Time to catch up!

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. Last week was Spring Break for the boys and they got to spend 2 nights with each set of grandparents. I got to work out and have a date with my hubby!

It was a bit of a rough week for my new eating lifestyle. It all started on Tuesday when an almost empty bag of Golden Flake Cheese Curls came home with my boys... I couldn't believe my mom sent them home! Of course I don't blame her for the cheat because I had the choice of pouring them out or eating them... I chose eating. :( Then on Wednesday we went to see Bedtime Stories at the $1 theatre and the boys and I had a LOT of popcorn (Jonah and I had tummy aches afterwards - yikes)... I continued to spiral until I called Rodney on Friday (I had worked out with Sean Wednesday and Friday and didn't feel comfortable telling him about the cheating). I called Rodney because I was thinking about more chances to cheat and knew that after telling him I could get back on track. It worked (I assume like calling an AA Sponsor) and he assured me that we would work it off on Monday! I also have to say too that he was nothing but encouraging and gave me some ways that I could add some healthy calories to my day.... I hope he knows how much I appreciate him.

On Thursday of last week, our family went biking with the Dunbar family. This is all of us on our bikes. We're kind of hard to see, but you get the idea! We did the Chief Ladiga bike trail in Anniston... it's where they turned an old train track into a bike trail. It's very cool. Our family did it last year... I did 8 miles then. I was determined to do 10 miles this year and guess what??? I DID!!!! Along with Danielle, Hayden and Will! Yea us! The little ones got tired so the dads took them back to play. Kudos for Bill... he didn't get enough miles in on Thursday so he went back on Saturday and did 28!!! Go Bill!!!

My "Twilight" weekend was great.

My Monday workout with Rodney proved to be the cheat deterrent that he had promised! We only did 2 things on Monday.... he had a barbell on the floor that I had to squat to pick up and press it over my head... yeah... each set had 21 reps and I got to do 4 sets... yeah. THEN... I got to 'toss' one of those 50 pound medicine balls (really it was only about 14 pounds) back and forth to Rodney 15 times... that was the first set.... then I had to get the ball over a weight bench which he kept moving back... THEN he set 2 boxing gloves on top of the bench for our last round... if I knocked either of them off, it was considered -1. I did pretty good... it was hhhaaarrrddd though! My body hurt so bad yesterday ... but I walked 3 miles with Mary... thanks girl... you're so good for me!

Today was a good work out... the elliptical machine is from the same place that half-squishy ball is from! I had to do 6 minutes on the thing... intervals of slow and fast which helps the time go faster... but man... I have great respect for those people that ride those things anywhere above 5 minutes! I was panting and whining like a mad woman... I just wanted off that thing... Rodney pushed though and I did deliver. yea! After that we worked on arms... my left arm is VERY weak... so much weaker than my right! Rodney says that it will catch up!

I think that's got you up to speed with me. OH... 2 weeks from today (4 days after meeting Stephenie Meyer!!!), I will get to report the results!!!! We will not only weigh, but we'll measure too! I don't know about the scale, but I KNOW the measurements will be different!!! I just can't wait! I tried to put one of those count down things on my blog, but I can't figure it out!

My Phoenix T

Last September when Lori and I went on our little Forks excursion, we got these T-shirts in the Phoenix Airport for free. Well, the largest size they had was XL. Knowing it probably wouldn't fit, I took it anyway... because you know... it was from Phoenix! (That means something to some of you!! :)) Goodness knows that I have tried to wear my freebie t-shirt on more than one occasion but the thing just wouldn't fit... no matter how much I pulled and stretched on it!

WELL... LOOK AT ME NOW!!! It fits!!! AND there was NO stretching involved today!!! YEA!!!


I'm going into my third week with Rodney (he made me pose for the pic!) ... I haven't missed a day of working out or walking or bike riding AT ALL!!! OH and... I have not cheated a single time... the 'eating right' started TWO weeks ago today!!! Yea me!!!!


Last week was a challenge... it was tough. I hated just about everything I was doing.... but the payoff came first on Saturday.... we were set to go bowling with the Price family. I pulled on a pair of jeans (size 20) :{ (I know) and they felt really baggy...so I thought.... I wondered.... would I be able to go down a size??? Do I dare try???? What if they're too tight???? After some deliberation... I tried and I couldn't believe that they zipped and buttoned without laying on the bed and without even sucking it in and holding my breath.... and I didn't even have the muffin top look!!! They were comfortable!!! I loved it!


Now.... I have a lllloooonnnngggg way to go but at least I'm on my way!! I just can't wait for the weigh in.... actually.... I think I'm more excited about the "inches" than I am about the weight... okay... the weight more... but the inches will be the icing!!!

Ugh...

Today has sucked. I'm sick to death of eating 'right'... I'm sick to death of chicken, broccoli and carrots and I'm sort of sick of my body HURTING!!! The only reason I like my muscle aches is because I'm guessing there's one in there that is trying to fight it's way past the fat.... so I'll keep working out. I'm trying to find something good to say about the food... I guess it's okay when I feel hungry because that hopefully means that the fat is losing ground in this battle.

Yes, I worked out today. It never really crossed my mind to cancel - which is unusual for me when I'm in this sort of mood. One on one accountability is good. We did a different circuit today all the way around. I had never done any of the things we did today. It was a great workout... sweat actually dripped from my head twice... that's a big deal for me... I don't sweat much. The workout was focused on upper body for sure... my arms were shaky all the way home. They seem to have recovered somewhat right now, but I'm SURE I'll feel it tomorrow! (and the next day!)

My mood was horrible when I got there, but it seemed to shift into something worse towards the end of the workout.... you see, Rodney and I usually have the place to ourselves and about mid-way through the workout someone came in. Rodney said hey to her and I was 'pumping iron' (ha) and paid no attention. A few minutes later someone else came in... same thing. Well... they were working in the front room on the cardio equipment and they were having a great time... WHICH IS FINE... unless you're in my mood. By the time OUR time was over, I had turned into a very whiny, needy, crazy woman and said some DUMB stuff to Rodney that I desperately wish I hadn't. THEN... I had to walk out the front door and there they were... two very, very FIT girls.... I suddenly felt like the blimp in the room... and I got out the door as quickly as possible. Yuk.... I hate days like today.

Thank God tomorrow is a new day! Cyndi, Mary and I are meeting at the park to walk. Cyndi's bringing Woody... her lab puppy... I think he's still a puppy! I'm wondering who will walk whom!!

Hurray for Monday

Well, I was all excited about Monday coming, and Jonah woke up sick... stomach stuff. He wasn't running fever so I called my mom and she came to hang out with him while I worked out. Thanks mom!

I got in and did my cardio... heartrate looking good around 130 - 140. We moved on to the weights and stuff... It was a good workout... I can definitley feel it but we had to keep a watch on the heartrate. During the second round of the circuit, we found that if I would STOP talking so much and concentrate on breathing the way I'm supposed to, that my heart is MUCH more cooperative with my workout. Seriously, Rodney just needs to tell me to shut up and breathe!

My healthier way of eating is going great! Besides the 2 gravy tastings (which were "finger-dipped") I did not cheat one time in an entire week. The real test is coming though... the longer we go, the harder it will be for a while... then I'm hoping it will level off and start becoming second nature. A lifetime of bad habits is really hard to break.

That's going to be it for today...

Hard Day

Okay.... today is Sunday and has been by far my hardest day. We went to church and I came home wanting to eat something unhealthy ... SO... I ate my turkey and fruit and went to bed. Not the best idea. I DREAMED ABOUT EATING!!! Now... those that know me well, know that I am a dreamer... I tend to walk and talk as well. Well, I dreamed about all kinds of chips floating in front of me. Then I dreamed I was at Hacienda... I ordered my Taco Salad without guacamole (which I do anyway) AND without sour cream.... It was delicious.... but right as I was about to start on the bowl (which is yummy and fattening) the waitress whisked it away before I could have the first bite.... Crazy or what?

I called Danielle because Danielle has eating issues with carbs and I knew she could help. Guess what? Danielle dreams of food sometimes too!!! I'm not crazy!

Okay. Then I had to cook for my Catholic group. I was only cooking for 25 tonight, so I did a "good" menu.... roast, mashed potatoes w/homemade gravy, green beans, asparagus casserole, rolls, and chocolate cake. The gravy was tough.... I did have to taste it twice to make sure it was turning out okay... but other than that... I was good! I didn't even lick beaters or the spreader when I was making the cake... I just threw them in the water as fast as I could.

I AM READY FOR MONDAY.... I'm not a big fan of the weekend anymore... too many temptations!

Saturday

Here's the pic of Rodney and me that we took yesterday....(I've got to get all this technical stuff figured out!) This is one week into this new life of mine! I can't wait to see what we look like later... I should have made him take his cap off to show that he doesn't have gray hair right now... something tells me he might have some in a few short months!
I did well this morning. I was up at 7, ate my egg whites and fruit, walked for 45 minutes and "did" my driveway 3 times... for those of you that know my driveway, you know this is big! I'm going for 5 times next week!

The boys and I did a little yard work, I went to COSTCO, and then we met Lori (my sister) at my mom & dad's to play with her new puppy. We've got that Scout thing tonight... dinner is involved... I can do this.... I bought fruit to take as my dessert!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

TGIF

It's Friday!!! I actually survived my first week with a personal trainer! I NEVER thought I would say that!!!

I had to change my appointment today... I had a very special birthday mission to accomplish... but there was NO cake involved!! I didnt' realize it, but because I changed my time with Rodney, I didn't get to work out with him. I didn't realize this until I was off the warm-up and Sean met me around the corner. I was pretty nervous at first, but warmed up to Sean quickly. He did a great work out... we did a few different things like sitting on the big blue ball lifting weights ... which we have a picture of... it's NOT pretty but I wanted to share some "before" shots so we could appreciate the "after" shots!



Rodney came in about midway through, so I was able to get pics with him. I should have gotten one with Sean... actually he should not have moved out of the picture above BECAUSE they NEVER leave your side when you're working out... yes, I posed for that picture! But, that is one of the things that I LOVE about working out here... they never leave your side. They are there making sure I do everything right and they are encouraging me every step of the way. I'm so glad I found these guys.

Oh..... The diet is going okay... it's tough when you're accustomed to eating out a LOT! It's also tough when you're in a hurry.... it's much easier to throw a sandwich together than to pull out the chicken, measure the rice, cut up the vegies, etc. I'm complaining because I missed having my Friday night pizza. This too shall pass, right? The good news is that I didn't cheat at all this week! And I didn't have to do that crazy half squishy ball thing! ha

OKAY.... I've decided to let my friends know that I'm posting my progress.... It's not the most exciting blog, but maybe you can be encouraged by it....

This weekend should be interesting... I think it's going to be tough... but Monday's coming!

Wednesday

I watched Biggest Loser last night and was truly inspired by Sugar Ray Leonard... I'm not a big fan of boxing but that thing he said about having the right mindset... having the POWER to change your life... I think he said the acronym for POWER was Prepare Overcome Win Every Round. Life comes at you fast... you've got to be prepared and you cannot let it get you down.


Okay... I saw Rodney today. I meant to take my camera, but I forgot it. I really want to get some pics posted soon. The plus for today was that I didn't have to do that squishy half ball thing. Oh my word... that is a CRAZY thing! I didn't even write about that thing on Monday... I can't remember the real name for it, but it is like half of a ball with some kind of gel in it and it's flat on the bottom. I have to stand on this thing, keep my balance and do hands-free squats. Very close to impossible! Focus is the key, but when you're freaking out about your balance... it's not pretty.

Back to today.... we're really watching my heart rate... it likes to get kind of high. There is a chart on the treadmill that gives your age and range of where you want your heart rate to be... When I get there I am to walk or do some sort of cardio (bike and elliptical are my other choices). I walk and get my heart rate up to 130 - 140 which is good for my age. Well then we go around the corner and rotate to other things like pull weights down on these rope things that works my back (sorry I don't pay attention to what it's called!), bench press, ab work on one of those giant balls (that I am MUCH more comfortable with now!), leg press (I'm sure that's not the technical name), squats against the wall with the big ball (which I totally prefer!). THEN we go back to the treadmill for 2 minutes... he bumps up the speed (not too much) and the incline and my heart rate is pumping.... over 150.... go figure. So we slowed down a little but did the circuit again and then back to the treadmill. Did we do the circuit 3 times today? I can't remember... My favorite part is the stretching at the end... it's very different from any kind of stretching that I've ever done. I couldn't do it alone... Rodney pulls and pushes and does all kinds of things to get the good stretch in. It was a great work out ... I'm beat but I am feeling good... very positive.

HOWEVER, by nature, I am a slave to the scale... always have been. I fluctuate a LOT but I REALLY like to watch - especiallly when it goes down. Well... I was encouraged not to weigh every day... and I started thinking about it and thought... well... I do want to share the weigh loss excitement with Rodney when it happens - the second it pops up on the scale - we should be there together. SO I put my scale in the top of the closet and I know that I won't touch it there. Now I'm really wanting to do the weigh-in thing with Rodney.... share the moment! WELL.... I tell him that this afternoon and he says 'okay, good'... so I say... 'well, when will we weigh?' He says, 'when did you start?' 'Last Wednesday was the evaluation,' I say... knowing that he knows this! So I am totally thinking he was going to say 'Oh, let's go back in and weigh' or 'we'll weigh you on Friday'...... Ohhhhh Noooooo Rodney says, "5 weeks"..... WHAT??!?!? When I protested, he simply said that it's not about the weight, it's about getting fit and feeling better AND it was time for me to leave. So I left.

Okay.... I know it's not about the weight, but when you've been a slave to the scale for this long... it's hard... but... I'm not going to weigh myself. If he wants to wait 5 more weeks... I can too.

The healthier way of eating is good. I was hungry today, but I think a lot of it is in my head... knowing that I'm eating differently. I've got a dinner thing to go to on Saturday for Boy Scouts. My good friend Danielle has blood sugar issues and HAS to eat right, so I've told her that I'll be shadowing her... eating what she eats. I'm one of those people that glances at the dessert table and gains weight.

Okay... this is it for tonight. I'm a little sore but nothing I can't manage. I'm looking forward to the day that I don't wince when I sit down to go to the bathroom! Mary and I are scheduled to walk tomorrow morning after carpool. She is my exercising motivator... I can ALWAYS count on her to walk with me... and when she says good-bye to me, she runs anywhere from 3 - 10 miles. She truly inspires me! I really hope that I'm running with her someday.

Life Changing Week

Last week I decided to do something about my health. I'll be 45 on May 20th. I'm not quite 250 pounds, but closer than I want to be! Bottom line... I'm ready. It's now or it's not. It's not just about losing weight... It's about changing my life. Last Monday I called a local place called Fitness Together. I talked with a really nice guy named Rodney and set up an appt. We met on Tuesday. I explained to him that I needed someone to care about me... to hold me accountable... to kick my butt when it needs kicking... and to know me when I walk in the door... to be my friend, but not take my crap...

We set up my evaluation for the very next day. Was I nervous??? Oh my word.... my resting heart rate was really high... he took it a couple of times! We moved on... I stepped up and down on one of those aerobic dance steps (3 tiers) for 3 minutes. It doesn't sound like much... but if your in my kind of shape... go try it! Okay, then we did a few other things to see "where I was" in the fitness world (including PUSH UPS! He actually laid on the floor right beside me encouraging me to do more... very cool... very personal.) Are you ready for my score? Out of 100 points, I scored whopping 15 ... OUT OF 100. Not good.... not good at all. Rodney and I have a very long road ahead of us...

I actually went back on Friday. I don't think we did a really full work out... he (Rodney) is saving that for next week when we "hit the ground running".... diet, exercise, the works. Then he gave me a little test to see what my Body Type was... this will tell me what kind of menu I need to be working with... I'm a B (which sounded a lot better than the 'F' I had made on Wednesday!). The weight is supposed to drop off quicker when I eat the right things.... I'm willing to give it a go... I didn't see Hacienda on it at all - I was a little disappointed! haha! I do get to eat SIX times a day and drink tons of H2O.

My weekend was INSANE.

Which brings us to today.... I got to eat two egg whites and 1/2 cup fruit... it was terrible, but I had just brushed my teeth... those flavors just don't mix! I had turkey and fruit for snack which was much better. I got to have rice for lunch with broccoli, carrots, and turkey. I worked out... My good friend Rodney kicked my butt... while Anna watched. She's another trainer...I probably shouldn't have driven home so soon after my workout because I was a little shaky and quite light-headed. That was NOT Rodney's fault... he tried to get me to stay and cool down a little but I had to get the boys from school... my blood sugar was WAY too low! I got home, had a little snack of tuna and a carrot and left for class. (I'm working towards getting my teaching certification reinstated.) Dinner was a 1/2 baked potato, broccoli, onions and chicken all stir-fried together... no oil, just a quick spray of PAM in the pan. I forgot about my late snack of berries.... I'm going to have those now.

I have NO idea if anyone will ever read this. I'm doing it more for me than anything. Accountability... that's what it's all about.