1. In my post last night I forgot to mention that weigh-in Friday is nearly upon me! I have resisted the scale all week, despite it beckoning to me. It's been calling out to me, "Come, weigh yourself, get some validation, or motivation, or whatever I can give you, come on, you know you want to, weigh yourself, see the numbers!!". But nope, I have resisted. I think once a week is a good healthy amount and, for me, keeps things from getting too neurotic. I know there are a lot of daily weighers out there and I've heard about why it works for them, which made sense, just isn't the case for me right now. But who knows, maybe someday it will, I'm open.
2. My vgf (very good friend) Stacy told me my face is looking thinner. Of course I replied with a hearty, "Really!?" and a big smile on my face. I don't care if it's true or not - not that Stacy would lie about that sort of thing because she absolutely would not, do NOT ask Stacy if those pants make your butt look big unless you really want to know - I took the compliment happily. I guess I just made a very strong case for it being true so maybe it is!
3. I went to the gym at lunch today!! First time and I whipped myself around that gym so fast it was sort of crazy. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical. c25k says to take a break between days so I didn't want to "run" again. I was feeling very good and worked my butt off doing intervals and listening to some great tunes. I'm rediscovering my workout playlist, it's darned good if I don't say so myself. Then I did about 18 minutes of weight training, today was back and biceps. Two minutes of stretching, hit the locker room, wiped my face and armpits (tmi?), threw on some fresh deodorant, fresh undies (way TMI?!) and back to work. The whole thing took about 45 minutes so I even had a few minutes to eat some food really quick. I am new to this whole lunch gym workout, anyone have any insider tips??
So, that's it, I made it to the gym three times this week! I know I'll get another bit of exercise in, even if it's just an evening walk after the kids go to bed, but I'm feeling no pressure to get to the gym. It's funny I described it that way because for the time being I think the feeling I have is not like pressure, I think it's what they call motivation. I'm motivated folks!
4. Wait, I only had three things to share...ok, wish me luck for my weigh-in tomorrow. This time I think I will be down in the face if I don't lose something but I need to let that go now. I'm feeling good, my body seems to be responding well, I'm making this work despite having two kids, a full time job and friends and a husband that have some expectation of seeing me now and again :)
Update: Gained .5 pounds this week. I was bummed but it passed quickly. After all, I lost three pounds last week, I don't want to get greedy ;)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Blood, Sweat and Tears
I admit, that title is a little dramatic, but it popped into my head tonight when I was suffering on the treadmill so it has some legitimacy. I was definitely sweating at least. This is my second trip to the gym this week, the last time I went was Sunday. If I can squeeze in one more trip that will make three. Three gym trips a week would make me very happy.
Anyway, tonight, by the time I was able to leave the house, I made it to the gym at around 8:10pm. That gave me 45 minutes to do whatever I could. I decided to try c25k Week 1 with the idea that if I couldn't do it I would at least have an idea where I stood. Week 1 looks like this:
5 minute brisk warm-up walk
Eight intervals of 60 second run and 90 second walk
5 minute cool down walk
The warm-up walk went pretty well (hee-hee) and I was handling the runs okay too, though they were not easy. By the mid-point, during the runs, my legs would start hurting and I even felt a slight twinge or two in one of my knees. I reminded myself that I am carrying almost 45 pounds of extra weight and that idea somehow made me feel better about the whole thing. I pictured myself running with a huge military backpack on my back and agreed with myself that running with that on probably should be hard. Another good reason to lose this weight. I wore my heart rate monitor and was surprised that my heart rate didn't go too crazy and I recovered fairly well (I'll spare you all the detailed history on my heart rate). By the time I got to the 6th interval I knew I would be able to finish, that's always a good feeling. It wasn't easy but I did it and I was darned pleased with myself about it. I don't know how many weeks I'll have to repeat Week 1 but I really don't care. I just want to make progress.
After the treadmill I had about 15 minutes to do some weight training. I did two sets of 8 squats. Let's hope I won't be as sore in the next few days as I was last time. Then I did stationary lunges (so much better than walking lunges!) but couldn't get down very far. Those muscles are probably as weak as my ab muscles. Then I did a couple shoulder exercises, front and lateral raises. I mixed in some ab work, bent knee raises and...the plank! I was able to hold the plank twice for 30 seconds each time. I might be crazy but it already seems a tad easier. I had about 2 minutes to do a tiny bit of stretching. Bad, I know, but I did what I could and hit the road feeling very good that I'd gone.
So I was chatting with some mom friends today and somehow we ended up talking about doing a sprint tri in September. Well, I thought it was in September. I figured by then I might be in fair enough shape to at least finish without a near death experience. I came home and looked it up and it's actually in the third week of August. Hmmm, we'll just have to see. That reminds me...yesterday after work we went with the kids to the local pool and I swam a few laps just to see how it felt. Well, I'll tell you how it felt. Hard. Whew! I was breathing hard and trying for the life of me to remember all the stuff I learned in those swim classes I took. My endurance is not the greatest these days but again, I can't say that I'm all that upset about it. I haven't exactly sat on my butt for the past 2+ years but close enough so what should I expect?
Food...what can I say about that? I've been sort of just paying attention. No tracking or major cutbacks or anything but just by being more aware, making better choices when I can and skipping the check-out line candy bar I'm feeling pretty good about things. A perfect example is that we got take-out Chinese food and I didn't order anything fried. A colleague with whom I was discussing my foray back into exercising tried to sell me on an app that would count my calories. Nope, not ready for all that yet. Last thing I want to do right now is pile too much on and collapse a month from now in failure. That reminds me, someone left a half-bag of peanut butter filled pretzels (from Trader Joes) in my possession recently and I sat down with the bag and ate more than I probably should have. Afterward I took the bag straight to the garbage disposal. It's much easier to eat healthy when you don't have any major temptations around.
So Miguel, my husband, has very suddenly decided to do the sprint tri that's this weekend! No, he's done almost no training for it but he's gained way less than I did during this baby making period and is generally in better shape, he still plays soccer every once in a while and will walk a golf course now and then. I'm excited to see how it goes for him! I don't know yet if I'm going to get the kids up at the crack of dawn to watch him but if I do I'll definitely snap a few pictures.
Alright, that's it for me, I'm tired. I've realized since I'm exercising now sleep is even more important. I know you've probably also seen a million times like I have that researchers found people who don't get enough sleep tend to be overweight, or that sleep helps with weight loss, or something like that. Either way, I'm going to get some sleep right now. Night all!
Anyway, tonight, by the time I was able to leave the house, I made it to the gym at around 8:10pm. That gave me 45 minutes to do whatever I could. I decided to try c25k Week 1 with the idea that if I couldn't do it I would at least have an idea where I stood. Week 1 looks like this:
5 minute brisk warm-up walk
Eight intervals of 60 second run and 90 second walk
5 minute cool down walk
The warm-up walk went pretty well (hee-hee) and I was handling the runs okay too, though they were not easy. By the mid-point, during the runs, my legs would start hurting and I even felt a slight twinge or two in one of my knees. I reminded myself that I am carrying almost 45 pounds of extra weight and that idea somehow made me feel better about the whole thing. I pictured myself running with a huge military backpack on my back and agreed with myself that running with that on probably should be hard. Another good reason to lose this weight. I wore my heart rate monitor and was surprised that my heart rate didn't go too crazy and I recovered fairly well (I'll spare you all the detailed history on my heart rate). By the time I got to the 6th interval I knew I would be able to finish, that's always a good feeling. It wasn't easy but I did it and I was darned pleased with myself about it. I don't know how many weeks I'll have to repeat Week 1 but I really don't care. I just want to make progress.
After the treadmill I had about 15 minutes to do some weight training. I did two sets of 8 squats. Let's hope I won't be as sore in the next few days as I was last time. Then I did stationary lunges (so much better than walking lunges!) but couldn't get down very far. Those muscles are probably as weak as my ab muscles. Then I did a couple shoulder exercises, front and lateral raises. I mixed in some ab work, bent knee raises and...the plank! I was able to hold the plank twice for 30 seconds each time. I might be crazy but it already seems a tad easier. I had about 2 minutes to do a tiny bit of stretching. Bad, I know, but I did what I could and hit the road feeling very good that I'd gone.
So I was chatting with some mom friends today and somehow we ended up talking about doing a sprint tri in September. Well, I thought it was in September. I figured by then I might be in fair enough shape to at least finish without a near death experience. I came home and looked it up and it's actually in the third week of August. Hmmm, we'll just have to see. That reminds me...yesterday after work we went with the kids to the local pool and I swam a few laps just to see how it felt. Well, I'll tell you how it felt. Hard. Whew! I was breathing hard and trying for the life of me to remember all the stuff I learned in those swim classes I took. My endurance is not the greatest these days but again, I can't say that I'm all that upset about it. I haven't exactly sat on my butt for the past 2+ years but close enough so what should I expect?
Food...what can I say about that? I've been sort of just paying attention. No tracking or major cutbacks or anything but just by being more aware, making better choices when I can and skipping the check-out line candy bar I'm feeling pretty good about things. A perfect example is that we got take-out Chinese food and I didn't order anything fried. A colleague with whom I was discussing my foray back into exercising tried to sell me on an app that would count my calories. Nope, not ready for all that yet. Last thing I want to do right now is pile too much on and collapse a month from now in failure. That reminds me, someone left a half-bag of peanut butter filled pretzels (from Trader Joes) in my possession recently and I sat down with the bag and ate more than I probably should have. Afterward I took the bag straight to the garbage disposal. It's much easier to eat healthy when you don't have any major temptations around.
So Miguel, my husband, has very suddenly decided to do the sprint tri that's this weekend! No, he's done almost no training for it but he's gained way less than I did during this baby making period and is generally in better shape, he still plays soccer every once in a while and will walk a golf course now and then. I'm excited to see how it goes for him! I don't know yet if I'm going to get the kids up at the crack of dawn to watch him but if I do I'll definitely snap a few pictures.
Alright, that's it for me, I'm tired. I've realized since I'm exercising now sleep is even more important. I know you've probably also seen a million times like I have that researchers found people who don't get enough sleep tend to be overweight, or that sleep helps with weight loss, or something like that. Either way, I'm going to get some sleep right now. Night all!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Where to Begin?
Seems like it's been ages since I last posted only four days ago. I think that's a good sign that I've been keeping busy. First, for the news that I've been bursting at the seams to post... I lost 3 pounds!!! I was 196 at my private weigh-in last Friday. My first thought was, "the pressure's on." My brain went immediately to thoughts about not being able to keep up a weekly three pound weight loss. How silly is that. So for a little reality therapy I scanned my weigh-ins from the past and saw how I jumped all over the place but slowly the numbers went down. Sometimes I just have to laugh at the things my brain comes up with. I'm not feeling so much pressure now but still working hard to keep my head space nice and clear.
There are several thoughts my mind tries to think that I immediately shut down before they get fully formed. One starts with, "I used to be able to..." when thinking about exercise. Another is, "If I'd only have..." when thinking about how I managed baby weight, post-baby weight, etc. Cherelli reminded me of the weight of regret and that it's not helpful. I shut that thought down quickly. The worst thoughts are the ones that are about getting down on the way my body looks. That critical self isn't helpful. I try to keep any of those thoughts out of my head. And finally thoughts about not being successful, I challenge those outright with a lot of positive self talk. I have always been a huge proponent of the power of self talk, of telling yourself what you want to be true.
During this pregnancy/baby period I have found myself wondering if I was going to go back to my old lifestyle of poor food choices and inactivity. I suspected that I could not, that I had fundamentally changed and that even if I did not return to 2 hour gym routines and 50 mile bike rides I still would not return to 230+ pounds and laying on the couch all weekend. I know I was right, I don't know what the future holds but I know it does not hold that old lifestyle. I am different, I have changed, and knowing that is very powerful.
That brings up another question I had. How do I "count" my weight loss this time 'round? Do I continue on from before from 233.8 pounds, where I was when I started way back when? Or do I start anew and count up (or down?) from 199? I think I've decided to start anew. When I went back to WW when baby #1 was still a baby I continued from before and I don't think that was helpful psychologically. So now I have a goal of losing 44 pounds altogether, which would put me at 155. I need to hop on the body fat scale soon so I can think about that too in terms of fitness. This really is a fresh start!
Before I wrap up I want to share some atta girl's I had these past few days. You already know about my walk on Thursday. I've thought back to that walk and how nice it was and how, now more than ever, every little thing I can do helps. I used to struggle with thinking if I didn't do my full gym workout exercise didn't "count" somehow. Now with the kids I really need to squeeze in every bit of movement I can. We went to a street fair this weekend and when we got there I thought, "we should have rode our bikes here". My other feat was making it to the gym yesterday. I had a very nice workout. 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15-20 minutes on the treadmill. I mostly walked but did three 1-minute jogs. I was really surprised I could jog at all. I'm starting fresh but not that fresh, thank goodness. Last night I put the c25k podcast back on my ipod. I looked at Week 1. It's a jog/walk cycle of jog 1 minute/walk 90 seconds. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet but I think I'll just give it a go and see how it goes. Maybe I'll surprise myself. Anyway, after the cardio I did chest and triceps. I could feel my abs twinge when I was rolling around on the floor with my son last night and my chest muscles are a bit sore this morning but nothing too bad. The trainer had said my ab muscles were my weakest area and I think he's right. And I need my core to be strong picking up my kids. 35 pounds of toddler is no joke!
Every opportunity to eat is an opportunity to eat well. Or it should be anyway. Do you like that complete lack of segue (you mean it's not spelled segway?)? If it's not an opportunity to eat well, i.e. when it's a pile of fun size m&m's I randomly encountered, maybe it's not really an opportunity to eat. Maybe it's just bad luck.
There are several thoughts my mind tries to think that I immediately shut down before they get fully formed. One starts with, "I used to be able to..." when thinking about exercise. Another is, "If I'd only have..." when thinking about how I managed baby weight, post-baby weight, etc. Cherelli reminded me of the weight of regret and that it's not helpful. I shut that thought down quickly. The worst thoughts are the ones that are about getting down on the way my body looks. That critical self isn't helpful. I try to keep any of those thoughts out of my head. And finally thoughts about not being successful, I challenge those outright with a lot of positive self talk. I have always been a huge proponent of the power of self talk, of telling yourself what you want to be true.
During this pregnancy/baby period I have found myself wondering if I was going to go back to my old lifestyle of poor food choices and inactivity. I suspected that I could not, that I had fundamentally changed and that even if I did not return to 2 hour gym routines and 50 mile bike rides I still would not return to 230+ pounds and laying on the couch all weekend. I know I was right, I don't know what the future holds but I know it does not hold that old lifestyle. I am different, I have changed, and knowing that is very powerful.
That brings up another question I had. How do I "count" my weight loss this time 'round? Do I continue on from before from 233.8 pounds, where I was when I started way back when? Or do I start anew and count up (or down?) from 199? I think I've decided to start anew. When I went back to WW when baby #1 was still a baby I continued from before and I don't think that was helpful psychologically. So now I have a goal of losing 44 pounds altogether, which would put me at 155. I need to hop on the body fat scale soon so I can think about that too in terms of fitness. This really is a fresh start!
Before I wrap up I want to share some atta girl's I had these past few days. You already know about my walk on Thursday. I've thought back to that walk and how nice it was and how, now more than ever, every little thing I can do helps. I used to struggle with thinking if I didn't do my full gym workout exercise didn't "count" somehow. Now with the kids I really need to squeeze in every bit of movement I can. We went to a street fair this weekend and when we got there I thought, "we should have rode our bikes here". My other feat was making it to the gym yesterday. I had a very nice workout. 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15-20 minutes on the treadmill. I mostly walked but did three 1-minute jogs. I was really surprised I could jog at all. I'm starting fresh but not that fresh, thank goodness. Last night I put the c25k podcast back on my ipod. I looked at Week 1. It's a jog/walk cycle of jog 1 minute/walk 90 seconds. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet but I think I'll just give it a go and see how it goes. Maybe I'll surprise myself. Anyway, after the cardio I did chest and triceps. I could feel my abs twinge when I was rolling around on the floor with my son last night and my chest muscles are a bit sore this morning but nothing too bad. The trainer had said my ab muscles were my weakest area and I think he's right. And I need my core to be strong picking up my kids. 35 pounds of toddler is no joke!
Every opportunity to eat is an opportunity to eat well. Or it should be anyway. Do you like that complete lack of segue (you mean it's not spelled segway?)? If it's not an opportunity to eat well, i.e. when it's a pile of fun size m&m's I randomly encountered, maybe it's not really an opportunity to eat. Maybe it's just bad luck.
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