Finish Strong

So lots to update you on...First of all, my 10k is done. Not only done, I think I kicked its a**. I did my first ever 6.2 mile run in 55 minutes 24 seconds! It was really great. It was a beautiful trail through Paynes Prairie, great weather and my wonderful husband even ran it with me... six minutes slower but still with me! ( I mention this now because I am sure I will never be able to beat him again!) He even wants to know when the next race is.

Now the hard part, I am starting to plateau and I have three weeks left. Time to finish strong and with no excuses. I am close too. We just did our physiographs and I am down 10.76% body fat in 12 weeks (that comes out to 18.4 lbs of fat). The two leaders have lost 12.1 % and 12.11% of body fat respectively. I have to push hard to get there but here is to the last three weeks! Danielle and April be warned...I am coming for you both!

8 is great!

I feel like I have been Debbie Downer every time I write so here goes a little more upbeat post...

Wow. I am grateful for this opportunity. I don't even really know where to start except to tell you that this is amazing. I am eight weeks down and about six weeks to go and I am really happy with the progress. I don't know exactly where I thought I would be but I can tell you I certainly wouldn't have gotten here without SweatLife or Giggle creating and picking me for this competition.

So the stats for 8 weeks...I have lost 17lbs of body fat, 3 inches off my abdomen, and 3 inches off my hips. I am not sure how it got that bad but I really needed a good kick in the *ss to get it off. The best part is I feel great! I am really into running right now and Dan (our awesome trainer at SweatLife) certainly keeps things interesting the 3 days we spend with him per week. Also, I am loving these awesome women I get the honor of working out with 3 plus times a week. They are hysterical, sassy, hardworking, encouraging, kick*ss ladies. Not to mention tough competition!

So now time to keep my head down and continue to work hard because I am loving the results. I would really love to win but in all honesty (and yes I know this sounds cheesy), I have really already won just by getting to participate. So thank you again to Giggle Magazine, Sweat Life Fitness and my fellow BWLC girls! Let's see how much more we can loose!

http://www.gigglemag.com/
http://www.sweatlifefitness.com/

The SPARK

So to help us get over the hump Dan (our amazing SweatLife Trainer) asked us to go on the SPARK diet. In Dan's words it is supposed to "ignite your metabolism, break through plateaus". The long and short of this diet is for the first week nothing but lean protein and veggies...lots of them. No fruit. No dairy. No grains or beans. Especially nothing processed! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Are you kidding me! That was my first response. Then was the thought that I absolutely can't do this. but I am 6 and 3/4 days through this and guess what? I did it. I wasn't 100% faithful but at least 90%. I am really hoping to see the payoff on the scale tomorrow. Now for the second week we get to add in high octane carbohydrates...fruit and some grains. Wow, never did I ever think that adding fruit or oatmeal to my diet would be so exciting.

Here is a recipe for chili that helped get me through this week.
Jennie-O Extra Lean Ground Turkey, 16 oz
*1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*1/2cup Onions, chopped
*1/2cup Carrots, chopped
*1/2cup Green Peppers, chopped
*1/2cup Celery, chopped
*1/2cup Parsley, fresh* (I omitted the parsley and added zucchini)
1can (15oz) Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes
*1can (15oz) Tomato Sauce*1can (8oz) Tomato Sauce
*1pkg McCormick Mild Chili Mix*

Drizzle in Extra Virgin Olive oil in large skillet (with glass lid). Brown Ground Turkey (but don't let it burn!!)-Add in onions, carrots, green peppers, celery, and parsley and somewhat "stirfry". Once those are nice and married, add in can of Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add in 1/2 package of Chili Mix.Let this simmer for about an hour.

Dan- you will get a kick out of this. I just realized that this recipe came from a spark recipe website!

Alright, so about 8 weeks down and 6 weeks to go. Let's do this!

I must get over the hump!

Okay. I apologize. I am a complete slacker. I could go on and on with excuses but I haven't blogged in two weeks so I am sorry. Here goes the recap of what you have missed...

In my last post, I talked about dissappointment with a lack of results. The next day I got some great news. Even though the scale only shows 5lbs of weight loss, my physiograph showed that I gained 2lbs of muscle and 2lbs of fluid (my trainer said that is normal with muscle gains). So that means that my total fat loss is .... wait for it... 9lbs in 4 weeks! As I am sure that you can imagine, I was totally stoked!!!!

Now the big butt...no not that butt--the But I am only 6 weeks in. I feel like this is the hardest stretch. I am totally starting to crave sweets. (Oh how wonderful just one little cookie would be!) Meals are starting to get repetitive. Food planning is getting more difficult. We have about 8 weeks left and I really need to stay focused. Eyes on the prize!!!! I love my fellow BWLC girls but the competitive side of me has to try and win this thing or I don't I can keep the same intensitity. So any great snack or meal ideas...shoot them my way. Keep my fatty cravings at bay!

As for the training aspect of this challenge, I think that is my strength. I really enjoy the workouts. On the days off from the SweatLife gym, I am looking forward the my exercise for the day. And Rob is awesome at making sure that I get my workout in no matter what. Right now I am training for a 10k race, Trail of Payne on March 17th. I am pretty comfortable at 3 miles right now but I have not attempted anything over 3 miles since my freshman year of high school. Wish me luck! I am trying to add a half mile a week up to the race...we'll see.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. Talk to you soon.
Amanda

http://sweatlifefitness.com/
www.gigglemag.com

4 weeks down...10 weeks to go

So I have been a little delinquent on my blog lately sorry! Every time I went to sit down and write I just couldn't quite figure out what I want to say. I think that is probably because I am not to proud of my numbers so far... but full disclosure here right!?! We had our 3 week 2 day weigh in and I am only down three pounds. We did not do our full stats because the machine was broken but we should get our fat % etc on Thursday. I know that I should be happy with three pounds...everyone keeps telling me it is a healthy weight loss in three weeks, but let's be honest-- I have been working my butt off! I haven't cheated and I have only taken like two days off from exercising this whole time. That coupled with the 8 to 11 pound losses of all of my other BWLC girls (so awesome for them!)-I am just frustrated. The good news is I am staying motivated. I just want to drop some weight already!!!

Thanks again for all of your support! On days that I don't want to eat what I should or I am trying to keep the motivation to get the girls in the stroller so I can workout, your support is what makes it happen!


http://sweatlifefitness.com/
http://www.gigglemag.com/

A good week

So what to tell you about this week? Last week I was disappointed that I didn't loose more weight but this week the scale did continue to creep down! That was very exciting for me but the best part is really how I feel. And to be honest, I feel great. I have a ton of energy (not caffeine induced- I have only had about two cups of coffee in three weeks!). I can't wait to work out everyday and I can actually see this being a lifestyle change. That being said the food is a challenge in that I have to be really prepared. Fresh food has to be cooked fresh and I need new supplies often as it spoils more quickly.

One of my new favorites is a Mediterranean chicken salad. You take one to two diced cooked chicken breasts, add artichokes, capers, calamata olives, tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt- garlic and other seasonings to taste. I love it even more in acorn squash. I am also a new fan of spiced baked chickpeas as a nice crunchy snack when everyone else is eating chips.

So that is about all for this week. Nothing crazy exciting but I am really trying to stick with the new diet for our whole family. The exercise is a welcome return for me but I still am needing to be very intentional with the menu. No slips if I want to win this thing right!?!

As a side note, thanks for all of the support. You don't know how much it means to me to get a comment or little note. I don't think I would be successful in this journey without you!

A disapointment...

So we are off and running! Lots of great workouts with Dan, my trainer from Sweatlife Fitness. I find myself excited for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. And I have found time this week to workout in some manner every day. Then Dan suggests an impromtu weigh in...yuck. Not what I have been looking forward to. I think it just exposes my biggest fear doing this contest. That I will not lose the weight. That being said, I did the weigh in and only lost 1lb. This was not a horrible thing but still hard to swallow when everyone else lost 5 -7 lbs in their first week. I am going to take this as a motivator. Something to continue to inspire me if I don't want to workout or want to cheat and eat something bad. I think I was kidding myself into believing that I should see fantastic results for working out and eating well for a week. So almost two weeks down and only like 25+ lbs to go!