and yesterday was not one of them. In fact, yesterday proved to be one of the most difficult days I have had in this last 4 weeks. And just when you all were ready to crown me “Queen of 4 weeks eating clean”. My efforts are catching up with me in more ways than one and I woke exhausted yesterday. Even with that being the case, I got through a grueling leg workout followed by 40 min. of cardio. All day at work, I watched the clock eagerly anticipating my next meal. Although I stayed on schedule, it was a challenge to wait the 3 hours between each meal. I was unusually hungry, which was no surprise as I felt like I had killed in with my leg workout. I had set my body into burn-mode! I knew it was a positive thing that I was feeling hungry, but I still struggled with thoughts of food, food, food!
Consider this: My current plan calls for 6 meals. I eat meal #1 on workout days at 3:30 a.m. Meal #2 is eaten between 6-6:30 a.m. This is after 1 hour of weight training followed by 40-45 min. of cardio, then a shower. Meal #3 is eaten at 9:30 a.m. Meal #4 at 12:30 p.m. Meal #5 at 3:30 p.m. and meal #6 at 6:30 p.m. Think about this, on a perfect day I am in bed between 8:00 and 9: p.m. On a football night where I do not have hubby’s help, I may not get to bed until 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. With my last meal having been eaten at 6:30 p.m., there is room for the mind to wander. Things are a little different on cardio only days as I do that cardio on an empty stomach, so meal #1 is not eaten until 6:30 a.m. or so. Those days all meal times are set a little later, so it easier to get through the p.m. hours without any cravings or feeling hungry.
Last night could have been a total disaster in the way of eating off plan. I definitely had the opportunity to lose all control and eat off plan. I had picked up pizza for the boys from Sams Club. Those of you who know Sam’s Wholesale Club know that they have pizza to die for! Anyway, after I picked up the pizza, I went home to eat my meal #6 – cottage cheese and protein powder. It had never tasted to so good!!!!! But I was still hungry…so I did it. I ate off plan. I ate 5 almonds and 3 of the best strawberries I think my lips have ever tasted. Okay Aluschka, bring on the sarcastic grin and the “tsk, tsk, tsk!” LOL…so it could have been heaps worse, yes I know, but for me it was still off plan. Now I could have felt badly about it. After all, I have made a solid commitment to follow this plan to a T, yet, I was okay with eating those 5 almonds and 3 strawberries. The one thing I can say about myself, if nothing else, is that my desires for processed food treats are gone. Last night I thought about how far I have truly come in changing my ways. The me that was 5 years ago, heck, even 3 years ago, I would have went straight for the pizza! Today, my most tempting of cheats are crunchy sweet gala apples, dark juicy plums, fresh strawberries, peaches, and almonds. That is a milestone that I really had a deep reflection on last night before going to bed.
I am forever learning about myself and how to be the best “me” that I can be, both physically and emotionally. As refreshing as it is to come to the realization that I have my food choices under control, I must remind myself that I do NOT have my portion-size of choice under control and that is why having a nutrition plan is so very valuable and important to me. I even dug up some of my old training and nutrition journals last night. It was really telling to see why I have yo-yoed with my weight so many times. It has been such a learning process and I am still learning some hard lessons. One thing I KNOW is that I never want to stop working towards the healthiest person I am capable of being. This morning I realized something else - that my pains last night weren’t really hunger pains at all. They were growing pains.
Re: Some days are easier than others
Rena, I can feel you pain.
This as you know is my first week and I am not doing any cardio as per Darrin so I am only doing weights 3x per week.
I've noticed that I have been really hungry on those days and that my schedule is off with getting up earlier to work out. I am glad to hear from your post that being hungry on those days are a GOOD thing!!
When it comes to cheating in my mind you have it totally under control and you are right that in no way you should beat yourself up about a few almonds and some fruit. Those few bites aren't what got us where we are...its the pizza that you said no to that is the culprit. I am so with you on that. You know I think beating ones self up about small things like that causes more damange than the food. I know so many people that just think down about themselves for what they eat and its just depressing- ok I admit I have negative thoughts too at times and thats what brought me to Darrin. I don't like that way of thinking and it had to end because life is just too short.
You are doing a great job Rena, keep up the awesome work!!
On another note, looks like our boat trip might be cancelled. Its suppose to be rainy and cold sat and sun plus my husband said its the worse kind of wind for where we were heading. Boo hoo!! Seems like every weekend we used the boat it rained but at least it was warm. There is no way we are going out if its windy, the last time we tried that my son got sick !! Not nice.
Florida in October is never predictable as far as hurricanes go. You will definitely have no problems with lines at Disney, so that is in your favor. We can only hope and pray this year will come and go with no major hurricane activity.
I live in Riverview, FL which is a suburb of Tampa. I am only 45 minutes away from Orlando. We took a trip to Universal Studios in July and had a great time with the kids! We stayed at the Hard Rock Resort which is on Universal's property. When you stay at a Resort on site, you get Speed-Passes and get to bi-pass all the ride lines. It was awesome!
We live in a small town called Dunnville. I am about a 45 minute drive from Buffalo. We are actually flying from Buffalo. We generally fly from there if we go anywhere because its always cheaper and its closer to us than Toronto.
I have my fingers crossed!! We rented a large house with a pool/spa. We are going with another family and we wanted to go in Oct so we could go to the Disney halloween party. My son is taking a friend with him, a girl, and we thought we would dress up as the Adams Family. Should be fun. We are only doing 2 days at disney because we were there a few years ago but had 2 days left on our pass. I thought siesta key would be a good beach location since they claim that there is sun 361 days a year. My concern was that the 4 days there is no sun would be when we are there!!
We want to do universal too but that will be another trip!!
Here are two of the very worst pics EVER taken when I was obese and more than 100 pounds overweight. They were both taken after the birth of my 3rd and last son. As you can see in the first one, the baby was about 1 1/2 months old, so that was taken in May of 2002. It was taken at a friend's beach condo and you can see, I was cringing to have my picture taken. I was around 240 pounds in that pic. The second pic was taken by my husband at the beach. Just as I was eating a big fat sandwich...ugh...yeah, he has this sick sense of humor. When I saw this pic is when I got my act together and decided the excuse of pregnancy weight was NO EXCUSE at all! Edited by: LA at: 1/9/06 16:14
Your competition photos are amazing and personally I can't even imagine ever being there. Your other photos are nothing to be ashamed of either. You have 3 beautiful boys and that tends to put a little wear and tear on the body. You've done it before I KNOW without a doubt you will get there again!!
Keep your chin up and stick to the plan and before you know it "poof" you will be there!
I will be here along your journey to keep you company.
Re: EEEEEK - weigh in today
Remember how last week's weigh in reported no scale weight loss and no gain??? WELL....this week I lost 4 POUNDS!!!! I am THRILLED with that as after hearing about Mybell's and Wendy's results, I was wondering what in the heck my body was doing! I am getting my bodyfat % done this weekend and that will be the BIG reveal as those numbers, for me, are a true sign of how things are coming along. I will be able to see exactly how many pounds of fat I have lost and how many pounds of lean tissue I have out on.
So that is a total of 9.5 pounds lost in 4 weeks on my new program. I am VERY pleased with that and it is sure motivation to keep going strong! I have to take 4-week progress pics to send to Darrin this weekend. EEEK - Let's hope I am still pleased with myself after those are taken. It is that lovely time of month so I am a bit swollen, but the camera doesn't lie.
Wendy, thank you for the kind words in regards to my pictures. It is good to know that there is support we can share as we journey down like-minded paths towards such personal goals. YOU ARE DOING FABULOUS!!!! I want you to know I feel your enthusiam in your posts and know that with all your support, especially your husband right alongside you, you are on your way to exactly where you want to be!
As for having 3 kids and that promoting wear and tear on the body - sure. But I know some women with 3 or more kids in amazing shape with GREAT bods. I also have PCOS (have had surgery to remove ovarian cysts) which a common symptom or side-effect of this is obesity. I chose not to accept these two things as excuses, because just as I read in one of Darrin's post somewhere here on the forum - "nothing can make you eat". It is a choice.
I really must get off here as I have a great weekend planned with the family!
Mybell and Wendy, keep kickin' butt! You are doing FAB!!!
Re: EEEEEK - weigh in today
Rena, you are right on track, stay focused and you will do just fine. If cravings get a little crazy keep in mind what I am doing for you and stay on track for me if not yourself. You are adapting to your new "lifestyle" just fine!
Re: EEEEEK - weigh in today
FANTASTIC NEWS Rena I am not sure who is more excited you or me I am soooo happy for you girl,you deserve it.Heck you doing it yourself...I mean Darrin is important part,cos he figured out how you need to eat,BUT you are the one who does all the work and sticks with the plan You go Babe
BTW thanx LA for the link Now I know what Rena and her family looks like
You looked gorgeous on the stage...and wow what a smile...is it like 100 watts or what? Rena I admire you for putting up those fat photos. Yes you were big and yes you slipped up after the comp But the most important thing is that you are very aware what is happening and that you want to sort yourself out The thing is we all have to realize that to keep fit and healthy we need to do the homework.For me there is no such thing as offseason. I like to keep in good shape so I eat and train like that. Once you get where you want to be all you/we need to do is maintenance And from time to time we have to tighten the belts and do more work and other times we can chill a bit My own BF fluctuates...I mean it is hard keeping at at 10%..so I let it go up a bit for a few weeks and then cycle back-stricter eating and harder workouts...Most important fact..at least for me is never to let go too much.Then I struggle to get back Anyway I just came to say Hi and weel done
Auschka, Wendy, and Darrin
It is really helpful for me to come to this forum and see that I have "little devils" as LA put it watching me and keeping up with my daily progression. I really need that, some accountability. Hubby is geeting better at keeping me in check when he sees that I might be thinking of stepping to the left or to the right, but he still has the attitude of "I love you just the wau you are" and well...that's not really a driving force of motivation for me. Know what I mean?
I sent Darrin my 4 week pics. I certainly did not morf in LA in 4 weeks, but the pictures did show progress and with that, my tank is full to drive on through another 4 weeks. I am hoping that as my body is adapting, in this 4 weeks I will make not only just leaps, but bounds. My goal this 4 weeks is to WANT to dispaly these 8-week pictures against my 1st week pictures for you all to see. I make no promises, but that is my goal. I really want to make myself proud as well as Darrin, as I want him to know his investment of time will have a return coming.
So...we took the kids to Busch Gardens (a big amusement park) yesterday and all the rides had 1-hour or more long lines. The kids were so frustrated!!! We only stayed for 3 hours (nothing lost as we have season passes) and then came home and played a game of backyard football with all the neighborhood kids. I wanted to hit the beach today, but we think it might be so crowded it may not be enjoyable, so hubby and I are cleaning the garage today. FUN, FUN!
I am off to do chest and triceps today. I am going to change up my split this next four weeks. Notice the time...I actually slept in till 8:30 a.m. today!!!!!
Aluschka, I meant the whole "intertesting" comment as a compliment my sweet friend! I love to meet people with loads of stories to tell. I actually look so forward to reading your meaty posts as they always make me chuckle or leave me thinking really deep. Thank you for keeping up with me. I need your example to follow!
Wendy, so sorry to hear about your purse!!!! I agree, the world is so crazy and saddening these days. It is a shame we cannot have a leisurely time with family and friends without having to clutch or belongings and look over our shoulders the whole time. I had my purse stolen 6 years ago at a hotel swimming pool. I had our life in there - long story - it was actually a pool bag. Anyway, it was a mess trying to get everything cancelled and such and the police never recovered anything. Just check your credit report regularly. At least you are all alive and well. Money and cards can be replaced.
hello
Rena, sounds like a busy weekend. I can't wait to see your pictures at 8 weeks. I guess I could make that promise too.
My husband is the same way. He doesn't understand my need to keep trying harder. Everything is so easy for him. the only thing easy for me is to put on fat. I swear to god, every day I get older it's 10x as hard to get rid of the extra baggage on my butt.
My goal is to have the best body of my life in my 40's. I figure if I ever complete it's going to be in the Masters catergory.
Re: Bored to Tears
here at work. I have gotten through all the work that needs to be done and my mind is wandering in a million places. I have so much going on with the kids in terms of thier schooling and activities that work has been the least of my stressors. I am trying to get hubby to amend his schedule a little bit to lighten my burden. Did I mention that we work together? He is actually my manager. Most people say the same ole' thing when they find out we work together - "How do you do it? Don't you get sick of each other?"
The answer to that is no. Never. It works for us and has for years. He is a Manager, working for this company for 16 years. I am an admin. rep, working on and off between pregnancies here for 6 years. The benefits are endless as I have THE perfect schedule based on the kids. He is in and out of the office as he has a huge territory and suprisingly we have very little interaction while at work. Anyway, he is kind of a work-a-holic. I say kind-of as he has really trimmed his schedule quite a bit in the past few years with the kids getting older and taking on more activities. I have my schedule and routine as tight as a drum and when any glitch happens, I tend to experience anxiety. As I sit bored here at the office, a million things "to do" (outiside of work) are running through my head.
Even as I get up at 3:30 a.m. daily, there are just not enough hours in the day. Workouts and clean eats - 100% on and couldn't be better! Everything else - not 100%, but working on it!
Re: Bored to Tears
Is funny how we can organize our life from work eh! Some days I feel bored to tears at my job too. I think that is part of the reason I don't stay any place more than 3 years. I realized that the job is the job but with the change of place I can get through it. LOL! Not sure what ever possesed me to go into a career that puts me at my desk 8 hours a day!!
I know what you mean about being with hubby all the time. The first 3 years we were married with were in school together. The first year we were in all the same classes too so we were together 24/7. Once school was done I hardly saw him at all - didn't like that too much. He is also a workaholic big time!! Not to mention is on call 24/7 most of the year. I told him that when he dies I will bury the cell phone with him once they surgically remove it.
Keep up the great work Rena - 100% way to go!
Isn't this fun!!??!?
HI
Hi Rena! You sound like so many of us on this board. Working hard to achieve your goals and making the sacrifices necessary to do that. I love your pictures, all of them. You are truly a beautiful woman and you are definately on the right track. Its so hard when you have a food issue day with hunger and cravings...but you overcome them so well
You should really be proud of yourself, you will get to your goal. If you can do it once, you will have the determination to do it again! That kind of strenght doesn't just go away, it just goes to sleep for a while, but you've woken up and your doing it!
Re: A short update
Wow, Cathy! What a beautiful and kind post to open up to today! I can tell in simply reading the posts you've shared here on the forum that you are quite a positive force. It is very nice to have you here as we ALL know positive people make such a difference in one's life! Thank you for such a nice message. It makes my day today!
As for my absence and short update - just been really busy, but all is SO GOOD. Almost so good it's a little scary. Lost another 2.5 pounds for week #5. That is a total of 12 pounds gone in 5 weeks. Darrin did I mention lately that you are a nutrition GENIUS?!?! I also lost another 1 1/2 inches off the waist last week. Not all measurements went down, some stayed the same, and one went up by a 1/2 inch. BUT...that gain was welcomed as it was my upper chest meaurement and that means my lats are growing!!!! YEAH! I want that back to spread! V-taper here I come!
I am horse today at work. Woke up to no voice on Sunday after Saturday's football. My oldest son made the winning touchdown of the game and he plays defensive end. For the 2nd time this season, he forced a fumble and scooped up the ball to take it in for a 67 yard touchdown!!!! It was so exciting as both teams were undeafeated and there was only a minute left in the game with a tied scoreboard. Talk about the crowd on their feet! This was THE team to beat as they are known to win the SuperBowl every year. It was huge and I was such a proud mom.
So here I am at work with lots to do today. Answering the phone should be fun with no voice.
Chest, calves, and abs done today. It was a bit of a struggle after having had my first "cheat meal" last night. Not to worry, Darrin gave me the okay but did advise "not to go overboard." I had 2 slices of pizza, an ounce of dark chocolate, and a big crunchy gala apple. It really upset my stomach though. I was hurting this a.m. and had a hard time getting through meals 1 and 2.
And I said this was gonna be short????? Who am I kidding? I can't talk today, but I can sure still type!
and thats what brought me to Darrin. I don't like that way of thinking and it had to end because life is just too short.
Seems like every weekend we used the boat it rained but at least it was warm. There is no way we are going out if its windy, the last time we tried that my son got sick
!! Not nice.
You will definitely have no problems with lines at Disney, so that is in your favor. We can only hope and pray this year will come and go with no major hurricane activity.
Edited by: 
Edited by: 
without a doubt you will get there again!! 
Let's hope I am still pleased with myself after those are taken. 
It is that lovely time of month so I am a bit swollen, but the camera doesn't lie.
It is good to know that there is support we can share as we journey down like-minded paths towards such personal goals. YOU ARE DOING FABULOUS!!!! I want you to know I feel your enthusiam in your posts and know that with all your support, especially your husband right alongside you, you are on your way to exactly where you want to be! 
I am soooo happy for you girl,you deserve it.Heck you doing it yourself...I mean Darrin is important part,cos he figured out how you need to eat,BUT you are the one who does all the work and sticks with the plan
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