Update #1: Intermittent Fasting is Working?

Of course it is working!

This morning I weighed in at 146.2.  My measurements as of September 12, 2015 around my waist were:

30"   upper
30"   waist
33.5" lower

As of this morning, September 24, 2015

29.5"    upper
29.5" waist
33"    lower

So that is a total of a half inch apiece off each!  So yeah, I'm doing the happy dance.

Intermittent fasting is a bear!  The hunger pangs are getting easier to bear.  It hasn't even been two weeks yet...if they are still around at four weeks, then I'll get concerned.  

So, long and short of it...it works!

My freshman year in college my waist was 27-28 inches.  My hips were 38 inches...They are 41 inches now and I'd rather keep them that way.  I would love to have my waist back down to 28.  

The downside to this losing weight is the deflated wrinkly look my abs are getting.  This developed after my last pregnancy...I thought gaining a bit in the stomach would "fill out" the look and look better.  This was true BUT the filling out involves gaining unpleasant, unhealthy fat.  With the added diastasis recti, I was just in dire straits.  I'll live/deal with it.  Flat abs are flat abs...I can always do exercises to help with the excess skin, right?  Hopefully I'm still young enough for the bounce back.

I'll probably update in a week...as you can see a lot can change in just one week or so.  Looking forward to it.

Back on the Horn and Intermittent Fasting

On my last update, my fitness endeavors had taken a turn for the better.  My arm was healed so to speak and I was looking forward to exercising again.  Well the second week of May is when I began at a frumpy 161 pounds, 5'3".  I only did exercises from the book that will continue to be unnamed for the time being.  I went a month and a half of doing those exercises.  The results?

I lost 2 inches off my waist, an inch off my upper abs, two inches off my lower abs, an inch off my left arm, an inch off my hips and a half inch off my left thigh as well as 12 pounds.  This also came with clean eating and intermittent fasting of course.  I was ecstatic.  Around mid July, I began incorporating weights starting with five pounds on my recovering arm and ten on my good arm.  I couldn't do squats because I had not developed the range of motion to hold the weight on my shoulders yet.

Fast forward two months.  I weigh 147 pounds solid.  I finally developed the range of motion to do squats and began doing them towards the end of August.  I think I have caught up with my previous numbers!  Here are my counts from April 30, 2014 (total 56 squats).

Wednesday, April 30th lifts in SQUATS:

1 set of 12 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 55
2 sets of 10 @ 75
1 set of 4 @ 95

Here are my counts now:

Lifts in SQUATS as of September 16, 2015:

1 set of 20 @ 45
2 sets of 15 @ 55
1 set of 15 @ 65
1 set of 10 @ 75
Then I pyramid it back to 45 like so:
1 set of 10 @ 65
1 sets of 15 @ 55
1 set of 20 @ 45

This is a total of 120 squats!  I think I can still get away with 95, BUT I don't have a spotter so I'm not going to take a chance.  The weight isn't half as heavy as it felt back in 2014.  I'm much stronger even though I had a 7 month injury hiatus.

I'm back to benching as well.  I'm up to 15 pounds for curls/hammers now and the 40 pound barbell which is where I was before I got injured.  I'm benching sets of 65 pounds.  I bounced back in three months!

 

I reached my goal weight several weeks ago and initially (despite still having some belly fat) did not want to go any smaller.  I have found I would prefer the aesthetic of a flatter tummy rather than merely an illusion of one.  So after several weeks of omitting intermittent fasting with the intent of maintaining my goal weight (it worked), I am back on the horn.  I want to lose 10-15 pounds.  My goal weight is 148.  I'm 147 pounds.  I still have a good half inch of fat (about 1 inch on my lower abs) covering my stomach that I am no longer content with.  My stomach "appears" flat but is not.  The fat must die!  I want to get down to 135 and then gain 10 pounds back in muscle mass, a difficult feat for women but doable with the right amount of discipline and work ethic.

When I went off of intermittent fasting, I also upped my calorie intake to match my revved up metabolism.  Then I started getting sloppy and eating badly.  My boss bought apple fritters to work one day, and it was over for me.  I had one (sometimes two) every day for the next week before finally putting my foot down and jumping back on the intermittent fasting wagon.

Intermittent fasting is one of those things that always gets people talking, usually about erroneous facts and such.  Everyone becomes a medical professional when it comes to the issue of fasting for any period of time.

After doing intermittent fasting consistently from January 2014 to present here are some things I know for sure:

You are not starving yourself.

This is a biggie.  Apparently your body will begin to eat on your muscle mass because you are depriving it of the nutrients it needs to survive.  Most people "fast" overnight...that's why breakfast consists of "break" and "fast," you are breaking your nightly fast.  This generally makes folks pause and think a little.  That's usually at least a 12 hour fast sometimes for folks depending on how late they eat and intermittent fasting is on 16 hour intervals.  C'est la vie.

You WILL lose weight.

Apparently your body will store fat if you don't eat.  This is not a myth but a fact. The thing is you will have to not eat for quite awhile before  your body begins this process of thinking that it is starving.  16 hours is not long enough to make your body think it isn't going to ever get food again and needs to start reserving fat pockets.  On the contrary, short term (up to three days even) fasting can actually boost your metabolism by forcing your body to use its own energy reserves (your fat) for energy while fasting.  Burning calories this way instead of just from food throughout the day will obviously contribute to weight loss.

Your body will also release key fat burning hormones in your body during the fasting period.  One of the number one hormones is the human growth hormone which plays a vital role in turning your body's fat into energy you need to get through your day.  Having issues with insulin?  Intermittent fasting can help regulate your insulin levels and keep them low and steady.  Diet also plays a key role.  Whether you choose to do an intermittent fasting routine or a regular nutritional change, eliminating processed carbs (bread, rice, pasta) and simple sugars (cookies, pastries, candy, soda, etc.) can only help you in your weight loss endeavors.

Skipping breakfast is okay.

Facebook doctor:  Skipping breakfast is unhealthy and a diet sabotager.
Me:  Erhm...uh...hmm...no.

I say do whatever works for you.  I lost weight (and continue to lose) weight, and I haven't eaten breakfast in years.  I HATE, I mean absolutely HATE waking up hungry.  I HATE being hungry in the mornings.  I HATE IT!  Seriously.  So, my eating window is between 11 am and 7 pm.  In the beginning this was rough.  I suffered hunger headaches (my blood sugar was all out of wack) and dizzy spells for a few days as I got used to this, but it was all worth it.  I rarely feel hungry these days and NEVER feel hungry in the mornings.  I work out in the mornings and the only thing I crave is water.  I know some folks like to harp on pre workout and post workout meals.  Not I.  I eat nothing before because I get nauseous during the workout, and I eat nothing afterwards as I get nauseous then as well.  Again, I say do whatever works for you.

I have found that I feel hunger pangs and sweet cravings less and less, actually very rarely these days and I contribute that to intermittent fasting.  Probably something about those fat-reducing hormones.

I've been back to intermittent fasting for 6 days now and have already noticed a difference.  My ab area has shrunk, probably due to the fact that I'm not retaining water presently by eating all those unhealthy processed carbs and junk food (Utz potato chips are the devil!).  I feel better (after I got over the initial headaches from stopping most of my carb intake cold turkey).  I also reduced my overall calorie intake...not necessary (I stopped intermittent fasting initially because I was gorging on junk and STILL losing weight lol) but I figured I would get results faster.  I am avoiding the scale and measuring tape until next Saturday, September 26th.  My fingers are crossed.

Happy Belated New Year

So here it is.  April.  The end of April to be more exact.  New Year's resolutions were made.  Progress logged and yet no updates here.  

So here was my last update:

*     My weight has stayed stable.  I've given up my powerlifting aspirations for now due to laziness and injury...mostly injury.  I recently dislocated/jolted my left shoulder/arm so that has to heal before I even think about whether or not I'll pursue powerlifting seriously again.
*     I am going to be in the Rosewood Arts Festival (yay!).  I'm still prepping my work.  Stay tuned for updates.
*     Dark Soul's Flight finally got framed!  I'm entering it into the SC State Fair this year (professional division).  She's beautiful too :-).
*     I am now teaching acrylic painting classes locally.  Here are pictures from my very first class:

Here is my most recent update:

*     I gained 10 pounds.  Well, 6 pounds water weight, 4 pounds actual weight to be more exact.  My arm really took the wind out of my sails.  I didn't actually "dislocate" my shoulder, I "subluxed" it apparently.  I attempted physical therapy...after my sister talked me into going to the doctor for it in late October because the swelling wouldn't subside.  Got an MRI.  No major damage.  Just limited range of motion and a constant dull ache and many uncomfortable nights.

So last Friday I pick up a book which shall remain unnamed for the time being and decided to start doing some exercises out of it.  It was specifically for the stomach but the first exercise was an underarm tightener.  It hurt like the devil to do it.  I made it through 3 out of the 25 reps I was supposed to do before the excruciating pain emanating from my shoulder reduced me to breathless tears.  I didn't even bother with the other exercises.  On my way to work later, I realized my shoulder wasn't hurting.  I called my husband to let him know.  It was the FIRST TIME since September 6th I didn't feel any pain (without the help of painkillers).  So he's like, maybe that exercise put it back in place.  Try moving it up.  Now when I said I had NO range of motion....zero, zilch, nada.  Nothing.  I could raise my arm almost to shoulder level.  Past that and it felt like gravity had turned palpable and was punishing me for being caught in its pressurized clutches.  Forcing the issue only lead to stabbing pain and swelling.  Imagine my surprise when I lifted my arm and it went all the way up with no resistance!  I was all like (see below):

Image via Sean Cunningham 

I started bouncing around and cheering...almost ran off the road to boot so had to calm myself down until I got to work to test it for sure.  I have about 90% of my range of motion back and I couldn't be happier.  The best part of all is there's NO PAIN.  None!  I don't wake up with a terrible stiff, uncomfortable pain any more.  Life is wonderful.

So now that my arm was back in order, I realized something.  Seven months of being unable to use it had taken its toll.  Fat deposits were clearly visible when compared to my still strong right arm and all muscle definition was lost.  My husband is working on a fitness plan to help me strengthen and trim it down.  Obviously I have to wait at least two weeks before being able to truly make a determination about my arm but so far so good.

*     The Rosewood Arts Festival was a success.  Nothing more to really add to that I suppose.  Oh yeah, I participated in an auction event called "Postcard Art for Africa" back in February.  A lady had seen me at the Festival and wanted to know if I wanted to donate some pieces for this event.  Naturally, of course I did.

Village Girl, Oil on Canvas, 5 x 7 inches

Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 4 x 6 inches

I donated these two pieces.  According to the organizer, they flew off the walls within the first five minutes.

I published artwork.  Yes, Dark Soul's Flight was published in Pocketful Illustration Magazine Issue 11 in January 2015.  Unfortunately she did not place at all in the state fair.  What was interesting is when I was coming to get her, everyone had assumed I did place in the fair and were all surprised that I hadn't.  No one was more surprised than me but I didn't feel bad.  The guy who won multiple prizes last year, including tops in my category didn't place with anything this year so, I suppose it is just the luck of the draw.  One person was judging over 3000 entries.  I really didn't feel bad when I learned that.

*     I am now managing a mobile art studio, The Moya Art Studio, and doing acrylic painting parties on the go!

 Bachelorette/Bridal Parties are by far the most eventful (and fun).

I go to the location and set up everything from table coverings to easels/paints/canvases.








Kids parties are the absolute best!  It is great for birthdays and so far is the most popular option.  I love working with kids.  They absolutely love playing with paint.









I love it to say the very least.  Here are some pictures from a recent party I did at a local racquet club.

The Beach Entrance is what we were painting...this was the goal.

The setup...and yest we provide the aprons too!

Great job!

Everyone's painting always looks so different!

Awesome!

 That concludes the update of my last update.  Now what's brewing?

I am participating in an art show that opens tomorrow called Selfies, Real or Imagined:  An Exhibition of Visual and Literary Art.  I entered for both.  All five of my pieces were accepted for art and all five were rejected for the literary portion so I guess not everyone appreciates my writing (lol).  The reception is tomorrow and I am definitely going to be there.

Here are the pieces I entered:

Two are 5x5 inches, oil on board and three are 6x6 inches, oil on canvas.  Mini beauties.


On the working out front, I've been slack.  My hubby's been so busy in the mornings it has cut into workout time, and I haven't made any additional efforts otherwise.   My arm being indisposed had a lot to do with it but that's no excuse for my diet.  My diet went straight to hay and while I have been loving all the sweet stuff, my gut and butt are crying for a reprieve.  Like I said I only gained four real pounds but I still have to work it off now.  I began intermittent fasting again last Friday.  I'm down three pounds of water weight so far (starting weight 159, now 156).  I went to the gym on Saturday morning (see I can make time)...no idea when I'm going to get there again.

So this is a crafting/fiber arts blog.  I have updates coming soon!

That's all for now, so until next time:

icanhascheezburger.com

Long Time No Blog

It's been FOREVER!  A lot has happened since May so I'll update in list format:

*     My weight has stayed stable.  I've given up my powerlifting aspirations for now due to laziness and injury...mostly injury.  I recently dislocated/jolted my left shoulder/arm so that has to heal before I even think about whether or not I'll pursue powerlifting seriously again.

*     I am going to be in the Rosewood Arts Festival (yay!).  I'm still prepping my work.  Stay tuned for updates.

*     Dark Soul's Flight finally got framed!  I'm entering it into the SC State Fair this year (professional division).  She's beautiful too :-).

*     I am now teaching acrylic painting classes locally.  Here are pictures from my very first class:

 The demo (left) and my piece (right).  I deviated a little bit because if you're going to do color...do color!  Also clouds are loads of fun.  Seriously.  They really are.

 One of the attendees...she surprised herself!

The class portrait.  Just half as some had left already and some weren't confident in their piece (although everyone's ended up looking great!)

I call this a very successful first class!

*     I picked up a part time job as an education coordinator at a local arts and crafts store.  My job is to hire/train instructors primarily but also includes other store f unctions such as cashiering, stocking, and creating displays.  PLUS I get a great employee discount.  Dream. Part-Time. Job.

This is about the gist of it.  I'm busy prepping for the arts festival...10 MORE DAYS! Yikes!

I'll try to update more often.  Lots of stuff happen in absentia, no?

My Various Interests Converge...

Okay, so my ultimate goal is to compete in a powerlifting meet in the 148 pound weight class.  I am much closer to meeting that goal than I anticipated.

Wednesday, April 30th lifts in SQUATS:

1 set of 12 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 45
1 set of 10 @ 55
2 sets of 10 @ 75
1 set of 4 @ 95

Today was an off day for benching.  My shoulder was just too gimpy.  I couldn't even do a simple lat press.

Oh, well.

Progress!  Oh, yes, how far I've come from when I first started working out in October until now.  SIX WHOLE MONTHS.  My girls are freaking out saying that I'm trying to be a "fashionista."  No...can't blame me for wanting to look nice sometimes.  Usually I prefer sneakers and sweats, even now as I'd rather be comfortable than turn heads but I change it up every so often.  Those squats are doing a body right though!  Give or take five pounds, I am at a satisfactory weight.

I did eat strawberry ice cream and marble coconut cake this entire weekend though for my baby's birthday but an off day or two shouldn't hurt considering.  It really wasn't all that great...I kept waiting for the sugar high that never came and left me feeling jilted and wishing I hadn't indulged in the first place.

Study for Symphony 5"x5"

So May 1st was the Opening of a local art exhibition called "Smaller Beckons" at Tapp's Arts Center in Columbia, SC.  All pieces of work in this exhibit have to be 12" x 12" or smaller.  I had 3 pieces chosen for inclusion (yay!), my more recent black and white oil painting studies, and a piece completed last year that was included in a similar show at the Columbia Museum of Art (ONEx100).  It was a great opening night.  I'm glad I took my pictures early because it was standing room only just an hour or so in. 

Saturday, May 3rd, was National Free Comic Book Day!  Yay!  Yes, I love comics btw.  That's how I first learned how to draw people from the book, How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way.  One of my favorite artists these days is Siya Oum.  I give her support for being a female comic book artist in a male dominated field and for being such a great inspiration to my daughter.  My daughter loves to draw and any female artistic inspiration I can give her (other than myself), I welcome wholeheartedly.  Here she is waiting for her sketch from the artists who were at the comic book store.  The kids were surprised when I told them of my love for comics.  Sure they've seen me read them but they had no idea I grew up drawing my favorite Marvel heroes (very well too).  I'm more geared towards fine art but I still dabble in comics here and there.

It was a busy past couple of days but well worth it all!

Another Art Study

Before I go crazy in kitty land I decided to do one more oil study for a larger piece I am considering in charcoal.  The name of this piece is Symphony.  I have a coming of age story in mind revolving around a young character named Symphony as well so the two would be in tandem.

I chose a slightly different approach with this piece.  I am using water mixable oils, mostly for convenience purposes as I don't have the facilities for the chemicals/smells involved with traditional oils.  These still are technically oil colors they just have an additional option.  The previous study was done with just water.  The paint was hard for me to manipulate and control.

Then I remembered that I have oil painting mediums that can make my life much easier.  I dug them out a played a little bit. and the results were dramatically different.  I also changed my approach.  I did an acrylic underpainting in umber which still shows through in some places.  This is fine...it's only a study.

I tried to take progress pictures of each step.  First there's the drawing.  Some argue that pencil should not be used, perhaps charcoal or even paint but not pencil.  I don't know their rationale for that and when I studied with a portrait painter in my youth I did everything in charcoal but these are tiny.  I'll worry about archival issues when they arise.

The second step was the acrylic underpainting to help me establish the lights and darks.  The third step is when white is added to the piece.  I was taught to fill in the the piece with the middle tone and background first but this was tiny so I figured altering my usual approach couldn't hurt.

The fourth piece shows the final results.  It's much smoother and more refined than the other piece as the oil painting medium gave me more control.  Obviously I deviated a bit from the sketch but I have to do what "moves" me.  It's only a study, after all so might as well play!

Switching Gears...

This is an oil painting study I worked on last night.  It is on canvas and is ACEO size (2.5" x 3.5").  Pretty darn small.  I can't seem to get as much detail with oils as I can with watercolor  and ink but I'm happy with the results .  I made some changes when I got home from work that I am happier with.

It is only a study and not a finished piece after all. I am NOT an oil painter.  I prefer mixed media working primarily with charcoal, watercolor and gouache so this is a serious deviation for me.  I really just felt like messing with the oils last night though.  I personally do not want a refined look to my art any more these days.  I think I did so much of that anal retentive nitpicking in my younger years, I just want to be free and just draw these days.

I have an idea for another painting...I'm going to do several thumbnails today and see what I can get done tonight.  A show is coming up locally in which all of the pieces have to be 12 inches or smaller.  I participated in a similar show last year at the Columbia Museum of Art that opened on my birthday (woohoo!).  This one opens on May 1st and I have to have my pieces sent for approval by April 26th.  I'm cutting it thin but I only have one piece that is ready to hang.  The rest are unframed/matted and I won't be able to get that done before May 1st.  Before leaving home this morning I gessoed a 5" x 5" wood panel so I can be ready to go when I get home.

Fitness wise?  I'm hurting but in a good way.  Apparently I can do my chin-ups with more ease and less rest in between.  2 sets of 5 chin-ups every workout day (including leg day).  By the time I get to the 5th I'm a little beat but hey, progress.  I thought I had accomplished something until my husband kindly reminded me that I wasn't actually doing pull-ups but chin-ups.  Pull-ups, the real ones are a completely different animal.  The difference is in the hand position.  Chin-ups are underhand which uses more biceps and arms while the pull-ups are overhand which puts your back to work a little more.  I managed to hold myself for 5 seconds before I just couldn't any more.  A far cry from the 70 second hold that marine women have to do.  So my new goal is to do real pull-ups and not pull-up lookalikes now.  My next goal for chin-ups is to do them without touching the floor.  Baby steps of course.

New Stats

I achieved a goal I wasn't actively going for.  On the captain's chair, I can now do the leg raises with straight legs instead of bent knees.  My abs have gotten stronger!  They hurt right now as I've been working my abs extra hard yesterday and today but obviously it's been working out.  I did ten of those before fatigue set in.  I'm so happy!  I remember when I could barely hold myself on that thing.  Progress!


Duck walks are the business.  A painful one but no joke.  I've been slacking off on my 125 bodyweight squats a day so I'll get back to it tonight.



*********


Stat time!


Here are my stats from February 21, 2014:


Height: 5'3
Weight: Fluctuates between 154 and 156...I'll claim 154.
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 30.5 in (down from 31 in.
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (down from 34)
Hips: 41 in. (down from 42)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24.5
Arms: 11.5


It's been almost 2 months exactly.  Here's where I am now:


Height: 5'3
Weight: 148-150
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 26.2
Waist (at belly button): 30 in (down from 30.5 in.)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (no change)
Hips: 41 in. (no change)
Chest: 35 in. (no change)
Thighs: 24.5 (no change)
Arms: 12 (up from 11.5)


Not too much change other than my weight and another half inch off my waist.  Didn't lose a thing off my pooch although it is 32.5 inches when I first wake up in the morning (weird).  I'm working on controlling my water retention.  Amazingly enough taking grains out of my diet (a two week experiment) has seemed to help that.  I've also started drinking two cups of cold water first thing in the morning as well.  It's helped me feel better during my workouts.  I'll have to update how all of this makes me feel overall especially at the end of my two week experiment.  Today makes 1 week no grains. 

A Picture Is Worth....

Ok, so I'm in the room cleaning up and I find a pair of pants that I haven't been able to wear since 2012.  So I decide to try them on and guess what?  They fit!  Perfectly.  Hey, don't just take my word for it:

As a bonus, here is a progress picture from January 2014 at 159 pounds wearing size 12 pants:

Down a total of 17 pounds from my heaviest at 167 pounds!  These pants are a size 10!  Five more pounds and I'll be completely happy.  Those arms are looking good too.  I could afford to lose a little bit of for the abs as well but overall I'm happy for now.

Remember the Give It 100?  Ok it's been roughly 60 some odd days and I can do 25 pushups and 3 pull ups!  Total of 30 before I'm through and 5 pull ups before my arms say no more. The real ones too.  Progress!

I finally made it to a Zumba class last Thursday.  It was a lot of fun and requires a lot of endurance and very little inhibitions for dancing in public. I have both. I just neglected to bring a towel and water which had me drinking over a gallon for the rest of the night and first thing in the morning. Lesson learned.  I've never sweated that much. I'll probably do it once monthly so it doesn't take away from my weight training.

Feeling Good, Getting Strong

Somehow my crafting blog became my fitness blog.  Go figure.  I am still crocheting and knitting but have yet to actually master the art of completing.  Projects have either been left undone or frogged.  I did put together two 1000 piece puzzles and pinned a bunch of stuff on Pinterest so I was a bit creative...somewhat.  So, yeah.

I got an upper respiratory infection from my youngest around the 26th of February.  Misery.  The kids all caught it and recovered after a day.  I caught it and was sick for a week, even missed a few days of work.  Hubby caught it and it knocked him down too.

THEN because life wasn't eventful enough, the alternator in the car died and left me stranded on the one day the temperature dropped from 60 to 30 in a 15 minute span and left me waiting an hour for a tow truck.  Why do alternators give NO WARNINGS whatsoever?  Things just stop working.  I'm driving along.  It's pouring rain and the windshield wipers stop working.  I try calling my husband to fuss him out but he doesn't answer.  Then I noticed the lights on the dash were dim and after a quick test of the interior lights, I knew the battery was dying.  I quickly turned into a Dollar General parking lot and cut the engine which was apparently a smart move, not letting the battery completely die.  I've had a dying alternator before so I knew the signs.  It was rainy and cold but the tow truck driver was nice and pretty darn cool.

The rain finally cleared up over the weekend...heavenly seventy degree weather!  Could it be that spring is finally here?  I certainly hope so because my muscles aren't feeling the temperature rollercoaster South Carolina's been on the past couple of weeks.  Speaking of muscles...

I've decided to put my powerlifting aspirations on hold temporarily.  Why?  I would rather have muscle definition.  I'm strong but nothing about my physique screams it.  I want defined arms and legs, especially arms.  They are slender now but where is my Michelle Obama muscle definition?  Nonexistent.  So my husband is changing up my routine to that of a body builder although I am still doing some of the powerlifting development routines. 

So I got back on the bench today.  I can bench press the bar ten times with perfect form.  It isn't wobbly or falling to the side.  Not the 45 pound bar.  The 50 pound bar.  I don't know what happened but somehow I got stronger.  While enthused, I wish it would bring muscle definition.  I upped my cardio and will go to a Zumba class on Thursday.  I'm writing it here to make sure it gets done.  So far I haven't been able to do them for the following reasons:  snow, illness and injury.  Yep, I aggravated a groin muscle (irritating) last week, I was sick the week before that, and it snowed and shut down South Carolina the week before that.  If something happens this week, I'll take that as a sign to leave Zumba alone. 

That is all...well not quite.  I did try an Arabic Bellydance Fat Burn Cardio workout yesterday (all four parts on YouTube).  I haven't tried those since I first started working out in October/November.  They were torturous then.  I have a bit more endurance but they are still hard to do.  Worked up a crazy sweat.  Got up this morning and was a bit confused as to why my calves were so darn sore.  Then I remembered.  That workout is no joke so I may do that twice weekly as my cardio in case Zumba doesn't work out.

Hula Hooping Works!

Obviously the title gave it away.  I've just spent exactly one month hula hooping at least 15-30 minutes a day.  I just couldn't wait to take my measurements today. And guess what? There is a noticeable difference!

Here are my stats from January 20th:

Height: 5'3
Weight: 154.0 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 31 in. (down from 32)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42 in (down from 42.5)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: no idea (will post later)
Arms: no idea (will post later)

Here are my stats now:

Height: 5'3
Weight: Fluctuates between 154 and 156...I'll claim 154.
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 30.5 in (down from 31 in.
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (down from 34)
Hips: 41 in. (down from 42)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24.5
Arms: 11.5

So the results are a half inch loss off my waist and pooch.  This has given me a noticeable and definitive hourglass looking figure that I'm feeling right now.  Since I decided to start powerlifting, I have been advised by my husband to wear compression shirts.  These are tight, form-fitting shirts that do just as their name implies.  He advises buying a size smaller than you can wear.  So I bought a cute pink one from TJMaxx and wore it on Monday to the gym.  I have a great silhouette now (thanks hula hooping!) that was kind of hard for me to appreciate with the life being squeezed out of me.

Well I did notice the stares.  Maybe I had been getting them before and just hadn't noticed but folks just weren't hiding it this go around.  They usually stare at my husband and hey, I don't blame them there, the man looks like he was chiseled from stone.  But me?  It was mostly the women which made me even more uncomfortable.  Anyway I was getting my tricep kickback on at the gym, minding my own business, when a trainer I had seen off and on from time to time approached me. She flexed and said, "Wow you look great and toned. I can tell you lost over the months. Keep it up!" She proceeded to tell me it falls off the top before you see it on the legs and hips.  She high fived my husband who couldn't resist adding, "She can't help but to get straight working out with me." They laugh and she went on her way.  I hadn't even realized folks were paying attention.

I won't lie.  I was feeling:

  

A lot of the looks/stares just made me feel very uncomfortable.  I'm going to wear the compression shirts with a looser shirt over them to ward off the lookie loos.  It is most distracting. 

I have taken continual pictures throughout especially of my ab area to mark my progress.  I now have a new phone.  Guess where all those old pictures are?  So progress pictures will have to wait until I stop being lazy and save the images off the old phone.   My new phone is one I love dearly already.  A Moto X!  I got to customize it so it is raspberry (pretty much pink) with a black face and silver highlights with my name written on the back.  It greets me in Swahili when I turn it on and my wonderful husband bought me a clear cover to showcase it.  Well the cover isn't 100% clear, more like a clear frost but it gets the job done without covering up my customizations.  With a flick of the wrist I can activate the camera, it has a super fast processor and 16 gigs of space (with an additional 50 gigs in the google cloud).  I'm officially in love and highly recommend this phone.  My husband got the Samsung 4 which does have a much prettier and clearer display and better camera (13 gigs to my 10 gigs) but I still prefer mine.  Many, many more pictures to come.

It's Worth It

No truer words have ever been written.  Sometimes you just have to remind yourself.

Day 25 of the pull up/push up challenge.  I'm doing 15 pushups, this time with the proper form.  Proper form sucks.  I've had to break them back down again.  I do 5, rest 20 seconds, do 5, etc.  What my hubby does that drives me nuts is he waits until I have done my full arm routine with bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks, etc., then he tells me to bust out some pushups and pullups.  My form may be perfect now but my arms are screaming.  Pullups...I can do 2 full ones still but they are not easy.  I'm still working on pullups his way.  I can hold myself up 8 seconds and slowly lower myself...he makes me do them overhand instead of underhand which is HARD.

Everything he makes me do is hard.  But ultimately it is worth it.  I want to be stronger and to preserve myself for the future.  For this I have to stay with it and do it right.  I want to buy weightlifting gloves but he says no.  My wrist keep moving out of the right position on the benchpress...he says he would rather I get accustomed to doing them right without assistance because ultimately the glove isn't going to help in consistently doing it right without it.  Now he thinks I'm going to do the benchpress competitively but he has another thought coming.  Squats are my bag. 

I went shopping for some gear this weekend...Kmart had this crazy sale on workout shirts.  I picked up a medium but the hubs stopped me.  "Get a small," he says.  I look at him like he is nuts because I haven't been a small in eons.  I got it anyway because hey, I can always return it, right?  It fit perfectly.  I love my silhouette now.  When I started out I was so lumpy and misshapen it was disheartening to look in the mirror, let alone wear clothing that fit close.  This was a serious confidence booster for me. 

I saw a young lady I hadn't seen in awhile (since December) at the local natural food store.  I had told her about my fitness aspirations at that time (with only 6 pounds lost).  She was stunned when she saw me (13 pounds down).  I showed her my comparison picture from August until mid January and she pointed out something I hadn't noticed:  I was even thinner than the picture I took mid-January!  When I went home I immediately took some pictures to compare and yes, indeed, I look smaller now even though the scale hasn't moved for the past week or so.  I will have to give it to hula hooping.  There is an evident visual difference in my upper and lower abs between January 20th and February 8th. Also something else I noticed is that my upper arms are much tighter.  I guess that came from holding my arms up while hula-hooping.  I can't wait to take my measurements on the 21st.  Even if there isn't a change, visually things just seem much tighter.

My husband did measure my calves for comparison with his.  It's a shame...our calves are the SAME SIZE!  15 inches.  I'm 5'3" with 15 inch calf muscles.  I've always had big legs (my husband calls them cheerleader legs) but for crying out loud.  I measured them around the beginning of the year and they were 14.5".  They grew a half an inch in a month!  Darn squats and calf raises.  In my quest for muscle, I am well in the running for She-Hulk legs.  I knew that was going to be a consequence of focusing on squatting...my legs have always been more muscular and larger in proportion to my body.  So much so that a classmate back in high school swore up and down that despite my petite figure then I was going to be overweight when I was older because my legs were so big.  What a mean thing to say to someone (now that I think about it).  Anyway I am going to keep an eye on that.

On the bright side, I no longer have cankles so I guess you have to take the good with the good (but huge).

Decisions, Decisions...

I had a rather difficult decision to make.  One of my resolutions was to run a 5k.  I am also interested in powerlifting (squats).  I didn't mention that before?  Well, I am.  Although my dearest powerlifting hubby can do both distance and powerlifting he advises sprinting to compliment powerlifting.  I decided to go with powerlifting and forgo my 5k aspirations.  I did download C25k on my kindle and got through day one (2 miles woohoo, happy dance!).  I still wasn't tired (but I was done).  It will have to wait.  He wants me to train a good six months minimum before even thinking about a competition.

I want to set a record in South Carolina...none exist in squats in any weight class.  My weight class would be the 148 lb division same as my husband's.  He holds SC records (bench press), American records and world powerlifting records.  He is really strong.  Personally I'm on the fence about deadlifts and the benchpress is out.  Back in 2011, I could benchpress 65 and I was pretty darn proud of that.  I don't really have an interest in benchpressing though.  I guess I will have to try a deadlift to ultimately make a decision about it.

The most I had gotten to when I had decided to start squatting back in 2011 was 105 pounds.  My biggest challenge wasn't squatting...it was balancing the weight on my shoulders so that would more than likely be the case now.  Right now I do weighted squats 3 sets of 15 with a 30 pound barbell and lunges (I don't count I go partial length of the weight-room--about 20 feet) for 4 passes) with 20 pounds.  To be honest this is easy but I just haven't told the hubs that yet...he already said everything I do from now on regarding powerlifting solely (squats, deadlift, bench) will have to be with the 45 pound bar and up.

I can't wait for the day I bust through the testosterone ceiling of the weight room and make the big muscled men cry.

Okay it is 8 days later (Day 19) and I'm not really challenging myself to do more than 10 push ups.  The hubs wants me to work on adding more.  I'll start that tomorrow.

Another reason I slowed down is that I got this bad cramp in my right shoulder...apparently I was doing my pushups with incorrect form.  It was a slight movement off but enough to aggravate my shoulder.  I was advised to rest it and haven't done pushups since Saturday but I think it is fine now.  Back on the horn tomorrow.  In another week I hope to be up to 15 pushups.

On January 29th it snowed here in South Carolina.  Yeah...2 whole inches of misery from the sky.  Not a snow fan here.  That's why I live in the South.  So whenever there is a chance of snow here EVERYTHING shuts down.  There was a lot of preparation here so by the time the snow came everyone was safe and sound.  We averted the craziness that was Atlanta, thanks to their politician's poor planning and preparation (but that's a whole other blog post).  Anywho, what can you do when school is out, you're trapped inside due to iced over roads (the entire Midlands has only 9 snow plows that were focused more on the interstates) with hyper kids?  You hula hoop of course!  I finally learned how to hula hoop and have done it every day since!

I have a 2 pound hoop I bought from Kohl's.  After the first day, my obliques and abs hurt something fierce.  They were red and throbbing.  Now I don't feel the pain at all.  I can hoop in both directions but I'm not good enough to keep it up with the kiddos yet.  Either way I hope I see results off my middle because of it.  My next hoop up is going to be the 3 pounder. 

Push-Ups

This is Day 11 of the pull-ups/push-ups challenge.  So, I can do 10 pushups in a row baby!  Can't tell me nothing.

I'm on my way to 25 in a row push-ups!  By summer I will have arms and shoulders like one of my favorite fitness inspirations:

Photo by Reuters/Landov

That's the plan at least.  My shoulders are soft and round now and nowhere near the shapeliness they had when I was in my early 20s.  I could do up to 30 back then (in sets of 10) and I could do pull-ups.  I am getting better and better with the pull-ups.  My husband has put the bar up higher and I can actually hold myself within an inch of the bar for six seconds now.  I do 3 reps of those.

My middle is whittling away.  I won't do any more measurements until February 24, 2014.  Hopefully I will see some inch difference.  I feel the difference already.  The weather has been cold but I cannot let that deter me from my fitness goals.

The hubs has a pretty good collection of resistance bands that I want to use eventually.  I am overall happy with my progress...the thing is my waist is pretty much where I want it to be (give or take an inch or so) while everything else (muffintop) isn't moving as fast.  I think the Russian Twists would help especially using the resistance bands.


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So digging back through my archives I came across this little ditty from 2010.

  Yes, this is me.  I weighed about 135 pounds, which in my opinion is way too small for me.  Look at my clavicle sticking out! I don't want to be this small again.  Anyway, that isn't why I posted this.  See the top I'm wearing?  That is the Blissful top from The Happy Hooker (2006).  I made some changes to the pattern...I connected the back so this is a full shirt.  I made it from Bernat Satin Sport yarn and was really really proud of myself.  I couldn't fit into that thing for anything these days but that is besides the point.  I am making it again!  This time I decided to use Pink Bamboo thread yarn (size 10) which makes for a lot of modifications.  It's just really beautiful and something I want to aim to wear come summer when I hit the beach.

Graze Box Review

Maybe you've seen the Facebook ad for them, popping up in your feed incessantly because one of your friends liked the page.  Maybe you looked at the NatureBox and the all-seeing Google and Facebook collaborated and popped like searches in your feed.  Maybe you've never heard of Graze at all.  Well, now you're in luck.  I have heard of Graze and have received my (free!) box in the mail yesterday.

 Here is the Graze box.  It fits in the mail box...fairly smallish.  I placed the CD there for a comparison.  Well I received an interesting assortment. I will review them all individually.

Dark Rocky Road
Ingredients: 

pecan

dark chocolate buttons (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla) 50% Cacao

cranberries (cranberries, sugar, sunflower oil)

My Thoughts:  I'm not a dark chocolate fan so that aside, these were really good.  I'd recommend them, even if I only ate the cranberry and pecans.  The inner packaging says they have a best by date of April 1, 2014.  It isn't more or less good than the nut mixes I buy locally especially since I take care to avoid dark chocolate.  Like I said I would recommend them but for my money I would have to take a pass.

Chili and Lime Pistachios
Ingredients:
pistachios, salt, natural chili and lime flavors

My Thoughts:  LOVE THEM!  These are absolutely delicious!  The chili and lime compliment the flavor of the pistachios perfectly.  I would have been happy with an entire box filled with them.  It is going to be hard to go back to Wonderful's plain salted pistachios (I can't find the cracked pepper ones anymore).  I HIGHLY recommend these.

Bonnie Wee Oatbakes
Ingredients:

cheese and chive oatbakes (55%) (oatmeal (64%) , cheese powder (8%) (suitable for vegetarians), olive oil, salt, chives (contains gluten)

red onion marmalade (45%):  (red onions (52%), white wine vinegar, muscovado sugar, sugar, balsamic vinegar, black pepper)

My Thoughts: Disgusting!  Okay, that's being a bit overly critical.  They weren't that bad.  I did somewhat like the red onion marmalade.  I absolutely abhorred the cheese and chive oatbakes.  They were bland with little flavor.  The best part about eating them was the red onion marmalade.  After one, I was satisfied not to try any more.  I don't think I would recommend this.  One of my coworker's loved it while everyone else agreed with me, so I would have to say it is an acquired taste.  

Summer Berry Flapjack

Ingredients:

rolled oats (41%)

margarine (vegetable oils, water, salt)

demerera sugar

golden syrup

infused cranberries (11%) (sugar, cranberries, natural strawberry flavor, natural raspberry flavor, citric acid, sunflower oil, elderberry juice concentrate)

cranberries (sugar, cranberries, sunflower oil) (contains gluten)  

My Thoughts:  Delicious!  Unfortunately they had a no-no ingredient of mine that I didn't realize until after I partook in one of them:  margarine.  I avoid vegetable oil mixtures like the plague and was disappointed that they couldn't find another type of oil (olive, coconut, sunflower, etc) to cook with.  After reading that ingredient I couldn't bring myself to eat more.  If you aren't particular about eating margarine, then I would highly recommend them because they are absolutely divine!

Now here is the big question.  Would I order these again?  Since we are able to go on the site and pick and choose what we like or don't like and trash the things we never want to receive again, I would say yes, I would order again with a box tailored to my own preferences.  The only thing I absolutely didn't like was the oatbakes.  Everything else was pretty damn good. 

Beware!  SHAMELESS PLUG 

If you would like to try a Graze box for FREE....By all means go HERE and enter friendcode:  VD7QTMDCP.

It's free so you have nothing to lose!  My advice is to go through, look at the ingredients and pick and choose what you wouldn't mind receiving prior to having the box shipped.  You can't decide exactly what you want in it but you can come very close to getting what you want.

Fitness Progress (Woo-Hoo!)

My last update regarding my weight was January 6th.  These were my stats:

Height: 5'3
Weight: 159.9 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 28.3
Waist (at belly button): 32 in. (down from 34.5)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42.5 in.
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24 in.
Arms: 11.5 in.

Now it's January 20th.  It's been about 3 weeks or so since I've been on the intermittent fasting "diet."  I hesitate to call it a diet...it has become something I would like to be a lifestyle change for me.  I eat within an 8 hour period during the day and fast for 16 hours.  It's been called many names but I settled on intermittent fasting.

I've lost 6 pounds since starting.  I've also become a pescetarian so I do not know the effect that change had but I still eat quite a bit of calories...I don't believe I'm operating at a deficit.  Anywho, here are my stats now:


Height: 5'3
Weight: 154.0 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 31 in. (down from 32)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42 in (down from 42.5)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: no idea (will post later)
Arms: no idea (will post later)

I can see a difference in myself.  I feel lighter.  I lost two pounds in just the past week.  I don't want to lose too much.  In my younger years gaining weight was extremely difficult for me.  I don't want to be too skinny and I would like my weight loss to stop preferably around 150.  I'll take 145 but only if I am very toned.  My love handles are shrinking!  I can actually see the difference and feel it.  My size twelve pants are loose but aren't falling off of me (yet).  I'd be satisfied in a size 10...8 is pushing it and heaven help me if I get any smaller than that.  One should have meat on his/her bones.  My pooch won't budge...It looks toner due to the shrinking obliques though.  I shall see how this develops.

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I need to get disciplined enough to do 100 squats a day for 30 days.  I want to tighten up the glutes...they also work the abs as well.  Well a quick google search bought up this 30 Day Squat Challenge.  Tomorrow is day 1 for me.  Wish me luck!

http://www.thehealthycollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/30-day-squat-challenge.jpg

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On the Give It 100 challenge...This is day 4 and I can do 3 man push-ups.  I haven't been able to practice the pull-up as I've gone twice without the hubby to the gym.  I can't move that big bar on the squat machine, and I don't really want to ask any of the guys in there.  Don't want them getting any ideas.  I want phenomenal shoulders so I have to get those push-ups in gear.  My goal is at least 10 by the end of the month.  If I can do more, that's great!  baby steps.  I am going to practice every day until 3 becomes easier.  Then I'll had more.  Three is killing me right now (lol).  

 Hubby has these Perfect Push-Up exercise aids laying around.  He had me try them...THESE ARE TOUGH!  

Here is what I've discovered.  After attempting to do two on these, doing them on the floor is much easier.   

I'll probably use these to help with my planks though...baby steps.

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 This is a craft blog and I haven't written anything about crafting lately, have I?  Well I've still been at it, mostly drawing, but I'm getting some crochet work done.  I finished a pink baby blanket.  I am working on a white shrug for the summer out of crochet thread that is taking awhile only because I work on it every now and then.  It is in modules so I am connecting them as I go along.  I honestly can't wait for it to be done and hopefully my arms will be just right for it.  Pictures are forthcoming (I promise!).  


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Best quote I've heard all week:  Treat your body like a temple, not a trash can.  Amen to that!