What are you talking about?

Yesterday’s workout!

Didn’t have a training session yesterday, but went to the gym anyway. It didn’t seem like I worked very hard when I was doing my weights, though. Like, on Saturday I did chest presses, seated rows, leg press and leg extensions…one set of 20 reps each. I really worked up a sweat, got my heart rate going…it was great.

Yesterday I did TWO sets each of the above and barely broke a sweat. My heart rate never got above 120 which is way below my zone. So…I’m kinda disappointed. I was really tired yesterday so I probably just went through the motions instead of really working. Tomorrow, I’m sure, will be different.

Cardio was better, of course. Still…this feels like a step back.

 

Exercise Time: 1 hour

Average HR: 129

In Zone: 32 minutes

Calories Burned: 632

I’m such a dunce. On Monday I realized that, in reference to my heart rate as it’s monitored, I’ve been writing HP instead of HR. Duh. What would HP stand for? Harry Potter. Naked.

Oooo. Look at me. I kicked my own ass!

Well…sorta. My Thursday night session was cancelled today. So, I planned to just go to the gym, lift some weights and do some cardio to burn at least 800 calories today. But…I forgot two important things. My exercise pants and my heart monitor. Stupid! So I went home and I just couldn’t bring myself to go back downtown. So I did some of the strength exercises that my trainer has had me doing and then did a brisk half hour walk around my neighborhood. This included some surly hills. For some reason, though, I couldn’t walk very fast on the flat parts because my shins started killing me!! So my heart rate didn’t stay at a very stable rate. Oh well…at least I even got out there…alone!

On to the good stuff.

Exercise time: 46 minutes

Average Heart Rate: 145 HP (hey! not as bad as I thought!)

In the Zone: 25 minutes (blah. well…at least it’s something)

Calories Burned: 627

BMI…erm…I bet you can take a guess.

I really hope that I see a change in my weight when I go to weigh myself on Monday. Maybe that will make the BMI thing budge a little.

I’m trying to work on the perfect workout playlist for my iPod. So far it’s just a shuffled play list of songs and albums that are generally upbeat. Still…I find myself not that into half of the songs that come up. I like the music…it just doesn’t make me wanna move. Well, some of it does. Nirvana’s Bleach album, for instance. Dominik Eulberg for another (even though it all sounds the same when I’m exercising…haha!). But that gets old each time I workout. Oh well…It’s not the end of the world.

Anyway…that’s pretty much it. Now for dinner. Chicken breast and a salad with sliced Persian cucumbers, diced orange pepper, a tablespoon of grated cheese and this fabulous feta dressing (although that will be changed out for a non/low fat dressing from Trader Joe’s that my trainer told me about). Thanks to J for the great salad mix idea.

Watchin’ CSI! Woo!

Went to the gym today for another training session, yay. This time we worked with a machine that simulates free weights except…different. Don’t ask me how. Anyway we worked on my upper body today, and it was not fun. My posture feels all whacked, but the trainer said that I looked good. Eventually I’ll get it. Then we had a heart to heart about my eating habits for the last few days and how to avoid the normal bad snacking habits. I found it really useful. Then I did about fifteen minutes on the treadmill and ten on the elliptical. Unfortunately, I forgot to start my heart rate monitor so I was only able to get about 25 minutes of stats. Stupid! I have to say that I had a really good moment on the elliptical (a machine I hate yet love) when my iPod shuffled up Dominick Eulberg’s Fleucht…fabulous techno with a moderate beat which is perfect for me. Got my heart rate up and kept me going for a good six minutes on that stupid elliptical. Yay! Know I know what to add to my workout playlist besides Ladytron.

On the the numbers…keep in mind I forgot to turn it on for the majority of my workout…but here is twenty-five minutes worth.

Exercise Time: 26 minutes

Average Heart Rate: 153HP

Time in Zone: 17 minutes

Calories burned: 398

BMI 45.6

For some wierd reason when I looked up these stats on my monitor, the BMI read out kept flashing ‘obesity.’ I mean…if it’s telling me that a BMI of 45.6 is considered obese (which, DUH, of course it is)…wouldn’t it just say ‘obese?’

Anyway…another night…feelin’ good. I had a salad and chicken breast…mmm! But, I just had to top it off with a nice Belgian beer, Gulden Draak. Being the stupid brainless idiot I am, I shook the bottle before opening it and of course lost half the bottle to foamy head. A four dollar bottle of beer wasted. Don’t ask why I did that, I just did. Sheesh.

Anyway…now to watch the rest of CSI and then 30 Rock. I have my priorities, after all.

It really HAS been a month!

Geez, I really haven’t updated in a while. Thanks, pa, for reminding me.

Whelp…Thanksgiving defo put me off track of the exercise bit, even though I thought I did well on the eating part. No binging! Not even on Thanksgiving! But, seeing as I don’t really have a problem overeating on Thanksgiving, it was only a minor victory. My big problem is the entire holiday season and all the SWEETS it brings. Oh my God. This constant stream of cookies, chocolate, candy, cake at work does nothing to help me. The moment that I lost control…one morning I had forgotten my breakfast, and there were cookies available. So, I justified eating TWO because I had forgotten my breakfast. Needless to say, it wasn’t very good and since then I’ve been kind of lax in my eating habits. I’m happy to say that I haven’t been binging as much these days (although my Secret Santa at work gave me chocolate, and that was the end of that), but my meals could consist of better choices.

As far as exercise goes, I’ve been trying to get out for a walk at least three times a week, just to keep it up through the holidays. There is just so much to do and get done for Christmas, I find myself either running around like mad getting things done, or taking my spare moments and doing absolutely nothing because I’m so drained. But, I’m not too worried about it. As long as I’m doing something at least three times a week, I’ll take that as a holiday victory! But, I must admit that I miss strength training. I really do! I miss feeling that resistance in my muscles and the soreness afterwards. It was like a sign that I was really working hard towards my goals. So, I need to be more consistant in that, at least.

The good news out of all this holiday bruhaha? I’ve maintained my weight. Praise the Lord and pass the lefsa.

So, that’s all! XO

Keeping it up.

I’ve been doing better than normal so far this week. I’ve hit the  mid week hump. I didn’t make my breakfast or lunch for today because I sacrificed my breakfast/lunch making time to hit the gym for an hour last night. Well, I did alright this morning eating out. I had a granola bar, orange, and nonfat milk for breakfast, and then a salad and a couple pot stickers for lunch.

The ride home was NASTY though. It was pouring rain, like…as my friend Commie Pinko said…a dishwasher! LOL. Just massive amounts of rain. And guess who forgot her umbrella? And guess whose busride home took FOREVER because of stupid traffic? And guess who was wearing high heel boots and had to stand for a half hour on the said stupid bus? Yup. Me. All I wanted to do was come home, order a pizza, and pigout.

Luckily I bit the bullet and broiled a chicken breast, warmed up left over brown rice, and washed a handful of snap peas. Mmmm. And filling. I really want ice cream for dessert…but I think I’ll make a fruit and yogurt smoothie instead.

So…as you can tell…I just got done watching ‘The Biggest Loser’ tonight. Like I’ve said before, I totally admire those guys for literally working their asses of, and I can’t help but get a teensy bit jealous. I mean…two guys are close to losing 100 pounds, and one guy has lost 100 pounds. And the one who was booted off has lost a total of about 50 more pounds since he left the show. He looks GOOD. So, it was only the slightest bit inspiring to keep going myself. I don’t expect myself to get results like that so quickly, and frankly…even though I’d love to, I don’t really want to. I want this to be a LIFE CHANGE. I don’t want to race to lose weight and then go back to my old ways of eating and not exercising. So, I’m inspired by the show, but I’m in no hurry to get results like they are.

Anyhooooo…that’s it for today! Feeling good, and I’m resolved to keep going.

Blech

Sooo…I let myself go this weekend. I just didn’t feel like doing anything. Got bad news before the weekend and spent  a lot of time worrying. Things are better now, but I didn’t really give a rat’s ass what I put in my mouth this weekend and sat home all day watching movies yesterday.

My IBS is acting up after stuffing my face full of chocolate this week from Halloween. I know better, and the chocolate wasn’t really that good. Blah.

Today I made myself go to church, and I was glad I did. I didn’t stay for the coffee hour, but I really missed standing in the Liturgy and it really gave me the impetus to do what I needed to do today.

I went ahead and bussed downtown to my gym and worked my ass off. I feel SOOOO good, ten times better than yesterday. I did two reps on the weight machines and a half hour on the treadmill. So, now I’m all trembly.

I’m afraid to weigh myself on Wednesday for the November Challenge. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d gained some. I keep saying it, and I’ll continue to say it…I can’t put so much stock in my weight. Sure, it’s important to keep the numbers, but I need to pay more attention to how I feel and how my clothes fit. I’m glad to say that I feel good and my clothes fit better. So, if I’ve gained a few pounds, so be it. I just want to feel good and be able to move!

Tomorrow I’ll make myself go to my OA meeting. I didn’t go last week as I was having fun with Jane, carving Halloween pumpkins. But, whenever I don’t go to a meeting, it’s as if I lose focus for the week…so I need to make sure to keep going.

Balance seems to be what I’m trying to learn lately. Exercise enough, eat as well as possible, and learn as much about my relationship with food as I possibly can.

Anyhooooooo….I’m watching a show on PBS about chimpanzees and I’m crying and totally distracted. Gah!! Humans can be so cruel.  But…that’s another topic.

Update

So, I joined the gym. *lets out large breath*

Food is my friend!

Yesterday was a mix of good and bad. I had a good breakfast…one of my faves. Raw veggies and a bit of cheese. The bad part was that I also had a Sobe No Fear energy drink….130 calories….34g of carbs….33 of which are sugar. I guess it could have been worse…I could have had a floofy coffee drink like I usually do. I did well for lunch w/ a salad topped with half of a hard boiled egg and strips of grilled chicken. Afternoon I got the munchies…and I consumed a snack bag of ritz cheese crackers and two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Blech. Dinner was delicious and my friend Tempestua was kind enough to have brought it over. Chicken enchiladas! They weren’t smothered in cheese or were overly greasy, so it was pretty yummy. She also brought dessert: two fig newtons for each of us. Cute! Then…when T left, I slipped into my compulsive eater mode. I got out a bag of tortilla chips and the guacamole I made and started to eat…but, the victory in this was…I stopped before I ate all of it. This is big, folks. Usually if a bag of chips is nearing empty (but still has enough to last a little while), I’ll finish it off in one sitting. With my mouth full, I looked to the food and I just felt sick. So, I stopped. I could have felt really guilty about eating in secret…like I usually do…but this time, I was really proud of myself that I was able to get a hold of myself this time and stop. 

Tempestua and I did take a nice walk yesterday, too. A brisk 20 minute walk. And it felt like nothing. I mean that in a good way. It didn’t feel hard or daunting or anything. 

Saturday I’m going to tackle the butte for the first time. It’s behind T’s house, and she’s walked it…I guess it’s really hard, and so that’ll be really good. 

Today after work I will take another twenty minute walk, which will end up at the grocery store for fresh lettuce and a chicken breast for dinner. The walk back will be about ten to fifteen minutes…so in all, I’ll have taken a half hour walk. 

I can do this.