It’s all up to me

I LOVE the treadclimber.  My foot seemed to recover fine from it yesterday so I gave it a whirl again today after about 15 minutes on the weigh circuit and instead of just hopping on I actually programmed my weight into the machine.  In 20 minutes I burned 370 calories!!!  And it wasn’t hard!  Knowing that I couldn’t bring myself to move to the bike so I did 20 more and then finished w/15 on the bike.  I’ll have to be careful that I don’t get burned on on it but for now I could walk on it forever.  It honestly feels easier than the treadmill, don’t ask me why.

Also, I needed to burn a few extra calories b/c lunch was definitely off program.  I called my hubby and met him and my older son at Perkins, fully planning to have a yummy salad.  But when we arrived, my favorite sandwich was on special (chicken tender melt) w/a piece of PIE!!!  Pie is my weakness.  I went back and forth for a minute or two and then realized that food shouldn’t make me feel guilty.  If I want the damn sandwich and pie then I should order it.  I knew I was going to workout this afternoon and in all honesty I missed both snacks today (probably why I was so hungry at lunch) so all in all I may not have been over my calorie limit by too much.  I loved it, it was worth it and if I had it to do all over again I’d order the same thing.

School is still crazy, I don’t think I’ll ever feel ready.  Here I thought I would have time to spare and I’m further behind than just about any other year.  There are a couple of teachers who are in their 1st year of teaching classes that I have taught so I have spent most of my time helping them get ready.  And then I spent 2 hours in a meeting that could have been honestly completed in about 15 if everyone would have just shut up and listened.  Teachers are honestly the worst students.

Progress toward workout goal:  33/250

Today was the 1st day back to school and although I can’t honestly say I’d prefer to be at school than at the pool it’s nice to see the other teachers.  Fortunately we have inservice through Friday so this 1st week is all adult-stuff and then next week we can focus on the kids.  A friend of mine in a different district started yesterday and gets kids on Thursday.  Too overwhelming.

School was fine, a lot of talking and hanging up posters.  I can’t focus on any lesson planning until I have my room physically ready to go so that was my goal for today.  Mission accomplished.

Then after school I started my 1st day of working out after school.  My doc yesterday gave me the green light to gradually resume regular activities w/my heel so I decided to try 20 minutes on the treadclimber and then 45 minutes on the bike.  So far, no pain.  I think the true test will come tomorrow morning.

I also decided to do a quick 10 minute pilates workout every morning.  I have a variety of different workouts.  It’s not the calories burned that will be effective, just the fact that I started my day off w/exercise.  It should keep me honest w/food. 

Tonight we have a meeting for my older son’s school so I have to go.  Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have more time.

Progress toward workout goal:  32/250

I got back on the workout wagon after basically 1 1/2 weeks away and I am one hurtin’ unit.  It’s like after any really bad hangover, you vow to never do it again.  Well, right now I vow to never take that long away from working out and eating healthy again.  I did my favorite TJ workout and even though it generally makes me sweat, I have fun while I’m doing it.  Today, I felt sluggish and confused by the routines.  I even skipped 2 of the less-intense parts just b/c I wasn’t into doing them.  I still worked out for 35-40 minutes so I feel ok about it, but it’s amazing how quickly your fitness level can drop.

Today is the last day of summer vacation but I suppose I’m ready to go back.  What choice do I have, right???  This morning I see my doctor about my foot, I’m hoping he’ll say I can start using the treadclimber.  Then I have to cut the grass and then I’m going to the pool by myself.  My hubby is taking our older son fishing so he won’t even notice that I’m gone.

I’m also a bit nervous b/c last year on the last day of summer vacation is the day that our younger son had his big seizure and nearly died.  He was in the PICU for 5 days and on life support for a while.  Logically, I know that he won’t have another life-threatening episode today just b/c it’s the last day of summer break, but emotionally I’m a wreck.  My hubby and I had a fight yesterday and I think that the emotions leading up to today had something to do with it.  We talked through everything, and it was a talk that we needed to have anyway, but yesterday was miserable.  On top of it, I stupidly enjoyed the “last day before the diet” binge.  On the way to pick up ice cream at this gourmet place that we love, I stopped at a gas station and picked up 2 Little Debbies and slammed those down before I got home.  And gee, then I wondered why I had such a huge headache all night?

Progress toward workout goal:  31/250

Obviously I couldn’t figure out how to upload pics.  Everytime I’d try it would say it was too big and neither my hubby or I could figure out how to crunch the photos.  I’ll keep working on it

Yesterday was decent food-wise, at least compared to what I was eating on vacation.  Today I’m going to strive for lots of fruits and veggies b/c those have been lacking.  I can tell already that my body has started to get cushier from not exercising so I’m excited to get back to it.  If the baby takes a good nap today I’ll lift weights but if not it might have to wait until Monday.

I also forgot to write in my last post that I did get one extra day of official exercise during vacation.  Long story, but we ended up going to a hotel for the last 3 days and it had a gym that had a bike!!  So on Monday I got in a good hour.  That brings my progress toward my workout goal up to 30/250.  Can’t wait to get those numbers moving again!!  I also can’t wait to catch up on what you all have been doing, I promise I’ll be checking in soon.  Take care.

I’m going to try to post a few pics, mostly scenery.  I love water, sunsets, trees, etc. so the majority of my pictures involve the great outdoors.  I also hopped on the scale this morning and it said 257…gained 4 pounds but I was going to be happy if I was 258 or lower.  For now, I’m going to focus on eating healthy food but not be super strict on portion sizes.  On Monday I’ll get back into the official swing of things.  I know, I know…I shouldn’t wait until Monday, but I know that I’m not in the right frame of mind right now and if I try I’ll fail.  I still have a ton of stuff to do before I go back to school on Tuesday (yikes!!)

OK, I can’t figure out how to crunch my pics.  I’ll keep trying to figure it out, I feel like such a dork sometimes.

I was w/o computer access for a couple of days so I couldn’t post.  We have been having a blast on our trip.  Dinosaur World was ok but the beach was nice.  Friday we left for Savannah, GA and spent some time downtown and then went out to Tybee Island.  I highly recommend Savannah if you have never been there.  If we hadn’t been crunched for time (and traveling w/a 5 year old) I could have spent the entire day exploring.  I am in love w/live oak trees and Spanish moss.  As soon as we get home I’ll post some pics.

All restraint regarding food has been thrown out the window.  We went to Paula Deen’s restaurant and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed.  The mashed potatoes were heavenly and I found out that I love fried green tomatoes, but the chicken that my BIL had been raving about wasn’t all that great.  It didn’t keep me from eating 2 pieces, but if we go back I have no need to return.  Beyond the fried chicken experience, though, we hit a seafood restaurant Friday night (the best grilled mahi-mahi I have EVER had) and then got BBQ last night.  It truly is food I can’t get at home and even though I know I’ll hate having to lose these few extra pounds I don’t regret anything.  And I figure if I don’t feel bad about it then I’m not going to worry about it.

So we’re back at my SIL’s and going out for italian tonight.  There’s a restaurant that they love and they want to take us there tonight.  But after tonight I think our eating will become a bit more healthy so maybe this weekend will work itself out.  I haven’t worked out since Friday morning and I honestly don’t know if we’re going to have time for “official” exercise the rest of the trip, but I know we’ll be moving and sweating.  My regular life when we get home is so boring that I’ll get back into the swing of things when we get there.

Got to go get ready for dinner.  Somehow I don’t feel so pretty after a 5-6 hour car ride.

We arrived in Florida last night and finally got to my SIL’s after midnight. Fortunately the flight was good and other than taking a wrong turn from the airport (which added about 25 minutes to the drive to my SIL’s) everything turned out great. I slept like a log last night, we didn’t wake up until 8:30. I was laying in bed, trying to figure out if I should workout or not. The issue wasn’t if I wanted to workout, b/c I did, but if it was selfish to make everyone wait for me. Plus, it sounded like most of the house was still asleep. Then I realized, we didn’t have any pressing plans so I could take 45 minutes to workout. I did my Turbo Jam workout that I love, plus it burns a ton of calories so it was a good way to start the vacay. I have eaten a Fiber One bar and am hungry but the cupboard’s a bit bare so we’re going to go out to lunch after a trip to Dinosaur World!! Then it’s time to go exploring. I am a beach rat, so I could spend all day driving around looking at beaches.

Got to go, daylight’s burning.

Progress toward workout goal: 29/250

The day has arrived and I’m starting to feel ready.  I’m just about done packing all of the stuff you can’t pack until the day you leave (toothbrushes, hairdryer, etc.) and now I’m just finishing laundry and tidying up a bit.  My mom is coming up about noon to pick up Kyle and then we’re out the door no later than 2:30.  I’m not even freaking out about the airplane yet so I’m considering that a huge victory.

I knew my number one priority this morning was to get in a good workout.  My legs were still sore from lifting weights on Monday (I upped my weights from 2-10 pounders to 2-12 pounders) so I did a tough arm workout and then a 30 minute Pilates DVD that I just got from Blockbuster.  It focuses on belly, butt and thighs so I figured even though I didn’t do squats and lunges I still worked my legs.  And I was happy to see how shapely my legs are becoming.  Granted, they looked better b/c they were in the air and all of the fat was pulled away by gravity, but by the time I lose this fat I’m going to have some damn pretty muscles!!

I got worried last night b/c I was super hungry.  Normally I would have just eaten a little more and not worried about it (actually I was under my calories for the day by quite a bit…no wonder I was hungry) but I was worried that if I ate something extra that it would be the beginning of a downward slide for the next week.  I knew exactly what I was hungry for:  the “trail mix” I made 2 weekends ago from dark chocolate M&M’s, almonds and raisins.  As far as I knew, though, we didn’t have any candy in the house so I ate a 100 calorie pack of popcorn.  Then I mentioned to my hubby how I wanted my trail mix and he grinned b/c he had bought some chocolate.  He made my concoction for me so I didn’t know where the candy was hidden and I enjoyed every bite.  Later, I realized that I was just listening to my body. I was hungry, so I ate.  And I waited for quite some time after the craving hit to eat so it was true hunger.  Once I realized that I chose to eat that snack instead of being out of control I calmed down a bit.

So here’s my plan to come back next week w/o gaining weight.  If I lose weight, bonus, but my goal is to maintain.

1. Water, water, water.
2. Start each day w/a good breakfast.  I’m taking Fiber One bars w/me and I know I’ll be able to whip up a few eggs in the morning.  I’ll go to the store tomorrow if my SIL doesn’t have fruit and yogurt.
3. At the minimum, do a workout DVD every day.  Since I’m still restricted from massive amounts of walking and aerobics, I brought pilates and a Slim in 6 tapes.  I also brought my favorite TurboJam workout in case I feel the need to burn a lot of calories.  When my SIL lived here she had an exercise bike so I hope she moved it w/her.  When we’re at my sister’s house I’ll be set b/c she likes to workout as much as I do.  I’ll lift weights there and kick my butt on her eliptical.
4. Make the best choices available regarding food.  If something is truly special (this place is famous for their cheesecake, etc.) then I’ll splurge.  But if it’s something I can get around here then I can put it off until later.  For instance, I know we’re going to Paula Deen’s restaurant in Savannah.  My sister told me her fried chicken is worth selling your children for a piece.  You can bet my teeth will be biting into one greasy, steamy, crunchy chicken breast.
5. Finally, if I blow it in one area I need to pick my butt up and start again and not wait until we get back home.  I need to remember that any pound I don’t gain can be considered one that I lost.

Sorry for the long post.  I’ll update when I can, mostly to keep myself accountable.

Progress toward workout goal:  28/250

Wow, another busy day.  I got in my hour on the bike and came home and string trimmed.  Then I took a break and got a pedicure at this super fancy salon.  A friend of mine gave me a certificate for my birthday (in February) and I finally scheduled an appt.  It’s nothing I would do on a regular basis b/c I can’t see spending $44 on a pedicure, but it definitely was worth it.  Now my toes are all pretty and ready for the beach.

We’re packing right now and in a little bit I’m going to tan for the last time and then cut the grass.  I’m really starting to get excited for our trip.  The excitement is overcoming the dread of the airplane for now, I’ll worry about that tomorrow. 

I have been working on  a plan to keep me on track over vacay and I don’t have everything figured out yet but I know it will include water at every chance and making the healthies choices available.  I’m going to bring a stack of workout DVD’s and I think my SIL has a bike…man I hope so.  My number 1 goal is to make sure I workout Thursday morning, if I workout the 1st day of vacation I will be much more likely to do it every other day.  The biggest issue will be that they have a small, 2 bedroom house, but I’ll make it work.

Got to finish packing.  I’m going to try to blog while we’re on vacation, but I don’t know that I’ll have time to read what you all are doing.  I’ll make sure that I catch up on what you guys are doing when I get back.

Progress toward workout goal:  27/250

These next few days are going to be busy.  We leave for vacation on Wednesday and only have a few days left after we return until school starts so I’m trying to get us ready to go on our trip and finish all of the things that are still on my summer “to do” list.  This morning my son had physical therapy so I decided to do Hi Def Sculpt in the basement instead of go to the gym b/c there wouldn’t have been time to workout and shower before his appt.  Then, after we got back my older son showed me the “surprise” that he and my hubby had worked on…they cleaned the basement and his room.  I haven’t seen carpet in there for weeks.  It’s our fault, really, b/c we don’t make him clean it up, but it drives me crazy.  So it’s exciting that I have somewhat of a clean house.  Right now they’re on their way to the dump to get rid of some of our extra junk and then heading to the meat market to pick up some steaks we have ordered.  They’re really yummy, lean, sirloins and only $3.19/lb.  Gotta love that.

I also had the chance to stop by my older son’s school to drop off registration papers.  The official registration date is Thursday but we’ll be gone and I’m actually kind of glad it worked out this way b/c the secretary gave us a personal tour so he got to see his classroom, the art room, gym, music room, etc.  Justin doesn’t always deal well w/changes so the fact that he has been there even one time will make the 1st day go better.  Plus, while he was looking around I shared a small bit of info about Kyle and she said that I should set up an appt. w/the principal before school just so they were up to speed on everything.  I think I’m really going to like this school and he’s really excited to go.

Later I have to go to the gyno for a check-up after getting my tubes tied.  I don’t know what she’s going to check, all I know is that I get to go see Mr. Stirrups for the 4th time since May.  It really doesn’t bother me to go like it does some women, it’s just time out of my day that I don’t want to spend in an office.

Progress toward workout goal:  26/250