Damn it!

Evidently, I was only strong enough to tempt fate once. I got the kids a LC pizza again tonight (bad mom). I was really good for a while. I had my Optimum Rebound tonight (cereal that is supposed to help in recovery). I was doing well. I had put the 2 extra pieces in a container, but I didn't put it in the fridge soon enough. Oh well...can't change it now. Push forward.

Another huge problem earlier today. I discovered these Amy's Cheese Enchiladas that are quick tasty...and healthy too...organic and all that. I was thrilled that they tasted so good, because they only had 240 calories...although a little high in fat at 14 grams. I'd decided to not let myself have these more than once a week...didn't want to get sick of them. Today was the third time I'd had one for lunch. Imagine my dismay when I happened to notice that there were actually TWO servings per container. I always check for that, but I never would have thought that I'd have to on a simple little frozen lunch. Good thing I didn't have one every day for the past 3 weeks. 480 calories and 28 grams of fat??? Eeeeeckkkk!!!!!!!!!!

Boot camp was enjoyable tonight - a lot of upper body, with a little lower body mixed in. She was nice to us, because she knew that tomorrow night is with Keith the Trainer. She is cool though. She does our workouts with us, and she is actually going to attend tomorrow night as well. I'm glad, because I want her to see what Keith puts us through.

The Biggest Loser pissed me off last night. I really wish they wouldn't put food like that in front of the contestants...or I wish they wouldn't air it. I was doing fine with my cravings until I watched that shit. They were eating crackers & cookies...and I love my comfort carbs. I really had to stop myself from grabbing a cheese and cracker pack or two. I ended up eating a South Beach snack bar right after TBL ended...limited the damage.

That wasn't all that made me mad. Neil drinking 2 gallons of water right before the weigh-in...gaining 17 lbs in 1 week??? A stupid strategic move to sabotage another team. I won't get into it here, but those that watched it know what I'm talking about. I'm glad Bob was raging mad. I hope that I never see that type of thing again. I wish they would have voted him off. It was kinda stupid not to imo. He's going to lose like 30 pounds next week.

Ok. What else am I upset about? hmmm....oh yeah...the Swanky situation of course. Besides that though...can't think of anything that I'd like to discuss.

Holy moly! I can't believe I almost forgot about something this good. I thought it might be an illusion, so I've been hesitant to say anything, but... I am actually seeing some real ab definition lately...2 little bumps up near my rib cage. I asked my trainer tonight if it was fat rolls, and she said that there was definitely muscle and definition there! I was trying to think of when I've really done anything to achieve this, and then it hit me. Almost everything we do at bootcamp involves our core along with whatever else we're working. Even tonight, we were standing on the Bosu's doing shoulder presses and other things. We also did plank holds and a bunch of other things. If I think about it...I've been doing things to strengthen my abs for several months now. Why shouldn't I be seeing some results? Silly me... I guess I thought that there was so much fat above it that I'd never see the muscle. Stay tuned...

Nothing much to say

Today is one of my rest days, which is nice because I'm very very sore through my inner thighs...and getting more sore by the hour.

I had this fabulous chicken breast for dinner. I bought it from Westborn Fruit Market, and it was stuffed with mozzarella and asparagus. It was a very large portion though. Next time I'll split one with someone else.

Other than that...I've been drinking a lot of water today and getting stuff done. Both feel nice.

I got a very cool compliment Saturday night. Someone who I've known for about 15 years told me that they think I look better now than I ever have since they've known me. That's a pretty big statement, considering they've known me since I was 18...before I had kids.

Ok. That's all. I'm going to bed early tonight.

Star Pupil

Yes, I was the star of bootcamp tonight...but only because I was the only one to show up. It was nice...lower body workout. Treadmill jog 4.0 mph 15% incline for 1 minute, lunges 1.2 mph 6% incline 2 minutes, walk 3.0 mph 2% incline 1 minute, crunches on stability ball holding 10 lb dumbbell over head...repeat all 3 times. Then 15 - 1 leg deadlifts with 10 lbs, 20 of some kind of fast crisscrossing lunges (can't remember the name), then 15 - of something else that I was stepping up with the 10 lb dumbbell overhead...repeat all 3 times.

I feel good. Eating has been ok. Seriously - not stellar, but nothing too bad.

I want to take bootcamp seriously at least until the next assessments (in 3 weeks)...it'll be cool to see how much my hard work pays off. My goal is to not miss one session, so it'll be 3 sessions per week, plus I want to make sure to get in 1 extra workout on the weekend...preferably cardio. It doesn't even have to be at the gym. It just needs to be something physical...like rock climbing.

That's about all I have to say tonight.

It's all in how you look at it...

This is just something funny that my 5 yr old said yesterday. We were out and about yesterday, so we stopped at Wendy's a quick bite to eat. Audrey was eating her chicken sandwich and said, "Mom, this chicken bread salad tastes so good." Hilarious.

There's so much to write, so I don't know if I'll go over it all. Maybe I'll speed blog today.

My "binge" on Friday was not really a binge. It was my way of avoiding a binge. I did well overall, considering what my body or mind was telling me to do.

Saturday, I got up and had an egg on whole wheat toast. Then right before rock climbing, I had a yogurt smoothie and a plain chicken sandwich from Wendy's. Rock climbing was way fun, and I'm so glad we did it. I'm a little sore through my triceps and upper back....which are good places to be sore.

After rock climbing, we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, and I got the chopped salad. I also ate a couple of pieces of bread, but overall I think I did well considering what I could have gotten (baked mac & chz). I was also witness to Melissa being good too - even skipped the bread.

After dinner, my husband I and went to our first Halloween party of the season. I had a little bit of Bailey's, and a couple of beers and steered clear of the crock pots (I didn't even go by that area once).

So, overall, I felt that the damage from yesterday was limited to just a poor day instead of disastrous.

I posted a couple of rock climbing pics below (the last one is me about 50' high). Click here for
the complete album.

Measurements 10/19/07, 5/29/08

I don't even know if I measure all of these right or if it's what the parts are actually called, but I know I do it the same every time. The first number is from October. The second number is from today.

Weight: 138, 124

Neck: 12.5, 12
Chest: 31, 30.5
Bicep: 10.5, 10.5
Waist: 28, 26.5
Hips: 37.5, 36
Abdomen: 38.5, 37.5
Thigh: 22.5, 21
Calf: 14, 13.5

Best...Tea...Ever

Yeah...a cold that I've been trying to fight off for about two weeks now has finally come crashing down on me. I haven't used my sick time at work, so I decided to stay home and rest yesterday. It's probably due to all the weather changes.

I felt so hungry yesterday. I had a breakfast bar. Then an hour later, I made 1 egg on whole wheat toast. Then I was watching The Office from last week (the one with the pizza). So, I did give in to the leftover LC pizza in my fridge. Luckily, there was only one piece left. Then I moved onto tea, and I must say that this is the best tea I've ever had. You might remember that gift bag I won at the gym a few months ago. It included this Aveda tea, but I never tried it until today. It just says Comforting on it. Great stuff.

I tried out Tim Horton's new Fajita Wrap on whole wheat yesterday. This was very tasty. I would definitely get it again. That and their turkey rice soup kept me full for a long time. I ended up having a hot dog on whole wheat later in the day.

Overall, I felt like binging yesterday, and I did give in a little. It could have been soooo much worse though. Today I'm glad that I kept it in check a little yesterday.

I'm so geeked about today. Melissa and I and some others are going rock climbing for Grant's bday party. This cold will not keep me away. It'll be nice to get in a workout through a regular weekend activity. After that, we have a Halloween party to go to.

Stealing from the other Kristen

Another Kristen posted this article on her blog today, and I just had to share it with you guys. Excellent excellent article. I'm sure some of you might have already read it before.

Tonight was another session with Keith the Trainer. I swear he's out to kill us, but I must say that I was so much better tonight than last week. He seems to enjoy making us do lots of lunges, squats, suicides, and sprints...with, oh, about 10 - 15 seconds rest time between sets. There was a new girl there testing out the class, but I don't think she'll be back. I'm so glad I have tomorrow off from the gym. I so need it.

I think that my tone is definitely returning now - and quickly. I'm so excited to see what my bf% will be in 4 weeks at the next assessment. Maybe I shouldn't set myself up for disappointment, but I am feeling so good right now.

So, I read this thing online today about body fat percentages and weight loss. Bear with me here...it took me a few minutes to digest what it was saying. Let's say that I weigh around 140 lbs, and my body fat is 21%, but I'd like to lose 20 pounds. 140 x 21.3% = about 30 pounds of fat, so that means I should have 110 lbs of lean body mass. If I lost 20 pounds of fat, I'd only have 10 lbs of fat left, right? This would put me at about 8% body fat. This is a completely unhealthy bf% for a female. I don't think we're supposed to get below 14%. So...let's say I want to be at 17% bf. 140 x 17% = about 24 lbs of body fat. 24 bf + 110 lean body mass = 134 lbs total. So, as long as I don't lose any lean body mass, I should only aim for 134 lbs as my goal weight to be at 17% bf. Does this sound right? Is bf% the most important thing? And is it possible that I actually have 110 lbs of lean body mass right at this moment? I still feel as if I have a ton of fat to lose - especially around my midsection. Help me out here. How accurate is the skinfold method? The past three of mine have been anywhere from 21.3, 21.9%, and 22.9%.

Sorry to throw all these numbers out there, but I've been obsessing over it all day...

I did well today with my eating. I fought off temptation several times. Serious temptation. First, I walked to Starbucks with someone today, but I didn't get anything. It was almost lunchtime, so I decided I actually needed food instead of more caffeine. Then I asked if they'd go somewhere with me to get something to eat, because I didn't want my Lean Cuisine. However, I thought about the fact that we were going to grab lunch tomorrow, so I should just suffer through my Lean Cuisine, which ended up being good anyways (love the Spa line). Last, but not least, I told the kids last night that we'd get Little Caesars tonight after the gym. Don't scold me, please. I dished out their servings, and put the rest in the fridge. It's sitting in there right now, and I'm not even feeling tempted. I think I'm just so focused right now that I don't want to blow what I've been doing in the gym on a stupid piece or 3 of LC pizza. Instead, I grabbed a bowl of Optimum Recovery (does anyone have an opinion on these?).

I think that's about all I have to say tonight. I look forward to hearing your opinions on my issue. Please don't forget to welcome Silvana.