DragonMommy

Yes, thank you for the perspective! I can definitely feel a difference between when I do it right and when I don't. I'm loving it so far Monday CrossFit recap (6/29): We practiced more lifting form, front squats this time (I was NOT good at them, had to use a box for help at the bottom of my squat), warmed up with a 200m run (I ran about half of it). Then our WOD was 20 pushups, 20 situps, 20 air squats, one arm KB presses (10 each side), 20 lunges (10 each leg) and run the parking lot and back, about 100m. My husband finished in 7:30, I finished (with lots of scaling) in 9:28, the last of the 3 people in our class. BUT I was super stoked that I finished in less than 10 minutes! I'll probably update more later, had a pretty good week with CrossFit, but now I have to go light sparklers with my girls! Happy Fourth!!

I have a stupid zombie too!!! I've found it doesn't come out near as much with CrossFit because there are other people around to help shout it down. Perhaps you could play a recording of you cheering yourself on, or inspirational quotes, or badass girl music, or whatever you need to tell the zombies to STFU. I'm glad you realized you actually did ok. The day was not a failure in any way. If anything, it was good for you to realize that there are some negative thoughts inside you that you can deal with and overcome. I can be a real Debbie Downer sometimes, but having strategies in place to combat that helps. I hope next week you enjoy your lazy day and there are no zombies in sight. Keep up the good work, you're doing awesome!

That's a great quote!! This weekend has been... blah. We went out spontaneously last night and ate some pizza... And I had a beer. I know we're allowed a cheat meal every now and then but I am paying for it today. I was up 3 pounds of pure bloat and felt disgusting. Never. Again. Friday night at CrossFit we practiced more presses, jerks, and deadlifts but only with PVC pipe, just going through the motions. Then we did Kettle Bell swings (which I love!) and learned how to do wall balls (which I still liked but don't love as much). Then our WOD was EMOM (each minute on the minute) 8 kettle bell swings and 4 wall balls. First I started out with a 20 lb kb, after the 5th round they switched me out to a 25lb kb. I was feeling really good with 20 but they thought I could do more, and I did, for 2 rounds. Then I was so winded after the 7th round (only the 2nd with 25lb) I had to completely sit out the 8th and catch my breath. Then I finished the 9th and 10th rounds with the 20lb KB and 10 lb wall ball. I felt really good, and actually kept up with the class for the most part, even beating some of the guys in the first rounds. For most of them I had about 30 seconds of rest in between, which I didn't expect! The last two were harder, but still had plenty of time to rest. I felt SO good afterward! And again, the support from everyone to keep going was amazing. There were a couple experienced female members that came over to my corner and cheered me a long and told me how good my form looked, how great I was doing. It seriously makes all the difference in the world. Why didn't I try this sooner??? Really looking forward to class tomorrow and swearing off gluten forever!!

Ugh, I just can't update every day like I wanted to! Life has gotten crazy!! But that's good, it means I don't have time to be lazy (sort of...) Anyway, thank you all for the support and encouragement. I'm actually really liking CrossFit. I hate it in the moment, but I'm always excited to go, and I feel really good once I'm done. Wedensday was our second class, and I actually really enjoyed everything we learned. We got the bar out and learned how to do presses. I used a 35 lb bar, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift it, but I did! The coach was really awesome, he saw my skepticism and said, "I saw you at the beginning thinking you couldn't do it. You're stronger than you thought, huh??" That really resonated with me. It was exciting. I haven't felt like that in I don't know how long, maybe never... Then we got to our WOD. Blah. It was 3 rounds 15 ball slams and 8 burpees (modified for me) for time. My husband finished first at 3 minutes and 20 some seconds. I finished last, a full minute behind the 2nd to last person, at 5m 45s. And I felt like I might throw up. But, that last minute when everyone was cheering for me and believing in me when I didn't, it was amazing. I couldn't believe I kept going. A month ago I would have quit. I feel a little bit more proud of myself every time I go, and I think that's what's so great about it and why people keep going back. Tonight is our 3rd class, and I'm excited to see how it goes. I expect to be super sore this weekend! My husband is a man of few words. He is much more fit than I am so I think right now it's fairly easy for him. But I do think he likes it because he sees me doing it and enjoying it, which is kind of new for me. We both really like the philosophy of CrossFit, functional movement, using your body as the machine instead of machines at the gym. So I know he's on board. I wouldn't say he loves it, but I think he likes doing it with me, and I'd hear about it if he hated it

Oh I forgot to say I had to heavily modify the workout. I did wall pushups and these knee pull up things on a box instead of sit-ups. But still a great workout!

Had my first CrossFit session today! It was really good. We did a nice warmup, learned some functional movements, then did our very first WOD. 3 pushups, 5 sit-ups, 7 air squats As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) for 12 minutes. I got through 10 rounds plus 13 Reps. My husband got through 16 rounds plus 8 Reps. I was so tired and hatred it the whole time. I couldn't believe time was moving so slow. But then I got home and didn't feel wiped out like usual. I felt SO GOOD! I'm actually really looking forward to going back on Wednesday. I think I might have found my place, but it still seems too early to tell...

I really did like the kettlebells, my problem is in having the self motivation to make myself DO the workouts. So I lost track of what days I have done and what I ate and all that jazz. I haven't lost any more weight, dropped 2 pounds the first week, and now I'm at a stand still. I've gone off the diet a couple of times, and today especially because our goddaughter was baptized and we went out to a luncheon. Anyway, I did get 2 kettle bell workouts in, one upper body, one lower body, one stretching day. I liked it but I definitely didn't push myself hard enough. BUT... I called the CrossFit gym and talked to the owner. I was probably on the phone with him for 15 minutes asking all kinds of questions. He seemed really nice, he was very open and made me feel very at ease that they wouldn't push me to go out of my abilities or hurt myself. So, tomorrow my husband and I start 6 weeks of Couch to CrossFit! It's M-W-F for an hour each evening. I'm super excited but also really nervous. Like, so nervous that typing about it right now makes me feel a bit nauseated from anxiety. I'm sure it will be fine after the first class, but I'm SO nervous!! Wish me luck, I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow...

Blah, I'm posting from my phone, can you tell?? *check it out and *prize not peruse Lol

Great start! I'm sure it's fine for you to be with us newbies. I've never heard of that diet before so I'll have to check out out. You have an awesome goal of being able to travel, keep your eye on the peruse, you can do it! Good luck!!

I'm kind of making my own split program from different exercises I've found. I'll post about it on my thread later today

You're doing so great!! Your hunger ratings seem to be going well. I need to get on that yoga app and try it out, those routines all sound so good, and I'm going to need it after my kettle bells this week!!

After taking to my husband I feel like I have SO many options. He was super encouraging about CrossFit, said he'd do it with me, but if I don't feel ready maybe to do more body weight stuff until I feel better. He also mentioned a guy he used to work with owns a gym, it's more boxing and martial arts plus fitness classes on the side, so I might try that since it's someone in familiar with and he's a super nice guy. I also dusted off my kettle bells that have just been sitting in the closet and found some workouts that look fun. Tomorrow I'll do arms, Friday legs, Saturday yoga, Sunday rest. Then re-evaluate next week. Thank you all for your support, I do plan on calling the CrossFit gym and at least seeing what they have to say, but if I don't have a plan for what I do until then, I know I'll do nothing. So kettle bells tomorrow!!

Day 8: (June 15th) I was sick as a dog with a stomach bug. NOTHING got done. Didn't really eat much except bone broth, kombucha, had a salad at dinner when I was perking up a bit. Most of the day I just felt disgusting. Rested. No workout Day 9 (June 16th): Exceeded my step goal by 2000 steps! B: Usual eggs with sauteed veggies and a bit of sausage and cheese. L: Curry chicken salad w/ apple and raisin, hummus and peppers, a few nut thins. S: Apple and cheese, some dark chocolate D: Taco salad (no shell). Walked to Braum's with the family, had a scoop of White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Then walked home. Water: 2L (I didn't pay as much attention to this as I should have, really pushing it today!) I didn't sleep well the night before, due to the toddler and still feeling ill. Last night, I stayed up until after midnight. Just couldn't quiet my mind down. Then the girls woke us up at 7. I've been averaging about 6-6.5 hours a night. I want to get to sleeping at LEAST 7, but closer to 8. I'm honestly hating the BBWW. HATE it. I think it's because I'm all by myself. I always feel good afterward, but there's nothing to push me when I think I can't go anymore. I'm just having a really hard time finding that motivation within myself to keep going. Walking is easy, I can do that. Cardio comes easy (ish), I can do Zumba or TurboKick and feel great. But doing the strength training, it feels like torture sometimes. I've been looking around my area for CrossFit gyms. I found one that's not super expensive and seems welcoming to beginners, sedentary folks like me, but I just haven't had the courage to call yet. They offer a free trial for a week. All I have to do is call... I'm just so intimidated, and I don't know if I can even DO all the stuff they would have me do, because of my physical abilities now, and because of my DR (ab separation) so I'm not supposed to do stuff like burpees, planks, situps... So then I'm thinking, I shouldn't even go because I'm just going to hurt myself, or I'm not going to be able to keep up, or they're going to judge me, etc. etc. etc. Excuses. I just need to do it.

Day 6: MIL watched my girls while the husband worked, got through 2 full rounds of BBWW and then felt queasy, so decided that was enough. Lightly sore the next day but feeling good. B: Normal eggs and veggies, coffee L: lunch meat, cheese, veggies and dip, some chips D: Panera BBQ chicken salad Water: 2L (had a hard time remembering to drink, not sure why) Sleep: still not great. It would be awesome if the 2 year old would just stay asleep. Falling asleep is not the issue. The staying asleep part would be awesome. Day 7: Awful sleep again. Woke up early, fed girls breakfast, went back to bed until after 9, felt SO much better. Also took an afternoon nap. B: eggs L: sandwich without bread, veggies, chips, dip, gf cookies S: ?? D: shredded chicken over one corn taco shell (broken), cheese, sour cream and salsa, gf cookies Water: 3L No workout, just shy of walking goal with fitbit

I think you're doing great! Being realistic and still allowing yourself normalcy by getting one beer, having one treat, that's all good and will keep you on track in the long run. Moderation, for me at least, is SO much harder than going all in or completely cutting things out. Keep going, you're doing great!

You have awesome goals! I also have over 100 pounds to lose and am starting off slowly. 7000 steps is a great day! Good luck with this, you can definitely lose a dress size by August!

I don't enjoy the cardio on the Wii either. I never thought it was even that great of a workout in any way. I did get a good leg workout from the ski jump game I guess, but that's about it. I'm with you, I'd rather just take a walk.

YES! I didn't know I could even add a link, I would love to have more friends to keep me accountable. The sleep last night wasn't as great, but I did get my BBWW in! More updates to come later.

Thank you Athena! It's feeling so much better! DAY 5 (Yesterday, June 12th) Sleep: 8 hours! Toddler slept until 5 am and husband brought her to bed with me and we slept until after 7! I felt like a new woman! B: Egg scramble with veggies (Kale squash pepper onion mushroom) ground sausage, salsa and sour cream, coffee L: Chick fil A grilled nuggets and waffle fries, iced tea (unsweet) Not paleo/primal b/c of fries, but delicious! S: Almond and fruit trail mix, iced coffee with cream D: Picnic at church with food trucks! I totally caved and had Brisket sandwich and chips (with water!)- the first wheat I've had in almost two months. Feeling ok but kind of swollen. It was delicious though Water: 3L SO MAD AT MY FITBIT! It's supposed to have a battery life of 5 days, but it died in the middle of the day after only counting like 3000 steps. I was SO active yesterday. We were out and about ALL DAY and I probably at least doubled my step count, but I don't know because it lost charge on Day 3! UGH! Still, really proud of myself. Spent a LOT of time standing at the picnic and talking to people, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but I used to not be able to do that without killing my lower back (because of my ab separation and weak core) and horrible foot pain, but it actually felt good all day yesterday. I had some soreness in my arches, and a slight twinge of the low back when I got up this morning, but it was SO much better than it used to be. I'm starting to feel stronger, I didn't think I'd feel this good so soon. Skipped BBWW yesterday due to just craziness in our schedule. But it's on the docket for today!

Cardio is most definitely allowed, just low impact, not a lot of pounding or jumping. I'm so glad you don't have a DR! But now you have more knowledge hopefully you can pass on to others. I hope you find something that works for you!

Sounds like today was pretty good! I have always found leaving a little food on my plate to be SO HARD because I just want to finish it all, but when I do it does help me break the habit of needing to see an empty plate to feel satisfied. Your twist and align routine sounds nice, is it a video, or just something you do on your own?

I forgot to update yesterday! DAY 3 (Yesterday) Sleep: Awful, awful, awful. I woke up in the middle of the night with horrid neck pain, the toddler woke up and wanted to party from 2-3am, we finally fell back asleep and overslept. Neck pain still terrible in the morning. Went to the chiropractor and go at adjustment, he advised me to take it easy all day due to muscle spasms in my neck and back, so no BBWW for me Good news is it started to feel better as the day wore on, so we did work out in the garage with our clutter a little bit, and I exceeded my step goal on my Fitbit, but opted not to do any heavy lifting. B: 2 fried eggs, pepper, squash, mushroom and kale sautee, cheese, a slice of deli ham, and coffee. L: Homemade cobb salad with chicken breast and bacon crumbles, homemade buttermilk dijon dressing, avocado, apple, tomato and greens. Kombucha to drink. D: Another salad (too hot to cook!). Butternut squash, walnuts, cranberries, feta cheese, ground sausage and power greens (spinach and kale). Dessert: Faux starbucks frappuccino, decaf made with almond milk and stevia. A couple pieces dark chocolate. Midnight: Up with toddler, Scottish caramel pu-erh tea with milk and stevia. Water: 3L DAY 4 (Today) Sleep: Better-ish, but still not great at all. I laid down later than I wanted, close to midnight, as soon as I did, toddler woke up. Got her back down, and was just about to sleep when she woke again. Didn't go to sleep until after 1am, brought toddler to bed with me around 3, slept until 7. Neck feels much better though! Exercise: Exceeded step goal. Walked in the am with my girls, about 1 mile, but sweated A LOT because of the heat. Felt really good, minimal neck or other pain. B: Egg scramble with squash pepper onion and kale, cheese, salsa and sour cream, coffee with cream and stevia. L: Paleo chicken salad with grapes, carrot sticks and hummus, a couple pieces of chocolate. S: Apple and almond butter, veggie straws. D: Roast chicken with sweet potatoes and green beans. Evening snack (we ate really early): corn chips (I know, not primal, it's part of my 20%), salsa, cheddar cheese, decaf iced coffee w/ coconut sugar and milk, couple pieces dark chocolate. Water: 3L Surprisingly, under my calorie goal according to Fitbit! Feeling pretty good, so far not feeling deprived or discouraged, just wishing I could sleep better.

Oh, I love Ravelry! I haven't ever knitted socks, but it's on my knitting bucket list!

Oh I also forgot, not last night, but the night from Day1-2 was a good sleep night. 7.5 hours, felt rested and ready for the day, but sore from BBWW on Day 1. Last night's sleep was awful though, because of a cranky toddler

DAY 2 No workout scheduled, lots of working in garden and running after my kids. B: Eggs with kale, pepper, squash, salsa, sour cream, coffee L: BBQ chicken salad w/ avocado (from Panera) S: apple and almond butter D: (It was WAY too hot to cook!) cold cuts, cheese, carrot sticks and hummus, grapes and strawberries, kombucha Dessert: dandelion tea w/ honey, dark chocolate squares Water: 3L Personal goal: haven't read any more of the book yet, but spent a good amount of time organizing stuff for garage sale this saturday. Personal achievements: Started going to a Bible study about weight loss and finding peace with food. It's not a diet or exercise plan, but about finding and keeping your drive to get healthier, called: Made to Crave. We end the study the same week as the challenge so I think it's pretty perfect. Also, I got a Fitbit! I think I'll use it to walk to Mordor. I don't have an end date to achieve that, I just want to do it for me. I'm excited! Today hasn't gone so well, but I'll update about that later...