Oh no, not again. It hurts so good, I don't understand . . .

Rod Stewart is referenced in the title. It's from his song "Infatuation". I thought it was an appropriate title considering. Just watch the video . . .

It's Done! I'm Finished!

Hello everyone! On yesterday, Saturday, April 7, 2012 I completed the Jamie Eason LiveFit Challenge. Wow! Okay. As some of you who have been reading my blogs know, this has been a tough journey for me. I am in the middle of completing my MBA program and I work 40 plus hours a week. I've been getting up at 4 am in the morning to go to the gym and workout. Man, I set here and think about my first time in the gym. I was so intimidated. I did not know what I was doing.

And now, I am a veteran. I go in the gym and do my workouts without any problems. I am no longer intimidated. I even made some acquaintances. However, there were some issues. During Phase III I started to encounter injuries. First it was my left foot, then it was my right groin, and last my right hip. I had to take a few days off just to recuperate. Also, last weekend I went to New York for a wedding and I did not go to the gym. But I more than made up for it with all of the walking I did. I was planning for this weekend to be my one and only cheat weekend. But it did not happen. I could not bring myself to do it. I did have a small piece of cake, but is slimmer than a slice of bread, lol. So I still ate well at a wedding, that had so much food. Okay, maybe one thing I ate that was bad was the pasta, and I did not eat all of that either.

So, I guess you want to know what are my results. Well, I started this program officially weighing 138 pounds. Now I weigh 136 pounds. Unfortunately, I did not take my measurements or percentage of body fat at the beginning of this program. But my clothes are really loose. Too big to be exact. I wore a pair of skinny jeans yesterday and they were kinda baggy. I have some photos that I will post.

Some of you may have some questions. So, I will try to guestimate them.

1. Did you follow the program to a T? I tried very hard to do the workouts as designed and for the most part I did, until the injuries started happening in phase III.

2. Did I eat right the whole time? The answer is mostly yes. My biggest thing is that I don't think I ate often enough. I am a vegetarian so I don't really eat bad. What I had to do is cut out sugar. Well unnatural sugars. I replaced sugar with xylitol. Xylitol is a great sugar substitute and it tastes just like sugar. For this program it called for lean proteins, chicken, fish, etc. However, being a vegetarian, I could not eat the chicken, but I did eat fish, tofu, and shrimp. For breakfast, I did either egg whites, oatmeal, or Kashi cereal with 6 grams of sugar or less and unsweetened almond milk (my new favorite, I've actually turned my mom onto it). And of course I ate fruit and vegetables. Nuts: almonds, cashews and walnuts. I tried to eat as many times a day as I could, and I did protein shakes. I also have fallen it love with Ezekiel bread. It's my new favorite thing (with natural peanut butter).

3. Did you ever get discouraged? Yes, I did plenty of times. I just felt like nothing was happening to my body. The biggest mistake was getting on the scale. The scale does not tell the whole story. I gained muscles, which weigh more that fat. Once I got this through my head I was good.

4. I am I happy with the results? For the most part, yes . . . I am healthier and stronger. I remember, I could barely do 5 push ups, now I can do three sets of 10 - 15. I am not happy that I had to lose some days due to my injuries. I do believe these missed days impacted my progress a little bit. But I look great if I do say so myself ;)

5. What's next? That is what I have been thinking about. I thought about doing the whole program all over again. That is once I have finished with my MBA classes. This way, I can fully concentrate on working out and planning my meals ahead. If you go to www.bodybuilding.com there are plenty of programs and information about working out. I think I may try another program from there. I do plan to continue to eat clean and healthy.

You want to see updated photos? Here we go.

March 21, 2012

April 8, 2012 (End of the LiveFit program)

So let's look at me from the beginning to the end, he he he . . .

Jan. 17, 2012---------------- Feb. 18, 2012

March 5, 2012

March 13, 2012 March 21, 2012

April 8, 2012

It was a long journey, but I completed it. And now my journey continues!

P.S.

If there are any men reading this you may want to turn your head right about now . . . .

Okay ladies, I got my monthly visitor on yesterday, so I am not as toned as I was a few days ago. But hey, this still isn't half bad, huh! =)

Phase III

I love this! It has kept me motivated. You can't judge by the scale =)

I am in Phase III of the LiveFit program. I have actually completed a week of this phase and I am getting excited because the end is near. Well, I was excited until this morning. What happened you ask. Well today I pulled something in my right thigh. Arrrrrggggg!!!! Why now, why in Phase III? I was doing so well . . .

Let me tell how last week went at least. Well this phase is the fat burning phase, the phase I was most looking forward to. Last week, plyometrics was included, so there was a lot of jumping. I actually, jumped rope. The thing I hated the most, but was getting use to were the 30 sec sprints on the treadmill. Basically, you run 8 miles per hour for 30 seconds, then you get off for 30 seconds and repeat this sequence for 3o minutes. I detest this exercise, I really do. This week is the last week for the sprints, and I believe that my body was getting used to it. Because I could tell a difference from first time on Tuesday, to my third time on Friday. May body was getting acclimated. So today I was really excited about working out . . . That is until I injured myself.

Here's what happened. I was on the leg press machine, and I felt a little something strange in my inner right thigh during my first set. I thought I just needed to loosen up, so I continued as a warm up. Then I started to do jump squats, and that is when I truly felt that something was not right, but I this kept going hoping that it would loosen up. But it never loosened up. So I stopped exercising, because I was beginning to limp. I was so angry. I left the gym, because I wanted to take care of the injury and not further inflame it. So, I have been icing it. I am going to lay off leg exercises until my inner thigh starts to feel better. Instead of running on the treadmill, I am going to walk. I am so bummed; I was so close! I was starting to see a difference in my body.

Luckily, I took a picture of myself the first day of Phase III. I looked and felt good. You can see the photo below. I also weighed myself. I lost the two pounds I gained. And I believe I owe it all to last week. Let's just hope I have the same progress this week.

Now, I have to be even more careful of what I eat.

March 12, 2012

Week 8 and photo updates!

Wow, I am actually in Week # 8. This is the last week of phase three of the LiveFit Challenge. Boy, I have come a long way. I must admit that last week I was a bit discouraged; it was not a good week at all. I weighed myself and realized I gain back the two pounds I lost. Something I don't get. I thought I would have lost more weight by now, especially since I am eating well, and I am a vegetarian. I guess it is the muscle mass that I have gained.

Additionally, I was not able to work out on Friday, last week. I had a conference to attend for a paper I wrote. Before I left for the conference, I called the hotel to see if they had a fitness facility, and I was told it was mostly treadmills.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the fitness facility actually had weights! It did not matter, because I really did not have the time to work out. A big challenge was the food. For breakfast bagels and cinnamon buns were served. I got some tea without sugar. It was quite challenging. I had to eat a granola bar, thst had a good amount of sugar in it, but I had to eat. So, I felt more discouraged. Anyway, the one thing that brought me some joy was the fact that I won first place for the paper competition.

However, as promised I do have updated photos, once again taken in my bathroom =)

So let's do this:

Jan. 18, 2012<---------------------Feb. 16, 2012

March 5, 2012

My strong like bull shot Mar. 5, 2012

I am now starting to see a difference and thank goodness. Because Phase three starts next week. And I will be focusing more on burning fat; however, I will still incorporate the weights. I am looking forward to it. Until next time.

New Updates

Guess what? I am now in week seven of the LiveFit program. I can't believe I have made it this far! Well, I have lost 2 pounds within a week. It may not sound like much but if I continue on this track that means 10 pounds by the end of this program, or even more. Now I am starting to count calories.

Today was not the best start of my week seven. I had a paper to write last night and did not get to bed until 1:45 a.m. I still got up at 5:00 am and went to the gym today, but I got there later than normal. So, I was not able to add my cardio in (I could have, but I would have been late for work). I will have to add it in on Saturday.

Then, yesterday was my birthday, so today at work my boss brought me a cake! A red velvet cake, my most favorite cake in the whole world! It was a four layer cake. I did not not know how to handle the situation. I gave most of the cake away. I did have a slice, but a very small slice of cake. And you know what? I had more control than I thought. That small slice of cake sent a sugar rush through my body, caused me to get a headache. I did not need to eat anymore. Now, I think I am pretty much done with sweets. The cake did not have the affect I thought it would.

I am surely going a long with this LiveFit journey. Stay tuned, I will have updated photos by the end of this week!

Update Photos

I promised to post some update photos. I just finished the first week of phase 2. During this phase cardio is introduced. It is recommended to do 30 minutes at medium impact. So I have been on the elliptical machine for 30 mins. So far, I have done cardio four times a week along with my weight lifting. It is also suggested to do the cardio after the weight lifting. Although, cardio increases metabolism faster, weight lifting gets the metabolism going longer. For example, the metabolism increase lasts hours longer after lifting weights, versus just doing cardio. Any way let's get to the photos:

Jan. 16, 2012 <------------------------>Feb. 18, 2012

As I have said before, I can't really tell a difference right now. I guess because I see myself everyday, but I am noticing my clothes are fitting a little looser. Now that I am adding cardio, I should see more of a difference. So, I'll post more pictures in two weeks.

Oh, and for now on I'll take the photos in my bathroom, better lighting, lol.

I Just Thought I'd Mention . . .

Well, today I had to wear a business suit for a panel discussion I was participating in. A woman (one of my colleagues), was impressed by how I looked. And she said,"You are going to turn a lot of guys' heads. If you turned a woman's head you'll definitely turn the guys. " Then she told me I had nice legs. So this tells me that my workouts are showing signs of progression. Most importantly, it felt good to hear. I was starting to feel a little down, because I feel rather bloated right now. I know it is only because of my intense work out on yesterday. Additionally, I was advised to start taking update photos every two weeks. This is a good idea. So, there may be some new photos up soon. This week and from now on, I will be working out six days per week. We'll see how it goes.

Week Five & Seven More to Go

Here is my video for week 5, I am still pushing!

Good Morning

Good morning! Well I am in my fourth week of working out, and so far so good. I am able to wake up in the mornings at 5 am and go to the gym (a feat I am still surprised about.) I can't say that it is easy, because it is not. There are many times that I just want to turn my alarm off and roll back into my sleep. But I somehow make it out of my bed. I am starting to get the hang of the gym, and am getting familiar with the equipment. Therefore, I am not as intimidated as I was the first time I went there.

So, I guess I should talk about my progress. I still have not weighed myself yet. However, I am noticing a difference in my body. My posture seems much better, and my clothes are fitting looser. I think I have lost some inches. Due to me ingesting flax seeds and oils, it appears that my hair and skin are starting to improve as well. My energy is up and down, but I think that is mainly because of the stresses of work and school (more so school). I know I need to do an update photo and I will soon.

After this week I will be in phase two of the LiveFit program, and in this stage I get to add in cardio. So I am looking forward to that. I believe phase two is when the weight loss happens. I'll keep you posted!

The End of Week Two. Ten More To Go!

So I have completed week two of the Jamie Eason LiveFit Challenge. And I must say I am quite proud of myself. So far, every morning I have been able to wake up at 5 am and go to the gym and do my workouts. Additionally, I have not had any sweets. I think my body is responding to the this regimen well. On Tuesday, I had a tuna fish sandwich along with some collard greens and corn on the cob. The collard greens and corn on the cob was a bit too greasy and my body let me know. I began to feel so sluggish and tired. So now I know I have to be careful of what I eat. Also, I think I am starting to notice some differences in my body. It seems as though the muscles are starting to take shape.

I must admit I was concerned about something, my weight. A couple of weeks before I started the program I was 135 pounds, then the week before I started I was 138. The week of the program I was 141.1, then after my first week 14o, but this week I was back at 141. I did not quite understand it. But then I realized there was a lot going on with my body. I am gaining more muscles and I know that they weigh more than fat. So I have decided to stop weighing myself and just go by how my clothes fit and how I feel.

So far so good, and I am excited about the third week. I will let you know how week three goes!

One Week Down, Eleven More to Go!

Here is the latest video. I am so happy that my cold sore is finally healing!

DAY 1

Today is the day!

Then later that day . . .

Please forgive the awful cold sore. It's almost healed. Well the video says it all. Tomorrow I am going to try to get up very early in the morning, like 5 am and go to the gym. We'll see how that goes.

Starting again . . .

Well here we are in 2012, and I am going to get back in to shape. First of all, let me say that I am not really out of shape. I am just not comfortable with where my body is at right now. Let me explain. Picture it, Washington, DC 2006. I just turned 30 and was in the best shape of my life, 125 pounds. I kept my awesome figure until 33 . . . the time I started graduate school. Stress levels going up is an understatement.

I should also mention that I am a vegetarian, so I pretty much eat healthy most of the time. But my weakness is sweets . . . red velvet cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls, ice cream . . . you get the picture. Due to the stress of school, I ate a lot of the aforementioned sweets, because they tasted and made me feel so good. Now I am 10-13 pounds heavier. I know it is not a real big deal, especially to those that need to loose a lot more to have a better quality of life.

But I liked how I felt, I loved the way my clothes fit, and I just liked looking at my reflection in the mirror. Narcissist? Maybe. Honest? Yes.

So here I am at 35 soon to be 36, and I will be graduating this coming May. I want to get my body back! I will do it! I am starting this blog, so that I will be held accountable for my actions and inactions. I want people to call me out and constantly ask me how am I doing with my exercise routine.

How am I going to do this?

Well I have started with a metabolism booster exercise regimen, that I found in an issue of Women's Heath. It's the issue with the actress Zoe Saldana on the cover of it. I have already done it three times this week. Boy do I feel it. I am also going to start the Jamie Eason LiveFit Challenge. It is a 12 week challenge, that completely changes the way you eat, think and work out. I will start that next week.

I am really excited about this! I hope I can continue with the excitement and stay motivated. I am going to try to wake up in the wee hours of the morning (5 am), and exercise. Therefore, I will have the rest of my day to do the other things like homework, arrrrgggg.

Well I guess this blog will not be complete without the dreadful starting weight photo.

So here it goes:

138 pounds at the moment. Let's see what the future holds.