post-mortum

Ok... so what happened to me? ... I caught the mother of all flu!!! (how do you pluralize 'flu' anyway?)... Anyhoots, the Sunday I left (4/2), my voice was hoarse, and my throat hurt. 9 days later and I'm still sick! Ugh!!


I wanted to at least share my results since several people have asked me how I did... so, here they are, my results after a 4 week stay at Fitness Ridge in Malibu:

• -18.2 lbs
• -3.25" from chest
• -3.75" from my waist
• -4" from my hips
• -3.3 bmi

A week later, I've dropped another another 5 lbs!!! (4 of them by that Wed!!). I have not worked out or eaten healthy since I got back. Although, for several days I barely ate as it was. This flu really knocked me on my ass for a bit. I had to take 4 days off from work, and I pretty much just lived & slept on the couch! Not what my plans were AT ALL.


So, after almost 5 weeks, a 23 lb weight loss? I'm friggin HAPPY with that! :) 


... But, I'm starting to feel better... and hopefully will start to put my plan in place and continue on this journey.


Thanks for following along & sending so much support. It really meant a lot to me... and kept the fire burning to continue on!


Take care!!

where have I been???

Ok... so, where the hell have I been? (c'mon, you know you've been saying that!!). I'm ok, still here, winding down to towards the end of my visit. I've been pretty tired in the evenings and fell off trying to keep up with this blog. I'll work on catching up over the next two days ... sort of a mini-recap of the last week and a half.


All in all, I'm good. :) ... heads in a pretty good place (overall), feeling stronger everyday, pushing beyond barriers, and getting ready & planning my transition home.


More about that later... I'll start catching up tomorrow!! 

Day 15 ... Monday #3

Here we go, another Monday. I didn't take any pictures again (sorry). As I mentioned yesterday, I opted out of the hike today... I figured it would be too muddy. Instead I worked out in the gym for about an hour and 40 minutes. Besides a little cardio, I worked all the machines. I can honestly say I'm getting a little more comfortable with them. I talked with Sam a bit this morning, and he pretty much said, if you're going to work strength machines, make sure to warm up first with some cardio - it'll increase the benefit of your overall workout.


I did two back-to-back Circuit Training classes rather than take a pool class. Since my arms still have a slight rash to them, and sometimes are still a bit itchy... so no pool & no hot tub for me for a bit longer. I felt stronger today, I'll really pushed it today. I even ran at 4.9 mph (only for 30 seconds), but still... I RAN!! Also, on the machines, I really pushed up the weights and/or resistance. I left everything I had in the gym. If felt really good too that my back didn't hurt - at all!


I saw Dr. Ray today (the Chiro)... another good appointment. He really has helped me out with my back & neck issues. He thinks by the time I got home, I might be an inch taller!!! WHAT???? Hey, when you're only 5'3", you'll take it!! Hell yeah!


Ok, what else is a positive thing I can share? ... well, I've noticed my complexion is better, much better. Actually, my skin in general is better. It's amazing what crap, unhealthy food does to your body... even your skin. This makes me want to really try to keep it uber-healthy once I get home. I mean, besides for weight-loss, just from an overall health perspective. This will be tough, since I do have some food addiction issues (as in I like a bunch of stuff that is soooo not healthy). The plan for once I get home is something that I'll need to start spending time on in these 2 weeks. One saying they have here is "Failure to plan means planning to fail". That's so very true, and definitely a contributing factor to my unhealthy lifestyle. I need to have a plan, and I need to follow through on it. "Not having enough time" cannot be my excuse anymore.


Well, I'm tired ... gonna go veg in front of the TV for a bit and get to sleep early!

Day 14... Torrential rains!

My goodness... it has rained more today than... well, I don't know what. A friend texted me that they are talking mudslides in the area now! Just crazy. Today, on campus, we had to deal with the power going on & off, the tv going in & out, and the co2 alarms going crazy (because of the power problems). My plans got blown out of the water.... no shopping for shoes, and no laundry! Ugh. That means I'll need to do some laundry tomorrow - I hope... assuming the power stays steady and the clothes won't be soaked by the time I walk them back to my cabin!


So, what did I do today? Well. I napped. I sort-of watched TV (remember, it kept going in & out). Oh, and I got an 80 minute massage from Jonathan. I have to agree with this reputation... he's pretty darn good. I've had 4 masseuses here, and he definitely was the best. Others are good (one I didn't care for too much), but he has very skilled hands! I found out today he's been a massage therapist for 17 years! It shows! I also have 2 appts this week with Dr. Ray, who is still pretty awesome in my book!!


I was originally slated to be in the Yellow group this week, but I asked to change to Orange. One, my friends are in Orange, and two... a person I find *incredibly* annoying was going to be in my group again. I found it distracting the last week, and overall a negative influence, so I thought it best if I switched. So, I'm happy I did that... normally might not be something I would do. But, this journey is suppose to be about *me*, even though I'm uncomfortable with that at times.


So, all the newbies are here... 49 of them in all. So, there's 81 of us here this week. Already it seems like there's a better vibe than there was last week with the newbies, so that seems good!


Ok... so week 3 is about to begin, rain or shine! :) ... time to get to it!!

Day 13 ... itchy aftermath

Since I didn't sleep much last night due to all the itchiness, I didn't do the hike or anything today. I got up for breakfast (granola cereal with almond milk) and then promptly went back to bed afterwards. Well, not quite. I decided, sort of impulsively, to go get weighed after breakfast. I had told myself that although I wouldn't weigh in each week, I *might* decide to around the 2 week mark. So, the results? Just over 11 lbs down. Not sure how I feel about that. It's on track for what my overall goals for this trip were... but, as usual, I was being a little greedy and was hoping for more. I have a lbs goal & an inches lost goal. You don't get your inches measured until you are leaving. (3 measurements - chest, waist, hips).


After that I napped. After lunch, I pretty much just relaxed in my room, watched TV a bit and napped some more. I'm really tired this weekend. I'd like to start off next week strong, so I'm going to rest now while I can.


Tonight's graduation was another emotional one. Two friends in our group are leaving after today, and it's sad to see them leave! 


I'm not sure what the next two weeks have in store for me, but I'm ready to face the challenge (after another full day's rest that is!). Bad planning on my part for tomorrow. I need to get new shoes, and based on someone's recommendation, I want to check out this store nearby. However, I would have been better off renting a car for the day, but it's too late now to book it. Sooooo, looks like I'll have to get a cab. I wanted to also hit a pharmacy and get more benadryl, but I might not be able to do that part, we'll see.


Anyway.... looks like tomorrow will be my first off-campus day, and I'm a bit nervous about it. Life inside the "bubble" is safe, and, well... secure and gives you confidence. I'm not so sure about me fitting in "life" outside the bubble. Not yet anyway. Which is why I know it's the right decision that I stay here longer. I still have 2 weeks, and much to learn.


I can hardly believe 2 weeks is done already... this week, even with all its problems, really flew by.

Day 12 ... ITCHY!!!

Ok, so I'm miserable today. Did the beach hike - since I did that one before, I didn't take any pics. I decided to do Cardio Intervals after the hike instead of the pool class. I did ok, but my feet hurt... in fact, they were sort of asleep & very tingly during the whole class. I think I need new shoes. Someone told me about a store around here where they video you walking on a treadmill & then based on their analysis of that, they'll recommend shoes. I want to go do that this weekend.


So... since my shoes were an issue, I decided to sort of take it easier this afternoon, and took all pool classes. Since it was colder & windy, I stayed in the pool. Bad idea. I guess they don't have enough chlorine in the pool... so, I got contact dermatitis and essentially have a VERY itchy rash from my neck down. Thankfully someone had a benadryl gel that I borrowed. It seems to be the only thing that could help with the itch. The hydrocortisone cream didn't relieve it. As of right now... I'm still not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight.


Here was today's schedule (which I didn't follow in the afternoon):


6am - stretch class (didn't go to)
7am - breakfast (french toast & scrambled eggs)
8am - hike (beach hike again)
11:15 - cardio intervals (treadmill with inclines for me)
12:30 - lunch (chicken stew & wheat roll ... was more like chicken soup, but was tasty)
1:15 - mtg for stay-overs (prep for next week)
2:30 - liquid moves
3:30 - circuit training (which I normally like)
4:30 - cardio disco jam
5:30 - dinner (meatball sandwich)


Ok... I'm done for today.... still itchy though :(

Day 11 ... swollen ankles

I woke up today to swollen ankles, and the top of my left foot hurts with every step. I talked to Mikalyla about it and opted out of the hike for today. I stayed in my room and iced my ankles for well over an hour, and then I napped on & off for a few hours. She thought it was best if I took it easy in the morning so that I would be at full strength for the afternoon. I was going to try to go to the gym in the morning, but my ankles & foot were really arguing that. Plus, I'm tired. I just haven't slept all that well since being here.

I think the problem with my ankles was due to switching to my newer gym shoes that perhaps were too tight on my instep. I loosened them for later in the day. 


The menu today - which again was the only pic I took since I didn't go on the hike.


Breakfast... I skipped since I had bad memories of a similar sandwich for our bagged lunch on Sunday (which was awful)... so I had oatmeal instead. I liked it.... even without the toast I would have normally had it with.


Lunch... soup was pretty good, and the pizza was surprisingly not too bad.


Dinner... It was not bad, although I'm not sure I'd have it again. However, the chocolate covered strawberries were AWESOME. And, mine were covered to the top this time, so I was cheated out of some chocolate, so I was happy!

The schedule for today:

6am - stretch (I didn't go)

7am - breakfast 

8am - hike (didn't go since I was in my room icing my ankles)

11:15 - liquid moves (skipped)

12:15 - lunch 

1:45 - open gym (skipped)

2:30 - Ball Works (was an ok class... much easier than when Sam taught it)

3:30 - Treading (explained below)

4:30 - total body h20 (Sam taught it... so, it's a good & hard workout, even in the pool!!)

Treading class... you pick a cardio machine, I stuck with the treadmill, as was my plan this week (to work on inclines). After a warm up, you go all out for 5 minutes, then recover for 5 mins, then all out for 4 mins, recover for 4 mins, then 3 mins cycle, then 2 mins, then 1 min repeated a couple of times. By the time we got to the 1 min all-outs I pushed myself to doing 15% incline and a slightly higher speed (for me)... so, a bit over 2.0 mph. I was dying & sucking for air by the end of class!

I pushed hard this afternoon, so that felt good. Hopefully I've figured out what the problem is with my shoes and that won't stop me tomorrow. Of course, I also had an appt with Dr. Ray tonight (the Chiro), and he's AWESOME. So, my body is feeling good tonight. Plus, I'm all caught up with my blog, so that feels good too. :)

Regret of the day: none!