Stop Sign Hike Saturdays!

That dreaded Stop Sign Hike again! I want to first say that I made a mistake on either this blog or on the Facebook page of Biggest Loser Fitness Ridge Alumni. THERE IS A BATHROOM ON THIS HIKE! :)

Looking forward to meeting the newcomers tomorrow ... especially Robin! :)

We had breakfast at 7:00 am (Cereal with Almond Milk & fruit dish) and we all met and left by 8:00 am to head to the hike. Last time I did this hike, I did it in 1 hour and 32 minutes. I wanted in my heart of hearts to do better this time! I DID! YEAH! I finished it in 1 hour 26 minutes and 48 seconds!!! I shaved 5 seconds off of my original time. Woohoo! Yet, another accomplishment! I'm so proud of myself! After the hike, we got back and had a choice of either a Stretch class or a Circuit Class. I chose the Circuit Class since I took 2 stretch classes yesterday and felt the need to some more cardio today since this was our only class we had to take today. We finished that and had lunch (Parsnip Soup and Hummus with 3 bread slices and olives ... I hate olives). Then we were off to Coyote Gulch which was not that great, but it was a way to get out of here for a bit! I did buy my hubby some fresh ground coffee from a little place there. See, honey bunny, I did think of you AGAIN today! I miss you soooo much! Love you ... Muah!

Fun Friday

Okay ... bring scissors in your checked in luggage! I'm so tired of running to the front office in bare feet every morning in the cold to borrow their scissors to cut my tape for my blisters. :) Also, you don't need to bother bringing your own beach towel as they provide towels here! Makes packing a bit easier. They tell you to make sure you tell them all of your allergies for food purposes ... one girl told them an item just because she didn't like it so they'll give her something else instead of that item ... a great idea for those coming in! I didn't get this tip before I came here!

I did have a good massage last night as it was needed tremendously! I highly recommend doing this weekly if you can afford to do so. It helps!

I had a great Friday! Roomie (Sandra) and I went on a hike called Hidden Pinyon that ran into the run called Piano Key. It was a 5.5 mile hike up a mountain!!! Not kidding! We climbed a freakin' mountain! Let me tell you how excited we were to have done such a feat ... so much so we had tears that we could do such a thing! We looked down on the Stop Sign hike! AWESOME hike! Tiring, but the best yet! Sandy, our guide, was so great on this hike! We're getting better at this hiking gig!

I didn't burn as many calories today ... I think it was due to taking 2 stretch classes vs cardio burn classes. But, hey, I deserved those as my legs are killing me from the week of killer classes. I burned 3400 though and that's just fine with me! :)

6:00 am Kickboxing & Open Gym (optional...kickboxing at this hour...forget it)
7:00 am BREAKFAST (Frittata and Fruit Dish - smelled but I ate it anyway)
8:00 am Hike (Hidden Pinyon into Piano Key ... AWESOME!)
11:15 am Pool or Stretch or Cardio Intervals (I chose stretch)
12:30 pm LUNCH (Chicken Stew with Wheat Bread
1:15 pm Lecture for Departing Guests Only
1:15 pm Lecture (Preparing for Next Week at FR (some tears flowed here)
2:30 pm Total Body Conditioning or Circuit (I chose Total Body Cond)
3:30 pm Total Body Conditioning or Circucit (I chose Circuit)
4:30 pm Pool or Stretch (I chose Stretch because the Pool was freezing!)
5:30 pm DINNER (Meatball Sandwich & Fruit Skewer-strawberries, kiwi, watermelon)
DONE FOR THE NIGHT ... WE SAT IN THE HOT TUB AND GOOFED OFF AND THEN WATCHED SOME TV AND HIT THE HAY AS WE WERE TOTALLY EXHAUSTED!

I just want to say to some of you coming here ... Please, don't put your expectations of weight loss so high before coming as it's not just about the weight loss here! You'll find that you'll get sooooo much information out of the lectures and the group discussions. You'll be a better person inside and out when you finish your first week. I've done so many things that I can't even believe I've accomplished! It's absolutely amazing that I've climbed a mountain ... that I've run on a treadmill (that I've never done before) ... that I've been able to maintain sanity when only eating 1200 calories and be full ... that I can hike 5.5 miles up and down heights that are unbelievable and through sand that makes you want to cry but you keep on keepin' on! :) Just have fun while you're here and learn what your new accomplishments might be and that you can take all home and finish your weight loss journey! Please, don't come here with a number hanging over your head! Just do everything given to you and enjoy it! I love my roomie and have a great new friend! This place teaches you a lot ... I now know that I don't have to wait on everyone to be someone, but that I'm a woman that enjoys being independent and WANTS to go workout a lot when I get home! Enjoy your FR experience!

Target Run Wednesdays and Coyote Gulch Saturdays

Just wanted to let everyone know that on Wednesday nights you get to sign up for a Target run. I had a blast with roomie and our side kick, Kassie Kay! We needed a few things ... I needed some extra thermal underwear and the only ones I could find there were in the men's department ... we were laughing so hard we almost p'd our pants laughing about my thermals pants having a man "thingy". We had tears and so much fun! It was a good getaway!

We went to Coyote Gulch today (Saturday) to see the local artist talents. There was jewelry, metal artwork, paintings, other types of art, and a little cafe that sells coffee (which you're NOT supposed to have ... oops). It was okay ... I wasn't thrilled with it by any means and wouldn't go again. :(

I hate blisters!

Blisters suck! But, I think I found a way to keep going on. I went to the gift shop here and bought a "Blister Pack" and put it on my little toe. I managed going on a 5 mile (2 hour) hike today as well as working out 5 more hours with that in classes like Toning, Treading, Ball Workout, Pool (twice)! I've burned 4100 calories today. So, I'm still going strong! Here's the day's schedule:

6:00 am Total Body Conditioning or Open Gym (optional)
7:00 am BREAKFAST (PB & J Panini)
8:30 am Hike (5 miles!)
11:15 am Pool or Open Gym (I did pool)
12:30 pm LUNCH (Hawaiian Pizza and Tortilla Soup)
*** I went on an off campus cooking demo and it rocked! We ate Zucchini Soup & Chicken Parm over Whole Wheat Egg Noodles! 310 calories! We were full! We didn't get back until 2:15 so missed the Lecture on campus.
1:15 pm Lecture: Cooking Demo by Chef Cameron
2:30 pm Ball Works
3:30 pm Treading
4:30 pm Pool
5:30 pm DINNER (Stuffed Chicken w/ Wild Rice and for dessert 2 Choc Dipped Strawberries!) Awesome dinner tonight!

For those of you coming here ... bring 2 bathing suits! Regular clothes are minimal. Workout clothes ... bring a lot! Bring a lot of bras & underwear as you'll sweat them up! Sports bras recommended. You don't need a beach towel as they provide towels here. Bring adhesive tape (or the front desk has some along with duct tape) as you sometimes need to wrap those toes and heels. I HIGHLY ADVISE BUYING a Polar Heart Rate Monitor/Watch!!! The Body Buggs are nice but you can't wear them in the pool! :)

Okay ... I have a massage appointment in 20 minutes ... gotta run! I'm in need of some pampering since my muscles ache really bad! :)

Sharon Rocks!

Okay, let me just tell you that the head trainer, Sharon, ROCKS! Her kickboxing class and her Step and Pump class have been my favorite so far! I also like Shayla. I've burned 4600 calories today! I'm getting tired though and getting a bad blister on my little toe! But, I keep going on!

Here's the schedule we had today:

6:00 am Yogalates or Open Gym (both optional)
7:00 am BREAKFAST (fruit bowl and Muesli)
8:00 am Leave for hike (hikes at 8:30 ... I did Beg 101)
11:15 am Pool or Core Workshop or Circuit (I did Core Workshop)
12:45 pm LUNCH (Potato/Cauliflower Soup and Salad with Greek Pita)
1:15 pm Lecture: Breaking Barriers
2:30 pm Kickboxing
3:30 pm Mountain
4:30 pm Pool
5:30 pm DINNER (Salmon Fillet with Israeli Couscous and Grilled Pineapple)
6:15 pm Lecture: Intuitive Eating
7:15 pm Target Outting

Advice ... make sure you bring Body Glide to put on your feet a long with Anti-friction socks. I still have "hot spots" and now one blister that I'm going to put mole skin on tomorrow morning! Also, buy your hiking shoes early enough to wear them and break them in ... I didn't and I'm regretting that!!!

Also, you MIGHT want to bring 2 bathing suits as some days there are 2 pool sessions in a day. It sucks to have to put on a wet suit!

Wednesdays are quite the emotional day for everyone here! Everyone is tired and achy and cranky! Emotions start to show on some with tears during the day. Some people are really home sick and working out this hard makes it tough. But you have to stay strong and realize you're doing this for a better YOU! :)

Okay ... enough ... I'm tired ... :)

Yummy Food Here!

The food here is really, really good! Chef Cameron does great stuff! He used to be a chef under Wolfgang Puck in Vegas and at the Wynn. He's really creative and keeps all of the day's foods at or around 1200 calories. If you go over that, it's because you either ate some fruit or a salad. I usually take a banana with me on the hike as I'm starving after we hike and eat it on the way back to the ranch. I sometimes have either a salad or an apple or orange after dinner.

Here's a pic of one of our dinners: Chicken breast over Wasabi Potatoes with Asparagus with a drizzle of Carrot Sauce and a drizzle of Balasamic. For dessert we had Pineapple Sorbet. Pretty, huh?

Don't worry about the food here ... only worry about your potential blisters!!!

Day 2 ... Better than Day 1!

Okay ... We had an "optional" class at 6 am and my roomie and I decided not to take it. I think now that might have been a bad move as my Calorie count for the day is only 3900! A lot less than yesterday. Here's today's schedule:

6:00 am Hardcore OR Open Gym (Optional)
7:00 am BREAKFAST (Yogurt/fruit/granola Parfait)
8:30 am Hike (I took the Intermediate Moderate ... still hard)
11:15 am Yoga
12:30 pm LUNCH (Tomato/Basil Soup, Salad, Turkey Sandwich ... really good!)
1:00 pm Calorie Challenge (A game between red/blue/green teams)
1:30 pm Cooking Demo by Chef Cameron (I bought the cookbook ... good food here)
2:30 pm Cardio Intervals
3:30 pm Total Toning
(made the mistake of telling instructor I work out 3 x's per week)
4:30 pm Pool
5:30 pm DINNER (Enchiladas with Broccolli and Chocolate Sorbet for dessert)
6:15 pm Lecture on "Spending Your Calories Wisely"
7:00 pm Watch Party in Aerobics Room of "The Biggest Loser"
(I opted to watch it in my room so I could get on computer)

Today was a bit easier than yesterday ... the hike was more fun to go on as we went into the mountains. I took the Intermediate Moderate instead of yesterdays Stop Sign hike (all paved) or the others offered: Beginner 101, Intermediate Fast, Advanced. Tomorrow, my roomie and I have signed up for the Beginner 101 to see if it's any easier! But going through the mountains today was so pretty, but hard! We actually did some climbing up some rock areas. Too cool, but like I said, hard!

In the cooking demo, Chef Cameron showed us how he made his soups and his Wasabi Potatoes. They are so good! I bought the cookbook as I want to go home and share with hubby all the goodness of eating well!

I've met a lot of really nice people here. Some from Florida, some from Canada, Texas, Michigan, Colorado ... everyplace! One young girl, Kassie, a 21 yr old from Texas is so sweet and helpful when I need help with my Ipod! :) She goes on every hike with me and my roomie and sits with us every meal. Her parents raised a great kid! Hate to see her go when she leaves! My roomie is from Tampa and fun to be around! They paired us up well!

As for last night's lecture by Tara Costa ... very interesting person. She was so bullied when overweight in NYC! She had gone out with some of her girlfriends to dinner and afterwards they went to a club where you had to wait in line to get in ... they let all of her friends get in, but not her! :( Then as for the show, the weigh in's are held in the mornings with only producers seeing the weight results. What you see on the show is at night with everyone present and the scale making you wonder. One time, she got mad at the producers and walked off the areas where the cameras can go to and through the mic at them. She finally came back and all was good (of course, we didn't get to see that on tv). Her favorite challenge was the car pull. She's in here now working out for 2 weeks to ready herself for a marathon (and lose weight as she's gained some back ... at 160 vs the 139 she was at during the finale). She works out with everyone and we have been told to not treat her any differently than all of us. She's actually nice. She told us of a story of her going to the grocery store and a lady getting onto her for some of the stuff she had in her shopping cart. Can you imagine? How rude!

Anyway, an early morning tomorrow! We're getting up at 5:00 so we can make sure we're in the 6:00 workout!!! If you have questions ... I'll try to answer them! Really starting to miss home though ... and I have 26 more days to go! :(

The 1st Day is a Killer!

WOW! How intense was my first day! My roommate & I woke up at 5:00 am to get ready. Here was our day:

6:00 am Open Gym
7:00 am BREAKFAST (fruit bowl, eggs & bacon on a whole
wheat english muffin)
8:00 am Leave for Hike
(The stop sign hike ... 4.5 miles up a 11% grade ... took me 1 hour and
30 minutes)
11:15 am Choose Pool or Mountain (I chose pool)
12:45 pm LUNCH (Beet Soup, Talipia Tacos)
1:15 pm Lecture on Budget (Calories in vs Calories Out)
2:00 pm Stretching Basics
2:30 pm Circuit Training
3:30 pm Step & Pump
4:30 pm Pool
5:30 pm DINNER (Grilled Chicken Breast over Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus
& for dessert: pineapple sorbet)
6:15 pm Lecture on Spending Your Calories Wisely
7:00 pm Lecture by Tara Costa from The Biggest Loser

Let me tell you ... I was whipped and ready for bed during the lectures! But, I did manage to stay up for them and type this blog for you all! I was excited that I made it through the Stop Sign Hike!!! That was majorly intense! I burned 4579 calories today (thanks to wearing my Polar Watch/Heartrate Monitor) and only ate 1400 calories. So, I'm off to a good start, but very sore!

The lecture by Tara was really exciting as she told us stuff about the production of the Biggest Loser and some of her trials and tribulations before, during, and after the show. She's here working out to prepare for a marathon.

More tomorrow! :)

Arrived at Fitness Ridge ... Orientation

Okay ... today was the exciting day. I'm here at Fitness Ridge! I got here around noon along with several other ladies. We got our room assignments and I unpacked. Went back up to meet the other ladies that arrived with me and we all sat and got to know one another while eating an apple. We didn't get lunch only dinner at 5:30 (Sundays for the new arrivals don't get lunch). We got a tour of the facility and our booklets to help us during our stay. After dinner, we had our orientation where we got to meet everyone. There are 64 people here ... the largest class they've ever had here at FR! And, one of them ... wait for it ... wait for it ... yup, Tara Costa from the Green Team from the Biggest Loser! I'm excited to see her here! Yeah! And, my roommate is from Tampa Florida which makes me feel good too. She is retired military and has 3 kids. Everything is all good so far. But, our day starts at 6:00 am with a mandatory circuit workout followed by a 7:00 breakfast ... then an 8:00 MANDATORY hike! It's 4.5 miles up (1000 feet elevation) and 4.5 miles down. Fun! More tomorrow!