Still a loser!

Thankfully, I (and my WW girls) have finished February with a bang! - And a little dance move with a flourish.  I was down 2 lbs tonight!  That brings our Team JAG total to 63 lbs between the three of us! I'm so proud of us.  I know we drive the others crazy with our squirming around and giggling, but we can't help it. We're 15 year-olds in 30-something bodies.

I've also started to channel my inner Forrest Gump.  I started to bump up my gym cardio and have begun a 7 week 5k training program.  My first mile time was around 20 minutes.  I decided to hit the street on Monday and see what I could do with the Map My Run app outside.  I couldn't believe my time!  I did a pretty consistent walk 1:00, run 1:00 pattern for a little over a mile (I went 1.52 total by the time it was all over) and my mile times was 16:50!!!! Maybe I was pushing more. Maybe I had more to keep me distracted; like the construction dudes that wouldn't get out of my way that I almost had to hurdle or the poor lady walking 4 dogs that almost took me out.  It was hard and also fun! Again, WHO am I?? I followed that up by Big A time Tuesday - which was TOUGH, and the gym on my own again tonight.  I did 1.5 miles again at the run/walk interval and as best I can tell my mile time was about 18:00.  I know I may not be able to run the whole 5K in April, but I'm going to give it my best shot.  And 5k buddy is too!

I've kind-of thrown another goal in the ring for myself. If you'll remember we're up to:

Weight loss (Duh)
Bike around the lake
Zip the North Face jacket (Done!)
Fit into the XL Redskins shirt
and....

Go on a hike. In Washington state.  (And hopefully somewhere around here before that).  Laugh if you must but I do have a "bucket list" It's full of tons of things big and small, do-able and probably never do-able, quirky and fairly normal.  One day I'll share the whole thing with you all but today - Washington. Dave Matthews Band. The Gorge Amphitheater.  Being a 'townie' from central Virginia, I came up with DMB and am still a huge fan.  I've been to tons of shows but one show (a weekend of shows, actually) has always been near the top of my list.  Labor Day Weekend at The Gorge.  DMB Friday - Sunday with a beautiful back drop of mountains and the Columbia River.  It's never been feasible before. We haven't had the cash, or our schedules couldn't work. But finally, thanks to my husband, we are making it a reality! I could not be more excited! In between all of the music we will find a place and make that hike!! -To some place high and pretty.  I can't wait.  And I'm sorry now if I mention it 800 more times before then.  If I continue working hard I should feel strong enough to do it. And Jason is working too! We're going to do it together.

The Gorge Amphitheater

I can. I will.

 I left myself this little message on the board at the gym tonight.  I think it's my new motto. Yup. So other than that...I have my first official mile time. Yikes.  I couldn't quite catch the timer right as it hit 1.00 but it was about 19:55; so basically 20 minutes.  I know that's painfully slow for those of you who run but I'm ok with it for now.  I did the walk 1 minute, run 1 minute drill.  I'm going to start moving through that until I can get to 3.1 miles.  I'd like to conquer the distance first (indoors or out) and then I'll try to move the time number downward.  I have about 7 weeks until 5k time so I had better get to work.

Numbers don't lie.

1
So another week down and I'm happy to say I'm a loser again!  I was down another pound last night at our WW weigh-in.  YAY! All of Team JAG was down again!

12
I've been attending WW now for 12 weeks. And I haven't missed a week of weighing in.

40 and 15

Lateral Pull Down

The number of pounds I 'pulled' on the lateral pulldown tonight at the gym. -3 sets of 15. -Big accomplishment for me! Of course, the guy who was on before me was flying 100 pounds up and down like it was nothing! I'm proud though! I did 15 knees-down (AKA 'girl') push ups as well during Big A time tonight.  Another good accomplishment for me. I'll keep building up and will be doing more and more hopefully.



47/43
Well, can you guess this one? I'll give you a hint. It's a ratio and a percentage; 47 and 43%.  It's what's written on my fat club membership card.  It's my BMI and my body fat percentage.  (Body Mass Index, and the percentage of your body that is straight up fat.)  My body is made up of 43% fat! That's about half! This is a number I needed but did not want to know.  But the time had to come, and Big A measured me up and used the little machine and that's what we're left with. 47 and 43%.  A healthy woman of my age and height should have a BMI around 24.  I'm almost twice that! Wow. And, by the way, a BMI over 30 is considered "obesity".  I'm such a stellar student, that I seem to have skipped that step and jumped right to "morbidly obese".  A BMI that high, combined with the fact that I am currently still 100% over my medically ideal body weight buts me in that class. We're getting out of there stat!  That may be the second wake up call I need to keep me going for a while.  So basically right now I have as much fat as I do skin, bones and organs. Not cool, body. Not cool.  He also measured me (which I didn't look at) and we'll re-visit all of these numbers periodically.  I'm going to push that number down!

5
5K suckassss! To add a little variety to my new routines I signed up for a 5k race today. BOOM!  I know it's a lofty challenge, but I've got a 5k buddy and we're going to try it. It is a walk/run so there's little pressure.  I know I can do the 3.2 mile distance.  My hope is that I can run some of it. I have about 8 weeks until the race and I'll be adding some jogging to my cardio workouts in between training sessions.   It's for the UVA Medical Center Pediatric Oncology Department which is a great cause.  If kids can fight cancer, I can shuffle my butt around UVA Grounds.  -And the more the merrier. Feel free to join us!  (Here's the info if you're interested - http://www.hoosheal.com/Race.aspx )




We have a long weekend ahead.  We're having all new windows installed tomorrow, thank you God! Our power bills for our tiny house have rivaled that of ones 10x our size. ( I'll be thankful to save some money (that we'll promptly give to the gym) and be a little more energy efficient.)  And we both have lots of homework to do for school.  I'm almost finished with my first graduate class and I couldn't be more excited! Plus Jason hit the under-a-year mark until he graduates.  Hard work and fun times ahead for Team Cavanaugh!

Well I'm about to start drooling on my laptop. 'Night y'all.

Lust on a bun

Today is the home opener for UVA Baseball.  Who cares? Well me, let me tell you.  This would normally start my 3-4 times per week of...well...eating just a little hot dog in some tin foil in addition to everything else I'd eat in a normal day. -But at the ballpark it's a Hoo Dog.  And for some reason that makes it different.  So here I sit lusting after a shriveled up log of what we think of as meat on a slightly soggy bun that is gone in 2-3 bites on a good day.  At any other place during any other time of the year I would never touch it. But it's Baseball season.  And I'm lusting after it.  What's to keep me from inhaling 1 or 4?

Yeah..so...this

       

Quickie

So...here's your quick update! I was down another 1.6 pounds this past Wednesday at WW. (All of team JAG were losers this week!! Yes, that's a good thing.)

Training on Thursday night was tough but I made it through.

And I started a photo file of my progress. -Let's hope we have good photos to fill it up in the coming months. 

Take THAT 6th grade PE class!

Are y'all ready for this?

First, I'm a bit superstitious when it comes to my sports teams.  I missed the last Tuesday home game (in order to keep my gym appointment with Big A) for my Wahoos and they won.  Tonight I did the same thing. The outcome of the game is still being determined at this moment as I type, but there were two huge victories for my in the gym tonight!!

So I do a lot of circuits with my trainer; one or two minute intervals moving from drill to drill for anywhere between five and ten minutes depending on what we're doing.  Well we were setting up to get started and he springs it on me.  Two of my six circuits are things I'm terrified of:  Pull Ups and Sit Ups.

These have been my nemeses since elementary school.  As a rotund little sixth grader, I loved PE class for the social aspects of it.  I did NOT love any other thing about it, except kickball.  We had this dreadful PE teacher, Mr. Wells,  who was honestly horrible to everyone.  This pig of a man should have never been allowed around women or children. Ever.  When I couldn't run fast he would tell me "Sims, if that was a Big Mac you'd be runnin' after it.." That was one of the tamest things I remember, and it was worse when we had to do that mandatory physical fitness testing; which included the dreaded pull up and sit up.   I don't recall ever being able to do a single pull up, and I was never ever able to do a sit up even with a partner holding my feet.  Every time I just basically laid or stood where I was hoping for the minute to be over really quickly so he'd shut up and I could go back to my corner.  You can imagine my disinterest from there on out in anything related to those exercises.

Well - tonight, covered in the most sweat ever, I did it.  I didn't do many at all. And I struggled.  I made foul noises. But I did them!  Both of them. One right after the other! I was beating myself up a little bit as we were winding down until Big A reminded me that it doesn't matter how many I did or didn't do- I just 'did' it. And I'm getting stronger.  (And not to make myself sound cooler, but I've been a little sick for a few days too. So there!!!)   It's little victories like this that make me want to keep working.  After I started to feel better I really wanted to do the truffle shuffle in the middle of the gym.

Tomorrow is WW weigh in day with team JAG. :)  We will see what happens - I've done okay this week with food, etc. but haven't been as hard-core as I was last week. I'll let you know...

So in closing:  Mr. Wells can shove it.  Sit ups and Pull ups can shove it.  And VPI can shove it - my Hoos won! Wahoowa!

Way to go Wahoos! You keep wining, I'll
keep going to the gym!

Girl Scout Cookies

RUN!!

Best. Week. Ever. Mostly.

So I would normally wait until Sunday to post but I'm excited about some things.  How about some bullets or numbers so I don't get too wordy? Who am I kidding, I'll probably still ramble..

1. Since I last posted I completed two very hard workouts with Big A. Tough. Tonight I even got a little dizzy; but that's what happens when one forgets to keep breathing!! I didn't do them perfectly or in a super-speedy amount of time but, again, I did them. I finished them. And I didn't go eat fries after. I'll be on my on in the gym until Monday.
2. The best husband ever (Mine!) came to the gym with me tonight. This is a new development. He did awesome at some cardio while I was busy forgetting to breathe.
3. My WW girls are just too awesome. Today, thanks to one of use, we now have a name. We are now forever Team JAG! Things are much more fun when there's a theme or a team name everybody knows that! We were all DOWN this week at WW weigh in! That makes me so happy. We make each other accountable and we encourage and laugh so much! Team JAG is working hard!  Last week when I gained weight I swear part of it was because I wasn't in touch with them as much as I usually am during our week. This week the extra texting and the work in the gym (plus lots more water and apples!) paid off:  are y'all ready? From last Wednesday to this Wednesday I lost  6.8 POUNDS!!!!!! BOOM!  Now I know this won't happen all the time but I worked really hard and was so excited to be rewarded.  And yes, that one packet of Oreos is still in the kitchen. 

When I fit in to the 'Skins shirt we are somehow buying front row seats to Washington/Dallas in DC! 

Looking back at the week: Ups and Downs

Tuesday, 1/29

It's all about balance...

...and I don't have it!!

Big A took off the kid-gloves last night and I've been moving like a three toed sloth all day. I'm not posting today so I can whine, but so I can give you all the funniest mental image:   big girl on a ball.

In front of the whole gym and all its mirrors he had me do a series of activities that I like to call The Plus Sized Circus.  I was like a clapping seal trying to perform with only one flipper and asthma attack.

Like this - but with the grace of a Rhino

There were four circuits that will likely seem harmless to someone who is more physically fit, but I was a bit terrified. First, I had to use a resistance strap to do some bicep curls. Next, I had to squat and dangle a kettle bell between my legs and then raise it high. (And for some reason while I was doing this each time, all I could think of was my friend Wendy and what she'd be saying to me if she were there. She has lots of fun analogies.)  Then there's the ball. Half of a ball to be exact.   I was required to stand on the bottom of it, balance, and squat. I'll give you a moment to craft your mental images of me on this devil of a ball. I wobbled and bobbled, huffed and puffed. But I did it. I did it. I finished the workout. I didn't complain, I didn't quit, and I didn't say I can't.  -And even better, Big A didn't quit on me.  This was the first workout like this we have done prior to me making a longer commitment to our sessions and he had the option to say "Yeahhhh....about that. This isn't gonna work out." But he didn't. So giddy up! What I did tonight was the toughest thing (physically) I've ever done.  That is crazy because these 'little' tasks are no problem for some folks.  Big A has his work cut out for him for sure!

Wednesday, 1/30

There is a big middle finger drawn on my calendar for today.  I was up almost 4 pounds on the WW scales tonight! What the  (*&^%$#@!!@#$.  I was so mad. BUT I realized that even though I have been busting it in the gym day after day I definitely hadn't been drinking enough water during the last week and I probably need to ramp up on my fruits and veggies.  This was the first time this has happened.  I'm just going to pretend today didn't happen.  And the numbers will be significantly down next Wednesday! Don't worry, my jacket still zips! Next.

Thursday, 1/31

I feel a little better on WW after discussing with Big A.  Oh, and p.s. I'm a fighting machine! Thank you, God for not putting me back on the balance ball tonight!  I'm sure it will show up again when I least expect it to kick my butt.  I had to use a floor ladder to do some squatting in-and-out, stepping/jumping in and out.  That didn't seem to difficult, except when I look straight down I can't exactly see my feet as they are covered up by Regina and Latoya.

I did some similar exercises as I did on Tuesday but there was a twist!! Violence.  Okay, structured violence against Big A and a legless dummy.  I did timed windows of throwing punches, throwing a dummy down and punching him (I'll name him Willy, I think.) repeatedly in the head area, and wrapping my legs around him while on my back and, again, repeatedly punching him in the head area.  Again, I'll let you take a moment for that mental image and chuckle.  It. Was. Awesome.  Granted, I was panting and smelled like a junkyard dog in August but after I could breathe and speak again I felt awesome!  I slept really well, imagine that.

Friday, 2/1

OUCH. Damn you, Willy.

Saturday, 2/2

I went to the gym and it started snowing like crazy! I stayed. Who am I?

Sunday 

Well I can move on to today since a horrible non-call just screwed the 49ers out of a Super Bowl win.  That's a real bummer.  I tell you what, though, I'm buying stock in Colin Kaepernick.  I like that kid.   At least Ray Lewis is now gone from the game as a player! I'm sorry - I'm one of those crazy people who thinks that character counts and I could just never get beyond that with him.

Anyway, no major eating downfalls this weekend which is great! The weekends seem to be the toughest.  I had a lot of school work to do and that helped distract me from the one small pack of Oreo cookies that I know are in the kitchen! (And yes, they are still there.)  This week I'm going to keep it moving in the gym and I'm going to pump myself full of water and apples! We'll see what happens at weigh-in on Wednesday.  I'm really glad I didn't just toss the whole rest of the week down the tubes after Wednesday. I'm just working stuff out.

Before I doze off - thank you to those of you I saw in passing this week at the store, or the game, etc. who asked how things were going.  I appreciate it. And I need it!  Because, even with the hurdles, things ARE going well. And they are better when I know people are watching. It keeps me honest. :)