Wednesday, April 18, 2007

I'm now a different kind of "Regular"

Going to be a quick post tonight, because I've been staring at this computer screen for the better part of the past four hours, and I'm about to start eating the keyboard. But I had to share this...

Funniest thing happened today. I had an extremely busy day, loaded with meetings and appointments, and that made me get to the gym a little later than usual. Honestly, I was so beat by the time I was on my way, I almost turned around and headed home to take a nap! But I persevered...I'm committed...and I wasn't about to try to come up with a creative excuse for Christine as to why I didn't work out today. "I didn't feel like it" just doesn't fly anymore.

So, I walk into the reception area, where I have to give my member ID number...and the guy behind the counter says "Wow, you're here later than normal today, huh?" I was totally caught off guard. I looked around behind me, because surely he was talking to someone else...have I been so regular at the gym that the EMPLOYEES actually notice what time I usually go? From hating - I mean HATING - working out, to being "a regular" at the gym...THIS is weird!!! Don't get me wrong, I still don't LOVE it...I still hate the out-of-breath, sweaty, uncomfortable, ugly-looking aspects of it....I still don't get that "runner's high" endorphin rush everyone talks about. But I AM committed...and THAT is AMAZING. Again, it's not like I'm giving up 2 hours a day to go pump iron like some obsessive crazy person...I go, I change, I do 30 minutes on the elliptical, I go home. That's it. And for now, that's enough. Hey, it was enough for the guy at the gym to notice I'm "a regular"...before now, the only place I've ever been considered "a regular" at was somewhere you can get a burger, a basket of fried love, and a beer... any time of day! Haha!

I'm really hoping to drop another 2 pounds this week, but I'll take ANY loss after this past week's water problem. I'm just going to keep at it...cross your fingers for me....

Till next time,
~L

Monday, April 16, 2007

Reason #438 Why Men Have it Better....

...Three words: Water Weight Gain.

This phenomenon is something every woman, whether dieting or not, is all too familiar with. On the converse, it's something men never have - and never will - have to worry about, take into consideration, or even understand. But us gals? We all carry this Beast of Burden every single month.

So, yes, this is the problem that presented itself at today's weigh-in. Now, I've still lost my 20 pounds, which is AWESOME. I'm still quite proud of that. However, it can get a bit discouraging when you've done everything right, worked your butt off, and don't see a loss. But, we've now established a pattern:

Week One: 2-3 pound loss
Week Two: ~2 pound loss
Week Three: around a pound loss
Week Four: Nada. Nothin. Zero. Zilch. Sometimes a quarter of a pound GAIN.

This is very much a pattern we can see on my weight graphing, and apparently, it's pretty common. Those of you who are on this weight-loss journey with me may have seen similar patterns; the woman in the waiting area of Jenny Craig today said she looses every other week, and nothing happens during the weeks in between. She said she fights PMS (join the club!) and menopause (not quite yet for me, thank you...) and all the other hormonal things we women have to go through.

So, if you're seeing this pattern too, you're not alone. This, in and of itself, is my ONLY comfort in these non-losing weeks, because it can get incredibly frustrating. However, I'm not going to change a thing...I'm going to stick to my menu, and continue my new active lifestyle (holy moly, I worked out SIX TIMES last week! SIX!!! Am I INSANE???).

So, I am sorry to report, no major loss this week. Actually no loss at all. But by next week, if I follow my pattern, I'll make up for it, and will have a much more chipper post.

By the way, I did do a little "retail therapy" this weekend, and found a store who's sizes sometimes run a little big. There is nothing better than trying on "your" size and finding that it's too big, even if you KNOW full well that it's just because the sizes run big. I don't care, I had to buy a size I haven't seen since the late '90's. I can't directly endorse the store, so try to work with me here: it's "aged branch of the military"....try to work on that one, kids. (If you really need help, shoot me an email laura@b95.com) But they're my new best friends, for their sizing faux pas, and I'm going to wear those pants inside-out tomorrow. ;)

Till next time,
~L