BACK TO IT

Hey everyone,

Well as you can probably tell, it's been a while since I've blogged anything on here. I'm a bit ashamed about that since I was so gung-ho about it before... But nevertheless, I'm back at it!
So I worked out pretty hard from September to December, and then I went home at Christmas and got hives and got sick as well. Then when I went back to school, I was only there for a week before going to the Caribbean. 

When I got back from the Caribbean, I picked up another job (2 jobs, plus 8 courses) and was pretty stressed out so I thought to myself 'Okay I'll just take a week or two off'... and that turned into 'a break up until now'...

I wasn't really eating poorly, but I also wasn't seeing results beforehand, which was kind of discouraging. I guess I was paying too much attention to the scale, and not enough to the inches.

Well now I'm going to 'Redefine Fitness' for myself. 

I have family friends who did this program called Biggest Loser through REV-3K in London, and they had great results! I decided that I needed to commit to something bigger than myself, with a team environment and a program that would really fit my needs.

Essentially, it is 12 weeks, with a challenge each week, and a 15 km run at the end. They offer classes, individual units, and a 'boot-camp' for 2 hours every Sunday morning. It also involves a USANA Reset program, which I am currently on, and meal plans for the rest of it to follow. 

My starting weight is basically back up in the 220 range, but I am confident to lose 40 pounds by August on this program!

So the USANA Reset includes: 

• 3 shakes per day (made with water)
• 1 fruit and veggie serving per day
• 2 protein bars per day (which I really don't like that much so I don't eat them all at once, just in small bite-sized portions)
• nutrient supplements (morning and night)

Week 1: 

Monday:
My shakes went well on Monday! But I came home and missed my supplements because I was so tired. I fell asleep at 8pm and woke up at 9am the next day. I had an apple this day. I was at training and my legs were so stiff from sitting all day. I ate both my protein bars. 

Tuesday:
My shakes went well on Monday, but I had a bit of Greek Salad around 5pm. It wasn't much, just something to tide me over. It was also my portion of veggies for the day. I didn't eat my protein bars. 

Wednesday: 
Today is Wednesday. I went to bed at 9 pm and woke up at like 11 am. I am not sure why I am so tired. I had my shake. Around 1:30 I had a bit of chicken noodle soup. I had an apple around 3pm.

What's next? REV 3K

Hey everyone!

So I've been a little out of it in terms of keeping up with this blog (obviously). A lot of it had to do with school and work and family and friends and... OH MY GOODNESS EXCUSES EXCUSES!


 OKAY OKAY!

So essentially, I kind of fell off the bandwagon because I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see. Over Christmas, Goodlife didn't give me a membership pass to go home to Chatham and so when I came back after that, I really didn't have the same level of commitment.

 Now I just kind of realize with summer on it's way, I actually need to do this.

I've started reading MADE TO CRAVE Devotional, and it's really inspired me to get my butt back into gear, from a Christian perspective. It talks about how we need to crave GOD, rather than food, and has a lot of applicable stories and advice and verses! I read it every morning now, and it really sets the tone for the day.

  

So when I initially started the journey, I had planned to be at my goal weight by now. I've managed to keep 10 pounds off (wow what an achievement). I had friends that were doing this REV3K Biggest Loser program and they had crazy awesome results. So I'm like I WANT TO DO THAT.

So in May, I'm going to start that program :) 

It's essentially a huge program. More on that later!

 

Okay! Time to get back on track.

Hey Everyone

Been a while since I did a post. I've definitely been having motivation issues since coming back from Christmas break and coming back from my trip to Grenada.

My Orlistat pills seem to be helping me feel less bloaty, but I'm still working through the side effects of that. They involve lethargy, and higher rates of anxiety. I have noticed this change but I'm not going to let a placebo effect or any sort of unconscious process get me out of sorts.

So today I woke up and had a big breakfast because my day will be going until 6pm at school. I had:

• 2 eggs (140 calories)
• 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (220 calories)
• smoothie with 2 bananas, 6 strawberries, 10 almonds, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, water (350 calories)
• rhubarb mixture in bowl (100 calories)
• coffee(40 calories)
• = 850 calories

For class, I brought an apple (40 calories) for my first class, and green pepper and carrot sticks with hummus (150 calories) for my second class.  I had a Hershey`s chocolate bar, as well = 100 calories.

I see that I am already at 1000 calories for the day. So starting tomorrow I will be cutting down my average meal intake.

ADDITIONALLY... Next week I will be going back to Goodlife. I will also walk to every class and no longer drive there. It's necessary to make those changes.

Looking forward to the following GYM schedule which I will strictly adhere to:

Monday: 10:30am-11:30am
Tuesday: 1pm-2pm
Wednesday: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Thursday: 3:30pm-4:30pm
Friday: 6:30pm-7:30pm 
Saturday: 10am-11am
Sunday: 4pm-5pm

I may have to work, or have things that will get in my way, but this is what I am planning to do.

It shouldn't that bad! I remember how well I was doing last semester.

Cools!

XENICAL (Orlistat): The Fat Blocker Pill

So for all of you who know me, losing weight does not come easily to me, but I am still determined!

After next week, I will be back to my regularly scheduled programming aka. Goodlife Fitness 4x a week.

I will also be adding XENICAL to my regular diet and exercise plan.

Xenical is a FAT BLOCKER pill. It promotes loss of weight by preventing the digestion and absorption of fat in food. In the intestine, an enzyme called lipase (produced primarily by the pancreas) breaks apart fat in food so that it can be absorbed into the body. Xenical blocks the action of lipase and thereby prevents the breakup and absorption of fat. Xenical blocks absorption of about 25% of the fat in a meal. The unabsorbed fat is excreted in the stool.

Orlistat is combined with a reduced-calorie diet to promote weight loss. Orlistat also may be used to prevent weight gain after weight has been lost. Candidates for treatment with orlistat are patients who are obese with a body mass index of more than 30 kg/m2. Candidates also include patients with a body mass index of between 27 and 30 kg/m2 if other risk factors for arteriosclerosis are present such as high blood pressure, risk of diabetes, and high blood cholesterol, or triglycerides. Based on several scientific studies, the average weight loss that is achieved additionally when orlistat is taken as recommended for six months to one year is 22.4 to 23.4 pounds, without change to exercise or diet.

The Biggest Loser: Season 15 Winner Rachel *link at bottom*

Sorry for any spoilers...

While I love this show, and I loved Rachel this season and was rooting for her the whole way through...

I (and many many others) were SHOCKED by the fact that she was only 105 pounds at the finale...  

 She seriously didn't even look healthy!!! She started the show at 260, and lost 155 pounds in the timeframe of the show. She lost over 60% of her body fat, which is the most ever for loss in a Biggest Loser contestant and winner.

I think it is important to understand that they go 'all out' for the finale, but to win with these drastic measures is a little bit insane... Even the trainers were shocked when she came out! The picture of Jillian and Bob's faces says it all. 

While she claims she was losing weight in a healthy way, the measures for her body % were actually showing her to be UNDERWEIGHT with a BMI of 17.5. She had literally no fat on her body, and you could see her raw bones and muscle... 

She was a firecracker ALL season and really worked hard! I only hope that she will be able to gain some weight back and be healthy. I personally think she looked great at the makeover week.

I won't judge her, or the process, because as long as she is happy that is what matters, but I just want the best version to be displayed for girls and women today, not feeling like they have to be that skinny. 

Nonetheless I still love this show, and maybe next season there will be a focus on making sure that the final weigh in is a healthy time. 

WAY TO GO RACH! Fellow Rachels, unite <3
 
Read the article below for video and more info.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/biggest-loser-skinny-article-1.1603184