Showing posts with label fat loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fat loss. Show all posts

Friday, September 9, 2011

Engaging THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK - Week 13 / BODY - Week 6

ALL WEEK:
Massively working on my new Dr. Seuss web page (I design and write text, then my web-mistress does the cool stuff). Also created content for the next Newsletter, my website home page (the latest news), and the News section (more extensive than the Home Page content).
Meanwhile, The Giving Tree and Horton Hatches the Egg are in editing with my director, Déous, who owns Area 51 Productions, LLC. I watch and give notes as they are ready.
Plus, have to get images to an artist who creates the photo “banner” at the top of each newsletter (usually different each time). I’ve pre-paid the amazing Trish Ellis for her wonderful work. She’s worth it - particularly as new stories are finished for viewing.


MONDAY
Returned the shy female to the pet adoption place. Got to go in with her, hold her, and attempted to relax her with a feather toy. She took a few steps towards it, and was clearly interested, but not enough to actually engage in play. Still, no hissing, and she’s clearly more relaxed now. (I checked in a few days later, and she continued to show appreciation via kneading the air with all four feet, and fully exposing her belly as she stretched backward.)


TUESDAY:
Bunch of errands.
Wrote my FAQs for my new Dr. Seuss Storytelling website and sent them off to friends/family who have or work with kids (and parents) for feedback.


WEDNESDAY:
Reread in 4HB how drinking more than 16 oz. of diet soft-drinks can make you gain fat. I drank a gob of the stuff over the last week, and probably ate more than usual. I can tell I’m not shrinking this week. I’ll weigh myself tomorrow to find out for sure, but clothes are a little tighter, and it looks like I should be losing at least 2 lbs of fat a week on this diet. Crud.
I bought a new 32 oz. water container. I’ll drink water (maybe with a little lemon juice in it), as well as my usual 32 oz. water when I eat. See if that helps.


THURSDAY:
Yup. Gained a pound and a half. Crud. I’d happily weigh 1000 pounds if I looked as lean as I wanted. Come on muscles! Show yourselves!
Lemon juice in ice water goes down pretty good and I’m able to keep hydrated as well as by drinking diet soda and plain water. And I can drink 16 oz. of diet pop without harm, so I’ll use it as a “treat”.

Finally used 4HWW info. and attempted to figure out the best key search words to put on my Dr. Seuss page. Way harder than Tim makes it sound. I never actually found a place where I could hunt for the hottest words (and how many hits) when people are looking for a Dr. Seuss storyteller. Some sites cost money, or required another program, like Firefox (no comments from loyal users, I’ll get there).
Wound up doing a Google search on “Dr. Seuss storyteller”. I’m listed at the top, which is cool, but I still paged through the lists of sites and their descriptions, copying down a bunch of terms to throw onto my new web page.
Now, aside from approving the final filmed demo of Horton, and my newsletter banner, I’m done with stuff on my end.


FRIDAY
Definitely getting stronger in my weight lifting. Tim suggests getting measured on Cheat Day, before eating forbidden foods. I haven’t measured myself since my initial measurements, so I should probably do this. It’s hard to see a difference in muscle definition, but I can tell I’m a little smaller than 6 weeks ago. Really hoping the “no diet-soda” change will make the fat loss happen faster. I lost weight like crazy when in Germany, eating cheese, pastries, ice cream, and whatever else I wanted, often starving an hour after eating, (but I was also walking about 6 miles each day). I also didn’t drink anything but water.
Some people in Tim’s book, who lose lots of weight, work out more than the minimal amount. I want to add things that will improve my body, using minimal time, before adding back the hour of glide machine I used to do on days I didn’t lift weights. I can use the extra time, outside the gym.

THIS WEEKEND:
My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by 9/11, and the natural disasters that have been hitting our country.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Engaging THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK - Week 12 / BODY - Week 5

Last blog was 1 ½ weeks ago, and between travel and deadlines, I had to skip a week. Oh well.

Last weekend I was at a family reunion with my mom. It was so weird to be staying at a hotel 5 minutes from where my grandparents lived. So close! I wanted so badly to go the rest of the way! But they are gone, and so is their dear little farm house, once my haven, where I could relax from school and life, has been replaced by a housing development. I’ve only been to the area 3 times since we moved my grandparents from their house - and that only happened after they died.
Outside of the actual reunion and a brunch the next day with the cousins I’m closest to, I met some new relatives that Mom loves and we heard lots of new stories about my fabulous family. The family traits continue to be passed down over the centuries. We are inventors, builders, musicians, storytellers, have a great sense of humor, and we care about people and animals.
Grandma had 32 first cousins, so the family is sort of huge. Some didn’t use the names they were born with (spellings, nicknames, and marriage changed some), but Mom has spent years on our family tree, and we learned of other relatives that have worked from their end.
I spent the weekend laughing and crying (I so miss my wonderful grandparents), but mostly it was positive.

When I got home, aside from unpacking, I had two main goals this week:
1 - Write down stories and family history I learned over the weekend (frequently calling Mom for help because she knows the family better and has the genealogy). Quick, while it’s fresh.
2 - Pushing to get my next newsletter and website text ready.
My web mistress goes back to college on the 6th, and even though she says it’s quick and easy to drop text and photos in, I’d prefer to give her nothing but friendship (and a sympathetic ear) while she’s studying. I’m also completely redesigning my Dr. Seuss website - which is more complicated. Love the new look - simple, but more informative.
The filmed demo of THE GIVING TREE and HORTON HATCHES THE EGG should also be done editing soon, so had to check with Déous, my director/editor, on that. I’ll likely have to hunt for “forest sounds” while opening and closing credits roll on GIVING TREE, but he’s doing all the rest.

I think I should wait a few weeks to send the Newsletter (best sent out on Fri.) because this next week is all about 9/11. Aside from the focus and additional electronic flow around the topic, I think it’s just inappropriate, during this time of grieving and remembering.

I’ve lost at least another pound of fat. Haven’t weighed myself since Wed., at which point, I’d lost 5 pounds total, so far (and I even cheated lightly a second day on the weekend!) I’m sure if I had more body fat, I’d lose faster. The leaner you are, the slower you tend to lose body fat. I started at about 20% and I’m trying to get down to 10%. Just low enough so my muscles are nicely, but not extremely, defined.
I haven’t eaten breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up. (I usually eat 40-45 min. after getting up - not lazy, just takes me a while to feed kitties, put away dishes, and mix food together.) I’ll try fixing breakfast the night before, so I can grab grub faster. Tim says it makes a huge difference.
Tuesday as I examined my posture to ensure I was doing the kettleball swings correctly, I noticed that my butt looked rounder. This is actually one of the primary benefits of the exercise, but I’ve spent my life focused on improving my waist and hips, so I never really paid any attention to my ass. But it definitely looks smaller, rounder, and sort of cute now.
Friday I got a few more of the suggested supplements, which should help with fat loss and muscle gain.
I’ve only done each set of weights 3 times (and the first couple I was figuring out how much to lift so I’d hit failure by or before the 7th rep), but I can still tell I’m lifting more, which means I’m also gaining muscle weight.

Hubby and I returned the super-social kitten we were fostering Wed. and kept his shy sister for another few days. When we got her a week and a half ago, she hissed at people. Now she purrs and kneads and nuzzles in ecstasy when you pet her. She still backs off when you approach her, unless she’s been sleeping). The silly thing really enjoys attention and being touch. She just doesn’t realize a hand approaching her is a good thing. Poor baby. This weekend, I’m going to see if feeding her tuna by hand will change her mind. We’ll see if it works. She is so emotionally broken, but tuna is like crack to kitties.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Engaging THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK - Week 10 / BODY - Week 3

I’ve lost FOUR pounds!!!

Before you shrug this off, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1- I’ve never lost a pound of fat a week. Ever. (Aside from that one time when a shark and alligator used me as a smorgasbord.)

2 - It’s easy for me to gain muscle, which I’m also working on. The scale isn’t sharing how many pounds of muscle is replacing pounds of fat lost. (Not even a threat of massive electrocution - the scale refused to budge.)

3 - My clothes continue to loosen up. Today I put on my shorts, and thought I’d forgotten to button them. Cool!

4 - I love Pig Out Day - and weighing less a few days after eating crap. I’m eating crap more often on this diet than I do when I try to always eat as good as possible. Once a week?! Bliss!

Finally finished reading all the way through THE 4 HOUR BODY. I’ve started looking into undoing my injuries.

Took advantage of the heat and washed sweaters, the feather duster, my makeup brushes, and anything else that needs to hang dry.

We’re fostering two new kittens. 7 weeks old. Tiny. Adorable. Both are supposed to be shy, but only one truly is. The smaller on is a male (who ate and grew and ate and grew until he’s about the same size as his sister). He’s quite vocal and insists on attention, being held, rubbed, loved, and trots up to me like a little puppy when I open the door. He’s adorably sweet.
His sister’s initial reaction to anyone was “HISS!” but it was all noise. She was too small to do attempt damage. I kept petting and holding her while she ate, when she was super sleepy, and while she played. She’s not scared of humans; she’s nervous about anything, including toys. But she admits that getting scratched on her face and under her chin feels good, and today, for the first time, she finally purred while I pet her! On two separate occasions!!

FILM STUFF:
*I’m in the first short of THE SACRED SAGA, shooting this fall.

*I came up with a mock commercial, wrote it, and am helping Deous produce it. Plus I have the only female role. It’s short, funny, and I truly believe the public will fully appreciate it.

*THE GIVING TREE initial edit is complete. I asked for a few tweaks. There are some technical imperfections, and we’d like to reshoot it, but as a demo, to get me hired for my DR. SEUSS SHOW, it’ll do.

This week is a little late due to a busy weekend, and then I was sick for a few days. (I never get sick due to stress. It just happens sometimes.)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Engaging THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK - Week 9 / BODY - Week 2

This week I continued to focus on the 4 HOUR BODY book, reading more info., making adjustments, saving various body-work for later, and learning a bunch.
Pretty sure I gained a little fat last week, but I was eating way too many calories at once (and probably total), so this week I tried to eat 200 calories every 2 hours and I’m noticing a slight looseness in some clothes! The “6-pack abs” exercises are getting easier each time I do them, and I’ve finished the first round of 3 different days of weight lifting. Tomorrow, I start again with the 3-4 “pushing” exercises.
To make sure my form is correct for the various misc. exercises (new to me), I’m taking my time - checking the book, looking at the mirror, adjusting my posture, and even asking staff to help eyeball and comment on my form. I figure it’ll take a few weeks before I learn how to do everything properly.
I’ve been on a quest for plastic “toe spreaders” (mentioned in the book) to undo my bunions. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard they are reversible without surgery. They are small, but I don’t want any, and I figure the best way to avoid ever needing surgery is to get rid of them completely. So each night, I’m slowly spending a few more minutes with my toes spread, using foam spreaders. Today I finally found rubber spreaders, which hold the toes apart better than mere foam. I figure this winter I can sleep in them and by next summer - bye-bye bunions.
The book talks quite a bit about reversing internal scar tissue, making sure both right and left muscles are equally strong, and various other things that should undo a lifetime build-up of injury (topped off by that stupid car accident 2 years ago). I’ll work on stuff, bit by bit. Injury corrected is also injury prevented.
Yesterday I read how to train for one hour plus bike rides via 15 intense minutes total ride time, spread over two weeks. I’ll add that to my weekly workouts once I get the current exercises down. I was more upset by the four minute wait time between 30 second sets, but then I realized I can get back to speed reading my Hollywood Reporter magazines during the wait. Excellent! I must have a strong body that can go forever to make all the action films I’ve been cast in.
Spend three days mostly preparing for winter weather. For the past two years, in September I stock up on vitamins, food, toiletries, and any other supplies I might need before April. If all goes well, I don’t have to shop much in the Spring. If disaster hits, we’re comfortably stocked. Since I was running out of stuff now and September is just a few weeks away, decided to save time and just get it over with now.
I also spent my second week of fostering the two rapidly growing 12 week old kittens. I highly recommend regular Kitten Breaks to heal a grieving heart. Thursday night I returned the kitties and they were so much more relaxed around people. Hooray!! Our cat was finally allowed into the room where they stayed and there was some very intense sniffing for a while. This was immediately followed by some hissing and stomping, but now that I’ve cleaned up the room, Twinks has relaxed. We are hoping, at some point, our cat, and we, will bond with a little kitten, and keep it.
Edited another script. Another writer is considering me to edit her factual book.
Introduced a director I know to my live entertainer (Dr. Seuss Stories) agent so he can film her actors doing sample performances, as well as clients’ parties and events.
My email is back at ZERO. Bliss!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Engaging THE FOUR HOUR WORK WEEK - Week 8 / BODY - Week 1

This week I lost myself in “The Four Hour Body”. As an actress, looks matter, and I’m always trying to lower body fat while gaining muscle. I read anything I get my hands on. I’ve tried stuff for decades, and I look fine (with the right clothes), but never get to that lean “runner’s body” I crave. So I’m playing with what the book presents. Shouldn’t hurt, and any help is great.
As with The Four Hour Work Week, I was happy to see I’ve been on the right track in some areas, or close. I eat fairly low carb/fat/sugar already, drink a ton, keep lifting one set of muscles to failure (though I usually go heavy to light weight), then move on. My body stays about the same. Sometimes a few pounds less or more, but I’m about my average body fat and muscle composition. Can’t really see my muscles, just general outlines, because of the stupid fat that lays over them.
So during short breaks this week, I’ve been reading the book, revising my eating and workout as I encounter new info. in it, saving some for later.
Decided to do the muscle building exercises, but try to eat for lowering fat. If I don’t build muscle as fast as I could because I’m under eating, I should still lose fat as fast as possible, and I can always eat more later and build muscle over a longer period of time. I’ll grow some muscle. I just don’t want to put on more fat. So I’ll stay with the slow carb diet, and not add the extra carbs for his fast muscle growth diet. At least to start. I’ll try to eat smaller meals more often, though it ‘s hard, trying to eat 20-30 g of protein per meal, and balance that with enough slow carbs, which makes it a huge meal, so then I risk eating too much at once and slowing fat loss.
Because I want all my muscles to grow, I’m opting for Neal’s weight lifting, broken into 3 days of different workouts, plus I’m doing the “minimal workout for women” that won’t interfere with the weight lifting, and consists of 3 main exercises, plus another 2 that help shape waist and hips. And before I eat, I’m doing 120 sec. of the anti-carb exercises Tim does before and after meals on his high carb days (which also don’t interfere with the muscle building workouts).
I’m also adding 5-30 min. of glide machine on non-lift days, to keep my darn constipation at bay.
Will wait before adding additional supplements to boost the body, since I should gain muscle and lose fat with the eating and workout. I can always add them, and I’m juggling enough keeping track of food and exercise right now.
There are 5-7 different workouts in his book, and I’m doing 3 now. The others look less fun (though bigger results), and I figure I can play with them in a few months. I’m so long, I’m totally unafraid of “hulking out”. What a lovely problem to have. I can always cut back, and figure I will, once I have the body I want. Save time, keep the body.
After breakfast, tried my first 4HB weight lifting! Took me a while to figure out what machines to use and where to adjust the seats so my posture was correct. Trying to make sure my shoulders are down and back properly so I don’t injure myself. I did “push” weights - chest, shoulder, triceps. Only managed 5-7 of the hard ab exercise (too weak and sore), but it’s easier using the half-ball to lean on, rather than Gma.’s blue quilt. Examined my posture in the mirror to make sure it was correct for the cat vomit (abs), plank (can’t hold for 30 sec. yet, but I’ll get there), and Kettleball swing. So it took me longer than 30 minutes. I’m learning. Once I have it down, I should do this workout in half the time. I spent 5 minutes on the glide machine and left - sweating!
Meanwhile, I took care of the 2 foster kittens (and our cat), edited another short script, got my Inbox back down to an average of 2-3 after less than an hour a day,
I don’t mind setting aside “The Four Hour Work Week” for “The Four Hour Body” because once I figure out the body stuff, it’ll be a daily routine and auto-reshape my physique while I’m working on my Work Week stuff. I should also have more time to work on my Work Week, once I’m spending less time at the gym.
I’ve decided Sundays will be my “Pig-Out” day - per “Four Hour Body”, to keep my metabolism in line. Aside from carbs, I’ll have to work at figuring out evil stuff to eat to make sure it helps throw my body off. I have some frozen chocolate in the freezer…..but mostly I’m thinking of fruit, pumpkin filling pudding, maybe some low-fat ice cream…..