My Journey At The Ridge Begins Tomorrow

I had hoped to weigh in at 178 before going to Fitness Ridge, and that didn't happen.  I weighed in this morning at 179.3.  Which is a half pound shy of 19 pound weight loss before going to the Ridge.  It has been a hard week for me to concentrate on my workout.  Truth is, I have learned how dependent I have been on caffeine.  It was definitely my drug, and I know it now that I haven't had any since Monday.  If you are going to Fitness Ridge, may I suggest a couple of weeks of no caffeine prior to going.  I felt absolutely fine on Tuesday, didn't really miss the caffeine at all.  Then Wednesday came and like a ton of bricks, I was exhausted, so exhausted that I couldn't concentrate and wanted to nap.  I forced myself to walk my dogs on Wednesday, but with very little juice.  I was so tired that my dogs Louie & Rembrandt had much shorter walks than Ziggy & Cooper.  Later that day I had a headache that turned in to a migraine, something I never get.  I started drinking a lot of water and did recover from my lack of caffeine and the headache went away with my vitamin I (ibuprofen)as they call it at the Ridge.  Thursday and Friday were sluggish as well, I wanted my caffeine!  I resisted the urge and here I sit on my 5th day of no caffeine hoping I will be alert and ready for Monday morning.  There is a lot to be said for drinking lots of water, it works like caffeine and wakes you up.

I didn't focus this week on working out and my calories which have been steadily at 1200 or less since January,  were at 1500 on a couple of days.  I think I have felt like giving myself a little break this week so that next week my metabolism is in full swing. 

If you are going to Fitness Ridge in the upcoming months, may I suggest you start moving now.  Try and change how you eat to less calories if you can.  Avoid processed foods, enriched and bleached products, get acquainted with the foods high in omega-3 fats and high fiber foods.  Be sure to have dark green vegetables, they are the ones that count!!  And if you have trouble eating good, be accountable for what you are eating now.  Write down your daily intake and the amount of calories that are in it.  There are so many websites these days that will help you keep a diary and even phone applications for the smart phones. And remember your in-to-out ratio...how may calories did you take "in"?.....how man calories did you burn "out"?  That helped me so much in my journey so far.  It makes you understand exactly why you are where you at with your weight.  If you like to cook, contact Fitness Ridge and order Chef Cameron's cookbook and try out some of his recipes.

I am really grateful that I decided to start my new lifestyle prior to getting to Fitness Ridge, I would be 19 pounds heavier if I waited till I got there.  Some days, the time went by really quick, while others seemed to last forever.  It seemed like this day would never come, but it is here.  I will be printing my ticket and getting my last minute things together.  I said good-bye to my gigs and they are all looking forward to hearing how I am doing at Fitness Ridge.  I received mounds of hugs from my followers and tonight is our family dinner and my celebration of Easter with them.  Tomorrow morning will come quick, if I can even sleep tonight.  And at this time tomorrow I will be in the skies above me realizing this is really happening.  I spent a little more time hugging Ziggy this morning, our morning ritual of the dog spooning will now be put on hold for the next 29 days.  No more hugs and kisses from my husband Alan, not for awhile.  My girls will not be talking to me as regularly as they always have.  And all 4 of my dogs will now have to rely elsewhere for everything.  I am ready for the pile of mail I will accumulate while I am gone and pray that everything will run smoothly.  In my world, I make things run smoothly and it scares me to let go.  I know life will go on without me, and I think that I will bring back that knowledge with me from Fitness Ridge. 

I look forward to meeting all my new friends from Facebook and the blog followers that will be attending Fitness Ridge with me.  And I am so grateful for having the past few months to read so many blogs and post from alumni in the Fitness Ridge Group on Facebook.  I am looking forward to a successful month at Fitness Ridge with hopes of at least 10 pounds weight loss, secretly hoping for more! 

So this was my last blog post, prior to Fitness Ridge, as the time has come.  I will share with you my experience and hope that I have the energy to give you daily updates.  In the meantime, eat well, move lots and smile!  WE are ALL taking our LIVES back!  WE CAN DO IT! 

Peace & Love,

Cat Chez