Sarah D SOFII final post

Well, here we are, ladies! I know that it has been a busy summer for a lot of us, and many probably didn't get the opportunity to exercise as much as they would've liked. Well, ANY exercise is better than none, right? And any time we resist temptation and eat healthily is good, even if we give in at other times!

I was glad for this challenge - it kept me exercising even when my exercising buddy was gone (and still is!), and kept me on my toes, thinking about what I should eat and shouldn't. I have probably let things slide a bit more than I should have by the end of this challenge, but am still glad for the work I did put in!

So here are the final results for me (weight in pounds, and the rest in inches):
Starting Ending Loss
Weight 199 191 8
Bust 36.5 35 1.5
Chest 31 30 1
Waist 31 29.5 1.5
Hips 44 42 2
R. Thigh 25 24 1
L Thigh 25.5 24 1.5
R & L Arms 13 12 1

Total pounds lost: 8
Total inches lost: 10.5

Total hours exercised: 53 I am pretty happy about all the hours I put in exercising. The last challenge I started off exercising 4-5 days a week, 20-40 minutes a day. By the end of this challenge I have been exercising 6 days a week, 40-60 minutes a day (usually 60). So that is an accomplishment for me! I know I can't always do the 60 minutes with little kids running around and needing attention, but when I can, it is great!

And, some pictures. I thought I would post the starting one from last challenge as well.
So here is the beginning of the last challenge (mid-February)

And the second, which was at the end of the last challenge (end of April):

And finally, taken just yesterday at the end of this challenge:

I am still not where I would like to be (maybe another 20 pounds or so... hopefully off my butt and thighs!!!) but I have lost 19 pounds since starting these challenges with Dani Joy and you better believe I am happy about it!!!

Dani Joy - I think you should continue with points for water in every subsequent challenge :-) I think it is SO good to have that goal each day, and a lot of times, if I want a coke or something, I will think "Well, if I drink a coke, I won't be able to finish my water!" so I won't drink it. OR if i feel hungry, I will just drink some water, and many times I was just thirsty and not really hungry. So I think it would be good to continue this!!!

Sarah D update and Excel info

Hello all! I can't believe we only have 1 week left! NO way am I going to lose 20 pounds in 1 week! Well, there's always the next challenge, right?! :-)

I haven't updated my results lately... there haven't been too many dramatic changes on my part here... I have lost one pound since I last weighed and measured, which is something I can be happy about! We spent a week at conference, and I did not exercise the entire time we were there. I did do more walking than normal, though, just walking between cabins and meeting place, etc! I drank WAY more than I "needed" to for my water. I have no idea why, I just was very thirsty all the time, even without the added exercise! I am just happy I didn't gain any weight while I was there... the meals were good, but nothing extravagant (i.e. no excessive splurging or anything like that!) but the church team that comes from the States for our conference did bring a LOT of American candy! I enjoyed about 3-4 bite-size candy bars a day, which was tasty, and did not make me feel like I had over-indulged. I also enjoyed the dessert at a couple of the meals - only the ones I really thought looked tasty, instead of eating dessert at EVERY meal! So, come home and not gain any weight is good, but having to get back into the exercise routine is not easy! I've done 40 minutes each day since we've been back but need to work back up to my "usual" 60...

And a note for those of you using the Excel spreadsheet. Somehow when I set it up for this challenge I didn't format it to include the data from all the weeks. So if your spreadsheet isn't adding up correctly (and you don't know how to fix it), follow these steps:
1. Open up your "SOFII" spreadsheet and go to the "Points" tab.
2. Go to the very bottom of the "pounds" column - the cell where it is supposed to show the "12 week total". Double click on that cell. You should see it change from showing your information to showing the formula that it contains. You should also see a colored box (probably blue) around most of the cells in that "pounds" column.
3. hold your cursor over the bottom right-hand corner of that cell, until your cursor changes into a double-sided arrow that looks like this \ but with arrows at both ends. When your cursor looks like that, click on the blue box corner, and drag it down until it encloses all of the cells in the "pounds" column, except for the "totals" one at the bottom. Then press "enter" on your keyboard. That should update your "Pounds" column.
4. To update all of your columns, you can either follow the steps above for each column, OR you can do the following: Click (once) on the "totals" cell for the "pounds" column. Then go to the lower right-hand corner of that cell, until your cursor looks like a bold "plus" sign - like this +. Then click on that corner of the cell and drag (horizontally) across all of the "totals" boxes, except for the last one (the final "totals" box). This should update all of the columns.
Hopefully this makes sense for everyone! I didn't realize until I was inputting my points for last week that the totals weren't updating correctly in the spreadsheet. Sorry about that!

Going into our Last WEEK!

OH NOOOOO ! Not yet! I still gotta get 4lbs off. yikes! Sound familiar? Well, don´t dispare. We are going to be doing another challenge soon. Probably the beginning of September. Don´t take a month off though. Don´t stop.

I will be making an extra extra push this week and then keep on through the month of August. Those that want to do that with me, can keep counting points with me, even though the challenge will end next Wednesday. I just want to keep up with the exercise and it helps me to think about it everyday. Not to mention, the eating right. You all motivate me to keep on.

So how are you doing?

Share your last Sweatin off the Fat journal on Wednesday to be eligable for the prize, including ending weight or how much you lost, inches lost, exercise hours/minutes, and your favorite part about this challenge or any ideas you might have. I will be giving three 10€ Gift certificates to the one who has the most points, the one with the most weight loss, and the one who has lost the most inches.

Sweat it!

Dani Joy

The Best Exercises for Fat Loss

There's a reason sprinters have such sculpted bodies, not just legs. Sprinting, essentially a form of interval training, is in fact a great total-body exercise.. - Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images

When it comes to fat loss, slow and steady loses the race. "According to American research published in the journal 'Obesity,' men and women who did 300 hours of cardio over the course of a year lost an average of only 5 pounds," Craig Ballantyne, owner of TurbulenceTraining.com, said. "That's 60 hours of cardio to lose one pound!"

More intense training -- in shorter bursts -- burns calories more quickly and burns more fat overall. And unlike long, slow cardio sessions, intense training keeps you melting fat even after your workout is over, says Martin Rooney, director of the Parisi Speed School and author of "Ultimate Warrior Workouts."

It's not all about adding exercise, though. For fat loss, the two best exercises to eliminate, says Ballantyne, are "the fork to mouth and the 12-ounce curl."

"You can't out-train a bad diet," said David Jack, director of Teamworks Fitness, in Acton, Massachusetts. "If you're training and then eating an extra 400 calories of garbage, that's what your workout burns. It's senseless."

You've been warned. Step away from the tortilla chips and the treadmill, and try these five high-intensity training strategies to torch fat fast.

Men and women who did 300 hours of cardio over the course of a year lost an average of only 5 pounds. That's 60 hours of cardio to lose one pound!

Craig Ballantyne, owner of TurbulenceTraining.com

Work Hard, Recover  ... read more HERE.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/486382-the-best-exercises-for-fat-loss/#ixzz1S27VMA5D

Long Time and a Bit of a Struggle

It´s been a long time since I have written again. I think I like the summer challenge relax mode, except for the STRUGGLE with the weight. 

Here I am with my new exercise buddy, Cornelia, from Romania.

I seem to get all the exercise in but am stuck at a weight I don´t want to be stuck at. I think I am going to have to go to more serious measures if I am to get back to my pre- challenge weight and then some. 


We start a Pilates class tomorrow at in our new church building. It will be in my classroom as that is the only one that is fully ready. ;) I can´t wait to  learn how to do this type of exercise. Everyone says it will help my back. 


Well, ladies, I sure do hope you are staying consistant and sweating it. ;) Enjoy feeling fit. 


Big hugs,
Dani Joy

Off to family camp

Ladies,

We are off this morning to our annual family conference - everyone from our mission on our island (Papua - the easternmost province of Indonesia) will get together at a campground in a remote village for a week! I am not sure how much exercise I will get, but I will try to get something in somewhere! There will probably be some organized sports going on, but honestly I am not much of a sports player. The thing I would be most likely to play would be volleyball but I am not much good at it, and I know that with lots of other people playing who ARE good, the chances of me actually playing would be pretty slim. So maybe I will get a walk or two in... we'll see! The grounds are pretty muddy and not really all that suited to much walking, but I'll try to work something out!

Anyway, I at least hope to keep drinking my water, since it has become such a habit for me... although lately I have been drinking a bunch before I go to bed at night, and then end up waking several times to go to the bathroom in the night. I will have to get my water finished a lot earlier at camp because I don't want to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night - putting on boots, trekking out to the communal bathroom... not much fun in the cold, dark night! :-)

Well, hang in there for the last few weeks! I know you can do it! And I am just hoping to eat fairly well (at least watch my portions) this week so that I don't undo all I have done for the last few weeks!

Blessings!

My Extrordinary Bike Trip

36.5 Miles ( not including ride from house) 4:30 hours!

This is where we biked! It was amazing. Parts of it were very difficult and I thought I was going to die, parts were gorgeous and parts were easy but scary. (like the fast down hill rides) All in all, I really enjoyed our trip. I am not nearly as sore as I thought I would be. PTL. Burned a ton of calories and was starving by the time I got home. Next time, note to self: " bring more protien bars!"

Hope you had a great weekend! Keep sweating ladies. I know I have to keep stepping it up. I have some weight I have gained back and don´t want to go any farther.

Dani Joy

Sarah D Week 8

Well, I am a bit late this week but better late than never, right?! :-)

This week I am down one pound and 2 1/2 inches! I am glad to see the hard work and exercise paying off. I have exercised 60 minutes every day this week except for Sunday... and today. It is only 8 in the morning but I did not sleep well and am feeling sniffly and achy this morning so I think I will take the day off. I also have lots to do today so I don't want to use up my energy on the exercise and then feel drained the rest of the day. Most of the time exercise gives me extra energy but it works the opposite when I am starting to get sick :-(

Keep up the hard work, ladies!

Week 8 - Sarah K.

Hello Friends,

You have such encouraging posts to read! Thank you for posting them!

I have been doing much better at my calories this past week. Wed 1540, Thurs 1050?, Fri 1575, Sat 550?, Sun 1260, Mon 1926, and Tues 1296. (The ? are because I think I missed some recordings on those days and cannot remember what I ate.)
Measurements -.75 Weight -.4 Water 6 days Exercise 3 days

Keep going strong! You're all doing great!

Barrio Fiesta Reunion in San Diego

Trevor and I at the Bario Fiesta Reunion.



Picture of my sisters and I during the Bario Fiesta Reunion in San Diego. The bario I grew up in the Philippines has a reunion every year in San Diego. My sisters and I try to go when possible. It was so nice catching up with everyone we grew up with.



Building a sand castle. It was a great workout at the beach from hauling the canopy and cooler to walking in the sand. What a great time too!

Super Busy

Just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive. :o) I've been super busy and haven't even had time to peek in. I also haven't had time to keep track of my points, I'm so sorry. I knew that the summer was going to keep me very busy. I'm not doing real bad with diet and fitness for the most part. Just nothing in the way of formal exercise. No more weight loss, but other than the normal 2 lbs. up and down thing, no gain weight. So I guess I'm happy with where I'm at all things considered.

I did take a long weekend vacation this past weekend. It turned out to be real busy too. I did some "junk" but considering being on vacation I didn't do too bad.

I'm hoping to get some formal exercise in this week.

Please pray for our Pastor. Pastor Andrew Estes. His cancer came back. He has been off of the Hallelujah diet for a while now and plans to go back on. Please pray for the Lord's will and strength.

Thanks, everyone.

Week 7 - Sarah K.

Hi Friends,
I apologizing for not being here. I had too many deadlines and not enough time. Fortunately, all the deadlines are past and I have much more "free time" right now.
I weighed and measured on Monday (to take the place of last weeks weigh in and measurements) and then started Day 3 of a program called Slimming Made Simple. When I weighed and measured today I was pleased with how well it is going.
I can not recommend it for healthy weight loss. I just wanted something to jump start me and get me on my way for the summer while I figured out my plan for the rest of the year.
Calories for Monday 1058-11, Tuesday 1258-1300. (I forgot and don't want to go downstairs to find the paper, yet.)
Weight loss since Monday 3.6 lbs
Inches lost since last weigh in 3.5
I drank all of my water the last 2 days. I had 60 min of exercise yesterday and 20 min on Mon. I am sore and trying to talk myself into exercising today.
Thanks for being here. I am anxious to read how you all have been doing.

Sarah D Week 7 results

Yes, it is the end of week 7 already! Only 5 more weeks! Yikes, how time flies!!!

I was SO encouraged to step on the scale this morning and see 2 more pounds gone! That makes a total of 6 for this challenge so far! Woo hoo! I also lost 2 inches, which includes a half inch off of each of my thighs! That is cause for celebration! But maybe not food-related celebration, right?! :-)

Recently I have hit a bit of a mental block, feeling like "I can't do this!" as far as the eating right and so much exercise. But I am just trying to take it one day at a time. I have been exercising 6 days a week, 60 minutes a day, and if I look at the big picture, thinking "I only get one day off a week!" then it is a bit discouraging, but just taking it one day at a time, and making sure I get my exercise in that day is do-able.

My husband also has been exercising, only in the afternoon after he gets home from work. He is a pilot and leaves for work at 5:30 am or earlier, so exercising before work is not really an option. But on the days when he is home in the early afternoon, he will do the 30-day Shred and then walk for 20 minutes afterwards, and often I walk with him. I haven't been counting that time towards my exercise points, but I do think it is good for me to get moving in the afternoons as well, and also nice to have some time to connect with my hubby!

Keep moving, ladies! I am fortunate in that my schedule isn't very different during the summer than the rest of the year. My kids aren't in school yet, so every day is pretty much the same for us. For that reason I think it has been easier for me to stick with the eating and exercising routines that I have set earlier in the year.

Make small changes!

Hi All,

This week I am going to:

-cut out of my diet, WHITE bread
-drink unsweetened almond soy milk instead of lowfat milk

Have a great week y'all!

Jennifer

NO PROCESSED JUNK

Except for Michael´s B- day cake. ;)

This has been my motto for the last week and I also increased my workouts to includce the Ripped in 30 along with 5k walk/runs. Ended up burning 3,376 calories this week in exercise alone! I think I am back at it strong. ;) Love it! I really love the Ripped in 30! It´s a challenge, moves fast... oh did I already say that I totally love it! Hehe! Another thing I like about it is that it has 4 different workouts and all are challenging. Week 3 seems to be the most challenging one yet and the most fun. ;)

I am doing a 5k Race this next Sunday with two other ladies. They can´t run it yet so I will walk it with them. Lord willing, a very fast walk/run.

Ladies, the summer is just beginning! Let´s keep focused on our goals and don´t get derailed by vaccation. Step it up if you can. Outdoor exercise makes it all the more fun. Enjoy and let´s really push through these last 5 weeks! Let´s see some change!

If you haven´t seen any change in few weeks try increasing your heart rate more during your workouts. Try cutting out some late night snacking or some extras that you have been munching on. Try adding in more water.  Cut out more unnecessary carbs and add in more lean protien.

We are finishing up WEEK 7 if I calculated right. Correct me if I am wrong. Seventh Inning Stretch! But your only bonus will be seeing the scales and inches go down. jeje!

WE can do ALL things through Christ who gives us STRENGTH!
BE STRONG and of good courage!
Be STRONG IN THE LORD AND THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT!

Still Sweatin it with ya,
Dani Joy

I lost 4 pounds!

Hi All,

Since my last post...I've lost 4 pounds...and I can't believe it! I've finally reached 139 lbs...and I am only 11 pounds from my goal weight of 128 lbs. My body measurements though remain unchanged.

I am more motivated now to eat healthier because I found out recently that I have high cholesterol. I've got to get it lowered!

I have a big race coming up this Saturday. I will be running the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon! I'm so excited and I feel great!

Jennifer

Weigh In from June 15

Well, not much to report...at least nothing in the losing way.  I have been eating zero desserts for about 2 weeks now.  My goal is that I will only allow a dessert after I'm down 4 pounds--150 lbs---My real goal is 145, but I haven't seen the other side of 150 since last summer.  I started running today.  I need more endurance, but I hope someday to enjoy the sport!
Thanks for being my inspiration!!

Sarah D Week 5 and 6 results

Boy, things have been slow on the blog lately! I can't complain because I am not very good at posting, either! I hope that everyone is keeping up with their exercise, even though they're not on the blog!

I didn't post last week so I will combine these two weeks' results. Last week I didn't lose any weight but I was down 1.5 inches. This week I didn't lose any inches but I was down .5 pound. So that takes me down 4 pounds so far this challenge. The last few weeks have been a bit discouraging because I feel like I am doing really well with the exercise and pretty well with my eating, and still not seeing results. So even though it is just a half a pound, it is still encouraging to me to see movement on the scale.

I am keeping up with the exercise. A few days my husband and I have even been able to do the 30 day Shred together (I'm sorry, I haven't looked up that Ripped one, our internet is super-slow and I am not sure I would be able to download it..)

I have also noticed that drinking water keeps me from eating and drinking things i shouldn't! I might feel munchy but if i just drink some water that helps take away the cravings, to a certain extent. I think it helps if I am just munchy and not really hungry.

Well, keep up the good work ladies! I hope you are all doing well!

Increase so that I can Decrease!

jeje

Hi ladies,

that´s how I feel lately. I need to increase my exercise so that I can decrease my tummy which had started to get a little bloated. I have increased my workouts doing the ripped in 30 and walking 5k training. ;) I wanted to run it but the ladies I have doing it with me aren´t ready to run that far.

Here´s a picture of me from Sunday. I am still working on staying at this weight. Boy, is it hard. I have to really be careful not to ever give in to being lazy and  eating whatever.

I am on here almost everyday, and posting points.
Let´s keep sweating it ladies!!

Dani Joy

Sarah D Week 4 results

Well, my weight is finally back to where it was before it started jumping up, lol :-) I had lost three pounds in one week, and then put almost all of it back on the next week, but over the last 2 weeks it has come off again, which I am very happy about. So now we keep on with the weight loss!

I lost 1.5 inches as well. Just need to keep it coming off on my hips and thighs!

I have kept up with my water every day. I find it is much easier to drink all the water on the days I exercise, probably because of all the sweating I do!

I have also exercised harder - I exercised 6 days this week and on 4 of those 6 days I put in a full 60 minutes. So that should be good, right?!

Let's keep this going, ladies!!!