April goals

Goal dress!

Mileage goal!!!

All the tiu girls are striving to get 100 miles done by valentines day. I started late but I've mapped out my plans so that I can still achieve this. Additionally I have plans to lose 2 lbs per week  so If I really am 172 lbs at this point then I want to be 164 by valentines  day.

But then what?!

The tiu #loveyourbody series will be over the the tiu #bikiniseries doesn't start for a few months later! I believe it was like early may-mid June or something. 

Well my birthday is may 10. I want to challenge myself to 500 miles by my birthday! I know it's a lot but I've mapped it out and it's totally doable. My goal will also be to be at 140 lbs by my birthday which is almost a consistent 2 lb per week drop so ill really have to stay focused! I can do this. How far I came last year tells me I can do this. :)

8/500bymybirthday 

December Goals

November Goals

• Plank 2 minutes each day
• Track calories on loseit.com every day
• Reach 158 lbs by Dec.1
• Majority of meals from natural foods

Sexy Saturday

COSTUME IDEAS FOR HALLOWEEN (already):

My goal body would be able to rock this costume! :)

I think this would be so cute!

September Goals

September Goals: 

• Reach 149 lbs
• Burn 500 calories a day working out, at least 5-6 days a week
• EAT NO MEAT. Minimal to no dairy. VEGTEMBER (Aug 26-Sept 23)
• Average 100 grams of protein every day
• Lose 1-1.5 lb per week 
• Week of Aug 25, Sept 1st, 8th, 15th, & 22nd = 6-7 lbs
•  Assess how cutting out meat & dairy is making me feel. 
• Motivation Monday posts

Day 1 Review:
M1: Weight Control Oatmeal
M2: Diced Pear
M3: Tempeh w/ rice, broccoli, kale
M4: Tempeh w/ green beans
M5: Burrito w/ tofu and no cheese

I probably should have skipped the burrito but I was kinda excited to try it with the tofu. :)

Trimspiration

 

Original July Goals:

• Reach 150 lbs
• Workout 3-4 times a week at least
• Get back down to a 10 minute mile run
• Go back to only drinking once a week at most!
• Don't exceed my calorie budget this month at all...!
• Budget for cheat days... or work off the extra calories

 Update on Goals:

• I'm approaching it now, but the first half of the month was bad. 
• I'm working towards it. Getting back on track!
• Not getting to a 10 minute mile yet
• After two weeks of more splurging, I am getting my drinking under control NOW
• I'm doing decent about my calorie budget. Better this week than I have in the past 6-8.

July Goals

Well I kind of fell off the wagon that second half of June. I'm not really sure what happened.... maybe I just got tired of tracking everything so meticulously? Either way, the damage has been done. I'm happy it's the first day of a new month because I can set new goals and get back on track...

June Goals

• Reach 150 lbs
• Workout 3-4 times a week at least
• Get back down to a 10 minute mile run
• Go back to only drinking once a week at most!
• Don't exceed my calorie budget this month at all...!
• Budget for cheat days... or work off the extra calories

June Goals Checkin

I set out my June goals, here.
So how am I doing????

• I'm on my way to 153 lbs, but I doubt I'll make it. Maybe 155?
• My fat is at 30% so I'm ALMOST THERE. I think I'll make it.
• I'm def. getting 110 g every day. I might be getting too much? like 120?? Gotta cut a little.
• Muscle is creeping up. I think I should aim for 34% this month. :)
• No where close to a 9 min mile. I think I backslid and am at an 11 min now instead of 10. ha
• I'm still struggling with a 2 min plank.

Also, starting a 7DSD today to detox from the overeating I've been doing.
M1: PFP Pancake
M2: 1/2 grapefruit
M3: Antioxidant Salad
M4: air popped popcorn in coconut oil
M5: 3 beers... >_>

Never give up!

I am still struggling to get motivated to keep my workouts going strong. It's a process though and I think it's good that I'm still focused on it, rather than throwing in the towel. Saturday I jogged 4 miles and Sunday I did some TIU Toning videos. Over the weekend I turned to Pinterest for more motivation, as that is what got me the most motivated in the beginning.

 It's also motivating to hear all the encouragement from people who notice the changes in my body. At my cousins daughters Bday party, I got a few compliments about my progress and it's good to know that it is noticeable! :)



UPDATE:

• 120g. of protein today
• 100 squat challenge + 50 jumping jacks. + 3  two min planks (5.5 miles walked at work)

100 TIU Tummy Tucks for Trim Tuesday

I was loving my results on Sunday and I can only hope that the plank position has a lot to do with it, as my fellow blogger and TIU sister, Susan,  said. I asked her how she got her gut to finally slim down and she told me to do lots and lots of plank workouts. I tried to add as much plank as possible. I definitely could have done more, but arguably the little bit that I have added in the past month seems to have helped? Either that or my calorie uppage. It seems crazy, but something changed....! At least going off of my Sunday progress picture which I was so impressed to even see myself.

I don't want to see my results revert back, like they always seem to. I'll have awesome progress one week, then the next 3-4 weeks will appear like nothings changed, then I'll have another dramatic change that seems random. I don't like that! I just want to steadily look better!

So, 100 TIU Tummy Tuck Tuesdays all month! I might add a "100 TIU Hugs" for Healthy Thursdays. We'll see. :) I've grown a bad habit of drinking again. I think it's the stress of things, but sadly every day for 4-5 days at least I have been thinking "Well, I know one thing that will make me feel better for awhile!" I have stuck to wine yesterday and today, but I am disappointed in myself a bit for indulging for....no reason.

I'm excited for tomorrow, though. I have off and I'm going to try to do a Wednesday-Runday before the rain starts (AGAIN!). Then I will continue reading "The Morganville Vampires" by Rachel Caine and editing "Displaced."

June Goals

Final Recap of May Goals: 

You can view my first recap, here.
And the original post, here. 

• I still struggle to manage a 2 drink maximum but a few times I've made the choice to do wine instead of beer which actually makes it a lot easier to stop at 2 or 3.
• I haven't reached 153, but I think I've figured out some of my problems but deciding to up my calories and make sure my body isn't in starvation mode. (TBC :) )
•  I don't feel like I've taken my proper half hour to reflect the last 2 weeks or so. Gotta get back into that. 
• I definitely missed a lot more than 3 bikini series workouts. I've lost a lot of motivation it seems these last 2 weeks. It's rained a lot, maybe that's why. I don't know.
• I didn't practice yoga every Sunday. :/ But I did do a bit of yoga every week. 
• I officially held plank for 2 minutes over the weekend!
• I am getting 100-110g of protein a day, thanks to my Perfect Fit Protein. But once that runs out, I'm worried it'll drop.
• I completed my first 7DSD! I had a few slip ups but I made my best efforts to finish it as best I could.      

June Goals:

•  Reach 153 this month (PLEASE)
• Get my fat % out of the 30s. 
• Do some form of workout every day and check in each night on the blog. Whether it be toning, cardio, or strength training. DO SOMETHING.
• Strive to keep protein around 100-110g a day. 
• Do 100 TIU tummy tucks once a week.  

• Have a CarbSaturday every week and try to make improvements on my Sunday Runday. ((Track time and distance, just for reference. )) 
• Finish this round of edits on a book I'm writing with my friend, Kathy, called "Displaced." 

  I think for the month of June, I might be doing a bit more post updates at the end of each day, just to add my protein intake for the day as well as my workouts. For June, and probably July, I want to lift a bit of the pressure from myself. Things have been stressful at work and at home and I can feel ulcer pains again. It's finally summer (though the weather still doesn't really feel like it) and I want to try and enjoy it. I'm still going to push myself but these are the months I worked hard for so I don't want to punish myself for not being where I expected to be... I still worked hard and plan to enjoy the summer as things come up.  I always have to remind myself that this weight loss isn't a race. I want to get healthy and look good and feel confident. I'm still really really struggling to be confident and it's going to be a long road before I can feel truly good about myself.
 

Appreciation

Well the 30DS kind of fell to the side, especially when the bikini series started. I honestly saw tremendously better results in the first week of the bikini series than any results I was seeing with the 30DS. I will probably do another 30DS (and complete it) in August or September when I'm closer to my goal weight and trying to crush those last few pounds. :)

Today is my reflection day and the Tone It Up trainers challenged us today to stop and take a minute to be thankful. I love how they stress the importance of being thankful - it's such an awesome reminder and it's always uplifting to remember why we should be happy instead of focusing on the negatives like it's so easy for us to do. 

1. My boyfriend for trying to adjust to my new healthy lifestyle
2. My friends and family for encouraging my weight loss
3. The TIU community for their inspiration and encouragement
4. My car for still working 
5. The ability to change my lifestyle. (Gym membership, juicer, internet, my health)

 Last week I missed the "Grab a Friend" workout for Saturday and the 45 minute walk for Sunday. I just made up the 45 minute walk for Sunday (plus did the 45 minute cardio jogging for Monday).  Also working on the #100bysummer challenge and personal challenge not to drink at all during the Cubs game tomorrow. :) Today I did 9.76 miles!

Trials & Trails

So I have been sticking to the bikini series REALLY well so far. I haven't missed any workouts! Kind of proud of myself for that one especially since most of these routines (all?) are pretty challenging! I have stuck to the TIU nutrition plan really well except I splurged over the weekend on drinks and had homemade tacos on Sunday for Cinco de Mayo. Still I made sure every day my calorie intake was below my limit. But I don't think my weigh in this week will be too great. I got another compliment at work today though which of course felt nice.

I've taken up running at the forest preserve. Saturday I went for a hike there, then Sunday I did a 45 minute jog, and today I did the Itty Bitty cardio routine there. It's nice to be surrounded by trees and other people trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The only downside is now bees are coming out and sometimes I have to run from them (that's when I find the energy I never knew I had to sprint). lol.Today during my Itty Bitty Cardio I still struggled with the sprinting, especially in the 2nd round, but I managed to jog for most of it.

My biggest struggle at the moment is actually an unexpected one. I have been having trouble sleeping. At first I knew it was insomnia from getting my monthly (which is normal for me) but now that it's over I still haven't been able to get a solid nights sleep. I feel exhausted and have been getting headaches and my weight loss is going to slow down if my body doesn't get that time to rest. Today I bought Vitamelts for sleep... Hoping that will give me that added drowsiness to conk me out for the whole night. lol

My boyfriend and I are still struggling to get along and not to sound cliche but I seriously think it's his fault. He's rarely ever in a good mood and he doesn't hesitate anymore before snapping at me about every little thing. I'm tired of arguing especially when I have a really good day, I'm proud of myself and totally exhausted from workouts, and then he decides to get chippy. I want to hatchet that chip off his damn shoulder so he'll just be in a slightly more normal mood. Everything is always so doom and gloom with him lately and I seriously cant get why. I want to say just forget my birthday if it's such a hassle. :/

But I am extremely proud of my progress and motivated to keep going. This #bikiniseries has already been the biggest blessing and I almost** dont want it to ever end (easy for me to say beginning week 2! Ha, wait to see what I say at week 7 or 8).

May Goals

So it's almost May! Wow, April went pretty fast! I think time goes faster when you have daily goals to achieve. Looking back at April, I think I've come a long way - especially compared to March! To Recap:

Final look at April Goals:

• I hardly achieved my bootycalls. 
• I completely stopped eating 2 hours before bed!
• I stuck very close to the TIU nutrition plan w/ the exception of pizza once and a few beers a couple times. Although, all except one time I stayed at a 2 drink maximum. :) But I slipped up on the once a week part, more-so recently.
• I didn't quite complete a 7DSD yet, but I do mostly eat the meals suggested on it.
• I have consistently burned enough to lose a pound a week this month, bringing me down from 168 lbs to 161 lbs!
• I have continued to take a half hour each week to reflect. I did so, here and here and here
• I am very close to being out of the 160's! Possibly by my weigh in on Wednesday I will be and then I will be able to say that yes, I achieved that goal. :)

 I think for May I will carry over some of the goals that I didn't complete or the ones I really enjoyed.

May Goals:

• Drink a maximum of 2 drinks, preferably wine or vodka, once a week at most.
• Reach 153 lbs
• Take a half hour each week for reflection
• Miss no more than 3 Bikini Series workouts that don't get made up
• Practice Yoga every Sunday ---
• post about yoga workouts on Friday and TIU Workouts on Tuesday
• Be able to hold plank position for 2 full minutes by the end of the month
• Take in about 100-111g of protein per day _ 700-750g a week. Less later in the month when I weigh less.
• Complete a 7DSD

TRY IT

Over the weekend I managed to do #8formartin. I was so shaken up by the tragedy at the Boston Marathon last week. Every time I heard something new about the case I just had tears in my eyes. I found out from the TIU community that a lot of people were running 8 miles in honor of the 8 year old boy, Martin, who was killed in the bombing. I wanted to do it earlier in the week but bouncing back from the over night was as hard as it always is so I went for it on Friday. I did it! Unfortunately my machine cleared my information after an hour so I didn't get any proof, but I went back to try again! I made it to 7 miles when my machine restarted again. So now I know they are programmed to clear at 60 minutes and there's no way to change that setting... LAME! But I did it. :) Saturday I was pretty tempted to drink. We got invited out to a few places and then started to make plans to go out by ourselves but in the end, we watched a few movies at home. I had chicken and greens, he had fried chicken and beer. :) Excited to weigh in on wednesday! This weekend has been pretty great except for the two beers and pizza I had on Friday. Oops? Haha

 Overall I think I'm really getting back on track. I'm back at the gym pumping out some hardcore cardio and I'm keeping up with my 30 Day Shred. Over the weekend I stuck to my cardio, but all last week I did the 30 day shred. By Thursday I was basically immobile. Lol. The arm workouts are what get me the most. I cant wait to weigh in on Wednesday and see if I made a dent in this rut. Even if I'm down to 162, I'll be happy! I just want to see some progress.

The TIU Bikini series starts this week so I'm kind of hoping that will also push me to see bigger and better results. I was feeling really frustrated over the weekend as I assessed my lifestyle. Basically it had to do with choosing not to drink and my boyfriend wasn't supporting it. By the end of Saturday night though he came to me and apologized and said he'd like to get active with my this summer and maybe join the gym come fall. He said my eating habit are a little extreme for him but he'd like to take part in the activity part. Lol. It's a start! I'll take it. I'd love his support and company throughout all of this.

Got me thinking though, what should we try? I know I will  be trying a yoga class soon. I have been practicing some poses on my own and I will either jump in a class at Lifetime Fitness or wait for my sister to heal so she can join me in a class as part of her physical therapy. My ultimate goal with yoga is to be able to do a back bend. :)

But as far as what I can do with David, I don't know! He wants to try kayaking and biking. I'm down for both of those but I would like to do some hiking, too. I wish there was a sport that we could do. He thought maybe tennis and I guess I'm considering that but then we have to buy some rackets and tennis balls. Maybe it wouldn't be too expensive. Could be fun! I'm just excited for warm weather! But it's not even in the forecast yet which is beyond discouraging.

The next warm Sunday I have plans to arrange a meetup with a couple TIU girls. I'm so excited about that I cannot wait for it to get warm! That community is the most encouraging and supportive thing I've found and it will be so amazing to meet some of the girls in real life and develop stronger relationships. A few of us were talking about doing The Color Run together in July and attending Workout in the Park in June. It feels so good to have people to do these things with!! This is going to be an awesome summer (if it ever comes!)

Mid-Month Reflection

Sundays Recap (since it was a pretty successful day!) lol
M1: Grapefruit & Kiwi + coffee and Bombshell spell
M2: banana
M3: Spinach salad w/ veggie chicken patty
M4: Chickpea/strawberry/cucumber/celery salad
M5: Med Salad from Noodles & Company 
**greek yogurt w/cinnamon & honey + cinnamon tea

WO: 5 miles walked at work
30 Day Shred
TIU arms routine
Yoga

I have been writing down my workouts so I can better track how often I do certain ones and also what levels I do things at so I can push myself and hopefully not plateau again. I'm still feeling good about my commitment to not drink until my birthday and about doing the 30DS every day. It's going to be a challenge, that's for sure but I know I can do it. I've gone 4 weeks without drinking before (when I started dieting) and I should have no problem doing it again. :) Just have to say no maybe 6-8 times. We all know why it's bad to drink - no need for convincing!

The 30DS is actually pretty challenging! It's only 20 minutes and each move/circuit isn't all that hard but when paired together I was seriously sweating! I have full confidence this will work. My favorite part is that halfway through when I want to quit, I just remind myself it's only 10 more minutes and then I'm done. Saturday I tried it and only made it halfway (*was hungover), then Sunday I did the full thing. Now I know I can do it, and it'll be fun to see when it gets easier. I'm thinking I'll spend 10 days on each level since there's 3 levels. The 14th-23rd (level one). The 24th-3rd (level two). The 4th-13th (level four).

I'm trying to do the TIU arms routine 3X a week.  No specifics about which days, but I look back at my week and check to see that I did it. I got off to a later start this month but I can continue on strong. I just do the killer buns and thighs workout when I cant make it to the gym. And I do Pilates a lot for morning bootycalls. It's really great. I finally feel like I'm getting into a good routine. I simply need to get this nailed down and continue hitting the gym. 

And lastly, since were halfway through the month already, I'd like to post an update on my April Goals so I don't lose track. 

UPDATE:
>> I am still struggling with booty calls. I do them like 2-3 times a week. Almost there!
>> I'm getting really good about not eating before bed. Maybe 1-2 a week I might have a really tiny snack within those 2 hours, like a single strawberry.
>> I am following really closely except a few nights this week I had sandwiches for dinner. I'd like to see myself steer clearer of carbs for dinner and stick to all leans and greens.
>> Failed my first attempt at 7DSD but will try again
>> Need to hit the gym a lot harder going forward!
>> I am doing good with my 30 min reflection time goal! Every Monday on right here!
>> Almost out of the 160's! Was at 163 last I checked!! :D

7DSD

Got my meals planned out for the week. It's the 7DSD from the TIU plan as closely as I can possibly follow it.  Yesterday I made breakfast for me and my boyfriend (as it's become habit almost every sunday now). I did my 3 egg whites w/spinach and tomato and then made him a huge 5 egg scramble w/ corn beef hash. 

In my goals for April I said I would take 30 minutes each week to reflect and remember why I'm trying to lose weight. The goal is not to deprive or torture myself... I feel really good about my progress so far. I'm so proud of myself for persevering through the scales set-backs and pushing forward towards my goals. In the past I have often lost momentum when I saw the slightest progress. I suppose I did again this time but not to the same degree. I stayed conscious of my decisions throughout and have now regained momentum. 

My ankle was bothering me at the end of this week which had me worried. When I was on the elliptical it was really bothering me and I couldn't think of anything to focus my mind on. I know my ankle is not injured... I should clarify wasn't pushing through pain! I think the repetition was just bothering it. Anyway, I started to brain storm things to think about to keep me motivated. I pictured myself sliding into jeans without having to pull them over my gut. I pictured myself feeling lighter as I walked down the street or ran through the park for my workouts. I pictured myself taking a progress picture with a flat stomach! And lastly, I pictured myself at the beach wearing a bikini. The image of putting jeans on is honestly what stuck with me the most... perhaps because it's something I do every day? 

This morning I tried on a pair of work pants that have been too small on me since I bought them (bought them with the intention of slimming down ASAP and a year later...) and the pants slid right on! Good thing because my old work pants were looking really dingy and baggy :D

It got me thinking...Do long term goals actually set me back? Do I need the daily reminder of putting jeans on to keep me focused? And if so, will I stay motivated even when I get into a jean size I've never fit in before? 

Just some things to think about! Happy slimming!

April Goals

I did so awesome this week with workouts and eating clean! I only managed 3 bootycalls. I only managed 3 bootycalls but that's better than 0! On TIU I posted:

My April Goals:
>> Get in the habit of bootycalls. Even if not every single day, I want to see myself doing them 3-4 times a week.
>> Stop eating 2 hours before bed time. It's when I snack the most I realized so this should make a huge difference.
>> Stick to the TIU nutrition plan as closely as possible all month; only drinking once a week at most (2-4 drink maximum)
>> Complete a 7DSD this month
>> Burn 3500 calories a week at the gym to achieve at least a 1 lb loss/wk
>> Take a half an hour every week to remind myself why I'm trying to get healthy and eat right; allotting time to refocus.
>> Get out of the 160's!
Should be a great month!

I can say I'm really proud of myself for getting 3 in! I'll aim for 4 next week! :) Also, I burned so many calories this week. I stayed focused every single day and made smart choices. Last month I shrank in inches but the scale was kind of stuck around 166-168. This month I want to get out of this scale-rut & push myself out of the 160's.

I'm thinking I will do my 7DSD this week coming week since the following week I have an overnight shift. Also this week is my sisters surgery. It's a stressful time and I'm aiming not to fall off my awesome streak due to stress or inconvenience (being at the hospital). I will pre-plan my meals for that day and get a workout in before I go to the hospital. 

Just for fun, I made a TIU booytcall hoodie. I suppose if I stick to 3-4 bootycalls all month I could get myself this hoodie or a TIU tank or t-shirt :)