Insanity in Tripple Digit Weather

The thermometer on my car said 104 degrees yesterday. If anyone knows anything about me they know that I absolutely detest the heat! I don't know if its because I'm carrying around this extra "insulation" or if something really happened to me after I turned 25 that just made heat unbearable to me. I'm one of those people you see walking around in the dead of winter with a light jacket on and if you catch me on the right day, you may even find my windows cracked. I don't even store my fans away for the winter. Instead, I use them all year long. (By the way, God bless whomever invented the fan and air conditioner!)

So can you imagine me, the "Hater of Heat" working out in triple-digit weather? I couldn't neither but I did it. I don't keep any fans or air conditioners in my basement because it gets a little dusty and I'd hate to have that blowing around and get my bronchitis acting up so I figure I'd rather be a little hot than unable to breathe. The only thing I hadn't planned for was for the temperature to get so hot. This is like the 4th or 5th day of a heat wave. We (Philadelphians) do not do very well with the heat. I once visited Las Vegas in July and I was sure I was going to die. The weather lately has really starting reminding me of that.

It would have been very easy for me to just take the day off and chalk it up as a "rest day" but I couldn't. I told you guys yesterday that my goal was to loose 4lbs by next Tuesday and I'm sticking to it. In fact, if my body permits, I plan on working out twice on Saturday and Sunday just to see if it will put me any closer to my goals. Even if I were to only loose 2 lbs a week, I'd still reach my goal of being at most 199 lbs by my vow renewal on October 16th. I just don't want to get too close to the date and then have to try some crazy fad diet to get there. I'd rather work my tail off right now while I have ample time than to risk not meeting my goal at all or even worse - gaining more freaking weight.

Tonight  I plan to do more of the Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance workout. I like this one. It starts out a little easier than some of the other ones but as soon as you get comfortable and thinking "oh, is that all?", Shaun T. starts pumping you up to go even harder. I really have to admit I dig his style. He is my second fitness professional second only to Jillian Micheal's. If anything out of the norm happens during tonight's workout, I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.

I sort of liked working out in the scorching heat because I was literally dripping pools of sweat. Insanity is the only exercise program I've ever done that feels so effective. Right now I'm wondering if the extra temperature caused me to burn more calories. We may be on to something here. LOL

Please, please, please...be sure to stay hydrated, know your limits and don't hurt yourselves. Just because the temperature is high does not mean we can't workout, it just means we have to be more careful in doing so.

Insanity - Week 3, Day 2

Hey Folks! Last night's workout was a killer! I accidentally did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit Workout again for the 2nd day in a row. I put the wrong disc in and by the time I realized it, I was too far into it to stop and do something else.

All in all it went well.Today is the 2nd day of the 3rd week of my journey through Insanity and I'm feeling pretty good. The sweat is still dripping during the workouts so my body is definitely not getting used to it yet. However, I am finding that I can do more and more without falling out on the floor in pain or stopping for water breaks. Nevertheless, I still stay hydrated when working out and follow all of the safety cues as not to cause injury. And I can't stress enough how important it is to stretch!

Speaking stretching, my calf muscles are killing me. I'm really kicking myself in the butt for not taking full body measurements now because I can tell I've lost inches off of my chest area, thighs and right arm. I'm still suffering from an injury to my left wrist but I'm determined to push past it because I don't want my left arm to stay flabby while the right one is toning up nicely. One of the things I like the most about Insanity is that you don't have to use any weights or outside equipment. You're using your own body weight and resistance to loose fat and build muscle and it doesn't require too much space either.


I have about 12 more weeks before my vow renewal in Jamaica and 20 lbs to go until I reach my first goal of hitting the 100's. If I keep at this pace, I can definitely pull it off. Even if I only loose 2 lbs per week, I should see more than I'm shooting for. The physical activity is not the problem for me. It's food. I have to get more discipline.
 
I've set a pretty aggressive goal for myself of 4 lbs by next Tuesday. In order to help accomplish this, I've decided to eat more fresh/frozen veggies and less carbs. I try to limit my carb intake to one meal per day. I've also decided not to allow myself my usual weekly "bad meal" this week. I'm staying away from pork and beef as well until I can't take it anymore. I'm like a walking, talking, weight-loss experiment. If it sounds reasonable and likely to work, I'm willing to try it (as long as its not too painful, LOL)

Week 2 Weigh In

Hi Blog Friends! I’ve been away for a couple of days but I’m still pushing on. The last time we spoke, I was feeling a little under the weather but I’m feeling much better now. Thanks so much for all of your well wishes and encouragement!!!

I followed all of the advice I was given and I took a little break from working out. I rested for 2 days and then went back at full force. I feel myself starting to get a little sick again but I’m not sure if its really my body trying to tell me something or my mind trying to get my body out of working out. In any case, I’ll see how I feel after tonight’s workout. Tonight will be "Pure Cardio" with Shaun T's Insanity.  I’m still only doing ½ a DVD. I'm just a little crazy

 I'm not completely insane yet. I don’t know how people do the whole thing straight through!! Oneday....  Until then, I’ll take it easy and continue to do my 20-25 minutes of Insanity per day and watch what I eat. When that stops working, I’ll move onto the full workout.

Before I post my week 2 results, I'd like to start by sharing with you some things I did last week that impacted my weight loss. #1, I think I can show you better than I can tell you:

I present to you - Exhibit A

 

Funnel Cake....

I didn't have very much. I shared with my mother in-law. It wasn't really "worth" the calories. Instead, I saved them for McDonald's and cotton candy. I know... I know... bad decisions. I'll do better this week. I have to!! I KNEW I was going to "eat bad" while at Six Flags so I saved some calories during the week.  

By the way, here's a pic of the gang:

That's me in the center hiding 95% of my body. I SO can't wait until the day I don't feel the need to do that way anymore. 

OK, back on track now....

#2 - I skipped 2 workout days and took my allotted rest day so I didn't really have all the workout time in that I planned on having.

#3 -  I'm still not following any formal "diet" plan. Instead, I'm making sensible choices and reducing the amount of carbs I have. I'm detoxing off of junk food too.

With all of these factors, I still managed to loose 2 pounds!

While I should be thanking my lucky stars that I didn't gain 2 pounds, I'm disappointed because I know if I would have been a little more focused, I could have lost more, easy! Maybe I'll think about this the next time I decide to slack off.

A wise old friend used to tell me: "slow progress is better than no progress".  She was right. But I'm in this to win this for the long haul. So I'll take my 2 pound loss and update my ticker happily...

I started at 224 (this time around) and I'm down to 219 for a total of 5 pounds lost in 2 weeks. Next week's goal is 4lbs. I'm thinking seeing 215 again will feel good.

You Can Do ANYTHING if you Really Want to...

It was almost a year ago that went to a routine doctor's appointment and learned that I was "morbidly obese". At 4'-11" tall and 238lbs, I knew that I was over weight but hearing this paper thin woman tell me that I should consider weight loss surgery and not bother running because it would be too much weight on my knees pissed me the heck off. I had to do something. I immediately left her office and hopped on my elliptical that was being used as a coat rack for years and kept moving until I couldn't breathe. Five minutes after my "workout" started, I was done. and exhausted. I felt defeated and hopeless. There was no way I would ever come close to weighing the 123 pounds that she recommended. Or so I thought then...

But then I started watching Biggest Looser and saw the transformations of so many brave men and women that were in the same state as I was and then I knew that this could be done but it was going to take a lot of work, determination and patience on my part. Slowly my goals shifted from becoming thinner to becoming healthier and running a 5K. I still haven't done one yet but I definitely can and hope to run my first for colon cancer in memory of my grandmother and lung cancer for my step-father. They both lost their battles to these terrible diseases.

I began running on my treadmill. At first, I couldn't run 1 minute without coughing and nearly puking but I kept at it until I could run a mile comfortably without stopping. Then I moved on to HIIT and workout videos. I was always persistent in working out (once I got started) but refused to diet. Hence, I became a  "fit fat girl". But I'm getting better at that now.

Moving forward to the present, I am now able to do Insanity. It's not easy and I do most of the DVDs half at a time. When your BMI is 45% (like mine) 20 minutes of intense max interval training is all you need (with a sensible food regimen).

 I decided to post a small clip of me doing selected moves in hopes that it will inspire and encourage someone else that they too can do anything if they truly work hard at it.

Again, I'm no where near where I want to be but it feels good that my 12 year old daughter can't do 3 minutes of this workout with me or run a mile faster than me. The goal is to be her size again. ha ha ha

Enjoy - try not to laugh to hard but I look crazy so I don't mind if you laugh a little. LOL

Insanity - Week 1 Weigh In

Thanks for checking in folks! A new blogger friend was kind enough to not only inform me that my settings weren't allowing certain people to post comments but she also told me how to fix the problem. I would have tagged her in this post but I didn't "clear" it with her yet. So, Audrey if your reading: Thanks!!!

Now I know everyone is anxious or at least curious to see how I made out my first week. I'm going to tell you in a minute but I want to share a few things with you first if yall don't mind. Is that okay? Thanks. No worries, I'll be quick.

On this weight loss journey of mine, I've read hundreds if not thousands of articles, books and tips on weight loss. There were a few restrictive consistencies that I noted throughout all of them that I didn't like. I'll admit, I've tried damn near all of them and will try some more before it's said and done. I didn't say that they are ineffective - I just said I don't like them because I want to eat what I want to eat when I want to eat it. (LOL) 

I started out (this time around) at a whopping 224 pounds. Keep in mind that I'm only 4'-11". That puts my BMI waaaaaaayyyyy up there and puts me at risk for a crapload of diseases and illnesses that I'm not trying to have ever - let alone at the age of 29.

Back to the restrictive consistences that I've noticed: I don't like the idea of depriving myself of carbs. Our bodies NEED these for energy so that we can burn fat. Granted, there are "good carbs" and "bad carbs" but many diets, (I won't name names... yall know which ones I'm talking about) require us to eliminate them completely in order to loose weight. It leaves me cranky, weak and tired. Besides that, I love baked potatoes and white bread. (Wheat smells funny to me but I will eat it).

Another trend that I've noted in my study of weight loss is that some diets tell us to eliminate all sweets and many of the things we enjoy. Again, I'm not feeling that. I've actually found that basic foods like rice (or in my case turkey cheeseburgers w/o bread) become "forbidden fruit" and we want it so bad that when we're finally all alone with "the fruit" we go buck wild and over indulge . So I do believe in reducing "bad foods" but if there is something I really enjoy, I'm going to eat it. Definitely not as much as I would like to but I'm not going to rob myself of anything I truly enjoy again (unless I'm weeks away from my goal date and just a few shy pounds short of the goal). LOL

Okay, okay... I'm wrapping it up. I'm going to tell you what I lost this week very soon. I just have a few more things to share that influenced how much I lost.

I had a binge night where I had too many turkey burgers (3), I had a bag of plain chips, a bag of pretzels, a bag of cheese fries and approximately 7 "grown up drinks" with diet soda (one every night) of this journey. I've also had white bread for lunch everyday on my turkey salami sandwich with mayo and regular cheese. I'm sure that violated tons of diet rules. LOL

I lost THREE pounds this week!!!!

Next week, I plan on eliminating some of the alcohol and sticking to my healthy snacks of sugar-free jello (5 calories) and maybe sugar free applesauce and pudding (all 60 calories).

I tell you all of this to tell you that all of our bodies are different. What works for some may not necessarily work for all. What works for us early in the game will not work throughout because our bodies are ever changing and adapting. That's why I love Insanity!!! This workout doesn't give you time to adjust to anything. I don't see a plateau in my future anytime soon.

I''ll most likely be avoiding "bad carbs" next week and may substitute the Cardio Recovery day with a 30 min. treadmill run and see if I can still run. My breakfast will remain Special K Red Berries with 2% milk. Lunch will either be a turkey sandwich on wheat with mustard OR grilled chicken salad. Dinner will be relatively "normal" except there will be nothing fried and no white rice but I AM going to have me a darn baked potato!!!

Oh... I will start using a heart rate monitor and posting calories burned in week 2 or 3. I've already told yall that I don't like numbers because they are so universal and we're individuals. 500 calories burned for someone my weight is easy to achieve in 30 min but a smaller person could work twice as hard and not even come close. So we have to be careful with numbers - even the ones on the scale. But this is another post for another day. I'm sorry for rambling. I'm still amped up from my vicious workout.

Thanks for reading and all of the e-mails, FB likes, phone calls, comments and text messages. I truly appreciate the support!!!

Insanity Pure Cardio (and a confession)

Insanity - Pure Cardio
Well, Shaun T. definitely gave this DVD the right name! This is the most intense cardio workout I've ever attempted to do but it wasn't as difficult as I feared it would be. I didn't do the 25 minute warm-up. I did that yesterday. Had I did the whole thing at once, I'd be making this post from the back of an ambulance. I'm not exaggerating.

Everything went really fast so I don't remember everything we did but from what I remember there was jogging, suicide drills, push-ups, plank-runs, high-knees, boxing, squat jumps and of course the "drills". The most difficult of the moves for me were the drills because it required a series of moves that reminded me of a "super" squat thrust. Now, I'm capable of doing them but not as fast as the people on the screen. "Keep your own pace" and "Know Your Limits" often flash across the screen and several of the athletes on the DVD had to sit down or were told to take a break so I don't feel too bad. Nevertheless, I hope to be able to keep perfect form and intensity someday. Until then, I'll continue to give it my best.

I've only been doing this workout for 5 days but I see an improvement in my fitness level already. I'm excited to see how much I'll change by the time I'm finished. If I don't loose the weight I want to loose, it won't be because the DVDs aren't effective. It'll be because I'm still eating more than I'm burning. :(


Confession:
Part of the reason I started this blog was to make myself "accountable". I set these goals, put them in writing and formed a good plan to reach them. I did well all week long. But then I relapsed Saturday night going into Sunday morning. I took a good nutritious healthy food and ate far too much of it. That food was turkey burgers. Once I realized how bad I messed up by eating 3 (home made) turkey burgers, I further gave into temptation and ate chips and pretzels.

What does my food slip up have to do with Insanity? EVERYTHING. All of the hard work and energy I have been putting forth all week may very well be compromised because of bad choices I made in one night. SMH....

But... I'm not going to continue on this downward spiral. I messed up. It's nobody's fault but my own. That's what I get for depriving myself of everything I love. I think from now on, I'll allow myself something "good-bad" everyday but not as much as I normally would. The calories for this treat will come from my snacks. So I'm sure it won't take long for me to realize 1 bad treat is not worth giving up my 3 snacks a day. We'll see...

Insanity - Disc 3, Part 2

Today started out pretty rough. My thighs and hip flexor are killing me and I still have this mysterious wrist pain. Nevertheless, I kept my promise to myself and did Insanity anyway. I came into the exercise sore and actually finished up feeling a lot better. I somehow managed to work my glutes and back out really well.  I also did my own stretch before even starting the DVD. Otherwise, I tend  to start cramping during the warm up and barely make it to the stretch.

Disc 3 allows a lot more water breaks and only had one excercise that irritated me - Power Jumps. I enjoyed the push-up work because I remember a time when I couldn't do one push-up. Today, I did just about as many push-up as the fit, skinny people in the DVD. Yeah, I was feeling myself big time!  And I still have a sore wrist. I'll try to ice it before going to bed tonight.

In addition to the power jumps, there were more squats, hurdle jumps and something called globe jumps, I liked those. Once again, I was tricked into doing mountain climbers. This time he called them floor sprints. It was a milder variation of the worst move in the world and  I can see myself doing this in lieu of them going forward. There was also an exercise very similar to the basketball suicide drills where we were iinstructed to "hit the floor" continually. I had trouble performing this because of my gut but I hung in there. I hit my ankle and a few time made it down to the floor.

Anyhoo, tomorrow is Friday - the real test. Fridays and Sundays used to be my rest days. So it's going to be a struggle to workout but I'm committed to "get fit or hurt trying". LOL

Insanity Day 1 - Part 1

So... I finally did it.!!! I finally stopped talking about doing Insanity and finally mustered up the guts to do Insanity. I decided not to do the Fitness Test. Instead, I started out with Disc 2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I already know I need to be in a LOT better shape than I am in now. As a matter of fact, that's exactly why I'm doing this. I want to become a healthier me. I’ll gauge my success by how much faster I can run a mile, larger my clothes feel and how much longer I can workout without needing a recovery period. Oh yeah… I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I looked good in a 2-piece either afterward but for now, I’ll take what I can get. As we journey down this road through Insanity and beyond, we must be mindful that no two people are the same so we have to use our own measures for our own goals. But that’s another post for another time….

Anyway…I was so excited to see what the big fuss was about that I hardly slept last night. I set my alarm for 6:30am and ended up getting up at 6:00am to start my first attempt. Armed with a towel, 2 litter bottle of water and a lot of guts I headed to the basement. I didn't use a heart rate monitor but will once I complete the program once without the pressure of having it. I think a lot of times we get so caught up on numbers (weight, heart rate, BMI, resting heart rate) and self-imposed deadlines that we neglect to take the time out to enjoy the stress-relieving benefits of exercise. Now maybe if I keep telling myself that’s why I’m doing it, I’ll start to believe it. LOL

I watched so many Youtube videos of people doing Insanity and read so many reviews that I can honestly say I was prepared for what Shaun T. was about to do to me. Within the first 3 minutes of (what I like to call) the warm-up from hell, I managed to work up a good seat and was in need of a water break. But I toughed it out and waited until the rest of the group was able to break too. The “warm-up” lasted apprx. 20min and my heart rate (manually checked) was well above my “safety zone” by this time. I think I sweated out my sewn-in weave…if that’s possible.

The warm-up consisted of a light jog, jumping jacks, jumping side lunges, mummy kicks, sumo squats, high knees, Heisman’s,  and a few other moves that didn't hurt me enough to remember what they were. Then we went into the stretch. I hated the stretch! I’d rather do the warm-up again than to do this awful stretch. The next time I do this disc, I’ll probably do my own thing during this time to target the same muscle groups.  I probably disliked it so much because I'm not very flexible, have very little core strength and have a little too much "insulation" around my belly to fully get into the moves. So forgive me if I’m too critical of the stretch. Perhaps, I’ll enjoy it once I finish the program.

Speaking of the stretch, I can’t understand why it was put in between the (2) 20 minute sections on the DVD. This is what made me thing I was done. Yall would have been laughing. I could have sworn I did something! Then I found out that was only the warm-up. Imagine the look on my face: I’m all out of breath, drenched in sweat and drank ¾ liters of water and that was just the warm-up! I definitely need this in my life!!! I managed to get through the first circuit but decided to finish up disc one tonight.  Supposedly, working out twice per day is better than once because it gets your metabolism going. But that’s another post for another time. I’ll post my experience with the next circuit tonight along with my stats, weight, and before pic.

Be back soon...