I Know What It Feels Like

I had a good work out today. I did. It consisted of 50 minutes of cardio. (elliptical for 45 and stair master for 5)  Then I tried to use the weight training machines and no go. I felt lost and utterly confused by the whole area. I looked over to all the fit women who were using the machines without a second thought. That was when I realized that I do need a personal trainer to help me get started, and to keep me accountable. I was thinking that one lesson a week for a few months would be a good way to start (I can't spend too much on the lessons) I know the trainer and I am sure that he would be ok with only one lesson a week and he write out that I need to do for the rest of my days. I have 60ish pounds to lose. I am currently at 198 and only being 5 foot 6 inches I am WAY too heavy. I had my body fat measured and it is at pathetic 34.7%. I want to be lean. I do NOT want to be skinny - I WANT TO BE LEAN. There is a huge  difference. But I digress, I remember being thinner and still wanting to lose more weight. I remember my body being able to push out for hours without even struggling. I remember swimming for an hour everyday when I was a lifeguard (I was 16) and loving every minutes of it. I remember treading water and not struggling.

I remember what it is like to be closer to my goal, and now I know what it is like to be so far away from it that it feels unreachable. It is reachable though, I just have to push. No excusses, just do it.

Good Luck,
-Marina

No Other Options

Good Morning. It is still morning and boy is it a good one. I woke up at 8 am and went to the gym. I'm sure you aren't surprised. I did 55 minutes on the elliptical - 30 on cross training and 25 on Glut. I am a huge fan of high resistance on the elliptical, I work harder.

Pre-workout snack (8am) was a hand full of Cheerios. (Yes, I know it isn't the best but I am working with what I have at home. I will grab groceries on Thursday)

Post-workout meal (10am) was 2eggs with 1 tbsp of cottage cheese and 1tbsp of salsa. (I love salsa!)

(12pm) 3oz lean steak with 1/2 cup of rice and  1/2 cup of  broccoli (yum) and 1/4 cup cheese.

(2pm) Chocolate Protein Shake (1% milk, 1tsp peanutbutter, chocolate whey protein powder)


(4pm) 1 cup black beans

(6pm) 3oz Tuna with 1tbsp of olives

Tasty huh? Small meals throughout the whole day will help keep my metabolism going.

I am looking forward to my 6am workout session tomorrow. My legs will be getting worked out like no other! Hello Quads, Hams, Calves and Glutes!

Keep Pushing!
-M

Post- Workout

Ground Turkey
Egg
Cottage Cheese
Salsa

Pre-Work out

3 Tbsp Spaghetti

Post Title Here

I work at a bakery. I work at a gym. I want to  lose 60 lbs. Again, did I mention that I work at a bakery? I worked up a good sweat this morning before work and am very glad I did because I am worn out at the moment. I know it will get easier but I work tomorrow morning at 6 am and will be working out the minute I am off the clock. I can't wait to do some weights!  Back to working at a bakery. I am no longer a fan of sweets. Actually, I am disgusted by them. I have worked ther for two days now and am officially no longer a fan of sweets. I preped about 400+ cookies today. Needless to say I won't have a cookie for a very long time. This is helping me though, I won't want something I can't even stand the smell of.

On a happier note-

I went gorcery shopping today and grabbed a whole bunch of ground turkey! I pre-cooked 20oz of it and had 4oz with medium salsa with a sprinkle of cheese with avocado for lunch. IT WAS AMAZING! I stayed strong and didn't eat anything bad.

Complete Meals For The Day:

Breakfast/Pre Workout - Half a banana
Mid Day Meal/ Post Workout - 4oz ground turkey with salsa, cheese, and a slice of avocado
Lunch - 4oz ground turkey with salsa, cheese, small tortilla, Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt
Dinner - 5oz flounder, lettuce salad with light ceaser dressing, shredded cheese

** Yes, I know that needs to be cleaned up but I think I did pretty well **

5 AM wake up tomorrow morning - need 8 hours of sleep.

Good Morning

This morning has been interesting. I had whole grain Cheerios for breakfast and did way too much Cardio. (I was stuck at the gym). I was on the elliptical and uped the resistance so I did get a good leg work out. Lunch was very excitting though. I had 3oz of grilled chicken and 2 eggs, salsa, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and avocado. It was excellent! I also had a Nature Valley fruit and nut bar. I needed more carbs. I will be weighing and measuring myself tomorrow morning. I need to start keeping actual track of my progress. I am dancing around the 190s. I am 5 foot 6 and should not be more than 160. I will get down to 160 by November. I plan on joining BodyBuilding.com on my birthday (Nov 26th) and ripping my body. My goal is to be on Oxygen Magazine as a success story. To help show women that yes, you can do it. I need to create a shopping list for groceries and I will add it on here.

Good luck.

Keeping it Clean

I have finally gotten myself back in the kitchen. As you can see, I am making yummy, healthy dishes. I feel fantastic. My body is responding very well to the work outs and I feel leaner and stronger everyday. When I use the elliptical I increase the resistance as high as I can while still being able to move at a decent speed. I was dripping sweat and it was great. I also did Lat Pull downs and Rope Tricep Pressdown and Reverse Crunch.

=) I can't help but smile because I feel great.

Tomorrow will be all about legs. (Pray for me!)

The meal to the left is very easy to make. It includes: spring lettuce mix, grilled chicken, salsa, onions, avocado, shredded sheese.

So it begins.

GOOD MORNING!

Can  I just say that I feel fantastic? I will start my training tomorrow and can I just say that I am looking forward to not being able to walk?

My week will look something like this

Cardio:
Cycling 5:30 AM Mon, Weds, Fri
Cycling 6:00 PM Tue and Thur

For Weight training:
Barbell Squat
Push Up
Hip Raise with feet on Swiss Ball
Cable Row to neck with external rotaion
Reverse crunch
Prone cobra
(2-3 sets with 10-12 reps 1min rest)

That actually isn't as much as it seems. I have had harder weeks!

Why not?

2012 will be my year. I plan on traveling to two specific locations next year and can not wait to do so.

Desert Elephant  - Africa


Who doesn't want a hand in saving elephants. I don't mean just sending money, but getting down and dirty building walls to protect the elephants and gather information to help their preservation. Two weeks in Africa sweatting it out and helping a worthy cause.

WWOOF - France

WWOOFing. I have been wanting to do this for years. Really. I smile at the thought of building relationships with people who are nothing like me. It is basically a labor exchange. You go and stay with a family, on their property, eat what they eat, and work with/for them. This is an excellent and very cheap way to travel to new places and emberse yourself in the culture. There are many things you miss out on when you go to a countries tourist attractions. There is more to a country than a national monument. I actually want to find a family I can become part of and go back to every year. Crazy? No. Who wouldn't want family in France to go visit every year? I will be going for two weeks, maybe three if work permits. I plan on taking hundreds of pictures and meeting as many people as possible. Life is about living, and I consider living - making an impact on people. I will be grabbing menus and napkins and coasters and everything I can possibly get a hold of to help me remember (and scrapbook) my trip. It will be life changing and I am ready for it.

My sudden need for travel is based on the fact that I am 22 and haven't been out of the country since I was 14. I REFUSE to be 30 and look back on the last 10 years of my life and not be proud or happy about anything. I want to have stories to share with my children and their children and hopefully their children's children. So many people live their lives without living and I do not want to be one of them. I have the means to have a great life and plan on taking advantage of it.