Showing posts with label Weight Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight Training. Show all posts

Friday, January 9, 2009

Homework Completed!

242.6

Well I did my homework - not as initially planned, but I did it, which is what counts. I've had a couple non-scale victories (NSV) in the last 24 hours that I'm very happy about. The first one was last night. I didn't end up going to the gym like I was supposed to (that is not the NSV obviously). I have not good excuse. My bad excuse is that I wanted to watch the national championship game with friends and didn't get out of work in time to hit the gym first. But I promised myself I'd go this morning before work. And I did! More on that later.

So anyway, last night I went out to my favorite bar - Y-Knots and watched the game with friends. Going in I had 14 points left for the day (and none earned due to the bailout on the gym). So I had the cheese quesadillas for 7 points and had 7 left. AND..... then I had only 3 beers (6pts). Yes, sireebob, I went to the bar and didn't go over on points. That's right. Normally I'd have some wings, or chicken fingers and tater tots and about 5 beers (a bucket- but over many hours..). Not last night. I stopped at 3 beers and switched to diet coke. And amazingly? When I got home not drunk, I didn't have the urge to binge like so many other nights when I drink to much. Yeah me!

Then this morning NSV #2 is actually GOING to the gym. Yes, I promised, but how many times have I gone to bed without exercising "promising" to get up and do it in the morning. Rarely does it happen. But this morning it did. I did 20 mins on the treadmill and about 30 mins doing the weight training program I had been assigned.

This is actually good. Not good that I skipped yesterday but good that I did my weight training on a Friday. Since my gym is near my work (30 miles from my house) it's less convenient to do weight training on the weekend, and it's important to take a "rest" day between weight training days, so by doing it today I've gotten myself on a M-W-F schedule. Had I done it yesterday I'd have had to fit it in sometime this weekend. That said - I don't plan to be a total bum this weekend. I do have a treadmill at my house, so there's no good excuse there. I know I'll be sore tomorrow and Sunday from the first weight training in a long while, but that doesn't prevent me from at least WALKING for 20-30 mins Sat. and Sun. so that's the plan. I will be happy if I just "walk" for 20 mins both Saturday and Sunday. In reality, once I get on the darn thing I won't be satisfied with walking the whole time so I will likely kick in some running. But to get my butt on there, I'm telling myself all I have to do is walk. That should work.

Tonight is going to be a challenege. My best friend is in from Hawaii and we're going out. Which definitely means drinking - no way around that. But I need to plan out my day food wise so I still have some points left and don't go over. I'd be so proud if I woke up tomorrow, having a great night out, and didn't feel guilty about going over in points. That's the plan.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Take me back to school!

242.8 (small increase yes, but hey, I did have a few beers last night...)

Is it odd how when you have a plan for your health, a weightloss plan, a work out plan, an overall plan with goals and steps to get there, you feel better already. I mean I've only been back on track 3 days and I know there's no physical evidence yet, but I already feel slimmer, more confident, more motivated, more energized. Funny.

Today I took a new step in my plan to beat my brother's butt - I signed up for a new gym. Well actually it's an old gym - one I used to belong to when I worked at a firm four blocks away, before my days as a prosecutor, but new now, nonetheless. There's a gym in my building but I went in there the other day and realized that it's so small, neglected, etc., that I never go and never feel motivated to go. It's independently owned, so understandably they can't do a lot of renovations or keep the equipment super current. This "new" gym is one I used to go to - it's a chain (LAFitness) and there are like 3 billion locations around Atlanta, actually a brand new one near my office that I didn't even know exsited, that has a pool (very cool). And it's actually cheaper than the independant, in-my-building gym (which I guess shouldn't surprise me).

So I signed up. And I have my gym bag with me. And I'm going to work out tonight on the way home. I asked about personal training prices, and man they're just so damn expensive. I mean $240 a month to get a guy for 30 minutes once a week? And it goes up from there as you can imagine. Ridiculous. The only reason I wanted a personal trainer is to have someone develop a program for me, and keep me motivated. Well I decided to do the next best thing. Right after I signed up for the gym, I headed two blocks down to the Barnes & Noble and bought 2 things -The Body Sculpting Bible for Women and "The Ultimate Workout Logbook". For $40 I get most of what I wanted an instructor for. The bodysculpting book has a program that has me lifting weights 3 days a week, telling me exactly what exercise to do, changing the program every day, and then cycling to a new program every 2 weeks. Ok - so I have my program.

The "logbook" is, believe it or not a good part of my motivation. Let me explain. I've realized that if you want to be successful at something you have to figure out how to utilize your strengths to get it down. Self motivation is not a strength of mine. I'm a lazy bum. If I had the metabolism of my huband or best friend I don't think I'd even know what a "dumb bell" looked like. I'd totally be lazy and live off the benefits of my body's ability to burn the food I ate.

Alas, I don't so I need to find the "strength" that can get me what I want. In yesterday's post I found one - competition. I hate to lose, particularly to my brother, so that will keep me going to some extent. For a while at least. But I need more.

I thought about it today and realized that I need to tie my love for school into this journey. Yes, I do need to keep learning about fitness and nutrition, but what I really mean is I need the structure. One of the things I LOVE about school is its structure. You have a definite beginning - the first day of class - and a definite end - finals, and everything in between is planned out. For many classes you know the first day the assignments you'll have for every subsequent class. You have a plan - a road map.

I like assignments. And I like finite end points and goals.

So this log book and "program" gives me that. I have an assignment. I have to complete a very specific routine three days a week. And my "grade" is based upon my writing it down in my log book.

So where's the definite end? Of course there's not really an END end - I'll be doing this my entire life - but there are mini-ends. First is the first 2 weeks - the "program" has me doing a set routine for 2 weeks, then it changes. Then it's the first 6 weeks - the program gradually intensifies for 6 weeks then you cycle back to the first week's intensity, but with a different routine.

Then there's the running portion. Part of my assignment 3 times a week is to get on the treadmill and do the cardio. The program in the book just calls for 20 mins of cardio - no program for that. That's not good enough for me. For me, I've always measured my success cardiovascularly based upon my running. I've done a marathon, for goodness sake. But today when I jump on that treadmill, honestly I'll be lucky to be able to run a half mile straight without walking. So I need to build that back up. Slowly.

So I'm using the Couchto5K program to get me back in running shape - thus - giving me an assignment for each day. Today I've already written it down on a post-it to take with me to the treadmill. Along with my post-it outlining exactly which weight training exercises to do.

Today is Day 1. And I will get my homework done.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Boot Camp! Yes!

217.0 (better, but it will be up tomorrow - I promise! see below).

WEDNESDAY

Well, I did it. I committed. I gave $325. And now I'm stuck. Getting up at 5:30 am every morning for a month - maybe 4. I'm actually really excited. I talked to one of the leaders of the boot camp, Lynn, yesterday for a while, and decided this is what I need to do. Basically they kick my ass every day, Monday through Friday, with 2 exceptions (today being one) for 4 weeks. They also give you a "food journal" that they expect you to write in every day, and they check back every morning. She gave me the impression that if you slack on the food, they "punish" you with more exercises. So that's good incentive. Also, apparently on Friday morning I will be doing a "pre-test" PT test that everyone else did on Monday. I have to run 1 mile, do 1 minute of push ups and 1 minute of dips. Ok - running - no sweat. I won't be as fast as I'd like to I'm sure, but I can run one mile no worries. Sit ups? I'll live. I can do them, though I'm sure not as many as I should. But dips? You mean, unassisted dips? Good luck. I've done "assisted dips" at the gym with that cool machine that adds weight resistance to help you do it. I usually have to use almost all the weight to get it done. There's no way I'll be able to "dip" my whole body weight, even once. I mean really. No chance. So I guess after 3 1/2 weeks if I can do one, that's a huge improvement.

I'm actually really excited. Of course Holly and Erik think I'm crazy. Holly's one of those that never has to diet and hasn't exercised since forced to in high school. Erik just thinks I'm crazy for spending so much to have someone yell at me. Course he did real boot camp in the Navy and thinks it's "no big deal". Baby, I said, that was 15 YEARS AGO. He said, oh - wow - you're right.

Something else funny about Erik. Last night he had a Kiwanis meeting after work so he didn't get home till about 9:00 pm. I was watching a movie (27 dresses - very cute!) and he came in and started putting on tennis shoes. Now Erik is about 6'0" and weighs about 160. Or so I thought. Either way he's very thin and has never regularly worked out since I met him. He supports me, but has never really had to. Apparently, recently, his pants have been getting a bit snug though. So last night he decided to hit the treadmill. He did 3 miles, in about 35 minutes, which is REALLY slow for him, and then wandered around the house grunting and groaning like he'd done a marathon, for about 20 minutes. It was too funny. Of course I had no sympathy as I've been doing that for months/years now. But he hates it. He's actually really vain about his appearance, though it seems effortless. So the fact that he's gained 10 lbs is really hitting him hard. I think it's cute. I mean this boy could put on 20 more lbs and look totally healthy. But I guess I'll never having to worry about him getting too chunky...

So - we're off tomorrow for this exciting adventure of boot camp. I'm ridiculously excited about it, though I'm sure tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off I'll be a little less chipper. I'm actually going 30 minutes early tomorrow and friday. Tomorrow so that I can get oriented, my food journal, meet everyone, etc. Friday to do my Pre-test. Then I should be caught up with the group.

I'm really curious about what type of other people will be there. The lady I spoke with said there's about 20 in the class. I'm curious if they are younger, older? fitness buffs or needing to lose weight like me? Who knows. I'll report tomorrow!

Oh - and I'm being TOTALLY bad today knowing that I'm going to be "on the wagon" from here on out. yes - that means McDonald's for breakfast and Mexican for lunch with Holly. Yum!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Oww

218.4 (let me explain...)

THURSDAY

First of all. OW. I'm in so much pain. I started that "6 weeks to a bikini" program on Monday and it his kicked my ass. Literally. My ass hurts. Really bad. As do my quads, hamstrings, back, abs, and other parts I do now know the name for. Wow, I'm out of shape.

So Monday was cardio day and as I blogged earlier, I didn't do as well as I thought I should but I got through it and burned over 600 calories (the book wants me to burn at least 500). Tuesday was another story. Tuesday was the first weight training day. It consisted of 10 different exercises, each of which with 3 sets, each set with 15-20 REPS. Yes, that means I was supposed to lift 600 times. Well, I didn't quite make it because a few of the exercises I just couldn't do the full 20 reps. I'm not strong enough yet. But the majority of them I did. My least favorite? Lunges. I HATE LUNGES. Basically I hate most exercises that focus on my lower body. When I do my own "strength training program", whatever that is, I skip the lower body thinking that my running will cover that, and focus on the upper body and arms. Now I have to do all over exercises and it's KILLING me. In a good way, I'm sure, but damn it's tough.

So yesterday, wednesday, I was back to cardio, and although I was already sore, I got through the program again, this time burning over 700 calories over a one hour session. Not bad.

So here's the tough part. Today I'm supposed to lift again. Did I mention OWWW? I'm not sure how this is going to work. I've promised myself that if I can't get through the exercises, I'll hit the treadmill so at least I'll burn some calories, but I just don't know if I can do it. I'm SOO sore today.

So, the weight on the scale. Yes, I haven't been great about food, but I've tracked everything in spark people and considering the amount of calories I'm burning, the scale is way higher than it should be. I blame my abused muscles. I read somewhere that muscles get sore because when you work out you tear the muscle to make it stronger. Then as the muscle heals, it retains water. So that's what I'm telling myself. If not, I'd have to explain why - the week I FINALLY get back to exercising I'm actually UP 2.5 lbs from when I totally slacked off for 2 week. I'm going to give it a week or so and hopefully the scale will balance out and go back down. Of course, lunch at the sushi buffet today didn't help that water retention, I'm sure...

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

More dress shopping

220.2 (at home)

TUESDAY

Well, holly and I went to another bridal shop yesterday at lunch. This one was a sort of fancy-schmancy one in Atlanta. Unfortunately, though, I found another dress I LOVE. And another designer I want to stalk all the styles of. Oh - and I also got the pressure sales talk that I need to order NOW NOW NOW or I'll never get it in time and be able to do any alterations, even though I'm over 6 months away. I'm not going to go crazy though. I'm giving myself another 3 weeks or so to pick the "winner". Unfortunately I have a hard time just buying off the rack for two reasons 1) I'm a big girl and, even more troublesome, 2) I'm really tall - so none of the dresses hit the floor on me. So I've resigned myself that I'll have to order the dress. I'm just not ready to commit yet.

In other good news, I've done day 2 of my 'get your ass up early and work out' plan. I got up at 6:30 this morning (crazy unheard of) and did 25 minutes of strength training. Boy I know I'll be sore later this week. On tap for tomorrow morning...another 30 minutes of cardio! 2 days down, 187 days to go. :-)

So today the scale is down a bit more, though not where I want it to be for Thursday's weigh-in. If I don't go crazy today or tomorrow (no plans for that!) I should definitely see a loss, but I want it to be a good 3 lbs! It's been 3 weeks since I weighed in at WW and I want to see 3 lbs for that 3 weeks. To ensure that I really need to see the scale at 219.0 or lower, so I don' t know if that's going to happen. All I can do is chug the water, make the good decisions and pray like crazy. Honestly if I see under 220.0 thursday morning, I'll be satisfied, if not happy...

Not much else going on. Work has slowed a bit, which is a little disappointing. I do have a few small reading projects that need to get done eventually that will keep me busy if necessary, but I'm hoping to pick up a few more assignments this week.

Funny how I post so much when I'm on track... :-)

Monday, February 11, 2008

Back on the Exercise Wagon

Last WI: 222.2/WW WI 223.2/At Home WI: 220.8

MONDAY

So I was very good this weekend until last night, but I'll get to that. Friday night I actually worked until 8:30. It wasn't planned, just something that happened. Another associate needed help getting a project out the door and I had no major plans (Erik had Daniel) so I agreed to help out. Not bad for the hours anyway. I did hit McDonalds on the way home, but hadn't eaten much all day so I call that an "ok" day. Saturday I kicked butt. It was a VERY productive day. Erik had a Toastmasters meeting so I agreed to watch Daniel for a few hours during the day. After a bit of Wii (he is addicted, that boy) we went out and ran all the errands I had on my list. When we came home we played a bit more Wii (I rented two games, so I encourage his addiction I guess). Then Erik came home and I ran out to meet Holly to look at invitations for the wedding. I ended up ordering very cute poker invitations. I'm very excited about them, I'm supposed to get the proof today. I'm not excited about the price, but everything about weddings seems expensive.

After invitations, I met with my realtor, and signed what I think will be the final contract on our house. They accepted our final offer that went out on Thursday. We are set to close on March 18, so the next month is going to be CRAZY. After meeting with the realtor, I came home and ran on the treadmill. Nothing fabulous, but I did make a whole mile before walking. Considering my significant lapse in exercise commitment, I'll take it. I ended up covering 2 1/2 miles I think. not bad.

Sunday I got up before church (the EARLY) service even, and lifted with my new weights I bought at Walmart on Saturday. Boy am I feeling it today. I did just upper body and I knew I'd be sore in my legs from the run. Then we went to church. Then Holly, Erik, me and Daniel went back to our wedding facility for thier "wedding extravaganza". Basically I got to try their food, make some final decisions on chair covers/centerpieces, and show Erik the whole place. I think he liked, but I also don't think he cares too much.

After that Erik & Daniel went home and Holly & I went to IKEA. I LOVE IKEA, but I just get very overwhelmed in there. We were there b/c Holly need to by a dresser, and I wanted to look at bookshelves for the new house. I didn't buy any because obviously we haven't closed, but I think I know what I want if things all go as planned.

After that Erik and I went home and played Wii baseball until 12:30 in the morning. I had rented a baseball game because I know he likes the Wii Sports baseball game. I don't love it and should have known it would frustrate the hell out of me. He beat me 3 games in a row and we did one more that I think he let me win. I was SO frustrated. I hate being a sore loser, but I'm so competitive, it's hard to stop sometimes. I appologized for being so frustrated and I know he forgives me and understands, but sheesh. Get over it cindy - it's just a GAME.

Ah - can't stop my competitive nature I guess.

But yesterday was full of bad food choices. I didn't do so bad for breakfast - had an egg on a english muffin, but lunch was burger king and dinner was the Varsity (a really greasy drive-in in Atlanta) with taste testing in between on the site. Oh and 4 beers while playing Wii w/Erik. So not necessary. I'm so mad at myself, especially for the beer, because it really is a waste. Yes, I like the taste of beer, but 4 beers over 4 hours isn't going to affect me at all, and it's just wasted calories. When will I learn....

Today I plan to have a very low point day. I saw as low as 219.2 yesterday on the scale, so today's number is understandable but a disappointment. I really want to see a good loss on Thursday so now's the time to get things in the right direction. I do have dinner plans with my "mentor" at work, but I've already vowed to order a salad. Hopefully I can stick to that....

Friday, November 2, 2007

Good Work Out

Last WI: 216.8/At Home WI: 220.8 (dehydrated)

FRIDAY

Today was a good day. I got up late, caught up on some TiVo, had a healthy lunch of turkey sandwich and an apple, then hit the road for some errands. After a pedicure and a couple hours at Barnes & Noble, I hit the gym and had a great workout. I did 2 miles on the treadmill and lifted a bunch. Not my best workout, but since I've only been once inthe last 3 weeks, it's a victory for me.

Came home and had a good dinner of tuna casserole, green beans, celery and dip. Very low point day today. I'm hoping to hit the road running with this week and a good sign on the scale tomorrow. Here's to a good weekend!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Good Weekend Considering...

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 220.2 (woo hoo!)

MONDAY

I had a great weekend with only a few slips. Friday I executed my plan FLAWLESSLY! I had a salad for lunch with the Bride. I then went to the gym after work and ran 2 miles, walked 0.5 miles, and did some time on the elliptical for a total of over 600 calories burned (6 APs!). Then, ... GET THIS... I STAYED HOME friday night. Wow. Shocker. lol. The Bride invited me to go out for a movie with her and the roomie, and I declined. I was pooped after my work out and had a great dinner consisting of a tuna sandwich and some veggies. Great day.

Saturday I woke up to 220.4 on the scale, but it was the "slip day". Though not horrible at all. I started it off with a balance bar for breakfast (4pts) and then went to the gym and did a GREAT 3 mile run - fastest I've done in a long while, though not at all my best time. I then went to the grocery store and spent way too much stocking up on good food for the week. After that, the slip. I was supposed to go to the mall of Georgia with the Bride, but she got caught up doing bride stuff with her mom and didn't get done in time. So last minute I decided to go play poker at Three Dollar. Well, that was fine - I ate before I went and "allotted" myself 3-4 beers worth of points. Well, 3 hours and 5 beers later, a group of us decide to move the party to the Bride's house, and hang some more. Well, 4 hours, 4 slices of pizza and 5 MORE beers later, I'm headed home. Not horrible, but definitely not what I had planned initially for the evening. I had a good time though and didn't use ALL of my flex points in one day. lol. I still had 5 left going into Sunday.

Then Sunday - the perfect day. :-) Morning scale hopping showed 222.2 - to be expected after the "slip" Saturday, but I woke up to Erik and Daniel playing, and we went to church. I drove separately and had a balance bar on the way so I could go straight to the gym after church. I had a real tough run on Saturday so I opted to let my legs heal a bit and do the elliptical. 64 minutes and 1000 calories burned later, I was pooped. Went home, had a great lunch of steamed shrimp, rice and Green beans, then napped until 3:00. Headed to a friends house for a poker tournament and picked up Subway on the way for when I got hungry a couple hours in. All in all, I ate exactly my target points (28), earned 10 APs, but didn't eat a single one. Fabulous day.

So all in all it was a good weekend for me. Of late I've not counted points, splurged Thursday Friday and Saturday and had to try to make up for it on a hung over Sunday. Not this time. Only one "splurge" and it was controlled. Felt great on Sunday and had a great day then too. I'm very pleased, and hope to repeat this feat repeatedly. lol.

So today - I saw the scale down 2lbs, I think this could be a great week! 3 days will WI and I'm totally hoping for a 2+lb loss. I CAN do it. I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast with fresh tomato (5pts), 2 plums for a snack this morning (1pt) and am still figuring out lunch. The scary risk is tonight. We have our Monday poker league and we're hosting it at my house tonight. I generally like to have a beer or two with Monday poker, and I'll be providing some yummy (read fattening) snacks for the crew. So, the plan is this. I've got 22 pts remaining for the day. If I use 10 or so for lunch (subway anyone?) and get in some weight training after work (2APs) that leaves 14 for tonight. I'll have a filling dinner of something with lots of veggies, and try to save myself 4-6 pts for beer/snacks. I really should just avoid the beer. 2-3 beers isn't enough to even get me buzzed (sickly high tolerance) so it's really wasted calories. I wonder how strong my will power is. I'm going to have to think on it. The good thing is I've got some fresh broccoli and light dip I can put out that I love, so I'll have a healthy snack to choose. It's the beer that tempts me... Oh the life of an alcoholic.

Well, that's about it. I've got 110 days till the bridesmaid dress. I would LOVE to be in Onederland for the wedding. Here's hoping!

Monday, April 16, 2007

Great Indulgent Weekend in Atlanta!

Last WI: 214.2/ At Home WI: 217.2 (ick)

MONDAY

Well, this weekend was wonderful. And of course I'm paying for it on the scale. :-( But - it's better today than yesterday. Yesterday morning I saw 219.2. That was mostly dehydration, however. Friday I left work early and had lunch with Holly in Fayetteville. We went to Bugaboo Creek and I did "ok", but definitely not great. I had my favorite "Twin Peaks Sandwich" which is basically chicken, and moz cheese on cuban style bread. Not horrible, but I should have only eaten half of it. I also had a salad with ranch on the side (2pts) and some mashed potatoes (counted at 4pts) and bread (umm. yeah - like 6 pts). It was very good - but I shouldn't have splurged for lunch since I knew I was going out for dinner and drinks.

Friday evening I had the best intentions of hitting the hotel gym once we got up to Atlanta while Erik was in his meeting with my lawyer friend. But, we got to talking, and I ended up staying with him through the meeting. It was great catching up with an old friend. Then we went to a "tapas" restaurant for dinner. So - good, but definitely too much food and drink. Out to a club after that, where we got blitzed, but could walk back to the hotel. Very good times. I can only estimate points, but I went WAY over of course.

Saturday I had Fellini's for lunch in Atlanta - one of those restaurants I don't get very often now that I've moved out of the city. It's a great pizza joint, and my typical order of salad and one (large!) slice of pizza is about 15 pts. Then we were off to the poker tournament. I had some beer and they had chick-fil-a for dinner, so I went over again, but not as bad as Friday. Lots of fun. I ended up in 19th place out of about 120 players. Not enough for money - but just enough to be disappointed in no money. Oh well - I had a great time. Erik busted out much earlier - like about 50th, but hung out and cheered me on.

Sunday was a catch up day. We slept till almost noon! Then it was time to hit the grocery store and stock up for the week. I did very well. I almost got out of there under $100 but ended up at $109. I hate grocery shopping as I never seem to be able to spend under $100 no matter how long or short my list is! After grocery shopping I prepped my salads for the week, and then had to do my taxes. I know - I know - very late. For some reason, this year, I just couldn't get myself on it earlier. I usually have them done in February, but this year I just kept putting it off. Unfortunately my procrastination cost me a work out because I had hoped to get to the gym before our 4:00 poker tournament. No such luck. The Sunday tournament went till 10:00. Erik won and I got 4th (out of 8) so it was a fun night. After that I had to finish my taxes and get to bed.

Today is another "trial week" but after calendar call this morning, it doesn't look like any of my cases are going to trial. Which is good because I have a brief due on Thursday for the Supreme Court and really need this week to finish that.

Today's plan is to eat as few points as possible and "try" to get a work out in. Again I have a poker tournament tonight to go to - this one I help host - so I'm going to have to get out of work early to make it to the gym. Since I'm not trying any cases, though, that might be possible. I've had 4 pts so far today. I'd love to finish the day around 20-24 and get 10AP's. That will help counter-act this weekends "free-for all"

I do get to report that even though I totally over-indulged this weekend, I still tracked. So I'm on course for my 84 days of tracking challenge. I definitely had to "guesstimate" on Friday nights points A) because it was Tapas - weird food i wouldn't normally know the points for, and B) I had a lot too much to drink and don't remember the end of the night too well. Oh well - It's in the book, for better or for worse.

My goal to start lifting weights hasn't work out too well either. Maybe I can get that in today, but in reality if I get to the gym at all priority is as many AP as possible in my short time frame. That equals running! Which is good since I haven't run since Tuesday last week, or done any cardio since Wednesday last week. Gotta get back on that horse!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Re-evaluated

Ok, so I've been really mulling over my frustration about today's weight and I've come to the conclusion that maybe I deserve this. Ok, not maybe - I DO deserve this. In reality I dodged a bullet last week. I went back into e-tools and entered all my food for the last 3 weeks. I have been "tracking" for 5 weeks, but in my personal journal and not putting it all in e-tools. That exercise has helped me not get off track too far when I do, but I haven't really been calculating my weekly points allowance. If I'm OP one day, I generally try to stay at my target points, knowing that my extra flex points will be used on the days I stray. On those days I journal, but don't really figure out how many flex points I have left, or how far in the hole I've gone.

Well, e-tools did it for me. The cool thing about e-tools is that you can look at the "weekly" view. I put in the last few weeks, and checked out my weeks. Well, it's true that this week I did pretty well. My friday binge used up my flex points and then some, but I ended the week only negative 28 points in the hole. BUT, I had 17 AP that were never swapped or eaten. So in reality I only went over 11 points for the week. Not bad really - that's 1-2 pts per day. This is why I hoped for a loss this week.

But - if we back UP a week, we see that the week prior, I went over my points by 86. Yes 86!! and I only earned 10 AP for the week, and they were used the day I got them. So, in reality the fact that I lost 0.6 last week was crazy. I mean I totally deserved a 1-2 lb gain. It was some fluke of the scale last Thursday that put me at the 214.6 number. So - let's say I had gained 1.4 last week instead of lost .6 (a realistic assumption). I would have been at 216.6. So - if today I'm under that (I hope I am!) then I should consider that a "loss" from this week, right?

I know - I'm playing with the numbers, but I've got to rationalize it somehow. I can't believe that in a week I went over by 86 points I deserve to lose .6 but in a week I only went over 11, I deserve to gain. That just doesn't fly with my logical brain. So I've got to believe last week's WI was a fluke - that I just got "lucky" and that this week I'm really doing better. AND that NEXT week, if I can stay close to "even" and not go over, I will see a good loss. Right?

Another thing I've been pondering lately is metabolism. It's frustrating because last time I did WW seriously, in 2001, the weight literally fell off. I mean I think I had 2-3 gains over the 4 months it took me to get to goal. I had lots of weeks where I lost 2 lbs and 3 lbs. Losses I would DIE for now. I was 23 then. I'm 29 now. Does metabolism change that much? Is it just that I've lost it once and gained it back that my body doesn't want to do it again? Is it metabolism or am I not doing the program as religiously? I feel like it can't be the last possibility because I specifically remember the first go-around that even if I went over up to 30 pts from my "banked" points (used Winning Points back then) I still had around a 2 lb loss. I really think my metabolism has changed.

So - I'm going to TRY to get back into lifting weights. I did that back then, and I know that is the only proven way to increase metabolism (without chemical help). For some reason, though, this time around I just hate lifting. I've gotten back into exercising and am averaging at least 2, usually 3 times per week running or doing other cardio, but weight training just has no appeal to me. I know the scientific reasons it's good though, so maybe this week's mini-goal will be to get in 3 weight training sessions. It looks like the first will be Sunday (maybe Saturday, but unlikely). That will leave me needing 2 more Mon-Wed. I'm going to see if I can do it. Along with my running/cardio of course.

Ok - now that I'm a little more centered about today's weight, hopefully the WI won't screw me up too much. I know we're going out tonight. I know I'm going to drink. But I'm going to try to reign it in. I know tomorrow night is going to be indulgent to, so hopefully I won't go tooo overboard tonight..

Here's hoping.

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