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Snack Girl Works Out

May 21, 2010   24 Comments

The biggest reason for the Snack Girl Challenge is that Snack Girl is a couch potato. What do I like to do with my spare time? Sit and read.

Challenge: Week 2

Before having kids, I was really athletic. I had gym memberships, went hiking on the weekend, did laps in a pool, and biked to work.

But, now? I am lucky if I do a 1 hour walk in ONCE a week. Terrible :(

Since starting my weight loss challenge, I have worked out 3 times a week and I feel it. I feel my muscles waking up from their dormant state and they hurt.

This week, I did a Spinning class (stationary bikes in a gym) for the first time in 8 years. Did I think I was going to die? Absolutely! And my rear was a little, let's just say, tender.

In addition, I do Jillian Michaels' "Shred" workout. (see below). She advertises that you can lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days! (ummm, really?)

There are good things and bad things about this workout.

Good Things:

  1. It takes 25 minutes.
  2. It kicks your butt. My back and shoulders have become SO much stronger after doing it.

Bad Things:

  1. You can get injured. Twice this workout has gotten me hurt. Probably because I didn't warm up before I started it and I am 40 years old.
  2. You do it alone. No one else there to keep you honest (as in a gym).

I do think it is a great workout. But, I don't think it is for beginners. I was happy that I had all that experience working out before I even attempted Jillian's workout.

So, how did I do?

Two Weeks

177 pounds - (0 pound)
38 inch waist - (- 4 inches)

So, I didn't lose any weight - gained a pound in fact. BUT, I feel better and that matters to me more. No reason to give up yet!

My Goals for Week 3:

  1. Keep Food Journal
  2. No Beer Except Friday and Saturday
  3. Exercise 3 times a week (one hour walk, one exercise class, one Jillian Micheals Shred Workout).
  4. Sitting down when I eat

How are you guys doing? Do you use any exercise DVDs?

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 24 )

Hi Snack Girl!! I love what you post and I thank you very much.... Great Job :) Im very proud that your trying to get healthy and in Shape. I love Jillian. She is a tough cookie. I wanted to share something with you that has helped me lose about 30 pounds.... My before and after pictures are on my FaceBook. If youd let me send you a sample of our products XYNG, I know you will fall in love with it, its all organic and makes you feel great and gives you tons of energy and helps with the appetite control. Nothing like the old junk that would make you jittery or make your heart race. It is amazing. :) Please let me know and email me and I would love to send you a sample.

Thank you again,you have helped me a lot with your great snack ideas :)

Jennifer

Just wanted to say great job with incorporating exercise into your program. It is not necessary to be in pain. There is a self care technique called MELT www.meltmethod.com where you can learn how to eliminate pain in you body with some pretty simple techniques. check out the website - if you are in NY, Portland, CT there are classes being offered. Good luck and continue to feel good.

Good job on the exercise routine. I'm sure after a few weeks you'll start hurting less and it will feel better! Here's my down-and-dirty news: No weight loss. Still at 136 (I'm 5'3"). I didn't take waist measurements, but since my pants are still too tight, one can only assume nothing's budged. I've been watching what I eat pretty well - no more than 1500 calories in a day, but I'm trying to keep it around 1200-1300. I also have upped my exercise routine for this week - I have an extra soccer game tonight to play (that will be 3 games, 40 minutes each, for this week!). But I already run twice weekly (30 minutes each time), ride the exercise bike once or twice weekly, and do strength training (either calisthenics on my own, or recently, I've been incorporating the Wii Fit maneuvers) once or twice weekly. It's funny - over the past year or two, my exercise routine has gotten SO good. My healthy eating choices are excellent, save my weekly overindulgence on the weekends in a sweet treat or two. (Moderation is my new mantra) But I'm heavier than I was last year - and it's all in my belly! I loathe to cut more calories, worried that I'll lower my metabolism, and besides, I'm HUNGRY if I do. I'm focusing for the next few weeks on ensuring that I get adequate fats in my diet - good fats - to stave off the hunger monster and keep me satisfied. Good luck and keep at it!

Sounds like you're doing pretty well! I'm also eating better and getting in exercise, but haven't seen changes on the scale... gotta just keep plugging away at it though!

I love the 30 Day Shred DVD. It's a tough workout.

Love everyone's honesty here! It's good to know that you're not alone with fighting the "battle of the bulge". The key here is attitude and desire. IF you really want to lose weight, you will. If you watch what you eat, eating small meals every 4 hours actually helps you lose weight (portion control here ladies!!), drinking LOTS of water (fresh squeezed lemon helps to detox too), moderate exercise (walk whenever you can - park far away from those mall entrances), get some strength training too with weights (adds resistance), and stay away from sweets, processed food, canned food, boxed food....point is - make it fresh! I drink green smoothies and they are sooooo delicious and nutritious.

I am 50 now and have more on my plate than ever before, yet I have the energy to keep up with it all. If you can start eliminating bad foods and replacing them with whole fresh food and vitamins, you will feel better and then start having the energy you need to go a little further each time with your exercise....and then you will get through that workout without much at all! To your success!

Karen

So today is my weigh in day and i actually gained 2 pounds from last week which is really depressing since i was sure I had lost. My rings were hard to get on and off though so am thinking maybe fluids. I am still down from when I started but only one pound now. I keep gaining and losing the same 4 pounds! Am exercising 3 days a week plus walking the dog almost daily - he doesn't walk very fast though! I will keep plugging away hoping at the end I can get past this 4 pound seesaw. Good luck everyone!!

Wow, you have motivated me! I got a Yoga video from my son for my birthday and then I went out and bought the very same Jillian 30 day shred video and have never even opened either! I am a writer and sit all day on my...you know what! I signed up at a gym and have started taking the 9 am morning classes. Some days I am just not motivated! But on the days when I do drag myself out there I feel great for doing it! So now I have to "not think just do" I promise to open the videos and give it a go...

I will exercise 3 times a week. How bad can that be? There are 4 days when I don't!

5'5" wanting to tone up! I don't care about the exact number on the scale.

I haven't tried the 30 day shred yet but Jillian is awesome! I have tried Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism and Yoga Meltdown. They're both fantastic dvds!

I lost one measly pound so far, but in my defense, it was graduation and I had about a million parties to go to. Cake, cake, and more cake (which is great except for the number of calories in a single piece). My goal is to lose 12 lbs, but I'd be happy with 7.

I started using the Livestrong website's My Plate function. I found it a *bit* irritating at first because I was trying to do it on 2 different computers and it kept losing my info. If you try this, be sure to close out of the website before you open it on another computer, or you will be an angry, cursing wreck like I was when it kept "losing" my info.

I have continued to do Jazzercise 3-5 classes per week (3-4 days/wk), but I added in riding my bike to work most days. Hopefully that will help and I'll be able to stick to a better diet now that the grad parties are over.

Love JM 30-day Shred! It does kick your butt. I don't know how people would do it every day though. I do know that I've seen a difference but I am more likely on the 60-day Shred program. :)

Keep up the good work!

I really should try the 30 Day Shred video... That sounds great! A lot of people are doing that P90X but that is an investment (I know a lot cheaper than the gym membership)but after spending money on all of this stuff to help me lose weight and get into shape (an elliptical, a personal trainer, a BowFlex, a treadmill...The list goes on). I've finally decided that throwing money at this is not the answer. I can do squats, crunches, pushups, lunges, run, jump rope... But a workout DVD is reasonable. Today I weighed in 135.9, that is just about 15 pounds since 1/1/10. Yay! I'm feeling great! Love how my clothes fit and it is nice to not have to unbutton my pants after I eat:-P

You are doing great - keep up the hard work and it will definitely pay off! :-)

My husband & I did the 30 Day Shred last night for the first time. WOW did it kick our butts! Having a hard time walking up & down stairs today! We're trying to mix it up every night with something different, pilates, strength training, treadmill, cardio - so hopefully it will pay off!

I use the Walk at Home DVD's (www.walkathome.com) by Leslie Sansone and have found them to be an excellent choice for me. It is a good start for someone who has not been active and maybe is not a young chic! The DVD's start out with mini walks and eventually one can work up to 3 mile walk. The other DVD's take over where the first one left off. I first saw the DVD's on QVC and said "I can at least do that!" The min workout is about 17 minutes and I decided to use it every night...and I have to say, I just felt better!

Keep up the good work.

If any of your readers are wondering if exercise is necessary, I recommend watching this presentation by Christina Economos (Nutrition and Physical Activity for a Lifetime). It will be an hour well-spent.

Ken Leebow

http://www.FeedYourHeadDiet.com

Trying to get up the nerve right now to Shred. I bumped it up to Level 2 yesterday and OMG am I feeling it today!! But I like it. If you're not sore, I don't feel like anything's changing. I have been in a Boot Camp for the last 12 weeks, working out three times a week, so I feel like I was prepared. I don't think think you can work out at this level once a week and gain the endurance. I could be wrong, but it is a tough workout and maybe you would be better off aiming to do it twice a week. Says the girl who's trying to get up the nerve to do it again! ;-) I've lost three pounds since last week and am loving it! Thanks as always for the inspriration and great snack tips!!

My weights the same as last week but I'm halfway to my end of July weight goal so I'm not fussed about that at all.

I got the Wii Fit Plus since last week and LOVE it. I set up a 20 minute stretching (yoga) and strength workout and then i do a half hour of something cardio. I know the Fit is *nothing* compared to Jillian's workouts but her stuff bores me. I just have too short an attention span for most workout games and videos. The Wii Fit things though get me up and moving and keep me up and moving day after day. I've been doing a good job taking the dogs for extra long rambles too.

Your commennt about not losing weight, but feeling better really resonated with me. I've been following Ron Coleman's "Faith and Fat Loss" nutrition plan since January. The focus is primarily on eating whole foods, organic whenever possible and practical and being very specific about what kind of carbs you eat in your meals (e.g., no simple carbs after 3:00 PM). I have lost very little weight, and in spite of the fact that I still need to drop about 25 lbs. to reach my goal, I feel better. I realized that at 51, I simply cannot drop the weight with a good diet plan. I happen to like resistance training and hhave been alternating between 2 DVDs that use kettlebells. When time I a major factor, I follow Lauren Brook's "Quick Full Body Fat Blast". When jeany a more "hardstyle" workout I follow Andrea DuCane's "Kettlebell Goddess" routines. Note that these are primarily targeted for Women and I bought them so my wife would feel comfortable doing the KB workouts with me, but they are both great.

Thanks for your transparency about your journey. It has reinforced my determination to stay on track and not give up just becuase the numbers on the scale refuse to change.

Here's my results so far - the scale says I am up a pound but I don't worry. I know it can't possibly be one pound of fat and the next weigh in should show a loss. I am exercising as planned and will be upping my exercise next week as I'll have more time to spend at the gym. I've learned that the scale doesn't tell the whole picture so it doesn't get me down. More next week...

Hey, i'm a personal trainer who specializes in helping women lose weight, and just wanted to say keep up the good work :) Wanted to let yall know "ITS NOT ABOUT THE POUNDS LOST!" That's the hardest things for my clients to grasp, its all about the inches. You should judge your improvements by how your clothes fit and how you feel- more energy, confidence, etc... Also when you start an exercise program, it is normal within in the first 3 to 4 weeks to not lose any weight or even gain 5 lbs. Stay with it and things will level out. Good luck everyone!

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