Wow...Rachel worked really hard through this challenge and she GOT IT! She understands what the journey is about and has let go of DIET mentality. 

Our Eight Pounds in Eight Weeks challenge focused on sound eating with regular exercise. This is EXACTLY what she did and I couldn't be more proud of her. For her efforts, she won a month of personal training with me and we intend on taking her to another level!

Here's some information about Rachel, what she lost, and how she feels. Love you Rachel and I am so proud to be your TRAINER!

Pounds lost in Eight Week Challenge: 7
Inches lost: 13.5
Major Accomplishment: 5K Runner baby and she's lost 50lbs since January!

Typical Workout Week:

Monday:  Strength Train (ST) Upper Body day 1, plus cardio

Tuesday: ST Legs day 1, plus cardio

Wed.: ST Upper Body day 2, plus cardio

Thursday: ST Legs day 2, plus cardio (this went to my DOR near the end)

Friday or Saturday:  cardio, plus any ST I missed

I followed the routine that Corinne gave and typically tried to start with the strength training early in the week.  I have found that I just do better overall if I get to my ST right away.

Cardio:  I restarted the C25K program again because I was becoming increasingly frustrated with my running.  So, the last few weeks had me doing running every other day and aiming for three miles.

The cardio days in between I would do the treadmill with inclines, the elliptical, or use the HIIT for either.  On the days I felt I could push it more I would jump on the Stairmaster after for some bonus calories burned.  Sometimes, I would just do 20 minutes on each machine also to switch it up.  I enjoy the inclines (a little too much sometimes!), because I can really feel the burn when the incline is up high.

Typical Food:

I'm so proud to annouce Carla as our winner of the Eight Pounds in Eight Weeks Challenge. She blew it out and when you read all about her you will see that she is one determined Momma!

She won two months of training with me and some mean bragging rights! On a side note, I want to say that she is also one of the girls first to offer advice and tips (just like Rachel) and that is a key to her success. She gives as much as she receives from her PNP pals.

Congrats to both ladies and we will announce our winning team tomorrow!

Pounds Lost in Challenge: 15.2!!!
Inches Lost in Challenge: 9.75 inches!!!

Average Weekly Schedule
I started runnning during this challenge and do that three times per week.  I do other interval cardio programs on three other days.  I do ST four times per week or five depending on what kind of workout routine I am following. 

Typical Menu

For the first 4.5 weeks of the challenge I followed one of Corinne's diets straight from the PNP forums.   I printed out the diets and every meal I chose a meal from her diets.  That simple.  The last 3.5 weeks I started to use my off-season diets from when I competed to change things up.  This meant I went to eating tilapia, sweet potatoes, brown rice, squash, oatmeal, egg whites, protein powder, chicken, broccoli, and flank.  I am lucky in that I can literally eat anything and eat it for days So I pretty much eat the same thing everyday and then change things up every few weeks.   I did not do MB/Cheat meals.  I did mini-splurges because I do better with that.  If I get a big meal, it is hard for me to pull the reins back in and get back to tight eating.  So, I did mini-splurges on the weekend to give my body a break.  

What I Learned

I learned that no matter how much you may wish, or how much you would love it to be, there is no magical formula that will take all the weight and the bad habits away.  It's very simple--it's YOU--you have to eat clean, you have to do cardio and you have to Strength Train.   If there were a magical formula, believe me, I would have found it.  I learned that I still love to train and I still love to do cardio--but dieting will always be hard.  However, it is something that I have learned to deal with and I simply eat to eat--end of story.  I had to let go of pleasure-eating except when it was allowed--like for mini-splurges. 

I also learned that just because I didn't train to be a runner my whole life doesn't mean I can't become one. 

My Results???
The results are fantastic.  I gained all my weight b/c I neglected my body for 9 months when I should have been taking care of it.  I put trash in it for 9 months and it showed.  I had no right to do that.  Just because I am a mom now doesn't mean I should not take care of me.  These results have really put in perspective that it is about taking care of myself and being an athlete again.  My team, Awesome Achievers, was absolutely fantastic at motivating and making me want to do better and try new things.....like training for a half-marathon.  I would never have considered that if not for this team and this challenge.  I can't wait to see what kind of results come with the next challenge. 

Go here to view the blog site.

You can sign up for delivery right to your mailbox at the site. Thanks for following me around this big ole internet.

The Sexy Seven! Ya'll it was so close but I ended up going with this team because of a few reasons:

1. Jill finishing that triathlon! That was a huge accomplishment and she worked her tri training and strength training the whole way.

2. Team members finding they lost enough inches to drop clothing sizes in just eight weeks.

3. Learnng new and healthy habits along the way.

There were many other reasons, but in the end this team was consistant, worked hard to meet their goals, and stayed on top of each other. Congrats ladies!

Today I also want to say thanks to all my teams for participating. You notice that with team support we had more finishers in a challenge than ever before, more pounds lost, a TON of inches lost, and people learned how to use the people here at PNP to lift them up when they needed it. I loved the challenge and I loved watching all you just melt away.

On a new and exciting note...this blog is moving what I hope is one last time. The new site is going to offer me more features in the future like video and podcasting. Please go here to view the new site postings and you will need to subscribe if you want to continue to receive the posts in your inbox. For now, old posts will remain here for you to enjoy. I will cross-post for a couple of weeks until everyone settles in over at the new blog site. This site will remain as the Phit-N-Phat hub for information, exercise schedules, members, and such.

Thanks everyone for a job well done!

Last but not least we have the Incinerators as the last spotlight in the Fast and Furious Challenge. This team composed of Kathleen, Lins, Britt, and Lucy. The girls worked hard and here are their general comments regarding the challenge.

BTW...I was going to announce our winner today, but I will do that tomorrow after notifying the team and collecting some additional information.

"I wanted to be 155lbs by my Baltimore trip. While that did not happen, I stayed moving and exercising and getting workouts in and overall that's helping me be a healthier person."

"I wanted to take a daily multivitamin which I now do almost every day. I still forget from time to time but it's part of my routine."

"I wanted to complete the c25k. Throughout this process I realized that it wasn't necessarily the thing for me and that's o.k. if I never run a 5k."

"Last WI I was at 164.2. My weight has fluctuated up and down because I continued to let the weekends be my downfall but this has helped me get to know you all better, push myself to do a few new exercise moves, work towards burning 500 cals per workout and really decide that my weight and pant size are not as important to me as how I look and how clean I eat."

"Overall I guess you could say that physically I didn't have any major milestones but mentally and foodwise I've learned alot about myself."

"But mostly what I am proud about is that I didn't run away. I didn't back down, I kept trying to bring it all back together."

Total inches 8.25

Total pounds 6.5

Sorry the blog went dark for a couple of days, but I was at Jen Hendershott's Phat Camp in Nashville with a slew of the girls from all over the WORLD!!! Yes, Cass came from Serbia to be a part of one wild, fat burning, emotional, and hoochie top filled weekend.

On with our results show from the Fast and Furious Challenge! We now have Dawn's Sexy Seven (one person had to drop out) and their AMAZING results for you. Let's give them a huge round of applause. Tomorrow we will conclude with our last team and who WON!

Jill's results:

• Finished my first ever SPRINT TRIATHLON!!!
• As always I feel like I'm doing better with food 'issues.' I do have slip ups but those are coming fewer and farther between AND much, much less SEVERE than what they were 7 months ago when I started with PnP.
• I feel like exercise is really starting to click. I don't think about it - I just do it (I think cute workout clothes helped HA!)
• Loss of 1 inch... but can I just say the fact that I lost .5 inches in my WAIST AND RIBCAGE is AMAZING!!!
• Scale down 3.4 pounds,  my body fat % went down 1.4%

Dawn's results:

• DRUM ROLL PLEASE....I am officially in the 140's and I weigh 149.4!!! Which means I lost FOUR POUNDS OF NASTY FAT! 
•  My main goal was to get into some size 8 clothes that I have at the top of my closet and I have!!  4 more pairs of pants fit me that didn't 8 weeks ago. 

 Les's results:

• My weight lost is 4.5 pounds and my inches lost is 5.25.
• I bought and WORE a size 18 this week, and I can't even begin to tell ya'll how exciting it is to be down out of the 20's in clothing.
• I've developed some great habits in the last 8 weeks. I've avoided MANY icky situations at work with awful food (can you say bake sale?) because I came prepared with my healthy snacks. A rice cake and PB is MUCH better than some d@mn cookies! I have had MAYBE 8 or 10 soda's in the last 8 weeks---that includes diet or NOT. I've gotten to the point where I drink water. If I want something sweet to drink, I carry Crystal Light and I like it better than soda! I was drinking 1-2 sodas (mostly diet) a day, but that's virtually gone! I have had a "real" soda with my MB on most weeks, but for the most part, Soda is a thing of my past! I think of healthier alternatives to foods. I encourage my friends and family to do the same. I don't rely on drive-thru fast food. My whole mentality has changed, because I've learned to be more picky on what I put into my body!
• I FINISHED the FNF, which is more than I can say for BTF. I didn't do every single workout, but looking back at the whole 8 weeks, I averaged 4 workouts a week throughout the challenge. That's absolutely EXCEPTIONAL for someone like me, who would much rather be a sloth....LOL! I'm still working on the habit of exercise, but this challenge and being accountable to ya'll has really helped me get closer to that. As far as eating, I struggled at times, but I DID make the effort to eat better, do what's GOOD and not what's convenient. I planned, and my intentions were always there, just like my cooler. :0) And at the end of this challenge, I'm still posting here, and I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger in mind and body every single day.

Caroline's results:

• I am down a total of 3.55" and down 5 lbs! I had the biggest loss in my abdomen where I am down 1 inch, and .75" in my bust.

Jess's results:

• I lost about 2lbs on this journey.  Sure, that wasn't much, and I didn't make my being in the 140's goal, but I did accomplish other things so I'm not sweating it.  
• I'm now wearing a SIZE 4!  
• During the challenge I tried HIIT for the first time.  I think it really does drop the fat, therefore it will probably always be a staple in my routine.  
• My arms are looking HOT!.  I made it a challenge to do some ab work and push ups on top of the workouts each day.  I did 50 pushups and 100 various ab stuff at least 4 days a week, sometimes 5.  My abs are looking better and my arms have really shown some definition that I didn't have before.  
• During this challenge I ran another 1/2 marathon, beating my best time.  We ran the 1/2 in 2:12:00.  My best time was 2:20 I believe, so I shaved off about 8 minutes.  
• Last, but certainly not least, my hubby has been inspired by my achievements.  (It only took a year, but he finally jumped on the PNP bandwagon).  My husband is doing so good.  This will begin his 4th week on workouts, protein shakes, and HIIT.  Remember I told you that he didn't care for HIIT, well, that changed.  He is doing about 3-4 HIIT routines a week, on top of 2-3 days lifting, and also 2 days of full court basketball at 1-2 hours each.  You guys, I am so impressed with his work.  We haven't measured, or taken any updated photos yet.  We want to give it a full 4 weeks before doing so, but I can already tell he is made great improvements.  His stomach looks leaner, his abs are starting to show some and his arms are getting ripped!  In fact, he has made several comments this week, that he really wants to get RIPPED!  I am just so excited for him. 

Julie's results:

• I lost 5 pounds.
• I lost 1 inch in my ribcage, 1 inch in each thigh, and 1/2 inch in my hips. I gained 1/2 inch in my tricips, which I think is actually a good thing.
• I am NOT there yet, but I am proud to say I am not totally embarassed of my arms and stomach anymore. YES, they are still my problem areas, but I tried on a swimsuit this weekend, and I felt good...weird huh?
• I started out lifting only 5 pound weights and ended lifting 8's or 10's for most exercises. I am a woman, hear me ROAR! haha
• The things I am most proud of is that me and Jessica didn't miss 1 FNF ST workout! We did 3 a week and never gave up or cut it short even when we hated it at times. I feel like I finished it and gave it 100%. That makes me proud.

It's a well known fact that women do better losing weight and getting fit when they have community support. Some people join places like Weight Watchers, Phit-N-Phat, etc. and find that having like minded women around them shooting for similar goals and facing common struggles helps them fight the battle of the bulge.

From my own experience, having a training partner has made all the difference in my fitness goals. In the early days, I struck out on my own until my friend decided to join the same gym. Once she did, I had a partner to take some classes with and get comfortable with my schedule. Sometimes I showed up just because I didn't want to let her down. After awhile I wanted to learn more about the strength side and hired a trainer. That again provided accountablity and knowledge I wouldn't have gained studying on my own. Now, I'm training for a figure competition with the help of a trainer, a moderator's hubby (Bill), and my best-friend Lisa. If I had not met Lisa and started working out with someone a little fitter than me, I wouldn't be chasing this dream today.

If you are the type of person who does well with having others hold you accountable, really think about incorporating that key ingredient into your fitness picture. You never know when it might be the magic element missing from your health picture. Speaking of community support, on with our results show for the Fast and Furious Challenge!

Here's the Sizzlers wrap-up of the past eight weeks. This team learned so much and made some awesome strides in just eight short weeks. Again, I am awed at the life lessons these girls learned more than the stats. Don't get me wrong, the stats are GOOD but if they can't take it with them then I haven't done my job. Great work ladies and I can't wait to see what the Rammin' and Freakin' Challenge does for each of you!

FNF Sizzlers Wrap-Up

Finishing Team Members:  Mona, Monica, Missy, Joni, Amy C and Mary

Team Accomplishments

1. In 8 weeks those of us with HRMs and regularly reporting our workouts burned a total of 79,739 calories!  Talk about sizzlin' away the calories!!
2. Our team was very accountable to one another - with eating, workouts and just keeping up with each other's lives and cheering everyone on.  We had a total of 351 posts, more than any other team.
3. Lost 25.7 pounds!!!
4. Lost 40.5''!!!
5. In general this team really connected.  We found accountability buddies and made friends along the way.  Even as we start up a new team challenge and are on separate teams we continue to cheer one another along.

Individual Accomplishments

Amy C

• Lost 5.4 pounds
• Lost 6.75''
• I made it into those size 12 jeans!!
• Continued progress at making PNP my lifestyle! 
• I would also consider surviving those circuits a pretty bigaccomplishment!

Mona

• Lost 3.6 pounds
• Lost 6.75''
• My goal was to really turn up the cardio so I could torch my jelly belly! I lost 2 inches in my abdomen and 1 1/2 inches in my hips! 
• I learned that I can follow an eating plan and NEVER feel deprived! 
• My biggest revelation was something I said to get out of eating something that was not on MY plan..."Food is meant to sustain me not entertain me!" It does not matter how good something tastes but how good it is for my body! I am very proud of myself for sticking with it!
• The same mindedness of the team challenge was so great! We all have goals and desires for what we really want. Encouragement and support was a huge factor on those days you felt like you just didn't have it!  I LOVE MY TEAM!!!!!! 

Missy

• Lost 5 pounds
• Lost 8.5''
• Girls on my team were the absolute best and our team leader was truly inspirational.
• I have learned that I can live clean and be a workout junkie.
• My teammates worked out as hard (if not twice as hard) as I did and I was part of that and loved it. There were times I wanted to quit but then I would think of Mona, Monica, Amy, Mary, and all the rest of my team working hard. I just could not stop!

Monica

• Lost 6.7 pounds
• Lost 14.3''
• I loved the team part and felt like it kept me on track

Mary

• Lost 5 pounds
• Lost 4.25''
• My biggest accomplishment has been burning so many calories a week.  I'd watch my teammates scorch through calories and it would motivate me to go a little longer, work a little harder -- longer and harder than I thought I could do on my own.  
• I added in so many toe pushups to keep my body moving throughout workouts and that really scorches the cals plus now I can easily do 100 on my toes!  WOOT!!
• Staying committed to journaling and checking in with the team.  There were many times that I'd want to be lazy or eat something bad and I'd think about the Sizzlers and not wanting to let them down.  We all really came together and stayed on course and I'm proud of us for that. 
• Also, I got to know my teammates more than I would have if we weren't teamed up!!

At PNP we have eight week challenges where the girls get new workout schedules. This last challenge was the Fast and Furious Challenge. For the first time we divided into teams. Each team had a moderator as the leader and they were responsible for answering questions, motivating, and starting daily chat threads. The team members had to journal their journey, encourage their fellow PNP team members, and keep track of their own progress.

I'll be honest, I started the team format because it happened to fall right after Logan was diagnosed with Autism. I needed a way to get the girls doing some self-monitoring on this challenge as I settled into life. Holy Crap! It was the best idea I ever had even if it was born from being overwhelmed. We had more people finish a challenge than ever before, more success, SO MANY FRIENDSHIPS bloom, and just a whole new spirit of support blossom. We've always been a site where people feel more like they are at "home" than "online". This challenge just took the coziness to whole new level.

This week we're going to feature the wrap-ups of our teams. As they turn in reports I'll blog them. After all teams have a feature, I'll declare the winner.

You need to read the incredible things each person accomplished or learned through the challenge. It's refreshing to see people recognize things OTHER THAN just weight. These girls found things out about themselves that you just don't hear enough about anymore. Too many diets and such rely on just numbers. When will the "diet" world realize we have to learn about ourselves, how to live a lifestyle, and find a way to do this that makes us a better person...not just a thinner person? Don't get me wrong, I expect them working hard and eating right. But I also expect them learning how to exercise and why they need to eat right. It's not enough to just know what to do to fix things right now.

Our next challenge started TODAY and it's called Rammin' and Freakin' Jammin. We've got four options for this exercise schedule and teams are stoked, watching my new Youtube videos, and doing new cardio challenges, too. If you are a PNP girl, it's not too late to join. Get in this week!!! If you haven't joined PNP, NOW IS THE TIME because team challenges are where you learn a lot and get some detailed advice.

Now, Kickin' the Phat's Wrap Up!
 

8 weeks ago we couldn't say.....

• That 4 of us are packing for Phat Camp
• That 2 of us ran the Country Music ½ Marathon
• That we've lost 22 inches
• That we've lost 15.4 lbs

Individual Accomplishments
After the Phit-n-Phat "Fast-n-Furious" challenge I can say...

• That my body fat is now 20.7% (Trish)
• That I will LIVE in a 2-piece bathing suit this summer (Trish)
• That I can do pushups on my toes (Cara and Becca)
• That I will wear sleeveless shirts this summer( Cara)
• That I am wearing a smaller size (Cara, Becca and Angela)
• That I've had a lot of emotional growth -learning to be able to push myself in new areas (Becca)
• That I'm seeing my muscles starting to "pop" (Becca, Trish, Kate)
• That some shirts are fitting in large instead of x-large (Becca)
• That I went down a cup and size in my bra (from 40DD to 38D) (Becca)
• That I have more stamina and energy (Becca)
• That I am eating healthier and cleaner (Becca)
• That I have way more self confidence (Becca)
• That I journaled every day unless it was my MB day. (Angela)
• That I exercised at least 5x each week-very rarely did something interrupt my scheduled workouts. (Angela)
• That I consistently journaled to my team. (Angela, Paula)
• That I can work out even harder than I thought I could (Kate)
• That being on a team makes things a lot more fun! (Kate)
• That I've stopped blaming the environment I'm in for any of my choices (ie, I'm out for work so it's okay to eat a burrito is not the right attitude) (Kate)
• That I have proven to myself that, unlike every time I have dieted or exercised in the past, it's not temporary. I may have taken a mental break from diet and exercise during May, but I still had pretty good eating habits, and I have jumped right back in now that things have settled down in the rest of my life. That's quite different for me! So I think something is starting to really click in my subconscious, which is certainly an accomplishment, even if I wasn't on the program all the time. (Autumn)
• That I am getting better at weekly prep. (Paula)
• That I've worked pretty hard on ditching the "all or nothing" mentality. (Paula)

General Comments on the Challenge:

I was thinking about that this weekend when I was driving to see my mom (lots of time to think in the car!)-- I have exercised a lot in the past, but never consistently for more than 2-3 months.  This is really a lifestyle change and the support and motivation PNP has given me have been a huge part of that.  I got up early this weekend at my mom's house to do cardio-- and I hate getting up early!  But I knew I needed that workout in preparation for PC.

Going from fat to Phat can leave your body a little on the saggy side even when you work hard, lift like you mean it, and lose weight slowly. I don't care if you had a baby or were just fat most of your life like me, if you have loose skin it will drive you mentally bonkers.

The toughest part of looking at my body now is seeing the aftershocks of years of laziness, poor eating habits, and plain old not caring a toot about what I put in my mouth. I told someone in the gym locker room today, I have nothing to blame but my own not giving a hoot for this. My issues weren't psychological or anything. I simply chose to eat bad and get my exercise by walking to the fridge.

It doesn't hold me back from chasing my dreams. I workout as hard as anyone at the gym. This summer I'll do a figure competition. I know that overweight and tight skin won't allow me to be on stage in a bikini, but phit, healthy, with some loose skin is fine by me. 

I've been doing everything in my power to try and fix my skin up as much as possible. Today I thought I would share with you some tips I've learned because I didn't know this stuff until recently.

Jergen's Gradual Tan with Firmer
I'm using this twice daily. I don't know if it firms you up much but I have noticed that my skin has a beautiful glow and that things seem a tad tighter. Granted, I'm lifting, dieting, and doing cardio like a maniac, but I figure it can't hurt anything. I've tried a lot of the sunless tanners and Jergen's has the best after-workout smell (most of them stink it up after a good sweat) and it doesn't stain my clothes like a lot of the others do.

Exfoliate DAILY
I made a home brew of exfoliator that I love and makes my skin so soft! The lotion also goes on great and the stuff is cheap. Here's how I make it:

1. Keep an empty jug of your protein powder. Finally a good reason to use those beautiful red cans from Lean Dessert.
2. Step into the shower and pour in one bag of white sugar to the LD cannister.
3. Take a bottle of liquid Vitamin E oil and squirt it all in there.
4. Pour in 1 cup of Certified Fair Trade Almond Scented Pure Castille Soap.
5. Take hands and start grinding it around until it mixes up.

That's it. The sugar exfoliates you while the other stuff nourishes your skin and makes it soft. This also makes the sunless tanning lotion go on beautifully. I even use it on my face and my face has been just about blemish free lately from the exfoliating daily.

Drink A LOT of WATER
I drink 1-2 gallons a day spread throughout the day. Hydrated skin is pretty skin.

Take Vitamin E
I take one E a day with my breakfast.

Last, but not least, Preparation H BABY!
You read that one right. I buy the generic brand and about 2-3 tubes a week. Take the cream and rub it on the areas you have problems. Rub hard and good after the sunless tanner. It will help tighten the skin over time. I do it morning and night.

Now that you all think I'm crazy, these are my tips for trying to erase YEARS of silliness with my diet and exercise. I hope you find something that will help you, too.

As you all know, I'm training for a figure competition and I really haven't updated the whole PNP world lately as to what is going on with me. The girls get a blow-by-blow account in my journal but I thought I would blog tonight rather than just journal and whine about how tired I am to them. Now you can all hear my cry baby ways! Woot.

Today was not a great day. I'm not sure what is going on with me but this week I have been more miss than hit with the diet. I want this so bad but I have truly struggled to stay on plan. We cut my carbs (my request) this week and it has ruined me. I've done fine not having carbs; it's me wanting unlimited amounts of my all natural, no sugar peanut butter that is breaking me in two. Yesterday I snuck in some extra (it's on the menu but just enough to make me mad) and then today I just sat down with the jar and ate about six good tablespoons full. Ugh...it settled hard on my tummy especially when I did heavy back day and cardio.

Like a drunk doesn't keep booze in their house or work in a bar, I'm sending the PB to hubby's office tomorrow. Uhhh...this is jar three going there. I was supposed to have this PB for my splurge meal this week with some Mexican. Well, PB is out and now I'm down to a healthy Mexican splurge.

My lesson today was this: I have to want this even when the going gets tough. Just because I'm working harder than ever and willing to extend my second round of cardio, it doesn't excuse falling off my plan. It really doesn't because then the next time I want the PB I'll just try to erase the wrong. It's the habit that must be broken and not the deed. I guess through all this competition training I will truly see how tough I am.

So, what is my schedule like these days? 45 min. of fasted as hard as I can stand it cardio every day until the competition (Aug. 16) and that might be more towards the end. I typically do things like my "hood" workout that is now on Youtube or anything that makes me work my legs. Then later in the day, five days a week, I do 45-60 min. of strength training followed by another 30-45 minutes of cardio. All of my workouts are filled with lunging, squatting, climbing stairs, bleachers, sprints, and the like. I do things that work the gams since they are my weak area.

Diet, it's not fancy. Fish, tuna, chicken, flank steak, egg whites, brocolli, spinach, asparagus, grapefruit, almonds, cream of rice, sometimes sweet potatoes, and vinegar are about the extent of the food lists. I'm used to it but I still have my days as I discussed above.

I'm looking better than I probably ever have. This week I will take more pictures and post in the forums. I'm hoping to see good progress from the pictures of two weeks ago. I guess the fat girl in my head isn't really allowing me to see it since I'm still mad at myself over the peanut butter. But, as I tell the girls, move on. Can't do anything now but work harder and smarter.

Well, sleep is also important so I shall go get me some of it. As I told someone at the gym today, sleep is one of the few things in life that I feel IS NOT overrated. :)

I was at the pool the other day with my family - we joined a family-oriented club for the summer.  So there's lots of moms, dads and kids running around.

My son and I were sitting in the picnic area so he could have a sandwich. Yes, I am the unpopular mom who packs food for the kids rather than letting them go hog-wild at the snack bar.

While we were sitting there, these 2 ladies were eating fries, wings and mozzarella sticks from the snack bar.  One said to the other "I like your suit!"  The other said "yes, I got black because it's slimming."

Let me tell you ladies - there was no shade of black or any other color that was going to help with the "slimming" aspect.  What bugged me was that people would rather go out and buy "slimming" clothes, rather than eat right, exercise, etc.

By the way, there is absolutely nothing wrong with black bathing suits.  I have one!!  But, when I looked around and saw all of these ladies wearing their black "slimming" suits, sitting on their butts and eating ice cream, it really got me going.

Interestingly, in my very unscientific poll, the moms who were active at the pool and looked to be in good shape were NOT wearing black.  They were wearing all sorts of nice colors and patterns.  And they looked great.  Any supermodels?  Nope.  But a lot of moms who looked like they worked hard to keep themselves in shape so they are healthy and fit for their families.

Those wearing black suits were - you guessed it - sitting.  Having people bring them food.  Not in the pool, not having fun.   It was depressing.

I asked Corinne if I could post this because I know a lot of you are worrying about bathing suit season.   Don't be.  If you are a PnP girl, you are already ahead of 90% of the population.  Be proud of how hard you work.  Remember that you look and feel better than you did last summer.  And it's only going to keep getting better. Get yourself a great looking suit and wear it with pride - you've earned it!

This month at Phit-n-Phat we're having a "Work Your Butt Off" Shock-n-Awe Cardio challenge to really spark up fat burning.  Just in time for swimsuits, black or any other color!

This past weekend, Phit-n-Phat member Jane competed in a 1/2 Ironman in Show Low, AZ.  It consisted of a 1.2 mile lake swim, a 56.8 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run.  This is the 2nd time Jane has competed in this race and, in her words, she wanted "revenge" on the course after struggling with it last year. 

Her time last year was 6:38.  Her time this year - including stops to help a fellow biker - was 6:10.  Amazing!

Jane is also the Phit-n-Phat Spotlight member of the month - read about her journey here.  Congratulations Jane - all of your hard work and perserverance is paying off.  You are truly an inspiration!

If that's not enough, we have a lot of other happenings this week at PnP:

• Happy Birthday Paula!
• Happy Birthday Lindsay!
• Happy Anniversary Jen!

Our new June "Work Your Butt Off" Shock-n-Awe challenge begins as well.  We've revised the WYBO book to make it even better and have a rockin' challenge to get that fat MELTING off!

Our Fast-and-Furious 8-week challenge finishes up this week and all our teams are racing to the finish line.  Who will the winners be????

And some self congratulations - I lost 5.75 inches of FAT last month!  My body fat dropped 1.5% as well!

June is going to be a great month a PnP!!!  Make sure YOU are a part of it! 

I had the funniest post today from one of my girls. She's always colorful but today it really struck me hilarious when I read it.

I forgot to mention when I was at Caleb's school I got several compliments-always appreciated. To one teacher, I said that I hadn't lost that much weight. She said it looked like it because my face was thinner. MY FACE?! How about my a**?! My face doesn't have to wear pants! You know, the first to go are your boobs and your face. I have both of those areas covered! Let's move the weight loss south of the belly button!

This was my response.

Now, if she had said, "Wow, your butt is hot! I've been looking at it for awhile and I can see a big difference," that would be flattering but a little creepy. How many women do you know that you compliment there butt looks so much better now?

I'm being silly but just trying to make you feel better too. Honey, if your face is slimming out other places are too. It's just easier to tell in the face because we all look at it constantly and there is so little to lose there. Just a touch of fat coming off the face looks dramatically different than some fat on rump.

The lesson here is that we all need to compliment people when they work hard, especially when trying to lose weight because it makes their day. Oh, and a lot of women don't care if you remark that their butt is getting smaller...even if it's creepy they will secretly love it.

 As we say at PNP...have a WEEKend and not a WEAKend.

Sometimes I crack up when reading our posts in the forums because the girls don't even know how far they have come unless I remind them. Today I want to talk about two interesting things I've noticed them chatting about and see if any of them recognize their own comments.

Sweet Potatoes and Peanut Butter in the Same Week?
We're in the third week of me posting a weekly diet on the site and it's going great. Week one was a little tough because they had to get used to a few things: eating 7-8 times a day, eating protein each and every meal, and going away from the processed safety net of whole wheat muffins, protein bars, etc. This menu was not torture mind you; they still got fruits, dairy, nuts, and stuff BUT it was a tad shocking for some.

After a week of my genius, many of them saw the scale inching down, the bloaty bellies going down, etc. Basically, they were eating fresher foods and less sodium so the body was giving them much love. Afterall, that's the best way to eat anyway.

This week the schedule is giving them a sweet potato at one meal and peanut butter (natural). Now, honestly, how many of you would be thrilled and excited to see a food schedule where the treats were this? Not many and THAT IS WHY I AM SO PROUD! What a change in attitude when your daily treat isn't some piece of junk in a box but healthy foods like sweet potatoes and peanut butter. Good girls!

Sounds Like Subway Is What You Call a Cheat?
This made me laugh hard because I realzied how far I have come in my own journey. Most people consider Subway such a superior choice of dining if you call eating at fast food a good meal plan. Now, Subway CLEARLY is a good choice for health"ier" foods out there but in MY world it would definitely be an emergency only place or a cheat night. That's Corinne's diet, though.

I pack and carry my foods just like a good bit of my clients do now a days. NONE OF US started this way. We're all former unhealthy people who have decided to live a long, PHAT life. That's why we prep and plan our day and that doesn't mean a daily trip to Subway.

Everyone has their level of healthy eating and what they want to commit to in this journey. I have plenty of people in the group that do enjoy Subway over their previous choices and I think it's great. The point I made today that I think is important for us all to remember is two years ago I ate at Subway regularly and lost weight just fine. Over time I've come to realize I don't need that food anymore and I'm willing to pack my foods and such when I'm not home. Doesn't mean I'm better now than then, just means I am willing to do it. Each person has to do what they are willing to do and I'm supportive of that as long as it's healthy and not crazy!

My Reflections
I'm so proud of these girls. What makes me the happiest about the PNP crew is that we aren't focused on success near as much as we OBSESS over the details of what to do. That's a hard habit to break. Sure people get frustrated and want to see the scale move every other day. We're normal! But, if you read through the boards (and I read almost every post you chatty bunch of women) you'll see we talk a lot more about what we are doing, thinking, and planning in regards to eating better and exercising harder. I honestly can't find another site where the spirit is more about how to live the lifestyle versus just living to get thin.

Ya'll make me proud of what I do for you everyday. Never in my life have I felt like I belonged or inspired and this place gives me both. Thanks and woot, woot...next week's menu has peanut butter! I'm lifting my tablespoon...cheers!

I was going to blog about vacation season but was so moved today by a few of the PNP'ers that I am writing about falling off the wagon and getting your butt back on it. When you land hard on your head sometimes it takes you a little bit to "come to" and realize there is a faint trail of dust in front of you where the weightloss wagon is just plugging along without you.

One of the toughest things about this journey is that there is just no end. I don't care who you are, when you are trying to lose weight you are kidding yourself if you think when you reach goa that it's all over. This is a lifelong journey. What you do on it is what you do when you reach your goal. You might be able to relax a little but you certainly can't go back to what landed you in fatland to begin with.

So, you are sittng on your cushy-tushy on the dirt road watching the wagon drive off without you. You decide to have a donut or two while sitting there because you know you need to carb up if you are going to catch the gang! LOL. As you eat those donuts you start thinking silly things like I need to get "motivated" to get back on. Uhhh...did I just hear us stalling our grand return to working hard to achieve our goals? Ya'll none of us need motivation to lose weight. We all have a darn good vision in our head of what we want to look and feel like. We all have clothes we want to wear, activities we want to enjoy, men we want to impress, vacations at the beach, and people we would like to "flaunt it" in front of....right? That's motivation. We got that.

What we don't have is a plan and habits that are ALWAYS with us. We all know to pack coolers, plan ahead, enjoy the party and not just the food, yada, yada, yada...what we forget about is that each time we slip up and don't recover we slowly turn into our old selves. First goes the journaling because we don't want to see in black and white what we are doing, Next, we skip meetings, weigh-ins, or checking on our communities/partners because they will tell us what we are doing or we feel we will let them down. Finally, we look up a week or so later, feel horrible, and then ponder where to start. You know where...the next meal. It's always the next meal. A bad breakfast doesn't excuse a bad dinner; a bad three days doesn't mean start over Monday (which is four days away); a bad week doesn't mean you are so far gone that you can't recover. It is never too late if you begin with the next meal.

The thing I want all of you to take away from this is that this is LIFETIME ladies. The wagon has a magical way of picking you up at a moments notice. When you reach up and holler it just appears with a helping hand. I promise you, the PNP wagon is only a little yelp for help away.

New Year's Resolution?

Why am I talking about a New Year's Resolution and its at the end of May?

Did you happen to make yourself a couple of New Year’s Resolution?

Well here in a few days, we will be ½ way through the year. Yes, six months goes by so fast.  It is a great time to “re-evaluate” our goals and what we need to change or what we can pat ourselves on the back for what we done.

Here's a common resolution: I want to lose # amount of weight?

But, it's pretty hard to make the scale obey when it comes to numbers.  Maybe it would help you to be able to achieve your goal by saying: I have the goal of being a healthier, happier person by eating healthy and exercising.

Goals don’t always need to be things that are hard to obtain or something to be achieved in a finite amount of time. Long term goals can be broken into small pieces that lead to the big picture of where we want to be.

You won't see a person who has been a couch potato their whole life says “I want to run a marathon” and get up off the couch that day and run a marathon. No, that person uses that ultimate goal ahead of them and train their body with exercise and nutrition to achieve their goal of running a marathon. They run 5k, 10k, ½ marathons and build up their endurance for the race.

So what does that mean for us? What is our ultimate goal? How can we break that down to be able to achieve that goal? Make a small list and post it everywhere; make a copy and put on your fridge, in your purse, on your computer screen, on your bathroom mirror. Why so many places? Constantly reminding ourselves of your goals that you have, when things are hard and its easy to forget.

And without a goal, I can guarantee you won't achieve it!!

Here is a list of my current goals:

• Workout 5 days a week, including 3 AM workouts (Fasted Cardio)
• Healthy Clean Eating
• Limit Carbs
• Eliminate diet soda
• Run a 5k in 2008

Do you notice something? Some of these goals may not be super-specific but these are things that I am working to include in my life and for me to continue to progress, I needed to make my goals where I knew that I could obtain them. Now all of these are becoming easier and easier because they are becoming a LIFESTYLE for me.

And, take credit for what you have accomplished this year. Whether it may be big or small, we need to take credit for what we have done!  

Here is a list of what I have accomplished so far in 2008 (it's good to toot your own horn!  Post your comments below with your own toots!!)

• I got into a pair of 10’s, I had been in some 14’s, 12’s but I can fit into 10’s (now, I want to lose a tad bit more before I strut my stuff in them)
• I lost an inch, almost two in my ribcage and almost a cup size in the bra fitting
• I eat fairly clean all the time and its second nature to me
• I was selected as a Phit-n-Phat Spotlight Member and became a moderator
• I am the official PnP cheerleader!
• I am going to Phat Camp in a few weeks
  

This is a great time for you to review your list of goals, including making a new list of goals to push yourself and feel GREAT doing it.

Maybe one of those goals would be becoming Phit-n-Phat. If it is, stop now, fill out the application. I can guarantee you will never walk away feeling unsatisfied. You will love it here!

I HAVE BEEN WITH PnP FOR ONE YEAR AND I HAVEN'T LOST ONE POUND!! 

Not exactly what you were expecting from a so-called successful PnP'er and a Moderator, huh?  But, it is true.  I weigh exactly the same as I did when I began my journey with Corinne on May 20, 2007.  Even though I have not lost pounds, I have lost lots of other things......about 10 or so inches to start with! I have lost a couple clothing sizes.  I have lost a squishy layer of fat on my belly. And my saggy booty is gone!!!  I'll take that over a couple of pounds any day!

That being said,  I have gained a few things with PnP, too....wonderful friends.  I feel like I have known some of these girls forever.  And ya'll, Corinne and I could talk all day long, but we have never met in person.  I have also gained so much strength and confidence.  I was the fat kid in school....chubby size 6X.  I know some of you remember that size, huh?  Size 6X doesn't have confidence.  The girl squatting herself silly has confidence, though!!  That is the girl I am now....I am strong and I know it!

That fat girl just isn't who I am anymore.  Sure Corinne has helped me reshape my body and clean up my eating, but she has helped me shed that fat girl.   That is the biggest thing I have lost......that nagging fat girl that likes to rear her ugly head when the going gets tough.  Now, I am not saying that fat girl doesn't try, but fat girl doesn't win anymore.

Scale stays the same, but I lose that fat girl????  I'll take it....gladly, gratefully, and thankfully.

It sure doesn't feel like it here in NJ, but summer is right around the corner with Memorial Day weekend upon us.

And with that thought - happy though it is for the kiddies - comes one of the most dreaded thoughts for many of us.....

BATHING SUITS!!!  YIKES!!!

But, at Phit-n-Phat, we've been preparing for this and we're ready, right girls?  In a couple weeks we'll wrap up the Fast and Furious challenge, which has seen a bunch of fat and inches melt off us.  And while we may not be 100% comfortable in those 2-piece suits, we are all in a lot better shape than we were LAST year!

And we'll be spending the rest of this week and next to get you ready to handle the summer events like BBQ's, pool parties and keggers () when it comes to eating.  And our June challenge will help you kick it ALL up a notch!

One of the big challenges faced by moms is that the kids will be out of school soon.  And this may end up changing your schedule hugely because now you have to figure out what to do with them PLUS fitting in your workouts. Here are some ideas to help with this:

• Cardio that involves walks in the neighborhood (Boot-Camp Style Power Walks are not only great exercise but fun for the kids, too!)
• Use that pool!!   If you'll be spending time poolside, you've got one of the best exercise machines at your disposal!!  We'll be posting some swim routines soon to help and swimming laps alone will get your heartrate up and help with toning.
• Check out your gym to see if they offer kids' programs.  My gym, for example, is expaning their "Kidz Fit" program and I'm hoping they will have a time that my DD can join.
• Enter a 5K (run or walk), take a hike, take a bike ride, play with the kids on the playground - remember, exercise doesn't have to be confined to an hour at the gym.  There are lots of outdoor activities this time of year that you can do with your family and get a workout in, too!
• Don't forget YOU time! With all the vacations, parties, etc. summer can be anything BUT relaxing.  And stress is one of the biggest obstacles in weight loss - coritsol, the hormone secreted when we are under stress, acts to increase blood sugar and blood pressure. 

Our goal at PnP is to make sure you're not only ready for summer, but that you enjoy it too!!  You've earned it!!

That's fat burning baby and we got more ladies tearing it up this week. Congrats to everyone who lost, first of all. This week we had...

Lucy has lost 12lbs to date!
Jane has lost her first 10lbs and gearing up for the Half-Ironman in two weeks!

Angela bought some junior sized jeans. Wow!
Becca got into 10's!
Jessica bought 4's!

Amy is in the 170's for the first time in...like forever! LOL!

April met Hillary Clinton at work!

Bill bought man panties for our competition that would embarass a french man!

Girls, if I missed you let me know! I'm having a hard time keeping up with how many successful girls we have!!! LOL. Now that's a GREAT problem to have. Woot woot PNP Girls!

A Personal Reflection...

I'm coming to a close of eight weeks of build phase competition training and preparing to start the epic part of the whole journey...the 12-week precomp training schedule. It's hard to believe that eight weeks has come and gone. Life has literally changed so much and I ain't just talking diet.

The week I started this journey, my son was diagnosed with autism. I knew in my mind he had it even though my heart didn't want to accept it. Secretly I told myself that he was misdiagnosed and then over the course of eight weeks I have learned more about him and me than I ever thought possible.

Logan is a fighter like Momma. He's strong willed and has a determination to succeed. Because of HIS fighting spirit to be outgoing, funny, willful, and thirsty for knowledge I quickly realized there isn't anything that child can't do without help from me and Chris.

The easy thing to do eight weeks ago would be to give up my dreams for the both of us...no stepping on stage for a figure competition and no stepping on stage for a college graduation. That's not who WE ARE, though. Logan has shown me through all HIS hard work the past eight weeks that he is training every bit as hard as I am...it's just his competition has a much longer prep phase.

I've also learned what IS important in life. It's not TV, sleeping in, eating what you want, or what others think about you or what you are doing. All that matters to me is what Logan's eyes, my eyes, and my husband's eyes all reflect back to me at the end of the day. I say that because one day I hope that Logan can read my eyes as well as I read his right now. That's probably Momma's #1 aspiration for him. I want unspoken connection between the BOTH of us. I want us each to know what the other is feeling and thinking. For now, I'll settle for knowing my baby even if he doesn't know me as well, YET.

I also have to be able to look at myself with pride knowing that I am still Corinne and not just Logan's mother or Chris' wife. My fitness is my own personal #1 priority and it's worth missing out on junk food and fast food, it's worth getting up at 4am to workout and get in my PNP time, and it's worth losing time with the TV, a book, or other things to have it.

My sweet husband. What can I say other than he's got a tough road. LOL. The queen ain't easy living with these days between 2+ hour workouts, low carbs, calorie restriction, lack of sleep, and then just all the other stuff going on. He's been great through it all and I hope my muscular body in August and possibly a long weekend just the two of us getting pampered or playing poker will make up for some of it. I love you baby, if you read this. :)

Anyway, we are all doing very well, working hard either in exercise or therapies, eating our "competition diets" (Logan is on GFCF), and working towards goals just like I figured we always would. We might be taking a new and bumpier road but the destination will be same.

OK ya'll. I did this one myself at 5am and it was a goodie. It also made the time pass. Right now I am in major work my booty and legs mode because I want them to look good on stage. Can I get a WOOT???

You can also easily modify this routine for other pieces of equipment by sprinting, spinning, or stairclimbing faster during the "run" portions for the TM. Enjoy and work those glutes Ms. Thang.

• 5 min. warm-up increasing from 3.6 MPH to 4.0 MPH (or your own base fast walk speed). I bump my speed by .1 each minute.
• Put your incline at 5% and run at 5.5 MPH for one minute and walking at 4.0 MPH for two minutes.
• At the 15 minute move your incline to 0% and run at 6.0 MPH for 1 minute and walk at 4.0 for 1 minute until you hit 30 minutes.
• Get off the TM.
• 1 min. of alternating front lunges.
• 1 min. standing glute lifts and really squeeze your butt cheeks.
• 1 min. alternating lunges to 10 and 2 o'clock.
• 1 min. standing glute lifts.
• 1 min. alternating lunges to the rear.
• 1 min. standing glute lifts.
• 1 min. wide leg squats.
• 1 min. standing glute lifts.
• 1 min. jump squats (pop squats) or regular squats if you can't jump.
• 1 min. legs together squats.

Cool down. On your squats only go to 90 degrees and no lower. Keep your tempo at 1 sec. up and 1 sec. down.

Enjoy your new rear view.

Yesterday we talked about how efficient circuit training is and I gave you a GREAT routine to use. Today I want to tell you about how to walk the dog.

How many of you drag your booty out of bed every morning and take the family pooch for the morning walk? Most of you probably casually walk Spot around, sip some coffee, and think about all the things you have to do for the day. You are totally missing out on a prime opportunity for REAL fat blasting cardio.

One, fasted cardio is a great way to tap further into fat stores when you are losing weight. Bodybuilders and figure competitors ALWAYS do their fasted cardio. Just check out Oxygen if you don't believe me. Those girls will hit the cardio every morning for a good 30-40 minutes to totally deplete the energy stores and allow their body to burn off a little bonus chub.

Two, you are up anyway so why not just knock out the cardio for the day? You can do your strength training later in the day! That walk doesn't have to be easy and your pup will enjoy the stimulus mommy brings to the usualy sniff around.

So, how do you turn walking the dog into a kick booty cardio session? It's easy and so early in the morning your neighbors will never see you doing the crazy antics.

Start with 2-3 minutes of your normal walk. Let the muscles get lubed up.

Minutes 3-6 either do a light jog, pick up the pace, or alternate out light jogging with walking every 30 seconds.

Now, let the dog do some business. Each time the dog stops to potty or check out the mailbox for closer inspection, you will do jumping jacks, alternating lunges, pop squats, imitation jump rope, or running toe taps on your curb. Just pick a new one each time the dog stops and do it until you are ready to walk/jog again.

This will give you some interval training, some booty sculpting, and a workout during the time you normally walk anyway. Why not kick it up a notch?

Your goal should be to finish in about 30 minutes and keep that heartrate up between 75-85%. Add a slight jog when needed. Don't be afraid to just jog or sprint for 10-20 seconds if that's all it takes. The key is to keep switching it all up without rhyme or reason and your body will keep on changing because it won't know what to expect.

For my really brave girls, add in push ups, dips on curbs, etc. What you can do inside you can almost always do outside. Now tell me you don't think differently about the next walk you and Fido take.

Circuit Training is hot right now. You can hardly go into my gym without seeing groups of people running around doing all sorts of weights without burpees, mountain climbers, or stair running thrown in to raise the heart rate. I have been training this way for well over a year now and when you are trying to shed fat it is a great tool.

There are lots of ways to do it: supersets of major exercises, lift - aerobic - switch, etc. The key with circuit training is to keep moving and keep the heart rate up.

Another benefit for most people is the excellent use of your time. Many of us can't spend up to two hours a day at the gym like I do. LOL. The joys of competition training...do they ever cease? But, just because your schedule only gives you 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day to workout doesn't mean you can't lose fat and look great!

Here is a routine you can do in the gym or at home. I've included a few variations so you can switch things up. The average person can do this routine two to three times a week every other day. On days you don't do the circuit, shoot to do 30-60 minutes of cardio training keeping your heartrate in the 75-85% range. Interval training would be best but a good powerwalk can also do the job. Tomorrow we will discuss "powerwalking" PNP style.

Because these exercises are done based on time versus reps, err on the side of light to no weight at first. As you do the routine, make notes of what you need to do the next time. If you can't finish the minute, simply stop, rest for a few seconds and start back up until the minute is done.

The Workout
In between your "strength" exercises you will do "cardio". Below is suggested options for Beginners and Intermediates and Beyond.

Beginners - Cardio Options: Every week you will do a new form of cardio. If you walk one week, the next week you should do high knee marches.
Walking in place
Low Step Ups on a step bench (just like step class - basic step)
Light jogging in place
Walking a flight of stairs
High Knee Marching

Intermediate and Beyond: Every week you will do a new form of cardio. If you walk one week, the next week you should do high knee marches.
Jumping Jacks
Running Stairs
High Step Ups
Jumping Rope
Walking Lunges
Walking Squats
Burpees
Mountain Climbers

Exercise
Walk (example)                Two minutes
DB Squats                       One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Stiff Legged Deadlifts      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Wide Leg Squats             One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Incline DB Chest Press    One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Bentover DB Row            One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Tricep Dips                      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Standing DB Curls           One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Shoulder Presses            One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Calf Raises                      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Crunches on Stab Ball    One Minute

Substitutes for Each Group:
Legs: Leg Press Machine, Leg Extensions, Hamstring Curls, Alternating Lunges, Walking Lunges

Chest: Flat DB Press, Machine Chest Press, Barbell Chest Press (with spotter), DB Flye

Back: Seated Row, Deadlift, Lat Pulldown, T-bar Row, Barbell Bentover Row, Single Arm Rows

Triceps: OH Extensions, Skull Crushers, Kickbacks, Tricep Pushdowns (Cable Machine)

Biceps: Cable Curls, Hammer Curls, Curls with a Twist at Top, Barbell Curls

Shoulders: Arnold Presses, Lat Raises, Front Raises, Upright Rows, Machine Shoulder Presses, Alternating OH Presses

Calves: Seated Calf Raise Machines, Toes In or Out Calf Raises, Single Leg Cafl Raises

Abs: Bike Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Planks, Leg Lifts, Hanging Leg Raises

These are all exercises you can sub in and out and are easily found by searching Google or looking at bodybuilding.com.

I hope you enjoy this circuit. It's good to use for about eight weeks and then you would want to look into changing up your routine like my girls at PNP do every eight to twelve weeks. We design programs for them to use and help them with eating to totally rock those bodies and get some good fat blasting off!

We got some successes to report this week. Woot!

Les has officially dropped her first 10.5 pounds with us! Straight from her journal...

"This morning, I got on the scale and was PLEASED to see a 3 pound loss. YAY!  I had 2 ST workouts and 4 cardio workouts last week, and watched my portions like a hawk, and I saw a payoff! I got back on the scaled 3 more times as I got ready just to make sure that it still said that number.  Well, I moved the scale around the floor of the bathroom and stepped on it again and again to make sure.  Yes, I'm a freak.  I can't help it.  That's a number I have not seen in over 5 years.  AND, I have officially lost 10.5 pounds since joining PNP.  Yes, it's not that much, but you know, slow and steady wins the race."

I would say that 10.5 lbs is a lot and YOU ARE DOING US PROUD GIRL! It's hard to hang in there when things don't happen on YOUR time schedule. It's winners that keep their focus and do what they know is right even when the payoff comes in little increments. Congratulations!

Next, my girl Jane completed a sprint triathlon. She is currently training for a half-Ironman!

"I took 9th place overall woman (out of 232), 3rd in my age group and took 4 minutes off my previous best time at that race.  WOOT!!  And there was some definite wind involved, head wind both ways on the bike - so I was even more excited.  I think having 10 fewer pounds off my body, not to mention good fuel, and stronger muscles, all helped out a ton!  And God definitely gave some great strength as well - I can't overlook that major detail!"

Girls...if I missed anyone LET ME KNOW! I had a ton of emails to go through and grabbed these two to spotlight. Don't let me miss you!

This week I want to focus the blogs on cardio. In the forums we have challenges associated with fasted a.m. cardio, we're doing an eight week strength schedule that is designed to burn fat and save the muscle, and we are constantly trying new ways to amp up the calorie burn.

So, this week each blog will focus on a cardio routine or a way to get in more burn during your strength sessions. Watch for these routines anyone can use. Tomorrow we will talk about shaking up strength by doing circuits that sizzle. I will include a sample full body circuit you can do two to three times a week to build a sexy summer body.

Corinne asked me to write a blog. I have been sitting here trying to think of what to say because I never find myself a person of great words, wisdom, or knowledge like many of our fellow PnPers.
 
There is one thing that breaks my heart and gets me all upset is when I see people give into temptations all around them, they give up on themselves, and they sabotage all their hard work … and yet for what? NOTHING. They end up not being happy with themselves in the long run anyway. I get frustrated because I can see the “old Becca” in them and I know they aren’t happy and I want them to be happy and get on the “road to health”.
 
I probably have said this a 100 times but anyone who knew me a year ago, you would just hear me complain that I am not losing weight fast enough, argue with the Queen Corrine about how hard it was and how I just can’t do it, give up myself. Or that I can’t eat this or that because I don’t like it. Heck, I don’t think some of it that I complained about that I even tried. Some days I ask myself “why didn’t she just give up on me?” Well she can’t change a person, she can only give direction, guidance and try to help you stir your life in the course that you need to be on. But we have to make these decisions, commitments for ourselves.
 
Through life lessons, I have learned there are few things in the world you can control. Things always come up that can derail us in one way or another way but we can still have control of a few things in life.
 
One thing that I can control is: my food. I decide what goes in my mouth, how much I put in there. I choose to spend the extra few minutes (not hours) to make my lunch, to pack my snacks, to make sure that I have the nutrition for the day that I am going to feel satisfied with. 
 
Second thing, that I am control of: my exercise. I understand that there at times you can’t get in the whole program that you wanted too. But can you make a few adjustments during your day to move a little bit? Can you miss that TV program to make sure your workout is done? I plan it like it’s an important appointment each day. Would you miss an appointment with your doctor? Or something that meant something VERY important to you? Then why do you allow yourself to miss your workouts that could add health to your life – make you a healthier, stronger person
 
This is your life, your health. We all can blame our health problems on our childhood, family inherited diseases, or just life is too busy. I challenge all of you to take 5 minutes and look and see how you can adjust your time to be able to fit in that workout. What’s more important to you? Your health or to see who gets voted off American Idol this week.
 
I never thought of myself doing this a year ago. I know find myself emailing Corinne in a panic because I am going on a trip and I need to be able to keep exercising or getting to the gym before I stepped on a train to go back to Montana so that I had a good workout before I left. What did I skip to be able to do this? Lunch out with my co-workers. But in the end, I walked on that train feeling like my legs were dead weights (squats & lunges are killers); a healthy lunch & snacks packed in my cooler.
 
Do you think that honestly I WANT to go and spend an hour or longer at the gym and get all sweaty, stinky, walk out of there all bull-legged?  Or do you think I really want to eat another piece of chicken when pizza sounds so much better? NO! Then why do I do it? I decided a few months ago that I wanted to be healthier, stronger and a happier person. I was tried of being the “complainer” and not the doer. So I decided that it was time for me to listen, to follow what the best have been doing and have the great results. Slowly I started to see the results on me, I am seeing my arms slowly get stronger, and I am seeing where I am trying new foods and enjoying them. I see myself an overall happier person. I am starting to REALLY love the new me but it took me taking control of the things I can control and making them work for me. Even when life keeps throwing me curve balls, I just keep trying to find ways to work around them. It’s our life.
 
Next time you are tempted by a cookie, candy bar, lunch out with the girls, an extra glass of wine, skipping a workout – ask yourself “what am I worth? Is it really worth it?”
 
It’s your time! Its time for you to take control of your life!

I am going to have my Dream Body in Just TWO WEEKS!!!!!  Can you believe it!!!!  I am so excited!!!

In fact, this is my plan for how I’m going to Drop 20 pounds and lose 18 inches in 6 Days.  I’m going to use Herbal tonics, body wraps, cellulite creams, Fat Loss Detox Tea’s – no – how about the “Cookie” Diet or the Grapefruit Diet – or the Only Eat Chocolate for a Week Diet (I made that one up). Hmmm – or should I just go low carb for one day, low fat for another, no sugar the next, fast the one after that – then have liquids only.  .  Hey – I’ve been PROMISED the body of my dreams – you know - six pack abs, legs like a stallion and a butt that’s so high it practically sits on my shoulders  – all with a beautiful tan of course – if  I only…… you got it – buy the cream, get the wrap, drink the tea, eat the cookies, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, eat protein, don’t eat protein, eat  fat, don’t eat fat   - oh my goodness, I’m mentally exhausted from just writing this!

This was my life prior to PNP.  I was always looking for that magic “thing” that would make me a skinny, hot mama.  I tried it all – I bought the books that “held the key”, the gym memberships (plural)  where I was too embarrassed to show up, I bought every magazine, and tried every diet program under the sun.  But I never had any success – that was until I joined PNP last spring.  So, what was different?  Well, everything!

First and foremost, there’s Corinne.  No one has ever motivated and encouraged me the way she has.  She literally changed my life.  She never promised me the body of my dreams in two weeks – but she did promise that she would teach me everything she had learned as a Certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle Coach, as well as through her own experience (which was really the clincher for me) that enabled her to have the success she has had.  She also promised me that I would have a network of women – a sisterhood of sorts, that would help me and encourage me, and that I wouldn’t be alone in my fat-loss journey.  She said she would be there for me every step of the way.

Well, it’s almost a year later – so what’s happened????  Well, she kept her promises.  I have learned how to exercise; in fact, I work out 4-5 days a week.  I ran my first 5K within my first three months.  I learned about eating clean, and fueling my body with foods that get me the results I always wanted.  I have found a group of women who are incredible – warm and friendly and supportive.  There is something new on the site every time I turn around.  We journal, we laugh, we “check in”, we share tips and strategies, food prep ideas, and the list goes on.  (Oh, and did I mention I lost weight and now wear a size 4/6, as well as have the respect of every man in my gym)   Joining PNP has been the best decision I ever made.  Getting Phit and Phat has become a journey, a way of life – not just a destination.

This week I turn the big 3-0!  Wow!  I’m still amazed that I am about to be 30 years old.  Just 10 years ago I was 20 and depressed and not too mention 50 lbs heavier and miserable. 

As a child growing up, I remember thinking 30 was old.  I would laugh and joke as friends and family were nearing or hitting the 30 year mark, but now that is me. My tune has officially changed.  30 isn’t old, it’s new!  Recently someone mentioned that 30 is the new 20.  I totally agree.  I feel like I’m 20, my body looks like I’m 20, well except for a few of those unwanted blemishes, but other than that, I feel so much better at 30 than I ever did at 20. 

When I started with Corinne I had been a lifetime member with Weight Watchers for 2 ½ years.  I was looking good, but always longing for just a little more.  The reason I signed up with Corinne was to help me tone up and shed some of the fat.  Since being with Corinne I have lost 7 lbs; however I’ve lost over 20 inches and wearing a smaller size.  Currently I’m around 150 and proudly wearing my size 6’s. 

It isn’t all about the weight for me.  Of course I’d love to see the 140’s, but a drop in size gets me going just as much as that scale. 

In July, I’ll mark my 1 year anniversary with Corinne.  In my 29th year I accomplished more than I have in my entire lifetime. 

Without Corinne, I wouldn’t of trained and ran 3 half marathons, dropped to a size 6, and busted some of this fat I have.  I could tell you my childhood sob story of being overweight, suffering from severe child asthma, etc., but we’ll save that for another day.  The fact that I started running still amazes me.  I have accomplished more this year than I could’ve ever imagined, and I owe it to Corinne.  Sure, I did the work, but she pushed me just enough to get me started. 

This month at PNP I’m participating in the Fast and Furious Team Challenge (Go Sexy Seven), the Push Up Challenge and the BLT Challenge.  All these challenges are my key to success.  

Without PNP, my last year in my 20’s wouldn’t of been the same. 

So, as I embark on this new era in my life, things for me will change. My 30’s are going be totally different than my 20’s.  This next year my husband and I plan on starting a family, moving, and continuing on with our healthy lifestyle.  I even have plans of doing a Sprint Triathlon this fall.  This next year is going to be my year.  Watch out 30’s, here I come! 

When Corinne asked if I would do her blog today, my first thought was sure.  Then my second thought was ummm, what I can write about?    Who wants to read something written by me, some boring ol’ middle age momma?  As I pondered this, I thought what’s the biggest things that have influenced my fatloss journey? 

My overwhelming answer is Corinne.  She has been instrumental in pushing me along.  Yes I am the one that actually does the working out, and yes I am the one that chooses to have a protein bar over a Snickers bar, but it’s because of what she has taught me to make those wise decisions.

I am also blessed with a wonderful husband.  I know not everyone is as fortunate to have someone like him in their lives.  I wish everyone could have someone so great in their lives.  We have yo-yo-ed our way through several hundred pounds over the years.  Once we finally said enough is enough, that’s exactly what it was, enough.  We were tired of being tired.  We were tired of feeling like crap.  We were tired of our clothes not fitting, and having to go up a size every year or every season.  We made a decision together to get healthy, once and for all. I will share with one of the most powerful things Bill has said to me in this fatloss journey.  One night we were eating supper. I was picking at the left over food in my plate that was just sitting there waiting for the waitress to take it away.  I was full, but it was there, enough said.  Bill looked at me and said, “Are you eating that because you really want it or because it’s there”?  How often to we eat stuff because it’s “there”?  I appreciate him so much.  Because of Corinne, Bill is going to achieve a life long dream of his in August.  I can’t tell you the pride I feel for him in doing this.

Thirdly I would say that our girls are one of my driving factors.  God has given us two precious daughters, and it’s our responsibility as parents to take care of ourselves &  to be around as long as we can for our kids.  And we all know what pressures girls are under.  Every where you look, you see stick thin people all over the place in Hollywood.  I want them to know what it is like to be healthy.  Bill & I never ever talk about calories, weight or fat in front of our girls.  We talk about being “healthy” and making “healthy” choices.   When Bill and I go out to exercise, and our girls ask us the infamous question “why”, it’s always to be healthy.   I’m not saying they always eat 100% healthy or even 90% healthy, but I know make good choices most of the time.

Lastly I just have to share a story about our 6 yr old, Elisabeth.  Our town has a big festival every year.   There are 5K & 10K runs, and then there’s something called the “Tadpole Trot” for kids.  A note was sent home from school about it.  Bill & I talked about it and casually mentioned it, and asked Elisabeth if she wanted to do the race.  She was so excited and jumped up and down saying yes!! We explained to her that she probably would not win, but that it’s just fun to do stuff like this, and it’s about being a finisher.   

So Saturday was the big race at a school track.   She raced with other 6 yr old girls.  We were laughing and talking before the race, she was talking to her friends, playing chase with her little sister, we were having a good time.  Then when it was time for all the 6 yr old girls to run, they quickly lined up.  We got about in the middle of the line-up.  We were still having a good time, we were laughing and talking w/ the MC, a local TV personality.  He was asking about her Belle tattoo that she had on her face from the night before, that she got at the festival.  So we were having a good time.   

When the race ended she came in maybe 5th place.  Well she didn’t get a trophy.  She faught back the tears.  She was such a big girl.  She wanted to cry, but she didn’t.  We could not have been more proud of her for finishing the race. 

Later Bill & I talked and he said that the kids that won, he noticed before the race that they were not laughing and having  a good time.  Their parents were completely serious and so were the kids.  We just thought it was so sad, especially at the ripe ol’ age of 6. 

She was a finisher and we could not have asked for one single thing more.

We had 2 sets of endurance events around Phit-n-Phat this weekend.

First, we had Kathleen and Tammi compete in the 32rd Running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3.  It was a field of over 35,000 runners. 

To quote from Kathleen's post about the race:

"Running around the Indy 500 track was just awesome and it is over two miles so that eats up a lot of miles and it is mid way so a really neat thing this see when you are ready for something different than streets! All the mileage was marked very well, wonderful volunteers, plenty of water and gatorade. The medals are neat with a car on them and the wheels move too so it is certainly a keeper :) Lisa finished the race and we were so proud of her to just finish it and want to actually continue running and maybe even another race."

Lisa is a friend who Kathleen and Tammi helped get through her first 1/2 marathon.

Our other endurance gal is Jill, our spotlight member, in her first Sprint Triathalon.  She competed in the Ohio State Triathalon.  From their website: "This awesome event will give participants an opportunity to swim a serpentine 400 meters swim in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion 50 meter pool, followed by a 20k bike ride through the campus, passing by the OSU Horseshoe, the Value City Arena and finishing with a fabulous 5k through the OSU campus."

Jill proudly finished the race, enjoying the spectators encouragement and her own mental and physical strength:

"WWWOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO yep that is what I yelled as I crossed the finish line!!!

My hubby got a great picture (I made him check the camera before we left - I told him if he didn't get a good picture I'd totally 'stage' one) HA! But I didn't have to he did a good job!!! But of course that's because I had practiced my finish pose.

Ladies - I am not going to fib... on the 2nd half of the bike I seriously had thoughts of quitting. My legs were DEAD... IFFFFFFFFF I would have had my phone with me I think i would have called John and said "come get me". But I didn't have my phone... and you know what... after about 10 minutes my legs came back!!!! Funny JOhn was next to the transition area and he kept saying to me (both times) you're doing fine... take your time ... don't worry about where everyone else is. I don't think he has any idea how much that meant to me.

I joked it up with some of the 'volunteers' on the bike and run route... I kept asking the bike volunteers where all the SLOW riders were... swear to GOD I've never heard "on your left" so many times in my life!!! I asked a cop once if he wanted to trade places with me! Then on the run they kept saying 'one more corner and you're done'. yea - that got old when it WASN'T one more corner. A guy said that and I yelled "LIAR"... I did laugh... Then the guy that was REALLY standing at the last corner. OH MY GOD he helped me finish my race with gusto. He was YELLING and I mean YELLING "PICK IT UP COMEON YOU CAN DO IT THIS IS YOUR RACE RIGHT THERE IS THE FINISH COMEON YOU CAN DO IT PUSH YOURSELF PUSH PUSH PUSH" I hope he heard me muster out THANK YOU between my breathing.

Funny I don't remember even hearing myself breath? (that was something I hated about running outside)..."

A huge and well deserved congratulations to Kathleen, Tammi and Jill - our PnP Girls who proved, once again, that they can do it!

Let me just tell everyone my biggest pet-peeve with anyone who comes to me about weightloss. 90% of losing weight is your actions and doesn't have anything to do with what Daddy did or didn't say to you as a child, what your innerself repeats to you, or any of the other "mind games" we play with ourselves to excuse pulling into McDonalds because we didn't pack a cooler.

It's behavior people. Almost always when people aren't losing or gaining it's your actions and not what you think that gets in your way. Some of the people I train that have the most success have the WORST case of fat girl thinking! They just don't let it rule them even if they can't turn it off.

Here's why people don't lose fat. 

1. They haven't planned their workouts and HOPE they will FEEL like it this week. You don't plan it, it don't happen. Get out your calendar Sunday night, make your exercise appointments, and then hop in a circle for 30 min. for all I care at each appointment. I just want you to MOVE. Even if you get it wrong, you get it right because you are doing something. I'd rather hear you tell me you jumped up and down than listen to you for 30 min. telling me why you weren't motivated.

2. While they watch Sunday's boob tube drama they have "ran out of time" to go to the grocery store. During this time they have also failed to plan their food for the week, lost their cooler in the bottom of their closet, and HOPE they make good decisions when co-workers want them to go to lunch. Whatever! You already put TV in front of your desires to live a long healthy life. What makes you think you won't succumb to peer pressure at the local chinese buffet?

3. They are mindlessly eating away all day long without even hesistating to think that bites, licks, and tastes QUICKLY negate a tough workout. Most of my girls shoot to burn 500 calories a workout five times a week equalling 2500 calories. Honey, you gotta have a deficit of 3500 to even lose a pound so you better be eating less 1000 calories that week. If each day you BLT four almonds, overestimate your chicken by one ounce, snag a hershey kiss or two...well, kiss that pound good bye. It's so unfair...I know, but no one said it would be easy.

I tell my girls the new "golden rule" all the time: Fake it til you make it. I don't care if you hate yourself, beat yourself up religiously, are ashamed, out of shape, or just tired; you just do it until it becomes habit. You'll mess up every now and then but you have to keep going.

When I started this at 250lbs I can promise you the last thing on my mind when I walked into the gym was, "Man, I love myself. I'm a strong woman, ready to go, I believe in myself, and I look damn good doing this." Yeah right. It was more like, "I don't belong here, I can't do this, I'm so tired, why am I not taking a nap while the baby is asleep, and I've always been fat and will always be fat." I felt incredibly ashamed, embarassed, looked a mess, and did all I could to talk myself out of making the best decision of my life.

Six months later I walked in the gym feeling ashamed because I hadn't lost more weight, feeling jiggly because lose skin was appearing, noticing that I STILL was significantly in worse shape than the average person, and wondering why I kept doing it because I still had a long way to go.

A year later I was almost at goal, feeling better about myself, wondering what the hell took me so long to do this, and trying to figure out the best ways I could to keep on improving.

Now I'm coming up on that three year mark of hitting my goal and guess what? I still have days I don't want to do it, I literally just argued with myself over having a big helping of peanut butter, and today I was taken right back to that fat girl stage. It was my first posing class for the competition and don't think standing in hooker shoes at the gym having someone look you over to see imperfections isn't stressful. Ya'll know how I am about my loose skin. All I did was stare at the 1 in. of skin showing above my knees wondering if anyone noticed it. Good gracious, I was wearing a tank and basketball shorts but you would've thought I had nothing on with the way my mind was racing.

But, as I said above...I will fake it until I make it. I'll show up for posing classes and whatever else I need to do because the last thing I want to do is sit around complaining about never doing anything.

http://phit-n-phat.com/content/may2008spotlight.aspx

Jill is a fabulous example of reaching deep and doing things that are way out of your comfort zone. This weekend she will compete in her first triathlon. We've all been following her wonderful story in the forums at PNP and it will be great to "virtually" cheer her to the finish line.

This is what I love about the lifestyle the PNP women lead. We are mommies, wives, girlfriends, employees, students, and grandmothers who are making our way through life reaching for something better. Too often women get caught up in the idea that you have to look like an athlete to be an athlete and it's not true. The definition of athlete is simply:

A physically active individual training for or participating in an amateur, educational or professional athletic.

This just shows you that ANY of us can be an athlete.

Women also tend to think that there is an end to the journey or a certain "level of fitness/weight" you must reach before you qualify to pursue your dreams. That's your inner fat girl yammering away at you. Most of my races I did in MUCH worse shape than I am in now but if I never had the guts to put myself out there when I was overweight and slow, I wouldn't be here right now.

As far as the end of the journey...there is no end. There are periods of maintenance, times in life you can eat a little more and exercise a little less, but you never stop filling your body with healthy foods and you never quit moving.

It's the beginning of the month and on my site we always start our new monthly challenges. This month we have the A.M. Exercise challenge for those that need motivation to workout in the morning and the Optional Challenge of Controlling our BLT's. Community, support, encouragement, and accountability go a long way in having the strength to pursue atheletic dreams you never thought possible. I think Monica said it best today when she posted...

I am looking at all the ones who want this "optional"challenge and it looks like most are moderators and senior PnPers. It just goes to show that we all are working everyday to make the most of this lifestyle.

Most of you know I'm training for my first competiton in August. It's pretty exciting because Bill from our site and Lisa my friend (and PNP member) are doing it with me. The training is going well and I wanted to spend today discussing lessons learned from the first four weeks of training.

Attention to Diet Works
It's so easy to workout hard and casually ruin it day in and day out. Since I started this process I have been very conscious of what I eat. Every week I am sent a menu to follow (and it has only changed once so it's boring as heck) and I have been doing great with sticking to it. Now, I do make changes but I typically do things like change up meat because something is going bad or sub a veggie because I need something I can eat in the car.

Sometimes it's very hard. I have had a couple of occassions where I fell into a jar of peanut butter. I get a splurge meal on the weekend but by Wednesday my body is screaming for carbs. PB is the only thing that truly tempts me. This weekend I made Chris take all the PB to work. We do have some Cashew Butter in the house for Logan but it's so expensive that I refuse to waste it on me. Took care of that trigger!

In four weeks I've lost weight and inches. Especially today, I look leaner. Two people at the gym stopped to comment that I must be doing something new because I looked tighter. It's very true and the changes are happening almost daily now.

I'm eating between 1600 and 1800 calories most days. I don't get hardly any carbs and that's tough but each week that gets so much easier. My carbs come from greens and a rice cake. Yum yum! If you go to my Sparkpage you can see typical menus of what I'm eating. Now, the total cals are low but I allocate 200 cals a day in supplements and Crystal Light. Don't forget each packet is 10 calories and I go through enough to purchase stock.

Workouts Gotta Be Tough
You want to look like an Oxygen model you better be willing to eat and train like one. Those girls work so hard because I'm not even training like them and it's kicking me in the butt. I'm on six days of cardio ranging from 30-60 min. daily (fasted if possible) and four to five days of strength training splitting my body parts. My strength training is usually 3-4 sets of supersets with a whole 10-15 sec. break in between. It's enough to make you vomit on leg day. A typical strength workout only takes about 40 minutes right now.

These workouts have taught me that most people casually workout. I look around the gym and see soft chicks barely breathing hard on the elliptical, girls sitting on a machine whipping out 15 - 20 reps easily and then just sitting there waiting for the next worthless set, and others who are truly grinding it. These girls make ugly faces when lifting, they hustle through the gym and tell their friends they can talk AFTER the workout, when doing cardio they need a sponge to clean up, and they chug a shake after the workout because they know that refueling is just as important as the workout. Starving don't do crap for you.

Sleep!
Seven hours a night. I wish I could get more but right now that's about all I'm getting and that's a GOOD night. Muscles don't build and fat won't burn unless you rest. This is a lesson I have to work on because it's a weak area for me. It's hard to go to sleep and exciting to get up.

Plan Baby Plan
Do you think eating eight times a day is easy? No! I eat meat and veggies six times a day and then take in some egg whites, almonds, and shakes some. You want to look good then you better plan to look good. I cook my food in advance, I prep my veggies, and I tote it all around in a neat little cooler that is in the bottom of my backpack.

I have learned to optimize my time and mix together autism, a competition, being a friend, wife, mother, daughter, mentor to 100's a women, and then just be Corinne. Some people would think I'm crazy but I just like to think I'm living life to the fullest. The last thing that will be written on my tombstone is that she didn't get to do everything she wanted in this life.

And, that is the lesson I'm learning most through all of this. I want a lot out of my life and I'm more than willing to work for all of it. I want...

- to bring my son into mainstream and out of the label of autism. It's not easy cooking all the time and running him all over town on top of spending our "playtime" doing therapy, but he's worth giving up TV, movies, and massages.

- to be a hot wife and have a husband who looks at me like I"m the only woman in the room. Sure it might mean arranging our schedules to have quality time when I would rather take a nap or go shopping, but he's worth every minute I get to spend with him.

- to be a figure competitor. That means eating like NO one else, working out when time allows so it doesn't interfere with family time, and walking in shoes that would break your ankle just looking at them while cooking. Crazy but it's the best way to practice.

- to inspire women to reach down and be healthy. I get to do that every day at PNP and I love it. I may trade a lot of personal time to chase this dream, but it's worth it. Trust me, PNP is no empire but what I get in friendship and seeing women bloom is more than worth it to me.

So, that catches you up on me. I am still working hard and staying on track. It's not the easiest life, but it's fullfilling and just knowing what I get to do each day makes me hop out of bed GIDDY to get started. Not many people can say that these days. I'm lucky!

Getting It All Done
Life is so busy right now. I could list it all but people would think I'm either a "look at me" kind of girl or think I do crack to keep up. I'm neither so just take my word for it; I keep it rocking from the moment my feet hit the ground until my head hits the pillow.

What makes it doable? This is what you want to know, not the what I do. Organizing myself and using time wisely. Here's a random list of stuff I do around the house and in life that keeps me from wasting time I simply don't have.

• I don't watch TV unless I'm doing cardio or cooking dinner. So what if I don't know who did what on said show? I also don't wake up each day trying to find a pair of pants that don't make butt look big.
  
• I make a list of to do's before bed to clear my mind before sleeping.
  
• Food prep, food prep, food prep. I try to prep up stuff as much as possible so that food is grab and go for me. When you spend as much time as I do driving you must have food with you to eat in the car. BTW, I haven't ate a protein bar in weeks. You see me eating cukes and chicken *** all the time riding down the road.
  
• Run your dishwasher while you sleep. Unload the dishwasher while you cook breakfast in the morning. Yes, I cook a fifties style breakfast each morning for my son and we eat together. Daddy is joining us soon, too! If they can do it back then surely we can do it now with our modern conveniences. Of course, I can't use a microwave or teflon with Logan's food, but I manage because he has to have fresh and hearty foods.
  
• Now that the dishwasher is unloaded, load it all day rather than piling dishes in the sink. I just rinse and put right in there so that it's ready to run at night.
  
• Sort your clothes when you take them off. I have two-three compartment sorters in the bedroom. Laundry is so much easier this way. I also drop a load off on the way out to preschool and throw it in the dryer when I get home. I fold while rice or something is cooking.
  
• Pack your workout clothes or lay them out the night before and know when you are going the next day. I never wake up thinking when am I going to workout? I plan those into my week ahead of time and then I know when to be ready. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to workout when "I" want to but most of the time I workout when "I" have to. That's fine because I'm doing it.
  
• I make phone calls to friends while waiting places. I often find myself waiting in an office and that's when I try to talk on the phone. I also bought a phone with email on it to stay on top of the website. Even if I can't respond I can at least keep the inbox clean by deleting off stuff I don't need to attend to. BTW...I get 300-600 emails a day depending on which day of the week it is.
  
• Ask for help! Sometimes I just have too much to do. I ask someone like my husband to pick up something, my mom to help out, or a friend to research something for me I don't have time to look up. It can be little things but it's those things that drag you down.
  
• I like a written calendar. I have an old school planner that I use to keep record of Logan's and my stuff. I write my personal things in red, Logan's stuff in blue, and "fun stuff" in green. Fun stuff is things I would like to do but don't have to do like support groups, sales, etc.
  
• Buy your foods in bulk. I've been catching a lot of meat and stuff on sale and freezing. This is saving me from going to the grocery store for an hour plus. I always take a list but if I catch a good sale on things we always use I buy up so that we save money AND don't have to remember to get each week.
  
• Don't be afraid to tell people you can't talk to them or need to call them back. I often tell people I have to call them back and I use that precious time when I'm sitting and waiting.
  
• Keep the things you use most frequently in the kitchen on the counter and store everything else.
  
• When you get gas clean out your car. I always have trash in the car that needs to be tossed.
  
• If you haven't worn it in a year, give it to someone who will. I keep a donate pile in the closet and when it gets big I throw it in bags and drop off at Goodwill. No sense looking and digging through stuff you ain't going to wear.

The reason I write this is because so many people use the excuse I don't have time to eat right and exercise. That's CRAP! Most of us actually have too much time on our hands and so we waste it. Start today and get your booty moving, your foods right, and your mind around the fact that you are destined to succeed with a little planning and sacrifice.

Also, I'd love any time saving tips you have because I'm always looking for ways to do it better than I did it today. 

You know, being a Phit-N-Phat girl is not always easy. We do things most people are too afraid to or not willing to do.

• We WORK hard during our workouts. 500+ calorie burns are the average workout.
• We eat healthy. Some eat clean, some eat healthy with some convenience but we all eat to fuel our bodies and NOT our minds.
• We set goals and we achieve them. My girls are constantly doing things the average woman will never attempt and that's a shame.
• We face our fears, we change our bad habits, we plan instead of act on impulse and we fess up when things are going south so that our PNP community can lift us back up on the old PNP Wagon.
• We also take it slower than most other sites...as we all know at PNP...this is not a race; it's a journey of a lifetime.

I am so proud to be the leader of this group of women. It's been my pleasure and honor to watch them accomplish so many awesome things. Recently and in the near future we will have official 1/2 and full marathoners, sprint triathletes (GO JILL!), 1/2 Ironman triathletes (GO JANE!), lifetime members with Weight Watchers (too many to list but we're working on that page), girls seeing numbers on the scale they never thought possible, and women who are stronger now than they were twenty years ago. Let me tell you, these aren't athletes joining PNP either. It's women who are just like you and me; wanting more out of life than a #2 at McDonalds.

This weekend I got another opportunity to bring clients/friends to my home and watch them achieve success at the Country Music Half Marathon. Here's a link to their pictures and when I get the party pics from my husband I'll post those too. And, there are some GOOD ones in this batch. This crew can party but we all work hard and deserve to let it loose when we get together.

I'd like to make a brief comment about something Dawn and I talked about this weekend. You know, I don't advocate quick fixes or fast weightloss. I could easily strip weight off people if I cut their cals really low and have them grind for days on end doing cardio. That's not at all what I'm about or why I started PNP. I do this because I want my people to learn how to be healthier, fitter versions of themselves NOW and for the next 20-50 years.

Dawn is an example of that. She joined me last year and has lost 21lbs and lots of inches. She still has a little weight she wants to lose but she wanted a lifestyle of health and not just to lose a bunch of weight really fast. Over the past year, she has completed and won a challenge on our website, 2 half marathons, a 10K, and a relay race with her friends. If I'm not mistaken, Dawn was not a runner before this year...at least she never was a distance runner. If we took the approach last year of just getting some weight off and you're on your way, she would never have met these other goals. I PROMISE you that Dawn is fitter and healthier for taking the approach of achieving atheltic dreams before aesthetic ideals.

And, Dawn, when you run your first marathon at Disney I'll be at the finish line with my camera to take a pic of you and your girls!

That's just one story that is a reflection of many of the girls. I love that my clients WANT to look hot but always remember that enjoying a healthy lifestyle MUST come first.

Oh...I could go on and on about this topic so I'll stop here today. Just know that whatever you do each day to get fit that it really does get you fit and not just become a quick fix. Take care!

Today I have several of my PNP clients and moderators coming to Nashville to participate in the Country Music Half Marathon. They are all excited and ready to run. It will be a great weekend I hope to have pictures next week for the site.

Non Scale Victories (NSV) are more important, to me, than a victory on the scale. When you think about the number on the scale you realize it is simply a reflection of the behaviors you have established in life. Changing bad behaviors into good ones also doesn't always payoff immediately even if it feels right.

When you quit smoking, your lungs don't clear up overnight. You spend weeks coughing stuff up, you get still get winded months from the last smoke because of left over gunk in your lungs, and you don't feel good at first even though you are doing something so much healthier.

The strength training and diet game is the same way. You don't lose the fat overnight, at times the scale barely budges, and even though you are eating healthy foods it doesn't always promise you will "feel" good about them, BUT, you ARE doing something healthy for yourself so you have to look at things that are happening.

Luckily when you diet and exercise you have a multitude of ways to find successes. Smoking too (more money, you stink less, taste buds come back, etc.) but with our weightloss we have clothes fitting better, body tightening up, more energy, inches going down, etc.

As an EXCELLENT example of a NSV, I want to share a post by Britt made in our forums. When I read this yesterday I just smiled so big because stories like this mean my girls aren't just following a program I write. They are LEARNING how to make fitness a part of their life. I love it and this is why I do what I do; to teach others how to LIVE a PHIT lifestyle.

I hade an AMAZING morning workout!

So I get up at 10 of 6 and head to the gym. I see that it's not open yet so I decide not to wait and I strap on the IPOD and get out in the parking lot and start running around. I didn't have any water on me so I couldn't set up the HRM. I eventually am doing this for 30 mins. Then I went in the trunk, took out the yoga mat and put it right on the pavement to do abs. At this point it's now 10 of 7, gym still not open and I need to go home and get ready for work.

And the entire near hour I had approx 20 people sitting in cars or standing chatting in the parking lot watching me and I just kept thinking how awesome I felt to still get my workout in while they wasted an hour doing NOTHING!!!

Not sure how much I burned but the feeling alone was worth 1 million calories.

 Way to go Britt and you are so on your way girl!

I would blog about this on the autism site, but this is more about my resolve with food than Logan's new diet. Just for those who aren't familiar, Logan is on a GFCF (gluten free and casein free) diet. All of his food is now cooked naturally, on the stove, fresh, no microwaving, etc. We use lots of healthy oils, nuts, fruits, veggies, maple syrup, honey, and stuff I basically can't eat while in competition training.

Let me tell you, this stuff is STINKING DELICIOUS! I'm not a BLT kind of girl, but since I also have never cooked like Martha Stewart I am needing to sample things before giving it to him. While radically changing his diet to new foods and such I just can't risk turning him off the healthy stuff because I didn't flavor something right. Trust me, this is no cop-out. It's just the way it is and I'm trying my best to account for it by taking the TINIEST of tastes.

So, what does this have to do with diet? Holy heck the old habits want to come back with a vengence. Since I started my journey I have always kept tempting foods out and safe foods in. Boy that made things easier for me and it forced my family to eat a pretty decent diet. Well, now we have to usher in some of my weaknesses that Logan needs. Just to give you an idea of what foods have been SURROUNDING me the past week:

- GFCF Pizza made with fresh guacomole sauce and black beans

- GFCF sweet potato and blueberry pancakes topped with Ghee (a type of goat butter) and hot organic honey

- Organic bacon and eggs for breakfast with banana cinnamon GFCF butter toast

- Fruit, fruit, and more fruits baked, fresh, and any other way you can serve it

- Jellos of all types and flavors - HOMEMADE with REAL ORGANIC FRUIT JUICES

- Honey baked chicken with creamy cauliflower

All of these items serve specific nutritional needs for Logan while allowing him to enjoy his food. It's so hard to have it in my face when I'm eating the 50th tilapia salad of the week. That, combined with the fact that after 24 hours what he doesn't eat has to be tossed, makes me crazy because it's a lot of food waste. I'm working hard on this part because this organic stuff is EXPENSIVE.

Anyway, my sanctuary is gone. I now live like everyone else. I just have to bite the bullet and live by my plans. That's it. There is no fancy tip, no gimmick, no tricks outside of IT'S NOT ON MY FOOD PLAN, IT DOESN'T GET ME RESULTS, I DON'T EAT IT.

The past few days have been just an emotional roller coaster and I've wanted to eat like you wouldn't believe and the food is here. In fact, I work from home and the food is six feet away from me. Shoot ya'll, there is peanut butter, homemade, delicious GFCF power bars (think a healthy version of a rice krispie cake) in there right now I could put away in about ten minutes. But I don't. I don't because I know it solves nothing.

What you put into your body is so important to the length and quality of your life. I'm so glad I learned this lesson on my own time versus when I would have to change my behaviors along with my son's diet. I don't know if I could've done it, so I'm glad I wised up a long time ago and realized we need to eat to fuel our bodies and NOT our EMOTIONS. I guess it's sort of exciting because now I have a chance to experience a whole new era of my weightloss journey...the part where I let go of the control and exercise the strength of mind.

Today we're going to talk about cardio and the biggest mistake I see make with it: doing the same thing over and over again yielding little to no results. Changing up cardio is just as important as switching your foods around and attacking your muscles with new exercises.

When you avoid moving out of your cardio rut, you experience several things:

1. Stalled progress with your body. The body simply gets used to running 3-5 miles every day and because you are doing the same old thing your body looks the same old way.

2. It gets harder to roast fat. The more conditioned you get with your routine the easier it's going to be and that means you burn less calories.

3. You totally miss out on finer sculpting opportunities. I use cardio as a way to further lift, shape, and sculpt my problem areas. You shouldn't over train while strength training but there are several cardio techniques to enhance your muscle development.

Basic Tips for Varying Your Cardio

• Look at your cardio training as a monthly goal. Break down each week with a new focus. For example:
• Week One: Leg Sculpting - alternate treadmill routines where you are on and off the machine doing body weight exercises for a 1 min. circuit like squats, lunges, and mountain climbers.
• Week Two: Hard Intervals - pick three machines and each day do a different one performing 40 min. of intervals of 2 hard and 2 easy.
• Week Three: Speed - do sprints one day, fast and slow intervals on the elliptical, sprints on the spin bike, etc.
• Week Four: Do It DIFFERENT - alternate forward and backward walking on the treadmill at a high incline, use the elliptical and change forward and backward every five minutes, turn around on the stepper for five minutes increments, or alternate some side shuffles when on the treadmill.
  
• Don't be afraid to insert HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) into your week. One to two HIIT sessions a week will roast the calories and shock your body.
  
• Track your cardio sessions. Each time you repeat a routine you should be able to do it a little harder, faster, or better than the last time. If you can't, you need to do something else and try it again later.

Here's a link to a few cardio routines I have on my site. Try them and see if it challenges you in a new way. Check back often because I will be updating this page with new ideas. We all need some spring cleaning of our hearts.

Life is hard right now. It just is and I have to get over it or drown in my own sorrows. When I started this blog today it was a total pity party for me and my woes. I then thought about why I do this blog each day and why I started PNP. It was to inspire others to lead a healthy LIFESTYLE. That includes your mental and emotional well being, too.

It's amazing I can be almost three years post losing over 110 lbs., exercised almost every day since I first started, created what I think is the best fitness community on the internet (I dare you find one more supportive than the PNP girls), and actually have to MAKE myself workout these days and fight all day long not to clean out every peanut butter jar, gluten-free cookie, or anything else you can think of because I'm stressed. I literally want to emotional eat so bad. My moods are pathetic and make me want to stay home reading about Logan's illness versus taking time to ensure my own health.

Wow, I will never be able to say how hard it is right now. It's a minute-by-minute battle. I find myself starting projects and such with the sole purpose of staying away from food. The majority of my workouts I've ONLY done because I am training for a competition and have to report in to my trainers each week. Seriously! The Queen of PNP can't motivate herself right now. That shows you it happens to us all.

What is important, though, is that I haven't given up. I've punched the workout clock faithfully even when it meant working out when most of the world is asleep (day or night). Knowing support is important, I've tried to schedule workouts with a partner to make sure I'm working hard enough and not just coasting along (thanks Lisa). My eating has been spotty but I've been eating clean, prepping, and only having OOPS moments on something that will benefit my body. No ding-dongs or McDonalds but I have fell prey to the peanut butter a few times when the low carbs were killing me.

All in all I've done great keeping things going. I'm so glad I have a goal. This is me being real with you; if it weren't for the competition I would have checked out of all this last week. I don't know if right now is rock bottom, it might not be. What I do know is that I won't give up, I'll stand on stage with Lisa (probably crying because I'm hungry and proud I made it), and I'll do it knowing I refused to give up my dreams just because life got hard.

That's what I want each of you to think about today. Are you giving up your dreams and desires because life is hard? If you are, really question this. Are you giving up because you HAVE TO or because IT'S EASY? For me it would be EASY to give up everything right now and lose who I am. If I had to for Logan I would in a hot second, but I don't have to. Eating unhealthy, not being in shape, being ashamed of my body, and physically weak is a lot worse than the small sacrificies in sleep and emotional eating.

I just wanted to tell the world that Candace made Lifetime with Weight Watchers today! She's a great motivator on our site and she has been a wonderful addition to our PNP family.

Watch out next week as we start talking a lot more about these hot PNP Mommas! Ya'll do such a good job day in and day out and you deserve your spot on the world wide web. LOL.

It's not always about how much weight you lose that determines success. Girls at PNP also experience loads of changes in their attitude about themselves. They gain confidence in their ability to hang with the big boys OR avoid the stares of neighbors.

We have girls who do all sorts of crazy things to get their workouts in even if they can't do something I have on their schedule. Sherri, a PNP star invented what she calls "funky walking" through her neighborhood. Does she look funny? Probably. Do her neighbors think she's lost her mind. Ummm...yes. But, she also gets her workout in and makes a walk into a WORKOUT.

Funky walking is a warm up of about five minutes. Then you crank the tunes in your headphones and every few minutes you bust a new move: walking lunges, pop squats, backwards jog, side shuffle, push ups, etc. Basically when you feel your HR drop below 75% or so you bust a new move. I'm sure if Sherri reads this she might drop a hot comment down below and talk more about it.

Jamie Is Over Gym Fear...I should start a how-to practice on getting over the fear of the gym. I never realized how many women are just plain scared to workout with the boys. They are all about the cardio and machines but ask them to pick up the dumbbells and they practically get that deer in headlights look come over them. Today, one of my girls posted this and darn it, I'm a proud Momma! You other girls should comment, too. I know I have SEVERAL of you who finally said I pay my dues just like everyone else. 

I had an "aha" moment. I went in to do my strength routine that Corinne made - has me mountain climbing, pressing, lunging, squatting, "excuse me, yes that was me that ran by" routine. Well, back in the gym with a vengance today and I'm squatting away when 30 or so air force men came in to the room to have some sort of meeting/PT. (totally NEVER happened to me before) The "old" me would sneak out, feel embarrased, and hope no one noticed me. This new "PNP" me was like "hey, I got here first and if you don't mind I'll squat and lunge across the floor behind you." It felt good to feel like that! It really shows me how far I've come and how attitude can really hold you back. THANKS CORINNE for all you do.

Today's lesson for everyone...not just my girls but all girls...is to find ways you have improved your life with fitness and eating better. Don't always look to the scale to be your indicator of success. Can you walk further than you did two months ago? Do you run now versus walking last year? Has your blood pressure and cholesterol NATURALLY come down as a result of changing your lifestyle? Remember, our lifestyle is about being healthy. If we look hot in the process that's great, but it's not always the only thing that counts.

Ya'll take care and celebrate yourselves today.

We have so many great things to report this week at PNP and the one I'm so excited to announce is the winner of our Blast the Fat Challenge...AMY! She worked hard throughout the challenge and it completely shows in her photos. Use this link to see how she lost almost 4 INCHES in her belly alone!

Amy is an example of what we talk a lot about at PNP. Losing weight is not a complicated process. If you read her journal you'll see her story is that of someone who...

• Exercised when the schedule said exercise and DIDN'T make excuses.
• Left her booty and her belly (from the pictures) at the gym.
• Ate in her calorie range and stuck to eating healthy foods.
• Didn't over complicate things. She just ate foods she knew worked for her even if it wasn't exactly the "right" thing. I was "right" for her.

You see, my girls with the most success focus more on just doing rather than looking for reasons to not succeed. I try to teach them that the process is more about you moving hard, keeping your foods pretty simple and basic, and then get out of your own way mentally and emotionally. It really is just doing those things. I promise you do those things and you'll look like Amy after twelve weeks.

I hope you enjoy checking out her pics and reading her story. Amy is a special girl here at PNP and I'm glad to have her on our team!

This week we are going to celebrate our members from our latest winner of the Blast the Fat Challenge to a new thing we call Gallery Girls. I love featuring my girls and their successes. It gives us pride, hope, and through their own successes and struggles we all learn how to fight the good fight with losing weight.

Today I want to talk about someone who has had a tough time. It's hard to lose weight and do this. If anyone ever tells you it's "easy" they are lying. Now, HOW to lose weight is easy but DOING it is another story. I know what to do and be successful, but often I let silly things get in my way of implementing what I know.

I asked my client if I could post her own journal today. I think she said in this post a lot of what many of us feel when we fall off the wagon. We hide from our accountability team (cough, cough your PNP journal), we quit weighing in and measuring, we stop journaling, and we conveniently just go through our daily life not bettering ourself but hiding from what we want. I hope you enjoy her insights and consider joining her in making the choice to just quit BS'ing herself and get busy.

BTW...we're all here for you and like I said in your journal, you show up and we will too. :)

I got on the scale today, as I do every Monday morning, and I didn’t like the number I saw.  I’ve gained 4.5 pounds in the last 3-4 weeks. I’m not happy about it. I’m not happy that I’ve let the stress of work, the drama of life, the anticipation of my 30^th birthday and everything else get in the way of being a healthier me.  And, to make matters worse, I have only 8 weeks until I go to Vegas, and I’m just not where I wanted to be at this point.  So, when I got off that scale this morning, I had a talk with myself, and decided that I’m going to have to change my attitude, quit faking it, and start making things happen.

I’ve got 8 weeks, and it starts today.  

I’ve gotten out my WW journal, dusted the thick dust off *cough, cough* and I’ve already pre-journaled my day. 

I’m committing to 4 cardio workouts and 2 full-body ST workouts per week for 8 weeks—and beyond.

I don’t care how many inches or how many pounds I lose, because what matters is that I need to lead a healthy lifestyle, and quit making lame excuses for myself.

I’ve gone back to read my application to PNP, and some of my favorite journal entries, blogs that Corinne has written, etc.  I’ve said before that I have not been holding up my end of the deal, and I can’t say I’ve made any progress to that end.  I have not come to the forums because I’m embarrassed, and the accountability that I so desperately need is waiting for me—I’ve just chosen to have more pride than humility.  That’s gone.  I’m humbled by the number on that scale this morning, because even though it’s only 4 pounds, it’s a place I told myself I wouldn’t go again…and here I am.

One of the best things that Corinne has ever said to me is when I feel like everything is out of control around me, *I* have the ability to keep control over what goes into my mouth. No one shoves cookies in my pothole. No one forces me to drive through McDonalds on the way to work. And no one holds me down and pours soda down my throat.  Those are decisions that I’ve made, and instead of making excuses, I have to own it, then move forward.  I don’t want to hear myself saying, “but I’m so stressed out, I just HAD to eat a burger and fries.”  I need to remind myself that eating those foods daily will also get me side orders of diabetes, heart disease and early death.  Over and over I’ve said I want to be an active Mommy. I want to play and run and enjoy time with my son. I want to see him grow up, and graduate and get married and have babies of his own.  I’m done with excuses, and I’m going to have to be present on the PNP forums in order to get a little tough love for when I make them.

I don’t want to make a big, stupid declaration that I’m changing my ways as of today, because I always seem to shoot myself in the foot when I do that.  Psychological warfare—I play it with myself ALL THE TIME. All I know is TODAY I’ve planned a good day, and I have every intention of continuing with a healthy lifestyle forever. I’ll fail, I’ll eat a burger here and there—that’s just me being realistic.  But I’m committed to living as long as I can, and I need to quit wasting the opportunity that so many others don’t have here at PNP. 

PLEASE, if you’re a reader of my journal, would you please call me on my BS excuses and hold me accountable to this lifestyle?  I need support right this second.  And as much as I HATE asking for help—I really, really need to be accountable to something right now, because that is how I succeeded before.

Journal, exercise, and be accountable to my friends at PNP.  This is my plan of action.  I’m starting today.

Honey, you asked for it. PNP Girls, here's a link to her journal and feel free to go in there and give her hug and a shove!

I'm a proud Momma at PNP. This week we had some awesome goals met and later this week we're going to feature them as Gallery Girls. It's so important when you are on this journey that you either get some recognition from loved ones OR YOU DO IT YOURSELF!

When I was losing weight I made sure to reward myself frequently. I find that frequent rewards motivate you to continue good behaviors. Too many times in the past I wouldn't buy new pants until I had lost 20 pounds. What happened is that I would work hard, look like crap because nothing fit, and then quit because the first time I didn't have a big loss I felt like I was doing all that work for nothing.

This go around I started rewarding myself for meeting my goals. When I had two weeks of being on program I would get my nails done. After exercising X amount of times I would get a new pair of workout shorts. The little things I rewarded myself with kept me motivated. Notice my rewards were for establishing the right behavior that would lead to weightloss. Rather than getting something for losing weight I would get a reward for doing the RIGHT THINGS. As we all know, weightloss doesn't always happen on our time table so it's too easy to "fail."

I want you to think about your reward system today. Are your goals and reward system established to change your behavior or to reward results? There's a huge difference and rewarding behavior changes is what GETS you results.

As I challenged everyone in this week's PNP newsletter, let's talk about what we do in terms of rewarding ourselves and for what behaviors.

I am going to treat myself to a much needed massage WHEN I complete this week's exercise program. My own exercise program is getting tougher and tougher each week as I prepare for the August competition. A massage will not only help me recover but help me drag my butt to the gym every day this week and sometimes twice a day!

I know many of you are asking and following the stuff we have going with Logan and autism. Chris and I decided we would start a blog to chronicle our story. If you are interested, click here to view our blog. We plan to not only talk about how we feel, but update on Logan's progress, list resources, books, etc., we find that are helpful, etc. One day we will be reporting all of our great progress and hopefully making the next family's journey a little less bumpy. :)

I know the new site will be just like PNP...a work of love.

Before I go further, I want to make sure you all know about Trish's blog she wrote on our other PNP blog...Life Changes and Menu Plan. Ya'll give her a little love because she is also without computer right now which is the double-boredom whammy.

______________

"Last place is the girl who is laying on her couch Saturday morning, watching TV, and wondering what you are doing." - Corinne Crabtree

Yes. That is my favorite quote I ever said. In fact, I said this to a friend of mine way back when I first started doing triathlons, 5Ks, and bike riding. I was so new to the whole world of recreational sports and needed to put the whole thing of racing and Fat Girl Thinking into perspective.

You see, even here at my fittest I'm not a fast runner. I've never been fast anything. When I compete, and compete is a stretch, I do it for the joy of pushing Corinne a little further. I have raced and come in dead last, I have ran half-marathons and crossed the finish line a half hour past finishers of the full marathon, I have started the bike portion of a tri while the winners were crossing the finish line after the run, and I have always finished MY race with a smile and pride.

The best race I ever ran was a local 10K. My best friend finished WAY ahead of me in about 50 minutes, she was enjoying her banana, talking with people from the running community, and waiting for me as she always did. Well, this race had a 5K that started 1:30 after the start of the 10K. There were about 5,000 people lined up getting ready for their gun. The finisher shute for the 10K was along the side of all these people lined up at the start. As I came through the long tunnel, people started clapping and cheering, celebrating the fact that I was still slogging the 10K, and high fiving me! You would've thought I was the first one to finish the way the crowd lit up. If you have never heard 5,000 people cheering for you, you really should try it!

I love this memory. It's better than any race where I finished in the middle. Last place was the best place in my opinion. I proved I could do a 10K on a hot day, did it with a smile on my face, and accomplished my goal.

It's not easy being a woman of size and trying to do events you never thought you could. Most people assume it's our size that gets in the way but it's our mind. We worry about what we look like, what will people think, will we be in the way of the "real athletes", and will we be last place. You know, WHO CARES! You pay your money to race just like the girl who wins first place. You put your hours in on the pavement, and usually more because we are a little slower, just like the "skinnies." Those of us who are not natural born athletes deserve more cheers and applause because we have to fight hard just to get there. We know we'll never win but we will win the race of life.

So, today, if you have been toying with the idea of trying something new or doubting yourself in your current training...DON'T. Get out there and grab life. Fear and doubt just won't get you anywhere but on that couch wondering what your friends are doing. 

"Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!" ~Author Unknown

I belong to a weight loss support group at my husband's office and I just happened to open up the agenda for today. It's all about stress and it's role in weight gain. Now, I could give you a lot of technical data but ya'll can Google just as well as I can. Here's a few things from our handout I thought I would talk about in "my own way" .

Does Cortisol Make You Fat?
Cortisol itself won't make you fat but the things it does to you certainly will. Cortisol is the hormone your body secretes when you are under stress. It's what used to save our butts when we were cavemen. We would sense danger, cortisol would release and we would either sock a sabertooth tiger in the nose or run for our lives.

Now a days we have stress all around and cortisol can be elevated more than we need. It has nasty side effects when you are trying to lose weight:

1. Seratonin is the body's natural antidote. It's the feel good hormone and most of us eat carbs (and junky ones at that) to get the release of this hormone in our body. The more we stress, the more we want to feel good, the more we reach for crap. So, stress will make you fat in "technical" terms if you are doping yourself up with ding dongs.

2. Cortisol causes you to store more fat in the belly. If you are like me you need no help in storing belly fat and you also tend to turn to fat girl thinking when your belly is bloated. We all know that FGT leads right to Fight Girl Eating.

3. Cortisol is also horrible for strength training. That hormone can cause you to lose or negate gains in strength and tissue.

What can we do about this? It's a lot easier said than done to say don't get stressed out. Right now I feel like a wound up ball and I know for sure it is messing with all sorts of areas in my health and physical life. From doctor visits, therapy sessions, forms to fill out, changing my child's diet, learning what seems like a new lifestyle overnight, etc., can make a girl feel a little cortisol heavy! LOL. So, here's some things I'm doing, thinking, and implementing that might help you with your own struggles. Lord knows every single one of us has them.

Routine
I have said it over and over again until I'm sure you want to delete this message that planning and routine will make or break you when trying to lose weight. Thank God for mine and all the time pre-autism I spent "practicing" for this new journey. This week I have been on track with eating ONLY because I prepped all the food on Sunday, made the menu up a week in advance, and wrote in my planner WHEN I was exercising. Sure the schedule changes a little but when it happens I immediately re-schedule rather than putting it off or saying I'll do it when I get a chance. Trust me ya'll, the "chance" won't come up unless you schedule it in. This lifestyle isn't easy but it's worth it. When you work the lifestyle the lifestyle works for you.

Sleep
Sleeping isn't easy for most of us mommies. My only tips here are for you to get on a bedtime schedule (mine is in bed, no TV or reading past 10), some melatonin or velarium root, a little snack (protein only), and for you to make a to do list for the next day. When I have made my list of what I know I need to do I sleep better because I have mentally let it go.

Treat Yourself
That's right. Do something nice for you because if you wait for someone else to do it you might wait awhile. I'm very lucky in this area that I have amazing friends and family but some of us have to take care of #1, if you know what I mean. It can be a massage, pedicure, retail therapy, a long bath with your music and such, downloading some new music, etc. I even had a client tell me her thing each day was to take a book to potty and read until someone came and found her. I always found that hilarious but she said that it was the only time and place in her house that someone didn't need her. She had six kids, BTW.

I hope these things help. To be honest with everyone I'm doing some emotional eating tomorrow as part of my take care of #1 strategy. I get one splurge meal a week and I have been a great girl all week long with food and exercise. I'm going to eat like you wouldn't believe, feel the rush of carbs and seratonin, and probably get a big ole bloated belly in the process. I am smart enough to limit myself to my one hour but I'm going to enjoy every single second of that hour. LOL. We all know food is not medication or even a stinking band aid, but tomorrow from noon to one count on me to be OD'ing on anything that will fight off the cortisol!

Ya'll have a great day. :)

Weightloss is funny because it has so many aspects to it that it can get overwhelming really quick if you don't make it as easy as possible. I have found that most people who do the "work" of getting themselves ready for weightloss find it much easier than those who are just cutting calories, exercising hard, and going with the flow.

Let me tell you how I set up a successful week that keeps me satisfied, on target, and heading towards my goals.

Saturday
This is my day to plan. I take 30 minutes and lay out the entire week before me. On a simple sheet of paper I write when I'm working out first, other must do things on each day, and I write out if it's a cooler day and which meals will need to be carried with me. The reason I start with exercise is because it's non-negotiable to get those sessions in and if they day is loaded then that means I HAVE to GET CREATIVE. It's not hard it just takes getting over myself saying "you want it bad enough you find the time...we all have the time."

Next, I get my menu together for the week. The easiest way is to eat the same things over and over again for one week and then switch up on week two. If that's not going to work for you, pick three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners, and three snacks. Everyday you will just choose one of those for whatever meal you are looking at. Now, write down the groceries you need. (Don't forget about PNP's Eating Tips 101 if you need them.)

The first couple of weeks might seem tough but don't make it harder than it has to be. Just keep the ideas simple until you are ready to get more complicated. Who says the first two weeks have to look like a menu from Gourmet Magazine??? Not me. Heck, they don't even have to be clean, They just need to be suited for your goals.

Sunday
I go to the grocery store and buy my food. Before leaving I layout my tools I'll need to prep so that I don't have any excuse to buy food and then not eat it. When I get home I immediately start prepping things while putting away the groceries. Chicken in the crockpot or oven, fresh veggies and fruits dumped into a colander I have waiting for me in the sink, and all my Ziploc bags and containers out and ready to go. Let me tell you, it's one thing to plan a menu and buy the food. It's a whole other thing to actually PREP it so that you will eat it. Trust me, if you are in a rush to get to work you aren't going to stop, wash, and chop a pepper for lunch.

Monday - Friday
I eat my menu. Sometimes I change things on the fly but the food is done and it's easy. Exercise usually doesn't change much.

I find planning a little ahead of time makes all the difference in keeping fit. Most of my girls who are successful at juggling jobs, family, exercise, eating right, church, volunteer work, etc., are all planners. My girls who don't plan have the toughest time of all. That says something about what techniques tend to work and which ones take a lot more dedication.

I would love for comments to pour in on your best food prep ideas, recipes, canning, freezing, thawing, etc. Selfishly I NEED them. Logan's food is going to be more complicated than Momma's "boiled chicken breasts" and if anyone has great tips or things they know and do I'll take them! Not only will I benefit but all of us will.

This weekend will be my first trip to the local Farmer's Market looking for fresh veggies and fruits (organic) that I can prep, puree, and freeze. Let's talk because I never paid attention to my grandparents when they did all of this stuff! Argh...you should always listen to Granny when she says she wants to teach you something. Never know when you need it.

I have always said that my son inspired me to lose weight. He was one when I started feeling unable to keep up with the active little man. I feared he would learn my unhealthy eating habits, have a mommy he was ashamed of, and I would spend his youth too tired to play with him. So, I got my butt in the gym as hard as it was and exercised. I started eating better and learning more about eating to fuel my body versus my emotions and poor habits.

It took nearly two years but the battle was worth it. This July I will celebrate THREE YEARS at my goal weight. I look like I never have before, feel better than I ever thought I could, and setting that example I always dreamed I could. But with Logan's recent diagnosis of Autism I have realized the reasons for this journey weren't anything like I thought...

I believe my weightloss journey wasn't to "get smoking hot" as we all like to joke, it wasn't to start a fitness community, and it wasn't even to lead other women to the same point in their life. It was all to prepare me emotionally, physically, and healthfully for this moment in time. We are putting Logan on a strict organic, fresh foods, gluten and caesin free diet. Let me tell you, a few days in has PROVEN to me that without my journey I wouldn't have had the resolve to do this.

My Weightloss and Logan...They Go Hand in Hand
Let me share with you the crazy similarities:

1. Menu Planning. This is so key to my lifestyle and now his lifestyle. To make sure the little man gets what he needs it takes some thought. It's no longer open up the ABC's or make a grilled cheese. I have to make him a good, balanced meal every morning, lunch, and dinner. Convenience foods are GONE ya'll. So, thank goodness for the templates I have and the tips and ideas I have incorporated into my clients and my own lives because I sure would hate to start this from scratch!

2. Mini-meals. Logan needs to eat every three hours just like Mommy! Woot woot! I have a snack partner. Well, I was already doing this but now I am making all his snacks more balanced. I used to get away with a snack bar here and there or some yogurt. He can't have those so it's a little more prep but worth having a kid who can one day spontaneously tell me I love you.

3. Cooler Central! OK...this is the best thing because I've been toting a cooler forever. I've always carried snacks for Logan and now I just have to carry a meal too if we are forced to be out during a scheduled meal. No big deal. At least I won't be the only one eating chicken salads.

4. Food Prep Sunday. This is the toughie. I am not a quality foods eater. I can eat boiled cold chicken three meals a day. Logan...well you can imagine a five year old doesn't exactly love boiled chicken with cold green beans. So, I'm diving in head first and learning how to cook from my MIL and we're going to make homemade purees so that I can sneak those veggies into fruit smoothies and soups, buy in bulk - cook and freeze, and buy fresh veggies, bag and freeze. It's a little more work but worth it. Heck, maybe I'll get some tastier dinners out of it myself.

There really is a lot that my journey has prepared me well for. Yes, I'm having days that seem impossible and then there are times I write a blog like this and realize things, the good and the bad, happen for reasons we just aren't meant to understand. I know I will one day and just need to be patient for it to reveal itself.

To my readers...I thank you for following my journey. I sometimes wonder why I keep writing this blog and then I see that it's not always for you. It's often for me. It lets me vent and think things through and if someone learns something then even better. If you only learn one thing from Phit-N-Phat I hope you learn this: your weightloss journey has to mean more to you than a size or an event. It's about leading a lifestyle that is healthy and filled with learning HOW to live healthy...getting hot is just our happy side effect. If I hadn't learned the lesson of health before vanity I'm not sure how I would cope right now.

Now, tell someone you love them and let's keep on burning up fat until we get PHAT!

You will find out this week that my son was diagnosed with autism last Wednesday. I plan to blog about it but I just ran out of time to craft it today. We are all FINE and thank God for my family, husband, and PNP girls. I get a lot of comfort and great advice from them and it means a lot to me that the "Queen" can leave and they just keep getting Phit! Must mean they have an excellent teacher.   As one of my beautiful girls said, "Watch out autism! Corinne is going to kick your butt!" No truer words have ever been written. I plan to get out the biggest can of whoop A** I can find...I've been preparing for this fight for a long time and, well, I don't want to spoil my fantastic blog!

Anyway, we flew out of town the next morning to attend a DAN conference so we could get our heads around what's going on in Loggie's body. That's where I have been the past few days and now for the blog about why I hate the stupid scale.

How many times have you bee-bopped your way to the scale in the morning not really expecting a whole lot and suddenly you see a GAIN of five pounds? That was me this morning! Natually I put on my best Fat Girl Thinking (FGT) hat and started mentally beating myself up for having two semi-healthy cheats this weekend. Of course we all know that when you workout like a demon for six straight days (I'm talking some STAUNCH workouts), eat cold fish and canned tuna until you are growing gills, and then have a tiny indulgence two days in a row for dinner that it translates into five pounds of fat. That's just what happens to us girls who get fat easy.

Yes, ladies, those are the stupid thoughts running their chubby little feet through my head as I am weighing in at 4:30 a.m. before doing an hour and a half workout. That's a good way to start the day, right? Now that I have given you a description of the totally ridiculous way of thinking let's look at what's really happening so that I can help you the next time the scale goes bonkers!

1. Stress. Stress will cause weight gain from eating foods that bloat you, hello carbs, to consuming things like coffee more than usual to stay awake. All of this makes the body hold water and jack up the scale temporarily.

Here are some interesting articles on stress and weight gain:

Can Stress Cause Weight Gain?
Can Stress Make You Fat?
Stress: The Hidden Factor for Weight Gain

2. Eating Off Plan. My new food plan is pretty strict and super low carb for me (check my Spark page for a copy). Once I got out of town and ran out of food I added in carbs I haven't been eating and bloat city happened. I'm sure my body is overcorrecting for foods that I have been avoiding.

3. Dehydration. Let's face it, I didn't drink enough water and OD'd on coffee. That means my body was dying for water and holding every ounce I put in for fear it wasn't going to get enough.

4. Flying. Travelling can cause bloat especially when you fly. I am always up the next day after a flight.

5. Lack of Sleep. Ladies, I've told you a million times you burn fat while you sleep. Exercising and eating right set the stage for your body to burn through the fat at night. Well, I didn't get a lot of sleep. I never sleep well when I'm out of town, our hours were crazy, and I WAS a crazy momma tossing and turning. I'm sure my body is tired.

6. Hard Workouts. One thing that keeps me sane is exercise and I kept my schedule going while gone. Enough to make me sore and hold even more water than the other things listed.

I lifted hard in anger and I cried through most of my cardio, but heck, I was by myself at a hotel exercise room and it felt good! I highly recommend a good cry on the treadmill the next time you feel like crap. Not only does the exercise get out the yuck but the tears will just roll easy. If someone walks in they might think you are working super hard if you have been brought to tears! It also saved my marriage because I cried enough on Chris and TM crying just saved him grief.

You take all this junk, mix it up, and you get a five pound bump. Like the sensible PNP lady I am I will not be back on the scale until next Monday. My attitude is this: that five pounds is a mere reflection of how out of routine I was and means nothing to someone dedicated to the lifestyle. It ain't about one Monday morning weigh in. It's about a lifestyle that will keep me and my family healthy and happy.

So, if you have a weight gain and you know you ate right and exercised hard, look at other things that could be the cause versus automatically inserting your FGT! Take care!

At PNP we talk alot about planning and goal setting.  We need to have a goal so we know we are getting somewhere and without a proper plan how can we execute it so as to obtain the ultimate goal.

So, I went back into my archives of blogs that I wrote from last year and came up with this one to share with everyone.  What I would like for people to do is comment on what goal they have in mind and what are the top three things they have in their plan to reach that goal.  If you need help, let us know because at PNP that is what we are about.

Today I am pleased to share we have our newest spotlight member...ANGELA!

Angela was the inspiration behind our BLT challenge last month that helped so many members get control of their mindless eating, breaking habits of eating sneaky foods that derail efforts, and focusing on the basics...planning your food and eating your planned food.

Another tidbit about Angela that you might not see in her spotlight bio...she made Weight Watchers Lifetime status last month while participating in our January through April Blast the Fat Challenge. We have several women who have achieved this elite status and it's hard work to get there.

Read all about Angela and drop her comment congratulating her on enjoying the PNP Lifestyle.

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Before leaving you for the day, I want to share with you some quotes that inspire me. If you don't do this you should; find quotes and statements that speak to you and surround yourself with them. In your moments of need, whip them out, read them, reflect, and go. Just this week I have been carrying quotes and inspiration pictures in my workout binder so that when I "think" I am done at the gym, can't eat what is on my plan, or feel I have done "good enough" for the day, I read these things and inspire myself to achieve more than what I am willing to accept at the moment.

Guess I'm feeling a little inspirational today, but I think we all need every tool we can get when we are in the fight for our lives...to lose fat, get PHAT, and live healthy.

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives.Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
Jim Rohn

"If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings."
Brian Tracy

"Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
Orison Swett Marden

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."
Michael Althsuler

Big news in the PNP world. My girls already know, my family knows, and now I am telling my blog followers. I have COMMITTED to a figure competition in August! Today I started my offiicial training. Five months of targeted eating and exercising all coming together for one moment on stage.

If you had asked me would I enter a competition like this last year I would have said, "I'd love to but my loose skin won't let me do it."

Two years ago I would have said, "Are you kidding? I can't build muscle or I'll look bulky."

Three years ago I would have said, "I'm not thin enough to do weights."

Four years ago I would have said, "I can't walk for 15 minutes without losing my breath."

My has time changed. It's amazing to me how my mind has gone from disbelief in my abilities to confidence that each dream is within reach if I work hard enough. The change was slow, gradual, and tough at times because I used to doubt first, act second.

It's just like our bodies. Getting a body we want and desire is a true committment and it takes time to see the changes. Making those dreams become reality is all about...

- Saying no more than you say yes when people offer you "the gift of fat" or free donuts in the breakroom.

- Waking up early when you want to hit the snooze. 4 am is often the only time you have for yourself to focus and do the workout you need and deserve.

- Realizing that no you don't have to eat cakes and cookies to "live a little." Since when did filling our bodies with cake mean that we are finally living? Sure cake is good but it certainly doesn't add years to our life.

-  Planning your workouts and your food rather than "winging it." You let go of the excuse "life happens" and start DECIDING to eat foods you know will achieve your goals.

I don't care if you are getting ready for the Y Pool to open in May or to stand on stage in August...it takes the same level of planning and dedication to get the body you seek. We all have to decide what we want and then plan to make that happen. Maintenance, losing 50lbs, building some muscle, or reducing body fat...it doesn't matter. I'm telling you, my girls who want to maintain their bodies plan their weeks just as much and as hard as my OUTSTANDING achievers who are trying to break 200lbs and see "onederland".

I hope all of you will help me stay accountable, make sure I keep planning for my dreams, and that you will be inspired to chase a dream that you never thought possible. Half marathon? Triathlon? 5K? 180lbs? Whatever it is you sit and dream start planning today to make it reality. If you are super brave, tell us here what your next goal is!

When I do cardio, I love to incorporate light body weight into it so that I can engage my muscles without over-working them and drive my heart rate through the roof. This routine I put together is great for those mommies or others who don't have access to a gym and need something they can do depending on how much time is available. The longer you go, the rougher this one gets. If you only have 15-20 min., it's perfect because it warms you up fast and has you humping. Of course, for a shorter workout you will want to make your moves as hard as possible and the longer you go you will want to pace yourself.

If you like this routine, think about joining Phit-N-Phat. Members of PNP get a book filled with cardio routines like these and routines for all sorts of machines, access to a library of strength training routines, and support in our private forums from like-minded women and ME!

15, 30, 45, or 60 Min. PHAT MOMMA Home Cardio
This is a choose your destiny routine. You will need a step bench or the bottom of a set of stairs and one pair of 3 or 5lb dumbbells. Oh, and determination to finish!

Beginners – use no weights and use arms when you can.

Intermediate – use 3lb hand weights and add arms in when you can.

Advanced – use 5lb hand weights and always use your arms with intensity.

Segment One:  Warm Up
1 min. Alternating Stepping on bench/stairs
1 min. Imaginary Jump Rope (just hop about 1 in. off ground quickly and slightly move arms)
1 min. High Knee Marching in Place – hold hands at chest level and meet your knees to your hands
1 min. Running Toe Taps – tap bench with toes but go quick – you will need to be hopping to go fast enough
1 min. Jumping Jacks without arms

Segment Two: Repeat Once for 15 min. routine, twice for 30, three times for 45 – 60 min.
20 Body Weight Squats to 90 degrees with an Overhead Press when you stand up
1 min. of Jab Punches (with or without weights…control your punches)
20 Alternating Lunges with a lateral raise when you come back up
10 pushups, rest 10 seconds, 10 pushups
20 Step Ups (20 on right leg, 20 on left leg or as many as you can do – go fast like a step class repeater)
20 – 30 Dips (find a chair if you need)
30 seconds of Walkouts (in high plank position with hands on your step bench or on the floor in front of you – this is 12 o’clock - walk your hands over two times to 10 o’clock then walk your hands back 12 o’clock. Walk hands to 2 o’clock and back to 12 o’clock. Repeat going back and forth.)

Segment Three: One or two times through for all routines (depending on your time)
30 seconds of Mountain Climbers
flip and do 20 crunches (hold at top for 2 seconds)
20 seconds of Squat Thrusts
flip and do 20 bike crunches with a 2 second pause (breath out at the pause) as you tap your knee and elbow
10 Burpees
15 Reverse Crunches

Segment Four: Cool Down
30 seconds of jumping jacks
30 seconds of light running toe taps
30 seconds of marching in place
30 seconds of walking around your room
30 seconds of deep breathing in and out

Let me know if you have questions!

We all have stress. There isn't a single person reading this blog right now who can say their life is perfect. What is "bad times" for one person is a "walk in the park" for another, but we CANNOT judge others by this. We all have to remember that regardless of our circumstances the next person is likely to be just as stressed out, worried, and aggrivated by their circumstances as we are about what's going on in our life.

But, I often hear people who say, "X, Y, and Z always seems to happen to me and it's not fair. I don't know why I can't do this." Like I said, all of us struggle and face issues. I am going through some tough times myself. My family has a lot going on and it made me think about how I keep my fitness and health lifestyle up while roadblock after roadblock seems to appear. It has more to do with how I see life's problems. I don't let them get in my way. I feel that no matter what I will come up with a way to work around it, go over it, under it, or straight through it. How I do it:

1. Plan. On Sunday, I sketch out my entire week. The first thing I do is look at my daily schedule and fill-in the times that are completely unvailable. Next, I make my menu for the week based on eating at home, in the car, at a meeting, at pre-school, at the gym, etc. After the food is planned, I schedule the exercise. That means I get together when, where, with whom, and what I am doing. Now I have no excuses to not do it!!!

If roadblocks pop-up, what do I do? I get out the plan and start re-working. I keep extra snacks in the cooler for emergencies. Keep a change of clothes in the car for a quick walk, jog, or stop at the gym. I have videos and such at home in case I need to workout there versus the gym. It's all about making good choices, moving, and going forward. How you do it isn't always as important as just doing the basics.

2. Fix It. Seems obvious but I can't tell you how many girls I coach who deal with the same issues day in and day out and never fix them. I'm a believer that if something isn't working for you one of two things must change: the circumstance or you. Figure out which one needs to change and do it. 

3. Quit Being Fixated on "Why". Man, when I was overweight I can't tell you how many years I spent worrying about why I was fat versus how do I lose weight for good. I knew about dieting, etc., but I didn't really apply it because each time something happened I would chant my mantra, "I don't know why I can't lose weight and be good." So what? That never helped me one minute asking that question. The question should be, "I do X so what things need to change today to make sure that quits derailing me." And, then do it! The day I finally started looking at my life and really fixing things is the day I started making progress.

4. This is a hard, lifelong process. The final key ingredient. Losing weight isn't easy or we would all just do it. Don't tell anyone but the way you eat and exercise while losing weight is probably the way you are going to eat and lose weight while maintaining. Face it everyone: WE ARE ALL MEANT TO MOVE DAILY AND EAT HEALTHY FOODS. This is called life. The way we eat when we gain our weight is not life...that's living in a dream world where you can do what you want and expect there to be no consquences. It's unrealistic thinking or you wouldn't have to change anything.

The bottom line is those who want to make this a lifestyle do. It's never easy, it takes work, and it takes living your life for purpose rather than just letting life always happen to you. Don't be the person who allows their life to slip away because they didn't want to do the work to change circumstances.

Lifestyle Exercise: Try this so you can identify what's going on in your life that stops you from being who you want to be. (This came from prevention.com.)

Draw a circle on a piece of paper and divide it into eight sections. In each section, list a part of your life: career, health, family, finances, friendship, romance, etc. Each affects your ability to follow through with your workouts and eat right. Now rate each area: If it's going well, write a plus sign; poorly, a minus sign. The negative areas are all potential pitfalls, so list small steps you can take each day to improve. You might call a friend with whom you've lost touch, or update your resume and search for a more rewarding job.

Each night before bed, take a look at the next day and list a couple of small things you can do to make the day move towards erasing those pitfalls. Sketch out your day and then follow your plan. You'll sleep better and you will be more likely to have a day you are in control of rather than a day that is controlling you.

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Food Journal for 3.25.08

In this week's PNP newsletter to all members and subscribers of the website, we posed a few questions for you. Why do you exercise? Do you love it or hate it? Do you think you are judged by others by your physical fitness level?

I encourage you to think about this and use the comments section below to answer. With spring around the corner, we will be shedding layers of clothes which means many of us need to shed some layers of fat. One of the best ways to do that is to get moving. I have several fitness articles, blogs, and links on my site to help you lose fat and get active.

Exercise General Information
Setting Up a Beginner Exercise Program
Free Exercise Routines - this gives you an idea of what the members of my site have access to. We have a library of routines, programs, challenges, and resources to help you with your fitness goals - regardless of your fitness level.
Abdominal Training Programs

These are just few places you can visit on the site. It's open to everyone who registers with us for free.

Now, for my answers:

1. I exercise because I love it. That wasn't the case in the beginning or I wouldn't have been 110lbs overweight. As I tell my girls all the time, I faked it until I made it. That means for a long time I exercised because I knew it was the way to good health and to reach my weightloss goals. The days I didn't want to, which were many, I did it because I treated it like brushing my teeth...there was just no skipping it. Then one day, not sure when it changed, it was just a part of my routine and I missed it when I couldn't do it. Maybe it's the feel good hormones it releases, maybe it's seeing my body change positively; whatever the reason, I now love it and can't imagine life without it.

2. Like I said above, I love exercise. For a girl who was always picked last or laughed at during PE, I bet I could out exercise and perform 90% of the people I went to school with. That's an awesome feeling to know you can bring it hard as if you were fit your entire life. I never dreamed this life would be mine and I never want to let it go.

3. Well, I KNOW I am judged by my level of fitness just by the nature of my job. At the gym, though, I'm sure there are people who judge me. In the weights area I think I get respect. Let me explain here: I do carry some loose skin so when I workout some things move that shouldn't. :) That's OK by me. Loose skin is just a part of life when you spend 25+ years obese. But, young bucks don't exactly understand all of that and I ain't got time to explain it to them if they have enough time to look when they should be busting their own tail at the gym.

The cardio area is probably where I get the most stares. Most women want to show up at the gym, do their little run, hop on the elliptical and read a book, walk on the treadmill barely sweating and talking on the cell phone, or what I hate the most, crank the treadmill incline to 15% holding onto the front of the treadmill for dear life. What a waste of time. If you do this ask me why you are not getting a good workout.

Me? I have a day or two where my workouts are steady state around 75-80% HR. The typical cardio routine has me on and off the machine, doing intervals, side shuffling, walking backwards, running backwards, on and off sprints, etc. I get two types of looks: Wow, where did she learn that and who does she think she is? My philosophy is this: ask if you are curious and I'll tell you - I know who I am and I am damn proud that I don't let my insecurities prevent me from getting the workout my body needs.

Now it's your turn. Tell us what you think about exercise!

I was responding to the diabetes thread when I stumbled upon a topic I would love to discuss: our kids learn a lot of lessons watching us. We tend to think about how our girls are impacted when we talk about diet and we get paranoid about teaching them poor self-esteem and terrible body image issues. We all know this is an obvious side-effect when we don't care of ourselves, eat poorly, talk badly about ourselves, and neglect our exercise.

Here is a lesson we DON'T talk about enough and it impacts both our boys and girls.

Do you ever eat things simply because you want it, but you know deep down (and maybe not even that deep down) the food is not NEEDED? Now, a lot of us do it. Next I want you to think about how many times you stop your kids from asking ofor things they WANT versus NEED?

We all do it. We tell them, "we don't have the money for those things," "you just got one the other day," or "you want it, then you pay for it."

Now let's ponder where our kids are learning their behaviors. You have 10, 20, 30, or more pounds to lose. You moan and groan how bad you want it. You sometimes throw a fit because you can't lose your weight. You sulk because life is so unfair, everyone else seems to be able to lose weight but you.

So what are you doing to lose the weight? You exercise...sometimes on schedule. You leave it at the gym...well, you do when it's not TOM, when you haven't had a stressful day, when the moon and jupiter are in complete alignment. You always prep your foods, have good snacks around...but take them home at the end of the day because Susie and Joan just love eating out with you.

The lessons our kids are learning from this behavior is to whine around, moaning and groaning you never get anything you want, AND that half-butt work should get stellar results. Like if I do half my chores I should get all of my allowance.

What if we approached our health the same way we want our kids to behave... 

Before we eat, think for a few seconds, "Is this going to help me reach my goals?" Doesn't this sound like, "Think before you speak, " and "think about what you want before you act."

Maybe your goal is to maintain and be satisfied. That means you build in some less than perfect meals each week so that you CAN have those lunches or eat a little treat with your kids. Your goal might be to get off a lot of weight because you are unhealthy and can't stand the way you look anymore. This means you get strict with your eating, you don't give yourself lots of wiggle room because you've been wiggling a lot the past few years with the food, and you can't sleep in anymore because exercise must be a part of your day. Bascially, you think and act the way you want to live versus REACTING to your life. Huge difference ladies.

Rather than saying,"F*!k it all! I'll eat what I want and pay for it later..." we swtich to an attitude of when you want something you can't afford (meaning your butt is bigger than it needs to be so you can't afford it):

- You plan for it.

- Save for it.

- Work for it.

- THEN you get to enjoy it.

Wouldn't it be great if by making realistic meals plans and sticking to them, saving for special meals, working hard in your exercise because you repsect your body and life, and enjoying the spoils of dedication that our kids can see that hard work and dedication pays off these days? This is the lesson you can teach your kids. Don't teach them impulsive behaviors, neglected health and self, poor self-image, dreams don't come true, and when you want something bad enough it isn't worth working hard for.

Make today the day you change how you approach life...if not for you, but for those precious eyes looking to you to teach them all about the world.

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3.24.08 Food Journal - Still getting over the antibiotics so the food is a little to convenience-y for me.

Easter and Mother's Day were my Granny's two favorite holidays. If you have followed my blog, you know how important she was to me and that through her and my grandfather's painful battles with cancer I realized all of this was about more than just looking good. This lifestyle is about making a change for our kids, our husbands, significant others, and our desire to be just as Phit-N-Phat at 70 as we are at 30.

Granny died of Pancreatic Cancer. It is one of the most painful, underfunded, and near death sentences you can get. Watching someone you love spend their last months unable to eat because it hurts too bad, losing weight until you barely recognize them, and going from full of life to stripped of their dignity is probably the most sobering and life changing thing you can go through. I rank it higher than giving birth to your child, the day you marry, or whatever big event you can imagine. I always tell people, it's a blessing to say your goodbyes, to leave nothing unsaid, but a curse to have your final memory of the person you love so dearly drawing their last breath. Yes, when I think of my Granny that is what I see...not the strong woman who raised me but the byproduct of a cancer ravaged woman.

Do I have your attention yet? GOOD, I hope so. I am going to get on a soapbox here and shout loud and proud until some of you get it! If just one of my girls or any of you who read my stuff are impacted enough to do something about this topic then I feel like my health butt kicking is going to be well-served.

Do you know why my Granny got Pancreatic Cancer (and Paw Paw - just repeat the story above because I got to do this twice but with Stomach Cancer the first go around)? She was a diabetic. In her early sixties she was diagnosed with it and took her meds faithfully yet she continued to eat carelessly, avoide exercise, and hope that a few good days of eating strung along here and there were enough to keep her going.

It wasn't. She received a painful death sentence because she loved her sweets, her fried chicken, creamer with her coffee, and you name it - she loved it. Basically, she never dropped the TWENTY POUNDS she carried in her belly, rarely went for walks, and continued to eat her cakes, fudge, and junk foods.

Girls, so many of you are in the middle of pre-diabetes, PCOS, hypertension, etc., and you aren't even out of your 30's! What is this going to mean for you when you hit 50? You will be my mother, I hope she's reading, on a cane because her knees are shot, pretty overweight, high blood pressure, experiencing heart scares, toying with pre-diabetes (I have no clue how she avoids it), and trying hard to drop some weight to reduce her risk of death and blood clots when she has her knees replaced at 52!!! 50 is the the new 30. If you take care of yourself, 50 is the half-way point ya'll!

What's the lesson here? You gotta start now! You can't wait until you are 50, 60, or 70. You've lost lots of years by now. Sure you can make changes and slug down drug after drug, but you are buying borrowed time because you failed to make plans to eat healthy, no desire to wake up an extra 30 min. a day to workout, and too busy watching The Biggest Loser, Desperate Housewives, and the latest Blockbuster rental to do some research on what you SHOULD BE EATING. The bulk of the damage is done and the years on your life have been STOLEN. When you get to be 72 and the doctor says you have a few months left to live what is the first thing you will think? "Great! At least I ate chinese buffet every Friday night. Who needs another 18-25 years with my kids and husband."

Do you want your kids mad at you because you couldn't say no to the junk and too busy watching TV to exercise? Do you want your own kids to be in their 20's when they start having health problems because Momma loves her Chips Ahoy so we're all having them? You brush their teeth, wash their hands, get their booster shots, and keep them out of the street but you feed them foods laced with sugar, fat, and salt because you gotta eat Pizza Hut, McDonald's, ice cream, candy bars, Mexican on Saturdays, go ahead...pick your poison. Let me tell you, you and your kids might as well play a game of catch in the middle of the interstate. The car is coming straight at you honey!

I'm not going to go into what you should be eating, what you shouldn't, etc. This post is about awareness and not the sugar coated kind. If you have any thoughts of "am I going to take years off my living like this" or "do I feed my kids too much junk" then I want you to take the time to read some of the info linked below. At least know what you are doing and if you want to keep on down the same path...more power to you. You owe it to yourself, your family, and those who love you to educate yourself.

FAQs on Pre-Diabetes
Preventing Pre-Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes Complications
Diabetes: Heart Disease and Stroke
Diabetes Prevention

Pancreatic Cancer - stop diabetes and you are less likely to get it!
Prognosis of PC

Stepping off the soap box and giving everyone a hug. I hope you know that I really care about all of you and just want us all to live long, healthy lives. In case you haven't seen it and need a starter on nutrition info and getting your food in order, here's a link to my Active Nutrition page. It's filled with tips for meal timing, eating strategies when "dieting", meal plans, shopping lists, etc.

________________

Food Journal 3.21.08

I have been attending and helping out a weightloss support group for a few weeks now and it's been enligtening on many fronts. Today, two things struck me that I just had to share:

My healthy lifestyle is automatic and I NEVER thought I would say those words.

I know one of the most important secrets to successful and longterm weightloss...community.

Automatic...Who Me?

Last week I was travelling, sick, out of my routine, and faced with life's challenges. These are the things that usually derail people from their weightloss and fitness efforts and I looked at each one of them in a matter of seven days. It struck me today while sharing with the group ways to travel healthy, how it is second nature for me to think about my healthy foods and fitness FIRST, and the junk, indulgent stuff second.

I don't know when the change happened, but I know the last few years of plugging away, doing the right things each day, that going off plan feels uncomfortable. It used to be eating right and exercising was abnormal. I had to work at getting it in, something always came up that was more important than the gym, buying healthy foods at the grocery store was "expensive" and "no fun", and eating right meant most of my foods weren't going to taste good.

Now, I move things around MY WORKOUTS because, yes, they are that important. I go to the store and am SHOCKED at how much convenience foods cost compared to the batch of chicken and rice I cook. Did you know a bag of eight to ten apples costs about the same as six little cups of applesauce? Unbelieveable, I know. The biggest WOW moment is the fact that I enjoy my oatmeal, grapefruit is no longer bitter and doesn't need sugar, and Fiber One is a sweet cereal when you get off the sugar train. My taste buds ACTUALLY TASTE the fresh foods rather than searching for a gazillion grams of sodium and sugar added to it.

The lesson: you might not do it perfectly everyday, but if you keep trying a healthy lifestyle will literally sneak up on you!

Community...We Need Each Other

A client made an interesting observation. She let out my weightloss secret...darn Candace! It's helping others even when you can't or don't feel like helping yourself.

I started PNP with the idea of helping other women achieve fitness and weightloss just like me. We grew from a tiny little message board to a whole website filled with forums of support. Candace said that what keeps her going on the days that she hasn't done her best is knowing she has a place to go, vent, get help, and GIVE HELP. Giving advice, teaching others what works for you, and passing on the knowledge to the next woman is so powerful. It literally keeps your head in the game on the days you feel like giving less than 100%.

The group I am attending is the same way. They meet at work, discuss their issues, make a weekly commitment, and then check on each other throughout the week. It's nothing fancy, but it's filled with that community aspect. They know they have each other to lean on and the next week they have people expecting them to report back their successes or challenges.

The Lesson: It's always easier to make this a lifestyle when you have someone or a group of people doing it with you. Reach out and find a network that supports the lifestyle you want, not the lifestyle you want to leave. Practice it long enough, share you experiences, and you'll be like me one day - amazed that health and fitness is the comfort zone...not McDonald's drive thru.

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Food Journal for 3.19.08

Here we are at the midpoint of March. As many of you read, the PNP girls were challenged to get rid of these little diet catastrophes. Honestly, I think most of them "knew" it was a problem but never thought it could be "that bad." Well, LOL, let me just tell you what the heck is going on at PNP.

First, I TOLD YOU SO! Yes ladies, I'm petty. Darn petty and when I'm right, I am SO RIGHT!

OK...with that out of the way. I have had TOO MANY GIRLS TO COUNT lose this month and here's the classic line in their personal journals...

"Well, the scale if finally showing my some love. I lost this week!!!"

Ha! What's different? They ain't eating off the kids' plates, taking a piece of bread when they go to the grocery store, or sampling their co-workers birthday cake UNLESS they are willing to do some push-ups or planned for it. That's the difference. Those BLT's add up so quick and yet are so elusive. I've said it a million times...you don't remember that half bag of french fries in the car (not picking on Lorie...you are just the last thing I read and you owned it ) when you hop on the scale Monday morning after a week of tough workouts and 80% good, clean eating. Yes, you were ALL letting the 20% drag you into maintenance land kicking and screaming.

Now, your's truly can sit high on the throne all day long, but I cut mine out too about a month ago and speak from personal experience. I do this post out of love...cough, cough, and rightousness.

Listen up ladies! You've had half of month of awesome success. Do you know what I've noticed this week? Many of you are now getting comfy, letting a bite or two sneak in and then doing your PUPs. Stop it! It's a bite here and there this week accounted for, next week it will be a couple of bites talked about and a couple not mentioned. Before you know it you will right back where you started...moaning and groaning that you can't lose weight.

So, we are getting lazy. I want each of you who are participating to get on here and comment about what the BLT Challenge has done for you. If you are a loser...tell us how much. Tell us why and tell us why you can't let yourself get too comfy. Recommit TODAY!

For my non-subscribers...here's a few links to the blogs where I talked about BLT's just to refresh your memory.

The Devil is in the Details
The Price of BLT's
What's Wrong with a Nibble Off a Banana?
What We Learned

BLT's are where diets are made and where diets are broken. Take it from the PNP gang that planning your diet and exercise, following the plan, and giving it your all is the secret to success. Get on the no BLT wagon with us.

__________________________

If you have followed my blog for a long time, you know I used to include my food log and exercise log. Well, I'm going to start including my Sparkpeople link for the previous day for my own accountability and to help you guys with menu ideas.

March 18, 2008 Food Log

I am back from Vegas! I really miss blogging when I am gone so it's good to be back and writing to all of you.

The trip was fun but I suffered with a terrible sinus infection the whole time. In fact, I'm pretty sick at the moment and had to go to the doctor today. It really threw a monkey wrench into all of my plans. Let's start with what went right:

1. I did eat what I wanted ONLY when it mattered. We made a plan and although we didn't stick to the timing 100% we did only enjoy the meals that meant something. This saves so many calories. Many times I ate oatmeal with Fiber One and an apple in the room rather than ordering a full breakfast.

2. When I did eat "big vendor freebie meals" or go to a restaurant, I avoided appetizers, the bread basket (except one time) and dessert.

3. I exercised the first two days like I would at home. The rest of the trip I was too sick to keep up with it. The passion was there but the body was broken.

4. I kept snacks with me and ate every three hours. It made a big difference because each time we would order food or go to a restaurant. I was willing and able to make much better choices that saved me tons of calories.

Now, I didn't want to weigh this morning for several reasons like I'm sick, I just travelled, and I'm coming off a week of eating more carbs than I do in a month because all of these things shoot your weight up. But, I knew many of you would be ultra curious about my weight so I did it and decided that I'm bigger than fat girl thinking. Up four pounds. Basically everything I worked off in February came back quickly with one week in Vegas!

Just kidding ya'll. Let's all remember that what goes up fast comes down fast. My body is in reaction mode to all the "stresses" of vacation. Most of you who gain weight on vacation really don't gain much if any. You do more long-term damage when you get home and keep on vacationing than what happened during that one week. Get back to your lifestyle fast and things settle out before you know it.

Lesson learned: Enjoy vacations but keep the lifestyle in check. It makes coming home and getting back into your habits so much easier. You see, you never actually quit practicing your good habits; you keep them sprinkled in the whole time and that means you don't have to "start over" when you get home.

A funny thing happens when people see me and ask what I do for a living. First, I tell them I own a fitness and lifestyle community. Next, they start asking how do lose weight the FASTEST. I go into the same things I tell my girls everyday: eat right, eat enough, get moving with intensity, and clean up the stinking thinking. I'll discuss a few specifics (that means blowing the bubble that there is not magic formula) and I slowly see this "glare" form in their eyes. They are looking at me like, "Well, it's easy for you because you are in shape."

When I see this look I say, "I'm no different than you. Losing weight is freaking hard. I know because I lost over 110 lbs. over the last few years." Suddenly their eyes light up, they lean in, and REALLY start paying attention to what I have to say. It's like if you are in shape you get no street cred to help people who need to lose weight.

This is when I go in for the "kill" as I like to call it...and no, I don't mean go to my website and join Phit-N-Phat and I'll help you all you want. What I mean is telling them all about changing their life. Never go into losing weight as a "temporary" thing. It's NOT. It's truly setting up a whole lifestyle that will keep you eating right and moving for the rest of your life.

An example of a huge lifestyle change for me is spending two hours on Sunday cooking and prepping food for my week. I am like all the other mothers and women out there...I have to make time to do it, but those two hours give me 49 wise decisions on what I'm going to eat for the week. That's right. I eat about 7 times a day and that's 7 times a day I stand at the fridge, pass a Mc Donald's, or look in the pantry for my next meal. If it's done I have taken away 49 choices for the week that could easily be bad ones if you catch me at the right moment.

I thought today I would share with you a few things I have done or bought that makes staying in shape so much easier for me. These little things make a big impact on making the lifestyle comfortable and easy.

Ogio Cooler Backpack - This holds my laptop, water bottle, wallet, and other stuff. The best part is in the bottom of the backpack is a seperate zippered cooler that holds my food for the day!

Ziploc Toss Away Containers - I have the square short version. When I prep my food on Sunday, I use these like they were my only little Lean Cuisines. They are a good size because it's about what you should be eating in quantity for a mini-meal. You can also reuse them or toss them!

Another hot tip for these: if you are a meal planner, take a Sharpie and label the containers Monday - Meal One, Monday - Meal Two, etc. :)

Jump Rope and Resistance Band - If you have these two things you can get in a quick workout anywhere. Do the following routine with this modification. Rather than going straight through the exercises, jump rope for 1 minute between each exercise. So, you would JR for 1 min., do squats, JR for 1 min., side delt raises, JR for 1 min., lunges, etc. At the end of the circuit, rest for two minutes and repeat one or two more times.

This is an excellent full body routine you can do while travelling, stuck in the house because of snow, to get used to exercising, etc.

Measuring Cups, spoons, and scale - I can't tell you how many times I have overate because I was too lazy to wash the one set of measuring spoons I had. Then one day a lightbulb went off: why not buy more? They are dirt cheap at the dollar store! I keep a bowl of measuring cups and spoons of all sizes on my kitchen counter so that they are always top of mind. It saves me from guessing and eating too much.

Gallon Jugs of Water - Have you ever left the house without your water and then ended up drinking diet soda or nothing all afternoon? I keep 2-3 gallon jugs of water in my trunk. I drink right out of them, too. If I'm in my car who cares what I look like? I also wag my jug around the gym because I know that during a workout I should drink at least half of it if not all of it on a long day.

Face Wipes - Do you breakout because you are working hard in the gym? I do. I keep some Olay face wipes in my car and I wipe down my face and upper back. It helps get the yuck off, cool you down a tad, and prevent acne from sweating or wiping your face after handling gym equipment.

IPod Downloads - I have a few of these for my Ipod. There are days where I need motivation or someone else to get the creative cardio juices flowing for me. ITrain has some great spinning and treadmill workouts. I don't like the boxing routines that much, though. Another FAVORITE of mine will soon be this one: Full Body All Out Workout by Jen Hendershot. I haven't done this routine with the download but she recorded it the night before the Phat Camp I attended and we did it live. It's great and if you like this style of boot camp workout then you would be a good fit at Phit-N-Phat because this how we workout everyday...rough and rugged. No sissy workouts for my sweet girls!

Those are some of the things I love that make life a little easier for me. Let's all share things we do that might help the next woman get in better shape quicker and easier!!! Come on everyone! You can cough up one tip!

Having control over what you are doing while on vacation is such a good feeling. I talked yesterday about how I was planning this trip sensibly so that when I got home I felt good about the vacation and what I'm bringing back with me. It's one thing to come home with t-shirts, hats, and gifts and another to come back with 5lbs of fat on your backside.

The first two days have been great. I ate the meals I planned yesterday, got in my drinking I knew I would do, had one order of french fries (because fries are MY treat), ate seabass with asparagus at dinner verus appetizers and fatty dishes, and today I have only dined from the foods I brought with me.

The food issue I have run into is BLT's! You would think that because I don't do it at home I wouldn't on vacation. OMG! I'm silly with them and I recognized it last night. After nibbling a little bread because I our food took too long and then munching on olives at the bar I made a commitment that I will be in the PNP BLT challenge for the remainder of this trip. There is no way BLT's will be my Vegas downfall. Heck, I've even worked out twice since I got here and I'm only at the 24-hour mark!!!

What did I bring with me on this trip? Let's look inside my bag and see...

Bumble Bee Sundried Tomato Tuna Sensations - this travel great and taste wonderful. The are also loaded with protein.

Snickers Low Carb Marathon Bars - I use these as a dessert. Lots of times when we go out I want to get a dessert and if I had one of these I would be just as happy and have my calorie control.

Plain Publix Oatmeal in the 100 calories packs - just add some hot water from the hotel coffee maker and you got the start to a good breakfast. Breakfast is a meal that I will never remember next week if I dined high on the hog so I just eat my regular foods and am just as happy.

Fiber One - it's good for a hangover snack. :) It's also good to toss on top of the oatmeal for some crunch and fiber. Let's face it, most of us have a tough time with poopie when we travel. We don't get in enough fruits and veggies and a little Fiber One can go a long way in this department.

BSN Lean Dessert Whipped Vanilla Protein Powder - I can use it post-workouts, for a quick snack, mix it in the oatmeal, take some to a restaurant and mix it in cottage cheese or yogurt, or throw it in some milk for a dessert while everyone is having ice cream.

Lentil Canned Soup - I bring this as a back-up to eat before going out to a big organized meal. We go to a lot of these functions and if I eat my "appetizer" in the room before we go I don't go nuts on the appetizers and bread basket.

Rice Cakes - The tuna is great on the rice cakes. You can also bring peanut butter but I didn't this time because mine has to be refridgerated.

Apples, Bananas, Oranges, Grapefruits - all of these travel great and help with that fiber issue.

Crystal Light and Splenda - I can't live without them. Well, I could be I choose not to.

This is the easy stuff to bring. I had no troubles with it and it's all lined up just waiting on me when I get hungry. I hope this helps you think of creative ways to work in good health and fitness while you travel.

Tonight I'm going to a great Italian restaurant where I will order some good seafood and veggies and enjoy myself. That's the meal I'm INDULGING in today...not my 2pm snack!

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PNP Girls! I just wanted to tell you that I have been bragging about you non-stop while here. :) I'm so proud of all of you and every time someone finds out what I do I swear that you girls are all I talk about. You inspire me and you make me proud when I read through the journals and see you all just going to town with your goals. Woot woot!

For many of you, going on vacation during weightloss mode is filled with fear, anxiety, and worry that you will never get back on track when you get back home. Just so you know, being in maintenance is filled with similar thoughts. You still worry about gaining weight and being able to jump back into your healthy lifestyle once you get home. This is how I stay successful when travelling.

1. Schedule my workouts at the gym for when I get home. I plan the first week of exactly what I will be doing when I get home, what day, what time, what exercises, what friends/trainer I will do it with, etc.

2. Make my grocery list for when I get home. The grocery store is one of the VERY FIRST things I do upon return. I also prep my food THAT DAY and I keep it SIMPLE for the first week back. Fill it with your easiest and favorite "diet" foods.

3. Workout while gone. People...workouts don't have to be fancy. I'm taking a Resistance Band, Jump Rope, and Turbo Jam DVD (short version) to play on my laptop. I probably won't even do the DVD and opt for just jumping rope, push-ups, pop squats, walking lunges, squats with overhead press using the band, etc. Do it circuit style like this:

• Grab a piece of paper and write out the exercises you want to do.
• Do them back-to-back through the whole circuit.
• Take a 2 min. break of walking around the hallway of your hotel, the room, or wherever you are.
• Repeat 2-4 times for a killer workout. Do the circuit every other day and in between go for a run or a walk. 
• Use the gym at your hotel if you want but don't use lack of gym as an excuse.

Here's a circuit you can easily do:

30 revolutions of jumping rope, 20 seconds of marching in place, repeat for 3 minutes (imaginary jump rope is fine)

1 min. of Push Ups with Plank (do 3-5 push-ups and then hold plank for 15 seconds, repeat until one minute is up)

1 min. Dips on a Chair

1 min. of Jumping Rope or jumping in place (imaginary jump rope)

1 min. of Stationary Squats (go to your ankles if you can...if you can't just squat as low as you can) or Walking Squats

1 min. of Resistance Bands Bicep Curls

1 min. of Alternating Lunges, Swing Thru Lunges, or Walking Lunges

1 min. of Resistance Bands Overhead Press

20 sec. of Mountain Climbers, drop and do 20 crunches, 20 sec. of Mountain Climbers drop and do 20 crunches, 20 sec. of Mountain Climbers, drop and do 20 crunches

Repeat this circuit as many times as needed and then end with 3 min. of the jumping rope intervals.

4. Bring food with you on vacation. Every meal doesn't have to be exotic! I'm packing Splenda, dry packets of plain oatmeal (just add water), protein bars, cans of tuna, rice cakes, protein powder, Crystal Light, Fiber One, apples, etc. If I wasn't flying and had access to a fridge and microwave I would bring a cooler filled with meals already made. For this trip, I mapped out every meal and snack for each day and picked all the ones I wanted to enjoy and the ones I didn't care what I ate. For the lesser meals I'll just eat my regular foods.

I hope this helps you with your next trip. With Spring Break coming, many of you will be travelling...just know it can be fun, controlled, and you can stay in shape while there!

Yesterday we discussed BLT's (Bites, Licks, and Tastes) and how we are learning to break that nasty habit. Today I want to take the whole thing a step further. It's not enough to just acknowledge WHAT a BLT is but we need to recognize HOW OFTEN we do it.

Last week when I was discussing this challenge with my own trainer, he couldn't understand why I would ever make someone drop and give me 20 pop squats for a couple of bites of fresh banana. I said, "Bill, if my girls had chronic issues of nibbling on bananas, grapes, carrot sticks, and red peppers then I wouldn't have them as clients to begin with! They have a habit of eating WITHOUT PLANNING and THINKING about what goes in their mouth!"

See, BLT's in terms of trying to lose weight are simply foods you are eating without thinking. The BLT's are so small and insignificant in terms of satisfying your appetite that you don't remember doing them and they don't cause you to eat less. Heck, most BLT's happen AFTER your main meal.

I want my girls THINKING about everything that goes in their mouth. Is this going to get me to goal? Is this going to help me live a long life? Will I be happy on Monday when I weigh-in if I take a lick of this?

Losing weight isn't easy. It's learning how to approach food differently than you always have because you are going to work your rump off in the weight room and on the treadmill. What I need my girls to acknowledge is that they have to learn to approach food like fuel and not just a habit. They have to think about the type of gas going into the tank. They can't let the tank run empty, they can't be topping it off (hello...BLT's), and they need to run good, high quality gas because the types of workouts I give them don't allow for cheapo mess like Hershey Kisses, leftover mac and cheese, or cold chicken nuggets.

For now, HECK YES they are going to stop and drop when they eat a piece of banana, steamed fish, pickle, raw almond, or celery. Are those things alone making them fat? Probably not, but the habit of just grabbing food mindlessly does so until we have that under control we will:

- Plan It

- Eat It

- and Work It

No more, no less.

Today's Question...What's the worst BLT you ate in the last week? I can say I didn't have one but yesterday I took my son to Sonic and was SO TEMPTED to have a fresh, hot french fry. I LOVE fries!!! I didn't do it ONLY because of the challenge. Seriously, I've done so good and seen such great things happening with my physique and I still wanted a silly french fry that would have done nothing for me but make me miss french fries more. Today I feel empowered that I didn't have it. Yesterday I would've felt good for about five seconds and then just had a taste for more.

This month, my clients are doing a little challenge. Honestly, I read, re-read, and then finally wanted to quit reading their journals last month because so many of them were totally sabotaging their workouts and clean menus. It is frustrating as a trainer, friend, and "queen of PNP" to hand out advice all day long on how to get weight off only to see people totally undo the hardwork with silly bites of junky, mindless food nibbles.

Several people can't get the scale to move despite their exercise journals being completed with clean foods and LOADED with hard workouts and. I dug a little deeper and read through their comments. I quickly realized these people were NOT sticking to their eating plans. They HAD eating plans but were mindlessly stuffing their faces with little bites, licks, and tastes (BLT's) all day long.

See people, when you weigh-in and the scale stands still this is what you remember:

1. Every day going to the gym and busting your butt ridiculously hard.

2. Not being able to walk for two days because you tore your legs up really good.

3. Being slightly hungry before bed each night.

4. Having carrots, salads, chicken, and fruit like you were the poster child for the Eat Clean Diet.

5. Drinking so much water you could float a boat.

Reality is:

1. Every morning when you are packing that clean lunch you eat 2-3 crackers while portioning out the ones you are taking to work.

2. Each afternoon you grab one little piece of chocolate candy from Susie's desk on the way to the bathroom. It's like a ritual.

3. A couple of times you went out to lunch ordering the healthy choice salad but took a snippet or two of the bread on the table.

4. At dinner while clearing the dishes you grabbed a spoonful or two of the leftover beans, casserole, or potatoes you made for your family.

5. While making dinner you tossed a few nuts in your mouth...they are healthy right?

6. After Little Johnnie finishes his macaroni and cheese, you eat the last two small spoonfuls before washing the plate.

7. Before giving Little Johnnie his food, you "taste" it to make sure it's OK because there is no way your two year old will be able to communicate what they like and don't like. LOL.

Uhhhh...hitting home a little bit? It should be. I bet if you are the person who is sitting there wondering why you are on a plateau, repeatedly pouring over your cals burned last week and your food journal, and just not understanding what is going on, you should check yourself on the BLTs.

The average person is taking in 300-500 calories a day in mindless eating if they routinely have BLTs. This translates into maintenance mode for those who are trying to lose weight. Most of you eat around 1400-1700 calories a day when healthfully dieting. You add in the 300-500 calories of mindless eating and you are living large in good ole maintenance world.

Onto the challenge. Week One - we had to do push-ups or pop-squats for every BLT. It's AMAZING how a lot of girls finally saw a drop in the scale, felt their clothes loosen this week, saw the tummy bloat go down, and actually realized how much they truly were eating. Ya'll it's a lot!!! Nibbles are freaking expensive in the diet check-out lane. BLT's are the same as adding in half a splurge meal daily for most people!!!

So, this week I'm upping their challenge. They'll find out tonight what the next step is. What I want my clients to do is drop a comment here about the biggest revelation you had this week in terms of your BLTs. What did you learn?

Tomorrow the topic is going to be: Why do you punish people for having a BLT of a banana?

Sometimes I think my blog is turning into a motivational/food blog. But hey, what holds most of us back from getting the body we want? Fat girl thinking that drives us to eating foods we shouldn't. I have loads of free exercise programs for you already but it seems that we can NEVER EVER talk enough about food and changing the way we think.

Let's talk about how to build the habit of eating right so that you can let those tough Phit-N-Phat exercise programs work their magic.

1. Know why you are jumping around the gym, packing your cooler, and eating more oatmeal than you though you ever would in your life. Trust me, will power is overrated big time. Will power is never going to help you avoid a donut at the office when you are starving because you didn't eat a healthy breakfast, your co-workers are all begging you to have the fried artery clogger, and you feel justified just one won't hurt because your a.m. exercise was so hard. We are driven by our DESIRES and when you throw together that scenario, your desire is to inhale that donut like you just got booted from Survivor.

Get out a piece of paper and write down WHY you want to eat healthier. Need to fight off diabetes, want to be hot on your summer vacation, need your husband to drop his jaw when you walk out of the shower? Whatever it is write it out and put it where you can see it everyday.

2. Without a plan you don't know where you are going! You need to plan your food like you plan your work. I make a menu every week, buy that food at the store, cook it and bag it on Sunday, and then eat from it all week.

Also, don't buy junk food, you don't want temptations at home. I get so mad when my girls eat crap AT HOME!

Tip of the Day: If you have kids and hubbies that require junky foods in the house, spend a few bucks at Target and make a plastic tub filled with their stuff. Write their names on their food. They'll take ownership of it and you'll think twice before eating something that is labled.

3. Prepare. Lack of time is the biggest reason we like junk food. Nobody has time to cook three times a day anymore. Cook your food in bulk once a week or twice a week. Your food is ready when you need it and it can easily be thrown into your cooler.

4. Yummy yummy. If you are used to eating processed junk food you will need a few weeks to wean your tastebuds off of salts and sugars. Learn to cook and make some semi-clean foods. There are loads of great tasting recipes right here at PNP.  Still having a tough time? Toughen up and think of your goals. Sometimes we have to eat food to fuel our bodies and not have a devine-orgasmic experience. Basically, strap on your big girl panties because dieting is not always fun.

5. Keep It Simple Silly. Cook your meats in advance and then pair them with quick salads and canned foods during the week. We're all busy so if you are the type who is always running you need to think of ways to make easy meals. Buy bagged lettuce, frozen veggie sides, canned foods, make double portions when you cook, freeze chilis and soups, buy your veggies prepped.

6. Get a cooler and always have it with you. This way you won't have to rely on junk food because you didn't eat anything for more than 3 hours. I keep a can of tuna, Splenda, Crystal Light Packets, pre-bagged dry oatmeal, protein powder and protein bars in mine at all times. This is my emergency food. Most of the time I pack at least two meals in my cooler when I go out... just in case.

7. Plan for 90% On Plan and 10% Off Plan. Example: Monday to Saturday eat on your healthy plan and then Sunday loosen up. Keep track of your calories but make this your high calorie day. For example, if you normally eat 1500 calories a day, then Sunday you will eat 2500 calories which is just above maintenance for most women and not enough to gain fat. Make the food fun by having things you enjoy. Some people like to have one really decadent meal while others just like to eat a lot more food than they are used to once a week. It's up to you because it's your free day!

Share in the comments your tips for building a healthy eating lifestyle!

I'm posting some advice I gave to a client in our private forums. I feel most of us have gone through this at some time or another. It's natural  to be jealous of someone's success. What is a waste of your time is letting them have all the success when you have ZERO excuses to be just as successful, if not MORE successful than them. I felt this advice was just too good to not share with all my PNP readers.

"I'm going to preface this by saying how petty and immature I am going to sound.

I have a friend who linked me to her Sparkpeople page where I can see her food/exercise journal. She decided she wants to lose 15 lbs before her trip in May and for the past two weeks she has been dieting. Her diet consists of 1100-1300 calories of mostly processed foods. She has already lost 6 lbs. The only exercise she is doing is elliptical for like 20 minutes 3x a week.

Now, the intelligent side of me realizes how much damage she is doing to her body right now. She'll probably lose 20 lbs in the next 8 weeks but she'll be skinnyfat in size 8 instead of 10. But the difference is that she has stuck with it for 2 weeks, while I contine to vascillate between eating in my calorie range and blowing it. Sure, I eat better food but I just can't seem to not be jealous of her quick success.

 Another thing, I don't want her to be skinnier than me. It's just not fair. I workout and I cook real food, not processed crap. If she ends up in that size 8 before me I am going to be mad!! I suppose I should use this as motivation, right? I hate that I feel this way about someone that I care about, I feel embarassed and selfish for even be writing this, but I had to get it out... "

"Well you said it yourself; her success has most to do with her willingness to stick to her calorie range first and foremost even if the calorie range is wrong. It is always going to come down to what we eat before what we do in the gym. Anyone can lose weight without exercise...not that it's not important, but it can be done.

Processed food...well, that's a whole other thing. I mean, I like clean food and most of what I eat is clean or fresh but I eat plenty of rice cakes, sugar free jelly, canned tuna, pudding, and the like. The way I see it is that I try to make the majority of my diet fresh so that the few things I eat that aren't fresh is OK. It works for me and I'd rather eat a frozen SBD pizza with a salad and an apple than to just say "screw it" because I don't feel like cooking and then order a pizza. :)

Your feelings are natural and she's losing too fast. She's not losing a lot of fat I can promise you that much. In the beginning she is mostly losing water, fluid, and muscle by drastically cutting cals and combining it with a little cardio.

What you can learn from her is that she is doing something she can follow for now. You need to do that too. If always eating clean leads you to straying way off plan, incorporate some easier stuff into your menu so that you can stay on track better. Work out right so that when both of you lose your weight you will LOOK so much better and she will wonder why she doesn't look as good as you even though you both lost X amount of weight.

Be jealous, be fired up, and whatever else it takes to get you on your own program consistantly. Ain't nothing wrong with being petty especially when it makes you take better care of yourself. Heck, I'm petty as all get out but I own it. LOL."

I hope you learn from this that losing weight is going to come down to the simple things:

1. Consistancy

2. Journaling

3. Staying within your cals by avoiding BLT's and unplanned meals

4. Exercise

I've said it 1000 times...80% diet - 20% gym. Ladies, the only magic formula is you getting over yourself and realizing that in order to lose weight and look great you have to work hard. If it were easy we'd all look like an Oxygen Fitness Model!

Well, I'm just a proud momma today. I had several of my clients running races all over the place this weekend. Let's hear it for:

Kate - finished her first half-marathon!

Dawn, Jessica, Lorie, and Mary - ran a marathon relay race this weekend. They are all also moderators on my site and I'm just tickled pink for them. They have become friends since joining PNP and decided to run a race together. Here's a link to Dawn's blog so you can see and read all about it. BTW...this was Mary's first ever race. She did great and she had a TOUGH last month but was still smiling when she crossed the finish line.

Dawn's Blog

Bill - Lorie's Phat Hubby finished his second half-marathon...cramps and all.

Autumn - finished her first 5K and is already wanting to do a 10K!

I think I got everyone that raced this weekend. I find these folks so inspiring. You know, it's easy to look up to athletes. They get paid well to exercise, diet, and push their bodies to limits most of us can only dream. They are usually genetically gifted to be able to set world-records, win championships, or compete on national levels. Those people have my respect and I know it's not easy.

But let me tell you what is DAMN HARD!

• Working full-time, raising kids, working out at 5:30 a.m. because you can't any other time of the day, having a knee injury and walking 6 miles at a 15 min. pace. That's what Lorie did. She finished even when her body was not cooperating with her since December.
• Having very sick kids, selling your house and moving into a new one you just built, working your job, and then being sick yourself. You just heard Mary's story. Her February none of us would want to live and yet she kept focused enough to complete her leg of the race.
• As a child finding out you have a rare cancer, having a metal femur, and being overweight most of your life. Bill runs even though most people with his past experiences would just toss in the towel and let excuses keep them on the couch. He's now fit, active, and built like a fortress.
• How about being able to smoke out the longest part of the relay even though you had your wisdom teeth removed and then dry sockets for the better part of February? Yep, that would be Jessica. She finsihed with a smile on her face, too.

You know, all of my little runners have stories. Each of them inspire me more than any athlete around because I find them to be true athletes. They set their goals, buckle down, do it, and don't settle for taking the easy road like most people. It's not easy to juggle families, work, life, husbands, wives, illnesses, friends, social engagements, and so on. And you know what? They don't even get paid to do these races. They do it because they want to improve themselves!

Here's to my next round of racers. We have tons of girls training for all sorts of events. It's so exciting to lead a group of focused women helping each other to achieve what was once thought impossible now possible. I'm humbled to be a part of your weightloss and fitness successes.

I'm going to tell a favorite joke of mine that illustrates a story one of my clients told today in our forums about her light bulb moment.

Once there was a huge flood and a guy realized his house was going to be washed away. As he watched from the porch the waters rising, a man came by in a big truck and said, "Get in, the water is coming." The man calmly said, "No need, I have faith in the Lord. He will save me."

He climbed to the roof to avoid the water rushing up to the porch at this point. A couple of guys in a canoe rowed by and said, "Get in...we'll take you to safety." The man replied simply, "No need, I have faith in the Lord. He will save me."

As the water rose to the top of the house, a helicopter came, dropped a ladder, and a loud voice exclaimed, "Climb up or you are going to drown!" The man waved them off and screamed, "the Lord will save me" and then the water swept over him and he drowned.

The man was walking around heaven and demanded to see God. He wanted an explanation for why he was there!

God came out and the man said, "Lord, I had unwaivering faith in you. Why did you let me die in that flood?" The Lord rolled his eyes and said, "I sent a truck, a canoe, and a helicopter to pull you out. What did you expect, Noah's Arc to cruise by?"

When my client discussed her lightbulb moment today she commented how in the last two days she naturally woke up when it was time to work out (but didn't), slept through getting her usual junky Starbucks, and then had no cash on her this morning when she stopped at McDonald's drive thru (their register was broken and weren't taking debit cards). Aha! She said maybe she is supposed to be on this journey right now and maybe she should just quit fighting it so hard.

What an epiphany. It's so true. We all have times in our life that truly are set up for us to succeed and yet we fight it tooth and nail. Have you ever...

Put the kids to bed early and watched TV versus packing a healthy breakfast and lunch for the next day; then complain that you don't have time to eat healthy.

Woke up to go to the bathroom at 5:00 a.m. when you should be to workout; then just go back to bed for an extra 45 minutes of sleep.

These are just a couple of ways we fight success. The world will work for you when you know what you want and actively seek to find a way to do it. I firmly believe that if you expect to be a success you will and even when you DON'T expect it God, the world, whatever you believe in wants it for you. Often others and the unseen forces want it a lot more for you than you do. Listen to the signs in your life and figure out what they are telling you.

So, what signs have you missed or which signs are you seeing now that you have clear purpose? 

A good friend of mine sent this to me and I thought I would share it with you.

One evening an old Cherokee told his granddaughter about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My child, the battle is between 2 wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy,sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The granddaughter thought about it for a minute and then asked her grandfather:  "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Yesterday we had a fascinating discussion on the blog about being committed or interested in losing weight. I was proud of the things the girls had to say; some were rocked by the post, others enlightened, and some gung-ho. This story along with yesterday's comments made me think about which wolf we are feeding during our fatloss journey.

When we look at the reasons we aren't committed to the journey we find that we are giving into things that have little to do with fueling our body for health, wellness, and self-acceptance.

Anger - Ever ate a hamburger because someone threw a fit in the the backseat and suddenly McDonalds for you and the kids sounded good?

Sorrow - Feel bad for yourself? Think you have the weight of the world on your shoulders because you have lost someone or dealing with losing someone? Suddenly ice cream and pizza is going to make those people well.

Ego -  Do you feel like you deserve to let loose with your food more than you tighten up because you workout hard? 

Guilt - You ever skip workouts because you feel like you don't spend time with your kids? You sleep in rather than waking early or you skip out on p.m. workouts when the kids go to bed because you are tired from the day.

No one ever said the road to looking good was easy. It's not. Talk to anyone who is in great shape and I bet 95% of them don't get that way naturally. They WORK for it. Plain and simple. They feed the good wolf. They do things like:

Humility - I had an ooops meal today. I'm getting back on track with the next snack because it's a lifelong journey and not an all or nothing journey. My body wasn't built in a day and my slip won't tear it down in one day either.

Love - My kids deserve an energetic mom who sets the example that you take care of yourself. I want my kids to see me meeting the goals I set, eating healthy so that I am around to see my grandkids, displaying dedication to what is important to me, and learning how to manage my time by planning ahead.

Faith - Those around me will be empowered because I trust in the process. I know that life isn't full of gurantees and that things happen on their own timeline. As long as I do the things I know are right for my body, my body will take care of me.

I am not too proud to admit that I struggle with this journey. Just yesterday I set a timer for my meals because I wanted to eat all day. I was stressed and wanted to avoid doing something I dreaded. It's not always easy to work six feet from the pantry but I deal with it and do my best daily. Giving in to food because of emotion is like telling the bad wolf he has won.

Ladies, let's make sure that we're feeding our minds, bodies, and souls properly today. Treat this body like it is intended and don't take it for granted. You feed the body crappy thoughts, foods, and images and you'll feel, act, and look like crap. Not as eloquent as the old Cherokee but you get my point.

PNP girls or anyone else, I want you to give me the good wolf feeling you are going to feed today and one bad wolf feeling you recognize you need to let go.

A client of mine posted this in our forums today and it's so true to what we talk about here at PNP that I just had to use it today's blog. I hope you enjoy and are willing to discuss in the comments where your mind is today and what you will do the rest of this week to be in the committed group!

From The Wt. Loss Minute By Linda Spangle, RN, MA
Author: 100 Days of Weight Loss

"What is wrong with me?" Carol slammed her hand down on the table. "I'm so frustrated with myself! Every morning, I tell
myself that today will be different. I'm going to stay on my diet the way I should, and NOT fall off by the middle of the
afternoon."

"Have you been having trouble with this?" I asked. "You wouldn't believe it," she sighed. "I've done everything you've said. I
plan out my meals, set out my exercise clothes, buy healthy foods, and write down what I eat.

"But every afternoon, it's like this monster comes over me and I lose my determination." Tears began sliding down her cheeks as she continued, "It feels too hard! I've had a lot of challenges anddisappointment lately, and I always end up reaching for a glass of wine or a few cookies to help me cope. Then I get upset because I've messed up my diet again."

I handed her a box of tissues, then responded, "Carol, there's nothing wrong with you at all. What you're doing is extremely common and normal. I think the real issue is how you're coping with your life struggles."

Then I asked, "How badly do you want to lose weight? How important is it to you?" Carol wiped her eyes, then responded.
"I want it VERY badly. I can't stand how I look and feel right now. I would give ANYTHING to be able to lose weight."

"Anything?' I asked. "Does that mean you're willing to give up having wine or cookies when you get upset or feel challenged?" Carol thought for a minute. "Are you saying I can't ever have a glass of wine after a bad day?"

"Not necessarily," I replied. "Being successful isn't about setting rigid rules or feeling deprived. It's about making
choices based on what you truly want in your life."

It sounds great to say 'I really want to lose weight' but making this happen takes effort. If you tend to routinely fall off your diet plan, you may want to look at the difference between being interested and being committed.

When you're 'interested' in losing weight, you say all the right words, but it doesn't take much to get you off track. A hard day, another disappointment, and you're back to food being your best friend.

In contrast, when you're 'committed' to your weight-loss plan, you stick with it no matter what. You don't blame circumstances or other people for your slip ups. On days when you get worn down or don't "feel" like dieting, you stay on the plan anyway. 

Here's a summary of the two directions.

If you're "interested" in losing weight...

* You stick with it only until something better comes along (such as doughnuts).
* How you feel determines your outcome. If you don't 'feel like it,' you stop your efforts.
* You need to see results. When the scale doesn't move, you lose your motivation.
* You blame everything else (people, travel, circumstances) for your struggles with staying on your diet.
* Whenever you face challenges in life, you give up and plan you'll start your diet again tomorrow.

If you're "committed" to losing weight...

* Nothing stops your efforts. You stick with your diet, "no matter what."
* Emotions don't control your actions. You stay on track even when you don't feel like it.
* Your motivation isn't linked to the scale. You assume that if you stay motivated and work hard, you'll eventually see results.
* You don't depend on other people for your success. You know it's up to you, not them.
* A bad day or a lot of challenges don't affect your efforts. You keep going in spite of it.

At this point, Carol nodded. "I thought I was really determined to lose weight, she said. "But I've been acting like I was only
interested in it. Starting today, I'm going to change my approach and live in ways that show I'm truly committed to my goals." 

Girls...let's really brainstorm reasons why we don't make the committment switch and stay in the interested phase. I want to know what is that you think is really holding you back and how you are going to bust through it.

When I went into the forums today I had a great question posed by one of the girls.

Between sets in Superset 1, my quads felt really tight; I tried to do a lot of stretching--as much as possible between sets.  I continued that throughout each superset.  Also, during/after Superset 2, I felt like puking; it got better in 3 & 4, but still a lot of "I think I'm going to puke"...not sure if this is b/c I was working so hard or because I didn't eat anything right before working out.  Again, the meals have been kind of weird today. Overall, it was a good workout; I had trouble going down the stairs to get to the parking log.

I call this a good workout! This is called bringing intensity to the gym. 90% of my own workouts are exactly like this. Even my less than stellar workout today I was sick to my stomach a good while. That's just your body responding to you working hard. Often my trainer and I joke around that a workout isn't complete until you ralph in the trash can.

The other part of this post that shows me how hard this girl is working is feeling quads that are tight. That's called MUSCLE PUMP. When your muscles get more and more conditioned they learn how to saturate themselves with blood during the workout. It's your body's way of getting oxygen and nutrients quickly to working muscles. The more you workout the quicker your body knows to rush the blood.

I live for a muscle pump. It's an awesome thing and it shows you are getting in better and better shape. It's nothing to be worried about or to avoid. It's bragging rights for many people!

Another point about a muscle pump is that one of the best ways to work a muscle to fatigue and get a good pump is to superset your exercises. We do a lot of that at PNP. My exercise plans and routines for fatloss live and breath super- and trisets to keep you moving, burning fat, and pumping those muscles.

This is such a good question I just had to blog it. Women typically only bring it to the gym when they are going to hop on that elliptical. They move to the weights and for some reason the least bit of feeling uncomfortable, fatigued, or burn and they worry they have done something wrong. Ladies, start watching men workout. That's how we should feel and move. You see them grunting, huffing, puffing, and carrying on over there??? That's what you need to be doing. You will never look like them working out like them but you will certainly get hot and sexy by mimicing their intensity level.

Lift on Ladies!!!

It's the perfect storm around PNP these days. I can really sense so many of my girls understanding that this whole losing weight thing has everything to do with what they put in their mouth and what they leave at the workout room and NOT a magic formula.

We are also learning that eating our way through pain doesn't deal with pain...it just makes us more miserable when the scale goes up. And, believe it or not, we didn't deal with one stinking issue that bugs us when we scarf down four cookies.

Facing rough times in our lives is difficult at best. It's so easy to focus our time on something to eat rather than what is nagging us. Maybe it's an overbearing husband and we eat with him to please him (or shut him up), rowdy kids that when they finally go to bed we just want to eat because it's ME TIME, or missing loved ones who are gone and filling their absence with TV and food.

It takes stopping yourself and really asking if the food is needed or just a diversion from what's bothering you. That's not easy because most of the time you are going to find that if it's a diversion you might have to start facing some ugly truths. But you know, you need to. You are literally destroying yourself by avoiding your problems. You destroy your self-esteem and your body in the process.

I had a client post something so great last night I thought I would share. She's had it rough lately with a death in her family but she has decided to no longer let co-workers or anyone else stand in her way of being the best Becca she can be. Here's what she wrote:

I am very focused on making sure I get healthy. Even a co-worker said that you have become a fanatic about fitness and health. Yesterday they had this candy dish and the co-worker literally had a handful of peanut butter M&M's and then Reese Peanut Butter Cups in the other hand. I said "no thank you". She then proceeded to tell me that "one isn't gonna kill ya. Plus you have been through a lot; you deserve it."

I said "No, I dont want to waste 150 or more calories on a piece of candy that won't make me full and I know I will want more later. And, its not going to do anything good for me but make me fat. I would rather have my snack." Then I went and poured myself a cold glass of protein shake for a treat so I could have some chocolate. It was hard to be different than anyone else but com'on, I really really want to be healthy so I chose to stand out like a sore thumb in my office and be the only one that was eating healthy :) 

This is wonderful! She stood her ground and is proud of it. A few more times and they will stop asking all together and she won't have that battle anymore. Heck, maybe they will join her in her quest to be healthy!

With that in mind, let me share some of my favorite snacks. Most I will eat at night or any other time of day rather than having a load of junk that doesn't fill me up.

Snacks
Protein Shakes - I love BSN's Lean Dessert. They are all delicious made with water. This is the optimum before bed snack to soak your muscles with good protein. 130 calories per serving

Cottage Cheese 1/2 cup - 80 calories. I mix this with all sorts of things: Sugar Free Pudding already made - 60 calories, Sugar Free Jelly - 10 calories, 1/4 cup of Fiber One and 1 Packet of Splenda - 20 calories, 1 tablespoon of Naturally More Peanut Butter - 85 calories, Hot Sauce - 10 Calories, Hummus - 30 calories, Miracle Whip - 25 calories

Fage Yogurt 0% Fat - 80 calories. I mix all the sweet stuff above with this.

Grapefruit with 1 container of Sugar Free Jello of choice - 70 calories

1 Bag of Kettle Corn 100 cal bag tossed with 2 tablespoons of raisins and 10 almonds - 210 calories

Sugarfree Pudding (premade) mixed with 1 tablespoon of Naturally More Peanut Butter - 145 calories

Dannon Light and Fit Yogurts with an Apple - 140-160 calories

These are just a few of my favorite things to eat. Each week at PNP we do a Food Prep Chat on Thursdays in our forums and we get totally creative with how to do good food, fast food, calorie dense food, you name it. We PNP girls can talk about some food! Join us to enjoy our secrets. :) 

During the cold winter months it is tough to get outside and do you running or walking. Many people don't own fancy pieces of exercise equipment and if they have to listen to their DVD DIva yell at them one more time they might just puke.

Today I'm giving you a great routine you can use at home as a way to break your rut and hold out until Spring gets here. Here's the attachment to your free download and let me tell you, this is a totally adapable routine for any skill level. Four Station Cardio Routine.doc

Good luck and let me know how it goes. Also feel free to post questions if you have them. I did include links to most of the exercises to help you out with form.

Enjoy!

For the last couple of weeks I have been incorporating early morning cardio into my weekly routine and doing it on an empty stomach. It's hard! You girls who routinely drag yourselves out of bed and exercise deserve a huge pat on the back, a standing ovation, and any other kudos I can throw your way.

When I wake up the first thing that crosses my mind is, "What am I eating for breakfast?" I usually scroll through the forums for late night posts, check email, have a cup of hot tea, and then make my big bowl of oatmeal before getting my son and I ready for the day.

Well, this empty stomach cardio thing is a task. I would never ever do strength on an empty stomach but a lot of people say the best time to do cardio is first thing on a fasted stomach. Supposedly it burns more fat. So, I went out and researched the topic and here's PNP's down and dirty opinion. No science here; you can Google just as well I as I can. I'm just giving you one woman's opinion.

1. Fasted cardio is only as important as your goals. If you are trying to lose weight and get fit then it's not worth disrupting your schedule over. I have found too many arguments pro and con so it's a coin flip if it truly will burn up fat.

2. It's worth trying if you are competing or an athlete. For these people, yes, you might want to do it to truly cut down. Why is it OK for them and not your typical housemom? They will be doing fasted cardio with the proper supplementation of BCAAs, glutamine, and carnitine to name a few. They will also be watching their heart rate like a hawk (65-75%) and performing 45-75 min. of a.m. cardio a day for their FIRST workout.

3. If you do early morning cardio or strength, drink 1/2 a low carb protein shake before working out. This will not only wake you up but it will keep you from wasting muscle tissue. My readers want to maintain muscle tissue at all costs because your goal is to lose fat and look like somebody when you are done. We aren't chasing the dream of standing on stage; we just want to stand in front of the mirror with pride.

Corinne, what is the best time to do cardio???

That's easy, my friend. The best time to do cardio is when you can do it and enjoy it. First thing in the morning, after your strength workout, non-strength day, or late at night...the best time to do it is when you will do it and when you will do it with gusto.

I will keep doing the early cardio but only because of fitting it into my busy schedule and not because of fat burning effects. I will also be adding that protein shake in along with my cup of hot tea.

Stay tuned tomorrow...I'm throwing out a bonus cardio routine you can do in your home without a piece of machinery!!! This is for all my cold weather girls!

BLT's or bites, licks, and tastes are going up girls! Often the reason you don't see physique results as fast as you like or at all has everything to do with the most innocent of mistakes. Let's quickly send some BLT's through the calorie check-out lane.

BLT Favorites - The 10 Items or Less Lane is Open!

It's breakfast and you are getting things ready for the kids and hubby...

1 bite of unfinished waffle with maple syrup = 15 calories

Finish the OJ left behind (and the cold bug in it...LOL) = 27 calories

1/4 piece of bacon off of hubby's plate = 30 calories

Lunchtime with co-workers at local restaurant...

1 small piece of bread from basket = 90 calories

1 bite of dessert girlfriend orders = 55 calories

Midday pass through office...

A couple of M & M's off the nice ladies desk = 20 calories

Dinner time...

5-6 small grapes from the fruit you are fixing for dessert = 20 calories

4-5 red pepper strips from the veggies you are making = 15 calories

1 bite of Mac and Cheese for the kids = 25 calories

This is not an unrealistic day of grabbing a drink or bite here and there. Heck, most of us do more damage than this and proclaim we have no idea why we aren't losing weight. Let's see what an easy snack day prices out...

Your Grand Total Is = 277 CALORIES! That is almost an entire meal when you are dieting and doing mini-meals. For my Weight Watcher girls that lands you at 5 whole points.

We have to be careful about what we put in our mouths. It all adds up. The cold chicken nugget is 100 calories, the soggy six french fries is 40-50 calories, the lick of ice cream cone is 20 calories, the unplanned latte is 90 calories, and the little grabs and sneaks are the worst because they don't fill you up and YOU DON'T REMEMBER THEM on weigh in day. You remember what you journal, the sweat in the gym, and that you are "trying so hard."

Do like I am doing right now, before you pop-it ask yourself, "how many calories is this bite?" Tell us how you are dealing with BLT's or what you will do differently this week.

This weekend the girls at PNP had a challenge to clean out the pantry/fridge. We do a lot of talking about setting up our lifestyle to be one that is friendly to losing weight, exercising, and keeping our health a priority. I totally cleaned out the fridge down to soaking the drawers and organizing the shelves. My proudest moment was when I looked at the toss pile and only had one bottle of old vinegar (does that stuff go bad?), one container of lowfat cottage cheese that the date was expired by a day, and two cheese sticks that the date had passed. THAT'S IT! 

We all know that the kitchen needs to be free and clear of junk food if we want to avoid binges, weak moments, and breakdowns. Let me tell you, if I am on TOM and craving cookies there better not be cookies in the pantry. Shame on me if I fall off the wagon because I was too afraid to succeed in this by keeping my old habits laying around. This has me thinking: what other areas of our lives do we need to clean up?

Today I am working on my basement. I have a great finished area with plenty of workout space, a PNP office, and full bathroom. Heck, I even got a fridge for cold water. Do you have any idea what it looks like? Like a cross between romper room and a pit of despair. I work on my couch rather than my desk, I avoid morning cardio because I don't want to wrestle the crap out of the way, and I hate tripping over toys when I walk through.

No more I tell you! My purge today is to create an environment inviting to workout. I will organize my weights, hang up a few inspiration pictures, post my weekly menu and exercise schedule, and get all my videos in one place. I'm also going to get my PNP work area fixed so that I no longer work five feet from the fridge. That's a toughie, girls!

I think we all need to think about this in general terms. What areas of your life are you purposely not setting up to be a success? Common things are:

1. Wearing funky, old workout clothes: Don't do this! Dress like you mean business not like you are cleaning the business. You can't get in a good workout if your pants stay past your crack rather than at your waist.

2. Keeping junk food and emergency oops moments laying around: Toss it and be done. If your kids and hubby want it, find a place for them to keep it where you can't get to it. At my house WE ALL eat healthy because WE ALL deserve to live a long life. What little junk I allow is usually hidden or something I don't get tempted by anyway.

3. Not having the right workout equipment: Doesn't have to be the best or most expensive just enough to get the job done. You need to make sure that when you are working out you have the tools and the space. If you are lucky enough to have a good space, get it organized and filled with your inspirations.

Ladies, I challenge you to talk about what you are doing to get your fitness life in check. Help others out by tossing ideas on how to organize, find good equipment, or buy affordable and transitional workout clothes. We all could use that! 

There are times when we all feel like we can't do this journey. We feel our own problems are so much that it seems unbearable. We have kids, jobs, commutes, very little me time, and a whole host of other excuses we come up with each and everyday to explain away some nibbles, poor lunches, or no exercise.

Many of you will not read this until Monday and it may have been a weekend you aren't so proud of. You chose to sleep in instead of getting out of bed to exercise, you partied too hard with friends, or you caved into the junk food in the kitchen you still haven't thrown out.

I want you to watch this video story about a father and son team. I frequently pull this up when I'm having my own pity party and let it remind me how lucky I am and what dedication to someone or something truly means. I have not once watched this without crying and then feeling like taking my own game up a notch.

Please watch and think about your own life. Ask yourself if you are living the life you want. Are you going to be grateful in 20-30-40 or 50 years from now for the decisions you make? I know my goal is to live as many days as I can. If that means not being able to talk about Grey's Anatomy with the girls or skipping some birthday cake...so be it. I'm confident that seeing my grandkids graduate or cross their own finish lines will be well worth the price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=related

Go out and make this the day you STARTED the rest of your life.

I talk a lot about intensity with your workouts because unless you are working hard you aren't doing much good. I would say a good bit of the women I see in the gym never lift with intensity. They like those high reps right up until slight discomfort and then sit there waiting for another round of 20-30 reps. Useless...but I have plenty of articles written on that. Just hit the intensity tag if you need a lesson on that.

Tuesday I had an interesting conversation with my trainer because my workout was KILLING me. It was back day and I was cutting sets, adjusting exercises, and changing things up the whole time because of how I was feeling. I made a comment about how proud I was that I had finally reached the point in my exercise life that the definition of a good workout was how I felt when I left the gym VERSUS if I did exactly what was written on a piece of a paper.

It led us to talk about women who have lost a lot of weight and the misconception that you must come close to death every workout in order to have success. I think when you have struggled with weight all of your life you get into the habit of thinking it is a lot harder for you, so you have to virtually work circles around everyone else. You feel like you can't miss workouts even if you are exhausted, you can't run a little slower today because your energy is depleted, you can't drop a set or a few reps even if your form is horrible and not going to do you any good.

It's almost a reverse effect. We will work, work, work, and forget that our bodies are the judge of our success and not if we do better than we did last time. For so long you DO indeed beat the numbers every time because you are just getting in such better shape and losing weight you can't help it. But there comes that time when you are no longer a fat girl trying to get fit. You ARE fit and just trying to get in better shape. You aren't a fat girl anymore...just a girl who works out like an athlete but has a fat girl yammering at you that you don't get to have workouts like everyone else. Tell her to shut up because you need days off to recover, you need days that the workout isn't a death sentence, and you will have plenty of months in your strength life where the weights aren't going up.

What I am saying here is that the past few weeks I have learned a lot about myself and one of those things is that I have grown up. I find myself making more decisions about my body that are in the best interest of my fitness versus seeing a number on the scale or a slight imperfection improving. Of course I want to cut a little more or tone up my legs some, but finally it's dawned on me that those rewards are truly attained when you do what's in the best interest of your body vesus just hammering away like a maniac. Most of us who are truly interested in blasting the fat and being in fine shape would do great to ignore the numbers on the scale and be willing to trust ourselves versus the silly schedule given to you by your trainer.

(That's right PNP girls, even my schedules are meant to be taken to the gym and modified. Make it tougher when it needs to be and make it easier when it needs to be. Only you know what's going on with your body. Learn to listen to it and just ask in the forums for help on how to know when you are doing it right.)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

My husband has always said to me, "Why do you spend time thinking about reasons that hold you back? Figure out how to do it, learn about it, and go for it. If it is really worth it to you, you will find the time to focus on what you NEED to be doing."

I think we often use our reasons we can't do things as a way to just never get started. Losing weight is so easy and yet we make it so hard. Here's my secret:

1.Make a weekly meal plan and weekly exercise plan.

2. Go grocery shopping.

3. Prepare your food for the week (2 hours tops).

4. Eat the food. Do the exercise.

You are done and losing weight. Don't make it more complicated than that. If you got remotely close to your calorie range, hopped in a circle for 30 min. a day fast and hard, and spent your free time figuring out how to do it better next week, where would you be in a year from now? A lot fitter, healthier, and taking up less space!

Maybe now that I am thin I finally understand that those who sit around thinking about what they should be doing are the same ones doing nothing about it. Now a days I just do the things I know make me successful and don't do the things that make me fat.

I don't go out to eat often. I'm not good at controlling myself so I don't do it. Sure I miss out on meals with friends and such, but I have a lot of meals with my family that are healthy. I've even made friends who like to workout and that's how we get together...at the gym versus an overpriced, unhealthy meal.

I don't miss workouts. I plan my week. If my regular workout time doesn't fit, I get my butt out of bed super early and do it. This Sunday I skipped sleeping in because I needed to do an hour of make-up cardio. My son was out of school and had nosebleeds Friday so we couldn't go the gym. Rather than just forgetting it, I moved it. You think I love hitting the TM at 6am on Sunday morning when the boys are sleeping? Hell no I don't! But, I promise I look better than most of the mommies who slept in this weekend versus working out because they found "reasons" they needed to be in bed versus doing a video or lifting their weights.

I eat my healthy foods. I carry a cooler. I THINK about what's going on in my life versus just cruising through and LETTING THINGS HAPPEN to me. Ladies, McDonald's, Sonic, the gas station, and Starbucks don't happen to you. That's a choice you made when you walked out the door, or better yet, before you went to bed and didn't prepare your food cooler for the next day.

I DON'T HAVE JUNK IN MY HOUSE! I know my weaknesses. People who complain about being an a sugar binge and stuffing their face are usually doing it at home. Dear Lord! Why does someone who want to lose weight have foods in the house that they can't control themselves with? It AMAZES ME that someone who wants to be thin doesn't have time to grocery shop but somehow when they find time buy chips, cookies, and ice cream.

I understand having a few things in the house for your kids and husband. A FEW THINGS! They should be eating healthy too. Are you the only one who deserves a fit, healthy, and LONG life free of diabetes and cancer? Nope. Respect their body just like you respect your own. For kids and hubbies it's a great time to introduce those 100 calorie snack packs. I don't eat them, but I have a few for Logan. When he does get cookies it's nice because he can have them in a controlled, appropriate portion.

Basically, we all know what we need to do. Sometimes ladies, you just have to quit thinking and start doing. That's the real secret.

Feel free to visit the main www.phit-n-phat.com website for resources and tools on how to live the PNP lifestyle.

This lesson we discuss a lot on PNP...don't we? Even I had to kick my own rear this past week. Working out is NEVER a problem for me. I love it and will do it until the cows come home. Journaling my workouts is also easy. Every day I can't wait to type in my data on my spreadsheets and then I look forward to tracking my progress. I use those records the next time I workout to either increase my weight by a little, change an exercise I didn't like, or beat my reps by one or two.

What I HATE doing is tracking my food. I just don't like it. I would love to say it's too time consuming or that I eat "so good" I don't have to worry about it but it's NOT TRUE. How we look and how the weight comes off has everything to do with how much we stick to plan and then adjust when the results aren't matching up. Without journaling the food you have no idea what to change.

Most of my girls are good about keeping a journal. This month we are focused and on task to not only journal the "plans" but we are doing a weekly HONESTY thread. We discuss what really went in our mouths and didn't seem to make the journal. You see, this is where you make some progress; being dead straight with what you are doing.

First, you gotta be willing to own up to the things you are doing. It's easy to sit back and PROCLAIM nothing works for me! I work out hard, eat what you tell me, etc., and I don't see results. The first thing I say...

"Send me the last two to three weeks of daily food journals and exercise logs and let me see what's going on. If you don't have them, then track for two to three weeks honestly and then let's see what changes need to be made. We don't know if you need more or less food, more or less protein, more or less carbs, or to change your meal timing if you aren't tracking."

You know what almost always happens?

1. They track honestly for two to three weeks, feel pressured to stick to plan because I'm going to be looking at it, and start losing weight.
2. They track honestly and see that they are giving about 80% effort all the way around by missing a workout here and there and eating off their plan every three to four days. The info stares them in the face and shows what we "remember" is not always what "happened."
3. They don't track, lay low, and spend another month doing the same old stuff and making zero progress. What feels hard and dedicated can't be proved, improved upon, or fixed because they don't want to take the final step in accountability. Then they reach out again frustrated but with no information backing it up. :)

So, I took a harsh look at myself this past week. Since going to Phat Camp in mid-January I have upped the workouts, made loads of better choices, and slimmed down a tad. I said a TAD. Boo me! I have been planning my meals and half-you-know-what following the plan. This week I decided to get back to Sparkpeople and track my calories and what I am realistically eating. I also designed a menu with flexibility (my girls can find it in my journal in the forums).

The thing is that I don't eat bad. I eat very healthy but I eat an extra snack or two here and there, eat what I'm craving versus what I need, and then don't get optimal results. If I am willing to bust it in the gym why not bust in the journal and food? So, that's what I will do this week. You can follow along on Sparkpeople if you wish. My webpage is PHITNPHAT and I turned on my diary for public viewing.

How's that for accountability? Feel free to ask questions if you want about what I'm eating but ask it here!

Continuing on with my "what I learned from starting PNP" series...the next lesson is that Fat Girl Thinking (FGT) is real. It's something all of us face from time to time no matter what part of the journey we are in or how successful we are.

FGT is really about your old stinking thinking screwing around with your head convincing you that you aren't worthy of a healthy lifestyle. That fat girl says things like...

"Your genetics make you fat...why bother."

"You don't have time to exercise. You are so much busier than everyone else."

"Your family will never eat this crap."

"You can have just a little...what will it hurt? You have been working hard."

"You are too tired to get up this morning."

"You are too tired after work."

"You shouldn't spend an hour a day focused on you. Your family might fall apart without your presence."

"You have texture issues."

"Eating healthy is too expensive."

"Joining a gym costs too much money."

And so on, and so on, and so on. The list could go on forever. To hear her tell it we have every reason NOT to take care of ourselves.

But, let me ask you this. When is the last time you actually made a list of all the good things in your life? When have you made a list of all the reasons you CAN do something versus only thinking about the obstacles?

I could easily go through each statement above and give you reasons why these are cop outs. I mean, if you really look at all of it, we can go through them one by one and come up with ten ways to get around or disprove them. But, I'm not doing it today. You know why? I don't want to dwell on FGT. She has ate up most of my life. I'm 33 years old and I'm sick and tired of her fat butt poking around my head.

Today would be such an easy day for me to just fester in self-pity. It's TOM, I'm stessed, personal issues are swarming around me that I have to deal with, and I'm tired. But you know what? I'm still going to the gym, I'm still working, and I'm still eating my good, clean foods, because if I didn't learn anything last year from me and you it's this: sacrificing my health and my body image doesn't make me happy. Every single time me or one of the girls missed a workout or ate foods we know we shouldn't we never once talked about how satisfying it was and that it just fixed everything. Nope. We got on the boards and whined around throwing ourselves a pity party wondering why we can't seem to get it in gear. :)

You will never regret sacrificing a little sleep or a TV show to workout. You won't ever think about that Snicker Bar you passed up at 2:00 p.m. today when the scale shows you some love. But I promise you that if you don't start living the life you want and turning the volume down on that fat girl, you'll be sitting here miserable and 10lbs heavier this time next year.

Go out there and live the life you are MEANT to live.

For homework, I invite you to choose your favorite FGT cop out and tell us a few reasons why you CAN do it versus why you can't.

It's funny, last year I learned a lot about maintenance. I was in maintenance most of the year and a few of my clients were in maintenance...intentional or not. It's hard both physically and mentally because people start a diet with an "end" in mind. They are going to work hard, eat less, and get the weight off with the idea that one day they will hit the perfect weight and be able to eat like everyone else.

Screeeech...there are few things wrong with this picture as beautiful as it is. Let's discuss...

As soon as I hit maintenance I'll be able to eat like everyone else and relax my exercise schedule.
Yeah right. You start eating like everyone else and you'll start looking like them, too. The lifestyle you learn during your weight loss phase will not change. You'll just get to eat a little more. I eat the same foods (even better foods really) than I did while losing my weight. The big difference for me is that I went from eating around 1600 calories a day to 1900-2100 calories a day. That means I added a little more chicken, a little more oatmeal, and maybe an extra piece of fruit. On a crazy day I use more dressing than usual!

My exercise schedule when I'm not working on changing my physiqe is still five to six days a week for about 40-60 min. a day. Most people I know who work out for fun but do so to keep a nice, post-baby shape, exercise at least an hour of tough stuff four days a week. Their workout schedule usually drops by about 10 min. per session or one day a week if they were exercising aggressively.

The big mistake people make is thinking losing weight has a beginning and an end. There is no end to eating healthy and moving. We're supposed to do those things. That's how you stay in good shape. It's when you stop or don't do enough of it that you run into problems.

I want you to turn on the magic for me because I can't lose the last X amount of pounds.
This is the toughest one of all. I have lots of girls attracted to my site who already exercise a good amount four or more days a week, eat pretty good, and just need to get into their best shape. Often they will see a little improvement because my schedules are tough and different but it's not the magic bullet they envisioned. Not that I am the model of perfection, but they want to look like me without exercising and eating like me.

The thing is that when you are trying to blast off the last little bit of stubborn fat, let's say 10-20 lbs, or you are trying to reshape some of the areas of your body, you have to work it just like a girl who's looking at losing 50lbs. You may even have to work harder because your body is already used to dieting and exercising.

A lot of women come to me chronically underfed, too, for their lifestyle. We have to first re-feed for awhile just to get the body ready for some fat burning. If they are used to eating 1200 calories a day we can't cut there. We have to up those cals to a slight deficit and then wait a couple of months before we can monkey around with slowly lowering cals again.

For exercise, these women typically workout hard. They have for a long time and can't believe they may have to turn it up a notch or three! To truly lose fat you need to workout about five days a week for 60+ min. a day or six days a week for 45-60 min. a day. There might be some people who can do less but the vast majority of women need to understand that it takes a lot of dedication to eat good foods, lift weights, get your cardio in, and put in the time.

This isn't to say you can't get in better shape doing less, it's just not going to happen in dramatic fashion unless you are willing to get creative and make time for exercise.

My challenge to all of you is to look at your eating and your exercising, and then look at your goals. Do they match up? If they don't, one thing is for sure; you have to change something. It's either your goal or the way you are trying to get there. Honestly, changing either is fine. Sometimes we "think" we have a certain goal and when we evaluate our entire life we figure out that we need new goals. Looking hot is not always as important as family time, friends, and a social life. Nothing wrong with that at all. This is about lifestyles and each of us finding one we are willing to commit to...whatever that lifestyle may be.

Links on finding ways to squeeze in exercise:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/fittingitin/a/timetoexercise.htm
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blshortwkouts.htm
http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/a/10minute.htm
http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/l/aaburncalories.htm
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/hl/fitness/package/0,14343,1116702,00.html

NO! I'm going to give you the quick, down, and dirty on muscle. This is the total easy to follow version. Then I will link you to pages that give you the "scientific" talk that a lot of you are interested in reading.

1. Except during the first six weeks of lifting for a complete novice who is totally out of shape, you won't build muscle unless you are consuming more calories than you need each day. As long as you are eating in calorie deficit, doing your cardio, and lifting heavy you will NOT GET BULKY.

2. Ladies, unless you are a genetic freak or buying steroids from Barry Bonds' trainer, you don't have the chemical juice pumping in your veins to build loads of size. At best your program is going to help you be shapely once you LOSE THE FAT.

3. Building muscle is HARD WORK. I eat 140+ grams of protein DAILY, drink two gallons of water DAILY, strength train heavy (and my heavy and your heavy are probably in different categories), take a couple of supplements like creatine and Nitric Oxide to get better muscle tissue, and I am far from bulky. With all of this effort I have barely gained much muscle over the past six months. Maybe 4-5 pounds of muscle and I'm still wearing the same sizes and such.

To be honest, when you are lifting heavy and trying to lose fat you are doing two things: you are preserving muscle tissue so that you will burn as many calories as possible when you hit goal, and you are igniting your fat burning mode by taxing your body in a way cardio will never do.

Muscle is like a five year old; it never gets tired and consumes all your energy. It has high energy demands and unless you are really challenging it with sufficient amount of weights it's the first thing in your body to throw a fit! When muscle isn't challenged enough it is the first thing your body will waste away...way before those ugly fat cells you are sporting.

Fat is like Jabba The Hut. It just sits there barely doing anything, looks like crap, and is hard to move. Your body is going to hold onto fat before and above all else. That's why when you eat in a calorie deficit you HAVE to strength train heavy or you lose more muscle and the ugly fat just sits there proud as a peacock.

Women who usually experience a "bulking phase" and I say that loosely, are typically in one of these modes:

1. New to lifting. Their body is storing water and fluids excessively in response to the new stress. It can take 3-6 weeks for the body to quit overcorrecting. That's fine. Just don't weigh during these weeks and use your mirror as an indicator of success.

2. Eating like Jabba The Hut on top of lifting. Remember, eat like a five year old - you eat just enough and then it's time to play! Just because you workout doesn't mean you get a green light to eat extra. When you eat more calories than you need your body will build a little muscle and pile on some fat with it.

So, get out there and lift heavy if you want to be thin, sculpted, and tight. Here are some other links you can read to give you even more info on why women need to lift heavy.

Josh Hills Site
Weights Will Make Me Bulky
About.com Bulky Article

Here I am. My one year anniversary. Today is the day someone attempted my first workout I created. It's been a crazy year and I've enjoyed it all.

My husband asked me last night, "Well, is PNP anything like you thought it would be after your first year." I said, "HECK NO!" I honestly thought I would be lucky to have a few clients and if I got a some readers on my blog that would be fun. Over 120,000 hits later somebody must like what I have to say.

This year has taught me a lot about me, but more importantly, I have learned a lot about fat loss and exercise in general. I'd like to list my lessons learned and spend next week covering each one for you in more detail.

Lesson One: Lifting Heavy Doesn't Make You Bulky
Last year I squatted 10lb dumbbells and thought that was so much weight. This year I regularly squat 95-155lbs and my butt has gotten smaller. I did shoulder presses of 5lbs and thought I would die. I now press 20-25lbs and my shoulders are sculpted and frame my upper body rather than BARELY holding up a bra strap.

Lesson Two: What It Takes to Maintain
Most people never understand how hard it is to maintain their weight at any given size. Conversely they forget that most women to maintain their weight ONLY need to eat 1800-2200 calories a day and exercise 30-40 minutes three to five times a week. That's called maintaining your weight and that is even below the FDA recommendation of how to live healthy and keep current weight in check.

Lesson Three: Fat Girl Thinking Is REAL
It's simple: the girls I have that think they can - can. The ones who think they can't - can't. Physical change depends on your willingness to work on your mind as hard as you work on your body.

Lesson Four: You Can't Get Out of Journaling
Man, more than anything I learned that journaling is truly key to the whole fat loss journey. You MUST KNOW what you are doing, done, and going to do.

Lesson Five: Keep Your Goals In Line with What You WANT and ARE REALISTICALY WILLING TO COMMIT TO
This is huge for me. Too often we live for others, set goals that we aren't willing to achieve or able to commit to, and try to diet and exercise in a way that doesn't work for us. There are no wrong or right ways and there are no timelines. Each person needs to be seriously in line with what they want and WILL do.

I'm very proud of what I have built here. PNP really is a home for so many women now. I guess that's what makes me the most happy...that people look forward to coming into the forums, finding friends, getting support, and feeling like they finally have the encouragment and tools they need to succeed. Honestly, I couldn't ask for anything better.

Here's to another year of women losing fat, running more races, lifting heavier, eating better, and making their families proud of their accomplishments!

“When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.” ~Henry J Kaiser

I came across this today and it left me thinking two things:

1. When someone says something nice about your physical appearance, smile, say thanks, and I've been working really hard.

2. When you aren't getting the results you want, listen to what your body is saying, "Hey girl, I'm only doing what you are telling me to do."

Taking Compliments
It's so easy for us former or soon-to-be former fatties to dismiss sincere compliments. We go our entire fat life trying to blend in unnoticed, ashamed of our bodies, and convincing ourselves that we are never worthy of people's attention. Afterall, most of the attention we get is in the negative...kids teasing, people staring, etc.

When you start slimming down and looking healthy, people notice and they tell you. At first it's so uncomfortable to be noticed. It should be gratifying but it can be hard to take. You just aren't used to it and you feel as if it is undeserved. We then let our habits speak for us. We say things like...

"I don't look that good."

"I still have so much left to lose."

"Well, if only my thighs would slim down then I would believe you."

Any of that sound familiar? I am a strong believer in shut up, take your compliments with a smile, and START BELIEVING IN YOURSELF. If you keep telling others you aren't worthy...then will you ever be? Before you know it, you'll talk yourself into falling into your old behaviors. So, don't interrupt when your work is speaking for itself.

My Body is Yelling At Me!
Here we have the other side. Often our bodies are yelling at us that we aren't doing what we need to do to get fit and lose our weight. We are so busy saying...

"But I eat good most of the time."

"But I got in most of my workouts."

"I need my chocolate and it shouldn't stop me from losing weight."

I RARELY meet someone that can't get into better shape. It takes hard work. HARD WORK. Those of my girls that have the most success will never say, "you know, I just remember it being so simple." They will say, "hell yeah I've worked out when it was cold, when no one else was awake, I've ate grilled chicken until I'm clucking, and of course I get hungry. If dieting and exercising was so much fun I would have never put on weight."

The key for those who have lost listened to their bodies without throwing in the BUT's. Whe they didn't see success on the scale or in inches, they got busy asking what do I need to do and then they did it. They realized that the body will let you know how hard you are working. And, they knew it would never happen overnight. The lightbulb moment for them was realizing it's a lifelong process. Better get damn comfy with eating right and exercising because it's just the way life is supposed to be lived.

You need to listen to YOUR body. Maybe you need to quit expecting so much. Don't expect to look like Jillian Michaels when you eat like Brtiney Spears and Rosie O'Donnell. Not that Britney isn't cute (crazy maybe) but her body has taken a hit since she let her diet and exercise go to poop.

Take your time in this journey. Make the sacrifices you are willing to make, workout as hard as you are willing to workout, and be honest with yourself. Be quiet, read your journals, and decide if you give the effort that says I'm working towards my goal or I'm giving the effort that isn't going to get me there. Now you have a choice:

1. Get busy working towards your goals with the kind of effort your body needs.

2. Set new, realistic goals you are willing to do the work for.

Either way I'm here to help. I don't care if you are a slow change kind of girl or a radical lifestyle overhaul type. Not all of us take the same path to reach our goals. We just all need to be able to truly listen to what our work is telling us and then act on it.

My girls work so hard. They feel like they are charging ahead, doing things right most of the time (but they haven't journaled their food), getting in (almost) every workout, working out (pretty) hard, etc. Notice a trend here? They will come to the boards, frustrated and upset because the scale won't move or the inches aren't dropping. When I ask them what did you eat they say, "well, I haven't really journaled but I eat clean (most) of the time and KNOW I've been giving it my all."

What I immediately do is read through their posts. As I always say, "the devil is in the details." They will have little treats here and there, a missed or not-so hard workout every few days, and just a bite of this and that from the kids' plates. See, they don't remember all this when they hop up on the scales and see NADA. What they DO remember is sweating like a pig at the gym, telling their friends no they aren't going out to eat with them, and eating chicken what seems like the millionth time.

Ya'll, I'm not picking on any particular client. Hell, my WW readers do the same thing and I'VE done the same thing. This is just a typical woman who's working hard most of the time. As I just told one of my sweet girls who I know is going to read this and be like "hey, she's talking about me," if you are willing to put in 80% of the work - don't you owe it to yourself to do the last 20% and get those results???

I think that's what makes me ache for my girls the most. They want it bad. They try hard, but they let the little things stop them. It's not easy...no one ever said this would be. If it was, you certainly wouldn't join up with me because I KNOW it takes digging deep what seems like every time you eat and workout to get your goals. If it was easy we'd all be smoking hot and just sitting in the forums discussing our said hotness.

Let me share with you the most common things we all stop short on and limit our success. I promise you, I'm just as guilty and only recently got my head back into what I want for my body. Sometimes you just need that big butt kicking to get right in the head. :)

• Journaling - you HAVE to write it down. Don't say you know how much or what you are eating if you don't have it written down. I know you mommies! We don't have a memory. We lost it in childbirth and never got it back. I bet my life that 95% of you can't remember what you ate for your mid-morning snack three days ago if you didn't write it down or follow a menu. Speaking of...
• Plan your food - don't think you can just wing it with good foods in the house. You will overeat or you will grab whatever thinking it's what you need. Just write it out once a week and be done with it.
• Going through the exercise motions - how many of you leave the workout with your butt handed to you on a platter? Every set and every minute on the treadmill you don't make count is another step from your fitness goals. 
• Eating good foods - I'm not saying you have to eat clean all the time. You don't. But you do need to eat timely, you do need to eat the right amount of calories to lose weight, and you do need to give up a few treats. Have your treats but don't LIVE off your treats. To me a treat is once a day if you are the type who needs their pleasure daily. Have it, enjoy it, and get to the business of fueling your body.

It's these details that people stop short on. I hope this motivates you to fix the little things that might be holding you back from being the fittest you can be. Just ask yourself right now how bad do you want it? For my non-PNP girls, feel free to tell me in the comments. For my PNP girls, go to my Friday chat thread and tell me HOW BAD YOU WANT IT!!! Also, I want one thing you know you can do differently next week to make it happen.

In the PNP forums we've been tossing around the term "making ugly faces" when it comes to bringing it in strength training. Why do we call it ugly faces? Because when you are truly working it hard and squeezing out every last rep to burn off fat and sculpt a sexy physique you will not look beautiful doing it.

Look around your gym and take note of some of the best built men (and some of the women if you workout in a gym where women show up in the weights room). Are they usually sweating, wearing an IPod, breathing hard, needing a break between sets to not puke, and contorting their faces into some crazy shapes while working out? Do you do any of that? If not, you aren't working out. You are making a pit stop in the gym before heading home for the day.

For my forum girls, soon I will have some video clips of me kicking my own butt so you can see hard work written on my face when I strength train. That's what it takes to lose weight and make a body you are proud of. Below I'm going to describe how various moves should feel. I'm also using the most common and beneficial moves for your body. Most of you use a three set scheme. That means set one should feel challenging, set two should be adjusted with more or less weight to reach a good fatigue by the end of your reps, and set three should be your all out money set. This is where you do as many reps as you can with good form and you should either be totally struggling at the end or failing. Let me say this...there is one place in the world where failure is a good thing: the GYM!

Squats - often when you hit the wall you will feel like you can't go past a certain point or you will not be able to get back up or you will fall. This is the sign you have found the work zone. Go as deep as you can and when you know you can't do another rep you are done. I'm pretty much near vomit and sucking serious wind on my last couple of sets of squats.

Squats work your butt and your hamstring areas and these typically give out. Lunges and presses work more of your quads and you should feel that fire racing up your leg.

Lunges - burn baby. Your legs better be shaking, your breathing should be heavy if you are walking or alternating, and you will feel some burn happening.

Leg Presses - fight the good fight because a leg press will be a good one to feel the struggle of pressing heavy weight and realizing that you have hit the wall. I always know when I hit the last rep because deep down another one won't let me get the weight back up without some help!!!

Deadlifts - this is another move where you just feel like the energy is zapped out of your legs and back.This isn't an exercise you really feel burn, you just feel failure or fatigue. You should be breathing so hard with these because they use a multitude of your major muscles. I am always sucking serious wind when I finish a round of deadlifts because I'm moving some serious weight.

Lat Pulldowns or Rows - again you should feel like you can't finish the move when you hit the wall. Often my last couple or three reps I have to drop the weight because I pull the bar to me and I get about halfway and start fighting with the weight. I will struggle with it trying hard to pull it to me for at least five seconds. If the weight doesn't move in five seconds I know it's time to drop the weight down and finish out. That point is called the "sticking point." It's just like it sounds...you get stuck in the move when the muscle if fully taxed. You know what? Sometimes I even don't finish the set because if you have given it your ALL you don't need more reps.

Bench Presses - This is another "sticking" move. With presses, flyes, or push-ups you will feel that failure and stick. The move just gets to where you are sitting there trying hard to keep the weight moving.

Overhead Presses, Shoulder Raises - Ring of fire should be playing in your head especially with raises (front and lateral). I am not only fighting to keep the weight moving but I'm forcing myself to suffer the burn for a good five reps. When burn starts, the set has really only just begun.

Biceps - My bi's always fail on me. I'll be going good, then the weight suddenly starts getting harder to move like I'm moving through mud, and then I'm just stuck with the weight hanging in the middle of the move and me not able to get it up. Then I just drop the weight down and keep going until the next stick.

Triceps - Tris will burn. They are small and they will usually catch fire!

I love to crawl out of the gym feeling spent and that feeling is obtained in the weights room...not in cardio. I use cardio to top off but weights are the place you really make it happen for your body. Give it your all, feel your body working, breath hard, and make them ugly faces just like the men!!!

This week I created a whole new body weight cardio routine for my girls. Those who are doing our Blast the Fat 12 Week Challenge will have to complete it as part of cardio before the week is out. It's a humbling experience at best. :) While working this new routine out, I stumbled upon a new move that I know all of you will love. Not only will you get the how to, but I've put together a bonus ab circuit you do three times a week that will help you widdle away that middle.

When doing this circuit I would do it at the end of your strength training. It will crank up your heart rate and get you feeling like the "tough girl" in the gym. Take a 30 sec. break once you complete one rotation. Your goal is to do the circuit as many times as you can in 16 min. I have laid this out with Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced numbers.

10, 20, 30 Plank Crawls
20, 30 or, 50 total Mountain Climbers (each leg done counts as ONE)
15, 30, 45 Russian Twists
10, 15, 30 Lying Hyperextensions (Supermans)

Definitions:
Plank Crawls - You will need two paper plates or two plastic weight plates. I used two 2.5lb plates today from the Body Pump Aerobics Room. Get into plank position on your hands instead of your forearms. Place your toes (or ball of your foot) on the plates. Now, start walking your hands across the gym floor keeping your legs extended behind you and on the plates. This is a TOUGH move and will torch your abs and your arms. Nice!

Mountain Climbers

Russian Twists

Supermans

The goal is to move quickly through the routine. Don't take your time. Work on everything moving solidly and in control but not "casually".

I hope you enjoy it and can add it into your routines.

I had an interesting question posted to me in our private forums today. For one, I want to thank her for asking and being brave enough to let me rattle off how I feel about bulking up. There's nothing that drives me more crazy than women who are afraid to lift heavy AND to ride out the first six weeks of what the scale will do. Yes, ya'll, for a lot of you when you start strength training you just don't get a big hug from the scale. It MEANS NOTHING! Before I get too crazed up again...here's my post straight from the private PNP forums...

Like a few other PNP gals, including yourself, I began bulking up when I was doing the plan last month and I'd much prefer to lean down aka long lean muscles.

"OK...you are either born with long, lean muscles or you aren't. No amount of stretching, lifting, etc., is going to change your genetics.

Now for bulking up...guys...unless you are eating at least 300 cals above your maintenance level of calories YOU CANNOT PHYSICALLY BULK UP. I swear to you that you are going through one of the following:

1. Water retention the first month due to a new schedule. It can take up to six weeks before your body gets used to a new schedule. Doesn't mean you are going to gain weight every week but it might cause you to lose less or temporarily gain some water and fluids. The less you have to lose the more you will have this effect happen. The fitter you are the more it happens too. You could also be putting on a "bit" of muscle BEFORE the fat starts to burn off and that might make you feel puffy. That's OK...it comes off if you wait it out.

2. You are overestimating how hard you are working. If you want to see what type of weight it TRULY takes to press to start gaining muscle, take a look at Trish, mine, Kathleen's, or Jen's logs to start. Jen is probably one of the smallest in the group TRYING to put on muscle and she benches 70lbs. How many of you are doing that??? Ok...see what I mean. Lifting 10-15lbs on the bench press will not cause you to be a hulk.

3. You are underestimating your food on a weekly basis. I read on here too many times where people just don't understand why they aren't seeing results after working out so hard and yet when you dig through just one week of food journaling it's littered with BLT's, I did really good until (fill in the blank), and I only had X, Y, Z and that's a big improvement. Ya'll, losing fat isn't easy. If it was we WOULD ALL HAVE BEEN THIN OUR WHOLE LIVES. You want to look good you have to eat and move like that. You want some great results you gotta have the intensity in your diet and your exercise. You want average to maintaining results then do the program about half to three-quarters of the time.

That's just me being truthful with you guys. You don't need me holding your hand telling you cookies are OK. You need me chewing your ass out for complaining about not losing when you aren't giving it 100%. Everyone of you is better than cookies, candy, lattes, and whatever else your vice is. I'm not saying don't ever have these things but if you do you need to be prepared for the consequences. There's plenty of time for that junk when you are at goal.

4. You are pumping testosterone in your veins. I highly doubt that's happening because if you are going to do that you would want the big muscles. :)

When I bulked up it was because I was eating 2000 calories a day, taking muscle building supplements like creatine and N.O., and cut out my cardio to only three short easy sessions a week. :) See, what I had to do to get the weight on? I also dropped 2% body fat when the scale shot up over the past 6 months. It took me a lot of heavy lifting, less cardio, and more eating to gain the 10lbs and that happened slowly.

In the end it's going to take determination, plowing away, and working hard. PNP isn't easy. We get results because we try harder than other people. I'm not in this to just get some fat off of you and send you on your way. I want to not only get the fat off, but leave you looking better than most, healthier than most, a lifestyle that leads to a long life, and a sense of pride because you worked harder than you ever gave yourself credit for. Not everyone can handle this and that's OK, but I am never going to quit pushing you girls. You are better than the trigger foods and you are stronger in weights and in life than you know right now.

If you don't believe me, ask some of the mods and long-term girls if they are the same person they are today than they were when they started. It's a real journey physically and emotionally."

Ya'll, I am so back in this game! I can't even describe how good I feel and how everything is just clicking. When I am working out hard it's as if I can feel the body responding. It is amazing to me the satisfaction and achievement felt when you workout with everything you have and a little more.

Let's focus on intensity with those workouts. I learned at Phat Camp both years that when you think you are working hard you are probably ready to turn the heat up another notch. I always feel like I work hard but I got the wake-up call that it was time to kick my own butt into a whole different gear.

What Are the Signs of an Intense Workout?
Let's start with strength. My trainer made a great comment today that I wanted to share. "Most people stop the set when they feel the burn or mild discomfort and they are WRONG. That's where the set has begun." What does that mean exactly...

• Set one of your workout is a primer. By the end of it you should feel your muscles just starting to burn and get the blood flowing.
• Set two you need to feel it. You have a hard time finishing the set but you push through and make it even if you have to drop your weight down to get your reps out.
• Set three or your last set you need to be struggling, grunting, making ugly faces, or whatever it is you do that sends the signal you mean absolute business. Everything you have in you needs to be flushed out here.

At the burn or hard part is where you have actually tapped the muscle and started really working. The beginning reps are just part of the road trip. The burn or struggle is the exit sign telling you how far you are from getting off the interstate. The two to three reps you squeeze out of your muscles when you feel like you are about to give out is the destination point. 

The same thing can be applied to your cardio. Now, this is for my fat loss girls. Those of you training for sport specific stuff do different things but my fat loss girls...you gotta be FEELING it when you do the cardio. What I mean is huffing, puffing, the look of insanity on your face, sweat dripping, an occassional hop off the machine or pause because you think you might hurl, etc. This is a high intensity cardio session that burns fat. If that doesn't sound remotely familiar or like what you do and you aren't losing...girl, check yourself. Get in there and get busy with tougher cardio.

Today I am going to post my workout. I don't usually do it but I think seeing what I did might help you see the levels you can be working at. Now, you can certainly adjust things up or down to match your fitness level, but just make sure that you are feeling it like I was. I'll comment how I was feeling at different points.

Rest 30 seconds between each Superset (this means all three exercises are performed back-to-back before the rest then you resume with the next set until the superset is done).

Superset One:
Lat Pulldowns Wide Grip to Front - 1(set)x15(reps)x55(lbs.), 2x10x70, 1x10x55
Cable Curls - 1x15x20, 1x10x20, 1x10x20/15, 1x10x15
Crunches with weight (feet straight in air reaching 10lbs to ceiling) - 4x30
I'm feeling pretty spent already. The weight and quickness of the routine is making my muscles ache fast and my biceps are really struggling to get the weight up. My trainer has assisted me on a couple of moves to help keep the weight moving as I'm sticking in the middle. If I was by myself, I would drop the weight to finish out.

Superset Two:
Seated Cable Rows close grip - 3x12x55
Cable Curls with Rope - 1x20x12, 2x15x12
Mountain Climbers - 3x40
So midway through this I felt a little queezy. The biceps are absolutely screaming at me. Oh yeah!

Superset Three:
OH Barbell Presses to the Back - 1x15x35, 1x15x45, 2x10x55
Lateral Raises - 2x15x8, 2x15x5 Dear Lord, please help my shoulders because they are on complete fire and I'm grunting like a pig trying to get the last few reps out without my arms falling off.
Hanging Leg Raises to side - 4x10 What the hell? My arms were giving out suspending my butt in the air. Sets three and four took all I had in me to stay suspended. My arms are fried at this point.

Superset Four:
Upright Rows - 1x10x45, 1x10x45 with help, 1x8x45 I have asked for my arms to be removed and placed on a shelf.
Hammer Crossovers - 3x10x5
Butt Raises with two second bottom hold - 3x10

At this point I have done the workout in 42 minutes, my arms are on complete fire, my shoulders and upper back are wore out and it's time to start cardio.

Stairmaster: 25 min. All I did was bounce between a level 12 (of 20 - slightly less than a jog on the stairs) for recovery and a level 15-16 where I had to jog on the stairmaster to keep from banging the bottom. Most of the time I did a 1 min. fast/1 min. recovery session. Towards the end I switched to fast as long as possible, recover for 30 seconds and again until my time ran out. In 25 min. I burned 270 calories. Not bad. I got off the machine, doubled over, got my breath and queeziness recovered, cleaned the machine, and walked gingerly down the stairs to come home.

Now you know how to kick it up in the exercise room PNP style!

Awhile back I wrote an article on the Splurge Meal or what my girls and I call the "Metabolic Boost" (MB) meal. We renamed it because splurge or cheat meal both made it sound like the "you should feel guilty meal".MB sounds like it is OK and can do you some good. Now, in the blog Dr. John Berardi says that meal can't boost the metabolism. I'm not going to question him on that as there is much debate on both sides of that issue. Today I'm just going to focus on ways to deal with the psychological side of this meal for people who are trying to lose weight.

Before we get into it, read this post so you are familiar with the whole idea of this meal and who should take one. Splurge Meal.

You are going to be one of two people: you must have a meal each week that gives you a break or you are afraid of that meal because you aren't confident in your lifestyle.

Those of you who need the MB I say absolutely go for it when you deserve it. This means you have done all your workouts for the week and you have been eating on plan. We all know when we have done the right things for the week...we worked out hard, we kept our calories in check, we didn't have BLT's, and we made good choices. It doesn't matter to me if you are in weight loss mode or at goal; the MB for some people is what keeps them on target.

Unfortunately, A LOT OF US get upset with the MB. It's simply a cheat meal and we feel guilty for taking it. We fear we won't get back on track. Even I sometimes get whacked out about what I eat. Here's what I suggest:

1. If you can't handle it emotionally don't do it. There is nothing wrong with steering clear of your demons. Sometimes you need to just go cold turkey for awhile before you test the waters of "crap" food. Let me tell you, when you haven't had Italian, pizza, or Mexican in awhile...crap food is going to be a good description. Don't go nuts the first time out.

2. Eat your meal early in the day. I have a tougher time with my MB when I eat it at night. I don't sleep as well with all the food on my tummy. Having it at lunch gives me time to let if digest before going to bed.

3. Do a bunch of cardio. You heard me. There is nothing wrong with putting in the extra time to burn off a part of a good meal. It's not punishment; it's insurance and it will mentally make you feel better. Most really fit people (like the girls at Phat Camp) are going to work out harder when they have eaten things they normally don't. This doesn't mean you can eat extra food or junk everyday and kill yourself in the gym to make up for it. Honey, it doesn't work that way. What I'm saying is that you will probably feel better about taking that meal if you pump out some awesome cardio. 

Most weeks I take my meal. I take it with my husband over lunch and I have a burger with fries splitting dessert. Later that night I go to kickboxing or hit the cardio room for 45 min.of solid work. I go to bed feeling good, digested, and satisfied for another week.

When I went to Jen Hendershot's Phat Camp last year it changed my life. I learned a lot about exercise, but I really learned how intense you need to workout to get results. I couldn't do one push-up off my knees, bearcrawls KILLED my hands, I had to lift the lightest weights, and leg day...let's just say for a couple of days I didn't walk very well.

Over the year since then I worked those lessons into my program and my girls programs and we have made huge strides in strength and fitness. We've lost weight and just kicked it in the gym. At this Phat Camp, I never once did a push up that wasn't on my toes, I pushed and bearcrawled my way around like I had done it all my life, and I realized that while that scale isn't showing the love, MY BODY IS. I am SO MUCH STRONGER THIS YEAR!!!

This Phat Camp, though, was totally different for me in another way. I went in pretty confused and down about a lot of things. I was letting Fat Girl Thinking absolutely consume me. I needed some answers and I needed to hear it loud and clear because I was driving myself crazy.

What I learned this weekend is that my appearance is as important to me as my health is. Selfish as it is, how I look is what drives me to work hard. I'd love to be the kind of person who gets excited just knowing she did a good job. That's not me. Not yet, anyway. Lisa (my girlfriend who went with me) said something to me last night I will never forget and it just made the whole trip click in my head.

We were talking and I said, "You know, I'm going to go ahead and start leaning down and get off some of this fat I've put on while adding muscle. I don't like the way I look and feel right now. It messes with my mind and makes me not enjoy what I'm doing. Besides, I have a trip to Vegas in March. I like looking hot and not like a puff ball. If I want to enjoy that vacation I need to be looking my best and I have just enough time to do it if I get busy this week. So what if I don't get as muscular because I trim down sooner versus later. At least I'll be happy and it's not like I'm losing my muscles. I'm just maintaing all that I got and it's not too shabby!"

She looked at me and said, "Corinne. I think you should do it. There's nothing wrong with you wanting to look your best and be in the spotlight. You spent plenty of years in your childhood and adult life hiding from attention or not getting it. You deserve to have it now and shouldn't be ashamed because you want to feel beautiful." That was all I needed to hear. She made me feel so good and validated that I shouldn't be ashamed for being "petty about my looks."

So, PNP Girls...you think we are working hard? The Queen is back in YOUR GAME for awhile. I'm going to show you girls how to kick it heavy, furiously, and WITH NO EXCUSES. Make sure you are checking my journal because you'll notice my workouts are going to be an amp'd up version of what you guys are doing. I know my Blast the Fat Challengers are shaking just a little in their boots wodering how much more intense could I get considering the schedule they did last week! LOL. And, girls, I REALLY encourage you to think about coming to Nashville for Phat Camp here. I'd love to take a bunch of you with me so you can experience this weekend. Check the newsletter and the forums for info on our PNP events calendar. Nashville PC is on there.

For my blog followers, the next few weeks I'm going to try to bring you on the motivational ride. I'll try my hardest to cover tips, techniques, routines, and whatever else I can to get you going in the right direction too. Together this is going to be an exciting few weeks and I can't wait to share my successes with you. Ya'll let me know what you need to know, too, that will help you down this fat loss journey!!!

Trish wrote an excellent blog on this topic and just in case you don't receive her blog, check it out. A lot of us are making comments about it, too, so feel free to jump in the discussion.

I'll be back on Monday loaded with new knowledge and ready to go! Think of me as I bearcrawl and pop squat my way to extreme soreness. :)

http://phit-n-phat.com/blogs/phit_cuisine/default.aspx

Have a great weekend!

I'm still having a tough time but I'm definitely doing better today. For one, I appreciate everyone listening to me. It's very easy to sit here high on the throne day in and day out handing out advice but it's HARD to apply said knowledge to your own life every single moment. I would be a fraud if I told you guys that I have risen above tough days, emotions, irrational thoughts, etc. Not being a fraud and someone who isn't real are the two things I hold with pride so I do appreciate you letting even the Queen of PNP have rotten days. It means a lot.

This weekend I'm heading to Phat Camp with Jen Hendershot. Last year this camp made such an impression on me. It inspired me to be the person I am with all of you. The camp showed me that women can work hard, that they can achieve the things they want, and that we are more than the scale tells us.

I promis