Monthly Archives: February 2012

Weight loss this week: .2 lbs
Total weight loss: 19.6 lbs

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Motivation and energy were low, low, low this week. I blame the cold, but honestly, they were low before that too. My motivation is cyclical. I simply can’t stay up and focused forever.

The cool thing, though, is that because of the challenge, I may not be losing weight, but I’m also not sabotaging myself. I can’t just blow it off and binge on yummy processed carbs because that would void the challenge. I’m too mercenary for that!

Speaking of mercenary, I have a huge project coming up at work. It will likely run from April/May through October. Now, I’m a contract worker, and so they generally limit my hours, BUT they also don’t want to hire a bunch of new people. If they want this project done, they’re either going to have to work me to death or staff it, because the scope is simply too large for anything else. To be honest, I hope they choose the former, because I’d like to fund the remodel of the basement. 🙂

I’m also looking forward to the challenge of the project, no matter which solution they choose. I adore the big, nasty, scary projects, and I beg for them when they come up. I think they’re fun (even though I have moments where I hate them).

So I’m not sure what will happen with my motivation over the next week. I learned long ago that there’s a switch in my brain. When it’s on, ANYTHING is easy. When it’s off….

The issue, of course, is that I don’t know how to flip the switch. If I could figure that out, not only would I be thin, fit, and a prolific novelist with well-trained dogs, but I would be a billionaire, because I’d sell the secret to the world. EVERYONE would be the best they could be if we knew how to keep that motivation switch flipped on.

I’d like to get to the point where it doesn’t matter if the switch is on — where I would do all the right things habitually. But I’m a long way from that. If the switch isn’t flipped, I do what I have to do and no more.

The good news is that I know it’s cyclical. I may not be on right now, but it will come back around, and I’ll be re-energized.

Although I’m doing okay with my December-to-December challenge, I feel like I’ve been in a rut the past few weeks, which means my results haven’t been what I’ve wanted. So I’ve decided to kick things up a notch during the rest of February. I’m going to eschew my cheat days from now until March 3, and I’m going to tighten up my eating and working out.

The rules:

• 4 meals per day (per standard challenge requirements — no grains, no sugar, no dairy, no fruit, no potatoes), no snacking
• Goal: less than 20 net carbs per day
• At least 16 cups (4 liters) of water per day
• Crossfit, heavy weights, and Pilates 1x per week each, as schedule allows
• Treadmill workout, 45 minutes per day, 5x per week
• 10-minute kettlebell workout from 4-Hour Body, 3x per week (kettlebell swing, glute raises, chest pull, flying dogs)
• 10-minute push-up/core workout, 3x per week (push ups, plank, side plank)
• 20-minute ice on back of neck / trapezius area, per 4-Hour Body, 7x per week

Here’s an example of the treadmill workout I’m doing. The speed isn’t mentioned, because it varies. I use a heart rate montitor, and I go whatever speed pegs my heart rate at 132 (per Phil Maffetone method).

0-5 min Warm up
5-10 min 6% incline
10-12 min 3% incline
12-18 min 4 sets of 30 sec interval + 1 min recovery @ 3%
18-23 min 6% incline
23-31 min 9% incline
31-36 min 6% incline
36-38 min stairs
38-40 min 6% incline
40-45 min cool down

I’m doing that particular workout every day this week. Next week I’ll change it up — add another minute of stairs, increase the interval length, etc.

I’m going to miss my cheat days this month, but hopefully I can kick my body into ketosis and burn some fat!

Weight loss this week: 1.4 lbs
Total weight loss: 19.4 lbs

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LOL — I may never get to that elusive 20lb loss. I’m not stressing about it this week, because I fully expected a weight gain. Not only was I REALLY relaxed on my cardio all week, but this was The Week of Soup.

On Sunday my husband made an absolutely DIVINE Thai Red Curry Soup. No, beyond divine. Devastatingly delicious and addictive. He made a double recipe, and I couldn’t stop eating it. When it was cold, I was still using the spatula and eating it out of the pot. He made a SECOND double recipe on MONDAY — the very next day. And we were ready for more on Wednesday (but I told him to wait until this weekend).

It’s ridiculously good. Beyond good. And it’s Paleo alllll the way. He’s making two different versions of it this week — one with chicken and one with lamb. I may never eat anything else.

Anyway, this was a relaxed week, and I was okay with that — and would have been okay with even a weight gain. Losing a pound is a bonus. Next week, though, things are changing! I’m going to eschew cheat days for the rest of February, and I’m going to go hard core on both eating and working out. I’d like to see if I can get my body to ramp up the weight loss.

Oh, by the way, one of my trainers has one of those handheld bio-electrical impedence thingies used to measure body fat. He weighs me, uses that body fat tester, and does measurements at our first session each month. If he’s right, I’ve been gaining a pound of muscle mass each week. That’s a huge amount for a woman, even lifting as heavy as I do.

I love muscle. I love being strong. But I am one of those rare females who is capable of bulking up, and I don’t want to do that. I’m going to continue as I have been for a couple more months, and then have my body fat tested using the hydrostatic (underwater) method I use a few times a year. If it’s showing a high amount of muscle gain, I might have to change my strength goals for the year.