Week 3....

O.o - I can't even imagine why I lost any weight this week. Celebrating my brother in laws birthday, was anything but weight-loss inducing. However, It looks like the weight hasn't caught up with me yet. We'll see how things look next week.

Still keeping the body moving by playing with the boy, walking, yard-work, and housework. The weather is starting to get better, and I'm starting to feel the winter blahs slipping away! Thank goodness. For added incentive, my mother, who struggles with COPD, purchased herself a treadmill to keep her body moving. If she can get on the treadmill, and huff and puff her way through a few minutes of exercise, I had better be able to do the same. I think it might be time to pull out that stupid elliptical that I tried to sell, with no luck. Maybe someone was trying to tell me something.

This week, my in-laws are visiting, and I know we will be eating extra well because of that. They generally eat a protein, a baked potato, and salad. That is a great balanced meal for me to balance out last weeks insanity.

In saying that... we all know what next weekend means right? It means Jesus rose! He came back after three days! Right????? Yes. That is true. But in our house, it also means that the Easter Bunny will be leaving egg shaped poos all around my house, and since we all know that I have very-little-to-no-willpower, I will be eating some chocolate poos. At least a couple.

I can't wait to hear about your Easter plans. Is it Church? Is it Family Dinners? Is it Chocolate poo finding indoors/outdoors? Is it community activities? Is it going to totally blow your 30 day challenge?

Week 3 Check-In

THREE DOWN, ONE TO GO! Woot!

So, how's everyone been doing? Made any progress? Meet any goals this week?

Talk to us.

What are you plans afterward? Do you plan on continuing with your exercise regimen, or possibly changing it up a bit? Are you done after this? 
Personally, I plan to keep my momentum going. I have Zumba Fitness and I might switch that up with some of the fun sports on Wii Active (I am loving the baseball that was introduced this week, and I don't even like baseball that much). I might hit the gym some at work, but I prefer to get my workouts over with in the early morning; that seems to be working well for me. My mom has an elliptical and I may try to do that for about 15 minutes on the days when I pick up my son from her house (three days per week).

And I plan on continuing to utilize our community site. I hope you will, too. I still have goals to meet well after our 30 days are up.

Post here or write up a forum post on Spruz about the results you're seeing, how you feel, or whatever you want. Just let us know the link here in the comments.

You're doing great and are almost done with 30 days! Gives yourselves a pat on the back!

Almost There!

We're almost finished with Week 3 and will be done with the challenge before you know it!

Have you hit any snags? I felt sorry for myself this week because I haven't really seen any tangible progress even though I've completed every. single. workout. Although, when I was scratching my arm yesterday, I could feel muscle definition! And family members have told me I look like I'm losing (even if the scales say otherwise--well, my scale is currently on the fritz so I may just have to get a cheap analog to continue). My pants keep getting looser and I think I may even see a bit more definition in my waistline even if my stomach doesn't look like it's shrinking. Also, I hurt my left foot and ankle (and today, it feels like the inner muscle right below my knee is achy), so I've been glad the exercises have been fairly easy this week and not leg-intensive even though I'd like to burn more calories.

I posted yesterday on the community site that I'm getting kind of bored with my low-cal food options. However, I do go to the grocery store at some point this weekend so I'm going to see if I can vary it up a bit. Is anyone else having trouble finding healthy but tasty meals?

lack of progress

Okay! So here's what's been going on... I've been failing at working out. I have NOT however been failing at eating less and listening to my body give me clues about when it is hungry or full. I have not really lost any weight though some of my clothes are fitting a little bit differently but not much. And last week, I feel off the band wagon for working out and then when I looked for it, it was so far away I couldn't find it! But I've worked out twice this week in four days. I still count this as progress. I plan to train to walk a 5K this summer starting the first week of May or as I like to call it "The first week of summer and please don't let there be a zombie apocalypse because I really need to relax"!

So yes, besides for 2 presentations and 2 papers due this week, along with the first part of my ePortfolio for teaching that will be submitted to the state in 2 years to get my license being due next week, I'm doing well. I just BOW down to you ladies working full-time and/or going to school and/or caring after (multiple) kid(s). So kudos to you. But I guess I'm still proud of what I'm doing. Changes aren't easy and they aren't fun, but I think I should get an "A" for effort and trying, because I am certainly doing that!

week 3? already?

yes. i just reused a title from a discussion i posted in our community site.

i'm contemplating making a ginormous salad for dinner tonight. with grilled chicken on top. and cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms... all sorts of good veggies. yum.

i'm holding steady at 6 pounds lost. i consider that a win after my weekend neglect of the loseit app, beer(s), nachos, and a hot dog. no, i didn't go to a baseball game, even those are token baseball foods. i had the nachos at a bar, and the hot dog from sonic. so it wasn't a regular, plain hot dog. it was the one with sauerkraut and a little bacon. oh, and the one with peppers and pickles. so really, it was two hot dogs. so like i said, i win by staying within the weight i was on friday.

what else? like tamara, i fail at the wii challenge. but i'm staying active. and husband has been holding me accountable. he has asked me how things are going, and if i'm still doing the wii. i didn't hate telling him i wasn't, because i'm still doing the walking. not a walking plan or anything, but i'm making a point to walk the bridge at work (a mile and a half, round trip) at least once a day. i've taken to doing the stairs up two flights (really 3 because in between is a utilities floor), which does not make my thighs happy. but happy doesn't get me into a different size pants.

oh, and for dessert yesterday, husband and i had strawberry shortcake. yes, we had dessert. because you can make strawberry shortcake for under 200 calories. angel food cake has practically none, and use the light cool whip. then it's just fresh sliced strawberries and sugar!
trust me, it's the perfect summer dessert. especially now that berries are in season.

Wii get fitt-... crap.

Who's idea was this Wii 30 day challenge? Don't say it was mine, cause if it was, I would have to feel terribly guilty about the fact that I totally quit. GAH!

It comes down to the most pathetic excuse.... my children. Not only are they underfoot constantly (not unlike Hannah's and she hasn't given up yet) but they have SO MANY TOYS! In order for me to get a work out in, I have to spend 20 minutes tidying the living room first. Now... that doesn't sound that hard, but we all know I'm all about the "no housework"...... ;)

Okay, excuses aside, I have still been trying my darndest to get out and exercise. With the super uber OH-MY-GOD-HE-WON'T-SIT-DOWN busy toddler, it's not really that hard. Also, am still watching my diet VERY closely. I have been eating a grilled chicken salad everyday for lunch, and am pleasantly surprised by the results. Though only down one pound this week, I am not only 5 pounds away from my pre-baby weight!

Things I have learned since I started this 30 day challenge....

Beer is mostly vegan.

Skinny means "low fat milk, and sugar-free syrup"

Dogs would help in my exercising.... a lot.

I am not the only one who loathes running.

Kids and Wii active don't mix. At all.

Gardening is excellent exercise! I got out with a shovel and my wheelbarrow, and started moving dirt from one garden to another, and I was sweating!!!!!!

How is everyone else doing? Have you learnt anything on this adventure so far?

week 2 check in

hey everyone! how'd you do for the second week?

i ended up losing weight finally! and i have my scale at home now, so i can document my weight more accurately. i didn't keep up with the wii workouts as much as i should have (blame it on work, and my master's program...) but i still kept active. whether it was taking an evening walk to starbucks with husband for a skinny vanilla latte (only 90 calories!) or walking across campus instead of taking the shuttle, i did it. i'm blessed in that i have a job that i can wear tennies and capris to if i don't have important meetings, so i've taken advantage of that this week.

what about you? end of week 2 means we're almost halfway done!

Bored?

Maybe it's just the Week 2 slump (Week 1 was fast and furious), but I'm getting kind of bored with Wii Active 30-Day Challenge workouts. Is anyone else feeling this? I haven't skipped even one session (although Wii didn't record Monday's workout because I had to skip a few activities due to my faulty nunchuck) and the past few days I just haven't been feeling like I'm making much progress even though I replaced the nunchuck and the last workout seemed to go smoothly. Maybe I need to bump up my intensity level (I'm still on easy), but I'm afraid if I do that, it'll want me to run for longer and I already hate the running the most.

I get up at 5 AM but getting dressed, a bottle of water, and the wii revved up takes a few minutes and sometimes I don't get started good until 5:15 or 5:20. Then, I'm still running when the hubs comes in the living room after his shower and I get self-conscious.

I saw good results last week. I even tried on dresses (and bought two!) and didn't feel like a fatty, as I usually do. I feel pretty today in the clothes I'm wearing, but I'm just wondering if I'm doing enough. I'm only burning around 100-140 calories with the workouts (usually the lower end). I know I'm probably toning more than anything and that's great because I need it. I just feel like I need something more.

Any suggestions? Should I just scrap the 30-Day Challenge function of the game and customize my own workouts? Should I do Wii Zumba instead (I haven't even put this in the Wii yet to see how long the sessions are)? Or should I add in something else during the day? I don't have a lot of time and 5 AM is the best time for me but I can't leave the house due to a sleeping babe. I can probably get some walking in during lunch but it's already starting to get warm here. I do have access to a gym with a treadmill, elliptical, weight machines, etc. Does anyone have any ideas? I need help!

Are you bored, too? I know I'm not the only one having problems this week. I want to see weight loss (and I haven't lost anything this week, despite doing my workouts and eating 1600 calories or less/day) but I mainly want to get fit.

I don't like to be a quitter. I'd like to finish the 30 days and I'll probably give it another week just to make sure, but I also don't want to be doing something that's not getting me where I need to be.

How are YOU doing?

Stretching debate

When I booted up the Wii Active on sunday Ryan and Oliver were sitting on the couch playing ipad games. I was a little uncomfortable working out in front of an audience, no matter who they are. This is also why I hate doing workout classes, although it is easier in a room full of strangers than with just a single person you do know.  Anyway, as I began the workout Ryan looked up and said "wait, don't you stretch before working out?"

No, I don't. It wasn't part of the Wii Active program, and while I have added a short yoga wokout after I finish the Active workout, it honestly hadn't occurred to me to stretch before hand. When I was done with Sunday's program Ryan pulled out a couple of his workout/weightlifting books and showed me a few passages which stated that stretching before a toning workout will increase calorie burn, while also increase the effectiveness of the toning and muscle building. Hey! Great fitbytwitter post, I thought.

As I attempted to collect a few interweb sources to flesh out the post, and direct you to for further reading, I found that Google doesn't tend to agree with the above statements and, in some cases, directly refutes them with the assertion that stretching a "cold" muscle could cause injury. From what I can see the debate of "stretching before a workout yea or nay" seems to be one of those in and out of trend type things. So what say you? Do you stretch before working out or after? Or at all? Will you start now? Personally, I  feel like doing a short yoga workout following my wii active has helped to diminish some of the post-workout soreness, but I don't think I'll be adding much of a stretching routine ahead of time. Ryan persists in stretching before lifting weights.

On another note, normally I attempt to workout when M sleeps and O is doing "quiet time" in his room. A couple times however, things have not gone according to plan and I've had a little workout helper. I can tell you that jumping becomes a dicey proposition with this as my view. And he likes to try and help push the buttons during squats and when I crouch for Inline skating.


Then the Yoga routine begins and he adds some extra resistance training. This was my view during the downward facing dog. He anchored my leg to the floor nicely.



Heck, I can't touch my toes anyway, even when he's not trying to bounce on my knees.

start of week 2!

or, if you're like me, "technically" the start of week 2. meaning that i didn't do the wii on friday (don't hate. i got plenty of other exercising done), took saturday as the actual break day, and then was too busy on sunday (but husband and i DID walk the big mall in town). so, while i didn't exactly follow the wii, i still got some form of workout in.

anyways, couple of things i want to cover in today's post.

first, i can't stand my trainer. here's a few of the conversations i had with my wii this past week:

wii: alternating lunges are a GREAT way to get strong legs.

me: i don't want strong legs!

(during the inline skating)

wii: pay attention to those obstacles. know they're coming so you can overcome them.

me: dude. i know they're coming. my thighs hurt.

second, you may remember that i posted on our community site a question about what time is the best to workout. because i've been really inconsistent in my workouts, and i have my own theories. i think morning will be best because it helps wake you up. i think afternoon is best because maybe metabolism is highest. i think evening is best because you're working off the food you ate that day. anyway, i have a great husband who brought me some junk food magazines, one of which was woman's world. there's a lot of great information in there, even if there's too many exclamation points.

anyway, there's an article that talks about the timing of your workout! how lucky. so, per this article, you should workout in the morning, before breakfast. it prompts your body to use the fat for fuel, instead of using food you've recently eaten as fuel.

sidenote (which was great news)-- "clacked off on workouts during winter? great news! previously toned muscle fibers bounce back quickly, even after months of inactivity, according to research."

don't forget that our catch up is on saturdays. i know it's the weekend, but make sure to check our blog out to give your update. tell us how your week went. remember, this site is here for your support!

Week 1 Progress!

Hey! Look at that! Almost 2 lbs down! In true Tamara style, I must continue to publicly humiliate myself by posting my weight every week, in order to keep myself accountable. Not so bad really... a good push in the right direction. Anyhoo, as some of you may know, I have a relatively new child.
Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't... and sometimes I think I can do it all! Hurrah! Go Tamara! With no sleep. Mmmm... not so much. I got worn down, downright exhausted, and then I got sick.

SO! NEW PLAN! While I will continue to work out (cheer!) I will not diet. No sir. Gimme some cheeseburgers... (just kidding guys... that would be mean) but I will continue to keep taking in the proper amount of calories for my bod... I just really hope that the workouts, and my conscientious (balanced!) meals help me continue to lose weight like I did this week. I'm going to keep hoping.

In saying that, I did miss two work outs this week. I'm going to get back on it tomorrow... I'd hate for it to tell me to start over!

I'm really really interested in hearing about what you guys are eating (and not eating!) as we move through this challenge. Tuna and rice cakes aren't cutting it. Or special K cereal. Or boring chicken.

I'm starving. :D

check-in, week 1

so, how'd your first week go? are you staying with the program, if you're doing the wii challenge? if not, have you been being active? it's been fun to watch the conversations going on over at our community site. if you haven't checked it out, go! and you're welcome to sign up and communicate with us there, too.

i've done really well. i have been documenting my calorie intake and exercises on loseit, and having a good time staying under budget. i haven't weighed yet today (my scale is at work-- gotta change that), but look forward to seeing that i've lost a pound or a pound and a half this week. i've done my wii workout every day that i'm supposed to, except for yesterday because i was so far under my calorie budget, i didn't want to get any lower. but i'm using today's rest day to make up for that.

so, how was your week? now's your chance to update everyone!

Feelin' Groovy

I'm feelin' groovy this morning.

Slow down, you movin' too fast
You gotta make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobblestones
Lookin' for fun and
Feelin' groovy

Hello, lampost
Whatcha knowin?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain'tcha got no rhymes for me?
Doo Bee Doo Doo,
Feelin' groovy

Got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me...
Life, I love you,
All is groovy

Lyrics found here.

It's been a Simon and Garfunkel kinda day. And I feel groovy and fabulous and wonderful. This, from the self-professed exercise hater.

I'm on Day 5 of the Challenge and am getting up a little after 5:00 each morning to do my Wii workout. Great start to each day and I get it out of the way, first thing. Yes, I've been sore...Day 2 was BRUTAL. But, the soreness now is a good sore, the kind of sore where you know you're working your muscles but not so sore that you're in misery. On the Wii Active Challenge workouts, you run each day and although I absolutely detest running, I know it's really working my legs and all those muscles. Especially the routine where you run for a bit, do high kicks for a bit and then try to kick your behind (I can't remember what those are called but I did them this morning). I have been sore in places I've never been before (inner thighs). So, basically, I'm really enjoying the workouts I'm getting even if they are only burning around 120-140 calories each time. I know I'm going to be more toned by the end of the 30 days.

This whole program has also inspired me to cut my calories. I would like to lose 30 pounds (initially) and LoseIt has helped me create a plan that projects I can lose 30 pounds by October. I know that sounds like a long time, but it's one pound a week and that's a really healthy rate to go. Maybe by doing this Challenge and adding in a few more workouts during the week (like walking during lunch or going over to the gym to do the elliptical), I can lose a little faster. In any event, I just want to do this the right way and be healthy. I'm eating 1600 calories a day (some days a little more, some days a little less, but have been pretty good to stick to it this first week) and think that's a do-able amount. Suppers are the hardest thing for me to keep under caloric intake, but I'm gonna try to find some lower fat recipes and incorporate those into our meal schedule. I have lots of lean meats at home, I just have to lay off the cream sauces and fattening sides.

Also, I got a really cool scale for 1/4 of the price it should have been on Amazon: Ozeri Elite Series II Digital Bathroom Scale With 5" Blue Backlit Xbright LCD and InstaOn Technology. It's still half-price and if you use the code SHAPEUPI (not sure if it still works, you might want to check before submitting the order), you get another 50% off! Since it is $25 before the coupon discount, you get free super saver shipping, but you have to make sure you select that option in the check-out. Basically, I got a $50 scale for $12.50, shipped! Just wanted to pass that along to you.

So, how's everyone doing? Weekly check-in is tomorrow and you can share what you feel like sharing. We just want to know how thing are going!

Our 30 Days!

Habits are hard to break, but easy to form. So if I create a new good habit should be easy and it should stick, right? Well, so far... yes! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... yes! Since this is going up before I'm up for the day on Thursday I'm going to bet I'll still work out. I think the hardest part of the work out is my mental attitude about 2/3 of the way through. I start to hurt and get tired and then I'm just ready to stop. But once I'm done with the work out and back to relative normal (not sweating like crazy) everything is much better. I feel like I could have/should have gone longer. But I'm bumping up to 2 miles on Monday we'll see that goes. Overall this wasn't so bad. I'm ready to keep going.

Also, if you're interested I'm tracking my activity and calories on Spark People. Feel free to add me as a friend. I like it better than Lose It! because for me it's easier to use, but they are essentially the same thing. An added bonus to Spark People is the point system where you get points for signing in every day and virtual trophies. You also can set goals and track them on the site. There are recipes and blogs and other inspirational tools. I also have my measurements posted on our Spruz site. So check it out!