Homegrown Veggies and a Pair of Skates

Gardening is seriously tough work. My back is killing me right now.

I've been planting vegetables and herbs intermittently all day. I planted 6 tomato plants, 3 cucumber vines, 4 bell peppers, 2 eggplants, basil, sage, thyme, and chamomile. Now I just have to look after the plants and keep them healthy, and then actually USE the stuff they produce.

In other news...I saw a movie this afternoon that renewed in me the spark of interest I have in roller derby: Whip It, with Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore. Man, I love that sport. I went to a bout last year with Jacob and family, and I just fell in love with it. It hasn't been practical for me to do it while here in Tally...they travel a whole lot, and my critters won't let me do much of that. But, when I move, I totally, completely, want to join a roller derby team. It would be a GREAT workout, and I just love the whole idea of it. Yay.

Ok, so, this week. Today, I gardened...carrying those damn soil bags and bending and moving everything was DEFINITELY a workout. Tomorrow...strength training. Tuesday, walking. Wednesday, strength training. Friday, walking. Saturday, strength training. Sunday, walking. One of the days of this week, I'm going to start on the second level of the SI6. Probably after I finish my cycle.

Ok, off to do some work. Later.

Limits

Guess what time it is, kiddos! That's right, it's roadblock time!!

Yeah.

When I really kicked ass and went 4 miles in an hour on Wednesday, I aggravated my shin splints again. I went to jog during my walk yesterday, and it was AGONIZING.

I also reeeeally overdid it yesterday, just in general. I went a lot earlier than normal, due to plans around 7:00, and it was still completely hot and sunny outside. I got SO hot, and I pushed myself absolutely to the limit. Despite the fact that I couldn't jog at all, I still made it in just a couple of minutes over an hour, and that was with the stops for red lights that are included in my new route. Which means I was seriously hoofing it, going an average of 4.0 mph overall.

I don't actually remember a whole lot from the first few minutes of when I got home. I think I literally almost passed out. I took a cool shower, and felt a good bit better, but I was still pretty loopy for the rest of the night. Then, around 11 or so last night, I was driving around and got the WORST cramps. My cycle had been pretty late, about 5 days...but that's usual when I start up a routine again. I've felt pretty terrible last night and today, so I'm pretty sure that was the major cause of my shitty feeling after my walk last night. That, and being too hot.

I didn't exercise today, mostly because of the crazy cramps and my legs hurting. I'll walk tomorrow, and maybe do the Wii or the SI6. I think I'm going to concentrate more on the Wii and the SI6 for the next week or two, to give the shin splints time to heal a bit. What I've read on the internet says that neither complete rest nor "running through it" are appropriate recovery techniques for shin splints, so I think that if I concentrate more on strength exercises and JUST walking over the next few weeks I should be alright.

I forgot to mention something about the Wii in my last entry. Well, actually, I had written an entire entry before my last one, but it got deleted when I tried to save, and I forgot that I hadn't actually saved it. I worked out on just the Wii Fit on...I think it was Tuesday. I was supposed to do both the Wii Fit and the SI6...but I was having a lot of fun on the Wii, so I decided to do all of the strength training exercised on there that I hadn't tried so far. And? Woo! Some of those are HARD! I hurt like fire for the next couple of days. On the plus side, it worked areas that I don't normally work...my shoulders, inner thighs and obliques got a crazy workout. So, I think that the best approach from now on with respect to strength training is to combine the SI6 with primarily the strength training exercised on the Wii Fit. I think that that will maximize the areas worked.

Ok, I am done for the evening. Tomorrow...strength and walking. Later!

Positive Thoughts

I'm trying very hard to stay positive.

I always feel this way during this time of the month. This is nothing new.

I just feel so FAT, and like I'm not doing NEARLY as much as I should be in order to lose weight. The weight-loss process should leave me near to collapsing at the end of the day...I should be starving and MISERABLE, all the time.

I'm very down on myself today. Yesterday was not so good, on the eating front...I ate a lot, from bagels in the morning to fried (brown) rice at lunch, to bruschetta and seafood gumbo later on. I also had a few fried crawfish at dinner, and a beer after dinner, and a couple of glasses of soda...ugh. Just so bad.

I had, of course, gained weight today...I'm back up to 175. But, I do need to note, I also started my cycle today, which means that a good 3 pounds of that is likely water weight. So...really, when it comes down to it, it's not a crisis. I'll just stick to my plan to exercise through the rest of the week, and maybe that will make up for it.

I do still seriously hurt from the Wii the other day, so that's good. It's all in places that don't normally get worked, too...my deltoids, obliques, lower abs, and inner thighs have all been really sore. I'm trying to figure out how I can add in another day or two of exercise per week, so that I can continue to do the Wii Fit strenth training exercises as well as the SI6.

Since I am currently working out literally every single day I am able, I'm just going to have to add this to what I'm already doing. I suppose that I'll just tack on the Wii Fit stuff with my usual SI6 thing. If it takes me a whole lot longer...well, then, I'm just beating my brains out exercising, which is what I feel I should be doing anyway.

I've been eating too much sugar, too. I know that I have. We got candy into my office today, and before I knew it I had eaten several pieces. Grr. I need to get FRUIT.

I'm just frustrated today. Nothing new. Blah.

Later.

The Good, and the Very Bad

I was bad today.

I had fried chicken. Yes, chicken. And it was fried.

It was actually sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese restaurant. I was SUPERDUPERCRAZY hungry, having spent 2.5 hours at Verizon with Jacob, and being that it's almost that time of the month, I submitted to the ridiculous craving I was having for sweet and sour chicken.

So there.

Really, I felt totally shitty the whole time I was eating it, even though it was SO GOOD. I walked extra hard tonight, though, so maybe that made up for it.

I actually did my 3.3 miles in only 45 minutes, which is definitely a new record for me. I'm absolutely going to be ramping that up this next week...it's clearly gotten to be too easy for me at this point. Maybe on Friday I'll try doing at least part of Hermitage again...that was part of my 4.5 mile walk.

I also did the Wii and the SI6 yesterday. It kicked my ass, but that's good. I think I'm going to keep doing both at a time...if I spend about a half-hour on the Wii and do the whole SI6 thing, it takes about as much time as a walk.

Ok, so plans for this week. Today I walked. Tomorrow, Wii and SI6. My sister's spring break is this week, so we're probably hanging out either Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Thursday, which means that I'll be walking on whichever day I'm not with her. Thursday, Wii and SI6. Friday, walking, hopefully around 4 miles. Saturday, I'm going to try the second level of the SI6. We shall certainly see how that turns out...it might be a miserable failure, but I need to move on at some point.

Ok, my dog is being ridiculously loud in the back yard, and it's time for bed. Oh...and I was 172 this morning. : ) Yayyyy...maybe that's why I felt like it was ok to eat fried chicken for lunch. Of course, tomorrow, I'll probably be back up to 175. But today, it felt nice. : )

Anyway, later!

Therapeutic Writing, plus some updated Goals and Rewards

I think that writing in here helps me to feel better about this whole thing. Like I'm doing more or something.

175 this morning. I did some Wii and the SI6 yesterday...kind of felt like my legs were about to give out. I don't know how in the world I will be able to switch to the second level of the SI6 next week...that shit is TWICE as long as the first level, and I can only imagine that it's that much more difficult. We shall see.

One good thing is that I can feel my metabolism getting faster, if that makes any sense. I feel more heat radiating from my body at any given time, I'm hungry all the time, and I think my heart rate has sped up a bit. My only question now is, when does this manifest itself in weight loss? I'm ready for that now!

It's time for some updated goals and rewards. I've been really good about working out, and I'm going to assume that I'm going to keep this up...I don't like doing goals and rewards unless I know I'm on a good workout streak, it seems silly otherwise.

I'm going to say that I want to be down to 145 by August 1. That's roughly 19 weeks...about 30 pounds. I'm not going to lie, that won't be easy...that's more than a pound a week on average. But, if I continue my 5-6 day/week workout schedule, which is even more strenuous than what I was doing before my appendectomy, I cannot help but think that it is possible.

By May 1, I would like to be down to 160. That's 15 pounds in about 45 days...again, not easy, but theoretically possible. If I am able to accomplish this wondrous feat, I shall purchase a dress for myself from ModCloth. Either that, or some new Birkenstocks...it depends on the state of my credit card at the time.

By July 1, my birthday, I would like to be down to 150. That will be a bit easier...10 pounds in 2 months. If I am able to do that, I will buy the first level or two of some Rosetta Stone software...I don't know which one yet, I need to see where I'm moving first.

Then, by August 1, I would like to weigh 145. If I can do that, I will purchase another level or 2 of Rosetta Stone. I really, really want to learn several languages...so, that will be my gift to myself.

Ok, there we have it. In order to accomplish these goals, I will continue to eat as well as I can, and I will continue to exercise absolutely every day I am able. I will also be continually ramping up my exercise levels and variety...by May, I want to be on the third level of SI6, and maybe looking at graduating to some sort of P90X or Insanity or something. I also want to be up to AT LEAST 4.5 miles by May.

Ok, there's my current plan. Here's hoping I can follow it. : )

Progress of a Different Color

I wish that I could get on here and say that I have lost weight.

Alas, this morning, I was still at 175.5.

I do not understand, and I'm really trying very hard to be positive about the whole thing right now.

Every day that I am able, which has been about 5-6 days per week, I make myself work out. I have wraps and cottage cheese instead of sandwiches and chips. Dinner last night? One of those packages of steamed veggies from Green Giant, and a Chobani non-fat blueberry yogurt. I have been limiting my candy to one piece per day, trying to instead get sugar from healthy sources like apples and yogurt.

I haven't been taking my blood sugar medication, but that's literally the only thing I'm NOT doing that I should be. I'll be getting better about that as of tonight.

So, no progress on that front. But, I did update my iPhone with all of my music today...which means I'm more excited about walking, and especially about walking longer distances. So...that's something, right?

This week and next week, I am going to keep to my regular walk and the beginner's SI6 tape. I will be doing at least 3 days per week of walking, and at least 3 days of SI6, as well as a little Wii in there. After next week, I will start to increase those things in increments. I'd like to ramp up my walk to start out with...first go up to 4 miles, then 4.5, then 5. By the beginning of April, I'd like to be doing 4 miles at least 3 times a week, and to be moving on to the second level of the SI6.

I'm feeling very discouraged today, but I know it has to get better...right? I cannot see how it would be possible for me to change my life this drastically and have nothing come from it in terms of weight loss. I think I'm going to stop weighing myself every day, and try to keep it to once a week. That's what is recommended by most weight loss folks anyway...so maybe there's something to it.

Sigh. Later.

GRR.

Ok, last week was perhaps the first week EVER that I actually did exactly the workout that I said I was going to.

I did the SI6 on Sunday...walked Monday and Tuesday...SI6 again on Wednesday...walked Friday, and SI6 on Saturday. In other words, I busted my ASS.

I weighed myself yesterday...I was up to 175.5.

W...T...F?!?!?

This may be due to a number of factors. For one thing, I cannot get enough to eat. My stomach is literally grumbling ALL THE TIME. Especially at night, which is when I have to take my vitamins...and, since I cannot take them on an empty stomach, I have to eat something before I go to bed. Now, I'm always healthy about what I eat...yogurt or pretzels or cottage cheese...but, I guess it's still something that weighs on me in the morning.

It could also be due to my body sort of spazzing out about the amount of exercise it's getting. I think that this has happened before...I would need to go back through old entries to make sure...but I think that I usually gain weight to begin with, and then lose it.

This morning I was back down to 174...which is still WAY higher than I should be. I'm hoping that, with a slightly improved diet and the same sort of exercise regimen as last week, I'll see that go down by a few pounds this week.

My plan for this week is: Nothing yesterday (I had a baby shower to attend), walking 3+ miles today, SI6 AND Wii tomorrow, walking 3+ miles on Wednesday, SI6 on Friday, walking 3+ miles on Saturday, and SI6 + Wii again on Sunday. This is a lot...but I proved last week that I really CAN do that much in a week...so no more excuses for me.

The SI6 has gotten a bit easier since last week. I literally thought that I was going to need to get special painkillers from the doctor after Sunday's session last weekend. I could not walk for DAYS. I did it again on Wednesday and Saturday, though, and while it still hurt a lot it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been.

Keeping up this routine, I cannot possibly NOT lose weight, right? I mean, when I was working out before, I KNOW that I was keeping at least a similar diet, and I don't think I was working out quite as much as I am now. So I'm really hoping that this will eventually lead to some AMAZING weight loss. My fingers are crossed.

Later!

I am a blob.

I have just realized how fat, lazy and incompetent I am.

Slim-in-6: 1. Megan: 0. That shit just kicked my everloving ass.

I had to stop halfway through because my legs were a hairsbreadth away from actually giving out. I took a break for a minute to get some water, and when I started to walk back into the living room to continue, my legs felt like someone had put vise grips on them. I also thought I might throw up. I could not continue.

How is it that I can walk and jog more than 3 miles, barely breaking a sweat, and still have energy to burn when I get home...but 15 minutes of calisthenics at a supposedly beginner level absolutely demolish me?

Clearly, I have become too used to walking for that alone to be very effective any longer. I need to throw some stuff in there to mix it up...more Wii and Slim-in-6, in addition to all the walking.

I'm going to do the Slim-in-6 3 times this week. I did it today...tomorrow I'll walk, Tuesday I will walk and do the Wii. Wednesday is supposed to be rainy, so that's the perfect day to do the SI6 again. Friday, I'll walk and Wii, and Saturday I'll go back to SI6. Sunday I have a baby shower to go to, so I can't do anything that day...but I'll probably walk next Monday, and then do the SI6 again on Tuesday.

I have got to get my ass in gear. I started taking the Metformin today for my prediabetes, and I'm hoping that that helps me lose a little weight in addition to evening out my blood sugar. I've been really trying to do better on my diet...I've switched to non-fat Greek yogurt instead of low-fat, I had banana nut oatmeal for breakfast this morning, I've been snacking on low-fat cottage cheese instead of having pretzels like I had been. My diet is just about as good as it can be...I could stand to cook at home more often, so that I could get more vegetables in my diet...but then again, I've been ordering more salads and veggie sandwiches and such.

I have had a bit too much alcohol this weekend, and I'm going to do better about that. I don't generally have any during the week, though, so I suppose that's good.

I need to have a good two months of doing absolutely everything I can do to lose weight. That's where I was going before my appendectomy, and I need to get back on that level. I just hope I can find the time with all of the other stuff I need to do.

Ok, off to clean my house a bit before the week begins. Later.

Kickass

I actually went for my walk yesterday! And it was an amazing one!

I did 3.3 miles in 47 minutes...really, really good for me. Now, I do not expect to keep up that pace...but, it is nice to know I can. I jogged a good portion of the way...that's really hard on my shins, so I definitely have to be careful about doing that.

Today, I'll walk again. One of my coworkers is (supposedly) coming with me, so it will likely be a significantly less strenuous walk than I'm used to. If that is the case, then I will do some other stuff afterwards...possibly the Wii. Otherwise, I will try to do a similarly vigorous walk to what I did yesterday. Friday and Saturday I'll walk again...and then Slim-in-6 will begin again on Sunday.

I'm currently at 172.5...not terrible, considering the time of the month. Should be back to 171 by the end of the week.

The biggest motivator for me is passion...I need to feel very strongly about getting fit and looking better and such in order to really push myself as much as I need to. The problem is maintaining that passion over a period of months. Grr.

Currently looking for that motivator. We'll see.

Later.

Glycemic Index FTW

Sigh.

I went to the doctor last week, and got my blood test results back yesterday.

Vitamin B12 and thyroid are fine. Vitamin D...still too low, need to take more. Iron...too HIGH...I was told by some nurse not to take my supplement anymore, but I think she might be on crack, since that's what gets me through every day...so I'm cutting back on those supplements but not cutting them out entirely. Cholesterol at 197...not great, but still under 200, so that's ok.

The big news is my blood sugar, which is still in the pre-diabetes range. Blargh. They told me to keep losing weight, as that will help that...and also to do better on eating less refined sugar. I don't eat a whole lot of that now, but I am finding that there are a lot of things I eat that are not so great on the glycemic index.

So, my plan right now is to eat one meal a day that is ENTIRELY on the good end of the GI spectrum. This will probably end up being lunch...today, I had a chickpea salad, part of a fruit and nut granola bar, and some apple juice (no sugar added).

I'm supposed to have my cholesterol, blood sugar, and iron tested again in 3 months, so we'll see how that does. I'm afraid to stop my iron supplements entirely, because I have entirely too much to do to be only half-functioning. I think I'll try taking one only every other day...maybe that will help.

Haven't walked since last Wednesday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were the first 3 days of my cycle...so I felt pretty shitty. Then, yesterday, I had a filling done...and the novocaine numbed the entire left side of my face, including my eye. I really didn't feel like scaring the neighborhood children, plus my eye wouldn't stop watering and I felt really wonky...so I stayed home.

I will certainly be walking today and tomorrow...I have realized that I need to kick myself into seriously high gear for a few weeks, so as to rev up my metabolism again. Every day that I CAN workout, I will be for the next 3 weeks.

Ok, later. : )