Halfway Through My Summer Transformation!

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

Last time, I mentioned I entered a Summer Transformation Challenge on the Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle website.  I just completed week 7 of the 14-week challenge, and I’m seeing pretty good improvements!!  Since the start of the challenge, I’ve lost 9.2 lbs total.  8.35 lbs of that is fat, and 0.85 lbs was lean mass.

While I’m pleased with my overall results, since we are halfway through the challenge, I think I’ll start tweaking things to see if I can speed things along.  Losing 9.2 lbs over 7 weeks is approximately 1.3 lbs/week.  Those are great results considering most of my weight loss is fat BUUUT I want to finish off the Summer Challenge with a bang, and I know a few slight adjustments can help.

I’ve been doing 3-4 strength sessions/ week and 3-4 cardio sessions a week.  My cardio sessions usually include 2 moderate intensity sessions and 2 HIIT/complex sessions.  For the next few weeks, I’ll plan to do at least 5-7 cardio session a week: 3-4 moderate intensity and 2-3 high intensity.

I’m still going to keep my moderate intensity cardio sessions around 30 minutes (with the exception of my boxing classes which are 45 minutes) and will still make sure my heart rate is in the 140-160 bpm.  My high intensity sessions will remain 15-20 minutes and the goal will be to get the heart rate to 170 or higher by the end of the workout.

I don’t really want to mess with my food/calories that much since I know I’m still skirting the minimum for amount of cardio I’m doing.  The BFFM guidelines are 3x/week for maintenance, more for fat loss, and I’ve barely been doing more than 3x/week!  If my fat loss doesn’t speed up by adding a few more cardio sessions/week, then I’ll consider adjusting my calories or macro ratios. . . . Or adjusting the duration of my cardio 😉  Mostly I don’t want to have to eat less than I’m already eating, haha.

I keep looking at this thinking this is a lot, but adding everything up, if my lifting sessions take about an hour, this is only about 7 hrs/week max.  When I trained for tris, that was the absolute minimum amount of training I’d do for an olympic distance.  For half-ironmans, I used to train 15hrs/ week.  So I basically still have more time on my hands than most of the friends!!

(Haha, yes, triathletes think of their training load in terms of hours per week!!)

Another Long-Overdue Update

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

  
In my last update, I was in the middle of Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Trainer and was enjoying it! Unfortunately I never ended up finishing the program since the workouts were just too long. Perhaps I’ll try again when I foresee more free time!

I went on vacation mid-May and basically undid the progress I made doing LiveFit!  So I joined a 98-Day challenge on the Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) website.  BFFM was actually the first book that got me to change the way I thought about food and exercise, so I figured if there’s a system that’ll get me out of my rut, this is it!!

And boy was I right! I’m 5 weeks into the BFFM Summer Challenge, and I’ve lost 7 lbs: 6 lbs of fat and 1 lb of muscle!  I still have another 9 weeks left of the challenge, and I’m looking forward to continuing the progress I’ve made! 

My favorite part about the BFFM system is that it’s pretty flexible and you can choose the various parts. The main focus is mindset/ goal setting, and then measuring the outcomes and tweaking your strategy until you get the desired results. So it took me the first 3-4 weeks to find what works for me, but now I’ve found it and plan to continue with what I’m doing as long as it’s still working!
I’d love to do a better job documenting my journey on here, so consider this my first official post of my BFFM transformation journey!  

 

Taking Time Out for Myself

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

I can’t believe it’s been another 6 months that I haven’t blogged!

I’ll admit it was because I was busy taking care of everyone and everything else except myself.

I was in a good routine of lifting and eating well.  Then the holidays approached and I was busy with work, family, holidays, tri club, and everything else.  No time for the gym.  No time to cook.  No time to think about my own health.

I finally got back on the gym bandwagon around February.  But things have still been on and off.

Work’s been crazy.  There have been so many days that I’ve gotten off work super late and have been too tired to do anything but grab fast food on the way home, then go to bed.

My volunteer work with my tri club’s been crazy.  We have so many new volunteers and so few people to show them the ropes!  I’m hoping all our newbs have it handled from here on out because I’m feeling the volunteer burnout.

I’ve started another lifting program- Jamie Eason’s LiveFit trainer.  It’s more of a bodybuilding routine, which I’m surprised I’m liking!  It’s a pretty high volume program, though, so we’ll see where this takes me!

I’m in Phase 2 right now, and I’ll admit I’m falling a bit behind.  It’s 6 workouts a week, and I’ve been averaging closer to 4-5.  It might not have been the best program for me given my work and volunteer commitments, but I’m losing weight and getting stronger.  So in that sense, it’s working as planned even though I’m not following it strictly.

It’d be really interesting to see my results if I can do it as directed!  In the meantime, I’ve already been researching other programs to do after this one, that are closer to 3-4x/week.  That’d be more manageable!

In any case, my main reason for posting today is to record that I’m going to commit to take time out for myself, regardless of how busy things get!  I need to make healthy eating and working out a priority.  Period!

Sometimes you just have to take a hint.

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

This morning I woke up at 5am and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I felt tired and sluggish all day.  I had planned on going to the gym after work, and my gym just started a 3-week member challenge.  So I wasn’t going to miss a workout on day 2 of the challenge… Even though I had lifted weights on Sunday AND Monday.  And even though I pushed myself to muscle failure both days, going so far as to bruising my finger trying to put a dumbbell back on its rack.

I figured I’d take it easy today and do some easy spinning or incline walk on the treadmill.  But then when I got to the gym, I saw that both squat racks were open and the gym floor was relatively open– compared to yesterday when it was swarming with members doing the challenge.  I rejoiced in the emptiness of the gym, and started planning to do my next lifting workout, which involve heavy squats, glute bridges, bench presses, and other not-for-the-faint-of-heart exercises.

Boy was I in for a surprise when I went to the locker room!  Turns out, I forgot to bring a workout top.  I had a sports bra, shoes, and pants.  But no top.  And my gym isn’t really the type where people workout in just a sports bra.

So I took the hint.  Fate must have known I wouldn’t be able to take it easy at the gym today, so it forced my hand.  Since I was already there, I decided to go to the steam room for a bit, and it was exactly what I needed.  In fact, I even thought maybe I should keep a swimsuit, cap, and goggles in my gym bag so I can go swimming sometimes.

I feel so relaxed and refreshed.  It’s sometimes hard to listen to your body when your brain had huge ambitions. Thank goodness someone was watching out for me, making sure I don’t run myself into the ground!  Perhaps tomorrow I’ll go for a swim or do yoga!

Reflections of Gratitude
I’m grateful I was able to realize what I was doing today and stop myself from sabotaging my own goals.

Accountability & October Intentions

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

I originally created this blog to keep myself accountable.  I’ve always found stating my goals in the open helps keep me on track.  However, I’ve found other avenues for this, including Instagram, Fitocracy, and various fitness-focused communities and forums.  I’ve been pretty consistent with working out and focusing on keeping a fairly diet, while not over-restricting myself.

I would love to do a better job of documenting my process here on this blog though!  I love the communities in order to get feedback and positive reinforcement from others, but it’d be nice for myself to have everything documented in one place!  So I’m re-reviving this blog for that purpose!

I have been keeping a gratitude journal all year, and I think it’s really helped me stay focused.  I’ll re-post some of my thoughts on the blog too so that perhaps my thoughts and ideas might reach out and help others as well!

I’ll start off by publishing my October intentions, which of course I wrote at the beginning of the month!  I like starting each month fresh to renew my dedication toward my long-term goals.  So for October, I intend to:

  • Continue to be true to my yearly intentions:
    • Focus on #likehowyoumove (inspired by Jill Coleman of JillFit Physiques).  Make sure I’m finding joy in my workouts & movements.  Not only by choosing activities that I enjoy, but also by listening to my body.  I want to make sure I’m not pushing too hard and concentrating on what I think I “should” be doing, but rather move in a way that honors my body and makes it better.
    • Be mindful of nutrition.  Indulge in moderation but keep overall fat loss goals in mind.  Balance enjoyment and life celebrations with choices that still further my body & aesthetic goals.
  • For October:  I plan on returning to a more aesthetic-focused program with the intention of using potential nutritional “slip-ups” (surrounding social events) to fueling my workouts. As the weather gets cooler, I’d like to add some outdoor running to the mix.

It’s now halfway through the month, and I still keep my intentions in mind every day with the choices I make.  I still go out drinking with friends but focus on eating my veggies and lean proteins when I do.

In fact, after 8 years as a vegetarian, I started eating meat again this month so that it’s easier for me to eat a protein & veggie based diet while eating out.  I’ve come to realize that due to my lifestyle, I’m never going to be one of those people that cooks every meal.  I eat out often, and staying vegetarian severely limits my choices while eating out.  Oftentimes, the only vegetarian options are high carb and high fat– usually of the pasta/ bread and cheese variety.  That’s not healthy at all!  Better to go for a tossed salad with chicken or steak.

I do still eat a vegetarian diet when I prepare my own meals, but don’t sweat it when I have to eat meat while dining out.  This choice will help me make better food choices overall, and I believe will make it easier for me attain my goal of becoming leaner.

Anyways, I end this post re-committing to keeping up this blog!  I have months worths of thoughts written up in various forums and journal entry, and I’ll try to compile some topics that might be useful to others!

Reflections of Gratitude
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with others.  I’m a member of various online communities full of supportive folks helping each other achieve their goals.  I’m hopeful that by putting out my thoughts and my story on the interwebs, I may perhaps help someone else in return!

Picadillo Sin Carne

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

While visiting my mom recently, I was able to do a veggie version of her Picadillo con Carne recipe that she always made for us when I was growing up.  Since I became vegetarian 8 years ago, it’s been a while since I’ve had my mom’s version!  But I visited recently and was able to make this out of some things she had around the house.  The key to vegan-izing the recipe is finding a suitable sub for the Carne de res (not that I’m vegan, but there aren’t any animal products involved besides the beef!)

Serendipitously, my mom had recently gone grocery shopping, and when she knows I’m visiting, she usually picks up some sort of veg protein/ meat sub.  This week, she had happened to buy Upton’s Naturals Chorizo Seitan, which ended up being perfect for this dish.  I posted the full recipe on My Food Blog, but just wanted to cross post here as well, since one of my goals for the month was to cook more, and to hold myself accountable to this, I said I’d blog about the recipes I’m trying out.

I did use it as a post-workout meal, in line with the Precision Nutrition philosophy!  So it’s a win/win!  Delicious, taste of home, while also keeping in line with my nutrition goals.  I guess for non-workout days, I could remove the potatoes and it’d simply just be a picadillo de seitan.  Perhaps I could sub cauliflower?!  My creative cooking juices are flowing!  I did want to experiment more on rest-day recipes, so this might be a start!

Reflections of Gratitude
I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore my nutrition goals in a fun way rather than feeling tied to having to stick to a “diet” (I hate that word!)  Either my eating is helping me with my goals or hurting them.  So I have to decide to play, be creative, and have fun with my food so they’re helping me with my goals.

Happy March!

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment



The start of a new month always seems to bring along fresh beginnings. One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2015 is to set monthly goals to keep me on track toward my long term goals, which is essentially to lose all the “injury weight” I gained for plantar fasciitis and piriformis syndrome.

For March 2015, my goals for this month are:

  1. Continue to lift 3x/week. This month I’ll focus on incorporating yoga and foam rolling in my warm-ups and cool downs. Recovery is just as important as the workouts.
  2. Focus on the 10 Habits of Precision Nutrition this month. In February, I focused on counting macros, and quite frankly, I don’t think it’s my style. I think I prefer a more holistic way of eating.
  3. Try a new recipe once a week, and post about it here and on my food blog.

I plan on checking in at least once a week to report and evaluate my short term goals to see if they match up with my monthly and quarterly goals.

Reflections of Gratitude

I’m grateful for finally feeling like I’ve found a rhythm and am actually moving toward my long term goals rather than away from them. I’m actually looking forward to continuing training through the spring and summer, adding in tri training once the weather gets nicer. I’m signed up for a tri in August and will probably sign up for another one in September. I’ll plan to keep the distances short this year to support my weight loss goals. It was really the long distances they wrecked my body in the first place.

Chocolate Mug Cake!

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

So, this blog was initially conceived as a replacement to my separate training & food blogs, so that I can portray my foray into a healthier lifestyle overall. But, as it turns out, I’ve mostly been blogging about training and motivation. In the spirit of this blog and turning it back to its original conception, I thought I’d post my first food-centric blog!

I made this Chocolate Mug Cake with my mom, who’s been doing the 21 Day Fix by the makers of Shakeology (which she’s been using for years).  She’s a firm believer in their product ever since she became a Zumba instructor at the age of 53.  She believes she wouldn’t be able to do all that she does if it weren’t for her daily dose of Shakeology every morning.  In any case, I was intrigued by the product and she REALLY wanted to try out this mug cake recipe, so while I was visiting, we went for it!

Well, to be honest, I thought it was just ok.  But to be fair, we only made the base recipe and didn’t add any of the extra, including honey or peanut butter.  I’m thinking it would have been better with a touch of honey to sweeting.  However, I did eat it with some strawberry Greek yogurt, and it was AMAZING.  So all was not lost!

I’ll post the recipe on my food blog when I get the chance.  But for a cake fix, it really can’t be beat.  1 mugful is 2 servings (which is why my mom waited until I visited before trying the recipe), and each serving is only 130 calories, 12 g protein, 12 g carbs, and 4 g fat.  Nice healthy alternative when the sweet tooth hits.

Depending on how much time I have (and how many calories I can spare), I may work a little to improve the taste of the recipe.  I’ll still keep most of my recipe tweaking/ experimentation adventures on my food blog, and focus this one on overall health/ lifestyle improvements.  In any case, yay for being able to fit cake into a healthy diet!

Onward!

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

After 3 weeks of going back to the basics and focusing on increasing strength for the 3 big lifts, I finally stalled on my deadlifts (155 lbs), and was approaching stalling on my bench press (around 100 lbs) as well.  My squats didn’t seem close to maxing out at 160lbs–old logs have shown I’ve gone 200+ for bb squats before–so it would have been nice to see where my max is for that.  I’ve been wavering back and forth as to what to do once I hit this wall– either continue trying to improve sheer strength, or go back to kettlebell training, which has a huge metabolic training component to it.

I’ve decided just to go back and doing Lean & Lovely Phase 3 and do it without any modifications.  I think it’s more my style.  I used to so straight-up heavy lifting with my friend Lake a few years ago, and I remember being very antsy since it didn’t feel like I was *doing* anything during my workouts.  Yes, it’s hard to do lifts when you can only eek out 3-5 reps, and yes, it’s pretty cool to see such big numbers in my training log.  But it just doesn’t feel like very much!  I think I like the higher density training of supersets etc even if it’s higher reps and the numbers aren’t as impressive.

In any case, I had bought the L&L program along with a companion program, Super Heroine Fitness, which was designed to be done after completing L&L.  So I think I want to finish those plans before jumping ship and doing something else instead!  I took a closer look at the SuperHeroine training program, and it does include some HEAVY lifting– sets of 12×3 for Deadlifts, 8×4 of Squats, and 6×6 of Bench Press.

If I finish up the L&L and SHF programs as they’re designed, that would take me through June.  From there, I can re-assess my goals and decide on a course of action.

Reflections of Gratitude

I’m grateful to have found such a strong interest in improving my health and fitness.  Even if I’m not always that great at following through, it definitely helps that I WANT to workout more, eat cleaner, and keep improving.  There are definitely worse  problems to have than that there being so many workout plans I want to follow that it’s hard to stick to one!  Plus, life is long, so I’m sure if I keep plugging away, maybe someday I’ll be able to do all of them!

Also grateful to have the opportunity to register for a major triathlon for free today, due to a generous donation.  I hadn’t had any races planned this season, but now that I’m registered, hopefully this will give me more focus.  The race is at the end of August, so if the SHF training takes me through June, then I can spend the summer focusing on endurance training.

Ready to Kick it Up at Notch!

/ Melissa Gonzalez / Leave a comment

This is my second week of focusing on basic weightlifting moves- the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press.  To be perfectly frank, I’m kind of getting bored with just doing the same 3 exercises each time.  Plus, I found some old notebooks, and I’m no where near my old PR’s.  I probably just guessed too low when picking my weights for the exercises this time around!

Here’s my workout plan for the rest of February.  I’m close to maxing out on my deadlifts, and I can already feel my grip strength failing.  I’ll continue increasing the weight for that exercise by 5 lbs each time I lift, but using the same weight throughout each single session.  Last Friday, I deadlifted 135lbs, so tomorrow my DL set will be 3 x 5 at 140lbs.

I’m no where near my old PR’s for Squat and Bench Press, however.  So for both of those, for my next session, I’ll do as many reps as possible for those exercises, starting with 5 lbs heavier than what I did on Friday.  So I’ll start off of 140 lbs for Squat and 85 lbs for Bench.  I’ll increase the weight by 5 lbs for each set, but still doing as many reps as possible for those.  I’ll continue with the 3-set format (not counting warm-up sets), and if I’m still doing more than 5 reps for the 3rd set, I’ll use that as my starting weight for next time, and keep repeating this format.

I’m just worried that because I guessed wrong, I’ll be stuck with too-low weights for bench and squat moving forward.  I do want to find out what my 5-rep max is!

I think I’ll also add in some metabolic work at the end of each workout.  Probably involved KB’s — like swings, snatches, cleans. etc.  I’m missing my Kettlebell routine!  Once I’ve reached my max weights for Squats and Bench, I think I’ll go back to Lean & Lovely Phase 3, but substitute in Barbell work for the squats and deadlifts.  It’ll be good to work on sheer strength, but I don’t want that to be the only thing I’m doing!

Reflections of Gratitude

I’m grateful for being able to continue to find ways to keep things interesting while also improving myself.  While I’ve decided I’m not all that interested in strength for its own sake (I really don’t care how much I can bench!), I do like to see where my limits are and playing with them.