Saturday the 19th was evaluation day at Peak Body Transformation. Another 10 week session had ended and it was my first evaluation in the alumni class.

Glancing at the results, I’m frankly disappointed in myself. I had no significant losses in inches or weight; however, I had modest gains in activity level. You’d think that after 20 weeks of 6 day training I’d achieve better in the physical appearance department.

So here is the finally tally after 20 weeks…

 

• Chest:  half inch loss
• Waist : 1 inch loss
• Hips: 1.25 inch loss
• R Arm: half inch gain (?)
• R Thigh: 1.5 inch loss

 

Most of my losses occurred in the first 10 week session, leaving very little physical loss in the 2nd session. My activity level,  on the other hand, improved in the 2nd session.

 

• 3min Step Test (heart rate): 140 to 108 
• Pushups 1min: from 15 to 35
• Situps 1min: 22 to 30 
• 1 mile time: from 12 minutes to 9:30 minutes (did not run during the current eval)

 

Three more activities were added during the evaluation:

 

• Wall Squat: 3:39 min
• Plank Hold: 2:47 min
• Steering Wheels (Figure 8 Band): 66

 

I’m rather disheartened by the minimal gains (appearance-wise) I experienced with this current session. I’m already auto-enrolled in the next two months (I have to give 30 days notice and last month is already paid) and at $74 a session, it seems too expensive for the results I’m getting. I enjoy the cardio workout and calorie burn, but I desire more muscle gain and strength.

Unfortunately, the diet part of the equation still gives me trouble. While I have some indicators that I lost 1% body fat (really really frustrating), it isn’t enough to help me achieve the tone and definition I want. I’d love to get below 30% but I don’t see it happening unless I do something drastic like a crash diet.

And my current meal plan…while I know I don’t stick to those calorie limits on half the days, I can’t help but lose a lot of energy by midday. I’m stuck at work realizing I’m about to fall asleep in my chair because I’m so tired and sleepy around 1pm. And my work day isn’t even half way done. 🙁

So frustrating!

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So I have this goal of dropping 2lbs a week when I first started MFP.  I started at 35.8% body fat, 151lbs of weight.

I later learned that burning 3500 calories meant dropping 1 lb of fat.

I burn about 3000 calories in a week. Sounds like I’m slightly under a pound.

I then determined that losing weight isn’t the same as losing fat. Or is it?

At my last check in, my BF was at 34.5%. I’m roughly at 145lbs. So I created a deficit of 1.3% body fat and 6lbs. Currently that puts my lean body mass at about 95lbs.

So….where was I going with this?

I thought if I could burn 7000 calories a week, then I’d be dropping 2lbs of fat weekly. However, I’m certain that the common-sense approach is to understand that I can’t target fat exclusively…I will certainly be losing muscle as well.

One source indicated that I am currently within a healthy range for body fat. I managed to slip just under. 

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blbodyfatcharts.htm

The 80% rule states that 80% of body composition is about diet. So if I’m messing up my diet 100% of the time, then I’m sabotaging 80% of me.

This is month 5 on MFP and doing PBT. 7 months if I count the 2 months of boot camp that preceded this. Unfortunately the weight loss has been too gradual. I don’t know what the average BF% should be when on an exercise regimen. I imagine if the diet were kept in check, I would see more dramatic results.

So now I have to edit my blog subtitle. Foodie to Fit…in 10 weeks months! 

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We’re now approaching another 10 week milestone at Peak Body Transformation. I’m exercising more, enduring more, and generally improving overall.

So what things have I noticed since I started this program in January?

1) I’m almost up another full band color. Newbies and jr alumnis grab the yellow and green bands. I’m almost exclusively using green and red. Sr alumnis are usually using green, red, and blue. A few very physically fit students are ramping up to purple.

2) I’m throwing in more toe (boy) push-ups (up to 5 pyramids). Although if it’s a particularly hurtful day working upper body, I’m still on my knee (girl) push-ups. I still occasionally fail on those 10 pyramid pushups, but 

3) Been pushing level 10 on those kickboxing fitness days lately. I’ve been trying really hard to at least squeeze out 400 calories per session. And when I’m really disgusted with the trainer, that means I’ve been pushing it hard.

4) Running/jogging for 60-90 seconds non-stop. I’m not sure how close i get to running 2 mins non-stop, but I imagine that’s just around the bend if I can push myself into doing it. What I really need to focus on is burning as many calories as I can within 15 minutes.

5) Getting 90 minutes of activity per day. I’m actually quite pleased that I’ve been able to maintain this schedule for 4 months going on 5. It tells me that I’m still determined, still on course, to getting a healthy lifestyle.

I still need to work on strengthening my core, especially those obliques and triceps. I’ve also been throwing in squats and lunges throughout my day to work on strengthening the lower back, thighs, glutes and knees. I definitely could use more balance too since I’ve noticed that I can get pretty wobbly at times.

Informative link of the day:  

 http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.htm

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Just wanted to log a few diet changes that I’ve made lately. I realize they are SMALL changes, but every little bit helps.

1) Dropping diet soda. No more sodas!

2) Dropping coffee (despite the fact that I order reduced cal, sugar free, no whip,  the mocha mocha was still giving me acne flare ups)

3) Halving my mayo intake and adding in some mustard. I still prefer edge to edge coverage on my bread, but at least I’m cutting out half the fat.

4) Eating more veggies. I love me some broccoli, corn, soybeans, cauliflower and asparagus. But one way to combat fridge rot and my reluctance to cook after I get home from work is to buy them frozen and ready to steam in their bags. Five minutes in the microwave and voila–instant snack, lunch, dinner. (I may have to consider buying larger bulk bags to save $$$.)

5) Still focusing on smaller frequent meals throughout the day. I’ve found that stuffing my face full in one meal sitting discourages me from working out or getting up and around for the rest of the day.

6) Still drinking lots of water…good thing I like water so much!

7) Cutting out the sugar. Some days I just get the cravings soooo bad…but until my skin clears up, sticking to natural sugars found in fruit and veggies will hopefully help. I’ve discovered that a protein smoothie at the end of the day seems to sate the sweet tooth. 

8) It’s grill season! Time to get off the stove and take the food prep outside. Grilling is much healthier than pan cooking or frying! 

I ventured into a friend’s gym this past weekend to try out some of the machines. I’m not exactly thrilled with the gym since some of the equipment was worn or not working the way I like. I stuck to the machine presses which is what I was looking to add to my workout regimen. However, I still need to consider the monthly cost of doing it; not sure I can squeeze it into my budget atm.

144.0 lbs this morning. 8 more days before the big 4-3.

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Since I get health club discounts through my work, I thought it was time to look into getting a gym membership to pursue weight training. I think that going on 13-14 weeks of cardio-resistance-core training has put me in a better position to start lifting. My energy and endurance are much better, but I still struggle just pressing my own body weight. I would love to get stronger, and of course, achieve a more sculpted look.

I haven’t had much success in getting my real-life friends and companion to join me in this journey to healthy living. My fiance is crazy overweight, no thanks to all the food I stuffed him with for the past 3 years. A friend living nearby has a gym membership but she is so frustrated with work, finances and life in general that she has fallen off the wagon. Another bud who started his journey to weight loss at the beginning of the year turned me onto Bodyrock but I haven’t heard a peep from him about where he is.

No doubt we encounter obstacles and distractions along the way, but it’s never to late to get back in the saddle.

It just took a little walk through memory lane browsing through albums to see how I’ve struggled thru the last decade with my weight. I put together a collage to demonstrate my flabby-fat self as I ballooned through life.

2003: 130-135

2005: 145-150

2006: 145-150

2007: 140-145

2008: 130-135

2010: 140-145

2011: 150-155

In 2008 I lost about 20lbs the unhealthy way: depression, divorce and anxiety landed me in the hospital where I recorded my lowest weight in the last 10 years: 125lbs. I don’t recommend going this weight loss route. 

Anywho, the photo collage motivates me to improve on my old gamer/foodie self and aspire to look fit and feel all-around better about meself. Looking forward to Saturday where I step into a gym to check out the weight training options!

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