Finally, an update!

Well I stopped posting for awhile there, however now I'm back and going to post regularly. I've been keeping a food diary - I didn't stop eating well, I just haven't had much time to post. I'm at 134 pounds today! Yay! It's great feeling so light and fresh. I'm happy to say I'm definitely on the right path. I've been eating from the Canada Food Guide, keeping in mind to eat carbohydrates, fats, vegetables, fruits and protein. It's just really silly to eliminate an entire food group. Continue to eat healthy, small portions and I know you will succeed.

So far, this week it's been:

2 hours of bellydancing, 3x of 30 minutes of cardio (intense stair climbing on our mountain stairs here in Hamilton). I swear my butt must of lifted an inch already. I'm addicted.

It's going

This week, I must say, was very productive. My food choices were mostly great, I went out to eat one day at lunch - got a grilled chicken pita with a side salad (healthy, right?). But other than that, I stuck to it, and made good choices and skipped on dessert and sweet things. I had a few alcoholic drinks last night, but I'm pretty sure I sweat it all out when I was dancing!

I've been going to the gym regularly, and my short term goal has been met! I did cardio so far: 4x this week, and not counting my night out with my friends dancing (I probably sweat more doing that than actually doing the elliptical for 30 minutes!). And it was fun too!

Today I'm going to do some weights and maybe 15 minutes of cardio. I don't want to "over-cardio" myself ... is there such a thing anyway? I think I read once that if you do too much cardio and not enough weights, umm, something happens hehe :)

This week's goal:

1. Bellydancing - 3x / week

2. Weight Training - 3x / week

3. Cardio - 4x / week

4. Enjoy a cheat meal!

Good Weekend

I had a really good week / weekend. Although I had a cup of pasta and a few goodies, I didn't feel guilty - for the first time in a long time. I guess because I worked out last week - almost every single day. I did cardio 5 times last week - 30 minutes on the elliptical, plus weight training and yoga / bellydancing.

I find that if I mix it up a bit, I stick to my workout schedule a lot better. I bought a new video called "Sunrise Yoga", and it's only 30 minutes and it was only $2.50 at Wal-mart. I tried it a few days ago, and it's very relaxing and I feel very limber afterwards.

This week's goal:

1. Cardio 4 x - minimum
2. Weight training 3 x - minimum
3. Yoga / pilates 2 x
4. Bellydancing 3 x
5. Abs 3 x - minimum

Doing Well

It's been awhile since I posted last, but a lot of things have happened in the past week, which were out of my control; therefore resulting in a few 'cheat days'. I had candy and a few 'bad meals' - but basically that's about it. I still feel extremely guilty for eating it too. Why can't I indulge and feel good for once? I guess too much pressure to lose the excess weight on my body by May (cousin's wedding in Cuba). *big sigh*. I'm definitely still not ready to wear a bathing suit.

I've been good with working out though. It's the eating part that really kills me, and now especially with the time of the month and craving food ALL the time. I've been extra hungry and I keep reaching for the wrong foods, when I know what exactly I should be eating! Ahh, such a contradiction.

Last night, I did 30 minutes of cardio, and focused my weight training on biceps / arms. Monday was a complete rest day: I went to see Bon Jovi in concert; no time to workout. Saturday I focused my weight training on legs and thighs, and only did 15 minutes of cardio.

My short term goal this week: to do cardio every single day.

Amazing!

It's Day 3, and I'm doing well. My eating habits have been great, the workout schedule is steady. It's funny how for the first few weeks everyone (including myself) is so gung-ho about losing weight, keeping themselves on track, and then POOF! Before you know it, the blogs aren't updated anymore, and we are all back to the same thing; eating poorly and not working out due to laziness.

Why is it that we stop working out and fall into our automatic pit of failure? Supposedly, you can break into a routine after 30 days, so that's another short term goal for me. Break into the routine of working out, eating healthy, you know the usual...

So a little update of my progress from yesterday. I did an hour of yoga when I woke up, followed by a healthy day of eating, then followed by a half hour bellydance tape and a 15 minute ab workout tape. I wanted to have a "rest" day from my cardio / weights, which I will resume today.

This morning I did a 20 minute pilate workout and abs on the ball for a short workout. After work today, I will be trotting along to the gym to do 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill or elliptical, and then Day D's workout routine.

Kudos to me for eating a healthy breakfast - 1 protein shake, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter and two slices of whole wheat bread (only 80 calories for 2 slices!).

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! :)

Keeping it Up

I must say I am proud of myself for keeping my workout routine up. Although I've had cheat days here and there, I still managed to workout, whether it was going to the gym, taking a walk, or doing a video. I actually enjoy working out (who would of thought!).

Keeping Track: Monday January 23, 2006

25 minutes of cardio on the elliptical & treadmill

Friday's workout routine (legs)

I didn't want to do Monday's routine, since I had already done chest and dumb bell flies on the weekend. I think instead of naming each routine to a day of the week, I'll just say "Day A" to keep it general.

In other news, I woke up this morning to do my Yoga on the Ball with Sara Ivanhoe. I felt great afterwards, really flexible and stretched out. Apparently, Trish Stratus does Yoga in "hot temperatures" to limber up her body. Hmmmm ;)

Well, I'll keep you posted. So far, so good. The hardest part is keeping it up, and that's what my short term goal is for the next 60 days: keeping it up!

Workout Routine

Must do CARDIO 4 times a week!

Day "A"

Chest with dumbell press - 4 sets of 12 - 15 reps

Dumbell flys - 3 sets of 12 - 15 reps

Push-ups - 4 sets of 15 reps

Day "B"

Bent over dumbell rows - 4 sets of 10 - 15 reps

T-Bar rows - 3 sets of 10 - 15 reps

Dumbell lateral raise - 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps

Front raises - 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps

Day "C"

Squats with dumbells - 4 sets of 20 - 25 reps

Straight leg deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 - 15 reps

Abdominal crunches on the ball - 4 sets of 25 reps

Day "D"

Standling barbell curls - 4 sets of 10 - 15 reps

Concentration curls - 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps

Tricep extensions (dumbells) - 4 sets of 8 - 10 reps

Overhead extensions - 3 sets of 10 reps

New Start ... Again

So here I am, constantly struggling with my weight, and constantly trying to do something about it. I have never really been a "skinny" girl. I've always had a little something extra on my body, but I was always comfortable in my skin. I never thought of myself as fat or overweight. In my single days, I kept active by doing the one thing that I loved to do: dance. I ate what I wanted, but I always seemed to maintain my weight. I was happy, to say the least.

Then I met my boyfriend, now of 4 years this year. To quote my dear friend Miia: As the relationship with me and my boyfriend got stronger I obviously started spending more time with him.

And obviously I started gaining weight. I was up to 175lbs at one point. My clothes weren't fitting. My pants couldn't get past my hips. It was time to do something. I started exercising again, watched what I ate, starting belly dancing again, and started to feel good about myself again.

I'm still not quite there, however. I've managed to get down to my original weight, however my body is still trying to recover from what I did to it. Stretch marks now invade my body.

So again, here I am. I'm trying my best to be in shape, feel good for myself and lose some weight too. I have 10-15 more pounds to lose (for my height, it's supposed to be 125 lbs to 130 lbs). I will post my eating schedule and my workout routine, so hopefully I continue to stick to it.

Good luck everyone, and add me if you want :)