And the winner is...

           Well, me! So a few weeks ago I told you about the Family Health Challenge. Yesterday was the end of the 8 weeks. There was a total of 96 points and I earned 95 points. I lost 1 point because a restaurant messed up my order. I didn’t want to complain, but I know it caused me to be over the amount of saturated fat I could have for the day.

            We all put in $10 a piece. Now I have $80 to go shopping with. I think I’ll buy myself some new clothes. I really need some clothes that are actually in my size. I feel like a little kid playing dress up in my mom’s clothes all the time since everything is so big.

This is how I feel when I
get dressed. Only I'm not
as adorable as the girl
in this random picture
I found. 

            My mom wants to do a second challenge. It will be another 8 weeks, which will take us right up to Easter. I kinda can’t believe that’s only 8 weeks from now. I think I’ll keep the same goals, but I think my family will probably try to sabotage me this time so one of them can be the winner. 

Update time.

            So it’s the end of the month and that means it’s time to get weighed and measured. It was a pretty decent month. I’ve officially lost a total of 79 pounds. I’m totally ok with that because that’s 5 pounds in one month. I’ve was hoping for a nice round 80, but next time. I have 21 more pounds to go until I’ve lost 100 pounds and I have until May 11 to get there. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be a problem. I have Spring Break coming up so I can work out twice a day if needed. 

            I only lost 2 inches since last month so that’s a total of 49.75 inches lost.  I’m ok with that. Last month was something crazy with over 6 inches lost! I’m pretty sure that was due to the yoga. I just started it at the beginning of January and I think it gave me a boost.

            So, on an unrelated note I want to thank you guys for yesterday’s comments. I made myself laugh because I’ve never taken the time to learn all the different lingos that go along with different technologies. I have no clue what most texting acronyms mean and I really don’t know what most of the blogging acronyms mean.

            Anyway, I kept seeing NSV in my comments and on other blogs. I was finally like, “Ok, what the eff does that mean?” I Googled it and here’s the first thing that popped up.

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1.                             Nullsoft Streaming Video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) is a media container designed for streaming video content over the internet. NSV was developed by Nullsoft, the makers of ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullsoft_Streaming_Video - Cached - Similar

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2.                             NSV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NSV or nSv may refer to: Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt The Nazi ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSV - Cached - Similar

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3.                             NSV - What does NSV stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the ...

 - Jan 21

Acronym, Definition. NSV, Net Sales Value. NSV, Nullsoft Streaming Video. NSV, Noise Shaped Video (Sony). NSV, Nationalistische Studentenvereniging (Belgium ...acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/NSV - Cached - Similar

            So, I saw the nullsoft streaming video and I was like, “That doesn’t make sense. Why would they say that?” I also like that it’s an acronym for the Nazi People’s Welfare Organization. I finally saw it on the third one down and it clicked…non scale victory. So, thanks! Now that I know what you’re talking about I feel like I’m in the loop!

A new breed of compliments.

            Last month I wrote a blog called Compliments. That was about the odd compliments I would get about losing weigh; kinda like the compliments that sting. Lately I’ve noticed that the compliments are evolving. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the compliments are evolving for the better.

            The other day a former co-worker walked into work. She was talking to another teacher and was commenting about how she didn’t know anyone in there. I finally walked up to her and I was like, “Well hey there! How are you?” Now, she’s really tall and I’m really short, so when she turned and looked startled I thought it was because she looked right over my head. I was wrong; she did see me, but she didn’t recognize me at first.

            There was a look of confusion before she recognized me. Then she said, “Oh hey! How are…boy you are losing weight.” I knew then it must be really, really noticeable when someone can’t even finish a thought before blurting things out about how I look.

            I gave the typical thank you and then she said, “No..really, I can tell. It’s really noticeable.” Then she asked if I was at the outing we had for work a few weeks ago. I told her that I was, and that I saw her, but we didn’t speak. She apologized for not talking to me, but then I realized she didn’t talk to me because she didn’t recognize me. That realization made me super happy. I made sure to tell her it was really not big deal that we didn’t talk. We both had other people to talk to, but I really wanted to tell her was that it was ok she didn’t talk to me because our lack of conversation was due to her not even recognizing me!

            I also recently had to go to an open house event. There were a lot of people there that I don’t see too often. I kept making eye contact with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in a few months, but there was no recognition in his face. He walked past like 5 times. I finally grabbed his arm and said, “Hey! I’ve been trying to get your attention.” I also thought that he was startled because I’m so short and he was looking right over my head, but he also was so startled because he just didn’t recognize me. I think not recognizing me is a wonderful compliment.

            Another compliment I received recently came from one of my absolute best friends in the entire world. He lives out of state so I only see him about 3 times a year. He was here recently and he was so surprised at how I looked. I know this because he kept telling me. We were having lunch and he looked across the booth at me and said, “I just can’t believe it’s you I’m sitting across from.” That meant a lot.

            I’ve lost almost 80 pounds. I’ll actually have to weigh myself later today, so I’ll know for sure how much I’ve lost. I still have a long way to go, but it is so awesome to get these compliments now. Don’t get me wrong though, I still get a little shy when someone makes a comment around people I don’t know. All of the above mentioned compliments were very private, so they were the best kind of compliments; just for me, the other person, and now all of you. I handle that better. Like I’ve said before, I love to be the center of attention, but only when I know everyone in the room.

            Anyway, I’ve realized that the compliments are helpful too. I see myself everyday so I don’t notice the changes all the time and since my clothes sizes don’t change everyday; I need the compliments. The compliments from people let me know I’m still making progress! 

Let's get motivated.

I’m always looking for different articles on weight loss and exercise. I specifically look for things that overweight and obese people can do to lose weight. I’ve noticed recently that most articles are in “how to” formats. There is nothing wrong with this, but I feel like they are missing the real first step; motivation.

            For example, a lot of articles are about simple changes you can make with your exercise of food choices. They all go in a step-by-step fashion. They tell you step-by-step what you need, how to do it, and how many times to do it. However, I need someone to tell me how to get motivated to even go through the steps!

    I was looking for articles about motivation, getting motivated, how to motivate, really anything that the word motivate in it. I found this article, How one man's shame sparked a 300-pound weight loss. This is a good article. It didn’t have all the magic answers about motivation that I was looking, but it did have a lot of good information about motivation. It was also an inspiring article about what this man went trough and how he lost weight. I wish being inspired led to motivation for me, but it doesn't.

         Embarrassment or fear of death usually does not sustain people's commitment to change. This is an excerpt from the article that stuck out to me. I read that line over and over again because I was trying to decide if it was an accurate statement. After a few minutes I realized it was true. People usually go back to bad habits after some kind of health scare. I know I have in the past.

To be held accountable, he told his friends about his weight-loss efforts. To stay motivated, Hoover made a bet with his brother to see who could lose more weight. To get support, he joined online dieting communities. His mindset changed as he walked more. This is eventually what the guy in the article did to help him lose weight. After reading this I realized that I eventually did the same thing. I started talking to my friends and family about wanting to lose weight, I’ve tried to get my family to do a Family Health Challenge, and I’ve started a blog! So, besides eating right and going to the gym I think I’m doing a pretty good job at making myself accountable for my efforts.

In terms of finding out how to get motivated I’m pretty sure now that there is no “how to” list. If there was I would have found it on the internet since everything is on the internet. 

Did you really just justify that?

           A few days ago I went to the gym a little early in hopes that I would be able to get in a few minutes of tanning. Well, I was wrong. When I walked back to the changing area which is also the tanning waiting area it was packed with people who clearly were only there to tan.

            I decided to just go change and do some extra cardio. So I went into one of the changing stalls and realized that was the first time during the day I had a chance to sit down. I decided to sit and chill for a few minutes and that’s when I heard some fantastic conversations.

            The first one came from a group of ladies waiting to tan. Simply enough they were talking about how they wish there was more time in the day to workout. I was very confused by this conversation. I wanted to go over there and say, “Excuse me, but you’re in a gym. You obviously pay for a membership here. Instead of sitting here for 30 or more minutes waiting to tan why don’t you go walk on the treadmill?” Obviously, I just sat there in my little stall staring at the wall with a look on confusion. I’m pretty good at thinking horrible things, but most of the time I can keep those thoughts to myself. I was in shock that some would say something like that in a gym, but more shocked that the other people waiting were agreeing with it!

            Then they started talking about what they were going to eat for dinner and a different lady that was over there started talking about how she’s been really good lately and she thinks she deserves dessert after dinner. That’s cool; I guess, but she was talking about how she made a pie and brownies because she couldn’t decide what dessert she wanted, and was probably going to eat both. Ok, that’s just friggin’ overkill. Come on now! Really??? Pie and brownies? Maybe some of that time you spent making desserts could have been better spent at the gym. I know I shouldn’t care what these ladies do with their time, but I don’t want to hear about it. The gym is an awful place to have conversations about eating dessert and wanting to workout but never finding the time. To me, you just look silly.

            The other conversation I overheard is not really a weight loss conversation, but a phone conversation that really got my blood boiling. So a woman was changing in the next stall and she was on the phone. (Side note: our gym has a no cell phone policy. There are signs posted all over the place. No one pays attention to the signs. They are there so the other members don’t have to be bothered by other people chatting it up on the phone while at the gym. I wish this lady would have followed the sign.)  So I’m gathering that this lady was talking to her child because she was asking about games, conditioning, practice, and fees. Anyway, here is what I heard.

Lady on the phone: “Well wasn’t the last game last night?” (pause) “What do you mean conditioning starts tomorrow?” (pause) “No basketball is over.” (pause) “So baseball conditioning starts tomorrow?” (pause) “I don’t have time for this sh*t. I have a life too.” (pause) “Well, I just don’t even know. How much is this sh*t gonna cost me?” (pause) “Well, we’re gonna have to talk this over. Don’t expect me to come to all of these games too. I have to workout. I’m hanging up.”

            Ok, I’m going to omit my thoughts about this lady’s parenting skills, but what flippin’ message are you sending to your kid? I’m glad that you think it’s important to workout, but you need to pass that same message to your kids. At least this lady’s kid wants to play sports. Let him! Encourage him! Don’t let him develop lazy, unhealthy habits and become an obese adult! I really, really wanted to say a few words to this lady, but I just glared at her when we both walked out of the stalls.

            So, the gym is never a dull place. There is always something going on. After I heard those conversations I was frustrated for a multitude of reasons, so I tried to channel all of my frustration into my workout. I think it worked because I was wiped out after I left the gym. I still wanted to tan, but I figured I would snap if I had to sit, wait, and listen to people whine about wishing they had time to workout!

This cookbook is amazing.

           I was totally going to write about 2 awesome conversations I overheard while changing at the gym yesterday, but that’s going to have to wait because I just got the best cookbook ever.

            I love cookbooks, but lately I’ve been staying away from them because they are full of things I can’t eat right now. Not this cookbook! It’s from the Taste of Home magazine. It’s called Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook. The one I have is from 2009. There is also a new one for 2011. 

2009 

2011

            When I first saw that it was diet comfort foods I wondered how you could make comfort food low cal. I flipped through a few pages and saw that there is nutrition information for every recipe; serving size, calories, fat, carbs, protein, cholesterol, sodium, and the dietary exchange. It also has delicious pictures.

            I wasn’t willing to buy it though, because I buy a cookbook and never use it or only use 1 recipe. This time I was smart. I got it from the library. This way I can find a few recipes and just copy them. If I find a lot of recipes I might decide to buy it.

            Ok, I haven’t actually made any of the recipes yet, but here are a few that I think sound really friggin’ good.

1. Chicken club brunch ring
2. Crunchy peanut coleslaw
3. Honey Dijon potato salad
4. Crab pasta salad
5. Chicken gyro
6. Lime chicken tacos
7. Southwest summer pork chops
8. Honey pineapple chicken

          Ok, I have to stop; I’m getting hungry. I’ll let you know how some of these recipes turn out. I feel like this cookbook is going to be an awesomely delicious find. I usually dread cooking these days, but this is turning things around!

Heavy

             In the past I’ve mentioned my love of reality shows about weight loss and I was looking forward to watching the new series on A&E called Heavy. I finally had time to sit down and watch TV the other day and I was lucky enough to catch a mini marathon of the show. It felt like my lucky day and I LOVE the show.

            Basically the people on the show get into a 6 month program. For the first 30 days they are at an inpatient facility that is the most amazing resort I’ve ever seen. While there they work out, learn how to plan meals, shop for food, and they have therapy sessions. After 30 days they go home, but are assigned a personal trainer and they go about their life but try to incorporate all the new habits they have learned. At the end of the 6^th month they meet with the people from the resort/facility place and weigh in for a final time. Most people lose about 70 – 160 pounds in the 6 months they do the program.

            The show is really good. Even though the people on the show are heavier than I’ve ever been I can really identify with their eating issues. That’s pretty scary too, because I feel like if I hadn’t made changes when I did, I would have been that heavy in no time.

            So when I saw everything the people had at their disposal my jaw hit the floor and I was instantly jealous. When I saw the facility that some of the shows were taped at I couldn’t believe my eyes. Some of the shows were taped at Lake Austin, a spa in Austin, Texas. This is the place they went for 30 days. No TV, no phone, no distraction; just people helping them change their lives. You need to see the pictures from this place. Check out the website! Seriously! I found myself getting mad at the people on the show when they would complain about the workouts, the food, or the requirements. Then I had to remember that I’ve been busting my butt for over a year and they are just getting started so they still feel a little defiant and have that “it’s too hard; I can’t” attitude. I still wish someone would tell me to go to a spa for 30 days and do nothing but workout and work on my eating habits!

Lake Austin

            They also get to do a huge variety of workouts. They do cardio, lifting, aerobics, swimming, water aerobics, yoga, etc…etc. They aren’t just doing a one size fits all workout plan. These people are getting personalized workouts and training. I’m so jealous. Ok, I pretty much do get that, but I want to do it at an amazing spa!

            I think it’s more encouraging than other weight loss shows. These people are losing a lot of weight in 6 months, but some of them struggle and gain at different points through the process. They do make great progress but no of them are like 130 pounds after 6 months. It seems like a more realistic weight loss. It’s encouraging to see them struggle, have bad days, and get back on track. That’s real life after all. No one is perfect. I would be annoyed if they were perfect the whole time. I would like to see a follow up show and see how many of them kept up with the plan and continued to lose.

            Anyway, check it out if you haven’t seen it. It is a good show. Where I’m located it’s on at 10PM on Monday nights on A&E. That’s too late for me since I have to get up early. I never see it when it airs originally, so I have to catch reruns; I refuse to get a DVR, I’ll be too dependent on TV again! 

I need a massage, and so do you.

            If you have never had a massage you need to go get one. I’m not kidding. I use them as a reward for all of my hard work in the gym. I had one yesterday and it was fan-freakin-tastic! I go once a month and I’m telling you it is worth every penny. Everyone deserves to be pampered. I can’t always go clothes shopping, so I get massages and pedicures, but I’m only going to tell you about amazing massages.

            A friend of mine owns her own company so I go to her. She was doing my massages before I started the meal plan and working out, so she’s seen my progress every month over the past year or so. One of my favorite things about massages these days is that my massage lady notices a difference every month. So, not only is she working out all the muscle knots I can accumulate in one month, but she also notices and tells me how my body and muscles are changing. It’s really a self esteem booster!

            I even notice how much progress I’ve made when I get massages. I know I complain that my chest is not shrinking as fast as I want, but I know that it has. When I first started getting massages I couldn’t put my face in that little donut looking thing. You know; the one you put your face in when you’re laying on your belly? I could not get my face all the way down into that thing. My chest and stomach were too big and I would have to ask for a pillow to put my head on. About 2 months ago I realized that my face fit perfectly onto that little donut thing. I didn’t have to strain my neck and head at all. My massage lady noticed it too. It was a pretty awesome feeling.

            Ok, but really, getting massages is awesome. They are so relaxing and everyone deserves 1 hour to completely relax and get pampered. It’s really my selfish time to myself every month and everyone deserves some selfish, personal time. If you haven’t had a full body massage, go freakin’ get one! 

Hey man, where's your hat?

             So, I wrote a blog, Hey man, nice hat, about his dude at the gym that always wears his cool hat and talks super loud! He used to annoy the crap out of Janelle, Ashley, and I, but now I hope he’s at the gym because his stories bring hours of entertainment. Yesterday at the gym was one of the best! Let me give you a few updates about “Hat Guy” before I tell you the joy he brought me yesterday at the gym.

             He said in the past that he always wears his hat because it would be like leaving the house without his pants on. No joke. He compared forgetting his hat to forgetting his pants. Well, lately he’s not been wearing the hat, but he’s managed to wear pants. Thank God. I thought he might be bald, but he does have a full head of hair.

It's like forgetting to put my pants on. 

Also he’s been wearing a different kind of muscle tee. He’s been wearing the kinds that are cut really far into the chest to show off his pecks. Well, he’s been doing that to show off his pierced nipples. I think they may be recently pierced. I have actually not seen the piercing. It was actually made known to me by Janelle via text message on a day when we could not all get to the gym at the same time. I was still at work and I nearly fell out of my chair when I read the text.

Just imagine a less buff
guy  with more peck and
nipple ring hanging out.

Ok, now you’re caught up on “Hat Guy”. Yesterday we were at the gym at our usual Saturday time and there are typically only older guys there at that time. These aren’t just any old guys though. These are guys that have been going to the gym longer than I’ve been alive and they are still pretty buff for old dudes.

First he was talking about going to bars with “Ladies Night” and making a “killin’ pickin’ up the chicks”. Ok, this guy looks like Ken Jennings, but only a little buffer. I think Ken has a better chance at pickin’ up the hoes than Hat Guy.

Ken Jennings, 74 time Jeopardy! champ,
or Hat Guy from the gym?

            Hat guy was talking about what he eats for breakfast. Please keep in mind that he was on the other side of the gym from us; roughly half a football field and we could hear him perfectly. He’s a super loud talker. For breakfast he has a bowl of fruit and 2 protein shakes; not 1, but 2 protein shakes. It’s very important that you know and so does everyone else that he has 2 protein shakes.

            Then he started talking about other gyms in the area. He started talking about a gym that is a racquetball gym and also has a bar. He said, “You know people that play racquetball, they like to drink. I could never get into racquetball. Who wants to hit a ball into a wall anyway? I went because I enjoy a cold beer after a workout.” Yea, he probably drinks his beer with his protein shakes. Weirdo. Then he said, “When I think of racquetball I think of Olivia Newton John and shit; all wearing leg warmers and shit.” This other dude looked at him and was like, “Why are you talking about Olivia Newton John?” I almost fell over I was laughing so hard.

Why do you know so much about
 Olivia and her leg warmers, Hat Guy?

            He still wasn’t done talking about gyms though. After that he said he was an old Gym Rat at Gold’s Gym and World Gym. Yea right! How does he have time to go to all of these gyms? He has now mentioned 3 different gyms, but is currently working out at a 4^th. Gym memberships are expensive. I just don’t think he can afford it. He is almost always at the gym when we are and that’s a lot. How does he have time to make it to the racquetball gym, Gold’s and World? They are all pretty far apart too. I think he must draw unemployment because he seems to have a lot of time on his hands, and I think he drives from gym to gym all day pretending to work out!

Hat Guy, shown above with
the blue dumbbells is the more
common, small breed of gym rat.

            This guy is annoying, but it’s also the entertaining kind of annoying. The people around him roll their eyes when he talks, but he remains oblivious. It’s honestly entertaining. I look forward for him being there when I am! 

Which one is that again?

           Learning the names of different exercises can be an exhausting process. I rely on descriptions to help me remember what certain exercises are; so does Ashley, but she also uses hand gestures. These different names, descriptions, and gestures have begun to stick over the past few years. Janelle, Ashley, and I have really formed our own gym language. I’m sure other people think we have no idea what we are talking about, but we really don’t care. We have to entertain ourselves somehow!

1. Roman chair knee lifts or straight leg lifts are simply called Uppy-downies with knees or legs. It is usually accompanied by a hand gesture too.

She looks way better than I do
when she does knee uppy-downies.

2. Dumbbell Military is abbreviated in the workout book as dbl. mil. One time I was looking at the book and saw the abbreviation; then I asked Janelle what the eff double windmills were. Now we always call them windmills and do a few arm circles to represent the windmill.  

This is a very buff drawing.

I think imitating this windmill
would be a good exercise. 

3. Dumbbell Row is referred to as the lawn mower.

The real Dumbbell Row

The real dumbbell row.

4. When we do Planks we do them on our elbows and hold them for around a minute. It’s supposed to be 2 minutes, but I can really only do a minute. At first we called them Watching TV because we looked like kids on the floor trying to watch TV. Now we call them Slumber Parties because we are all on the floor and facing each other. We look like little girls huddled together gossiping.

I wish I looked this good
during Slumber Party.

5. Side Bridges are called Side Uppy-downies and also accompanied with hand gestures.

Side uppy-downies and a smokin' hot dude.

6. 2 Arm Side Raises are called Airplanes because they are done lying on a bench and lifting your arms up and then down. We usually bend our legs up at our knees because it’s more comfortable, so we really look like an airplane, or a bird that flaps its arms really slowly.

Actually, this is exactly how we do our
airplane exercises too. 

    

7. This isn’t an exercise, but we complain about how things feel. Sometimes things hurt so we have to talk in terms of good hurt v bad hurt and good sore v bad sore.

     8.  We do these jumpy squat things. I think they are called Rocket Squats. Hell, I don't even know what they are called, but we call them frog jumps because that's what they look like. I hate them too!

I bet his feet make no noise when he lands.

Jump little guy, jump!

            When people hear us talking, I’m sure they think we are insane. We speak like kids and that’s probably because we spend our days with kids and when we get to the gym we haven’t completely left work at work! Because of that, we’ve really developed a little language that sounds crazy to outsiders, but totally normal to us. 

I was at the gym forever today...the line to tan was ridiculous!

I think she tans at my gym.

My gym offers tanning free with membership; does yours? It’s a nice perk. I like to get my tan on from time to time. I can’t do it at my gym though, because the same 6 people are always sitting in the chairs waiting to tan. It’s a stand up bed, which I love, and based on the shade of orange they all are, I’m assuming they all go for the max time. If I want to tan, I have to buy a package somewhere else and tan on my own time.

I think she also tans at my gym.

Here’s what I don’t understand; you’re gonna sit in a chair, at the gym, for nearly and hour just to tan! I really don’t get it, but here’s what has made the situation worse. The gym I go to is a small chain in my area. There are about 5 gyms in the area. If you join one, you join them all. At the other gyms they have a good system for the tanning beds. If you want to tan, you sign up, go about your wan, and they call you over a P.A. system when it’s your time. The one I go to the majority of the time doesn’t do it that way. The owner that runs my gym doesn’t think tanning beds are healthy or natural. She doesn’t even want a tanning bed in the gym and she won’t put more than one in the gym. She won’t do the sign up and get called system either.

I completely understand her reasoning and I support her reasoning. I just get seriously annoyed when I look back toward the changing area and there are 6 or more people sitting on their asses waiting to tan and you hear them bitch about waiting so long to tan! If you just wanted tanning, why did you join the gym? A tanning package at a tanning salon has to be cheaper and take less time out of your day! I guess they like that they can say they spent a ton of time at the gym, even though the only thing they lift and move is a chair to sit in.

They also talk about their crash diets as well. That’s hilarious to me. I want to tell them to look around and realize they are in a gym. Geeze people, there is tons of equipment around you! Get out of the chair and do something!

Get your GTL on. 

           I know this is an awful rant, but it’s frustrating. I feel like if I got off my butt and started doing something about my weight, so can all of these people that use the gym for tanning. I don’t think that’s what the Jersey Shore freaks mean when they say Gym, Tanning, Laundry. I think they actually mean work out, go tanning, and have clean clothes! Basically, the people sitting around my gym only have the tanning part under control.

           It’s also frustrating because its been really nice out the past few days. I’m upset that I have to be in the gym working out for the past few days! By the time I’m done working and going to the gym it’s too dark to go for a walk or do anything outside. I know it’s just going to get cold again in a few days. I guess I feel like everyone wants to be outside, so when I see these people sitting around, wasting their time for a tanning bed I just want to scream!

I'll just have water.

           I know I’ve said that I’m trying to drink more water. I already drink a lot, but I still need to drink more. In the hot months I need to get a gallon a day. Since the warm months are just around the corner I’m trying to work my way back up. 

            I don’t have a problem drinking water. I really only have two drink choices in my world; water or black coffee. I do, however, have a problem with how frequently I visit the bathroom. I have to go between nearly every class and sometimes there is no time to get to a staff bathroom. Have you ever had to go into a student restroom in a middle school? It’s a scary place, but reading their comments, poetry, and pictures off the stalls is very informative! Students also get freaked out when they see an adult in their restroom. 

Not actually in my schools restroom,
but reminiscent!

            I know I’ll get used to it and not have to visit the potty so often, but right now it’s pretty awful! Another down side right now is that all the water makes me cold! It’s still winter and I don’t want to be any colder than I have to. I just keep telling myself that it’s worth it in the end. 

What's your heart rate?

            When I started getting serious about losing weight Zach and Janelle said I had to get a heart rate monitor. Honestly, I didn’t want to get one, but since I decided I had no clue what I was doing on my own; I decided to shut up and get one. I ended up getting a really good deal on one and it’s pink; so that made everything better. 

            Obviously the idea behind the heart rate monitor is to get an accurate reading when I’m doing cardio, since I need to be in my fat burning zone, but I wear it for everything. I started wearing it during regular workouts; to see how many calories I burn while lifting.

Janelle asks from time to time what my heart rate is after certain things or how many calories I’ve burned. Usually it’s normal, but after squats and some ab workouts my heart rate will be so high that the monitor will just zero out! Honestly, the more I work out the less that happens, but there are some exercises that still get me every time! Once I was used to wearing the monitor at the gym all the time, I started wondering how many calories I would burn during other activities.

            I haven’t worn it to work, but I want to. I would like to see how many calories I can burn in 8 hours at work. I bet some days it would be outrageous because I feel like I run around like a crazy person. 

            I’ve become pretty obsessed with the heart rate monitor. On Monday’s it totals up my total calories burned, exercise time, and time in my fat burning zone from the previous week. Then on the screen of the watch a little envelope pops up. When I click on it, it tells me all the total for the week. I tell Janelle that it sends me mail. I know she’s jealous of my pink heart rate monitor that sends me mail.             I learned that I can burn around 400 calories in a half our while shoveling snow. I can burn around 750 calories in 45 minutes while swimming. I can burn about 100 in 10 minutes of yoga. I can also burn about 300 having a 45 minute heated phone conversation.

We can't eat there...I can't find the nutrition information!

           I love to go out to eat. I love to try new restaurants. I love to try new food. I am not a picky eater, but I feel like one now.

            These days it is harder to go out to eat because I need to know the calorie content of what I’m eating. In most instances I can find out pretty easily, but many of my favorite restaurants are small, locally owned, non chain restaurants. (On a side note, I’d rather support local business than big chain restaurants. The food is always better too.) These little restaurants don’t tend to have their nutrition information posted on their web site, so it makes it hard to pre plan. Don’t get me wrong, some of them do and some of them have the information available at the restaurant or on the menu.

            Last year when all of this began, I would not eat at a restaurant if I couldn’t find the nutrition information, but now I have a good idea of how many calories are in certain foods and cooking oils. I can usually pick what I need off the menu. Plus, eating the food slowly helps. I know when I’m full.

            It’s also hard to go out to eat because I have to special order a lot of things. I hate to special order. When I would see someone special order I would think to myself what a picky eater they were. I couldn’t understand why you would come to a restaurant, pick something off the menu, and then make a bunch of changes to it. (Excluding people with food allergies; I know why they special order!)

            I’ve turned into one of those special ordering people that I hate. I usually have them hold the cheese, sour cream, and anything else that might be delicious! Before I order, I apologize to the server and tell them I’m really not that picky. One time I looked at the server before I ordered and said, “Ok, I want the chicken fajita burrito, but…,” then she cut me off and was like, “Oh here we go.” I was a little taken aback by that. I wanted to punch her in the face and tell her that she just lost her tip for that comment, but I managed to keep it together and finish my order and tell my special orders and then I said, “I’m not picky, really. I would love all the cheese. I just can’t have it right now.” She just smiled and said it was ok. I still wanted to hit her. It’s her job to take my order and be non judgmental about it. I did tip her, but not very well.

            I miss the days of ordering straight from the menu and making no changes. It’s not even because the food was better. It’s just as good the way I order it now. I miss it because it was easy. I’m sure there is deeper meaning behind all of that, but I’m just not going to explore it! Superficially, I hate being the person that I used to make fun of at the restaurant! 

Just a quick update.

            I started a new meal plan on Saturday. It’s a pretty good meal plan. My calories actually increased! According to my newest Bod Pod my lean mass went up 2 pounds, so I get to have more calories to keep that muscle going. I’m totally fine with it.

            The meal plan is almost the same as the old one so I hardly notice a difference; thank God. Usually I do notice a difference and I’m grumpy for a few days while I adjust.

            I’m also paying more attention to how much water I’m drinking every day. I should be drinking around a gallon. Most days I do get close, but I’m really trying to be exact every day. It’s not really hard, because beside my black coffee I only drink water. The only problem is the increased trips to the bathroom. Once I get adjusted again it won’t be a problem.

            I had to weigh myself on Saturday and I’ve officially lost 76 pounds. I’m not gonna lie; I’m pretty excited. I only weigh myself every 2 weeks; otherwise I would be on that scale every day and freak out.

            Zach, Janelle, and I also set a date for me to be at 100 pounds lost; May 11. I’m ok with this because it’s only 24 pounds. I usually lose 20 pounds in 3 months so I will have to step it up just a tad to get those extra 4 pounds. Ordinarily I would not want to set a goal to be a certain weight by a certain time, because I think that's setting me up for failure, but I really want to get to 100 pounds lost, so I’m willing to bust a little ass to get there. I think having the date in mind will help. 

            Now for my favorite update: I’ve been Sweating to the Oldies. Mom got the DVDs in the mail and I borrowed one. Honestly, I can only handle about 20 minutes at a time. I know I love Richard, but he is a lot to handle. I’m not a dancer, so the videos are perfect. They are totally ridiculous and you kinda feel ridiculous doing them. Really, you just laugh at yourself the whole time which makes it even more fun. I took the DVD with me to Kelly’s one night and I made her check it out too. She can dance and she is goofy as hell. She was really getting into it and she was sweating her ass off after a few minutes. I think I’ll try to get Kelly to do the workout with me a few more times because it’s easier to get into when a friend is with you. So if you’re looking for something easy and fun, get a Sweating to the Oldies DVD; seriously. 

More crazy "as seen on tv" items...

            I was reading a health and well being article on the internet and there are always advertisements on the side of the screen that advertise things that usually have some connection to the article. Well, these advertisements were for health equipment and one of the ads said something about “Gliding Discs”. What the eff is a gliding disc? I didn’t know and I had to find out! I quickly found the Official Gliding Disc web site and it opened a whole new world of “as seen on tv” products.

            Basically, the gliding discs are the exact same thing as furniture moving discs. I’m kinda mad I didn’t try to market them first, because my sisters and I used to slide around the house on the furniture movers all the time. It was like skating. They even have a workout dvd to go along with them. I’m kina curious to see what that would be like though. My suggestion, get furniture movers; they are exactly the same. Then Google or YouTube some exercises to do with them. I’m sure it will be much cheaper and you won’t feel bad when you realize it sucks because you didn’t spend the money on a piece of crap.

            The Gliding Discs led me to another “as seen on tv” discovery that I didn’t know about; the Beam Fit. Now, this one is truly stupid. I feel like it’s the same as the step aerobics things or a balance beam or a two by four. The worst part is that they refer to it simply as “beaming”. Like in a conversation someone would ask, “What are you doing today?” You would respond, “Oh you know, I have to do laundry, run to the store, go beaming…” and people would know what the eff you were talking about! Who in the world needs this? Seriously, get a two by four; use the money you save for a gym membership!

            I need to market my own products. If anyone can market junk and become famous, I bet I can too.