Day of Rest: Yep, still at it

So despite my lack of posts over the past few days, I am still walking the fitness highway. Walking, not running. Truth is, I needed a break from calorie counting and food weighing and I wanted to see if I could keep up the good habits without such stringent methods, since I don't intend to weigh everything I eat for the rest of my life. So far I feel like I am not going crazy. All the weighing has given me a good understanding of how much a handful is or how much an ounce of something is. I'm still working out six days a week and moving every day, despite some emotional setbacks having to do with a temper tantrum over not being able to go see a movie...and when written like that, I do know exactly how childish it sounds. Meh, we all have our rough days. I also had to take it easy since, with all the rains and general bad weather lately, my ol' timey trick knee has been sort of sore at me. I'd rather take it easy for a few days than push it and risk a real injury.

Last time I checked I was down to 251.something, which is very close to my first big (weight) goal: below 250 before the end of summer. Looks like I am going to make it. Which means I will need a new goal. My reward is going to have to be my new bike. A black Pake with Celeste rims—gorgeous. I have been cleaning it up a bit and ogling a new crank set. It needs new brake cables, and wraps of course, and I might slap a new chain on there just for good measure.

I have been losing steadily off my hip measurement but my waist seems to be stalled out. I think some changes in my diet are responsible. You know how it is when you add protein powder...if you don't: my fervent hope for you that you don't ever find out. Though protein powder is a blessing, getting my belly used to it has really been a challenge. But I can't even begin to describe how much better I feel post workout since adding it to my recovery time. Yoga, water and a little protein shake. Perfection. So though I am still getting used to some of the side effects, and figuring out the best times and ways to take the stuff, I am not going to stop using it any time soon.

Official Day of Rest Update:
In the red; Average loss: .3"
Weight: 251.2. Still no scale of my very own. My mother has been threatening to send me hers.

5.2 inches of my hips. Neato.

Sculpt

After only a few go'rounds with a new strength routine I can do body-weight triceps presses. There's nothing quite like that feeling of being able to do something that once felt impossible.

My body is changing by the day it seems, certainly I can feel changes. The other night I went to put my hair up and I noticed the muscles of my forearm moving under the skin and thought, Well that's new. And that sort of thing happens every day. It's like unwrapping a new toy every time I wake up. I hope people who don't have to lose weight still get to feel like this.

I still have no idea of my weight but I am about to go out of town again and will probably get a chance to weigh myself then. It's tough to escape completely the tyranny of those numbers, mentally but I am trying to remember how INCREDIBLE I feel after a great workout and keep telling myself that that is what matters.

In the meantime, I have to go shower, I just kicked my own ass. Triceps presses, mermaids, pushups, standing obliques...my whole body is still warm and I finished about an hour ago. Seriously. I can think of only a few things that feel better than this.

I feel AWESOME!

Great ride.

Improved cadence (riding on my trainer), a new understanding of RPM and a great playlist are responsible. I held about 75RPM for about an hour and a half in varying gears. I got off and I thought, GODDAMN! I feel amazing. It felt like it took no time at all and I am full of all kinds of energy now. I was briefly tempted to try to climb up a wall just to see if I could but it turns out the endorphin high did not give me superpowers (boo) and passed quickly enough—still leaving me feeling incredible.

I heart my bike.
Actually, I love it.

Next week I get another one.
Yeah, it's like that. I will love them both equally, I swear.

(Much needed) Day of Rest

I was right; I am still in the red by little more than a hair. I was thrown back by some gains that I can't explain other than to say that apparently not exercising for a few days a week makes me gain weight...in the bust...which seems unlikely. Many people would say it is from weight-training, or other, more specifically girly reasons but I am skeptical (it is not the right time for that to figure in). I think travel eating played a part, but, I am not too terribly upset about it. I am rather distracted by some other physical stuff that is confusing the living hell out of me at the moment. Maybe once I figure out why my body seems to be changing all the rules, I guess turn about is fair-play—I've been doing the same thing for the past few months—maybe then I will have the energy to be upset about measurements...but I doubt it. Especially because even with some odd gains, my waist still went down. I guess this is a weight-loss ideal. I won't poke at it; I will just be grateful.

I had the most amazing lentil salad last night. It had warm blueberries in it, and feta. So good!

I started doing push-ups yesterday, which is most of why I really need this day of rest. The other part of that relief is Leandro Carvalho and his cheerful death march to Brazil Butt-hood. It's so tough to hate that man while you are pliéing, heels lifted, sweating and feeling like you can't do even one more minute...then he says, "Come on, Don' settle for less! Don' save anything!" and he gets into the squat and says, smiling earnestly, "I'm here with you! Come on!"
Seriously, so hard to swear at him, the digital him even.
So now I am glad to just be sitting on my butt, "the bum bum!" Leandro calls it, getting my desk jockey work done. I will take a leisurely walk later to gawk at the tourists in town for Musikfest and that will be my moving around for the day.

Official Day of Rest update: In the red; Average loss: .1 inches.
I still do not have my own scale. Take that, quantification!
And, as it has been four weeks complete since getting on my current fitness and eating schedule...
One month update:
Pounds lost: 12
Overall average loss of 2.8 inches
4.2 inches lost from my waist, which is pretty nifty

In an attempt to inject variety into my routine I have inadvertently kicked my own ass. I guess Leandro Carvalho and some Turbo Jam have kicked my ass but I feel I have to take some responsibility since I am the one who hit play and danced around like a madman.

I recently had a chance to weigh myself and I have to admit, I was disappointed. I am trying not to let it bother me too much since I am infinitely happier, health-wise, than before I started this, uh, program (it's not a diet, it's not an organized system with an infomercial...what do I call it? "Journey," I guess). I have been changing my eating habits, working out and generally trying to improve my physical life for about two months now and according to the scale at a friend's house I have lost about eleven pounds.
Now eleven pounds is better than no pounds but still.
And I know that my clothes fit like I have lost more than that so I wonder if my original estimate of my weight was a gross underestimate, which is not a cheerful thought either.
Anyhow, I am trying to not let it bother me.

Also in that category is the fried food I ate when I was in Philadelphia this last weekend. I have to say, eating almost exclusively greens and whole grains and yogurt for over a month does not prepare you for the deep-fried, insulin-blasting carbo-party that is travel food. (Vegan) pizza and french fries, chips and guacamole, tempura. Yow. It was tasty but I am glad to be back in my own kitchen. Tomorrow I get back on my bike if my butt will let me get near that saddle. I know somewhere around here I have the big couch-cushion that originally came with the bike that I rode before I graduated to a real one, the kind that tries to get fresh if you sit down too fast? Yeah, I am not looking forward to the reacquiantance period tomorrow however, it's been over a week since I have been on my bike; I miss it.

Anyhow, that's me.

To update:
Current measurements: still in the red by a hair, last time I checked, though I will officially update my measurements on Day of Rest coming up in a few.
Current weight: 256.2 according to a friend's scale in Philadelphia which is a completely different scale than the one I last weighed myself with many months ago.