact your Health Coach to report your weight...also you send pictures and measurements in every 4 weeks. Knowing that I have to show my progress, will definitely help to keep me on track!

Has anyone else out there had success with Take Shape for Life or Medifast? I always love to hear a good success story!!





I'm keeping my word...

and not disappearing from my blog again! :)  Yesterday was an awesome day...Haley and I tried our newest workout...Vision Quest (you'll notice a pattern of extremely random workout titles). It was intense and painful - but it was worth it!

When I woke up this morning, I had lost 4lbs!!!! Woohoo! Shouldn't be too long before I lose those few pounds that I had gained - few being 7lbs...I say "few" because it makes me feel a little bit better...don't judge. ;)

 Anyway, when I woke up this morning I knew I wanted to get some kind of workout in but I didn't really want to go to the gym so I decided to go walk. My sister and I are planning to do the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon next February, so I guess it's not a bad idea to start getting ready for that now (I plan on a doing a combo of walking & jogging for this). I walked about 2.5 miles (no jogging today because my shins took a beating yesterday) - a long way away from 13.1 miles, BUT it's a start!

Ok, so I never thought that I could associate running with fun, but this looks like a really fun time! Anytime I have an excuse to wear a tutu and a tiara is a good time to me!

Oh, my long, lost blog...

I've been away for awhile...after countless promises of coming back & getting back on track. It seems like every time I get started on a weight-loss plan, something throws me off. I can't ever seem to finish what I start. I was sure that this time, I had it figured out - I couldn't fail - I couldn't be thrown off course. Well, I'm not going to say that I have failed or that I have been completely thrown off...but I have definitely struggled these past few months. Now, I could sit here and list one hundred excuses as to why I have gotten off track, BUT I'm not going to do that. Sure, there are several factors that I feel have caused me to focus on things other than myself, but when it comes down to it, the only person who is to blame, is me. So, not to be corney, but sometimes when you fall off that horse, you gotta dust yourself off and get back on! And that folks, is exactly what I have done.

Last week, I started going back to the gym with my friend/co-worker/life coach ;), Haley. She's been kicking my butt everyday - but I don't mind, because I need it! We are going to be working out together everyday, so expect to see a lot about Haley on my blog.

"Hello, my name is Haley. I take extreme pleasure in torturing Cherice on a daily basis."



Haley has started to write out our workouts everyday...here's a sample of the last 2 days:

She also wrote down some goals for me....I like #2 the best! :)

Okay, so I feel like I'm off to a good "re-start." I didn't completely undo everything I had already accomplished, but unfortunately, I did gain a few pounds back - they crept back on over the past few weeks. :(  I can't dwell on that though, just have to move forward from here. I'm excited to start blogging again and hope that all of my followers will continue to follow me on this journey! :)

A few words of wisdom for ya!





Fantasy Shopping Spree!

So, I thought it would be fun to do a little online "look" shopping and pick out things that I would love to buy once I reach my goal...or maybe even along the way!

First off, I really think I NEED a Lilly Pulitzer dress sometime in my life...

I'm thinking these shoes would be perfect with the dress...

I would love to have this complete outfit...

with these shoes...

Obviously, I'm loving the one shoulder thing right now...

Another one shoulder...

So, that's all I've got for now! Pretend-shopping keeps me motivated. :)

Ohhhhh the pain!

My soreness has gotten progressively worse throughout the day. I went from feeling a little stiff, to really stiff, then to sore, and then extremely sore, and now I just moaned in agony as I crawled into bed. I hoping that I'll loosen up tomorrow before I go to Crossfit...if I'm still this sore, it is going to be HELL tomorrow.

Aside from the excruciating pain that I've had to suffer through, it's been a pretty good day. My eating was perfect. I was super proud of myself when I didn't take a bite of this thing that was calling my name when I opened my freezer:

I was easily able to justify making this purchase because it's dark chocolate (you know, it's healthy-errr chocolate) and because I'm doing my part to help endangered species. Ummm, yeah, that's the only reason I bought it.....

Anyway, I feel pretty good tonight and I'm ready for tomorrow - at least I think I'm ready. We'll see how bad Crossfit gets me...