I've decided to join Leigh Peele's 30 Day Challenge and am creating this journal to track my progress. I've been following her OPT program for a couple of weeks already and started listening to her advice and fat loss recomendations about a month and a half ago.
GOAL: The biggest thing driving me at this point is my desire to be a pro cheerleader/dancer. I feel a bit silly admitting it, but that is truly my biggest ambition at this point in my life. I have been a part of a university-level dance team and a dance team for a semi-pro basketball team and really enjoyed both. I know that to make a team I am going to have to be able to wear the tiny uniforms and make them look good. If anyone has any experience in this with professional sports dance or cheerleading teams I would love to hear from you.
Right now I want to focus on fat loss and, once my body fat is low enough, bump up my calories to maintenance and hit the training harder. I've previously tried to work on losing fat and building up my strength/fitness level at the same time and seemed to burn out before I could make much progress.
I'm thinking about 5 lbs of fat loss would be great, but this is just a guess and I am not hung up about the numbers on the scale. What I care most about is the "look" of my body and my measurements.
TRAINING: I will be following the OPT strength program from Leigh for 3-4 sessions/week and attending about 3-4 dance classes a week (1 hour to 2 hours each). I may add in some HIIT training if I have the energy or time, but this will be low priority to me until I get the fat off.
PICTURES
Current pictures- These were taken earlier today. If you compare them to the pictures below I think you can see that I have already made some progress (although the fact that I am a bit tanner in the more recent pictures may have helped )
Older pictures- These were taken at the beginning of September
ABOUT ME: I am in a pretty big transition time in my life and have had several major life changes occur recently.
-New Job: I changed jobs in August and moved to a new city as a result (about 2 hrs from previous residence). This job is waaay better than my previous one. I am basically a school counselor at two elementary schools and I love interacting with the kids.
-Boyfriend Deployed: My boyfriend was deployed to Iraq in September. He will be gone for about a year. This has been tough on me emotionally. The only good thing that has come as a result is that I have more free time to focus on my goals and I do not eat out as often now that he is not around.
-Social Support: My social support network is limited as a result of moving to the new area. My parents also live in the city I moved away from, so that has been a bit hard as they are an important part of my life. This may sound awful, but I have become pretty picky about who I choose to associate with outside of work. I've realized I am just much happier when I spend time with positive people who have a similar outlook on life and who have similar interests.
I feel like I wrote way too much; once I get going it's hard to stop me! In closing, I just want to say that I am totally open to feedback and would be happy to hear suggestions from others on how to improve my progress. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Just wanted to say welcome! This forum is great for advice, support and motivation. It's really kept me on track. BTW, you already look great! No doubt you'll be looking awesome as you reach your goals.
Chloe, Maggieandmommy, and Karen: Thank you all for the support and positive comments. I really appreciate the forum "veterans" stopping by to give words of encouragement
Welcome and good luck on the challenge. Moving is always hard, I pray you find a good network of support. When does your boyfriend get back, does he have a return date yet?
__________________
Vickie
Momma to Joel (6) and Sean (5)
Wife to John for 10 years
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Thanks Christine, Pauline, Vickie, and Lori! I appreciate the comments of encouragement
Quote:
Originally Posted by vweers
Welcome and good luck on the challenge. Moving is always hard, I pray you find a good network of support. When does your boyfriend get back, does he have a return date yet?
He will return in late August or early September. He does get to come back for 2 weeks mid-deployment, so that will be nice. The only problem is if I have to work while he is home. I am really hoping he can get the time off to coincide with my spring break.
So, on Sunday I made my "big meal" for the entire week. I basically had to spend all day cooking, but I have to say that it is nice to have almost all of the work done for the entire week. My calorie intake will by 1350 per a day.
My "big meal" is made up of 3 parts-
1. Protein pancakes with flax oil, 1 cup strawberries, and 2 packets of splenda
2. Turkey chili
3. Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with spicy peanut sauce.
It's all been measured out and put into the fridge or freezer.
As for my training, I have been slacking. The cooking all day on Sunday wore me out pretty well and I had a 4 hour training I gave that extended beyond my 8 hour work day yesterday (tonight as well). I've kind of decided that while I am in the 30 day challenge I am going to primarily focus on maintaining my calorie deficit and on building flexibility.
I am planning to stretch for 10 minutes each morning and foam roll for 10 additional minutes each morning. In terms of flexibility, I am fairly good already. I can do the left splits, but an injury (a strain?) to my right groin muscle has set me back. It just feels like it is taking forever to heal; it has been about a month and a half since the injury occurred.
I am also planning on continuing to attend the 3-4 dance classes/wk. The strength training will be put on the back burner for now, but I am hoping to complete at least 2 sessions /wk.
Wow, Hayzel, you took the OBM idea even farther! What a great idea to do most of your cooking on the weekend for the whole week. I bet you'll find that it really frees up a bunch of time during the week. And hey--all the standing that you did while you were doing a marathon cooking session is really good NEAT!
Good job so far! Keep up the good work!
__________________
"Do you choose to simply know the path, or do you choose to walk it?"
Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down...
Wow Hayzel... I love the idea of doing all the prep on the weekend! I might just have to try that for next week. I think it sounds like a good plan to focus on flexibility, especially with your injury. I hope it heals up soon!
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Wow, Hayzel, you took the OBM idea even farther! What a great idea to do most of your cooking on the weekend for the whole week. I bet you'll find that it really frees up a bunch of time during the week. And hey--all the standing that you did while you were doing a marathon cooking session is really good NEAT!
Good job so far! Keep up the good work!
Thank you maggieandmommy. I just wanted to tell you that I've noticed you are a huge cheerleader for everyone in the challenge. I think that we all really appreciate all of your support and the positive comments that you leave for us
Quote:
Originally Posted by graycyn
You are going to rock the challenge! OBM for the entire WEEK! WTG!
Cynthia
Haha, yep. Although I am starting to get sick of the chili and the stir-fry. I have basically been eating the pancakes for breakfast for close to a year now (occasionally deviating to some other food for a bit) and I am still not sick of them. Actually, thinking about them sometimes helps me to get out of bed in the morning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vweers
Go Girl!!!! this is such an interesting idea, I am warming up to it more and more. I love the Idea of having everything ready and just eating it.
Thanks! Yeah, it is pretty nice to have it all done. I froze about half of what I made, so now I am just pulling it out of the freezer and letting it defrost the day before I eat it. I really don't have much time to cook during the week, so this was my solution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lorigaud
Wow Hayzel... I love the idea of doing all the prep on the weekend! I might just have to try that for next week. I think it sounds like a good plan to focus on flexibility, especially with your injury. I hope it heals up soon!
Thanks, it does seem to be getting better. It's just frustrating with how slowly the process seems to be moving. Also, there is a competitive part of me that feels really self-conscious in my dance classes when everyone else is either in the right splits or almost there while I am about a half of a foot away on the right side.
Update time. Too bad pretty much nothing has changed for me
I am the same weight- 115lbs
And I feel like I look pretty much exactly the same. I have been sick with a stomach virus and have felt exhausted the last couple of days, so I am hoping that maybe (possibly?) I have a little bloating going on. I was down to 114 a couple of days earlier in the week, but it went back up again.
Anyhow, here are my updated pics. I really don't see any difference from the ones posted last week, except that maybe my lower abdomen looks like it is sticking out a bit more (yuck!) and my underwear is a little more hiked up in the back (sorry about that).
Earlier in the day, I was talking to a lady who used to direct pro dance teams and asked her what the most important thing to focus on for going into an audition. Her answer- abs. This is mostly based off of the first impression that the judges get of the girls trying out. This gives me more motivation to keep working and losing body fat, but I have to admit that after this check-in I am rather discouraged.
However, I also do recognize that this is the end of week 1 and I still have 3 more weeks to make progress. I'll just keep working and hopefully by next week there will be an actual, visible change in my physique.
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
Hayzel, sorry you've been sick. That could be part of the problem, but it's probably also that you don't have much to lose. Your focus may be more on body recomp rather than actual fat loss...You're going to have to be super focused in the kitchen (from the advice I've seen given to others in your situation who don't have far to go) and dedicated in the gym.
((hugs)) You'll get there. Just keep working!
__________________
"Do you choose to simply know the path, or do you choose to walk it?"
Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down...
Hayzel, you look great! I agree that with so little to lose, it might take a little longer, plus being sick probably didn't help. I hope you feel better. Keep up the good work!
Hayzel, you're doing just fine. Like others have said, with so little to lose, it takes longer. (I say that having just had the same kind of week and thinking I should have done better.) Anyway, hang in there and things will start going the way you want them to.
Lori, Sinead, Debby, Cynthia, and Karen, thank you so much for the positive comments and the encouragement
It really made me feel better about my progress after having read the comments from all of you!
I've done my cooking for the next few days. I think I made a mistake last week with "overcooking" and making too much of the same dishes. I was bored to tears with the chili and stir fry by the end of the week. This time I've made enough food for about the next four days (with the exception of pancakes because I am happy to eat them every single day).
So, for the next few days I will be eating-
Protein Pancakes w/ Strawberries and Flax Seed Oil
Pumpkin/Leek/Tofu Soup - I got the recipe from my "Eat Clean" cookbook
Eggplant Lasagna- This is the recipe Shari posted in the challenge thread. It is awesome. If you have not already tried it you should!
Tofu and Strawberry Puree- I had leftover tofu from the soup recipe, so I stuck it in my food processor with strawberries, stevia, and sugar-free syrup
Cucumber and Apple Salad- Mix of cucumber, apple, greek yogurt, and lemon juice.
I thought I would post a few of my favorite food product staples. These are things I use on a frequent basis and that have helped me with dealing with having to maintain a deficit
Davinci Sugar Free Syrup
I love it. I put it in my coffee, tea, yogurt, etc. I get it at Walmart and it's about $5.60 for a large bottle.
NOW! Stevia French Vanilla
I actually found this yesterday at Vitamin Cottage. I've been using the stevia balance for a little while, but I really like this stuff a lot. It has a milder sweetness that regular stevia with a bit of a vanilla taste included.
Zhena's Gypsey Tea- Coconut Chai
Very tasty, especially mixed with the previous two.
Unsweetened Almond Milk (Vanilla)
This stuff is great as long as you use some type of sweetener with it. I use it in my coffee and protein shakes very frequently. Only 40 calories for an entire cup of the stuff!
I now have a deadline to reach my goal: November 23rd.
That's the audition date for the semi-pro cheerleading team I want to join. It's nice to finally have a date set in my head. Somehow the concrete aspect of it makes it much more motivating.
However, there is a part of me that is freaking out because I only have 26 days to reach my goal. I also know that I am going to need to step-up my physical conditioning piece so that I don't tire out during the auditions, but my primary focus will remain on losing body fat.
This morning I weighed myself and I was down to 114. I would be very happy if I got down to 113 by Saturday's check in, but I care most about the "composition" of my body and not so much the number of the scale.
Positive Change in the Flesh
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