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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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?

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!

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.

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.