We Bought It!

Yay, we bought the furniture from my co-worker. (I will post pics later today). I want to paint it white. Well, I originally wanted to. Now I can't decide. Ahhhhh.

So I feel like a completely different person since starting this thing (BFL)! I woke up this morning (I think a little dehydrated even though I drink a gallon a day pretty much) and my abs were showing really nicely. It is 6am and I am about to hit the gym for a lower body workout. Then I am off to work for a few hours and I have a doctor's appointment to find out my MRI results.

I think the hubby and I are going to go to either Lowe's or Home Depot and look at paint colors for the guest bedroom today. We are thinking about a VERY light blueish grey. We'll see. =)

Anyone use a paint brand they are REALLY happy with???

First Renovation???

I think that I am going to buy a dresser, 2 nightstands and a headboard from a coworker today! They need some work. If I do, I will post pictures tonight and we will start renovating out guest bedroom! Fun fun. =)

PS-Sorry so MIA. BFL is going strong and awesome! I went down 4.6% body fat in 5 weeks!

Week 5!

Well, tomorrow is the first day of week 5! I can't believe I have successfully finished 4 full weeks of BFL! I took progress pics today and I can see a slight change from Week 2. I got a little bummed this morning that the changes weren't more noticable. My hubby encouraged me to keep going. He said he notices a slight change but that transforming a body doesn't happen over night. We are both excited to see what Week 6 and Week 8 pictures will bring.

Its tough to be very motivated when you expect to see more than you do. This is usually the time I start slacking off and gaining again. But not this time...I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!!!! I've worked too hard for 4 weeks not to see this thing through.

I have lost 10 pounds! I feel better. I look better in my clothes. What else can I ask for?

Last Day

Well it is the last day of my mini-vacation. The truth is it was relaxing but not exciting at all. We planned on possibly going out of town for a night or two. Then we decided we had too much to do around the house and we would take a day trip instead. We wanted to spend the day at Busch Gardens in Tampa, but my neck was acting up and the last thing I needed was to damage it even further on a rollercoaster. So we didn't do much of anything.

I have an appointment with a neurologist today. Hopefully he will order a MRI so we get to the root of this problem.

As far as BFL goes...I am still on track!!! I had to skip my Saturday HIIT session due to the neck pain. Neck pain is weird because it is scary. Sharp nerve jolts make me so nervous so I don't want to push it. Instead of the HIIT, I walked about 2 miles. I figured something was better than nothing. My diet has been clean for the most part. I really want to start taking pics of my meals. I decided I would start last night and forgot to at breakfast. Figures.

This was my 3rd meal (my favorite): 1 greek yogurt, 1/2 banana and 2 teaspoonfuls of raw oats sprinkled on top:
This was my 4th meal (and I don't mean Taco Bell). Whole wheat tortilla, topped with lettuce, spinach, grilled chicken and 1/4 of an avocado:I haven't weighed myself for about a week or so. I am trying not to. Week 3 is kinda tough. I don't think many people on BFL see extreme results between weeks 2 and 4. So week 3 can be a little unmotivating. I am sticking with it though.

Mini-Vacation!

Today marks the first day of my mini-vacation from work. The hubby and I were supposed to go to New York this weekend...remember? Well, we got the time off but nowhere to go. We don't have to return to work till Wednesday! Yay!

We are thinking about making a day trip somewhere but we're not sure whether we want to or not and nothing great is poping up in our minds. We might take a day to look for some furniture for our guest bedroom. There are so many things we need to work on around the house. We'll see how productive these next few days are.

I saw a chiropractor today. It looks as though my 7th cervical vertebrae is out of its natural position. This is probably what is causing the numbness in my arm. He adjusted my neck and back and it felt great to hear those pops! I am icing my neck as I type. Hopefully I will feel better soon.

Picture

I am still on track with BFL! I am pissed that my legs are not very sore today from yesterday's workout. I did my cardio HIIT session outdoors today. As far as raising your heart rate, nothing beats running outside in my opinion.

Well, I am off to watch a little TV! What an exciting life I lead. Haha.

Tuesday, August 11th

Well, the weekend went EXACTLY according to plan. I ate the pasta for my dad's birthday on Friday and avoided so many goodies...fresh breads, cheeses, salami, etc. I did have a small piece of birthday cake right after. Therefore, my Sunday "cheat" meal was hardly a cheat. I ordered grilled shrimp scewer salad with balsamic vinagarette dressing on the side. I also asked for plain vinegar. The salad was made up of lettuce, a few tomatoes, some shredded carrots, onion and 5 grilled shrimp. I barely touched the fatty dressing and mainly used the plain vinegar. I resisted the hot steamy rolls and butter that were served before dinner and I didn't drink any alcohol, only water. I did my HIIT on the treadmill on Saturday as planned.

Yesterday was upper body at the gym. I am really feeling it in my triceps this morning. I wish I was feeling it more in my back and shoulders (2 areas I REALLY need to work on). My diet was on point all day.

I am about to go to the gym and do today's HIIT. I like to do it on an empty stomach whenever possible. I am thinking about making protein pancakes when I get back. I've never tried them and hopefully they turn out ok with chocolate protein powder. I have a ton of cleaning to do today and I also want to find a health food store in this town.

If you have never seen pictures of fitness model Jamie Eason, do yourself a favor and google her for some motivation. What I would do to have those legs!

Pain in the Neck

I am still on track! I had a crazy last few days. I barely avoided a neck injury. My neck tends to lock up here and there (severe muscle spasms, etc) to the point where I can't move it. When an episode of this occurs, I am usually out of commision for a few weeks. I started to feel the pain coming on after my crack-of-dawn workout Wednesday morning. BUT I kept icing it and taking anti-inflammatories all day and I think that saved me! It is still slightly sore but getting better. I am keeping my fingers crossed. My knees are sore as well. My cardio workout this morning was nothing to brag about. I completed the 20 minutes of cardio but I didn't do it HIIT style. UGH. AND tomorrow is leg day. Double UGH. My knees need a chance to recover. Hopefully they will feel better by the morning.

I have been following my diet really well. Today was the first day I was really tempted to cheat. I was starving because I didn't have a carb for my second-to-last meal and there was a really long lapse between that meal and the next. I was grocery shopping and I was famished. It took all my power not to stuff 5 Rice Krispy Treats and a gallon of ice cream in my mouth all at once. So what did I do? I bought a container of fresh blackberries and ate the whole thing once I got in the car in about 30 seconds flat.

As I write this I am waiting for my mini cheescakes to finish baking in the oven. Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and I decided to make these. They are small like cupcakes and I plan on topping them with a homemade mixed berry sauce. I didn't lick a finger once while making them! And I don't plan on eating one either. Hopefully they turn out ok. I'm sure my hubby will tell me if they are horrible.

So, I will be out of town all weekend. Here's the plan:

Friday: Lower-body before we leave, eat small meals all day according to plan, have cheat meal #1 for dinner (mom is making pasta for dad's birthday, I will have a tiny portion).
Saturday: 20 minute HIIT (probably on my parents' treadmill), no cheating on diet all day.
Sunday: Day off or short walk on the beach, take Week 2 progress pics, follow diet all day until dinner with friends (cheat meal #2 for the week).

I love the fact that I decided to do 2 cheat meals instead of a whole cheat day. It will be much more doable that way.

Have a GREAT weekend!!!

This Week Is Looking Good

Thanks ladies for all of your comments on my last post! You guys are the best. I know that I have been eating right and working out and in the end it is my health that I am focusing on. But, I did enter a 12 week competition. I want to see how drastic of a change I can actually make. So I want to master this program (in a healthy way of course). If it wasn't a timed thing, I wouldn't be analyzing what I am doing so much. Your support is so awesome!

Well, this week has started out pretty well! I feel and look better already. Yesterday was a lower-body workout and let me tell you, I squated, deadlifted, pressed and crunched my little heart out. It felt SO good!

Today I did HIIT on the treadmill. I LOVE doing it on the treadmill because you have the timer and controls right in front of you and it really controls your intensity level the best. I will continue to mix up my HIIT workouts though...stairmaster, elliptical, bike, running outside, etc.

Today was a historic day as well! I mowed my first lawn! The hubby and I bought a lawn mower and I volunteered for the job. I felt a little manly, lol, but also strong and empowered. Maybe one day I'll have the courage to wear a bikini top while doing it and get a tan!

Picture

End of Week 1

Well, I have successfully finished one week of BFL. I feel ok. I don't know if I am doing enough. I am following the plan by the book but I keep thinking that maybe I should be doing more. Am I working out hard enough? Am I eating right? Am I eating enough to gain muscle? Should I start taking supplements?

Today was a "free" day. I took a break from working out. I am doing legs tomorrow and I have some knee pain so I needed the break. As far as eating is concerned, I didn't go overboard on the "freedom". I still ate my small meals throughout the day. At one meal I ate a whole banana instead of half. And for my last meal I had frozen yogurt (a pretty big serving) and a tablespoon of almond butter. I definatley didn't have enough protein today. Ugh.

I am going to try to make this second week better than the first. I plan on taking some progress pics next Sunday. Hopefully I will notice a difference.

Yum!

Today went really well. I found myself lacking an appetite all day. In fact, I had to force myself to eat one of my meals. Pigs must be flying.

Well, my last meal of the day was quite a treat. In fact, it felt like a cheat meal. I guess the protein content in it isn't very high (probably about 15 grams total) so I feel a little guilty about it. I wish I had taken a picture before I gobbled it up. With this diet, I haven't had too many carbs besides fruits and veggies...some, but not too many. I'm refering to carbs such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. Anyway, my hubby bought Arnold's Grains & More Double Protein Multi-Grain Bread (what a mouthful). It has 7 grams of protein per slice. I toasted it and topped it with almond butter and slices of fresh strawberries. I even had a little milk. It was very yummy.