zig zagging

 i started carb cycling (aka 'zig-zagging') Monday and let's just say Thursday will be a BRIGHTER DAY.  was trying not to complain so soon but i am missing my fruit the most... i treated it as my desert after every meal and well, it sucks not being able to eat it for 3 days straight.  however, it's gotta be this way for carb cycling to do its thing.   i know it's just my body adjusting to my new meal plan, and it's always hard in the beginning. but that doesn't make me feel any better or make this any easier.  :roll:  the crabbiness i felt at the very beginning of this journey after i cut sweets cold turkey is making its way back, sorry Sonny.

on the flip side, i'm enjoying the switch to beef, a lot.  those thin sirloin steaks i made Sunday DID turn out great.  liquid aminos is some awesome stuff!  great flavor, versatile, low sodium, and plenty of healthy benefits. read up on that!

this was last night's dinner (meal 5),  my '1 hitta-quitta' per Sonny.  i like 'controlled chaos' better though;) everything (green beans, brown rice, seasoned sirloin steak) all in one cool whip bowl and covered in  spicy mustard.  when i put everything separate on a plate, it just makes the meal go by so fast.  i don't know how else to explain it.  i guess i just did!  having it all in one bowl gives the appearance of more food.  hey it works for me!  it's a mind thing for sure.  before dinner, i went outside with Chiso for a quick run. i already had my weights rendezvous at the gym earlier that morning.

30 minutes in my fat burning zone and 300 cals later, i called it quits.  as Chiso gets heavier it's getting harder to push his big butt!  but i love that i can bring him with me and change up his scenery for a little bit though.

i then sat and let him explore a little bit and do his thing.

i just adore his little smirk smile!! so, back to carb cycling. i'm still eating small meals throughout the day which keeps my metabolism revving high and my energy levels up.  but booooy if something holds me up from my scheduled meal time, it's back to crab city, quick.

after doing a little research on my own, i found that there are tons of different variations, schedules, and meal plans for carb cycling. my trainer has me on:

THREE consecutive days of low-carb intake followed by ONE high-carb day, then repeat.  like i said, come ON, Thursday!!!!

anyway,  you're basically tricking your body into burning fat rapidly without losing any muscle.

my thoughts?  this BETTER work. LOL

any competitors or non-competitors our there ever heard of or tried carb cycling for weight loss or maintenance?

le

core work - part I

because breaking the post up into parts means NO, i am totally not done!!

i had no idea how popular TRX  was/is.  your gym may or may not have it, no biggie. there are two main pieces of equipment:

the suspension belt:

and it's connected to this contraption:

i'm just now catching up with it, and you guessed it, i hate it :lol:  i had my first taste of TRX about 3 weeks ago while working out with a competitor friend of mine at 24 hour fitness.  it's hardcore suspension training using your own body weight.  just after 3 sets of  10 'pushups/peaks/tucks' (that's what i'll call it for now), i felt soreness in my entire torso for the rest of the week.  every laugh, cough, twist and turn was a swift reminder of my 1st TRX date.

try them:

facing downward, put your feet in the straps and get into a pushup position.

complete the pushup, (both arms come to a 90 deg angle) and go immediately into a 'peak' by lifting your glutes into the air and keeping your legs straight and your back as flat as possible.

then, go right back to starting/plank position by lowering your glutes and complete the 'tuck' by pulling your knees super close to your chest. keep your knees and feet close together.

that's one! do 10 in a row for starters, and add on the stronger you become.  you will get stronger... just keep doing them, i promise.

don't have one of these fancy contraptions at home?  me neither!

use a yoga ball.

here are a couple exercises i have added to my routine recently to get this 6 pack going!

 peaks and tucks w/ the ball:

(start in a high plank)

you don't have to do the pushup if ya don't want to, IMO. i'm such a slacker.

peak (remember, keep your back flat, not rounded- clearly i need to work on that)

aaaand tuck. 3 sets of 10

twist ups:

( yoga ball or a medicine ball will do.) start out with your body flat, legs out into a V, and the ball overhead btw your hands.

engage your core and sit up nice and tall keep the ball directly in front of you.

keep sucking it in!! now, twist the ball to the left or right,

then back to the center, and back to starting position. repeat, and hit up the other side.

make sure you get a nice, deep, significant twist.

v sit ups w/ yoga ball:

start on your back and stretch your arms over head while clutching the yoga ball in btw your feet/ankles.

form the 'v' by bringing your limbs up toward the ceiling, and passing the ball to your hands from your feet.  pull your bellybutton into your spine and keep your limbs straight the entire time.

take the ball in your hands and extend your body back to the starting position.  on the next one, pass the ball back to your feet and repeat.

elbow rolls:

up on your toes, elbows on ball, plank position.

extend your elbows out as far as possible- this IS a tough one, it's not just you!! then, using your core, pull the ball back to you and keep that nice solid plank. i fell multiple times- you gotta fight to keep your balance.

i promise i moved!!! doesn't take much to feel those AT ALL.  3 sets of 10

 incorporate some of these moves for a stronger core and chiseled mid-section.

heading to bed- super early AM workout tomorrow, as usual!

le

progress through your process

i feel like i owe double posts for not speaking in 7 days straight :( it's been an eventful week over here.   Chiso and i took a walk in the neighborhood tuesday evening, and wed. he woke up with a fever and a rash :roll:  oh, and he's teething again.  needless to say, we took a trip to the Dr. and all is finally well, thank God.

speaking of God, ever hear a sermon and feel like it was tailored JUST for you?  i'm nuts over all things food and cooking, so this made complete sense and keeps replaying in my head:

'if you're  a true cook, then you know you must wait until the water is boiling before you add in your grits.  God has PLENTY of good stuff waiting to pour into us, but He won't give it to us until we are bubbling and ready to receive it!!!'

if you don't grow during your process (whatever it may be), something is wrong.  you mature and change over time for the better.  however, you must commit and put in the work.  stay positive and keep moving towards whatever you are working on!!!

UPDATE: *stats taken on 7/20*

151 lbs.

16.2% body fat

6 weeks in,

8 weeks left,

and time is FLYING.

my scale said 148 lbs this afternoon (sunday) and it's definitely because i added sprints to my training this past friday and saturday.    sprinters are able to keep their muscle but blast off fat with High Intensity Interval Training.  a mixture of both steady state cardio and HIIT is an awesome combo and will get my body where it needs to be.

last night, my man and i stepped out to the movies for the first time this YEAR now that i think about it.

s/n: yet another item of clothing i hadn't worn in ages- these pants are 3/4 and i'm really glad i held on to them!  6 weeks ago, i was in 7/8's. ok anyway, we saw Dark Knight and it was long.  we are pretty tall and we need our leg room.  we both had to stand up and stretch several times!!

 gaaaaaah that popcorn smell smacked me right in the face when we walked in.  i saved my 'dessert' from the meal i consumed in the car on the way to the theater, and whipped it out to snack on during the movie. so not the same.

some alone time was great, but i would have rather watched Spider Man or a comedy!

good times!

today, we hit the gym together for some upper body and cardio.

Sonny never fails to remind me why we work out separately LOL.

i'm working my way up to un-assisted dips, but he convinced me to do them without any help.  i know i'll appreciate it.

later.

yes, that's as far as i could go down, lololol. give me some time.

did some bicep exercises as well then hit the elliptical machines.

sonny on his weapon of choice... it's either this or the stairmaster for me when i'm in the gym.  it's waaaaay easier to get my heart rate up and keep it there when i run outside, though.

pressuring me to hurry up and finish!  just 5 more minutes!

so what's new in the nutrition dept?  my trainer has introduced me to zig-zagging, also known as,  carb cycling.  i'll expand on that soon, but beef has been incorporated into my meal plan for the next two weeks, whoop whoop!  gives me a little break from chicken and tilapia, not that i needed it.

i marinated the sirloin in some liquid aminos (found at good ol' HEB), green onion, and a different seasoning per steak (lemon pepper, smokehouse maple, garlic and herb) and prepped our meals for the next few days.

hope they taste as good as they look! i'm so ready to see the change carb cycling brings.

p.s. check for the abs post tomorrow.  sweet dreams!

le

remember when

lazy Sunday today!

for these two, anyway!  we always look forward to those...when we can get them.

i had to hit the gym though as usual and did legs/lower body and 1 hour of fat burning cardio. also,  i didn't skip abs this time! with 9 weeks left i can't afford to skip a THING anyway.  but they are finally starting to show.  a little.  but not enough.

 i did some TRX-like exercises using a yoga ball, a medicine ball, and then some planks on the floor among other things.  my abs post should be up next though, bear with me.

we did some grocery shopping after early service this morning at Sams and got a few things:

fresh strawberries, blueberries, bananas, spinach, chicken breasts, wheat bagels,  pistachios, and some apple juice.  i dove right into our lunch/dinner prep for the next few days when we got home.  the prep work ALWAYS makes the time in btw my meals go by faster, so i take my sweet time and enjoy myself.

i roasted a few sweet potatoes, seasoned and baked some of the chicken breasts, cooked a crap load of brown rice lol, and put my scale to work.

yesterday, Sonny and i attended a 30th birthday pool party for a friend of ours that was held on campus at the University of Houston rec center, our alma mater.

 GO COOGS!!!!

 afterwards, we got a chance to take a trip down memory lane.  as our 5th wedding anniversary approaches, it was the perfect timing for the chance to visit our old stomping grounds.  we don't come to this side of town for, well, anything anymore!  so, we took advantage.  AND we were Chiso-less for a little bit at that!

still standing!  our dorm- Moody Towers, South Tower.

North Tower is to the right, South Tower to the left, both 17 floors high.  they are joined together by the lounge just through those doors.

in the lounge being random.

we spent many a sleepless night playing dominoes, cards, laughing, eating, and hanging out down here.

we journeyed into the 'gym' that was once a computer lab to snap a pic.  i was sitting in this very space 12 years ago when Sonny offered me a slice of pizza which i politely turned down!  i accepted later out of pity :roll:

couldn't get past the south tower desk security (boooooooo) but the north tower was empty!  however, the elevator was broken, so we didn't get far.

 one last shot.  tons of things have changed around there.....at one point i wanted to just let out a humongous cry.  i felt tears welling up inside after being overwhelmed with emotional memories of our years on campus. WHEW :shock: 13 years + 1 Chiso later, we are simply blessed.  Glory to God for almost 5 years of marriage!!!!!

    on the flip side, i am super happy and proud to see our tuition and alumni money being put to outstanding use.  everywhere, and i mean everywhere we turned, there was a new building.  TONS of construction going on and more improvements in progress all across the campus. great stuff, UH.

have an outstanding start of this new week...here we go!

le

kickin and pushin

who left their gym clothes at home yesterday? i could have kicked myself.  i was driving to work when i realized what i had done. guess where i went on lunch break:

i'll never have enough workout gear, so no biggie there!  no excuses...nothing will keep me from my workout date.

my colorful ensemble!

  i can feel my husband giving me a side-eye through the screen, but i could have gone to lululemon, sooo.... :-?

now shoes, on the other hand, those are deal breakers.  i would have just had to go back home for them. striking a pose before i went to kill it- upper body and cardio that night.

update:

currently @ 152 lbs and 18% body fat after two more weeks.

yeah i thought my body fat went down a lot more too by now, HMPH.  i'm losing weight for sure, but my trainer says i burned a little muscle too, bummer.  this means i need to make sure i am staying inside my fat burning zone during my cardio sessions.  it's honestly hard for me to stay there cause i just want to GO GO GO all the time and burn up everything.  i have to remind myself to stay focused and concentrate on burning fat.

been working on my posing and walking every chance i get. i hope it shows! these progress pics help me tremendously though- i see so many things i need to fix asap.

no cheat meal(s), no processed snacks, no white sugar nothin for 4 weeks straight now. wow is all i can say.  it's ALL God. i have never, ever, in my entire life gone this long without those things.  when i'm tempted, i start praying lol!!!! i'm so very serious though.  somehow i look up minutes later and the craving is gone and i've moved on to doing something else.  i was talking with Sonny the other day about just how much my/our lives revolved around food!  for any special occasion, milestone, celebration - WHATEVER - we go eat.  bored and nothin going on?  we go get fro-yo.  before Chiso was born, we would randomly wake up in the middle of the night and go get some fries or ice cream or something sweet.  gosh i miss being able to do that! with the way the weeks have been flying by though, it won't be long before i can enjoy those things again.  my mentor reminded me that 'the body always craves what the body can't have.' unfortunate truth. UGH.

i came to terms with having a thick waist and being shaped like a boy a few years ago.   i am happy to report that this couldn't be any further from the truth.

this is my first time wearing this dress since 2010 @ my mom's graduation.

matter fact, i almost sent it to Goodwill this past year.  it just wouldn't zip up anymore and i was tired of sucking it in.  i was sooooooo uncomfortable that day.  not only were my feet hurting, but i couldn't even breathe right cause the dress was so tight.  i was trying to be cute - you know how that goes :roll:

alright now!  it's pretty comfy these days as are my jeans and other bottoms.  found it in the back of my closet and wore it to church this past Sunday.  old dress turned new again!  competition or not, i love these results and i plan to commit to eating 85% clean after this is over with.  life is just too darn short not to indulge every now and then.  no food will ever be off-limits in my book.

kissy break during the 'photoshoot'- you know he was wasn't too far away:)

finally, i miss eating my fav foods these days for sure, but i miss cooking new things and meals just as much if not more.  i see TONS of inspiration and ideas on Instagram and Pinterest every single day and i have collected and created a nice log of cleaner and leaner recipes (breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert)  over the past few weeks that i add to daily.  i cannot wait to get back into my kitchen and get creative and test out these recipes...and most important, EAT them!!  september will be a great month. a really, great month..

i'd love to place in this upcoming competition...i think about the day of the show often.  overcoming the entire journey leading up to stepping on that stage is what i will be the most proud of, though.

le