My ultimate goal is to weigh between 138-140, and 12-15% body fat. I also want to do more bicycle touring,  more rock climbing, learn to sail, and compete in bodybuilding. Being fit was all about looking good, but now it's about being independent, mentally sharp, and increasing mobility as I get older. I used to work in senior housing helping residents maintain their ability to take care of themselves. Ironically, it was an illusion--the truth was they were barely hanging on the what little independence they had due to degenerative diseases. It was the same for my mother, and now my mother-in-law.

 I started at the end of January/beginning of February. I didn't exactly have a plan until a few days later when I started following Jim Stoppani's 12 week program.  I've always heard women can lift heavier than they think, so I just kept adding pounds and making adjustments to reps and sets until I hit what I felt was challenging. I usually hit Fitness 19 around mid-morning. I had to choose products that gave me the most bang for the buck.  I
kept it to the absolute necessities: Arginine (Alpha Ketoglutarate) for
pre-workout, BCAAs and whey protein isolate, (post workout ); Udo's High
Lignan Oil, collagen, and casein before going to bed; and egg white
protein when I woke up.

I thought I was making great progress--I lost between five and seven pounds the first three weeks and then plateaued for about six to eight weeks.  I was eating clean if not completely regular.  I started feeling very frustrated by the seeming lack of overall progress on the scale even though body measurements suggested otherwise. 

More often than not I felt too exhausted to do much of anything else, much less workout. I was sleeping hard so that was a plus. I just wasn't feeling good and frequently had back pain not associated with bones and muscles but more like kidney/liver/gall bladder issues. My shoulder also started complaining when I went heavier than twenty pound barbells.  I think I injured it  some months prior (lat pulldowns maybe?) and poor postural habits that I suspect led to the shortening of certain muscles. I think I just progressed too fast and started over training. If I hurt, or it's not fun, I won't do it, so I had to make it fun and less painful again. Another challenge for me is eating at regular intervals. If I'm not hungry I don't eat, or even think to eat. I used to eat when I was upset, but that has gotten better.

With four weeks left, I decided to make even more radical changes.

I scaled back on the supplements, only taking Nettles, Tribulus, and a digestive enzyme.  I also switched working on core movements, water aerobics, and swimming.  I started eating more raw vegetables and fruits, (especially juicing and smoothies). When I do eat grains/meat/dairy/eggs/fish/chicken/nuts, it's usually to add pizazz to an otherwise boring plate of vegetables, and I limit the amount to one to three ounces total. For me it was about texture and flavor, since that seems to link directly to emotional eating.  That's also gotten much better too. I'm not completely raw vegan, but one of my goals this year was to eat more vegetables and fruits. I also gave up coffee. I slowly cut back until I was only drinking decaf, then switched completely over to chicory root, and no milk.  For a snapshot of what I generally ate, go here: http://www.fitday.com/fitness/FoodLog.html?_a_Date=1332720000.

I switched to Gold's Gym at the beginning of April and am much happier. I
stopped recording about that time since I was basically in the pool in
're-hab'. I cut back to thirty minutes a day in the pool doing basic moves, ten minutes on a foam roller, and lots of hot tub and sauna time. 

I'm going to continue pursuing this program for the next twelve weeks as I'm feeling much, much better and my energy throughout the day is more consistent and I'm sleepy at the appropriate times. Had some trouble initially waking up in the middle of the night, but hopefully working out early in the day and refraining from naps will take care of that. I will  slowly add more proteins back in, and decrease the fruits to one serving per day.

In the late ninety's I lost about fifty pounds when I switched to a
strict macrobiotic diet. I walked and biked everywhere, and it still
took me over a year and a half to lose the weight.  Hopefully it won't
take that long this time since I've really cut back on grains except for
the occasional bowl of oats.

I tried on my size 8 jeans tonight--still a tad tight, but I could zip them up. Sometimes when the light is just right, I can see the changes in my abs, arms, and legs.  It's the little things like that keep me going. I'm in this for the long haul, and I'm always learning how to do things differently for optimal results.

Yesterday was my last official day on this year's challenge.  And wouldn't you know it, my scale is acting all sorts of broken.  There is NO WAY I weigh 148 with 23% body fat.  My jeans and the less fancy scale say otherwise at 159.5, so I'm going to go with that for the moment. That would mean I lost six pounds of fat and four pounds of lean body mass in two days.  That means I get to spend more money on a new scale.  Not happy.

Anyway, challenge wrap up with photos, stats, and essay tonight.  Congratulations to whoever wins, you deserve it for all the hard work and dedication it takes!

The only thing about raw foods is keeping it fresh and exciting, and developing a new base of comfort foods.  After all, if I'm going to emotionally eat I may as well make sure I'm nourishing my body.  That's the thing--the emotional eating is tapering off, except for maybe that once a month thing.

Still hitting the pool, but not the weights.  Shoulder is not %100, so I'll see what's up at the end of my contest time.

Photos on the 24th for sure! I promise!

So I won about $14 in MegaMillions last night, not exactly recovering my investment of $50.

Took the past week off, and will start up again on Monday at Gold's (lighter weights, more reps) and for now, limiting my workouts to the machines.  Also going completely off the protein shakes and adjuncts.  Still taking basic supplements to pick up the slack the increased vegetables and fruits are not covering.  I was feeling so crappy and sore and just not at all well.

Eating almost all fruits, vegetables, and oats. Nuts, dairy, breads/pastas, meat, avocados, legumes and other whole grains in small amounts or not at all. Like just a sample to have a taste--really it's only a taste! I love sample day at Whole Foods.

I'd have to say about 75% raw. Substituted 1 T raw cacao nibs and 1 T chicory with a dash of Allspice in the reusable filter in the Keurig, and stevia as my morning beverage. I can usually pour about 3 cups through the mix on the Keurig, so it's also cheaper. I don't need milk with the spices, so that's a plus.

My basic plan is: 4 fresh juices (8oz. ea); 3 vegetable meals; chicory coffee; water.  I know avocados and nuts are good for you, and I will eat those occasionally, but really I'm just trying to just let everything rest. I recorded a sample entry on fitday.com. 

http://www.fitday.com/fitness/FoodLog.html?_a_Date=1332720000.

It's really high in carbs and lower in protein than is recommended, and way low in fat. but I'm getting everything except for B12 and Selenium, but taking a supplement.

Also have been going for daily walks for about 30-40 minutes but don't know how to record that here.

According to the fancy scale I've lost about two pounds of fat, and no lean muscle mass in a week, and more off the waist. More progress than I've made in a long time it seems. I shot up to 168 soon after I recorded 164 and just stayed there, so I'm taking a way different approach. 

I let you know how it goes...progress pics tonight, and then a final update for the competition on my last day (4/24). When I get to where I want to be, I'm hitting up Smash Burger like a naval service member on shore leave...I'll probably get sick to my stomach.

http://rawfoodsolution.com/the-raw-food-bodybuilding-diet-what-you-need-to-know-1146.html

http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/jeff5.htm

Hmmm....probably will not win the 2012 Transformational challenge, still going to keep on trucking no matter what.  I just can't afford to go longer than a week without working out.  Ever.    I never had the type of body that I could whip into shape seemingly overnight, and seems to take two or three times as long to gain LBM or lose fat than other people.

The first time I adopted a strict Macrobiotic diet and walked 2.5 hours in the morning,  I also rode my bike everywhere, including 24 miles round trip for work. It took me over a year and a half to lose fifty pounds fifteen years ago. Supposedly doing it slow helps keep it off.  No, just develop better 'habits' that keep it off. 

Funny, I didn't want to get 'bulky', but I have real trouble gaining muscle.  I have a protein shake first thing (25g), a post workout whey protein isolate (42), and a bedtime shake (25g), that's including 3 protein and veggie meals (~25-30g ea), with the weekly carb loading day (semi-cheat).  Maybe it's time to scale back even further to lighter weights, and more reps as I'm feeling exhausted, and shoulder complains anytime I go past 20# on chest or shoulder presses.  Doing some rehab movements for those as well as I'm not fond of having any type of surgery.

Noticed progress after a 2-mile hike AND thirty minutes of Tai Chi in addition to weight training and cardio. Seems like I have to be continuously moving to get anywhere.

Thinking it's also time to switch to Gold's Gym.  I'm really becoming more dissatisfied with Fitness 19.  The equipment is getting pretty shabby and filthy. I recently left my number to schedule an appointment with a personal trainer to troubleshoot my form, and a week later still have yet to hear from anyone.

I don't care what anyone says or thinks, being overweight is more than just calories in and calories out, or even how much you work out or don't work out. Check out this excerpt from a PBS special: FAT:  What No One Is Telling You

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ic8A79HKQ]

Can I have a new endocrine system please? Re-program my DNA?

I'm done ranting for today, I'll be better in about 3-4 days, give or take.

Yes, I know what you're thinking.  Tribulus does nothing when it comes to body composition--directly or indirectly.  Perhaps not, but I do notice some affects, mostly female type issues.  If you want to know more, ask me directly. I started taking it because what I've read thus far it does similar things that supposedly HCG did. I'll keep you posted.

I decided to scale way back in the workouts and do core compound movements.  You can check out the new plan in the workout section.

Over training? Adrenal fatigue? Too heavy (for me) too soon?  Who really knows, much of this is speculation. To actually get a doctor (PA) to really listen to me would take an act of God.

For now, I'm only guessing.  Personal trainers have the habit of putting me through the ringer, and I don't make the progress that I want. I'm willing to work hard, but like I've said before, I need to see progress.

Four more weeks.  We'll see how far I get, and compare to where I started and what I could have done better.

Revamping the work out as follows: a) heavier when able b) less reps;
3-5 and 2-3 sets c) use machines and dumbbells instead of barbells on
some exercises since the barbells are sometimes awkward or too heavy. 

My shoulder hurts less, and I have more range of motion, but now the
upper back is feeling sore. It always does when I do barbell work, so now I have to re-adjust using different equipment.

Blarg.

Revamped my supplements after reading this:http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Ways-to-Increase-Testosterone-Bioavailability-in-Athletes&id=178311

I remember the days when my husband looked dismally at all the supplements I was taking.  It was easily triple what I'm taking now. It seemed I found some success with Tribulus and Nettles , but I was taking so many, it's hard to say.

I also added collagen and Passion Flower. I don't know why I even started with the Lipo 6 Black concentrate. Oxy Elite Pro has gotten better reviews.  I quite caffeine so the cortisol would come down, but that also may have been negated by perhaps over training.

Had a wonderful cheat day. May skip tomorrow and do cardio only and then start again on Monday.

Little or no fat loss. Little or no muscle gain. 

No progress on going heavier, in fact it seems I'm getting weaker. I decided to switch to some machines for my workout because it seemed to put less stress on my shoulder.

Following general guidelines for diet. Giving the fat burner another few days.  If I don't see results soon, those go back too.

Taking pre, and post workout supplements, those only seem to keep muscle from being eaten completely away.

 I'm about ready to seriously scale back on the workouts, quit all supplements, start drinking my regular brew and hitting the HCG diet again.  That seemed like THE ONLY plan that gave me results. 

I understand I can have plateaus. I have been switching things here and there to keep it fresh and 'keep my body guessing'.  Either I'm working out too hard, or there is something fundamentally wrong with how my body works.  I went with what worked for others on here, it seemed tried and true.  But I'm really not in the mood to spend the next six months working hard at diet and workouts to see minimal results.

I had more energy on HCG, lost more fat, and saw more results WITHOUT losing muscle.  I know other bodybuilders use HCG, so why the negativity about using it?

Doing more research on supplements to try and simulate what I experienced on HCG.  I loved the HCG diet for the results, but it was pretty intense.

Lipo 6 Black concentrate isn't in the supplements, but got rave reviews elsewhere. Only difference between that and the 'for her' formula is B12 and Folic acid.  May pick up a Vitamin pill as well.

Just didn't want a repeat of taking 3 months to lose a dress size. I'll consider this a cutting phase of sorts.  So far after one pill, great energy, feeling warmer, (a plus for me since I hate cold) and less appetite.  Now I just have to make sure I have lots to do!  I do miss my coffee, and one reason why I quit is to lower cortisol.  Wondering if working out too much is raising cortisol levels up. 

Tempted to take photos now, and another set in 2 weeks to see what the Lipo 6 is doing.  Maybe tomorrow?  We'll see how I feel with 3 inches of snow :P

I've been on the go all day.  Got a late workout in and I'm ready to crash.

Decided to do presses on the Hammer machine and that kicked my butt.  I even scaled back to 20 pounds for a set of ten. Maybe I was just wiped from before when doing my other exercises.  Didn't feel I was making progress with my shoulders since my barbell shoulder presses were failing tonight.  Weird.  The other day my chest presses were failing and I switched to the machine to at least get the reps.

Not recording any stats for at least another week.  Fat is going down way slow, and I feel like I've hit a plateau despite switching everything up.  

We'll seen what the next few days/weeks bring.

The plan was to take photos at the end of the workout phases, so two more weeks to go until photo/stats time.  A little discouraged when I weigh myself and it shows an increase, but the clothes are fitting better--the clothes I have anyway.  Still a long way to go.  It's taking me less time to lose a dress size. 

I bought supplements for the next two weeks, so we'll see how this all goes. Increasing cardio and mixing it up a bit.  If I can find the photo from my cycling days, I'll post that for comparison.

I wasn't sure how much to increase, and was a bit anxious I might go too fast. Yesterday someone was using the weights I would normally use, so I decided to go heavier than planned. Knowing that I can bench at least 40 for 10 reps for 3 sets is very encouraging--I will get to 'graduate' to the regular 45 # bar instead of the pre-weighted barbells.sooner!

I was also able to start at 40# on the leg extentions and lying leg curls. Usually I do 30# because I don't feel I can go higher.

I also warmed up using very light weights on the machines in addition to 5 mins. on the elliptical.

I feel a tad sore, but happy and excited! I goofed today using the dumbbells for curls when I should have used the barbell. Saturday it's 30# for the barbell curl.

I'm also switching up the supplements, will post tomorrow when I figure it out.

Been doing abs, but not completely as the program has outlined. I forget exactly what I need to do, so I do what I know, which is better than nothing. I also need to do video reviews before hitting the gym to make sure I'm doing it right. Going to schedule a 'form check' as well soon.

Happy Leap year!

If I want to get down to 12% by 04/24/2012, I have to lose three pounds of fat/week.

I definitely started too late. I really don't want to take any other supplements. Maybe do some more research. :P

Maybe I'll just up the cardio, and the weights first.

 Off to workout.

I would have to say 12% is the ultimate goal at the moment.  We'll see what happens by 04/24/12.  Definitely going to work towards that, but I'm still learning so I need to stay flexible and forgiving if I don't exactly make all my goals. Shooting for as close as possible.

Not working with a trainer, might do a couple to make sure I have form down.