Beating the plateau

Every morning I lay in bed and I think, I should get up and exercise before work.  So clearly, I stay in bed until I’ve overslept and have to rush to work to arrive 10 minutes late. Well… today I woke up around 6 for some reason, and I actually GOT OUT OF BED and did my workout before 7 a.m.!!!! Very weird but very cool. I love having all this extra time after work!! I’m hoping I can do this a few times a week and I honestly don’t have high hopes, but I’m trying not to be negative about it.

Today was day 1 of the Push phase of CLX. Totally loving it, because I’m finally working my biceps and triceps, which wasn’t really focused on during the first phase. Plus we only do one muscle group at a time which probably doesn’t burn as many calories, but I’m using heavier weights and I could really feel my muscles shaking during my last couple of reps. I think I’ll be able to lift a lot heavier than I originally thought and be able to truly fatigue my muscles like I’m supposed to!

I had an awful day at work but I went to the Mets fan page to look at the picture of me and my boyfriend, which was taken on Saturday at the game, and it turned out to be really cute. Definitely the highlight of my afternoon. 

I have GUILT since I ate a TON of horrible food for the last couple days. Apparently my downfall is socializing. I can’t say no when everyone else is eating junk. It’s just SOOO good!! Maybe it’s good that I don’t have a terribly active social life. In addition to all the calories I end up spending a ton of money too. Looking on the bright side, I’ve had some great times with friends and it’s all worth it in the end. I just need to convince them to go to health food restaurants.  

Someone came up to me today and said, Wow you’re so skinny. I think that pretty much sums up my mood for the day.  

after getting off track with my ChaLean Extreme workouts I made up for lost time today. I’m definitely feeling stronger and I think I’m more toned. According to my measurements I’ve lost about an inch off my waist this week but I don’t trust it. I feel like I measured in a different spot. So next month I’ll have to be more accurate and keep it consistent with today’s measurements.

I need to try new recipes this week because I’m getting really bored with what I’ve been eating. I’d love to have more pasta but I feel like it’s going to put some fat back on me. Maybe not, but I’m going to try to live without it. I think I’m being overly hard on myself but it’s hard to break the habit.

I blame NYC for a bunch of bad things that have happened over the last few years. I think my life would have been much easier and gone in a totally different direction if I hadn’t moved here. Obviously I have to deal with the decisions that I’ve made. My lease is expiring at the end of March, and I CAN’T WAIT to get out of here!! I’m sure there a ton of nice people but the hostility I encounter every day is incredible. And it’s making ME hostile and jaded.  And even though I’m so eager to move, I’m dreading the actual process. My commute from NJ to NYC for work will be long and I’m sure I’ll be tired all the time. I hope I can still keep my workout routine going once I lose a few hours of free time every day. I anticipate that my quality of life will be significantly better and I’ll also be able to have my car back so I can visit friends and family whenever I feel like it. Right now I feel isolated and lonely. The only way to live in NYC is if you are RICH and can afford to buy anything you desire. At the moment I’d love to be able to afford a parking garage for my car so I can escape this place when I feel like it.  My new roomie is a huge help with paying the bills but I’m still throwing money away on pretty much everything I buy since it’s all so overpriced. Only 7 more months of this but it will feel like an eternity.

I thought I was going to veer WAY off track with my eating and working out this week but I’ve kept things under control quite well. Nothing bad to report, although right now I’m getting ready to go out for some wine and a HEALTHY bite to eat!! I will NOT overdo it though.

My “skinny” jeans are a bit looser today than they have been. I don’t care if its my imagination or not, I FEEL better!! And I’m loving this workout program too.  I feel like I’ve been doing it forever but I’m only at the end of my 3rd week. I’m just so impatient to see what kind of results I get at the end of 90 days!!

Probably mentioned this but I got a new roomie last week. Things are working out great so far and hopefully I’ve managed to make a good friend out of it.

So I’m in my 3rd week of this workout program and I’m getting discouraged. I know it’s unrealistic to expect results already but I really haven’t noticed any difference in my body yet. I usually respond pretty quickly to exercise so this is new for me. I’ll just keep at it but I’m getting cranky about it. I went out with friends last night and had  a few drinks, a burger, and lots of chips. I don’t really care that much since I’ve been really good the last couple weeks and plus I hardly ever socialize. It’s kinda hanging in the back of my mind though.

The scale was down a couple pounds the other day but I must have been dehydrated because it came right back up the next day. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can get back down to that weight and stay there.

I wonder if I will EVER get to a point where I’m happy or at least satisfied with my weight and appearance. I know I just need to calm down. There are so many people with REAL problems in this world. There’s a rapist on the loose in a nearby neighborhood so maybe I should be more concerned about THAT and not whether or not I’ve gained a pound.  :-\

I haven’t had anything new to report these last few days, hence the lack of updates. I’m still doing the ChaLean Extreme program and loving it, and I’ve been eating healthy (with the exception of a few glasses of wine over the last 3 days, but that’s not the end of the world).

But yesterday my boyfriend convinced me to play tennis with him. I am SO non-athletic and he’s Mr. ESPN and plays so many sports. Of course my first reaction was, NO. I’m not going to embarass myself at a public tennis court with tons of people around. But he nicely talked me into it and was a great, patient teacher, and I did REALLY well for my first time!! We played for almost 2 hours before he had to leave for work and I got a GREAT workout. It’s too bad I didn’t try this at the beginning of the summer because it’s something I could really get into. And of course the added bonus is that I got to spend some quality time with my boyfriend that doesn’t involve eating or watching tv!!

Didn’t work out yesterday… even after all the pasta. I guess it won’t kill me. But today I got sucked into a meeting to coordinate our stupid company newsletter. I guess the only way they can get people to participate is with food, so I had a slice of pizza. I guess not horrible but once I get started, I won’t stop. I was able to eat ok the rest of the day though. I got home a little later than I wanted (saw a great jazz performance on the way home though, gotta love NYC randomness). I did my scheduled workout AND a cardio workout on top of it, so maybe that will make up for my minor slip ups during the last 24 hours.

Some good news…. I found a roommate to stay with me until February (which is when I’m moving to NJ). Finally a bit of relief from the burden of NYC rent. I’m not thrilled about losing my privacy but it’s only for 6 months and she’s a really nice girl. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine and the improvement in my financial situation won’t hurt either. Maybe she’ll end up being a new workout buddy. 

So today is supposed to be a “rest” day from my workout. I was going to do cardio but then decided not to since I’ve worked out every day since last Monday. I figured I need a REAL rest day. But then I got home and was STARVING… so I made pasta for dinner.  :(  Whole wheat pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, grilled chicken, with a little cheese sprinkled on top. Doesn’t sound so bad but I’ll probably eat a TON of it. So it seems like I’ll be on my elliptical machine later.

I made plans to go out w/ a friend after work tomorrow. She suggested cheesecake and cocktails. I declined the cheesecake but I’ll probably end up eating some other kind of junk. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a hummus appetizer or something at the place we go to. I should strategically choose a bar w/ a decent menu, if one exists. And hopefully I won’t overdo it on the drinks either because not only can I not afford the calories, my wallet will be hurting as well. It will be painful to watch my 80 pound friend stuff her face with greasy food and complain that she can’t gain weight. But I’ll bet we all have that “annoying” skinny friend who not only doesn’t work for it, but complains about it.

Anyway… keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t ruin all my hard work in one evening…..