I actually got my butt to the gym today and pedaled for an hour on the stationary bike. It was a beautiful day so it would have made sense to go out on my actual bike-unfortunately that just seemed like too much work. Sad to say.
I realized that my workout gear is just getting old, dingy, and I've lost all interest. I'm surprised by how much more I want to work out when I have new and exciting clothes. The shorts I had on today rode up on me while I pedaled and I was just wearing an old work t-shirt so I felt damp the entire time. The first thing I'm buying for myself when I go back to work is some Under Armour.
Hooray! I weighed in this morning and I'm down to 170.8. Over 1 lb lost from last Monday! Of course, at this rate it'll take 2.5 years to get down to goal weight but who's watching. After all, I had reese's pieces and still lost. Success!
You hear it all the time: on Dr. Phil, on Oprah, from many others trying to help with this country's weight loss struggle. You have to get to the root of the reason you are sabatoging yourself-your motivation for being over weight.
While reading yesterday's Skinny Daily Post I realized that I am not the only one that feels that maybe, just maybe, there is not a psychological reason I'm overweight. Maybe it is just my lifestyle is conducive to gaining weight, and I'm pretty happy with my lifestyle.
Reading through her column Julie sounds a lot like me. One major difference-she has already lost 100 lbs! I truly cannot imagine the strength and willpower that would take, let alone the lifestyle change. I'm about 20 lbs in and I've got about 30 to go. However, as Julie points out in her article, being in the category of women who need to loose 10-20 lbs is the norm. Sure enough in my office everyone was trying to loose weight (including our male boss). The fridge looked like the lean cuisine freezer case. We had a scale in our ladies room. It was the most common topic of conversation.
Interestingly enough my office was also one of the reasons I feel off the wagon. Frequently the women would say "gosh, you just don't look that heavy", and "you don't need to loose any more weight". My weight is very evenly distrubuted. Even at my current weight I easily fit into most size 12s and occasionally can slide into a 10. A woman I know who weighs 10 lbs less can't fit into a 12 yet. It is a strange thing surely but I let them convince my that a 12 was a place I was happy with. Guess what, wrong! I want to be an 8 again.
So how did I get here? I have traditionally worked in a male dominated industry so lots of pizza was consumed with my boys. I like pizza and frequently eat too much of it because it just taste to darn good. My husband is a fantastic cook and his food is rich and luxurious. Lots of butter, heavy cream, fatty meats. He loves cooking meals that could come right out of a **** restaurant. So do I say "sorry honey, I'm dieting"? No way. Do I say "Hey it would be healthier for us if you found a way to cook lighter foods"? Uh, no. The problem here is that my husband does not want to change and my wanting him too only causes him to get moody and defensive. And the absolute glee on his face when I agree that we can we have Papa John's for dinner instead of the healthy meal I have planned is hard to pass up.
I like to think I can blame my husband for this but I know I cannot. I like him to be happy and he was raised in a family where happiness comes in the form of a good bottle of red wine, a stinky cheese, a lobster bisque. But, I also like to get the occasional taco bell meal when I'm by myself. Or a candy bar for the car. I actually like the taste of these items too! I'll find myself thinking "gosh a candy bar would taste really good right now" and before I know it I'm in the grocery store. Living the hectic life that we do now doesn't help either. I just don't feel like I have time to workout every day, cook a healthy dinner, go to work, do freelance work, visit with friends, and spend quality time with my husband. Something always gives. Frequently it is the gym first. Then the food. Then the freelance work. You see where this is going. I'm blaming anyone but me but I know I CAN do this because I have. I just have a hard time sustaining.
I need to have that conversation with my husband. The one that starts "you and I need to take better care of ourselves and each other so let's start now". The problem is it will put my out of my comfort zone-an area I don't frequently step out into!
Yes, I feel absolutely discusting this morning from the fat fest yesterday. I actually feel almost like I have a hangover. Partly probably because I'm dehydrated. Partly because my body was probably working hard adding fat to my body since I so generously provided so much to work with.
I will go to the gym today! I will do at least a 500 calories workout.
It was a bad day but not for any reason in particular. I just had a craving. A craving that started with Reese's! We went to see he movie Underworld and because it was 7pm and I hadn't had dinner before going I got a bag of Reese's Pieces to eat. Why? I have no idea what I was thinking but 800 calories later I was sorry. Feeling guilty already, after the movie I suggest we swing by the Burger King drive-thru for dinner (it is almost 10pm at this point). A Whopper with Cheese later I'm at double the calories I'm supposed to consume in a single day. I'm going to feel that in the morning!
This week's Weigh In Wednesday question is: Serving sizes vary so much from label to label. What food has a serving size that really surprises you, or what food really challenges you to stick with it's serving size?
Serving sizes should be easy, right? You buy something in a vending machine and you expect it to be one serving. WRONG! Many items in the vending machine contain multiple servings so while the 240 calories listed in one serving might not sound too bad, the 480 can be pretty scary!
One of the surprising items that contains multiple servings is the single banana. That's right, a banana is really two servings of fruit. I have actually given up bananas entirely as they just don't seem to agree with me.
Wouldn't it be great if a serving of Ben and Jerry's was the entire pint. Mmm...
With Hurricane Isabel due in this evening I hit the gym early along with everyone else it seems. The parking lot was amazingly full for 11am but since many local businesses decided to close today my guess is lots of folks were taking advantage of the pre-storm calm.
I started out with 30 minutes on the treadmill on a 1.5 incline. I jogged for 2 minutes out of every 5. While I felt good and could go longer I know that in the past increasing my speed too quickly has let to injuries so I'm taking it slow this time.
After 30 minutes I switched to the HILL setting on a stationary bike. I kept my heart rate up and plowed through those hills. Again, the have more force muscles than endurance this was the perfect workout for me.
After lunch I did my 45 minute MTV Power Yoga DVD. It is a great workout which combines stretching, balancing, and just moving quickly between positions to really give me the push I needed. I finished off the day with two upper body exercises as that area just doesn't get much of a workout when I'm on cardio.
It is hard to believe that a major hurricane is headed this way by looking out the window today. The sky is cloudless and blue, there is hardly a breeze, and the humidity is, thankfully, very low. Coming off the heals of a banner workout yesterday (30 minutes of wogging, 30 minutes on the stationary bike) I figured today was probably my best shot for a long outdoor bike ride.
So I put the bike rack on the car, loaded up, and drove to the NCR Trail. It usually takes me a few miles to get into my grove when biking and today was no exception. By mile 4 though I was feeling pretty good but riding along at a fairly leisurely 11-12 miles per hour. I arrived at the Monkton area where I usually rest feeling pretty good. I stretched, drank some water, and hopped back on my bike to continue out.
It seemed like I was at the 10 mile point in no time. I turned around and in a burst of energy worked by way back over several miles between 14-15 miles per hour. I have learned that I'm a force rider rather than an endurance rider. I do well powering up the hills, but the rest of the time I just feel like I'm slogging along. I'm not sure if slogging is a real word but I think it gives you a good idea of how I felt.
When I arrived back at Monkton with about 7 miles left to my ride I decided I didn't need to stop to rest this time. However I did try to dismount my bike to walk it through the parking lot and across the street. I say "try" because my left foot got caught in the pedal strap and I ended up falling over. Just a little embarrassing as two other cyclists came over to make sure I was okay. Just a little bit of gravel burn on the left calf though, nothing too exciting. I was just about stopped when this happened so speed was not a factor (and thanks to the guy that walked in front of me which was partially to blame).
I loosened the strap and was off to finish my ride. About 4 miles from the end I was at eye level with a large doe stopped on the side of the trail watching the traffic. She was beautiful and did not seem the least bit concerned that she was so close to people. A little ways up I passed a woman and her dog coming in the opposite direction-I warned her that the deer was ahead so she didn't let her dog off his leash. I struggled with the last 3 miles. I always do no matter how far my ride. I'm not sure why they are so tough but it is a mental barrier that I need to break.
When I got back to my car I was famished. The oatmeal breakfast bar I had 3 hours earlier was certainly not enough to sustain such a ride. Luckily I had a Clif Bar in my bag and I downed it before heading home. All in all a solid workout. It took me 1 hr and 38 minutes to complete the 20 mile ride. According to FitDay I burned off approximately 750 calories on my ride.
My regular check in with eDiets and I see a new logo on the homepage for a new diet plan. So I check it out and Dr. Phil shows up! This man is everywhere!
Reading it over I'm not sure what the big draw is. It is your typical cut the simple carbs diet from what I can tell. I know when I don't eat anything white I tend to loose weight-but is is hard for me to give up rice and couscous. I know I can get the brown or wheat variety but then face the rolling eyes of my husband. It is a fine line to walk between keeping him supportive and having him annoyed that his lifestyle is changing too.
I am the team captain for one of the challenges offered at eDiets as a support mechanism. This means I set up threads for my team members to post on, and I have to come up with challenges each week for them to earn points. It is a fairly time consuming process but it helps me stick to it too.
The last challenge I switched to unofficial which means I wasn't keeping score for myself. A bad idea. Now, up to 172 (my high in a while) I'm rededicated to watching what I eat, keeping a food journal, and getting back to the gym. I'm surprised they haven't called considering I haven't been in about a month.
So, today is day one of the challenge. This morning I plan to map out my triathalon training program so I know how much to work out each day. Since I'll likely be starting a new job next week this will be a good week for me to get organized about my health.
Do you plan to have/would you consider having plastic/cosmetic surgery once you arrive at your weight goal? [source]
In a word: "yes".
I thought watching Nip/Tuck would cure me of that. After all, it is very graphic in the surgeries it performs and yet, it almost makes me want to have it done more. It makes it more real and seems simpler somehow.
On their website you can actually put in your problem areas and they'll give you an estimate. This is really fun. Here's mine:
| Botox Injections | $1500 |
| Breast Augmentation | $3400 |
| Tummy tuck | $4500 |
| Buttock Lift | $3800 |
| Thigh Lift | $3600 |
| Total | $16800 |
Yikes! And think of the cost of outfitting that new and improved body. A friend of mine is going for a consultation this week for a tummy tuck and I can't wait to hear the details. And my sister-in-law and I have discussed having our work done together so we can recover with our bandages and cocktails. Yeah, I know, defeating the purpose.
Last night I watched a totally inspriring show: Rock Bodies: From Flab to Fit. They took 4 normal women and hooked them up with personal trainers and chefs for a 12 week period. The results were awe inspriring. When you look at rock stars do you think to yourself "If I had a personal trainer and a chef I'd like like that too?" Well, here's the proof. The bottom line though is even with the help these girls worked there butts off, literally.
They did twice daily workouts. My guess is that one of them will stick to it (she's actually in school now to become a spinning instructor) and the other three will slide back to their regular lifestyles again. It is easy to say "hey, I can do this for 12 weeks" but it is much harder to make the time for double workouts for the rest of your life.
I know I'm the same way. I do great working out and eating right for a few months. I usually lose about 15 lbs. Then it gets harder to say no to ice cream, or to get up in the morning to go to the gym. Before I know it I'm eating Taco Bell and haven't seen the gym in a month.
How do I keep up the motivation?
The scale is not my friend this morning. 172.4 lbs. I don't know why I'm suprised. I ate at Popeye's last night for goodness sake. Ick! Why did I put that crap in my mouth? Because it was a whole lot easier than cooking for myself. I really really need to get back on a regular food and exercise schedule. The past two weeks have been hell on my body. I guess I'm just having trouble with the whole, 'this is a change for life' part. I don't want to change my life to a healthy girl's life, I just want to have her skinny body.
Last night we had a dinner guest and we made homemade enchiladas. The secret sauce had lots of spicy sausage, and overall two large blocks of cheese were melted into the meal. Not a good night for the diet-but I did sleep really well with that full stomach.
Of course, this meal makes me wonder: how am I ever going to do this for good? I've been able to maintain at my current weight even with the chinese food, pizza, and drinking but I really need to give everything up if I want to blast the fat and get down to an even lower (and healthier) weight. I know it would be easier if I just lived in a vacuum, but I don't. My DH loves the rich food and it has always been a part of our relationship...do I now say "sorry, no more fat and no more alcohol?" Sorry, I'm pretty sure that would be the end of our marriage. So I really need to find middle ground. I think if Friday and Saturday nights were left open and the rest were off limits that would work. The problem? I would then be in charge of meals all those other nights if I wanted to guarantee their health factor.
Yes, yet another in the world of diet blogs. What makes this one different? It is mine. I have my own struggles.
Where have I been? I started out at about 197 in March of 2000 and totally freaked into getting down to 158 which was fantastic. Then I went back up to 181, which was not fantastic. Now I have struggled my way back down to 171. This is actually not a terrible weight on me-I can wear a size 12 which is a decent look for a woman in America. But my ultimate goal, 145! Let's see if I can do it.