Trainer-less

After 29 weeks, I'm saying goodbye to the luxury of a personal trainer. I thought about it for a long time before I made the decision, but I knew that I would need to move on by myself eventually, and it just seemed like a good transition time. When I first signed on with her at NFPT, we started with a 12 week contract and eventually kept going because we saw great results. Now, I've absorbed a wealth of knowledge about weight lifting, cardio, and nutrition, and I'm ready to soar on my own wings. Or at least I'm hoping something like that works out.

So what's my plan?

Well, I still want to keep up with lifting weights, and I have a membership at the gym at Purdue, so that should help. They have a TON of equipment and it's in a fairly convenient location. I have the training schedule that I used from NFPT and hope to knock out the weights as often as possible. I have to admit, I will really miss the motivation and the accountability that Lydia provided. Not to mention her help with proper form! Ah, her role in my weight loss has been priceless and I know there will be a huge void as I transition. I'm thankful that we're friends and I'll still see her around Lafayette!!!!

So I guess I'm excited and nervous all at once. I have confidence that I can do this on my own, and really, there's nothing on my mind that even hints at quitting or or giving up.

Pictures: Week 9

I'm mustering up the guts to post these. Maybe because I see progress? Maybe because I'm shedding pride? Maybe because I still need accountability? Still not really sure, and I certainly have a long way to go...but these results are pretty inspiring.

And just for kicks, above is a picture of me and Lydia, posing for a photo op at her recent boot camp that I attended. The weight I'm holding represents the weight I once was carrying- 20lbs heavier!

Success

Well, I'll just get right down to it.

I've lost 20 lbs!!!!


When I stepped on that scale on Wednesday, I literally had to step off and step back on again to believe myself. The thought of it still makes me smile! I mean, not that five or ten pounds isn't a great accomplishment-- I guess it's probably because it's the biggest weight loss I've had yet in my life, and I feel confident I can lose even more.

Everyone always says that you plateau at some point in your weight loss, right? Week 7 and 8 really proved that for me. I didn't lose one pound during the course of those two weeks...I only fluctuated like two or three pounds between days. I was a bit discouraged because I was eating really clean and getting out almost daily to put in some cardio. When I got on the scale, I had to keep telling myself that this must be plateau time and to keep pushing through and to not give up. Of course, on week 9, I was able to shed like 4.5lbs in four days. I certainly need to give credit to my love, Lydia, and my wonderful support group of friends that helped me through those rough weeks.

Setbacks...

1. Last week was rough. Didn't lose any weight. In fact, I gained. It was hard towards the end of the week and over the weekend when I went on a weekend business trip. Frustrating. 

2. I actually didn't work out on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, which was hard. I had played a short match of tennis on Thursday, and I woke up with a screaming-bloody-murder charlie horse in my calf that night. My leg and heel were throbbing. Thankfully, Lydia gave me the day off to rest up on Friday, and I was ready to go by Monday morning.  

3. I started going to a yoga class last week. Feels great. I certainly need that stretching session, and I'd like to keep going once a week. I went again tonight and felt even more flexible than I did the week prior, but there's a long way to go. 

4. I've battled with myself to set my goals for the month of May...at times thinking big, and at other times knowing I'll fail. I've finally set them, and I'll make another post out of that some time this week. 

5. Lastly, I'm finally accomplishing one of my goals from week 6- to post a before and after picture. Not gonna lie, I'm still super self-conscious of putting a picture up here. Initially it's really embarrassing, but I think it will help me feel even more accountable.

On the left is week 1, on the right is week 7

Changes

I was talking to my trainer yesterday about how  from just 6 weeks ago my mindset is different than what it is now. Six weeks ago I still had a good idea of what healthy food was, or so I thought. I probably would've gone to Chipotle and ordered a burrito bowl and thought I was doing well. Six weeks ago, if I was playing a game of volleyball and two games of Frisbee golf, I was doing good on exercising for the week. Six weeks ago, I was still making 'healthy' spaghetti, because I used whole wheat pasta.

Now, six weeks later, I'm thankful to see how both my mindset and body has changed. Sure, I still have a long way to go, and many changes to be made, but all in all, I see a steady incline of progress.

Last night I ordered a simple turkey sandwich on white bread from Jimmy Johns and added spinach, tomato, avocado, and some goat cheese when I got home. Sounds ok, right? Hm. Before, I probably downed that sandwich and would've been ready for more food to follow. But last night, after finishing the entire sandwich, I felt really bloated and it almost stopped me from going out on an evening jog.

I've Lydia's been pushing my body to go farther than I would ever have pushed myself before during my workouts. That being said, this whole week, whether I work out at the gym or not, I've been going outside for some cardio work as well. Normally I'd think that just one work out a day is sufficient, and that my body couldn't physically handle more. While I do think that one work out per day is great, it's encouraging to know that at this time, my can still handle more and it's helping me to see results.

Progress is encouraging.

Inspired

Just got back from a wonderful 45 minute jog/walk at a local State Park. I've been dreading taking another jog, as the last one really wore me out. I can actually say that this one really did feel great! I surprised myself with how long I was able to jog before walking- 7 minutes! (I know, I know, I have a long way to go) BUT. This is a huge accomplishment for me, since last year at this time I could hardly finish a 2:1 jog/walk ratio 5 times.

This definitely makes me think.... maybe another 5K? Hm. I'll do some research. 

I have a few goals for this week, as I'm really going to try to make it my best week yet. 

1. Lose 3 lbs!!! 

2. Do cardio 5 times during this week (outside of the training at NFPT)

3. Post progress pictures. I'm not really looking forward to this goal, but I think it will encourage me even more to keep up the shredding. 

Lastly, here's an inspirational gal that I've been watching on this season of The Biggest Loser. She's eliminated now, but her starting weight was 264, and is now 190!

picture credit: 

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20579192,00.html

Goals

Week 2.

Starting out with a bang!

I had a great workout yesterday with Clay (super nice!), another trainer that works at NFPT. Lydia is out on vacation, so he generously stepped up to the plate to help me out. I was breathing pretty hard and my heart was a-pounding after the 45 minute work out, but once I got home, I realized that it was the first time I didn't feel like I should be puking! Which must mean.....(drum roll) improvement! Exciting stuff.

We mostly worked on core exercises, which were all difficult to finish, but the most strenuous was the one that worked my back muscles. It's so hard to keep good form and use the correct muscles. Took a lot of concentration. Good news is, my back was sore today, so I must've done something right.

Before I get too far into the start of my blog, I thought I'd share my goals that Lydia had me create before our first workout. I think it's good for me to get them out there. It gives me some sort of feeling that more people must be keeping me accountable to them. (Right?)

Here we go!

Short-term goals:

• Make weekly goals and share with Lydia to help me stay accountable
  
• Weigh 235 by mid-June
  
• Find cardio exercises that I enjoy (possibly biking outdoors, zumba, yoga, or hiking)
• Bike to work as often as possible
• Bike to NFPT as often as possible
  
• Journal my journey on blogger at least once a week
• Work on curbing/decreasing my food intake by: eating more raw veggies, juicing, portion control, and controlling special occasion meals (that last one is my vice....)
  
• Research & study! The more I know, the easier it is for me to say no!

Goals with Lydia:

• Push and stretch me beyond what I think my capabilities are
• Find exercises that target areas of my body that need focus
  
• Learn more about food from her (and her influence's) perspective
• Keep me accountable to my goals (for both workouts and diet)

Long-term goals:

• Reach my target weight by June of 2013 (means an average weight loss of 1 1/2 lbs per week!)
• Compete in a race?
• Find an enjoyable cardio workout during the winter (swimming indoors?)
• Find a work-out buddy for accountability and encouragement
• Possibly go gluten-free?

And that's that.

My weekly goal for this week is to eat healthy snacks between meals.

Onward!