Super bummed!

So, I had to miss bootcamp tonight for lack of a babysitter.  I am soooooo bummed!  Believe it or not, I very much look forward to the ass whooping I get from Tina.  Maybe I'm a glutten for punishment, maybe I just know that it's good for me...who knows.  Either way I'm very upset that I had to miss a night and the frustration and boredom has got me fighting old habits.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the kitchen and looked through the cupboards for something to put in my mouth, something to occupy my hands, something to....well just SOMETHING.  I haven't given in to temptation so far and I don't plan to.  I KNOW it's going to backfire and only make me feel worse about myself.  So here I sit looking for something to occupy the time until bedtime.  If it weren't for the kids, I would go to bed simply to get away from the temptation of the kitchen.

I hate plateaus

I just want to start by saying....I HATE PLATEAUS!  I "gained" a few lbs at Halloween as you all know and I was having the hardest time getting them back off until I got the flu...poof!  Lbs GONE!  I was down to 237.8 (the lowest I've ever been), but since I started keeping food down and the diarrhea has gone, I've started to put a couple of those lbs back on.  I've been working out, but maybe not as hard as I should be.  I've be slacking with my at home workouts since I started bootcamp and that's NOT ok.  I've been recording my food for my trainer to look at each week and this week I've learned how to print reports on sparkpeople.com so I will be recording there and printing the report each week for my trainer to review.  With the help of the two wonderful trainers of Total Wellness Coaching, I WILL get past this plateau!!  Thank you Julie & Tina!!

My second 5K

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!

Yesterday marked the completion of my second 5K.  I was racer # 414 in the Tri Fitness Fast Before the Feast 5K/10K race. Below are my results.  For some reason I thought my time was 44:27, but actually it was BETTER!!  There were 380 5K racers and I placed 343rd.

Place: 343
Number: 414
Name: Rebecca Ausmus
Age: 29
Sex: F
City, State: Isanti, MN
Time: 44:03
Pace: 14:11

The race was definitely a different and challenging experience.  The most miserable part of the whole race was waiting for the start.  Even with wool socks on my toes were quickly numbing in the officially 6 degree weather.  The running surface was city streets which were either slush, packed snow, or ice.  All of which are ridiculously slippery and needless to say if you know me, you know I'm a clutz!  My husband was SURE I was going to break a bone, but when I wasn't 100% sure of my footing, I walked rather than ran.  At one point my face mask felt suffocating so I pulled it down.  Later on after turning a corner the wind was in our faces so I tried to pull it back up only to find out it was frozen solid.  I had to laugh at one point because my eyelashes were sticking together from sweat freezing on them.  Next time I will hopefully have the appropriate apparel for such a run.  Other than those things though the race was not at all as miserable as I expected.

After the race and a quick shower, we were off to the inlaws for dinner.  I was very proud of dinner choices too: turkey (no skin), raw veggies (broccoli, carrots, & cerely) with dip, and green bean casserole.  After dinner and some visiting with relatives I ran home changed clothes, hit the grocery store up, and then was off to bootcamp!

Tina, my wonderful bootcamp trainer, graciously kicked my ass.  I'm HURTING from shoulders to calves today.  It was a wonderful workout and at some point during my burpees Tina said to the group "Come on let's work off that pumpkin pie!" to which I proudly responded "WHAT PUMPKIN PIE!?!"

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but there is still one more left.  We are celebrating with my side of the family tomorrow, but I am going to kick back and enjoy myself and KNOW I will make healthy choices.

Bootcamp Tip

I got this in an email today from my bootcamp trainer and after thinking about it and reading it a couple of times it's brilliant and definitely makes me look at things a little differently.  Thank you Julie!

Email Tip #21: Align your Behavior with your Values

Our behavior is the most accurate indicator of our true character. Ultimately our behavior is simply the acting out of our deeply held values.

We can value something, for example health, yet we find another value, junk food, appears to have more control over our day-to-day choices. While we value health, our choice of eating nutritionally deficient snacks may indicate that expediency or pleasure are actually a more important value to us than our health. Or we may sleep thirty minutes longer rather than getting up for a walk. We say we value exercise and that it is critical to our health, but a greater value for us may be sleep or comfort.

It is fairly well-know that we go to great lengths to avoid pain. It may be that eating healthier and exercising brings you more visions of pain than joy or satisfaction. It is important to learn to choose differently and understand the potential future pain of losing vitality and health is NOT worth the immediate gratification of fast food or a skipped workout.

The Silver Lining

Ok, so I've been in a rut since Halloween.  I gained 10 lbs Halloween weekend!!  No it wasn't candy, or anything even CLOSE.  It was the alcohol!!  I've been struggling since then to get that weight off.  Feeling especially thin this morning, I decided to get on the scale, which my trainer would NOT be happy about, but I couldn't resist since the scale is STILL in my bathroom....238!!!!  WAHOO!!!  I guess the silver lining of all the vomitting and diarrhea yesterday was that I was finally FINALLY shedding all that pent up water weight!!  Now it's a matter of keeping the downward slide going!

Cardio Day 1

A friend of mine gave me a recumbent stationary bike a while back and I hadn't really used it.  Well today I HAD to get a cardio workout in, so I jumped on the bike and went for 55 minutes.  My goal was an hour, but I was interrupted.  I've been VERY diligent about my food journaling (as much as I hate it) this week.  Partially because I feel like I've plateaued and while it's a normal part of any weight loss journey, it's VERY frustrating and I just want to make sure I'm doing everything the right way.  So my food journal will be turned in Tuesday to my fab bootcamp trainer, Tina.  And hopefully if she sees any areas I could change she will let me know.  Either way I value her input, even if I'm doing everything perfectly and it's just something I have to get past...I would love to hear that too.

I've felt really great the last couple days with the exception of being very tired and borderline exhausted (which I think is partially because of my lack of Selenium), so I'm trying to be happy about the way my body is FEELING rather than putting my focus on the scale number.  To treat myself, I bought a couple clothing items off of the clearance rack and got a hair cut (pics to come)

Changes

Tonight at bootcamp was awesome!  I got my ass handed to me, but I feel great!  Tina is a great trainer and I am loving her almost as much as I love Julie.  Tina and I had a nice chat tonight too.  I've come to the realization that I have an obsession with my scale.  I weigh myself every single morning and sometimes (especially Tuesdays when I weigh in at the WLC) I get on the scale 3, 4, even 5 times a day.  I've done some very unhealthy things to try to eliminate as much weight as I can on Tuesdays, especially if I know I may not have lost as much as I would like to see.  When I gain, stay the same, or even lose less than a lb I am PISSED!  I stress out about it, which is obviously counter-productive.  We all know that stress boost cortisol, which makes our bodies hold on to the belly fat that we all hate so much.  So it's time to destress.....

I will be giving up the weight loss challenge.  Not because I'm failing or not doing well, but because it's become an unhealthy obsession and it only stresses me out on a weekly basis.  I know people will be disappointed in this, but I have to do it in order to maintain my sanity and ultimately eliminate some of the stress which in turn will hopefully help me let go of the number on the scale as well as some of that darn cortisol.

I am going to focus on more than just the number on the scale.  I'm getting stronger, my endurance is increasing and my body is changing, even if the number on the scale is not going down, I'm changing for the better and that's a good thing!!

Workout 4 of 4 NOT done!

Yesterday after shoveling snow and then doing weight loss yoga, I was (and am still today) INCREDIBLY sore, so I decided my muscles needed to rest up before bootcamp tonight.  Hopefully Tina will have some mercy on me, but I'm not holding my breath ( <3 ya Tina!)

Workout 3 of 4 DONE!

Just did The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga with a friend!  Felt VERY good!  One more day of my own workouts, then back to getting my ass handed to me at bootcamp!!

Workout 2 of 4 DONE

Ok, so it wasn't a traditional workout, but I'm counting it!  I shoveled my whole driveway and down the sidewalk by hand.  I'm sore and I have blisters on my hands.  It was hard work and took me about an hour.  I was sweating and out of breath, I'm calling it a workout!

Workout 1 of 4 DONE

So last night at bootcamp was a KILLER (to put it mildly).  Tina kicked our butt!!  I felt amazing afterward, but always on Thursdays she expects 3 good workouts (cardio OR strength training) between Friday & Monday.  My goal for the weekend is to workout all 4 days.  Today I did my Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD and boy oh boy can I feel it.  My shoulders and arms are still a little tired from last nights bootcamp so some of the yoga moves were a little challenging, but I survived and feel awesome!  Now, on with the rest of my Friday! :)


Bootcamp Website

SPARK!

At bootcamp, Julie suggested checking out http://www.sparkpeople.com/ for food journaling if we preferred to log on the computer rather than actually writing everything in little boxes on the food journaling sheets she hands out.  I figured I would check it out since my big handwriting and the little boxes on the sheet just don't mesh well together.  I absolutely LOVE sparkpeople!!!  There are a million great ideas, you can log your exercise, food, etc and it offers a pie chart everyday of the foods you ate, where you "spent" your calories (meals) and where all your fat grams were coming from.  Plus, it gives you a break down each day for what "goals" (calories, fat grams, protein, and carbs) you met, exceeded, or fell short on.  As you enter your food, you can see your total for each meal, total for the day, recommended for the day, and remaining for the day!  If you haven't already...check out sparkpeople.com and when it asks for a username that referred you...enter: BodyByMeMN

Post here what you think of the site...good, bad, or indifferent :)

Never heard of this before! Coregasm!

Yes folks, you read right, by doing these core exercises, some women have orgasms!  I wish I had the equipment to try it out, but sadly I don't :(  Big O or not, it looks like an awesome core workout!  If you have the proper equipment, give it a try and let me know what you think.  Click the link to get the workout.

Coregasm Workout

So proud!!

I just have to share with ya'll how proud I am of myself!  Just a week ago I did my one mile at bootcamp in 13 minutes 38 seconds....today....11 minutes 55 seconds!!!! YEAH BABY!!!!

Cereal Quiz!

I got this quiz link in my Women's Health email today.  There are 11 sets of breakfast cereal.  You try to pick the healthier choice.  I only got ONE wrong!  What did you get?

Cereal Quiz

Holiday Tips

Here is an email I received today from my bootcamp trainer.  Enjoy!

Did you know that most people will put on 7-10 pounds every year between Thanksgiving and New Year's? This is due to a combination of less time to get your workouts in, more stress with holiday shopping and preparations, and "treat" foods everywhere you go.

Here are a few facts to help you keep perspective. It's all about awareness and making choices.

• The average American Thanksgiving meal packs in about 4,000 calories. That is over double what the average person needs on a daily basis.
• The average American consumes 600 calories/day MORE than during the rest of the year. That adds up quickly to extra pounds of fat on the body.
• One cup of homemade stuffing would take the average person 90 minutes of walking to burn off.

Here are a few tips to survive the holidays without weight gain:

• Eat 1/2 portions of your treats. That way you are still treating yourself, rather than depriving yourself, but cutting the calories in half.
• Eat before you go the holiday parties so you are not so starving and over indulge on party food. A snack with fiber is best.
• Go through the buffet line ONCE and enjoy slowly, savoring the tastes.
• Choose wisely. Don't eat everything put before you. Make choices. So, if you choose stuffing, don't choose mashed potatoes or rolls. If you choose dessert, miss the appetizer.
• Schedule in your workouts and make them a priority. They will not only help you manage your weight, but will do wonders to relieve stress too.

PREPARATION is the KEY……Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

We rock!

A girlfriend of mine and I went for a walk/jog last night.  We completed one lap around our block (about 1.5 miles) is 20 minutes.  I continued on for another lap and finished with a total of 39 minutes for approximately 3 miles!  I was so excited and felt awesome afterward.

Tonight is the weight loss challenge AND bootcamp, wish me luck!

10 Worst Fast Food Meals

I've signed up for the "Eat This Not That" daily newsletter and this morning I got a list of 10 worst fast food meals in America.

America's 10 Worst Fast Food Meals

Update

The last two days I've gotten up and went for a 1 mile run/walk.  Yesterday I did it in about 18 minutes, but I had my lab with me and she is not very good on a leash yet and I drug her most of the way rather than her pulling me.  Today I did it in just under 12 minutes!  I was THRILLED to say the least!  My goal for bootcamp is to have it under 12 minutes, so I figure if I can get a run/walk in a couple times a week I should be able to build my endurance enough to reach my goal.  I'll be going with one of my team mates and girlfriend tonight too.  We are planning on attempting 1 minute sprint...should be interesting!

I've felt really GREAT today!  I'm not sure why, but I'm loving it!  The shrimp scampi I had (endless shrimp at Red Lobster) was probably loaded with sodium, so I'm going to bump up the water intake for a few days to help flush some of that out.

Sounds like the trainer that does our bootcamp is adding a little twist.  She's divided us in to teams and it's now a competition, so GAME ON!

Additives

I noticed that the previous article I posted also had a glossary of food additives and explained what all of them did and how they affected our bodies.  I've compiled a list of the worst ones that I will IMMEDIATELY be eliminating from my house.  I actually went through my cupboards and removed 2 garbage bags of food from 2 cupboards and the freezer of food that I refuse to feed my family because they HAVE one or more of these particular additives.  We're making room for nutritious, unadditive laden foods!  Time to make this lifestyle a family affair!

Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame-K) A calorie-free artificial sweetener often used with other artificial sweeteners to mask bitterness.Found in: More than 5,000 food products worldwide, including diet soft drinks and no-sugar-added ice creamExample: Edy's Slow Churned No Sugar Added Vanilla Light Ice CreamWhat You Need to Know: The FDA has approved it for use in most foods, but some health groups claim that the decision was based on flawed tests. Animal studies have linked it to lung and breast tumors.

Aspartame A near-zero-calorie artificial sweetener made by combining two amino acids with methanol. Most commonly used in diet soda, aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar.Found in: More than 6,000 grocery items, including diet sodas, yogurts, and the tabletop sweeteners NutraSweet and EqualExample: Diet PepsiWhat You Need to Know: Over the past 30 years, the FDA has received thousands of consumer complaints due mostly to neurological symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and, in rare cases, epileptic seizures. Many studies have shown aspartame to be completely harmless, while others indicate that the additive might be responsible for a range of cancers.

BHA & BHT (Butylated Hyroxyanisole & Butylated Hydroxytoluene) Petroleum-derived antioxidants used to preserve fats and oils.Found in: Beer, crackers, cereals, butter, and foods with added fatsExample: Quaker Chewy Granola Bar Chocolate ChipWhat You Need to Know: Of the two, BHA is considered the more dangerous. Studies have shown it to cause cancer in the forestomachs of rats, mice, and hamsters. The Department of Health and Human Services classifies the preservative as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."

Blue #1 & Blue #2 Synthetic dyes that can be used alone or combined with other dyes to make different colors.Found in: Blue, purple, and green foods such as beverages, cereals, candy, and icingExample: Skittles OriginalWhat You Need to Know: Both dyes have been loosely linked to cancers in animal studies, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends that they be avoided.

Carrageenan A thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier extracted from red seaweed.Found in: Jellies and jams, ice cream, yogurt, and whipped toppingExample: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice CreamWhat You Need to Know: In animal studies, carrageenan has been shown to cause ulcers, colon inflammation, and digestive cancers. While these results seem limited to degraded carrageenan - a class that has been treated with heat and chemicals - a University of Iowa study concluded that even undegraded carrageenan could become degraded in the human digestive system.

Cochineal Extract or Carmine (this one is actually MADE of 90% insect parts) A pigment extracted from the dried eggs and bodies of the female Dactylopius coccus, a beetlelike insect that preys on cactus plants. It is added to food for its dark-crimson color.Found in: Artificial crabmeat, fruit juices, frozen-fruit snacks, candy, and yogurtExample: Tropicana Orange Strawberry BananaWhat You Need to Know: Cochineal extract is comprised of about 90 percent insect-body fragments. Although the FDA receives very few complaints, some organizations are asking for a mandatory warning label to accompany cochineal-colored foods.

High Fructose Corn Syrup A corn-derived sweetener representing more than 40 percent of all caloric sweeteners in the supermarket. In 2005, there were 59 pounds produced per person. Found in: Nearly everything: ice cream, chips, cereal, bread, ketchup, canned fruits, yogurt, and two-thirds of all sweetened beverages Example: Wonder Bread  Whole Grain WheatWhat You Need to Know:  Since 1980, the US obesity rate has risen proportionately to the increase in HFCS, and Americans are now consuming at least 200 calories of the sweetener each day. Still, research shows that the body metabolizes HFCS no differently than sugar.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein A flavor enhancer created when heat and chemicals are used to break down vegetables - most often soy - into their component amino acids. HVP allows food processors to achieve stronger flavors from fewer ingredients.Found in: Canned soups and chili, frozen dinners, beef- and chicken-flavored productsExample: Slim Jim Meat SticksWhat You Need to Know: One effect of hydrolyzing proteins is the creation of MSG, or mono- sodium glutamate. When MSG in food is the result of hydrolyzed protein, the FDA does not require it to be listed on the packaging.

Interesterified Fat Developed in response to demand for trans-fat alternatives, this semisoft fat is created by chemically blending fully hydrogenated and nonhydrogenated oils. Found in: Pastries, margarine, frozen dinners, and canned soupsExample: Pepperidge Farm Milano CookiesWhat You Need to Know:  Testing on these fats has not been extensive, but the early evidence doesn't look promising. A study by Malaysian researchers showed a 4-week diet of 12 percent interesterified fats in-creased the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol, not a good thing. This study also showed an increase in blood glucose levels and a decrease in insulin response.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) The salt of the amino acid glutamic acid, used to enhance the savory quality of foods. MSG alone has little flavor, and exactly how it enhances other foods is unknown.Found in: Chili, soup, and foods with chicken or beef flavoringExample: Hormel Chili No BeansWhat You Need to Know: Studies have shown that MSG injected into mice causes brain-cell damage, but the FDA believes these results are not typical for humans. The FDA receives dozens of reaction complaints each year for nausea, headaches, chest pains, and weakness.

Olestra/Olean A synthetic fat created by pharmaceutical company Procter & Gamble and sold under the name Olean. It has zero-calorie impact and is not absorbed as it passes through the digestive system.Found in: Light chips and crackersExample: Lay's Light Original Potato ChipsWhat You Need to Know: Olestra can cause diarrhea, intestinal cramps, and flatulence. Studies show that it impairs the body's ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and vital carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil  A manufactured fat created by forcing hydrogen gas into vegetable fats under extremely high pressure, an unintended effect of which is the creation of trans-fatty acids. Food processors like this fat because of its low cost and long shelf life.Found in: Margarine, pastries, frozen foods, cakes, cookies, crackers, soups, and nondairy creamersExample: Honey Maid Graham CrackersWhat You Need to Know: Trans fat has been shown to contribute to heart disease more so than saturated fat. While most health organizations recommend keeping trans-fat consumption as low as possible, a loophole in the FDA's labeling requirements allows processors to add as much as 0.49 gram per serving and still claim zero in their nutrition facts. Progressive jurisdictions such as New York City, California, and Boston have approved legislation to phase trans fat out of restaurants, and pressure from watchdog groups might eventually lead to a full ban on the dangerous oil.

Propyl Gallate An antioxidant used often in conjunction with BHA and BHT to retard the rancidity of fats.Found in: Mayonnaise, margarine, oils, dried meats, pork sausage, and other fatty foodsExample: Pop-Secret Kettle CornWhat You Need to Know:  Rat studies in the early '80s linked propyl gallate to brain cancer. Although these studies don't provide sound evidence, it is advisable to avoid this chemical when possible.

Red #3 & Red #40 Food dyes that are cherry red and orange red, respectively. 
Red #40 is the most widely used food dye in America.Found in: Fruit cocktail, candy, chocolate cake, cereal, beverages, pastries, maraschino cherries, and fruit snacksExample: Yoplait Light Fat Free StrawberryWhat You Need to Know: The FDA has proposed a ban on Red #3 in the past, but so far the agency has been unsuccessful in implementing it. After the dye was inextricably linked to thyroid tumors in rat studies, the FDA managed to have the liquid form of the dye removed from external drugs and cosmetics.

Saccharin An artificial sweetener 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar. Discovered in 1879, it's the oldest of the 5 FDA-approved artificial sweeteners.Found in: Diet foods, chewing gum, toothpaste, beverages, sugar-free candy, and Sweet 'N LowExample: IBC Diet Root BeerWhat You Need to Know: Rat studies in the early '70s showed saccharin to cause bladder cancer, and the FDA, reacting to these studies, enacted a mandatory warning label to be printed on every saccharin-containing product on the market. The mandate was removed after 20 years, but the question over saccharin's safety was never resolved. More recent studies show that rats on saccharin-rich diets gain more weight than those on high-sugar diets.

Yellow #5 & Yellow #6 - The second and third most common food colorings, respectively.Found in: Cereal, pudding, bread mix, beverages, chips, cookies, and condimentsExample: Sunny D OriginalWhat You Need to Know: Several studies have linked both dyes to learning and concentration disorders in children, and there are piles of animal studies demonstrating potential risks such as kidney and intestinal tumors. One study found that mice fed high doses of sunset yellow had trouble righting themselves in water. The FDA does not view these as serious risks to humans.

What would I do without Jillian?!?!

Jillian Michaels posted this article on her facebook page this morning!  I am shocked, appalled, and I WILL be cleaning out my cupboards TODAY!  Are you with me?

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/15-shocking-food-industry-secrets

BOOTCAMP BABY!!!

Bootcamp last night was definitely a challenge, but the rush after we're done is amazing!  I'm not near as sore this morning as I expected to be, which is awesome!  We did about 4 or 5 circuits, each with 4 exercises and we did 4 sets of each circuit.  Each circuit focused on a different part of the body (legs, arms, back/abs, core, etc).  I HAVE to start working out at home on non-bootcamp days as well if I want to meet the goals I set for myself.  I only have 5 weeks of bootcamp left!  Time to get serious and push myself to my limits!  I gotta rock this!

Goals for bootcamp
1. To reach my milestone goal of 229lbs
2. To increase my strength by atleast 50%
3. To complete the mile run in under 12 minutes (currently at 13min38secs)
4. To lose 10 inches total

Cooking my way through...

I also have a cooking/food blog that I updated regularly and I've decided I will take a cue from the movie "Julie and Julia" and cook my way through a cookbook.  Well the first cookbook I'm trying is

The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook - Budget Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love

I won't be posting the recipes here, but please feel free to check my cooking/food blog if you'd like to follow my progress there.

I will still post as usual to this blog regarding the adventure to a better body.

http://www.inmypans.blogspot.com/

BANNING OF THE HAPPY MEAL!?!?!?! AWESOME!

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/11/happy_meal_ban_passes_--_with.php

This is an article that Jillian Michaels posted on her facebook fan page!  I love they are rewarding kids for choosing healthy options, by only including a toy with the healthier choices!  Thank you legislators!!

Bootcamp was amazing last night!  We did our assessments and I was actually a little floored by how well I did.  I guess the working out on my own has really been paying off.  Now it's time to kick it up a notch!  Now, I'm not saying bootcamp is easy at all!  BUT, the feeling afterward is the amazing part.  However, next time I HAVE to remember my inhaler.  I haven't had to use it in probably a year, but doing the mile run last night in the cold and rain...my asthma kicked in and REALLY slowed me down.  I could've gotten a much better time!  13 mins 38 secs though....not too shabby.

BOOTCAMP BABY!!!

Stressing out a little bit about boot camp tonight, but I have two of best girlfriends joining me, so how bad can it be?  I'll definitely keep ya'll updated on that AND my weight loss challenge weigh in.  I'm VERY nervous considering the amount and form of alcohol I consumed on Saturday (drunk gummy bears and LOTS of jello shots).  YIKES!

Bootcamp is at Total Wellness Coaching in Cambridge, MN