Day 3 P90X Shoulders and Arms...Totally Brought It!

Okay, I can't even describe how much I LOVE P90X! Today HAS to be my favorite....so far. It was shoulders and arms....weight training. I ADORE weight training. I love the feeling of my muscles all pumped up and screaming at me. Sick, I know. ;o)

Warm Up
Stretching

1) Alternating Shoulder Presses:
13 reps @ 15 lbs

2) In & Out Bicep Curls:
16 reps @ 10 lbs

3) Two-Arm Tricep Kickbacks:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

4) Alternating Shoulder Presses:
15 reps @ 15 lbs

5) In & Out Bicep Curls:
16 reps @ 10 lbs

6)Two-Arm Tricep Kickbacks:
16 reps @ 8 lbs

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H2o break
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7) Deep Swimmer's Presses:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

8) Full Supination Concentration Curls:
15 reps @ 10 lbs

9) Chair Dips: I was afraid to do this...didn't think I could do it.
15, bent knee kind (got low too)

10) Deep Swimmer's Presses:
15 reps @ 10 lbs

11) Full Supination Concentration Curls:
13 reps @ 15 lbs

12) Chair Dips:
12 bent knees

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H2o Break
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13) Upright Rows:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

14) Static Arm Curls:
16 reps @ 8 lbs

15) Flip-Grip Twist Kickbacks:
13 reps @ 8 lbs

16) Upright Rows:
17 reps @ 8 lbs

17) Static Arm Curls:
16 reps @ 10 lbs

18) Flip-Grip Twist Kickbacks:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

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H2o Break
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19) Two-Angle Shoulder Flys:
16 reps @ 5 lbs

20) Crouching Cohen Curls:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

21) Lying-Down Tricep Extensions:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

22) Two-Angle Shoulder Flys:
16 reps @ 8 lbs

23) Crouching Cohen Curls:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

24) Lying-Down Tricep Extensions:
15 reps @ 10 lbs

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H2o Break
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BONUS ROUND

25) In & Out Straight-Arm Shoulder Flys:
13 reps @ 8 lbs, 3 reps @ 5 lbs

26) Congdon Curls:
18 reps @ 8 lbs

27) Side Tri-Raises:
15 each side

28) In & Out Straight-Arm Shoulder Flys:
9 reps @ 8 lbs, 7 reps @ 5 lbs

29) Congdon Curls:
15 reps @ 8 lbs

30) Side Tri-Raises:
15 each side

Cool Down

Stretching

60 minutes!

I. AM. DEAD! P90X Plyometrics!! LOVE IT :o)

Okay, I had reason to be afraid....it was killer. What I should have known was that I could do it. I am woman, hear me roar! LOL. I am one tough chick, I always knew that. I am one of the few women who LOVE weight training, getting all sweaty, and pushing my muscles to their extreme, pushing farther, pushing harder, never giving up. Underneath this fat lies a muscular girl, a girl that IS extreme! I challenge myself. I push myself. I don't settle for less than I can give. Even if I'm going down, I'm going to give my best. I may not stand up tomorrow, but today, I ruled! LOL. I may be a cripple for a couple of days, but today, I left it all on the floor. I brought it!

I made sure I had my heart rate monitor on too...even tho I'm not too clear on how to use it...yet.

Want to know what this Plyometric workout entailed? Here ya go. (It's for me, really, to look back on and say yep, I was 253 lbs and I could still kill it on the P90X workout)

Warm Up

90 sec lunges both legs
30 sec prayer squats
30 sec jump squats
30 sec run stance squats
30 sec. airborne Heismans
60 sec. swing kicks over a stool
30 sec. jump squats
30 sec. run stance squats
30 sec. airborne Heismans
60 sec. swing kicks
H2o break

30 sec. squat reach jump
30 sec. squat switch pickups
30 sec. double airborne Heismans (I love this)
60 sec. circle run (around a towel that I kept stepping on ;o))
30 sec. squat reach jump
30 sec. squat switch pickups
30 sec double airborne Heismans
60 sec. circle run
H2o break

30 sec. Jump Knee Tuck ( I did low impact)
30 sec. Mary Katherine Lunges (jumping lunges, I did low impact)
30 sec. leap frog squats (I love this)
30 sec. twist combo, toes point to 3 different angles (did 20 sec, then did 10 sec low impact)
30 sec. twist combo half way
30 sec. Jump Knee Tuck
30 sec. Mary Katherine Lunges
30 sec. Leap Frog Squats
30 sec. Twist combo (20 + 10)
30 sec. twish half way combo
H2o break

15 sec. Rock Star Hops right
15 sec. Rock Star Hops left
30 sec. Gap Jumps (I love this)
30 sec. Squat Jacks (I did low impact but hard arms)
60 sec. Military March (Love this)
30 sec. Rock Star Hops right (low impact this time)
30 sec. Rock Star Hops left "
30 sec. Gap Jump
30 sec. Squat Jacks (Low impact)
30 sec. Run Squat 180 Jump Switch
30 sec. Lateral leap Frog Squats (Love it)
30 sec. Monster Truck Tires (Love it)
60 sec. Hot Foot (30 each )
30 sec. Run Squat 180 Jump Switch
30 sec. Lateral Leap Frog Squats
30 sec. Monster Truck Tires
60 sec. Hot foot
H2o break

30 sec. Pitch and Catch Rt. foot (love it)
30 sec. Pitch and Catch Lf. foot
30 sec. Jump Shots rt. foot (love it)
30 sec. Jump Shots Lt foot
60 sec Football Heroes (Love it)

cool down

stretches.

This is definitely hard core. Non-stop but totally rewarding. I think the trick is that they make it interesting too. The positions are killer, a LOT of squatting. Good job I LIKE squatting. :o)
I'm totally done. I feel good though. I made myself a Fiber 35 protein & fiber strawberry smoothie. I don't have any of those recovery drinks that everyone pushes. This drink has a lot of vitamins and minerals plus the protein...so I think it will work. I am SOOOO happy that I won't be doing this workout for another week...even if I do love it. My body just couldn't do it. Day 2 of P90X is in the bag!

P90X Chest & Back...WOW!

That was freaking awesome! Last night my arms were so tired, I could barely journal on WLW. The workout itself was 54 minutes long, and I was supposed to do the Ab RipperX as well. But, since I was working out late, I finished the workout at 11:00 pm, I didn't have any more time OR energy to do the Ab one. I got at it late because my loving hubby drove an hour and a half out of his way after work last night to buy me a piece of equipment I needed to do this workout. It was a pull up bar that you install in a doorway. I have a machine downstairs, a Universal that only has a pull down aspect...but I couldn't get at that because Greg is sealing and painting the basement floor, and everything is temporarily moved all in one big pile. So after I put the kids to bed, who ate earlier, then we ate, and he installed the equipment for me.
I worked so hard, I was thoroughly spent. The cool thing with this pull-up bar, is that it has a beginner mode, where you put your feet on either side of the door frame, the bar swings out, you grab it and lean waaay back. Now you're all set to pull your body weight. Which I did about a gazzillion times...or so it seemed ;o)
Next week, I'll do this workout earlier in the day so I can get the Ab RipperX in later in the day.

This morning I'm not the hurtin unit I thought I would be. I definitely feel everything though. My arms and chest and back still feels pumped from last night. I LOVE that strong feeling! I'm used to using those muscles though...from when I was doing weights from the Body For Life I did in the spring. Instead of having dead arms and aching chest and back, I just feeeeel pumped! I was so JaCkEd UP last night after working out....I LOVE this! My hands hurt though. Next week I've got to use my weight training gloves to save my hands. What a workout! Pulling my own body weight,....that's KILLER on the hands.

I've learned one important thing. Never trust the fear and doubt my mind initially has! I am much stronger than I give myself credit for. I can do anything as long as I shelf the fear. Fear holds people back all the time. I was petrified before I started last night. Seriously! I had heard how killer it was....and well, self doubt took a hold of me. Now, I'm just proud of myself. Today is Plyometrics. My brain wants to make me feel afraid. But I just keep telling myself that I can keep up with that chick from Turbo Jam, i can do this too...even if it IS extreme! Hehe...getting my brain to believe THAT is half the battle!


P90X Chest and Back Workout ~ Day 1

Standard push-ups:
1) 1 standard push-up, 20 on knees
2) 10 on knees

Wide Front Pull-Ups:
1) 11 (beginner mode see above post)
2) 6

Military Push-Ups:
1) 10 on knees
2) 10 "

Reverse Grip Chin-Ups:
1) 10
2) 10

Wide Fly Push-Ups: (I like these ones)
1) 10 on knees
2) 15 "

Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups:
1) 10
2) 8

Decline Push-Ups (using a chair)
1) 10 on knees
2) 6 "

Heavy Pants (bent over 'pullin up pants' actions with weights
1) 17 reps @ 15 lbs
2) 11 reps "

Diamond Push-Ups
1) 20 on knees
2) 12 "

Lawnmowers
1) 13 reps @ 15 lbs
2) 14 reps "

Dive-Bomber Push-Ups
1) 17 on knees
2) 17 "

Back Flys
1) 10 reps @ 15 lbs
2) 10 reps "


After we went through this list once, Tony says "most workouts would be done right now...but we're not!" And then we went through the list again, only in a different order.

At the end, I was feeling a little sick. I ended up drinking 36 oz of water with this workout which probably caused the sick feeling. But I didn't feel too bad because Tony said "boy, now I feel nauseaus!" So if THEY can feel sick after pushing their bodies to the max, then I don't feel like a loser for feeling sick after pushing MINE to the max too. :o)

I can't wait for next week. I LOVED this workout. I can't imagine liking another workout as much as this one...with 7 days/week/90 days program...I guess I'll see eh.

Fit Test

So, I did pretty well on the Fit test. I did MOST things. I jumped 5.75 inches on the leap test (minimum for a girl is 3 inches). I did 1 regular push up and switched to 15 knee push-ups (minimum for a girl is 3 regular, OR 15 knee). I reached 5 inches PAST my toes on the Toe Touch part (minimum is no less than 6 inches AWAY from toes ). I could only do 30 seconds on the Wall Squat...those suckers are harder than they look. But I also never rested between events (minimum is 1 minute). I did 20 reps @ 15 pounds on Bicep Curls (minimum is 10 reps @ 8 lbs). I did the required 25 In and Outs. And even tho I didn't do the required 2 minutes of consecutive jumping jacks (I stopped at 40 sec. for about 5 sec, and then again at 1:20 for 5, and then again at about 1:40 for 5) I'm still going to start P90X today. This is not a race, it's not a competition with anyone else where if I have to stop and break I'll be forever humiliated. This is a competition with MYSELF, it's about ME, learning, and being active. I'm sure there will be things I can't do, but I'll stick with it until I can. If I need to take a break, or do the modified version, I will. I will keep an accurate record, got my sheets printed out, getting my equipment I need as we speak (thanks hon :oD), and I'm going to Bring It!
So here's to me for trying something that looks bloody scarey! And as Tony says "Do Your Best and Forget About The Rest!"

Stoked!

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I bought P90X today! I am soooo stoked. My friend Pitbull is doing it...I'm with ya baby! She's a week ahead of where I'll be on Monday when I start. Tomorrow I'm going to do my Fit Test, which will determine whether I should start with this program or not. I think I may just do it regardless. I've wanted to get P90X for a loooong time, and now, thanks to my friend for getting me all fired up, I went out and bought it. I drove for 2 hours to get it, now watch me work it!

100 Days!

Today marks my 100th day of being Refined-Sugar-Free/Gluten-Free. That's something to celebrate! This is the best thing I could do for my body. Giving it a break from the never-ending toll that gluten and sugar took on my body has helped me get healthy again and has given me the energy and the strength to lose weight. 100 days baby!

XO HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY XO

Today is our 20th Anniversary. I feel so blessed to have this wonderfully amazing family. xo

My hubby is still out of town on business, so we'll have to do something when he gets back. We had our family celebration by taking the kids to Niagara Falls and Marineland, and they opened their gifts there. My sister in law dropped off a gift last night and it's torturing us not to be able to open it until my Hubby comes home. I think the kids think this means that they get more presents...lol.

To Skip A Day, Take Every Other Day Off...Or not...That is the Question!

Our first weigh in is creeping up...only 9 days away. I'm beginning to get a tad nervous. The scale has been stuck for me....this stupid foot issue is seriously impeding my working out. I am working out still, just not the way I would need to to see more progress.

On that subject, I am toying with the idea of skipping a day in between workouts, taking every other day off, once I hit 100 days of consecutive daily exercise, which will happen in 23 days. Don't know for sure yet....what do you think? What are you doing?

UPDATE

Last night I decided to TRY my exercise bike. It has been about 3 weeks since last time I was able to use it. I was sooooo happy. I did 30 min. pain free...and could have gone longer, except that it was 11:20 pm when I began, and I was just too tired. I've decided to incorporate the bike with my upper body medicine ball and my floor work.

Strappy Heels :o)

Yesterday I wore strappy heels for the first time in a loooooong time! My feet are shrinking. On Friday, my Mary Janes were loose, had to tighten them. Sunday, Strappy heels, and they felt great...even with a sore foot. It's the little things like that that remind me of my progress, even if my scale seems stuck.

Packing a Lunch

Well, I was completely proud of myself today. I had to pack a lunch for a day away from home....a lunch where I wasn't 'tweaking' from a restaurant. I was a bit worried at first, but I prevailed. :o)
I made salmon sandwhiches for Bridget and Issys lunch, but before I did that, I separated some out for me. Theirs had mayo, mine didn't. And since I was going to be away, rice bread wouldn't work. Normally, I would toast my rice bread, lightly butter it, and put salmon on it...it's quite nice, actually. Today I just packed salmon in a container. I had a container of spicy hummus too, and some lime rice crackers, a couple refined-sugar-free/gluten-free shortbread cookies, an apple (which Issy confiscated) and water with lemon. I was completely satisfied. Sure it's not conventional food, but I enjoyed it. This transition to healthy food....it's a done deal....easy, enjoyable. I don't need to eat what other people eat just because it's the norm, or convenient. I feel good. The food tastes good. That's all that counts. Another situation handled with ease, and it just boosts my confidence all the more. Each time I am successful on this journey, it fortifies me to continue. As a friend says "onward and upward."

Bone Spur/Heel Spur Clarifications

I FINALLY got a phone call from the doctors office regarding my x-ray of Sept. 3/09. I have a bone spur, and the specialist office will call me next week to book my appointment. FINALLY!

Bone spurs/heel spurs are confusing to people. Sometimes they're called Plantar Fasciitus, but they're not the same thing. You can have Plantar Fasciitus as well as a bone spur, because the effected area of the foot will become inflamed.

Here is a link to some info on Bone Spurs/Heel Spurs

www.foot-pain-explained.com/bone_spur.html

www.orthopedics.about.com/cs/generalinfo2/a/heelspur.html

Bawled Like A Baby!

Of course, I watched The Biggest Loser last night...wouldn't miss it for the world. I DVR'd it...love watching it commercial free. I was thoroughly impressed with Tracy's attitude, even tho it landed her in the hospital. I got all choked up, because I put myself in her shoes. Her spirit is exactly my spirit. If you tell me I can't do something, I'm gonna do it anyway. I'm going to push myself as far as my body will go...and I have done that while strength training, pushed my muscles to the point of exhaustion. Like Tracy. She's got spunk! And Abby!! OMG, I bawled like a baby. Out of everyone there who could use their excuses, she's the one who survived the unthinkable. It makes me tear up just thinking of it. I love her attitude, "Death is easy, Life is hard. But I get out of bed, put one foot in front of the other. And I'm here at the ranch, and I lost 15 pounds, I'm doing it!" It would take eons for me to get to that point. I know I wouldn't even want to live. Losing her husband, 5 year old daughter, and 2 week old son to a drunk driver two years ago....that would kill me....well, it would kill my spirit. I am so proud of her. Sure, she gained weight...but she wants this bad enough to put it all out there, to relive those horrible, immobilizing feelings and laying herself bare. Even Jillian was crying.

But I totally agree with Karilynn. Enough with all of the other people's excuses...stop trying to quit, stop asking for help. Do the freaking work, and take charge of your life already! I'll be interested to see how these contestants progress, mentally, emotionally, as well as physically.

Allergy Surprise

Well, I am completely taken back. I thought that after 92 days of clean eating I wouldn't have any reactions to food. Well, surprise, surprise! Tonight I had a baked potato and I had sour cream with it. I started to get really tired, and then the sneezes came. The kind that scrape your lungs on the way out. It sort of puts me out of commission for a good 15 minutes, but after, I'm just worn out. I really didn't expect this. So, that tells me that the dairy allergy I was born with is not something that will go away from a hiatus. And that sucks. It's weird. I can eat cheese. But because I don't eat it often, I didn't think I got a reaction. Who knows. I'm going to have to watch this more carefully. This is a wake up call for me. I literally thought I was allergy free. Hmmm...interesting.

Inside, Outside, In-between

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There a few things I noticed this weekend away. Many changes have occurred within me. There are many changes that have occured on the outside too. Even tho I am not thin, I feel thin. This is sometimes disconcerting because I know my outsides do not match my insides. I feel healthier....I guess because I am healthier. I want to look the way I feel, and I want it right now.

I posted these pictures because after I saw them I was a little disappointed, initially. I was surprised at how I look...I will avoid using the 'stinkin thinkin' that I normally would have used to describe myself, but I'm sure those phrases floated around in my head for a bit. I fought it though. I know I'm changing on the inside. Eventually it will translate to my outer appearance. I went on a couple rides...this ferris wheel with Issy, and a couple of other ones with all of the girls, and another one with Emily. I thoroughly enjoyed them. But I will admit...the whole, "will I fit" question floated around in my head..."what do I look like?" popped in and out occasionally...and then you know what, I fought it...I would notice random thoughts creep in, and I would kick them right out again because I was doing this for the kids...I was 'having fun' with them, and I will not detract from that enjoyment, from spending time with them while THEY have fun and be consumed with my appearance. Would I love for this process to speed up? Sure I would! Would I love to be fit and thin, now? You bet. But it is what it is, and it will be what it will be...and eventually I will be fit and trim and healthy and it will add to my enjoyment of life. For now though...I'm rolling with it, going with the flow...doing what I know to do, and livin and loving my life right now. Right now, I'm somewhere in-between...I'm not thin, but I feel thin, I am healthy and happy...and it's all good :o)

Success!

Well, we had a blast on our little family excursion. We left Wed, and came back Sunday evening. I had been thinking about how I was going to manage to do my routine and my exercising while away...but then I just told myself that it doesn't need to be complicated. And it wasn't. I packed a cooler with ice and drinks for the kids and my hubby and water for me...and another cooler (one that plugs into the van) with more water, juice, apples, veggies, and also enough probiotics and vital greens for the trip. I had cloth bags of my health food store snax, and snax for the rest of the family, vitamins & supplements.

We got down to Niagara Falls and the hotel around 10pm...after a 4 hour drive, the kids were a bit wired so it was an hour and a half before they went to bed. We got a suite so they could be in bed, in the bedroom, and we could be in the TV room and chill. Chilling wasn't what I did though at first. I was tired, but I was also determined to not let this day go by without working out. So, at 11:40pm, I'm on a towel on the floor doing leg work for 20 minutes. I figured, 20 minutes was better than no minutes....so while a movie was on, I did my thing. Of course, I wasn't going to bed right away...I stayed up to watch the rest of the movie (" Land of the Lost".)

The next morning, I took my probiotic, my vital greens, my phytoberry nutrients, my vitamins...got the kids ready, and we were off.

It was a hot day...happy the weather cooperated. We did a few kids rides, then took in the Dolphin and Seal show. After that we had lunch which was roast chicken...and then did more kid rides. We hit the Killer Whale show, and Emily and I were drenched..totally, through to the skin...drowned rats. LOL. It was kinda refreshing on top, even tho it was salty water. But on the bottom...ever walk in wet jeans? Gross!

We also took the kids to the Beluga Whales, where they got to feed them. The whale they pet and fed was called Jubilee...beautiful, cold, rubbery...gorgeous. It blew out of it's blowhole right into Bridget's face, sending her hair flying...hehe. She wasn't too impressed, but I sure was...I found that quite funny. Nice mom, eh.

After that, we did some more rides and Greg took Emily to the bigger rides. Then I saw the "exit to parking lot" sign and I wanted to kiss it. My legs and feet were soooo tired and sore! I would take a couple steps, and my left leg would give out at the inner thigh...and I was limping with my right foot. I'm sure I looked like quite the hurtin unit! LOL. 8 hours of walking will do that to you! We got back to the room and after the kids went to bed, I soaked my feet in epsom salts. Ahhhhh. Relief!

The next day was a repeat except we didn't do the attractions, just the rides. It was a 6 hour walking day...the weather was great, not too hot though. We went out to dinner and I tweaked my food, omitting the things I couldn't have. At one point I asked the waitress to check and see if there was sugar in the salad dressing... After dinner, we went back to the hotel, and took the kids swimming, and then into the hot tub...which was heaven! I really needed that!
Back at the room we watched the fireworks over the falls from our window. Bridget asked why there were fireworks, and my first answer was "because it's our anniversary, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" LOL...and then I didn't have the heart to tell them I was just kidding...you should have seen their faces. Pure awe!

Saturday I didn't take my vitamins because I couldn't remember where I had put them....LOL. We checked out, went out to breakfast, and then headed to the falls. We did a 2 hour walk along the falls, and I had to end up carrying Issy back to the van via piggy back.

On the way home, I found a fruit stand so we bought fresh apples, green beans and red peppers.

We changed up our plans and instead of going home, we went to a friends house near Toronto. She invited us for a BBQ and to sleep over. This is my friend that did my first 5K with me. Tweaking food is easy. They have BBQ sauce, I don't. They have hot sauce with their rice, I don't. They have wine, I don't. Actually, my friend was happy that she was also wine-free and making healthy choices...three weeks for her on her new eating regime. Her body needed some help requiring her to switch up her eating...even though she's all of 110. pounds. It goes to show you, you can be thin, but it doesn't mean that the food you eat is right for your body. She never ate 'bad' before, but she did need to eliminate some things for the sake of her health. So it was kind of nice for me that she was doing something similar, and that she would understand where I was coming from.

We got home Sunday evening....and we were all exhausted! Sleep was an issue for me...I didn't get 8 hours of sleep any night I was away, and sleep is essential for weight loss. I DID get my monthly thing though, or the version of it I get since the surgery. I was pretty pleased that I only had a stomach ache briefly, and that my moods and water retention was not as much as it could be. I managed to drink all of my water too. All in all, this trip was a success for me. It showed me that no matter what the situation, circumstance, agenda, I can stay true to "ME" and it doesn't have to be hard. If I can stay on my routine away then I am pretty solid in this new lifestyle of mine.

This was the first time away that it didn't revolve around eating the 'treats' and indulging in them. It was the first time that food played its proper role, fuel. And it was the first time that I went away and never gained anything, or that I wasn't swelled up beyond belief. Everything went smoothly which contributed to a peaceful state of mind, which made sticking to my 'thing' stressfree. This trip was a huge success, and I'm so thrilled about it. If I can do this, then I can do anything.

Day 92 refined-sugar-free, Day 71 consecutive daily exercise!

Niagara Bound....heading to Marineland

Well, today is the day my little kids have been waiting for for a LOOOOONG time. We're leaving for Niagara Falls tonight and tomorrow heading to Marineland. This is going to be so much fun for them....and for US watching them. They're at the perfect age for this...Emily is still in that zone...but growing out of it soon.

So, I have spent the past two days trying to figure out what the food situation will be for me. And I've decided that it's going to be fine. I'll tweak what ever I can...and I will stay true to my Refined-sugar-free/gluten-free way of eating. There is always a way. I'm taking my supplements, my vitamins, water. I have refined-sugar-free/gluten-free snax, and veggies cut up, I'll take some fruit and I'm good to go.

On the way back, we want to find some fruit markets or fruit stands down there and get some fresh fruit...specifically strawberries and cherries. I want to freeze them for my smoothies.

As for exercising...the hotel does have a floor, ;o) so I'm sure I can get some floor work in...as well as all the walking we're going to be doing.

I'll be offline until Saturday...so I'll update then.

Starting Weight in the Biggest Loser 2009 Competition.

I sent my starting weight picture in to Melissa...but since I was having paypal issues, I held off putting my 'official' starting weight picture complete with pen on my blog...just in case. Well, here it is now.

CrAzY Foot Pain.

So I am having Huge Foot issues! I've been in excruciating pain since May 25. I had just had surgery (Endometrial Ablasion Hysteroscopy) and when I came out of the anesthetic, my body was on FiRe! I'm talking like a 9 on the richter scale. A couple of days later, my heel spur came back...at least that's what I think it is. I've had that pain since. Some days it's like a dull pain, but definitely present. Most days, it's intense pain. When I get out of bed, either in the night, or in the morning, it's like I'm stepping down on nails.

The pain is so bad, I can't step down...I'm either hopping, or limping, or on my tippy toes. It also is bad after I've sat for a while...getting up is painful. It almost makes me not want to move a muscle. Driving hurts. The way my foot is when I press on the gas, the exact place my heel hurts is the exact spot that is on the floor. Cruise control is a godsend. The one saving grace is that I could still do the exercise bike, my one form of exercise that never bothered my foot. Yeah, that went out the window. Last week, I could literally only do 10 minutes, and I struggled through that...I had to make up my time with upper body. Saturday, I literally could only do 3 minutes, THREE before I was dying. So now I`ve stopped even trying the bike. I just do mat work (lower body) and I also use the medicine ball (upper body). Right now, I do 20 minutes a day...but they're 20 good minutes. The Gabriel Method says only to exercise a few times a week with rest days in between. I've decided though that I was going to go for my streak. So as of today, I have been exercising for 63 days consecutively. I'm not about to break my streak, not even for CrAzY foot pain!

A Little Bit About My Weight History.

I was always a thin girl. I never had any weight issues. I DID learn about emotional eating from an early age though. I was ALWAYS sick because of my immune system being low because of my parents smoking . I had many stays in the hospital because of pneumonia. My brother got the croup, and the doctor told my mom that she was going to kill him if she kept smoking. They quit...he was 2, I was 6. Our house was a volatile household, and it was stressful never knowing which mood we would encounter. We had company all the time, and a lot of the time our relatives would come over and it was quite fun...but some of the time it was even more volatile than our own household.

My teenage years were tumultous. I 'left' home at 17, standing on the curb with my garbage bag of possessions, like white trash, waiting for a friends family to come and take me in. I had some serious abandonment issues which led to building walls as a protection.

Fast forward a couple of months and you find me living with my newly married, newly pregnant sister. The friend I had been living with was getting married and I would have no place to go...no job, no money. My sister took me in. At this point, my stress manifested itself by not eating. It got to the point where the smell of food would make me sick. I began a new relationship soon after moving, and my boyfriend was worried about me. So he took me to his chiropractor because he would have an issue where he couldn't eat either and the chiropractor would adjust him and it would work again, he could eat. I went there, had an adjustment and it likely helped my stress level because I could tolerate food and the smell again.

A year later, my fiancee and I got married. I was 19, and weighed 107 pounds (5'3"). I was pretty thin. Being on the birth control 'helped' me gain 30 pounds that first year. Weight gain was only one of the side effects I began to have....so I went off of it.

When I was 25 we tried to have a baby. Unfortunately, it took 2.5 years to get pregnant. Six months before I finally was blessed with a pregnancy, I had a snow mobile accident. I rolled my snow mobile on top of myself, but luckily, the ice that I was afraid I was breaking through gave way, and I ended up in a foot of ice water, on top of the frozen lake. I smashed the windshield, but because of a pouty guy friend who was with us, it got my back up, and I continued snowmobiling for another 6 hours. Yeah...I wasn't aware of my injuries until the next morning when I couldn't lift my head off my pillow. I had whip lash, broken ribs, ribs popped out of place, HUGE black bruises on my inner thighs and knees. That's when I told my husband what had happened...hehe...he was at work and not out with our caravan of snowmobilers. My brother and sister in law were with me when it happened though. (I wasn't the only one to roll a snowmobile that day, another friend who was a teen also rolled his, but out of stupidity...and not fear like I did.) What resulted from this incident was chronic back pain. Sometimes the pain would be so bad, like a wave it would hit me, and I'd have to lie down where ever I was. This combined with the stress of not being able to get pregnant was too much for me, and I went into a bit of a depression.

Fast forward 7 months, my husband, my parents and I take a road trip to Newfoundland to see my Grandparents. That was fun. :o) A MUCH needed vacation.

The next month, I was job hunting, got a new job and found out I was pregnant all at the same time. LOL. I enjoyed this job...until I started bleeding. After a phone call to my doctor and a 'leave' from work, I spent 2 weeks on bed rest worrying that I was going to lose the baby I so badly wanted. Happily that pregnancy survived and at 8 months pregnant, I was again placed on bed rest due to Toxemia. I was induced 2 weeks early. The labour and delivery progressed fast and furiously. But then, as my husband stood watching all my blood pour out on the floor, I was rushed for emergency surgery. They told my husband that I was dying, that he would be a single parent, in an attempt to get him to convince me to have blood, which I refused. I held my baby once, and was sure I was not coming out alive. When I did awake, I was surprised. I had lost over half my blood volume from a rip in my cervix. My 9lb 9 oz baby ripped it because a lip hadn't dialated fully, and she tore through it. After 8 more days in the hospital building my blood up, I finally came home, weighing 2 pounds more than when I went in to have her! It's because of the saline salution (the non-blood expander) that I weighed more. I had gained about 65 pounds with the pregancy, and after ALL the water, the blood, the huge baby, I still weighed more.

When my daughter was 18 months old, we moved to a new town, an hour away, no friends, no family. We had bought a new business and my husband was ill, so we had to move. I gained another 30 pounds that year. By this time, I was well over 200 lbs. A LOOOONG way from the 107 pound girl who got married. I told myself that I would have another baby after I had lost my weight.....and I never did. In hind sight, I think it was because I was afraid to have another baby, encounter similar problems, and potentially leave behind a husband and a little girl should I die. When Emily was 4 and in Junior Kindergarten, I decided to take some college courses to become an Educational Assistant. I was really enjoying myself. Then one day, I had this random thought. "I am having too much fun, Emily's going to end up being an only child!" And that thought changed everything. We were able to get pregnant again, quite easily. The first month trying actually! Unfortunately, I lost that baby just before 3 months, and it plunged me into a depression. It was especially hard because 2 of my friends were also pregnant, and one of them had her baby on my due date. Finally, to get myself out of this funk, I asked my husband for a personal trainer for our anniversary. Obviously, he'd do anything, so he got me one. I was doing really well, enjoying the working out. And six months later, I was blessed with another pregnancy and a January baby. She was 9lb 1 oz, and right on time. It was a stressful pregnancy for the first 3 months because I was afraid of losing her...after I made it past there, our fears were put to rest with our specialist. I LOVE HIM!! I had only gained 14 pounds with that pregnancy because I had a lot of my own weight to feed her. After she was born, I lost 28 pounds practically by breathing. :O)

Both Bridget and Emily were colicky...and that was no walk in the park, all contibuting to my vicious circle of exhaustion and weight gain.
Bridget was supposed to be our last baby, and when she was 3 months old, I mourned not having a little sibling for her to play with. Emily was 6 1/2 years older, and coming from a family where I had 2 older sisters (5 & 7 years older) and a younger brother (4 years younger) I knew that it would suck huge for Bridget. When she was 13 months, I was having allergic responses to food, and my body was inflamed because of that chronic muscle pain from the snow mobile accident. As a desperate measure, I stopped nursing, and went gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free...and started losing weight...and feeling fantastic. I lost 45 pounds in 5 months. During this time, my husband sold the business and we moved back to our old town, in our house that we kept. I told my husband my concerns and so when Bridget was 27 months old, Issy was born. She was my biggest baby. A week overdue, weighing in at 9lbs, 13 oz. She became ill the day she was born because she swallowed meconium while inside me and she was septic. She spent the week in the Special Care nursery.

When Issy was 13 months old, I had an 'episode'. It was 11 pm and I was watching a DVR of "Greys Anatomy"...after a stressful day. When all of a sudden, I hear my husband yelling at me "Lisa, are you OK?" he kept yelling this and I didn't know why. He was already on the phone with 911, and emergency responders were on the way. Apparently I had a 'seizure' which they're calling a fainting spell, but because I was sitting, I kept 'seizing' instead of passing out. By the time the emergency responders were here, I had stumbled into the kitchen, freaked out, my blood pressure was jacked. I spent the weekend in the hospital on heart monitors because I had an arrythmia. Their official diagnosis was 'fainting spell due to extreme exhaustion and stress'. That weekend, I stopped nursing, and we put Isabella in her own room. Around this time, I knew that I had to do something to take care of me, or one day I would have a fatal heart attack or something. I joined The Biggest Loser Club online. I met a bunch of wonderful online friends there, and have followed some over to Weight Loss Wars. At BLC I had lost about 13 pounds (starting at 290). I needed a change though because I didn't want to keep paying and I wasn't losing more...got a little disillusioned because of a couple of foot injuries.

I've been on Weightloss Wars since the end of December 2008, but haven't made any strides with my weightloss until around June when I started doing the Gabriel Method. I have since lost another 20 pounds.

On weight loss wars, and The Gabriel Method, I have become freed of the shackles of this weight that was tying me down and keeping me from living my life. I am at the most peaceful, stress-free, happiest I have ever been regarding life in general, and my weight. I am at peace with it...and I thought it was time that I started this blog to maybe help inspire someone else as I have been inspired. A huge hug to my dear friends Pitbull (my health/fitness kindred spirit journey partner in crime), Cristy (my Kindred spirit friend and Maid of Honour almost 20 years ago) and Mary (my childhood kindred spirit friend who did my first 5K with me), for lending shoulders and just being there for me through thick and thin and sharing in health and fitness XO; my brother G, for joining me on a healthy lifestyle makeover and making it so easy to talk about; my mentor Jan; my inspirations (Stacie, Roxann, Sam, Robyn, Lisa P, and Karilynn {Mom24boys}-(thinformyboys) - for showing me her blog and inspiring me to do one.) My BLC friends, SparkPeople groups; Firecracker challenge (Kay, Rho, Deb, Patricia, et al) Gabriel Method group (Maddy, Sondra, Chris, Troy et al) My other WLW friends (Pammy, Hope, Tammy, Elle, Tim, Chris, Lori, Laurie, Denise, Angie, Aimee, et al, my No More Excuses Ladies (Linda, Melissa, Renee, Kim, Jillian and Giselle) and my biggest supporters and fans, my husband and girls. This is for them as much as it is for me! It's time to shine, to live, to fly, to shrink!

Biting The Bullet

Okay, so I decided to just do it....and here it is...the evidence. I know that ONE DAY I'll look back on these pictures and think "WOW, have I ever come a long way" only it will have good connotations attached.

The faces are blurred out for a challenge on WLW, but as you can see from the following pictures, it is definitely me.

Starting weight: 269

Ending weight: 258

11 lbs, 4.08 % in 8 weeks

I couldn't see a difference at first because I don't know how to get the pictures side by side like this. These pictures were emailed to me by our challenge leader, Sam, and I'm so glad she did because I definitely see a difference now. These photos are what cinched my decision to do this blog. I'm really eager to see what my FINAL photos will look like.

Picture taken September 4 @ 258 lbs

One day, I will see my "AFTER" photo and I'll know that all the hard work I'm doing, and the healthy lifestyle choices have paid off, and the past 12 years of shame and sadness over having let myself go will no longer haunt me.

New Challenge

I was on a challenge on Weightloss Wars called "The Biggest Loser of The Week" and I was surprised to find that I actually liked being in it. I lost 4% of my body weight, and 11 pounds in 8 weeks. I'm just getting started, so this is going to be fun. I have a LOT of weight to lose, and it's coming off baby.

This blogging site is new to me, so there will be a few kinks to iron out...I know I'll get the hang of it.

I want to thank KariLynn for getting me going on here. I wasn't sure I was going to do it...but when I saw my pics from the beginning and the end of the challenge I was in, I decided that i WAS going to do this thing. I'm eager to see how those sausage skin clothes will look after 4 months!