How Real World People Lose Weight: Johnny Cash Returns!

You know, the nice thing about being in a loosely structured class like circuit training is that there's a lot of opportunity for fun, and I'm very blessed to have a trainer like Ryion Butcher who is all about making it fun.

Now, music is a big factor in working out.  It can drive you to push harder or it can slow you down.  Sometimes, it can drive you away.  Some of us older crowd have issues with the angry rap or the pop music.  when it's a big group, we make some compromises, usually good-natured mocking or "Ryion, please skip that song!" variety (and usually we all agree on those).  One gentleman, Bill, who is an absolute riot anyway, has been for a month saying "We need Johnny Cash!" and everyone laughs it off.

Last Tuesday, however, it was just him and me, so when he suggested Johnny, I wholeheartedly agreed.  After much laughing at us, Ryion found it on Pandora.  Burning Ring of Fire!  Ghost Riders in the Sky!  It was awesome.  These are the songs I grew up with, and I could still sing them all--or as much as I could sing, considering I was pushing level 8 on the treadmill.

Ryion has indulged us with Johnny and friends all week.  It was the most fun--and apparently, it bumped up my performance.  I lost another two pounds this week.

Wanna see me lose 10 pounds in 30 seconds?  It's all in how you hold yourself.

	15-Jan	22-Nov		total loss
weight	169	144		25 lb dec
body fat	38.5	33.2		5.3 dec
chest	38.7	34.7		4.0 dec
bust	41.1	37.7		3.4 dec
waist	39	32.9		6.1 dec
hips	42.8	37.7		5.1 dec
abs	42	37		5. dec
thigh	22	22		no change
calf	15	14.2		.8 dec
bicep	11.6	11.1		.5 dec
forearm	10	9.2		.8 dec
neck	15	13.7		1.3 dec
Total loss				27.3  inches

For those who never had the treat of hearing the Master of Country Music, here's "Walk the Line."

Real-World Weight Loss: Backsliding

 Well, it looks like I backslid this month.  It's mostly diet.  I've been hitting the sweets more, and with the coming of the cold weather, I'm wanting warm breakfasts like pancakes.  No excuse, of course, just something I need to be more aware of before I put things into my mouth.

	15-Jan	25-Oct		total loss
weight	169	146		23 lb dec
body fat	38.5	28.6		9.9 dec
chest	38.7	34.6		4.1 dec
bust	41.1	37.8		3.3 dec
waist	39	34.8		4.2dec
hips	42.8	38.1		4.7 dec
abs	42	38		4. dec
thigh	22	22.2		.2 inc
calf	15	14		1. dec
bicep	11.6	10.9		.7 inc
forearm	10	9.4		.6 dec
neck	15	13.9		1.1 dec
Total loss				23.5  inches

I can feel it in the fit of my pants, but I'm still better than when I started in January. So, I promise to get back onto healthier eating, but in the meantime, here's a little something I was inspired to write during Tabata week:

Caught in Tabata Class

To the tune of "Bad Romance":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVnSV6jvraE

Oh, caught in Tabata class
Oh, caught in Tabata class

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Moanmoan, moan and groan

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Caught in Tabata class

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Moanmoan, moan and groan

Eight more sets to go

Caught in Tabata class

I know I’m chubby, I want to get thin
I want to tone my butt and stop jiggling
I need a gym
Gym, gym, gym, I need a gym

I’m tired of panting from climbing the stairs
There’s only eight of them, I keep drawing stares
This can’t go on
On, on, on, this can’t go on
(Gym, gym, gym, I need a gym)

You know the fat bugs me
And I want to be hunky
I need your class, Tabata class

For twenty second I can push myself hard
You and me caught in Tabata class
We rest ten second, then we do it again
You and me caught in Tabata class

Oh, caught in Tabata class
Oh, caught in Tabata class

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Moanmoan, moan and groan

Five more sets to go

Caught in Tabata class

I’m running hard now; you’re making me sweat
I’m lifting weights, gonna get stronger yet
I’m in the gym
Gym, gym, gym, I’m in the gym

Have I gone psycho? I think I see lines
There in my muscles, and it’s about time
I’m getting fit
Fit, fit, fit, I’m getting fit
(Gym, gym, gym, I’m in the gym)

Hey, I’m losing inches
with body fat shrinkage
('Cause I'm working out, baby)
But it still hurts me, this Tabata class

Oh, I’m so achy, tell me when does class end
You and me caught in Tabata class
But we keep running as we plot our revenge
You and me caught in Tabata class

Oh, caught in Tabata class
Oh, caught in Tabata class

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Moanmoan, moan and groan

Two more sets to go

Caught in Tabata class

Run, run, fitness, baby
Work it, move those feet, crazy
Lift, lift, fitness, baby
Pump it, lift those weights, crazy

Bend, bend, sit-ups, baby
Move it, twenty seconds, crazy
Exercising, baby
Later, get a donut, maybe

Burning calories, from beginning to end
Let’s cut the fat; it don’t wanna be friends
Gasping for breath, when does this session end
Ten second rest, then we’re staring again

(Oh, caught in Tabata class)

Let me just catch my breath
(Oh, caught in Tabata class)
I feel so close to death

Don’t like my jiggle!
(Oh, caught in Tabata class)
My fat just wiggles!

But when it’s over and I’m breathing again
You and me in a Tabata class

I’m sore but happy, and I’ll come back again
You and me in a Tabata class

(Oh, caught in Tabata class)
I skinny pants fit

(Oh, caught in Tabata class)
My new shape’s a hit

(Oh, caught in Tabata class)
So tired, I could spit

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Moanmoan, moan and groan

Moan, moan, moan and groan

Caught in Tabata class

 

Real-World Weight Loss: Month Nine!

I can hardly believe that I've been going to the gym faithfully for nine months now.  That's the amount of time it takes to grow a baby!  Alas, I haven't' lost a pregnancy's worth of weight, but baby days are over, and middle-age weight is make of sterner stuff!

The thing I love most about circuit torture is it never stays the same.  One minute cardio, one minute weights, mixes for floor, free weights, nautalis.  Some weeks, we have weight vests; some days, we do Tabata.  In nine months, I've not seen the same routine twice.  Today was Aggression Release Friday.  Ryion had set up the punching stations I've been wondering about for months. We punched one and kicked another.  Plus, we did punches with weights, and did slam ball (in which you hold a sand-filled ball over your head and slam it to the ground.  Sand-filled balls do not normally bounce, so the fun is to see how high you can make it rebound.)  We also had the inclined sit-up station.  We needed something to feel aggressive about, after all.

Hit me, baby!  I love the abuse!

It's been a long time since I punched anything.  The first time, I apologized, but by the end, I was getting into it.  "You want a piece of me?"

Yeah, sometimes, I get odd looks in the gym.  Why do you ask?

Anyway, considering that this month, I had a 2-week break with no exrcise and not-so great food, I did pretty well.  I've stayed under 145, though not lost more, and you can see my stomach has gotten a little paunchier than last month.  That's okay, though.  It's slow progress but steady overall.  Today, I pulled out a shirt that was tight last winter and it fits great!

Love that the extra chin is going away!

Will admit to having been fine with a bigger butt.  Want the waist to go away!
Lately, I've started replacing some of the cardio with abs.

	15-Jan	18-Sep		total loss
weight	169	143.6		25.4 lb dec
body fat	38.5	26.7		11.8 dec
chest	38.7	34.5		4.2 dec
bust	41.1	37.4		3.7 dec
waist	39	33.6		5.4dec
hips	42.8	37.9		4.9 dec
abs	42	36.9		5.1 dec
thigh	22	20.6		1.4 inc
calf	15	14.4		.6 dec
bicep	11.6	11		.6 inc
forearm	10	9.5		.5 dec
neck	15	14.2		.8 dec
Total loss				27.2 inches

How Real People Lose Weight: The Vacation Edition

Hi, guys!

Hope you enjoyed the reruns the past couple of weeks.  I was back home after an awesome vacation to Europe.  (Now, that's a sabbatical!)  My husband and I fulfilled a bucket list item by taking an Eastern Med cruise, then hanging out a week in southern Spain.  We went on a lot of tours, relaxed on the deck, read books, and enjoyed each others' company.  When we came back, Rob had lost five pounds and I'd only gained 1.6, but I lost 2 percent bodyfat.  It is possible to stay fit on vacation without a lot of extra effort or sacrifice.  Here's how we did it.

Exercise:  the cruise ship did have a gym, and we went, but not nearly as often, as long, or with as much exertion as we do at home.  However, Rob and I walked everywhere and took the stairs as often as possible, which, since we were on Deck 10 and our dining room was on Deck 3 and the Promenade was on Deck 5, we did a LOT of stairs.  At the resort, we walked around the little town as much as possible as well.

Diet:  We ate the most incredible food on the cruise ship.  (The resort buffet was awful.  Seriously, how do you mess up a grilled steak and bread?) The sad result for me was that I had desserts every night, sometimes two because I could not make up my mind, and resorted to pastries for breakfast because they were the only edible thing the resort made.  However, I tried to keep my meals low calorie.  Also, in Europe the serving portions are smaller, and even then, I did not eat everything on my plate (to be frank, I saved calories for dessert!)  We also had a lot less junk food than normal, which makes a difference.  I also forewent Coca Cola, my personal vice, for much of the vacation.  That's a lot of calories.

Anyhoo, here's the results for July/Aug.  It's a slow, steady progression, so I'm hoping it's one that will endure.  My next goal is 145 before we move, and 140 as an enduring goal.

Remember, I am not sucking in my gut (obviously) or trying to do anything to make myself look thinner.  I have to say, I don't see that much difference in the photos, but I do when I look straight in the mirror.

	15-Jan	3-Aug		total loss
weight	169	148.6		16.8 lb dec
body fat	38.5	29.3		9.2 dec
chest	38.7	34.5		4.2 dec
bust	41.1	37.4		3.7 dec
waist	39	31.4		7.6 dec
hips	42.8	37.5		5.3 dec
abs	42	36.5		5.5 dec
thigh	22	23.2		1.2 inc
calf	15	14.5		.5 dec
bicep	11.6	11.1		.5 inc
forearm	10	9.4		.6 dec
neck	15	14		1.0 dec
Total loss				29.6 inches

Circuit Torture: Technology vs Intuition

Last week, I remarked that Rob got me to use an app called Noom.  It tracks calories and workouts and tells you how much you can eat.  It works terrifically for Rob.  He's lost 6 pounds since starting circuit training and using the Noom program, in only three weeks.  However, the first week I tried it, I gained a pound and two percent body fat.  This despite the fact that I was doing double workouts and walking the dog daily.

Well, last week, I lost my phone.  (It got put in the second shelf of the cat scratcher, where the cat never sits, but which for some reason collects stuff.)  It has been a different kind of week, with a lot less exercise, though the weekday workouts continued.  Without the phone, I was back to guessing what I should eat and basically following my body's signals.  Turns out I lost a pound this week, even considering I had too much pizza and a soda last night.

The lesson for me is that, when I listen, I know my body's needs better than a computer program.  The program was actually encouraging me to overeat, because all my exercise gave me extra calories to consume (and keep in mind that it would only give back part of what I burned in exercise, yet that was still too much for me to process.)

I'm not dissing the program, btw.  It works great for Rob.  It gives him guidelines and discipline he needs, and as he noted, his intuition works far better with externals than listening to his body.  The program is kind of fun, too, if you get into tracking stuff, which I usually do.  In this case, however, I think I'll stick to my weekly measurings and just listen to my body on a daily basis.

Real World Weight Loss, Month Five

Time again for the monthly update. This was a rougher month because Rob was home (hooray!) but that meant we didn't eat as well.  Also, he got me using this app called Noom to count calories.  Well, it only works so far.  If I had "extra calories" that day, I'd treat myself.  I discovered (after gaining weight despite extra workouts and staying under my calorie count) that, at least for my body, it does matter the kind of calories I consume, not just the amount. 

Here are the photos.  I have to admit; I don't see that much difference in them.  However, I know from measuring that I've lost 25 inches and 16 pounds overall, and I am feeling a major difference in my clothes.  Stuff that hasn't fit comfortably for years now is a little loose.

Here are the measurements:

	15-Jan	14-Jun		total loss
weight	169	152.2		16.8 lb dec
body fat	38.5	33		5.5 dec
chest	38.7	34.6		4.1 dec
bust	41.1	38		3.1 dec
waist	39	32.9		6.1 dec
hips	42.8	38.2		4.6 dec
abs	42	36		6.0 dec
thigh	22	21.8		.2 dec
calf	15	14.9		.1 dec
bicep	11.6	11.8		.2 inc
forearm	10	9.5		.5 dec
neck	15	13.9		1.1 dec
Total loss				25.6 inches

Circuit Torture...er, Training, Week 12: Baffling Body Sculpting

(Skipped a week to keep Margaret Realy's *A Garden of Visible Prayer* top on the blog.  It's an awesome book for the Catholic gardener, if you missed her Amazon Day, no worries, but go pick it up anyway: )

It's been two weeks since my last post, and not so great on the diet or exercise front.  I went on a trip with my daughter, so there was much restaurant food and sweets, and at home, cookie dough called to me.  I did exercise on vacation--the elliptical when the hotel had a gym, and going up and down a flight of stairs 50 times when it did not.  I also did isometrics for my abs in the car.  (That's where you tighten and loosen the muscles.)  Last week, I was home, and did the usual circuit torture, without running because my shins still hurt.  Jacob's Ladder and I are becoming fast friends.  Nonetheless, I went to the scale-and-measure expecting to backslide.

Turns out, I did gain a pound and 3 percent body fat, which is a bummer because I'd just gotten into the normal range.  However, what baffled me are the measurements.  I didn't gain anywhere.  In fact, I lost five inches in the waist and abs.I'm sure I wasn't mismeasured, either: at least one pair of pants no longer fit, and I can see my hourglass figure returning (albeit a larger glass.)

The body is a baffling thing, but know what?  I'll take those results and keep on!