Fifty plus FIT: HELP! I'M SABOTAGING MY HEALTH AND FITNESS

Fifty plus FIT: HELP! I'M SABOTAGING MY HEALTH AND FITNESS

HELP! I'M SABOTAGING MY HEALTH AND FITNESS

 

FOOD ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND...the spiral affect

Breakfast: You start with a cup of coffee and add Coffeemate, for me it's Italian Sweet Cream, YUM Or you head to Starbucks and get your fav creation of Lattes or Machiatos. That starts it...

All of the sudden you get an insatiable desire for breads "Mmmm a bagel sounds great!" "yes I'll have cream cheese too!"  You finish that simple and filling breakfast and what?  You're dying for something sweet?  "But I just ate?"  

Lunch: "How about a Cheeseburger, Fries and a Coke, no I'll do a diet Coke" "Oh and don't bother bringing the bun, I'm watching my calories" "How about a Wrap, that must be less calories?"  Or you go to Subway and get the 6" - 300 calorie choice and you ditch the regular chips for a bag of baked chips to save on calories and it's healthier too. 

Mid Afternoon: "I am dying for something sweet!"  So you head to the vending machine.

Dinner: "YUMMO!" Grilled Chicken with baked potato and corn! "Now this has to be healthy!" Within an hour of eating you're back in the fridge looking for something to munch on.

Have you ever thought about the 'Why' the cravings start? I mean you think that some of it has to be self control or lack thereof, and just where you are right now, not able to get it together and determine to eat right.  Yeah, we take this all on and feel it's our emotional comfort eating season when truly there is a far greater reason this is happening.

Food producers these days, are first of all using all types of fertilizers and chemicals to treat crops in order to maximize outcomes and of course gain profits.The Farms are using antibiotics in their cattle, chickens etc...and using corn feed.  The true outcome is sabotaging us in several ways.  Many of the chemicals used are carcinogenic and can truly get those radical cells we all have come to life, driving disease such as cancer and others and that's only half of it.

Foods can actually cause your cravings!  That is why for instance when you eat starchy products or bad carbs you suddenly get a craving for sweets!  It's real, the cravings are driven by the foods we eat.  It's insane and we unknowingly allow ourselves to be sabotaged.

Dr Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution says..

"Our government and food industry both encourage more "personal responsibility" when it comes to battling the obesity epidemic and its associated diseases. They say people should exercise more self-control, make better choices, avoid overeating, and reduce their intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and processed food. We are led to believe that there is no good food or bad food, that it's all a matter of balance."

"This all sounds good in theory but...
"New discoveries in science prove that industrially processed, sugar-, fat- and salt-laden food -- food that is made in a plant rather than grown on a plant, as Michael Pollan would say -- is biologically addictive."

"Imagine a foot-high pile of broccoli, or a giant bowl of apple slices. Do you know anyone who would binge broccoli or apples? On other hand, imagine a mountain of potato chips or a whole bag of cookies, or a pint of ice cream. Those are easy to imagining vanishing in an unconscious, reptilian brain eating frenzy. Broccoli is not addictive, but cookies, chips, or soda absolutely can become addictive drugs."
It's all about balancing your blood sugar.  So as much as the junk food hits the spot, you can retrain yourself with balanced blood sugar to enjoy a fresh fruit or crisp veggies in/and to take the place of the junk. 

We have a push from the White House to end obesity, to get healthy foods in schools, yet recently I learned that our government subsidizes the food producers that make the processed foods and the farmers with the chemically treated plants however they do NOT subsidize organic farmers and food producers. What is wrong with this picture?  We're calling for healthcare reform and subsidizing what causes many of our health problems to begin with.

Also I mentioned yesterday that if you are dealing with chronic illness there is a VERY STRONG chance that you can reverse your illness by just changing what you eat rather than doing what most Doctors prescribe.  Medications buffer the affects and only make the pharmaceutical companies fatter.  Wouldn't you like to believe that you have control over your own health and fitness?  Well you do!

It's Insane to keep this up.  Do you want to stop the insanity and not fall for the game that processed foods play in sabotaging you're health and fitness goals?  Then get on board!  Research, read and get your own information and knowledge, to validate this.  No matter what, try hard to limit or eliminate the processed food train and go with fresh natural foods!  IE: Grass fed meats, organically grown veggies and fruits, 

We went to Whole Foods two weeks ago to start ourselves.  Our normal food bill at our local grocer was around $165.00 per week. Our bill at Whole Foods was about the same...it's amazing when you rid yourself of the processed chips, snacks etc..you can afford the 'good for you' food, it really takes the excuse out of the normal response to eating healthy and organic you know which one I mean; "It's way too expensive"!  It's isn't at all too expensive when you cut out the food that is literally sabotaging our minds and bodies into believing it's just motivation that stops us from getting Healthy and Fit.  Try it one step at a time, start incorporating clean food into your weekly grocery shopping and eliminating all processed foods!  

Oh and then there is the whole allergy possibility to Wheat, Gluten and Dairy, but that's a subject for a future blog.

It's Just Me, Val Ciao'!
http://beachbodycoach.com/valstay

HEALTHY & FIT WHERE ARE YOU?

How many people would pay for a can of motivation to get & stay healthy & fit?

Health and Fitness is high on everyone's bucket list.  Obesity runs rampid today, and highlighted in the news daily as well.  Diagnosis of pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are all on the rise. And popular answers are making pharmaceutical companies fatter and fatter!  There's got to be a better way.  

It's all easy, right?  Wrong!!!  Why?

MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION

I swear if we could bottle MOTIVATION we'd make a Fortune!

You're motivated, you say? Awesome! 

And, you are now healthy and fit, or well on your way and journey

What finally motivated you? Do you know what others would pay for Motivation?

You're struggling with Motivation?  What does Healthy and Fit look like to you?

What would you pay to get healthy and fit?  We certainly know you will pay if you don't get there.

Many train of thoughts exist on BEST PRACTICES for HOW TO lose weight but it gets confusing and hard to follow: 

• Weigh in NO Don't Weigh in
• Check your BMI, NO Check your BMR
• Measure inches NO Measure fat NO Measure both
• Eat Wheat NO Don't Eat Wheat
• Eat Gluten NO Don't Eat Gluten
• Don't Eat Sugar No Eat Pure Cane Sugar
• Drink Coffee NO Don't Drink Coffee
• Eat 5 meals per day NO Eat 3 meals a day
• Eat before bed NO don't eat 3 hours before bed

By now you're screaming "HELP!,  This has to be easier!"

The good news is that there is ONE simple answer to remember - 

The Formula: Calories in vs Calories burned = Weightloss or Weightgain

500 calories burned or decreased per day will result in ONE POUND lost per week

Likewise, eat more calories than you burn and it will result in a weightgain.

That's it!  Simple yes?  Well sort of...you have to keep in mind the types of calories you're consuming.

Here's what we are doing in our home that works:

• Setting small achievable goals
• Weigh in once a month
• Eating Healthy and Clean (what does that mean?)
• 2 portions of fruit daily
• Unlimited veggies daily
• About 3 oz of Protein the size of a deck of cards twice daily
• Limited carbs to 1/2 cup at lunch and dinner, however make them good carbs
• Two healthy snacks daily (stay away from 100 calorie bagged snacks)
• HYDRATE WITH H2o; drink 1/2 your weight in ounces of water per day!
• Exercise daily and the latest train of thought is that muscle confusion works best
• Lastly whenever possible make your food choices Organic Why?  Processed and chemically treated food is full of addictive and carcinogenic elements. (More on this in a later blog) A great book to read on this is: The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman

You say you aren't a lover of Veggies?  Fruit?  Or Both?  

There are answers for that as well! Feel free to ask me what we use. I'll be glad to share.  It takes care of all those daily requirements and more.

So there you have it, the formula and best action items for mapping your way to health and fitness. And now you say "But Val, I still can't find the MOTIVATION" You need an 'AHA MOMENT' one that will last and get you going to the next step. Here's my first step to getting there:

Remember, we are creatures of habit.  Habits are formed over 21 days. It has been said that if we  "Do the same thing over and over again and get the same results it is Insanity"   Well that same thought applies to Good Habits!  My fav phrase to drive me in the right direction is: 

"ZERO TO ONE"

We love the sense of accomplishment.  It's healing, It's gratifying, It's MOTIVATING!

ZERO TO ONE is about making a commitment to make ONE MOVE today, any one move.  For instance determine to Drink All Your Water today, OR No Sugar today OR take a walk today, OR whatever it is that you know you need to do to start the process, just make ONE MOVE towards that, GET IT DONE right now. The result?  Amazing, it will set off a sense of accomplishment that will feed your brain with 'feel good' 'motivational' vibes to want more, I PROMISE YOU this will happen.  So commit today to ZERO TO ONE, Get the Job Done!.

I have several fitness groups I run on Facebook and from time to time we do a challenge.  It starts with everyone willing in the group to commit to getting up the next morning and making that move right out of bed, then report back to the group for accountability sake.  IT WORKS!  And we get excited about the results too!

Join me on my journey to Health and Fitness!  Comment below if you are in and I'll help you with your next steps!

Make today your tomorrow before it gets here, we have no promises for anything further AND we can't change our yesterday.  I'm so excited to see you get started!

It's Just Me, Val! Ciao'

http://beachbodycoach.com/valstay

Zero to One - Get The Job Done!

Zero To One
A slogan/phrase I created to quickly trigger the thought:
 "Make One Move in the Right Direction to Start"

So many of us are consistency breakers.  We start with consistency and many times even make our goals but lose that 'mojo' to keep on keepin on.  We need a push and it starts in your mind first and works it way into action.  To my fellow #Beachbody Advocates "#Push #Play" is a command that does that inside the #Beachbody Circuit.  For my groups, it's the phrase:

ZeroToOne - Get the Job Done!

As many of you are aware I started my fitness journey in January of this year and have #YoYo'd much of the year away. In May my husband and I made a commitment to start a program we would stick with and see what the results might bring.   That program was to take the #P90X 90 day #Challenge.  We have repeated a couple of weeks of it to get it right so for us the 90 day challenge will likely be more like 120 days, but that's OK.  We're combining this workout with #Shakeology

Shakeology and P90X are both products of Beachbody.  P90X rocks with Tony Horton well known personal trainer and author of the program leading you into workouts that confuse the muscles and develop tone and strengthen.  It is AMAZING.  Our first month was done a week ago and I reported in with an 8 in overall loss and 6 pounds down.  Rumor has it that it is in the 2nd phase of the program that the weight really drops off. So I'm pumped to see the future results.

Bob and I have also become Coaches for Beachbody.  We are passionate about the change in ourselves and are putting ourselves out there on the line to motivate others. The best part is we get healthy and fit along the way and put ourselves in a position to make $'s while we lose the weight and push play!  How?  Well it's all in the challenge and logging of your workouts.  One of my colleagues and fellow coaches, Ashton Meyer recently completed the first leg of her journey losing 100 #'s!  Yes and got checks totalling $6,500.00 along the way for doing just that!  She was just honored at the Beachbody Coach Summit with an award for doing just that.  Others also received checks for $100.000.00 for their journey of losing as much as 200+ #s.

WHY DID YOU GO WITH BEACHBODY?

You ask, Easy answer...

It took me 1 year to come to terms with this decision.  It was preceded by lots of different eating plan changes and then finally I caved!  You see 2 years ago I learned the importance of core strength and conditioning training from our trainer who is also an MMA Professional.  The key to great results is simply to Eat Clean and consistency with your workout.  BUT not just any workout.  The best workout is the art of Muscle Confusion.  Once I caved to finally embrace that as truth through my own YoYo, it was easy for me to choose Beachbody.  You see Beachbody represents dozens of successful personal trainers developed programs that target core strength and conditioning focused on muscle confusion and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).  P90X is just one of them, there is Chalene's Turbofire, Leonardo's Brazil Butt Lift, Len Mills Pump, Hip Hop Abs, Shaun T's Insanity and the list goes on and on.  You could truly keep up doing different programs for all types of workouts with one company, Beachbody.  As a coach I get quite a discount on my purchases which makes it all worth it and the icing on the cake is the potential for winning the challenges and making money to lose weight.  As many of you know I also combine my workout and clean eating plan with Shakeology, also a product of Beachbody used as either a meal replacement or snack it fulfills all the daily requirements I need in Veggies and Fruits plus more much much more.

I am on a journey that is now on a roll, and I feel good, much better than I have felt in a long long time.  Fatigue has turned into energy, my hair is Unbelievable!!!  Even my hair stylist and colorist are amazed at the vibrant look and strength that has returned due to the nutrients we so badly need going back into my system with the nutrition of Shakelogy.  My nails are stronger and growing as well.  Overall performance, condition and strength is vastly improved with only 6 weeks now into this, well entering my 6th week.  ( I took the last week off.)

I want this for others who want it.  Those that have caved and settled for "I'll never be what I used to be" and now go straight to the couch.  Those with health problems that these nutrients can only help to overcome.  Juicing when I did it was awesome but this is beyond that, over the top with results.  It's not rocket science but it is a science and they have cornered the market.

Are you depressed?  Fatiqued?  Giving Up? 10 pounds away from goal?  Whatever you are right now...Come join me in my journey, join my fitness motivational group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/50PlusFit/   AND no you don't have to be over 50...the group means lots of things:  I have 50 pounds to lose or 50 reasons why I've procratinated or 50 pounds down and still going...just come grow with us and we'll motivate you to go from ZERO TO ONE!

It's Just me, Val  Ciao!
http://beachbodycoach.com/valstay

Who-Da-Thunk? The Ideal Meal Replacement

A Revelation For Me!

 SHAKEOLOGY

I have to be honest, I am a huge breakfast person, love my eggs (1 yolk 2-3 whites) in a veggie omelet w turkey sausage and coffee.  BUT in the last week I have replaced that meal with Shakeology and not only am I more than satisfied, I have broken away from all the coffee/caffeine I was drinking (sometimes a pot a day!)  Yes Coffee has recently been proven to have a good affect on health, HOWEVER a cup of coffee, NOT a POT! LOL.

My energy level has increased and I now know that no matter what I've gotten every Veggie and Fruit requirement as recommended for daily nutrients all in one really good drink!

I mix the Tropical Shakeology with one banana and a cup of Almond Milk...so good and satisfying.

So as much as I'm not a meal replacement advocator, I am now a BELIEVER in Meal Replacement.  Ha ha!  my revelation of the week!

If you can find a nutritious shake, and I don't mean Slim Fast, that's not it, but one that has all the nutrients that fulfill your daily requirements, one that tastes good and you like, JUST DO IT.

My thought originally was "Oh this is too expensive!"  But actually what I'm using only comes to $4.00 per day, less than a Starbucks!  And we actually save money with my drinking this over making Breakfast everyday!  AND Coffee is soooo expensive that we're saving there too.

My advice for this week?  Replace one meal a day with a Healthy Juice recipe or Shake and if you're interested in trying Shakeology I'll send you a sample and recipe FREE!  Just join my site at: http://beachbodycoach.com/valstay

Make it a great Saturday...get out, MOVE and have some fun!  Zero to One!

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

ROUND 2 - I'm Baaccckkk!

ROUND 2

"2 weeks down and I really see the difference.  I felt so much more energy and though I rested more I was able to do more revs during upper body, more resistance and speed during intervals and..."

That was the beginning of my last post in March...when I finished my first phase of detox. That was amazing.  Since then I have become a Beachbody coach and am preparing to join my husband through the 1st round of a 90 Day P90X journey.

He's pretty excited too!  Watching him install the Pull Up bar yesterday and trying it out  was neat to see.  You see we both are very aware of healthy lifestyle choices and what choosing NOT to make them can do to your health and body.

Yes, we'll be drinking Shakeology too!  

Since my last blog I've gotten a hold of the new Tropical Shakeology and I'm going to image our workouts on an island with a "Frozen Shakearita"as a treat for getting through each day! 

Nothing like getting 70 superfoods, probiotics, and all the nutrients needed in a day in one delicious cocktail!  

We'll be making a Frozen Shakearita our daily Cocktail! :) YUM!

This will be an intense program but we are determined.  Target date for now is May 1st, however we may have some family health issues that may delay that start date for as much as 2 weeks, so I thought what better way to prepare no matter what by going back into Detox.

Have you ever wondered why Sugar is so addicting?  As Tosca Reno, well known fitness expert and author of Eat Clean compares it to a Crack like Addiction. and going through detox, I do appreciate what addicts go through in rehab.  It is such a difficult withdrawal.  


Some things I've learned have to do with triggers, again very much like an addict, there are triggers that set your body and mind into a sugar craving mode.  

White Refined Sugar/Flour "The culprit and enemy" of our health!

http://macrobiotics.co.uk/sugar.htm

So round 2 of Detox begins Monday - Body get ready, cause here we go!

Thanks again for supporting me and cheering me on - I need it!

It's Just Me Val, Ciao!

Week 2 Days 13/14 Woot!

 Week 2 is Complete!

Day Thirteen/Fourteen...March 24 and 25, 2012

2 weeks down and I really see the difference.  I felt so much more energy and though I rested more I was able to do more revs during upper body, more resistance and speed during intervals and GOT the jive with Hip Hop Dance...so this was a great week!


Weekends bring a different venue for me as the routine is different than during the week.  It likely is a weak point but I don't eat breakfast on either Saturday or Sunday.  Then we do lunch out and I use that for a cheat meal.  Evening is a normal date night dinner and I do have some cocktails.  Sundays are lunch also as my first meal, but I usually do a salad or in this weeks case, Lettuce Wraps.


Workout was great as I did a double workout to make up for Thursday and Friday's rest due to dealing with lots of muscle discomfort, but a good discomfort.  Saturday was my day to gear up, start with Hip Hop Dance and moved right to Intervals.  What I didn't get in this past week was my lower body workout.


Food was on, clean eating for the most part except for one 'real' cheat meal which was not lunch on Saturday as it normally is but rather dinner at Tom and Eddies for a Burger with Sweet Potato Fries.  It was delish but I immediately felt that craving for sweets following that.  I didn't give in though.


So this next week, week 3, is going to incorporate some 'dig deep' workouts for sure!  My eating is going to be more structured and probably will skip the cheat meal this week.  I'm not happy with my weight loss for the week, as I did hop on the scale and I was only down 2 pounds.  Wow, we get so stoked with a great weight loss report and then your body knows when you didn't achieve that same result, you feel that, hard to explain but this week flew by and I knew I hadn't had the same success as last week.  BUT again I am taking the year to do this so I have to relax and know I am going to have off weeks.  So onto next week!  Woot! Woot!


Thanks for checking in and of course your support is so important!


It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

Day Twelve...March 23, 2012

6:30am: Ya know I'm actually up at 5:30 with Bailey boy here...he eats early and then we have fun feeding the two big girls without him intruding.  


9:30 am:  Breakfast - eggs as usual with avocado on top, YUM!  and Jamaican tea!

WORKOUT

 I worked out twice today.  Back on track...made up for the two days I missed

Hip Hop Dance Cardio and Intervals.  

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle!

12:00pm: Lunch was alot of food and little calories, Good One!  Bag of Asian Veggies, Italian Beef no bun, 2 Wasa Multi grains and lite spread of Olive Oil butter, mandarin oranges rinsed w water to eliminate the juice.


7:00pm: Dinner out with friends at 601, ate a grilled Chicken Salad w avocado, had some bevvies with that too


9:30pm: Snack Popped a hard boiled egg and relaxed over part of Tinker something Soldiers, a new movie on dvd that came out.


Today I was so pleased to have gotten in the two workouts.  Hip Hoorah to me :)
No really the cal burn is obviously appreciated by my bod as I shrink it!  We had a great dinner too, seemed we just kept on laughing!  AND congrats to Mike Giannetto Sr. for bowling a perfect 300 game!  Can you believe that?  Wow! Got that news as we settled in for the night.  That was awesome!


I'll leave with this thought...
"Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking distance."
  ~Author Unknown


Today, I'm reminded how thankful I am for anyone who takes the time to be there for me, Grazi!


It's just me Val, Ciao'!

DAY ELEVEN

Day Eleven...March 22, 2012

6:30am: Morning has broken! :) I'm up

9:30 am: Client Breakfast - eggs w mushroom omelette with tomatoes, and Water (Stuck on you!)

Workout was held off, knee and abs were still pri-tee tender


12:30pm Lunch  Greek Salad, 
NO fe'ta' NO pi'ta' (NO 'ta's' in my diet :)

8:00pm Dinner Shakeology with Banana, blueberries, strawberries and last but not DAIRY, Almond/Coconut milk (you're my friend!)



Had a great day, accomplished great business.  Found out that a candidate I didn't think would move on is and is one of two only out of 20 resumes that they are considering...big news in my business!  Woot Woot!  Never really was hungry all day.


Good day all in all


Thanks for checking in on me and of course for your support, it means more than you know!  (Oh and the Hawks won!  that's a good thing!)


It's just me Val, Ciao'!

 

Day Ten...March 21, 2012

6:30am: Up, opened the house, fed the dogs, 

7:30 am: Breakfast - egg dish with melon, and Jamaican Tea

Workout was Hip Hop Dance Track, but skipped for day...needed to rest my knee which is giving me some trouble

12:30pm: Lunch - Shakeology, banana, blueberries, strawberries, almond/coconut milk


6:00pm: Dinner - Lettuce Wraps and chicken tortilla soup, short cucumber vodka and soda


Watched the Hawks take another game and make it theirs in OT, and had a quiet and restful evening. We need some of those.


Evening Snack: Apple with natural peanut butter


Really feeling so natural about this particular plan.  I am not craving a thing, although I will admit I had a moment today where I opened every cabinet, the fridge and freezer looking for something and found nothing that seemed to meet whatever it was I was thinking I needed, that particular moment ended quickly...Yeah!


Ok thanks for stopping in and checking on me, love the support!


It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

DAY 9

Day Nine...March 20, 2012

6:30am: Up, opened the house, fed the dogs, 

7:30 am: Breakfast and Jamaican Tea

10:35am:  Workout Done!   
My workout was Upper Body and that went well...did it all and used a method to gain the action I needed on push ups, slowly lowered myself and on the last set to the ground and stretched back up.  This will help me till I gain strength as I increase my push ups to do all full ones.  Great workout!  And included Abs too!

11:35am: Lunch Shakeology made with Almond/Coconut Milk, Strawberries, Blueberries and a banana was filling and delicious!

Weighed myself again just to see if my loss from yesterday was still the same and instead found that my 8.5 pound loss turned into a 10 pound loss in 9 days!  Amazing.
Off To Work!

6pm: Dinner was leftover Chicken Marsala with Brussel Sprouts and Salad


Bailey arrives and grandog sitting adds new meaning to burning calories...he'll be staying with us till Monday.


8pm: Snack was apple with natural peanut butter


Water  in check all day.


YES another great day!


Thanks for checking in and supporting me!


It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

DAY 8

The Scale!!!  

OK I did it...I had to, too curious

I lost 8.5 pounds in 7 days  Woot!  Woot!

I won't be doing that again for awhile now but really pleased given I had two cheat meals this week. I have to say I really don't have any cravings so dropping bread, dairy, and sugar really does it!  Bob and I both think that a good part of that loss came from my eliminating Italian Cream Coffemate from my daily intake, and we probably are pretty right.  I was addicted to that stuff and I have to admit that when I left a cup with a bit of left over coffee in the bottom that the next day when I poured that teaspoon out, the cup was left with a deep white film that almost looked pastie and I had wondered for awhile how good that would be for me.

Well today went well.  

6:30 Up and atem!

8:00 Breakfast 

I forgot to take my vitamins

Drank a cup of Jamaican Flower tea with my egg dish and melon

Noon Lunch Meeting

Enjoyed a great salad with chicken, black beans, lettuce, salsa and corn

Workout in the afternoon was my Intervals and it's getting alittle better

Really need to do Abs and I am so tired!

Afternoon snack

Hummus with pepper and asparagus spears

6:00 Dinner

Chicken Marsala, Broccoli and salad

Evening snack

Apple with Natural Peanut Butter

Water water water...drank it all day~

I'm heading to bed now not because I'm afraid I'll snack but because I am really tired. Wonder if it's because I haven't remembered to take my vitamins for a couple of days plus no Shake today...We'll see tomorrow.

Well thanks for checking in and onto Day 9

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

DAY 6 & 7 - WEEK ONE A SUCCESS!

Day 6 and 7 are over and quite a success as I complete week 1!
Both days..

8:30 am up and atem - Slept in, that's right :)

Jamaican Tea

Workout: 
Day 6: Hip Hop Dance Track
Day 7: A rest day for me, but may do abs tonight


12:30 pm Lunch at 601 both days

Day 6: Being St. Paddy's Day we knew they were having a phenominal buffet of corned beef and cabbage as well as veggies and Homemade Soda Bread, so I afforded myself this meal that I wait for all year!  It was awesome

Did have a Black and Blue
 ******************************************
Day 7: Hamburger with egg on top, sweet potato fries, no bun 
(ate 6 fries total, yeah!)  Offered one of those wonderful Italian pastries stuffed with custard, looks like a french donut puffed up, BUT I refused it! :) And it was on the house!


Did have a Bloody Mary, water
******************************************
DINNER

Day 6...
It was our youngest son's birthday so we had the party with pizza and ice cream cake, I did not partake but rather later had a hard boiled egg with an apple and peanut butter.

Day 7...
6:45 pm Dinner - Chocolate Shakeology made w a banana and Almond/Coconut milk

7:45pm Salad with sauteed asparagus and steamed brussel sprouts


So full.  Great day today and still on track.  This weekend included St. Paddy's day with cheat meals and due to calories of  I did use Shakeology as a meal supplement, and veggies to fill in for other meals to balance my intake.


This has been a great first week, how about this...
Jean Report:
My jeans were snug to my legs and with one week of this detox and workouts, they are no longer clinging...really feels good too.
Still haven't weighed myself, so I am hopeful I have lost weight as well.

Ok onto getting ready for my second week, while I finish watching our beloved Chicago Blackhawks, and they WON!

Can't wait to start Week 2!

Thanks for checking in and supporting me!

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

DAY 5: Friday March 16, 2011

Gosh Day 5 blew right by and I didn't do my blog...whoa!
The day went well.  

6:30 up and atem

8:30 Breakfast was my usual with Jamaican Tea

Workout: Today was a lower body workout,  I didn't complete that.  Did the squats and lunges but never made it to the weights. 
Followed by Shakeology


12:30 Lunch at Honey's 
Awesome Salad with fresh organic greens, apple slices and walnuts.  A Cup of Gaspacio


6:45 Dinner was with friends and the Blackhawks game at 601 Bar and Grill  drinks with lettuce wraps and egg rolls.  Had some chips and tortilla chips


So far this week has gone well.  I most proud of working out everyday and drinking my shake.  Eating is 95% clean.


Onto Day 6 which will include a stop for corned beef and cabbage with soda bread...this was planned as it is the one meal I am passionate about on St. Paddy's Day.


Thanks for checking in and supporting me!


It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!

DAY FOUR

Four days down and I haven't weighed myself once!  

It's A Miracle!!!

INTERVAL TRAINING day today.  
Using a combo of tredmill and elliptical.  
I completed it but had to do the last 1/4 back on the tredmill as my legs got like 'jelly' with the level increase of resistance on the elliptical.  My playlist was really in sync without creating it that way, so I did push alittle hard to the music, and likely what caused that. Ended with an Ab workout.

Wow, Day 3 flew by and it was another great one!  Found it flowed pretty naturally, kind of second nature to be  

6:30 up and at em
BREAKFAST:  2 eggwhites plus 1 egg, asparagus, grn and red pepper, red onion, portabella, and spinach, topped with avocado.  Side of melon...delish!  Cup of Jamaican Flower Tea

WORKOUT AND SWEAT SHOT!

Followed by Shakeology with blueberries and pinneapple


Noon  
LUNCH with my MIL.  Enjoyed an awesome salad and french onion soup

DINNER
Chicken sausage, salad, melon and chick peas

No snacks today...

All in all a great day!  
Tomorrow is Lower Body Workout (Arghhhhh!!!  the Worst)
Thanks for checking in!

It's Just Me Val, Ciao!

 

DAY THREE

Wow, Day 3 flew by and it was another great one!  Found it flowed pretty naturally, kind of second nature to be exact.  Food choices are getting easier to pick.  Workouts are hard but I am pushing through it.  I actually remember a voice telling me "You can do it!"  to muscle failure and I do it.  Water is getting easier to drink, not that I don't like water but when you don't drink that  much, it takes some getting used to all over again.  I love the support I'm getting from all of you and am keeping my eye on my goal. 

6:30 am  Breakfast 
( 2 eggwhites, 1 egg, green pepper, red pepper, portabella, spinach and red onions, topped with Avocado) 
Jamaican Flower Tea, Water


Started Vitamins today:  Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil, D3, Calcium, and a multi vitamin.  Learned a trick from Gabe and Lyndsi to freeze the Fish Oil and no burps...it works!  Thanks!


8:00 am Workout
Hip Hop Dance Track and Abs  

Great workout, pouring down sweat and took my first sweatshot!
It ain't pretty but it is gonna be beautiful in the end :)

9:30 Shakeology with blueberries and washed mandarin oranges


12:30 Business Lunch with Lyndsi
Spinach Salad with brown sugar walnuts, cranberries, grape tomatoes, chicken, and green pepper - So good!


6:00 Dinner
Italian Beef (no bun) w chick pea salad and steamed green beans

• 3days and NO caffiene, white sugar, bread, or dairy
• Have not been hungry or craving anything!  It's amazing!
• Drank all my water and then some and now getting my blog done.
• Tomorrow is Intervals - Tredmill and Elliptical

Thanks again for visiting and taking the journey with me!

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'

DAY TWO

March 13, 2012

Well today was another good one.  Though I wasn't able to follow my schedule I never veered away.   Morning meeting was great and did my workout immediately following that, after I finally ate!

1pm LunchGrilled Chicken on top of steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lite Honey Mustard (Lightly) drizzled on top and a hard boiled egg: 315 calories

2 pm Workout 
 Upper Body, Abs, Push Ups, Jump Rope


6:30 Dinner
Grilled Brisket and Green Beans w a touch of Brown and Brummel and pepper

Drank all my water and green tea 
OH and today I tried a cup of Jamaican Flower Tea

Now I am pooped, want my bed.  Still have to finish my abs!  Watching the Blackhawks continue to try to play hockey :)

What seems to be hiccuping here is not enough calories.

Later...

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'

DAY ONE

(In case you read books like me, I like to read the ending first:  Day 1 was a SUCCESS)

PREP

Last night I did complete my Red Flag: Do This - Don't Eat list.  This is that admission list of what makes me breakdown and eat; emotional, stress and comfort eating.  I had many red flags with my 'do this' combining prayer with replacement activity. I also created a I WILL NOT BE SABOTAGED Statement, which is a statement committing to filter all my thoughts that may sabotage my goals. Lastly I did a daily to do list so I have a guide to make this plan easy to follow and assure a better chance of success for me.  I figured most would like to see what these list looks so here is mine!

VAL's RED FLAG "Do This and Don't Eat" List

• Disappointment – Push ups till I drop and pray;  Don’t EAT
• Disagreements -  Go for a walk and pray; Don’t EAT
• Loss of business – Pick 6 new prospects; email/ call to gain meetings;  Don’t EAT
• Rejection –  Journal and Pray; Don’t EAT
• Procrastination – Find one step to execute on, do it to completion; Don’t EAT
• Resolving an issue – Vow to step away for 1 hour, pray and revisit; Don’t EAT
• Financial concerns – Make calls to just push through and find business with prayer over each one; Don’t EAT

"I WILL NOT BE SABOTAGED!"
  

I will stop sabotaging my goals by thinking I have control over everything in life.  

I will ask myself these questions when I'm frustrated or feeling stressed, overwhelmed or out of control:

1. Is there something I can change to have a different outcome?  
1. I commit to change that now.
2. Does this require someone else to change?  
1. I commit to accept it,  let go and let God handle it.

 

DAILY TO DOs

 

• Start each day by 6:30 am
• Breathing exercise and journal daily
• Workout 6 days - Rest on the 7th
• Plan daily meals each morning first thing over a glass of water
• Eat a small meal before working out and do protein shake after workout
• Drink Green Tea, Iced Tea, and water (8 glasses of water daily)
• Gum only, no candy
• Blog at the end of each day
• Go to bed early

 MY JOURNAL OF THE JOURNEY STARTS NOW:

Day One...March 12, 2012

6am: Up, opened the house, fed the dogs, prepared my workout music but forgot to drink the bottle of water *arghhh, had a cup of green tea, didn't eat the small meal before working out (oh well I have enough fat to cover that)

7:35am:  Workout Done!  Breakfast: Made my Shake.  
Note to self: check batteries in workout equipment such as the elliptical before starting workout :(.  Completed the full workout with a calorie burn of 250, and then did a short ab workout.  

Time to get on with my day!  
YIKES!!!  Shower and the mirror, REALLY???
I said to 'ME': "Val you're such an idiot to have let this happen"  
Yes I was but it did, so there will be no beating myself up, just healing now.  

Off To Work!

Noon: Lunch!   Salad w chicken

2:30: Snack!  Hummus/green & red pepper and 15 nuts

5:15 pm and I am on the bottom half of 112 oz of Water!!!  Yeah, did it!

Dinner at 6: Chicken with a lot of veggies for me, add rice to that for Bob

 Later...


Watching The VOICE!  Drinking my water, counting my days calories, and working on my upper body moves for tomorrow morning!  It's been a great first day.  Thanks for checking in on me.  More tomorrow!


It's Just Me Val, Ciao'

GOALS AND PLANNING

Yep that's me Christmas Day 2011

Goals and Planning Sunday March 11, 2012

Tonight 

Creating a list of my 'red flags' list.Those are triggers that set off my 'failure' alarm.  Like a pro and cons list, I'll create a 'Do This Instead Of That' list to counter those triggers and I'll post it on the fridge.  I am determined!

My Goals are set and posted on my Pinterest Fifty Plus Fit Board: 

http://pinterest.com/soupsonfamily/fifty-plus-fit/

My Food Plan:

Following a 6 week detox program using a combination of protein shakes, fresh low starch veggies and fruit, lean protein, and a little good fat.  
AND: Water Water Water Water Water Water Water Water, minimally 8 glasses per day.

My Workout Plan:

Working Out 6 days a week, with one rest day:  

1 day Interval Tredmill/Elliptical Training

1 day Core Strength Training Upper Body with Abs

1 day Hip Hop Dance Track

1 day Interval Tredmill/Elliptical Training

1 day Core Strength Training Lower Body with Abs

1 day Hip Hop Dance Track

1 day Rest

Challenging? You Betcha! 

Am I finally ready?  YES more than I have been in years.

My ultimate goal is to lose 70 in 2012

So let's bring it on!

I'll need all the support I can get so join me or just cheer me on but either way I need YOU!

 

It's Just Me Val, Ciao'!