Saturday, January 24, 2009

Wildest Dreams Check-In, Week 3

Today is Day 19 of the Power 90 program.

The Awful Truth

Day 13: I had a 1-day Rage Against the Diet Plan Rebellion. Including NO anti-cancer juicing with Brussels sprouts. And NO anti-cancer cup of sencha green tea. What was truly upsetting is that the junk food I ate didn't even taste right anymore!!! Including my beloved, deep-fried seafood from Long John Silver's. {throwing my arms up in the air in disgust}

This "not tasting right" is what happens when you indulge in grease, sugar, and processed "foods" after you've stepped away from it for any amount of time. Feh!

Oh well, I got back in the dietary saddle the next day.

Gold Stars

I've been faithfully doing the workouts. I don't mind the repetition of the weight training workout, but it does bother me with the cardio portion. So, every once in a while I'll substitute Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred workout for the cardio portion. Her workout is also hard, and there are NO breaks! [Thanks for the video recommendation, Kia!]

Things The Personal Trainer Told Me Years Ago

Don't live or die by the scale. Especially during the first 45 days of any program. Body composition is as important as pounds. Muscle mass weighs more than fat. You can lose fat and gain muscle mass, which can cause the numbers on the scale to stop moving. This is why it's so important to take tape measurements of yourself at the beginning. Measure your progress during the first 45 days by [fractional] inches lost, and how your clothes are fitting you. NOT by pounds.

What's going on with you? How are your Wildest Dreams coming along?

14 comments:

Amenta said...

Hey Khadija, Keep it moving. I'm so glad you put the part in about what your personal trainer told you because I was concerned that. Each time I begin a workout program I notice a bit of a weight gain and it was getting me down. I am doing weight training so this part of your post gave me some mental relief...LOL

Anonymous said...

If your junk food is no longer tasting right, that's a good sign. It means you're getting used to this new way of eating.

As for me, I slipped a little yesterday but back in the saddle today. I'll be adding much more water to my diet in addition to more juicing.

Anonymous said...

Still working out and eating salad and lean protein for breakfast. My endurance has increased a bit, which is encouraging.
My plan is to tweak workouts weekly and overhaul them monthly so I get maximum results.
I also have more energy, which is great.

Khadija said...

Greetings, Ensayn1!

Yep. I'm keeping it moving. Although I've been irritable about being on the program since Day 1. I don't like self-denial. Of any sort. At all. I'm a "material girl" in a "material world." [Hat tip to Madonna--LOL!] I'm NOT interested in imitating St. Ignatius!

{raised fist salute to your weight training}
_______________

Greetings, LorMarie!

I guess I'm getting used to the new way of eating. But it's not as pleasurable as the old way. {sigh} Like I said earlier, I'll have to figure out some ways of making improved nutrition livable for the rest of my life.

I'm glad to hear that you're back in the saddle! That's all that really matters. {raised fist salute}
_________________

Greetings Foreverloyal!

{raised fist salute}

Peace, blessings and solidarity.

Anonymous said...

"Don't live or die by the scale. Especially during the first 45 days of any program."
----

45 days? That is interesting. Because of my impatient spirit, if I do not see results in 2 weeks, I move on. Right now, I am holding steady.I've become a maintenance expert. I have been food and exercise journaling and noticed that my carb intake may be too high? So I will be making that adjustment this week. My exrcise was on target (5 days). I still do not feel I have found my weightloss formula.

I went to a dietician's class,the first thing she suggested was get off the diets and focus on eating nutrient rich whole, natural food. Lots of veggies and fruits at every meal and lean protein and whole grains.

She use an illustration to explain that with healthy food choices you can eat much more, be satisfied and have good nutrients. There were 3 different stomachs with 400 one had calories of veggies, another a burger and the last had oil in it. The veggies stomach was filled to 100% capacity. There was no room left in it. The burger stomach was filled 50% capacity and the oil stomach 5% full capacity. That stayed with me.

She also suggested we eat the most when we need to most eat the least when you need the least. Stop eating late at night when your body does not neet the nutrients.

Thanks Khadija for keeping us accountable.

roslynholcomb said...

I've been eating right for a while, except for an occasional glass of alcohol. I don't think I'll be giving that up anytime soon. I'm insulin resistant so I had to let white carbs go a long time ago. Exercise has been the bane of my existence forever, but I've been onboard for about a month now, and definitely noticed a five pound weight gain. But I've been lifting weights like crazy and doing my Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin videos. I hope I'm gaining muscle, otherwise I will be bummed. Exercise, especially lifting weights helps your body use insulin properly so I've been doing it a lot. I won't measure again until the end of February, but I avoid the scale. I was upset that the doctor insisted on weighing me when I went in last week.

Katie said...

I'm hanging in there, although not as consistent as I wish (sigh). Trying to make exercise the one thing that stays steady in the middle of everything else breaking loose instead of waiting until everything else is calm in order to exercise.

But, I'm enjoying the movement of my body and the way I can breathe deeper after I work out. Thanks for keeping this blog going on this topic--it's definitely inspiring me to keep going!

Khadija said...

Greetings, Energize!

So far, things are taking the same course as they did before with the trainer. At least in my case, he was right about the scale situation. When I worked with the trainer, my scale weight fluctuated during the first month.

For example, I would lose 4.5 lbs. over a ten-day period and then regain 2 lbs. I could see how being hooked on the scale could be an emotional rollercoaster during the first month or so. A similar thing is happening now; which is why I haven't fixated on the scale.

When I worked with the trainer, here's what happened:

No real dramatic scale change during the first month (I fluctuated between losing 5-10 lbs.). However, my clothes got looser. I can't be more precise because I didn't follow his instructions to do tape measurements of myself at the beginning.

Dramatic changes didn't start to happen until the second month. Even then, there were still plateaus where I was "stuck." At which points, he would totally change up the exercises, and have me add in a day or two of doing an extra cardio session.

Like I said, so far things are following the same pattern. Although this time I did take the tape measurements at the beginning. My clothes are a little looser, and I've lost .25 inch around my arms, and about .50 inch around my waist. So, I can tell that I'm (slowly) getting more toned, even if my weight is fluctuating.

The dietician you mentioned gave some vivid examples. I'll keep them in mind!

You said, "Thanks Khadija for keeping us accountable."

You're welcome! THANK YOU (and the other commenters) for helping to keep ME accountable! Real change requires more than "hit-it-and-quit-it" inspirational soundbites. Real change requires paying consistent, sustained attention.

{raised fist salute to your efforts}
___________________

Greetings, Roslyn!

I would suggest that you consider taking tape measurements of yourself. That way you can keep track of what's going on. Now there are body-mass-index measurement gadgets that one can buy, but that's a little too deep for me at this point.

What I like about Jillian Michaels (even while grumbling during the workout) is that she's no-nonsense and efficient.

{raised fist salute to your efforts}
_____________________

Greetings, Kathryn!

You said, "I'm hanging in there, although not as consistent as I wish (sigh)."

As Ensayn1 told me, just "keep it moving"! We all stumble from time to time. The point is to keep going.

{raised fist salute to your efforts}

Onward and forward!

Peace, blessings and solidarity.

Anonymous said...

Excuse my typos. I was too excited.

I meant to say, "There were 3 different stomachs with 400 calories of food in them."
and
"Stop eating late at night when your body does not neeD the nutrients."

tasha212 said...

Khadija,

I wish I could report some progress on my end, but I must confess that I am still not Doing anything. Yet. But I will. Congratulations on your progress.

Peace and Solidarity,

Tasha

Khadija said...

Greetings, Tasha212!

Thank you for your kind words. I truly appreciate it.

Oh, I did a lot of thinking before I took action with this. So, if you're carefully considering your impending plan of action, then you're on your way! LOL!

Peace, blessings and solidarity.

Khadija said...

Ensayn1,

You might want to check out Tim Ferriss' blog archive about "the 4-Hour Body." He's got a post specifically about his regimen for, and experiences with, rapid muscle gain.

Peace, blessings and solidarity.

Faith at Acts of Faith Blog said...

It's a long term effort that will have some twists and turns. Permanent change means a different path, huh? Last year I lost 25 lbs by cutting my calorie intake by half. Slightly more than half actually, but it was supposed to be closer to the correct amount I needed to live. I kept a food journal. Now I was fine the first three weeks and thinking that it takes 21 days to form a new habit that I was doing well. Then about 30 days into it I was suddenly hungry ALL THE TIME. I was trying to eat 6 small meals of a few hundred calories. I was technically eating all I needed but hearing my stomach growl constantly made me realize I needed to eat more and I got discouraged.

I have the book by Julia Cameron (of Artist's Way fame) The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size. http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Diet-Write-Yourself-Right-Size/dp/1585425710
The internal work has to be done - like with everything else we want to accomplish. That and exercise!

Planning and positivity are the keys.

Khadija said...

Greetings, Faith!

You said, "The internal work has to be done - like with everything else we want to accomplish. That and exercise!"

Yep. I'm deeply disappointed that there don't seem to be any short cuts! LOL! Keep on keepin' on!

Peace, blessings and solidarity.