Hip-hip-hooray for the holiday season. It’s full of good friends, celebrations, parties, family and of course ridiculous temptation in the form of excessive food and drink. I’d like to say I’m immune to the charms of spinach dip, chips, pigs in a blanket, breakfast casseroles, champagne, margaritas and wine, but I’m not. Really, I don’t think anyone can say they don’t partake a little bit more in their “no-no foods” this time of year. I sure did.
Yes, I know, I’m on a diet. For the most part, I’ve stuck to it. I’ve religiously brought my lunch to work, haven’t missed a training session with Rob and have been going to the gym whenever possible. However, I’m a gal with a lot of friends and social obligations over the holidays. I had parties to attend every weekend. I had dinners with friends. I had family get-togethers. It felt like hardly a day went by where I didn’t have something I had to do. And of course with the parties come the food and booze. And I don’t care if you have Herculean willpower; you’re going to have a few glasses of champagne and some nibbles off the cheese platter. Again, I did.
But the good news is that despite all of my holiday cheer, I still managed to lose weight in December. Sure, I didn’t lose the numbers I’d lost in October and November, but I still lost and didn’t gain. It’s reassuring to know I can get through this holiday season, and therefore future holiday seasons without doing any serious damage. I know I have to get to the gym whenever possible, stick to the diet whenever possible and just sample the goodies. I’ll be fine next year, I know it.
Now that the holidays are wrapping up, I’m fully committed to dropping big numbers in the next few months. This means getting the gym at least 5, if not 6 days a week, cutting the booze out again and keeping my meal plan on point. It shouldn’t be too hard because when the weather is crummy there’s nothing going on socially so I’ll have tons of time to focus on myself. I had my fun in December. Now is the time to refocus and get down to weight loss business.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Turkish What?
Turkish Get Ups. My new favorite exercise.
Yesterday Mandi was not able to make it to training so I had Rob all to myself. In his eyes, it was the perfect time to introduce a new move into our training program – The Turkish Get Up. Rob says that basic kettlebell swings and the Turkish Get Ups are the foundation for our kettlebell training program. Once we master the Turkish Get Up, we’ll be well on our way to hardcore kettlebell stuff. I like it!
Learning the Turkish Get Up? Not so easy for my uncoordinated ass, so it’s a good thing I had Rob alone yesterday to work with me on it. For the uninitiated, the Turkish Get Up combines pretty much every exercise we’ve been working on into one, fluid motion. I start with lying on my back. Next I do kind of a sit up. Then I swing a leg behind me to get into a lunge position. Finally, I lunge up to a standing position. Once you’re up, you do the whole thing in reverse. Oh yes, all while keeping a kettlebell above your head.
I’m super into the Turkish Get Up. It works my arms, abs, butt, back and legs. Really, it’s a pretty compete body workout. And its fun! Never, in a million years would I ever say working out is fun. I’m quite possibly the laziest person on the face of the planet, so for ME to say working out is fun, well… It’s kind of like the apocalypse. Or maybe now that I’m down some poundage, I like working up a sweat? Or maybe I just really vibe on the kettlebells. Who knows? At this point, who cares??
Rob was all kinds of happy about teaching me the Turkish Get Up. In previous training sessions, he’d been making me do all kinds of lunges, squats, bridges, etc… all to get my body to understand how to move the right way so when he teaches me things like the Turkish Get Up, my muscles will instinctively know what they’re supposed to do. It all clicks! You have to do the boring, not so fun leg work to work up to the cool kettlebell moves.
I can’t wait to learn more and more kettlebell activities. Bring.It.On.
Yesterday Mandi was not able to make it to training so I had Rob all to myself. In his eyes, it was the perfect time to introduce a new move into our training program – The Turkish Get Up. Rob says that basic kettlebell swings and the Turkish Get Ups are the foundation for our kettlebell training program. Once we master the Turkish Get Up, we’ll be well on our way to hardcore kettlebell stuff. I like it!
Learning the Turkish Get Up? Not so easy for my uncoordinated ass, so it’s a good thing I had Rob alone yesterday to work with me on it. For the uninitiated, the Turkish Get Up combines pretty much every exercise we’ve been working on into one, fluid motion. I start with lying on my back. Next I do kind of a sit up. Then I swing a leg behind me to get into a lunge position. Finally, I lunge up to a standing position. Once you’re up, you do the whole thing in reverse. Oh yes, all while keeping a kettlebell above your head.
I’m super into the Turkish Get Up. It works my arms, abs, butt, back and legs. Really, it’s a pretty compete body workout. And its fun! Never, in a million years would I ever say working out is fun. I’m quite possibly the laziest person on the face of the planet, so for ME to say working out is fun, well… It’s kind of like the apocalypse. Or maybe now that I’m down some poundage, I like working up a sweat? Or maybe I just really vibe on the kettlebells. Who knows? At this point, who cares??
Rob was all kinds of happy about teaching me the Turkish Get Up. In previous training sessions, he’d been making me do all kinds of lunges, squats, bridges, etc… all to get my body to understand how to move the right way so when he teaches me things like the Turkish Get Up, my muscles will instinctively know what they’re supposed to do. It all clicks! You have to do the boring, not so fun leg work to work up to the cool kettlebell moves.
I can’t wait to learn more and more kettlebell activities. Bring.It.On.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Just About Halfway There
To date I’ve lost 45 lbs. FORTY FIVE FREAKING POUNDS! That’s almost halfway to my goal of losing 100 lbs. I can’t believe it. That’s crazy, especially since I only started working out with Rob at the end of September. So what… 45 lbs in about 3 months??? That’s like, Biggest Loser-esque weight loss.
While my success has been awesome, there are still some things that bug me. I’m nowhere near close to looking the way I want to look. I still feel really fat. I’m not at the pants size I want to be wearing. I’m not jogging. And if I’m being honest? I still hate my body. It sucks to have all of that success and still not be happy with your looks.
But I’m going to get there. I just need to keep plugging away, sticking to the diet and working out. Rob told me that he’s going to do his job as a trainer to keep upping the intensity at the gym, so its my responsibility to keep upping the intensity on the diet.
I wonder what I’ll look like when I do lose 100 lbs. Will I look “not fat?” Will I be happy? Only time will tell…
While my success has been awesome, there are still some things that bug me. I’m nowhere near close to looking the way I want to look. I still feel really fat. I’m not at the pants size I want to be wearing. I’m not jogging. And if I’m being honest? I still hate my body. It sucks to have all of that success and still not be happy with your looks.
But I’m going to get there. I just need to keep plugging away, sticking to the diet and working out. Rob told me that he’s going to do his job as a trainer to keep upping the intensity at the gym, so its my responsibility to keep upping the intensity on the diet.
I wonder what I’ll look like when I do lose 100 lbs. Will I look “not fat?” Will I be happy? Only time will tell…
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thumbs Up for My Trainer
My trainer Rob is a crazy man. Crazy in the best way possible.
There are so many reasons why I love training with Rob. I think it’s time to sing his praises, because while yes, I’m the one that’s sweating it out and dieting, he’s the one who’s given me the tools to make it happen.
1. Rob is prepared. The man comes to each and every session with a full workout planned out and written down for Mandi and me. Granted, he’s the only trainer I’ve ever worked with, but friends have told me their trainers have a tendency to be disorganized, unprepared and just kind of go with the flow every time they meet. Not the case with Rob. I like the idea that he puts thought into my workout sessions to maximize my weight loss.
2. Rob isn’t annoying. Sounds weird, but there is nothing more distracting than when someone is acting like an overgrown cheerleader telling me, “Yeah! You can do it!” Rob doesn’t do any of that crap. He’ll talk me through some particularly tough circuits, but for the most part he lets me just focus on the workout. I suppose if I was the type of gal that needed a long-haired male cheerleader to get me through a workout, he would gladly act the part, but I’m sure he’s happy that I’m pretty low-key and he can just coach me.
3. Rob keeps up the intensity. He really pays attention to when the workouts are getting too easy for Mandi and me and increases the durations, intensity and difficulty accordingly. I’m pretty sure he knows that when Mandi and I have the extra energy to crack jokes and laugh that we’re ready to be pushed to the next level and he makes sure to crank it up a notch. I usually hate myself when he increases our workouts, which happens a lot, but we can’t get complacent and comfortable when weight loss is the goal.
4. Rob is fun. Honestly, I would work out with an evil troll if I was getting results, but its icing on the cake when you have a trainer who’s actually a cool, nice guy. He has a great sense of humor, lets me make “your mom” jokes at his expense and doesn’t mind when we tease him about his long hair. And he dishes it right back.
5. Rob cares. At least I think he does. When I came into the gym in an emotional meltdown state, he listened to me cry. He came to our Halloween party. He tells us all the time that we’re doing great. When I hurt my shoulder, he texted me the next day to make sure I was okay. I just get the feeling that he’s invested in our weight loss almost as much as Mandi and me. He wants to see us succeed and live happy and healthy lives.
So yeah. Rob is pretty fantastic. I’m so grateful I have him around to train me, motivate me and be along for the ride on this weight loss journey.
There are so many reasons why I love training with Rob. I think it’s time to sing his praises, because while yes, I’m the one that’s sweating it out and dieting, he’s the one who’s given me the tools to make it happen.
1. Rob is prepared. The man comes to each and every session with a full workout planned out and written down for Mandi and me. Granted, he’s the only trainer I’ve ever worked with, but friends have told me their trainers have a tendency to be disorganized, unprepared and just kind of go with the flow every time they meet. Not the case with Rob. I like the idea that he puts thought into my workout sessions to maximize my weight loss.
2. Rob isn’t annoying. Sounds weird, but there is nothing more distracting than when someone is acting like an overgrown cheerleader telling me, “Yeah! You can do it!” Rob doesn’t do any of that crap. He’ll talk me through some particularly tough circuits, but for the most part he lets me just focus on the workout. I suppose if I was the type of gal that needed a long-haired male cheerleader to get me through a workout, he would gladly act the part, but I’m sure he’s happy that I’m pretty low-key and he can just coach me.
3. Rob keeps up the intensity. He really pays attention to when the workouts are getting too easy for Mandi and me and increases the durations, intensity and difficulty accordingly. I’m pretty sure he knows that when Mandi and I have the extra energy to crack jokes and laugh that we’re ready to be pushed to the next level and he makes sure to crank it up a notch. I usually hate myself when he increases our workouts, which happens a lot, but we can’t get complacent and comfortable when weight loss is the goal.
4. Rob is fun. Honestly, I would work out with an evil troll if I was getting results, but its icing on the cake when you have a trainer who’s actually a cool, nice guy. He has a great sense of humor, lets me make “your mom” jokes at his expense and doesn’t mind when we tease him about his long hair. And he dishes it right back.
5. Rob cares. At least I think he does. When I came into the gym in an emotional meltdown state, he listened to me cry. He came to our Halloween party. He tells us all the time that we’re doing great. When I hurt my shoulder, he texted me the next day to make sure I was okay. I just get the feeling that he’s invested in our weight loss almost as much as Mandi and me. He wants to see us succeed and live happy and healthy lives.
So yeah. Rob is pretty fantastic. I’m so grateful I have him around to train me, motivate me and be along for the ride on this weight loss journey.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Meltdown
I was home for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday and had the chance to see some extended family members who haven’t seen me since I’ve lost a significant amount of weight (37 lbs at last weigh-in, but probably more like 40 now). They were all so great, telling me how wonderful I look and what a great job I’m doing with the weight loss. It felt awesome. I mean, I HAVE been busting my butt over the past few months and I’ve had incredible success. Shoot, sometimes even I can’t believe how far I’ve come in such a short period of time. I’m down 3 pants sizes. That’s pretty cool.
My mom, who has been so supportive of me through this weight loss process, told me that she’d take me to Old Navy to buy me a few new things. Like any woman who loves shopping and now has a pretty small wardrobe, I said, “Heck yes!” So off to Old Navy we drove to hunt for some jeans and maybe a new top or two.
I grabbed a bunch of pants and some shirts and headed to the dressing room. That’s where things took a turn for the worse. I don’t know if I’m not meant to wear Old Navy pants or what, but they all looked terrible. One size is too big, one size is too small. They’re cut wrong. They’re baggy in places and tight in others. It just wasn’t what I wanted to see. I was so frustrated because I had all kinds of high hopes that I would walk out with an amazing pair of jeans that would make me feel hot and stylish. Mission failed.
I think what was making me more upset than a cheap pair of jeans not fitting me correctly was that even though I’ve lost a bunch of weight, I still hate the way I look. I’m not happy with my body. Every rational part of my mind tells me that losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint, and that I can’t expect to lose the amount of weight I need to lose in such a short period of time, but my irrational, emotional side just wants to be thin already. I’ve lived my whole life overweight. Don’t I deserve to have one moment of shopping happiness and really like the way I look?
So needless to say I’ve had a really hard weekend, emotionally. I haven’t worked out. I haven’t really wanted to leave my apartment. I’ve cried a lot. I’m not eating poorly, which is a good thing, but I’m certainly not taking any strides to get my ass in gear and exercise. Right or wrong, I think it’s what I need right now. I have a training appointment with Rob tomorrow, so I have no choice but to haul my butt to the gym, but honestly? Right now, I’m okay wallowing.
My mom, who has been so supportive of me through this weight loss process, told me that she’d take me to Old Navy to buy me a few new things. Like any woman who loves shopping and now has a pretty small wardrobe, I said, “Heck yes!” So off to Old Navy we drove to hunt for some jeans and maybe a new top or two.
I grabbed a bunch of pants and some shirts and headed to the dressing room. That’s where things took a turn for the worse. I don’t know if I’m not meant to wear Old Navy pants or what, but they all looked terrible. One size is too big, one size is too small. They’re cut wrong. They’re baggy in places and tight in others. It just wasn’t what I wanted to see. I was so frustrated because I had all kinds of high hopes that I would walk out with an amazing pair of jeans that would make me feel hot and stylish. Mission failed.
I think what was making me more upset than a cheap pair of jeans not fitting me correctly was that even though I’ve lost a bunch of weight, I still hate the way I look. I’m not happy with my body. Every rational part of my mind tells me that losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint, and that I can’t expect to lose the amount of weight I need to lose in such a short period of time, but my irrational, emotional side just wants to be thin already. I’ve lived my whole life overweight. Don’t I deserve to have one moment of shopping happiness and really like the way I look?
So needless to say I’ve had a really hard weekend, emotionally. I haven’t worked out. I haven’t really wanted to leave my apartment. I’ve cried a lot. I’m not eating poorly, which is a good thing, but I’m certainly not taking any strides to get my ass in gear and exercise. Right or wrong, I think it’s what I need right now. I have a training appointment with Rob tomorrow, so I have no choice but to haul my butt to the gym, but honestly? Right now, I’m okay wallowing.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Shopping Success
I was in desperate need of some new, moderately stylish clothes since I have absolutely nothing in my closet these days that fits my newly shrunken body.
Enter Kenosha outlet malls!
I was able to snag a few dresses to wear to work and a really cute dress for my company holiday party. Yeah, yeah... all fine and great, but the best part? I now fit into regular sized clothing easily. That's a big deal for me. I was always in 85% plus sized clothes with a smattering of things I could pick up at Target or Old Navy that just happen to run really big, but now EVERYTHING fits in the regular stores.
It's pretty awesome.
Enter Kenosha outlet malls!
I was able to snag a few dresses to wear to work and a really cute dress for my company holiday party. Yeah, yeah... all fine and great, but the best part? I now fit into regular sized clothing easily. That's a big deal for me. I was always in 85% plus sized clothes with a smattering of things I could pick up at Target or Old Navy that just happen to run really big, but now EVERYTHING fits in the regular stores.
It's pretty awesome.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Doing My Part to Motivate the Masses
I’ve never, ever been inspiration for someone else, however, with this weight loss journey, I find more and more people telling me that I’ve made them motivated to start working out and eating better. It’s kind of a trip!
My co-worker D, who is overweight, told me yesterday that her 5-year-old daughter was watching TV with her husband and a diet pill commercial came on. The daughter said, “Mommy should use that. She’s so big!” The co-worker’s husband told D about the exchange with their daughter, so D decided to ask her daughter about it. She said, “Do you think Mommy is too big? Are you embarrassed by me?” The daughter replied truthfully, as we all know kids are prone to do, with a “Yes. Sometimes you embarrass me.”
D continued to say that hearing that statement from her daughter was her “wow” moment. The moment where something flips in your brain and you know that you are going to do whatever it takes to lose the weight. She said she had done it before with the assistance of fen-phen, but fen-phen is a crazy drug that causes potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems and eventually led to their withdrawal and legal damages of over $13 billion. Yeah. Not healthy. This time she’s joining Weight Watchers and is really motivated to lose the weight the right way. She said she’s seen how well I’m doing with my diet and exercise plan and I’ve inspired her to get on board with losing weight.
I told D that I know how hard it is to diet. Food isn’t fun anymore. It’s looked at something to fuel your body. The days of eating fast food and pizza and soda and sugary coffee drinks are over. I also said that I’d be willing to talk to her whenever she’s having a hard time with the diet, walk with her on our lunch hour… whatever it takes. My friends and family have been so unbelievably supportive of my weight loss that I can only hope to be supportive of another person’s journey, too.
My co-worker D, who is overweight, told me yesterday that her 5-year-old daughter was watching TV with her husband and a diet pill commercial came on. The daughter said, “Mommy should use that. She’s so big!” The co-worker’s husband told D about the exchange with their daughter, so D decided to ask her daughter about it. She said, “Do you think Mommy is too big? Are you embarrassed by me?” The daughter replied truthfully, as we all know kids are prone to do, with a “Yes. Sometimes you embarrass me.”
D continued to say that hearing that statement from her daughter was her “wow” moment. The moment where something flips in your brain and you know that you are going to do whatever it takes to lose the weight. She said she had done it before with the assistance of fen-phen, but fen-phen is a crazy drug that causes potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems and eventually led to their withdrawal and legal damages of over $13 billion. Yeah. Not healthy. This time she’s joining Weight Watchers and is really motivated to lose the weight the right way. She said she’s seen how well I’m doing with my diet and exercise plan and I’ve inspired her to get on board with losing weight.
I told D that I know how hard it is to diet. Food isn’t fun anymore. It’s looked at something to fuel your body. The days of eating fast food and pizza and soda and sugary coffee drinks are over. I also said that I’d be willing to talk to her whenever she’s having a hard time with the diet, walk with her on our lunch hour… whatever it takes. My friends and family have been so unbelievably supportive of my weight loss that I can only hope to be supportive of another person’s journey, too.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Living in a Perpetual State of Sore.
Since starting this whole workout plan I can’t remember a day passing where some part of my body isn’t sore. If it’s not my quads, it’s my arms. Or my shoulders. Or my abs. Or my hamstrings. Christ… Either I’m now getting the most ridiculous full-body workout or I had what could be the most untoned body of all time prior to starting Rob’s workout regime.
I shouldn’t complain. I know I’m getting an incredibly good workout and that it’s a GOOD thing that I’m feeling all these muscles I never knew I had, but seriously. When will I ever wake up, stretch and not feel sore?
I shouldn’t complain. I know I’m getting an incredibly good workout and that it’s a GOOD thing that I’m feeling all these muscles I never knew I had, but seriously. When will I ever wake up, stretch and not feel sore?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Flashin' Fashion Show
One of my girlfriends was feeling a little blue last week, so we decided to have a girlie night in at my apartment, order sushi and hang out. After we gossiped and talked for awhile I was like, "I know what will make you feel better. I'll give you guys a fashion show of all my fat clothes." Their response - "YES!"
So my three girlfriends all lined up on my bed and watched me pull on all my fat clothes. I'm talking pants that are now 2 full sizes too big, dresses that droop so low my tatas were hanging out and shirts that have armpit holes large enough to easily showcase my undergarments. Now, I know that I've lost weight, but to see how huge some of my favorite clothes had become was such a "wow" moment. Actually, truth be told I had a bit of a moment myself and got a little misty. I was so proud of how much weight I've lost (33 lbs as of Friday) and how much better I must look.
My friends were hilarious. They kept saying, "I can't believe you fit into that!" and "This is so funny!" but you know what? Its almost a little sad. Its sad that when I fit into some of those dresses and shirts, I really felt like I looked great. I know I look much better, but I still have a long road ahead of me.
Today I bagged up almost 3 garbage bags full of clothes that are just unwearable. I can belt some stuff to make it work (thank goodness dresses are pretty forgiving), but I did cave and buy a few new things. After my boss' boss told me to "Get a pair of pants that fucking fit" I went to Old Navy and bought a pair of gray dress pants and a really basic black suit. Yes, my waredrobe is pretty meager right now, but I just need a few things to get me by until I drop more weight. And when I'm down to the size I want to wear, you better watch out! I'm going to have one killer waredrobe!
So my three girlfriends all lined up on my bed and watched me pull on all my fat clothes. I'm talking pants that are now 2 full sizes too big, dresses that droop so low my tatas were hanging out and shirts that have armpit holes large enough to easily showcase my undergarments. Now, I know that I've lost weight, but to see how huge some of my favorite clothes had become was such a "wow" moment. Actually, truth be told I had a bit of a moment myself and got a little misty. I was so proud of how much weight I've lost (33 lbs as of Friday) and how much better I must look.
My friends were hilarious. They kept saying, "I can't believe you fit into that!" and "This is so funny!" but you know what? Its almost a little sad. Its sad that when I fit into some of those dresses and shirts, I really felt like I looked great. I know I look much better, but I still have a long road ahead of me.
Today I bagged up almost 3 garbage bags full of clothes that are just unwearable. I can belt some stuff to make it work (thank goodness dresses are pretty forgiving), but I did cave and buy a few new things. After my boss' boss told me to "Get a pair of pants that fucking fit" I went to Old Navy and bought a pair of gray dress pants and a really basic black suit. Yes, my waredrobe is pretty meager right now, but I just need a few things to get me by until I drop more weight. And when I'm down to the size I want to wear, you better watch out! I'm going to have one killer waredrobe!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Fat Jail - Live, from Mandi's Blog
Mandi and I were chatting on Monday after our workout about how much our lives have changed on the social front since we've been dieting. Mandi equates our new lifestyle to being in "Fat Jail." It sounds bad, but its actually not too far off from how I feel lately. And since she beat me to posting about it in her blog, I'm going to cut and paste her post from her blog found at http://www.mybigfatblogchicago.com. I couldn't have said it better myself, Mandi!
Originally posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Life's Hard When You Are In "Fat Jail"
I was having a discussion with my workout buddy Angie about how our lives have been so boring lately, because we can't be out eating and drinking and being the social butterflies that we are. It's really hard. But, I am pretty sure the constant eating out and drinking was the biggest contributor to making us fat. So, therefore, it is something that needs to be avoided at all costs. At least until we are further along in the program.
I was like, "Girl, we are in fat jail and you are just going to need to deal with it. We were really bad for a really long time and now we are being punished. That punishment is that we need to be sticking to the program for the next couple of months and if that means we don't get to go out, then we don't get to go out. All of our friends love us and support us and know we are doing this for the right reasons, so we just need to get over it and do it."
To which Angie replied, "I know, I know. But, dude, fat jail sucks."
And she is right. Fat jail does, in fact, really suck. I want to go out. Not just one night per week, but 4-5. I want to have a cocktail (or 4) every day. I want a FUCKING BURRITO. Just one. With extra everything, hold the lettuce.
I want to do all the fun and fabulous things that all of my fun and fabulous friends are doing. But, I can't. And I have accepted it. I have accepted my fat jail sentence. After all, I do deserve it. However, just like real jail, I have learned that you can make your fat jail sentence shorter with good behavior. The harder I work and the harder I stick to the plan, the faster I will meet my goal and be able to join the rest of the population. That day could not get here sooner!
Originally posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Life's Hard When You Are In "Fat Jail"
I was having a discussion with my workout buddy Angie about how our lives have been so boring lately, because we can't be out eating and drinking and being the social butterflies that we are. It's really hard. But, I am pretty sure the constant eating out and drinking was the biggest contributor to making us fat. So, therefore, it is something that needs to be avoided at all costs. At least until we are further along in the program.
I was like, "Girl, we are in fat jail and you are just going to need to deal with it. We were really bad for a really long time and now we are being punished. That punishment is that we need to be sticking to the program for the next couple of months and if that means we don't get to go out, then we don't get to go out. All of our friends love us and support us and know we are doing this for the right reasons, so we just need to get over it and do it."
To which Angie replied, "I know, I know. But, dude, fat jail sucks."
And she is right. Fat jail does, in fact, really suck. I want to go out. Not just one night per week, but 4-5. I want to have a cocktail (or 4) every day. I want a FUCKING BURRITO. Just one. With extra everything, hold the lettuce.
I want to do all the fun and fabulous things that all of my fun and fabulous friends are doing. But, I can't. And I have accepted it. I have accepted my fat jail sentence. After all, I do deserve it. However, just like real jail, I have learned that you can make your fat jail sentence shorter with good behavior. The harder I work and the harder I stick to the plan, the faster I will meet my goal and be able to join the rest of the population. That day could not get here sooner!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Broken
I knew it would happen sooner or later. Mostly because I’m not the most coordinated gal around, but also because when you dive headfirst into an exercise routine, there’s the possibility that your body might not agree with what you’re doing.
I’m injured.
Ok, I’m not REALLY injured, but I do have a sore rotator cuff that has been nagging me for about a week. It could be a lot worse. I’ve dealt with a ridiculous knee injury in the past (I tore my ACL and MCL and had almost all of the cartilage removed from my right knee after a nasty spill my freshman year in college), so I know I’m not on my deathbed or anything, but it’s annoying.
Things got particularly tough on Monday night at my training session with Rob. I was doing overhead seesaw presses and the shoulder started to really hurt and become generally uncomfortable. Rob stopped me right away and said no more overhead stuff or arm work, which frustrated me. I mean, I’m paying this dude to kick my ass, right? I WANT to do everything on the workout agenda. However, after Rob explained that he’d rather err on the side of caution because if I push too hard with a sore shoulder and actually really hurt myself, I’d be out of commission for a heck of a lot longer than just a few days. He’s right. I hate it when he’s right.
Of course I got crabby and a little mean (shocker, right?) and pissed and moaned through the rest of the workout, doing easier stuff while Mandi did the actual workout.
Yesterday? Still sore.
Today? Much better.
Rob told me he’s going to do a workout for Mandi and me today with my shoulder in mind, so I foresee many, many squats and lunges in my future. But you know what? That’s why I like working out with Rob. He adjusts to our needs and makes me not feel like a complete weakling for getting a little banged up. And you can bet your bottom dollar that tonight’s workout will be brutal even if it doesn’t have any shoulder work.
I’m injured.
Ok, I’m not REALLY injured, but I do have a sore rotator cuff that has been nagging me for about a week. It could be a lot worse. I’ve dealt with a ridiculous knee injury in the past (I tore my ACL and MCL and had almost all of the cartilage removed from my right knee after a nasty spill my freshman year in college), so I know I’m not on my deathbed or anything, but it’s annoying.
Things got particularly tough on Monday night at my training session with Rob. I was doing overhead seesaw presses and the shoulder started to really hurt and become generally uncomfortable. Rob stopped me right away and said no more overhead stuff or arm work, which frustrated me. I mean, I’m paying this dude to kick my ass, right? I WANT to do everything on the workout agenda. However, after Rob explained that he’d rather err on the side of caution because if I push too hard with a sore shoulder and actually really hurt myself, I’d be out of commission for a heck of a lot longer than just a few days. He’s right. I hate it when he’s right.
Of course I got crabby and a little mean (shocker, right?) and pissed and moaned through the rest of the workout, doing easier stuff while Mandi did the actual workout.
Yesterday? Still sore.
Today? Much better.
Rob told me he’s going to do a workout for Mandi and me today with my shoulder in mind, so I foresee many, many squats and lunges in my future. But you know what? That’s why I like working out with Rob. He adjusts to our needs and makes me not feel like a complete weakling for getting a little banged up. And you can bet your bottom dollar that tonight’s workout will be brutal even if it doesn’t have any shoulder work.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Weekend Warrior
Venturing back out into the “real world” a bit has been interesting. On one hand, I’ve had a lot of success (28 lbs!) following a super-duper strict diet, but I also miss seeing my friends on the weekends, eating at restaurants and going to bars. There has to be a happy medium somewhere out there, right?
My friend Carie was visiting from Minneapolis this weekend and I knew we’d be at bars and restaurants the whole time, but I think I did the best job possible. I stuck to egg whites with tomatoes instead of potatoes and a ½ slice of wheat toast for our brunches, sushi with no mayo, sauces or cream cheese and sashimi for dinner and limited myself to very, very few vodka sodas at the bar. Surprisingly, it was doable. Granted, I didn’t have everything I wanted, but I felt like I stuck to the diet for the most part all weekend.
My workouts did fall the wayside though. Since I had Carie with me, I didn’t hit the gym at all this weekend and I feel bloated and tired. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually looking forward to working out with Rob tomorrow. I need one hell of an ass kicking. And the good news is that I have a low-key week planned so I’ll be fully committed to the diet and exercise routine all week.
As well as I think I did over the crazy weekend, I’m pretty sure I didn’t lose any weight. That’s frustrating. There has to be a balance where I can lose weight and not be in seclusion.
Help?
My friend Carie was visiting from Minneapolis this weekend and I knew we’d be at bars and restaurants the whole time, but I think I did the best job possible. I stuck to egg whites with tomatoes instead of potatoes and a ½ slice of wheat toast for our brunches, sushi with no mayo, sauces or cream cheese and sashimi for dinner and limited myself to very, very few vodka sodas at the bar. Surprisingly, it was doable. Granted, I didn’t have everything I wanted, but I felt like I stuck to the diet for the most part all weekend.
My workouts did fall the wayside though. Since I had Carie with me, I didn’t hit the gym at all this weekend and I feel bloated and tired. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually looking forward to working out with Rob tomorrow. I need one hell of an ass kicking. And the good news is that I have a low-key week planned so I’ll be fully committed to the diet and exercise routine all week.
As well as I think I did over the crazy weekend, I’m pretty sure I didn’t lose any weight. That’s frustrating. There has to be a balance where I can lose weight and not be in seclusion.
Help?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sweet, Glorious Bread
Eating like a caveman is hellish. My three favorite foods are bread, wine and cheese, all of which I can’t consume on the diet. That sucks. Hard. Life without B, W & C is, quite simply, boring.
Now that M & I have been caveman dieting for well over a month, Rob granted us permission to eat some carbs here and there. THANK GOD! Of course, we need to either eat them early in the day or right after our workouts and we shouldn’t eat them every day, but just knowing that I can finally, FINALLY eat a turkey sandwich is the best news I’ve heard in a really long time.
To celebrate my new-found freedom, I promptly went to Jewel and bought a loaf of the Healthy Life bread that’s only 35 calories a slice. Upon my arrival home, I made myself some scrambled egg whites and 2 slices of the diet bread. It was pure heaven.
Now I just need to figure out when I can start eating cheese and drinking wine again….
Now that M & I have been caveman dieting for well over a month, Rob granted us permission to eat some carbs here and there. THANK GOD! Of course, we need to either eat them early in the day or right after our workouts and we shouldn’t eat them every day, but just knowing that I can finally, FINALLY eat a turkey sandwich is the best news I’ve heard in a really long time.
To celebrate my new-found freedom, I promptly went to Jewel and bought a loaf of the Healthy Life bread that’s only 35 calories a slice. Upon my arrival home, I made myself some scrambled egg whites and 2 slices of the diet bread. It was pure heaven.
Now I just need to figure out when I can start eating cheese and drinking wine again….
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I Got So Emotional Baby
Yesterday I was a big, fat, emotional mess. I broke down in tears a few times at work (its times like this that make me happy I have my own office), felt miserable and was just, for lack of a better word, pretty blue.
Since I’m not a hugely emotional person and I was nowhere near premenstrual, I have no idea what was causing the emotional outburst. Personally, I think it’s because my whole lifestyle has changed. I’m not eating. I’m not drinking. I’m not going to bars and restaurants with my friends. I’m at the gym all the time. It sucks. Food used to be my outlet. I knew that I could sit down with a big bowl of pasta or a slice of pizza or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and immediately feel comforted and happy. I know that statement is so wrong and unhealthy, but hey, that was my life up until a month ago. Now that I’m not eating the pizza, pasta and ice cream I’m not sure how to cope with my feelings.
It didn’t help matters when I had to go do my training session with Rob. Poor guy had to think I’m a hot mess because I started bawling right before we got to work. I’m talking wiping my eyes on my sleeves, sniffling, disgusting crying. After confirming that I’m not premenstrual, Rob was like, ‘Suck it up and lets get to work.’ There ain’t no rest for the wicked, I suppose.
Since I’m not a hugely emotional person and I was nowhere near premenstrual, I have no idea what was causing the emotional outburst. Personally, I think it’s because my whole lifestyle has changed. I’m not eating. I’m not drinking. I’m not going to bars and restaurants with my friends. I’m at the gym all the time. It sucks. Food used to be my outlet. I knew that I could sit down with a big bowl of pasta or a slice of pizza or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and immediately feel comforted and happy. I know that statement is so wrong and unhealthy, but hey, that was my life up until a month ago. Now that I’m not eating the pizza, pasta and ice cream I’m not sure how to cope with my feelings.
It didn’t help matters when I had to go do my training session with Rob. Poor guy had to think I’m a hot mess because I started bawling right before we got to work. I’m talking wiping my eyes on my sleeves, sniffling, disgusting crying. After confirming that I’m not premenstrual, Rob was like, ‘Suck it up and lets get to work.’ There ain’t no rest for the wicked, I suppose.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Here I Go Again on my Own
Since M came down with a cold or the flu or something that’s probably contagious that I really didn’t want to catch, I did my training session with Rob yesterday all by myself. Odd, but I was kind of nervous! I’m used to having a wingman during my workouts with Rob. I felt almost self-conscious training alone because I knew all eyes would be on me, kicking my ass and watching my form. I know I’m being ridiculous because I doubt Rob would ever really judge me (at this point, he’s seen me at my worse), but you know how it goes.
Busting my ass around the track carrying huge kettlebells, squats, planks, flutter kicks, bouncing heavy medicine balls, weights… oh my God! I was seriously in pain about 40 minutes into the workout and I sincerely doubted by ability to finish, but we all know that I’m not a quitter and I don’t give up easily, so I gutted it out and finished the workout.
While Rob claims that last night’s workout was definitely a step up to the next level, I don’t know… I think the combo of lack of sleep from the night before and the weird fear of training solo got to me a bit, messed with my head and made the session feel really, really, really hard.
One thing Rob said to me yesterday was that not only was he impressed with my hard work and weight loss (25 lbs so far!), but my dedication. His little elves at the front desk have told him that I’ve been logging the hours at the gym, I have this blog, all my friends and family know about my mission to get thin, I’m putting in the effort during training sessions and sticking to the diet. It was motivating to hear that Rob is proud of me.
Busting my ass around the track carrying huge kettlebells, squats, planks, flutter kicks, bouncing heavy medicine balls, weights… oh my God! I was seriously in pain about 40 minutes into the workout and I sincerely doubted by ability to finish, but we all know that I’m not a quitter and I don’t give up easily, so I gutted it out and finished the workout.
While Rob claims that last night’s workout was definitely a step up to the next level, I don’t know… I think the combo of lack of sleep from the night before and the weird fear of training solo got to me a bit, messed with my head and made the session feel really, really, really hard.
One thing Rob said to me yesterday was that not only was he impressed with my hard work and weight loss (25 lbs so far!), but my dedication. His little elves at the front desk have told him that I’ve been logging the hours at the gym, I have this blog, all my friends and family know about my mission to get thin, I’m putting in the effort during training sessions and sticking to the diet. It was motivating to hear that Rob is proud of me.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The World’s Most Orgasmic Donut
It comes in the form on the glazed apple cider donut from a place called Goebbert’s Pumpkin Patch out in Huntington, IL. It is, without a doubt, the best baked good I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.
Let me lay it out for you: Made on the premises, the donuts are a little crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, still a little warm from the fryer and covered in just the right amount of silky glaze. They are cinammony and a have a bit of an apple bite. They are awesome.
Yesterday I went on my yearly outing to Goebbert’s with my friends to do the whole pumpkin picking/corn maze/pig races/petting zoo thing, which is all fine and dandy, but I knew I was going to have to have one of those pieces of sweet gloriousness. People say you stop craving sweets after awhile? Well guess what? I will NEVER stop craving these donuts. Good thing I can only get them once a year.
After the day at the pumpkin patch was completed, my friends bought a dozen of the donuts for our drive home. I tried to resist, but I’m going to be honest, it was all futile. I told myself, “Angie, you will have ONE donut. And that is it.” So I had a donut, and let me tell you, it was worth every.last.calorie.
My eyes rolled back in my head as I took the first bite and by the time I finished, I was happy and satisfied. It was so wonderful and so delicious and I didn’t feel guilty at all. However, I did go to the gym when I got home from the pumpkin patch because I knew that if I was eating fried dough, I better make up for it somehow.
Also important to note: As I write this, I’m eating a caveman approved meal of low-fat cottage cheese and strawberries.
Let me lay it out for you: Made on the premises, the donuts are a little crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, still a little warm from the fryer and covered in just the right amount of silky glaze. They are cinammony and a have a bit of an apple bite. They are awesome.
Yesterday I went on my yearly outing to Goebbert’s with my friends to do the whole pumpkin picking/corn maze/pig races/petting zoo thing, which is all fine and dandy, but I knew I was going to have to have one of those pieces of sweet gloriousness. People say you stop craving sweets after awhile? Well guess what? I will NEVER stop craving these donuts. Good thing I can only get them once a year.
After the day at the pumpkin patch was completed, my friends bought a dozen of the donuts for our drive home. I tried to resist, but I’m going to be honest, it was all futile. I told myself, “Angie, you will have ONE donut. And that is it.” So I had a donut, and let me tell you, it was worth every.last.calorie.
My eyes rolled back in my head as I took the first bite and by the time I finished, I was happy and satisfied. It was so wonderful and so delicious and I didn’t feel guilty at all. However, I did go to the gym when I got home from the pumpkin patch because I knew that if I was eating fried dough, I better make up for it somehow.
Also important to note: As I write this, I’m eating a caveman approved meal of low-fat cottage cheese and strawberries.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Insecurities
I’ve recently been told that I’m a very insecure person and that I constantly seek the reassurance of others. Honestly, I’ve been stewing about this comment for a few days now and I’m feeling less than thrilled about how I apparently project myself.
When you’re carrying around some extra pounds, OF COURSE you’re insecure. That’s no mystery. You constantly feel like you’re not good enough for your friends, your relationships, and your family… its just the way it goes. I can’t hide my insecurity (its right out there for everyone to see). For example, if you’re insecure about your crazy family or your job, you can hide it pretty well. But when you’re insecure about your body, well, that’s a bit harder. Yes, I can dress well, do my hair, and put on make-up, etc. but at the end on the day my fat ass is out there for the whole world to see. And I guess because I’m so insecure about my body, I seek approval from others so I don’t feel like such a failure.
As for seeking approval – I’m still a little unsure how I do this. Am I making comments that are annoying to friends and family? Do I involuntarily put people down? Do I talk myself up? It’s driving me crazy! Because I’m on this weight loss journey, I’m finding out a lot about myself: What I can physically do, how much I can take, my willpower limits. However, I’m still struggling with how I can stop involuntarily seeking approval from others. I’m hoping for some kind of epiphany or at the very least some obvious sign of when I do it. That way I can stop, think about it, regroup and never do it again.
When you’re carrying around some extra pounds, OF COURSE you’re insecure. That’s no mystery. You constantly feel like you’re not good enough for your friends, your relationships, and your family… its just the way it goes. I can’t hide my insecurity (its right out there for everyone to see). For example, if you’re insecure about your crazy family or your job, you can hide it pretty well. But when you’re insecure about your body, well, that’s a bit harder. Yes, I can dress well, do my hair, and put on make-up, etc. but at the end on the day my fat ass is out there for the whole world to see. And I guess because I’m so insecure about my body, I seek approval from others so I don’t feel like such a failure.
As for seeking approval – I’m still a little unsure how I do this. Am I making comments that are annoying to friends and family? Do I involuntarily put people down? Do I talk myself up? It’s driving me crazy! Because I’m on this weight loss journey, I’m finding out a lot about myself: What I can physically do, how much I can take, my willpower limits. However, I’m still struggling with how I can stop involuntarily seeking approval from others. I’m hoping for some kind of epiphany or at the very least some obvious sign of when I do it. That way I can stop, think about it, regroup and never do it again.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Side Note
I want to club the person who keeps bringing fattening things into the office. I'm talking cookies, dips, cheesecake, snack mix, crackers & cheese. Oh my God. No one brought food into the office for years and now all of the sudden some evil person keeps bringing stuff in and leaving it in our kitchenette.
Its driving me crazy. Not because I want to eat it, but because I can't.
Its driving me crazy. Not because I want to eat it, but because I can't.
Wedding Woes
My sister got married this weekend. While the event was beautiful and so much fun, it presented some challenges for the diet and exercise plan. I knew that I was going to be indulging in the adult beverages and be subject to foods that aren’t on my diet, so I was extra careful the entire week before the wedding so I wouldn’t gain any weight after a weekend of debauchery.
Rehearsal Dinner – Pizza and beer and wine, oh my! While I LOVED the location of the rehearsal dinner (Cubby Bear North in Lincolnshire), I didn’t love the dinner menu – Pizza, salad and cookies. I loaded up on the salad and used what looked to be the safest salad dressing option, the vinaigrette. I had 2 small squares of cheese pizza. Can you believe it was my first taste of pizza in about a month??? Crazy. Definitely not a perfect meal, but it was the best I could do. I stuck to water (no beers for this girl!) because not only did I not want the calories, but I look absolutely repulsive when I’m hung over which was not the look I was going for at the wedding.
Wedding Day – Um… yeah. I’m not going to lie. I pretty much ate and drank my heart out. And it was wonderful. I started the day with a “diet approved” breakfast, but it was all downhill when I left the house to get my hair done at the salon. When we returned, it had been hours since my breakfast and I was so hungry. My mom ordered a platter of mini sandwiches, some pasta salad and baked Lays for us to munch on before the photographer arrived. I had a mini turkey pita sandwich (no cheese, no mayo), a little bit of the pasta salad and a handful of baked Lays. Terrible… and quite simple carb ridden. To make matters worse, I didn’t eat again until 8pm when dinner was served. I had a few bites of my steak, the veggies and some potatoes. No bread. Oh yes, and all of my salad. What I haven’t included yet is the absolute landslide of cocktails I consumed. It was bad. Sorry Rob. And actually, sorry to me! I felt AWFUL on Sunday.
The Aftermath (Day after the wedding) – All I could think about was how much I wanted a diet Coke because before I was dieting it would always make me feel better after I’d consumed too many adult beverages, but when I cracked it open and took a sip on the car ride back to the city, it tasted so gross. Too bubby, too artificially sweet. Yuck. Could it be that my BODY doesn’t really crave soda anymore and it’s just my brain missing it? Probably so! I knew that no amount of salad would make my stomach feel better, so I compromised and picked up a 6 inch Subway sandwich instead of the McDonald’s I really wanted to get something filling in my belly. It worked. I felt a lot better after eating it and drinking, I kid not, 4 liters of water.
I haven’t worked out since Thursday and I feel gross, but I do have a session with Rob today so I know I’ll be getting in a good workout. After a bit of a tailspin this weekend, I need a good butt kicking today in the gym!
Rehearsal Dinner – Pizza and beer and wine, oh my! While I LOVED the location of the rehearsal dinner (Cubby Bear North in Lincolnshire), I didn’t love the dinner menu – Pizza, salad and cookies. I loaded up on the salad and used what looked to be the safest salad dressing option, the vinaigrette. I had 2 small squares of cheese pizza. Can you believe it was my first taste of pizza in about a month??? Crazy. Definitely not a perfect meal, but it was the best I could do. I stuck to water (no beers for this girl!) because not only did I not want the calories, but I look absolutely repulsive when I’m hung over which was not the look I was going for at the wedding.
Wedding Day – Um… yeah. I’m not going to lie. I pretty much ate and drank my heart out. And it was wonderful. I started the day with a “diet approved” breakfast, but it was all downhill when I left the house to get my hair done at the salon. When we returned, it had been hours since my breakfast and I was so hungry. My mom ordered a platter of mini sandwiches, some pasta salad and baked Lays for us to munch on before the photographer arrived. I had a mini turkey pita sandwich (no cheese, no mayo), a little bit of the pasta salad and a handful of baked Lays. Terrible… and quite simple carb ridden. To make matters worse, I didn’t eat again until 8pm when dinner was served. I had a few bites of my steak, the veggies and some potatoes. No bread. Oh yes, and all of my salad. What I haven’t included yet is the absolute landslide of cocktails I consumed. It was bad. Sorry Rob. And actually, sorry to me! I felt AWFUL on Sunday.
The Aftermath (Day after the wedding) – All I could think about was how much I wanted a diet Coke because before I was dieting it would always make me feel better after I’d consumed too many adult beverages, but when I cracked it open and took a sip on the car ride back to the city, it tasted so gross. Too bubby, too artificially sweet. Yuck. Could it be that my BODY doesn’t really crave soda anymore and it’s just my brain missing it? Probably so! I knew that no amount of salad would make my stomach feel better, so I compromised and picked up a 6 inch Subway sandwich instead of the McDonald’s I really wanted to get something filling in my belly. It worked. I felt a lot better after eating it and drinking, I kid not, 4 liters of water.
I haven’t worked out since Thursday and I feel gross, but I do have a session with Rob today so I know I’ll be getting in a good workout. After a bit of a tailspin this weekend, I need a good butt kicking today in the gym!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Souptastic!
You want to eat healthy? Move to Madison, WI. They have some of the best, freshest, locally produced food out there. It’s all organic and delicious. And the best part is that I can eat most of it on the caveman diet.
I went to the Farmers Market on the Square in downtown Madison over the weekend and I went hog wild buying up tons of locally grown, organic goodies that are caveman diet friendly like green beans, leeks, squash, zucchini, red peppers, garlic, dill and even some strawberries. The problem is that after I lugged it all home I realized it was way too much produce for one person to consume so I decided to try my hand at making vegetable soup. That way, I could freeze the leftovers and have some stuff for meals for a long time.
I basically threw all the veggies into the pot with fat free, low sodium beef broth, some crushed tomatoes, a can of black beans I had in my pantry, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. I let it simmer away for about an hour and was rewarded with some pretty awesome vegetable soup! I split it up into little Tuperware containers so I’ll be able to have portion control sized mini meals whenever I want them!
On the training front, Rob showed us no mercy last night. He showed up with a black eye that he blamed on gravity, when in truth, he ran into a door during a paintball game. I think he was mad at me for accusing him of wearing guyliner because those dead man lifts and farmer carries were utterly miserable. I feel like a normally have a good attitude during training, but last night I was so crabby and just not fun to be around. One of the reasons I like training with Rob is that I think he knows when I’m crabby and just lets me work out without all the vocal nagging. I don’t need a cheerleader all the time, you know?
And the biggest news of all? I’m down 22 lbs since I started this venture. I think it’s awesome and I’m really proud of myself. I think a lot of people doubt my ability to lose the weight since I have a long way to go, but I don’t give up easily. I’m going to be fit and fabulous soon enough!
I went to the Farmers Market on the Square in downtown Madison over the weekend and I went hog wild buying up tons of locally grown, organic goodies that are caveman diet friendly like green beans, leeks, squash, zucchini, red peppers, garlic, dill and even some strawberries. The problem is that after I lugged it all home I realized it was way too much produce for one person to consume so I decided to try my hand at making vegetable soup. That way, I could freeze the leftovers and have some stuff for meals for a long time.
I basically threw all the veggies into the pot with fat free, low sodium beef broth, some crushed tomatoes, a can of black beans I had in my pantry, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. I let it simmer away for about an hour and was rewarded with some pretty awesome vegetable soup! I split it up into little Tuperware containers so I’ll be able to have portion control sized mini meals whenever I want them!
On the training front, Rob showed us no mercy last night. He showed up with a black eye that he blamed on gravity, when in truth, he ran into a door during a paintball game. I think he was mad at me for accusing him of wearing guyliner because those dead man lifts and farmer carries were utterly miserable. I feel like a normally have a good attitude during training, but last night I was so crabby and just not fun to be around. One of the reasons I like training with Rob is that I think he knows when I’m crabby and just lets me work out without all the vocal nagging. I don’t need a cheerleader all the time, you know?
And the biggest news of all? I’m down 22 lbs since I started this venture. I think it’s awesome and I’m really proud of myself. I think a lot of people doubt my ability to lose the weight since I have a long way to go, but I don’t give up easily. I’m going to be fit and fabulous soon enough!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Rob Kicks My Ass/ Eating on the Road
Sweet mother of God, was Wednesday's workout intense. It's now Friday and my arms and pecs are incredibly sore. Actually, so are my ass cheeks (or gluts for those who aren't vulgar like me).
Because M and I are, at least in our minds, progressing in our strength and endurance, Rob has been cranking up the exercise routine, making us to more sets, longer durations of said sets and less rest time between sets. Let me tell you, Wednesday night was no exception. We did the usual squats, lunges, planks, bridges and hurling medicine balls at each other, but just when we thought we'd reached our pain threshold, Rob brought out these evil weighted long rods that we held while we did flutter kicks and scissor kicks and then did pec presses and bench presses. HELL NO. I was swearing and sweat was pouring in my eyes and burning them, but I didn't give up.
M and I both completed the workout and I felt GREAT afterwards. Sure, Rob seems like a slave driver when you're at the tail end of your workout, but you love it when all is said and done.
Moving on to the next subject in today's entry: Eating on the Road.
For those who don't know, I travel a lot for work and eating while traveling can be less than desirable. Sometimes you have to eat at restaurants that don't have the best menus, packing food to take with you can be challenging since most of my health stuff needs to stay refrigerated... its not easy, but I made it happen. Here's how:
I had some cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast at my apartment. I brought an apple for a snack. I had to take clients to lunch and they wanted to go to California Pizza Kitchen. Um, yeah... not the best option for me. I ended up with a cup of vegetable soup and a side salad (no croutons) with fat free balsamic vinaigrette. Then, I went to a broker party in the evening that was a football theme. There was TONS of food, but it was all terrible. Biscuits, sausage, gravy, meaty chili, chips and onion dip, five layer Mexican dip, salami and cheese on skewers and these fatty meat rolls with cream cheese. Thank goodness they did have a veggie tray, so I loaded up on cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, etc. with no dip. And because I'm not drinking on this diet, I tried to get away with water, but a beer was actually forced into my hand, so I had no choice but to hold it for show. I had about 2 sips. No biggie.
So my diet yesterday certainly wasn't perfect (I lacked in the protein department, big time) but I think I did the best I possibly could in the given situation and DEFINITELY didn't give in to temptation. That counts for something, right?
Because M and I are, at least in our minds, progressing in our strength and endurance, Rob has been cranking up the exercise routine, making us to more sets, longer durations of said sets and less rest time between sets. Let me tell you, Wednesday night was no exception. We did the usual squats, lunges, planks, bridges and hurling medicine balls at each other, but just when we thought we'd reached our pain threshold, Rob brought out these evil weighted long rods that we held while we did flutter kicks and scissor kicks and then did pec presses and bench presses. HELL NO. I was swearing and sweat was pouring in my eyes and burning them, but I didn't give up.
M and I both completed the workout and I felt GREAT afterwards. Sure, Rob seems like a slave driver when you're at the tail end of your workout, but you love it when all is said and done.
Moving on to the next subject in today's entry: Eating on the Road.
For those who don't know, I travel a lot for work and eating while traveling can be less than desirable. Sometimes you have to eat at restaurants that don't have the best menus, packing food to take with you can be challenging since most of my health stuff needs to stay refrigerated... its not easy, but I made it happen. Here's how:
I had some cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast at my apartment. I brought an apple for a snack. I had to take clients to lunch and they wanted to go to California Pizza Kitchen. Um, yeah... not the best option for me. I ended up with a cup of vegetable soup and a side salad (no croutons) with fat free balsamic vinaigrette. Then, I went to a broker party in the evening that was a football theme. There was TONS of food, but it was all terrible. Biscuits, sausage, gravy, meaty chili, chips and onion dip, five layer Mexican dip, salami and cheese on skewers and these fatty meat rolls with cream cheese. Thank goodness they did have a veggie tray, so I loaded up on cucumbers, celery, cauliflower, etc. with no dip. And because I'm not drinking on this diet, I tried to get away with water, but a beer was actually forced into my hand, so I had no choice but to hold it for show. I had about 2 sips. No biggie.
So my diet yesterday certainly wasn't perfect (I lacked in the protein department, big time) but I think I did the best I possibly could in the given situation and DEFINITELY didn't give in to temptation. That counts for something, right?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cool Reads
It seems like everyone is trying to drop some poundage these days, and there is no shortage of reading material online to help a sister out.
My mom forwarded me the following link: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/menu-decoder/
Granted, its from Men's Health magazine, but it does have some great tips on what you should be ordering (and avoiding) in pretty much every type of restaurant out there. Its not realistic to think I'll NEVER eat out again, so some guidance for all types of cuisine is super helpful. Thanks Joj!
Yelp also has some really good Talk threads going about healthy snacks, lunches and recipes.
http://www.yelp.com/topic/evanston-bring-your-lunch-from-home---need-ideas
http://www.yelp.com/topic/chicago-healthy-snacks-minimal-preparation
http://www.yelp.com/topic/chicago-the-healthy-tips-and-recipes-exchange-thread
My friend Sarah shares some GREAT lunch ideas (when I'm off the caveman diet) that I can't wait to try. XOXO Sarah!
Also - If you've been reading my blog, you know I have a partner in crime, Mandi, who is losing weight and training with me. She started her own weight loss blog, too.
http://mybigfatblogchicago.blogspot.com/
Now, for MY favorite healthy meal: The illustrious lettuce wrap. I take big leaves of iceberg lettuce and set them aside. Then, in a small bowl, I mix up some shredded lettuce or mixed field greens, shredded chicken, red peppers and mushrooms. Then I make a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, a touch of mustard (to help emulsify) and salt & pepper. I mix up the filling and stuff it into the lettuce leaves. Voila! Healthy (and caveman diet friendly) sandwiches!
My mom forwarded me the following link: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/menu-decoder/
Granted, its from Men's Health magazine, but it does have some great tips on what you should be ordering (and avoiding) in pretty much every type of restaurant out there. Its not realistic to think I'll NEVER eat out again, so some guidance for all types of cuisine is super helpful. Thanks Joj!
Yelp also has some really good Talk threads going about healthy snacks, lunches and recipes.
http://www.yelp.com/topic/evanston-bring-your-lunch-from-home---need-ideas
http://www.yelp.com/topic/chicago-healthy-snacks-minimal-preparation
http://www.yelp.com/topic/chicago-the-healthy-tips-and-recipes-exchange-thread
My friend Sarah shares some GREAT lunch ideas (when I'm off the caveman diet) that I can't wait to try. XOXO Sarah!
Also - If you've been reading my blog, you know I have a partner in crime, Mandi, who is losing weight and training with me. She started her own weight loss blog, too.
http://mybigfatblogchicago.blogspot.com/
Now, for MY favorite healthy meal: The illustrious lettuce wrap. I take big leaves of iceberg lettuce and set them aside. Then, in a small bowl, I mix up some shredded lettuce or mixed field greens, shredded chicken, red peppers and mushrooms. Then I make a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, a touch of mustard (to help emulsify) and salt & pepper. I mix up the filling and stuff it into the lettuce leaves. Voila! Healthy (and caveman diet friendly) sandwiches!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Everyone's Working (Out) for the Weekend
Yay weekend!
Boo having to exercise.
I'm proud that I went to the gym both Sat. night AND Sunday afternoon and got a seriously good workout in both days. I was sweating my ass off.
I've noticed that I have much more endurance already. I used to be at about 130 RPMs on the elliptical trainer, but now I'm at more like 150 RPMs at a higher resistance. I like it. I feel empowered.
Changing gears...
You know how you have those clothes in your closet that are too small to wear, but you refuse to get rid of them? Kind of like every woman's "skinny jeans." Well, I have a whole landslide of clothes that were too small to wear, but too cute to throw away. Guess what? I can fit into most of them now. Already! Its amazing what a few weeks of diet and exercise can do to your body. So today I'm wearing some jeans that were SO snug I could barely breathe and a fitted shirt I would never wear with jeans as I feared the dreaded muffin top. But since my jeans are so loose now, the shirt totally works. I love it! It's a great feeling. And of course, now I have a ton of new wardrobe options. I can't wait to get dressed for work tomorrow.
Boo having to exercise.
I'm proud that I went to the gym both Sat. night AND Sunday afternoon and got a seriously good workout in both days. I was sweating my ass off.
I've noticed that I have much more endurance already. I used to be at about 130 RPMs on the elliptical trainer, but now I'm at more like 150 RPMs at a higher resistance. I like it. I feel empowered.
Changing gears...
You know how you have those clothes in your closet that are too small to wear, but you refuse to get rid of them? Kind of like every woman's "skinny jeans." Well, I have a whole landslide of clothes that were too small to wear, but too cute to throw away. Guess what? I can fit into most of them now. Already! Its amazing what a few weeks of diet and exercise can do to your body. So today I'm wearing some jeans that were SO snug I could barely breathe and a fitted shirt I would never wear with jeans as I feared the dreaded muffin top. But since my jeans are so loose now, the shirt totally works. I love it! It's a great feeling. And of course, now I have a ton of new wardrobe options. I can't wait to get dressed for work tomorrow.
Friday, October 2, 2009
I Cheated
Woman cannot leave on salads alone and today I could NOT STOP thinking about pizza and burgers. All I wanted was something ANYTHING that was not on my diet, but I've worked so hard so I'd hate to eat Wendy's and just feel miserable and gross.
So I got a 6 inch turkey on wheat with no cheese and no mayo from Subway.
It was absolutely fucking delicious and I don't feel guilty at all. I could have done a lot worse. A 280 calorie sandwich is a lot better than greasy, cheesy pizza or a fatty burger. But still, it's a failure.
AND I didn't get in the workout I wanted, either. I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction (I forgot my sports bra) at the gym and my tatas were just too large to make it work. By the time I got home, it was after 5, traffic was ridiculous and I had no desire to go out again, so I just walked for awhile. I didn't work up the sweat necessary to counteract the Subway, but oh well. At least I didn't just sit on my couch.
So kind of a bad day, but I'll rebound tomorrow.
So I got a 6 inch turkey on wheat with no cheese and no mayo from Subway.
It was absolutely fucking delicious and I don't feel guilty at all. I could have done a lot worse. A 280 calorie sandwich is a lot better than greasy, cheesy pizza or a fatty burger. But still, it's a failure.
AND I didn't get in the workout I wanted, either. I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction (I forgot my sports bra) at the gym and my tatas were just too large to make it work. By the time I got home, it was after 5, traffic was ridiculous and I had no desire to go out again, so I just walked for awhile. I didn't work up the sweat necessary to counteract the Subway, but oh well. At least I didn't just sit on my couch.
So kind of a bad day, but I'll rebound tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My First Experience Dining Out
I plan a monthly dinner for 20 of my Yelp girls every month, and I had already scouted a restaurant, planned the menu and made reservations for our monthly dinner that was held last night before I started dieting, so I HAD to go. Its pretty poor form to not show up to your own event, diet or not. I can skip out of cocktails with friends, but my own dinner event? Gotta be there.
Guess what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Turns out Middle Eastern food has a lot of grilled, reasonably healthy options. I stuck with plain grilled chicken breast and a few grilled veggies. Sure, they're not exciting, but I stuck to the diet. Well, except I had one bit of someones falafel. I'm only human.
Guess what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Turns out Middle Eastern food has a lot of grilled, reasonably healthy options. I stuck with plain grilled chicken breast and a few grilled veggies. Sure, they're not exciting, but I stuck to the diet. Well, except I had one bit of someones falafel. I'm only human.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Body Aches
I had my first real training session on Friday of last week with Rob. Um, yeah. Personal training is no joke. I've never sweat more in my life. Circuit training is the devil.
We started out with some stretching and moved right into lots of horrible things like lunges, squats, planks, bridges (where you lay on your back and stick your bootie up in the air and squeeze your knees together), those funny squat looking shuffles that football players do, flutter kicks and carrying huge weights around the track. Brutal.
On Saturday my quads were on fire. I could barely walk or move. Same with Sunday.
Yesterday came around and my next training session with Rob was on deck. I was nervous because I thought there was no way my body could do a squat or lunge or, well, anything at all, but I surprised myself. After I warmed up a bit, I was rockin' and rollin'. You just have to take yourself to another place to get through the tough workouts.
Yesterday's training session was fun because Rob started to incorporate the kettlebells into our workout. Kettlebell training is Rob's forte, so it will be the focus of our workouts, but first we have to learn how to use them. If you're not familiar with kettlebells, they look like metal medicine balls that have a handle connected to them. The basic training motion is a swing between your legs where you hike it back like a football and then swing it forward while you come up from a squat and thrust your hips forward. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Its difficult to get your timing down and I struggled in the beginning, but I pulled it together. I was proud of myself.
My body loosened up from yesterday's training session and I feel MUCH better today. In fact, I woke up with tons of energy, a feeling I haven't had in awhile.
Also important to note is that I'm wearing a pencil skirt today that I haven't fit into in years. And one of my co-workers told me I looked noticeably thinner. Yay!
We started out with some stretching and moved right into lots of horrible things like lunges, squats, planks, bridges (where you lay on your back and stick your bootie up in the air and squeeze your knees together), those funny squat looking shuffles that football players do, flutter kicks and carrying huge weights around the track. Brutal.
On Saturday my quads were on fire. I could barely walk or move. Same with Sunday.
Yesterday came around and my next training session with Rob was on deck. I was nervous because I thought there was no way my body could do a squat or lunge or, well, anything at all, but I surprised myself. After I warmed up a bit, I was rockin' and rollin'. You just have to take yourself to another place to get through the tough workouts.
Yesterday's training session was fun because Rob started to incorporate the kettlebells into our workout. Kettlebell training is Rob's forte, so it will be the focus of our workouts, but first we have to learn how to use them. If you're not familiar with kettlebells, they look like metal medicine balls that have a handle connected to them. The basic training motion is a swing between your legs where you hike it back like a football and then swing it forward while you come up from a squat and thrust your hips forward. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Its difficult to get your timing down and I struggled in the beginning, but I pulled it together. I was proud of myself.
My body loosened up from yesterday's training session and I feel MUCH better today. In fact, I woke up with tons of energy, a feeling I haven't had in awhile.
Also important to note is that I'm wearing a pencil skirt today that I haven't fit into in years. And one of my co-workers told me I looked noticeably thinner. Yay!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Bitchy
The caveman diet is getting to me.
I'm basically eating no carbs, which makes me crabby.
I haven't had a diet Coke in 2 weeks. I think I would kick a puppy for a soda right now.
The only fat I'm getting is from the few nuts I eat every day.
I'm struggling... not going to lie. All I could think about last night was how much I wanted frozen pizza. Instead a drank a huge glass of water and went to bed.
Sigh.
I'm basically eating no carbs, which makes me crabby.
I haven't had a diet Coke in 2 weeks. I think I would kick a puppy for a soda right now.
The only fat I'm getting is from the few nuts I eat every day.
I'm struggling... not going to lie. All I could think about last night was how much I wanted frozen pizza. Instead a drank a huge glass of water and went to bed.
Sigh.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Girl Meets Trainer
Yesterday was my first personal training session with Rob Miller, M's friend who's training us at Chicago Fitness Center.
I had been dreading the session all day. I'd never been to a personal trainer and I'd heard stories about puking, passing out, being screamed at... all the general horror stories. So OF COURSE I was freaking out on my way to the gym and completely expecting the worse.
Turns out that while Rob is physically intimidating, he's actually a cool guy. Since it was our first session, we talked for about 15 minutes about why I wanted to start training (I'm 30 and need to lose my fat suit), what I'd been eating (crap, obviously) and how the diet was going (it sucks). He had some good insight on why America is overweight... we fall into eating 3 big meals a day and lots of fast food and processed foods because that's what we're taught in school and what the media markets to us. While it's mostly my fault I'm fat, there are some obvious problems with how people view food because of how it is advertised to us.
So on to the training session. Rob's main goal for the first session was to assess our fitness level and see how we move so he can develop a training program to suit M and me. Our workout consisted of circuit training with some weights, some arm and ab work, leg lifts and squats... the usual. He also had us carrying huge weights around the track, which was undoubtedly the most challenging part of the workout.
What I learned:
1. I'm WAY out of shape. But that will change with Rob's guidance.
2. I apparently have no upper body strength.
3. Planks are evil.
I sweat a lot, but it wasn't as horrifying as I thought it would be. Training is actually kind of fun. I'm sore today, but not in too much pain. My quads (from all those squats) and arms (from the see-saw arm weight moves) hurt the most.
We have our next session on Friday. In the meantime, Rob is going to email me workouts for the days we don't have training sessions. It'll be nice to mix it up.
I had been dreading the session all day. I'd never been to a personal trainer and I'd heard stories about puking, passing out, being screamed at... all the general horror stories. So OF COURSE I was freaking out on my way to the gym and completely expecting the worse.
Turns out that while Rob is physically intimidating, he's actually a cool guy. Since it was our first session, we talked for about 15 minutes about why I wanted to start training (I'm 30 and need to lose my fat suit), what I'd been eating (crap, obviously) and how the diet was going (it sucks). He had some good insight on why America is overweight... we fall into eating 3 big meals a day and lots of fast food and processed foods because that's what we're taught in school and what the media markets to us. While it's mostly my fault I'm fat, there are some obvious problems with how people view food because of how it is advertised to us.
So on to the training session. Rob's main goal for the first session was to assess our fitness level and see how we move so he can develop a training program to suit M and me. Our workout consisted of circuit training with some weights, some arm and ab work, leg lifts and squats... the usual. He also had us carrying huge weights around the track, which was undoubtedly the most challenging part of the workout.
What I learned:
1. I'm WAY out of shape. But that will change with Rob's guidance.
2. I apparently have no upper body strength.
3. Planks are evil.
I sweat a lot, but it wasn't as horrifying as I thought it would be. Training is actually kind of fun. I'm sore today, but not in too much pain. My quads (from all those squats) and arms (from the see-saw arm weight moves) hurt the most.
We have our next session on Friday. In the meantime, Rob is going to email me workouts for the days we don't have training sessions. It'll be nice to mix it up.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Boredom Ensues
It's Saturday night at 10:30pm and I'm updating my weight loss blog. Sad. And loserish. But that's how it goes when you're on a strict diet and exercise plan, eh?
Because I was out and about all day today, I didn't get a chance to hit the gym until 8:15pm. I was literally the only person in my 24/7 workout spot. Seriously. The only person. Whatever... I did my 45 minutes of cardio and some stretching. Boo-ya!
Since my caveman diet starts tomorrow, I went to the grocery store and bought all the grub I need to kick off the next 3 hellish weeks. Damn... healthy groceries are EXPENSIVE. But it's a small price to pay for thinness.
One thing that is making me kind of sad is that because I'm off the booze, I'm staying in while one of my good friends celebrates her 31st birthday. While yes, I could have gone to the bar and drank water, I just don't trust myself to be in that environment yet. I hate that I'm kind of isolating myself from my regular social life because I'm on a diet. I really hope they understand that I just need to lay low for the next few months to work on myself.
Because I was out and about all day today, I didn't get a chance to hit the gym until 8:15pm. I was literally the only person in my 24/7 workout spot. Seriously. The only person. Whatever... I did my 45 minutes of cardio and some stretching. Boo-ya!
Since my caveman diet starts tomorrow, I went to the grocery store and bought all the grub I need to kick off the next 3 hellish weeks. Damn... healthy groceries are EXPENSIVE. But it's a small price to pay for thinness.
One thing that is making me kind of sad is that because I'm off the booze, I'm staying in while one of my good friends celebrates her 31st birthday. While yes, I could have gone to the bar and drank water, I just don't trust myself to be in that environment yet. I hate that I'm kind of isolating myself from my regular social life because I'm on a diet. I really hope they understand that I just need to lay low for the next few months to work on myself.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sweating it out
Yesterday marked my first day of cardio hell. 30 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the treadmill. Ugh.
I'm proud to say that I didn't have to stop for any breaks, which is awesome. I think my new "workout mix" on my iPod helped. It's near impossible to slack off when you're sweating to that catchy new Michael Franti song, eh? I was a hot, sweaty mess post-workout and I loved it.
I thought I would be miserably sore today, but I feel really good. Great, in fact. I actually can't wait to go back to the gym after work. This is coming from the girl who HATES EXERCISE. I suppose motivation is all you really need to get through a workout.
Also, I may be hallucinating, but my jeans felt slightly looser today. Now, I don't start my crazy caveman diet til Monday, but I have been eating really light all week and cut out booze, soda and anything that isn't water or green tea, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.
I'm proud to say that I didn't have to stop for any breaks, which is awesome. I think my new "workout mix" on my iPod helped. It's near impossible to slack off when you're sweating to that catchy new Michael Franti song, eh? I was a hot, sweaty mess post-workout and I loved it.
I thought I would be miserably sore today, but I feel really good. Great, in fact. I actually can't wait to go back to the gym after work. This is coming from the girl who HATES EXERCISE. I suppose motivation is all you really need to get through a workout.
Also, I may be hallucinating, but my jeans felt slightly looser today. Now, I don't start my crazy caveman diet til Monday, but I have been eating really light all week and cut out booze, soda and anything that isn't water or green tea, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The First Day
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
I've always been fat. It sucks. I've been emotionally guarded, my dating life has suffered and quite honestly, I've just been unhappy for a long time. I know it's because I'm not happy with my body. I just turned 30 this month and I've decided that now is the time to stop messing around and get serious about losing weight.
Acceptance is the first step, right? Second step? Actually figuring out how to lose weight.
I'm lucky enough to have another fatty friend, M (we'll protect her anonymity), who is 100% on board with losing weight with me. So we've decided to team up and lose the chub together. We'll support each other when we're struggling, motivate each other to get our fat asses to the gym and really, it's more fun to do things with a buddy. So M and I are in this together.
M has a friend who's a trainer at the Chicago Fitness Center in Lakeview, so he's going to cut us a sweet deal and train us together for a discounted price. M and I signed up for the gym last night, and while we were there, I met Rob, the trainer. He's, um, kind of scary. I have a feeling that he's going to kick my butt into gear, though, and motivate me to work out harder, better and longer.
Rob also has M and I starting the "Caveman Diet" next week, which is pretty much 6 small meals a day of lean protein and veggies with a few nuts thrown in for good measure. It's going to be a big struggle, but like his diet plan says, "What you eat is either taking you toward your goal of strength, health and leanness, or taking you in the opposite direction, toward weakness, disease and fatness. Every time you feel the urge to deviate from the plan, remind yourself of this."
So the diet and training sessions start next week, but I'm hitting the gym tonight with M to do a bunch of cardio and start getting prepared for our training sessions.
Wish me luck!
I've always been fat. It sucks. I've been emotionally guarded, my dating life has suffered and quite honestly, I've just been unhappy for a long time. I know it's because I'm not happy with my body. I just turned 30 this month and I've decided that now is the time to stop messing around and get serious about losing weight.
Acceptance is the first step, right? Second step? Actually figuring out how to lose weight.
I'm lucky enough to have another fatty friend, M (we'll protect her anonymity), who is 100% on board with losing weight with me. So we've decided to team up and lose the chub together. We'll support each other when we're struggling, motivate each other to get our fat asses to the gym and really, it's more fun to do things with a buddy. So M and I are in this together.
M has a friend who's a trainer at the Chicago Fitness Center in Lakeview, so he's going to cut us a sweet deal and train us together for a discounted price. M and I signed up for the gym last night, and while we were there, I met Rob, the trainer. He's, um, kind of scary. I have a feeling that he's going to kick my butt into gear, though, and motivate me to work out harder, better and longer.
Rob also has M and I starting the "Caveman Diet" next week, which is pretty much 6 small meals a day of lean protein and veggies with a few nuts thrown in for good measure. It's going to be a big struggle, but like his diet plan says, "What you eat is either taking you toward your goal of strength, health and leanness, or taking you in the opposite direction, toward weakness, disease and fatness. Every time you feel the urge to deviate from the plan, remind yourself of this."
So the diet and training sessions start next week, but I'm hitting the gym tonight with M to do a bunch of cardio and start getting prepared for our training sessions.
Wish me luck!
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