Continued Success & Introspection

The view to the valley from Bell Canyon Waterfall

We've been home 2 1/2 weeks now. Cherie and I have been friends for almost a dozen years. Last week, we met to work out with a friend and then eat a quick lunch. Our friend wanted to hear all about our experience at PFC and I learned a few new things listening to her tell another friend.

Like most of us, Cherie went because she wanted to lose a lot of weight fast. She had a little bit of anxiety about losing the definition of herself. Every morning she woke up in the role of wife and mother to 7 kids. She thought if she was sequestered somewhere without that role, who is she? Before the camp, she had also in her mind labeled all of us regular exercisers (including me) as "selfish". Now since she is my closest friend, she had never told me she thought that. But also, because we are friends, I wasn't offended either. I thought it was funny. She also had convinced herself that somehow her life wouldn't be as fun or enjoyable is she didn't have sugar to eat.

At lunch, she explained to us her "aha moments" at PFC. In the process of not having sugar at all for 28 days, she realized her life was still incredibly enjoyable. I've said this before, but we really did laugh a lot through the whole process. We all laughed together at ourselves, each other, Chris and Wayne.....without sugar! She also realized that she is so much more than wife and mother and it is ridiculous to define yourself in such a small faceted mind set. Plus my favorite: that regular exercisers are NOT SELFISH but rather taking care of themselves.

Cherie has lost 5 more pounds working with David, her coach for the 12 weeks following PFC. She works out an hour a day and eats small meals every 3 hours and even enjoys a sugar free skinny cow ice cream bar as one of her snacks. Her resting heart rate is under 50! Go Cherie!

Lucky Number 7!

The PFC Welcome Basket!

Hi readers, since I am lucky enough to have PFC so close to home, I get to come back every so often and continue blogging. Today I came over and went on a morning hike with the whole new group up Bell Canyon trail. They've got a larger group than we had for the month and most of them are staying at least a month. I was really impressed with how strong and motivated everyone is. About half of the group has been there a week already. This morning was also weigh in. Phil had a huge loss with 8% body fat gone! I could tell right away this guy is an athlete. He reminded me a little of the winner from Biggest Loser last season, Danny. I have read about the theory of "body memory". Phil definitely has body memory. It's surprising to see each member who was an ex-athlete retain and regain their strength very quickly.

Rachel has been here a week as well. She lost 7.5 pounds. I don't know what it is about lucky number 7 but it has popped up with every weigh in for the last 5 weeks. Someone has dropped either 7 pounds, 7 inches or 7% body fat with each and every weigh in. I wonder how long that will go on?? Rachel also came here having already dropped 30 pounds on her own. She is incredibly motivated and has an infectious attitude & smile. I think she's going to do great!

I'll check in with the rest of the group with more photos coming soon.

~Kristin

Egg White Crepes

I am not an egg fan so when Chef Dave made these crepes at camp, I was super excited to get my eggs in a non egg way:

Ingredients:

4 egg Whites

4 Tbsp Oat Bran

1/3 cup Berries

2 Tbsp Sugar-free Syrup

Salt to taste

Put the Oat Bran in a food processor and pulse very fine. Combine the EGG WHITES, OAT BRAN and SALT in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Pre-heat a small non-stick skillet on medium.

Process 1/2 of the BERRIES with the SYRUP into a puree. Combine the PUREE with rest of the BERRIES in a small sauce pan and heat to desired temperature.

The non-stick skillet should be hot. Spray PAM on the skillet, if it smokes wipe it with a paper towel and spray it again. Pour 1/4 cup of the EGG MIXTURE into the skillet and swirl it around, you want it to coat the bottom of the skillet. Wait for edges of the EGG to start to curl, then work around the crepe with silicon spatula and turn it. Count to 5 and move it to a hot plate. Cover with aluminum foil.

After all of the crepes are finished, it is time to assemble. Evenly divide the SYRUP and make a little fancy burrito. Leave a little to pour over the crepe.

Don't get discouraged if the first one gets ruined. In fact, the first one usually goes in the garbage. You don't want the crepe to brown at all. Crepes should be egg colored. Adjust the heat if they brown. After each crepe, wipe the pan with a paper towel and spray on more PAM.

From the kitchen of: David Ives (Premier Fitness Chef)

I Can't Believe It's been 4 weeks!

The graduates & Chris above the airplanes (really!)

We were Queens of the World after our "graduation challenge" hike! Look at that view! Spectacular!... but- the- most- killer hike! My quads have never ever been this sore and probably never will be again (hopefully). But we all made it! Not one of us could have made this hike 4 weeks ago. Sorry, but WE ROCK!

My final stats:

8 lbs lost

2 inches each off chest, waist & hips

1.25 inches off thighs

1 inch off arms

The BEST of all Body Fat lost 7%!!

I went from 32% to 25%!! This made me very happy!

Cherie lost 18 inches total, Lisa lost 7 inches just off her waist, Jackie 4 inches off her thigh and the biggest LOSER was Adam with a whopping 17.5 pounds lost in one week. Awesome for him! But I will have little tiny pity party that women have a much harder time than guys do losing weight. He's only begun, he's got 3 more weeks.

We finished the day with another perfect Saturday. We hiked a trail that goes up to Lake Blanch in Big Cottonwood canyon. Jackie was already gone so I had no one to chase up the mountain. I plugged in my ipod and took off, realizing I didn't need someone to chase. I felt amazing, strong and unstoppable. Then we ate our final delicious lunch and headed over to our much deserved massage. LOVE LOVE LOVE the massage!

Now we are home to the real world. I'm going to have serious Chef Dave withdrawal. We have 12 more weeks of menu's & workouts to implement on our own and a coach to keep tabs on us. Marching onward until we reach the easier(?), elusive maintenance plan. It's kind of overwhelming to take in.

Premier Fitness Camp was worth every bead of sweat, tear, bruise, sore muscle, pack of ice and painful moment. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

~Kristin

Bodybugg-itis, @#$% Weight Vests & Nap Time

After doing water aerobics and swimming laps the other day, we got to sit in the hot tub. A lady sitting in there with us asked "what's wrong with your arms? why do you all have those lines?" Well, that would be due to a lot of hiking in the sun and dutifully wearing our bodybuggs. It's an exclusive disease to PFC....BODYBUGG-ITIS

I thought I hated the 20 lb ball the most but that's because I hadn't worn the 20 lb weight vest on a hike yet. Wayne decided today was the day. I swore a little at him, and he just laughed at me like he always does. What choice did I have? I had to go a lot slower and it took me out of my zen hiking state. But it proved to me once again how glad I am to not be carrying around 20+pounds of fat anymore and how good it will feel to get rid of whatever fat is going to be left. I only have 1.5 more days - so the adventure will continue at home.

Today was the last day working out with our weight training trainers. This was a special upper body workout designed by Trevor. I wish I knew how they come up with this stuff. They must do some basic training in prisoner interrogation torture methods because I would have given up all my secrets. But really, I will miss Trevor & Mindy.

Cherie finding rest on any surface available to her. Our needs for comfort have diminished dramatically!
We're still tired up to nearly the end of our 4 weeks. Tomorrow they have a "special graduation challenge" planned for us...Chris tells us with a joker like smile.....so I have reason to be scared.
Stay tuned

A quick power nap for Adam.

~Kristin

Just When I think I've Maxed Out on Soreness....

Our established dinner table places..Jackie leads the PFC family in everything.

We were eating blueberry protein pancakes - oh my goodness do you need that recipe! I'll work on it.

I foolishly thought after the first 2 weeks or maybe 3 weeks, I had reached the peak of my soreness levels. I should have known better. Chris decided to throw the stadium stair workout at us again Sunday morning. This time we ran 100 sets of stairs...yes, I said ONE HUNDRED sets of stairs. We went and we conquered. I felt about the same after 100 as I did after 40 the first time around. I have definitely built endurance. After lunch, we hiked through brush straight up a hill to get onto my favorite trail, the Bonneville Shoreline. Jackie and I ran 90% of it...there are some rocky areas and wicked steep parts. We were done faster than everyone else so we walked home too. I'm guessing it was 4 miles. This is considered the easy day, by the way. Monday morning I could feel my butt and hamstrings had taken a serious beating. Today we lunged up some hills and then lunged across the field a few times and then squatted and then lunged and lunged some more. I better be building some serious ripped legs!! Ouchy wahwah!

Adam, the new guy, is making Wayne & Chris very proud indeed. He has vomited every day at least once. I keep trying to tell them that the women here have all come very close but know we will not get another snack if it comes up! And guess what...Adam does not have to do Zumba! He gets to play basketball instead. He is SO missing out!

~Kristin

Sunshine & Flowers

Today was weigh in. Once again, my expectations were much larger than what my genes and body wants to achieve.

Here's my stats:

The scale did not budge one freaking ounce. My weight was exactly the same. Another addition to my DO NOT LOVE list: The scale

BUT I did lose 2% body fat - now 28%

I put on 3 pounds of muscle

BMI 22

Chris & Wayne were not disturbed at all. They were happy about my drop in body fat. I, however, was extremely disturbed. I felt emotional most the morning. We went out to do boot camp and Jackie was just not going to accept my bad attitude. She is the consummate optimist! Jackie also smacks Cherie anytime she makes self deprecating jokes, which I'm guessing happens at least 10 times a day. Cherie kept teasing her saying "okay Jackie, it's all sunshine and flowers". We finished boot camp and after breakfast went on a hike. This is my meditation time. I plug in my ipod and just go, go, go. I tend to soul search while hiking and one of my favorite songs came on Coldplay's "Fix You". The lyrics start out "you try your best but you don't succeed". That started a little teary pity party. After a few minutes, I started noticing all the wildflowers...white..yellow..purple and I felt the sunshine on my skin. I had a little laugh and then decided to work harder and get over it...mostly. Thank heavens for Jackie, Cherie, Sunshine and Flowers!

Jennifer lost 7 pounds - that's the 3rd week in a row that someone has lost 7 pounds.

Lisa was also ecstatic to lose 5!

5 more days left - I'll take whatever I can get and by way of lessons learned - that's a lot!

~Kristin

Intentions, Virtues, & Friends

Cherie, Jackie, Tommi & Me

On Friday, we met with Cynthia, the life coach. She talked with us about what our intentions were coming here.... what brought us and what we want from our experience at PFC? We went around the room and shared with everyone. It made me think about it again and I have changed my mind. Originally, I just wanted to lose 20 pounds and run my half marathon in under 2 hours. I've had a lot of time to think during hikes or workouts. I've needed to dig deep in order to find the strength to finish some of the physical demands. I've come to the conclusion twenty pounds and running a half marathon is so final. I'd have to maintain, of course, and it's great to have goals, but this program is so much more for me now. Cynthia did this exercise where she told Amber to pick up a pen. Then she told her to "try" to pick up a pen. Illustrating how using the word "try" just means you are giving yourself a way to cop out. You either do things or you don't. She also gave us a list of virtues that are needed in order to "do" the things you want. We wrote down what we are doing to achieve our intentions and what virtues are needed to get there. This is a very effective exercise, in my opinion.

My new intentions to learn and go home with from PFC are:

Eating with purpose and consciousness

Working hard and strong in all I do

Being a good friend to New friends and Old

I won't list all the virtues, but some of my favorites were integrity, enthusiasm, dignity, respect, determination, thoughtfulness and excellence.

~Kristin

3 Saturday's In a Row & It's Final...Saturday is my Favorite Day

Amber, Lisa, Cherie, Adam, Me, Jackie, Tommi, Jennifer & Wayne in Front

Bell Canyon Reservoir (Pretty much the beginning of the hike except for the 15 min stair stepper climb)

Then we climbed for about 2 more hours and reached this incredibly beautiful waterfall:

And 3.5 hours later we got home & I had already burned 2300 calories. Massage, ahhhhh, raspberries with vanilla greek yogurt, mmmmmm = amazingly awesome Saturday so far! Plus, I felt no fear coming down - I do believe I am mastering the downhill speed.

We've OFFICIALLY Created New Habits!

21 days in to the camp & according to what 'they' say - I've officially created some new lifelong habits; Eating consciously and with purpose is the one I really embrace; Drinking a lot of water all day long; Eating fruits & vegetables with every meal; Work out longer, harder and stronger..... just to name a few.

This is the fit gang. Three weeks together and tomorrow Tommi goes home. We are all going to miss her terribly! She's an amazing girl & I think we all feel blessed to know her. The rest of us have another week together and tonight we add a man to our camp. He's a member, not a trainer, so it will definitely add a different dynamic to the workouts. I wonder how he'll like Zumba?

This is on my favorite hike! It's called Bonneville shoreline - check out the view! I've even started to run this trail. In the past, I disliked trail running but I've been pushing myself to do it and have discovered I really like it. It is so much easier on my feet than asphalt. I still don't like it when it's rocky but this trail has plenty of packed down dirt to feel confident navigating.

This is a little game we play during boot camp passing the curs-ed 20 lb ball all the way down the soccer field. Look in the right corner at what our spring snow last Monday did to the big tree! Poor tree!

Chef David & His Assistant Jamie

Our Miracle Workers since I believe Diet is 90% of the key to weight loss success.

Wayne & Chris are awesome too, don't get me wrong. But they cause pain & sweat (with results not showing right away) while these two produce pure pleasure.

~Kristin

Can I Stress Enough how Fabulous Our Chef, David, Is?

Chicken & Asparagus Salad

Things I Love & Things I DON'T Love

I have read a lot in recent years about how to have a full & successful life. One of the keys is finding things you really want. According to the experts, most people don't really know what they want. Maybe because we don't expose ourselves to enough things in order to know. I can tell you this camp has really exposed me to an incredible amount of fitness and food experiences that I would never have tried if I weren't here. I've made some decisions about some things I now LOVE and things I DO NOT LOVE:

LOVE:

Hiking with my Ipod

Apple Crisp (Chef David's recipe)

Brown Rice Bread (Ditto)

Vanilla Carmel Herb Tea

Not Wearing Make-up Every Day

Not Fixing My Hair

Sweating a lot

Berries, Berries Berries

Laughing

Getting stronger

Boot Camp

Massage

Good Music for the Classes

All the Girls

DO NOT LOVE:

Carrots

Zucchini

Honeydew Melon

Swimming Laps

Eggs

Getting up at 5:30 am

Butt Shorts for Spinning

Recipe for 'Tear Inducing' Apple Crisp

4 Gala Apples - Peeled & Diced

1/2 cup Almonds - no skin - blended into meal

1/2 cup tasteless crackers - blended well

Cinnamon - to taste

1 packet Stevia

Set Oven to Broil

Mix almonds meal & crackers well

puree 1/3 of the apples with 1/2 of Almond Mix, Cinnamon & Stevia in blender or food processor

In a large skillet, combine puree and the rest of the diced apples. Cook on medium heat until apples are al dente. Stir continuously to prevent burning.

Spray a 9x5 baking dish with Pam

Spread apple mixture evenly into the dish

Sprinkle remaining Almond mix on the top.

Brown in the oven until crisp is nice & brown. Spray top of crisp with fake butter spray to help in the browning.

Makes 8 servings

~Kristin

Hello to Amber & a Little Boot Camp at The Park

Cherie, Jackie (in a weight vest) & Amber on one of our super hikes

Amber is from the Salt Lake area. She is always surprising me coming up behind me like the little engine that could. Every single time we are hiking and I am chasing Jackie & Tommi, we will stop for a drink break and I look back & here she comes! Amber has had some challenges in the past few years and is really trying hard to make some changes in her life. She's one of the nicest girls I've ever met. Even though we've got 4 mom's here, she's the one who's jumping up to clear every one's plates and always offering to get us whatever we need. I think us mom's are just so happy to not have to take care of our family's needs that we've become all too excited about just taking care of ourselves. I pray this camp really makes a connection with Amber & she just continues on the right path.

We have a new member, Jennifer, this week. I'll introduce you to her when I get to know her a little better.

Tommi (left hand top) Me (running down after uphill sprints) & Jennifer (doing twists)

I found my strength again today, thank heavens! And Mother Nature was kind to us so that we could do boot camp outside. I hope it stays that way! Only 9 1/2 more days!

~Kristin

Highest Burn & My Snazzy Shoes

Here's our mode of transportation - A super cool 15 passenger van!

Yesterday was my highest calorie burn of the camp so far...3986 calories - just a few short of the coveted 4000 calories. I should have done a few jumping jacks! It was an unbelievable butt kicking day though. During my 5th hour of exercise, instead of going to spinning, Tommi & I were sent out to run 4 miles. And after 4 hours of difficult working out plus running straight into a COLD headwind - it kicked my trash!

This morning I felt just plain beat. Usually I deliver my best during boot camp, instead - today I felt like lead legs. When we got back, our amazingly talented chef David & his new assistant, Jamie had put together a brown rice bread. Can you believe that? It had a yummy crust and tasted a little like cornbread. He also roasted garlic that we could spread on the bread and then I put on a tomato and WaaLaa, I had myself a delicious little morsel! My tastebuds have really gone through a change here. No sugar, no salt, no wheat and I appreciate the flavors of so many other things. I felt eons better for pilates after lunch.

Have I told you how much I love the hikes? We all got new shoes the first day. I had a brand new pair of running shoes when I came, so I chose hiking shoes. They had me try on a few pairs and the ones I picked just felt the best, even though I was a little self conscious of the conspicuous style. I love them now! They are lightweight & have awesome traction. I lace up my hiking shoes, put my ipod in my ears and I could truly hike forever (as long as I have plenty of water & a snack).

~Kristin

Mind Games

Today was weigh in. I really hoped for & expected a gigantic drop. Last night as we met with Jessica (our doctor) again, she came in and talked to all of us about not expecting too much from our weigh in. She told us that we're changing our body makeup and it takes time to notice big differences. We should see the biggest change in 3 to 4 weeks. Of course, in my rebellious mind I thought "Yeah, but that's not going to happen to me because I already worked out before I came here and I am going to have a huge drop, I am here fine tuning." Dangit! Jessica was right! We did, however, all have pretty large drops in inches. Here's my stats:

3 lbs lost

Body fat only down 1/2% - so I really hope it's wrong because that means I burned muscle not fat

8.5 inches lost - biggest loss in my waist 1.75 inches

Amber lost the most this week with 7 lbs

Jackie, Cherie, Lisa, Tommi & Amber all lost between 3 & 4 inches off their waists.

I hate how the scale screws with my psychological well being. I know, I know, I know I was stagnant & not dropping before I came and I AM shrinking. BUT I really really really wanted to lose 5 lbs last week. Ugggg

~Kristin

Meet Tommi and Lisa

Tommi & Cherie sporting their super stylin bathrobes.

Tommi is from North Carolina. She is truly hilarious and very smart. She breaks out in song on a regular basis. If it's not blue grass, it's from some musical and then jumps in with some classical stuff & she even knows her 80's. She was also a Lacrosse player in high school and knows how to work hard. She and Jackie are twins separated at birth by different moms on different days in different states. They are so similar in size and fitness levels. These 2 are full of energy and excitement about life and so fun to be trying to keep up with and hang out with. Tommi is only here for one more week, so won't finish the 4 weeks with the rest of us and I'm already missing her.

Lisa & Cherie flexing their ever increasing muscle!

Lisa is a kindred soul to Cherie & I. She is a mom of 4, here to get healthy for her kids. Lisa has had a rough go of it, starting off with nausea on the first day and then suffering a suspicious leg pain and a smack down cramp in her calf muscle. Regardless, she never ever quits, she gets in the pool or slows down limping doing whatever it takes to get the workout done. She totally inspires me busting through her pain. I can tell she's really frustrated, but her frustration seems to be working for her. She also has a great sense of humor and is laughing right along with us. I want to keep in touch with all of these great women after we leave because they are all so cool.

~Kristin

Tears and More Tears

Look at the apple dessert - It was truly ethereal.

Can you see the absolute look of pleasure on my face. My favorite chef in the entire world, David, decided to bake our half apple mixed with a Wasa cracker, some slivered almonds and pureed apple. It turned a boring little piece of fruit into a piece of heaven. As I savored every last morsel, it brought tears to my eyes - REALLY!

Today we had to swim laps. I figured I could do it. I never have, but come on, how hard can it be? I hate when I am so wrong, but I was sooooo wrong! I choked and thrashed my way down the lanes at least a lap behind every single person. Wayne says "Swim like you are saving someone from drowning." And a pit developed in my stomach with this sick realization that not only could I not save anyone else from drowning, I couldn't even save myself. I have taken my kids to lakes & beaches and I have no business doing it. I would be completely useless. I finished the workout, got out of the pool and bawled my eyes out in the locker room. What have I learned from these tears shed in the last two days?

David is the bomb and I need a swim coach!

~Kristin

ICE, Soreness & The Girls

Cherie, Jackie, Lisa and sore calves & shins

We have officially reached our half way point and I hope we've reached the peak of our soreness. We use a lot of ice and have emptied the icemaker pretty much everyday. Massage again tomorrow!!!

I think I'll introduce you to a couple of the girls by giving you my perspective of them. Cherie, who is my close friend and I am very blessed to be experiencing this adventure with, is the house comedian! She keeps everyone laughing, which is very very cathartic. Actually, come to think of it, we have a few comedians and they just play off each other. We honestly laugh a good portion of the day. Cherie is an ex-gymnast that just keeps surprising herself and all of us. She keeps pushing on no matter how tough the workout is. She started off not being able to finish the spinning class and yesterday she busted through it! Her flexibility is enviable too. She is willing to follow everything they tell us to do to the letter and is putting everything she has and is into this program!

Jackie is the butt-kicking cheerleader. Everyday she sets the pace and she just keeps getting faster and tougher. I bust my butt to try and keep her in my sights. She's the first one in the van, first one to the top of the mountain and the first one to dinner. She really pushes all of us to be better and do better, staying positive all day long.

I'll tell you a little about the others another night. I'm dying to go to sleep.

~Kristin

Breathe & Relish My Food

This was one of our really yummy dinners!

I have realized I don't breathe well or right in order to work as hard as I need to here. I keep getting reminded by every single trainer & instructor "Breathe, take a deep breath, let out your breath completely". It makes a HUGE difference in everything and I can't seem to manage it. You'd think that would be something that just comes naturally. But not for me it doesn't! I'm really trying to keep concentrating on it. I'm hoping yoga & pilates will be my miracle cure from holding my breath until I achieve hyperventilation. No wonder there's so many lyrics in songs about it and I've become hyper aware of all of them. However, once again my body has decided to take over my mind and I YAWN all day long. Yes, yawn! Me and Apollo Ohno are figuring out how to get some really good oxygen. JUST BREATHE..........

Slow down while eating your dinner. Taste every bite of your food. Put your fork down between bites. Enjoy your food. You've heard all the same advice I have and up until this point I've pretty much ignored it. I am just now seeing the brilliance of these words. Until the last 2 days, I've basically been wolfing down every meal and finishing too fast. Since there is such a limited amount of it, I am just plain sad when I finish. So I've slowed down and am tasting, really tasting my food. It is miraculous the difference!!!

~Kristin

PFC's Beautiful Pool

In My Next Life I Am Going to Be our Zumba Instructor

You know how you look at different body shapes and you really wish you could look like that girl? Well, Lindsay is THAT girl! I really truly feel 'special needs' in her class, but I can not explain to you how much I wish I could shake it like she does and be as lean and cut as she is. I don't know yet if it's a possibility in this life but maybe in my next life - that is if I believed in reincarnation.

~Kristin

I Hate This Ball!

You have to know I really am making a point when I am fully aware of what an awful photo this is! BTW I hate having my photo taken!

I am all about symbolism - well kind of - I'm not freaky or anything but I think most things happen for a reason and sometimes the most mundane thing means something to me. Here is a stupid ball that weighs 20 lbs. We do some sort of exercise that involves this hateful creature at least once a day. Sometimes we are able to pass it off to each other and sometimes we put it over our head and run down a basketball court with it. If it's possible to have a favorite activity with your arch nemesis, then mine is throwing it down as hard as I can. It's hard for me to not picture it full of fat when 20 lbs is exactly how much fat I want gone off my body. It's heavier than I expect every stupid day. I asked Wayne if he'd let me kill it with a sledge hammer when we are done but he's feeling pretty protective of it so I might have to find out where to get one or at least the cheapest possible replica to mutilate when I am done with this process.

~Kristin

Wicked Hikes & a Word About Body Sizes

I love this photo. Look at how pretty it is where we are hiking! But in some parts it is a B@#%* to climb up to. Yesterday we hiked up to Bell Canyon Reservoir. It is truly like stair climbing the whole way. Also, Wayne decided that Jackie & Tommi needed to wear 20 lb weight vests too. AND they still stayed ahead of me by 20 yards. Then we did lower body weight lifting with a trainer for an hour. Wayne keeps stepping it up a notch. I'm pretty sure by the end we'll be up to the freaking stars! After lunch we went on another hike..this one was supposed to be a "little" hike. It was straight up! I can't believe my legs weren't giving out. I am super slow on the decline. Everyone beats me it seems because I'm a downhill chicken. I hope by the end of this month I'll be a downhill expert, completely confident and stable on my feet! For the icing on the cake - spinning!! Needless to say, yesterday I peaked in my calorie burn!

None of us here are even close to the size of anyone that goes on Biggest Loser so we will never have the gigantic weight drops that they have. But the thing that fascinates me is the difference in all of our lean muscle masses. This is our weight minus fat so includes bones, blood, organs & muscle. I am the smallest at a mere 97 lbs. Our range goes up to 117 lbs. Just another reminder to me not to compare myself to others. I'm working on it!

~Kristin

27 lbs Lost in One Week

This morning we rose before dawn to climb on that dreaded scale again. I'm first in line and so I have to get up the earliest. Here's my stats:

3 lbs lost

1 lb muscle gained

2% body fat lost (32% to 30%) I'm shooting for 25%

BMI is now 23 (I'm considered healthy now just from that drop)

I'm pretty happy considering I'm still pretty sore and I can tell I'm swollen because my rings are tight. Next week should be awesome. The biggest loss in our group was 7 lbs! Go Tommi!

And collectively we lost 27 lbs and 13% body fat!

As I was pondering these totals and then trying to figure out just how many hours of working out we've done in a week it became mind blowing. I keep looking at my calories burned and comparing them to everyone else's calorie's burned. I admit it - I have calorie burning envy! Cherie can get up to burning 17 per minute and Amber is just a constant furnace. But in my Zen moments that I think all of us have to experience to figure out what it is we are doing here - I realize each of us are going to get out of it what we put it to it. I know I'm putting my best into it and I think it's unbelievably COOL how hard we all work. They deserve their results!! I go to sleep tonight as tired as possible but with a smile on my face AND extremely proud of our little group. WE ROCK!

~Kristin

Sunday Night Dinner By the Pool

Best Day This Week By Far!

The Fit Troop: Clara, Amber, Lisa, Tommi, Jackie, Cherie, Wayne & Me

This morning started a little bit later & WooHoo...it was much warmer! I do not like being in the pool when it's cold even if shivering supposedly increases your metabolism. We got in the pool and did aerobics again. Then we went on an amazing hike that took about 2.5 hours. The whole time climbing up the rocks & steep embankments I was chanting in my head "Think massage & just keep climbing, just keep climbing, just keep climbing". We stopped just to take a photo op, eat 1 slice each of an orange (just enough to tick off our tastebuds) and then played a little in the snow we hiked through, since Tommi (who is from the South) was as excited as a toddler seeing snow for the first time. Wayne even got hit with a snowball! Being with a couple girls from the east coast is reminding me what a beautiful state we live in!

Then I got a massage and it was needed more than I've ever needed one. It worked out so much soreness!! My calves seem to be taking the biggest beating in my body. Then we went on a fieldtrip to go watch a rugby game and ate a grilled shish-kabob dinner outside. Our workouts were less time but so were our calories so that it all evens out in our burn for the day. I can't wait for more hikes like the one we did today!

~Kristin

What?? I'm allowed to sleep in & My Eyes popped open at 5:30!

This morning I don't have to be up until 6:45 and at 5:30 I was wide awake. Thank Heavens I fell asleep just after 10:00 so I feel pretty good, but ugh that desire to sleep in somehow was overruled by my body! And my body also overruled me yesterday in my desire to keep working at the same intensity as I'd been maintaining all week.

Today we get a massage!!!!! I am so excited because these trainers have found muscles that I sort of remember learning in my anatomy classes but I didn't know existed in my body. I can honestly say that every last one of them got worked out this week. Nothing was left behind at all.

Good thing I get to work out with a girl named Jackie. Not only does she keep me pumped up but she is the group cheerleader. You know how there are people who are just natural cheerleaders in life - she wasn't one in high school or anything - but she just keeps you going! I've been really lucky that my "at-home" workout partner, Sharon, is also a natural cheerleader. They are both full of energy and tell me I can keep going when I think I can't. How did I ever get so blessed?!? And to be honest with you, I've always really disliked "cheerleaders"..... So I am going to repent because I need them!

~Kristin

I HIt The Wall Today!

I promised photos today and I'm breaking that promise...sorry!

Because I hit the wall & I need sleep to recover.

Night Night

~Kristin

I Live With a Low Level Of Hunger & It's Okay, Really!

PFC brought in Bonnie Matthews. She's a woman who lost 130 pounds on her own. It took her about 2 years. The Dr. Oz show brought her on & she writes a blog as well as helping others in their weight loss efforts. She worked out and hung out with us talking to each of us together and separately giving us advice and encouragement. The biggest thing that interested me was her recipes and making healthy food tasty. As a Trader Joe's employee, she has access to all kinds of different grains and seasonings and figures out tasty recipes - high in fiber, low sugar and fat! The 3 cardinal rules of eating.

So what are we eating? Truly everything has been excellent! Our menu is between 1400 and 1500 calories per day and I eat every last morsel of food. I can honestly feel when I have used up my previous meal during a workout and spend most the day with a low level of hunger. I am unbelievably hungry but surprisingly not uncomfortably hungry every time we sit down to a meal

Menu for today:

cottage cheese with mandarin oranges & pineapple

scrambled egg with veggies & half piece of whole wheat dry toast

grapefruit & yogurt

Taco salad with ground turkey, tomatoes 10 baked chips & a Tbls of fat free sour cream

fat free yogurt, blueberries & cottage cheese

Lean steak, cauliflower & green salad with balsamic vinegar

I'm not going to sugar coat it - (esp since sugar is the anti-Christ) right now I am very hungry! BUT I am never ever weak while working out and I don't crave anything - not even Chai! I am drinking an herbal version with Truvia in the morning and it's working for me. Even my friend Cherie seems to really be handling the lack of sugar amazingly well. She was the biggest sweettooth I know before we came and doesn't seem to suffering any withdrawal. It's incredible!

Tomorrow I promise photos of me & my fellow members who don't mind getting their photo taken and more about just how tough the workouts are! Tonight Chris took us to a stadium and we ran stairs up and down 80 times! Plus laps back and forth around the football field. I kept up with the 2 twenty years olds and it was a major accomplishment for me.

~Kristin

Here's our schedule today - Warning You'll be Tired!

Today we had Bonnie Matthews "Wellness Warrior" From Dr. OZ joined us all day long today - eating & workouts. What an awesome inspiration!

6 am we all drag ourselves out of bed and eat some kind of a snack. Today it was a protein shake.

6:30-7:30 Boot Camp - This is Wayne's torture specialty. Laps; pushups; bicep curls; squats; laps again you get the idea- high intensity!

8:00 Breakfast - Oh my yum!

8:30 to 9:30 Aqua class aka Water Aerobics in 40 degree outside temperature - once again a first! And I'm even from AZ......

10:00 Snack

11:00-12:00 Zumba aka known as "Shake Your Booty like a Latin Lover" I'm as scandinavian as they come so it wasn't pretty - but Jackie, Clara and Cherie could shake it. Our Cameron Diaz twin instructor could shake it like Brittney used to! Very impressive!

12:00 Lunch

2:00-3:15 Super Hike with Sprints at the top - I had to miss this for a wedding today but I heard it rocked (not really - I heard Chris is a total butt kicker)

3:30 Snack

4:00-5:00 Spinning Class - um ouch and um sweat; yeah that sums it up!

5:30 Dinner

6:30-7:15 Sprints Up a Hill in a Park - Pretty much burned out a good portion of the lining in my lungs

7:30 A really great presentation that I will blog about tomorrow since I am EXHAUSTED!

TOTAL CALORIE BURN TODAY: 3700 even missing the hike!

~Kristin

Now I've done 2 things I've Never Tried!

The second day was an equally tough day. We begin every morning with a boot camp. This is where we all get our biggest calorie burn. I think it must be a good time for exercise and we've all had a good night's sleep, which is very important! The first night I only slept 4 hours and I struggled through all the workouts. Today I burned 800 extra calories and I think it's because I got enough sleep.

So we did a spinning class. This was my first. I have always been afraid of spinning because I have this idea that my legs are too short to spin the dumb pedals around so many times that I'll hate it. Guess what? I did not hate it! But you definitely need big padded butt shorts and even then it may not save you from butt soreness. It was actually a little bit fun. Our instructor Jackie told us a motivational story from her life that made the time go by really quickly.

This afternoon we did Dance Blast. I couldn't have felt more spastic or awkward in my life. I am just not a dancer! I don't have any moves nor am I very graceful, but I lived through it and just thank my lucky stars there were no video cameras around. On the plus side I burned a lot more calories than I would have expected. There is definitely some talent among us busting out the moves - Jackie & Cherie can strut their stuff with the best! Our instructor Megan was really fun and very positive. Both of these classes were just for our group so that we didn't have to worry about the expert attendees making us feel any worse about our performance. Good Plan, Wayne!

Tonight we met Bonnie - our wellness warrior. She is very soft spoken and articulate in everything she says to us and seems genuinely interested in our personal journeys. Tomorrow we get to work out with her. She's older than everyone of us, but I have a feeling will kick all our trash!

I promise photos for tomorrow's blog.

Good Night & Looking forward to 2 more new things tomorrow: Aqua aerobics & Zumba (Could be very scary!)

~Kristin

I Survived the First Day!

Good Morning. It's bright and early and I'm not a morning person. Yesterday began at 5:00 am - nobody in their right mind should willing get up that early. One of my fellow members took quick power naps all day long and I need to figure out how to do that.

First off....I love the food! We have Mike & Dave, definitely my favorite guys in the house, (no offense to Wayne or Chris) cooking us delicious healthy food. We don't have to do anything but eat it. More spoiled than I could have expected. They make it taste really yummy & we are drawing their secrets out of them the best we can. And they clean it all up!!

My assessment was somewhat depressing though: Freaking 32% body fat!

The coolest thing though by far is the BodyBugg we've all been given. It's this really cool techno gadget that we wear on our arms and it keeps track of all of our calorie burning for the day.

Mine was the lowest in the house at 2900 calories burned for the day and the highest was 4400! Go Amber!! We can see exactly how hard we are working out. It tracks calorie burn per minute. At the end of the day we input our food and figure out the deficit. 3500 calories burned equals a pound! Geez! That's a lot of sweat.

So far I love all the women here. All of our stories are so much of the same but with enough differences that we'll all learn something from each other.

I'll check in tomorrow with a run down of just how butt kicking the workouts really are....and they really are.

~Kristin

Our First Celebrity "Expert" On May 12th!

I just found out that Bonnie Matthews, the "Wellness Warrior" on the Dr. Oz Show will be coming to talk to us next week. How cool is that?? I'll take a lot of notes and let you know what I really think. Just seeing the changes she's made, I'm very excited!

~Kristin

Welcome to my First Post!

This was me at my biggest (not pregnant).

My 8 year old daughter announced to a friend I was talking to the other day "my mom is going to a fat farm!" While it got a big laugh, it got me thinking. What will I call this extended leave of absence from my family? Another friend asked if I was going to go to the "Skinny Farm"? I think it all depends on my mood, but for political correctness, I decided to say I am going to a "Health and Fitness Retreat". Whatever you want to call Premier Fitness Camp to your friends and family…..I intend for it to make my life better!

Let me introduce myself to you, since I will be writing about every aspect and experience that seems interesting and relevant to anyone who stumbles upon and reads this blog. My name is Kristin. I do not work for PFC nor am I related to anyone who works for PFC. I am a future member starting May 9th, 2010. I am a 40-something stay-at-home Mom with five kids and I am leaving them for a month, with the goal of coming back happier, healthier and a better Mom.

My struggle with weight began 20+ years ago. I have been as high as 210 and as low as 115 at a mere 5'3". I'm doing things kind of backward. In the last 8 months, I have dropped 30 pounds doing "Live The Life" program working with some of the PFC experts (Hi Wayne!) The new updated "Live the Life" is the program PFC will be sending me home with as well. Life and plateau's have made it hard to lose those last 20 pounds. I am big fan of the show "Biggest Loser" and every week I've wished there was something out there for people to lose "the last 20 pounds". I've hunted for a place to go that would be accessible and now I've found it in my own backyard.

I've discovered the thing that levels the playing field whether you have the first 20 or last 20 to lose is that no matter who you are or where you begin, we all have to work at it and work hard. That's my plan and I have faith that PFC will help me do that.

Here we go…..

~Kristin

This is what i look like starting the program............I'll keep you updated for sure!