Karmacharger

Day 16 Well, I accomplished two of three goals. I burned 722 calories this morning during my hour of power and had fun. I unfortunately didn't eat so clean. I made a pancake for breakfast after my cardio. I had two pieces of vegan pizza for lunch today. One would've been enough. AND I had fries, an apple and a few almonds for dinner tonight... I went to the movies right after work. I have a headache now and am dying to go to bed. Goals for tomorrow: - Train hard - Eat clean - Respect any limits imposed by the after effects of my crazy cardio Off to bed. Soon. I hope.

Hi and welcome!

Thanks for posting your before and after photos. They are very inspiring! Congratulations!

Sore muscles is a great sign! It means you pushed yourself and your muscles are recovering. I live for the burn! Enjoy it!

Welcome! I understand how hard it is to give up cheese. It was easier for me to give up sugar. I've been sugar free for over four months and only completely dairy free for a few weeks. I was still putting milk in my tea a few weeks ago because the soymilk at most coffee shops has sugar in it. Now I bring my own almond milk with me so I don't have that problem. I did a few experiments to convince myself to give up both sugar and dairy. I would quit them for the week and then cheat on the weekends to see how I would feel. My last sugar experiment was at Christmas time and I felt so ill after going back to it, I quit cold turkey. With dairy it took a little longer. The only noticeable difference was that my asthma got worse when I had dairy. I would cough "stuff" up and it was gross. So that's my deterrent and my excuse for when people ask "But how can you give up cheese?" Good luck with your training!

Day 15 - Continued I had a great workout. The first few reps were rough but I did the whole workout and even increased my weights in some places. I did 40 minutes on the treadmill with a run for 2 walk for 3 program. I'm starting to train for the 5K run at the start of July. It felt good. I have been super low energy all day and had way too much tea. It's my only source of caffeine and it hit me hard. I took a two-hour nap when I came home from work and I'm ready to go to bed again, less than two-hours later. My appetite today has been spotty but I'm sure I got enough calories. My goals for tomorrow are: - Burn more than 500 calories doing cardio - Eat clean - Find some energy to have fun

Best of luck with the 5k!

A great running movie that I highly recommend is "Saint Ralph." It's about a 15 year old kid who wants to perform a miracle to save his dying mother. So he decides to RUN and WIN the Boston Marathon. I laughed, I cried and years later I'm still talking about it. I am going to sign up for a 5K Canada Day (July 1st) run. My boyfriend has agreed to run it with me. Which means I'll have a training partner when I go to Toronto to visit him. I did my first training run this morning. I'm starting from almost scratch. I ran 2 walked 3 for 40 minutes this morning. Wednesday, I'll do it for 45. Hopefully, I'll be able to get myself into a pure running state by the time the race comes along. Happy Monday!

Thanks for your support guys! Lean and Green, it takes a lot of courage to post photos when you're not in the shape you want to be in. I applaud you for posting them and for working hard to achieve what you've accomplished. I will try to get my hands on a camera this weekend and get some photos up here. The more I have to hold me accountable, the better. Here's this week's report... The qualifier - There are just too many variables today for me to feel successful or deflated. My trainer's sister measured me instead of him. She used a different tape measure. I was wearing different clothes and I have my period. Ugh. From now on, I'm wearing the same bra, a tank top and shorts. This is has the potential to get ridiculous so I better get all the "controllables" on my end, under control before we really get into this. And the results- Bicep - Same Chest - Lost 1inch Waist - gained 3??? (we suspect water retention??) Hips - Same Thigh - lost 1/4inch Calf - Nothing as expected

Day 15 OMG! I am sooooo tired. I could honestly sleep for another three hours. I'm moving so slowly today, I might not make it to the gym. I've got to get up off the couch, grab my gear and get out the door. I'm going to have to dig deep right now. There's no other way to make this happen. Good news - The scale was kind. It was the exact same today as this time last week. I am grateful for that. I'm hoping for some progress on measurements in a few hours. Must go train! OMG!

Welcome and good luck! I like your blog and the photos of your food!

Welcome! I've only seen Berlin so far but I spent 5 hours biking around the city and that beautiful experience is the reason I'm buying a bike this year. I had forgotten how much fun it is!

Welcome! I'm also new and also feel like I have a long way to go. I'm just taking it one day/one workout at a time and enjoying the journey!

Day 14 I just got back from Toronto and I am totally wiped out. My body has almost completely shut down due to that horrible, horrible time of the month. Forgive me if that's too much info. If any of you ladies have any tips for not letting it get in the way, please, please let me know. I was hoping to have my boyfriend take some before photos for me this weekend but we just didn't have time. I ended up not doing yoga or cardio and eating a few more calories than I should have. However, overall, it was still pretty healthy but more food than I needed given that I didn't exercise at all. My boyfriend and I decided to sign up for a 5k run for July 1. There's a Canada Day run in Toronto that we're going to do together. I'm very excited to have another goal. I am heading to bed very soon so I can get as much sleep as possible so I'll be in fine form tomorrow for weights and cardio. Tomorrow at lunch I'll be getting measured for the second time. I'm a little worried that certain parts of me will be inflated due to water retention but I'll go in with no expectations and just accept whatever the results maybe. Ultimately, I trained really hard last week. I put a lot of myself into my workouts and felt great during and after. That alone was worth the effort! I have 8 more weeks to learn, grow, shrink, tone, and enjoy this adventure. My goals for tomorrow are simple: - Eat well, within calorie rang - Bring focus and energy to the gym - Stay positive, be grateful I'll post my new results tomorrow!

Thanks Robert! I'm trying not to kill myself too early on and then find myself out of the competition due to injury. So, I'm celebrating the small gains and trying to learn as much as I can through the journey. To me, it's more important than the destination.

I am very proud of myself for all that I accomplished last night and this morning. I managed to prepare all of today's meals last night. I had a few minor assembly/cooking tasks this morning when I got home from the gym but for the most part I was all set. I got to bed at 10 on the nose and was only awake for five minutes at 11:30 to speak to my boyfriend before going back to bed and staying asleep until 6:10 when my alarm woke me up. I haven't actually needed my alarm much recently but these days I'm very tired. I got up straight away and ate an apple with peanut butter while I drank my tea. I made it to the gym. I felt so drained while doing weights. I powered through though. I upped my flat db chest press to 20lbs for 20 reps and it felt sweet! I loved feeling that success. I didn't quit even though I really wanted to at times. My energy was really in the toilet. One of the morning regulars told me she could see that I had lost even more this week. I'm not sure... I work my "skinny" t-shirt today to at least make me feel like I had. After my weight training, an amazing thing happened. I burned 386 calories in 35 minutes on the elliptical, despite my tiredness. I blasted the fastest songs I had on me and just went for it. I looked over at the photos of the gym members who compete in figure competitions and dreamed that maybe one day that would be me. I had a chat with my "inner fat girl" and we agreed. It's not personal but it's time to go. I sent love to every part of my body and I just booted it. I gave everything I had and more. I feel good because of it. I am super tired but I feel awesome too. I got myself a membership at fitday.com and am very happy to be on there. I know having access to numbers will really help keep me on track. I can't wait to get on the train. I'm dying to fall asleep! And the beat goes on...

I'm trying to work up the courage to do so. I'll see what I can do.

Day 11 I didn't write yesterday because I simply didn't have time. So here's what went down. On my walk to the gym, I realised I was almost limping. I have issues with my knees and I think five days of training/cardio in a row were a bit too much. I made a decision not to train legs and to skip cardio and give my poor knees a break. I know I made the right decision but I feel horribly guilty. I went to see my naturopath yesterday and we had a look at some recent blood work. I'm seriously anemic. My iron stores are so low. That explains LOTS! I find it so frustrating that I'm eating well, exercising, getting at least 8 hours of sleep and I'm still deliriously tired. I've ordered a vegan supplement that she suggested and I'll pick it up tomorrow. It could be 3 months before I notice a difference. Ugh! So I didn't train legs or do cardio yesterday. I found out my iron sucks. Then there was lots of drama in my personal life and I felt totally incompetent at work. I somehow made it through my work day and while I was walking to the Market... I saw the most beautiful red winged black bird. It snapped me out of my mood and it really brought me back to a place of gratitude. The rest of my night was good. I must confess. I am not eating as clean this week as I did last. I've been eating out way too much. It's still vegan, balanced and relatively healthy but there's no way it's as good for me as what I make myself. I'm just so bagged right now. I hardly have the energy for anything. Today was my day off from the gym. I desperately need it because my period is right around the corner and I feel like crap. I stepped on the scale this morning and I was almost half a kg more than I was Monday. I know I put on "water weight" at this time but it's so discouraging. So enough about beating myself up.... What did I do right today? 1. I ate healthy 2. I did not go out for dinner despite riding past my favorite veggie restaurant when I was on the bus 3. I helped out quite a few people and was supportive to those who needed it. I have to remember, it doesn't always have to be about me. So what did I eat today.... Breakfast 1 cup adzuki beans 1/2 cup brown rice 1/3 cup corn 1 cup green kale 1 sheet of toasted nori Snack 6 dried apricots 4 almonds Lunch Tofu avocado salad 3 pieces of whole wheat olive bread Dinner 1 cup soba noodles 1 cup white beans (I couldn't eat them all) 1/3 cup corn 1 cup collards 1/3 cup rice dream chocolate ice cream (not worth the calories) meh I'm leaving town tomorrow night and I have to get everything ready tonight. I don't know how I'm going to find the energy to clean my place, prepare food for tomorrow and get ready for the gym. I have to be at work early on top of that so I'll have to hit the gym around 6am. I need a miracle.... or to get off the couch and get started. Wish me luck!

I'm from Ottawa. So far, I'm still motivated. A little deflated today but I'll be fine. A little venting in my blog should help. I love that I have a blog. I love this place.

Welcome! I hear ya about the pictures... I'm trying to work up the courage!

Welcome Beth! I'm also new to the vegan world and this forum! So far so good, as you can see the folks here are super friendly.

Day 9 Today I kicked ass on the treadmill. I walked/climbed almost 3 miles. I'll try for that tomorrow night when I go in for cardio. I unfortunately will only have time to do weights tomorrow morning but will make up the cardio in the evening. Today was a great day. I loved my new playlist, it was enough to keep me motivated and moving for my hour. I think I ate too much today and feel sick because of it. I will do better tomorrow and be more mindful. I'm feeling quite tired and a little bit like I'm burning out so I have to be careful. Tonight I am going to bed stupid early and I hope to catch up on much needed rest. My goals for tonight are: - Get to bed early - Get to bed early My goals for tomorrow: - Push/test limits - Be present with every rep - Eat mindfully And that's all I have for now...

Here is my training program for right now... DB Bicep Curls 20 @ 12.5 Leg Press 20 @ 90 (I have really bad knees - might not keep it) DB Chest Press 20 @ 17.5 Bull Rows 20 @ 40 Step Ups 20 per leg Incline DB Press 20 @ 17.5 Pull downs (Front) 20 @ 40 DB Curls/Press 20 @ 10 Leg Press 20 @ 90 DB Curls/Press 20 @ 10 RDL 20 @ 15 (I'm still working on my form, I feel it in my back and not my butt and legs like I should) Tricep Pressdowns 20 @ 40 RDL 20 @ 15 When I do weights, I do 40 minutes of cardio. On non-weight days, I do an hour. I try to do this full-body workout three times a week. Eventually, I hope to be doing 5 hours of cardio a week. And that's my workout....

I started journaling when the biggest loser contest started, a few days before finding this forum. I thought I'd just post what I had so far... BL – Day 1 – April 21, 2008 At some point today I will get measured and the Biggest Loser contest at my gym will begin. It’s almost 11AM and I’m using my break at work to wrap my head around what I need to do. Last week, I created a chart to help track my food intake to make sure I’m getting enough of everything. I’ve broken it down into categories: grains, protein, fruits, vegetables and junk. I’m highlighting everything in different colours so I can see, at a glance, how I'm doing. Junk food is flagged in red, veggies in green, grains in yellow, protein in purple and fruits in pink. I didn’t exactly prepare myself today to ensure that I’ll get the right kinds of food. However, I will fix that when I go grocery shopping tonight. I am feeling very tired today and my stomach is still a mess from all the junk I ate this weekend. Hopefully, after eating well today, I will feel better soon. My goals for today are as follows: - Get to the gym for measuring - Go grocery shopping - Prepare food for the week - Try the new yoga video tonight - Read another chapter in “The Power of Nowâ€

I entered a "Biggest Loser" contest at my gym. I have 10 weeks to lose the most total inches. Today was the end of my first week and I got measured to monitor my progress. Here's how I did: Bicep - lost 1/8th of an inch Chest - Same Waist - lost 1 inch (my trainer and I were both shocked) Hips - lost 1/2 inch Thigh - lost 1/2 inch Calf - Nothing as expected Weight loss isn't a component of the competition but last week I lost 1.8kg! Almost 4lbs! I'm betting it's mostly water but I can't complain! I feel awesome and am motivated to kick even more butt this week! Wheeeeeee!