Thursday, September 29, 2011

WW Weigh-In, Week 30

Weight: 133.5
Mood: vindicated

Now that's more like it, and bears out my theory that last week's spike was fluid retention of some sort. It might have been because I was coming down with a nasty cold though (snotty nose, moving to chest congestion, but at least it's improving to a degree), because "our little friend" still hasn't shown up after 59 days as of today, which makes this officially the longest I've gone without. I'd be dancing in the streets if it weren't for the other concerns. Oh well, repeat ultrasound is tomorrow so I'll have something more concrete soon. Yay!

Average daily caloric intake over the week was right at 1300 calories. I had a higher calorie day on Saturday because Choreboy and I went out to dinner at the local "We Try To Serve Cajun Food And Don't Do It Too Badly (But It's Still Not Real Jambalaya)" restaurant, and I didn't hold back. The chocolate bread pudding was awesome, by the way. After that higher calorie day is when the cold finally hit (in fact I was getting stuffy nosed at dinner which was decidedly unfun) and since I couldn't work out I kept my intake around 1200 a day. So it all evened out and resulted in a loss. Yes!

I also realized that my exercise wasn't as intense as I thought it was. I ended up joining the Jillian Michaels website and did two of her circuit training sessions before The Cold hit; holy crap, let me tell you, that's some serious stuff! The first one I was drooling and feeling ill... it wasn't pretty. The second one I felt only mildly less like death afterward. But I will note that it was an improvement. So the plan is to continue with her circuits 4 days a week, my own cardio on the 5th day (or at least I think it is -- I may have to clarify with my coach), and go from there.

That is, after I shake this chest congestion. Ick. My mother's just getting better after a lovely round of pneumonia, so my brain is naturally (for me) going into overdrive. Gotta love it. It's only sheer willpower that keeps me from another consult with Dr. Google.

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On another note, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who read and comment here. It makes me feel a bit less like a voice shouting in the wilderness, you know? I try to reply to all comments and it just doesn't happen some weeks, but I wanted you all to know that I really do appreciate that you take time out of your lives to come by and drop me a line.

Y'all seriously rock.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

WW Weigh-In, Week 29

Weight: 136.25
Mood: *snort*

Food intake for the week? Good. Daily caloric intake averaged 1364 for the week, which is right around my supposed BMR not accounting for any activity over basically breathing. Burned 2000 calories with cardio. Also lifted 3x this week. Water intake was superb -- minimum 64 ounces per day, most days over 100. Protein intake was excellent. All whole grain bread. Very little refined intake. Basically, it's what I did the two weeks prior when I lost weight. Perhaps even better on the water intake front.

With all this, I'd expect a loss. Just a teensy one, perhaps. Maybe drop down to 134? I'd even take maintaining. But NOOoooooooooo... instead I gained almost two pounds.

Tell me about the math, people. Oh do.

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Now that I've vented, most likely I'm dealing with more hormonal joy. As of today it's been 52 days since "that special time" showed up. And although this isn't the longest I've gone (58 days), it's long enough to definitely count as a "miss" since I usually run on a 26-day cycle. I still don't have any updates on the ovarian cyst. I don't even know the size of that sucker. Maybe it's growing? Could be. I have the repeat ultrasound on the 30th, so I should have some news within a week after that.

And because I'm a masochistic freak, I keep googling "ovarian cyst". Like that's going to do any good. All it does is make me flip through the boatload of errant information I've now got floating through my brain, worrying about causation, malignancy, potential abdominal scars... yes, from the legitimately worrisome (though unlikely) to the petty. I don't have any scars on my abdomen as of this time and I'd like to keep it that way, thankyouverymuch. Not that anyone much sees my gut, but still. It's the principle of the thing.

So what do I do now? I wait... at least until I get the ultrasound results back. And I contemplate joining Jillian Michaels' website. Or a gym. Or both. It may be time to shake things up a bit more.

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In other news, tonight is the Elder's Open House. Middle school, insufficient parking, zoo-like atmosphere, and no time to eat between work and the time it starts. The offspring will be munching granola bars, and I'm going to hope my afternoon apple-and-yogurt (Fage rocks, for the record) holds me over.

Pray for us.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

WW Weigh-In, Week 28

Weight: 134.5
Mood: I feel like Tim Conway's "Little Old Man" character...

Slow-moving much? I know, I know, it's going in the right direction. And yes, I'm definitely happy about that! Better down than up, even if it's only a quarter of a pound. That's a stick of butter. And at my weight, I'd better remember that. It all adds up. Although I will say that at this rate, the last five pounds might be off by January.

Of 2013.

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In other news (this is getting to be a pattern, no?) I've had some totally phenomenal non-scale-victories this week! For one thing, I ran an entire quarter mile straight. So it was on my treadmill, and in this realm of actual 5K runners -- forget marathoners -- I know that's not a big deal, but in my little "Amanda Tries Couch-to-5K and Develops Stress Fractures in Both Legs" world? It's freaking huge! In fact, running for distance seems to work better for me mentally than running against a clock does. Somehow, watching a distance-oriented goal approach enables me to run longer than staring at the stopwatch counting down.

And for the record, Ke$ha's "Blow" rocks for getting that energy back up right when I'm flagging. Yes, I'm 41 and listening to a girl who spells her name with a dollar sign in the middle of it. Voluntarily. You can't possibly be more shocked than I am.

For another NSV, I'd mentioned the other week that I moved up to 15 pound dumbbells. Well, I was feeling really pansy-ish for only being able to knock out 10 reps or so with them when I'd been able to do 15 reps with the 10 pound weights without much strain. So yesterday after I did my set of 10, I picked up my old 10-pound weights and they felt like feathers! Whereas before if I went much beyond 15 reps on those weights I was struggling for it, last night I was able to do 25 reps with good form. Hah!

That totally makes up for the fact that I scared myself when I was putting on makeup and saw the cuts at my bicep and deltoid. Or this morning when I was turning the steering wheel and a flexing muscle (my own) distracted me. My visual ADD-esque issues better not get me into a wreck. "What distracted me, officer? Well, see, my forearm muscles were flexing and..."

Yeah, that wouldn't be good.

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And if you'll let me indulge in a brief Mommy Brag moment, the Gum Zombie has tested into the gifted program at his elementary school. I am a combination of unsurprised, pleased, and mildly appalled. But mostly tickled pink. Yes, sadly my ego is partially tied in to the accomplishments of my spawn, even those as base as inborn intelligence. Actually, this has been slightly challenging to deal with as the Elder didn't qualify for the gifted program when he was the Gum Zombie's age, but Mr Problem Solver soothed his ego by reminding all of us (repeatedly) that he took the test at the beginning of second grade, whereas his little brother took it at the beginning of third, so obviously the child had an entire extra year to prepare himself.

The kid might have a point, actually, because the Elder is the child who figured out how to escape his crib at 19 months, and one month later worked out how to unzip the crib tent I'd installed over it to keep him confined. He's the child who built a ramp to climb over the gates I installed to keep him alive. He's the child who, when confined to his room for some misdeed or other at age three, decided he wanted out and since I had told him he couldn't come out the door, he worked out how to unlatch his window and had removed the screen and was carrying it into the hall to put it down when I caught him.

He's the child who caused me to utter the words "We don't use the ice dispenser as a toe-hold."*

Not gifted? My happy asterisk.

But all that said, I am truly tickled for the opportunities this will open for the Gum Zombie at his school. Hopefully he can be convinced to use his powers for good and not for evil. Because yesterday, Choreboy caught him doing flips off his elder brother's bed.

It runs in the family. There's a reason I purchase my haircolor.

*This involved Oreos and a Mommy who thought putting them on the side of the fridge top AWAY from the counter would keep a determined child out of them. Silly, silly Mommy!

Thursday, September 08, 2011

WW Weigh-In, Week 27

Weigh-in: 134.75
Mood: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

Looking at my sidebar, my enthusiasm is perhaps a little more tempered than my mood above would indicate. It's been seven weeks since I was last below 136, and that 7 weeks included a spike up to 138, so in light of the hormonal insanity that rules my life I'm going to try not to hold my breath for a repeat of this downward motion next week.

Operative word: try. Because in spite of reality staring me in the face, I am still so psyched! I haven't been this weight since I was in my early twenties, albeit on the way up the scale. My calories for the week averaged again in the mid 1400's -- 1430 this time -- and that includes Labor Day when I was viciously attacked by a casserole dish filled with cookie dough and cream cheese.

In my own kitchen.

Oops.

Obviously I won the encounter, although I did come away with a few... "injuries." Heh. But outside of the Labor Day festivities, the cookies and cream cheese bars were successfully off-limits, and the boys finished them off for me last night. Bless them, because I'm not sure how much longer I could have held out. Cookies and cakes are admittedly my Waterloo.

Food was good overall for the week, with moderation in place even on Labor Day. Exercise was also good edging toward awesome. Target was having a clearance sale on some of its exercise equipment last Saturday and I picked up a few resistance pieces while the boys scouted out the toys. I came away with two different resistance band options, one called a "Fit Stick" and one adjustable height fixed band device that is now attached to my door. I also picked up two variable weight dumbbells, which can weigh from five to twenty-five pounds depending on what setting is selected.

The Elder hijacked the Fit Stick and accompanying DVD. They disappeared into his room and in all probability won't be seen again until I next dare venture in there, which will likely be the twelfth of never as I value what is left of my sanity. The Gum Zombie and I tried out the door resistance bands on Saturday and although I did a light workout, the change in exercise actually worked out my hamstrings to the point where they were mildly offended. Score! I've also moved my weight up on the dumbbells from 10 to 15 lbs, and dropped my reps from 15 to 10 or 12. By the end of the second set of curls I'm definitely working for it.

I haven't tried out the upper body options on the door resistance yet, but that's in the works for Friday or Saturday.

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In more hormonal news, That Which Shall Not Be Named still hasn't shown up. We're now at Day 37. The record was set last August at 58 days, so we'll see how this one goes. My back is aching in PMSsy-fashion, but it could be due to the fibroid or the ovarian cyst so that's possibly a complete non-sign of anything significant. On the other hand I'm still moodier than blazes, which is so freaking fair to Choreboy. Poor man. There's a reason he's listed as "tolerant" in my sidebar! Fortunately we're good at talking over things, and I'm not always in full-on lunatic mode which is A Very Good Thing.

I'm also not craving chocolate at the moment, so I'm going to run with my good eating streak and see where it takes me. September 15th, I'm looking at you!

Enough with this "peri"menopause. Just freaking pause already and we'll be good.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

WW Weigh-In, Week 26

Weigh-In: 136.5
Mood: Exasperated

Can we discuss saintly here, ladies and gentlemen? Because I was. I baked and cooked nothing inappropriate. I ate nothing inappropriate. My calories averaged at 1450 a day, and I burned through over 2000 in exercise this week. I'm not expecting speedy weight loss at my current weight and proximity to goal, but at least a vague gesture in the correct direction on the scale would be appreciated.

Bueller? Bueller?

Adding insult to injury, That Which Shall Not Be Named was supposed to show up last Saturday, the 27th. Has it bothered to rear its unwelcome head? No it has not. So here I sit at thirty-one days and counting, bloated and seething with hormonal angsty-ragey ick, glaring at the scale, and wondering if there are enough absorbent products in the Lower 48 to contain the monsoon that will surely be incoming. It's only a question of when.

It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the ridiculous moodiness which has now extended far beyond its "welcome" (assuming there ever was any). For example, last night I was trying to delete a corrupted audiobook file from my iPad. In my understanding, Apple products are supposed to be all user-friendly and even close to idiot-proof, so this shouldn't have been terribly difficult. Well I'm here to tell you I'm one idiot they haven't met. I searched the web for instructions. I followed them to a "T". Nothing. I was only rescued from chucking both my desktop and tablet out the window by Choreboy who, through a complex series of gestures and incantations, was able to make the problem go away.

When he suggested I just let him fix these things before I reached the boiling point, I wailed "But I was trying to be a grown-up!"

After recovering from a mysterious coughing/choking fit, he responded, "Uhm... you weren't doing a very good job of it?"

Then for some reason, he ducked.

Humph.

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In other news, the forced marches continue to go well. The last two hikes this past Saturday and Sunday didn't net us any gator sightings (thank goodness), but the Gum Zombie regaled us with his knowledge of birds ("Oh yes, that's a juvenile glossy ibis") and the Elder managed to develop some sort of allergy to grass.

We're now stockpiling Benadryl.

I moved up from my little leather "going to a theme park and want to keep my hands free" backpack to my actual, real, orangey-rust-colored "I need room to carry a lake's worth of water with me" backpack. This was necessary, because the previous week I'd run out of water before we finished our hike and it was only my forethought in packing an emergency backup can of Diet Coke that kept me from being totally parched for the last 20 minutes. So I'm now carrying not only a larger water container in the first place, but also 3 backup bottles to refill the first one, and a container or two of coconut water to round out my re-hydration sequence.

Saturday's hike was at the same nature preserve as the previous week's, but Sunday we hit the park with the fitness trail and it took until Wednesday evening for me to be able to move comfortably again. Did you know, you have muscles over your ribs? And if you work them after not knowing they existed for over forty years, those suckers hurt! Go figure.

On the plus side, now I have two measurable goals that don't depend on a scale: "be able to do ONE pull-up" and "be able to do ONE slightly-more-horizontal push-up". Because my upper body strength is pitiful.

At least I get to go swimming on Monday, and I get to show off my new bathing suit. Heh. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everyone!