The Food Challenge

No, I'm not going to discuss a challenge that I'm giving myself when it comes to the food I eat...

I mean...I'm CHALLENGED by food!!!

I don't get it!!!

There was an article on Yahoo! today about the 10 "super foods" for weight loss.  In the article it listed certain foods (wild salmon, quinoa, lentils, sweet potatoes, etc.) that are "proven" to help with weight loss for one reason or another. 

This is where they lose me.  Don't just tell me that wild salmon is good because of the Omega-3 fatty acids (or whatever the hell it is that it has that's good)...help me to apply that information to my life!!!

Where does one purchase wild salmon?  Can it be frozen?  How am I to prepare it?  And what the hell is an omega-3 fatty acid???

You can't just tell me that if I want to be skinny I need to eat wild salmon and then leave me hanging!!!!!

I need to live in a world where there is a list of foods that will make me skinny, then another list that tells me the various ways to prepare all the foods that will make me skinny, and yet another list of more "skinny foods" to eat when I get sick of the foods on the first list!

Dare to dream!

On a slightly different "food challenge" note - I feel like I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar today! 

As it so happens, the gym is right next to our favorite pizza place.  I mean, literally right next door.  You could walk out of one, take 2 steps and walk right into the other!

While I was at the gym, working up quite a sweat, Ben called and ordered pizza, then sent me a text asking me to pick it up on my way home.

I didn't see the message until I was out in my car, so I sat there for a minute wondering if I could somehow manage to walk back towards the gym, get in and out of the pizza place, and back into my car with out "Gym Guy" seeing me.  I even considered whether I should drive my car and park a few rows over, to minimize my chances of being caught.

Yes, I'm pathetic.

Long story short - I went into the pizza place (which smelled delightful, by the way), paid for the pizza, wings, and 2 liter of Sierra Mist that Ben had ordered, and as I walked out the door, caught a glimpse of Gym Guy standing there watching me. 

Busted!!!

I didn't make eye contact, but I seriously felt like a kid trying to sneak an extra brownie after dinner, or a teenager getting caught coming in after curfew! 

I can't even begin to imagine what Gym Guy will have to say tomorrow!  At least I can tell him honestly that I only had 2 pieces of pizza!

4 Pounds

I'm a few weeks in to my new gym routine, and I'm still making progress!!!

I've been wary of weigh ins - for a few reasons...

If I haven't lost weight, I'm afraid that I'll lose my motivation and stop going to the gym and watching what I'm eating. 

Also...

If I have lost weight, I'm afraid that it will give me a false sense of security and I'll begin to slack a bit, either with the working out, or with the caloric intake.

You get the idea - weigh ins are tricky for me.

But, this morning, I gave myself a little pep talk, took a deep breath, and climbed onto the scale, praying that the progress I'd seen last week had continued.

Deep breaths...deep breaths...I slowly opened my eyes, peeked down, and saw that I'm now down 4 pounds from my starting weight!!!

4 pounds!!!

I'm on my way!!!

Deadline

Well, yesterday was my birthday...my stated deadline...the end of the road...

......or NOT! 

Yes, technically it was my birthday, and yes it was technically my deadline...but it's NOT the end of the road!

I've been on the workout bandwagon for almost 3 weeks now and I'm still going strong. 

I've lost 3.5 pounds and I'm hoping to start seeing some results before too long. 

Gym Guy was impressed with my progress today and with 3 trainer sessions in my back pocket (thanks for the birthday gift, mom) I'm determined to keep this up!

Even though I didn't make my deadline...I'm still going to do it...I'm going to lose those 50 pounds!!!

2 Weeks In

I joined the gym 2 weeks ago and I'm still on a roll. 

"Gym Guy" wanted me to commit to at least 4 days per week and was persistent to the point of annoyance with his constant "when are you coming back?" and "what time tomorrow will you be here?" - I'm guessing he took one look at me and thought "ok, fat girl, maybe if I ask for 4 days you'll give me at least 2". 

Haha Gym Guy - I've been doing 6 days per week!!!  Neener neener neener!!!

I'm still dripping with sweat by the end of my workouts, but they're getting a little easier each day.

Now comes the part where I get anxious to see results. 

I know that it will take time, but damn it, I want to look different now!!!

Not to mention the fact that I have to fly to Las Vegas and California in less than one month and I'm already stressing about whether I'll be able to fit in a seat on the plane.

Exactly how much weight can I expect to lose in a month?  Is it likely that all my weight loss over the next month could be confined to my rear end?

My mind is full of terrible scenarios wherein I'm asked to purchase a second seat to accommodate my ass or I manage to wedge myself into my seat but need the jaws of life to get me out at the end of the flight.

I want to be able to board a plane (for the first time in several years) without feeling like I'm "that girl" that everyone is secretly praying that they're not seated next to.  I want to be able to fly cross country without having bruises on my hips from squeezing myself between the arm rests.  I want to not ponder whether I can afford to triple my travel budget to purchase a first class seat, because I'm fairly confident that I'd have wiggle room in one of those!!! 

In any case, I'm sure I'll be stressing that one until my ass (and the rest of me) is safely on board and settled (comfortably, I hope) into one seat. 

For now, I'm just going to keep plugging along, waiting for the day when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror at the gym and don't want to run screaming for a tiny dark room with no reflective surfaces!!!

The Roll

I joined the gym last Monday.

I went to the gym to work out on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and today!

Yes folks, we call that being on a roll!

I'm actually loving the circuit training that "Gym Guy" has me doing.  Treadmill for 10 minutes, then weights, treadmill, weights, treadmill, then weights again, and finally treadmill.  Honestly, I'm still just thanking my lucky stars that he didn't put me on the medieval torture device otherwise known as the elliptical machine. 

Now that I'm actually ON the roll, I need to make sure that I stay that way!

Gym Guy seemed genuinely proud of me when I told him how I've been doing - especially impressed that I'd increased my treadmill speed as well as the weights on 2 of my machines.

I was temporarily deflated when he made a face after I told him I was only down a pound, but I was quickly re-inflated when he realized that I've only been doing this for a week.

I am to weigh in next week and report back to him - Gym Guy remains confident that I can cut my body weight in half!

I'm not stressing over that just yet - right now I'm just anticipating the first "wow, have you lost weight?" comment....