Struggles on the road to health

I think with my blood sugar as out of whack as it's been the past few days, SOME snacks are ok. But I've been BAD recently....

Like breakfast has been a whole grain blueberry Eggo waffle with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Then my 1/2 caf coffee, and a little thing of 100 calorie light Yoplait yogurt. Then inevitably I hit the candy bowl for a Snicker bar or something. Then lunch, then two snacks in the afternoon, then dinner. I'm hoping to cut out the extra snacks (the Snicker bars) and one of the afternoon snacks. I find myself eating just to EAT, rather than needing food.

I'm excited about the videos! I ordered them with two day shipping, so they should be here Thursday. I'll be doing one on Friday. Yay!
 
Yay! Just got my videos!! Starting in the morning...wish me luck!!!

I'm a little worried (probably irrationally) about whether I'll burn enough calories with the videos a couple of days a week, alone. Hope so...guess I'll see....
 
Well, I received my videos today, and I'm starting one of them tomorrow. Probably the longer of the two...or I'll just do part of the 30 Day Shred twice. We'll see how it goes...

And my husband will probably throw a conniption fit...but I ordered a Polar F4 heart rate monitor. Yeah...I don't intend to tell him unless he wants to look at recent expenditures in the checkbook. That's a $90 charge he might not agree with.... :willy_nilly:

But yay! I'm on track for something new!
 
Well, Jillian Michaels is de debil!!!!! :reddevil:

But she kicks my butt in a workout. I did the 30 Day Shred video for the first time this morning. Going in I thought..."Hey, I've been working out five days a week for more than a year! This will be too easy! I'll do level one TWICE since it's ONLY 20 minutes."

Yeah, Right.

Even without the hand weights I needed - and have to get this weekend - Jillian kicked my sorry butt. My legs were shaking, my hands and arms were weak and tingly...overall good workout. It's not one I'll do every single day...I'll alternate with some biking and the other video of hers I got...but I like it!!
 
Ooh! I'd better get my butt into gear so I can handle Jillian! :D

What did your dh say about the heart rate monitor?
 
Yeah, he still doesn't know about the HRM... :Angel_anim:

But I did find out he's saving his little expense checks from work (about $50 a month) to buy some sort of thing for his truck that's gonna cost about $200. So I don't feel so badly now.

Did workout one of the 30DS again this morning. My muscles were sore all weekend, and HURT today. I'm still not able to do the crunches...I think my form is just all wrong. I even did research to find out what I could do, but everything I've found hasn't worked. I'm feeling NOTHING in my abs, which means I'm doing it wrong somehow. I'll keep trying!!!
 
I did my first day of the 30 Day Shred video this past Friday, and took my usual weekend off from working out. I was sore all weekend, and did workout 1 again Monday. The soreness started going away, and Tuesday I took a break and did a different workout.

Went back to workout 1 this morning. I've been having this problem with leg pain. It's mostly my right one. I've had soreness on the outside of BOTH legs...but this morning was a different pain. It was during circuit two, after one set of lunges and during my second set of "butt kicks." A few kicks in, my right leg went back and BAM...felt like a knife stabbing me in the thigh. It hurt so badly I nearly fell when I put the leg down, and limped when I walked for a while. I stopped the DVD because I was afraid I'd done some serious damage. It's feeling better now (about 45 minutes later).

Oh, and here's the kicker:

My husband was already gone for the day, so I called him to ask if that's what a pulled muscle felt like (he used to play football so I assumed he'd pulled a muscle before - I don't remember ever doing it)...or if it was something else. He tells me, "To pull a muscle you'd have to exert yourself. You're just doing a workout video. There's nothing in there that makes you exert yourself."

So basically this man thinks I get up at or around 6 am five days a week to watch tv? He thinks I don't sweat? That I don't get out of breath? I'm not exerting myself...ok. So it seems to me that he's totally underestimating EVERYTHING I've done over the past nearly TWO YEARS to lose 80 pounds and keep it gone.

Obviously I don't work hard. I got off the phone with him mad enough to cry, then hit 10 minutes on the bike to work out my leg. Grrr....
 
Awe... I'm sure you've exerted yourself! If you felt the workout, you're definitely exerting yourself.

I don't know how to describe a pulled muscle, but take it easy until it heals no matter what it is, you don't want to make it worse.
 
I skipped the video this morning, and just did some on the bike. I would've stopped if it hurt, but it didn't, so I'm shooting for 30 minutes all together today. Did 20 this morning, and will do the other 10 tonight...We'll see how it feels tomorrow!

Tonight is a banquet I have to go to every year for the local firemen. I go to take pictures, etc., for the paper. They always have steak, salad and baked potatoes. I'm skipping the dessert. I hope. :leaving:
 
Back on the video today, and made it all the way through. Had to take one little break when the dog started acting like he was about to start tossing his cookies on the carpet. Not as sore as before...I'll probably do workout one a couple more times then move on to two.

I also bought some 3 lb weights, to use for now instead of the 5 lb ones I've had. Too much too soon for some of the stuff!

OH! I got a haircut today (photo attached....before is 2nd, and after is 1st). I like it a lot. She didn't CUT the bangs, just pulled the hair to the side to see what it would look like. My sister-in-law suggested I not get the bangs CUT....but just style it like this sometimes to give more options. If I get them cut, it'll have to be like this a LOT of the time, instead of sometimes. Good idea, I thought....
 
So I've been doing my video roughly every other day, so I don't get too bored with it too soon. I went up to the second level workout and GOSH it's harder. My shoulders are SO sore, but the good sore. The cardio is much more entertaining in the second workout, and the strength training is harder as well.

so I'm working the video a few days a week, and filling in with the bike. My heart rate monitor came in FINALLY. I bought a Polar F4...wore it for the first time with 10 minutes on the bike followed by the 20+ minutes of the 30DS. Total workout, with warm-up and cool-down included, was about 40 minutes. The monitor said I burned 406 calories, which I'm sure was high.

I probably didn't NEED a monitor, since my body's obviously getting a good enough workout. I mean, I haven't regained a single pound since I stopped losing finally. It's just nice to see a number, and know I'm in my target heart rate zone. I've also found that having the monitor is excellent for motivation. If my heart rate is too low, I'm finding myself kicking it up a notch to get where it needs to be.

Today's 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous intervals on the bike showed a burn of about 250 calories, which is a little lower than Sparkpeople figured, actually. Of the 30 minutes, 26 were spent in my target heart rate zone. Yay me!
 
Wow you are on a roll with all of that exercise. I stil have not opened my dvd! I am working up to it though.

This is the first week in a long time that I've actually exercised 4 days in a row - skipping today - and probably tomorrow. .... sigh ...

Anyway, just wanted to say that I like the new 'do and the style of parting it to the side. I part my hair to the side all of the time now. I change it one way or the other depending on how it looks in the morning. But, I do keep my bangs long enough so that I can do that.

I think you would look very cute with bangs! But, I also think it's a good thing to try them out first. You have a smart SIL!

Love the smile too!
 
I had my DVD a week before I even got the courage to OPEN it, much less DO it. I just woke up one morning and said It's Time!

Did the second day of workout two....gosh my shoulders are sore! If nothing else I'll have some killer legs and shoulders when all this is said and done....
 
So I've worked out a new routine using my 30DS video, the bike and the elliptical trainer. We'll see if it works...this week I'm doing 30DS and 10 minutes on the bike three days a week, then the bike and elliptical Tuesday and Thursday, with weights. Then next week I'm alternating...MWF the bike (and the elliptical is probably taken when I go these days...but if not the elliptical too), and 30DS Tuesday and Thursday.

The ab circuits are the ONLY parts of the video I have immense trouble with. I mean...I do EVERYTHING I can to not pull my neck, but I feel everything in my neck and nothing in my abs other than with the lower ab exercises (which have nothing to do with my head). I'll keep trying, but it's frustrating!!
 
Yeah...me and Jillian are taking a break for a couple of days. Having a seriously bad TOM and she makes me want to throw the TV through a window. Not to mention it's just not comfortable to jump around too much. I'll deal with the bike and elliptical 'til I'm in jumping around form again.

That said...I'm noticing some SERIOUS definition in my upper arms and shoulders. Whoo hoo!
 
So I broke down yesterday and ordered a bra from Victoria's Secret online. I didn't want to, because I hate buying clothes that I can't try on first. I like putting something on my body and buying THAT particular item of clothing once it fits. But that's just not an option in this case....nobody around here, or within 100 miles driving distance, carries bras in 32C. It sucks. I'd be a B cup without the extra skin, but it kinda comes out of the cups of a B. A C is too big, but I'll have to make due. A bra that fits around will be especially nice, since right now the girls are falling out the bottom. Anything is an improvement. And besides....the one I bought was on sale for $16. How can you beat that?

Ended up having to get on the treadmill at the gym yesterday when the elliptical was busy. I had about half an hour, so I couldn't wait for the other machine. I did weights and hopped on. I like being able to jog and run at a pace that gets my heart rate up and doesn't leave me totally winded. It was also nice how my heart rate monitor "talked" to the treadmill so I could keep an eye on my rate, slow my speed a bit if it was too high, or pick up if it was too low. When all was said and done the monitor read 179 calories burned. Whoo hoo.

Now on to the bad news. The treadmill makes me feel like CRAP for at least half an hour after I stop using it. As soon as I stop (after a good 3-4 minute cool down, with a slowing pace), I get SO dizzy and nauseated that I can't even step off the thing for about 30 seconds. Then I'm weak, dizzy and sick to my stomach for a while. Hope this is something that will go away....and that it doesn't mean something else is wrong with me. I mean, I've ALWAYS had problems with motion sickness, so maybe this is a permanent deal? Hope not...
 
That is a great deal on VS bra! I don't like them myself, I can never get one that stays where it should. IT always looks good when I buy it, I move around in it, but then it never fails that it's sliding this way and that and I'm always readjusting.

I've decided that VS is just not for me!

As far as the treadmill, how fast are you going?
 
I've gotten a couple of bras from VS before, and they were ok. But that was also when I was larger around. Now the cup sizes are all screwed up no matter what kind I buy. I'm just frustrated with the whole thing! Maybe this one will work out...if not then on to the next attempt!

On the treadmill I warm up at 3.5-4.5 mph, but when I start to jog I've gotta go closer to 5.5 to 6 mph because my legs are long and it's just awkward to go slower. I keep the pace just fine and I'm not winded...my heart rate is right where it should be. Just the stopping. I may not go slow enough on my cool down, before stopping. I go progressively slower, but maybe I need more time at the slower and slowest rates to let my body realize it's nearly time to stop moving again?
 
Mindy, you could also try to up the levels my adjusting the incline as well.

On my treadmill it's programmed and sometimes when it comes to cool down, it's way too slow.
 
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