I've formulated a plan and that, my dears....is what you call a start!

I think it's about time that I formulate a visible plan instead of wingin' it. I think that I do my best when I have a plan, as simple as it may sound. Over the summer, when I managed to lose 20 lbs. I was doing cardio and a weight training video. I didn't change my diet any but because it was summer, I'm sure that I ate a bit healthier and drank a lot more water.

Now I'm basically doing cardio. On the rare occasion that I do weights, I find myself meandering around the gym haphazardly trying out machines with no set reps, weight, or body part in mind. I figured it was about time to put something together to give me some sense of order so without further adieu......

The Plan

keep In mind that I am "baby steppin'" ( as Scale Junkie says)

►             Nutrition

First, I need to get in the habit of tracking my food intake. Since I am taking baby steps this go-round, I will try to track my meals for at least 2 days per week. I'll start off tracking what I normally eat for 2 days just to get an idea of how many calories I'm actually eating and from there, I'll try to keep the calories at 1549 or below. No, I didn't just pull that number out of my azz, I'm sure that I remember that as my allotted daily caloric intake from one of the programs that I was using.

I am also going to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. Currently, I tend to stick with broccoli, spinach and sometimes Kale for my vegetables and aside from an occasional pear, blackberries have been my "fruit" of choice. I tend to go through phases with my fruit, for a while it was grapefruit, then oranges now blackberries. Of course seasonal changes facilitate some of my fruit swings but it's mostly my finickiness. Once I have this mastered, I will re-evaluate and update.

►             Water Intake

As far as my water intake goes, I drink "non-water" items so rarely that I really don't feel the need to cut them out. I may have tea, Powerade, Gatorade, or Vitamin Water but I don't drink them nearly enough for them to be a hindrance to my weight loss endeavors. I do need to "up" my water intake though so I will make sure that I am drinking a minimum of 64 OZ. of water a day and possibly more. I find that I don't drink nearly enough of anything during the winter. I just don't find myself as thirsty...anyway, I plan to drink so much water that I may have to take up residency in the bathroom or at the very least, invest in some Depends.

►            Cardio

I think that it is safe to say that I hate cardio. I'll do it because it needs to be done but I won't like it..with the exception of Zumba.

I have had the DVDs forever before I used them for the first time and I actually found myself smiling throughout the entire workout. Now, that I'm attending actual classes, I love it even more. I'm just a fan of Dancing in general. Hip Hop Abs, Rockin Body...I love it all.

My gym offers Zumba classes Mon, Tues, Wed, and Saturday so I have plenty of chances to attend. I think I will shoot for 3 days a week with the Zumba and on the 'off' cardio days, I will do some form of light activity like stretching( which I also don't do as often as I should) or maybe even yoga. I am so not flexible so I don't know how successful I'll be with Yoga but if the yoga in P90X is any indicator, I'm going to need lots of work.

• Mon,Wed, Sat -Zumba
• Tues- stretching
• Thursday-Yoga/pilates vids

►            Strength Training

I absolutely love strength training which is why I'm having a hard time understanding why I haven't picked up a weight in lawd knows when. I have told myself, too many times to count, that I need to get back to weight lifting. I have just about every Beachbody workout there is, Cathe Friedrich, Billy Blanks, Jillian Michaels..you name it, all just sitting around collecting dust! There is absolutely no reason for me not to get back to lifting other than sheer laziness. When I go to the gym, if I'm not doing Zumba, I'm on the treadmill or elliptical or Precor machine or something, which makes no sense considering the fact that I HATE cardio.

My lack of a plan is what is holding me back. I need to know what I am doing. When I tried BFL(Body FOR LIFE) Every Tuesday and Thursday were weight days. Upper body one day, lower the other day. 4 sets of 12, 10, 8 and 6 reps. I enjoyed that plan so I think I'll stick with the twice a week strength training. I'll probably go with Cathe STS or Skogg Kettlebells this time.

►            Progress

I guess, I should take my weight and measurements...UUUGH...so I'll have something to gauge my progress by. I may even take a "before" photo and update it monthly although the chances of it making it on the blog are slim to none.

When I lost 20 lbs, I had a pair of jeans that I used to track my progress and that worked pretty well. I managed to get into them comfortably but now, I probably can't get a thigh in them. lol As for the scale, we have a love/hate relationship. When it shows a loss...it's all love but when it doesn't move...it's on and poppin'! I can't cut the scale out as much as I want to because Diet Power (the food tracking program that I will be using) requires a daily weigh-in. Anyway, that is the plan. feel free to add any suggestions.

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Help? I need a plan

I need a plan, a workout and nutritional plan. I know it seems simple but it really isn't, at least not for me.

I am motivated to workout. I frequent a site that is very motivational. I see women posting about their accomplishments as well as how they are getting up and working out and most are finished while I'm still in bed. Inspiring huh?

Well here is my problem, after reading those posts, I am so inspired and determined to get my work out on. I have the routine that I am going to do, I have my water, My fitband( to track my steps and calories burned) My weights ready and then....nothing. I put it off for an hour, which in turn turns into 2 then 3 and ...well, you get the picture. Before I know it, the day has gone by and I'm in bed not having done a dayum thing. This has been my routine as of late. What is wrong with me? It would be nice to blame it on the heat wave that is going on but honestly, I don't know. My body is so ready to lose this weight but my mind is wishy washy. I want to work out, I want to lose weight but I cannot seem to get off of my fat ass.

I need a plan (baby steps)

p90x 3 days a week for one week

I also need a meal plan. I know everything that I should be eating but I'm not good with the word "diet". I know that it is a lifestyle change but I'm not cool with cutting out anything. Im much more of a fan of doing things in moderation and not denying myself. My weakness I would say is food in general. I don't eat a lot ( which is also part of the problem.) Sometimes I eat breakfast then have nothing until late night, while other times, I skip breakfast and will eat nothing until dinner. I know that I should be eating at list 6 times a day every 2 or 3 hours but I'm just not doing it. I'm not a "sweets" person although I do have my occasional craving but I do love my pasta and not the whole wheat kind. Add to that, the fact that since its summer, I've been eating out at fast food joints and restaurants, having TV dinners(remember those?) because it is just too hot to cook. I need a plan and soon.

I will go through all of my old notes and see what I can come up with but I welcome any and all ideas.

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today is March 15th, 2007. I am going to stick with working out for at least the remainder of this month. Failure is not an option this go round. I'm starting with baby steps and working my way up to the big leagues. I will take my weight and measurements( as well as some photos which I probably will not be posting any time soon) My goal is to lose about 70 lbs by August of this year which is my family reunion. I want to be noticeably thinner so I can look cute again lol. Not the I'm ugly but I want the body back that I had (bK) BEFORE kids! I also don't feel like hearing the family's mouth about how much weight I've gained and how I better lose this weight because it isn't healthy. My grandfather is the lead singer of that song and everytime I see him I have to hear it over and over and over again. I let him slide because he is 91 years old and he has earned his right to say whatever is on his mind but I must admit it does hurt my feelings at times. My last visit with him, he proceded to give me magazine articles about diabetes and high blood pressure (which I do not have) and kidney disease and everything else. I obliged him and read it but none of those things affect me. Thank God!!!

Anyway, I also need to get some type of eating plan in order. I have come to the realization that restricting certain foods will not work for me. I just need to eat in moderation , cooll it with the fattening foods and the fried foods, and leave the "seconds" in the pot, pan or where ever. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror at the gym yesterday and my initial thought was "Oh no! We are not having that". I'm starting off slow this time. I had actually made quite a few impressive strides before my long hiatus from the gym and the few times that I went back I thought that Iwcould still lift as heavy a weight as I did before. ...WRONG!!. I get it now, everytime, I take a leave I'm pushing myself back to the beginning. I was up to 200+ pounds on lying squats and now I can barely lift 60Lbs. I will stick to it and do it this time. I need some encouragement and motivation so feel free to leave me some words of wisdom.


Here are my starting stats: March 15, 2007


Weight 212 lbs.

BF% 46.8%

Neck 15

Shoulders 16.5

Chest 42

Breast 46

Waist (actual) 41

Abs (above BB) 45

Abs(at BB) 45.5

Abs (lower) 46.5

Hips 45

Thighs 28

Calves 15

Biceps(relaxed) 14

Biceps (flexed) 15


Here are my more structured stats:

Body fat percentage: 47.9%

Healthy body fat standard: 22.8% (Cooper Clinic adjusted for age)

Fat weight: 101.4 lbs.

Lean weight:110.6 lbs.

Target body weight: 143.2 lbs. (Your current weight minus the fat loss for health without any muscle gain)

Desired weight loss: 68.8 lbs. (The fat loss needed to reach a healthy level without muscle gain)


Body fat level: Very High


Suggested Exercise Level: general reconditioning, physical exam recommended


Disheartening huh? Yeah I know but I have until August to make some significant progress and I most definitely will!

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