Happy Problems

Oops! Looks like I've missed out on a couple of weeks of blogging. And as I sit and type these words waiting for my computer to catch up and show them on the screen, I am reminded why.

(Dumb computer.)

Let's see if it will cooperate long enough to get an update up here.

Last Monday I weighed in at 214.0. That made for a 2.8 pound loss for the week,12.8 pounds total.

This Monday, today, I weighed in again and lost another pound. 13.8 pounds lost since January 2012 and 68.5 pounds lost since May 2011.

Baby steps. They are good baby steps, but this infantile struggle is driving me bonkers. This is taking FOREVER! I keep struggling with the same 2 pounds. Gaining and losing it over and over. I'm ready to move on! Grr.

Really what do I have to complain about? I have lost almost 70 pounds in less than a year. That's awesome. It's just going to be harder from here on out. I get that. I can't let the daily grind get me down and make me blind to the big picture.

Oh, but I do love to whine, don't I? I realized that I've started complaining lately about a few things that, really, are happy problems.

I've gotten too small for most of my clothes, but can't afford a whole new wardrobe. For now I keep wearing all these things are barely hanging onto my hips and shoulders. Sad, right?
I can't--ahem--"fill up" my bras anymore. My bust was one of the first things to go with my weight loss. My cup no longer runneth o'er.
My armpits are getting harder to shave. They are rapidly receding and becoming concave.
Before, when I would cuddle with my husband I was so embarrassed of all my "fluff". Now the fluff is deflating, leaving lots of sag. All this extra skin is grotesque and embarrassing on the other end of the spectrum. Never did plastic surgery seem so appealing.
My wedding ring no longer fits. I lose it all the time if I move my hands too energetically.
My winter coat is so baggy that I get drafts up the back all the time now.

These are things I feel foolish whining about. I'd much rather have these problems than the ones I had a few months ago: feelings of inadequacy, poor self-esteem, always being out of breath, a fatty liver, clothes that don't fit because they are too tight, etc.

Looks like my computer is tired of my rambling and isn't going to let me go on much longer.That's probably for the best.

Something good that I did this week: I started P90X again. Now I'm doing a P90X workout 6 days of the week as well as running three days a week. I usually can't fall asleep very quickly at night. That hasn't been an issue this week.

Something to improve upon: SUGAR! UGH!! It is one of my biggest weaknesses. I had vowed to leave it behind cold turkey until my birthday in April, but then I remembered that my friend Sami was going to be staying with me this week. She has three requests: 1- "I want to try sushi", 2- "Show me how to make Muddy Buddies", and 3- "Two words. Mrs. See's". I can't be a bad hostess! Her wish is my command. Never mind that I was probably subconsciously looking for any escape clause from my sugar sabbatical. *sigh* Next week. I've got to get serious about it. This is probably the biggest reason I can't seem to shake these two pounds and move on.

What I've been listening to: I moved my treadmill so it was facing my computer. Hulu.com is fantastic entertainment during those tri-weekly runs. A little Saturday Night Live. Some Parks and Rec. Life is good. And those runs never went by so quickly.

But the bandwagon looks so small from here...

A month?!

I let a whole month go by without updating the Jolly Green Giant?!

Yikes.

Well...there's a few excuses reasons I let that happen.

I've been a little sick.
It's hard to want to exercise when you can hardly breathe already and ache all over.

I've been a little busy.
School is well under way and with two kids with two different pick up times and two sets of daily homework assignments it's busier than ever.
Then there's dance classes and friends over and church activities and this and that and that and this.
And you don't have four kids and not be a little frazzled at least nine different times a day.

I've been a little depressed.
I was laid off from my work from home job.
This greatly strains our financial situation.

I've been a little lazy.
I don't know if I would call it so much "lazy" as just not having as much self control. "Busy" and "depressed" combine into one nasty little one-two punch that knocks out my self control in no time.

I've been a little overwhelmed.
We just found out our daughter has something called Celiac Disease. This means her body attacks itself when she eats anything with gluten (wheat) in it. While this can be controlled with a gluten free diet, it is a life long condition that there is no cure for. The diet is pretty intense and as I look through my pantry I can't help but feel overwhelmed when I see that 85% of our food has wheat in it. And I already struggled with what to make for dinner every night. *sigh*

I've been a little embarrassed.
I didn't exercise consistently. I ate a lot of junk. Even a couple of Dr. Peppers. I gained a few pounds back. I couldn't face the blog with my failure.

So...now that I have gotten all the excuses out there, it's time to take control again and get back on the bandwagon. Even if it does look so teensy tinsy from here.

I gained a few pounds back, but after a 3.4 weight loss this week I am currently at 227.7. That means since 09 May 2011 I have lost a total of 53.8 pounds. And that, my friends, is nothing to shake your head at. I will not let the last sloppy month destroy the success I've already had. Onwards and upwards.

As I try to shake the plateau and get back on course I have finally entered the world of calorie counting and with the help of loseit.com it's easier than I anticipated. I'm still breastfeeding 8.5 month old Cee so I added on 300 calories in my daily allowance. How long can I get away with that one, eh? ;)

I restarted P90X last week and made it through all six days. I know it's only been a week but I can already feel a difference in my muscles. I'm rather excited to see what can happen in 90 days. I don't want to look like a steroid body building Amazon woman or anything, but a little tone and definition wouldn't hurt.

Please don't think I'm so hard core by doing P90X. I don't do the pullups. Instead I use my hand weights and imitate what the people with the resistance bands are doing. I figure there's time for real pullups later. I only have a set of 3 and 5 pound weights so I'm not pumping eye-popping weight either. For right now, 5 pounds is enough. I plan to get on KSL.com and find an inexpensive weight set soon. Oh and I haven't started following the P90X diet yet either. I just can't seem to get on board with one carb, one fruit, and seven--SEVEN!--servings of protein a day.

And honestly, P90X is not as bad as everyone makes it sound to be (except for the diet). They sure intimidate the sweat right out of you with all the commercials on TV. All those sweaty, ripped beasts cranking out pullups like nobody's business. It's totally doable as long as you're willing to follow Tony's motto: "Do your best and forget the rest!"

I haven't ran in a few weeks. I miss running, but with Joe being out of town all the time, the weather cooling off, the days getting shorter, and my mommy schedule, running has to take a back seat for a bit. My hope is that doing P90X will help me be a better runner when I can get back to it.

And there it all is. The excuses, the failures, the updates, the hope. Bandwagon, here I come! Happy Monday everybody!

Good News and Bad News

Good news and bad news.

Which do you want first?

No weight gained, but none lost either.

This is the second week in a row that I've maintained my current weight.

While I'm grateful I haven't gained anything, I'm frustrated with this plateau. I have a goal of being under 200 pounds before January 20, 2012, Baby Cee's first birthday. I don't care if I'm at 199.9999 pounds. I just want to see a 100 on the scale versus a 200.

As of today that means I need to lose 30 more pounds in four months. That is totally doable. I just need to get strict with myself again. I have been anything but strict lately. Skipping workouts and eating chocolate covered pretzels isn't exactly "dedicated". It's time to change things up.

Blah. I hate change.

Joe and I decided to start P90X today. I read over the material last week and we even did the Fit Test to make sure we "qualified". I barely qualified, but qualify I did.

I'm afraid I don't have the most positive attitude in starting P90X. It just seems brutal and brutal isn't for me. But I need to do something different and the program is already sitting in my house. Might as well use it. Plus, Joe said he would do it with me and I will do just about anything to get him on board with this get-healthy journey.

Funny thing is, we were supposed to start today and he headed out of town on a business trip. Looks like it's just me and good ol' Tony Horton. Ugh.

Here I go. Hold me to it! Today is the day I finally start P90X.

(I have my "before" pictures but I'm only willing to show those side by side with the "after" pictures.)