portion control

yes, it's true. we simply eat too much these days. portion control can go a long way when it comes to weight loss efforts. but in order to properly control portions, we first have to know what a portion is. the following are some good visuals to help understand what a portion really is...always a good reminder!

1 serving of fruit or vegetables = 1 cup, or the size of a tennis ball

1 serving of chicken, fish, or meat = 3 ounces, or the size of a woman’s palm or a deck of cards

1 serving of whole grains = 1/2 cup of cooked grains or 1 slice of 100% whole grain bread

1 serving of pancakes = 1 4-inch pancake, about the size of a CD

1 serving of pasta or rice = 1 cup of cooked pasta, or the size of a woman’s fist

1 serving of dressing = 1 tablespoon, or the size of your thumb, tip to the top joint (1 teaspoon is about the size of your thumbnail)

1 serving of potatoes = 1 small (3-ounce) baked potato or ½ cup mashed potatoes, about the size of a small computer mouse

1 serving of cheese = 1 ounce, or about 4 dice stacked on top of each other

1 serving of nuts = 1 ounce, or the size of child’s handful

good free info

wow...ran across this very cool offer today. fitness pro jon benson released a bombshell last week on the fat-burning world. he's giving away a book's worth of material in his free 7-Day Personal Fat Loss Certification Course. yes, it's free, and get this: anyone who completes the course gets his book "The Radical Fatloss Blueprint" free as well. you don't have to buy anything and you get tons of great information from a fat loss authority. pretty cool stuff, to check it out go to: fit365online

here is a short review:

the course is for anyone who wants to become their own "personal" fatloss expert. It is complete with a quiz each day and more material than most people sell in a book... and it's totally free.

after the course, you get his "Radical Fatloss Blueprint" free too. this is all about how he and a group of "guinea pigs" experimented with natural techniques and got up to 21 lbs of unwanted bodyfat off in just 21 days.

the average was 17.5, but some people got as much as 30 lbs off...all with little to no muscle lost. it then outlines the 'exact' workout and supplement "feeding" schedule Jon still uses to get into top shape in 21 days. this is down to the 'hour'... and it includes home workouts or gym workouts. your choice. this is great stuff that i'm enjoying and am excited to share. go here: fit365online

enjoy the course!

todays eats.
m1: egg and egg white omelette w. spinach, green pepper, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: shredded wheat, nf milk, hazelnuts, strawberries
m3: string cheese, bell pepper, celery, baby carrots
m4: protein shake w. banana, berries, nf yogurt, whey and greens powder
m5: curry w. coconut milk, green beans, asparagus, onion, scallops, calamari, brown rice
m6: 2 ak mak crackers w. peanut butter
m7: big ole salad

week 3's progress

it's been a few days. as inevitably happens, i've gotten too busy to keep up with my daily food posts. but really, who wants to read about every little thing i put in to my mouth anyway, right? what's most important is compliance and results and since i last wrote, it's been pretty on track. i did have one day that i would have been ashamed to report. i had a pounding headache all day and ate two (yes two!) pastries and had a lot of coffee. it was like i was trying to chase the headache away with a healthy dose of caffeine and sugar. it only partially worked and of course i didn't feel too great about my food choices afterwards. regardless of my slip up, i still made good progress last week. only down 1 lb but i lost .25 from waist, hips, and thighs. updated progress pics will be forthcoming at some point. my activity level has been really high lately, which seems to give me a bit more leeway with my diet, but i know i have to be careful of falling into the trap of feeling too comfortable. but, in addition to my regular workouts, i've played around with the following pursuits...a few bike rides up and down some steep hills 2-3 times (biking uphill has never been my strong suit), a 35 mile leisurely bike ride, finally trying my hand at rock climbing again for the first time in years, and taking my first ever kettlebell class. i love being so active, but i do often worry about getting enough recovery. speaking of, it's off to bed for me to try to get my 8 hrs. sleep is always the first thing i sacrifice...

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: oatmeal bar w. oats, flax seeds, cranberries, cashews
m3: coffee w. 1T half n half
m4: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m5: beef stew w. kale, mushrooms, carrots, onions, black eyed peas, cabbage, 1 slice whole wheat toast, mixed greens, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, 1 square dark chocolate

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: baby carrots, string cheese
m3: nf cottage cheese, blueberries, protein powder, coffee w. 1T half n half
m4: beef stew w. kale, mushrooms, carrots, onions, black eyed peas, 1 slice whole wheat toast
m5: salad w. mixed greens, snow peas, avocado, cucumber, tomato, carrots, olive oil, tuna
m6: handful granola, 1 square dark chocolate, peanut butter, apple

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: nf cottage cheese, blueberries, flax meal, walnuts, agave, 6oz lf latte
m3: salad w. mixed greens, queso fresco, avocado, tomato, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, chicken breast, sweet potato fries
m4: beef stew w. kale, mushrooms, carrots, onions, black eyed peas, 1 slice whole wheat toast
m5: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m6: salad w. mixed greens, queso fresco, avocado, cucumber, tomato, carrots, pumpkin seeds, cashews, olive oil, chicken breast, 1 square dark chocolate, handful of granola

week 2 update

so my measurements haven't changed much at all since last week. everything was more or less the same, so i'll not bother to repost it. i'm actually okay with that though for a few reasons. number one, i know from experience that my body sometimes tends to release a few pounds, then hold steady, then let some more go. also, i do know that i wasn't as disciplined last week as i was week 1 and it showed in my results...a good reminder to redouble my efforts and keep the end goal in mind. finally, i am feeling stronger, which is always a good sign. i am determined that next week i will see a more substantial drop in numbers, meaning i'm on really good behavior. and this week is off to a good start in terms of activity...rock climbing yesterday, an hour bike ride today with some decent uphill battles, and this is in addition to my regular turbulence training workouts. i'm all over week 3!

todays eats.
m1: baby carrots, tangerine, string cheese, hazlenuts, 8oz lf latte
m2: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, baby carrots
m3: hummus, pine nuts, celery, red pepper
m4: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m5: cherry tomatoes, steamed asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potato fries, beef stew w. kale, carrots, mushroom, black eyed peas, lentils

today has been one of those days where i cannot get full. i just can't. i feel like i've eaten a ton today and it's all been pretty good food, but it's also been a higher carb day too. also had a glass of wine at happy hour with a friend. had a kick-butt workout this morning and then went rock climbing this afternoon, so my arms are pretty much jello. will be taking measurements later on today :).

m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, mushroom, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: oatmeal bar w. oats, flax, dried fruit
m4: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, baby carrots
m5: tangerine, americano w. dash half n half
m6: 2 pieces whole wheat toast, hummus, avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, mixed greens, turkey breast
m7: 1 glass red wine, 1 bite mac n cheese
m8: beef stew w. kale, carrots, mushroom, parsley, black eyed peas, lentils, snow peas, 3 ak mak crakers, peanut butter, honey

saturday was an eat stop eat day and so not much to report on the eats side of things. yesterdays eats below and today is week 2 weigh in, so expect some numbers soon.

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, gouda cheese, butter
m2: string cheese, tangerine
m3: mixed greens, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, parsley, avocado, quinoa, kidney beans, wild rice, hijiki, butternut squash, onions, cranberries, olive oil, turkey breast
m4: bread slice, 6 oz lf latte
m5: hummus, baby carrots, celery, bell pepper
m6: wok w. broccoli, cabbage, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken, brown rice, red coconut curry, 2 sweet potato fries
m7: nf cottage cheese, protein powder, peanut butter, dried cranberries

pretty well on track with the eats for today, although i feel like i haven't been nearly as disciplined this week with portion sizes or allowing myself to be a bit hungry and i'm feeling like it shows in my progress. it's always hard to judge by just looking in the mirror, which is what tends to get discouraging, so i know that monday's weigh in will be the real test. regardless, today i turned down chocolate almond ginger toffee and banana chocolate crepe and i stuck to my clean food guns. i did have a glass of wine at dinner this evening but since it's only the second one in almost two weeks i'm okay with that.

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, asparagus, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey & greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk, agave
m4: mega salad w. mixed greens, yellow bell pepper, carrot, avocado, cottage cheese, quinoa, olive oil, hummus
m5: mixed greens, cilantro, avocado, tomato, steak, crepe w. chicken, goat cheese, tomato, bacon, spinach, thyme, 1 glass red wine

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, carrot, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk
m3: whole wheat toast, baby carrots, mixed greens, garlic hummus
m4: mega salad w. mixed greens, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, carrot, avocado, tuna, cottage cheese, quinoa, olive oil, few handfuls granola
m5: mixed greens, quinoa, shrimp, green onions, black/kidney beans, tofu, asparagus, snow peas, olive oil

todays eats.
m1: shake w. banana, matcha powder, nf milk, whey
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, pumpkin bread
m3: post wo shake w. banana, berries, nf yogurt, nf milk, whey and greens powder
m4: mixed greens, kale, cabbage, carrot, parsnip, asparagus, quinoa, shrimp, turkey meatloaf, dressing
m5: whole wheat toast, avocado, hummus, roasted bell peppers, 3 squares dark chocolate
m6: sweet potato fries, shredded cabbage & chicken salad, sauteed bok choy
m7: almonds, cashews, cranberries, shredded wheat

another slip...

okay, today wasn't great...not terrible, but definitely not great. i had another momentary lapse of willpower at work that ended with eating an almond croissant. other than that i ate well today, but it was just one of those days where i couldn't get full and after saying no for the twentieth time i finally lost my reserve. it looked something like this:

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, onion, romano cheese, butter
m2: steel cut oats, hemp protein powder, blueberries, nf milk
m3: string cheese, tangerine
m4: baby carrots, orange bell pepper, garlic hummus
m5: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, orange bell pepper, carrot, avocado, tuna, olive oil
m6: almond croissant, oatbar, 5oz lf latte
m7: quinoa, lentils, purple/green cabbage, olive oil, mixed greens

i'm determined to be back on track tomorrow, so look for a clean report then.

week one pics.

march 16th


march 23rd

it's really progress.

so i have to say that week one was a total success. it's been the first week in a long time where i was active but not neurotic about eating well and got in plenty of exercise and saw immediate results. i realized that i forgot to list my starting stats, so here they are below with my week one numbers right by them. i'm sure some of the bigger measurement losses were water weight, but hey, i'll take it :). here's to a fantastic week two!

weight: 133.4 -- 130
bicep: 11.25 -- 10.75
chest: 31.25 -- 30.25
waist: 28.5 -- 28.5
hips: 35.5 -- 34.5
thigh: 22 -- 21.75
calf: 13.5 -- 13.25

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg white, spinach, mushroom, green pepper, onion, romano cheese, butter, and whole wheat toast
m2: whole wheat toast, almond butter, pear, baby carrots
m3: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf milk, nf yogurt
m4: baby carrots, celery, cilantro hummus
m5: whole wheat toast, cottage cheese, protein powder, cherry tomatoes
m6: chicken breast, leeks, broccoli, fingerling potatoes, lemon butter sauce
m7: granola, dried cranberries, almonds, cashews, small square dark chocolate

one week down

one week of clean eating and solid exercise down and it feels amazing to be back on track. it's unfortunate how quickly i forget how good i feel when i eat well...if only i could brandish that feeling into my brain to call upon for help when my willpower begins to slip. however deeply stored, i know that it's still in there though because no matter what i always find my way back to clean eating and living. the bigger the learning curve, the more deeply instilled the lesson? let's hope so :)

yesterdays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg, spinach, mushroom, green pepper, romano cheese and whole wheat toast w. avocado and roasted bell peppers
m2: small square dark chocolate
m3: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf milk, nf yogurt
m4: baby carrots, celery, snow peas, steamed broccoli, roasted red pepper hummus
m5: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green pepper, carrot, avocado, cottage cheese, hemp protein powder, olive oil

my first slip up

i've got a confession to make today...i had my first dietary slip up of the week. i made the mistake of going to work hungry and by the time my break rolled around my willpower was shot. open mouth, insert chocolate chip scone. everything else was in line, and there are certainly much worse dietary disasters. and, in my defense, i have stuck to my commitment to take a week off of coffee (day 6!). my original plan was two weeks pastry-free, but seeing as this is my first slip up and i don't have any planned cheats before monday, i'm not too upset. i just need to use it as a friendly reminder to not allow myself to arrive at work so hungry. but not too much harm done, everything was on track for the rest of the day.

todays eats.
m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, green onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: shake w. banana, whey, matcha powder, nf milk
m3: chocolate chip hazelnut scone
m4: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green pepper, carrot, green onion, avocado, sardines, olive oil
m5: prawns, asparagus, green beans, red peppers, some sort of coconut sauce

good form is everything

so, i've recently starting doing a mentorship of sorts at a new gym that's about to open up in town. the guy who owns it has been in the industry for a long time and really knows his stuff when it comes to training. let's just say that working with him is teaching me just how little i know. i am getting absolutely schooled in proper form and, although ridiculously humbling at times, i'm loving (almost) every minute of it. taking it back to basics, lowering my weight, learning to really retract my shoulders, working in the scapular plane, and isolating muscles. it's blowing my mind. i'm realizing just how terrible my form was before and, although i certainly proved that it's possible to lose weight using improper form, i know that it would have caught up to me in the long run. after having this very eye-opening experience, i would recommend that everyone go find a skilled and knowledgeable trainer to work with for a few sessions just to be sure that you're on the right track...even if you're sure you know what you're doing (as i was), it can never hurt to have another pair of eyes. craig also just posted an article by vince delmonte on the importance of proper form on his blog. check it out at http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/2009/03/1-factor-in-building-muscle.html. and get thee to a trainer.

todays eats.
m1: eggs, toast, mushrooms, asparagus, salsa, butter, cheddar cheese
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: tangerine, string cheese, walnuts
m4: post wo shake w. banana, blueberries, nf milk, nf yogurt, whey and greens powder
m5: soba noodles, chicken breast, broccoli, chard, snow peas, onions, coconut milk

yummy.

another solid day without coffee. i can add about .25 cup of nf milk to my menu below that was added to my various tea throughout the day. yum.

m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, green onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m3: hummus w. pine nuts, baby carrots, celery, whole wheat toast w. peanut butter & honey
m4: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, green pepper, carrot, avocado, kidney beans, crabmeat, olive oil
m5: .5 chicken breast, broccoli, kidney beans
m7: tangerine, string cheese, walnuts

eats and thoughts.

yesterday was another home run in terms of nutrition. i ate:

m1: omelette w. egg/egg whites, spinach, mushroom, onion, green pepper, romano cheese, butter
m2: oatmeal w. hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: tangerines, string cheese, walnuts
m4: post wo shake w. banana, berries, whey and greens powder, nf yogurt, nf milk
m5: ahi tuna, veggies, white rice
m6: .5 chicken breast, brussel sprouts, kidney beans
m7: mega salad w. spinach, mixed greens, cucumber, green pepper, carrot, avocado, nf cottage cheese, salsa, olive oil

it feels SO good to be eating clean again and i'm also on day 4 of no coffee. i absolutely notice a difference in my energy levels. i feel like i get hungry sooner when i'm eating small frequent meals (duh) but it's a real hunger and i don't get that sluggish heavy feeling that i get when i'm eating bigger meals. the thing i'm being so blown away with right now is the power that habits, both good and bad, have over me. for some reason something has been holding me back mentally all this time from applying the habits that i learned in another country and a completely different environment to my life back here in the states. it's a little embarrassing to admit, but it really has taken me this many months to find the motivation to do that. and i feel like motivation is the only thing that's holding me back because as i find myself re-instilling these habits into my daily life i am slapped in the face by the realization that it simply is a choice that i make, and that i make again, and that i make again until all those little choices add up to what i define as my lifestyle. it's such a simple concept, but it somehow has been easily contorted in my head since i've been home. as i've been seriously looking at why that is i've realized that part of it is probably that i'd fallen back into the habits that i associated with this environment...i.e. living the way i lived in portland (mostly eating the way i was eating) before i moved to spain and learned a different way. this is one of those unconscious associations i had created between being in portland and functioning a specific way here. i kept blaming it on my job, which granted isn't doing me any favors in terms of weight loss. i know that maintaining low levels of body fat requires a high level of discipline, but being in an environment where i'm staring at pastries for 6-8 hours straight certainly isn't helping my efforts. regardless, i have somehow finally had the epiphany that is allowing me apply the knowledge that i learned in spain (that hasn't gone anywhere) to my life here and create a whole new association between my habits and the choices i make in my life here (and hopefully anywhere else from now on!). this all still continues to be a huge learning process (i guess you can include me in the slow learners club) and i've gotten to the point where i'm no longer willing to let my guard down and act as if i've mastered the whole lifestyle change part...i'm acknowledging that that part may continue to be a struggle for me even for years to come, but i'm proud of myself for continuing to show up and get up after progressing and rebounding so many times. i'm not content to be unhappy with how i look or with modifying my expectations of myself...i've never come close to throwing in the towel and it feels amazing to be back on track and have it feel more or less effortless for now :)

yesterday's eats

on the run today, but here was yesterday's menu:

m1: egg and egg white omelette w. spinach, green pepper, mushroom, romano cheese, butter
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, blueberries, agave
m3: .5 baked chicken breast, brussel sprouts, kidney beans, tangerine
m4: 3 ak mak crackers, hummus, sardines, baby carrots, steamed broccoli
m5: protein shake w. banana, berries, nf yogurt, whey and greens powder
m6: 1 piece whole wheat toast w. almond butter
m7: ahi tuna, veggies, white rice, bread, 1 glass red wine
m8: cottage cheese, protein powder

i know it seems like a lot but portions were small. i ended up out to dinner for meal 7 and was planning on having the 1 glass of wine, but didn't want to have the bread. oh well, slight room for improvement, but overall i'm really happy with my meals yesterday.

it's time.

so i'm probably no longer in the running to win this round of the turbulence training transformation contest. however, i do still plan to celebrate my birthday with abs. which means that it's time to get serious. really serious...no more of this running off to mexico to eat tacos :). that did set me back a bit but i feel like i've finally found the motivation that has come and gone for so long. i have had moments of feeling really motivated over the past several months, but i could never quite shift myself into the mindset where i was ready to be serious consistently...where i was ready to make another huge leap forward. i've been in maintenance for a long time and i've realized that that's an okay place to be, but i'm finally ready to take it to the next level. i told myself when i started this last challenge that i wasn't going to track/post food as long as i was making progress. well, i think the time has come. between now and my birthday (april 30th), i'm going to be posting workouts and what i'm eating as the pounds come off. there is no stopping me this time...that's a promise.

yesterday's menu:

m1: egg/egg white omelette w. spinach, mushroom, onions, green peppers, butter, romano cheese
m2: oatmeal, hemp protein powder, agave
m3: string cheese, walnuts, tangerine
m4: post wo shake w. nf yogurt, banana, mixed berries, greens and whey powder
m5: huge salad w. spinach, mixed greens, green onion, green pepper, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, sardines, baked tofu, olive oil
m6: cottage cheese, hemp protein powder

i'll be posting updated stats and photos within the next day or two. yay!

good to be home

nothing like a few weeks away to make me really appreciate my life at home. i always have such amazing adventures when i travel and i've been lucky to get the opportunity to do quite a bit, but i generally find myself so completely outside of my routine that it seems impossible for me to stay on track. granted sometimes i do better than others, but i realize when i'm traveling just how much exercise that i have built into my week that i miss out on when i'm away. of course, there are my scheduled turbulence training workouts, but on top of that there's all the bike riding that i do as a commuter, the demonstrating i do when i'm teaching yoga, and five to seven hours of standing and lifting heavy things at my job. i'll usually slip in a few body weight workouts when i'm away from home and do some running (and remember how much i hate running...) but it never seems to add up. then there's all the amazing food that i have to try when i'm in a new place. i know that doing some planning ahead of time can help me to stay somewhat more on track, but i have never successfully made it through a vacation with the same focus and discipline that i'm able to give my diet and workouts in my everyday life. it makes me realize what a creature of habit i am. having a routine is SO essential to my success. and that routine can be anything from eating the same spinach omelet almost every morning (i somehow never tire of it) to doing my workouts mon/wed/fri without even thinking about it. i know that i tend to beat myself up for getting so off track sometimes, but i also have to acknowledge how much a part of my life fitness has become. along with a few bad habits that i still have yet to give up i have instilled several new healthy ones. and if losing a bit of control while on vacation is something i'll always do, well i suppose worse things could happen...

too many tacos

so my blog has been a bit too quiet lately, mostly because i've been on the run. i just got back from almost three weeks of being away from home. first it was a week in louisiana to meet my beautiful new niece. first time i've been home for mardi gras in years, but we didn't even make it to the parades since my little niece was only three weeks old. then i was off for a little over a week in mexico, a bit of a last minute trip to use up an about to expire plane ticket. i hadn't really spent any time in mexico before and i must admit that it made a very good first impression. maybe i was just happy to have an opportunity to speak some spanish, since i have done very little of that since moving back from spain. i was staying in puerto vallarta but was lucky enough to be able to get out to some of the amazing surrounding towns and villages, including las penitas, mayto, tehuamixtle, and sayulita. there's a lot of treasure to be found in this area of mexico and i feel like i discovered much of it. i've had an incredible past few weeks, although i always find travel to be good for my soul and bad for my waistline...these trips were no exception. i was progressing very nicely pre-travels but after a healthy dose of my brother-in-law's red beans and rice and a few too many tacos in mexico, i've slipped in said progress a bit. but it's great to be home and i'm not letting the slippage get me down. amazing trips and amazing memories, and now i'm getting right back on track...

oh yeah, the plan...

things have been good in these first few weeks of my challenge. this wednesday will mark the end of week two, so i'll probably be posting a comparative pic pretty soon. i'm down from 131 to about 129, so things are moving in the right direction. i never clearly laid out my plan before, so i guess now would be a good time to do that. for exercise, i'm doing 3 days of turbulence training a week. i chose the intermediate fat loss fusion for the first four weeks and will probably move from there to the advanced one. haven't decided which workout i'll do for month three, but i've got some time to decide. i'm also committed to at least two yoga classes a week and i'm back to teaching yoga as well, only about 1-4 classes a week right now, but i'm hoping to expand on that. also, as a bike commuter, i get a lot of extra cardio getting to where i need to go. anything else will be a bonus...there's always so much i want to do, but never enough time to fit it all in, which i believe was the impetus behind trying turbulence training in the first place :). as far as my diet, i'm trying much harder to be less neurotic this time around. and the amazing thing is that it's working...which only confirms my belief that i do actually know what i'm doing. in the last year i've learned enough about fat loss to not have to count calories, or use fit day, or weigh everything that i put in my mouth or even completely swear off my favorite foods. i'm just exercising more self control, keeping my indulgences under control, and eating whole foods the rest of the time. i'm also doing just one day of eat stop eat a week as well. more on why that seems to be the perfect amount of intermittent fasting for me another time. for now, suffice it to say that sticking with lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains, and going light on whole wheat is getting the desired results...just like they always say it will!

one year later.

this past year has been pretty incredible. i've learned a ton, made some progress, slipped up quite a bit, created new habits, fallen back into old bad patterns, and re-emerged again. in a word, i suppose i've lived and learned along the way. although i did my fair share of getting derailed from my fitness goals, i have still managed to maintain considerable progress so many months later. pic 1 is me on the first day of my challenge last year, january 14th 2008. pic 2 is me one year later, january 14th 2009. i've gained a few pounds since the end of my first challenge, but i'm still coming in at about 132 instead of 145. overall, i'd call that a victory...to have lost and maintained a loss of 13 lbs. but it's just the beginning. it's time to really get back in the saddle and push myself to the next level. in a word, it's time to start another challenge. why the challenge? well, accountability. support. people to jump on my a** if i start to slip up. the truth is, making big changes in your body composition requires some discipline and requires following through on good habits on a consistent basis. this is something most of us want to be doing anyway, but sometimes life (or those uncontrollable chocolate cravings) tend to get in the way. but the way i see it, if i manage to make and maintain the same amount of progress this year as i did last, i'll be well on my way to visible abs :).

happy new year!

i have to apologize to my dear readers who keep checking back in with me when i start to get rolling with the old blog, only to disappear into cyberspace again a week or two later. one new years resolution is to try to be a bit more consistent with my posts, one of just a few things in my life that needs more consistency :). the past few weeks have been a bit nutty...i made it through the holidays, but barely. i managed to pull a muscle in my lower back doing dumbbell RDL's on december 22nd. i haven't ever sustained a low back injury before and i now have a whole new sense of empathy and respect for people who have. needless to say i spent my christmas immobile on the couch in a percaset-induced haze. not very pleasant, but i made it through and have recently returned to the gym with renewed vigor. that is one (if not the only) thing that i actually do like about injuries is that they renew my sense of gratitude for my body and my health. also, in this case, as i managed to injure my back on one of the exercises that is infamous for lower back injuries, it has also sparked a renewed interest in improving my form while lifting. i feel like i generally have relatively good form, and i'm pretty aware of keeping my abs engaged, spine straight, etc but i do tend to work on the heavier side of what i can lift, and since the injury i've dropped down in weight and have been a total stickler on my form. an interesting experiment for most of us i think as we all have a tendency to get sloppy after we've been at it a while. it's amazing how much concentrating on such little things as keep shoulder blades retracted or chest lifted can seriously increase the difficulty of an exercise. if you haven't been so serious about your form lately, maybe it's time to scrutinize. so, i have so many thoughts and goals and aspirations for the new year that i hope to get around to posting soon. i am really excited about starting anew again (yes, i know, it's all in my head) and all the opportunity that lies ahead. onwards and upwards...