Tyyger’s BodyBlog

Today is Friday and let me say I usually flake out on Fridays.  I get off at noon every Friday.  I come home, eat lunch and usually DON"T want to leave and go to the gym that afternoon.  But today was a new day and I went.  Fridays are usually my Leg days and when I feel like I’m going to flake out, I’ll do them on Thursday.  I went today and had a great work out.  Tried this Leg annilation workout today…. WHEW!!!  my legs felt like barrels by the time I was done!  It was great though.  Legs are my favorite body part to work on. 

  I did the the leg press and with the heaviest weight, which was 270 (6, 45lbs plates) for 8 reps and then 4 assisted reps.  Then take off a quarter of the weight and do 8reps (unassisted) and 4 assisted.  Take off 1/2 the weight and then do 15-20 reps.  Then you do 12 more.  I really felt a good burn…. I then did Hamstrings. 2 sets of 12 with 70lbs and then 80lbs for 2 sets of 8.  Then I worked my calves.  I wanted to be so done.  But then I went up stairs for my cardio.  I walked the track and added windsprints on the long side.  I know my legs are going to be ever so sore tomorrow, but I look forward to it.  Does that make me weird???  LOL!  But I’m proud of myself for getting there and doing it!

Now If I could just adjust my eating habits.  Now I have done ALOT better than I have in the past.  I’ve cut out alot of eating out and started taking my lunch.  Also eating every two hours.  Not packets of chips or cookies.. good stuff like a banana and protein shake.  Things like that.  I still get cravings for things.  But it’s not sweets.  Although I’m getting that craving right now, but that is for a separate reason(mother nature).  I’ve been wanting alot of breads.   I’ve recently bought Sara lee honey whole wheat.  It’s supposed to be the best choice.  It’s not bad tasting either.  SO now that my workout is coming together… I need to clean up my eating. I don’t want to cut things out cold turkey.  Just cut my portion and how often I eat them.  I want eat comfortably and not be hungry even after I eat.  But not pig out on the wrong things either… any suggestions?……………….

I don’t know where to start.  After I got back from my vacation home.  It’s seems my mind is NOT in the same place as when I left.  I did not go to the gym or workout once since I’ve been back.  And trust me, no one is more disappointed then me.  I told myself I didn’t want to go back in the middle of the week for one just one day.  I had other things planned after Thursday. My brother in law retired from the military so that was where I was Friday evening.  Helped a friend moved Saturday so Thursday would have been the only day that I went.   But I know it’s deeper than that.  I gave myself free rein while I was gone to eat anything because I felt when I got back home I would get back on it anyway…WRONG!!!!!!!!  I haven’t gotten back on the grind yet!  Once again my motivation seems to have left me.  It’s so easy to say what you are going to do and harder to do it.  I want to be able to just get up and go to the gym and eat clean but something is holding me back.  I’ve been in this body for 32 years and have some measure of comfort.  Maybe that’s it.  I don’t want to step out of my comfort zone and have to actually WORK at doing better, eating better, being better!  I’ve thought about competing in a figure or bodybuilding show.  I think that would be a great accomplishment for me.  Something my friends and family would NOT expect.  If just to do it for the sheer surprise on people’s faces when they saw me….. is somewhat a motivation, but not enough!  The motivation has to come from ME…. it has to be something that I will stop at nothing to obtain.  I haven’t reached that point of want for it yet.  But I do want to make a drastic change.  I just haven’t had the need to do it.  The need has to be greater than the want.  We all want many things, but it’s the things we need that make us work !!!!!  Now If I could just get my mind to cooperate with my mouthpiece…. all would be peachy keen………………

Excuse my rambling… just type as I think….

I went home to South Ga for the holiday.  Had a great time!!! I surprised my Mom for her birthday!!  She didn’t know I was coming home.  She loved it!  I’m her baby of course she’d love it!! LOL!    Anyway… Mom is a GREAT cook.  And I couldn’t wait to get there to sample her lovely dishes.. .did I mention she was is also a master cake baker!  Fortunately for me she didn’t bake my favorite.  She made red velvet of which I am not a fan.  So I didn’t indulge.  But she did cook some other dishes of which I did.  I didn’t exercise not once this weekend either.  Well I went to the beach on Monday…. took my nieces and nephews.  I had to keep an eye on my 4 year old niece and that proved to be an exercise in itself.  That girl loves the water and she kept me busy.  Her mother did not want her hair to get wet.  So I’m trying to let her enjoy herself and keep her hair dry!! LOL!!  But that was the extent of my cardio.  Now I’m back and I need to get focused.  Somewhere along the way I have lost my focus.  Even before I left.  I started doing better on the cardio, but my eating wasn’t as good as when I first started.  I am determined to lose this weight.  I just need to get that drive back from the beginning.  I did lose three pounds and started seeing some differences, but after this weekend, I’m sure those three are back and then some.  That’s discouraging, but it’s also a motivator.  I don’t want to be so strict on my diet that I crave things I shouldn’t.  I want to change my eating to where I am not eating the wrong things but not depriving myself so much that I over indulge in foods I shouldn’t eat.  I want to be able to fit into my Old Navy clothes… believe it or not, I was able to wear their clothing at one time.  Now they are too tight.  I wasn’t a big shopper there but I do have a few article of clothing from there that were mad cute!!  Now they are mad tight!! LOL!!  So I guess there is nothing to do, but to get to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!……………
…….now where are my gym shoes?…………..LOL!!!

Okay yall, (yeh I said yall… I am from the south!! LOL)  Anywhoooo… I did some measurements and I weighed myself today.  I must say I am disappointed, yet not so much so.  I have lost a whopping 3 pounds… 3 inches off my waist, and .5 inches off of my hips.  I was hoping for more, but I guess I have to remember that a slow loss is not bad…. probably better.  I will have to do some more tweaking on my diet.  I must admit the last week I have slipped a bit.  Not as strict as it has been.  But I have to make it comfortable for me.  And not so rigid that I go off on a binge.  All in All I am happy with my progress.  I am having a birthday cookout for myself since my bday was Thursday.  I know I will be off track today, but I’m making today my cheat day.  I’ll go play tennis in the morning to get in that extra cardio to combat the bad eating I’ll do today.  I feel like if I plan ahead I am being proactive in my goals.  I even did some cardio today even though I usually take Saturdays off.  I didn’t make it to the gym yesterday so I made up for it today.  I ran the stairs at the track.  I did 2 sets of stairs 7 times.   I am also going home next weekend to Georgia and I KNOW… with Mom’s cooking…. I’m gonna be off the chain!!!!!! LOL!!  So….. this week is going to be somewhat strict on the eating… just to prepare my body for the shock of some fats!!!  I also bought a "fatgirl" belt today… I call it that because a friend of mine has one and he calls it his "fatboy belt"  LOL!  Gonna start using it next week, see how much help it will give me. 

So today is my birthday….  I took the day off from the gym. Using it as a rest day.  But I haven’t used that as an excuse to just eat anything.  Because I haven’t.  I’ve eaten good today.  Probably should have eaten more.  I had only 3 meals as opposed to the 5 or 6 I’ve doing before, but it’s all good.  No junk food for me today.  Not even birthday cake!  I know I could have indulged in one piece, but the fact is, I didn’t really want anything sweet!  Hey, I think I’m getting the hang of this clean eating after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so I was somewhat of a bad girl last night.  Went out to eat and had a philly.  It was so good.  But I don’t feel that bad because I have been on it this week.  I’ve gone to the gym and I did my workouts with no complaints.  Not that I can afford to really cheat a lot, but one night won’t kill me.   So to make up for that meal, I went to the track this morning… of course there was some big track meet so I ended up at the new trail.  Did some walking and speed walking and I also did some sprints.  I wanted to shock my system with the sprints.  I think it worked really well cause  sista was TIRED!! and SOOO out of breath!  But that is something I am going to add to my weekly routine.  Take a day and do sprints.  Just a lil spice to the regular everyday workout!   I’ve caught some kind of virus so I didn’t go the gym Friday.  I went ahead and did my leg workout Thursday.  I usually do Legs on Fridays, but I didn’t know If I would feel like going. Well I got sick, so it’s a good thing I went ahead and did them Thursday.  When I got up the morning and did the cardio, I felt better, but after I got back home… I’ve been sick every since.  I hope this will be over by tomorrow……

Okay… so I’ve regrouped and gotten back on the train.  I’m doing well this week with my eating and cardio.  I have to take it day by day.  Today was to be my off day, but I decided to walk.  I walked the new trail I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs.  And boy let me tell you… my hamstrings are tight.  I started something new this week.  The high intensity interval training.  While doing treadmill, bike, stairclimber etc.  you do moderate pace for 2 min and then do high speed for 30 seconds.  Then back down to moderate for 2 mins.  This is supposed to spike your heart rate.  And let me tell you…ya girl was sweating her A*& off yesterday.  I did the stairclimber first.  Started moderate pace at level 3… the kicked up for 30 sec. on level 7.  Those stairs were coming at me like gangbusters.  I was keeping up, but I was glad when those 30 sec were over! "whew"!!!  I did 15 mins total.  Then I went to the bike.  I put the bike on random starting at level 6 and when on random, the bike moves from one level up to another and back and forth.  I got up to about level 13.  So I went from 6 to 13 and all those inbetween.  I was one tired, but energized sista when I got done!  But I was proud of myself because I kept up with the pace and didn’t give up and quit!

I’ve been a bit discouraged the last couple of days.  Can’t really explain why.  I’ve been doing well the last three weeks and I wanted to post some new measurements.  So I just measured my thigh and I didn’t see any change.  That may be the reason why feel this way.  I’ve only lost 1/2 inch from my waist.  I was hoping I had lost more than that.  I’ve tweaked my diet and made some changes.  I’ve stopped using sugar in my coffee in the morning.  I haven’t had any soft drinks for a month.  I’ve added salad to my lunch  two days a week and substituted my favorite 1000 island dressing for the salad spritzers.  I’ve added more water and protein.  Maybe I’m expecting too much too soon.  But this is what always happens.  I don’t see any changes, so I quit.  I’m trying hard not to do that this time.  I would really love to post some pictures where you can see the changes in my body.  But that won’t be happening this week.     

OK!  I love football.  Always have, always will.  Well as you all know the NFL draft was yesterday.  There wasn’t any mystery to who was going first because of course, Miami ruined that earlier this week by signing Jake Long.  So the mystery lied in who would be 2, 3, 4.  So anyway… we head over to my sister and brother in law’s house where the big screen and surround sound is a big attraction.  I’m thinking, why don’t we cook out since the weather is nice here FINALLY!  Have the first official cook out of the season. Not just for the draft, but just as a family.  In suggesting this, I knew that I would veer off my path.  That being said…. yes I was a bad girl…but not as bad as I could have been.  I did have one beer… Bud Light and a glass of wine.  But then I had hotdogs, and a hamburger. We never sat down and formally ate, just kinda ate here and there.  But they had a cooler full or soda and water.  I wanted that cold Pepsi SOOOO bad, because I haven’t had a soda for like two weeks.  This is after I’m used to drinking 3 or 4 a week.  But I opted for the water.  Which in my opinion was a good thing for me… (baby steps LOL)!!  All in all I’m not TOO disappointed in myself.  It could have been worse.  Sister could have made Mac and cheese…I could have made dessert…. could have been REALLY REALLY bad. I know that today is another day and another chance to make it right.  I can handle that.  OH  and I knew I was going to veer off so we played tennis yesterday for Cardio before going over there.  That was the first official game of the season also.  We played alot last year and it helped alot with the soreness I was feeling from the gym.  So I am looking forward to more games.

I am feeling it today!!  I’ve been working out steadily the last two weeks and I tell you today… it’s taken it’s toll.  I got home and all I wanted to do was submerge myself in a hot bath w/epson salt and just soak it all up!!  I’ve always had problems with my knees(no doubt from the weight)  But I’ve been doing the stairclimber and it’s been hard on my knees, but I’m determined to keep doing it.  I was told that if I continue to do excercises that uses them, it make them stronger.  I’ve completed all upperbody parts the last two days and I will tackle legs next.  I looked in the mirror and asked myself why was I putting myself thru this…I mean I can happy being big right???  WRONG!!  I can’t be happy like this because I am constantly wanting to change it.  My cardio also been VERY good this week!  I’m staying on track and that’s good, but for some reason when I got home and I just wanted to say Forget it…it’s not worth it.  But it is isn’t it???  I have to be worth it.  I have to keep going for me.  It’s not easy and the more I remember that, the better off I’ll be!!  This is where motivation or lack thereof comes into play for me.  Just like an actor I ask myself… What is my motivation??  I am my motivation.  My health is my motivation.  A sound body and mind is my motivation…………………………….
Of course…that’s it!!