Probably I should've weighed myself yesterday morning before heading Upstate, just for a benchmark, but it wasn't even 5 AM yet, I had the gym on my mind, and I forgot while throwing bathroom stuff into a Ziploc.
I think I may be recovering today finally from the longest-lasting case of delayed onset muscle soreness that I've experienced. This was from circuit training on Monday night, which had 10 separate stations, so I'm not sure which exercise exactly did it. But it was along the backs of my upper thighs, right into the base of my butt, and it tightened and shortened my hamstrings. Now, usually, I am one of those people with flexible hamstrings and am able to bend over with knees straightened and place my flattened hands on the floor in front of me without a problem. But for three days I've been unable to do this simple thing which I have taken for granted, and I have been limping and dropping abruptly into chairs because a slow measured descent has been agony. Sitting for about five hours while driving yesterday did NOT help.
And the sad thing is? I want to know what caused this, because clearly whatever muscles were worked aren't getting used enough. And it's one of those vanity parts of the anatomy, that every woman wants looking tighter.
It may have been lunges with my front foot planted on a low plastic aerobics-style bench. I know lunges are great for you, but I have never done them, figuring my frequent spin classes were doing enough for my legs. Apparently not.
Ouch, Saef - I've had DOMS in that same spot. I do believe that your lunges were likely the cause. I can never bend over and put my hands flat on the floor though I can at least touch it with my fingertips, but when those muscles hurt I can't even get my hands to my calves. You could reverse your pattern to add more variety to that exercise - put the front foot flat and the back foot on a raise instead.
This might not have been the best week for me to try to step out of routine while getting back to food and exercise. My grandmother was admitted to ICU last night and DH's uncle's cancer has taken a downturn. I live two hours away from my parents and grandparents, so am likely to be on the road a lot the rest of this week. DSS started school on Monday, the open house and first PTSA meeting is tonight but I wasn't likely to be able to go to the meeting even before this. (Kids aren't allowed at open house, DH & XW both attend, I keep DSS so can't make my meeting, can make the rest of them that don't have kid-excluded events around them) Now I'll likely be driving to my hometown after work and will miss it, which will make DH miss it as well and will really tick XW off.
No candy or snacks - that won't make this week any better. I pulled myself out of the 'fast food biscuit and a mocha' place I was in earlier and made it with a measured portion of kashi cereal with skim milk for breakfast, have a salad ready for lunch. I can do this.
Feels good to have that surplus, doesn't it? I think the tracking is the real magic, but having that *option* of a blowout meal makes it all work for us, um, casual losers. . Thank goodness for calorie counting ... It's rules without rules!
I'm in good shape going into the end of the week. I've been eating a lot of raw veggies, just cuz when I'm alone, I'm busy and food drops a lot lower on my priority list. I was supposed to have water aerobics tonight; instructor cancelled and refunded. So I swam for 30 minutes, just to see what would work. Lordy, I have a long way to go.
I've always counted, but I've never really had a total in mind, except when I was really losing and making it a priority to stay under 1400 per day. That's a bit restrictive.
Dinner tonight? 2 cups of shredded zucchini and about a cup of homemade tomato sauce (onion, crushed tomatoes, a little olive oil, and crushed red pepper). That can't be many calories. I did add 1/4 c of parmesan, because, well, because I could!
I managed to eat an actual serving of ice cream last night - I used a tiny bowl and an actual 1/2 cup measuring spoon. I just sat and ate it, concentrating on how good it was, the texture, the coldness.
I haven't been making many good food choices at night but I have broken the TV at night habit (no cable here). We all go to bed at 9 p.m. here. I am looking forward to being home on Sunday. This bulldog puppy has been a rough sit (and I have the bruises to prove it).
Next week I will concentrate on dieting, to drop whatever I have gained at this sit. I hope to maintain at my red line through my vacation but wil probably not reach goal.
Speaking of goal I think I probably will have to accept 135 as my regular weight. or should I say a range of 133-135. I have been fighting with this for 3 years now and I'm wasting a lot of energy on something that I should let be.
dagmar, it sounds to me like you have a pretty solid balance. Priorities come and go, and there's nothing preventing you from taking this topic up again at a later date if you want. You're healthy, you're strong ... if the "final 5" aren't worth it, so be it!
allison, that dinner sounds divine. It sounds like a real meal, as opposed to what I ended up plating at 8:15 last night - I cut a big cucumber into spears, chunked up two big tomatoes, 2 1/2 oz of fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of truly top-end olive oil. Thanks for the idea for tonight! I picked summer squash last night, and I can brew up a couple of the uglier tomatoes into a sauce. Mmmm!
shannon, sorry to hear about the family health challenges and the schedule upset. All I can offer is "go with the flow" and be good to yourself.
saef, I'm way too familiar with DOMS because I let myself get so far out of shape, so often. I do know that spot you're talking about, and I feel the same way about it! I'm sure, before the year is out, I'll have some stories to tell that will convince everyone to NEVER get out of shape again.
Another week in the books; that makes 6, and per plan, I'm down 3 pounds, to 148.4. Tonight, I have an appointment at a local salon (I am cheating on my regular hairdresser) to get my hair cut very, very short. I made the decision to quit coloring it, at least through next spring, because I expect to be in the pool so much. I haven't let it all go for more than 10 years ... I think I can pull off the white/gray all right if I have a really kick@$$ cut. Yeah, I'm a little nervous.
Whoo hoo hello whoosh!! Down 5 pounds this morning. Which could mean a couple of things:
1) My body has returned to the pattern it adopted during the last few months of my original weight loss. Zero losses for 3 to 4 weeks, followed by a 4 to 5 pound loss after my time of the month. Or...
2) My body likes being on the pill. I started 'creeping' when I quit taking it to try to conceive, and I started back on it a week ago.
But...we'll see if this continues!
I like the idea of a weekly average. May start doing that myself when I reach my 15 pound weight loss goal and get acclimated with maintenance calories again...
150.0 baybee! Perhaps I'll see 149 after a couple more days? I was bad this week and only worked out on Sunday. Lots of errands to do after work today, so I'm not sure if I'll get in any today or not.
Mindi--your scenario #1 is me to a tee. That is exactly how my weight loss went several years ago, and I see that pattern returning.
I started coloring my hair about 10 years ago, but not to cover any gray. I've always been blonde, but as I've aged, my hair is getting darker and darker--almost brown--and I hate it! It started with highlights, but that was too light so now I do highlights (bleach) and low lights (a prettier shade of brown). But only on top--the bottom and back are too short for any of that, so they're the mousy brown color.
Mindi, congratulations on the loss !
Becky and Allison, you have it going on, too. Good job !
I am still holding at 118.4 a weight in years past I wouldn't even have dared dream about but I am not satisfied, last September I was at 115 , that's all I ask is to get back there.
Becky, I had a haircut this week a trim, actually. The hairdresser looked at my hair and sniffed "who cut your hair?" You guessed it, SHE cut my hair last time. I told her that, too. No comment on her part. She is insisting I have a layer cut which is what I am trying to grow out, now. It ended with me telling her I can always change it if I don't like it, but right now I am thinking no layers. Right now my color is au naturel, I have been everything, I think my natural color is dark brown, I have been, blonde, black, red , silver frost , you name it I've done it.
allison - the 140's are there for your taking. Claim 'em! We are well on our way to securing the "south of 150" by Labor Day.
bargoo - you WILL get back to your desired goal. I am certain of it.
I have been coloring in the medium brown/reddish hints for a lot of years; I have it done up lighter to a darkish blonde during the summer. Because my hair is freakishly thick, coarse, and wavy, I keep it cut short. It's too much like wearing a quilt on my head - it's hot! That, and I sort of have a phobia about finding long hairs around my house, even if they're mine. It just creeps me out - no idea why. The haircut I've had for something like 10 years requires razoring, thinning shears, etc. I dunno - I am tired of what I'm seeing in the mirror. I need an overhaul. That mentality has also been helpful with keeping me on the wagon, since "thinner" is a form of different.
I've thought of another possible reason for the loss...hair! Apparently a woman's hormones after giving birth go all whackadoodle and hair starts to fall out. And mine is a TON. I may have lost 5 pounds of hair.
Also want to get my hair colored, just to cover the gray. I love the color though and don't want to change it. Not sure if I even could, short of bleaching it, since it's dark brown to black...
My DD convinced my MIL several years ago to stop dying her hair (she dyed it anywhere from brown to red). She is completely gray, but it is so pretty--light in front, dark in back. I'll see if I can post a photo. Ramona
I would be okay not dying my hair if it looked like Ramona's. I've been coloring mine since 1998, highlights for the first 10 years or so, full color since then. I went blond for a couple of years, now I'm a pretty solid red. I like the red better. I have no idea how much gray I really have now.
. Thank goodness for calorie counting ... It's rules without rules! 
It sounds like a real meal, as opposed to what I ended up plating at 8:15 last night - I cut a big cucumber into spears, chunked up two big tomatoes, 2 1/2 oz of fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of truly top-end olive oil. Thanks for the idea for tonight! I picked summer squash last night, and I can brew up a couple of the uglier tomatoes into a sauce. Mmmm! 
Tonight, I have an appointment at a local salon (I am cheating on my regular hairdresser) to get my hair cut very, very short. I made the decision to quit coloring it, at least through next spring, because I expect to be in the pool so much. I haven't let it all go for more than 10 years ... I think I can pull off the white/gray all right if I have a really kick@$$ cut. Yeah, I'm a little nervous. 
The haircut I've had for something like 10 years requires razoring, thinning shears, etc. I dunno - I am tired of what I'm seeing in the mirror. I need an overhaul. That mentality has also been helpful with keeping me on the wagon, since "thinner" is a form of different. 
