Now I just need to work on getting back in the habit of working out at least 6 times a week like I used to. For a while there during the remodel, I was lucky to get two good workouts in.

I’ll be starting the Firm 90-day rotation tomorrow alternated with workouts at the gym. I think I may have to dust off my fitday account as well. Good times!

Is it bad to use someone who you think is the exact opposite of how you want your body to look as motivation? Mainly to make sure that you yourself never have a body that even remotely looks like theirs? I feel guilty about it but I swear its all thats working now. Its definitely not a technique with a ton of staying power, but it has helped me in the past really jump start my workouts. Shun me now.

I did lose 3 pounds last week. Woohoo! I’ve also enlisted Jeremy in cutting up veggies and preportioning snacks for me. I’ve also been spending a bit more for the preportioned 100 calorie treats to keep myself under control. I also logged in Fitday every weekday. I will continue this next week.

We’ll be leaving back to Minnesota in 26 days. Can I lose another 7-10 lbs. by then? I’m gonna bust my bum to make sure of it. 1200-1500 calories strict. One cheat meal per week. If I have to eat out during the work week for business lunches, I have to eat the lightest possible thing on the menu, or make up for it with a very light dinner to make the calories even out. Good thing I only have one more cake to make for my decorating class, that temptation will be gone as well. I’m burnt out of baking for the moment, thank GOODNESS! Cooking Light magazine will help me do my weekly meal plan too. I want to spend my calorie allotment on nutritionally dense meals, not just Lean Cuisines or something. Blech. I’m SOO over Lean Cuisine.

I’m going to use some of my premium money from working a buttload of overtime at work the last few weeks to buy a bunch of new workout DVDs, including one of the new FIRMs. There is a new infomerical that just started airing, and I plan on buying the deluxe kit when Collage Video starts offering it. I also bought a pair of ridiculously priced MBT “Garissa” style shoes for use in walking to work and on the treadmill. I’d love a pair of the Fit Flops too!

Here’s some new DVDs I’m waiting for:
Amy Bento’s Cardio Pump Hi-Lo
Perfect in Ten - Abs
Tamilee Webb - Tight on Time: Hot Spots
Tamilee Webb - Tight on Time: Body Blast
The Firm: Stability Ball 55cm
The Firm Bootcamp - Maximum Calorie Burn (NEW!!)
TLT: Susan Harris’ Finding Your Core
TLT: Jen Carmen’s Strength in Movement

I used a promotional code to download a free MP3 workout from iTrain.com (Promo code AH2007 — I got the iTread ‘n Tush 45 minute workout, which I did tonight while listening on my smartphone.) It was seriously like getting a hardcore gym workout. I haven’t sweated that much in months. No wonder I’ve been gaining weight. I’ve become too complacent.

06/17:

Here’s hoping I get back down to move-in weight ASAP and then I can work back on the under 120 goal. I need to start logging again.

05/08:

I’m gonna weigh in tomorrow (even though its mid-TOM) and see what the damage is.

SuburbanChaos blog is getting a new layout to be mainly a houseblog as that is taking up about 95% of my time lately outside of work! I’m going to have to dedicate myself to post here strictly about health and fitness stuff. I’m a bridesmaid in July and I defintely want to look good in the photos.

I’ve been doing some hardcore Cathe’s the past few days. I’m definitely getting rid of the complex step ones. I like the cross training ones that are primarily strength as its similar to gym style working out, but that step hopping around the entire room (mostly because I don’t have the room and bang into things) drives me INSANE.

Jeremy has been working out on the treadmill and elliptical next to me while I do my dvds. Then he does abs with me. He’s already looking wayy toned after only three days!! HOW DO MEN DO THIS???!! MUST KILL!! He still should drop about 20 lbs. to be in healthy weight range for his height, but if he just converts it to muscle from weight lifting. MMM mmm.

11/27:
11/26:

I’ve really just gotten so used to the same workouts and need a change up to increase my motivation. I’m breaking out some of my Cathe’s too. I’m going to whittle them down by doing them this month and see which ones I need to sell on the Ya ya swap. This will mostly be just the ones that are all high impact step. I can’t stomach it, but I will do them each one more time to see which ones to keep. They will kick my arse of course too.

I also have a crapload of protein powder. There are 8 cans or so in my pantry that I will probably start using more for training, as they are full meal replacement shakes, probably best to do in lieu of a nightly snack, and add some fiber powder to them (the only thing they are lacking.

My mom is in some business thing where she gets monthly 6-pack cans of the Optimal powder (30 scoops per can.) She keeps sending me extra boxes so I have tons of chocolate and french vanilla protein powder/meal replacement shakes, but there is NO WAY I can go through it. I have at least 4 or 5 boxes of the stuff (24-30 cans). If anyone wants some, I could ship them to you (just pay for shipping and paypal fees so I’m not out anything). Let me know. First dibs are here or else they will probably be sold on the swap.

I want to find a good training food plan to follow. I need a good excuse NOT to indulge in all the holiday excess over the next month before we go back to Minnesota to visit family (another huge reason to get my butt in gear… when people haven’t seen you for a year or two, they definitely can tell if you got fatter or not.) The only real problem is to figure out the answer when asked, “What are you training for?”… uh… just to have a sexy bod? That sounds kind of lame.

11/25:

Jer and I are having a dual birthday party on Saturday. The food will be fresh mex so I can definitely keep the calories under control there, but maybe not so much with the planned Red Velvet cupcakes and the cocktails mmm. I’m trying to balance it out by being light this week. Then next week is Thanksgiving. Ugh it really seems pointless this time of year. Be really good and then trash it with pie. Kill me now. It’s much easier to maintain during the holidays than try to lose anything. I should’ve started a few months sooner!

This whole thing would be much easier if Jer were in on it too. He’s just so busy on his own projects, he won’t use the treadmill or elliptical very much. I think its fun to double team, me use the elliptical, while he runs — usually while watching The Daily Show. Then I can smack his bum while he runs too. I think going to the gym is more appealing to him. I like the gym, but I HATE fighting for machines, or having a 20 minute limit. I also like to nap after work, and the gyms nearby close to early and are $$. A workout buddy would be nice.

11/13:

On Thursday I’m having another wisdom tooth extraction (I’m a bonehead who is doing them all separately instead of biting the bullet and paying the grand or whatever it would cost to have gotten knocked out.) Which, as an afterthought, would probably have been money well spent. I’m hoping this won’t derail my progress as I’ll have to take a few days off, at least exercise-wise (don’t want to dislodge that clot and get another dry socket OMG KILLER PAIN!)

So I’m working back into hardcore mode. This is exactly why I can’t take these little breaks when I have visitors, getting the motivation back is not as easy as it used to be. I’m mostly just being paranoid about the above-mentioned procedure and mentally tell myself that I might as well not bother as I’m going to have take another break for this. This is the wrong attitude. I know all the “right” things to say and think about weight loss, applying them when I see cookies, uhhhh not so much. Help kick my arse back into gear. I can’t stand the 120s anymore!

11/07:
11/06:

I also cleaned each room as we went, so the house was presentable at the end. The next step was to put away anything that had been stored in the wrong place into it’s rightful storage space. I finished up my office last night.

I also did a bunch of gardening last Saturday (OMG sore the next day!) and weeded the entire box and planted pretty tulips for spring (my fave flower).

I’m at 120.5 today. I could’ve ate better over my TOM, I was on program about 70% of the time, but had about three cheat days around 1600-1800 cals. Not acceptable, as I probably could be under 120 if I would’ve paid better attention vs. logging at end of day and being like “whoops.” The plus is that I have been food logging faithfully since I started this site, and that was a major goal. I have to keep with it to make it a full-fledged habit.