BeautyMarked’s BodyBlog

I just recently purchased this book and loved it.

I decided that since I’ve been hitting a plateau and my body hasn’t changed in a long time, I am going to give the 6 month program outlined in this book a try. Has anyone tried it?

I want to be fit. I still have body fat to lose and muscle to gain. Im currently trying to reasses and clean up my diet (reading Eat Clean by Tosca Reno), and I am going to follow the routines outline in the book. I am also going to maintain cardio sessions to to create a deficient in my diet for fat lose.

Anyone try this? Anyone have any comments, suggestions, anything?

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve really kicked into high gear at the gym. Ive been going steady for 5 days a week and really sweating. I do 40 min of cardio and alternate upper and lower body when strength training.

Problem is, Ive been stepping on the scale lately and the weight has been consistency going UP. What gives??!

I usually work out but lately I took some time off cause of sickness, its not like my body is not used to working out!

Ive been slowly but surely improving my diet, but I definitely have not been eating MORE. What gives??!

When I looked at pictures of myself back in November, I knew I needed a change. I was so unhappy with myself and knew that a lot of my unhappiness had to do with excessive weight so I made a plan. I hit the gym 5 days a week, I watched what I ate and started to quickly notice results. However by spring time, I had plateaued. I wasn’t seeing any more results. It’s now July and I am back in the swing of things, back at the gym 5 times a week, working hard, pushing hard. I have to break through this plateau! I don’t want to go back to where I started from. My routine usually consists of 30-40 mins of cardio and then I hit the weight room and alternatre upper and lower body. I have started jogging in a forest trail close to home a couple of times a week as a challenge, also I have decided to sign up for some classes. Now, as for diet, I am lost. It seems like the more information you try to learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know and how much information is out there. I don’t want to go on a ‘diet’, I want to adapt healthy eating habits. I want to be able to cook for myself and make healthy delicious meals (not bland bird feed). I just need a change in all aspects - diet and fitness. Can anyone here offer some advice on how I can break though this barrier?

I want to feel the joy of success again and not feel stuck anymore. I am tired of this body. I know I have what it takes to be fit.

In November, I set a goal to lose 10lbs by Jan 1st, 2009. I’m really glad to say that I achieved that goal in the healthiest way possible. I made it a habit to get to the gym 5 times a week and I started watching what I eat and simply making smarter decisions. Now it’s in the middle of April and it feels like for the past little while, I have been feeling stuck. While I still go the gym regularly and do yoga and kickboxing, I have no goals to reach. All I know is that I want to lose weigh and tone up. But nothing is happening. So obviously I have plateaued.

So now with the warmer weather coming, I am rediscovering that motivation that I need to kickstart some new goals and new routines. However, I am a bit at a loss. You can check my page to see my progress so far.. I have lost about 10lbs, though I think its a bit more since I have definitely gained muscle.  So I weigh about 166lbs (though naturally it fluctuates daily) and I really want to get out of the 160 zone. I seems like I have been stuck here forever…its like my problem weight. I need to get down to the 150 so I am making it my goal that by the first week of June I want to weigh at the most 159lbs. Now, muslce and tone is still really important to me so I need to find a new gym routine that will be effective. Can anyone help?

Right now, I do yoga for an hour a week, kickboxing for an hour a week, and try to make it to the gym about 4-5 times a week. I start with about 20-30 min of cardio, usually 10-20 mins on a jogging on treadmill (sometimes I do HIIT), and also do some of the elliptical and/or stairmaster.  Then I do weights. One day I do upper body, the next I work on lower. I am definitely in need of new excercises because it seems my muscles are not being challenged enough. I never feel sore anymore! I have started jogging this week, it seems a lot harder than jogging on a treadmill and also a lot nicer outdoors. It’s the first time in a long time I felt sore and I love it. So I think I am going to set jogging as one of my goals.

Any ideas, suggestions, advice on what I can do to reach my new goals?

This blog really has nothing to do with fitness at all but is just a way for me to let some emotion and confusing thoughts out. If anyone wants to offer some input, that would be great. Seems that I have fallen for a friend. We’ve been friends for three years, actually, he has been my manager for the past couple of years but also a friend on the side. He has recently quit and as a result, me and him and a couple of other friends have become better friends because of it. Now, seems I am finding myself thinking more and more about him. Spending more and more time with him and wanting to spend more. Ironically, this all started with sex. Yea, a bit backwards. A couple of weeks back we both needed to get laid and after a night of talking we ended up sleeping together. It was then we started hanging out more and more, as friends, and now all this hanging out together has created these feelings, at least on my end. Oh boy. What to do? If I tell him, I am taking a huge risk. I may ruin friendships and I do not want to be responsible for breaking apart the current friendship with have with each other and our other two good friends. *sigh*

He is somewhat broken-hearted, coming out of a long term relationship a couple of months ago. Looking and looking for whose next but just wont see what’s right in front of him. What do I have to do for you to see me? Why do you have to look so far for something so damn close?

*sigh* I used to think that it was totally possibly for guys and girls to be just friends but that seems to not always work out. Seems like I’m about to lose a good friend thanks to some complicated emotions. Oh feelings! For now, I’m going to go lose my sorrows at the gym.

Thank god for the gym.

It has been almost three years since we broke up. As I am sure you can remember, our three and a half year relationship wasn’t very good. In fact, let me remind you, you become very emotionally abusive, treating me like nothing, like my existence means less than yours. You then become physically abusive, slapping me. Just who do you think you are? Thank god I knew when to leave and thank god that’s over.
It has been three years. Your last words to me were "don’t ever contact me again". Surprisingly, these were the wisest words of advice you’ve ever given me. Immediately I tossed the photos, I tossed the gifts, I erased your contact, I erased your memories. Poof. Gone. Down the ****ing trash where you belong. So thank you, those were some wise words. I guess it’s my turn for some wise words for you, here they are, STOP CONTACTING ME. GROW UP.

It’s been three years and like clockwork you contact me every couple of months. Get off my facebook. Stop trying to look me up. Stop trying to message me, no I don’t want any of my stuff back and no I don’t care that you want to know how I am doing. You lost that right when you hit me. I don’t want anything to do with you. I don’t understand why you don’t get that.  I have never replied to any of your contact efforts so take it as a sign and stay out of my life. The past three years have been the best years of my life and I don’t want your toxic presence in it.

I reiterate, it’s been three years. It’s time for you to grow up. Be a man. You are scum. You are worthless. You lead a meaningless dull life. Stay away from me.  You pathetic worthless sack of shit. Know this, I am not the same girl you left brokenhearted. Oh but I have grown. I am not like other girls. Come close and you will live to regret it. I do not fear you.  I am strong. I am good. I lead a good life. I do not cause harm or pain in others life and I believe in leading a positive life. But I also believe in karma so don’t worry, you’ll get what’s coming to you.
Come close and you will sorely regret it. So stay the **** away from me.

And if you really don’t get it, yes I am over you, I have been over you for three years, I don’t love you, I don’t care for you, I don’t even care for your EXISTENCE.

Sincerely,

Your much better off ex-girlfriend.

I think I’ve hit a plateau.
I’m not exactly new to working out, not at all. In fact, I’ve hit the gym hard almost every summer between classes. However this year has been different since I graduated and have more time for myself.
Here is a photo of my 10-week progress. Each photo is 2 weeks later from the previous. I’ve lost about 9-10 pounds but have also built muscle so it’s hard to gauge it.

I try to work out 4-5 days a week.
First thing I do is some HIIT on the treadmill, I alternate walking and running and I do it on an incline, so everytime I run, it’s on a higher incline than the time before. I do this for about 20 mins. Then I do my weight training. If I do legs, I usually use the weight machines since I don’t know too many free weight lower body exercises. I do inner thigh, outer thigh, quads, hamstrings, butt, and the squat machine. If I am doing upper body, that takes significantly longer because I do back, shoulders and arms. I start with the machines and work my way to the free weight room. Once that’s done, I will sometimes (I should probably do this always) go back for more cardio since 20 mins is probably not enough. Then abs to finish. Some days if I don’t have a lot of time at the gym, I will just go for a run for about 30 mins if I could depending on how much time I’ve got. On Mondays I also have yoga for an hour (it feels great on the muscles) and kickboxing Tuesdays (it works different muscles but I find isn’t enough for me so I gotta still hit the gym for some more).

Now as for diet, I suck at it. I will indulge a bit when I want to and I could probably make a few better choices though I am usually pretty good. I hate hate hate calorie counting but think I should start just so I know roughly what needs to be changed. Otherwise, what kind of things can I do to stop from plateauing?
Judging from that photo it looks like the past little while I’ve remained more or less the same.

Any advice?

Yesterday I booked a spontaneous trip to the Dominican Republic.  Okay, well not THAT spontaneous, but  I had no plans for it. I got invited last minute by a bunch of friends who were originally doing just a couples things but then decided to include our entire crew of friends. Anyways, I booked it. I am going on a tropical vacation in 25 days. Of course, this brings on the issue of the dreaded bikini. It makes me so nervous. I had planned to be in a much fitter state the next time I go down south and normally I go every June, but again, this was a spontaneous trip, coming up FAST. The whole getting in a bathing suit makes me so nervous because I know I still have a long journey to go and a lot of fat to lose however I know that I already have come far. If it wasn’t for other peoples comments and photographic evidence (I have been taking progress photos every 2 weeks), I would be really doubting my success but it looks like I’ve managed to shed roughly 10lbs (assuming I built at least 2lbs of muscle. I’ve lost 8lbs but I have been weight lifting at the same time and have noticed a lot of muscle definition…)  I am not mentally prepared for this. Up until now I have been looking at my body and was proud of my accomplishments and weight loss but now I’m looking at my body in fear. Three and a half weeks is not going to get me toned. I hate this obsession - half the people I am going with are obsessing about their weight and losing as much as possible before the trip. It’s so stupid. It really is. *sigh* So why do I fall into it too? especially after I have come so far and don’t plan on stopping any time soon! I should just continue on my path to fitness the healthy way I have been so far and let go of my insecurities, fine the beauty in my strength and accomplishments and enjoy this well-deserved trip. I have come really far and have made great progress. Stupid insecurities!

Yesterday I started a kickboxing class. I loved it. But what I loved was being in the class and for the first time feeling like *I* was the fit one. It was ME this time. There was a time where I was too shy to go to a class or even too shy to enter the weight part of the gym, not anymore. Yesterday, in my first kickboxing class ever, we had to partner up. One of us had gloves and the other had to punch, we did strenuous sets. I was the first to hold the gloves and when it was my turn, I was surprised to see I was one of the few who could actually maintain it through the whole set meanwhile the others, including my partner had given up long before. Now I am not trying to judge others, but for the first time ever, I felt so proud of myself and of my body. For the first time, it seems like I can see the result of all the hard work I’ve been putting in. For the first time, I feel like I can kick ass! I feel great and I feel empowered. With every day, I love my body more and more. I have always loved it, just not the shape it was in. Now however, I love it more and more with everyday and love MYSELF for giving it what it needs.

That is all I have to say for the day. I just wanted to commemorte this feeling with a blog post. Seems like so many people hate their bodies now adays that we need to make some space for those of us who work hard for it, and want to stand up and say "I love my body."