Update

Alright. I weighed myself this afternoon (NOT my normal time for weighing myself) and I'm currently sitting at 187. Which is 21 pounds below my starting weight :D! I'll try to remember to weigh myself in the morning before breakfast and give you a proper update... but I'm liking my progress.

One thing that I've noticed the last two times I went to weight lift is that I'm gradually being able to increase the amount of weight I'm lifting on the various machines. For example, with the bicep pressdown machine, when I first started, 15 pounds (x20 x3) killed my arms, and now that's too light and I'm up to 30 pounds there. The benchpress incline machine is one that I couldn't handle before, and I tried it today, and I could manage 15 pounds (x10 x3)

Although it'd be nice to loose weight faster than this, I don't want to get too hard on myself because I'm keeping in my mind that I'm gaining muscle all over my body and muscle has some weight to it. I am gradually stepping up my routines. In stair stepping, I try to burn at least 10 calories more each time I work out - I'm up over 300 calories per workout now and I also use a few weight lifting machines that use your legs as well after those workouts to stretch out my muscles as much as possible.

I'm just trying to work harder but not so hard that I get frustrated and feel like quitting. I'm still enjoying what I'm doing, I just want to do better. ^-^

Good News/Bad News

Again, sorry for not writing... >.< As I'm a university student there will be periods where it gets really busy and difficult for me to find the time to write.

I'll start with the good news today :)

So, over the weekend I ate whatever I wanted (it was my weekend off because my boyfriend who lives in California came up to visit me :]) and I lost 3-4 pounds over the weekend bringing my weight down to 185! :)

Bad news :[

For various reasons - such as not having time to go out to grocery shop, and being distracted by bad foods in my house when there was nothing healthy for me to eat - I ate pretty badly yesterday and kind of bad the day before that. Hopefully I haven't gained it all back, although I don't think a day or two of eating badly is going to completely ruin it.

I'm still working out every weekday and I think I'm going to start working out on Saturdays too, so that in case I need to take a day off for some reason throughout the week (like I did yesterday - I had a midterm today that i needed to study for instead) I won't feel as guilty, and won't need to work myself 2x as hard the next day ^-^

Feeling Good :)

I went to work out again today... I love weight lifting. ^-^ Some of the machines are harder for me than others, but at the end I feel like I've done something good and I've spent my time well.

I'm taking the weekend off (from everything), so I'll probably write again early next week. Have a good one! :)

Sorry! (Again...)

I've been so busy this week (I've had 2 tests and I have a midterm later on today...) and on top of that I'm taking this weekend off school work because I'm going away for the weekend, so I'm in the process of catching up from last week (when I was sick) to getting *ahead* and having my work done for all my Monday classes on Thursday.

With regards to my weight loss journey, I'm doing OK. I've lost another pound (down to 189! :]) and I'm just starting my fat burner pills. I'm finding that they have me quite wired alot of the time so I only take 1/day until I get used to them.

I'm still going to the gym Monday-Friday and loving it... the time to myself is a good, healthy break from the rest of life mentally and physically.

I've got to go now to continue my studies for my midterm today... wish me luck!!! :)

Sick :(

I apologize for not writing much this week... I've had a very bad cold and was in bed from Sunday to Wednesday. Today (Thursday) was my first day out of the house for classes (except for early Tuesday morning for a test) all week.

As I've been sick, there's not too much to say - I haven't had the energy to work out, although I've tried some pilates, and as long as I can get food down, I'm happy - my throat has been quite sore.

However, on my way home today, I picked up some fat burner pills. They're called "Extreme Lean", and they've got lots of natural ingredients in them. They should help to boost my energy and curb my appetite. I'm not sure when I'm going to start taking them - I'll have to be going to the gym that day... but I'm going to start taking them slowly. The bottle suggests 2 pills at breakfast and 2 pills at lunch for a total of 4 pills a day but I think that might be a bit of a shock for my body, so I'll start with one and see how it goes. :)

Saturday Treat

Since I went to the gym today and I had to go well out of my way (I missed one bus by like 3 minutes so I had to wait another half hour for the next one, plus travel, plus workout time = about 2.5-3 hours total) to go to the gym, I decided to give myself a treat today. ^-^ I went weight lifting even though my knee is bruised and it's hard to go up and down stairs, I used 14!!! different machines, and was working out for about an hour, I figured I deserved it. What I really wanted was noodles from an Asian restaurant, but all the Asian food places in the plaza at the university were closed for the whole weekend (it's a long weekend here in Canada...), which is really surprising because there are like, 10 of them. o.O So instead of noodles, I had a latte from Second Cup. Dark Chocolate flavour...mmmm...♥ (non-fat, of course.) It was delicious.

I also had a chance to check out a place in University Plaza that sells all kinds of supplements. There's a few there that I'm going to do some more research for online before I make any decisions but the two I have in mind are a energy boosting weight loss supplement (natural product) and a veggie supplement which helps with digestion and especially digesting acids which supposedly can hold onto fats?? We'll see. I'll keep you informed! :)

I'm in really high spirits lately. I REALLY like what I'm doing and how it's making me feel. :) YAY!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Just Another Day ^-^

I didn't go to the gym yesterday (weight-lifting day) for two reasons. #1 I was still sore (a bit) from Tuesday and #2 I went out last night and didn't think it would be worth being sore all night! I'm going to go tomorrow (Saturday) to make up for it.

I did go to the gym today though, my friend was already on her way home for Thanksgiving so it was just me...and I didn't remember to bring my mp3 player :( so I was just watching the calories I lost tick upwards :). I also didn't bring an energy drink today (I was in a bit of a rush to get out the door this morning). I didn't bring a towel either... I really must start bringing a gym bag with all of the things I need! hahaha. I found out though that the gym has a towel rental deal that's free for students - you just have to swipe your student card as you take one out and return it. I ALWAYS have my student card on me, because it's my ticket to the bus! So that shouldn't be a problem, and it's one less thing I have to carry around with me.

I'm really starting to enjoy my time at the gym. It gives me a chance to be completely cut off from the outside world and gives me some "me time", where I don't have the computer or my phone to be distracting me from wherever my mind wants to wander. It's a good 40-50 minutes to myself (by the time I change, work out, cool down, change back). It's really nice actually. BIG PLUS! that I actually want to go on my own now.

That's the kind of reason that I call this a lifestyle change rather than a diet. I feel so much better about myself, where I'm going, and I'm getting alot of benefits. I'm more active, need less sleep, eat healthier... I'm craving certain foods less, and if I do crave something, I'm learning how to curb those cravings.

I love life. :)

It's Been a Good Day!

Today I:

• burnt 250 calories
• played with resistance levels: I started at level 1 for about 5 minutes, walked at level 5 for 3 mins, walked at 3 for 3 mins, then back to level 1 for 5 minutes
• had better endurance (walked for about 40 minutes vs. 34)
• kept my heart rate at a healthier level - between 165-170 most of the time

I don't know if it's because I was in high spirits because of other things going on in life and school work, but I really put in a good effort today, and I feel really good! On top of going to the gym I had to sprint the equivalent of a 5 minute walk to catch the bus, so there's some more fat and calories gone. ^-^

I'm really pleased with the way things are going (even though I'm still stiff and sore from yesterday :P).

My First Day at the Gym....AGAIN!

Today was my second day at the gym... but, it was my first day on this routine. Something I didn't have time to explain yesterday is that my exercise routine changes every other day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will be using the stair stepping machine (with my friend, as long as she sticks to the plan with me), while Tuesday and Thursday are weight lifting days. The reason that I am doing this is to work out different areas of my body (weight lifting is actually a total body workout!) and to get the lean muscle mass in my body to be burning calories rather than just sitting dormant while the bottom half of my body does most of the work.

I'M SO SORE!!!!

I tried a bunch of different types of machines on the lowest weight setting for today (which is about 20 pounds). On each machine I did 3 reps of 20, giving a minute or so in between reps. I tried machines that worked the calves, inner and outer thighs, (virtually) all of the arm, shoulders, lower back, and chest muscles. Some machines are harder than others... like for example, I found that lifting only 20 pounds with my legs was very easy. Some of the machines which required you to lift with your arms straight up and down were very difficult for me. Others that required to lift with your arms in other forms (pulling, side to front, front to side, or where you only move the part of your arm attached to your hand) weren't so difficult, but still gave a workout.

There are still a few machines that I didn't try either because they were unavailable, I didn't know how to use them properly, or I know that at this point I do not have the strength to use them. there were probably 12-15 different types of machines, and I used 8-9. There's always room for improvement, and I know I'll be sticking to the lightest weight for a while until I am not quite this sore when I finish. Even though I'm sore all over, it feels really good to know that I'm improving myself and working parts of my body which I don't use regularly, which could be (more like "are" rather than "could be") storing fat.

One thing I noticed is that I was the only female using the weight lifting machines. There were men of all ages and sizes using them, but I was the only girl..... oh well :)

I'm getting more used to the idea of going to the gym. It feels like a lot of work at times, but it's completely worth it. It feels good to know that I'm starting a routine that I can stick to which isn't too intensive. As I become more familiar with the machines and my capabilities, I'm planning on doing more research on a weight lifting program that works best for me.

...did I mention that I'm sore?! :P

Wish me luck tomorrow! Back to the stair steppers!

Tip: A common misconception about weight lifting is that you'll start to gain lots of muscles no matter what. This really only happens when you're lifting so much weight that you're pushing yourself to your limit, gradually increasing the weight you're lifting as your muscles become more capable. Although I'll be gradually increasing, it will not get to the point that I'm all muscle, because I'm lifting a low amount of weight a high number of times. In doing so, I'm working my muscles only to burn calories.

Exercise...at...THE GYM!

Today was my first day going to the gym! I had a friend go with me and it was good to have someone with me that I knew. I thought I might feel uncomfortable in front of others, but everyone there is a person... a lot of the people there were skinny or athletic, but there were people my size there as well. I'll explain what my planned routine is later, but for today, I went on the stair stepping machine. It had built in programs of all sorts, but was easy to figure out. It kept track of your heart rate, the number of steps you took, and the number of calories you burned. The only thing that was difficult was keeping my pace low - I find that I keep wanting to push myself to go further, and I ended up having my heart rate above the cardio level for most of the time (my average throughout was 173bpm). It's do-able! I'm really happy that I took this step... I'm used to walking and running (a bit) on flat ground so it will take a bit of getting used to, but it's definitely something that I feel I can keep up. ^-^

I don't really have more time to talk or else I'd go into further detail tonight because I've got a test at 10am tomorrow! Wish me luck ;)

Trees are Turning Colour...

My goodness, it's only the start of October and the trees are already changing colour. The rain was so cold today, I almost didn't walk home because by the time I got to the north end of campus, my arms and face were already stinging from the rain. Buuuut I pulled out my jacket and kept going :). Thankfully, I'm going to start going to the gym next week with a friend of mine, so I won't have to deal with the rain/cold/whatever else mother nature decides to throw at us here in Ontario...

So last night I went to the mall and got some exercise clothes. Zellers currently has a sale on their activewear. I got 2 pairs of pants, one is sportek platinum (it has wicking, to remove moisture through the fabric of the clothes and keep it away from your body, is stretchy and breathable), and the other is a yoga pant (which is 95% cotton, 5% spandex - will help keep me warm on cooler days.) I also got a shirt which is sportek platinum as well. I'll let you know how I feel with them next week when I start at the gym :).

I also had to buy a belt, because my pants are coming more loose (giggle). :) :)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! :)

Today's Walk Home

Today's walk home was good. I ran 3 times! (The last one was kind of pathetic, but every bit counts!) Since Tuesday and Thursday are the days that I have a shorter walk home, I wanted to push myself harder, especially since I've eaten pretty poorly the last few days. I'm finding that having caffeine of some sort (unfortunately for me lately, it's been double-double coffees :X) really helps in energy levels when I'm walking home. I've been drinking more fluids lately and this also helps subside my hunger. :)

I'm now off to the mall to look for amp. It's an energy drink that doesn't taste disgusting (unlike red bull), which is available in a low calorie, no sugar, high energy variety. More info at: http://www.ampenergy.com/.