Twofer Tuesday

Aren't y'all lucky to get another post from me today???  Well, I'm just so proud of myself, I had to let you know why.  I worked out already today...AT HOME.  Hubby has a sleep study tonight so scheduling was going to be tight so I sucked it up and used the treadmill we've had sitting in our house for the last 4 years.  I also used the hand weights and kettle bells.  Who am I???

I'll tell you who I am.  I'm BACK!!!  I was reading through old posts and I don't recognize that person talking.  That Panda was on the losing train.  That Panda was watching her portions, working out like a mad woman, saying NO to treats.  That Panda had her SHIT together!  And frankly, I miss her!!!

So it started with this.  Not letting anything get in the way of my workout today and by the time I was done, I was dripping with sweat and lord help me, I LOVED IT!

What did this workout look like?
3 minutes: Running (yes..RUNNING)
5 minutes: Sit ups and kettle bells
3 minutes: Running
5 minutes: Sit ups, more kettle bells
7 minutes: Walking at 7% incline
6 minutes: Push ups and hand weights
8 minutes: Walking at 8% incline.

That's 37 minutes of hard core, never stopping kind of working out.

Before that, I had lunch.  Spicy shrimp burger with hummus and red peppers on a small plate.  It looked like this:

I've got my filled scheduled for 8/8.  I can do this.  We can do this!  It's never too late to start over.  It's never too late to work the band!  At least I'm not starting over at 230.  Every day we are given the opportunity to make healthy choices with food and activity.  Let's get it done!

Good Intentions

The road to hell is paved with...

You got it.

So I started off the morning with perfect intentions.  I got dressed in my running stuff, walked the girls to school and hopped on the treadmill.  I was feeling pretty good.  My legs were burning but breathing was holding pretty steady. **Side Note:  I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this but I cover the distance and time while I'm running so that I don't stare at it wishing it were over.  When I stop to walk, I look to make sure that I'm not walking for more than 60 seconds at a time...***  So I'm going at it for a little while and the phone rings.  I mute the iphone and listen and it's work.  Damn.

So I get off the treadmill, answer the phone and take care of business.  Well, by the time I was done, the treadmill had reset so I had no idea how long I had run or how far!  Ugh!!!  I got back on and ran for another 15 minutes.  (I'm aiming for 30 minutes of actually running...not quite back there yet).  I have no idea if that was enough but I was DUN by then.  The mid-run call just totally threw me off.  However, I felt REALLY good that I got back on.

I did weigh in yesterday as promised.  No change.

Weight Last Week:  164.5
Weight This Week: 164.5
Change: 0

I know I'm holding on to some water with returning to wogging so I'm not surprised by this and I pigged out Sunday so all's well.  :)

No big plans for the weekend.  My mom is coming out for a visit on 2/17 so must get my house in order for that.  We may also do a little car shopping if Hubby's up for it.

I leave you with a Friday Funny:

Forgot to Weigh In

But I will tomorrow.

So a small personal victory this morning.  Since I didn't run Monday, I ran Tuesday morning (the plan is Mon, Wed & Fri and active on Saturday).  I woke up this morning and my back was tweaked a bit.  I had decided to wait until this evening and hope my back worked itself out.  On my walk home from dropping off the kiddos at school, I did some stretches and the back felt better.  "Good," I thought, "I'll run when I get home."  I walk into my house with the phone ringing...already someone from work needing something.  *SIGH*  OK...So I sat down and dealt with that.  Hold on...I'm getting to the point...stay with me.  Then I checked my calendar, saw I had a break this morning so I got up and did my run.  Do you realize how many opportunities that was this morning to NOT do my run (because we all know I wouldn't do it after work)?  So I felt good that I did my run at all.

I did exactly 2 miles in 30 minutes.  15 minute pace with a low incline.  Not too shabby for not feeling it at all.  :)

Tomorrow's a rest day, thank goodness.  Eventually I'll use those "off days" to do some cross training but not this week.  I don't want to overwhelm myself and end up giving up on it all together.  Food is also going fairly well so far this week.  Limited snacking and when I do, it's on healthy stuff.  I'd be surprised to see a loss tomorrow as I pigged out Sunday.

Hump Day Happy Thought:

And So It Begins...

My training...that is.  I wogged this morning.  *sigh*  I almost died...but I didn't so here I am, alive to tell the tale.  I have decided to walk/run for 30 minutes until I can run for the entire time...I used to be able to do this...long ago in a galaxy far away.  So how'd I fare?  1.91 miles.  That's a pace of 15:42.  Yes...that's below the required 16 but it wasn't pretty folks and it was for less than 2 miles.  A few thoughts:

1. Have you thought "I'll run until this song ends," and then you think "Holy crap on a cracker!  These Backstreet Boys (don't judge) go on and on and on...this is the longest song EVER!"  No?  Just me?  OK...moving on.
2. I haven't wogged since November so I'm actually pretty happy with this first attempt back.
3. It's amazing how much fitness you lose in a few months...my cardio SUCKS.
4. Not only have I not wogged, I haven't really worked out at all so this was good.
5. I think there's some adjustment to be made given the environment as well.  I'm using my treadmill at home  until I can a) FIND my gym and b) work it into the schedule somehow.  Also, the humidity out here is messing with me, I think.  Even inside, it feels harder to breathe.  Oh?  That's the cardio, you say?  Hmmm...interesting.
6. It felt AWESOME to be active and formally exercising again!  While I'm a firm believer that an active lifestyle certainly doesn't need to include gym/treadmill time, for me...it's a MUST and it felt good to be at it again.

I admit, when I was done, I was wobbly.  I decided I must eat (hadn't had breakfast  yet) and so I turned to this for breakfast.  

Great start to a good day.  :)

I Am A Warrior!

I did it!  I finished the Warrior Dash!  I really had no idea how long it would take me so I didn't know what my goal as far as time should be.  Honestly, I just wanted to complete all the obstacles and actually finish and I did.  I finished in 1:26:16.50.  Not terrible!  My official ranking was 2636 out of 3202 people.  I didn't come in last!
Place        Name                              Bib #        Age  G     Rank      Age Group Time        Pace
2636 Amanda Johnson 77328 31 F 536/713 30-39 1:26:16.50 26:58/M

I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to try it and I have a feeling this isn't going to be my last one.  The official pics aren't in yet and spectators couldn't really get to the obstacles to take any but to give you an idea of the types of obstacles we did...  There was a lot of sloshing around in water, a tar mud pit that people lost their shoes in because it was so sticky, military crawl under barbed wire, a balance beam, rope climbing up a stiff ravine type thing, a wall climb, cargo net climb, lots of hills, jumping over fire and a final mud pit.  So how'd I fare?  Well, I climbed the wall like it was nothing!  Seriously...hoisted myself up over a 15 foot wall with a rope...gave a big ol' whoop at the top for that one. I also finished all but one of the rest of the obstacles in dignified fashion.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I got totally stuck in the last obstacle...in the mud...had to be towed out with a rope.  At first I was seriously angry and embarrassed about it but that quickly passed as I realized that it was a tactical error on my part, not a physical limitation or having anything to do with my current size.  I'm proud of how I did in this race and how far I've come physically in the last 2 years.

After the race, we showered (I found mud in the darnedest places!), took a short nap and then hit the casinos.  We walked around all night, gambled, drank and hung out and I felt pretty good...not sore or anything...until I woke up the next morning.  Yikes!  My quads hurt, my back between my shoulder blades hurt and for some reason (I'm guessing from the ropes) my hands ached!  Then the 5 hour drive home just made all those muscles stiffen up.  I skipped the gym last night to recover but will be hitting up the spin class tonight.

Overall, we had such a good time.  It was so nice having BFF, her husband and Hubby there to cheer me on and celebrate with me after.  Giant check mark off the Goal List for 2012!

So without further ado...pictures!

Early Friday Post

I'm leaving for Vegas tomorrow morning so won't be posting again until Monday.  This is it... a day almost all year in the making.  One of the goals I set for myself 2 years ago is finally being realized.  I'm really excited but also really nervous.  I've picked up some new followers so just wanted to lay out what I'm doing again.  It's called the Warrior Dash.  It's not as crazy as Tough Mudder but it's tough enough for me.  It's 3.3 miles with 12 obstacles interspersed throughout....things like climbing walls, a mud pit and jumping over fire.

Anyone have any good tips about climbing a wall?

So am I ready?  I sure hope so.  I feel really good about my fitness level right now.  I haven't been running lately, instead focusing on strength training and the like but I've done 5k's before and this isn't much different as far as distance.  I've also been adding some cardio like kickboxing and spin so I think that'll help.  I hope it's enough.

Otherwise, it'll be pretty much laid back in Vegas.  We're hitting up a haunted house while we're there and I'm sure there'll be lots of drinking and revelry.  :)

In other news:  My youngest started kindergarten this year...she's turning 5 in November so she's a little early and we had her assessed and agonized over whether she was ready, went back and forth, blah, blah, blah.  Well, they're doing some assessments this week to give parents an idea of how the kids are faring so far and what they may need to work on.  The math packet they did came home yesterday and she scored as high as you can so I'm feeling good about that.  It makes me think we made the right decision.  Parent teacher conferences are next week and I'll be interested in hearing how she's doing.

So this is what's jacked up in America...my new workout buddy who I've been dragging to these classes with me is trying to get in shape.  She's thin...crazy thin but I'm more "fit" than she is, make sense?  Anywhoozle, she tagged me on fb about going to Bodyworks and her friends all started in with this nonsense:
"Why are you working out?  You're already so thin!"
"You don't need to lose weight!"
"You're gorgeous!  You don't need to work out!"
Mmmmmkay.  That's real supportive.  I know on the surface it sounds nice.  And they're right...She's thin and pretty (not "hot" pretty but attractive...moving on).  But why are we discouraging people from trying to be healthy and working out and exercising?  REALLY?!?!  She posted on fb because she was proud to got to the gym and has stuck with exercising for a couple weeks and the response she gets is "Why are you doing this?"  Wake up America!!  Attitudes like this is why we're getting fatter!!!  Stepping off soapbox...

So I did Bodyworks Monday, Spin Tuesday and Cardio Kickboxing yesterday.  I'm taking today and tomorrow off to rest up a bit (my knees are a little sore) and get ready for my trip.  I hope y'all all have a great weekend.  Keep your eye on the news..."Woman Drowns in Mud Pit at Vegas Warrior Dash."  That'll be me.  (Special Note to AZ Ladies: I made Hubby promise to post on here if I die).

And an early Friday Funny:

TTT on Friday

So I started Ten Thing Thursday yesterday but didn't get it finished up...so here we go.  The part is blue is what I've added today.

1.  I worked out TWICE yesterday (Wednesday).  I did the cardio kickboxing class and a Zumba class.  I had a protein smoothie in between.  I felt so good about this.

2.  I realized last night that Zumba just isn't enough anymore.  When I first started back at the gym at 230 lbs, I tried Zumba and loved it and it kicked my butt.  I still like it, I think it's tons of fun and is a decent work out.  But it's not the BEST workout for me anymore.  It's not enough.  I need to add weights or something to do before or after in order to really challenge myself.

3.  I also realized how HUGE that is!

4.  A friend of mine has been trying to get back to the gym so she's been hitting a few classes with me.  Again, thin does not equal fit.  She struggles through the classes and is sore the next day and all those terrible things that come with working out at first.  When I told her I had done the kickboxing class before Zumba, she was somewhat astounded and then asked, "Could you do that when you first started?"  The question cracked me up.  Of course I couldn't!  I remember starting out with my BFF who had just lost a bunch of weight and how I felt very uncoordinated, clumsy, slow and out of shape next to her.  Now I'M that friend.  Crazy switcheroo in my mind!

5.  I'm going to Bodyworks tonight.  I'm hoping Yolanda takes it a bit easy as I'm a little tired.  She didn't.  :)

6.  5 Days to Disney!!!  Wahoo!  I think we're telling the girls tonight.  So excited!  All kinds of drama with this last night but over it now and all is well.  :)

7.  They moved my desk at work and my new location sucks big fat donkey balls.  *SIGH*

8.  I took notice of my recovery time last night.  I thought I'd struggle with Yolanda's class because of the two workouts the night before but I was good.  It used to take me days to recover from workouts like that.  Now I wake up a little sore and stiff but by mid morning, I'm not sore at all...leaving me fine for my next work out.

9.  In my search for a hobby, I realized that I don't really have time for one so I'm taking a cop out.  I'm claiming working out as my new hobby.  I enjoy it, it takes up at least an hour of my day a few times a week and I'm enjoying the benefits.  It distracts me from day to day stress.  Hobby - Check.

10.  NSV - So I had an NSV I had never thought of before yesterday.  Now, no matter how close to my car the douche canoe next to me parks, I can squeeze out of it.  I don't have to crawl across the front seat to get out on the passenger's side.  Now I may still bang the car door into that other car to teach them a lesson but overcoming urges to do things like that requires additional personal growth.  

11.  Friday Funny:

New PR

2 of them actually.  So I decided to do some cardio before Bodyworks class.  The class is more for strength training so I figured I could get a run in before then and be fine.  I decided to run the first mile as fast as I could without stopping.  This is where I ended up.

Yep...That's a full 38 seconds off my previous fastest time for a mile.  I'll take it.  I still had time to kill after that so I did another mile...just walking...

Then came the Bodyworks class.  She changed it up a bit with walking lunges and squats and push ups and almost a full 20 minutes on abs.  Pretty early on, I was wishing I hadn't did the cardio before hand but I survived and even saw a new PR...88 girl pushups.  VERY close to my goal of 100!

So good workouts yesterday...makes me feel good!  :)  I've got spin tonight...bring it on!

Eating was just so/so but it wasn't TERRIBLE so I'll take that as well.

No Change Without Challenge

You Cannot Have Change Without Challenge.

I gotta tell you.  Fitness instructors (at least the good ones) can get you thinking beyond the physical.  This little gem came from my Spin instructor a couple nights ago.  As we're climbing the mountain and increasing our gears, she calls out "It's your work out.  If you want to see change, you've got to challenge yourself!"  Oh boy...This got me through the rest of the work out pushing myself harder than I ever had in that class (except maybe the first class where I thought I was going to die but I digress...).

I barely heard her the rest of the class.  I changed my gears and upped my RPM's but I didn't really hear her say it.  I didn't hear the visualization prompts of the winding mountains, tunnels, rolling hills or any of the other motivational tactics she uses.  My mind was busy with other thoughts...that kept reeling over and over.

You cannot run faster if you do not up the MPH on the treadmill!
You cannot climb mountains if you won't tackle a hill!
You cannot do a pull up if you don't step up to the pull up bar!
You cannot build your endurance if you don't try higher gears on the bike!
You cannot improve your food choices if you don't challenge your cravings!
You cannot build confidence if you don't challenge the self doubt!
You cannot affect change until you challenge conventional wisdom!
You cannot accomplish your goals if you never set them!

We MUST challenge ourselves and mindsets we've set for ourselves through out the years.

I am not too fat or out of shape to work out and push myself physically.
I am not too weak minded or lacking in willpower to say no to the bad food.
I am not too tired to make it to my fitness classes.
I am not so far gone as to give up!

I took this momentum and kept it up last night.  Usually Wednesday is a rest day for me.  A friend who came to work out with me once or twice over a year ago emailed me and said she was tired of not exercising so she wanted to hit the gym.  Sure, I said.  I gave her 2 choices.  The cardio kickboxing at 5:45 or Zumba at 8:00.  She chose the 5:45.  I've never taken the class before and I didn't know what to expect but it never even slowed me down.  It's good to try new things and since I usually don't work out on Wednesdays if it's not as intense as I'd normally go with at this point, it's still better than nothing.

This class kicked my butt!!!  First...the instructor is a French hottie named Cyril (maybe spelled wrong).  So I loved the accent but it's hard to think of a tough guy kickboxer being French.  Just sayin'.  Anyway...talk about a CHALLENGE!  He worked us...HARD.  I was dripping sweat...gasping for breath sometimes but I loved it!  It's the best work out I've ever had.  My poor friend who hasn't worked out in a year had to take several breaks and I was worried I'd have to call the paramedics at one point but she's managed through and is talking about going next week.  I only took the water breaks that were allotted in the work out for everyone and managed to do everything he did (albeit a bit slower).  It was a little bootcamp-esque in style.  He only had to correct my form once and I had a lot of fun.  This is definitely going to be a new class added to my rotation.  It's a challenge...but you can't change if you don't challenge.

I've got Bodyworks tonight and I'm ready!  I've already worked out 3 days in a row...first time I've hit 4 in a row in awhile (usually broken out more).  I recommended this Bodyworks class to my friend...we'll see if she makes it.  She probably thinks I'm trying to kill her after last night but as I reminded her, she had the option of doing Zumba later in the evening instead of this class!

When I got home, Hubby had made a fantastic Gyro Salad for the family.  This is bigger than it looks...it was on a giant platter.  Of course, it was in tupperware by the time I got home but he snapped a picture so I could share it with you.

So great to have a nice healthy meal...especially after the free one I had gotten at work.  Ahem...

I will just say - don't panic.  I didn't eat the bun at all and that's iced tea - not soda.  

NSV and B.O.

Don't worry...not my B.O.

First the NSV:  I ran a "quick" mile before my Bodyworks class last nights and finished in 11:50.  New PR for yours truly.

Next the B.O.  Seriously...I get people are sweaty and they're working out but some guys just absolutely reek at my gym.  I think I mentioned the guy from spin class last week who smelled so bad that I found it hard to breathe and we all agreed that breathing is a very important part of spin.  Well, last night, I'm about halfway through my run when an older guy gets on the treadmill next to me...same stinky problem!  I mean...truly almost knocked me out.  But on top of that...the guy on the OTHER side of me kept snotting into his HAND!!!  WTF?!?!  Seriously?  How gross are these two individuals?  AND the guy didn't even have a towel so he's snotting into his hand and rubbing it in and touching the treadmill and...gagging here....just so gross.  I would've moved but I was already over half a mile in and didn't want to break my stride.  Eeeewwww...still icked out by it.  After my one mile, I went to Bodyworks class.  Our regular instructor was there and it was a great workout!  Then I went home and had a slider (Hubby and I have ventured into the world of pre-prepped/marinated meat at Sprouts and he can just throw it on the grill.  So yummy) and some raw veggies with dip.  Pretty good stuff.

So I think I've decided not to do the Ragnar Relay.  It sounds like an amazing experience but I just don't think I'm a strong enough runner for it to be ready by February....I'm still looking into it but right now I'm leaning towards no.

I've got spin tonight so that'll be fun!  Otherwise, we're just moseying along here.  Pretty jealous of everybody who gets to go to Chicago this weekend.  I know you'll all have a fantastic time and I can wait to see all the pictures.  For those not going, don't worry...I'll still be here, blogging away to keep us entertained.

12:52

The time on the clock last night where a night terror had me hyperventilating?  Nope.  The time of day when my sweet tooth starts rockin' and I need to find a coworker's candy jar?  Nope.
That my friends...is the time of my first mile in my 5k training run last night.  We'll back up...
I called ahead to find out who the sub would be Bodyworks and it was going to be Lunges/Squats/Triceps lady so I skipped.  Instead, I opted for a 5k run and weight training.  My first mile was 12:52...new PR.  I finished it in 40:02.  2 darn seconds away from under 40.  Next time, my friends, next time.  I feel good about it...my last 5k run on the treadmill was at 42 minutes with my fastest mile being 13:33 so I'm improving left and right.  I think the spin classes is really helping me build up some leg strength.  Speaking of spin, that's what I got going on today.  Can't wait!

Food was good yesterday.  Pretty much on target with the exception of Starbucks.  Stupid, stupid Starbucks.

My boss, The Dark Lord, struck again.  Found out she told a coworker that she's not sure as to why I came over at the level I did but perhaps it was due to tenure...implying that I didn't earn the title or pay.  Well, ladies and gents.  That's BS!  I worked my butt off for my promotion, I've had this title and role for over 2 years before I moved into this position and I was working 50 hour weeks for 3 months in order to get it.  So she can go eff herself!  Whooooosssssaaaaaa.  I hate her.

Different Subject...I've always read a bedtime story to my girls.  Now my oldest can read and could read to her younger sister but Maddie still likes having me read to her as well.  I have decided that it's time for my oldest to graduate to me reading chapter books to her instead of the short little golden books or whatever.  Lori probably isn't quite ready yet but she'll just have to deal.  So when we went to the library I picked up Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary on the recommendation of the librarian.  Such a good pick!  The girls are loving it!  I read a chapter a night, and we're starting chapter 3 tonight.  I'm happy that it's working out so well.

That's all I got today.  Happy Tuesday!

Got a Fill and Other Stuff

So I got my fill yesterday.  Again, I feel the need to reiterate how important it is to keep in touch with your doctor.  I admit I was a little nervous that he'd be "disappointed" or that I'd get a lecture or something on my lack of progress the last year.  Nope.  All he said was not to wait so long next time.  I'm not sure how I'm feeling at this fill level yet.  I've only been on liquids and mushies...probably won't have real food until lunch so hopefully this brings me back up to a good level of restriction and we can kickstart the weight loss a little bit.

So a new first for me - I walked out of an exercise class last night.  I have never done this before.  In classes where it felt like I would die, I would modify, keep moving and make it through.  This time, I could do it.  I just didn't want to.  We had a substitute instructor this week and she was absolutely terrible.  It was all lunges and squats and way too many reps on one particular muscle group at a time.  This class combines cardio, core and weight training so form and what not is pretty important.  My knee had about had it with the constant pressure from the lunges and squats.  But on top of that I could feel my form was off because I was feeling it in my lower back which you should NEVER feel if you're lifting weights.  There was just no variety, no break for a particular muscle group and she didn't work the legs evenly.  I left halfway through.  I didn't care what anyone else thought (i.e. "Ohhhh....the fatty couldn't handle it," etc.) because someone was going to get hurt and it wasn't going to be me.  I finished out the last half hour doing my own weight routine with more leg sets than I usually do and called it good.  I kept looking in the class and they just kept repeating the same stuff with only 5 minutes of abs (usually closer to 10) and I didn't see ANY stretching at the end!  Ugh.  I got the sub's name from the front desk so I know better if she's ever teaching anything else.  Good news:  I added 2 more sit ups so a new PR of 33 and a little closer to my goal of being able to do 100 before the end of the year...I'm 1/3 of the way there!  :)

So checking in:
List of NO's:
No fast food. Semi Check - Hit Boston Market after the gym (not REALLY fast food but kinda) but only got mashed potatoes and turkey tortilla soup since was on liquids/mushies
No carbonation. Check
No Starbucks.  Eek! 1
No pasta, rice or bread. Check
No chocolate, candy or sweets.  Check
No juice, milk or sugary drinks.  Check

List of WILL's:
I will work out at least 4 times this week.  1/4
I will limit the amount of processed foods I eat.  Check
I will go to sleep at a decent hour.  Check
I will be kind to myself.  Check - Feeling good!
I WILL stay on plan.  Have to hunker down on the Starbucks...

And so it's Tuesday...another day at work and another day not wanting to be at work.  Ah well.  Tis life.  Got spin class tonight...should be good!  :)  Let's do this!

Great, Active Weekend!

I am a firm believer that exercise doesn't need to be formal.  You don't have to go a gym, take a yoga class or join a crossfit group to get your exercise in.  I think for most people, the reason these things work better than informal exercise is because it forces you to schedule it into our lives, leaving little room for excuses.  At least, that's why going to the gym works for me... if I have to go, I will go.  If I don't have to go...well, I won't.  But for whatever reason, last week was full of informal activity that I totally count as working out and it felt good doing it.  Some examples...

I didn't hit the gym Friday and instead decided to run a mile with my girls. *NSV* The last time I ran with my girls was before Summer hit and my oldest would run ahead of me and then wait for me to catch up and we would walk off and on.  This time, I kept an even running pace and she'd have to stop and walk awhile.  I found myself jogging backwards (shocked that I didn't fall?) encouraging her to keep running.  I love that I can offer that encouragement to her.  After our 1 mile run, we got in the pool and swam for a bit.

Saturday, we went to the park for a couple hours.  We played with the soccer ball, brought out the mitts and played catch, and ran around on the playground.

Sunday, we walked a mile again...this time with the girls on roller skates.  It was  MUCH slower walk for Hubby and me as they're still very beginner level but it was good to get out.  Then we went for another swim and I ran home to get the van and bring it back to pick them up.  I made it home and back in 18 minutes.  Not bad since I wasn't in workout gear so not real comfy jogging.

3 days - not one of them spent at the gym but got my activity in the whole time.  It feels great being active and even better setting a good example for my girls.

So outside of the activity, Saturday we went to a friend's house and hung out so our girls could play with their girls.  It was fun but food was not stellar.  I had 2 small slices of pizza and 4 meatballs.  No alcohol - just water - so that was a win.

Then came Sunday.  Saturday night, our sleep number bed decided to give it up so Sunday I started dragging Hubby around to mattress stores to buy a new one.  He was not a happy camper.  At 11:30 a.m., there I am lying on a bed, deciding if it will work when my phone goes off with a text.  It's Jen saying she's going to be late for the Bandster Lunch and the other Jenn asking if she wanted us to order for us.  What the what!??!  Blogger lunch?!?!  Crap!  Totally forgot!  Luckily, I was literally right across the street from the restaurant so off I went.  I'm so glad I did because I was able to meet up with Jen, Jenn, Elizabeth and at long last, Lori who drove all the way up from Tucson just to meet us.  She's fabulous, as they all are and I'm so glad I decided to go despite wearing my "fat shirt," no make up, and my hair just thrown up.  

From Left - Lori, Jenn, Jen, Me and Elizabeth - I swear Jenn and Elizabeth are shrinking right before my very eyes!

 After lunch, I met up with the family to finalize our mattress purchase.  While Hubby was getting that taken care of, I took the girls to Wendy's for a quick bite since they hadn't had lunch yet.  I'm proud to say neither Hubby, nor I, had one morsel at Wendy's.  Incidentally, we did find a mattress and it's being delivered today.  Thank goodness!

My girls at Wendy's in their "Where's Waldo" glasses.  This made me laugh.  

So there we are.  The weekend in a nutshell.  Let's see how last week rounded out...
List of NO's:
No fast food. Check - even while sitting INSIDE a fast food restaurant!
No carbonation. Check
No Starbucks.  I went once but it was on the weekend so I'm OK with it.  If I only have it once a week, I'll be alright.
No pasta, rice or bread. Twice - egg sandwich Saturday morning and 2 slices of pizza that night.  Not bad for the whole week...
No chocolate, candy or sweets.  2 chocolate chip cookies the whole week - Success!
No juice, milk or sugary drinks.  Check

List of WILL's:
I will work out at least 4 times this week.  4/4 - I think between the gym and my informal activity, I hit this!
I will limit the amount of processed foods I eat.  Check
I will go to sleep at a decent hour.  Mostly
I will be kind to myself.  Need to work on this day to day.  I'm able to see the big picture of how much better I'm doing and feeling but it's harder at the end of the day.
I WILL stay on plan.  Overall, I think I did GREAT this week!  Much improvement foodwise over the week before and feel that this week will be even better.

I have my fill appointment today.  I'm super excited as I think this will finally make the scale move in a downwards direction.  I haven't seen my doc since December so a little nervous how it'll be.  

So there you have it.  My weekend in a long nutshell.  :)  To get this week started right, we need a little Monday DEMotivation...and this one I picked out specifically for my buddy Jen at What you lookin' at Skinny...

Another Day, Another Dollar...

Just doing a quick accountability post.  I did spin and weight training again yesterday.  I tried a different spin class yesterday.  This class wasn't nearly as full as the Tuesday class is and I can definitely see why.  I didn't like this instructor AT. ALL.  Just very different styles and I like that Satan-esque one more.  Let's compare:

Satan:  She tells you what gear she wants you on and then how to tell if it's too high or too low and how to modify it.  "Level 1, you should be here...Level 2 is here...if you can't push that pedal over, you need to be lower...if you're RPM is below 80, you need to be lower," etc.  She has you visualize going up the mountains and down the mountains and around curves and bends and you can almost feel that breeze on the way "down."  She also changes it up between sprints and hills and ups and downs, etc.  so that you don't get bored and stay energized.

Satan Worshipper:  She NEVER says what gear would be ideal and instead says things like "You should be at 75%!"  75% of what?  Someone like me will only push to higher gears and stay in that pain zone if told too.  I find I think my 90% is lower than it actually is until someone pushes me to try harder.  Also, we NEVER hit 100%???  How does that work?  She also doesn't change it up enough...a whole song's worth of Sprints doesn't make me feel like I'm going to die of the exercise but of boredom.  She's just not very motivating.

So I've almost got a plan for every day of the week if I decide to go to the gym.  Chelle had a post about how she plans her week out but usually deviates from it in an organized way.  I realized last night that I'm doing that with the gym.  I'm finding a class, a workout, SOMETHING that I could do every day depending on what day I get to the gym.  Monday - Bodyworks, Tuesday - Spin, Wednesday - Running with weight training (Although I might try a cardio kick boxing class just to see how it is), Thursday - Bodyworks (at a different location because Yolanda rocks!).  All I'm missing is Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The beauty is with doing classes most of the time, on the off days where I don't know about a class I like, I can do my run and weights and feel good about that.

So I've gotten 2 workouts under my belt this week...only 2 more to go.  Hitting Bodyworks tonight and then maybe Saturday morning.  I think I'm going to take Friday off.

I've also been PRETTY good with my food.  Hubby has made carne asada and kabobs this week.  Both were very delicious.  Kind of interesting though.  We haven't had cooked veggies with any of our meals this week.  We got a bunch of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and carrots and have just been having some of that with ranch every night (Not too much ranch..well..maybe for the girls).  My daughters are loving cucumbers and I've actually been digging the peppers.  Go figure.

Hope y'all are having a great week and only one more day to go before a nice, long weekend here in the States!

I Worked Out

But not without help.  So yesterday I had a whole list of reasons why I didn't want to...most being emotional.  I had a crappy day at work, was feeling stressed at home and just generally didn't feel like it.  So this was my list:

• I only got 4 hours of sleep Monday night and I was freakin' tired all. day. long yesterday.  I just didn't feel I had the energy for a trip to the gym.
• Aunt Flo came to town yesterday so the last thing I felt like doing was getting all sweaty and even more tired.
• Work sucked.
• The scale hasn't moved in 2 weeks despite some real effort on my part so working out apparently doesn't matter anyway (oh yeah...I went there).
• I'm annoyed with Blogger because not only can I NOT unfollow people but I can't seem to block anonymous commenters either.  I'm getting spammed really badly.
• Feeling generally frustrated by life.

So first, I did what BethAnn does.  I asked myself why I really didn't want to go to the gym...and I didn't have any earth shattering answers other than "I'm tired and I've had a crap day and I just want to go crawl into bed and be lazy."  Well, that's not a great reason, eh?  Yet, I still didn't have the motivation I needed so I did the only thing I could do.  I text Jenn and Ronnie and told them to tell me go to the gym.  And they did.  They talked me right off the ledge and off to the gym I went.  I did the spin class and weight training.  I sweated a lot, hurt a bit during parts of it but I got it done.  I went home and ate dinner...put my kids to bed... followed very shortly by putting myself to bed.  I feel good about it.

Gym day again today.  Just running and weights.  Another crazy day at work beginning now so must get to it.  In honor of my blogging buddies, a Hump Day Happy Thought to get you through:

Spinning Revisited

So y'all read my self loathing post about my last jaunt at spinning class last week where I was shunned and turned away because I had broken the cardinal rule of not knowing that you needed to sign up for said class.   I was so embarrassed that I ran like hell out of there, never to be heard from again.  Well...almost.  I tried again last night.  I signed up with the front desk, found a bike, adjusted everything and waited.  Then it started...people coming in and seeing the room was full.  Miss Know-It-All-Smarty-Pants asking them if they had signed up and they had.  Immediately I thought to myself "Self, you DID sign up right?  Yes...double checked twice on how to do it and the guy said I was good to go.  But why are these people hovering if you signed up?  Well, it's possible SOMEONE ELSE didn't sign up, right psycho?"  And sure enough, two people were kicked out for not signing up.  And like me last week, Miss Know-It-All-Smarty-Pants was pointing at them and actually said, "You have to leave.  You didn't sign up. (then turning to the hoverers) He's leaving.  He didn't sign up.  You can use that bike. (and then turning her hawklike gaze upon the girl behind me who was trying desperately to get herself out of there without being noticed) She didn't sign up either! (Queue the pointing) so you can use that one too!"  I really wanted to take a chair to this bitch.  So I turned to the girl behind me and said, "Don't worry...I did the same thing last week."  And she smiled at me...almost gratefully. Now both of these folks were fit.  They looked like they "belonged."  They just didn't know you needed to sign up.  It reiterated how silly I felt for being so embarrassed about it and the instructor was right last week...it really does happen all the time.

So how was spin class.  Well, I have seen the devil and her name is Michele!  Holy gluteal muscles Batman!  Seriously...I was dripping sweat by the time I left...water completely depleted...shirt clinging to my body...could barely get up the stairs last night SORE.  But it was a great workout and you can bet your ass I'll do it again...and I'll sign up...and I'll BELONG...and maybe...just maybe...I'll shank Miss-Know-It-All-Smarty-Pants because people like that SUCK big fat donkey balls.

I also wanted to point something out that is I'm sure glaringly obvious to a lot of you...Thin ≠ Fit.  In my Body Works class...we did sort of these slow burpees type things...down, push up on the step and then back up.  We were supposed to do twelve.  The young, thin little thing next to me barely made it through 8.  I made it through all 12 and could've done more (not many more, but still).  In that same class, we did wall squats.  First...that is freakin' hard!  Second, the "wall" behind me is the glass that leads out to the gym!  Real nice...hope they all got a great view of my sweaty back fat.  I look over at Miss-Young-Thin-Little-Thing and she's embarrassed too and made a joke about the glass popping out.  What do you know?  She didn't like the idea of everyone seeing her nonexistent back fat either.  Who would've thought?  Skinny people are people too!

So checking in on the week so far...
There's my list of No's:
NO Starbucks - 1 so far this week
NO carbonation (easy one but I still list it because it will always be a temptation) - Check
NO fast food - Check
NO eating lunch out during the workweek. - Check

The my list of DO's:
DO work out at least 4 times this week. - 2 down/2 to go
DO drink at least 64 oz's of water every day - Check
DO go to bed at a decent hour - Check
DO resist urges for sweet treats - Check

So far, so pretty good.  And since I'm feeling pretty good about my progress this week...a little Hump Day Happy Thought:

Monday Already?

This weekend absolutely flew by.  We ended up doing very little.  We didn't head up north as there was a pretty good chance of rain and it's too long of a drive with the girls to get there, turn around and come back. We're hoping the weather will look better this weekend.

One thing I did do which I don't recall ever doing in the past is go to the gym on a Friday night.  Sad commentary on my social life?  Maybe.  But I had nothing else to do so off to the gym I went.  I did a 5k on the treadmill and tried to do my assisted pull ups but felt my shoulder give and thought it was best not to push it.  I had one of my best times on the treadmill since I was training for my first 5k and felt really good about it.  

Not sure if any of you are paying attention so I'll point it out...That's a 13:33 mile...Finally broke below 14!  Interesting mix of folks at the gym on a Friday night.  You have your die hards and then you have those who you can kind of tell go on Fridays because very few other people do.  They're still trepidatious about working out in front of people.  Bravo to them for doing it!

I had my 2 year bandiversary on Saturday.  I hope to have a post out about that tomorrow.  I was expecting to have it done today but couldn't locate my tape measure so it'll have to wait.

So how did I round out the week?

There's my list of No's:
NO Starbucks - Check
NO carbonation (easy one but I still list it because it will always be a temptation) - Check
NO fast food - Half Check (mall food, 1 stop at Jack in the Box)
NO eating lunch out during the workweek. - No Check - Bbq

Then my list of DO's:
DO work out at least 4 times this week. - 3/4
DO drink at least 64 oz's of water every day - Check
DO go to bed at a decent hour - Check
DO resist urges for sweet treats - No Check

OK...So not terrible.  I really did curb the eating out quite a bit and the Starbucks last week.  I didn't hit 4 visits to the gym but would've if not for my midweek meltdown.  The sweet treats wouldn't have been a big deal if I had ONLY had the cheesecake this week but I had some tidbits during the weekend too.  My goal is to be pretty pristine during the week and loosen up on the weekends...I don't mean all out binging or "Eff it" weekends...just not stressing over every meal and having stuff planned down to the T like I do during the week.  I'm putting the same goals out there this week and feel pretty good about my start...got my breakfast and lunch packed for the day, drinking my coffee from home and got my water cup ready.  

So that's it for me this morning.  I had a hard time getting up this morning...seems I'm still SO tired when my alarm goes off, even when I go to bed early.  Maybe it's a vitamin thing?  Hmmm...  Anyway...on to our Monday DEMotivator...

Big Ol' Thank You - TTT Style

1.  A great big thank you to everyone who commented on my last post.  It does help to know that I'm not necessarily alone in my lunacy.

2.  Yesterday was a better.  I hit the gym right after work and did 9 miles on the bike and 1 mile on the treadmill.  Today is a rest day for me as my arms are tight as heck from that Body Works class (yes...from MONDAY!  WTH?) and just needing some family time tonight.

3.  I got my daycare situation figured out, at least temporarily.  My mom is going to pick them up on Wednesdays.  I hate inconveniencing her like that but she offered and I do like the idea of my girls being able to spend a little more time with her.

4.  I was worried the kids would be a little upset when I told them yesterday was their last day at the center but when they found out they'd get to go to Grandma's house every Wednesday for awhile, they were excited.  So that's a load off off the shoulders there.

5.  Remember all those medical bills I had been putting off paying?  They are all paid now except for one.  And that particular one shows how screwed up insurance companies are.  I got a bill for $7 to a radiology place (from my stint in the ER in March). I called to pay it and they show us owing $143.  Say what?  The very nice lady on the phone looked into it more and said that although they bill the insurance all in one statement, the insurance pays out by individual code and they haven't made their way through all the codes yet but each time the radiology place gets a payment, they generate a statement.  So since the insurance hasn't made their way through all the codes yet, there's no point in paying it yet.  She said she'd note my account so that it doesn't show me late or anything and we'll wait another couple months until the insurance is done processing everything.  Seriously?  I thought I was terrible because I went to the ER in March and hadn't paid yet only to find out the damn insurance hasn't finished paying yet.  What a mess!  And I got individual bills for everything!!  One bill for the ER itself, one bill for the doc, one bill for the scan they did at the ER...it's absurd!  *sigh*  But it's a small bill left even if insurance doesn't pay anything else so another weight is lifted.

6.  It's not a secret that I hate protein bars.  I've never found one I liked...same with shakes.  The issue with the bars is more textural.  I hate astronaut food.  I found one that I absolutely LOVE!  Zone Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  It, LITERALLY, has the consistency of cookie dough and it's delish.  It's not a meal replacement and the carbs are a LITTLE high but there are 10 grams of protein and since I'm not real hungry in the morning, they work perfectly.  They should rename all protein bars into some kind of cookie dough because that apparently allows me to overcome the mental texture thing.

On my desk - I've been having one every morning this week

7.  Yesterday's Check In:

There's my list of No's:
NO Starbucks - Check
NO carbonation (easy one but I still list it because it will always be a temptation) - Check
NO fast food - No Check (mall food)
NO eating lunch out during the workweek. - Check

Then my list of DO's:
DO work out at least 4 times this week. - 2 down/2 to go
DO drink at least 64 oz's of water every day - Check
DO go to bed at a decent hour - Check
DO resist urges for sweet treats - No Check

8.  I had dinner with BFF last night...did alright with the dinner part...actually went to the mall and ate at the food court but I had a smashed potato with chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese.  YUM!  But then we had a drink and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.  Oops!  But it was delicious!

9.  Hubby and I were thinking of driving north this weekend to do some hiking and escape the heat.  I'm thinking this is a great idea.

10.  So my boss' boss is starting to mentor me and he gave me 3 tasks, one of which was to tell him what I want to be when I grow up.  I considered this for over a week before providing him an answer.  I really struggled because, honestly, I haven't had a "career path" at my company because I never considered it a career, so much as a job.  I think it's official though.  I have a career.  That's very grown up!

Happy Thursday everyone!  And thank you again for the amazing support.  I sometimes forget what an phenomenal group of people are in this blogosphere and how much you can get out of blogging when you really open up.  :)