UGH! So no real movement on the scale to speak of. I am still 155 lbs. (This is the third week in a row.) Maybe I am hitting a plateau again...who knows. I wasn't that bad this week with my eating, but I did kinda re-vamp my workout. Maybe next week I will hit 154. Regardless, I gotta stay in the game...hopefully you guys are doing the same.
I don't have much more commentary to speak on right now...I am sure that writing feeling will hit me in a couple of days. Until then, keep pushing y'all. And make sure that you recognize that even though you don't see the results you want immediately, your long term health is the most important goal :)
LaQuesha
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Game Plan for the week...
Hit It Heavy
- "Muscle tissue growth is only stimulated when pressure is applied to it. If you use light weights and do rep after rep, your muscle will never have the stress applied to it that it needs to respond too. This means that although you are eating cleaner and on a reduced calorie diet, your muscles will not grow.
Many dieters lighten up on their weight because they feel heavy is needed only during a bulking phase, and women dieters especially don't want to lift heavy for fear of getting bigger rather than smaller. These are myths to say the least.
Women should not shy away from heavier weights because we do not have enough testosterone to get the physique of a bodybuilder."
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/5_fat_loss_workouts.htm
So for the last couple of months, Jaiz (my boyfriend and workout partner) and I were doing lighter weights/more reps. And we both feel like we got weaker. This week we are changing it up. A lot times you gotta go back to the drawing board, evaluate what is working or not working, and re-calibrate. Do not be afraid to change. And definitely learn how to research new things and try them. Just remember, keep track of everything, you will not learn what works for you if you are always winging it at the gym. People that are successful in the gym do not just wander in the gym without a game plan. Plan before the game. Know which body part you are focusing on for the day. Know which exercises you plan to do that day. And most importantly, just do it...don't try...just do it!! (Yes, that warranted repeating.) Good luck peeps! Happy sweating.
LaQuesha
Friday, April 23, 2010
Weigh-In Wednesday (even though I am quite aware that it is Friday)
Ok so sue me, I am waaayyyy late with my weigh in results. I did weigh in on Wednesday, I just didn't take the time to write it up. It would have been a quick write up though because I did not have any movement on the scale. I still weigh 155 lbs. I am ok with no weight loss, because hey, I didn't gain any weight. My goals are to lose the weight and keep it off. I am not trying to lose weight ridiculously fast and just gain it back. (Cause I have already gotten rid of all of my size 12 clothes, so buying more is out of the question!)
One thing I learned about myself over the last couple of weeks is that the mental aspect of working out is so powerful. And your physical well-being can likewise affect your mental. Our bodies can be so sensitive. I was pushing and pushing and pushing to the point that my body kinda rebelled against me. That could be the reason I didn't lose anything this week. Supposedly stress is the enemy of weight loss. So keep your head together and get rid of those things that are not keeping you happy and healthy. (That could also be your own way of thinking.)
After I came to the conclusion that running 6 days a week was probably a bit too much, I became so much more relaxed. I also decided to focus on "time ran" instead of how fast I finished 4 miles (or whatever my goal mileage of the day was.) I jogged today at an easy pace. I was relaxed and comfortable and still finished more than 4 miles in 45 minutes. Just changing your mind set just a little bit can have huge benefits. Try it. Try psyching yourself out by just changing something small. You would be surprised how much it can help. Good luck peeps. Hope you are well on your way to your goals also.
LaQuesha
One thing I learned about myself over the last couple of weeks is that the mental aspect of working out is so powerful. And your physical well-being can likewise affect your mental. Our bodies can be so sensitive. I was pushing and pushing and pushing to the point that my body kinda rebelled against me. That could be the reason I didn't lose anything this week. Supposedly stress is the enemy of weight loss. So keep your head together and get rid of those things that are not keeping you happy and healthy. (That could also be your own way of thinking.)
After I came to the conclusion that running 6 days a week was probably a bit too much, I became so much more relaxed. I also decided to focus on "time ran" instead of how fast I finished 4 miles (or whatever my goal mileage of the day was.) I jogged today at an easy pace. I was relaxed and comfortable and still finished more than 4 miles in 45 minutes. Just changing your mind set just a little bit can have huge benefits. Try it. Try psyching yourself out by just changing something small. You would be surprised how much it can help. Good luck peeps. Hope you are well on your way to your goals also.
LaQuesha
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Ima tell the truth...
Ima tell the truth, my ass is exhausted. Monday and Tuesday's workouts were brutal for me to get through, I did it, but I was so dragging. For the last couple of weeks, I have been running 4 miles a day, 6 days a week. Now a little background, I just started running about a month and a half ago. I used to dislike running and I also didn't think I could run...but I guess I was wrong.
I was super duper excited when I finally busted through my plateau. I could not get under 159 lbs for anything. I was working out 5 days a week. I was eating fairly well. I was doing everything I thought I should be doing, but not seeing the results. Well once I started running, I started seeing results. Man, I was excited and motivated. I was going keep a-running and a-running like I was Forest Gump. Results can be addicting. Well, that excitement has waned some. I actually started feeling it last week. I know now that I have not be giving myself enough recovery time. I can tellya, if you are tired, you will give a lackluster performance at the gym.
And while I am telling the truth, ima go ahead and tell the whole truth. Not only were my workouts going down, so was my whole disposition. I was tired at work today I kinda felt like I would breakdown crying...and for no particular reason. And now that I think about it, I had a moment like that last week. Mannnn! Rest is so important. Lack of sleep and lack of recovery time can jack up your body and your spirits. So please take it from me, workout hard when your there, but take the time to allow your body to heal. And listen to your body. I was not listening to the bright, flashing warning signs that said "sitcho butt down."
I have decided to run 4 days a week, not 6. I will make sure to report back on how I am feeling after a couple of weeks of this new approach. I may not lose a pound a week like I was doing, but I bet I will stay motivated to work harder when I am running. I still plan on working out 6 days a week, but my cardio will be some lower impact cardio like the elliptical or yoga.
Hey, if you are in reading distance of this blog...leave your mark!
LaQuesha
I was super duper excited when I finally busted through my plateau. I could not get under 159 lbs for anything. I was working out 5 days a week. I was eating fairly well. I was doing everything I thought I should be doing, but not seeing the results. Well once I started running, I started seeing results. Man, I was excited and motivated. I was going keep a-running and a-running like I was Forest Gump. Results can be addicting. Well, that excitement has waned some. I actually started feeling it last week. I know now that I have not be giving myself enough recovery time. I can tellya, if you are tired, you will give a lackluster performance at the gym.
And while I am telling the truth, ima go ahead and tell the whole truth. Not only were my workouts going down, so was my whole disposition. I was tired at work today I kinda felt like I would breakdown crying...and for no particular reason. And now that I think about it, I had a moment like that last week. Mannnn! Rest is so important. Lack of sleep and lack of recovery time can jack up your body and your spirits. So please take it from me, workout hard when your there, but take the time to allow your body to heal. And listen to your body. I was not listening to the bright, flashing warning signs that said "sitcho butt down."
I have decided to run 4 days a week, not 6. I will make sure to report back on how I am feeling after a couple of weeks of this new approach. I may not lose a pound a week like I was doing, but I bet I will stay motivated to work harder when I am running. I still plan on working out 6 days a week, but my cardio will be some lower impact cardio like the elliptical or yoga.
Hey, if you are in reading distance of this blog...leave your mark!
LaQuesha
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Weigh-In Wednesday
YAY!!! I am officially out of this slump. I am seeing changes in my body. I feel good. Life is freaking awesome. One thing I have found out about myself is that I am motivated by results. Once I actually started seeing the changes, my workouts have getting that much more intense. It is the complete opposite of a plateau slump. Getting through that slump is the hard part...it does require some determination and hard work though. What does NOT work is crying, self-pity, or quitting. Get over it and get moving.
I can only speak of things that I have personally experienced, and I am getting closer and closer to my goal. What are your goals? And what are you willing to do or sacrifice to get there? I can testify that it is NOT easy once you hit a certain age. If you have allowed yourself to get way too big or out of shape, you are gonna have to work that much harder to rectify that. If you keep putting it off, the situation won't get better, it will only get worse. Then you will have to correct the past issues, and whatever you tacked on to the back end (pun intended...hehehe!) So write out your goals and figure out how you can get there. If you need some help, please feel free to comment and ask me. I will respond to questions. (Actually questions are nice because it will give me topics to write about :) Anyways, until next time....LaQuesha
4/14-155.6 lbs
4/7-156.4 lbs
3/31-158 lbs
3/24-158 lbs
3/17-159 lbs
3/10-159 lbs
I can only speak of things that I have personally experienced, and I am getting closer and closer to my goal. What are your goals? And what are you willing to do or sacrifice to get there? I can testify that it is NOT easy once you hit a certain age. If you have allowed yourself to get way too big or out of shape, you are gonna have to work that much harder to rectify that. If you keep putting it off, the situation won't get better, it will only get worse. Then you will have to correct the past issues, and whatever you tacked on to the back end (pun intended...hehehe!) So write out your goals and figure out how you can get there. If you need some help, please feel free to comment and ask me. I will respond to questions. (Actually questions are nice because it will give me topics to write about :) Anyways, until next time....LaQuesha
4/14-155.6 lbs
4/7-156.4 lbs
3/31-158 lbs
3/24-158 lbs
3/17-159 lbs
3/10-159 lbs
Monday, April 12, 2010
WWQD (What would Quesha do?)
I am on FB trying to motivate people just as much, if not more than I am on my blog. As of right now I reach more folks that way. Recently I had a friend a friend post a comment on my page that made me chuckle. She said, "I know you don't have gym roll call on Saturday but I want you to know that I got my butt spanked this morning at Ballys by Peter who thought he was Justin Timberlake teaching my Extreme Urban Moves class!! I thought of you the whole time!!! I need a "WWQD" wristband to look at every time I am about to walk out of those classes that continue to kick my rear end!! LMBO!!!" This comment made me laugh out loud. But I really think a WWQD bracelet would be freaking awesome! (And it would be a definite ego boost, not that I need that!)
Most folks that know me know that I am all about health and exercise. Some kind of way it ends up being a topic of conversation all the time. It is to the point that folks that I work with make it a point to tell me when they have started working out again. I have friends telling me about their weight loss progress. I even have people at the gym asking me for advice...and I am not a trainer. Honestly, everything I know is from trial and error, asking for help, and my own research. So I am happy to pass along whatever nuggets I have gathered over the years. And I think that having a WWQD bracelet would really help the folks that ask me for help.
I think people tend to act right when they know someone is watching over their shoulder. This can go for anything in life, especially for things that it is easy to kinda cheat at if you are allowed to: work, relationships, taxes. But if you know someone is watching your moves or checking in on you periodically, you would be more apt to fly...right? So even if I don't have any bracelets to hand out that say "What would Quesha do?", just having that on your brain would (hopefully) help you make better decisions...hopefully. (But I know that no one is perfect, I know that I am not.)
Let me just tell you a few things that Quesha would do:
1) I work out 5-6 days a week. I have a workout partner, but even if he isn't with me I still work out. You know why? Because he checks on me, just like I am virtually checking on you.
2) I watch what I eat, but I am not so strict that I will break down crying at the mere sight of some cake. I still will eat my chocolate or sweets (which is my weakness), but in moderation. I will eat bread products, but I run ALOT so it burns off instead of turning to fat! One tip I got from the "Biggest Loser" last week, that I plan on implementing in my life is: have a strict diet Monday and Tuesday, be moderately strict Wednesday-Friday, and kinda splurge on the weekend, (but don't totally ruin all of your progress because that would be totally silly.) This will give you some flexibility and it will allow you to still enjoy your favorite foods.
3) I keep track of everything. I write down my workouts. I track my food intake and calorie burn. And I track my weight loss and body measurement progress. I do all this to know if I need to re-vamp anything or to pat myself on the back when I am doing good.
4) Most importantly, I am honest with myself. At the end of the day, the only person that really matters in my journey is me. So I cannot and will not lie to myself. That would defeat the whole process.
So that is just about everything that Quesha would do. Let me know what you think...leave a comment if you passed through so that I know I am not just talking to space =)
LaQuesha
Most folks that know me know that I am all about health and exercise. Some kind of way it ends up being a topic of conversation all the time. It is to the point that folks that I work with make it a point to tell me when they have started working out again. I have friends telling me about their weight loss progress. I even have people at the gym asking me for advice...and I am not a trainer. Honestly, everything I know is from trial and error, asking for help, and my own research. So I am happy to pass along whatever nuggets I have gathered over the years. And I think that having a WWQD bracelet would really help the folks that ask me for help.
I think people tend to act right when they know someone is watching over their shoulder. This can go for anything in life, especially for things that it is easy to kinda cheat at if you are allowed to: work, relationships, taxes. But if you know someone is watching your moves or checking in on you periodically, you would be more apt to fly...right? So even if I don't have any bracelets to hand out that say "What would Quesha do?", just having that on your brain would (hopefully) help you make better decisions...hopefully. (But I know that no one is perfect, I know that I am not.)
Let me just tell you a few things that Quesha would do:
1) I work out 5-6 days a week. I have a workout partner, but even if he isn't with me I still work out. You know why? Because he checks on me, just like I am virtually checking on you.
2) I watch what I eat, but I am not so strict that I will break down crying at the mere sight of some cake. I still will eat my chocolate or sweets (which is my weakness), but in moderation. I will eat bread products, but I run ALOT so it burns off instead of turning to fat! One tip I got from the "Biggest Loser" last week, that I plan on implementing in my life is: have a strict diet Monday and Tuesday, be moderately strict Wednesday-Friday, and kinda splurge on the weekend, (but don't totally ruin all of your progress because that would be totally silly.) This will give you some flexibility and it will allow you to still enjoy your favorite foods.
3) I keep track of everything. I write down my workouts. I track my food intake and calorie burn. And I track my weight loss and body measurement progress. I do all this to know if I need to re-vamp anything or to pat myself on the back when I am doing good.
4) Most importantly, I am honest with myself. At the end of the day, the only person that really matters in my journey is me. So I cannot and will not lie to myself. That would defeat the whole process.
So that is just about everything that Quesha would do. Let me know what you think...leave a comment if you passed through so that I know I am not just talking to space =)
LaQuesha
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Weigh-In Wednesday
You gotta love results. Without actually seeing some positive results or hitting your goals, you can get frustrated or discouraged. I haven't gotten frustrated personally because I see my workouts as a way of life, not a quick fix. The reason I have goals is to have something to reach for and a way to hold myself accountable. It also helps measure my progress...and just imagine how you feel when you watch your goals being smashed.
My personal goals are to get down to 150 lbs and to be a size 10. Well I went shopping last Friday, and I am proud to say that I am a true size 10. I can even fit size 10 jeans. I even gave all of my size 12 clothes away, because I do not plan on going backwards.
I probably won't hit my goal of being 150 until late spring/early summer, but I am well on my way. Running, I tellya, is blasting these calories. If you really, REALLY wanna start to see some results...I mean really, start running. I know that I have lost less than 3 lbs in a month, but my body looks and feels so much different.
Next week, (or the following week), I will get my body measurements and report back. I try and get measured every 4-5 weeks. I bet I will see some inches lost...my clothes tell me so.
4/7-156.4 lbs
3/31-158 lbs
3/24-158 lbs
3/17-159 lbs
3/10-159 lbs
Alrighty peeps...keep your eyes on your long-term goals. I hope that you actually made some. And don't get discouraged by a set back. Y'all can clearly see where I have had weeks of zero weight loss, and I workout hard. So it happens to all of us. Just be healthy and happy.
LaQuesha
My personal goals are to get down to 150 lbs and to be a size 10. Well I went shopping last Friday, and I am proud to say that I am a true size 10. I can even fit size 10 jeans. I even gave all of my size 12 clothes away, because I do not plan on going backwards.
I probably won't hit my goal of being 150 until late spring/early summer, but I am well on my way. Running, I tellya, is blasting these calories. If you really, REALLY wanna start to see some results...I mean really, start running. I know that I have lost less than 3 lbs in a month, but my body looks and feels so much different.
Next week, (or the following week), I will get my body measurements and report back. I try and get measured every 4-5 weeks. I bet I will see some inches lost...my clothes tell me so.
4/7-156.4 lbs
3/31-158 lbs
3/24-158 lbs
3/17-159 lbs
3/10-159 lbs
Alrighty peeps...keep your eyes on your long-term goals. I hope that you actually made some. And don't get discouraged by a set back. Y'all can clearly see where I have had weeks of zero weight loss, and I workout hard. So it happens to all of us. Just be healthy and happy.
LaQuesha
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Priorities, Priorities, Priorities!
Now it would be silly for a homeowner of a dilapidated, "falling apart from the inside out" house to put a new roof on it and give it a brand new paint job. That would just seem like a waste of time and money. If the foundation is crumbling, if the electrical and plumbing need fixing, why would anyone worry about cosmetic fixes like paint? This seems like a silly, unlikely circumstance, but people do it every single day with their bodies. Check the correlation.
People will go out of their way to get their weaves done, their weekly haircuts, or 6-week relaxers. People will spend a whole paycheck on a shopping spree. They have the latest, most trendy 'fits with all the best accessories. Nails: check. Shoe game: proper. Make-up: check, check! All the cosmetic, outwardly stuff is taken care. But their insides are completely jacked up. What is the purpose of dressing up and staying stylish, but at the same time allowing your body to just break down? I just don't get it. People put so much emphasis on ish that doesn't make sense to me. Maybe someone can explain it. I just figure I would rather be healthy and fit and just wear Target clothes and accessories. That is just me.
I really wanna know...maybe someone can explain it to me. How can one validate allowing your body to just break down...and a slow, painful break down at that? Wouldn't it be better to feel better just from the inside out, as opposed to cosmetic fixes? And how fleeting is that feeling when you are dressed to the nines, hair fresh, but can't make it up 2 flights of stairs without having an asthma attack? There is a better way peeps. Take control of your life. Make your body and health the priority. You will feel so much better for it.
LaQuesha
People will go out of their way to get their weaves done, their weekly haircuts, or 6-week relaxers. People will spend a whole paycheck on a shopping spree. They have the latest, most trendy 'fits with all the best accessories. Nails: check. Shoe game: proper. Make-up: check, check! All the cosmetic, outwardly stuff is taken care. But their insides are completely jacked up. What is the purpose of dressing up and staying stylish, but at the same time allowing your body to just break down? I just don't get it. People put so much emphasis on ish that doesn't make sense to me. Maybe someone can explain it. I just figure I would rather be healthy and fit and just wear Target clothes and accessories. That is just me.
I really wanna know...maybe someone can explain it to me. How can one validate allowing your body to just break down...and a slow, painful break down at that? Wouldn't it be better to feel better just from the inside out, as opposed to cosmetic fixes? And how fleeting is that feeling when you are dressed to the nines, hair fresh, but can't make it up 2 flights of stairs without having an asthma attack? There is a better way peeps. Take control of your life. Make your body and health the priority. You will feel so much better for it.
LaQuesha
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