Weight Loss Yoga Review and new favorites

After the longest wait ever for a NetFlix DVD to arrive, I finally got The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga in the mail last week. I did level 1 on Friday as my regular workout. I used to do yoga regularly, especially when I was pregnant, and loved it.

This was not relaxation yoga, that’s for sure. It was hard stuff and my quads and shoulders were on fire by the end. I could totally see how it would be a great addition to a exercise regimen but I don’t think it would work for me as the ONLY thing I was doing.

I tend to gauge the effectiveness of a workout by how sweaty I am and how much I want to die toward the end. Not a very scientific system of measurements of course but hey it works for me. Weight Loss Yoga certainly made me break a sweat but I didn’t really want to die at any point. I think that is due to the lack of cardio. The cardio always makes me want to die.

I’m definitely going to keep it in the rotation but probably only once a week or so. I feel like I need to stick with the 30 day shred and boot camp to really get the most for my 20 minutes four days a week. (The other two days I do a full hour workout.) I still need to try Cardio Max, Power Sculpt, and No More Trouble Zones. My husband has tried Power Sculpt and he didn’t feel like it was as good of a workout as the 30 day shred. It sounds like something that needs to be used in conjunction with other things. Frankly I don’t have time for all that. I need to get my exercise done in as little time as possible and get one with other things. That’s the only way I’m gonna stick with it.

So for lunch today I decided to try something that I saw on Kelly’s blog that has become known as the “crack wrap.” It’s flatout bread, hummus, and fat free swiss cheese and it’s only 3 points. OMG!! I totally know why this is now known as the crack wrap. I immediately wanted another one. I found that I was full though so I didn’t indulge. I paired that with some carrots and some strawberries with fat free whipped topping. My whole lunch was only 3 points! That of course leaves room for more snacks. I love snacks! :)

I was a little skeptical of this at first not because it doesn’t sound good but because I am a bit of a snob when it comes to hummus. There is a local vegetarian place that has THE best hummus in the world and I generally only like theirs or when I make their recipe (they have a cookbook). Their recipe isn’t all that low in points and I’m pretty lazy so I decided I wasn’t going to be trying it anytime soon. Then I found some Wild Garden Hummus at Kroger and it was only 1 point for 4 Tbsps so I decided to give it a try. It’s pretty dang good and comes all premade in a jar. I’m thrilled to have hummus back in my diet plan. YAY!!!

Another thing I have really been missing lately is peanut butter. I just can’t give up that many points for such a small amount of peanut butter. I ordered some Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Bliss snack bars (1) online and they are pretty yummy but also pretty small. I had seen a Hungry Girl Newsletter a while back with some peanut butter alternatives so I decided to try some samples. I ordered some of this and some of this. We’ll see which calms the cravings and then I guess I’ll order a full jar of whichever I like best.

Tomorrow morning is weigh-in. I did level 3 of the shred today in preparation and it totally kicked my butt. We’ll see if it works! :P

-Weight Loss Warrior

The Plan

Ok, so here’s my plan as of today for weight loss success.

Food

I’m following the Weight Watchers Online plan with the “Wendie Plan” modification. I just started the modification yesterday. Before starting Weight Watchers at the end of February I was only exercising. I didn’t see any weight loss but I stopped packing it on. Since joining Weight Watchers I’ve lost 6.2 pounds. I had a whopping 4.9 loss the first week and since then it’s been barely anything—included a half a pound gain this last weigh in. :|

I decided to try this modification after reading about it on A Daunting Tale of Scale Warfare. The basic gist is that you change your points daily to keep you’re body guessing and ideally avoid going into “starvation mode.” My point spread breaks down like this:

Wed – 22
Thurs – 28
Fri – 23
Sat – 36-39
Sun – 22
Mon – 29
Tues – 27

This modification is based on the old WW plan where they gave you a range instead of a target so I based it off what my range would have been (22-29) on that plan rather than on my target (24) in the current plan. I weigh on Wednesdays so I thought it best to start with my week and it works out that the really high day is on Saturday which works out well for my family.

Yesterday was my first day and also a low day. I actually only ate 21 points instead of 22. It just sort of worked out that way. I wasn’t hungry anymore so I stopped eating. I think that’s a good sign. Of course I also woke up at 3am with a desperate need to pee from all the water I drank yesterday and a rumbling tummy. Today is a higher day and I’m thinking of indulging a little for lunch. I see a trip to Panera in my future.

Exercise

Originally I waited to start modifying my food intake in order to establish an exercise routine. I absolutely HATE exercise. Like really really hate it. I wanted to make that a habit before changing my food so that I had a better chance of sticking with it.

Beginning in January I started doing the 30 Day Shred. I started with just every other day because I nearly died the first time I did it. It took me a good two hours afterwards before I didn’t feel like I was gonna hurl. I gradually worked my way up to 6 days a week most weeks and worked through the various levels.

Level 3 completely wrecked my shins and I pretty much have to stay away from that. I have terrible shin splints and all that jumping makes them even worse. Last week I joined the Y again for a whole year. I did this mainly for the pool and the access to spinning classes and bikes. I used to take spinning three or four times a week several years ago.

My exercise plan thus far is as follows:

Mon – Shred
Tues – Shred
Wed – Spinning
Thurs – Shred
Fri – Shred
Sat – Spinning
Sun – Rest

The spinning class on Saturday is at 8:15 am. I didn’t make it to it last Saturday but I did download a spinning routine from iTunes and did a spinning class on my own in the spinning room at the Y. It’s hard stuff but a total calorie roaster.

I’m going to do my best to stick to this routine but here and there I will be allowing myself an extra day off. Like today for instance. I was awakened super early and I’m just extra tired. I may or may not have it in me to Shred today. We’ll see.

These are lofty goals but I think I have it in me. I want to see more weeks like my first rather than my last when I weigh in. Despite the half pound gain this past week, I did go down a belt notch so clearly I’m doing something right.

-Weight Loss Warrior