Subsituting · my · own · reality

last thursday i went and saw deb again to do a body comp. i probably shouldn't have waited so long, but up until this summer i really hadn't made good progress with working out. since mid may i've been doing this martial arts class, which is what's really helping i think. i'll post the numbers here, along with how that's changed since the last one.

height: 5'4" no change, obviously
weight: 163 lb -6.5 lbs
body comp: 19.7% -3.3%
bust: 41" still boobzilla
waist: 38.5" -1"
hips: 44.25" -1.25"
thighs: 23.25" +1.25"
calves: 13.75" +0.25"

overall, it's a success in losing everywhere except my legs. thankfully though it's all muscle in my legs. i'm really down to my core area that i'd like to lose in. flaten it out a bit more. otherwise, i'm feeling pretty good about everything. i start scuba in a week, and with teaching i'm not sure how the training will continue as i teach at the exact same time as training. most nights are short labs and i should be able to make it over for half the class. we'll see though. all right, time to get to work. hasta pasta.

so it's been 9 weeks (and maybe a little more) since i last updated this. life, once again, got in the way. i spent a week in oregon at the end of march/beginning of april. it was filled with walking/hiking for the better part of 5 days. i'm not sure it helped with the weight loss as at least one meal a day was horribly awful for me (usually dinner).

my abillity to get to the gym and/or exercise in general has been tough. i've been trying to run or walk 2 days a week this month. i made that goal the first week and part of the second. i have started training with my bf's bujin kan class. 2 nights last week, 1 so far this week possibly 2. i'm all kinds of sore/bruised from it.

nothing seems to have changed. my size and weight have remained constant over the weeks/months. i'm down to the size i always said i'd be happy with when i was a 16 almost 18. now that i'm here i keep thinking "just a little more". mostly i want to feel healthy and maintain where i'm at. some weeks i get this and some weeks i don't. but it's all part of the process right? ok, i need to head out. hasta pasta.

so i got to the gym 3 times only one week in february. for march, i'm just going to make the goal to exercise 3 times a week. not necessarily at the gym.

last week i hit the gym on monday, and then did ab work thursday while babysitting and sunday while at home.

so far this week, i did a 25 minute run/walk (20 min of running interspersed with about 5 minutes of walking). today my quads are hurting from it. i had wanted to do some ab work, but there was a class going on and i had to get to my midterm as well. i'm thinking of going over there early and getting some done.

i'm on week 3 of no red meat. i have my days when i crave a greasy, nasty fast food burger. but i take a couple deep breaths and it passes. it does reduce the number of options for food though.

again, just for shits and giggles i jumped on the scale yesterday after my run. shock upon shock, i've dropped another 2 pounds! i just keep rolling along =)

that's about it from here for now.

so two weeks ago (first week of february) i only got to the gym twice. last week, not at all. my excuse for that is back/hip problems. last monday my hip started bothering me, it actually felt like it was a little out of place. and it wasn't until about thursday that it started feeling better.

yesterday i made it to the gym for about an hour. i did the weight loss program on the cross trainer, which is 28 minutes. then i did my usual 3 reps of dips and pull ups. no stability ball, but i did do 3 reps with the medicine ball. today i plan to leave so i can hit the intermediate yoga class.

i jumped on the scale after i got done yesterday, just for shits and giggles. i wasn't expecting any changes since my work out routine wasn't spectacular. as it turns out i'm down a pound since two weeks ago. this means that my diet is helping. i've got one more week of getting to eat red meat. then i'm done with it until easter. so we'll see how things progress between now and then.

weigh in: 166.5

yesterday i finally got myself into the gym (as mentioned in my post from yesterday). i did my usual 20 minutes on the cross trainer. then i did assisted pull ups and dips. after that was what is making me hurt now. i decided that i needed to focus on my mid-section. so i did a set of crunches on the stability ball, both regular up/down and with added twist. then i decided to get do a little medicine ball work. holy cow my upper abs HURT!! all i did was sit in boat pose and twist from side to side. this will definitely take a few days to recover from.... owie... and of course to top it all off, it's my week off my pills so my back is killing me too. good thing i have pain meds to make me happy again.

my goal for the month of february is to make it to the gym/work out at least 3 times a week. today is my first day that i've been able to hit the gym this week. out of curiosity, after doing my run and weights i jumped on the scale.

weigh in = 167.5 lb

i'm actually down about 2 lb in the last 2 weeks. not half bad considering that about all i've done work out wise was today and yoga last tuesday. i had to laugh a little bit when the gym worker (one of my students) suggested i use the other scale which is "nicer to women". my response was "you mean the scale that isn't calibrated properly?" i'd rather know up front whati really weigh, rather than thinking i weigh less than i do.

all right, i'd better go hang out in the lab and start getting things ready for tonight. hasta pasta.

so i met with deb today to do a body composition. we did the whole shebang. here are the numbers.

height: 5'4"
weight: 169.5
body comp: 23%
bust: 41"
waist: 39.5"
hips: 45.5"
thighs: 22"
calves: 13.5"

i was quite surprised to know that my body comp was 23%. this is actually on the upper edge of the good range, exactly where i should/want to be. i want to say that when we did this for my health and fitness i was around 29%, but i can't remember.

today i did just 20 minutes on the cross trainer. and then i ended up taking cadee on a walk around the neighborhood which ended up being almost an hour long. so i definitely got my cardio in today.

deb has invited me to come to her classes during the week. so i think that mondays i will do step in the mornings and wednesday will be yoga. other days i'm not sure of yet. so we'll see how the first couple weeks go. that's about it for now. so i'm off. hasta pasta.

with a little luck, i was able to get to the gym today before it closed. they are running shorter hours because of the break. i was very excited to find that we now have 2 cross trainer machines! i fell in love with them while in CS and was sad that i wouldn't have them here. but i do! i did 20 minutes, and then did upper body (assisted pull ups and dips).

tomorrow i am going to do the same, except lower body instead of upper body. also, i am going to meet with deb to have her do a body fat percent on me. for someone of my height (5'4" if i stretch up tall) and weight (169.5 today), bmi is really not a vaild indicator of my over all health. with those stats, bmi says that i'm just shy of being obese (so not true). to be a healthy weight, i'd have to get down to at least 145. a feat i'm not sure will ever happen, but gosh it would be nice. i feel like body fat percent will be a better measure of my over all weight health. i just think it would be nice to know where i'm at, either way.

ok, got lots to do tomorrow. i'm off. hasta pasta.

i always seem to get caught up so much in the holidays that i forget to update this. i pretty much took a hiatus after thanksgiving on going to the rec. a combination of trying to wrap up the lab i taught, and my own class, and moving everything (lab and personal alike) back to the island. since i've been back i've maybe worked out once at home. i'm hoping that tomorrow i can hit the gym in the early afternoon. i just keep waiting for things to even out. i know i need to just suck it up and go. also, it'll give me a chance to talk with deb about doing a body fat percentage.

i did get a compliment from my uncle at christmas. he asked if i had lost weight. i said more like i've been shifting from fat weight to muscle weight. it always makes me feel better when people notice the work i've been doing. lately though, i feel "ugh" about things. this is how i know i need to get started again. my roommate dadslilaggie07 is starting a workout/diet regimen. so hopefully that'll help me too.

i know that lent is still a month away, but i'm seriously thinking about what i want to give up this year. i'm leaning towards red meat. i don't really eat much of it to begin with, and i can just switch out buying ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. i'm going to think it over and see what decision i come to. ok, i'm off to get ready for tomorrow. hasta pasta.

since the cold weather has set in (boo), i've had to go recover some old clothes to wear. mainly long sleeve shirts. i haven't really updated my winter wardrobe in years. maybe that's what i'll do with some of my christmas money. invest in some good winter clothes. any whoo, most of my shirts are way too big. it makes me feel really good to know that i'm no longer so big. i think what really helped it all to sink in was putting on my varsity jacket from high school. back when i got it, it was just about the right size. perhaps a little big in the sleeves. now, it swallows me up every time i wear it. it's so big now in all the places that it used to be almost too tight. crazy thing is, now i weigh more than i did back then. however, it's mostly muscle now as opposed to fat (i think).

i think exhaustion is taking it's toll on me, that or i'm coming down with something. i could barely make it thru 15 minutes on the cross trainer. then i did one rep of chin ups and dips before i started feeling funny. so i stopped and called it a day. upon getting back to my office i fell asleep while waiting on the computer to load. and lately i've been having problems with thermoregulation. like i'll be hot and cold at the same time. i think that i will take the next couple days to rest up and see how i feel this weekend.

i'm thinking that in january, after we get resettled back on the island i will see if deb can do a body fat percent count for me. i would really like to have my old numbers from back when i took health and fitness 4 years ago to compare, but it would still be nice to know what my stats are now.

oh man, am i hungry right now. but i'm supposed to have a student coming in like 10 minutes to take a make up exam, and it would take me 10 minutes just to get somewhere to get something to munch on. bah! all right. i'm off.

today i was on my own for working out. so i figured that i would see if my time for running a mile had improved. i actually got to use my iphone to time it, yay accuracy! i clocked in at 10:51, about a 40 second improvement from a few weeks ago. i was quite shocked to see that improvement.

weekly weigh in = 165 lb

i went ahead a rounded down. i was borderline, so i figured i'd give myself the benefit of the doubt. things are still progressing, which is what i like to see. i'm 25% closer to my goal weight. i've had more incentive to lose the weight. in the past week or so my maternal instincts have been kicking in. i find myself laying my arm across my stomach and then catch myself after a second. i know that i'm not preggers, but somedays i feel like it! this is just fuel to the fire to keep me going. hopefully it'll start disappearing soon.

weekly weigh in = 166

i'm thrilled to see that my hard work is finally paying off. perhaps if i can keep it up, i'll be half way there by Christmas. i talked with my roommate about keeping up once i get to finally return home. she and the other person in her "family" are going to let me join their family plan at total fitness. it should be cheaper for all of us that way. i bought some weight training gloves the other night. they are wonderful. they keep my hands from getting all torn up while working on the machines or doing free weights. ok, i'm gonna jet off.

chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug

weekly weigh in: 167

i was actually quite surprised to see that i'd dropped a pound in the last week. seems like i'm finally cresting over that equilibrium point. nothing new to say really. i'm past the point of being sore. now most of the time it might get a little discomforting while i do the work, but it goes away quickly after. i'm starting to notice little things. like how i have more endurance or don't sweat as much. my body is still adjusting though and so i'm trying to slowly introduce more weight or newer challenges. we'll see if i can make my goal by the end of the year.

another week down of hitting the rec regularly with thedaoinesidhe. saturday was spent tearing up hardwood flooring for 5.5 hours. i was in pain all down my back side from my shoulders to my knees. sunday i spent probably 6 some hours tooling around the renaissance festival with my boy.

got back to the rec yesterday. back to doing cardio and alternating upper and lower body. for the upper body i've switched to assisted dips and pull ups to help better tone my body (and makes me feel better about progress). today i jumped on the scale. and as you'll note my train seems to have stalled out. this can only mean one thing: i am replacing my fat with muscle at an equal rate of one to one. it's very exciting.

weekly weigh in = 168 lb

thedaoinesidhe determined today that i probably have 0% body fat in my legs, especially below my knee. perhaps i should post some pics of my excellent specimen of a gastrocnemius. she said that when i do calf raises she can actually see the heads of the muscle. kinda creepy. my arms also look more toned again, and i'm starting to develop a more hour-glass shape. it's minimal progress, but progress none the less. ok, need to go. hasta pasta.

weekly weigh in: 168

this week was a lot rougher than i thought it was going to be. work kept me pretty busy. only logged 3 days in the rec. tuesday we did cardio and lower body pilates workout. wednesday we did cardio and upper body (using the assisted chin ups and dips). once again, my pecs were hurting from doing upper body work. since i've been extra busy (and consequently tiring) i cut out yesterday and today. although to make up for today i took ranger for a walk around the neighborhood.

tomorrow i'm heading to the island for relief work. it's the one time that i can go help right now. then sunday i'll be going to ren fest with the boy. so i'll be doing physical labor. obviously there's been no change in my weight. which i'm taking as good as that i'm building muscle while working out. ok, i need to go grab a shower and pack up for tomorrow. hasta pasta.

so thedaoinesidhe and i did our one mile run on the track this morning. i clocked in (best i can estimate after the clock left my sight) that i ran my mile in 11:30. the way the indoor track is set up a mile is approximately 4.5 laps around the track. well that last half ends on the backside of the track. and there happens to be a whole slew of rooms in the middle of the track. so i can only guess that the final few yards only took half a minute.

with weights, i uped my weight and lessened my reps to get me used to doing more weight. hopefully by next week i can increase the reps. the good news is that i'm not sore anymore. this means that my muscles are getting used to the work that i'm giving them. tomorrow is weigh in day. we'll see if i've dropped anymore weight in the past week. that's about it from here.

well, we took a pass on wednesday. instead i fell asleep at my desk for an hour or so. yesterday was cardio and lower body. today i went in and did only cardio. i'm feeling better about what i've been doing. so hopefully next week i can start upping the weights.

thedaoinesidhe and i have decided to not only track our weight loss, but also our endurance. every monday we will go run a mile on the indoor track and see how our times change each week. right now i'm averaging around a 13 minute mile. this is what i ran back in july for the 5k and what i've been doing on the cross trainer. however, i run differently on the cross trainer than i do on a track. so we'll see.

all right, i'm gonna take off. i will update again next week.

weekly weigh in: 168

i first weighed myself last thursday, i'm using that as my starting weight. it went up initially as i thought from a few weeks prior. now i'm losing. 2 pounds in 5 days is pretty good. let's hope i can keep it up.

my muscles aren't so sore today. it was hard to do some of my reps. my left pec hurts much more than my right pec. i took down the weight so i wouldn't strain it. tomorrow we're doing lower body and thursday will be upper body again. friday will be strictly cardio.

i'm so thankful for my workout partner thedaoinesidhe. she's been great, getting up so we can be at the rec first thing in the morning. i don't know what i'll do when i don't have her around anymore. hopefully by then i will be self sufficient at going. ok, i'm off to be a bum.

so last week my co-worker and i decided to make the best of our situation. being on the main campus, we have access to the rec center. so we've been trying to go in the mornings, around 8 am, to work out. sadly i only got in there 2 days this last week. one day we did cardio and upper body, the other day was cardio and lower body. tragically my pecs are still sore and i my left hip feels a bit weird.

hopefully after this next week will be more on track. this week has been crazy because of my birthday being tomorrow and some other events going on. our goal is to be "slim and trim" by december. my weight hasn't changed much, gone up slightly which is expected at the start of weight training. ok, that's about it on the work-out front. i'll keep updating as things go.

wow, i didn't realize how long it had been since i'd posted here.

i haven't had much time to really workout in the last few months. i was working 2 jobs during the summer and taking class. i did run the volkslaufe in michigan over the 4th of july. i ran the 5k in 38:16. it was about a 5 minute improvement from the last time i'd run it. i was proud of myself.

just when i thought i'd be able to get going on a routine with a coworker, hurricane ike ruined that. i've now been displaced for just about a week and a half. i can barely make it from day to day trying to figure out what's going to happen.

there really hasn't been much change in things. still the same sizes and what not. i don't know what's too come in the next weeks. we shall see.