Day Forty-two: Still Alive...Barely

Believe it or not, I'm still keeping up with this fitness shit. Sort of. I haven't worked out in over a week. I haven't given up, but I have been a bit...sidetracked? At least I can say I've pretty much kept to my diet. Well, I haven't gone over my calorie limit. That's kind of hard to do when you've basically only been eating low fat chicken soup for half of the week. Motivation to exercise, however, has eluded me.

 

It started last Tuesday. I wasn't feeling well. The constant change in weather has been affecting my sinuses, and I knew I had to be coming down with something on Wednesday when I couldn't get my lazy ass off the couch the entire day. I couldn't breathe out of one nostril, I was exhausted for no good reason, and my head was killing me from yet another sinus headache. I had reserved a spot for a yoga class that night, but there was no way I was going anywhere but bed. I never work out on Thursdays because that's my game/writer's meeting night, but I figured I could catch a yoga class on Friday morning before I went into work if I was feeling better by then. Too bad I felt like poo for the next two days.

 

I couldn't call in sick Thursday because I already had clients on the book. It would be like pulling teeth to find someone to work for me. When my husband called me at work the next day to let me know he wasn't feeling too good either, I knew I couldn't come in on Friday. If I was contagious, I wouldn't be able to work on clients without making them sick too. I found a couple people to pull my shift for the next day and went home. I missed the class I reserved on Friday morning, so no exercise for me then either.

 

Saturday. Ugh. Saturday was hell. Health wise, I was feeling better, but I had made the mistake of asking my husband to drop me off and pick me up after work. There were parades due to run down Poydras that day, and I just wanted one easy day. I told him to pick me up at Baronne at the Jimmy Johns, a plan he thought was stupid because he believes there just has to be a back way to get to the Loews where I work. There is a back way. There are many. Too bad they're all blocked off two hours before the parades start. No amount of explaining this to him would convince him though. I also should have told him to wait to leave until after I called him because he left an hour before my shift ended and got there a half an hour before I got off. And because I had to wait for the authorities to allow me through the parade barricades (this can take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour), he spent the next ten minutes after I got off driving around the block. This caused a heated argument on the ride home that ended with me going over to my sister's house to gripe. I also went riding around New Orleans trying to find this mysterious back way that will magically transport me past numerous blocked streets. Seriously. Just about every street surrounding the hotel is blocked off during a parade. I fucking hate Mardi Gras.

 

Suffice it to say, I missed the Saturday night yoga class as well. Because fuck it.

 

I'm going back tonight, though I'm not really enthusiastic about it. The temporary membership I have runs out on the 27th and the full membership rate is way too much for me to afford, but maybe if they have a walk in fee, I'll drop in twice a month. Eh.

 

This entire week has taught me two things. One, that Mardi Gras traffic is hell on a marriage, and two, motivation is really hard to find when you're too tired to go looking for it. On the positive side, I weighed myself last week and came out close to seven pounds lighter than when I began this thing. I also took measurements, but I'm not sure I trust that I did that right. There is no way I lost that many inches in such a short amount of time, even if the pants I fit in again say otherwise. Also, I have my end of the month pictures. Please feel free to enjoy my pasty whiteness. One of us should.

 

 

END OF MONTH ONE:

 

Weight: 140.4

Bust: 40

Waist: 33.5

Hips: 40

 

 

 

 



Day One: Or, Why I Hate Taking Full-Body Pictures

It's eating away at me, this knowing I'm going to have to post a picture at least once a month. And not just a picture of my face, either. At least with a face shot I can angle the picture in such a way as to hide most of my chins. But holy Space Buddha, I've never been able to take a full-body shot without cringing, and that's when I'm fully covered.

Me. In a sports bra and shorts. I apologize for any psychological damage this image has caused.

And to those of you blinded by my pasty whiteness, my bad. My bad.

 

I had hoped to post this New Year's Eve when I was too drunk to care. Too bad I ate so much fat and grease and crap that it absorbed any alcohol I drank. If you knew just how much of a light weight I usually am when it comes to liquor-yeah, yeah, "light weight", funny-you'd understand just how amazing it is that I was not only still standing but could comprehend the consequences of my actions. Not a good thing when you're about to post half nude photos of yourself online. Or as close to nude as I EVER intend to get.

 

At any rate, there I am. In all my glory. I weighed myself New Year's day. It was almost as depressing as the pictures. I come in at 147.8 lbs. Compare that to my heaviest weight two years ago at 190 lbs. and it doesn't seem so bad until you realize that I got down to 130. Another ten more pounds and I'll be halfway back to my starting weight. And it never takes long to gain that weight back. Aaaand...I never just gain it all back. I gain it all back and then some. And then I have to start all over again. I'm nipping this shit in the bud right here and now.

 

I spent New Year's day eating like a good little dieter. I prepared the day before, buying enough healthy items to get me through the next couple weeks. I hope. I'm using Noom for Android to keep track of diet and exercise. It not only helps you keep track of calories, it helps keep track of what percentage of healthy (green) foods you take in. It really helped me out a lot two years ago. Things didn't really get off track for me until after I stopped keeping track of what I was putting in my mouth...that came out dirtier than I intended, but you get the drift.

 

Here's a record of what I ate yesterday. No hipster food images, I swear:

 

Breakfast

 

1. Skim milk (1/4 cup)
2. Cheerios (1 cup)
3. Dannon Light and Fit Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt (1 cup)
4. Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread (1 slice)
5. Borden Cheese Fat Free Sharp Singles (1 slice)

Total Calories: 320

 

Morning Snack

 

1. Tangerine
2. Chiquita Juicy Green Apple Bites (7 slices)
3. 1/2 cucumber
4. Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine (2 cups)

Total Calories: 112

 

Lunch

 

1. Yoplait Light Nonfat Yogurt, Very Vanilla
2. Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices)
3. Borden Cheese Fat Free Sharp Singles (1 slice)
4. Hillshire Farm Deli Select Turkey Breast Oven Roasted (1 serving)
5. French's Classic Yellow Mustard

Total Calories: 300

 

Afternoon Snack

 

1. Cucumber (half)
2. Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine (2 cups)
3. Chiquita Juicy Green Apple Bites (7 slices)

Total Calories: 86

 

Dinner

 

1. Boca Soy Protein Burgers All American Flame Grilled 10 Oz. (1 patty)
2. Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices)
3. Green Beans (1 serving)
4. Borden Cheese Fat Free Sharp Singles (1 slice)

Total Calories: 310

 

Daily Total Calories: 1128

 

I didn't exercise that first day because it was a Thursday (I'm either at a Writer's Circle meeting after work or playing D&D). Today I did some aerobics (Leslie Sansone's Power Walk) and later after work, I'll be doing some strength training exercises. My next post will include my exercise regiment as well measurements. And I'll try to restrain myself from laughing too hard at Leslie's Fran Dresher laugh.

 

Update: You have no idea how hard it is taking waist measurements when you have two rolls of fat in between. No fucking clue. Here you go:

 

STARTING WEIGHT: 147.8 lbs.

 

Starting Measurements:

 

Bust - 41

Waist - 35

Hips - 43