Two Pound Net Weight Loss: August 2012

With the losses and the bounces in weight... I came out with a 2 pound net loss for August 2012. This makes 4 months of consecutive weight loss.

In the past I would rapidly lose 10 or 20 lbs... then regain 30 or even 40.

This time I am gradually taking excess fat off my body. I did think I would be dropping weight faster than this... but then I have not been doing any intense cardio either. J

ust walking, working, and riding the stationary bike.

I need to add in some Hip Hop Abs and/or Turbo Jam... keeping it low impact is a must... and I can adjust both of those to low impact... well keeping it low impact is a must if I intend to continue being able to walk... so yes I would say it is a must.

Even the tread mill is questionable with my right knee. I took the speed up too high and the knee went. So I'll just keep it slower and gradually rebuild the muscles around the knee. Twisting steps are a problem as well. Tends to pull the knees out of alignment... If I'm careful I think I can do the Hip Hop Abs... I am sure Turbo jam would work for me. I will stick with the lightest level and pace myself.

Seriously do not need to re-injurer myself.

Well here is cheers to 2 pounds net loss... I would have rather it have been 20... but hey I'll take the 2 pounds... yeah!

 Life is a journey... one breath... one step... one day at a time...

Mary E. Robbins

307.788.0202

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Shakeology... does a body good... full of vitamins and minerals and quashes cravings... yeah!

Day 7 and still rocking along.

Good morning peeps...

I was deciding between Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam as my primary workout for this month. I made my decision yesterday. I like Hip Hop Abs; however I chose Turbo Jam ... I like it too and am going to have it as my primary workout....for this month. Possibly the next 3 months. I am curious and excited to see how much my measurments change... :)

I thought the shakeology was what was making me sick to my stomach. I didn't drink any yesterday... still sick to my stomach but no diarrhea. Diarrhea the night before. Now I think it's adjusting to the workouts. It's been a while since I've gotten nauesous from working out.

should have taken an asprin before I went to bed last night. Tossed and turned... woke up several times from muscle aches and soreness.

I am not stopping!

I am going to add the shakeology back in. Excellent vitamin/mineral/calcium load there. However I am going to add .5 scoop rather than a full scoop to start. Let my stomach get used to it in smaller portions, and build to the full load.

Between the Shakeology, 90X vitamins, and working out my food cravings have stopped. Hehe... major victory there.

My first weight goal is to lose 5% of my weight. 310 lbs multiplied by 5% = 15.5 lbs.  My over all goal is to lose 165 lbs. 

One day one workout at a time... working my way to a healthier me... :)

Life is a journey, dropping some fat along the way.

Mary E. Robbins

Independent Beachbody Coach... I thought ... perhaps I could help some other folks along the way. 

307.788.0202

Goodby May, Hello June... Arrragh I stalled!

WoW, May is dead and gone.  So are my goals for that month. For some reason I seemed to get stuck in place.  Jet ski without it's rider circling around the same patch of water until it's fuel ran out.

That was me this past month. I started out great guns, rock n roll... then phttttt...  Circling for days, then completely ran out of fuel. So what happened?!  Feel like I'm digging around in the decomposing carcass of last month.  What happened, and what can I do to change the outcome for this month?

I lost focus, lost control of my time, and frankly hid in farmville. I allowed the changes in living arrangements to overwhelm me.  It's been a challenging adjustment having David at home all the time.

Even more so trying to regulate his blood sugar. When it get's high it triggers outbursts of uncontrollable rages. I had to decide this month whether I was going to stay here and subject myself to his rages or walk away.  His rage triggered a panic attack, and depression in me.  When his sugar is not spinning out of control he is a good guy. But when he has a piss fit and does not regulate his sugar he is a monster to be around.

It took me most of the month to decide what to do. Tough decision, we have been together since 1990. There have been fits of rage throughout the time we have been together; however the were more positive times than awful.  But then he was gone 3/4 of the time working on the train. So who actually knows how much of the time he spent spinning out of control.  I only know what he was like around me. He seems to lose all cognizant function when he is caught up on the rages.

The challenge is to sort out how much of it is temper tantrum, and how much of it is directly related to blood sugar that is too high.  His behavior has been reminiscent of my Uncle Gene's behavior.  Never knew which person you were going to be with and he could switch without a second's notice.  When he was nice he was wonderful, when he was raging it was like Freddie Kruger on acid. Made life around him like walking through a live mine field. Never knew when you would step on a mine.  I wonder now if he had blood sugar problems as well, because he acted as if he didn't remember his "episodes".  David is the same way.  I thought he was just trying to not take responsibility for his crap actions to start with; but I have come to the conclusion he has no clear memory of his actions when he is in rage.

Dealing with my Uncle growing up nearly pushed me over the edge into a complete psychotic break.  It took me years of work to stabilize; and it's a tenuous stability at that. (anyone that has been through that kind of on going abuse can tell you that)  David's episodes triggered some pretty destabilizing reactions within myself this past month.

I made the decision to work with him a bit longer and try to help him stabilize his blood sugar.  He is going to have to take responsibility for himself at some point... time will tell what happens.

I acted out and ate too much food, and crawled into my shell and hid.  For some reason it seems like the fatter I get the safer I feel.  Looks like I've been hiding in a fat suit.

So; what am I going to do to change my situation.

1. I am researching diabetes, looking into healthful alternatives. Reading, researching.

2. Made a weight loss goal for myself. I would love to lose 20 lbs of fat this month. That works out to an average deficit of 2,334 calories per day. I am not going to starve myself, I am going to keep track, eat healthful, and increase physical activity.

3. How am I going to accomplish the calorie deficit: gardening, hip hop abs, oxycise, turbo jam, house cleaning, walking, incline trainer.

4. Structuring my time. Not set in stone but a daily plan; with my to do list.

5. Accept the fact that there are some things I can not change. Realize that I am not responsible for the things I can not change.  I am however, responsible for those things I can change.

Yes the Serenity Prayer is a Litany in my life.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

So be it!

Life is a journey... new discoveries around each twist in the path...
Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202

Restarting my Marathon Training!

I did it! 20 minutes of hill work on the elliptical. Total body workout... It has the upper body bars as well. yay! The marathon I am aiming for is on May 29th 2011. Its a mountain race. My goal is to complete it.



Last year my training went awry and it's taken me this long to get my mind back around it. So here goes.



By the Way... Also using shakeology to help reduce the fat load I'm carrying. My last weigh in was at 302 lbs. Goal weight 145.



Sunday Morning I will weigh again.



I will be adding DVD workouts as well as the walking and elliptical work. Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam to start. working my way through them. Haven't decided which I am going to start with ... leaning towards Hip Hop Abs Fat burning Cardio. that stripped off the pounds and inches the last time I was using it.



Life is a journey... if you think there is a detour in the road... you create one...

Mary E. Robbins

Sort it out, find what works for you and make it happen...

 This caught my eye, because like the rest of the human race I am always trying to "find the time".  Chris has some viable, useful suggestions.  As for me, I made the decision to work out on my elliptical before I eat.  No workout... no eat. Keep in mind I work at home.  This could be a bit more challenging for those of you that do not. 

I am planning on adding Turbo Jam and or Hip Hop Abs back into my weekly routine. I had thought of pushing play in the evening.  Unfortunately that does not seem to work for me, I am an excellent procrastinator.  Both workouts are excellent; and I have wonderful results from them. But trying to get myself to do them in the evening is an exercise in futility at this point. 

Soooooo.... I will be more than likely adding them to my morning workout.  The workout before you eat... no workout no eat time of day for me...lol...  It's what's working for me now.

When I get into serious distance training for the marathon and/or century bike ride this will not be a viable technique.  I will need to eat before I  head out and take energy  and hydration with me.  Although I will probably keep up the workout before you eat for my morning workouts.  I must admit I feel sooooooo much better throughout the day when I've worked out in the mornings.

Sort it out, find what works for you and make it happen...

Life is a journey, how you travel is up to you.
Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202
Robbins Run Ranch

Finding The Time To Be Active...

Posted by Chris Freytag at 4/28/2010 5:12 PM CDT

Time, time, time…where does it go?  Do you ever feel like you just don’t know how you are going to fit one more thing into your day, let alone a workout?  It is a common complaint!  People often ask me about time management and how I do it being the mother of three, working and staying fit. 
The answer is not only do I map out my days to include exercise breaks but I have also organized my life so I’m always ready to get up and get moving when the opportunity presents itself.  I try to manage my days and not let my day manage me (although there will always be those days where life just takes over)!
I thought I would share a few of my favorite time saving tips with you, or I should say time MAKING tips.
•    I like to teach my clients and friends to “bundle their busywork” into one convenient time of day, like the lunch hour. By doing your bills and miscellaneous paperwork at your desk while you eat lunch, you can free up 20 or 30 minutes at the end of the day for exercise.  I know that some experts have stated that you should focus on your food while eating, but if multitasking while you eat once in awhile allows you to fit in a workout that’s time well spent! 

•    Take advantage of time-saving technology like online banking, bill paying, and post office services.  A few less errands in the car is not only earth friendly but time friendly.

•    Limit your time on the internet!  How many times do you sit down to complete one email and a half hour later you are still on the computer looking at something completely off the subject?  Schedule internet and email time and limit yourself to 15 or 30 minutes.
•    Buy two pairs of workout shoes, one for the office and one for home, so you’re literally always good to go. I even keep a pair in my car, just in case I find time when I’m on the road.

•    Place a pile of clean workout clothes close to your bed so when that alarm goes off it is easy to get dressed and go.  Spending 15 minutes looking for some clean running pants and matching socks is a waste of precious time in the am and might set you back so that a workout will no longer fit in.
•    Piggyback a workout with your favorite never-miss activities like watching Dancing With The Stars or your mid-afternoon latte break.  Walk on the treadmill while you catch up on TV programs or ride your bike to the coffee store to meet a friend.

•    Have a standing appointment with a workout buddy. If it’s an always-there, can’t-miss appointment, you’ll just do it. Besides, you would never stand up a friend, but you would definitely stand up yourself.
•    Rather than sit for hours (and hours) at kids’ sports practices, fit in a workout while you wait.  I always do cardio walking during swim team practice in the summer. During my son’s hockey practices in the winter, I sneak over to the gym attached to the ice rink.

•    Save yourself from the laundry. Try to only do it 2-3 days a week.  Even with three kids…everyone in the family should have 5 shirts and 5 pairs of pants they like for the week. If there’s anything they need, they’d better throw it in the hamper realize is may be a day or two till it’s clean. This alone will save you hours.
Through such simple strategies, exercise becomes a part of the fabric of your life instead of something requiring a complete overhaul of your life plan. This is the “magic bullet” women are always asking me for!

Day One of My 90 Day Fitness Blast! Blasting off the Fat!

Ok, today is day one of 90. Hip Hop abs is a 90 day workout plan. So I’m rockin it for 90 days. Did measurements and weights yesterday morning. I’ll do the start pics for this set when David gets home from the rail.
Start Weight: 282
Neck: 15.5
Above Bust: 40.5
Bust: 47.5
Below Bust: 39
Waist: 41.5
Belly: 53.5
Hips: 56.5
Thigh: 33
Calf: 19.5
Rt Upper Arm: 15
Rt forearm: 12

At this point my over all weight loss is at 11% of my goal. Let’s see how far I can get it in 90 days of Hip Hop Abs.

My weight loss goal for this 90 days is 30 lbs. 282 - 30 = 252 lbs.




I’ll be taking pics at the end of 30 days. Then moving on to level 2 of Hip Hop abs. That’s the plan.

Be great to workout together. Perhaps not in actual location, but via face book updates and WOWY our online gym. You can join for free. We have excellent workouts, or use something you already have if you like. Just get up and move it... move it… move it…

Then post it baby… tell me what you’ve done! I’m excited to hear.

Got my workout in for today. Hip Hop Abs : Fat Burning Cardio.

Just go to robbinsrun.com and click on the beachbody banner at the top of the page. Sign up for the community, it’s free. Or even better sign up for the club, there are excellent benefits and it’s less than a cup of coffee a day.

Feels great getting healthy!

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip
Mary E. Robbins & the Happy Hairballs


Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Feeling great getting healthy
307.788.0202

P.S. Min Min got in on the workout today. She was dancing about in the chair while I was working out. Then we put on her purple harness and went for a walk out over the hill. My little fat Min Min has a couple of pounds to lose too.

I did it. I got back on the scale, It's been quite the year.

Ok, I did it. I got back on the scale after going haywire since mom’s house burned down in April.

It’s been quite the year. April –Mom’s house burned down. Our family home of over 100 years. No insurance. I’m not going to make any comments on the insurance issue. Other than to say I was very unhappy about that.

May-Aunt Marty passed on. She was my favorite aunt. Still is for that matter. She lived into her 90’s. Long life for a human, but I still miss her.

June- Uncle Clarence passed on. His passing left conflicted emotions and attitudes on my part. He had 6 weeks of self induced suffering before a stroke terminated his physical existence in this life.

It’s amazing how different brothers and sisters from the same family can be. Simply amazing. I’m not going into the differences, I will just stand with they were very different people with very different personalities. Gee that would stand to reason now wouldn’t it, lol. Enough of that.

Mom has been living with my husband and I since the fire. It looks as if this will be a long term arrangement.

This has been an “interesting” adjustment for all of us. I would truly like to see her work on regaining her ability to walk. Sadly that ability has been forgone because of lack of use. Yes there are other issues there, but lack of use is the main component.

Yes it is painful to regain muscle use after years of neglect. But it is a choice. There are some other choices coming up over the coming months as well. At this point she still can not transfer from chair to potty to chair. We are using an easy pivot lift to make the transfers.

She is moving her feet more. She needs to regain strength in her legs, arms, and abs. That will take work and time. Painful? Yes it is. There is a trade off, be trapped in a chair or workout. Her choice.

Depending on what choices she makes over the coming months, I will be making some choices as well. Only time will truly tell that story.

As far as making choices goes. I chose to get on the scale this morning. I dropped the ball on my own fitness quest through this spring and summer. I have been rehabbing my knee. Happily I can walk on it, and do stairs with it as well. Of this I am very happy.

Now to get back into some serious working out. I’ve been walking around doing ranch rounds and such but not pushing it. Now comes the push.

I want 50 pounds off this year. I started the year off at 299 lbs. Dropped down to 274. Lost my focus regained up to 282 lbs.

Focus is back on point. Goal: 249 lbs by December 31st 2009. Be great to be under that weight. But reaching that milestone will be excellent. That would leave me 100 pounds to take off this body.

282 minus 249 = 33 lbs to lose by December 31st 2009. With a solid workout plan and follow thorough that is doable.

I will be posting my workouts. Accountability and all that.

How am I going to accomplish this feat:
Yes 50 lbs off in a year is a feat for me.

Journal food intake.
Feed my body the nutrients it needs.
Eat when hungry, journal instead of emotional eating.

Ok: what workout am I engaging in to start with. I am going with what was working for me early this year. Hip Hop Abs. will be my main workout for now. I am going to include other workouts along the way to check them out and to mix it up even more. P90, 10 minute trainer, Turbo Jam and the like.

Two of my fitness goals are to be able to complete P90X and Insanity! Focus, Desire, Work, Follow Through, Accomplishment!

Use the elliptical. Walk.

There is a half marathon the end of may I would love to walk. They have a fun run, full marathon and an ultra marathon as well. At this point I’m aiming for the half. In January I will re-evaluate my position and perhaps go for the full marathon. It would be great to walk a marathon in my 50th yr.
Time is flying by. Need to get out to the livestock… so that’s all for now.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip
Mary E. Robbins & the Happy Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream in Wyoming

Independent Beachbody Coach: Good by fat fanny.
307.788.0202

My Butt fit in the Salon chair!

Beauty Salon chairs, movie theatre seats, airplane seats, office chairs with arms, bucket seats in some cars, all were a; what do I say.

An absolute embarrassment, misery; truthfully the words that come to mind are considerably stronger! It was one of those, take a look at the chair, estimate whether my fat rear would fit in it, then ease myself down into the chair one butt cheek at a time. Then pop! The butt cheeks stick out on each side through the chair arm loop. When you get up be very careful to ease out of the chair, or you are standing with a chair stuck on your butt.

Frankly I avoided this situation whenever possible. Sometimes it was unavoidable. The last time I flew to a business conference for example. The flight from Denver to Los Angeles. Cheek to Cheek to Cheek all the way. Fortunately the guys sitting on either side of me were skinny. Had all three of us been rather large in the rear it would have been something out “Saturday Night Live”. I couldn’t get the plane seat arms down over my rear, so I rode with them up under my arms.

Frankly I doubt if it was any more pleasant for the two guys, but to their credit they didn’t say anything, at the time. It’s not that the seats, chairs, etc are too small. It’s that my butt is to frigging big!

Denying it doesn’t change it. The chair is not too small; the rear end trying to wedge itself into it is too lardy. No, that was not a misspelling. Lardy as in large filled with lard-FAT.

Yesterday one of the things on my list as I blasted my pickup truck into town for supplies was to get my hair cut. I printed out a picture of the hair cut I wanted, grabbed my supply lists, climbed into my trusty truck and headed down the gravel road preparing myself for the “infamous butt-chair wedge”.

I arrived at the salon, chatted a bit and we headed for the torture chair. I looked at it, got ready to squirm and twist to get into it, and WOW! I slid right in. I stood up. Turned around and looked at it again. Then slid right in. No pinching, no twisting, no chair stuck on my butt!

Then we went to the shampoo station, and slid right into the seat. My butt fit in the salon chair. My Butt fit in the salon chair. My Butt fit in the salon chair! Gee suppose I said that enough?

I am one happy camper, lol. I still have a long way to go to my healthiest size, but I am on my way. I am losing inches. Yes I know I can tell that by a tape measure, but sometimes that doesn’t really sink in. Now, my but not having to be wedged into a salon chair, that makes a major impression in my mind.

Good by Jabba the Hut butt! As in a butt as big as Jabba the Hut.

Day 8 in my 90 Day Action Plan.
My workouts for today are elliptical and Hip Hop Abs: fat blasting cardio.

Oh, by the way, my haircut came out great!


Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

307.788.0202
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Helping to turn Flabby into Fabulous

Yes I did get on the scale: 25 Secrets of Very Fit People

Today is my weigh in day. Yes I did get on the scale, and yes I lost some more poundage. Last week I was a bummed unit on weigh in day. I had stressed out and gone to binge city and bounced up 6 pounds to 294. This week I lost that bounce plus 2 pounds .

Frankly I think most of the bounce was water retention. The good news is that even though I had a major malfunction. My body’s metabolism is revved up enough so that I burned off the calories. This week I weigh 286 that’s 13 pounds down leaving 137 to go for the 150 pound fat reduction. Whoo Hoo!

My body mass index has dropped from 47 to 44.8 whoo hoo!

This past week has not all been “Whoo Hoo” part of it was a serious stink bomb. Hubby is having some issues with the weight loss and attitude change. He had a piss fit a couple of nights ago, than made his exit out the door to the train. (to work) Yes I felt like sh*t afterwards; the good news is I did not binge. I kept functioning, hurt feelings and major pissed off for a couple of days. But I kept functioning-and did not binge!

That is a major victory for me.

2nd victory of the week: I brought up the piss fit yesterday. He got home around midnight the night before. So he was here all day yesterday. I told him he had been cruel and hurt my feelings; explained that I thought I had his support and was saddened and disappointed that I did not.

He said that he hadn’t yelled (oh yes he did) and that he had said his piece now he was done with it. He was fitting about my work as well. (kennels/internet/coaching) He said he did support me.

Ok that’s great. I do love the guy, although there are days I really don’t like him much. In the back of my mind I knew this was coming sometime. I was hoping that it wasn’t, but a niggle in my mind told me it was. In the past it has always shut me down. I would stress overload, eat everything in sight, and go borderline catatonic for days, sometimes weeks. There my weight loss, fitness plans would go right out the window, along with what ever other projects I was working on at the time. Then here would come the "I told you so’s".

Not this time. I stewed, and frothed, but didn’t short circuit. That is such a victory for me. Not a victory over my husband. A victory in my own life. His outbursts, I believe, are driven by fear of change. I’ve been over 200 pounds ever since we met. The past few years, since I was ill and recovering, I’ve been very reclusive as well. Now, I’m working out, losing inches, losing fat, energy level is coming up and I am coming out of my shell. Poor guy isn’t sure what to expect next.

I did not get my workouts in as well as I wanted too. I had a goal of working out 6 days last week. So I am changing my weekly goal: workout before I eat breakfast. No workout no food. That ought to do it.

Besides working out first thing in the morning jacks my energy level up all day long.

I measured today . I’ve lost 2 inches off my bust: was 50 now 48, 1 inch off my waist: was 41.5 now 40.5, 2.5 inches off my hips was 58.5 now 56. I’m getting closer to fitting in a plane seat…lol without riding cheek pressed to cheek with my neighbors, that is.

The workouts that I am concentrating on this week are Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam.

In addition if it stays relatively dry I want to get to the spring rake and clean up. Try to get the yards all cleaned up before new growth comes on. This is a bit of a challenge since my yards are around the size of a football field. Seriously need to take Min Min for some walks too. She is a chunky little hairball. she has been walking out to the chicken house with me to let the fowl out in the mornings, but there needs to be more. She needs to lose a 2 or 3 pounds. So Min Min and I will be hiking up the hill in front of the house.

I sooooooo want a significant amount of fat off, and muscle tone before summer.

I found this in Beachbody under the trainer’s and expert’s tab.

Chalene, had posted it there. Chalene is the creator of Turbo Jam and Chalene Extreme.

Read these tips, then print and post them so you have them as a daily reminder.

1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water *is* the drink of choice, but if you don’t enjoy plain water, than liven it up! Try portable single-serve packs of Crystal Light, Propel, Diet Ice, Reebok Water, Vitamin Water or some other form of healthy fluid intake with minimal or zero calories.

2. Look at exercise as a pleasure and privilege, not a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout!

3. Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition, fill you up, and give you long-term energy.

4. Measure intake based on activity, not how you "feel." Need should mandate intake, not mood, emotion, or your present company.

5. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are fat-free and high protein will turn to excess weight! No matter what the latest fad diet, extra calories equals extra weight!

6. Limit caffeine and exposure to even secondhand smoke.

7. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.

8. Keep a daily log of what you’re actually eating. This includes grabbing a handful of chips here, the crust of your kid’s sandwich, and ALL your snacking.

9. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an "unhealthy" week or unhealthy vacation.

10. Savor the feeling of accomplishment you have after completing an intense workout. Remember that feeling and use it to motivate you when you don’t feel like exercising.

11. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who desire to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who walks every morning? Ask if you can join in!

12. Learn new ways and new techniques for exercising.

13. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music.

14. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.

15. Invest in the right tools—good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player or iPod, fitness equipment, a new series of tapes, etc.

16. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 or 7 days a week. If some days you exercise once in the morning and once in the evening, even better! If you’re eating right, exercise will fuel your energy level!

17. Don’t compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your personal best.

18. If your diet is unbalanced, take daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health.

19. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.

20. Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If our last two Presidents of the United States can make time to workout every day, you can make time too!

21. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.

22. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.

23. Live a balanced life.

24. Get adequate amounts of sleep, but remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.

25. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Reward Yourself While Helping Others Get Healthy!

Body Transformation Page: 10 Tips to Avoid Bingeing

Whoo Hoo! Happy day today. Yesterday was my weigh in day and I was not a happy camper. ( See Life is a Journey blog.: I woke up pissed off post) I’d had some bad bingy days and bounced up 6 pounds to 294 lbs. I felt like a giant puff ball. This morning I got on the scale, yes I know I said I was staying off it. At any rate, the 6 pounds are gone, so they weren’t actually fat pounds to begin with, just water retention. So in actuality I stayed the same weight from last week to this. Back down to 288 lbs.




Usually I wouldn’t be too thrilled about that, but like I said I triggered and went bingy. Munch Munch Munch, eat the frig bingy. Am I advocating eating everything in site? You know that I am not! What I am actually excited about is that my metabolism has picked up enough that it burned off the binge calories.

So with healthy eating, and working out the fat should be rolling off.

I Started from the beginning on Hip Hop Abs yesterday. The past couple of months I haven’t gotten the full schedule in. January, I worked out 12 times/days; not all Hip Hop Abs; part of that was elliptical and walking the hills.

February, as of my mid month weigh in Feb 18th, I’d worked out 5 times/days. Not so good. So I went into WOWY (great online Gym at Beachbody) and started my Hip Hop Abs workout schedule over. I used the automatic scheduler for the program. It has a 6 day workout-1 rest day. I am following Hip Hop Abs to the letter on workouts this time around. I am excited to see just what kind of results I will have by picture time in March.

I put my Body Transformation Page together on my main site. I am posting pictures and a blurb each month of my 150 pound transformation. Stop by and check it out.

I love logging in to Beachbody and seeing who has been working out, who has won a prize for the day.

It doesn’t hurt that I feel so much better when I workout.

After last weeks Binging Fiasco this article caught my eye.

10 Tips to Avoid Bingeing

By Chalene Johnson. Chalene has some excellent workouts too, Turbo Jam and Chalene Extreme to name a couple.


1. Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: no more food.

2. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after dinner."

3. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

4. Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.

5. Drink cold no-calorie beverages such as water or Crystal Light at night. They taste great and keep your mouth busy.

6. Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands. Try knitting, lifting free weights in the living room, stretching while watching TV, or putting together your photo albums.

7. If you're eating at night to unwind, calm emotions, or soothe yourself, focus on getting in touch with what's going on emotionally when you head for the fridge. Develop non-food methods of coping with stress.

8. Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity, i.e., no reading, TV, or sitting at the computer.

9. Eating late at night won't cause weight gain. It's how many calories you eat—not when you eat them—that counts. However, by setting a cutoff point, many lose weight by simply eliminating calories they were consuming out of habit as opposed to hunger.

10. If you're up late burning the midnight oil, fill up on "free" foods. These are foods that, though they have minimal health benefits, are super-low-fat, low-calorie snacks and are virtually harmless. These include sugar-free Jell-O (10 calories) and sugar-free chocolate pudding (60 calories). Want something crunchy and salty? Try trans-fat-free microwave popcorn, which can have as little as 60 calories per 2 cups popped.
End Article: Article By Chalene Johnson from Beachbody

Click below to get the body you want and the lifestyle you deserve.

My Resolutions:
Live the Greatest Year of my Life!
Live Life now: appreciate each moment as it happens!
Live in peace within myself!

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
robbinsrun@beachbodycoach.com
307.788.0202
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Independent Beachbody Coach: Getting Fit Physically and Financially

Whomp Here it Is! Diet, fat loss, body composition, lifestyle change

This is me, working through what is actually happening in my journey to a fit healthy body. Perhaps my musings will help you along your way as well.

Here I am on my weigh in day for this week. I know for a fact that I haven’t been overeating. Well one day I spiked my calories up to around 2500. One day out of 7. The 2500 is an estimate and on the high side. My calorie consumption has actually been more on the low side.

This is the part that throws so many people off their fitness plans. Notice I didn’t say diet plan. Improving overall health and fitness involves more than starving yourself thin. That is just as unhealthy as being obese. It entails muscle degeneration, heart attacks, weakness, overall health deterioration.



So what am I on about? My nutritional consumption has been decent. Not perfect I’m sure but decent. I’ve been working out. Between working with the kennel/ranch some days have been moderate and others heavy. Heavy as in pushing it to the max of what my body will take to get livestock taken care of. When I get back into the house and peel off my outer ware I am soaked through my inner layers. Not because snow is soaking through my coveralls, but because I’m working hard enough that I am sweating heavily enough to soak my clothes. No it’s not because it’s hot, it’s been near or below zero. In cold temps like that it takes more care to keep the animals in good stead.

I’ve been working out to Hip Hop Abs; as well as doing physical ranch work. Been doing a bit on my elliptical as well. In any of my indoor workouts I’ve been putting forth the effort so I’ve been soaking my clothes there too.

So yay rah, I’m sweating up my clothes. Makes for a good bit of laundry but what does it have to do with my weight loss, or lack there of. That’s right I stayed the same this week, for the second week running. What does all this going on about working out and sweat have to do with that? You’d think that I would have dropped 5 or 6 pounds between the appropriate food consumption and exercise.

That didn’t happen. So what did happen? Oh, I can’t lose weight freak out. No, that’s not happening either. Here it is. Here is what is happening. I am changing my body’s composition. I can feel it and I can see it. I can feel it in my arms, my legs, butt, back, sides, abs, neck, hands, even in my face.

I am losing fat and gaining muscle. How long is this going to go on? I have no idea. The change in body composition is going to be going on for the long haul. How long will the muscle build outweigh the fat loss? No idea. Muscle is 5 times denser than fat. It will go along this way until it doesn’t. What I mean is my weight will stay static or fluctuate, then boom drop again.

In the past this has driven me a bit batty. Freak out and eat everything in sight lamenting the fruitlessness of dieting. The difference is I am not dieting. OMG! What did I say? I am not dieting. Nope not on a diet. Pointless starvation things.

What is happening in my life is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. A major change in mindset. I do not feel guilty about food. I enjoy the taste, smell and texture of what I eat. I eat to live; I do not live to eat. Nor do I eat to dull my emotions.

For the first time since I was a child I can actually enjoy a meal. I seriously dislike the feeling of eating too much, of being overfull, so I don’t overeat. The compulsion to eat and eat without knowing why is gone. I eat when my body is hungry, not when I’m bored or pissed, or depressed, or whatever.

Yes I am still over fat. One day one step at a time, that is changing. This time around I am enjoying the process.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Live life now: appreciate each moment as it happens.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Team Beachbody Coach
Turn Weight Loss into Profit: Learn How to Become a Beachbody Coach
307.788.0202

Now I am going to log into my online gym and go workout. Hip Hop Abs here I come…killer six pack abs here I come.

Ten Pounds Down, 140 to Go

WOWY exercise log: late night jan 27th, 2009. stomach was pretty icky so i went with the elliptical, just in case I had to run for the bathroom again. 8.4 kms managed to get up over 50 rpm but couldn't keep it there yet.

Diet Log: toasted bagel (140 cal) with 2 tsp cream cheese and coffee with tsp creamer (10 cal) for breakfast
lunch was ham and split pea soup- progresso from the can, around 6 saltine crackers give or take

dinner was spagetti w/ home made sauce.. later snack spagetti with home made sauce and a glass of 2% milk

unfortunately my stomach blew up ... ugh

General: Truthfully I’ve had a bit of a crappy attitude ever since the weather shifted into full blown cold winter. It was 10 below zero on my window thermometer between 5 and 6 this morning. Ugh. Frankly that is too bloody cold. We have around a foot of snow on the ground. I fed the dogs a hot food today. Everyone seems to be doing ok. Bloody braker tripped to the whelping house. The hairballs in there aren't used to the cold like the others are. Fortunately it didn't trip last night; it had to be sometime this afternoon. I know this because their water wasn't frozen solid. It did get down to freezing before I caught it. Its back on now, I am going to check it again before I go to bed, and when I get up in the night to stoke the wood stove.

Frankly I'm glad I don't have any puppies in there. Some seniors, and some young dogs and one teenager, so to speak. He is such a trip. They are all pissed because I won't let them out in the play yards to play. Since they aren't acclimated it is too cold.

The big dogs that are outside are doing fine; they really like that hot food. I need to tweak my recipe a bit but it is doing the trick now. I've been taking my recipe and mixing it in with dry dog food and pouring very hot water over it. Makes hot rich gravy. Don't want to use too much of the recipe, it would be too rich. Seems to be working pretty well with the dry food as a base though. I'll really have to watch it if I continue it over the summer. Serve just enough so they will clean it up quickly. Don't want spoilage.

I am going to be so glad when we get our house built, and I can convert this one completely into the kennel office and kennels. That will be so nice.

I’m getting pretty excited about Team Beachbody. As far as getting in shape, I couldn’t ask for more. Excellent workouts, fitness tips, diet information, nutrition products, message board support, excellent across the board. They even have a program that deals with type II diabetes. No I am not diabetic, but someone I love very much is. On the business side, wow!

Excellent product line, excellent product support, top notch business support, excellent pay plan. Hit’s the high points on everything I was looking for. Lord knows I’ve been looking and looking. Frankly I was seriously surprised to find this opportunity.

I kind of stumbled across it when I was looking for somewhere for fitness and weight loss support. I looked at weight watchers, I looked at Ivillage, I looked at ediets, I looked at T.O.P.S., I looked at overeaters anonymous, and I considered bariatric surgery. There’s a few fitness centers/gym’s within a 50 mile radius of where I live. But frankly its nuts to try to get there in the winter when the storms roll in. Between working on line and working with my kennels taking out hours to go to a gym just isn’t happening. I live to far out for it to be practical time wise, not to mention the fuel usage.

So I started looking for workout DVDs. Team Beachbody has some primo workouts. Effective and fun. As in not boring. Hip Hop Abs, P90 X, Slim in 6, Turbo Jam just to name a few. Wow and how.

I found what I was looking for. 10 pounds down so far. 140 to go.

I was worried about having flab hanging as I lost weight. I don’t think I am going to have much of a problem with that with the workouts. It is going to be such a relief to only be carrying the weight of one person around, instead of 2. I can already feel the difference in my abs and the muscles up my back. Frankly it’s great to be rebuilding my strength too.

Gotta get some zzzzs

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Team Beachbody
Turn Weight loss into Profit: Learn How to Become a Beachbody Coach
307.788.0202 call me, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

New Year, from fat body to beach body

Ok, here is where I am starting. Measurements and pics.

Here’s the measurements:
Age: 48 (49 on feb 5th 2009)
Program: hip hop abs-but will be doing others after complete this one
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Weight: 289 (was at 299)
R Arm: 15.5
L Arm: 15.5
Chest: 50
Waist: 41.5
Hips: 58.5
R Thigh: 36
L Thigh: 36
Goal Weight: 149 -i'd actually like to go down to 145 but can't get my mind past losing 150 pounds just yet 299-150=149

I was 299 in December, 295 jan 1st, 293, jan 8th, 289 jan 15, 289 jan 22nd. That leaves me with 10 pounds down, 140 pounds to go.

I live on a ranch in south eastern Wyoming; about 200 miles northeast of Denver Co. it’s been pretty nice for a few weeks, then the weather turned cold again. It’s 7 degrees. Could be colder, thankfully it is not below zero right now. Frankly I had enough of that last year. So did my animals. The warm then cold is tough on them, they all have shelter but it’s still cold. My attitude is a bit cruddy today. I have a real case of spring fever this year. So want it to warm back up and stay warm for a while. Before it gets hot.

299 is the heaviest I’ve ever been. Time to get this stopped before it’s 399. I noticed I’ve been hiding in my fat. Took me quite a while to admit that to myself. I’ve spent the past several years dealing with illness-west nile virus, surgery that destroyed my abs and pelvic floor. The surgery was in September 2005. there’s been 3 surgeries over the past 10 years or so. The last one was a doozie. But I am still here. I’ve recovered some strength in my abs, but have a long way to go. My insides don’t feel like they are falling out if I lift moderately now. Before I got sick I could lift a railroad tie and walk of with it. I went from that to not being able to pick up my coffee pot. I freaked out and packed on the pounds, snarfing everything in sight.

Better now. Made a new years resolution that is making a difference: here it is:
The greatest year of my life.
Live life now, appreciate each moment as it happens.
Live in peace within myself.

I am living now, not waiting until I am at a certain weight. Eliminates the hiding in the fat bit. Wipes out excuses, and blaming myself for what should of could of or would have been if I was at such and such a weight and so on.

I made it, 30 minutes on my elliptical this morning. I've been working on hip hop abs. I am doing the moderated version at this point, because frankly that's all I have in me right now. I thought I’d add the elliptical then some time and do the hip hop abs too. My elliptical has the arm levers so I get the upper body, along with the ab and leg workout with it.



I can see the red bar on the WOWY timer from my elliptical, frankly last night and this morning that was a big part of what got me through it. Mentally and emotionally it really feels good to have started my day off with completing my first workout of the day.

I'm working on my first glass of water for the day. I know I’m not drinking enough h2o.

Here comes my starting photo. This is the same pic that is on my before pics on my beachbody profile.

Something I am really looking forward to is to be able to lie down on my bed. On my side, and not have my belly lie down beside me.

That and to have my thighs not rub when I walk. Although I wonder about that one. I rode horses a lot when I was a kid, bareback, and developed considerable muscle mass in my thighs. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see. At any rate it will be wonderful to not be carrying around that second person.

I remember looking in the mirror when I was I college and thinking I was obese. I weighed 145 pounds at the time. Well I made it happen; now I actually see myself. I’m not sure what to call the torture so many of us put ourselves through, rather than enjoying our lives. But that was then, this is now, what changed, my mindset is what changed.

A lot of binging, journaling, reading, and work later. I am 144 pounds heavier than I was then, 30 years older, and finally free.

Gee sounds like the fat should just float off, hmm anyone have a magic wand...no? Ok guess I'll have to work it off. I was a bit pissed when I got on the scale Thursday. It was irrational, but I was pissed that I stayed the same rather than losing weight. I know I’m building muscle, I know it was irrational, but I was still pissed.

It’s taken me a few days to get my attitude in check. Happily I did not binge after weighing. That is a major victory for me.

I started to do the 2day fast product team beachbody has yesterday. My attitude wasn't in the right place and that didn't workout out too well for me. Made it through 2 meals then had some celery and broth, ate supper with my husband last night. Steak and salad, and a slice of key lime pie.

Yes just a slice, not a whole pie.

Over the past 25 years I have yo-yoed up and down so many times. I just do not want to do it any more. I want to actually be able to enjoy moving around. Go to a dance and enjoy it rather than having my back and feet in constant pain from too much fat and not enough muscle support. Or just go to a movie without being worried that my butt won't fit in the seat. Or book a flight without cringing at the thought of people on both sides of me, flying cheek to cheek literally.

Getting rid of sleep apnea would be a good thing too. I was so excited to find a pair of insulated bib overalls big enough to go on over a pair of sweat pants. They are a size 52 in men’s. Thank God they had them. Makes it much less miserable to be out taking care of the animals in the cold. My thigh is bigger than what my waist was. On a high note, I don’t have a problem with my blood pressure being high. At least I didn’t as of my last checkup.

My dad is coming to visit in June this year if all goes well. I really want some pounds off and to be in much better condition before he gets here.

Guess I am a combination of hope, fear, and determination.

Take care of you

Life is a journey, One day one moment at a time… ok I rambled again.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Team Beachbody

Buggered it: VS Decide, Commit, Succeed

Well I did it. I truly buggered it yesterday. I opened up my Hip Hop Abs dvd’s (yesterday morning) with the intent of checking each of them to make sure all the dvd’s worked. Well I did a lot more than just look at them. I know better but I did it anyway. I did the big OD. That’s right I over did it and as a result I had a very painful (not very productive) exhausted day yesterday. Knocked me out.

This morning is a raw hamburger day, as in I feel like a piece of live raw hamburger. No not like eating it. I feel like I’ve been run through a grinder. Hello lactic acid buildup. Ugh!

I took a couple of ibuprofen last night and crashed. Thanks to the ibuprofen , the pain dulled and I actually got some sleep. I didn’t even get up to stoke (reload) our wood stove. As a result it was a bit frosty in here when I got up this morning.

What’s the point, other than all this ow … ow … ow… whining? In the past when this happened, or rather when I did this to my self. I would crawl off in a corner (couch or bed) and hide under a blanket until the pain went away. Heads up folks! That doesn’t work, oh yes the pain will eventually go away. But you end up with less muscle tone. Usually pigging out on junk food while hiding under the blanket feeling sorry for yourself. So when you do emerge you have an extra fat roll or two hanging off your rear.

I am happy to say, well not overly happy still annoyed with myself for completely overdoing it. When I could have gradually worked into a full Hip Hop Ab workout without all this pain and swelling. Ok, it’s too late to get that off to a less painful start. I am where I am.

Back on point, I got up this morning. Gimped around my house letting the dogs out, got on the scale, (bounced up 2 pounds- yes I know it’s a result of the swelling but I still don’t like it) got dressed, and got on my elliptical. Yes I am still working out.

No I’m not binging on junk. Actually I’m not binging at all. That’s how I know the weight bounce is due to the swelling and not fat packing back on my body. In truth I was more than a bit concerned about my mindset after a weight bounce, but it’s good. It’s good because I know it’s just part of the process of my body’s transformation to a healthier sleeker physique, not a result of a pig out session.

Yes I did hip hop abs again today. Just not the full workout. I set the timer for 10 minutes and worked my way through 10 minutes of a dance routine. Yes I was ouching it all the way through. No I’m not so tough, nor am I a total whiner. What I am is determined. At the beginning of the workouts on hip hop abs it has this 3 word series scrolling across the screen. It describes exactly what it takes to reach you goals. Decide…Commit…Succeed.

I have Decided, I have Commited, I am Succeeding. Whoo Hoo… sore muscles will not stop me. A minor bounce will not derail my commitment. I am succeeding.

I am going for the $50,000 New Vision has put up for prize money. But you know it’s not just the money. Although it’s true, the money is a great inspiration. I am feeling so much better than I have in a very long time. Sore muscles aside. I feel better physically. I feel better mentally. I am more at peace with myself.

I had my Forte Shake for breakfast. Took my vitamins and minerals and am on to my day.

Life is a journey…enjoy the trip
Mary E. Robbins
307-788-0202
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians