Wow...

So it's been three weeks since I last blogged. And I will admit what I told one of my best friends today - I have been slipping. And she told me that it's in my head. That I need to overcome my own mental blocks and then I will be able to accomplish my goals. I started classes again this week - 1 online and 1 on campus. My on campus class meets two nights a week cutting my available gym time down to 5 days. It's been very hard to keep on track. I'll go two or three weeks hardcore at the gym, and I'll see changes that continue to motivate me and then suddenly I am where I am now. I haven't been to the gym since Monday and I haven't been keeping track of my eating the way I should be.
But as my friend pointed out these are my own issues coming to light. I need to re-focus and keep myself on track. Tomorrow is a new day (again) and I have to wake up again and start over. And that's just what I am going to do.

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich

It's been a while

Well my friends, it's been a while since I've written anything. I'm not going to make any excuses other than to say it's typical of me to stop something just when it's started. Luckily, my lack of blogging is no reflection on my overall attitude/exercise ethic.

I have again decided to make a change on my blog. I find it to be very time consuming and overwhelming to track my food and post it not only on Sparkpeople but then again here. So, going forward I will keep my blog simple and straight to the point.

My work outs have been going great and I've been trying my best to stick to my diet. It hasn't always been easy and there are many distractions, but overall I'm proud of my accomplishments thus far.

We have been doing a lot of work around the house and preparing for our new addition! That's right, we are adding a new member to our family! No, I'm not pregnant (yet) but we will be bringing home a Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy on June 28th! She was born on May 10th and her name is Bentley. We are super excited because we know having her as part of our family will only make us that more active, between outdoor hikes and walks. Now we just have to hope that this summer isn't like the ones of years past when it's been rainy and cold.

I can feel and see the changes in myself...but my abs are really starting to take shape. I can see the definition on all sides and when I look in the mirror I'm proud of them! I can't wait to see how my bathing suits look this summer!

Thank you for sticking with me even when I've been ignoring my blogging duties! Until next time...

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich

Bad Raichael!

Oh brother -- haven't blogged since SUNDAY! As B'Ster would say "Bad News Bears!" I'm not really sure I'm going to be able to remember everything since then but I'll give it a go.


I will start by saying I have not seen the inside of my gym since Sunday morning... The old me would justify it or make excuses, but there are none to be had. Monday night I was just lazy and knew B'Ster wasn't going to be home so I wanted some time to myself, Tuesday night I wanted to spend time with B'Ster and yesterday (although I had every intention of going) I couldn't tear myself away from the renovations we are doing around the house. At least yesterday I did something physical.


Somehow though I managed to also lose complete track of my eating this week. I haven't eaten nearly enough carbs to maintain my energy and the food that I have actually been eating has been fairly terrible. I can't even remember what I had for dinner on Monday so my numbers are all over the place!



Monday was a long day at work. First day back after a weekend usually is. Got quite a bit done however and felt accomplished. It was my first Monday since January without class (I have a two week break before summer session starts) and because of that I just didn't feel like going to the gym. I went home, curled up on the couch with some sort of food I'm sure and watched TV until B'Ster got home.

Food Diary:

• Breakfast: Honey nut cheerios, black coffee
• Snack: 2 rice cakes w/1 tbls low fat peanut butter eac
• Lunch: 3oz turkey burger w/1 tbls ketchup; 1 cup pasta salad
• Snack: Pure Protein bar - chocolate & peanut butter flavored
• Dinner: I truly don't remember!

Carb/Fat/Protein Breakdown (not counting dinner)

• Fat: 27.9% - under goal
• Carb: 47.1% - under goal
• Protein: 25.0% - under goal
  (**it seems a little strange to me that some days I eat 21% protein and I meet goal (see Tuesday) but today I'm under ... I still haven't figured out the tracking)

Exercise:

• Zip, Zero, Nada ....

Tuesday was a better day at work, my boss asked me to do a mailing to roughly 800 people so the majority of my day was consumed with reorganizing my list, creating the mail merge and the scouring the office looking for the appropriate labels. I spent about 3 hours on that project alone (and it continues today) so that was great. I was able to get out for a quick walk at lunch, in the freezing cold ... I don't know what's going on but seriously we're half way into May - where is the warmth?

Food Diary:

• Breakfast: Honey nut cheerios, black coffee
• Snack: 2 rice cakes w/1 tbls low fat peanut butter each
• Lunch: 1 can tuna fish 1/2 tbls Light Miracle Whip on a small hot dog bun; 1 cup pasta salad
• Snack: Nothing
• Dinner: 4 (yes that's FOUR) pieces Domino's pepperoni pizza

Carb/Fat/Protein Breakdown:

• Fat: 28.1% - met goal
• Carb: 50.1% - met goal
• Protein: 21.8% - met goal
  (see why I'm confused, something isn't jiving here with the numbers ... perhaps I'm doing something wrong? -- also while I managed to meet all my goals, I went over in calories due to the very unhealthy nature of my food)

Exercise:

• Quick (20 minute) walk at lunch

Wednesday I took the day off from work. With everything that went down last week I really needed the mental health day, plus B'Ster needed my help to finish putting the flooring down on our new deck! We woke up around 8am, made breakfast together, watched some old school TV (Fresh Prince & Saved By the Bell) and then headed outside at 9am to get started. We worked straight through until 7pm only stopping once for a quick lunch and to run to Home Depot for more supplies. By the time I had finished cooking dinner and we ate, we were exhausted! A very productive day nevertheless!

Food Diary:

• Breakfast: 1 egg + 1/4 cup egg white scrambled w/2 oz mozz. cheese; 1/2 hamburger bun grilled; black coffee
• Snack: 1 Nature's Valley Peanut Butter granola bar
• Lunch: 1 piece Domino's pepperoni pizza
• Snack: handful of Triscuit thin crisps
• Dinner: Cajun Shrimp Stir Fry w/brown rice

Carb/Fat/Protein Breakdown:

• Fat: 31.6% - under goal
• Carbs: 39.7% - under goal
• Protein: 28.7% - met goal
  (just adding to my confusion regarding the numbers... I think I'm going to have to spend more time looking at them)

Exercise:

• Does working on the deck, lifting 2x8's all day count for anything?

And today is a new day ... so far food wise I've been good and I'm going to go to the gym after work and try to get in two set of body parts to make up for my lack of intense exercise this week ... I have to get back on track - I keep letting stupid things sideline me and if I continue going like this I'll never meet my ultimate goal...

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich

10 Days....

Until my next set of pictures! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the difference (if there is one) between the two sets!


It's also only 12 days until my next set of measurements... twice a month measurements, once a month pictures.


T has me scheduled for my next body fat test the third week in June (8 weeks after the first one) but I'm hoping I can convince her to do one on the 22nd of this month (4 weeks). I emailed her to see if it would be counter-productive to my training and am just waiting to hear back... Eek!

Freaking out here! Gotta get back on track and FAST!

Stay Strong!

xoxox Raich

I have ZERO will-power!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Ugh, I don't even know where to start with this one. The only plus to my day was that I started it by going to the gym. I forced myself to get up (even though I could have stayed in bed all day) and get ready. It was surprisingly cold out yesterday morning, which was a bummer considering the amazingly beautiful weather we've been having lately. I actually had to put long pants on over my gym shorts!

I got to the gym and was surprised by how many MEN were there. I swear I only saw maybe a half dozen women in the time I was there. I sincerely hope that the men that were there either don't have wives or children because if B'Ster went to the gym on Mother's Day I'd probably kill him! Hehe!

Needless to say there was no difficulty getting the machines/weights I needed. I jumped on the treadmill for 30 minutes to warm up - set it at 10% and 4.0 mph. After that I headed over to do weights. I think I need to mix up my bicep/tricep work out. I've been trying to save my legs for when I work out with T because they need the most work, but I'm afraid that my triceps/biceps will start to plateau if I don't mix it up. She and I have worked my legs, shoulders and abs but we haven't hit back/arms so maybe I will rearrange my work outs this week so she and I can target those this week... we'll see how I feel.

Anyway, I was smart enough to bring all my shower stuff to the gym, so I got ready for the rest of my day there. By the time I was cleaned up it was 12:30pm. B'Ster was getting out of work around that time so I hit the road to try to get home before him. I didn't! He was already home and mowing the lawn by the time I got there. I walked around back to say hello and the first thing he said was "Wow! You look so pretty today!" ... It was awesome! And I felt pretty too.

After a brief conversation with him I went inside to start cooking and getting ready for dinner. We finished up our chores around 3:30pm and collapsed on the couch. His family wasn't coming until 6pm so we had some time to relax and watch TV. We caught up on a few episodes of Lost before everyone arrived.

We spent the next 3 hours eating, talking and laughing... this is the part that gets ugly. I tried to create a healthy BBQ with turkey burgers, hot dogs, whole wheat rolls, whole wheat pasta salad, regular green salad, potato salad (I didn't eat) and angel-food cake layered with vanilla ice cream & orange sherbet.

It probably would have been healthy if I had managed to control my will-power... but alas I did not and am horrified at what I ate. I honestly am afraid at what Sparkpeople is going to spit out at me for my totals... but here it goes...

Food Log:

• Breakfast: Honeynut Cheerios w/skim milk
• Snack: Nothing
• Lunch: Nothing
• Appetizer: Tricuit Thin crisps, tabbouleh salad; Wheat Thins, cheddar cheese
• Dinner: 3oz turkey burger w/cheese, ketchup & BBQ sauce on a whole wheat bun; hot dog w/ketchup & mustard on a whole wheat bun; 1 cup pasta salad; 2 cups green salad
• Dessert: 2 slices Angel Food cake

Carb/Fat/Protein Breakdown:

• Fat: 33.0% - over goal (by 3)
• Carbs: 50.8% - met goal
• Protein: 16.2% - met goal

I guess it really wasn't so bad after all considering that I did burn quiet a few calories at the gym before eating like a fool.

Exercise Log:

• Bicep Curls
• Hammer Curls
• Concentration Curls
• Tricep Extension
• Lying Extension
• Kick Backs
• Push Downs
• Treadmill - 10% incline, 4.0 mph

Tonight I have school which means no exercise but I think my body is dying for a day off anyway. As I said to my friend Jami today, I am super disciplined with my work outs (maybe overly so) but I just can't figure out the food thing ... I did bring a protein bar (a kind that T recommend) & rice cakes w/peanut butter for snacks today (T recommended) so hoping that I can eventually get the food thing down ...

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich

Rainy Gloomy Day

It's only 9pm and I am exhausted. Why you ask? Well, let's start with the thunderstorm last night, followed by the rain all day, the ridiculously amazing work out I had this morning and all the errands and chores I've been doing since - I truly could collapse. But alas, tomorrow is Mother's Day which means more cleaning, cooking and preparing before I can rest.

B'Ster and I woke up this morning (after tossing and turning all night because of the storm) and had breakfast. He's been so supportive about my new eating habits - he made me egg-white scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and a cup of black coffee. It was the perfect way to start my day. After breakfast I went directly to the gym to meet with T. She had some serious plans in mind for me this morning. She threw me on a few new machines today and my legs were total jelly when she was done with me. Unfortunately, because I was a little late getting to the gym I had to wait and do my cardio after my weight training. Needless to say, there was no running today. I set the Treadmill to 0.5% incline and walked at 3.5 mph. Then I jumped on the Arc Trainer for an additional 25 minutes. The Arc Trainer isn't my favorite machine. It makes me feel like Tony Little in those Gazelle commercials. The only reason I used it today because I felt like it would stretch out my legs - which it did.

After my two hour stint at the gym, I headed to the mall to buy my Mother's Day presents ... took me two hours due to the frenzy over Pandora bracelets and beads. Once that task has been accomplished I headed over to my in-law's flower shop. They are always insanely busy on Mother's Day so I tend to stop in with coffee and snacks as a little pick-me up. I visited with them for few hours then did a few more errands before coming home.

Needless to say I forgot to eat lunch today because I was so busy, so I ended up eating two pieces of cheese pizza at the flower shop.... I PROMISE one of these days I will stick to my food requirements 100%...

Food Log:

• Breakfast: egg-white scramble, turkey bacon & black coffee
• Snack: nothing
• Lunch: 2 pieces cheese pizza
• Snack: nothing
• Dinner: 6oz shredded chicken (there I go again), 2 tbls light BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese; skim milk

Carb/Fat/Protein Breakdown:

• Fats: 31.7% - met goal
  
• Carbs: 37.4% - under goal
  
• Protein: 30.9% - met goal

Exercise:

• Hack Squat
• Leg Press
• Dead lifts
• Seated Leg Extension
  
• Lying Leg Curl (20/20/20/20lbs)
  
• Reverse Bosu Crunches (no weight)
  
• Regular Bosu Crunches (no weight)
  

(I didn't bring my book home today so I don't have my numbers - I will update tomorrow)

Overall, it was a good day - definitely lacking in the nutrition dept and I'm starting to require more and more sleep ... we'll see how I hold up tomorrow with Mother's Day and everything.

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich

TGIF!

Thank goodness Friday is finally here. This week has been fairly awful for me at work and I'm just so glad that I am going to be able to escape for the next two days straight. Granted, I have a ton of things scheduled over the weekend, since it's Mother's Day and all but nevertheless I can't wait until 5pm tonight!

Yesterday was an *okay* food day. But I have realized that I need to expand my food horizons. I have been eating chicken like it's going out of style. Part of the reason is because B'Ster is allergic (yes you read that right) to any kind of poultry and the other part is just solely because I like it! That being said, I really need to introduce other sources of protein into my diet otherwise I can picture myself falling off the wagon very quickly, very soon!

I also was able to muster up the energy to get myself to the gym last night. Around 3:30pm my eyes started feeling heavy, and I truly could have taken a nap at my desk, but I forced myself to go. And I'm definitely glad I did. Going to the gym has now become a routine instead of something I dread. It used to be that if I didn't go I felt guilty but now if I don't go I feel like my day isn't complete - and for that I'm very happy! The gym was practically empty last night for the first time in a while, but I'm starting to see familiar faces each night - I get the "head nod" from a lot of the guys now which makes me feel less like an imposter and more like part of the crowd you know?

So with tonight being Friday and it being a huge night in sports for the city of Boston (Sox, Celt & Bruins playing!) I anticpate the gym to be even more barren than last evening. At least I know I won't have to wait around for a machine. But, does it make me look pathetic that I will be at the gym on a Friday night until about 8:30pm? How I wish I had plans instead ...

Food Log:

• Breakfast: Nature Valley Oats & Honey Granola Bar
• Snack: Yoplait Greek Yogurt w/vanilla & honey
• Lunch: Grilled Buffalo chicken wrap w/potato chips
• Snack: Homemade trail mix (cheerios, almonds, pumpkin seed & semi sweet chocolate chips)
• Dinner: 3oz shredded chicken w/spinach, bread crums & pasta sauce; skim milk

Carbs/Fat/Protein Breakdown:

• Fat: 35.6% - over goal (by 1!)
• Carbs: 44.0% - met goal
• Protein: 20.3% - met goal

Exercise:

• 30 minutes Treadmill - 15 minutes running 5.5mph 0.5% incline, 15 minute 3.5mhp 12%incline
• 6lb Double Crunch
• 6lb Straight Arm/Leg Crunch
• 6lb Straight Arm/Leg Pulses
• Single Arm Raise (8/8/8/10lbs)
• Lateral Raise Machine (20/25/30/30lbs)
• Incline Bench Raise (8/8/8/8lbs)
• Calf Raises (62.5/75/82.5/100lbs)
• Seated Calf Raises (35/45/55/65lbs)

Stay Strong!
xoxox Raich