Get fit for the 4th Results!

Well the "Get Fit for the 4th" challenge is over and I'm happy to report that I came in 2nd with 19.6 Lbs. lost and 2.3% Body fat lost! Also I won $250.00 and a 90 Minutes massage! I'll post soon about how the challenge went for me and lessons learned but I just wanted to post my before and after pics real quick!

* Before pics (in pink)are from when I first started boot camp So these are showing my 36lbs of weight loss, not just what I lost during the Challenge. 

S.M.A.R.T. Goals update

 Below are my S.M.A.R.T goals with deadlines, Two of which I achieved and are ready for an update! YAY!

1. Try out Yoga, Zumba, and Pilates in the next two months (May 22nd 2011) and add one to my fitness routine
2. Cook a homemade meal once a week for the next two months. (May 22nd 2011) 
3. 1 hour of Cardio a week in April and 2 hours of Cardio a week in May.

Goal 1:

Over the past two months I've researched Yoga, Zumba, and Pilates. Unfortunately Pilates didn't really fit into my budget, not only are they expensive, the more reasonable studios are located in the Rocklin/Roseville area which would also put a big strain on my gas tank. I'm still going to be on the lookout for groupon/living social deals because this really sounds like something I would enjoy. Zumba doesn't really fit in my schedule, most of the classes I found are right after work, and I have lots of commitments on weeknights so I was only really able to fit it in once a week. Yoga in the other hand is starts at 6:30 M-F which leaves me plenty of time to grab a small bite to eat and get there with plenty of time to spare and I can commit to making it at least twice a week. On top of the awesome schedule I also picked up a $20.00 unlimited month Living Social deal at Yoga Loka! I started on Tuesday and my first Bikram session was intense, I don't think I've ever sweat as much as I did on Tuesday. It took a lot more mental strength then physical which I think will complement my normal Boot Camp routine nicely.  

New Goal:  Make time for Yoga at least twice a week for the next month (June22nd)

Goal 2:

I did pretty well on this goal overall, missing some weeks due to the insane schedule I've had lately. However right now this goal is moot because of the Belly Blast Diet, I'm on for my Get Fit for the 4th challenge, in which all of meals are homemade.

New Goal:  Be fully committed to the Belly Blast Diet thru the challenge (June 29th)

Goal 3:

 This is the goal that I didn't meet at all :( well I still really need to add cardio to my fitness routine, between boot camp and Yoga twice a week that's 6 hours a week that I will be working out. So I'm revising this goal to make it more attainable.

New Goal: Swim for at least 20 minutes on the weekends

The Vegetables are Trying to Kill Me!

Sorry for the big gap in between posts! Life has been crazy busy, but never fear I have stayed committed and on track. This past month was my annual choir competition, we took 2nd place! I also took a trip to see my niece Shasta compete in the level 9 Western Junior Olympics, in Boise Id. The weekend after that was filled with a baby shower and graduation party. Since I've recommitted to my weight loss journey I've notice a change to my attitude and approach. That has really helped me stay focused on my goal even if I wasn't eating great or missed a boot camp. What I've really started to understand is that if I intended on making this a lifestyle change then I need to be realistic in the timeline of my goals. My first time through I saw weight loss as a marathon, long yes but there was always a finish line. One day I would reach my goal and I could stop working so hard. I would also mentally punish myself for not reaching my goals fast enough. Which eventually lead me to abandon my goals. This time through I've realized that this is truly a lifelong journey, there is no finish line. Yes, I have goals, but this won't end once I've reached them. This new mindset has allowed me to make bad choice, while still keeping my goals in the forefront of my mind. My diet won’t ever be perfect but I've gradually been changing my diet and making better and better choice instead of jarring myself with a restrictive diet. These gradual changes have really prepared me for my boot camps weight loss challenge.

Last week Superwomen Boot Camp started Its "Get fit for the 4th" weight loss challenge and I've decided to compete. How it works is each participant buy's in for $50 and are weighed in each week. If you gain weight you add $5 buck to the pot. The money is then used as prize money for the top 3 in % of weight-loss and top 3 in % of body fat loss. The challenge also came with a belly blast diet, the diet starts with a 3 day cleanse of fruits and vegetables. I started the cleanse last week. It was brutal and I did not think I was going to make it. I first day was fine but the second and third day we're awful I had a headache, I wasn't ever really hungry but I also was never really satiated, and I developed a loathing for plain celery. However all the hard work was well worth this week, I'm feeling an increase in energy and after three days of fruits and vegetables, chicken breast with brown rice never tasted SO good! This challenge was really well timed I feel mentally prepared; all the baby steps I've been making have prepared me to work really hard through this challenge. Wednesday is my first weigh in for the challenge so will see if this first week was enough to make me a contender for the prize money! 


 Look for a new post for an update on my S.M.A.R.T. goals later this week!     

Tasty Teriyaki

Sorry for the lack a new post last week, Alex (boyfriend) was home from UCLA for spring break :) last week went pretty well, I went to my first yoga class and loved it :) however I made some really bad food choices this past weekend with Alex home, although I did cook two home cooked meals since my last post. One of which I’m sharing today. One of things I crave from time to time is really greasy Chinese or Japanese food, and while I allow myself to have cheat meals, I love coming up with healthier versions of my cheat food that fulfill my cravings. With creative thinking I can usually get close to my favorite food, this time thought I hit it right on the money. I made a healthier version of chicken teriyaki with veggies that was also super simple. What makes chicken teriyaki bad for you usually is the sauce; it is usually filled with tons of sugar and sodium. I found a low sodium sauce with half the sugar and calories of the one I normally buy made by full circle organic. Here is the recipe.

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup and 2 Tbsp. of a Low Sodium Teriyaki Sauce 1 bag of frozen Stir-fry Vegetables
2 tsp. Corn Starch 
1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1 bag of frozen Stir-fry Vegetables

1. Cut the Chicken Breasts into small strips and marinate with 2 Tbsp. of Teriyaki Sauce in a Ziploc bag for at least 30 minutes.

2. Mix corn starch  with 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, once incorporated add the remaining broth and 1/2 cup of the Teriyaki Sauce mix and put to the side.

3. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil in a wok or large saucepan. Add marinated chicken and stir until chicken is cooked thru.

4. Add the broth/sauce mixture, once it starts to simmer add frozen veggies and cover the pan. Then simmer for 20 minutes until vegetable are heated and the sauce has thickened.

5. Serve over brown rice.

This recipe makes about 5 servings and is about 200 calories a serving. It was really delicious! By using the chicken stock to stretch the Teriyaki Sauce it made the sauce light but it still had a ton of flavor.

P.S. Be careful of sharp knives, while cleaning us last night I sliced my finger pretty bad and had to miss boot camp this morning :( 

I am So Smart....... S.M.R.T.

Two point if you know where the title of my post came from :) In preparing to write this post I went back and read my first set of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goals. Of the first six goals I completed four ahead of schedule the two that I didn't complete were learn to snowboard, and do 10 unmodified pushups. The snowboarding hit a snag due to lack of funds and the pushups hit a snag due to a LACK of upper body strengthen/stopping boot camp last year. I was able to complete my reboot goals and now I need new ones. This time around I've decided I want goals that will help to foster an overall more healthy and active lifestyle, not just help with my weight loss goals. So without further ado here are my new S.M.A.R.T. goals.

1. Try out Yoga, Zumba, and Pilates in the next two months (May 22nd 2011) and add one to my fitness routine

While I love the intensity of boot camp workouts I'm interested in adding something a little lower key and fun. I want to try Yoga and Pilates because I really miss the balance and flexibility I had when I was dancing and I want to try Zumba because I've heard it is a blast!

2. Cook a homemade meal once a week for the next two months. (May 22nd 2011)

Since our stove was out of commission for so long I've gotten out of the habit of cooking and really need to start again. 

3. 1 hour of Cardio a week in April and 2 hours of Cardio a week in May.

While Boot Camp is intense and gets the heart flowing, it doesn't count as a Cardio workout. 


 In other news I lost another pound and I am officially half way back to where I was when I stopped my program last year :) I'm hoping I make it back down below 200 pound in the next month and a half or so

  

Notes from Bootcamp

I have a crazy schedule this week leading up to my chorus retreat this weekend. So I'm going to keep it short and sweet this week. I made it to Boot camp twice last week!!!I missed Friday due to a trip to Santa Cruz. Below are some of my thoughts.

1. I wish I had never stopped
2. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting
3. While my athletic ability has deteriorated, it's not as bad as the very first time I started boot camp
4. I still hate waking up at 5am   

Next week I will be updating my S.M.A.R.T. Goals in left column because I've achieved both of them! Also I'm hoping to bring you a new recipe I've been thinking about for a while.  Oh and one last thing I lost another 1.5 #'s :)

The Sacramento Valley Chorus "Blue Divas" are Going to Rock the House This Weekend At Retreat

Let's Get Cookin'

On December 30th, 2011 we had a major loss in the family. After hours of steaming tamales our poor stove couldn't handle the pressure and cracked.........more like exploded.

Glass Shards Flew All Over the Kitchen

The tragedy continued as delayed insurance claims and a back ordered replacement left us without a stove for two months. But I'm proud to announce that we now have a new stove!

Can't Wait to Take This Baby for a Spin!

The one upside to being without a stove for 2 months is that it was the catalyst that lead me to recommitting to getting healthy. However I couldn't have been this successful without one store and that's Trader Joe's. When I decided to stop eating out at fast food joints I knew that it meant eating prepared microwaveable food. While I was not looking forward to a diet of Lean Cuisine I knew it was needed. Then I decided to check out Trader Joe's to see if any of their food would fit in my diet......and WOW did it. I found SO many entree's that fit into my diet! I love their food because they feature all kinds of cuisine from Indian and Mexican to Italian. Their food is so flavorful and so different from the big box store prepared food that I actually crave it. My favorites are Tandoori style butter chicken 360 calories, reduced guilt pizza primavera 250 calories, and Grilled Eggplant 270 Calories. While I can't wait to start cooking on the new stove I will definitely be keeping Trader Joe's prepared meals in my diet. 

On the waking up early and going to the gym front, I won half the battle this week.....This past week I've been waking up between 6:15 and 6:45am while I've spent most of that time still in bed reading...I know that it will come in helpful when I go back to Boot Camp on Tuesday! Also I lost 1 more pound this week!

My Brother Abe Assembling Tamales

Oh Snooze Button How I Love Thee

Let me count the ways.........In my mental battle with the snooze button this week, the snooze button won. It won big time! It was my goal this week to get up early and go to the gym twice this week and I failed.  In part because I spent the weekend being lazy and catching up on sleep lost during my weekend in San Diego and also because I just couldn't stop hitting the snooze button. This is how a typical morning goes with my alarm clock.
It is set for 5:50 am; I have to leave by 7:15 to be on time to work.

• 5:50 am- Alarm goes off: without thinking about it hit the snooze button and go back to sleep
• 6:00am- Hit snooze and think to myself “The next time it goes off I'm going to get out of bed"
• 6:10am- Hit snooze and think to myself “The next time it goes off I'm going to get out of bed, I mean it this time!" 
• 6:20am-Hit snooze but without realizing it like a trained monkey
• 6:30am-Hit snooze but without realizing it like a trained monkey 
• 6:40am-Hit snooze but without realizing it like a trained monkey 
• 6:50am -Hit snooze but without realizing it like a trained monkey
• 7:00am- Hit Snooze then think to myself " How many times have I hit the snooze button?" look at clock and curse myself for running late again. 

I don't know why I thought I could break this pattern with no real attack plan While I didn't change the time my alarm usually goes off I was hoping of getting up at 6:10am so I could stop at the gym for a quick cardio workout before work. I guess since getting back on a healthier diet was so easy for me this time around I figured this would be too. Never mind that when I go back to Boot Camp on March 5th I have to leave the house at 5:40am. So I have one more week until I go back to Boot Camp and this is my attack plan.

1. Pack gym bag and layout workout cloths before I go to bed.
2. Go to bed at 10pm and read. Instead of watching Netflix until I fall asleep.
3. Sent Alarm clock on opposite side of the room.  
4. Don't go back to sleep, no more snoozing!
5. Wake up earlier even on weekends. 

Here’s hoping I defeat the snooze button this week! In other news the food diary/App MyFitnessPal continues to be a great tool. I lost 4 more lbs!