LIB update

Yes, it's a loss, but I'm not happy with it.  I snuck a peek at the scale on Sunday night and I was about a pound and a half lighter than this.  And then that anniversary wrecking bitch showed up on Tuesday and bloated me right the eff up.  Guess I should be thankful that she only bloated me a pound and a half - the bitch has been known to add five pounds in the past.

So, this morning's weigh-in: 186 # (BMI 35.7), down 0.5# from last week and a whole whopping pound from my original weigh-in.  Not much movement, but at least it's progress.

Weigh-in Wednesday

It's back!  I'm not thrilled that I didn't lose anything in the first go-round of Lose It Bitches.

Today's weigh-in:

Deep breath...My initial weigh-in for round two was 187# (BMI 35.9).  I then jumped a pound to 188# and held that for a couple of weeks.  Today's weigh in at 186.5# (BMI 5.8) made me happy.  I wasn't sure I'd see the scale move at all.

Haven't checked in with Not A GunDiva to see what her weigh in was.  But she did run the Boulder Bolder 10K race on Memorial Day, so she's definitely got a leg up on me in the exercise department.

Lose It Bitch, Round Two

I'm a little late for weigh in; it was supposed to be Wednesday.  I did actually do my weigh-in and take the picture with my phone, which I then emailed to myself.  Not a problem, right?  Took two days for it to arrive in my mailbox.  I got it yesterday, but my computer's in the shop, so I had to summon the courage to borrow RCC's Mac to post my blogs.  My laptop's still at the IT God's place getting its upgrade for grad school.

Okay, done with rambling...here's my weigh in picture.  Not happy about it, since it's a gain from the first LIB weigh in, but it's a process, right?

Wednesday Weigh-in

I admitted last week that I'd gained weight, rather than lost it, so my weigh in last week was 188.5 pounds (ugh!).  Today, my weigh in was 187.5 pounds, so I'm down one lousy pound, but at least it's down, not up.

I'd post pictures, but I can't find my camera cord.  Once I do, we'll be back in business.

I took Monday off of work and went to see my girl (again, pictures stuck in camera).  I'll post the whole long story in a couple of days, but the short story is that I walked all over hill and dale for an hour tracking her down and then spent another thirty minutes grooming her.  Guess that counts as a workout, right?

Haven't made it to the gym yet, but I'm still working my gawdawful long hours; today was a "short" day at nine hours.  Next week, my schedule drastically changes for the better and I'll be able to schedule gym hours.  Gotta keep that scale moving in the right direction!

LIB

Okay, I've been a bad LIBer.  Bad, bad, horible bad.  I've gained 3.5 pounds since we started.  In truth, my heart was in it to begin with, but then my mod from hell came around and I lost all motivation.  I'm now a few weeks past my mod from hell, but still haven't found a lot of motivation.  Today, however, I went for a walk with the rest of the Education team and it was fabulous!  I did realize that as much as I love the elliptical machine, it does nothing for the anterior tibialis muscles (shin muscles), which were killing me on our short, thirty minute walk.

There's no way I am going to win this LIB challenge with all of the fabulous women who are actually doing it and losing weight, but I'm not going to give up.  Not at all; I just know that I have to make my health a priority, the college isn't going to fall apart if I leave my desk for a thirty minute walk every day.  I might even re-start my Wednesday Weigh-ins.

I've got stuff I want to do this summer and being healthier would make them all more enjoyable.

An Accidental Recipe

Last week, I hosted "Bring A Victim" day for my Phlebotomy classes, which always involves food to bribe them.  I've found that if you offer food in return for fresh veins, you can talk people into pretty much anything.

Normally, I can come up with a potluck meal in no time, but for some reason I was stuck last week.  My fall-back recipe, chili, didn't sound appetizing since we'd just spent the entire week eating left-over chili.  As I lay in bed Monday night, I finally thought of something to make for the potluck, but was too tired to get my butt up out of bed and throw everything in the crockpot so it could be ready for my morning class.  I figured I'd just stop at the grocery store in the morning and figure something out.

However...being married to a chef and learning to think outside the box when it comes to cooking saved the day. My mind must have been working while I was asleep, because I woke up the next morning with the perfect recipe for the potluck!  It turned out so well, I thought I'd share it with all of you.  It's embarrassingly simple and perfect for cold days.

Chicken Green Chile Stew

• 1 large can chicken breast (yes, I use canned, but if you have all day to simmer, you can throw in four chicken breasts instead)
• 1 large jar 505 Green Chili
• 1 small can diced green chiles 
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 2 cans (or one "box") of Chicken Stock
• 1 can white potatoes, diced (or two diced potatoes if you have all day to simmer)
• 1 small bag frozen corn

Throw them all together in a crockpot or stockpot to heat.  You can use all the low-sodium, low-fat ingredients you want and it will still taste amazing!  There's not a darned thing in the stew that's bad for you and if you balk at the Cream of Chicken soup, don't use it.

Trust me, it's awesome and prep only takes as long as it takes to open a few cans and unscrew a jar lid.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Well, the day I've been dreading has arrived...I gained.  I suppose that I should be thankful that my body waited until the last week of my hell mod to gain instead of instantly packing on the pounds after I quit working out and began working non-stop.

Do you suppose I can blame the eight ounce gain on the new pedicure?  That they layered on so much polish that it made a difference?  I don't know, but I'm liking the idea.  So, GunDiva is up to 185#, which gives me a BMI of 35.5, which we all know is still obese.  The good news is that tomorrow is the last day in my hell mod, so I can go back to working out!!!!

RockCrawlinChef didn't take a picture this morning, but he reports that his weight is 201#, which gives him a BMI of 30.6, which is slightly obese.  He's pretty sure that our scale is screwed up because a couple of days ago he weighed in 5.5# lighter.  He may be right, but we can't change scales midway through the contest.  Guess we'll just keep cussing this one.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Today actually wasn't as painful as I had anticipated.  I haven't set foot in the gym since the beginning of the mod and I've been stress eating like nobody's business.  So, rather than being dejected when I stepped on the scale today and saw that it hadn't budged one way or the other, I was extremely relieved.

The kitten has absconded with my camera, so there are no new pictures of the scale, but if you're dying to see my chipped toenail polish (well, actually, the few chips of polish left on my toes) and the depressing numbers, feel free to look at last week's post.

• GunDiva  184.5#
• RockCrawlinChef  199# (he's down from his original weight, but up from two weeks ago - I'm chortling in joy).

Weigh-in Wednesday

I can just continue to recycle the same old, same old...

However...I'm not so distressed about it considering I haven't been able to do a whole a lot about it, meaning that I really, truly don't have time to go to the gym.  I want to, I really, really do.  I feel like crap now that I haven't been able to go at least once a week.  My knees are creaky and achy, I'm lethargic and pissy, and generally not pleasant to be around.  But you know what?  I only have five more fourteen hour days ahead of me and only four more ten hour days ahead of me.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as work goes this mod, so I'm not at all disappointed in maintaining my weight, though I'd much rather be losing it.

RockCrawlinChef's weigh in...crickets...crickets...crickets...yeah, he's not saying and I'm too tired to upstairs, get the camera, and upload the photo.  Honestly, when I go upstairs tonight, I'm not coming down until it's time to leave for work in the morning.  So he'll be granted a reprieve on his weigh in picture until probably next week.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Scale Has Not Budged.

No new pics, as I left my camera at work, but since the stupid scale hasn't budged, if you really need to see a picture of my desperately-in-need-of-a-pedicure feet on the scale, go to last week's post.  Same damn thing.

I didn't even ask RockCrawlinChef what the scale said for him. 

Knew it would just piss me off.

Limited Exposure

On Friday, over at Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit, he had a guest blogger, Michelle, who started the Exposed Movement in which she "exposed" herself and decided to celebrate her body rather than hate on it.  This is her self celebratory photo...

I, however, am not that brave.  Nor am I that talented at manipulating photos.  I tried to do the whole writing on the photo thing and it didn't work out so well for me, so what you get is "Limited Exposure"; the most recent, fully clothed, full body photo I could find.  I've been avoiding the camera like the plague, and was thoroughly disgusted by these photos until I looked at them with fresh eyes, thanks to Michelle.

Arms, shoulders, and back: Have lifted literally tons of hay and thrown hundreds of saddles.  Have shot handguns and long guns in calibers ranging from .22 to .454 Casull to .50 Beowolf.  Have carried and moved my children, most notably my oldest son, during his paralytic episodes.  Hands:  Completed NaNoWriMo 2009, act as my spell check when I use sign language to remember how to spell hard words.

Belly, Butt and Hips:  Have carried and birthed three healthy children.

Legs and Feet:  Have ridden countless miles both in a saddle and bareback.  Have carried me through cities in England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.  Have provided me with hours of fun with my friends playing soccer.

I'm constantly telling my kids when they complain that they need to name five positive things, even if it's "the sky is blue today", just so that they get in the habit of looking at things in a more positive manner.  Problem is, I've been guilty of looking at the bad side of my body and forgetting to look at all of the great things it has helped me to accomplish. 

K. Erickson over at Preachers and Horse Thieves will probably reach through cyberspace and slap me upside the head, because he's been telling me ever since I started with LIB that my attitude sucks.  Though he's too much of a gentleman to actually say those words.  So, K., I'm listening.

Who Is That Fatso In The Mirror?

I'm facing a bit of a disconnect.  I'm working out, I'm feeling great: strong and healthy.  So who is the fat bitch in my mirror?  I was honestly surprised yesterday when I got back from my workout and saw myself in the mirror as I was getting into the shower.  I don't feel like I weigh as much as I do; I feel better than I have in months, so why don't I look like I feel? 

I know it will take time to get my body to catch up to how I feel, but since my resolution was to be healthier, I suppose I'm meeting that resolution.  But, Body, please, please, please hurry up and catch up, I don't like seeing that fat bitch in my mirror.  Please can't we replace her with the skinny hottie that I know is lurking in there somewhere?

Making The World A Better Place...

...Two Phlebotomists, four Medical Assistants, and one Pharmacy Technician at a time!

The best part of my job is when I know that I've done the best I can for my students.  I set the bar high for them and expect them to put in the work to make it and it's an amazing feeling when they do.  Yesterday was the day that I sent my "babies" off to slaughter - I mean to sit for their National Certification exams.

For two to three heart wrenching hours, I have to let my babies, whom I've cursed, cajoled, threatened and cried over out of my control while they take their National Certification Exams.  I pace like a daddy outside the birthing room the whole time they're in with that other person, the test proctor.

The stress is different than what I usually feel.  For the students that I directly had a hand in teaching and bringing along, I worry that there was something important that I forgot to teach them that will make or break their certification.  For the students that I didn't directly have a hand in teaching, I worry that I didn't give their instructor enough information or support and therefore have failed the students in that aspect. 

The certification tests are HARD and they're supposed to be; you wouldn't want anyone working on you or your family members who didn't have to pass a stringent exam, but it still breaks my heart when I have a student who I know works his/her ass off and just barely misses their certification.  It always makes me want to cry when one of my babies doesn't pass their first time through.

And just because, here's today's workout:

• 
  
  15 minutes interval training on the elliptical machine (levels 1 and 8)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 sets of 20 reps standing alternating bicep curls (10#)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 sets of 20 reps standing alternating tricep extentions (10#)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 sets of 10 reps standing front raises (anterior deltoid) (10#)
  
  
  
• 
  
  2 sets of 20 reps vertical crunches
  
  
  

I was short on time, so I cut out some of my cardio.  Knowing that muscle burns more calories, I've decided to incorporate more weightlifting in my workouts, which I love.  Probably next week, I'll switch to fifteen minutes of cardio, thirty minutes of lifting, and finish with fifteen minutes of cardio, which ensures that I keep my heart rate up for the entire hour I'm working out. 

I also "super set" when I lift, moving from one exercise to another, so for example I'll do my bicep curls, then tricep extensions, then front raises, then crunches, and then rest for 30 seconds before starting my super set again.  My trainer turned me on to the super sets when I ran into time issues, because it allows one set of muscles to rest without while you're working another set without having to stop exercise.

Weigh-in Wednesday (AKA WTF? Wednesday)

First, let me just say I'm pissed as hell.  I've been going to the gym on a semi-regular basis; have increased my water intake; have decreased my Coke intake (though we all now know about the hot chocolate fiasco); and have reduced my portions; when I'm full I stop, even if there's just a bite or two left.  My DH, on the other hand, hasn't stepped on foot in the gym and has eaten a couple of salads.  By a couple of salads, that's what I mean, like, two.  That's what he's done for his weight loss.  Knowing that, here are the results of our weigh-in today...

That's right, all that freakin' work and the GunDiva's exactly the freakin' same!  Yes, the scale says 184.5#, which still leaves me with a BMI of 35.4, which is still freakin' obese. C'mon!  I'm working to lose weight and the scale's not. effing. budging.

So, here's the result of the RockCrawlinChef's no gym, two freakin salads week...

Yep.  No gym time, two goddamn salads and he's down to 195.0# with a BMI of 28.8, which is overweight, but not freakin' obese.  He's down 3.5#, a loss of 1.7%.  His BMI is down 1.4 points from obese to overweight.  Wanna know what really trips my trigger?  Last Wednesday, when I didn't post our weight?  It's because he was UP to 204#, so since last freakin' Wednesday he's lost 9#.  He's only down 3.5# from his original weigh-in, but 9# since last week.  Really?

I'm happy that he's been able to lose weight but pissed as hell that he hasn't had to to a damn thing to do it.  Effing men!

Monday Night's Workout

Ok, just for the sake of getting it down, here's tonight's workout:

• 28 minutes on the elliptical machine (weight loss setting), increased resistance to 2 and 8 from 1 and 7
• 3 sets of 10 reps (10#) supine fly (pecs) on the fitball
• 3 sets of 10 reps (10#) tricep extensions on the fitball
• 3 sets of 10 reps (10#) supine press (pecs) on the fitball
• 3 sets of 20 reps (10#) bicep curls on the fitball
• 3 sets of 15 reps fitball crunches

Today was a bad Coke day; super stressful, so I had two Cokes and one hot chocolate, which is one Coke and one hot chocolate more than my allowed amount.  I did match my Cokes with one liter of water and made sure that I burned off those extra 250 calories on the elliptical machine before I stepped off of it, so I'm not feeling so bad about blowing it.

My upper body is going to be sore tomorrow, even though I only lifted 10#, but it's a start.  Every time I get discouraged about my lack of progress, I remind myself that the last time I started working out I couldn't complete nine minutes on the elliptical machine (resistance 1, no incline/intervals).  Here I am, 35# heavier than the last time and right off the bat I could complete 28 minutes on the weight loss setting.  I think I'm going to have to hold onto that thought for a while, as this is really slow going.

WTH Monday

I know it's early on a Monday to already be posting a "WTH?", because there are still hours and hours left for the day to go to crap. 

However, I just found out that my one eight-ounce cup of hot chocolate has as many calories as my one twelve-ounce can of Coke.  Too bad I didn't figure that out until after I'd already made it!  No wonder my scale's not been budging.  I've been cutting out Coke by adding in other drinks, including hot chocolate, and inadvertently increasing my caloric intake, what with drinking three to four hot chocolates a day instead of my one Coke.  Don't know why it didn't dawn on me earlier to check the calories in hot chocolate, but I'm going to savor this one, which will be my last for a while.

To The Gym, To The Gym, Rinny-Tin-Tin

Well, I've managed to make it two times in a row to the gym.  I got a bit of a late start, so I shorted myself the time I would have used to lift.  I did manage another 28 minutes on the elliptical machine; 1.96 miles this time, as I was having a hard time regulating my heart rate.  I have this pesky little condition called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia - so my heart races out of control for no reason.  It's controlled by medication most of the time, but tonight, not so much.  I spent a great deal of my time trying to keep my heart rate less than 150 bpm, which is typically my "tripping point"; the point at which I can flip myself into tach.

Maybe tomorrow's workout will go better.  I'll have time to lift as well as do cardio, which I'm looking forward to.  AND...the weather's supposed to warm up to above freezing.  It'll be a good day.

Better Late Than Never

Well, I finally made it to the gym.  Was supposed to start Monday and that didn't happen.  Was supposed to go Tuesday and that didn't happen.  Yesterday? Nope.  But today...I made it!

I grumble about the gym, but it's not the gym I don't like, it's the getting off my polar bear ass and going to the gym.  Once I'm there, it's all good.  I love the smell.  I love the sweat.  And I really, really love the feeling the next day of the fatigued muscles and the sense of accomplishment.  I don't, however, like the painful soreness.  Fatigue is one thing; pain is entirely different.

I may, if I play my cards right, be able to make it tomorrow and Saturday, which will make it three days this week and squeak in my goal to make it three times a week.

Today's workout:

• 28 minutes on the elliptical machine (1.99 miles, 3250 strides)
• 2 sets of 20 crunches on the crunch machine (10#)
• 2 sets of 20 on the obliques machine (10#)

I've got to find my workout cards, 'cause I'm lost without them.  I've got a great set of cards that I made from the workouts my former trainer gave me that are broken down into arms, legs, chest and back that I can rotate through.  Grrr...I hate when I put things some place safe and can't find them again.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I debated on whether or not to post today because it's only been three days since we started this thing and I didn't anticipate seeing any changes.  I was right...the scale's exactly the same for me, though it's a bit meaner for Jay.  He's up, rather than down, so he took a salad to work to munch on all day. 

One of the things we're going to try to do is not eat after seven p.m.  He did that last time he lost a ton of weight and it really helped, so we'll be giving that a go. That's going to be really hard for me from mid-Jan through mid-Feb, because I'll be working late four days a week, but I'll do my best to stick with it.

Thanks, everybody, for all the support and I'll have pics up next Wednesday.

Lose It Bitch - It's On!

Okay, time to start Resolution #1 (yuck!), but I signed on for it, so I'm going to do it.  And, really, I'll feel much better once I get this polar bear off my ass.  Jay, though he hasn't officially signed on to the contest, is joining me and will be allowing me to post his scale pictures as well.  His goal is to be 170# by his birthday in May.

Okay, deep breath, I can do this...

Yep, that's it 184.5# for me, which gives me a BMI of 35.4, which, as I already knew, is obese.  Damn.

.

Here's Jay's...

It's 198.5#, which gives him a BMI of 30.2, which is just barely obese.  Bastard.  Why is it men can carry more weight than women?  Grrr....

Yes, the scale's that dusty - that's how long we've been avoiding it.  I'll make sure it's thrown through the window cleaned up and pretty by our next weigh in.

We had every intention of starting our workouts today, but we're both still battling this never-ending cold.  Hopefully, by tomorrow we'll be over our snots and coughs long enough to get on the ellipticals.  I'll be posting our progress every Wednesday, with a final weigh in on April 30.  Wish us luck, we'll freakin' need it.

Anyone who wants to follow along can join us at Lose It, Bitches, where we'll be exchanging dieting and exercise ideas.