Pound Of Cure

I blew it big time this week.  No loss, and it’s my own fault since I didn’t get all my cardio in.  I only did 3 days worth.  So, I’m recommitting myself to my weight loss efforts and here’s how I am going to do it:

1.  Try not to work more than 10 hours per day.

2.  Get enough sleep so I can get up early to work out and not rely on caffeine to get through the day.

3.  Really focus during the time that I am working out, instead of using the time to create lists of things I need to get done at work and worrying myself to death. 

4.  Practice saying “no” this week when I feel overburdened.

I lost one pound last week, so I’m at 157.  Still slow going, but thanks to everyone who has offered encouragement on my slow loss.  I’m just in a rush I guess!  Anyway, I did do all my cardio this week (minimum of 60 minutes per day), but I don’t have my notebook with me right now.  It was all on the elliptical anyway, since it was the most convenient for me last week.  I imagine that this week will be the same.  I normally like to mix it up a little more, especially on the weekends when I usually bike, but since I worked this past weekend, I went for the workout that would give me the most bang for my buck and that was easiest to get done.   Walking just takes too much time.  :)  I was really struggling last week with time issues.

 I started this week off really slowly.  I took yesterday off from cardio.  I was sooooooooooo tired.  I took a 2 hour nap yesterday afternoon instead of working out.  But I did get back into it this morning.  I figure one day off won’t kill me.  I’ll probably make it up later this week anyway. 

I have another big week ahead.  TONS of work to get done, and it will make fitting in the workouts challenging, but that’s what we are all here for, right?  A little challenge.  These are the sorts of things that got me into trouble before.  When my work life would get all crazy, I would stop working out.  The problem was that the craziness would last for months.  I was just focused on getting through the day or the month without missing deadlines or losing my mind, and I completely neglected my body.  I know that things are going to be really busy this fall, and I don’t want old patterns to repeat themselves.  I think I did pretty well last week because I got my workouts in, and I need to continue that into this week and beyond. 

I have an elliptical in my house and I walk and bike, but I’ve been looking for ways to mix it up a bit.  So, I bought a jump rope for $2.49.  You may remember your days on the gradeschool playground and think it’s easy, but let me tell you, 20 years later, it’s a skill you need to relearn.  BUT, it’s a great cardio workout and will only get better as your jumping skills improve.  There is a reason that boxers spend all that time jumping rope!  And it is really good for your legs (but if you have back problems, I could see it being a bit painful if you go for long periods, so wear good shoes and limit your jump time accordingly).  For people looking for a cheap workout, give it a try.   

Of course not!  We all have places we are invited to go and it would be rude to show up empty handed, or it is a pot-luck and we have to bring a dessert.   One option would be to make something that other people really like, but you don’t!   This is very easy to do if you can’t stand nuts in desserts, or if you hate pastry.  I can hear you all now:  why would she do that when it might tempt someone else who is on a diet?  Yes, we should all try to make healthy things so that everyone can eat them.  But how many bowls of fruit salad or low-fat chocolate cake can there be at one function?  But before you throw cyber-rocks at this post, I do try to make things that aren’t going to sabotage other people.  One stand-by that I have called upon often (despite my own love of them) is chocolate covered strawberries.  EVERYONE loves them, so they are gone in about 5 minutes (ensuring that I don’t eat them myself), and they are super easy to make.  Unwrap some Dove chocolate squares (they are my favorite, I cannot stand Hershey’s), melt them in the microwave, dip the berries, and stick them in the fridge to harden.  Literally 5 minutes from start to finish (not including time in the refrigerator).  They do need to remain chilled though, so you can’t take them to an outdoor picnic without a big mess.  The best part is, it’s fruit, with a bit of chocolate on it, so for people watching what they eat, they can indulge without going crazy.  A tasty, yet socially responsible, dessert. 

Down 2 pounds this week to 158!  Yay!  Goodbye 160s.  As some of my buddies know, I’ve been having a hard time the last couple weeks time-wise.  I’ve been getting in my workouts, but not easily.  Thanks to all of them for the support over the last couple weeks (and even for all the silly names they’ve given me in the foums), and to people who have sent me notes and commented on my posts.  Here’s the cardio for the week:

Sunday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Monday - 70 minutes on elliptical

Tuesday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Wednesday - 80 minutes total (elliptal and 3 mile walk)

Thursday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Friday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Saturday - 90 minute bike ride

So, given my schedule this week, some of those workouts were done in two segments, instead of just one.  I really prefer to get it all done at once (in the morning) because it ensures that it all gets done that day, but that just was not happening this week.  I’d like to be at my next mini-goal by the end of the month.  It’s only 3 pounds away, so it’s definitely doable.  We’ll see how it goes, this time next week!  I know this week is just ending, but good luck everyone in meeting your goals next week!

That’s what I feel like telling everyone today.  Quit bugging me and go do it yourself.  I have my own work to do, and I’d like to get it done so I can leave at a decent hour to do my CARDIO tonight.  It’s a good thing I did one workout this morning.  But seriously.  If you are calling me to get a bunch of stuff done and are sitting there looking at it while we are talking, then you could just do it yourself.  I really hate it when other people suddenly wake up after months of inattention and decide to “be helpful” and “get involved” and only make more work.  I really really would like to take a month-long vacation, stay at home and do CARDIO all day long.  Then pick up my normal life again and maintain my weight.  That seems like a good idea, but it probably wouldn’t work out like I imagine it would.  I’d probably get sucked into nine million other things that I “needed” to do.  A girl can dream though, just like I can dream of telling all these people to just go away, at least for today. 

One pound lost this week.  Not the two I’d hoped for, but I’ll take it.  I feel like my weight loss have been slow going, and it’s a little frustrating.  I’m staying in my calorie range for the day and doing my cardio, but I’m still losing only 1-2 pounds a week.  I see other people losing 3 or 4 or more pounds a week, and I’d really like to be able to do that.  I don’t want to cut calories under 1200 for fear of completely stalling my weight loss, and I don’t have any more time in my day to add in more workouts.  I’ve been trying to increase the intensity, but other than that, what’s a girl to do?  I know 1-2 pounds is a healthy way to lose weight according to all the diet articles, but it’s still disappointing sometimes.  Anyway, here’s my cardio for the week:

 Sunday - 90 minute bike ride; 60 minutes on elliptical

Monday - 50 minutes on elliptical (a.m.); 45 minutes on elliptical (p.m.)

Tuesday - 4 mile walk

Wednesday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Thursday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Friday - 45 minutes on elliptical (a.m.); 45 minutes on elliptical (p.m.)

Saturday - 5 mile walk

My 1-pound loss this week makes it 25 pounds gone.  So I got a green star, and my red stars disappeared.  Now I only have 1 star instead of 2.  Even though ithe green star is a “better” star, it would have been nice to just get a third star.  I like seeing them all lined up.  Here’s hoping a get at least a 2-pound loss next week!

Today’s weigh-in brought better news than last week:  2 pounds lost.  Down to 161, from 163.  I’d like to hit my mini-goal of 155 by the end of the month, and I’d really like to leave the 160s behind!  Labor Day is fast approaching, and I’ll be headed to the beach.  I have some shorts that I need to fit into before the summer is over!  Here’s my cardio for the week:

Sunday - 50 minutes on elliptical

Monday - 60 minutes on elliptical

Tuesday - missed my workout

Wednesday - 5 mile walk

Thursday - 4 mile walk (a.m.); 25 minutes on elliptical (p.m.)

Friday - 40 minutes on elliptical (a.m.); 1 hour bike ride (p.m.)

Saturday -  90 minutes on elliptical

One pound to go until I get another star.  Nearly 25 pounds lost!  I really want to hit my goal weight and move on.  Constantly watching the scale is annoying, and things are really picking up at work.  The fall is going to be extremely busy, and the beginning of next year will be even worse.  I’ll be fine maintaining my weight when life gets crazy, but I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate much on losing weight once October hits.  The faster I get this done, the better! 

I was traveling earlier this week and got stuck eating dinner at the airport in a mad rush.  I knew that might happen, so I planned appropriately, or thought I did anyway.  I looked up Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas ahead of time, and knew that one would be about 600-650 calories (just cheese, no other toppings).  I had enough calories left over in my daily budget to more than cover the pizza since and I wasn’t about to eat one more turkey sandwich, particularly one that had been wrapped in plastic three days prior and left to fester in one of those refrigerators.  But when I got to the airport, they had Pizzeria Uno, not Pizza Hut.  I figured the pizza was the same size, so it would be roughly the same amount of calories.  Um, no.  One personal pizza has a whopping 1700 calories!!!!!  I’m very thankful I only ate half, but that is still a LOT of calories that I never intended to eat.  I was shocked when I looked it up online.  What the h*ll can they be cramming in there to make it nearly 3x the calories in a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza?????  Plus, it wasn’t even good.  Moral of the blog:  beware Pizzeria Uno.  It is the spawn of the diet devil.  Consider yourselves warned. 

“It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’  You have got to succeed in doing what is neccessary.”  -Winston Churchill

I came across that quote yesterday, and printed it out for myself.  It applies not only to my weight loss efforts, but to so many other things as well.  I’m all for giving myself a pep talk, but I’m also for giving myself a good kick in the behind when I need it.  I don’t particularly need it right now, but I know there will be a day in the not too distant future when I will.  This is a preemptive strike.  [This is also aimed at myself, and not anyone at Buddyslim.  You have to decide for yourself how you feel about good ol’ Win’s comment.]

If there is one thing I cannot stand in myself or in others, it is carelessness and lack of effort.  I’m guilty of it sometimes, and I always used to make sure that the times I was guilty of it was when it would only affect me.  But I got to thinking; why is it that I think I deserve less than my best?  I wouldn’t give it to someone else, and I shouldn’t settle for it either.  Granted, I can’t be at my best all the time.  It’s impossible.  I won’t ever attain perfection at anything, but why settle for mediocrity?  Sometimes saying that I am ”doing my best” is, in reality, just an excuse to do less than my best on the days when I am tired, stressed or just need a break.  In truth, when I say that I am “doing my best,” it usually means I can and should have done better.  If I’ve succeeded in what I needed to accomplish, then I don’t need the platitude that I’ve done my best; that will be self-evident.  So, I am removing that phrase from my self-help toolbox.  On the days when I need a little pep talk, I’ll just have to think of something else to say.