I’ve always been told that the best time to do any kind of aerobic exercise is first thing in the morning, before you eat or consume anything. Ok – so, I don’t know about you, but the LAST thing I want to do right when I wake up in the morning is get on the treadmill. Before my morning coffee? Oh. Hell. No.

But…it might be worth trying. I read this in a book I’m currently reading:

Doing intense aerobic exercise on an empty stomach for just 20 minutes first thing in the morning is more effective in burning fat than a full hour of aerobic exercise performed later in the day oafter you’ve eaten a few meals. You see, after an overnight fast, blood-sugar levels are low, as are carbohydrate reserves. Exercising before you eat causes the body to dip right into stored fat to come up with the energy required to make it through whatever rude awakening you’ve subjected it to. ~ Body-for-LIFE by Bill Phillips

I think I’ll try it. Can’t say for sure that I’m realistically going to be able to hop right out of bed onto the treadmill – - THAT is QUITE a lifestyle change for me.

I’ll let ya know!

I did a bit better today with the eats. Considering my post from yesterday, I tried really hard to work in that extra meal, or two for breakfast and lunch:

9 am – 1 Egg Beaters™ Cheese & Chive Omlete, 1 8oz. Protein Juice, 16 oz H2O
1 pm – 1 BFL Protein Shake, 1 8oz Protein Juice, 2 16oz H2O, 2 NoPudge Brownies
6 pm – 7oz Lemon Pepper Turkey Tenderloin, Brown Rice, Salad w/ no-fat dsg. 1 NoPudge Brownie, 1 Herbal Tea, 1 16oz H2O
9 pm – 1 BFL Protein Shake, 1 16oz H2O, 1 Orange

I just have to say – - I was FULL. I couldn’t have eaten more if I wanted to.

I did 25 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5mph in the morning. Then later in the afternoon, I did my Ab workout on the Bowflex. It’s amazing to me how energetic I feel, when normally a workout day like that would kick my ass to pieces. Not saying that I made it through with flying colors – but at least I didn’t feel like crawling into bed for a nap!

I’m charting my progress here. So far? I’m down 3.5 – only 46.5 to go.

Oy!

So, I was tallying up my food intake for the day and realized that I need to eat more.

Wait. More?

Yea, I know – that’s what I said! Currently, I’m doing the Body-for-LIFE 12-Week Challenge (it’s how I lose 65lbs in 2004) – and they recommend ‘frequent feeding’ – eating often throughout the day works with your body, not against it. By eating at regular intervals throughout the day (approximately every two to three hours) you keep your metablism elevated and energy levels stable.

BFL’s sample daily intake:

8am – Breakfast: Breakfst burrito, 2 cups water.
10am – Snack: Chocolate BFL protein shake (these rock!) and 2 cups of water
12pm – Lunch: Chicken sandwich, 2 cups of water.
3pm – Snack: Strawberry BFL protein shake, 2 cups of water.
6pm – Dinner: Grilled Salmon, potato, salad, 2 cups of water
9pm – Snack: Protein enhanced pudding, a fruit, 1 cup of water.

My intake today?
5:30 am – 1 chocolate BFL protein shake, 2 cups water
8:00 am – 6 dried apricot halves, 2 cups water
2:00 pm – 1 Chocolate BFL shake, 1 8 ounce protein juice, 2 cups water, 1 cup herbal tea
7:00 pm – 10 baby carrots w/ fat free ranch dip, 2 cups water
9:00 pm – 6 ounces roast lemon pepper chicken, steamed asparagus, brown rice, 1 cup herbal tea, 2 cups water, 1 NoPudge Fudge Brownie

Total coffee today: 3 cups

So, I’m doing… OK. I totally skipped the lunch meal today and breakfast mean, opting, instead to use the protein shake as a meal replacement rather than a snack, replacing breakfast and lunch with a shake.

I’m going to try adding those two meals into my daily intake – and use the shakes as in between fillers.

Oh – and 35 minutes on the treadmill today! Go me!