Day 21 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I had potato salad with my cheeseburger for dinner and then downed half of a Ben and Jerry's frozen yogurt pint. And today was my rest day. Enough said.
@#$^%!

>:(

Day 21 Rest

Bodybugg program reports 1834 calories burned and 1994 calories consumer for a surplus of 163 calories.

(Can I consider it a victory that I made it 3 whole weeks before reaching a "surplus" day?)

Day 19 / Day 20 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Not much to report today. Did my workout as usual. Ate more for dinner than I should have. Same old, same old.

Day 19 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 35 minutes elliptical
- 45 minutes weight-training (focus on smaller muscle groups)
- 33 minutes treadmill (new incline interval routine)

Bodybugg program reports 2705 calories burned and 1742 calories consumed for a deficit of 963 calories.

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Got up early to go to kickboxing. I can't believe I've been able to do this 2 weeks in a row. I HATE getting up early on the weekends. I think part of what motivates me is knowing that I tend to fall off the "good eating" bandwagon hardcore on the weekends. Knowing that I'm probably going to eat too much later in the day is definitely a good motivator for getting my workout in, even if it is earlier than I want.

Day 20 Workout (Cardio)
- 60 minutes kickboxing class

Bodybugg program reports 2453 calories burned and 1924 calories consumed for a deficit of 529 calories.

Day 17 / Day 18 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Had to run an errand near a Mervyn's store and noticed their going out of business signs. I'm in desperate need of workout pants. The ones I have now won't stay on if I doing any kind of jumping or running. Couldn't find anything I liked for exercising but tried on some dress pants that were a good deal. Low and behold I've gone down another size. I was a 14 in September but was able to comfortable wear a size 12 at the store. Progress? Absolutely. Unfortunately, this contest isn't looking at overall body composition changes. It's all about percentage of total body weight lost. I think this really highlights how my body responds to what I'm doing. I've always been muscular and have a large frame. So when I'm in a workout situation like the one I'm in now, I lose weight but am adding good muscle. Because muscle weighs more than fat, my true fat loss can't be captured by the scale. I know, I know. I should be happy and I am. But the competitor in me wants to win that damn contest!

Day 17 Workout (Cardio only)
- 35 minutes elliptical trainer
- 33 minutes treadmill (new routing using incline)
- 21 minutes recumbent bike

Bodybugg program reports 2687 calories burned and 1250 calories consumed for a deficit or 1437 calories.

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I'm having a hard time sleeping this past week. But I think it's for a good reason. When you get your metabolism cranking, you tend to be warmer, even at rest. This includes when you're sleeping. Lately, I've been waking up because I've been so hot. I've actually woken up sweaty. My muscles have been sore too so every time I roll over it's also waking me up. I took a shot of NyQuil the other night and slept really well. Not that I want to resort to a sleeping aid. I'm going to cool down my room before I sleep tonight and see if I sleep a little better.

Day 18 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 60 minutes Turbokick class
- 30 minutes weight-training (major muscle groups only)

Bodybugg program reports 2553 calories burned and 1408 calories consumed for a deficit of 1145 calories.

Day 15 / Day 16 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Well, my trainer forgot that we were going to do a weigh-in and measurements which is good because of the "bad" weekend. We did talk about my routine more. Apparently I'm supposed to be lifting 4 times a week as opposed to my usual 3 times a week. This should consist of major muscle groups the first day (back, chest, glutes, hamstrings), smaller muscle groups the second day (biceps, triceps, calves, adductors, abductors, lats, shoulders), rest the third day, and then repeat the process for days 4 and 5. I'll be adding this to my routine starting this week. He also told me all the other clients have lost 8-10 pounds (I've only lost 7) and he himself has lost 15 pounds. I guess he likes prison food more than I do.

Day 15 Workour (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minute treadmill warmup
- 30 minute weight-training with trainer
- 35 minutes on elliptical trainer
- 32 minutes on treadmill

Bodybugg program reports 2611 calories burned and 1426 calories consumed for a deficit of 1185 calories.

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I'm already getting bored with my routines. That's probably why it's so hard to reach a high heart rate. It seems like I'm just going through the motions. To be honest, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. That's my short-term goal. Thanksgiving will roughly be the midway point of this thing. I know I'm on a strict diet but I will not be following it on Thanksgiving Day. I'm justifying this in that I'm not someone who eats the candied yams or the cranberry relish and I'm not a big pie fan. I also don't like eating leftovers the entire weekend. So I think I'm just going to enjoy my Thanksgiving in moderation and then go back to the diet the next day.

Day 16 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minute warmup on treadmill
- 45 minutes weight-training (focus on smaller muscle groups)
- 35 minutes on elliptical
- 33 minutes on treadmill (new treadmill routine - 2 minutes walk, two minutes run all at a 4.0 incline; a lot harder than it sounds; cranks my heart rate up during the running segments)

Bodybugg program reports 2796 calories burned and 1498 calories consumed for a deficit of 1298 calories.

Day 13 / Day 14 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Well, I was back to my 6th day dilemma. I'm supposed to add an extra day of cardio during the contest and I'm trying to decide if I should use the elliptical machine at home, which I don't like using, or go to the gym, which I hate doing on the weekend. I noticed the gym was offering a cardio kickboxing class at 10:00am on Saturday. Now, to some people that might sound great. However, I am not a morning person and by morning, I mean anytime that has the letters AM after it. Look at my post times on this blog for goodness sake. I'm the ultimate nightowl. However, there was the allure of getting it done early and not having to worry about working out for the rest of the weekend. So, the alarm goes off and I actually get out of bed and get my butt to the class. I thought I wouldn't have much energy seeing as how I practically rolled out of the bed and onto the gym floor but I did just fine. I *might* make this a more regular thing for the next 6 weeks. Ha, we'll see how long it lasts.

Day 13 Workout (All Cardio)
- 60 minutes cardio kickboxing class

Bodybugg program reports 2549 calories burned and 1956 calories consumed for a deficit of 593 calories.

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OK, this weekend was a bad one for eating. I mean, if you look at my calories consumed, it's higher than what I average for the week but it's not over 2000. The bigger problem was the type of food I ate. I had big yummy salads with creamy dressings on them. Also, I'm really good about not buying temptation foods at the store and this helps me in that even if I have a craving for something, if it's not in the house, it's not a problem. Well, when you don't live alone, the food desires of others can certainly throw one off track. My sister bought M&Ms on Friday and I pilfered the bag all weekend. They're like little pills of crack cocaine. I'm not even that big of a chocolate person but they're so little and convenient and you get an instant bite of sweetness. Not to mention they're hard to keep track of in terms of how much one's eating. I've been told that the bag will be out of the house tomorrow. I hope so. But I worry the damage from this weekend is done. Maybe I can convince my trainer to move back the weight/measurement thing another week so I can get back on track.

Day 14 Rest

Bodybugg program reports 1869 calories burned and 1714 calories consumed for a deficit of 155 calories.

Day 12 (The 60-Day Challenge)

OK, today sucked. By the end of my time at the gym, my legs felt like lead and I was practically wheezing. But I didn't stop; Jillian Michaels would be proud. At least it's the end of Week 2 and I'm doing well. Trainer wants to weigh/measure me next Monday (Day 15). We'll see how it goes.

Day 12 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minute treadmill warm up
- 35 minutes circuit training (2 different circuits focusing on mostly upper body; not much of a cardio component in the circuits)
- 35 minutes elliptical
- 32 minutes treadmill intervals

Bodybugg program reports 2650 calories burned and 1424 calories consumed for a deficit of 1226 calories.

Day 11 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Actually worked out twice today. Went to the gym in the AM and did half and hour and then went to school and came back late afternoon for Turbokick. I'm so glad it's fitting into my schedule right now.

Day 11 Workout (All Cardio)
- 35 minutes on elliptical
- 55 minutes TurboKick class

Bodybugg program reports 2884 calories burned and 1463 calories consumed for a deficit of 1421 calories.

Day 9 / Day 10 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I'm just tried today. And I'm not even doing the 3 times a day thing.

Day 9 Workout (All Cardio)
- 35 minutes eliptical
- 32 minutes treadmill intervals
- 18 minutes stationary bike

Bodybugg program reports 2605 calories burned and 1449 calories consumed for a deficit of 1156 calories.

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Didn't think I'd make it through today. Felt like I was dying or going to throw up or both. I wonder if this is how the Crossfit people feel after a crazy routine. I just read about Crossfit and some of the people who do that style of exercise. You can Google it; they're pretty crazy.

Day 10 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minute treadmill warmup
- 45 minutes circuit training (bodybar lunges; bodybar squats, bodybar "Good Mornings"; multi-position push ups, bicep curls, reverse flys, ball crunches; 4 circuits)
- 35 minutes on elliptical
- 32 minutes on treadmill intervals

Bodybugg program reports 2873 calories burned and 1456 calories consumed for a deficit of 1417 calories.

Day 8 (The 60-Day Challenge)

My trainer gave me nutrition and workout instructions he came up with. I think he did these for all of his clients that are in the contest. Not a lot of choice or options when it comes to the food. He said I was eating for nutrition, not enjoyment. I sarcastically replied, "You mean like prison food." He didn't laugh and said "Exactly." But come on, prisoners at least get to put yummy dressings on their salad, don't they? The workout instructions were almost as bad. He's encouraging all clients to work out 3 times a day. As if I don't have a life already. Instead, I try to cram all 3 times into one huge 2-hour marathon session. They suck.

Day 8 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minute warm-up on treadmill (3 min brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 min walk at 12.0 incline; 10 minutes jogging at 0.0 incline; 4 minute walk)
- 30 minute circuit training w/trainer (lots of lunges, squats; some pull ups/push ups; line drills on the basketball court with jumping jacks thrown in)
- 30 minutes on elliptical (HR between 145 - 165)
- 32 minutes treadmill intervals (3 min brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 min walk at 12.0 incline; 3 minute run at 0.0 incline; repeat 3 times; 5 minute cool down.

Bodybugg program reports 3080 calories burned and 1216 calories consumed for a deficit of 1864 calories.

Day 7 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I have an elliptical trainer at home that I used to use almost daily when I was heavier and it really helped me to lose weight. It was so convenient to have at home and I could work out when I felt like it, instead of having to plan my schedule to get to the gym. However, once I really started stepping things up, I moved to the variety of equipment that gym offers and only use the elliptical when I can't get to the gym (which is very rarely). Even though I'm working on the new "6 days of cardio" plan, I like not going to the gym on the weekend. So I figured I'd hop on the ol' home elliptical and get my hour in that way. Didn't quite go as planned, though. I've come to realize that my elliptical isn't really designed for the body makeup of a woman. The pedals are really wide apart and even when I put my feet the narrowest they can go, I still sway side to side quite a bit during pedaling. Also, the motion is less uphill and more like a skiing machine. It's also more clunky and less smooth than the machines I use at the gym. As a result, my burn was pretty weak. I'm not sure this is going to work long term. I may have to make that extra trip to the gym on a Saturday or Sunday during this competition.

Day 7 Workout (All Cardio)
- 65 minutes on home elliptical trainer (HR info unavailable)

Bodybugg program reports 2316 calories burned and 1544 calories consumed for a deficit of 772 calories.

Day 5 / Day 6 (The 60-Day Challenge)

Before starting this contest, my schedule consisted of 5 days working out (Monday-Friday) and resting on Saturday/Sunday. My trainer told me to step it up a day for this contest and workout on a 6th day. This wasn't too much of a hardship because although I almost always go to the gym to get my workouts in, I have an elliptical trainer at home that I can use if necessary. (I don't use it because it's old and the ergonomics of the machine aren't what I would describe as female-friendly. The glide path of the petals doesn't work for my legs and I end up swaying a lot on the machine rather than having a smooth up and down motion with my body.) I wasn't sure what weekend day I wanted to make my 6th day but had thought about doing it on Saturday. However, I had a facial and I wasn't supposed to sweat after the treatment for the rest of the day, so that eliminated Saturday. That's OK, I guess. I can use the elliptical while I watch the Seahawks lose again on Sunday. But as you can tell from my Bodybugg numbers below, when I don't workout the burn numbers are pretty sad-looking.

Day 6 - Rest

Bodybugg program reports 1957 calories burned and 1516 calories consumed for a deficit of 441 calories.

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I was working out on Friday and my trainer walked by me with another one of his clients and asked me if I had the nutrition paperwork. At first I thought he had been expecting me to bring in my food logs. I rolled my eyes and said "What nutrition?" because nutrition (aka eating) has always been the main problem for me. I've always viewed working out as a means to offset my enjoyment of food. And for the most part that has worked. I don't really gain weight, even when I eat what I want, as long as I keep exercising. That's why the "cheat day" can morph into a "cheat weekend". But I'm almost as far as I can go in terms of time spent at the gym, unless I want to become a professional athlete (maybe if I was younger). So nutrition becomes more important if I want to see real results. Not what I really want to do, but if I know that working out maintains me even when I indulge, I suppose it's OK to suffer for another 7 weeks to get to my goal and then go back to doing what I want. Hmmm, I don't think I've mentioned my "goals" in any previous post. I'll have to remember to get back to that one.

Day 5 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 20 minutes on treadmill (3 minutes brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 minutes walk at 12.0 incline; run 10 minutes; 4 minutes brisk walk at 0.0 incline)
- 45 minutes circuit training (4 exercises that consisted of lifting/throwing heavy medicine balls 10 times for each exercise; 2 minutes jumping rope; 50 jumping jacks; repeat all 3 times)
- 35 minutes on elliptical trainer (HR between 145 and 168*)

*Couldn't get my heart rate up to 170+ like normal; I'd only had a bowl of Special K and a latte in the morning (which only totals up to about 400 calories) so I'm thinking I just didn't have enough energy from food to bust it out like I usually do.

Bodybugg program reports 2766 calories burned and 1597 calories consumed for a deficit of 1169 calories.

Day 4 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I got to the gym this afternoon and realized that I had arrived in time to take a Turbokick class. I had gotten really good at Turbokick last year but wasn't able to take the class at all since buying my Bodybugg in January because my schedule always conflicted with the class times. But not today. I was curious to see what the Bodybugg readout would say in terms of how many calories I would burn during an hour long session of Turbokick. (It was also a nice break from my current cardio routine.) I was worried that I wasn't burning much because during a typical cardio session I will sweat a lot and it didn't seem like I was during Turbokick. (In hindsight I think this was because we were moving around a lot and the fans were on in the room whereas during my regular cardio routine I'm typically staying in one place.) When I uploaded the Bodybugg at the end of the day, I saw a phenomenal burn level that was maintained for most of the hour. And on top of that, I really enjoyed doing a boxing activity after being away from it for almost a year. I definitely will make the effort to take the class every week.

I didn't leave after the Turbokick class. I did a little more cardio on the machines. I would look around the gym and see women working out and wonder, "Is she part of the contest?" It brought out my competitive nature and I felt like I needed to do a little bit more to stay ahead of the game. We'll see how long that lasts, though. After all, it's only the first week.

Day 4 Workout (All Cardio)
- 55 minutes Turbokick class (5 minutes of abs at the end)
- 20 minutes elliptical trainer (HR between 150 and 178 BPM)
- 15 minutes treadmill (3 minutes brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 minutes walk at 12.0 incline; 4 minutes running; 5 minute cool down)

Bodybugg program reports 2767 calories burned and 1487 calories consumed for a deficit of 1280 calories.

Day 3 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I bought some brown rice today at the local farmer's market-type store. I was looking for some brown rice similar to what you can get at PF Changs or Pei Wei. I like brown rice and I really like the way they make it - their rice has this sweet, almost flowery smell to it. I had previously purchased jasmine rice thinking that's what they used for their white rice. My trainer recommended the brown rice route so I was experimenting today. I got the short-grain brown rice and it's definitely the type of rice used at the restaurants. It's more of a round grain and a bit stickier. So I at least got the grain type right but it really didn't have any flavor. I know people sometimes cook the rice in broth but I didn't want a chicken broth base for the rice. It cooked fine and it worked for my at-home rice bowl but again, it was just pretty flavorless. There's a Pei Wei about a mile from my house. I'm thinking I might just see how much it would cost to get a side of brown rice and just do that instead. Especially considering that brown rice takes up to 45 minutes to cook. That's a long time to wait when you're already hungry. On the plus side, I'm feeling better today.

Day 3 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 35 minutes cardio (elliptical trainer; HR between 155 and 175 BPM)
- 45 minutes weight-training solo (series of 10 arm exercises using 10-12.5lb weights; mountain climbers; jumping jacks; repeat)
- 15 minutes cardio interval on treadmill (3 minutes brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 minutes walk at 12.0 incline; run 9 minutes)

Bodybugg program reports 2647 calories burned and 1438 consumed for a deficit of 1209.

Day 2 (The 60-Day Challenge)

I didn't get a chance to post for Day 1. Had my weigh-in and I have to admit I worked the system a little bit. I had worked out that morning so I was already retaining water. I drank more water in the afternoon and really had to pee but waited until after the weigh-in (at 4:30pm). I ended up raising my starting weight by 3 pounds to 182. We'll see if it helps.

Day 1 Workout (Cardio + Weight-Training)
- 45 minutes cardio (elliptical trainer; HR between 150 and 170BPM)
- 30 minutes weight-training w/personal trainer (lot of medicine ball work)

Bodybugg program reports 2830 calories burned and 1466 calories consumed for a deficit of 1364 calories.

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It's Day 2 and I'm feeling pretty crappy today. I was OK this morning but by about 5:00pm, I was feeling lousy. I think this tends to happen when I have a heavy workout day and don't consume enough calories. I'm a big dinner kind of girl - if you look at how I allocate my calories on any given day you'll see that I consume 50% or more of my total calories at dinner. This means that on most days, I've only eaten about 600-800 calories between when I get up and when I eat dinner. The problem with this is that sometimes I can burn almost that many calories during a long cardio day. I think this throws off my body, which is why I get the headaches and feel nauseous. Definitely something for me to work on because if I continue to get headaches like this everyday for the next 2 months, I'm not gonna make it.

Day 2 Workout (All Cardio)
- 35 minutes elliptical trainer (HR between 150 - 170 BPM)
- 10 minutes rowing
- 35 minutes interval work on treadmill (3 min brisk walk at 4.0 incline; 3 min walk at 12.0 incline; 8 minute run; repeat)

Bodybugg program reports 2806 calories burned and 1458 calories consumed for a deficit of 1348 calories.

The 60-Day Challenge (Welcome Back)

. . . . technically it's a 63-day challenge, but who's counting? So I'm back after an extremely long and unexcusable absence. In my defense, being a PhD student and instructor at a large state university leaves me little time to blog. However, I've enrolled in a contest at my local gym and realized the only way to get through this is to blog about it. They're calling it the "Battle of the Bulge" (original, no?). The contest lasts from November 3rd to January 5th, the most difficult time of the year in terms of eating and gaining weight. The person with the greatest "transformation" at the end of the 2 months will win a year's worth of free personal training. They define transformation as the greatest percentage of weight loss. Now this could be problematic in that men can lose weight from a large belch, however the gym is separating the men and women so there will be a male winner and a female winner. I've been working hard at the gym and the results are coming (albeit very S-L-O-W-L-Y) so I figured why not up the ante.

So, speaking of results, I suppose a synopsis of my weight loss using the Bodybugg is probably in order. When I started, I listed my weight in the Bodybugg program at 194. However, this was using my scale at home and when I started using the scale at the gym, it said my home scale was off by about 8 pounds. So I was probably more like 200 when I started in January. My last weigh-in this past Thursday I was at 179. I take away 2.5 pounds for clothes, shoes, and breakfast and list my weight at 176.5. So I've lost roughly 20-25 pounds since January (depending on how you look at it). Not anything shocking but it's a couple of pounds a month and even more, it's fat not muscle that I've lost and by losing it slowly it's made it easier to keep off. Also, I wouldn't say I've been starving myself during this time. I eat pretty sensibly during the week and then go overboard on the weekend. My previous trainer used to encourage a cheat meal to keep the body guessing and keep me from giving into cravings. My problem has been that I somehow turn the concept of a cheat meal into a cheat 3-day weekend. My current trainer thinks this is why my weight loss has been slow. He said that if I got rid of this "cheat" concept and kept up my workouts, I have a chance at winning this contest. Now I'm a very competitve person so I figured a contest like this would really help me take things to the next level. I also have more time now that I'm done teaching for the semester so I can workout longer if I need to.

I'm hoping if I blog about my workouts for the day and my weigh-ins, I'll have a bit more motivation and restraint during the next 2 months. I was going to put my measurements in but my trainer might measure me today so I might have updates. I know I have to have a formal weigh-in today to start the contest so I'll post that number too. More later.