Good Riddance!

Today, I discovered that I've finally gotten back down to my pre-holiday weight! Those five pounds that I gained were such a pain, and now they are gone forever. I have five more pounds until I reach my first goal, which I initially wanted to reach before New Year's Eve. A few weeks, late, but not a problem. I just have to stay focused and keep at it. I've been reducing my caloric intake by....a lot. I don't actually count calories, I'm just very aware of what I'm putting in my body, and of course how many calories I'm burning. Today was another great day! I only did an hour of cardio. I had to skip my cool down but I still burned more than usual. The past few days I've been aiming towards 700 calories in 65 minutes on the elliptical. Today I met the 700 in just 60 minutes! I think that this interval training is working really great. I think that once I plateau I'm going to give HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) a shot. I'm doing so well with how I've been working out the past week that I am hesitant to change my routine. I also have to pay more attention to what I'm eating. I want to eat more well-balanced meals. I've only been watching my calories, which I know is a huge factor, but I think that I can start consuming more efficient calories to help me lose weight. Anyway...today was a great day.


For today's song selection:

"How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. Feelin the 80s tonight.


Love and all that,
l

Yeah....Not So Worth It

Today was an awesome workout day...not so much an awesome food day though. I don't know if I just had a momentary lapse in will power, but I indulged in pasta with cheese and butter today. I also had an egg with toast and sausage. It was not a healthy day. But I can move onto my next meal with confidence that it will be filled with delicious nutrients :) I supposedly burned just over 700 calories on the elliptical today. I was on it for about an hour and 5 minutes for a cool down at the end of it. Yay! Go me! Haha. I'm really proud that I've been able to keep it up..going to the gym that is. I just hope that I start seeing results soon. I've lost 3 pounds since last week...but I'm still two pound away from my pre-holiday weight...and then of course...there's the amount of weight I have to shed to reach my ideal weight...but I know that I can get there. Just some more will power to refrain from those oh so good, but oh so bad foods, and of course to continue exercising. I heard that diet is the most contributing factor to losing weight/gaining weight. Exercise kind of tops it all off. I know that my body is becoming stronger, I just want it to be leaner, so I'm going to try my pre-holiday diet once more on top of working out, and see if this yields any results. My diet plan went like this:

carbs in the morning before noon
must consume 600 calories before noon
eat within one hour of waking up
eat only vegetables and protein after 12 pm. including salads loaded with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, some dressing, nuts, along with fish or other protein like egg whites.

Basically I can eat anything else after noon except carbs such as rice, bread, pasta, etc.

It was so difficult because I would crave so many things, but morning was the time to indulge in any carbs or sweets. It worked so well that I lost 17 pounds in two months! But then I gained it back...so we'll see how this goes. I'm sure it will be very difficult for even just a week, so I'll stick as close to it as possible and let y'all know how it goes.


oh yes, song selection:

"Porcelain" by Moby. One of my favorite artists. Enjoy

Love and all that,
l

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue....

...A Very Happy Valentine's Day To You!

I hope you all enjoyed this day full of love whether it be family, friends, or that special someone. Mine was fantastic! I was hot and sweaty all day. The gym is the best Valentine's Day date, I'm sure of it. Haha. I went twice today! And I surpassed my goal. woot. This morning, I burned 420 calories in about 40 minutes of cardio, switching between the elliptical, treadmill, and then elliptical once more. I also did some strength training, mostly legs. The second trip I spent an hour and 5 minutes on the elliptical and did interval training from intensities 4 through 9. This time around, I burned 700 calories! It felt really great, though I'm not sure how accurate the calorie counter is on these machines. What I look for is sweat. Honestly, if I'm sweating then I know that I'm getting in a solid workout and burning calories. Hopefully tomorrow will be productive! I tried to take it as slow as possible so that I wouldn't completely wear my body out...but I think that my endurance has improved greatly and that this whole losing weight thing is going to happen for me!

Okay, selection of the day. A little love is needed on this day

"Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones

Love and all that,
l

It's Gonna Be A Bright Sun-shiney Day

I have a feeling that even though it's supposed to rain all week, it's going to be a sunny, happy week! I weighed myself and found that I've lost about three pounds since last week. Woot! Only 2 more pounds to go, and I'll have reached my weight before the holidays which I worked so hard to accomplish! And I think it's going to get easier and easier to keep shedding the pounds. Although, today I didn't go to the gym... Not a great way to start off the week. However, tomorrow I'm planning on doing daily doubles. I'm going to burn 700 calories, hopefully in two different increments...to make up for missing my workout today. I'm also going to try to stay at level 9 for ten minutes tomorrow..we'll see how that goes though. I've realized that even if I don't quite meet my goals for the day, I'm still working out and pushing myself hard and that outweighs the benefits of seeing fast results. I know that I have a long way to go, but each pound counts and hopefully I'll reach my goal within the next year or so. I did veer from my healthy diet this weekend. Today I went out and drank sangria and ate delicious mac and cheese and short ribs. MMMMMM it was all worth it though. Because now that I know I've been making progress in the weight loss department, I'm going to continue watching what I eat, so that was probably the last luxurious meal I'll be enjoying for awhile. Totally worth it :)

And, now I have even more to look forward to each time I go to the gym, haha. Someone gorgeous to look at while I workout. yes! It probably seems so silly, but I feel like a lovestruck teenager. I've had butterflies in my stomach all weekend long.

Today I leave you with another one of my favorite songs. This song reminds me of my dear friend, Alex. May he rest in peace. I miss you dear friend.

"Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. One of the sexiest songs. ever.

Love and all that,
l