Rambling Thoughts

Another week gone. I can't believe how fast this month is going by. My kids only have a couple of weeks of school left already! It seems like I was just shopping for school clothes not that long ago.

Another week finished at the gym. It is getting easier, but I still feel like I'm getting a good workout. I'm not losing any weight though, which is frustrating although I do think that I'm losing inches. Hubby even told me last night that I'm looking trimmer. That is always nice to hear.

I'm still waiting patiently on the pool guys to come out and put up our new pool. They tell me it should be some time next week. We'll see. When I bought the pool, they told me that I was third on the list, but I am wondering how closely they follow that list. They say it'll be here before Memorial Day though so I'm hoping that is right.

My daughter got her swim meet schedule at last night's practice. It looks like we won't be seeing much of her all summer. Between daily practices, 3 meets a week in July and her summer job (if she finds one) we'll be lucky to see her once a week! I hate that part about her growing up.

Scary news last night...a body (skeleton) was found not far from our house in a field. The police say it has been there possibly 1-3 months! It is strange to hear about something that close to home. Usually we'll hear about things like this that have happened in a town close by but never practically in our backyard.

My previous rant regarding my brother inlaw has ended better then I thought it would also. After hubby told him that we just didn't have the money to spare, he said that was fine and he'd find someone else to help him out. Ok, I'm glad that he didn't get mad about it, but still frustrating that he's just looking for another sucker to bail him out of trouble.

I think I'm done rambling now. Hope everyone out there has a nice weekend. I'll be back later.

Sorry I've been MIA this week

I know, some of you are wondering what the heck happened to me this past week. I'm sorry. It's just been so busy around here with billing, the city wide cleanup, we lost an employee on Monday that left us shorthanded and the end of year school functions that have started already. It's just been a lot of stuff and unfortunately my blog suffers the consequences of it all.

Anyway, an update on the diet front. I didn't even weigh myself this morning. I think I'm going to ignore the scale for awhile and just go by how I feel for a change. I'm going to the gym faithfully and I do feel a difference in my stamina and energy so I know it is helping. Who cares what the number on the scale reads as long as I'm feeling healthier each day?

I'm also cancelling my nutrisystem order. I don't even know why I ordered it again. I was sick of the food when I went off of it last time so I don't know why the food would be any better this time around. I think I just wanted something to show that I really was trying to do better. Oh well, it'll save me $300 a month by just eating my own food. I've looked over the NS message boards and there are several people who do use their own foods but still follow the NS program. I'm going to try to be one of those people for awhile.

Curves is still going well. I can tell it is working as I can get through the entire circuit now before I'm wiped out. I am also noticing a change in my day to day energy. And I can tell when I've not gone to the gym for a couple of days. I'm more tired and listless. At least I know this is one investment where my money is actually doing some good.

So, what else has been going on here? Like I said earlier, this is the week that I have to do the billing for all of our customers. I really wish I had a program that would create these bills for me each month, but the one I use now doesn't. Well, it would if there weren't any changes between customers, if they all got billed the same each month, but they don't so I have to manually enter them. Each and every one of them and that takes A LOT of time. We also lost an employee on Monday. He wasn't working out and we knew that he probably was going to quit eventually, but we were hoping that he'd wait until after our busiest week of the month to do so. No such luck, but I can't blame him for getting out beforehand. This has just been a really busy week. And my son and daughter have started in with their end of year school activities. I've only had one of those to deal with this week, but it was enough to put a kink in my schedule for the day. Oh well, at least it is now Friday and hopefully I can rest and relax this weekend.

Diets are so hard to stick to!

Ok, I fell off the wagon....AGAIN...and I hit the ground so hard I think I'm going to have a major bruise. WHY can't I stick with this? I know I will feel better, have more energy and be happier if I lose this weight, but for some reason I keep going off program and eating junk, junk and more junk. Argh! I am still going to the gym faithfully, but that is only because my mom goes with me. If I were doing it alone, I KNOW I would have skipped that too. What is it going to take to get it through my thick head that I have to do this or I'm never going to be healthy? Is it going to take a major illness (heart attack, stroke, etc) and a trip to the hospital to do it? Is it going to take someone's mean or rude comment to do it? I just don't know. I've had the mean and rude comments, the hurt feelings, the clothes no longer fitting, the lack of energy, but none of those things have kept me motivated for long. I can ignore the comments and can buy bigger clothes. Oh, I just want to scream! And cry...because I know if I don't do something soon that the trip to the hospital might be something that I have to deal with in the near future.

Curves First Weigh and Measure

Well, today was the day. I finally got weighed and measured to see how my first month of working out at Curves has been going. I was pleasantly surprised. I only lost two pounds, but I really didn't think I'd be down much weight-wise anyway since I've not really stuck with NS too well this past month. I was happy with my measurements though. I'm down at leas 1 inch in all areas, down 3 in my hips! I never lose in my hip area so that was a real nice surprise. Mom also got her updated stats today too and has also lost two pounds and lost at least an inch in all but a couple of areas. Not bad, not bad. We are both psyched now to do even better this next month. Hopefully the scale will go down a bit more too. I know if I follow NS faithfully that it will, it is just sticking with it.

Dang it!

Here I was, all fired up to have my weight and measurements taken at Curves today only to get there and have a new staff member there who didn't know how to do it. Dang it! I was ready. I had worked myself up all week to be excited about it, only to have it postponed until I go back next Tuesday. Oh well, that gives me all weekend to lose a few more pounds and work my butt off.

Weigh and Measure

This Friday will be my first weigh and measure day at Curves. This first month has gone by really quick. I don't feel like I've lost anything although I know you can easily lose inches without showing a loss on the scale. I think that lifting weights is a great way to get in shape. When I was going to Club Fit a few years ago, the first month I lost 19 lbs(!!!) and was down several inches. I can't remember exactly how many but it was quite substantial. I hope my measurements show some loss Friday. I feel like I am getting a great workout at Curves. Every day I work up a sweat and can really feel my heart pumping afterwards so I know I'm doing something right. Now I just need some good numbers to prove it to myself.

Weigh In today

FINALLY! The scale showed a 1.4 lb loss for this week. I'll take it:) Hopefully this is a new wave of losses for me and these next few weeks will move me right down the number scale. I've been on NS for a month and a half and am now down 10.2 lbs. or something like that. I can't remember the exact tenth of a pound. In two months time, I was really hoping to be down 20 lbs. The last time I was on NS, I lost the weight so much faster. This time I'm going down, but it has been super slow going. I still have a couple weeks left in this second month and I'm hoping to be down at least 12 lbs. in that time. We'll see. With working out at Curves, maybe it is doable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Back on Track....again

I had a bad weigh-in Friday. I actually gained weight this past week. I am sticking with the reason being because I started going to the gym and my muscles are retaining water. I don't know if that is the real reason, but it's the one I'm going with.

Anyway, I looked back over my NS food diary and although I was following their plan I think I might have been eating bigger portions on some things then I should have been so today I'm back to measuring my add-in foods. I got lazy about doing it after the first few weeks and I am wondering if that might have been part of the gain last week too. We'll see this Friday if it helps. I would love to see a big whoosh of a weight loss, but will be happy just to be down something.

Weigh-In

Well, I am a bit frustrated today. I weighed in to a one pound gain for the week. I was hoping to show a loss, but no such luck. I've followed NS to a tee and have been working out so I'm wondering if it is just water retention from the added workouts that my muscles are getting. I'm going to go with that answer anyway:) Sounds good to me.

My second week of workouts went well. I was very glad to be finished today though. I was pretty sore. My legs, mostly, but my arms a bit too. I found out today that I'll have been at the gym for two months before I get weighed and measured. I thought they did that once each month, but they do it after you've worked out for 30 days instead. Since I'm only going 3 days a week that will mean I'll have been going for a little over 2 months before I find out if I'm making any progress.

My mom was telling me today that she can already see definition in her arms, but I think that is just wishful thinking. No way that just six workouts would show a change. Or maybe I'm just jealous that I don't see any change in myself.

Next week will hopefully show a weight loss on the scale. If not, I don't know how I'll feel.

Almost two weeks done

Tomorrow will be the end of my second week of going to Curves. I don't know if it is getting any easier or not. Today I was asked by one of the other ladies in there if I was having an easier time of it yet. I told her that I was, but honestly I'm still having a hard time of it. My pulse is still WAY too high after one circuit and I don't even feel like I'm putting that much effort into it! I'm barely walking in place between machines and although I am working hard on each station I know I'm not doing as hard as I could be. I don't know. Maybe I'm just that much out of shape that it is going to take me longer to feel the results? I know I'm ready to get past the sweat dripping off my face stage of it. I feel like such a slob afterwards that I can't, no wait WON'T, run any errands. My mom was telling me today that if I ever want to go shopping afterwards or have anything else that I need to do that it is fine with her, but I personally don't feel comfortable doing it. I mean, I've got sweat dripping off my face, my hair is wet from it, I'm sure I have a slight aroma wafting from my body afterwards, no way would I want to be walking through a store or anything subjecting others to that. Maybe one day I'll be like some of the others that I've seen in there and be able to jog between machines and still walk out after my workout with only a small glean of moisture on my brow. Maybe someday.

Day 3, End of week 1

Ok, I made it through my first week of going to Curves. Today wasn't as hard as yesterday, but I also didn't work as hard as I did yesterday. I had problems when I was there Thursday. My pulse was WAY too high! I couldn't get it to slow down at all and by the time I left I was feeling dizzy and light headed. By the time I got home, I felt better thankfully.

Today I didn't go as fast on the walking platform between machines. Yesterday I was doing a fairly fast march and I think that's what pushed me over the top. Today I just did a slow walk in place and at times even just did a bit of a twisting motion. My pulse only went too high once and I was able to bring it down pretty quickly.

I'm hoping that next week is better. I'm sure it will be the more often I go and the better shape I get in. My mom is doing great. She might be 60 years old, but she was moving today like a 25 year old:)

Curves, Day 2

Ouch! That's about all I can say this morning. Every muscle in my body is SCREAMING at me, yelling at me for putting them through this torture we call exercise. God, I can tell I'm in terrible shape.

Day two started out fine. I picked up mom and we were all smiles when we got to the gym because there wasn't anybody else there. I love working out when you have full use of the gym and don't have to wait on others to move out of your way. So, we get started and on the very first machine we're both making terrible grimacy faces. Hmm, guess our muscles did get a workout on Tuesday after all and are now wondering why the heck we're going through this again. One lap around the room and we're both huffing and puffing. Halfway through the second lap, my pulse is way too high so I slow it way down. I make it through the second rotation and get a dang cramp in my thigh. So, as I'm limping through the last half of the circuit, I'm in pain from being out of shape, my face is beat red, I have sweat dripping from my nose and I have a dang cramp in my leg. Talk about a beautiful sight. NOT!

Mom did fine, but she said she was more sore today then she was Tuesday also. I really hope this gets easier. I'm almost afraid to see how I feel tomorrow. Will I make it? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

From a curvy woman to a Curves woman

Well, I did it. I made it through my first day of Curves. I didn't know if I'd be able to make it all the way through the circuit, but I did and I'm proud of myself. Granted, I was tired and sweating up a storm by the time I finished, but I finished and that is what matters.

I picked my mom up at 7:30 this morning and she rode into town with me and the kids. I dropped the kids off at school then mom and I headed to the gym. We were hoping nobody else would be there, but there were two other women in there. No problem though because they were very nice and almost finished with their workout anyway. Mom and I got started and we were moving along really well....for the first lap of the machines. Come time to do the second lap around and we were both feeling it. We were moving a lot slower that second time, but we were both enjoying ourselves and having fun. My sister inlaw came in when we were almost finished and we chatted with her for the remainder of our time. Afterwards, we did our stretches then left. We were both pretty wobbly going out to my car and when we got into the car, we both pretty much just collapsed. I'm sure we'll be better Thursday when we go back, but right now I'm sore and I don't even want to move anymore.

One of these days though I'll be posting that the workouts aren't as challenging anymore and I'm breezing through them with ease (HA! that won't be for awhile) and that's when I'll know I've become an official Curves woman:)

Weigh-In

Well, I don't know how I managed to do it, but I was down another pound this morning. That makes a total of 9 lbs. gone now. Slowly but surely I am getting there. I know it would be so much more if I could just stick to NS 100% for the entire week, but those weekends just kill my eating plans. No matter how hard I try, something comes up and I totally go off program. I know it is all a mental attitude, but it is just one that I can't seem to get past. Oh well, I'm happy with the 9 lbs. that are gone and plus I start working out at Curves tomorrow and I know that will boost my losses too. I'll get there!

I'm worried

I am wondering if I'm going to show a loss tomorrow. When I peeked at the scale on Friday, I was down another pound, but this weekend has been pretty much an eating fest! Friday night, since hubby was out of town, I took the kids to dairy queen for a treat. I didn't get any ice cream, but I did eat dinner there (a grilled chicken sandwich, no mayo, and a small fry). I did really well Saturday for breakfast and lunch, but then when my hubby returned that evening he wanted to go out for dinner and we ended up at the local Mexican restaurant. I did order a small taco meal, but it was still way more then I needed. Today we took the kids to bowl and did have a lot of fun there, but afterwards we ate at Applebee's. I did order off the weight watchers menu, but still feel that i didn't stay on program even though it was lower calorie then anything else I could have ordered. I'm going to get back on track with my dinner tonight and I have drank a ton of water since we got home to hopefully help flush any extra calories out too. I will hope for the best, I guess and then pray that going to Curves this week gives me a bit of a boost too.

I'm getting excited!

Just got off the phone with my mom and I am pretty sure we have our "work-out days" all set now. We are both going to start at Curves on Tuesday then will work out again on Thursday morning and Friday morning. I KNOW it is going to be hilariously funny. I have gone to a gym before and have used machines similar to the ones we'll be using at Curves, but my mom has never gone to a gym. Her favorite mode of exercise is walking, no equipment required. She's already saying that she's going to be the clown of the bunch and I'm sure she's not lying:) Should be interesting. I'll keep everyone filled in on our antics as they happen.

My mom did it too

Just off the phone with my mom and I guess she has joined Curves too! This is going to be so much fun. We are both starting next week and are going to go together, at least in the beginning, so we can work out and help each other along. I have a feeling we're going to be doing more laughing then exercising though. She was telling me today of some of the things that happened to her just when the manager was showing her how to use the machines and boy, let's just say she is going to be one fun girl to watch work out:0

On the diet front, I forgot to post my weigh in yesterday. oops! I was only down .4 lbs. Not a lot and I know it is because I wasn't 100% over the weekend. But yesterday and today I've been 100% dedicated. I even went out for a walk earlier to take advantage of the beautiful weather we're having! That's a major accomplishment for me. I also noticed that I can see finally see some light through all of my NS food. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever make a dent in it. I will get another shipment around April 5th and by the looks of things I should have plenty of room to store it all. I need to hit the grocery store at some point this week also to stock up on more fresh fruits and veggies. I only have enough salad greens for maybe two more salads and I'm completely out of fruit. I've been drinking grapefruit JUICE to make up for it but would really rather have a banana or orange to fill me up more.

I did it

Well, I went to the Curves gym this morning and I did it. I actually joined. It really reminded me of the gym that I used to go to five years ago. It was called Club Fit for Women and it did the "30 minutes deal" too. It was fun and I really did lose weight and inches when I went, but it got way to expensive after awhile plus it was an hour drive from my house whereas Curves is just fifteen minutes from home.

I liked the environment of this gym and it was really quiet. Only one other woman was there the entire time that I was. All of the machines were easy to understand. They were hard to do, but that will get easier the more that I go. I had to sign a one year commitment contract, but the price was reasonable ($34/mo) and I only have to go three days a week. I can do that! Hubby is being very supportive on this too. He knows that I need something because I just can't get into working out here at home. If I'm having to pay for something though, it will kick me into actually going. I'm not one to waste money at all.

I did have to give them three friends names so that I could get my free gift:) Sorry Linda, Connie and Julie. It is just something that they do and it's not that you have to come in or anything. They'll just call you and see if you'd be interested in it.

Curves

Tomorrow is the big day, the day that I go to the Curves gym here in town to get started. I'm excited, but scared at the same time. I know that I'm really out of shape and I know that going through the circuit will be pure torture the first day (and probably the entire week, truthfully), but I also know that working out is only going to help me in my weigh loss endeavour.

My sister in law is already a member at this gym and will be there tomorrow to cheer me on. I'm glad. I haven't been to a gym in over 3 years and I know going in is going to be the hardest part. I'm going to feel like all eyes are on me, but with my sister in law there I'm hoping that takes away from some of the self consciousness. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Happy Hump Day

My days are finally slowing down a bit although yesterday I didn't think they were going to. My daughter ended up coming home from school with a stomachache. Luckily she is better today and did go back to school. Last night I also had to help my son with one of his projects for this week...building an island model to go with a book he is reading. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Tonight we have to make an ancient Roman porridge recipe for his Social Studies project. Hoping it turns out well too.

Diet is still moving along although I've had several temptations lately. Working overtime hasn't helped and I must admit that I've not ate completely on program the past two days. I've had Subway though which isn't TOO bad for me:)

I've yet to start exercising. I just haven't had the time or energy to hop on the treadmill. I'm hoping though that since work is slowing down a bit that I'll get motivated to hop on and start. I know once i get going that I'll feel better and actually enjoy it. it is just getting started that I have the problem with. Hubby said he is thinking about joining our local gym, but I don't think that is something that interests me. Not yet anyway. Maybe down the road.

The weather is finally looking more and more like Springtime this week. Temps are in the high 60's, low 70's for the entire week. Finally! I'm so ready.