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. :)

The Gym, The Goal, and The NorthFace Jacket.

I'm still here folks! It has been a while, but I've had some major operator error going on over here! I wrote a few posts, but saved and never clicked the publish button! Doh! So, I trashed those and will try to update you all tonight in one post.  Thank you to those of you who called me out on not posting! I need you! I'm back in school now, in a Master's program, so I'm going to have to really try and manage my time better.

First of all, I'm down to 271 as of last Wednesday! Looking back at my first post, at 287 pounds, I've now lost over 5% of my body weight! Whoa, big girl!!I'm hoping to have a little bit of a lower number this week but we'll see - I did have an awful lot of Trader Joe's Olive Oil Popcorn (Oh Dear Lord, it's like Crack!!!!!)

I've had a few ups and downs, but I'm still moving in the right direction! Our little Weight Watchers group has grown to three and we are having a ball! We laugh and carry on during our meetings (which the other folks love, I'm sure) and we text during the week to keep each other on the ball.  We talk about anything from underwear to poop to good snacks we found; and sometimes we just lust after British chocolate.

I know a lot of people are anti- point counting but it does work when you stick to it.  Plus having friends who are "suffering" with me is awesome!!  I do find myself drifting sometimes but my choices are still not nearly as bad as they used to be! Now, a few more things before I go:

The Gym
Yep, I'm still going. I try to check in on 4square every time I'm there (though I forget sometimes).  It's tough, I won't lie, but I'm starting to like it.  My trainer, I think I'll start calling him Big A here, says things will start to click when I start to LOVE it.  Well, the gym and I are 'going-together', but it hasn't seen me naked yet, so we're not quite in love. And yep, I have a trainer.  We're just getting started but I think it will work.  Though I thought he may be softy just from appearances it turns out I was sooo wrong! Yeah....turns out he's an actual drill sergeant body-builder who also fights (or fought) MMA. Needless to say, I don't think he's going to take any crap off of me.  I know it's going to work though, because he asked me a trivia question about Footloose and ( OF COURSE ) I got it right much to his surprise. I'm sure we're going to have fun.
I have had a few little gym victories so far. I have had no trouble at all on the bikes or treadmill, but the eliptical has plagued me! I started out with a max of three minutes on that monster a few weeks ago. Now I'm up to 20 minutes if I want! Very very cool feeling! I'll keep y'all posted on my training sessions as they kick in to high gear. I'm sure there's some humor about to go down.

The Goal

Ok, so other than my goal to bike around the lake, which is still on the table, I hadn't been ready to set any other goals for myself until now.  Weight Watchers has calculated goals, but I'll let them deal with that.  Taking the advice of the drill sergeant, I found a goal to work toward right now that is not a number. That goal is this Redskins shirt.  In size XL.  Yep.  That's my next goal. I want to wear it and not look like I'm smuggling hams out of the country store.  I'm currently wearing a 3X-4X in some things! That may take a while and that's ok. -But I'll have it and I can see it and touch it.

The North Face Jacket

My jacket with the scarf for boob and gut coverage!

Speaking of clothes...I do have something good to report.  Close to two years ago, I needed a good jacket and was having the worst time finding one! Finally, I got tired of looking and I invested in a nice navy blue North Face jacket (you know, because all the cool kids have one!).  I bought the jacket (in 3x) and hoped for the best.  It arrived and, of course, did not zip. It barely covered half of my boob, much less anything else!  But I kept it because my choices were so limited and I didn't want to buy a cheapo jacket that wouldn't last.   So I've worn it with a scarf, etc.  since I got it  and just didn't zip it.   WELL- Finally, this weekend it zipped for the first time! All the way up to my nose! Hot damn! Now it's tight, but it zipped! Happy dance!!



Well - still moving in the right direction, but still need your support! I'll check in next week.

New Year's Resolution...

Happy New Year, everyone!  Simply put, my resolution is to stop being a 'before' and to make myself an 'after'.  I took a photo of myself today. Let's hope the one I take on 12/31/13 looks different!

Exhale!

Thank you, baby Jesus! I made it through Christmas alive, well, well-fed and I still managed to be down another pound today at my weigh-in!  Pause. Exhale. Happy Dance.

It can be done! I can make it through a holiday without making myself miserable and filling myself with chocolate, bread, potatoes and cheese.  I did find myself staring at all the sinful foods; and thinking about them. A lot. Obsessed! Addicted!

My friends and I were talking about this over lunch today.  -And I think I've mentioned this before.  While I can't this is the same (having friends who have struggled with addictions of various types) but food addiction really does parallel other addictions pretty closely.  I'm making good progress, maintaining a good attitude and trying to get better, yet still all I can think about is F O O D. I am seriously going to talk to a professional about this.  I mean I've always been a little odd; okay, a lot odd but holy cow this is a little much!

Until I can sort my brain out, I will continue to try to do the right things.  I worked with my doctor and have found a good combo of vitamins and I can totally tell a difference in the way I've been feeling overall these past few weeks.  I, for real, did join the gym this week.  They open next week and I'm ready to roll!

I'm still here...

I've not been holding up my end of the bargain with my posts! It seems there are actually some of you out there reading this; and calling me out when I'm not updating the blog.  Honestly with all the crazy events going on in the U.S. I didn't really feel like my whining and documentation really needed to be out there.  My suffering is pretty minimal when you think about.  Since my last post on the 12th, I'm down about 5 (ish) more pounds. -Great little Christmas present to myself!

I'm hanging in there and working the program but still having crazy (and I mean CRAZY) food cravings and other weird happenings.  I'm telling y'all, being a food addict is no joke.  My WW buddy had to talk me off the pigs-in-a-blanket ledge via text message the other day!

I've decided to add a little more structure to my fitness attempts - I'm joining the gym.  There is finally an option out in the country where we live there will work for me.  The sad thing is, I have free access to a gym, etc. at my job but I just can't do it! It's just strange to me...

Anyway, I'll be checking in again before New Year's Eve.  I hope you all have a great Christmas!

Slow and Steady and Call Me In The Morning...

I was waiting until tonight to post as it was my second Weight Watchers weigh-in.   I was down 1 pound at my first weigh-in (My WW buddy lost 5 her first week! Go G!)  -And tonight I type to you 4.8 more pounds lighter! That is so promising because I haven't been very active in the past week.  I know I'm eating well enough to keep my body working! WW is going well and I like it - so I'm going to keep it up.  When I went years ago I felt it was a bit judgy and annoying.  Is judgy an actual word, by the way?  So far I feel that there is ample support there if one needs it; but no one hovers and smothers.  Anyone else want to join us? I have a coupon for a friend! P.S. cutting coupons in front of the TV is a great substitute for bad snacks.

Other than my slow, but steady, progress I've thrown in one small towel and started working with my doctor(s) about things that I may not be able to fix completely on my own with or without food.  I've got a few more appointments to get through and some reading to do. Hopefully, I'll have some good news to share on that front soon. No, I'm not knocked up and, no, I'm not having surgery! 

Remember when I said back in October that I was going figure it all out on my own, etc.? I never planned on being anti-medicine and anti-diet program but I did need to prove to myself that I was serious.  Losing some pounds and starting to exercise on my own and sticking with is (except for my one night stand with 5 Guys) was my way of doing just that.  Now that I know I can help myself out - I can use other methods too. I'll check in again in a few days, y'all.  

Until then, here's what I'm obsessed with at the moment.