Hungry Girl

I have just discovered the hungry girl cookbook, which led me to the hungry girl website. She is not a doctor, not a nutritionist, not even a chef. She is just a hungry girl who wanted to find yummy and healthy food. So she spends time at grocery stores finding great low-calorie foods and she spends time concocting new recipes in her kitchen. She calls herself a foodologist. I have been scouring her website for ideas. I am halfway through the cookbook and have marked several dishes I would like to try. I think you should all check her out. I may want to actually own this cookbook (that or I am going to be making a lot of copies). I feel like I spend tons of time trying to find low-fat ways to make yummy food. Now she has done it for me. And lets face it, aren't we all hungry girls?

Bad Choices

For the last three days I have eaten poorly. It all starts out well: I have a great breakfast and an excellent lunch. But then I make some sort of dinner plans, and all goes to hell. I have eaten way too many calories Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I am worried about tomorrow as well, seeing as I will have lunch with my mom and then I am going to a work Pizza-Party in the evening. This won't make for a good weigh-in on Monday. I am getting nervous. And then I get so mad at myself for basing everything on the number on the scale. But, that's what I am working on... so why waste all those hours at the gym by making some poor choices at dinner time. Or why can't I just stop eating and take half of it home?

Thanks to my co-worker, Stephanie, I was able to go to work an hour late this morning. This gave me the opportunity to make it to my third BodyPump of the week. Finally, we are done with the new launch songs. Today was a nice mix. The bicep track was very tough. I thought my new higher weight was getting easier, but turns out I was just getting used to that song. I went easy on squats today because a) I had to go straight to work and didn't want to do any sweating, b) my legs have been sore from running and all the other working out I have been doing this week, and c) once in a while it's nice to have an easy track. I finished all seven hours and can take tomorrow off. I am looking forward to having a day of rest; my body is very tired. It might be all the working out I am doing, or all the work (like at my job) that I have been doing.

Impressive

I made it to 6am BodyPump. I wasn't meeting anyone. I had to get myself there alone, in the pouring rain, and the dark morning. But this was the only way I was going to make it to BodyPump three times this week. (It turns out that the person I am working with tomorrow said I could come in after BodyPump, so I just have to take a couple hours of vacation.) So I made it this morning. Pretty impressive! And I stayed after for 30 minutes of walking. There was hardly anyone at the gym this morning; the pouring rain must have kept a lot of people home in bed. But I am always impressed by the people who are there. They only way I can make it is knowing that I can go home and sleep some more. These people probably all have 8-5 jobs and have to work a full day after getting up at 5:30am. Or they have no jobs and are all homeless, and find a gym membership allows them free cable, shelter and a shower. Ya never know! After my class tomorrow morning I will have all seven hours done.

Tonight I am trying a new restaurant with some friends: Magnolia. I hear they have some good home-cooking type meals, and they are also supposed to have great vegetarian options (good for my friend Steph). I hope that I can find something deliciously healthy. I spent my afternoon, after a three hour nap this morning, shopping at the mall. I hadn't meant to spend so much time there. Nor had I meant to spend so much money. But I got some great summer shirts. If only the weather would warm up once and for all.

May Day

I celebrated this beautiful May Day by getting up at 9am and getting in a good workout. I ran/walked down to/through the park. It was a nice 67 degree day, with a light wind and the sun shinning. In my sixty minute workout I really only ran 20 minutes, but I got almost 4 miles in. My legs are sore from squats this week (apparently my body has gotten used to going three times a week and then last week I only went twice, and now I feel the squats again.) I am sure they will be even more sore later today. I am trying to get them stretched out as much as possible. I have tomorrow off from work, but get this: a high of 54, and possibly raining -- great. My goal is to get up at 6am and make it to BodyPump (I won't be able to go tonight). Then I need to stay for a half an hour of cardio. But at 7:30, I will be done with my workout and can come home and go back to bed for the day!

Now I need to get ready for work. I am hosting a Teen Karaoke Party tonight. I knew I would have no energy after that to hit the gym, so I am really proud of myself for getting up and out there this morning. I was thinking about giving myself today off from working out, but since this is the first day of May, I needed to start the month out right. Now for a nice hot shower...

April Recap

If it's true what they say and April Showers [really do] bring May Flowers. Then May is going to be a rockin' month! I feel like I have really improved my life in April. It was only 30 days, but I made some great strides in my fitness goals. First, and most importantly, I lost 10 pounds. Remember, how my weight played some horrible April Fool joke and sky-rocketed on the first of the month. Well, it makes for a good stat! This morning I was ten pounds lower than that first day of April. This was made possible by the 28 hours of workouts I put in: 16 cardio, 12 bodypump. Speaking of weight-training, I increased the weight I use on my biceps and my shoulders. And while I wouldn't say either of them has become easier, or even bareable, I am still working on it. I attempted the Combat class twice this month, and have high hopes of making it a regular in my workout routine. And I bought all new capris for summer in a size or two lower than all my old capris! So, I can only hope that May's 31 days brings this many surprises!

I made it to Bodypump last night and stayed for 30 minutes of steep hill-walking. Then I made myself get up this morning and go workout before work (not until 9am mind you). But I have been having a really difficult time making it there in the morning and getting out of bed in general. So this was a great achievement. My legs are pretty sore from something -- perhaps going to BodyPump after taking five days off. Or from climbing a lot of stairs this morning, or just from overall exhaustion. My back is still tight from Combat, but not in a bad way. I think a massage might be a great reward for me in the future.

We've had a great April... here's to an even better May!

I combat, You combat, She combats

So I went back to Combat last night. It is one tough piece of work. There didn't seem to be as many drink breaks this time around. Once I had to quit in the middle of a song to go get a swig of water -- I felt like I was going to throw up. And there were a couple of times that I felt really dizzy and thought about sitting down. I think it had something to do with eating a big lunch. Since I had the day off, Jennifer and I went to a restaurant to eat, not my normal Subway sandwich. Still, it is tough. I would say I improved immensely, but I am still really bad. I jab when I should upper-cut, or cross when I am supposed to fake, and when I slice I look like I am serving wine on a tray. I am too scared to try the jump-kicks. And Erin and I both agree that we punch like a girl. We don't have enough hostility like some people in the class. But at least I'm doin' it! Again, my upper back is tight, but I wouldn't call it sore. I feel really exhausted, which is what kept me from doing more cardio all of last week. I will overcome! I really do like the class, in fact I wish that there were more I could go to during the week. I am not ready to go alone though. (Hint Hint... Brandy where were you last night?)

Tonight I will be hitting BodyPump. Erin and I are planning on staying after, probably just 30 minutes. Anyone else who wants to stay is welcome. Oh yeah, for those of you who went to High School with me: remember Ross P.? He works out at Gold's now; he joined a week ago after his boss at Sports Courts went crazy. He talked to Erin and me twice last night (once before class and once after). I assured him that we don't just stand around at the gym, which is what we were doing both times he saw us. You will all be happy: I invited him to the reunion. We agreed that it's going to be lame, but we plan on being there none the less. So look forward to seeing him at the gym and the awkward conversation that will ensue! He is pretty buff now.

5 weeks till Summer

Can you believe that June 1st is less than five weeks away. That is a scary thought. As I mentioned, I didn't have high hopes for this morning's weigh-in. I lost another .5 pounds taking me down to 19 left to lose. After having a heart-to-heart talk with Jen I am more sure than ever that I will be done once I lose those 19 pounds. Sometimes I use to have thoughts like: what if I get to my goal weight and I'm still fat. But she helped me put those thought to rest. And knowing that I only have 19 pounds to go is a huge motivator. Who cares if I spend the next few months wasting my life at the gym: I will have something to show for it. Obviously I will not be at my goal weight in five weeks. For now, I plan to just keep truckin' along. When my five weeks are up, I plan to re-evaluate and get a new timeline for my final 10ish pounds. Ultimately, I want to be there by my high school reunion, which is coming up at the beginning of August. I think that could be done.

Moving on... I am really hoping to have a good two-pound-loss week. I have mentioned that my work schedule is crazy. Other than that, I don't have many high stress days this week, no birthday parties, no events that will require me to eat unhealthily. I intended to get some gym time in this morning, but now it is 11:45 and I haven't gotten there yet. I am supposed to meet Jennifer at lunch at 1:00 so it doesn't look like the morning workout will happen. I will be at Combat tonight for a great hour of sweating. According to a site I use online, this class will burn 850 calories. I believe it. Maybe I should start counting calories burned instead of hours at the gym. I am pretty bored with cardio workouts right now. I just need the weather to get a little nicer so I can do some stuff outdoors. Every day that has been above 70 degrees has been super windy, that or I am at work all day.

Lazy Days

I have been super lazy this week. Well, at least when it comes to working out. I ate fairly healthy all week. But I only made it to the gym three times: twice for BodyPump and once for Combat. I could have made up some hours today, but I felt like the week was already so bad, I might as well take one more day off and start good and clean tomorrow. So I have allowed myself a week off basically. I also walked in a parade yesterday -- it was over a mile, but it wasn't like a great workout.

My weight has been the same all week, so I don't have any high hopes for my weigh-in tomorrow morning, but you never know. After a very stressful week at work, I finally have two days off in a row. Today, as I mentioned, I did a lot of relaxing. Tomorrow I am going to kick it into high gear. I plan on doing an hour of cardio in the morning (hopefully running/walking) and then in the evening I want to go back to Combat. Jennifer can't make it, but Brandy plans on being there. Erin also wants to take the class, so tomorrow will be her first attempt. I am hoping that I am a lot better tomorrow. I hope that ease of moves grows exponentially. And in return, I hope that when I get better at the moves, I will use my arm muscles more.

I have a slightly strange work week. I only work: Tuesday, Wednesday (evening), Thursday (evening), but then I work both Saturday and Sunday. So it looks like I will have to schedule my BodyPump classes for Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon. That will be all I can make it to this week, unless I made myself go tomorrow morning at 6am (doubt that). I will have to spend this week getting some cardio done.

Mac Raises

I'm sorry I haven't been around in a while. I have been meaning to update, you know I like to do it every day. But I haven't been real fit lately and therefore, I don't have much to write on my fitness blog. As I mentioned, I am working 6 full days in a row, which is always exhausting. It's even exhausting on day 4, just knowing that my days off are still far away. On top of that, we have minimum staff this week because everybody has to work on Friday for an all staff training (when 20 hour employees waste 8 whole hours sitting at a meeting, it doesn't leave many more hours for them to work during the week). So needless to say, work has been exhausting. And adding to it even more is the fact that two huge projects I have been working on are coming up on Saturday. After that, things should be looking better. Well, for a few days.

Anyway, enough complaining about work. I was too tired yesterday to make it to the gym both in the morning and the afternoon. All I have enough energy for is sitting around my house and watching TV. Missing my gym time yesterday means it is going to be nearly impossible for me to get my 7 hours in. I plan on making it to BodyPump tonight (taking myself up to three hours for this week). But I can't stay after, I have too many errands to run and other things to do: including watching Grey's Anatomy for the first time in months!!! I will probably make it to the gym tomorrow evening (with the other social-rejects) but I have to fit it around cleaning my house, hitting the grocery store, and preparing some food for my friend Jen's visit on Saturday evening. Saturday, with the aforementioned two major projects, and Jen's visit, will leave no time for working out. Sunday I plan to make it to my third BodyPump of the week, and probably an hour of cardio. Still, with all that crammed in, I will only make it 6 hours this week. Oh well... sometimes sleep is more important.

For my main point of this entry: I hate the new Shoulder track. Those Mac Raises are very tough. That's the move where one arm is going out to the side, while the other is going straight out in front of you. And even though I can make it through, I feel it the next day in oddest spot on my arm. And the pain lasts for like two days, until I do it all over again. Secretly, I kind of enjoy the soreness-- it makes it all worth it knowing that my shoulders are gonna be beautiful soon. I have also started using hand weights on the shoulders. My little hands just cannot grasp those medium sized weights when they have to defy gravity so many times. The hand weights make it much easier to do the move, without stopping to readjust, and therefore, I am probably doing more reps than ever before. Although a 5lb hand weight is slightly less than the 2.5kg plate I was using, so that could explain part of why I think it's a tad easier.

Official Weigh-In

My weight is hardly any better today. It's probably cheating to arbitrarily move my weigh-in when I don't like what it says one day, but in truth it will just make it more difficult next Monday. Now I only have 6 days to lose weight this week. But, no matter how unscientific it is, I'm going to go with this morning's number. I was down just .5 pounds (from last Monday). So I now sit at 19.5 left to lose.

I plan on having a good eating week. I have to work six days in a row (Monday - Saturday) which is never fun. It's hard to keep going to the gym for an hour each day, when I never get a break from work. But, honestly, being busy probably keeps me from eating poorly. Well, that is until the cake comes out this afternoon. Today is somebody's going away party, and my boss is bringing by a Hy-Vee cake. I am going to pass on it. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. (Does anyone remember this saying?) This weekend I don't have any plans to eat out. In fact, my friend Jen is coming down from Omaha Saturday evening, and I am going to make dinner at home. Very low-cal! Although, I am sure there will some wine-drinking. My largest obstacle will be lunch on Friday. We have an all-staff training day downtown, and usually several of us go out to eat together. Generally these people are not thinking: where can I get a satisfyingly healthy lunch? Instead they think: we hardly ever get to eat downtown, where is the yummiest fattening food? Needless to say, they won't pick Subway. I'll just have to make smart choices where ever we go.

I am a tad sore from Combat. My upper back is the worse. I was really hoping to feel it in my arms, but they appear to be fine. It could be that I was not punching hard enough. Apparently, according to Jennifer, the instructor shouted out levels of punching -- ensuring that you went harder and harder. I missed that instruction; I was probably happy that I was doing the right punch in the first place. As I get more confident with my kickboxing I should be able to punch better, thus toning my arms. You know what else I failed to mention about Body Combat? I could really see it being a great aggression releaser, especially that one where you take the attacker and turn them around by the head and then continuously kick the hell out of them. I'm gonna practice that one at home!

I Combat-ed

So I made it to BodyCombat. It was great. It helped that I took the class with Jennifer and Brandy (thanks guys!) And that I had my favorite (questionably-gay) teacher. But it really was fun. It has great music, the time just flies by and it's not nearly as complicated as the step class I tried a year ago. Sure, I felt lost several times. I don't feel like I have all the moves down. I still don't know the difference between a jab and a cross-jab. I probably didn't get the foot work down most of the time, and my high-knee running could use a lot of improvement. But I want to go back. Currently, my upper body feels really worn out, we'll see how sore I am tomorrow. This is exactly what I need: a way to get some cardio in while still toning my upper body. I was very sweaty... gross but true. This isn't the kind of workout you do and then go out to dinner. In the explanation of BodyCombat (on the schedule) they say it will improve body confidence and self-esteem. That's almost as good as improving my arms!

6 weeks till Summer

I saw this coming: I gained a pound this week. I had a bad weekend. Not that I ate too much, or didn't work out. I just didn't have the stellar weekend necessary to ensure a great weigh-in.

I did skip my cardio workout yesterday. I started the day off trying on 34 outfits. None of them fit (which is a good thing, but very very frustrating). When I finally settled on the one pair of jeans that stay up on their own I headed off to a quick lunch with my mom at Runza, where the rest of the world ate cheese and fries and onion rings. I ate a salad. Then I hurried home to get ready for Elijah's birthday party. I spent the next two hours playing with kids in the windy afternoon sun. It was exhausting. I participated in a three-legged-race that left me bruised really badly -- I don't think I will do that again. I won't be wearing shorts for a at least a week now.

Then I spent the next two hours shopping rapidly, in a very hot mall (apparently they weren't ready with their AC when the temperatures hit 80 degrees yesterday). I absolutely needed new clothes to wear -- turns out I got 4 pair of pants and 4 shirts all for under $100. Today it is cold and rainy and I am back in my sweatshirts and jeans. Ideally, I hope to be at my goal weight (and final size) in June, when my stimulus money comes in. If George Bush wants to buy me all new clothes, I will let him.

But I worked out enough this week. I am really sore from BodyPump, in odd places that usually aren't sore. In a place on my shoulder I didn't even realize was sore until Logan bumped it when he was crawling on me. And this morning, my sides hurt, either from tennis, or from all that oblique hovering in the new abs track. Added to that: tennis on Saturday lasted at least an hour, and actually was a pretty good workout. All adding up to : 7 hours of workout time. So I decided that I was allowed to sit around Jennifer's house all evening watching TV. And I decided that I was allowed to eat chips and salsa, even though I try to limit my salt intake on Sundays, because I don't need any more reasons for my weight to be high on Monday mornings! Well, my theory must be right, because my weight was up. But, I am going to also allow myself to move my weigh in to Tuesday this week. I deserve that too!

Tonight I am going to make myself go to BodyCombat. I am really excited and really scared. It's not that I am scared to look like a fool. It's more that I don't like to do things that remind me of junior high PE class. But I think that I have talked a few people into being there. And most things are easier with a few friends. After that, I am going to my mom's house where she is going to show me/help me/hopefully do it for me: alter my old clothes so they fit again. I have a few skirts that should be really easy, but pants might be a little more difficult. She says she can even do jeans. We'll see. After tonight, I might have a whole new wardrobe!

Yay Me

I woke up this morning not feeling very well. If dehydration has a feeling, this was it. I felt shaky and a little nauseous. Last night I ate some popcorn and drank one martini, but I don't really think those things would dehydrate me that much, seeing as I drink so much water on a daily basis. I really wanted to make it to the new launch of the BodyPump so I made myself go. By the end of the warm up I forgot all about not feeling well. I don't have a lot of opinions on the new tracks. I think it's dumb that they don't give you a break in the chest track. Is that suppose to motivate me? Be good for me? Encourage me to increase my weight? Hardly. What I hate about Launch Day is how many times the instructors mess up. We had to do like 6 extra single lunges because Marika forgot what she was doing. I am so glad I made it to pump three times this week, and so nicely spread out too. It was really nice that my schedule allowed that. I wish I had a job where I didn't have to work so many nights and weekends. It really messes with my bodypumping. I stayed after this morning for 30 minutes of speed walking on the treadmill. It makes me breathe much harder (and makes me much sweatier) than walking hills. But, according to the machine, it burns less calories. I never know what to trust.

It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I went and watched Elijah play soccer this afternoon and this evening I plan on playing a little tennis. I don't plan on counting it as a cardio workout because I generally don't enjoy running after the ball a lot. And we'll be playing doubles, and we're not all that good, so it's not that strenuous. I've already spent 6 hours at the gym this week though, so I just have one hour left to squeeze in tomorrow.

This weekend I will/have been in another battle with cake. Elijah's 6th birthday party is tomorrow afternoon. I am going to try to pass on the cake, even though I know that it will be a good one. And Brandy tends to be a little pushy with her cake (if you read this: please let me skip it and don't take it personally -- I will eat lots of cake at his 7th birthday!). Yesterday was someone's last day at work so people brought all kinds of food: brownies, cupcakes, and cake. I had one bite of brownie on my break, and then I went back to my desk and made a phone call rather than spend the next 14 minutes trying to talk myself out of eating anything more. Yay me!

Worked Up Worked Out

I made it to my second BodyPump of the week. I attempted the higher bicep weight again and it went slightly better. I still took a few breaks, it was still very hard, but I didn't want to die. Score! It was a shorter and slower track, but sometimes those are the most difficult. Everything else went smashingly, oh speaking of smashing: I dropped a little weight on my finger and it stung for at least 3 minutes. I always fear that I will drop the weight on my forehead during triceps or on my head during the back track. Erin and I stayed after to do some walking on the treadmill. I just can't say it enough, the time just flies by when you are talking to someone. It really is better than listening to music or watching TV. Mostly we complain about work. That gets me really worked up and allows me to work out harder. It's good to know that all that work stress is worth something.

Day of Rest

My biceps were sore today, but not to the extent that it kept me from doing anything. And mind you, I lift some heavy bins and boxes at my job. So I guess I will attempt this higher weight again on Thursday. We'll see if it gets just a little easier. So much matters on the song though too. Some bicep songs have no break, others are super-fast, some have 18 singles in a row, while others hardly have any. I wonder which one I made it through on Tuesday. I can't remember the song, only the pain.

Saturday is Launch Day in Lincoln. That means new versions of all the tracks come out. And then for the next two weeks that is all we do. In some ways I like this. It gives you an opportunity to learn/memorize the track. And if you're looking for improvements (as I am with my biceps) you can compare session to session because you're doing the same thing. It also has made me think that I should take the Kickboxing class. When a new launch comes out, everybody is new, and the instructors have to explain things more. It would be a great time to start. But I am scared. Who wants in?

I have worked out 5 days in a row (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) and in those days put in 8 hours of time at the gym. So today, on the sixth day: I rest!

Gold Medal Workouts

I made it to the gym last night for Dancing with the Stars. I made myself run during all the dancing; I figure if I am watching other people sweat I should be sweating too. Turns out, that's not as hard as it seems. They dance for like 2 minutes and then they are done. So I let myself walk small hills when the scoring/practice portion was on, and steep hills when the commercials were on. The time just flew by. Oh, and who knew that the show was an hour and a half. But I stayed for the whole thing. I just had to see Kristi Yamaguchi. She was all-time hero as a fourteen-year-old girl. There was nothing I wanted to be more than a figure-skater. I would make up routines and dance around my kitchen floor (with my socks on, for better sliding). I would watch whatever skating competition she was in, and when she took home the gold medal, I was right there by her side! So, I just had to see her do some Latin dancing. It was a great workout.

This evening I made it to BodyPump. Remember, my goal for the evening was increasing my bicep weight. This is going to be a challenge. It was soooo hard. Not like: ow that was hard; not even like: I don't know if I can finish; more like: I think my arm has locked up and may fall off. But I think I just need to push past this. I have not increased my bicep weight in two years. The only way to move up is this extreme pain for the next two weeks, by that point it might just move to the point of extreme difficulty. I wonder if I will be able to lift anything tomorrow. Otherwise, it was an excellent class. And I stayed after and did 30 minutes of cardio. I am now up to three hours for the week, and it's only Tuesday. Now I can take tomorrow off without feeling guilty. It will feel great to sleep in!

7 weeks till Summer

Another fine weigh-in this morning. I lost another two pounds! I was secretly hoping for three, just to push past the 20 pound mark. But oh well, I will wait for that next week. Beggars can't be choosers right! I am just happy with the two pound loss and the fact that I have lost 14 pounds in the last 10 weeks (since I have started this countdown to summer). On a much scarier note, summer is less than two months away and I have a lot of planning to do for work. I must work at keeping my stress levels low and my workout times high, even when work gets busy and time-consuming.

This losing weight thing seems to be working again. So I have been asking myself what I am doing right this time around. Three things I can think of: I am really watching everything I eat, not sneaking in a bite of something here and there. I have been drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day. And I have been trying to eat really light on Sunday, so that my weight doesn't jump when Monday morning comes. There is nothing more disappointing than being low all week and then seeing a higher number come weigh in time.

For three weeks in a row now I have made it to BodyPump three times. I think, maybe, finally, I have stopped being so sore. The higher weights I have been using have now become normal weights. So as I mentioned, Tuesday it's time to increase again. This time, I am only raising one body part at a time; Tuesday: Biceps. This week seems to be a normal week schedule-wise. Here is my projected workouts for the week. It gives me a goal to aim for if I post it on here, and it allows people to workout with me when they are available.

Monday - Cardio at 7:00 (for Dancing with the Stars)

Tuesday - BP and 30 minutes of Cardio

Wednesday - OFF

Thursday - BP and 30 minutes of Cardio

Friday - OFF

Saturday - BP and 1 hour of Cardio

Sunday - Cardio (anytime)

Here's to being at 18 pounds next week at this time!!!

Desperate Measures

Well it's finally sunny out today and that seems to have given me no more energy. So I don't know if this exhaustion is just mild depression, or a lack of something in my diet, or an actual lack of sleep. Who knows, maybe I need 10 hours of sleep per night now. I went tanning, which makes me happy -- to actually be warm again, even for 6 minutes, is like paradise. I also managed to eat a nice healthy lunch with my mom today at LoneStar. And I plan on staying low in calories the rest of the afternoon/evening in order to ensure success with the scale tomorrow morning.

I made it to my third BodyPump of the week this afternoon. Brandy was so nice to meet me there. I have really started to see the benefits of taking classes with a variety of instructors. They all have something to offer, advice to give, new things to think about, motivational thoughts. I attempted my higher squat weight again. I haven't tried it since my back went out a few weeks ago. It's time to work on them again. It's not that it hurts my legs to squat that much, it's hardest on my lungs; it's a difficult cardio workout. I was able to make it through every track without taking a break (well I might have skipped one shoulder press!). I think that means I need to raise something on Tuesday. I suppose I should start working on building up my biceps, but they're pretty stubborn. I will give it another try next time.

I got to the gym 30 minutes early so I could cram in a little cardio. I plan on going back this evening at 8:00 to get my final hour of cardio done for the week. Tonight marks the return of Desperate Housewives. There is nothing that makes an hour of cardio fly by like the drama of a silly television show!

UPDATE: Well I made it. I tried to run during the show and walk the commercials. It was much tougher than it sounds. I wasn't able to make it until the commercial each time, but it gave me a goal. I accomplished a little over 4 miles in the 60 minutes, and sweated a lot. I stayed under my 1200 calories for the day and even got to enjoy half of a chocolate rabbit I had left from Easter. I will save the other half for another day with extra calories.

Turkey Burgers

I started my day off by sleeping in until 9:30! Then I managed to make it to they gym. I had told Brandy I would meet her there, even though she didn't know if she would be able to stay after Bodypump (because Elijah may or may not have had a soccer game -- he didn't). Even though I made it there, I had absolutely no energy. I ran one mile in about 11 minutes and then I was exhausted. I had to go sit down in the locker room. Then I made myself go back out, but I let myself bike for the last 30 minutes. I don't know why I don't have any energy lately. I can't just keep blaming the weather, but maybe that's it. We'll see if I get any back once it gets sunny again.

I ate out again at both meals. I had planned on having a boring evening at home which would have included cleaning my bathroom and eating half of a subway sandwich I had left over. But, at the last moment, I got invited to Old Chicago for dinner. I am not familiar with the menu there, and wasn't sure what I could order that wouldn't max out my calories for the day. I decided on the turkey burger. This is generally a good choice, although I have read the turkey burger at Ruby Tuesday's is like 1000 calories. When I got home and was able to look up the calories online, I saw that Old Chicago's version was only 485, so I managed to stay below my 1200 limit for the day.

My super-low weight that I had maintained all week, spiked up this morning. (What do I expect when I allow myself 1800 calories yesterday, and then only managed to ride a bike today?) Hopefully, if I can keep it healthy tomorrow, I can get back to a low weigh-in Monday morning. I spent this afternoon shopping. There is no greater motivator than putting on pants and having them be way too big. I didn't buy too much, because I can't justify spending $70 on jeans when they might only fit for a few weeks. But as soon as I am at my goal, I am driving right over to the Gap and buying that great pair I tried on today!

Help from my Friends

I ate way too many calories today. I think it was somewhere near 1800. I ate out at both meals, and although I made healthy choices, they just added up way too fast. Brandy, Elijah, Jennifer and I went to Red Lobster for dinner. I picked the healthiest, yummiest thing I could find on the menu: grilled shrimp skewers. They were only 150 calories (I checked online!). It was all the other things that I ate with it: potato, biscuits, salad dressing, oh yeah, and that super-delicious Berry-Mango-Daiquiri that Brandy talked me into (with little effort)!

Although I was super-tired all day, I made it to the gym for an hour and a half. I skipped the hour of cardio I hoped to do this morning in order to run some errands and do some shopping. Then I needed a nap in the afternoon. If I hadn't promised Erin that I would meet her at BodyPump I would have skipped it as well. But I had to pull myself from my warm, comfy bed to meet her. And although Marika was the teacher, and Erin refuses to ever take a class from her again, at least I made it. And it looks like I will get my three sessions in for the week. Then I was hoping to go home and rest a little more before dinner. But, Jennifer was waiting for me after class so I had to stay for a half an hour and do some hill walking. And Sunday, Brandy is going to ensure that I get there for BP again. Thanks to all my workout buddies. And to those of you who inspire me from afar!