Nice break

I've gotta admit: it's nice having such a long break in the middle of the day. And to spend it at Lick Creek, a beautiful wooded park, is fantastic.

I walk most of the way when I'm out there, but I try to jog as much as I can on the way back to the trail head. Hopefully, eventually I'll be able jog most of the way instead of vice versa.

Today, I was an idiot and woke up late. Thank God for the backup alarm on my phone. I didn't get into work until 7:00. So I had to shorten my lunch break to an hour and a half. Probably a good thing because, man, I had to pee so bad on my way back. I could feel my full bladder bouncing while I jogged. I was so tempted to squat in the bushes, but there were other people out on the trail, and you never know when someone's going to come around the bend.

I can't work late today, because I have to get ready for my 5:00 Krav 2 class. Unfortunately, Krav 2 is only Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 PM. I went to Krav 1, which is still at 6:00 PM, yesterday for the exercise. It wore me out completely, even more than usual. Probably because I've been feeling rundown and slightly under the weather. I only worked half days on Monday and Tuesday because I wasn't feeling so hot, and I didn't work out those days. And I was a slug on the weekend. Spent half of Saturday and most of Sunday sleeping off and on, curled up on the couch. I guess 4 days of relative inactivity really caught up with me. Hopefully, I can get back in the groove of things.

I got it!

I got my new schedule! My boss approved it just this afternoon. Tomorrow, I start working 6:30 to 4:30 with a 2-hour "lunch" break from 11 to 1. I plan on going to Lick Creek tomorrow, rain or shine. In fact, I'm off to buy a rain coat from Gander this evening.

I really am excited about having that 2 hour break in the afternoon to get my mind off of work and to focus on getting in shape. I'm going to take it easy with my evening work outs until my body gets used to the new schedule.

Krav level 2 is now Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5, and then I will do cardio on the other days. There actually wasn't a 5:00 Krav today because the instructor had a dental appointment, so I just did the cardio. I didn't hang around for Krav Level 1 because I wanted to go vote. (Libertarian all the way... At least, for the positions where there were actually Libertarians running.)

Anyway, I'm psyched for tomorrow, but it will be a rough morning. Looking forward to it, though.

Fingers crossed

Yesterday, I asked my supervisor if, after a current project is over, I can change my schedule to 6:30–4:30, with a 2 hour "lunch" break. That would give me time to go walk/hike/jog at Lick Creek park, and take a quick shower before returning to work. I can always eat lunch at my desk while I'm working. I think the added exercise will take my workouts to the next level, and I think some quality time outdoors on natural path trails in this beautiful weather will actually help refresh me so that I can get through the rest of my afternoons in the office easier. My boss said she'd ask her superiors and let me know. Keep your fingers crossed! I think this could be a really good thing.

I actually got to work at 6:47 AM this morning. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could get up early enough to make the schedule work. Obviously, I had 15 minutes of dawdling and I didn't get here right at 6:30, but I know I will be able to if the schedule change is approved. I'm excited. Hopefully, I'll get the approval.

It's fighting back!

Good Lord, the salad is fighting back. I've got some diarrhea interspersed with leaves. LEAVES! The salad is coming straight out of my butt! Pieces of tomato, too. Thank God for Immodium. I guess my body isn't used to all that fiber, but it hasn't been that long since I've had a salad. Maybe I didn't wash my lettuce well enough. It was just 3 leaves of romaine, and I thought I had rinsed it pretty good. Not sure what I did wrong, but my body's not happy with me.

#@&! salads

This week, I'm trying to reign my diet back in. I've kinda been letting it go, which is probably why I haven't really seen results on the scale lately. This week at work, I've brought goodies to make salads for lunch. In fact, I had one for lunch. Unfortunately, I am still hungry. They just never seem to fill me up unless I eat an obscene quantity. The plan is to have a salad every day except Thursday. Thursday will be a treat day.

I'm also going to try to cut down on the diet sodas again. I know, I know... I said a while ago I was going to cut back and then eliminate them, which I did during the 28-day cleanse. I just let them come flooding back into my life. So I'm just going to try to treat myself to one a day, and then one every other day, slowly moving down to one a week. I haven't had one yet today. I'm saving it for an afternoon treat.

I'm kind of nervous about going to the gym this week. I didn't go at all last week. Hubby's gramma died, and we were in Dallas for the funeral and to help clear her apartment. Then, when we got back, I just didn't feel like going. I just wanted time to relax and put things behind me. Unfortunately, that means that I'm going to be really behind. Hopefully my instructors won't give me too hard of a time.

I passed!

The Krav test took almost 3 hours on Friday: from 6:00 pm until about 8:50 pm. It was brutal. We only had to jog one mile (thankfully), and I walked some of that, but I jogged as much as I possibly could. After the jog, we had about a 15-minute break. Then the skill portion of the test started. Once that began and until the very end, we had only 2 more breaks: one 5-minute break, and one 1-minute break. When our instructor finally called "time", everybody groaned and dropped to the ground simultaneously. When I saw that, I thought "Oh, thank God! It's not just me!". I wasn't the only one struggling.

I barely passed. We had to make at least a 70 or higher on each section (and there were a lot of sections) to pass. If we failed one section, we failed the whole test. I had quite a few 70s. But I made it. Everyone in our class passed.

There were several points where I just wanted to quit, say "I forfeit", and claim defeat. I honestly thought I failed the first couple of exercises. What kept me going is that I didn't want to screw up my partner. Thank God for that. I'm so glad now that I kept going.

Saturday

Slept until nearly 3:30 pm. Body ached. Very tired.

Sunday

I went for a short jog/walk with a girl from Krav class. I think I'm getting worse. We didn't even hit the quarter-mile mark before we started walking. My lame excuse is that I was taking my cues from her. When she started walking, I started walking. Then we jogged a tiny bit more and then started walking again. And walked the rest of the short, 1-mile route. I just got winded so quickly. I was also having trouble keeping the same pace as her while we were jogging.

Through today

Skipped class yesterday, because I had called in sick to work. Minor GI bug, I think. I plan on going to class tonight, though. It's going to be the level 1 class because they don't have the level 2 class set up yet. Our gym lost its Muay Thai instructor, and our Krav instructor took over that class. So now there's not a level 2 class, at least not until they figure out the schedule. They'll have to do some juggling, but they'll eventually get it added.

My plans this evening are to take my regular Krav class and to take the cardio class. After that, I'm going out to dinner with sgpgal. I'm excited that she's in town for a few days. I'm looking forward to spending some time with her and catching up.

Doomsday

It's here. Testing day. Tonight, I take the level 1 Krav test. We have to run two miles, and that is followed by an approximately 2 hour test. We will only get two breaks: one 5-minute break, and one 1-minute break. Seriously. That's what we were told last night. I'm just praying to God that I make it through the test and that I don't let my partner down.

Last night

We had a practice "test" last night, which lasted about an hour-and-a-half. After that, we had to select our partners last night. I feel sorry for the guy who has to test with me. We were the leftovers. We got one short break during our practice and were told "no water". My arches were killing me, even just holding the pad during the first part of class. I don't know how well they'll hold up after the run tonight.

Getting nervous

I'm getting all wound up about the test. Unfortunately, that nervousness has traveled down my GI tract, and is expressing itself through my bowels. Diarrhea. I'm going to sneak out of work early to stop by the house and take some Immodium. Hopefully that will have enough time to kick in before testing time.

The test will be grueling, I'm sure, and I just hope that I don't let my partner down. I can always retake the test later if I fail, but I don't want to drag someone else down with me. Trying to stay positive. I keep telling myself "I can do this". But the negative is always nagging at me.

I will post my test results tomorrow, after a long sleep.

Hiding

I guess you could say that I've been in hiding for awhile. I think I just went nuts when my 28-day cleanse diet was over, so I've gained some weight back (nekkid weight: 203.5). There were also two, nonconsecutive weeks where I skipped Krav, which I'm sure didn't help either.

I'm back on track now (again). Hopefully, I'll stay that way. I've recently started adding cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays after Krav. The latest cardio they have on Monday and Wednesday is 5:00 pm, so I've been using that as an excuse to delay adding those classes in, writing it off as a conflict with work. That, and the fact that I'd like to work it in slowly. However, I am toying with the idea of sneaking out of work just early enough today to make the 5:00 cardio. I really wish they had one after Krav today, because it really wears me out, and I'd like to have some energy left for Krav. Oh well.

I plan on taking the Level 1 Krav test on October 2 at 11:00 AM. It'll be a one mile run followed by a four-hour test. I hope I'll be ready for it in time. The gym will have Krav level 2 after the test is over and there are actually some students for it. I hope I'll pass. Getting ready for that test is my short-term goal.

My long term goal:

I'd like to get in the habit of getting up a little earlier each day. I'd eventually like to be at a point where I'm well awake early enough that I can ask my boss for a schedule change: 6:30 am to 3:30 pm. That would allow me time in the afternoon to take care of my regular shrink appointments without having to take off of work. What I'd ultimately like to do, especially once the weather cools down a little more, is to go out for a short run each afternoon before I go to the gym. There's a nice park near my office called Lick Creek. It's a pretty and calming place to be, and it has natural surface trails. Many years back, I used to do some trail running, and I enjoyed it. So much better than running in the street or on sidewalks.

Anyways, that's the lifestyle and the routine I'd eventually like to adopt. I've already taken a measure to help myself get there. It's a horrible but effective invention: an alarm clock on wheels named 'Clocky' that shrieks and runs away from you. I bought it from thinkgeek.com, and it arrived yesterday. It works so much better than a standard alarm. It will only allow you one snooze. After that, the alarm goes off again and that thing takes off. I had to get to it before the dogs. My Big Bear seemed a little too intrigued by the noisy new toy.

Hopefully, when I'm ready, my boss will let me make that schedule change. I think it would help me on the road to a healthier lifestyle. On days when I would have to work late, chances are I would still be leaving early enough to make my classes at the gym. Time frame: I'd like to have that new schedule by November 1.

My other long term goal:

To get into a size 12 shirt by December. That would get me out of plus-sizes, and I'll finally cancel my Lane Bryant credit card, which I should have completely paid off by then. I don't know if I can do it (dropping the shirt size), but I'm going to try. Right now, I wear 14/16 shirts, and 16 on the bottom. I'd like to buy myself some non-plus-size clothing that fits as a Christmas gift to myself.

Slight stumble

As I feared, after finishing the shake-only days and having food again, I gained some weight back. I topped out at 201. Now, I'm back down to 199.5. I think as my body adjusts to having food again, I'll continue to lose weight. After I weighed myself this morning, Hubby asked me if I lost weight. I told him not really, but he then said that I looked like I lost weight. At least that's something.

No Krav tonight. Today is my rest day. Besides, I feel tired and worn out. I think I'm coming down with an infection of some sort. I've been having pain in my jaw and ear for awhile now, and I think it's finally time to see a doctor. I've made an appointment with my general practitioner for tomorrow at 10:45. I'm expecting to be told, as politely as possible of course, that I'm just being a big baby and there's nothing wrong with me. We shall see.

Short-term goal achieved

This morning's nekkid weight: 198.0

Finally! I'm below 200. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm making progress.

Yesterday was my last shake-only day. Just two more weeks of the 28-day cleanse to go! The worst part is over.

My follow-up appointment with my doc was yesterday as well. When I weighed myself on his scale, in basically the same clothes as what I wore two weeks ago, the scale hovered between 204 and 205 (nekkid weight was 201.5). That's down 11 pounds from my weigh-in 2 weeks ago at 216.

More good news: the doc told me that it is alright if I "cheat" a little bit here and there. I can't throw out an entire day's schedule and menu, but I can sprinkle in a few induldgences here and there, like a touch of salad dressing or a tiny sprinkling of parmesan. He also told me that I could sneak in an extra snack of veggies if I got hungry between my scheduled meals/snacks.

I keep thinking about that dinner at Pappasito's that's on the other side of the remaining 2 weeks. I can hardly wait!

Maybe it's broken

Arg! I don't know why, but the scale stopped going down. My weight's just hovering at 202.5. I thought I'd drop at least half a pound by this morning since all I had yesterday was those blasted shakes! Maybe it's because I didn't do anything active on Sunday. Hubby wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go hiking out at the lake. I probably should've gone for a walk around my neighborbood, but I was having one of those days where I didn't feel like venturing out into the world on my own. Pathetic and not a good excuse, I know. But I thought cutting out food would surely have dropped a pound, or at least half a pound off of my body. I will be very ticked off if, after doing Krav tonight and having only shakes for 2 days, my weight doesn't creep down just a little bit by tomorrow morning.

My workout plan for this week is to do Krav tonight, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will walk at lunch time on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Over the weekend, I will talk Hubby into going out to a park with the dogs for a good walk/hike.

Wish me luck this week. With my scale freezing at 202.5, I'm losing motivation. Hopefully, the digits will start dropping again soon.

Slow progress

This morning's nekkid weight: 205.5, yet again.

Last night, my "snack" was a little bit of chicken and some mixed veggies from Outback Steakhouse. Apparently, Outback has gluten-free meats. (Gluten-free restaurant finder: http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/zip_search.php) I had their grilled chicken and veggies "light style" -- no butter, no BBQ sauce, under 500 calories. I also only ate 1/2 to 2/3 of my chicken, since I was only supposed to have a snack. Guess I was cheating a little.

Today was different, though. All shakes. No cheating.

Unfortunately, I think the diet's starting to effect my moods. I'm feeling tired and overly emotional. I'm feeling really down and frustrated. I really love food, but I wasn't expecting to get this upset about it. I've also been snapping at Hubby easily over the past few days. I'm trying to be better about that.

I think tomorrow night will be particularly difficult, getting through Krav on low calories and absolutely no carbs, or really anything resembling proper food. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Hubby and I have made plans for my first Saturday night after the 28-day Cleanse diet is over. We're going to Houston for dinner at Pappasito's as a reward. I haven't been there in quite a while, and it will be a special treat. I'm trying to keep that in mind as additional motivation to stay on this diet.

I'm running low on the powder that I make my shakes from. Hopefully it will last until I visit my Doc on Tuesday, where I can get more. At $70 a pop, I'm sure my Doc will happily sell me another huge bottle of the vile stuff.

Uh oh

The scale stopped going down. This morning's nekkid weight: 202.5. Same as yesterday. Hopefully the shake-only days will trigger more weight loss. It might be too early for me to be worried about the scale, but I am. I really want to get below that 200 mark.

Today is going to be a relaxing day. Hubby and I are going to a casual, outdoor wedding reception. Tomorrow, I'd like to try to go on some hiking trails out by the lake. We'll see how I feel with no real food. I'll have to think of a good way to carry a shake or 2 with me.

Cheerleader: Thanks for the thoughtful words. It really means a lot to me. And we'll just see about that new pair of pants. ;)

Words of encouragement

Yesterday, I was tired and worked late, so instead of going to Krav late, I skipped it and gave my body some time to rest. I was really struggling in class on Wednesday night, so I think I needed it. I did walk at lunch again, though, so I wasn't a total bum.

This morning's nekkid weight: 202.5

Today, I walked again at lunch and went to Krav tonight. I pushed through the exercises as best I could, though I still couldn't keep pace with the rest of the class. I just worked as best I could on the exercises and the actual Krav. After class, my instructor pulled me aside and said "I'm really proud you." He said that I did a really good job today and that my technique is getting good. I can't express how much I appreciate that. Just when I feel like I'm getting nowhere. I really needed that. I told him that I'm praying that someday soon I'll be able to get through one of his classes without having to stop. He just kinda laughed and said "it'll come". I hope it does. I'll just keep doing the best I can in the mean time.

Tonight, I went for a leisurely walk after my dinner/snack (just some slightly heated fresh veggies). The hunger is starting to kick in. It'll be interesting to see how my body handles the next few days. Remember: Sunday through Tuesday is supposed to be shakes only. Shakes. Whoever thought to call them that had a cruel sense of irony.

New goal

This morning's nekkid weight was 204.0. I'm hoping to hit 199.0 by the end of this month. I really want to be below 200.

Exercise for the day

Walked about one mile at lunch and went to Krav class. I'm still having trouble pushing through the exercises without having to stop because I'm out of breath or my muscles just quit. I don't pause long (at least it doesn't feel long), but I definitely do it a lot more often than I'd like to.

In August, there will be a Krav test to advance to level 2. I'm not ready for it. The test is a 2 hour physical test (including jogging 2 miles), then a 45-minute warm-up (why you'd need to warm up after jogging 2 miles is beyond me), and then a 4 hour actual Krav test. I asked if I can just keep taking level one until I get it right. Instructor said no problem. So that's the plan: I'll just keep taking level 1 Krav until I have the stamina and technique to advance to level 2.

Brief update

Nekkid weight: 205.5

I had a good start to the day: down one more pound since yesterday. As much as I hate this "cleanse" diet, I have to say it seems to be working. Only 3 more weeks to go.

The workouts

I went to Krav last night and then went for a walk afterwards with my Hubby. We covered almost 2.5 miles! I have to say, I've gotten to really like that silly GPS exercise tracking app on his phone.

This afternoon, at what would normally be my lunch time, I went for a walk. Not too far: about one mile. Just something to keep me moving and to keep my mind off the fact that I would not be having a real lunch. Tonight, I went to Krav. My upper arms and shoulders are tired. I had a hard time keeping my guard up because the muscles just didn't want to work anymore. I goofed and accidentally bruised the instructor. Hopefully he won't take it out on me tomorrow.

Toying with the idea of going for another walk tonight, but I might just rest since I already went for one today. Rest might be good.

Take care and have a good night!

Work is conspiring against me

Shoot. Our office is hosting an ice cream social on Thursday. I guess I won't be attending that gathering. =(

Getting through it

Xymogen shake tip

Here's a tip for anyone trying to choke down the Xymogen shakes: make sure your shake is as cold as possible. I put a couple of ice cubes in mine just before I shake it up, and the cold helps subdue the flavor as well as the gag response. It does get better with time. You will get used to it, though I think it's impossible (at least for me) to ever actually like it.

This morning was the first time I was able to choke down the shake without gagging. That's good news because I've got to ingest 2 more throughout the rest of the day. (To anyone who's curious, the exact supplement I'm taking is Xymogen^® EP's i5™ "biotransformation formula".)

Plan so far

Starting today, the next 9 days will be really rough for me: no regular meals. Just shakes with a couple of small snacks in between, progressing to just shakes on 7/25-7/27. My follow-up appointment is 7/27.

Side effect?

I think there might be an unfortunate side effect to the shakes: diarrhea. I'm having a lot of pure liquid eliminations in the bathroom lately. I'll take a bunch of Immodium and be fine for a day, and then, the next day, it comes back with a vengeance. I had a bunch of Immodium yesterday afternoon, so I should be fine for today (I hope). Tomorrow will likely be another matter entirely.

Nekkid weight: 206.5

Yea! More progress. Just for comparison, I weighed myself again afterwards while fully clothed: 210.5. So, about 4 pounds for clothes and shoes. I'll keep that in mind next time I weigh myself at the doctor's office.

A little progress, finally!

Nekkid weight: 207.5

Finally, I'm below 208. My goal for the week was originally to get down to 210. I've beat that. Whether it's due to Krav or the nauseating Xymogen shake diet, I'm not sure. Probably a combination of both.

I've already decided that after my 28-days, if my doctor suggests I stay with the diet, I will decline. Food is one of those things that makes me happy. I love good food, and enjoy looking forward to a good meal. Take that away, and I'm fairly miserable. I will take certain aspects of the diet to heart, though, like the 5-7 smaller meals a day instead of 3 big ones. I will also lower the amount of carbs and dairy I consume a day, though I won't cut them out totally. For now though, I will stick with it. I keep telling myself that 28 days isn't that long.

Today, I start having 2 shakes a day instead of just one. I've already had my breakfast shake. So just one more to go. For the day. Today, it will replace my lunch. I've never dreaded meal time more.

On a side note, sgpgal: it was good to see you the other day. And thank you for your encouragement. I wish you safe travels, and have fun in New Mexico!

Defeated and cheated: Xymogen 28-day cleanse

On Tuesday, I went in for a visit with my psychiatrist. I had changed into my workout clothes while I was at work, just in case I ran out of time. I'm glad I did. I didn't get in to my 4:00 appointment until shortly after 5. I mentioned to my shrink that I was doing pretty well, and that I recently started an exercise program. He asked me if I had been losing weight, and I told him not much yet, but that I hoped that would change with some extra effort. He then asked me if I would be willing to try a simple diet with supplements. I made the mistake of saying that I would. He had me weigh myself. Granted, I was dressed, but only in light-weight workout pants and t-shirt, so I was disappointed to see the scale level off at 216. I felt someone defeated. He basically told me that Zyprexa, one of the medicines I am taking, changes your metabolism and effects the way your body handles calories. He briefly explained to me that it would be a low-carb diet. I asked him if it was something similar to Atkins, but I guess he didn't hear me because he just kept writing something in my file. He did tell me that he had one patient who lost 10 pounds in one week on this diet. He then sent me to the front desk and told me that he'd meet me there in a minute with my supplements. After waiting a little bit, he joined me at the counter with a big bottle of Xymogen protein shake powder and gave me a pamphlet explaining what I could and couldn't eat. He then left me, and I paid my copay plus $70 for the magical supplement. I'm supposed to return in 2 weeks to rejoice in the wonders this supplement will no doubt work in my body.

I didn't really get a chance to thoroughly read the pamphlet until I got home after my workout that evening. On a side note, before I left the gym, I asked my Krav instructor how long his cardio class. He told me it was a full hour, and implied that it was pretty intense. He then told me to just hit Krav really hard for two more weeks, and then add the cardio to it back to back. I'll take his advice. My body was having a really hard time with my Tuesday Krav workout. It was still very sore from Monday's cardio class, and it still is. So, two more weeks, then cardio.

Anyways, I read the pamphlet after I got home and became horribly depressed by what I read. It's basically a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, with a list of a bunch of other things you can't eat. No more whole-wheat pasta. No potatoes. No garlic, no salt, which kinda throws out some of my basic seasonings. No raspberries (so no more raspberry vinagrette), no citrus, no strawberries, no mango, which kills my occasional fruit smoothie treats. No sweetened fruit drinks. No brown sugar, no honey, no artificial sweeteners, etc. No beef or pork. No bouillon-based soups. No tomatoes or peppers of any kind, which are a staple of mine. And a bunch of other no-nos.

I broke the bad news to my sweetie. We had one last dinner of wheat spaghetti and went shopping for diet-safe items. I was in a foul mood because of the whole thing, and it was only made worse my the feeling that I was coming down with a cold. I was also pretty pissy, because I weighed myself at home, and it verified what the doc's scale said (pretty much). The ugly number was 215. I told myself it was because I hadn't pooped.

Yesterday, I went home sick from work. Achy, worn-out, sniffly, sore throat, etc. A crappy day to start a new diet. And those damned shakes are horrible. The idea is. that you have 5-7 small meals a day. It starts off with breakfast always being a shake. Then it progresses to nothing but shakes for all snacks and meals for days 12-14. Then it goes down to 2 a day. I have a special schedule to follow. And I'm already hating it. Last night, I had horrible diarrhea, and I really want to blame it on my shake. Funny thing is, though, I weighed myself this morning, in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and my weight was 211. Checked again, because sometimes your stance can throw off the scale, and it came up with 211.5. So I stripped down to my undies to take my nekkid weight: 209.5. Either the diet was already working, or it was the diarrhea from the night before. Or maybe a combination of both. I still think they're linked.

Last night's supper: grilled salmon with dry salad with a few walnuts thrown in (no bleu cheese, no dried cranberries, no raspberry vinagrette allowed).

I stayed home sick today. Had a few slices of Boar's head chicken (from the allowed list). Some walnuts here and there. An apple. A few grapes. And yes, I started off with that dreaded shake. I hope to God I get used to them. I'm hungry now, and was looking forward to making a couple of tuna steaks for dinner. Unfortunately, I must have gotten confused at the store, because they are on my no-no list. I thought fresh tuna would surely be allowed, but I was wrong. So I guess it's bison burgers with no buns tonight. And let me just verify that really quick—yes, bison is allowed.

Fortunately, this diet is only 28 days. At least, it specifically states "The plan should not be followed beyond 28 days without proper reassessment." So, in other words, unless my doc hates me, this will be over with in one month. So wish me luck.

I'm starting to feel a little more alive this evening, so hopefully I'll be back at work, and working out, tomorrow.

Exhausted, but I have bras!

Yesterday's workout was grueling—at least, for me it was. I did stick around to do the cardio after Krav. I was the only one who showed up for that class, too, so I got to work one-on-one with the instructor. It turned out to be a good thing, because he brought the intensity down to my level. He still really pushed me, don't get me wrong. He had a list of 10 exercises, and originally told me it would be 60 reps of each. Then, he told me he'd only make me do thirty of each. Thank God he did. I had to run off half-way through the workout and hug the toilet. I thought I was done with the nausea thing, but the additional exercise brought it back. The cardio session lasted about 40 minutes. I was completely exhaused afterwards (and still am).

On the drive home, my mind sorted through the various pains that I was feeling, an one seemed out of place: the damned underwire had popped through my bra again. I'd been working out with a nearly skewered boob. I actually didn't have any sport bras, so I was just wearing a non-padded underwire bra. Now that bra is garbage. I told Hubby about it and he took me out shopping for new sports bras. I now have 5. Yippee! No more boob-kabob.

A new reason to hate Mondays

I'm having a lot of trouble staying motivated today. All I want to do is take a nap, maybe spend the evening on the couch in front of the TV. Unfortunately my plans for the day won't allow that: tonight I take the cardio class after Krav. That's what I've planned, and I keep telling myself that I'm going to stick to it. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about it. I'll do my best to try to make it through the entire hour-long class. (Cardio class—the one that fits my schedule—is Monday–Thursday.) I'll get home for the day a little after 8 PM. After that: make dinner, shower, and crash.

Tonight's meal will be pretty simple: fish cooked with garlic and lemon and a side of asparagus. A quick meal, but a good one. For this dish, I'm using tilapia (it was cheap). Heat up a skillet. Crush some garlic. Pour a little olive oil into the heated skillet. Add the garlic and cook for just a little bit. Sprinkle the fillets with a little kosher salt and fresh pepper. Add them to the pan. Cover with a few lemon slices (not wedges). Turn fish after about 2 minutes. Add a splash of white cooking wine, and finish cooking. The fish will cook fast. The fresh asparagus will be steamed in the microwave. I'll probably sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on it for flavor just before serving.

Well, I'll let you know how class goes.

Ice cream indulgence - the good kind

You gotta try these: Weight Watchers dark chocolate raspberry ice cream bars. Only 80 calories a pop. Very good. Very satisfying.

The Krav class went pretty well tonight. One of the other students helped me out with my grip issue. I think I'm getting a better feel for it now, though far from perfect. Next week, we'll be learning more defensive moves. If you're curious, the gym is Windy Sport and Fitness in College Station. Don't go by the pictures on it, because those mostly look like stock photography. Go by the text. The class schedule is also slightly outdated; they just started a new schedule for the summer. It has some good instructor bios and class descriptions, though.

Have a great night!

Up and down again

Nekkid weight: 212 (again)

Well, I was good yesterday and went to class. Yes, I probably should've gone Wednesday, too, and just spent some time with one of the gym's many punching bags. (The gym is really small and doesn't have treadmills, ellipticals, or stairmasters...) Wednesday has passed, and I will try to do better next week, I promise.

Yesterday's workout was a bit difficult for me. We warmed up with a massive amount of sit-ups. (Hey, it felt massive to me.) I had a lot of trouble keeping up with the rest of the class, and I had to pause twice, but I felt like I was able to do a lot more sit-ups than when I first started taking the Krav class. Suprisingly, my belly doesn't really hurt today after all those sit-ups. I was expecting cramps, but I feel fine.

After the warm-up, I had some difficulty with the actual Krav. I had trouble going from throwing an elbow to the face to gripping my "attacker". It was the transition to that grip that kept throwing me. Everything I did just felt clumsy and awkward. At least I wasn't the only one having trouble this time.

After class, I signed up for a full six-month membership. (I originally signed up for just one month.)

I will go to class again tonight. I plan to try to get in some exercise over the weekend, too, instead of just sitting on my bum. Nothing too strenuous, though, because I want to be physically rested and ready for Monday night: that's when I start taking the cardio class after Krav. I think I'm going to try it three nights a week to start out, and slowly work my way up to 5 days. I'll just have to listen to my body. Hopefully, after piling on the cardio, I start to see a real difference on the scale. I'm going to plan my next weigh-in for next Saturday, July 17. It would be nice if I could lose two pounds by then. Any progress would be good.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. -- Thanks for the motivation!

OK, I guess I lied

I didn't make it to Krav class last night. Hubby and I ended up working later than we planned, and I just ran out of time. I didn't want to get there really late 2 days in a row, so I thought it was better to skip instead of interrupting class again. Hopefully I won't be too far behind. My intention is to go to class tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Diet Coke Diet

This sucks. I want my effin' Diet Coke! Down to 1 a day this week. Unfortunately, er, I mean fortunately it seems to be making a difference in my appetite. When I eat, I get the "I'm done" feeling alot faster. Not stuffed, just done. I also don't feel the urge to snack quite as much. I'm not sure if the effect is just psychological or actual, but either way, there's a difference.

As far as the Krav workouts go, I've only had one so far this week. The gym was closed on Monday, and there was no Krav over the weekend. And I was late yesterday, but at least I got some exercise in. I plan to go tonight, tomorrow, and Friday. That's the plan, anyway. I still feel clumsy and uncoordinated in class, but I don't feel as hopeless as I did when I started. I think I'm starting to get a feel for it.

I set a goal for myself for next week: to start adding the cardio kickboxing class on top of my Krav workouts. I'll at least try it. I'm not sure if my body's ready for it, but I think I need to push myself a lot more to make a real difference in my weight.

As promised:

Nekkid weight: 213.5.

Up a little, but still down some from when I first started the Krav Maga class. Maybe that initial drop to 212 was just water weight. I don't know. I'm going to keep working at it though.

Thank you guys for your support and positive thoughts. It means a lot to me.

I'm not dead!

Honestly, I was dreading my workout class today. I said many little prayers today, asking God to just let me make it through class. And he granted my request. I didn't have to step aside, panting uncontrollably. I made it through the class. Granted, today's class didn't seem as intense as last week's classes, but I still made it through. Small victory, but I'll take it.

Goal: In two weeks, I want to add the cardio class on top of the Krav class. It meets right after Krav, so that will really kick my butt.

I'll try to remember to weigh myself tomorrow morning. I haven't noticed any change in the fit of my clothes, so I don't think I've really lost any pounds. (So I've been avoiding the weigh-in.) Feel free to harp on me if I don't report my poundage by tomorrow night.

The Evils of Diet Coke

Every now and then, I hear something disparaging about artificial sweeteners. I never really paid it much heed because I practically live on the stuff and haven't really felt any ill effects, or so I thought. On average, I drink about 5 to 6 decaf Diet Cokes a day. Now that I'm making a real effort to try to get healthy, I thought that maybe I should read up on my addiction.

I found more than one article that links artifical sweetners to overeating, and not from small sources—WebMD and ABC News. Per WebMD (2004):

Researchers say artificial sweeteners may interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness and make people prone to overindulging in other sweet foods and beverages.

So has this really effected me?

Maybe.

I'm hungry all the time. Typically, an hour after I've eaten a big meal, I feel like I could eat again. I find it hard to resist the urge to snack in the afternoons, especially. And having a snack doesn't really make the urge go away.

Time for an experiment: I'm going to wean myself off of Diet Coke as a staple in my diet. First, I'm going to limit myself to two: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Then I'm going to cut back to one a day, and, after that, to two a week. This is going to be a tough one for me: I've been drinking Diet Coke about 7 years ago, and then with gusto for about 6 years now. Strangely enough, I started drinking it about the time I started really gaining weight. I thought I was making a positive change in my diet that would help me stop the unwanted gain. Instead, I gained about 80 pounds over the past seven years. I'm not saying it was all due to Diet Coke—I had to do a lot of things wrong to get where I'm at, but I'm wondering if maybe it just made things a little harder on me. So, as I said a few lines before, I'm going to start weaning myself off of the stuff. It'll be interesting to see if it will make a difference in my appetite. I've already had one today. It's going to be hard to not raid the free drink fridge at work. I've decided that I'm going to wait until after my workout tonight to have my second one. It'll give me something to look forward to.

In the mean time, I will have to learn to make water—plain, ol' ice water— my friend.

In case you were wondering...

Yes, I did workout yesterday. I'm having a terrible time trying to get a side kick from a ground position right. I'm going to try to get to class early, and see if I can catch the instructor and talk him into giving me some pointers, just one-on-one.

He warned us that today, he's going to drill us. Big time. I have a feeling I'm not going to want to move after class. Luckily, there is no Krav class on Saturday, and I have other plans anyway.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing Saturday: attending a birthday party for my beautiful niece and then having a few people over for wine and munchies at our house later that night. I'll try not to hit the munchies too hard.

Next week, I will get back into my diet in a big way, now that my body's adjusted somewhat to having to exert itself. Hopefully, soon the pounds will start coming off.

Wussing out

I feel slightly defeated. I think my body needs a break: it's tired and achy, and it's making me crabby. I'm taking tonight off. I feel guilty about it, though. I'll still probably go for a short walk after sundown, but that's really not as hard a workout as I should be doing.

I hope that after a month of taking this class, I'll feel less sore. I'm looking forward to not feeling like a total wuss, but I guess it will be a while before I get to that point.

Wednesday: Break?

I went to Krav class again today (I guess, actually yesterday, seeing that it's after midnight). I'm pretty sore, but I'm wondering if I should go to class again Wednesday night, or take my break as planned. Hubby thinks I should take the night off to recouperate. I guess that I'm just worried that I'm going to miss something important in class, and that I will end up even more behind than I already am.

The good news is that at class, this time, I didn't run off to the bathroom for a near-vomiting experience. I did, however, have to pause several times while the class moved on, but I did start moving again.

Shoot. It's late. I guess I will just decide tomorrow based on how my muscles feel. If you've got an opinion, I'd like to hear it. I'm undecided at this juncture.

Quick update

Got my lazy butt to the Krav class tonight. Now it's sore. I plan to go again tomorrow, though. The instructor had me ask a couple of guys how their first week went, and I don't feel so bad now. One of the guys I talked to told me that he lost 30 pounds in two months doing this. And all the guys I talked to said that it gets much easier the second week. I'm looking forward to that.

Once I get to the point where this is not totally kicking my ass, I'll try to add the cardio kickboxing course on top of the Krav. We'll see how it goes. Maybe it's too early to be planning my future workout program, but I want to have a goal in mind.

Hubby and I went walking after supper tonight. Not a long walk—just over one mile at a leisurely pace. I just needed to stretch out my legs a bit after today's workout.

Hope you all have a good night.

Off the wagon and on again

Well, I kinda let things get out of control. Between mid-April and June, I had only 2 hikes: Red Rock Canyon near Vegas and Bastrop State Park here in Texas. The short walks were completely gone. Diet went completely to hell. About Wednesday or Thursday of last week, I weighed myself, and I came in at a whopping 215. Not so good.

So, desperation set in: I signed up to take a Krav Maga course at Windy Sports and Fitness. The course is evenings Monday through Friday. I'm going to try to go Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I started on Friday the 18th.

The course was intense, maybe too intense for me. There originally was an introduction to Krav on Saturdays, which I planned on attending, but they cancelled it. So they called me and told me that I could meet with the instructor for 20 minutes before class. He seemed nice. Tough, but nice. Then the actual course started. I had to leave at one point to run to the bathroom because I thought I was going to throw up. Seriously. I wretched a few times, and then got my fat ass back out into the class. The instructor smiled at me, asked if I was ready, gave me a quick hug, and then quickly went back to barking orders at the class (me included). I had to run off one other time, because I was getting dizzy, probably from shortness of breath. Then I caught my breath and got back in there.

And I'm going to go through it all again tonight.

I was sore all weekend. It probably wasn't the best way to recover, but Hubby and I went to a wine festival here in town. Lots of tastings. I had to keep telling Hubby to slow down as we wandered the festival because I was so stiff. Between my pathetic performance at the Krav class and the dehydration from the wine festival, my weight dropped to 212. And that was after a big lunch on Sunday.

God give me strength to just make it through the class tonight. I just don't want to leave the mat again to go running to the bathroom, fearing I'm going to spew. I'm only praying to hang in there. Maybe eventually I can hope to do a good job, but for now, I'll settle for just making it through the entire class without my brief "breaks".

I've signed up for a month at this gym. If I can handle it, I'll sign up for a longer membership. It's definitely more intense than a leisurely walk to the park and back. Hopefully, I can hang in there.

Another quick update

This morning's nekkid weight: 203.0
Not sure how that happened, but I'll take it.

Last night's dinner was pretty good. It was a multicolor pasta with a lot of veggies—more veggies than pasta, actually. Asparagus, spinach, garlic, shallots, basil, yellow summer squash, and sundried tomatoes. Topped it off with a sprinkling of parmesan. It's basically a variation of a recipe that I saw on the show "Cook Yourself Thin". It turned out well, though I think I had enough veggies in there for 4 people (too much for just me and hubby), so the dogs had a really good treat. I think that next time I will cut the amount of veggies in half. The pasta was very carefully measured on a kitchen scale, but I just piled in the veggies. I guess I was just operating under the impression that veggies are good for you, therefore you must have more. I think I overdid it a little bit. Next time I'll use more restraint. =)

Quick update

This morning's nekkid weight: 204.0

Last night's dinner was another salad. It was pretty good though:

Mixed greens
Feta cheese
Dried cranberries
Walnuts
Ranch dressing (just a dab)

I'm trying to be more creative with my salads to make them more interesting. So far, it seems to be helping.

Muffin top with pride!

Nekkid weight: 204.5

Goal for May 1: 200.0

I took today off to do some cleaning, wash some laundry, and pack for a short trip we'll be taking this weekend. (And, to be honest, sleep in a little bit.) Hubby's grandma is not doing to well, and we're going to visit her in the hospital. It'll be good to see her. We'll be staying with Hubby's dad and step mom.

I have a shortage of jeans. While sorting laundry, I realized I was washing my only 2 good pairs that fit. (There's one more that fits, but it's developing a hole where my thighs rub together.) Just as I was contemplating spending the day in my underwear, I noticed a pair that I have not been able to wear for awhile. In fact, at the beginning of March, I was about 3/4 of an inch or so away from getting them buttoned, so I just put them aside. I decided I'd try them on to see if I was any closer to getting them buttoned. And they are in fact buttoned. I am wearing them right now. Honestly, I've got a pretty serious muffin top going on, but the damned things are on! Woohoo!

Ya know, I forgot I had muscles in my ass

I had really gotten accustomed to thinking of it as nothing more than a large, plush cushion. Now, it's quite mad at me because it kinda burns and aches.

Let me back track a little bit.

I promised that I would start jogging this week, and I just kept that promise. I went on my usual, roughly 1-mile loop around the neighborhood 3 times. I alternated between walking and jogging — walk half about 1/2 mile, then jog about 1/2 mile. The jogging I delegated to the section of my route that goes through a park behind some houses and is less frequently traveled, as I knew I would make a sad spectacle of myself. My dogs mercifully didn't drag me along too much. I think they felt sorry for me, and I gladly took their pity. I had to really push myself to go that short distance, but I did it.

Now, the muscles in my legs (and butt) are tired. I'm sure they will complain even more tomorrow. I think I will give them an nice, long soak in the bath tonight in an attempt to make it up to them.

Hubby will be home from tennis soon, and then I will make us a nice dinner. In the mean time, I'm just going to relax.

Tonight's dinner: bison steaks and not-so-cheesy mac 'n' cheese.

Why bison? It has less fat than beef, and I was curious to try it. The plan is to grill it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Have a great night, and thanks for your comments and support!

The pain will come tomorrow

Today, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Hubby and I got up this morning, packed a picnic lunch, and drove to Bastrop State Park for a day of hiking. The park was filled with gorgeous tall pines that swayed magestically against a perfect, clear blue sky. Hubby's GPS phone app said that we did 7.7 miles altogether, but Hubby thinks it was closer to 8 since the GPS app powered down due to a low battery towards the end of the walk. I really enjoyed the hike, but right now my feet are a little sore, and I have a feeling that tomorrow my legs will be feeling the pain.

Snails pace

Tonight was Mexican food night. Hubby and I went to Casa Olé for dinner and had fajitas. Suprisingly, I didn't clean my plate. I think I might actually be starting to fill up faster or getting used to smaller portions. I suppose that's a good thing.

Before we went out to eat, we went for a walk—roughly 3.8 miles. Of that 3.8, I (reluctantly) jogged about 0.1. Hubby decided he wanted to jog a bit. I was going to just walk and catch up to him later, but then I thought, what the hell. I'll be jogging next week anyways. I trailed behind miserably. I think at one point I was actually jogging at a slower pace than I did when I was walking. Not good. Oh well. I suppose that, if I keep trying, I won't really get any worse. Definitely room for improvement. Maybe eventually I'll be able to do it without panting like a poodle in a microwave.

Back on track - a quick update

Nekkid weight: 204.5

I'm making slight progress again.

Falling behind

Nekkid weight: holding steady at 205.0.

At least it's not going up.

I really didn't keep up with my diet or exercise over the weekend. It was Hubby's birthday, so I bought a small ice cream cake that we both indulged in. The weather was also wet and mucky, which I used as an excuse to not do anything.

Starting Monday, I got back on track with my diet. (No more ice cream cake.) Yesterday, I went on about a 4 mile walk. I think next week I will start jogging small bits of my trail. Small bits. I don't have any delusions of running the whole thing. In fact, I might be lucky to run 10 feet at time. I'm just going to go until I feel I can't keep up the pace, walk until I recover a bit, and then start jogging again. I'm dreading it, but I've got to up my activity level in order to start making progress again.

Tonight's dinner: grilled chicken marinated in a store-bought mango-ginger-habanero (by Ficher & Wieser), and a helping of not-too-cheesy mac 'n' cheese. I was slightly disappointed with the marinade. Despite (supposedly) containing the fiery and intimidating habanero pepper, the sauce was exceptionally mild. I think that next time I will have to add some peppers to it or make my own marinade from scratch. (Of course, that would involve effort, which I'm inclined to avoid.) The mac 'n' cheese was easy. Just cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, and return to pan. Then add about 1/4 cup shredded cheese and a tablespoon or two of parmesan to the hot pasta, and stir. The cheese will melt quickly and will add just a hint of flavor.

Small victory: Since I've started back up on this blog, I've successfully stayed out of the Oreo jar at work. Yes, there is a designated cookie jar at my office. They also have pretzels, goldfish, and Chex Mix. Fortunately, they also have carrot sticks. They don't quite fill the void left by the Oreos, but they at least temporarily satiate my grumbling belly. Dammit. Now I want an Oreo.

Backwards again.

I'm not sure what happenned — my weight went up half a pound this morning. Nekkid weight: 205.0. Hubby was suprised when I told him about it. I guess those two days of inactivity really hurt me. I probably need to reduce my portion sizes a little more, too. I need to look at this as just a minor setback and move on.

Tonight is Mexican food night (dinner out). I'm trying to balance out my Thursdays a little by making Fridays really light. Maybe that's a bit like shooting someone and then trying to hide the body with one paper towel, but I really don't want to give up my Mexican food night. It gives me something to look forward to and makes the rest of the
week a little easier.

Dinner experiment: Parmesan-crusted chicken

Tonight, I thought I'd attempt to make parmesan-crusted chicken tenders. No recipe to start with — just winged it. Hubby was pretty happy with it. Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together 1 small package panko bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup parmesan, around 2 tablespoons garlic powder, and just a little bit of salt, pepper, and herbes fines (an Italian blend of herbs or pizza seasoning will suffice). In another bowl, pour about 2 cups of buttermilk. Start heating a skillet right about now, on medium-high. While that's heating, dip the chicken in buttermilk and then dredge in panko mixture. Once skillet is hot, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. The oil will heat quickly. Carefully place tenders in hot oil. Brown lightly on both sides (about 2 minutes per side, or just until browned). Remove with slotted spatula and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Pat dry. Put tenders on a cookie sheet and place in oven, 15 minutes and then turn tenders, and then finish cooking (about 8-10 minutes).

The tenders came out, well, tender. And juicy. My only regret is that I didn't use the best-quality parmesan. When you make it, splurge.

We were tired on Monday, so we didn't walk, and then it rained yesterday. So we didn't walk then, either. I think we made up for it tonight, though. Hubby's GPS phone app says that we walked 3.9 miles.

We went to a park not far from here called Wolf Pen, and we took our critters with us. We came across a statue of a wolf and pup, and Big Bear started whimpering. He cautiously approached it, backing up several times before finally inching up to it. And sniffed it's butt. I guess that's one way to tell if it's real. Big Bear still wasn't sure about it, so he carefully made his way to the front of the statue. You could see him working up the courage to approach it again. He then gingerly stretched out and touched noses. Very cute.

I didn't weigh myself this morning. I'm a little nervous about it since I skipped the evening walk for 2 days in a row. I plan to weigh myself tomorrow morning, and will post it tomorrow night.

Weigh ins

Cheerleader got on me about when I weigh myself. She told me that I should do it first thing in the morning. Most of my weigh-ins were after my evening meal, with the exception of the last one, which was after lunch.

So, from now on, I'll weigh myself when I first get up in the morning. This morning's nekkid weight: 204.5.

On a side note, the hike out at the lake was great. Hubby has a special GPS exercise tracking app on his phone. Using that, he determined that we did 5 miles. He did a little more than I did; he wanted to take Big Bear on a quick jog. I'm not quite up for jogging yet, but I hope that soon I will be.

Good start to the week

This morning, I had a protein bar and a decaf diet Coke for breakfast. I just finished having leftover soup for lunch. What I'm trying to establish is that I've eaten and have a full belly. Why this is important is that I just stripped down to my undies and weighed myself:

Nekkid weight: 205.5!

I'm excited! Well, hubby and I are about to head of to the lake for some hiking. The weather's beautiful. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day.

Quick update

Nekkid weight: 206.5

Little indulgences

I just got back from my grocery trip for the week. I've got a menu planned out through next Saturday's lunch. I found something to stave off ice cream cravings: The Skinny Cow's fudge pops. Sounds naughty, but they are only 50 calories a piece—and they're good. It's a healthier alternative to breaking down and diving head-first into a Moolatte.

Tomorrow, Hubby and I are taking the dogs out to Lake Bryan. The park has some mountain biking trails that are fun to walk and an easy way to get in a few hours of much needed exercise. I actually love going on nature walks and short hikes. I used to go regularly while I lived in the Dallas area several years ago. I'm really not sure why I stopped after moving to College Station. With the weather warming up, Hubby and I are going to try to go once a week, weather permitting. I'm looking forward to it.

Our night to be bad

Mexican food night was wonderful. We went to Ninfa's, and I had the Las Verdes pork enchiladas. I was definitely being bad. We went to the Spoons frozen yogurt place afterwards for a light dessert. For those of you who aren't familiar with Spoons, you grab a cup, fill it with frozen yogurt and toppings, and then have it weighed. You pay by the ounce. With lots of nonfat flavors to choose from, it's a healthier option than ice cream (if you do it right). I got just a little bit, and topped it with lots of strawberries and blackberries. I think I actually had more berries than yogurt.

Now it's Friday, and time to get back on track. Tonight's dinner was the spinach mix salad with walnuts, apples (yes, I remembered them this time), bleu cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. It was pretty good. Later this evening, I was still hungry. I have to confess that I had some chips and salsa. However, I did limit it to just one small handful of chips. No yogurt for dessert. Hubby made some popcorn, but I didn't indulge in it. I think the slightly burnt smell eminating from the microwave helped me to resist.

Tonight, we had just a short walk after taking our critters to the dog park. There's actually a small pond in the park! Our Big Bear and Goofy Girl had a great time. We almost ended up with an extra dog. As we were getting in our car to leave, a beautiful Weimeriner with a wildly wagging, stubby tail, almost followed Hubby into the car. His owner grabbed him by the collar just as the pup was preparing to leap into the passenger seat. Dogs: you gotta love 'em.

I'm going to try to talk Hubby into going to a park with a decent hiking trail this weekend. The weather's supposed to be in the mid-70s and clear. We've still got lots of house work to do, but I think we need to do something fun (and active) this weekend. What else is a weekend for?

Tomorrow's lunch: chicken tortilla soup. Then I've got to plan out a menu for the next week and make my grocery trip. I've found that having a menu written on a little chalkboard that we have in the kitchen really helps keep on track. We haven't made any fast food runs this week, which is progress. It may not seem like much, but it adds up.

Have a great weekend!

Baby steps

Nekkid weight: 208.0

Down 1 pound. It could be just normal, day-to-day weight fluctuation, but we'll soon see. Just a little bit at a time. My doctor told me to shoot for 1 pound per week. I'm hoping that by Sunday I'll be down 2 pounds (to 207).

My hubby went walking with me tonight. We did just over 2 miles together. It was nice to have that quality time with him. I definitely enjoy it more when he's with me. One of the traps that I've fallen into that accelerated my weight gain was eating out constantly. I love food, but that's not the only reason why I really enjoyed it. I also liked that quality time spent sitting down and talking with my hubby. I felt like we got that same quality time tonight, without the expense or extra calories.

Then I went back to the house to start dinner while he went jogging for another 3/4 of a mile or so. I'm not quite up to jogging yet. My goal is to start jogging, at least for short bits, in 2 weeks.

Tonight's dinner: Oven-fried chicken and peas. I made some slight modifications to a recipe I found in Shape Magazine's Lowfat & Easy cookbook (2004, p. 129). It's basically chicken marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, then coated in a mixture of mostly corn flakes with a little bit of flour. Of course, I use a lot more hot sauce than their recipe calls for. I think it just needs that extra kick.

Today's pitfall: Rice Crispie Treats. A coworker of mine brought in a big Tupperware container of the marshmellowy goodness. I gave in. The good news is that they were almost gone by the end of the day, so I shouldn't have that temptation looming over me tomorrow. I'm skipping my yogurt dessert tonight to help make up for it.

Tomorrow night is Mexican food night — our night to be bad. Of course, I don't know how bad I will be... I really don't want to stall, or, even worse, reverse the wee bit of progress that I've made with just one meal. I am definitely looking forward to it, though, bad or good. I'm very much a food-motivated person, and it helps me to keep on track if I know I've got something I love to look forward to.

Off the wagon

Well, I blew it. I was doing good for a while, but then I just got out of control again. My weight is back up. Nekkid weight: 209.

My OB/Gyn got on me about my weight. My hubby and I have been talking about having kids. Unfortunately, I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which can make things, though not impossible, a little more difficult than for the average couple trying to get pregnant. My doc told me that my excess weight can make it more difficult to get pregnant. He also told me that if I get pregnant at my current weight that I will become diabetic. Not a good thing. He put me on a prescription for chlomid, to help with the whole ovulation thing, and also on metformin (brand name Glucophage) for the potentially diabetic thing.

Spring cleaning

Anyways, I've got to get my act together. I've got a lot of things that I need to change. I need to start taking better care of myself and my hubby.

I started a massive cleaning this weekend. Still nowhere near finished. It's taking a long time because my hubby and I are going through things and throwing out what we don't need. This will probably be a week-long process. I've really let the house, and myself, go. I don't want to end up as a crazy old fat lady starring in a TLC special on hoarding.

Making a menu

I talked to my hubby about setting up a menu for the week that we stick to. He's all for it, which is good. We've got one night to be "bad" -- Mexican food night on Thursday. The rest of the week through Saturday lunch is planned out with healthy meals. I've already done the grocery shopping to limit my opportunities to make excuses.

Tonight's dinner: Salad

Spinach and spring greens mix
Walnuts
Bleu cheese
Fat-free raspberry vinaigrette

I was going to put apples in it, too, but I forgot them. Still, not bad. For dessert, light yogurt.

Recommitted

Now that I've got at least one person reading my blog, I will try to be more faithful about regularly posting. And with an audience, I feel more like I've got someone to answer to.

Thanks for reading, and good night.

Progress! Happy New Year!

Weighing myself in my undies shall henceforth be referred to as "nekkid weight".

Nekkid weight: 205.0.

It's going down! Not by much, but it's only been a few days. It's encouragement at any rate. I wasn't expecting to see any progress yet.