This week has been more about food control and less about working out than last week. Yesterday I only did 20 minutes on the Elliptical and 10 minutes of weights. Tonight I did go to a one hour step class that kicked my butt. But all in all I'm really controlling my portion sizes and asking myself "are you really hungry? or bored?".

Being someone who works out and tries to stay fit means you're always wet. I fell like I finally get dried off and I'm wet again. I go through at least twice as much laundry as before, with all my sweaty bras and shirts, and I have to constantly be showering. Needless to say I'm too lazy to blow dry my hair and straighten it after each workout so I feel like I'm always walking/driving around like this...



This is no joke either. I go to work and use the gym equipment after my shift and drive home like this. Then I cook dinner and by the time I get around to showering I put my hair in a pony and go to bed. Then I wake up looking like this again. I'm actually missing "getting ready". That thing people do when they do their hair and put on make up. And even wear a bra that doesn't give you uni-boob and have a strange odor.

But I suppose small price to pay for being fit (er).

Weight Today: 164
Workout: 1 hour
Feeling: sweaty and stinky...and a little slobby.

Weight Today: 165 (new scale) 168 (old scale)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I attribute this newest low number to my slightly upset stomach and my monthly visitor, both of which take away most of my appetite and make me want to just sleep. But I suppose I should take some of the credit since THREE days last week I worked out Twice in one day! I am, for the first time ever, looking forward to getting over this bug and getting back to the gym.

The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps book is really cool so far. I've been inspired to eat, not drink my calories (bye bye Cinnamin Dolce Latte), purchase a kitchen spray bottle to use for dressings and dips as opposed to glopping a quarter cup on my plate, and plan plan plan. By planning my snacks and meals in advance I'm much less likely to get super hungry and shove 5 cookies in my pie hole. So even with this bug I take the occasional bite of banana or yogurt to keep my tummy thinking stuff is coming. My food journal has been my weakness from the beginning. I know that people who use a food journal during thier weight loss journey are like 80% more likely to succeed and lose more weight, but for some reason I just couldn't stay on top of it. So this planning idea has kind of got me doing my food journal in advance. Instead of writing down everything I ate after I already ate it, I write down what I am going to eat and am much more successful. So far I've only done it two days but both days I ended up eating less that I had planned (okay probably due to sickness but whatever).

For example...

Today:
Banana
Yogurt
Water
Chicken breast squers and baked potato
1 cup brocolli
tea
almonds
Baked Basa in Orange slices
whole grain rice
Peas and Corn
Milk

I got the idea for the Basa in Oranges from the butcher who told me this non fat way to prepare fish is his favorite. I'll let you know how it is.

I'm really kickin' it into high gear this week. I mentioned how I worked out twice the other day, and yesterday I did the same thing. I ran 2 and a half miles in the morning and then did an hour of aquafit in the evening. Today I'll do another 2 mile run and tonight is a class completely geared towards weight training, so that will be a good hour and 45 minutes of exercise a day for two days in a row. I figure if this won't get me out of my hump, nothing will.

I was talking to my friend Richelle after aquafit last night and her goals inspired me. She doesn't care about her numbers as much as she wants to fit into nice clothes and feel good about it. I think one thing I've been neglecting is that I am feeling much better in clothes than I used to even if my numbers on the scale are not much different. Although it is frustrating to not see progress on the scale, it still feels good to flex my leg and not be able to pinch any fat. I know I have gained significant muscle mass and lost fat so today I'm deciding to be proud of myself for that and not worry so much about my consistent 169.

I picked up a little treat for myself...
It has some awesome alternatives as well as trainer tips and recipes. I'll let you know what changes I make and if they're any good.

Weight Today: 169 (My digital scale is dying and so I'm switching to another scale in the house that says 167. This is actually a number consistent with the scales at the gym but I thought it wasn't fair to just switch to a lighter scale for the heck of it. Now that I'm forced to....oh well)

Workout: 2 1/2 mile run and an hour of weights tonight

Feeling: fit (er)

It turns out that losing weight you gained really quickly can be easier than weight that has been around a while. I gained a couple pounds with all the family here but it's already gone and I'm happy to report I'm back on track. On Sunday I worked out twice. I did 25 minutes on the Elliptical and some free weights before church, and then in the evening did another 20 minutes of cardio. Then yesterday and today has been my regular 25 minutes on the Elliptical and some sit-ups/push-ups. I'm consistently doing 30 full sit-ups (not crunches), 15 push-ups, 50 leg lefts (with each leg) and a few minutes of squats after my cardio stuff. The entire thing takes about 45 minutes to an hour. I'm going to aquafit on Wednesdays and a class that is an hour of weight training on Thursdays too.

My diet, however, is a lot harder to get back on track than my exercise. My stomach gets used to yummy bad foods and now I crave them all the time again. For example I made cookies (oops) and ate 3 today. It takes a few days of hunger and a bad mood to get used to smaller portions and healthier foods. Here's to my baditude these next few days.

Weight Today: 169
Workout: noted above
Feeling: like I NEED to get out of this 169/168 area and dig a little deeper into those 160's . I was a little too flippity floppity in my swimsuit so there is plenty of firming to be done.

Don't ask.

Weight Today: Too afraid to look
Workout: today 45 minutes, last two days...nada
Calories: a zillion (KFC, Tim Hortons, Blizzard)
Feeling: help me

All my company is gone...Grad and Festivities are over. Time to get back to the Nitty Gritty.

Ugg. Liam has been sick. Parents have been visiting. Mom's been cookin'. We've been celebrating. All in all, I've slacked for a few days now and am feeling bloated and sluggish. I tried to hit the Elliptical yesterday but Liam's screaming diarrhea pains were no match for me and I only got 9 minutes in. I knew it wouldn't be easy to have company and keep working out but even if I only maintain my 169 I'll be happy. I love having all my family here and that's why I would rather spend time with them than at the gym or the pool. And I love that my mom will cook yummy ribs and deserts but I know I'm going to have to make up for it pretty soon.

So this sluggish report brings my first month of The Blubber Blog to a close with a not-so-grand total of 3.5 pounds gone, and 3 inches off.

Weight today: 169 (this is getting old...time to plunge into that 168 already)
Workout: nada so far, and lets be realistic...it's The Office tonight on tv.
Feeling: blah

Quick update since I've been busy busy with family here.

I've been successful at working out 3 out of 4 days this long weekend. I hit the Elliptical, the gym with my sister and the Elliptical again. I slacked on my weights and sit-ups but am proud to say I am maintaining my weight this holiday season and am excited to get back into things and keep losing.

At the gym, my sister introduced me to some interval training. We did the treadmill and spent 2 minutes warming up at a 2 incline, then we increased the incline to 4 for two minutes, then back to a 2 for two minutes, then a 6 for two minutes, then a 2 for two minutes, and so on. That process took about 20 minutes, so then we ran for a few minutes pretty fast and then did a few minutes of cool down. I liked the idea so much I tried in out on the Elliptical and really liked it. I think it will be a cool way to switch things up once in a while.

I plan to head back to aquafit with my friend as well as increase my classes at the gym starting tomorrow.

On a sweeter note, I ate half a piece of cheesecake, some cinnamon buns, two cookies and a few lattes this weekend. (shame) . At least I tried to control portion sizes for the most part and had a really good time.

However I can really feel the difference in my energy level, my appetite and my waist line. Although my weight is being maintained my belly feels a little less tight, my muscles are loose and unworked and the more sweets and treats I eat, the more I want. It's strange how if you avoid crap food for a while, your body starts to forget what it is like and how good it is and it becomes easier and easier to keep at it. But one weekend of goodies and I'm back to being Hungy Audrey and thinking about what I could munch on.

My goal for the rest of this week: Resist and Persist
Weight Today: 169
Workout: 25 minutes of cardio
Feeling: indulged yet still inspired.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Pluggin' away, pluggin' away.

I took Sunday off of exercising because of the big family dinner we had here (which was a success), and then went back at it yesterday with an aqua vengeance. My friend and I decided to hit up the Senior's Centre for some pool workout and it was actually really awesome. It turns out the facility actually caters to all ages and in the evenings there are classes for any adults and even some kid's swimming lessons. So it turned out to be pretty run and really good on my shins. I didn't feel like I was working too hard at the time but today I can feel my arms and I think we'll be going again.

So tonight will probably be another Elliptical night since I'm at home getting ready for more company. But I really plan to keep working out even when all my family gets here. I decided that this is really important to me and I'm feeling so good that I don't want to stop now, even for a week.

Weight Today: 169
Calories: I'm thinking of stopping this part. I don't like counting every little thing...I'm generally just becoming more aware and conscious of what I put in my mouth...but this is getting annoying.
Workout: will do 45 minutes tonight.
Feeling: encouraged by all the additional things in my life that are turning around as a result of my commitment to be healthy and fit.

One Thanksgiving dinner down and one to go. I made a big old turkey tonight and it turned out great. I tried to prepare a variety of veggies but their health benefits were greatly diminished by the plethora of butter whipped sweet potatoes, creamy gravy, chocolate cake, and pumpkin pie. In order to reduce the negative impact this dinner was sure to have on my weight watching I kept the rest of my foods today to a minimum in calories; banana, yogurt, All Bran, coffee.

This seasons could not have come at a worse time. I am really beginning to feel different and I have worked SO hard to get out of those dang 170's that I would be devastated if I fell back into them because of some gravy and pie.

On a fitness note, my cousin the personal trainer/fitness guru informed me that 6 days of cardio a week is too much and counter productive. At first I wasn't sure how to take that because it was working for me so far, but her argument was that building your muscles and strength will make your cardio endurance better and will allow your body to recoup between runs and therefore preform better too. So, although I have been feeling like my weight training was a bit useless and not really a calorie burner I have decided to do a little more of it anyhow. My cousin also said that when you're trying to burn calories, or bounce back from a pregnancy, it's your muscles that will help you and not your cardio. Just something to ponder.

Anyhow, wish me luck with this next week of company, dinners, deserts and sitting around. This will be a real test of my seriousness if I am willing to take time away from the visiting to get my workout in.

Weight Today: 169.1 (but whose counting)
Workout: nada today, but after 6 days in a row I deserved a break.
Calories: don't ask...why am I even tracking this anymore?
Feeling: nervous but still on board!

Day 6 in a row of working out. Just did Elliptical and my shins felt great.

Weight Today: 169... finally
Workout: 30 minutes
Calories: ...it's married couples desert night. HELP ME!!!
Feeling: glad to be out of those dang 170's...pluggin' away.

Next challenge: two weekends in a row of Thanksgiving dinners, family visits and various food-related functions. Dun dun dun.