A bit of a vent

I want to go off topic for a moment to vent some of my frustration.

I only recently moved to Washington State from California and have been working hard on making friends in the area so that I'm not stuck at home all the time as I was when we last moved to a new area. And I have been pretty successful, but interacting with people has its down sides.

My biggest peev at the moment is that people are so flaky!! I understand that life gets busy and shit happens - but PLEASE, its not that hard. I have had people cancel on me at the last minute more times than I can count. Last week alone I had one girl cancel at the last minute twice! Literally, as I'm getting ready to get into my car. And its not just her, none of the women I have met and started socializing with have failed to flake out on me except for one. I am not saying that I never cancel out on something, but: a. I don't do it at the last minute even when I'm sorely tempted; and b. I don't cancel when I know its just me or me and maybe another person going because then the whole event gets canceled. And, yes, these women all have kids but I have FOUR kids to their one or two AND I work and they don't. So fuck that excuse!! Its just plain rudeness.

Phew! Feel better getting that off my chest.

So far, no soreness from the gym yesterday. However, I have had occasions where it took a couple days for the soreness to kick in, so I'm not assuming it won't happen yet. Still, I feel really good about going. And lo and behold, I had the energy to completely clean (the downstairs, at least) my house yesterday. I felt really good about that.

Today I am going on a 5 mile walk with a group I joined but have yet to participate in. There are over 100 members, but only about 15 committed to going on this walk. It will be fun to meet new people (hopefully, less flaky!) and I love talkin while I'm walkin. That's Day 91 down! :)

Day 92

Went to the gym!!! Yay me! I took the little ones cuz they have a great kids play area so they had fun. I wouldn't say I had fun, but I'm so happy with myself for finally going. I had a good workout too - 20 minute jog on treadmill; 10 minutes on StairMaster and 30 minutes on a stationary bike. I wanted to do some upper body workout as well, but I was so sweaty after my cardio workout that I thought it'd be gross of me to sit in all the weight lifting machine seats.

Tomorrow I have signed up to join a walking group on a 5 - 6 mile walk. I'm looking forward to it - just hope I'm not too sore.

Guess what I did today?

If you guessed a walk, you're right.

It was actually a close call between a walk and going to the gym. I was hosting a walk through my mom's group and by this morning everyone who had initially RSVP'd yes changed it to no, except for one. I assumed the one would cancel as well, so I got ready to go to the gym after the one either cancelled ahead of time or was a no-show.

Then, as I was on my way to the meetup place, all decked out in my gym clothes and with my gym pass, I got a call from her...saying she WAS still going but would be a couple minutes late. Well, that surprised me. But, I'm glad that we went - the weather turned out perfect with a warm sun. Also, we walked to a playground, which we had to ourselves. Youngest had a great time playing at the park and I got to chat away the morning in the sun. The walk was good too! :)

So, maybe tomorrow gym? You never know...

Days 94 & 93

Yesterday I was sore. On Monday, not only did I walk around the zoo for hours, but I walked with a friend when I got home and then did my Wii Fitness Coach workout for another 30 minutes. I wanted to focus my Wii workout on my upper body, but the workout still included a lot of leg work and consequently my legs are stiff and sore and my arms are fine.

But, I still walked yesterday morning with a friend. I didn't do any other exercises, though, because I wasn't feeling well. I've been running a bit of a temp and feeling dizzy and out of it for a couple days so I just finished my work and then rested last night.

Today I went for a short walk (interrupted by a bout of heavy rain) in the early afternoon and then a longer walk this evening with a girl who I may start playing tennis with once the weather warms. I had advertised for a workout partner and this girl had responded, so that's how we met. We're going to start walking every Monday and Wednesday evening. She walks about as fast as I do so it should be a good workout. And it will definitely be fun once we start playing tennis. If we end up doing that.

So, I am asking myself, what about the gym? I never go to the gym! When am I going to start forcing myself to go? Its 24 hours! I can go anytime. I NEED to go at least twice a week to make it worth the money we are spending for it.

My goal for this week is to get to the gym at some point. I don't have to work out hard or long, I just need to get to the gym. In fact, I could just bite the bullet and swim for a while since my legs are so sore. Anything. Just get myself down there and figure out a routine. Not only because I am paying for it but because I really want a better workout than just walking. Walking is great, but it's not going to get me to goal as fast or well as doing a more thorough workout. And I want to be stronger and fitter. So, I have to get my workouts into my weekly schedule somehow.

Day 95

I was planning on going to the gym today - even looked at the schedule to see if there was a class I could attend - when hubby said he wanted to go to Tae Kwon Do tonight with my 14 year old. Bottom line, no one to watch the kids. I could have planned on going to the gym when they got back, but it would be really late and I knew I'd probably not go. So, I called a friend and she and I went for a walk. In fact, we went stroller-less today and ended up walking a lot faster and farther, so it was a good workout. I'm also going to pull out the Wii and do some upper body exercises with one of my workout games. Should be good.

Day 96 (Yesterday)

Still sunny and warmer yesterday. Hubby said he'd take the little ones for the day so my older daughter and I went shopping and then played tennis. We also got a good walk in because the park where the tennis court is located is closed to vehicle traffic, so we had to walk about a mile each way. Which was a great walk because the park is well wooded and beautiful and it was sunny and dry and warm. A perfect spring day, in fact, except that it's not quite spring yet. We've definitely had spring weather, though.

Last night I grilled some steaks for dinner and then watched a horrible movie (Motherhood - don't waste your time).

Positive Changes, Sugar Binge & Exercise

Day 97 - walked with the kids at a new trail (new to us anyway). It was very sunny but with a really chilly wind, so we didn't walk nearly as far as I had wanted to. But, far enough to meet my goal. I had planned on going to the gym, again, but by the time I had finished the walk, let the kids play in a playground and done some grocery shopping, I was too tired. I had really low energy yesterday.

Today I woke with a headache, so I haven't done or planned any sort of exercise yet. I'll at least walk today but I don't know if I'll manage anything more adventerous than that.

I really want to learn to rollerblade but it is more expensive than I had thought it would be. That may have to wait until we get our tax return, such as it is.

On another note, I spent yesterday morning looking for a way to meet a workout buddy. I've placed ads on Craigslist and joined a couple websites but haven't had any luck. So, yesterday I started my own weight loss support group in my area that will include holding each other accountable and having group workouts. Hopefully I'll make a couple friends who are in the same boat and will push me to work out harder. That's the plan anyway.

So, last night we ended up at Wal-Mart (I was looking for rollerblades) at about 8:30 pm and we had yet to eat dinner. So, I grabbed a few groceries and a container of fresh baked cookies. We ended up eating the entire container before we'd gotten halfway home. Fortunately, I was sharing the container with my 3 kids, so I didn't eat it all myself, but still. I forced myself to eat a bowl of soup when I got home so I'd have something halfway healthy.

Then, about an hour later, I ate the rest of my ice cream. I probably only had 1 1/2 servings, but still. I'd already overeaten with the cookies.

Then, when hubby got home, he handed me and my daughter a huge box of Mike & Ikes to share. I managed to ignore them for about an hour before I gave in and ate several handfuls of the candy. Its not even that they tasted that good, but its candy! I can't ever say no to candy, unfortunately. Must work on this.

Maybe I just need to get off sugar completely. Except that I know I would be absolutely miserable and probably set myself up for failure. I already feel like I've failed just considering it.

Day 98

Today went well - went for another walk with a friend and it is STILL sunny and warm. It got a little windy but walking kept me warm with the help of the sun.

I had intended to go to the gym at 1:30 pm today, but that didn't work out. First, there was a huge rush project at work that had a 1 pm deadline and I barely made that. At that point, I hadn't even gotten dressed yet so I quickly took a shower. Then, a friend called to say that she was feeling better and was in my neighborhood and could we walk. Since we had initially planned to walk today, I didn't want to say no, so that's how I went from planning a gym trip at 1:30 pm to going for a walk at 2:30 pm. But, after my project was done for work I still needed to do my regular work so I really needed the extra time to do that anyway. After the walk we went for a quick shopping trip and then I came home and finished working. Now its late and I'm headachey and tired and ready for bed, so defo no gym trip today. Must do that tomorrow, without fail.

Weigh-In

Weight: 149.8
Loss: 0.6

I think I picked a good morning to weigh in and I bet it's higher again tomorrow. But, nevermind, I was happy to be (barely) back in the 140's.

Day 99 went well - I walked a couple miles with a friend - nothing too strenuous or exciting but still exercise. I had planned on going to the gym but, firstly I had too much work on, and secondly I got a migraine this afternoon and had to wait for a new prescription of Imitrex to be filled. I'm still not feeling great. I did manage to get most of my work done and the house tidied a bit. I need to do a really good clean, though.

So, tomorrow MUST be gym day. I shouldn't have any excuses, either, because I have nothing to do all day but work and go to the gym. The friend I was going to walk with in the morning is sick, my other walking pal is out of town tomorrow and I decided not to go to mom's group tomorrow. So, noontime gym workout with my toddler in the childcare game room will be perfect for us both. Nevermind that tomorrow is the last sunny day before a week of rain starts...

Beginning Anew

I promise I won't keep starting over, again and again. That gets super tiresome. This is my second and last time to begin anew my 100 day goal.

So, Day 100 I went for a lengthy couple mile walk with a friend. It was so sunny and warm today, it was heaven.

Tomorrow I have a walk scheduled for the afternoon. Plus, I am going to make an effort to get to the gym. Either tomorrow or Friday, I must get my lardy butt there to do some real work. Walking is great, but not enough workout to burn many calories or gain much in muscle. Especially since I'm not pushing myself to walk farther than I usually walk, if that makes sense.

Friday morning I have a walk scheduled with another friend who likes to walk fast, so that's good. There's also a couple good hills that way.

As far as weight, I'll post an official weight tomorrow morning but I definitely gained some poundage during my trip. Not surprising since we ate a LOT of carb-rich food and almost no exercise. Not to mention the doughnut gorging during the days before my trip. I'm lucky I didn't gain more than a few pounds.

Days 94 & 93

So, here's how it went:

Day 94, I was driving 18 hours to So Cal. I figured the only way I'd get any exercise was to walk around every time we stopped for food, fuel or bathroom. This didn't work well for the first several hours of the trip because it was raining steadily through Oregon. We got into California and it was gray and cold, but not raining so I finally got out of the car to walk around the block while hubby was re-fueling. It was cold, with huge snow drifts along the sides of the road. I had gone about a tenth of the way down the block when it began hailing then raining then snowing. I still completed a walk around the block but I was feeling quite wet and cold by the time I got back to the car. At the next few stops it was blissfully precipitation free and I was able to do some more serious walking, and even spent some time chasing the kids around a couple rest stops. Even though I probably hadn't walked more than a mile in total, the fact that I had made a concerted effort to exercise counts as a successful exercise day in my book.

Day 93, went for a rapid-fire walk with my sister who always moves as though she's being chased by a herd of elephants. It was a good walk. Not long but some serious hills involved made it a successful day of exercise.

And that was it - the end of my days of exercising. The following days spent in So Cal were busy and stressful and exercise didn't make it on the agendas. The drive home was exhausting and while I did do some walking around again, it wasn't with the same level of intensity or determination as before and I don't feel I was seriously exercising, rather just stretching my legs.

So, my 100 days goal came to a screeching halt at day 92.

96 & 95 Down

Yesterday's exercise was a good walk with a friend through her small downtown. There were a couple of good hills to add to the calorie burn. It was a good time all around. Added bonus was it was sunny and warm.

Today the rain is back, so I had to forego a walk with another friend. Instead, I did a more intense workout of 20 minutes running and 20 minutes walking on the treadmill.

Eating has been CRAP! Seriously! Three solid days of utter crap. Monday, I kept snacking all day on okay stuff and then ended the day with a butterfinger candybar and some Mike & Ike's.

Yesterday, I had a Snickers bar after lunch and then a doughnut and a half after dinner.

Today I ate a doughnut for breakfast, half a doughnut for lunch and nearly a whole doughnut as a snack. (Hubby had brought home a dozen but fortunately they are FINALLY gone.)

I am expecting a huge weight gain. It hasn't happened yet, but I figured my body is probably just gearing up for it to happen tonight or tomorrow. I don't know why I'm eating so terribly suddenly. I almost never eat candy bars or doughnuts and when I do it stops at one. I've been eating like a crazy person lately.

It ends now - with you guys as my witness.

97 & Easy Walk

Today was a group walk day and because one of the moms has a kid who likes to get in and out of the stroller every 15 feet, we only walked about 2 miles. That's okay, though. It was nice to get out and socialize anyway, and it still counts as exercise on my countdown from 100. It was sunny and almost warm so we also got to play in the nearby park...well, the kids got to play anyway.

98 - Countdown from 100

I've decided to count down rather count up to 100 for my 100 days of exercise goal. Today wasn't a great workout, but if I hadn't decided yesterday to complete this goal, I wouldn't have exercised at all. I didn't sleep well at all last night, had a really bad morning (related to our income taxes and the realization that we are going to be PAYING a rather largish sum of money rather than receiving a largish sum of money) and then spent 4 hours preparing a cauliflower soup for tonight's dinner and a bean and veggie soup to store for the week. After accomplishing these tasks and then cleaning up, I just wanted to sit down and chill. But, I didn't want to give up on my goal on day 2, so I got out my Wii Fitness Coach game and did 10 minutes of yoga and 10 minutes of core body workout. I figure 20 minutes counts as exercising.

I have been tracking my calories today (yay me) and still have about 550 for dinner. The cauliflower soup is only about 250 and then I will have a bit of chicken and veggies on the side. I should be good.

100 Days of Exercise

This has been my goal for a while but I haven't been working on it. Today is Day 1! If I'm going to have a goal, I need to at least try to achieve it instead of just writing it down and forgetting it.

I haven't been blogging much and we all know what that means...

Several days of bad eating: fries and cheesecake at a restaurant; carrot cake and a donut (yes, both!); 4 pieces of raisin bread with butter right before dinner - these are just a few examples of what I've been up to over the last week. And, surprise surprise, the scale was up in the 150's range again today. I'm not above calling myself every bad name in the book when I feel I'm sabotaging efforts.

However, today is a turning point. I am back to tracking calories. I am back to working out a little harder (not just a short walk) and I am back to blogging. All the things I need to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Today when I was setting my weight loss goal and inputting my current weight, I realized that to be back in the normal weight range, I have only to lose 37 pounds. Maybe that seems a lot to some, but it surprised me. 37 pounds IS a lot, but it's not when you consider I started with more than 70 pounds to lose when I started. It doesn't seem a lot when you consider that I've already lost 35 pounds. It has taken me a while, but I've done it and I continue to do it. I'm not a failure or weak or lacking self-discipline or all the other things I tell myself on a daily basis; because I'm doing it - on my own time. And it's working. So, I need to keep doing what I know works. And aside from that, I need to revel in what I've gained with my weight loss: I wear jeans nearly daily now; I sleep well; I have energy; I'm ten times happier and more content with life than I was a year ago; I can move my body in ways I couldn't a year ago; I don't shy away from going out and socializing; and then some.

It gave me the motivation to have a good workout today. I walked with the kids for 2 miles and then jogged/walked on my treadmill another 2.5 miles. I would have run more but my knee has been hurting and I didn't want to push it. Either way, it was a good workout. I feel tired and sore but good. Tomorrow I should get thee to the gym. :)