I'm in week 2 of Insanity.
A couple of things:
1. I still like it.
2. It's still hard.
3. I still can't do all of the moves.
Sometimes I have to force myself to not get overly motivated during these workouts. The moves are just plain hard and I find that I get so ramped up to do my best that I indeed start sacrificing my form in order to just keep pace with Shaun T and his crew. This is not good. I can tell when I sacrifice form, the body parts start hurting. That's because since I'm not quite as fit as the fine looking people in the workout, I'm not actually performing the moves in the correct way. My knees will creep out over my toes and my back will bend in awkward ways. Not good. But I do find that even going with my own pace, I still get in a good workout. I'm always out of breath and the muscles are burning.
I took last night off even though I was supposed to do a workout :( The flu or something similar is running around my office building. It blows my mind how people come into work when they are clearly sick and should go home. In fact, 2 people on my floor are at work this week when they clearly should be at home. So last night I was feeling a little achy and was running a low grade fever. It was (hopefully) probably nothing but my fiance took away my laptop (my workouts are on my laptop) and made me go to bed. He told me to err on the side of caution and get extra sleep. I hesitated because it made me feel like I was failing but he was right. These workouts are really intense and I would rather take an extra night off then be out for a whole week.
I'm hoping last night was a fluke or that I did indeed do the right thing because I feel pretty good today (knock on wood).
Tonight I will be doing the Cardio Recovery workout. Don't let the name fool you. What it should really be called is crazy burning muscle workout.
I really like it.
What's next? I have another Fit Test coming up next Monday. I'm both excited and nervous. I'm excited because I'm pretty sure my numbers will be improving. And I'm nervous because what if they don't!!!
:)
Either way, I'll post my numbers when I'm done.
Today's Menu:
B: Turkey Sandwich (turkey, mayo, lettuce, GF bread)
L: Spring Vegetable Soup with Quinoa Salad
D: Roasted Chicken and Salad
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
INSANITY!!!
Tis a reason they call it Insanity.
It really IS Insane how hard it is.
Thursday, March 6th, was my Day #1.
And before I get into it, let me give you the rundown of the program.
Insanity is a 60 day, 6 day a week high-intensity workout. The first month, the workouts are around 35-45 minutes and the second month they are around the 60 minute mark.
The workouts are fast and intense. Lots of plyometrics with squats, burpees, and kickboxing type moves. There are also lots of various forms of push-ups and dips. The only equipment you need is a a water bottle and some floor space.
I did my fit test on Thursday and that was really an eye opener for me. I know I'll improve with each week but wow even just the fit test was hard. I then realized how much this process was going to physically hurt :)
And hurt it does. I'm not as fast as ANY person on ANY of the workouts. Nor can I do all the jumps that are required. I modify when I have to and right now it's quite frequently. I just have to remind myself to push as hard as I can and just keep moving. Also every time Shaun T says "don't sacrifice form for speed" I listen hard. I can't go as fast so I make sure the moves I CAN do are being done properly. The people on the video may be getting in 5 reps for every 1 I'm doing, but I'm making sure I'm doing it right. Speed will come with time. And even with modifications, it still burns. Good lord how it burns. In fact, it burns right now. I woke up this morning and oh how my body aches. It's not crippling but it's there.
These are my Day 1 pics:
I'm also going to be very diligent about keeping a food journal again and tracking calories. I always am mindful of how much I'm eating and I do still use Lose It but I think I'm going to make it a daily habit again. And I'm going old school and using a pen and paper.
Today's Menu:
B: breakfast casserole: eggs, broccoli, potatoes
L: beef stew
D: bbq chicken, roasted green beans and baked potato
It really IS Insane how hard it is.
Thursday, March 6th, was my Day #1.
And before I get into it, let me give you the rundown of the program.
Insanity is a 60 day, 6 day a week high-intensity workout. The first month, the workouts are around 35-45 minutes and the second month they are around the 60 minute mark.
The workouts are fast and intense. Lots of plyometrics with squats, burpees, and kickboxing type moves. There are also lots of various forms of push-ups and dips. The only equipment you need is a a water bottle and some floor space.
I did my fit test on Thursday and that was really an eye opener for me. I know I'll improve with each week but wow even just the fit test was hard. I then realized how much this process was going to physically hurt :)
And hurt it does. I'm not as fast as ANY person on ANY of the workouts. Nor can I do all the jumps that are required. I modify when I have to and right now it's quite frequently. I just have to remind myself to push as hard as I can and just keep moving. Also every time Shaun T says "don't sacrifice form for speed" I listen hard. I can't go as fast so I make sure the moves I CAN do are being done properly. The people on the video may be getting in 5 reps for every 1 I'm doing, but I'm making sure I'm doing it right. Speed will come with time. And even with modifications, it still burns. Good lord how it burns. In fact, it burns right now. I woke up this morning and oh how my body aches. It's not crippling but it's there.
These are my Day 1 pics:
I'm also going to be very diligent about keeping a food journal again and tracking calories. I always am mindful of how much I'm eating and I do still use Lose It but I think I'm going to make it a daily habit again. And I'm going old school and using a pen and paper.
Today's Menu:
B: breakfast casserole: eggs, broccoli, potatoes
L: beef stew
D: bbq chicken, roasted green beans and baked potato
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Weight Loss Surgery and a Functional Doctor
As you all know, I'm trying to get healthy and lose weight. And now with my upcoming nuptials I'm trying harder than ever.
Truth be told, the last 15 years or so has been me trying to lose weight in some form: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Richard Simmons, Body for Life, South Beach, Lose It, and good old fashioned writing it all down in food journals and calorie counting. I've tried them all. I've had my resting metabolic rate tested. I've gotten my thyroid tested. I've met with a nutritionist. I've gotten advice from doctors.
I've run, lifted weights, ran some more, did double workouts, did cross-fit, played racquetball, went spinning, tried p90x, rowed, walked, flirted with pilates, tried step aerobics, the Firm, Tae-Bo, kick boxing. I've worn heart rate monitors, Fit Bit, pedometers.
I've done a lot.
I don't lose weight very fast. I never have. Ever. In fact, I like to say that I maintain. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't do all of these things I'd probably be 100s of pounds overweight. That's no joke. That's how easy it is for me to put on weight. And all of that work I've listed, that's also how hard it is for me to take it off.
And over the course of 15 years I've learned a lot about myself and this whole weight loss thing. I've learned that I work hard, that I'll try anything, and that I probably won't ever stop trying.
And for whatever reason, the thought of getting married and not having figured out the "key" to my personal weight loss puzzle is driving me crazy. So I started 2014 throwing everything I had at it.
I started the year with a Whole30 and, quite frankly, I've continued - with the addition of a few Paleo/Primal tweaks here and there. I feel very confident about my food choices and that I'm on a good road with that. In fact, dare I say, I feel like the lifestyle change has taken place. I've never been a horrible eater but every now and then processed foods, soda, and treats would enter the picture. And over the course of a year, I feel like I've found my place with eating and I'm really happy about that.
I tried a new workout using the Drop 2 Sizes workout and now I'm heading towards Insanity/DDP Yoga. Working out, for me, is just something I have to do.
So a couple of weeks ago I had a moment of reckoning. I was doing the work, I was eating the right foods in the right amounts, and I was exercising. And it was like I felt my body give out on me. What little weight loss I could usually squeeze out just wasn't working anymore. I don't know how to explain it but for the first time I felt like it was out of my hands.
So I went to get a physical. I figured, first things first, lets see where you're at.
I went to my primary doctor. I've had her for 10 years and in 10 years I've seen her maybe 5 times. Maybe less. All I know is that I haven't needed her for much (knock on wood). I go in and sit down with her to answer the obligatory medical family history questions and the next thing I know I'm asking about my weight loss. And before I know what hits me, she wants me to get surgery. Gastric Bypass to be exact.
I'm about 45 pounds overweight right now.
And I just sat there. She went on about how it has nothing to do with how hard I'm trying it's just that what she's finding is it's genetic and there's nothing I can do. She said why spend all that time and energy when you can just do this.
It wasn't a very nice feeling. I felt deflated. I started wondering if everyone who looked at me thought the same thing? Did my friends, co-workers and family members look at me and think "poor thing. There's nothing she can do. She should just go get weight loss surgery."
Then I started thinking maybe what I'm doing is a fluke. Maybe I'm not working out as much or as hard as I think. Who cares what my heart rate monitor says. Or how many steps I took in a day. Or the fact that I was running 6 miles a day at one point. That doesn't mean you're doing it right or in shape or healthy.
Maybe I wasn't really counting my WW points the right way, or I wasn't adding my calories right, or I was eating and not realizing it.
So I did the tests, got my blood taken and went to meet my fiance. I didn't want to tell him what she said. But I did anyway. And he was flabbergasted. We've been together 6 years and he's seen the work I've done. Hell, he does it with me. And no, he does not have a weight problem. I don't see how he possibly could with doing all of that with me :)
So I called my mother. I actually was nervous she would agree with the doctor. Again, flabbergasted. I started feeling a little better.
I had one week before I had to go back and get the results of my blood work. I didn't want to go back to her. But while I didn't like being told that surgery was my answer, I knew that the reason I went to the doctor was to get help and I still needed to find help.
So I went to look for another type of doctor. A Functional Doctor. What's a Functional Doctor? Basically they treat you by trying to figure out what is CAUSING the problem. They don't treat the symptoms. They try to get to the root of whatever is ailing you and then work with you to treat the system (the whole body).
I found a woman. She was down the street from my apartment and in her profile she said she specializes in resistant weight loss.
So I called her. Long story short, I went for a consultation.
I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes. I don't know why. I guess I'm used to nothing working. But it was exactly what I needed. We talked about food, and my family history, and my medical history and we found some things that need some fixing. She actually is trying to figure out WHY I'm not losing weight. She also told me that her professional opinion is that I should not get gastric bypass.
That made me feel better.
So am I fixed?
YES!
I'm kidding ;)
My blood work came back from my physical. Everything looked good as far as vitals and organs, but my thyroid looked a little strange to my primary so she is running another test. I took my results to my new doctor and she agreed that it needed to be looked at further. Yes, I've had my thyroid tested before and they gave me the thumbs up that it was fine. Oh well. So I'm waiting on that test to come back. Once that does, I'm going to try to move everything over to the new doctor.
I'm working with her right now to just get more data. We're running a couple of tests and that combined with my medical history apparently made complete sense to her. It was funny. I was telling her my story and things that I hadn't thought of as being related to my weight loss struggle were just these clues to her and she kept saying "yes, that makes sense".
Long story short, as odd as it sounds I'm really glad my doctor suggested surgery. Yeah, it made me feel horrible but it was an amazing catalyst to get me to find someone else. I don't know if she's going to be able to make my body work the way it should. But I really would love it if she does though :)
I'm also really glad I got my blood work done. My numbers were good but I definitely think they could be better. And I think working with this new doctor, I'll be able to get it done.
Truth be told, the last 15 years or so has been me trying to lose weight in some form: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Richard Simmons, Body for Life, South Beach, Lose It, and good old fashioned writing it all down in food journals and calorie counting. I've tried them all. I've had my resting metabolic rate tested. I've gotten my thyroid tested. I've met with a nutritionist. I've gotten advice from doctors.
I've run, lifted weights, ran some more, did double workouts, did cross-fit, played racquetball, went spinning, tried p90x, rowed, walked, flirted with pilates, tried step aerobics, the Firm, Tae-Bo, kick boxing. I've worn heart rate monitors, Fit Bit, pedometers.
I've done a lot.
I don't lose weight very fast. I never have. Ever. In fact, I like to say that I maintain. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't do all of these things I'd probably be 100s of pounds overweight. That's no joke. That's how easy it is for me to put on weight. And all of that work I've listed, that's also how hard it is for me to take it off.
And over the course of 15 years I've learned a lot about myself and this whole weight loss thing. I've learned that I work hard, that I'll try anything, and that I probably won't ever stop trying.
And for whatever reason, the thought of getting married and not having figured out the "key" to my personal weight loss puzzle is driving me crazy. So I started 2014 throwing everything I had at it.
I started the year with a Whole30 and, quite frankly, I've continued - with the addition of a few Paleo/Primal tweaks here and there. I feel very confident about my food choices and that I'm on a good road with that. In fact, dare I say, I feel like the lifestyle change has taken place. I've never been a horrible eater but every now and then processed foods, soda, and treats would enter the picture. And over the course of a year, I feel like I've found my place with eating and I'm really happy about that.
I tried a new workout using the Drop 2 Sizes workout and now I'm heading towards Insanity/DDP Yoga. Working out, for me, is just something I have to do.
So a couple of weeks ago I had a moment of reckoning. I was doing the work, I was eating the right foods in the right amounts, and I was exercising. And it was like I felt my body give out on me. What little weight loss I could usually squeeze out just wasn't working anymore. I don't know how to explain it but for the first time I felt like it was out of my hands.
So I went to get a physical. I figured, first things first, lets see where you're at.
I went to my primary doctor. I've had her for 10 years and in 10 years I've seen her maybe 5 times. Maybe less. All I know is that I haven't needed her for much (knock on wood). I go in and sit down with her to answer the obligatory medical family history questions and the next thing I know I'm asking about my weight loss. And before I know what hits me, she wants me to get surgery. Gastric Bypass to be exact.
I'm about 45 pounds overweight right now.
And I just sat there. She went on about how it has nothing to do with how hard I'm trying it's just that what she's finding is it's genetic and there's nothing I can do. She said why spend all that time and energy when you can just do this.
It wasn't a very nice feeling. I felt deflated. I started wondering if everyone who looked at me thought the same thing? Did my friends, co-workers and family members look at me and think "poor thing. There's nothing she can do. She should just go get weight loss surgery."
Then I started thinking maybe what I'm doing is a fluke. Maybe I'm not working out as much or as hard as I think. Who cares what my heart rate monitor says. Or how many steps I took in a day. Or the fact that I was running 6 miles a day at one point. That doesn't mean you're doing it right or in shape or healthy.
Maybe I wasn't really counting my WW points the right way, or I wasn't adding my calories right, or I was eating and not realizing it.
So I did the tests, got my blood taken and went to meet my fiance. I didn't want to tell him what she said. But I did anyway. And he was flabbergasted. We've been together 6 years and he's seen the work I've done. Hell, he does it with me. And no, he does not have a weight problem. I don't see how he possibly could with doing all of that with me :)
So I called my mother. I actually was nervous she would agree with the doctor. Again, flabbergasted. I started feeling a little better.
I had one week before I had to go back and get the results of my blood work. I didn't want to go back to her. But while I didn't like being told that surgery was my answer, I knew that the reason I went to the doctor was to get help and I still needed to find help.
So I went to look for another type of doctor. A Functional Doctor. What's a Functional Doctor? Basically they treat you by trying to figure out what is CAUSING the problem. They don't treat the symptoms. They try to get to the root of whatever is ailing you and then work with you to treat the system (the whole body).
I found a woman. She was down the street from my apartment and in her profile she said she specializes in resistant weight loss.
So I called her. Long story short, I went for a consultation.
I'll be honest, I didn't have high hopes. I don't know why. I guess I'm used to nothing working. But it was exactly what I needed. We talked about food, and my family history, and my medical history and we found some things that need some fixing. She actually is trying to figure out WHY I'm not losing weight. She also told me that her professional opinion is that I should not get gastric bypass.
That made me feel better.
So am I fixed?
YES!
I'm kidding ;)
My blood work came back from my physical. Everything looked good as far as vitals and organs, but my thyroid looked a little strange to my primary so she is running another test. I took my results to my new doctor and she agreed that it needed to be looked at further. Yes, I've had my thyroid tested before and they gave me the thumbs up that it was fine. Oh well. So I'm waiting on that test to come back. Once that does, I'm going to try to move everything over to the new doctor.
I'm working with her right now to just get more data. We're running a couple of tests and that combined with my medical history apparently made complete sense to her. It was funny. I was telling her my story and things that I hadn't thought of as being related to my weight loss struggle were just these clues to her and she kept saying "yes, that makes sense".
Long story short, as odd as it sounds I'm really glad my doctor suggested surgery. Yeah, it made me feel horrible but it was an amazing catalyst to get me to find someone else. I don't know if she's going to be able to make my body work the way it should. But I really would love it if she does though :)
I'm also really glad I got my blood work done. My numbers were good but I definitely think they could be better. And I think working with this new doctor, I'll be able to get it done.
Drop 2 Sizes: I'm done
Hello everyone out there.
So I have struggled with coming to this decision. And that sounds completely over-dramatic. Wow. I didn't mean for it to. Anyway, I have stopped the Drop 2 Sizes challenge.
I just am not into it. Like super not into it.
I was forcing myself to do the workouts which meant most of the time I was doing them half-heartedly which really does not benefit me in any way. And so the weeks went by and I was just trying to make it to the end when I realized I felt like I was wasting my time. I have very specific goals this year with getting married and all so why was I wasting all of this time doing something that just wasn't working for me?
So I allowed myself to put it aside and move on.
Sorry folks.
I may try to pick it up again in the future, I may not.
What didn't I like? This is going to sound weird but it had me working out about 4 times a week and that didn't keep me interested enough. I had too many days off. I don't know about you but when I'm working out, too many days off are my kryptonite. When I rest too much, it's that much harder for me to get started. There was an option for a 5th workout but I didn't do it. I'll be honest, when I'm doing a program, I do it as prescribed. If it says work out 6 days a week, I work out 6 days a week. If it says "optional", I just don't do it.
At first I thought it was because you were rotating the same workouts every week but I don't have that problem with the 30 Day Shred. I just was NOT clicking with the workouts. I mean, the strength training workouts are really good. You can tell that given some time, they'd really work but they just were not working for me right now.
I'm not completely writing it off because one day I'd really like to follow it through but definitely not right now. I'm on a tight schedule with my wedding and I need to keep my head in the game!
Did I Have Results?
Not really. Like I said, I was doing the workouts but my head wasn't in it. I firmed up so that of course meant things got smaller but I could tell that since I wasn't putting my best foot forward I wasn't going to get the 2 sizes smaller that it promised.
And that wouldn't have been the program's fault - it would have been mine.
So what's next?
Well, I have a couple of options because I do love my programs.
I was trying to decide between DDP Yoga and INSANITY DVD Workout - Base Kit
Yes, two VERY different programs. My gut was telling me to do Insanity and my brain was telling me to do the DDP Yoga.
I probably should listen to my brain but the thought of trying to do Insanity makes me excited. My fiance has had it for a long time and I never did it for some reason. All I know is that it's hard hard HARD! It's a 60 day, 6 day a week, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout. I'll be honest, I'm no spring chicken anymore. The knees don't bounce like they used to so I hesitate. I also have some high arches that like to flare up the old plantar fasciitis. And my back - well, I've talked about my back and how it hates me. Man, I'm talking like I'm 60 not 36. But it's those reasons why I'm thinking about the DDP Yoga.
If you've never heard of it, check out the link above for it and just watch the video about Arthur. I remember watching that a long time ago and it was one of the "oh wow!" moments at the end.
I actually already ordered the DDP Yoga but it won't get here for awhile. Apparently it's takes a couple of weeks. So in the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and start Insanity.
Hey, if it breaks me then I can do the DDP Yoga to get better right?
So I have struggled with coming to this decision. And that sounds completely over-dramatic. Wow. I didn't mean for it to. Anyway, I have stopped the Drop 2 Sizes challenge.
I just am not into it. Like super not into it.
I was forcing myself to do the workouts which meant most of the time I was doing them half-heartedly which really does not benefit me in any way. And so the weeks went by and I was just trying to make it to the end when I realized I felt like I was wasting my time. I have very specific goals this year with getting married and all so why was I wasting all of this time doing something that just wasn't working for me?
So I allowed myself to put it aside and move on.
Sorry folks.
I may try to pick it up again in the future, I may not.
What didn't I like? This is going to sound weird but it had me working out about 4 times a week and that didn't keep me interested enough. I had too many days off. I don't know about you but when I'm working out, too many days off are my kryptonite. When I rest too much, it's that much harder for me to get started. There was an option for a 5th workout but I didn't do it. I'll be honest, when I'm doing a program, I do it as prescribed. If it says work out 6 days a week, I work out 6 days a week. If it says "optional", I just don't do it.
At first I thought it was because you were rotating the same workouts every week but I don't have that problem with the 30 Day Shred. I just was NOT clicking with the workouts. I mean, the strength training workouts are really good. You can tell that given some time, they'd really work but they just were not working for me right now.
I'm not completely writing it off because one day I'd really like to follow it through but definitely not right now. I'm on a tight schedule with my wedding and I need to keep my head in the game!
Did I Have Results?
Not really. Like I said, I was doing the workouts but my head wasn't in it. I firmed up so that of course meant things got smaller but I could tell that since I wasn't putting my best foot forward I wasn't going to get the 2 sizes smaller that it promised.
And that wouldn't have been the program's fault - it would have been mine.
So what's next?
Well, I have a couple of options because I do love my programs.
I was trying to decide between DDP Yoga and INSANITY DVD Workout - Base Kit
Yes, two VERY different programs. My gut was telling me to do Insanity and my brain was telling me to do the DDP Yoga.
I probably should listen to my brain but the thought of trying to do Insanity makes me excited. My fiance has had it for a long time and I never did it for some reason. All I know is that it's hard hard HARD! It's a 60 day, 6 day a week, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout. I'll be honest, I'm no spring chicken anymore. The knees don't bounce like they used to so I hesitate. I also have some high arches that like to flare up the old plantar fasciitis. And my back - well, I've talked about my back and how it hates me. Man, I'm talking like I'm 60 not 36. But it's those reasons why I'm thinking about the DDP Yoga.
If you've never heard of it, check out the link above for it and just watch the video about Arthur. I remember watching that a long time ago and it was one of the "oh wow!" moments at the end.
I actually already ordered the DDP Yoga but it won't get here for awhile. Apparently it's takes a couple of weeks. So in the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and start Insanity.
Hey, if it breaks me then I can do the DDP Yoga to get better right?
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