I miss modeling...

   Well, after looking around again on Facebook, I have decided that I [really] miss modeling. I think I need to make a note all over the house in order to remind myself to keep eating clean so that I can beat Josh in this contest. (I guess to also beat Mike by the end of February.) I was motivated enough to search for affiliate Crossfit gyms in the Harrisburg area. I have found 3, but I was told that 13 Stripes was the best out of them. I guess we shall see. Hopefully this motivation keeps up because I honestly do want to get back into modeling. Truth be told: I quit modeling for about a year and a half to two years because I didn't like how I looked and wanted to "fix" myself before I got back into it again. This is part of the reason I have challenged Josh to this. I don't have the "nude dude shoot" like he does, but I still want to feel great about myself [if] I decide to model again. I miss it so much that I'm sure I'll get back into it, but I don't want to just be another self-proclaimed "model" from my area. I want to be much better than that. Here's what I miss: (*sigh*)

   Yesterday I went to Crossfit Invigorate. Workout was 21-15-9 of Burpees & Wall Balls - THREE rounds. I honestly only finished two. My few days of eating like shit had caught up to me. I felt it. This morning at CFSH, I went on an empty stomach, which wasn't that bad, thankfully. At least crappy food wasn't weighing me down. I did also shovel 2 driveways the other day, so that was some leg, ab, and arm action. I was outside for two hours. (Dad just got the snow blower to work, so I'm waiting to see if he needs me to shovel anything.)

   Well, I guess I'll go do some abs, ask dad if he needs help, and then shower. Lazy day for me today.

It's going...

   Hello to everyone that looks at this, but never comments! It's been a little too long since I last posted. Oops! Christmas will do that to you.

   I will admit, I didn't not eat very well over the past 3 days for Christmas. Every other day has been pretty good. I [have] to become strict from now until January 5th because I leave until the 17th. I won't be able to cook my own meals, so I'm not quite sure what type of food I will be eating. let alone what chow hall I will be in, which makes a [huge] difference, I promise. I know that I may still be able to eat some grain in order to sustain energy through out the day, which I am sure I will need. Oh. I'm going to Fort Indiantown Gap for about 2 weeks for the Level 2 Combatives Course. I will admit that I am nervous, but I am definitely more excited! I know that it should be learning the take downs and [re]learning the ground movements. I think I'll look it up shortly to see!

   My friend, Mike Roth, has challenged me to yet another six pack challenge. His is for the end of February. I guess it's different to be in competition with a female to see who can get a six pack faster or a better one!?

   I'm sorry, but I'm not really in the mood to write today. Maybe later. I need to get my desktop computer hooked up to the internet, so maybe I'll do that sometime tonight. I also need to start getting things together for these 2 weeks that I will be gone. I had an extremely productive day yesterday though! I also shoveled 2 driveways for 2 hours yesterday. :] No sore back from me because I lifted with my legs!

   Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I will write soon, I have to!

Less than a month!

   I haven't logged anything in awhile because I haven't turned on my laptop at home in WEEKS! It's nice to be a little disconnected from technology once I get home.

   I have so much that I want to write about, but not really feeling it today. So I'll make this short.


   Starting Wednesday (after all the food of course), I will be completely overhauling my diet. Since we started this six-pack challenge, I have cut back on grains, dairy, and sugar. I have realized that unless I [really] dedicate myself to this change of diet, that I might not beat Josh. Therefore, I will be strict. I may still have cereal with milk for breakfast in the morning, but I [have to] cut out sugar. That's my biggest weakness! The worst part is that I will be gone January 5-17th for a military course. I am unsure of how I will be able to keep to it once I am there. I won't be able to cook my own food, and it will get expensive to eat out all the time. I [am] excited though because this should hopefully be a very physical class, and so I will still be burning calories and sweating it out! I am going to look to see if there is a CF near there. I don't know how much time I'll have, or if I'll even feel up to muscle wise because I have a feeling I am going to be very sore, and I don't want to risk injury.


   I took Sibyl to Crossfit Invigorate with me today. She was [extremely] nervous, but she made it through. I am very proud of her! She's going to lose all the weight she's aiming for in no time! Scott won't recognize her by the time he sees her again. Merry Christmas again, Sib!

   Time to go shower and get ready for this upcoming weekend and holiday. I will try to post! Good luck, Josh. You better be working hard!


   ((Please feel free to leave comments of encouragement, concern, and more.))

Why I Am Doing This

   It has come to my attention that some don't understand why I am doing this.

  Let me be [completely] honest about all of this. I don't like how I look! I know that I am "skinny" and that every one else thinks that I look great, but I don't feel it. I don't want to be "skinny," I want to be "fit." I know that I don't have to have six pack abs, but I [want] them. When I was little, I used to do sit ups while watching TV. I weighed 60 pounds in 6th grade. I remember when I finally reached 99 pounds and was nervous to hit the three digits! I remember Leah Bellis telling me that she was trying to stay under 100 pounds, but I knew that wouldn't be a goal for me. So this isn't about what everyone else thinks, this is what [I] want. If I reach my goal, I will be getting back into modeling. If I don't reach my goal by the January 17th deadline, I'm going to push myself harder until I reach it. [I miss modeling.]

   So you may get bored with me posting what I have eaten everyday, but I'm not asking that you focus on that. All that I'm asking is that you support Josh and I both as we focus on improving ourselves. If you haven't not read Josh's blog, I highly suggest it. If you really want to understand why I challenged Josh in the first place, then you need to read this blog: http://polishjosh.blogspot.com/2012/09/1-year-gone.html

   Once you read that blog, you will completely understand why I am doing this challenge. Not only is it a challenge for me, it is a challenge for Josh. What better way to motivate someone than to make it a competition? Ultimately, Josh will lose, but it's still worth the challenge to him to try to beat me!

     Breakfast: Special K (Vanilla Almond) w/ almond milk

     Snack #1: Banana
     Lunch: Chicken w/green beans and potatoes

     Snack #2: Apple

     Taste Testing: German chocolate, gingerbread, etc sent from Germany (I took TINY bites!)

   Feel free to comment on my blog, Josh's blog, or even our Facebook profiles to show your support. We have both admitted that the changes in our diet completely suck and make us sick. It takes a lot to be able to discipline ourselves with eating healthy and working out as much as we do.

Feeling Great

   Well, to be honest, I feel that my energy levels are still lacking. As I sit here at work, I feel like I can just put my head down on my desk and take a short nap. Twenty minutes would be acceptable, right? I even got a full 8 hours of sleep, so why am I so tired? Hopefully I get over this slump soon!

   I had a great weekend, and I did well on my "diet." I really hate to call it a diet, but it's the truth. It's more than just a change in my healthy lifestyle, it is a diet. I don't plan to be this strict on it forever, but I plan on being strict about 2 weeks before the deadline, and then I will probably go back to where I am now with just limiting it.
   Brian and I went out for lunch on Saturday, and we ate at Friday's. He asked me if I wanted an appetizer, but my answer was no because I couldn't eat anything on the appetizer menu! How sad. I stuck with my diet then by getting salmon. We went to eat that night with his family at Houlihan's, and I kept to my diet again. I didn't even get an alcoholic beverage.
   Yesterday, Dad and I went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. I got a braided pretzel without cheese. I had a few handfuls of popcorn. I also drank tea, which the amount of sugar was ridiculous. That was a terrible choice. Dad and I went to eat at Texas Roadhouse afterwords. I had ONE roll. That's some self control. For dinner though, I had shrimp, apple sauce, sweet potato, and vegetables.
   So I actually woke up today feeling great. I know that you are "dehydrated" in the mornings, but I wasn't looking that bad. I plan on going to CFSH today for the "Annie" workout; Double-unders and situps. I'll definitely beat Josh in no time!!!

     Breakfast: Special K (Vanilla & Almond) w/ almond milk
     Snack #1: Coconut Clif Bar
     Snack #2: Banana
     Snack #3: Pistachios

   I tried to update my blog this weekend, but I found out that you cannot do it from your iPhone. What a bummer. I probably won't be updating my blogs on the weekend then seeing as I am rarely on a computer over the weekends. Sorry.

   I would upload more motivational pictures, but Google is having a malfunction.

Another day...

   Well, I just had a realization. I figured out why I've been so tired this week. Most people complain about being tired for the first week or so during their Paleo challenge. With how I have changed my diet, it's practically Paleo. Hmm... now to get over this slump!

   Dinner yesterday was good. Graham cooked (according to my diet) chicken and some vegetables. He even had lemon to put in my water. I was a happy camper!

     Dinner: Chicken w/mixed vegetables

     Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios w/2% milk

     Snack #1: Banana

     Snack #2: Protein/Fiber granola bar

     Snack #3: Pistachios/Almonds

   I'm ready for lunch! I'm starving. 

     Lunch: You Pick Two: 1/2 Greek salad (no cheese, onions, peppers) & tomato soup (no croutons)

Now I'm ready to go to Crossfit Invigorate then go home to cook dinner (93/7 ground meat & vegetables) then shower and get ready for these laser shows & Christmas party.

     Today got busy, which I am thankful for. Goodnight.

Happy Holidays

Oops!

   I didn't forget about yesterday, but I just got so busy that I wasn't able to post. My apologies.

   Yesterday was a terrible day for food. It's not that I didn't eat well, it's just that no matter what I ate, I was still hungry. I really wanted shrimp for lunch, and Texas Roadhouse has yummy shrimp skewers, the only issue is that they don't open up until 3 pm! Therefore, I didn't eat a proper lunch.

     Breakfast: Special K cereal w/ 2% milk
     Snack #1: Almonds
     Snack #2: Tomatoes/Green Beans
     Snack #3: Clif Bar
     Snack #4: Pretzels (It was the only thing left that I hadn't eaten here!)
     Dinner: small Greek salad (no cheese, no onions) and a cup of tomato soup (no cheese)
       Drink: unsweetened acai tea
     Snack #5: 1/3 of a whey protein shake w/ almond milk

   So, as you can see, I munched, ALL DAY! It still didn't help satisfy my hunger. Thankfully Mom wanted to go to dinner with me. I have no idea what I would have made at home had I actually needed to make something to satisfy me. I stepped on the scale at 122.4 this morning. My weight normally fluctuates 2-3 pounds, so I'm not worried. Although I'm sure all of that food didn't help!

   I haven't worked out in a few days because I have been [extremely] sore from the tabata push ups. Rather than risk further injury, I have taken a few days off in order to recover and heal. I have stretched a small amount, but sadly not enough. Last night, I did do my ab exercises. I will do a few more tonight, but different ones in order to work different muscles! I'm thankful for my pull-up bar at home; I'm able to do toes to bar! I have been keeping my eyes open for all sorts of ab exercises that work the lower abs because that's the part that is going to take the most effort to change. I know that I need to do other exercises that indirectly target my core, so I have been doing squats as well. December is Squat-a-Thon, and I'm partially participating. I did most yesterday, but my knees were getting tight, so I fell 15 short of 75 squats yesterday. While working out, I am also concentrating on my breathing since ab exercises aren't extremely difficult to perform, it's a great time to perfect my breathing technique. I'm hoping to transfer that over to my rowing.
[Speaking of rowing, I may see how much one is. Christmas anyone? My mother LOVES to row, and wants to try it again.]

   Well, today is a new day. Although I will be taking one more day off from the gym, it is filled with excitement. At noon I will be going to the range with my father, uncle, sister, her husband, and Zane from work. There's an arsenal of guns and ammo. Who wouldn't be happy? Also, I will be babysitting Grayson tonight in order for Graham and Laurie to get their house and tree decorated for Christmas. I'm nervous, but it should go alright considering they are there.

   Today so far:
     Breakfast: 2/3 of a whey protein shake w/ almond milk

   I'm hoping to not have a repeat of yesterday's insatiable hunger!




p.s. Josh, I'm still going to beat you in this competition.

Day 2

Well, today is another day.

   Dinner went well yesterday. After CFSH, I went to Wal-mart to pick up a few things (i.e. birth control, Zicam for my father, and a few groceries). I grabbed some 93/07% ground meat, some individual chicken servings, and some ground turkey. When I got home, dinner was a banana, mixed vegetables, and a hand size serving of the ground meat. Dad's lunch became the other serving of ground meat that I cooked, mixed vegetables, and a serving of brown rice. It was extremely weird to not have rice as a side, but I didn't really mind. I woke up today and weighed myself. It's definitely showing that I am eating differently, but in order to make sure to not upset Josh, I will not post my weight here. Maybe I'll post my end weight with my after photo. I highly doubt that my weight will fluctuate very much during this challenge, but then again it might since this is such a drastic change to my diet. I have been around the same weight for the past few years with only a fluctuate daily because of my meals, but it has generally been the same. (I count that as a good thing!)

     Breakfast: Special K Cinnamon Pecan Cereal w/ 2% Milk
     Snack #1: Pistachios/Almonds
                     English tea w/ tablespoon of honey

   I have a snack of banana slices with organic chunky peanut butter bites. I put them in the freezer so that they stay together a little bit better. I also brought some green beans and tomatoes to eat. I'm drinking water all day now. I just need to remember to bring lemon now.

   I plan on sharing this blog on Facebook later today. I'm definitely nervous, but I think the support that it may bring for Josh and I during this challenge will be well worth it. I know that he definitely needs it. His mother is quoted "That naked girl on your site, that's just not fair. She's so skinny already, you're never going to win." I feel bad that it came from his mom, but maybe that's the motivation he needs in order to try harder. I just hope that he doesn't go overboard on this!

   Oh, and if you ever hear me refer to him as Stud Muffin, don't worry, he'll reply to me as Cupcake. Yes, we have nicknames for each other. I saw a shirt that said something about "Just a Cupcake looking for her Stud Muffin." I sent it to him knowing that he would get a laugh.


   My best time on the 7x 150m Row Sprint was 34.4. Not too shabby compared to everyone else on my level. I just wish the rower had a seat belt! Half of my battle is keeping my ass to the seat. My TABATA pushups score was a 3. That's not bad compared to everyone else either. Natalie talked me out of doing them on my knees. I started out around 9 in order to pace myself. I hit muscle failure anyways! I know that 3 doesn't sound like much, but it does when I know that I am doing a CORRECT military pushup by breaking
the plane. I have awhile before my next PT test, but I know that I will crush it! I didn't do as well as I would have liked to on this past one, but I only have room for improvement.

     Have a great day!

Six Pack Challenge

   I am starting this blog up again in order to track my progress over the next few weeks. I challenged Josh, from Crossfit, to a challenge to see who could achieve a six pack faster. He has a photo shoot on January 17th, so I figured that I would help motivate him with a challenge. Little did I know the pain that this would entail. I have changed my diet to attempt to limit my intake of grains, dairy, and sugar. So far, not so good. It is EXTREMELY hard to not eat such foods! Today is a better day of it all so far though. We'll see how it goes for dinner.

   Here is my "before" photo. I'll post an after picture on January 17th. I will take all of the support that I can get. This is more difficult than I imagined. I'm doing some ab exercises, but I'm mostly just changing my diet since it's shown that abs are made in the kitchen. Josh has admitted that I'm already more slender so that I may have a chance! :] Now that he has seen the photo, he knows what he is up against!

   Like I said, I will take all of the support that I can get. Six pack - HERE I COME!

Breakfast:
   2 eggs with pepper
   Small - Homemade strawberry smoothie
Snack #1:
   Greek yogurt with strawberries and a small amount of granola
Lunch:
   Two pouches of tuna in water, small amount of mayo, and a few chunks of avocado.



   Let's see how Snack #2 and Dinner go.