What Does Mindy Eat?

So... a lot of people are curious about what I eat in a day... obviously it is an important part of my weight loss effort. 

When people see my success, I think they hope that I have some magic answer to how to lose weight.  There's no magic pill, no potion... just hard work and dedication to the program. Check it out:



IMPORTANT RULES

1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals per day
2. No less than 1200, no more than 1300 calories per day
    (most people would eat more, but THIS is what works for ME)
3. Don't go for more than 3 hours (4 max) without eating
    (except for night while sleeping)
4. At each "meal," be sure to consume both carbs AND protein
5. Carbs should be complex carbs (fruits & vegetables)
    with occasional whole grain foods
6. Each meal should be around 250 calories
7. Make sure to get a good variety... the more different foods
    you eat during the day, the better
8. Write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth

In my next post(s), I will share some entries from my food journal - stay tuned!

Good Workout, Good Friends, Good Remedies

It was great to get my first workout in after being sick.  Cardio is hard because it feels like I've borrowed lungs from an 80-year-old chain smoker!  I just hope they get better before Saturday's 5K.

Thanks to my friends Michelle and Adam for sharing their Wellness Tea with me (and saving me from having to make a trip to the dreaded WalMart)! To anyone who might be suffering from a cold...I highly recommend this remedy.  It is SO soothing and warming that it REALLY works!

Also, thanks to Adam for letting me try boiled peanuts for the first time in my life.  Everyone in my (Yankee) family had told me that they are disgusting, but I must say I think I like them.  After all the weird stuff I've eaten while in Japan (squid, octopus, crickets, etc.), who am I to turn my nose up at boiled peanuts?  To all you Yankess who have never tried them, they are definitely worth a taste!

Back in the Saddle Again

I'm SO happy to be feeling better today!  I actually got a good little walk/run in this morning.  I was only planning on walking, but some of the downhill sections were too tempting and I started running. It felt so good to be outside in the mist...not many other people were out yet, so it was nice to enjoy the cool quiet morning.  How lucky am I?
  ( ^_^ )

Feeling Better!

Seems like it was a good idea to stay home from work yesterday, because I'm feeling quite a bit better today.  I'm still a little sniffly, but thanks to the home remedies of Adam & Michelle, I'm feeling a TON better!

Tomorrow, if I feel better, I might even try to go for a little walk.  I have to get back up to full power so that I can run next Saturday -- I can't believe the 5K is only a week away!! Yikes!!

Positive thoughts, everyone!

Down, But Not Out

After all this hard work to be healthy and fit, the universe has decided to throw me a little curve ball.  No big deal, but I've got a cold, which totally sucks!  Not only did I have to miss work today, but I also had to give up my workout with Adam this evening.  Maybe this is God's way of telling me to rest a bit??

With very strict instructions from Adam & Michelle, I am on my "get-better-quick" regimen of Bolthouse Farm C-boost Fruit Smoothie, Cold-Eeze lozenges, and Alka-Seltzer Cold remedy.  I actually DO feel better, so I guess they know what they're talking about!

The BFTM (Before Fitness Together Mindy) would have been happy to have an excuse to hold down the couch, but the new me is just pissed that I can't work out and that I can't be active.  Wow!  How my life has changed, huh?  Possibly, THAT is the lesson I'm supposed to learn...

Now, since I can't do any, everybody go DO SOME PUSHUPS!!

It's Official

Last night when I wandered into Fitness Together for my Wednesday night beat down, there was a signup sheet for the Komen Race for the Cure and unbeknownst to me, someone had already signed me up.  Fortunately, I've been looking forward to running in an actual race, so I was glad that my name was on the list.

Today, I went online and registered for the competitive 5K.  I'm SO excited to do this!  I never thought that I would be the kind of person to go out and run, and now I'm actually going to participate in a race!!

If you would like to support me or just keep track of my progress, you can visit my personal race home page at: 

Mindy's Komen Race for the Cure (Charlotte) Page

Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement!

Sometimes the Truth Hurts!

So... in an email to my fantabulous trainer, Adam, I made the offhand remark that [with all the working out and effort my program requires] sometimes I feel like I don't have a life.  This evidently hit an extremely raw nerve with trainer man, and he went off on me (via email).

Here is the "love" I found in my inbox when I got up at 5:30 am (keep in mind that it was midnight when he wrote it):


What do you mean? You don't have A life? Perspective check!!! You have a good job, a nice husband & son, a nice home, YOUR HEALTH!!!, and a Trainer and friend that will do "whatever it takes!!! for you to succeed. Those 2 miles of walking and 3 miles of running shouldn’t take you a lot over an hour, which there are 24 of in every day, and all I ask for is 1 maybe 1 & change then the rest is yours (with healthy eating) to enjoy the shit out of! because if you didn’t notice you’re packin' 90 less pounds of ass!, and can go to Peru and climb giant mountains only to say, "it wasn’t that bad".

No Life! Really?! Flash back a year, then compare now to then. No Life!? Then flash ahead to the end of this year (god willing) when you weigh in the 150's or below and you feel and look the best you possibly ever have, and you’re sportin' all your little dresses and outfits, and everybody is exclaiming holy shit! not only because you've lost that much weight but you look good to boot!

Ohhh! and goodness forbid you actually, maybe, F***in', possibly, enjoy going down to the greenway on a beautiful evening for a good walk and run to enjoy the outdoors, your health, your new found fitness and energy, and possibly please your trainer with some double ocho's, ETC., F***in' ETC.!!!

No Life?...Really?...or could it be that what you just read made you realize how much your life f***kin' ROCKS! and will even more so upon the completion of our task. 1 hour!, and change, at the most! out of 24! and it's what you do in this (horrible), (retched), hour that makes the other 23 of damn good quality, and your gonna say aaaannnnhhh "I feel like I don't have a life". WTF!!!

I just broke my hand from smacking the BullShit Button so hard!

Your apology is accepted in advance.....NOW DO SOME PUSH-UPS!!!

Nothing he said was news to me... just things that I had conveniently pushed to the back of my consciousness.  Reading his tirade, I started to think about those who have serious health challenges (some are wheel chair bound or have other issues that keep them from being as active as they would like).  How lucky am I that I can move my body and enjoy this gift of health?  Yes... I have a life... a BEAUTIFUL life!  I am eternally grateful to Adam, my husband & son, my friends, my family, and everyone who blesses me with words of encouragement and praise.  I couldn't have made it this far without this support, and it is that support that will get me through this last 30+ pounds I need to lose.

Please keep following me on facebook, reading my blog, and cheering for me on this fantastic journey.  I love you all!  Even "Mr. Cranky Pants," Adam the trainer man!!

Meeting the Challenge

So... yesterday Adam challenged me to up my game on my non-Fitness Together days.  The Mikami boys showed their support and came out with me!  We walked 0.8 miles (to the entrance of our neighborhood), ran 5K (approximate distance from http://www.mapmyrun.com/) and then walked the 0.8 miles back to our house.  Shin can't quite keep up with Ken and me, but he completed the course and managed to get the 5K in with some walking breaks.  Mad props to Shin for not giving up!

When we started running, Shin said he expected to see me take off at the pace he had seen when I first began my running program, but was surprised that my pace is quicker than he had seen before.  That may be true, but this run was the most difficult I've experienced so far.  I'm used to running at the Greenway where the trails are nice and flat.  Who knew that Ballantyne Commons Parkway was so hilly?  The last hill at the end of our run was absolutely brutal.

Ken stayed with me the WHOLE way and even played the part of Adam at times.  He was saying things like, "The hardest part is done now... it's all easy from here." and "You can do it... just keep your pace and your breathing in control."  What a GREAT son and awesome teammate he is!!  I love him SO much!

Fantastic ending to a fantastic day!  The three of us decided that we are FIT and FABULOUS FOREVER!

Time to Kick it Up a Notch

After a weekend at the track and no intentional exercise, the results are as expected -- stalled at -87 pounds!  Now comes the edict from His Royal Highness, Adam the Trainer Man -- on my off days during the week (Tuesday and Thursday) I am to run 5K and then work up towards 8K on the weekends!  Are you KIDDING me?  Of course I'll moan and groan and bitch and complain, but I know that I'll do it.  For some reason, I feel compelled to do whatever Adam says.  Maybe it's because I'm paying good money for his advice?  Maybe it's because I know he knows what he's talking about?  Maybe it's because I know he really cares about my success?  Or maybe, just MAYBE it's the $HIT-EATIN' grin he gets on his face when he says, "If you're scared, you don't HAVE to..."  God, that pisses me off!!!!!  Regardless.... I guess it's working, so we'll call it "all good!"

Great Day at the Track

Today was a GREAT day at the ZMax Dragway with all of my Okuma friends.  While they were tailgating and eating hot dogs and hamburgers, I was eating my fat free tuna salad and fruit!  Isn't it funny how when you're eating healthy, other people look at  your food and say, "Boy, THAT looks good!"?  Don't they know I would KILL for the big juicy burger they are cramming into their mouths?  Don't they know that the smell of the grill is just about unbearable?  Sometimes I feel like a recovering alcoholic!  Food is definitely my nemieis!

Getting Started

Welcome to "The Journey of Red Tornado!"  What is "Red Tornado?"  That is the nickname that my friend, Mitch, gave me.  He and I both workout with Adam at Fitness Together, and after he started calling me that, it was SO appropriate that it just stuck!

So far, I have lost 87 pounds, and have about 33 to go.  I have a feeling that these last 33 are going to be almost as hard as the first 87, so I'm hoping this blog will serve as self motivation.

Feel free to contribute, comment, or just follow my progress!