Wednesday Check-In

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Interesting development - for the past day I haven't been as hungry as normal! Yay for now, but I'm sure this won't last. Yesterday I "only" ate 1,730 calories - this is the lowest I've gone in a long time. I stayed in bed reading/sleeping in until 10:15 a.m., and then had two mugs each of green tea and coffee with soy milk before breakfast, which is actually what I usually do, only I did them at "day off" speed while chatting online with a friend I hadn't talked to in months. So by the time I had breakfast it was 2 p.m.!!! After that there was just never enough time to eat all my snacks between going to the gym and then going out with my friend. As it was, I had to sneak in time for dinner! (Which reminds me - the Mexican lasagna I made this week is again SO DELICIOUS, but the tuna/broccoli/spinach bake is a bit bland, could use more mayo - Smart Beat - next time.) So far today I'm doing well spacing out my food - it's almost noon and I have only eaten breakfast, one snack (out of five planned!) and lunch. And lots to drink. I usually am the worst at spreading out my food when I am sitting at my desk at work. That's because when I don't want to get work done, I use eating to procrastinate. I don't always consciously realize I am doing this, but when I stop and think about it, that's definitely what I'm doing. Bad girl!!

Yesterday's workout consisted of the following:
1. Five minute warm-up walk on treadmill, gradually increasing speed and incline
2. Stretch
3. 10 minute interval run on treadmill...I tried 6.0/9.0 for a while but then dropped the speed minutes down to 8.5.
4. 12 minute StairMaster fit test. You aren't supposed to do the test after you've done other exercise, so I scored "Fair" but the score is invalid. But I really just did it to kill time before class.
5. Advanced Step class (60 min). I hadn't done it in a while mostly because it's usually hard to get to the gym by 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, but also because this class is really intimidating with tricky footwork and a bunch of old pros who make it look easy. I put my step in the back even though in most classes I'm right up front, and as luck would have it I ended up right behind one of those old pros. I just copied everything she did and that made it a lot easier! Also being fitter than the last time I tried it helped too. I still got a little lost and was the worst in the class, and the instructor felt the need to come over and try to help me get one of the moves even though I insisted I was just a lost cause, but I did far better than I'd ever done before. And at the end of class the instructor told me to keep coming back. I think I could be an Advanced Step old pro someday if I kept going consistently.

I also did a few pushups...this is something I want to try to do on a more regular basis...I mean I already do some in Body Pump but those are all at someone else's pace and on my knees. I want to practice some real, on-the-toe pushups when I am on my own. Unfortunately I can still only manage one real one at a time, but then I want to drop down to my knees and do as many of those as I can, then rest and try the whole thing over again. So far I haven't really gotten too into this, but I need to be able to do more real ones in a row.

PS - Weight today: 137.6. Oh well.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TRACYZABELLE 11/13/2008 1:47AM

Susan- Do the numbers on the scale really mean that much to you or is it more how you feel?I am glad my home scale does not go high enough to weigh me or I would beb on it all the time I think. Weighing in once a week is good for me I think. You sound like you had a great day.. very relaxing! Report Inappropriate Comment

CATERPILLAR85 11/12/2008 9:58PM

sounds like a wonderfully lazy day to me! p.s. bodyflow is a yoga/pilates class :) i think we have discussed it before! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRUIN2 11/12/2008 12:28PM

Ahhh, I eat to procrastinate from work too. Bad habit, eh? (hahaha, yep, I'm Canadian apparently!) Something I've tried doing (and had some success with) is reaching for my water bottle BEFORE reaching for my food. Kind of a forced spreading of the meals... And Woo Hoo for such an awesome workout! Way to rock that step class!! Is there one that you can go to at a time that works for you?? You should totally see if you can watch the Biggest Loser episode from last night online - it was AWESOME! And it will make you want to keep up the stepping!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Big Drop Theory Holds True Again!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My weight loss follows this pattern again and again...it'll hold steady or gradually slightly go up over the course of several days and then finally BAM, down a bunch (e.g., three pounds) in one day. I KNEW I was in for a "BAM" day today...that 139.0 yesterday just didn't seem right to me...I knew my weight should have been lower....

136.4 today!!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CREATINGMYSELF 11/13/2008 1:24AM

I am the same way-- I have been trying to kick 204 for like 2wks. And then this morning the scale provided me with some much needed sanity-- 201 lbs even. What the heck? It's so frustrating, but predictable I guess. I just always worry that the "magical" day won't come! Report Inappropriate Comment

SWEATONCEADAY 11/11/2008 6:53PM

woo hoo! Report Inappropriate Comment

-JACE- 11/11/2008 3:25PM

congrats! my body does the same thing! Report Inappropriate Comment

RA4945 11/11/2008 2:31PM

Awesome! You worked hard for it, girl! Congrats! I want one of those!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRUIN2 11/11/2008 1:09PM

I think your new nickname will be Emeril!! BAM! BAM! BAM! Report Inappropriate Comment

CATERPILLAR85 11/11/2008 12:49PM

you are amazing, i am so proud! Report Inappropriate Comment

TRACYZABELLE 11/11/2008 12:44PM

I think being a woman we naturally retain fluid to screw us up! Some of us more than others . WTG lady! Report Inappropriate Comment

BLUEBOOEYES 11/11/2008 11:55AM

Way to go, Susan!!! Congrats!! Soon enough you'll be at goal! Report Inappropriate Comment

PAMELA984 11/11/2008 11:30AM

You Rock! Report Inappropriate Comment

Blog Entry Number Three for the day :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

So what if it's past 11 p.m.? I have tomorrow off! :)

To answer your question, Terri, my intervals are one minute each.

But the real reason I'm adding another blog entry is.....drumroll please...

We just booked our vacation to Puerto Plata!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! I am SO excited. I cannot WAIT for February!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MARLIE13 11/11/2008 2:37PM

I just googled your destination...it looks beautiful. So excited for you! Report Inappropriate Comment

TERRIANGEL 11/11/2008 12:57PM

Awesome!!!! LOVE the big drop theory, too. :) You're so close to your goal, girl! Oh, and my 8.8 is minut miles. Not miles a minute. :) I find it so much harder to go fast on a treadill than outside. Strange. I need to book my trip. Hope you're having a great day off! Report Inappropriate Comment

LYNN248 11/11/2008 6:21AM

Wooooooohoooooooooooo!! congrats that's awesome!! I love having something to look forward to:) I"m leaving February 13..you?? Report Inappropriate Comment

NTRICK 11/11/2008 2:43AM

wow, have a great time! Report Inappropriate Comment

Wow - Great Workout Tonight! :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

After the way I was feeling this morning I didn't have high hopes about my workout tonight, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was fantastic!

I arrived at the gym just in time to do 15 minutes of speed work on the treadmill before classes. It had been a long time since I'd done speed work so I wasn't really sure what to try...so I did 6.0mph/8.5mph. It took me 10 minutes to realize I could be pushing harder, so my last two intervals were at 9.0mph!!! I have never gone that fast before! That is a 6:40 min/mile pace! Next time I will try doing 6.0/9.0 the whole time. Afterwards, I walked for two minutes and my heart rate was back below 120 before the first minute was over!

Next up was Zumba. Note to any and all Zumba instructors who happen to see this: PLEASE don't stop between every song to talk!!! Zumba is designed to be easy/repetitive enough for us clutzes to get the moves just from watching and trying. We DON'T need the three-minute tutorial before every song! Cardio exercise is supposed to be continual! Grrrrrr! (Also if you could avoid the loud "YES THAT'S NICE!" comments when we aren't even doing anything and the "HOLD IT" when what you really mean is to keep doing what we're doing rather than to hold still like I thought you meant, that'd be great too.) Okay, vent aside, the actual dancing was fun. :)

Finally came Body Pump. The Monday 7:30 instructor is the BEST Body Pump instructor, but usually I'm too exhausted to do Body Pump so late at night! I'm so glad I was able to go tonight. He's fun, he's funny, he's really focused on form, and he's very clear and well-rehearsed with his instructions. Yay!

I have tomorrow off for Veterans Day and I'm hoping to get in some high-quality cardio. :) Just not outside unfortunately, because we're getting highs in the mid 40s! Brrrr!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CATERPILLAR85 11/11/2008 12:52PM

reading your blogs about your workouts make me so ready to get into the gym tonight and start my November workout plan. I'm a bit nervous though because my gym buddy has kind of fallen through and I really need to get back into my classes (bodyflow, bodypump & spin) but i'm worried about going by myself. i always have so much more confidence in the classes when i have a buddy that i'm tempted to just go tonight and do free weights and run on the elliptical so i have the safety of my ipod....eeek. Report Inappropriate Comment

BRUIN2 11/10/2008 10:42PM

WOOT WOOT!! Look at that speed work!! You are DEFINITELY a sprinter - I mean, look at that 10k time... you could be WINNING races with that time!! You've found another forte! Report Inappropriate Comment

TERRIANGEL 11/10/2008 10:23PM

Great workout! Um...6.40 minute pace??!! Excuse me?? How long did you do that for?????? I had to chuckle at your virtual scolding of the Zumba teacher. How frustrating that must have been! I mean, you're in a class...you want to SWEAT! Nice job, Susan. Here's to great workouts tonight: Report Inappropriate Comment

Dreary Monday

Monday, November 10, 2008

My boyfriend has had this really disgusting cough lately that has kept us BOTH awake at night and I'm starting to wonder whether I'm catching something - I don't have a cough right now, but I have just felt tired despite getting plenty of sleep, I've had random aches since last night, and I've been just a bit sniffly on/off.

Today I was up to 139.0. Considering that between Fri-Sun I worked out almost seven hours and that I stuck to my eating plan one hundred percent this weekend, there is no good reason I can think of that my weight was up. I must have patience and stop letting these fluctuations get me down so much, but I have been bouncing between 137-140 now for over a month. I was organizing/trying on a bunch of my old shirts yesterday and even though I am thinner all over, my stomach sticks out a lot, especially at night when I am bloated, yuck. I really wasn't feeling thin at all. I work so hard just to look OK; meanwhile Jess had three HUUUUGE slices of pizza yesterday and ice cream and he always looks fantastic. And he hasn't worked out at all lately because of his cold, and even when he does, it's only a small fraction of the amount I work out. At least I wasn't overly tempted to steal his pizza and ice cream - my two biggest temptations - especially when I looked at the ingredients list of his ice cream. How can partially hydrogenated soybean oil be listed not once, but twice in the ingredients list and they still claim zero grams trans fat? How misleading.

Today is a professional day at school - no kids, only teachers - and I have no desire whatsoever to work. This funk better be a cold or PMS or something other than being ME, because I don't want to be like this! Hrmph.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LYNN248 11/10/2008 8:51PM

Thanks for your comments on my blog :) I surely was talking about you. Since my nutritionist had put me on a "eat more calorie" plan It just felt unatural to me and I never knew if i should eat more or less or workout more or less or what???? Seems like i've tried everything at this point and now my body on strike! I was at a point where i didn't understand my body at all. I still don't but at least I have some professional nutrional guidance:) that lady rocks, she's awesome!! I'm still trying to find that balance and I can't wait for my body to start reacting better. Report Inappropriate Comment

MARLIE13 11/10/2008 7:29PM

Boo on silly boys that can mostly eat whatever they want to and not gain weight! I've got my fingers crossed for you that you aren't getting the crud. Report Inappropriate Comment

FITGIRL15 11/10/2008 6:53PM

I think you just answered your OWN question! You say that your BF, Jess works out LESS then you na dcan still eat MORE then you and look GREAT... what is it that he does at the gym that is so different then you? He probably lifts heavier weights, right? Heavy lifting is a huge reason why most women never see the results from exercise that they want, because they overdo the cardio and completely whittle away at their lean muscle mass by AVOIDING the weights like the plague. (Don't get me weong, Body Pump is great (I teach a class similar to it, actually!), but it's still not quite the lifting I'm talking about! If you can do 50 squats in 5 minutes, you aren't lifting heavy enough!) Personally, I think you are negating all your hard work by doing excessive amounts of cardio. Cardio is for burning fat, weight lifting builds muscle. If you do too much cardio and not enough weights your lean muscle mass suffers (have you ever seen a muscular runner? I find them to be always very slight people!) As for the weighing in daily... trash it! Sounds to me liek you've hit a plateau, a normal phenomonon during most people's weight loss journey (including my own!) but you can either dwell on it and continue to weigh in daily and feel crappy that the scale hasn't changed, or you can stop the madness, put all the "scale" effort into something more productive, like mirror time. Spend about 5 minutes a day just looking at yourself inthe mirror and enjoy the fruits of all your hard work! It will do your mind and spirit so much good! The scale is a buzz-kill when you are in a plateau! For me, staying off the scale for a month is the best plan I've had in a long time! I've never felt better!! Mirrors are definitely more friendly then scales anyday :) Report Inappropriate Comment

BRUIN2 11/10/2008 1:56PM

Grrr. Boys. That's all I have to say on that. heheh. Where in your range have you been eating?? Maybe your bod is holding onto some of the food because of all of your working out?? Good thing you have spark to occupy you today, right?!? hehehe. Hope you have a good night! Report Inappropriate Comment