NANCY and LAURA Re: / Starting P90!

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I have my mini-weight-loss goals listed on my weigh-in that I post once a week. If you noticed I have a goal of losing 5% of my starting weight then 10% etc... until I reach my goal weight range. Jen nancydewolf wrote: Thanks ! I'm glad someone read my entire novel! :-) I write mostly for my own thinking process sometimes I think, that post being one of them, but I really appreciate feedback on my thoughts too. Yes, this is my first big rotation. I've kind of sort of attempted others but not very successfully for various reasons. This one I've got all the videos and the interest so that should make it easier to stick with it. I'm concerned about the variety too, even though Tony entertains me, after 3 days a week for however many weeks of the same 2 videos... well, we'll see. It will be very fun to encourage each other especially when we're getting bored or frustrated. I think committing to only 1 month instead of 3 is WAY more manageable for me. If I like the first month then I would definitely commit to a 2nd but I have to get

through the first one! I laughed about the Most Improved Award! How fun, thank you very much!! I do feel like I worked extremely hard during 2007 and I am really proud of my progress. Exercise/fitness is finally an important part of my life in practice, not just words. :-) I'm not getting rid of my 's! I agree there is definitely a place for them in my exercise life. Hers are the workouts I can always go to when I don't feel much like working out or am just out of it and can't handle anything even slightly complicated but just gotta do something. It is kind of like home... you can always find your place there! I worked so hard to get to my goal weight and am finally good at maintaining it.

Exercise is such a huge help too. I've been at or below my WW goal weight since May 2006 and at my present weight since October 2006. I struggled though for many, many years (ever since I was a kid!!) and some days it is still a struggle. It took me 8 months to lose 25 pounds (to get where I am now) because I wasn't exercising and because I really wasn't eating right even though I was eating smaller portions. There's nothing wrong with that, it is a healthy loss but slow (average and healthy is 1/2 - 2 pounds per week... I was definitely closer to the 1/2 pound mark than the 2). I tell people that it was okay to take that long because it gave me more time to practice the habits that I need to keep it off! You know what really helped me though especially (with exercise too) and many of my WW members say the same thing... focusing on just a few pounds at a time. You say you've got at least 40 pounds to lose. That can seem like a huge and impossible number.

Focus on a much smaller goal, maybe 5 or less (seriously!). Celebrate big time (without food preferably) when you reach that goal and then set another one. Baby steps add up to huge accomplishments and they are so much more easily attainable. The confidence you build by making even very small goals reality builds too and that adds on to your overall ability to make your larger goals happen and to sustain the progress you make. That's how I worked up to where I was at as of the end of 2007 with exercise and where I'm headed as 2008 begins. I FINALLY learned to take babysteps, to be patient with myself and to allow myself time to make things happen toward my goal of being fit and healthy instead of rushing into it in a huge show, making myself exhausted, sore and frustrated and unlikely to work out again for months, which is what I did over and over

again for years. I abandoned the idea of myself as an "athlete" and realized I was a "former" athlete who did not have the stamina or conditioning to be able to do the kinds of things I could 20 years ago when I exercised regularly. In the past, when that information would come to my mind I'd push it away in a fit of ego. I FINALLY gave that up and decided I did want to make a fit me part of my current status and not just rely on memories of myself. It was HUGE to push away the ego and the excuses and just say, I am at a healthy weight but I'm still not really healthy and I'm definitely not fit nor do I really look fit and I want to admit that AND take the necessary (baby) steps to make get to where I want to be (so I can say I am fit and healthy and athletic and know I'm telling myself the truth!). I don't know if ANY of this applies to your situation, I just know that getting really honest with myself made a huge difference for me. I would have continued

to spin my wheels had I not admitted I was not the swimming/walking/hiking athlete I was in college AND especially allowing myself to get back (or beyond) that person SLOWLY (that it wasn't any more impressive or worthy to be her overnight than it was to make it happen over many months). YOU and many others here have encouraged me and supported me, cheered me and sympathized with frustration with me. The support of this group and you, our chief cheerleader, has been hugely helpful to me, beyond words really. You can make your goals happen too and you can bet you'll have me (and so many others) with you all the way too!! I don't know what is standing in your way, I don't know what you need but I do know I hope you come to figure it out and that you go for it, throwing down the things in your head (that's where they were with me, it wasn't anyone else's "fault") that keep you from getting where you want to be and moving forward in ways you never thought you

could. I (and I know many others) will be sitting back saying, "We knew you could!!!" Make 2008 an awesome year, 5 pounds, maybe 1 pound (maybe 1/2 a pound) at a time! Lots of tired New Year's hugs, I'm finally turning off the computer and going to sleep (I get tired I run at the mouth or fingers in this case), / Starting P90! , I had fun reading this post. This is your first big rotation too, right? I've never done anything longer than a theme week, so it will be fun for me to see how you do with sticking to something longer. Let's help support each other, k? I like variety a lot so staying with Slim Series workouts might get to be laborious for me. Hopefully I'll enjoy the doms to see past any seemingly boring and repetitious exercises. I see that she does the same ones or variants thereof in most her videos. Tony is much better imo in making them all stand apart and remain unique.I like reading how

you progress from the first time doing Sweat 1-2 and how it went the second time and how you're going to move up. You have come so far in this past year I think you should definitely get the Most Improved award for '08! is good to do on days when you're really low in spirit or are getting over a cold (for me) but you had definitely graduated from her I think. I'm so envious you are at your goal weight, ! That's so awesome! I need to lose like 40 more ate least! Hugs,menancydewolf <nancydewolfsbcglobal (DOT) net> wrote: After we got up this morning, my DH took pictures of me in my workout clothes both from the front and side and took measurements of my thighs, calves, arms, chest, waist and hips. The good thing is the measurements weren't

scary but I'm purposely not weighing myself until my regular weigh in day (Friday) because we had our last family Christmas yesterday and celebrated my step-brother-in-laws 40th so I did eat well! I'm using last Friday's weight as my starting weight. I need to find the last time I had him measure me (for a website that gives you advice about clothes to buy based on your body style, www.missussmartypants.com). That was a few years ago, pre-weight loss and pre-exercise. I hope I kept those. After that, I went right to sweat: cardio 1-2! This time (2nd time doing it) I knew what to expect and went through the entire power yoga and intense cardio without stopping. I had to do some lower intensity work to stick with it sometimes but most of the time I was doing what Tony and the kids were doing. My heart

rate was still up there after the 30 second water break before the kickboxing but the kickboxing is not very intense (even though I really try to put my whole body into it) so it came down a lot during that but I still felt like I was working and burning calories. I didn't use my new HRM because I still need to set it. I finished reading the manual and am going to set my specifications in it tonight and set up the Polar Own Zone training zone tomorrow morning before my workout then use it for that workout. My DH asked me what my goals were for this rotation, given that I don't need to lose weight and I'm reasonably toned and don't want to build a lot of muscle so I had to think about it before I answered. He especially wondered what I expected to happen with my measurements. I've decided I do want to tone more, especially my thighs and my arms can use more work and I can

always stand to flatten my abs a bit more (I don't have a lot of fat there but that's where I gain weight first, there and my hips and butt) and especially strengthen my core. I don't expect the measurements to change significantly (but then again I've never done anything like this so we'll see what happens) but some tightening would still be nice. I don't have a numerical goal though because I'm comfortable with where I am now. Besides looks, I want to increase my overall strength and especially increase my cardio capacity. I loved doing my Sansone videos but I think I've hit a plateau regarding how much farther they can take me in terms of cardio. The Kathy videos I have, especially Peak Fat Burning, The Firm and others are much more challenging for me and I really feel like I've accomplished something when I do those. ('s 3 Mile Walk Slim is a good workout for me because it is a consistent decent intensity that I have to sustain for 35 minutes,

the 2 & 4 mile walk slims with the jogging intervals don't work as well for me). When I first started talking about having acquired the P90 videos and about doing them some people suggested the 1-2 videos might be below my level but the cardio, the first half of it anyway, is a big challenge for me right now, to get through it doing all the high impact, high intensity moves at the same pace as Tony. I want to be able to match them (without feeling like I'm going to pass out if I keep trying). When I first started exercising consistently too, toning especially and strength building were most important to me and I really emphasized those without paying a lot of attention to cardio (I did it but didn't work especially hard at improving at it). I definitely can do a lot more in terms of cardio capacity than I could a year ago (I noticed just yesterday that my heartrate isn't even elevated much coming up the basement stairs fast, a year ago I would have been

huffing and puffing and my heart beating hard) but I want to make a concerted effort to be increase it more so I can enjoy more advanced cardio workouts. I will see what kind of information I get from my HRM before I set more specific goals but I know I'll have definitely improved when I can comfortably move up to the P90 3-4 cardio video. I have not even previewed the P90 1-2 sculpt video but will be doing that tomorrow so I'll know how that is then. After being caught off guard by P90 cardio I have no expectations about sculpt! Now we're getting ready for dinner (pizza), then watching the Red Wings and me playing with my HRM. Very quiet New Year's here, it usually is and that is fine with me. I prefer being home with my family than out at a loud party these days. We've also got another big snow storm coming through tonight, they're talking about as much as 12" in my area (our

county and one other are expected to get the most this time) by tomorrow afternoon. We'll see what happens I guess. As long as I can get to work Wednesday to greet all those New Year's Eve resolution people joining Weight Watchers I'll be all set! :-) Happy New Year everyone! I pray 2008 will be full of blessings for all of you and your families!