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On a Journey to Wellness

Come with me on my journey to losing weight, getting healthy and going out to meet the world head-on!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Do you need a hug??

Today I got up early and rushed to the gym so I wouldn't miss the Zumba class. It seems the usual instructor is out or something because this is the second time a different instructor was in charge of the class. A guy this time. (It was a lady last week). He seemed to be around my age maybe a little younger.

He also seemed to be new, partly because he was wearing the "Zumba Instructor" shirt and matching fluorescent green pants that go with it (which I'm assuming is what they give them when they first start.. and they stop wearing as soon as they get comfortable enough to know they're not going to be chastised or something) and partly because he kept making little mistakes, and in the end didn't have enough time to cooldown everyone before the yoga class tried to bombard in.

What made me mad was that little by little people kept walking out of the class. I mainly noticed because I suddenly had a little bit more room to jump around in, and also the hot-shot tall blonde who was always in the front suddenly disappeared 15 minutes before the class ended. And I knew for a fact this girl thought herself 'the shit' because she seemed to be the teacher's pet of the original instructor.

I was happy to see an instructor who took care to actually talk to his class, wear pants that allowed me to see him and his moves (even while being in the back row) and had more fun moves than simply watching the instructor feel himself up. LOL.

In the end I felt sorry for Zumba boy and I truly and utterly regret not going up to him when I saw him walking to his car in the parking lot of 24. Especially since he seemed to have a face that showed 'frustration' and maybe a little 'embarrasement' and over all 'FAIL' stamped through his forehead.

The entire day I've been thinking about it. I wanted to go up to him. I wanted to tell him 'good job' and that I hoped he would take over the class. I wanted to hug him and tell him it would be alright. I wanted to at least pat him in the back and give him one of my better 'winning' smiles.

I hope he's ok..that Zumba instructor man. I hope he comes back.

Good job 'Zumba guy'. Good job.

-w0rld

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Weigh In

I almost forgot to update this sucker.. I've had other things to think about this week besides the ever back and forth of the scale.. so my apologies for that. Let's make it short and sweet (or messy depending on your preference).

Current Weight: 251 lbs (not much of a change here.. sadly.. but after last week I wasn't surprised.. I didn't even blink this time)

Work Out Achievement: Hmm let's see. I am now able to walk-jog about 4mph for semi-short distances which is a good thing because before just the word "jog" would make me cringe. I was always the "walk or run.. there is no jog" kind of person <---*insert Yoda voice there*

I wonder if attempting to use the force might work.. hmmm..

Besides that there isn't anything crucial.. Oh Oh! I have started experimenting with crunches.. My abs have been burning for the last couple of days. I'm hoping that by continuing, the burning will subside but the results remain.. LOL.. I only hope I don't turn out like that silly high school valley girl last night who spent 5 minutes straight glaring at the guy hogging the crunch machine as he was sprawled over it having what I guess was a thrilling phone conversation. (I had my headphones on so all I could hear was Madonna's 'Hung Up' so I can only guess what was going on there.) LOL

I've also been able to spend some more time getting oriented at SparkPeople.com and have now set up my Spark Page So I deem that an achievement. Don't you?

Goal(s): I'm still trying to find ways of having an efficient work out that doesn't require me to go to the gym every day. I have yet to find something that would work well for me. While I search I have (sometimes reluctantly) been driving over there. I've had really good work outs mixed in with rush jobs so I think I'm balanced out. This rain isn't helping. I love rain.. when I'm inside and drinking hot chocolate and watching Vin Diesel blow something up.

yes Vin, take me with you.. I'm ready.

But I don't have much fun with rain when I'm tired after work, I used the rain as an excuse earlier in the day to not head to the gym, and now I have to go or else I'll get home and won't leave my bed. EVER. AGAIN! So there's that. LOL.

Besides that, I think it's about time I switched the songs in my 'cheap-o mp3 player'. Since that poor thing only holds like 30 songs it's really like having a re-mix tape on repeat over and over and over again. Time for change!

Let's do this I say!

Wish me luck!

-w0rld


Saturday, January 23, 2010

And Now for Something Totally Random

A little something to get my good mood back:

Cyanide and Happiness, a daily webcomic
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

I'm also happy to report that although I ended being lazy last night and skipped the gym I made up for it today and then-some! Rock On!

-w0rld

Friday, January 22, 2010

I'm at a Plateau

I did something I shouldn't this week. I weighed myself about 4 times this week instead of the once or twice. The changes in weight were drastic (in my opinion) and although I know that weight fluctuates and that it's not smart to weight yourself after you drank a bottle of water and etc, I admit that it was a stupid thing to do because now I feel like shit.

I'm not losing weight.

I didn't want to admit this. I kept telling myself that I really am losing weight. That I'm gaining muscle that's why. That I drank a lot of water beforehand. That I'm using the wrong scale. I should take off my shoes( and belt, and shirt and.. lol). But the fact is; I'm not losing weight.

It's been almost a month now and nothing. Oh there have been improvements. I have more energy. I'm enjoying my classes (I was able to take Zumba again this week and there was a different instructor this time which I preferred. I was able to go swimming and last longer when jogging.)

I was also able to take a Weight Management class at Kaiser. A different class. This one was very similar to the last one I took (since it was hosted by the same nurse as the Preventing Diabetes class) but there were more people this time and this one was more focused to my situation. I even won a stress ball shaped like a lime for answering a question correctly. LOL.

I have been trying out food journaling and making changes in my food (the whole, change to whole breads and pastas instead of white, non-fat milk instead of whole, no trans-fat in you margarine) and I plan to continue that and actually work on calorie counting.
But I'm not doing something right. Maybe I need to be stricter in my dietary habits. Maybe I need to re-work my work out schedule. Maybe I need to get more (or less) sleep. etc etc.

It's not like I was expecting a drastic change. Or a quick fix. .... but I was hoping for a bit more sign of results by now.

Maybe I need to actually find my measuring tape and start paying more attention to that than a scale. There are plenty of things I could be doing to help myself out of this slump I'm in.

let's go from this:


to this shall we?:



And to tell you the truth I think Margee's right and it's about time I really told my family. I have already told them I'm interested in eating healthier. I couldn't hide the Kaiser classes from them and it would explain why I'm eating more fish (I'm not a big fan of fish but I'm getting in to it. lol) It would save me a lot of grief and I could stop worrying about them noticing something and then worry about them asking me about it. Though there's plenty of things going on in this household to make it easy for me to slide on by.

It might also be the weather but I've found myself being lazy in going to the gym. I still haven't missed a day but I haven't woken up early for classes. Instead I've waited until after work and then I only do 30-45 minutes instead of an hour. This is not good. Not good.

This isn't a sign of me giving up. This isn't a post simply for me to whine (though I admit that's what I'm doing right now. But don't people need to let it out sometimes? lol) I just need to log this down and then keep going. Admit this is not going to be easy and keep climbing. I'm using different things to edge me on and inspire me. Besides your lovely comments and suggestions, my classes and my trusty cheap-o mp3 player, I'm also reading other blogs like this lovely and inspiring one or this one.

I have to keep my head together. I will win this!

love
-w0rld

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Weigh In

I'm not very lively today. I don't feel like going into the gym today. I'm trying to figure out a work out I can do at home. If I end up doing nothing I promise I'll go in tonight. I promise.

Current Weight: 249 lbs (this is the weight I had on Sunday. I doubt there's been much change since then.. I hope)

Work out Achievement:
If the scale is correct then I managed to get rid of those pesky extra pounds and even able to shed an extra pound from the original weight. Not bad. Not bad.

Goal(s): Well mainly I need to keep going on the classes. I've had a change in my schedule and the Yoga class I planned to take is no longer an option. And as luck would have it, every other time there's a yoga class it clashes every time. The only chance I have is to take the yoga class right after the Zumba class on Wednesdays... and maybe change the Zumba class to some other time of the week. Hmmm.. we'll see. I also need to focus more energy on working my arms. My poor legs need a break. (But let me tell you they feel like steel right now. Oh yes. I should take the cycling class then I can get those sexy calves. LOL LOL LOL)

I need to look for other ways of having an efficient work out that doesn't require equipment. But at the same time I get the same/similar results.

We'll see my friends. We'll see.
-w0rld

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Getting Into It.

The week is over and it's time for me to make a full report on how my weeks progress has been. This is different from the Weigh In. These are my actual experiences.

Ok, well I said I was going to start going to the classes that are offered at the gym. I only managed to go to 2 of them. Pretty sad right? But I'm actually pretty glad I got to go to at least those couple because it gave me a good idea of how the classes work and I found I didn't hate them! LOL

1. Zumba class:
I woke up early on Wednesday and got there 20 minutes before the class started. I was told this class was very popular and that there might be a chance I wouldn't get in. When I walked up to the front desk they told me that I could just walk in there and that I wouldn't have a problem getting a spot.
Hmph. I took this information in and shrugged. Went off to the locker rooms. In the locker rooms I found two women I had chatted up very briefly on Monday while I waited for the pool to open up and heard them say they were planning on checking out 'that dance class that's about to start.'

I internally jumped up and down in glee because I admit I was pretty nervous and I knew I could probably follow them in to the class instead of awkwardly walking in myself; since I knew I would probably walk weirdly up, peer in and squint through the glass to see if there was anyone there, and then trip when I try to open the glass doors... So instead I waited until the lil posse' left the locker rooms and followed shyly behind them. I noticed the time and knew the class was about to start.

However, when we all got to the classroom in the back the lights were off. The group suddenly haltered and veered to the right to the rowing machines and decided to mingle there. I knew the doors shouldn't be locked so I passed the group and opened the doors. Sure enough there was a nice group of people in there already, stretching and looking like athletes.

Note to the wise: Do NOT make eye contact with me and smile if you see me standing at a doorway looking lost as hell because I WILL latch on to you like a mussel to a rock during low tide. (liked my lil marine bio joke there? Yeah, I'm a dork. Wanna do somethin' of it?)

As you may have guessed a nice slightly middle-aged looking woman in the back saw me and smiled. I instantly smiled back and all the nerves seemed to have melted away for me as I proudly glided toward her and chatted her up. LOL. My smile must have captivated her because she gladly talked to me about the class and where I should store my water and towel, about how the class is fun and fast paced but that the instructor doesn't talk very much during the class so to expect to simply go with the flow.
She assured me that although she had taken the class a couple of times prior she still didn't know what she was doing and that was why she stuck with the back row. We talked about my time in the Bay Area and told me she grew up there.

Before we could talk more (and I had realized that the classroom was suddenly much more packed and sure enough the group of ladies I had followed to the front doors had actually followed ME to the back row.. I grinned at them briefly) the instructor came in. He was a young guy around my age and height. He seemed very in to himself and I had already been warned that although he didn't talk much it was fun watching him dance around because you "could tell he thought he was 'all that and a bag of chips.'" LOL.
Once the class started I was very glad I had gotten warning about it because there was instant movement and absolutely no instruction. The lights were kept off the entire time and I wasn't wearing my glasses. It was a little frustrating until I found a woman in the front row with bright yellow pants and followed her. I very rarely had a good enough view to actually see the instructor. I found myself thinking that 'next time' I'll have to stand closer to the front. I then started laughing at myself when I realized I was already talking about 'next time.' LOL

In the end I enjoyed it and the moves weren't very different from things I had already experimented on a club or bedroom dance floor. LOL. The best part was the lady I chatted up telling me at a small break during the class, "You see, it's your first day and you've already gotten it down." I decided not to tell her that "latina rhythm runs through my genes" but you can believe I thought of it. hehehe.

After the class ended I deemed it a success and went on my way

2. Camp 24:
They call this class the "24 Hour Boot Camp". I told them "I've been in JROTC." I laugh at my response now. Then I stop because my legs and ribs scream in agony when I do. LOL.

I was late to this class. I had trouble getting out of the house in the morning and by the time I changed and ran to the classroom the group had already started. There was no trouble following directions this time. The super ripped and very tanned, white haired trainer was very good at keeping us moving non stop with her headset that seemed like it was a part of her head.

I ended up running, doing jumping jacks, punches, upper cuts and hooks. I kicked. I squatted. I did push ups and stretches. Then I did it all again with weights.
I didn't know you needed weights for this class (let alone a mat at the end) but luckily the spot I had run to was right next to the weight rack. The only light weights left were 8lbs and up. I hadn't worked with dumbbells in a year. I can tell you right now the burn in my arms sometimes weren't bearable. I had to set them down a couple of times.

The instructor was very good at showing us good form. The spot I had picked was half way and there was enough space for me to get a good look at the front row and the teacher. Thank goodness.

There were so many ripped people there (all women btw) I admit I had some trouble looking at myself in the mirror.. simply because it was so simple to distinguish myself from the ladies around me.
Do you think that discouraged me? On the contrary! Little by little I started burning with such determination that I swore to myself that I would NEVER miss this class if I could help it. "I'll show them" kind of attitude.

After the class ended I could already feel the effect through my entire body. I looked on in horror as some of the women from the class went straight to the crunch and weight machines. I couldn't believe it. "Haven't you had enough?!?" I wanted to scream. I instead shook my head and headed to the lockers.

Besides those two classes I have been tightening my new found relationship with the elliptical and treadmill machines. I have to remind myself that I'm also training myself on endurance besides weight loss.
Today I was able to have the best work out on those two machines combined. I was able to burn 280 calories in 30 minutes using the treadmill. Anyone who has used one knows it's not that easy to get to that number in that short a time.. power walking. lol. So that was good.

In the end my friends I was very glad to start taking these classes. I think I really need them so that I can have some sort of guidance as I try to better myself and my situation. I know for a fact that once this high I'm on starts going down that I will make excuses to lose momentum, half ass my work outs and cheat on my diet. I'm not saying I'm planning these things. I just know I need to be realistic. Acknowledge and then try to prevent those things from happening. These classes are going to help a ton!


(yes I took this picture, today, in my room, just for this blog post. lol)

I want to thank everyone who has chatted me, emailed me, commented to me, facebook walled me and have encouraged me so far as I slowly move toward my goals. I can't stress enough how knowing you're there supporting me has helped me keep this up so far. I take you with me wherever I go and your hands hold me up as I try to walk and look straight ahead.
Thank you!

For those of you that are reading this and have not contacted me yet. Please don't be shy. I'd love to hear from you. You are my crack. Please don't hold out on me. LOL LOL LOL.

Love you all.

-w0rld

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Swimming Like a Guppie!

I just wanted to write about what happened at the gym today. hehehe..

So this morning I was lazy and I was wondering whether or not it was worth it to get out of bed put on my unitard and swim some laps. It took me a while and after some musical inspiration and some breakfast, I made my way to the gym.

Sadly the second I got there and changed I realized I'd come during a pool aerobics class. I ended up hanging out by the hot tub waiting for the class to end and having light chit chat with some old ladies there.

Once the class ended I got in and shared a lane with a flying shark of a girl, and across the lane from an old lady who looked like she was on a mission. I told myself I was on a mission to swim 20 laps (and I'm talking about real laps here not the whole 'one end of the pool "1!" other end of the pool "2!"'.. It was front and back "1" )

I spent the first 10 laps kind of going back and forth with different strokes and wasting time taking 'breaks' after each lap *shakes head while laughing*. That is until I realized the old lady next to me (not a size two by any means) was not only going faster than me she wasn't taking any 'breaks'. I finally told myself to stop messing around and I finished the last ten laps non stop doing a funky back stroke. Once I finished I felt tired as hell but happy as well.

I went off to the showers to do something about my hair and worry about my eyes again since I don't have goggles yet. When I got out of the shower I encountered 'old lady' again.

She started talking to me and giving me pointers about my form. Apparently I need to raise my hips and stop swimming "uphill". I also need to work on my arm position and buy some goggles. LOL. I was actually glad to get some pointers but I admit I was a little weirded out that I was being checked out while the whole time in my head all I kept saying (besides trying my best to keep track on what number I was on) over and over was simply "keep going, keep going, watch that arm, keep going, keep going".

She told me that I needed to hurry up and invest in goggles and she let me try on hers. We talked about drills, the benefits of having my eyebrow piercing, and how my current job doesn't doesn't make a living. We talked about how the 24 Hour over in Corona was re-tiling their pool so she was happy to see me. All of this while we were both half naked with towels on the entrance to the showers. LOL LOL LOL

The best part of everything was her opening line, "You had quite a work out today didn't you?"
That totally made my day. LOL.

Thank you Sandy aka 'old lady'.

Ok now I'm off to work!

-w0rld

Monday, January 11, 2010

Weigh In

Ok so before I get lazy time for my Weigh In

Current Weight: 254lbs (yeah you read it right. You couldn't believe the immediate pep-talk I had to give myself the second I read this in order to prevent myself from shedding a tear or creating a scene in the girls locker room.. shit)

Work Out Achievement: I started the elliptical machine like I mentioned earlier.. and although I wasn't able to spend too much time in the gym last week yesterday I was able to burn 820 calories in one hour using different cardio equipment. Of course my legs were jelly at the end of it but I felt pretty proud.

Goal(s): Obviously I'm not very happy with my discovery that I've gained 4 pounds. So my goal is not only to lose those extra pesky pounds but lose more than that so I can actually say I progressed this month. Chocolate is definitely NOT my friend. Other than that simple fact this week is the week I'm supposed to start taking exercise classes at 24. I missed this mornings class (though I made up for it after work by stopping by a gym) so tomorrow I HAVE to go. I'll make a full scale report on my experience taking group classes. I haven't really done that before.. well after college anyway.

This little insight also made me realize that I really have to work hard on finding a balance between exercise and diet. I need to find something that will work for me and won't make me feel starved and won't force me to crash or hurt myself trying to 'burn it all off!' LOL.

This news is so frustrating though. I'm not going to lie on how upset I was to learn that I've gained weight. But like my previous post I can't think negatively. It won't make this easier or better. I have to find a balance. I've also recently bought a cheap $1 pocket Dummies book on How to Better Your Life or something like that.

Yeah.. how many people do you think would buy this edition? LOL LOL

I'm grabbing straws wherever I find them people so if you have any suggestions you let me know!


Joking aside I seriously would love to know of any suggestions people might have. My Dummies book advised me to ask 'happy seeming people about what they have done to get so happy' so Happy people: Please.. let me know!

love forever,
-w0rld

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Quick Happy Post!

I wanted to do a quick update before everything that's happened this week. I'm in a good mood right now, although I've spent most of the day indoors not doing much.

Today I feel loved. Being able to hang out with friends and family and really laugh; I mean REALLY laugh, has been able to change my mood around so much. It is definitely true that laughs and daily hugs are essential to ones health. I feel so good right now.

Not to say that I haven't had my hiccups this week. I haven't been able to work out longer than 30 minutes since Wednesday, and last night, although I had great fun getting reacquainted with friends, I ate soooo much I felt guilty not going straight to the gym that night (even though it was already 11pm... lol). I've also been eating chocolate this whole week so I hope I haven't ruined any slimmer of progress I might have started. Eeeek!

Today was my free day. No gym.. and I promised myself no internal self-guilt tripping. I made myself a green tea latte'.. and I'm going to try to resist the coffee shops from now on. Making bookstores your hang outs really isn't good for the pocket book either. LOL

But anyway, updates!

I bought myself a 'Fitness Journal' which is similar to a Weight Watchers point counter booklets where you write down the food you eat and tally the calories and etc. You also write the exercises you do each day. I had started my own journal a week ago but this one is so convenient, so I splurged and bought it. LOL.

Yesterday I also took advantage of a Kaiser Preventative Medicine class: Preventing Diabetes/Nutrition class. It was pretty rad. I had taken similar classes before but I definitely learned a few new tricks on portion control and digestion. It also gave me a refresher on a lot of general Bio that I was appalled to realize I'd almost forgotten. I need to go back to school already.

But anyway, since I liked the class so much I signed myself up for another class later this month. It's called Fitness and Weight Management and it's a prerequisite to an entire Wellness class series.
Anyone who knows me knows I love the word 'Wellness'. LOL

I think my mother is suspicious because I told her about the classes. She also seemed slightly annoyed that I hadn't included her in my plans to take it. I'm worried about what her reaction will be when she realizes I joined a gym. I'm worried she'll take it negatively. I suppose she will since technically I have been lying to her. Hmm.. I don't want to lose my high so I'll stop there.

Besides exercise and diet I have come to recognize that I also need to focus on my self image and self esteem. Being comfortable with myself is as important as the rest of the whole regime. Being able to look in the mirror and be comfortable and smile at what I see. I can't be negative throughout this venture. I need to be positive.

To do so I look to music to encourage a good mood! Music is soo influential and right now I'm going on a Madonna rampage! LOL LOL..

so I will leave you all with one of my new favorite songs

Enjoy and in the words of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure; "Be excellent to each other dudes!"

love
-w0rld <3

Thursday, January 7, 2010

My New Steps

In order to attempt to fix my 'falling off the horse' last night (please read previous post) I decided that today was going to be different.

I had gotten a call yesterday from 24 with an appointment at 9a.m to see a Personal Trainer. I had been putting this off, simply because I was scared. Why was I scared? I don't know I just was. So this morning I couldn't sleep worried that I'd oversleep and miss my appointment. I didn't.

While I was driving to the gym I was hoping I'd get to work with the super buff old lady I saw two days prior. She seemed safe and aproachable and I didn't know what to expect from a work out with a trainer. That and I was intimidated by all the buff guy trainers with the super cool tattoos showing from their tight red, collared shirts. Sure they all seemed nice and one kept smiling at me whenever he saw me on the 'mill (or so I like to tell myself), but I was nervous. And that young lady trainer with the short hair cut and big eyes scared me even more. Reminded me of my first days at Mills... LOL.

However when I got there I found out my appointment was with 'Joe' the trainer manager. Yeah I said it, I had a date with the guy in charge.. LOL.. ok so it wasn't like that but that's how it felt when I was introduced to him.
Surprise, surprise I quickly found out that those three 'free' sessions that I was supposed to receive were no longer free but 'at a discounted price'. I leveled with the fellow and told him I can't afford gas let alone three sessions with a trainer. He was nice about it though and asked me all the questions he needed to figure out what I needed to do to reach my weight loss goals.

I got my Body Fat Index (which was about 42.9%..anything above 38% is considered 'unhealthy' aka obese)
He jotted down my current weight and figured out that my body is holding 107 lbs of fat alone.
Knowing that you're fat and getting a specific number of how fat you are are two very different things. That information came as a blow to the gut for me. I mean WOW. There's like a whole other person inside from all that fat. Geez..
Since I couldn't get a trainer he gave me pointers on what I could do with the gym to help me:

He told me that weight training machines weren't the best for me.
That dumbbells would be better but that by not using them properly one arm will become stronger than the other etc etc..
..and that in reality I needed to focus more on cardio but put in some weight training because weight training burns more fat/calories in the end.
He told me to take advantage of their classes and actually gave me a schedule of which classes he recommended. We sat down and made a schedule for the week.
He showed me how to use the elliptical machine and told me to use that one more than the treadmill because the 'mill will kill my already-sensitive-knees.

The Elliptical Machine

He advised me to start using a multi-vitamin and suggested I start using that powder stuff to make shakes, in order to replace a shake for a meal.
He walked me over and told me which brands were best.

In the end I spent about an hour with him going over my options. I felt a ton better even though I didn't get to train with him like I first thought. In the end I didn't have much time left to dedicate to the gym but I changed anyway and tried out the elliptical.

That thing kicked. my. ass. In 30 minutes. LOL

Once I got home I made myself a light lunch and took a break. The weight machines from the night before had taken affect so my abs and shoulders are currently a bit sore.

On the streak of self satisfaction and making goals for myself, on a whim I grabbed the house phone and called Kaiser. After talking to a guy from Preventitive Medicine I am now set to go to a 2 hour nutrition class tomorrow morning.

Do I rock or what? LOL.. ok not really, but I do feel better.

It goes to show that my little tantrum last night wasn't the end of the world.. and the faster I get back on it the less time I have to think about giving up.

I'm really hoping this kind of motivation keeps me up. I also hope that the other sections of my life will improve with my new mindset.

Wish me luck amigos!
-w0rld <3

Gaaaaahh! I totally F*ed Up!

I have to admit right now that I totally messed up yesterday. First of all I missed out on that new Zumba class simply by lying in bed 'thinking' about going until it was too late. Then I started messing up with my diet when I got back from work. Something stupid had happened during the day, a small comment, a look I took the wrong way, I'm not even sure what it was.. but it made me go crazy when I got home. I ate.
and ate..
and ate until I couldn't stop.

I ate the pasta and meat I made for the family earlier that day (so far not bad since it ended up tasting pretty good and I used wheat pasta and no one noticed LOL).
But then the bad stuff started happening:

Yesterday was January 6th, and for anyone who knows January 6th is the Celebration of 'Los Reyes Magos' or the 'Day of the Three Kings'.. you know.. from the nativity sets in Christmas? Yeah.. Anyway so as part of the celebration instead of turkey for Turkey Day, you bring home a 'rosca' which is pretty much a giant roll of Mexican sweet bread. Inside is a lil toy baby, and the person who ends up with the slice with the baby is required to throw a party at some other point in time of the year.

What do you think was waiting for me at the dinner table last night?

My favorite part is the red and green.. mmm, mmm so sweet and sugary...

Not only did I get a big slice, I downed it with chocolate milk.
After that I ate cookies n cream icecream.
After that I ate three pieces of chocolate I got as a late X-mas present
After that I ate sweet tarts until I couldn't think any more.
And to top it all off.. I ended up getting seconds on the pasta AFTER I'd eaten everything else.

I knew what I was doing. I was mad. I was pissed. I did it anyway. Why was I so mad?
Besides the lil comment (that didn't mean anything really but left a mark in my brain), I tried going to the gym after work, before heading home.

It was packed.
I couldn't stand it!
I lasted 20 minutes and three weight training machines.
I hated the people there.
I hated the people hogging the cardio equipment I wanted.
I hated all the girls wearing pink.
I hated everybody.
I stormed back to the locker rooms and left.

I felt bad about it in the morning. I promised myself to make it better. And so far today it has been.

to be continued...

Monday, January 4, 2010

Weigh In

After a lot of procrastination I finally got my stuff together and headed to the gym today. I kept making excuses like "I left my mp3 player in my mom's car." or "I need to do my laundry first." But the main reason I took forever was because I was really worried about looking at the scale. I had eaten so much junk during my trip to Mexico like I said in my last post, that I was scared I'd gained 5 pounds or something.

The good thing though was that I finally got the chance to try on my new swimsuit
and it fit! Not only that but I also got asked where I'd bought it.. Yup, *brushes shoulder and sits back on her chair* I was totally the envy of the lil old ladies in the flowery bathing suits.. I felt cool.

Sadly I couldn't find my swimming goggles so I swam without them and now my eyes are blurry and slightly irritated and red. I still haven't told my family that I'm working out so I just hope they don't think I'm a pothead or something similar..


I'm currently contemplating the pro's and con's of telling them. I know in the long run it'll be better for me to do so, but not yet. Not yet.

After the gym I took a trip to Trader Joe's and Winco and bought myself $50 bucks worth of food (which wasn't that much food I'm sad to say) in order to keep better track of my health and stop myself from making excuses over eating food that I shouldn't.
"Well the only thing we have to drink is soda.. so soda it is!" or "Weeeell, my sister made brownies.. it'll look weird if I don't eat a little bit of it especially since this is what she made for dinner." Yeeeaah.. excuses, excuses.

So far up to a good start and I have good news as part of my Weigh In:

Current weight: (1/4/2010) 250 1/2 lbs (I was so thrilled at seeing this! Not only did I not gain any weight I actually lost 1/2 a pound so I was very relieved.)

Work Out Achievement: I was able to swim 15 laps. I was aiming for 10 laps but I was able to keep going a little bit more. I was happy.

Goal(s):I talked to a representative about joining a class. The one I'm aiming for is the 'Zumba' dance-aerobics class. I was told that I had to either sign up or simply get to the gym an hour early in order to assure myself a spot since that was a popular class and it was first come, first served. I was also recommended the cycling class and the yoga class. So my new goal would be to join a class or two and also get in contact with a trainer so I can finally get my 3 free sessions for joining 24.

Wish me luck everyone and I'll let you know how my new diet goes. Now off

Friday, January 1, 2010

Back from the Holidays!

Hi Everyone!

I just came back from my two week Holiday-family-road trip from Southern California to Monterrey Mexico and back.

I was worried about keeping up with exercise and diet during the trip and I can tell you right now that I did NOT follow through on being healthy very well this holiday season.
Especially when the only things we could afford were fast food on the drive, I was stuck in a car for five days collectively and then there was wonderful Mexican home cooking staring at me the entire time.

Things like:

This is a chocolate hazelnut and cream cheese frosting cake.. Oh my god!

On the upside I tried to be as active as possible whenever we went somewhere. Due to my earlier cardio warm up when I started power walking the treadmill at 24 for two weeks prior to the trip I was able to climb stairs and run around without getting winded. It was a great feeling.

I managed to sneak out of my uncles house once to jog around the neighborhood park and the other days I tried to use stairs instead of elevators and all that good stuff.

It was a beautiful experience. Monterrey MX is a gorgeous city, and I was able to see some very cool things.

(local waterfall.. gorgeous)

(Monterrey castle-made-museum)


I just got back from the Road trip the night of the 30th and I spent all of the 31st getting my house ready for the New Years Eve party.
I'm hoping to go back to the gym on Monday. I'm worried about what I'll see on the scale but it's a new year right? It's time to get back on the horse. LOL

I'll update soon.

Happy New Year everyone!
Let's have a great 2010~

-w0rld