:: Day 6 - Summary ::

Workout:
I starteed my kb workout at 1:25pm and thought I may be able to hit 60 mins. By the time I got to 45 mins, I was dying and I stopped. Like Joe said, one step at a time.
45s double swings 26lb
45s rest
45s single sings 18lb
45s rest
45s snatch 18lb (Joe, I watched some videos and self-taught! Need you to review it though!)
45s rest
I did three sets of this but increased work to 60s, and for the final set, increased the rest to 60 s rest. I cannot wait to acquire a HRM so i can accurately calculate calories burnt. In this msn article, it states that one can actually burn 1500 calories in a one hour workout, crazy huh? This is an awesome article about the benefits of kettlebell, specially for women. :) I feel really proud of myself.

Wonder what I use to keep track of the time? I downloaded an interval timer just for the mac, and i thought it worked wonderfullly! and its free!



Breakfast: 320 cal
1/2 cup oatmeal in organic chicken broth w/ egg white n bovril 200 cal
2 egg whites with 1 egg yolk 120 cal
I love bovril ... it reminds me of England, my mother and just all-round goodness. Yum.

Pre-workout Snack:
1/2 cup of strawberry smoothie 80 cal
1/2 strawberry bar 70 cal

Lunch: 345 cal
Tofu (180), 8 oz black cod(160) and Egg (180) Casserole = 520 + 30(seasonings)= 550cal/2 servings = 275 cal
Skinny Cow = 140/split = 70 cal

Snack:
1 slice of flaxseed bread, minute smear of pb and jam 120 cal

Dinner: 440 cal
Tofu Fish Casserole 225 cal
small portion of green beans 75 cal
1/2 strawberry bar, dallop of low fat yogurt sprinkled with cereal 140 cal


Total calorie intake: 1375 cal
Calories needed for extreme weight loss: 1440 cal
Read more...

:: Day 5 - Summary ::

Workout:
- 1 hour bootcamp including a 30-min endurance run.
- Possible kb workout at night to work off yesterday's extra calories
Feeling gggrreeattt and flushed after the run!


Pre-workout:
1/4 Banana

Breakfast:
1/4 cup oatmeal with blueberries 200 cal
2 egg whites with 1 egg yolk


Lunch:
Boiled vegetables, fish cakes on organic soba 350 cal


Snack:
3/4 banana 110 cal

Dinner: CHALLENGE2!!!
We are having dinner tonight at Gochi with Jen + her man. GOod thing they serve "tapas". I just need to go slow and easy. Once again, I've created a calorie deficit so i can eat more! [update]I decided to make this my "cheat" meal so I didnt count any calories and ate what I wanted. I noticed that I didnt get any seconds, except for the salad, so i'm pretty sure I ate less than my usual amount. :) Rice never tasted this good.

Total Calorie intake: 660 + (Dinner = 780 max) cal
Recommended calorie intake for extreme weight loss: 1440 cal
Read more...

:: on target! ::

I resisted the urge to weigh myself all week and finally did it today. Yes! i lost 2 pounds and that officially puts me under 200 lbs! :D Only more motivation to work harder to see even more results. Best of all, I'm feeling good! And i've noticed my posture has improved dramatically, just from a few days of kb! yay!

p.s. i know weight can fluctuate randomly but please dont rain on my parade right now!
Read more...

:: chocolate ::

Guess what, I had chocolate today... at the dentist! it was the only flavor left for buffing my teeth so I have gotten a dose of chocolate! Thankfully, it wasnt to-die-for chocolate. I find it ironic that a dentist would offer chocolate as a flavor...
Read more...

:: Day 4 - Summary ::

Workout: 20 mins kb
I did 1 minute sets of double swings (18lb), single swings (18lb) and double swings (26lb) with 1 minute rest in between. Not bad! I can pull of the 26lb! I finally got what Joe was saying that its easier to swing a heavier weight because you are not "lifting" it - the heavier it is, the faster it accelerates because of increased mass and the more your body has to keep up with the natural flow. I like the concept!
===

Best part about kb - It's low in term of overhead. I realized I didnt really have a good chunk of time to exercise today so i took a 20 min break during lunch to swing. It was perfect. :) Now, off to the dentist.

Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal with blueberries 280 cal
2 egg whites with 1 egg yolk


Snack:
1 banana 110 cal

Lunch:
Boiled vegetables, fish cakes on organic soba 350


Afternoon snack:
1 kashi granola bar 120 cal

Dinner:
== CHALLENGE ==
There is MSG BBQ at our home today, I really need to figure out how to keep it under 550 calories. I created a bit of a deficit because I knew there was going to be a big dinner tonight. [update] Think I had about 650 cals. I was very good with not to get seconds and very small bite portions and for anything "bad", i made sure i shared it with mikee :P. At the end it was those fantastic bread sticks that pushed me over the edge! argh.

Total calorie intake: 840 + (650) = 1490
Recommended calories for extreme weight loss: 1440
Read more...

:: cheaters never prosper ::

One of the rules of our bootcamp is "Don't cheat, you're only cheating yourself".

That rule has been resonating with me for the past 72 hours. I've been a cheater for a long time... I have made up reasons why I should be eating chocolate, i've eaten candy in hiding because for some reason it wouldnt hit my hips that way, I'd do 11 reps instead of 12 because it is close enough... etc etc. This is no rocket-surgery, but I've only been cheating myself!!! As I toil through the workouts, I now push myself to give my very best for every lift, every crunch, every run - and it may not be the best i can be, but i'm not giving anything less than what i have to give. Same with dieting, I'd eat what i have to, I'll eat when i'm hungry but i'm not going to cheat myself on what i eat.

Funny enough the same rule can be applied to my faith. Just because I sin in secret, doesnt mean nobody sees me. :)
Read more...

:: cooking yummy... for others ::

I'm not eating like a hamster! I still make delicious albeit healthy food! Today I had the task of making some easy meals for my coworker who just had a baby. I decided to make the thai chicken pepper cups and pineapple cups. I cut down on the brown sugar and the oyster sauce but it still tasted really good. I mixed the white rice with the brown rice so she would have a little better nutrition. The rice isnt really inline with my carbs so I skipped it for myself. But I reused the chicken mixture for my shirataki noodles and viola, lunch! :)
Read more...

:: Day 3 - Summary ::

6am workout: Bootcamp, weight interval training

Pre-workout
1/2 banana 55 cal
1/2 Kashi 60 cal

Breakfast
1/2 cup oatmeal with flaxseed 200 cal
Blueberries,1 strawberries 90 cal
2 half boiled eggs, 1 egg yolk removed 120 cal


Lunch
Shirataki tofu noodles with basil chicken 200 cal
fishcakes on the side 50 cal


Snack
1/2 banana 55 cal
1/2 kashi 60 cal
1 cup cereal 120 cal

Dinner
Shirataki tofu noodles with fish cakes and beansprouts 200 cal
stirfry vegetables 150 cal
1/2 cup of cereal + dallop of greek yogurt 100 cal

Total calories: 1445 cal
Calories needed for extreme weight loss: 1440 cal

The shirataki noodles are amazing.. 20 calories only?? I couldnt believe it, and its hecka yummy too! But the down side is that its $1.99 per packet.

Read more...

:: of kettlebells and hunger pangs ::

I am wasting no time. I learnt the basic kettlebell (kb) move today at 11am. I picked up my very first 18 lb kb at 5pm. I trained myself at 9pm.

It's soooo intense but I love it. Gets my heart rate up there like crazy and it feels tight! cant wait to get good at it!

Exhausted after 25 mins of kb, but still able to smile.

===

Some friends have asked me if I'm always feeling hungry now that i'm on a 'diet'. I honestly thought I would be, but I'm actually not. I seriously think it is psychological though - telling myself to adhere to the rules of the game. Ok it's not all mental, i do eat a good 1400 calories 6x a day and I go to bed not feeling hungry. While I was at the spa with the girls today, I snuck in some homemade lemonade but i diluted it with half water and it still tasted yummy. I'm not going to deprive myself of _everything_ but I'll be good. After the spa, we went to cocola and they each bought some dessert. I was actually able to LOOK at all the desserts and not buy any. I honestly didnt feel hungry but I was mentally willing myself to behave. Boy, am I proud of myself. Have I ever said no to dessert???

I know, I know. It's only Day 2, i'm going to relapse right? At least I'm off to a good start and I've got this blog to keep me honest. :)
Read more...

:: Day 2 - Summary ::

Workout: Kettlebell training with Joe Sarti. updated: I LOVE Kettlebell!!! It's a kickass workout! I'm buying my own kettlebells today!


Breakfast:
1/2 cup oatmeal with flaxseed 200 calories
1/2 banana 55 calories
2 half boiled eggs, 1 egg yolk removed 120 calories


Mid Morning snack:
1/2 banana 55 calories

Lunch:
Tofu Steak + boiled chinese vegetables 350 calories


Mid Afternoon snack:
Kashi granola bar 120 calories
Orange 69 calories

Dinner:
Tofu Steak + boiled chinese vegetables 350 calories
1 cup of blueberries 83 calories

Total Calorie intake: 1402 calories
Recommended Calories4 extreme weight loss: 1440 calories
Read more...

:: Day 1 - Summary ::

Workout: 1 hour at bootcamp (Interval training)

1 cup oatmeal with blueberries 300
2 egg whites with 1 egg yolk
soy sauce


kashi granola bar 120

5 oz chicken breast 300
boiled chinese vegetables


kashi granola bar 120

2 tofu steaks 400
soy sauce, oyster sauce
boiled chinese vegetables
1 cup of blueberries
1/4 cup soy milk


TOTAL CALORIE INTAKE 1240
Recommended Calories for extreme weight loss: 1440
Mood: Feeling really good. God my period but havent felt like eating chocolate yet. And if I did, I would have to fight it big time.
Read more...

:: guide to calorie counting ::

I'm not a calorie nazi but here's a easy way to guestimate what 300-calorie meals should look like.
Read more...

:: official weigh-in ::

OHMIGOSH I AM SO FAT!! I've never been this heavy in my life ever before. Ok, this biggest loser is really coming at a good time in my life.

I almost did not want to post my weight because its sooo embarassing but i've decided that it's for the better that i put it out there. So would you believe it?

I am 200 lbs even!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that i know my weight, my goal is to be at 140-150lbs and maintain it. It's not somethign i'll achieve in 10 weeks but thats my 2008 goal.

BAWWWWWWLLLLLLLLL. Ok the weigh-in itself is the biggest motivation - this madness is going to stop.

The official weigh-in picture:

Read more...

:: Day 1 ::

I haven't actually weighed in yet but I am starting my plan nonetheless. Exercise at least 5-6 times a week with focus on kettlebell training.

As for dieting, I read up on various fads and trends but I've decided to do it the old fashion way - calorie counting. This is better for me because hopefully ultimately i can incorporate this into my lifestyle to maintain my ideal weight.

So the idea is expend alot more calories than normal (exercise) and eat less calories than normal (less in quantity, less sugar, less fat, less carbs) thereby resulting in weight loss. The concept itself is super easy - all i need is discipline and i have to keep my eye on the prize!

6-7am Bootcamp at Lick Mill Park with haoaboutfitness.com (I almost blacked out at one point during the workout probably because i didnt have enough to eat..)

7-8am Breakfast: 1 cup of oatmeal wih blueberries, 2 softboiled eggs with 1 egg yolk removed. (250 calories estimated)


12pm Lunch: Boiled chinese vegetables with 1/3 chicken breast grilled (300 calories estimated)


3pm snack: Kashi granola bar snack (100 calories)

6pm Dinner: Boiled chinese vegetables, grilled tofu with teriyaki sauce (400 calories estimated)

Total Calories consumed: 250+300+100+400 = 1050
Calories required: 1440 for extreme weight loss (exercise 5x a week(
Note to self: i need more calories tmrw.

Can't wait to tell you how hungry/full I will be today!
Read more...