I am finally getting around to starting an online fitness log. I have long maintained paper records of my workouts ever since I first started Bill Phillips’ Body For Life back in September 2000. But now that I am part of the August – December 2008 Official Women’s Challenge and at the beginning of Warp Speed Fat Loss, it seems like now is the right time to make the leap to sharing my log with others.
Quick background on me: 38 year old married female with 2 preteen children. After increasing my weight as I creeped towards 30, I decided it was time to get rid of it and take better care of myself. Did Body For Life in late 2000 and have done some sort of exercise & nutrition since then. I stumbled across an article on the New Rules of Lifting for Women in February 2008 and I was immediately ready to get started on stepping up my fitness and diet. I have gained significant strength and definition since going through NROL4W but I still have some fat that keeps me from looking truly lean in a bikini. So I went through Afterburn I this summer and I just started Warp Speed Fat Loss to, as Leigh Peele says, "get in and get out!".
I am actually wrapping up Day 3 of WSFL so I will post each day individually to catch up to now and sort of keep a journal to share my WSFL journey. I don't know that I can be as detailed as Miss Jane in her logs but I have to start somewhere!
Day 1 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Sunday September 28, 2008
I was a little nervous getting started on but also excited. I had read the WSFL materials, planned out my meals and my exercise so it was go time.
I had a good day of exercise. I always perform my workouts first thing in the morning to make sure I have focused energy and don't make excuses to miss. Didn't have any personal bests on lifting but performed some new exercises for me (push-up to prone jack-knife combo and reverse lunge with dumbbell offset). Had a decent round of HIIT on the treadmill following the resistance portion.
Meal portions actually seemed small at times and I was satisfied in the morning hours but thought about food all day. Not sure I was ever truly hungry though.
Day 2 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Monday September 29, 2008
Still playing catch-up to my current day on WSFL.
Monday was total cardio day. Again running on the treadmill starting out with 3 rounds of HIIT and then steady state for 20 more minutes.
I felt pretty good overall....energy level solid. Not really hungry in the morning hours (kind of full actually) but then I got hungry feeling at lunch and rest of day. I really don't think I was truly hungry but a little obsessive about the food thoughts.
Day 3 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Tuesday September 30, 2008
I am now on the current day of WSFL. I know I am going to be successful with this (knew before I started) but today was proof that it is and will be mind over matter. For whatever reason, I started the day mentally strong and sustained that feeling all day. I read Mahler's Monday Morning Motivator yesterday and the feeling of being surrounded with support resonated with me. Plus I am a huge junkie for positive quotes and I ran into some gems yesterday.....I need to share them here but my quote stash is at work and I am at home right now.
Anyway, I was spot on with my nutrition all day and didn't obsess as much about eating. I started off the day with a decent round of training and HIIT (yikes, 4:30am comes early each day! and double yikes, 2 minutes of high intensity is HARD!!). I really need to increase the weight on the incline DB press and the DB swing.
welcome to logging! good luck on WSFL......(and, it's only 1 minute high intensity/2 minutes recovery.....didn't want you to be doing 2 minutes high for the whole program!!)
Rebecca....I apologize....I totally forgot about the intervals that are also after the weight training on FLTS and there IS that one day where you have to do 2 min at high intensity. And, yes, it certainly is tough!
Since I did WSFL in June, I will be watching your log daily. I am excited to follow someone else's experiences with the program. I lost 6 lbs., which was huge for me, and did not gain anything back. And yes it was mostly fat. I'm thinking of repeating the program in January (who knows, maybe every January for the rest of my life ) to offset holiday damage. Anyway, you are doing great so far. I didn't see any weight loss for the first few weeks. I also had a few 'hungry can't stop thinking of food days' but just a few. I loved the Sunday meatfest. Good luck!
welcome to logging! good luck on WSFL......(and, it's only 1 minute high intensity/2 minutes recovery.....didn't want you to be doing 2 minutes high for the whole program!!)
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Originally Posted by Karen411
Welcome, Rebecca! I'm looking forward reading about your challenge journey.
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Originally Posted by realcdn
Welcome to logging, and best of luck with WSFL!
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Originally Posted by kobeat
Looking forward to following your progress!
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Originally Posted by Celestialmom
Rebecca, welcome to logging! Best of luck in WSFL and the challenge!
Thank you so, so much for all of your warm welcome notes! I have been a lurker for some time now and really enjoy the camaraderie I have seen and experienced. I really look forward to getting know you all better and supporting/encouraging you all in turn.
Since I did WSFL in June, I will be watching your log daily. I am excited to follow someone else's experiences with the program. I lost 6 lbs., which was huge for me, and did not gain anything back. And yes it was mostly fat. I'm thinking of repeating the program in January (who knows, maybe every January for the rest of my life ) to offset holiday damage. Anyway, you are doing great so far. I didn't see any weight loss for the first few weeks. I also had a few 'hungry can't stop thinking of food days' but just a few. I loved the Sunday meatfest. Good luck!
Kathy - I read the logs that you, Jane, and Maxx made during your own experiences with WSFL this past spring/summer. Your successes bolstered my own belief that I could do it too, so thanks a ton to you and the others for putting your logs out to share! That is also why I finally put my log online was to provide additional info for others interested in WSFL as well as hold myself accountable.....I can't very well throw in the towel now that I've gone public! I am very glad and relieved to know that you lost mostly fat and have kept it off.
Day 4 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Wednesday October 1, 2008
My mental strength from Day 3 has carried over to today and thank God it did as today was full of temptations on the food front! I HAD to go to Chili's for a business lunch and ordered the Guiltless Grilled Chicken platter and requested the rice and corn to be left off. Also the table ordered chips, salsa, and queso but I knew I would be mad as hell at myself if I ate any so I didn't. Later on, picked up Chick-Fil-A for my daughter and she offered me the remains of her fruit cup and we ended up tossing it. Kept to my overall meal plans so definitely victorious on the food front.
Exercise today was 3 intervals (1 min on, 2 min off) with 20 min steady state (all treadmill running). Gotta love the TV and the iPod!
Tomorrow back at weights with intervals to finish.
Comment on the weight below....if this wasn't happening to me personally, I don't think I would believe someone losing a pound overnight. Not yet feeling like I look different so I hope that comes soon too. Yesterday, I promised starting pics and stats and I will get those online tomorrow night as I have to get my husband to help me get this past Sunday's pics off our camera. I will also be posting fresh pics this Sunday for the Women's August-December Challenge.
Day 5 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Thursday October 2, 2008
I am almost a quarter done! I am starting to sound like a broken record but another good day mentally. It helps that I have had encouragement from the scale each day, that the food I get to eat tastes good and I look forward to eating it, and I actually like the exercise structure. I keep seeing bits of encouragement and motivation on this board and that is cool too. I love how Leigh Peele gave the JP Fitness Forum major kudos today on her blog.....she's right!
Workout was weights today with running intervals after (3 rounds). I love deadlifts and got to do those today (90lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets). Did the prone jack-knife push up combo again....those are weird but cool. Also got to do chin ups but I had to do those assisted with a jump stretch band since I can't do 6 reps yet. I saw this link provided by Lost Dog and I plan to do that sometime soon -> Comprehensive Chinup Workout Guide - Men's Health. I work with a bunch of guys and it impresses them/scares them that I can do these types of exercises....I love it!
I am using foam roller every night. Man, that was painful the first time but I kept at it and it is getting better. I hope there isn't any potential damage from doing this wrong because I am pretty sure if there is a way to use a foam roller incorrectly then I am doing just that! I downloaded Mike Robertson's e-book which was informative but way over my head. I bought Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength just to get the chapters on foam rolling and warm-ups and that has helped a lot.
Finally, I am also working on my mobility exercises almost everyday. I have narrowed down my squat ROM issues to either ankles or calves. I can do a perfect ATG squat in high heels but am horrible with squat ROM in my bare feet or with my Nike Frees. Using Magnificent Mobility and the warm-up section in Maximum Strength. Very slow improvements on this front but I know the only way to get better is to keep working at it.
Rebecca....I apologize....I totally forgot about the intervals that are also after the weight training on FLTS and there IS that one day where you have to do 2 min at high intensity. And, yes, it certainly is tough!
Jane, you are such a sweetheart to care that I was doing this right! I have to admit I read that part of the program multiple times thinking I misunderstood the 2 min at high intensity. I wish that it wasn't 2 min!
A quarter done! All right! It's great that you're seeing regular changes on the scale. I agree about the food. Well, I don't know how closely you are following the menu as written. I tried to stick the the 'as written' diet as much as possible and got a lot of new cool ideas. Love the hummus deviled eggs, for instance.
That's cool that you're doing chin ups instead of lat pulldowns. I did lat pulldowns because I couldn't come close to a chinup and I didn't have my band yet. Next time...I'll either use my band or maybe even be able to do real chinups.
Rebecca, thanks for the link to the chinup workout. I want to try to do it!
You've been doing great with your workouts and especially resisting the food temptations. I have no doubt you'll reach your goals!
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Originally Posted by Karen411
Thank-you from me, too. I don't know how I missed that the first time I read it.
I just stumbled across the Chinup link, thanks to Lost Dog, over on this thread -> Is there anything new on the Alwyn front lately. Glad you gals found it interesting too. I can do about 3 chinups unassisted but no way I can do 6 or 4 sets of 6! Thank goodness for the Jump Stretch Band (bought months ago on a recommendation from Lisa~).
A quarter done! All right! It's great that you're seeing regular changes on the scale. I agree about the food. Well, I don't know how closely you are following the menu as written. I tried to stick the the 'as written' diet as much as possible and got a lot of new cool ideas. Love the hummus deviled eggs, for instance.
That's cool that you're doing chin ups instead of lat pulldowns. I did lat pulldowns because I couldn't come close to a chinup and I didn't have my band yet. Next time...I'll either use my band or maybe even be able to do real chinups.
Anyway, you're doing great.
Thanks a bunch for the continued encouragement!
I am following some of the menus exactly but repeating them more. For example, I am eating the grilled chicken, spinach, feta, EVOO, and red wine vinegar almost every day for lunch. For breakfasts, I am repeating the shakes instead of fixing eggs just in the interest of time. Like you, I got a lot of great new ideas.....I like the hummus deviled eggs too.
Had to do the chinups out of necessity since I work out at home and don't have cable equipment. Thanks to posts I found from Lisa~, I was able to figure out the assisted chinup with my door gym or I would have been clueless! I love this board for all the genuine expert help and encouragement.
Day 7 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Friday October 4, 2008
Did not post yesterday (Day 6). It was not a fun day at all since I had a sinus headache (thank you seasonal allergies!) and felt draggy all day. Probably the worst day for wanting to eat more food and yet I didn't crave anything in particular. Yuck!
Today, Day 7, was great! I was dreading today since it is the no carb day in the meal plan but it was so much better than I expected. Kathy was so right about the "meat fest" being something to look forward to! I didn't feel hungry at all and that was even with hanging around tailgate and football game food the better part of the day (my beloved Hogs are bad this year and lost to Florida but I still love them). It helped that I got to sleep in this morning. So I am now recharged to kick-off week 2.
I am still behind on pics and stats but PROMISE I will be posting these in this log tomorrow since I also need to post in the Women's August Challenge.
Rebecca, looks like you are doing great on WSFL. I still like to follow the meal plans from WSFL, some meals have become favorites of mine. Keep up the good work. Consistency really does pay off.
Day 8 of 28 Warp Speed Fat Loss, Sunday October 5, 2008
I am now officially starting week 2. Even with the little challenges along the way, I felt like week 1 went well overall and I am hoping for a similar week of success with the discipline on eating and exercise as well as results on the scale and clothes fitting better.
I didn't want to get out of bed this morning so I didn't feel "awake" until about 1/2 way through my post-lifting intervals. I am guessing that is when my workout shake kicked in! Lifts included squats, RDLs, swissball crunches, step-ups (which I hate), and these fun dumbbell swings. Then ran on the treadmill for my 6 rounds of intervals.
I keep mentioning stats and pictures that haven't ever materialized so here they are at last!
Stats (8/2 is when I started for the August-December Women's Challenge, 9/1 is Month 1 progress for Women's Challenge, 9/28 is the start of WSFL, and 10/5 is for Month 2 progress for Women's Challenge):
Measurement
8/2/2008
9/1/2008
9/28/2008
10/5/2008
Height
60 in
60 in
60 in
60 in
Age
38
38
38
38
Weight
115.6 lbs
117.0 lbs
114.6 lbs
112.2 lbs
Neck
13.125 in
13.125 in
13.125 in
13.125 in
Chest
31.25 in
31.25 in
31.25 in
31.25 in
Waist
(at bellybutton)
27.5 in
27.75 in
27.75 in
27.44 in
Hips
(at hip bone)
32.625 in
32.25 in
31.75 in
31.56 in
Left Bicep
10.375 in
10.5 in
10.56 in
10.5 in
Right Bicep
10.375 in
10.375 in
10.5 in
10.5 in
Left Thigh
19.25 in
19.5 in
19.56 in
18.56 in
Right Thigh
19 in
19.25 in
19.25 in
18.625 in
Left Calf
13 in
13.125 in
13.25 in
13.125 in
Right Calf
12.75 in
13.25 in
13 in
13 in
Body Fat %
(Fat Track II)
19.6%
20.6%
20.3%
18.5%
Body Fat % (AccuMeasure)
23.0%
21.3%
21.6%
19.2%
You see I started to drift up on weight so I was very into the lose-one pound-per-week challenge Miss Jane issued in September and decided to start WSFL to put some structure into my personal challenge. I feel I am now headed in the right direction on stats. The pictures aren't so obviously different in my mind.
Pictures (August 2, September 28, October 5):
3 more weeks to go so a lot of time left for further improvement!
Hi Rebecca~
Glad you started a log! I'll be paying close attention to your experience with this program.
Keep up the good work! (and thanks for the hair compliment)
Thanks so much for stopping by! I have lurked in your log before and learned a lot. I hope your husband is doing better. Your progress with your body composition has been awesome this year!
Rebecca's Road to Results
Linear Mode
