How Can Little Muscles Hurt So Much?

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(the inner Dot2Trot)

— The Inner Dot2Trot —

Monday morning I had my first session with my new trainer. She’d planned to take it easy with me for the first week. She didn’t want me getting so sore I’d stop working out.

After our first session, I felt great. We did a lot of work with kettlebells — squats, presses, lunges, crunches and twists. After the session, I hit the treadmill for 45 minutes. It was awesome.  I felt like I had the tiger by the tail.  I just didn’t realize that the tiger was biding his time. Bastard!

Roughly 12 hours later, I made the mistake of getting out of my comfy chair. Wow did that hurt. My hamstrings, abductors and glutes screamed at me in unison.

But I knew the pain meant I’d done something right. I’d asked my muscles to do something they hadn’t done in a long time and this was their response. But I know my body will acclimate and the cycle will start again.

Flash forward to today: I did yoga this morning to help stretch my muscles and warm them up before meeting with my trainer. When I finished and my legs didn’t hurt, I thought I’d turned a corner. Ha!

When I got to the gym today, my trainer did not take pity on me. Working with barbells, I did presses, squats, pull-ups, lunges, rows, step ups and mountain climbers. For each exercise I had to do as many as possible for 30 seconds with only 15 seconds of recovery between exercises.

The soreness came back with abandon — in the glutes, especially.

I toyed with just going home, but I decided to hit the treadmill. After the first 3 minutes I was hurting. I picked up my iPod every intention of abandoning my power walk. Thankfully I ignored this impulse and kept walking, even increasing the speed. About 5 minutes later my legs felt great.

I finished my walk 22 minutes later and left the gym very proud that I’d pushed through the pain.

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Bodybuilding To Chisel Away The Fat

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weight loss and bodybuilding, weight loss strength training

I start pumping iron this week in my ongoing quest to drop the pounds and get healthy. Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

OK, I didn’t just join Gold’s Gym this weekend. I hired a personal trainer and started bodybuilding this week.

Yes, you read that right – bodybuilding.

Keep in mind, when I write “bodybuilding” I’m not talking about competitions and looking like a shemale. I’m talking about getting into the weight room and seriously sculpting a stronger and leaner Dot2Trot.

I mulled it over for weeks and the thought of heavy lifting excited me. So my hubby surprised me with an early anniversary present.

Why Bodybuilding?
Most of my exercise focuses on cardio. I wanted to kick my strength training up a notch, but I let it slide.  Once I discovered my upper body strength was nada, I finally broke open The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

A couple of chapters in and I started thinking differently about my weight loss. Sure I’ve dropped 80 lbs. but some of that was muscle. Weight training focuses on fat loss and preserving muscle tissue.  That appeals to me.

Plus, my weight loss journey isn’t just about shedding unwanted pounds. I want to get healthy — thin doesn’t mean healthy. Adding muscle and increasing strength is a big step in that direction.

Aren’t You Worried About Getting Too Bulky?
The New Rules does a great job knocking down some myths, like women who weight lift will bulk up too much – not possible without steroids. While women and men add muscle at the same rate, it is much tougher for women to add muscle.  Our levels of testosterone are too low and our bodies won’t allow it. We’re just not built that way.

Again, my goal isn’t to compete. Losing weight is still my first priority. But growing muscle for a more sculpted look is now a big part of my weight loss journey.  

What’s my biggest challenge?
Battling muscle soreness? Upping my workout intensity? Staying motivated?

No. No. And nope.

Food…It always comes down to food.

After strength training, you deplete muscles of glycogen, which you need to fuel your muscles. And how do you replenish glycogen? Carbs!

I’m only consuming 20-25g of carbs a day. If I’m serious about weight training, my guess is that’s not enough. Also I banned certain types of foods until I’m within 20-30 lbs. of my goal weight. Hence, my challenge.

I want to build muscle, but I still need to lose the fat and weigh a lot less than I do now. So I’m nervous about adding more carbs.

My trainer is looking over my weekly menu and will tweak it based on the workouts she has planned for me.  I know my carb intake must go up. But by how much? And what banned foods are back on the menu?

 

Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder With Low-Carb Coleslaw

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low carb pulled pork and coleslaw

A delish and healthy dinner tonight: pulled pork, low-carb coleslaw, and as a nephew calls them, “trees.”

I picked up a pork shoulder a couple of weeks ago and last night I was in thee mood for some pulled pork.

And what goes best with pulled pork? Coleslaw.

Both low-carb recipes are compliments of the Atkins community. The pulled pork I found in my trusty Atkins cookbook. The coleslaw I stumbled upon online.

For my pulled pork, I don’t add BBQ sauce.  I’m sure that’s getting boos from BBQ fans. But I haven’t perfected a low-carb BBQ sauce yet. Great BBQ sauce requires too much sugar. Last thing I want is to jack up my insulin levels.

A note to all you Weight Watchers out there: My ‘slaw focuses on lowering the net carb count. You can easily make it more point friendly by substituting the regular mayo and sour cream with their low-fat kin.

Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder
Net Carbs: 1g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Servings: Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless pork roast, about 4 lbs.
  • ½ C beef or chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp. tamari (gluten-free substitute for soy sauce)
  • ½ tsp. hot sauce
  • 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions

  • Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Set pork in a casserole dish or Dutch oven with a lid. In a small bowl, combine broth, tamari, hot sauce, vinegar, syrup and cumin and mix well; pour over pork. Cover and bake until fork-tender, about 3 hours.
  • Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before chopping or shredding.

If you don’t know how to shred or pull the pork, just watch the video below.

Low-Carb Coleslaw
Net Carbs: 4.7
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Servings: Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 lbs. medium head of cabbage, halved and cored
  • ¾ C mayonnaise
  • ½ C sour cream
  • 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. granular sugar substitute
  • 2 tsp. celery seeds
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper

Directions

  • Cut cabbage halves in half and thinly slice. Transfer to a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, cider vinegar, sugar substitute, celery seed, salt and pepper. Pour over cabbage and mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving for flavors to blend.

How To Pull Pork

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Want To Lose Weight? Ignore Most Nutrition Advice

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weight loss lies, weight loss myth busting, ignore nutirion advice to lose weight

Most nutrition recommendations are myths. Want to lose weight, you need to do your own research and talk to your doctor.

What you eat makes up 90% of the weight loss battle. Unfortunately, most of the nutrition recommendations are bunk! Check out this article a  friend sent me. It covers the 13 biggest myths that cause people to get fatter and sicker.

Up until last year, I believed every one of those myths. Once I tipped the scales at 325, I started to question things.

So how did I actually kick these myths to the curb? I did my research. That started with a great book I’ve mentioned before, Why We Get Fat. Not another diet book, it focuses on the science of what happens when we eat.  If you don’t know what 100 calories of pasta vs. 100 calories of protein does to your body, you’ll find it harder to lose weight.

After that, I actually talked to my doctor about a plan for losing weight — something that many of us don’t do.

After years of being part of Weight Watchers, I always ignored their advice about “consulting your doctor before starting a weight loss program.”  After all, I just needed to eat less and exercise more, right? If that was the case, why didn’t I lose the weight 5, 10, 20 years ago? Oh, I don’t have will power. What a crock!

For the last 50 years, we’ve let weight loss information be dominated by psychiatrists and nutritionists, and yet medical doctors are the ones who actually treat obese people. That just doesn’t seem right.

So last year I stopped listening to pop culture’s idea of weight loss and actually scheduled my very first physical. Boy what I shock. I was fatter and sicker than I thought.  It was like being in Bizzaro World – all my good numbers were way too low and all my bad numbers were way too high. But it was the eye-opener I needed.

The game plan I discussed with my doctor completely busted any nutrition myth I still believed.

A year later, the complete opposite happened at my physical – all my good numbers skyrocketed and the bad numbers dropped like stones.  We tweaked my weight loss plan and I’m continuing my march to good health.

OK, I’m off my soap box.

 

Giving Yourself Permission To Cheat On A Diet

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Bewitched! Getting into the Halloween spirit with a little face painting fun.

Bewitched! I didn’t worry too much about lunch and instead got into the Halloween spirit with a little face painting fun.

I knew today would be a challenge. We planned to spend a chunk of the day with friends picking pumpkins. It’s days like today, I need to control the cheating.

Yep, that’s right. I decided to have fun and cheat on my diet.

Cheating is a pretty strong word. Actually, I gave myself permission to either splurge a little at lunch or have a dessert — depending on the food situation.

Once we arrived at the Maryland farm, my hubby spotted the homemade ice cream. I decided to pass. I didn’t even want a taste.  At that moment I decided to skip dessert, not worry about lunch, and enjoy the day.

Fun On The Farm
Before heading out to the field to pick our Great Pumpkin, we spent some time at the petting zoo meeting baby cows, pigmy goats, piglets, sheep, llamas, horses and the farm’s very friendly herding dog, Molly.

The day wasn’t complete without a little face painting.

Before lunch we took a nice hour-long stroll in the corn maze. Actually we got lost. And most of the paths we took were uphill.  My hubby is a new walker (not in the Walking Dead sense) and got a good workout. For me, the maze walk was fairly easy. Yes it was hilly, but that didn’t bother me one bit. Awesome!

We exited the maze at the pumpkin patch and found a lovely 15 pounder. In a few days I’ll carve my jack-o-lantern and make pumpkin seeds (great for salads!).

Controlling The Cheat
When lunchtime rolled around, I actually saw a very healthy-looking fresh veggie salad with grilled chicken.  I toyed with that for a moment or two. It would keep me on track for the day.  But remembering I gave myself permission to cheat today, and I skipped the ice cream, I let my eyes wander the menu a bit. Then I found it — the grilled chicken BLT on whole wheat sourdough. Yum.

My husband ate my side of fries…OK, I ate 2 fries (and 1/4 of his cheese grits).  To make sure I didn’t go after more fries, I drank a load of unsweetened ice tea which helped to fill me up.

Am I worried about cheating on my diet? Not really. I eat 35 healthy meals a week (5 small meals/day). If one of those meals is unhealthy once in a blue moon it won’t hurt me. Besides, I’m not really on a diet. I’m changing my lifestyle as far as the types of foods I eat. Thanks to my new lifestyle I’m loosing weight. But my new lifestyle doesn’t mean I deprive myself and risk binge eating.

I have no desire to go back to how I use to eat before. But on days when I’m out with friends, I can’t always control where we eat. But I can control what I eat and how much. The key is being in control and not letting the food control you.

Anyway, I’m back on track and looking forward to tonight’s dinner — roasted turkey breast, grilled squash and a small mixed green salad.

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Weight Loss Makeover: Putting It Together

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After my makeup masterclass, my Glam Squad — Julie and Claire, the makeover pros — set up a photo shoot to show off my new look.

But before we begin, here’s the before image.

weight loss journey before and after photo

My current weight loss journey started in January 2012, when I tipped the scales at 325. I’ve never looked back since.

And here’s what having two makeover pros like Julie and Claire can do for you!

weight loss fashion makeover

Showing off my new Old Navy Outfit and a fab purse I found while visiting a little shop called Sam Moon in Houston, TX.

weight loss fashion makeover

Great dress we found at Lord & Taylor. Perfect for business or parties (just like a mullet, but better).

weight loss fashion makeover

Old Navy is the store that just keeps on giving! Jeans, black cardigan, blue short sleeve top and scarf are all from Old Navy. The handbag I picked up at Sam Moon.

A great leather faux jacket I picked up at Lane Bryant. The sleeveless orange top we picked up at Old Navy.

A great leather faux jacket I picked up at Lane Bryant. The sleeveless orange top is from Macy’s.

Weight loss fashion makeover

Practicing my best “Blue Steel” look, I love this green shirt Claire found at Macy’s. The fact it only cost $11 made me love it more!

weight loss fashion makeover

OK, here’s a better look at the Macy’s green top. The necklace is from Lane Bryant.

Unfortunately, my shoes from Zappos didn’t arrive on time for the photo shoot.

weight loss fashion makeover

Very pretty! I no longer have to wear only flip flops. Shoe styles (Top Row L-R): Vigotti Bethan, Nine West Heroheart, Softspots Maria; (Bottom Row L-R): Hush Puppies Chaste Ballet, Nine West Mela.

All I can say is thank you to Claire and Julie, the most awesome Glam Squad ever!

weight loss fashion makeover

Me with the Glam Squad – Claire (L) and Julie (R), enjoying a well-earned glass of wine.

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Weight Loss Shows Inspire And Frustrate Me

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My new favorite weight loss show - Heavy. It takes an honest approach to losing weight. I just wish it spent a little more time on nutrition.

I’m done watching Heavy. Now I need a new show to help give me that little push to keep going. Will My 600-LB Life or The Biggest Loser give me my fix?

I just finished watching the first season of Heavy and now I’m looking for another show to get me pumped about eating right and working out. I’ve got two options – My 600-lb Life and The Biggest Loser.

Like Heavy, My 600-lb Life is shot documentary-style. It focuses on people who undergone bypass surgery to lose weight. The camera crew follows them around for 7 years.

I’m curious to see if this one gets more into the nutrition side of things. If you spend 7 years following a person dealing with obesity, you think what that person eats might be of significance.

While I enjoy the documentary format of a show like Heavy, I can’t help but think people who’ve never been fat make these shows.  They almost never focus on nutrition.

Note to these TV shows producers: What you eat is 80% of the battle.

If food or nutrition isn’t interesting visually, how the heck do you explain the success of The Food Network?  Not one show, but a whole frickin’ network dedicated to food. Hell, even Hungry Girl has a healthy eating show on The Food Network.

As for The Biggest Loser I’ve never seen it, but I do own the yoga DVD.

I’m a little skeptical about the show. I know it’s a contest with a huge marketing machine behind it (hence my DVD!). That’s about it. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a marketer, so I like the idea of a huge marketing machine.  But this topic hits close to home so I’m leery of a weight loss competition via reality TV.

I watch shows like Heavy not to see the train wreck that is people’s lives, but to feel inspired. Also, I actually want to learn something. I’m just not sure what I’ll get out of watching The Biggest Loser. But I think I need to watch it at least once before writing it off.

Cover Girl Time: The Weight Loss Makeup Makeover

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(L-R) Nordstrom’s beauty stylist, me and Julie talking about best products for my skin.

Since I was rewarding myself for losing weight with a wardrobe and hair makeover, it made sense to ask my Glam Squad – Julie and Claire, the makeover pros – for some makeup advice too.

Confession Time
I never really wear that much makeup.  I don’t prefer going barefaced, but I never felt confident on how to put it on.

But before I could attend Julie’s makeup master class, I needed to actually buy makeup.

Skimping and Splurging
I don’t know about you, but I always find the department store makeup counters overwhelming. If I don’t know what I need, how do I shop for it? And which products are the best?

The good news: Julie went with me to take some of the mystery out of the experience.

Julie knew exactly what I needed. Her big challenge – staying within my $225 budget! Now that may seem like a lot, but keep in mind we were starting from scratch. I needed to invest in certain specialty items. Other things I could pick up on the cheap at my local drug store.

Our list included the basics:

  • Face – coverage makeup
  • Eyes – eyeliner, eye shadow, eyebrow liner and mascara
  • Cheeks – blush, bronzer
  • Lips – lipstick, gloss, liner

And if the budget supported it, an eye cream and Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair (I’ve used this and it rocks!).

weight loss beauty makeover, reward weight loss with makeup

Glam Squad’s Makeup Master Class: Learning how to apply concealer to get rid of those dark circles under my eyes.

When I arrived at Nordstrom’s makeup counter, Julie was already working with the beauty stylists pulling different products for me to test.

Julie recommended we splurge on a tinted moisturizer (Laura Mercier) for my dry skin and to help tone down my naturally very rosy cheeks. Also I needed to invest in a good concealer (Estee Lauder) for those dark circles under my eyes.

We both loved the Laura Mercier Colour Wardrobe. It had everything I needed for my eyes and cheeks. The colors perfectly complimented my skin color and green eyes.

We also picked up brushes at Sephora.

As for my lips,  the Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Trio tempted us. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make the budget work.

It was an educational shopping trip, completely took the fear away of visiting the makeup counter, and best of all Julie stayed within $2.00 of my budget – how’s that for awesome!

weight loss beauty makeover, rewarding weight loss with makeup, everyday beauty

The master at work! Julie touching up the eye makeup as we take a brief pause during the photo shoot.

Makeup Master Class
Sunday morning I met up with my Glam Squad for a makeup master class.

Julie walked me through step by step – how much tinted moisturizer to put on (a nickel-size drop); best way to apply the concealer (pat it on with the ring finger!); simple motion for applying blush (backwards “C”); and lots of little tricks for my eyes and lips.

She went over what each brush is for and how to care for them (wash once a week in baby shampoo).

She was incredibly patient with my questions. And she had great little tips for turning mistakes into great looks.

The best thing about makeup class: Julie crafted me a look that was amazing, quick to put on (90 seconds folks!) and felt like I’m not wearing makeup.

Now I just need to practice, practice, practice.

So ended the morning portion of Day 3 of my weight loss makeover. Up next, putting it all together for the photo shoot!

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Tracking My Tush Time

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One of the big lifestyle changes I’m working on is becoming more active. I’m convinced sitting on my butt all day at an office and at home in front of the TV contributed to my present weight. And I’m not alone in that thinking.

Are you like our little friend here waiting for someone light that fire under your butt to get you moving? That someone better be you.

Are you waiting for someone light that fire under your butt to get you moving? That someone better be you.

Standing vs. sitting was the topic du jour at my Weight Watchers meeting on Friday.  Our bodies evolved to move. Yet the average person remains sedentary for more than half the time they are awake – more than 12 hours. The meeting leader pointed out that the 30 – 45 minutes we spend busting our butts at the gym doesn’t do enough to counteract the detrimental effects of 8, 9, or 10 hours of sitting. Great!

So what exactly are the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle? Oh little things like heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

I did let out a loud chuckle as I sat there listening to the meeting leader talk about the dangers of sitting.

After my outburst, our meeting leader asked us to add up how much time we spend sitting. I estimated that I’m on my tush 6.5 hours a day.  Granted that’s a very rough estimate. I know I’m sitting a lot less than when I weighed 325.

Today I’m tracking my sedentary hours in real time.  So far I’ve sat for a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes. Mind you, a chunk of that time is spent sitting on an exercise ball while I’m on the computer…so technically that time really shouldn’t count.

I’m on my feet for the next 3-4 hours cleaning and cooking.

For much of the day and afternoon I’m pretty much go-go-go. It’s the evening hours that get tough. I’m usually starting to unwind by working on a knitting project.  Sorry, but I just can’t stand and knit.

Sure, I could stand while watching the telly, but that just seems a bit odd. Plus that means curling up on the couch next to the dogs is a no-no.

Nope, I think it makes more sense for me to get more active during the daylight hours.

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Weight Loss Makeover: Time For A Fun And Sassy Hairdo

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After losing 80 lbs., I was ready for a new hairstyle that mirrored how I felt on the inside – fun and sassy! I just didn’t know what to do.

weight loss hair style makeover, losing weight and makeovers, new hairstyle reward for weight loss

In my defense, I air dried it and just got back from a long walk in very humid weather.

My hair became unmanageable. Long and thick, my hair took over an hour to dry and style. It lacked volume, the color faded and it frizzed out every time I used a blow dryer.

I started keeping it in a ponytail. Everyday. It was the only way to contain it.

Worst of all, I looked older than my age.

Once again I called on the Glam Squad – my friends and makeover pros Julie and Claire – for much-needed help.

Medium Wavy Style
Julie recommended I go with look that took 4 inches off, added curls and bounce. Plus she wanted layers – a great way to add volume, soften the lines around my face, as well as feel lighter and cooler.

As for color, Julie and Claire urged me to go darker and add in highlights for contrast and create a shading effect.

Sold.

Julie recommended a stylist she worked with at a wedding and scheduled my appointment.

weight loss hairstyle makeover, new hairstyle reward for weight loss

Me with the fabulous Jenny just before applying my new dark, sexy color.

The Perfect Hair
I arrived at the salon a few minutes early. After checking in and putting a smock on, the receptionist promptly asked if I’d like a glass of wine.

This was my type of salon!

Just as my glass arrived I met Jenny, my hair makeover stylist.  She was great! Jenny walked me through the Glam Squad’s suggested cut and showed me how it would frame my face.

I told her my only concern was being able to duplicate the look once I left the salon. Let’s face it, Jenny isn’t doing my hair every morning. That’s my job and I’m terrible at it.

Jenny promised to walk me through the style phase and show me just how easy it is to maintain.

Then we started talking color. She liked going darker than my original or boxed colors and recommended adding gold highlights on top – right where the patch of gray stood.

What Does It Look Like?

weight loss hairstyle makeover, new hairstyle weight loss reward, celebrate weight loss hairstyle

My new do! I really love the highlights. It’s simple, fun and easy to style.

It took Jenny 3 hours to color, cut and style my hair.

It looked awesome. The color was perfect and my hair felt bouncy and silky.  And it’s incredibly easy to style. All I needed was a curling iron and fingers to tousle the curls for that natural look.

Easy peasy.

Day 2 of my makeover extravaganza down. Up next: From bare face Cover Girl time!

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