Day 12, Thursday

HIGH DAY

Breakfast: 1/2 protein shake w/oatmeal & strawberries

AM Snack: 4 egg white omelet w/scallions & Havarti cheese

WORKOUT: 45 minute yoga session

Lunch: 12 shrimp w/cocktail sauce

PM Snack: Fiber One cereal

Dinner: 1 beef enchilada, glass red wine

WORKOUT: 30 minute walk at incline

OVERALL: It was a high day but I didn't want to go overboard since I technically treated yesterday as a high day. But since it was already in our menu plans to have enchiladas I just ate it. The carb obviously was the tortilla but it was a multi-grain tortilla with Omega-3 and 3 grams of fiber. And it was home made, not processed.

As far as exercise goes, I felt kind of like I was hit by a bus and not sure why. My back muscles were sore, my legs muscles were sore and it hurt to move! I thought I might be getting sick because it couldn't have been from working out. I haven't changed a thing in my workout routine for the past almost 2 weeks, I couldn't be sore from that, could I? Well, I never did get sick so I guess I must have just worked really hard. Still odd to all of a sudden get sore like that. Anyway, I thought I better take it a little easy today without taking a rest day so I did yoga (which felt great to stretch my sore muscles) and then after dinner I was feeling more energized than normal so I got a hill walk in too. Worked up a nice sweat during both sessions.

Also, my right shoulder has been "grinding" a bit lately when I do front lat. raises and windmills and such. I'm SO AFRAID of injury, that would be devastating. So I have omitted the shoulders exercising for the most part. I think I'll give it some rest for a good couple days. Maybe I need to take some joint lubing supplements.

We are off to Minneapolis for the weekend. That will be a challenge for me. I have to keep up with my exercising (at least the hotel has a fitness room) and diet. It's always hard for me to stick to a strict plan when we eat out. Of course the hotel has an awesome breakfast sitting out every morning (donuts and sausage are among the choices), but they have healthy options so I will still be able to eat sensibly. Still, it's a BIG challenge! But I'm committed and I know I can do it. I'll try to keep up with my posts but I might not get to it every day. I'll still post what I ate each day, even if I do it all Monday when we get back.

Days 18 & 19

G-ma is walking 20 minutes every morning now. And 10 minutes in the evening (sometimes).

The best part? Her back is NOT hurting anymore!!! WHOO HOO!!

The second best part? Her first cheat day in 19 days is TOMORROW! I can't tell you how excited she is. She deserves it!!

Days 16 & 17

Yesterday G-ma walked for 17 minutes although she didn't hardly move at all after that.

Today she walked 20 minutes!! That was my goal for her so I am happy she has reached it. Now if she can just keep it at 20 every day I would be happy.

Days 9 & 10

Yesterday there was not much activity on G-ma's part. She did walk but only for 11 and 1/2 minutes. She said she just couldn't go any longer. She is complaining a lot of her back hurting off to one side and is thinking it may be something more than just a regular backache. But I keep hoping that the more weight she loses, the easier on her body walking will be.

Today, right now actually, she is walking on the treadmill. I want her to do AT LEAST 15 minutes (since she was able to do that two days ago) but again she says "we'll see". I think the initial excitment is starting to wear off. She is fighting more and more about how much walking she does. I don't wait on her either. When she wants water, or has forgotten something she needs in a different room, I make her get up and get it herself. Which usually works great until the kids get home from school!

But, her diet is still perfect. She really has no other choice than to eat what I give her so that part is easy. We really need to work on making her more active during the day....that's the hardest part. She is too used to being completely sedentary, due to pain. The more she moves, the more calories she'll burn.

Give her a shout out! She needs support!

Day 8 WEIGH IN DAY

Well, sorry I didn't post anything for days 6 & 7 but life sneaks up on you and you know how it goes.

I will report that G-ma's walking is still improving slowly every day. She walked 12 1/2 minutes yesterday (up from her 5 minutes the first day) and she was at a pace of 1.8 for a bit.

Now, for the moment of truth. Has her diet and exercise plan been enough to help her lose any fat????

The answer to that is....YES!!! 5 pounds gone this first week! She is 5 pounds lighter, her bodyfat went down by 1%, and she is 1/2 inch smaller in all her measurement points (which include hips, thigh, belly and arm). WAY TO GO!!!!!!!

It's a great moment for her. She needs this motivation to fuel her fat burning fire. Now she knows it IS WORKING and if she keeps it up, she could be 20 pounds lighter by the time we come home!!

Day 5

G-ma walked 11:30 on the treadmill this morning.

I really slacked in the "Sarge" department since I didn't make her walk in the evening. I was having a bad day myself and my motivation for ANYTHING was low.

Her diet has been impeccable this entire week so far. Not one slip up. Not even one single nibble of anything outside the confines of her diet. I am really proud of her! (more than I can say for myself) And on that note....

I caved yesterday afternoon and had carbs. This first week was supposed to be just proteins, fats and veggies and we will slowly introduce carbs back into the diet next week. But I was feeling crappy because my mood was foul and I was SO SORE from training hard the past two days. Mom convinced me that I needed a little extra to replenish myself cuz I WORKED HARD DARN IT!! I said I wanted to stick by her side thru this, eating the same diet and giving her support. But she assured me she was OK and so I had a peanut butter sandwich.....and then pizza....and chocolate cereal.....and some white chocolate.....and some bread with cheese......oh dear. I'm a failure.

But, I don't give up. I had a moment (or an entire afternoon) of weakness and I just have to put it behind me. At least I had a flawless 3 day run with no carbs. This little bump in my calorie intake could actually benefit me. It is what professionals call "calorie or carb cycling". One way to do it is go 3 days low calorie/low carb, which is just long enough to somewhat deprive your body, but then right before the starvation response kicks in (which is the body's survival mechanism that holds tight to the fat you've got in case there is a famine ahead), just before that happens, you bump up your calorie intake (usually through carbs). Then, the next day, you start back on the 3 day low cycle again. It's a continuous zig-zag pattern that seems to work well with fitness models and the like. So well in fact that I have read they can actually lose weight too quickly. Sheesh! If only everyone could do that! I usually have a good run with the cycle until a Friday or Saturday hits. I ALWAYS seem to fall off the wagon on the weekends. But while mom is here we aren't buying any goodies (can't have that stuff laying around while dieting!!! what torture!!) and hopefully that will help a lot.

So, lets give her a shout out people!!! WAY TO GO, JAN!!! Keep on keeping on!!

Day 3

This morning, G-ma walked for the full 10 minutes, despite being sick and in bed ALL day yesterday. AND, she walked with me to the store and back before lunch. I'm so glad she got right back into it. We still need to add a strength training session in sometime today (right now she is off to rest) and then an evening walk as well.

It is my belief that she will be able to sustain a 20 minute walk (at a fairly good pace) before we leave Denmark.

Seeing progress daily

Yesterday she was up to 7:30 minutes and then she made the mistake of saying, "It didn't even hurt my back or anything".

Today, I'm going to make her go as long as possible PAST 8 minutes.

She keeps saying, "Oooooh, I am going to be crabby next week. I NEEEED my chocolate!"

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen the woman happier than she is while eating chocolate. But unless she feels like walking to the store (after finding somewhere to exchange her American money) and buying it on her own.....she won't be seeing any for quite some time. MUUUUUAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!!!!

Small Steps

Today I got g-ma on the treadmill. We started her out slow.....veeeeeery slow. But she did 5 minutes without breaking a sweat so tonight we are going to do 5 minutes again, just a tad faster. I am hoping we'll be able to add a minute every day but we'll see. Slow and steady is our plan because we don't want to risk injuring her since she isn't the most stable on her feet.

At least we are off to a start, preparing her for Sunday (which, by the way, is Boot camp Day 1).