Thank you. Have added bench press + flys to the routine. Will try it out again this evening.

Ha ha .. no way. Not until I'm 110 lbs and ripped

---

Added on April 30, 2007, 12:01 pmI just read this ...

"Measure your waist without holding the tape too tightly (or too loosely). As a rough guide, your waist is the narrowest part of your trunk, or approximately 1 inch above your belly button."

So it's not the belly button?

This post has been edited by kirakracus: Apr 30 2007, 12:01 PM

Okay .. waist is not belly button. Got it It's still around 31.8" - 32" though .. and since I didn't measure it there before .. not sure if there's progress.

Thinking of doing HIIT - 8 - 12 minutes per day. Does it actually work? Since I have a whole issue with "not counting" if it's not hard/tough/enough .. then will this be good for me? It's recommended that you just spend one day doing HIIT (nothing else), then a full body strength the next day .. and keep alternating.

Workouts - since I have not updated here .. have been consistent with full body strength (it really kicks my butt, really love it) .. cardio not so - and I really really need the cardio for all the fat.

Diet - i'm sorta going into dangerous territory (forget to eat, don't feel like eating). I do eat but maybe the calories are pretty low (800 - 1,200 cals max) and definitely not eating good/recommended food. For example from morning to 6pm .. i only eat .. 3 slices of bread (multi-grain .. so not too bad), coffee 2x on some days, a Tic Tac or two. Dinner is sometimes whatever is prepared (smaller portion of course) or if I work out (and don't eat with them) .. I eat even less. Snacking on a lot of seaweed though .. it is high in sodium content (right?) but i doubt I eat as much as I think (tastebuds sort of start screaming after the 4th piece me thinks).

Yup I know .. it's a major issue I have to get over.

Hmm .. I did it exactly 1" above the belly button as per the directions/info I got from the site. Maybe need to re-measure again!

---

Added on May 7, 2007, 11:00 amHave to take a break from all this for about 1 to 2 weeks - still working out but only full-body strength (no cardio at all .. although planning on doing better this week).

My mom hasn't been well (nothing serious) but took care of her on my days off last week. Then I got sick .. and am on this hellish antibiotics which give me super gastric pangs (like bending over double in pain) .. so I have to eat every 2 hours. I am still eating well - grabbing a slice of (multi-grain, nothing on it) bread instead of eating a meal (every 2 hours!!!) but it's still eating more than I normally do.

My weight is still surprisingly 164.2, I feel more toned but maybe I just think I do .. because well, 160s certainly is no 120s right. Hope to breach below 160 in the next week or two.

This post has been edited by kirakracus: May 7 2007, 11:00 AM

Clothing fits so good but then right now I want to focus on numbers. Diet I thought was too much .. but then eating more is maybe helping. I know I shouldn't be weighing every day but now I am used to it. Plus the numbers have been going down so that's always great! Into 163s already - 163.6.

Yesterday tried out a semi-HIIT workout. I say "semi" as I'm not sure whether I 100% pushed myself but I was so wiped out in those 12 minutes in comparison to the 40+ minute cardio stuff I did in the first few weeks.

+ Jumping rope (30+ seconds)
+ jogging/walking (working in some moving lunges up an incline with med ball, knee ups, whatever random movements)
+ 5 min cool down after

Total time 17 min only, which doesn't feel or seem like much but I'll try pushing through and just doing this for the week.

M,W,F - HIIT
T,T,S - FB Strength
S - "fun" workout (DVD) & long walk

Are there any benefits at all to re-starting my gym membership - lifetime membership @ Fitness Network, Centrepoint .. but only go on weekends - which is maybe 8x a month total (if I do go on both Sat/Sun)? Maybe take part in the classes, do more cardio .. and spend a solid 2 - 3 hours there.

It's strange how I'm losing a few lbs. this week - maybe because it's just after the monthly "bloat". This morning I started hitting 162 already (162.4!) - and i have no reason to doubt it as the previous evening it went down to 162.2. [Note - I am eating a little more than previously in fact so it's cool and not cause i'm just empty]

Amped up the full bod strength routine with heavier weights starting yesterday. It wiped me out completely but I love how I feel stronger. My shoulders are showing great definition (no collarbones sticking out yet ..) but that's the only noticeable difference I can see in the mirror.

With 10 lbs down in almost 2 months (which is safe right?) .. I think I'll reward myself with an Ipod Shuffle. I love the 2nd gen ones because they'll be great for running - clip-on and flash-based. Super!

It's weird but you know at this point .. I finally think that I can *actually* do it. Do it as in reach my ultimate goal/lowest weight - 110 - 120 lbs. It's hard to explain how motivated or completely amped I feel at the moment .. but .. love how it feels!

Thanks, SydG .. will keep at it. And yup .. the mind is such a huge part of it.

Now I'm actually contemplating getting the full Nike+ package - but it's going to cost a bomb! I don't even have a Nano yet. Maybe that would be totally unnecessary since you know it's not like I'm a hardcore runner (not yet! but i plan to be one day).

Shuffles are just sooo cute. If I do get one instead of a Nano .. I'm so getting a pink one - and i don't usually get pink anything .. ha ha.

About iPod Shuffle vs. Nano ... think I'll stagger the rewards. Those 20 lbs. will come off in 4 - 6 months so there's time to see how I've stuck to the routine, do I run more etc.

Never quite thought about rewards at these milestones before .. so can't come up with anything else at the moment.

10 lbs - iPod Shuffle
20 lbs - ?
30 lbs - Workout clothing
40 lbs - iPod Nano (Nike + etc)
50 lbs - Wardrobe revamp + trip (bikini milestone)

This post has been edited by kirakracus: May 9 2007, 03:27 PM

Sports bras. Where to get good ones? I don't wear them by itself like most people @ the gym, but under t-shirts since i don't think anyone want to see all my excess flesh I have a few ones from Reebok but I usually wear a bra and then the sports bra on top - or I use two.

Okay at 30 lbs will get new workout clothing as reward. 50 lbs. will definitely be a whole new wardrobe!

Pushed myself a little too much yesterday .. and made myself really .. woozy all evening. Not so well anyways and stressed out (had like 1.5-2 hours sleep that day).

Jogged a lot, with some sprints uphill. Came back after 30 minutes and did jump rope even though was feeling off already after stopping. Jump rope I'll just call it training since i stumble after 50 rotations - about 30 seconds, but yesterday I didn't give myself much recovery time in between (which was stupid on top of everything) .. maybe 30 seconds max. Definitely did it for at least 10 minutes when you know logically one should not do HIIT after cardio. Then I bent over to pick some leaves .. and voila, almost blacked out. Rest of the evening was spent feeling really light-headed and freaking out (silently of course).

The absolute funniest thing was that I was worried that if I passed out right then .... it means I won't be able to work out tomorrow. Getting a bit obsessed I guess.

May regret this later but .. well, here we go .. progress picture!

Side-by-side
[attachmentid=229820]

Late Dec 06 (172+) versus 11 May 07 (162 - 163)

Notice a difference in my upper arms - shoulders, mid-section quite a bit. My collarbones (clavicle) are surprisingly starting to show up in the pictures I just took. Very cool!

Major work still to be done
- Thighs (serious work)
- Upper Arms (from behind - triceps)
- Back (above the bra line)
- Mid-section (but pretty okay with how it's progressing)

This post has been edited by kirakracus: May 14 2007, 08:50 AM

Not that sexy lah .. everything covered up!

Progress pics must wear the same bikini I think .. you know to see how it fits and all that. Plus I only have two - never worn them in public EVER so that's sort of been a goal of mine .. to finally be okay enough to wear them out.

Thanks! Glad to see that I'm not just thinking my clothes feel better Feeling very motivated these past coupla days .. woohoo

lol .. thanks carlsuen

I'll try full squats in the future - is it okay if I start without much weights first?

Thanks shadowjass Still a long way to go but at least finally I can see that I can/will get there!

Just an update ..

Think I hurt my left arm last week. It has symptoms of tennis elbow from what I can gauge so I have to rest it. Today is the 2nd day with it and it has not gone away. I have to cut back my strength training - or not lift at all. Not sure what to do.

The flipside is that because of this .. I got an iPod Nano and the Nike + kit and shoes .. so will be doing loads of running.

Thanks for the tip. So that means .. I can still do stuff with the arm and not just do a complete 100% rest? I'm just afraid it'll be permanent i.e. aggravate the tendons past a certain point.

Have to take a major break. It seems it is spreading towards my whole left side - my knee cap (back of thigh, calves hurt from time to time) and elbow (upper arm, forearm). The pain comes & goes whenever it feels like it .. though today there's more pain in the legs. No swelling though - so possibly not caused by over-exertion.

I'm guessing it's because of those antibiotics last week - final course on Friday evening .. and the pain started on Thurs-Fri, knee on Sat-Sun. Augmentin seems to give loads of side effects (like those gastric pains all last week) and it seems "joint pain" can show up even after a few weeks afterwards.

Later today finally getting some anti-inflammatory meds so hopefully this will help clear all this nonsense soon.

Edit @ Tue - Ibuprofen helped a lot, pain mostly gone but will give weights a rest until end of week. Will try treadmill work this evening, especially since I've got to start getting consistent for the Nike+ challenge.

This post has been edited by kirakracus: May 15 2007, 01:38 PM

Hmm .. I always say I'll "take a break" but then when I feel a tad better .. poof, back at it going full tilt.

Absolutely enjoying Nike+. Totally motivating and keep breaking my "personal best" for stuff - although I pretty much suck compared to everyone else.

Trying to work out every day on the treadmill for this week, 2 days in only but really love pushing myself.

Arm was better after taking Ibuprofen 1x. Should have gotten it earlier!