I really shouldn't do these double posts. I always forget what I shared last time, and a lot can happen in two weeks!
Like, for example, a person's knees could go out.
This is a boo hiss poor me post. Last week there was a night where I had trouble sleeping from the pain in my knees. I woke up the next morning and knew there was no way I'd be working out that day or any day real soon. That was last Friday. Words can't really express how crushed I was by that, as, once again, my knees failed me just as I felt like I was getting close to accomplishing something.
Time to go see a physical therapist.
I plan to make some calls tomorrow and see how this whole process works, but I want to get this figured out for good. If my kneecap simply isn't tracking properly, then maybe it's just a matter of correcting a muscle imbalance. Maybe I can wear a brace. If there's a cartilage issue.. it could be a bit more troublesome. I don't know anything about this stuff, all I know is that it has plagued me my whole life and I am willing to do anything to get it fixed. That is my current focus.
So... yes. I am currently on hiatus from Insanity. And man do I miss it. I was almost done with week four, just about ready for recovery week and then month two.
But there's nothing I can do about that right now, so I have to look at other options. I'm considering P90X with some modifications. I think I would really benefit from the strengthening of P90X in the long run. Perhaps it would even help strengthen my quadriceps enough to get my kneecap tracking properly, who knows. (not me.) I think P90X is more doable with bad knees than Insanity is.
So that's where I'm at.
My weight. It has steadily gone up since starting Insanity. I'm sure birthday week and a whole bunch of graduations didn't really help though. I'm currently at 148.4. I think I'm up 1.5 inches in my waist and a quarter inch in my hips. Not a whole lot of good news in this post.
I am on day one of a shakeology cleanse, however. I know it sounds like a gimmicky thing, but it's three days and it'll be my way of easing into a sugar-free diet. The diet includes three shakeology shakes per day, one piece of fruit, and a salad with lean protein. It only amounts to around 900 calories which sort of makes me cringe, but I will press on through three days as long as I keep feeling okay. Then it's time to move on to my new way of life: the white-out. Mentally I'm there. I have no cravings for sugar today. I'm anxious to start taking care of my diet. I'm confident I will start losing once my diet improves.
I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day. See you next week.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Week 8
Current weight: 144.0. That is a loss of 1.6 pounds from last week. Granted I went up like three pounds that week, but at least we're on the right track now.
And honestly, I can't say the number on the scale has affected me much in this process. I know if I'm putting in the work, so even if the scale doesn't show it, all that matters to me is that I feel better. Which I do.
Inches lost. I lost another half inch in my waist for a total of five inches so far. Hips are holding steady, so just an inch and a half lost there. Side note: it is really hard to keep track of inches. Half the time I can't remember where I measured the previous week so I'm hoping that I'm following this correctly. For my waist measurement I'm going with the narrowest part, and for my hips I'm going with the widest part.
Some have asked why I don't share what my waist and hip measurements actually are since I share my weight. I don't have a ready answer for that. I think of someone's weight just being an arbitrary number for the most part. Someone my height might weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 and look and feel healthy, so I've never put much stock in that number. But measurements are different somehow. Maybe a bit too revealing. I'm not sure. I'm happy to share the difference I'm seeing each week, but sharing the actual number feels too personal.
Okay. Exercise! I have finished two whole weeks of Insanity. I can officially say that's further than I've ever gotten through the program without missing workouts. Since I began Insanity, I have lost three inches in my waist and a quarter inch in my hips. I have been very, very happy with this program. Not even because it's helping me to lose weight or inches. Ultimately it's just something I want to complete, and I feel very accomplished when I log that workout every day. I saw something on Pinterest but can't find it now. It was something like this:
I just recently began getting through the entire warm up without taking a break, and I can't even say that I do that every time. His warm up is no joke. In fact, a few months ago when I had decided I couldn't do Insanity yet, I had thought about just doing the warm up for my daily workout. It is absolutely wicked. So yes, getting through these workouts is a huge victory for me. Insanity is helping me in other areas as well. I was itching to go for a jog last night, and I ended up going four miles in 50 minutes. I previously could go around a half mile. That's after just two weeks of Insanity. So to say that I'm excited to see what happens after all nine weeks is a massive understatement.
Getting long-winded here.
Diet: guess who has two stubby thumbs and wants to try something new? Story of my life. Ever since I got pregnant with Ember, I have had intentions of going back to my no-sugar diet. I call it a diet not because it's a fad but because it's a lifestyle change I want to make. (I hate it when people say lifestyle change, by the way.) It's basically a white-out diet: less than 20 grams of table sugar a day, no white flour, rice, potatoes, dairy, or bananas. Why bananas? I think I'm prone to insulin resistance, and bananas are on the nix-list for people who are trying to overcome it. I think the rest of those are fairly self-explanatory.
The reason I want to get back to this diet is because I can't even explain how fantastic I felt when I was avoiding those foods. I already generally avoid dairy, rice, potatoes, and white flour. I want to make more of a conscious effort though, so I can really see how it affects how I feel. Plus, when I did this before, I lost over two pounds a week without exercising, so I would love to see how it stacks up when doing Insanity as well. And I like that it doesn't involve calorie counting at all. It just precludes me from making bad decisions almost entirely.
This has gone on long enough. Oh, I did want to add that I most definitely am a morning exerciser. After two weeks of getting up and getting it done, I won't do it any other way. I love getting it done first thing.
Have a great week, everyone! See you next week.
And honestly, I can't say the number on the scale has affected me much in this process. I know if I'm putting in the work, so even if the scale doesn't show it, all that matters to me is that I feel better. Which I do.
Inches lost. I lost another half inch in my waist for a total of five inches so far. Hips are holding steady, so just an inch and a half lost there. Side note: it is really hard to keep track of inches. Half the time I can't remember where I measured the previous week so I'm hoping that I'm following this correctly. For my waist measurement I'm going with the narrowest part, and for my hips I'm going with the widest part.
Some have asked why I don't share what my waist and hip measurements actually are since I share my weight. I don't have a ready answer for that. I think of someone's weight just being an arbitrary number for the most part. Someone my height might weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 and look and feel healthy, so I've never put much stock in that number. But measurements are different somehow. Maybe a bit too revealing. I'm not sure. I'm happy to share the difference I'm seeing each week, but sharing the actual number feels too personal.
Okay. Exercise! I have finished two whole weeks of Insanity. I can officially say that's further than I've ever gotten through the program without missing workouts. Since I began Insanity, I have lost three inches in my waist and a quarter inch in my hips. I have been very, very happy with this program. Not even because it's helping me to lose weight or inches. Ultimately it's just something I want to complete, and I feel very accomplished when I log that workout every day. I saw something on Pinterest but can't find it now. It was something like this:
I just recently began getting through the entire warm up without taking a break, and I can't even say that I do that every time. His warm up is no joke. In fact, a few months ago when I had decided I couldn't do Insanity yet, I had thought about just doing the warm up for my daily workout. It is absolutely wicked. So yes, getting through these workouts is a huge victory for me. Insanity is helping me in other areas as well. I was itching to go for a jog last night, and I ended up going four miles in 50 minutes. I previously could go around a half mile. That's after just two weeks of Insanity. So to say that I'm excited to see what happens after all nine weeks is a massive understatement.
Getting long-winded here.
Diet: guess who has two stubby thumbs and wants to try something new? Story of my life. Ever since I got pregnant with Ember, I have had intentions of going back to my no-sugar diet. I call it a diet not because it's a fad but because it's a lifestyle change I want to make. (I hate it when people say lifestyle change, by the way.) It's basically a white-out diet: less than 20 grams of table sugar a day, no white flour, rice, potatoes, dairy, or bananas. Why bananas? I think I'm prone to insulin resistance, and bananas are on the nix-list for people who are trying to overcome it. I think the rest of those are fairly self-explanatory.
The reason I want to get back to this diet is because I can't even explain how fantastic I felt when I was avoiding those foods. I already generally avoid dairy, rice, potatoes, and white flour. I want to make more of a conscious effort though, so I can really see how it affects how I feel. Plus, when I did this before, I lost over two pounds a week without exercising, so I would love to see how it stacks up when doing Insanity as well. And I like that it doesn't involve calorie counting at all. It just precludes me from making bad decisions almost entirely.
This has gone on long enough. Oh, I did want to add that I most definitely am a morning exerciser. After two weeks of getting up and getting it done, I won't do it any other way. I love getting it done first thing.
Have a great week, everyone! See you next week.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Week 7
The body is a funny thing. After an entire week of working out harder than I have in years (or ever), I somehow managed to put on three pounds. My official weight on Monday morning was 145.6. I could sit and analyze what happened or speculate about reasons why it went up rather than down, but ultimately all that matters to me is that I feel great. I feel stronger already. I don't have any knee pain, which surprises me. And I'm starting to be able to do the pushups unmodified, although my wrist still hurts a little bit at times. I don't push it too much.
Another reason I'm not agonizing over my weight too much is the fact that I dropped 2.5 inches in my waist in one week. A quarter inch in my hips. Overall that's 4.5 inches lost in the waist and 1.5 inches in the hips.
Insanity is different this time. The first few times I tried it, it was a constant inner struggle to start the dvd, let alone finish it. This time I look forward to the workout, and I have more mental stamina to push through the difficult parts. It feels very empowering.
I've been trying to get my workout started by 6, but it poses a dilemma where breakfast is concerned. I don't like to eat too much right before working out, but it's not recommended to try to do this workout on an empty stomach either. My solution? I need to get up even earlier. I'm going to be setting my alarm for 5. That way I can eat breakfast and start the workout about 30 minutes later. I would like to start by 5:45 daily because in a few weeks we'll be hitting the hour long workouts and I'll need to get up earlier anyway.
One of the biggest things I'm learning is that a support group is vital to sticking to this program. I am meeting a lot of new people who are starting out with this program for the first time and a few that have completed it before but are doing it again. We network with each other and help to keep each other accountable. We share tips and motivations, and congratulate each other on progress made. It has made a world of difference for me this time.
Now: diet. Couple of things. First, for the rest of this program I'm going to give up coffee. I've already quit drinking anything but water and coffee, but now it's time that coffee gets the boot. I need to get my water intake up and coffee is hindering that.
Second: Shakeology. I bought a 30 day supply of chocolate shakeology. The instructions say to mix one scoop with 8 oz of liquid, but that is way too chocolatey to be palatable. I use half a scoop for 10-12 oz of liquid. I have to say I do enjoy it that way. I use it as a snack every day and it tides me over for a very long time. I kind of wonder if it has acted as a recovery drink as well, because I haven't had any soreness or stiffness to contend with.
Third: meal planning. There is a nutrition guide with the program. I am reviewing the recipes and compiling my grocery list so I can start after I get groceries on Thursday. I was also given a copy of the "Slim in 6" diet plan. It's very clean eating, lots of lean protein and veggies, very few carbs. It's only recommended for 6 days but I want to see if I can modify it a bit so it's more balanced. I don't like to "diet", meaning I don't like to try eating plans if I don't think it's something I can do forever. If I can only do a plan for a few days or a week, it must not be healthy in the long term.
I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm very anxious to give the nutrition guide a try and see how it reflects on the scale and in measurements next week. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep pushing play.
Another reason I'm not agonizing over my weight too much is the fact that I dropped 2.5 inches in my waist in one week. A quarter inch in my hips. Overall that's 4.5 inches lost in the waist and 1.5 inches in the hips.
Insanity is different this time. The first few times I tried it, it was a constant inner struggle to start the dvd, let alone finish it. This time I look forward to the workout, and I have more mental stamina to push through the difficult parts. It feels very empowering.
I've been trying to get my workout started by 6, but it poses a dilemma where breakfast is concerned. I don't like to eat too much right before working out, but it's not recommended to try to do this workout on an empty stomach either. My solution? I need to get up even earlier. I'm going to be setting my alarm for 5. That way I can eat breakfast and start the workout about 30 minutes later. I would like to start by 5:45 daily because in a few weeks we'll be hitting the hour long workouts and I'll need to get up earlier anyway.
One of the biggest things I'm learning is that a support group is vital to sticking to this program. I am meeting a lot of new people who are starting out with this program for the first time and a few that have completed it before but are doing it again. We network with each other and help to keep each other accountable. We share tips and motivations, and congratulate each other on progress made. It has made a world of difference for me this time.
Now: diet. Couple of things. First, for the rest of this program I'm going to give up coffee. I've already quit drinking anything but water and coffee, but now it's time that coffee gets the boot. I need to get my water intake up and coffee is hindering that.
Second: Shakeology. I bought a 30 day supply of chocolate shakeology. The instructions say to mix one scoop with 8 oz of liquid, but that is way too chocolatey to be palatable. I use half a scoop for 10-12 oz of liquid. I have to say I do enjoy it that way. I use it as a snack every day and it tides me over for a very long time. I kind of wonder if it has acted as a recovery drink as well, because I haven't had any soreness or stiffness to contend with.
Third: meal planning. There is a nutrition guide with the program. I am reviewing the recipes and compiling my grocery list so I can start after I get groceries on Thursday. I was also given a copy of the "Slim in 6" diet plan. It's very clean eating, lots of lean protein and veggies, very few carbs. It's only recommended for 6 days but I want to see if I can modify it a bit so it's more balanced. I don't like to "diet", meaning I don't like to try eating plans if I don't think it's something I can do forever. If I can only do a plan for a few days or a week, it must not be healthy in the long term.
I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm very anxious to give the nutrition guide a try and see how it reflects on the scale and in measurements next week. In the meantime, I'm just going to keep pushing play.
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