Happy New Year. Again. (Yea Rabbits!)

02/03/2011

???.? lbs

I know what that number is but weight is a reality that I choose not to face today.

So today is the Chinese New Year.  The Year of the Hare.  I'm a hare.  Well, really, if you read what the traits are for the hare, you'd laugh at that.  Cause they don't match up.  Except for the hyper-sexual-and-super-social part.  And who thinks rabbits are super social, anyway??

It's been over a week since my last post.  I hope you don't feel abandoned.  I do feel a little guilty.  I can't help it, though.  Things have been busy.  Firstly, the first month of the year is always MAD busy at work.  Like every last minute is usually put to something wicked productive.  Which leaves me little time to meander into JAFG land.  Then, of course, there is LDL (which is not a reference to my cholesterol levels, btw).   My glasses are definitely still steamy.  Despite all this, I decided I'm making time this morning to post. 

Those of you who have been around for the long haul know that I mostly just write about my experiences.  I don't really philosophize except to examine my own lot in life.  As the blog says, it's about my love/hate relationship with the world of weight.  Sometimes, that deals with the fit of clothing, sometimes food, sometimes exercise, a lot of times smoking...  But lately... Well, lately I've been thinking about sex.

Yes.  Sex. 

I'm nervous.  It will be 4 months since the last time (also first time) that I've spent face-to-face time with LDL, the next time I see him.  Did that make sense?  Granted we spent quality time together, but that was 4 months ago.  That's a long time.  Especially when you're talking about sex.

I can't spend more than 5 minutes of conversation time chatting with him without wanting to crawl through the phone and, well, you know.  There's still plenty of heat, but where has this nervousness come from?  My misgivings about talking to someone and then meeting them are of no consequence.  We met in person through a mutual acquaintance.  I can't say the guy isn't interested.  HE approached ME.  He also talks a pretty hot game.  So, why am I so nervous? 

Well, I talk a big game and there are certain aspects of the bedroom that I know I have no problem with, but, truth be told...I'm no expert.  There are things that even in my 35 years of living I have yet to check off my 'to-do' list.  There are things I'd like to do but feel that there are physical limitations.  How does one approach this?  How do I figure these things out without completely feeling like a fool in the heat of the moment.  And then there are the things I like.  Well, actually, I'm not so worried about that.  I know how to give directions.

So back to the point.  I'm nervous.  It's sad to say this is the longest pseudo-relationship I've had in years.  Well, since I've been in Small Southern City which has been, Lord....2 years this month!  All this time and all this distance have really allowed some healthy anticipation to mix with a lot of unhealthy doubt.  Shit. 

I am a self-saboteur.  I can recognize it (even if I haven't figured out how to completely overcome it).  So now, I'm lost in my head and trying to only focus on the goal:  Get Lucky.  I keep telling myself that none of my imaginary hype will matter.  When it's all said and done, and we're finally co-habitating the same space, I know we'll just go at it like rabbits. 

But not jack rabbits, hopefully.


-jafg

Inspiration Station

08/12/10

274.8 lbs

Yippee!! 

I'm not your typical girl when it comes to movies and tv shows.  I love a good action flick and weirdo sci-fi/fantastical stuff.  I'm not all D&D, but I loved LOTR. That's Lord of the Rings.  I don't dress up as weird characters but I waited in line 2 hours for the opening day of X-Men X2.  So what's my point, here.  My point is Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.

That's a reference to a now cancelled NBC show called Heroes. The show died after it's fourth season-I stopped watching it about 2 episodes into that season btw-but the series' overall storyline is the subject for our discussion today:  Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.

You know I have my VWBs.  Well, today I was chitchatting with Roxie and she said a little something to me that just resonated in my brain like one of those Tibetan Singing Bowls.  She said "You are such a good cheerleader".  It got me thinking.  Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.

We're all cheerleaders!  We all need each other to encourage us on our good days (just take a look at my weight again!) and our bad days.  We need to encourage as much as we need encouragement.  Or Inspiration, if you will.  Imagine if everyday there was someone telling someone else some words that helped them get though even 5 minutes of something hard.  Could be emotional, could be physical, could be mental.  I'm not just talking weight loss here, but it's definitely included.  Imagine if YOU had someone telling you some Inspiring words everyday.  Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.

Get it?  You're the cheerleader.  I'm the cheerleader.  Everybody's the cheerleader.  Think about a 5k or a marathon run.  Think about those water stations; those very important lifeline-like water stations.  Runners need those to continue on course.  Now think of yourself as that virtual water station and everyone you meet today as a runner (whether in the healthy-weightloss-world or not).  Give 'em a big dose of Inspiration.  And maybe a little water'd be good, too.  You never know which Cheerleader you may be saving by being a Cheerleader yourself.

Ra Ra Ree and Stuff!

-jafg

A New Day

08/09/10

276.4 lbs

Yippee!  I actually made it through the weekend and L-O-S-T weight.  I am almost to my lowest point on this blog again.  This is a moment to celebrate. 

I love Nina Simone.  I love this song.  It seems appropriate and I hope you'll all take it with you through the week.

I'm happy to report that the VWBs all celebrated great things over the weekend.  Angela Pea rocked out a class at the Y on Friday.  Roxie kicked jogging's ass on Sunday.  Kimert killed 6 miles on Saturday.  Amanda conquered the elliptical, too.

I, on the other hand, was down for the count.  All weekend.  Before you get all sadfaced and let down because I didn't make it though my 7-day challenge, I must tell you that I had a 24-hour stomach bug (which may have been brough on by the egg drop soup I made for the first time) and...(queue "dreadful" music)...a UTI. 

The positives. I've never consumed so much water in my freakin life.

The negatives. BB's bachelorette party is this weekend. I can't consume alcoholic beverages for two weeks (thank you, Antibiotics). I'll be playing the role of Mother Hen this weekend, I guess. Sigh.

Can you say UGH?  I'm glad to know that Friday wasn't just a punked out day.  I was feeling a bit bad that I didn't hit my finish line.  Once I realized that my body was busy addressing other issues, well, I felt a little better about it.  See, the challenge wasn't to prove that I could be active for 7 days straight, it was to build momentum.  And it's done that.  I've done that.  Me and my VWBs!

So.  Today is a new day.  It's a new week and a new game plan for the VWBs.  Right now, I'm not up for a lot of movement.  This does not mean that I'm off the wagon.  I am simply going to focus extra hard on eating right and drinking plenty of water.  As a matter of fact, that is my VWB gameplan this week. 

I want to know that the girls are doing their workouts as needed.  That means Kimert and her morning sessions, Pea and her Y classes, Roxie and her jogging/BL sessions, and Amanda and her strength training.

What I need this week is encouragement to continually drink water and eat right.  Stay the course.  Keep the momentum.

'Cause I'm feeling good.  Sort of.

-jafg

The Game Plan

07/30/10

278.0 lbs

I'm working on something.  Something that may be big. 

I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary on Blogger on July 25.  That means it's time to get down to business.

Stay Tuned.....

-jafg

Twenty LBS Ago

06/22/10

276.6  lbs

I'm at peace with this today.


I was contemplating as I waited for the scale to reveal its verdict this morning.  It was a quick revelation, really.  I have this 275 number in my head that I keep saying over and over again like some meditative mantra.  I was so focused on it in fact that I totally let another realization slip right by. 

I have lost 20 lbs since March.  20 LBS!!!!!  I am very happy right now.  I just updated my weight tracker (from skinnyr.com at the bottom of this blog) and my trend line is steadily decreasing.  Twenty lbs ago, I was 3 little lbs away from 300 lbs.  Today, I'm lighter than I've been since 2005.  Awesome!

So, yesterday was the Summer Solstice.  The longest day of the year.  I celebrated by sweating my ass off in Concierge Gym.  (Yes, that is an indirect way of saying I didn't go to Yoga.  Screw Yoga.  At least for now).  I was only able to get 20 minutes logged on the elliptical (it was too hot; I was having problems keeping my breathing controlled) but I also got in 30 hard minutes on the circuit machines.  I pushed myself a little more on the thigh one (feeling a little "groin groan" today) and had some really good sets on the back pushing machine and it's partner.  I don't know what they're called, but supposedly they work out the back muscles.  They feel like a funky sit-up or crunch machine to me.  I wasn't able to get to the arm workouts because my clothes were soaking wet.  Seriously, I could almost wring my shirt out. 

I'm considering some skimpier workout clothes.  I fully understand now why everyone wears tiny little things and why most of the time they're skin tight.  It's easier to work out.  And cooler.  I had rolled up my capri JMS (that's Just My Size) cotton workout bottoms and rolled my sleeves up of my two-sizes-too-big JMS Tee and tucked them into my fantab sports bra (Champion @ JMS.com).  I really considered stripping my uppers to just said sports bra.  Maybe not considered, but just serious wishful thinking.


I'm committed to @SuziStorm's Crunchy Crackhead Craziness and Gun Show.  It involves doing crunches and push-ups which started on Sunday.  Truth be known, I've not done either, yet.  I don't do them ever.  At all.  So, my goal is to get a set in this week.  Just one.  I'm working up to it.  I am really hoping tonight'll be the night.  I don't think I'll be hitting the gym tonight in that heat, so I'll have no excuse but to participate in the mayhem.  I don't have the best of lower backs, so I'll be placing a pillow just above my butt to lay on.  I don't think that's cheating, is it?  It doesn't matter, I'll be doing it anyway.

Ok, I'm signing off now.

Twenty LBS lighter.

-jafg

Just A Sunday Check-In

06/20/10

275.4 lbs

Isn't that freakin awesome??!  I couldn't let the day go by without saying something. 

I had a hard workout this morning which was awesome. I celebrated by throwing caution to the wind and wearing the cute black and white swim top (with the shorts) to the pool.  It's the one that I thought was too short to wear.  You all loved it so much I figured "what the hell".  When I got back I stripped to shower.  If I'm naked, I weigh.  Otherwise, I consider it a wasted opportunity.  So I jumped on the scale before getting into the shower.  It said 275.4 lbs.  I stepped on it 3 times to make sure it was the real deal.  After the shower, I got on it one more time for the hell of it and it said 275.2 lbs.  I didn't get on it again. 

On Monday I said that I wanted to hit 275 lbs this week.  I totally did!


That's all.

-jafg

What Has Happened...

06/15/10

279.2 lbs

I'm not exactly sure what's happened here.  I am exactly sure that I'm none too happy about it.

You should all know by now that I am an avid stalker of Jack Sh*t.  I usually talk about him fondly in passing, but today I must dedicate my blog post to his blog post  What Would Happen.... Before you read further, please take a moment to read his.  It's not extremely wordy so it shouldn't take too long...

Read it already?  Ok, you may move forward now.

Close to this time last year, after reading this post I'd be sitting in my chair right now with a serious case of the "What If"s. Today, though, I'm not!

I've committed, I mean really committed to this weightloss journey of mine.  How do I know?  I know because I make decisions weekly, daily, hourly, even minute-to-minute about my health and weightloss. Sometimes, I don't make the right choices, but I recognize them now, really recognize them, and I take the opportunity to right myself when I am wrong.  I realized it isn't a race.  There is no finish line.


I've transitioned from the "half-hearted swipe" to an honest effort.  I may struggle with 6:00am, but I know it's there now.  I go to my Concierge Gym and I use my membership at The Gym with my friends.  A "co-ed" gym.  That I use. To workout.  With boys around.  I can honestly say that never and I mean NEVER in a million years would have believed that I would be working out at a gym that I was paying to use.  But I do.  And I'm happy about it, too.

I have traded those restaurant menus for a little healthy home cooking.  I should modify this to say that, even though restaurants haven't left me, I make smarter food choices when I'm out.  I think about ingredients.  I think about food preparation.  I thought about them before, but in a completely "I'm here to just enjoy my love of food" way.  I have incorporated healthy lifestyle into my love.  I also buy more fruit than I ever have before.  I don't have a problem consuming veg.  I do have a problem consuming fruit.  So, I buy more of it.  Cherries are my favorite right now.  Oranges are always a stand-by.  Strawberries are great too.  I buy based on ingredients in products and nutrition in general.  I've always "sort-of" done this, now I just always do it.  Period. even my "splurges" are small serving sizes which I strictly follow.  I love checking out at the grocery store now.  All those imaginary eyes on everything coming out of the fat girl's basket are healthy!  Not DIET-y, but HEALTH-y.  Go me!

I turn off the TV or computer every so often and do my best to see just how much sweat I can wring out of my body.  I found out that I love sweat.  Well, sweat that I cause, anyway.  I love seeing my arms glisten because I'm sweating.  I know when my arms and legs sweat, I'm doing something good.  There's not another feeling like it.  I love that feeling of accomplishment when I leave The Gym a little sopping.  Know what I mean? 

I blog to truly hold myself accountable.  It started as a social experiment of sorts.  It really was just to record my thoughts and feelings about my love/hate relationship with the world of weight.  It's grown into so much more.  I love my "blog watchers".  Each of you is like a member of my extended family.  And just like you're part of mine, I feel like I'm part of yours.  I love writing my blog, but I love reading yours, too.  I don't think that one could work without the other.  After all, it takes a village...  :-)

I've made my story something exceptional instead of exhausting, something phenomenal instead of pedestrian, something remarkable instead of run-of-the-mill.  But, you know what?  It always has been.

I have cornered and killed at least one of my bad habits.  And it's not easy.  One bad habit gone...no exercise. That one died this year.  Yea me!  The big one I'm still working on, completely quit smoking.  Completely.  No "snacking".  Ever.  Such a pain in the ass.

I reached deep down and found a gear that I didn't know I even had. Um, Hello?!  I posted pictures of me on the internet in my BATHING SUIT.  That would definitely be a gear I didn't know I had.

If the wind could really catch my sails, am I even aware of the places I could go, the future I could make for myself? I'm not 100% sure of where I'm going to end up "docking" after this healthy trip, but I sure am enjoying the ride!

I don't take "I can't" for an answer.  I stepped out of my own way and I'm moving full on ahead with my eyes wide open and limitless expectations. 

This is what has happened. 

This is the new me.  And I'm hungry for more!

-jafg

W.I.D.T.H.! (I'm Finally Famous...Sort Of)

06/14/10

277.4 lbs

Just yesterday the scale said 276.6 lbs.  I have decided to make 275 lbs a goal for this week.  Wish me luck!

Ok.  So We've established I was out of town last week and the week before.  Well, I was featured in Jack Sh*t's W.I.D.T.H. post on June 2! (Find that post here ==> WIDTH A Little Help From My Friends.  I'm the 4th one down, you can't miss me...)  I haven't been this excited since he actually posted a comment on my blog last year!  (Find that post here ==> I Think Therefore I Can't?. Side note, I've come a long way, Baby!) 

I didn't discover this until I ran to my internet upon my return home Tuesday.  It was like getting a Christmas present that you hope you'll get, but aren't too sure you've been good enough throughout the year.  I feel famous now. 

Onto other equally exciting news...

I have almost won the bathing suit challenge!  YAH-HOOOOO!  I told you a few weeks ago that I made yet another bathing suit purchase; this one from Land's End.  Can I just say they rock?  I opted for a two-piece which still baffles and befuddles me.  I've mentioned in other postings that, even though I am a plus-sized shopper, I do not have a plus-sized bust.  This is really aggrivating when shopping for a bathing suit.  I have enough to merritt underwire, but not enough to merritt a large cup area.  I just need a normal size C-cup.  When I buy a suit by the bra size, I end up with like a size 16 fit which isn't physically possible at the moment (<== like how I choose to stay postive here?) When I try just the "soft cup" one-piece The Girls just hang in not flattering ways.  You see, perkiness just isn't part of the picture anymore. 

Anyway.  I decided to buy separates so I can specify a smaller top size to a lager bottom size.  It totally worked.  The girl swim shorts are a good fit as long as I'm not sitting at a 90* angle and one of the two tops fits superbly while the onter one will be nice for a little later this season (said optimistically).  They're both the same size (in theory) but one's a halter and fits differently.  I love it, but I'm new to halters so it's an adjustment.  I'll be keeping that one for later this summer.  My suits were delivered on  Thursday.

Aren't they cute??

Moms and I went to Concierge Gym on Sunday.  She did two miles on the recumbent and decided to go to the pool while I finished up on the elliptical and weight/circuit machines.  I got in a 50 minute workout that felt GOOD.  I found her wading around so I took off the tennies sat down and put my feet in the water.  Heaven.  It was great.  It occured to me that I had only gone swimming once while on vacation and that just wasn't setting right with the soul.  There weren't many people around and I kept thinking "I could have gone and gotten my suit on and been back by now".  By time I got to round three of that train of thought I'd had enough and went to change. 

I decided to throw on my new suit (that's the solid black top, not the vine halter).  I pull some shorts over my shorts, throw on my white button-down I use as a summer cover-up slather on a decent layer of sun-screen (I am a firm believer in protecting your skin in the sun), grab towels and the sun-screen bottles and head down to the pool.  All in all, it took me about 15 minutes.  I walked right in, took off my top layer of shorts, the button-down-cover-up and walked head held high (but still looking down so I didn't miss any steps) into the pool.  What a triumphant moment!  To top it off, I stayed in when cute boys came in.  I didn't mind when they ended up at the spots next to ours.  I was a little uncomfortable, but I didn't let me get too worked up, after all, I have a great tan right now.  I get out, maneuver to put more sun-screen on, and totally lay out all exposed-like on my chair!  To top it off, I totally manage to get an invitation to a White Party happening in the not so distant future from the cutest one.

At the end of pool time, I get up, pull on my button-down shirt and walk out.  I didn't even pull on the second layer of shorts!  I'm so very proud of me.  This losing weight business has boosted my confidence in ways I didn't even know needed to be done. 

That's just another reason Why I Do This Here...

-jafg

Checkin In (And Awesome!)

06/10/10

278.0 lbs

Hi Lovies! I'm exhausted.  I just wanted to check in with you all, show you I didn't gain weight over the past week of awesomeness and to let you know that I'll be posting more tomorrow.  Hopefully.

Smooches!

-jafg

An Unlikely Unexpected Milestone/Goal/Amazing Moment

05/11/10

283.2 lbs

I didn't weigh again.  I just used my weight record from earlier today.

I never post more than once a day.  Sometimes I don't even post once a day.  But I have something special to share with you and I couldn't wait.  Plus the next three days are going to be full of a work conference.

I left work early today to get my final preps for the trip.  I took advantage to get in a good workout before the plane tomorrow.  I decided to push my elliptical time from 30 to 45 minutes.  I also set it on the "weight loss" program rather than the "cross trainer" I've been using for the past few times. 

I noticed on Sunday that I was hitting 2 miles in my 30 minutes.  I never really kept track of my distance, I'm more interested in working up a sweat and keeping myself from falling off the machine. Well, I was noticing that I was about to hit a mile and clicked over to see how fast I had done it.  I wasn't expecting very fast (for me) since I was pacing myself for the 45 minutes and the change in the intensity of the levels.  I did it in less than 15 minutes.  And then, mile 2...in 28 minutes.  Well, I started thinking.

I have 45 minutes set on the timer.  I've been killing a mile in 15 minutes.  Hmm.  A 5K is 3.2 miles.  Hmm.  I could do a 5K today.  Why not?

So my friends, guess what I did as a spur of the moment?  I did a 5K this afternoon. In 47.7 minutes. I don't know if it counts when you're on exercise equipment, but I did it nonetheless.

Go me!

-jafg

Public Service Announcement

05/05/10

282.5 lbs

Honestly, I don't remember what came after the point so I'm splitting it down the middle and calling it a .5.  Don't hold it against me.

Do you know what today is?  If you said Cinco de Mayo, you're wrong.  I mean, you're right, but you're wrong. 

Today is Love Another Blogger Day.  (<==for me anyway)

Last night I was catching up on my blog reading and came across two blogs that are kinda opposite ends of the spectrum.  One had a success and one had a fail.  In the universe of diet karma, these seem to cancel each other out, but in fact, I believe the success happened so it could be an encouragement to the one that failed.

Here's blog #1  It's All About The Walls.  This is my friend Amanda who has been sitting at a plateau for weeks.  In her blog she maps out how things coulda gone wrong and she coulda thrown in the towel and quit.  She didn't, she just waited, albeit not so patiently, and finally, the scale moved and moved in the right direction.  YEA Amanda!  What a break through moment!  If you're a habitual dieter as I have been in the past, you'll know that plateaus SUCK EGGS.  So, finally pushing through one (and by 2 pounds even!) is like nothing short of a miracle.

Then there's blog #2 It's just Me, Drazil & Sheniqua.....This is my new friend "Me".  Well, actually, there's a trio rolled into one here I think of her as Drazil most of the time.  Anyway.  Reportedly, there's been a scale buster  in Drazilland and that is never fun.  Not seeing a scale move is one thing, but to see it move in the wrong direction is another.  This is a hard working girl who's busted her "patootie" to get where she is and even has rewarded herself with a tummy-tuck at the end of it all.  And now, after a month of little life things, there's some gain-age on the homefront.  I don't know how much, but really, is there any gain-age that makes us happy on the scales? 



If you watch The Biggest Loser and follow the tweets like #TBL or #BiggestLoser, then you're bound to know about all the insane crying that happens when the show is on. Now kids, if you don't know this by now, I am not one to really appreciate any emotional display other than snarkiness or ranting. However, that damn show has brought me to near hysterics for three weeks in a row!!!! I've been trying to figure out why because I haven't been sad OR happy when the waterworks have begun. I figured it out last night.

I am touched by the genuine feelings these contestants are sharing. Now, I'm not tearing when they're tearing. Actually, when someone else cries on TV, I get a little annoyed. I'm tearing at the stories, the triumphs, the struggles, the overall genuine real humanity of a weightloss battle. Well, that's what's going on here. A little genuine dose of reality in the bloggin world.

My bloggin heart really loves these ladies and all the blogs that I stalk or read occasionally.  I think that those of us who have good days are here to encourage those of us who don't have good days.  I am willing to bet that for every bad day, there's a good day to match it and that's where we should get our strength, encouragement, motivation, and overall warm fuzzies. 

Amanda, meet Drazil.  Drazil, meet Amanda.  You two need each other right now.  And we all need you!

There.  I've done my good deed for the day.

-jafg

LOST: 10 lbs. If you find it, please discard.

04/21/10

286.0 lbs

I held my breath and got on the scale twice this morning. 

I've lost 10 lbs since picking up this whole exercise thing!  It's been a lot slower than I would have liked.  On March 23 (and even before I started blogging again to be honest) I had hit 296.+ lbs.  That's horrible.  I don't ever want to have to say that or think that or write that again.  Ever. 

It's been a month.  A month of walking up hills, facing fears, working out with friends, hating those friends, loving them again, trying to watch my food intake, really watching my food intake, getting up at ungodly hours to exercise in the mornings, exercising at night, taking mini-walk breaks at lunch, buying new foreign things, joining a gym, and finally, me actually making me do all these things. 

This is a milestone. And I'm happy to celebrate it.

I'm loving the morning time even though I despise actually having to wake up to expeirence it.  I am loving the feeling of wanting to wretch after a workout like I did last night on the circuit weight machines.  I love that I've increased the weight resistance (almost doubled!) becuase where I began isn't enough anymore.  I don't care about looking a fool in HHH class, although, it's still hard to walk in there even now.  This past month has seen a lot of changes.  W00T!

I have had an accountability partner which has made a world of difference.  I truly would not have gone this far if it hadn't been for that precious little BB and her upcoming Nuptials. 

I'm going to write her a thank you note.  I wonder how many calories are burned with old fashioned writing.


-jafg

The Kicker.

04/05/10

291.2 lbs

We'll talk about weight in a minute. 

Hello My Lovelies!  I've missed the hell out of you.  I've been tweeting my little heart out since last we met because it's so much easier to type 144 characters than to sit down and commit 30 to 45 minutes to blog writing.  Or even an hour.  First, let me start with the good news. 

That quarter of a mile measurement was a total crock of bull-arkie.  I drove our walking track and discovered that it's actually just at one mile!  I so deleted that tracking app. 

Second Good News.  I've been a workout mama!  I was off on Friday and even worked out!  AT MY OWN GYM!  That's right.  I walked into my own Concierge Gym and me and My Fat got on an ellyptical and rocked it for 20 minutes!  WOO-FREAKIN-HOO!  Oh and get this, BB and I also worked out on weight machines for another 15 minutes!  That's right, I did it, I did it, I did it!    I also went last Wednesday and worked out at the YMCA with SAG and BB.  We were going to do this hip-hop class, but chickened out at the last minute and worked on the ellyptical for 30 minutes.  After that we played basket ball.  Or something resembling basket ball.  Mostly SAG ran circles around BB and me.  I mean that literally. 

Thursday BB came to the abode and we did my Wii Jenny McCarthy Your Shape workout.  I hadn't used it yet and thought the change might be kinda fun. 

Holy. Crap. 

This little Jenny avatar pops on the screen all cute and blonde and full of perk.  Alright...It's in a gaming system after all.  She starts out with a warm up which consists of marching in place.  I was thinking "What a freakin waste of money and time".  WAS. 

Then the Jenny Avatar starts with all sorts of things like Plies (that is PLEE-YAY...I'm not quite sure how to spell it) and arm lifts and some wicked up-down-forward-back-leg-arm-thing that I still don't get.  Evil She-Devil!  Then she makes you get on your back.  You do this thing called riding a bike.  Uh huh.  I thought I was going to die.  It's not a quick motion thing, it's a move your leg and hold it in that position until you die thing.  And then you move your other leg and start over.  Oh wait.  It gets worse. 

You've gotta roll over and get on your stomach.  Stretch your arms out in front of you and your legs out behind you.  Then, act as if you're being drawn and quartered.  For those of you who don't know what that is, imagine a rope being tied to each limb and being pulled in opposite directions (arms away from legs/legs away from arms).  That is "swimming" as  She-Devil calls it.  Great.  Not only am I going to die, but I am now going to vomit beforehand.  This stretches muscles I didn't know existed.  Like, people say that, but I mean it.  I had no idea there was a muscle in this weird place on my side. I do now.  I didn't know that it was possible to hate a cartoon character that much. BB feels the same way.  We're keeping She-Devil to a Thursday night work-out.  I don't think I could handle more than that.

All this pain and sweating is a good thing.  I've been getting great side-effects too.  My kitchen is clean and so  is my room.  I've got all this energy and I just want to be moving.  I haven't felt like this in a long time.  I'm actually going to that hip-hop workout class tonight.  I even got up this morning at 5:30am (I said A. M. People!) to get to MY gym at 6:00am to workout with BB and Her Beau.

I know. "Who are you and what have you done with our belov-ed JAFG?!"  I'm pretty shocked about the whole thing too.

Now The Kicker...I've been eating very healthy for going on three weeks now (since I started communicating with  you all again).  I've been consciously active for going on two weeks straight.  I feel better about myself, I don't feel deprived, and I'm even looking forward to the workouts-somewhat.  How much weight have I lost?  NOT ONE FREAKING POUND.  Damnit.

-jafg

The One Thing I Wasn't Gonna Do

10/16/09

???.? lbs

I was too chicken to get on the scale this morning.

I went to a wine and cheese social last night.  It was ok.  It was a business event and since I'm still new to this town, I don't know many folks in my business.  I'm working on it, though. Well, as the event title suggested, there was plenty of wine and cheese.  The wine was mediocre, but the cheese was fantastic.  I probably ate $20 worth of cheese last night. That and the one glass of wine makes up for my $25 event ticket.

I caught myself on my second plate realizing that I shouldn't be consuming this much cheese.  It's hard to turn down big chunks of Gruyère, though.  That stuff's my fave.  That and Rembrandt aged Gouda (not smoked Gouda but, boy, smoked g is great in grits).  Yummmm.  I could make myself sick on the stuff. I have before.  I'm not proud of that.  I did go back and get some carrots to make me feel a little more healthy.

So today I started thinking about a goal.  I said in the beginning there would be no goal-setting, but damnit, I guess I need to.  I don't think blogging all the time is a good enough goal.  This blogging almost every day is really easy because I enjoy it.  It's not work and, for the most part, is pretty much effortless. Shouldn't a goal require some effort to complete?  Well, What do I need to accomplish?  That list is too long to put here so I'll bring out the one I'm thinking about at the moment.  No, not eat less cheese (although, I am trying), but drink more water.  That's right.  Water is my goal. 

I don't actually do a lot of liquid intake during the day with the exception of the occasional Mr. Pibb (which I haven't had since this past weekend) and coffee.  So, I need to drink more water.  So far I've only been able to get one or two glasses in a day.  I need to be drinking like 10.  So...this is my goal.  DRINK WATER.  At least 60 ounces a day.  I am still going to have coffee, but for every one cup of coffee I have I'm going to have 2 glasses of water that don't count toward my goal.

I hate what this means for my bladder.

-jafg