Day 8: Ripped in 30 workout #2

Usually I do my Jillian DVD first thing in the morning. Today I was feeling off when I woke up. I had a hard time sleeping and when my alarm went off I was in the middle of a frustrating dream where I was trying to play music with the guitarist from Frank Sullivan and Dirty Kitchen (YouTube it, they're great) but my strings kept slipping or I'd lose my picks or something. Argh!

Also, I was hungry. So I ate first. I ate a grapefruit then went right into my workout. Please learn from my mistake. Grapefruit doesn't feel good in your throat while you're trying to exercise.

On to the workout. Much better and tougher than last week. Scorpion pushups are back from week 7 of BR. I like those. This workout hits the abs harder. Lots of plank variations. The first cardio segment is tough because it's all bouncing around in plank.

There was a move I didn't get because you're supposed to sit with your legs out front and palms on the ground and then lift yourself. My arms must be short because that wasn't happening. I made the move work somehow but it was odd.

I'm looking forward to doing this workout again tomorrow after a good nights rest.

Day 5: I Crave Variety!

The Ripped in 30 program says you should do the workouts 5 or 6 times per week. Ladies, I'm shooting for 5. I am so sick of doing the same workout every day. Week 1 is way too easy and short. It's good since I'm getting some strength training in without having it impact my running and it's been good to maintain my morning workout routine. I've heard that it's beneficial to have an "easy" week every now and then so maybe this will be good in the long run.

However, this morning when I was doing circuit two (the one where I wish I owned heavier weights because it doesn't do anything for me), I felt like I was wasting time. I know you don't have to be super sore all the time to know you're getting a good workout, but I do want to feel the burn more than I did. Circuits one and three are definitely more challenging, but they're so short!

A friend at work is doing 30 Day Shred and she said the same thing about phase 1 in that program. She switched over to phase 2 after two days. I could have done that too, I know, but it's part of my disease. I call it BRiOCD - Body Revolution induced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I want to do the program and I'm going to do the program, dagnabit! Just the workout part of the program though. My OCD has a limit and that limit is 1200 calories per day.

Luckily there's that 5 or 6 days loophole. I'm still going to work out tomorrow, but I'll pick something else. I went on an Amazon shopping spree a couple of weeks ago and stocked up on some workout DVDs so I'll let you know tomorrow which one I do. Today will be a longer run again. Hopefully between 7 and 8 miles.

I switched it up this week with my CSA delivery. You might remember I've been getting a box of veggies delivered from a local farm once per month. It's been great, but I had a little more than I could eat in a week and I was stopping by the store a lot for fruit. I switched it up this week and got the family box. It's still a lot of produce for household of one adult and two children, but I think it will be perfect.

My first delivery arrived yesterday and included raspberries. It came in handy this morning when I was in a huge rush and needed to pack a quick breakfast - greek yogurt with a splash of vanilla extract and all the raspberries. YUM! I also threw a bunch of carrots and radishes in my lunchbox with the hummus I made yesterday so my snack is covered. So convenient. I've also started getting a dozen eggs every other week. It's my dream in life to only have to go to the store for meat, dairy and baking supplies.

Day 4: The cure for binge eating--eat more!

Yesterday, Myfitpal calculated my calories at 1660 including the beer I had after dinner. I don't know how accurate that is. I hear people normally underestimate their calorie consumption and I have to guess about some things--a serving of salmon is the size of a deck of cards?

I figure that ending up around 1660 maybe means I'm really at 1800. I have no idea and I'm just not into it enough to weigh all my food.

But I have to say, I'm loving an 1800 calorie per day goal. I know I'm only 3 days in, but I've been eating 3 small meals and two small snacks and having a treat every day. I don't feel like I'm fighting with myself anymore.

Time will tell, but I'm hoping this is the cure for binge eating.

Ripped in 30 day 4 this morning. One thing that's nice about this program is that everything's on the same DVD. Body Revolution (and those other 90 day programs) could be more earth-friendly by putting things together like this.

I've memorized this workout. I can do it one more time but that's it. Time to move on! I'm amazed at how Jillian can keep talking for so long. I'd run out of stuff to say.

Easy 4 mile run later today. My hamstrings are still sore, but they always are when I'm running.

Banjo lesson tonight! I think I'll get a new song tonight. Yeehaw!

Day 3: Another Mother Runner podcast

I love podcasts. I listen to them when I'm cleaning, cooking, doing more repetitive work tasks, running...you name it. I always get excited when I find a new one to listen to. Yesterday I started listening to Another Mother Runner podcast and I think you all would like it as much as I do. It's a couple of running moms talking about running and life and how running fits in to a mom's life.

They're also frequent contributers to Runner's World and other health magazines so they aren't just making stuff up. They interview experts for a living. They've also written a couple of books. I've read the first one and I enjoyed it. It's called "Run Like a Mother" in case you're interested.

Speaking of running, it may be time for me to dust off the old Garmin. Remember how yesterday I wanted to run between 7 and 8? I did the first part of my run with a friend and then tacked on an extra loop that I guessed would get me the distance. When I mapped the run later I found that it was 8.3 miles. Not too bad. My hamstrings are aching today though.

I did Ripped in 30 this morning. I'm already looking forward to switching up to Workout 2 next week. Week 1 is pretty basic. I find myself wishing I owned heavier weights during the 2nd circuit. I have to keep reminding myself that it's not bad to take it a little easier with the weights this week since I'm ramping my mileage back up so quickly. No run planned for today. It's a running rest day.

Lastly, you know how I was making fun of pop tarts yesterday for their "made with whole grains" label? Well, I need to backtrack just a bit. I've been craving ice cream sandwiches for weeks. I had some calories leftover at the end of the day yesterday so I figured I'd get one. I bought the "skinny cow" brand at the grocery store. The packaging has a slender cow with a measuring tape around it's waist and calls out that they're only 150 calories and 2 grams of fat.

You guys, these are not a health food. Do you know how many calories are in regular ice cream sandwiches? They range from 160 to 180. About the same as in one pop tart.

You know how much guilt I had about eating one? None. I aimed for 1800 calories yesterday. Myfitnesspal had me around 1670 including the ice cream sandwich. I think I'll be fine.

Day 2: fresh start

Bathroom is clean, floor is vacuumed, closets are picked through and donation items are in the car ready for drop off. Laundry...well, that's a never ending project but I'm mostly caught up. One load in the dryer.

Yesterday I got 4.5 miles on the treadmill. I kept the pace slowish and messed with the incline buttons a bit. I went up half a percent grade every mile. It kept me interested. My hamstrings are sore today.

So, day 2 of Ripped in 30 this morning. The warmup still seems long, but the rest felt even faster. It's definitely easier than the end of Body Revolution, but a week of easier moves may be beneficial. Who knows? I'm concerned about working all the same muscles every day. I thought a day of rest in between was ideal. I'm still going to go for it and see what happens.

You may have noticed I gained 2 pounds between the time I bought my scale and my final weigh in. There are a couple of reasons. One is candy. The candy bowl at work and all the treats everyone brings in have gotten the better of me these last two weeks. Also I was doing a lot less cardio.

These are both solvable problems. Ive decided to add in my extra calories by having a mid-morning snack. So this morning I had a protein shake with banana after my workout. In an hour or so I'll heat up a banana blueberry muffin at work. Lunch is leftover salmon and veggies. Afternoon snack will be apples and cinnamon with cheese. I think it will be plenty.

As for cardio, these races are motivational. I'm planning on a slow 7 miles during my lunch break today. I'll take tomorrow off running and then run again Thursday and Friday.

Lastly, my neighbor's friend works for whatever brand makes pop tarts so she brought three packs of these over. I'm going to trash them next time the kids are with their dad, but the packaging made me laugh. Look! They're made with whole grain!

Day 88!!: EIGHTY-EIGHT!!!!!

I had to drive home during my lunch break to get my workout in today, but I did it and I liked it. Workout 11 is challenging. My triceps are stressed to their max at a few points. Chataranga - HELLO! By the end I feel like a full fledged stud muffin.

The field trip yesterday was exhausting. Those kids are so full of energy. I didn't really even do anything that active, but watching them wiped me out. It was fun though and I know my son loved having me there so I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I was pretty shocked by some of the lunches these kids were packing though. One kid literally had cheetos, a ding dong, and some candy that looked like breadsticks dipped in chocolate. Another girl had a bag of pepperoni and a diet soda. And then there was a lunchable that was tortilla chips with a side of fake cheese. What the hell? Just because it has "lunch" in the title doesn't mean it's food.

This probably sounds incredibly self-righteous. I'm not actually one of those moms who deprives her kids of treats. It just seems like the bare minimum to make sure they're coming to school with an actual lunch, whether it's homemade or from the cafeteria.

I guess I'm just surprised that not everyone is as incredibly anal about their kids food as I am.

In conclusion, it's much easier for me to control my children's diet than my own and also I DID WORKOUT 11!!!

Day 87: EIGHTY-SEVEN!!!

Cardio 3 this morning. Only 1 more time with this one. You may remember I started it a week ahead of schedule because I got bored with cardio 2 which I started early because I got bored with cardio 1.

Well, it bores me now. Not jillian's fault. I just need to change it up. The strategy of turning the volume down and listening to a podcast instead really helps me get through for now. I've decided that having a cardio DVD is important for those weekends when I'm housebound so I just need a new one.

I'm taking the day off from work to chaperone a third grade field trip. It's going to be so fun. Since I have a day job I can't go into the classrooms a bunch like other moms. Field trips are where I make my appearance. This year only 5 parents could come along so it was lucky I got picked.

As for podcasts, I've been listening to the fit 2 fat podcast that Jessica recommended (thanks!). These guys make sense. I'm going to up my calorie allotment to 1800. The trick is going to be having enough healthful food on hand so I'm not snacking on peanut mnms for the last 300 cals.

Anyway, that's a preview of what's coming ahead for me. More later. Have a great day!

Day 81: home with a sick kid

He doesn't look sick, does he? My youngest threw up last night. I think he's fine now but I'm staying home with him today. This means two things.

1. I got to sleep in until 7am before getting up for workout 11.

2. I will be playing monopoly all day long.

I was able to find some before pictures from last November when I just started lifting weights so I'll post those in 9 days. Honestly, I'm not sure you'll be able to see much of a difference. I think there's a difference, but it's subtle. I really should've taken measurements.

The Jillian Michaels podcast was interesting this week. She talked a little about body revolution at the end and said its not really for the person looking to lose 10 pounds. She said taking someone who's basically fit down to 1200 calories would mess up their metabolism. Now you tell me!

I hit 1200 calories on some days, but not often. If I do it more than 3 days in a row it leads to overeating by the fourth day. 1500 calories seems to be doable but I'm not losing any weight. I don't know what the best thing to do is.

Even if BR wasn't meant for someone like me, I think it's been worth it. I've definitely gotten into the habit of working out in the mornings. I'm planning on keeping that up when this is over.

I ordered a couple of new DVDs to use next. One based on Jillian's recommendation from her podcast. I'll let you know what it is on day 91.

Day 79: blast from the past

Back in November I participated in a fashion show for sales meeting at work. It was a lot of fun. It was mostly people from the office and one professional model to do the sports bras.

The pro had an amazing body. She was all muscle. I was completely inspired. I was also inspired in a different way when backstage someone who didn't know me patted my belly and asked if I was pregnant.

I bought 6-week 6-pack and No More Trouble Zones shortly after. 6 pack was ok. NMTZ was a great workout. I was so surprised because it was the first DVD I could do 2-3 times a week without getting bored. I did it for probably three months and saw good results then moved on to Body Revolution.

Last night was another sales meeting with another fashion show. It was all pros this time. I was inspired again, but only in a good way. Those chicks are so strong! I was their arms and abs!!

I stuck to my water only plan and got a few comments about it. I wanted water though. I had a little of a lot of things at the buffet (nothing too crazy) so I probably could've skipped something and had a glass of wine, but knowing myself it would've turned into 3 glasses.

Workout 12 again this morning. I did 12 wheel pushups during each circuit. On the 2nd I tried putting a leg up but didn't get very far. It was funny.

My challenge today will be to not snack at my desk. I had a snack attack yesterday but was able to curb it with sugar free gum.

Day 76: return of the willpower

Woah. I did awesome yesterday despite being surrounded by free food all day. I don't know where this self restraint came from.

There was a potluck for the gal who sits next to me because it was her last day at work. Our desks were the gathering place for all the goodies including a whole foods chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls, and cookies.

Under normal circumstances I would've just had a piece if cake, but since I've eaten so much candy this week I just couldn't justify it so I didn't.

Later in the afternoon was the first "Friday run" party of the year at my company. In the summer we have an organized run/walk time at 3:30 on Fridays and then we all head to the cafeteria for free snacks and beer and a raffle. Free beer. I had none. I didn't want it.

So that's what I didn't eat. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast - chicken sausage wrap from Starbucks and some fruit brought in for the potluck.

Lunch - reasonable portions of chopped salad, pasta salad, veggies from the potluck. This was spread out enough that it counts as snack too.

Dinner - 2 scrambled eggs. Sautéed zucchini, 4 green onions, 6 shiitake mushrooms.

My run was great. I started out with my usual running buddy because our pace is similar but she's training for a 50k and wanted to go farther. I finished by myself and really cranked it out. I've been stressed this week about the job and feeling anxious and overbooked so it felt so good to work all that out at a good speed. The weather was amazing too which always helps.

Today should be good. I have baseball games to attend and camping to prepare for. One of my sons has a birthday party to go to so I'll get some one-on-one time with the other. That's rare and I'm looking forward to it.

Have a great weekend.

Day 75: Finishing strong

Workout 12 this morning again. I did all the wheel pushups. When I'm upside-down I can  see my reflection in the sliding glass door and I look ridiculous. Happy, but ridiculous. I really like the last move of this workout where you are in a crab position and lift the opposite arm and foot towards each other. Feels good!

Now for a confession. Ugh. I hate confessions. I've pretty much taken this whole last week off food wise. I've been snacking like the old me and raiding the office candy jar. I think I just got so sick of being vigilant all the time and thinking about calories constantly. I needed a break. Will power with food is a million times harder for me than will power with exercise. Excersize is over in 30 minutes. I can eat all day long!

The kicker is that I know I have some serious abs going on underneath my jiggle. Jillian has definitely delivered in this department. I've got that baby 2-pack on the top, but also I can see those lines on the sides wanting to emerge. I'm hiding some awesome abs with a thick layer of candy. This makes no sense.

This is the final 15, ladies. Fifteen days of spot on, excellent food choices. I'm going to report it all here, starting tomorrow. It's going to be good. I really need to get a measuring tape.

Cardio 3 and I are friends again

It took me 10 weeks to realize why the cardio dvds are such a drag, but I finally had a breakthrough today. I went home during my lunch break to get in my Cardio 3 since I won't be able to do it this weekend and I have Body Revolution induced OCD which makes me need to get my workouts in one way or another each week or I fear something awful will happen, like weight gain.

It happened right away. The first two seconds of the first move. I was having an awesome time. It was fun. A couple more moves in and I was jumping as high as David (or imagining I was). I had tons of energy the whole entire time.

My theory is that it was because I wasn't doing it at 5:30 in the morning. My evidence is that every time I've done a cardio dvd on the weekend in the afternoon it's been a lot more fun and I've done a lot better with it.

Conclusion - it's not Cardio 3, it's me. Cardio is funner when I'm fully awake.

In other news. I've felt starving for 2 days now. Really, really hungry. I've already eaten all my calories for today and it's 3pm. I tried drinking water and waiting half an hour and eating a piece of fruit and waiting another half an hour, but I'm legit hungry.

In cases like these I feel like the best solution is to just eat. I've given up on worrying about calories now and I'm just going to focus on eating good, clean food and being mindful.

Full disclosure: I was mindful of a couple fun-size MnMs earlier today and I hope to be mindful of at least one glass of wine tonight. Today that's the best I can do.

Day 58: workout 10

This workout is hard. I'm dripping sweat right now. This will be for me what workout 7 was in the last couple of DVDs. A gauge for improvement.

Weighted cardio is killer. Probably harder than any of the strength moves although those were plenty hard too. Woodchoppers are back. You know how I feel about those. Ugh. I'm focusing extra hard on the down and up motion trying to not twist my knee.

My favorite move today was the pigeon. I think it was with a bicep curl. You stand on one leg and cross your ankle over your knee an squat. It was a great stretch for my butt.

Now I want to talk about trouble zones. Not muffin top or jiggly arms, but those places where you go and there's crap food everywhere. Specifically work and kid sporting events.

Today my department is having a couple of celebrations. One is for a birthday and the other is for a guy returning from competing in a 100k race. There will be brownies and cheesecake. My boyfriend made the cheesecake specifically because he knows I like cheesecake. I like it a lot. I don't even know how to work this into my calorie allowance except to run long during my lunch break to make up for some of it. I've been on such a roll with the good eating too!

There are candy bowls all over the place at work. I used to grab a couple handfuls every day and another on my way out. I still sometimes will take a piece but it's probably once a week and only one.

Another trouble zone is more for parenting. I've got baseball games three times a week right now. When I was a kid the treat after the game would maybe be a granola bar or an otter pop. Now it's a full on goody bag with multiple processes items in it. Capri sun, teddy grams, fruit snacks. Kids aren't hungry for dinner after all that! Peewee football was even worse. When we had a game near Halloween a parent brought each of the boys a lunch sack filled with candy. It's no wonder Americans are overweight.

That's my little rant for the day.

I'm taking a coworker out to coffee this morning because she's quitting to be a stay at home mom. I'm trying to decide if I want to go after her job.

Quartet practice tonight. Hopefully early to bed and early to rise tomorrow for cardio 3.

Day 53: Greek nachos changed my life

You know when you have a meal so delicious that you are sad to brush your teeth because the taste will go away? That happened to me last night with the Greek Nachos. This picture I took with my phone sucks. Please everyone go make this anyway.

I found whole grain pita bread and cut it into triangles and baked at 375 until toasted, then topped it with sauteed lamb and onion, tomato, cucumber, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. I'm having this again tonight. I've never been so excited for dinner.

Workout 7 was this morning. I'm sad to see it go. I will definitely be doing this workout again after the 90 days are over, either with the video or just doing the routine on my own.

Not much else to say today. I hope everyone has a great day!

Day 44: workout 8 and my huge breakfast

I was really tired yesterday so I went to bed at 9 and was asleep by 9:30. Then I kept waking up! It was awful.

So when I finally got out if bed around 5:15 I wasn't feeling ready to workout. Fortunately, true to the pattern, the 2nd workout of the week isn't as hard has the first. Workout 8 was tough, but the really hard part wasn't until circuit 3.

Let's chat about circuit 3. It's sadistic. You go from flys in a crescent lunge for the first move to balancing on one leg in a flat back position with your other leg behind you while holding weights in front of you. It kills. Jillian suggests 3 pound weights but my smallest are five so I put one down in between and held one with both hands.

There are some more cable moves here but I didn't like them as much. It takes me forever to wrap them just right twice around my feet and still they feel uneven like the tension is off.

Moving on to food. I lost my mind this last weekend and did some damage. The scale is up a pound and i feel it. Therefore, I have declared this week "no cheat week" for me. That means no food cheating. At all. No booze. No sugar. No nibbling. It's going to be good. I can do this!

Here's what I've been having for breakfast lately. I have to be aggressive with the veggies in order to use up all the stuff I get in my csa box each week.

Today's medley includes kale, broccoli rabe, garlic, green onion, tomato, carrot, and orange bell pepper. I splash the veggies with champagne vinegar and fry an egg on the side. It makes for a huge breakfast and it keeps me full till lunchtime.

Zucchini results

I'm down from 12 zucchini to 4 as if this writing. A couple I sautéed and ate with my morning eggs. One I made into hummus and ate with cucumber and radishes. Three I made into brownies (recipe on allrecipes.com) and two I baked in some muffins. Y

Did you know about a site called skinnytaste.com? A friend told me about it and I found a tasty looking recipe for baked zucchini fries with marinara. This is what I'll be doing on Wednesday night. It looks amazing. Lots of other tasty looking recipes on there.

Today is rest day so let's recap the week. I'm not super happy about it. I got all the workouts in, but I cut back on my usual running because if the knee issue. It feels better today so I'll go running tomorrow but I only ran Monday and Tuesday this week for about 5 miles each and then did the elliptical for an hour on Wednesday.

Food was also not the best. I was all ready to make healthy choices at the work function on Thursday night but the only food was fried nastiness. A friend just ordered a regular meal on her own and that's what I should have done. Instead I held off until I was starving and then ate a ton because I couldn't take it anymore. I will do much better next time.

Im waiting for the ferry right now to take me to my mom's place. She has a digital scale so that will be interesting. Mine is a cheapie with a needle.

I brought my little travel DVD player and my videos but I didn't want to carry three sets of weights with me so I just brought the tens.

I have this thing where I hate having people look at me while I exercise. I'm hoping to wake up early and workout before anyone can see me.

Here are some picks of my zucchini creations. I'm on the blogger mobile app so I cant embed them nicely into my post but there you have it.