Muscles are Good

I didn't work out yesterday, since I had this awful headache all day. I left work early, came home to bed and did nothing. So today I felt a little sluggish, but I got back on track by taking the dogs for a walk and then later on, I did biceps, triceps and shoulders. I am starting to feel stronger, noticing that it feels pretty good to remember my muscles. Nice.

Will I Ever Learn?!

I am a very, VERY, slow learner. Yesterday, I went out for lunch with two work friends and we went to Earl's. I had good intentions going in, because I knew that I was also going out for supper to the Keg. Knowing that the Keg would mean a fairly big meal, I HAD intended to eat a reasonable lunch, maybe a salad. When we got there, we all decided to have appetizers for lunch: calamari, chicken fingers and fries and spinach dip with pita. I thought, "Hmmm, this will be fine. I'll just a bit of everything and not overdo it." That was ok, I felt pretty good after the appies.

Then we decided to have dessert, at which point my little spidey sense said, "Um, maybe we shouldn't, or maybe just share one with the three of us." Instead, we ordered three desserts, and instead of recognizing that having the equivalent of one giant dessert, made up mostly of ice cream, was a very bad idea - I dove right in and ate a bunch of ice cream. On the plus side, I did have fun at lunch, but my body was very unhappy with me about an hour later.

The moral of this story is that I cannot eat tons of dairy. I've known this for years, that's why I buy Lactaid instead of regular milk. And yet I still manage to do this to myself every once in a while, and every time I swear that I won't do it again.

Lesson: Just because I have given myself permission to eat whatever I want, does not mean that I SHOULD eat whatever I want. I.e. copious amounts of dairy.

To make matters worse, I had too much food at supper and felt ill for the rest of the evening. I didn't want to be rude by not finishing what was on my plate, since we were being 'treated' by our friend's parents. When will I learn?

Image source: http://www.freefoto.com/

Challenges Ahead

Well, it looks like I will be taking two courses in May and June, which means that I will be in class four nights a week from 5 - 8 p.m. This somewhat throws a wrench into my current workout plan, but I think that I can modify it to keep the resistance training and the cardio through the 7 week period. This is just another challenge that I can meet.

I'm pretty excited that I'm almost finally done my degree. This is a goal that I set a few years ago, and it will be officially done by the end of this June. This feels really good. It also means that I will be able to focus more on my fitness and health goals, once I have one less goal on my plate. Granted, as my husband says, "You'll fill up your time just as much with other stuff when you're done school." He is consistenty right about these types of things - as I'm already planning to decorate and paint the house, do some leisure reading, and maybe start writing my novel, in addition to getting into the best shape of my life.

I tend to be happier when I'm busier, even though I consistently deny this and try to have too much down time.

Image source: FreeFoto.com

It's all about the balance, between working hard, playing hard and resting.

Down a Bit More

Well I'm at 295.8, which is about a pound from last week. BUT, I took measurements last night and I'm down a few inches from September 2008. So I'm not as discouraged about the weight thing, if the inches keep coming off. I lost 2 inches off my chest, 1 inch off my waist, and 1.5 inches off my hips. In fact, when I compared my measurements with ones from when I weighed 281, I am actually smaller not, even though I weight 14 pounds more. Of course, that's not to say that I'm not going to lose weight, but I am going to be a bit less obsessed with the scale. I am content indeed!

I dug out a fitness cookbook, but I'm not sure if it's going to fly. J and I are approaching this as modifying activity the most, and eating sensibly, not 100% clean all the time. I'd like to make sure that I have the activity down before I start messing with food. Although I am trying to eat smart, and eat enough of the good stuff so that I don't crave as much of the less good stuff.

A Few Things

It has been a nice long weekend. We had both sets of parents over for a big dinner on Friday, and we all had fun playing Wii bowling and golf. I like that the Wii gives us new entertainment options rather than always playing cards.

We've gone to the gym all weekend, swimming, upper body, and today I went for a walk with my friend B. I used the rowing machine for the first time for a warm-up on our upper body day and that thing is incredible! I assumed that it would be mostly upper body warming, but today by thighs and hips are feeling like they got put through their paces. I also really like our cross-training approach using different exercises and cardio workouts.

Things I would like to do

There are many things that I am looking forward to doing as I lose weight. Some of you may think these are silly, or odd, if you've never been heavy or larger. The reason I thought of this list was because I shaved my legs last night, which I usually avoid, since I barely ever show my legs, and shaving in a pain.

So here's my big ole list, no pun intended:

• wearing dresses without bike shorts


• being able to have the same clothes fit from year to year, instead of the dreaded, "Crap, this fit last spring. Dammit!"


• buying nicer clothes that will last, instead of disposable ones
  
• hiking, basketball, volleyball, walking, jogging, etc. (Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/950697)


• not having to take acid reflux medicine
  
• no more aches and pains (back, neck, knee, feet, etc.)


• sleeping better and not snoring as much
  
• shopping the smaller/smallest sizes in plus size stores - you know you need to get crackin when you can't shop in some plus size sections or stores anymore.


• people noticing that I'm losing weight


• seeing people I haven't seen in a while - you know, you don't see someone for a few years and you gain a bunch of weight during that time, and you know that they know, and you feel self-conscious
  
• keeping up with my husband and friends


• fitting nicely in an airplane seat and being able to easily walk down the aisles and move in the airplane bathroom


• fitting comfortably in all restaurant chairs and booths, not having to worry as I'm approaching the booth and wondering if I'll fit


• not being so tired all the time


• tying my shoes with ease


• shaving my legs


• weighing less than J, who is much taller than I am
  

Spring Time

I am so glad that spring has arrived (knock on wood)! The snow has really been melting and it gives me hope that the warmer weather will stay. Of the many flowers that I love, lilies are a favorite.

Warmer weather means more outdoor activity, like walking the dogs and sitting on the back deck. Being on an acreage is nice for enjoying nature and taking in the fresh air.

And let's not forget barbecue season. My favorite bbq is kabobs, with lots of vegetables, particularly mushrooms. Yummy!

Yesterday I was reflecting on my change in attitude towards food. For many years, I looked at food as "good" or "bad" and during my "good" times I would count calories religiously, only to fall off the wagon and overeat. It seemed that by labelling food in that way, it made me a little crazy about it, and the more I swore off a certain food, like chocolate, the more of it I would eat.

In my new approach, I am taking a bit of a different path. I am not swearing off any food, but instead listening to my body and its needs. I am thinking about food as fuel, a vital component to my well-being, not something to be afraid of. So while I may keep track of my measurements, weight, body fat and activity, I will no longer obsess about calories.