Im Back

Kinda trying to decide of I should invite people here, or if I will bore them to death. :)

I found this guy @ the gym who is a sprinter and former personal trainer. He is gonna help train me for free. :) Of course my awesome improvements will be an advertisement for him. I think that I have a lot of strengths that will help me meet my goal of being a fitness competitor one day:

-I have a strong physique naturally. I have good definition all over, from my shoulders down to my calves. I am capable of getting more ripped, even on a calorie deficit. But my frame is not huge, so I don't look bulky. I can lift pretty decent weights.

- I have learned to discipline my eating. There is always room for improvement. But I have a better idea than most people I know of how to eat properly. I realize that if I eat bad, it will make it hard on me to meet my goals. You can eat 600 extra calories in a few minutes that take 2 hrs in the gym to work off. My trainer will not have to harp on me for sneaking to McDonald's. I wanted to do this a few years back, but my eating was not up to par. I am ready to tackle both ends together now.

- Mental toughness. I am competitive, energetic and willing to do what it takes @ the gym.

- I set goals and complete them

But there are some weaknesses I have to work around:

- A torn labrum and bone spur in my hip along with undiagnosed pain in the knee.

- Busy busy: 40 hrs of work a week, 2 graduate classes and music practices. Along with a needy demanding dog that tortures me if I don't take him out for walks, and spend time with him.

I am 148.8 lbs today. BMI 24.7. I want to get to 140, but my main focus will be on continuing to transform my body. Get into my size 4 pants and get my body fat % down.

New Fitness Goals

My doctor thinks that losing about 7-10 more lbs would be good for me. I have a labral tear and impingement on my hip due to a bone overgrowth. I might need arthroscopy (minimally invasive surgery) done in a few months. Its a waiting game. I am a healthy weight now, but my frame is medium, so an ideal weight for me is supposedly between 130 and 140? All I know is that I lose my tatas under 135, so I will aim for the high end of that first and see how it works out.
No running yet, no heavy leg weights, my hip doesn't like heels either. What I don't want is to develop arthritis. I would much rather have a surgery first. I've seen how devastating the disease is for many family members. I am happy that I listened to my body. I know that God really put it on my heart to go see a Dr. cause I was being stubborn. I would have kept running and would be in even more pain if I had not listened. First Dr was a jerk and a waste of my insurance company's check, so I almost gave up. But I deserve better than to hurt daily and whenever I sit without knowing why, right?

Anyways...the plan:

week 1- Cut back from maintenance cals to 1800 a day (should be manageable, Christmas day, I will allow 2200) 45-30-25 carb/protein/fat ratio, and at least 100g of protein on workout days
Walk 15 miles. 2 5-6 mile walks on the hiking trail, and a mile a day on the other days with my dog.
Zumba class tonight, and weights today and tomorrow.

Week 2: 1700-1750 cals
20 miles
3 days of weights

Today's specific plan:

Nutrition Report (from http://caloriecount.about.com/)


Fat - 23.7% (46 grams) Protein - 28.4% (124 grams) Carbohydrates - 47.9% (209 grams) Alcohol - 0% Other - 0%Daily Sodium Intake - 3,124 mg Daily Sugar Intake - 77 grams Daily Cholesterol Intake - 174 mg Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 16 grams Daily Fiber Intake - 37 grams
Nutrition Grade-A
The sugar and salt are a little high, but I am pleased overall
BBQ stir fry for dinner with plenty of broccoli and asparagus and a little chicken (3 oz) over half a cup of brown rice

Pie oh My!!!

So I was doing well on this weight maintenance thing until I decided to get all festive and start baking. I was hungry when shopping (big no-no) and somehow decided to bake 4 pies. 2 sweet potato and 2 cheesecake. (pecan crumb and Oreo) Thankfully I was able get rid of most of it, but I spent the majority of yesterday sneaking little slices. The idea of sneaking slices is very laughable cause the scale caught me. I have gone from my maintenance goal of 147 to 149.2 in one day. Now I am wise enough by now to know that 2 lbs would equal 7000 extra calories, and I did not do that poorly. Many things can reflect on the scale:

Lots of salty food- you retain water

Not being regular- can equal a 1-2 lb difference

A recent meal

TTOTM- sucks being a girl

Lifting weights- injured muscles retain water as part of the healing process. I did up my lifting some last week.

Most likely, I only gained about 3/4 of a lb or so. It was however, a wake up call of what letting loose too much over the holidays would lead to. I plan on losing the last 7 come New Years since I have a healthy BMI already, and the idea of maintaining through the holidays is much more attractive than struggling to lose. According to phords I would need 1446 a day to lose 1.3 lbs a week. Not interested right now. I prefer my 2100. Will get to it after New Years when all the pesky pie has been thrown out.

My First Blog

I can't say how into this I will get, cause I am a busy girl, but we will see.
I suppose I can use this spot for a few different things. One option is a way to remember this period of my life since it has definitely been a journey the past few years. Or to share all of the wisdom I have been gaining regarding men and dating, or maybe even to help encourage and motivate others to be more healthy and fit, as this has been an important part of my life the last year. I like the first and last ideas the best.
Anyways, here are some before & after pics (June-November).