I started this blog exactly one year ago to chronicle my battle with weight loss in hopes that 1.) making my story "public" would keep me on the ball and 2.) I might - just might - be able to help someone else who's going through the same thing. I feel like I've done a little bit of both over the last 12 months, which is great. But I still haven't reached my goal.
Last week, I took another step toward improving my health, my life and my self-confidence. I called Jenny Craig again. I'm really not having any success losing weight on my own right now, and I need to nip this problem in the bud. The truth is I've gained about 10 pounds back since September. It could very well be more than that, but I'm too scared to check! I am going to step on the scale when the food arrives to give me a better idea of my new starting point. All I know is that I cannot go back to who I was before, and I must keep my goal within reach.
The main reason I left the program was because of money. It was pretty expensive, but after speaking with my consultant, I'm confident that I won't have issues this time around (at least, that's the idea!).
Here's to Jenny taking me back!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Focus!
The last couple of weeks were pretty rough on me and my running schedule. First, I came down with some kind of weird stomach virus/food poisoning that left me unable to hold down anything but Gatorade for about three days (sorry for the mental image). Once I got better, my little sister came to visit. We had a blast, of course, and I love that she was here, but entertaining leaves little time for exercise. After that, I came down with a cold, and I haven't stopped coughing since.
So that's where I am right now.
Today, I'm re-focusing. I have to. My other sister gets married on July 4, and - if you recall from my earliest blog posts nearly a year ago - this event has been my motivation for losing weight. I think I've gained back about 10 pounds since getting off Jenny Craig in October, and I just haven't been consistent with my diet and exercise since then. Jenny was a fabulous program that I would have loved to continue for a few extra months, but the bottom line is that I couldn't afford it. I've tried substituting Jenny Craig meals for Lean Cuisines, which does work when I do it consistently. Still, something in me is not as committed as I was before. I'm not totally pleased with how I look, and I can feel those extra few pounds, but my habits are not what they used to be. I'm reverting back to my old self, and I hate it. I don't know why or how it's happening, and I really want to get back on track.
I know that if I keep a consistent work-out schedule, I'll not only feel better, but I will drop the weight. I think I'm going to start bringing my exercise clothes to work and going straight to the gym afterward. Maybe that will keep me moving along.
So that's where I am right now.
Today, I'm re-focusing. I have to. My other sister gets married on July 4, and - if you recall from my earliest blog posts nearly a year ago - this event has been my motivation for losing weight. I think I've gained back about 10 pounds since getting off Jenny Craig in October, and I just haven't been consistent with my diet and exercise since then. Jenny was a fabulous program that I would have loved to continue for a few extra months, but the bottom line is that I couldn't afford it. I've tried substituting Jenny Craig meals for Lean Cuisines, which does work when I do it consistently. Still, something in me is not as committed as I was before. I'm not totally pleased with how I look, and I can feel those extra few pounds, but my habits are not what they used to be. I'm reverting back to my old self, and I hate it. I don't know why or how it's happening, and I really want to get back on track.
I know that if I keep a consistent work-out schedule, I'll not only feel better, but I will drop the weight. I think I'm going to start bringing my exercise clothes to work and going straight to the gym afterward. Maybe that will keep me moving along.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Not So Bad, Actually
Last week, I started running.... "for fun." The old me never would have considered it, but the new me figures it's worth a shot.
I was really stoked to get started on Tuesday. My class that evening was cancelled, so I took that as a sign to get going. I spent the entire day psyching myself up. I ate a light dinner around 6:30pm, then headed to the gym at 8. I got on the treadmill, did a 5-minute warm-up, and started jogging in 2-minute increments for 20 minutes (2 minutes jogging, 2 minutes walking - you get the idea). When I was done, I felt physically ill. My stomach was killing me - I thought I was going to throw up. My neck and shoulders were so tense; I couldn't get my muscles to relax. My upper back was tight, too, and no amount of stretching helped. I went home, took a hot shower, and went straight to bed to avoid possibly vomiting.
I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely fine, but the memory of the night before made me wary of trying again. It wasn't until Saturday that I went back to the gym to face the treadmill. This time, things went my way. I started off for 20 minutes on the elliptical to warm up my muscles, then did some weights before running. I stuck with my routine of 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off, and I have to say -- I felt amazing. I was able to do it with relative ease, which is something totally new to me. I truly thought I was starting to conquer this "fear" of running. I went out to dinner with some friends afterward, and one of them told me that running takes a few times before it catches, so that made me even more optomistic.
I'm hoping to be in pretty good shape by the time that 5K comes around in late April, so we'll see how that goes!
I was really stoked to get started on Tuesday. My class that evening was cancelled, so I took that as a sign to get going. I spent the entire day psyching myself up. I ate a light dinner around 6:30pm, then headed to the gym at 8. I got on the treadmill, did a 5-minute warm-up, and started jogging in 2-minute increments for 20 minutes (2 minutes jogging, 2 minutes walking - you get the idea). When I was done, I felt physically ill. My stomach was killing me - I thought I was going to throw up. My neck and shoulders were so tense; I couldn't get my muscles to relax. My upper back was tight, too, and no amount of stretching helped. I went home, took a hot shower, and went straight to bed to avoid possibly vomiting.
I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely fine, but the memory of the night before made me wary of trying again. It wasn't until Saturday that I went back to the gym to face the treadmill. This time, things went my way. I started off for 20 minutes on the elliptical to warm up my muscles, then did some weights before running. I stuck with my routine of 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off, and I have to say -- I felt amazing. I was able to do it with relative ease, which is something totally new to me. I truly thought I was starting to conquer this "fear" of running. I went out to dinner with some friends afterward, and one of them told me that running takes a few times before it catches, so that made me even more optomistic.
I'm hoping to be in pretty good shape by the time that 5K comes around in late April, so we'll see how that goes!
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