Just Checking In

So, I know I didn't do my usual weekly check-in last week. I was kind of bummed because I had gained half of a pound. It was disappointing because I expected a loss after all that darn working out. In retrospect, because I had people over a few times in the same time period (having people over usually means some kind of baking) I shouldn't have been too surprised. Also, it was the week before my period, which is usually a bad weighing time anyway.

But I persevered. I continued my new daily walking regime and jumping on the elliptical occasionally (because I consider it a tortuous device that I really could never like and only do it out of absolute necessity) and had nobody over this week. What do you know? I lost a pound. That give me a net loss of half of a pound since two weeks ago.

A Reason For Everything

The reason I started this blog in the first place was so I could come and gripe about all the minute details about my efforts to lose weight. I don't think I come here enough to gripe and let off steam and instead have been letting it live in my head. Time to make better use of this water cooler and it's thirst quenching capabilities.

Everyone here has lost weight except me. That's not entirely true. I lost weight too, I just immediately gained it back when my life regained it's stressful cacauphony. I'm right back where I started five months into the year. I suppose the good thing is that I know I can lose the weight. But that's grasping at straws. I knew I could lose the weight before.

I could dive into all kinds of psychological territory about why I find it such a struggle to maintain my good intentions but at the end of the day, like right now, I don't feel like beating around the bush with excuses. I know what drives me and it's nothing mysterious.

I have ridden my bike a couple of times this week and gone on a walk too which is great. I'm happy about that. I'm also resigned to the knowledge that this journey I'm on is one that's more about endurance and getting back on the horse after falling off than it is about direct motivation. I know I'll get there even though it may take me a long time.

There's going to be a lot of falling off the horse. I speak from experience.

But experience shows me that I have an unlikely well of optimism that tells me that it might take me one million tries, but I'll do it. If I stick with it long enough I will achieve what I set out to achieve.

So here I am. Talking to myself at the end of a very stressful day. I have to keep on talking myself through this chapter whether you're listening or not. I forget sometimes.

Listen to self.

Good night Wednesday!

My New Work Out Equipment

This is how I've been working out for the last three days. We have an electric lawn mower, but I hate it. We once had a gas mower and I hated that one as well. This one, however, is quite enjoyable, except for the fact that it takes about twenty minutes to tame a few square feet of bushy lawn. If you mow frequently then it cuts the grass like butter and rolls over the ground effortlessly. So the idea is that I will keep the grass cut. But I'm still trying to cut down the long thick stuff and I break a sweat every time I do it.

Truthfully, it's more enjoyable breaking a sweat with this mower than it is breaking a sweat at the gym. For every bit of lawn I manage to trim I get the enjoyable sensation of having accomplished something.

Now I have to eat some breakfast and get my fat ass on my bicycle and ride downtown to get some bread. I just got a new lock for the bike so there is no reason not to take it out. Not even the dark clouds in the sky are reason not to do an errand on the bicycle today.

How are you all working out these days?

I Did It!

I did twelve workouts of at least fifteen minutes. In the interest of honesty, here's a recap:

4/16/08: AM-16 minutes on elliptical
4/16/08: PM-16 minute walk
4/17/08: AM-16 minutes on elliptical
4/17/08: PM-55 minute walk
4/18/08: AM-16 minutes on elliptical
4/19/08: PM-20 minute walk
4/20/08: AM-15 minutes on elliptical
4/20/08: PM-18 minute walk
4/21/08: AM-8 minutes on elliptical (not included in count to twelve)
4/21/08: PM-28 minute walk
4/22/08: PM-35 minute walk
4/23/08: AM-16 minutes on elliptical
4/23/08: PM-25 minute walk

This contest was so motivating to me and helped me to realize my potential to increase how much I move and easy it really is to fit into my life.

Becoming a Mover and a Shaker (or Maybe a Jiggler)

So, I have some great news to report and some philosophical realizations to share.

First for the news. I have lost one pound this week and I've worked out eight times, for at least 15 minutes, since last Wednesday and once for less than 15 minutes. (This brings my total weight loss to 10 pounds!)

Now, onto the philosophical realizations, which will probably be more valuable than the eight workouts and one pound lost. I must give a deep, sincere thank you to Michelle for inspiring motivation by hosting the bag contest. It has made me think a lot in the past handful of days about motivation, procrastination, excuses and what drives me. Here's what I've learned about myself. I need short term goals, because I can lose motivation quickly. Losing all this weight is a motivation, but the goal is so far out that I can't keep it in sight as a motivation. I equate it to the difference between a spender and a saver. I'm a spender. I need that short term gratification. This contest helped me realize that. I also realized that 15 or 20 minutes of exercise is relatively easy to squeeze in here and there. If I think that I don't have the time, it's because I don't want to find the time, not because I don't truly have the time. Throwing on a pair of walking shoes and hitting the neighborhood for 20 minutes can easily be done at least once per day.

Has this contest revitalized most of you and improved your motivation? If so, could we host regular giveaways as a motivator? I know that we each probably have a talent that we could use in the form of a prize, but we could each also all throw five bucks into the pot once in a while to purchase some sort of gift card for the winner-massage, waxing, book store, you name it! What do you all think? Maybe something monthly or bi-monthly?

Not Winning The Bag...So Far.

But I did go on brisk walks two days in a row for twenty minutes each. Plus I hauled wood all over the yard and dug post holes which has pretty much murdered my body. I am full of aches and pains and covered in bruises. But the physical work did feel good while I was doing it.

Today I am going to take another brisk walk and I plan to get a class schedule from the fitness place to find out what yoga and fit ball classes they are offering. I think I need to do a lot of stretching.

I'm off. This was just a quick check in.

Filthy food picture challenge!

The scale did not budge today.

I have no recipes to offer or any pithy advice.

I can only offer this absolutely obscene picture combining

two of my favorite themes:

pork and plaid!

(yeah right)

Anyway, feel free to add a caption.

GO on, I dare ya!

Here's mine:

"Poor Irina. Apparently mangoes are hard to find in Lithuania... "