Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Importance of Being My Playlist
I am completely dependent on my play list. If my ipod dies during a run I get in my car and go home. One of my worst nightmares is my ipod running out of power at the other end of the trail, leaving me music-less for 2.5 miles. God forbid! Now I have quite a few good running partners so I don't have to run alone too often. But when I go to the gym I have to have my music. Especially if I am braving the treadmill. I abhor that horrible machine. Two miles feels like seven and you can see exactly how far you have gone, or not gone. It is tedious. Now if the gym provides magazines like US Weekly then that can soften the blow. It's amazing how looking at pictures of Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise can make a workout better. Not to mention those pictures of celebrities pumping their own gas or taking a big bite out of a burger. But at the Y they don't see this trash as necessary so they are few and far between. And I feel bad buying them from the store. So I have found that my play list is a workout lifesaver. Nothing too slow and definitely no cheesy stuff. I love The Killers, they are my number one band right now. I can make it through 60 minutes on the elliptical this way. Add Suri and it's even fun. Now once I make it to lifting weights I switch over to maybe some John Mayer. He may be a total idiot, but I like his music. Now let's just talk about weight lifting. I lift about 3 times a week, putting me around all the annoying men at the gym..... 3 times a week. I love lifting weights but I get so irritated by men at the gym. Oh they walk around flexing and grunting. And they drop the weights and throw them around making the most noise possible. Oh and Checking themselves out in the mirror! It is ridiculous, but I can understand men gotta be men so I turn up the tunes to drown them out. Oh and steer clear of the flying sweat! Gross! When the high school kids are there it almost puts me over the edge. 16yr old girls barely dressed fixing their hair and pulling out their wedgies while admiring their new mystic tan. So if John isn't doing the trick I hit some Tom Petty. One of my all time faves. Oh and of course U2 and Coldplay. With exercise and weight loss I need things to look forward to, and great music helps me with my workout. Hey, with all this work there needs to be some fun!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Weekend Wreckless Abandon
What is it about the weekend that makes us loose our weight loss focus? Why is it that I feel totally justified in eating half a box of white cheddar cheezits at 11am on Saturday? If it's ok for Saturday then why isn't it ok on Tuesday? Weird. Of course every Monday is a day of renewal. Each new commitment is made on Sunday night after burgers and Frito scoops. And don't even try to wear those form fitting exercise pants to the gym on Monday. those are strictly Thursday pants. For some reason in my mind the weekend is my "time off" from all this dieting. It's tiring counting all the calories every day and trying to make it in under my daily allotment. I just want a day or two where I don't have to think about it. I may even put sugar in my coffee..... real sugar *gasp*
But with all these thoughts comes one more. Am I only making my road longer? Maybe if I could stay away from that scone on Saturday morning I would have made it to my goal. Or that glass of wine...... No that won't happen. I have realized I can rationalize myself into anything. The dialogue in my head goes something like this: "Well I had a salad for lunch yesterday, so it's ok to have this bowl of ice cream." Or "I had egg whites for breakfast so it's ok to have chick fil a." I am a genius at convincing myself into getting what I want with minimal guilt. I should teach a class.
So here's to making a little more effort every day..... not just Monday through Friday. I think I'll start next weekend.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Adventures in Weight Loss and severe Muffin Top
August 3, 2008 I tipped the scales at 187. That was before I had my third baby. I was hoping the baby would take some of that weight with him. It turns out he only weighed 5lbs 8oz. Are you kidding me! Too bad I couldn't give birth to my butt. I was still in shock that I could actually gain that much weight. I've always been slimmer. So when I went from 135 to 187.... well I was floored. After much thought on the subject I realized that I had gotten pregnant after a very painful year. My sister in law had just passed away, and I was still recovering. Unfortunately recovering meant lots of Purple Onion, Ben and Jerry's, and french fries from Arby's. Put that together with a pregnancy, and well, you get about 60lbs of fattness!
September 2008. It's time to start doing something about this weight. I don't even recognize myself in the mirror. I look more like the michelin man with all these layers. The biggest problem I have is all the nursing was making me so hungry! They say you need an extra 500 calories per day when you're nursing. 500? that's it? I could eat that many calories in my sleep! That's not even one pint of ice cream! (Nobody really only eats one serving of ice cream, do they?) Anyway I was not cleared for exercise yet, so I was walking a little with the baby, and eating plenty, you know, to keep up with the nursing. Peanut m&m's are great for breast milk, didn't you know? At this point I was 176lbs
October 2008. My first trip to Target. I bought a pair of jeans. Size 17. Who knew these sizes existed! I felt horrible and cried the whole way home. My friend gave me her "fat jeans" to wear. I couldn't fit into them. I couldn't fit into someone Else's fat jeans..... major low point. Still holding 176.
November 2008. thanksgiving is coming and I'm giving thanks for all the layers to keep me warm. I get my hair cut short which only emphasizes my chubby cheeks, on my face and my butt. I'm still holding the same weight and disgusted at my younger sister who seems to never be able to cover up her mid driff. And it's a skinny one. Ugh! Also my older sister just hit her goal weight. Great for her! Yadda Yadaa Yadda. No seriously, I was happy for them, in a cynical kind of way. On the upside I have made a new friend who is going to train with me for a half marathon. I'm thankful to make a great friend in Molly, even if she's a beautiful blond with a rockin bod. I'll forgiver her for that because she loves to read and makes me laugh. So I feel I'm on the way to weight loss success. Too bad running can't cancel out Cool Ranch Doritos....
December 2008. Christmas Parties, cookies, wine, eggnog, cookies, cake, cookies. And of course the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks..... Only a million calories. At least I haven't gained any weight. But I haven't lost any either. And running is very tough to do when your thighs rub together and make your pants bunch up a the crotch. Shiloh is still nursing like a champ and I'm still eating like one. I ring in the new year with red velvet cupcakes and champagne. But I'm fasting sugar for the next 3wks so I feel justified.
January 2009. Still running. Still struggling with weight and food. I can fit into a size 14 jeans, but with plenty of muffin top to go around. Anyone want some? I celebrate my 27th birthday and 9 yr wedding anniversary. Cake!
February 2009. Valentines day. Candy, cookies, treats galore. No more fasting so bring on the sweets. Still running and completely puzzled at why I can't loose weight. I mean, I see plenty of skinny women eating sweets..... what's the deal??
march 2009. More of the same. I have a new weight loss friend as my sister in law Betsy just had a baby so we're in the same boat. I giver her my 17's...... they are too big. Hell!
April 2009. I run a marathon 15 minutes faster than I planned. Woo hoo! And I'm at 170. So let me get a woop woop! It was a great time with friends and little Shiloh came along for the ride. I'm feeling more optimistic about this weight thing.
May 2009. I go to Abbey's end of the year party and feel like a huge beast in comparison to other moms. This is difficult. Wish I was my old self.
June 2009. I stop nursing and finally feel like I can get this weight off. I quickly loose 5lbs, leaving me at 165. I finally start monitoring my diet. you know, no more pop tarts, cookies, candy....... more like eggs, whole wheat toast, salads, veggies, fruit, nuts, grilled meat. I'm fine with eating these things. I love them. But I also love bbq chips and cheezits, here in lies the problem. Try and substitute blueberries for chips.... nope, doesn't work. Blueberries are good. But so are cheezits.
July 2009. Summer is here and I feel like a whale in my swimsuit. I'm holding the same weight but finding it hard to loose. My eating is ok but still not consistent. I usually start out great, but really have a hard time around 3pm. That's when I get the munchies. And not for baby carrots. This month we have Shiloh dedicated. It was a sweet day and I did like my dress. Things are looking up
August 2009, I realize my son is one year old and I've only lost about 10-15 lbs of baby weight. PANIC! I join the gym. When I go I wonder if any of the guys notice me. Probably not. But they did notice the huge booger hanging out of my nose one day. DAMN! I just can't win.
September 2009, I'm down a couple of lbs. maybe 163.5. The scale is my mortal enemy. I have dreams of throwing it against the wall or off my balcony. I cannot do this though because it is what grounds me and keeps my from ordering that 470 calorie scone at Starbucks. I'm beginning to think that these people who loose large amounts of weight are heroes. It is so hard. I think they are rock stars.
October 2009 a group of friends are training for the Vulcan 10k. I start meeting them to run. This is a great encouragement and I'm excited to do this race. After completing it I get an email with my pictures. Yea, I should not have worn those shorts. Look out for thunder thighs! Encouragement over. I'm beginning to think that this is my new body and will be forever. I cry myself to sleep many nights.
November 2009. I do a cleanse that gets me down to 155. This is awesome! I feel like I can really do this and hit the gym and the pavement pretty hard. My eating is becoming more consistent. I put a little bit of the weight back on which is normal for a cleanse.
December 2009. The holidays kept me from really loosing but I managed to maintain. I'm excited about my anniversary trip with my husband in February and vow to loose some weight before I go. New York baby! Bagels!
January 2010. I celebrate my 28th birthday and anniversary! I'm down to 150 and feeling like I can really do this. Unfortunately no guys at the gym give me any glances, only the creepy dude at Bruno's. Oh well. This month I have a miscarriage. There is not much to say but it was terribly sad. To try and explain would be a whole other blog post. Comfort food.
February 2010. New York is a great distraction for me. Things start to feel ok. I start using a calorie counter and find success. Down a few more lbs in no time.
March 2010. Shiloh is 20 months and I have gone from 187 to 147. It's been a long road and I'm still not there yet. I'm proud of my achievements so far. We run the Seaside half marathon and I am 30 minutes faster than when my muffin top ran a half the year before! Wahoo! I buy a pair of jeans size 8. Single digits baby! And only 12 lbs to go until I hit pre baby weight. Wow. People are starting to notice and everyone is so supportive. Me and my muffin top are truly blessed.
April 2010. I'm looking forward to finishing up this almost 2yr long stint of dieting. I am tired of trying to loose weight. I'm so sick of salads. Some days it's easy and some days it's not. Did you know an apple at 30g of sugar? That's crazy. And a Moe's homewrecker is like 800 calories. Maybe more. Ignorance is bliss. But I'm working hard and having fun with my running again now that I can do it without feeling like my butt is going to hit someone in the face from bouncing around so much. All in all it is so worth it.
More updated to come on the status of my muffin top.
September 2008. It's time to start doing something about this weight. I don't even recognize myself in the mirror. I look more like the michelin man with all these layers. The biggest problem I have is all the nursing was making me so hungry! They say you need an extra 500 calories per day when you're nursing. 500? that's it? I could eat that many calories in my sleep! That's not even one pint of ice cream! (Nobody really only eats one serving of ice cream, do they?) Anyway I was not cleared for exercise yet, so I was walking a little with the baby, and eating plenty, you know, to keep up with the nursing. Peanut m&m's are great for breast milk, didn't you know? At this point I was 176lbs
October 2008. My first trip to Target. I bought a pair of jeans. Size 17. Who knew these sizes existed! I felt horrible and cried the whole way home. My friend gave me her "fat jeans" to wear. I couldn't fit into them. I couldn't fit into someone Else's fat jeans..... major low point. Still holding 176.
November 2008. thanksgiving is coming and I'm giving thanks for all the layers to keep me warm. I get my hair cut short which only emphasizes my chubby cheeks, on my face and my butt. I'm still holding the same weight and disgusted at my younger sister who seems to never be able to cover up her mid driff. And it's a skinny one. Ugh! Also my older sister just hit her goal weight. Great for her! Yadda Yadaa Yadda. No seriously, I was happy for them, in a cynical kind of way. On the upside I have made a new friend who is going to train with me for a half marathon. I'm thankful to make a great friend in Molly, even if she's a beautiful blond with a rockin bod. I'll forgiver her for that because she loves to read and makes me laugh. So I feel I'm on the way to weight loss success. Too bad running can't cancel out Cool Ranch Doritos....
December 2008. Christmas Parties, cookies, wine, eggnog, cookies, cake, cookies. And of course the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks..... Only a million calories. At least I haven't gained any weight. But I haven't lost any either. And running is very tough to do when your thighs rub together and make your pants bunch up a the crotch. Shiloh is still nursing like a champ and I'm still eating like one. I ring in the new year with red velvet cupcakes and champagne. But I'm fasting sugar for the next 3wks so I feel justified.
January 2009. Still running. Still struggling with weight and food. I can fit into a size 14 jeans, but with plenty of muffin top to go around. Anyone want some? I celebrate my 27th birthday and 9 yr wedding anniversary. Cake!
February 2009. Valentines day. Candy, cookies, treats galore. No more fasting so bring on the sweets. Still running and completely puzzled at why I can't loose weight. I mean, I see plenty of skinny women eating sweets..... what's the deal??
march 2009. More of the same. I have a new weight loss friend as my sister in law Betsy just had a baby so we're in the same boat. I giver her my 17's...... they are too big. Hell!
April 2009. I run a marathon 15 minutes faster than I planned. Woo hoo! And I'm at 170. So let me get a woop woop! It was a great time with friends and little Shiloh came along for the ride. I'm feeling more optimistic about this weight thing.
May 2009. I go to Abbey's end of the year party and feel like a huge beast in comparison to other moms. This is difficult. Wish I was my old self.
June 2009. I stop nursing and finally feel like I can get this weight off. I quickly loose 5lbs, leaving me at 165. I finally start monitoring my diet. you know, no more pop tarts, cookies, candy....... more like eggs, whole wheat toast, salads, veggies, fruit, nuts, grilled meat. I'm fine with eating these things. I love them. But I also love bbq chips and cheezits, here in lies the problem. Try and substitute blueberries for chips.... nope, doesn't work. Blueberries are good. But so are cheezits.
July 2009. Summer is here and I feel like a whale in my swimsuit. I'm holding the same weight but finding it hard to loose. My eating is ok but still not consistent. I usually start out great, but really have a hard time around 3pm. That's when I get the munchies. And not for baby carrots. This month we have Shiloh dedicated. It was a sweet day and I did like my dress. Things are looking up
August 2009, I realize my son is one year old and I've only lost about 10-15 lbs of baby weight. PANIC! I join the gym. When I go I wonder if any of the guys notice me. Probably not. But they did notice the huge booger hanging out of my nose one day. DAMN! I just can't win.
September 2009, I'm down a couple of lbs. maybe 163.5. The scale is my mortal enemy. I have dreams of throwing it against the wall or off my balcony. I cannot do this though because it is what grounds me and keeps my from ordering that 470 calorie scone at Starbucks. I'm beginning to think that these people who loose large amounts of weight are heroes. It is so hard. I think they are rock stars.
October 2009 a group of friends are training for the Vulcan 10k. I start meeting them to run. This is a great encouragement and I'm excited to do this race. After completing it I get an email with my pictures. Yea, I should not have worn those shorts. Look out for thunder thighs! Encouragement over. I'm beginning to think that this is my new body and will be forever. I cry myself to sleep many nights.
November 2009. I do a cleanse that gets me down to 155. This is awesome! I feel like I can really do this and hit the gym and the pavement pretty hard. My eating is becoming more consistent. I put a little bit of the weight back on which is normal for a cleanse.
December 2009. The holidays kept me from really loosing but I managed to maintain. I'm excited about my anniversary trip with my husband in February and vow to loose some weight before I go. New York baby! Bagels!
January 2010. I celebrate my 28th birthday and anniversary! I'm down to 150 and feeling like I can really do this. Unfortunately no guys at the gym give me any glances, only the creepy dude at Bruno's. Oh well. This month I have a miscarriage. There is not much to say but it was terribly sad. To try and explain would be a whole other blog post. Comfort food.
February 2010. New York is a great distraction for me. Things start to feel ok. I start using a calorie counter and find success. Down a few more lbs in no time.
March 2010. Shiloh is 20 months and I have gone from 187 to 147. It's been a long road and I'm still not there yet. I'm proud of my achievements so far. We run the Seaside half marathon and I am 30 minutes faster than when my muffin top ran a half the year before! Wahoo! I buy a pair of jeans size 8. Single digits baby! And only 12 lbs to go until I hit pre baby weight. Wow. People are starting to notice and everyone is so supportive. Me and my muffin top are truly blessed.
April 2010. I'm looking forward to finishing up this almost 2yr long stint of dieting. I am tired of trying to loose weight. I'm so sick of salads. Some days it's easy and some days it's not. Did you know an apple at 30g of sugar? That's crazy. And a Moe's homewrecker is like 800 calories. Maybe more. Ignorance is bliss. But I'm working hard and having fun with my running again now that I can do it without feeling like my butt is going to hit someone in the face from bouncing around so much. All in all it is so worth it.
More updated to come on the status of my muffin top.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
