Exercise Room Tips

OK so your room of fitness… It can be a closet if that all you have. It can be in your living room, dining room, bedroom, basement whatever! Just have a space dedicated to your body well being.  Get a mirror, goodwill, habitat, borrow one, but get one.  I invested in free weights. Amazon Link.  You can find them used or at TJ Maxx sometimes.  I have a list of all equipment (with links to purchase) I have at the bottom. Now, not everyone is in the financial position to go investing in gym equipment. So you can join the gym or go at on your own.  Squats dont require equipment, butt lifts LINK  dont need investment other than your BUTT.  A jump rope is cheap LINK. The pavement outside your door? Also free. Fill up some quart or gallon containers with water. Do push ups and sit ups. Also free. Dont need very much space to do it either. I have a solution for most ANY excuse you can come up with. Im here to help you but only if your willing to help yourself.  Whining? yep, your going to whine. The sofa is always more comfortable that the workout space.

So the workout space… Mirror? check… This is to really look at your body. Tell yourself what you like FIRST… Then tell yourself what you would like to change. Make them realistic changes. Dont over do it the first week or two.  Do you have a famous person who’s body you admire? Print out a photo. Hang it on your mirror. Hang it on your fridge. Hang it on the pantry. Hang it on your bathroom mirror.  Seriously. Next to that photo, write down your goal weight.

Before you work out (my husband laughs at this) brush your hair, wash your face, brush your teeth. Look presentable. You are going to be staring at this person you see for at least 30 minutes. You want to look decent FOR YOU. Like what you see. Everyday your going to like that person more. exercise does funny things.. It empowers you. It makes you proud of yourself. It makes you WANT to eat well.

Keep things tidy in the space. Organize your “equipment” so that you dont have to stop in the middle of your workout looking for things.  At the end of your  workout, put things back where they belong. Make your space a place where you WANT to be.

Music (LINK).. For me its a must.. TV? sometimes it breaks up the monotony.  That’s a personal choice.

What Im doing for exercise.

Sundays I take off completely.

Monday , Weds and Fri: Cardio 20- 30 minutes depending on how my knees feel that day.. After Cardio, I stretch and go straight to the mat (LINK)  for 2 sets of 25 push ups and 3 minutes of abs.  I stretch some more.  After floor work I go to the weight bench and work out shoulders, biceps, triceps and chest. First two sets are 5 lbs, 25 each, last set is 8 lbs 25 each.  Finally, I head over to my AB BLASTER (LINK).  2 sets of 25.  Stretch.  WATER WATER WATER! lots of it.

Tues, Thurs & Sat:  Same deal with Cardio. Inevitably, one day during the week, I get tired.. Skip cardio. Thats just me… Anyway, these days I do push ups and abs.. Just like Monday, Weds & Fri.  Same routine.. Then I do legs and the blessed buttocks. Gluts if you will. My routine for the derriere here. (link).  Let us not forget the ab blaster again.. I do it 6 days a week. Stretch, stretch, stretch,  water, water, water…

Now the life saver… My protein drink… Its my reward everyday.. Sweet, creamy and delicious.  (LINK)  Recipe.  3 grams of carbs. Acts like breakfast. I always workout on empty stomach.

 

 

What Im eating

Lets start with the fact that cheeseburgers rule the universe.. In our case, its burgers with out the bun… no bread… Low sugar ketchup used sparingly, mustard & mayo (all you want) a bit of onion, pickled jalapeno, pickles, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato… Yum!!!!

Dont forget to look at the list of you can and cant eat here. LINK   The Atkins carb counter is a fantastic resource.. LINK

 

Granted, I dont eat this every day but its not uncommon once a week.

Breakfast: Mostly protein shakes…. On the weekend I might make eggs with cheese and bacon or sausage. Poached eggs on top of bacon, ham or smoked salmon with a cheese sauce is pretty spectacular… top it with a fresh slice of tomato and or capers… delish. Deviled eggs are pretty great.. snack or breakfast on the run.. Homemade baby quiche (no crust) LINK. also good for snacking or meal..

Lunch: Oh the choices…. Obviously these are only some suggestions.. The options are really quite endless. All this goes for any meal really… Canned tuna, homemade chicken salad, chef salads, chicken caesar salad (parmesan crisps for croutons LINK) These croutons area life saver.. Trust me, they are worth the money.. About $10 a bag at Costco. Burgers w/o the bun, steak salad, egg salad or  left over dinner from last night is my biggest go to… Watch your dressings on salads, be careful of additives in tuna, chicken and egg salad.  You must watch everything that goes in your mouth… See hidden carbs post.  

Dinner:  This will probably become your favorite meal… Meatballs, no breading,  chicken with cheese sauce, mushrooms and onions, filet with brie & blue cheese sauce, steak, steak and more steak, pizza with low carb sauce made with my low carb crust LINK (total of 2 carbs for 2 good size slices) chicken with white wine and mushroom sauce, chicken picatta (no flour) grilled pork,  tuna seared with asian cabbage (no sugar sauces) the list goes on…. Check out these links for recipes LINKS.  Yes, dinner has your biggest carb intake.  Keep it under 10 grams or LOWER.

Dessert: When you reach your goal weight there are many options for dessert. LINK but only after you reach your goal and only in MODERATION. NOT daily. However, you can eat Jello Sugar Free with canned whipped topping daily.. Not 5x daily but you could eat it twice a day if you want.. Be under eager with the whipped topping. It has 1 gram of carbs for 2 tbls. Thats pretty low but MODERATION is key…

REMEMBER!!!!  This is a lifestyle.. Not a diet. Reach your goal weight then still remain low carb.. Eat Smart Always and Forever.. Im telling you this as loudly as Im telling myself.   EXERCISE!!!!!

 

 

 

Tips and tricks

Here’s some great tips.

Water…… Diet soda only increases sugar cravings. One small can a couple times a week wont hurt you. Use it as a reward. Unsweet tea with splenda or the like is acceptable. Coffee is fine. Dont drink it all day long.. Water…..

If you feel sluggish, you may not be intaking enough salt. Or drinking enough water.

Protein Shakes LINK curb the sweet tooth. I will drink it for dessert on occasion. ONLY sometimes.. Primarily breakfast.. I would be super careful about drinking any other protein shakes. Make your own. Usually they are LOADED with carbs. Read labels, you’ll see what I mean..

EAT when your hungry. This isn’t so much about calories. Its about CARBS. Low carb isn’t no carb. I don’t believe in the NET CARB thing. A carb is a carb. Bottom line. That’s just my opinion. We all have them..

IF YOU CHEAT OR FALL OFF THE WAGON…. Don’t freak out. Just start again.. Remember, when you cheat you have to start ALL OVER. Back to day one.. you aren’t on “week two” if you cheated on day 6 and 8 if you get my point.. Commit yourself to this… You can cheat AFTER you reach your GOAL… “OOPS, I drank a glass of bubbles or wine with dinner”  yes, technically cheating but its not the end of the world. You don’t have to start over. It’s just a glass of bubbles or three glasses with dinner. Don’t do it again until you have reached your goal. Wine wont mess it up. I drank wine the whole time my second time around.. Just try your very best to make wise choices people! Now, if you go out and down a bag of popcorn and a box of M&Ms that is a different story.. Be strong.. behave yourself.. NO, you cant have just one slice of pizza either.. C’mon.. your stronger and wiser than that. Be good to yourself. You have to see yourself naked. Not me.  This is your lifestyle. How fast you lose the weight is entirely your choice. Regular wine drinking makes the scale say a higher number for longer.. Its up to you. M&Ms make the number on the scale increase. There was a time I thought, I can limit myself to 9 chocolate chips a day ( or once a week, whatever) that’s only 8 grams of carbs.. Guess what? Its a terrible thing to do to yourself. You want your sweet cravings to go away. Its like a drug, you cant just have a little without wanting more in most cases.  Reach your goal weight then eat this and that…. The rewards will come my friend in all shapes and sizes.. You can eat carbs again, just not right now. The biggest reward of all is your self esteem, your increase in energy, your pride, the image in the mirror staring back at you and the scale reading what you want it to.

Remember muscle weighs more than fat. Sometimes you lose inches and not pounds right away.. How you FEEL is more important than the number on the scale.

Some of you will get the “oh honey, you look fine, you don’t need to lose weight” comments from those who love you.. Naked is different than clothed is always my come back… Bikini season folks… Bikini season… Its how YOU feel not what other people think.

 

How long does it take?

It depends.

Do I have to exercise?

Yup.

This applies to first, second or 10th time around. This is a lifestyle. Not a diet.

Exercise is a way of life. it makes you a better you. Emotionally & Physically.

Just get used to it my friend..

 

How often depends on how quickly you want to loose the weight. Currently? Im working out 6 days a week for an hour. Cardio, 5 days a week and lifting etc. 6 days a week. I do cardio for 20- 30 minutes (2.5 – 3.5 miles). I do low weight, high reps.  Low weight for me is 5-8 lbs, 25 reps each, 3- 4 times.

You say you dont have time.. You dont have an hour.. Then find 30 minutes. Just do something.  I encourage the hour. Wake up an hour earlier. Wake up 30 minutes earlier then walk on your lunch hour. My husband reached his goal weight and now eats pretty much what he wants and works out 3 days a week for about 20 minutes to maintain his awesome body. We can all get there…

Hidden carbs

They’re everywhere… Condiments & vegetables are people’s biggest mistakes. A great link for what you can and cant eat is here. Link. 

I DONT DO THE WHOLE NET CARB PRACTICE

Some things that may surprise you… surprised me and Ive done this 3 times!

Avocados 17 grams each   I cup of Kale provides 6 grams where as spinach is only 1.1 grams.  1 cup of broccoli 6 grams.  Those zucchini spirals you use to replace pasta? 6 grams medium size. Most squash is loaded. Your best bet while trying to reach your goal is salad. Sorry, sad but true. Carrots, no. Celery, olives, maybe two slices of tomato, onion and lettuce… A bit boring but thats life for now.   Deli meat usually about 1 gram per slice. Same with cheese. Be careful. Your better off baking off chicken or turkey breast yourself and slicing it. Tuna salad is good but select your ingredients wisely. People often add sugar or Grapes (or raisins) into chicken salad so watch out for that. Additives in Tuna can be hard to detect. Sweet pickles are common and they have carbs.  Its tough to eat out, your better off making your own stuff.  Chef salads from a restaurant is usually pretty good but not on a daily basis… Dressings are usually loaded. I make my own (link) .  Milk, no no no… Use half and half or almond milk (it has a sweet undertone so use selectively).  Take a close look on cheese labels. Fresh cheese usually have more carbs and part skim cheeses have more as well. Full fat everything is your pick. Crazy I know… Its not forever…Hidden carbs might be the reason you are plateauing or not loosing.

Count your Carbs!!! I cant stress this enough..

 

 

 

About alcohol

Not all bad news.. Vodka with club soda and fresh lime. I drink it often. The second time around I did wine. Vhino Verde.. Lower alcohol and carb content. Vodka is best. Be careful on your mixers. NO sugar…