I gave another hugely popular commercial diet plan a try for the month of June, and after loads of money and a mere 2 pounds lost, I cancelled this week's appointment and once again decided to "go rogue."

While many, many people can follow diet plans and drop tons of weight, I can't seem to. Like I've said before, I'm a rebel and like to "freestyle" my plans. Also, I don't suffer fools gladly, and when the diet counselor got angry with me because I told her I was adding more strength training, she totally lost me.

So! Onward and downward.

I met with the "diet shrink" this week, and she had mentioned that she tried an eating plan that involved lots of delicious healthy recipes. Problem was, she was spending all day in the kitchen and wound up with lots of leftovers because the dishes didn't repeat from day to day.

She gave me an assignment: Come up with my favorite quick and easy "go-to" meals. "And I'll blog about it!" I replied.

Actually, I'm going to blog about it all week. Today, we'll do breakfast, then lunch and so on.

Breakfast Go-To Meals

Banana Nut Butter Rollup: 1 tablespoon of peanut or almond butter spread on a 100-calorie wrap with a small banana rolled up inside.

Power Oatmeal: A packet of lower-sugar instant oatmeal made in the microwave with nonfat milk and a tablespoon of ground flax. The flax gives it extra body.

Supereasy Smoothie: 1 cup of plain lowfat or nonfat kefir, 1 cup of frozen fruit and a dash of Splenda or stevia.

Greek Omelet: 1/2 cup egg whites or egg substitute, 1/4 cup lowfat feta and baby spinach.

Next: Lunch!

And over on Shrinking Sisters Reviews ...

Check out my post on what I learned in a webinar with the folks from Gatorade. If you have young athletes in summer camp you'll be interested in how to keep them hydrated in all this heat. I'm also giving away one $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods. You've got until this Thursday (June 30) at 8 p.m. ET to enter.

Like I often do, I gave myself very little time to workout before my trip to the dentist.

"What's the hardest workout I can do in 30 minutes?" I asked myself.

Wimpy Me: "Well, there's that nice walking workout you did yesterday."

Godzilla Me: "Did you not hear the question? What's the HARDEST workout I can do in 30 minutes? You still have your morning caffeine coursing through your system, so use it for good and not evil."

So I turned to the TurboFire DVDs (the ones that have a big red WARNING on the screen before they begin) and pulled out the "Fire 30" workout.

Wimpy Me: "Do you think you can handle TurboFire? You're a fat girl, and the people in those DVDs are all ripped."

Godzilla Me: "It's only 30 minutes. Do the modifications! You can do it. Stop selling yourself short."

Sometimes Godzilla Me can be very uplifting.

So I did the TurboFire DVD and guess what? Once again I didn't die, melt or spontaneously combust.

But I jumped into the shower too quickly and had the dreaded "after-shower sweat," which was discussed yesterday on Twitter. That's when you shower too quickly after a tough workout and even though you took a shower you're still sweating.

Not stinky but "glowing."

So, lesson learned: I can do "hard."

And over on Shrinking Sisters Reviews ...

Check out my post on what I learned in a webinar with the folks from Gatorade. If you have young athletes in summer camp you'll be interested in how to keep them hydrated in all this heat. I'm also giving away one $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods. You've got 'til the end of June to enter.

And win a free Zumba DVD!

My Zumba DVD giveaway officially ended yesterday but I have two DVDs to give and only one comment. So I'm extending the deadline 'til June 24 -- Funky Friday.

The video was already great on its own but when the Gregory Brothers "songified" it, it's now an anthem to overcoming obstacles.

I need this kid to stand in the corner and sing this to me when I think that I can't finish a tough workout:

And here's the bonus version, with Evan Gregory's wife, Sarah, singing karaoke:

And over on Shrinking Sisters Reviews ...

Check out my post on what I learned in a recent webinar with the folks from Gatorade. If you have young athletes in summer camp (just sent mine to baseball camp) you'll be interested in how to keep them hydrated in all this heat. I'm also giving away one $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.

I've been following my "eat what you love" rule but I haven't been doing what I love when I came to exercise.

I've been doing what I think I should be doing, and frankly I couldn't keep up. But while I think the Supreme 90 Day System is a kick-azz workout program and an amazing value, it's just not for me right at this minute, so I'm setting it aside for now.

I was making so many modifications that I was barely doing the DVDs at all. Too much "can't do this, can't finish that," y'know?

I can't do a lot of floor work because of my neck, which I have referred to in the past as the Bad Lego Project.

Now that I've searched through dozens of manila folders full of paperwork, I thought I'd show you what that looks like:

The MRI on the left is what the cervical spine is supposed to look like -- all curvy and clean. The mess on the right is my neck, otherwise known as "military neck." While that sounds all patriotic and stuff, it's not supposed to be that way. You'll also notice some bumpy crap in the front -- those are bone spurs that kink my esophagus and windpipe. If I'm not careful, food gets stuck there. (If you know me, you've probably encountered me choking on something.)

I ain't playin'. This is why I just can't do a lot of things like crunches and Pilates. Every now and then I'll try them and the next day it'll feel like someone whacked me on the back of the head with a baseball bat. Tucking in my chin literally cuts off my breathing.

So!

I look for standing ab routines and workouts that target the core without hitting the floor. That's why I love Zumba -- loads of booty shaking and core strengthening moves done while dancing.

Free Zumba!

I happened to get a couple of Zumba DVDs while at Fitbloggin' last month and I loved it so much I bought the entire set on QVC, so I have spares. It's the new Activate workout DVD from the Zumba Fitness Exhilarate set. Trainers Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant lead a 45-minute easy-to-follow Zumba workout.

All you need to do is tell me what kind of exercise you LOVE to do.

What workout makes you truly happy? Let me know and I'll randomly choose two winners of the DVDs. Get those comments in by June 20, the first day of summer! It may get too hot to workout outdoors but you'll be able to Zumba inside.

And now, we dance!

Keep your water enhancers near your stash of water bottles.

Every now and then I'll let you in on the ridiculous conversation going on in my head as I exercise/cook/eat or contemplate all of the above.

Today's convo, while working out to Amy Dixon's Breathless Body DVD:

Oh no, Mountain Climbers. I can't do Mountain Climbers.

Who says you can't do Mountain Climbers? Do the damn Mountain Climbers! Nobody says they have to look perfect.

(I do the damn Mountain Climbers.)

OK! I can do Mountain Climbers. They're ugly Mountain Climbers but at least I attempted them.

Aaaaand scene.

A few months ago, I fired up the ol' Photoshop and added the Project 150 faux rubberstamp to our blog header but didn't really explain what it was doing up there.

Here's what it's doing up there.

After consulting with height-weight charts, BMI (boo!) charts and whatnot, I decided that 150 pounds is what I am shooting for. I haven't weighed that since probably high school but it's not some crazy number -- I'm pretty sure it's attainable.

But it could be really difficult, and hey, I'm up to the task.

  I have never been at any sort of "goal weight" in my life:

• I entered my first Weight Watchers at age 10 at 5-foot-1 and 126 pounds (my goal was 110 if I remember correctly)
• I graduated high school around 150 pounds and thinking I was huge
• I graduated college around 160, taking advantage of the University of Florida's weight room
• I got married at 180 pounds (a size 12 for me)
• My pre-baby weight was 235 pounds (just a few pounds away as the "baby" prepares to finish 6th grade)

I don't look at 150 as the "goal" because what happens when someone reaches "goal" -- is the fight over? The war won? 

Nope -- the battle continues. I don't think I'll ever be able to effortlessly keep weight off. I don't know anyone who can.

Karen C.L. Anderson, who was at this year's (and last year's) Fitbloggin', has as her blog's tagline the phrase: Because the journey never ends and "after" is an illusion. 

Exactly.

She also recently wrote the book After The Before & After, which explains what happens after achieving her "weight loss success." Karen’s belief is that weight shouldn’t be a life-long struggle, which is why I want to get the excess weight "off the table" ASAP and stop struggling. Maintenance, I believe, won't be struggling. Instead it'll just be something I do to keep myself healthy and happy.

I don't eat crap. I love healthy foods and I also (really!) love exercise, although I love other things more and have to push myself to start exercising. But once I'm doing it and done with it, I love how it makes me feel.

I used to think that people who say they love to exercise are a bunch of liars. But I was wrong -- I totally get that now. (More about that another day.)

So Project 150 is just that -- my project. One I intend to finish sooner rather than later.

And if you want to have your own Project 150 jpeg of your own, let me know and I'll shoot one over to ya!

And over on Shrinking Sisters Reviews ...

Check out my post on what I learned in a recent webinar with the folks from Gatorade. (I remember when the stuff was one flavor in a glass bottle.) Being a Gator, the stuff is near and dear to my heart, especially since I have a preteen who plays baseball and golf in the year-round Florida swelter. I'm also giving away one $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods -- is that incentive enough to read?

"Write down how you feel when you blow off your workout. Write down how you feel the moment your workout is over. Compare the two."

-- Tony Horton