Weigh Day (week fifty-seven)

This week has been a strange one.  In some ways I am feeling stressed beyond belief, and in others I am finally feeling relaxed.  Odd, right?

The strep is clearing up nicely…after I took a couple days off the gym (and, of course, the antibiotics are helping).  Thursday my bestie (Leslie) stole me away for an overnight trip in a fancy hotel.  That gave me some much needed refreshing relaxation…which I desperately needed.

The biggest stressor for the week is something I have had serious internal struggles over.  I have even contemplated whether or not I should blog about it.  In the interest of not censoring, and of helping others overcome obstacles related to weight loss/health, I have decided I will blog about it:

I have been a member of Fitworks since last August.  I also began training at that time.  My original trainer was Don…then Vanessa…and then Ebony.  All of them seemed nice enough.  When Ebony left I went to Dorsey (manager) and requested someone he thought would be around for a while so I could actually build a relationship with someone.  That is when he gave me Denise.  I loved her from the moment we met.  She was energetic, sincere, and ambitious.  She was excited to help me reach my weight loss goals, which made me even more excited.  Over the last 10 months Denise has gone above and beyond for me (many times over again).  I owe a great deal of my success to her efforts and passion.  Aside from that, though, I have also come to love her as a person…outside of my professional relationship with her.  She really is amazing in many ways.

This is when things get tough.  Obviously my weight is not coming off like it did this time last year.  Every pound is so hard to lose anymore…and the weight is just creeping.  Although I knew logically this was going to happen, I find I am growing frustrated.  So, Dorsey and I were talking about it and he suggested considering training more than once per week…and maybe even seeing what I could learn from another trainer.  The problem is not that the other trainers are not good, or that I do not trust them.  The problem is that Denise is my trainer.  Period.  I felt like even considering another trainer was some sort of ultimate betrayal.  Dorsey assured me, though, that it is “no big deal.”  Despite my initial apprehension, I agreed to start working with Aaron as well.

Aaron is a trainer I have worked with before (and I know I have mentioned him here previously).  So, I already knew he was super brilliant and a fabulous trainer.  He was excited to work with me one-on-one, though…and brought a whole crap-load of information to the table.  He suggested the IF (mentioned previously) and a few other things to get things moving.  He put together a pretty intense schedule for me (which I wish I could have started without being sick), too.  Despite only working out four days this week (two lifting, two cardio), I lost 1.6 pounds since last weigh in.  Excellent!

195.2

I must admit I am excited to learn new things from Aaron, but I still feel pretty crappy about the arrangement.  I certainly intend to keep training with Denise as well, but I have to figure that one out as she switched and reduced her training days at Fitworks this week.

As a side update…the studying continues for my personal training certification.  I have read through 13 chapters (out of 30) so far.  I am taking my time, though, really absorbing and learning the information.  I hope to have everything finished by the end of September, but we shall see.  If it takes me longer to *truly* know the information, it takes me longer.  The whole program is quite expensive, so I really do not want to have to pay for a re-test because I rushed.

Another side update…Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge is chugging along…and I am not doing well – still.  Some of those people have dropped an insane amount of weight already.  Good for them.  Bad for me.  Oh well, though, we have until October…and even if I do not win, I will still be losing.  Every pound off is a small victory right here at the home front, right?

How was your week?  Anything stressful or amazing going on?

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-six)

So, week one of Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge is finished…and I am not doing so well against some of the competition.  Some of these folks dropped *serious* weight this week (congrats to them!)!  I can only hope (for my own personal sake, of course) that they cannot sustain that kind of loss every week…or I stand no chance at all.

The scale is still moving down…ever…so…slowly.  But, down is down, so no complaints here.

196.8

That is 0.4 down from last week.  Part of me is frustrated with such a small loss…part of me is just glad it is a loss.  I mean, after all, any kind of loss is certainly better than any kind of gain, right?!

So, I was talking to Aaron at Fitworks this past week and he was telling me about intermittent fasting.  He is doing a daily 16/8 split.  This means he eats for only 8 hours a day and fasts for 16.  He is in great physical shape already (believe me…he looks like he could be some sort of god…really), but has lost three pounds of fat in a week doing the IF.  The issue for me is that I workout in the evening, so I would need to fast *all* day in order to workout at the optimal time of the fast.  Obviously, I cannot do that.  So, I am looking into a once weekly (or possibly twice weekly) 24-hour fast.

This might be just what I need to see some good movement on the scale each week (as in an average of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week again)…and give me at least a shot at winning Grumpy’s competition.  Have any of you out there done any kind of fasting?  If so, how did you decide your “schedule” or were you under the supervision of a physician?

If you are interested in reading more about IF, I found a couple links:
Precision Nutrition – Dr. John Berardi
The “IF” Life

I have not decided just yet if I will be doing IF for sure.  This is just something I am considering.  I still have some more reading to do to see if this may fit into my life effectively.

Beyond that, the only thing going on this past week was sickness.  Strep, to be exact.  My older daughter picked it up and was given antibiotics on Wednesday.  By Friday, my younger daughter had swollen tonsils and blisters.  My throat feels like I am trying to swallow glass (uncomfortable to say the least), so I am pretty sure I picked it up as well.  Both my younger daughter and I were put on antibiotics today.  Thankfully, other than swallowing glass, my body feels perfectly fine…no aches or fever.  That means, of course, it is life as usual (meaning Zumba with Michelle tonight).

-Erica

Weigh Day (week fifty-five)

I am feeling *far* better this week than last.  All of my “extra” weight went away, and I finally saw the downward trend I have come to know and love.  I do still believe that I need a new scale (or new batteries) because I am still running into some inconsistency issues…which are frustrating!

I began my new routine (designed by Denise and Dorsey) this week.  It is more regimented than I am used to, but change is good, right?  This is what my week looked like:

Monday – Back & Biceps (weight lifting)
Tuesday – Spin (cardio)
Wednesday – Legs (weight lifting)
Thursday – Zumba (cardio)
Friday – Chest & Triceps (weight lifting)

Thankfully, the issue with my left foot seems to be improving quickly.  I was still able to do spin on Tuesday (without standing on the bike, though), and leg day was no problem.  Even Zumba went off without a hitch (although about 3/4 through it I cut back on the amount I was jumping).  I have been consistently icing it and keeping it elevated when I sit down.

So, my weigh in for the week:

197.2

Not too shabby, huh?  That is a full four pounds down from last week, and two pounds down from my previous lowest weight.  This makes me happy.  Especially since I am in Grumpy’s Coffee Mug Challenge.  I need to kick some butt, folks.  The challenge runs until October, so I have some time to really ramp it up…which I will be doing.

-Erica