So, this past week just flew by! It was really fun to start to see the changes in how much I was able to do. First/' thing I noticed was the Snow Canyon 4 mile hike on Monday. The last mile and a half or so is straight up hill. Last time we did it, I had to stop to catch my breath several times. This time I was able to do the whole thing without a break. It was really fantastic! I was able to increase my speed on my interval training, even getting up to 7.0 on the treadmill, which, for you runners is nothing, but a big accomplishment for me. Tuesday mornings is "tower hill." It's a timed hike, 1 mile, straight up at a very steep incline. This week I took 3 minutes off my time, also never having to stop for a break.
It's really cool to see how fast your body adapts when you put in this kind of work. I picture it like this: The first week I was here, my body was just in shock, unable to think or respond at all. The second week, I think my heart and lungs and fat cells got together and said, "I think she's lost her mind. We better just hold on to everything we have stored up in case she's been taken prisoner or something." This past week, I think the heart and lungs took over the meeting and it went something like this: "Apparently, she is going to keep up this craziness, so fat, we're going to have to let some of you go. You're starting to hold back the organization. We'll let you know if something changes in the future." You see though, fat cells are stubborn. They are taking their time about cleaning out their desks and moving on. I think they are unionized. I managed to dismiss 4 pounds of them this week, but still have a lot of downsizing to do. I expect this week that the heart and lungs will be a little more aggressive with issuing pink slips. They may even have to call in security, or "sah-cura-tee." :)
Thursday we hiked these petrified sand dunes. It was the coolest thing! If you're checking my pictures on facebook, they'll be the ones of the "white" mountaings. Our Friday hike was in Zion National Park - A-MA-ZING! We hiked the to the three emerald pools, the grotto and then an easy 2 mile hike along the river. That place is so beautiful, it looks fake. Check my facebook for pictures! I have made really wonderful friends here. It's a wonderful thing to feel like we're all in this together. We cheer eachother on and feel such collective accomplishment at the end of each day.
Right now, I think I'm the most excited about the dramatic changes in my diet and how easy it's been. I've said it before, but it's NOT a diet. It's my new normal. And it really feels normal, which is amazing! That's also the beauty of doing this with several other people. We are able to colaborate on meals and ideas for ways to cook certain dishes which has broadened my horizons about how yummy healthy can be. I plan to totally cleanse my pantry and fridge and start over when I get home. You really can be healthy and lose weight while eating real food from ALL the food groups - yes, even carbs. It's also really amazing how much better food tastes when you're not eating all the processed foods, preservatives and refind sugar to which we are so accustomed. Food has so much more flavor now. I do believe I am actually enjoying it more. Gasp!!!
The cutest thing this week was when McCartney called to check in and was asking me all kinds of questions about food and what we were eating. I was describing a day to her, and how good everything is, but how it's just a matter of controlling and being aware of everything you put in your mouth and making your calories count, etc. When I stopped talking she said, "Wow! You sound so...balanced right now." :) I love it.
I can't believe I only have one week left here. This has been so amazing and when it's done, I know I will still have a long road ahead of me, but I'm not afraid of it anymore. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I'm finally starting to experience freedom again. It's a beautiful thing.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
2 down and a lifetime to go!
Week two started off with a bang! Monday morning I had all kinds of energy. I couldn't wait to push myself to the limits and see how much more I was able to do. I had told Chad and Jen that I wanted to start jogging, and Chad was happy to oblige. He took 3 of us to a place called "Foremaster Hill." I have a different name for it, but I don't want to offend anyone so I'll just leave it at that. He said we would jog to one light pole and walk to the next, etc. all the way up the hill, down the hill, and back up the hill and down the hill. Sounds easy enough, right? Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Let's just say that I DID 90% of the jogging, but not without Chad holding one hand and dragging me. By the time we got to the top (the first time) I was in serious need of oxygen. Oddly enough, this "hill" is right across the street from the hospital. Pretty good thinking on Chad's part. I wonder how many people he's had to cart across the street after a jog on the "hill." I counted it success that I was able to complete the exercise without a trip across the street. And this was just Monday morning!
Actually, my biggest challenge this week was sleep. I'm having some problem with my knees and hips. They hurt pretty much all the time, but it becomes ten times worse when I lie down. I have taken so much ibuprofen and aleve it's ridiculous. No matter what I try, I am awake within two hours in major pain. I toss and turn for the next few hours, getting cat naps here and there until finally it's just easier to get up and start my day rather than enduring the agony of TRYING to sleep. As you can imagine, rest is pretty important when you're working this hard. So, as the days were wearing on, my lack of sleep was causing me a lot of anxiety. If you're a girl, you'll totally understand this: what do we do more of when we're exhausted? CRY!!! I did more than my fair share of that this week. The problem was two-fold. First, I was exhausted and in pain, secondly, I was frustrated because I just want to be able to give everyday my best effort, and I felt unable to do that. For me, that's the worse! I finally saw a chiropractor, sport's medicine guy on Thursday. He did some therapy that might have helped a little. The jury is still out on that one. I bought a couple of knee braces and just decided to keep plugging along with those.
Fridays are a treat! Every Friday is a different long hike, and yesterday was in Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a two and a half hour drive, so we got started early - right after weigh-in! Let's talk about weigh-in for a minute. I really hate it! There is all this build-up from everything you've done all week and you can't help but feel a certain amount of pressure that you see it reflected in the numbers on the scale. So, this week I was only down 3.3 pounds. A total of 5.8 pounds since I arrived. This was initially discouraging to me because I know that there are diets I could be doing and seeing the weight come off faster. When I did the HCG diet, I lost 6 pounds the first week! Ahhh - that's the kicker. The whole reason I came here was to get OFF the diet merry-go-round and develop a healthy LIFESTYLE. AND - I believe I am experiencing success with that. 90% of weight-loss happens at the table. So, even though I will not be killing myself 5 hours/day in the gym when I get home, I'm gonna have this food thing down. I am basically losing weight while eating what will become "normal" for me. Therefore - it's not a diet, it's a - say it with me - LIFESTYLE! So, I choose to be encouraged by this. The weight-loss may happen slower than I initially hoped, but the good thing is, it WILL keep happening! So, don't expect to see a totally new Jennifer when I get home in two weeks. Well, what I'm saying is, I won't look new on the outside - YET, but I already feel new on the inside!
And now back to Friday - the hike in Bryce Canyon. You need to go to my facebook and look at pictures. It's simply beautiful! I just gained one piece of wisdom from the hike that I must share with you. Remember, whenever you hike DOWN into a canyon, unless you intend to live there the rest of your life, you WILL have to hike back UP at some point. So, don't go further down than you are willing to come back up!
That's it folks! I'm headed off to my Saturday massage. See you next week!!! :)
Actually, my biggest challenge this week was sleep. I'm having some problem with my knees and hips. They hurt pretty much all the time, but it becomes ten times worse when I lie down. I have taken so much ibuprofen and aleve it's ridiculous. No matter what I try, I am awake within two hours in major pain. I toss and turn for the next few hours, getting cat naps here and there until finally it's just easier to get up and start my day rather than enduring the agony of TRYING to sleep. As you can imagine, rest is pretty important when you're working this hard. So, as the days were wearing on, my lack of sleep was causing me a lot of anxiety. If you're a girl, you'll totally understand this: what do we do more of when we're exhausted? CRY!!! I did more than my fair share of that this week. The problem was two-fold. First, I was exhausted and in pain, secondly, I was frustrated because I just want to be able to give everyday my best effort, and I felt unable to do that. For me, that's the worse! I finally saw a chiropractor, sport's medicine guy on Thursday. He did some therapy that might have helped a little. The jury is still out on that one. I bought a couple of knee braces and just decided to keep plugging along with those.
Fridays are a treat! Every Friday is a different long hike, and yesterday was in Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a two and a half hour drive, so we got started early - right after weigh-in! Let's talk about weigh-in for a minute. I really hate it! There is all this build-up from everything you've done all week and you can't help but feel a certain amount of pressure that you see it reflected in the numbers on the scale. So, this week I was only down 3.3 pounds. A total of 5.8 pounds since I arrived. This was initially discouraging to me because I know that there are diets I could be doing and seeing the weight come off faster. When I did the HCG diet, I lost 6 pounds the first week! Ahhh - that's the kicker. The whole reason I came here was to get OFF the diet merry-go-round and develop a healthy LIFESTYLE. AND - I believe I am experiencing success with that. 90% of weight-loss happens at the table. So, even though I will not be killing myself 5 hours/day in the gym when I get home, I'm gonna have this food thing down. I am basically losing weight while eating what will become "normal" for me. Therefore - it's not a diet, it's a - say it with me - LIFESTYLE! So, I choose to be encouraged by this. The weight-loss may happen slower than I initially hoped, but the good thing is, it WILL keep happening! So, don't expect to see a totally new Jennifer when I get home in two weeks. Well, what I'm saying is, I won't look new on the outside - YET, but I already feel new on the inside!
And now back to Friday - the hike in Bryce Canyon. You need to go to my facebook and look at pictures. It's simply beautiful! I just gained one piece of wisdom from the hike that I must share with you. Remember, whenever you hike DOWN into a canyon, unless you intend to live there the rest of your life, you WILL have to hike back UP at some point. So, don't go further down than you are willing to come back up!
That's it folks! I'm headed off to my Saturday massage. See you next week!!! :)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Week 1 done - Yay!!!!
What an amazing week! I do believe this is the hardest thing I have ever done. Everyday holds new challenges - from being incredibly sore and not knowing how it's possible to run one more lap or do one more push-up to missing my family like crazy! But, it's all been soooo good! I have been pushed harder than ever and driven to the point of tears more than once this week. I think the toughest thing for me was intervals on Wednesday. Chad decided that for my interval session I would do laps around the track, walking the sides and running the corners - WHILE HARNASSED TO HIM AS HE WAS PULLING AGAINST ME. So, there I am - looking like some sort of farm animal, pulling a grown man around the track. I didn't realize just how difficult it would be. I was running and pushing so hard, but barely moving. It took all my strength and concentration just to get around each corner and by the end I was so winded that it hurt to breathe. As one of my housemates aptly describes it - "it feels like your lungs are being scrubbed with scrub brushes." And that IS really the best description for it! After 6 of the corners, I asked Chad "how many more?" "Just two," he replied. JUST two???? OK. I got through the first of the last two, and cried my way all the way to the second. Chad was very encouraging and assured me that I could do it or he wouldn't be pushing me that hard. After I was done, ALL my energy was spent and literally all that was left to give were tears. I'm not sure what the tears were for - agony, frustration for being so out of shape, or maybe the joy of being done and a pretty nice feeling of accomplishment. Chad then told me the thing I really needed to hear. He said he knew I would see major results because I was working so hard. He said that he loves training me because I'll do anything he asks and he knows I'll give it my all. I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist of it. And believe me, I'm not tooting my own horn, I'm just saying that when you are working THIS hard, it is the best thing in the world to get that kind of feedback! It really motivated me even more. I told Chad that I knew it was a BIG sacrifice for my family for me to be away this long, so when I came here, I promised them I would not waste a single day. And when I don't feel like doing any more, I just remind myself of that.
Everyday was hard. I wake up feeling majorly sore - all over. Muscles I didn't even know I had are sore. Making it to the end of Thursday was a great feeling because I knew that Friday would be our all day hike!!!! Oh - but not before weigh-in and boot camp! Weigh-in - well, it wasn't great. I cried - AGAIN! I wanted to see a big number after all my hard work, but not so much! I got over it, though. I decided that after only 4 days, it wasn't so bad, considering my body is probably still in shock and trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing! After weigh-in was boot camp and then we packed up for the hike. We drove to Buckskin Gulch. It was simply amazing! I didn't expect it to be so hard, though. It was mostly flat, but trecking through a dry river bed in fairly deep sand or navigating over all sizes of river rocks proved to be a challenge on the legs - a good challenge. The pay-off was great though! Wow! The scenery can't even be described - even the photos won't do it justice, but check my facebook if you want to see some anyway!
One thing that wasn't hard was the food. It's remarkable how easy it is to eat healthy when there are no other options! But seriously, I haven't been hungry at all and it's not like I've been choking down food that is barely tolerable. The food is great! We do all our own cooking and we count every calorie. We basically eat clean - lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains - you know the drill. We also try to eat about 5 times a day, which I think makes it easier to eat smaller portions. My goal is to stay between 1250 and 1350 calories and sometimes it's hard to get them all in.
The weekend is time to rest and recover. I started out with coffee (yay!) and a massage (double yay!), did some shopping with my housemates, who are now my buds, and went to a movie. The best thing about today is that I felt great! I expected to feel beat up, but instead I felt energized and well, just great. I'm actually looking forward to next week! Whadya' know?
Until then, thanks everyone for staying in touch! God continues to prove himself faithful and merciful.
Much love, Jenn
Everyday was hard. I wake up feeling majorly sore - all over. Muscles I didn't even know I had are sore. Making it to the end of Thursday was a great feeling because I knew that Friday would be our all day hike!!!! Oh - but not before weigh-in and boot camp! Weigh-in - well, it wasn't great. I cried - AGAIN! I wanted to see a big number after all my hard work, but not so much! I got over it, though. I decided that after only 4 days, it wasn't so bad, considering my body is probably still in shock and trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing! After weigh-in was boot camp and then we packed up for the hike. We drove to Buckskin Gulch. It was simply amazing! I didn't expect it to be so hard, though. It was mostly flat, but trecking through a dry river bed in fairly deep sand or navigating over all sizes of river rocks proved to be a challenge on the legs - a good challenge. The pay-off was great though! Wow! The scenery can't even be described - even the photos won't do it justice, but check my facebook if you want to see some anyway!
One thing that wasn't hard was the food. It's remarkable how easy it is to eat healthy when there are no other options! But seriously, I haven't been hungry at all and it's not like I've been choking down food that is barely tolerable. The food is great! We do all our own cooking and we count every calorie. We basically eat clean - lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains - you know the drill. We also try to eat about 5 times a day, which I think makes it easier to eat smaller portions. My goal is to stay between 1250 and 1350 calories and sometimes it's hard to get them all in.
The weekend is time to rest and recover. I started out with coffee (yay!) and a massage (double yay!), did some shopping with my housemates, who are now my buds, and went to a movie. The best thing about today is that I felt great! I expected to feel beat up, but instead I felt energized and well, just great. I'm actually looking forward to next week! Whadya' know?
Until then, thanks everyone for staying in touch! God continues to prove himself faithful and merciful.
Much love, Jenn
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The beginning
Yesterday, after a very exhausting first day, I worked on my blog for over an hour. Right before I was going to publish it, it disappeared! So, here we go again! Luckily for you, I probably won't be as wordy this time around!
I arrived in sunny St. George, Utah on Sunday afternoon. I spent time with the owners/trainers Chad and Jen Bullen. They are both wonderful people and we hit it off right away! I met 3 of my housemates as they were on their way out the door. After Chad and Jen filled me in on everything, they were out the door and I was left alone to unpack and settle in. When I walked into my bedroom, I was suddenly overcome by a terrible feeling of lonliness. I was overwhelmed about the month ahead and didn't know how I could possibly do it with everyone I love so far away. Anyway, I decided the best thing to do was just keep moving - then at least my tears wouldn't form any puddles in my slightly depressing bedroom. In addition to the extreme lack of color or decor, I didn't think I could handle puddles, too. I managed to get myself settled, read awhile and finally sleep - though not very well.
Monday morning we started bright and early with an hour and forty minute walk in Snow Canyon. I really wanted to post a picture, but I haven't figured out how to get it from my phone to my ipad to this blog yet. The scenery was amazing! When we returned to the gym, we did a timed 1/2 mile run. No, I will not tell you my time. Next was a 30 minute arms class, which Chad made us do outside while walking through the neighborhood. This is the good thing about being so far away. At least I don't have to worry about seeing a familiar face when I'm looking so goofy and uncoordinated. After arms was interval training on the treadmill - I like those because they are short. I can get through 30 seconds at 6.0 because I know it's just 30 seconds and then we move on to something else. After a lunch/rest break, we had a boot camp class. By this time, I was moving slowly, but somehow I made it through anyway. I decided to unwind by the pool. I got back to the house and pretty much collapsed after my shower. Some of you want a run-down on the food, so here's what yesterday looked like:
Breakfast:
2 egg whites with mozarella cheese
morning snack:
small apple
2 baby bell light cheeses
lunch:
turkey burger on a sandwich thin, with lettuce, tomatoes and of course, jalapeños!
afternoon snack:
banana
1/4 raw almonds
dinner:
another turkey burger (since the first one was so good!)
sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper
fresh kale chips (amazing!)
evening snack:
string cheese
15 grapes
Calorie total for the day: 1275
So, today the two newbies got to have our body composition analysis and resting metabolic rate testing. For the body composition, you sit in something called the "bod pod" while they run this test which tells you exactly how many pounds you are in fat, fat-free mass. Again - NO, I will not share the numbers with you. I still have way too much pride for that! It's funny though, because you can even learn your body volume in liters - I'm 92.634 liters. There - that's the only number you're getting! And in case you didn't get enough info from all of that, a whirl in the bod pod and you can even learn your volume of thoracic gas (i.e. how much hot air you're made of). Please, please don't leave any comments about that! The resting metabolic rate tells you how much energy you would use if you just sat in a chair all day breathing through a tube (apparently with an uncomfortable large blue clip on your nose). My test registers only slightly below normal. So, what did I learn from that? My weightloss zone is 1256-1570 calories- not taking into account any exercise. For the purposes of the camp, we will aim for the low end - 1300. So far, it seems very doable.
Today's classes, thus far, have consisted of pilates, abs class and intervals on the treadmill. I also did 7 laps in the pool and am heading out the door in a few minutes for another boot camp class.
I have to tell you the best part of my day yesterday. I called McCartney to fill her in on what all we did and ate, etc. She wanted to know every detail. After giving her the run-down, she said, "Wow, mom! You are awesome! Now just go rest and relax and be proud of everything you did today!" :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have written comments and sent me sweet, encouraging messages through email and facebook. They really have boosted my spirits and uplifted me. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to everyone, but please know that your messages have really meant so much to me! I have read and re-read them each several times!
OK - time to get moving!
I arrived in sunny St. George, Utah on Sunday afternoon. I spent time with the owners/trainers Chad and Jen Bullen. They are both wonderful people and we hit it off right away! I met 3 of my housemates as they were on their way out the door. After Chad and Jen filled me in on everything, they were out the door and I was left alone to unpack and settle in. When I walked into my bedroom, I was suddenly overcome by a terrible feeling of lonliness. I was overwhelmed about the month ahead and didn't know how I could possibly do it with everyone I love so far away. Anyway, I decided the best thing to do was just keep moving - then at least my tears wouldn't form any puddles in my slightly depressing bedroom. In addition to the extreme lack of color or decor, I didn't think I could handle puddles, too. I managed to get myself settled, read awhile and finally sleep - though not very well.
Monday morning we started bright and early with an hour and forty minute walk in Snow Canyon. I really wanted to post a picture, but I haven't figured out how to get it from my phone to my ipad to this blog yet. The scenery was amazing! When we returned to the gym, we did a timed 1/2 mile run. No, I will not tell you my time. Next was a 30 minute arms class, which Chad made us do outside while walking through the neighborhood. This is the good thing about being so far away. At least I don't have to worry about seeing a familiar face when I'm looking so goofy and uncoordinated. After arms was interval training on the treadmill - I like those because they are short. I can get through 30 seconds at 6.0 because I know it's just 30 seconds and then we move on to something else. After a lunch/rest break, we had a boot camp class. By this time, I was moving slowly, but somehow I made it through anyway. I decided to unwind by the pool. I got back to the house and pretty much collapsed after my shower. Some of you want a run-down on the food, so here's what yesterday looked like:
Breakfast:
2 egg whites with mozarella cheese
morning snack:
small apple
2 baby bell light cheeses
lunch:
turkey burger on a sandwich thin, with lettuce, tomatoes and of course, jalapeños!
afternoon snack:
banana
1/4 raw almonds
dinner:
another turkey burger (since the first one was so good!)
sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper
fresh kale chips (amazing!)
evening snack:
string cheese
15 grapes
Calorie total for the day: 1275
So, today the two newbies got to have our body composition analysis and resting metabolic rate testing. For the body composition, you sit in something called the "bod pod" while they run this test which tells you exactly how many pounds you are in fat, fat-free mass. Again - NO, I will not share the numbers with you. I still have way too much pride for that! It's funny though, because you can even learn your body volume in liters - I'm 92.634 liters. There - that's the only number you're getting! And in case you didn't get enough info from all of that, a whirl in the bod pod and you can even learn your volume of thoracic gas (i.e. how much hot air you're made of). Please, please don't leave any comments about that! The resting metabolic rate tells you how much energy you would use if you just sat in a chair all day breathing through a tube (apparently with an uncomfortable large blue clip on your nose). My test registers only slightly below normal. So, what did I learn from that? My weightloss zone is 1256-1570 calories- not taking into account any exercise. For the purposes of the camp, we will aim for the low end - 1300. So far, it seems very doable.
Today's classes, thus far, have consisted of pilates, abs class and intervals on the treadmill. I also did 7 laps in the pool and am heading out the door in a few minutes for another boot camp class.
I have to tell you the best part of my day yesterday. I called McCartney to fill her in on what all we did and ate, etc. She wanted to know every detail. After giving her the run-down, she said, "Wow, mom! You are awesome! Now just go rest and relax and be proud of everything you did today!" :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have written comments and sent me sweet, encouraging messages through email and facebook. They really have boosted my spirits and uplifted me. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to everyone, but please know that your messages have really meant so much to me! I have read and re-read them each several times!
OK - time to get moving!
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