Feel great!!!

I feel great today!! Really!! My knees were basically a non-issue today. I kicked butt today on the hike and I really got a great cardio workout this afternoon. My energy level is great - I think it has been at least a year since I felt this way!! Yay for me!!!
I know that I said I would start talking about the food today but I forgot to take a photo of the menu board today and a photo of my plate, but really today was not a good day for food for me. I sub both breakfast and dinner today - if you do not like what they are serving you can ask for a sub -
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and toast or oatmeal or some kind of cereal. I had oatmeal this am. For lunch you can have a veggie burger or hummus and pita bread. for dinner, eggs and toast or veggie burger - I had eggs and toast for dinner.
At breakfast there is always a small plate of mixed fruit along with an entree of some kind. At lunch there is always some kind of soup along with entree, and dinner always dessert of some kind.
More about food tomorrow.
Below is a photo of me and my posse this week - Darryl (guy with mustache), Vicki (his wife), Cameron and me! We are missing Allison, Charlotte and Nicole from last week! :)

Rest day!!

Sunday is a day of rest and well needed.
Started the day with a weigh-in - I did decide to go ahead and do it. I was surprise, lost 8 pounds. Now, I know that I probably lost at least 4 pounds of water weight because I was really swollen from the flight when I weighed in last Sunday - major water retention!!! My knees and calves were like water balloons. I am prepared for my weight loss not to be as much next week. But it was very nice to see the scales down.
The next few hours were bittersweet - great breakfast of omelet bar, but then we had to say goodbye to guests that were leaving. It was a good group this past week and we all really supported each other so it was sad to see then go.
I am already missing Allison, Charlotte and Nicole!!! Thank goodness Cameron, Darryl, and Vicki are still here!
We did have a yoga/stretch class at 11am on the beach. It was really a stretch class with some basic yoga moves (see "warrior"photo below). That was great - little too warm by the end but good. The first part of afternoon was spent by the pool and then four of us drove into Santa Monica to go to REI. Saw the Santa Monica pier - making a trip there later. Back in time for dinner and to meet the new guests this week.
Last week there were 35 guests - 13 of those are now "stay over" guests. 17 new guests came in this week and most are one weekers.
As a stay over guest, my schedule will change somewhat this week. I only have two lectures that I have to attend. Last week I attended a lecture after every lunch and every dinner. So, this week, after lunch I am required to attend "open gym" for an hour before the first group fitness class. I can either have a personal training session during this time, which cost extra, or they do have a trainer there to lead some kind of class - different every day.
Since my workouts are basically the same, this week I will talk about the food, which is really good, for the next few days!

Half day Saturday

Today was just a half day - no stretch class at 6 am which was a bummer since I had been up since 430! Beach walk/semi-hike this am, same location as the one earlier in the week except this time we were able to hike down to an area with tidal pools (picture posted). After hike, we had stretch class then lunch and the rest of the day FREE!
I spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool and then had a massage. It was wonderful.
The program here believes in a 90/10 % rule - follow the program 90% of the week and then eat whatever u want the other 10%, basically one meal out a week. We are encouraged to go out to dinner either Saturday night or Sunday lunch. A group of us went to a steak house tonight - we were all craving red meat!! I had small filet and mushroom, peppers and onions - TASTY! We then went to some bar to watch fighting, USC - trust me, not my decision! Some of the group had drinks, I just had a diet coke.
Tomorrow I may or may not weigh in - not required to until my final week. Not sure I want to bc of the meal I had tonight - not bc of the calories I consumed, not worried about that, but bc of the sodium I took in. I will make that decision tomorrow.

Fun Friday!

Fun Friday was the theme for today and while that was true, it was also Easy Friday, which my brain didn't like bc I didn't get a great cardio burn, but I am sure my knees were grateful for it.
We had our hike where part of our group was suppose to stay on the lower section (and go see the MASH outdoor film site)and the other part (part I was in) was suppose to go on the higher, harder section. Well most everyone wanted to see the Mash site so our hike was easier so we could see that. It was really cool to see it (photos on facebook), but I didn't get a good cardio burn.
Instead of a fitness class following the hike, we had a "pumpkin run". We had to run from one station to the next and then passed off our pumpkin and then stay at the station and do whatever exercise the leader told us to do. Ended up we did something totally different (long story) and too complicated to explain but it involved running, so I didn't have to do it bc of my knees - did do some walking though.
Afternoon, we did circuit training which was a good class for me, followed by Cardio Jam, which was a dance class and I HATED it. So it was a waste of a class for me, just cant get my heart rate up bc I was standing mostly trying to figure what I was suppose to be doing. That was followed by water class where after of 10 minutes of doing some intervals, we played volleyball which was fun but again not a big workout.
Next week I will talk about the food bc the workouts are basically the same.

Beach day!!

The hike today was at the beach! It was really beautiful!!! So cool - it wasn't really a hike though - walked on the beach for about a mile or so, we then climbed up a cliff (see photo below) and then we walked around a neighborhood that had some inclines - we saw some great gates to houses, in fact that was all we saw of the houses - I'm sure there were some really cool houses behind those gates. So, it certainly wasn't a difficult hike but while worth the trip to see the beach part of Malibu!

The rest day very similar to the other days - stretching after the hike, then lunch. Lecture and then the afternoon group fitness classes: ball works is similar to body pump but on a stability ball. The cardio class was called Treads - on a piece of cardio equipment, warm up for 5 minutes, then for 5 minutes you increase speed and or intensity to max level that you can do for 5 minutes, then you go back down to base level for 5 minutes, then back up for 4 minutes as hard as you can, back down for 4 minutes and continue that for 3, 2,1minute and then 30 secs sprint followed by a minute at base, and then one more 30 sec sprint and then cool down. Trust me it is a great cardio burn! I ended the day with a water class.

I want to be sedated!!

I thought my theme song for today would be "I want to be sedated" by the Ramones. I was sure these lyrics would apply to me - "I want to be sedated. Put me in a wheelchair, put me on a plane. Hurry, hurry, hurry, before I go insane ... I WANT TO BE SEDATED!"
But I am not really that sore. Now, don't get me wrong, I am really tired and I am really stiff and somewhat sore, but I really thought I would be unable to walk today.
So, why?? Well, I am stretching either once or twice a day for about 45 minutes. I am doing either one or two pool classes a day which is much easier on joints on muscles. This program is also more cardio base than weight training so I'm not doing as much weight training as I do at home . Also, my knee is not letting me really push myself - I'm getting good cardio workouts, but just not able to push myself hard right now. But I am hoping that will change next week since my knee is getting a little better every day.
The schedule is pretty much the same everyday - optional stretching class at 6 am, 2 to 2 1/2 hour hike, depending on drive time then either a water class or stretching. In the afternoon, 3 group classes (the last one being a choice btw pool or a cardio class). Today it was kickboxing, mountain class, and pool for me. Mountain class is where you are one a piece of cardio equipment and you start one level 1, stay one it for three minutes and then go up to level 2, stay on it for three minutes and so on until level 12 for three minutes - so it is like you are climbing up a mountain. It is easy at first and then it starts kicking your butt around level 8 or so!
Hiking photo below:

Another photo

Another hiking photo from today...

Tired!!!!

2nd day over!! Stretching at 6 am, breakfast, hike (see photo), water cardio, then lunch. My knees did much better today, just talking to me after the hike instead of screaming. Really tired after lunch - had a hard sitting through the educational lecture.
Afternoon workouts: total toning which was similar to boot camp type class, cardio intervals and then water intervals. Whenever they have a water class you have the option of attending that or another class. I'm going the water route bc of my knees.
I have an acupuncture appointment tonight at 8; otherwise, I would be getting ready to go to bed! TIRED!!!

I survived!!

I survived the first day!! Yay! The day started with stretching at 6 am and then a gym orientation. 7 am breakfast, 2 1/2 hour hike at 8. The hike was both easy and hard for me - easy as far as my cardio level and endurance but hard on my knees. Both knees were screaming at me when it was over. After the hike, I had a choice btw water class and yoga/stretch. I did yoga. We then had lunch.
After, lunch, the classes were much better on my knees. We did have an educational class on calories in v. Calories out. Next was three group fitness class - the first was circuit training with cardio intervals, core training, then water intervals. I did have a choice btw water and a cardio class. I chose water bc of my knees. Each class is about 45 minutes and then we have 15 minutes to transition to the next class. My knees did feel better this afternoon. Dinner at 545 and then another lecture, this one on nutrition.

Yes, I am tired, and tomorrow, I am wondering if I will be able to walk - we will see.

The picture is from the hike this am.

And it begins...

I arrived at the Biggest Loser Resort this afternoon and basically just checked in, unpacked, had my measurements taken (which is ALWAYS fun - not), and just got the lay of the land.

There are 35 guests this week - max number is 80. There are all types of fitness levels and goals here. For those of you that watch the show "The Biggest Loser", a previous contestant is here: Carla, from season 7. I have only watch one season of that show and apparently that was not the season. It has been interesting listening to her talk about being on the show. There are a lot of people that have been here before and a few that are here for multiple weeks. About half are here just for one week. One lady is starting week 12 with the plan to stay 24 weeks total.

So, it really starts tomorrow at 6 am and finishes at 7 pm. I'm pretty sure hat I will be at 8 pm!!

I will let you know how I survive tomorrow!

Biggest Loser Resort

Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge

Tomorrow, Saturday, I leave for the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Malibu. I am excited and nervous. I am a little worried that I will not be able to do everything that I want to do because of my knee (knee surgery in August, still "rehabbing" it, but I have been promised that they have trainers that will help me do that. I also have a pretty good idea what I should and should not be doing - no running (thank god, I now have a reason NEVER to do that again!!), no jumping - also have one foot on the ground.

I leave for the airport at 9 am - Sandy Anthony will be taking me. My flight departs at 11 am. I fly to ORD with a 2 hour layover and then arrive in LAX at 5:25 pm (their time). Staying at the Hilton near LAX Saturday night. I will do some kind of sightseeing on Sunday before I arrive at Fitness Ridge around 3 pm on Sunday.

Check out their website, link above.

This is me now (well, a week ago) with my goddaughter, Kaylee. I need to lose 20 pounds, but 30 would be ideal!

This was me 6 months before I had gastric bypass (September 2005) - I put on another 30 pounds before I went under the knife!