Sometimes Fridays are hard

The weigh-in today was not good. I have been very bad this week. I have excuses, but I hate that so I just post the truth, feel bad about it and will move on. I'm looking at a week of vacation next week and I know it will get worse before it gets better. And it's ME that's making this happen so nothing and no one else to blame. It's ME that's ingested the calories that have made me gain back too much of what I lost last year (thankfully not all of it). It's ME that had to re-commit. It's hard.

I need my vacation badly. We leave tomorrow morning for Lake Tahoe for a week. We'll be staying in a house where we've stayed before and it's lovely. I can't wait to ski!! Both DB and I have our own new boots and I have a new coat...very exciting. Of course, with the economy, we can't ski as much as we'd like to...it's SO expensive. But oh well...

Thanks to all of you who remarked about my arms, etc. It feels good...and it also feels false because the rest of me is very NOT in shape. At least not the shape I want to be in. But I'm back to trying to figure out just how much I want it.

At least I still weigh on Fridays and face the truth...no matter how ugly.

Inauguration

"the act of starting a new operation or practice"

I like that. :-)

Above are some photos from the Inaugural Ball -- unfortunately in reverse order because that's how Blogger loads and I don't have time to change 'em! (If you are on Facebook you should be able to see ALL of the photos...and in order.)

Oh Happy Day!!

Let the change begin. :-)

The same

I weigh exactly the same today as I did last Friday. I guess this isn't BAD news, but it's not GOOD either. :-(

OK, yes, I did eat too much Thai on Sunday night. And then went out for Mexican (and a few margaritas) on Monday with friends. But I also exercised relentlessly (my body is so sore today). I am a little discouraged.

But I do weigh at least 10 pounds less than I did last year at this time so I'm trying to hang on to that. And keep going...keep learning what works with the changing me...

Went back to yoga last night and it was good and sweaty and very challenging. It's a lot like when I went back early last year: totally frustrating that I can't do what I used to, hard to face the mat, I couldn't even do chattaranga yesterday (did it fine on Tuesday) because my arms still hurt so much from Tuesday!! I know this soreness is just the prelude to strength coming back and I like that. Some ouches are good. ;-)

I need this long weekend...have a lot of things to do (two gyms at least, take down Xmas decorations, pedicure, Bon Bon's make-up birthday on Sunday, get ready for ski trip leaving next Saturday, etc.). And THEN...Inauguration on Tuesday...yay! We're going to a ball... :-)

Yoga, other exercise and money

On Tuesday night, I went to one of the new yoga classes at my gym after doing 1/2 hour on the elliptical. Today my body is still sore! Hello, as if I didn't know: yoga is more work than just cardio machines and weights! I feel it in my arms especially since I have been off of heavy-duty arm exercises for 6 months, but I also feel it in my butt and abs. I love LOVE this feeling. I want more.

But there are a few problems:

- My knees got very swollen after Tuesday night. It's the first time I've done a vinyasa (flow) class in a long time (it's very cardiovascular and also lots of standing poses AND much of it goes quickly so no time to really focus on proper alignment). I have been wearing braces on both my knees all year when at the gym because I figure better safe than sorry, but I want my legs to get strong and not rely on the braces. BUT I also don't want to hurt myself. Dilemma. I think I'll just be really really careful.

- The gym is WAY too noisy for a good yoga practice, and...

- They are charging $64 for 8 classes of yoga at my gym. My gym is already WAY too expensive ($129/month -- I really just intended to join for three months last year and it's now been a year). I just can't pay this anymore. Gotta find a new gym and yoga place (maybe not the same place).

So, I have to give my current gym one month's notice that I will be leaving. I will do that at the beginning of February and go somewhere else starting in March. In the meantime, I will buy one series of yoga classes to get myself back into yoga shape.

Next problem: where to go for yoga and gym? I am thinking of going to a large chain gym that will cost maybe $39/month or so. Even if I get back to yoga "full-time", I think I need and want a gym available to me for variety. At $39/month, I could afford that. In the meantime, as I work slowly back to full-time yoga, I could take a couple of classes a week at the chain gym. I think this is a good option...even though yoga is not so great at gyms...and the chain gym is a little bit more out of my way than my current gym.

So, it's all about money really...if I had unlimited cash, I'd stay at my gym and do my "getting back up to speed" yoga there. But, like everyone else, I'm thinking about tightening my belt...both physically and metaphorically.

I needed to write all this out because the yoga/gym thing has been tormenting me...and now I think I have a workable solution so I feel good.

Have been very good but not perfect this week with food. I am slowly reading the "Crack" book too...very interesting.

Movie and exercise season

That about sums up my weekend (well, except for the part where I ate too much Thai food last night)!!

We went to see Slumdog Millionaire on Friday night and it was really good. I only wish that it hadn't been built up so much -- if I would have seen it "cold", I probably would have LOVED it. As it is, I just liked it very much and do recommend it. I haven't seen any of the other real Oscar contenders yet but this one would be fine with me if it wins. I particularly loved the music (both the film and music won Golden Globes last night).

Saturday we went shopping (exercise) for glasses for me. As I've gotten older I just don't see as well with my contacts unless I wear reading glasses so I figure I might as well just wear glasses more often. I'm getting two pair so I'll have a "wardrobe" to choose from. I'm very excited. :-) After shopping, I went to the gym and then we did a beach walk (more exercise) before going to Souplantation for salad for dinner. Then we tried to go to see Benjamin Button, but the line was too long and we weren't all that sure we were up for a 3-hour movie anyway. Instead, we went home and watched In Bruges on DVD and I really really liked it. On this one, I had much lower expectations (even though I remember that both Lori and Laura liked it) so it feels like I liked it more than Slumdog, but I think it's about equal. Was happy when Colin Farrell won the GG last night for his performance and think the movie itself should probably have won for best comedy/musical (although I haven't seen Vicky Cristina...).

Yesterday morning, DB and I took our Sunday morning breakfast rut walk (oh yeah, we did that on Saturday too!), then he left for Nearby Town for his week of duty. I went and finished up shopping for Muffin's and DB's upcoming birthdays as planned. I also found an amazing ski jacket on sale that I bought for ME! I have been worried that Tahoe will be too warm for my very warm Park City ski jacket from last year and this one is perfect because it includes a removable vest that I can wear alone or with the coat. I am getting excited...just 12 more days until we leave! :-)

After shopping (exercise) yesterday, I went to the gym. I'm excited because my gym is (finally) starting to offer yoga classes (for an additional fee...I'm not so happy about that). I am going to try one out tomorrow night after I elliptical. I haven't been able to practice since I cracked my wrist last summer, but my physical therapist thinks it's ok for me to try now. I will ease back in by alternating with my gym workouts. Someday I hope to be back to yoga full-time and no gym (because my gym is pricey).

After gym it was time to shop (exercise) some more -- I had to return some things that I had bought a while ago and "needed" to keep shopping a little more for me. ;-) I bought a new dress and some workout pants. Then home to get ready for the GGs and to order the (too much) Thai food. I loved that Mickey Rourke (who I love, but haven't seen this film) thanked his dogs! I was up too late...watched the after party coverage too...but it was fun.

Tonight...more movies. I have Ghost Town and Queen of the Damned at home, plus all the instant view Netflix stuff. I'll wait for DB to get home before seeing any more Oscar contenders. But I love this season...so many good movies to see!! :-)

[To answer Vickie: I have about 15 pounds to go to where I think I just MIGHT stop trying to lose. This is only about 5 pounds less than I was last summer before I lost my focus. I would LIKE to try to lose maybe 5 pounds beyond that so I have a cushion. Maybe it's good for me to set a "goal"...]

Fluctuating, gaining and LOSING

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster on the scale...unfortunately, mostly going UP. As I mentioned last time, I had "gained" 9 pounds between December 19 and December 31. By the time I weighed this Wednesday (two days ago), it was over 10 pounds. And, my friends, this was not COMPLETELY water/sodium/one-day-overeating gain. It was real. I felt it in my clothes and even out of my clothes. While I did overeat over the holidays (who HONESTLY doesn't?), I continued to exercise and I certainly didn't overeat the way I USED to. I am not in denial about this...I think I am pretty aware of what I eat...even when it is bad.

So, after I weighed this Wednesday, I went back to my records of weigh-ins for the last couple of years. I am SO happy that I have these records. I think they are really important in helping me understand seasonal patterns in my eating/weight. The records showed that I always gain substantially at this time of year. This differences this year? I started out substantially lower than last year and I got serious immediately this week when the "Holiday Excuse" was over.

The result is that I have already gotten rid of almost 5 pounds of the "gain" that registered on the scale just two days ago. I still have many pounds to go, but this is a cause for optimism for me.

While I know that a lot of people feel differently, the scale is a real help to me in keeping REAL about my weight. Even when I think it's kind of UNreal that I can gain so much so fast. I almost want to put "gain" in quotes because it doesn't feel like a real gain when it comes off so fast after getting a grip. But "fast" is relative. It ALWAYS takes longer to come off than to go on. And I really REALLY hope I can remember that next year when the Holiday Challenges appear...I hope that the Holiday Excuse has a little less power for me.

Like most people at New Year's time, I am reassessing. I weigh less than I did last year at this time and that makes me feel good, but not as little as I did last June (when I still wanted to lose a little more). I think I have to start to really let it sink in that I can't eat the way I did when I was younger and not gain. So the old ways of losing and maintaining are going to have to be replaced with new ways that work for ME. I'm not sure what those are yet, but I'm thinking a lot about it. I am thinking about the period last year when I was consistently losing and thinking about why I was successful then. I plan to be successful again. But, good gosh, this is a JOURNEY, eh?! ;-)

Tonight DB and I have a date to see Slumdog Millionaire, then sushi for dinner (I know, but sodium on weigh-in day is ok...I have a week for it to work out of my system!). Tomorrow I am planning to shop for new glasses (also with age, I've kind of decided that I see better with glasses than contacts so am thinking of wearing glasses a lot more than usual), take down Xmas decorations with DB, go to the gym (of course). Sunday, after our beach walk "rut", DB leaves for his week in Nearby Town. Then I go to the gym and go to the mall to finish shopping for his and Muffin's upcoming birthdays.

I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind about what the coming year will bring as to changes in my health routines...as Cindy says, "more will be revealed.". :-)

Happy New Year!

Luckily New Year's weekend was MUCH more relaxing than Christmas weekend. I feel like a new woman!! Even though I wasn't looking forward to our party because I was so tired from the previous weekend (and, believe it or not, I'm not really a NYE party girl), it ended up being GREAT. Our last guests left at almost 4:30 am and we went to bed after 5 am after cleaning up (our house was a disaster) and showering (I had blue hair as you see above). :-) I had planned to stay in bed all day NY Day because DB was going to Nearby Town for a big family sibling pow-wow. That got postponed until Saturday on NYE because one of the sibs was stuck in Phoenix. So, DB and I got to spend ALL of NY Day IN BED. Literally, in bed. :-) Some of our friends came over about 11:30 am and wanted us to go out, but we told them we were being John & Yoko and doing a bed-in so they just joined us for a bit to see the photos of the night before (they had left the party around 3:30 am). The rest of the day we napped, received thank-you phone calls from nearly all our party attendees, watched our new instant Netflix thingee on the tv...and ATE lots of leftovers from the party. It was a perfect day. I think we might have a new tradition.

(By last Wednesday, I had gained nine pounds in 10 days...I literally cannot do two bad days or this happens...and I worked out over the holiday too at my regular times minus two workouts for NY and Xmas...but I am HUGE this morning.) :-(

Friday I went to the gym and did some shopping for ME, then headed up to Nearby Town (DB left a little earlier than me and we needed separate cars so I could escape when The Meeting started on Sat.). We had a great time with all the sibs on Friday night...a real fun family party. One of the nephews taught me to play baccarat and that was fun (we betted for matches!). I got out of there about 10 on Sat. morning (along with one of the other spouses...we fled!), then went SHOPPING. I had seen a coat last week in Nearby Town at Old Navy and I loved it, but I put it back and when I went to get it, it was GONE. :-( I was obsessing about it all last week so was on a mission to find it (I had been to the Old Navy near my house on Friday). So I had mapped out the two Old Navys between Nearby Town and home. I hit the first one at a mall and they had it!! Yay!!! I also got a lot of other shopping done for Muffin's and DB's upcoming January b-days. I hadn't been to a mall in ages and it was fun.

Then I stopped at an outlet mall to check out one store for something I was thinking of getting DB for his b-day. Then to another Old Navy (to see if I could get the coat in black -- I got it in brown). Then to Bon-Bon's (the youngest grandkid's) first birthday party (which DB had to miss due to The Meeting). I got home about 5:30 or so. DB decided to stay over in Nearby Town until yesterday and that was fine with me. I ordered Thai food and watched Mamma Mia on DVD (didn't like it much).

Yesterday, I slept until about 10:30 (nice!), then DB got home, then I went to the gym and after that we laid in bed while he told me the story of The Meeting (good progress was made...a first step). In the early evening we had to run an errand to return something we had borrowed for Burning Man. Got home about 5 and DB has been feeling sick so we ordered in Chinese and watched This American Life DVD (LOVED IT).

Bottom line is I feel VERY rested and ready to lose this weight...again.

I hope you all did better with maintaining over the holidaze than I did...