Weight Loss Tracker

Thursday, October 29, 2009

I'm feeling like a natural woman...

You know what I love about being a woman? Okay, there are a few things, but one of the great bonuses of being female is the curves. Not the curves of my excess weight, but the natural curve of the hips and chest.

I have gotten into the habit recently of standing with my hands on my hips, because it is so exciting to me to have a waist again! For so long all I had was rolls of fat at different heights. But this is great. I feel more confident and capable, like a super woman! (Now all I need is a phone booth and a bodysuit/cape...on second thought...hold the body suit...not enough confidence for that yet:)

You know what else is great? My WEIGHT!

ahem.

I now weigh 211lbs.

211lbs! Or, in caps, @!!LBS! (1 more pound until I get 2 new DVDs...dare I start thinking about which ones I will get?)

In the past week of losing 4 pounds, I have had food poisoning and a cold, so circumstances were not primed for eating a lot, but wow. I feel like I am constantly (happily) surprised at weigh-ins. Every week I wait for something to go wrong. I step on the scale dreading a higher number.

And then I see results. Results for the hard work I am putting in. Results for bashing through the excuses, choosing to move, and moderate eating. These results are fueling my journey, and will hopefully inspire me when I hit plateaus. So here is to green tea with honey, rainy days, long walks with my dog, and curves!

Being Sick
Last Thursday I got intense food- poisoning. The next 24 hours were an unexpected detox that left me a little weak. Saturday I felt great again, and was able to do a workout at the gym that went something like this: 20min fast walking on the treadmill, then 15 min on the StairMaster, then 15 min on the reclining bike. ( intense, right? I'm calling it my mini-trinity:)

But Sunday I woke up with a sore throat (after a night of drinking with my brother and sister:). That sore throat steadily progressed into a cough/cold that kept my home from work for a day, and has me a little tired.

Now, the problem is, what do you do about working out and eating when you are sick? Most of my exercise lately has been dog walks of 1-3miles long. I take it at my own pace and slow down when I get tired.

When I get sick though, I crave not-so-healthy food. So I have had some M&Ms, ice cream, chips (gasp!), and some bigger meal portions than necessary. (I also made Moroccan Chicken Pot Pie! I love it so much, but the crust is butter and flour times one billion! Oh well...it tastes like moroccan air:)

What's funny is that I was feeling down about some of my food choices, and then I realized that my choices now are still SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE CHOICES I WOULD HAVE MADE 2 MONTHS AGO.

I forget how far I have come (33lbs, to be exact). I am not perfect. I am a work in progress. Aren't we all?

GOALS
1) Fergie Work-out....I don't know if I can last a full hour at a 15% on the treadmill, but I am going for 30 minutes.

2)Add 5 minutes to every workout....it's like doing an extra exercise session every week! This might mean extending my cardio, but I might also take that time to fit in some extra abs time, or try the rowing machine again. Try this out yourself, and let me know how it goes!

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." -Maya Angelou

5 comments:

  1. Jess I think the best answer to what to do about workouts when you are sick is not to do them. Your body needs rest when you are ill so it can focus on fighting the ailment. The best remedy is rest, relaxation and lots of healthy food like vegetables and whole grains. I know the feeling of wanting comfort food so why not make a healthy version of, I dunno, mac and cheese by adding in some tasty vegetables, using whole grain pasta and low fat cheese?

    Anyway, good for you for all you accomplishments and the latest weight loss. You are doing great!!!!!!

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  2. Here is what I have heard from my personal trainer about working out when you are sick: if the ailment is above the neck (so to speak because you wouldn't work out with a head injury or if your eyeball fell out etc) ie head colds or a headache, while it might not be enjoyable to work out, your body can still handle it and it might actually make you feel better after. If it's below the neck ie stomach problems like food poisoning, Or the flu, overworked muscles, cramps, etc, you should take the day off to let yourself heal. Don't know how much stock you should put in that but it seemed to help me let myself rest if I was really ill but also make myself get up and go when it was easy to find an excuse such as being too sick to move. Congrats on the 211!! You are doing such a fantastic job!

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  3. YES!!! Good for you to set goals and 5 min to each workout is a lot...that will make a huge difference!! Kudos on loving curves and waists and your weight. What a great post. I hope that your on the mend from your sickness--food poisoning is SO horrible. Hugs!

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  4. Jess, this is insanely amazing. i am so proud of you - and incredibly inspired. i'm still trying to be careful with eating/not-eating, but this really has inspired me to get more serious about my yoga and pilates and maybe even dream about being a yoga instructor someday.
    i think you're amazing. and reading this is one of the highlights of my week.
    love you beautiful woman :)

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  5. I'm so sorry that you've been sick- but so proud of you for your loss! How fabulous!!! I would most definitely start thinking about what DVDs to get!

    I too get on the scale expecting a gain, every single week. The only thing that gets me on the scale is sheer curiosity. When the results come, I feel surprised, no matter how well I've done that week. It's good to know that I'm not the only one!

    I personally think that not working out when you're sick is best. Just take the time to recover and start working out again when you really feel up to it. Congratulations again!!

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