New Idea

Since I'm not "training" my mom anymore (although she constantly talks about the need to come over here a few times a week to workout with me) I decided to take this blog in a new direction. I'm going to start documenting my own progress.

I don't expect it to be that exciting since I'm already at my ideal weight. I do, however, wish to continue to plug away at those problem areas. My goal is to be able to wear a swim suit in public without feeling the need to cover my backside! LOL

I'm going to display my food log and list my exercises each day (this is the hope...not saying it will happen EVERY day) and that should make me more accountable, for my own purposes. I have taken pictures of my body but I think it might make my hubby cringe if I posted them. I'll post one for good measure :)

This week (following a 2 week hiatus from diet and exercise) I've been back at it in full force. I LOVE the way I feel! The two weeks around Christmas where I told myself I was on a "break" and I wasn't going to worry about it were nice, but no where NEAR as nice as it feels to be eating right and kicking ass with my workouts like I have been this week.

I am back to carb/calorie cycling and I LOVE it! I swear I already feel leaner....and although it's probably all in my mind THAT'S OK!! The mind is your most POWERFUL ally when it comes to your body's progress.

I am doing three days low: no starchy carbs past 3pm and hovering somewhere between 1100-1200 calories.
Then I do one day high: I can have pasta or rice or potato with dinner so I bump my calorie intake up. (I might eat more during the day too...hello triscuits!!)

This method of zig zagging calories is supposed to burn thru fat like CRAZY and rev up metabolism. Although I'm fairly certain I have a pretty high metabolism anyway judging by the amount of cookies and junk I burned thru during Christmas...LOL!

By going pretty low for three days, you are in a calorie deficit (amped up of course thru exercise) and then right before the *starvation response kicks in, you bump up the calories just a little so your body can relax because it's not thinking it needs to store that extra fat for the upcoming famine. And WHAM! Fat burning is gung ho. At least, that's how it's supposed to work according to what I've read.

Then I have my own little exercise scheme as well. I've read that for ideal fat burning, you should walk at a brisk pace, or do whatever form of cardio you like that keeps you in your fat burning zone. NO KIDDING?!?!?!?! You mean I don't have to run on the treadmill for hours anymore? HALLELUJAH! In fact, I've read that cardio does nothing for FAT loss unless you do it in the morning in a fasted state (and who wants to do that??) or right after a weight training session. The later is what I do. But I don't run, I walk briskly. (I emphisize FAT loss because weight loss and fat loss can mean two different things)

So, this week my regimen has consisted of LOW DAYS (Sun, Mon, Tue) followed by a HIGH DAY (Wed), back down to LOW DAYS (Thurs, today and tomorrow), etc.. And I've started with a weight/cardio DVD called 30 Day Shred, followed by 20 minutes of brisk walking every day this week so far.

Still not my IDEAL plan, but it's a start. I had to break myself in slowly after the Christmas break.

And there you have it! I'm hoping to really see a difference in my body by summer. Keeping this online fitness diary should be good for me. We'll see.

And here is a little before pic. I'm really hoping to "beef" up my arms a bit more but I think that might be hard right now when I'm eating so few calories.



I also track my weight training and other forms of exercise on a website called GYMINEE. Or, you can just go to Daily Burn, which is where I enter all my nutrition and workout data. Set up your own account and then friend me so we can share our workout success and keep each other motivated! I have a couple friends from high school that are on the site and it's fun to keep each other in the game!

I like it because of the ease of use when it comes to logging weight training sessions. And I always have a reference if I want to look back and see what my previous weight was or how many reps I'm at so I can keep progressing.

Enough talk! Good luck to everyone on their own fitness and diet goals. Let's make 2010 our year to shine!!

*I made a reference to Tom Venuto's website when it comes to the starvation response because I've read his stuff and he is a very wise man in my opinion. And he has the body to prove it! I first read of the zig zag method in his book Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.