Sunday Check-In: June 30, 2013

Current Weight, as of 6/30/13: 132.4 lbs.

Goal by July 21, 2013: 130.0

~~~

I didn’t update last week because I got lazy.  That’s the honest truth.  I was disappointed in myself, not having lost any weight, and didn’t feel like posting something to convey that.

However, I do return with better news this week.  Last week, I weighed in at 133.6 lbs.  Today, I weighed in at 132.4 lbs.!  That’s a total loss of 1.2 lbs.!  Yipee!  I definitely ate better this week (though I did have two cheat days) and it was mostly cardio for me, as it was Recovery week for TurboFire.  I typically lose the extra pounds when I do cardio.

I am pretty excited as I am on track to be 130 lbs. by July 21.  I am going to try to continue eating better this week as well.  I did a quick shopping trip yesterday and bought fruits and yogurts for snacking. 

Today is my last day of TurboFire for a while.  Well, it’s the last day of strictly using that as my main program.  I’ve devised my own workout schedule to incorporate walking/jogging outside and interspersed some TurboFire classes with it, because I love it that much.  I’m working on my review for it and I hope to post it soon.  Hint: It’s going to be mostly positive.

In other news, I will be graduating in less than a month!  By this time next month, graduation will be over and I will be getting ready to move back to California.  I can't believe that my time in Chicago is nearly finished; these two years have sped by very quickly.  I do have to say, as much as I love this city (it will always, always be mine), I am ready to go back home to the Golden State.

Have a good week!

Sunday Weigh-In: June 16, 2013. It's been a bad week!

Current Weight, as of 6/9/13: 133.8 lbs.

Goal by July 21, 2013: 130.0

I am entirely guilty of having a horrible week in terms of eating, thus the one pound gain.  I’m not stressing too much about it, but it does bum me out to see a higher number on the scale!  However, I’m not going to make excuses as to why I weigh that much.  I ate very carb and fat heavy this week; it started last Sunday, when I ordered this fat cheeseburger and waffle fries and Chicago style poutine, and the downward spiral continued throughout the week.  It was capped off last night when I decided that I just had to make chicken and dumplings in the slow cooker.  It was delicious but I didn’t like the dumplings, so I took out each one and threw them away.

I’m making a promise to eat better this week, somehow.  Though I did just return from Walgreens with some Peanut M&M’s and tortilla chips in hand, I promise to keep my meals in check.  In case you haven’t noticed, I have a new goal: to be 130.0 lbs by July 21, which is about a week until I graduate from my master’s program!  I really loved being at 130.0 lbs, and though it isn’t too many away from where I am, I would like to get back to it somehow.  I still have about a month to lose about 4 lbs., which isn’t so bad.

Well, I’ve got to get some prep done for the week.  This is my last week of clients (*sniff*), and from there it’s paperwork and then I’m done with internship.  Hope you all have a great week!

PS: Thank you to my awesome sister, Erica, for my new header! AND HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Sunday Check-In: June 9, 2013. New Shoes!

Current Weight, as of 6/9/13: 132.8 lbs.

Ideal Range: 130-135 lbs.

I really like how “132” looks together, so I was glad to see that I was back in that range.  It was nice to see the lower number on the scale this morning, that’s for sure.  I’ve been eating just a little bit better this week, plus I started my last month of TurboFire.  I don’t know what program I will do next, but whatever it is, it’s going to kick my butt just as hard.

Ryka Transpires from DSW

Unfortunately, today has not been so productive.  I am quite sore from yesterday’s HIIT workout, so I am resting my muscles a bit.  I did take a bit of a walk while shopping around this afternoon, but unfortunately I know that it isn’t enough.  I’ll probably end up exercising somehow later tonight, though.  I already feel guilty about what I ate for dinner (a cheeseburger and French fries).

In other news, the weather has been getting (somewhat) warmer here in Chicago.  For whatever reason, the warm weather triggers my need to go shopping, so that’s what I did this weekend.  I bought these Ryka Transpires from DSW yesterday for my TurboFire classes.  I used them once and they’re pretty great!  I also ended up buying a new bra (I’ve been wearing the wrong size all of these years and been in complete denial about it) and two new tops from Marshall’s.  I was in kind of a grouchy mood before going to Marshall’s today, but oddly enough, the shopping made me feel better.  Retail therapy. ;)

Well, I better get going and try to prepare myself for a busy week.  I’ve got internship until the end of the month plus summer school started up this past week.  Can’t wait for another break!

Food with Tritia!

I wanted to do something different with a blog entry this week.  I rarely post photos and I know how boring an entry can be without pictures.

So I decided to blog about some of the food that I ate last week.  Not just any food, but food that I made myself.  Oh, and some candy I bought because I really enjoy it.

For whatever reason, I wanted to experiment a bit more with food.  I wouldn't say that I'm a picky eater, but I tend to eat what I know.  I did a pretty decent grocery order from Peapod (THE BEST!) and ordered some items I do not normally order, such as salmon, asparagus, and spinach.  Plus some fruits since I was craving them like crazy.  

Bored with what I know to eat, I looked up recipes for salmon and chicken breasts.  

My first venture was making salmon.  I'd only made fish once in my life, and my sister was at my side to aid me.  This time, I was on my own -- and I was hoping that I wouldn't mess up too horribly.  I wanted to make sure I did it right, considering salmon isn't quite cheap.  

Luckily, it came out awesome!  I paired it with a side of parmesan asparagus and rice and it made for an awesome dinner.  Yum!

Another one of my food ventures was oven fried chicken.  I used panko bread crumbs instead of regular ones and it came out delicious.  It wasn't quite as crispy as I wanted but it was still so good.  I paired this with a side of corn and rice. 

A few hours after dinner, I usually want something sweet.  I ordered a whole box of mangoes (my favorite fruit) and some french vanilla yogurt.  Naturally, I combined these with strawberries and granola.  Became a favorite of mine very quickly -- and, honestly, beat out my go-to chocolate as a favorite snack.  Also, I managed to go through my strawberries before any of them went bad.

Despite being fairly good with food, I ended up buying these candies at the dollar store.  My uncle had these at his house once and I was hooked after I had one.  These things are delicious and I went through a whole bag in one night a few days ago.  I'm trying to control myself this time, but they're oh-so-damn-good!

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL week!  Happy June!

Sunday (Saturday) Weigh In: June 2, 2013

Current Weight, as of 6/1/13: 133.2 lbs.

Ideal Range: 130-135 lbs.

I read somewhere that instead of having a specific weight, a goal range is better.  I figured that doing a range would ease my anxiety a bit and in reality, +/- 5 lbs. does not look that different on me.  It's when my weight starts going up or down after the 5 lb. range that I start to worry.  Though I like to be towards the lower end of the spectrum, this is the range that works best for me.

Also, I cheated.  Yes, you read that right.  I weighed myself on Saturday morning instead of Sunday because I knew I would weigh more on Sunday morning.  I’ve been going out during the weekends with a good friend of mine, Carmen, and we tend to eat and then shop.  I have to say that the food isn’t always the healthiest of choices, haha!  Plus, since we’re on our feet most of the day, my feet and legs are tired and I skip my exercising on Saturdays.  So, yeah.  That is why I weighed myself on Saturday instead of Sunday.

After weeks of not feeling motivated to do anything and seriously struggling through my work outs, I am finally feeling that motivation come back.   Last weekend, I saw my weight hit 134 lbs and I was pretty bummed out about it, but I copped it to the fact that it was that time of the month for me.  It did slowly go down during the week, but as you can see, I did not go down to my goal for the week, which was 132 lbs.  Oh well, new week next week. =)

School starts next week as well.  I am looking forward to it.  Having the month off of May was nice, I admit, but I am beginning to get restless.  You know what I like to do when I’m bored?  Either eat or shop.  Lately, it’s been the latter.  Carmen and I have been hitting downtown Chicago every weekend and browsing things to buy.  We usually eat and then go shopping, but until yesterday I had not found much to buy.  However, American Eagle emailed me a coupon and their clearance was an extra 50% off, so I bought midi-shorts and a top.  I didn’t frequent that store much before, but they’re the one store where I find consistent sizing in their bottoms!

Well, I’ve got things to do and school to prepare for on this gloomy Sunday morning.  Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Motivation ... or the lack thereof.

From TurboFire's FB page.

I will gladly admit that I am a very driven and achieving individual.  I have been called an overachiever by a few people as well.  I take great pride in the work I’ve done so far, both personally and professionally.  I may not have accomplished everything I want in life quite yet, but I do consider myself to be quite young still. If all goes to plan, I have many, many great years ahead of me.  I intend to take advantage of every single one.

Most days, I am pretty motivated.  The intensity of the motivation varies from a teensy bit motivated/I got myself out of bed, what more do you want? to I CAN CONQUER THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD.  I say that I typically lie between the two extremes: Let’s get sh-t done!

From TurboFire's FB page.

However, there are days when my motivation is at the low end.  Just barely in the I got myself out of bed category.  These typically happen when I am low on energy or just in a horrendous mood … or both.  I’ve had more of those days than I can count since I started graduate school.  As I’ve previously mentioned, grad school and internship can be so draining, physically and mentally.  I didn’t know my brain could be this tired; however it does make sense.  I am utilizing a lot of mental and physical energy, despite me trying to deny it sometimes.

As with almost everyone out there, I lose motivation to do things sometimes.  Specifically exercising.  My first round of TurboFire, I only missed a total of about 5 days, but I backed up a week and really only skipped one workout.  My second round (the one I am currently in), I’ve missed … quite a few days.  More than five.  I don’t know that it was and is about 2013 thus far, but my energy levels seems to deplete quite quickly.

I find that not being motivated is so discouraging.  I hate feeling unmotivated.  For the most part, I really enjoy working out, especially to TurboFire.  But those days where I just want to sit on my couch and do nothing – well, I just sit on my couch and do nothing.

These unmotivated days do not last long, but I find myself really struggling to be motivated sometimes.  So what works for me?  I’ve found that I need reminders of how far I have come in terms of fitness and life in general.

From TurboFire's FB page.

• The fact that, at age 16, I weighed 190 lbs., possibly more, and that at age 28, I weigh almost 60 lbs. less.   I look better and am much healthier than I was at 16.
• The fact that, two years ago, I got serious about losing weight and have managed to keep the weight off since then.
• The fact that I can complete something like the Fire 60 class for TurboFire and not pass out at the end.
• The fact that I can complete a workout program while still doing school and internship
• The fact that I can look at my body in the mirror and not be completely disgusted by it.
• The fact that I can go up a flight of stairs without wanting to die.
• The fact that I wanted to do something with my life – thus, master’s in clinical psychology with a specialization in counseling psychology and moving to Chicago to do so. 

Once I start thinking about what I have done so far, the motivation starts creeping back in.  If I need an extra push, I go to Chalene Johnson’s or TurboFire's Facebook page and look at some of the inspirational quotes she posts.  They’re always so positive and sometimes the one last thing I need to read before I scamper off to change into my workout clothes.

What do you do to get yourself motivated – not just for working out, but for work, school, life?

Sunday Check-in and Chicago Style Fun: May 5, 2013

Current Weight, as of 5/3/13: 132.0 lbs.

Ideal Range: 130-135 lbs.

As you can see, I am sitting at a cool 132.0 lbs.  I was surprised to see that number this morning, as I binged so hard yesterday when out with a good friend of mine.  I mean, we’re talking an “M burger” from M Burger, a chocolate shake, a chocolate hazelnut latte, and a chocolate chip cookie of pretty epic sizes.  Yes, I did walk around and do some light shopping to celebrate the end of the semester, but that did not burn off nearly enough as I needed it to!  I went home full and content but developed a weird stomach ache that lasted the rest of the night.  Punishment for being a glutton, perhaps? ;) 

Hey, it's officially the end of second semester!  I deserve a treat, and boy did I treat myself yesterday!  Not only did I indulge on some delicious treats, but I bought a dress and a striped t-shirt as well.  I'm all about stripes, so this trend of stripey things has made me a very happy girl.  

Though I didn't work out yesterday and might not tonight, I am not fretting about it.  For whatever reason, I've been thinking about my need to work-out.  There are days where I feel like absolute crap if I don’t work out, and this bizarre thought of “I’m going to gain my weight back” creeps into my head.  Luckily, my logic takes over and bats that thought away.  I know I won’t gain it back because I skip one or two days of exercising.  Further, I reached a point where I am okay with my weight, plus or minus a pound or two! 

Working out has gone from a necessity to lose weight to something I really enjoy doing.  I mean, it’s TurboFire.  I get to shake my butt and do a more dancey version of kickboxing.  This program helped me get through grad school AND managed to keep my weight in check AND help me build some muscles at the same time.  It’s fantastic.  And I do it because I love it, not because I have to.  In fact, I get some of the songs/routines stuck in my head, and it takes my all not to jump up and start doing the routine wherever I am.

Anyhow, I’ll leave you with two photos I took yesterday while out in Chicago.  It is finally (FINALLY!) Spring out here and it is showing.  It was nice to walk around without a thick coat on, that’s for sure!

(Oh, I know I need to post a review of TurboFire, too.  Now that I’m doing the advanced DVD’s, I’ll most likely post a review after those.)

John Hancock Center

Tulips on Michigan Avenue

It still trips me out to know that I live in freakin' Chicago.  

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week.