C25K: Week 1 Day 3

A quick accounting of my workout before I forget what I did!!

5-10 minute warmup

Circuit, 3x:

three up/down on stairs

10 knee kicks/leg kicks (each side)

15 backward leg press (?)

12 reverse curl

My day three run went by really fast, I must say. My feet and calves were extra tight, so I would stop and give them a stretch. However…I didn’t like doing that, so when I just pushed through, eventually the tightness went away on its own. So…lesson learned, push through the tightness and loosen up a little. I found that I was getting a little tense, which made everything else tense.

Now…it’s time to stretch, eat breakfast, shower, and packing for my trip to my hometown. My grandma died Thursday night. She and I were really close,  so I’m pretty torn up about it all. Part of me would rather not deal with it…but I need to go see her.

Okay…stretch!!

What else do you want from me body????

So, I did my Sunday weigh in this morning. I don’t think I was supposed to…I think I was supposed to have waited for Rachel to tell me to do it. I only lost one pound since 4/23. It’s irritating. I know that I haven’t been perfect with my eating habits, but I really feel as though I’m making positive changes and I’ve been learning new habits. I’ve even been losing inches consistantly So…why can’t my body weightcome along with me here?

My body needs an attitude adjustment.  Or something.

Yesterday two of my friends and I went for an invigorating outing in Washington Park/Hoyt Arboretum. It’s a beautiful area, and the terrain varied enough to make it a great workout for me. I don’t know about the other two girls…but it got my heartrate up. All in all, we were out for about two and a half hours with a good half hour or fourty five minute break for lunch and bathroom break and the occassional stop to take pictures. According to my heart rate monitor, I was in my heartrate zone for a little more than an hour. So, that was good, and I burned about 1500 calories over the entire time we were out on the trail. Yay!

Even though I’m still IRRITATED about this lack of WEIGHT LOSS, I am really, really enjoying these weekend treks into nature. Last week a couple friends and I went out hiking, and now this weekend…it’s hard at times for me to keep up, but I’m having a tremendous amount of fun getting out of the freaking house. I hope that I can continue with it well into the fall. Hell…even into the winter. There are a couple of awesome books that I’d like to buy. One is about a ton of different walks and hikes around Oregon, at the coast, in the mountains, and even within the city!

Anyway…*sigh* We trudge onwards, yes? I’m exhausted.

Woo!

Today my friends and I went hiking for four hours. It was AWESOME. Granted we stopped a couple of times for a snack break, but I felt like I got a good workout. It was a so-called ‘easy’ trail, and more than once I was breathing heavy climbing over things and what not. No matter…I really want to continue doing this sort of thing. Go outside, get out of town, and be active.

I love it. And the scenery was beautiful.

Fat

So…I have lost more inches, and gained one or so. Even then I still feel really fat. Fatter than before. It may be just my body getting used to the changes…but I hate feeling so insecure and…flappy. And even though I’ve been losing inches, I haven’t been losing much weight. I don’t know…I’m trying not to think about it and enjoy my workouts and make better choices from day to day. So…check it out. Like always, the inches lost are from my last measurement (3/27) with totals in parenthesis.

Neck: -.55 (-.55)

Upper Arm: -.5 (3)

Forearm: 0 (-.5)

Chest: +1 (-.75)

Waist: -1 (-3)

Hip: +.5 (-2)

Thigh: -.5/-.5 (-2/leg)

Calf: -.75/-.25 (r -1/l -.5)

MY SOAPBOX!!

I think I’m going to quit the gym.

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated. I’ll be honest and say that in the last couple of weeks, I didn’t want to do anything exercise related. I’ve spoiled myself by having a really great personal trainer, and I guess that I didn’t feel like doing anything by myself. It’s a lame reason not to at least go out and take a walk, but there you go. Funny thing is, I don’t really feel all that bad about it. In fact, I enjoyed the break. Hehe. I’ll even go so far as to say that the break did me good…mentally speaking, because yesterday I was really ready to exercise!

 

Since my trainer doesn’t work at the gym anymore, we’ve moved our sessions outside! We’ll be meeting three times a week for an hour. So, Rachel and I met up at the park yesterday evening. It was nice and chilly, but at least it didn’t rain. I was a bit apprehensive about working out in public public because at least in a gym, everyone is there to work out. At a park, people are there to relax and enjoy the scenery…and I hardly think a sweaty fat chick is a part of that. (yes, I JEST) Because it was cold and wet out yesterday, no one was really around, so it wasn’t that bad. I hope that by the time the weather gets nice, I’ll either be a) thin enough or b) confidant enough to not mind working out in public.

 

It was a weird session, though. I felt like I was working hard…like, I was putting effort into it, but I didn’t FEEL like I was working hard. Maybe the chill numbed my muscles or something because I am SORE today. And I stupidly forgot to push ‘start’ on my heart monitor. Gah! Oh well. I’m back tomorrow for more.

 

As far as diet goes, I’ve been mostly good. I’ve had my moments, to be sure, such as, Pascha (Orthodox Christian Easter). Mounds of food! Mounds of dessert! You best believe that I partook most heartily. Other than this weekend, though, I’ve been fairly good on my diet. For the last few months I’ve been working on portion control, still learning what is a normal meal and what is too much. I’m getting the hang of it, but I visited a fast food restaraunt. Only once, though! My huge craving for ice cream has not subsided, but I’ve also not given in to my desire to get a gallon and eat it all in one sitting. A couple weeks ago I was at the store and saw these teeny tiny little servings of Ben and Jerry’s in the ice cream section. They’re like, the perfect size. About 200 calories each, so even then it’s a lot. But, I can eat the whole thing and not overdo it. I bought three and they lasted a couple weeks. Yay for me! To give you an idea of my progress, six months ago I fancied a whole pint to be a serving. So, anyway, the point is, I have a friggin’ huge learning curve.

 

Last summer when I went to visit my dad and stepmom at my stepmom’s mom’s house, my stepmom’s mom (there’s gotta be an actual term for that relationship) gave me an awesome Crock-Pot recipe book. I’ve never been able to use it…UNTIL NOW. I finally bought a Crock-Pot. Most of the recipes are just made of meat and vegetables, so HEY. Healthier eating, plus leftovers. And I don’t have to actually be there to watch it cook. There might be an issue with the excess of potatoes, in the interest of eating in line with the glycemic index, but right now I need to learn the basic habit of cooking food for myself as opposed to eating fast food. If I need to, I’ll cut out potatoes later.

 

Another sign of victory. These last two weeks, while I did feel pokey and fat again, I must have done something good. This morning I threw on my jean jacket and it was feeling a little loose. Usually it’s pretty snug and I can only button the top three ‘cause my hips and stomach have been so big. Well, this morning I could button the last two! Around my hips! It was a little tight, but I didn’t have to force the jacket to fit around my hips in order to button the last button. Woo! I couldn’t do THAT two weeks ago.

Getting Back on Track

So, for the last couple of weeks I’ve been sort of…eh. Haven’t been very good with the diet, haven’t really been up for working hard. The scale didn’t budge, and my measurements didn’t either. And, that’s okay because I didn’t quit. I’m still here, and that’s what counts. I’m just going to assume that this is how it’s going to be and work on making the lag times shorter and shorter.

Today I’m feeling really good. Last night I went to church, saw my favorite clergy person ever (Bishop Benjamin, who is now the Bishop of the Diocese of the West! Yay!!), hung out with the ladies after church, and then got up this morning for a right ass kicking.

Exercise Time: 55 mins

Ave HR: 144

Time in Zone: 38 mins (not bad!)

Calories Burned: 685 (even though it feels like I burned more than that)

Now it’s time for cake!

They just keep on comin’

The stats updates, I mean. If you’re reading this and the stats are getting old, sorry! This is the only place I’m writing this stuff down at…so…you can skip if ya wanna.

I had Friday off thanks to the holiday on Monday, so J and I walked the butte. Man, J books it up the butte! Geez. Well, part of my slow-pokedness was due to the fact that I a) am still fat, b) just bought new walking shoes, and c) was wearing polyester novelty socks instead of thick cotton athletic socks. It sounds like such a small thing, but athletic socks really make all the difference. Also?? The weather that day was threatening rain, so I bought this rain coat thing that was too small (my inches lost victory deflated a bit there) and way too uncomfortable. So, I stopped to tie the thing around my waist and I put my water bottle on the stone wall next to the road. On the other side of the wall was a straight drop down the butte. There was a fleeting thought that I should have listened to that said “I bet my water bottle is going to fall.” It did. And I had literally just bought the thing moments before! Irritating.

Let’s just say that there was a lot of stopping to adjust my socks and shoes and rain coat…it was just overall an irritating walk.

No matter, I felt that I did alright. On Saturday, however, my whole upper body was sore and tight…probably from the weight training on Thursday. Today is better. But it’s back to the butte…or gym…for more work tomorrow. Woo!

Stats for Saturday

Exercise Time: 55 minutes

Average HR: 149

Time in Zone: 51 minutes

Calories Burned: 791

Okay. Now it’s time for church again. Tomorrow is the first day of Lent, so tonight is Forgiveness Vespers. I kinda don’t want to go but…I need to regain my spiritual endeavors.

Woo! Saturday workout!

My brother is in town, and he was cool with going to the gym with me. I had a very good workout and I feel great.  Here are the results of the day.

Exercise Time: 1 hour 9 minutes

Average Heart Rate: 142 HP

Time in Zone: 1 hour 1 minute (WOW!)

Calories Burned: 912 (YEAH!!!)

Off to have some lunch.

Stats!!

Hey ya’ll. Finally, J and I walked the butte. She does it everyday, but I have a hard time getting over here. It’s great exercise, relatively close to home, and you feel like you’re out in the woods instead of in the middle of the city. Anyway, I think I’ve gone on about it before. Today was the first time I was able to monitor myself on the butte with my heart rate monitor. I’m really proud of myself! Check it out.

Exercise Time: 1 hour 8 minutes

Average Heart Rate: 152 HP

In the Zone: 51 minutes

Calories Burned: 1040

BMI: 45.6 (along with the accusatory ‘obesity’ which flashes across the screen…YES!  I know. Thank you.)

Tomorrow is another training session. Woo.

Today I’m going to go shopping, and I’m making J come with me. She’ll be good for helping me buy the good stuff. South Beach, Phase I is effectively in place. Ready to launch. *whimper* Even though I’ve been trying to get started for a few months now, I still feel as clueless as before. With practice, though, I’ll do better. I just need to give myself space to learn, fail, and learn again. I refuse to beat myself up over it. My goal is to be 100 pounds lighter by 12/22, and I can do it with enough motivation and determination. On the other hand, if I don’t reach that goal, it’s not the end of the world. Continuing the way I am right now, I’ll have lost something at least. YAY!

Until next time.

times, they are a-changin’

Changes, changes, changes. We live in a constant state of change. We’re fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. And, by ‘we’ I totally mean ‘me.’

So, this weekend I visited the gym for the first time since the holidays. Not to work out, but to check in with my personal trainer. I decided that, in order to get a good start on this weight loss thing, I needed some consistant ass-kicking. So, while I can afford it, I’m going to pay someone to kick my ass for me since I don’t have anyone in my life who can do it for me. I’ll be going in for my ass-kicking twice a week. This is probably going to be the best thing I’ve ever spent my money on. In fact, I’m curious to try to start a savings program at the same time. Every time I want to go eat fast food or eat out because I’m too lazy to cook (this doesn’t, of course, count going out with friends and stuff), I should put the money I would have spent into savings. And this savings would go towards offsetting the cost of personal training sessions. In theory, that’s a great idea, huh? The trick is to put into practice. I bet that I could do it…and that I’d be surprised at the results. Then again…I always pile too much on my plate and then get discouraged that I couldn’t do it all.

Anyway…so, my measurements were taken, including…dum dum duuuuuuum…my weight. The scale listed me as 301. Funny, ‘cause my scale at home said 290 that very morning. I guess the gym scale is off, but whatever. It’s just a number. What’s important is making that number go down, no matter what it starts out as. And the other important thing is making my measurements get smaller too. Hehe. So, amazingly, I’m not depressed or ashamed or discouraged about it. It’ll get lower.

I did do some walking on the treadmill that day, and had the chance to use my nifty new heart rate monitor. It’s more useful than I anticipated it to be. It actually tells you how many calories you’ve burned based on your weight and height that you preset and your heart rate as you exercise! There are some other measurements of which I’m not sure the importance could be, but in time it’ll come to me.

My meals have been a mish-mash of good and bad. I have been visiting fast food joints, but I make a point to order a salad if I find myself at a drive-thru. Still not completely healthy…but, you know, sometimes I really do turn off my brain and go about business as usual…and that includes a quick meal from a drive thru. Personal victories in that department have been 1) not getting that cheeseburger that I had originally left the house to get and ordering a salad, or 2) talking myself out of eating there entirely. I’ve also been making a point to eat at home more. Quick meals include, but aren’t limited to (because some of my fave restaurants deliver), salad topped with a fruit, a vegetable, and grilled chicken. Oh, and, most recently, Toby’s Feta salad dressing. I could do with a little less dressing, but hey…baby steps. Also, I’ve continued to allow myself ice cream by getting Skinny Cow products. They’re really good, and don’t do a lot of damage. And allow myself only one box per week or week and a half (each box comes with four to six servings). Now…whether or not the box actually lasts the entire week is another story…but I’m a compulsive eater…so I think you know what happens.

My main obstacle with eating is keeping it up during the work day. I almost never prepare my lunches the day before, so I usually end up eating both breakfast and lunch from the deli downstairs at work. For breakfasts, it’s not so bad. I get a carton of non fat milk and a granola bar. If I’m really bad, I’ll go to Starbucks and get a non-fat latte and a bagel. Then for lunch I’ll usually get something from downstairs. I try to stick with salads, but sometimes those salads aren’t very appealing. I’d do better to stick a ton of lettuce in a Tupperware and eat that instead.

Anyway…I’ve babbled on enough for today. Expect more updates as I start getting my ass kicked at the gym and continue saying no to what I really, really want. (and sometimes saying yes…hehe)

The good news in all of this is that my personal trainer believes that I can be 100 lbs lighter by the end of this year for my 30^th birthday. Maybe she says that to get me to pay for more sessions, but I’m going to choose to go with it. Even if I don’t lose that much by the end of the year, I’ll at least be lighter and I’ll have done all that I could have to get healthy. This has to be my main objective this year.

Okay.