Good morning and welcome to a brand new week! How did the old one go by so fast, I’m asking myself? This summer is just zooming by! DH and I aren’t planning on any summer vacations since we have a few things going on in the fall, but a lot of my clients will be away for various weeks in August, so fingers crossed that things may lighten up a bit. Who’s going on vacation this summer?
Be sure to go back and catch the end of last week’s thread, if you haven’t yet – some great posts there. Love Jawsmom’s quote – it’s the motto of the Maintainers, for sure! Congratulations to Elana on her son’s Bar Mitzvah and bigger congrats on losing weight through the process (love the pale green hair ) She posted some wise words about maintenance – about it being a l-o-n-g process and how strength workouts and positive self-talk keep you strong.
Coincidentally, something along those lines was kicking around in my head when I was working out yesterday. The thing that’s really been suffering since I’ve been working as a trainer is my own weightlifting workouts – ironic since I work in a gym, right? but it’s a matter of finding time and energy. I still do cardio every morning at 6 AM so it gets done and food is as good (or bad ) as it always was, but the workouts have gone from five a week to two or three or so. But I only had two appointments yesterday morning (haven’t figured out how to take an entire day off yet!) and went back in the afternoon to work out. And I had the old spark back! I felt like just a member again and had a terrific workout … and it just made me feel so good and strong and empowered. All cliché words, but all so true. There’s just something about pushing yourself a little harder than you thought and achieving something you thought was impossible that makes you realize that we are so much stronger and more capable than we give ourselves credit for!!
Gack! Enough philosophizing! Gotta run and do cardio! Check in and say hi and let us know how you’re doing.
Back from AM cardio. Don't know if I mentioned it, but my iPod was out of commission for the past two and a half weeks. Cardio was excuriatingly boring!!! Well, Apple sent me a brand new one this weekend and wow! I flew through cardio at warp speed. Best of all, it went fast and was fun - got an hour in before I even noticed the time. Hurray for loud and mindless rock music!
Had a long crappy weekend. Saturday was just a low energy day, and Sunday, with 10 people over for a DH work party, the A/C goes out. It was 114 F outside and pretty quickly worked its way up inside as well. I was dying, and ended up playing the pregnancy card, leaving, and going shopping--I figured it was his party, his guests, he could deal with it. The A/C did get fixed but this morning I'm SO tired after all the heat and activity yesterday.
I also ate way too much at the party and feel kinda sick today. My stomach is getting squished more and more and it's hard to eat as much, but the desire is still there, so it is getting more common to overdo and regret it. I did pretty well last week in general though, the party being an exception.
Just a touch over two months left to go now. Here's hoping it goes fast!
Wow the weeks are really flying.
Things are moving along for me. No vacation this summer. I am spending the week off and the money on lasik. Very excited its scheduled for next Tuesday. I can't believe I will be able to pee in the middle of the night without putting on glasses. Its the little things!!!
Food & Exercise are good. The pants-o-meter is showing progress and I am happy about that. I am using some old tricks to modivate myself.
1. Picture of myself at happy weight on the fridge.
2. Same picture by the computer with question "Did you workout?"
3. Morning workout no fail enviorment, take out workout clothes the night before and put them right on before coffee.
4. Using food and exercise journals to keep tabs on self.
5. Reasonable expectation, no perfectionism to self-sabatauge myself.
Anne: Good going on using the pregnancy card, no way should you be in that heat.
You're pregnancy is going fast on this end of the computer. Keep resting and relax.
Meg: Glad you found your spark for weights again. Maybe schedule Meg as an appointment, so you have time for your own workout.
Wow, Gina, I'm GREEN with envy! I'd gladly give up a vacation for vision! I looked into lasik surgery a few years ago and was told that due to my extreme astigmatism I'd still end up wearing "correction" for one of my eyes. Uh, doesn't that mean contacts or glasses? So why would I do it?? Obviously I'm not a good candidate. How exciting for you And good for you at getting food and exercise back on track.
Hi Anne Do you have a pool you can stand in for the next two months? I spent the last two months of my second pregnancy either floating or leisurely swimming slow laps with my September baby. I even just stood in the water reading sometimes.
Meg- We are complete opposites When I get into major gym time crunches, I always get the lifting done, but cardio slips. Maybe it's just a rationalization, but I find I can slip a bit more as long as I'm hitting the weights hard. If I'm not lifting...I was about to say the cardio won't save me, but I haven't not lifted in so many years except for brief recovery periods, that I'm not sure what would happen. I suspect it would be ugly.
On another topic, the way to take a day off is to say "I'm sorry, I don't book appointments on Sunday. I work six days a week." End of discussion. You'd be amazed how many of those clients really can fit their workout on a different day. You will burn out and hate the job if you don't set some personal limits. Of course, you're probably making twice as much $$ as I am .
Food and exercise are good here. I went back to my regular split and cardio schedule after a mixed up two weeks. The change was nice, but I'm ready to hit it hard again. I' going to try and keep my food the same and hopefully lose a little more body fat and increase muscle. Hopefully I won't just burn muscle.
I’ve been reading over your posts from last week re: body image. It’s something I think I’ll always struggle with. I have to reconcile my still feeling like "the fat girl" with wearing size 6's, which I always thought were impossibly tiny before weight loss. I need to remember that I was overweight for most of 23 years, so changing my mentality won't come overnight. I just need to keep going.
Last week was insane for me. Hurricane Dennis hit us hard and caused a lot of destruction. I evacuated to a friend’s inland and wasn’t allowed home for three days until power was restored and the sewage was under control. Eww. My house was fine but the office is trashed. We’ve gotten back to some semblance of normalcy, though we’ll be dealing with cleanup and the smell of bleach for months. Amazingly I haven’t heard of a single injury around town.
Of course evacuating and the horrible weather played havoc on my eating & exercise. I could have made some better food choices but also could have made much worse ones, but as soon as I was able was back out on the streets running and the break was good for my knees. I will say that Friday was my birthday and I thoroughly enjoyed my piece of chocolate cake and drink at the bar with friends, hold the guilt, yum. Back to my routine, until the next hurricane. The mosquito population has taken off with all the standing storm water, and the desire to get away from them really motivates me to run faster. I'm trying to look at the little b!@#$%! in a positive light
Anne, 114 and no AC? Good for you for begging off!
Meg, way to find that feeling! I second the hurrah for loud mindless workout music. Got some new CDs last week and have been flying through runs. Weights are always the first to go in busy times for me too, but I hold onto the cardio as long as I can. For me it’s not schedule, it’s having enough daylight hours. I do cardio before it gets too dark, figuring I’ll do weights later, and then I’ll get a phone call and before I know it it’s bedtime. I need to say “I can’t talk now, I’ve gotta work out!” more often.
I am finally back - my father unexpectedly passed away on July4th and I took unexpected trip to Ukraine to console my Mom. I understood that now when I am the only relative she has left, it is very important to be together.
Trip was tiresome, unplanned and hard. I managed to meet some school friends whom I did not see for 10 years. All of them commented that I do not look like I have 3 kids - i actually noticed that many of them turned into overweight women, mostly divorsed and bitter about their life. Two of my friends however, even though they are divorsed are leading active life full of friends, trips, exercise... It was shocking experience and I realized that looking good also means feeling good or wise versa.
Now I am back, weight stayed the same even though I ate sporadically and mostly unhealthy, but obviously I was stressed enough not to gain. On the way back I got indigestion from airplane food and i still suffer - I decided to start exercise tomorrow after I get proper night sleep (I am still jet lagged).
Sandy - I'm so very sorry to hear about your father. I'm sure that you being able to travel back home meant the world to your mom. Get a good night's sleep (or a few).
Sandy - I am sorry about your Dad. I know it is hard and I'm glad you got to go and spend some time with your Mom. Now, get some rest and give yourself the loving and pampering you need. We will be here, encouraging you each good workout and food choice along the way, and reminding you not to beat yourself up for the poor ones. You need to take care of your heart as well as your body. *hugs*
Sandy, I'm so sorry for your loss. Be sure to take care of yourself during this difficult time. Megan, sorry to hear about the storm, but it seems like you really ended up dealing with it in a positive way.
Warning: Pregnant rantings ahead! Avert your eyes if needed:
I do not understand pregnancy. After my big success of last week, knocking off an average of 500 cal/day (that's a pound a week of fat being deposited directly on this mom-to-be's butt, yes I had that much to spare), my weight gain stabilized to something reasonable for about a week, but now I'm gaining weight at exactly the same rate I was before. There is no more to cut without worrying about the kid's nutritional base! So apparently I'm on track for the great 60 lb pregnancy. As if I don't have enough to worry about already. I know I'm whining, but I'm SO frustrated. My body has been hijacked by some inexplicable chemical/hormonal dance, and I just can't seem to do anything right. I know many of you have had pregnancy gains like this, and gotten back down to maintainer status afterword, and the support you've given me so far has been tremendous. Thank you so much--I'm hanging on to that right now. I so much want to be a good example for my daughter, especially if she got my fat genes, and I just feel like I'm failing us both. And somewhere deep down, I know I'm being sort of irrational about all this, and it really isn't THAT big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it is really getting to me.
Anyway, looks like I found decent day care today and got us on the waiting list for January when I go back to work. The rains have also started here, thank goodness, so maybe some of this heat induced frustration/discomfort will ease off a bit too.
Sorry for all the whining and self-absorption, but basically I don't know anybody outside this group that understands the trauma and commitment needed to lose big weight and maintain it, and I'm just needing some friends as the current washes me away.
I yet to meet rational pregnant woman! Save those posts and read them year after baby is born - you will have a good laugh!
Don't worry - we are here listening to you, most of us been there and we totally understand your problems. Also, some women just gain way too much during pregnancy, and it is up to you and your body to get rid of it. Note that it will not melt down all by itself, that it takes about 2 years after giving birth to be where you were before! So do not worry - it will all solve either by itself or with your help
Sandy, I hope you are doing well. It is hard enough to lose someone we love much less so unexpectedly. It is wonderful that you were able to be with your mom - I am sure it made things much easier on both of you to be together.
Anne, rant all you want to. Most of us have been there and understand how frustrating it can be when those hormones make everything go haywire. I suppose I was lucky when I was pregnant with Jake and Addie. I gained plenty of weight but my stomach was so huge that I couldn't see the scale and just closed my eyes at the doctor's office. Plus, when your belly is as big as mine was (they were a little over 7 pounds each) the rest of your body looks so small that I was very happily in denial. It wasn't until after they were born and I saw pictures of myself during the last month or so that I had a little perspective on my size. Not to mention that I spent the last 4 months on bedrest - I came home from the hospital and could have passed for a big bowl of Jello. Motivating myself to get back into shape was a long hard process. I knew I had to do something when I ran into an old friend (who knew the "thin" me) and I made the excuse of having twins for being so fat. I was horrified when she asked me how old they were and I had to say, "Ummm, 4". It was then that I realized I the only reason I was fat was becuase I was sitting on my rear all day and had nothing to do with having had three children. I guess my point is that by being aware of your eating and activity now you are already ahead of the game for bouncing back once your baby is born. You seem so determined to keep what you've worked so hard for that I am sure you'll do fine.
I was wondering if the "new" ever wears off once your new weight stabilizes and your healthier lifestyle becomes second nature. Last night I made cookies for the kids. I had one and logged into fitday. I WANTED another one but didn't think twice about NOT getting it. While I was trying to go to sleep I realized how easy that had been - no little devil on my shoulder arguing with me. It occured to me how unnatural that feels for me - making the right food choices I mean. I feel the same way when I eat just enough to be satisfied as opposed to eating until I'm full. I don't like to feel full anymore but it still seems strange to prefer being satisfied. So, does the "new" ever wear off - and do I want it to? I suppose some of the awkward feelings are what keep me aware of what I am putting in my mouth. I assume it would be pretty easy to slip off track if these habits become so routine that I don't think about them at all. It seems to me, though, that in the near future I'll have to make a point to pay attention.
Step class is calling. I hope you all are having a wonderful week.
Sandy -- my condolences, I hope you and your mom are doing well...
Anne -- Sandy is absolutely right pregnant women are NOT rationale ... I compared being pregnant to having PMS for 9 straight months. Don't worry about your weight gain, I know that you are so conscious of your nutrition and all will get into place when the baby arrives.... When I look at pics from my 2nd pregnancy ,( it cracks me up as I am thinking of it, ) I looked like Frankenstein !! Honest I had VERY short hair and it was standing on end (that was the style then, don't laugh, I can hear you guys ) and I had no neck, just one big lunk head ... OMG I should post that pic I have, it would make you feel sooo much better... AND to top things off I had the WORSE pregnancy mask any of the nurses at the hospital had ever seen!! They would come into my room and their eyes would just go to the spots on my face and the would exclaim ''O M G , I've never see a mask that bad !!'' THANKS a of a LOT nurse!! I think of it now and I laugh BUT I tell ya it wasn't funny then!! So take lots of pics and get a good laugh in a few years.... Hang in there girl!! And come back and whine any ole time....
Maintainers - Week of July 18 - 24
How did the old one go by so fast, I’m asking myself? 
This summer is just zooming by! DH and I aren’t planning on any summer vacations since we have a few things going on in the fall, but a lot of my clients will be away for various weeks in August, so fingers crossed that things may lighten up a bit. Who’s going on vacation this summer?
Congratulations to Elana on her son’s Bar Mitzvah and bigger congrats on losing weight through the process (love the pale green hair 
) She posted some wise words about maintenance – about it being a l-o-n-g process and how strength workouts and positive self-talk keep you strong.
) as it always was, but the workouts have gone from five a week to two or three or so. But I only had two appointments yesterday morning (haven’t figured out how to take an entire day off yet!) and went back in the afternoon to work out. And I had the old spark back! I felt like just a member again and had a terrific workout … and it just made me feel so good and strong and empowered. All cliché words, but all so true. There’s just something about pushing yourself a little harder than you thought and achieving something you thought was impossible that makes you realize that we are so much stronger and more capable than we give ourselves credit for!!
Hurray for loud and mindless rock music! 
So why would I do it?? Obviously I'm not a good candidate. How exciting for you 
Do you have a pool you can stand in for the next two months? I spent the last two months of my second pregnancy either floating or leisurely swimming slow laps with my September baby. I even just stood in the water reading sometimes.
Sandy - I'm so very sorry to hear about your father. I'm sure that you being able to travel back home meant the world to your mom. Get a good night's sleep (or a few). 
... OMG I should post that pic I have, it would make you feel sooo much better... AND to top things off I had the WORSE pregnancy mask any of the nurses at the hospital had ever seen!! They would come into my room and their eyes would just go to the spots on my face and the would exclaim ''O M G , I've never see a mask that bad !!'' THANKS a 
of a LOT nurse!! I think of it now and I laugh BUT I tell ya it wasn't funny then!! So take lots of pics and get a good laugh in a few years.... Hang in there girl!! And come back and whine any ole time....
