Adjusted Reality

I am totally jinxing myself but I have to share.  I’m making progress.

My lowest weight in the last month before this week was 162.6, and I think the planets had to align properly and I weighed myself after exercise and ya know, making a deposit in the bank o’ bathroom because I saw the 162’s TWICE in all of December.  I started Monday morning at 163, Tuesday morning I was 161.6, and today I was 160.8.  That’s 2.2 lbs in 3 days.  Whaddya know, being super mindful of what I’m eating works!  Quickly, in fact.  If I could keep this pace up, I’m pretty sure I’d be at or around my goal weight by my birthday instead of August.  However, I’m experienced enough at this to know the first week back at it is MUCH easier to shed a bunch of poundage and it gets harder.  The realist in me (who the eternal optimist would like to kindly shut the fuck up and stop raining on my happy parade please) knows I’m going to hit some rough patches, so I just want to remind myself what I’m doing now that seems to be working, so that I can refer to it in case I get off track.

• I am tracking all my food and laying off the “bite of this, nibble of that” stuff I was doing before.

• I am getting in my servings of fruits and veggies (at least 5).

• I am eating at home as much as possible.

• I am eating around 1300 calories on weekdays, and as low as possible but under 2000 on the weekends.  Not comfortable, but not miserable here.  I don’t feel extra tired, cold, or running-on-empty at all yet, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that.

• I am eating at about this ratio: 70-80g protien per day, 160-200g carbs per day, 35-40g fat per day (of course, a little more on the weekends).

• I am burning approximately 3200 calories per week, not including strength training (full body 2 times per week).

• I am tracking vital stats daily (on spark, I wouldn’t bore you all with that here).  Here is an example of yesterday’s report:

BMR + Calories Burned = (1533 + 801) = (2334)
Calories Consumed = 1387
Calorie Deficit = (947) total 1803
Protein= 78 (good)
Fruits/Veggies = 6 (good)
Hours of Sleep = 7.5 (ok)
General Mood/Notes = New low weight! Today was a pretty good day, though I am soooooore and excited for a rest day tomorrow!
Weight= 161.6

• I am committed to doing what it takes to lose the weight instead of just trying to be as good as possible like I was last fall.

Let’s just hope I can stay as good as I have been so far!  It helps that the Zliten monster is doing it with me this month!  I know that it’s not realistic to restrict my food intake this much forever, but I’ve proved to myself twice now I can be trusted to maintain with very little trouble left to my own devices so it’s not like I’ll be ill prepared to relax.  Anyone want to critique me?  Am I batshit crazy?  Have something that’s working for you right now?  Share with the class, if you wish…

Dear New Gym Goer,

First of all, let me welcome you to the wonderful world of exercise again.  It feels good, doesn’t it?  No?  Well, the first day week month is rough, but if you stick with it, I promise you will be addicted like I am.  If you are a first time member of Planet Fitness, welcome!  It’s a great deal (10 bucks a month) for a nice clean gym with shiny new machines, isn’t it?  Please eat all the free pizza you want on pizza night every first Monday of the month, because that shit is nasty and I don’t like smelling it when I’m working out.  I mean seriously?  Who thought up the idea of tempting people who trying to get fit with fattening food AT THE GYM?  The sacredest of holy-health places?  I mean, your second Tuesday bagel morning at least sounds healthy (though you are actually better off choking down a small slice or 2 of pizza calorie-wise).  The smell of pizza and sweat together is just disgusting.

Woah, I really got off topic there!  Sorry, new gym goer, I’ll try to stay on the subject.  If you have had a membership already, well, let me thank you for keeping the gym open by paying for it, and also not crowded by just staying home and eating pot pies instead of taking up a machine.  Just kiddin’.  Sorta.  I am totally conflicted here, while it warms the cockles of my heart to see all these new people taking their first step into the world of fitness, I also would like there to be less lines for the assisted pullup/dip machine.  Oh well, I guess I can work on my pushups instead in January, there is plenty of floor space!

Here’s some advice on how to make the most out of your workout time and make the gym a pleasant place for everyone:

• Start slow.  Maybe two months ago or two years ago you were able to run 5 miles at a 7 minute per mile pace.  Nothing was ever lost by taking your first workout too easy, but many a fitness endeavour was squashed by going out too hard, getting too sore, and giving up.

• Come up with a defined workout plan, but be flexible.  Decide you are going to do some form of cardio 20 minutes, 3 time per week, and do strength training for 15 minutes, 2-3 time per week (or whatever schedule floats your boat).  That way, you have a plan so you don’t go into the gym and get overwhelmed by all the machines, but you don’t have to throw a fit if all the arc trainers are taken.

• Don’t be rude.  This includes your body as well as your actions.  If you are a stinkypuss, shower before the gym.  Use deoderant.  Do NOT use ridiculous amounts of cologne or perfume.  With your actions, use common sense.  If there is a line for equipment, do what you need to do and get off it.  A short rest in between sets is permissable, but sitting and talking on your cell is just reprehensible.  Don’t spend an hour and a half on the treadmill if you’ve got people waiting.  Don’t stare at other people in the gym, even if they’re just plain interesting.  Do what the rest of us do and sneak glances at them.   See the three mats for stretching?  Take up one, not all 3 lengthwise.

• Spend the money on some proper workout clothes.  An old t-shirt and sweatpants is totally appropriate if you have nothing else.  Things I saw at the gym yesterday: a girl running in a dress and tights, a guy wearing a pair of dockers and a polo shirt, and a woman in a plastic bag looking shirt (which I think was on an infomercial touting its ability to make you lose more weight – what they didn’t mention is that it’s just water weight from making yourself so hot you want to pass out).  You can pick up something respectable from the thrift store for less than 10 bucks or from Target for less than 20.  Just do it, though you don’t have to be decked out in brand name gear…

• Try new things.  Don’t let any of the machines scare you.  Give it a chance to get used to it.  Don’t get on the arc trainer and get off a minute later, give it at least 10 minutes!  There is a free group class offered quite frequently that shows you how to use them, do take it.  Don’t be like me and spend your first month doing lat raises and the glute machine the wrong way and wondering why it was so uncomfortable.

• Don’t work the same muscles 2 days in a row.  Do arms one day, legs the next.  If you’re running fast one day, jog the next or use another machine.  Too much without proper rest is just asking for at best, lack of progress, and at worst, injury.  Rest is an integral part of getting stronger.

• 7-9am and 5-7pm are the busy times.  If you can, work out at a different time, it will be easier on you and on us poor normal-business-hour-working schmucks like me that HAVE to work out then.

• Don’t give up.  It gets rough.  I’ve been working out consistently now for almost 17 months now and there are still days I don’t wanna work out or I can’t complete my session the way I wanted to or I even just skip a day because I’m too sore, pooped, or whatever.  Don’t aim for perfection, just aim for progress.  Sure, one day you might have to stop at 1 mile instead of 1.5 you did the day before, but if you keep at it, you’ll be doing 2 miles before you know it.  If you get frustrated and give up, you’ll do no miles.

• Do what YOU can do.  Don’t focus on me on the treadmill next to you, killing myself with interval stupidity.  It’s taken me 17 months to be able to do that.  When I started, I could barely walk a mile.  If you take no other advice, take this – just start where you’re just a little (tolerably) uncomfortable and work up from there.  You, the girl who took 25 minutes to walk a mile on the treadmill in front of me and got off and looked disgusted with her self, I’m talking right to you.  I really hope I see you back again and you see that with some time, you’ll be going much faster very soon!

If you heed some of my advice, maybe a lot of you will make it to February.  Maybe some will even make it all year.  While it’s nice to have my run of the place, it gets lonely in November and December when everyone is eating Christmas Candy and sitting on their asses.  Good luck, and may this be the first of many of your sweaty days!

Sincerely,

Quix (the crazy, sweat-stained girl on the treadmill next to you)

So I had this whole, complicated plan where I was going to work out twice a day, three days a week to test the “cardio is better in the morning, weights are better at night theory” I stumbled upon on Charlotte’s blog last month.  Over lunch one day recently I was explaining my plan to Zliten, and he said, quite simply, “Aren’t you just eating up more time by having to go to the gym twice?”

Well, duh.  Why didn’t I think of that?  The reason I liked December’s plan so much was it felt like during the week, I had much more time overall.  Adding 15-20 extra minutes per workout was pretty insignificant while getting a whole day off was huge.  I would be essentially adding three sessions of getting dressed, driving to and from the gym, showering, and getting dressed again, when I worked so hard to eliminate ONE.  So not efficient.

After having that realization, I pondered what I was going to do for January.  My big huge plans to shake it up just didn’t make sense.  Then it hit me…my big change this month is…. wait for it, wait for it…

Do the exact same workouts I did in December.

Yeah, you heard me.  I am changing (almost) nothing.  Two days a week, intervals, cybil, and full body strength.  One day, a long run and yoga.  One day, a marathon DDR session and yoga.  The exact same stuff.  For me, this is actually pretty revolutionary.

Why change up my monthly changing it up?  Well, I think I finally found the perfect workout schedule and elements.  I’m doing 3 different workouts a week, challenging different muscles and levels of endurance.  I’m using fast twitch and slow twitch muscles.  I think I found the perfect balance of cardio and weights (2 hours weights, 3.5 hours cardio, and 40 mins yoga) per week for me right now.   I saw real, tangible results last month for the first time since August.  I am all about not messing with something working perfectly, and for right now, this is working perfectly.

Awww, who am I kidding.  I LOVE messing with a good thing.  I do have to throw in one curveball, and I picked a hell of a month to do it – but it must be done.  My poor, pampered tootsies are so used to the treadmill and they need to start getting some tough, street lovin’.  Sounds dirty – I know.  But if I’m ever going to finally run in my first 5k (which is my first fitness, non-scale related goal to tackle this year), I need to get used to pavement.

So the new/old plan is:

-Day 1 and 3: 30 mins interval run, 15 minutes on Cybil, full body strength.

-Day 2: 60 minute run, yoga session

-Day 4: 60 minute DDR session, yoga session

Looks familiar, right?

Food-wise, I am going to change it up a little bit.  Ya see, I’m ready to be done losing weight, like I said in my resolutions.  I am envisioning being done somewhere between 13-30 lbs from now, and I would really, really like to get back to losing 5 lbs a month like I did until September last year, when my body decided it hated my weight loss goals and was going to defy logic and not lose weight no matter what I did.  So I am back to tracking every calorie that goes in my mouth, back to analyzing my daily intake vs output, and back to being restrictive as I can, without being completely miserable.  I’m willing to go through a little bit of inconvenience if I can be done with this by the summer.  I’m not willing to be too drastic about it, but I definitely see room for improvement in my diet that is simply common sense (like, no mowing straight out of the evil christmas popcorn tin like last night, after having other sweets and some hot cocoa).

I think that’s about it for now, I’ll keep you posted on how things go!

It’s Friday, it’s my first day back at work, and I’m not feeling the small talk.  So, let’s just get down to it and look back at December and see how it went…

Change #1 – Going back to tracking food, mostly.

As a reminder, I decided to resume tracking my calorie intake, which I had stopped for the entire month of November.  I did pretty well at this – though I do realize I am very ready to STOP doing it once I’ve lost the weight I want to lose.  Also, it opened my eyes to the fact though what I was eating comfortably in November without gaining weight, I need the reminder to lower my calories a *little* below comfortable (1300-1400) if I want to lose weight.  I stopped tracking the last week of the year because I needed a break and was on vacation.  I plan to get back to it on Monday, once I have groceries and the leftover holiday crap out of the house.

Change #2 – 4 Day Work(out) Weeks

I love love love love loved this.  This was probably my favorite month of exercise this year because it felt like I was getting all the workouting I needed – but somehow compacted into a shorter amount of time invested.  Honestly, I did dread the workouts a little bit, they are generally a 2 hour endeavour when everything is said and done (driving to, changing, etc), and that’s a long time!  The first two weeks, I was just plain exhausted after each and every day at the gym.  But after a few week cycles, I realized how completely and totally nice it was to only have to make time to sweat four times a week, and I do believe I’m used to it (though I did waver a bit and worked out more often during the break from work).  Now if work would only cooperate and let me do 4-day work weeks.

Change #3 – It is not ok not to lose weight this month!

Good thing, because I lost somewhere between 2-3 lbs this month.  The lowest I saw on the scale in the last week was 162.6, and I was bouncing between 165-166 at the beginning of the month.  It’s not quite as much as I was hoping to accomplish, but with the holiday craziness, I’ll take it.  I can definitely say that I made visual progress this month, as my father, who last saw me on Thanksgiving, said that I looked like I had lost 10 lbs on Christmas Day when they visited.  In reality, I had only lost the 2-3 lbs, but I can actually visually see a difference between pictures from the cruise and our pictures from Christmas Eve.  And my dad does not just say nice things to be nice – to get a complement from my parents you need to actually earn it.

So what is the new, big hotness for January?  I have something incredibly crazy (for me) this month, so you’ll just have to come back on Monday and check it out! 😉