After the Finale/ Eating Clean

Well... what do I do now that I'm not training like crazy for the Biggest Loser competition?  I must admit, it felt a little weird to have it be over. Like there is a bit of a void in my life now. But I did get my treadmill set up & have used it (and LOVE it) & am still going to Bootcamps with Janine at V02 Max. 

So now that I'm not eating Jenny Craig foods exclusively, I've been Eating Clean.  For those of you not previously acquainted with this plan, it's a lifestyle that's been brought to the pages of many books & cookbooks by Tosca Reno...someone who went from being over 200lbs to being a fitness guru. Her blog is here.

Baiscally (This is from the Eat Clean Diet website) "it is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied."

Here are the generalized principles of Eating Clean:

1) Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day.

2) Eat every 2-3 hours.

3) Combine lean protein & complex carbohyfrates at every meal.

4) Drink at least 2L (8 cups) of water per day.

5) Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.

6) Avoid all processed, refined foods - especially white sugar & white flour

7) Carry a cooler loaded with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day.

8) Consume adequate healthy fats (EFAs) each day.

9) Avoid saturated & trans fats.

10) Avoid sugar loaded colas & juices.

11) Avoid alcohol; it's another form of sugar. 

12) Avoid all caloie dense foods that contain little or no nutrtional value.

13) Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fibre, vitamins & enzymes. (Plus they get you through the day)

14) Stick to proper portion sizes & give up the super sizing!

So that's what I've been trying to do.  I had a personal assessment done by Janine at V02 Max & have been tracking what I'm eating.  I've been doing my best to keep up with bootcamps & doing cardio at home.  I've had a few people ask for my help & I am so honoured.  I will do my best to help out where ever I can, offereing example from my own experience & advice based on what I've done & am doing.  time permitting, of course,,,as my life seems to be a non-stop roller coaster!... So if I haven't gotten back to you yet, it's not because I don't want to.... it's just that I need a few extra hours in the day!

Here are a few pics of what inside my Eating Clean fridge...

And my protein shake making station: 

So if anyone wants to chat Eating Clean (Kristi...I will get back to you... I know you guys are interested) feel free to ask & I can give you the low down.

THE FINALE!!!!

So I'm sure you already know (thanks Facebook) about the Biggest Loser Finale on Saturday... I won first place!  (Yay! Thank you so much for all of your positive comments & posts...very much appreciated... I've got them all saved in my email folder called "Fat to Fit" & will go back to read them when I'm felling down, or not motivated.

So this past week I lost 9lbs (I know, right?!?) for a total of 34 lbs or 17.34% in the competition.  I weighed in at 162lbs for a total of 94lbs lost)  But some of that weight loss was strategic weight loss (i.e.  dehydration, empty system, etc ~ so I'm going to leave my weight at what I weighed in at Jenny Craig the day before at: 167.8 lbs...which is amazing because I've not weighed that amount in a really long time!  Only 20-ish lbs to go!

Grand prize re-cap: I won $1000 cash, $1100 to Subway, a $2500 treadmill & a year's unlimited membership to VO2 Max (My fave fitness establishment ever!!!) So I'm pretty excited about moving ahead with the next phase.of my journey.

I won't be eating Jenny Craig food anymore.  I'll be Eating Clean.  I just realized how much better I did/felt when I ate clean foods this past week.  Jenny Craig was helpful for me because I was at a point where I felt like I didn't have enough time to prepare healthy meals & wasn't motivated enough to make the time.  So with Jenny Craig food, it was portioned properly & was readily available.  But now I've come far enough along that I want to fuel my body with foods that will give it the proper nutrition.  I will still meet with Jill once a month to weigh in & see how I'm doing on my own, & I can still buy any foods I'd like for as long as my program lasts (I think mine was 4 years including maintenance)... just in case I need to have something quick. (For example, I still have all of the food I bought for last week that I'll keep in the freezer for the nights I get home from work & just don't feel like making anything.

So it's been along journey & although at this point you might be inclined to say it's almost done, I realize now that it's a journey that will never be "done" per say... it's what my life is going to be forever.  And I'm really excited about that :)

Here are some pics from the finale.

Getting weighed in

Accepting the Subway prize

Happy/trying not to cry

Reviewing the prize package

"What? Oh, these are just my guns in training"

 

From the side

Still can't believe I've come this far!

(I mean...look at the picture directly to your left!)

PANIC MODE!!!!!

Okay... so I was so excited for my 3 lb loss (bringing me down to 171 lbs...I mean come on... are you kidding me?)  BUT.....

Janet went & lost 7 lbs this week!

Our overall % are as follows:
Kellie ~ 12.75%
Janet ~ 12.71%

I mean seriously.... 0.04% difference!  I am going to be so stressed this week... It's neck & neck.  Please send all your positive thoughts, energy, comments, prayers my way... it will be needed & very much appreciated.

Week 18 & Biggest Loser Challenge

So Week 18 with Jenny Craig wasn't so stellar.  I only lost 1.3 lbs & weighed in at 174.1 lbs.  But I guess after a 4.1 loss & a 3.1 loss before that, I was due for a low week.  I just hope I can pull an okay number on Monday for the 2nd last Biggest Loser weigh in.  At least I'm still going down & not up, I guess :)

Yesterday was the 3rd & final Biggest Loser challenge.  The other 2 were all about how fast you could get a series of things done & the person with the fastest time won.  Yesterday, the focus of the challenge was endurance.  The object was to see how many rounds of the following you could do in 20 minutes:  Row 9 calories on the rower, do 9 kettlebell deadlifts/high pulls & 9 air squats...over & over again for 20 minutes.  I did 13 sets & won the challenge.

The prize was a choice of different tickets for different upcoming Q99 events, so I let Troy (who came in 2nd with 12 sets) pick what he wanted (he chose the curling tickets).  I just felt bad that he gave me that amazing spa package, so I wanted to make it up to him a little bit.

So now there's just a weigh in on Monday (at Canadian Tire)  & then the finale at the mall on Saturday.  Fingers crossed, people.. fingers crossed :)

p.s. I tried on some bathing suits for Jamaica yesterday & it wasn't a completely awful experience!

Week 5 Biggest Loser Weigh In

So once again I was worried that I hadn't lost enough weight to stay in the competition... but I lost 3 lbs & came in second!  I'm down to 174 lbs & I can't believe that the number of pounds I have left to lose begins with a "2"!!! Only 29 more pounds until I reach my goal of 145 lbs!

I'm so fired up about the progress I've been making.  But I know with the competition, there's still a lot of work to do.  It's crazy to think that it will be over next Saturday.  The finale is on March 19th... so I've got just under 2 weeks to lose as much as I can.  I'm still in 1st place overall, with a total loss of 11.22% of body weight.

Janet is in 2nd place with 9.74% lost.  

Troy is in 3rd with 9.09% lost.

So as long as I can keep up the pace I should be okay. I went to 2 bootcamps today (5am & 6am).  Let me tell you, I am sore!  But I'm still going to do the stairs at lunch.  I've been converting TV shows to mp4s so that I can watch them on my phone while I'm doing the stairs.  It helps me to not be so bored.  And I've got like 2 episodes of Glee to catch up on... So that will be fun :)

Oh... also... Troy was kind enough to switch prizes with me.  I had won a bag & a men's watch from Roots & he had won a hot stone massage & facial from Mirage Holistic Spa & he offered to trade with me... so guess what I'll be doing the Saturday after the competition. :)

Can I Just Say.... 80 lbs!!!

Week 17 was a good one.  I have officially lost 80 lbs... THAT IS CRAZY!!!  I've never lost that much weigh in my life... I've always lost & regained the same 30 lbs... but have never gone this hard for this long.  I lost 4.1 lbs this week, bringing me down to 175.4 lbs.  I only have 30 lbs more to go until I reach my goal of 145 lbs.  I just can't believe it!

Meaghan Purnell remembers when I said "I want to lost 110 lbs"  & how that sounded like A LOT of weight to lose... but now... it's almost done!  And then I'll get to move onto other goals (like training for 10K's & Half marathons & marathons, etc.)  Fitness is totally my life now (it's what I eat, sleep & breathe!)  I just can't wait until I look like a person that is all about fitness.

I REALLY like the bootcamps I go to at V02 Max & when it's all said & done, I'm going to be able to say that that place totally changed my life.  And for anyone that's local, their bootcamps on Saturdays are free for March...so please feel free to join me.  There's one at 9am & 10am & I'll be at both each week.

WEEK 4 Biggest Loser Weigh In

So I went to the weigh in thinking I was going to be eliminated ... (It's getting harder & harder for me to pull out big numbers)... BUT... I ended up winning!!!

The weigh in was at Roots & this is what I won...

I lost 3.2 lbs, so I'm at 177 lbs now.  I can't remember exactly how much I weighed when I got married, but on Sunday I thought I'd try on my wedding dress...just to see... AND.... it was too loose! I was so excited! I had thought I was in the low 70's when I got married, but I think I had a lot more muscle now & am more toned than I was then. 

So it's been so great to try on & wear all of these outfits I haven't been able to wear in a long time... the only thing is, I'm running out of work clothes to wear.  I brought an outfit to my Jenny Craig weigh in last Friday (without trying it on first ~ because I'd worn it a week & a half before)  and it was way too big... people said I looked ridiculous wearing it. (Meaghan Purnell even said I looked disgusting & that I needed to get my butt down to RW & Co. to get some new clothes.) I do want to get some new clothes, but don't want to invest to much, since I'm not at my final weight yet.  I'll try altering some of the things that I've got, but I guess I will have to get a couple of things.

So there are 3 more weigh ins. One on Mon, March 7th at the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Monday, March 14th at Canadian Tire & the finale is on Saturday, March 19th at the Prairie Mall, Centre Court @ 1pm.  So if you're local, your support at the finale would be muchly appreciated!  (Meaghan even mentionned something about a t-shirt that says "Kellie Rocks" with puf paint & glitter :)