Week 6: Lulumon is full of it...

I have loved all those Lulumon ads...they espouse ideas that made me think they loved women of all shapes and sizes. I cruised by their website this morning and, to my dismay, it appears that they only cater to size "14" (yeah, right, the 14 is a very small 14) and below. Boooooo, lulumon...booooo...I'm so dissappointed in you, Mon. :P

Week 6: 188 - 43 pounds to go

Weighed in a day early...got on the scale this morning. So started Week 6 24 hours early. Good to see that I am making some progress.

This has been a super long week and I am exhausted so I will write more tomorrow but just wanted to post an update tonight.

Week 5 - Already Tuesday!

I have to keep this update fairly short as I need to hop in the shower in about 5 mins. These past two weeks have been crazy. Most of the time I have been working from the minute I wake up until minutes before I go to bed. But after today, two events that I'd been planning for months will be off my plate. One more set for early August and then, I hope, things will slow down a little bit. It's no wonder that I haven't been able to get to a yoga class. And no wonder that I'm having a hard time losing big numbers each week. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself and to look at the big picture.

I completely lost track of time on Friday and forgot to weigh in until it was too late (e.g. it was Saturday!) so I decided not to worry about it and to remember that I am not attached to the outcome so much as the process of getting back to and maintaining good health. I don't expect that I would have lost anything at all since I spent most of last week in a downtown hotel...

This past weekend, though, Cathy and I ate healthy and got in some good physical activity! Ripping up the carpet in the living room actually was a workout. :D

Ordered Cathy some Tai Chi DVDs from Amazon over the weekend. She is wanting to take up a form of moving meditation/stretching and thought that Tai Chi would fit the bill rather nicely. Since I am thinking that I'd like to set up a nice space in our home gym for yoga (and for Cathy to do Tai Chi) we decided to put our elliptical on Craig's List. I don't use and the treadmill really is my first choice...Cathy doesn't use it either, so though it is a nice one, it's just taking up space that we could use. Hoping that someone wants a good deal on an elliptical this week! Keep your fingers crossed.

Hoping to make it to one yoga class this week...or to get on the mat at my house...I do know that Yoga Tiffany is coming over on Sunday, so I am looking forward to that!

Hope you are having a good week...

Week 4 - Morning Workout

I have added a new widget to the top of the column on the right. It's from DailyMile...and it's kind of neat. After I workout, I just log into DailyMile, add my workout results and it updates here on my blog. Pretty awesome!

So I woke up this morning, and after attending to some work emails that needed answering first thing this am, I put on my workout clothes and jumped on the treadmill.

My goal this week is to get in 10 miles before my next weigh in...I did 2 yesterday and 2 this morning. Not counting Saturday's...though, I don't know why not...it's part of the whole week! So I guess I'm already up to 6 miles. Whooo!

Gotta run...long day ahead!

Week 4: Day 3 of Birthday Weekend

Almost made it through! ;>

As I said on Friday, there will always be cake, there will always be good restaurants and good bottles of wine...

So, yes, I think I've gotten through the weekend without gaining weight! AND with the added benefit of having really enjoyed myself. Amazing Friday with my partner, lovely dinner at Honey on Saturday with my partner and a good friend (the 3 of us laughed, drank champagne martinis and really enjoyed ourselves), surprise Sunday brunch with another good friend (OMG. Greenup Cafe has the best pancakes ever!).

Was home in time to straighten up, at least the living room, where we would be doing yoga...and had an awesome yoga session with Yoga Tiffany (hey, y'all...if you're in the hood and want her to teach you yoga, let me know...she is really wonderful!). During the hour of yoga, I really thought about re-birthing myself...as a woman who cares for herself with daily exercise and meditation. I saw myself as an old woman who is so fit that she practices yoga on a daily basis without pain or being tired.

After yoga, I put on my running shoes and went down into the basement to get a treadmill workout. I got in a little over two miles and got a good sweat worked up.

Lunch was my first piece of birthday cake. I didn't go crazy and cut myself a 1/4 of the cake. It was just a normal slice...served with a small glass of fresh, local skim milk.

Since then, I've hung out...just took it easy!

Cathy is cooking me dinner tonight...spaghetti (one of my favorites)...love her spaghetti. Will try for moderation on this because (say it with me!) there will always be more spaghetti. :D

Tomorrow starts another week at work...another mad dash to Friday. I would love to make some time to go to one of those yoga classes at World Peace Yoga. I'm afraid Monday and Tuesday are out...but could go on Wednesday or Thursday night.

My fitness goals this week are...drink lots of water, eat healthy and clean, and get in 10 miles on the treadmill before my next weigh in! Oh, and get to one yoga class at WPY!

Week 4 - Day 2 of Birthday Weekend

Yesterday was the first official day of the weekend. So Cathy picked me up at home and we went over to Marty's Hops and Vines. We had two glasses of Evolution and split the caprese salad. While there, Cathy bought a bottle of The Prisoner and a bottle of champagne for tonight.

We went home and Cathy made dinner...diver scallops and a petite filet (surf and turf!) and some pan sauteed asparagus. We drank half of The Prisoner. (By the way, I'm feeling it today...4.5 glasses of wine...yikes!). For dessert, Cathy had gotten a pound cake from the BonBonnerie. She cut a slice and topped with lemon creme fraiche and fresh strawberries and blueberries.

I was in bed and asleep by 10pm (per usual) but woke up at 2:30 (too much wine!) and didn't go back to sleep until 6am. I woke up at 8am and had 3 cups of coffee and small piece of just plain pound cake. Cathy made breakfast because I didn't want to go out. So an egg and a slice of toast. I'm drinking water now and getting ready to go downstairs and get on the treadmill for at least 30 mins. It'll probably help with the slight hangover (no headache, just a slight fuzziness and I'm feeling tired).

We are going out to dinner tonight...whoo!

Week 4: 190.2 - 45.2 pounds to go

On the one hand...yay! 1.6 pounds gone.

On the other hand...are you kidding me??? I've lost less than 2 pounds in the past two weeks and I have been pretty vigilant. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.

Good thing I posted that article yesterday about Self-Sabotage. So what was it? What did it say? Don't focus on the wrong things. At the end of 3 weeks I've lost about 5 pounds...which, actually, is pretty good. I need to celebrate the overall effort I've given over the past 3 weeks. I've eaten healthier. I've gotten in some activity (started hitting the treadmill). I've found a place where I want to take a yoga class a couple times a month (now, to get there!).

I need to be proud of these small wins! And actually, 1.6 pounds is a big "small win"! If I lost 1.6 pounds a week, I would be at my goal weight in 6 months (by the New Year!). Sooo...actually, this is great news. A new me in the New Year? Sounds good.

Okay, switching gears just a little...so here's how this battle of the bulge weighs on me...I can't even be excited about my birthday weekend because I'm afraid that it will knock me off track. I'm so back and forth about this it's ridiculous. Here's the thing...I love good food...the perfect bite...the perfect pairing...sitting at a nice restaurant with good company and eating spectularly prepared food and sipping an amazing wine is one of my favorite things to do. And, since it's my birthday weekend, I get to do that! Cathy is cooking me dinner tonight (she cooks several dishes that I love so she's going to surprise me), and we are going to breakfast tomorrow, and dinner tomorrow night (surprise restaurant!) and then there's birthday cake. (cue music - dun, dun, duuuuunnnnnnn!). CAKE!

Oh yeah, and champange!

If you know me at all, then you know that Cake and Champange make up two of my favorite food groups.

So my fear? How do I balance this special weekend so that I don't actually gain the 5 pounds it's taken me 3 weeks to lose?

If you'd just asked me that question, I would answer like this: Enjoy the weekend! Do NOT worry about gaining weight. This weekend is just like life. There will always be great restuarants and great bottles of wine. There will always be time for cake and champagne. So go out to that special restaurant and make good choices (get the clean protein and veggies). Have a piece of cake, but make it a small slice and not a big fat wedge. Get in some exercise...you should still get on the treadmill a couple times and you'll be taking yoga with Yoga Tiffany on Sunday. Relax, have fun, be positive!

Most of all, it seems, I need to stay positive!