Don't ask if you've already decided you aren't going to try!

So, this is something that happened to Janelle the other day, but it's happened to me too and I'm sure it's happened to some of you.

Basically, Janelle ran into a girl at the gym that worked out with us a few times. When she worked out with us she bragged and bragged about how "in shape" and "strong" she is. She said she is so strong that she never gets sore from lifting. She was talking about how she doesn't have any body fat and does so much cardio and is soooooo strong. Truth be told, and not being a judgemental bitch, but she did have body fat, she did have leg fat, she was not sooooo strong, but she did do a lot of cardio.

Anyway, she couldn't hang with us. She could not make it through our workout. She made an excuse to leave and then said wanted to stick to her cardio. In all actuality, she was insanely sore and didn't know how we could possibly still workout from day to day. We never saw her again, until the other day when Janelle ran into her.

Janelle didn't want to talk to her, but she came over to Janelle and wanted to talk. I'm kinda sad that I missed it, because she's been running and doing cardio, but she's gained about 10-15 pounds since we last saw her.

She told Janelle she didn't know why she was gaining weight and said she didn't need to do cardio because she'll get too bulky. She also maintained that she had little to no fat on her body. Then she asked Janelle what she should do to get the weight back off and stay in shape. Janelle told her the basics; eat better food, count calories, and workout more than cardio. She told Janelle that she didn't feel like eating right, but she knew how to if she had to. She also told Janelle that she doesn't need to lift. She then whined for about 10 more minutes and Janelle tried to ignore her.

Here's my issue with this girl and other people who have done this to me:

Don't come whine to me or anyone else who has been busting their butt to lose weight. Don't ask me or anyone else what we are doing, how we are doing it, and how they can get started too and then tell me or anyone else that they know it won't work for them!

For example: "Wow! You look awesome. I need to do something to get myself into shape. What are you doing? I want to do that!"

"Well, I count calories and workout out, a lot. I lift, I do cardio, I do whatever I can."

"Oh, that won't work for me. I've lifted before, it didn't do anything."

"I bet you didn't give it enough time."

"I don't want to get bulky, so I didn't lift heavy, and lifting doesn't work for me. I never get sore. I'm strong already."

"Lifting burns a lot of fat. Give it more time."

"I don't want to do that. I'll take a class or something and I don't really want to count calories."

I should respond to that by saying, "Then why in the hell are you wasting my time asking me questions if you already know you won't do anything different? You have to change something to lose weight. Thank you for wasting my time. Don't ask me to help you and shoot everything down. What I'm doing works. I've lost 110 pounds. Lifting won't make you bulky, I promise. You've watch too many infomercials. There is not quick fix. Get off your ass and move. I will never talk to you about this again because you have wasted 10 minutes of my life that I can't get back."

It is really irritating when people want you to help them and then decide that they know better than you. I know I'm not the only person this has happened to. It bothers me and I know it bothered Janelle. I wonder who else it bothers?

Well, I survived

I managed to stay sane on Thanksgiving. I used all the self control in the world and managed to not stuff my face and make myself sick from eating. Whew....it was a tough task.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but my mom is the best cook this side of the Mississippi and on the other side of the Mississippi, the rest of her family are the best cooks. We've got the country on lock down for the best cooking. All of this fantastic cooking makes a person want to stuff their face.

Anyway, I did not snack all morning before dinner time. I ate every three hours like I'm supposed to. I know I didn't get the right amount of protein, but there were a lot of things I wanted to try so I ate tiny portions when it was my time to eat. I planned the day so I would have to eat when the whole family was sitting down to eat. I only had a small spoonful of the foods I wanted to try, and I totally passed up seconds.

I did have to walk away from the table before everyone else because I was done eating and I did not want seconds, but I could not stop thinking about the delicious food all around me. I think it also helped that we did everything buffet style this year and all the food was on the counter and buffet behind us. There was no food on the table. That really helped.

After I was done I spent some time playing with my niece and nephews. I was hoping to burn off some calories. I was trying really hard to not just sit on my butt for the rest of the day.

I did have dessert though. My mom makes apple pie twice a year. There is no way I could pass up apple pie. I cut my own piece and it really was a little baby piece of pie.

Overall, I think I managed pretty well, but I know that November has been a rough month for me. I've had 4 different family birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving. I've also done a ton of baking, but for some reason that didn't even make me flinch. I was totally in control and able to bake without sampling.

Yesterday I did my regular workout and took a walk at the Reserve for an hour. It was pretty nice out. I figured I needed to take advantage of the nice weather. I also had a Bod Pod yesterday. I think I was trying to torture myself by getting a Bod Pod the day after a holiday full of eating, but that wasn't even that bad. Janelle did have to talk me down a little afterward. I was hoping for better.

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm pretty excited, but I'm not gonna lie; since I woke up at 6:30 A.M. I've been repeating to myself, "I think I can, I think I can". While I was making my cheesy, broccoli, rice casserole I was telling myself that I won't pig out today. While I was in the shower I was telling myself that I will only have one serving of the foods I want to try.

I'm assuming you get my gist today. I've been mentally pumping mysef up for the past hour and a half.

Really, I just keep reminding myself that it's one day and my family makes foods that we only make on Thanksgiving. We've also cut our recipes in half. We are making the foods that we always make, but we are making less. We're hoping to cut down on overeating and leftovers. My mom also made 2 pies and that's it. We really cut down on desserts and the foods that we snack on while we're waiting for dinner.

My mom also planned for us to eat earlier in the day so we would have more time to get up and be active in the late afternoon. The fam has been pretty proactive this year in having a reasonable Thanksgiving.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about today. It's nice weather, so I'll probably go for a walk after we eat. Hopefully, I can convince the fam that they also want to take a walk. I would feel bad if I just ate and took off for a walk by myself.

Oh....and....I'm gettting a Bod Pod tomorrow! What kind of crazy person schedules to have their body fat measured the day after Thanksgiving? Me, I guess.

Trying to stay positive.

Basically, I'm a little irritated with myself.

I said the other week that November is a rough month because of birthday's and Thanksgiving. My sister had a November birthday and my neice and nephews were all born in November. Busy, busy, busy. This year my sister also graduated from college. All of these events mean going out to eat, celebrating, eating, blah, blah, blah.

So, I've probably gone out to eat more this month than I have in the past year and a half. I've researched menus to find food that will fit into my meal plan, calories, protein, saturated fats, and I planned my whole eating schedule around what time we were going out to dinner. I even ordered food that I would never have ordered or eaten a year and half ago.

I ate freakin' salmon! I hate fish, but knew it was a good choice and it was really all that would fit into my meal plan. It wasn't even that bad either. I'm not sure if I will ever eat it again, but I tried it once! I didn't eat dessert, I didn't drink booze, and I didn't pick off other people's plates.

I also didn't lose any weight in the last two weeks. I'm pretty disappointed.

So, I'm trying to find the positive in the past two weeks. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain. I maintained. I also know that I made better food choices and I didn't pig out. I know that a year and a half ago I would have stuffed my face and ordered delicious deep fried foods. I know I would have ordered drinks and I know I would have ordered dessert.

I'm trying to remind myself just how far I really have come and how much my food choices and self control have changed. I guess I'm learning how to maintain my weight, but I'm not in a maintaining weight mode, I'm still in a losing weight mode.

I still have to make it through Thanksgiving this week. I know I'm not going to be perfect on Thursday. My family Thanksgiving is made up of foods that we only make once a year. We have decided to cut back on the desserts and we are cutting a lot of recipes in half as well. Everyone in my family wants to make better food choices that day. We all want to be able to taste and sample everything,  but we don't want to pig out. I know that my family as a whole wants to eat less and we all are making the effort to cook less!

Really, I keep telling myself that I've made it this far and I'm going to keep going. I don't like to be disappointed with myself, but there is nothing I can do at certain times of the year. I feel like I would be rude to skip family things because of food or going out to eat. I also think it is rude to just sit at a restaurant and not eat anything. I have done that in the past and my family has dealt with it. I have to make some choices that I'm not always happy with, but that's just life. Birthdays and holidays come up from time to time, but 4 birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving all in one month is way to much for me.

Baking

I love, love, love to bake. I love to make sweets. I like to cook too, but baking is my favorite. I don't bake year round though. I usually only bake during the holidays. Guess what? It's totally baking season and I'm not prepared.

Last year I didn't bake too much. I didn't know how to handle making things that I wasn't going to eat. It didn't turn out to be that bad though. I was able to make what I needed to and not stuff my face with cookies and whatnot.

This year, I really, really want to do a ton of baking. Last week I had to make a few things for a carry-in at work, and I think that spurred my desire for all of this baking. I made pumpkin cookies for the carry-in and they were awesome, or so I've been told. I didn't get to eat any.

I'm not sure if any of you like to bake, but it is really friggin' hard to make something that you AREN'T going to eat. It's also really hard to make things and not take little samples as I'm baking to make sure it's tasting right. I usually have people taste and sample for me as I go to make sure everything is going ok.

This week I have a lot of free time and I plan on baking, a lot. I have an entire list of things I need to make and will make. I just hope that I don't fall off the wagon and start "sampling" everything I'm making!

Irritation!

I was struggling to find something to write about today. I thought I was just going to give up. I had nothing to talk about pertaining to working out and losing weight. Then I went to the gym. I was all excited to do a million pull ups today (I have to tell you that I'm being sarcastic, because you can't see the look on my face) then I saw Hat Guy.

Ordinarily, Hat Guy is a source of entertainment, but today he was a source of irritation. I don't know why, but he was more annoying today than he's ever been. I think he was more vulgar too. That might be it. He was really saying nasty things today, and talking about football like he's an expert, and....and being really freaking loud!

I told Janelle that we had to go to the ladies side because I had to get away from him. I was sure I was going to fight him if I had to listen to him anymore. Actually, I think I said, "I'm having visions of going off on Hat Guy. I might get in a fight. Do you think I'd win?"

We went to the ladies side, but it didn't help. The wall doesn't go all the way up and I could still hear him. Janelle just looked at my face and started laughing. I couldn't help it, I started mocking him really loudly. I HOPE he heard me. I was so irritated.

I do have to say though, it was good workout. I think I was channeling all my rage into my workout. You know, since I couldn't really fight Hat Guy.

Noticing the changes.

I've been panicking about Thanksgiving. You know...all that delicious food. My family always has an over the top Thanksgiving. It's just what we do. We make tons of food and everyone goes home with tons of leftovers.

As we've been planning this year I've noticed that no one seems interested in having tons and tons of food. Really, over the past year I've noticed that my family has been making a lot of different food choices.

My mom, sisters, and brothers-in-law have been making their own changes. Everyone has their own reasons for making different food choices, and they are all for good reasons.

I'm not that worried now about there being too much food next Thursday. Everyone has kinda said that they don't want all the sweets and desserts that we usually make. Everyone has also said that they don't want to make as much food.

We want to make all the usual food items that we make year after year, but we just want to make smaller servings. I'm all for it.

If given the opportunity, I will stuff my face! I just can't be around all that food! I think this year will be different and be much better. I know Thanksgiving is all about food, delicious, delicious food, but I can still stay in moderation....right? Ok, I know I can.

Getting back to normal!

Finally, workouts have been getting back to normal. Janelle takes a week off after her shows and last week was our first week back to regular workouts.

I was finally able to get to the gym at the same time that she was, but the workouts are really long right now.

Also....I'm super sore. I'm ok with it though. I was feeling like a lazy ass for the past few weeks because I wasn't getting sore after my workouts. Now I feel much better since I'm sore. I'm sure that seems very odd, but I do like to be somewhat sore. It makes me feel like I actually did something.

November is still a super busy month, but I think I'm past all the birthday parties. I still have a graduation, and Thanksgiving(s) to attend. I've done pretty awesome at all these other events for the month so I'm pretty sure I'll be fine at the last few obligations for the month.

I'm looking forward to December because I only have Christmas to deal with!

The workout funk is gone!

My workout funk is over and it has nothing to do with me actually working out, it has to do with....Hat Guy. I often mention Hat Guy, and if you have no clue who he is you can read about him here, here, and here. I know I have mentioned him more, but those posts were specifically about the joy he brings me when I'm working out.

Thank you Hat Guy for being at the gym yesterday. I have not been in the best workout mood lately and it's been a real chore to do anything. Yesterday was no exception.

Janelle and I were actually able to get to the gym at the same time and we had to workout on the coed side because of the equipment we needed.

Hat Guy was out there too and he was just as I expect him to be....loud and obnoxious. He over compensates for everything he does because he's so short. I mean, he's tiny. He's a short guy. He has worked hard to bulk himself up, but only he upper body. His legs are teeny tiny. He talks loud and I mean LOUD. He wants everyone to hear everything he has to say. I used to get super annoyed by him, but then I realized that everything he says is totally rediculious and Janelle and I just laugh at everything he says. Yesterday was no exception.

I don't totally even know how to describe his antics from yesterday. There were a few people that were talking with him and, of course, he was yelling his responses back. (I mean, they were 2 feet away from each other....the only reason to be that loud is to make sure everyone hears you!)

Basically, here's some of what Janelle and I heard.

"Yea man, you can tag along with me when I'm working out. I'll show you how to workout. If you can keep up, you can tag along."

"When do I workout? Whenever man. I have parameters that I stay between, but whatever do in that time is what I do. I mix it up. I do singles, I do all over, I do what I do You've gotta have parameters."

When someone asked about how he learned the best way to workout and the best way to plan workouts he responded, "To understand, you gotta not understand, ya know?"

He continued to talk about the art of understanding by not understanding (that sounds like some ancient Chinese wisdom right there!) and said, "I tried to follow the rules of working out, but coloring inside the lines didn't get me no where!"

He then started to refer back to the guy who wants to "tag along" and see his workouts, "Yea, like that guy who wants to tag along. He can, but he's asking for routine. I don't have routine. I have parameters. I told him, give me two weeks, two weeks of insanity!"

Ok, here are some more random quotes from him:

"I call it ad libbin," in reference to making up workouts.

"Yea, that guy said he never sees me workout my legs. I do my legs everyday. I just do it fast because I hate legs. Open your eyes man, pay attention. I do it everyday."

"The cortisol and testerone don't like each other. They butt heads." This was in reference to lifting and doing cardio in one day and in what order you should complete them. You also have to bump fists with yourself when saying this.

Anyway, it probably seems totally mean that I get joy from the crazy things this guy says, but he makes a complete spectacle of himself. I used to get really annoyed and angry whenever he was around. Now I just laugh. He is completely rediculious......and short.....shorter than me!

Workout funk

I keep whining about how busy I've been and it's been hard to get to the gym. I've still been working out, but I've been doing it at home or outside.

When I workout at home I just don't feel like I really worked out. I usually pop in a dvd and do yoga, pilates, or some random cardio workout, but I just don't feel like I get a full workout. Does that happen to anyone else?

When I workout outside I go to the Reserve around here and I jog or run up and down hills and stairs. I do feel like I get a good workout when I'm there, but I think I'm missing the gym!

I know this may sound crazy, but I think I start to get all out of whack if I don't lift on a regular basis. I've felt pretty unmotivated lately and I've really felt like it's a chore to go workout. I usually don't feel like that. I usually look forward to going to the gym.

Well...I should also explain that Janelle, Ashley, and I have not been on a regular gym schedule for a while now. We've all been going whenever we can fit it into our day and that means we all go at different times. This week should have been back to normal and I think tomorrow  I might be able to make it to the gym when Janelle does.

We've also dropped the early AM cardio for a while too. I think I'm missing the two a days. Really, I think I'm just in a workout funk and I need some new workouts! I know that new workouts are coming and I'm probably going to be complaining next week about how hard the new workouts are.....it's like I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't!

Crazy November

November is my busiest month of the year. My neice and nephews were all born in November, one of my sisters was born in November, Thanksgiving is in November.....and a whole bunch of other things go on this month.

Birthdays and Thanksgiving are fun, but they all have one thing in common...food. Damn food.

Last night we went out to eat at a new restaurant downtown that is all local and organic, so that's cool. I ordered a tuna burger and didn't eat the whole thing.  I was pretty proud of myself. Then one of my sisters suggested dessert. I'm sure she was totally right about how good the ice cream is and how delicious everything else is.

Ice cream is my weakness. Total weakenss. I can't even tell you the last time I had ice cream. The server started rambling off the flavors of ice cream and I just put my head down and put my hands over my ears. I'm sure it was quite a site and I probably looked like an asshole, but I was in hell at that exact moment.

To make matters worse there was no way I could just get up and go outside while everyone had dessert. The restaruant is very small and we were all packed in at our table. I would have had to make 2 people get up to let me out.

So, I sat there. I sat there and I watched everyone eat cake and ice cream. I was so freakin' happy when everyone was done.

Today I have to go to my nephew's birthday party. There will be a lot of food there. A lot of food made by my mom, who is the best cook in the world. I'm trying to figure out what the hell I need to do. I'll figure it out. I'm getting ready to go to the gym and I usually have some of my best thoughts when I'm at the gym.

Fun picture!

So, I was cleaning my closets that other day and found a lot of my old jeans. I have been keeping one pair of jeans in each size. I've done this on purpose too, because I've had an idea for a picture. I wanted to wait until I had a few more smaller sizes of pants, but I got excited. Also, I saw a few pictures recently on other blogs that made me not want to wait.

I want to do a fun picture with my belts, but I haven't had time to get it all together.

So, the funniest part to me is when I showed the picture to my friend James. I said, "James! I made a jeans pyramid!" Then I showed him the picture. He looked at me and said, "Oh! Those are your jeans! At first I was wondering why you were at the store stacking jeans and taking pictures!" I was laughing my ass off for a good 10 minutes.

The biggest pair is an 18, the smallest is an 8

I think it's obvious that only shop at Old Navy and Gap!