Wednesday, December 9, 2009

My Final Stats

Well it turns out that both Valerie and I will be crazy busy from the crack of dawn, until dusk tomorrow so we won't be able to do my final stats at any point. That leaves only early Friday before my flight to Hawaii and Val said a 'hell no' to that hahaha. So we'll have to settle for today's stats!

Weight: 128.8 > 126.4 > 127.6 (Down 1.2 LBS Overall)
Body Fat: 31.0 > 29.8 > 28% (Down 3% Overall)
Fat Mass: 39.93 > 37.76 > 35.75 LBS (Down 4.18 LBS Overall)
Fat Free Mass: 88.87 > 90.57 > 91.87 LBS (Up 3.0 LBS Overall)

Yah! So overall a loss of 1.2 lbs, an improvement in Body Fat Percentage of 3% (aka my ratio of body fat went down by 3% whereas my lean muscle mass improved by 3%).

Total Body Water: 61.82 LBS > 61.68 LBS > 63.93 LBS (Up 2.11 LBS)
Hydration: 48% > 48.8% > 50.1%
You're supposed to be between 50 and 70% so woot, nice to get that up!

Moi:
Shoulders: 39" > 38" > 39.25"
Right Arm: 11" > 10.75" > 10.75"
Upper Chest: 34" > 34" > 34.25"
Chest: 34.75" > 33.5" > 35.25"
Waist: 28.25" > 28 > 28"
Iliaccrest: 36" > 36.75" > 36.5"
Hips: 39.5" > 39.25" > 39"
Right Thigh: 23.75" > 23.25" > 23.5"
Right Calf: 14" > 14" > 14"

All right so at first we see the fat loss and then muscle building in the shoulders, upper chest and chest. We also see some outright leaning out in my arms, the waist, the thighs and the hips.

To be honest I'm not really surprised with only a 0.25" loss in the waist and no change in the calf- my calves have always been large for my body size due to horseback riding while growing up and my waist hasn't been less than 28 since, well, puberty, hahaha.

The Iliacrest is a bit puzzling, isn't it? That's the dreaded 'love handle' there and of course, is the most stubborn. Interesting (and sort of depressing) to know that sucker doesn't even move after a 3% change in body fat. But I suppose there could be other factors as well such as the fact that most of our stats have been done in the morning or early afternoon and these stats are at night before bed (body expansion, yada) and the fact that a... Wendy's burger may have disappeared... in my presence... this evening ;)

Overall, there is a lot that can be done by you- the prospective challenger- to get even better results. I will be posting a list of all of my deviations and cheats once I am back from Hawaii but the quick and dirty are these:

Dairy was included in the first 3 days (merely to eliminate the milk jug)
Fruit (apple) was included in a small amount in the first 5 days (same reason)
A cheat meal occurred twice in the first week, and four times in the second week. Three of the six cheat meals were according to The Zone, but not according to the much stricter rules of this particular challenge, whilst the other three were 'rules out the window'. Think an entire lobster and some butter, two homemade mini-baclavas, and a homemade christmas cookie for those last three, hahaha.

There was one day where a workout was missed (in week 1), and this week 30 minutes of cardio was lost on Monday to accomodate a work item. I also had planned to be active over the weekend between Week 1 and 2 but that was eliminated due to a strain of the rotary cuff during Tuesday of Week 1.

Think of the results you could get yourself, like me, in a mere two weeks without even my allowances ;) Either way, I'm quite pleased with my results. I was particularly impressed by the great show of results in the very first week and overall can see a definite improvement in my body. My arms, shoulders and neck have leaned out and there is pretty definition in those muscle groups. The derrier is sure to have benefited and the Skinny Jeans have returned to my regular wardrobe... plus I don't have to sneak in a loosened upper button at the end of the day like last time I used them! My energy levels are impressively improved- I have been able to do these workouts in the morning, endure an 8 hour day, additional workdays in the week as well as the chaos of working ahead for a vacation, the millions of personal arrangements for the vacation and my move, a busy holiday schedule... and not feel completely wiped. I am quite smitted with working out in the morning now and the way it perks my day up and believe I will continue it- except maybe getting up at 5:30 AM... and working out from 6 - 7:00 AM lol. More sleep and take the train or bus... I have hated driving in rush hour hahaha.

Am I disappointed that I didn't get further results? No. While I am definitely curious about what additional results there would have been without so many deviations in the past week- I know I did impressively well for the season. No latte's with the girls in the morning or afternoon, no junk food at all or processed foods in the cheat meals and I actually completely skipped out on the staff xmas party and it's amazing (sigh, amazing, lol) menu and bottomless wine. Besides- there is life after Hawaii, and the gym calls...

IntenseLiaison, over and out!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Sunday Stats (well sorta)

Valerie and I woke up this morning and realized we had completely forgotten to do our Sunday Stats yesterday. Since I'm impatient and want to know NOW (lol) we did my DIMS and the rest will come this evening:

Moi:
Weight: 128.8 LBS > 126.4 LBS (Down 2.4 LBS)
Body Fat: 31.0% > 29.8% Will be re-done tonight when actually hydrated
Fat Mass: 39.93 LBS > 37.76 LBS (Down 2.17 but will change with Body Fat %)
Fat Free Mass: 88.87 LBS > 90.57 LBS (Up 1.7 LBS, but will also change)
Total Body Water: 61.82 LBS > 61.68 LBS (Down 0.14 LBS)
Hydration: 48% > 48.8% (To be expected first thing in the morning)

Moi:
Shoulders: 39" > 38" (Down 1")
Right Arm: 11" > 10.75" (Down 0.25")
Upper Chest: 34" > 34"
Chest: 34.75" > 33.5" (Down 1.25", don't panic think Bra Fat!)
Waist: 28.25" > 28 (Down 0.25")
Iliaccrest: 36" > 36.75" (Bloated, dehydrated, will be re-done tonight)
Hips: 39.5" > 39.25" (Down 0.25")
Right Thigh: 23.75" > 23.25" (Down 0.5")
Right Calf: 14" > 14"

And to think, this is with 3 cheat meals this weekend (the rest on-plan) and some dairy and apple in the first few days (while eliminating said grocery items). Woot!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Damnit Scottie, we need more power!

This morning it felt like everythin was going in slow motion. Yesterday we woke up on time and did our workout but I didn't have to be in the office and it was difficult to remain energetic (aka not want to fall asleep) without a lengthy to-do list looming over my head. The HR Manager at my office is up at the same early hour every day and goes to bed at 10pm and says she survives with an afternoon or evening nap. I tried it out (30 minutes from 11 - 11:30 am) but it seems to have messed me up. Despite having no caffeine in my system I found myself still awake and trying to get myself asleep at 10:30 pm despite retiring to my room at 9pm.

The bed felt extra cosy and hard to leave. Once up it wasn't too bad but like I said- slow motion. Valerie was also pretty sluggish and we ended up leaving the house later (5:45 AM) and I did just a 1 hour cardio workout. We couldn't do a leg workout as that was yesterday and I couldn't do an upper body workout as my shoulder is still buggerred (turns out it's not the trapezius, but the rotary cuff. The 'Super' Something and Something 'Minor.') The first 20 minutes of cardio were also sluggish... pedaling through the motion without any pep. Got a burst of energy from 20 minutes to 45 minutes on the bike but that died and I wrapped up on the treadmill on an incline.

But hey, we were still up early, we still got to the gym, and we still worked out, RIGHT? Right!

PS - Curiosity got the better of me and I stepped on the body comp scale. I'm down 1.6 pounds and my body fat went from 31 to 28.8% in under a week. Woot! I'm sure there is more there as well- such as how much of that 127.2 lbs. is now Fat-Mass and how much is Fat-Free-Mass. Surely the ratio, as well as the DIMS, have improved as well. I am excited to do stats on Sunday!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Are we there yet?

Well yesterday was an off-day for Valerie and I. My evening plans on Tuesday went much longer than expected and I lost 2 hour for sleeping, and Valerie had to visit a friend in hospital and pretty much lost all of her hours for sleeping. In addition my Trapezius muscle acted up Tuesday morning and his been very sore and has restricted my neck motion so we decided hell, off day!

Since I am on a tighter deadline than Valerie I will compensate for this by going to my cardio kickboxing on Saturday morning, and I already have plans for some rock climbing that day as well. I remained on the meal plan, although with fewer meals, and got out for a 1.5 hour walk on the river dikes as well.

Today was back to the challenge. Val's second alarm didn't go off so I found myself knocking on her door at 5am and telling her that we had to leave soon. She said "What time is it?" I said 4:59am. "But we don't have to leave until 5:15am". Um... *laughs* That's soon! We laughed about it later, hahahaha

I got a solid 7+ hour sleep last night so once I got up I felt good and the workout went well. Val's upper body is still pretty sore from Monday and Tuesday so we'll play tomorrow's workout by ear as to what to include and disclude.

And now, to have a nap!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Dec. 1, 2009

Ok, so I guess it's my turn to wright something now.

I have officially have now been awake for over 24 hours. Today has been intense. Yesterday I received some upsetting news in regards to a family friend. (he is in the hospital and is apparently not doing very well).

So needless to say, I lay awake in bed the whole night crying, tossing & turning. I open my eyes and take a look at the clock (3:19am). Knowing that I now have made a commitment to "The Insane Campaign" I decided to crawl out of bed and make some coffee. It seemed to be the only way of surviving my workout today. There is no missing a workout in this "Insane Campaign". NO EXCUSES. rain or shine tired or not= gym her we come.

The first 20 min was the toughest to get through this morning. I was on the treadmill and all I could think about was my family friend that is in the hospital. I could hardly hold myself together. But I survived. I was tired, but worked out at a much lower intensity than yesterday.

Monday, November 30, 2009

First 5am morning

WHOSE idea was this again?? Oh wait, MINE, lol. I awoke this morning at 4:07 AM to a strange sound, an unfamiliar sound... the sound of Valerie scurrying about. At first I thought perhaps my alarm wasn't set correctly but nope- it wasn't time for me to even get up yet. So I rolled over for another precious 30 minutes.

In a feat such as this- preparation is CRITICAL.

Up at 4:45 am, rolled out of the bed and directly into the set of workout clothes I had laid out. I ventured into the bathroom to wash my face, brush hair, etc. and then the kitchen to microwave my 'lovely' mixture of 1 egg, 1/2 egg whites, and 1/2 cup boiled yams- all prepared in advance. As I sort of expected- my body wasn't even REMOTELY interested in food. I got 3/4 way through the eggs and a spoonful of the yams into my mouth before I capitulated to the nausea and gave up.

Grabbed massive bag (pre-packed) with clothes for the office, full water bottle, towel, ipod, shampoo, conditioner, shoes, makeup, accessories, blow dryer, brushes, food for the day (pre-made) etc. etc. etc. and Valerie and I departed for the gym at about 5:15 am.

At 5:25 am there we were, coming around the corner of the parking lot and all you could see was cars zipping across the parking lot from various directions (yes, completely ignoring the lines)- all to park in a neat little row directly in front of the Fitness World. It was kind of neat. There's a bit of bonding there as you each get out of your car, glance at one another with tired, resigned eyes and march through the doors of the gym.

The cardio went well, with the first fifteen feeling like the toughest. I only have time on an in-office day for a 30 minute break so I found myself literally stuffing the break snack into my mouth, throwing the workout gloves on and heading into the weight room with Valerie. We managed to get through the warm up and back/bicep workout at around 7:45 am, stretched and I hit the showers to get ready for work.

At 12:40 pm I feel a bit of awe when I realize that I've been up for 7 hours, have 6 more hours to work, and then I get to drive in rush hour traffic to the tanning salon. Insane.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Start Pictures

1. Yes I am Madam Blurry Face
2. It is quite apparent that I have no idea how to pose for a fitness competition
3. It is also apparent that horseback riding has rendered me inflexible at the hips LOL










PS - You know you are craving processed foods/bad carbs when the sound of Valerie's HD thinking makes me comment that it sounds like it's eating chips. Mmm... chips...

Sunday Stats

So far so good. I decided that I would get started on the challenge right away since I was on such a tight deadline (two weeks). Friday and Saturday were both on the meal plan and Saturday I did two workouts- 1 hour cardio/break/1 hour upper body workout. Personally I'd prefer not to have today be an off-day but who is kidding who- it's 4pm, I need to be up at 5am for the first time (and get Valerie up) and go to the office afterward... some preparations are going to be necessary this evening and an early bedtime.

It's Sunday, so that means Stats!

Moi:
Weight: 128.8 LBS
Body Fat: 31.0%
Fat Mass: 39.93 LBs
Fat Free Mass: 88.87 LBS
Total Body Water: 61.82 LBS
Hydration: 48% (aka Jen is dehydrated and needs to bottle up. Goal: 50 - 60%)

Val:
Weight: 193.2 LBS
Body Fat: 39.6%
Fat Mass: 76.51 LBS
Fat Free Mass: 116.69 LBS
Total Body Water: 83.35 LBS
Hydration: 43.4% (Neener I'm more hydrated)

But enough of this blah blah, onto the DIMS!

Moi:
Shoulders: 39"
Right Arm: 11"
Upper Chest: 34"
Chest: 34.75"
Waist: 28.25"
Iliaccrest: 36"
Hips: 39.5"
Right Thigh: 23.75"
Right Calf: 14"

Val:
Shoulders: 45"
Right Arm: 16"
Upper Chest: 39.25"
Chest: 43"
Waist: 34.75"
Iliaccrest: 43.75"
Hips: 44"
Right Thigh: 26.5"
Right Calf: 17.25"

Start off pictures coming, with the fabulous 'how to pose' tutorial by Valerie.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Slight Change

Well we were going to go to Hawaii the last week of December as it was the most convenient (and I wouldn't miss any work with my office being closed). Unfortunately it didn't dawn on me right away that- of course- that would include New Years so the cost of the vacation packages vs. what they included didn't really suit our own purposes of the trip- outdoors, exploring, hiking, rock climbing, enjoyment of local flora and fauna. So the decision was made to go before the holiday madness- which is the week of December 12 - 18.

Of course this now means I only have two weeks (quite literally!) for my end of the challange, but Valerie is going to do the full four weeks. As a result, my own nutrition/diet plan has been rachetted up in it's strictness. I have 4 protein options, two with restrictions, 4 carb options, 2 fat options and then a short list of low-glycemic-value veggies (final meal of the day to only include veggies, no other carbs). Joy. I will also need to do my best to include a trip to my 30 minute cardio kickboxing circuit in the evenings- that is, in addition to our 5:30 AM cardio/break/weight workout in the morning. Insane!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

The Big (Insane) Idea

During one of the sixty minutes between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM this morning a spontaneous and insane plan attacked me. I was going to Hawaii, and it was happening in four weeks. In the following 30 minutes the rose-glasses excitement suddenly and voilently faded with the realization that- in Hawaii- there are no layers of clothing to hide behind.

Now, I'm no heffer (scoffing noises from friends can be heard). I'm 28, 131 pounds, wear a size 6- not too much to complain about. In fact, over the last year I've greatly improved my fitness level and completely overhauled my eating habits (details in the About Me). But you know how us girls are- when I stand in front of the mirror my eyes zero in on that little wiggle under my arm, between my thighs, and on the underside of my derrier. IT MUST BE ABOLISHED!

I panicked, ran about the room and unleashed a verbal litany of 'oh my god!'s on my roommate Valerie. Valerie just smirked at me and said 'I can chisel abs onto you in four weeks. I've done it before for a client in three.'

See Valerie is a personal trainer at Fitness World and one of the reasons her and I moved together was our automatic compatability on the health and nutrition front. No garbage in the house, clean eating, no pizza deliveries, no take out containers, no bag of cookies in the cupboard, and fitness goals.

And so The Insane Campaign was hatched. Her and I would embark on a lean strategic diet, and a strategic fitness program and over the course of the next four weeks would finish what her and I had been working on all year to achieve and probably would have let slide into 2010 otherwise.

Workouts will be done in the morning- achieving my goal of not interfering with my self employed, often chaotic work schedule of the day and evening- and achieving her goal of being able to take on early morning clients in the future.

We are up at 5:00 AM (Insane), our workouts are 5:30 AM - 8:00 AM (Insane), sometimes I will be showering and changing at the gym to then drive to my office in Vancouver (Insane) and if I can manage it- the 30 minute cardio kickboxing gym circuit on the way home (Insane). A strict meal plan will be drawn up to include and disclude critical items for leaning down (Insane), will quota cheat meals (Insane), and eliminate non-veg/fruit carbs and dairy in the last week (Insane).

[Did I also forget to mention that I move the day before our flight leaves? I have to pack in all of this!]

But, I've done a fitness challenge before and I am ready for it again. So has Valerie. Val's weakness is waking early- I will bang on her door, tear away her blankets, turn the light on and jump up and down on her bed if I have to. My weakness is working out with muscles that are already sore- Valerie will help me to learn when it is and is not okay to push a sore muscle- and it will all around likely cripple me of the ability to walk in heels LOL.

Sunday November 29, 2009 we will record our 'Stats' (weight, BMI and dimensions)

We start Monday, November 30, 2009.

During this ridiculous INSANE campaign we will blog our frustrations, our hatreds of each other, our lust for processes food, record our 'stats' weekly and take pictures. I figure it will be an excellent marketing tool for Val come January 1 when we're done- and about the time that everyone else is guiltily making their way to the gym!