37.7% Body Fat

That's me.

I got my assessment for this month done yesterday with the personal trainer. They made me hold on to that little body fat measuring machine that sends a small jolt of electricity through your body and depending on how long it takes to come back to the machine, determines how much body fat you have. The body fat analyzer:

The analyzer, analyzed me and gave me a jolt of truth: I am 37.7% body fat. My BMI was somewhere around 33.5 or so.

What a shock it was to see that number. I've used the machine before. Last month it said 39.6%.. 4 years ago it said around 46%.. but think about it-- 40% of me is fat? That's insane! And a wake up call.

I don't want my body to be carrying that much extra flab. It weighs me down and makes the rest of me work harder and break down sooner. No, thank you.

And all because I'm scared of losing inches. I've noticed that I'm reluctant to leave the 200's due to my comfort where I am. But these body fat numbers scare me. I have to let go of what I'm comfortable with and work towards giving my body a chance to be healthy. I need to stop being scared of losing my identity if I lose the fat.

I need to remind myself that there won't be a me at all if I die from heart failure or similar. I need to remind myself that I will still be me, just a healthier and stronger me.

It's been difficult. I'm still pushing a long. This is the first time in almost a month that I DON'T feel sore. That just means I have to head to the gym soon.

*Picking up gym bag and putting down the jar of honey*

Good luck everyone!

-w0rld

A good day!

I had a very productive day today. Got a lot of stuff done for work. I also managed to get pretty sweaty at the gym today.

The highlight of the work out was jogging on the track. Scratch that-- the highlight of the work out was a couple of hours after the work out where I noticed I feel great and my hip doesn't hurt! Sure it might be a little sore later but the fact that it doesn't hurt this late after my work out is amazing.

I made an appointment for the trainer later this week. I'm ready to get sore again. LOL

Have a good week!

-w.

Weigh In

After a half lethargic yet fully hopeful start to January I saw the effects of my lack of discipline (and start of a return to fitness) with my weigh in this morning.

Current Weight: 208.6 lbs

When I weighed in at the gym, (wearing jeans, cell, wallet, and keys in my pockets) it said 219 lbs. I knew that was wrong but then the house scale said 210 lbs last week.

With my start of a new work out regimen and a weekend of stomach problems I managed to lose 2 lbs. Not bad but definitely not the start I wanted.

Achievements:

It's amazing how many less calories I eat when the temptation of sweets is taken away. I've noticed a change in my skin for the better. My energy was low for a while. I felt achy. Once my stomach decided to rebel against me my energy actually replenished. Maybe the mandatory bed rest helped me out. Maybe staying away from milk and sugar is helping.

Before my stomach issues I had my first training session. The soreness has finally gone down but my core was on fire all weekend.

My stomach is still not 100% better but I have been able to get my butt to the gym these last couple of days. A half hour on the elliptical is better than nothing at all.

Goals:
I need to feel better but I want to make a point to go the gym daily.
I want to stay away from sweets. It's hard this entire weekend I was craving things like donuts.
I want to make sure I fill my diet with fruits and vegetables. I've noticed I'm getting caught up in meat and bread.
I want to focus on personal hygiene and just taking care of the little things. When I get this lazy I can forget to do small things like brush my teeth or take vitamins. I want to make sure I make time for small things like that. LOL

Good luck everyone!

-w0rld

New Year/ New Me.... Right?

Happy Belated New Year!

As usual I always get excited in the new year. I have a new job. I moved to a new place, in a new city. I just joined a new gym. I went to my first personal training session.

Now my my entire core is completely sore!

Everything in red hurts something awful.
To top that I tried juicing again and my stomach started acting up. I felt better in the morning and went to the coffee shop where I asked for an iced mocha latte with soy milk. Once I finished the drink my stomach decided to stage a war against me. When I was able to catch my breath enough to stand up and ask the coffee barista what the hell was in that drink (she said it was soy milk and cocoa powder.. idk) I dragged myself out of there and home where I can feel horrible in the privacy of my own (new) home.

Stuck in bed. Blah :(

I'm still excited for my new start though! The fact that I'm this sore after a half hour session with a trainer is giving me hope that I'll actually get some results out of this. I really wanted to take advantage of being in the city and get help with my journey. I gained a decent amount of weight this holiday season. I know that if I work hard I can lose the recent weight and hopefully more. 

I hope I can feel better soon so I can head back to the gym. I want to create a streak of me going to the gym daily (full work outs or simple cardio on easy day). It just sucks that I had to fall ill now.

Good luck to everyone! Elina out... and on the look out for pepto.

-w

Getting in sync with your body is amazing

Getting in sync with your body is amazing. I am now able to predict my periods to the DAY. This may not seem like much (or maybe it's TMI for those sensitive souls out there) but that means I can also predict the other parts of my menstrual cycle.
 I can predict when I'm going to get PMS. (<-- a="" and="" b="" big="" c="" depressed="" food="" get="" i="" it="" on="" one="" out="" p="" s="" take="" that=""> I can predict when I'm going to start craving sugar more.
 I can predict when I'll have less energy, or more energy and then plan my work outs accordingly.

If I can track my menstrual cycle I can plan on what I can eat to stop me from cramping (so badly).
I can even plan what I'm going to wear.
I can predict a bigger number on the scale and I can tell myself to relax.
I can even predict how thirsty I might get.

Listening to my body is definitely key.
I wake up in the morning and I assess, "How do I feel today? Tired? Achy? Energetic? Heavy? Sluggish? Light? Does my hip hurt? Does my right foot feel great?" etc

When I eat I pay attention to how I feel afterwards (learning that after the lactose intolerant reveal)." Does this food make me feel good or horrible afterwards?" " Did my stomach hate that cookie?" "Oh wow I feel great after organic protein bar!"

It's a good practice to have. That way I can remember how I feel and either stay away from certain foods (like sugar and the office candy section) or try something good again (like stretching after swimming).

It may seem like common sense but I don't think I'm alone when I say I just don't do it most of the time. You're so busy, you're always looking for the quick fix or the "it tastes good right now" that we don't stop to pay attention to our bodies.

It's time to pay attention now.

-w0rld

Weigh In.. No, Measure In

I've decided that I would give the scale a break and focus on measurements. Yes, I've done this before with little success but I have a new mind set on it now so I'm going to try again. Every Monday I not only weigh in but I also measure my bust, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and arms. I have a nice history now and it's interesting where I lose inches first, middle and last.

It's no surprise that my waist has been having the toughest time to lose anything but that is the life of a PCOS woman--belly fat is the hardest to get rid of and the most important to lose.

So here it is:

Last Monday's measurements:

Arms: 14.25" (Left), 14.25 (Right)
Thighs: 26" (L), 25.5" (R)
Calves: 15.75" (L), 15.75" (R)

Bust: 45"
Waist: 41.75"
Hips: 47"

Today's measurements:

Arms: 14" (L), 14 (R)
Thighs: 25.75" (L), 25.25" (R)
Calves: 15.75" (L), 15.5" (R)

Bust: 45"
Waist: 41.5"

Big belly + skinny legs= not cool

Hips: 46.5"

I've lost 1/4 inch on my arms, thighs, right calf, and waist. I lost 1/2 inch on my hips. All of this is great news.
The only thing I'm concerned about is the fact that my right and left legs are different sizes. My right leg has been giving trouble forever (plantar fasciitis and hip pain) so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I do worry that I'm losing muscle on my calves. My legs are getting skinnier while my belly is struggling to keep up. I feel like I'm going to turn in to a balloon in the middle with two toothpicks for legs. NOT COOL.

But I'm still extremely happy that I'm seeing results. The pool, and going to the gym 4-5 times a week is really helping.

Achievements:

The fancy pool I swim in

After completing 50 lengths in the pool (which I later learned is 1.13 miles) I changed my tactic last week and started doing intervals in my laps. I spend less time in the pool, work on different strokes and hopefully keep my body guessing which then equals more calories burned. That's the hope anyway. It seems to be working.

I started calorie counting again. Honestly it's the only way to be mindful of what I put in my mouth. I have to be accountable for it and write it down. It makes you think twice when you have to cop out that yes, you did eat that second helping of honey roasted peanuts.

Goals:
I decided to keep it simple and follow the first "protocol" in the Woman Code book: 'Managing Your Blood Sugar'. Here's a sneak peek of what it says:

They're practicle suggestions that I can easily do. I'm going to stick with that for now. 

Good luck everyone! And good luck with all those holiday parties. I survived my jobs party last night. Woo!

-w0rld

December Weigh In

Gone for a month. What have I been up to? Well a few things:

First of November weigh in: 202.2 lbs 
I finished my job as an Outdoor Educator.
I went on vacation.
I ate a lot of delicious food.
I learned to appreciate wine.
 I got my car impounded.
I got my car back.
Learn(ing) what it means to be lactose intolerant.
I cooked new recipes like my first roasted chicken and butterscotch.
I realized I'd been gaining weight.
 I joined a very fancy gym.
 I started swimming again (yay!)
I started my new job (same organization/ better job).
Had to use snow chains for my little sedan for the first time. Psshh snow...
I started reading again.
I am currently cooking my first butternut squash soup.

First of December weigh in: 203.8 lbs

Sigh.. Why can't I let myself stay in ONE-derland. It's very clear how much I sabotage myself the second I see something under 200 lbs. I am seriously considering getting rid of my scale and focusing on calories, exercise and measurements. I tried this before but wasn't actully diligent about taking care of my food in take. This time I am going to have to be very diligent and not think of a break from the scale is a break from staying on task.

Never give up! Never surrender!

Thinking up new weight loss regime while making soup!

-w0rld