It Happened

I gained a pound this week. Ouch. I can speculate that because it was the day before TTOTM I was retaining water, but the first thing I thought of was that I cut back on cardio. Really, though, I don't think this was enough to gain weight. My eating was actually better than it was in previous weeks, I ended the week eating roughly 500 calories less than past weeks (using the assumption that one "point" = 50 calories). Sitting here battling with menstrual cramps and feeling sluggish and irritable I'm not in the mood to dissect the gain. I'm hoping next week will be better.

I went to dinner last night, we had a planned get-together at a Mexican restaurant. Got there and they were closed (as in out-of-business closed). We ended up at an Italian place instead. Bummer. It's much harder to order healthy at an Italian restaurant than Mexican. I ended up ordering something decidedly unhealthy in any event, Penne Pasta with Pesto and Sausage with a Caesar Salad to start. I only ate about 1/2 of the entree and didn't bring home the leftovers and the Caesar was just the lettuce, dressing (not heavy) and a bit of Parmesan. All-in-all I don't think it was too fatty, though I'm not fooling myself, it was nowhere near light. I'm feeling I'll need chocolate soon too Ahh, hormones.

I'm out to dinner tonight too but going to a seafood restaurant that won't be closed. Grilled fish here I come...yum.

Thanks for the words of encouragement with the lunges. I can't imagine doing them with 20 pound weights! I worked on my form Wednesday evening at the gym. I noticed when I step forward with my left leg that I have a harder time and "cheat" by leaning forward. I stopped doing that and felt the muscle working much harder when I kept straight. I looked at the classes board at my gym. I think I might experiment with some of them.

In all it's nice to remember that they pay off in the long run, I didn't know the lunges were so well-regarded. Having that info will make me feel better about the effort. Thanks!

Peace & Quiet

Just did something I haven't done in a while. Lost a long post But my cat just came and sat on my shoulder and that makes up for it He's not much of a socializer so it's extra special.

What did I say again? I am relaxing with a few unexpected free hours this morning. It's nice.

Last week I went to the gym 4 times doing 45 min cardio, weight training, core work and stretching. This week I'm going 5 times but cutting the cardio down to 30 minutes. It's different, I kinda feel like I'm cheating; 30 minutes goes by so fast! I do 15 on the elliptical and 15 on the bike. I notice I push myself harder, I think I'm trying to squeeze more out of less time. I used to burn 500 calories in 45 minutes and now I burn 300 in 30 minutes. That's according to my heart rate monitor.

I hate lunges. I feel awkward and wobbly when I do them. I guess I need to work on my form. If there were another exercise I could do instead I'd be happy. Any suggestions? Thoughts?

My eating habits are really changing. On Weight Watchers you get your daily points (mine are 25) and "extra" points to use throughout the week however you want, everyone gets 35 of those. Normally I use them on social events but this week I didn't have any. I've used some throughout the week but today's the last day of my WW week and I still have 16 extras left. I don't know if I'll use them or not. Even though I can have chocolate or ice cream if I want with those points, I'm not really feeling like I want it. I know there will be a day when I do feel like I want it and I don't want to eat those things just because I can. That's different for me. I can't believe I'm saying this.

Speaking of that, in my meeting last week a woman asked, "what do you do for a filling snack?". The leader asked a few of us "regulars" to offer our answers. I felt like such a dork saying, "I eat a really big Fuji Apple, 2 Clementines and one serving of FF Pringles. That with 16 oz of water and I'm full". An apple? Did I just say that? I kinda felt bad saying that to a brand new person but it's the truth. I've been on WW for 11 months and my habits, my appetite, both are really different. I'm starting to really internalize these changes.

Oh, my cat just departed. Now he's licking a plastic bag. Why do cats do that?

mprfct - If I find that Amazonian plant I mentioned I'll be sure and let you know

Megan - as soon as you have a short-list of potential places to move let me know, I'm curious where you'll end up. What an adventure!

Ok, now I'm going to print up some pictures of myself to hang on the fridge. For once I'm taking my husband's advice.

p.s. don't forget to give me some lunge advice if you've got it!

An Important Lesson @ Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field

Today was the walk. I walked with a group from Crissy Field in San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin side, and back. I think it was about 3.5 to 4 miles. We walked at a leisurely pace and most of the walk is flat. Here's a link to a map of the walk. I love this site by the way!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ca/san-francisco/1146257429

During the walk I wore my heart monitor out of curiosity. If you had asked, I would have said I'd burn maybe 300 calories. After all, it was a leisurely walk. By the end of the walk I'd burned 500 calories! I learned an important lesson, something I would have agreed with but hadn't yet experienced. "Exercise" doesn't just mean being in the gym, or being outside and focused on some "exercise" related activity (like jogging or biking). It includes things like taking a walk. I burn 500 calories in 45 minutes at the gym. I know I didn't really increase my cardiovascular endurance today, but burning the same amount of calories as I do "doing cardio" at the gym blew me away. It's going to increase my resolve to get more "natural" exercise. Which will increase my likelihood of maintaining this whole healthy lifestyle thing.

I've noticed that when you start to lose a pretty good chunk of weight you get the same question over and over, "How'd you do it?" What are people expecting to hear? "Oh, I discovered this rare plant from the Amazon that aboriginals use to kill viscous lizards. You can buy the extract online. You'll lose weight no matter what you eat!". The thing is, we all know the answer. Eat right and exercise. I guess we don't like the answer and are hoping for something different, that secret magic cure-all. Poor us.

Change of subject.... It's true, sizes are getting bigger (I think). I tried on some old pants, I probably purchased them around 1999. They are a size 14 petite, Eddie Bauer. Can't get 'em on. Well, I can, but they are tight in the waist. Yesterday, I purchased 2 pair of size 14 Eddie Bauer petite pants and not only do they fit, they are roomy (but not too big) and comfortable. Hmm, are clothing manufacturers making sizes bigger so we'll more happily buy their clothes? Or to accommodate increasingly large American consumers? Or am I losing my marbles? (the latter being quite possible, after all).

I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow. I'm excited. I'm excited to start thinking of the gym as a training ground for the real thing, outdoor activity. Come spring I want to ride my bike down dirt roads, hike to mountain tops, kayak in the bay.... I want to get out there and live life, not be afraid of physical activity, sweat, have fun!!

Here's some pics from my walk. I love San Francisco and the whole Bay Area, it's gorgeous, amazing, inspiring!