Traveling Wo-man

I have an exciting opportunity at work that is presenting a new challenge in my weight loss efforts. Am I now a cheese tester? No, but if that position is available anywhere, please consider this my application, because I would be an expert.

My new responsibility means traveling. Going to 4 of our national offices and auditing their files to make sure they are properly documented, in case our consulting advice was ever called into question, or litigation. Boring? You bet. BUT I get to fly on the company dime and see some great cities, and earn some points with my boss, so it is a win-win as they say in the bizness world.

The challenge? Eating out, and not having my familiar YMCA to work out in. As soon as I set foot on a plane, I'm all about I'm on vacation! Let's eat what we feel like and claim that I'm walking all of it off. But I saw what un-tamed birthday eating did, (8 pounds!) so I know that isn't going to work. Also, I am a freak about not having food nearby. I already went on a training session, and ate so much at breakfast because I wasn't sure when I was going to have lunch and what if I get hungry and oh my are those hash browns and granola bars? Move over! It was silly. Here are some strategies that I've laid out for myself:

1. Protein at breakfast makes me stay fuller longer s0, eggs and fruit are my best choice at breakfast.
2. Exercise! Every hotel we're staying at has exercise facilities, so there's no reason to not have some sort of movement.
3. Portion control - our team will be taken out on a big fancy dinner one night, and so I must remember that rule of only eating half of what is on the plate.

Practical, yes? Not too hard to follow? Yes. I just have to put them into play!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Washington DC and I'm so excited! I am pretty overwhelmed by the sightseeing options, and I only have Friday evening and all day Saturday to see what needs to be seen. I'll be back Sunday, exhausted and hopefully full of good memories, not cheese.

HYC Check In

The aftermath of Baconopolis was mild - I'm down 1.6 this week. Phew! I feel relieved and like I could shout I win! I ate bacon and still lost weight, and oh my the bacon was good.

My exercise was great - despite missing one day due to an emotional and stressful day at work. I'm still sore from my arm work on Sunday, so that is a fantastic feeling - I know I'm working hard. Two weeks in to the Daily Plate and I'm still in love with it, and I'm like why did you ever stop journaling your food? Seeing my calories in print makes a big difference. I am pleased that I'm losing and proud that my exercise commitment is still here - let's keep this momentum up!

Food, glorious food!

I am in shark-mode this week. My period is in full swing, and I can’t get enough to eat. Last night I asked my husband to go get me angel food cake, whipped cream, strawberries, and/or brownies, and/or cookies and/or French fries. Luckily for me, he didn’t. So, I ate a bagel with butter and jam. I never understood people who put jam on bagels, because why waste an opportunity to eat cream cheese with jam, but good grief, that is good. Dangerously good, Will Robinson. Today I have a lunch meeting and I ordered a falafel sandwich for myself. Should I have gone with a salad? Yes, but I didn’t. I am so excited for that dang falafel! And tonight, I’m going to an event put on by a local fancy pants chef, where we get to eat tasty little samples of my favorite bad-for-me-but-I-can’t-break-up-with-him-lover, bacon. Baconopolis! My palms get a little sweaty when I think about the bacon carbonara – and the dessert bacon, and sampling bacon by different farmers. All in a lovely venue with my husband and a friend, and a glass of wine. Oh, loveliness.

All this hefty eating should keep the shark at bay, and if it doesn’t someone check me for a tapeworm, because I should not be this hungry. The other thought that lingers is “counting” all of these calories. I had a pleasant weigh in this week, and I know myself, and myself likes to slack off when I’ve had a loss. For some reason I think my diligence can wane, I can relax, because I’ve obviously got this weight loss thing covered. Um, no, you don’t, self. So to make up for yesterday’s and today’s indulgences, I have to be super strict on Saturday and Sunday. I truly believe that it is possible to eat bacon and satisfy a carb craving without guilt, and still lose weight. I can’t deny myself social eating all the time, and the hard part is that I am learning (still) to treat those situations as special, as an exception to the rule, and to re-dedicate myself to good health when that special event is over. Lather, rinse, repeat.

HYC Check In

Oh, how happy was I to see 229.2 this morning? In a word, ecstatic! My first week of no-nonsense pure dedication paid off in the form of 2.6 pounds! Here’s what I learned this week:

Eating less and exercising more works for my body. Go figure.

I like using The Daily Plate.

Working out 5 days a week is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. On Sunday, I had grand visions of heading to the gym after taking a walk with a friend. But weird knee issues kept me away from the Mountain Climbers. Knee is better today! I am wary about whether I can sustain this kind of schedule – the sun has finally made an appearance in Seattle, and that usually makes me what to eschew the gymnasium – and in fact, felt silly that I went to the gym last night when it was so gorgeous out, but I got the job done that I wanted to!

It was true in school, and it is true today – when I apply myself, I soar! 199.8 – here I come!

Exposed!

I got an exercise routine, ya'll. Here's what I'm planning on doing for the next three weeks, and then I'll change the body weight exercise part. Posting it here keeps me honest, yes?

Monday - 45 minute spin class
Tuesday - 20 minutes elliptical, 10 minutes rowing (I could only do 5 this week!)
3 sets of 15 mountain climbers, with 10 push ups (alternating)
3 sets of 12 press-up squats with weights, 15 varied crunches (a la 30 day shred)
Wednesday - 30 min elliptical
3 sets of 12 lateral raises, with 10 push ups
3 sets of 10 kick backs and thigh raises
Thursday - 1 hour Pilates
Sunday - Same as Tuesday

Various parts of me are sore - and I am hungry a lot, so it feels like I am kicking up my metabolism. Hope so! The scale has not budged, however.

Know what is embarrassing? Doing the always effective but never enjoyable Mountain Climbers in the very busy YMCA - in front of some very fit men. But I was determined to get rid of my self conscious self, and just do it. You know what is even more embarrassing? While doing sets of Mountain Climbers, having your shirt fall down to your neck - exposing your belly and breasts in one fell swoop. After I scrambled upright, I was forced to tuck my shirt into my pants and look like Mr. Magoo. This was not in the brochure on how to be glamorous while getting fit.

HYC Check In - and survey questions!

I regret to announce that my weight was 231.8 today. But, I didn't even tell you that last week it was 234 - so it is almost like I lost 2.2 pounds! That is what 2 weeks of unadulterated birthday celebration eating and intermittent exercise will do to me. Could someone please tell me if there are any contests that award prizes for most efficient weight gain? I could use a boost right about now.

It is April for Pete's sake and now I am currently 8 pounds heavier than I was in January. I really think that part of it is my muscle tone coming back, but really it is fat. Sigh. I am having an intervention with my chubbier self, because I am realizing that I am in more trouble than just "heading the wrong direction". I am not working hard enough. A serious plan of attack, some serious changes are called for. I don't want to be someone who wallows in self pity and wonders aloud why they aren't losing weight, and promises to get it together someday, but never does.

• Change the first! I haven't journaled my food in a while, and I used to be a FitDay devotee. However yesterday I signed up with The Daily Plate - I appreciate that their site has brand name foods, which is helpful for entering my cottage cheese, juice, yogurt - that kind of stuff- whereas on FitDay I always had to fudge the serving size amounts to get the right calorie and fat counts. So far, journaling brings me that oh so fabulous feeling of "do you really want to write down that you ate that? Because Jelly beans aren't really on your plan, girlfriend." I found myself last night wishing I hadn't spent so many calories on the stupid jelly beans and Triscuits that were calling to me from the lunch room at work. See, it is already working! Ooh - and the other thing I love about the Daily Plate, is that they have way more exercise options - like you can actually enter elliptical, which I have never been able to find on FitDay. My recommended calorie intake was 1,990 before exercise - that seems awfully high. Does anyone else follow the plate guidelines for calorie allowance? I'd love to know what your experiences have been.

• Change the second. Exercise, baby. I need to change my routine - I'm finding that I work harder when I am following someone's instructions - a la DVD at home, or in a class. Last night I kicked off my new commitment by returning to spinning class. It was a killer - 40 minutes of hard work and more sweat than anyone cares to imagine. If I am just doing elliptical and weights, it is easy for me to take breaks, catch my breath, stop when I get tired and fiddle with my iPod. I want to make routines for myself to follow for a few weeks, and then change them up with new weight-bearing exercises. Anyone have any suggestions? Do you have a favorite routine that you can share that is sort of a full body work out - or DVDs that you like?

I am ready to get these last 65 pounds off my bawdy body, as Mr. Black would say. Any exercise or Daily Plate advice is sorely needed and appreciated. I hope everyone else had a great week!